Fair, Brown and Trembling is an Irish
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...
collected by
Jeremiah Curtin
Jeremiah Curtin (6 September 1835 – 14 December 1906) was an American ethnographer, folklorist, and translator. Curtin had an abiding interest in languages and was conversant with several. From 1883 to 1891 he was employed by the Bureau of Ame ...
in ''Myths and Folk-lore of Ireland'' and
Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs (29 August 1854 – 30 January 1916) was an Australian folklorist, translator, literary critic, social scientist, historian and writer of English literature who became a notable collector and publisher of English folklore.
Jacob ...
in his ''Celtic Fairy Tales''.
It is
Aarne-Thompson type 510A. Other tales of this type include ''
Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
'', ''
Finette Cendron
Finette Cendron (meaning in English, ''Cunning Cinders'') is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy.
It combines Aarne-Thompson types 327A and 510A. Other tales of 510A type include "Cinderella", "Katie Woodencloak", "Fair, Brow ...
'', ''
The Golden Slipper
The Golden Slipper (russian: Золотой башмачок) is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in ''Narodnye russkie skazki''.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 510A, the persecuted heroine.
Synopsis
An old man brought back two ...
'', ''
Katie Woodencloak
"Katie Woodencloak" or "Kari Woodengown" (originally "Kari Trestakk") is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in ''Norske Folkeeventyr''. Andrew Lang included it in ''The Red Fairy Book''.
It is Aarne ...
'', ''
Rushen Coatie
Rushen Coatie or Rashin-Coatie is a Scottish fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs in his ''More English Fairy Tales''.
It is Aarne–Thompson type 510A, the persecuted heroine, as is Cinderella.
Synopsis
A queen with a daughter died. On her de ...
'', ''
The Sharp Grey Sheep The Sharp Grey Sheep or The Sharp-Horned Grey Sheep is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in ''Popular Tales of the West Highlands'', listing his informant as John Dewar, labourer, from Glendaruail, Cowal.
It is Aarne-Thompso ...
'', ''
The Story of Tam and Cam
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
'', and ''
The Wonderful Birch
The Wonderful Birch (russian: Чудесная берёза) is a Finnish/Russian fairy tale. A variant on Cinderella, it is Aarne–Thompson folktale type 510A, the persecuted heroine. It makes use of shapeshifting motifs. Andrew Lang included i ...
''.
Synopsis
King Hugh Cùrucha had three daughters: Fair, Brown and Trembling. Since Trembling was the most beautiful, her older sisters made her stay at home, for fear that she would marry before them. After seven years, the son of the king of Emania fell in love with Fair. A
henwife told Trembling she should go to church; when she objected that she had no suitable dress, the henwife gave her one, a horse, a honey-finger, and a honey-bird and told her to leave as soon as Mass was done. She obeyed, and got away before any man came near her. After two more times, the son of the king of Emania forgot Fair for the woman who had come to church and ran after her, managing to get her shoe when she rode off.
The king's son looked for the woman whose foot the shoe fit, although the other king's sons warned him that he would have to fight them for her. They searched all over, and when they came to the house, they insisted on trying Trembling as well. The king's son said at once that she was the woman; Trembling went off and reappeared in the clothing she had worn to church, and everyone else agreed.
The sons of foreign kings fought him for her, but the king's son defeated them all, and the Irish king's sons said they would not fight one of their own. So the king's son and Trembling got married. Trembling had a son, and her husband sent for Fair to help her. One day, when they walked by the seashore, Fair pushed Trembling in. A whale swallowed Trembling, and Fair passed herself off as her sister. The prince put his sword in bed between them, declaring that if she were his wife, it would grow warm, and if not, it would grow cold. In the morning, it was cold.
A cowherd had seen Fair push Trembling in and saw the whale swallow her. The next day, he saw the whale spit her back up. She told him that the whale would swallow and spit her back up
three
3 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
3, three, or III may also refer to:
* AD 3, the third year of the AD era
* 3 BC, the third year before the AD era
* March, the third month
Books
* '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...
times, and she could not leave the beach. Unless her husband rescued her by shooting the whale in a spot on its back, she would not be freed.
Her sister gave the cowherd a drink that made him forget the first time, but the second, he told the prince. The prince shot the whale. They sent word to her father, who said that they could execute Fair if they wanted to. They told him he could do as he pleased, so the father abandoned her on the sea in a barrel, with provisions.
Their next child was a daughter, and they decided to marry her to the cowherd.
Analysis
Tale type
The first part of the tale belongs to the ATU tale type 510A, "Cinderella", a tale type of global distribution in every continent. The second part of the tale, wherein the sister tries to kill the princess and her return for
three times
''Three Times'' (Chinese: 最好的時光; ''Zuìhǎo de shíguāng''; lit. 'Best of Times') is a 2005 Taiwanese film directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien. It consists of three separate stories of romance, set in different eras, using the same lead actors, ...
, fits the ATU tale type 403, "The Black and the White Bride". Norwegian folklorist
Reidar Thoralf Christiansen Reidar Thoralf Christiansen (27 January 1886 – 22 July 1971) was a Norwegian folklorist,
archivist of the Norwegian Folklore Collection (NFS) and professor of folkloristics at the University of Oslo.
Biography
Christiansen studied theology du ...
classified the tale as an Irish variant of ''Cinderella'', which continues as tale type 403.
[Christiansen, Reidar Th. “Cinderella in Ireland.” Béaloideas 20, no. 1/2 (1950): 99. https://doi.org/10.2307/20521197.]
Motifs
The heroine being disposed of also appears in "
The Twa Sisters
"The Twa Sisters" ("The Two Sisters") is a traditional murder ballad, dating at least as far back as the mid 17th century. The song recounts the tale of a girl drowned by her jealous sister. At least 21 English variants exist under several names ...
", "
Bushy Bride
Bushy Bride (in no, Buskebrura, link=no) is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Asbjørnsen and Moe. It is Aarne-Thompson type 403 (The Black and the White Bride). It is included in Andrew Lang's Red Fairy Book.
Synopsis
A widower with a son ...
", and "
The Sea-Maiden
The Sea-Maiden (Scottish Gaelic: ''A Mhaighdean Mhara'') is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in ''Popular Tales of the West Highlands'', listing his informant as John Mackenzie, fisherman, near Inverary. Joseph Jacobs inc ...
"; in the latter two, the heroine must be rescued by the hero.
See also
*
References
{{Cinderella
Irish fairy tales
Irish folklore
Fictional princesses
Female characters in fairy tales
ATU 500-559
Jeremiah Curtin