"The

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

" or "The

Carnation ''Dianthus caryophyllus'' (), commonly known as the carnation or clove pink, is a species of ''Dianthus''. It is likely native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years.Med ...

" is a German fairy tale collected by the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...

in ''

Grimm's Fairy Tales ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', originally known as the ''Children's and Household Tales'' (german: Kinder- und Hausmärchen, lead=yes, ), is a German collection of fairy tales by the Grimm brothers or "Brothers Grimm", Jacob and Wilhelm, first publi ...

'' as tale number 76. It is Aarne-Thompson type 652, the boy whose wishes always come true.

Synopsis

A childless queen prayed for a child. An angel told her she would have a son with the power of

wish A wish is a hope or desire for something. In fiction, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used. In fiction In fictio ...

ing. She had such a son, and every day went with the child to a park where wild beasts were kept. There she washed herself in a stream. One day, a cook stole the child and stained the queen's clothing with hen's blood; then he accused the queen of having let the child be eaten. The queen was imprisoned in a tower to starve, but angels were sent to feed her. The cook, afraid of being caught, had the prince wish for a castle and a little girl as a companion; they lived there, but the cook grew afraid that the boy would wish for his father and reveal his crime, and told the girl, who had grown to a maiden, that she must murder the boy while he slept and cut out his heart and tongue. The girl refused to murder someone so innocent, but the cook threatened to kill her the next day if she didn't obey. She killed a

hind A hind is a female deer, especially a red deer. Places * Hind (Sasanian province, 262-484) * Hind and al-Hind, a Persian and Arabic name for the Indian subcontinent * Hind (crater), a lunar impact crater * 1897 Hind, an asteroid Military ...

and cut out its heart and tongue; then she had the boy hide in the bed. The cook asked about the murder, and the boy got out of the bed and turned him into a poodle for his betrayal. The boy wished to go home. The girl was frightened at the thought of the journey, so the boy turned her into a pink (or

carnation ''Dianthus caryophyllus'' (), commonly known as the carnation or clove pink, is a species of ''Dianthus''. It is likely native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years.Med ...

) and went home, with the poodle running after and the pink in his pocket. He went to his mother, who at first took him for the angels who fed her; he assured her he would free her. Then he worked as a huntsman for his own father. He hunted so much game that the king insisted that the huntsman sit by him at the feast. During the feast the boy reveals he is the king's son and that the cook was behind the evil plan all along. He changed the cook back into his own shape, and the king had him executed; he changed the pink back into the maiden, and because she had brought him up so tenderly and refused to murder him, the king sanctioned their marriage. The queen was freed, but refused to eat, because angels, having supported her, would now deliver her. She died three days later, and the king died of grief, but the prince married the maiden and they ruled the kingdom together.

Variants

German scholar indicated that an ancestor of the tale type is the Dutch poem '' Esmoreit''.Marzolph, Ulrich; van Leewen, Richard. ''The Arabian Nights Encyclopedia''. Vol. I. California: ABC-Clio. 2004. p. 216. (e-book) He also mentions the existence of tale type in Judeo-Arabic tradition. Researcher

Richard Dorson Richard Mercer Dorson (March 12, 1916 – September 11, 1981) was an American folklorist, professor, and director of the Folklore Institute at Indiana University. Dorson has been called the "father of American folklore"Nichols, Amber M.Richard M. ...

reported that the tale type can be found sporadically throughout 15 European countries, mainly in Finland. In addition, Canadian folklorist Carmen Roy stated that the type was "widespread" (''tres répandu'') across Germany, Scandinavia, Southeastern Europe, Turkey and in the "Indes".Roy, Carmen. ''La Littérature Orale En Gaspésie''. Bulletin / ational Museum of Canada no. 13. Ottawa: 1955. p. 226. This tale has also been given the alternate title "The Lost Son". In this version the angels are replaced by fairies.Lily Owens, ed. (1981). ''The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales''. pp. 253–56. Avenel Books.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pink, The Grimms' Fairy Tales Fiction about shapeshifting Fiction about magic Fictional plants ATU 650-699

Synopsis

Variants

See also

References