''The Ram'' (in French: ''Le Mouton'') is a French literary fairy tale by

Madame d'Aulnoy Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, Baroness d'Aulnoy (1650/1651 – 14 January 1705), also known as Countess d'Aulnoy, was a French author known for her literary fairy tales. When she termed her works ''contes de fées'' (fairy tales), sh ...

Alternate names

The title was alternatively translated into English as ''The Royal Ram''.Planché, James Robinson. ''Fairy Tales by The Countess d'Aulnoy, translated by J. R. Planché''. London: G. Routledge & Co. 1856. p. 613. In many editions, the story kept the reference to the ram, as in ''Miranda and the Royal Ram'', or ''The Royal Ram, or, The Wishes''.

Andrew Lang Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 – 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University o ...

included it, under the title ''The Wonderful Sheep'' in ''

The Blue Fairy Book ''The Langs' Fairy Books'' are a series of 25 collections of true and fictional stories for children published between 1889 and 1913 by Andrew Lang and his wife, Leonora Blanche Alleyne. The best known books of the series are the 12 collections ...

''.

Synopsis

Of a king's three daughters, the youngest was the most beautiful and loved. The king went to war, won a victory, and returned to his daughters' welcome. He asked each one why her gown was the color it was; the older two had chosen theirs to symbolize their joy, and the youngest because it became her best. The king taxed her with vanity, and she said it was only to please him. Then he asked after their dreams. The older two had dreamed he was bringing them gifts; the youngest, that he had held a

ewer In American English, a pitcher is a container with a spout used for storing and pouring liquids. In English-speaking countries outside North America, a jug is any container with a handle and a mouth and spout for liquid – American "pitchers" wi ...

for her to wash her hands in. He sent the captain of the guards to take her into woods, kill her, and bring her heart and tongue back to him. The captain took her into the woods; her Moorish servants, dog, and monkey, all ran after. In the woods, he told her what he had been ordered. The servant, dog, and monkey, all offered to die in her place and indeed quarreled over it. The monkey climbed a tree and jumped from it, killing itself, but its tongue and heart were too small to deceive the king. The servant also killed herself, but her tongue was the wrong color. Finally, the captain killed the dog and went with its heart and tongue. The princess buried all three and went on. She heard sheep and hoped to find refuge. She found a great ram, adorned with jewels, holding court. It made her welcome. The splendor of its home, which seemed inhabited by sheep and ghosts, terrified her. It explained that it was a prince, and an old and ugly fairy had captured him, trying to make him love her, but she had brought a beautiful slave with her, and his interest in the slave betrayed him. She killed the slave and turned him into a sheep. The others there, sheep and ghosts, were also this fairy's victims, and had taken him as their king. She lamented her servants, and the ram sent a servant to bring their shadows to the castle, where they lived with her. The Blue Fairy Book, p

She lived there until she heard of her eldest sister's wedding, which she attended, but left as soon as the ceremony was done, leaving a box of treasures for the bride, returning to the ram. She had been so richly dressed and well attended that no one recognized her, and the king wondered who she was. Then she heard her second sister was to marry. The ram was distressed and declared that losing her would kill him. She said she would stay no longer than before, but the king had all the doors shut to detain her, and brought her an ewer to wash in. She told him the truth and everyone rejoiced, but she lost track of time. The ram came to the town, seeking to see her, but was refused, and died of grief. The princess saw him dead and was heart-broken.

Analysis

James Planché James Robinson Planché (27 February 1796 – 30 May 1880) was a British dramatist, antiquary and officer of arms. Over a period of approximately 60 years he wrote, adapted, or collaborated on 176 plays in a wide range of genres including ...

, author and dramatist who adapted many of MMe. d'Aulnoy's tales for the stage, noted that the tale is very close to ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...

''. As pointed by fairy tale scholar Jack Zipes, the tale of ''The Ram'' or ''The Royal Ram'' is classified as

Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index The Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index (ATU Index) is a catalogue of folktale types used in folklore studies. The ATU Index is the product of a series of revisions and expansions by an international group of scholars: originally composed in German by ...

ATU 425, "The Search for The Lost Husband", stories where a girl or princess is betrothed to a monstrous bridegroom, a la ''

''. French folklorists Paul Delarue and Marie-Thérese Teneze, in their joint catalogue of French folk and fairy tales, classify ''Le Mouton'', according to

, as ATU type 725, "The Dream", with elements of ATU 923, "Love Like Salt" and ATU 425, "Search for the Lost Husband".

References

External links

''The Ram''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ram, The Works by Madame d'Aulnoy Fictional kings Fictional sheep Animal tales Fiction about suicide ATU 700-749 ATU 400-459 ATU 850-999

Alternate names

Synopsis

Analysis

See also

References

External links