H is for Hidden Identity (Romance Tropes in Folklore)

This year, my A to Z Blogging Challenge theme is Romance Tropes in Folklore! For each letter, I will pick a popular trope from romcom movies and romance novels, and see if I can find the same trope in folktales and legends. Because it's fun. Here we go.

THE TROPE

This trope deals with one or both parties hiding something about themselves. Often it can be the fact that someone is actually rich / famous / royal, but other secrets can also come to light, adding tension and revelation to the plot.

THE FOLKLORE

This one is very, very common in folklore. Think gods disguising themselves to court mortals. Think princes and princesses in disguise. There is a lot of material out there - so I got to cherry pick some stories I think work best as romances.

THE STORIES

Box With Wings (Greek folktale)

This is a Tracian version of a very common folktale type, ATU 510B (All-kinds-of-fur). In it, a girl flees from an unwanted marriage (usually from her father, but in this case, an old suitor), and disugises herself in some hideous form. I like this Greek version because she literally locks herself into a wooden box with her head poking out, grows wings, and takes service at the palace under the name Box With Wings. However, she goes to church on Sundays dressed in beautiful dresses and leaves the box behind, so the prince falls in love with her. When he tries to pursue her after mass (á la Cinderella), she throws sand in his face and steals his ring. Later, she uses the ring to prove she was the mysterious lady. I love this reverse take on the Cinderella / All-kinds-of-fur trope.

Sing Sing Yangdonma (Folktale from Bhutan)

A girl is forced to marry a monster (after it finds out her secret name). Once in the monster's household, she manages to free not only herself, but also the hundreds of captives the monster has been preparing to eat. One of the captives is an old woman on her deathbed; she gives her skin to the girl. The girl disguises herself as an old woman, and manages to get away from the monster for good. Later on, she uses the skin to test three princes, to see which one of them is actually kind and caring towards the old and the weak, and that is how she finds herself a good husband.

The beautiful Englishwoman (Italian folktale)

Not a full disguise but an amusing story anyway: A woman paints a picture of a perfect man and insists that she will only marry that man. Eventually one guy shows up and he looks just like the picture - minus one green tooth. She is ready to show him the door, but he points out she is not perfect either - and they fall in love. Sadly, the story has a tragic ending, because her father doesn't approve of the marriage.

Queen of the Tinkers (Irish folktale)

Another folktale type that revolves around disguise is ATU 900 (King Thrushbeard). In it, a princess refuses to marry a rich suitor, so her father forces her to marry a beggar instead. The beggar, of course, turns out to be the jilted suitor. I don't like most variants of this tale, because the husband is often curel and humiliating towards the wife to "teach her a lesson". However, this Irish version is pretty fun. The princess refuses to marry a prince she has never seen and doesn't love. Instead, she marries "the king of the Tinkers" of her own free choice, and they fall in love. In the end, of course, he turns out to be the prince - but only after she has a chance to changer her mind, and she refuses.

Do you have favorite romance stories that feature this trope?

Do you like the folktale versions?

Don't forget to leave a link in the comments so I can visit you back!