N is for Next Door Neighbors (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 features neighbors who fall in love with each other, or one person who has a crush on their neighbor. It often overlaps with the extremely popular Girl Next Door character type, who is always lovely, friendly, and unassuming. (There are also Boys Next Door, obviously.)

THE FOLKLORE

Living next door to someone can be a good setup for any romance - folklore included. Sometimes in more ways than one.

THE STORIES

Yunus and the well of sweetness (Arab folktale)

I find this story quite amusing. A man named Yunus falls in love with the girl next door, and asks for her hand in marriage. Her father, however, claims that his daughter is a terrible shrew, and asks Yunus to bring water from the Well of Sweetness to make her more agreeable. He goes through an epic quest and succeeds in fetching the magic water - only to find out that it was needed not for the girl, but for her mother...

The two dreams (Armenian folktale)

Two versions of this story were collected from mother and daughter in the USA, but it exists in other versions too (ATU 1419E). A man falls in love with the beautiful wife of a very jealous husband who keeps her locked up. He builds a house next to theirs, and secretly digs a tunnel to her rooms. They keep meeting, and the woman pretends to be her own twin sister whenever the husband sees them. Finally the husband is tricked into marrying off his own wife to her lover, thinking it's the twin... and the lovers escape together.

The boy carried away to the world below (Greek folktale)

A poor boy loves to read, and sits in the window of his house every day, absorbed in a book. Across the street is the king's palace, and the princess - who also loves to read - notices the boy in the window. They fall in love, and she insists on marrying him. However, a jealus courtier curses the boy, who ends up in the Underworld - and it takes time and determination for him to return to his beloved.

The mouse and the dung beetle (Folktale from Colorado)

Alright, this one is questionable, but nonetheless amusing. A poor girl is in love with the rich boy next door, but his parents engage him to marry someone else. The desperate girl keeps praying to St. Anthony, and when it doesn't work, she chases the saint's statue around the room, threatening him. Eventually, Anthony grants her a mouse and a dung beetle - which she uses to turn the newlyweds against each other. Once their marriage is broken, St. Anthony makes an appearance, telling the boy he should have chosen the girl who is the best match for him, not the wealthiest one.

The clog-maker and the king's daughter (French folktale)

A cheerful and handsome young man makes a living from carving wooden clogs. He is in love with the girl next door, Guillemette. For his kindness to a mysterious beggar woman, he earns a magic peach tree that grows peaches in the winter. The king wants to reward him for the unseasonal fruit with the hand of his daughter - but even though the young man fulfills all tasks, in the end, he refuses the princess, and goes home to his beloved Guillemette.

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!