O is for Only one bed (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

If there is a "most often quoted" romance trope, THERE IS ONLY ONE BED would probably be it. Also known by the more general term of "forced proximity", it is a trope where the prospective lovers just have to share a bed for a night. For... purely logistical purposes. Sometimes it's a closet, or some other enclosed space, but the results is the same: a whole lot of tension.

THE FOLKLORE

This one is tricky from a folklore perspective, because folktales either tend to be somewhat conservative about unmarried people sharing a bed - or get straight down to business. There is also an entire related trope with a sword placed between people when they share a bed, as a show of chastity. (You can read a study of this motif in Tristan and Iseult here.) But there are some tale types where a shared bed plays an important role between people who are in love, or trying to be.

THE STORIES

Oh wall, my wall (Judeo-Spanish folktale)

A rich (but shy) young man refuses to get married, and he turns down all brides proposed to him. Finally a wise old woman suggests three poor sisters who might be fitting for him. The two elder, when they visit him and they share a bed for the night, are scared because he places a sword between them. The youngest girl, however, stays. When the boy refuses to talk to her, she pretends to talk to the wall - and he answers, doing the same. They slowly grow to like each other. When she helps a poor child, he finally speaks to her, won over by her gentleness. When her evil stepmother tries to kill her, her husband saves her.

The Daughter of the King Under the Waves (Scottish folktale)

This story features the legendary warriors of the Fianna. One stormy night a hideous hag knocks on their door and begs to be let in (in other versions, it's their hunting tents). Each hero refuses her in turn, except for Diarmuid (who is a great favorite with women anyway). He lets her in and shares his bed with her. Of course she turns into the most beautiful woman ever seen. She promises to stay with him as long as he doesn't mention in what state he found her. Obviously, he eventually breaks his promise. The story goes on, but in the end, he saves her, but they don't marry.

Alessandro and the abbott (Decameron)

This story is from the Decameron, which does use a lot of folktale motifs and elements. A young Italian man, down on his luck, is on his way home to Tuscany when he joins the retinue of a young abbott on the road. The abbott (headed to Rome) takes a liking to him, so Alessandro agrees to accompany them at least to Florence. However, one night at an inn there is no bed left for Alessandro, so the innkeeper lodges him in the abbot's room. At night, the abbott makes advances at Alessandro... and soon reveals that she is actually a princess in disguise, fleeing from an unwanted marriage. They go to the Pope together, and win his consent to marry.

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!

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!

M is for Makeovers (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

Another enduring and very popular trope that has been the staple of romcom movies for decades. It features a drab or unattractive character (usually a girl) who goes unnoticed by the romantic interest until she is given a serious makeover: new hair, new makeup, new clothes, and suddenly she turns out to be very pretty indeed. We can argue about how valid or cringe this trope actually is (I am still not on board with this one), but it does happen quite a lot.

THE FOLKLORE

Yeah yeah, Cinderella is the most obvious choice. I wanted to venture a bit beyond that, though.

THE STORIES

Tattercoats (English folktale)

A rich lord has a granddaughter who dies in childbirth. In his grief, the lord abandons his granddaughter, who grows up dirty and neglected. Her only friend is the royal gooseherd. When news arrive what the king's son is set to choose a wife, the girl wants to go see the event. She sets out on foot, along with the gooseherd. As they walk, they are joined by a mysterous traveller, who soon falls for the girl. Of course the traveller is the prince himself, and when the ball starts, he declares that he wants the goose girl as a wife. In that moment, the gooseherd plays his flute, and the girl transforms into a shining princess in front of everyone's eyes. I like this tale because girl and prince fall in love before she actually turns pretty(er).

Tatterhood (Norwegian folktale)

A queen has twin daughters, one who is shy and pretty, and one who is born riding a goat, brandishing a wooden spoon, and looking terribly ugly. When witches curse the shy sister with a calf's head. Tatterhood doesn't let the thing stand, and sets out with her sister to break the curse. She fights a bunch of witches, and steals her sister's head back. Soon after, a king proposes to the pretty sister, but she insists that the prince should marry Tatterhood at the same time. On their way to the wedding, Tatterhood gradually transforms (on her own) from ragged girl to shining princess.

János Carnation-hair (Hungarian folktale)

You know the part in makeover movies where someone suffers from all the waxing and hair plucking and whatnot? Well, this story is worse. In it, a boy is given to his fairy godmother to be raised into a hero. She takes him to her underwater castle - where she cuts him into pieces and throws him in a tub. After three days she revives him, and he is bigger and stronger and more beautiful than before. She cuts him up again, and repeats the process three more times before he is ready to venture out and seek his fortune. (Read the Hungarian text here)

Sir Goldenhair (French-Canadian folktale)

This one is a version of tale type ATU 314 (Goldener). This type usually features a golden-haired hero who disguises himself with a wig and works as a gardener in a king's court. When no one sees him, he puts on various shining suits of armor (in this case white, red, and black) and rides out to go to church / court the princess / join the king in battle. In the end, his identity is revealed, but the crafty princess usually notices way before anybody else. 

There is also a lovely Hungarian version where the hero travels to the Islands of the Dawn in the far west, and washes himself in a magic spring which turns his hair golden and his face radiantly beautiful.

The glimmering bird (Latvian folktale)

This one is also a common boy-makeover tale type: ATU 530 (Princess on the Glass Mountain). I especially like this version. In it a king captures a glimmering bird that keeps visiting his gardens. The bird turns out to be a small man, dressed in diamonds a glimmering feathers and other fancy things. The king's son feels sorry for the captive, befriends him, and sets him free. The small man takes the prince to his undergorund realm, and raises him. When the time comes to win a princess, the small man dresses the prince in diamonds too, so he can dazzle everyone. But after he wins the princess, he disguises himself as a vagabond, and serves in the king's court for a year, only revealing himself after. (I enjoy this version for the visuality of the glimmering dress and the underground realm. I like the "fairy godmother" role being filled by a flamboyant Dwarven king.)

In the Russian version of the same type, the hero Ivan the Fool inherits a magic horse from his father. Whent he time comes to win a princess, he transforms himself into a shining knight by crawling into one ear of the horse, and crawling out the other...

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!

L is for Lap Pillow (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

"Lap pillow" is the term used for a moment where one person lays down, resting their head on the other person's lap. It usually means a soft, intimate moment of care and proximity. Often used as a "ship tease", a scene foretelling the future romantic entanglement of the two people.

THE FOLKLORE

Okay, I picked this one because it is actually a lot more prominent in folklore than popular romance. The reason being - according to folklorists - that in traditional tales it is a metaphor for actual sex. Often described as "de-lousing" or "looking into one's head", it is a symbol of intimacy that could not always be outright stated in stories. It is also often used as a ploy to lull a monster to sleep, but I am skipping those for the purposes of this post. (Hungarian article on this motif here.)

THE STORIES

The enchanted forest (Slovakian folktale)

This one is a version of the very common tale type ATU 303 (The Twins). It has two identical heroes who separate when they go out to seek their fortune. They are accompanied by wild animals they have tamed - a bear, a lion, and a wolf each. One hero kills a dragon and saves a princess, but after the fight he falls asleep with his head on the princess' lap after they exchange rings. While he sleeps, an evil man kills him and threatens the princess to pretend he was the hero who killed the dragon. The real hero is revived by his faithful animals, unmasks the pretender, and wins the princess. Later on, he wanders into an enchanted forest and is turned to stone by a witch. Luckily, his twin shows up and breaks the enchantment. (I like the Slovakian version because the animals have their own personalities, and are revealed to be cursed princes at the end.)

There is also a Newfoundland version where the hero is Jack, and he falls asleep on the princess' lap even as the dragon is approaching.

The golden-haired gardener (Hungarian folktale)

This is a long and elaborate version of the tale type ATU 314 (Goldener). The hero has golden hair and unearthly beauty, but he hides it and disguises himself as a poor gardener in the king's palace. However, the king's youngest daughter notices his golden hair peeking out, and starts visiting him in secret. They fall in love. One day she spies him combing his hair, and she approaches, taking the comb from his hand. He lays his head on her lap and she combs him - after which they confess their love and decide to be married. It is a surprisingly delicate and lovely scene.

The fisherman's son (Hungarian folktale)

A fisherman's son is unwittingly promised to a river demon at birth, but manages to escape. He encounters an enchanted princess and saves her, after which they get married. When the husband is summoned by a kind, she warns him not to brag about her - which he obviously does, summoning her to show her off at court. She leaves him for his indiscretion, but before she goes, he asks to lay his head on her lap one last time. When he falls asleep, she leaves - and he has to go on a long and epic journey to win her back.

This scene is very similar to that in the Norwegian tale of the Soria Moria Castle.

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!

K is for Kidnapping (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

As far as romance tropes go, this is definitely a problematic one, and yet it is common. It deals with someone (usually a woman) falling in love with their kidnapper. Depending on how the story unfolds, it can be romantic, or downright creepy.

THE FOLKLORE

Women falling for their kidnappers is actually not an unusual occurrence in folklore. There are multiple folktale types that usually end this way. Sometimes it is less outright kidnapping and more "fulfilling the task and winning the woman to be gifted to someone else", but the woman still usually has no say in it.

THE STORIES

The fox (Scottish Traveller folktale)

This story features a prince named Brian who falls in love with a servant girl, and his father sends him on a series of errands. He befriends a clever (and magical) fox, who helps him every time he messes up. One of his tasks is to kidnap the well-guarded Sun Goddess to be handed over to a bunch of giants. However, they take a liking to each other, so the fox helps them both get away and get married in the end (servant girl forgotten). 

The same tale type is better known in the Russian version of Tsarevits Ivan, the Firebird and the Grey Wolf. Here, the princess is frightened when kidnapped, but soon takes a liking to the hero.

Brave Rózsa (Hungarian Roma folktale)

A princess puts on men's clothes and sets out on a quest to regain her father's long-lost magic sword. She makes a deal with the knight that keeps the sword that she will deliver him the Fairy Queen in exchange. However, as she fulfills extra quests to win her, the queen falls in love with her, and eventually finds a way to marry the young kidnapper instead. (Also, due to a spell, the princess turns into a prince. In certain versions it is stated from the get-go that the hero prefers men's clothes.)

The son of the hunter (Greek folktale)

The son of a hunter is set impossible tasks by a king and his scheming vizier. One of them deals with bringing him a princess for a wife. The hero befriends a bunch of people with magic powers on the way, and wins the princess. By the time she is delivered to the king, she knows she wants to marry the young hero instead, so she turns king and vizier into a cat and a mouse.

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!

J is for Jilted Grooms (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

Also known as "Runaway Bride", this is a trope where a woman bails out of her wedding the last minute, to go be with the person she always wanted to be with. Ideally, this is a romantic revelation of true feelings. Not great for the groom, though. It also happens the other way around, occasionally, although it seems to be less common (or romanticized). Maybe it's the dramatically flowing dress that makes a difference.

THE FOLKLORE

In folklore, women do run away from their wedding sometimes. So do grooms, usually when their original bride makes an appearance again. I blogged about runaway brides in folklore before in my StorySpotting series, so I'm not reiterating all of it here. Also, Diarmuid and Gráinne are an obvious choice, but I'll deal with those two later.

THE STORIES

The dream lovers

This story was recorded by Athenaeus, allegedly from sources in Media and Scythia. A princess and a prince see each other in their dreams and fall in love. However, the princess' father wants to choose a husband for her from his own household, not a foreigner. He announces the day of the wedding, and she is supposed to choose her husband by handing them a bowl of wine. However, she manages to get a message to her dream-lover in secret, and he makes an epic journey to arrive in time. While everyone is waiting for her to mix the wine, she slips away from the wedding, and runs away with her lover.

The legend of the Rosstrappe (Legend from the Harz Mountains)

The beautiful princess Brünhilda is promised to a giant by her father. She comes up with a plan of escape: she secretly learns to ride one of the giant's terrible horses, and escapes on horseback the night before the wedding, riding to reach the castle of the prince she loves. The giant pursues her, but when she jumps the horse across a wide valley, the giant can't follow her, and he crashes to his death.

How the princess found her husband (Kashmiri folktale)

A princess flees her wedding to be with the princes she actually likes, but in te darkness of night they are separated, and she accidentally elopes with a robber. When she finds out she takes a horse and rides to freedom. Then she comes across a goldsmith who also tries to marry her, so she flees a second wedding (with the gold). She dresses as a man, becomes a king, and eventually manages to reunite with her beloved.

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!

I is for Interrupted Intimacy (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

Interrupted intimacy is a trope where a couple is about to get intimate (whether making out or having full on sex) but their activities are interrupted by someone walking in, or some unexpected event. It is often used to draw out tension between two characters even when they have already admitted their attraction.

THE FOLKLORE

I thought this was a fun one to look into, because it is usually played in folklore as a joke, or as just punishment for adultery. 

THE STORIES

The unfortunate lovers (Persian tale)

This story is from Nizami's Seven Wise Princesses, a collection of tales embedded in a frame story. A young man spies a group of pretty maidens having a party in a garden he owns. He falls in love with one of them, but whenever they spend time together, and get close to kissing, something unexpected happens: the balcony collapses, a cat falls on them from a tree, foxes run over them, sudden noises startle them, etc. Eventually they realize that these signs mean they should marry before they get down to kissing.

The devil guards wife's chastity

This one, hilariously, is an entire folktale type (ATU 1352). A man, going on a journey, commends his wife's chastity to the devil. Obviously, she has many lovers lined up to visit - but to everyone's surprise, the devil takes his job seriously, and keeps interrupting the secret meetings to scare the suitors away. In the end, he gives up, saying the job is too exhausting.

The Emperor's Dream (Welsh legend)

The Roman Emperor has a dream where he travels far away north, and encounters a beautiful princess. In his dream she is happy to greet him, but when they almost kiss, the dream suddenly ends. He wakes up, and immediately sends messengers to find her. She turns out to be a real person, and as soon as she is found, the Emperor marries her.

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!