Tale Summary
Once upon a time there was a young prince who wished he had a princess, but not just any princess; she would have to be a real princess. He traveled everywhere, but could not find one, and returned home dejected. There was a terrible storm one night, and someone knocked at the city gate, and the King himself answered. It was a girl who claimed to be a real princess. The Queen thought to test this, and placed a pea on a bed frame, and put twenty mattresses on top, and then on top of that twenty eiderdown beds. The next morning, the princess complained that she slept terribly and that her body felt bruised all over from some hard thing in her bed. It was decided she must be a real princess because she was so delicate, and she is married to the prince.
Fairy Tale Title
The Princess and the Pea
Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)
Arthur Rackham
Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)
Arthur Rackham
Common Tale Type
The Princess and the Pea
Tale Classification
ATU 704
Page Range of Tale
pp. 140-142
Full Citation of Tale
“The Princess and the Pea.” The Arthur Rackham fairy book : a book of old favourites with new illustrations, Arthur Rackham, Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott., 1933, pp. 140-142.
Original Source of the Tale
Hans Christian Anderson
Tale Notes
At the end of the story, the narrator tells us that the pea has been placed at the Art Museum (which art museum this refers to is unclear) where it can still be viewed today, so long as no one has stolen it.
Research and Curation
Kaeli Waggener, 2023
Book Title
The Arthur Rackham fairy book : a book of old favourites with new illustrations
Book Author/Editor(s)
Arthur Rackham
Illustrator(s)
Arthur Rackham
Publisher
J.B. Lippincott Co.
Date Published
1933
Decade Published
1930-1939
Publisher City
Philadelphia
Publisher Country
United States
Language
English
Rights
Copyright not evaluated
Digital Copy
Available at the Internet Archive
Book Notes
More like this tale
“The Real Princess.” Fairy tales from Hans Christian Andersen, Hans Christian Andersen, London: Dent, New York: Dutton, 1904, pp. 84-86.
“How to Tell a True Princess.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London, New York, Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 254-255.
“The Princess and the Pea.” The Arthur Rackham fairy book : a book of old favourites with new illustrations, Arthur Rackham, Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott., 1933, pp. 140-142.
