“The Bear.” The Grey Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1905, pp. 269-274.

Tale Summary

There was once a princess so beautiful that her father the king had her locked away inside a tower. One day, she lamented her situation to her nurse, who happened to be a witch, and received advice. She was to ask her father for a wooden wheelbarrow and a bear’s skin. The king was surprised at these requests, but the girl simply said that if he would not let her out of the tower, he to at least grant her these things. The witch touches the two items with her magic wand, and the princess becomes completely disguised as a bear and rides the magic wheelbarrow away from the kingdom. She comes to a stop in the woods where a prince happens to be hunting with his dogs, which he orders to attack. The bear, however, pleads for mercy, and the shocked prince invites her to his home. That night, a neighboring prince was putting on a ball, which the bear asks to attend. The prince kicks her out of the room, but the kind-hearted queen grants her permission. The bear takes off her skin and touches it with the magic wand, transforming it into an exquisite ball dress woven out of moonbeams. The wheelbarrow is also transfigured into a carriage drawn by two steeds. She is the most beautiful girl at the ball, and the prince is completely taken with her. She hurries home as soon as the festivities end so that she can quickly put back on her bearskin, and the prince is not able to follow because of a sudden thick mist. She later hears him tell his mother about the girl he had fallen in love with. The next night, she again attends the ball, now wearing a dress of sun rays, and again, the prince is unable to pursue her home, now because of harsh rain. The third night, after again overhearing the prince telling his mother about her, the bear dons a dress woven out of starlight, and the prince is unable to follow her again because of a great wind but is able to gift her a ring. When he returns home, the prince laments to the queen about his sorrow over the girl because of his deep love, and orders soup to be made for him. The bear brings his dish out to him and drops in the ring before serving it. Slowly slurping his soup, the prince eventually uncovers it, and the bear is revealed to be his princess love. She explains her story to him, and they are wed, and the two reign for many years.