“The Frog Prince.” A Selection from Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Gilbert James, London: Siegle, Hill and Co., [c. 1900], pp. 3-14.
Tale Summary
In olden times, the king had a beautiful young daughter, who often amused herself by sitting at the side of a fountain in the woods and throwing a golden ball up in the air to catch. One day, she drops it and loses it in the water. A voice soothes her when she cries and tells her that if she promises to love him (eat with him, play with him, drink with him, and sleep with him, all by extension), he will retrieve her ball for her. She makes a promise and immediately breaks it once the ball is returned, and runs back to the castle. The next day, the frog arrives. The princess explains, mortified, to the king about her unkept promise, and he urges her to fulfill it. She eats with him, but when he demands to sleep with her, she grabs him and throws him against the wall. He then turns into a handsome prince, who explains he was transformed into a frog by an evil witch. The prince and princess become betrothed and start off toward his kingdom. Henry, the servant of the prince, had bound three iron bands around his heart for fear it would break, and now, the bands broke out of joy for his return.
Fairy Tale Title
The Frog Prince
Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)
Brothers Grimm
Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)
Gilbert James
Common Tale Type
Tale Classification
Page Range of Tale
pp. 3-14
Full Citation of Tale
“The Frog Prince.” A Selection from Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Brothers Grimm, illustrated by Gilbert James, London: Siegle, Hill and Co., [c. 1900], pp. 3-14.
Original Source of the Tale
Brothers Grimm
Tale Notes
This tale names none of the characters except for the servant, Henry. It also places a significant emphasis on the way that the princess did not want anything to do with the frog prince, to the point of violence. Unlike similar stories involving monstrous bridegrooms, The Frog Prince's heroine does not reveal her handsome prince by being an exemplary wife, but by the exact opposite.
Research and Curation
Kaeli Waggener 2022
Book Title
A Selection from Grimm’s Fairy Tales
Book Author/Editor(s)
Brothers Grimm
Illustrator(s)
Gilbert James
Publisher
Siegle Hill & Co; The H.B. Claflin Company
Date Published
1900
Decade Published
1900-1909
Publisher City
London
New York
Publisher Country
United Kingdom
United States
Language
English
Rights
Public Domain
Digital Copy
Available at the CU Digital Library
Book Notes
This book includes six tales, most of which are the Grimm Brothers' best-known tales including Sleeping Beauty, The Frog Prince, Rumplestilskin, Hansel and Grethel, The Rabbit’s Bride, and The Shreds. The illustrations are simple but beautiful and a few pages are decorated with floral motifs. It is a very small book that appears adapted for children.