“The Weasel.” The Turnip Princess: and other newly discovered fairy tales, Franz Xaver von Schönwerth, New York: Penguin Books, 2015, pp. 73-74.
Tale Summary
One day, a little girl saved a small white weasel from some boys and their dogs who were chasing it. She felt sorry for the animal, and gave him an egg, which he ate voraciously before disappearing. The eggshell which was left behind turned into silver. The young girl kept a hen, which every day laid one egg, but after her encounter with the weasel it began to lay two, which would both turn to silver after being cracked. The girl became wealthy from the eggs, and more and more beautiful as she grew. One day, the girl went to visit the weasel, and brought him an easter egg that had been blessed by a priest. When the little animal started nibbling on the egg, it burst into flames. When the girl came to her senses, she found herself in a grand palace and held by a handsome young prince. She learned that through her compassion, and with the help of the consecrated egg, the girl had lifted his curse, and soon they were married.
Fairy Tale Title
The Weasel
Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)
Franz Xaver von Schönwerth
Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)
Engelbert Suss
Common Tale Type
Tale Classification
Page Range of Tale
pp. 73-74
Citation of Tale
“The Weasel.” The Turnip Princess: and other newly discovered fairy tales, Franz Xaver von Schönwerth, New York: Penguin Books, 2015, pp. 73-74.
Original Source of the Tale
Tale Notes
Research and Curation
Kaeli Waggener, 2023
Book Title
The Turnip Princess: and other newly discovered fairy tales
Book Author/Editor(s)
Franz Xaver von Schönwerth
Illustrator(s)
Engelbert Suss
Publisher
Penguin Books
Date Published
2015
Decade Published
2010-2019
Publisher City
New York
Publisher Country
United States
Language
English
Rights
Copyright not evaluated
Digital Copy
Available at the Internet Archive
Book Notes
Franz Xaver von Schönwerth traversed the forests, lowlands, and mountains of northern Bavaria to record fairy tales. Most of Schönwerth's work was lost-- until a few years ago, when thirty boxes of manuscripts were uncovered in a German municipal archive. Available for the first time in English, the tales are violent, dark, full of action, and upend the relationship between damsels in distress and their dragon-slaying heroes.