| East of the Sun and West of the Moon | |
|---|---|
 By candlelight, the heroine discovers the identity of her sleeping husband. | |
| Folk tale | |
| Name | East of the Sun and West of the Moon |
| Also known as | Østenfor sol og vestenfor måne |
| Aarne–Thompson grouping | ATU 425A, "The Animal (Monster) as Bridegroom" |
| Region | Norway |
| Published in | Norske folkeeventyr, by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe |
| Related |
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"East of the Sun and West of the Moon" (Norwegian: Østenfor sol og vestenfor måne) is a Norwegian fairy-tale. It was included by Andrew Lang in The Blue Fairy Book (1889).[1]
"East of the Sun and West of the Moon" was collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. It is related to the cycle of the Animal as Bridegroom or The Search for the Lost Husband, and is classified in the international Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as tale type ATU 425A, "The Animal (Monster) as Bridegroom". Other tales of this type include "Black Bull of Norroway", "The Brown Bear of Norway", "The Daughter of the Skies", "The Enchanted Pig", "The Tale of the Hoodie", "Master Semolina", "The Sprig of Rosemary", "The Enchanted Snake", and "White-Bear-King-Valemon".[2] The Swedish version is called "Prince Hat Under the Ground". It was likely an offspring from the tale of "Cupid and Psyche" in The Golden Ass,[3] which gave rise to similar animal bridegroom cycles[4] such as "Beauty and the Beast".[5]
- ^ Andrew Lang, The Blue Fairy Book, "East of the Sun and West of the Moon"
- ^ Heidi Anne Heiner, East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Related Tales
- ^ Neumann, Erich. Amor and Psyche: The Psychic Development of the Feminine. Vol. 24. Routledge, 2013.
- ^ Leavy, Barbara Fass. "The Animal Groom". In Search of the Swan Maiden. New York University Press, 1995. pp. 101–155.
- ^ Hood, Gwyneth (Winter 1988). "Husbands and Gods as Shadowbrutes: Beauty and the Beast from Apuleius to C. S. Lewis". Mythlore 15.2 (56): 33–60. JSTOR 26812032.