Fitcher's Bird

Fitcher's Bird
Illustration to Fitcher's Bird by John B. Gruelle(?) (1914?)
Folk tale
NameFitcher's Bird
Aarne–Thompson groupingATU 311 (The Heroine Rescues Herself and Her Sisters)
CountryGermany
Published inGrimms' Fairy Tales

"Fitcher's Bird" (German: Fitchers Vogel) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 46.[1][2]

It is Aarne-Thompson type 311, the heroine rescues herself and her sisters.[3] Another tale of this type is How the Devil Married Three Sisters.[4][5] The Brothers Grimm noted its close similarity to the Norwegian The Old Dame and Her Hen,[6] also grouped in this tale type.

The tale also features the motifs of the "Forbidden chamber" and a bloodied item that betrays the bride peeking in that chamber against strict orders, and as such bears resemblance to the Bluebeard type tales (which are type AT 312).[5][7][8]

  1. ^ Grimm & Grimm 1843, KHM (Grosse Ausgabe), Band 1, "46. Fitchers Vogel" S.271-275
  2. ^ Margaret Hunt (tr.) Grimm & Grimm 1884, vol. 1, "46. Fitcher's Bird"
  3. ^ Uther, Hans-Jörg (2004). The Types of International Folktales (snippet). Vol. 1. Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, Academia Scientiarum Fennica. p. 191.
  4. ^ D. L. Ashliman, "How the Devil Married Three Sisters, and other folktales of type 311"
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference dundes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference grimm-notes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference tatar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference jurich was invoked but never defined (see the help page).