Frau Holle

Frau Holle
Frau Holle, illustration by Hermann Vogel
Folk tale
NameFrau Holle
Aarne–Thompson groupingATU 480
CountryGermany
Published inGrimm's Fairy Tales

"Frau Holle" (/ˌfr ˈhɒl/ HOL; also known as "Mother Holle", "Mother Hulda" or "Old Mother Frost") is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Children's and Household Tales in 1812 (KHM 24). It is of Aarne-Thompson type 480.[1]

Frau Holle (also known in various regions as Holla, Holda, Perchta, Berchta, Berta, or Bertha) was initially a pre-Christian female legendary figure who survived in popular belief well into the 19th century.[1]

The name may be cognate of the Scandinavian creature known as the Hulder.[2] Jacob Grimm made an attempt to establish her as a Germanic goddess.[3]

  1. ^ a b Ashliman, D. L. (2019). "Frau Holle". University of Pittsburgh.
  2. ^ Westrin, Theodor, ed. (1909). "Huldra" (in Swedish). Nordisk familjebok. Retrieved 2013-04-08.
  3. ^ List, Edgar A. (March 1956). "Is Frau Holda the Virgin Mary?". The German Quarterly. 29 (2): 80–84, at p. 80. doi:10.2307/401399. JSTOR 401399. Grimm made the attempt to establish her as a benevolent goddess of German antiquity