A Riddling Tale
German fairy tale
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"A Riddling Tale" is a type of German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales.[1] In German, a "riddling tale" is called "Rätsel-Märchen".
| A Riddling Tale | |
|---|---|
| Folk tale | |
| Name | A Riddling Tale |
| Aarne–Thompson grouping | 407 |
| Country | Germany |
| Published in | Grimms' Fairy Tales |
A common example is Aarne-Thompson type 407, the girl as a flower.[2] The tale portion of it is subordinate to the riddle, and the tale is not widely found in the oral tradition.[3]
Synopsis
Three women were changed to identical flowers. One was allowed home at night and told her husband to pick and free her. He did so.
Riddle
How did he recognize her?
Answer
The other flowers, having been in the field all night, had dew on them. The wife did not. So for that, he would know that that flower was his wife.
