work1812 & 1857 (Grimm); oral tradition, pre-medieval
Winslow Homer, Mink Pond (1891). Wikimedia Commons
Der Froschkönig
The one with the princess, the frog and the golden ball.
To Explore
The well as a liminal space
What is the significance of the well as a threshold between the human world and the underworld?
Water in Germanic folklore
What role does water play within Germanic folklore - as boundary, mirror, and dwelling place of supernatural beings? How does the well in this tale fit within these broader patterns?
Sehnsucht and the emotional landscape of German Romanticism
What is Sehnsucht, and how does it shape the emotional and imaginative world of German folklore? In what ways might this concept inform the meaning of the tale?
reference materials
Books
Hänsel und GretelGrimm Brothers, 1812 & 1857
The hard facts of the Grimms' fairy talesMaria Tatar
The uses of enchantmentBruno Bettelheim
From the beast to the blondeMaria Warner
Key figures
Linked nodes
