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Reading Notes: Lang 1, Part A

This week I read the Lang European Fairytales I Unit by Andrew Lang.
I knew the Puss in Boots story but I was unfamiliar with the others so it was fun to read some new tales.

The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots
In this story, a man dies and leaves his goods to his three sons. The first gets a mill, the second gets a donkey, and the third gets the cat. The boy with the cat thinks he will have to eat the cat and then die. However, the cat tells him to get him boots and a bag and he will help him. With these things he goes and catches game and takes it to the king, pretending it is from his master, a rich marquis. One day, he tells his owner to get in the river and as the king goes by, he cries out saying his master is drowning after thieves stole his clothes. The king dresses the "Marquis" and as they ride through the fields, Puss goes ahead and tells all the workers to tell the king that these are the marquis' lands. He reaches a castle owned by an ogre and challenges him to turn into a mouse. Then he kills the ogre and pretends the castle is the Marquis'. The Marquis marries the king's daughter at the end.

The Dirty Shepherdess
A king asks his two daughters how much they love him. The second daughter compares him to salt. He is angry and kicks her out. She dresses as dirtily as possible and becomes a shepherdess. However, one day she gets the urge to dress up and is seen by a king's son. She runs away and he is laughed at when he inquires after her because everyone thinks she's hideous. He asks that she makes him bread which she does but one of the rings falls into it. In a Cinderella moment, all the girls try on the ring but it only fits the dirty shepherdess. She reveals her true nature and invites her father to her wedding where she serves him food without seasoning and proves how much everyone loves salt. I liked how the other daughter wasn't evil in this story. She just happened to give an answer her father liked.

How the Dragon was Tricked
The boy in this story is quite a trickster. The king threatens to kill him unless he steals the dragon's flying horse. The boy (quite cockily) heads to the dragon's stables and tries to take the horse but it neighs loudly and the dragon comes out to see what's wrong. This happens three times and the third time, the dragon angrily hits the horse, which stays silent when the boy takes him away. The king not satisfied send the boy to get a blanket off the dragon's bed but while he is trying to get it he is caught. He is able to kill the dragon's wife and escapes with the blanket. The king then wants the dragon. After a few years, the boy grows a beard and goes to the dragon who is making a box to capture the boy who killed his wife. He doesn't recognize him with the beard. The boy tricks the dragon into the box and takes it to the king. The dragon eats the king but the boy marries the king's daughter and becomes the new king.

The Young Man Who Would Have His Eyes Opened
This story has the line "creepier than creepy" which I appreciate, particularly since it was talking about a bunch of snakes.

Kisa the Cat
In this story, a princess wanders off and is taken by a giant who cuts off her feet. Kisa the cat saves the princess and retrieves her feet. She puts them back on using magic and returns the princess to her family. Her only request is she gets to sleep at the foot of the princess' bed for the night. In the morning she has changed into a princess. It turns out she was cursed by a fairy and had to do a unique good deed to return to her true self. I really liked her personality.

Photo Credits: publicdomainpictures
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