"Sweetheart Roland" () is a German

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

collected by the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm (1786–1859), were Germans, German academics who together collected and published folklore. The brothers are among the best-known storytellers of Oral tradit ...

(KHM 56). It combines several Aarne-Thompson types: type 1119, the witch killing her own children; type 313A, the girl helps the hero flee; and type 884, the forgotten fiancée. Others of the second type include

The Master Maid "The Master Maid" is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their '' Norske Folkeeventyr''. "Master" indicates "superior, skilled." Jørgen Moe wrote the tale down from the storyteller Anne Godlid in ...

, The Water Nixie,

Nix Nought Nothing "Nix Nought Nothing" is a fairy tale included in Joseph Jacobs's anthology, ''English Fairy Tales'' (1898). It is a translation of the Scottish tale "Nicht Nought Nothing", originally collected by Andrew Lang from an old woman in Morayshire, Scotlan ...

, and

Foundling-Bird "Foundling-Bird" (original German title: ''Fundevogel'') is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 51. It is Aarne–Thompson type 313A, the girl helps the hero flee, D.L. Ashliman,The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Househo ...

. Others of the third type include The Twelve Huntsmen and The True Bride.

The Two Kings' Children "The Two Kings' Children" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'', tale number 113.Jacob and Wilheim Grimm, ''Household Tales''"The Two Kings' Children"/ref> The original was written in the Low German lang ...

, like this one, combines the 313A and the 884 types.

Synopsis

A wicked

witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

had an evil daughter, whom she loved, and a good

stepdaughter A stepchild is the offspring of one's spouse, but not one's own offspring, either biologically or through adoption. Stepchildren can come into a family in a variety of ways. A stepchild may be the child of one's spouse from a previous relationshi ...

, whom she hated. One day, the witch decided she would kill the stepdaughter at night, and the daughter was told to make sure she lay by the wall, and her stepsister in the front of the bed. The stepdaughter overheard this and, after her stepsister slept, she shifted their places. The witch instead killed her own daughter, and the stepdaughter rose and went to her sweetheart Roland, telling what had happened, and that they had to flee. Roland said they must take the witch's

magic wand A wand is a thin, light-weight rod that is held with one hand, and is traditionally made of wood, but may also be made of other materials, such as metal, bone or stone. Long versions of wands are often styled in forms of staves or sceptres, whi ...

. The stepsister went back to take it, leaving three drops of blood. When, in the morning, the witch called, the drops of blood answered her, but when she could not see her daughter where she heard the voice, she went into the bedroom and saw her dead daughter. Raging, she set out after them in

seven league boots Seven-league boots are an element in European folklore. The boots allow the person wearing them to take strides of seven leagues per step, resulting in great speed. The boots are often presented by a magical character to the protagonist to aid ...

. The girl turned herself into a duck, and Roland into a pond, and the witch was unable to lure the duck to her, and had to return home that night. The girl and Roland went on, and when, the next day, the witch caught them again, the girl then turned Roland into a fiddler and herself into a beautiful flower in a brier-hedge. The witch asked permission to pick the flower, and got it, but when she crawled into the hedge, Roland played his fiddle. The magical music forced the witch to dance, and he kept playing until the thorns tore her to death. Roland went to his father to arrange for the wedding, and the girl remained as a red boundary-stone, but

a woman A woman is an adult female human. Woman, A Woman, or The Woman may also refer to: Film * ''Woman'' (1918 film), an American silent film directed by Maurice Tourneur * ''Woman'' (1948 film), a Japanese film by Keisuke Kinoshita * ''Woman'' (1 ...

made Roland forget her. Sad, the girl turned herself into a flower, thinking that someone would trample her. A shepherd picked her and took her home. He found that whenever he left, all the housework was done in his absence. At the advice of a wisewoman, he threw a white cloth when he saw something move in the morning, and this revealed the girl. She agreed to keep house for him. At Roland's wedding, all the girls about sang, as was the custom, and Roland recognized his true love and married her instead of his new bride.

External links

Sweetheart Roland
{{Authority control German fairy tales Grimms' Fairy Tales Fairy tales about shapeshifting Fairy tales about magic Witchcraft in fairy tales ATU 300-399 ATU 1000-1199 ATU 850-999 Fairy tales about stepmothers

Synopsis

See also

External links