Puddocky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Das Mahrchen von der Padde |
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Illustration by George Cruikshank
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| Folk tale | |
| Name | Das Mahrchen von der Padde |
| Data | |
| Aarne–Thompson grouping | ATU 402 (The Animal Bride) |
| Region | Germany |
| Published in | Volks-Sagen, Märchen und Legenden by Johann Gustav Büsching |
| Related | The Frog Princess; The Three Feathers |
"Das Mahrchen von der Padde" is a classic German folktale. It was written down by Johann Gustav Gottlieb Büsching. You can find it in his book Volks-Sagen, Märchen und Legenden. This story is also known in English as "Puddocky" or "Cherry the Frog Bride."
It's a bit like another famous story, The Three Feathers, which was collected by the Brothers Grimm.
Contents
The Story of Puddocky
Parsley's Curse
The story begins with a girl who loves parsley very much. She wants it so badly that her mother takes some from a nearby garden. This garden belongs to a convent, run by an abbess. Because of her love for the plant, the girl is named Parsley.
One day, three princes see Parsley. They are amazed by her beauty and start to argue over her. The abbess gets very angry about this commotion. She curses Parsley, turning her into a toad. The abbess then sends the toad far away.
The King's Challenges
A king decides it's time to choose which of his three sons will rule next. He gives them a challenge. They must find a very long piece of fine linen. It needs to be thin enough to fit through a small ring.
The two older princes go to busy towns. They collect many large bundles of linen. But the youngest son takes a quiet, lonely road. He comes to a marshy area. There, he meets a toad. The toad offers him the special fabric he needs. This fabric is even better than what his brothers found!
Next, the king gives them another task. They must find a dog small enough to fit inside a walnut shell. Again, the helpful toad provides this tiny dog for the youngest prince.
A Royal Wedding
For the third and final task, the king asks his sons to bring back a bride. The prince who finds the most beautiful wife will become king. This time, the toad herself goes with the youngest prince.
She rides in a small carriage made of cardboard. Rats pull the carriage, and hedgehogs ride alongside. A mouse acts as the coachman, and two frogs are footmen. As they turn a corner, something amazing happens. The cardboard carriage changes into a beautiful coach. The animal attendants become human servants. Even more surprising, the toad transforms into a lovely woman! The prince recognizes her as Parsley.
Because of Parsley's beauty, the youngest prince is chosen to be the new king. He marries Parsley, and they live happily ever after.
Other Versions of the Story
Many folktales are similar to "Puddocky." One well-known tale is The Frog Princess. In that story, a frog bride helps the youngest son. She performs better in three tasks than the human brides of his older brothers.
Edgar Taylor translated this tale into English. He called it "Cherry, or the Frog-Bride." He changed the plant from parsley to cherry. He also changed the girl's name to Cherry. This version was published with other tales by the Brothers Grimm. In a very similar Grimm tale, The Three Feathers, there is no scene where parsley is stolen. Also, the frog's origin is never explained.
Andrew Lang also translated the story. He titled his version "Puddocky." In Lang's story, the parsley garden belongs to a witch. She demands that the girl be given to her. This is similar to the story of Rapunzel.
A Hungarian version of the story is called Ribike. In this tale, Ribike is obsessed with her favorite fruit. Later, she helps the prince while in the form of a lizard.
"The White Cat" is an older, written version of this type of story. It was written by Madame d'Aulnoy in 1697. In this tale, cats take the place of frogs.
Gail Carson Levine wrote a children's book inspired by this story. It is called For Biddle's Sake.
