mina's life: and the moral is... what?

and the moral is... what?

Ok, one more on the fairy tales (you'll probably hear more and more as I continue reading that book).
I always thought, a fairy tale had some kind of moral to it. You know, the good wins, the evil dies, be good... something like that. But! What about the story about The Three Spinners?
A girl is too lazy to work, but because of some coincidence she gets to live with the king and queen, tricks them by having three other women spin the flax, marries the prince and doesn't have to work anymore at all, because her husband thinks it will make her ugly.
Are they trying to tell us, that lies will get you a life where you don't have to work, are rich and happily married? Or is it just that the author wanted to point out that people will most likely accept what you tell them?
Hmm.

Mina, February 5, 2004 01:37 PM

comments

Ah, but morals as we know and loathe them are largely a 19th century invention for purposes of spreading the middle class.

This older story is about survival. You can read it as a trickster tale, getting by on your wits alone.

PuzzleMonkey, February 11, 2004 12:19 AM

That sounds convincing, PuzzleMonkey. *The Valiant Little Tailor* is a little like that, too. He manages to become king by making others believe he is extremely strong. However, I can sympathize with him a lot easier than I can with the girl in *The Three Spinners*.

Mina, February 11, 2004 03:24 PM

Yes, lies and manipulation will get you anywhere you want as long as you have looks, no conscience and treat people like scum.

Cynic, February 14, 2004 01:12 PM

OK, finally read the tale itself, and hey, the lass ain't so bad! Sure, she was lazy and then she got an undeserved break, courtesy of her mother who was only to happy to give her away into slave labour. I mean how's THAT for slimy?

Anyway, she ends in a situation where her life depends on the kindness of ugly strangers, who get her out of the jam. Unlike most stories of this kind, she remembers their kindness once she is rich and royal and repays them by keeping her side of the bargain by inviting them to the wedding.

So, she didn't treat people, other than her mother who sounds like she deserved it, as scum.

I think that in the old Europe where wealth was both the only way out of grinding poverty and seemingly obtainable only by some incomprehensible whim of the gods, the lucky chance is a big part of the tales, and the stories are more concerned with how you treat others once you have that chance.

PuzzleMonkey, February 14, 2004 09:21 PM

The moral I learnt was to read the story first before commenting.... :-)

PuzzleMonkey, February 14, 2004 09:22 PM