KidLit Forum

[b]Doll I’ the grass[/b]


A. Context
"Doll i' the Grass" , that has it original name "Dukket i gresset" is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their "Norske Folkeeventyr". "Norkse Folkeeventyr" is a collection that first appeared in 1841 without a title page , table of content or editor name. Thus the first volume was reprinted in 1843.

B. Summary
A king sent his twelve sons out to find brides, laying on them the condition that their brides could spin, weave, and sew a shirt in a day, and giving them each a mail coat and a horse. When they had gone a distance, they refused to let the youngest go with them, because he was useless. A little girl asked him to come see Doll i' the Grass, and he went. Doll i' the Grass asked him his troubles, and he told her but said she was so lovely, though small, he would be happy if she consented to be his wife.
She made him a shirt in a day, but it was tiny. They set out, he on his horse, she in a silver spoon drawn by two white mice, leaving him afraid he would trample her. They came to a body of water, his horse shied, and Doll i' the Grass was thrown in. He was horror-struck, but a merman brought her out again, and now she was of normal size.
His brothers had brought home ugly wives who had fought all the way home, and they wore hats with tar and soot, so that the rain had stained their faces with it, making them uglier. The king drove them and their brides away, and celebrated the wedding of his youngest son.


C. Position in the Aarne-Thomson-Uther Index.
"Dukket i gresset" or "Doll i' the grass" is classified according to Aarne Thompson Utther at number 402 "The Animal Bride".



D. Characters and functions according to Vladimir Propp.[/b]

According to Vladimir Propp’s morphology the tale is divided into 31 functions as follows
1. Initial situation: the hero and his family are introduced.
2. Absentation : the king tells his 12 sons to go out in the world and find themselves wives.
3. Interdiction: the hero’s brothers don’t allow him to go with them in the quest
4. Violation of interdiction: the hero doesn’t go back home but remains behind where he meets doll i’ the grass
5. Reconaissance-
6. Delivery-
7. Trickery:-
8. Complicity:-
9. Villainy and lack:-
10. Meditation:-
11. Counteraction- the hero meets a creature that presents him Doll i’the grass and she tells him that she is going to make him the shirt that he needs.
12. Departure:the hero takes the shirt that the doll sewed to the king, his father
13. Testing:-
14. Reaction-
15. Acquisition-
16. Guidance
17. Struggle-
18. Branding:-
19. Victory:-
20. Resolution:-the doll sewed the shirt and the king allows the hero to marry the doll
21. Return:- the hero sets home with the little doll.
22. Pursuit- on the way home the doll falls in a water
23. Rescue a merman saves the doll-
24. Arrival:-
25. Claims-
26. Task
27. Solution-
28. Recognition:-
29. Exposure-
30. Transfiguration:- the doll turns out to be a wonderful beautiful woman
31. Punishment – The brothers have found themselves wives but they are ugly .
32. Wedding- Boot marries Doll i’the grass

In terms of character types we cand identify:
• the herro(Boot)
• the father(Boot’s father)
• the villain(Boot’s brothers)
• the magical helper(Doll i’ the grass)

C. Similarities
This story is similar to "The princess frog" from Russia by Alexander Afanasyev and with "Broasca testoasa cea fermecata" in Romania by Petre Ispirescu.


D. Modern-day editions in English and Romanian
I think this story is mostly known in Norway and not so much in our country.