ONE summer's morning a little tailor2 was sitting on his table by the window; he was in good spirits, and sewed with all his might. Then came a peasant woman down the street crying, "Good jams, cheap! Good jams, cheap!" This rang pleasantly in the tailor's ears; he stretched his delicate head3 out of the window, and called, "Come up here, dear woman; here you will get rid of your goods." The woman came up the three steps to the tailor with her heavy basket, and he made her unpack1 the whole of the pots for him. He inspected all of them, lifted them up, put his nose to them, and at length said, "The jam seems to me to be good, so weigh me out four ounces, dear woman, and if it is a quarter of a pound that is of no consequence." The woman who had hoped4 to find a good sale, gave him what he desired, but went away quite angry and grumbling2. "Now, God bless the jam to my use," cried the little tailor, "and give me health and strength;" so he brought the bread out of the cupboard, cut himself a piece right across the loaf and spread the jam over it. "This won't taste bitter," said he, "but I will just finish the jacket before I take a bite." He laid the bread near him, sewed on, and in his joy, made bigger and bigger stitches.5 In the meantime the smell of the sweet jam ascended4 so to the wall, where the flies were sitting in great numbers, that they were attracted and descended5 on it in hosts. "Hola! who invited you?" said the little tailor, and drove the unbidden guests away. The flies, however, who understood no German, would not be turned away, but came back again in ever-increasing companies. The little tailor at last lost all patience, and got a bit of cloth from the hole under his work-table, and saying, "Wait, and I will give it to you," struck it mercilessly on them. When he drew it away and counted, there lay before him no fewer than seven,6 dead and with legs stretched out. "Art thou a fellow of that sort?" said he, and could not help admiring his own bravery. "The whole town shall know of this!" And the little tailor hastened to cut himself a girdle,7 stitched it, and embroidered6 on it in large letters, "Seven at one stroke!" "What, the town!" he continued, "The whole world shall hear of it!" and his heart wagged with joy like a lamb's tail.8 The tailor put on the girdle, and resolved to go forth7 into the world,9 because he thought his workshop was too small for his valour. Before he went away, he sought about in the house to see if there was anything which he could take with him; however, he found nothing but an old cheese, and that he put in his pocket. In front of the door he observed a bird10 which had caught itself in the thicket8. It had to go into his pocket with the cheese. Now he took to the road boldly, and as he was light and nimble, he felt no fatigue9. The road led him up a mountain, and when he had reached the highest point of it, there sat a powerful giant11 looking about him quite comfortably. The little tailor went bravely up, spoke10 to him, and said, "Good day, comrade, so thou art sitting there overlooking the wide-spread world! I am just on my way thither11, and want to try my luck. Hast thou any inclination12 to go with me?" The giant looked contemptuously at the tailor, and said, "Thou ragamuffin!12 Thou miserable13 creature!"
"Oh, indeed?" answered the little tailor, and unbuttoned his coat, and showed the giant the girdle, "There mayst thou read what kind of a man I am!" The giant read, "Seven at one stroke," and thought that they had been men whom the tailor had killed, and began to feel a little respect for the tiny fellow. Nevertheless, he wished to try him first, and took a stone in his hand and squeezed it together so that water dropped out of it. "Do that likewise," said the giant, "if thou hast strength?" "Is that all?" said the tailor, "that is child's play with us!" and put his hand into his pocket, brought out the soft cheese, and pressed it until the liquid ran out of it. "Faith," said he, "that was a little better, wasn't it?" The giant did not know what to say, and could not believe it of the little man. Then the giant picked up a stone and threw it so high that the eye could scarcely follow it. "Now, little mite14 of a man, do that likewise." "Well thrown," said the tailor, "but after all the stone came down to earth again; I will throw you one which shall never come back at all." And he put his hand into his pocket, took out the bird, and threw it into the air. The bird, delighted with its liberty, rose, flew away and did not come back. "How does that shot please you, comrade?" asked the tailor. "Thou canst certainly throw," said the giant, "but now we will see if thou art able to carry anything properly." He took the little tailor to a mighty15 oak tree13 which lay there felled on the ground, and said, "If thou art strong enough, help me to carry the tree out of the forest." "Readily," answered the little man; "take thou the trunk on thy shoulders, and I will raise up the branches and twigs17; after all, they are the heaviest." The giant took the trunk on his shoulder, but the tailor seated himself on a branch, and the giant who could not look round, had to carry away the whole tree, and the little tailor into the bargain: he behind, was quite merry and happy, and whistled the song, "Three tailors rode forth from the gate,"14 as if carrying the tree were child's play. The giant, after he had dragged the heavy burden part of the way, could go no further, and cried, "Hark you, I shall have to let the tree fall!" The tailor sprang nimbly down, seized the tree with both arms as if he had been carrying it, and said to the giant, "Thou art such a great fellow, and yet canst not even carry the tree!"
They went on together, and as they passed a cherry-tree,15 the giant laid hold of the top of the tree where the ripest fruit was hanging, bent19 it down, gave it into the tailor's hand, and bade him eat. But the little tailor was much too weak to hold the tree, and when the giant let it go, it sprang back again, and the tailor was hurried into the air with it. When he had fallen down again without injury, the giant said, "What is this? Hast thou not strength enough to hold the weak twig16?" "There is no lack of strength," answered the little tailor. "Dost thou think that could be anything to a man who has struck down seven at one blow? I leapt over the tree because the huntsmen are shooting down there in the thicket. Jump as I did, if thou canst do it." The giant made the attempt, but could not get over the tree, and remained hanging in the branches, so that in this also the tailor kept the upper hand.
The giant said, "If thou art such a valiant20 fellow, come with me into our cavern21 and spend the night with us." The little tailor was willing, and followed him. When they went into the cave,16 other giants were sitting there by the fire, and each of them had a roasted sheep in his hand and was eating it. The little tailor looked round and thought, "It is much more spacious22 here than in my workshop." The giant showed him a bed, and said he was to lie down in it and sleep. The bed, however, was too big for the little tailor; he did not lie down in it, but crept into a corner. When it was midnight,17 and the giant thought that the little tailor was lying in a sound sleep,18 he got up, took a great iron bar, cut through the bed with one blow, and thought he had given the grasshopper19 his finishing stroke. With the earliest dawn the giants went into the forest, and had quite forgotten the little tailor, when all at once he walked up to them quite merrily and boldly. The giants were terrified, they were afraid that he would strike them all dead, and ran away in a great hurry.
The little tailor went onwards, always following his own pointed23 nose. After he had walked for a long time, he came to the courtyard of a royal palace,20 and as he felt weary, he lay down on the grass and fell asleep. Whilst he lay there, the people came and inspected him on all sides, and read on his girdle, "Seven at one stroke." "Ah," said they, "What does the great warrior24 here in the midst of peace? He must be a mighty lord." They went and announced him to the King,21 and gave it as their opinion that if war should break out, this would be a weighty and useful man who ought on no account to be allowed to depart. The counsel pleased the King, and he sent one of his courtiers to the little tailor to offer him military service when he awoke. The ambassador remained standing25 by the sleeper26, waited until he stretched his limbs and opened his eyes, and then conveyed to him this proposal. "For this very reason have I come here," the tailor replied, "I am ready to enter the King's service." He was therefore honorably received and a special dwelling27 was assigned him.
The soldiers,22 however, were set against the little tailor, and wished him a thousand miles away. "What is to be the end of this?" they said amongst themselves. "If we quarrel with him, and he strikes about him, seven of us will fall at every blow; not one of us can stand against him." They came therefore to a decision, betook themselves in a body to the King, and begged for their dismissal. "We are not prepared," said they, "to stay with a man who kills seven at one stroke." The King was sorry that for the sake of one he should lose all his faithful servants, wished that he had never set eyes on the tailor, and would willingly have been rid of him again. But he did not venture to give him his dismissal, for he dreaded29 lest he should strike him and all his people dead, and place himself on the royal throne. He thought about it for a long time, and at last found good counsel. He sent to the little tailor and caused him to be informed that as he was such a great warrior, he had one request to make to him. In a forest of his country lived two giants23 who caused great mischief30 with their robbing, murdering, ravaging,24 and burning, and no one could approach them without putting himself in danger of death. If the tailor conquered and killed these two giants, he would give him his only daughter to wife, and half of his kingdom as a dowry, likewise one hundred horsemen should go with him to assist him. "That would indeed be a fine thing for a man like me!" thought the little tailor. "One is not offered a beautiful princess25 and half a kingdom every day of one's life!" "Oh, yes," he replied, "I will soon subdue31 the giants, and do not require the help of the hundred horsemen to do it; he who can hit seven with one blow has no need to be afraid of two."
The little tailor went forth, and the hundred horsemen followed him. When he came to the outskirts32 of the forest,26 he said to his followers33, "Just stay waiting here, I alone will soon finish off the giants." Then he bounded into the forest and looked about right and left. After a while he perceived both giants. They lay sleeping,27 under a tree, and snored so that the branches waved up and down. The little tailor, not idle, gathered two pocketsful of stones, and with these climbed up the tree. When he was half-way up, he slipped down by a branch, until he sat just above the sleepers34, and then let one stone after another fall on the breast of one of the giants. For a long time the giant felt nothing, but at last he awoke, pushed his comrade, and said, "Why art thou knocking me?" "Thou must be dreaming," said the other, "I am not knocking thee." They laid themselves down to sleep again, and then the tailor threw a stone down on the second. "What is the meaning of this?" cried the other. "Why art thou pelting35 me?" "I am not pelting thee," answered the first, growling36. They disputed about it for a time, but as they were weary they let the matter rest, and their eyes closed once more. The little tailor began his game again, picked out the biggest stone, and threw it with all his might on the breast of the first giant. "That is too bad!" cried he, and sprang up like a madman, and pushed his companion against the tree until it shook. The other paid him back in the same coin, and they got into such a rage that they tore up trees and belabored37 each other so long, that at last they both fell down dead on the ground at the same time. Then the little tailor leapt down. "It is a lucky thing," said he, "that they did not tear up the tree on which I was sitting, or I should have had to spring on to another like a squirrel; but we tailors are nimble." He drew out his sword and gave each of them a couple of thrusts in the breast, and then went out to the horsemen and said, "The work is done; I have given both of them their finishing stroke, but it was hard work! They tore up trees in their sore need, and defended themselves with them, but all that is to no purpose when a man like myself comes, who can kill seven at one blow." "But are you not wounded?" asked the horsemen. "You need not concern yourself about that," answered the tailor, "They have not bent one hair of mine." The horsemen would not believe him, and rode into the forest; there they found the giants swimming in their blood, and all round about lay the torn-up trees.
The little tailor demanded of the King the promised reward; he, however, repented38 of his promise,28 and again bethought himself how he could get rid of the hero. "Before thou receivest my daughter, and the half of my kingdom," said he to him, "thou must perform one more heroic deed. In the forest roams a unicorn29 which does great harm, and thou must catch it first." "I fear one unicorn39 still less than two giants. Seven at one blow, is my kind of affair." He took a rope and an axe40 with him, went forth into the forest, and again bade those who were sent with him to wait outside. He had to seek long. The unicorn soon came towards him, and rushed directly on the tailor, as if it would spit him on his horn without more ceremony. "Softly, softly; it can't be done as quickly as that," said he, and stood still and waited until the animal was quite close, and then sprang nimbly behind the tree. The unicorn ran against the tree with all its strength, and struck its horn so fast in the trunk that it had not strength enough to draw it out again, and thus it was caught. "Now, I have got the bird," said the tailor, and came out from behind the tree and put the rope round its neck, and then with his axe he hewed41 the horn out of the tree, and when all was ready he led the beast away and took it to the King.
The King still would not give him the promised reward, and made a third demand. Before the wedding the tailor was to catch him a wild boar30 that made great havoc42 in the forest, and the huntsmen should give him their help. "Willingly," said the tailor, "that is child's play!" He did not take the huntsmen with him into the forest, and they were well pleased that he did not, for the wild boar had several times received them in such a manner that they had no inclination to lie in wait for him. When the boar perceived the tailor, it ran on him with foaming43 mouth and whetted44 tusks45, and was about to throw him to the ground, but the active hero sprang into a chapel46 which was near, and up to the window at once, and in one bound out again. The boar ran in after him, but the tailor ran round outside and shut the door behind it, and then the raging beast, which was much too heavy and awkward to leap out of the window, was caught. The little tailor called the huntsmen thither that they might see the prisoner with their own eyes. The hero, however went to the King, who was now, whether he liked it or not, obliged to keep his promise, and gave him his daughter and the half of his kingdom. Had he known that it was no warlike hero, but a little tailor who was standing before him, it would have gone to his heart still more than it did. The wedding was held with great magnificence and small joy, and out of a tailor a king was made.
After some time the young Queen heard her husband say in his dreams at night, "Boy, make me the doublet, and patch the pantaloons, or else I will rap the yard-measure over thine ears." Then she discovered in what state of life the young lord had been born, and next morning complained of her wrongs to her father, and begged him to help her to get rid of her husband, who was nothing else but a tailor. The King comforted her and said, "Leave thy bed-room door open this night, and my servants shall stand outside, and when he has fallen asleep31 shall go in, bind47 him, and take him on board a ship which shall carry him into the wide world." The woman was satisfied with this; but the King's armour-bearer, who had heard all, was friendly with the young lord, and informed him of the whole plot. "I'll put a screw into that business," said the little tailor. At night he went to bed with his wife at the usual time, and when she thought that he had fallen asleep, she got up, opened the door, and then lay down again. The little tailor, who was only pretending to be asleep, began to cry out in a clear voice, "Boy, make me the doublet and patch me the pantaloons, or I will rap the yard-measure over thine ears. I smote48 seven at one blow. I killed two giants, I brought away one unicorn and caught a wild boar, and am I to fear those who are standing outside the room." When these men heard the tailor speaking thus, they were overcome by a great dread28, and ran as if the wild huntsman32 were behind them, and none of them would venture anything further against him. So the little tailor was a king and remained one, to the end of his life.33
1. The Brave Little Tailor: Source is Martinus Montanus' Wegkurtzer (Zipes, Complete, 729). This is one of 11 tailor tales (Zipes, Brothers, 84).
The title character is similar to the German folk heroes Dummy49 and Thumbling (Tatar, Annotated50, 101). Maria Tatar in The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales sees the tailor as a trickster figure (97). Terri Windling describes a trickster as "a paradoxical creature who is both very clever and very foolish, a culture hero and destructive influence".
Additional note provided by Heidi Anne Heiner: Trickery is one of the most popular methods for dealing51 with the evil in fairy tales. This implies that the trickster has experienced and accepted evil within him or her self, allowing "insight into the strategy of the adversary52" (Jacoby 1992).
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2. Little tailor: Tatar points out that the word "little" was added by Wilhelm Grimm to make the story appeal more to children (Annotated, 101).
Tailors were poor and not highly regarded by society because they were seen as weak men (Zipes, Brothers, 84-85). The saying "Nine tailors make the man" that illustrates53 the reputation of weakness that tailors had (Evans 1059). Tailors were poor in part because the Industrial Revolution had weakened the guilds54 (Zipes, Brothers, 85). Tailors traveled to find work and were no longer required to join guilds (Zipes, Brothers, 85).
Tailors were seen as "shifty and dubious55 characters, reflecting the attitudes of townspeople toward men who were often out of work and wandered from town to town" (Zipes, Brothers, 85). But the tales also show tailors "bent on overcoming difficult obstacles and desirous of becoming respected citizens of society" (Zipes, Brothers, 85). Jack3 Zipes points out that all the Grimms' tailors are journeymen or apprentices56, not master tailors (Brothers, 84).
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3. Delicate head: This could be reference to the weakness of tailors.
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4. The woman who had hoped: Maria Tatar and Jack Zipes differ on their interpretation57 of the jam buying sequence. Tatar sees it as an illustration of the tailor's frugal58 nature (Annotated 102). Zipes, on the other hand, sees it as illustration of a stringy tailor (Brothers 86).
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5. Made bigger and bigger stitches: Tatar believes that the tailor's working before eating is a triumph "over the pleasure principle, making it clear that the tailor is a man who understands discipline" (Annotated 102).
However, big stitches do not hold as well as small stitches. This could be an indication that the tailor is not focused on his work because of the waiting meal, that he is not a good tailor or that he has a wandering mind and always looks towards the future.
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6. Seven: Seven can symbolize59 each day of a person's life in fairy tales (Bettleheim 84).
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7. A girdle: A girdle is "a belt or cord worn around the waist" (Oxford 340).
The tailor does not lie for he doesn't say flies; he just knows how to manipulate words to his own advantage (Tatar, Annotated, 102).
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8. With joy like a lamb's tail: The lamb is connected to children and innocence60. This comparison shows the tailor's nature and could also connect him to a child reader.
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9. Resolved to go forth into the world: This refers to the fact that tailors would travel to find work. Zipes writes, "there is little doubt that the tales tend to characterize the hazards and vicissitudes61 in the lives of tailors as they traveled from town to town and job to job in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries" (Brothers, 85). Tailors are also portrayed62 in the tales "as a wanderer, someone in search of a better situation than tailoring" (Zipes, Brothers, 86).
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10. Bird: The taking of both the bird and the cheese show the tailor's resourcefulness and his luck (Tatar, Annotated, 102). Birds usually have a positive role in tales (Biederman 39).
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11. Giant: Giants, in ancient times, symbolized63 raw nature before it was tamed by man (Biederman 152). In legend, giants "are usually clumsy, malicious64 figures, ultimately overcome by the hero's courage and cunning . . . " (Biederman 152). Giants in Norse myths fought the gods and tried to destroy the culture of the gods (Lindahl, McNamara, Lindow 179). In folklore65, "giants appear as powerful but rather stupid and unnamed beings who wreck66 havoc" (Lindahl, McNamara, Lindow 179). In the Bible giants are the offspring of fallen angels and women (Fernand 89).
The term giant was also used to describe an exceptionally tall person (Evans 459).
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12. Ragamuffin: The noun means a "child in ragged18 or dirty clothes" (Oxford 686).
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13. A mighty oak tree: An oak tree is sacred to the thunder god in various ancient religions (Evans 770) and means endurance (Biederman 243).
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14. Three tailors rode forth from the gate: It is unclear if this was an actual song or if the tailors are replacing some other group. It should be noted67 that the Scandinavian version of the Grimms' "The Knapsack, the Hat, and the Horn" has three tailors as the main characters (Kinnes).
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15. Cherry tree: To dream of cherries means "you will gain popularity by your amiability68 and unselfishness" (Miller 139). The cherry tree is also associated with the cuckoo (Evans 217), a bird who lays its eggs in other bird's nests, allowing them to tend the chick.
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16. Cave: A cave can mean returning to the womb, and can also refer to Plato's allegory of the dark cave (Biederman 61-62).
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17. It was midnight: Midnight is seen as the witching hour because it was, supposedly, when witches held their Sabbath (Evans 1161-1162).
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18. Sound sleep: Tatar states, "sleep represents a state of supreme70 vulnerability, and it enters the tale three times in connection with duplicity and intrigue71" (Annotated, 107). This is the first time that sleep appears.
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19. Grasshopper: Grasshoppers72 were "regarded as the type of careless improvidence73, of light-hearted enjoyment74 of the present moment, without the thought of a morrow" (Phipson 394).
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20. Came to the courtyard of a royal palace: This is the end of one sequence and the start of another. Tatar writes,
The first part of the tale recounts the pranks75 played by the tailor, showing how he outwits creatures of brute76 strength. His adventures have a serial77 quality - self contained and leading to no particular goal. The second phase of his journey is marked by the performance of Herculean tasks . . . By forming an alliance with the king and solving the problem of brutes78 and beasts laying waste to the land, the tailor wins the hand of his [the king's] daughter and is entitled to enjoy a fairy tale ending. (Annotated, 105).
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21. The King: A king can represent the end of "all the hero's travels and adventures on his way to education and maturity79" (Biederman 196).
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22. The soldiers: Both the soldiers and the huntsmen would be viewed as being stronger than the tailor.
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23. Two giants: These giants serve as part of the transition from one part of the tale to another (Tatar, Annotated, 107). Two is the most fatal of all numbers, and, according to Pythagoras, was associated with strife80, disorder81 and evil (Evans 766).
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24. Ravaging: Destruction, plundering82, laying waste (Oxford 691).
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25. Beautiful princess: The princess' selling point is her beauty and her dowry of half the kingdom.
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26. Forest: The forest is a place of a change. Jack Zipes write of the forest in this tale, "the forest, or the great wide world, is the domain83 where the tailor is given a chance to change and where his fate is decided84" (Brothers, 86-87).
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27. They lay sleeping: This is the second instance of sleep (Tatar, Annotated, 107).
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28. Repented of his promise: Tatar points out that the king's action is based on class bias85 (Annotated 108). The king is not breaking the promise because of concern for his daughter but because of the class of the tailor.
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29. Unicorn: The unicorn introduces an exotic element into the tale (Tatar, Annotated, 109). It was first mentioned by Ctesias around 398 B.C.E. and called a ferocious86 fighter (Landalh, McNamara, Lindow 420). The unicorn is associated with virginity and purity, though the virgin87 hunt and test is a late edition (Shepard 56). In addition, the animal is associated with knights89 because "he [the unicorn] was fierce and proud and dangerous to his foes90, as a knight88 should be, and he was also gentle; he had the dignity of solitude91; he was beautiful and strong" (Shepard 73).
In pre-Christian times, one horned animals were associated with kingship and sovereign power (Shepard 77). The unicorn appears in several heraldic arms.
As late as 1733, alicorns (supposed unicorn horns) were found in parts of Europe (Shepard 264). There still is one in St. Mark's Venice (Shepard 107).
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30. Wild boar: Like the unicorn, the boar appears on several heraldic arms and is closely associated with nobility for it can symbolize ferocity and courage (Biederman 45). It also appears in German personal and place names as Eber (Biederman 45).
This is the third task. Three in fairy tales can stand for the id, ego69, and superego aspects of the mind (Bettleheim 102).
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31. When he has fallen asleep: This is the third and last instance of sleep (Tatar, Annotated, 107).
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32. The wild huntsman: This is a reference to the Wild Hunt. The Wild Hunt was first mention by Tactius in the first century C. E. and is popular in northern European countries (Berk and Spytma). It is also called Wotan's Hunt (Odin's Hunt) because it is sometimes led by Odin. However, the leader of the hunt changes depending upon time and country (Berk and Spytma). The hunt was made up of the souls of the fallen and /or supernatural creatures such as ghosts and witches (Berk and Spytma). While the Hunt could bring fertile fields, it was seen as a harbinger of death and war, and it was dangerous to be out when the Hunt was a field for one could become a member of the hunt, be hunted by it, or simply die (Berk and Spytma).
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33. To the end of his life: The tailor succeeds because he uses his skills (Zipes, Brothers, 87). Jack Zipes says that the hero in such tales "demonstrate a distinct willingness to rectify92 social injustice93 particularly when they are class related" (Brothers, 87).
Tatar states, "The tale not only celebrates the wit, cunning, and ingenuity94 of tailors but also articulates is disdain95 for those who consider these honest tradesmen unworthy suitors" (Annotated, 111).
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