A Riddling Tale

A Riddling Tale
Folk tale
Name	A Riddling Tale
Aarne–Thompson grouping	407
Country	Germany
Published in	Grimms' Fairy Tales

A Riddling Tale is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales.^[1]

It is Aarne-Thompson type 407, the girl as a flower.^[2] The tale portion of it is subordinate to the riddle, and the tale is not widely found in the oral tradition.^[3]

Story

Three women were changed to identical flowers. One was allowed home at night and told her husband to pick and free her. He did so.

Riddle

How did he recognize her?

Answer

The other flowers, having been in the field all night, had dew on them. The wife did not. So for that, he would know that that flower was his wife.

References

↑ Jacob and Wilheim Grimm, Household Tales, "A Riddling Tale"
↑ D.L. Ashliman, "The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales (Grimms' Fairy Tales)"
↑ Stith Thompson, The Folktale, p 95, University of California Press, Berkeley Los Angeles London, 1977

The Brothers Grimm
Jacob Grimm · Wilhelm Grimm
Works	Grimms' Fairy Tales Deutsche Sagen Deutsche Mythologie Deutsches Wörterbuch
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Other	Grimm's law Göttingen Seven Grim Tales The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm Once Upon a Brothers Grimm Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics The Brothers Grimm Grimm Tales The Sisters Grimm Fairy tale American McGee's Grimm German Fairy Tale Route Grimm Once Upon a Time The 10th Kingdom
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