Fairy Tales 2010

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Wild Man

In the earlier, more simple version of the Grimm's "Wild Man," it seems to me that this beastly character holds a certain magical, superhuman quality-- though subtle, and in fact acts much like a mentor or helper to the young boy, similar to a typical fairy tale fairy god-parent. I say this for several reasons.
First, it seems that when the Wild Man takes the boy back to the forest with him, he is simply doing a kind gesture in order to save him from the consequences of his actions (setting the caged beast free). Thus, he helps him avoid conflict with his parents; further, he helps bring the boy into manhood, symbolized through his entering the vast forest in which he is alone and able to discover himself.
Second, when the boy decides he wants to go to war, he is supplied by the Wild Man with horses and an army. It is because of these elements that he is successful and treated as a hero by the king and townspeople. However, his sources remain a secret, thus implying that the boy takes credit for the humble deeds of the Wild Man.
Looking at the story in this way reminds me much of the story of the young woman who is not able to spin well and thus employs two old women to do her spinning so that she may impress the prince and be wed into aristocracy. The glamour of the boy in this story's rewards are certainly comparable.

2 comments:

  1. I don't think you the give the boy enough credit. The Wild Man gave the boy the chance to mature and win the battle, but he was the one that succeeded with that chance. The girl in the spinning story was given everything, while the boy still had to prove himself.

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  2. I don't think you give the boy enough credit. Yes, both the woman who can't spin and the boy take the credit for the deeds that help win them a place in the aristocracy, but the boy actually does work: he tends the garden and shows kindness to the gardener and his family by giving them the gold the princess tries to give to the boy; he has a good soul, even if it doesn't always show through. Also, maybe the reason for the boy's keeping his triumphs a secret has to do with the story about the Wild Man that we don't know, perhaps it has something to do with the spell on the wild man.

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