Folktale Types
... tasks. However, in “the Mastermaid,” the boy willingly comes into the power of the giant and eagerly performs the tasks that he is assigned. At this point, this tale resembles the others in that there are three tasks and a girl aids him in the completion of each. Once the boy has completed the tasks, the variations begin again. After completing the three tasks with the help of the mastermaid, the giant orders her to kill the boy. Instead she puts the giant to sleep and tricks him by leaving three drops of the boy’s blood behind which distract the giant so they can get away. Upon escaping, the boy fails to follow instructions and forgets his fiancée, typical of this tale type. However, instead of simply taking residence with someone in town until conveniently causing the boy to remember her later, this girl buys her own home. After purchasing her home, the girl turns the entire place gold. For this reason, unlike any other tale discussed, three men from town are attracted to her. Through her “relationships” with the men, word gets back to her old fiancé that she may be able to help him on his wedding day. After contacting her, the girl decides to lend him her shovel, a piece of her porch door, and her calf to aid the prince and his fiancée in their journey to the church. After her help with the wagon, in thanks, the King invites her to castle where the tale again begins to follow the typical movements. The girl utilizes a rooster and a hen and as a result the prince remembers their past. Obviously two movements are inserted into this tale which cannot be found in the others discussed: that of the girl establishing relations with the three town’s men, and that of the girl aiding her forgotten fiancé in his journey to church. For this reason, this tale, along with “Jack and the Devil,” is considered to be a variant form. Both “Raglif Jaglif Tetartlif Pole” and “Jack and King Marock” are not considered variants of this tale type and therefore differ from “Jack and the Devil” and “the Mastermaid.” While “Jack and the Devil” and “the Mastermaid” add and omit movements, these tales both follow the six movements outlined in Aarne Thompson’s The Type’s of the Folktale. However, there are slight differences among the motifs utilized in “Raglif Jaglif Tetartlif Pole” and “Jack and King Marock.” The tasks that the ogre assigns to Jack in each of these tales are different. In “Raglif Jaglif Tetartlif Pole” Jack is required to shovel stalls, gather horses, and get eagle’s egg while in “Jack and King Marock,” Jack is required to find a gold ring in the brush, find a thimble in a well, and build a house out of a rock. This small detail also differs from “Jack in the Devil.” In this tale the ogre requires Jack to cut and burn roots, drain a well, and pluck geese. Another major difference between these tales involves the female character as the helper. In “Jack and the Devil,” the female helper actually performs the tasks for Jack while he sleeps; however, in both “Raglif Jaglif Tetartlif Pole” and “Jack and King Marock” the girl only instructs the male character about the correct method to perform the task most efficiently. Along with differences in movements, variations between these tales can also be detected through studying the motifs. Of course, certain motifs specific to this tale type can be found in each of the four tales discussed. In each, the ogre sets impossible tasks, the bride helps the suitor perform tasks, there is rescue from the ogre, and obstacles aid the fugitive in their flight. Some clear distinctions can be seen on the motif chart between the versions and variant forms. Specifically, “Jack and the Devil” does not contain any motifs which cannot be found in the other three tales. Again this flags the tale as being a variant but may also be a result of the short length of the specific tale. Common motifs between the two versions of “The Girl as Helpers in the Hero’s Flight” include the bride as the prize for the tasks assigned the suitors, the kiss of forgetfulness, and the dog’s licking the man producing the forgetfulness. Only two tales share motifs relating to the three tasks. Strangely enough, the tales which share these motifs are a version and variant form. Both “the Mastermaid” and “Raglif Jaglif Tetartlif Pole” share the motif of cleaning the Augean stable. Also included in each of these tales were themes which seemed as though they served as motifs that cannot be found on the motif chart provided. Many of these motifs centered on the three tasks. For example, the tasks assigned in two of these four tale that involve collecting the geese’s feathers and the eagle’s eggs are not included in the motifs listed in Aarne Thompson’s The Type’s of the Folktale. At the same time there are also a number of motifs which are listed as common to this tale type which cannot be found in any of the four tales discussed. In studying the structure of “Jack and the Devil” along with these other three folktales, Max Luthi’s theory on the style of the folktale seems to fit the form of this tale type. To begin, each of these four tales contains one-dimensionality. The tales occur in their own world and include the numinous. As Luthi’s theory suggests, all fear of the numinous is absent in the folktale hero, in this case Jack or the male character under the ogre’s control. Where most heroes’s in story forms other than folktales would experience some sort of fear or awe in relation to the hero and his interactions with the “villain,” “Jack and the Devil,” along with the other three tales lack this emotion. This is a characteristic directly related to the one-dimensionality of the tale. Depthlessness can also be observed in examining these tales. The characters have no substance and no inner lives. As opposed to other story forms, the characters exist in an unrecognizable environm...