The Frog Prince

Dude. You just spent three nights with me and you're not a frog?!

Hello, dear reader. Quick plug, if you like my wit and love of fairy tales, follow me on Instagram! I'm newcombnotes and sometimes I post pictures of my dog.

This week, we'll look at another of the Grimms' fairy tales, The Frog Prince. As you might expect, it's a little ridiculous, although I decided not to go with the version where the princess violently throws the frog at a wall. I figured we could tone it down a little this time. Click the link to read the tale and read on below for my analysis.

Firstly, what kind of place is this? A talking frog is apparently not interesting to anyone. This makes me wonder how many others have been changed into frogs. Or maybe frogs just talk in this place. I wish we knew about other animals. Anyway.

It's also noteworthy that the king thought his daughter should follow through on a promise she made to a talking frog. I wonder if he was trying to teach her a lesson. It would be pretty important for royalty to keep their word. It's also impressive that his daughter actually follows through with it, even when her dad can't see her. She seems like kind of a jerk earlier in the story, but I guess she'll still do what her dad says. Or he guilted her into it. At least the frog only ate off of her plate the first night.

Can we discuss how this unwed girl spent three nights alone with a prince? I'm guessing she's not that old since she's playing with a golden ball, but maybe she's a teenager and just thinks it's cool. There's nothing stating her age, so it's anyone's guess. Whatever age she is, this would have been majorly not cool. She would have had to marry this guy or be ruined. Which is crap, but those were the times. She might have taken a different bargain if he'd told her she'd have to marry him for getting her ball back.

Let's take a look at this prince. I wonder what he did to get turned into a frog with such specific instructions for how to break his spell. Am I the only one reminded of Beauty and the Beast, but much easier for the prince? Usually true love will break any spell, but there's nothing about that here. Which is fortunate because these two don't seem to talk at all in the three days they hang out. So, it doesn't seem like they care for each other. Although, as soon as she sees him as a prince, the princess suddenly loves him and he forgives her for almost breaking her promise and possibly leaving him stuck as a frog forever. If there were any marriage counselors in these kingdoms, they must have made a fortune.

The moral of this story is: don't drop anything precious into a spring. Alternatively, if you do, be sure you want to marry whatever creature says he'll get it back for you.

Have a different moral? Have a story you want me to talk about? Have a different experience being a frog? Comment below!