Week 19- #GRIMMread2019

http://shonnaslayton.com/grimm-read-2019-challenge/

     Foxes abound in this week's stories ("The Wolf and the Fox", "The Fox and his Cousin", "The Fox and the Cat"). As usual, foxes are foxy. "The Pink" stands apart from the others. For one thing, instead of a fox, it has a fire-breathing poodle! (That totally threw me. I did not expect it.) Elemental canines aside, this tale still has me thinking. It's one of the more unique tales we've read so far.

     An alternate title for "The Pink" is "The Carnation", so I did a little research for this. I wanted to discover the symbolism of carnations, particularly pink ones. https://www.flowermeaning.com has some intriguing information, that made me look at this story from a different angle. Firstly, carnations in general stand for love, fascination, and distinction. This makes sense in relation to the story. The prince temporarily turns his lady love, who was willing to sacrifice her life for his if need be, into a Pink to bring her with him back to his kingdom. Her beauty is fascinating and she is distinct in that she was created by the boy's wish. Secondly, Pink Carnations, in particular, symbolize a mother's undying love. At first glance this doesn't seem to fit. Here is where my research got really interesting. https://www.flowermeaning.com shares a legend about the carnation.

"Ancient Roman Legend: According to legend, the carnation flower appeared after the Crucifixion of Christ. When mother Mary wept at the death of her son, her tears fell to the earth. Carnations sprang forth from each spot where Mary’s tears stained the earth."

     After learning this, I picked up on certain parallels between the legend and this tale.

-The Queen parallels the virgin Mary. She is visited by an angel, who announces the birth of her son.

-Her child is also similar to Christ (who performs miracles). The boy is given the power to have any wish granted (even bizarre ones, such as, turning an evil cook into a black, fire-breathing poodle as punishment).

-Like Mary, the Queen is separated from her son because of a traitor. She believes he was killed by wild beasts because the cook, who wanted to use the boy's power, framed her, by smearing chicken blood on her while she was sleeping with her son in the garden. This causes the queen great sorrow, and she is locked in a tower by the king, who believes the cook's story, and condemns her to starve. She is fed by angels, so she doesn't starve.

-The Queen witnesses a sort of resurrection of her son. Though he really wasn't dead, he was dead to her because she believed he had been killed. He returns to her and brings her great joy.

     These are just a few parallels that I picked up on. The Pink is an apt title for this story, even though the flower doesn't even make an appearance for a good chunk of it. It almost seems like a minor detail in this story about family destroyed by power-hungry servant, but the pink carnation is symbolic both of the undying love of the queen/mother for her son, and the love between the prince and the maiden.

     The Epilogue- The ending, while tidy, is bittersweet. The cook is torn in four pieces (Disturbing much? and Ouch!). The Queen is so happy to see her son alive and with his future bride that she refuses to eat, saying that she will be soon be delivered, and then she dies. The king, who makes a habit of reacting to his emotions instead of responding to them, dies of grief for his Queen, whom he judged so harshly, after executing the cook in a rage. Finally, the the prince and the maiden get married. I enjoyed this tale, and I think it has a great potential for a retelling. I can see why some of these stories went into obscurity, but others are fascinating. I'm left wondering how a story that includes a fire-breathing poodle falls through the cracks.

Work in Progress from Secret Garden Coloring Book by Johanna Basford (This seems an appropriate place to share.)