Han Christian Andersen and the Kama Sutra
I've just started reading a collection of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. I'm a little confused. I had always been under the impression that fairy tales, as indeed most children's stories, carried some kind of moral message - a way of introducing the child to the concept of good and bad, reward and punishment, very much like Disney films do today. But having read two stories so far this element is completely missing. Perhaps it will appear in other stories, but so far this is what I have:
The Tinderbox: A soldier meets a witch who promises him all the money he wants (to be collected from the bottom of a well) provided that while he's down there he brings back the tinderbox which is also down the well. He collects the money, but refuses to hand over the tinderbox unless the witch tells him why she wants it. When she refuses, he cuts off her head and keeps the tinderbox. He then goes into town and fritters away all the money living a life of luxury. Inevitably he runs out and, when he does so, he investigates the tinderbox and is delighted to find that it summons three giant dogs which obey his every command. First, they bring him more money allowing him to resume his life of luxury. He then commands onee to fetch him the beautiful princess who is kept in a tower. The dog brings the sleeping princess each night and the soldier falls in love with her. The king and queen find out, track him down and put him in prison. On the day of his execution he summons the giant dogs who proceed to tear up the king, queen and judges. The people are so scared that they declare him king and he marries the princess and lives happily ever after.
Little Claus and Big Claus: Little Claus only owns one horse, but every Sunday Big Claus lets him borrow four horses so that he can plough his fields. Little Claus pretends that all the horses are his and Big Claus kills Little Claus's horse as a punishment. Little Claus goes to the village to sell the hide and while there spies a farmer's wife having a fancy dinner with the parish clerk whom the farmer despises. The farmer returns and the wife, panicking, hides the food and the clerk. Seeing this, Little Claus blackmails the wife and tricks the farmer into giving him a bushel of money. He then tells Big Claus that the money came from selling the hide. Big Claus gets very excited and kills his own horses, only to find that he can't get much money at all for the hides. He realises he has been tricked and sets out to kill Little Claus, but unknowingly attacks the body of Little Claus's recently deceased grandmother instead. Little Claus takes the body with him to the pub and, by trickery, convinces the innkeeper that he (the innkeeper) is responsible for the old lady's death, and promises to keep quiet in return for another bushel of money. He then tells Big Claus that he received the money in payment for the grandmother's body and Big Claus kills his own grandmother so as to get money too. He realises he's been tricked again and bundles Little Claus into a bag so he can throw him in the river. During a break in the journey Little Claus tricks a cattle driver into changing places with him, and Big Claus unwittingly throws the cattle driver into the river instead. On his way home Big Claus bumps into Little Claus who tells him that they are sea cattle and that if Big Claus gets thrown into the river he can have some too. Big Claus allows himself to be tied up in a bag with a big stone and thrown into the river.
The morals of these stories:
Things for which you will reap reward - going back on your bargain, killing old ladies (admittedly a witch), spending money that isn't yours, deceiving people, kidnapping, ruling by intimidation, blackmail, conning money out of people, lying, tricking people into killing others, tricking people into getting killed, killing people, stealing cattle.
Thing for which you will be punished - asking favours of soldiers, locking your daughter in a tower, punishing people who break the law, doing things that your husband doesn't like, killing other people's horses, greed.
Perhaps these are moral stories, however, and I'm just interpreting them incorrectly by reading them with a 21st century eye. After all, moral values do change with time and location. A great example of this are these situations which, inter alia, according to Gonikaputra, form some of the few occasions in which it is acceptable to have sex with another man's wife:
The Tinderbox: A soldier meets a witch who promises him all the money he wants (to be collected from the bottom of a well) provided that while he's down there he brings back the tinderbox which is also down the well. He collects the money, but refuses to hand over the tinderbox unless the witch tells him why she wants it. When she refuses, he cuts off her head and keeps the tinderbox. He then goes into town and fritters away all the money living a life of luxury. Inevitably he runs out and, when he does so, he investigates the tinderbox and is delighted to find that it summons three giant dogs which obey his every command. First, they bring him more money allowing him to resume his life of luxury. He then commands onee to fetch him the beautiful princess who is kept in a tower. The dog brings the sleeping princess each night and the soldier falls in love with her. The king and queen find out, track him down and put him in prison. On the day of his execution he summons the giant dogs who proceed to tear up the king, queen and judges. The people are so scared that they declare him king and he marries the princess and lives happily ever after.
Little Claus and Big Claus: Little Claus only owns one horse, but every Sunday Big Claus lets him borrow four horses so that he can plough his fields. Little Claus pretends that all the horses are his and Big Claus kills Little Claus's horse as a punishment. Little Claus goes to the village to sell the hide and while there spies a farmer's wife having a fancy dinner with the parish clerk whom the farmer despises. The farmer returns and the wife, panicking, hides the food and the clerk. Seeing this, Little Claus blackmails the wife and tricks the farmer into giving him a bushel of money. He then tells Big Claus that the money came from selling the hide. Big Claus gets very excited and kills his own horses, only to find that he can't get much money at all for the hides. He realises he has been tricked and sets out to kill Little Claus, but unknowingly attacks the body of Little Claus's recently deceased grandmother instead. Little Claus takes the body with him to the pub and, by trickery, convinces the innkeeper that he (the innkeeper) is responsible for the old lady's death, and promises to keep quiet in return for another bushel of money. He then tells Big Claus that he received the money in payment for the grandmother's body and Big Claus kills his own grandmother so as to get money too. He realises he's been tricked again and bundles Little Claus into a bag so he can throw him in the river. During a break in the journey Little Claus tricks a cattle driver into changing places with him, and Big Claus unwittingly throws the cattle driver into the river instead. On his way home Big Claus bumps into Little Claus who tells him that they are sea cattle and that if Big Claus gets thrown into the river he can have some too. Big Claus allows himself to be tied up in a bag with a big stone and thrown into the river.
The morals of these stories:
Things for which you will reap reward - going back on your bargain, killing old ladies (admittedly a witch), spending money that isn't yours, deceiving people, kidnapping, ruling by intimidation, blackmail, conning money out of people, lying, tricking people into killing others, tricking people into getting killed, killing people, stealing cattle.
Thing for which you will be punished - asking favours of soldiers, locking your daughter in a tower, punishing people who break the law, doing things that your husband doesn't like, killing other people's horses, greed.
Perhaps these are moral stories, however, and I'm just interpreting them incorrectly by reading them with a 21st century eye. After all, moral values do change with time and location. A great example of this are these situations which, inter alia, according to Gonikaputra, form some of the few occasions in which it is acceptable to have sex with another man's wife:
- where the woman has previously been enjoyed by several other men, and so can safely be considered a public woman
- where her powerful husband doesn't like you and she might be able to convince him to like you
- where discovering the union would kill the husband, allowing you to claim his vast riches which you covet
- where you are poor and she is rich and the union would make you rich
- where she is the wife of someone who slept with your wife
- where she is the guardian of the woman you love