The Magician's Horse - Variants On Motifs

Variants On Motifs

This particular type of tale is well known, being particularly found in Germany, Scandanvia, and the Baltic, but also throughout Europe, and appears in Asia down to Indonesia and also in Africa. Other tales like this include Little Johnny Sheep-Dung and The Gifts of the Magician. A less common variant, found only in Europe, opens with the hero rescuing a wild man, as in Iron John, Guerrino and the Savage Man, and The Hairy Man.

The motifs are found in many more tales. While getting a horse is a frequent quest object, it is usually the side effect of needing it for something else, as in The Death of Koschei the Deathless or The Nine Peahens and the Golden Apples. It is generally a gift of the donor, as in Făt-Frumos with the Golden Hair.

When the hero is working for the villain, the usual aid comes from a woman who is the heroine -- The Battle of the Birds, The White Dove, or The Master Maid -- and therefore does not end as this one does, with an additional adventure to gain a bride, as in The Hairy Man.

Compare Prince Ring.