Many years ago there lived a king and a queen. They had such an ugly child that everyone who saw the newborn doubted for a long time whether it was a person. The Queen Mother was very distressed by the deformity of her son and often wept when she looked at him.
One day, when she was sitting at his cradle, a kind sorceress appeared in the room. She looked at the little freak and said:
- Do not grieve so much, queen: the boy is very ugly, but this does not prevent him from being kind and attractive. In addition, he will be smarter than all the people in the kingdom and can make the one he loves the most smart.
Everyone was very pleased with the prophecy of the good sorceress, but the queen was most pleased. She wanted to thank the sorceress, but she disappeared as unnoticed as she appeared.
The witch's prediction came true. As soon as the child learned to pronounce the first words, he began to speak so intelligently and smoothly that everyone was delighted and exclaimed:
“Oh, how smart the little prince is!
I forgot to say that the prince was born with a tuft on his head. Therefore, he was nicknamed Rike-Khokholok.
At the same time, a daughter was born to a neighboring queen. She was as beautiful as a summer day. The queen almost went crazy with joy when she saw how beautiful her daughter was. But the same sorceress who was at the birth of little Rike said to her:
“Don't rejoice like that, queen: the little princess will be as stupid as she is beautiful.
This prediction greatly upset the queen. She began to cry and began to ask the sorceress to give at least a little mind to her little daughter.
“That I cannot do,” said the sorceress, “but I can make the one whom the princess loves become as handsome as she is.”
Saying this, the sorceress disappeared.
The princess grew up and every year she became more and more beautiful. But along with her beauty, her stupidity increased.
She did not answer anything when asked, or answered so stupidly that everyone covered their ears. In addition, she was such a slob that she could not put a cup on the table without breaking it, and when she drank water, she spilled half of it on her dress. And so, despite all her beauty, no one liked her.
When guests gathered in the palace, everyone first approached the beauty to look at her, to admire her; but soon they left her, having heard her stupid speeches.
This made the poor princess very sad. Without regret, she would be ready to give all her beauty for the smallest drop of intelligence.
The queen, no matter how much she loved her daughter, still could not resist reproaching her with stupidity. This made the princess suffer even more.
One day she went into the forest to mourn her misfortune. Walking through the forest, she saw a little hunchbacked man, very ugly, but luxuriously dressed. The man walked straight towards her.
It was the young Prince Rike-Khoholok. He saw a portrait of a beautiful princess and fell in love with her. After leaving his kingdom, he came here to ask the princess to be his wife.
Riquet was very happy to meet the beauty. He greeted her, and noticing that the princess was very sad, he said to her:
Why are you so sad princess? After all, you are so young and beautiful! I have seen many beautiful princesses, but I have never met such a beauty.
“You are very kind, prince,” the beauty answered him, and stopped there, because, due to her stupidity, she could not add anything more.
Is it possible to be sad for someone who is so beautiful? - continued Rike-Khoholok.
“I would rather agree,” said the princess, “to be as ugly as you, than to be so beautiful and so stupid.”
“You are not so stupid, princess, if you think you are stupid. Those who are truly stupid will never admit it.
“I don’t know that,” said the princess, “I only know that I am very stupid, that’s why I am so sad.
“Well, if you're so sad just because of this, I can help you in your grief.
— How will you do it? the princess asked.
“I can,” said Rike-Crest, “make smart the girl I love the most.” And since I love you more than anyone in the world, I can give you as much intelligence as you want, if only you agree to marry me.
The princess was embarrassed and did not answer.
“I see that my proposal has upset you,” said Rike-Crest, “but I am not surprised at this. I give you a whole year to think about it. I'll be back in a year for an answer.
The princess imagined that the year would drag on without end, and agreed.
And as soon as she promised Rika-Khokholk to marry him, she immediately felt completely different. At that very moment she began to talk fluently and well with Rike-Crest, and spoke so reasonably that Rike-Crest thought that he might not have given her more intelligence than he had left to himself.
When the princess returned to the palace, the courtiers did not know what to think of the miraculous and quick change that had taken place in her. The princess went into the forest completely stupid, and returned unusually smart and reasonable.
The king began to turn to the princess for advice and sometimes even decided important state affairs in her room.
The news of this extraordinary change spread far and wide. From all the neighboring kingdoms, young princes began to gather. Everyone tried to please the princess and asked her to marry him. But the princess found them not smart enough and did not agree to marry any of them.
Finally, one day a very rich, very intelligent and very slender prince appeared. The princess immediately took a liking to him.
The king noticed this and said that she could marry this prince if she wanted to.
Wanting to better think about what to do, the princess went for a walk and quite by chance wandered into the forest where a year ago she met Riquet-Crest.
Walking through the forest and thinking, the princess heard some noise underground. It seemed that there were people running back and forth and fussing.
The princess stopped and, listening more attentively, heard cries:
- Give me the pot!
Throw wood on the fire!
At the same moment the earth parted, and the princess saw at her feet a large underground kitchen full of cooks, cooks and all sorts of servants. A whole crowd of cooks in white caps and aprons, with huge knives in their hands, came out of this underground kitchen. They went to one of the forest clearings, sat down around a long table and began to chop meat, while singing cheerful songs.
The surprised princess asked them for whom they were preparing such a rich feast.
"For Prince Rike-Top-tufted," answered the fattest cook. He is celebrating his wedding tomorrow.
Then the princess remembered that exactly a year ago, on the same day, she promised to marry a little freak, and almost fainted.
Having recovered from her excitement, the princess went on, but did not take even thirty steps, when Rike-Crest appeared before her, cheerful, healthy; superbly dressed, as befits a groom.
“You see, princess, I am true to my word,” he said, “I think that you have come here to keep your word and make me the happiest person in the world.
“No,” answered the princess, I have not yet made up my mind, and, probably, I will never make up my mind to marry you.
"But why?" asked Rike-Top-tuft. "Don't you want to marry me because of my ugliness?" Maybe you don't like my mind or my character?
“No,” answered the princess, “I like both your mind and your character ...
“So it’s only my ugliness that scares you?” - said Rika Tufted. “But this is a fixable matter, because you can make me a very beautiful person!”
— How to do it? the princess asked.
"Very simple," answered Rika Tufted. “If you love me and want me to become beautiful, I will become beautiful. The sorceress gave me intelligence and the ability to make smart the girl I love. And the same sorceress gave you the ability to make the one you love beautiful.
“If this is so,” said the princess, then I want with all my heart that you become the most beautiful in the world!
And before the princess had time to utter these words, Rike-Crest seemed to her the most handsome and most slender man she had ever seen.
They say that sorceresses and their magic have nothing to do with it. It's just that the princess, having fallen in love with Rike-Khokholk, stopped noticing his ugliness.
What had previously seemed ugly in him began to seem beautiful and attractive.
One way or another, but the princess immediately agreed to marry him, and the next day they celebrated the wedding.
Tales of Charles Perrault
Riquet with a tuft is a fairy tale by Charles Perrault about two children who received one huge flaw at birth - Riquet with a tuft was a very smart, but incredibly ugly boy, and the queen's daughter from a neighboring state was the most beautiful, but stupid as a cork. But in addition, they received a huge dignity - Rike with a crest could convey the mind to the girl she fell in love with, and the stupid princess could convey beauty to the guy she fell in love with. Basically, they were made for each other. They met in the forest, where they complemented and compensated for each other. And they got married and were happy.
76dc611d6ebaafc66cc0879c71b5db5c0">
76dc611d6ebaafc66cc0879c71b5db5c
Once upon a time there was a queen, and she gave birth to a son, such a freak that for a long time they doubted, but that's enough, is this a man? The sorceress who was present at his birth assured him that he would be very intelligent. She even added that, by the power of her sorcery, he would communicate his mind to anyone whom he deeply loved.
All this somewhat comforted the poor queen, who was very upset that she had given birth to such an ugly child.
But as soon as this child began to babble, he began to say extremely intelligent things, and in everything that he did, there was so much intelligence that everyone came to admire him.
I forgot to say that the child was born with a small tuft of hair on his head, which is why he was nicknamed Hohlik.
About seven or eight years later, the queen of the neighboring kingdom gave birth to two daughters.
The first to come into the world was as beautiful as day; the queen was so delighted at this that she almost became ill.
The same sorceress who was present at the birth of little Hohlik was present here, and, in order to moderate the queen's joy, she announced that God had not given the newborn princess reason and that she would be as stupid as good.
This greatly touched the queen; but a few minutes later an even greater grief happened to her: she gave birth to a second daughter, a terrible freak.
Do not grieve, madam, - the sorceress told her, - your daughter will be awarded other virtues: she will be so smart that almost no one will notice her lack of beauty.
God bless! the queen answered. - But is it possible to provide a little intelligence to the eldest, who is so beautiful?
From the side of the mind, madam, I can do nothing, - answered the sorceress, - but I can do everything from the side of beauty, and as I am ready to do everything for you, I give her a gift that she will communicate her beauty to anyone whom she loves dearly .
As the princesses grew up, their perfections increased. Everywhere there were only speeches about the beauty of the older one, and about the mind of the younger one.
It is true that their shortcomings also increased with age: the younger one grew uglier every minute, and the older one became more and more stupid every hour. Besides, she was such a slut that she could not put a cup on the table without breaking off the ear, and when she drank water, she knocked over half the glass on her dress.
Although the beauty and great dignity in the young lady, the guests almost always liked the younger one more than the older one.
First, the guests sat down to the beauty, to look at her, to admire; but then they went to the sensible woman, to listen to her pleasant speeches, and, to the amazement of the whole company, after ten minutes there was no one left near the eldest and the guests crowded around the youngest.
The eldest, although she was stupid as a cork, however, noticed this, and without regret she would give all the beauty for half her sister's mind.
The queen, in spite of all her prudence, could not help reproaching her daughter for her stupidity. From this, the poor princess almost died of grief.
Once she went into the woods to cry about her misfortune, she only sees a young man coming up to her, very ugly and very unpleasant, but in a luxurious dress.
It was the young Prince Hohlik, who fell in love with her from portraits that were distributed all over the world, and left his kingdom to have the pleasure of seeing her and talking to her.
Rejoicing that he had met the princess alone, Hohlik approached her as respectfully and politely as possible. After a proper greeting, he noticed that the princess was sad, and said:
I do not understand, madam, how such a beautiful person can be so thoughtful, for although I can boast that I have seen many beautiful people, I must say that I have never seen such beauty as yours.
What a compliment you are, sir! - answered the princess, and stopped there.
Beauty,” Khokhlik continued, “is such a great virtue that it should replace everything, and whoever has beauty cannot, in my opinion, grieve over anything.
I would rather be, - says the princess, - as ugly as you, but have a mind, than with my beauty and be such a fool.
Nothing, madam, so proves the mind as the conviction of its absence. The mind is by nature such an asset that the more you have it, the more you believe in its lack.
I don’t know that,” says the princess, “but I know that I am very stupid, and that’s why I grieve to death.
Only something, ma'am! I can put an end to your sadness.
How so? the princess asked.
I can, madam, communicate my mind to that person whom I love dearly; and since you, madam, are this very person, it depends on you yourself to become as smart as possible, if only you would agree to marry me.
The princess was embarrassed and did not answer.
I see,” Khokhlik continued, “that this proposal is not to your liking, and I am not surprised, but I am giving you a whole year of time: think it over and make up your mind.
The princess was so stupid and at the same time she wanted to become wiser so much that, thinking that another year would pass, she agreed to the proposal. As soon as she promised Khokhlik to marry him exactly one year later, day after day, she now felt completely different: she found in herself an incredible ability to say whatever she wanted, and to speak in a subtle, natural and pleasant manner. At that very moment she had a lively and gallant conversation with Khokhlik, in which she distinguished herself so much that Khokhlik wondered if he had given her more intelligence than he had left himself.
When the princess returned to the palace, the courtiers did not know how to explain such a sudden and unusual transformation, for, how many stupid things had escaped her before, they now heard so much sensible and intelligent speeches from her.
The whole court came to an unimaginable joy, only one younger sister was not entirely pleased, because, having lost her former advantage over her sister, she now seemed nothing more than an ugly monkey in comparison with her.
The king began to turn to the princess for advice and sometimes even decided state affairs in her room.
Word of this change spread everywhere. From all the neighboring kingdoms, young princes began to gather, trying to please the princess and seeking her hand, but she did not find them smart enough and listened to proposals without giving anyone a word.
At last a suitor appeared, so powerful, so rich, so clever, and so slender, that the princess felt an inclination towards him.
Noticing this, the king said that he left the choice of a spouse to her will, and that, as she decided, so be it.
It is known that the smarter a person is, the more difficult it is for him to make any decision in these marriage matters. Therefore, the princess, thanking her father, asked him to give her time to think.
Then she went for a walk, and, accidentally ending up in the very woods where she had made her acquaintance with Khokhlik, she began to think freely about what she should do.
She walks, thinks her thoughts ... only suddenly she hears a dull noise under her feet, as if walking underground, running, doing some business.
She listened more attentively and hears, one shouts: "Give me a cauldron", and the other: "Put firewood on the fire" ...
At that very moment the earth opened up, and she saw under her feet what seemed to be a large kitchen, full of cooks, cooks, and all the people needed to prepare a sumptuous feast. A crowd of twenty or thirty people jumped out of there, went into one of the nearest alleys, sat down around a long table and, with kitchen knives in their hands, with chef's hats on their sides, let's chop meat in time, singing a cheerful song.
The princess, surprised by this sight, asked them for whom they raised such a fuss?
For Prince Hohlik.
The princess was even more surprised and, suddenly remembering that exactly a year ago, to the day, she promised to marry Hohlik, she almost fell off her feet. And she forgot about all this because when she made a promise, then she was a fool, but having received intelligence from the prince, she forgot all her stupidities.
She had not gone even thirty steps, continuing her walk, when Khokhlik himself appeared in the front hall, cheerful and dashing, dressed up as a groom should.
You will see, madam, he said, that I faithfully keep my word. I have no doubt that you, too, have come here to restrain your own and, by giving me your hand, make me the happiest of mortals.
To tell you frankly, - answered the princess, - I have not yet made any decision on this matter, and, it seems, I will never make such a decision as you would like.
You surprise me, sir! - Hohlik exclaimed.
I believe, - answered the princess, - and, no doubt, had I dealt with an impudent or fool, I would have been in a very difficult position. He would have told me that the princess must keep her word, and that, since I gave my word, I must marry him. But as I speak to the smartest man in the world, I am sure that he will accept my reasons. You know that I did not dare to marry you even when I was a complete fool. How do you want me to, having received from you a mind that has made me even more discriminating than before, now make a decision that I avoided before? If you value this marriage so much, you have in vain saved me from stupidity and opened my eyes.
Even if it were permissible for a fool, as you have now deigned to note, to reproach you with treason, madam, how would you like me to refrain from reproaches when it comes to the happiness of all life? Is it fair to demand that smart people tolerate more fools? Can you confirm this, you, an intelligent person and so eager to become wiser? But let's get down to business, if you will. Besides my ugliness, do you have anything else against my person? Do you think that my race is bad, or my mind, or my temper, or my manners do not satisfy you?
Not at all, - answered the princess - on the contrary, I like everything about you that you just counted.
If so, - continued Hohlik, - I will be happy, for you can make me the most beautiful of mortals.
In what way? the princess asked.
It’s very simple,” Khokhlik replied. - It will come true, you just have to love me and wish it to come true. And so that you, madam, do not doubt my words, know that the same sorceress who on the day of my birth allowed me to communicate my mind to the one whom I deeply love, this same sorceress also allowed you to communicate your beauty to the one whom you deeply love. love and to whom you wish to show such mercy.
If so, said the princess, I wish with all my heart that you be the most handsome and most amiable prince in the world, and I communicate my beauty to you, as far as it depends on me.
The princess had not yet finished her words, when Hohlik seemed to her the most beautiful, the most slender and the most amiable person in the world.
Other historians argue that it was not the sorcery of the sorceress, but love that produced this transformation. They say that when the princess thought about the constancy of her fiancé, about his modesty and about all his qualities of soul and body, the ugliness of his face and the ugliness of his body hid from her eyes. The hump seemed to her the posture of an important person, she found lameness a pleasant gait, slanting eyes turned into expressive eyes, a bewildered look went for a sign of strong love passion, and even a big red nose appeared to her in a warlike, heroic form.
One way or another, but the princess immediately promised him her hand, if only he received the consent of the king.
The king, having learned that his daughter respects Hohlik very much, and knowing the prince well, agreed with pleasure to make him his son-in-law.
The very next day they celebrated the wedding, as Khokhlik foresaw it, and with a ceremony that had long been prepared on his orders.
Hello dear reader. The fairy tale The Crested Prince (Riquet with a tuft) by Charles Perrault has no direct folklore prototype. As a literary source, with sufficient certainty, one can point to the first short story from the fifth day of the Decameron by Boccaccio, which tells about Cimone, "wise in love." The son of a nobleman, "the tallest and most handsome young man in all of Cyprus, was stupid, and, moreover, hopelessly." Despite all the efforts of his father and teachers, he never got the hang of it, and everyone gave up on him. However, as soon as Cimone fell in love with the beautiful Iphigenia, he, having amazed everyone, "not only learned to read and write in a short time, but also became one of the great wise men." It turns out that "envious fate imprisoned in a tiny corner of his heart" all possible perfections, tightly binding them, and Cupid, who turned out to be stronger than fate, managed to break these bonds. Threads from this Decameron short story stretch to Straparola's collection Pleasant Nights, and to Lafontaine's comically frivolous story "Where does the mind come from", to the prologue written by Lafontaine to "The courtesan in love ...". A scene from Molière's The Misanthrope comes to mind, where Eliante claims that Love is always prone to blindness, It considers any vice as a quality And produces it in virtue. Pale - only a branch can compare with her jasmine; Black to horror - a lovely brunette; Huda - so no one is lighter and slimmer; Tolst - the greatness of posture can be seen in it; Small as a dwarf - this is the miracle of the sky in a nutshell; Excessively large - the goddess can be called; A slob, devoid of feminine charms and taste - The beauty is full of careless charms. Be cunning - a rare mind. Be a fool - meek angel. Be an intolerable talkative ratchet - The gift of eloquence. Be silent, like a stump, always Bashful, sweet and pristinely proud. Thus, if in a lover the impulses of feelings are deep, In a beloved being he also loves vices. As for Charles Perrault, the theme of a magical transformation in the rays of love has long been important to him. Even in the dialogue of Love and Friendship, written by Perrault in 1660, Cupid says that lovers do not see each other's flaws in appearance, because they shine with reflections of love fire. “If a woman has too small eyes or an overly narrow forehead, I put a crystal to her lover’s eyes, which enlarges objects ... if, on the contrary, her mouth is too big and her chin is long, I put another crystal that reduces everything ...” French authors (beginning with J. Roche-Mason), and after them N. Andreev, indicate as a direct source of the plot an inserted fairy tale from Catherine Bernard's novel "Inessa Cordovskaya", published in May 1696, six months earlier than Perrault's collection . In this novel, the court ladies of Elizabeth of France, the wife of the Spanish King Philip II, tell fairy tales. One of them is called - "Rike with a tuft." Riquet is the king of the dwarves there, however, unlike the character Perro, even after marrying the princess, he remains just as ugly, and the tale ends sadly. Perrault, who easily entered the literary competition, creates his own variation on the theme of transformation by love, and his fairy tale - in accordance with folklore traditions - is provided with a happy ending: Perrault's undersized and nondescript Prince Riquet turns "into the most beautiful, most slender and most kind person." True, the sly and realistic-minded author immediately hints that perhaps there was no magical transformation, just the princess, having thought about “all the wonderful properties of his mind and soul, stopped noticing how ugly his body was, how ugly his face ". Perrault's final moralizing: "Everything that you and I have loved is beautiful and smart for us!" - only reinforces this idea. Before reading this fairy tale to their children, we advise parents to first get acquainted with its content themselves, and then, having made an appropriate decision, read the fairy tale “The Crested Prince (Rike with a Tuft)” online to young children. In our opinion, it is more suitable for teenagers.
A certain Queen gave birth to a son who was so ugly in face and body that for a long time it was doubted whether he had a human appearance. One sorceress, who was at his birth, assured that he would still be kind, because nature would endow him with an excellent mind; she added that, for her part, she gave him the full right to give a part of this gift to that girl whom she would love more. Such a prediction somewhat comforted the poor Queen, who was overly distressed by the birth of such a vile child. As soon as the little Prince began to speak, in all his actions and words he showed such an extraordinary mind that he amazed everyone. It must also be said that he was born with a crest on his head, from which they called him the Crested Prince.
In seven or eight years the Queen of the neighboring State gave birth to two daughters; the first was beautiful as a rose, and the Queen was so delighted that everyone was afraid that excessive joy would do her harm. The same sorceress who was present at the birth of the Crested Prince was there, and wishing to moderate the admiration of the Queen, said that the little Princess, as beautiful as she was, would be stupid as much. This news greatly saddened the Queen, but after a few minutes her grief intensified even more when she saw that the second daughter she had born was extremely bad. Do not grieve so much, Your Majesty, said the sorceress, your daughter is more than rewarded; she will be so clever that no one will even notice the ugliness of her face. It is the will of God, answered the Queen, but is there any way that the eldest may get at least a little intelligence? - I can do nothing in the reasoning of the mind, Your Majesty, said the sorceress, but I can dispose of her beauty, and since I am ready to use all means to do you please, I give the right to the beautiful Princess to reward the beauty of a person whom she likes. As the Princesses grew older, their perfection increased in an amazing way, and nothing was talked about so much as the beauty of the older one and the extraordinary mind of the younger one. It was precisely this that their shortcomings in a noticeable way multiplied over the years: the youngest day by day became worse, and the older one more stupid. When they ask her something, she does not answer them, or she will say something stupid. She was so stupid that she could not arrange four china cups without breaking one of them, and she could not drink a glass of water without spilling half on her dress; although beauty is the greatest advantage for a young girl, yet the younger in all societies took precedence over the older. At first, although everyone ran to the beauty to look at her, to marvel at her beauty, but this did not last long, everyone soon turned to the younger one to marvel at her mind; the strange thing was that no more than a quarter of an hour passed, when no one was left near the older one and everyone was going to the younger one; the eldest, although she was stupid, did not leave this without remark; she would willingly give all her beauty for half her sister's mind. The Queen Mother, prudent as she was, could not help reprimanding her daughter several times for her stupidity, and the poor Princess was so touched by her reproaches that she almost died of sadness. One day she went into the woods to indulge in her grief in freedom, when she suddenly saw a short man approaching her with a disgusting appearance, but dressed very richly (it was the Crested Prince), who, seeing the portrait of the Princess, fell in love with her so much that left his State, burning with the desire to have the pleasure of seeing her and talking to her. The enraptured Prince, seeing that such an auspicious opportunity presented itself, approached the Princess with the greatest reverence and all possible courtesy. After the usual greetings, noticing her pensive look, he asked: I can’t understand, Your Highness, how you, being such a beauty, find reasons to be sad, I can boldly say that I have seen many lovely women, but I also confess that I have not seen a single one, the beauty of which would be equal to yours ... - So you like to say, the Princess answered and stopped. - Beauty, objected the Crested Prince, is such a dignity that should overshadow all other human gifts, and if there were a woman even in the lowest class who would be as charming as you, then she, in my opinion, needs more rejoice rather than be sad. - I wish, answered the Princess, to be as bad as you, in order to have at least a little intelligence, than to be such a beauty, as you yourself see, and not be considered such a fool as everyone calls me, and of which I am sure even myself. . “That person, Your Highness,” said the Prince, must have a mind beyond the ordinary who thinks he is stupid. “I don’t know that,” answered the Princess, “however, I know that I am extremely stupid and that’s why I am so sad.” “If this alone upsets you, Princess,” retorted the Crested Prince, then I can easily help your grief. - In what way? asked the Princess. “I have been given the right,” he answered, to devote part of my mind to that woman whom I will love more than anyone else; and since I have never loved anyone as passionately as Your Highness, it is up to you to have as much intelligence as you like, on the condition, however, that you agree to marry me. - The princess, not knowing what to answer, did not say a word. “I see,” the Crested Prince continued, that this proposal upsets you, and I am not surprised: but I give you a whole year to think about it. Stupid as she was, the princess, however, the desire to have a mind gave her the strength to reason that if she waited a whole year, then in the course of this time she would become even more stupid; therefore, accepting the offer, she gave her word to the Crested Prince in a year on the same day to give him her hand. As soon as the Princess uttered these words, she changed in the same minute. She suddenly had an incredible ability to speak intricately, easily and clearly; at the same time she began such an intelligent conversation with the Crested Prince that he began to repent, thinking that he had already given her all his mind. When the Princess returned to the palace, the courtiers did not know what to think of such a quick and unexpected change; comparing her former stupid and senseless judgments with her present prudent conversation, the whole Court was extremely happy at this unexpected change, with the exception of her younger sister, who was very annoyed, because she could no longer have any advantage over her older one and in her presence she was a complete freak. The King himself began to follow the advice of his eldest daughter and even sometimes held a secret council in her rooms. The rumor of such a sudden change spread with lightning speed through all the States, and the Princes of various neighboring powers, immediately arriving at the Court of the King, her parent, used every possible means to win the love of the Princess and almost all asked her in marriage. But she, seeing that none of them could compare with her in mind, looked indifferently at their passionate explanations. At last the mighty, intelligent, and handsome Prince appeared; his manner was so captivating that the Princess involuntarily felt an inclination towards him; her father, noticing this, said that he left the choice of her husband to her will, and that she should not expect any contradiction on his part. Any woman with common sense will not soon decide on such a thing, on which the happiness or misfortune of her whole life depends, and therefore the Princess asked her parent for her time to think. Having asked permission and thanked him, she went for a walk into the forest in which she met the Crested Prince, in order to think at liberty about her father's proposal. While the Princess was walking in deep thought, she heard, as if under her feet, the muffled noise of several people who were running back and forth and doing something. Having listened carefully, she quite clearly understood the following words; one said: bring me a large pot, another: give me a cauldron, the third: put firewood. At the same time, a large kitchen seemed to have fallen from the sky, filled with cooks, workers and servants necessary to prepare a magnificent dinner. Immediately about twenty or thirty cooks settled down under the trees around a large table with chopping needles; they kindled a great fire, sang songs, and roasted various kinds of game, geese, ducks, turkeys, rams, calves, and so on. The princess, surprised at this sight, asked who they were preparing this dish for? For the Crested Prince, ma'am, replied the eldest of the cooks, he is getting married tomorrow. The princess suddenly remembered, in extreme astonishment, that a year before she had promised on that very day to give her hand to the Crested Prince; this memory upset her terribly. Before, she did not remember this because she made a promise to the Prince when she was still stupid; and from the time he devoted his mind to her, she completely forgot all her former foolishness. She had barely gone thirty paces when the Crested Prince appeared before her, dressed in a rich dress, like a man ready to go to the crown. Your Highness, please see that I kept my word exactly and I have no doubt that you yourself came here in order to fulfill your promise and reward me with your hand, make me the happiest of mortals. - I sincerely confess to you, answered the Princess, that although I have not yet decided on anything, I can in no way fulfill your desire, - The words of Your Highness lead me to great surprise, said the Prince. “I myself would be extremely embarrassed,” answered the Princess, if I had to make such a refusal to a person who is not so prudent as you. The princess must keep her word, he would tell me, and must marry me because she promised me so; but now I am talking to the smartest person and I am sure that he will listen to the reason for my refusal. You know that when I was still stupid, even then I could not decide to marry you; how do you want now, when I received from you the mind that made me cautious in choosing a spouse, so that I would decide on what I could not decide on before. If you really intended to marry me, then you acted very imprudently, depriving me of stupidity and giving me the means to clearly see what I did not notice then. “If a person not endowed with a great mind, answered the Prince, would have the right to reproach you for infidelity, as you yourself said, why can’t I use this right, especially in such a matter on which the well-being of my life depends?” Are not prudent people excluded from that rule? can you demand it, you who are now so clever and so impatiently wished to be clever? But let us return to the subject of our conversation: excluding appearance, tell me, is there anything in me that you would not like? Are you not satisfied with my breed, mind, disposition and deeds? - Not at all, answered the Princess, I am pleased with all this in you. “If so,” the Crested Prince objected, then I will be the most prosperous person, because you can make me a beautiful and amiable man. - In what way? asked the Princess. “You will do it this very minute,” answered the Prince, if you only love me so much that you wish it, and so that you, madam, have no doubts, know: from the very sorceress who on the day of my birth awarded me a magical gift and allowed me to endow any girl that I love, you also received a gift - you can make beautiful the one you love and whom you want to honor with this grace. If so,” said the princess, “I sincerely wish you to become the most beautiful and most amiable prince in all the earth, and, as far as I can, I bring you a gift of beauty. No sooner had the Princess uttered these words than the Crested Prince had turned into the handsomest, slimmest, and most amiable man she had ever seen. Others claim that the charms of the sorceress had nothing to do with it, that only love produced this transformation. They say that the Princess, thinking about the constancy of her admirer, about his modesty and about all the beautiful properties of his mind and soul, stopped noticing how ugly his body was, how ugly his face: his hump now began to give him a certain special importance, in his terrible limp, she now saw only a manner of leaning a little to one side, and this manner delighted her. They also say that his eyes seemed more brilliant because they had braids, as if she saw in them an expression of passionate love, and his big red nose gave him majesty and heroism. Be that as it may, the Princess decided to marry him as soon as he received the consent of the King of her parent. The king, knowing that his daughter had an excessive respect for the Crested Prince for his extraordinary mind, gladly recognized him as his son-in-law. Thus, on the very next day, the marriage was completed, as the Crested Prince somehow foresaw, who until his death lived with his wife in perfect harmony and prosperity.
Page 1 of 2
Rike with a tuft (fairy tale)
There was once a queen who had a son so ugly and so badly built that for a long time it was doubted whether he was a man. The sorceress, who was present at his birth, assured that he would still be rewarded, as he would be very smart; she further added that thanks to the special gift he received from her, he would be able to endow with all his mind the person whom he loved more than anything in the world.
This somewhat comforted the poor queen, who was very upset that she had given birth to such an ugly baby. True, as soon as this child learned to babble, he immediately began to say very cute things, and in all his actions there was so much intelligence that it was impossible not to admire. I forgot to say that he was born with a small tuft on his head, and therefore he was nicknamed: Rike with a tuft. Rick was the name of his entire family.
Seven or eight years later, two daughters were born to a queen in one of the neighboring countries. The one that first came into the world was as beautiful as day; the queen was so pleased that those around her feared that she might become ill from too much joy. The same sorceress who was present at the birth of Rike with a tuft was also with her, and in order to weaken her joy, she announced that the little princess would not have a mind at all and that, as beautiful as she was, she would be so stupid. This greatly upset the queen, but a few minutes later she was even more upset: she gave birth to a second daughter, and she turned out to be extremely ugly. “Don’t kill yourself like that, madam,” the sorceress told her, “your daughter will be rewarded with other qualities, and she will have so much intelligence that people will not notice a lack of beauty in her.” - “God forbid,” the queen replied, “but is it possible to make the eldest, so beautiful, become a little smarter?” - “As for the mind, madam, I can do nothing for her,” said the sorceress, “but I can do everything when it comes to beauty, and since there is no such thing that I would not do for you, then she will receive It is a gift from me to bestow beauty on one or another who pleases her.”
As both princesses grew up, their perfection became more and more, and everywhere there was only talk about the beauty of the older one and the intelligence of the younger one. It is also true that over the years their shortcomings have also increased greatly. 
The younger one was becoming stupefied right before her eyes, and the older one was becoming more and more stupid every day. She either did not answer when she was asked about something, or she said nonsense. In addition, she was so awkward that if she rearranged some porcelain things on the fireplace, she would certainly break one of them, and when she drank water, she always poured half a glass on her dress.
Although beauty is a great virtue in a young lady, yet the youngest daughter has always been more successful than the eldest. At first, everyone rushed to the beauty in order to look at her, to admire her; but soon everyone was going to the one who was smart, because it was pleasant to listen to her; one had to be surprised when, after a quarter of an hour, even earlier, there was no one left near the eldest, and all the guests surrounded the youngest. The eldest, though very stupid, noticed this and would not regret giving up all her beauty, if only to be half as smart as her sister. The queen, no matter how reasonable she was, still sometimes could not resist reproaching her daughter for her stupidity, and the poor princess almost died of grief from this.
Once in the forest, where she went to cry about her misfortune, a little man of a very ugly and unpleasant appearance, dressed, however, very magnificently, approached her. It was the young Prince Rike with the crest: having fallen in love with her from the portraits that were distributed all over the world, he left his father's kingdom for the pleasure of seeing her and talking with her. Delighted to meet her here alone, he approached her as respectfully and courteously as he could. He greeted her properly, and then, noticing that the princess was very sad, he said to her: “I don’t understand, madam, why this person as beautiful as you can be so sad; although I can boast that I have seen many beautiful persons, yet I must say that I have not seen a single one whose beauty would resemble yours. 
“You are so kind, sir,” the princess answered him, and could think of nothing more. “Beauty,” Riquet continued with a tuft, “is such a great virtue that it can replace everything else for us, and when you possess it, then, it seems to me, nothing can especially sadden us.” "I would rather," said the princess, "be as ugly as you, but have intelligence, than be so beautiful, but so stupid." “Nothing, madam, is such a sure sign of the mind as the thought of its absence, and such is its nature that the more you have it, the more it is lacking.”
“I don’t know,” said the princess, “I only know that I am very stupid, that’s why sadness kills me.” - "If only it upsets you, madam, I can easily put an end to your sadness." - "And how will you do it?" - said the princess. “It is in my power, madam,” said Riquet with a tuft, “to endow with all my mind that person whom I love more than anything in the world; and since this person is you, madam, it now depends on you alone to become as smart as you can become, if only you would agree to marry me.
The princess was completely puzzled and did not answer. “I see,” said Rike with a tuft, “that this proposal upsets you, and I am not surprised; but I give you a whole year so that you can decide. The princess was so lacking in intelligence, and at the same time she longed for it so much, that she imagined that this year would never end; and so she accepted the offer made to her. Before she had time to promise Rika that she would marry him exactly in a year, she felt completely different than before; now she could say whatever she wanted with amazing ease, and speak intelligently, naturally, and naturally. 
At the same moment, she began an amiable and smooth conversation with Prince Riquet and showed her intelligence in it with such brilliance that Riquet thought with a tuft: did he not give her more intelligence than he left to himself.
When she returned to the palace, the whole court did not know what to think of such a sudden and extraordinary transformation; just as everyone was accustomed to hearing nothing but nonsense from her before, so now they were surprised at her sensible and infinitely witty speeches. The whole court was so delighted that it is impossible to imagine; only the younger sister was not very pleased, because, now no longer differing in intelligence from her sister, next to her she seemed just a disgusting freak.
The king began to listen to her advice and often conferred about business in her chambers. As word of this change spread far and wide, young princes from all the neighboring kingdoms began to try to win her love, and almost all asked for her hand in marriage; but none of them seemed intelligent enough to her, and she listened to them without promising anything to anyone. But then a prince so powerful, so rich, so intelligent and so handsome appeared to her that the princess could not help feeling affection for him. Her father, noticing this, told her that he left her to choose a groom and that the decision depended only on her. The smarter the person, the more difficult it is to make a decision in such a case, and therefore, thanking her father, she asked him to give her time to think.
By chance, she went for a walk in the same forest where she met Prince Riquet, so that she could think freely about what she should do. Walking there in deep thought, she suddenly heard a dull noise under her feet, as if some people were walking, running, fussing. Listening carefully, she made out the words; someone said: "Bring me that pot", and someone else: "Give me this pot", and the third: "Put wood on the fire." At the same moment the earth opened up, and under her feet the princess saw a large kitchen filled with cooks, cooks and all kinds of people needed to prepare a sumptuous feast. A crowd of twenty or thirty people separated from them; they were idlers, they went to one of the alleys, settled there around a long table and, with lard needles in their hands, in hats with fox tails on their heads, set to work in unison, singing a harmonious song. The princess, surprised by this sight, asked them for whom they were working. “This, madam,” answered the most prominent of them, “this is for Prince Rike, tomorrow is his wedding.” The princess, surprised even more and suddenly remembering that today was a year since the day she promised to marry Prince Rika, almost fell over. She did not remember this because, while making a promise, she was still a fool, and having received from the prince the mind that he gave her, she forgot all her nonsense.
"Riquet with a Tuft" is one of the most famous fairy tales by the famous French writer Ch. Perrault. It was first published in 1697 in Paris, in the author's collection. The work occupies a special place in his work, since it did not become an artistic adaptation of folklore compositions, but, according to most critics, it is an independent fairy tale. Nevertheless, there are clear references to folk motifs and legends in the text, which will be discussed below. After all, the writer actively studied folk stories, which formed the basis of most of his works.
Creation
The fairy tales of Charles Perrault are of great importance for the literary development of this genre. In fact, the writer was the first to take seriously the magical stories created by the rich folk fantasy. The merit of the author lies in the fact that the works he published contributed to the growth of interest in this genre among the intelligentsia. He had a lot of followers, among them such famous names as the Brothers Grimm, Andersen and others.
The fact is that in the 17th century, when this remarkable author lived and worked, folklore was considered a low genre, and among scientists it was fashionable to study ancient literature and philosophy. Therefore, the fairy tales of Charles Perrault literally gave the green light to writing works of this kind, as well as to their serious analysis, collection and systematization.
Writing
In 1697, the writer released his collection, which later made his name known to the whole world - "The Stories of Mother Goose." The collection includes eight works written in prose (the author put this genre above poetry, considering it the successor to the ancient novel).
However, it also included several poetic works written by him even earlier - a short story and two fairy tales. The collection, which also included the work "Rike with a Tuft", was a huge success and contributed to the fact that many members of the intelligentsia became interested in fairy folklore. Currently, the works of the book are popular, as evidenced by numerous film adaptations, theatrical performances and ballets.
background
Scientists unanimously agree that this tale has no folk, folklore roots. However, it is by no means an original work. The fact is that one French writer Catherine Bernard, a year before the publication of the essay in question, published her own version of the tale, which is much darker and more serious than Perrault's book. "Rike with a tuft" in this respect compares favorably with the aforementioned work with a happy ending, subtle humor and unobtrusive morality, therefore it has become more widespread. It also bears a resemblance to the fairy tale "The Yellow Dwarf" by another French writer Marie d'Onoy.
This book ends tragically: the lovers were turned into palm trees by an evil wizard. It is not surprising that children liked Perrault's version so much, in contrast to the works listed, which were distinguished by an ominous plot and somewhat crude humor.
Introduction
The tale "Rike with a tuft" has a rather traditional beginning, which can be found in many other works of this kind. The author briefly reports on the birth of children in two kingdoms - a prince and a princess. The first was born a terrible freak: judging by the author's mean descriptions, he looked like a terrible dwarf with a hump on his back. The mother was very grieving, but a good fairy came to her and promised that the boy would be very smart and in due time would be able to make smart the girl she loved more than anything in the world. This promise calmed the unfortunate queen a little, especially since the child really grew up very quick-witted and smart.
According to the principle of opposition, Charles Perrault wrote his fairy tale. "Rike with a tuft" is a work that has a mirror plot. An extraordinarily beautiful princess was born in another kingdom, so her mother was very happy and proud of her daughter. However, she gave birth to another girl, who, on the contrary, was very scary. The queen became very worried about her, but the same fairy promised her that the little princess would be smart, while the beautiful one, on the contrary, would remain stupid. When the mother began to ask for a little intelligence for the eldest, the sorceress replied that she could not do anything for her, but she promised that one day she would be able to give beauty to the person she loved.
Development of action
Fairy tale "Rike with a tuft", summary which is the subject of this review, is built on the same principles as other works of the author. After the introduction described above, the author briefly reports on the life of his characters. The prince grew up and, remaining a freak, nevertheless showed so much intelligence and ingenuity that everyone around was surprised at his wisdom and knowledge. The fate of the princess sisters turned out to be completely different.
As the younger one developed and grew wiser over the years, the older beauty, on the contrary, became more beautiful every day, but at the same time she became stupid, so that even parents sometimes could not resist scolding their daughter for being distracted and slow-witted. "Rike-tuft" is a fairy tale with deep moral morality, by which the author proves that it is not appearance that determines the inner world of a person.
Comparison of heroines
The writer emphasizes the difference between these girls, describing secular receptions, during which everyone at first tried to court the older beauty, but almost immediately abandoned her due to the fact that she could hardly connect a few words. It is indicative that the author draws the reader's attention to the fact that she, being stupid, nevertheless realized the limitations of her mental abilities. Despite all her short-sightedness and slowness of thinking, the princess was aware of everything that was happening and, conscious of her backwardness, in every possible way wanted to get at least a little intelligence even at the expense of her extraordinary beauty.
Character Encounter
One of the most famous works of the writer is the fairy tale "Rike with a tuft". Who the main characters are is a question that shows her similarities to other writings of a similar nature. The author's attention is focused on two characters - the prince and the princess.
Both meet by chance in the forest, and from the conversation the reader learns that Riquet went in search of a beautiful princess, because he fell in love with her and wanted to marry her. The girl herself, in a conversation with the prince, told him that she was very worried because of her stupidity. In response, he promised to give her intelligence, and she gave her consent to marry him in a year. After this meeting, the princess became very smart and her life changed a lot.
Princess new life
The moral of the tale "Rike with a tuft" is presented by the author with very subtle humor. The main idea is that it is not appearance that determines the inner world of a person, but his moral qualities. It is this thought that sounds during the second dialogue of the characters. But first it is necessary to say about the changes that have taken place with the princess. She became very smart and thoughtful. Since then, even the king himself sometimes consulted with her on certain state issues, and sometimes arranged meetings in her room.
The girl had a lot of fans who vying with each other asked for her hand. After all these changes, the princess forgot about the promise she made to the prince. However, one day she wandered into the very forest where she met her fiancé a year ago, and saw the unusual preparations of the underground inhabitants, who informed her that their prince was getting married that day and they were preparing a wedding feast.
Second meeting of heroes
Fairy tale "Rike with a tuft", the main idea which lies in the fact that true love can change a person even without magic, reveals the characters during their new dialogue in the forest a year later. The prince reminded the princess of her promise to marry him, but the girl in response tells him that now, having become smart, she has become picky at the same time. She asks for his forgiveness and declares that from now on she cannot fulfill her promise, as she has fallen in love with another beautiful prince and common sense tells her to accept his proposal. In response, Ricke objects to her that since it is about his life and happiness, he intends to fight for his bride. He further informs her that she can make him handsome at will. The princess, who liked everything about her fiancé except his appearance, immediately wished that he would become a beautiful young man, and the girl’s desire was immediately fulfilled. In conclusion, the moral of the author sounds that the magic of the fairy in this case did not play any role: the heroes simply fell in love with each other and were able to give each other what they lacked.
The image of the prince
The fairy tale "Khokhlik" is a story of two characters. The main character is Rike himself, who, having an ugly appearance, nevertheless attracts those around him with his mind and prudence. There are two scenes with his participation in the work - these are two conversations of the character with the princess. Based on their conversations, the reader can get an idea of what kind of person he was. He is observant, as he immediately notices the sadness of the princess because of her stupidity and understands the reason for her experiences. The prince is sociable and friendly, in a conversation with a girl he is emphatically polite, even during the second conversation, when she initially refuses to fulfill her promise and marry him. Riquet carries himself with captivating simplicity: he starts a conversation with the princess, as with his old friend. The prince is very noble: for example, he does not demand or insist that the girl fulfill her promise and marry him, although she has the right to do so. As an intelligent person, he first finds out the reason for her refusal and proposes to remove the obstacle that interferes with their common happiness. Therefore, the ending looks especially touching, especially after the heroine, convinced by his arguments, confesses her feelings to him.
Princess image
The author pays great attention to the disclosure of this character. The girl is interesting because she changes over the course of the story. At first, the writer draws the reader's attention to the fact that although she is stupid, she has the ability to introspect. The princess is aware of her mental retardation and is aware of everything that is happening around. At her first meeting with Rick, the reader may notice that she rather lacks the vocabulary to clearly and distinctly express her thought than intelligence and prudence. The girl's mind is undoubtedly active, but she is not able to express it aloud and articulate her ideas clearly.
Meeting Rick changes everything. And in this case, again, it's not magic. The mutual sympathy of the characters led to the fact that the girl gained clarity of thought and the ability to speak normally. The fact is that Riquet spoke to her in a way that no one had before. It is not in vain that the author emphasizes that everyone around could not keep up a conversation with her, and even loving parents from time to time reproached her for absent-mindedness. And the prince communicated with her as with the most ordinary person: simply, openly, friendly. Such affectionate and respectful treatment led to such an unexpected change in the image of the princess.
Changes in the character of the heroine
Their second dialogue reveals the heroine from the other side. This time, she spoke to the prince as equals. The girl tried to convince him that she was right, but she did not succeed: after all, now she listened more to the voice of reason than to her own heart. However, under the impression of a conversation with Rick, the girl confessed to him that she loved him. Realizing that only an ugly appearance did not prevent her from marrying him, she wanted him to become handsome, and her desire was fulfilled. This moment is interesting because in this scene the princess managed to overcome prejudices, which allowed her to see Rika from a completely different perspective.
Fairy tale opinions
Readers may be interested in what kind of feedback this work received. "Ricky-tuft" is positively received by all those who have read Perrault's work. Users note an easy and at the same time deep plot, credit the author for the fact that he managed to create interesting characters. But they see the main advantage of the tale in the fact that the writer expressed the following thought: true love can completely change a person both internally and externally.
