While reading this unit I noticed that in a few of the stories, the main character who is usually a male receives help from a female character who then in turn agrees to become the main character’s wife. I know that fairy tales usually involve love, marriage, and a happy ending but, there is no romance. The romantic plot is just boy needs girl’s help, girl marries boy. At least in other fairy tales the boy has to fight for the girl’s hand in marriage or at the very least he has to dance with her a some sort of ball. I guess they just like to move fast in Turkish fairy tales.
I really enjoyed this story. The name was the thing that
drew me to this story. When I was younger, I remember reading an excerpt of the
Grimm brothers’ version of this story. As the main character of this story went
through his journey without fear or anything he encountered, I had a feeling
that the one thing that would end up scaring him would be the least scary thing
he faces. Sure enough, the thing that causes him fear is the bird that the
Sultana hides in his soup. Could it be that what the youth felt when he
discovered the bird was surprise and not actually fear?
I absolutely love fairies! This story reminded me a lot of
the fairy tale The Elves and the Shoemaker. Just like the fish fairy that cleaned
the son’s house without his knowledge, the elves in The Elves and the Shoemaker
finished the shoemaker’s work while he and his wife slept.
The only story I read from this unit was the fish-peri, which I absolutely loved. But you're right - there is a pretty consistent theme in these stories with marriage becoming a quick and absolute thing with barely any interaction between the boy and girl. I wonder if this might be because of arranged marriages in the middle east. It's hard to come up with a spontaneous romance when your culture is focused around marriages arranged with family friends.
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