Hans and the Beanstalk

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"Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell human flesh."
Illustration by Arthur Rackham from English Fairy Tales by Flora Annie Steel (1918)

Jack and the Beanstalk ( Jack and the Beanstalk ) is an English fairy tale , of which there are quite a number of different versions. The first written version was written by Benjamin Tabart in 1807 , but the story only became known in 1890 when it was published in Joseph Jacobs' “Englischer Märchen” . Jacobs' version is the most common today.

action

Hans (or Jack) is a poor boy whose lack of intelligence often drives his widowed mother to despair. One day she sends him to the market to sell her last possession, a cow (often Milky White ). On his way, however, Hans meets a stranger who offers him five magic beans for the cow. Hans accepted the deal without hesitation. Back at home, his mother is not very enthusiastic about the exchange and assumes that her son has let himself be ripped off. She scolds him, throws the beans out the window and sends Hans to bed without food.

The next morning, however, a huge beanstalk grew from the beans, which reaches into the sky and the end of which cannot be seen. Hans curiously climbs up the tendril and comes to a land in the clouds, the home of a giant . He breaks into the castle of the giant Tulip, but he sniffs him out immediately.

Fairy! Fie! Foe! Fum!
I smell human flesh
Be it alive or dead
I crush his bones and make bread out of them

The giant's wife comes to Hans' aid, hides him, and convinces her husband that he is wrong. After the giant finally fell asleep, Hans steals some gold coins and climbs down the tendril.

At home, he and his mother celebrate their new riches, but happiness does not last as the two squander the money. So Hans climbs the tendril again and this time steals a hen (or goose ) that lays golden eggs from the castle. Again the giant's wife helps him escape. Now he and his mother can always live in wealth.

After a while, however, Hans begins to get bored and climbs the tendril for the third time. This time he is aiming for a golden harp that can sing beautifully. But since the instrument does not want to be stolen, it calls the giant for help. This follows Hans down the vine, but Hans is faster and manages to cut it down before the giant reaches the ground. The giant dies and crushes the beanstalk under himself.

origin

The exact origin of the story is unknown, although it appears clear that the author was British . The first printed version can be found in the 1807 book The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk , published by Benjamin Tabart, but the story itself must have existed before. The story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean is known from 1734 . In the popular version of the story, the giant is nameless, but he is called Blunderbore (sometimes Thunderdell ) in many children's books , film adaptations, and plays .

Fairy tale researchers suspected the origin in the 16th century. But a new study suggests that "Hans and the Beanstalk" is one of the oldest traditional fairy tales of mankind and is around 5000 years old.

The beanstalk is very reminiscent of the myth of the world tree , which connects the earth and the sky.

Others

The fairy! Fie! Foe! Fum! the giant was already used by William Shakespeare in King Lear .

Fee fie foe fum is the title of an album by the R&B band K-Ci & Jojo and a song by Adam Jay .

In his song I Shall Be Free No. 10 Bob Dylan also uses the fairy, fie, fo fum .

Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum is the title of a well-known track by jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter, first appeared on the album Speak No Evil :

criticism

It is often said that the story is only about a thief and a murderer . There would be no morality , because the boy wins by stealing from a man and killing him in the end. This image is altered in many modern versions by depicting the giant as a villain who has terrorized his subjects and stole his treasures so that Hans becomes a liberator. In other versions, it is even said that the giant is to blame for the poverty of Hans 'family, as he stole both the hen and the harp from Hans' father. Since the father is never mentioned, it can even be assumed that the giant killed him. So Hans even becomes an avenger .

Film adaptations

In 1922 and 1947 Disney released different versions. The film was known Mickey and the Beanstalk as part of the feature-length animated film Fun and Fancy Free ( Fun and Fancy Free ). In this version, Mickey Mouse , Donald Duck and Goofy are shown together in the role of Jack.

In 1943 Warner Brothers also used the motif in various cartoon films , e.g. B. with Bugs Bunny and Tweety in the role of the hero.

In 1952, the comedian duo Abbott and Costello created a comedy called Jack and the Beanstalk .

In 1974 a Japanese anime Jack and the Beanstalk was released , the German title of which is Tom, Crosby and the Mice Brigade .

1997 in the often anachronistic US-American / New Zealand fantasy series (1995-1999) Hercules (TV series ) reference is made to the fairy tale in one episode (Season 4 Episode 1 - The Guardian of the Harpies ) - here the serial hero Hercules steals a bean and gets there over her sprout into the castle of a giant in the clouds.

In 2001 Universal Pictures filmed the fairy tale again as a cartoon adventure directed by Brian Henson, which was released on DVD in 2009 under the German title Jack im Reich der Giant .

In 2001 there was a real film adaptation under the name Hunt for the Treasure of the Giants ( Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story ) with Matthew Modine , Richard Attenborough and Vanessa Redgrave . The two-part TV series continues the British fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk . Since 2003 it has been available on DVD with a German and English soundtrack.

In the published 2005 fantasy film The Brothers Grimm by Terry Gilliam is taken several times on the fairy tale terms, without the story explicitly mention.

In 2011 Dreamworks filmed the fairy tale as an animation under the name Puss in Boots , where the Shrek- known tomcat wants to find the legendary golden goose.

In 2013, the fairy tale was incorporated into parts of the American fantasy film Jack and the Giants , and the mockbuster Jack the Giant Killer was released in the same year .

In 2014, the fairy tale was taken up in the film adaptation of the US musical Into the Woods .

In 2014, Futurama used the motif of the magic beans (S7E22) in the episode The Robo, the Giant, the Octopus and their Lover.

2014 American fairy tale US in the comedy series is Family Guy parodies (S12E10, Grim tales )

Computer games

There are also two computer games ( text adventure and action game ) for the Commodore 64 about the fairy tale entitled Jack and the Beanstalk .

Furthermore, large sections of the fairy tale were processed in the Sierra On-Line adventure King's Quest from 1984.

In the Point-and-Click Adventure Tales from 2016, the main protagonist also climbs. a. the beanstalk from the fairy tale and enters the giant's house.

There is also the slot machine about the fairy tale with the title: Jack and the Beanstalk.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Erin Blakemore: Fairy Tales Could Be Older Than You Ever Imagined. Smithsonian Magazine , January 20, 2016, accessed September 12, 2017 .
  2. ↑ Leela and the Genestalk. Retrieved April 24, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Jack and the Beanstalk Slot Machine Download. Retrieved May 23, 2019 .