Salt is more valuable than gold

Salt is more valuable than gold , salt is also more valuable than gold , is a Slovak folk tale that was written down by Božena Němcová in her collection of Slovak fairy tales.

content

An aged king has to decide which of his three daughters to inherit the throne. So he decides to put them to the test and asks how precious he is to them. The one who loves him the most is to become the next queen. The eldest daughter, Agnes, explains that her father is as dear to her as gold. The second daughter, Ludmila, replies that her father is as dear to her as her bridal jewelry. The youngest, Maruschka, says he is as dear to her as salt. The angry king then chases Maruschka away. Suddenly all salt supplies in his realm disappear. From then on, the people of the empire no longer like the food and eventually they become weak and sick from the lack of salt. The king realizes the injustice he has done to Marushka and hopes that she will return home.

For her part, Maruschka has found shelter with an old woman who is actually a good fairy. With her she learns about farming and handicrafts. As a reward for her service, she humbly asks for a little salt to bring to her father. In the end, Maruschka, reconciled with her father and blessed with inexhaustible supplies of salt, is crowned queen.

In the film adaptation of The Salt Prince , a love story with the son of the king of the (underground) salt kingdom was incorporated. Here the fairy godmother is the mother of the prince punished by his father for his love for a mortal.

Movie

1955: Once upon a time there was a king - ČSR, fairy tale film, director: Borivoj Zeman
1983: The Salt Prince - ČSSR, fairy tale film, director: Martin Hollý
2015: Die Salzprinzessin - Germany, fairy tale film of the 8th season from the ARD series Six in one fell swoop , director: Zoltan Spirandelli

theatre

The little salt man - puppet theater fundus, Olaf Bernstengel
Salt - more precious than gold - marionette fairy tales on threads

literature

Božena Němcová: Salt is more precious than gold . in Das goldene Spinnrad , pp. 69–79; Paul List-Verlag Leipzig, o. A .; circa 1960.

German editions (selection)

Božena Němcová: The golden spinning wheel and other Czech and Slovak fairy tales in the series "The Book Box". With 72 illustrations by Jutta Hellgrewe . Translated from the Czech and edited with an afterword by Günther Jarosch . Leipzig and Weimar: Gustav Kiepenheuer Verlag, 1990. ISBN 3-378-00378-2

Web links

Content (PDF; 27 kB)
[1] (The fairy tale in the original text by B. Němcová, p. 129)
[2] (The fairy tale in the collection of Slovak folk tales by Pavol Dobšinský)

Individual evidence

↑ The Salt Man . On: fundus puppet theater; Retrieved January 3, 2017.
↑ Salt - more precious than gold . On: Creativdepot.at; Retrieved January 3, 2017.

[1] The Salt Man . On: fundus puppet theater; Retrieved January 3, 2017.

[2] Salt - more precious than gold . On: Creativdepot.at; Retrieved January 3, 2017.