Allerleirauh

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The fairy tale, Allerleirauh, was the inspiration for this novel, Fur. Here are some other fairy tales that share the same plotline: Catskin, Tattercoats, and -yes, The Bear.

Here is the full synopsis of Allerleirauh (courtesy of Jacob and Wilheim Grimm):

A king promised his dying wife that he would not marry unless it was to a woman who was as beautiful as she was, and when he looked for a new wife, he realized that the only woman that could match her beauty was his own daughter.

The daughter tried to make the wedding impossible by asking for three dresses, one as golden as the sun, one as silver as moon, and one as dazzling as the stars, and a mantle made from the fur of every kind of bird and animal in the kingdom. When her father provided them, she took them, with a gold ring, a gold spindle, and a gold reel, and ran from the castle the night before the wedding.

She slept in a forest of a neighboring land where the local prince hunted and his dogs found her. She asked them to have pity on her and received a place in the kitchen, where she worked, and because she gave no name she was called "All-Kinds-of-Fur."

When the prince held a ball, she snuck out and went to it in her silver dress, and the prince fell in love with her. The next morning, the cook set her to make soup for the prince, and she put her golden ring in it. The prince found it and questioned the cook and then All-Kinds-of-Fur, but she revealed nothing.

The next ball, she went dressed in her dress of stars and put the golden spindle in the soup, and the prince again could discover nothing.

The third ball, she went in the golden dress, and the prince slipped a golden ring on her finger without her noticing it and ordered that the last dance go longer than usual. She was not able to get away in time to change; she was able only to throw her fur mantle over her clothing before she had to cook the soup. When the prince questioned her, he caught her hand, seeing the ring, and when she tried to pull it away, her mantle slipped, revealing the golden dress. The prince pulled off the mantle, revealing her, and they married. They lived happily ever after.

Did you notice any similarities to the novel? Thank you for reading!

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