The Frog King or Iron Heinrich

Today's fairy tale is one that's been getting a bit of attention lately. The Grimm version can be read here (my translation did not change the names from German), and as a bonus includes the introduction after which I named this blog. As I have not yet seen the recent Disney adaptation, but hope to soon, this story may be revisited later. For now, I'd like to focus on a trait of the male protagonist that actually merits a comparison with my previous story, Cupid and Psyche. I noticed yesterday, but didn't choose to pursue at length, the fact that Cupid seems rather ashamed of his physical form. Perhaps shame isn't quite the right word, but he explicitly forbids Psyche from viewing him. Why, exactly? It's never really stated in the story. There's no magical reason, no spell that breaks or curse that activates upon her viewing him. It seems to be a matter of faith or trust. For all Psyche knows, her new husband could be the vile serpent she was told to expect, but Cupid's true form is of course quite beautiful and powerful. It would seem to behoove the god to reveal himself, but he never reals his true nature willingly.

This is also true of the Frog King, but the nature of his curse might reveal some clues as to the meaning of these silly men's behavior. Like Cupid, the frog king's true form is quite wonderful, but unlike Cupid the monarch's physical nature is quite dependent on the actions of his would-be bride. Without her touch, he is a hideous amphibian, but once she welcomes him (at her father's insistence!) into her bedroom, he becomes the charming man she must of course desire to wed. Both of these stories are most certainly about a maiden's acceptance of her betrothal to a strange man, but being myself a strange man, I am quite interested in what the narratives seem to be saying about men's bodies and our feelings towards them. The male protagonists could be seen as passive characters, meant merely to symbolize The Inevitable Husband or something like that, but maybe they're actually saying something to our about men, or boys who might want to become men someday. Both Cupid's and the Frog King's acceptance or realization of their own physical potential and beauty seems to be dependent on the actions of a woman. Neither is able to reveal his true nature until his beloved, willingly or otherwise, takes it upon herself to form a more intimate relationship between the two of them. Psyche, at her sisters' insistence, shines a light on her beloved, revealing his unexpected beauty, and the Youngest Princess, at her father's command, allows the frog up to her bedroom, transforming him from a wretched beast into a very eligible human bachelor. Perhaps these stories are about girls accepting their betrothal to strange men, but they also seem to suggest that their actions alone are capable of making their men a lot less strange. Take heart, young lads, there is a woman out there somewhere who can reign in that beastly form you find yourself inhabiting these days.