“A king had a daughter who was beautiful beyond
measure but so proud and haughty that no suitor was good enough for her.”
So begins
my favorite fairytale – “King Thrusbeard” by the Brothers Grimm. I enjoy it so
much that several years ago, I memorized my own abridged version of it for a speech
meet in the category “dramatic interpretation.” I have also read several
different variations of the story which I now combine when telling the tale to
the kids at daycare.
The story of “King Thrushbeard” begins with a
haughty, yet beautiful, young princess. She ridicules her suitors so much that
her father marries her to a beggar instead of a king. The princess spends the
following months learning what it is to be poor, learning humility. Everything
climaxes when she discovers that the beggar she married was actually a king in
disguise – the prince she had nicknamed King Thrushbeard. He loved her despite
her faults and had manipulated the situation in order to humble her so that she
would become a better person.
At first glance, this so-called “King Thrusbeard”
doesn’t appear to be too great of a person. I mean, he did all those things to humble
the princess, but they were cruel however necessary. If he truly loved her,
would he really deceive her about his identity for so long? How chivalrous is
it of him to allow her to be forced into a marriage with a man she does not
love? And, furthermore, isn’t it God’s job to humble and judge the proud, not
this king’s?
Ironically, it was one of those odd versions of
the fairytale, one that did not even claim the name, that really made the story
make sense to me. It changed King Thrushbeard, so-called because of his bird’s-nest-like
beard, into a flawless, perfect King. In that version, the princess could not
find a single fault in the man, which angered her.
The point is, the only human who could possibly be
perfect is Jesus Christ. Placing King Thrushbeard as an allegorical
Christ-figure completely changes the dynamics of the story. He has every right
to humble the woman’s pride. And through everything, despite her ridicule of
him, he continued to draw her closer to him out of his love for her. The
princess ultimately regrets her choices, sees reason, and apologizes to him,
all because of his actions on her behalf. Then he forgives her and welcomes her
into his true home – the palace, not the rundown shack.
The picture of Christ in this tale is not perfect,
but is it not a lovely portrayal of His love for us, despite our pride,
ridicule, and selfishness?
I challenge you to read the original and tell me what you think.
(Here is a link to the story: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/grimm/ht22.htm)
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