Marrying a MonsterThe 440 tale type, a supernatural or enchanted frog husband, is most familiar to American and European audiences as the Frog Prince from the Grimm tradition. It starts with a princess who loses her golden ball and promises her own hand in marriage to a frog for its return. The frog gets her ball for her, but she refuses to hold up her end of the bargain. The frog goes to her father who then forces his unwilling daughter to marry the frog. On her wedding night the furious princess is violent with the frog and he transforms into a handsome prince. Tales quite similar to this one are found throughout the world in many cultures. In searching for examples of this tale type, I came across two instances from Korea to contrast with "The Frog and the Princess" of Grimm fame. "The Toad Bridegroom" and "A Frog for a Husband" both fall under the tradition of the 440 tale type and include the subcategories of "B 211.7.2-frog capable of speech," "B655-marriage to frog in human form," and "D395-transformation of a frog to a person," and a few others. The 425 tale type starts off similarly to the 440 with a monster for husband, but it deviates in that the bride must search for and recover her husband after he transforms. One such tale is Sean Ó Conaill's "Bhalbhae Bull". What all of these stories share is that they are tales of marriage and mating, and that they express interesting views of the mating customs of the societies which hear and retell them. The story of "The Toad Bridegroom" begins with a poor childless fisherman adopting a toad. As the mother cares for it, the toad grows to be the size of a man, and the father and mother grow to love the toad like a son. The father was not eager to bring the toad home, but the childless mother eagerly tends to the toad, and it is her affectionate servitude which leads to their familial happiness. The toad tells the couple he would like to marry the daughter of a wealthy family nearby, but they are concerned at their own poverty and at his being an animal. It is interesting that in this Korean story the family is significantly more concerned about their low social status in comparison to the bride's family than they are about his lack of humanity. The toad cares nothing for the class difference and tells his mother to go and ask. The rich man and his wife are insulted and have the mother beaten for even asking. The family does not seem a bit surprised at this beating, which reveals to the audience that there was a very strict class system in place in Korea, and that the lower class citizens in Korea at this time could expect to be treated unfairly and even violently by the upper class. Although the toad is clearly supernatural in nature he uses trickery rather than magic to achieve his goals. The toad fools the rich man into thinking that the toad is a messenger of the gods. This use of trickery rather than magic shows a preference for a clever hero over an all powerful one. Under the guise of heavenly messenger the toad tells Mr. Poom that he, his brothers, and his children will all be destroyed if they do not accept the proposal. The threat, and its effectiveness, reveals the male chauvinist structure of Korean values. Most important to a man are his brothers and then his own children, but there is no mention of wives or sisters. Then the rich man tells his three daughters that one of them must marry the toad or the family will be lost, but only the youngest agrees. In a further example of male chauvinism, there is very little focus on the young bride except to acknowledge that her father shames her into the marriage with the threat upon her family's lives. Even the toad is in included in this as he has no particular preference of a bride except that she needs to be a rich man's daughter. On the wedding night the toad has his bride cut off his skin and underneath he is a handsome young man, but in the morning he puts the skin back on. In his toad-skin he goes on a hunt with all the men of his new household, but no one catches anything. So the toad takes off his skin and summons a hundred deer. An inability to catch anything for the household demonstrates that Mr. Poom is an insufficient provider, where as the toad/young man can provide an excess of food. Then he returns to the wealthy man's house with the deer, reveals his true form, and ascends to heaven with his bride and his parents. So the humble family who shows charity to the strange frog and the selfless young woman who sacrifices her happiness for her family are rewarded for their kindness by spending the rest of their lives in heaven, but the selfish rich man and his elder daughters are left behind. This is not exactly a punishment as they live quite comfortably, but it is certainly the short end of the stick compared with paradise. "A Frog for a Husband" begins similarly with a childless couple adopting a frog. This time the father is a hard working farmer who supplements his income by fishing. The farmer and his wife are considerably worried about who will care for them when they become too old to work. A defining characteristic of Korean family structure is that the children care for their parents when they get older, so this is a kind of warning against childlessness and an argument for adoption. When he discovers a giant frog in the place of his once excellent fishing spot the farmer curses at the monster, but after the frog cajoles him he agrees to take it back to his house. His wife is disturbed by the creature as well until she discovers that the frog is a fountain of entertainment and gossip and then places him in their best room. Once again it is the mother character who welcomes the creature into their home. The frog rewards their kindness with great riches, a new home, and excellent company. This shows how an adopted child is a boon to this older couple rather than a burden. After they live together as a family, the mother begins telling the frog many stories about the beautiful Miss Peach. Miss Peach is the daughter of a wealthy local nobleman named Mr. Poom, and the frog asks his adoptive father soon to ask Mr. Poom for Miss Peach's hand. Peaches are a soft, delicate, delicious fruit, as well as a clear symbol of spring and fertility. All of these qualities result in a clear metaphor between peaches and the desirable qualities of a young bride. Mr. Poom is pleased to hear of the suitor's wealth and power, but when he discovers that the suitor is a frog he tells his servants to beat the father. Before the punishment can be carried out there is a sudden and terrible storm, presumably sent by the frog, which changes Mr. Poom's mind. The frog has already been shown to be a supernatural creature, through his sheer existence and his gifts to the farmer and his wife, but this shows him to be powerful on a godly level. The lesson here seems to be more for Mr. Poom, saying that it is a good plan to notice and react to natural signs of trouble.Unlike the previous bride Miss Peach has been traded in a regular marriage bargain, so she has no knowledge of the bride groom who awaits her. The bride is sent to her wedding with her eyes covered with wax, which is apparently a Korean tradition, so she does not see the groom until her wedding night. She is furious about the deception, and when asked she viciously cuts off the frog's skin. Underneath she finds a handsome prince and the prince explains that he is the son of the Star King and he had been punished by his father to live as a frog until he completed three tasks. The tasks were to drink up all the water in the father's pond, eat up all the fish, and to marry the most beautiful woman in the world. Having completed all of this the prince returns to the star kingdom with his bride, and leaves his foster parents to enjoy the rest of their lives with his gifts. In this version the adopted son does not bring his parents to paradise, but he does set them up with all the earthly comfort they could need. This story shows again how a daughter will be rewarded for submissively following her father's will.One has to wonder why there are so many stories about princesses and frogs. Frogs are slimy, gross, and certainly of humble origin. Many people would consider them unwanted pests, and would not want to touch one, let alone marry one. Meanwhile a princess, at least in folk tales, is usually the epitome of what any family would look for in a desirable young bride, in that she is wealthy, chaste, and beautiful. What is most unique about frogs among all animals though, is that they go through a remarkable metamorphosis which can be observed by anyone. There are very few creatures which undergo a metamorphosis once released from the egg or womb, so the metamorphosis is normally not something that can be observed without advanced scientific tools. However, unlike the butterfly which hides in a cocoon, the frog transforms from a slimy legless tadpole into a very different looking creature right out in the open. In comparison to a superstitious observer it seems the frog is already a magical creature capable of transformation. If the frog can transform from a water worm to the more handsome frog, why not further into a handsome prince? As people through the ages have been obsessed with appearance, it is no wonder they should be so interested in a creature which can change its own. Of course, this physical metamorphosis is also an excellent metaphor for the changes which occur inside a person as they mature, and a parallel for the physical changes which occur in humans during puberty. In each of these stories it is the king, or father, to whom the bridegroom appeals to get the princess for a bride. His behavior expresses the patriarchal system which runs these societies, even the frog who makes the initial marriage contract with the princess herself appeals to the king when she refuses to follow through. The frog can also represent an unatt
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