Comments
Loading Dream Comments...
You must be logged in to write a comment - Log In
ArtistA whimsical picture book illustration of a lonely young girl wrapped in a cloak of many kinds of fur, standing at the edge of a moonlit forest. In her hands she holds three magical dresses — one shining like the sun, one glowing like the moon, and one sparkling like the stars. The forest feels quiet and protective, with soft mist, twisted roots, and gentle firefly light. The mood is melancholic, hopeful, and magical. Style by Anton Pieck × Leo and Diane Dillon.
In "Allerleirauh" (All Kinds of Fur), the story revolves around the daughter of a king whose beautiful wife, on her deathbed, extracts a promise from him that he will only remarry if his new wife is at least as beautiful as she is and has equally golden hair. When no such beauty can be found, the king realizes one day that his daughter alone is as beautiful as his deceased wife and desires her as his new wife.
The councilors of the realm are horrified by this incestuous wish, and the daughter tries to dissuade her father from his plan with impossible demands. She asks for three dresses, one of which is to be "as silver as the moon," one "as golden as the sun," and one "as shining as the stars"; furthermore, "a cloak made of a thousand different furs and furs." When the father unexpectedly fulfills these demands, the daughter flees, taking with her dresses, which fit into a nutshell, along with a golden ring, a golden spindle, and a golden reel. Then she blackens her face and hands with soot and hides in a hollow tree in the forest, where she is eventually captured by hunters of the prince from the neighboring country.
The girl, whom the hunters call "Allerleirauh" (see furs) because of her furry clothing, does not reveal her identity and, like the fairy tale characters Cinderella or King Thrushbeard, works incognito in the prince's kitchen. When he holds a feast, she first puts on her sun dress, then her moon dress, and the third time her star dress, and the prince dances only with her. With a trick, the prince unmasks the girl Allerleirauh, who also wants to be discovered herself, by putting a ring, spindle, and reel into the soup she cooks for the king. Finally, the "little fur creature" becomes queen.
