ugliest men conquers her and afterwards in his true shape becomes her husband.
Rittershaus cites a number of parallels to this story. The close cropped head probably signifies here, as in the biblical tale of Samson and Delilah, a sort of castration, a deprivation of masculine strength (in Samson it becomes the invincible magic strength). When hair is mentioned in the fairy tale (especially the hair of men) we can probably almost always interpret it in its significance as a sign of sexual strength.
In "Elesa and Bogi" (Rittershaus, LVIII) the princess behaves in the same manner; in her need her foster-brother, who had wooed her, but had been scorned, comes to her help against a giant Berserker and then marries her.
In "King Throstle-Beard" the motive is similar. The proud, haughty princess has to marry the previously scorned king Throstle-Beard disguised as a beggar with whom she is happy after she has been humbled.
The peasant's son who married the queen is a wish-fulfilling construction; from the standpoint of the peasant's son, he overcomes the proud princess. In "King Throstle-Beard" there is still a sort of revenge motive added.
In the fairy tale "The White Snake" (Grimm, 17) a young man is consumed with love for a proud princess. She sought a husband but let it be known that whoever wished to woo her must accomplish a difficult task. If he was not able to do it his life would be forfeit. Many had already fruitlessly risked their lives. The young man, however, succeeded in solving three such tasks with the help of grateful animals. The third task, for example, was that he should fetch her a golden apple from the tree of life. They then share the apple of life and eat it together (sexual transposition symbol); then her heart is filled with love for him!
In the fairy tale "The Riddle" (Grimm, 22) the hero came to a city wherein dwelt a beautiful but haughty princess who had made it known that whoever should ask her a riddle that she could not guess should be her husband: if she guessed it, however, he would have his head cut off. The hero succeeded in giving her a riddle that she could not guess, whereupon she was compelled to become his wife.
The history of the young Tobias ("Book of Tobias," 3 to 8)
