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Thoughts on The Tale of the Myrtle Girl by Clemens Brentano


  • The myrtle symbolizes Aphrodite and Demeter.  It's used in wedding rituals and in the Aeneid it was closely related to the earth and humanity.  Look to post on defining the myrtle tree for development on this idea.
  • The other symbol that I'm interested in is the turtledove which is also a symbol for Demeter and Aphrodite.  It has a sad song and is a sign of devoted love.  See post to develop this idea.  The turtle dove appears in the second lullaby that is sung to the prince.  The story also says that the myrtle girl has a "sad song" which could be a reference to her as the turtle dove (181).
  • The kingdom of Porcelainia is kind of right on the nose.  I'm following an idea of porcelain being related to the fairness of the ideal woman.  The capital is described as a "porcelain capital," yet the old woman and man live on a "clay field" (172).  There is a juxtaposition of the have and have nots.  This could also be an allusion to the fact that the mother is barren, just like the fields.  In addition, the white clay that the old couple makes their clay out of is a symbol for their ambition (in this sense ambition for a child- which then calls back to the feminine meaning of porcelain).
  • Women in the story:
    • Mother- "good woman" (173); during the moment of fantastic hesitation her prayers were answered... this may be because of her good woman status; during her prayer, she expresses the ideal female expectations.
    • Myrtle Tree- enchants the prince to the point that he must possess it; when the tree is first brought to the castle, there is a wedding ceremony; twigs symbolize the physical body parts of the manifested myrtle girl <-- this seems significant but I'm not sure what to say about it yet; becomes a plant object after the wedding to the prince; sits in his room; spell is broken after the wedding.
    • 9 wicked girls- I'm not sure what their type is... need to research this; the earth swallowed them up and cinquefoil marks where the earth swallowed them... this needs to be researched against their type because I'm sure this is significant.
    • The Myrtle Girl- during the prince's moment of hesitation she appears; a gift from heaven; gives advice; related to night time since she only appears at night; "fell asleep at the feet of the prince" which implies subservience (177), despite the fact that she is the one that gives him advice on running his kingdom; description of her is the ideal; looses her agency when the prince makes her marry despite her protestations; wedding and subsequent children are a reward for type
    • 10th girl- repentant and asks for forgiveness... it is granted by the prince and her reward is a double wedding with the myrtle girl
  • What is the significance of 9?  There are three lullaby's... rule of threes.  Are these related?
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