Puddocky

"Puddocky" is a German fairy tale. A variant, "Cherry", was collected by The Brothers Grimm, and in French, Madame d'Aulnoy retold it in a literary fairy tale as "The White Cat", altering the tale's frog into a cat.

The plot of the Fairy Tale follows a young woman with an unnaturally great appetite for parsley (in "Puddocky") or cherries (in "Cherry"). Three brother princes quarrel over who might marry the beautiful girl, only stopping when the witch from whom the food is stolen turns her into a frog (or cat in "The White Cat").

The king of the land desires to know which son will best succeed him, so he sets them out on some tasks. The youngest prince sets out with the least and finds a frog who offers him the sort of cloth the king desired. It exceeds his brothers' discoveries and the king then sends them out to find either a dog that could fit in a walnut shell, or an excellent gold ring. Again, the frog provides.

For the third task, the king orders them to return with a bride. Depending on the version, the frog either transforms another frog into a maiden, or herself goes with one of the princes and turns into a beautiful bride. The king selects his youngest son to succeed him and the frog princess marries him.

See also "The Frog Prince".

"Puddocky" contains the following tropes:

 * Baleful Polymorph
 * The Fair Folk: "The White Cat" version has the princess being turned into a cat by a fairy.
 * Frogs and Toads
 * Rule of Three: Three princes, three challenges.
 * Wacky Cravings: She wasn't actually pregnant (probably) but that girl sure did like parsley...
 * Wicked Witch: Although to be fair, the girl started it by eating the witch's parsley.