The Enchanted Stag

"The Enchanted Stag" is a Fairy Tale first greatly publicized by The Brothers Grimm.

The story is of two young children, a boy and a girl, banished by an Evil Stepmother from their home following the death of their mother and the remarriage of their father. They wondered the wilderness for a while until coming to a series of enchanted streams. The boy avoided the streams which would turn him into a tiger or wolf opting for the one saying it would turn him into a stag; and thus he was turned into a fawn.

The two continued on, eventually finding shelter. They remained in the wilderness fending for themselves, until they had grown into both a beautiful maiden and a striking grown stag. One day a group of huntsmen begin looking through the forest and the stag decides to taunt them by giving the a chase, he does this twice being wounded the second time, allowing one huntsman to secretly discover their shelter. The huntsman takes the King to the shelter and he is entranced by the maiden asking for her hand in marriage, on the condition that the stag come. The wicked step mother heard of the event, and made her way to the castle to attempt to kill her step-daughter the new queen. Her plans were thwarted however and she was put to death, resulting in the curse on the stag being reversed turning him into a man once more.

See also "Brother and Sister".

Tropes associated with this work:

 * Baleful Polymorph
 * Rags to Royalty
 * Rule of Three
 * Wicked Stepmother