The person with a star, sun or moon on their face appears in several different tale types. However, depending on the tale, the details are a little baffling. What does having a star on your forehead even look like? Is it a literal star? Is it some kind of crown? Is it a birthmark shaped like a star?
The unusually-decorated girl appears in The Twelve Brothers (Germany), "The unnatural mother and the girl with a star on her forehead" (Mozambique), and The Maiden with the Rose on her Forehead (Portugual). In some versions of Aarne-Thompson-Uther type 850, "The Birthmarks of the Princess," she has birthmarks shaped like stars, suns, or moons. Sometimes, in the tale of "The Kind and Unkind Girls," the star is a reward given to a generous young woman. Her selfish and greedy sister receives horns, a donkey's tail, or some other ugly object on her forehead. I read one where it was a sausage. Examples of this variation include:
The last tale type that is well-known for the forehead-star is ATU type 707: The Three Golden Children. A woman gives birth to marvelous children, who have unusually shiny characteristics.
The star functions as a tangible sign of royalty and/or virtue. If a color is given, it is usually gold. Golden hair or skin can appear in similar roles, instantly marking someone as beautiful and extraordinary. FURTHER READING AARNE-THOMPSON MOTIFS
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6 Comments
Rico
1/31/2018 10:24:08 pm
I noticed I can't scroll on your pages... That might be why people aren't commenting
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Writing in Margins
2/1/2018 06:49:38 am
Thanks for the feedback! Can you tell me what browser you're using?
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2/26/2018 03:44:15 pm
I used to tell a story from one of the peoples of Southern Africa, which features a young woman born with a star on her forehead. This tale resembles "Snow White" in several of its episodes. (I can dig up my source for it if you like; let me know.)
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Marlene
2/15/2019 11:19:23 pm
I was born with a red 5 pointed star on my forehead that eventually faded by the time I was 5 years old. I was always curious about this and have scoured the internet for many years but this is the first time I have found anything about it. I am of German descent so I find this fascinating...
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Julian Tr
3/20/2021 11:43:02 am
I born with a white star on my forhead when I was a baby girl but it's i can't see it again god hid it from evil people
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nina
9/23/2024 03:35:44 pm
i was also born with a star on my forehead. but eventually it faded away. Leave a Reply. |
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Researching folktales and fairies, with a focus on common tale types. Archives
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