Sweetheart Roland

Name: Sweetheart Roland
Author: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

The story revolves around a young prince who falls deeply in love with a princess. However, their happiness is short-lived due to the evil intentions of a wicked sorceress. The sorceress casts a spell that turns the prince into a toad and imprisons him in a dark cave. A poor miller's daughter discovers the prince-toad and decides to rescue him. She takes him home and nurses him back to health, but her mother is suspicious of the strange creature and orders her to get rid of it. The princess eventually finds out about the prince-toad and sets out to rescue him. She breaks the sorceress's spell by kissing the prince-toad, turning him back into a handsome prince.

By Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm · First published 1819 · Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Folklore · 1,753 words

First lines

There was once on a time a woman who was a real witch and had two daughters, one ugly and wicked, and this one she loved because she was her own daughter, and one beautiful and good, and this one she hated, because she was her step-daughter. The step-daughter once had a pretty apron, which the other fancied so much that she became envious, and told her mother that she must and would have that apron. "Be quiet, my child," said the old woman, "and thou shalt have it. Thy step-sister has long deserved death, to-night when she is asleep I will come and cut her head off. Only be careful that thou art at the far-side of the bed, and push her well to the front. " It would have been all over with the poor girl if she had not just then been standing in a corner, and heard everything. All day long she dared not go out of doors, and when bed-time had come, the witch's daughter got into bed first, so as to lie at the far side, but when she was asleep, the other pushed her gently to the front, and took for herself the place at the back, close by the wall. In the night, the old woman came creeping in, she held an axe in her right hand, and felt with her left to see if anyone was lying at the outside, and then she grasped the axe with both hands, and cut her own child's head off.

What this Textopian page supports

Sweetheart Roland is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, dated 1819 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Fable
Author: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Date: 1819 CE
Language: English
Genres: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Folklore, Romance, Adventure
Length: 1,753 words
Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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Work identity for Sweetheart Roland by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters

What should a reader notice first when entering Sweetheart Roland?
How does this fable by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
Where does Fairy Tale first become important in the reading?

Similar titles

Genres

Fairy Tale — The story features magical elements, a moral lesson, and archetypal characters such as a witch, a step-daughter, and a prince-like figure.
Fantasy — The narrative includes magical transformations, a magic wand, and enchanted objects, which are hallmarks of the fantasy genre.
Folklore — The tale is rooted in traditional folklore, with motifs common in European folk stories, such as the wicked stepmother and the use of magic.
Romance — The central plot revolves around the love story between the maiden and Roland, culminating in their eventual reunion and marriage.