The Tale of Prince Tatters by L.L. Weedon
Tatters, a boy of unknown name and parentage, has served a cruel witch for years after being left at her door as an infant. Locked in while she gathers herbs, he weeps on two potted plants, freeing fairy men Spick and Span, who reveal he is a stolen prince. They silence the returning witch with her own crutch, a magic wand, and summon a golden coach that carries Tatters home to his rejoicing king and mother, while Spick and Span return to their fairy hill and the witch remains frozen where they left her.
By L.L. Weedon · First published 1913 · Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Children's Literature · 591 words
First lines
ONCE upon a time, a very long while ago, there was a little boy named Tatters, or at least, folks called him so. Nobody knew his real name, for, several years before, he had been left one winter day outside an old woman's door. The old woman didn't like children. She was very cross at first, but then she said, "He can work for me, if the worst comes to the worst."
This old woman was really a witch: and every day she grew still uglier and crosser, the more black magic she knew. Tatters did all the work, and got nothing but beatings and blame. Whether he did things wrong or right, she beat him just the same.
Similar titles
- The Story Of Little Muck by Wilhelm Hauff
- The Necklace Of Princess Fiorimonde by Mary De Morgan
- The Prince With The Nine Sorrows by Laurence Housman
- The Moon Flower by Laurence Housman
- The Gipsys Cup by Mary De Morgan
- Little Muck by Wilhelm Hauff
Genres
- Fantasy — Central to the plot are fairies, witches, magic plants that transform into fairy beings, a magic wand, and a magical golden coach that serve as the driving forces of the narrative.
- Fairy Tale — Exhibits classic fairy tale structure with magical helpers, transformation of circumstance, archetypal good versus evil conflict, and a definitive happily-ever-after resolution.
- Children's Literature — Written in simple, accessible language with whimsical characters and themes designed for young readers, employing traditional oral storytelling conventions.
- Adventure — Features Tatters' escape from captivity and his journey of discovery culminating in his reunion with his royal family.
Tags
fairy tale · prince · witch · fairies · magic · enchantment · stolen identity · rescue · redemption · transformation · children's literature · fantasy
What this Textopian page supports
The Tale of Prince Tatters is listed on Textopian as a short story by L.L. Weedon, dated 1913 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: L.L. Weedon
- Date: 1913 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Children's Literature, Adventure, Dark Fantasy
- Length: 591 words
- Structure: 1 section, 9 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Tale of Prince Tatters by L.L. Weedon
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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