Enchanted prince released from tree form, The Old Woman in the Wood, Rackham
Actual Rackham image inspected: tree branches become embracing human arms around the woman. Exact source caption states the enchanted prince changed from tree into human form; this is his tree-release scene, not pigeon anatomy.
Overview
A servant girl survives a robbery that kills her travelling companions and becomes lost in the forest. A white dove brings tiny golden keys, each opening a tree to supply food, a bed or magnificent clothing. He visits daily until asking a favour: she must enter an old woman's house without answering her greeting and bring back a plain ring from among glittering alternatives.
The woman tries to restrain her and escape with a birdcage concealing the ring. After recovering it, the girl waits against a tree whose branches soften into embracing arms. A prince appears and explains that the witch had made him a tree, permitting dove form only two hours daily. Her possession of the ring prevented release. His servants and horses, likewise changed into trees, are freed too. The ring's plain appearance contrasts with its decisive power.
Origins & earliest records
This figure belongs to Grimm's tale123, Die Alte im Wald, selected through Margaret Hunt's1884 English Household Tales. The primary ending explains both tree and dove forms and identifies the restored man as a king's son. That stated account supports a specific enchanted prince, while publication and tale numbering do not establish the narrative's first oral performance.
Records & interpretation
Keys opening trees, limited daily dove form, the withheld ring and branches becoming arms are explicit textual details. The servants and horses share tree enchantment, but their individual identities remain unnamed. These details supply evidence of an enchanted household within a collected story, not botanical or zoological evidence that forest trees housed transformed royal people.
In the literature
“every day for two hours I was a white dove”
Tale 123, The Old Woman in the Wood; Prince explains the witch’s enchantment after the ring recovery · Margaret Hunt
The prince specifies the limited period in which his tree form became a bird.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Household Tales, tale 123: The Old Woman in the Wood
Specific numbered primary tale inspected. English translation terms and literary transmission remain distinct from oral origin.
- 02
Household Tales — The Old Woman in the Wood
Margaret Hunt historical English translation (1884); Project Gutenberg5314. Exact numbered tale and observed HTML anchor used; no inferred printed page or earliest oral date.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Located primary passages
Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.
Household Tales, tale 123: The Old Woman in the Wood
Margaret Hunt historical English translation (1884); Project Gutenberg5314. Exact numbered tale and observed HTML anchor used; no inferred printed page or earliest oral date.
- After robbers kill the servant girl’s companions, a white pigeon supplies keys to trees containing food, bedding and clothes. Its daily visits keep her alive before it asks her to retrieve a plain ring.
Tale 123, The Old Woman in the Wood; Pigeon’s aid to the abandoned servant
- Following the pigeon’s instructions, the girl bypasses glittering rings and takes a plain one from a caged bird. A tree embraces her and becomes a prince: a witch made him a tree except for two daily hours as a white dove. Recovery of the ring also releases his servants and horses.
Tale 123, The Old Woman in the Wood; Ring recovery and release from tree and pigeon forms
Complete named tale read. Original narrative curse causes and modern species identities are not inferred; prose only, no song or ritual-formula excerpts.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary textHunt's Household Tales — 123 The Old Woman in the WoodResearch access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Historical illustrationEnchanted prince released from tree form, The Old Woman in the Wood, Rackham
Actual Rackham image inspected: tree branches become embracing human arms around the woman. Exact source caption states the enchanted prince changed from tree into human form; this is his tree-release scene, not pigeon anatomy.
