魔女の目が赤いのは、サタンの姿として描かれる山羊の目が赤いことと関連がある。ゲルマンの天候神のである雷神トールに仕える動物として、山羊には悪魔のイメージが与えられ、しばしば悪魔の顔として描かれる。 嗅覚の発達は、魔女が理性的存在である人間よりも、むしろ本能的存在である動物に近いということを仄めかせている。魔女の人食い、特に子供を食べるという習性については、度々述べられているが、グリム童話のなかの魔女の人食いは、常に未遂に終わっている。

グリム童話と魔女

魔女の「人食い」は、胎児、死産、流産、不妊の女性に向けられた社会の冷酷な眼差し、差別意識が生み出した独特の象徴的表現とも読める。

グリム童話と魔女

A summary of Hansel and Gretel

The brothers, Hansel and Gretel lived their stepmother and father in a house near the woods. The family was very poor, so their parents decided to desert their children in the woods. Hansel and Gretel lost their way, and they found a house made of cakes. When they ate the house, one old woman appeared and she invited them into her house. She gave delicious meal, but her true character was an evil witch. She lock up Hansel in a hut and gave foods in order to make him fat. Gretel was was force to work very hard. One day, the witch was going to eat him, but she was cheated by Gretel and killed into the kiln. The brothers robbed her precious stones and came back their home. Hansel and Gretel lived happily with their father.

About Brothers Grimm

The Brothers Grimm, jacob, Wilhelm Grimm were great German scholars.

The main witches' appearances

First, they are an old woman and their legs are weak.

Second, they have red eyes. The reason is one of the belief which is handed down in Europe. Strabismus, bloodshot eyes, and eyes which are different color in right and left had been feared as evil eyes. The belief is their eyes bring about disaster toward others.

Third, they are nearsighted. Some witchs seem to wear glasses because of being nearsighted.

Forth, thier sense of smell is keen like beasts. Their keen sense of smell intimates that they are almost instinctive animals rather than rational human beings.

The witch of Hansel and Gretel

The appearances

According to one book, “She was as wide as a barrel and uglier than a toad.” (The Brothers Grimm, 2005)

According to Ladybird tales, “But Hansel would hold out a bone instead. The witch had such bad eyesight that she always thought it was his finger. She wondered why it grew no fatter.”() This is the scene where the witch sees if Hansel is fat. The quotations show that she is extremely nearsighted.

According to one book, “She couldn’t see very well, but she had a fine sense of smell. She could smell children coming.” (Ladybird tales, )

outline 2

The relation between witches who appear in Grimm’s Fairy Tales and witch hunting.

1. Introduction

2. Grimm’s Fairy Tales witches appear
2.1 Frog Prince
2.2 Hansel and Gretel
2.3 Town Musicians of Bremen

3. The characteristic of witches in Grimm’s Fairy Tales
3.1 The appearances
3.2 The personality

4. About witch hunting
4.1 The background
4.2 The appearances

outline

Many people probably have bad images toward witches. In Grimm’s Fairy Tales, there are a lot of stories in which various witches appear and one of them is “Hansel and Gretel”. The witch who appears in the story is particularly ugly descriptions. The Brothes Grimm were born near the witch hunting age, so Grimm’s Fairy Tales seems to be influenced by it. However, all witches aren’t necessarily old women and ugly figures. Therefore, I will explore the relation between witches who appear in Grimm’s Fairy Tales and witch hunting.

But Hansel would hold out a bone instead. The witch had such bad eyesight that she always thought it was his finger. She wondered why it grew no fatter.

Ladybird tales, Hansel and Gretel

「ヘンゼルとグレーテル」では初稿では単に「老婆（eine alte Frau)」であった表現が、初版で「石のように年とった老婆(eine steinalte Frau)」に変えられ、魔女蔑視の感情がこめられていく。

野口芳子、2002、『グリム童話と魔女』p.11