i am pleased that the man’s journey is of little consequence. it is only what happens before, and after. the journey is nothing, save for its dearth of singing, springing larks.
If I gave you diamonds and pearls
Would you be a happy boy or a girl
– Prince and The New Power Generation, 1991
why does the lion have a lark? does it represent his soul, his lightness, his joy? yes, king of beasts, you should certainly “eat up anyone who tries to steal my singing, springing lark”. but this turns out to be an empty threat–the lion wants something more precious than a few merchant bones. the lion sees the future, the lion knows that this is his chance at redemption: i think he knows the daughter will be the prize.
a prize she is, indeed, for she prefers to maintain right relation (keep a promise) than save her own ass. she is the one that will restore balance for the lion and his people, too.
i wonder if the tales in which someone is a beast/witch/repugnant thing by day and a handsome prince/maiden by night are versions of the underworld. the daughter and her groom live by “remaining awake by night, and sleeping by day”–except, unlike, say, Persephone, they “lived happily together”. so there is an entry into the enchanted underworld of night, but it is not fearful, not a Hell. but it is only temporary.
strange that the tragedy comes in the form of a white dove. peace, elusive for seven years? from innocent larks to elusive doves. who among us has pursued someone for seven long years? again, i think about how the story is centered on the journey of the daughter, not her feckless father. not even centered on the lion–the lion/prince is unable to overcome his curse, he can’t do shit without his beloved. the masculine principle is trapped in an aggressive prison of his own making, and only a lark-loving lass can free it with her dogged persistence, her courage, her decision to ask for help (from the sun and moon, no less), and her keen trickery. she has something the false bride wants: the golden dress, the pretty little chicks. i love her quip:
Not for money or property, but for flesh and blood.
what a clever one! flesh and blood are not currency, are not property. a little pearl of wisdom, wouldn’t you say, Meredith?
“For the first time, scientists in Bremen were able to observe bacteria forming pearl chains that protrude from the cell surface. These pearl chains serve to better absorb and store substances from the environment.” Source.
Bremen is also the setting for a Grimm’s Fairy Tale.