Household Tales · Chapter
Faithful John explained
A king falls in love with a portrait of the princess of the Golden Dwelling.
What happens
A king falls in love with a portrait of the princess of the Golden Dwelling. With the help of his faithful servant John, he devises a plan to win her by posing as merchants and luring her onto their ship. During the voyage, John overhears three ravens prophesy three deadly threats to the king's happiness, each of which can only be averted at the cost of John being turned to stone. John chooses to save his master, performing each act and eventually being petrified. Later, the king, in grief, learns he can revive John only by sacrificing his own two sons. The queen agrees, and after John is restored, the children are also brought back to life, and all live happily.
Themes in this chapter
Transformation and Redemption
Faithful John is turned to stone but later restored to life through the king's willingness to sacrifice his children, symbolizing redemption through loyalty and sacrifice.
Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished
Faithful John's selfless acts are ultimately rewarded when he is revived, while the king and queen's willingness to sacrifice their sons for John's fidelity is also rewarded.
Promises and Their Consequences
The king's promise to Faithful John to keep his secret leads to John's petrification, and later the king's promise to revive John requires the ultimate sacrifice.
Characters to notice
- Faithful John
The king's most loyal servant who sacrifices himself to save his master from three prophesied disasters.
- the young King
The king who falls in love with the princess of the Golden Dwelling and later must decide to sacrifice his sons to revive Faithful John.
- the princess
The princess of the Golden Dwelling, who is won by the king through a ruse and later becomes his queen.
- the servant
The waiting-maid who first sees Faithful John's golden wares and leads him to the princess.
Key passages
“The first words the King said were, “Ah, the beautiful portrait! whose is it?” “That is the princess of the Golden Dwelling,” answered Faithful John.”
The king, upon seeing the portrait, asks who it is, and Faithful John tells him it is the princess of the Golden Dwelling.
This moment sets the king's quest in motion.
“When the princess of the Golden Dwelling heard that, she was comforted, and her heart was inclined unto him, so that she willingly consented to be his wife.”
The princess, learning the king's true identity and his love for her, agrees to marry him willingly.
The princess's change of heart after the initial deception.
“Then said the King, “Dear wife, we can give him his life again, but it will cost us our two little sons, whom we must sacrifice.” The Queen turned pale, and her heart was full of terror, but she said, “We owe it to him, for his great fidelity.””
The king tells the queen they can revive Faithful John only by sacrificing their sons, and she agrees out of gratitude for John's loyalty.
The queen's willingness to sacrifice her children for Faithful John's life.