Household Tales · Chapter
The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was explained
A young man, considered stupid by his family, sets out to learn what it means to shudder.
What happens
A young man, considered stupid by his family, sets out to learn what it means to shudder. Through a series of encounters—including a fake ghost, a haunted castle with playing cats and a dead man, and a bearded fiend—he remains fearless. He eventually marries the king's daughter, and only learns to shudder when his wife pours cold water and gudgeons over him while he sleeps.
Themes in this chapter
Transformation and Redemption
The youth transforms from a seemingly foolish boy into a king, gaining wealth and status through his fearless actions.
Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished
The youth's bravery and lack of fear are rewarded with marriage to the princess and a kingdom, while the sexton's deceit leads to his injury.
Characters to notice
- the youth
The protagonist who cannot feel fear and seeks to learn what shuddering is.
- the young King
After clearing the haunted castle, he marries the princess and becomes king, but still cannot shudder.
- the princess
The king's daughter who marries the youth and eventually helps him learn to shudder.
- the servant
The waiting-maid who devises the plan with the gudgeons to teach the youth to shudder.
- Unknown
The bearded man/fiend who appears in the haunted castle and is defeated by the youth.
Key passages
“Then the gold was brought up and the wedding celebrated; but howsoever much the young king loved his wife, and however happy he was, he still said always, 'If I could but shudder—if I could but shudder.'”
After the wedding, the new king still complained that he had not yet experienced fear, despite his happiness.
Highlights the protagonist's persistent quest to understand fear even after achieving success.
“The youth seized the axe, split the anvil with one blow, and struck the old man’s beard in with it.”
The youth used the axe to split the anvil and trap the old man's beard, demonstrating his superior strength.
Shows the youth's physical prowess and cleverness in overcoming the fiend.