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The Gold Mountain

 The Gold Mountain
type
TVTItem
 The Gold Mountain
label
The Gold Mountain
 The Gold Mountain
page
TheGoldMountain
 The Gold Mountain
comment
Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })The Gold Mountain (most commonly known as The King of the Golden Mountain; German: Der König vom goldenen Berg) is a German Fairy Tale collected by The Brothers Grimm and published in their Children's and Household Tales book (Kinder- und Hausmärchen). It is the number 92 tale.A ruined merchant meets a dwarf, black of hair and beard, who offers him seven years of wealth and prosperity, success in all his endeavors, in exchange for his firstborn son.Said son grows up well acquainted with fairies and when the day comes for the merchant to pay up, the boy instead draws a circle the dwarf cannot cross and spends an entire day arguing the validity of the original deal. Finally, a compromise is reached where the child will sail off in a boat, so neither father nor dwarf will have him. However, a squall capsizes the boat, making it appear the child died.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })The boy travels the world and some time later comes to a castle by a mountain made of gold. The castle is empty and abandoned, except for a white snake who tells him she is a princess under a curse that first caused her food to vanish, then her guests and friends to leave, and finally transformed her into a snake. To break the curse, someone must spend three nights in the castle but the first night men will come at midnight and beat him viciously, the second night they will be worse, and the third night they will kill him. If he cries out, tries to fight back or escape, the curse will not be broken, but if he endure all three nights, she will become human and can sprinkle him with water from a healing spring and bring him back to life.He succeeds, and the grateful princess marries him, making him King of the Gold Mountain. In time, they have a young son of their own.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_3'); })But eventually, the King's heart grows heavy as he thinks of his parents who still think him dead. The princess gives him a wishing ring to carry him right to them but begs one promise of him: He must never wish his wife or son from their home at Gold Mountain. He agrees and wishes himself home, changing clothes at the city gates with a beggar to get in.His father is thrilled to find his son alive, and they speak long into the night and the following day, when the King carelessly wishes his father could see his wife and son, and they are brought immediately before them by the wishing ring. The princess is furious, but holds her tongue. She takes her husband for a long walk and picnic and when he falls asleep she steals the ring and immediately wishes herself and her son home.When the King of the Gold Mountain wakes to find his wife, his son and his wishing ring gone he vows to find them. Only problem, he doesn't know the way to his former kingdom. He quests wide and far across the world until he comes upon three quarreling giants, brothers whose father just died, fighting over their inheritance. Their father left them three things: a cloak of invisibility, a pair of boots that can carry someone anywhere in the world, and a sword that can fell a hundred trees or cut off a hundred heads with one swing. Seeing one of "the little people" renowned for their cleverness, the giants ask the King to resolve their dispute. He replies that he must test them, to make sure they work as said, and the giants hand them over only asking his promise that he won't use the sword against them. Instead he flees and tells the boots to take him to Gold Mountain.There, he wanders in under the invisibility cloak and finds a horde of suitors vying for his wife's hand. He hides by her, and begins eating and hiding her supper, reminding her of how her curse first started. When she runs into a private chamber and in despair asks why this is happening again, he whispers that it is because she betrayed and left her rightful husband. As she breaks down crying, he strides out into the great hall, and kills all the suitors with his magic sword.He lived Happily Ever After.It can be read in the SurLaLune site and here.In the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index, it is a Type 401A, "The Enchanted Princess in Her Castle", Type 810 "The Devil Loses a Soul That Was Promised Him", Type 560 "The Magic Ring" and Type 518 "Quarreling Giants Lose Their Magic Objects".
 The Gold Mountain
fetched
2022-06-15T17:41:51Z
 The Gold Mountain
parsed
2022-06-15T17:41:51Z
 The Gold Mountain
isPartOf
DBTropes
 The Gold Mountain / int_14ed6ab7
type
Does This Remind You of Anything?
 The Gold Mountain / int_14ed6ab7
comment
Does This Remind You of Anything?: The killing of the suitors certainly does sound a great deal like the Odyssey.
 The Gold Mountain / int_14ed6ab7
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1.0
 The Gold Mountain / int_14ed6ab7
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 The Gold Mountain
hasFeature
The Gold Mountain / int_14ed6ab7
 The Gold Mountain / int_1fc8335e
type
Deal with the Devil
 The Gold Mountain / int_1fc8335e
comment
Deal with the Devil: A ruined merchant sells his newborn son to the black dwarf for a chest full of money and seven years of guaranteed success. The child is able to escape the deal with help from some fairy friends, who teach him to negotiate with supernatural powers and help him fake his death.
 The Gold Mountain / int_1fc8335e
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 The Gold Mountain / int_1fc8335e
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 The Gold Mountain
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The Gold Mountain / int_1fc8335e
 The Gold Mountain / int_275773bd
type
Curse Escape Clause
 The Gold Mountain / int_275773bd
comment
Curse Escape Clause: The princess can only be turned human again and the castle populated if someone is willing to be beaten and killed for her, without once trying to escape or raise a hand against his attackers. In spirit if not in every detail, how the hero escapes the black dwarf as a child.
 The Gold Mountain / int_275773bd
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 The Gold Mountain / int_275773bd
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 The Gold Mountain
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The Gold Mountain / int_275773bd
 The Gold Mountain / int_2b726e19
type
Ring of Power
 The Gold Mountain / int_2b726e19
comment
Ring of Power: The hero is given a wishing ring to take him home to his parents, and accidentally wishes his wife and son there.
 The Gold Mountain / int_2b726e19
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1.0
 The Gold Mountain / int_2b726e19
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 The Gold Mountain
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The Gold Mountain / int_2b726e19
 The Gold Mountain / int_859ec5d8
type
The Fair Folk
 The Gold Mountain / int_859ec5d8
comment
The Fair Folk: The dwarf is a wicked, magical creature who tricks humans into giving him their children.
 The Gold Mountain / int_859ec5d8
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1.0
 The Gold Mountain / int_859ec5d8
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 The Gold Mountain
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The Gold Mountain / int_859ec5d8
 The Gold Mountain / int_8c41d6e9
type
Nameless Narrative
 The Gold Mountain / int_8c41d6e9
comment
Nameless Narrative: Nobody, at any point in the story, gives their name.
 The Gold Mountain / int_8c41d6e9
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 The Gold Mountain / int_8c41d6e9
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 The Gold Mountain
hasFeature
The Gold Mountain / int_8c41d6e9
 The Gold Mountain / int_a6be3ad5
type
Rule of Seven
 The Gold Mountain / int_a6be3ad5
comment
Rule of Seven: The merchant is offered seven years of wealth and success in exchange for his son.
 The Gold Mountain / int_a6be3ad5
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1.0
 The Gold Mountain / int_a6be3ad5
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 The Gold Mountain
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The Gold Mountain / int_a6be3ad5
 The Gold Mountain / int_a6cda066
type
Rule of Three
 The Gold Mountain / int_a6cda066
comment
Rule of Three: The hero must endure three nights of escalating beatings to break the curse. Later, he finds three giants arguing over three magic items, which he steals and uses to get his kingdom and his family back.
 The Gold Mountain / int_a6cda066
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 The Gold Mountain / int_a6cda066
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 The Gold Mountain
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The Gold Mountain / int_a6cda066
 The Gold Mountain / int_b06bbf4b
type
Be Careful What You Wish For
 The Gold Mountain / int_b06bbf4b
comment
Be Careful What You Wish For: Played With. The accidental wish doesn't cause any negative effects, except angering his wife who steals the ring back.
 The Gold Mountain / int_b06bbf4b
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1.0
 The Gold Mountain / int_b06bbf4b
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 The Gold Mountain
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The Gold Mountain / int_b06bbf4b
 The Gold Mountain / int_b97c1d0b
type
Standard Hero Reward
 The Gold Mountain / int_b97c1d0b
comment
Standard Hero Reward: The nameless hero marries a princess and becomes King of the Gold Mountain after breaking the curse that turned her into a snake and drove everyone else from the castle. Unusually, there is no father or old King in the story to give her away.
 The Gold Mountain / int_b97c1d0b
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1.0
 The Gold Mountain / int_b97c1d0b
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 The Gold Mountain
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The Gold Mountain / int_b97c1d0b
 The Gold Mountain / int_dd963bd3
type
Our Giants Are Bigger
 The Gold Mountain / int_dd963bd3
comment
Our Giants Are Bigger: The King stumbles upon three real dumb giants whom he manages to steal three magic treasures.
 The Gold Mountain / int_dd963bd3
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Gold Mountain / int_dd963bd3
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 The Gold Mountain
hasFeature
The Gold Mountain / int_dd963bd3
 The Gold Mountain / int_f64a9cf7
type
Earn Your Happy Ending
 The Gold Mountain / int_f64a9cf7
comment
Earn Your Happy Ending: Twice. The nameless hero must first win a princess and a kingdom by enduring multiple beatings and death without once trying to flee, beg, or defend himself; then, after losing his family and kingdom, he must quest to get them back.
 The Gold Mountain / int_f64a9cf7
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1.0
 The Gold Mountain / int_f64a9cf7
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 The Gold Mountain
hasFeature
The Gold Mountain / int_f64a9cf7
 The Gold Mountain / int_f654419c
type
Baleful Polymorph
 The Gold Mountain / int_f654419c
comment
Baleful Polymorph: The princess is turned into snake by a curse.
 The Gold Mountain / int_f654419c
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1.0
 The Gold Mountain / int_f654419c
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 The Gold Mountain
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The Gold Mountain / int_f654419c
 The Gold Mountain / int_name
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ItemName
 The Gold Mountain / int_name
comment
 The Gold Mountain / int_name
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 The Gold Mountain / int_name
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 The Gold Mountain
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The Gold Mountain / int_name
 The Gold Mountain / int_name
itemName
The Gold Mountain

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 The Gold Mountain
hasFeature
Baleful Polymorph / int_62044071
 The Gold Mountain
hasFeature
Be Careful What You Wish For / int_62044071
 The Gold Mountain
hasFeature
Curse Escape Clause / int_62044071
 The Gold Mountain
hasFeature
Deal with the Devil / int_62044071
 The Gold Mountain
hasFeature
Death Faked for You / int_62044071
 The Gold Mountain
hasFeature
Forced Transformation / int_62044071
 The Gold Mountain
hasFeature
Nameless Narrative / int_62044071
 The Gold Mountain
hasFeature
Ring of Power / int_62044071
 The Gold Mountain
hasFeature
Standard Hero Reward / int_62044071
 The Gold Mountain
hasFeature
The Fair Folk / int_62044071
 The Gold Mountain
hasFeature
Earn Your Happy Ending / int_62044071