The New Pope and the Animals: On the Spirit of Nature in Fairytales and Popular Legends

摘要

In Grimm’s fairytale “The Three Languages” a father sends his son to be taught by three different masters, but the son learns only to understand the barking of dogs, the twittering of birds, and the croaking of frogs. In a rage, his father wants to have him killed, but the boy escapes and, because he can understand the language of dogs, he is given a treasure. Finally, with the help of two doves, he is chosen to succeed the pope, who has died. These same doves provide him with the text of the Mass he should sing. Because he understands the language of frogs, in some European versions he is able to heal someone’s daughter who is ill, while on his way to Rome.For Gotthilf Isler this new pope is the symbol of a new religious attitude that is being sought today in the unconscious of many individuals. It is an attitude that has made peace with the animal world—that is, with the million-year-old knowledge of human nature that is manifest in both the instincts and archetypes of the collective unconscious. An attitude such as this can also restore religious dignity to the suffering feminine within Christianity.View full textDownload full textRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00332925.2010.501216