Transformation in the The Juniper Tree

The transformation in The Juniper Tree is very interesting. As the story goes, the stepmother kills the stepson, convinces her daughter that it was her fault, and then chops him up and serves him for dinner. The little girl feels sorry for him and gathers his bones in a silk cloth and takes him to the Juniper tree to lay him to rest. At that moment the tree begins to move with life and smoke mixed with flames give rise to a singing bird. Interestingly, the boy’s spirit enters the tree and bird not because he is has been forced into the transformation by a witch’s curse, but rather uses the transformation as a vehicle to avenge his death. Once he has become he bird he visits a goldsmith, shoemaker and mill to get the necessary tools for his plan. (Which he acquires by singing once, and then requiring payment for the second song.) Again he sings to lure the family out of their home to the tree, and gives the father a gold chain, the daughter red shoes, and kills the stepmother with a millstone. Then he is suddenly transformed back into a boy and the three live happily ever after.

I think that in this case the bird falls more on the human spectrum than animal, even though he is trapped in an animal’s body. This is because he uses the transformation to get revenge for the stepmother’s horrible act and reward the father and sister. Normally I feel like transformations are used as a mechanism for escape (for example, the princess and Roland in Sweetheart Roland) or is the result of a curse (for the ravens in the Seven Ravens or swans in The Six Swans). I also think that the bird’s most powerful tool is his song. He uses it to get the chain, shoes and millstone, and to lure the family out of the house. It is also beautiful to listen to everyone but the stepmother who harmed him (to her it sounds like a storm).

On a complete side note, isn’t it interesting that in the sixth month of pregnancy the fetus is described as a large and firm fruit, and then the stepmother kills the boy while he reaches for a fruit? –It may be insignificant but it is an interesting subtle foreshadowing.