THE SWINEHERD

In “The Swineherd,” a tale from Andersen’s Fairy Tales, a poor but proud Prince seeks the hand of an Emperor’s daughter after obtaining two miraculous gifts: a unique rose that blooms every five years and a nightingale whose song can ease all sorrows. Despite these wondrous presents, both are dismissed by the Princess for not being artificial curiosities, reflecting her superficial nature. Disheartened but undeterred, the Prince adopts the guise of a swineherd and secures a position at the Emperor’s palace, where he invents a magical kitchen pot that plays melodies and can reveal what meals are being prepared in the city. The Princess, intrigued by this novelty and the swineherd’s subsequent creation—a music box playing enchanting tunes—negotiates for these items with kisses.

Disguising his true identity, the Prince cleverly manipulates the situation, demanding increasingly intimate prices for his innovations—first ten, then one hundred kisses from the Princess in exchange for his creations. She, prioritizing her curiosity over her dignity, agrees to the exchanges undercover, hiding the act from the public eye with the help of her ladies-in-waiting. This arrangement culminates in a spectacle that the Emperor discovers, leading to both the Princess and the swineherd being expelled from the palace.

This tale unfolds with a narrative highlighting the themes of values, deception, and pride. The Prince’s efforts to win the Princess with genuine wonders of nature fail, yet his success through trivial yet novel inventions underscores the Princess’s shallow values. The eventual humiliation and punishment of the Princess and the swineherd/Prince by the Emperor serve as a moral lesson against valuing superficiality over substance, suggesting that true worth is often overlooked in favor of fleeting novelties. Similarly, the story critiques the societal obsession with status and appearance, epitomized in the Princess’s willingness to forsake royal dignity for material curiosity.