10 Symbols in Goose Girl

In the beginning, the princess leaves her kingdom to marry a prince living in a distant country. Mother queen gives her daughter gold and silver etc., but it doesn't take long to find out how futile was the queen's attempt. The princess, no matter what precious objects she had, was unable to protect her or her possessions. Her servant simply overpowered her.

Apart from material stuff, the princess got a handkerchief from her mother. It is a very intimate object, symbolizing their connection. When she lost it while drinking water from the brook, the powerful bond between mother and daughter was lost. The princess was somehow forced to grow up.

Blood carries loads of magical powers. It was blood which first reminded the princess she is not acting as her royal pedigree demands from her. Blood is a life source and can be the messenger of death too. The princess lost these drops together with the handkerchief, with their white and red combination symbolizing the end of innocence.

Blood is also present in several other fairy tales. The most famous example is probably Snow White, where the queen pricks her finger and looking at the blood in the snow wishes for her child with cheeks red as blood.

The princess was forced to promise not to tell anybody the truth about her (and servant's) origin. While some would believe such a promise doesn't count, she sticks to it. Her determination to keep her royal word symbolically shows she still thinks about herself as a member of royalty. She simply doesn't want to break her word no matter how and to whom it was given.

The power of a given word is present in fairy tales pretty often, with The Frog Prince definitely be the most famous example of all.

There is a whole article on the importance of a given word in fairy tales:

https://wizzley.com/promise/

Human history has a very special place for hair. It has strong symbolic and even magic powers. Some societies were almost obsessed with hair. It was used as a love token, a secret ingredient of magic potions, sacred part of one's individuality, a souvenir, jewelry, ... Several civilizations still closely relate hair with someone's position in society. Young girls can have long hair which is considered as an object of beauty, but married women should opt for shorter, more practical hairdressers.

Cutting or shaving one's hair was (and still is) a popular way of punishment but also kind of ritual necessary to become a member of a certain group (like an army, skinheads, Buddhist monks, ..). While long hair traditionally belongs among the most feminine symbols, many also see it as a representation of one's power. The most famous example of power in one's hair was definitely Samson from the Bible.

In The Goose Girl, her hair definitely represents power and freedom, especially when it's combined with her obvious control of the wind. The golden color of her hair shows her royal origin. The color of gold is always related to nobility on a symbolic or more earthly level.

A horse represents vitality and strength. This strength is by no means limited to the physical world only. When the princess is forced to get off her horse, she clearly admits her defeat. Because a horse represents a status symbol, she is also symbolically dethroned. Horses are known as very loyal animals. When the false princess demands the killing of the horse she actually destroys the last bond of the real princess with her old position. But the horse's head is still talking and reminding the princess (who became a goose girl) who she really is.

At the end of the story, two white horses are used as a tool to punish the false princess. The cruel punishment, by the way, was her own idea.

A goose is often related to silliness (you silly goose), but on a symbolic level represents loyalty, trust, bravery, and teamwork. Geese are known by their devotion to their offspring, fighting fearlessly for the safety of the goslings if necessary. There are stories about sick geese who were unable to follow the flock and were not left behind. One healthy goose stayed with an ill-one until it got better or died. Geese are known by their tremendous ability to travel long distances, fighting extreme natural obstacles with outstanding orientation and surprising adaptability.

When the princess became the goose girl, she occupied the lowest position in the castle. More valuable animals were too valuable for her. And she actually became an assistant to the little boy who was in charge of the geese! But geese obviously inspired her to follow her true call and gave her the strength to find a way back to her royal position.

Water is one of the most important symbols of all. It brings life as a drink, it helps plants to grow, providing our food, but can also take lives if somebody drowns. There are numerous situations in classic fairy tales where water plays a crucial role, often intertwined with the most important transformation of the main character(s).

In the fairy tale Little Brother and Little Sister, drink of water transform the boy into a roe.

In Hansel and Gretel, a large body of water needs to be crossed before they can return home, to their father.

It is water where the princess lost hergolden ball in The Frog Prince and her soon-to-be-a-husband appears.

The princess in The Goose Girl is overpowered by the water, forced to drink from the brook like an animal, denied of her golden cup and eventually stripped by all her possessions.

The wind is a symbol of breath, another crucial element of life. While invisible, wind causes many obvious changes, demonstrating its power in many ways. When we see the goose girl controlling the wind, we see a princess clearly stating she has enough.

She lost her throne, she lost her precious luggage, she lost her horse, she became the lowest member of society, but when the boy tries to grab her hair, she shows she wouldn't take it anymore. Somebody who has power over wind definitely has the power of his or her own destiny. The goose girl clearly doesn't want to be a victim anymore.

Even possessing objects made of iron gives the owner some of its power. In the case of The Goose Girl, iron works as a medium providing her an opportunity to stay faithful to her royal word yet protecting her true status at the same time. She can say the truth into the iron stove (not knowing somebody will listen on the other side) and still not 'telling anybody' keeping her given word.

A stove is very similar to an oven. It's a symbolic representation of the womb, enabling the goose girl to be symbolically reborn - just like Hansel and Gretel needed an iron oven to free themselves from the witch's hut.

All used images are in public domain. You can find all (and much more) with additional info on:

https://topillustrations.wordpress.com/2017/12/12/goose-girl-in-pictures/

More amazing facts about this fairy tale can be read here:

https://wizzley.com/goose-girl/

And there is an in-depth article about The Goose Girl and Falada:

https://hubpages.com/education/The-Goose-Girl

For a good measure you can visit two addresses about two most famous adaptations of the story:

https://almostuseful.joomla.com/2-uncategorised/22-the-goose-girl-by-harold-macgrath.html

http://artyoushouldknow.canalblog.com/archives/2019/02/04/37072704.html