[CW: violence against animals, women denied agency]
So, this one was SUPER frustrating. I mean, it was definitely interesting, and seems right in line with other stories in later editions but I literally cannot find a single thing about this damn story. I couldn’t locate it in Wikipedia, the ATU Index had nothing on this one specifically (that I could find), and while there were some tale-types that were close, there was nothing that really seemed right. I looked through Animal Tales, Realistic Tales, and Anecdotes and Jokes but there was nothing that worked. Keep in mind, of course, that fairytales and folklore are NOT my area of expertise. This is just a hobby, so it is VERY likely that I just missed it somewhere.
Having said all that, it should be obvious that there was not a single image to be found for this story. So, instead of the usual artistic and insightful images, I’m going with fixers/cleaners in movies and television. I mean, they speak to the spirit of the story, you know?
Fix-It-Up had been a soldier for a long time. When the war came to an end, however, and there was nothing but the same old things to do every day, he resigned from the army and decided to become a servant for a great lord. There would be clothes trimmed with gold, a lot to do, and always new things happening. So he set out on his way and came to a foreign court, where he saw a lord taking a walk in the garden. Fix-It-Up did not hesitate. He moved briskly over to the lord and said, ‘Sir, I’m looking for employment with a great lord. If Your Majesty is himself such a person, it would give me great pleasure to serve you. There’s nothing I don’t know or can’t do. I know just how to carry out orders, no matter how they are given.’
Work Cited:
Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm. The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm: The Complete First Edition. Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.
Bluestocking Writes... 