View source for The Woman Who Had No Shadow

'''"The Woman Who Had No Shadow"''' is a [[Scandinavia|Scandinavian]] [[fairy tale]], included by Sven Grundtvig in ''Gamle danske Minder i Folkemunde'' and Ella Ohlson in ''Sagor från Ångermanland''.<ref name="redeem">D. L. Ashliman, "[http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0756.html Forgiveness and Redemption: folktales of Aarne-Thompson types 755 and 756]"</ref>

It is [[Aarne–Thompson classification systems|Aarne-Thompson]] type 755, Sin and grace.<ref name="redeem"/>

==Synopsis==
A woman, wishing to have no children, threw rocks into a well at a witch's direction.  Thereafter, she had no shadow.  Her husband, the parson, demanded to know why and threw her out, saying that their slate roof would blossom with flowers before she was forgiven.  One day, a beggar woman sought refuge there; she died in the night, the parson recognized her as his wife, and the housekeeper called him out to see how the roof had bloomed with flowers.

==Motifs==
The legend of ''[[Tannhäuser]]'' features the same growth as evidence of miraculous forgiveness.<ref name="redeem"/>

==Adaptations==
===Music===
''[[Die Frau ohne Schatten]]'' by [[Hugo von Hofmannsthal]] and [[Richard Strauss]] is loosely based on this tale.<ref name="redeem"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Portal |Children's literature}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woman Who Had No Shadow, The}}
[[Category:European fairy tales|Woman Who Had No Shadow]]
[[Category:Female characters in fairy tales|Woman]]
[[Category:ATU 750-849]]