the young King

the son

The son is likely the young king's father or close relative, guiding him through trials and succession.

the maiden

The maiden is the young king's love interest or destined bride, central to many fairy tale plots.

the princess

The princess is a royal match for the young king, often involving marriage or courtship.

the girl

The girl and the young king are acquaintances from different social spheres, occasionally interacting in tales.

the youth

The young king and the youth are allies or companions on adventures.

Faithful John

Faithful John is the young king's loyal servant and advisor, protecting him at great personal cost.

Clever Hans

Clever Hans aids the young king with wit and cunning in various predicaments.

the boy

The boy is likely the young king's son or younger relative, learning from him.

Brother Lustig

Brother Lustig and the young king meet occasionally, with Lustig's roguish nature causing friction.

Mother Holle

Mother Holle and the young king have limited interaction, often as a magical benefactor or obstacle.

Faithful John

Faithful John is the young king's loyal servant and advisor, protecting him at great personal cost.

Clever Hans

Clever Hans aids the young king with wit and cunning in various predicaments.

The Frog-King, or Iron Henry

The prince transformed into a frog by a witch, who is freed when the princess accepts him.

The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was

After clearing the haunted castle, he marries the princess and becomes king, but still cannot shudder.

Faithful John

The king who falls in love with the princess of the Golden Dwelling and later must decide to sacrifice his sons to revive Faithful John.

The Twelve Brothers

The king who marries the silent maiden and later condemns her under his mother's influence.

Little Brother and Little Sister

The King who hunts in the forest, discovers the sister, marries her, and later uncovers the stepmother's treachery.

Rapunzel

The prince who hears Rapunzel's song, climbs her hair, and later becomes blind after jumping from the tower.

The Three Little Men in the Wood

The king who marries the kind stepdaughter and later rescues her from the river.

The Three Spinners

The prince who marries the girl and is horrified by the three spinners' deformities.

The Three Snake-Leaves

The youth who becomes king after marriage; he is buried alive, revived, thrown into the sea, and revived again.

The Valiant Little Tailor

The king who sets the tailor impossible tasks and later tries to have him kidnapped.

Cinderella

The prince who falls in love with Cinderella and uses the golden slipper to find his true bride.

The Girl Without Hands

The king who marries the girl and later searches for her for seven years.

The Six Swans

The king who marries the silent maiden; he defends her against his mother's accusations but ultimately must sentence her to death.

Briar-Rose

The king's son who braves the thorn hedge, finds Briar-Rose, and awakens her with a kiss; they marry.

The Queen Bee

One of the two elder brothers who mocked Simpleton but later turned to stone after failing the first two tasks.

Allerleirauh

The king who discovers Allerleirauh in the forest, employs her as a kitchen maid, and later marries her after recognizing her at the festivals.

The Twelve Huntsmen

The prince who becomes king and is forced to marry another, but ultimately recognizes his true bride.

The Pink

The queen's son, who possesses the power of wishing and eventually reveals the truth.

The Singing, Springing Lark

The enchanted prince who lives as a lion by day and a man by night; he is bewitched by a foreign princess and forgets his wife.

The Goose-Girl

The prince who unknowingly marries the false bride and later marries the true princess.

The Water of Life

The youngest prince who humbly seeks the Water of Life, frees the princess, and ultimately wins her hand.

The Two Kings' Children

The king's son who is captured by a giant and must complete tasks to win a bride.

The King's Son Who Feared Nothing

The fearless king's son who retrieves the apple of life and breaks the castle's enchantment.

The Old Woman in the Wood

A prince transformed into a tree and a white dove by a wicked witch, later freed by the girl.

Ferdinand the Faithful

The king who hires Ferdinand the Faithful and later marries the princess, but is beheaded by the queen.

The Iron Stove

The prince bewitched inside the iron stove, later freed by the princess, but initially fails to recognize her due to a sleeping draught.

The Four Skilful Brothers

The king who offers his daughter's hand and later gives each brother half a kingdom.

One-Eye, Two-Eyes, and Three-Eyes

The knight who marries Two-Eyes and takes her to his castle.

The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces

The king who offers his daughter's hand and kingdom to whoever discovers the princesses' secret.

The Six Servants

The prince who risks his life to win the princess, later revealed as a king.

The White Bride and the Black One

The widowed king who falls in love with the stepdaughter's portrait, marries the black daughter by trickery, and later discovers the truth and punishes the wicked.

The Donkey

Born as a donkey, he is musical, merry, and determined. He wins the princess's hand and is revealed to be a handsome youth.

The Three Sluggards

The third son, who wins the kingdom by claiming he would rather be hanged than raise his hand to cut the rope.

The Shepherd Boy

The king who tests the shepherd boy with three questions and later regards him as his own child.

Snow-White and Rose-Red

Appears as the prince who was bewitched as a bear and later freed, marrying Snow-white.

The Hut in the Forest

The prince who was bewitched as an old gray-haired man; freed by the girl's kindness to animals.

The Goose-Girl at the Well

The count who helps the old woman and later brings the emerald book to the Queen, leading to the reunion.

The True Sweethearts

The prince who betroths himself to the maiden but forgets her, later marrying another before recognizing her.

The Spindle, the Shuttle, and the Needle

The prince traveling to find a bride who is both the poorest and richest, who is guided by the magical spindle to the maiden's house.

Old Rinkrank

The king who sets the challenge and later rejoices at his daughter's return.

The Crystal Ball

The youth becomes the King of the Castle of the Golden Sun after defeating the enchanter.

Maid Maleen

The prince betrothed to Maid Maleen, who unknowingly marries her in place of the ugly bride.

The Boots of Buffalo-Leather

The huntsman in disguise, later revealed as the king, who rewards the soldier.

Poverty and Humility Lead to Heaven

The king's son who seeks heaven through poverty and humility.