Is Being a Beast a Gift or a Curse?: Looking at the Characterization of the Beast in Two Contrasting Tales

We read many different versions of Beauty and the Beast (ATU 400 and ATU 425 according to Tatar) this past week, most of them stories I had never heard of before. Of these stories, two of them that I found most interesting were “The Pig King,” and Italian tale by Giovan Francesco Straparola and “The Swan Maiden.” Although these two stories are technically of different tale-types, I find their distinction between which identity is labeled the “beast” to be one that is very revealing as to society’s view of gender roles.

The characterization of the beast is vastly different in these two tales. In “The Pig King,” the male beast is depicted as horrific. He is a murderous monster, who even his parents don’t think will ever be loved. When his father first sees him, he thinks about killing him, putting him out of his misery, a dramatic example of how his animal-form is portrayed as a curse, as something undesired and hated. His pig-form is described as filthy and disgusting, and the beast has no control over when he transforms until he is no longer a pig when his curse lifts and sheds his skin.

In contrast, the swan maiden is beautiful. She is sought after for her amazing beauty in both forms, as a woman and as a swan. The hunter sees her, and he cannot stop thinking about her, he goes so far steal her clothes, in essence, her animal form, all so she can be his. She is not portrayed as a beast; in this case, she is the beauty. Instead of being the victim of a curse, she chooses to be a swan by wearing her animal form as clothes. When she is denied this choice, she begs to return to her animal form instead of marrying the hunter. Clearly, she loves being a swan, so much so that, even after seven years of marriage, the moment she is able to transform into a swan again, she flies away, never to see her husband again.

The difference between the beasts show the role of women in society. Women are expected to be admired for their beauty. Even as a “beast,” the swan maiden is beautiful, sought after. She undergoes her transformation willingly; she desires to be a swan. In both stories, the women are expected to be beautiful and domesticated, and only in “The Pig King,” is the animal of the story allowed to act like an animal. The “beast” craves to be loved as he is, but, from my perspective, he also would rather be human. To her (the animal bride), the animal form is to be cherished, it is a blessing. To him (the animal bridegroom), the animal form is a clearly a curse, passed down from some villainous fairies. His animal form is burned, discarded, not desired or necessary after his transformation had been revealed.  

While I do not appreciate the intense expectation of beauty expressed in “The Swan Maiden,” I prefer the story as opposed to the “Pig King,” because the swan story shows the horror of forced domestication. It communicates that real monster is not the animal, but the man. He compels a woman into marriage by stealing her clothes, and as soon as the woman is able, she leaves her toxic relationship, flying free as a beautiful animal. The pig king, although he commits unspeakable atrocities, murdering two women in cold blood, is not punished. He gets what he wants, a wife who loves him, and a permanent human form. He is rewarded for his murder, he becomes king and receives a healthy, human heir.