Black Horse

Fairy Helena

In short: As Helena flees, she turns a fork into a steed. A door handle and hinge answer those who follow.

Fairy Helena · Helena the fairy FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 58 Fairy Helena As Helena flees, she turns a fork into a steed. Origin Hungarian storytelling tradition Atlas record 1889 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF Helena the fairy Reach¹ 1/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 1 records · 1 countries or regions blackhorsestories.com

¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question

Origin and tradition

Hungarian storytelling tradition

Jones and Kropf’s 1889 collection summarises the account reported by Kozma in its introduction. Helena first turns a rusty fork into a golden-haired steed. She then makes the floorboards, door handle and hinge speak, delaying the pursuers. Ordinary objects first make the journey possible and then buy the fugitives time.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1889 · Hungarian storytelling tradition
    W. Henry Jones & Lajos Kropf · The Folk-Tales of the Magyars · Fairy Helena

Country pages

Origin
Black Horse. Fairy Helena. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-fairy-helena/