History Literature / Pintosmalto

* ArtInitiatesLife: Pintosmalto is a sculpture brought to life through divine intervention.

* PygmalionPlot: A rare case in which the genders are reversed. Betta is Pintasmalto's sculptor and the one who prayed him to life. They live happily ever after.

Full text [[https://web.archive.org/web/20191223135251/https://www.surlalunefairytales.com/pentamerone/27pintosmalto1911.html here]]. It is an unusual example of Aarne-Thompson type 425, the search for the lost husband, [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/eastsunwestmoon/other.html a type of which there are many variants]]. Compare "Literature/TheFeatherOfFinistTheFalcon" and "Literature/EastOfTheSunAndWestOfTheMoon", and for the GenderFlip "Literature/SoriaMoriaCastle" and "Literature/TheBlueMountains" not to mention ''Film/WeirdScience''.

%% Image from "Stories from the Pentamerone", the 1911 English Macmillan & Co. publication.

[[caption-width-right:345:Making a man from scratch is one way to get him.]]

A merchant's daughter named Betta builds herself a groom from half a hundredweight of Palermo sugar, as much again of sweet almonds, four to six bottles of scented water, a little musk and amber, as well as forty pearls, two sapphires, a few garnets and rubies, and some gold thread. Her sole tools are a trough and a silver trowel. When the marzipan statue is done, she prays to the Goddess of Love until he comes to life. Betta names him Pintosmalto and they arrange to marry at once. But a queen who attends the wedding feast abducts him, and Betta, disguised as a beggar, sets out to get her husband back. She happens on an old woman who takes pity on her and teaches her three spells that should help her. After more journeying, Betta finds Pintosmalto, but the queen won't let her near and he doesn't recognize her. Undeterred, she tries the first spell and an automotive golden coach appears. With it, she bribes the queen to let her sleep the night at the door of Pintosmalto's room. The queen agrees but drugs Pintosmalto, so that Betta cannot speak to him. She tries again with the next spell and a golden bird that sings like a nightingale appears. It is as before but a cobbler informs Pintosmalto of all the weeping he had heard, and the next night, when Betta bribes her way in with an assortment of fineries, he is awake. They instantly flee, taking with them what the queen was bribed with plus a little extra for the trouble she caused them.

Full text [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/pentamerone/27pintosmalto1911.html here]]. It is an unusual example of Aarne-Thompson type 425, the search for the lost husband, [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/eastsunwestmoon/other.html a type of which there are many variants]]. Compare "Literature/TheFeatherOfFinistTheFalcon" and "Literature/EastOfTheSunAndWestOfTheMoon", and for the GenderFlip "Literature/SoriaMoriaCastle" and "Literature/TheBlueMountains" not to mention ''Film/WeirdScience''.

* SolitarySorceress: The old woman Betta stays with for a time and who teaches her three spells to get back Pintosmalto is this.

* GoldMakesEverythingShiny: Gold is a recurring element in the tale for no particular reason other than make fancy things even more fancy. Pintosmalto's hair is gold thread, the automotive coach is gold, the singing bir is gold, and the third bribe also contains golden objects.

* SpoiledSweet: Betta gets whatever she wants from her father, but she doesn't go overboard and treats those she interacts with in the story with respect and kindness. As well, when Pintosmalto is abducted, she gives up everything to find him, whenever and wherever that may be.

* EvilQueen: Abduction, brainwashing, drugging, and a somewhat underhanded way of making deals does qualify the queen for the label "evil".

* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: Implied. Pintosmalto isn't a monster but he is not human either. A regular adult has 32 teeth, so Pintosmalto has eight too many going by the forty pearls Betta ordered.

The fairy tale takes inspiration from the myth of [[PygmalionPlot Pygmalion and Galatea]], as when Betta prays to the Goddess of Love, she explicitly mentions that the goddess did the same favor for a "King of Cyprus". And as to the unique choice of Betta to mold herself a husband from marzipan,[[note]]It's never actually said Pintosmalto is made from marzipan, but it follows from the ingredients used.[[/note]] there's two origins. Italy has a ''very'' old tradition in the making of wax statues for purposes ranging from art to religion to science. Marzipan is not wax, but has a similar capacity to be molded and colored into something indistinguishable from the real thing. And just as importantly, in 1634 marzipan was expensive, mostly due to the sugar, also known as "white gold" at the time. Prior to the 1500s, sugar was for the rich only. Colonization and slavery made it increasingly more accessible and starting the 1600s it was available to the bourgeoisie, which used fancy marzipan creations to impress one another.

A merchant's daughter named Betta builds herself a groom from half a hundredweight of Palermo sugar, as much again of sweet almonds, four to six bottles of scented water, a little musk and amber, as well as forty pearls, two sapphires, a few garnets and rubies, and some gold thread. Her sole tools are a trough and a silver trowel. When the marzipan statue is done, she prays to the Goddess of Love until he comes to life. Betta names him Pintosmalto and they arrange to marry at once. But a queen who attends the wedding feast abducts him, and Betta sets out to get her husband back. She happens on an old woman who takes pity on her and teaches her three spells that should help her. After more journeying, Betta finds Pintosmalto, but the queen won't let her near and he seems to have forgotten her. Undeterred, she tries the first spell and an automotive golden coach appears. With it, she bribes the queen to let her sleep the night at the door of Pintosmalto's room. The queen agrees but drugs Pintosmalto, so that Betta cannot speak to him. She tries again with the next spell and a golden bird that sings like a nightingale appears. It is as before but a cobbler informs Pintosmalto of all the weeping he had heard, and the next night, when Betta bribes her way in with an assortment of fineries, he is awake. They instantly flee, taking with them what the queen was bribed with plus a little extra for the trouble she caused them.

'''Pintosmalto''' is an Italian FairyTale written by Giambattista Basile in ''Il Pentamerone'', which was published in 1634. Although it is a literary fairy tale, folk variants are found in many Mediterranean countries.

A merchant's daughter named Betta builds herself a groom from half a hundredweight of Palermo sugar, as much again of sweet almonds, four to six bottles of scented water, a little musk and amber, as well as forty pearls, two sapphires, a few garnets and rubies, and some gold thread. Her sole tools are a trough and a silver trowel. When the marzipan statue is done, she prays to the Goddess of Love until he comes to life. Betta names him Pintosmalto and they arrange to marry at once. But a queen who attends the wedding feast abducts him, and Betta sets out to get her husband-to-be back. She happens on an old woman who takes pity on her and teaches her three spells that should help her. After more journeying, Betta finds Pintosmalto, but the queen won't let her near and he seems to have forgotten her. Undeterred, she tries the first spell and an automotive golden coach appears. With it, she bribes the queen to let her sleep the night at the door of Pintosmalto's room. The queen agrees but drugs Pintosmalto, so that Betta cannot speak to him. She tries again with the next spell and a golden bird that sings like a nightingale appears. It is as before but a cobbler informs Pintosmalto of all the weeping he had heard, and the next night, when Betta bribes her way in with scarfs, he is awake. They instantly flee, taking with them what the queen was bribed with.

* ArtInitiatesLife: Pintosmalto, a sculpture brought to life through divine intervention.
* DistressedDude: Pintosmalto is kidnapped by a queen and needs Betta to rescue him.
* EvilQueen: The unnamed queen that abducts, brainwashes, and drugs Pintosmalto is pretty evil, yeah.

* ProudBeauty: Subverted. Betta refuses all her suitors but is not punished for it, and instead receives a marvelous bridegroom.

* VillainessesWantHeroes: Why the queen kidnaps Pintosmalto.

A merchant wants his daughter, Betta, to marry. She tells him to bring her half a hundredweight of Palermo sugar, and as much again of sweet almonds, with four to six bottles of scented water, and a little musk and amber, as well as forty pearls, two sapphires, a few garnets and rubies, some gold thread, and a trough with a silver trowel. When he does so, she uses the goods to mold the statue of a man in marzipan, with jewels for his face and the gold as his hair. Then she prays to the Goddess of Love until the statue comes to life. She and he, whom she names Pintosmalto, go to marry at once. But a queen who attends the wedding abducts him, and Betta sets out to get her husband back. She happens on an old woman who takes pity on her and teaches her three spells that should help her. After more journeying, Betta finds Pintosmalto, but the queen won't let her near and he seems to have forgotten her. Undeterred, she tries the first spell and an automotive golden coach appears. With it, she bribes the queen to let her sleep the night at the door of Pintosmalto's room. The queen agrees but drugs Pintosmalto, so that Betta cannot speak to him. She tries again with the next spell and a golden bird that sings like a nightingale appears. It is as before but a cobbler informs Pintosmalto of all the weeping he had heard, and the next night, when Betta bribes her way in with scarfs, he is awake. They instantly flee, taking with them what the queen was bribed with.

For a few notes on this fairy tale, when Betta prays to the Goddess of Love, she explicitly mentions that she did the same favor for a "King of Cyprus", invoking the myth of [[PygmalionPlot Pygmalion and Galatea]]. And as to the unique choice of Betta to mold herself a husband from marzipan,[[note]]It's never actually said Pintosmalto is made from marzipan, but it follows from the ingredients used.[[/note]] there's two origins. Italy has a ''very'' old tradition in the making of wax statues for purposes ranging from art to religion to science. Marzipan is not wax, but has a similar capacity to be molded and colored into something indistinguishable from the real thing. And just as importantly, in 1634 marzipan was expensive, mostly due to the sugar, also known as "white gold" at the time. Prior to the 1500s, sugar was for the rich only. Colonization and slavery made it increasingly more accessible and starting the 1600s it was available to the bourgeoisie, which used fancy marzipan creations to impress one another.

A merchant wants his daughter, Betta, to marry. She tells him to bring her half a hundredweight of Palermo sugar, and as much again of sweet almonds, with four to six bottles of scented water, and a little musk and amber, as well as forty pearls, two sapphires, a few garnets and rubies, some gold thread, and a trough with a silver trowel. When he does so, she uses the goods to mold the statue of a man in marzipan, with jewels for his face and the gold as his hair. Then she prays to the Goddess of Love until the statue comes to life. She and he, whom she names Pintosmalto, go to marry at once. But a queen who attends the wedding abducts him, and Betta sets out to get her husband back. She happens on an old woman who takes pity on her and teaches her three spells that should help her. After more journeying, Betta finds Pintosmalto, but the queen won't let her near and he seems to have forgotten her. Undeterred, she tries the first spell and an automotive golden coach appears. With it, she bribes the queen to let her sleep the night at the door of Pintosmalto's room. The queen agrees but drugs Pintosmalto, so that Betta cannot speak to him. She tries again with the next spell and a golden bird that sings like a nightingale appears. It is as before but a cobbler informs Pintosmalto of all the weeping he had heard, and the next night, when Betta bribes her way in with scarfs, he is awake. They instantly flee, taking what the queen was bribed with.

For a few notes on this fairy tale, when Betta prays to the Goddess of Love, she explicitly mentions that she did the same favor for a "King of Cyprus", invoking the myth of [[PygmalionPlot Pygmalion and Galatea]]. And as to the unique choice of Betta to mold herself a husband from marzipan,[[note]]It's never actually said Pintosmalto is made from marzipan, but it follows from the ingredients used.[[/note]] there's two origins. Italy has a ''very'' old tradition in the making of wax statues for purposes ranging from art to religion to science. Marzipan is not wax, but has a similar capacity to be molded and colored into something indistinguishable from the real thing. And just as importantly, in 1634 marzipan was expensive, mostly due to the sugar, also known as "white gold" at the time. Prior to the 16th Century, sugar was for the rich only. Colonization and slavery made it increasingly more accessible and starting the 1600s it was available to the bourgeoisie, which used fancy marzipan creations to impress one another.

'''Pintosmalto''' is an Italian FairyTale written by Giambattista Basile in ''Il Pentamerone''. Although it is a literary fairy tale, folk variants are found in many Mediterranean countries.

A merchant wants his daughter, Betta, to marry. She tells him to bring her half a hundredweight of Palermo sugar, and as much again of sweet almonds, with four to six bottles of scented water, and a little musk and amber, also forty pearls, two sapphires, a few garnets and rubies, with some gold thread, and above all a trough and a little silver trowel. When he does so, she uses them to mold the statue of a man. Then she prays to the goddess of Love until the statue comes to life. She and he, whom she names Pintosmalto, go to marry at once.

A queen who came to attend abducts him. Betta sets out to follow. She happens on an old woman who takes pity on her and teaches her three sayings that would help her. She goes on and finds the land, and, when she sees Pintosmalto, she tries the first saying and a little golden coach that goes by itself appears. With it, she bribes the queen to let her sleep the night at the door of Pintosmalto's room. The queen agrees but drugs Pintosmalto, so that Betta cannot speak to him. She tries again with the next saying and a gold bird that sings like a nightingale. It is as before but, the next day, a cobbler tells Pintosmalto of all the weeping he had heard, and the next night, when Betta bribes her way in with scarfs, he is awake. They instantly flee, taking what she had used to bribe the way, and more treasure beside, leaving the queen enraged.

A merchant wants his daughter, Betta, to marry. She tells him from bring her half a hundredweight of Palermo sugar, and as much again of sweet almonds, with four to six bottles of scented water, and a little musk and amber, also forty pearls, two sapphires, a few garnets and rubies, with some gold thread, and above all a trough and a little silver trowel. When he did so, she used them to mold the statue of a man. Then she prayed to the goddess of Love until the statue came to life. She and he, whom she named Pintosmalto, went to marry at once.

A queen who came to attend abducted him. Betta set out to follow. She happened on an old woman who took pity on her and taught her three sayings that would help her. She went on and found the land, and when she saw Pintosmalto, she tried the first, and a little golden coach that went by itself appeared. With it, she bribed the queen to let her sleep the night at the door of Pintosmalto's room. The queen agreed but drugged Pintosmalto, so that Betta could not speak to him. She tried again, with the next saying, and a gold bird that sang like a nightingale. It was as before, but the next day, a cobbler told Pintosmalto of all the weeping he had heard, and the next night, when Betta bribed her way in with scarfs, he was awake. They instantly fled, taking what she had used to bribe the way, and more treasure beside, leaving the queen enraged.

* ArtInitiatesLife: Pintosmalto
* DistressedDude: Pintosmalto
* ItWasAGift: The stuff she needs
* ProudBeauty: Subverted. She refuses all her suitors but she is not punished for it, and instead receives a marvelous bridegroom.
* VillainessesWantHeroes: Why the queen kidnaps him.
----

Full text [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/pentamerone/27pintosmalto1911.html here]]. It is an unusual example of Aarne-Thompson type 425, the search for the lost husband, [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/eastsunwestmoon/other.html a type of which there are many variants]]. Compare "Literature/TheFeatherOfFinistTheFalcon" and "Literature/EastOfTheSunAndWestOfTheMoon", and for the GenderFlip "Literature/SoriaMoriaCastle" and "Literature/TheBlueMountains".

Full text [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/pentamerone/27pintosmalto1911.html here]]. It is an unusual example of Aarne-Thompson type 425, the search for the lost husband, [[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/eastsunwestmoon/other.html a type of which there are many variants]]. Compare Literature/TheFeatherOfFinistTheFalcon and Literature/EastOfTheSunAndWestOfTheMoon, and for the GenderFlip ''Literature/SoriaMoriaCastle'' and ''Literature/TheBlueMountains''.

'''''Pintosmalto''''' is an Italian FairyTale written by Giambattista Basile in ''Il Pentamerone''. Although it is a literary fairy tale, folk variants are found in many Mediterranean countries.