John The Valiant (Hungarian: János vitéz) (1844) is a Hungarian Epic Poem by Sándor Petőfi.
The story is in the Public Domain and can be read online for free. The original poem and an English translation can be found here
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In 1973, an animated adaptation named Johnny Corncob was released.
Tropes
- Flat World: Implied when John and the giant arrive at Fairyland.
John asked him: "What sort of an island, then, is it?"
"It's Fairyland, master - no place for a visit.
Fairyland; where the world comes to a close,
Beyond it, the Sea into Nothingness flows."
"It's Fairyland, master - no place for a visit.
Fairyland; where the world comes to a close,
Beyond it, the Sea into Nothingness flows."
- Kill It Through Its Stomach: When fighting a dragon, John jumps into the dragon's mouth and it swallows him, he finds the dragon's heart and stabs it with his sword.
- Mysterious Past: John tells his backstory where he was found in a cornfield as an orphan and he was adapted by a farmer and his wife. Beyond that there is nothing known about his origins.
- Offered the Crown: The poem ends with the fairies choosing John and Nelly as their king and queen of Fairyland.
- Painting the Frost on Windows: When entering Fairyland, John sees that children fairies spin threads of rainbows and they put it on the sky.
- Wicked Stepmother:
- Nelly's stepmom is a Bad Boss who abuses her and gets mad when she finds Nelly with John. She later turns out to be a Witch Classic.
- John has a wicked stepdad who hated him ever since he was a baby and chases him for losing his herd of sheep.
