be for someone who drags another from bed and drowns them: the woman foolishly answers that they should be placed in a cask with nails inside and rolled down a hill into the water. The king then exclaims she has just spoken her own sentence, so the step-mother and false queen are then put inside said cask and rolled down a hill into a nearby river. Structure This tale combines two sequences, which are often found together—see, for example, The Enchanted Wreath, Maiden Bright-eye, or Bushy Bride—but which can also be two separate stories: First, there is the "kind and unkind girls" tale, where variants include Frau Holle, The Fairies, The Three Heads in the Well, The Two Caskets, The Months, and Father Frost. Literary variants include The Three Fairies and Aurore and Aimée. Second, the theme of the stepmother (or another woman) managing to usurp the true bride's place after the marriage, is often found in other fairy tales, where the obstacles to the marriage differ, if they were part of the tale: The Wonderful Birch, Little Brother and Little Sister, The Witch in the Stone Boat, Bushy Bride, or The White Duck. Influences The story appears to be influenced by Charles Perrault's variant, The Fairies, as the heroine receives a similar reward to the heroine in that tale. Variants In some versions the queen asks the king to show mercy to the stepmother and daughter, so instead of executing them he banishes them from the kingdom. References External links The Three Little Men in the Wood with information on variants Grimms' Fairy Tales ATU 400-459 ATU 460-499