

The girl is reluctant, so the peasant asks the bear to return, and in the meantime, persuades her to marry the bear. The White Bear approaches a poor peasant and asks if he will give him his prettiest and youngest daughter in return, the bear will make the man rich. It was likely an offspring from the tale of " Cupid and Psyche" in The Golden Ass, which gave rise to similar animal bridegroom cycles such as " Beauty and the Beast".

The Swedish version is called " Prince Hat under the Ground". It is Aarne–Thompson type 425A, the search for the lost husband other tales of this type include " Black Bull of Norroway", " The Brown Bear of Norway", " The Daughter of the Skies", " The Enchanted Pig", " The Tale of the Hoodie", " Master Semolina", " The Sprig of Rosemary", " The Enchanted Snake", and " White-Bear-King-Valemon". "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" was collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. It was included by Andrew Lang in The Blue Fairy Book (1890). " East of the Sun and West of the Moon" ( Norwegian: Østenfor sol og vestenfor måne) is a Norwegian fairy tale.

Norske folkeeventyr, by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe By candlelight, the heroine discovers the identity of her sleeping husband.ĪTU 425A (The Search for the Lost Husband)
