| A | B |
|---|
| Die meisten Märchen haben drei Teile: die Situation am Anfang | the hero of the story is treated badly, or has a spell cast on him, etc |
| die meisten Märchen haben drei Teile: der Weg des Helden | The way of the hero; the hero may have a task or have to withstand danger, etc. |
| Die meisten Märchen haben drei Teile: die Lösung | the solution; the hero overcomes adversity, often with the use of magic |
| Anfang | Es war einmal (once upon a time) |
| Ende | sie wohnten glücklich (they lived happily) |
| Alles ist anonym | seldom do the characters or places have real names; the characters have relatively little personality |
| Zahlen - Symbole | things usually happen in threes; often the numbers 7 and 12 play a part |
| Gesetz des Gegensätzes | the law of opposites; sharp contrasts, extremes (especially good and bad) |
| Nur eine Dimension | the "real" world and the "fairytale" world are one; the characters encounter talking animals or witches and monsters and don't find it strange |
| Metalle und Minerale | Gold, diamonds, iron, glass all play an important role |
| Wiederholungen | this rule ties in often with Zahlen-Sybole; things are repeated; either actions or expressions (mirror, mirror on the wall) |
| Märchenhelden sind Einsam | the hero is often an only child; he usually has to follow his "path" alone |
| "Spieglein, Spieglein an der Wand" from Schneewittchen is an example of... | Wiederholungen |
| "Es war einmal.." is an exmple of... | Anfang |
| "und war reich für sein Lebtag" is an example of... | Ende |
