If, however, perhaps in fairy tales that are full of mythological reminiscences and fragments, this supposition is permissible, so probably in present-day psychopathology the old mythology is less responsible than the similarity with the male genitals, with the appearance of the serpent as a sexual symbol (both symbolic series have a common origin). An hysterical patient, who, for example, in a dream was bitten in the mouth (instead of the genitals) by a serpent, had no such mythological knowledge. The example will be further referred to later.
It is similar with other elements in the fairy tale. In the sexual dreams of the mentally disordered, for example, we know the magic wand, the divining rod in sexual symbolic meaning. In fairy tales, however, the significance of these objects may be displaced, and so not every fairy tale serpent is a sexual symbol. We have, however, instances of fairy tales in mind in which the mythological series meets and crosses with that from dreams and psychopathology.
From the different collections which I know well I will select a series of examples of the sexual symbolism of fairy tales.
The Frog King (Grimm, No. 1).—The princess lost her golden ball which fell into the water. The frog, who came out of the water, promised to bring it back to her. As a reward, however, he will have neither the clothes, pearls, precious stones or crown; but the princess must promise to love him; he wished to become her chum and playmate, sit by her at her little table, eat from her little gold plate, drink from her little cup, and sleep in her little bed. She promised and he got the ball; when, however, the princess did not keep her promise the frog, the following day, hopped to the palace and asked the princess, who felt fear and disgust of him, to keep her promise. He made then, one after another, requests similar to those made by the snake in the story of Oda. Perhaps here the eating together is also a sexual symbolism (perhaps also the ball?). The princess was afraid to sleep in her little bed with the cold frog which she hardly trusted herself to touch. Because she was commanded by her father she picked up the frog by two fingers, carried it upstairs and put it in a corner. When she was in bed the frog asked to be lifted up
worshipped as a good house spirit: If the whole male branch dies out in a house then the house serpent has forsaken the house forever.
