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The motif Prayer is a part of: Ritual

Keywords:

Faith, speech, words, ritual

Description of this motif:

Prayers in a religious sense of the word, are adressed to one or more gods, divine or sacred persons in anticipation of help, blessings or a good relationship.

There are prescribed prayers, e.g. the Lord's Prayer and Ave Maria, and there are prayers, which are spontaneous and individual. Both kinds are present in Andersen's tales.

Example 1:

"Oh, well! I may be a bit wrong. I belong to the old days, and I can't quite get a foothold in the new. May God guide us and show us the right way to go."

Comment on this quote: Great-Grandfather discusses the technical progress with his grandchild Frederick. The old man looks askance at the new times and speaks of the good old days. He is convinced of the blessing of progress in the end of the tale, which is an appraisal of the telegraph and the Danish scientist Hans Christian Ørsted.

Example 2:

Everyone cried, and I cried too. Great-Grandfather cried and clasped his hands.