This variant amazingly shares very few actually motifs with the Grimm version. However, when the actions are broken down with a Propp analysis it becomes quite clear how very similar the two tales are. The details may be different but the majority of actions are the same. Obviously, Michele wrote this tale purposefully to be a variant of this tale so the actions should be similar. However, despite this if a scholar did a simple motif analysis using the motifs listed in the book The Types of Folktales the two stories would not appear to be related. In this instance a Propp analysis on a simple level become quite useful.
I.The first move is repeated three times. The first involves a race of bears, the second a race of eagles, and the third a race of whales.
-Father explores the galaxy
-Father falls into another dimension
-Father confronts animal like alien race
-Father saves his life by promising hid daughter
-Aliens come for the daughter
-Daughter agree to go with the Aliens
II. The second move is also repeated three times as Rella searches for each sister
-Rella goes out to search
-Rella slips into another dimension
-Rella is hidden by sister until next dimensional shift
-Rella meet Aliens and collects their research
-Rella continues her search
III.This occurs only once
-Rella returns home to lave
-Rella studies data from all three races
-Rella finds solution
-Rella brings planets back to home dimension
-Sister return home
-Rella wins nobel prize
This page was written by Michele Nichols