El castigo de la Madre Sierpe: Animalización femenina en la “mala madre” de “El niño de oro y el caballito de plata”

Abstract

Abstract

This article examines the animalization of the “bad mother” as a form of punishment in the Mexican folktale “El niño de oro y el caballito de plata” (Corona, 2012), besides the folktale “El gallo y la mujer” (Morábito, 2023), addressing an existing theoretical gap surrounding the feminine becoming-animal within this folkloric context. The text analyzes how the animalization of the female character expresses the punishment of the maternal figure in response to the actions of the hero/male in the narrative, thereby degrading the woman to a wild or irrational being. The discussion explores the theoretical foundations behind the conceptualization of “bad mothers,” and investigates how animalization and other forms of violence toward the female character operate only when the woman breaks the gender roles presupposed by a given society. In this way, the study incorporates a gender perspective that allows for questioning how popular tales function as guides for perpetuating moral notions such as obedience and redemption, as well as their relationship to the male and female characters within a story.