Male-female Stereotypes and the War of the Sexes in The Promises of the Three Sisters

All of us have heard generalizations about the opposite sex. Most of us have said our share of them when the phone does not ring at the appointed hour or the love of our life mentions those dreaded words: “open relationship.” Men have trouble understanding women, and women have trouble understanding men. This problem is universal, extending through different cultures and time periods. The Egyptian folktale “The Promises of the Three Sisters” reflects the division between the sexes, a theme which is as relevant in our modern society as it was then.

In “The Promises of the Three Sisters,” the king represents the male world. In his castle, he is completely isolated from all female elements; the only companion mentioned is a male advisor. When he goes down to the village, he is confronted by the female world, as represented by the three sisters. The sisters have a supernatural quality, which shows how mystical the female world appears to the king. The women are weaving, a traditional female activity associated with an almost magical creativity. They are orphans, so their origin is mysterious. Also, their hut is removed from the familiar and conventional village.

Each sister promises the king something if he marries her. The older two promise him physical gratification: a cake that will feed him and his army and a carpet that will seat him and all his soldiers. The inclusion of his army is an appeal to the traditionally male value of force and power. The youngest sister promises him emotional satisfaction: twins, a boy and a girl. Her approach is more typically female, since it appeals to his personal feelings and includes a daughter in the bargain.

The king responds to his first contact with the fem...

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...ard female sexuality. The female protagonists in the story—Sitt el-Husn, the old woman, and the third sister—are asexual, while the sexually potent older sisters and the Long-Haired Lady are all seen as dangerous. The men in the story feel that “giving in” to a woman sexually is allowing that woman control over them, and they are not ready for women to be equal to them. “The Promises of the Three Sisters” was told in a male-dominated society, and thus it begins with negative stereotypes of women: the conniving sisters, the extremely sensitive Sitt el-Husn. However, as the story progresses, Sitt el-Husn breaks the stereotype and is seen by her brother as an equal. Shattering the male-female stereotypes is necessary in order to achieve understanding between the sexes.

Reference

Yolen, Jane, ed. Favorite Folktales from around the World. New York: Pantheon, 1986.