In the Brothers Grimm tale “The Fisherman and His Wife,” what kind of fish grants the fisherman’s wishes?

In the Brothers Grimm tale “The Fisherman and His Wife,” an enchanted flounder grants the fisherman’s wishes.

The fisherman catches the fish, which speaks and asks to be released because it is an enchanted prince. The fisherman lets it go without demanding anything. His wife, dissatisfied that he did not ask for a reward, repeatedly sends him back to the shore to request more possessions and higher social status.

The fish grants increasingly ambitious wishes, moving the couple from a small home toward grander forms of power. The wife ultimately demands an impossible position associated with control over the sun and moon. Her unchecked ambition causes the wishes to be reversed, returning the couple to their original humble condition.

English translations commonly identify the fish as a flounder, while the German text calls it an enchanted fish. This distinction explains why “enchanted flounder” is the specific answer used here.