Clever Hans (fairy tale) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Clever Hans |
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Illustration by Otto Ubbelohde to the fairy tale Clever Hans
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| Folk tale | |
| Name | Clever Hans |
| Also known as | Der gescheite Hans |
| Data | |
| Aarne–Thompson grouping | 1685 and 1696 |
Clever Hans (which means "Der gescheite Hans" in German) is a funny fairy tale collected by the famous Brothers Grimm. It's story number 32 in their collection. The tale is about a young boy named Hans who makes a lot of silly mistakes. These mistakes cause him to lose his chance to marry a girl named Gretel. Most people think the title "Clever Hans" is a joke because Hans isn't very clever at all! This story is also known by special numbers, 1685 and 1696, in a system called the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index. This system helps people classify and study different types of folk tales from all over the world.
What Happens in the Story
The story of Clever Hans begins with a boy named Hans and his daily routine. Every morning, Hans would talk to his mother before heading out. He would tell her he was going to visit his girlfriend, Gretel. When he met Gretel, he would always ask her for a gift.
Gretel was very kind and gave Hans several presents over time. But Hans had a strange way of handling them, which always led to trouble.
Here are the gifts Gretel gave him and how Hans messed up:
- First, Gretel gave Hans a shiny needle. His mother told him he should have put it through his sleeve to keep it safe. But Hans, being Hans, stuck it into a pile of hay instead.
- Next, Gretel gave him a useful knife. Remembering his mother's advice about the needle, Hans tried to put the knife through his sleeve. His mother then told him he should have put it in his pocket.
- Then, Gretel gave him a cute young goat. Hans, trying to follow the last advice, put the poor goat into his pocket! Of course, the goat couldn't breathe and sadly died. His mother explained he should have led the goat by a rope.
- After that, Gretel gave him a tasty ham. Hans tried to lead the ham by a rope, just like his mother said about the goat. But as he walked, some hungry dogs came along and stole the ham! His mother then told him he should have carried it on his head or under his arm.
- Later, Gretel gave him a small calf. Hans tried to carry the calf on his head. But the calf was too big and kept kicking him until he dropped it. The calf then ran away. His mother sighed and said he should have tied it up safely in the stable.
- Finally, Gretel herself came to visit Hans. Hans, remembering his mother's last advice, decided to tie Gretel in the stable!
The story ends with Hans misunderstanding his mother's advice one last time. His mother told him to "cast your adoring eyes at her" (meaning to look at Gretel with love). But Hans took this literally and did something very silly with the eyes of his farm animals, which made Gretel very upset.
Because of all these funny and foolish mistakes, Hans lost his chance to marry Gretel. The story finishes by saying, "And that's how Hans lost his bride." It's a tale that shows how misunderstandings and taking things too literally can lead to big problems, even if they are meant to be funny!
