Esben and the Witch facts for kids

Esben and the Witch (in Danish: Esben og Troldheksen) is a classic fairy tale from Denmark. Jens Kamp first collected this story. Later, Andrew Lang included it in his famous The Pink Fairy Book. You can also find versions of this tale in A Book of Witches and A Choice of Magic by Ruth Manning-Sanders.

This story is known as Aarne-Thompson type 327B. This means it's a tale where a small boy cleverly defeats a powerful, evil creature. In this exciting adventure, a young boy named Esben uses his wits to outsmart a wicked witch. He does this to get special magical treasures, all to help his older brothers.

The Story of Esben and the Witch

Esben's Journey Begins

Once upon a time, a farmer had twelve sons. The youngest, Esben, was small and not as strong as his eleven big brothers. One day, his brothers convinced their father to let them go seek their fortune. Their father gave each of them a horse and some money.

Esben wanted to go too, but his father refused to help him. So, Esben found a stick and carved it until it was whiter than his brothers' horses. He then bravely rode off on his simple stick.

A Dangerous Night at the Witch's House

The eleven brothers soon arrived at a house. A woman there offered them a place to stay for the night. She even said each brother could have one of her daughters to keep them company. The brothers were very happy with this offer.

Esben arrived quietly behind them. He secretly watched what was happening. During the night, Esben had a clever idea. He convinced his brothers to swap their nightcaps with the daughters.

At midnight, the woman, who was actually a witch, came into the room. She carried a knife. Because of the swapped caps, she mistakenly tried to harm her own eleven daughters instead of the brothers. Esben quickly woke his brothers, and they all ran away. In their hurry, the brothers left Esben behind.

Challenges at the King's Castle

The eleven brothers found jobs as stableboys for the king. When Esben finally arrived, no one offered him a job. Still, he managed to find food and get by.

The brothers did not like Sir Red, a man everyone at the castle hated, but the king liked him. Sir Red wanted to get back at the brothers. He told the king they had boasted they could get a special dove. This dove had one silver feather and one golden feather. The king demanded the brothers find it.

Esben told his brothers to get him some peas. Then, he spoke a magic charm to his stick. The stick flew him all the way back to the witch's house. He had noticed she owned such a dove. Esben spread the peas and easily caught the bird. The witch saw him too late to stop him, and they exchanged angry words.

More Tricky Tasks for Esben

Sir Red was still angry. He claimed the brothers had said they could get a magical boar. This boar had silver and golden bristles. Esben asked his brothers for a bag of malt. Using the malt, he managed to catch the witch's special boar. The king was very pleased, but Esben's brothers did not even thank him.

Sir Red made another claim. He said the brothers could get a lamp that could shine over seven kingdoms. For this task, Esben had to sneak inside the witch's house and hide. The witch called her daughter to make porridge, telling her not to add salt. Esben secretly poured salt into the porridge.

There was no water in the house. So, the daughter asked her mother for the lamp to go fetch more water. Esben then pushed the daughter into the well, and she drowned. He quickly ran off with the magical lamp.

The Final Challenge and Victory

After the king received the lamp, Sir Red made one last claim. He said the brothers could get a special bed cover (coverlet) that made a sound when touched. Esben tried to steal it, but it made a sound, and the witch caught him.

However, the witch's last and youngest daughter took a liking to Esben. Together, they tricked her mother twice, allowing Esben to stay alive as a captive. Eventually, the witch had to leave for a meeting with other witches. While she was gone, Esben pushed the final daughter into the oven and stole the coverlet.

When the witch returned, she found all her children were gone. She was so incredibly angry that she burst into tiny pieces of flint.

Esben's brothers were already in prison, waiting to be executed. But the king freed them. Esben also told the king about Sir Red's lies. The king had Sir Red punished and rewarded all the brothers with gold and silver. They returned home, telling their father how Esben, the youngest and cleverest, had saved them all.