Gertrude's Bird facts for kids
Gertrude's Bird (called Gjertrudsfuglen in Norwegian) is a famous Norwegian fairy tale. It was collected by two important people, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. They put it in their book called Norske Folkeeventyr.
This story is part of a big collection of Norwegian folk tales. These stories were first published between 1841 and 1844. "Gertrude's Bird" is one of the most popular tales in Norway. People know it in many different versions, about 39 of them!
Contents
The Story of Gertrude's Bird
This old tale tells us about a time when Jesus and Saint Peter were walking on Earth. They were traveling and became very hungry.
Who Was Gertrude?
One day, they came to a house where a woman named Gertrude lived. They asked her for some food, specifically a taste of lefse. Lefse is a traditional Norwegian flatbread.
Gertrude took a tiny piece of dough to make the lefse. But when she put it on the griddle, it grew very large! She thought it was too big to give away. So, she decided to try again.
She tried two more times, each time using even less dough. But no matter how little dough she used, the lefse always grew too big. She couldn't make a small enough piece to share. Because of this, she refused to give them anything at all.
The Punishment
Our Lord saw Gertrude's selfishness. He decided to teach her a lesson. He transformed her into a bird! Right away, the bird flew up through the chimney and out into the world.
This bird later became known as the woodpecker. You can still see it today with its black body and a red "hat" on its head. It pecks at trees, looking for food between the bark and the wood. It also makes a sound as if it's thirsty for rain.
The Woodpecker's Lesson
The story of Gertrude's Bird teaches us an important lesson about sharing and kindness. It shows that being selfish can have unexpected consequences. The woodpecker's constant search for food and water reminds us of Gertrude's refusal to share.
Where to Find the Story
You can read the story of Gertrude's Bird in collections of Norwegian fairy tales.
- Asbjørnsen, Peter Christen; Moe, Jørgen (1888) East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon. (Edinburgh: David Douglass)
