Godfather Death facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Godfather Death
Folk tale
Name	Godfather Death
Also known as	Der Gevatter Tod
Data
Aarne-Thompson grouping	ATU 332
Country	Germany

"Godfather Death" (German: Der Gevatter Tod) is a German fairy tale. It was collected by the famous Brothers Grimm and first published in 1812. This story is known as Aarne-Thompson type 332, which means it shares a similar plot with other tales from around the world.

The Story's Beginning

The Brothers Grimm first shared this tale in their book Kinder- und Hausmärchen in 1812. It was story number 44 in that first collection.

What Happens in the Story

A very poor man had twelve children. He worked hard just to feed them every day. When his thirteenth child was born, he needed to find a godfather for the baby.

He went out onto the highway to look for someone. First, he met God. God offered to be the godfather and promised the child health and happiness. But the man said no. He felt that God sometimes let people be poor.

Next, the man met the Devil. The Devil offered the child gold and all the fun things in the world. The man also said no to the Devil. He knew the Devil often tricked people.

Finally, the man met Death. Death said he would be a good godfather because he treats everyone the same, whether they are rich or poor. The man agreed, and Death became the child's godfather the next Sunday.

The Doctor's Gift

When the boy grew up, Death appeared to him. Death led him into a forest where special herbs grew. Death told the boy that he would become a very famous doctor.

Death explained how it would work: Whenever the boy visited a sick person, Death would appear next to them. If Death stood at the person's head, the doctor should give them the special herb. This would cure them. But if Death stood at the person's feet, it meant the person would soon die. No medicine would help.

The boy quickly became famous. He earned a lot of gold because he could tell if someone would live or die.

Tricking Death

One day, the king of the land became very ill. He sent for the famous doctor. When the doctor arrived, he saw Death standing at the foot of the king's bed. This meant the king was supposed to die.

But the doctor felt sorry for the king. He decided to trick Death. The doctor turned the king in his bed so that Death was now standing at the head. Then, he gave the king the special herb. The king got better very quickly!

Soon after, Death came to the doctor. Death was angry because the doctor had tricked him and broken the rules. But because the doctor was Death's godchild, Death did not punish him. Death only warned the doctor: if he ever tricked Death again, Death would take his life.

The Final Trick

Not long after, the king's daughter, the princess, became ill. The king promised the doctor a huge reward if he cured her. He said the doctor could marry the princess and become the next king!

When the doctor saw the princess, he saw Death standing at her feet. This meant she was meant to die. But the doctor was amazed by the princess's beauty. He also dreamed of becoming a prince. So, he ignored Death's warning.

The doctor turned the princess in her bed, making Death stand at her head. Then, he gave her the herb.

Just as the princess started to get better, Death grabbed the doctor's arm. Death dragged him to a dark cave. Inside the cave were thousands of candles, all burning down at different lengths. Death explained that each candle showed how much longer a person had to live.

Death showed the doctor his own candle. It was very short, meaning the doctor did not have much time left.

The doctor begged his godfather to light him a new, longer candle. He wanted to live a happy life as king and husband to the beautiful princess. The doctor tried to move a long candle from another person's life to his own.

Death said he could not do that. For a new candle to be lit, an old one had to go out. The doctor kept begging. He asked Death to blow out one candle and light a new one for him. Death seemed to agree. He walked towards the doctor's short candle.

Just as Death was about to light a new candle, he lifted his scythe. Instead of lighting a new one, he put out the doctor's short candle. As soon as the flame went out, the doctor fell dead to the ground.

As the doctor fell, he heard Death whisper, "You once looked for the most fair one to be your child's godfather. But when it came to your own life, you betrayed that fairness and tried to take another's life. Now sleep, my unwise apprentice."

Different Endings

The first version of this story, published in 1812, ended a bit differently. It stopped when Death showed the doctor the candles. The second version, published later, added the part where Death pretends to light a new candle but instead puts out the doctor's candle, causing his death.

Similar Stories

The "Godfather Death" tale is similar to other stories around the world. These include "Dr. Urssenbeck, Physician of Death" from Austria, "The Boy with the Ale Keg" from Norway, and "The Just Man" from Italy. They all share the main idea of a person who can see Death and heal people.

In Other Media

• The cartoon series Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics made an episode based on this story. In their version, the doctor is more heroic. He sacrifices himself to save the princess, who is still a child. Death is shown to be sad about this.
• The Storyteller had an episode called "The Soldier and Death." In this version, the man is not Death's godson. He traps Death in a sack. The story ends with him becoming a wanderer because Death, Hell, and Heaven all fear or refuse him.
• Anne Sexton wrote a poem called "Godfather Death" in her book Transformations (1971). She rewrote sixteen of the Grimm's Fairy Tales in her own way.
• Some cultures, like Mexico and Lithuania, have similar stories where Death is a female godmother. In a Mexican version, the godson falls in love. His godmother Death shows him that his lover's life candle is very short. He tries to extend her life, and in anger, Death blows out both their candles, so they die together.
• A Polish story called "Three Lamps" tells of a boy who rescues a female Death from a swamp. She teaches him healing. In this version, a person is doomed if Death stands near their head. The doctor saves three people: his mother, a poor widow, and a hero. After the third time, Death shows him the cave of oil lamps (human lives). His own lamp is almost out. He can only save himself by taking oil from the three people he saved. The doctor refuses and dies.
• The 2014 movie The Book of Life shows a scene with many candles, like in the Grimm fairytale. A character called the Candlemaker explains that the candles represent human lives.
• A traditional Japanese story called "Shinigami" (from the late 1800s) is also based on Grimm's "Godfather Death."