Heart of Stone (German fairy tale) facts for kids
Heart of Stone (which means "The Cold Heart" in German) is a fairy tale written by Wilhelm Hauff. It was published in 1827 as part of a collection of stories. This tale later inspired the East German film Heart of Stone in 1950 and other movies.
Contents
What's the Story About?
The story follows Peter Marmot, also known as Coal-marmot Peter. He takes over his father's charcoal-making business. But Peter isn't happy with this hard, dirty, and low-paying job. He dreams of becoming rich and important.
Peter Meets the Spirits
Peter hears about a forest spirit in the Black Forest. This spirit is called the little glass-imp, or Schatzhauser. The glass-imp grants three wishes to anyone born on a Sunday between 11 am and 2 pm. Peter was born at this special time, but he needs a special poem to call the imp.
While searching for the glass-imp, Peter meets another forest spirit. This is the huge and dangerous Dutch-Mike. Dutch-Mike is an evil sorcerer who appears during stormy nights. Luckily, Peter manages to get away from him.
Peter's First Wishes
Peter finally calls the little glass-imp with the poem: "Schatzhauser in the green firwood, thou art many hundreds of years old. Yours is the land where the firs stand, thou shalt only be seen by Sunday's children." The glass-imp agrees to grant three wishes. But there's a rule: the third wish won't be granted if the first two are silly.
Peter's first wish is indeed foolish. He wants to dance better than the "dance floor king" and have as much money as Ezekiel. These two people are Peter's questionable role models. His second wish is a bit better. He asks for a big glass factory and enough money to run it. The glass-imp points out that Peter should have also wished for the smarts to run it well. The glass-imp saves the third wish for later.
Peter's New Life and Troubles
Peter's first two wishes come true. For a while, he has good luck. He owns the most beautiful glass factory in the Black Forest. He dances better than anyone and wins lots of money when gambling, just like Ezekiel. Soon, he becomes a very famous man in the Black Forest.
However, Peter doesn't understand how to run his glass factory. He ignores it to go gambling instead. Soon, he finds himself in debt. He only has money when he runs into Ezekiel at the tavern.
A Deal with Dutch-Mike
Peter's bad luck gets worse when he starts winning all the time. He wins all of Ezekiel's money until Ezekiel has none left. This means Peter also ends up with no money. He gets kicked out of the tavern. The next morning, someone comes to take his glass factory away.
Feeling desperate, Peter goes into the forest to find Dutch-Mike. Unlike the glass-imp, Dutch-Mike works with the devil. Mike seems more generous than the glass-imp. But he demands Peter's heart as payment for his help. Peter believes his feelings only get in his way. So, he agrees to give up his heart.
In return for his heart, Peter gets a cold stone in his chest. He also gets 100,000 thalers (an old type of money) every day. Mike says Peter can always come back for more money if he needs it. The next day, Peter starts a trip around the world.
Life with a Stone Heart
Soon, Peter realizes he can't enjoy anything. He can't laugh or cry. He can't feel love, and nothing seems beautiful anymore. His new stone heart can't feel empathy for others. He returns to the Black Forest to ask Dutch-Mike for his heart back.
Mike refuses Peter's request. He says Peter will only get his heart back after he dies. Mike shows Peter his collection of hearts. Peter sees that many other important people in the Black Forest traded their hearts for wealth, including Ezekiel. Mike gives Peter even more money. He tells Peter to find a job and get married to stop being bored.
Peter builds a huge house in the Black Forest. He becomes a merchant and a debt collector. He charges very high interest rates. He becomes known for being very stingy. He chases away poor people begging outside his house. Even his own mother only gets a small amount of money from him. He keeps her at a distance.
Next, Peter looks for a wife. He asks the beautiful Lisbeth to marry him. They get married, but Lisbeth soon becomes unhappy. Peter is bad-tempered and cheap. He forbids Lisbeth from helping the poor, even though they are very rich. Because of this, people start to think Lisbeth is stingy too. Lisbeth suffers greatly and wishes she had never married Peter.
A Tragic Event and a Second Chance
One day, a small, old man visits and asks for a drink. Lisbeth, thinking no one is watching, offers him wine and bread. The man thanks her and says her good heart will be rewarded. Just then, Peter returns. He is furious and accidentally hurts Lisbeth, and she passes away. When Peter sees his wife, he immediately feels regret. The old man reveals himself to be the glass-imp. He tells Peter that he has destroyed the most beautiful person in the Black Forest. Peter blames the glass-imp, who becomes very angry.
Because of Peter's kind, deceased wife, the glass-imp gives Peter eight days to think about his life. Peter sleeps poorly and hears voices telling him to "get a warmer heart." He lies to people who miss Lisbeth, saying she went traveling. These events make him think about his own death.
Getting His Heart Back
Finally, Peter goes into the woods and calls for the little glass-imp. He still has one wish left. He wants his heart back. But the "Schatzhauser" can't help him directly. The deal for the heart was made with Dutch-Mike. Instead, the glass-imp tells Peter how to trick Dutch-Mike.
Peter visits Dutch-Mike for the third time. He claims that Mike tricked him and didn't give him a real stone heart. Dutch-Mike wants to prove Peter wrong. As a "test," he replaces the stone with Peter's real heart. Then Peter pulls out a cross made of glass, which the glass-imp had given him. He shows it to Dutch-Mike. This keeps the now furious Dutch-Mike away. Peter quickly runs to the glass-imp's place.
Now, Peter truly regrets how his life turned out. The little glass-imp reunites him with his mother and Lisbeth, who has come back to life. From then on, Peter follows the glass-imp’s advice. He becomes a hard-working charcoal burner again. Even without lots of money, he earns a good reputation. To celebrate the birth of Peter's son, the glass-imp gives Peter a gift of four rolls of thalers. This shows that the glass-imp is the godparent of his son.
Themes in the Story
This fairy tale connects to the Romantic Era in literature. During this time, it was common to write stories as fairy tales. The story uses the idea of the "glass-imp" to show the Romantic search for happiness. Other Romantic ideas include using mysterious and eerie elements, and folk tales.
A main idea in Romanticism is "longing" (called Sehnsucht in German). Coal-marmot Peter shows this longing as he gets his three wishes. But this longing often leads to self-destruction in Romantic stories. Peter's riches turn into misery, and his longing becomes stinginess and meanness. However, Peter doesn't give up on finding happiness. By the end of the fairy tale, he finally finds happiness with his wife.
Films Based on the Story
- Heart of Stone (1924)
- Heart of Stone (1950)
