Mother Trudy facts for kids
Mother Trudy (German: Frau Trude) is a classic German fairy tale collected by the famous Brothers Grimm. It is tale number 43 in their collection of stories. This tale is known as Aarne-Thompson type 334, which means it's a story about someone visiting a witch's house.
The Story of Mother Trudy
The story begins with a young girl who is very headstrong and does not listen to her parents. Even though they warn her many times, she decides she wants to visit Frau Trude. So, she sets off on her own to find the mysterious Frau Trude.
Meeting Frau Trude
When the girl finally arrives at Frau Trude's house, she is very scared. Frau Trude asks her what she saw on her way. The girl describes seeing a black man on the steps, who Frau Trude says was a collier (someone who works with coal). Then she saw a green man, who was a huntsman. Next, she saw a red man, who was a butcher.
The Witch's Magic
Finally, the girl looks through the window and sees something truly frightening: she sees the devil instead of Frau Trude! Frau Trude then tells the girl that she saw the witch in her true form. Frau Trude reveals that she had been waiting for the girl. As a consequence for her disobedience and for seeing too much, Frau Trude uses her magic to transform the girl into a block of wood. The witch then uses this block of wood for her fire, warming herself and commenting on how brightly it burns.
Lessons from the Tale
This fairy tale teaches an important lesson about listening to your parents and respecting warnings. The girl's curiosity and disobedience led her to a dangerous place and a magical, scary outcome. Like many Grimm's fairy tales, "Mother Trudy" shows that ignoring good advice can have serious consequences.
