Nix Nought Nothing facts for kids
Nix Nought Nothing is a classic fairy tale. It was included in a book called English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs in 1898. However, it's actually a Scottish story! It was first collected by Andrew Lang from an old woman in Morayshire, Scotland. This tale is part of a big group of similar stories found all over the world. It even has parts that remind people of the Greek myth of Jason and Medea.
About the Story
The version of "Nix Nought Nothing" that most people know comes from Joseph Jacobs. He based his story on the Scottish tale "Nicht Nought Nothing," which was written down by Andrew Lang. Lang had heard the story from Miss Margaret Craig in Elgin.
The Story of Nix Nought Nothing
When a queen had a baby boy, the king was away. She decided not to give him a proper name until his father came home. So, she called him Nix Nought Nothing. The king was gone for a very long time, and Nix Nought Nothing grew into a young boy.
On his way home, the king met a huge giant. The giant offered to help the king cross a river. In return, the giant asked for "Nix Nought Nothing." The king didn't know he had a son with that name, so he agreed.
When the king got home, he learned what he had promised. He tried to trick the giant by giving him the hen-wife's son, and then the gardener's son. But both boys accidentally showed they weren't the prince, and the giant killed them. In the end, the king and queen had to give their own son, the prince, to the giant.
The giant had a daughter, and she and the prince became very good friends. When the prince grew up, the giant gave him impossible tasks. First, he had to clean the stables. The giant's daughter used her magic to summon animals to clean it for him. Next, the giant told him to empty a lake. She called fish to drink all the water.
Then, the giant commanded him to get a bird's nest from a tall tree without breaking any eggs. The giant's daughter bravely cut off her fingers and toes to make a stairway for him. But even with her help, one egg still broke.
The prince and the giant's daughter decided to run away. The giant chased after them! The girl had Nix Nought Nothing throw down her comb, which turned into a thorny bush. Then she threw her hair dagger, and it became a hedge of sharp razors. Finally, she threw a magic flask, which created a huge wave that drowned the giant.
The giant's daughter was very tired. She sent Nix Nought Nothing ahead to the king's castle. But the hen-wife, whose son had died, put a curse on him. As soon as he reached the castle, he fell into a deep sleep. The king and queen didn't recognize their grown son. The king promised that any maiden who could wake the sleeping man would marry him.
The giant's daughter finally arrived at the castle. She climbed a tree over a well to watch for the prince. Her reflection appeared in the water. The gardener's daughter came to get water and saw the reflection. She thought it was her own and believed she was beautiful enough to marry the sleeping stranger. She learned a counter-spell from the hen-wife to keep the prince awake for a short time. She used it and managed to wake him, securing the promised marriage.
Meanwhile, the gardener found the giant's daughter in the tree and brought her inside his house. He told her that his daughter was going to marry the stranger, and showed her Nix Nought Nothing.
The giant's daughter then sang a special charm to her sleeping beloved, reminding him of everything she had done for him. It didn't work at first. But when she called him "Nix Nought Nothing," the king and queen realized he was their own son! They made the gardener's daughter remove the spell. The hen-wife faced consequences for her actions. Finally, Nix Nought Nothing married the giant's daughter.
Similar Stories Around the World
Many other fairy tales from different countries are similar to "Nix Nought Nothing." These stories often share ideas like escaping from a monster or a hero being helped by a magical helper.
For example, a Scottish tale called The Battle of the Birds has parts where the hero throws objects that turn into obstacles to stop a giant. There are also Irish stories like "The Three Tasks" and "The Giant and his Royal Servant" where a royal family tries to trick a giant by giving him someone else's child instead of the prince.
Even further away, in Russia, there's a tale called The Sea King and Vasilissa the Wise. In this story, the heroine uses magic to make the Sea King eat so much that he bursts. Stories from places like Zululand, Madagascar, Samoa, Japan, and even among Native American tribes also have similar themes.
One common idea is the "obstacle flight," where characters throw things behind them to create barriers. For instance, in a Japanese myth, Izanagi throws combs and headwear to escape scary women from the underworld.
As mentioned before, the story also reminds people of the Greek myth of Jason and Medea. In that tale, the sorceress Medea helps Jason get the Golden Fleece. She even throws parts of her own brother behind them to stop their pursuers.
