The Duration of Life (fairy tale) facts for kids

The Duration of Life is a German fairy tale collected by the famous Brothers Grimm. You can find it in their well-known book, Grimm's Fairy Tales, as story number 176. This particular tale first appeared in the fourth edition of their collection. It's a story that makes you think about how long people and animals live.

The Story of Life Spans

This fairy tale begins with God deciding how long each creature on Earth would live. At first, God offered everyone, including humans, a life span of thirty years.

The Animals' Choices

However, some animals felt that thirty years was too much for them, given their lives.

The Donkey's Burden

First, there was the donkey. The donkey complained that its life was very hard. It had to carry heavy loads all the time and work tirelessly. Because of this tough life, the donkey felt that thirty years was too long. So, God decided to take away some of the donkey's years, making its life span shorter.

The Dog's Duty

Next came the dog. The dog explained that its life involved a lot of running around and guarding. It had to be active and alert constantly. The dog also felt that thirty years was more time than it needed for such a busy life. So, God also shortened the dog's life span.

The Monkey's Play

Then, the monkey came forward. The monkey's job was to entertain people and make them laugh. This meant always being playful and performing tricks. The monkey, too, thought that thirty years was too long for its kind of life. So, God took away some of the monkey's years as well.

Man's Request

After the animals had given back some of their years, humans were still only offered thirty years. But humans were not happy with just thirty years. They wanted more time to live and experience the world. So, God decided to give humans the extra years that the donkey, the dog, and the monkey had given back.

The Meaning of Human Life Stages

Because of this, the fairy tale explains that a human's life can be seen in different stages, each reflecting one of the animals:

• For the first thirty years, a person is truly a "human." This is a time of youth and strength.
• After thirty years, a person might start to carry burdens, much like the donkey. They might have many responsibilities and work hard.
• Later in life, a person might become like the dog, needing to rest more and perhaps sitting quietly in a corner.
• Finally, in very old age, the story suggests a person might become silly or simple, like the monkey, entertaining others without meaning to.

This fairy tale teaches us to think about the different stages of life and how our lives change over time.