The Elves and the Shoemaker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Elves and the Shoemaker |
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The Elves and The Shoemaker
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| Folk tale | |
| Name | The Elves and the Shoemaker |
| Data | |
| Aarne–Thompson grouping | AT 503* AT 476* |
| Country | Germany |
| Published in | Grimm's Fairy Tales |
"The Elves and The Shoemaker" (German: Die Wichtelmänner) is a classic set of fairy tales. They were collected by the famous Brothers Grimm. The stories are about a poor shoemaker who gets amazing help. Three small, helpful elves secretly make shoes for him.
The original story is the first of three tales found in the German Grimm's Fairy Tales. It is entry number 39, titled "Die Wichtelmänner." In 1884, a translator named Margaret Hunt called these three stories The Elves.
The first tale is about helpful elves. The second is about a servant girl who helps with an elf baptism. The third tale tells of a "changeling" child. This is when elves swap a human baby for one of their own.
Contents
Where Did the Stories Come From?
The Brothers Grimm first published these tales in 1812. They were part of their book Kinder- und Hausmärchen. The stories were based on accounts from a woman named Gretchen Wild.
In the very first book, the three stories had longer names. They were called "The Shoemaker for Whom They Did Work," "The Servant Girl Who Stood In as Godmother for Them," and "The Woman Whose Child They Exchanged." Later on, the Grimms did not give separate titles to each story.
The Stories
The Shoemaker and the Elves
A poor shoemaker worked very hard. He had so little leather that he could only make one pair of shoes. One evening, he left his work unfinished and went to bed. He prayed for help.
The next morning, he found the shoes completely finished. They were perfectly made! A customer soon came in and bought the shoes for a good price. The shoemaker was very happy.
One evening, close to Christmas, the shoemaker had an idea. He said to his wife, "Let's stay up tonight. We can see who is helping us." His wife agreed. They hid in a corner of the room.
They saw two tiny men working very fast. They quickly finished the shoes. Then, the little men ran away.
The next morning, his wife said, "The little men have made us rich! We must thank them." She noticed they had no clothes and were probably cold. She suggested making them tiny clothes. The shoemaker agreed to make them shoes.
They worked until the clothes and shoes were ready. Then, they hid again. That night, the couple watched. The little men were so happy! They tried on the beautiful clothes and shoes. They danced around the house. After that, they never returned. But the shoemaker continued to do very well in his business.
The Servant Girl and the Elf Baptism
A hardworking servant girl was sweeping the house. She found a letter in a pile of dirt. She could not read, so she took the letter to her masters.
They told her that the letter was an invitation. It asked her to an elf baptism. She was asked to be the baby's godmother. The girl was unsure at first. But her master convinced her to say yes.
The elves led the servant girl to their home inside a hollow mountain. Everything there was smaller than usual. But it was also much more beautiful and fancy. The girl helped with the baptism. She then asked to leave. But the elves asked her to stay for three days.
The elves did everything to make her happy during those three days. But the girl again asked to leave. The little men gave her gold. Then they let her leave their mountain. When she returned home, she learned something surprising. She had not spent three days with the elves. She had spent seven years! Her old masters had passed away.
The Woman and the Changeling
A woman's baby was taken from its cradle by elves. They replaced it with a "changeling." This was an elf baby that looked like a human child. Her neighbor gave her some advice.
The neighbor told her to put the changeling on the fireplace. She should make a fire and boil water in two eggshells. This would make the changeling laugh. If it laughed, the spell would be broken.
The woman did everything her neighbor said. The changeling started to laugh at her cooking in tiny shells. Then, a group of little elves suddenly appeared. They brought the woman's real child back. They put the human baby on the fireplace. Then they took the changeling away.
What Are "Elves" in This Story?
In the English versions of the story, the magical creatures are called "elves." But in the original German, they are called Wichtelmänner. The word Wicht means "creature" or "thing." So, Wichtelmänner means "Wicht-men" or "little creatures."
How the Story Lives On
This fairy tale has inspired many movies, TV shows, and cartoons.
- In 1946, Friz Freleng made a cartoon called Holiday for Shoestrings. It was a musical version of the story.
- Later, in 1950, Tex Avery made a cartoon called The Peachy Cobbler.
- The 1956 Looney Tunes cartoon Yankee Dood It also used this fairy tale. In it, Elmer Fudd is the king of industrial elves. He visits the shoemaker to get his elves back.
- The movie Elf from 2003 shows elves making shoes. This is one of their jobs at the North Pole.
- Muppet Classic Theater had a version of the story. Kermit the Frog played the shoemaker. A group of entertainers called "The Elvises" helped him. They made only blue suede shoes.
- In the Harry Potter books, there are many House Elves. These elves take care of wizards. They become free if they are given clothes.
- The TV show Supernatural had an episode with a similar story. It was about a watchmaker and some fairies.
