The Glass Coffin facts for kids

The Glass Coffin is a German fairy tale. It was collected by the famous Brothers Grimm. This story is tale number 163 in their collection. Andrew Lang also included it in his book The Green Fairy Book. He called it The Crystal Coffin.

This tale is a type of story known as Aarne-Thompson type 410. This type is similar to the well-known story of Sleeping Beauty. Another story like it is The Young Slave.

The Story of the Glass Coffin

The Lost Tailor

A young tailor's helper got lost in a big forest. As night came, he saw a bright light. He followed the light and found a small hut. An old man lived there. The tailor asked if he could stay for the night. The old man kindly agreed.

A Magical Discovery

In the morning, the tailor woke up to a strange sight. He saw a huge stag (a male deer) fighting a bull. The stag won the fight. It then bounded over to the tailor. The stag carried him away on its antlers. It set him down in front of a stone wall. The stag pushed him against a door in the wall, and it opened.

Inside the door, a voice told him to stand on a stone. The voice promised this would bring him good luck. He stepped onto the stone. It sank down into a large hall. The voice then told him to look into a glass chest.

The Maiden in the Glass Coffin

The chest held a beautiful maiden. She asked him to open the chest and set her free. The tailor quickly opened the glass coffin.

The maiden then shared her story. She was the daughter of a rich count. After her parents passed away, her brother raised her. One day, a traveler stayed the night. He used magic to reach her room. He asked her to marry him. She did not like that he used magic. So, she said no to his proposal.

To get revenge, the magician turned her brother into the stag. He trapped her inside the glass chest. He also cast a spell on all the lands around them.

The Spell is Broken

The tailor and the maiden left the enchanted hall. They found that the stag had changed back into her brother. The bull that the stag had killed was actually the magician. The spell was finally broken!

The tailor and the maiden then got married.