The Lost Wand facts for kids
"The Lost Wand" is a magical fairy tale written by Jean Ingelow. It was published in 1902 as part of a collection called The Wonder Box Tales. The story is about a lucky young girl named Hulda who lives in Norway. She gets a special chance to make a wish after finding a hidden ring in her cake.
Contents
Story Summary
Hulda's grandmother baked a beautiful cake. All the children knew it was special and held magic. A fairy was disguised as a flower on top of the cake. Inside the cake, a hidden ring allowed the finder to make a wish.
Hulda was lucky and found the ring in her slice. The fairy appeared from the flower. She told Hulda she would grant any wish. Hulda, not knowing what would happen, asked for the fairy's golden wand.
The fairy gave Hulda her beautiful wand. But this made the fairy lose all her powers. She would be in danger from her enemy if she didn't get it back. The wand could only be returned on a midsummer's day. The fairy asked Hulda to keep it safe until then.
Days passed, and the fairy did not return. Hulda started to think the fairy had died. Later, a tricky guest visited Hulda. He convinced her to trade the wand for a pretty piece of jewelry. Hulda traded the wand for a bracelet with a bird clasp.
Soon, Hulda realized her visitor was actually a gnome. This gnome was the fairy's enemy. With the wand, the gnome planned to make the fairy his slave. Hulda knew she had made a big mistake. She worked hard to get the gold wand back. She returned it to the fairy, giving her powers back. In doing so, Hulda also saved herself.
About the Author
"The Lost Wand" was written by Jean Ingelow in the mid-1800s. She published many of her works around 1865. Her poems and stories made her very famous.
Jean Ingelow's writing was inspired by authors like Lewis Carroll and George Macdonald. She wrote her stories especially for children. Her goal was to entertain, which was a new idea at that time.
Main Characters
Hulda's Journey
Hulda starts the story as a young girl in Norway. It's a winter night, and she is at a party at her home. Her parents bring out a special cake. A small ring is baked inside it. The person who finds the ring gets one wish from a fairy.
Hulda finds the ring and wishes for the fairy's wand. She later feels sad when she learns her wish made the fairy lose her powers. Hulda spends her childhood protecting the wand.
One day, a poor peddler visits. He wants to trade the wand for one of his beautiful bracelets. Hulda had not seen the fairy in a long time. She thought the fairy had died. So, she traded the wand to the peddler.
Hulda soon found out the peddler was a gnome. He only wanted the wand. She then spent the rest of her childhood looking for the peddler. She also wanted to get back her mother's ring, which he had stolen.
The Fairy's Magic
The fairy first appears at the start of the story. She grants the children one wish. When Hulda wishes for the fairy's wand, the fairy loses her magic. She can no longer grant wishes.
The fairy becomes weak and soon disappears. Before she leaves, she asks Hulda to take good care of the wand. She hopes to return for it one day.
Later in the story, the fairy comes back. She learns that the wand was traded to the evil gnome. He had dressed up as a poor peddler. He tricked Hulda into trading it for a bracelet.
Hulda thought the fairy was dead. But the fairy explains she was in Africa. She stayed far away from Europe because gnomes can only appear in Europe. She was hiding so the gnome couldn't make her his slave. When Hulda returns the wand, the fairy gets her powers back.
The Tricky Peddler (Gnome)
The gnome, who pretends to be a poor peddler, appears when Hulda is older. He is looking for the wand, knowing it is somewhere nearby. He dresses as a poor man selling jewelry and trinkets.
He comes to Hulda's door when her parents are away. He tells lies that trick Hulda. She mistakenly gives away the fairy's wand. The peddler convinces her that the wand's dullness means its owner has died.
He is very happy when he trades the wand for a bracelet. He then goes back underground. Years later, he reappears. He learns about Hulda's poor health. He waits, thinking she will pass away.
However, Hulda recovers fully due to the warm weather in the south. When the peddler goes to the garden to sell more jewelry, Hulda confronts him. He tries to run back underground. But Hulda stops him, demanding her mother's ring back.
He is then faced by both Hulda and a lizard. He seems scared of the lizard. Before she can force him, Hulda gets the wand and the ring back. He then disappears underground with the lizard, and is never seen again.
Images for kids
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Illustration from The Little Wonder Horn by Frances Walker
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