The Nixie of the Mill-Pond facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Nixie of the Mill Pond
An illustration of the Nixie waiting in the mill pond by Otto Ubbelohde
Folk tale
Name	The Nixie of the Mill Pond
Data
Aarne–Thompson grouping	316
Country	German
Region	Upper Lusatia
Published in	Grimm's Fairy Tales

The Nixie of the Mill-Pond is a classic German fairy tale about a man who gets captured by a water spirit and his wife's brave journey to save him. The famous Brothers Grimm added this story to their collection, Grimm's Fairy Tales, in 1857. It was tale number 181. People in a region called Upper Lusatia in Germany knew this story well when it was collected.

This tale is known as Aarne-Thompson Type 316, which is called "The Nix of the Mill-Pond." This type of fairy tale is about "Supernatural Adversaries." It often involves parents being offered riches or gifts in exchange for their child. These stories are most common in Northern Europe, and some versions have even been found in Scotland.

The Story of the Nixie of the Mill-Pond

A Miller's Difficult Deal

The story begins with a miller and his wife who were very poor. They were close to losing their mill. One day, the miller was by the mill pond when a beautiful water spirit, called a nixie, appeared. She called out to him by name. Even though he was scared at first, the miller told the nixie about his money problems.

The nixie offered him lots of wealth. In return, she asked for whatever was born in his house that very morning. The miller thought it would only be a puppy or a kitten, so he agreed to the deal.

A Shocking Surprise

When the miller went home, he found a big surprise. His wife had just given birth to a baby boy! The miller was horrified. He realized the nixie knew about his son's birth when she made the offer. Both he and his wife were very worried and didn't know what to do.

Years passed, and the miller's family became rich. His son also grew up. But the miller always worried that the nixie would come back for her payment. He warned his son to stay away from the dangerous mill pond.

The Hunter and the Nixie

The boy grew into a skilled hunter. He married a woman from the nearby village. One day, he was hunting near the mill pond. He shot a deer and was cleaning it. He went to the mill pond to wash off the blood. Suddenly, the nixie appeared and pulled him under the water!

A Wife's Search for Her Husband

When her husband did not come home that night, his wife went to look for him. She suspected the nixie was responsible. She went to the pond and called out to her husband and the nixie. But there was no sign of him.

Very upset, she fell asleep by the water's edge. She dreamed of climbing a dangerous cliff. At the top, she found a small cottage with an old woman inside.

Help from an Old Woman

When she woke up the next day, the woman did exactly what she did in her dream. She climbed the cliff. When she reached the old woman, she was given a golden comb. The old woman told her to comb her hair by the pond during the full moon. After she finished, she should place the comb on the bank.

She followed the instructions. Once she put the comb down, her husband's head appeared above the water for a short moment. He looked sad. Then a wave came and pulled him back under.

More Attempts to Rescue Him

The woman was not happy with just a glimpse of her husband. She went back to the cottage a second time. This time, she received a golden flute. She was told to play a beautiful tune under the full moon at the mill pond. Afterward, she should place the flute in the sand.

She did this, and her husband partly rose from the water. He reached towards her, but again, a wave pulled him under.

The woman returned to the cottage for a third time. She received a golden spinning wheel. She was told to spin flax under the full moon until she had a full spool. Then she should place it on the bank.

Freedom and Transformation

Following these instructions, her husband appeared again. This time, he was able to break free from the pond! The angry nixie unleashed a huge wave from the pond. She tried to drag the couple back under as they ran away.

Before the nixie's pond could kill them, the woman begged the old woman from the cottage to help them. The woman was instantly changed into a toad, and her husband into a frog. This saved them from death. However, the flood carried them far from their home. It separated them by mountains and valleys.

A Happy Reunion

When the water went down, they returned to their human forms. But neither knew where the other was. Both became shepherds to survive. They were filled with sadness and missed each other very much.

Years passed. One spring, the man and woman met each other while taking care of their sheep. But they did not recognize each other right away. One night under the full moon, the man played the same tune on a flute that the woman had once played at the mill pond. The woman started to cry. She told him the story of her lost husband. Suddenly, they both recognized each other! They hugged and kissed and lived happily ever after.

Adaptations

A version of this tale from Hungary was made into an episode of the Hungarian television series Magyar némesék ("Hungarian Folk Tales"). The episode was titled A víz tündére ("The Water Fairy").