The Tale of the Hoodie facts for kids

The Tale of the Hoodie is a fascinating Scottish fairy tale. It was first written down by John Francis Campbell in his book Popular Tales of the West Highlands. Later, Andrew Lang also shared this story, calling it The Hoodie-Crow, in his famous The Lilac Fairy Book.

This story is a type of folk tale known as "the search for the lost husband." It's a common theme in many cultures, where a brave wife goes on a journey to find her husband who has disappeared or been transformed.

The Story of the Hoodie Crow

The tale begins with a farmer who had three daughters. One day, a strange hoodie crow came to their home. It wanted to marry one of the daughters.

The two older sisters thought the crow was ugly and didn't want anything to do with it. But the youngest daughter was kind. She said the crow was a pretty creature and agreed to marry it.

After their wedding, the crow asked his new wife an important question. He asked if she would prefer him to be a crow during the day and a man at night, or a man during the day and a crow at night. She chose for him to be a crow by day. So, every night, he transformed into a handsome man.

The Missing Children

The young wife soon had a baby boy. One night, while everyone was asleep, the baby was mysteriously taken. The same thing happened for the next two years, and two more babies disappeared.

After these sad events, the hoodie crow took his wife and her sisters to another house. Before they left, he asked his wife if she had forgotten anything. She remembered she had left her coarse comb behind.

Suddenly, the coach they were in turned into a pile of maggots! Her husband changed back into a crow and flew away. His wife, heartbroken, decided to follow him.

The Journey to Find Him

Every night, as she chased her husband, she found a house to stay in. In each house, she met a woman who lived with a little boy. On the third night, the woman gave her some advice. She told the wife that if the crow flew into her room that night, she should try to catch him.

The wife tried her best, but she fell asleep. The crow dropped a ring onto her hand. The ring woke her up, but she was only able to grab one of his feathers as he flew away.

The woman then told her that the crow had flown over a dangerous "hill of poison." To follow him, she would need special horseshoes. The woman advised her to dress like a man and go to a blacksmith's shop. There, she would learn how to make the horseshoes.

The brave wife did exactly that. Dressed as a man, she learned how to make the horseshoes. With these special shoes, she was able to cross the dangerous hill.

The Wedding Feast

She finally arrived in a town. To her dismay, she discovered that her husband was about to marry the daughter of a very important gentleman!

A cook in the town asked her to prepare the wedding feast, as he wanted to watch a race. She agreed. While cooking, she cleverly put the ring and the feather she had kept into the broth.

When her husband ate the broth, he found the ring and the feather. He immediately demanded to see the cook. When he saw his true wife, he declared that he would marry her instead!

After this happy reunion, they went back and found their three sons. The children had been living in the houses where the wife had stayed during her long journey. And so, the family was finally reunited.