The Twelve Months (fairy tale) facts for kids

"The Twelve Months" is a popular fairy tale that comes from Slovakia. A long time ago, in the 14th century, a Czech scholar named mistr Klaret/Bartoloměj z Chlumce first wrote about it. He used it to teach lessons.

Later, a famous Czech writer, Božena Němcová, collected and shared the story.

The tale became even more famous when a Russian writer, Samuil Marshak, turned it into a play in 1943. This play was then made into movies in the Soviet Union. There's also a Czech movie version from 2012.

Sometimes, people think the Russian movies are the original story. However, they often add new characters, like a young noble girl or a soldier. Some versions, like the Japanese film Twelve Months (1980 film), were even inspired by these adaptations.

The Story of The Twelve Months

The fairy tale is about a kind and beautiful girl named Marushka. She lives with her mean stepmother and stepsister. One cold winter day, her stepmother sends Marushka into the snowy forest. She has to find impossible things: spring violets, summer strawberries, and fall apples. These are meant to be birthday gifts for her stepsister.

Marushka bravely goes into the blizzard. Deep in the woods, she finds a warm fire. Around the fire sit twelve people. They are the twelve months of the year, like January, February, and March, but as spirits!

Marushka politely asks if she can warm her hands. The month spirits ask why she is out in such cold weather. She tells them about her step-family and the impossible tasks. The spirits decide to help her.

The child spirit of March makes violets appear. Young June creates juicy strawberries. And grown-up September brings forth crisp apples. This all happens under the direction of wise, elderly January.

Marushka takes the gifts home. Her stepmother and stepsister take them without a single "thank you."

What Happens Next?

The evil stepsister gets greedy. She decides to go to the forest herself, hoping to get gifts from the month spirits too. But when she arrives, the spirits disappear. They take their warm fire with them. The stepsister is left cold and hungry, searching forever in the snow.

The same sad fate happens to the wicked stepmother. Her greed also leads her astray. To this day, she is still lost in the unfriendly forest, searching for her way home.

Meanwhile, the kind Marushka stays in her house. She lives happily ever after, safe from her mean family.

Different Versions of the Story

The story of "The Twelve Months" has been told in many ways. Here are some of them:

• The twelve months by Božena Němcová (the written version)
• The Twelve Months (1956 film) (a movie version)
• The Twelve Months (1972 film) (another movie)
• Twelve Months (1980 film) (a Japanese animated film)
• The Twelve Months (2012 film) (a modern Czech film)