Mother Holle

There was once a widow who had two daughters. One was pretty and hardworking, the other was ugly and lazy. But the mother loved the ugly, lazy one best, because she was her own daughter. The other girl was a stepdaughter, and she had to do all the work. She was the Cinderella of the house. Every day the poor girl had to sit by a well by the roadside and spin, and spin until her fingers bled.

One day it happened that her shuttle got stained with blood. She dipped it into the well to wash it off, but it slipped out of her hand and sank to the bottom. She began to cry and ran to her stepmother to tell her what had happened. But her stepmother scolded her harshly and said, “Since you let the shuttle fall in, you must fetch it out again.”

So the girl went back to the well, not knowing what to do. In her sorrow, she jumped into the well to get the shuttle. She lost her senses. When she woke up and came to herself, she was lying in a beautiful meadow.

The sun was shining, and thousands of flowers were blooming. She walked across the meadow and soon came to a baker’s oven full of bread. The bread cried out, “Oh, take me out! Take me out! Or I will burn!

I have been baked long enough!” So she went up and took out all the loaves one by one with the bread shovel. Then she walked on until she came to a tree covered with apples. The tree called to her, “Oh, shake me! Shake me!

My apples are all ripe!” So she shook the tree until the apples fell like rain, and she shook until they were all down. She gathered them into a heap and went on her way.

At last she came to a little house. An old woman was peeping out, but she had such big teeth that the girl was frightened and wanted to run away. But the old woman called out, “What are you afraid of, dear child? Stay with me. If you do all the housework properly, you will be better off for it. You just have to make my bed well and shake it thoroughly so the feathers fly – for then it snows on earth. I am Mother Holle.”

Because the old woman spoke so kindly, the girl took courage and agreed to work for her. She did everything to her mistress’s satisfaction and always shook the bed so vigorously that the feathers flew like snowflakes. So she had a pleasant life with Mother Holle – no angry words, and boiled or roast meat every day.

She stayed with Mother Holle for a while, but then she became sad. At first she didn’t know what was wrong, but she realized it was homesickness. Even though she was much better off here than at home, she longed to go back.

At last she said to the old woman, “I long for home. No matter how well off I am here, I cannot stay any longer. I must go back to my own people.” Mother Holle said, “I am glad you want to go home again.

Because you have served me so faithfully, I myself will take you back.” Then she took her by the hand and led her to a large door. The door opened, and as the girl stood under the doorway, a heavy shower of golden rain fell.

All the gold stuck to her, so she was completely covered with it.

“You shall have this because you have been so hardworking,” said Mother Holle, and at the same time she gave her back the shuttle that had fallen into the well. Then the door closed, and the girl found herself up on the earth, not far from her mother’s house.

As she walked into the yard, the rooster was standing by the well and crowed:

“Cock-a-doodle-doo! Your golden girl has come back to you!”

She went in to her mother. Because she arrived covered with gold, she was welcomed by both her mother and her sister.

The girl told everything that had happened. As soon as the mother heard how she had gotten so much wealth, she wanted the same good luck for her ugly, lazy daughter. The lazy girl had to sit by the well and spin. To stain her shuttle with blood, she stuck her hand into a thorn bush and pricked her finger. Then she threw the shuttle into the well and jumped in after it.

She came, like her sister, to the beautiful meadow and walked along the same path. When she reached the oven, the bread cried out again, “Oh, take me out! Take me out! Or I will burn! I have been baked long enough!” But the lazy girl answered, “As if I want to get myself dirty!” and walked on. Soon she came to the apple tree, which cried, “Oh, shake me! Shake me! My apples are all ripe!” But she answered, “Oh sure! One might fall on my head.” And she walked on.

When she came to Mother Holle’s house, she wasn’t afraid. She had already heard about the big teeth, and she hired herself right away.

The first day she forced herself to work hard and obeyed Mother Holle, thinking about all the gold she would get. But on the second day she began to be lazy, and on the third day even lazier. Then she wouldn’t get up in the morning at all.

She didn’t make Mother Holle’s bed properly and didn’t shake it so the feathers flew up. Mother Holle soon got tired of this and told her to leave. The lazy girl was happy to go and thought the golden rain would come. Mother Holle led her to the large door.

But as she stood under it, instead of gold, a big kettle of pitch was poured over her. “That is your reward for your service,” said Mother Holle, and shut the door.

So the lazy girl went home, covered with pitch. The rooster by the well saw her and crowed:

“Cock-a-doodle-doo! Your pitchy girl has come back to you!”

But the pitch stuck fast to her, and she could never get it off as long as she lived.