The Water Sprite

[Tek7]

I came across the following story in Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales and it struck me as very odd:

THE WATER SPRITE

A LITTLE brother and sister were one day playing together by the side of a well, and not being careful, they both fell in. Under the water they found a fairy, who said to them, "Now I have caught you, I intend you to work for me." So she carried them both away.

When they arrived at her home she set the maiden to spin hard, tangled flax, and gave her a cask full of holes to fill with water; and she sent the boy to the wood with a blunt axe, and told him to cut wood for her fire.

The children became at last so impatient with this treatment that they waited till one Sunday, when the fairy was at church, and ran away. But the church was close by, and as they were flying away like two birds she espied them, and went after them with great strides.

The children saw her coming in the distance, and the maiden threw behind her a great brush, which instantly became a mountain covered with prickly points, over which the fairy had the greatest trouble to climb. But the children saw that she had managed to get over and was coming near.

The boy then threw a comb behind him, which became a mountain of combs, with hundreds of teeth sticking up; but the fairy knew how to hold fast on this, and soon clambered over it.

The maiden next threw a looking-glass behind, which became a mountain also, and was so slippery that it was impossible to get over it.

Then thought the fairy, "I will go home and fetch my axe and break the looking-glass."

But when she came back and had broken the looking-glass, the children had been for a long time too far away for her to overtake them, so she was obliged to sink back into the well.


THE END

This particular fairy tale is shorter than most, but still contains several common features: young and innocent children, a mischievous or wicked minor spirit more powerful than humans but less powerful then God, objects with special or "magical" attributes, and consequences for folly (in this case, not being careful when playing near a well).

There does not seem to be any particular moral to this story, nor do the children exhibit any particular strength of character in their escape.

The tale seems to have a dream-like quality and also seems to end abruptly.

I'm not sure what to make of it or if there is any deeper meaning. It just caught my attention and seemed different from the other tales.

 

[tjguitarz]

I heard a similar story, albeit more lengthy. I remember a kid throwing a comb to see it become a mountain. Neat story.

I usually to catch onto the deeper meaning things, so I don't see one either.

I often play with the idea of writing a story analogous to this. Just a crazy story with crazy things happening to someone unexpected for no reason. No mythical tales, no super powers, no destiny, just the craziest stuff I can think of.