"The Star Money" or "The Star Talers" (german: Die Sterntaler) is a German
fairy tale collected by the
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...
in ''
Grimm's Fairy Tales
''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', originally known as the ''Children's and Household Tales'' (german: Kinder- und Hausmärchen, lead=yes, ), is a German collection of fairy tales by the Grimm brothers or "Brothers Grimm", Jacob and Wilhelm, first publi ...
''.
[ D. L. Ashliman]
"The Star Talers"
/ref>
It is Aarne-Thompson type 779, Divine Rewards and Punishments.[ D. L. Ashliman,]
The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales (Grimms' Fairy Tales)"
/ref>
Synopsis
A goodhearted orphan girl named Amelia has only her clothing and a loaf of bread that a kind soul has given her. She goes out into the countryside to see what might happen. She gives a hungry beggar her bread, and to three cold children she gives her winter hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
, her jacket, and her dress
A dress (also known as a frock or a gown) is a garment traditionally worn by women or girls consisting of a skirt with an attached bodice (or a matching bodice giving the effect of a one-piece garment). It consists of a top piece that co ...
. After wandering into a forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
, she sees a naked child begging for a shift (long undergarment), and since it is dark and she cannot be seen, she gives her own away. As she stands there with nothing left at all, suddenly stars fall to earth before her, transforming into talers (silver coins), and she finds herself wearing a new dress of the finest linen. The story ends with her being rich.
Other adaptations
There is another known version of this tale. It tells of a beautiful young girl named Natalie whose parents have fallen ill. She is sent to find a doctor, and meets many begging people along the way. She gives away everything but her shift, and when in the forest she meets yet another begging child asking for her shift. Natalie strips naked and gives her shift away, and then ends up spending three days and nights in the forest. On the fourth day, she is swimming in the lake and is greeted by her guardian angel, who tells her soon her generosity shall be rewarded. With that she leaves a towel and a clean set of clothing for Natalie. After Natalie dries herself and dresses again, the guardian angel sends stars falling from the sky before her, proven to be silver talers. Natalie gathers them up and after heading back to the village, she pays the doctor, and all goes well for her family, now that they are wealthy.
References
External links
*
*
The Star Money
at Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks."
It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital libr ...
(as translated by Margaret Hunt)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Star Money, The
Star Money
ATU 750-849