"Mother Trudy" (German: ''Frau Trude'') is a German
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...
collected by the
Brothers Grimm, tale number 43. It is
Aarne-Thompson type 334, at the witch's house.
D.L. Ashliman
Dee L. Ashliman (born January 1, 1938), who writes professionally as D. L. Ashliman, is an American folklorist and writer. He is Professor Emeritus of German at the University of Pittsburgh and is considered to be a leading expert on folklore and ...
,
The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales (Grimms' Fairy Tales)"
/ref>
Plot
A willful little girl will not obey her parents and, having taken it into her head that she wants to see Frau Trude, goes in spite of all their warnings. She arrives terrified, and Frau Trude questions her. She tells of seeing a black man on her steps (a collier, says Frau Trude), a green man (a huntsman), a red man (a butcher), and, looking through her window, the devil instead of Frau Trude.
Frau Trude says she saw the witch in her proper attire, and that she had been waiting for the girl. She turned her into a block of wood and threw her onto the fire, and then warmed herself by it, commenting on how bright the block made the fire.
Commentary
The tale is unusual in that the evil witch triumphs in the end; the child is defeated. However, a common theme in Grimm tales is that children who do not obey their parents are punished, making it a signature Grimm story.[Maria M. Tatar, "Beauties vs. Beasts", p. 141, James M. McGlathery, ed., ''The Brothers Grimm and Folktale'', .]
See also
* Hansel and Gretel
* Vasilissa the Beautiful
*The Willful Child
"The Willful Child" (german: Das eigensinnige Kind) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm as tale number 117. As a legend, it is widely distributed in Germany.D. L. Ashliman, The Hand from the Grave: folk legends from Germany, Po ...
References
External links
''Frau Trude'', alt translation
{{Brothers Grimm
Grimms' Fairy Tales
Witchcraft in fairy tales
ATU 300-399