"The Ear of Corn" (german: Die Kornähre) 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 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 ...

, number 194.Jacob and Wilheim Grimm, ''Household Tales''
"The Ear of Corn"
/ref> It is Aarne-Thompson type 779, Divine Rewards and Punishments.

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>

Synopsis

Corn (wheat) used to produce many more grains, but one day God saw a woman using the grain to clean off her muddy son. Angry, he cursed them to have no more grain, since they were not worthy of it. Bystanders pleaded with him to have mercy, especially because of the children, and he chose to have the current amount of grain.

Title

Different usages have led to this tale being called "The Ear of Corn" and "The Ear of Wheat" in English.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:earofcorn Grimms' Fairy Tales