"The Water Nixie" or "The Water-Nix" is a

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 ...

, tale number 79. It came from

Hanau Hanau () is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main and is part of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Frankfurt Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region. Its Hanau Hauptbahnhof, station is a ...

.Jacob and Wilheim Grimm, ''Household Tales''
"The Water-Nix" Notes
It is Aarne-Thompson type 313A, the girl helps the hero flee and revolves about a transformation chase.

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)
Others of this type include ''

The Master Maid "The Master Maid" is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in their '' Norske Folkeeventyr''. "Master" indicates "superior, skilled." Jørgen Moe wrote the tale down from the storyteller Anne Godlid in ...

'', ''

Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie, the Devil's Daughter Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie, the Devil's Daughter (french: La belle Eulalie) is a French fairy tale collected by Achille Millien. The fable is classed as Aarne-Thompson type 313 (A girl helps the hero to flee) and revolves about a transformat ...

'', ''

The Two Kings' Children "The Two Kings' Children" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in '' Grimm's Fairy Tales'', tale number 113.Jacob and Wilheim Grimm, ''Household Tales''"The Two Kings' Children"/ref> It is Aarne-Thompson type 313C, the girl hel ...

'', ''

Nix Nought Nothing "Nix Nought Nothing" is a fairy tale included in Joseph Jacobs's anthology, ''English Fairy Tales'' (1898). ''Nix Nought Nothing'' is a translation of the Scottish tale "Nicht Nought Nothing", originally collected by Andrew Lang from an old woman in ...

'', and ''

Foundling-Bird "Foundling-Bird" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 51. It is Aarne–Thompson type 313A, the girl helps the hero flee,D.L. Ashliman,The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales (Grimms' Fairy Tales) and revolve ...

''. The Grimms noted ''

Sweetheart Roland "Sweetheart Roland" (german: Der Liebste Roland) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm (KHM 56). It combines several Aarne-Thompson types: type 1119, the witch killing her own children; type 313A, the girl helps the hero flee; ...

'' as an analogue.

Synopsis

A brother and sister fell into a well, where a

nix Nix or NIX may refer to: Places * Nix, Alabama, an unincorporated community, United States * Nix, Texas, a ghost town in southwestern Lampasas County, Texas, United States * Nix (moon), a moon of Pluto People * Nix (surname), listing people with ...

ie caught them and made them work for her. One Sunday while she was at church, they ran away. The nixie chased them. The girl threw a brush, which became a mountain with thousands of spikes, which the nixie got through with great effort. The boy threw a comb behind them, which became mountains with thousands of teeth, which the nixie got through with great effort. The girl threw a mirror behind them, which became a mountain too slick for the nixie to climb. She went back to get an axe, but before she could chop through the mountain, they escaped.

References

External links

SurLaLune Fairy Tale site ''The Water-Nix''
Grimms' Fairy Tales Fiction about shapeshifting Female characters in fairy tales Cases of people who fell into a well in fiction ATU 300-399 {{story-stub

Synopsis

See also

References

External links