"The Water Nixie" or "The Water-Nix" is a
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 ...
, tale number 79. It came from
Hanau.
[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 revol ...
''. 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
nixie 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.
See also
*
Farmer Weathersky
Farmer Weathersky ( no, Bonde Værskjegg) is a Norwegian fairy tale collected by Peter Chr. Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe in ''Norske Folkeeventyr''.
Andrew Lang included it in ''The Red Fairy Book'' as "Farmer Weatherbeard".
It is Aarne–Thomps ...
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