Spindle, Shuttle, and Needle
Encyclopedia
Spindle, Shuttle, and Needle is a German fairy tale
collected by the Brothers Grimm
, tale number 188.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 585.
One day, a king's son came looking for a bride. He wanted one who was at once the richest and the poorest. In this village, they pointed out the richest girl, and then the orphan girl. He rode by the richest girl, who bowed to him, and he rode on. He rode by the poorest girl, who was spinning. When she saw he was looking at her, she blushed and closed her eyes. He rode by, and she opened the window, saying it was hot, but watching until he left.
Then she remembered rhymes her godmother had used. She set the spindle to guide the prince back by its golden thread, the shuttle to weave a path to her hut, and the needle to adorn the hut. When the prince returned, he said she was both the richest and the poorest, and married her. The spindle, shuttle, and needle were kept in the royal treasury.
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
collected by the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
, tale number 188.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 585.
Synopsis
A girl's parents having died, she was raised by her godmother, who died, leaving her the house and a spindle, a shuttle, and a needle to earn her living. She did quite well at it.One day, a king's son came looking for a bride. He wanted one who was at once the richest and the poorest. In this village, they pointed out the richest girl, and then the orphan girl. He rode by the richest girl, who bowed to him, and he rode on. He rode by the poorest girl, who was spinning. When she saw he was looking at her, she blushed and closed her eyes. He rode by, and she opened the window, saying it was hot, but watching until he left.
Then she remembered rhymes her godmother had used. She set the spindle to guide the prince back by its golden thread, the shuttle to weave a path to her hut, and the needle to adorn the hut. When the prince returned, he said she was both the richest and the poorest, and married her. The spindle, shuttle, and needle were kept in the royal treasury.