The Peasant and the Devil
Encyclopedia
The Peasant and the Devil is a German fairy tale
collected by the Brothers Grimm
, tale number 189. It is Aarne-Thompson type 1030, man and ogre share the harvest.
When harvest time came, the devil saw his leaves and the peasant's turnips, and said they must do it the other way round the next year. The peasant agreed and planted wheat. At harvest, the devil found he got nothing but stubble.
He went into the earth in a fury, and the peasant took the treasure.
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 189. It is Aarne-Thompson type 1030, man and ogre share the harvest.
Synopsis
A peasant found a devil in his fields, sitting on a fire. He guessed he was sitting on treasure, and the devil offered it if for two years, half of the crop was his. The peasant agreed, and said that to prevent disputes, the half above the ground was the devil's, and the half below the peasant's. When the devil agreed, the peasant planted turnips.When harvest time came, the devil saw his leaves and the peasant's turnips, and said they must do it the other way round the next year. The peasant agreed and planted wheat. At harvest, the devil found he got nothing but stubble.
He went into the earth in a fury, and the peasant took the treasure.