The Water Nixie
The Water Nixie | |
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Folk tale | |
Name | The Water Nixie |
Also known as | The Water Nix |
Aarne–Thompson grouping | ATU 313A |
Country | Germany |
Published in | Grimms' Fairy Tales |
"The Water Nixie" or "The Water-Nix" is a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 79.[1] It came from Hanau.[2]
It is Aarne-Thompson type 313A, the girl helps the hero flee and revolves about a transformation chase.[3] Others of this type include The Master Maid, Jean, the Soldier, and Eulalie, the Devil's Daughter, The Two Kings' Children, Nix Nought Nothing, and Foundling-Bird. The Grimms noted Sweetheart Roland as an analogue.[2]
Synopsis
[edit]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
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ The Water Nixie
- ^ a b Jacob and Wilheim Grimm, Household Tales, "The Water-Nix" Notes.[dead link ]
- ^ D.L. Ashliman, "The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales (Grimms' Fairy Tales)"