Illustration by Louis Rhead (1857 – 1926)
Have you heard that there are people so crazy about Brothers Grimm's tales as they are called Grimmologists. Without a doubt these two German writers left us the great gift. And although most of their collected tales contain a lot of cruelty, the fact is that the good guys and goodness always win there. Recently I've come across a fantastic Grimm's Christmas Story where there is no cruelty at all. Listen .... A shoemaker, by no fault of his own, had become so poor that at last he had nothing left but leather for one pair of shoes. So in the evening, he cut out the shoes which he wished to begin to make the next morning, and as he had a good conscience, he lay down quietly in his bed, commended himself to God, and fell asleep. In the morning, after he had said his prayers, and was just going to sit down to work, the two shoes stood quite finished on his table. He was so surprised and knew not what to say to it. He took the shoes in his hands to observe them closer, and they were so neatly made that there was not one bad stitch in them. They were just a masterpiece. Soon after, a buyer came in, and as the shoes pleased him so well, he paid more for them than was customary, and, with the money, the shoemaker was able to purchase leather for two pairs of shoes. He cut them out at night, and next morning was about to set to work with fresh courage; but he had no need to do so again. When he got up, they were already made, and buyers also were not wanting, who gave him money enough to buy leather for four pairs of shoes. The following morning, too, he found the four pairs made; and so it went on constantly, what he cut out in the evening was finished by the morning, so that he soon had his honest independence again, and at last became a wealthy man. One evening not long before Christmas, when the man was cutting out new pairs of shoes, he said to his wife: - What do you think if we were to stay up to-night to see who it is that lends us this helping hand? The woman liked the idea, and lighted a candle, and then they hid themselves in a corner of the room, behind some clothes which were hanging up there and watched. When it was midnight, two pretty little naked men came, sat down by the shoemaker's table, took all the work which was cut out before them and began to stitch and sew and hammer so skilfully and so quickly with their little fingers that the shoemaker could not turn away his eyes for astonishment. They did not stop until all was done. And then they ran quickly away. Next morning the woman said: - The little men have made us rich, and we really must show that we are grateful for it. They run about so, and have nothing on, and must be cold. I will make them little shirts, and coats, and vests, and trousers, and knit both of them a pair of stockings. The man said: - I shall be very glad to do two little pairs of shoes for them. And one night, when everything was ready, they laid their presents all together on the table instead of the cut-out work, and then concealed themselves to see how the little men would behave. At midnight they came and wanted to get to work at once. But as they did not find any leather cut out, but only the pretty little articles of clothing, they were at first astonished, and then they showed intense delight. They dressed themselves and started singing.
"Now we are boys so fine to see, Why should we longer cobblers be?"
Then they danced and skipped and leapt over chairs and benches. At last they danced out of doors. From that time forth they came no more, but as long as the shoemaker lived all went well with him, and all his undertakings prospered.
P.S. Here you can find a fantastic recording of the story retold in a funny way by two great young storytellers - amateur Grimmologists as the call themselves: |
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