Mother Holle
1812 
Germany Story
Once upon a time, there was a widow who had two daughters. One was beautiful and hardworking; the other was ugly and lazy. The widow loved the lazy daughter, who was her own child, and made the other girl do all the work.
Every day, the hardworking girl had to sit by a well and spin until her fingers bled. One day, she tried to wash the blood off her spindle in the well, but it slipped from her hands and fell to the bottom. Her cruel stepmother demanded she retrieve it, so the poor girl jumped into the well.
She sank down, down, down, but instead of drowning, she woke up in a beautiful meadow filled with sunshine and flowers. She walked along a path until she came to a baker's oven full of bread. "Take us out! Take us out, or we'll burn!" cried the loaves. The kind girl took out all the bread.
Next, she found an apple tree laden with fruit. "Shake me! Shake me! My apples are all ripe!" called the tree. The girl shook the tree until all the apples had fallen and gathered them in a pile.
At last, she came to a little house where an old woman with very large teeth stood at the door. "Don't be afraid," said the woman. "I am Mother Holle. If you work for me and shake my feather beds until the feathers fly, snow will fall on earth. Stay with me, and all shall be well."
The girl worked hard for Mother Holle, shaking the beds every day until the feathers flew like snowflakes. She was happy, but after a time, she missed her home. Mother Holle understood and led her to a great gate.
As the girl passed through, a shower of gold fell upon her and clung to her clothes and hair. "This is your reward for being so good," said Mother Holle. "And here is your spindle." The girl found herself back at the well, covered in gold, and was welcomed home with joy.
When the lazy daughter heard the story, she jumped into the well too. But she refused to help the bread or the apple tree, and she would not shake Mother Holle's feather beds properly. When she left, instead of gold, black pitch poured down upon her and would never come off. And that was her reward.
History and Meaning
"Mother Holle" (Frau Holle) was collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. The character of Mother Holle comes from Germanic mythology, where she was associated with winter and the spinning of fate.
The tale is a classic example of a "reward and punishment" story. The hardworking, kind girl is rewarded for her good character, while the lazy, unkind girl receives exactly what her behavior deserves.
Mother Holle shaking her feather beds to make snow is a beloved image in German culture. Even today, when it snows in Germany, people sometimes say "Frau Holle is shaking her beds!"
The story teaches the value of hard work, kindness, and helping others without expecting anything in return. The hardworking girl helps the bread and apples simply because she sees they need help, not because she expects a reward. This selfless nature is what makes her truly worthy of gold.