The Tinderbox
1835 
Denmark Story
Once upon a time, a soldier was marching home from the wars when he met an old witch on the road. She was an ugly old thing, but she had a proposition for him.
"Do you see that big tree?" she asked, pointing to a massive hollow oak. "It's hollow inside. If you climb up and slide down through the hole, you'll find three rooms full of treasure, each guarded by a dog. Bring me the old tinderbox my grandmother left there, and you may keep all the gold and silver you can carry."
The soldier agreed and climbed into the tree. Just as the witch had said, he found three rooms underground. In the first room sat a dog with eyes as big as saucers, guarding a chest of copper coins. In the second room sat a dog with eyes as big as mill wheels, guarding silver. And in the third room sat a dog with eyes as big as towers, guarding gold!
The witch had given the soldier her magic apron, so he placed each dog on it, and the dogs sat quietly while he filled his pockets. He also grabbed the old tinderbox. When he came out, he asked the witch why she wanted such an old thing, but she wouldn't say.
The soldier kept the tinderbox and went to the city, where he lived like a prince. He gave gold to the poor, wore fine clothes, and made many friends. But he spent his money so freely that soon he had only a few coins left in a tiny attic room.
One evening, he struck the tinderbox to light a candle, and suddenly the dog with eyes like saucers appeared! "What does my master command?" it asked. The soldier quickly realized the magical power of the tinderbox. Each time he struck it, one of the three dogs would appear to do his bidding.
The soldier used the magic dogs to bring him gold whenever he needed it. He also learned of a beautiful princess locked away in a tower. Using the tinderbox, he had the dogs bring her to visit him secretly each night, though she never remembered the next morning.
When the king and queen discovered what was happening, the soldier was thrown in prison. But on the day he was to be punished, he asked for one last wish—a chance to smoke his pipe. He struck the tinderbox, and all three magical dogs appeared. They protected the soldier, and the people were so amazed that they asked the soldier to be their new king. He married the princess, and they lived happily ever after.
History and Meaning
"The Tinderbox" was the first fairy tale Hans Christian Andersen published, appearing in his 1835 collection of stories. It is loosely based on older folk tales, including the story of Aladdin from "One Thousand and One Nights."
The story celebrates the cleverness and resourcefulness of an ordinary person. The soldier starts with nothing but uses his wits and a bit of luck to rise from poverty to royalty.
The three dogs with their increasingly large eyes represent the escalating magic and power contained within the tinderbox. They also reflect folk tale traditions where magical helpers come in threes, each more powerful than the last.
Like many of Andersen's tales, "The Tinderbox" blends elements of adventure, magic, and romance. It remains popular as a story about fortune favoring the bold and the unexpected ways that fate can transform our lives.