Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Tale of the Orphan Child, a Belly-Wriggler and a Patch of Blue




Grimm’s Fairy Tale No. 105, The Little Ringed Snake Version II

An orphan child sat at the city wall spinning. The girl saw a little snake sliding on its belly along the stone wall. Quickly the child spread out her blue-silk kerchief, a thing little snakes love with all their heart (and the only thing to which they are irresistibly drawn).


As soon as the creature saw the cloth, it turned around and slithered toward that patch of blue carrying a small golden crown, which it placed there. Then the little snake wriggled away. The girl picked up the glittering crown and saw it was spun from the finest and most delicate golden thread. Soon the snake returned a second time: but when it no longer saw the crown, it crept away along the city wall. It beat its head against the stone until it no longer had the strength to continue. Finally it lay there dead. 

If the girl had left the crown lying in its place, the little snake surely would have brought even more treasures to her from out of its crevice.

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