The Windmill
by Hans Christian Andersen · from Collected Fairy Tales
Adapted Version
A proud mill stood on a hill. The Old Mill had big wings. Its big wings turned slowly. It felt very special. It ground grain each day. Some people lived inside the mill.
The Old Mill felt smart. Its wings helped it move. It was special. Birds had wings. Houses did not move. It loved its strong wings.
The Miller lived there. His wife lived there too. Their children lived inside. They were the mill's heart. They made the mill happy. Their laughter filled its rooms.
The people grew. They changed. Small children became big. The mill watched them all. The Old Mill liked this change. It felt good.
The Old Mill had a thought. "I will be new again," it thought. "I will still be me." It saw new wood. It saw new stones. But its spirit would stay.
The mill wanted its people to stay. It wanted to be the same mill. It loved its people very much. It loved its place on the hill.
Days passed. One day came. The sky grew dark. A strong wind blew. A sad thing happened.
The Old Mill caught fire. Flames went up high. Red flames danced wildly. It burned very hot. The mill cried out.
The mill fell down. Only black ashes were left. The big wings were gone. The smoke went away.
But the Miller was safe. His people were safe too. They were still there. They stood close, strong. They looked at the hill.
The people built a new mill. It was pretty. It had bright, new wood. It stood in the same place. It looked like the old mill.
People saw the new mill. They said, "Look! It is the proud mill!" It was back.
The old mill was gone. Its wood was dust. But its good work stayed. The new mill worked hard. It made flour for all. It was a good mill. It helped many people. The mill's heart beat on.
Original Story
The windmill
A fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen
A windmill stood upon the hill, proud to look at, and it was proud too.
"I am not proud at all," it said, "but I am very much enlightened without and within. I have sun and moon for my outward use, and for inward use too; and into the bargain I have stearine candles, train oil and lamps, and tallow candles. I may well say that I'm enlightened. I'm a thinking being, and so well constructed that it's quite delightful. I have a good windpipe in my chest, and I have four wings that are placed outside my head, just beneath my hat. The birds have only two wings, and are obliged to carry them on their backs. I am a Dutchman by birth, that may be seen by my figure– a flying Dutchman. They are considered supernatural beings, I know, and yet I am quite natural. I have a gallery round my chest, and house-room beneath it; that's where my thoughts dwell. My strongest thought, who rules and reigns, is called by others 'The Man in the Mill.' He knows what he wants, and is lord over the meal and the bran; but he has his companion, too, and she calls herself 'Mother.' She is the very heart of me. She does not run about stupidly and awkwardly, for she knows what she wants, she knows what she can do, she's as soft as a zephyr and as strong as a storm; she knows how to begin a thing carefully, and to have her own way. She is my soft temper, and the father is my hard one. They are two, and yet one; they each call the other 'My half.' These two have some little boys, young thoughts, that can grow. The little ones keep everything in order. When, lately, in my wisdom, I let the father and the boys examine my throat and the hole in my chest, to see what was going on there,– for something in me was out of order, and it's well to examine one's self,– the little ones made a tremendous noise. The youngest jumped up into my hat, and shouted so there that it tickled me. The little thoughts may grow– I know that very well; and out in the world thoughts come too, and not only of my kind, for as far as I can see, I cannot discern anything like myself; but the wingless houses, whose throats make no noise, have thoughts too, and these come to my thoughts, and make love to them, as it is called. It's wonderful enough– yes, there are many wonderful things. Something has come over me, or into me,– something has changed in the mill-work. It seems as if the one half, the father, had altered, and had received a better temper and a more affectionate helpmate– so young and good, and yet the same, only more gentle and good through the course of time. What was bitter has passed away, and the whole is much more comfortable." - "The days go on, and the days come nearer and nearer to clearness and to joy; and then a day will come when it will be over with me; but not over altogether. I must be pulled down that I may be built up again; I shall cease, but yet shall live on. To become quite a different being, and yet remain the same! That's difficult for me to understand, however enlightened I may be with sun, moon, stearine, train oil, and tallow. My old wood-work and my old brick-work will rise again from the dust!" - "I will hope that I may keep my old thoughts, the father in the mill, and the mother, great ones and little ones– the family; for I call them all, great and little, the company of thoughts, because I must, and cannot refrain from it." - "And I must also remain 'myself,' with my throat in my chest, my wings on my head, the gallery round my body; else I should not know myself, nor could the others know me, and say, 'There's the mill on the hill, proud to look at, and yet not proud at all.'"
That is what the mill said. Indeed, it said much more, but that is the most important part.
And the days came, and the days went, and yesterday was the last day.
Then the mill caught fire. The flames rose up high, and beat out and in, and bit at the beams and planks, and ate them up. The mill fell, and nothing remained of it but a heap of ashes. The smoke drove across the scene of the conflagration, and the wind carried it away.
Whatever had been alive in the mill remained, and what had been gained by it has nothing to do with this story. The miller's family– one soul, many thoughts, and yet only one– built a new, a splendid mill, which answered its purpose. It was quite like the old one, and people said, "Why, yonder is the mill on the hill, proud to look at!" But this mill was better arranged, more according to the time than the last, so that progress might be made. The old beams had become worm-eaten and spongy– they lay in dust and ashes. The body of the mill did not rise out of the dust as they had believed it would do. They had taken it literally, and all things are not to be taken literally.
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Story DNA
Moral
The essence of things can persist even when their physical form changes, but literal interpretations can be misleading.
Plot Summary
A proud, personified windmill reflects on its identity, its internal 'thoughts' (the miller's family), and its eventual demise. It believes it will be rebuilt and remain 'itself' after being pulled down. One day, the windmill catches fire and burns to ashes. The miller's family, however, builds a new, improved mill on the same spot, which is recognized by others as 'the mill on the hill.' The story concludes by clarifying that the old mill's physical body did not literally rise from the dust, highlighting a distinction between its self-perception and the reality of transformation.
Themes
Emotional Arc
reflection to acceptance
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Hans Christian Andersen's tales often reflect the industrial and philosophical shifts of his time, including ideas of progress and the changing nature of identity.
Plot Beats (13)
- A proud windmill describes itself, its physical attributes, and its internal 'thoughts' (the miller's family).
- The windmill explains its 'enlightenment' and unique construction, comparing itself to birds and wingless houses.
- It details the 'father' (miller), 'mother' (miller's wife), and 'little boys' (children) as its core 'thoughts' or family.
- The windmill reflects on changes within its 'family' over time, noting improvements and comfort.
- It contemplates its future, believing it will be pulled down and rebuilt, rising again from the dust while remaining 'itself'.
- The windmill expresses a desire to keep its 'old thoughts' and its identity.
- Time passes, and the windmill's last day arrives.
- The windmill catches fire, burning fiercely and completely.
- It collapses, leaving only a heap of ashes and smoke.
- The miller's family, representing the 'thoughts' that lived within, remains.
- They build a new, splendid, and more modern mill on the same site.
- People recognize the new mill as 'the mill on the hill, proud to look at,' similar to the old one.
- The narrator clarifies that the old mill's physical body did not rise from the dust, as its literal interpretation of rebirth was incorrect.
Characters
The Windmill
Large windmill with four wings, a gallery around its chest, and house-room beneath it.
Proud, enlightened, thoughtful, philosophical
The Man in the Mill
Strongest thought, rules over the meal and bran.
Attire: Unknown
Strong-willed, decisive, hard
Mother
Soft as a zephyr and as strong as a storm.
Attire: Unknown
Gentle, strong, careful, determined
The Little Boys
Young thoughts that can grow.
Attire: Unknown
Playful, noisy, orderly
Locations
Hilltop Windmill
A tall, proud windmill with a gallery around its chest and four wings beneath its hat.
Mood: Initially proud and self-satisfied, later reflective and accepting.
The windmill exists and contemplates its existence, its thoughts, and its eventual destruction.
Interior of the Windmill
The inner workings of the mill, containing 'The Man in the Mill' (father), 'Mother' (the heart), and their 'young thoughts'.
Mood: Busy, thoughtful, and evolving.
The internal life and processes of the windmill are described, representing its consciousness.
Scene of Conflagration
A heap of ashes and dust where the windmill once stood, smoke drifting across the scene.
Mood: Desolate, destructive, and final.
The windmill burns down, representing its physical end.