THE STAR-MONEY
by Brothers Grimm
The Star Money
Once there was a little girl. She lived all alone. She had old clothes. She had one piece of bread. But she was very kind. She had a good heart.
She liked to help people. She liked to share. So she walked out into the world.
She met an old man. He was very hungry. "I am so hungry," he said. He looked very sad. The little girl smiled at him. She gave him her bread. "Here you go," she said. The old man smiled back. Now she had no food. But she did not mind.
Then she met a child. The child was very cold. "I am cold," said the child. The little girl looked at her hat. It was her only hat. She took off her hat. She gave it to the child. "You can have it," she said. Now her head was cold. But she did not mind.
She walked a little more. She met another child. This child was very cold too. "I am so cold," he said. He had no jacket. The little girl took off her jacket. She gave him her jacket. "Take this," she said. Now she had no jacket. But she did not mind.
Then she met one more child. This child had no dress. The little girl looked at her. She felt sad for the child. She gave the child her dress. Now she had very little. But she did not mind.
She walked into a big forest. It was very quiet. The trees were very tall. Then she met one last child. "Can I have your shirt?" he asked. The child looked so cold. He was very small.
It was dark. No one could see. But she was kind. She gave her shirt to the child. "Take this," she said. Now she had nothing left. She had given it all away.
Then something magic happened! Stars fell from the sky! They fell all around her. Big ones and small ones! But they were not real stars. They were shiny coins! Many, many shiny coins fell down. They fell on the ground all around her.
And she had a new dress! It was very pretty. It was soft and warm. It was the best dress she ever had.
She picked up all the shiny coins. She held them in her new dress. There were so many!
Now the little girl was not poor. She had all she needed. She was very, very happy. And she was kind forever.
Original Story
THE STAR-MONEY
There was once on a time, a little girl whose father and mother were dead. She was so poor that she no longer had any little room to live in, or bed to sleep in. At last, she had nothing else but the clothes she was wearing and a little bit of bread in her hand which some charitable soul had given her. She was, however, good and pious.
And as she was thus forsaken by all the world, she went forth into the open country, trusting in the good God.
Then a poor man met her, who said, “Ah, give me something to eat, I am so hungry!”
She reached him the whole of her piece of bread, and said, “May God bless it to your use,” and went onward.
Then came a child who moaned and said, “My head is so cold, give me something to cover it with.”
So she took off her hood and gave it to him.
And when she had walked a little farther, she met another child who had no jacket and was frozen with cold. Then she gave it her own.
40 A little farther on one begged for a frock, and she gave away that also.
At length, she got into a forest and it had already become dark, and there came yet another child, and asked for a little shirt. The good little girl thought to herself, “It is a dark night and no one sees me. I can very well give my little shirt away,” and took it off, and gave away that also.
And she so stood, and had not one single thing left. Then suddenly some Stars from heaven fell down, and they were nothing else but hard smooth pieces of money! And although she had just given her little shirt away, lo! she had a new one which was of the very finest linen.
Then she gathered together the money into this, and was rich all the days of her life.
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Moral of the Story
Acts of selfless generosity, even when one has little, will be abundantly rewarded by divine providence.
Characters
The little girl ★ protagonist
Poorly dressed, initially with only the clothes on her back and a piece of bread.
Attire: Ragged dress, hood, jacket, frock, little shirt (all given away)
Good, pious, charitable, selfless
Poor man ○ minor
Thin, gaunt, clearly suffering from hunger
Attire: Tattered, patched clothing
Needy, desperate
Child (with cold head) ○ minor
Shivering, pale
Attire: Lacking adequate head covering
Suffering, vulnerable
Child (with no jacket) ○ minor
Frozen with cold
Attire: Thin, inadequate clothing
Cold, miserable
Child (begging for a frock) ○ minor
Poorly dressed
Attire: Lacking a frock
Needy
Child (asking for a shirt) ○ minor
Poorly dressed
Attire: Lacking a shirt
Needy
Locations
Roadside
An open country road, suggesting fields or uncultivated land alongside it.
Mood: Desolate, filled with the suffering of the poor.
The girl encounters several needy individuals and gives away her possessions.
Dark Forest Edge
The edge of a forest, shrouded in darkness.
Mood: Eerie, lonely, and testing.
The girl gives away her last piece of clothing, her shirt.
Clearing Under Starry Sky
A clearing, open to the night sky, where stars can fall.
Mood: Magical, miraculous, and rewarding.
The stars fall and turn into money, and the girl receives a new shirt.
Story DNA
Moral
Acts of selfless generosity, even when one has little, will be abundantly rewarded by divine providence.
Plot Summary
An orphaned and destitute girl, with only her clothes and a piece of bread, wanders into the world. Despite her own poverty, she selflessly gives away her bread and then every piece of her clothing to a succession of needy strangers. After giving away her very last garment in a dark forest, stars fall from the sky and transform into money, and she finds herself instantly clothed in fine linen. She gathers the miraculous money and lives a rich life, having been rewarded for her unwavering kindness and charity.
Themes
Emotional Arc
suffering to triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Reflects common Christian moral teachings prevalent in 19th-century Germany, where good deeds are seen as earning heavenly favor.
Plot Beats (12)
- An orphaned, impoverished girl is left with only her clothes and a piece of bread.
- Despite her destitution, she is good and pious, trusting in God.
- She encounters a hungry man and gives him her entire piece of bread.
- She meets a cold child and gives away her hood.
- She meets another freezing child and gives away her jacket.
- She encounters another child begging for a frock and gives away her own.
- In a dark forest, she meets a final child who asks for a shirt.
- She selflessly gives away her last possession, her shirt, believing no one sees her.
- Immediately after, stars fall from the sky and turn into hard, smooth pieces of money.
- Simultaneously, she finds herself clothed in a new shirt of the finest linen.
- She gathers the star-money into her new linen shirt.
- She becomes rich and lives comfortably for the rest of her life.
