How children played slaughter with each other
by Brothers Grimm
The Children Who Played Pretend
One day, some children played a game. It was a fun game. But then it went wrong.
Tom and Sam lived in a sunny village. They liked to play. One day, they played "cook." "I cook!" said Tom. He ran to the kitchen. He saw a big knife. The knife was very sharp. It was not a toy. But Tom picked it up. A girl watched him. Sam watched too.
Tom swung the knife. He wanted to play. But the knife was real. It cut Sam's hand. "Ouch!" cried Sam. "It hurts!" Sam's hand had a small cut. It bled a little. Both boys were very scared. Tom dropped the knife. He did not mean to hurt Sam.
A kind old man walked by. He heard Sam cry. He ran to help. He looked at Sam's hand. "Let me see," he said. He wrapped the cut. Then he took Tom. They went to the village elder. The elder called the wise people.
The wise people talked. "He is small," one said. "He was playing," said one man. "He did not want to hurt." A very old man spoke. "I have an idea," he said. "Let us see if he knows."
The old man held out two things. One hand had a big red apple. One hand had a shiny gold coin. "Choose one," he said. Tom looked at the apple. He looked at the coin. He took the apple. He smiled. The wise people smiled too. "He is just a child," they said. "He chose like a child." Tom went home.
---
In a new village, two boys lived. Their names were Tom and Sam. One day, they watched Papa. Papa used a big sharp knife. He cut bread for dinner. "I want to do that!" said Tom.
Papa left the room. Tom picked up the knife. He tried to cut bread. But the knife slipped. It cut Sam's arm. Sam cried very loud. It was a bad cut. It hurt a lot.
Mama heard the crying. She ran to help. She wrapped the cut. She held both boys tight. Papa came home. He was not angry. He was worried. "Knives are not toys," said Papa. "Ask a grown-up first." "We are sorry," said Tom. "We are sorry," said Sam. They all hugged.
They never played with knives. When they wanted to help, they asked first. And that was much better.
Sharp things are for grown-ups. If you want to help, just ask.
Original Story
How children played slaughter with each other A fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm I In a city named Franecker, located in West Friesland, some young boys and girls between the ages of five and six happened to be playing with one another. They chose one boy to play a butcher, another boy to play was to be a cook, and a third boy was to be a pig. Then they chose one girl to be a cook and another girl her assistant. The assistant was to catch the blood of the pig in a little bowl so they could make sausages. As agreed, the butcher now fell upon the little boy playing the pig, threw him to the ground, and slit his throat open with a knife, while the assistant cook caught the blood in her little bowl. A councilman was walking nearby and saw this wretched act. He immediately took the butcher with him and led him into the house of the mayor, who instantly summoned the entire council. They deliberated about this incident and did not know what they should do to the boy, for they realized it had all been part of a children's game. One of the councilmen, an old wise man, advised the chief judge to take a beautiful red apple in one hand and a Rhenish gulden in the other. Then he was to call the boy and stretch out his hands to him. If the boy took the apple, he was to be set free. If he took the gulden, he was to be killed. The judge took the wise man's advice, and the boy grabbed the apple with a laugh. Thus he was set free without any punishment. II There once was a father who slaughtered a pig, and his children saw that. In the afternoon, when they began playing, one child said to the other, "you be the little pig, and I'll be the butcher." He then took a shiny knife and slit his little brother's throat. Their mother was upstairs in a room bathing another child, and when she heard the cries of her son, she immediately ran downstairs. Upon seeing what had happened, she took the knife out of her son's throat and was so enraged that she stabbed the heart of the other boy, who had been playing the butcher. Then she quickly ran back to the room to tend to her child in the bathtub, but while she was gone, he had drowned in the tub. Now the woman became so frightened and desperate that she did not allow the neighbors to comfort her and finally hung herself. When her husband came back from the fields and saw everything, he became so despondent that he died soon after. * * * * *
Moral of the Story
Children's play can have unforeseen and tragic consequences, especially when imitating adult actions without understanding their gravity.
Characters
The Butcher (boy) ⚔ antagonist
Small boy, assumed healthy build for his age.
Attire: Simple child's clothing appropriate for a town in West Friesland, likely linen or wool, possibly wooden shoes.
Impulsive, literal-minded, easily influenced.
The Pig (boy) ○ minor
Small boy, assumed healthy build for his age.
Attire: Simple child's clothing appropriate for a town in West Friesland, likely linen or wool, possibly wooden shoes.
Playful, trusting, easily led.
The Mother ◆ supporting
Not described, assumed to be of average build.
Attire: Simple peasant dress appropriate for West Friesland, likely linen or wool, apron.
Distraught, enraged, overwhelmed.
The Councilman ◆ supporting
Not described, implied to be old and wise.
Attire: Formal attire befitting a councilman, likely dark colors, possibly a hat.
Wise, cautious, concerned with justice.
Locations
Franecker Town Square
A public square in the city of Franecker, West Friesland, where children are playing.
Mood: Initially playful, turning to horrifying and public
Children enact a mock slaughter that becomes real, leading to intervention by a councilman.
Mayor's Council Chamber
A room where the mayor and council deliberate.
Mood: Serious, concerned, legalistic
The council debates the fate of the boy who played the butcher.
Family Home
A two-story home with a room upstairs containing a bathtub.
Mood: Domestic, turning to chaotic and tragic
A series of deaths occur as the mother reacts to the death of one child by killing another and then herself.
Nearby Fields
Fields surrounding the family home.
Mood: Desolate, grief-stricken
The father returns from the fields to discover the tragedy, leading to his death.
Story DNA
Moral
Children's play can have unforeseen and tragic consequences, especially when imitating adult actions without understanding their gravity.
Plot Summary
In two distinct tales, children playing 'butcher and pig' lead to tragic outcomes. In the first, a boy kills another during play, but is acquitted after choosing an apple over money, signifying his innocence. In the second, a child kills his brother while playing, leading to a devastating chain reaction: the mother kills the 'butcher' child in a rage, discovers her other child drowned, and then commits suicide, followed by the father's death from despair, wiping out the entire family.
Themes
Emotional Arc
innocence to tragedy
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
The story reflects a time when children's play could be unsupervised and imitate adult activities, sometimes with dangerous consequences. The legal dilemma in Part I highlights early forms of judicial reasoning regarding intent and age.
Plot Beats (11)
- In Franecker, children play 'butcher and pig,' with one boy as butcher, another as pig, and a girl as assistant to catch blood.
- The boy playing butcher slits the throat of the boy playing pig, killing him, while the assistant catches the blood.
- A councilman witnesses the act and takes the 'butcher' boy to the mayor, who convenes the council.
- The council debates what to do, acknowledging it was a game, and an old wise man suggests a test of innocence.
- The chief judge offers the boy an apple or a gulden; the boy chooses the apple and is set free.
- A second story begins with children imitating their father slaughtering a pig.
- One child plays butcher and slits his little brother's throat with a knife.
- The mother, hearing cries, rushes downstairs, finds her son dead, and in a rage, stabs the 'butcher' child to death.
- The mother returns to the bathtub to find her other child has drowned.
- Overwhelmed by grief and fear, the mother hangs herself.
- The father returns from the fields, sees the devastation, and dies soon after from despair.
