Straw, coal, and bean
by Brothers Grimm
The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean
One day, an old woman made soup. But three little friends got away!
A little bean fell on the floor. "Oops!" said Bean. A piece of straw slipped down too. "Whee!" said Straw. And a little coal jumped away. "Yay!" said Coal. All three were happy. All three were free.
"Hello!" said Bean. "I am Bean." "Hello!" said Straw. "I am Straw." "Hello!" said Coal. "I am Coal." They all smiled. They were so happy. They danced around the room. They clapped and cheered.
"Let us be friends!" said Bean. "Let us go on a long walk!" "Yes! Yes!" said Straw. "Yes! Yes!" said Coal.
The three friends walked and walked. They saw pretty flowers. They saw green trees. Bean liked the flowers. Straw liked the trees. Coal liked the warm sun.
Then they saw some water. "Oh no!" said Bean. "How do we get across?" Straw looked at the water. Coal looked at the water. The water was wide.
"I know what to do!" said Straw. "I can be a bridge!" Straw lay down across the water. Straw was so brave. Bean clapped for Straw.
"Let me go first!" said Coal. Coal was in a big rush. Coal ran onto Straw. Coal went fast, fast, fast.
But Coal stopped in the middle. Coal looked down at the water. Coal got a little scared. "Oh my," said Coal. Coal did not move.
Coal stood too long on Straw. Straw got too warm. Straw snapped in two! SPLASH! Straw fell in the water. SPLASH! Coal fell in the water too. "Oh no! I am all wet!" said Coal. "I am all wet too!" said Straw.
Bean stood on the side. Bean saw the big SPLASH. Bean started to laugh. Bean laughed and laughed and laughed. Bean laughed so much. And then — POP! Bean's tummy popped open! Just a little bit.
"Oh my!" said Bean. Bean sat down on the grass.
A kind man walked by. The kind man sewed clothes. "Oh! I can help you, little Bean."
The kind man got his needle. The kind man got his black thread. The kind man sewed Bean up. Stitch, stitch, stitch. Bean felt all better. Bean gave a big smile.
"Thank you!" said Bean. The kind man smiled back. "You are welcome," said the kind man.
All beans have a black line now. That is why! Next time you see a bean, look! Can you find it?
Original Story
Straw, coal, and bean A fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm An old woman lived in a village. She had gathered a serving of beans and wanted to cook them, so she prepared a fire in her fireplace. To make it burn faster she lit it with a handful of straw. While she was pouring the beans into the pot, one of them fell unnoticed to the floor, coming to rest next to a piece of straw. Soon afterward a glowing coal jumped out of the fireplace and landed next to them. The straw said, "Dear friends, where do you come from?" The coal answered, "I jumped from the fireplace, to my good fortune. If I had not forced my way out, I surely would have died. I would have burned to ash." The bean said, "I too saved my skin. If the old woman had gotten me into the pot I would have been cooked to mush without mercy, just like my comrades." - "Would my fate have been any better?" said the straw. "The old woman sent all my brothers up in fire and smoke. She grabbed sixty at once and killed them. Fortunately I slipped through her fingers." - "What should we do now?" asked the coal. "Because we have so fortunately escaped death," answered the bean, "I think that we should join together as comrades. To prevent some new misfortune from befalling us here, let us together make our way to another land." This proposal pleased the other two, and they set forth all together. They soon came to a small brook, and because there was neither a bridge nor a walkway there, they did not know how they would get across it. Then the straw had a good idea, and said, "I will lay myself across it, and you can walk across me like on a bridge." So the straw stretched himself from one bank to the other. The coal, who was a hot-headed fellow, stepped brashly onto the newly constructed bridge, but when he got to the middle and heard the water rushing beneath him, he took fright, stopped, and did not dare to go any further. Then the straw caught fire, broke into two pieces, and fell into the brook. The coal slid after him, hissed as he fell into the water, and gave up the ghost. The bean who had cautiously stayed behind on the bank had to laugh at the event. He could not stop, and he laughed so fiercely that he burst. Now he too would have died, but fortunately a wandering tailor was there, resting near the brook. Having a compassionate heart, he got out a needle and thread and sewed the bean back together. The bean thanked him most kindly. However, because he had used black thread, since that time all beans have had a black seam. * * * * *
Moral of the Story
Acting impulsively or without foresight can lead to disaster, and even those who are careful can suffer from the recklessness of others.
Characters
Straw ◆ supporting
A single piece of dry straw
Helpful, resourceful, self-sacrificing
Coal ◆ supporting
A glowing, hot piece of coal
Hot-headed, fearful, impulsive
Bean ◆ supporting
A single bean
Cautious, easily amused, unfortunate
Old Woman ○ minor
Implied to be poor and living in a village
Attire: Simple, worn peasant dress
Careless, frugal
Wandering Tailor ○ minor
Traveling craftsman
Attire: Practical traveling clothes, perhaps with a needle case hanging from his belt
Compassionate, skilled
Locations
Old Woman's Fireplace
A hearth where a fire burns to cook beans
Mood: Dangerous, threatening
The straw, coal, and bean escape their intended fate.
Brook
A small brook without a bridge or walkway
Mood: Treacherous, fatal
The straw and coal meet their end; the bean nearly dies from laughter.
Brookside Resting Place
Area near the brook where a tailor rests
Mood: Fortunate, helpful
The tailor sews the bean back together.
Story DNA
Moral
Acting impulsively or without foresight can lead to disaster, and even those who are careful can suffer from the recklessness of others.
Plot Summary
After narrowly escaping being cooked, burned, or smoked by an old woman, a bean, a piece of straw, and a glowing coal decide to journey together to a new land. When they encounter a brook, the straw bravely forms a bridge. However, the hot-headed coal, scared by the water, hesitates mid-crossing, causing the straw to catch fire and break, leading to both their deaths. The cautious bean, laughing at the tragic sight, bursts but is fortunately sewn back together by a wandering tailor, leaving all future beans with a distinctive black seam.
Themes
Emotional Arc
hope to tragedy to bittersweet survival
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Grimm's fairy tales often reflect common folk beliefs and provide etiological explanations for natural phenomena or characteristics.
Plot Beats (14)
- An old woman prepares to cook beans, lighting her fire with straw.
- A bean falls unnoticed, a piece of straw slips through her fingers, and a glowing coal jumps from the fire, all escaping destruction.
- The three survivors meet and share their tales of near-death experiences.
- They decide to become comrades and travel together to a safer place.
- They encounter a brook and realize they need a way to cross it.
- The straw offers to lay itself across the brook as a bridge.
- The coal, being hot-headed, steps onto the straw bridge.
- Midway across, the coal gets scared by the rushing water and stops.
- The straw catches fire from the coal, breaks, and falls into the water.
- The coal hisses and dies in the water.
- The bean, watching from the bank, laughs so hard it bursts.
- A wandering tailor, resting nearby, takes pity on the burst bean.
- The tailor sews the bean back together with black thread.
- The bean thanks the tailor, and from that day forward, all beans have a black seam.
