The maid of Brakel
by Brothers Grimm
The Maid and the Clerk's Trick
Once, a maid went to a chapel. She walked inside slowly. The chapel was very quiet. It was a small place. She was all alone. She felt hopeful and happy. She wanted a husband very much. She decided to pray for one.
She started to pray to a kind saint. "Oh, kind Saint!" she sang. "Help me find a man. A good man for me. You know him very well. He lives in a nearby town. His hair is golden and bright. You know him very well. Please help me, Saint! I want a husband. A kind and loving man. You know him, Saint. Help me find him soon. He is tall and strong. He has a warm smile. You know him, Saint. He lives not far away. Please send him to me. I pray to you today."
A clerk was hiding behind the altar. He was very quiet. He heard her song. He listened to every word. He wanted to play a trick. He thought it would be funny. He smiled to himself. He stayed hidden. He waited for the right moment. He had a gruff voice. He planned to shout.
He shouted, "No, you can't have him!" in a gruff voice. "No, you can't have him!" He shouted again. His voice was loud. It echoed in the chapel. The sound was surprising. He laughed quietly.
The maid heard the shout. She was very surprised. She looked around the chapel. She saw no one there. Then she saw a little statue of Mary. She thought the little statue spoke to her. She got very angry. How could it say that? She was mad at the statue. It was small and pretty.
"Fiddle de dee!" she cried. "Conceited thing, hold your tongue!" She shook her finger at the statue. "Let your mother talk!" She was so mad. She pointed at the statue. "You are just a statue! Be quiet!" The statue said nothing. It was silent. She turned away angrily. She did not know about the clerk.
Original Story
The maid of Brakel A fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm A girl from Brakel once went to St. Anne's Chapel at the foot of the Hinnenberg, and as she wanted to have a husband, and thought there was no one else in the chapel, she sang, "Oh, holy Saint Anne! Help me soon to a man. Thou know'st him right well, By Suttmer gate does he dwell, His hair it is golden, Thou know'st him right well." The clerk, however, was standing behind the altar and heard that, so he cried in a very gruff voice, "Thou shalt not have him! Thou shalt not have him!" The maiden thought that the child Mary who stood by her mother Anne had called out that to her, and was angry, and cried, "Fiddle de dee, conceited thing, hold your tongue, and let your mother speak!" * * * * *
Moral of the Story
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Characters
The Maid of Brakel ★ protagonist
Unspecified, but likely a young woman of marriageable age.
Attire: Simple peasant dress, typical of 19th-century German rural attire, suitable for visiting a chapel.
Hopeful, direct, easily angered, somewhat naive.
The Clerk ⚔ antagonist
Unspecified, but his voice is described as 'gruff'.
Attire: Clerical attire, likely a simple cassock or vestments appropriate for a chapel clerk.
Mischievous, gruff, observant.
Saint Anne ◆ supporting
A statue of a saint, likely depicted as an older, wise woman.
Attire: Statue of a saint, likely depicted in traditional religious robes.
Benevolent (as perceived by the maid), silent, revered.
Child Mary ○ minor
A statue of a child, standing by Saint Anne.
Attire: Statue of a child, likely depicted in traditional religious robes.
Silent, innocent (as perceived by the maid), revered.
Locations
St. Anne's Chapel at the foot of the Hinnenberg
A chapel located at the base of the Hinnenberg mountain, containing an altar and a statue of the child Mary by her mother Anne.
Mood: initially hopeful and prayerful, then shifts to humorous and slightly irreverent
The maiden prays for a husband and has a humorous exchange with the clerk she mistakes for the child Mary.
Story DNA
Moral
null
Plot Summary
A maid from Brakel visits St. Anne's Chapel to pray for a specific golden-haired husband. Unbeknownst to her, a clerk is hiding behind the altar and overhears her prayer. When she finishes, the clerk gruffly shouts a denial. Believing the voice belongs to the statue of the child Mary, the maid becomes angry and scolds the statue for interfering, telling it to let its mother speak.
Themes
Emotional Arc
hopeful to annoyed
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
The story reflects a common practice of seeking divine help for personal desires, particularly marriage, and highlights the social role of marriage for young women in historical European societies.
Plot Beats (7)
- A maid from Brakel goes to St. Anne's Chapel.
- She believes she is alone and decides to pray for a husband.
- She sings a specific prayer to Saint Anne, describing her desired golden-haired man from Suttmer gate.
- A clerk, hidden behind the altar, overhears her prayer.
- The clerk gruffly shouts, "Thou shalt not have him!" twice.
- The maid misinterprets the voice as coming from the statue of the child Mary.
- Angered by the perceived interference, the maid scolds the statue, telling it to be quiet and let its mother speak.
