The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage

by Brothers Grimm · from Household Tales

fairy tale cautionary tale solemn Ages 8-14 584 words 3 min read
Original Story 584 words · 3 min read

The mouse, the bird, and the sausage

A fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm

Once upon a time a mouse, a bird, and a sausage formed a partnership. They kept house together, and for a long time they lived in peace and prosperity, acquiring many possessions. The bird's task was to fly into the forest every day to fetch wood. The mouse carried water, made the fire, and set the table. The sausage did the cooking.

Whoever is too well off always wants to try something different! Thus one day the bird chanced to meet another bird, who boasted to him of his own situation. This bird criticized him for working so hard while the other two enjoyed themselves at home. For after the mouse had made the fire and carried the water, she could sit in the parlor and rest until it was time for her to set the table. The sausage had only to stay by the pot watching the food cook. When mealtime approached, she would slither through the porridge or the vegetables, and thus everything was greased and salted and ready to eat. The bird would bring his load of wood home. They would eat their meal, and then sleep soundly until the next morning. It was a great life.

The next day, because of his friend's advice, the bird refused to go to the forest, saying that he had been their servant long enough. He was no longer going to be a fool for them. Everyone should try a different task for a change. The mouse and the sausage argued against this, but the bird was the master, and he insisted that they give it a try. The sausage was to fetch wood, the mouse became the cook, and the bird was to carry water.

And what was the result? The sausage trudged off toward the forest; the bird made the fire; and the mouse put on the pot and waited for the sausage to return with wood for the next day. However, the sausage stayed out so long that the other two feared that something bad had happened. The bird flew off to see if he could find her. A short distance away he came upon a dog that had seized the sausage as free booty and was making off with her. The bird complained bitterly to the dog about this brazen abduction, but he claimed that he had discovered forged letters on the sausage, and that she would thus have to forfeit her life to him.

Filled with sorrow, the bird carried the wood home himself and told the mouse what he had seen and heard. They were very sad, but were determined to stay together and make the best of it. The bird set the table while the mouse prepared the food. She jumped into the pot, as the sausage had always done, in order to slither and weave in and about the vegetables and grease them, but before she reached the middle, her hair and skin were scalded off, and she perished.

When the bird wanted to eat, no cook was there. Beside himself, he threw the wood this way and that, called out, looked everywhere, but no cook was to be found. Because of his carelessness, the scattered wood caught fire, and the entire house was soon aflame. The bird rushed to fetch water, but the bucket fell into the well, carrying him with it, and he drowned.

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Story DNA

Moral

Disrupting a well-functioning system out of envy or discontent can lead to disaster for everyone involved.

Plot Summary

A mouse, a bird, and a sausage live in harmony, each performing a vital household task. However, the bird becomes envious of his partners' seemingly easier roles after a conversation with another bird and insists they switch duties. This disruption leads to the sausage being eaten by a dog, the mouse dying while attempting to cook, and finally, the bird accidentally setting their house on fire and drowning while trying to put it out, resulting in the complete destruction of their lives and home.

Themes

division of laborcontentmentconsequences of envydisruption of order

Emotional Arc

peace to sorrow to tragedy

Writing Style

Voice: third person omniscient
Pacing: brisk
Descriptive: moderate
Techniques: rule of three, direct address to reader (briefly)

Narrative Elements

Conflict: person vs self (bird's envy) and person vs fate/consequence
Ending: tragic
Magic: talking animals, animals performing human household tasks
the household (symbol of order and cooperation)the specific tasks (symbol of individual contribution)

Cultural Context

Origin: German
Era: timeless fairy tale

Grimm's fairy tales often reflect societal anxieties and moral lessons of their time, sometimes with harsh consequences for misbehavior or disruption of order.

Plot Beats (9)

  1. A mouse, a bird, and a sausage form a household partnership, each with a designated task: bird fetches wood, mouse carries water/makes fire/sets table, sausage cooks.
  2. They live prosperously until the bird meets another bird who makes him envious of his partners' seemingly easier lives.
  3. Influenced by envy, the bird refuses his task and insists they all switch roles.
  4. The sausage goes to fetch wood but is caught and eaten by a dog.
  5. The bird witnesses the sausage's demise and reports it to the mouse.
  6. The mouse attempts to cook by slithering through the food like the sausage, but is scalded to death.
  7. The bird, now alone and distraught, searches for the mouse (the cook).
  8. In his distress, the bird carelessly scatters wood, which ignites and sets the house on fire.
  9. The bird rushes to fetch water, but the bucket falls into the well, pulling him in, and he drowns.

Characters

🐾
◆

The Mouse

animal adult female

Small, furry, with hair and skin that can be scalded off.

Attire: None explicitly mentioned, but implied to be a house-dweller.

A small mouse, scalded in a cooking pot.

Diligent, initially obedient, easily influenced, ultimately tragic.

🐾
★

The Bird

animal adult male

Capable of flight, able to carry wood.

Attire: None explicitly mentioned.

A bird flying with a load of wood, or falling into a well with a bucket.

Easily swayed, discontent, bossy, sorrowful, careless.

✦
◆

The Sausage

object ageless female

Cylindrical, able to slither, can be seized by a dog.

Attire: None.

A sausage slithering through porridge, or being carried off by a dog.

Obedient, domestic, tragic.

🐾
○

The Other Bird

animal adult male

A bird, capable of flight.

Attire: None explicitly mentioned.

A bird talking to the protagonist bird, perhaps with a smug expression.

Boastful, critical, manipulative.

🐾
⚔

The Dog

animal adult male

A dog, capable of seizing and carrying off a sausage.

Attire: None.

A dog carrying a sausage in its mouth.

Opportunistic, cunning, unapologetic.

Locations

The Shared House

indoor Implied consistent, comfortable weather suitable for daily routines.

A cozy, well-kept home where a mouse, a bird, and a sausage live together, accumulating many possessions. It has a parlor where the mouse can rest.

Mood: Initially peaceful and prosperous, later filled with sorrow, chaos, and ultimately destruction.

The initial setting for the trio's harmonious life and the scene of the mouse's tragic death and the house's eventual burning.

parlor fireplace cooking pot table accumulated possessions

The Forest

outdoor morning Implied consistent, suitable weather for foraging.

A wooded area where the bird flies daily to fetch wood.

Mood: Initially a place of routine labor, later a place of danger and loss.

The bird's daily task location, and where the sausage is later sent to fetch wood, leading to her demise.

trees wood

Path to the Forest

transitional daytime Unspecified, likely clear.

A short distance from the house, on the way to the forest.

Mood: Tense, as the bird discovers the fate of the sausage.

The bird encounters the dog carrying off the sausage.

path dog

The Well

outdoor night Unspecified, but the house is aflame.

A water source, likely near the house, containing a bucket.

Mood: Desperate and tragic.

The bird's final, fatal attempt to fetch water to extinguish the burning house.

well bucket