The Three Army-surgeons
by Brothers Grimm · from Household Tales
Original Story
The three army-surgeons
A fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm
Three army-surgeons who thought they knew their art perfectly, were travelling about the world, and they came to an inn where they wanted to pass the night. The host asked whence they came, and whither they were going? "We are roaming about the world and practising our art." - "Just show me for once in a way what you can do," said the host. Then the first said he would cut off his hand, and put it on again early next morning; the second said he would tear out his heart, and replace it next morning; the third said he would cut out his eyes and heal them again next morning. "If you can do that," said the innkeeper, "you have learnt everything." They, however, had a salve, with which they rubbed themselves, which joined parts together, and they carried the little bottle in which it was, constantly with them. Then they cut the hand, heart and eyes from their bodies as they had said they would, and laid them all together on a plate, and gave it to the innkeeper. The innkeeper gave it to a servant who was to set it in the cupboard, and take good care of it. The girl, however, had a lover in secret, who was a soldier. When therefore the innkeeper, the three army-surgeons, and everyone else in the house were asleep, the soldier came and wanted something to eat. The girl opened the cupboard and brought him some food, and in her love forgot to shut the cupboard-door again; She seated herself at the table by her lover, and they chattered away together. While she sat so contentedly there, thinking of no ill luck, the cat came creeping in, found the cupboard open, took the hand and heart and eyes of the three army-surgeons, and ran off with them. When the soldier had done eating, and the girl was taking away the things and going to shut the cupboard she saw that the plate which the innkeeper had given her to take care of, was empty. Then she said in a fright to her lover, "Ah, miserable girl, what shall I do? The hand is gone, the heart and the eyes are gone too, what will become of me in the morning?" - "Be easy," said he, "I will help thee out of thy trouble there is a thief hanging outside on the gallows, I will cut off his hand. Which hand was it?" - "The right one." Then the girl gave him a sharp knife, and he went and cut the poor sinner's right hand off, and brought it to her. After this he caught the cat and cut its eyes out, and now nothing but the heart was wanting. "Have you not been killing, and are not the dead pigs in the cellar?" said he. "Yes," said the girl. "That's well," said the soldier, and he went down and fetched a pig's heart. The girl placed all together on the plate, and put it in the cupboard, and when after this her lover took leave of her, she went quietly to bed.
In the morning when the three army-surgeons got up, they told the girl she was to bring them the plate on which the hand, heart, and eyes were lying. Then she brought it out of the cupboard, and the first fixed the thief's hand on and smeared it with his salve, and it grew to his arm directly. The second took the cat's eyes and put them in his own head. The third fixed the pig's heart firm in the place where his own had been, and the innkeeper stood by, admired their skill, and said he had never yet seen such a thing as that done, and would sing their praises and recommend them to everyone. Then they paid their bill, and travelled farther.
As they were on their way, the one with the pig's heart did not stay with them at all, but wherever there was a corner he ran to it, and rooted about in it with his nose as pigs do. The others wanted to hold him back by the tail of his coat, but that did no good; he tore himself loose, and ran wherever the dirt was thickest. The second also behaved very strangely; he rubbed his eyes, and said to the others, "Comrades, what is the matter? I don't see at all. Will one of you lead me, so that I do not fall." Then with difficulty they travelled on till evening, when they reached another inn. They went into the bar together, and there at a table in the corner sat a rich man counting money. The one with the thief's hand walked round about him, made a sudden movement twice with his arm, and at last when the stranger turned away, he snatched at the pile of money, and took a handful from it. One of them saw this, and said, "Comrade, what art thou about? Thou must not steal shame on thee!" - "Eh," said he, "but how can I stop myself? My hand twitches, and I am forced to snatch things whether I will or not."
After this, they lay down to sleep, and while they were lying there it was so dark that no one could see his own hand. All at once the one with the cat's eyes awoke, aroused the others, and said. "Brothers, just look up, do you see the white mice running about there?" The two sat up, but could see nothing. Then said he, "Things are not right with us, we have not got back again what is ours. We must return to the innkeeper, he has deceived us." They went back therefore, the next morning, and told the host they had not got what was their own again; that the first had a thief's hand, the second cat's eyes, and the third a pig's heart. The innkeeper said that the girl must be to blame for that, and was going to call her, but when she had seen the three coming, she had run out by the backdoor, and not come back. Then the three said he must give them a great deal of money, or they would set his house on fire. He gave them what he had, and whatever he could get together, and the three went away with it. It was enough for the rest of their lives, but they would rather have had their own proper organs.
- * * * *
Story DNA
Moral
Actions have unforeseen and often negative consequences, and attempting to deceive or replace what is lost can lead to a corrupted self.
Plot Summary
Three arrogant army-surgeons demonstrate their skill by removing their own hand, heart, and eyes, entrusting them to an innkeeper's servant. Due to the servant's negligence, a cat steals the original organs, which are then replaced by a soldier with a hanged thief's hand, a cat's eyes, and a pig's heart. Unaware of the switch, the surgeons reattach the foreign parts and soon begin exhibiting behaviors corresponding to their new organs. Realizing their predicament, they return to the inn, extort money from the innkeeper, but are left permanently altered by the deception.
Themes
Emotional Arc
confidence to confusion to realization to resignation
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Reflects a pre-scientific understanding of anatomy and personality, where physical organs were believed to directly influence character and behavior.
Plot Beats (14)
- Three boastful army-surgeons arrive at an inn and demonstrate their surgical prowess by removing their own hand, heart, and eyes.
- They place their body parts on a plate and give them to the innkeeper's servant girl for safekeeping.
- The servant girl, distracted by her soldier lover, leaves the cupboard containing the parts open.
- A cat steals and eats the surgeons' original body parts.
- The soldier, to help the girl, replaces the missing parts with a hanged thief's right hand, a cat's eyes, and a pig's heart.
- The surgeons reattach the replacement parts using their special salve, unaware of the switch.
- The surgeons continue their journey, but the one with the pig's heart begins rooting in dirt like a pig.
- The surgeon with the cat's eyes complains of poor vision and needs to be led.
- The surgeon with the thief's hand compulsively steals money from a rich man at another inn.
- The surgeon with the cat's eyes, despite his poor daytime vision, sees white mice in the dark, realizing their organs are not their own.
- The surgeons return to the first inn, confronting the innkeeper about the deception.
- The servant girl, seeing them approach, flees out the back door.
- The surgeons demand a large sum of money from the innkeeper as compensation.
- The surgeons leave with the money, but are permanently stuck with their altered, corrupted bodies.
Characters
First Army-Surgeon
Initially whole, later has a thief's right hand reattached.
Attire: Period-appropriate army surgeon's attire, likely practical and somewhat formal for travel.
Confident, skilled (initially), later involuntarily thievish due to the reattached hand.
Second Army-Surgeon
Initially whole, later has cat's eyes reattached.
Attire: Period-appropriate army surgeon's attire, likely practical and somewhat formal for travel.
Confident, skilled (initially), later possesses acute night vision but poor daytime vision, and a cat-like perception of small creatures.
Third Army-Surgeon
Initially whole, later has a pig's heart reattached.
Attire: Period-appropriate army surgeon's attire, likely practical and somewhat formal for travel.
Confident, skilled (initially), later exhibits pig-like behaviors such as rooting in dirt and being drawn to corners.
The Innkeeper
Unknown, likely a sturdy build typical of an innkeeper.
Attire: Practical, period-appropriate innkeeper's clothing.
Skeptical but impressed by skill, later fearful and willing to pay to avoid trouble.
The Girl
Unknown, likely a peasant girl or servant.
Attire: Simple, period-appropriate servant's dress.
Careless, easily distracted by love, fearful, resourceful (in a misguided way), deceitful.
The Soldier
Unknown, implied to be strong enough to cut off a hand.
Attire: Soldier's uniform of the period.
Resourceful, pragmatic, willing to commit gruesome acts to help his lover, somewhat callous.
The Cat
A typical domestic cat.
Attire: None.
Opportunistic, stealthy, driven by animal instincts.
Locations
The First Inn
A typical inn where travelers would pass the night, featuring a cupboard in a common area or kitchen.
Mood: Initially welcoming, then tense and secretive, finally chaotic and revealing.
The surgeons perform their 'magic,' the body parts are stolen by the cat, and replaced by the servant girl with other parts.
The Gallows
An execution site where a thief's body hangs, likely outside the town or near the inn.
Mood: Grim, desperate, illicit.
The soldier cuts off the thief's right hand to replace the surgeon's missing hand.
The Cellar of the First Inn
A dark, cool storage area beneath the inn, used for keeping provisions, including slaughtered pigs.
Mood: Dark, utilitarian, slightly gruesome.
The soldier retrieves a pig's heart to replace the surgeon's missing heart.
The Road Between Inns
An open road or path connecting two inns, with corners and dirty areas.
Mood: Unsettled, revealing, strange.
The surgeons' new body parts begin to manifest their true nature, causing them to behave strangely.
The Second Inn's Bar
A public room in an inn, with tables and a corner where a rich man is counting money.
Mood: Observational, tense, revealing.
The surgeon with the thief's hand is compelled to steal money, further confirming the nature of their new body parts.