The Water-nix
by Brothers Grimm · from Household Tales
Original Story
The water-nix
A fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm
A little brother and sister were once playing by a well, and while they were thus playing, they both fell in. A water-nix lived down below, who said, "Now I have got you, now you shall work hard for me!" and carried them off with her. She gave the girl dirty tangled flax to spin, and she had to fetch water in a bucket with a hole in it, and the boy had to hew down a tree with a blunt axe, and they got nothing to eat but dumplings as hard as stones. Then at last the children became so impatient, that they waited until one Sunday, when the nix was at church, and ran away. But when church was over, the nix saw that the birds were flown, and followed them with great strides. The children saw her from afar, and the girl threw a brush behind her which formed an immense hill of bristles, with thousands and thousands of spikes, over which the nix was forced to scramble with great difficulty; at last, however, she got over. When the children saw this, the boy threw behind him a comb which made a great hill of combs with a thousand times a thousand teeth, but the nix managed to keep herself steady on them, and at last crossed over that. Then the girl threw behind her a looking-glass which formed a hill of mirrors, and was so slippery that it was impossible for the nix to cross it. Then she thought, "I will go home quickly and fetch my axe, and cut the hill of glass in half." Long before she returned, however, and had hewn through the glass, the children had escaped to a great distance, and the water-nix was obliged to betake herself to her well again.
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Story DNA
Moral
With cleverness and persistence, one can escape even the most dire circumstances.
Plot Summary
A brother and sister fall into a well and are enslaved by a water-nix, who forces them to perform impossible tasks and feeds them poorly. They seize an opportunity to escape when the nix goes to church. During the pursuit, the children cleverly throw a brush, a comb, and finally a looking-glass behind them, each transforming into a massive obstacle that delays the nix. The final obstacle, a slippery hill of mirrors, forces the nix to return home for an axe, giving the children enough time to make a full escape.
Themes
Emotional Arc
suffering to triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Grimm's fairy tales often reflect rural German life and folklore, featuring supernatural beings tied to natural elements like water.
Plot Beats (15)
- A brother and sister are playing by a well and accidentally fall in.
- A water-nix captures them, declaring they will now work for her.
- The children are forced into difficult and futile tasks: spinning tangled flax, fetching water in a leaky bucket, and hewing a tree with a blunt axe.
- They are fed only hard, stone-like dumplings.
- The children become impatient with their captivity and plan to escape.
- They seize an opportunity when the water-nix goes to church on Sunday.
- After church, the nix discovers the children have fled and pursues them with great strides.
- The girl throws a brush behind them, which transforms into a vast, spiky hill of bristles, slowing the nix.
- The nix eventually scrambles over the brush hill.
- The boy throws a comb behind them, creating a massive hill of combs with countless teeth, which also delays the nix.
- The nix manages to cross the comb hill.
- The girl throws a looking-glass behind them, which forms an impassable, slippery hill of mirrors.
- The nix realizes she cannot cross the mirror hill and decides to return home for an axe to cut through it.
- While the nix is gone to fetch her axe, the children escape to a great distance.
- The water-nix is forced to abandon her pursuit and return to her well.
Characters
The Girl
Implied to be small enough to fall into a well while playing.
Attire: Simple, practical clothing of a peasant child, likely a dress or tunic and skirt.
Resourceful, quick-thinking, resilient.
The Boy
Implied to be small enough to fall into a well while playing.
Attire: Simple, practical clothing of a peasant child, likely trousers and a tunic.
Resilient, follows his sister's lead, contributes to their escape.
The Water-Nix
Implied to be strong and capable of carrying children, with a presence that inspires fear.
Attire: Unknown, but likely simple or naturalistic, perhaps adorned with elements from her watery domain.
Cruel, demanding, possessive, persistent.
Locations
The Well
A well where the children were playing, serving as the entry point to the water-nix's domain.
Mood: initially innocent, then dangerous, portal-like
Children fall in and are captured by the water-nix.
Water-Nix's Underwater Dwelling
The home of the water-nix, where the children are forced into labor and fed hard dumplings.
Mood: oppressive, laborious, monotonous, prison-like
The children are held captive and forced to work; they plan their escape.
Escape Route (Brush Hill)
A path where the girl throws a brush, creating an immense hill of bristles with thousands of spikes.
Mood: tense, desperate, obstacle-filled
First obstacle created to slow down the pursuing water-nix.
Escape Route (Mirror Hill)
A path where the girl throws a looking-glass, forming a hill of mirrors so slippery it's impossible to cross.
Mood: critical, final obstacle, triumphant for children
The final, insurmountable obstacle that allows the children to escape permanently.