The Sweet Soup
by Unknown · from Tales of Laughter: A third fairy book
Adapted Version
There was a Little Girl. She lived with her Mother. They were very poor. They had no food in their house. The Little Girl was sad. Her Mother was sad too. They had nothing to eat.
The Little Girl went to the forest. She looked for food. She walked a long way. An Old Woman was there. The Old Woman saw her. She knew the girl was hungry. The Old Woman was kind.
The Old Woman gave her a pot. It was a Magic Pot. The pot made sweet soup. The Old Woman told a secret. Say, “Boil, little pot!” It cooks soup. Say, “Stop, little pot!” The pot will stop.
The Little Girl went home. She showed the pot to her Mother. They said, “Boil, little pot!” Soup filled it. They ate the soup. They were not hungry now. They were very happy.
One day, the Little Girl went out. She went to the forest again. Her Mother stayed home alone.
The Mother was hungry. She took the Magic Pot. She said, “Boil, little pot!” It made soup. The Mother ate much soup. She wanted the pot to stop. But she forgot the magic words. She did not know what to say.
The pot boiled and boiled. Soup went over the edge. It filled the kitchen. The soup filled the house. It kept on boiling. Soup went into the street. Oh no, so much soup! The Mother could not stop it.
The soup flowed into the village. It went to other houses. It went everywhere. The village filled with soup. What a lot of soup! It was a sweet, sweet flood.
People saw the soup. They ran and ran. Nobody knew the magic words. Nobody could stop the Magic Pot. The soup kept coming. It did not stop.
The Little Girl came home. She saw the big soup. It was everywhere. She saw her Mother. She knew what to do. She ran to the Magic Pot. She said, “Stop, little pot!”
The Magic Pot stopped. No more soup came out. The village was full of soup! Everyone ate and ate. It was sweet soup. They ate their way home. It was a sweet, sweet day. It is good to know how to start. It is good to know how to stop.
Original Story
The Sweet Soup
Once on a time there was a poor but very good little girl, who lived alone with her mother, and when my story begins, they had nothing in the house to eat. So the child went out into the forest, and there she met an old woman, who already knew her distress, and who presented her with a pot which had the following power. If one said to it, “Boil, little pot!” it would cook sweet soup; and when one said: “Stop, little pot!” it would immediately cease to boil. The little girl took the pot home to her mother, and now their poverty and distresses were at an end, for they could have sweet broth as often as they pleased.
One day, however, the little girl went out, and in her absence the mother said: “Boil, little pot!” So it began to cook, and she soon ate all she wished; but when the poor woman wanted to have the pot stop, she found she did not know the word. Away, therefore, the pot boiled, and very quickly was over the edge; and as it boiled and boiled the kitchen presently became full, then the house, and the next house, and soon the whole street. It seemed likely to satisfy all the world, for, though there was the greatest necessity to do so, nobody knew how to stop it. At last, when only a very small cottage of all the village was left unfilled with soup, the child returned and said at once: “Stop, little pot!”
Immediately it ceased to boil; but whoever wishes to enter the village now must eat his way through the soup!!!
Story DNA
Moral
Knowledge, even of simple things, is crucial to manage powerful gifts and prevent disaster.
Plot Summary
A poor little girl receives a magical pot from an old woman that can cook sweet soup on command. She brings it home, ending their hunger. One day, while the girl is out, her mother uses the pot but forgets the command to make it stop. The pot overflows, filling their house and the entire village with soup. The girl returns just in time to stop the pot, but the village remains submerged in the sweet soup.
Themes
Emotional Arc
suffering to triumph to chaos to resolution
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This story, also known as 'The Porridge Pot' or 'Sweet Porridge,' is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale (KHM 103), reflecting common themes of scarcity, magic, and the dangers of misused power prevalent in 19th-century German folklore.
Plot Beats (11)
- A poor little girl and her mother have no food.
- The girl goes into the forest and meets an old woman.
- The old woman gives the girl a magical pot that cooks sweet soup when told 'Boil, little pot!' and stops when told 'Stop, little pot!'.
- The girl brings the pot home, and she and her mother are no longer hungry.
- One day, the girl leaves the house.
- The mother uses the pot to make soup but forgets the command to make it stop.
- The pot boils continuously, overflowing the kitchen, then the house, then the street.
- The soup continues to spread, threatening to engulf the entire village.
- No one in the village knows how to stop the pot.
- The little girl returns, sees the disaster, and immediately commands the pot to stop.
- The pot ceases boiling, but the village is left covered in soup, requiring people to eat their way through it.
Characters
The Little Girl
Small and slender, with the slight build of a child from a poor background. Her movements are quick and purposeful, reflecting her industrious nature.
Attire: A simple, patched linen smock dress in a muted color like grey or faded blue, worn over a plain undershirt. She wears sturdy, well-worn leather shoes or wooden clogs, suitable for walking in the forest. Her clothing is practical and humble, reflecting her poverty.
Wants: To provide for herself and her mother, to alleviate their poverty and hunger.
Flaw: Her youth and dependence on others for knowledge (initially, she relies on the old woman for the pot's secret).
She begins as a child seeking help for her family's hunger and ends as the one who saves the village from an overflowing pot, demonstrating her quick thinking and responsibility.
Good-hearted, responsible, resourceful, obedient, quick-thinking.
The Mother
A woman of average height, with a somewhat gaunt build from years of poverty and hardship. Her hands are likely calloused from work.
Attire: A plain, dark grey or brown wool skirt and a simple, long-sleeved linen blouse, both well-worn and possibly mended. She might wear a simple apron over her clothes. Her attire is functional and reflects her poverty.
Wants: To feed herself and her daughter, to escape poverty.
Flaw: Her forgetfulness and panic under pressure, leading to the soup disaster.
She remains largely static, her actions serving as the catalyst for the story's main conflict. She learns the importance of remembering instructions.
Loving, forgetful, overwhelmed by circumstances, well-intentioned.
The Old Woman
Small and hunched with age, her frame is delicate but her eyes hold a knowing wisdom. She moves slowly but deliberately.
Attire: A dark, practical wool cloak or shawl draped over a simple, long-sleeved, dark grey or brown dress, typical of a peasant woman. Her clothing is modest but clean. She might carry a walking stick.
Wants: To help those in need, to impart a valuable gift.
Flaw: None explicitly shown; she is presented as a benevolent, almost magical figure.
She serves as a catalyst, providing the magical item that drives the plot, and does not change herself.
Wise, benevolent, perceptive, mysterious.
The Magic Pot
A small, unassuming cooking pot, perhaps made of dark, sturdy iron or earthenware. It appears ordinary, belying its magical properties. It has a simple handle and a lid.
Wants: To fulfill its magical purpose of cooking sweet soup when commanded.
Flaw: Its inability to stop boiling without the specific command, leading to chaos.
It remains an object, its function causing both benefit and disaster without changing itself.
Obedient (when given the correct command), tireless, prolific.
Locations
The Forest Edge
A dense, ancient forest, likely in a temperate European climate, where the poor little girl encounters an old woman. The ground is covered with fallen leaves and undergrowth.
Mood: mysterious, hopeful, slightly melancholic
The little girl receives the magical pot from the old woman.
The Little Girl's Cottage Kitchen
A small, humble kitchen within a simple, half-timbered Fachwerk cottage, typical of a German village. Initially sparse, it becomes overwhelmed with sweet soup.
Mood: initially cozy and poor, then chaotic and overwhelming
The mother accidentally causes the pot to overflow, filling the kitchen with soup.
The Village Street
A quaint street in a small German village, lined with half-timbered Fachwerk houses. It becomes completely submerged in sweet soup.
Mood: initially peaceful, then absurdly chaotic and sticky
The overflowing soup fills the entire village street, creating a bizarre, edible landscape.