The hand with the knife
The hand with the knife is a fairy tale . In the children's and house tales of the Brothers Grimm, it was only in the 1st edition from 1812 in place 8 (KHM 8a) and comes from Anne Grant of Laggans Essays on the superstitions of the highlanders of Scotland from 1811 (Volume 1, p. 285-286).
content
A girl is set back by her mother towards three brothers and has to cut peat every day with a blunt tool. But an elf loves her and always hands her a sharp knife out of the hill. The mother suspects that someone is helping her. She sends the brothers on, who steal her knife, imitate her knocking sign and cut off the outstretched hand. The elf believes he has been betrayed and no longer shows himself.
origin
Grimm's note gives as a source Anne Grant of Laggans essays on the superstitions of the highlanders of Scotland, London 1811. vol. 1, 285, 286 , whose summary of the magic tale Jacob Grimm translated relatively accurately. Like most foreign texts, it was replaced by another from the 2nd edition (KHM 8 Der wunderliche Spielmann ).
For the plot, compare KHM 130 One-Eyes, Two-Eyes and Three-Eyes .
literature
- Uther, Hans-Jörg: Handbook to the children's and house fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Berlin 2008. pp. 422-424. (de Gruyter; ISBN 978-3-11-019441-8 )
