The Elves and The Shoemaker Flashcards
by The Brothers Grimm — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: The Elves and The Shoemaker
Why is the shoemaker down to his last piece of leather at the start of the First Story?
He has become poor through no fault of his own, and only has enough leather remaining to make one pair of shoes.
What does the shoemaker discover when he wakes up the first morning?
The shoes he had cut out the night before are already finished on his table, perfectly stitched without a single bad stitch.
How does the pattern of overnight shoemaking escalate?
It doubles each time: leather for one pair becomes two finished pairs, then four, continuing until the shoemaker regains his independence and becomes wealthy.
When do the shoemaker and his wife decide to spy on their helpers?
One evening not long before Christmas, the shoemaker suggests they stay up to see who has been helping them.
What do the shoemaker and his wife see at midnight when they hide behind the hanging clothes?
Two pretty little naked men appear, sit at the worktable, and stitch, sew, and hammer the cut leather into finished shoes with astonishing speed and skill.
What happens when the elves find clothing instead of cut leather on the table?
They are first astonished, then show intense delight. They dress themselves quickly, sing a rhyme about no longer being cobblers, dance over furniture, and leap out the door forever.
What does the servant-girl in the Second Story find on the trash heap?
She finds a letter from the elves inviting her to serve as godmother at an elf christening.
What is the twist ending of the Second Story about the servant-girl?
What she believed was a three-day visit to the elves inside the hollow mountain was actually seven years; her former masters have died in her absence.
How is the changeling defeated in the Third Story?
The mother boils water in two eggshells on the hearth, which astonishes the changeling into laughing. Once he laughs, the elves arrive, return the real child, and take the changeling away.
How does the shoemaker demonstrate his good character before the elves ever help him?
Despite his poverty, he has a good conscience, says his prayers, and goes to bed at peace, suggesting his worthiness of supernatural aid.
What role does the shoemaker's wife play in the resolution of the First Story?
She proposes making clothing for the elves, sews shirts, coats, vests, and trousers, and knits them stockings, driving the act of gratitude that concludes the tale.
How are the two elves physically described in the First Story?
They are described as two pretty little naked men with little fingers, who work with extraordinary skill and speed.
What distinguishes the changeling from a normal child in the Third Story?
The changeling has a large head and staring eyes and does nothing but eat and drink.
What does the changeling say that reveals his true nature?
He declares, "I am as old now as the Wester forest, but never yet have I seen any one boil anything in an egg-shell!" -- revealing he is ancient, not an infant.
How does the First Story illustrate the theme of gratitude?
The shoemaker and his wife recognize they have been made rich by the elves and feel compelled to repay the kindness by making clothes, even though no obligation was stated.
What does the doubling pattern of shoes and wealth suggest about the relationship between help and self-sufficiency?
The elves provide a bootstrap, not permanent dependence. Their aid multiplies the shoemaker's honest labor until he can sustain himself, then they depart.
How does the Second Story explore the danger of entering the fairy world?
The servant-girl's three-day visit turns out to be seven years, showing that time in the elf realm is deceptive and contact with fairies carries real-world costs.
What common fairy-tale anxiety does the Third Story address?
It addresses the fear of infant substitution -- that a beloved child could be secretly replaced by a malevolent supernatural being.
What is the rhyme the elves sing after putting on their new clothes?
"Now we are boys so fine to see, / Why should we longer cobblers be?" The verse signals that clothing has freed them from their labor.
What does the changeling's exclamation about the Wester forest reveal?
His words -- "I am as old now as the Wester forest" -- expose that he is an ancient being in disguise, not the human baby he replaced.
What kind of irony appears when the elves receive clothing?
Situational irony: the gift meant to thank them for their labor actually ends it. The clothes liberate the elves and they never return to cobble again.
How does the triptych structure of the tale function?
The three sub-stories present elves in three different roles -- helpful, hospitable, and threatening -- giving a multifaceted view of fairy-human interactions.
What narrative point of view is used throughout the tale?
Third-person omniscient. The narrator knows each character's thoughts and feelings and moves freely between the shoemaker, his wife, the servant-girl, and the mother.
How does the setting shift across the three stories?
The First Story stays in the shoemaker's workshop and home. The Second moves into a hollow mountain (the elf realm). The Third takes place at a domestic hearth -- each setting reflecting a different human-elf power dynamic.
What does "changeling" mean in the context of fairy tales?
A fairy child secretly left in place of a stolen human baby, typically sickly or strange in appearance and behavior.
What does "cobbler" mean, and how is it used in the elves' song?
A cobbler is a shoemaker or shoe-repairer. The elves use the word to describe the work they have been doing and declare themselves freed from it.
What does "christening" refer to in the Second Story?
A baptism ceremony for an infant. The servant-girl is invited to serve as godmother at an elf baby's christening inside the hollow mountain.