The Three Spinning Fairies

Drift off to sleep listening to this amusing story of a lazy daughter. Everyone tries to make her work at the spinning wheel but do they succeed? One of the lesser-known stories from the Brothers Grimm.

Transcript

Hello there,

My name's Mandy.

I'm delighted that you're joining me for tonight's reading.

The Three Spinning Fairies is one of the very original stories brought to us by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.

As well as being brothers,

They were academics who collaborated with each other in the 19th century,

And they collected folktales from the nurseries and firesides of Germany.

I wonder what they'd say if they knew just how popular their stories would become,

And that you and I would still be enjoying them 200 years later.

Before we start,

Let's just spend a few moments taking up a comfortable position,

Whether that happens to be sitting or lying,

And please do any of those little last minute adjustments that you might need to,

In order to make yourself as comfortable as you can be today,

At this particular moment in time.

And I'll begin.

The Three Spinning Fairies.

There was once upon a time a girl who was lazy and hated work,

And nothing her mother could say would induce her to spin.

At last,

The mother grew angry,

And losing all patience with her,

Gave her a beating.

At this,

The girl began to cry so loudly that the queen,

Who was driving past at the time,

Heard her cries and stopped.

She went into the house and asked the mother why she was beating her daughter like that.

Her screams,

She said,

Can be heard outside in the street.

The mother was ashamed to confess the truth about her daughter's laziness,

And so she answered,

I can't get her to leave off spinning.

She is forever at her wheel,

And I am too poor to keep on buying her fresh flax.

If that's all,

Said the queen,

There's nothing I like so much as the sound of spinning,

And I am never happier than when I can hear the humming of the wheels.

Let me have your daughter,

And I will take her home with me to the castle.

I have plenty of flax,

And she can go on spinning there to her heart's content.

The mother was heartily pleased at this proposal,

So the queen left,

Taking the girl with her.

On their arrival at the castle,

She took her upstairs and showed her three rooms,

Filled from floor to ceiling with the most beautiful flax.

Spin me all this,

Said the queen,

And when it is finished,

You shall have my eldest son for your husband.

Your poverty is not a matter of any consequence to me,

For I consider that your unremitting industry is an all-sufficient dowry.

The girl dared not say anything,

But she inwardly trembled with fear,

For she knew she could never spin all that flax were she to sit at her spinning wheel from morning till night for 300 years.

As soon as she was alone,

She began to weep,

And she sat like that,

Weeping,

For three whole days,

Without doing a stroke of work.

When the queen came again on the third day,

She was surprised to find that the flax had not been touched.

The girl excused herself by saying she had felt so lonely and homesick that she had not been able to begin her spinning.

The queen was satisfied with this excuse,

But as she was leaving,

She said,

Tomorrow,

Mind,

I shall expect you to begin your work.

Alone once more,

The girl was at her wit's end to know what to do,

And in her distress of mind,

Went and looked out of the window.

There she saw three funny-looking women coming towards her.

One had a big flat foot,

Another a large under lip that hung over her chin,

And the third had a very broad thumb.

They stood still under the window,

And looking up,

They asked the girl what was the matter.

She told them her trouble,

And they offered to help her.

If you will invite us to your wedding,

They said,

And will not be ashamed of us,

But introduce us as your cousins,

And let us sit at your table,

We will soon spin all that flax for you.

That I will gladly promise,

Said the girl,

If you will but come in,

And begin working for me at once.

So she let in the three women,

And strange little figures they looked,

And she cleared a space for them in the first room.

They sat down,

And began their spinning.

The first drew out the thread and turned the wheel,

The second moistened the thread,

And the third twisted it,

Striking with her fingers on the table.

And every time she did this,

A beautiful skein of the finest spun yarn fell onto the ground.

Whenever the queen came,

The girl hid the three women,

And then showed her skein upon skein of spun yarn,

Till the queen didn't know how to find words enough to praise her.

As soon as the first room was empty,

The spinners went on to the second,

And finally to the third,

Which,

Like the others,

Was very quickly cleared of the flax.

Then the three women took leave of the girl,

Saying to her as they parted,

Do not forget the promise you made us,

For it will bring you good fortune.

When the queen was shown the empty rooms and the great piles of yarn,

She began at once to make preparations for the wedding.

The bridegroom was delighted to think he should have such a clever and industrious wife,

And showered his praises upon her.

I have three cousins,

Said the girl,

And they have shown me such great kindness in the past,

That I should not like to forget them,

Now that I am happy and prosperous.

Will you give me permission to invite them to the wedding,

And allow them to sit at our table?

The queen and the bridegroom both willingly consented to this request.

The wedding feast was beginning,

When in walked the three women,

Attired in the most wonderful dresses.

The bride greeted them,

And said,

Welcome dear cousins.

But the bridegroom could not help exclaiming,

How came you to have such ugly friends?

Then he went up to the first,

And asked her what had given her such a broad foot.

Turning the wheel,

She answered.

He went up to the second,

And asked what had caused her to have such a large lip.

Moistening the thread,

She answered.

He went on to the third,

And asked what made her thumb so broad.

Twisting the thread,

She answered.

Then,

Cried the prince,

Horrified at these answers,

My beautiful wife shall never go near a spinning wheel again,

As long as she lives.

And so,

Henceforth,

She was rid of the hated task of spinning.

Reviews

This is a lovely reading of a delightful & much lesser known tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. The process described is using an early style of European spinning wheel called a Great Wheel, or Walking Wheel. It is best used in the spinning of long length fibers such as linen, hemp, & longwools. The wheel itself is much larger than that pictured in Disney's Sleeping Beauty, sometimes 2+ meters (6 feet) in diameter. It is turned by hand, usually by a spinner who sets the wheel spinning, then walks away from the spindle end (a sharp stick driven by the turning of the wheel), drawing out the twisting thread, then setting the wheel turning in the other direction, to wrap the thread around the spindle. The flax is prepared to enter the twisting by being moistened, & while water can be used, saliva has enzymes which work better. As this process is going on, the spinner controls the twisting with their fingers & thumb. This can be done all by a single spinner, but the great quantities of thread needed to weave all of the cloth required for Europe over several centuries--ending with the Industrial Revolution-- was best served by the cooperation of three highly skilled spinners. In this way, thread was spun for everything from canvas sails for ships, to very fine linen cloth used for expensive clothing including fine lace work. This method is still practiced by a few contemporary hand spinners, using antique wheels. Videos of the process are available online if you search for Walking Wheel spinning. Thank you for sharing. I hope some listeners will be interested to learn more about the process. It is remarkable & beautiful to watch. The continuation of this practice requires a small percentage of those (who are enchanted by seeing the process) to actually learn how to do it, and go on to pass it down to others. I am indebted to hand spinning teachers for passing this on to me, & for nurturing my own spinning practice. I spin on a spindle (just the stick portion) & some on a Disney's Sleeping Beauty style treadle wheel. Either of those styles are good entry points for anyone interested. Hand spinning is highly meditative & satisfying as a source for knitting, weaving, or embroidery yarns.

🌸 Thank you Mandy for this fun story! I never heard this before and I grew up reading many fairy tales! 🌸

Grimms' tales are so often grim. This was a new one for me, and quite pleasant. Thank you for introducing it to me in your lovely voice. 💚

I loved Grimm's tales as a child but have not heard this one. Thank you!

Not just five stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I listened to this story twice. Fell asleep the first time. Heard it to the end the second time. I thought that she was clever in a manipulative way. She got exactly what she wanted. I was delighted!