The Elves and the Shoemaker
E786876
"The Elves and the Shoemaker" is a classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale about a poor shoemaker who receives secret nighttime help from kindly elves, leading to prosperity and gratitude.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
fairy tale
ⓘ
literary work ⓘ short story ⓘ |
| associatedWith | European folklore ⓘ |
| author |
Brothers Grimm
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Jacob Grimm NERFINISHED ⓘ Wilhelm Grimm NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| collection | Grimms' Fairy Tales NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | Germany ⓘ |
| featuresCharacter | elves ⓘ |
| featuresSupernaturalCreature | elves ⓘ |
| genre |
fairy tale
ⓘ
folk tale ⓘ |
| hasAdaptation |
animated film adaptations
ⓘ
children's picture books ⓘ stage adaptations ⓘ |
| hasAlternativeTitle |
Die Wichtelmänner
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
The Shoemaker and the Elves NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| includedIn | Kinder- und Hausmärchen NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| intendedUse | moral instruction for children ⓘ |
| literaryTradition | German fairy-tale tradition ⓘ |
| mainCharacter |
poor shoemaker
ⓘ
shoemaker's wife ⓘ |
| moral |
Acts of kindness and gratitude are rewarded.
ⓘ
Help given freely can lead to mutual prosperity. ⓘ |
| motif |
gratitude
ⓘ
magical assistance ⓘ poverty to prosperity ⓘ secret helpers ⓘ |
| narrativePerspective | third-person narration ⓘ |
| originalLanguage | German ⓘ |
| plotEvent |
Elves appear at night and make shoes from the prepared leather.
ⓘ
Elves receive the gifts, dance with joy, and disappear, not returning to work again. ⓘ Shoemaker and his wife make clothes and shoes for the elves in gratitude. ⓘ Shoemaker and his wife secretly watch the elves at work. ⓘ Shoemaker cuts leather for one pair of shoes and leaves it overnight. ⓘ Shoemaker sells the shoes for a good price and buys more leather. ⓘ The elves continue to help until the shoemaker becomes prosperous. ⓘ |
| plotSummary | A poor shoemaker receives secret nighttime help from elves who make fine shoes, leading to his prosperity. ⓘ |
| setting | a small town ⓘ |
| targetAudience | children ⓘ |
| theme |
generosity
ⓘ
gratitude ⓘ hard work ⓘ kindness ⓘ |
| timePeriodInStory | unspecified pre-industrial era ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.