Mother Holle
Mother Holle


There once was a young girl, who slaved all day for her mean step-mother and her lazy daughter. The step mother waited on her daughter hand and foot, leaving the young girl to do all the work alone. The girl is forced outdoors to spin wool in the middle of winter. Her hands become stiff and cold, and she pricks herself, getting blood on the bobbin. Thinking her step mother would be angry that she had ruined the yarn, she went to the well to try and wash the blood off.

She dropped the bobbin into the well, at which her step-mother made her jump into the well after it. The girl falls through the bottom of the well and lands in Mother Holle's world. Mother Holle is the Sovereign of Winter. When she makes up her bed every morning, she skakes her down quilt out the window of her home, and snow falls on the earth.

The girl, not knowing where she was, wandered until she found Mother Holle's house, whereupon she asked if she might rest there. Mother Holle was an old woman, terrifying in appearance, but when she asks if the girl would like to work for her, the girl agrees. (i can't remember what the girl's name is)

Mother Holle sets the girl to shaking out her quilt, and she works hard. For the next few weeks she works as hard as she can for Mother Holle. Although Mother Holle is far kinder to her than her family ever was, the girl is still homesick, and wishes to leave. Mother Holle gives her the lost bobbin, takes her halfway home, and fills her apron up with gold. She gives her a beautiful necklace and sends her on her way. The girl arrives home unconscious, lying in a pile of gold coins.

The stepmother, greedy at the sight of all that wealt, forces her pampered daughter to jump into the well and get some more. The daughter arrives at Mother Holle's, but she isn't very polite, and she don't work very hard. After only a few shorty days, Mother Holle sends her home.

When she asked for her gift, Mother Holle covered her in mud instead of gold, and instead of a beautiful necklace, Mother Holle wraped a snake around her neck. When the sister arrived home, her mother attempted to get the mud off of her, but it wouldn't. The mother and sister were covered with the insipid stuff for the rest of their lives, and the girl lived happily ever after.