# Our Lady's Child explained — Household Tales

> Chapter companion for Household Tales by Jacob Grimm.

## What happens

A poor woodcutter gives his three-year-old daughter to the Virgin Mary, who raises her in heaven. When the girl is fourteen, Mary entrusts her with the keys to thirteen doors, forbidding her to open the thirteenth. Overcome by curiosity, the girl opens the forbidden door, sees the Trinity, and her finger turns gold. She lies about it three times, and Mary casts her out into a wilderness where she lives miserably for years. A king finds her, marries her, and they have three children. Each time Mary appears and demands confession, the queen denies opening the door, and Mary takes each child. Finally, as the queen is about to be burned at the stake, she confesses, and Mary returns her children and restores her speech.

## Themes in this chapter

### Promises and Their Consequences

The girl promises to obey the Virgin Mary's command not to open the thirteenth door, but her curiosity leads to disobedience, lies, and severe punishment.

### Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished

The girl's initial disobedience and repeated lies result in exile, loss of speech, and the removal of her children; her eventual confession brings forgiveness and restoration.

### Transformation and Redemption

The girl transforms from a heavenly child to a miserable outcast, then to a queen, and finally finds redemption through repentance and confession.

## Character check-ins

### the Virgin Mary

Appears as a tall, beautiful woman with a crown of stars; takes the woodcutter's daughter to heaven, gives her keys, tests her obedience, and ultimately forgives her after confession.

### the girl

The woodcutter's daughter, raised in heaven, disobeys by opening the forbidden door and lying about it; cast into a wilderness, later becomes queen, loses her children, and finally confesses to be forgiven.

### the King

Hunts in the forest, finds the silent maiden, marries her, and defends her against accusations of being a man-eater until she is put on trial.

## Key lines

> I am the Virgin Mary, mother of the child Jesus. Thou art poor and needy, bring thy child to me, I will take her with me and be her mother, and care for her.

The Virgin Mary introduces herself and offers to take the woodcutter's daughter to heaven to raise her.

_This sets the central premise of the girl's upbringing and the subsequent test of obedience._

> Hast thou not opened the thirteenth door also?

The Virgin Mary asks the girl if she disobeyed by opening the forbidden door.

_This question is repeated three times, leading to the girl's lies and eventual punishment._

> He who repents his sin and acknowledges it, is forgiven.

The Virgin Mary declares that repentance and confession lead to forgiveness.

_This moral concludes the tale, emphasizing the theme of redemption._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/our-lady-s-child
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/household_tales_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/household_tales_se/chapters