# Our Lady's Little Glass explained — Household Tales

> Chapter companion for Household Tales by Jacob Grimm.

## What happens

A wagoner's cart is stuck fast, and Our Lady asks for a glass of wine in exchange for freeing it. The wagoner has no glass, so she plucks a field bindweed flower that looks like a glass, fills it with wine, drinks, and instantly the cart is freed. The flower is thereafter called Our Lady's Little Glass.

## Themes in this chapter

### Magic and the Supernatural

Our Lady's miraculous intervention frees the cart instantly after drinking the wine.

### Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished

The wagoner's willingness to help is rewarded by the freeing of his cart.

## Character check-ins

### the Virgin Mary

Appears as Our Lady, helps the wagoner by requesting wine and freeing his cart.

### the servant

The wagoner, whose cart is stuck and who provides wine to Our Lady.

## Key lines

> Then Our Lady plucked a little white flower with red stripes, called field bindweed, which looks very like a glass, and gave it to the wagoner.

Our Lady picked a small white flower with red stripes, known as field bindweed, which resembles a glass, and handed it to the wagoner.

_Describes the origin of the flower's name and its use as a makeshift glass._

> He filled it with wine, and then Our Lady drank it, and in the selfsame instant the cart was set free, and the wagoner could drive onwards.

He filled the flower with wine, Our Lady drank it, and immediately the cart became unstuck, allowing the wagoner to continue.

_Highlights the miraculous cause-and-effect of the event._

## Links

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