Household Tales · Chapter
The Devil's Sooty Brother explained
A disbanded soldier, desperate and hungry, hires himself to the Devil for seven years.
What happens
A disbanded soldier, desperate and hungry, hires himself to the Devil for seven years. He must serve in hell without washing, combing, or cutting his hair or nails. He pokes the fire, sweeps, and peeps into kettles where he sees former officers. After seven years, the Devil gives him a knapsack of sweepings that turn to gold. The soldier loses the gold to a thieving innkeeper but retrieves it with the Devil's help. He then plays music for a king, who promises him his eldest daughter; she refuses, but the youngest agrees, and the soldier eventually inherits the kingdom.
Themes in this chapter
Transformation and Redemption
The soldier undergoes a physical and social transformation from a grimy, sooty servant to a wealthy king, redeemed through his service and cleverness.
Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished
The soldier's obedience and hard work are rewarded with gold and a kingdom, while the thieving innkeeper is forced to return the stolen money and the former officers are punished in hell.
Characters to notice
- the Devil
Appears as a little man in the forest, hires the soldier for seven years of service in hell, and later helps him recover his stolen gold.
- Gambling Hansel
The disbanded soldier who becomes the Devil's servant, endures seven years of grimy labor, and ultimately wins a princess and a kingdom.
- the King
An old king who is delighted by the soldier's music and promises him his eldest daughter in marriage.
- the princess
The eldest daughter refuses to marry the sooty soldier; the youngest daughter willingly accepts, and later becomes queen.
Key passages
“The Devil said, 'If you will hire yourself to me, and be my serving-man, you shall have enough for all your life. You shall serve me for seven years, and after that you shall again be free. But one thing I must tell you, and that is, you must not wash, comb, or trim yourself, or cut your hair or nails, or wipe the water from your eyes.'”
The Devil offers the soldier a seven-year job in hell with the condition that he remain unwashed and unkempt the entire time.
This sets the central bargain and the physical ordeal the soldier must endure.
“Then as soon as he was up in the forest again, he took his knapsack from his back, to empty it, but on opening it, the sweepings had become pure gold.”
When the soldier empties his knapsack of sweepings, they transform into pure gold.
This magical transformation rewards the soldier for his service and sets the stage for his rise in fortune.
“There was however, an old King in that country, before whom he had to play, and the King was so delighted with his playing, that he promised him his eldest daughter in marriage.”
The soldier's music so pleases an old king that the king offers him his eldest daughter's hand in marriage.
This event leads to the soldier's ultimate social elevation and union with royalty.