Household Tales · Chapter
The Gnome explained
A king's three daughters vanish after eating an apple from a forbidden tree.
What happens
A king's three daughters vanish after eating an apple from a forbidden tree. Three huntsmen set out to find them. The two elder brothers fail a test set by a gnome, but the youngest, called Stupid Hans, beats the gnome and learns the princesses are trapped in an underground well guarded by dragons. He descends, slays the dragons, and rescues the princesses, but his brothers betray him by cutting the rope as he is being pulled up, leaving him for dead. He escapes with the help of elves and a magic flute, exposes his brothers' treachery, and marries the youngest princess.
Themes in this chapter
Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished
The youngest huntsman's bravery and honesty are rewarded with marriage to a princess, while his treacherous brothers are hanged.
Family Dynamics and Betrayal
The elder brothers betray the youngest by cutting the rope and claiming credit for the rescue, highlighting sibling rivalry and deceit.
Promises and Their Consequences
The king's promise to give his daughter in marriage to the rescuer drives the plot, and the brothers' false claims lead to their downfall.
Characters to notice
- the youngest huntsman
The youngest huntsman, called Stupid Hans, who bravely descends into the well, slays the dragons, rescues the princesses, and later exposes his brothers' betrayal.
- the gnome
A small mannikin who tests the huntsmen, reveals the location of the princesses, and warns the youngest about his brothers' treachery.
- the King
The rich king whose three daughters disappear after eating an apple from his favorite tree; he promises one daughter in marriage to whoever rescues them.
- the princess
The three princesses who are rescued from the underground chambers; the youngest marries the youngest huntsman.
- the two elder brothers
The false brothers who fail the gnome's test, betray the youngest huntsman by cutting the rope, and falsely claim credit for rescuing the princesses.
Key passages
“when it was about halfway up, his false brothers above cut the rope, so that the basket with the stone fell to the ground, and they thought that he was dead, and ran away with the three princesses, making them promise to tell their father that it was they who had delivered them”
When the basket was halfway up, his treacherous brothers cut the rope, causing the basket with the stone to fall. Believing him dead, they fled with the three princesses, forcing them to claim that the brothers had rescued them.
This moment captures the brothers' betrayal and the beginning of their false claim.
“Then he played until the room was entirely filled. They all asked what he desired, so he said he wished to get above ground back to daylight, on which they seized him by every hair that grew on his head, and thus they flew with him onto the earth again.”
He played the flute until the room was full of elves, who asked what he wanted. He said he wished to return above ground, so they grabbed him by the hair and flew him back to the surface.
The youngest huntsman uses the magic flute to summon elves who help him escape the underground chambers.