# The Star-Money explained — Household Tales

> Chapter companion for Household Tales by Jacob Grimm.

## What happens

A poor orphan girl, good and pious, gives away her last possessions—bread, hood, jacket, frock, and shirt—to those in need. As she stands with nothing, stars fall from heaven as hard smooth pieces of money, and she finds herself clothed in a fine linen shirt, becoming rich for life.

## Themes in this chapter

### Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished

The girl's extreme generosity and piety are directly rewarded by a miraculous shower of star-money and a new linen shirt.

## Character check-ins

### the girl

The orphan protagonist who selflessly gives away all she has.

## Key lines

> She reached him the whole of her piece of bread, and said, 'May God bless it to thy use,' and went onwards.

She gave the poor man her entire piece of bread, blessing it, and continued on her way.

_Illustrates her immediate and complete charity._

> And as she so stood, and had not one single thing left, suddenly some stars from heaven fell down, and they were nothing else but hard smooth pieces of money, and although she had just given her little shirt away, she had a new one which was of the very finest linen.

When she had nothing left, stars fell from the sky and turned into coins, and she received a new fine linen shirt in place of the one she gave away.

_The climax of the story where her sacrifice is miraculously repaid._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/the-star-money
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/household_tales_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/household_tales_se/chapters