On a Pincushion · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for On a Pincushion by Mary De Morgan.
Chapter 1
On a Pincushion
Three pins on a pincushion—a Brooch, a Shawl-pin, and a common Pin—complain about being left unused. The Shawl-pin laments its fallen status, the Brooch resents its neglect despite its colorful appearance, and the Pin feels overlooked despite its utility. They then decide to tell stories to drown out the chatter of Bracelets hanging nearby.
Chapter 2
The Story of Vain Lamorna
Lamorna, a vain young woman, spends her time admiring her reflection in a brook, ignoring the love of the fisherman Erick. The water elves, wishing to cure her vanity, steal her reflection. Lamorna becomes distressed when she can no longer see herself in mirrors or water. Erick goes to war and returns disfigured, and Lamorna, now scarred herself, realizes the shallowness of her vanity. She accepts Erick's love, and the water elves return her reflection, celebrating her transformation.
Chapter 3
The Seeds of Love
An old woman on her deathbed gives her granddaughters Zaire and Blanchelys magic candles that will grant each a wish when lit. After her death, Blanchelys lights her candle and meets Love, who gives her seeds that grow into a rose tree. The tree's health is tied to the love of the King's son, and Blanchelys marries him, becoming Queen. Zaire grows jealous and tries to destroy the tree.
Chapter 4
The Story of the Opal
A Sunbeam, curious about a Moonbeam he hears described by the birds, defies the enmity between Sun and Moon to see her. They meet secretly, fall in love, and ultimately perish together when the Sun discovers their union, their mingled tears and blood creating the opal with its shifting colors.
Chapter 5
Siegfrid and Handa
In a happy, honest village, the shoemaker's son Siegfrid and the miller's daughter Handa are childhood sweethearts. A strange peddler sells cheap, shoddy shoes, leading the villagers to abandon the local shoemaker, Ralph. Misfortune follows, but Siegfrid, with the help of a Hare and an Owl, retrieves the worn-out shoes, burns them, and finds magical sandals that lead him to rescue Handa. The villagers repent, and Siegfrid marries Handa, restoring peace though the village's former perfection is lost.
Chapter 6
The Hair Tree
A beautiful Queen, proud of her magnificent hair, refuses to give any to an eagle for its nest. The eagle curses her, causing her hair to fall out completely. Distraught, the Queen dreams three times of a magical Hair Tree whose seeds can restore her hair. The King offers a huge reward for anyone who can find the tree. A poor sailor named Rupert sets out to search for it in a magical northern land where animals speak and plants have hands and eyes.
Chapter 7
A Toy Princess
In a land of extreme politeness where emotions are suppressed, the Queen dies after giving birth to Princess Ursula. The fairy godmother Taboret, seeing Ursula's unhappy and constrained life, commissions a magical toy duplicate from a wizard to replace her. The real Ursula is whisked away to a fisherman's cottage, where she grows up healthy and free, while the toy princess behaves perfectly at court. Years later, Ursula plans to marry the fisherman's son Oliver, prompting Taboret to reconsider the situation.
Chapter 8
Through the Fire
Jack, now a crippled boy, is visited one last time by Princess Pyra and Prince Fluvius, who gift him a magic belt that will restore his strength. The chapter also recounts Jack's earlier journey to Fireland on the back of a fire-fairy, where he sees the magnificent but sorrowful Princess Pyra in her fiery garden and impulsively speaks to her, moved by her sadness.