“Mother Hulda”, the mother of controlling snow, teaches two very different girls very contrasting lessons. The outcome is something most children should learn but ones that many pay no attention to. The poor sister learns that hard work and consideration will leave her wealthy in various ways. The rich sister receives this lesson in reverse. For all the riches and privileges she is granted for free in the end she is punished. In order to receive worldly riches the poor girl must first have an accidental fall. When she drops a spinning needle down a well her cruel stepmother tells her daughter she must retrieve it. I |
have no idea why her stepmother would think fishing a needle out from the bottom of a well was an accomplishable idea. Clearly the woman has no sense and has clearly never worked a day in her life.
This tale has a small Alice in Wonderland feel. The poor girl falls into a well, which is really a portal to another world; a world in which Mother Hulda lives. The girl willingly helps every object that asks her for help. In return the items each give her something of theirs that will help her on her journey. It is the lesson of give a little get a little in return. When she finally gets to Mother Hulda’s house, despite the woman’s appearance, the girl decides to help her with the biggest task of all— making it snow. The poor girl lends her assistance every day and in return she is awarded the doorway back to our world and is showered |
in gold and beauty for the rest of her life.
Greedy people will always try to ride on the coattails of other’s success. The now golden girl’s stepmother decides her true daughter should also receive beauty and gold. The rich girl purposely falls down the well. Being spoiled and having never worked a day she refuses to help the same objects her sister helped. When she finally gets to Mother Hulda’s she agrees to work. After a day she becomes lazy doing very little. In the end the woman curses her and will be covered with pitch* for the rest of her life.
John Warren Stewig retells the tale similarly to the Grimm Brothers except for titling the story "Mother Holly". He gives the greedy sister a chance for redemption. She eventually gets the brambles stuck in her skin removed through the hard work her and her sister give Mother Hulda on the girls third trip to visit the woman.
Greedy people will always try to ride on the coattails of other’s success. The now golden girl’s stepmother decides her true daughter should also receive beauty and gold. The rich girl purposely falls down the well. Being spoiled and having never worked a day she refuses to help the same objects her sister helped. When she finally gets to Mother Hulda’s she agrees to work. After a day she becomes lazy doing very little. In the end the woman curses her and will be covered with pitch* for the rest of her life.
John Warren Stewig retells the tale similarly to the Grimm Brothers except for titling the story "Mother Holly". He gives the greedy sister a chance for redemption. She eventually gets the brambles stuck in her skin removed through the hard work her and her sister give Mother Hulda on the girls third trip to visit the woman.
*”any of various dark, tenacious, and viscous substances for caulking and paving, consisting of the residue of the distillation of coal tar or wood tar.” (according to dictionary.com)