“The Ear of Corn” by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

This is one of the Grimms’ shorter Household Tales. In a time when God still walked on the earth and each stalk of corn produced far more than they do now, a woman tore up a handful of ears of corn to clean mud of her daughter’s dress. God was angry and threatened that the corn stalks would produce no more food, but relented when the people cried that even if they were undeserving, the birds would starve.

The Lord, who foresaw their suffering, had pity on them, and granted the request. So the ears were left as they now grow.

We need to be thankful for what we have, for what God’s given us, because we can lose it. Definitely a good moral, but not one of my favorite stories.

I read the story at SurLaLune Fairy Tales. It’s from the Grimms’ Household Tales, translated by Margaret Hunt, published in 1892.

Tif, from Tif Talks Books, is the hostess of this great feature, Fairy Tale Fridays. Head over there to see her take on “The Ear of Corn” and to share your own thoughts.

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