Week 15: Reading Notes Part B (Brother's Grimm Unit)

Brothers Grimm: Eve's Unequal Children

This story is part of the Brothers Grimm unit. Story source: The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales translated by D. L. Ashliman (1998-2013).

• Adam and Eve were working and doing chores 
• Eve brought a child into the world every year
• (some were good-looking and some were ugly)
• The ugly children were not allowed to be seen 
• The ugly children, however, were not to let themselves be seen. She hid one of them beneath the hay, another in the attic, the third in the straw, the fourth in the stove, the fifth in the cellar, the sixth under a tub, the seventh beneath the wine barrel, the eighth under an old pelt, the ninth and tenth beneath the cloth from which she made their clothes, and the eleventh and twelfth under the leather from which she cut their shoes.
• One day the Lord came knocking on their door 
• Eve was hesitant to show her children to him
• But, nonetheless the Lord blessed them all 
• "You shall be a peasant," to the second, "You a fisherman," to the third, "You a smith," to the fourth, "You a tanner," to the fifth, "You a weaver," to the sixth, "You a shoemaker," to the seventh, "You a tailor," to the eighth, "You a potter," to the ninth, "You a teamster," to the tenth, "You a sailor," to the eleventh, "You a messenger," to the twelfth, "You a household servant, all the days of your life."

(Illustration by Otto)