The Elves and the Shoemaker
A Fairytale About Wish Fulfillment
A Pious, Hardworking Shoemaker
In the beginning of the fairy tale, The Elves and the Shoemaker, by the brothers Grimm, we meet a shoemaker and his wife who are down on their luck. The shoemaker has only enough money and leather left to make one pair of shoes. Yet he perseveres and cuts out his leather. He is unable to finish his work that day and so he lays the leather out ready to work on it the next day, before bed; he prays to God. In the morning, before he commences with his work, he prays to God again.
Maria Tatar notes that the ‘piety’ of the shoemaker is brought to our attention repeatedly throughout the story. (184) Many critics of the brothers Grimm feel that this reflects poorly on the brothers as they often edited fairy tales to make them more Christian and to make them more palatable to their audience.
Tatar also points out that while the prayer signifies that the shoemaker deserves the reward, it also protects him against the ‘pagan spirits’ who assist him by doing his work.
Exponential Production by Elves
Whatever the case, the shoemaker is blessed by living the dream of finding his chores magically completed. Not only are they completed but they are completed so well that the shoemaker makes enough money from their sale to buy leather for more shoes.
For those who are mathematically inclined, an exponential progression becomes evident. Every day the previous days number of shoes is doubled. From the despair of the night when he had enough leather for only one pair of shoes, the shoemaker finds that he is able to buy leather for 512 pairs of shoes by the 10th night (if one follows the progression by doubling the number of shoes made on the previous night).
The result of the elves efforts recalls a story from India about rice and checkerboards. The story is known by many names but the central premise is that the rajah/king/emperor must reward a subject by putting a grain of rice on the first square of a checkerboard and doubling the amount on each subsequent square. One grain of rice becomes 2, 2 grains become 4, 4 grains become 8, and so on. Soon it becomes apparent that by the time all the squares have been filled, the volume of rice will be staggering.
Imagine if your work were done at night and your output increased exponentially. The room for greed on the shoemaker’s part is evident. Yet, the shoemaker and his wife seem familiar with the proverb ‘It is better to give than receive.’ When they sneak a peak at their benefactors, they immediately decide to do something for them.
Emancipation from Work
Since the little men were naked, the choice of clothing seems self-evident. The little men are delighted with their reward and dress quickly. The result of the couple’s kindness is the loss of their helpers as the elves dance away singing "Now we are boys so fine to see, Why should we longer cobblers be?"
Heidi Anne Heiner from SurLaLune Fairy Tales notes the similarity between the shoemaker’s benefactors and the house elves that J.K. Rowling introduces us too in her Harry Potter series. Rowling’s house elves are freed only when their master gives them an article of clothing. It is interesting to note that once the elves in the fairy tale have clothes, they feel free to leave the man that they had so ably assisted.
Tatar writes that “The fantasy in this tale has more to do with a strange blend of curiosity, emancipations from labor, recovery and whimsical reciprocity...” (183) One wonders who was emancipated and whose wish was fulfilled; the elves who got new clothes and decided they no longer needed to work or the couple who no longer receive magical assistance (but who, we are assured, still prosper)?
Sources
Tatar, Maria. The Annotated Brothers Grimm: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Edited with a Preface and Notes by Maria Tatar. W.W. Norton & Company Ltd., 2004.
What do you think about this article?
Comments
More in Reading & Literature
Latest Articles