| The Star Money | |
|---|---|
 Illustration by Heinrich Vogeler | |
| Folk tale | |
| Name | The Star Money |
| Also known as | The Star Talers |
| Aarne–Thompson grouping | ATU 779 |
| Country | Germany |
| Published in | Grimms' Fairy Tales |
"The Star Money" or "The Star Talers" (German : Die Sterntaler) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales . [1]
It is Aarne-Thompson type 779, Divine Rewards and Punishments. [2]
A goodhearted orphan girl has only her clothing and a loaf of bread that a kind soul has given her. She goes out into the countryside to see what might happen. She gives a hungry beggar her bread, and to three cold children she gives her winter hat, her jacket, and her dress. After wandering into a forest, she sees a naked child begging for a shift (long undergarment), and since it is dark and she cannot be seen, she gives her own away. As she stands there with nothing left at all, suddenly stars fall to earth before her, transforming into talers (silver coins), and she finds herself wearing a new dress of the finest linen. The story ends with her being rich.
There is another known version of this tale. It tells of a beautiful young girl named Natalie whose parents have fallen ill. She is sent to find a doctor, and meets many begging people along the way. She gives away everything but her shift, and when in the forest she meets yet another begging child asking for her shift. Natalie strips naked and gives her shift away, and then ends up spending three days and nights in the forest. On the fourth day, she is swimming in the lake and is greeted by her guardian angel, who tells her soon her generosity shall be rewarded. With that she leaves a towel and a clean set of clothing for Natalie. After Natalie dries herself and dresses again, the guardian angel sends stars falling from the sky before her, proven to be silver talers. Natalie gathers them up and after heading back to the village, she pays the doctor, and all goes well for her family, now that they are wealthy.
"The Golden Goose" is a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.
The Blue Light is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale about a soldier who finds a magical object that provides him a supernatural helper. Many of the features from Hans Christian Andersen's later work The Tinderbox and from the story of Aladdin and his magic lamp originate with this version.
"The Goose Girl" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and first published in Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1815. It is of Aarne-Thompson type 533.
"Bearskin" is a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. A variant from Sicily, "Don Giovanni de la Fortuna", was collected by Laura Gonzenbach in Sicilianische Märchen and included by Andrew Lang in The Pink Fairy Book. Italo Calvino included another Italian version, "The Devil's Breeches" from Bologna, in his Italian Folktales.
"The Three Little Men in the Wood" or "The Three Little Gnomes in the Forest" is a German fairy tale collected in 1812 by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales. Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book (1890) as "The Three Dwarfs," and a version of the tale appears in A Book of Dwarfs (1964) by Ruth Manning-Sanders.
"The Hut in the Forest" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. Andrew Lang included it in The Pink Fairy Book (1897). It is Aarne-Thompson type 431.
"The Willful Child" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm as tale number 117. As a legend, it is widely distributed in Germany.
"The Spirit in the Bottle" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 99. In the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index, it is type 331.
"Old Sultan" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.
"The Riddle" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1819. It is of Aarne-Thompson type 851.
"The Twelve Brothers" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales. Andrew Lang included it in The Red Fairy Book.
Finette Cendron is a French literary fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy.
"Cat and Mouse in Partnership" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimms' Fairy Tales. It is a story of Aarne-Thompson type 15.
"The True Bride" or "The True Sweetheart" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales as tale 186.
"The Griffin" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales.
"The Pink" or "The Carnation" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales as tale number 76.
"The Two Kings' Children" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales, tale number 113.
"Mary's Child" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1812. It is of Aarne-Thompson type 710.
"The Gnome" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales, tale number 91.
"The Little Peasant" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales, number 61.
Media related to The Star Money at Wikimedia Commons
The full text of The Star Money at Wikisource
