The Elves and the Shoemaker

A hardworking, honest shoemaker still could not make ends meet. In the end his stock was gone except leather for a single pair of shoes.

He cut the pieces that evening and planned to sew at dawn. Troubles weighed lightly because his conscience was clear; he slept in peace. After morning prayers he sat to begin—and found a finished pair already on the bench. Every stitch was true; the work was a masterpiece.

A buyer that day liked them so much he paid above the usual price. With that coin the cobbler bought leather for two more pairs, cut them out at night, and rose early to sew—only to find them already done and ready. Soon more buyers came and paid handsomely; he bought stock enough for four pairs. Night after night the pattern held: leather cut in the evening, perfect shoes waiting by morning. Before long the honest man was thriving and comfortable again.

Near Christmas he told his wife he wanted to stay awake and learn who helped them. She agreed. They left a lamp lit, hid behind a hanging cloth, and waited.

As soon as midnight struck, two tiny naked dwarfs slipped in, climbed onto the shoemaker’s bench, and set to work with flying fingers—stitching, tapping, and rapping so quickly he could not look away—until the shoes stood finished long before dawn. Then they bustled off as quick as lightning.

The wife said such helpers had made them rich and deserved thanks. She hated seeing them shiver with nothing on. She would sew shirts, coats, waistcoats, and trousers; he would make miniature shoes. When the outfits were ready they laid them on the table in place of leather and hid again.

Midnight brought the dancers. They skipped about, then reached for their usual work—and saw the clothes. Laughing with delight, they dressed in an instant, capered around the room, and at last danced out the door across the green. The couple never saw them again, yet from then on their affairs prospered for life.

Where this story comes from

This is a German tale from the Brothers Grimm, not an Indian story. In German it is Die Wichtelmänner, “The Elves”, number 39 in Margaret Hunt’s 1884 translation, where it is actually a set of three little elf stories. This page tells the first of them, the one about the shoemaker.

The English wording followed here is the Project Gutenberg text based on Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes, in which the grateful couple make tiny shirts, coats, waistcoats and shoes for their helpers.

Read the original: Grimms’ Fairy Tales, tr. Edgar Taylor and Marian Edwardes (Project Gutenberg #2591, The Elves and the Shoemaker)

Best for ages 3–5: a cosy bedtime tale about tiny night-time helpers and a kind thank-you.

A thank-you shaped like the work

The elves turn prepared leather into shoes; the couple answer with clothes and tiny shoes made for the workers themselves. Their gratitude therefore uses the skills that have just helped them, while paying attention to a need they notice rather than demanding more labour.

The helpers leave after receiving the gift, and the story treats that as a joyful ending. Arrange drawings of leather, finished shoes, earnings and the elves’ clothes in a circle. Where does a sale become a gift? What would change if the couple made the clothes only on condition that the elves kept working?

Talk about it

• What did the shoemaker find on his table each morning?
• Why did the shoemaker and his wife want to make clothes for the elves?
• If you had secret helpers in your house, how would you thank them?

Related stories

• The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean — a very short Grimm tale about three unlikely travellers and a tailor
• The Golden Goose — a kind young Grimm hero whose good deed brings him great luck
• The Queen Bee — a gentle Grimm brother is rewarded by the creatures he protects