The Nixie of the Mill-Pond
Encyclopedia
The Nixie of the Mill-Pond is a German fairy tale
. The Brothers Grimm
collected in their Grimm's Fairy Tales
, as tale number 181. Andrew Lang
included a version in The Yellow Fairy Book, citing his source Hermann Kletke and titling it The Nixy.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 316, the nix
of the mill-pond.
. A nix
ie appeared to him with the boon of returning him to a man of means if he yielded to her in troth, that which had just been birthed within the bounds of his house and home. Thinking it a trifle, but a kitten or a puppy, he trothed. In truth, he returned home to find his wife cradling a newborn in comfort. The miller's wife had just birthed their new son through a hard labor. Bound in troth, blessed with a newborn son, he never let the boy go near the millpond lest the trixy nixie settle account, leaving him with nix and naught bar the means for which he was bound.
The boy grew up into the world of adulthood and became a hunter, a hunter skilled enough to be taken into a lord's service. Taken into service thus, he betrothed and later wed. The day dawned true and bright, yielding to a warm afternoon. In the afternoon a strong deer gave chase. Long, long went the pursuit before the hunter brought it down. Upon dusk the hunter went to freshen in the millpond. In the twilight, the nixie seized him, drawing him down, down into the cold millpond's unknowable depths.
His wife searched everywhere in the dark of night, searching for her husband with the light of the moon, calling and weeping from her heart all the time for her lost husband, her lost husband who had in truth failed by sundown to return to hearth. She continuing weeping and calling all the while for her lost husband, searching everywhere that is, except the millpond. Weeping and calling for her husband, she neither saw nor heard anything as neither the millpond nor the watermill were milling. Spent, she fell asleep and dreamt of climbing a nearby mountain and finding an old woman.
Upon waking, she ascended the mountain of which she had dreamt, and there was an old woman. The woman gave her a golden comb and instructed her to comb her hair by the pond whilst thinking of her husband and then when finished, to lay the golden comb upon the sand. This the man's wife did. As the nixie stole the comb her husband's head emerged from the millpond. The man's wife returned to the old woman of the mountain who gifted her with a golden flute, bidding her play and to do the same with the golden flute as she had done with the golden comb. The woman returned to the millpond and did as she was bidden, to play whilst thinking of her husband. Leaving the flute on the sand upon finishing the golden song of her heart, the nixie looted a second time. As the flute submerged, half her husband's body emerged.
The third
time, she received a golden spinning wheel from the old woman; upon the nixie's procuring of the spinning wheel of gold, her husband emerged completely from the millpond, and he stole his wife's hand with view for escape, to get far away from the millpond. Tempestuous, the nixie tried to drown them, but the man's wife called upon the old woman of the mountain, who turned
her into a toad and him into a frog. The ensuing flood of the nixie's wrath sundered them. They regained their human forms on dry land, but far, far apart.
Time passed as time does and many things changed. They both became shepherds. Fortune's turning favored a reconciliation. Without either recognizing the other they met tending their herds. The old man played a tune on his flute that she remembered, it was the same tune she played to him on the magical golden flute, the flute now lost and treasured with loot of the nixie. She wept as he recognized her and his tears of joy ran together with hers as they kissed.
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
. The Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
collected in their Grimm's Fairy Tales
Grimm's Fairy Tales
Children's and Household Tales is a collection of German origin fairy tales first published in 1812 by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, the Brothers Grimm. The collection is commonly known today as Grimms' Fairy Tales .-Composition:...
, as tale number 181. Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.- Biography :Lang was born in Selkirk...
included a version in The Yellow Fairy Book, citing his source Hermann Kletke and titling it The Nixy.
It is Aarne-Thompson type 316, the nix
Nix
The Neck/Nixie are shapeshifting water spirits who usually appear in human form. The spirit has appeared in the myths and legends of all Germanic peoples in Europe....
of the mill-pond.
Synopsis
A miller became poor as custom no longer favored the watermillWatermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
. A nix
Nix
The Neck/Nixie are shapeshifting water spirits who usually appear in human form. The spirit has appeared in the myths and legends of all Germanic peoples in Europe....
ie appeared to him with the boon of returning him to a man of means if he yielded to her in troth, that which had just been birthed within the bounds of his house and home. Thinking it a trifle, but a kitten or a puppy, he trothed. In truth, he returned home to find his wife cradling a newborn in comfort. The miller's wife had just birthed their new son through a hard labor. Bound in troth, blessed with a newborn son, he never let the boy go near the millpond lest the trixy nixie settle account, leaving him with nix and naught bar the means for which he was bound.
The boy grew up into the world of adulthood and became a hunter, a hunter skilled enough to be taken into a lord's service. Taken into service thus, he betrothed and later wed. The day dawned true and bright, yielding to a warm afternoon. In the afternoon a strong deer gave chase. Long, long went the pursuit before the hunter brought it down. Upon dusk the hunter went to freshen in the millpond. In the twilight, the nixie seized him, drawing him down, down into the cold millpond's unknowable depths.
His wife searched everywhere in the dark of night, searching for her husband with the light of the moon, calling and weeping from her heart all the time for her lost husband, her lost husband who had in truth failed by sundown to return to hearth. She continuing weeping and calling all the while for her lost husband, searching everywhere that is, except the millpond. Weeping and calling for her husband, she neither saw nor heard anything as neither the millpond nor the watermill were milling. Spent, she fell asleep and dreamt of climbing a nearby mountain and finding an old woman.
Upon waking, she ascended the mountain of which she had dreamt, and there was an old woman. The woman gave her a golden comb and instructed her to comb her hair by the pond whilst thinking of her husband and then when finished, to lay the golden comb upon the sand. This the man's wife did. As the nixie stole the comb her husband's head emerged from the millpond. The man's wife returned to the old woman of the mountain who gifted her with a golden flute, bidding her play and to do the same with the golden flute as she had done with the golden comb. The woman returned to the millpond and did as she was bidden, to play whilst thinking of her husband. Leaving the flute on the sand upon finishing the golden song of her heart, the nixie looted a second time. As the flute submerged, half her husband's body emerged.
The third
Rule of three (writing)
The "rule of three" is a principle in writing that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. The reader/audience of this form of text is also more likely to consume information if it is written in groups of...
time, she received a golden spinning wheel from the old woman; upon the nixie's procuring of the spinning wheel of gold, her husband emerged completely from the millpond, and he stole his wife's hand with view for escape, to get far away from the millpond. Tempestuous, the nixie tried to drown them, but the man's wife called upon the old woman of the mountain, who turned
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
her into a toad and him into a frog. The ensuing flood of the nixie's wrath sundered them. They regained their human forms on dry land, but far, far apart.
Time passed as time does and many things changed. They both became shepherds. Fortune's turning favored a reconciliation. Without either recognizing the other they met tending their herds. The old man played a tune on his flute that she remembered, it was the same tune she played to him on the magical golden flute, the flute now lost and treasured with loot of the nixie. She wept as he recognized her and his tears of joy ran together with hers as they kissed.
See also
- The Sea-MaidenThe Sea-MaidenThe Sea-Maiden is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands, listing his informant as John Mackenzie, fisherman, near Inverary. Joseph Jacobs included it in Celtic Fairy Tales.-Synopsis:...
- The White Dove
- The Battle of the BirdsThe Battle of the BirdsThe Battle of the Birds is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in his Popular Tales of the West Highlands. He recorded it from a fisherman near Inverary, John Mackenzie...
- King KojataKing KojataKing Kojata or The Unlooked for Prince or Prince Unexpected is a Slavonic fairy tale. Andrew Lang included the Russian version King Kojata, in The Green Fairy Book. A. H. Wratislaw collected a Polish variant Prince Unexpected in his Sixty Folk-Tales from Exclusively Slavonic Sources, number 17...
- Nix Nought NothingNix Nought NothingNix Nought Nothing is an English fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs in his English Fairy Tales. A similar tale was collected by Andrew Lang in Scotland...
- The Mermaid and the BoyThe Mermaid and the BoyThe Mermaid and the Boy is a Sámi fairy tale collected by J. C. Poestion in Lapplandische Märchen. Andrew Lang included it in The Brown Fairy Book....
- The Grateful PrinceThe Grateful PrinceThe Grateful Prince is an Estonian fairy tale, collected by Dr. Friedrich Kreutzwald in Eestirahwa Ennemuistesed jutud. W. F. Kirby included in The Hero of Esthonia. Andrew Lang included it in The Violet Fairy Book; he listed his source as Ehstnische Märchen, which was the German translation of...