"The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep" (Danish

Danish language

Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...

: Hyrdinden og Skorstensfejeren) is a literary fairy tale

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...

 by Danish

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 poet and author Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...

 (1805–1875). The tale follows the romance between a china

Porcelain

Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...

 shepherdess and a china chimney sweep

Chimney sweep

A chimney sweep is a worker who clears ash and soot from chimneys. The chimney uses the pressure difference caused by a hot column of gas to create a draught and draw air over the hot coals or wood enabling continued combustion. Chimneys may be straight or contain many changes of direction. During...

 who are threatened by a carved mahogany satyr

Satyr

In Greek mythology, satyrs are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus — "satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing....

 who wants the shepherdess for his wife. The tale was first published in April 1845 by C.A. Reitzel in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Plot summary

Two china figurines (a shepherdess and a chimney sweep) stand side-by-side on a table top. They are in love. Their romance is threatened, however, by the carved mahogany figure of a satyr called "General-clothes-press-inspector-head-superintendent-Goat-legs" living on a nearby cabinet who wants the shepherdess for his wife.

The satyr importunes a porcelain Chinaman on the table (who considers himself the shepherdess' grandfather) to give his consent to the marriage. When the Chinaman agrees to the union, the shepherdess and the chimney sweep flee, clambering down a table leg to the floor. They hide in a toy theater, and, when they emerge, discover the Chinaman has fallen to the floor in attempting to pursue them. The lovers then climb with great difficulty through a stove pipe to the roof, sustained in their flight by a star shining high above them.

When the shepherdess reaches the rooftop and gazes upon the world before her, she takes fright at its vastness, and wants to return to the table top. The chimney sweep tries to dissuade her, but, as he loves her greatly, he finally accedes to her wishes and guides her back to the table top. There, the two discover the Chinaman has been repaired in such a way that he cannot press the shepherdess to marry the satyr. The lovers are safe at last.

Publication

The tale was first published by C.A. Reitzel in Copenhagen, Denmark 7 April 1845 in New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Third Collection. 1845. Other tales in the volume include "The Elf Mound

The Elf Mound

"The Elf Mound" is a literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen . The tale is about a feast held in an elf mound for the Goblin Chief of Norway and his two sons, both of whom are expected to select elf brides. The tale was published in Copenhagen, Denmark by C.A...

", "The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes (fairy tale)

"The Red Shoes" is a fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen first published by C.A. Reitzel in Copenhagen 7 April 1845 in New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Third Collection. 1845....

", "The Jumpers", and "Holger the Dane". The tale was republished 18 December 1849 as a part of Fairy Tales. 1850. and again on 30 March 1863 as a part of Fairy Tales and Stories. 1863. The tale has been translated into various languages and published around the world.

Analysis

Like Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier

The Steadfast Tin Soldier

"The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a tin soldier's love for a paper ballerina. After several adventures, the tin soldier perishes in a fire with the ballerina. The tale was first published in Copenhagen by C.A...

" and "The Sweethearts; or, The Top and the Ball

The Sweethearts; or, The Top and the Ball

"The Sweethearts; or, The Top and the Ball" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about the unrequited love a mahogany top suffers for a leather ball. It is likely the tale's inspiration lies in Andersen’s youthful relationship with Riborg Voight, a woman who declined his marriage...

", "The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep" is a tale about a romance between two household objects. While "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" and "The Sweethearts" end unhappily, "The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep" ends happily-ever-after. Other Andersen tales about household objects include "The Shirt Collar", and "The Teapot

The Teapot

"The Teapot" is a literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen about a teapot and her adventures. The tale was first published 1863 and demonstrates Andersen's talent for investing ordinary household objects with life, character, and personality.- Plot summary :A porcelain...

".

Adaptations

• Le Roi et l'oiseau
  Le Roi et l'oiseau
  Le Roi et l'oiseau is a 1980 traditionally-animated feature film directed by Paul Grimault...
  
  , a French animated feature-length film is loosely based on The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep.

External links

• "The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep" English translation by Jean Hersholt
  Jean Hersholt
  Jean Pierre Hersholt was a Danish-born actor who lived in the United States, where he was a leading film and radio talent, best known for his 17 years starring on radio in Dr. Christian and for playing Shirley Temple's grandfather in Heidi...
  
  
• Hyrdinden og Skorstensfejeren Original Danish text