Mother Holle

A kind stepdaughter is forced to spin by her cruel mother until she accidentally drops her spindle into a well. Distressed, she jumps in after it and finds herself in a magical meadow. She helps a hungry oven of bread and an overripe apple tree on her way. The girl meets Mother Holle, who asks her to work as a housekeeper. She performs her duties with great care, shaking the bed so that feathers fly like snow. After some time, she grows homesick and asks to return home. Mother Holle rewards her industry by covering her in gold and returning her spindle. The girl’s lazy sister is sent to try her luck for the sake of riches. She ignores the pleaing bread and the shaking tree because she does not want to dirty her hands. When she meets Mother Holle, she refuses to do the required work properly. Mother Holle dismisses her for her laziness at the gate. Instead of gold, a bucket of pitch pours over the lazy girl as punishment. She returns home covered in sticky tar that never washes off. The story contrasts the rewards of diligence with the consequences of sloth.