The Spindle, The Shuttle, and the Needle

Once upon a time, there was a little girl whose father and mother died when she was very young. All alone, in a small house at the end of the village, lived her godmother. She earned her living by spinning, weaving, and sewing.

The old woman took the lonely child to live with her, taught her to work, and raised her to be good. When the girl was fifteen, the old woman became sick. She called the girl to her bedside and said, "Dear child, I feel that my end is near.

I leave you the little house, which will protect you from wind and weather. And I leave you my spindle, shuttle, and needle. With them you can earn your bread." Then she laid her hands on the girl's head, blessed her, and said, "Keep the love of God in your heart, and all will go well with you." Then she closed her eyes.

When she was buried, the maiden followed the coffin, weeping bitterly, and showed her love for the last time. Now the maiden lived all alone in the little house. She was hardworking and spun, wove, and sewed. The blessing of the good old woman was on everything she did.

It seemed as if the flax in the room grew by itself. Whenever she wove a cloth or a carpet, or made a shirt, she quickly found a buyer who paid her well. So she had everything she needed, and even had something to share with others.

At that time, the king's son was traveling through the country looking for a bride. He did not want to choose a poor one, nor a rich one. He said, "She who is the poorest and also the richest shall be my wife." When he came to the village where the maiden lived, he asked, as he did everywhere, who was the richest and who was the poorest girl in the place.

First they named the richest girl. The poorest, they said, was the girl who lived in the little house at the end of the village. The rich girl was sitting in all her finery in front of her house.

When the prince came near, she got up, walked toward him, and bowed low. He looked at her, said nothing, and rode on. When he came to the poor girl's house, she was not standing at the door. She was sitting in her little room.

He stopped his horse and looked through the window, which was bright in the sunshine. He saw the girl sitting at her spinning wheel, spinning busily. She looked up and saw the prince looking in. She blushed all over her face, dropped her eyes, and went on spinning.

I do not know if the thread was even just then, but she kept spinning until the prince rode away. Then she went to the window, opened it, and said, "It is so warm in here!" But she watched him as long as she could see the white feathers in his hat.

Then she sat down to work again and went on spinning. A saying that the old woman had often repeated came into her mind. She sang softly to herself: "Spindle, my spindle, hurry away, and bring my suitor home this day."

And what do you think happened? The spindle jumped out of her hand and out the door. Astonished, she stood up and watched it dance merrily across the field, drawing a golden thread behind it. Soon it disappeared from sight.

With no spindle, the girl took the weaver's shuttle, sat down at her loom, and began to weave. The spindle danced on until it reached the prince. "What do I see?" he cried. "The spindle wants to show me the way!" He turned his horse and rode back, following the golden thread.

The girl was sitting at her work, singing: "Shuttle, my shuttle, weave well today, and guide the suitor to me, I pray." At once the shuttle jumped from her hand and out the door. At the threshold it began to weave a carpet more beautiful than anyone had ever seen.

Lilies and roses bloomed on both sides. In the center, on a golden ground, green branches grew, with hares and rabbits bounding under them, stags and deer peeking through, and brightly colored birds sitting in the branches. They lacked only song.

With the shuttle gone, the girl sat down to sew. She held the needle and sang: "Needle, my needle, sharp and fine, prepare my house for the suitor divine." The needle leaped from her fingers and flew around the room like lightning. It was as if invisible spirits were at work.

In an instant they covered tables and benches with green cloth, chairs with velvet, and hung the windows with silken curtains. No sooner had the needle finished the last stitch than the maiden saw through the window the white feathers of the prince, whom the spindle had brought by the golden thread.

He dismounted, stepped over the carpet, and entered the house. There stood the maiden in her poor clothes, but she shone from within like a rose among leaves. "You are the poorest and also the richest," he said.

"Come with me; you shall be my bride." She did not speak, but gave him her hand. Then he kissed her, led her out, lifted her onto his horse, and took her to the royal castle. The wedding was celebrated with great joy.

The spindle, shuttle, and needle were kept in the treasure chamber, and held in great honor.