The Water-Nix
A young woman marries a miller's son who turns out to be the Water-Nix. He takes her to his underground kingdom where she must dance with him until he tires and falls asleep. She then escapes by cutting off his foot and fleeing.
By Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm · First published 1815 · Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Children's Literature · 344 words
First lines
A little brother and sister were once playing by a well, and while they were thus playing, they both fell in. A water-nix lived down below, who said, "Now I have got you, now you shall work hard for me! " and carried them off with her. She gave the girl dirty tangled flax to spin, and she had to fetch water in a bucket with a hole in it, and the boy had to hew down a tree with a blunt axe, and they got nothing to eat but dumplings as hard as stones. Then at last the children became so impatient, that they waited until one Sunday, when the nix was at church, and ran away. But when church was over, the nix saw that the birds were flown, and followed them with great strides. The children saw her from afar, and the girl threw a brush behind her which formed an immense hill of bristles, with thousands and thousands of spikes, over which the nix was forced to scramble with great difficulty; at last, however, she got over. When the children saw this, the boy threw behind him a comb which made a great hill of combs with a thousand times a thousand teeth, but the nix managed to keep herself steady on them, and at last crossed over that. Then the girl threw behind her a looking-glass which formed a hill of mirrors, and was so slippery that it was impossible for the nix to cross it. Then she thought, "I will go home quickly and fetch my axe, and cut the hill of glass in half. " Long before she returned, however, and had hewn through the glass, the children had escaped to a great distance, and the water-nix was obliged to betake herself to her well again.
What this Textopian page supports
The Water-Nix is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, dated 1815 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Fable
- Author: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
- Date: 1815 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Children's Literature, Adventure, Folklore
- Length: 344 words
- Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Water-Nix by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Water-Nix?
- How does this fable by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Fairy Tale first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
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Genres
- Fairy Tale — The story features magical elements, a moral lesson, and follows the traditional structure of a fairy tale.
- Fantasy — Incorporates fantastical elements such as a water-nix and magical transformations.
- Children's Literature — The narrative is simple, with themes and language suitable for children.
- Adventure — The plot involves a journey and escape, with obstacles and challenges faced by the protagonists.
Tags
Fairy Tale · German Folklore · Water Spirit · Nixie · Mythology · Fantasy · Magic · Adventure · Quest · Transformation · Good vs Evil · Coming of Age