Clever Hans (fairy tale)
Encyclopedia
Clever Hans is a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm
about a boy who ruins his engagement with a girl through a variety of comedic events. The title is claimed by most people to be ironic.
In each instance, Hans mishandled the gifts. He sticks the needle in some hay, but his mother tell him he should have stuck it through his sleeve. So he puts the knife in his sleeve, but is told he should have put it in his pocket. He puts the kid in his pocket (thus smothering it) and is told he should have led it by a rope. He tries to lead the ham by a rope (dogs steal it) and his mother tells him he should have carried it on his head (or, in some versions, under his arm). He carries the calf this way, but it kicks him until he drops it and it runs away. He is told he should have tied it in the stable. He ties Gretel in the stable, and the story ends when he misunderstands his mother's advice ("Cast your adoring eyes at her") and gouges out the eyes of the livestock he owns to throw at Gretel. The result is a disengagement, portrayed in the final sentence:
"And that's how Hans lost his bride."
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...
about a boy who ruins his engagement with a girl through a variety of comedic events. The title is claimed by most people to be ironic.
Plot summary
A boy named Hans has a conversation with his mother every morning (in the morning conversations he simply is telling her he is going to meet his fiancee Gretel) and evening (in which his mother reprimands him for mishandling a gift from his fiancee). Every morning when Hans meets Gretel he asks her for a gift. In order, she gives him:- a needleSewing needleA sewing needle is a long slender tool with a pointed tip. The first needles were made of bone or wood; modern ones are manufactured from high carbon steel wire, nickel- or 18K gold plated for corrosion resistance. The highest quality embroidery needles are plated with two-thirds platinum and...
- a knifeKnifeA knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
- a kidGoatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
- a hamHamHam is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
- a calfCalfCalves are the young of domestic cattle. Calves are reared to become adult cattle, or are slaughtered for their meat, called veal.-Terminology:...
- herself
In each instance, Hans mishandled the gifts. He sticks the needle in some hay, but his mother tell him he should have stuck it through his sleeve. So he puts the knife in his sleeve, but is told he should have put it in his pocket. He puts the kid in his pocket (thus smothering it) and is told he should have led it by a rope. He tries to lead the ham by a rope (dogs steal it) and his mother tells him he should have carried it on his head (or, in some versions, under his arm). He carries the calf this way, but it kicks him until he drops it and it runs away. He is told he should have tied it in the stable. He ties Gretel in the stable, and the story ends when he misunderstands his mother's advice ("Cast your adoring eyes at her") and gouges out the eyes of the livestock he owns to throw at Gretel. The result is a disengagement, portrayed in the final sentence:
"And that's how Hans lost his bride."