Gertrude's Bird
Encyclopedia
Gertrude's Bird is a Norwegian fairy tale
collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
and Jørgen Moe
in their Norske Folkeeventyr
.
, but it covered the whole griddle just the same, and she thought it too large to give to beggars. She tried twice more
, each time with less dough, but could not make a bannock small enough. So she refused to give them anything. Jesus turned her into a woodpecker, to seek her food on trees and never drink except when it rains.
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...
collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen was a Norwegian writer and scholar. He and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe were collectors of Norwegian folklore...
and Jørgen Moe
Jørgen Moe
right|thumb|Norske Folkeeventyr Asbjørnsen and Moe Jørgen Engebretsen Moe was a Norwegian bishop and author...
in their Norske Folkeeventyr
Norske Folkeeventyr
Norwegian Folktales is a collection of Norwegian folktales and legends by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe. It is also known as Asbjørnsen and Moe, after the collectors.-Asbjørnsen and Moe:...
.
Synopsis
Jesus and St. Peter came begging one day to a house where a woman named Gertrude lived. She took a tiny piece of dough to make them a bannockBannock (food)
Bannock is a variety of flat quick bread. The word can also be applied to any large, round article baked or cooked from grain. When a round bannock is cut into wedges, the wedges are often called scones. But in Scotland, the words bannock and scone are often used interchangeably.-Scottish:"Bannock"...
, but it covered the whole griddle just the same, and she thought it too large to give to beggars. She tried twice more
Rule of three (writing)
The "rule of three" is a principle in writing that suggests that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. The reader/audience of this form of text is also more likely to consume information if it is written in groups of...
, each time with less dough, but could not make a bannock small enough. So she refused to give them anything. Jesus turned her into a woodpecker, to seek her food on trees and never drink except when it rains.