Frau Trude
Introduction
This astonishingly short tale is classed by folklorists as ATU 334, 'The Household of the Witch,' but it reads more like an 'anti-fairy-tale': there is no prince, no huntsman to the rescue; a curious little girl walks step by step into danger and is finally turned into a block of wood and burned for light. It is often set beside 'Little Red Riding Hood' — both are about disobedience and straying into danger, but Red Riding Hood has a huntsman who cuts her free from the wolf, while Frau Trude offers no rescuer at all. The Brothers Grimm knew it was cruel and kept it anyway, precisely so it would sound a frightening alarm. A curious fact hides in the name itself: in German folklore a 'Trude' (or Drude) was a night-hag who sat on sleepers and brought nightmares, so to that first audience 'Frau Trude' announced 'the Nightmare herself' the moment it was spoken. The string of colours is telling too — a black collier, a green huntsman, a blood-red butcher, and at last the fiery-red head of the devil, like a palette descending toward hell. As you read, remember: this is not a story that teaches 'never be curious,' but an ancient specimen for talking with a child about where cautionary tales come from and how to read them.
Vocabulary from "Frau Trude"
12 key words from this story with definitions and original context sentences for language learners.
Stubbornly refusing to change one's mind or to obey.
固执的；倔强的；不听劝的。
There was once a little girl who was obstinate and inquisitive, and when her parents told her to do anything, she did not obey them.
从前有一个任性又好奇的小女孩，父母让她做什么她都不听。
Eager to know or learn something.
好奇的；求知欲强的。
People say that everything about her does look so strange, and that there are such odd things in her house, that I have become quite curious!
人们说她那里的一切看起来都很奇怪，屋子里有那么多稀奇古怪的东西，我真是太好奇了！
Ordered someone not to do something (past tense of forbid).
禁止；不准（forbid 的过去式）。
Her parents absolutely forbade her, and said, "Frau Trude is a bad woman, who does wicked things."
父母坚决禁止她去，并说道："特鲁德太太是个坏女人，尽干些邪恶的事。"
An order that forbids something; a ban.
禁令；禁止。
But the maiden did not let herself be turned aside by her parent's prohibition, and still went to Frau Trude.
但是小女孩并没有因为父母的禁令而改变主意，还是去了特鲁德太太那里。
Having little colour in the face, often from fear or illness.
（脸色）苍白的。
And when she got to her, Frau Trude said, "Why art thou so pale?"
当她见到特鲁德太太时，特鲁德太太问："你的脸色怎么这么苍白？"
Shook slightly, especially from fear or cold.
颤抖；发抖。
"Ah," she replied, and her whole body trembled, "I have been so terrified at what I have seen."
"啊，"她回答道，全身都在发抖，"我被我看到的东西吓坏了。"
Extremely frightened.
极度害怕的；惊恐的。
"Ah, Frau Trude, I was terrified; I looked through the window and saw not you, but the devil himself with a head of fire."
"啊，特鲁德太太，我吓坏了；我从窗户往里看，看到的不是你，而是一个长着火脑袋的魔鬼。"
A person who mines or works with coal (blackened by it).
煤矿工人；烧炭工（浑身漆黑）。
"I saw a black man on your steps." - "That was a collier."
"我在你的台阶上看见一个黑人。"——"那是个煤炭工。"
A man who hunts wild animals.
猎人。
"Then I saw a green man." - "That was a huntsman."
"然后我看见一个绿人。"——"那是个猎人。"
A person whose job is cutting up and selling meat.
屠夫；肉贩。
"After that I saw a blood-red man." - "That was a butcher."
"在那之后，我看见一个血红的人。"——"那是个屠夫。"
A large, bright, strongly burning fire.
熊熊烈火；火焰。
And when it was in full blaze she sat down close to it, and warmed herself by it.
当火烧得正旺时，她坐在旁边烤火。
A set of clothes, especially one that shows a person's true role or nature.
装束；（显露真实身份的）本来面目。
"Oho!" said she, "then thou hast seen the witch in her proper costume."
"噢嗬！"她说，"那你看到的正是女巫的本来面目。"
Reading Together & Learning More
The Moral
This is one of the shortest and most spine-chilling 'cautionary tales' in all of Grimm. What it wants to tell a child is this: when a parent says, again and again and in earnest, 'You must not go there,' that firmness usually hides a real danger they have not had time to explain. Yet reading it together today, we need not treat curiosity itself as a fault — curiosity is a wonderful thing. What the story really warns against is trusting your own judgement over the people who love you most before you can yet tell the difference between what is merely new and what is truly dangerous.
Educational Value
Good for talking with older children about the ancient genre of the 'cautionary tale': instead of a happy ending, it uses a frightening fate to make a rule stick. Use it to discuss why a grown-up's warning is worth heeding first, and the difference between safe curiosity and reckless curiosity — for instance, checking with a trusted adult before approaching a stranger, an unknown door, or an unfamiliar place.
Tips for Parents
Please note: this is one of the very few Grimm tales with no rescue and no happy ending — the little girl is turned into a block of wood and burned. It is best read to children over 8 who can tell 'a story's exaggeration' from 'real life,' and it helps to spend a few minutes talking afterwards. Gently clarify two things: first, 'being curious is not bad — we just want you to come and ask us first'; and second, that the terrible ending is an old storyteller's way of giving a scare, not a claim that disobedience really costs a child their life. Use it not as a threat, but as a chance to talk about trust and safety.
Talk About It
- The parents tell the girl, 'Frau Trude is a bad woman, don't go.' Why do you think they don't explain the danger more clearly? Would you have listened?
- This story is a lot like 'Little Red Riding Hood,' but Red Riding Hood is saved by a huntsman while this girl has no one to rescue her. Why do you think the author wrote a story with no happy ending?
- The girl was really only 'curious.' Do you think being curious is a bad thing? What kind of curiosity is safe, and what kind is dangerous?
- In old legends the name 'Trude' already meant a nightmare-witch. If a person's name sounds 'wrong' the moment you hear it, what might the story be trying to warn us about in advance?
- If you could give this story a less frightening ending, how would you write it?
