Hungarian Folk Tales: The Diligent Girl and the Lazy Girl (S03E11)

Summary

In a Hungarian folk tale, a diligent girl is abandoned by her stepmother and embarks on a journey to find work, encountering talking trees and a dog who offer rewards for her kindness. She serves fairies, obeying their rules and earning treasure. Meanwhile, the lazy step-sister faces misfortunes for her selfishness. The tale contrasts the virtues of hard work and kindness with the consequences of laziness and pride, culminating in the diligent girl's triumphant return and a happy life with her father.

Takeaways

• 👵👴 The story features an old man and an old woman, each with a daughter from a previous marriage, highlighting a blended family dynamic.
• 😠 The old woman is depicted as cruel, showing favoritism towards her own daughter and driving away the stepdaughter due to her dislike.
• 🚶‍♀️ The stepdaughter embarks on a journey to find work, encountering various talking elements of nature that offer her help in return for her assistance.
• 🍐 The pear tree, grapevine, oven, well, and a small dog all ask for the girl's help, promising rewards for her kindness and hard work.
• 🧹 The girl's journey leads her to a house inhabited by fairies, where she is offered employment with specific instructions and prohibitions.
• 🏠 The fairies' house has a mysterious seventh room that the girl is warned not to enter, creating an element of suspense and temptation.
• 💰 After a year of service, the girl is rewarded with gold and silver for her loyalty, and additional gifts from the entities she helped along her journey.
• 😡 The old woman's daughter, in contrast, refuses to help any of the talking elements and faces negative consequences for her laziness and arrogance.
• 🐸 The lazy girl's curiosity leads her to disobey the fairies' instructions, resulting in harm and a lack of reward for her service.
• 🔙 On their return, both girls are recognized by the talking cockerel, whose proclamations reflect the outcomes of their respective journeys.
• 🏡 The story concludes with the stepdaughter's triumph and the old woman and her daughter's departure, leading to a happy ending for the stepfather and his daughter.

Q & A

What is the main conflict between the old woman and her stepdaughter?

The old woman does not like her husband's daughter and is always angry with her, eventually chasing her away from home to seek work with a rich family.

What does the pear tree ask the diligent girl to do in return for a good deed?

The pear tree asks the girl to rid it of its dry branches.

What task does the grapevine request from the young girl?

The grapevine asks the girl to hoe around its roots.

What does the crumbling oven want the girl to do for it?

The oven wants the girl to make it tidy and clean.

What does the broken-down well ask the girl to do?

The well asks the girl to make it tidy and clean and bail out the stale water.

What does the tiny dog ask the girl to do in exchange for a good deal?

The dog asks the girl to wash, brush, and trim it.

What is the condition set by the fairies for the girl to stay and work for them?

The fairies ask the girl to sweep out six rooms every day but strictly forbid her from entering the seventh room.

What does the fairy offer the girl as payment for her work?

The fairy offers the girl to lie down on gold and silver coins, and whatever sticks to her as she rolls over will be her payment.

Why does the old woman's daughter refuse to help the pear tree, grapevine, oven, and well?

The old woman's daughter refuses to help because she does not want to ruin her pretty white hands and lovely tiny feet.

What happens to the old woman's daughter when she opens the seventh room?

She is bitten and stung by frogs and snakes, leaving her covered in blood and without any payment for her work.

How does the cockerel announce the return of the diligent girl and the lazy girl?

The cockerel crows differently for each girl, announcing the diligent girl as coming home covered in silver and gold, and the lazy girl as coming all covered in blood.

What is the final outcome for the old man and his daughter after the quarrel with the old woman and her daughter?

The old woman and her daughter leave the old man's home, and the old man and his daughter live happily ever after.