The Spinning-Woman by the Spring

The Spinning-Woman by the Spring or "The Kind and the Unkind Girls" is a widespread, traditional folk tale, known all over Europe and in large parts of Asia, including Indonesia. The tale is catalogued as AT 480 in the international Folktale catalogue.

Two stepsisters are one after another sent out to serve in the house of a witch. They are both assigned with difficult or impossible tasks, e.g. to carry water in a sieve.

The kind girl however obeys requests from grateful animals, and learns from the birds' songs that she has to line the sieve with clay. Other tasks are mentioned too: washing black wool white, gathering flowers at midwinter, etc..

As payment for her household work she can choose one of three caskets, an attractive red, a common yellow or an ugly blue casket. Again she receives advice from the animals and makes the modest choice and becomes richly rewarded. Even though the unkind girl is also able to understand animal language, she refuses to follow the advice given by the birds and the help offered by other animals.

The same motif is used by William Shakespeare in the play The Merchant of Venice. Act 2, Scene VII where the Prince of Morocco has to solve the riddle and find out what casket hides Portia's portrait.

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