The Louse and the Flea
{{Short description|German fairy tale}}
{{Infobox folk tale
|Folk_Tale_Name = The Louse and the Flea
|Image_Name =
|Image_Caption =
|Aarne-Thompson Grouping = ATU 2022 (An Animal Mourns the Death of a Spouse)
|AKA = Little Louse and Little Flea
|Mythology =
|Country = Germany
|Region =
|Origin_Date =
|Published_In = Grimms' Fairy Tales
|Related =
}}
"The Louse and the Flea" or "Little Louse and Little Flea" ({{langx|de|Läuschen und Flöhchen}}) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 30.Jacob and Wilheim Grimm, Household Tales, [http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/grimms/30louseandflea.html "The Louse and the Flea"]
It is Aarne-Thompson type 2022, An Animal Mourns the Death of a Spouse,D.L. Ashliman, "[http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimmtales.html The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales (Grimms' Fairy Tales)"] and takes the form of a chain tale, sometimes known as a cumulative tale. Wilhelm Grimm probably heard the story from Dorothea Catharina Wild in 1808.
Synopsis
A louse and a flea are married until the louse drowns while brewing. The flea mourns, inspiring a door to ask why and start creaking, which inspires a broom to ask why and start sweeping—through a sequence of objects until a spring overflows at the news and drowns them all.
Variants
In some versions the louse and the flea are replaced by a ladybird and a fly.Lily Owens, ed. (1981). The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales. pp. 129–131. Avenel Books. {{ISBN|0-517-336316}}
References
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External links
- "[http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type2022.html Mourning the Death of a Spouse:chain tales of Aarne-Thompson type 2022]" by D. L. Ashliman
{{Brothers Grimm}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Louse and the Flea, The}}
Category:Anthropomorphic insects
Category:Fairy tales about talking animals