In Toads and Diamonds, two sisters grow up in the same household but have very different characters. The younger daughter is gentle, courteous and beautiful, yet her mother treats her cruelly. The elder daughter, who resembles their mother in both appearance and temperament, receives all the affection and attention.
Their lives change when a mysterious fairy rewards the younger sister for her kindness. However, when the mother tries to obtain the same reward for her favourite daughter, the outcome is very different. The magical gifts expose the sisters’ characters and lead to consequences neither family member expects.
Two Sisters, Two Different Characters
Once upon a time, a widow lived with her two daughters. The elder daughter resembled her mother closely, both in appearance and temperament. They were proud, disagreeable and difficult to live with.
The younger daughter, on the other hand, took after her father. She was beautiful, gentle and polite, and she treated people with kindness.
Despite these qualities, her mother disliked her. She favoured the elder daughter and made the younger girl work constantly. The poor child had to eat in the kitchen and carry out the household’s hardest tasks.
Among her daily duties, she was required to walk a long distance to a fountain and bring home a pitcher of water. She made this journey twice each day, carrying the heavy vessel back to the house.
Although her mother treated her unfairly, the younger daughter remained courteous and considerate. She did not allow her difficult circumstances to make her unkind to others.
A Fairy Rewards Kindness
One day, while the younger daughter was drawing water at the fountain, a poor woman approached her. The woman asked if she might have a drink.
The girl immediately agreed.
She rinsed the pitcher, filled it with clean water from the clearest part of the fountain and held it up so that the woman could drink comfortably.
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The woman was pleased by the girl’s generosity and good manners. In truth, she was a fairy who had disguised herself as a poor countrywoman to discover how the girl would behave.
The fairy praised the girl’s beauty, kindness and courtesy. She then decided to reward her.
From that moment onwards, the fairy declared, whenever the girl spoke, either a flower or a precious jewel would fall from her mouth.
The girl thanked the woman and continued her journey home, unaware of just how remarkable the gift would prove to be.
The Mother Discovers the Gift
When the younger daughter arrived home, her mother immediately scolded her for taking so long to fetch the water.
The girl politely apologising for her delay.
As she spoke, two roses, two pearls and two diamonds fell from her mouth.
Her mother stared in astonishment. She had never seen anything like it and demanded to know how such precious objects had appeared.
The girl answered honestly. She explained that a woman had asked her for water at the fountain and that she had given the stranger a drink. The woman had then bestowed the strange gift upon her.
As the girl continued speaking, more diamonds fell from her mouth.
For the first time, her mother addressed her affectionately, delighted by the prospect of gaining wealth through the magical gift.
She immediately decided that her elder daughter should visit the fountain too. If the younger girl had received such valuable treasures, the mother reasoned, her favourite daughter might receive the same reward.
The Elder Sister Meets the Fairy
The mother called her elder daughter and showed her the flowers, pearls and diamonds that had fallen from her sister’s mouth.
She instructed the girl to go to the fountain and behave politely if a woman asked her for water.
The elder daughter was unwilling to undertake the task. She considered fetching water beneath her dignity and complained about being sent on such an errand.
Her mother insisted, and the girl eventually set out, carrying the finest silver tankard in the house.
When she reached the fountain, a beautifully dressed lady emerged from the wood. This was the same fairy who had met her younger sister, but this time she appeared as a princess.
The fairy asked the elder girl for a drink.
Instead of responding with courtesy, the girl answered rudely. She complained that she had not come there to serve anyone and sarcastically questioned whether the silver tankard had been brought especially for the lady.
She allowed the stranger to drink, but her words and manner showed no genuine kindness or respect.
The fairy calmly observed her behaviour. She recognised that the girl lacked the good manners shown by her sister.
A Gift That Becomes a Curse
The fairy declared that because the elder daughter was so rude and inconsiderate, every word she spoke would cause a snake or a toad to fall from her mouth.
Having delivered this punishment, the fairy went on her way.
The elder daughter returned home, where her mother eagerly asked how her visit had gone.
The girl answered her mother.
At once, two vipers and two toads fell from her mouth.
Her mother was horrified. Instead of accepting that her daughter’s behaviour had brought about the result, she blamed the younger sister and threatened to punish her.
The frightened younger girl fled from the house and hid in the nearby forest.
The mother’s attempt to secure magical wealth for her favourite daughter had ended in disaster. The two sisters had received opposite gifts because they had treated the stranger in opposite ways.
The Princess Finds a New Life
While the younger girl was hiding in the forest, the king’s son was returning from a hunting expedition.
He came upon her and noticed that she was beautiful and distressed. He asked why she was alone and why she was crying.
The girl explained that her mother had driven her from the house.
As she spoke, several pearls and diamonds fell from her mouth. The prince saw the remarkable treasures and asked how she had acquired such a gift.
The girl told him the story of the fountain, the mysterious woman and the reward she had received for her kindness.
The prince was impressed by her character as well as her beauty. He considered her magical gift more valuable than any marriage portion and decided that she should become his wife.
He took her to his father’s palace, where they were married.
The younger sister, who had been treated cruelly by her own mother, found a new home and a happier future.
The Elder Sister’s Fate
The elder sister’s fate was very different.
Her unpleasant behaviour made her increasingly disliked. Even her mother, who had favoured her above the younger daughter, eventually turned against her.
The girl was driven away and wandered for a long time without finding anyone willing to take her in.
At last, she went into a corner of the forest and died there.
The tale ends with the two sisters experiencing sharply contrasting outcomes. The younger girl’s kindness brings her a reward and a marriage, while the elder girl’s rudeness leaves her isolated and without support.
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Moral Lesson
Toads and Diamonds teaches that kindness and good manners matter more than pride or social position. The younger sister treats a stranger with consideration even though she is mistreated at home. The elder sister, despite having a more comfortable position in the household, responds with arrogance.
Their magical gifts reflect these differences. The tale also warns against favouritism and the habit of blaming others instead of accepting responsibility for one’s behaviour.
Knowledge Check
1. Why did the mother favour the elder daughter?
The elder daughter resembled her mother in both appearance and temperament.
2. What task did the younger daughter perform twice each day?
She walked a long distance to a fountain to fetch water for the household.
3. How did the younger daughter receive her magical gift?
She kindly gave a drink to a poor woman who was actually a disguised fairy.
4. What happened whenever the younger daughter spoke?
Flowers or precious jewels fell from her mouth.
5. What gift did the fairy give the elder daughter?
The fairy decreed that snakes or toads would fall from her mouth whenever she spoke.
6. How did the sisters’ stories end?
The younger sister married the king’s son, while the elder sister was rejected and eventually died alone in the forest.
Source
“Toads and Diamonds” appears in The Blue Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang and published in 1889. The anthology credits the tale to Charles Perrault
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