Molly Whuppie: The Scottish Fairy Tale of a Girl and a Giant

Once upon a time, a man and his wife had more children than they could feed. With food running short, they took their three youngest daughters deep into a wood and left them there, hoping to ease the burden on their household.

The girls wandered among the trees for hours, searching for somewhere to rest. As daylight faded, hunger and exhaustion began to overcome them. They had seen no houses along the way, but just when they were losing hope, they spotted a light shining through the darkness.

They hurried towards it and discovered a house. When they knocked, a woman opened the door.

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“Please, let us come inside,” the girls begged. “We are cold and hungry. Could you give us something to eat?”

The woman hesitated. “I would help you, but my husband is a giant. If he comes home and finds you here, he may kill you.”

The sisters pleaded with her to let them stay for a little while. They promised to leave before the giant returned, and at last the woman took pity on them. She brought them inside, settled them beside the fire, and gave them bread and milk.

They had scarcely begun eating when a tremendous knock shook the door. A frightening voice sounded from outside:

“Fee, fie, fo, fum, I smell the blood of some earthly one!”

The giant had come home.

“Who have you got there, wife?” he demanded.

“They are three poor girls, cold and hungry,” his wife answered. “They will be going away. You will not harm them, will you?”

The giant said nothing more about the strangers. Instead, he ate a huge supper and ordered everyone to bed.

The giant had three daughters of his own, and he made the visiting sisters sleep in the same bed as his girls. The youngest of the strangers was called Molly Whuppie. Though she was young, Molly was observant and quick-witted.

Before going to sleep, she noticed something strange. The giant had tied straw ropes around the necks of Molly and her sisters, but he had placed golden chains around the necks of his own daughters.

Molly immediately understood that the difference mattered. She stayed awake, listening until the house grew quiet and everyone was fast asleep.

Then she carefully removed the straw ropes from her sisters and herself. She took the golden chains from the giant’s daughters and exchanged them, placing the straw ropes around the giant’s girls and the gold chains around her sisters and herself.

When the middle of the night came, the giant rose from his bed and picked up a great club. In the darkness, he felt for the straw ropes, believing they marked the strangers. He dragged his own daughters from the bed and beat them to death, thinking he had killed the three unwanted visitors.

Molly knew they could not remain in the house a moment longer. She woke her sisters, warned them to be silent, and led them out into the night.

The three girls ran until morning. At last, they came upon a grand house that belonged to a king. Molly went inside and told him everything that had happened.

The king was impressed by her cleverness.

“You have managed very well, Molly,” he told her. “But if you can return to the giant’s house and steal the sword hanging behind his bed, I will give my eldest son in marriage to your eldest sister.”

Molly agreed to try.

She returned to the giant’s house and hid beneath his bed. When the giant came home, she waited while he ate his supper and settled down to sleep. Once his snores filled the room, Molly crept out and reached over him to take the sword.

But as she pulled it free, the weapon rattled.

The giant awoke at once. Molly snatched the sword and fled through the door, with the giant racing after her. They ran until they reached the Bridge of One Hair. Molly crossed safely, but the giant could not follow her across it.

“Woe worth you, Molly Whuppie!” he shouted. “Never come here again!”

“Twice yet, carle,” Molly called back. “I’ll come to Spain.”

She carried the sword to the king, and the eldest sister married his eldest son.

The king was pleased, but he had another challenge for Molly.

“You have done well,” he said, “but if you can steal the purse lying beneath the giant’s pillow, I will give my second son in marriage to your second sister.”

Once again, Molly set out for the giant’s house. She slipped inside and hid beneath the bed, waiting until the giant had finished his supper and fallen into a deep sleep.

Quietly, she reached beneath his pillow and took the purse. She was almost out of the room when the giant awoke and chased her.

Molly ran as fast as she could, and the giant followed until they reached the Bridge of One Hair. She crossed over, leaving him stranded on the other side.

“Woe worth you, Molly Whuppie! Never come again!” he cried.

“Once yet, carle,” Molly answered. “I’ll come to Spain.”

She returned to the king with the purse, and the second sister married the king’s second son.

Now the king had one final offer.

“Molly, you have proved yourself clever twice over. If you can steal the ring from the giant’s finger, I will give you my youngest son in marriage.”

Molly agreed to make one last attempt.

She travelled back to the giant’s house and hid beneath his bed as before. After eating his supper, the giant climbed into bed and soon began to snore.

Molly crept out and reached for his hand. She tugged carefully at the ring until it finally slipped from his finger.

But this time, the giant woke before she could escape. He seized Molly by the hand and held her fast.

“Now I have caught you, Molly Whuppie!” he declared. “If I had done to you all the harm you have done to me, what would you do to me?”

Molly did not lose her nerve.

“I would put you in a sack with a cat and a dog,” she replied, “and I would put in a needle, thread, and a pair of shears. Then I would hang you on the wall and go into the wood to find the thickest stick I could carry. When I returned, I would take you down and beat you until you were dead.”

“Well, Molly,” said the giant, “that is exactly what I shall do to you!”

He found a sack, put Molly inside with the cat, the dog, the needle, the thread, and the shears, and hung it on the wall. Then he went into the wood to find a heavy stick.

While she waited, Molly began calling out, “Oh, if you could only see what I see!”

The giant’s wife heard her and grew curious.

“What is it you see, Molly?” she asked.

Molly repeated her words without explaining. The woman became so eager to discover the secret that she begged Molly to let her climb into the sack and see for herself.

Molly saw her opportunity. She used the shears to cut a hole in the sack, took the needle and thread with her, and climbed out. She helped the giant’s wife into the sack and sewed the opening shut.

The woman could see nothing unusual and soon began demanding to be released. Molly ignored her and hid behind the door.

When the giant returned from the wood, he carried a great tree in his hand. He took the sack down from the wall and began beating it with all his strength.

“It’s me, husband!” his wife cried from inside.

But the dog barked and the cat mewed, and the giant could not recognise his wife’s voice. He continued beating the sack.

Then Molly emerged from behind the door. The giant saw her and immediately gave chase.

Once again, they ran towards the Bridge of One Hair. Molly crossed safely, but the giant could not follow.

“Woe worth you, Molly Whuppie!” he cried. “Never come again!”

“Never more, carle,” Molly replied. “I will not come again to Spain.”

This time, Molly had escaped for good.

She took the giant’s ring to the king, fulfilling the final task. True to his promise, the king arranged for Molly to marry his youngest son. Her two sisters had already married the king’s elder sons, and all three sisters were rewarded for their adventures.

Molly Whuppie never saw the giant again.

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Moral

Intelligence, courage, and quick thinking can overcome challenges that physical strength alone cannot. Molly Whuppie survives by observing carefully, acting decisively, and making use of opportunities when they arise. Her story also shows the importance of perseverance and loyalty to family.

Knowledge Check

1. Why were Molly and her sisters left in the wood?

Their parents had too many children to feed and could not provide enough food for everyone.

2. How did Molly save herself and her sisters from the giant’s first attack?

She exchanged the straw ropes around their necks for the golden chains worn by the giant’s daughters, causing the giant to mistake his own children for the strangers.

3. What three objects did Molly steal for the king?

The giant’s sword, his purse, and his ring.

4. How did Molly escape when the giant caught her?

She persuaded the giant’s wife to climb into the sack in her place, escaped through a hole she cut in it, and hid until the giant returned. She then fled to the Bridge of One Hair.

5. What does the Bridge of One Hair represent in the story?

It represents a boundary the giant cannot cross, allowing Molly to escape his pursuit repeatedly.

6. What is the central lesson of the tale?

Cleverness, courage, and resourcefulness can help someone overcome a stronger opponent.

Source

“Molly Whuppie” is a traditional folktale collected by Joseph Jacobs in English Fairy Tales, first published in 1890. Jacobs’s notes identify its source as the Folk-Lore Journal, volume 2, page 68, forwarded by the Reverend Walter Gregor.

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