A widow favours her proud elder daughter while treating her younger daughter harshly. One day, the younger girl meets a mysterious woman at a fountain and receives an extraordinary gift in return for her kindness. When her mother discovers the magic, she sends the elder sister to seek the same reward. However, the second encounter produces a very different result. In this fairy tale, Charles Perrault contrasts the sisters’ behaviour and shows how their choices shape their fortunes.
Two Sisters, Two Different Lives
Once upon a time, a widow had two daughters. The elder resembled her mother in both appearance and character. They were proud, disagreeable and difficult to live with.
The younger daughter was quite different. She resembled her late father in her sweetness of temper and goodness, and she was also exceptionally beautiful.
Because people often love those who resemble them, the mother doted on her elder daughter. She showed little affection for the younger girl, whom she treated harshly.
The younger daughter had to eat in the kitchen and work continually. Among her many duties, she was required to walk more than a mile and a half to a fountain twice every day, carrying a pitcher to bring water home.
Although her life was difficult, she remained courteous and considerate towards others.
The Stranger at the Fountain
One day, as the younger daughter reached the fountain, a poor woman came out of the surrounding woods. She approached the girl and asked for a drink of water.
The girl could easily have refused. She was tired from her journey and still had work waiting for her at home. Instead, she agreed willingly.
With great care, she rinsed her pitcher, collected some of the clearest water from the fountain and held the vessel up so that the woman could drink comfortably.
The stranger was pleased by the girl’s kindness and good manners. She explained that she wished to reward her for being so courteous.
The woman then revealed that she was a fairy. She had disguised herself as a poor countrywoman to discover how the girl would behave towards someone who appeared to have little to offer her.
Explore more stories from our Charles Perrault Tales collection
The fairy announced her gift: whenever the girl spoke, a flower or a precious jewel would fall from her mouth.
Having bestowed this extraordinary power, the fairy disappeared.
The Girl’s Gift Is Revealed
When the younger daughter returned home, her mother immediately scolded her for taking so long.
The girl answered politely, asking her mother to forgive her for not returning sooner.
As she spoke, two roses, two pearls and two large diamonds fell from her mouth.
Her mother stared in astonishment. She had never seen anything like it, and the sight of the precious objects immediately changed her attitude towards the girl.
For the first time, she addressed her daughter affectionately and asked how such a thing could have happened.
The younger girl explained everything honestly. She described her meeting with the woman at the fountain, how she had offered her water and how the stranger had revealed herself as a fairy.
As she continued speaking, more diamonds fell from her mouth.
Her mother listened with growing excitement. She was no longer concerned about the girl’s welfare because of affection or regret. Instead, she saw the gift as an opportunity to obtain more wealth.
The Mother Sends Her Elder Daughter
Determined to secure the same magical reward for her favourite child, the widow called her elder daughter, Fanny.
She pointed out the flowers and jewels that had fallen from her sister’s mouth and asked whether Fanny would like to possess a similar gift.
Fanny agreed that she would like to have it, but she had no intention of undertaking the journey willingly.
Her mother insisted that she go to the fountain immediately. She explained that Fanny needed only to behave politely when a poor woman asked for a drink.
Fanny complained all the way to the fountain. She disliked being made to fetch water and resented having to perform a task that her younger sister had carried out every day.
Nevertheless, she took the finest silver tankard in the house and set off.
Her mother expected that Fanny would return with the same gift as her sister. Neither woman considered that the way Fanny treated the stranger might determine what happened next.
A Different Encounter
When Fanny arrived at the fountain, she saw a magnificently dressed lady emerging from the woods.
The lady approached her and asked for a drink of water.
It was the same fairy who had met the younger sister, but this time she had taken the appearance and clothing of a princess. She wanted to discover how the elder daughter would behave when approached by someone who appeared wealthy and important.
Fanny did not respond with kindness.
Instead, she complained that she had not come to the fountain to serve anyone. She questioned why the lady expected to drink from her silver tankard and suggested that the vessel had been brought for someone of the lady’s supposed status.
Although she eventually allowed the stranger to drink, her words revealed her arrogance and unwillingness to help.
The fairy answered calmly that Fanny was scarcely polite.
She then announced a gift that matched the girl’s behaviour. From that moment onwards, whenever Fanny spoke, a snake or a toad would come out of her mouth.
Having delivered this dreadful reward, the fairy left her.
The Elder Daughter’s Punishment
Fanny returned home, expecting her mother to welcome her.
As soon as the widow saw her, she asked how things had gone at the fountain.
Fanny began to answer. But before she could explain anything, a viper and a toad fell from her mouth.
Her mother was horrified. The gift she had hoped would bring the family wealth had instead filled her with fear and disgust.
Rather than recognise that Fanny’s own behaviour had brought about the result, the mother blamed the younger daughter. In her anger, she accused the innocent girl of causing the disaster and ran towards her, intending to beat her.
The younger daughter fled before her mother could catch her. She escaped into the nearby forest, where she hid among the trees.
The kindness that had brought her the fairy’s gift had not protected her from her mother’s cruelty. Now, despite having done nothing wrong, she had been driven from the only home she knew.
The King’s Son
As the younger daughter wandered through the forest, a king’s son happened to be returning from the chase.
He saw the beautiful girl alone among the trees and asked why she was there and why she was crying.
She explained that her mother had driven her out of the house.
As she spoke, pearls and diamonds fell from her mouth. The prince was astonished by the sight and wanted to know how she had acquired such a remarkable gift.
The girl told him the whole story, including her encounter with the fairy and the kindness that had earned her the reward.
The prince was captivated by her beauty and the extraordinary gift. He considered it more valuable than the marriage portion another bride might bring and took her to his father’s palace.
There, he married her.
The younger daughter, who had been treated cruelly at home despite her goodness, found a new life at the palace. Her story had begun with a simple act of kindness towards a stranger and ended with her becoming the wife of a prince.
The Fairy Tale’s Bitter Ending
Fanny’s fate was very different.
Her rude behaviour had made her so disliked that even her own mother eventually turned her out of the house.
With nowhere to go, the elder daughter wandered about, searching for someone who would take her in. She found no refuge.
Eventually, she went to a corner of the woods, where she died.
The younger daughter had received a gift that brought her precious flowers and jewels, while the elder had received one that brought forth snakes and toads. Their fortunes reflected the contrast at the heart of Perrault’s tale: one sister treated a stranger with generosity, while the other responded with arrogance.
The story ends with the younger daughter married to a prince and the elder daughter dead in the woods. It offers a stark conclusion in which each sister’s encounter with the fairy determines the course of her life.
Explore our complete Historic Folklore & Fairy-Tale Collections archive.
Moral Lesson
The story encourages kindness, courtesy and consideration for others, regardless of their appearance or social position. The younger sister helps a stranger without expecting a reward, while the elder sister treats the stranger with contempt. Their different choices lead to sharply contrasting outcomes.
The tale also exposes the mother’s favouritism. She values her daughters according to personal preference and the promise of wealth rather than treating them fairly.
Knowledge Check
1. How did the widow treat her two daughters?
She favoured her proud elder daughter and treated the younger daughter harshly, making her work continually.
2. Why did the fairy approach the younger daughter at the fountain?
The fairy wanted to see how the girl would behave towards a stranger asking for help.
3. What gift did the younger daughter receive?
Whenever she spoke, a flower or a precious jewel fell from her mouth.
4. How did Fanny behave when the fairy asked her for water?
She responded rudely and complained about being expected to serve the stranger.
5. What gift did the fairy give Fanny?
Whenever Fanny spoke, a snake or a toad came out of her mouth.
6. What happened to the two sisters at the end of the tale?
The younger daughter married the king’s son, while Fanny was eventually driven out by her mother and died in the woods.
Source
“The Fairy” appears in The Tales of Mother Goose, a collection of Charles Perrault’s tales translated into English by Charles Welsh and published by D. C. Heath & Co. in 1901. The retelling follows Welsh’s version, including the names and the original ending.
Explore More Charles Perrault Tales
- Puss in Boots Perrault: A Classic French Folktale
- Riquet with the Tuft
- Bluebeard: The Forbidden Room That Revealed a Terrible Secret
