The Turnip by Brothers Grimm [PDF]

Information: The Turnip

• Author: Brothers Grimm
• Publication Date: 1815
• Main Characters:
  • The Poor Brother: A former soldier turned gardener who grows an extraordinary turnip, presents it to the king, and later escapes a murder plot using his wits
  • The Rich Brother: A wealthy former soldier who becomes consumed by jealousy after his poor brother's reward and plots to have him killed
  • The King: A ruler who rewards the poor brother generously for the giant turnip and unwittingly humiliates the rich brother by regifting it
  • The Student: A naive traveler who is tricked into climbing inside a hanging sack, allowing the poor brother to escape on his horse
• Brief Summary: A poor soldier becomes a gardener and grows a turnip so enormous it requires a cart and two oxen to transport. He gives it to the king, who rewards him with gold, lands, and herds. His wealthy brother, furious with jealousy, tries to earn the same favor by gifting the king gold and fine horses. The king, already impressed by the turnip, gives the rich brother the only thing of equal rarity: the turnip itself. Humiliated, the rich brother hires men to kidnap and kill his sibling. They stuff the poor brother into a sack and hang it from a tree. But the poor brother tricks a passing student into swapping places inside the sack, escaping on the student's horse while the student hangs there bewildered.
• Thematic Analysis: The tale explores jealousy, greed, and the irony of unearned expectations. The rich brother assumes that expensive gifts will impress the king more than a humble turnip, but the king values sincerity and novelty over material wealth. The story also rewards quick thinking: the poor brother survives not through strength or wealth, but through wit. It carries a simple moral found throughout the Grimm collection: those who scheme against others often end up worse off than they started.
• Historical Context: "The Turnip" (German: "Die Rübe") was collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1815 as tale number 146 in "Kinder- und Hausmärchen" (Children's and Household Tales). Like most tales in their collection, it originated from oral folk traditions passed down through generations in the German-speaking world. The story reflects the social tensions of rural Europe, where the relationship between rich and poor siblings was a common narrative device for teaching moral lessons.