Household Tales · Chapter
The Girl Without Hands explained
A miller, driven by poverty, unwittingly promises his daughter to the devil in exchange for wealth.
What happens
A miller, driven by poverty, unwittingly promises his daughter to the devil in exchange for wealth. The pious girl endures the loss of her hands to escape the devil's claim and sets out into the world. She finds refuge in a royal garden, marries a king, and bears a son, but the devil forges letters that lead to her banishment. After seven years of separation and suffering, her hands are miraculously restored, and she is reunited with her husband and child, living happily ever after.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the sisters, driven by envy of the Queen’s beauty and their o…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Transformation and Redemption
The girl's suffering and faith lead to the miraculous regrowth of her hands and reunion with her family.
- Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished
The pious girl is rewarded with restoration and happiness, while the devil is defeated and the miller's greed leads to loss.
- Promises and Their Consequences
The miller's rash promise to the devil sets off a chain of suffering and redemption.
Characters to notice
- the girl
The miller's daughter who sacrifices her hands to escape the devil and later becomes queen.
- the rich man
The miller who promises his daughter to the devil out of greed and fear.
- the Devil
The evil stranger who tricks the miller and tries to claim the girl.
- the young King
The king who marries the girl and later searches for her for seven years.
- the servants
The aged mother who spares the queen and child by substituting a hind's tongue and eyes.
Key passages
“A certain miller had little by little fallen into poverty, and had nothing left but his mill and a large apple-tree behind it.”
A miller gradually became poor, owning only his mill and an apple tree.
Establishes the miller's desperate situation that leads to his fateful promise.
“She replied, 'Dear father, do with me what you will, I am your child.' Thereupon she laid down both her hands, and let them be cut off.”
The girl obediently allowed her father to cut off her hands to save him from the devil.
Highlights the girl's piety and self-sacrifice.
“The Queen stayed seven years in the little house, and was well cared for, and by God's grace, because of her piety, her hands which had been cut off, grew once more.”
After seven years in a refuge, the queen's hands miraculously regrew due to her devotion.
Climax of divine reward for her faithfulness.
“Then the King began to weep for his poor wife and his little son so much more bitterly than she was doing, that the aged mother had compassion on him and said, 'Be at peace, she still lives.'”
The king wept for his family, and his mother revealed that she had spared them.
Turning point where the king learns the truth and begins his quest.
