Pins and Needles: ‘The Pack of Ragamuffins’

In this Brothers Grimm’s fairy tale, an innkeeper learns his lesson after he’s duped by the most unlikely guests.

“Rooster, Hen and Chicken With Spiderwort,” Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) Edo period (1615–1868), circa 1830–33. Polychrome woodblock print, ink and color on paper, 9 inches by 11 1/2 inches, The Francis Lathrop Collection, Purchase, Frederick C. Hewitt Fund, 1911. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Brothers Grimm published “The Pack of Ragamuffins“ between 1812–1815 among the 200 other fairy tales in their collection of fairy tales. In this particular story, they  emphasized the need for charity and goodwill by highlighting the outcome of unkind and mischievous actions.

The Cock and the Hen

One day, the cock tells the hen that they should go eat the ripe nuts on the hill. If they don’t go now, the squirrels will soon eat them all. The hen agrees and the two set off.

At the hill, they both eat their fill from morning to evening. Yet, when it’s time to leave, they both refuse to walk home, so the cock builds a carriage out of nutshells.