The Brothers Grimm’s Fairy Tale ‘The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean’

Reckless actions can lead to disastrous results in this cautionary tale.

A 19th-century bronze statue of the Brothers Grimm in Hanau marks the beginning of Germany’s Fairy Tale Road. In this story, the Grimm brothers consider imprudence. Rolf G Wackenberg/Shutterstock

In their fairy tale, “The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean,” the Brothers Grimm consider the lack of prudence and how imprudence leads to disaster and loss.

One day, an old lady decides to make a pan of beans for herself. She prepares a coal fire to cook the beans, using straw to make the coal fire up quickly.