Brothers Grimm
Synopsis
There once was a poor girl and her mother. The child went into the forest as the two had nothing to eat. There, she met an old woman who gave her a little cooking pot. When the woman said the phrase “Cook, little pot, cook,” the pot would create sweet Porridge. When the woman said “Stop, little pot,” it stopped making food.
The little girl took it home to her mother and they were finally able to eat their fill of the sweet porridge.
One day the little girl went out and the mother asked the pot to cook. The pot proceeded to cook the sweet porridge once again but the mother forgot the pass phrase that stopped the cooking. Therefore, the porridge did not stop and cooked until it took up the whole house and eventually the whole street but one house. At this time the little girl came home and said “Stop, little pot”.
Whoever wanted to return home had to eat their way back.
The End
Lessons & Takeaways
Know How to Use Something
The mother knew the power of the pot as they had been using it to eat. She should have made sure she knew how to operate the magical device before using it by herself. The story does not say that anyone was injured or worse from the porridge flooding through the town but it is very possible that it did.
It does seem rather silly that she couldn’t remember the pass phrase as it is simple and would probably have said it by accident anyway. However, it is a very short story and perhaps the mother was frightened or trapped and not able to make decisions in that moment.
Be a Good Person
The old woman in the woods knew that the little girl was good. Had she been known for being unkind the woman would not have given her a way to feed herself indefinitely without cost. Her goodness was the reason that her and her mother were able to survive.
Although, they would probably get a little tired of sweet porridge after a couple of years.
FableStoryNovel 