The Elves and the Shoemaker

Once upon a time, there lived a shoemaker who, through no fault of his own, had become so poor that he had only enough leather left to make one final pair of shoes. In the evening, he cut out the leather, intending to finish the shoes the next morning, and went to bed with a heavy heart, wondering how he and his wife would survive once this last pair was sold.

To his astonishment, when he entered his workshop at dawn, he found the leather cut and stitched into a perfect pair of shoes—the finest he had ever seen. The stitches were so small and even that no human hand could have made them. A customer came in that very morning, admired the shoes, and paid more than the usual price for them, enough for the shoemaker to buy leather for two more pairs.

That evening, the shoemaker cut out the leather for two pairs of shoes and once again left them on his workbench. When he awoke and went to his shop the next morning, he found two pairs of exquisitely crafted shoes waiting for him. Customers came, paid handsomely, and the shoemaker was able to buy leather for four more pairs.

And so it continued. Whatever leather the shoemaker cut out in the evening was transformed into beautiful finished shoes by morning. Soon, the shoemaker’s poverty was just a memory. His shoes became famous for their quality, and wealthy customers came from far and wide to purchase them.

As Christmas approached, the shoemaker said to his wife, “These good elves have brought us such fortune. I think we should hide tonight and see them at work, so we might thank them properly.”

His wife agreed. That evening, instead of going to bed, they hid behind a curtain in the corner of the workshop. At midnight, two tiny, naked elves scampered in through a crack in the door. They hopped onto the workbench and began to stitch, sew, and hammer with incredible speed and skill. Their tiny fingers flew over the leather, and their little hammers tapped merrily. The shoemaker and his wife watched in wonder until the elves finished their work and ran away just before dawn.

“Those dear little elves have made us rich,” said the wife, “yet they have nothing themselves—not even clothes to keep them warm. I shall make them little outfits, and you can craft tiny shoes for their feet.”

For the next several days, instead of cutting leather for shoes, the couple worked on gifts for the elves. The wife sewed tiny shirts, trousers, coats, and caps, while the shoemaker made two pairs of dainty shoes. On Christmas Eve, they laid these gifts on the workbench instead of leather for shoes, then hid to watch.

At midnight, the elves came bounding in, ready to begin their work. When they saw the little clothes and shoes instead of leather, they stood still in amazement. Then, with cries of delight, they quickly put on the beautiful garments, admiring themselves and each other.

“Now we look like proper gentlemen!” they exclaimed, dancing and leaping over chairs and benches in joy. Finally, they danced right out the door and into the night.

The shoemaker and his wife never saw the elves again, but they didn’t need their help anymore. The shoemaker’s reputation for fine craftsmanship was established, and customers continued to seek out his shoes. He and his wife lived in comfort and prosperity for the rest of their days, always remembering with gratitude the tiny elves who had saved them from ruin.

The Elves and the Servant Girl

In another village lived a poor servant girl, known for her diligence and cleanliness. Every morning, she would sweep the doorstep before anyone else in the household was awake.

One frosty morning, just as she was about to begin sweeping, she found a letter on the doorstep. Unable to read, she placed the letter on a shelf and continued with her duties. That evening, she showed the letter to her employers. To everyone’s surprise, it was an invitation for the servant girl to attend a fairy christening ceremony underground.

The girl was uncertain about accepting such a strange invitation, but her mistress, curious and slightly envious, encouraged her to go. “Such invitations are rare,” she said. “Who knows what good fortune might come of it? But you must observe everything carefully so you can describe it all to me afterward.”

So the servant girl followed the directions in the letter, which led her to a hollow mountain. The entrance was marked by three tall trees—an oak, a beech, and a linden. She walked between them and found herself on a path that spiraled down into the earth. After walking for what seemed like hours, the passage opened into a great cavern lit by thousands of tiny lamps.

In the center of the cavern stood a crystal cradle, rocking gently by itself. Around it danced dozens of elves—small, delicate creatures with pointed ears and silver-white hair. When they saw the girl, they welcomed her warmly and led her to a seat of honor beside the cradle.

The christening ceremony was unlike anything the girl had ever seen. The elves sang in high, clear voices, and their tiny feet moved in patterns too complex for human eyes to follow. After the ceremony, they brought out delicious foods and sweet drinks, serving the girl as if she were a queen.

As she prepared to leave, one of the elders of the elves presented her with a gift. “For your kindness in coming to honor our child,” he said, “please accept these wood shavings.” He poured what looked like ordinary carpenter’s shavings into her apron.

The girl thanked them politely, though she was somewhat disappointed by such a humble gift. On her journey home, finding her apron heavy and the wood shavings useless, she gradually emptied her apron, keeping only a few pieces out of politeness.

When she returned and told her mistress the whole story, the woman asked to see the gift. The servant girl emptied the few remaining shavings onto the table—but to her amazement, they had transformed into pure gold.

“Oh, foolish girl!” cried her mistress. “Why did you throw away such treasure? Hurry back and gather what you discarded!”

The servant girl rushed back along the path, desperately searching for the shavings she had dropped, but she found not a single piece. The path itself had vanished, and the entrance to the hollow mountain was nowhere to be found.

Nevertheless, the few gold pieces she had kept were enough to free her from service. She bought a small cottage with a garden and lived comfortably, always keeping her doorstep immaculately clean—just in case the elves might visit again.

The Elves and the Curious Woman

In a small cottage near the edge of a great forest lived a woman with her infant daughter. Each night, after putting her child to bed, the woman would notice that the household chores she had left undone were mysteriously completed by morning. The floors would be swept, the dishes washed, and sometimes even a fresh loaf of bread would be baking in the oven.

One evening, the woman sprinkled flour on the floor before going to bed, hoping to see footprints that might reveal her mysterious helper. In the morning, she found tiny footprints tracked through the flour, no larger than a child’s finger.

Convinced that elves were blessing her home, the woman decided to reward them. She boiled milk, poured it into a dozen eggshells, and set them by the hearth as a feast for the tiny visitors. Then she hid behind the curtain to watch.

At midnight, three elves no taller than a hand’s span slipped in through a crack beneath the door. They were about to begin their usual chores when one noticed the eggshells filled with milk.

“Look at these!” the elf exclaimed. “Someone has made bowls just our size!”

The three elves sat down by the hearth and began to sip the milk, talking among themselves.

“The child in the cradle will grow to be a fortunate woman,” said the first elf.

“She will marry a king’s son before she is eighteen years old,” said the second.

“And she will have a son with hair of gold and eyes like stars,” added the third.

The woman, hidden behind the curtain, could hardly contain her excitement at hearing such prophecies for her daughter. In her eagerness to hear more, she leaned forward, causing the curtain rod to creak.

The elves, startled by the noise, vanished instantly and never returned to the cottage. The woman regretted her curiosity, for not only did she lose her helpful house guests, but she began to worry constantly about the prophecy. Would it come true? Or had she spoiled her daughter’s chance at good fortune?

Years passed, and the daughter grew into a beautiful young woman. On her seventeenth birthday, a grand hunt passed through the forest. The hunting party became separated, and a handsome young man knocked at the cottage door, asking for directions.

This young man was indeed a prince, and he was so charmed by the young woman that he returned many times to visit. Within a year, they were married, just as the elves had predicted.

In time, the couple had a son with golden hair and eyes that shone like stars, completing the elves’ prophecy. The daughter, now a princess, invited her mother to live in the palace, where she often told the story of the helpful elves and their remarkable prediction.

The princess insisted that three tiny bowls of milk be placed by the hearth each night, in memory of the elves who had blessed her destiny. And though the elves never returned, it is said that good fortune continued to follow the family for generations to come—a reminder that kindness to the smallest creatures can bring the greatest rewards.