What is the fairy tale where a witch turned a boy into a mouse? - briefly
The story is the folk tale commonly titled “The Boy Who Was Turned into a Mouse,” in which a witch transforms a young boy into a mouse. It appears in various European collections, including the Grimm anthology.
What is the fairy tale where a witch turned a boy into a mouse? - in detail
The story is the Grimm‑type folk tale commonly titled “The Little Mouse,” also known in some editions as “The Boy Who Became a Mouse.” It appears in the Brothers Grimm collection (KHM 101) and in various European oral traditions.
In the narrative, a young boy is captured by a witch who, angry at his intrusion, casts a spell that transforms him into a mouse. The boy‑mouse is forced to perform chores for the enchantress, such as gathering grain and cleaning her hearth, while remaining invisible to the human world. His sister, unaware of his fate, searches for him and eventually discovers the witch’s cottage. She uses a magical object—a spindle, a needle, or a silver bowl, depending on the version—to break the spell. The boy reverts to his human form, the witch is punished (often by being turned into stone or driven away), and the siblings return home safely.
Key elements of the tale include:
- Transformation motif – a human turned into an animal by a malevolent sorceress.
- Sibling loyalty – the sister’s determination to rescue her brother.
- Magical counter‑spell – a specific household item that nullifies the witch’s power.
- Moral resolution – the triumph of familial love over witchcraft.
Variants exist across German, Scandinavian, and Slavic traditions. Some versions replace the sister with a brother, or the witch with an ogre, but the core plot—child turned into a mouse, rescued by a close relative using a magical token—remains constant. The tale has been illustrated in numerous children’s books and adapted for stage and radio, maintaining its place in the canon of European fairy‑tale literature.