What is Heart of Stone (German fairy tale)?
[[File:Carl_Offterdinger_-_Peter_Munk_und_das_Glasmaennchen.jpg|thumb| Carl Offterdinger : Peter summons the little glass man]] '''Das Kalte Herz''' is a [[fairy tale]] by [[Wilhelm Hauff]] (1802-1827). The title is usually translated as '''The Heart of Stone'''. Literally, it translates to ''The Cold Heart''. The fairy tale was first published in Hauff's Fairytale Almanac, in 1828. The story is embedded into another story, called [[Das Wirtshaus im Spessart]] (The Spessart Inn); [[Spessart]] is a [[mountain range]], about {{Convert|55|km}} south of [[Frankfurt am Main]]. ''Das Wirtshaus im Spessart'' spans all of the stories in the Almanac. == Content == Peter Munk, known as Kohlenmunk-Peter, runs a [[charcoal]] burning business in the [[Black Forest]]. He inherited this from his father. He is dissatisfied with his work though, because it is dirty, does not pay well, and does not have a good [[reputation]]. He dreams about having a lot of money, and being well-respected in society. Then he learns that there is a spirit of the forest, called Glassmännlein (little Glass Man) or Schatzhauser. This spirit will grant three wishes if he is invoked by people like Peter, who were born on a Sunday, between eleven and two o'clock. Invoking the spitit needs a specific verse. So Peter goes looking for the spirit. He then meets another forest spirit, Holländermichel (Dutchman Michael), who is large, and dangerous. Dutchman Michael causes mischief on stormy nights, as a [[sorcerer]]. Peter manages to escape him, though. Peter calls the little glass man, with a specific [[wikt:invocation|invocation]]. The glass man grants him three wishes. His first wish is to have money and [[dancing]] skills, so that he is able to dance in the inn. His secnd wish is a [[Glassworking|glassworks]], with some [[Horse|horses]], to operate it. The glass man becomes angry about the short-sightedness of Peter's wishes, and he refuses him the third wish. At the start, Peter is very happy with his glassworks and his new status in society. Qui