"A Lost Wand" is a

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

written by

Jean Ingelow Jean Ingelow (17 March 1820 – 20 July 1897) was an English poet and novelist, who gained sudden fame in 1863. She also wrote several stories for children. Early life Born in Boston, Lincolnshire on 17 March 1820, Jean Ingelow was the daughter ...

. It was first published in 1872 as part of ''The Little Wonder Horn'', and later republished as one of the stories in ''Wonder-Box Tales'' in 1902. The story revolves around Hulda, a lucky young girl in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

who receives the opportunity to be granted a wish after finding a ring in her slice of cake.

Summary

After finding a magical ring in her slice of cake, Hulda is given the opportunity to make a wish. A fairy appears from the flower on top of the cake, and tells Hulda she will give her anything she wishes for. Unknowing of what her wish would bring, she asks for the fairy's wand. After handing Hulda her beautiful

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

wand, the fairy is stripped of her powers and will ultimately be held at the will of her enemy if she doesn't one day retrieve the wand. It could not be returned immediately, it had to be on a midsummers day. Until then, the fairy requested that Hulda keep it safe for her while she was gone. Days passed and the fairy had never returned, this left Hulda believing that the fairy had died. Then a dishonest guest paid a visit to Hulda and convinced her to trade the wand for a piece of his beautiful jewelry. After trading the wand for a bracelet with a bird clasp, Hulda realizes her visitor was actually a

gnome A gnome () is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and widely adopted by authors, including those of modern fantasy literature. They are typically depict ...

. The gnome was the enemy the fairy had been worried about; with the wand in his possession he would make the fairy his slave. Hulda was aware she made a mistake, and did not rest until she retrieved the gold wand and returned it to the fairy. Not only did she give the fairy her powers back, but also in turn she saved her own life.

History and origin

"A Lost Wand" was written in the mid-1800s. Much of Ingelow's literature was influenced by the writings of

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

and

George Macdonald George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He became a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow-writer Lewis Carrol ...

. Her stories were written specifically for children, not so much to teach a lesson; but for entertainment, which was a relatively new concept during this time period.

Characters

Hulda

Hulda is a young girl from Norway whose world is turned upside down after being granted a wish by a fairy. After receiving her wish, she regrets ever making it. She spends the next few years of her life trying to undo what she asked for. Her genuine, courageous attitude is what ultimately helps her catch the enemy and relieve the fairy of Hulda's unfortunate wish.

The Fairy

The reason for the fairy's existence is to better the lives of mortals, which she does by granting them one wish. After an unfortunate wish is made by a young girl Hulda, the fairy is stripped of her powers and held at the will of her enemy she goes into hiding. Her hopeful outlook on the situation however is the guidance that the little girl Hulda needed to retrieve what she had once lost for the fairy.

The Peddler (Gnome)

The

is a creature covered in dirt and earthly material. Although he disguised himself as "The Peddler", he was still the known enemy of the fairy. His devious, evil ways almost stripped the fairy of her powers for good. His bad intentions did not go unpunished; in the end it is always those with kindness in mind who prosper.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lost Wand British fairy tales Works set in Norway 1872 short stories