"The Tinderbox" (Danish: "Fyrtøiet"; literal translation: 'fire-steel') is a fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875). The tale has its source in a Scandinavian folk tale Andersen heard in his childhood. Similarities with "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp" and other tales have been noted. The story is about a soldier who acquires a magic tinderbox capable of summoning three powerful dogs to do his bidding. When the s...
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"The Tinderbox" (Danish: "Fyrtøiet"; literal translation: 'fire-steel') is a fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875). The tale has its source in a Scandinavian folk tale Andersen heard in his childhood. Similarities with "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp" and other tales have been noted. The story is about a soldier who acquires a magic tinderbox capable of summoning three powerful dogs to do his bidding. When the soldier is sentenced to death for having one of the dogs transport a princess to his room, through cunning he is able to summon the dogs to save his life. One scholar believes the tale's wedding scene represents the nineteenth century unification of the middle class and royalty, while another views the tale as the author's desire for social revenge after suffering slights and snubs in his youth. The story was one of Andersen's first fairy tales, and was published 8 May 1835 in an inexpensive booklet with three other fairy tales by Andersen. The...
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