Domestic Servants Fairy Tale

Domestic Servants

Storyteller Rudolf Roos

Two domestic servants own the same things. A children’s rhyme of two servants going to Walpe.

Domestic Servants is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale in which two persons talk about what they have. It is a children’s rhyme/play. Both persons are going to Walpe, both have a man called Cham, a child called Wild, a cradle, and a drudge.

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Complete text Domestic Servants

“Where are you going?”
“To Walpe.”
“I to Walpe, you to Walpe, so, so, together we’ll go.”

“Do you have a man? What is his name?”
“Cham.”
“My man Cham, your man Cham; I to Walpe, you to Walpe; so, so, together we’ll go.”

“Do you have a child? How is he styled?”
“Wild.”
“My child Wild, your child Wild; my man Cham, your man Cham; I to Walpe, you to Walpe, so, so, together we’ll go.”

“Do you have a cradle? How do you call your cradle?”
“Hippodadle.”
“My cradle, Hippodadle, my child Wild, your child Wild, my man Cham, your man Cham; I to Walpe, you to Walpe, so, so, together we’ll go.”

“Do you have a drudge? What name has your drudge?”
“From-thy-work-do-not-budge.”
“My drudge, From-thy-work-do-not-budge, my cradle, Hippodadle, my child Wild, your child Wild; my man Cham, your man Cham; I to Walpe, you to Walpe; so, so, together we’ll go.”

Tips for Telling Domestic Servants

Storyteller Rudolf Roos
  • This is clearly a children’s game / rhyme. You can add your own things to this rhyme.
  • I’ve edited and formatted the rhyme in this way so you can see the structure. Don’t forget all things that came before.
  • Although you do need to learn the rhymes by heart, the order in which you tell it does not matter that much.
A reading of Domestic Servants

All Questions Answered

Who wrote the story Domestic Servants?

It was published by the Brothers Grimm in the second volume of the first edition of their Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Source: von Haxthausen family, but this children’s rhyme is known from earlier manuscripts.

When was Domestic Servants written?

The Brothers Grimm included it in the 1815 first edition of their Grimm’s fairy tales.

More useful information

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Photo credits: Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay

The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales on this website are based on the authentic translation of Margaret Hunt. They were edited and reformatted for pleasant reading and telling by Storyteller Rudolf Roos.
See the complete list of The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales (link to internationalstoryteller.com).