In the mountain-shadowed village of Oberlicht, nestled deep in Bavaria, there once lived a weaver’s daughter named Alena. Her face, though plain, bore the light of kindness, and her hands stitched truth into every thread. But Alena lived in a world where mirrors mattered more than deeds, and a girl’s worth was measured by how many suitors tilted their heads at the market square.
Now, on the edge of Oberlicht stood a crooked cottage, always in bloom and never in season. The children called it “The House That Bloomed Backwards.” But their parents would only whisper of the crone within, Frau Mahlda, the Bavarian witch.
One day, after yet another cruel joke from the baker’s sons, Alena stormed from the village, tears cutting silent paths down her cheeks. She walked straight to the cottage, fists clenched, pride stinging.
“I want beauty,” she said, without knocking.
Frau Mahlda, older than the village map and twice as sharp, blinked her clouded eyes and said, “Beauty you want, beauty you’ll have, but only what the mirror shows you.”
She led Alena into a sunless room. On the wall hung a tall, silver-edged mirror, its surface rippling like water. Mahlda whispered words that smelled like wet stone and thyme.
“Look,” she said.
Alena did. And in the mirror, she saw herself as no one had ever shown her: hair like raven silk, eyes like candleflame, a smile to stop breath. She gasped. She smiled. She didn’t stop looking.
“It shows what others will now see,” Mahlda said. “But never turn your back to the mirror, and never, never, look for too long.”
Alena promised.
The change was instant. The village eyes that once passed her now followed. The butcher’s son brought violets. The mayor’s nephew offered song. Her loom gathered dust as she danced through praise and petals.
But each night, she returned to the cottage. She looked. She smiled. She stayed longer.
One evening, the mirror smiled back—but not in sync. Its mouth twisted differently, eyes crueler than hers. Alena staggered back.
“I’m tired,” she said to Frau Mahlda. “The mirror tricks me.”
“The mirror only reveals,” the witch replied. “You stayed too long.”
Alena, afraid to lose what she’d gained, returned the next night. And the next. And the next. Until the reflection no longer looked like her at all. It looked better.
One morning, the villagers awoke to screams.
Alena was gone. Her cottage door hung open, loom untouched, violets wilted on the sill.
But at Frau Mahlda’s cottage, the mirror now stood outside, its glass gone black, its silver frame cracked like lightning.
Some say the mirror trapped Alena inside it. Others say she became her reflection, beauty without soul, always admired, never remembered.
The children of Oberlicht now throw salt when they pass “The House That Bloomed Backwards.” And no one dares look too long in mirrors.
Moral Lesson
True beauty isn’t what’s seen but what sees back. Alena’s fate reminds us that obsession with how we appear can drown out who we are. Mirrors may show us faces, but they cannot hold hearts. In a world eager to reflect perfection, beware the cost of staring too long at what isn’t truly yours.
This story comes from the Bavarian (German) tradition of Europe
Knowledge Check: The Mirror of the Bavarian Witch
1. What is the moral of the folktale “The Mirror of the Bavarian Witch”?
The story teaches a lesson about vanity and self-worth, showing how chasing beauty can lead to losing one’s true self.
2. What cultural group does the tale “The Mirror of the Bavarian Witch” come from?
This folktale originates from the German (Bavarian) tradition in Europe.
3. Why did Alena seek the mirror?
In the tale, Alena sought the mirror out of hurt pride and longing for acceptance, which sets the plot in motion.
4. How does the folktale “The Mirror of the Bavarian Witch” explain a natural feature or behavior?
The story offers a traditional warning for why villagers avoid mirrors in the wild and whisper near strange cottages.
5. Is “The Mirror of the Bavarian Witch” considered a trickster tale, ghost story, or moral fable?
“The Mirror of the Bavarian Witch” is a moral fable that reflects cultural caution about vanity and enchantment.
6. How is this folktale relevant to modern readers?
The message of “The Mirror of the Bavarian Witch” remains relevant as it teaches timeless truths about self-image, authenticity, and emotional hunger.
