Eneke Beneke, Let Me Live

This is inspired by a recent discussion in one of the forums I belong to, about “the darker side of fairy tales”. Here's my contribution (albeit a bit short/shallow in some places, as I did not have the energy to go as deeply into it as I could have...still, I haven't critically thought about fairy tales, at least not by writing it out, for almost 8 yrs, so good enough I say!).

This story always interested me. It's from "The Lambkin and The Little Fish." (Grimm's Fairytales, #141)

 "The children ... played at counting out.

"Eneke Beneke, let me live,
And I to thee my bird will give.
The little bird, it straw shall seek,
The straw I'll give to the cow to eat.
The pretty cow shall give me milk,
The milk I'll to the baker take.
The baker he shall bake a cake,
The cake I'll give unto the cat.
The cat shall catch some mice for that,
The mice I'll hang up in the smoke,
And then you'll see the snow."
They stood in a circle while they played this.... As they were running about so merrily the step-mother watched them from the window, and grew angry. And as she understood arts of witchcraft she bewitched them both."

What were they saying in the rhyme that upset her so much?



Let's deconstruct it from the beginning. The children are playing a counting-out rhyme (remember most children's rhymes often reference darker things—recall Ring Around the Rosie). They're playing by running around the pond, so maybe the pond is symbolic of a door to the Otherworld?

Eneke Beneke—who or what is Eneke Beneke? I couldn't find much, just that “Beneke” is a common German last name.

Eneke Beneke, let me live—a plea to a powerful spirit to spare your life.

And I to thee my bird will give—a sacrifice. Birds symbolize freedom, so maybe the soul or free will.

The little bird, it straw shall seek
The straw I'll give to the cow to eat.
The pretty cow shall give me milk,
The milk I'll to the baker take.
The baker he shall bake a cake,
The cake I'll give unto the cat.
The milk, the cake, etc are food for the familiar, which is the cat.

The cat shall catch some mice for that,
The cat catches the mice, which are thoughtforms or whatever the witch wanted from the other realms, perhaps shapeshifters, or small souls. 
 
The mice I'll hang up in the smoke,The smoke is from the incense, I presume, or the smoke used to “feed” the spirit (Eneke Beneke).

And then you'll see the snow."
This is an interesting line, especially how “snow” was emphasized. It makes me think of Frau Holle, who was an Underworld goddess. When she shook out her goose down blankets, it snowed. So is Eneke Beneke another name for Frau Holle? Or is Frau Holle on the side of the rhymer? 

EDITED TO ADD (3-15-12): The "snow" refers to the ashes from a flesh sacrifice. 



Curious and curiouser, the step-mother bewitches the children for singing the rhyme. Was she afraid? Was she the one they were bewitching? She certainly took her revenge fast enough—she turned them into a little lambkin and a fish! But you'll have to read the rest of the story to find out about that!

What do you think?