page_title: Brother Lustig
section_title: Brother Lustig meets St Peter
hierarchical_section_title: Brother Lustig / Story / Brother Lustig meets St Peter
caption_attribution_description: English: Illustration for 'Bruder Lustig' by Emil Hünten for 'Grimm's Fairy Tales' 1885
context_page_description: Brother Lustig KHM 81 is a lengthy German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in the first edition of Kinder- und Hausmärchen in 1812. It contains elements of Aarne–Thompson type 785: Who Ate the Lamb's Heart?; type 753A: The Unsuccessful Resuscitation; type 330B: The Devil in the Sack; and type 330: Entering Heaven by a Trick.
context_section_description: At the end of a great and terrible war many soldiers received their discharge, and among them was Brother Lustig, who for his share of the spoils was only given a small loaf of ammunition-bread and four kreuzers. St Peter disguised himself as a poor beggar and sat in the path of Lustig as he passed by. And as Lustig came by the disguised Apostle cried out begging for alms. Lustig turned to him and said, "You poor beggar. I have nothing to offer you and am as poor as you. On my discharge from the army I received nothing but this little loaf of ammunition-bread and four kreuzers, and when they are gone I shall be in the same state as you. Yet I will give you something." And taking his loaf he divided it into quarters, one of which he gave to the beggar, together with one kreuzer. At this St Peter thanked him and on walking off disguised himself as a different beggar and again sat in the path of Lustig as he passed by. And when Lustig came up he begged him for alms, as before.
  And as before Brother Lustig gave him a quarter of the loaf and one kreuzer. St Peter thanked him as before and went on his way, but disguised himself as a poor beggar for the third time, and again sat by the side of the road where he waited for Lustig to pass by. He when he saw the poor beggar gave him the third quarter of the loaf and the third kreuzer, leaving himself just the last quarter of the loaf and the last kreuzer. And with these Brother Lustig went into a nearby inn where he ate his piece of bread and ordered one kreuzer's worth of beer to wash it down. Thus refreshed he resumed his journey when he again encountered St Peter, who this time was disguised as a discharged soldier. He asked Lustig, "Like you I am a discharged soldier. Have you any bread or a kreuzer with which I could get a drink?"
  "How can I help you?", replied Brother Lustig. "When I was discharged I received nothing but a loaf of ammunition-bread and four kreuzers. I met three beggars on the road and gave each a quarter of the bread and a coin each. The last quarter of the loaf I ate and the last coin I used to buy beer in the inn. Now I have nothing left - but if you too have nothing then we should go begging together."
  "That will not be necessary", said St Peter, "for I am skilled in medicine, and I am sure from that I can earn enough for both our needs. Whatever I may receive you shall have half."
caption: Brother Lustig gives alms to the disguised St Peter - illustration by Emil Hünten (1885)
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