The Lost Wand

"The Lost Wand" is a fairy tale written by Jean Ingelow and published by The Wonder Box Tales in 1902 The story revolves around Hulda, a lucky young girl in Norway who receives the opportunity to be granted a wish after finding a ring in her slice of cake.

 Summary 

All the children were in awe of the beautiful cake Hulda's grandmother made, and they were all knew about the magic it held. There is a fairy disguised as a flower on the top of the cake, and a ring hidden within it. The children can make a wish for whatever they pleased if they were lucky enough to find the ring. After finding the magical ring in her slice, Hulda can make a wish. A fairy appears from the flower on top of the cake, and tells Hulda she will give her anything she wishes for. Not knowing what her wish would bring, she asks for the fairy's wand. After handing Hulda her beautiful gold wand, the fairy is loses her powers and will be held at the will of her enemy if she doesn’t get the wand back. It could not be returned immediately, it had to be on a midsummers day. Until then, the fairy asked that Hulda keep it safe for her while she was gone. Days passed and the fairy had never returned.  Hulda thought the fairy had died. A dishonest guest paid a visit to Hulda and got her to trade the wand for a piece of his beautiful jewellery. After trading the wand for a bracelet with a bird clasp, Hulda realizes her visitor was actually a gnome. The gnome was the enemy the fairy had been worried about; with the wand he would make the fairy his slave. Hulda was aware she made a mistake, and did not rest until she retrieved the gold wand and returned it to the fairy. Not only did she give the fairy her powers back, but also in turn she saved her own life.
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 History and Origin 

A Lost Wand was written in the mid 1800s. Most of her work was published in 1865.  A lot of Ingelow’s literature was influenced by the writings of Lewis Carroll and George Macdonald. Her stories were written for children, not so much to teach a lesson; but for entertainment, which was a relatively new idea then.
 Characters 

 Hulda 

Hulda begins the story as a young girl at a party one winter’s night in Norway at her home. Her parents bring out a grand cake with a small ring baked into it. The person who gets the ring receives one wish from a fairy. Hulda receives this wish, she wishes for the wand the fairy has. But is then upset when she found out because of her wish the fairy loses her powers. Hulda spends the rest of her childhood guarding the wand until a poor peddler comes along and wants to trade it for one of his beautiful bracelets. Because Hulda had not seen the fairy in a long time she thought that she had died, and trades the wand to the peddler. She finds out that the peddler was actually a gnome who only wanted to get the wand in the first place. She spends the rest of her childhood looking for the peddler to try and get back her mother's ring which he also stole that day she met him.

 The Fairy 

The fairy appears first at the beginning of the story to grant the children one wish. When Hulda wishes for the wand, she loses her magical powers and can no longer grant wishes. She becomes dim and soon disappears. Before she goes away for good she asks that the child keep good care of the wand. One day she may be able tor return for it. When the fairy comes back in the middle of the story she finds out that the wand has been traded to the evil gnome who tricked Hulda into trading it to him. Hulda thought the fairy was dead. The fairy tells Hulda she was in Africa far away from Europe because the gnomes can only come up in Europe. She was staying away so that she was not kept as a slave of the gnome. Once Hulda returns the wand to the fairy at the end of the story she is not seen or heard of again.

 The Peddler (Gnome) 

The Gnome who plays the poor peddler comes searching for the wand that he knew was lost somewhere in the area she lived.  He disguises himself as a poor man trying to sell off his jewelry. When he  finds that Hulda’s parents are away, he tells lies.  Hulda gives away the Fairy's wand. The peddler tells her that because the sheen of the jewels is gone, it means the owner has died.  He is delighted when he trades her the wand for a bracelet, so he leaves to go back underground. Years later he resurfaces and finds out about Hulda’s bad health.  he goes back away until he knows she has passed.  When the peddler goes to the garden area to try and sell some more jewellery, he meets Hulda. He runs back to go  underground. He is stopped by Hulda, demanding her mother's ring back. He soon becomes confronted with not only Hulda but the Lizard. He seems frightened by the lizard and before she can  force him to give the wand and the ring back, Hulda has them. He then disappears underground with the Lizard, never heard from again.
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 Significance and Interpretation of Symbols 

 The Cake 
Norway is full of incredible foods, of all different kinds. However, the most significant item displayed on the table is Hulda’s grandmother’s cake. It catches not only the eye if Hulda, but all the others who are present. The fairy taking the form of a flower on top of the cake is what makes it so magnificent. The lucky child who finds the ring in their slice, gets to make a wish. All wishes do not bring happiness. They can bring the opposite. Although the cake is beautiful, the wish that Hulda is granted is not what she thought it would be; beauty is not always what it seems.

 The Bird on the Bracelet 
The bracelet would not have been Hulda’s first choice as a trade for her little gold wand; in fact she liked most of the items a lot more. But just like the cake, not everything is what it seems to be. The bird clasp on the lovely bracelet turned out to be a loyal companion that led her way to find the peddler and  save the fairy. This shows that those who deserve it receive the loyalty they need and kindness does not go unrewarded. The peddler and his greedy ways however, do not go unpunished. In the end, Hulda’s genuine intentions are turned into good deeds while the peddler is locked away underground away from the sunlight for eternity. The most beautiful objects aren’t always the best choice.

 The Lizard 
A lizard; an animal often-found in hot, dry climates. This is why it is not unusual that the master of the gnomes, who happen to like hot weather, is a lizard. Most reptiles are perceived as slimy, nasty creatures. In this case, the Lizard is fair and considerate of all situations. She rewards those who deserve it and prosecutes those who do not. Just like everything else, not all is what it seems.
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 The Wand 
Although it's small the power it contains is life saving. Without it, the fairy cannot live her normal life. Her normal life is helping mortals, without that she does not want to live. Once it became dim and the jewels, which decorated it, were no longer beautiful, it still has power hiding behind it. To anyone else, it would be insignificant. To the fairy, it meant the world. It either meant her life would be back to normal, or turned into a life of misery and despair. Even the tiniest objects can have the biggest impact.

 References 

Category:Fairy tales
Category:19th-century books
Category:English children's books