Hop o' My Thumb: 10 facts to know

by Tolovaj

Hop o' My Thumb by Charles Perrault is also known as Little Thumb (Le Petit Poucet). But most of us are more familiar with a German version - Hansel and Gretel.

Hop o' My Thumb is a fairy tale written by Charles Perrault. The story is about seven boys who were abandoned in the woods by their poor father. Brothers found a house where a cannibalistic giant lived and they were trapped.

The smallest of the boys, called Hop o' My Thumb tricked the giant, led the boys out, and when the giant almost caught them, he stole his magic boots. With these a whole new life for the family becomes possible.

This fairy tale is not among best known-ones, but it's closest German relative Hansel and Gretel is. Let's take a look at Hop o' My Thumb. Here are the ten most important facts:

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1. Popularity

It's one of only eight Perrault's fairy tales, published in 1697. Four of these fairy tales are still extremely popular:

Cinderella
Puss in Boots
Red Riding Hood
The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood

One is almost forgotten:

Riquet of the Tuft

Three are somewhere between:

Bluebeard
Diamonds and Toads
Hop o' My Thumb

The last on the list above is better known as the German version, rewritten by Brothers Grimm. Read on to learn more!

2. The title may vary

Hop o' My Thumb is often titled as The Little Thumb or Seven-League Boots and too often confused with Tom Thumb. The French title is Le Petit Poucet, which can be translated as A Little Thumb, but the more poetic Hop 'o My Thumb coming from the phrase Hop on my thumb, used for teasing little people, caught on much better in English speaking world.

So don't be surprised if you open a collection of fairy tales and find the same story with a different title.

little-thumb-listening-henry-thiriet
3. French version of Hansel and Gretel?

While we are dealing with a story about seven boys confronting a giant, it's essentially an older version of Hansel and Gretel confronting the witch.

There are also several similarities with a fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk (communication with giant's wife, stealing his treasures, hiding and running away, ...).

Apart from that, we can relate it with Babes in the Wood, Brother and Sister and a few other 'children in the wood' themed fairy tales.

little-thumb-going-to-the-wood-oskar-herrfurth
4. Criticism with self-reflection

Charles Perrault used the story to mock and criticize the poor countrymen who had way too many children and suffered from famine: in Hop o' My Thumb all seven boys were born in just four years span! This is theoretically possible, though - if we are dealing with sets of twins.

Perrault himself got four kids in five years, though. But he was a rich man when he married.

seven-brothers-from-hop-o-my-thumb-henry-thiriet
5. Magic number seven

There are seven brothers and seven sisters in this fairy tale.

It's not the only Perrault's fairy tale with magic number seven - he used it for the number of fairies in The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood as well.

Among hundred known versions of the Sleeping Beauty story all the most popular ones (Perrault's is not among them) use different numbers or no specific number of fairies, astrologers, etc.

There are also seven wives in the Bluebeard!

Basic Analysis

6. Protagonist

Hop o' My Thumb is actually the only protagonist. His brothers are merely his followers and the story would be pretty much the same without them. They are just casualties, exactly like the seven giant's daughters who die instead of the boys.

The Hop o' My Thumb's mission in the story is simple. He must confront the antagonist if he wants to grow up.

little-thumb-caught-by-ogre-gustave-dore
7. Antagonist

We are dealing with only one antagonist as well. This is Hop o' My Thumb's father. But this antagonist is polarized. He acts as a protector and a threat at the same time. This conflict is solved with symbolic transformation into a man-eating giant. Such polarization is pretty usual in fairy tales and one of the reasons for their popularity.

Kids can't destroy their father, but in order to survive, the giant must be defeated and his power (seven-league boots) taken before the kids can return home - to the nicer half of their father, represented as the woodcutter.

When the brothers returned home for the first time, without confronting the giant and gaining his treasure, nothing was solved. So they must go to the wood again.

8. Helper

The mother is also presented on two levels - as the mother of the boys and as the wife of the giant.

In both cases, she serves as their helper, who is trying to protect the boys from the brute force. In both cases, she is way too weak and incapable to do anything useful.

The boys must find a way to survive on their own. Symbolically they must grow up.

ogre-kills-his-kids-instead-little-thumb-gustave-dore
9. Trick defeats the brute power

The motif of switching caps with the giant's girls is present in several other fairy tales. It's a popular tool of conmen - they love to trick the opponents into their own traps.

This motif is used together with another popular one - about the youngest, smallest, weakest kid in the family, a so-called simpleton, who shows superb wit through the story and achieves much more than his or her siblings.

10. More than ordinary hero

Hop o' My Thumb is presented better than most positive fairy tale characters. He obviously doesn't protect just himself but his brothers too.

When he defeats the giant, he becomes very rich. In many fairy tales this would be enough for the happy ending.

He gives money to his family and other people as well. He also forgives his parents. Not once, but twice, which shows the greatness of his heart.

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Updated: 10/04/2020, Tolovaj
 
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Tolovaj on 12/24/2023

I don't think so. We can look at the ogre and his wife as symbolic parents. The main goal of the fairy tale is the growing up of the protagonist, so the fcus should be on him. We also know he takes care of his parents and siblings, so there is no need to find out what happened with his symbolic parents who already served they purpose.

DerdriuMarriner on 12/20/2023

A first loose end in the Hop o' my thumb fairy tale can be considered not knowing what happened to the ogre's wife.

The second loose end can be considered not knowing what happened to the ogre.

Did the ogre slowly wend his way back home to his wife or, without his powerful 7-league boots, was he attacked or killed?

Tolovaj on 12/19/2023

7 leagues in general means long distance.

DerdriuMarriner on 12/18/2023

The in-text image between the eighth and the ninth facts, Helper and Trick defeats the brute power respectively, displays only five sleeping girls.

Might Gustave Doré -- ;-D -- have miscounted?

DerdriuMarriner on 12/18/2023

The Oskar Herrfurth-illustrated article on Weebly begins with the characterization of Hop o' my thumb's father as a "poor" woodcutter.

Can woodcutters, unlike ironworkers mentioned in your wizzley about goose-girl symbols, be anything but poor in fairy tales?

DerdriuMarriner on 12/16/2023

Hop o' my thumb has perhaps two loose ends.

One loose end is the following: What might have happened to the ogre's wife?

DerdriuMarriner on 12/15/2023

Thank you for the Weebly link to more fairy-tale articles and illustrations!

The second of three illlustrated summaries concerning Hop o' my thumb contains Gustave Doré imaginings. The second one details that "This is the scene with white stones, today much more known from the German variant (Hansel and Gretel)."

What is the white-stone scene about?

DerdriuMarriner on 12/14/2023

Thank you for the weebly link to your article about Perrault fairy tales.

One image for Hop o' my thumb announces that "L'ogre sent la chair fraîche ("The ogre smells fresh/young flesh")."

Why does he not detect the different scents of his sleeping daughters?

DerdriuMarriner on 12/13/2023

The last paragraph ends with three links.

In particular, the third link leads to an elucidating, entertaining read about Hop o' my thumb. That article mentions Hop o' my thumb becoming the king's "special messenger."

Might that position involve Hop o'my thumb always, never, sometimes wearing the 7-league boots?

DerdriuMarriner on 12/12/2023

The 10th fact, More than ordinary hero, ends with Hop o' my thumb sharing his mercy -- and his money? -- with his birth family.

Does any version hint as to what comes after? For example, might Hop o' my thumb get married and have children and grandchildren?


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