September 15. Story of the Day: The Nail

This story comes from Household Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, translated by Margaret Hunt.

This story is classified as ATU 2039. Horseshoe Nail.

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

THE NAIL

A merchant had done good business at the fair; he had sold his wares, and lined his money-bags with gold and silver. Then he wanted to travel homewards, and be in his own house before nightfall. So he packed his trunk with the money on his horse, and rode away.

At noon he rested in a town, and when he wanted to go farther the stable-boy brought out his horse and said, "A nail is wanting, sir, in the shoe of its left hind foot."

"Let it be wanting," answered the merchant; "the shoe will certainly stay on for the six miles I have still to go. I am in a hurry."

In the afternoon, when he once more alighted and had his horse fed, the stable-boy went into the room to him and said, "Sir, a shoe is missing from your horse's left hind foot. Shall I take him to the blacksmith?"

"Let it still be wanting," answered the man; "the horse can very well hold out for the couple of miles which remain. I am in haste."

He rode forth, but before long the horse began to limp. It had not limped long before it began to stumble, and it had not stumbled long before it fell down and broke its leg. The merchant was forced to leave the horse where it was, and unbuckle the trunk, take it on his back, and go home on foot. And there he did not arrive until quite late at night. "And that unlucky nail," said he to himself, "has caused all this disaster."

Hasten slowly.

(illustration by Otto Ubbelohde)

August 24. Story of the Day: For Want of a Nail

This tiny chain tale, famous as a proverb comes from The Nursery Rhyme Book edited by Andrew Lang.

This is ATU 2039. Horseshoe Nail.

Looking for more stories? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

FOR WANT OF A NAIL

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost;
For want of the shoe, the horse was lost;
For want of the horse, the rider was lost;
For want of the rider, the battle was lost;
For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost;
And all from the want of a horseshoe nail.

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ATU 2039. Horseshoe Nail

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At this site:
Lang. For want of a nail, the shoe was lost
Grimm (Hunt). The Nail

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Z45 [ATU 2039] The Horseshoe Nail. For the want of a nail the shoe was lost, for the want of a shoe, the horse was lost, for the want of a horse the rider was lost... and all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

ATU 2039. A merchant on his way home stays at an inn and someone tells him that one of the nails is missing from one of his horse's shoes. At the next inn the shoe has fallen off. nevertheless, the merchant rides on. The horse becomes lame, stumbles, and breaks a leg. The merchant has to carry his goods himself and go home on foot. In some variants the horse of a soldier loses a horse shoe, and in the end a battle and a kingdom are lost.

additional information:

Wikipedia: For want of a nail