“The elf first put the tongue on the tub.”
. . . the elf stole away the grocer’s wife’s tongue, for she did not want it while she slept. And now whatever he put it upon was able to speak just as well as the lady herself. It was a good thing the tongue could be in only one place at a time, or what a noise there would have been!
The elf first put the tongue on the tub . . .
From the story “The Elf at the Grocer’s.”
Hans Andersen’s Fairy Tales.
By William Woodburn.
Illustrated by Gordon Robinson.
W. & R. Chambers, Limited: London & Edinburgh. 1917.
Elephant's Picture Book 
Lovely linework in thi picture- very nice.
No comment about the dismembered tongue sitting on the barrel? The tongue that makes whatever it touches talk? The tongue the elf cut out of the grocers sleeping wife?
It is a nice illustration! And that tongue!!!
Elephant
The illustrations that you share always make me smile, thank you for sharing them.
Thank you for your kind words! Glad to make someone smile – that is a real accomplishment!
Elephant
Eww, the tongue is yuck! One can only suppose that the poor nameless grocer’s wife doesn’t talk anymore. Don’t mess with the little people!
I was assuming that he gave it back before she awoke…come to think of it, maybe there are elves doing this to all of us!
Ugh! As if bed bugs weren’t enough to worry about!
So sorry! This is a very dark story – cut off tongues are . . .!
Did you have fun with your award? I hope so!
Elephant
Yes, thanks! My facebook friends were all happy for me. 🙂 Bloggers were less impressed. 🙂
Well, the loss of our voices is a part of current culture! Despite the notion that we are chatting away!
Elephant
This really is a disturbing illustration! Glad you paid enough attention to get that is was this weird and kinda yuck!
Elephant
The elf is not someone I’d want to tangle with.