Two in a Sack
by Andrew Lang · from The Violet Fairy Book
Adapted Version
Once upon a time, there was a man. He was very sad. His wife Martha was always cross. She scolded him every day.
One day, Peter went to the fields. He caught a bird in his net. It was a magic crane. "Please let me go!" said the crane. "I will help!" Peter let the crane go.
The crane took Peter to its house. It took a sack from the wall. "Two out of the sack!" said the crane. Two Helpers came out. They brought yummy food. Peter was very happy. "Take this sack," said the crane.
Peter walked home. He was tired. He stopped at his cousin Clara's house. "Look at my magic sack!" said Peter. "Two out!" The Helpers brought good food. Clara was amazed.
Clara wanted the sack. She said, "Wash your hands!" Peter went. She took the sack. She put a different sack there.
Peter took the sack home. "Martha, look!" he said. "Two out of the sack!" Nothing happened. Martha was very upset. "No food! Oh no!" she said.
Peter went back to the crane. The crane gave him a new sack. "This will help," said the crane.
Peter took the new sack home. He wanted to see it work. "Two out of the sack!" he said. Two Playful Sprites came out. "Tickle, tickle!" they said. They tickled Peter. "Oh no! Stop!" laughed Peter. He tried to catch them. "Two into the sack!" he said. The sprites went into the sack. Peter was surprised. "I know the words!" he said.
Peter went to Clara's house. He hung the new sack. He went to another room. Clara was hungry. "Two out of the sack!" she said.
Two Playful Sprites came out. "Tickle, tickle!" they said. They tickled Clara. "Stop! Stop!" laughed Clara. "Give back the sack!" said the sprites. Clara gave Peter his sack back. "Two into the sack!" said Peter. The sprites went away.
Peter took both sacks home. "Martha, look!" he said. "Two out of the sack!" The Helpers brought good food. Martha smiled. "I will be kind," she said.
Later, Martha was curious. She took the other sack. "Two out of the sack!" she said. The Playful Sprites came out. They tickled Martha. "Help!" she laughed.
Peter watched. He said, "Now you see. Being mean is not nice." He said, "Two into the sack!" The sprites went away.
And so, Peter and Martha learned that being kind makes everyone happy, and being mean is not nice. They shared food and were good friends.
Original Story
TWO IN A SACK
What a life that poor man led with his wife, to be sure! Not a day
passed without her scolding him and calling him names, and indeed
sometimes she would take the broom from behind the stove and beat him
with it. He had no peace or comfort at all, and really hardly knew how
to bear it.
One day, when his wife had been particularly unkind and had beaten him
black and blue, he strolled slowly into the fields, and as he could not
endure to be idle he spread out his nets.
What kind of bird do you think he caught in his net? He caught a crane,
and the crane said, ‘Let me go free, and I’ll show myself grateful.’
The man answered, ‘No, my dear fellow. I shall take you home, and then
perhaps my wife won’t scold me so much.’
Said the crane: ‘You had better come with me to my house,’ and so they
went to the crane’s house.
When they got there, what do you think the crane took from the wall? He
took down a sack, and he said:
‘Two out of a sack!’
Instantly two pretty lads sprang out of the sack. They brought in oak
tables, which they spread with silken covers, and placed all sorts of
delicious dishes and refreshing drinks on them. The man had never seen
anything so beautiful in his life, and he was delighted.
Then the crane said to him, ‘Now take this sack to your wife.’
The man thanked him warmly, took the sack, and set out.
His home was a good long way off, and as it was growing dark, and he was
feeling tired, he stopped to rest at his cousin’s house by the way.
The cousin had three daughters, who laid out a tempting supper, but the
man would eat nothing, and said to his cousin, ‘Your supper is bad.’
‘Oh, make the best of it,’ said she, but the man only said: ‘Clear
away!’ and taking out his sack he cried, as the crane had taught him:
‘Two out of the sack!’
And out came the two pretty boys, who quickly brought in the oak tables,
spread the silken covers, and laid out all sorts of delicious dishes and
refreshing drinks.
Never in their lives had the cousin and her daughters seen such a
supper, and they were delighted and astonished at it. But the cousin
quietly made up her mind to steal the sack, so she called to her
daughters: ‘Go quickly and heat the bathroom: I am sure our dear guest
would like to have a bath before he goes to bed.’
When the man was safe in the bathroom she told her daughters to make a
sack exactly like his, as quickly as possible. Then she changed the two
sacks, and hid the man’s sack away.
The man enjoyed his bath, slept soundly, and set off early next morning,
taking what he believed to be the sack the crane had given him.
All the way home he felt in such good spirits that he sang and whistled
as he walked through the wood, and never noticed how the birds were
twittering and laughing at him.
As soon as he saw his house he began to shout from a distance, ‘Hallo!
old woman! Come out and meet me!’
His wife screamed back: ‘You come here, and I’ll give you a good
thrashing with the poker!’
The man walked into the house, hung his sack on a nail, and said, as the
crane had taught him:
‘Two out of the sack!’
But not a soul came out of the sack.
Then he said again, exactly as the crane had taught him:
‘Two out of the sack!’
His wife, hearing him chattering goodness knows what, took up her wet
broom and swept the ground all about him.
The man took flight and rushed oft into the field, and there he found
the crane marching proudly about, and to him he told his tale.
‘Come back to my house,’ said the crane, and so they went to the crane’s
house, and as soon as they got there, what did the crane take down from
the wall? Why, he took down a sack, and he said:
‘Two out of the sack!’
And instantly two pretty lads sprang out of the sack, brought in oak
tables, on which they laid silken covers, and spread all sorts of
delicious dishes and refreshing drinks on them.
‘Take this sack,’ said the crane.
The man thanked him heartily, took the sack, and went. He had a long
way to walk, and as he presently got hungry, he said to the sack, as the
crane had taught him:
‘Two out of the sack!’
And instantly two rough men with thick sticks crept out of the bag and
began to beat him well, crying as they did so:
‘Don’t boast to your cousins of what you have got,
One--two--
Or you’ll find you will catch it uncommonly hot,
One--two--’
And they beat on till the man panted out:
‘Two into the sack.’
The words were hardly out of his mouth, when the two crept back into the
sack.
Then the man shouldered the sack, and went off straight to his cousin’s
house. He hung the sack up on a nail, and said: ‘Please have the
bathroom heated, cousin.’
The cousin heated the bathroom, and the man went into it, but he neither
washed nor rubbed himself, he just sat there and waited.
Meantime his cousin felt hungry, so she called her daughters, and all
four sat down to table. Then the mother said:
‘Two out of the sack.’
Instantly two rough men crept out of the sack, and began to beat the
cousin as they cried:
‘Greedy pack! Thievish pack!
One--two--
Give the peasant back his sack!
One--two--’
And they went on beating till the woman called to her eldest daughter:
‘Go and fetch your cousin from the bathroom. Tell him these two ruffians
are beating me black and blue.’
‘I’ve not finished rubbing myself yet,’ said the peasant.
And the two ruffians kept on beating as they sang:
‘Greedy pack! Thievish pack!
One--two-- Give the peasant back his sack!
One--two--’
Then the woman sent her second daughter and said: ‘Quick, quick, get him
to come to me.’
‘I’m just washing my head,’ said the man.
Then she sent the youngest girl, and he said: ‘I’ve not done drying
myself.’
At last the woman could hold out no longer, and sent him the sack she
had stolen.
NOW he had quite finished his bath, and as he left the bathroom he
cried:
‘Two into the sack.’
And the two crept back at once into the sack.
Then the man took both sacks, the good and the bad one, and went away
home.
When he was near the house he shouted: ‘Hallo, old woman, come and meet
me!’
His wife only screamed out:
‘You broomstick, come here! Your back shall pay for this.’
The man went into the cottage, hung his sack on a nail, and said, as the
crane had taught him:
‘Two out of the sack.’
Instantly two pretty lads sprang out of the sack, brought in oak tables,
laid silken covers on them, and spread them with all sorts of delicious
dishes and refreshing drinks.
The woman ate and drank, and praised her husband.
‘Well, now, old man, I won’t beat you any more,’ said she.
When they had done eating, the man carried off the good sack, and put
it away in his store-room, but hung the bad sack up on the nail. Then he
lounged up and down in the yard.
Meantime his wife became thirsty. She looked with longing eyes at the
sack, and at last she said, as her husband had done:
‘Two out of the sack.’
And at once the two rogues with their big sticks crept out of the sack,
and began to belabour her as they sang:
‘Would you beat your husband true?
Don’t cry so!
Now we’ll beat you black and blue!
Oh! Oh!’
The woman screamed out: ‘Old man, old man! Come here, quick! Here are
two ruffians pommelling me fit to break my bones.’
Her husband only strolled up and down and laughed, as he said: ‘Yes,
they’ll beat you well, old lady.’
And the two thumped away and sang again:
‘Blows will hurt, remember, crone,
We mean you well, we mean you well;
In future leave the stick alone,
For how it hurts, you now can tell,
One--two--’
At last her husband took pity on her, and cried:
‘Two into the sack.’
He had hardly said the words before they were back in the sack again.
From this time the man and his wife lived so happily together that it
was a pleasure to see them, and so the story has an end.
(From Russiche Marchen.)
Story DNA
Moral
Cruelty and greed will eventually be met with their just deserts, while kindness can lead to unexpected rewards and a peaceful life.
Plot Summary
A long-suffering man, constantly abused by his wife, releases a crane that rewards him with a magical sack producing lavish feasts. His greedy cousin steals this sack, leaving him with a fake, leading to more abuse. The crane then gives him a second magical sack that produces stick-wielding ruffians. The man uses this second sack to retrieve his original sack from his cousin and then to discipline his abusive wife. After experiencing the pain she inflicted, the wife reforms, and the couple lives happily ever after.
Themes
Emotional Arc
suffering to triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Fairy tales often reflect societal norms and anxieties, here, the issue of domestic abuse and the desire for a peaceful home life are central. The magical elements provide a fantastical solution to real-world problems.
Plot Beats (15)
- A man lives miserably, constantly beaten and scolded by his wife.
- While fishing, he catches a crane, which promises gratitude if released.
- The crane takes the man to its house and gives him a magical sack that produces a lavish feast when commanded 'Two out of the sack!'
- On his way home, the man stops at his cousin's house and demonstrates the sack's magic.
- The greedy cousin swaps the magical sack for a fake one while the man bathes.
- The man returns home with the fake sack, tries to use it, but it fails, leading to more abuse from his wife.
- The man returns to the crane, who gives him a second magical sack that produces two rough men with sticks when commanded 'Two out of the sack!'
- The man accidentally activates the second sack on himself, learning the command 'Two into the sack' to make the ruffians disappear.
- The man goes back to his cousin's house, hangs the second sack, and waits in the bathroom.
- The cousin, attempting to use the second sack for herself, is beaten by the ruffians until she returns the original feast-producing sack.
- The man retrieves both sacks and returns home.
- The man uses the feast-producing sack to provide a meal for his wife, who is impressed and promises not to beat him.
- The wife, curious and greedy, tries to use the second (ruffian-producing) sack, and is beaten by the ruffians.
- The man allows his wife to be beaten until she understands the pain she inflicted, then stops the ruffians.
- The man and his wife live happily ever after, with the wife reformed.
Characters
The Man ★ protagonist
Beaten black and blue by his wife
Attire: Simple peasant clothing, perhaps patched and worn
Meek, long-suffering, eventually assertive
Image Prompt & Upload
A young man in his early twenties with a strong, determined expression and short, tousled brown hair. He wears a simple, well-worn forest green tunic over dark trousers and sturdy brown leather boots. He stands in a confident, ready posture, one hand resting on his hip. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Wife ⚔ antagonist
Implied to be physically strong
Attire: Rough, practical peasant dress
Scolding, abusive, greedy
Image Prompt & Upload
A middle-aged woman with a severe, angular face and cold, calculating eyes. Her jet-black hair is pulled back into a tight, flawless bun. She wears an elegant, high-collared dress of deep burgundy velvet, with long sleeves and a full skirt. Her posture is rigid and commanding, standing with her hands clasped tightly before her. Her expression is one of cold, observant disdain, a faint, knowing smirk on her thin lips. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Crane ◆ supporting
A crane
Grateful, helpful, somewhat mischievous
Image Prompt & Upload
A tall, graceful crane with pristine white feathers, long slender legs, and an elongated neck. Its black-tipped wings are folded neatly, and its sharp, pointed beak is slightly open. The bird stands attentively on both legs, head tilted slightly to one side with a watchful, intelligent expression in its dark eyes. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Cousin ◆ supporting
Not described
Attire: Typical clothing for a woman of her station
Greedy, thieving, hospitable (initially)
Image Prompt & Upload
A young woman in her early twenties with a kind, gentle expression. She has shoulder-length wavy brown hair and wears a simple, practical dress of soft blue cotton with a white apron tied at the waist. She stands with a slight, welcoming smile, her posture relaxed but attentive, as if ready to help. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Two Lads (Good Sack) ◆ supporting
Pretty
Attire: Servant's attire
Obedient, efficient
Image Prompt & Upload
Two teenage boys with cheerful expressions, one slightly taller than the other, stand side-by-side. The taller lad has wavy auburn hair and a dusting of freckles, wearing a forest green tunic over brown trousers and scuffed leather boots. The shorter boy has straight dark hair and a wide grin, dressed in a deep blue tunic with a leather belt, similar trousers and boots. They are in a cooperative pose, each holding one side of a large, empty burlap sack between them, looking at each other with friendly determination. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Two Ruffians (Bad Sack) ◆ supporting
Rough
Attire: Ragged clothing
Violent, punishing
Image Prompt & Upload
Two rough-looking men stand side by side, one tall and lanky, the other shorter and stocky. The tall one has a sly, thin smile, a jagged scar across his cheek, and greasy dark hair under a battered felt hat. He wears a stained, patched tunic, leather jerkin, and muddy boots, his long fingers fidgeting with a coin. The stocky one has a broken nose, a mean squint, and a thick, unkempt beard. His clothes are similarly ragged—a too-tight shirt, worn breeches, and heavy boots. He rests a hand on a wooden club tucked into his belt. Both have a threatening, opportunistic posture, leaning slightly towards each other as if sharing a secret. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
Poor Man's Cottage
A simple cottage with a stove, a place for a broom, and a nail to hang a sack.
Mood: Initially unpleasant and filled with conflict, later transformed into a place of contentment.
The wife's constant scolding and beatings occur here; the sacks are tested with varying results; the final reconciliation takes place.
Image Prompt & Upload
At dusk, a simple thatched-roof cottage sits nestled in an overgrown garden, bathed in the warm, golden glow of a lit stove visible through a small, wavy glass window. Rain mists the air, dampening the weathered wooden walls and the stone path leading to a sturdy door. A worn broom leans against the doorframe, and a rough sack hangs from a nail on the exterior wall, illuminated by the light within. Wildflowers and tall grasses sway gently in the cool evening breeze, surrounding the humble dwelling under a soft, cloudy sky. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Crane's House
A magical house where a crane keeps a sack on the wall.
Mood: Magical and generous.
The man first encounters the magical sack and its abilities.
Image Prompt & Upload
A twilight scene of a rustic, enchanted cottage nestled in an ancient, mossy forest. The wooden house features a steep thatched roof, glowing warmly from within through small windows. A large, rough burlap sack is prominently affixed to the exterior wall with thick rope. Soft, magical light emanates from the sack, casting long shadows. The surrounding air is thick with the blue haze of dusk, illuminated by floating fireflies and the faint glow of bioluminescent mushrooms on gnarled tree roots. The path to the door is made of smooth, flat stones. Colors are deep blues, warm ambers, and earthy browns. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Cousin's House
A house with a bathroom and a dining area.
Mood: Deceptive and greedy.
The cousin attempts to steal the magical sack.
Image Prompt & Upload
A cozy, crooked storybook cottage nestled in a twilight garden, its thatched roof glowing amber from within. Warm light spills from round, leaded windows, illuminating a dining nook with a checkered tablecloth and a steaming teapot. Through another glowing window, a clawfoot bathtub is visible, surrounded by trailing ivy and flickering candlelight. A cobblestone path winds through overgrown lavender and foxgloves, leading to a round, green door. The air is misty and soft, with fireflies beginning to dance under a deep indigo sky sprinkled with the first stars. The architecture is whimsical, with a chimney shaped like a teapot and a weathered wooden fence. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Fields with Nets
Open fields where the man sets his nets.
Mood: Lonely and provides escape.
The man catches the crane, initiating the magical events.
Image Prompt & Upload
Vast open fields at dawn, soft golden light filtering through morning mist. Rolling hills covered in tall grass and wildflowers, delicate spiderwebs glistening with dew. Old fishing nets draped over wooden fences, partially hidden in the grass. Distant thatched-roof cottage on the horizon. Gentle breeze rustling the grass, serene and magical atmosphere. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration
