Stone Soup
- 3 minute read
- Ages 5-9
- Moral Stories
Three travellers came into a village at the end of a hard year and asked for food.
Every door they knocked at was closed on them. There had been a poor harvest and nobody had enough, and each household had hidden what little it had and told the travellers there was nothing.
The travellers went back to the square, and one of them said he had an idea.
The pot
They built a fire in the middle of the square, filled a great pot with water from the well, and set it on to boil.
Then one of them took a smooth grey stone out of his bag, held it up so it could be seen from several windows, and dropped it into the pot.
People began to come out.
"What are you cooking?"
"Stone soup," said the traveller. "You have not had it? It is remarkable. This stone will feed the whole village tonight."
They stirred it and tasted it and pronounced it excellent, and a small crowd formed.
Almost perfect
"It is very good," said the traveller thoughtfully. "It is always very good. Though I will say that stone soup is at its absolute best with a few carrots in it. Not that it needs them."
A woman went home and came back with five carrots.
They went in, and the soup was tasted again and declared better.
"A little cabbage," said the second traveller, "and it would be the finest we have made."
Somebody fetched a cabbage.
Then somebody mentioned that they had some barley, and somebody else had potatoes they had been saving, and a man who had said very firmly an hour earlier that he had nothing at all came out with a piece of salt beef and put it in without being asked.
Onions went in. A handful of herbs. Then more potatoes.
By dark the pot was full and thick and had to be stirred with both hands.
The village square
They ate in the square, all of them, and there was enough for everyone and enough left for the next day.
Somebody brought out a drum. It went on late.
And when it was finished, an old woman came over to the travellers and asked whether she might buy the stone.
The traveller fished it out of the empty pot, wiped it, and gave it to her for nothing.
Moral of the story
Nobody in that village had enough on their own and everybody had enough together. The stone did nothing except give them a reason to open the door.
Questions and answers
- Why did the villagers refuse the travellers?
There had been a poor harvest, so each household had hidden what little food it had.
- What did the travellers do in the square?
They built a fire, filled a pot with water and dropped in a smooth stone, saying they were making stone soup.
- How did the soup get its ingredients?
The travellers kept remarking that it would be even better with one small thing, and villagers went home and fetched carrots, cabbage, barley, potatoes, beef, onions and herbs.
- What did the stone actually contribute?
Nothing. It only gave the villagers a reason to come out and start contributing.
- What happened at the end?
The whole village ate together with food left for the next day, and an old woman asked to buy the stone.
Word meanings
- harvest
- The crops gathered in at the end of a growing season.
- pronounced
- Declared or stated something to be so.
- barley
- A grain used in soups and bread.
- contribute
- To give something towards a shared effort.
Questions about Stone Soup
What is the moral of Stone Soup?
That sharing works when someone starts it. Each household had too little alone, and together there was more than enough.
Are the travellers tricking the village?
They are, though the story treats it as a kind trick. Nobody loses anything and everybody eats, which is why the ending is warm rather than sharp.
Where does Stone Soup come from?
It is a European folk tale told across France, Portugal, Russia and Scandinavia, sometimes with a nail or an axe instead of a stone.
Why is this good for young children?
It is gentle, funny and easy to act out, and the lesson about sharing arrives without anyone being told off.