The Elder-Tree Mother by Hans Christian Andersen. Short summary

5 seconds

A boy drinks Elderberry tea, and an old man tells him the tale of Elderberry Mother. The fairy who appears from the teapot shows his whole life, from childhood to old age. Elderberry Mother’s middle name is Memory.

1 minute

A boy was sick, and his mother gave him elderberry tea. A neighbor came to visit the little boy and tell him a story. Suddenly an old woman appeared out of the teapot. It was Elderberry Mother.

The fairy took the boy by the hand, and they immediately found themselves in a gazebo, on a summer day. The old woman immediately turned into a girl. The children played merrily together. As parting, the girl gave the boy a flower.

The boy grew up, turned into a young man. He served in the Navy, but always took with him on a voyage flower — a gift of the girl.

Now the young man is an old man. A retired sailor, he was sitting with his wife under an elderberry bush. Suddenly a fairy appeared out of it. The elderberry mother bestowed white flowers on the elderly couple and said that her name was Remembrance.

The sick boy fell asleep in his crib — elderberry tea helped him. And the old neighbor went to his home.