The Nutcracker and the Mouse King

E. T. A. Hoffmann · 1816 CE · Short Story · German · Romantic

Marie Stahlbaum is given a nutcracker among the Christmas presents her godfather Drosselmeier brings, and after the house is asleep she watches it lead the toy soldiers against a mouse king with seven heads. Drosselmeier explains the war with a tale of a princess turned ugly by mouse magic and the hard nut that would cure her, which is also an account of how his nephew came to be made of wood. Dumas père rewrote it for a French audience, and Tchaikovsky's ballet follows that version rather than this one.

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