Johann Karl August Musäus

Die Nymphe des Brunnens

"Die Nymphe des Brunnens" by Johann Karl August Musäus is a fairy tale published in 1783. When a water nymph foretells a knight's wife will die leaving behind a third daughter, she gifts the child Mathilde a magical musk apple. After enemies destroy her home, Mathilde becomes a servant and falls in love with Count Conrad. Using the apple's magic, she wins his heart, but his vengeful mother accuses her of witchcraft and condemns her to death. Only the nymph's intervention can save her.