Which Hans Christian Andersen tale tells of a mother searching for Death after losing her child?

“The Story of a Mother” is the Hans Christian Andersen tale about a mother searching for Death after losing her child.

When Death takes the mother’s child, she follows him through a series of symbolic obstacles. She gives up her hair, her eyes, and her song in exchange for help, eventually reaching the garden where human lives are represented as plants.

The story was first published in 1848 and is notably darker and more philosophical than many of Andersen’s shorter fairy tales. Its subject is grief, but the narrative also considers whether a parent can know what future would truly be best for a child.

The tale is sometimes confused with The Little Match Girl because both are emotionally tragic stories. They differ in focus: The Little Match Girl concerns a poor child freezing outdoors, while The Story of a Mother centers on bereavement and acceptance.