The Seven Miners
helper · human
Seven miners who come home covered in dust, find a stranger asleep across three of their beds, and let her sleep.
What they are like
- Kind
- 10/10
- Brave
- 7/10
- Clever
- 7/10
- Honest
- 9/10
- Curious
- 5/10
- Patient
- 9/10
How we meet them
Standing in a row at dusk, looking at a sleeping stranger, and their first reaction is not alarm but a mild observation about whose bed she is in.
Personality
Practical, undramatic and steadily kind. They give one clear instruction, she breaks it three times, and they come back for her every time without a word of blame.
What they want
They go to work at first light and come home at dusk, and now there is someone to come home to.
How they change
Take in a stranger, save her twice, fail to save her once, and cannot bring themselves to bury her.
How they speak
Flatly and briefly. Their most devastating moment is saying nothing at all, standing over her after the comb.
How the story treats them
The story treats them as the only functional household in it. Seven people who go out, come back, and check on each other.
One surprising thing
The Grimms never gave them names. Every set of names you have heard was invented later by other storytellers.
If they were real today
They would be the people who notice you have not been outside for three days and turn up with soup.
Things they say
- “She's asleep in all our beds.”
- “Not for anybody.”
Key moments
She's asleep in all our beds
Seven miners stand in a row at dusk looking at a sleeping stranger, and the only thing anyone says is an observation about the beds.
“She's asleep in all our beds.”
Nobody said anything at all
After the comb, all seven stand over her while she comes round on the floor and none of them says a word, which is far worse than being told off.
They could not start
They stand in the garden with the spades and none of them can begin, so they build a case of glass instead and take turns sitting with it.
Who they know
Snow Whitefamily
One rule, broken three times, and they come back for her every time.
Characters like The Seven Miners
Personalised stories are coming soon
A brand new story with your child as the main character, illustrated on every page. We are not taking orders yet. Join the waitlist and we will email you when it opens.