The Star Money (alternatively titled The Star Talers or Die Sterntaler in the original German) is a very short Fairy Tale collected by The Brothers Grimm.
The story follows an orphan girl who has nothing in the world but a loaf of bread, the clothes on her body, and her abiding faith in the love of God. One by one, she meets other people even less fortunate than she is, and in her kindness, she gives up her bread, her hat, her jacket, and her dress. Finally, she meets someone so desperately cold that she even gives up her undergarments. Alone with nothing under the starlight, God rewards the child's kindness by sending stars down from the sky. They form a shimmering new shift for her, and the rest land as taler coins, securing a wealthy future for the girl.
Translations of the tale can be read here
, here and here.
"The Star Money" contains the following tropes:
- Conveniently an Orphan: Our heroine's parents have died before the story begins, leaving her completely alone.
- From Bad to Worse: In the beginning, the girl has only bread and clothing as possessions. As the story progresses, she gives it away, piece by piece, until she has literally "nothing left at all".
- Good Fortune from God: The tale stresses that the girl's benefactor is the Almighty as a reward for her faith and charitable deeds.
- Gorgeous Garment Generation: The naked girl finds herself wearing a fine linen shift courtesy of the stars.
- Homeless Hero: Upon losing her parents, the girl no longer has a place to live and enters the story wandering the German countryside.
- Karmic Jackpot: Literally. The girl's selfess actions result in money raining down on her.
- No Antagonist: There is no actual enemy, except for poverty.
- Nudity Equals Honesty: The heroine is a model of kindness, integrity, and piety, literally sacrificing everything to give to those even worse off than herself. God sees her good works and rewards her.
- Rags to Riches: Near literal pennies from heaven descend on her, allowing her to never experience poverty again.
- Rule of Three: The girl has exactly three things to her name: bread, clothing, and her faith in God.
- Scenery Censor: The protagonist reasons that she can afford to give up her undergarment to someone even less fortunate because it is dark and no one will see her nudity.
- Street Urchin: The protagonist, obviously, but also four out of the five people she helps are also freezing and desperate children. The first encounter is the one exception; she gives the bread to a starving adult man.
- You Must Be Cold: The four children that the heroine meets all bemoan the cold, inspiring her to give up her hat, coat, frock, and ultimately even her underwear to help them.
