As we saw in chapter 3, fairy tales possessed an enduring appeal for Huizinga. In his memoirs he singles out for special mention the tales of Hans Andersen, most notably ‘The Old House’ and ‘The goblin and the grocer’. But there is a third tale by Andersen with which he felt a particular connection: ‘The Drop of Water’, the story of an old man whom his neighbours called Kribble Krabble.

The old fellow always wanted the best of everything, and if all else failed, he used magic. He liked playing with his magnifying glass, and one day he held it over a drop of ditchwater. He was shocked to see at least a thousand tiny creatures, dancing, jumping and devouring each other. ‘How horrible!’ cried old Kribble Krabble. ‘Can't those creatures be taught to live in peace and harmony, so that each one may mind his own business?’ He thought long and hard, and at length concluded that the only solution was to use magic. ‘Suppose I gave them a colour,’ he thought, ‘then they would be able to see each other better.’ So he added a tiny drop of something that looked like red wine to the drop of water, but it was really witches’ blood from an earlobe, the best to be had, ten cents a drop. And now the tiny creatures were completely red, and the drop looked like a whole city of naked savages.

‘What have you got there?’ asked another magician.

‘If you can guess what it is,’ said Kribble Krabble, ‘I’ll give it to you.’

And the other magician looked through the magnifying glass and what he saw did indeed look like a big city with naked people, and it was horrible, horrible to see how they pushed and thrashed, bit and kicked each other. And those who were on top were pulled down, and those who were at the bottom battled their way upwards. And only one, a small girl, sat quietly begging for peace and quiet. But she too was dragged away and eaten.

‘That's a funny sight,’ said the magician.

‘Yes, but what do you think it is?’ asked Kribble Krabble.

‘Oh, that's easy,’ replied his friend. ‘It's Copenhagen or some other city; they all look the same. It's a big city.’

‘It's a drop of ditchwater,’ said Kribble Krabble.