Queen Guinevere and Tom Thumb

The story or ‘history’ of Tom Thumb is the oldest English fairy story that we have in printed form. The oldest extant printed copy of a fairy tale is Richard Johnson’s The History of Tom Thumbe, printed in London in 1621.

In the time of King Arthur, in Britain, a ploughman named Thomas married in the hope of having children. But his wife was unable to bear him children, so he urged her to go and visit the wizard Merlin, to see if Merlin could use magic to bring them a child – even if the child was no bigger than his thumb, he would be contented.

Three months later, the wife gives birth to the boy, who is named Tom Thumb on account of his diminutive size.

Eventually Tom becomes King Arthur’s Dwarf to entertain him and the women of the court.