The Pancake That Ran Away 🥞 and Rolled On and On!

Welcome to the classic Norwegian folktale of the pancake that didn't want to be eaten! This charming tale, collected by Asbjørnsen and Moe, is one of the best-loved pancake stories for children. Read the whole story below and follow the little pancake on its incredible journey from the frying pan out into the wide world.

Once upon a time there was a woman who had seven hungry children, and for them she was frying a pancake. It was a rich, creamy batter, and it lay in the pan puffing up so thick and good that it was a joy to look at, and the children stood all around, and old Grandpa sat and watched too.

"Oh, do let me have a bit of pancake, Mother, I'm so hungry," said the first child.

"Oh, dear Mother, please," said the second.

"Oh, dear, sweet Mother, please," said the third.

"Oh, dear, sweet, kind Mother, please," said the fourth.

"Oh, dear, lovely, sweet, kind Mother, please," said the fifth.

"Oh, dear, lovely, sweet, good, kind Mother, please," said the sixth.

"Oh, dear, lovely, sweet, good, kind, darling Mother, please," said the seventh. And so they all asked for pancake, one more sweetly than the last, for they were so hungry and so good.

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"Yes, my children, just wait until it turns over," she said -- until I get it turned over, she should have said -- "and then you shall all have some of this pancake, this lovely rich batter cake -- just look how thick and pleased with itself it lies there."

When the pancake heard this, it grew frightened, and before anyone knew it, it flipped itself right over and tried to jump out of the pan. But it fell back down on the other side, and once it had fried a little there too and gotten firmer in the flesh, it sprang out onto the floor and rolled off like a wheel, out through the door and away down the road.

Off it went! The woman ran after it with the pan in one hand and the spatula in the other, as fast as she could, and the children ran after her, and old Grandpa came hobbling along last of all.

"Hey there, won't you wait! Grab it! Catch it! Hey now!" they all shouted at once, trying to leap on it and catch it again.

But the pancake rolled and rolled, and before long it was so far off that they couldn't even see it anymore, for that pancake was a faster runner than the whole lot of them.

Well-Known Meetings and a Great Escape

After it had been rolling a while, it met a man.

"Good day, Pancake," said the man.

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"God bless you, Manny Danny," said the pancake.

"Dear pancake of mine, don't roll so fast -- wait a little and let me eat you," said the man.

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"Since I've gotten away from Mother Bother, old Grandpa, and seven squalling children, I can surely get away from you too, Manny Danny," said the pancake, and rolled and rolled until it met a hen.

"Good day, Pancake," said the hen.

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"Good day, Henny Penny," said the pancake.

"Dear pancake of mine, don't roll so fast -- wait a little and let me eat you," said the hen.

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"Since I've gotten away from Mother Bother and old Grandpa, from seven squalling children and Manny Danny, I can surely get away from you too, Henny Penny," said the pancake, and rolled off like a wheel down the road.

Then it met a rooster.

"Good day, Pancake," said the rooster.

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"Good day, Cocky Locky," said the pancake.

"Dear pancake of mine, don't roll so fast -- wait a little and let me eat you," said the rooster.

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"Since I've gotten away from Mother Bother, old Grandpa, and seven squalling children, from Manny Danny and Henny Penny, I can surely get away from you too, Cocky Locky," said the pancake, and began rolling and rolling as fast as it could.

After it had been rolling a long while, it met a duck.

"Good day, Pancake," said the duck.

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"Good day, Ducky Lucky," said the pancake.

"Dear pancake of mine, don't roll so fast -- wait a little and let me eat you," said the duck.

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"Since I've gotten away from Mother Bother, old Grandpa, and seven squalling children, from Manny Danny, Henny Penny, and Cocky Locky, I can surely get away from you too, Ducky Lucky," said the pancake, and set off rolling and rolling as fast as it could.

After it had been rolling a long, long while, it met a goose.

"Good day, Pancake," said the goose.

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"Good day, Goosey Loosey," said the pancake.

"Dear pancake of mine, don't roll so fast -- wait a little and let me eat you," said the goose.

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"Since I've gotten away from Mother Bother, old Grandpa, and seven squalling children, from Manny Danny, Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, and Ducky Lucky, I can surely get away from you too, Goosey Loosey," said the pancake, and rolled off once more.

After it had been rolling a long, long while again, it met a gander.

"Good day, Pancake," said the gander.

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"Good day, Gander Dander," said the pancake.

"Dear pancake of mine, don't roll so fast -- wait a little and let me eat you," said the gander.

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"Since I've gotten away from Mother Bother, old Grandpa, and seven squalling children, from Manny Danny, Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky, and Goosey Loosey, I can surely get away from you too, Gander Dander," said the pancake, and took off rolling and rolling as fast as it could.

One Last Journey for the Pancake

After it had been rolling a long, long while, it met a pig.

"Good day, Pancake," said the pig.

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"Good day, Piggy Wiggy," said the pancake, and began rolling and rolling as fast as it could.

"No, wait a little," said the pig. "There's no need to rush off like that -- the two of us could go along together and keep each other company through the forest, for it isn't really safe in there," it said.

The pancake thought there might be something to that, and so they went on together. But after they had walked a while, they came to a stream. The pig swam across on its fat, no trouble at all, but the pancake couldn't get over.

"Sit up on my snout," said the pig, "and I'll carry you across," it said. The pancake did.

"Oink, gulp!" said the pig, and snapped the pancake up in one bite.

And since the pancake couldn't go any further, neither could this tale.

Moral and More Tales

This tale of the pancake shows that even the most innocent pancake can run into big trouble along the way! We've now made our way through the whole story of the pancake. Curious whether there are other exciting pancake tales or similar stories out there? You might find new surprises and lessons in every telling of the pancake who ran away.