you, said the fox, this has happened because you did not give heed to me.
However, be of good courage. I will give you my help, and tell you how to get to the
golden horse. You must go straight on, and you will come to a castle, where in the
stable stands the horse. The grooms will be lying in front of the stable, but they will
be asleep and snoring, and you can quietly lead out the golden horse. But of one
thing you must take heed, put on him the common saddle of wood and leather, and
not the golden one, which hangs close by, else it will go ill with you. Then the fox
stretched out his tail, the king's son seated himself upon it, and away he went over
stock and stone until his hair whistled in the wind.
Everything happened just as the fox had said, the prince came to the stable in which
the golden horse was standing, but just as he was going to put the common saddle
upon him, he thought, such a beautiful beast will be shamed if I do not give him the
good saddle which belongs to him by right. But scarcely had the golden saddle
touched the horse than he began to neigh loudly. The grooms awoke, seized the
youth, and threw him into prison.
The next morning he was sentenced by the court to death, but the king promised to
grant him his life, and the golden horse as well, if he could bring back the beautiful
princess from the golden castle.
With a heavy heart the youth set out, yet luckily for him he soon found the trusty fox. I
ought only to leave you to your ill-luck, said the fox, but I pity you, and will help you
once more out of your trouble. This road takes you straight to the golden castle, you
will reach it by eventide, and at night when everything is quiet the beautiful princess
goes to the bathing-house to bathe. When she enters it, run up to her and give her a
kiss, then she will follow you, and you can take her away with you, only do not allow
her to take leave of her parents first, or it will go ill with you.
Then the fox stretched out his tail, the king's son seated himself upon it, and away
went the fox, over stock and stone, till his hair whistled in the wind.
When he reached the golden castle it was just as the fox had said. He waited until
midnight, when everything lay in deep sleep, and the beautiful princess was going to
the bathing-house. Then he sprang out and gave her a kiss. She said that she would
like to go with him, but she asked him pitifully, and with tears, to allow her first to
take leave of her parents. At first he withstood her prayer, but when she wept more
and more, and fell at his feet, he at last gave in. But no sooner had the maiden
reached the bedside of her father than he and all the rest in the castle awoke, and
the youth was laid hold of and put into prison.
The next morning the king said to him, your life is forfeited, and you can only find
mercy if you take away the hill which stands in front of my windows, and prevents my
seeing beyond it, and you must finish it all within eight days. If you do that you shall
have my daughter as your reward.
The king's son began, and dug and shoveled without stopping, but when after seven
days he saw how little he had done, and how all his work was as good as nothing,
he fell into great sorrow and gave up all hope. But on the evening of the seventh day
the fox appeared and said, you do not deserve that I should take my trouble about
you, but just go away and lie down to sleep, and I will do the work for you.
The next morning when he awoke and looked out of the window the hill had gone.
The youth ran, full of joy, to the king, and told him that the task was fulfilled, and
whether he liked it or not, the king had to hold to his word and give him his daughter.
So the two set forth together, and it was not long before the trusty fox came up with
them. You have certainly got what is best, said he, but the golden horse also
belongs to the maiden of the golden castle. How shall I get it, asked the youth. That I
will tell you, answered the fox, first take the beautiful maiden to the king who sent you
to the golden castle. There will be unheard-of rejoicing, they will gladly give you the
golden horse, and will bring it out to you. Mount it as soon as possible, and offer
your hand to all in farewell, last of all to the beautiful maiden. And as soon as you
have taken her hand swing her up on to the horse, and gallop away, and no one will
be able to bring you back, for the horse runs faster than the wind.
All was carried out successfully, and the king's son carried off the beautiful princess
on the golden horse.
The fox did not remain behind, and he said to the youth, now I will help you to get the
golden bird. When you come near to the castle where the golden bird is to be found,
let the maiden get down, and I will take her into my care. Then ride with the golden
horse into the castle-yard, there will be great rejoicing at the sight, and they will bring
out the golden bird for you. As soon as you have the cage in your hand gallop back
to us, and take the maiden away again.
When the plan had succeeded, and the king's son was about to ride home with his
treasures, the fox said, now you shall reward me for my help. What do you require
for it, asked the youth. When you get into the wood yonder, shoot me dead, and
chop off my head and feet.
That would be fine gratitude, said the king's son. I cannot possibly do that for you.
The fox said, if you will not do it I must leave you, but before I go away I will give you
a piece of good advice. Be careful about two things. Buy no gallows'-flesh, and do
not sit at the edge of any well. And then he ran into the wood.
The youth thought, that is a wonderful beast, he has strange whims, who on earth
would want to buy gallows'-flesh. As for the desire to sit at the edge of a well it has
never yet occurred to me.
He rode on with the beautiful maiden, and his road took him again through the
village in which his two brothers had remained. There was a great stir and noise,
and, when he asked what was going on, he was told that two men were going to be
hanged. As he came nearer to the place he saw that they were his brothers, who
had been playing all kinds of wicked pranks, and had squandered all their wealth.
He inquired whether they could not be set free. If you will pay for them, answered the
people, but why should you waste your money on wicked men, and buy them free.
He did not think twice about it, but paid for them, and when they were set free they
all went on their way together.
They came to the wood where the fox had first met them, and as it was a hot day,
but cool and pleasant within the wood, the two brothers said, let us rest a little by the
well, and eat and drink. He agreed, and whilst they were talking he forgot himself,
and sat down upon the edge of the well without thinking of any evil. But the two
brothers threw him backwards into the well, took the maiden, the horse, and the bird,
and went home to their father. Here we bring you not only the golden bird, said they,
we have won the golden horse also, and the maiden from the golden castle. Then
was there great joy, but the horse would not eat, the bird would not sing, and the
maiden sat and wept.
But the youngest brother was not dead. By good fortune the well was dry, and he fell
upon soft moss without being hurt, but he could not get out again. Even in this strait
the faithful fox did not leave him, it came and leapt down to him, and upbraided him
for having forgotten its advice. But yet I cannot give up, he said, I will help you up
again into daylight. He bade him grasp his tail and keep tight hold of it, and then he
pulled him up. You are not out of all danger yet, said the fox. Your brothers were not
sure of your death, and have surrounded the wood with watchers, who are to kill you
if you let yourself be seen. But a poor man was sitting upon the road, with whom the
youth changed clothes, and in this way he got to the king's palace.
No one knew him, but the bird began to sing, the horse began to eat, and the
beautiful maiden left off weeping. The king, astonished, asked, what does this
mean. Then the maiden said, I do not know, but I have been so sorrowful and now I
am so happy. I feel as if my true bridegroom had come. She told him all that had
happened, although the other brothers had threatened her with death if she were to
betray anything.
The king commanded that all people who were in his castle should be brought
before him, and amongst them came the youth in his ragged clothes, but the maiden
knew him at once and fell upon his neck. The wicked brothers were seized and put
to death, but he was married to the beautiful maiden and declared heir to the king.
But what happened to the poor fox. Long afterwards the king's son was once again
walking in the wood, when the fox met him and said, you have everything now that
you can wish for, but there is never an end to my misery, and yet it is in your power
to free me, and again he asked him with tears to shoot him dead and chop off his
head and feet. So he did it, and scarcely was it done when the fox was changed into
a man, and was no other than the brother of the beautiful princess, who at last was
freed from the magic charm which had been laid upon him. And now they had all the
happiness they wanted as long as they lived.
Hansel & Gretel
HARD BY a great forest dwelt a poor wood-cutter with his wife and his two
children. The boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel. He had little to bite
and to break, and once when great dearth fell on the land, he could no longer
procure even daily bread. Now when he thought over this by night in his bed,
and tossed about in his anxiety, he groaned and said to his wife: "What is to
become of us? How are we to feed our poor children, when we no longer
have anything even for ourselves?" "I'11 tell you what, husband," answered
the woman, "early to-morrow morning we will take the children out into the
forest to where it is the thickest; there we will light a fire for them, and give
each of them one more piece of bread, and then we will go to our work and
leave them alone. They will not find the way home again, and we shall be rid
of them." "No, wife," said the man, "I will not do that; how can I bear to
leave my children alone in the forest--the wild animals would soon come and
tear them to pieces." "0, you fool!" said she, "then we must all four die of
hunger, you may as well plane the planks for our coffins," and she left him no
peace until he consented. "But I feel very sorry for the poor children, all the
same," said the man.
The two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger, and had heard
what their step-mother had said to their father. Gretel wept bitter tears, and
said to Hansel: "Now all is over with us." "Be quiet, Gretel," said Hansel, "do
not distress yourself, I will soon find a way to help us." And when the old
folks had fallen asleep, he got up, put on his little coat, opened the door
below, and crept outside. The moon shone brightly, and the white pebbles
which lay in front of the house glittered like real silver pennies. Hansel
stooped and stuffed the little pocket of his coat with as many as he could get
in. Then he went back and said to Gretel: "Be comforted, dear little sister,
and sleep in peace, God will not forsake us," and he lay down again in his
bed. When day dawned, but before the sun had risen, the woman came and
awoke the two children, saying: "Get up, you sluggards! We are going into
the forest to fetch wood." She gave each a little piece of bread, and said:
"There is something for your dinner, but do not eat it up before then, for you
will get nothing else." Gretel took the bread under her apron, as Hansel had
the pebbles in his pocket. Then they all set out together on the way to the
forest. When they had walked a short time, Hansel stood still and peeped
back at the house, and did so again and again. His father said: "Hansel, what
are you looking at there and staying behind for? Pay attention, and do not
forget how to use your legs." "Ah, father," said Hansel, "I am looking at my
little white cat, which is sitting up on the roof, and wants to say good-bye to
me." The wife said: "Fool, that is not your little cat, that is the morning sun
which is shining on the chimneys." Hansel, however, had not been looking
back at the cat, but had been constantly throwing one of the white pebble-
stones out of his pocket on the road.
When they had reached the middle of the forest, the father said: "Now,
children, pile up some wood, and I will light a fire that you may not be cold."
Hansel and Gretel gathered brushwood together, as high as a little hill. The
brushwood was lighted, and when the flames were burning very high, the
woman said: "Now, children, lay yourselves down by the fire and rest, we
will go into the forest and cut some wood. When we have done, we will
come back and fetch you away."
Hansel and Gretel sat by the fire, and when noon came, each ate a little piece
of bread, and as they heard the strokes of the wood-axe they believed that
their father was near. It was not the axe, however, but a branch which he had
fastened to a withered tree which the wind was blowing backwards and
forwards. And as they had been sitting such a long time, their eyes closed
with fatigue, and they fell fast asleep. When at last they awoke, it was already
dark night. Gretel began to cry and said: "How are we to get out of the forest
now?" But Hansel comforted her and said: "Just wait a little, until the moon
has risen, and then we will soon find the way." And when the full moon had
risen, Hansel took his little sister by the hand, and followed the pebbles
which shone like newly-coined silver pieces, and showed them the way.
They walked the whole night long, and by break of day came once more to
their father's house. They knocked at the door, and when the woman opened
it and saw that it was Hansel and Gretel, she said: "You naughty children,
why have you slept so long in the forest--we thought you were never coming
back at all!" The father, however, rejoiced, for it had cut him to the heart to
leave them behind alone.
Not long afterwards, there was once more great dearth throughout the land,
and the children heard their mother saying at night to their father: "Everything
is eaten again, we have one half loaf left, and that is the end. The children
must go, we will take them farther into the wood, so that they will not find
their way out again; there is no other means of saving ourselves!" The man's
heart was heavy, and he thought: "It would be better for you to share the last
mouthful with your children." The woman, however, would listen to nothing
that he had to say, but scolded and reproached him. He who says A must
say B, likewise, and as he had yielded the first time, he had to do so a second
time also.
The children, however, were still awake and had heard the conversation.
When the old folks were asleep, Hansel again got up, and wanted to go out
and pick up pebbles as he had done before, but the woman had locked the
door, and Hansel could not get out. Nevertheless he comforted his little
sister, and said: "Do not cry, Gretel, go to sleep quietly, the good God will
help us."
Early in the morning came the woman, and took the children out of their
beds. Their piece of bread was given to them, but it was still smaller than the
time before. On the way into the forest Hansel crumbled his in his pocket,
and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground. "Hansel, why do you
stop and look round " said the father, "go on." "I am looking back at my little
pigeon which is sitting on the roof, and wants to say good-bye to me,"
answered Hansel. "Fool!" said the woman, "that is not Your little pigeon, that
is the morning sun that is shining on the chimney." Hansel, however, little by
little, threw all the crumbs on the path.
The woman led the children still deeper into the forest, where they had never
in their lives been before. Then a great fire was again made, and the mother
said: "Just sit there, you children, and when you are tired you may sleep a
little; we are going into the forest to cut wood, and in the evening when we
are done, we will come and fetch you away." When it was noon, Gretel
shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who had scattered his by the way.
Then they fell asleep and evening passed, but no one came to the poor
children. They did not awake until it was dark night, and Hansel comforted
his little sister and said: "Just wait, Gretel, until the moon rises, and then we
shall see the crumbs of bread which I have strewn about, they will show us
our way home again." When the moon came they set out, but they found no
crumbs, for the many thousands of birds which fly about in the woods and
fields had picked them all up.
Hansel said to Gretel: "We shall soon find the way," but they did not find it.
They walked the whole night and all the next day too from morning till
evening, but they did not get out of the forest, and were very hungry, for they
had nothing to eat but two or three berries, which grew on the ground. And
as they were so weary that their legs would carry them no longer, they lay
down beneath a tree and fell asleep.
It was now three mornings since they had left their father's house. They
began to walk again, but they always came deeper into the forest, and if help
did not come soon, they must die of hunger and weariness. When it was mid-
day, they saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a bough, which sang so
delightfully that they stood still and listened to it. And when its song was
over, it spread its wings and flew away before them, and they followed it until
they reached a little house, on the roof of which it alighted; and when they
approached the little house they saw that it was built of bread and covered
with cakes, but that the windows were of clear sugar. "We will set to work on
that," said Hansel, "and have a good meal. I will eat a bit of the roof, and you
Gretel, can eat some of the window, it will taste sweet." Hansel reached up
above, and broke off a little of the roof to try how it tasted, and Gretel leant
against the window and nibbled at the panes. Then a soft voice cried from
the parlor:
"Nibble, nibble, gnaw,
Who is nibbling at my little house?"
The children answered:
"The wind, the wind,
The heaven-born wind,"
and went on eating without disturbing themselves. Hansel, who liked the taste
of the roof, tore down a great piece of it, and Gretel pushed out the whole of
one round window-pane, sat down, and enjoyed herself with it. Suddenly the
door opened, and a woman as old as the hills, who supported herself on
crutches, came creeping out. Hansel and Gretel were so terribly frightened
that they let fall what they had in their hands. The old woman, however,
nodded her head, and said: "Oh, you dear children, who has brought you
here Do come in, and stay with me. No harm shall happen to you." She took
them both by the hand, and led them into her little house. Then good food
was set before them, milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples, and nuts.
Afterwards two pretty little beds were covered with clean white linen, and
Hansel and Gretel lay down in them, and thought they were in heaven.
The old woman had only pretended to be so kind; she was in reality a wicked
witch, who lay in wait for children, and had only built the little house of bread
in order to entice them there. When a child fell into her power, she killed it,
cooked and ate it, and that was a feast day with her. Witches have red eyes,
and cannot see far, but they have a keen scent like the beasts, and are aware
when human beings draw near. When Hansel and Gretel came into her
neighborhood, she laughed with malice, and said mockingly: "I have them,
they shall not escape me again!" Early in the morning before the children were
awake, she was already up, and when she saw both of them sleeping and
looking so pretty, with their plump and rosy cheeks, she muttered to herself:
"That will be a dainty mouthfull" Then she seized Hansel with her shriveled
hand, carried him into a little stable, and locked him in behind a grated door.
Scream as he might, it would not help him. Then she went to Gretel, shook
her till she awoke, and cried: "Get up, lazy thing, fetch some water, and cook
something good for your brother, he is in the stable outside, and is to be
made fat. When he is fat, I will eat him." Gretel began to weep bitterly, but it
was all in vain, for she was forced to do what the wicked witch commanded.
And now the best food was cooked for poor Hansel, but Gretel got nothing
but crab-shells. Every morning the woman crept to the little stable, and cried:
"Hansel, stretch out your finger that I may feel if you will soon be fat."
Hansel, however, stretched out a little bone to her, and the old woman, who
had dim eyes, could not see it, and thought it was Hansel's finger, and was
astonished that there was no way of fattening him. When four weeks had
gone by, and Hansel still remained thin, she was seized with impatience and
would not wait any longer. "Now, then, Gretel," she cried to the girl, "stir
yourself, and bring some water. Let Hansel be fat or lean, to-morrow I will
kill him, and cook him." Ah, how the poor little sister did lament when she
had to fetch the water, and how her tears did flow down her cheeks! "Dear
God, do help us," she cried. "If the wild beasts in the forest had but
devoured us, we should at any rate have died together." "Just keep your
noise to yourself," said the old woman, "it won't help you at all."
Early in the morning, Gretel had to go out and hang up the cauldron with the
water, and light the fire. "We will bake first," said the old woman, "I have
already heated the oven, and kneaded the dough." She pushed poor Gretel
out to the oven, from which flames of fire were already darting. "Creep in,"
said the witch, "and see if it is properly heated, so that we can put the bread
in." And once Gretel was inside, she intended to shut the oven and let her
bake in it, and then she would eat her, too. But Gretel saw what she had in
mind, and said: "I do not know how I am to do it; how do I get in?" "Silly
goose," said the old woman. "The door is big enough; just look, I can get in
myself!" and she crept up and thrust her head into the oven. Then Gretel
gave her a push that drove her far into it, and shut the iron door, and fastened
the bolt. Oh then she began to howl quite horribly, but Gretel ran away, and
the godless witch was miserably burnt to death.
Gretel, however, ran like lightning to Hansel, opened his little stable, and
cried: "Hansel, we are saved! The old witch is dead!" Then Hansel sprang
like a bird from its cage when the door is opened. How they did rejoice and
embrace each other, and dance about and kiss each other! And as they had
no longer any need to fear her, they went into the witch's house, and in every
corner there stood chests full of pearls and jewels. "These are far better than
pebbles!" said Hansel, and thrust into his pockets whatever could be got in,
and Gretel said: "I, too, will take something home with me," and filled her
pinafore full. "But now we must be off," said Hansel, "that we may get out of
the witch's forest."
When they had walked for two hours, they came to a great stretch of water.
"We cannot cross," said Hansel, "I see no foot-plank, and no bridge." "And
there is also no ferry," answered Gretel, "but a white duck is swimming there;
if I ask her, she will help us over." Then she cried:
"Little duck, little duck, dost thou see,
Hansel and Gretel are waiting for thee?
There's never a plank, or bridge in sight,
Take us across on thy back so white.
The duck came to them, and Hansel seated himself on its back, and told his
sister to sit by him. "No," replied Gretel, "that will be too heavy for the little
duck; she shall take us across, one after the other." The good little duck did
so, and when they were once safely across and had walked for a short time,
the forest seemed to be more and more familiar to them, and at length they
saw from afar their father's house. Then they began to run, rushed into the
parlor, and threw themselves round their father's neck. The man had not
known one happy hour since he had left the children in the forest; the
woman, however, was dead. Gretel emptied her pinafore until pearls and
precious stones ran about the room, and Hansel threw one handful after
another out of his pocket to add to them. Then all anxiety was at an end, and
they lived together in perfect happiness.
Both Grimm fairy tales,
1.http://www.familymanagement.com/literacy/grimms/grimms46.html
2.http://www.mordent.com/folktales/grimms/hng/hng.html