Jacob Grimm

“ But the little girl could not get the matter off her conscience for a single day, and thought that she was bound to release her brothers again. She had no peace or quiet until she had secretly set out, and gone forth into the wide world to trace her brothers, wherever they might be, and to free them, let it cost what it might.
She took nothing with her but a little ring as a remembrance of her parents, a loaf of bread against hunger, a pitcher of water against thirst, and a little chair in case of fatigue. She kept ever going on and on until she came to the end of the world. ”

“ He took his pocket-handkerchief and tied it over his head, so that Iron Hans should not see it. But he knew all about it before he came, and at once said, ‘Take that handkerchief off your head,’ and then all the golden hair tumbled out. All the poor boy’s excuses were no good. ‘You have not stood the test, and you can no longer stay here. You must go out into the world, and there you will learn the meaning of poverty. But as your heart is not bad, and as I wish you well, I will grant you one thing. When you are in great need, go to the forest and cry “Iron Hans,” and I will come and help you. ”

“ My condition might melt the heart of a stone; my clothes and my body torn and scratched, and my purse with all my poor little savings taken away from me. All my beautiful ducats, each one prettier than the other. Oh dear! Oh dear! For heaven’s sake, put the wretch in prison.’
The Judge said: ‘Was it a soldier who punished you so with his sword?’
‘Heaven preserve us!’ cried the Jew, ‘he had no sword, but he had a gun on his shoulder and a fiddle round his neck. The villain is easily to be recognised.’
So the Judge sent out men in pursuit of the honest Servant, who had walked on slowly. ”

“ He heard a rustling among the branches, and a golden apple fell into his hand. At the same time three Ravens flew down and perched on his knee, and said:
‘We are the young Ravens you saved from death. When we grew big, and heard that you were looking for the golden apple, we flew across the sea to the end of the world, where the tree of life stands, and brought you the apple.’
The Youth, delighted, started on his homeward journey, and took the golden apple to the beautiful Princess, who had now no further excuse to offer. ”

“ After her walk she would take a draught of wine, in her light-heartedness; and as wine gives an appetite, she would then taste some of the dishes that she was cooking, saying to herself, ‘The cook is bound to know how the food tastes.’
It so happened that one day her master said to her, ‘Grethel, I have a guest coming to-night; roast me two fowls in your best style.’
‘It shall be done, sir!’ answered Grethel. So she killed the chickens, scalded and plucked them, and then put them on the spit; towards evening she put them down to the fire to roast. ”

“ The youth wandered about, and at length came to a castle, where he begged a night’s lodging.
‘Very well,’ said the Lord of the castle. ‘If you like to pass the night down there in the old tower, you may; but I warn you that it will be at the risk of your life, for it is full of savage dogs. They bark and howl without ceasing, and at certain hours they must have a man thrown to them, and they devour him at once.’
The whole neighbourhood was distressed by the scourge, but no one could do anything to remedy it. ”

“ But the Old Woman was a witch.
It so happened that one day he came to a thick forest, and when he got through it, he saw a fine castle lying in the plain beyond.
He saw an Old Woman standing in one of the windows looking out, with a beautiful Maiden beside her.
But the Old Woman was a witch, and she said to the Maiden: ‘Here comes some one out of the forest. He has a wonderful treasure inside him; we must try to get it from him, my darling, it will suit us better than him. ”

“ The girl cut off her toe, forced her foot into the slipper, stifled her pain, and went out to the Prince. Then he took her up on his horse as his Bride, and rode away with her.
However, they had to pass the grave on the way, and there sat the two Doves on the hazel-tree, and cried:
‘Prithee, look back, prithee, look back,
There’s blood on the track,
The shoe is too small,
At home the true Bride is waiting thy call.’
Then he looked at her foot and saw how the blood was streaming from it. ”

“ The youth landed, and seeing a beautiful castle near, walked towards it. As he passed under the doorway, however, a spell fell upon him. He went through all the rooms, but found them empty, till he came to the very last one, where a Serpent lay coiling and uncoiling itself. The Serpent was really an enchanted maiden, who was delighted when she saw the youth, and said, ‘Have you come at last, my preserver? I have been waiting twelve years for you. This whole kingdom is bewitched, and you must break the spell.’
‘How am I to do that?’ he asked. ”

“ The Wolf was early astir, and the Fox took him out to a road in the forest, traversed daily by a Huntsman.
First came an old discharged soldier.
‘Is that a Man?’ asked the Wolf.
‘No,’ answered the Fox. ‘He has been a Man.’
After that, a little boy appeared on his way to school.
‘Is that a Man?’
‘No; he is going to be a Man.’
At last the Huntsman made his appearance, his gun on his back, and his hunting-knife at his side. The Fox said to the Wolf,—
‘Look! There comes a Man. ”

“ At last came the Blockhead’s turn; he searched in the moss, but the pearls were hard to find, and he got on but slowly.
Then he sat down on a rock and cried, and as he was sitting there, the Ant-King, whose life he had saved, came up with five thousand ants, and it was not long before the little creatures had found all the pearls and laid them in a heap. ”

“ Snowdrop agreed and went with him, and their wedding was celebrated with great magnificence. Snowdrop’s wicked stepmother was invited to the feast; and when she had put on her fine clothes she stepped to her Glass and asked—
‘Mirror, Mirror on the wall,
Who is fairest of us all?’
The Glass answered—
‘Queen, thou art fairest here, I hold,
The young Queen fairer a thousandfold.’
Then the wicked woman uttered a curse, and was so terribly frightened that she didn’t know what to do. ”

“ When she had made a bargain the Old Woman said, ‘Now I will comb your hair properly for once.’
Poor Snowdrop, suspecting no evil, let the Old Woman have her way, but scarcely was the poisoned comb fixed in her hair than the poison took effect, and the maiden fell down unconscious.
‘You paragon of beauty,’ said the wicked woman, ‘now it is all over with you,’ and she went away.
Happily it was near the time when the seven Dwarfs came home. When they saw Snowdrop lying on the ground as though dead, they immediately suspected her stepmother, and searched till they found the poisoned comb. ”

“ Then they prepared to bury her, but she looked so fresh and living, and still had such beautiful rosy cheeks, that they said, ‘We cannot bury her in the dark earth.’ And so they had a transparent glass coffin made, so that she could be seen from every side, laid her inside and wrote on it in letters of gold her name and how she was a King’s daughter. Then they set the coffin out on the mountain, and one of them always stayed by and watched it. And the birds came too and mourned for Snowdrop, first an owl, then a raven, and lastly a dove. ”

“ She sent the Kid running to the house to fetch scissors, needles, and thread. Then she cut a hole in the monster’s side, and, hardly had she begun, when a Kid popped out its head, and as soon as the hole was big enough, all six jumped out, one after the other, all alive, and without having suffered the least injury, for, in his greed, the monster had swallowed them whole. You may imagine the mother’s joy. She hugged them, and skipped about like a tailor on his wedding day. ”

“ The Huntsman pitied the poor Old Woman, put his hand in his pocket, and made her a present according to his means.
Then he wanted to go on. But the Old Woman held him back, and said: ‘Hark ye, dear Huntsman, I will make you a present because of your good heart. Go on your way, and you will come to a tree, on which nine birds are sitting. They will have a cloak in their claws, over which they are fighting. Take aim with your gun, and shoot into the middle of them. They will drop the cloak, and one of the birds will fall down dead. Take the cloak with you, it is a wishing-cloak. ”

“ Next morning the Youth went to the King, and said: ‘By your leave, I should like to pass three nights in the enchanted castle.’
The King looked at him, and, as he took a fancy to him, he said: ‘You may ask three things to take into the castle with you, but they must be lifeless things.’
He answered: ‘Then I ask for a fire, a turning-lathe, and a cooper’s bench with the knife.’
The King had all three carried into the castle for him.
When night fell, the Youth went up to the castle and made a bright fire in one of the rooms. ”

“ Then the Little Man flew about like lightning, zig-zag, hither and thither, and whomever he touched with his cudgel fell to the ground, and dared not move.
The King was now seized with alarm, and, begging on his knees that his life might be spared, he rendered up his kingdom and gave his Daughter to the Soldier to be his wife. ”

“ Briar Rose
A LONG time ago there lived a King and Queen, who said every day, ‘If only we had a child’; but for a long time they had none.
It fell out once, as the Queen was bathing, that a frog crept out of the water on to the land, and said to her: ‘Your wish shall be fulfilled; before a year has passed you shall bring a daughter into the world.’
The frog’s words came true. The Queen had a little girl who was so beautiful that the King could not contain himself for joy, and prepared a great feast. ”

“ It has flown away to the Red Sea, where it has again become a Lion, since the seven years are over; and the Lion is ever fighting with a Dragon who is an enchanted Princess.’
Then the Night Wind said, ‘I will advise you. Go to the Red Sea, you will find tall reeds growing on the right bank; count them, and cut down the eleventh, strike the Dragon with it and then the Lion will be able to master it, and both will regain human shape. Next, look round, and you will see the winged Griffin, who dwells by the Red Sea, leap upon its back with your beloved, and it will carry you across the sea. ”

“ The Princess grew up so beautiful, modest, kind, and clever [Pg 19] that every one who saw her could not but love her. Now it happened that on the very day when she was fifteen years old the King and Queen were away from home, and the Princess was left quite alone in the castle. She wandered about over the whole place, looking at rooms and halls as she pleased, and at last she came to an old tower. ”

“ They had a hall built with such thick walls that no ray could penetrate, and thither the Lion was to retire when the wedding torches were kindled. But the door was made of fresh wood which split and caused a little crack which no one noticed.
Now the wedding was celebrated with great splendour. But when the procession came back from church with a large number of torches and lights, a ray of light no broader than a hair fell upon the Prince, and the minute this ray touched him he was changed; and when his wife came in and looked for him, she saw nothing but a White Dove sitting there. ”

“ I see your troubles are not too heavy to be borne.’
‘Why should I be sad?’ answered the Servant. ‘I have three years’ wages in my pocket.’
‘And how much is your treasure?’ asked the Mannikin.
‘How much? Why, three good farthings.’
‘Listen!’ said the Mannikin. ‘I am a poor needy fellow; give me your three farthings. I can’t work any more; but you are young, and can easily earn your bread.’
Now the Servant had a good heart, and he was sorry for the poor little man, so he gave him his three farthings, and said:
‘Take them, in the name of heaven! ”

“ How dare you ask me how I am getting on? What sort of education have you had? How many arts are you master of?’
The Cat crept stealthily up to the topmost branch.
‘Only one,’ said the Cat, meekly.
‘And what might that one be?’ asked the Fox.
‘When the hounds run after me, I can jump into a tree and save myself.’
‘Is that all?’ said the Fox. ‘I am master of a hundred arts, and I have a sack full of cunning tricks in addition. But [Pg 68] I pity you. Come with me, and I will teach you how to escape the hounds.’
Just then, a huntsman came along with four hounds. ”

“ After many, many years a Prince came again to the country and heard an old man tell of the castle which stood behind the briar hedge, in which a most beautiful maiden called Briar Rose had been asleep for the last hundred years, and with her slept the King, Queen, and all her courtiers. ”

“ Iron Hans
THERE was once a King whose castle was surrounded by a forest full of game. One day he sent a Huntsman out to shoot a deer, but he never came back.
‘Perhaps an accident has happened to him,’ said the King.
Next day he sent out two more Huntsmen to look for him, but they did not return either. On the third day he sent for all his Huntsmen, and said to them, ‘Search the whole forest without ceasing, until you have found all three.’
But not a single man of all these, or one of the pack of hounds they took with them, ever came back. ”

“ Hardly had she swallowed them, when she lost her human shape, and ran out into the courtyard, as an old she-ass.
Then the Maid came into the kitchen, saw the salad standing ready, and was about to put it on the table. But on the way the fancy seized her to taste it, according to her usual habit, and she ate a few leaves.
The power of the salad at once became apparent, because she also turned into an ass, and ran out into the yard to join the Old Witch, while the dish of salad fell to the ground. ”