by Jacob Grimm
‘Now you must reward me for my help.’
‘What do you want?’ asked, the Prince.
‘When you reach that wood, shoot me dead and cut off my head and my paws.’
‘That would indeed be gratitude!’ said the Prince, ‘I can’t possibly promise to do such a thing.’
The Fox said, ‘If you won’t do it, I must leave you; but before I go I will give you one more piece of advice. Beware of two things—buy no gallows-birds, and don’t sit on the edge of a well.’ Saying which, he ran. off into the wood.
The Prince thought, ‘That is a strange animal; what whims he has. Who on earth would want to buy gallows-birds! And the desire to sit on. the edge of a well has never yet seized me!’
He rode on with the beautiful Maiden, and the road led. him through the village where his two brothers had stayed behind. There was a great hubbub in the village, and when he asked what it was about, he was told that two persons were going to be hanged, When he got nearer he saw that they were his brothers, who had wasted their possessions and done all sorts of evil deeds. He asked if they could not be set free.
‘Yes, if you ‘ll ransom them,’ answered the people; ‘but why will you throw your money away in buying off such wicked people?’
He did not stop to reflect, however, but paid the ransom for them, and when they were set free they all journeyed on together.
They came to the wood where they had first met the Fox. It was deliciously cool there, while the sun was broiling outside, so the two brothers said, ‘Let us sit down here by the well to rest a little and eat and drink,’ The Prince agreed, and during the conversation he forgot what he was about, and, never dreaming of any foul play, seated himself on the edge of the well. But his two brothers threw him backwards into it, and went home to their father, taking with them the Maiden, the Horse, and the Bird.
‘Here we bring you not only the Golden Bird, but the Golden Horse, and the Maiden from the golden palace, as our booty.’
Thereupon there was great rejoicing; but the Horse would not eat, the Bird would not sing, and the Maiden sat and wept all day.
The youngest brother had not perished, however. Happily the well was dry, and he fell upon soft moss without taking any harm; only, he could not get out.
Even in this great strait the faithful Fox did not forsake him, but came leaping down and scolded him for not taking his advice. ‘I can’t leave you to your fate, though; I must help you to get back to the light of day.’ He told him to take tight hold of his tail, and then he dragged him up. ‘You are not out of every danger even now,’ said the Fox. ‘Your brothers were not sure of your death, so they have set watchers all over the wood to Mil you if they see you.’
A poor old man was sitting by the roadside, and the Prince exchanged clothes with him, and by this means he succeeded in reaching the King’s court.
Nobody recognised him, but the Bird began to sing, the Horse began to eat, and the beautiful Maiden left off crying.
In astonishment the King asked, ‘What does all this mean I’
The Maiden answered: ‘I do not know; but I was very sad, and now I am gay. It seems to me that my true bridegroom must have come.’
She told the King all that had happened, although the two brothers had threatened her with death if she betrayed anything. The King ordered every person in the palace to be brought before him. Among them came the Prince disguised as an old man in all his rags; but the Maiden knew him at once, and fell on his neck. The wicked brothers were seized and put to death; but the Prince was married to the beautiful Maiden, and proclaimed heir to the King.
But what became of the poor Fox? Long afterwards, when the Prince went out into the fields one day, he met the Fox, who said: ‘You have everything that you can desire, but there is no end to my misery. It still lies in your power to release me.’ And again he implored the Prince to shoot him dead, and to cut off his head and his paws.
At last the Prince consented to do as he was asked, and no sooner was it done than the Fox was changed into a man; no other than the brother of the beautiful Princess, at last set free from the evil spell which so long had lain upon him.
There was nothing now wanting to their happiness for the rest of their lives.
The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage
Once upon a time, a Mouse, a Bird, and a Sausage went into partnership; they kept house together long and amicably, and thus had increased their possessions. It was the Bird’s work to fly to the forest every day and bring back wood. The Mouse had to carry water, make up the fire, and set the table, while the Sausage did the cooking.
Whoever is too well off is always eager for something new.
One day the Bird met a friend, to whom it sang the praises of its comfortable circumstances. But the other bird scolded it, and called it a poor creature who did all the hard work, while the other two had an easy time at home. For when the Mouse had made up the fire, and carried the water, she betook herself to her little room to rest till she was called to lay the table. The Sausage only had to stay by the hearth and take care that the food was nicely cooked; when it was nearly dinner-time, she passed herself once or twice through the broth and the vegetables, and they were then buttered, salted, and flavoured, ready to eat. Then the Bird came home, laid his burden aside, and they all sat down to table; and after their meal they slept their fill till morning. It was indeed a delightful life.
Another day the Bird, owing to the instigations of his friend, declined to go and fetch any more wood, saying that lie had been drudge long enough, and had only been their dupe; they must now make a change and try some other arrangement.
In spite of the fervent entreaties of the Mouse and the Sausage, the Bird got his way. They decided to draw lots, and the lot fell on the Sausage, who was to carry the wood; the Mouse became cook, and the Bird was to fetch water.
What was the result?
The Sausage went out into the forest, the Bird made up the fire, while the Mouse put on the pot and waited alone for the Sausage to come home, bringing wood for the next day. But the Sausage stayed away so long that the other two suspected something wrong, and the Bird flew out to take the air in the hope of meeting her. Not far off he fell in with a Dog which had met the poor Sausage and fallen upon her as lawful prey, seized her, and quickly swallowed her.
The Mouse had to carry water, while the Sausage did the cooking.
The Bird complained bitterly to the Dog of his barefaced robbery, but it was no good; for the Dog said he had found forged letters on the Sausage, whereby her life was forfeit to him.
The Bird took the wood and flew sadly home with it, and related what he had seen and heard. They were much upset, but they determined to do the best they could and stay together. So the Bird laid the table, and the Mouse prepared their meal. She tried to cook it, and, like the Sausage, to dip herself in the vegetables so as to flavour them. But before she got well into the midst of them she came to a standstill, and in the attempt lost her hair, skin, and life itself.
When the Bird came back and wanted to serve up the meal, there was no cook to be seen. The Bird in his agitation threw the wood about, called and searched everywhere, but could not find his cook. Then, owing to his carelessness, the wood caught fire and there was a blaze. The Bird hastened to fetch water, but the bucket fell into the well and the Bird with it; he could not recover himself, and so he was drowned.
The Bird took the wood and flew sadly home with it.
Mother Hulda
There was once a widow who had two daughters; one of them was beautiful and industrious, the other was ugly and lazy. She liked the ugly, lazy one best, because she was her own daughter. The other one had all the rough work, and was made the Cinderella at home. The poor girl had to sit in the street by a well, spinning till her Angers bled.
Now one day her bobbin got some blood upon it, and she stooped down to the well to rinse it, but it fell out of her hand into the water. She cried, and ran to tell her stepmother of her
misfortune.
Her stepmother scolded her violently and without mercy, and at last said, ‘If you have let the bobbin fall into the water, you must go in after it and fetch it out.’
The maiden went back to the well and did not know what to do, and in her terror she sprang into the water to try and find the bobbin.
She lost consciousness, and when she came to herself she was in a beautiful meadow dotted with flowers, and the sun was shining brightly. She walked on till she came to a baker ’s oven full of bread; the Loaves called out to her, ‘Oh, draw us out, draw us out, or we shall burn! We are over-baked already!’
So she went up and drew them out one by one with a baker’s shovel.
Then she went a little further, and came to an Apple-tree covered with apples, which called out to her. ‘Oh, shake us down, shake us down, we are over-ripe!’
So she shook the tree, and the apples fell like rain. She shook till there were no more left, and when she had gathered them all into a heap, went on her way.
At last she came to a little house, out of which an old woman was looking. She had very large teeth, and the maiden was so frightened that she wanted to run away.
But the old woman called her, and said, ‘What are you afraid of, dear child? Stay with me, and if you can do all kinds of housework well, I shall be very pleased. But you must be very particular how you make my bed; it must be throughly shalen, so that the feathers fly, then it snows in the world. I am Mother hulda.’1
At last she came to a little house, out of which an old woman was looking.
As the old woman spoke so kindly to her, she took heart and agreed to stay, and she began her duties at once.
She did everything to the old woman’s satisfaction, and shook up the bed with such a will, that the feathers flew about like snow. So she led a very happy life; she had no hard words, but good food, both roast and boiled, every day.
Now after she had been some time with Mother Hulda, she grew sad. At first she did nor know what was the matter, but at last she discovered that she was homesick. Although everything here was a thousand times nicer than at home, still, she had a yearning to go back.
At last she said to the old woman, ‘Although I had nothing but misery at home, and happy as I have been here, still I must go back, to my own people.’
Mother Hulda said, ‘I am pleased that you ask to go home, and as you have been so faithful to me, I will take you back myself.’
She took her by the hand and led her to a great gate. The gate was opened, and as the maiden was passing through, a heavy shower of gold fell upon her, and remained sticking, so that she was covered from head to foot with it.
‘This is your reward, because you have been so industrious,’ said Mother Hulda. She also gave her back her bobbin which had fallen into the well.
Then the gate was shut, and the maiden found herself in the upper world not far from, her mother’s house.
When she reached the courtyard the Cock was sitting on the well, and he cried—
‘Cock-a-doodle-doo,
Our golden maid, I see,
Has now come home to me,’
Then she went into her mother, and, as she was bedecked with gold, she was well received both by her mother and sister. The maiden told them all that had happened to her, and when her mother heard how she had got all her wealth, she wanted her ugly, lazy daughter to have the same. So she made her sit by the well and spin; and so that there should be blood upon her bobbin, she scratched her finger, and thrust her hand into a blackthorn bush. Then she threw the bobbin into the water and jumped in after it. She found herself in the same beautiful meadow, and walked along the same path.
When she reached the baker’s oven, the Loaves called out again, ‘Draw us out, draw us out, or we shall be burnt!’
Then the lazy girl answered, ‘I should soil my fingers,’ and went on.
Soon she came to the Apple-tree, and the apples cried, ‘Shake us down, shake us down I We are all ripe!’
‘A fine business indeed,’ she answered. ‘One of you might fall upon my head.’ And she passed on.
When she came to Mother Hulda’s house, she was not afraid of her big teeth, as she had heard all about them, and she immediately hired herself to the old woman. The first day she made a great effort; she was industrious, and obeyed the orders Mother Hulda gave her, for she thought of all the gold. But on the second day even, she began to be lazy, and on the third she was still more so. She would not get up in the morning, nor did she make Mother Ilulda ’s bed as she ought; nor shake it till the feathers came out.
So the lazy girl went home, but she was quite covered with pitch.
Mother Hukla soon grew tired of this, and discharged her.
The lazy girl was well enough pleased to go, and thought now the shower of gold would come.
Mother Hulda conducted her to the same gate; but when she passed through, a shower of pitch fell upon her, instead of a shower of gold.
‘That is the reward for your service,’ said Mother Hulda, as she shut the gate behind her.
So the lazy girl went home, but she was quite covered with pitch; and when the Cock on the well saw her, he cried—
‘Cock-a-doodle-doo,
Our dirty maid, I see,
Has now come back to me.’
The pitch stuck to her as long as she lived; she could never get rid of it.
1 According to a Hessian legend, when it snows, Mother Hulda is making her bed.
Red Riding Hood
There was once a sweet little maiden, who was loved by all who knew her; but she was especially dear to her Grandmother, who did not know how to make enough of the child. Once she gave her a little red velvet cloak. It was so becoming, and she liked it so much, that she would never wear anything else; and so she got the name of Red Riding Hood.
One day her Mother said to her; ‘Come here. Red Riding Hood, take this cake and a bottle of wine to Grandmother, she is weak and ill, and they will do her good, Go quickly, before it gets hot, and don’t loiter by the way, or run, or you will fall down and break the bottle, and there would be no wine for Grandmother, When you get there, don’t forget to say “Good morning” prettily, without staring about you.’
‘I will do just as you tell me,’ Red Riding Hood promised her Mother.
Her Grandmother lived away in the woods, a good half-hour from the village. When she got to the wood, she met a Wolf; but Red Riding Hood did not know what a wicked animal he was, so she was not a bit afraid of him.
‘Good-morning, Red Riding Hood,’ he said.
‘Good-morning, Wolf,’ she answered.
‘Whither away so early, Red Riding Hood?’
‘To Grandmother’s.’
‘What have you got in your basket?’
‘Cake and wine; we baked yesterday, so I’m taking a cake to Grannie; she wants something to make her well.’
‘Where does your Grandmother live, Red Riding Hood?’
‘A good quarter of an hour further into the wood. Her house stands under three big oak trees, near a hedge of nut trees which you must know,’ said Red Hiding Hood.
The Wolf thought: ‘This tender little creature will be a plump morsel; she will be nicer than the old woman, I must be cunning, and snap them both up.’
He walked along with Reed Riding Hood for a while, then he said: ‘Look at the pretty flowers, Red Riding Hood. Why don’t you look about you? I don’t believe you even hear the birds sing, you are Just as solemn as if you. were going to school: everything else is so gay out here in the woods.’
Red Riding Hood raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunlight dancing through the trees, and all the bright flowers, she thought: ‘I’m sure Grannie would be pleased if I took her a bunch of fresh flowers. It is still quite early, I shall have plenty of time to pick them.’
So she left the path, and wandered off among the trees to pick the flowers. Each time she picked one, she always saw another prettier one further on. So she went deeper and
deeper into the forest.
In the meantime the Wolf went straight off to the Grandmother’s cottage, and. knocked at the door.
‘Who is there?’
‘Red Riding Hood, bringing you a cake and some wine. Open the door!’
‘Press the latch!’ cried the old woman. ‘I am too weak to get up.’
The Wolf pressed the latch, and the door sprang open. He went straight in and up to the bed without saying a word, and ate up the poor old woman. Then he put on her nightdress and nightcap, got into bed and drew the curtains.
Red Riding Hood ran about picking flowers till she could carry no more, and then she remembered her Grandmother again. She was astonished when she got to the house to find the door open, and when she entered the room everything seemed so strange.
She felt quite frightened, but she did not know why. ‘Generally I like coming to see Grandmother so much,’ she thought. She cried: ‘Good-morning, Grandmother,’ but she received no answer.
Then she went up to the bed and drew the curtain back. There lay her Grandmother, but she had drawn her cap down over her face, and she looked very odd.
‘O Grandmother, what big ears you. have got,’ she said.
‘The better to hear with, my dear.’
‘Grandmother, what big eyes you have got.’
‘The better to see with, my dear.’
‘What big hands you have got, Grandmother.’
‘The better to catch hold of you with, my dear.’
‘But, Grandmother, what big teeth you have got.’
‘The better to eat you up with, my dear.’
Hardly had the Wolf said this, than he made a spring out of bed, and devoured poor little Red Riding Hood. When the Wolf had satisfied himself, he went back to bed and he was soon snoring loudly.