by Jacob Grimm
57
THE GOLDEN BIRD
A certain king had a pleasure garden, and in this garden there was a tree that bore golden apples. Soon after the apples became ripe, one was found missing the very first night. The king became furious and ordered his gardener to keep watch under the tree every night. So the gardener commanded his eldest son to guard the tree, but he fell asleep at midnight, and the next night another apple was missing. So the gardener had his second son stand guard the following night, but he, too, fell asleep at midnight, and in the morning yet another apple was missing. Now the third son wanted to stand guard, but the gardener wasn’t satisfied at first. Finally, he relented, and the third son lay down under the tree and watched and watched, and when the clock struck midnight, the air was filled with noise, and a bird came flying. It was made entirely out of gold, and just as it was about to peck off an apple with its beak, the gardener’s son stood up and hurriedly shot an arrow at the bird. However, the arrow didn’t harm the bird other than costing it a feather as it quickly flew away. The next morning the golden feather was brought to the king, who immediately assembled his councilors, and everyone declared unanimously that a feather like this was worth more than the entire kingdom.
“One feather alone won’t help me,” said the king. “I want and must have the entire bird.”
So the king’s eldest son set out and was certain he’d find the golden bird. After he had gone a short distance, he came to a forest, and on the edge of the forest sat a fox. So the prince grabbed his rifle and took aim. But the fox started speaking: “Don’t shoot! I’ll give you some good advice if you hold your fire. I already know where you want to go. You want to catch the golden bird. This evening you’ll come to a village where you’ll see two inns facing each other. One will be brightly lit, with a great deal of merrymaking inside. Don’t go into that place. Instead, go into the other inn, even though it looks dismal.”
But the son thought, “How can an animal give me sensible advice?” and he took his rifle and pulled the trigger. However, his shot missed the fox, who stretched out his tail and dashed quickly into the forest. Then the eldest son continued his journey, and by evening he arrived at the village where the two inns were standing. In one of them there was singing and dancing, while the other appeared rather dismal and shabby. “I’d certainly be a fool,” he thought, “if I were to stay at that dismal-looking inn instead of staying at this beautiful one here.” So he went into the cheerful inn, lived to the hilt like a king, and forgot the bird and his home.
After some time had passed and the eldest son still hadn’t returned home, the second son set out, and he, too, encountered the fox and received good advice, but when he came to the two inns, he saw his brother at the window of the inn in which there were sounds of carousing. When his brother called out to him, he couldn’t resist and wiled his time away in good cheer.
Some more months passed by, and now the youngest son also wanted to set out into the world, but his father refused to let him go. The king was most fond of him and was afraid that he would have a mishap and wouldn’t return. However, his son wouldn’t leave him in peace so that the king finally permitted his son to depart. At the edge of the forest, he, too, encountered the fox, who gave him the good advice. Since the young prince was good-natured and didn’t attempt to harm the animal’s life, the fox said: “Climb on my tail, and you’ll get there more quickly.”
No sooner did the prince sit down on the fox’s tail than the fox began to run. And the fox went over sticks and stones so swiftly that the wind whistled through the prince’s hair. When they came to the village, the prince got off the tail, followed the fox’s good advice, and, without looking around, entered the shabbier inn and spent a quiet night there. The next morning he found the fox on his way once again, and the fox said to him: “If you go straight ahead, you’ll eventually come to a castle. In front of this castle there’s a whole regiment of soldiers lying on the ground, but don’t worry about them, for they’ll all be snoring and sleeping. Enter the castle and proceed until you come to a chamber where the golden bird is hanging in a wooden cage. Nearby you’ll also find a magnificent golden cage hanging just for decoration. But be careful not to take the bird out of its shabby cage and put it into the good one. Otherwise, you’ll be in for trouble.”
Upon saying these words, the fox stretched out his tail again, and the prince sat down on it. The fox raced over sticks and stones so swiftly that the wind whistled through the prince’s hair. When the young man arrived in front of the castle, everything was as the fox said it would be. He entered the last room, saw the golden bird sitting in its wooden cage and also a golden cage beside it. The three golden apples were lying about the room as well. The prince thought it would be ridiculous to leave the beautiful bird in the plain, ugly cage. So he opened the door, grabbed hold of the bird, and put it into the golden cage. As soon as that happened, the bird uttered a dreadful cry that caused the soldiers to wake up, and soon they took the prince prisoner and led him to the king.
The next morning he was brought before the court, and after he confessed to everything, he was sentenced to death. However, the king said he would spare his life under one condition: the prince had to bring him the golden horse that ran faster than the wind. If he did, he would receive the golden bird as his reward.
The prince set out, but he was depressed and sighed. All of a sudden, however, the fox stood in front of him again and said: “You see, all this happened because you didn’t listen to me. However, if you listen to me, I’ll give you advice once again, this time how to get the golden horse. First, you must go straight ahead until you come to a castle where the horse is standing in the stable. There will be stable boys lying on the ground out front, but they’ll be snoring and sleeping, and you’ll be able to lead the golden horse out of its stall with ease. But make sure you put the poor wooden and leather saddle on the horse and not the golden one that’s hanging nearby.”
Then the youngest son sat down on the fox’s tail, and the fox raced over sticks and stones so swiftly that the wind whistled through the prince’s hair. Shortly after, everything happened as the fox said it would. The grooms snored and were holding golden saddles in their hands. When he saw the golden horse, he felt sorry for it and thought it would be a shame to put the poor saddle on it. So he decided to give the horse the one that he deserved. Yet, just as he was about to take a good saddle from one of the stable boys, the groom woke up, as did the others. Again he was captured and thrown into prison. The next morning he was sentenced to death again. However, his life would be spared and he would be granted the golden horse and the bird as well if he fetched the marvelously beautiful princess.
So the son sadly set out on his way, and soon the old fox was standing there again.
“Why didn’t you listen to me? You’d have the bird and the horse by now. Nevertheless, I’ll give you advice one more time. Now go straight out, and toward evening you’ll come to a castle. At midnight the princess will go to the bathhouse to bathe herself. You’re to go inside and give her a kiss. By doing this you’ll be able to take her with you. But don’t allow her to take leave of her parents.”
The fox stretched out his tail and raced over sticks and stones so swiftly that the wind whistled through the prince’s hair. When he arrived at the golden castle, it was just as the fox had said it would be. At night he gave the princess a kiss in the bathhouse, and she was ready to go with him, but she implored him with tears to let her say farewell to her parents. At first he refused, but when she kept on weeping and fell at his feet, he finally gave in. But no sooner did the princess approach her father than he and everyone else in the castle woke up, and the young man was taken prisoner.
The next morning the king said to him: “You may have my daughter only if you remove the mountain that’s lying in front of my window and blocking my view. You have one week to perform this task.”
This mountain, however, was so huge, so very huge, that it would have ta
ken all the people in the world to carry it away. And after he had worked for seven whole days and saw how little he had accomplished, he became very worried. However, on the evening of the seventh day, the fox appeared and said, “Go lie down and get some sleep. I’ll do the job for you.”
The next morning, when the young man awoke, the mountain had vanished. So he went cheerfully to the king and told him that the mountain had been removed, and he was now to give him his daughter. So the king had to do this, and the two of them now set out together.
However, the fox came and said: “Now we must have all three—the princess, the horse, and the bird.”
“Yes,” said the young man. “If you can do all this, but it will be difficult for you.”
“If you only listen, things will work out.” the fox replied. “Now when you come to the king, who demanded the marvelously beautiful princess, tell him, ‘Here she is.’ There will be enormous rejoicing. So mount the golden horse that they must give you and shake hands with everyone and say good-bye. Make sure that the beautiful maiden is the last person, and when you have clasped her hand, swing her up to you in one motion and gallop away.”
Everything went as planned, and the fox spoke once more to the young man: “Now, as you approach the castle where the golden bird’s being kept, I’ll remain with the princess before the gate. Then ride into the castle courtyard. They’ll see that the golden horse is the right one, and so they’ll carry out the golden bird. You remain sitting and tell them you want to see if the bird is the right one. As soon as you have the cage in your hand, you race away.”
Everything went well, and as soon as he had the bird, the princess got on the horse again, and they continued to ride through the vast forest. Then the fox came and said he wanted the young man to shoot him dead and cut off his head and paws. However, the young man absolutely refused.
“Well then,” said the fox, “at least I’ll give you one last piece of advice. Beware of two things: don’t buy flesh that’s bound for the gallows, and don’t sit on the edge of a well.”
“That’s not so difficult, if that’s all there’s to it.”
So now the young man continued his journey with the beautiful maiden until he finally came to the village where his two brothers had remained. All at once there was a great commotion and uproar. So he asked what was going on and was told that two men were about to be hanged. When he came closer to the scene, he saw that the men were his brothers, who had committed all sorts of terrible acts and had squandered all their possessions.
“Can’t they be pardoned in any way?” the young man asked.
“No, unless you’re willing to spend your money for these crooks and buy their freedom.”
The prince didn’t think twice about it and paid what they demanded. His brothers were set free, and he continued the journey in their company.
When they came to the forest where they had first met the fox, it was cool and lovely there, and the two brothers said, “Let’s go over to the well and rest awhile. We could also eat and drink.”
The young prince said yes, and during their conversation he forgot the fox’s warning and sat down on the edge of the well, not suspecting any evil-doing. But the two brothers pushed him backward down into the well, took the maiden, the horse, and the bird, and went home to the king.
“We’ve managed to capture all this, and we’ve brought you everything.”
There was great rejoicing, but the horse refused to eat, the bird didn’t sing, and the maiden sat and wept.
Meanwhile, the youngest brother lay down in the well that fortunately was dry, and even though he hadn’t broken any of his arms or legs, he couldn’t find his way out. Meanwhile the old fox came once again and scolded him for not listening because otherwise this would not have happened. “Nevertheless, I can’t help myself and must help you out. Grab my tail and hold on tightly.”
Then the fox pulled him up to the top. When they were above, the fox said: “Your brothers have posted guards who are to kill you if you cross the border.”
So the prince put on the clothes of a poor man and succeeded in reaching the king’s court without being recognized. No sooner was he there than the bird began to sing, the horse began to eat, and the princess stopped weeping. Then the prince appeared before the king and revealed his brothers’ crime and how everything had happened. So the brothers were seized and executed, and he received the princess. Later, after his father’s death, he became king as well.
Many years later the prince went walking through the forest again and encountered the old fox, who implored him desperately to shoot him dead and cut off his head and paws. This time the prince did it, and no sooner was it done than the fox turned into none other than the brother of the beautiful princess and was finally released from a magic spell.
58
LOYAL GODFATHER SPARROW
Once upon a time there was a deer about to give birth, and she asked the fox to be the godfather. However, the fox invited the sparrow to be godfather as well, and the sparrow also wanted to invite his special good friend the house dog to be godfather. However, the dog’s master had tied him up with a rope because the dog had returned home very drunk from a wedding. The sparrow thought that this was not a problem and pecked and pecked at the rope one thread after the other as long as it took for the dog to be released. Now they went together to the godfathers’ banquet and enjoyed themselves very much, because there was plenty to eat and drink there. The dog, however, didn’t pay attention and drank too much wine again. When they stood up, his head was so heavy that he could barely stand on his four legs. Nevertheless, he staggered part of the way toward home. Finally, however, he fell over and remained lying in the middle of the road. Just then a carter came and wanted to drive over him with his cart.
“Carter, don’t do that,” the sparrow cried out, “or you’ll pay for it with your life!”
However, the carter didn’t listen to him. Instead, he whipped the horses and drove the horses right over the dog so that the wheels broke the dog’s bones. The fox and the sparrow dragged the godfather home, and when dog’s master saw him, he said: “He’s dead,” and gave him to the carter to bury.
Now, the carter thought that the dog’s skin was still useful. So he loaded the dog onto his cart and drove away. However, the sparrow flew nearby and yelled out: “Carter, you’ll pay for this with your life! Carter, you’ll pay for this with your life!”
The carter was angry at the little bird because he thought he was being taken for a fool. So he grabbed his axe and tried to hit the sparrow, who flew higher into the air. Instead of hitting the sparrow, the carter hit his horse’s head so that the horse fell down dead. The carter had to leave it lying there and drive on with the other two horses. Then the sparrow returned and sat down on the head of another horse.
“Carter, you’ll pay for this with your life!”
The carter ran toward the bird and yelled: “I’ve got you!” but as he tried to hit the sparrow, he struck his horse on the head so that it fell over dead. Now there was only one horse left. The sparrow didn’t wait long and sat down on the head of the third horse and cried out: “Carter, you’ll pay for this with your life!”
But the carter was now so furious that he didn’t think about what he was doing and just swung his axe randomly. Now all his three horses had been beaten to death, and he had to leave the cart standing there. Angry and vitriolic he went home and sat down behind the oven. But the sparrow had flown after him, sat down in front of the window, and cried out: “Carter, you’ll pay for this with your life!”
The carter grabbed his axe and smashed the window, but he didn’t hit the sparrow. Now the bird hopped inside the house, sat down on top of the oven, and cried out: “Carter, you’ll pay for this with your life!”
Crazy and blind with rage he chopped the entire oven to pieces, and as the sparrow flew from one place to another, the carter smashed all the household utensils, mirrors, chairs, benches, table, and the walls of the h
ouse. Finally, he grabbed hold of the sparrow and said: “Now I’ve got you!” He stuck the bird into his mouth and swallowed it whole. However, when the sparrow was in the carter’s body, it began to flap its wings, and it fluttered up to the carter’s mouth, stuck its head outside, and cried out: “Carter, you’ll pay for this with your life!”
Well now the carter gave the axe to his wife and commanded; “Wife, strike the bird in my mouth and kill it!”
But the wife missed her mark, and instead she struck her husband in the head so that he immediately fell down the ground dead, while the sparrow flew out and away.
59
PRINCE SWAN
There was once a maiden all alone in the middle of a large forest. Suddenly, a swan came flying up to her. It had a ball of yarn and said: “I’m not a swan. I’m an enchanted prince, and if you unravel the yarn to which I’m attached, then I’ll be released from a spell. But take care that you don’t break it in two. Otherwise, I won’t be able to return to my kingdom and won’t be saved. If you unravel the yarn, you’ll become my bride.”