by Jacob Grimm
When he awoke the next morning, he began searching all over the mountains and valleys for the flower in his dream. He searched for nine days, and early on the ninth day he found a flower as red as blood. In its middle was a large dewdrop as big as the finest pearl. He carried this flower day and night until he reached the castle. When he came to within a hundred steps of the castle, he didn’t become spellbound but was able to get to the gate. Overjoyed by that, Joringel touched the gate with the flower, and it sprang open. So he entered, crossed the courtyard, and listened for the sound of birds. Finally, he heard them and went toward the room where the sorceress was feeding the birds in their seven thousand baskets. When she saw Joringel, she became angry, very angry. She began berating him and spitting poison and gall at him, but she could only come within two feet of him, and he paid no attention to her. Instead, he went and examined the baskets with the birds. Since there were hundreds of nightingales, he didn’t know how he’d be able to find his Jorinda again. While he was examining the baskets, he noticed that the old woman had stealthily picked up one of them and was heading toward the door. Quick as a flash he ran over and touched the basket with the flower, and immediately thereafter, he touched the old woman as well. Now she could no longer use her magic, and consequently Jorinda appeared before him. She threw her arms around his neck and was just as beautiful as before. After Joringel had turned all the other birds into young women, he went home with his Jorinda, and they lived together in happiness for a long time.
70
OKERLO
A queen put her child out to sea in a golden cradle and let it float away. However, the cradle didn’t sink but drifted to an island inhabited only by cannibals. When the cradle drifted toward the shore, a cannibal’s wife happened to be standing there. Upon seeing the child, who was a beautiful baby girl, she decided to raise her and later give her to her son, who would wed her one day. But she had a great deal of trouble hiding the maiden carefully from her husband, Old Okerlo, for if he had laid his eyes on her, he would have eaten her up, skin and bones.
When the maiden had grown up, she was to be married to the young Okerlo, but she couldn’t stand him and cried all day long. Once when she was sitting on the shore, a young, handsome prince came swimming up to her. When it was clear they each took a liking to the other, they exchanged vows. Just then the old cannibal’s wife came, and she got tremendously angry at finding the prince with her son’s bride. So she grabbed hold of him and said, “Just wait! We’ll roast you at my son’s wedding.”
The young prince, the maiden, and Okerlo’s three children had to sleep together in one room. When night came, Old Okerlo began craving human flesh and said, “Wife, I don’t feel like waiting until the wedding. I want the prince right now!”
However, the maiden had heard everything through the wall, and she got up quickly, took off the golden crown from one of Okerlo’s children, and put it on the prince’s head. When the old cannibal’s wife came in, it was dark. So she had to feel their heads and took the boy who wasn’t wearing a crown and brought him to her husband, who immediately devoured him.
Meanwhile, the maiden became terribly frightened, for she thought, “As soon as day breaks, everything will be revealed, and we’ll be in for trouble.” So, she got up quietly and fetched seven-mile boots, a magic wand, and a cake with a bean that provided answers for everything. After that she departed with the prince. They were wearing the seven-mile boots, and with each step they took, they went a mile. Sometimes they asked the bean, “Bean, are you there?”
“Yes,” the bean said. “I’m here, but you’d better hurry. The old cannibal’s wife is coming after you in some other seven-mile boots that were left behind!”
The maiden took the magic wand and turned herself into a swan and the prince into a pond for the swan to swim on. The cannibal’s wife came and tried to lure the swan to the bank, but she didn’t succeed and went home in a bad mood. The maiden and the prince continued on their way.
“Bean, are you there?”
“Yes,” the bean said. “I’m here, but the old woman’s coming again. The cannibal explained to her how you duped her.”
The princess took the wand and changed herself and the prince into a cloud of dust. Okerlo’s wife couldn’t penetrate it and again had to return empty-handed, while the maiden and the prince continued on their way.
“Bean, are you there?”
“Yes, I’m here, but I see Okerlo’s wife coming once more, and she’s taking tremendous steps!”
The maiden took the magic wand for the third time and turned herself into a rosebush and the prince into a bee. The old cannibal’s wife came and didn’t recognize them because of their changed forms. So she went home.
But now the maiden and the prince couldn’t regain their human forms because the maiden, in her fear, had thrown the magic wand too far away. Yet their journey had taken them such a long distance that the rosebush now stood in a garden that belonged to the maiden’s mother. The bee sat on the rose, and he would sting anyone who tried to pluck it. One day the queen herself happened to be walking in the garden and saw the beautiful flower. She was so amazed by it that she wanted to pluck it. But the little bee came and stung her hand so hard that she had to let go of the rose. Yet she had managed to rip the flower a little, and suddenly she saw blood gushing from the stem. Then she summoned a fairy to break the enchantment of the flower and the bee, and the queen then recognized her daughter again and was very happy and delighted. Now a great wedding was held, and a large number of guests were invited. They came in magnificent array, while thousands of candles flickered in the hall. Music was played, and everyone danced until dawn.
“Were you also at the wedding?”
“Of course I was there. My hairdo was made of butter, and as I was exposed to the sun, it melted and was muddled. My dress was made from a spider’s web, and as I went through some thorn bushes, they ripped it off my body. My slippers were made of glass, and as I stepped on a stone, they broke in two.”
71
PRINCESS MOUSESKIN
A king had three daughters, and he wanted to know which one loved him most. So he summoned them to him and began asking. The oldest daughter said she loved him more than the whole kingdom. The second said she loved him more than all the jewels and pearls in the world. But the third said she loved him more than salt. The king was furious that she compared her love for him to such a meager thing. Consequently, he handed her over to a servant and ordered him to take her into the forest and to kill her.
When they reached the forest, the princess begged the servant to spare her life. Since he was devoted to her, he wouldn’t have killed her anyway. Indeed, he said he would go with her and do her bidding. But the princess demanded nothing except a garment made out of mouseskin. When he fetched it for her, she wrapped herself in the skin and went straight to a neighboring kingdom. Once there she pretended to be a man and asked the king to employ her. The king consented, and she was to be his personal servant. In the evening, whenever she pulled off his boots, he always tossed them at her head. One time he asked her where she came from.
“From the country where one doesn’t toss boots at people’s heads.”
Her remark made the king suspicious. Finally, the other servants brought him a ring that Mouseskin had lost. It was so precious that they thought she had stolen it. The king called Mouseskin to him and asked how she had obtained the ring. Mouseskin could no longer conceal her true identity. She unwrapped the mouseskin, and her golden hair streamed down. As she stepped out of the skin, he could see that she was beautiful, indeed so beautiful that he immediately took off his crown, put it on her head, and declared her to be his wife.
When the wedding was celebrated, Mouseskin’s father was also invited to attend. He believed that his daughter had died a long time ago and didn’t recognize her. However, at the dinner table all the dishes put before him were unsalted, and he became irritated and said, “I’d rather die than eat such food!”
No sooner had he uttered those words than the queen said to him, “Well, now you say you can’t live without salt, but when I said I loved you more than salt, you wanted to have me killed.”
All at once, he recognized his daughter, kissed her, and begged her forgiveness. Now that he had found her again, she was more dear to him than his kingdom and all the jewels in the world.
72
THE PEAR REFUSED TO FALL
The master went to shake the pear, but the pear refused to fall.
The master sent the servant out to shake the pear and make it fall.
But the servant did not shake at all,
the pear refused to fall.
The master sent the guard dog out
to bite the servant with his snout.
But the dog did not bite at all,
the servant did not shake at all,
the pear refused to fall.
The master sent the big stick out
to hit the dog right on his snout.
But the stick did not hit at all,
the dog did not bite at all,
the servant did not shake at all,
the pear refused to fall.
The master sent the fire out
to burn the stick down to a crisp.
But the fire did not burn at all,
the stick did not hit at all,
the dog did not bite at all,
the servant did not shake at all,
the pear refused to fall.
The master sent the water out
to snuff the little fire out.
But the water did not snuff at all,
the fire did not burn at all,
the stick did not hit at all,
the dog did not bite at all,
the servant did not shake at all,
the pear refused to fall.
The master sent the little calf out
to lap the water up.
But the calf did not lap at all,
the water did not snuff at all,
the fire did not burn at all,
the stick did not hit at all,
the dog did not bite at all,
the servant did not shake at all,
the pear refused to fall.
The master sent the butcher out
to kill the little calf.
But the butcher did not kill at all,
the calf did not lap at all,
the water did not snuff at all,
the fire did not burn at all,
the stick did not hit at all,
the dog did not bite at all,
the servant did not shake at all,
the pear refused to fall.
The master sent the henchman out
to go and hang the butcher.
Now the butcher wants to kill the calf,
the calf wants the water to lap,
the water wants the fire to snuff,
the fire wants the stick to burn,
the stick wants the dog to hit,
the dog wants the servant to bite,
the servant wants the pear to shake,
and the pear is ready to fall.
73
THE CASTLE OF MURDER
Once upon a time there was a shoemaker who had three daughters. One day when the shoemaker was out, a well-dressed nobleman came with a splendid carriage and servants, and he appeared to be very rich. He fell in love with one of the beautiful daughters, who thought herself fortunate to have found such a rich gentleman, and she gladly agreed to ride off with him. As they were on their way, it turned dark, and he asked her:
“The moon’s shining very bright.
My horses are dashing into the night.
Sweet love, are you having any doubts?”
“No, why should I have any doubts? I’m well taken care of by you,” but indeed she did feel a certain uneasiness. When they were in a large forest, she asked him if they would soon be there.
“Yes,” he said. “Do you see the light in the distance? That’s my castle.”
At last they arrived, and everything was very beautiful. The next day he said to her that he had to leave her for a few days because he had to take care of some important and urgent business. However, he wanted to leave all the keys with her so she could see the whole castle and what treasures she, as mistress, now possessed. When he was gone, she went through the entire castle and found that everything was beautiful. She was completely satisfied until she came to the cellar, where an old woman was sitting and scraping out intestines.
“My goodness, granny, what are you doing there?”
“I’m scraping intestines, my child. Tomorrow I’ll be scraping yours, too!”
The maiden was so terrified by her words that she dropped the key she was holding into a basin of blood, and she couldn’t wash the blood off the key.
“Now your death is certain,” said the old woman, “because my master will be able to see you were in the chamber, and no one is allowed to enter here except him and me.”
(One must indeed know that this was the way her two sisters had lost their lives before her.)
Just then a hay wagon began to drive away and leave the castle. The old woman told her the only way she could save herself was by hiding under the hay and driving off in the wagon. And this is what the maiden did. In the meantime, the nobleman returned home and asked where the maiden was.
“Oh,” said the old woman, “since I had no more work for today, and since she was due to be slaughtered tomorrow, I decided to kill her. Here’s a lock of her hair. The dogs ate up the heart, the warm blood, and all the rest. I’m scraping out the intestines.”
The nobleman was glad that she was dead. Meanwhile, she arrived in the hay wagon at a nearby castle, where the hay was supposed to be delivered. She climbed out of the hay and told everything she knew. Then she was asked to remain, and after some time had passed, the lord of this castle invited all the gentry of the surrounding region to a great feast. Since the nobleman from the castle of murder had also been invited, the maiden changed her features and clothes so she wouldn’t be recognized.
Once they were all there, everyone had to tell a tale. When it was the maiden’s turn, she told the particular story that concerned the nobleman and made his heart tremble with fear, and he wanted to force his way out. However, the lord of the castle had planned ahead of time to have the authorities ready to take our fine count to prison. His castle was destroyed, and all the treasures were given to the maiden for her own. Afterward she married the lord’s son in the house where she had been so well received, and they lived together many, many years.
74
JOHANNES WATERSPRING AND CASPAR WATERSPRING
A king insisted his daughter was not to marry and had a house built for her in the most secluded part of a forest. She had to live there with her ladies in waiting, and no other human being was allowed to see her. Near the house in the woods, however, there was a spring with marvelous qualities, and when the princess drank from it, she consequently gave birth to two princes. They were identical twins and named after the spring—Johannes Waterspring and Caspar Waterspring.
Their grandfather, the old king, had them instructed in hunting, and as they grew older, they became big and handsome young men. When the day arrived for them to set out into the world, each received a silver star, a horse, and a dog to take on the journey. Once they came to a forest, they immediately saw two hares and wanted to shoot them, but the hares asked for mercy and said that they would like to serve them and that they could be useful and help them whenever they were in danger. The two brothers let themselves be persuaded and took them along as servants.
Soon after they came upon two bears, and when they took aim at them, these animals also cried out for mercy and promised to serve them faithfully. So the retinue was increased, and now they came to a crossroad, where they said, “We’ve got to separate here, and one of us should go to the right, and the other should head off to the left.”
Befor
e doing this, each of them stuck a knife in a tree at the crossroad so that they could determine by the rust whether the other was faring well and whether he was still alive. Then they took leave from another, kissed one another, and rode off.
Johannes Waterspring came to a city that was quite still and sad because the princess was to be sacrificed to a dragon that was devastating the entire country and could be pacified only by this sacrifice. It was announced that whoever wanted to risk his life and kill the dragon would receive the princess for his bride. However, nobody had volunteered. They had also tried to trick the monster by sending out the princess’s chambermaid, but the dragon realized what was happening right away and did not take the bait.
Johannes Waterspring thought, “You must try your luck. Perhaps you’ll succeed.” And so he set out with his company and headed toward the dragon’s nest. The battle was fierce: the dragon spewed forth fire and flames and ignited all the grass around them so that Johannes Waterspring certainly would have suffocated if the hare, dog, and bear had not stamped out and subdued the fire. Finally, the dragon succumbed, and Johannes Waterspring cut off its seven heads and then sliced its seven tongues, which he stuck into his sack. Now, however, he was so tired that he lay down right at that spot and fell asleep. While he was sleeping, the princess’s coachman arrived, and when he saw the man lying there and the seven heads next to him, he thought, “You’ve got to take advantage of this. So he stabbed Johannes Waterspring to death and took the seven heads with him. He carried everything to the king and said he had killed the monster. Indeed, he had brought the seven heads as evidence, and the princess became his bride.
In the meantime Johannes Waterspring’s animals had set up camp nearby after the battle and had also slept. When they returned to their master, they found him dead. As they were looking, they saw how the ants, whose mound had been stamped on during the battle, were spreading the sap from an oak tree on their dead ones, and these ants immediately came back to life. So the bear went and fetched some of the sap, and he spread it on Johannes Waterspring. Shortly thereafter Johannes was completely well and healthy and thought about the princess for whom he had fought. So he rushed to the city, where her marriage to the coachman was being celebrated, and the people were saying that the coachman had killed the seven-headed dragon. Johannes Waterspring’s dog and bear ran into the castle where the princess tied some roast meat and wine around their necks and ordered her servants to follow the animals and to invite their owner to the wedding. So now Johannes Waterspring showed up at the wedding just as the platter with the seven dragon heads was being displayed. These were the heads that coachman had brought with him, but now Johann Waterspring pulled out the seven tongues from his sack and placed them next to the heads. Consequently, he was declared the real dragon slayer and became the princess’s husband, while the coachman was banished.