The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm

by Jacob Grimm

  Then he went on to tell her how everything had happened and begged her not to go there, no matter what the consequences might be. Yet she consoled him and said, “Dearest father, since you’ve made a promise, you must keep it. I’ll go there, and once I’ve made the lion nice and tame, I’ll be back here safe and sound.”

  The next morning she had her father show her the way. Then she took leave of him and walked calmly into the forest.

  Now, the lion was actually an enchanted prince. During the day he and his men were lions, and during the night they assumed their true human forms. When she arrived there, she was welcomed in a friendly way, and the wedding was celebrated. As soon as night came, the lion became a handsome man, and so they stayed awake at night and slept during the day, and they lived happily together for a long time.

  One day the prince came to her and said, “Tomorrow there will be a celebration at your father’s house because your oldest sister is to be married. If it would give you pleasure to attend, my lions will escort you there.”

  She replied that, yes, she would very much like to see her father again, and she went there accompanied by the lions. There was great rejoicing when she arrived, for they had all believed that she had been torn to pieces by the lion and had long been dead. But she told them how well off she was and stayed with them just as long as the wedding celebration lasted. Then she went back to the forest.

  When the second daughter was about to be married, she was again invited to the wedding, but on this occasion she said to the lion, “This time I don’t want to go without you. You must come with me.”

  However, the lion didn’t want to attend the wedding and said it would be too dangerous for him because if a ray of light were to fall upon him, he would be changed into a dove and have to fly about with the doves for seven years.

  But she wouldn’t leave him in peace and said that she’d be sure to take good care of him and protect him from the light. So they went off together and also took their small child with them. Once there she had a hall built for him so strong and thick that not a single ray of light could penetrate it. That was the place where he was to sit when the wedding candles were lit. However, its door was made out of green wood, and it split and developed a crack that nobody saw.

  Now the wedding was celebrated in splendor, but when the wedding procession with all the candles and torches came back from church and passed by the prince’s hall, a very, very thin ray fell upon the prince, and he was instantly transformed into a dove. When his wife entered the hall to look for him, she could only find a white dove sitting there, and he said to her, “For seven years I shall have to fly about the world, but for every seven steps you take I shall leave a drop of red blood and a white feather to show you the way. And, if you follow the traces, you’ll be able to rescue me.”

  Then the dove flew out the door, and she followed him. At every seventh step she took, a little drop of blood and a little white feather would fall and show her the way. Thus she went farther and farther into the wide world and never looked about or stopped until the seven years were almost up. She was looking forward to that and thought they would soon be free. But they were still quite far from their goal.

  Once, as she was moving along, she failed to find any more little feathers or little drops of blood, and when she raised her head, the dove had also vanished. “I won’t be able to get help from a mortal,” she thought, and so she climbed up to the sun and said to her, “You shine into every nook and cranny. Is there any chance that you’ve seen a white dove flying around?”

  “No,” said the sun, “I haven’t, but I’ll give you a little casket. Just open it when your need is greatest.”

  She thanked the sun and continued on her way until the moon began to shine in the evening. “You shine the whole night through and on all fields and woods. Have you seen a white dove flying around?”

  “No,” said the moon, “I haven’t, but I’ll give you an egg. Just crack it open when your need is greatest.”

  She thanked the moon and went farther until the Night Wind stirred and started to blow. “You blow over every tree and under every leaf. Have you seen a white dove flying around?”

  “No,” said the Night Wind, “I haven’t, but I’ll ask the three other winds. Perhaps they’ve seen one.”

  The East Wind and the West Wind came and reported they had not seen a thing, but the South Wind said, “I’ve seen the white dove. It’s flown to the Red Sea and has become a lion again, for the seven years are over. Right now the lion’s in the midst of a battle with a dragon, which is really an enchanted princess.”

  Then the Night Wind said to her, “Here’s what I would advise you to do: Go to the Red Sea, where you’ll find some tall reeds growing along the shore. Then count them until you come to the eleventh one, which you’re to cut off and use to strike the dragon. That done, the lion will be able to conquer the dragon, and both will regain their human forms. After that, look around, and you’ll see the griffin sitting by the Red Sea. Get on his back with the prince, and the griffin will carry you home across the sea. Now, here’s a nut for you. When you cross over the middle of the sea, let it drop. A nut tree will instantly sprout out of the water, and the griffin will be able to rest on it. If he can’t rest there, he won’t be strong enough to carry you both across the sea. So if you forget to drop the nut into the sea, he’ll let you fall into the water.”

  She went there and found everything as the Night Wind had said. She counted the reeds by the sea, cut off the eleventh, and struck the dragon with it. Consequently, the lion defeated the dragon, and both immediately regained their human forms. But when the princess, who had previously been a dragon, was set free from the magic spell, she picked the prince up in her arms, got on the griffin, and carried him off with her. So the poor maiden, who had journeyed so far, stood alone and forsaken again. However, she said, “I’ll keep going as far as the wind blows and so long as the cock crows until I find him.”

  And off she went and wandered a long, long way until she came to the castle where the two were living together. Then she heard that their wedding celebration was soon to take place. “God will come to my aid,” she remarked as she opened the little casket that the sun had given her. There she found a dress as radiant as the sun itself. She took it out, put it on, and went up to the castle. Everyone at the court and the bride herself stared at her. The bride liked the dress so much she thought it would be nice to have it for her wedding and asked if she could buy it.

  “Not for money or property,” she answered, “but for flesh and blood.” The bride asked her what she meant by that, and she responded, “Let me sleep one night in the prince’s room.”

  The bride didn’t want to let her, but she also wanted the dress very badly. Finally, she agreed, but the bridegroom’s servant was ordered to give him a sleeping potion. That night when the prince was asleep, the maiden was led into his room, where she sat down on his bed and said, “I’ve followed you for seven years. I went to the sun, the moon, and the four winds to find out where you were. I helped you conquer the dragon. Are you going to forget me forever?”

  But the prince slept so soundly that it seemed to him as if the wind were merely whispering in the firs. When morning came, she was led out of the castle again and had to give up her golden dress.

  Since her ploy had not been of much use, she was quite sad and went out to a meadow, where she sat down and wept. But as she was sitting there, she remembered the egg that the moon had given her. She cracked it open, and a hen with twelve chicks jumped out, all in gold. The peeping chicks scampered about and then crawled under the mother hen’s wings. There was not a lovelier sight to see in the world. Shortly after that she stood up and drove them ahead of her over the meadow until they came within sight of the bride, who saw them from her window. She liked the little chicks so much that she came right down and asked if she could buy them.

  “Not for money or possessions, but for flesh and blood. Let me sleep another night
in the prince’s room.”

  The bride agreed and wanted to trick her as she had done the night before. But when the prince went to bed, he asked the servant what had caused all the murmuring and rustling during the night, and the servant told him everything: that he had been compelled to give him a sleeping potion because a poor girl had secretly slept in his room, and that he was supposed to give him another one that night.

  “Dump the drink by the side of my bed,” said the prince.

  That night the maiden was led into the room again, and when she began to talk about her sad plight, he immediately recognized his dear wife by her voice, jumped up, and exclaimed, “Now I’m really free from the spell! It was like a dream. The princess had cast a spell over me and made me forget you, but God has helped me just in time.”

  That night they left the castle in secret, for they were afraid of the princess’s father, who was a sorcerer. They got on the griffin, who carried them over the Red Sea, and when they were in the middle, she let the nut drop. Immediately a big nut tree sprouted, and the griffin was able to rest there. Then he carried them home, where they found their child, who had grown tall and handsome. From then on they lived happily until their death.

  3

  THE GOOSE GIRL

  There once was an old queen whose husband had been dead for many years, and she had a beautiful daughter. When the daughter grew up, she was betrothed to a prince who lived far away. When the time came for her to be married, and the princess had to get ready to depart for the distant kingdom, the old queen packed up a great many precious items and ornaments: gold and silver, goblets and jewels. In short, everything that suited a royal dowry, for she loved her child with all her heart. She also gave her a chambermaid, who was to accompany her and deliver her safely into the hands of her bridegroom. Each received a horse for the journey, but the princess’s horse was named Falada and could speak. When the hour of departure arrived, the old mother went into her bedroom, took a small knife, and cut her finger to make it bleed. Then she placed a white handkerchief underneath her finger, let three drops of blood fall on it, and gave it to her daughter.

  “My dear child,” she said, “take good care of these three drops, for they will help you on your journey when you’re in need.”

  After they had bid each other a sad farewell, the princess stuck the handkerchief into her bosom, mounted her horse, and began her journey to her bridegroom. After riding an hour, she felt very thirsty and called to her chambermaid, “Get down and fetch some water from the brook with my goblet that you brought along for me. I’d like to have something to drink.”

  “Hey, if you’re thirsty,” said the chambermaid, “get down yourself. Just lie down by the water and drink. I don’t like being your servant.”

  Since the princess was very thirsty, she dismounted, bent over the brook, and drank some water, but she was not allowed to drink out of the golden goblet.

  “Oh, God!” she said.

  Then the three drops of blood responded, “Ah, if your mother knew, her heart would break in two!”

  But the princess was quite humble. She said nothing and got back on her horse. They continued riding a few miles further. The day was warm and the sun so sticky and hot that she soon she got thirsty again. When they came to a stream, she called to her chambermaid once more. “Get down and bring me something to drink from my golden cup,” for she had long since forgotten the servant’s nasty words.

  “If you want to drink,” the chambermaid said even more haughtily than before, “drink by yourself. I don’t like being your servant.”

  Since she was very thirsty, the princess dismounted, lay down next to the running water, and wept.

  “Oh, God!” she said.

  Once again the drops of blood responded, “Ah, if your mother knew, her heart would break in two!”

  As she was leaning over the bank and drinking the water, her handkerchief with the three drops of blood fell out of her bosom and floated downstream without her ever noticing it, so great was her fear. But the chambermaid had seen it and was delighted because she knew that now she could have power over the princess. Without the three drops of blood, the princess had become weak. So, as she was about to get back on the horse named Falada, the chambermaid said, “Falada belongs to me. Yours is the nag!”

  The princess had to put up with all that. Moreover, the chambermaid ordered her to take off her royal garments and to put on the maid’s shabby clothes. Finally, she had to swear under open skies that she would never tell a soul at the royal court what the chambermaid had done. If the princess hadn’t given her word, she would have been killed on the spot. But Falada saw all this and took good note of it.

  Now the chambermaid mounted Falada, and the true bride had to get on the wretched nag. Thus they continued their journey until they finally arrived at the royal castle. There was great rejoicing when they entered the courtyard, and the prince ran to meet them. He lifted the chambermaid from her horse, thinking that she was his bride. Then he led her up the stairs, while the true princess was left standing below. Meanwhile, the old king peered out a window, and when he saw her standing in the courtyard, he was struck by her fine, delicate, and beautiful features. He went straight to the royal suite and asked the bride about the girl she had brought with her, the one standing below in the courtyard, and who she was.

  “Oh, I picked her up along the way to keep me company. Just give her something to keep her busy.”

  But the old king had no work for her and could only respond, “I have a little boy who tends the geese. Perhaps she could help him.”

  The boy’s name was Little Conrad, and the true bride had to help him tend the geese.

  Shortly after, the false bride said to the young king, “Dearest husband, I’d like you to do me a favor.”

  “I’d be glad to,” he answered.

  “Well then, let me summon the knacker. I want him to cut off the head of the horse that carried me here because it gave me nothing but trouble along the way.”

  However, she actually was afraid the horse would reveal what she had done to the princess. When all the preparations had been made and faithful Falada was about to die, word reached the ears of the true princess, and she secretly promised the knacker a gold coin if he would render her a small service. There was a big dark gateway through which she had to pass every morning and evening with the geese, and she wanted him to nail Falada’s head on the wall under the dark gateway, where she could always see it. The knacker promised to do it, and when he cut off the horse’s head, he nailed it firmly onto the wall under the dark gateway.

  Early the next morning, when she and Conrad drove the geese out through the gateway, she said in passing:

  “Oh, poor Falada, I see you hanging there.”

  Then the head answered:

  “Dear princess, is that you really there?

  Oh, if your mother knew,

  her heart would break in two!”

  She walked out of the city in silence, and they drove the geese into the fields. When she reached the meadow, she sat down and undid her hair, which was as pure as gold. Little Conrad liked the way her hair glistened so much that he tried to pull out a few strands. Then she said:

  “Blow, wind, oh, blow with all your might!

  Blow Little Conrad’s cap out of sight,

  make him chase it everywhere

  till I’ve braided all my hair

  and fixed it so that it’s all right.”

  Then a gust of wind came and blew off Little Conrad’s cap into the fields, and he had to run after it. By the time he returned with it, she had finished combing and putting her hair up, and he couldn’t get a single strand of it. Little Conrad became so angry that he wouldn’t speak to her after that. Thus they tended the geese until evening, when they set out on their way home.

  The next morning, when they drove the geese through the dark gateway, the maiden said:

  “Oh, poor Falada, I see you hanging there.”

 
Then Falada responded:

  “Dear princess, is that you really there?

  Oh, if your mother knew,

  her heart would break in two!”

  Once she was in the field again, she sat down in the meadow and began to comb out her hair. Little Conrad ran up and tried to grab it, but she quickly said:

  “Blow, wind, oh, blow with all your might!

  Blow Little Conrad’s cap out of sight,

  and make him chase it everywhere

  till I’ve braided all my hair

  and fixed it so that it’s all right.”

  The wind blew and whisked the cap off his head and drove it far off so that Conrad had to run after it. When he came back, she had long since put up her hair, and he couldn’t get a single strand. Thus they tended the geese until evening. However, upon returning that evening, Little Conrad went to the old king and said, “I don’t want to tend the geese with that girl anymore.”

  “Why not?” asked the old king.

  “Well, she torments me the whole day long.”

  Immediately the old king ordered him to tell him what she did, and Conrad said, “In the morning, when we pass through the dark gateway, there’s a horse’s head on the wall, and she always says:

  ‘Oh, poor Falada, I see you hanging there.’

  And the head answers:

  ‘Dear princess, is that you really there?

  Oh, if your mother knew,

  her heart would break in two!’ ”

  And thus Little Conrad went on to tell the king what happened out on the meadow, and how he had had to run after his cap.

  The old king ordered him to drive the geese out again the next day, and when morning came, the old king hid himself behind the dark gateway and heard her speak to Falada’s head. Then he followed her into the fields and hid behind some bushes in the meadow. Soon he saw with his own eyes how the goose girl and the goose boy led the geese to the meadow, and how she sat down after a while and undid her hair that glistened radiantly. Before long, she said:

  “Blow, wind, oh, blow with all your might!