Fairy Tales for KidsGrimm Brothers – https://kidsfairytale.club/en Fairy Tales for Kids from Famous Authors Sun, 15 Dec 2019 14:38:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://kidsfairytale.club/en/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/cropped-icon_256-32x32.png Grimm Brothers – Fairy Tales for Kids https://kidsfairytale.club/en 32 32 the frog-prince https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/the-frog-prince/ https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/the-frog-prince/#respond Sun, 15 Dec 2019 14:38:00 +0000 https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/the-frog-prince/ One fine evening a young princess put on her bonnet and clogs, andwent out to take a walk by herself in a wood; and when she came to acool spring of water, that rose in the midst of it, she sat herselfdown to rest a while. Now she had a golden ball in her hand, which washer favourite plaything; and she was always tossing it up into theair, and catching it again as it fell. After a time she threw it up sohigh that she missed catching it as it fell; and the ball boundedaway, and rolled along upon the

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One fine evening a young princess put on her bonnet and clogs, andwent out to take a walk by herself in a wood; and when she came to acool spring of water, that rose in the midst of it, she sat herselfdown to rest a while. Now she had a golden ball in her hand, which washer favourite plaything; and she was always tossing it up into theair, and catching it again as it fell. After a time she threw it up sohigh that she missed catching it as it fell; and the ball boundedaway, and rolled along upon the ground, till at last it fell down intothe spring. The princess looked into the spring after her ball, but itwas very deep, so deep that she could not see the bottom of it. Thenshe began to bewail her loss, and said, “Alas! if I could only get myball again, I would give all my fine clothes and jewels, andeverything that I have in the world.`
Whilst she was speaking, a frog put its head out of the water, andsaid, “Princess, why do you weep so bitterly?` “Alas!` said she, “whatcan you do for me, you nasty frog? My golden ball has fallen into thespring.` The frog said, “I want not your pearls, and jewels, and fineclothes; but if you will love me, and let me live with you and eatfrom off your golden plate, and sleep upon your bed, I will bring youyour ball again.` “What nonsense,` thought the princess, “this sillyfrog is talking! He can never even get out of the spring to visit me,though he may be able to get my ball for me, and therefore I will tellhim he shall have what he asks.` So she said to the frog, “Well, ifyou will bring me my ball, I will do all you ask.` Then the frog puthis head down, and dived deep under the water; and after a littlewhile he came up again, with the ball in his mouth, and threw it onthe edge of the spring. As soon as the young princess saw her ball,she ran to pick it up; and she was so overjoyed to have it in her handagain, that she never thought of the frog, but ran home with it asfast as she could. The frog called after her, “Stay, princess, andtake me with you as you said,` But she did not stop to hear a word.
The next day, just as the princess had sat down to dinner, she heard astrange noisetap, tapplash, plashas if something was coming upthe marble staircase: and soon afterwards there was a gentle knock atthe door, and a little voice cried out and said:
`Open the door, my princess dear, Open the door to thy true love here! And mind the words that thou and I said By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.`
Then the princess ran to the door and opened it, and there she saw thefrog, whom she had quite forgotten. At this sight she was sadlyfrightened, and shutting the door as fast as she could came back toher seat. The king, her father, seeing that something had frightenedher, asked her what was the matter. “There is a nasty frog,` said she,”at the door, that lifted my ball for me out of the spring thismorning: I told him that he should live with me here, thinking that hecould never get out of the spring; but there he is at the door, and hewants to come in.`
While she was speaking the frog knocked again at the door, and said:
`Open the door, my princess dear, Open the door to thy true love here! And mind the words that thou and I said By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.`
Then the king said to the young princess, “As you have given your wordyou must keep it; so go and let him in.` She did so, and the froghopped into the room, and then straight ontap, tapplash, plashfrom the bottom of the room to the top, till he came up close to thetable where the princess sat. “Pray lift me upon chair,` said he tothe princess, “and let me sit next to you.` As soon as she had donethis, the frog said, “Put your plate nearer to me, that I may eat outof it.` This she did, and when he had eaten as much as he could, hesaid, “Now I am tired; carry me upstairs, and put me into your bed.`And the princess, though very unwilling, took him up in her hand, andput him upon the pillow of her own bed, where he slept all night long.As soon as it was light he jumped up, hopped downstairs, and went outof the house. “Now, then,` thought the princess, “at last he is gone,and I shall be troubled with him no more.`
But she was mistaken; for when night came again she heard the sametapping at the door; and the frog came once more, and said:
`Open the door, my princess dear, Open the door to thy true love here! And mind the words that thou and I said By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.`
And when the princess opened the door the frog came in, and slept uponher pillow as before, till the morning broke. And the third night hedid the same. But when the princess awoke on the following morning shewas astonished to see, instead of the frog, a handsome prince, gazingon her with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, and standing atthe head of her bed.
He told her that he had been enchanted by a spiteful fairy, who hadchanged him into a frog; and that he had been fated so to abide tillsome princess should take him out of the spring, and let him eat fromher plate, and sleep upon her bed for three nights. “You,` said theprince, “have broken his cruel charm, and now I have nothing to wishfor but that you should go with me into my father`s kingdom, where Iwill marry you, and love you as long as you live.`
The young princess, you may be sure, was not long in saying “Yes` toall this; and as they spoke a gay coach drove up, with eight beautifulhorses, decked with plumes of feathers and a golden harness; andbehind the coach rode the prince`s servant, faithful Heinrich, who hadbewailed the misfortunes of his dear master during his enchantment solong and so bitterly, that his heart had well-nigh burst.
They then took leave of the king, and got into the coach with eighthorses, and all set out, full of joy and merriment, for the prince`skingdom, which they reached safely; and there they lived happily agreat many years.

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the little peasant https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/the-little-peasant/ https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/the-little-peasant/#respond Sun, 15 Dec 2019 14:38:00 +0000 https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/the-little-peasant/ There was a certain village wherein no one lived but really rich peasants, and just one poor one, whom they called the little peasant. He had not even so much as a cow, and still less money to buy one, and yet he and his wife did so wish to have one. One day he said to her: "Listen, I have a good idea, there is our gossip the carpenter, he shall make us a wooden calf, and paint it brown, so that it looks like any other, and in time it will certainly get big and be a cow.`

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There was a certain village wherein no one lived but really rich peasants, and just one poor one, whom they called the little peasant. He had not even so much as a cow, and still less money to buy one, and yet he and his wife did so wish to have one. One day he said to her: “Listen, I have a good idea, there is our gossip the carpenter, he shall make us a wooden calf, and paint it brown, so that it looks like any other, and in time it will certainly get big and be a cow.` the woman also liked the idea, and their gossip the carpenter cut and planed the calf, and painted it as it ought to be, and made it with its head hanging down as if it were eating.
Next morning when the cows were being driven out, the little peasant called the cow-herd in and said: “Look, I have a little calf there, but it is still small and has to be carried.` The cow-herd said: “All right,` and took it in his arms and carried it to the pasture, and set it among the grass. The little calf always remained standing like one which was eating, and the cow-herd said: “It will soon run by itself, just look how it eats already!` At night when he was going to drive the herd home again, he said to the calf: “If you can stand there and eat your fill, you can also go on your four legs; I don`t care to drag you home again in my arms.` But the little peasant stood at his door, and waited for his little calf, and when the cow-herd drove the cows through the village, and the calf was missing, he inquired where it was. The cow-herd answered: “It is still standing out there eating. It would not stop and come with us.` But the little peasant said: “Oh, but I must have my beast back again.` Then they went back to the meadow together, but someone had stolen the calf, and it was gone. The cow-herd said: “It must have run away.` The peasant, however, said: “Don`t tell me that,` and led the cow-herd before the mayor, who for his carelessness condemned him to give the peasant a cow for the calf which had run away.
And now the little peasant and his wife had the cow for which they had so long wished, and they were heartily glad, but they had no food for it, and could give it nothing to eat, so it soon had to be killed. They salted the flesh, and the peasant went into the town and wanted to sell the skin there, so that he might buy a new calf with the proceeds. On the way he passed by a mill, and there sat a raven with broken wings, and out of pity he took him and wrapped him in the skin. But as the weather grew so bad and there was a storm of rain and wind, he could go no farther, and turned back to the mill and begged for shelter. The miller`s wife was alone in the house, and said to the peasant: “Lay yourself on the straw there,` and gave him a slice of bread and cheese. The peasant ate it, and lay down with his skin beside him, and the woman thought: “He is tired and has gone to sleep.` In the meantime came the parson; the miller`s wife received him well, and said: “My husband is out, so we will have a feast.` The peasant listened, and when he heard them talk about feasting he was vexed that he had been forced to make shift with a slice of bread and cheese. Then the woman served up four different things, roast meat, salad, cakes, and wine.
Just as they were about to sit down and eat, there was a knocking outside. The woman said: “Oh, heavens! It is my husband!` she quickly hid the roast meat inside the tiled stove, the wine under the pillow, the salad on the bed, the cakes under it, and the parson in the closet on the porch. Then she opened the door for her husband, and said: “Thank heaven, you are back again! There is such a storm, it looks as if the world were coming to an end.` The miller saw the peasant lying on the straw, and asked, “What is that fellow doing there?` “Ah,` said the wife, “the poor knave came in the storm and rain, and begged for shelter, so I gave him a bit of bread and cheese, and showed him where the straw was.` The man said: “I have no objection, but be quick and get me something to eat.` The woman said: “But I have nothing but bread and cheese.` “I am contented with anything,` replied the husband, “so far as I am concerned, bread and cheese will do,` and looked at the peasant and said: “Come and eat some more with me.` The peasant did not require to be invited twice, but got up and ate. After this the miller saw the skin in which the raven was, lying on the ground, and asked: “What have you there?` The peasant answered: “I have a soothsayer inside it.` “Can he foretell anything to me?` said the miller. “Why not?` answered the peasant: “but he only says four things, and the fifth he keeps to himself.` The miller was curious, and said: “Let him foretell something for once.` Then the peasant pinched the raven`s head, so that he croaked and made a noise like krr, krr. The miller said: “What did he say?` The peasant answered: “In the first place, he says that there is some wine hidden under the pillow.` “Bless me!` cried the miller, and went there and found the wine. “Now go on,` said he. The peasant made the raven croak again, and said: “In the second place, he says that there is some roast meat in the tiled stove.` “Upon my word!` cried the miller, and went thither, and found the roast meat. The peasant made the raven prophesy still more, and said: “Thirdly, he says that there is some salad on the bed.` “That would be a fine thing!` cried the miller, and went there and found the salad. At last the peasant pinched the raven once more till he croaked, and said: “Fourthly, he says that there are some cakes under the bed.` “That would be a fine thing!` cried the miller, and looked there, and found the cakes.
And now the two sat down to the table together, but the miller`s wife was frightened to death, and went to bed and took all the keys with her. The miller would have liked much to know the fifth, but the little peasant said: “First, we will quickly eat the four things, for the fifth is something bad.` So they ate, and after that they bargained how much the miller was to give for the fifth prophecy, until they agreed on three hundred talers. Then the peasant once more pinched the raven`s head till he croaked loudly. The miller asked: “What did he say?` The peasant replied: “He says that the Devil is hiding outside there in the closet on the porch.` The miller said: “The Devil must go out,` and opened the house-door; then the woman was forced to give up the keys, and the peasant unlocked the closet. The parson ran out as fast as he could, and the miller said: “It was true; I saw the black rascal with my own eyes.` The peasant, however, made off next morning by daybreak with the three hundred talers.
At home the small peasant gradually launched out; he built a beautiful house, and the peasants said: “The small peasant has certainly been to the place where golden snow falls, and people carry the gold home in shovels.` Then the small peasant was brought before the mayor, and bidden to say from whence his wealth came. He answered: “I sold my cow`s skin in the town, for three hundred talers.` When the peasants heard that, they too wished to enjoy this great profit, and ran home, killed all their cows, and stripped off their skins in order to sell them in the town to the greatest advantage. The mayor, however, said: “But my servant must go first.` When she came to the merchant in the town, he did not give her more than two talers for a skin, and when the others came, he did not give them so much, and said: “What can I do with all these skins?`
Then the peasants were vexed that the small peasant should have thus outwitted them, wanted to take vengeance on him, and accused him of this treachery before the major. The innocent little peasant was unanimously sentenced to death, and was to be rolled into the water, in a barrel pierced full of holes. He was led forth, and a priest was brought who was to say a mass for his soul. The others were all obliged to retire to a distance, and when the peasant looked at the priest, he recognized the man who had been with the miller`s wife. He said to him: “I set you free from the closet, set me free from the barrel.` At this same moment up came, with a flock of sheep, the very shepherd whom the peasant knew had long been wishing to be mayor, so he cried with all his might: “No, I will not do it; if the whole world insists on it, I will not do it!` The shepherd hearing that, came up to him, and asked: “What are you about? What is it that you will not do?` The peasant said: “They want to make me mayor, if I will but put myself in the barrel, but I will not do it.` The shepherd said: “If nothing more than that is needful in order to be mayor, I would get into the barrel at once.` The peasant said: “If you will get in, you will be mayor.` The shepherd was willing, and got in, and the peasant shut the top down on him; then he took the shepherd`s flock for himself, and drove it away. The parson went to the crowd, and declared that the mass had been said. Then they came and rolled the barrel towards the water. When the barrel began to roll, the shepherd cried: “I am quite willing to be mayor.` They believed no otherwise than that it was the peasant who was saying this, and answered: “That is what we intend, but first you shall look about you a little down below there,` and they rolled the barrel down into the water.
After that the peasants went home, and as they were entering the village, the small peasant also came quietly in, driving a flock of sheep and looking quite contented. Then the peasants were astonished, and said: “Peasant, from whence do you come? Have you come out of the water?` “Yes, truly,` replied the peasant, “I sank deep, deep down, until at last I got to the bottom; I pushed the bottom out of the barrel, and crept out, and there were pretty meadows on which a number of lambs were feeding, and from thence I brought this flock away with me.` Said the peasants: “Are there any more there?` “Oh, yes,` said …

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the four clever brothers https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/the-four-clever-brothers/ https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/the-four-clever-brothers/#respond Sun, 15 Dec 2019 14:38:00 +0000 https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/the-four-clever-brothers/ "Dear children,` said a poor man to his four sons, "I have nothing to give you; you must go out into the wide world and try your luck. Begin by learning some craft or another, and see how you can get on.` So the four brothers took their walking-sticks in their hands, and their little bundles on their shoulders, and after bidding their father goodbye, went all out at the gate together. When they had got on some way they came to four crossways, each leading to a different country. Then the eldest said, "Here we must part; but this

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“Dear children,` said a poor man to his four sons, “I have nothing to give you; you must go out into the wide world and try your luck. Begin by learning some craft or another, and see how you can get on.` So the four brothers took their walking-sticks in their hands, and their little bundles on their shoulders, and after bidding their father goodbye, went all out at the gate together. When they had got on some way they came to four crossways, each leading to a different country. Then the eldest said, “Here we must part; but this day four years we will come back to this spot, and in the meantime each must try what he can do for himself.`
So each brother went his way; and as the eldest was hastening on a man met him, and asked him where he was going, and what he wanted. “I am going to try my luck in the world, and should like to begin by learning some art or trade,` answered he. “Then,` said the man, “go with me, and I will teach you to become the cunningest thief that ever was.` “No,` said the other, “that is not an honest calling, and what can one look to earn by it in the end but the gallows?` “Oh!` said the man, “you need not fear the gallows; for I will only teach you to steal what will be fair game: I meddle with nothing but what no one else can get or care anything about, and where no one can find you out.` So the young man agreed to follow his trade, and he soon showed himself so clever, that nothing could escape him that he had once set his mind upon.
The second brother also met a man, who, when he found out what he was setting out upon, asked him what craft he meant to follow. “I do not know yet,` said he. “Then come with me, and be a star-gazer. It is a noble art, for nothing can be hidden from you, when once you understand the stars.` The plan pleased him much, and he soon became such a skilful star-gazer, that when he had served out his time, and wanted to leave his master, he gave him a glass, and said, “With this you can see all that is passing in the sky and on earth, and nothing can be hidden from you.`
The third brother met a huntsman, who took him with him, and taught him so well all that belonged to hunting, that he became very clever in the craft of the woods; and when he left his master he gave him a bow, and said, “Whatever you shoot at with this bow you will be sure to hit.`
The youngest brother likewise met a man who asked him what he wished to do. “Would not you like,` said he, “to be a tailor?` “Oh, no!` said the young man; “sitting cross-legged from morning to night, working backwards and forwards with a needle and goose, will never suit me.` “Oh!` answered the man, “that is not my sort of tailoring; come with me, and you will learn quite another kind of craft from that.` Not knowing what better to do, he came into the plan, and learnt tailoring from the beginning; and when he left his master, he gave him a needle, and said, “You can sew anything with this, be it as soft as an egg or as hard as steel; and the joint will be so fine that no seam will be seen.`
After the space of four years, at the time agreed upon, the four brothers met at the four cross-roads; and having welcomed each other, set off towards their father`s home, where they told him all that had happened to them, and how each had learned some craft.
Then, one day, as they were sitting before the house under a very high tree, the father said, “I should like to try what each of you can do in this way.` So he looked up, and said to the second son, “At the top of this tree there is a chaffinch`s nest; tell me how many eggs there are in it.` The star-gazer took his glass, looked up, and said, “Five.` “Now,` said the father to the eldest son, “take away the eggs without letting the bird that is sitting upon them and hatching them know anything of what you are doing.` So the cunning thief climbed up the tree, and brought away to his father the five eggs from under the bird; and it never saw or felt what he was doing, but kept sitting on at its ease. Then the father took the eggs, and put one on each corner of the table, and the fifth in the middle, and said to the huntsman, “Cut all the eggs in two pieces at one shot.` The huntsman took up his bow, and at one shot struck all the five eggs as his father wished.
“Now comes your turn,` said he to the young tailor; “sew the eggs and the young birds in them together again, so neatly that the shot shall have done them no harm.` Then the tailor took his needle, and sewed the eggs as he was told; and when he had done, the thief was sent to take them back to the nest, and put them under the bird without its knowing it. Then she went on sitting, and hatched them: and in a few days they crawled out, and had only a little red streak across their necks, where the tailor had sewn them together.
“Well done, sons!` said the old man; “you have made good use of your time, and learnt something worth the knowing; but I am sure I do not know which ought to have the prize. Oh, that a time might soon come for you to turn your skill to some account!`
Not long after this there was a great bustle in the country; for the king`s daughter had been carried off by a mighty dragon, and the king mourned over his loss day and night, and made it known that whoever brought her back to him should have her for a wife. Then the four brothers said to each other, “Here is a chance for us; let us try what we can do.` And they agreed to see whether they could not set the princess free. “I will soon find out where she is, however,` said the star-gazer, as he looked through his glass; and he soon cried out, “I see her afar off, sitting upon a rock in the sea, and I can spy the dragon close by, guarding her.` Then he went to the king, and asked for a ship for himself and his brothers; and they sailed together over the sea, till they came to the right place. There they found the princess sitting, as the star-gazer had said, on the rock; and the dragon was lying asleep, with his head upon her lap. “I dare not shoot at him,` said the huntsman, “for I should kill the beautiful young lady also.` “Then I will try my skill,` said the thief, and went and stole her away from under the dragon, so quietly and gently that the beast did not know it, but went on snoring.
Then away they hastened with her full of joy in their boat towards the ship; but soon came the dragon roaring behind them through the air; for he awoke and missed the princess. But when he got over the boat, and wanted to pounce upon them and carry off the princess, the huntsman took up his bow and shot him straight through the heart so that he fell down dead. They were still not safe; for he was such a great beast that in his fall he overset the boat, and they had to swim in the open sea upon a few planks. So the tailor took his needle, and with a few large stitches put some of the planks together; and he sat down upon these, and sailed about and gathered up all pieces of the boat; and then tacked them together so quickly that the boat was soon ready, and they then reached the ship and got home safe.
When they had brought home the princess to her father, there was great rejoicing; and he said to the four brothers, “One of you shall marry her, but you must settle amongst yourselves which it is to be.` Then there arose a quarrel between them; and the star-gazer said, “If I had not found the princess out, all your skill would have been of no use; therefore she ought to be mine.` “Your seeing her would have been of no use,` said the thief, “if I had not taken her away from the dragon; therefore she ought to be mine.` “No, she is mine,` said the huntsman; “for if I had not killed the dragon, he would, after all, have torn you and the princess into pieces.` “And if I had not sewn the boat together again,` said the tailor, “you would all have been drowned, therefore she is mine.` Then the king put in a word, and said, “Each of you is right; and as all cannot have the young lady, the best way is for neither of you to have her: for the truth is, there is somebody she likes a great deal better. But to make up for your loss, I will give each of you, as a reward for his skill, half a kingdom.` So the brothers agreed that this plan would be much better than either quarrelling or marrying a lady who had no mind to have them. And the king then gave to each half a kingdom, as he had said; and they lived very happily the rest of their days, and took good care of their father; and somebody took better care of the young lady, than to let either the dragon or one of the craftsmen have her again.

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cat-skin https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/cat-skin/ https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/cat-skin/#respond Sun, 15 Dec 2019 14:38:00 +0000 https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/cat-skin/ There was once a king, whose queen had hair of the purest gold, and was so beautiful that her match was not to be met with on the whole face of the earth. But this beautiful queen fell ill, and when she felt that her end drew near she called the king to her and said, "Promise me that you will never marry again, unless you meet with a wife who is as beautiful as I am, and who has golden hair like mine.` Then when the king in his grief promised all she asked, she shut her eyes and

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There was once a king, whose queen had hair of the purest gold, and was so beautiful that her match was not to be met with on the whole face of the earth. But this beautiful queen fell ill, and when she felt that her end drew near she called the king to her and said, “Promise me that you will never marry again, unless you meet with a wife who is as beautiful as I am, and who has golden hair like mine.` Then when the king in his grief promised all she asked, she shut her eyes and died. But the king was not to be comforted, and for a long time never thought of taking another wife. At last, however, his wise men said, “this will not do; the king must marry again, that we may have a queen.` So messengers were sent far and wide, to seek for a bride as beautiful as the late queen. But there was no princess in the world so beautiful; and if there had been, still there was not one to be found who had golden hair. So the messengers came home, and had had all their trouble for nothing.
Now the king had a daughter, who was just as beautiful as her mother, and had the same golden hair. And when she was grown up, the king looked at her and saw that she was just like this late queen: then he said to his courtiers, “May I not marry my daughter? She is the very image of my dead wife: unless I have her, I shall not find any bride upon the whole earth, and you say there must be a queen.` When the courtiers heard this they were shocked, and said, “Heaven forbid that a father should marry his daughter! Out of so great a sin no good can come.` And his daughter was also shocked, but hoped the king would soon give up such thoughts; so she said to him, “Before I marry anyone I must have three dresses: one must be of gold, like the sun; another must be of shining silver, like the moon; and a third must be dazzling as the stars: besides this, I want a mantle of a thousand different kinds of fur put together, to which every beast in the kingdom must give a part of his skin.` And thus she though he would think of the matter no more. But the king made the most skilful workmen in his kingdom weave the three dresses: one golden, like the sun; another silvery, like the moon; and a third sparkling, like the stars: and his hunters were told to hunt out all the beasts in his kingdom, and to take the finest fur out of their skins: and thus a mantle of a thousand furs was made.
When all were ready, the king sent them to her; but she got up in the night when all were asleep, and took three of her trinkets, a golden ring, a golden necklace, and a golden brooch, and packed the three dressesof the sun, the moon, and the starsup in a nutshell, and wrapped herself up in the mantle made of all sorts of fur, and besmeared her face and hands with soot. Then she threw herself upon Heaven for help in her need, and went away, and journeyed on the whole night, till at last she came to a large wood. As she was very tired, she sat herself down in the hollow of a tree and soon fell asleep: and there she slept on till it was midday.
Now as the king to whom the wood belonged was hunting in it, his dogs came to the tree, and began to snuff about, and run round and round, and bark. “Look sharp!` said the king to the huntsmen, “and see what sort of game lies there.` And the huntsmen went up to the tree, and when they came back again said, “In the hollow tree there lies a most wonderful beast, such as we never saw before; its skin seems to be of a thousand kinds of fur, but there it lies fast asleep.` “See,` said the king, “if you can catch it alive, and we will take it with us.` So the huntsmen took it up, and the maiden awoke and was greatly frightened, and said, “I am a poor child that has neither father nor mother left; have pity on me and take me with you.` Then they said, “Yes, Miss Cat-skin, you will do for the kitchen; you can sweep up the ashes, and do things of that sort.` So they put her into the coach, and took her home to the king`s palace. Then they showed her a little corner under the staircase, where no light of day ever peeped in, and said, “Cat-skin, you may lie and sleep there.` And she was sent into the kitchen, and made to fetch wood and water, to blow the fire, pluck the poultry, pick the herbs, sift the ashes, and do all the dirty work.
Thus Cat-skin lived for a long time very sorrowfully. “Ah! pretty princess!` thought she, “what will now become of thee?` But it happened one day that a feast was to be held in the king`s castle, so she said to the cook, “May I go up a little while and see what is going on? I will take care and stand behind the door.` And the cook said, “Yes, you may go, but be back again in half an hour`s time, to rake out the ashes.` Then she took her little lamp, and went into her cabin, and took off the fur skin, and washed the soot from off her face and hands, so that her beauty shone forth like the sun from behind the clouds. She next opened her nutshell, and brought out of it the dress that shone like the sun, and so went to the feast. Everyone made way for her, for nobody knew her, and they thought she could be no less than a king`s daughter. But the king came up to her, and held out his hand and danced with her; and he thought in his heart, “I never saw any one half so beautiful.`
When the dance was at an end she curtsied; and when the king looked round for her, she was gone, no one knew wither. The guards that stood at the castle gate were called in: but they had seen no one. The truth was, that she had run into her little cabin, pulled off her dress, blackened her face and hands, put on the fur-skin cloak, and was Cat- skin again. When she went into the kitchen to her work, and began to rake the ashes, the cook said, “Let that alone till the morning, and heat the king`s soup; I should like to run up now and give a peep: but take care you don`t let a hair fall into it, or you will run a chance of never eating again.`
As soon as the cook went away, Cat-skin heated the king`s soup, and toasted a slice of bread first, as nicely as ever she could; and when it was ready, she went and looked in the cabin for her little golden ring, and put it into the dish in which the soup was. When the dance was over, the king ordered his soup to be brought in; and it pleased him so well, that he thought he had never tasted any so good before. At the bottom he saw a gold ring lying; and as he could not make out how it had got there, he ordered the cook to be sent for. The cook was frightened when he heard the order, and said to Cat-skin, “You must have let a hair fall into the soup; if it be so, you will have a good beating.` Then he went before the king, and he asked him who had cooked the soup. “I did,` answered the cook. But the king said, “That is not true; it was better done than you could do it.` Then he answered, “To tell the truth I did not cook it, but Cat-skin did.` “Then let Cat-skin come up,` said the king: and when she came he said to her, “Who are you?` “I am a poor child,` said she, “that has lost both father and mother.` “How came you in my palace?` asked he. “I am good for nothing,` said she, “but to be scullion-girl, and to have boots and shoes thrown at my head.` “But how did you get the ring that was in the soup?` asked the king. Then she would not own that she knew anything about the ring; so the king sent her away again about her business.
After a time there was another feast, and Cat-skin asked the cook to let her go up and see it as before. “Yes,` said he, “but come again in half an hour, and cook the king the soup that he likes so much.` Then she ran to her little cabin, washed herself quickly, and took her dress out which was silvery as the moon, and put it on; and when she went in, looking like a king`s daughter, the king went up to her, and rejoiced at seeing her again, and when the dance began he danced with her. After the dance was at an end she managed to slip out, so slyly that the king did not see where she was gone; but she sprang into her little cabin, and made herself into Cat-skin again, and went into the kitchen to cook the soup. Whilst the cook was above stairs, she got the golden necklace and dropped it into the soup; then it was brought to the king, who ate it, and it pleased him as well as before; so he sent for the cook, who was again forced to tell him that Cat-skin had cooked it. Cat-skin was brought again before the king, but she still told him that she was only fit to have boots and shoes thrown at her head.
But when the king had ordered a feast to be got ready for the third time, it happened just the same as before. “You must be a witch, Cat- skin,` said the cook; “for you always put something into your soup, so that it pleases the king better than mine.` However, he let her go up as before. Then she put on her dress which sparkled like the stars, and went into the ball-room in it; and the king danced with her again, and thought she had never looked so beautiful as she did then. So whilst he was dancing with her, he put a gold ring on her finger without her seeing it, and ordered that the dance should be kept up a long time. When it was at an end, he would have held her fast by the hand, but she slipped away, and sprang so quickly through the crowd that he lost sight of her: and she ran as fast as she could into her little cabin under the stairs. But this time she kept away too long, and stayed beyond the half-hour; so she had not time to take off her fine dress, and threw her fur mantle over it, and in her haste did not blacken herself all over with soot, but left one of her fingers white.
Then she ran into the kitchen, and cooked the king`s soup; and as soon as the cook was gone, she put the golden brooch into the dish. When the king got to the bottom, he ordered Cat-skin to be called once more, and soon saw the white finger, and the ring that he had put on it whilst they were dancing: so he seized her hand, and kept fast hold of it, and when she wanted to loose herself and spring away, the…

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cat and mouse in partnership https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/cat-and-mouse-in-partnership/ https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/cat-and-mouse-in-partnership/#respond Sun, 15 Dec 2019 14:38:00 +0000 https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/cat-and-mouse-in-partnership/ A certain cat had made the acquaintance of a mouse, and had said so much to her about the great love and friendship she felt for her, that at length the mouse agreed that they should live and keep house together. "But we must make a provision for winter, or else we shall suffer from hunger,` said the cat; "and you, little mouse, cannot venture everywhere, or you will be caught in a trap some day.` The good advice was followed, and a pot of fat was bought, but they did not know where to put it. At length, after

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A certain cat had made the acquaintance of a mouse, and had said so much to her about the great love and friendship she felt for her, that at length the mouse agreed that they should live and keep house together. “But we must make a provision for winter, or else we shall suffer from hunger,` said the cat; “and you, little mouse, cannot venture everywhere, or you will be caught in a trap some day.` The good advice was followed, and a pot of fat was bought, but they did not know where to put it. At length, after much consideration, the cat said: “I know no place where it will be better stored up than in the church, for no one dares take anything away from there. We will set it beneath the altar, and not touch it until we are really in need of it.` So the pot was placed in safety, but it was not long before the cat had a great yearning for it, and said to the mouse: “I want to tell you something, little mouse; my cousin has brought a little son into the world, and has asked me to be godmother; he is white with brown spots, and I am to hold him over the font at the christening. Let me go out today, and you look after the house by yourself.` “Yes, yes,` answered the mouse, “by all means go, and if you get anything very good to eat, think of me. I should like a drop of sweet red christening wine myself.` All this, however, was untrue; the cat had no cousin, and had not been asked to be godmother. She went straight to the church, stole to the pot of fat, began to lick at it, and licked the top of the fat off. Then she took a walk upon the roofs of the town, looked out for opportunities, and then stretched herself in the sun, and licked her lips whenever she thought of the pot of fat, and not until it was evening did she return home. “Well, here you are again,` said the mouse, “no doubt you have had a merry day.` “All went off well,` answered the cat. “What name did they give the child?` “Top off!` said the cat quite coolly. “Top off!` cried the mouse, “that is a very odd and uncommon name, is it a usual one in your family?` “What does that matter,` said the cat, “it is no worse than Crumb-stealer, as your godchildren are called.`
Before long the cat was seized by another fit of yearning. She said to the mouse: “You must do me a favour, and once more manage the house for a day alone. I am again asked to be godmother, and, as the child has a white ring round its neck, I cannot refuse.` The good mouse consented, but the cat crept behind the town walls to the church, and devoured half the pot of fat. “Nothing ever seems so good as what one keeps to oneself,` said she, and was quite satisfied with her day`s work. When she went home the mouse inquired: “And what was the child christened?` “Half-done,` answered the cat. “Half-done! What are you saying? I never heard the name in my life, I`ll wager anything it is not in the calendar!`
The cat`s mouth soon began to water for some more licking. “All good things go in threes,` said she, “I am asked to stand godmother again. The child is quite black, only it has white paws, but with that exception, it has not a single white hair on its whole body; this only happens once every few years, you will let me go, won`t you?` “Top- off! Half-done!` answered the mouse, “they are such odd names, they make me very thoughtful.` “You sit at home,` said the cat, “in your dark-grey fur coat and long tail, and are filled with fancies, that`s because you do not go out in the daytime.` During the cat`s absence the mouse cleaned the house, and put it in order, but the greedy cat entirely emptied the pot of fat. “When everything is eaten up one has some peace,` said she to herself, and well filled and fat she did not return home till night. The mouse at once asked what name had been given to the third child. “It will not please you more than the others,` said the cat. “He is called All-gone.` “All-gone,` cried the mouse “that is the most suspicious name of all! I have never seen it in print. All-gone; what can that mean?` and she shook her head, curled herself up, and lay down to sleep.
From this time forth no one invited the cat to be godmother, but when the winter had come and there was no longer anything to be found outside, the mouse thought of their provision, and said: “Come, cat, we will go to our pot of fat which we have stored up for ourselveswe shall enjoy that.` “Yes,` answered the cat, “you will enjoy it as much as you would enjoy sticking that dainty tongue of yours out of the window.` They set out on their way, but when they arrived, the pot of fat certainly was still in its place, but it was empty. “Alas!` said the mouse, “now I see what has happened, now it comes to light! You a true friend! You have devoured all when you were standing godmother. First top off, then half-done, then` “Will you hold your tongue,` cried the cat, “one word more, and I will eat you too.` “All-gone` was already on the poor mouse`s lips; scarcely had she spoken it before the cat sprang on her, seized her, and swallowed her down. Verily, that is the way of the world.

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frederick and catherine https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/frederick-and-catherine/ https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/frederick-and-catherine/#respond Sun, 15 Dec 2019 14:38:00 +0000 https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/frederick-and-catherine/ There was once a man called Frederick: he had a wife whose name was Catherine, and they had not long been married. One day Frederick said. "Kate! I am going to work in the fields; when I come back I shall be hungry so let me have something nice cooked, and a good draught of ale.` "Very well,` said she, "it shall all be ready.` When dinner-time drew nigh, Catherine took a nice steak, which was all the meat she had, and put it on the fire to fry. The steak soon began to look brown, and to crackle in

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There was once a man called Frederick: he had a wife whose name was Catherine, and they had not long been married. One day Frederick said. “Kate! I am going to work in the fields; when I come back I shall be hungry so let me have something nice cooked, and a good draught of ale.` “Very well,` said she, “it shall all be ready.` When dinner-time drew nigh, Catherine took a nice steak, which was all the meat she had, and put it on the fire to fry. The steak soon began to look brown, and to crackle in the pan; and Catherine stood by with a fork and turned it: then she said to herself, “The steak is almost ready, I may as well go to the cellar for the ale.` So she left the pan on the fire and took a large jug and went into the cellar and tapped the ale cask. The beer ran into the jug and Catherine stood looking on. At last it popped into her head, “The dog is not shut uphe may be running away with the steak; that`s well thought of.` So up she ran from the cellar; and sure enough the rascally cur had got the steak in his mouth, and was making off with it.
Away ran Catherine, and away ran the dog across the field: but he ran faster than she, and stuck close to the steak. “It`s all gone, and “what can`t be cured must be endured”,` said Catherine. So she turned round; and as she had run a good way and was tired, she walked home leisurely to cool herself.
Now all this time the ale was running too, for Catherine had not turned the cock; and when the jug was full the liquor ran upon the floor till the cask was empty. When she got to the cellar stairs she saw what had happened. “My stars!` said she, “what shall I do to keep Frederick from seeing all this slopping about?` So she thought a while; and at last remembered that there was a sack of fine meal bought at the last fair, and that if she sprinkled this over the floor it would suck up the ale nicely. “What a lucky thing,` said she, “that we kept that meal! we have now a good use for it.` So away she went for it: but she managed to set it down just upon the great jug full of beer, and upset it; and thus all the ale that had been saved was set swimming on the floor also. “Ah! well,` said she, “when one goes another may as well follow.` Then she strewed the meal all about the cellar, and was quite pleased with her cleverness, and said, “How very neat and clean it looks!`
At noon Frederick came home. “Now, wife,` cried he, “what have you for dinner?` “O Frederick!` answered she, “I was cooking you a steak; but while I went down to draw the ale, the dog ran away with it; and while I ran after him, the ale ran out; and when I went to dry up the ale with the sack of meal that we got at the fair, I upset the jug: but the cellar is now quite dry, and looks so clean!` “Kate, Kate,` said he, “how could you do all this?` Why did you leave the steak to fry, and the ale to run, and then spoil all the meal?` “Why, Frederick,` said she, “I did not know I was doing wrong; you should have told me before.`
The husband thought to himself, “If my wife manages matters thus, I must look sharp myself.` Now he had a good deal of gold in the house: so he said to Catherine, “What pretty yellow buttons these are! I shall put them into a box and bury them in the garden; but take care that you never go near or meddle with them.` “No, Frederick,` said she, “that I never will.` As soon as he was gone, there came by some pedlars with earthenware plates and dishes, and they asked her whether she would buy. “Oh dear me, I should like to buy very much, but I have no money: if you had any use for yellow buttons, I might deal with you.` “Yellow buttons!` said they: “let us have a look at them.` “Go into the garden and dig where I tell you, and you will find the yellow buttons: I dare not go myself.` So the rogues went: and when they found what these yellow buttons were, they took them all away, and left her plenty of plates and dishes. Then she set them all about the house for a show: and when Frederick came back, he cried out, “Kate, what have you been doing?` “See,` said she, “I have bought all these with your yellow buttons: but I did not touch them myself; the pedlars went themselves and dug them up.` “Wife, wife,` said Frederick, “what a pretty piece of work you have made! those yellow buttons were all my money: how came you to do such a thing?` “Why,` answered she, “I did not know there was any harm in it; you should have told me.`
Catherine stood musing for a while, and at last said to her husband, “Hark ye, Frederick, we will soon get the gold back: let us run after the thieves.` “Well, we will try,` answered he; “but take some butter and cheese with you, that we may have something to eat by the way.` “Very well,` said she; and they set out: and as Frederick walked the fastest, he left his wife some way behind. “It does not matter,` thought she: “when we turn back, I shall be so much nearer home than he.`
Presently she came to the top of a hill, down the side of which there was a road so narrow that the cart wheels always chafed the trees on each side as they passed. “Ah, see now,` said she, “how they have bruised and wounded those poor trees; they will never get well.` So she took pity on them, and made use of the butter to grease them all, so that the wheels might not hurt them so much. While she was doing this kind office one of her cheeses fell out of the basket, and rolled down the hill. Catherine looked, but could not see where it had gone; so she said, “Well, I suppose the other will go the same way and find you; he has younger legs than I have.` Then she rolled the other cheese after it; and away it went, nobody knows where, down the hill. But she said she supposed that they knew the road, and would follow her, and she could not stay there all day waiting for them.
At last she overtook Frederick, who desired her to give him something to eat. Then she gave him the dry bread. “Where are the butter and cheese?` said he. “Oh!` answered she, “I used the butter to grease those poor trees that the wheels chafed so: and one of the cheeses ran away so I sent the other after it to find it, and I suppose they are both on the road together somewhere.` “What a goose you are to do such silly things!` said the husband. “How can you say so?` said she; “I am sure you never told me not.`
They ate the dry bread together; and Frederick said, “Kate, I hope you locked the door safe when you came away.` “No,` answered she, “you did not tell me.` “Then go home, and do it now before we go any farther,` said Frederick, “and bring with you something to eat.`
Catherine did as he told her, and thought to herself by the way, “Frederick wants something to eat; but I don`t think he is very fond of butter and cheese: I`ll bring him a bag of fine nuts, and the vinegar, for I have often seen him take some.`
When she reached home, she bolted the back door, but the front door she took off the hinges, and said, “Frederick told me to lock the door, but surely it can nowhere be so safe if I take it with me.` So she took her time by the way; and when she overtook her husband she cried out, “There, Frederick, there is the door itself, you may watch it as carefully as you please.` “Alas! alas!` said he, “what a clever wife I have! I sent you to make the house fast, and you take the door away, so that everybody may go in and out as they pleasehowever, as you have brought the door, you shall carry it about with you for your pains.` “Very well,` answered she, “I`ll carry the door; but I`ll not carry the nuts and vinegar bottle alsothat would be too much of a load; so if you please, I`ll fasten them to the door.`
Frederick of course made no objection to that plan, and they set off into the wood to look for the thieves; but they could not find them: and when it grew dark, they climbed up into a tree to spend the night there. Scarcely were they up, than who should come by but the very rogues they were looking for. They were in truth great rascals, and belonged to that class of people who find things before they are lost; they were tired; so they sat down and made a fire under the very tree where Frederick and Catherine were. Frederick slipped down on the other side, and picked up some stones. Then he climbed up again, and tried to hit the thieves on the head with them: but they only said, “It must be near morning, for the wind shakes the fir-apples down.`
Catherine, who had the door on her shoulder, began to be very tired; but she thought it was the nuts upon it that were so heavy: so she said softly, “Frederick, I must let the nuts go.` “No,` answered he, “not now, they will discover us.` “I can`t help that: they must go.` “Well, then, make haste and throw them down, if you will.` Then away rattled the nuts down among the boughs and one of the thieves cried, “Bless me, it is hailing.`
A little while after, Catherine thought the door was still very heavy: so she whispered to Frederick, “I must throw the vinegar down.` “Pray don`t,` answered he, “it will discover us.` “I can`t help that,` said she, “go it must.` So she poured all the vinegar down; and the thieves said, “What a heavy dew there is!`
At last it popped into Catherine`s head that it was the door itself that was so heavy all the time: so she whispered, “Frederick, I must throw the door down soon.` But he begged and prayed her not to do so, for he was sure it would betray them. “Here goes, however,` said she: and down went the door with such a clatter upon the thieves, that they cried out “Murder!` and not knowing what was coming, ran away as fast as they could, and left all the gold. So when Frederick and Catherine came down, there they found all their money safe and sound.

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the lily and the lion https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/the-lily-and-the-lion/ https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/the-lily-and-the-lion/#respond Sun, 15 Dec 2019 14:38:00 +0000 https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/the-lily-and-the-lion/ A merchant, who had three daughters, was once setting out upon a journey; but before he went he asked each daughter what gift he should bring back for her. The eldest wished for pearls; the second for jewels; but the third, who was called Lily, said, "Dear father, bring me a rose.` Now it was no easy task to find a rose, for it was the middle of winter; yet as she was his prettiest daughter, and was very fond of flowers, her father said he would try what he could do. So he kissed all three, and bid them

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A merchant, who had three daughters, was once setting out upon a journey; but before he went he asked each daughter what gift he should bring back for her. The eldest wished for pearls; the second for jewels; but the third, who was called Lily, said, “Dear father, bring me a rose.` Now it was no easy task to find a rose, for it was the middle of winter; yet as she was his prettiest daughter, and was very fond of flowers, her father said he would try what he could do. So he kissed all three, and bid them goodbye.
And when the time came for him to go home, he had bought pearls and jewels for the two eldest, but he had sought everywhere in vain for the rose; and when he went into any garden and asked for such a thing, the people laughed at him, and asked him whether he thought roses grew in snow. This grieved him very much, for Lily was his dearest child; and as he was journeying home, thinking what he should bring her, he came to a fine castle; and around the castle was a garden, in one half of which it seemed to be summer-time and in the other half winter. On one side the finest flowers were in full bloom, and on the other everything looked dreary and buried in the snow. “A lucky hit!` said he, as he called to his servant, and told him to go to a beautiful bed of roses that was there, and bring him away one of the finest flowers.
This done, they were riding away well pleased, when up sprang a fierce lion, and roared out, “Whoever has stolen my roses shall be eaten up alive!` Then the man said, “I knew not that the garden belonged to you; can nothing save my life?` “No!` said the lion, “nothing, unless you undertake to give me whatever meets you on your return home; if you agree to this, I will give you your life, and the rose too for your daughter.` But the man was unwilling to do so and said, “It may be my youngest daughter, who loves me most, and always runs to meet me when I go home.` Then the servant was greatly frightened, and said, “It may perhaps be only a cat or a dog.` And at last the man yielded with a heavy heart, and took the rose; and said he would give the lion whatever should meet him first on his return.
And as he came near home, it was Lily, his youngest and dearest daughter, that met him; she came running, and kissed him, and welcomed him home; and when she saw that he had brought her the rose, she was still more glad. But her father began to be very sorrowful, and to weep, saying, “Alas, my dearest child! I have bought this flower at a high price, for I have said I would give you to a wild lion; and when he has you, he will tear you in pieces, and eat you.` Then he told her all that had happened, and said she should not go, let what would happen.
But she comforted him, and said, “Dear father, the word you have given must be kept; I will go to the lion, and soothe him: perhaps he will let me come safe home again.`
The next morning she asked the way she was to go, and took leave of her father, and went forth with a bold heart into the wood. But the lion was an enchanted prince. By day he and all his court were lions, but in the evening they took their right forms again. And when Lily came to the castle, he welcomed her so courteously that she agreed to marry him. The wedding-feast was held, and they lived happily together a long time. The prince was only to be seen as soon as evening came, and then he held his court; but every morning he left his bride, and went away by himself, she knew not whither, till the night came again.
After some time he said to her, “Tomorrow there will be a great feast in your father`s house, for your eldest sister is to be married; and if you wish to go and visit her my lions shall lead you thither.` Then she rejoiced much at the thoughts of seeing her father once more, and set out with the lions; and everyone was overjoyed to see her, for they had thought her dead long since. But she told them how happy she was, and stayed till the feast was over, and then went back to the wood.
Her second sister was soon after married, and when Lily was asked to go to the wedding, she said to the prince, “I will not go alone this timeyou must go with me.` But he would not, and said that it would be a very hazardous thing; for if the least ray of the torch-light should fall upon him his enchantment would become still worse, for he should be changed into a dove, and be forced to wander about the world for seven long years. However, she gave him no rest, and said she would take care no light should fall upon him. So at last they set out together, and took with them their little child; and she chose a large hall with thick walls for him to sit in while the wedding-torches were lighted; but, unluckily, no one saw that there was a crack in the door. Then the wedding was held with great pomp, but as the train came from the church, and passed with the torches before the hall, a very small ray of light fell upon the prince. In a moment he disappeared, and when his wife came in and looked for him, she found only a white dove; and it said to her, “Seven years must I fly up and down over the face of the earth, but every now and then I will let fall a white feather, that will show you the way I am going; follow it, and at last you may overtake and set me free.`
This said, he flew out at the door, and poor Lily followed; and every now and then a white feather fell, and showed her the way she was to journey. Thus she went roving on through the wide world, and looked neither to the right hand nor to the left, nor took any rest, for seven years. Then she began to be glad, and thought to herself that the time was fast coming when all her troubles should end; yet repose was still far off, for one day as she was travelling on she missed the white feather, and when she lifted up her eyes she could nowhere see the dove. “Now,` thought she to herself, “no aid of man can be of use to me.` So she went to the sun and said, “Thou shinest everywhere, on the hill`s top and the valley`s depthhast thou anywhere seen my white dove?` “No,` said the sun, “I have not seen it; but I will give thee a casketopen it when thy hour of need comes.`
So she thanked the sun, and went on her way till eventide; and when the moon arose, she cried unto it, and said, “Thou shinest through the night, over field and grovehast thou nowhere seen my white dove?` “No,` said the moon, “I cannot help thee but I will give thee an egg break it when need comes.`
Then she thanked the moon, and went on till the night-wind blew; and she raised up her voice to it, and said, “Thou blowest through every tree and under every leafhast thou not seen my white dove?` “No,` said the night-wind, “but I will ask three other winds; perhaps they have seen it.` Then the east wind and the west wind came, and said they too had not seen it, but the south wind said, “I have seen the white dovehe has fled to the Red Sea, and is changed once more into a lion, for the seven years are passed away, and there he is fighting with a dragon; and the dragon is an enchanted princess, who seeks to separate him from you.` Then the night-wind said, “I will give thee counsel. Go to the Red Sea; on the right shore stand many rodscount them, and when thou comest to the eleventh, break it off, and smite the dragon with it; and so the lion will have the victory, and both of them will appear to you in their own forms. Then look round and thou wilt see a griffin, winged like bird, sitting by the Red Sea; jump on to his back with thy beloved one as quickly as possible, and he will carry you over the waters to your home. I will also give thee this nut,` continued the night-wind. “When you are half-way over, throw it down, and out of the waters will immediately spring up a high nut-tree on which the griffin will be able to rest, otherwise he would not have the strength to bear you the whole way; if, therefore, thou dost forget to throw down the nut, he will let you both fall into the sea.`
So our poor wanderer went forth, and found all as the night-wind had said; and she plucked the eleventh rod, and smote the dragon, and the lion forthwith became a prince, and the dragon a princess again. But no sooner was the princess released from the spell, than she seized the prince by the arm and sprang on to the griffin`s back, and went off carrying the prince away with her.
Thus the unhappy traveller was again forsaken and forlorn; but she took heart and said, “As far as the wind blows, and so long as the cock crows, I will journey on, till I find him once again.` She went on for a long, long way, till at length she came to the castle whither the princess had carried the prince; and there was a feast got ready, and she heard that the wedding was about to be held. “Heaven aid me now!` said she; and she took the casket that the sun had given her, and found that within it lay a dress as dazzling as the sun itself. So she put it on, and went into the palace, and all the people gazed upon her; and the dress pleased the bride so much that she asked whether it was to be sold. “Not for gold and silver.` said she, “but for flesh and blood.` The princess asked what she meant, and she said, “Let me speak with the bridegroom this night in his chamber, and I will give thee the dress.` At last the princess agreed, but she told her chamberlain to give the prince a sleeping draught, that he might not hear or see her. When evening came, and the prince had fallen asleep, she was led into his chamber, and she sat herself down at his feet, and said: “I have followed thee seven years. I have been to the sun, the moon, and the night-wind, to seek thee, and at last I have helped thee to overcome the dragon. Wilt thou then forget me quite?` But the prince all the time slept so soundly, that her voice only passed over him, and seemed like the whistling of the wind among the fir-trees.
Then poor Lily was led away, and forced to give up the golden dress; and when she saw that there was no help for her, she went out into…

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snow-white and rose-red https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/snow-white-and-rose-red/ https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/snow-white-and-rose-red/#respond Sun, 15 Dec 2019 14:38:00 +0000 https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/snow-white-and-rose-red/ There was once a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage. In front of the cottage was a garden wherein stood two rose-trees, one of which bore white and the other red roses. She had two children who were like the two rose-trees, and one was called Snow-white, and the other Rose-red. They were as good and happy, as busy and cheerful as ever two children in the world were, only Snow-white was more quiet and gentle than Rose-red. Rose-red liked better to run about in the meadows and fields seeking flowers and catching butterflies; but Snow-white sat at

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There was once a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage. In front of the cottage was a garden wherein stood two rose-trees, one of which bore white and the other red roses. She had two children who were like the two rose-trees, and one was called Snow-white, and the other Rose-red. They were as good and happy, as busy and cheerful as ever two children in the world were, only Snow-white was more quiet and gentle than Rose-red. Rose-red liked better to run about in the meadows and fields seeking flowers and catching butterflies; but Snow-white sat at home with her mother, and helped her with her housework, or read to her when there was nothing to do.
The two children were so fond of one another that they always held each other by the hand when they went out together, and when Snow-white said: “We will not leave each other,` Rose-red answered: “Never so long as we live,` and their mother would add: “What one has she must share with the other.`
They often ran about the forest alone and gathered red berries, and no beasts did them any harm, but came close to them trustfully. The little hare would eat a cabbage-leaf out of their hands, the roe grazed by their side, the stag leapt merrily by them, and the birds sat still upon the boughs, and sang whatever they knew.
No mishap overtook them; if they had stayed too late in the forest, and night came on, they laid themselves down near one another upon the moss, and slept until morning came, and their mother knew this and did not worry on their account.
Once when they had spent the night in the wood and the dawn had roused them, they saw a beautiful child in a shining white dress sitting near their bed. He got up and looked quite kindly at them, but said nothing and went into the forest. And when they looked round they found that they had been sleeping quite close to a precipice, and would certainly have fallen into it in the darkness if they had gone only a few paces further. And their mother told them that it must have been the angel who watches over good children.
Snow-white and Rose-red kept their mother`s little cottage so neat that it was a pleasure to look inside it. In the summer Rose-red took care of the house, and every morning laid a wreath of flowers by her mother`s bed before she awoke, in which was a rose from each tree. In the winter Snow-white lit the fire and hung the kettle on the hob. The kettle was of brass and shone like gold, so brightly was it polished. In the evening, when the snowflakes fell, the mother said: “Go, Snow-white, and bolt the door,` and then they sat round the hearth, and the mother took her spectacles and read aloud out of a large book, and the two girls listened as they sat and spun. And close by them lay a lamb upon the floor, and behind them upon a perch sat a white dove with its head hidden beneath its wings.
One evening, as they were thus sitting comfortably together, someone knocked at the door as if he wished to be let in. The mother said: “Quick, Rose-red, open the door, it must be a traveller who is seeking shelter.` Rose-red went and pushed back the bolt, thinking that it was a poor man, but it was not; it was a bear that stretched his broad, black head within the door.
Rose-red screamed and sprang back, the lamb bleated, the dove fluttered, and Snow-white hid herself behind her mother`s bed. But the bear began to speak and said: “Do not be afraid, I will do you no harm! I am half-frozen, and only want to warm myself a little beside you.`
“Poor bear,` said the mother, “lie down by the fire, only take care that you do not burn your coat.` Then she cried: “Snow-white, Rose-red, come out, the bear will do you no harm, he means well.` So they both came out, and by-and-by the lamb and dove came nearer, and were not afraid of him. The bear said: “Here, children, knock the snow out of my coat a little`; so they brought the broom and swept the bear`s hide clean; and he stretched himself by the fire and growled contentedly and comfortably. It was not long before they grew quite at home, and played tricks with their clumsy guest. They tugged his hair with their hands, put their feet upon his back and rolled him about, or they took a hazel-switch and beat him, and when he growled they laughed. But the bear took it all in good part, only when they were too rough he called out: “Leave me alive, children,
`Snow-white, Rose-red, Will you beat your wooer dead?`
When it was bed-time, and the others went to bed, the mother said to the bear: “You can lie there by the hearth, and then you will be safe from the cold and the bad weather.` As soon as day dawned the two children let him out, and he trotted across the snow into the forest.
Henceforth the bear came every evening at the same time, laid himself down by the hearth, and let the children amuse themselves with him as much as they liked; and they got so used to him that the doors were never fastened until their black friend had arrived.
When spring had come and all outside was green, the bear said one morning to Snow-white: “Now I must go away, and cannot come back for the whole summer.` “Where are you going, then, dear bear?` asked Snow-white. “I must go into the forest and guard my treasures from the wicked dwarfs. In the winter, when the earth is frozen hard, they are obliged to stay below and cannot work their way through; but now, when the sun has thawed and warmed the earth, they break through it, and come out to pry and steal; and what once gets into their hands, and in their caves, does not easily see daylight again.`
Snow-white was quite sorry at his departure, and as she unbolted the door for him, and the bear was hurrying out, he caught against the bolt and a piece of his hairy coat was torn off, and it seemed to Snow-white as if she had seen gold shining through it, but she was not sure about it. The bear ran away quickly, and was soon out of sight behind the trees.
A short time afterwards the mother sent her children into the forest to get firewood. There they found a big tree which lay felled on the ground, and close by the trunk something was jumping backwards and forwards in the grass, but they could not make out what it was. When they came nearer they saw a dwarf with an old withered face and a snow-white beard a yard long. The end of the beard was caught in a crevice of the tree, and the little fellow was jumping about like a dog tied to a rope, and did not know what to do.
He glared at the girls with his fiery red eyes and cried: “Why do you stand there? Can you not come here and help me?` “What are you up to, little man?` asked Rose-red. “You stupid, prying goose!` answered the dwarf: “I was going to split the tree to get a little wood for cooking. The little bit of food that we people get is immediately burnt up with heavy logs; we do not swallow so much as you coarse, greedy folk. I had just driven the wedge safely in, and everything was going as I wished; but the cursed wedge was too smooth and suddenly sprang out, and the tree closed so quickly that I could not pull out my beautiful white beard; so now it is tight and I cannot get away, and the silly, sleek, milk-faced things laugh! Ugh! how odious you are!`
The children tried very hard, but they could not pull the beard out, it was caught too fast. “I will run and fetch someone,` said Rose-red. “You senseless goose!` snarled the dwarf; “why should you fetch someone? You are already two too many for me; can you not think of something better?` “Don`t be impatient,` said Snow-white, “I will help you,` and she pulled her scissors out of her pocket, and cut off the end of the beard.
As soon as the dwarf felt himself free he laid hold of a bag which lay amongst the roots of the tree, and which was full of gold, and lifted it up, grumbling to himself: “Uncouth people, to cut off a piece of my fine beard. Bad luck to you!` and then he swung the bag upon his back, and went off without even once looking at the children.
Some time afterwards Snow-white and Rose-red went to catch a dish of fish. As they came near the brook they saw something like a large grasshopper jumping towards the water, as if it were going to leap in. They ran to it and found it was the dwarf. “Where are you going?` said Rose-red; “you surely don`t want to go into the water?` “I am not such a fool!` cried the dwarf; “don`t you see that the accursed fish wants to pull me in?` The little man had been sitting there fishing, and unluckily the wind had tangled up his beard with the fishing-line; a moment later a big fish made a bite and the feeble creature had not strength to pull it out; the fish kept the upper hand and pulled the dwarf towards him. He held on to all the reeds and rushes, but it was of little good, for he was forced to follow the movements of the fish, and was in urgent danger of being dragged into the water.
The girls came just in time; they held him fast and tried to free his beard from the line, but all in vain, beard and line were entangled fast together. There was nothing to do but to bring out the scissors and cut the beard, whereby a small part of it was lost. When the dwarf saw that he screamed out: “Is that civil, you toadstool, to disfigure a man`s face? Was it not enough to clip off the end of my beard? Now you have cut off the best part of it. I cannot let myself be seen by my people. I wish you had been made to run the soles off your shoes!` Then he took out a sack of pearls which lay in the rushes, and without another word he dragged it away and disappeared behind a stone.
It happened that soon afterwards the mother sent the two children to the town to buy needles and thread, and laces and ribbons. The road led them across a heath upon which huge pieces of rock lay strewn about. There they noticed a large bird hovering in the air, flying slowly round and round above them; it sank lower and lower, and at last settled near a rock not far away. Immediately they heard a loud, piteous cry. They ran up and saw with horror that th…

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the goose-girl https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/the-goose-girl/ https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/the-goose-girl/#respond Sun, 15 Dec 2019 14:38:00 +0000 https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/the-goose-girl/ The king of a great land died, and left his queen to take care of their only child. This child was a daughter, who was very beautiful; and her mother loved her dearly, and was very kind to her. And there was a good fairy too, who was fond of the princess, and helped her mother to watch over her. When she grew up, she was betrothed to a prince who lived a great way off; and as the time drew near for her to be married, she got ready to set off on her journey to his country. Then

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The king of a great land died, and left his queen to take care of their only child. This child was a daughter, who was very beautiful; and her mother loved her dearly, and was very kind to her. And there was a good fairy too, who was fond of the princess, and helped her mother to watch over her. When she grew up, she was betrothed to a prince who lived a great way off; and as the time drew near for her to be married, she got ready to set off on her journey to his country. Then the queen her mother, packed up a great many costly things; jewels, and gold, and silver; trinkets, fine dresses, and in short everything that became a royal bride. And she gave her a waiting-maid to ride with her, and give her into the bridegroom`s hands; and each had a horse for the journey. Now the princess`s horse was the fairy`s gift, and it was called Falada, and could speak.
When the time came for them to set out, the fairy went into her bed- chamber, and took a little knife, and cut off a lock of her hair, and gave it to the princess, and said, “Take care of it, dear child; for it is a charm that may be of use to you on the road.` Then they all took a sorrowful leave of the princess; and she put the lock of hair into her bosom, got upon her horse, and set off on her journey to her bridegroom`s kingdom.
One day, as they were riding along by a brook, the princess began to feel very thirsty: and she said to her maid, “Pray get down, and fetch me some water in my golden cup out of yonder brook, for I want to drink.` “Nay,` said the maid, “if you are thirsty, get off yourself, and stoop down by the water and drink; I shall not be your waiting- maid any longer.` Then she was so thirsty that she got down, and knelt over the little brook, and drank; for she was frightened, and dared not bring out her golden cup; and she wept and said, “Alas! what will become of me?` And the lock answered her, and said:
`Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it, Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.`
But the princess was very gentle and meek, so she said nothing to her maid`s ill behaviour, but got upon her horse again.
Then all rode farther on their journey, till the day grew so warm, and the sun so scorching, that the bride began to feel very thirsty again; and at last, when they came to a river, she forgot her maid`s rude speech, and said, “Pray get down, and fetch me some water to drink in my golden cup.` But the maid answered her, and even spoke more haughtily than before: “Drink if you will, but I shall not be your waiting-maid.` Then the princess was so thirsty that she got off her horse, and lay down, and held her head over the running stream, and cried and said, “What will become of me?` And the lock of hair answered her again:
`Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it, Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.`
And as she leaned down to drink, the lock of hair fell from her bosom, and floated away with the water. Now she was so frightened that she did not see it; but her maid saw it, and was very glad, for she knew the charm; and she saw that the poor bride would be in her power, now that she had lost the hair. So when the bride had done drinking, and would have got upon Falada again, the maid said, “I shall ride upon Falada, and you may have my horse instead`; so she was forced to give up her horse, and soon afterwards to take off her royal clothes and put on her maid`s shabby ones.
At last, as they drew near the end of their journey, this treacherous servant threatened to kill her mistress if she ever told anyone what had happened. But Falada saw it all, and marked it well.
Then the waiting-maid got upon Falada, and the real bride rode upon the other horse, and they went on in this way till at last they came to the royal court. There was great joy at their coming, and the prince flew to meet them, and lifted the maid from her horse, thinking she was the one who was to be his wife; and she was led upstairs to the royal chamber; but the true princess was told to stay in the court below.
Now the old king happened just then to have nothing else to do; so he amused himself by sitting at his kitchen window, looking at what was going on; and he saw her in the courtyard. As she looked very pretty, and too delicate for a waiting-maid, he went up into the royal chamber to ask the bride who it was she had brought with her, that was thus left standing in the court below. “I brought her with me for the sake of her company on the road,` said she; “pray give the girl some work to do, that she may not be idle.` The old king could not for some time think of any work for her to do; but at last he said, “I have a lad who takes care of my geese; she may go and help him.` Now the name of this lad, that the real bride was to help in watching the king`s geese, was Curdken.
But the false bride said to the prince, “Dear husband, pray do me one piece of kindness.` “That I will,` said the prince. “Then tell one of your slaughterers to cut off the head of the horse I rode upon, for it was very unruly, and plagued me sadly on the road`; but the truth was, she was very much afraid lest Falada should some day or other speak, and tell all she had done to the princess. She carried her point, and the faithful Falada was killed; but when the true princess heard of it, she wept, and begged the man to nail up Falada`s head against a large dark gate of the city, through which she had to pass every morning and evening, that there she might still see him sometimes. Then the slaughterer said he would do as she wished; and cut off the head, and nailed it up under the dark gate.
Early the next morning, as she and Curdken went out through the gate, she said sorrowfully:
`Falada, Falada, there thou hangest!`
and the head answered:
`Bride, bride, there thou gangest! Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it, Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.`
Then they went out of the city, and drove the geese on. And when she came to the meadow, she sat down upon a bank there, and let down her waving locks of hair, which were all of pure silver; and when Curdken saw it glitter in the sun, he ran up, and would have pulled some of the locks out, but she cried:
`Blow, breezes, blow! Let Curdken`s hat go! Blow, breezes, blow! Let him after it go! O`er hills, dales, and rocks, Away be it whirl`d Till the silvery locks Are all comb`d and curl`d!
Then there came a wind, so strong that it blew off Curdken`s hat; and away it flew over the hills: and he was forced to turn and run after it; till, by the time he came back, she had done combing and curling her hair, and had put it up again safe. Then he was very angry and sulky, and would not speak to her at all; but they watched the geese until it grew dark in the evening, and then drove them homewards.
The next morning, as they were going through the dark gate, the poor girl looked up at Falada`s head, and cried:
`Falada, Falada, there thou hangest!`
and the head answered:
`Bride, bride, there thou gangest! Alas! alas! if they mother knew it, Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.`
Then she drove on the geese, and sat down again in the meadow, and began to comb out her hair as before; and Curdken ran up to her, and wanted to take hold of it; but she cried out quickly:
`Blow, breezes, blow! Let Curdken`s hat go! Blow, breezes, blow! Let him after it go! O`er hills, dales, and rocks, Away be it whirl`d Till the silvery locks Are all comb`d and curl`d!
Then the wind came and blew away his hat; and off it flew a great way, over the hills and far away, so that he had to run after it; and when he came back she had bound up her hair again, and all was safe. So they watched the geese till it grew dark.
In the evening, after they came home, Curdken went to the old king, and said, “I cannot have that strange girl to help me to keep the geese any longer.` “Why?` said the king. “Because, instead of doing any good, she does nothing but tease me all day long.` Then the king made him tell him what had happened. And Curdken said, “When we go in the morning through the dark gate with our flock of geese, she cries and talks with the head of a horse that hangs upon the wall, and says:
`Falada, Falada, there thou hangest!`
and the head answers:
`Bride, bride, there thou gangest! Alas! alas! if they mother knew it, Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.`
And Curdken went on telling the king what had happened upon the meadow where the geese fed; how his hat was blown away; and how he was forced to run after it, and to leave his flock of geese to themselves. But the old king told the boy to go out again the next day: and when morning came, he placed himself behind the dark gate, and heard how she spoke to Falada, and how Falada answered. Then he went into the field, and hid himself in a bush by the meadow`s side; and he soon saw with his own eyes how they drove the flock of geese; and how, after a little time, she let down her hair that glittered in the sun. And then he heard her say:
`Blow, breezes, blow! Let Curdken`s hat go! Blow, breezes, blow! Let him after it go! O`er hills, dales, and rocks, Away be it whirl`d Till the silvery locks Are all comb`d and curl`d!
And soon came a gale of wind, and carried away Curdken`s hat, and away went Curdken after it, while the girl went on combing and curling her hair. All this the old king saw: so he went home without being seen; and when the little goose-girl came back in the evening he called her aside, and asked her why she did so: but she burst into tears, and said, “That I must not tell you or any man, or I shall lose my life.`
But the old king begged so hard, that she had no peace till she had told him all the tale, from beginning to end, word for word. And it was very lucky for her that she did so, for when she had done the king ordered royal clothes to be put upon her, and gazed on her with wonder, she was so beautiful. Then he called his son and told him that he had only a false bride; for that she was merely a waiting-maid, while the true bride stood by. And the young king rejoiced when …

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sweetheart roland https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/sweetheart-roland/ https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/sweetheart-roland/#respond Sun, 15 Dec 2019 14:38:00 +0000 https://kidsfairytale.club/en/grimm-brothers/sweetheart-roland/ There was once upon a time a woman who was a real witch and had two daughters, one ugly and wicked, and this one she loved because she was her own daughter, and one beautiful and good, and this one she hated, because she was her stepdaughter. The stepdaughter once had a pretty apron, which the other fancied so much that she became envious, and told her mother that she must and would have that apron. "Be quiet, my child,` said the old woman, "and you shall have it. Your stepsister has long deserved death; tonight when she is asleep

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There was once upon a time a woman who was a real witch and had two daughters, one ugly and wicked, and this one she loved because she was her own daughter, and one beautiful and good, and this one she hated, because she was her stepdaughter. The stepdaughter once had a pretty apron, which the other fancied so much that she became envious, and told her mother that she must and would have that apron. “Be quiet, my child,` said the old woman, “and you shall have it. Your stepsister has long deserved death; tonight when she is asleep I will come and cut her head off. Only be careful that you are at the far side of the bed, and push her well to the front.` It would have been all over with the poor girl if she had not just then been standing in a corner, and heard everything. All day long she dared not go out of doors, and when bedtime had come, the witch`s daughter got into bed first, so as to lie at the far side, but when she was asleep, the other pushed her gently to the front, and took for herself the place at the back, close by the wall. In the night, the old woman came creeping in, she held an axe in her right hand, and felt with her left to see if anyone were lying at the outside, and then she grasped the axe with both hands, and cut her own child`s head off.
When she had gone away, the girl got up and went to her sweetheart, who was called Roland, and knocked at his door. When he came out, she said to him: “Listen, dearest Roland, we must fly in all haste; my stepmother wanted to kill me, but has struck her own child. When daylight comes, and she sees what she has done, we shall be lost.` “But,` said Roland, “I counsel you first to take away her magic wand, or we cannot escape if she pursues us.` The maiden fetched the magic wand, and she took the dead girl`s head and dropped three drops of blood on the ground, one in front of the bed, one in the kitchen, and one on the stairs. Then she hurried away with her lover.
When the old witch got up next morning, she called her daughter, and wanted to give her the apron, but she did not come. Then the witch cried: “Where are you?` “Here, on the stairs, I am sweeping,` answered the first drop of blood. The old woman went out, but saw no one on the stairs, and cried again: “Where are you?` “Here in the kitchen, I am warming myself,` cried the second drop of blood. She went into the kitchen, but found no one. Then she cried again: “Where are you?` “Ah, here in the bed, I am sleeping,` cried the third drop of blood. She went into the room to the bed. What did she see there? Her own child, whose head she had cut off, bathed in her blood. The witch fell into a passion, sprang to the window, and as she could look forth quite far into the world, she perceived her stepdaughter hurrying away with her sweetheart Roland. “That shall not help you,` cried she, “even if you have got a long way off, you shall still not escape me.` She put on her many-league boots, in which she covered an hour`s walk at every step, and it was not long before she overtook them. The girl, however, when she saw the old woman striding towards her, changed, with her magic wand, her sweetheart Roland into a lake, and herself into a duck swimming in the middle of it. The witch placed herself on the shore, threw breadcrumbs in, and went to endless trouble to entice the duck; but the duck did not let herself be enticed, and the old woman had to go home at night as she had come. At this the girl and her sweetheart Roland resumed their natural shapes again, and they walked on the whole night until daybreak. Then the maiden changed herself into a beautiful flower which stood in the midst of a briar hedge, and her sweetheart Roland into a fiddler. It was not long before the witch came striding up towards them, and said to the musician: “Dear musician, may I pluck that beautiful flower for myself?` “Oh, yes,` he replied, “I will play to you while you do it.` As she was hastily creeping into the hedge and was just going to pluck the flower, knowing perfectly well who the flower was, he began to play, and whether she would or not, she was forced to dance, for it was a magical dance. The faster he played, the more violent springs was she forced to make, and the thorns tore her clothes from her body, and pricked her and wounded her till she bled, and as he did not stop, she had to dance till she lay dead on the ground.
As they were now set free, Roland said: “Now I will go to my father and arrange for the wedding.` “Then in the meantime I will stay here and wait for you,` said the girl, “and that no one may recognize me, I will change myself into a red stone landmark.` Then Roland went away, and the girl stood like a red landmark in the field and waited for her beloved. But when Roland got home, he fell into the snares of another, who so fascinated him that he forgot the maiden. The poor girl remained there a long time, but at length, as he did not return at all, she was sad, and changed herself into a flower, and thought: “Someone will surely come this way, and trample me down.`
It befell, however, that a shepherd kept his sheep in the field and saw the flower, and as it was so pretty, plucked it, took it with him, and laid it away in his chest. From that time forth, strange things happened in the shepherd`s house. When he arose in the morning, all the work was already done, the room was swept, the table and benches cleaned, the fire in the hearth was lighted, and the water was fetched, and at noon, when he came home, the table was laid, and a good dinner served. He could not conceive how this came to pass, for he never saw a human being in his house, and no one could have concealed himself in it. He was certainly pleased with this good attendance, but still at last he was so afraid that he went to a wise woman and asked for her advice. The wise woman said: “There is some enchantment behind it, listen very early some morning if anything is moving in the room, and if you see anything, no matter what it is, throw a white cloth over it, and then the magic will be stopped.`
The shepherd did as she bade him, and next morning just as day dawned, he saw the chest open, and the flower come out. Swiftly he sprang towards it, and threw a white cloth over it. Instantly the transformation came to an end, and a beautiful girl stood before him, who admitted to him that she had been the flower, and that up to this time she had attended to his house-keeping. She told him her story, and as she pleased him he asked her if she would marry him, but she answered: “No,` for she wanted to remain faithful to her sweetheart Roland, although he had deserted her. Nevertheless, she promised not to go away, but to continue keeping house for the shepherd.
And now the time drew near when Roland`s wedding was to be celebrated, and then, according to an old custom in the country, it was announced that all the girls were to be present at it, and sing in honour of the bridal pair. When the faithful maiden heard of this, she grew so sad that she thought her heart would break, and she would not go thither, but the other girls came and took her. When it came to her turn to sing, she stepped back, until at last she was the only one left, and then she could not refuse. But when she began her song, and it reached Roland`s ears, he sprang up and cried: “I know the voice, that is the true bride, I will have no other!` Everything he had forgotten, and which had vanished from his mind, had suddenly come home again to his heart. Then the faithful maiden held her wedding with her sweetheart Roland, and grief came to an end and joy began.

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