The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (40 page)

The hunters thought that he must have a great amount of wealth and broke into his room when the prince went out hunting. However, they found absolutely nothing, only the carnation on the window sill. Since the flower was so beautiful, they brought it to the king, who became so very fond of it that he demanded it from the hunter. However, the young hunter refused to give it to him, even for all the money in the world, because the flower was his beautiful Lisa. Finally, when the king insisted on having it, the hunter revealed everything that had happened and that he was his son. When the king heard this, he rejoiced with all his heart. The queen was released from the prison, and the faithful Lisa became the prince's wife. The godless gardener was compelled to remain a poodle for the rest of his life and was often kicked by the servants when he lay underneath the table.

77

THE CARPENTER AND THE TURNER

A carpenter and a turner wanted to see who could make the best piece of work. The carpenter made a dish that could swim by itself, while the turner made wings that he could use to fly. Everyone said that the carpenter's masterpiece was better. So the turner took his wings, put them on, and flew out of the country. He flew the entire day until he came to another country, where a prince saw him flying and asked to borrow the pair of wings. Since the prince promised to pay him well, the turner gave him the wings, and the prince flew to another kingdom. There he saw a tower illuminated by many lights. He decided to swoop down to the ground and find out what the occasion was. When he learned that the most beautiful princess in the world lived there, he became very curious. In the evening he flew through an open window and was able to be with the princess but
not for very long, for they were betrayed, and the prince and princess were sentenced to die at the stake.

However, the prince had taken his wings with him, and as the flames flared, he tied the wings on and flew with the princess to his homeland, where he descended to the ground. Since everyone had been sad during his absence, he revealed his true identity and was elected king.

After some time had passed, the father of the maiden who had been carried away by the prince made it known that whoever brought back his daughter would receive half his kingdom. When the prince learned about this, he gathered together an army and brought the princess to her father, who was forced to keep his promise.

78

THE OLD GRANDFATHER AND THE GRANDSON

Once upon a time there was an old man who could barely walk. His knees trembled, and he didn't hear or see much. Moreover, he had lost all his teeth. When he sat at the dinner table, he could barely hold the spoon. He spilled the soup on his napkin, and the food continued to flow from his mouth. His son and his son's wife felt disgusted by this, and therefore, the grandfather finally had to take a place behind the oven in the corner of the room. They gave him his food in a clay bowl. In addition, it was never full, and he would look morosely over to the table, his eyes filled with tears. One time his trembling hands could not gasp the bowl tightly enough, and it fell to the ground and broke. The young wife scolded him, while he said nothing and only sighed. So they bought a wooden bowl for a penny, and now he had to eat out of it.

One time, as they were sitting at the dinner table, the little four-year-old grandson collected small wooden sticks on the floor.

“What are you doing there?” his father asked.

“Oh,” the child answered, “I'm making a little trough so mother and father can eat out of it when I'm older and bigger.”

Then the husband and wife looked at each other for a while. Finally, they burst into tears and immediately brought the old grandfather to
the table. From then on they let him eat with them and also said nothing whenever he happened to spill a few things.

79

THE WATER NIXIE

A little brother and a little sister were playing near a well, and as they were playing, they both fell into the water. A water nixie was there and said: “Now I've got you, and now be good children and work nice and hard for me!”

Then she gave the maiden some dirty, tangled flax to spin and also a hollow bucket to fetch water. The young boy had to chop down a tree with a blunt axe, and all they got to eat were dumplings as hard as rocks. Eventually, the children lost their patience, and one Sunday, they waited until the nixie was in church and then ran away. After the church service was over, the nixie saw that the chickens had fled the coop, and she set out after them as fast as she could. The children saw her coming from afar, and the maiden threw a brush behind her. The brush changed into a huge mountain of bristles with thousands and thousands of thorns. The nixie had great difficulty in climbing over them. When the children saw her, the boy threw a comb behind him that changed into a huge mountain with thousands and thousands of spikes, but the nixie was able to grab hold of them and climb over the mountain. Now the maiden threw a mirror behind her that formed a glass mountain that was so very, very slippery that the nixie couldn't climb over it. So she thought: “I'd better go home and fetch my axe and split the mountain in two.” However, by the time she had returned and had smashed the glass, the children had long since made their escape, and the water nixie had to return to tread water in her well.

80

THE DEATH OF LITTLE HEN

Some time ago little hen went with little rooster to the nut mountain. They enjoyed themselves and ate nuts together. One time, however, little hen found such a large nut that she wasn't able to swallow the kernel,
and it got stuck so firmly in her throat that she feared she might choke to death.

“Little rooster!” she screamed. “Please run as fast as you can and fetch me some water, otherwise I'll choke to death.”

Little rooster ran as fast as he could to the well and said: “Well, you must give me some water. Little hen's lying on the nut mountain, and she's about to choke to death!”

“First run to the bride,” the well answered, “and get some red silk for me.”

“So little rooster ran to the bride and said, “Bride, I need some red silk from you. The silk is for the well, who'll give me some water to take to little hen, who's lying on the nut mountain, where she's swallowed a large kernel and is about to choke to death.”

The bride answered: “First run and fetch me my wreath that got caught on the branch of a willow.”

So little rooster ran to the willow, pulled the wreath from the branch, and brought it back to the bride. In return the bride gave him some red silk, and little rooster brought it to the well, who gave him water in exchange. Then little rooster brought the water to little hen, but by the time he had reached her, she had choked to death and lay there motionless and dead. Little rooster became so sad that he uttered a loud cry, and all the animals came and mourned for her. Six mice built a little wagon that was to carry little hen to her grave. When the wagon was finished, the mice harnessed themselves to it, and the little rooster was to drive the wagon. Along the way they encountered the fox, who asked: “Where are you going, little rooster?”

“I'm off to bury my little hen.”

“May I ride with you?”

“Yes, but since you're so heavy, take a seat in the back.

If you sat up front, my horses would fall, and the wagon would crack.”

So the fox sat down in the back. Then the wolf, the bear, the stag, the lion, and all the animals in the forest took a seat in the back. Thus they continued their journey until they came to a brook.

“How shall we get across?” asked little rooster.

A straw was lying near the brook and said: “I'll lay myself across the book. Then you can drive over me.”

However, as soon as the six mice touched the bridge, the straw slipped and fell into the water, and the six mice went tumbling after and drowned. So the situation was just as bad as it had been before, but a piece of hot coal came along and said: “I'm large enough. I'll lay myself across, and you can drive over me.”

Then the piece of coal also laid itself across the water, but unfortunately it grazed the surface a little. Soon it started hissing, and before long it was extinguished and died. When a stone saw that, it took pity on little rooster and offered its help. It lay down across the water, and now little rooster himself pulled the wagon across. When he reached the other side and was already on land with dead little hen, he wanted to help the others in the back out of the wagon, but there were too many of them, and the wagon slipped backward, causing everyone to fall into the water and drown. So little rooster was all alone with dead little hen, and he dug a grave for her. Then he laid her in it and made a mound on top. Afterward he sat down on the ground and grieved until he, too, died, And then everyone was dead.

81

THE BLACKSMITH AND THE DEVIL

Once upon a time there was a blacksmith who enjoyed life: he squandered his money and carried on many lawsuits. After a few years, he didn't have a single cent left in his pouch.

“Why should I torture myself any longer in this world?” he thought. So he went into the forest with the intention of hanging himself from a tree. Just as he was about to stick his head into the noose, a man with a long white beard came out from behind a tree carrying a large book in his hand.

“Listen, blacksmith,” he said. “Write your name down in this large book, and for ten long years you'll have a good life. But after that you'll be mine, and I'll come and fetch you.”

“Who are you?” asked the blacksmith.

“I'm the devil.”

“What can you do?”

“I can make myself as tall as a fir tree and as small as a mouse.”

“Then show me. Seeing is believing,” said the blacksmith.

Thereupon the devil made himself as tall as a fir tree and as small as a mouse.

“That's good,” said the blacksmith. “Give me the book, and I'll write down my name.”

After the blacksmith had signed his name, the devil said, “Now, just go home, and you'll find chests and boxes filled to the brim, and since you've not made much of a fuss, I'll also visit you once during this time.”

The blacksmith went home, where he found all his pockets, boxes, and chests filled with gold coins, and no matter how much he took, they never became empty or even reduced in the least.

So he began his merry life once again, invited his comrades to join him, and was the happiest fellow in the world. After a few years had passed, the devil stopped by one day, as he had promised, to see how things were going. On his departure he gave the blacksmith a leather sack and told him that whoever jumped into this sack would not be able to get out again until the blacksmith himself took him out. Indeed, the blacksmith had a great deal of fun with it. When the ten years were over, however, the devil returned and said to him, “Your time is up, and now you are mine. Get ready for your trip.”

“All right,” said the blacksmith, who swung his leather sack over his back and went away with the devil.

When they came to the place in the forest where the blacksmith had wanted to hang himself, he said to the devil, “I want to make sure that you're really the devil. Make yourself as large as a fir tree and as small as a mouse again.”

The devil was prepared and performed his feat. But just as he changed himself into a mouse, the blacksmith grabbed him and stuck him into the sack. Then the blacksmith cut off a stick from a nearby tree, threw the sack to the ground, and began beating the devil, who screamed pitifully and ran back and forth in the sack. Yet, it was all in vain: he couldn't get out.
Finally, the blacksmith said, “I'll let you go if you give me the sheet from your large book on which I wrote my name.”

The devil refused at first, but eventually he gave in. The sheet was ripped out of the book, and the devil returned home to hell, annoyed that he had let himself be duped and beaten as well. Meanwhile, the blacksmith went home to his smithy and continued to live happily as long as it was God's will. Finally, he became sick, and when he realized death was near, he ordered two long nails and a hammer to be put into his coffin. This was done just as he had instructed, and after he died, he approached the heaven's gate and knocked. However, Saint Peter refused to open the gate because the blacksmith had lived in league with the devil. When the blacksmith heard this, he turned around and went to hell. But the devil wouldn't let him enter, for he had no desire to have the blacksmith in hell, where he would only make a spectacle of himself.

Now the blacksmith was angry and began to make a lot of noise in front of hell's gate. A little demon became curious and wanted to see what the blacksmith was doing. So he opened the gate a little and looked out. Quickly the blacksmith grabbed him by the nose and nailed him solidly to the gate of hell with one of the nails he had with him. The little demon began to screech like a wildcat, so that another demon was drawn to the gate. He, too, stuck his head out, and the blacksmith was alert: he grabbed this one by the ear and nailed him to the gate next to the first little demon. Now both of them began to let out such terrible cries that the old devil himself came running. When he saw the two little demons nailed solidly to the gate, he became so terribly angry that he wept and jumped about. Then he ran up to heaven to see the dear Lord. Once there he told the Lord that He had to admit the blacksmith into heaven. There was nothing anyone could do to stop the blacksmith, the devil said. So the blacksmith would continue to nail all the demons by their noses and ears, and he the devil would no longer be master in hell. Well, the dear Lord and Saint Peter quickly realized that if they wanted to get rid of the devil, then they would have to let the blacksmith enter heaven. So now the blacksmith sits in heaven nicely and peacefully, but I don't know how the two little demons were able to free themselves.