The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (65 page)

After they had traveled a good distance, they came to a cave, and the lion carried her inside. She didn't get frightened, nor did she want to jump off the lion's back because he was so friendly. They went deeper into the cave, where it became darker and darker until it was eventually pitch black. Nevertheless, they proceeded for a while until they reached daylight again and were in a beautiful garden. Everything was fresh and glistened in the sun, and in the middle of the garden was a magnificent palace. When they came to the gate, the lion stopped, and the princess climbed down from his back. Then the lion began to speak and said, “You shall live in the beautiful house and serve me, and if you carry out all my orders, you shall see your brother again.”

So the princess served the lion and obeyed all his commands. One day she went for a walk in the garden, where it was very beautiful, but she was still sad because she was alone and forsaken by the world. As she walked here and there she became aware of a pond, and in the middle of the pond was a small island with a tent on it. Underneath the tent she saw a frog, who was as green as grass and had a rose leaf on his head instead of a crown. The frog looked at her and said, “Why are you so sad?”

“Ah,” she replied. “Why shouldn't I be sad?” And she told him about her troubles.

Then the frog said to her in a very friendly way, “If you need anything, just come to me, and I'll lend you a helping hand.”

“But how shall I pay you back?”

“You don't have to pay me back,” said the frog. “Just bring me a fresh rose leaf every day for my crown.”

The princess returned to the palace and was somewhat comforted. Whenever the lion demanded something, she ran to the pond, and the frog hopped here and there and soon brought her what she needed. After a while, the lion said, “This evening I'd like to eat a gnat pie, but it must be prepared very well.”

The princess wondered how she could ever get something like that. It seemed impossible for her. She ran out and told her woes to the frog. But the frog said, “Don't worry. I'll make sure that you have a gnat pie.”

He sat down, opened his mouth to the left and right, and when he snapped it shut, he had caught as many gnats as he needed. Then he hopped here and there, gathered together some wood shavings, and built a fire. When it began burning, he kneaded the dough for the pie and put it over the coals. After two hours, the pie was finished, and one could not have wished for anything better. Then he said to the maiden, “I won't give you the pie until you promise me that, when the lion is asleep, you'll cut off his head with the sword that's hidden behind his bed.”

“No,” she said. “I won't do it. The lion's always been good to me.”

“If you don't do it, you'll never see your brother again,” said the frog. “Besides, you won't be harming the lion.”

So she summoned her courage, took the pie, and brought it to the lion.

“That looks delicious,” the lion said, and after sniffing it, he began to eat it right away and ate it all up. When he was finished, he felt tired and wanted to sleep a little. So he said to the princess, “Come and sit down beside me and scratch behind my ears a bit until I fall asleep.”

She sat down beside him, scratched him with her left hand, and with her right hand she reached for the sword that was lying behind the bed. After he had fallen asleep, she drew out the sword, closed her eyes, and chopped off the lion's head with one blow. But when she looked again, the lion had disappeared, and her dear brother stood next to her. He kissed her affectionately and said, “You've released me from the spell, for I was the lion and had been cursed to remain so until a maiden's hand would chop off my head out of love for me as a lion.”

They went together into the garden to thank the frog, but when they got there, they saw that he was hopping all around and gathering together wood shavings to build a fire. When the fire was burning brightly, he hopped into it himself, and it burned a little more until it finally went out and a beautiful maiden was standing there. This was the prince's sweetheart, who had also been cast under a magic spell. Now they all returned home to the old king and queen, and a great wedding was held. Whoever attended did not go home with an empty stomach,

44

THE SOLDIER AND THE CARPENTER

Two carpenters lived in a city in which their houses touched one other. Each carpenter had a son, and their children were always together and played with one another. That's why they were called Little Knife and Little Fork, which likewise are always placed side by side on the table. When they grew up, they refused to be separated. Since one was courageous and the other timid, one became a soldier, and the other learned carpentry. As the time came for the carpenter to go on his travels as a journeyman, the soldier didn't want to be left behind, and so they set out together.

When they reached a city, the carpenter went to work for a master craftsman, and since the soldier wanted to remain there, too, he hired
himself out as a servant in the same house. Everything would have gone well, but the soldier had no desire to work. He just loafed about, and it didn't take long for the master to send him packing. Out of loyalty to his companion the carpenter decided not to stay. He handed his resignation to the master and departed with the soldier. And that's how things continued to go. If they had work, it didn't last long because the soldier was lazy and would be sent away, and the carpenter didn't want to stay without him.

One day they arrived in a large city, but when the soldier refused to lift a finger, he was dismissed the very first evening, and they had to leave that night. Now their way took them to the edge of a large mysterious forest, and the timid carpenter said, “I'm not going to enter. I'm sure there are witches and ghosts jumping all over the place.”

But the soldier replied, “Oh, nonsense! I'm not yet afraid of things like that!”

The soldier went ahead, and since the timid carpenter didn't want to be separated from him, he went along. In a short time they lost their way and wandered in darkness through the trees. Finally, they saw a light and headed in that direction until they came to a beautiful castle that was brightly lit. In front of the castle was a black dog, and nearby was a red swan on a pond. When they entered the castle, however, they didn't encounter a living creature until they went into the kitchen, where they found a gray cat standing by a pot on the fire and cooking. They moved on and found many splendid rooms that were all empty, but in one of them there was a table amply covered with food and drink. Since they were both very hungry, they went over to the table and enjoyed a fine meal. Afterward the soldier said, “Now that we're finished and full, we're entitled to some sleep!”

When he opened a room, he found two beautiful beds. So they lay down in them, but just as they were about to fall asleep, it occurred to the timid carpenter that they had not said their prayers. As he got up, he saw a cupboard on the wall. He opened it, and inside there was a crucifix with two prayer books. He immediately woke the soldier and got him up. Then they knelt down and said their prayers and fell asleep once more in peace.
The next morning the soldier felt such a violent blow that he jumped into the air.

“Hey, why are you hitting me?” he yelled at his companion, who had also received a blow and replied, “I didn't hit you. Why did
you
hit me?”

Then the soldier said, “It's probably a signal that we should get up.”

When they left the room, breakfast was already on the table. But the timid carpenter said, “Before we touch it, let's first look for some people.”

“All right,” said the soldier. “I agree. Anyway, since the cat prepared and cooked the meal, I've lost my desire to eat it.”

So they went from the bottom of the castle to the top but couldn't find a soul. Finally, the soldier said, “Let's go search down in the cellar, too.”

When they went down the stairs, they saw an old woman sitting in front of the first cellar. They began speaking to her and said, “Good day! Did you cook that good meal for us?”

“Yes, children, did it taste all right?”

They went farther and came to a second cellar, where a young boy of fourteen was sitting. They greeted him, too, but he didn't answer them. Finally, they moved on to the third cellar, where a maiden of twelve was sitting, and she, too, didn't answer their greeting. Then they continued walking through all the cellars but didn't find anyone else. When they returned, the maiden had already stood up from her seat, and they said to her, “Do you want to go upstairs with us?”

But she asked, “Is the
red swan
still on the pond up there?”

“Yes, we saw it at the entrance.”

“That's sad. Then I can't go upstairs with you.”

The young boy was also standing when they came to him, and they asked him: “Do you want to come upstairs with us?”

But he said, “Is the
black dog
still in the courtyard?”

“Yes, we saw him at the entrance.”

“That's sad. Then I can't go upstairs with you.”

When they came to the old woman, she had also stood up.

“Granny,” they said. “Do you want to come upstairs with us?”

“Is the
gray cat
still upstairs in the kitchen?”

“Yes, she's sitting at the hearth by a pot and cooking.”

“That's sad. Unless you kill the red swan, the black dog, and the gray cat, we can't leave the cellar.”

When the two companions went upstairs and into the kitchen again, they wanted to pet the cat, but her fiery eyes began to flash, and she looked very wild. Now, there was still a small room left that they hadn't explored, and when they opened it, they discovered that it was completely empty except for a bow and arrow, a sword, and iron tongs, which were hanging on the wall. Written over the bow and arrow were the words, “This will kill the red swan.” Over the sword, “This will chop off the black dog's head.” Over the tongs, “This will pinch off the gray cat's head.”

“Ah,” said the timid carpenter. “Let's get out of here!”

But the soldier replied, “No, let's go after the animals.”

So they took the weapons off the wall and went into the kitchen, where the three animals, the swan, the dog, and the cat, were standing together as if they had something evil in mind. When the timid carpenter saw them, he ran away. The soldier followed and tried to give his companion courage, but the carpenter wanted something to eat first. After he had eaten, he said, “I saw some suits of armor in a room, and I want to put one on first.”

When he was in the room, he looked for a way to escape and said, “We'd be better off if we climbed through that window. Those animals are not our concern!”

However, when he went over to the window, he found strong iron bars in front of it. Now he no longer had a way out and went over to the suits of armor. He tried to put one on, but they were all too heavy. Then the soldier said, “Stop this! Let's go the way we are.”

“All right,” said the other, “but I wish there were three of us.”

Just as he uttered those words a white dove began flapping its wings on the outside of a window and bumped up against it. The soldier opened the window, and as soon as the dove hopped inside, a handsome young man stood before them and said, “I'll lend you support and help you.”

The young man picked up the bow and arrow, but the timid carpenter told him that he was taking the best part of the bargain with the bow and arrow because he'd be in a good position after he took a shot to run wherever he wanted. On the other hand, the carpenter and the soldier would
have to get physically closer to the enchanted animals to use their weapons. Upon hearing this, the young man exchanged the bow and arrow for the sword.

Now all three went into the kitchen, where the animals were still together. The young man cut off the dog's head, the soldier grabbed the gray cat with the tongs, and the timid carpenter stood behind and shot the red swan dead. After the three animals had been killed, the old woman and her two children came running from the cellar all at once and let out a great cry, “You've killed our dearest friends! You're traitors!”

They charged at the men and wanted to murder them. But the three men overpowered them and killed them with their weapons. Once they were dead, the men suddenly began to hear all around them strange murmuring sounds that came out of all the corners. Then the timid carpenter said, “Let's bury the three bodies. After all, they were Christians. We know this from the crucifix.”

So they carried the bodies out into the courtyard, dug three graves, and laid them down inside. While they were working, however, the murmuring in the castle increased. It became louder and louder, and when they were finished with their work, they heard real voices among the murmurs, and one called out, “Who are you? Who are you?”