Grimm's household tales

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The Baldwin LUbry

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GRIMM'S

FAIRY

TALES

Fi',r. I e ir:l ll /'.; Eal'''i, 1901
c:, in:'ed 1905, 1909, 1912

A7.' right resncred

I

LILY AND
THE LION

SORIMM'1f
HOUSEHOLD
C'&A he 5 W
EDIrT D'&-PAR'rY
TRANSlfA''D *MW
MARIAN.CDWARDeS

WlfHJ $1IS'TRATIONS
BY -
R'iANNING 'BE6lhi

1912
LONDON
J-M-DENT &-SONS-
12ew YORK
e-P-DUTTON-&'C

S.

Preface.

THERE is no need of many words in introducing the old
familiar friends of fairy-land, who never fail of a welcome
from those, not yet too old to feel the power of their
fascination. The following collection of tales has been
made in the assurance that, among the younger readers
for whom they are intended, the genuine fairy tale is still
without a rival, as a source of interest and amusement;
as a source of instruction also, might with truth be added,
for, apart from the homely wisdom which underlies most
fairy tales, there is in several of them a touch of the fable,
which, of all forms, is the most acceptable and convincing
for the transmittance of moral teaching. The tales
from the "Gammer Grethel" series, are given in the
version, published in the "Bohn Library" from the
admirable translation by Mr Edgar Taylor, which has,
a* vn

viii PREFACE

for many years past, delighted its readers; the tales
from the Kinder und Hans-M'rchen have been newly
translated.
As much variety as possible has been put into the
choice of tales, selection for the most part falling on
those which are known to be universally acknowledged
as favourites; and as such, it is the hope of the Editor,
they may continue, under the new garb in which he now
presents them to his young friends.

EDITOR.

Contents .

The Golden Goose .
The Wishing Table, The Gold Ass, a
Cudgel
The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage.
The Fox's Brush
The Fisherman and his Wife
The Twelve Brothers .
Briar Rose .
The Raven .
Fritz and his Friendc .
The Elfin Grove
Bearskin .
The yew in the Bush .
, The Robber Bridegroom
Ashputtel .
The Three Spinning Fairies .

1
nd The
S 8
24
S 27
S 39
S 47
S 56
65
S 73
S 79
S 87
S 95
101
107
118
Ix

x CONTENTS
PAGE
Rumpel-Stilts-Ken .. 22
Madam Holle 26
The Nose-Tree 131
The Goose Girl .. 141
King Grizzle-Beard i51
The Man in the Bag 158
The Forbidden Room 1. 63
Karl Katz 169
The Changeling 177
Hans in Luck. .. 178
The Bear and the Skrattel 86
Tom Thumb .. 198
Snow-Drop .o6
The Four Crafts-Men. 216
Cat-skin 224
Jorinda and Jorindel 233
Thumbling the Dwarf and Thumhling the Giant 238
The Juniper Tree 246
The Water of Life 258
The Blue Light .. 267
The Water Fairy 273
The Three Crows 283
The Frog-Prince 288
The Elves and the Cobbler 292
Cherry the Frog-Bride 295
The Dancing Shoes 305

CONTENTS

The Brave Little Tailor
Giant Golden-Beard
Pee-Wit
Hansel and Grethel
Lily and the Lion .
Donkey-Wort .
The King of the Golden Mountain
The Two Brothers .

PAGE
311
* 319
327
333
345
355
364
. S 373

List of Illustrations

PAGE
Lily and the Lion Frontispiece
Headpiece-Preface vii
Tailpiece-Preface .. viii
Headpiece-Contents ix
Tailpiece-Contents i
Headpiece-List of Illustrations xiii
Headpiece-The Golden Goose I
The Golden Goose .. 3
Tailpiece-The Golden Goose .. 7
Headpiece-The Wishing Table, the Gold Ass, and The Cudgel 8
The Wishing Table, the Gold Ass, and the Cudgel 15
Headpiece-The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage 24
Headpiece-The Fox's Brush .. 27
The Princess going to the Bath 33
Tailpiece-The Fox's Brush .. 38

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Headpiece-The Fisherman and his Wife
Tailpiece-The Fisherman and his Wife
Headpiece-The Twelve Brothers .
The Princess on the branches of a tree
Tailpiece-The Twelve Brothers
Headpiece-Briar Rose .
Briar Rose .
The Prince .
Headpiece-The Raven
The Princess in the Castle .
Headpiece-Fritz and his Friends
Tailpiece-Fritz and his Friends .
Headpiece-The Elfin Grove
Headpiece-Bearskin .
Bearskin and the Devil .
Headpiece-The Jew in the Bush
The Jew in the Bush
Headpiece-The Robber Bridegroom
Tailpiece-The Robber Bridegroom
Headpiece-Ashputtel .
Ashputtel .
Headpiece-The Three Spinning Fairies .
Headpiece-Rumpel-Stilts-Ken .
Headpiece-Madam Holle .
Tailpiece-Madam Holle. .
Headpiece-The Nose Tree .
The Princess and the Soldier .
Headpiece-The Goose Girl
Tbe true Princess and Curdken

PAGE
S 39
S 46
S 47
S 53
55
S 56
S 60
S 61
65
S 72
S 73
S 78
S 79
S 87
. 92
S 95
S 97
S 101
S o06
S 107
113
8 I8
122
1 26
130
131
* 135
S 141
47

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xv

PAGE
Headpiece-King Grizzle-Beard 151
The Princess and the Fiddler 155
Headpiece-The Man in the Bag 158
Tailpiece-The Man in the Bag .. 162
Headpiece-The Forbidden Room 163
The Princess in the feathers 167
Headpiece-Karl Katz 169
Tailpiece-Karl Katz -, 176
Headpiece-The Changeling .. 177
Headpiece-Hans in Luck 178
Headpiece-The Bear and the Skrattel 186
Tailpiece-The Bear and the Skrattel 197
Headpiece-Tom Thumb 198
Headpiece-Snowdrop 206
The Queen and her Glass 210
Headpiece-The Four Crafts-men 216
Princess and the Dragon 220
Tailpiece-The Four Crafts-men 223
Headpiece-Cat-skin 224
The King danced with her .. 229
Tailpiece-Cat-skin 232
Headpiece-Jorinda and Jorindel 233
The Old Fairy 235
Tailpiece-Jorinda and Jorindel 237
Headpiece-Thumbling the Dwarf and Thumbling the Giant 238
Headpiece-The Juniper Tree 246
Tailpiece-The Juniper Tree 257
Headpiece-The Water of Lfe 258
Tailpiece-The Water of Life 266

xvi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
3E
Headpiece-The Blue Light 267
Tailpiece-The Blue Light .. 272
Headpiece-The Water Fairy .. 273
The Huntsman and the Fairy 277
Headpiece-The Three Crows 283
Headpiece-The Frog-Prince 288
Headpiece-The Elves and the Cobbler 292
Headpiece-Cherry The Frog-Bride 295
The Princes fighting for Cherry .. 297
Tailpiece-Cherry the Frog-Bride .. 304
Headpiece-The Dancing Shoes 305
Headpiece-The Brave Little Tailor 311
The Brave Little Tailor 315
Headpiece-Giant Golden-Beard 319
Tailpiece-Giant Golden-Beard 326
Headpiece-Pee-Wit .. 327
Tailpiece-Pee-Wit ... 332
Headpiece-Hansel and Grethel. .. 333
Headpiece-Lily and the Lion 345
The Princess carrying the Prince away 351
Lily and the Prince 354
Headpiece-Donkey-Wort 355
Peter and Meta picking up the Diamonds 358
Tailpiece-Donkey-Wort 363
Headpiece-The King of the Golden Mountain 364
The Merchant taking his evening walk 365
Tailpiece-The King of the Golden Mountain 372
Headpiece-The Two Brothers .. 373
Tailpiece-The Two Brothers 400

THERE was a man who had three sons. The youngest
was called Dummling -which is much the same as
Dunderhead, for all thought he was more than half a
fool and he was at all times mocked and ill-treated
by the -whole household.
It happened that the eldest son took it into his head
one day to go into the wood to cut fuel; and his mother
gave him a nice pasty and a bottle of wine to take with
him, that he might refresh himself at his work. As he
went into the wood, a little old man bid him good day,
and said, Give me a little piece of meat from your plate,
and a little wine out of your bottle, for I am very hungry
and thirsty." But this clever young man said, "Give
you my meat and wine? No, I thank you, I should
not have enough left for myself:" and away he went.
He soon began to cut down a tree; but he had not
A

THE GOLDEN GOOSE

worked long before he missed his stroke, and cut him-
self, and was forced to go home to have the wound
dressed. Now it was the little old man that sent him
this mischief.
Next went out the second son to work : and his
mother gave him too a pasty and a bottle of wine. And
the same little old man met him also, and asked him for
something to eat and drink. But he too thought him-
self very clever, and said, "The more you eat the less
there would be for me: so go your way I" The little
man took care that he too should have his reward,
and the second stroke that he aimed against a tree hit
him on the leg; so that he too was forced to go
home.
Then Dummling said, "Father, I should like to go
and cut wood too." But his father said, "Your brothers
have both lamed themselves; you had better stay at
home, for you know nothing about the business of wood-
cutting." But Dummling was very pressing; and at last
his father said, "Go your way! you will be wiser when you
have smarted for your folly." And his mother gave him
only some dry bread and a bottle of sour beer. But when
he went into the wood, he met the little old man, who said,
"Give me some meat and drink, for I am very hungry and
thirsty." Dummling said, "I have only dry bread and
sour beer; if that will suit you we will sit down and eat
it, such as it is, together." So they sat down; and when
the lad pulled out his bread, behold it was turned into a
rich pasty: and his sour beer, when they tasted it, was
delightful wine. They ate and drank heartily; and when
they had done, the little man said, As you have a kind
heart, and have been willing to share everything with
me, I will send a blessing upon you. There stands

t e
5of-ben
e(oose

II

THE GOLDEN GOOSE

an old tree; cut it down, and you will find something
at the root." Then he took his leave, and went his
way.
Dummling set to work, and cut down the tree; and
when it fell, he found, in a hollow under the roots, a
goose with feathers of pure gold. He took it up, and
went on to a little inn by the roadside, where he thought
to sleep for the night on his way home. Now the land-
lord had three daughters; and when they saw.the goose
they were very eager to look what this wonderful bird
could be, and wished very much to pluck one of the
feathers out of its tail. At last the eldest said, "I must
and will have a feather." So she waited till Dummling
was gone to bed, and then seized the goose by the wing;
but to her great wonder there she stuck, for neither hand
nor finger could she get away again. Then in came the
second sister, and thought to have a feather too; but the
moment she touched her sister, there she too hung fast.
At last came the third, and she also wanted a feather;
but the other two cried out "Keep away! for Heaven's
sake, keep away!" However, she did not understand
what they meant. "If they are there," thought she,
"I may as well be there too." So she went up to
them; but the moment she touched her sisters she
stuck fast, and hung to the goose, as they did. And
so they kept company with the goose all night in the
cold.
The next morning Dummling got up and carried off
the goose under his arm. He took no notice at all of
the three girls, but went out with them sticking fast be-
hind. So wherever he travelled, they too were forced to
follow, whether they would or no, as fast as their legs
could carry them.

THE GOLDEN GOOSE

In the middle of a field the parson met them; and
when he saw the train, he said, "Are you not ashamed
of yourselves, you bold girls, to run after a young man
in that way over the fields? Is that good behaviour?"
Then he took the youngest by the hand to lead her
away; but as soon as he touched her he too hung fast,
and followed in the train; though sorely against his will,
for he was not only in rather too good plight for running
fast, but just then he had a little touch of the gout in the
great toe of his right foot. By and bye up came the
clerk; and when he saw his master, the parson, running
after the three girls, he wondered greatly and said,
Holla! holla! your reverence! whither so fast? there
is a christening to-day." Then he ran up and took him
by the gown; when, lo and behold, he stuck fast
too. As the five were thus trudging along, one behind
another, they met two labourers with their mattocks
coming from work; and the parson cried out lustily to
them to help him. But scarcely had they laid hands
on him, when they too fell into the rank; and so they
made seven, all running together after Dummling and his
goose.
Now Dummling thought he would see a little of
the world before he went home; so he and his train
journeyed on, till at last they came to a city where there
was a king who had an only daughter. The princess
was of so thoughtful and moody a turn of mind that no
one could make her laugh; and the king had made
known to all the world, that whoever could make her
laugh should have her for his wife. When the young
man heard this, he went to her, with his goose and all
its train; and as soon as she saw the seven all hanging
together, and running along, treading on each other's

THE GOLDEN GOOSE 7

heels, she could not help bursting into a long and loud
laugh. Then Dummling claimed her for his wife, and
married her; and he was heir to the kingdom, and lived
long and happily with his wife.
But what became of the goose and the goose's tail, I
never could hear.

A LONG time ago there lived a tailor who had three sons
but only one goat. As the goat supplied the whole
family with milk, she had to be well fed and taken daily
to pasture. This the sons did in turn. One day the
eldest son led her into the churchyard, where he knew
there was fine herbage to be found, and there let her
browse and skip about till evening. It being then time
to return home, he said to her, "Goat, have you had
enough to eat? and the goat answered,-
P3 ave eafen so muct
(of a feaf can 3 fouc. (Dan. (Dan.*"
"Come along home then," said the boy, and he led
her by the cord round her neck back to the stable and
tied her up.
8

THE WISHING TABLE

"Well," said the old tailor, "has the goat had her
proper amount of food? "
"Why, she has eaten so much, not a leaf can she
touch," answered the son.
The father, however, thinking he should like to assure
himself of this, went down to the stable, patted the
\ animal and said caressingly, Goat, have you really had
enough to eat ?" The goat answered,-
5oti can mt hunger 6e affafeb ?
faouf foe fifffe-graves 5 pfareb
(nb coufb not -fnb a singfe ifabe. (Dan. Ian."
"What is this I hear!" cried the tailor, and running
upstairs to his son, "You young liar! he exclaimed,
"to tell me the goat had had enough to eat, and all the
while she is starving." And overcome with anger, he took
his yard-measure down from the wall, and beat his son
out of doors.
The next day it was the second son's turn, and he
found a place near a garden hedge, where there were the
juiciest plants for the goat to feed upon, and she enjoyed
them so much that she ate them all up. Before taking
her home in the evening, he said to her, Goat, have you
had enough to eat ?" and the goat answered,-
5 3 ca4e eafen so muc0
0of a fearf can 3 fouco. (Dan. (Dan."
"Come along home then," said the boy, and he led her
away to the stable and tied her up.
"Well," said the old tailor, has the goat had her
proper amount of food ?"
"Why, she has eaten so much, not a leaf can she
touch," answered the boy.

THE WISHING TABLE

But the tailor was not satisfied with this, and went down
to the stable. "Goat, have you really had enough to
eat ?" he asked; and the goat answered,-
gow can me hunger Ofe atffaeb ?
(Cout foe fifffe graves 53 pfateb
0nb coufb nof ffnb a singfe Ofabe.+ an. (Ian.*
"The shameless young rascal!" cried the tailor, "to
let an innocent animal like this starve!" and he ran
upstairs, and drove the boy from the house with the
yard-measure.
It was now the third son's turn, who, hoping to make
things better for himself, let the goat feed on the leaves
of all the shrubs he could pick out that were covered
with the richest foliage. "Goat, have you had enough
to eat?" he said, as the evening fell, and the goat
answered,-
P3 ave eafen so muco
(of f feaf can 3 foucP. (fan,, (an.*
"Come along home then," said the boy, and he took
her back and tied her up.
"Well," said the old tailor, "has the goat had her
proper amount of food?"
Why, she has eaten so much, not a leaf can she
touch," answered the boy.
But the tailor felt mistrustful, and went down and
asked, Goat, have you really had enough to eat ?" and
the mischievous animal answered,-
5oo can mr hunger i e affapeb?
(-Iouf foe fiffte graves 3 pfaeeb
(Anb coufb not ffnb a singfe Oftibe. (an, (an."*
"Oh! what a pack of liars cried the tailor. One

THE WISHING TABLE

as wicked and deceitful as the other, but they shall not
make a fool of me any longer." And beside himself with
anger, he rushed upstairs, and so belaboured his son with
the yard-measure, that the boy fled from the house.
The old tailor was now left alone with his goat. The
following morning he went down to the stable and stroked
and caressed her. "Come along, my pet," he said, "I
will take you out myself to-day," and he led her by the
green hedgerows and weed-grown banks, and wherever he
knew that goats love to feed. "You shall eat to your
heart's content for once," he said to her, and so let her
browse till evening. "Goat, have you had enough to
eat?" he asked her at the close of the day, and she
answered,-
+"" 5 6ae eafen so muct
@of a feaf can 3 foucp (cmn+ (DCmn.
"Come along home then," said the tailor, and he led
her to the stable and tied her up. He turned round, how-
ever, before leaving her, and said once more, "You have
really had enough to eat for once ?" But the goat gave
him no better answer than her usual one, and replied,-
1row can me tunger Be affateeb ?
46ouf foe fifffe sramve 3 pfatceb
(nb coufb not finb a singfe fifabe (gan, San."
On hearing this, the tailor stood, struck dumb with
astonishment. He saw now how unjust he had been in
driving away his sons. When he found his voice, he
cried: Wait, you ungrateful creature! it is not enough
to drive you away, but I will put such a mark upon you,
that you will not dare to shew your face again among
honest tailors." And so saying, he sprang upstairs,

THE WISHING TABLE

brought down his razor, lathered the goat's head all over,
and shaved it till it was as smooth as the back of his
hand. Then he fetched the whip,-his yard-measure he
considered was too good for such work,-and dealt the
animal such blows, that she leapt into the air and away.
Sitting now quite alone in his house, the tailor fell into
great melancholy, and would gladly have had his sons
hack again, but no one knew what had become of them.
The eldest had apprenticed himself to a joiner, and
had set himself cheerfully and diligently to learn his
trade. When the time came for him to start as' a
journeyman, his master made him a present of a table,
which was of ordinary wood, and to all outward appear-
ance exactly like any other table. It had, however, one
good quality, for if anyone set it down, and said, "Table,
serve up a meal," it was immediately covered with a nice
fresh cloth, laid with a plate, knife and fork, and dishes
of boiled and baked meats, as many as there was room for,
and a glass of red wine, which only to look at made the
heart rejoice.
"I have enough now to last me as long as I live,"
thought the young man to himself, and accordingly he
went about enjoying himself, not minding whether the
inns he stayed at were good or bad, whether there was
food to be had there or not. Sometimes it pleased him
not to seek shelter within them at all, but to turn into
a field or a wood, or wherever else he fancied. When
there he put down his table, and said, Serve up a meal,"
and he was at once supplied with everything he could
desire in the way of food.
After he had been going about like this for some time,
he bethought him that he should like to go home again.
His father's anger would by this time have passed away,

I

THE WISHING TABLE

and now that he had the wishing-table with him, he was
sure of a ready welcome.
He happened, on his homeward way, to come one
evening to an inn full of guests. They bid him welcome,
and invited him to sit down with them and share their
supper, otherwise, they added, he would have a difficulty
in getting anything to eat.
But the joiner replied, "I will not take from you
what little you have, I would rather that you should
consent to be my guests," whereupon they all laughed,
thinking he was only joking with them. He now put
down his table in the middle of the room, and said,
"Table, serve up a meal," and in a moment it was covered
with a variety of food of better quality than any the host
could have supplied, and a fragrant steam rose from the
dishes and greeted the nostrils of the guests. "Now,
friends, fall to," said the young man, and the guests,
seeing that the invitation was well intended, did not wait
to be asked twice, but drew up their chairs and began
vigorously to ply their knives and forks. What astonished
them most was the way in which, as soon as a dish was
empty, another full one appeared in its place. Meanwhile
the landlord was standing in the corner of the room look-
ing on; he did not know what to think of it all, but said
to himself, "I could make good use of a cook like that."
The joiner and his friends kept up their merriment late
into the night, but at last they retired to rest, the young
journeyman placing his table against the wall before going
to bed.
The landlord, however, could not sleep for thinking of
what he had seen; at last it occurred to him that up in
his lumber-room he had an old table, which was just such
another one to all appearance as the wishing table; so

THE WISHING TABLE

he crept away softly to fetch it, and put it against the
wall in place of the other.
When the morning came, the joiner paid for his night's.
lodging, took up his table, and left, never suspecting that
the one he was carrying was not his own.
He reached home at mid-day, and was greeted with joy.
by his father. "And now, dear son," said the old man
"what trade have you learnt?"
I am a joiner, father."
"A capital business," responded the father, "and what
have you brought home with you from your travels ?"
"The best thing I have brought with me, father, is
that table."
The tailor carefully examined the table on all sides.
"Well," he said at last, "you have certainly not brought
a master-piece back with you; it is a wretched, badly-
made old table."
But it is a wishing-table," interrupted his son, "if I
put it down and order a meal, it is at once covered with
the best of food and wine. If you will only invite your
relations and friends, they shall, for once in their lives,
have a good meal, for no one ever leaves this table
unsatisfied."
When the guests were all assembled, he put his table
down as usual, and said, "Table, serve up a meal," but
the table did not stir, and remained as empty as any
ordinary table at such a command. Then the poor young
man saw that his table had been changed, and he was
covered with shame at having to stand there before them
all like a liar. The guests made fun of him, and had to
return home without bite or sup. The tailor took out his
cloth and sat down once more to his tailoring, and the son
started work again under a master-joiner.

toe
ispging,

ite (Sofb
$se anb
f~e
Cubsef

THE WISHING TABLE

The second son had apprenticed himself to a miller.
When his term of apprenticeship had expired, the miller
said to him, As you have behaved so well, I will make
you a present of an ass; it is a curious animal, it will
neither draw a cart nor carry a sack."
"Of what use is he then ?" asked the young apprentice.
"He gives gold," answered the miller, "if you stand him
on a cloth, and say "Bricklebrit," gold pieces will fall from
his mouth."
"That is a handsome present," said the young miller,
and he thanked his master and departed.
After this, whenever he was in need of money, he had
only to say "Bricklebrit," and a shower of gold pieces fell
on the ground, and all he had to do was to pick them up.
He ordered the best of everything wherever he went, in
short, the dearer the better, for his purse was always full.
He had been going about the world like this for some
time, when he began to think he should like to see his
father again. When he sees my gold ass, he said to him-
self, he will forget his anger, and be glad to have me back.
It came to pass that he arrived one evening at the same
inn in which his brother had had his table stolen from
him. He was leading his ass up to the door, when the
landlord came out and offered to take the animal, but the
young miller refused his help. "Do not trouble yourself,"
he said, "I will take my old Greycoat myself to the stable
and fasten her up, as I like to know where she is."
The landlord was very much astonished at this; the
man cannot be very well off, he thought, to look after his
own ass. When the stranger, therefore, pulled two gold
pieces out of his pocket, and ordered the best of every-
thing that could be got in the market, the landlord opened
his eyes, but he ran off with alacrity to do his bidding.

THE WISHING TABLE

Having finished his meal, the stranger asked for his
bill, and the landlord thinking he might safely overcharge
such a rich customer, asked for two more gold pieces.
The miller felt in his pocket but found he had spent
all his gold. "Wait a minute," he said to the land-
lord, I will go and fetch some more money."
Whereupon he went out, carrying the table-cloth with
him.
This was more than the landlord's curiosity could
stand, and he followed his guest to the stable. As
the latter bolted the door after him, he went and
peeped through a hole in the wall, and there he saw
the stranger spread the cloth under his ass, and heard
him say, "Bricklebrit," and immediately the floor was
covered with gold pieces which fell from the animal's
mouth.
A good thousand, I declare," cried the host, ".the
gold pieces do not take long to coin! it's not a bad
thing to have a money-bag like that."
The guest settled his account and went to bed.
During the night the landlord crept down to the stable,
led away the gold-coining ass, and fastened up another
in its place.
Early the next morning the young miller went off
with his ass, thinking all the time that he was leading
his own. By noonday he had reached home, where
his father gave him a warm welcome.
"What have you been doing with yourself, my son ?"
asked the old man.
"I am a miller, dear father," he answered.
'.' And what have you brought home with you from
your travels?"
"Nothing but an ass, father."

THE WISHING TABLE

"There are asses enough here," said the father, "I
should have been better pleased if it had been a
goat."
Very likely," replied the son, "but this is no
ordinary ass, it is an ass that coins money; if I say
"Bricklebrit" to it, a whole sackful of gold pours
from its mouth. Call all your relations and friends
together, I will turn you all into rich people."
"11 shall like that well enough," said the tailor, "for
then I shall not have to go on plaguing myself with
stitching," and he ran out himself to invite his neigh-
bours. As soon as they were all assembled, the young
miller asked them to clear a space, and he then spread
his cloth and brought the ass into the room. "Now
see," said he, and cried Bricklebrit," but not a single
gold piece appeared, and it was evident that the animal
knew nothing of the art of gold-coining, for it is not
every ass that attains to such a degree of excellence.
The poor young miller pulled a long face, for he saw
that he had been tricked: he begged forgiveness of the
company, who all returned home as poor as they came.
There was nothing to be done now but for the old man
to go back to his needle, and the young one to hire him-
self to a miller.
The third son had apprenticed himself to a turner,
which, being a trade requiring a great deal of skill,
obliged him to serve a longer time than his brothers.
He had, however, heard from them by letter, and knew
how badly things had gone with them, and that they
had been robbed of their property by an innkeeper on
the last evening before reaching home.
When it was time for him to start as a journeyman,
his master, being pleased with his conduct, presented

THE WISHING TABLE

him with a bag, saying as he did so, "You will find a
cudgel inside."
"The bag I can carry over my shoulder, and it will
no doubt be of great service to me, but of what use is a
cudgel inside, it will only add to the weight?"
"I will explain," said the master, "if any one at any
time should behave badly to you, you have only to say,
'Cudgel, out of the bag,' and the stick will jump out,
and give him such a cudgelling, that he will not be able
to move or stir for a week afterwards, and it will not
leave off till you say, Cudgel, into the bag.'"
The young man thanked him, hung the bag on his
back, and when any one threatened to attack him, or
in any way to do him harm, he called out, "Cudgel, out
of the bag," and no sooner were the words said than
out jumped the stick, and beat the offenders soundly
on the back, till their clothes Were in ribbons, and it
did it all so quickly, that the turn had come round to
each of them before he was aware.
It was evening when the young -turner reached the
inn where his brothers had been so badly treated. He
laid his bag down on the table, and began giving an
account of all the wonderful things he had seen while
going about the world.
One may come across a wishing-table," he said, or
an ass that gives gold, and such like; all very good
things in their way, but not all of them put together
are worth the treasure of which I have possession, and
which I carry with me in that bag."
The landlord pricked up his ears. "What can it
be," he asked himself, "the bag must be filled with
precious stones; I must try and get hold. of that cheaply
too, for there is luck in odd numbers." .

THE WISHING TABLE

Bed-time came, and the guest stretched himself out
on one of the benches and placed his bag under his
head for a pillow. As soon as the landlord thought
he was fast asleep, he went up to him, and began gently
and cautiously pulling and pushing at the bag to see
if he could get it away and put another in its place.
But the young miller had been waiting for this and
just as the landlord was about to give a good last pull,
he cried, "Cudgel, out of the bag," and the same moment
the stick was out, and beginning its usual dance. It
beat him with such a vengeance that the landlord cried
out for mercy, but the louder his cries, the more lustily
did the -stick beat time to them, until he fell to the
ground exhausted.
"If you do not give back the wishing-table and the
gold ass," said the young turner, the game shall begin
over again."
No, no," cried the landlord in a feeble voice, "I will
gladly give every thing back, if only you will make that
dreadful demon of a stick return to the bag.'
"This time," said the turner, "I will deal with you
according to mercy rather than justice, but beware of
offending in like manner again.". Then he cried,
"Cudgel, into the bag," and let the man remain in
peace.
The turner journeyed on next day to his father's house,
taking with him the wishing-table and the gold ass. The
tailor was delighted to. see his son again, and asked
him, as he had the others, what trade he had learnt since
he left home.
"I am a turner, dear father," he answered.
"A highly skilled trade," said the tailor, "and what
have you brought back with you from your travels ?"

THE WISHING TABLE

"An invaluable thing, dear father," replied the son,
"a cudgel."
"What! a cudgel!" exclaimed the old man, "that
was certainly well worth while, seeing that you can cut
yourself one from the first tree you come across."
"But not such a one as this, dear father; for, if I
say to it, "Cudgel, out of the bag," out it jumps, and
gives any one who has evil intentions towards me such
a bad time of it, that he falls down and cries for mercy.
And know, that it was with this stick that I got back the
wishing-table and the gold ass, which the dishonest
inn-keeper stole from my brothers. Now, go and call
them both here, and invite all your relations and friends,
and I will feast them and fill their pockets with gold."
The old tailor was slow to believe all this but never-
theless he went out and gathered his neighbours together.
Then the turner put down a cloth, and led inf the gold
ass, and said to his brother, Now, dear brother, speak
to him." The miller said "Bricklebrit," and the cloth
was immediately covered with gold pieces, which con-
tinued to pour from the ass's mouth until everyone had
taken as many as he could carry. (I see by your faces
that you are all wishing you had been there).
Then the turner brought in the wishing-table, and said,
"Now, dear brother, speak to it." And scarcely had the
joiner cried, "Table, serve up a meal," than it was covered
with a profusion of daintily dressed meats. Then the
tailor and his guests sat down to a meal such as they had
never enjoyed before in their lives, and they all sat up
late into the night, full of good cheer and jollity.
The tailor put away his needle and thread, his yard-
measure and his goose, and he and his three sons lived
together henceforth in contentment and luxury.

THE WISHING TABLE

Meanwhile, what had become of the goat, who had been
the guilty cause of the three sons being driven from their
home? I will tell you.
She was so ashamed of her shaven crown, that she ran
and crept into a fox's hole. When the fox came home, he
was met by two large glittering eyes that gleamed at him
out of the darkness, and he was so frightened that he ran
away. The bear met him, and perceiving that he was in
some distress, said, What is the matter, brother Fox,
why are you pulling such a long face ? "Ah! answered
Redskin, "there is a dreadful animal sitting in my hole,
which glared at me with fiery eyes."
"We will soon drive him out," said the Bear, and he
trotted back with his friend to the hole and looked in, but
the sight of the fiery eyes was quite enough for him, and
he turned and took to his heels.
The bee met him and noticing that he was somewhat ill
at ease, said, "Bear, you look remarkably out of humour,
where have you left your good spirits ?" "It's easy for
you to talk," replied the bear, "a horrible animal with
red goggle-eyes is sitting in the fox's hole, and we cannot
drive it out."
The bee said, I really am sorry for you, Bear; I am
but a poor weak little creature that you scarcely deign to
look at in passing, but, for all that, I think I shall be able
to help you."
With this the bee flew to the fox's hole, settled on the
smooth shaven head of the goat, and stung her so violently,
that she leaped high into the air, crying, Nan, nan "
and fled away like a mad thing into the open country;
but no one, to this hour, has found out what became of
her after that.

The Mouse, the Bird, and

the Sausage.

ONCE upon a time, a mouse, a bird, and a sausage, entered
into partnership and set up house together. For a long
time all went well; they lived in great comfort, and pros-
pered so far as to be able to add considerably to their
stores. The bird's duty was to fly daily into the wood
and bring in fuel; the mouse fetched the water, and the
sausage saw to the cooking.
When people are too well off they always begin to
long for something new. And so it came to pass, that the
bird while out one day, met a fellow-bird, to whom he
boastfully expatiated on the excellence of his house-
hold arrangements. But the other bird sneered at him
for being a poor simpleton, who did all the hard work,
34 4

THE MOUSE, THE BIRD, THE SAUSAGE 25

while the other two stayed at home and had a good
time of it. For, when the mouse had made the fire
and fetched in the water, she could retire into her little
room and rest until it was time to set the table. The
sausage had only to watch the pot to see that the
food was properly cooked, and when it was near dinner-
time, he just threw himself into the broth, or rolled in
Sand out among the vegetables three or four times, and
there they were, buttered and salted, and ready to be
served. Then, when the bird came home and had laid
aside his burden, they sat down to table, and when they
had finished their meal, they could sleep their fill till the
following morning: and that was really a very delightful
life.
Influenced by these remarks, the bird next morning
refused to bring in the wood, telling the others that he
had been their servant long enough, and had been a fool
into the bargain, and that it was now time to make a
change, and to try some other way of arranging the work.
Beg and pray as the mouse and the sausage might, it was
of no use; the bird remained master of the situation, and
the venture had to be made. They therefore drew lots,
and it fell to the sausage to bring in the wood, to the
mouse to cook, and to the bird to fetch the water.
And now what happened? The sausage started in
search of wood, the bird made the fire, and the mouse put
on the pot, and then these two waited till the sausage
returned with the fuel for the following day. But the
sausage remained so long away, that they became uneasy,
and the bird flew out to meet him. He had not flown far,
however, when he came across a dog who, having met the
sausage, had regarded him as his legitimate booty, and so
seized and swallowed him. The bird complained to the

26 THE MOUSE, THE BIRD, THE SAUSAGE

dog of this bare-faced robbery, but nothing he said was
of any avail, for the dog answered that he had found false
credentials on the sausage, and that was the reason his
life had been forfeited.
The bird picked up the wood, and flew sadly home, and
told the mouse all he had seen and heard. They were
both very unhappy but agreed to make the best of things
and to remain with one another.
So now the bird set the table, and the mouse looked
after the food, and wishing to prepare it in the same way
as the sausage, by rolling in and out among the vegetables
to salt and butter them, she jumped into the pot; but she
stopped short long before she reached the bottom, having
already parted not only with her skin and hair, but also
with life.
Presently the bird came in and wanted to serve up the
dinner, but he could nowhere se the cook. In his alarm
and flurry, he threw the wood here and there about the
floor, called and searched, but no cook was to be found.
Then some of the wood that had been carelessly thrown
down, caught fire and began to blaze. The bird hastened
to fetch some water, but his pail fell into the well, and he
after it, and as he was unable to recover himself, he was
drowned.

FOX'S
7 BRUSH

THE King of the East had a beautiful garden, and 'in
the garden stood a tree that bore golden apples. Lest
any of these apples should be stolen, they were always
counted; but about the time when they began to
grow ripe, it was found that every night one of them
was gone. The king became very angry at this, and
S7

THE FOX'S BRUSH

told the gardener to keep a watch under the tree all
night.
The gardener set his eldest son to watch, but about
twelve o'clock he fell asleep, and in the morning another
of the apples was missing.
Then the second son was set to watch, and at mid-
night he too fell asleep, and in the morning another
apple was gone.
Then the third son offered to keep watch: but the
gardener at first would not let him, for fear some harm
should come to him. However, at last he yielded, and
the young man laid himself under the tree to watch. As
the clock struck twelve he heard a rustling noise in the
air, and a bird came flying and sat upon the tree. This
bird's feathers were all of pure gold; and as it was
snapping at one of the apples with its beak, the gardener's
son jumped up and shot an arrow at it. The arrow,
however, did the bird no harm, it only dropped a golden
feather from its tail, and flew away. The golden feather
was then brought to the king in the morning, and
all his court were called together. Every one agreed
that it was the most beautiful thing that had ever been
seen, and that it was worth more than all the wealth
of the kingdom: but the king said, One feather is
of no use to me, I must and will have the whole bird."
Then the gardener's eldest son set out to find this
golden bird, and thought to find it very easily; and
when he had gone but a little way, he came to a wood,
and by the side of the wood he saw a fox sitting. The
lad was fond of a little sporting, so he took his bow and
made ready to shoot at it. Then Mr Reynard, who
saw what he was about, and did not like the thought
of being shot at, cried out, "Softly, softly! do not

THE FOX'S BRUSH 29

shoot me, I can give you good counsel. I know what
your business is, and that you want to find the golden
bird. You will reach a village in the evening, and
when you get there you will see two inns, built one on
each side of the street. The right-hand one is very
pleasant and beautiful to look at, but go not in there.
Rest for the night in the other, though it may seem
to you very poor and mean." "What can such a beast
as this know about the matter?" thought the silly lad
to himself. So he shot his arrow at the fox, but he
missed it, and it only laughed at him, set up its tail
above its back, and ran into the wood.
The young man ,ent his way, and in the evening
came to the village \where the two inns were. In the
right-hand one were people singing, and dancing, and
feasting; but the other looked very dirty, and poor,
"I should be very silly," said he, "if I went to that
shabby house, and left this charming place:" so he
went into the smart house, and ate and drank at his
ease; and there he stayed, and forgot the bird and
his country too.
Time passed on, and as the eldest son did not come
back, and no tidings were heard of him, the second son
set out, and the same thing happened to him. He
met with the fox sitting by the roadside, who gave
him the same good- advice as he had given his brother:
but when he came to the two inns, his eldest brother
was standing at the window where the merry-making
was, and-called to him to come in; and he could not
withstand the temptation, but went in, joined the merry-
making, and there forgot the golden bird and his country
in the same manner.
Time passed on again, and the youngest son too

THE FOX'S BRUSH

wished to set out into the wide world, to seek for the
golden bird; but his father would not listen to him for
a long while, for he was very fond of his son, and was
afraid that some ill-luck might happen to him also, and
hinder his coming back. However, at last it was agreed
he should go; for, to tell the truth, he would not rest
at home. As he came to the wood he met the fox,
who gave him the same good counsel that he had given
the other brothers. But he was thankful to the fox,
and did not shoot at him, as his brothers had done.
Then the fox said, "Sit upon my tail, and you will
travel faster." So he sat down: and the fox began to
run, and away they went over stock and stone, so quickly
that their hair whistled in the wind.
When they came to the village, the young man was
wise enough to follow the fox's counsel, and, without
looking about him, went straight to the shabby inn, and
rested there all night at his ease. In the morning came
the fox again, and met him as he was beginning his
journey, and said, "Go straight forward till you come to
a castle, before which lie a whole troop of soldiers fast
asleep and snoring; take no notice of them, but go into
the castle, and pass on and on till you come to a room
where the golden bird sits in a wooden cage: close by it
stands a beautiful golden cage; but do not try to take the
bird out of the shabby cage and put it into the handsome
one, otherwise you will be sorry for it." Then the fox
stretched out his brush again, and the young man sat
himself down, and away they went over stock and stone,
till their hair whistled in the wind.
Before the castle gate all was as the fox had said: so
the lad went in, and found the chamber, where the golden
bird hung in a wooden cage. Below stood the golden

THE FOX'S BRUSH

cage; and the three golden apples, that had been lost,
were lying close by its side. Then he thought to himself,
" It will be a very droll thing to bring away such a fine
bird in this shabby cage; so he opened the door and took
hold of the bird, and put it into the golden cage. But it
set up at once such a loud scream, that all the soldiers
awoke; and they took him prisoner, and carried him
before the king.
The next morning the court sat to judge him; and
when all was heard, it doomed him to die, unless he
should bring the king the golden horse, that could run as
swiftly as the wind. If he did this he was to have the
golden bird given him for his own.
So he set out once more on his journey, sighing, and in
great despair; when, on a sudden, he met his good friend
the fox taking his morning's walk. "Heyday, young
gentleman!" said Reynard; "you see now what has
happened from you not listening to my advice. I will
still, however, tell you how you may find the golden
horse, if you will but do as I bid you. You must go
straight on till you come to the castle, where the horse
stands in his stall. By his side will lie the groom fast
asleep and snoring; take away the horse softly; but be
sure to let the old leather saddle be upon him, and do
not put on the golden one that is close by." Then the
young man sat down on the fox's tail; and away they
went over stock and stone, till their hair whistled in the
wind.
All went right, and the groom lay snoring, with his
hand upon the golden saddle. But when the lad looked
at the horse, he thought it a great pity to keep the
leather saddle upon it. "I will give him the good one,"
said he: "I am sure he is worth it." As he took up the

THE FOX'S BRUSH

golden saddle, the groom awoke, and cried out so loud,
that all the guards ran in and took him prisoner; and in
the morning he was brought before the king's court to be
judged, and was once more doomed to die. But it was
agreed that if he could bring thither the beautiful
princess, he should live and have the horse given him
for his own.
Then he went his way again very sorrowful; but the
old fox once more met him on the road, and said, "Why
did you not listen to me? If you had, you would have
carried away both the bird and the horse. Yet I will
once more give you counsel. Go straight on, and in
the evening you will come to a castle. At twelve o'clock
every night the princess goes to the bath: go up to her
as she passes, and give her a kiss, and she will let you
lead her away ; but take care you do not let her go and
take leave of her father and mother." Then the fox
stretched out his tail, and away they went over stock
and stone till their hair r histled again.
As they came to the castle all was as the fox had said;
and at twelve o'clock the young man met the princess
going to the bath, and gave her the kiss; and she agreed
to run away with him, but begged \bith many tears that
he would let her take leave of her father. At first he
said, No! but she wept still more and more, and fell
at his feet, till at last he yielded; but the moment she
came to her father's door the guards awoke, and he was
taken prisoner again.
So he was brought at once before the king, who lived
in that castle. And the king said, "You shall never
have my daughter, unless in eight days you dig away
the hill that stops the view from my window." Now
this hill was so big that all the men in the whole world

tee
princeee
going fo
fPe ~afl

THE FOX'S BRUSH

could not have taken it away: and when he had worked
for seven days, and had done very little, the fox came
and said, "Lie down and go to sleep! I will work for
you." In the morning he awoke, and the hill was gone;
so he went merrily to the king, and told him that now
it was gone he must give him the princess.
Then the king was obliged to keep his word, and away
went the young man and the princess. But the fox came
and said to him, "That will not do; we will have all
three,-the princess, the horse, and the bird." "Ah!"
said the young man, "that would be a great thing; but
how can it be ?"
"If you will only listen," said the fox, "it can soon
be done. When you come to the king of the castle
where the golden horse is, and he asks for the beautiful
princess, you must say, 'Here she is!' Then he will
be very glad to see her, apd will run to welcome her;
and you will mount the golden horse that they are to
give you, and put out your hand to take leave of them;
but shake hands with the princess last. Then lift her
quickly on to the horse, behind you; clap your spurs
to his side, and gallop away as fast as you can."
All went right: then the fox said, "When you come
to the castle where the bird is, I will stay with the
princess at the door, and you will ride in and speak to
the king; and when he sees that it is the right horse,
he will bring out the bird: but you must sit still, and
say that you want to look at it, to see whether it is the
true golden bird or not; and when you get it into your
hand, ride away as fast as you can."
This, too, happened as the fox said: they carried off
the bird; the princess mounted again, and off they rode
till they came to a great wood. On their way through

THE FOX'S BRUSH

it they met their old friend Reynard again, and he said,
"Pray kill me, and cut off my head and my brush "
The young man would not do any such thing to so good
a friend: so the fox said, "I will at any rate give you
good counsel: beware of two things! ransom no one
from the gallows, and sit down by the side of no brook! "
Then away he went. Well," thought the young man,
"it is no hard matter, at any rate, to follow that advice."
So he rode on with the princess, till at last they came
to the village where he had left his two brothers. And
there he heard a great noise and uproar: and when he
asked what was the matter, the people said, "Two rogues
are going to be hanged." As he came nearer, he saw
that the two men were his brothers, who had turned
robbers. At the sight of them in this sad plight his
heart was very heavy, and he cried out, "Can nothing
save them from such a death?" but the people said
"No! unless he would bestow all his money upon the
rascals, and buy their freedom, by repaying all they had
stolen. Then he did not stay to think about it, but paid
whatever was asked; and his brothers were given up, and
went on with him towards their father's home.
Now the weather was very hot; and as they came to
the wood where the fox first met them, they found it so
cool and shady under the trees, by the side of a brook
that ran close by, that the two brothers said, "Let us sit
down by the side of this brook and rest a while, to eat
and drink." "Very well! said he, and forgot what the
fox had said, and sat down on the side of the brook: and
while he thought of no harm coming to him they crept
behind him, and threw him down the bank, and took the
princess, the horse, and the bird, and went home to the
king their master, and said, "All these we have won by

THE FOX'S BRUSH

our own skill and strength." Then there was great
merriment made, and the king held a feast, and the two
brothers were welcomed home; but the horse would not
eat, the bird would not sing, and the princess sat by
herself in her chamber, and wept bitterly.
The youngest son fell to the bottom of the bed of the
stream. Luckily, it was nearly dry, but his bones were
almost broken, and the bank was so steep that he could
find no way to get out. As he stood bewailing his fate,
and thinking what he should do, to his great joy he spied
his old and faithful friend the fox, looking down from the
bank upon him. Then Reynard scolded him for not
following his advice, which would have saved him from
all the troubles that had befallen him. "Yet," said he,
"silly as you have been, I cannot bear to leave you here;
so lay hold of my brush, and hold fast! Then he pulled
him out of the river, and said to him, as he got upon the
bank, Your brothers have set a watch to kill you if they
find you making your way back." So he dressed himself
as a poor piper, and came playing on his pipe to the king's
court. But he was scarcely within the gate when the horse
began to eat, and the bird to sing, and the princess left off
weeping. And when he got to the great hall, where all
the court sat feasting, he went straight up to the king, and
told him all his brothers' roguery. Then it made the king
very angry to hear what they had done, and they were
seized and punished; and the youngest son had the princess
given to him again; and he married her; and after the
king's death he was chosen king in his stead.
After his marriage he went one day to walk in the
wood, and there the old fox met him once more, and
besought him, with tears in his eyes, to be so kind as
to cut off his head and his brush. At last he did so,

38 THE FOX'S BRUSH
though sorely against his will, and in the same moment
the fox was changed into a prince, and the princess knew
him to be her own brother, who had been lost a great
many years; for a spiteful fairy had enchanted him, with
a spell that could only be broken by some one getting the
golden bird, and by cutting off his head and his brush.

THEM
FISHERMAN
AND HIS
WIFE

THERE was once a fisherman who lived with his wife
in a pigstye, close by the sea-side. The fisherman used
to go out all day long a-fishing; and one day, as he sat
on the shore with his rod, looking at the sparkling
waves and watching his line, all on a sudden his float
was dragged away deep into the water: and in drawing
it up he pulled out a great fish. But the fish said,
"Pray let me live! I am not a real fish; I am an
enchanted prince: put me in the water again, and let me
go!" "Oh! ho!" said the man, "you need not make
so many words about the matter; I will have nothing
to do with a fish that can talk: so swim away, Sir, as
soon as you please!" Then he put him back into the
water, and the fish darted straight down to the bottom,
and left a long streak of blood behind him on the wave.
When the fisherman went home to his wife in the
pigstye, he told her how he had caught a great fish, and
how it had told him it was an enchanted prince, and how,
on hearing it speak, he had let it go again. "Did not

40 THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE
you ask it for anything?" said the wife. "No," said the
man; what should I ask for ?" "Ah! said the wife,
"we live very wretchedly here, in this nasty dirty pig-
stye; do go back and tell the fish we want a snug
little cottage."
The fisherman did not much like the business: how-
ever, he went to the sea-shore; and when he came back
there the water looked all yellow and green. And he
stood at the water's edge, and said,-
4) man of fe sea !
etarften fo me!
(te 5ife 3fsa6iff
WVff kaBe Oer oton twiff
$nb 1 aft senf me fo 6es a coon of f$ee!"
Then the fish came swimming to him, and said, "Well,
what is her will? what does your wife want ?" "Ah! "
said the fisherman, "she says that when I had caught
you, I ought to have asked you for something -before I
let you go; she does not like living any longer in the
pigstye, and wants a snug little cottage." "Go home,
then," said the fish; "she is in the cottage already "
So the man went home, and saw his wife standing at
the door of a nice trim little cottage. "Come in, come
in!" said she; "is not this much better than the filthy
pigstye we had?" And there was a parlour, and a
bedchamber, and a kitchen; and behind the cottage
there was a little garden, planted with all sorts of flowers
and fruits; and there was a courtyard behind, full of
ducks and chickens. "Ah!" said the fisherman, "how
happily we shall live now! "We will try to do so, at
least," said his wife.
Everything went right for a week or two, and then

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE 41

Dame Ilsabill said, "Husband, there is not near room
enough for us in this cottage; the courtyard and the
garden are a great deal too small; I should like to have
a large stone castle to live in: go to the fish again
and tell him to give us a castle." "Wife," said the
fisherman, "I don't like to go to him again, for perhaps
he will be angry; we ought to be easy with this pretty
cottage to live in." "Nonsense!" said the wife; "he
will do it very willingly, I know; go along, and try !"
The fisherman went, but his heart was very heavy:
and when he came to the sea, it looked blue and gloomy,
though it was very calm; and he went close to the edge
of the waves, and said,-
0+ ) man of f te sea !
I1Eearften o me!
gtp Mife 5foaftiff
Viff 45e Oer otwn miff.
(nb ct4f sent me to Oes a Ooon of ftee!1"
"Well, what does she want now?" said the fish.
"Ah!" said the man, dolefully, "nmy wife wants to live
in a stone castle." "Go home, then," said the fish;
"she is standing at the gate of it already." So away
went the fisherman, and found his wife standing before
the gate of a great castle. See," said she, "is not this
grand?" With that they went into the castle together,
and found a great many servants there, and the rooms
all richly furnished, and full of golden chairs and tables;
and behind the castle was a garden, and around it was
a park half a mile long, full of sheep, and goats, and
hares, and deer; and in the courtyard were stables and
cow-houses. "Well," said the man, "now we will live
cheerful and happy in this beautiful castle for the rest

42 THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE
of our lives." "Perhaps we may," said the wife; "but
let us sleep upon it, before we make up our minds to
that." So they went to bed.
The next morning when Dame Ilsabill awoke it was
broad daylight, and she jogged the fisherman with her
elbow, and said, "Get up, husband, and bestir yourself,
for we must be king of all the land." "Wife, wife,"
said the man, "why should we wish to be king? I will
not be king." "Then I will," said she. "But, wife,"
said the fisherman, "how can you be king? the fish
cannot make you a king." "Husband," said she, "say
no more about it, but go and try! I will be king."
So the man went away quite sorrowful to think that his
wife should want to be king. This time the sea looked a
dark gray colour, and was overspread with curling waves
and ridges of foam as he cried out,-
"0 man of fte Oe&!
3earften to me!
QSW wife 3faaoiff
"Viff 0a4e 9er owon miff.
4nb lJaft sent me to beg a Boon of ftee !
"Well, what would she have now?" said the fish.
'Alas!" said the poor man, "my wife wants to be
king." Go home," said the fish; she is king
already."
Then the fisherman went home; and as he came close
to the palace he saw a troop of soldiers, and heard the
sound of drums and trumpets. And when he went in
he saw his wife sitting on a high throne of gold and
diamonds, with a golden crown upon her head; and on
each side of her stood six fair maidens, each a head taller
than the other. "Well, wife," said the fisherman, "are

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE

you king ?" "Yes," said she, "I am king." And when
he had looked at her for a long time, he said, "Ah,
wife! what a fine thing-it is to.be king! now we shall
never have anything more to wish for as long as we live."
" I don't know how that may be," said she; "never is a
long time. I am king, it is true; but I begin to be tired
of that, and I think I should like to be emperor." "Alas,
wife! why should you wish to be emperor?" said the
fisherman. "Husband," said she, "go to the fish! I
say I will be emperor." "Ah, wife!" replied the fisher-
man, the fish cannot make an emperor I am sure, and I
should not like to ask him for such a thing." "I am
king," said Ilsabill, "and you are my slave; so go at
once! "
So the fisherman was forced to go; and he muttered
as he went along, "This will come to no good, it is too
much to ask; the fish will be tired at last, and then we
shall be sorry for what we have done." He soon came
to the sea-shore; and the water was quite black and
muddy, and a mighty whirlwind blew over the waves and
rolled them about, but he went as near as he could to
the water's brink, and said,-
4) man of tfe seae!
eftfrlten to me!
qtle rioife 5fzaciff
'Wiff o9ae Per own triff.
n0b $oaf sent me to Oes a ioon of ftee!"
"What would she have now ?" said the fish. "Ah!"
said the fisherman, she wants to be emperor." "Go
home," said the fish; she is emperor already."
So he went home again; and as he came near he saw
his wife Ilsabill sitting on a very lofty throne made of

44 THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE
solid gold, with a great crown on her head full two yards
high; and on each side of her stood her guards and
attendants in a row, each one smaller than the other,
from the tallest giant down to a little dwarf no bigger
than my finger. And before her stood princes, and dukes,
and earls: and the fisherman went up to her and said,
"Wife, are you emperor?" "Yes," said she, "I am
emperor." "Ah! said the man, as he gazed upon her,
"what a fine thing it is to be emperor!" "Husband,"
said she, "why should we stop at being emperor? I will
be pope next." "O wife, wife! said he, "how can you
be pope ? there is but one pope at a time in Christendom."
"Husband," said she, "I will be pope this very day."
"But," replied the husband, "the fish cannot make you
pope." "What nonsense!" said she; "if he can make
an emperor, he can make a pope: go and try him."
So the fisherman went. But when he came to the
shore the wind was raging and the sea was tossed up and
down in boiling waves, and the ships were in trouble,
and rolled fearfully upon the tops of the billows. In the
middle of the heavens there was a little piece of blue sky,
but towards the south all was red, as if a dreadful storm
was rising. At this sight the fisherman was dreadfully
frightened, and he trembled so that his knees knocked
together: but still he went down near to the shore, and
said,-
0 man of fee sea!
itearften fo me!
(Qte Mife 3feaciff
Wiff ~a~e Per onrn rtiff,
gnbo afo sent me to esg a Boon of ftee!
"What does she want now?" said the fish. "Ah!"

THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE

said the fisherman, "my wife wants to be pope." "Go
home," said the fish; "she is pope already."
Then the fisherman went home, ard found Ilsabill
sitting on a throne that was two miles high. And she
had three great crowns on her head, and around her
stood all the pomp and power of the church. And on
each side of her were two rows of burning lights, of all
sizes, the greatest as large as the highest and biggest
tower in the world, and the least no larger than a small
rushlight. "Wife," said the fisherman, as he looked at
all this greatness, "are you pope?" "Yes," said she,
"I am pope." "Well, wife," replied he, "it is a grand
thing to be pope; and now you must be easy, for you
Scan be nothing greater." "I will think about that," said
the wife. Then they went to bed: but Dame Ilsabill
could not sleep all night for thinking what she should be
next. At last, as she was dropping asleep, morning broke,
and the sun rose. "Ha! thought she, as she woke up
and looked at it through the window, "after all I cannot
prevent the sun rising." At this thought she was very
angry, and wakened her husband, and said, "Husband,
go to the fish and tell him I must be lord of the sun and
moon." The fisherman was half asleep, but the thought
frightened him so much that he started and fell out of
bed. "Alas, wife!" said he, "cannot you be easy with
being pope?" "No," said she, "I am very uneasy as
long as the sun and moon rise without my leave. Go to
the fish at once! "
Then the man went shivering with fear; and as he
was going down to the shore a dreadful storm arose,
so that the trees and the very rocks shook. And all
the heavens became black with stormy clouds, and the
lightning played, and the thunders rolled; and you

46 THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE
might have seen in the sea great black waves, swelling
up like mountains with crowns of white foam upon their
heads. And the fisherman crept towards the sea, and
cried out, as well as he could,-
"0 man of foe sea!
1earften to me!
M(te wife 3fadfliff
q'iff 40ae pe omn mifTf
(nb 0~fo seenf me fo ee0 a foon of f3ee !
"What does she want now ?" said the fish. Ah!"
said he, "she wants to be lord of the sun and moon."
"Go home," said the fish, to your pigstye again."
And there they live to this very day.

THERE were once a king and queen who had lived happily
together for many years. They had twelve children, but
it so happened that all these children were boys. One
day the king said to the queen, "If our next child should
be a girl, all the boys must die, for I should like my
daughter to be very rich and to inherit the whole of my
kingdom." Hereupon he ordered twelve coffins to be
made, and after a little pillow had been placed in each
and they had all been filled with shavings, they were
locked up in a room in the castle. Then the king gave
the key to his wife, and told her on no account to say a
word of this matter to anyone.
But the poor mother could do nothing but sit and
grieve the whole day long, and seeing her so sorrowful,
her youngest boy, whom she had named Benjamin after
the little son in the Bible, and who always liked to be
near his mother, went to her and said, "Dear mother,
why are you so sad?"
"I may not tell you, dearest child," she answered.

THE TWELVE BROTHERS ,

The boy, however, gave her no peace with his question-
ings, until at last she rose and led him to the room in
which the coffins were kept.
"Dearest Benjamin," she said, "your father had these
coffins prepared for you and your brothers, for, if ever
I have a little daughter, you are all to be killed and buried
in them." She wept so bitterly as she told him this, that
her son tried to comfort her, and said: "Do not weep,
dear mother; we will go away from here, and I am sure
we shall be able to look after ourselves." Then his
mother bade him go with his brothers into the wood,
and there find the highest tree; "and let one of you,"
she continued, "be always at the top watching, for you
must keep your eyes on the castle-tower. If I have a
little son, I will put up a white flag, and then you will
know that it is safe for you to return home; if 1 have a
little daughter, I will put up a red flag, and then you must
flee for your lives, and may God help and protect you.
Every night 1 shall rise and pray for you; in winter, that
you may not be without a fire to warm yourselves by; in
summer, that you may be sheltered from the heat."
She then blessed them, and the boys went off to the
wood, and kept watch in turn on the top of the highest
oak-tree. The day came when it was Benjamin's turn
to watch, and as he was looking towards the tower, he
saw a flag put up. But, alas! it was no white flag, but
a blood-red flag, warning them that the hour had come
when their father's cruel sentence was to be carried out.
When the others heard this, they flew into a great
rage, and exclaimed in their anger: "Are we to be put
to death, just for the sake of a girl! but we will have our
revenge! So they swore one and all, that they would
take the life of any girl who should cross their path.

THE TWELVE BROTHERS 49

They now thought it safer to go farther into the wood,
and when they had made their way to where the trees
were thickest and the shade deepest, they suddenly came
upon a little empty house, that had been raised by the
magic of some good or evil fairy.
SOh! they cried, this is just the place for us to
live in; you, Benjamin, as you are the youngest and
weakest, must stay at home and keep house, while we
go and look for provisions."
So the elder brothers went into the wood, and there
they found plenty of game to shoot: wild deer, hares.
pigeons and other birds, as well as many other things
that were good for food. When they had finished their
day's sport, they went home, and then it was Benjamin's
turn to busy himself with preparing and cooking the food,
and glad enough they were of a meal, for by this time
they were all very hungry. In this way they lived on in
the little house for ten years, and the time passed so
quickly that the brothers never found it long.
Meanwhile, the little daughter who had been born at
the castle, was growing up. She was good at heart
and beautiful in face, and had a gold star on her
forehead.
One day about this time, she happened to catch sight
of twelve little shirts which were lying among some of her
mother's things.
Mother," she said, to whom do those shirts belong ?
for they are too small for my father to wear."
It was with a heavy heart that the poor mother
Answered. "Those shirts, dear child, belong to your
twelve brothers."
"My twelve brothers," cried the girl, "why I never
even heard of them. Where are they now?"
D

THE TWELVE BROTHERS

God alone knows," replied her mother, "but they are
wandering somewhere about the world."
Then she took her little daughter to the room where
the coffins were hidden, and unlocking the door, shewed
them to her, and said, "These were meant for your
brothers, but they ran away and escaped," and she
related to her all that had happened before she was
born.
"Dear mother," said the girl, "do not weep; I will
go and try to find my brothers."
So she took the twelve shirts and started through the
wood in search of them. On and on she went all through
the day, and as the evening fell she came to the little house.
She stepped in, and there she found a young boy, who
looked with astonishment at this beautiful girl, who was
dressed like a princess and had a gold star on her forehead.
"Whence come you?" he asked, "and what are you
seeking?"
"I am a king's daughter," she answered, and I
am seeking my twelve brothers; and as far as the blue
sky reaches overhead, will I wander till I find them," and
she shewed him the twelve shirts. Then Benjamin knew
that it was his sister. "I am Benjamin," he cried, your
youngest brother," and at this, they were both so over-
come with delight, that they began to cry for joy, and
kissed and embraced one another.
At last Benjamin said: "There is one thing that
troubles me; my brothers and I were so angry at being
driven out of our kingdom on account of a girl, that
we made a vow to kill every girl whom we met."
"I would gladly die," said his sister, "if by so doing
I could restore my dear brothers to their home."
"No, no, you shall not die," cried Benjamin, "hide

THE TWELVE BROTHERS

yourself under this tub, and when the others return, I
will soon come to an understanding with them."
The sister did as she was bid, and as soon as it was
dark, in came the brothers from hunting.
They sat down to their supper, and while eating and
drinking, asked, "Well, Benjamin, what news have you
Sto tell us? "
"Have you yourselves heard nothing," said Benjamin.
SNothing," they replied.
"That is strange," continued Benjamin, "for you have
been out all day, and I have only been in the house, and
yet I know more than you."
What is it?" they all cried at once, tell us what
it is."
"Only on condition," said Benjamin, "that you promise
me not to kill the first girl you see."
"We promise, we promise; she shall find mercy at our
hands," they all cried again, "only let us hear your
news."
Benjamin went to the tub, and, lifting it up, said,
"Our sister is here," and the king's daughter stepped
forth in her royal attire, with the gold star on her
forehead, and stood before them full of tenderness, grace,
and beauty. When the brothers saw her, they greatly
loved her, and came about her and kissed her, and there
was great rejoicing among them.
So now the sister stayed at home with Benjamin and
helped him in the house, while the others continued to
hunt in the wood for game. Among other things, she
gathered the wood for cooking, and the herbs for vege-
tables, and put the pots and kettles on the fire, so that
there might always be food ready for her brothers when
they came in. She kept the house in beautiful order,

THE TWELVE BROTHERS

and made the little beds look sweet and clean with pretty
white covers, and altogether it was no wonder that the
brothers were very happy and comfortable, and that they
all lived together in great peace and contentment.
One day, the two who stayed at home had prepared
a dainty meal, and as soon as they were all assembled-
they sat down to the table, happy and in good spirits.
Now there was a little garden belonging to the house
in which grew twelve tall lily plants. The sister went
out to pick the lilies, for she thought it would please
her brothers to give them each a flower as they sat
at table. But scarcely was the last one 'gathered, when
her brothers were suddenly changed into twelve ravens,
that flew right away over the trees, and in the same
moment both the house and garden entirely disappeared.
There was the poor girl, left alone in the wild wood;
turning, however, to look around her, she saw an old
woman standing near, who said, "My child, what is this
that you have done? Why did you not leave those
twelve white lilies untouched? Those were your brothers,
who are now from this time forth, turned into ravens."
The girl asked weeping, Is there nothing that I can
,do to set them free?"
Nothing," replied the old woman, "there is one way
only in all the world by which they might be saved, but
that would be far too hard a task for you to perform, for
you would have to remain dumb for seven years, never
either speaking or laughing, and if, when there were only
a few minutes wanting to complete the seven years, you
were to utter a single word, all your past endeavour would
be in vain, and with that one word you would have killed
your brothers."
The girl was silent, but in her heart she said. "I will

THE TWELVE BROTHERS

set my dear brothers free; I know that I shall be able to
do it."
Then she went and chose out a high tree, and there
among its topmost branches she sat and span, and neither
spoke nor laughed.
Now it happened, one day, that a king was out hunting
in the wood. He had a large greyhound with him, and
the dog ran up to the tree whereon the girl was sitting
and began leaping about and looking up at her and bark-
ing. Then the king came along, and he too looked up

THE TWELVE BROTHERS

and saw the beautiful princess with the gold star on her
forehead, and he was so enchanted with her beauty that
he called to her to ask if she would be his wife. She did
not speak a word, but gave a little nod with her head.
Then the king climbed up into the tree himself and carried
her down, and lifting her on to his own horse, bore her
away to his home.
The marriage was celebrated with great pomp, and amid
great rejoicings, but the bride neither spoke nor laughed.
They had been living happily together for some years,
when the king's mother, who was a bad-hearted woman,
began to say wicked things about the young queen.
"That woman you brought home with you," she said to
the king, "is nothing but a common beggar-maid; who
knows what evil tricks she may be up to in secret. Even
if she is dumb and cannot speak, at least she must be able
to laugh, and you know it is said that those who never
laugh have a bad conscience." At first the king would
not believe any of the things that were said against his
wife; but the old mother gave him no peace, accusing the
queen first of one wicked thing and then another, until
he allowed himself at last to be persuaded of her guilt,
and condemned her to death. But the king still dearly
loved his wife, and he stood looking out of his window
and weeping, while the fire was being kindled in the
courtyard, where the young queen was to be burnt.
The queen had been tied to the stake; and now the
last moment of the seven years came just as the angry
tongues of the fire were beginning to play about her
dress. Then there was heard in the air above a rushing
sound as of wings, and twelve ravens came flying down,
and no sooner had they alighted on the ground, than
behold! there were her twelve brothers whom she had

THE TWELVE BROTHERS 55

set free. They scattered the fire and trampled on the
flames, and showered kisses and loving words upon their
sister as they untied her from the stake.
And now that she might speak, she was able to tell
the king why she had been dumb and had never laughed.
And he was rejoiced when he heard her tale and knew
that she was guiltless, and they all lived happily together
for ever after.
But the wicked old mother-in-law was taken before the
judge and tried, and he condemned her to be put in a vat
of boiling oil, in which there were poisonous snakes, and
so she died a miserable death.

A KING and queen once upon a time reigned in a country
a great way off, where there were in those days fairies.
Now this king and queen had plenty of money, and plenty
of fine clothes to wear, and plenty of good things to eat
and drink, and a coach to ride out in every day: but
though they had been married many years they had no
children, and this grieved them very much indeed. But
one day as the queen was walking by the side of the river,
at the bottom of the garden, she saw a poor little fish,
that had thrown itself out of the water, and lay gasping
and nearly dead on the bank. Then the queen took pity
on the little fish, and threw it back again into the river;
and before it swam away it lifted its head out of the
water and said, "I know what your wish is, and it shall
56

BRIAR ROSE

be fulfilled, in return for your kindness to me-you will
soon have a daughter." What the little fish had foretold
soon came to pass-; and the queen had a little girl, so very
beautiful that the king could not cease looking on it for
joy, and said he would hold a great feast and make merry,
and show the child to all the land. So he asked his kins-
men, and nobles, and friends, and neighbours. But the
queen said, "I will have the fairies also, that they might
be kind and good to our little daughter." Now there-
were thirteen fairies in the kingdom; but as the king and
queen had only twelve golden dishes for them to eat out
of, they were forced to leave one of the fairies without
asking her. So twelve fairies came, each with a high red
cap on her head, and red shoes with high heels on her
feet, and a long white wand in her hand: and after the
feast was over they gathered round in a ring and gave all
their best gifts to the little princess. One gave her good-
ness, another beauty, another riches, and so on till she had
all that was good in the world.
Just as eleven of them had done blessing her, a great
noise was heard in the courtyard, and word was brought
that the thirteenth fairy was come, with a black cap on
her head, and black shoes on her feet, and a broomstick
in her hand: and presently up she came into the dining-
hall. Now as she had not been asked to the feast she
was very angry, and scolded the king and queen very
much, and set to work to take her revenge. So she cried
out, "The king's daughter shall, in her fifteenth year, be
wounded by a spindle, and fall down dead." Then the
twelfth of the friendly fairies, who had not yet given her
gift, came forward, and said that the evil wish must be
fulfilled, but that she could soften its mischief; so her gift
was, that the king's daughter, when the spindle wounded

BRIAR ROSE

her, should not really die, but should only fall asleep for
a hundred years.
However, the king hoped still to save his dear child
altogether from the threatened evil; so he ordered that
all the spindles in the kingdom should be bought up
and burnt. But all the gifts of the first eleven fairies
were in the meantime fulfilled; for the princess was so
beautiful, and well-behaved, and good, and wise, that
every one who knew her loved her.
It happened that, on the very day she was fifteen
years old, the king and queen were not at home; and
she was left alone in the palace. So she roved about
by herself, and looked at all the rooms and chambers;
till at last she came to an old tower, to which there was
a narrow staircase ending with a little door. In the
door there was a golden key, and when she turned it
the door sprang open, and there sat an old lady spinning
away very busily. "Why, how now, good mother,"
said the princess, what are you doing there ?"
"Spinning," said the old lady, and nodded her head;
humming a tune, while buzz! went the wheel. "How
prettily that little thing turns round!" said the princess,
and took the spindle and began to try and spin. But
scarcely had she touched it, before the fairy's prophecy,
was fulfilled; the spindle wounded her, and she fell
down lifeless on the ground.
However, she was not dead, but had only fallen
into a deep sleep; and the king and the queen, who
just then came home, and all their court, fell asleep
too; and the horses slept in the stables, and the dogs
in the court, the pigeons on the house-top, and the
very flies slept upon the walls. Even the fire on the
hearth left off blazing, and went to sleep; the jack

7

c

r-:i

IT

(

L BRIAR l

*v^-

M; ' '

ROSE

BRIAR ROSE

stopped, and the spit that was turning about with a
goose upon it for the king's dinner stood still; and the
cook, who was at that moment pulling the kitchen-boy
by the hair to give him a box on the ear for something
he had done amiss, let him go, and both fell asleep;
the butler, who was slily tasting the ale, fell asleep with
the jug at his lips: and thus everything stood still, and
slept soundly.
A large hedge of thorns soon grew round the palace,
and every year it became higher and thicker; till at
last the old palace was surrounded and hidden, so that
not even the roof or the chimneys could be seen. But
there went a report through all the land of the beautiful
sleeping Briar-Rose (for so the king's daughter was
called): so that, from time to time, several kings' sons
came, and tried to break through the thicket into the
palace. This, however, none of them could ever do; for
the thorns and bushes laid hold of them, as it were with
hands; and there they stuck fast, and died wretchedly.
After many many years there came a king's son into
that land: and an old man told him the story of the
thicket of thorns; and how a beautiful palace stood
behind it, and how a wonderful princess, called Briar-
Rose, lay in it asleep, with all her court. He told, too,
how he had heard from his grandfather that many many
princes had come, and had tried to break through the
thicket, but that they had all stuck fast in it, and died.
Then the young prince said, "All this shall not frighten
me, I will go and see this Briar-Rose." The old man
tried to hinder him, but he was bent upon going.
Now that very day the hundred years were ended;
and as the prince came to the thicket, he saw nothing
but beautiful flowering shrubs, through which he went

BRIAR ROSE

with ease, and they shut in after him as thick as ever.
Then he came at last to the palace, and there in the
court lay the dogs asleep; and the horses were standing
in the stables; and on the roof sat the pigeons fast
asleep, with their heads under their wings. And when
he came into the palace, the flies were sleeping on the
walls; the spit was standing still; the butler had the
jug of ale at his lips, going to drink a draught; the
maid sat with a fowl in her lap ready to be plucked;
and the cook in the kitchen was still holding up her
hand, as if she was going to beat the boy.
Then he went on still further, and all was so still that
he could hear every breath he drew; till at last he came
to the old tower, and opened the door of the little room
in which Briar-Rose was; and there she lay, fast asleep
on a couch by the window. She looked so beautiful that
he could not take his eyes off her, so he stooped down
and gave her a kiss. But the moment he kissed her she
opened her eyes and awoke, and smiled upon him; and
they went out together; and soon the king and queen
also awoke, and all the court, and gazed on each other
with great wonder. And the horses shook themselves,
and the dogs jumped up and barked; the pigeons took
their heads from under-their wings, and looked about
and flew into the fields; the flies on the walls buzzed
again; the fire in the kitchen blazed up; round went
the jack, and round went the spit, with the goose for
the king's dinner upon it; the butler finished his draught
of ale; the maid went on plucking the fowl; and the-
cook gave the boy the box on his ear.
And then the prince and Briar-Rose were married,
and the wedding feast was given; and they lived happily
together all their lives long.

THERE was once a queen who had a little daughter, still
too young to run alone. One day the child was very
troublesome, and the mother could not quiet it, do what
she would. She grew impatient, and seeing the ravens
flying round the castle, she opened the window, and said:
"I wish you were a raven and would fly away, then I
should have a little peace." Scarcely were the words out
of her mouth, when the child in her arms was turned into
a raven, and flew away from her through the open window.
The bird took its flight to a dark wood and remained there
for a long time, and meanwhile the parents could hear
nothing of their child.
Long after this, a man was making his way through
the wood when he heard a raven calling, and he followed
the sound of the voice. As he drew near, the raven said,
E

THE RAVEN

"I am by birth a King's daughter, but am now under
the spell of some enchantment; you can, however, set
me free." "What am I to do?" he asked. She
replied, "Go further into the wood until you come to a
house, wherein lives an old woman; she will offer you
food and drink, but you must not take of either; if you
do, you will fall into a deep sleep, and will not be able
to help me. In the garden behind the house is a large
tan-heap, and on that you must stand and watch for me.
I shall drive there in my carriage at two o'clock in the
afternoon for three successive days; the first day it will
be drawn by four white, the second by four chestnut,
and the last by four black horses.; but if you fail to keep
awake and I find you sleeping, I shall not be set free."
The man promised to do all that she wished, but the
raven said, "Alas! I know even now that you will take
something from the woman and be unable to save me."
The man assured her again that he would on no account
touch a thing to eat or drink.
When he came to the house and went inside, the old
woman met him, and said, Poor man! how tired you
are! Come in and rest and let me give you something
to eat and drink."
No," answered the man, I will neither eat nor drink."
But she would not leave him alone, and urged him,
saying, "If you will not eat anything, at least you might
take a draught of wine; one drink counts for nothing,"
and at last he allowed himself to be persuaded, and drank.
As it drew towards the appointed hour, he went out-
side into the garden and mounted the tan-heap to await
the raven. Suddenly a feeling of fatigue came over him,
and unable to resist it, he lay down for a little while,
fully determined, however, to keep awake; but in another

THE RAVEN

minute, his eyes closed of their own accord, and he fell
into such a deep sleep, that all the noises in the world
would not have awakened him. At two o'clock the raven
came driving along, drawn by her four white horses; but
even before she reached the spot, she said to herself,
sighing, "I know he has fallen asleep." When she
entered the garden, there she found him as she had
feared, lying on the tan-heap, fast asleep. She got out of
her carriage and went to him; she called him and shook
him, but it was all in vain, he still continued sleeping.
The next day at noon, the old woman came to him
again with food and drink, which he at first refused. At
last, overcome by her persistent entreaties that he would
take something, he lifted the glass and drank again.
Towards two o'clock he went into the garden and on
to the tan-heap to watch for the raven. He had not
been there long before he began to feel so tired that his
limbs seemed hardly able to support him, and he could not
stand upright any longer; so again he lay down and fell
fast asleep. As the raven drove along with her four
chestnut horses, she said sorrowfully to herself, I know
he has- fallen asleep." She went as before to look for
him, but he slept, and it was impossible. to awaken him.
The following day the old woman said to him, What
is this? You are not eating or drinking anything, do you
want to kill yourself?"
He answered, "I may not and will not either eat or drink."
But she put down the dish of food and the glass of
wine in front of him, and when he smelt the wine, he was
unable to resist the temptation, and took a deep draught.
When the hour came round again he went as usual
on to the tan-heap in the garden to await the King's
daughter, but he felt even more overcome with weariness

THE RAVEN

than on the two previous days, and throwing himself
down, he slept like a log. At two o'clock the raven
could be seen approaching, and this time her coachman and
everything about her, as well as her horses, were black.
She was sadder than ever as she drove along, and said
mournfully, "I know he has fallen asleep, and will not
be able to set me free." She found him sleeping heavily,
and all her efforts to awaken him were of no avail. Then
she placed beside him a loaf, some meat, and a flask of
wine, of such a kind, that however much he took of them,
they would never grow less. After that she drew a gold
ring, on which her name was engraved, off her finger,
and put it upon one of his. Finally, she laid a letter near
him, in which, after giving him particulars of the food and
drink she had left for him, she finished with the following
words: "I see that as long as you remain here you will
never be able to set me free; if, however, you still wish
to do so, come to the golden castle of Stromberg; this is
well within your power to accomplish." She then returned
to her carriage and drove to the golden castle of Stromberg.
When the man awoke and found that he had been
sleeping, he was grieved at heart, and said, "She has
no doubt been here and driven away again, and it is now
too late for me to save her." Then his eyes fell on the
things which were lying beside him; he read the letter,
and knew from it all that had happened. He rose up
without delay, eager to start on his way and to reach
the castle of Stromberg, but he had no idea in which
direction he ought to go. He travelled about a long time
in search of it and came at last to a dark forest, through
which he went on walking for fourteen days and still
could not find a way out. Once more the night came on,
and worn out, he lay down under a bush and fell asleep.

THE RAVEN

Again the next day he pursued his way through the
forest, and that evening, thinking to rest again, he lay down
as before, but he heard such a howling and wailing that
he found it impossible to sleep. He waited till it was darker
and people had begun to light up their houses, and then
seeing a little glimmer ahead of him, he went towards it.
He found that the light came from a house which
looked smaller than it really was, from the contrast of
its height with that of an immense giant who stood in
front of it. He thought to himself, "If the giant sees
me going in, my life will not be worth much." However,
after a while he summoned up courage and went forward.
When the giant saw him, he called out, "It is lucky
for me that you have come, for I have not had anything
to eat for a long time. I can have you now for my
supper." "I would rather you let that alone," said
the man, "for I do not willingly give myself up to
be eaten; if you are wanting food I have enough to
satisfy your hunger." "If that is so," replied the giant,
"I will leave you in peace; I only thought of eating you
because I had nothing else."
So they went indoors together and sat down, and the
man brought out the bread, meat, and wine, which
although he had eaten and drunk of them, were still
unconsumed. The giant was pleased with the good
cheer, and eat and drank to his heart's content. When
he had finished his supper the man asked him if could
direct him to the castle of Stromberg. The giant said,
"I will look on my map; on it are marked all the
towns, villages, and houses." So he fetched his map,
and looked for the castle, but could not find it. "Never
mind," he said, "I have larger maps upstairs in the
cupboard, we will look on those," but they searched

THE RAVEN

in vain, for the castle was not marked even on these.
The man now thought he should like to continue his
journey, but the giafit begged him to remain for a day or
two longer until the return of his brother, who was away
in search of provisions. When the brother came home,
they asked him about the castle of Stromberg, and he
told them he would look on his own maps as soon as he
had eaten and appeased his hunger. Accordingly, when
he had finished his supper, they all went up together to
his room and looked through his maps, but the castle was
not to be found. Then he fetched other older maps, and
they went on looking for the castle until at last they found
it, but it was many thousand miles away. "How shall I
be able to get there ?" asked the man. "I have two
hours to spare," said the giant, "and I will carry you into
the neighbourhood of the castle; I must then return to
look after the child who is in our care."
The giant, thereupon, carried the man to within about
a hundred leagues of the castle, where he left him, saying,
"You will be able to walk the remainder of the way
yourself." The man journeyed on day and night till he
reached the golden castle of Stromberg. He found it
situated, however, on a glass mountain, and looking up
from the foot he saw the enchanted maiden drive round
her castle and then go inside. He was overjoyed to see
her, and longed to get to the top of the mountain, but the
sides were so slippery that every time he attempted to
climb he fell back again. When he saw'that it was im-
possible to reach her, he was greatly grieved, and said to
himself, "I will remain here and wait for her," and so he
built himself a little hut, and there he sat and watched
for a whole year, and every day he saw the King's
daughter driving round her castle, but still was unable to
get nearer to her.

THE RAVEN

Looking out from his hut one day he saw three robbers
fighting, and he called out to them, "God be with you."
They stopped when they heard the call, but looking round
and seeing nobody, they went on again with their fight-
ing, which now became more furious. "God be with
you," he cried again, and again they paused and looked
about, but seeing no one went back to their fighting. A
third time he called out, "God be with you," and then
thinking he should like to know the cause of dispute
between the three men, he went out and asked them why
they were fighting so angrily with one another. One of
them said that he had found a stick, and that he had but
to strike it against any door through which he wished to
pass, and it immediately flew open. Another told him
that he had found a cloak which rendered its wearer
invisible; and the third had caught a horse which would
carry its rider over any obstacle, and even up the glass
mountain. They had been unable to decide whether they
would keep together and have the things in common, or
whether they would separate. On hearing this, the man
said, "I will give you something in exchange for those
three things; not money, for that I have not got, but
something that is of far more value. I must first, how-
ever, prove whether all you have told me about your three
things is true." The robbers, therefore, made him get
on the horse, and handed him the stick and the cloak, and
when he had put this round him he was no longer visible.
Then he fell upon them with the stick and beat them
one after another, crying, "There, you idle vagabonds,
you have got what you deserve ; are you satisfied now!"
After this he rode up the glass mountain. When he
reached the gate of the castle, he found it closed, but he
gave it a blow with his stick, and it flew wide open at

THE RAVEN

once and he passed through. He mounted the steps and
entered the room where the maiden was sitting, with a
golden goblet full of wine in front of her. She could not
see him, for he still wore his cloak. He took the ring
which she had given him off his finger, and threw it into
the goblet, so that it rang as it touched the bottom.
"That is my own ring," she exclaimed, "and if that is so
the man must also be here who is coming to set me free."
She sought for him about the castle, but could find him
nowhere. Meanwhile he had gone outside again and
mounted his horse and thrown off the cloak. When
therefore she came to the castle gate she saw him, and
cried aloud for joy. Then he dismounted and took her
in his arms; and she kissed him, and said, "Now you have
indeed set me free, and to-morrow we will celebrate our
marriage."

HONEST Fritz had worked hard all his life, but ill luck
befell him; his cattle died, his barns were burned, and
he lost almost all his money. So at last he said,
"Before it is all gone I will buy goods, and go out
into the world, and see whether I shall have the luck
to mend my fortune."
The first place he came to was a village, where the
boys were running about, crying and shouting. "What
is the matter ?" asked he. "See here! said they, "we
have got a mouse that we make dance to please us.
Do look at him; what a droll sight it is! how he jumps
about!" But the man pitied the poor little thing, and
said, "Let the poor mouse go, and I will give you
money." So he gave them some money, and took
the mouse and let it run: and it soon jumped
into a hole that was close by, and was out of their
reach.
Then he travelled on and came to another village:
and there the boys had got an ass, that they made stand
on its hind legs, and tumble and cut capers. Then they
laughed and shouted, and gave the poor beast no rest.

FRITZ AND HIS FRIENDS

So the good man gave them too some of his money, to
let the poor thing go away in peace.
At the next village he came to, the young people
were leading a bear, that had been taught to dance,
and were plaguing the poor thing sadly. Then he
gave them too some money, to let the beast go; and
Master Bruin was very glad to get on his four feet,
and seemed quite at his ease and happy again.
But now our traveller found that he had given away
all the money he had in the world, and had not a shilling
in his pocket. Then said he to himself, "The King has
heaps of gold in his strong box that he never uses; I
cannot die of hunger: so I hope I shall be forgiven if
I borrow a little from him, and when I get rich again
I will repay it all."
So he managed to get at the King's strong box, and
took a very little money; but as he came out the guards
saw him, and said he was a thief, and took him to the
iudge. The poor man told his story; but the judge
said that sort of borrowing could not be suffered, and
that those who took other people's money must be
punished; so the end of his trial was that Fritz was
found guilty, and doomed to be thrown into the lake,
shut up in a box. The lid of the box was full of
holes to let in air; and one jug of water and one
loaf of bread were given him.
Whilst he was swimming along in the water very
sorrowfully, he heard something nibbling and biting
at the lock. All on a sudden it fell off, the lid flew
open, and there stood his old friend the little mouse,
who had done him this good turn. Then came the
ass and the bear too, and pulled the box ashore; and
all helped him because he had been kind to them.

FRITZ AND HIS FRIENDS

But now they did not know what to do next, and
began to lay their heads together; when on a sudden
a wave threw on the shore a pretty white stone, that
looked like an egg. Then the bear said, "That's a
lucky thing! this is the wonderful stone; whoever
has it needs only to wish, and everything that he
wishes for comes to him at once." So Fritz went
and picked up the stone, and wished for a palace and
a garden, and a stud of horses; and his wish was fulfilled
as soon as he had made it. And there he lived in his
castle and garden, with fine stables and horses; and all
was so grand and beautiful, that he never could wonder
and gaze at it enough.
After some time some merchants passed by that way.
"See," said they, what a princely palace The last
time we were here it was nothing but a desert waste."
They were very eager to know how all this had
happened, and went in and asked the master of the
palace how it had been so quickly raised. "I have
done nothing myself," said he; "it is the wonderful
stone that did all." "What a strange .stone that
must be!" said they. Then he asked them to walk
in, and showed it to them.
They asked him whether he would sell it, and offered
him all their goods for it; and the goods seemed so
fine and costly, that he quite forgot that the stone
would bring him in a moment a thousand better and
richer things; and he agreed to make the bargain.
Scarcely was the stone, however, out of his hands
before all his riches were gone, and poor Fritz found
himself sitting in his box in the water, with his jug of
water and loaf of bread by his side.
However, his grateful friends, the mouse, the ass, and

76 FRITZ AND HIS FRIENDS

the bear, came quickly to help him; but the mouse
found she could not nibble off the lock this time, for
it was a great deal stronger than before. Then the
bear said,- "We must find the wonderful stone again,
or all we can do will be fruitless."
The merchants, meantime, had taken up their abode
in the palace; so away went the three friends, and
when they came near, the bear said, "Mouse, go in
and look through the keyhole, and see where the stone.
is kept: you are small, nobody will see you." The
mouse did as she was told, but soon came back and
said, "Bad news! I have looked in, and the stone
hangs under the looking-glass by a red silk string, and
on each side of it sits a great black cat with fiery
eyes, watching it."
Then the others took counsel together, and said,
"Go back again, and wait till the master of the palace
is in bed asleep; then nip his nose and pull his hair."
Away went the mouse, and did as they told her; and
the master jumped up very angrily, and rubbed his nose,
and cried, "Those rascally cats are good for nothing
at all; they let the mice bite my very nose, and pull
the hair off my head." Then he hunted them out of
the room; and so the mouse had the best of the game.
Next night, as soon as the master was asleep, the
mouse crept in again; and (the cats being gone) she
nibbled at the red silken string to which the stone hung,
till down it dropped. Then she rolled it along to the
door; but when it got there the poor little mouse was
quite tired, and said to the ass, "Put in your foot, and
lift it over the threshold." This was soon done; and
they took up the stone, and set off for the waterside.
Then the ass said, "How shall we reach the box?"

FRITZ AND HIS FRIENDS

" That is easily managed, my friend," said the bear: "I
can swim very well; and do you, donkey, put your fore
feet over my shoulders;-mind and hold fast, and take
the stone in your mouth;-as for you, mouse, you can sit
in my ear."
Thus all was settled, and away they swam. After a
time, Bruin began to brag and boast: "We are brave
fellows, are not we?" said he; "what do you think,
donkey?" But the ass held his tongue, and said not a
word. "Why don't you answer me ?" said the bear;
"you must be an ill-mannered brute not to speak when
you are spoken to." When the ass heard this, he could
hold no longer; so he opened his mouth, and out dropped
the wonderful stone. "I could not speak," said he;
"did not you know I had the stone in my mouth? Now
it is lost, and that is your fault." "Do but hold your
tongue and be easy! said the bear; "and let us think
what is to be done now."
Then another council was held: and at last they called
together all the frogs, their wives and families, kindred
and friends; and said, "A great foe of yours is coming
to eat you all up; but never mind, bring us up plenty of
stones, and we will build a strong wall to guard you."
The frogs hearing this were dreadfully frightened, and
set to work, bringing up all the stones they could find.
At last came a large fat frog, pulling along the wonderful
stone by the silken string; and when the bear saw it he
jumped for joy, and said, "Now we have found what we
wanted." So he set the old frog free from his load, and
told him to tell his friends they might now go home to
their dinners as soon as they pleased.
Then the three friends swam off again for the box,
and the lid flew open, and they found they were but

78 FRITZ AND HIS FRIENDS
just in time, for the bread was all eaten and the jug of
water almost empty. But as soon as honest Fritz had
the stone in his hand, he wished himself safe in his
palace again; and in a moment he was there, with his
garden, and his stables, and his horses; and his three
faithful friends lived with him, and they all spent their
time happily and merrily together-as long as they lived.
And thus the good man's kindness was rewarded; and
so it ought, for-One good turn deserves another.

-

The Elfin Grove.

As an honest woodman was sitting one evening, after
his work was done, talking with his wife, he said, "I
hope the children will not run into that grove by the
side of the river; it looks more gloomy than ever; the
old oak tree is sadly blasted and torn; and some odd
folks, I am sure, are lurking about there, but who they
are nobody knows." The woodman, however, could not
say that they brought ill luck, whatever they were; for
every one said that the village had thriven more than
ever of late, that the fields looked gayer and greener,
that even the sky was of a deeper blue, and that the
moon and stars shed a brighter light. So, not knowing
what to think, the good people very wisely let the new
comers alone; and, in truth, seldom said or thought
anything at all about them.

THE ELFIN GROVE

That very evening, the woodman's daughter Roseken,
and her playfellow Martin, ran out to have a game of
hide-and-seek in the valley. "Where can he be hidden ?"
said she; "he must have gone towards the grove;
perhaps he is behind the old oak tree": and down she
ran to look. Just then she spied a little dog that jumped
and frisked round her, and wagged his tail, and led her
on -towards the grove. Then he ran into it, and she
soon jumped up the bank by the side of the old oak to
look for him; but was overjoyed to see a beautiful
meadow, where flowers and shrubs of every kind grew
upon turf of the softest green ; gay butterflies flew about;
the birds sang sweetly; and what was strangest, the
prettiest little children sported about like fairies on all
sides; some twining the flowers, and others dancing in
rings upon the smooth turf beneath the trees. In the
midst of the grove, instead of the hovels of which Roseken
had heard, she could see a palace, that dazzled her eyes
with its brightness.
For a while she gazed on the fairy scene, till at last
one of the little dancers ran up to her, and said, "And so,
pretty Roseken, you are come at last to see us? We
have often seen you play about, and wished to have you
with us." Then she plucked some of the fruit that grew
near, and Roseken at the first taste forgot her home, and
wished only to see and know more of her fairy friends.
So she jumped down from the bank and joined the merry
dance.
Then they led her about with them, and showed her
all their sports. One while they danced by moonlight
on the primrose banks, at another time they skipped from
bough to bough, among the trees that hung over the
cooling streams, for they moved as lightly and easily

THE ELFIN GROVE

through the air as on the ground: and Roseken went
with them everywhere, for they bore her in their arms
wherever they wished to go. Sometimes they would
throw seeds on the turf, and little trees would spring up;
and then they would set their feet upon the branches,
and rise as the trees grew under them, till they danced
upon the boughs in the air, wherever the breezes carried
them, singing merry songs.
At other times they would go and visit the palace of
their queen: and there the richest food was spread before
them, and the softest music was heard; and all around
grew flowers, which were always changing their hues,
Irom scarlet to purple, and yellow, and emerald. Some-
times they went to look at the heaps of treasure which
were piled up in the royal stores; for little dwarfs were
always employed in searching the earth for gold. Small
as this fairy land looked from without, it seemed within
to have no end; a mist hung around it to shield it from
the eyes of men; and some of the little elves sat perched
upon the outermost trees, to keep watch lest the step of
man should break in and spoil the charm.
"And who are you?" said Roseken one day. "We
are what are called elves in your world," said one whose
name was Gossamer, and who had become her dearest
friend: "we are told you talk a great deal about us.
Some of our tribes like to work you mischief, but we
who live here seek only to be happy; we meddle little
with mankind, and when we do come among them it is
to do them good." "And where is your queen?" said
Roseken. "Hush! hush! you cannot see or know her:
you must leave us before she comes back, which will be
now very soon, for mortal step cannot come where she is.
But you will know that she is here, when you see the

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	Front Cover
	Front Matter
	Half Title
	Frontispiece
	Title Page
	Preface
	Table of Contents
	List of Illustrations
	The Golden Goose
	The Wishing Table, the Gold Ass,...
	The Mouse, the Bird, and the...
	The Fox's Brush
	The Fisherman and his Wife
	The Twelve Brothers
	Briar Rose
	The Raven
	Fritz and his Friends
	The Elfin Grove
	Bearskin
	The Jew in the Bush
	The Robber Bridegroom
	Ashputtel
	The Three Spinning Fairies
	Rumpel-Stilts-Ken
	Mother Holle (Madam Holle)
	The Nose-Tree
	The Goose Girl
	King Grizzle-Beard
	The Man in the Bag
	The Forbidden Room
	Karl Katz
	The Changeling
	Hans in Luck
	The Bear and the Skrattel
	Tom Thumb
	Snow-Drop
	The Four Crafts-Men
	Cat-skin
	Jorinda and Jorindel
	Thumbling the Dwarf and Thumbling...
	The Juniper Tree
	The Water of Life
	The Blue Light
	The Water Fairy
	The Three Crows
	The Frog-Prince
	The Elves and the Cobbler
	Cherry the Frog-Bride
	The Dancing Shoes
	The Brave Little Tailor
	Giant Golden-Beard
	Pee-Wit
	Hansel and Grethel
	Lily and the Lion
	Donkey-Wort
	The King of the Golden Mountai...
	The Two Brothers
	Back Matter
	Back Cover
	Spine