The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm (70 page)

“Oh, dear mother,” said one daughter, “spare me, and I'll go out and see if I can get something without begging.”

So the girl went out and came back carrying a little piece of bread, which they shared with one another. But it was not enough to still their hunger. Therefore, the mother spoke to the other daughter, “Now it's your turn to die.”

“Oh, dear Mother,” she answered, “spare me and I'll go and get something to eat from somewhere else without anyone noticing me.”

This daughter, too, went away and came back carrying two little pieces of bread. They shared it with one another, but it was not enough to still their hunger. Therefore, when a few hours had gone by, their mother said to them once more, “You've got to die or else we'll waste away.”

“Dear mother,” they responded, “we'll lie down and sleep, and we won't get up again until the Judgment Day arrives.”

So they lay down and fell into a deep sleep, and no one could wake them from it. Meanwhile, their mother departed, and nobody knows where she went.

58

THE LITTLE DONKEY

There once lived a king and queen who were rich and had everything they desired except children. The queen lamented day and night because of this, saying, “I'm like a field on which nothing grows.”

Finally, God fulfilled her wishes. However, when the baby was born, it didn't look like a human child but like a young little donkey. When the mother saw it, she really began to lament and screamed that she would rather have had no child at all than to have had a donkey, and she ordered the donkey to be thrown into the water so the fish could eat him up.

But the king said, “No. Since God has given him to us, then he shall be my son and heir. After my death he shall sit on the royal throne and wear the royal crown.”

So the little donkey was brought up at court. As he got bigger, his ears also grew quite high and straight. Otherwise, he had a cheerful disposition, was frisky, played, and was especially fond of music. At one time he went to a famous minstrel and said, “Teach me your art so that I can play the lute as well as you.”

“Ah, my dear young lord,” answered the minstrel, “this will be difficult for you. Your fingers aren't really made for it. They are much too big, and I'm afraid you'd break the strings.”

Yet the little donkey would not be dissuaded, for he was determined to learn how to play the lute. Since he was diligent and persistent, he eventually learned how to play as well as the master himself.

One day the young lord was in a contemplative mood and went out for a walk. He came to a spring and looked at his little donkey figure reflected in the water, which was as clear as a mirror. He was so distressed by the sight that he decided to go out into the world and to take only one trusted companion with him. So they wandered here and there and finally came to a country ruled by an old king who had just one daughter, who was exceedingly beautiful. The little donkey said, “This is where we shall stay awhile,” and he knocked on the gate and cried out: “There's a guest out here! Open up and let him in.”

When the gate didn't open, he sat down, took his lute, and began playing a lovely tune with his two forefeet. The keeper's eyes opened in astonishment, and he ran to the king and said, “There's a little donkey sitting outside the gate. It's playing the lute like a great expert.”

“Then let the musician come in,” said the king.

When the little donkey entered, however, everyone began to laugh at the lute player. He was directed to sit down with the servants, but he refused and said, “I'm not a common barnyard donkey. I'm of noble birth.”

“If this is what you are,” they said, “then sit down with the knights.”

“No,” he said. “I'll sit with the king.”

The king laughed, showed his good humor, and said: “Indeed, let it be the way you want, little donkey. Come here to me.” And soon after, he asked, “Little donkey, how do you like my daughter?”

The little donkey turned his head, looked at her, nodded, and said, “Exceptionally well. I've never seen anyone so beautiful as she is.”

“Well, you shall sit next to her,” said the king.

“That's fine with me,” said the donkey, and sat down next to her, ate and drank, and showed that he could conduct himself in a courteous and proper manner.

After the noble animal had spent quite some time at the court, he thought, “What's the use of all this? I've got to go home.” He lowered his head sadly, went before the king, and asked his permission to depart. However, the king had taken a great liking to him and said, “My little donkey, what's the matter with you? You look as sour as a jug of vinegar. Stay with me. I'll give you anything you demand. Do you want gold?”

“No,” said the donkey and shook his head.

“Do you want some fine, valuable things?”

“No.”

“Do you want half my kingdom?”

“Ah, no.”

“If only I knew what would make you happy,” said the king. “Do you want my beautiful daughter for your wife?”

“Oh, yes,” said the donkey. “I'd be delighted to have her for my wife,” and suddenly he was quite cheerful and in good spirits, for that was exactly what he had desired.

Soon a huge and splendid wedding was held, and that night, when the bride and bridegroom were led to their bedchamber, the king wanted to know whether the donkey would conduct himself in a nice
and polite manner, and he ordered a servant to hide himself in their room. When the two were inside, the bridegroom bolted the door and looked around. Once he was convinced that they were completely alone, he threw off the donkey skin, and all at once he stood there as a handsome young prince.

“Now you see who I am,” he said, “and you also see that I'm worthy of you.”

The bride was happy, gave him a kiss, and loved him with all her heart. When morning came, he jumped up, put on his donkey skin again, and nobody would have guessed what lay beneath it.

Soon the old king came along.

“Goodness!” he cried. “The donkey's already wide awake.” Then, turning to his daughter, he said, “You probably regret that you weren't wed to a real man, don't you?”

“Oh, no, father, I love him as if he were the handsomest man in the world, and I want to keep him for the rest of my life.”

The king was puzzled by this, but then the servant, who had concealed himself, came to him and told him everything.

“I don't believe it,” said the king.

“Well, keep tonight's watch yourself, and then you shall see it with your own eyes. My advice to you, your Majesty, is to take his skin away from him and throw it into a fire. Then he'll certainly have to reveal himself in his true form.”

“That's good advice,” said the king, and that night, while they were sleeping, he crept into their room, and when he came to their bed, he saw a noble-looking young man resting in the moonlight and the skin lying discarded on the ground. So he took it away and ordered a tremendous fire to be made outside. Then he threw the skin into the fire and remained there until it was entirely burned to ashes. Since he wanted to see what the young man would do when he discovered the theft, he stayed awake the whole night and lay in wait. When the young man had slept his fill, he got up with the first rays of the sun and wanted to put on his donkey skin, but he couldn't find it anywhere. So he was horrified and overcome by sadness and dread. “Now I must find some way to flee,” he said.

However, when he left the room, the king was standing there and said, “My son, why are you in such a hurry? What do you intend to do? Stay here. You're such a handsome man, and I don't want you to leave. I'll give you half my kingdom now, and after my death you'll get all of it.”

“Well,” said the young man, “since I wish everything that began well to end well, I'll stay with you.”

Then the old man gave him half the kingdom, and when he died a year later, the young man had all of it. After the death of his own father, he received yet another kingdom and lived in happiness and wealth.

59

THE UNGRATEFUL SON

Once a man and his wife were sitting by the entrance to their house. They had a roasted chicken in front of them and were about to eat it when the man saw his father coming toward them. So the man quickly grabbed the chicken and hid it because he didn't want to give him any. The old man came, had a drink, and went away. As the son reached to put the roasted chicken back on the table, he found that it had turned into a large toad, which then sprang onto his face, sat right on it, and wouldn't leave him. If anyone tried to take it off, the toad would look at the person viciously as if it wanted to spring right into his face, too. So nobody dared touch it. And the ungrateful son had to feed the toad every day, otherwise, it would have eaten away part of his face. Thus the son wandered aimlessly all over the world.

60

THE TURNIP

Once upon a time there were two brothers, both of whom served as soldiers. One was rich; the other, poor. Since the poor brother wanted to improve his circumstances, he left the army and became a farmer. He dug and hoed his little piece of ground and planted turnip seeds. As the turnips began to grow, one became large and strong and noticeably fatter
than the others. It seemed as if it would not stop growing at all. Soon it was called the queen of all turnips because nobody had ever seen one like it, nor will anybody ever see one like it again. At last it became so large that it filled an entire wagon by itself, and two oxen were needed to pull it. The farmer had no idea what to do with the turnip, nor did he know whether it would bring him luck or misfortune. Finally, he thought, “If I sell it, I won't get anything worth much. And, if I eat it, you might as well eat the small turnips, which are just as good. The best thing would be to bring it to the king. That way I can honor him with a gift.”

So he loaded the turnip on his wagon, hitched up two oxen, brought it to court, and gave it to the king.

“What kind of a rarity do we have here?” asked the king. “I've seen many strange things in my life, but I've never seen such a monstrosity as this. What kind of a seed did it grow from? Or do you have a green thumb and are lady fortune's favorite son?”

“Oh, no,” the farmer replied. “I'm not fortune's favorite son. I'm just a poor soldier who gave up the army life because I could no longer support myself. Now I've taken up farming. You probably know my brother, your Majesty. He's rich, but nobody pays attention to me because I have nothing.”

Then the king took pity on him and said, “You shall be relieved of your poverty and shall receive such gifts from me that will make you the equal of your brother.”

So he gave him a great deal of gold, fields, meadows, and herds, and made him so terribly rich that his brother's wealth could no longer match his at all. When the brother heard what he had acquired with a single turnip, he became jealous and pondered ways to get fortune to smile on him, too. However, he wanted to do everything in a more clever way. So he took gold and horses and brought them to the king, for he was firmly convinced that the king would give him a much larger present in return. After all, if his brother had obtained so much for a turnip, he would certainly get many more beautiful things.

The king accepted his gifts and said that he could think of nothing better or rarer to give him than the large turnip. So the rich brother had the
turnip loaded on his wagon and driven to his home. Once there he didn't know how to vent his anger and frustration. Finally, some evil thoughts came to him, and he decided to kill his brother. He hired murderers and showed them a place where they were to ambush his brother. Afterward he went to his brother and said, “Dear brother, I know where to find a secret treasure. Let's dig it up and divide it among us.”

The brother liked the idea and went with him without suspecting a thing. However, when they went outside, the murderers fell upon him, tied him up, and were about to hang him from a tree when they heard loud singing and hoofbeats in the distance. They became frightened for their lives and hastily shoved their prisoner head over heels into a sack. Then they hoisted it up on a branch and fled. However, the brother went to work and made a hole in the sack through which he could poke his head. Then who should happen upon the way but a wandering scholar, a young fellow, riding along the road through the forest and singing a merry song. When the man up in the tree noticed that someone was passing below, he cried out, “Welcome! You've come just at the right time.”

The scholar looked all around him but couldn't detect where the voice was coming from. Finally, he said, “Who's calling me?”

The man in the tree answered from above, “Lift your head. I'm sitting up here in the sack of wisdom, where I've learned great things in only a short time. Compared to this, all schools are like a bag of hot wind. Soon I shall have learned all there is to know. Then I'll climb down from the tree and be wiser than all other human beings. I understand the stars and the signs of the zodiac; the movements of the wind, the sand, and the sea; the cures for sickness; and the power of herbs, birds, and stones. If you would spend some time in the sack just once, then you'd know the glorious feeling that flows from the sack of wisdom.”