Grimm's Household Tales

Once upon a time there was a King, but where he reigned and what he was called, I do not know. He had no son, but he had an only daughter who had always been ill, and no doctor had been able to cure her. Then it was foretold to the King that his daughter would eat herself well with an apple. So he had it proclaimed throughout his whole kingdom that whoever brought his daughter an apple with which she could eat herself well would have her as his wife and be King. This became known to a peasant who had three sons, and he said to the eldest, “Go out into the garden, take a basketful of those beautiful apples with the red cheeks, and carry them to the court. Perhaps the King’s daughter will be able to eat herself well with them, and then you will marry her and be King.” The lad did so and set out.

When he had gone a short way, he met a little iron man who asked him what he had there in the basket. Uele, for that was his name, replied, “Frogs’ legs.” At this the little man said, “Well, so it will be, and so it will remain,” and went away. At last Uele arrived at the palace and announced that he had brought apples that would cure the King’s daughter if she ate them. This delighted the King greatly, and he had Uele brought before him; but, alas, when Uele opened the basket, instead of apples he had frogs’ legs that were still kicking about. At this the King grew angry and had him driven out of the house. When he got home, he told his father how it had gone with him. Then the father sent the next son, who was called Seame, but everything went for him just as it had gone for Uele. He also met the little iron man, who asked what he had there in the basket. Seame said, “Hogs’ bristles,” and the iron man said, “Well, so it will be, and so it will remain.” When Seame got to the King’s palace and said that he had brought apples with which the King’s daughter might eat herself well, the people there did not want to let him in. They said that one fellow had already been there and had treated them as if they were fools. Seame, however, maintained that he certainly had the apples and that they ought to let him in. At last they believed him and led him to the King. But when he uncovered the basket, he had nothing but hogs’ bristles. This enraged the King terribly, so he had Seame whipped out of the house. When he got home, he related all that had happened to him. Then the youngest boy, whose name was Hans but who was always called Stupid Hans, came and asked his father if he might go with some apples. “Oh!” said the father, “you would be just the right fellow for such a thing! If the clever ones cannot manage it, what can you do?” The boy, however, did not believe him and said, “Indeed, Father, I wish to go.” “Just get away, you stupid fellow! You must wait until you are wiser,” said the father in reply, and turned his back. Hans, however, pulled at the back of his father’s smock and said, “Indeed, Father, I wish to go.” “Well, then, as far as I am concerned, you may go, but you will soon come home again!” replied the old man in a spiteful voice. The boy, however, was tremendously delighted and jumped for joy. “Well, act like a fool! You grow more stupid every day!” said the father again. Hans, however, did not care about that and did not let it spoil his pleasure. But as it was then night, he thought he might as well wait until the next day, for he could not get to court that day. All night long he could not sleep in his bed, and if he did doze for a moment, he dreamed of beautiful maidens, of palaces, of gold, of silver, and of all kinds of things of that sort. Early in the morning he set out on his way, and immediately afterward the little shabby-looking man in his iron clothes came to him and asked what he was carrying in the basket. Hans answered that he was carrying apples with which the King’s daughter was to eat herself well. “Then,” said the little man, “so they will be, and so they will remain.” But at the court none of them would let Hans in, for they said that two had already been there who had told them that they were bringing apples, and that one of them had brought frogs’ legs and the other hogs’ bristles. Hans, however, resolutely maintained that he certainly had no frogs’ legs but some of the most beautiful apples in the whole kingdom. Because he spoke so pleasantly, the doorkeeper thought he could not be telling a lie and asked him to go in, and the doorkeeper was right, for when Hans uncovered his basket in the King’s presence, golden-yellow apples came tumbling out. The King was delighted and had some of them taken to his daughter, and then he waited in anxious expectation until news was brought to him of the effect they had. But before much time had passed, news was brought to him—but who do you think it was who came? It was his daughter herself! As soon as she had eaten some of those apples, she was cured and sprang out of her bed. The joy the King felt cannot be described! But now he did not want to give his daughter in marriage to Hans and said that Hans must first make him a boat that would go faster on dry land than on water. Hans agreed to the conditions, went home, and related how it had gone with him. Then the father sent Uele into the forest to make a boat of that kind. He worked diligently and whistled all the time. At midday, when the sun was at its highest, the little iron man came and asked what he was making. Uele answered, “Wooden bowls for the kitchen.” The iron man said, “So it will be, and so it will remain.” By evening Uele thought he had now made the boat, but when he wanted to get into it, he had nothing but wooden bowls. The next day Seame went into the forest, but everything went for him just as it had for Uele. On the third day Stupid Hans went. He worked away most industriously, so that the whole forest resounded with the heavy strokes, and all the while he sang and whistled very merrily. At midday, when it was hottest, the little man came again and asked what he was making. “A boat that will go faster on dry land than on the water,” replied Hans, “and when I have finished it, I am to have the King’s daughter for my wife.” “Well,” said the little man, “such a boat it will be, and such a boat it will remain.” In the evening, when the sun had turned into gold, Hans finished his boat and everything that was needed for it. He got into it and rowed to the palace. The boat went as swiftly as the wind. The King saw it from a distance but would not give his daughter to Hans yet. He said that Hans must first take a hundred hares out to pasture from early morning until late evening, and that if one of them got away, Hans would not get the King’s daughter. Hans was content with this, and the next day he went with his flock to the pasture and took great care that none of them ran away.

Before many hours had passed, a servant came from the palace and told Hans that he must give her a hare at once, for some visitors had come unexpectedly. Hans, however, was very well aware what that meant and said that he would not give her one; the King could serve some hare soup to his guests the next day. The maid, however, would not believe that he was really refusing, and at last she began to get angry with him. Then Hans said that if the King’s daughter came herself, he would give her a hare. The maid told this in the palace, and the daughter did go herself. In the meantime, however, the little man came to Hans again and asked him what he was doing there. Hans said that he had to watch over a hundred hares and see that none of them ran away, and that then he might marry the King’s daughter and be King. “Good,” said the little man, “here is a whistle for you, and if one of them runs away, just whistle with it, and it will come back again.” When the King’s daughter came, Hans put a hare in her apron; but when she had gone about a hundred steps with it, he whistled, and the hare jumped out of the apron and, before she could turn around, was back with the flock again. When evening came, the hare herder whistled once more, looked to see if all were there, and then drove them to the palace. The King wondered how Hans had been able to take a hundred hares out to graze without losing any of them; he would not give Hans his daughter yet, however, and said that Hans must now bring him a feather from the Griffin’s tail. Hans set out at once and walked straight ahead. In the evening he came to a castle, where he asked for a night’s lodging, for at that time there were no inns. The lord of the castle promised him this with much pleasure and asked where he was going. Hans answered, “To the Griffin.” “Oh! To the Griffin! People tell me he knows everything, and I have lost the key to an iron money chest, so you might be so good as to ask him where it is.” “Yes, indeed,” said Hans, “I will do that.” Early the next morning he went onward, and on his way he arrived at another castle, where he again stayed the night. When the people who lived there learned that he was going to the Griffin, they said that they had a daughter in the house who was ill, that they had already tried every means to cure her but none of them had done her any good, and that he might be so kind as to ask the Griffin what would make their daughter healthy again. Hans said that he would willingly do that and went onward. Then he came to a lake, and instead of a ferryboat there was a tall, tall man who had to carry everybody across. The man asked Hans where he was going. “To the Griffin,” said Hans. “Then when you get to him,” said the man, “just ask him why I am forced to carry everybody over the lake.” “Yes, indeed, I will most certainly do that,” said Hans. Then the man took him up on his shoulders and carried him across. At last Hans arrived at the Griffin’s house, but only the wife was at home, not the Griffin himself. Then the woman asked him what he wanted. He told her everything: he had to get a feather out of the Griffin’s tail; there was a castle where they had lost the key to their money chest, and he was to ask the Griffin where it was; in another castle the daughter was ill, and he was to learn what would cure her; and not far from there was a lake with a man beside it, who was forced to carry people across it, and he was very anxious to learn why the man was obliged to do it. Then the woman said, “But look here, my good friend, human beings cannot speak to the Griffin; he devours them all. But if you like, you can lie down under his bed, and in the night, when he is fast asleep, you can reach out and pull a feather out of his tail. As for those things that you are to learn, I will ask about them myself.” Hans was quite satisfied with this and got under the bed. In the evening the Griffin came home, and as soon as he entered the room, he said, “Wife, I smell a human being.” “Yes,” said the woman, “one was here today, but he went away again.” And at that the Griffin said no more.

In the middle of the night, when the Griffin was snoring loudly, Hans reached out and plucked a feather from the Griffin’s tail. The Griffin woke up instantly and said, “Wife, I smell a human being, and it seems to me that somebody was pulling at my tail.” His wife said, “You have certainly been dreaming, and I told you before that a human being was here today but went away again. He told me all kinds of things: that in one castle they had lost the key to their money chest and could not find it anywhere.” “Oh, the fools!” said the Griffin. “The key lies in the woodshed under a log behind the door.” “And then he said that in another castle the daughter was ill and they knew of no remedy that would cure her.” “Oh, the fools!” said the Griffin. “Under the cellar steps a toad has made its nest of her hair, and if she got her hair back, she would be well.” “And then he also said that there was a place with a lake and a man beside it who was forced to carry everybody across.” “Oh, the fool!” said the Griffin. “If he only put one man down in the middle, he would never have to carry another across.” Early the next morning the Griffin got up and went out. Then Hans came out from under the bed with a beautiful feather, and he had heard what the Griffin had said about the key, the daughter, and the ferryman. The Griffin’s wife repeated it all to him once more so that he would not forget it, and then he went home again. First he came to the man by the lake, who asked him what the Griffin had said, but Hans replied that the man must first carry him across and then he would tell him. So the man carried him across, and when Hans was over, he told the man that all he had to do was to set one person down in the middle of the lake, and then he would never have to carry anyone else across. The man was greatly delighted and told Hans that out of gratitude he would take him across once more and back again. But Hans said no; he would save the man the trouble, since he was quite satisfied already, and he continued on his way. Then he came to the castle where the daughter was ill. He took her on his shoulders, for she could not walk, carried her down the cellar steps, pulled out the toad’s nest from beneath the lowest step, and put it in her hand. She sprang off his shoulder and up the steps ahead of him, and she was quite cured. Then the father and mother were overjoyed beyond measure, and they gave Hans gifts of gold and silver and anything else he wished for. And when he got to the other castle, he went at once into the woodshed, found the key under the log behind the door, and took it to the lord of the castle. He, too, was not a little pleased and gave Hans as a reward much of the gold that was in the chest and all kinds of things besides, such as cows, sheep, and goats. When Hans arrived before the King with all these things—the money, the gold, the silver, and the cows, sheep, and goats—the King asked him how he had come by them. Then Hans told him that the Griffin gave people whatever they wanted. So the King thought that he himself could make use of such things and set out on his way to the Griffin; but when he got to the lake, it happened that he was the very first to arrive there after Hans, and the man put him down in the middle of it and went away, and the King was drowned. Hans, however, married the daughter and became King.