Grimm's Household Tales

There was once a King who had a son who asked to marry the daughter of a mighty King; she was called Maid Maleen and was very beautiful. Because her father wished to give her to another man, the prince was rejected; but since they both loved each other with all their hearts, they would not give each other up, and Maid Maleen said to her father, “I can and will take no other man for my husband.” Then the King flew into a rage and ordered a dark tower to be built that no ray of sunlight or moonlight could enter. When it was finished, he said, “In it you will be imprisoned for seven years, and then I will come and see whether your willful spirit is broken.” Food and drink for the seven years were carried into the tower, and then she and her lady-in-waiting were led into it and walled up, and so were cut off from the sky and from the earth. There they sat in the darkness and did not know when day or night began. The King’s son often went around and around the tower and called their names, but no sound from outside pierced the thick walls. What else could they do but lament and complain? Meanwhile the time passed, and from the dwindling of the food and drink they knew that the seven years were coming to an end. They thought the moment of their deliverance had come; but no stroke of the hammer was heard, no stone fell out of the wall, and it seemed to Maid Maleen that her father had forgotten her. Since they had food for only a short time longer and saw a miserable death awaiting them, Maid Maleen said, “We must try our last chance and see whether we can break through the wall.” She took the bread knife and picked and bored at the mortar around a stone, and when she was tired, the lady-in-waiting took her turn. With great labor they succeeded in getting out one stone, and then a second, and a third, and after three days the first ray of light fell on their darkness, and at last the opening was so large that they could look out. The sky was blue, and a fresh breeze played on their faces; but how melancholy everything looked all around! Her father’s castle lay in ruins, the town and the villages were, as far as could be seen, destroyed by fire, the fields far and wide were laid waste, and no human being was visible. When the opening in the wall was large enough for them to slip through, the lady-in-waiting sprang down first, and then Maid Maleen followed. But where were they to go? The enemy had ravaged the whole kingdom, driven away the King, and killed all the inhabitants. They wandered off to seek another country, but they found no shelter anywhere and no human being to give them a mouthful of bread, and their need was so great that they were forced to appease their hunger with nettles. When, after a long journey, they came into another country, they tried to get work everywhere, but wherever they knocked they were turned away, and no one would take pity on them. At last they arrived in a large city and went to the royal palace. There, too, they were ordered to go away, but finally the cook said that they could stay in the kitchen and work as scullery maids.

The son of the King in whose kingdom they were living, however, was the very man who had been engaged to Maid Maleen. His father had chosen for him another bride, whose face was as ugly as her heart was wicked. The wedding was set, and the maiden had already arrived; but because of her great ugliness she shut herself in her room and allowed no one to see her, and Maid Maleen had to take her meals to her from the kitchen. When the day came for the bride and bridegroom to go to church, she was ashamed of her ugliness and afraid that if she showed herself in the streets, she would be mocked and laughed at by the people. Then she said to Maid Maleen, “A great piece of luck has befallen you. I have sprained my foot and cannot walk well through the streets, so you will put on my wedding clothes and take my place; you could have no greater honor than that!” Maid Maleen, however, refused and said, “I wish for no honor that is not suitable for me.” It was in vain, too, that the bride offered her gold. At last she said angrily, “If you do not obey me, it will cost you your life. I have only to say the word, and your head will lie at your feet.” Then she was forced to obey, and she put on the bride’s magnificent clothes and all her jewels. When she entered the royal hall, everyone was amazed at her great beauty, and the King said to his son, “This is the bride whom I have chosen for you and whom you must lead to church.” The bridegroom was astonished and thought, “She is like my Maid Maleen, and I would believe that it was she herself, but she has long been shut up in the tower, or dead.” He took her by the hand and led her to church. On the way there was a nettle plant, and she said,

“Oh, nettle plant,
Little nettle plant,
What are you doing here alone?
I have known the time
When I ate you unboiled,
When I ate you unroasted.”

“What are you saying?” asked the King’s son. “Nothing,” she replied. “I was only thinking of Maid Maleen.” He was surprised that she knew about her but kept silent. When they came to the footbridge into the churchyard, she said,

“Footbridge, do not break; I am not the true bride.”

“What are you saying there?” asked the King’s son. “Nothing,” she replied. “I was only thinking of Maid Maleen.” “Do you know Maid Maleen?” “No,” she answered. “How should I know her? I have only heard of her.” When they came to the church door, she said once more,

“Church door, do not break; I am not the true bride.”

“What are you saying there?” he asked. “Ah,” she answered, “I was only thinking of Maid Maleen.” Then he took out a precious chain, put it around her neck, and fastened the clasp. After that, they entered the church, and the priest joined their hands before the altar and married them. He led her home, but she did not speak a single word the whole way. When they got back to the royal palace, she hurried into the bride’s chamber, took off the magnificent clothes and the jewels, dressed herself in her gray gown, and kept nothing but the jewel on her neck, which she had received from the bridegroom.

When night came and the bride was to be led into the prince’s rooms, she let her veil fall over her face so that he would not notice the deception. As soon as everyone had gone away, he said to her, “What did you say to the nettle plant that was growing by the wayside?”

“To which nettle plant?” she asked. “I don’t talk to nettle plants.” “If you did not do it, then you are not the true bride,” he said. So she thought it over and said,

“I must go out to my maid,
Who keeps my thoughts for me.”

She went out and looked for Maid Maleen. “Girl, what have you been saying to the nettle?” “I said nothing but,

“Oh, nettle plant,
Little nettle plant,
What are you doing here alone?
I have known the time
When I ate you unboiled,
When I ate you unroasted.”

The bride ran back into the chamber and said, “I know now what I said to the nettle,” and she repeated the words that she had just heard. “But what did you say to the footbridge when we went over it?” asked the King’s son. “To the footbridge?” she answered. “I don’t talk to footbridges.” “Then you are not the true bride.”

Again she said,

“I must go out to my maid,
Who keeps my thoughts for me.”

She ran out, found Maid Maleen, and said, “Girl, what did you say to the footbridge?”

“I said nothing but,

“Footbridge, do not break; I am not the true bride.”

“That will cost you your life!” cried the bride, but she hurried into the room and said, “I know now what I said to the footbridge,” and she repeated the words. “But what did you say to the church door?” “To the church door?” she replied. “I don’t talk to church doors.” “Then you are not the true bride.”

She went out, found Maid Maleen, and said, “Girl, what did you say to the church door?”

“I said nothing but,

“Church door, do not break; I am not the true bride.”

“That will break your neck!” cried the bride, and she flew into a terrible rage, but she hurried back into the room and said, “I know now what I said to the church door,” and she repeated the words. “But where is the jewel that I gave you at the church door?” “What jewel?” she answered. “You did not give me any jewel.” “I myself put it around your neck, and I myself fastened it; if you do not know that, you are not the true bride.” He drew the veil from her face, and when he saw her immeasurable ugliness, he sprang back, terrified, and said, “How do you come to be here? Who are you?” “I am your bride-to-be, but because I was afraid that the people would mock me when they saw me outdoors, I ordered the scullery maid to dress herself in my clothes and to go to church in my place.” “Where is the girl?” he said. “I want to see her. Go and bring her here.” She went out and told the servants that the scullery maid was an impostor and that they must take her out into the courtyard and cut off her head. The servants seized Maid Maleen and wanted to drag her out, but she screamed so loudly for help that the King’s son heard her voice, hurried out of his chamber, and ordered them to set the maiden free at once. Lights were brought, and then he saw on her neck the gold chain that he had given her at the church door. “You are the true bride,” he said, “who went with me to the church; come with me now to my room.” When they were both alone, he said, “On the way to church you named Maid Maleen, who was to be my bride. If I could believe it possible, I would think she was standing before me—you are like her in every respect.” She answered, “I am Maid Maleen, who for your sake was imprisoned for seven years in the darkness, who suffered hunger and thirst, and who has lived so long in want and poverty. Today, however, the sun is shining on me once more. I was married to you in the church, and I am your lawful wife.” Then they kissed each other and were happy all the days of their lives. The false bride was rewarded for what she had done by having her head cut off.

The tower in which Maid Maleen had been imprisoned remained standing for a long time, and when the children passed by it, they sang,

“Kling, klang, gloria.
Who sits within this tower?
A King’s daughter sits within;
I cannot catch sight of her.
The wall will not break,
The stone cannot be pierced.
Little Hans, with your coat so bright,
Follow me, follow me, as fast as you can.”