Grimm's Household Tales

There was once a poor man and a poor woman who had nothing but a little cottage, who earned their bread by fishing, and who always lived from hand to mouth. But one day, when the man was sitting by the water’s edge and casting his net, he drew out a fish made entirely of gold. As he looked at the fish in astonishment, it began to speak and said, “Listen, fisherman, if you will throw me back into the water, I will change your little hut into a splendid castle.” Then the fisherman answered, “Of what use is a castle to me if I have nothing to eat?” The gold fish continued, “That will be taken care of. There will be a cupboard in the castle, and when you open it, there will be dishes of the most delicate meats, as many of them as you can desire.” “If that is true,” said the man, “then I can well do you a favor.” “Yes,” said the fish, “but there is a condition: you must not disclose to anyone in the world, whoever he may be, where your good luck has come from. If you speak but one single word, all will be over.” Then the man threw the wonderful fish back into the water and went home. But where his hovel had formerly stood, now stood a great castle. He opened his eyes wide, entered, and saw his wife dressed in beautiful clothes and sitting in a splendid room. She was quite delighted and said, “Husband, how has all this come about? It suits me very well.” “Yes,” said the man, “it suits me too, but I am frightfully hungry. Just give me something to eat.” The wife said, “But I have nothing, and I don’t know where to find anything in this new house.” “There is no need for you to know,” said the man, “for I see over there a great cupboard. Just unlock it.” When she opened it, there stood cakes, meat, fruit, and wine—quite a bright prospect.

Then the woman cried joyfully, “What more can you want, my dear?” and they sat down and ate and drank together. When they had had enough, the woman said, “But, husband, where do all these riches come from?” “Alas,” he answered, “do not question me about it, for I dare not tell you anything. If I disclose it to anyone, then all our good fortune will fly.” “Very well,” she said, “if I am not to know anything, then I do not want to know anything.” However, she was not in earnest. She never rested day or night, and she goaded her husband until in his impatience he revealed that all was owing to a wonderful golden fish that he had caught and to which in return he had given its liberty. As soon as the secret was out, the splendid castle with the cupboard immediately disappeared. They were once more in the old fisherman’s hut, and the man had to follow his former trade and fish. But fortune would have it that he once more drew out the golden fish. “Listen,” said the fish. “If you will throw me back into the water again, I will once more give you the castle with the cupboard full of roast and boiled meats. Only be firm. For your life’s sake, do not reveal from whom you have it, or you will lose it all again!” “I will take good care,” answered the fisherman, and he threw the fish back into the water. Now at home everything was once more in its former magnificence, and the wife was overjoyed at their good fortune, but curiosity left her no peace, so that after a couple of days she began to ask again how it had come about and how he had managed to secure it. The man kept silent for a short time, but at last she made him so angry that he broke out and betrayed the secret. In an instant the castle disappeared, and they were back in their old hut. “Now you have what you want,” he said, “and we can gnaw at a bare bone again.” “Ah,” said the woman, “I would rather not have riches if I am not to know from whom they come, for then I have no peace.”

The man went back to fish, and after a while he chanced to draw out the gold fish for a third time. “Listen,” said the fish, “I see very well that I am fated to fall into your hands. Take me home and cut me into six pieces. Give your wife two of them to eat, give two to your horse, and bury two of them in the ground. Then they will bring you a blessing.” The fisherman took the fish home with him and did as it had told him to do. It happened, however, that from the two pieces that were buried in the ground, two golden lilies sprang up, that the horse had two golden foals, and that the fisherman’s wife bore two children who were made entirely of gold. The children grew up and became tall and handsome, and the lilies and horses grew likewise. Then they said, “Father, we want to mount our golden steeds and travel out into the world.” But he answered sorrowfully, “How will I bear it if you go away and I do not know how you are faring?” Then they said, “The two golden lilies remain here. By them you can see how it is with us. If they are fresh, then we are in health; if they are withered, we are ill; if they perish, then we are dead.” So they rode forth and came to an inn in which there were many people, and when the people saw the gold-children, they began to laugh and jeer. When one of them heard the mocking, he felt ashamed and would not go out into the world, but turned back and went home again to his father. But the other rode forward and reached a great forest. As he was about to enter it, the people said, “It is not safe for you to ride through. The wood is full of robbers who would treat you badly. You will fare ill, and when they see that you are all of gold, and your horse likewise, they will surely kill you.”

But he would not allow himself to be frightened and said, “I must and will ride through it.” Then he took bearskins and covered himself and his horse with them, so that the gold could no longer be seen, and rode fearlessly into the forest. When he had ridden onward a little, he heard a rustling in the bushes and heard voices speaking together. From one side came cries of “There is one!” but from the other, “Let him go. He is an idle fellow, as poor and bare as a church mouse. What would we gain from him?”

So the gold-child rode joyfully through the forest, and no evil befell him. One day he entered a village in which he saw a maiden who was so beautiful that he did not believe that anyone more beautiful than she existed in the world. As such a mighty love took possession of him, he went up to her and said, “I love you with my whole heart. Will you be my wife?” He, too, pleased the maiden so much that she agreed and said, “Yes, I will be your wife and be true to you my whole life long.” Then they were married, and just as they were in the greatest happiness, the father of the bride came home, and when he saw that his daughter’s wedding was being celebrated, he was astonished and said, “Where is the bridegroom?” They showed him the gold-child, who, however, still wore his bearskins. Then the father said angrily, “A vagabond shall never have my daughter!” and he was about to kill him. Then the bride begged as hard as she could and said, “He is my husband, and I love him with all my heart!” until at last he allowed himself to be appeased. Nevertheless the idea never left his thoughts, so that the next morning he rose early, wishing to see whether his daughter’s husband was a common ragged beggar. But when he peeped in, he saw a magnificent golden man in the bed and the cast-off bearskins lying on the ground. Then he went back and thought, “What a good thing it was that I restrained my anger! I would have committed a great crime.” But the gold-child dreamed that he rode out to hunt a splendid stag, and when he awoke in the morning, he said to his wife, “I must go out hunting.” She was uneasy and begged him to stay there and said, “You might easily meet with a great misfortune,” but he answered, “I must and will go.”

Thereupon he got up and rode forth into the forest, and it was not long before a fine stag crossed his path exactly according to his dream. He aimed and was about to shoot it when the stag ran away. He gave chase over hedges and ditches for the whole day without feeling tired, but in the evening the stag vanished from his sight, and when the gold-child looked around him, he was standing before a little house in which there was a witch. He knocked, and a little old woman came out and asked, “What are you doing so late in the midst of the great forest?” “Have you not seen a stag?” “Yes,” she answered, “I know the stag well,” and thereupon a little dog that had come out of the house with her barked at the man violently. “Will you be silent, you odious toad,” he said, “or I will shoot you dead.” Then the witch cried out in a rage, “What! Will you kill my little dog?” and she immediately transformed him, so that he lay like a stone, and his bride awaited him in vain and thought, “That which I so greatly dreaded, which lay so heavily on my heart, has come upon him!” But at home the other brother was standing by the golden lilies when one of them suddenly drooped. “Good heavens!” he said. “My brother has met with some great misfortune! I must go and see whether I can possibly rescue him.” Then the father said, “Stay here. If I lose you also, what shall I do?” But he answered, “I must and will go forth!”

Then he mounted his golden horse, rode forth, and entered the great forest, where his brother lay turned to stone. The old witch came out of her house and called him, wishing to entrap him also, but he did not go near her and said, “I will shoot you if you do not bring my brother back to life.” She touched the stone, though very unwillingly, with her forefinger, and he was immediately restored to his human shape. Then the two gold-children rejoiced when they saw each other again, kissed and caressed each other, and rode away together out of the forest, the one home to his bride and the other to his father. The father then said, “I knew well that you had rescued your brother, for the golden lily suddenly rose up and blossomed out again.” Then they lived happily, and all prospered with them until their deaths.