Grimm's Household Tales

Once upon a time there was a man who was about to set out on a long journey, and on parting he asked his three daughters what he should bring back for them. Then the eldest wished for pearls, the second wished for diamonds, but the third said, “Dear father, I would like a singing, soaring lark.” The father said, “Yes, if I can get it, you will have it,” kissed all three, and set out. Now when the time had come for him to be on his way home again, he had brought pearls and diamonds for the two older daughters, but he had sought everywhere in vain for a singing, soaring lark for the youngest, and he was very unhappy about it, for she was his favorite child. Then his road lay through a forest, and in the middle of it was a splendid castle, and near the castle stood a tree, and at the very top of the tree he saw a singing, soaring lark. “Aha, you have come at just the right moment!” he said, quite delighted, and called to his servant to climb up and catch the little creature. But as he approached the tree, a lion leaped from beneath it, shook himself, and roared until the leaves on the trees trembled. “I will devour anyone who tries to steal my singing, soaring lark,” he cried. Then the man said, “I did not know that the bird belonged to you. I will make amends for the wrong I have done and ransom myself with a large sum of money, if you will only spare my life.” The lion said, “Nothing can save you unless you promise to give me, as my own, whatever first meets you on your return home. If you do that, I will grant you your life, and you will also have the bird for your daughter as part of the bargain.” But the man hesitated and said, “That might be my youngest daughter. She loves me best and always runs to meet me when I return home.” The servant, however, was terrified and said, “Why should your daughter be the very one to meet you? It might just as easily be a cat or a dog.” Then the man allowed himself to be overpersuaded, took the singing, soaring lark, and promised to give the lion whatever should first meet him on his return home.

When he reached home and entered his house, the first to meet him was none other than his youngest and dearest daughter, who came running up, kissed and embraced him, and when she saw that he had brought with him a singing, soaring lark, she was beside herself with joy. The father, however, could not rejoice but began to weep and said, “My dearest child, I have bought the little bird dearly. In return for it, I have been obliged to promise you to a savage lion, and when he has you, he will tear you to pieces and devour you.” And he told her everything, just as it had happened, and begged her not to go there, come what might. But she consoled him and said, “Dearest father, your promise must indeed be fulfilled. I will go there and soften the lion, so that I can return to you safely.” The next morning she had the road pointed out to her, took her leave, and went fearlessly out into the forest. The lion, however, was an enchanted prince. By day he was a lion, and all his people were lions with him, but at night they resumed their natural human shapes. On her arrival she was kindly received and led into the castle. When night came, the lion turned into a handsome man, and their wedding was celebrated with great magnificence. They lived happily together, remained awake at night, and slept in the daytime. One day he came and said, “Tomorrow there is a feast in your father’s house, because your eldest sister is to be married, and if you are inclined to go there, my lions will escort you.” She said, “Yes, I would very much like to see my father again,” and went there, accompanied by the lions. There was great joy when she arrived, for they had all believed that she had been torn to pieces by the lion and had long since ceased to live. But she told them what a handsome husband she had and how well off she was, remained with them while the wedding feast lasted, and then went back again to the forest. When the second daughter was about to be married, and she was again invited to the wedding, she said to the lion, “This time I will not be alone; you must come with me.” The lion, however, said that it was too dangerous for him, for if, while he was there, a ray from a burning candle fell on him, he would be changed into a dove, and for seven long years he would have to fly about with the doves. She said, “Ah, but do come with me. I will take great care of you and guard you from all light.” So they went away together and took their little child with them as well. She had a chamber built there, so strong and thick that no ray could pierce it; in this chamber he was to shut himself up when the candles were lit for the wedding feast. But the door was made of green wood, which warped and left a little crack that no one noticed. The wedding was celebrated with magnificence, but when the procession with all its candles and torches came back from church and passed by this room, a ray about the width of a hair fell on the King’s son, and when this ray touched him, he was transformed in an instant. When she came in and looked for him, she did not see him, but a white dove was sitting there. The dove said to her, “For seven years I must fly about the world, but at every seventh step that you take, I will let fall a drop of red blood and a white feather. These will show you the way, and if you follow the trail, you can release me.” Then the dove flew out through the door, and she followed him, and at every seventh step a red drop of blood and a little white feather fell down and showed her the way.

So she went continually farther and farther into the wide world, never looking around or resting, and the seven years were almost over. Then she rejoiced and thought that they would soon be freed, and yet they were so far from it! Once, when they were moving onward in this way, no little feather and no drop of red blood fell, and when she raised her eyes, the dove had disappeared. And as she thought to herself, “No human being can help you in this,” she climbed up to the sun and said to him, “You shine into every crevice and over every peak. Have you not seen a white dove flying?” “No,” said the sun, “I have seen none, but I present you with a little box. Open it when you are in the greatest need.” Then she thanked the sun and went on until evening came and the moon appeared. She then asked her, “You shine the whole night through, and on every field and forest. Have you not seen a white dove flying?” “No,” said the moon, “I have seen no dove, but here I give you an egg. Break it when you are in great need.” She thanked the moon and went on until the night wind came up and blew on her. Then she said to it, “You blow over every tree and under every leaf. Have you not seen a white dove flying?” “No,” said the night wind, “I have seen none, but I will ask the three other winds; perhaps they have seen it.” The east wind and the west wind came and had seen nothing, but the south wind said, “I have seen the white dove. It has flown to the Red Sea, where it has become a lion again, for the seven years are over, and the lion is there fighting a dragon. The dragon, however, is an enchanted princess.” The night wind then said to her, “I will advise you. Go to the Red Sea; on the right bank are some tall reeds. Count them, break off the eleventh, and strike the dragon with it. Then the lion will be able to subdue it, and both will regain their human form. After that, look around, and you will see the griffin that is by the Red Sea. Swing yourself, with your beloved, onto his back, and the bird will carry you over the sea to your own home. Here is a nut for you. When you are above the center of the sea, let the nut fall. It will immediately shoot up, and a tall nut tree will grow out of the water, on which the griffin may rest. For if he cannot rest, he will not be strong enough to carry you across, and if you forget to throw down the nut, he will let you fall into the sea.”

Then she went there and found everything as the night wind had said. She counted the reeds by the sea, cut off the eleventh, and struck the dragon with it, after which the lion overcame it, and both of them immediately regained their human shapes. But when the princess, who had been the dragon before, was freed from the enchantment, she took the youth by the arm, seated herself on the griffin, and carried him off with her. There stood the poor maiden who had wandered so far and was forsaken once again. She sat down and cried, but at last she took courage and said, “Even so, I will go as far as the wind blows and as long as the rooster crows, until I find him,” and she went on by long, long roads until at last she came to the castle where the two of them were living together. There she heard that a feast was soon to be held, at which they would celebrate their wedding, but she said, “God still helps me,” and opened the little box that the sun had given her. A dress as brilliant as the sun itself lay inside. So she took it out and put it on, and went up into the castle, and everyone, even the bride herself, looked at her with astonishment. The dress pleased the bride so well that she thought it might do for her wedding dress, and she asked whether it was for sale. “Not for money or land,” she answered, “but for flesh and blood.” The bride asked her what she meant by that, and she said, “Let me sleep one night in the chamber where the bridegroom sleeps.” The bride was unwilling, yet she wanted very much to have the dress; at last she consented, but the page was to give the prince a sleeping potion. When night came, therefore, and the youth was already asleep, she was led into the chamber. She seated herself on the bed and said, “I have followed after you for seven years. I have been to the sun and the moon and the four winds, and I have inquired for you, and I have helped you against the dragon. Will you, then, forget me completely?” But the prince slept so soundly that it only seemed to him as if the wind were whistling outside in the fir trees. When day broke, therefore, she was led out again and had to give up the golden dress. And since even that had been of no avail, she was sad, went out into a meadow, sat down there, and wept. While she was sitting there, she thought of the egg that the moon had given her. She opened it, and out came a clucking hen with twelve chickens, all of gold, and they ran about chirping and crept again under the old hen’s wings. Nothing more beautiful was ever seen in the world! Then she got up and drove them through the meadow before her until the bride looked out of the window. The little chickens pleased her so much that she immediately came down and asked whether they were for sale. “Not for money or land, but for flesh and blood. Let me sleep another night in the chamber where the bridegroom sleeps.” The bride said, “Yes,” intending to cheat her as on the previous evening. But when the prince went to bed, he asked the page what the murmuring and rustling in the night had been. On this the page told him everything: that he had been forced to give him a sleeping potion, because a poor girl had slept secretly in the chamber, and that he was to give him another that night. The prince said, “Pour out the potion by the bedside.” At night she was led in again, and when she began to relate how badly everything had gone for her, he immediately recognized his beloved wife by her voice, sprang up, and cried, “Now I am really released! I have been, as it were, in a dream, for the strange princess has bewitched me so that I have been compelled to forget you, but God has freed me from the spell at the right time.” Then they both left the castle secretly in the night, for they feared the father of the princess, who was a sorcerer. They seated themselves on the griffin, which carried them across the Red Sea, and when they were in the middle of it, she let the nut fall. Immediately a tall nut tree grew up, on which the bird rested, and then it carried them home, where they found their child, who had grown tall and beautiful, and from then on they lived happily until their death.