The Grimm Chronicles, Vol.1 (39 page)

Now one day it happened that a banquet was being held in the castle, and she said to the cook, “May I go up for a little while and take a look? I will stand outside the door.”

The cook answered, “Yes, go ahead. But you have to be back here in a half hour and carry out the ashes.”

Then she took her oil lamp and went into her cubbyhole. Taking off her fur cloak, she washed the soot from her hands and face so that her full beauty again came to light. Then she opened the nut and took out her dress that glistened like the sun. And after she had done all this she went upstairs to the banquet. Everyone stepped out of her way, for no one knew her, and everyone thought that she was a princess.

The king approached her, reached his hand out to her, and danced with her, and thought in his heart, “My eyes have never before seen such beauty.”

When the dance had ended, she curtsied, and while the king was looking around, she disappeared, and no one knew where she had gone. The guards who stood watch in front of the castle were called and questioned, but no one had seen her.

Now she had run back to her cubbyhole, quickly taken off her dress, blackened her hands and face, put on the fur cloak, and was once again All-Kinds-of-Fur.

After she had returned to the kitchen and was about to set to work and sweep up the ashes, the cook said, “That's enough until tomorrow. Make the king's soup for me, so I can have a look upstairs, but don't let a hair fall into it, or in the future there will nothing more for you to eat.”

Then the cook went away, and All-Kinds-of-Fur made soup for the king. She made bread soup, and as good as she knew how. When it was done, she got her golden ring from the cubbyhole and placed it in the bowl that the soup was in.

When the dance was over, the king had his soup brought to him. He ate it, and it tasted so good to him, that he thought he had never eaten a better soup. But when he reached the bottom of the bowl, he saw a golden ring lying there, and he could not imagine how it had gotten there.

He ordered the cook to come before him. The cook was terrified when he heard this order, and he said to All-Kinds-of-Fur, “For sure you let a hair fall into the soup. If that's true, you'll get a beating.”

When the cook came before the king he was asked who had cooked the soup, and he answered, “I cooked it.”

The king said, “That is not true, for it was made in a different way, and much better than usual.”

The cook answered, “I must confess that I did not cook it, it was the little furry animal.”

The king said, “Go and have her come up here.”

When All-Kinds-of-Fur arrived, the king asked, “Who are you.”

“I am a poor child who no longer has a father or a mother.”

He asked further, “What are you doing in my castle?”

She answered, “I am good for nothing, except having boots thrown at my head.”

He asked further, “Where did you get the ring that was in the soup?”

She answered, “I do not know anything about the ring.”

Thus the king could learn nothing, and he had to send her away again.

Some time later there was another banquet, and All-Kinds-of-Fur, as before, asked the cook for permission to have a look. He answered, “Yes, but come back in a half hour and cook the bread soup for the king that he likes so much.”

She ran to her cubbyhole, quickly washed herself then took from the nut the dress that was as silver as the moon and put it on. Then she went upstairs and looked like a princess. The king came up to her and was delighted to see her again, and because a dance was just beginning, they danced together. But as soon as the dance was over she again disappeared so quickly that the king did not notice where she went.

She ran to her cubbyhole, turned herself back into a furry animal, and went to the kitchen to make the bread soup. While the cook was upstairs she got the golden spinning wheel and put it in the bowl, so that the soup was prepared on top of it. Then it was taken to the king, who ate it, and it tasted as good to him as the last time. He had the cook brought before him, who again had to confess that All-Kinds-of-Fur had made the soup. All-Kinds-of-Fur again came before the king, and she answered that she was only good for having boots thrown at her head, and that she knew nothing at all about the little golden spinning wheel.

When the king gave a banquet for the third time, everything happened as before. But this time the cook said, “You are a witch, you furry animal, always putting something in the soup that makes it very good and taste better to the king.” But because she asked, he allowed her to look in on the ball at the appointed time.

This time she put on the dress that glistened like the stars, and thus clothed she stepped into the hall. The king danced again with the beautiful maiden, thinking that she had never been so beautiful. And while he was dancing he placed a golden ring on her finger, without her noticing it. Further, he had ordered that this dance should last a long time. When it was over, he tried to keep hold of her by her hands, but she tore herself loose and jumped so quickly into the crowd that she disappeared before his eyes. She ran as fast as she could to her cubbyhole beneath the steps, but because she had stayed away too long, more than a half hour, she could not take off the beautiful dress, but instead just threw the fur cloak on over it. And in her haste she did not cover herself entirely with soot, and one finger remained white.

All-Kinds-of-Fur now ran into the kitchen, made the bread soup for the king, and while the cook was away, put the golden reel in it.

When the king found the reel at the bottom of his bowl had All-Kinds-of-Fur called before him. Catching sight of the white finger, he saw the ring that he had put on her while they were dancing. He seized her by the hand and held her fast. As she attempted to free herself and run away, her fur cloak opened a little, and the dress of stars glistened out. The king grabbed the cloak and tore it off. Her golden hair appeared, and she stood there in full splendor, no longer able to hide. And after she had wiped the soot and ashes from her face, she was more beautiful than anyone who had ever been seen on earth.

The king said, “You are my dear bride, and we shall never part.”

Then their wedding was celebrated, and they lived happily until they died.

by the Brothers Grimm

One fine evening a young princess put on her bonnet and clogs, and went out to take a walk by herself in a wood; and when she came to a cool spring of water, that rose in the midst of it, she sat herself down to rest a while. Now she had a golden ball in her hand, which was her favourite plaything; and she was always tossing it up into the air, and catching it again as it fell. After a time she threw it up so high that she missed catching it as it fell; and the ball bounded away, and rolled along upon the ground, till at last it fell down into the spring. The princess looked into the spring after her ball, but it was very deep, so deep that she could not see the bottom of it. Then she began to bewail her loss, and said, 'Alas! if I could only get my ball again, I would give all my fine clothes and jewels, and everything that I have in the world.'

Whilst she was speaking, a frog put its head out of the water, and said, 'Princess, why do you weep so bitterly?' 'Alas!' said she, 'what can you do for me, you nasty frog? My golden ball has fallen into the spring.' The frog said, 'I want not your pearls, and jewels, and fine clothes; but if you will love me, and let me live with you and eat from off your golden plate, and sleep upon your bed, I will bring you your ball again.' 'What nonsense,' thought the princess, 'this silly frog is talking! He can never even get out of the spring to visit me, though he may be able to get my ball for me, and therefore I will tell him he shall have what he asks.' So she said to the frog, 'Well, if you will bring me my ball, I will do all you ask.'

Then the frog put his head down, and dived deep under the water; and after a little while he came up again, with the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the edge of the spring. As soon as the young princess saw her ball, she ran to pick it up; and she was so overjoyed to have it in her hand again, that she never thought of the frog, but ran home with it as fast as she could. The frog called after her, 'Stay, princess, and take me with you as you said,' But she did not stop to hear a word.

The next day, just as the princess had sat down to dinner, she heard a strange noise—tap, tap—plash, plash—as if something was coming up the marble staircase: and soon afterwards there was a gentle knock at the door, and a little voice cried out and said:

'Open the door, my princess dear,

Open the door to thy true love here!  

And mind the words that thou and I said 

By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.'

Then the princess ran to the door and opened it, and there she saw the frog, whom she had quite forgotten. At this sight she was sadly frightened, and shutting the door as fast as she could came back to her seat. The king, her father, seeing that something had frightened her, asked her what was the matter. 'There is a nasty frog,' said she, 'at the door, that lifted my ball for me out of the spring this morning: I told him that he should live with me here, thinking that he could never get out of the spring; but there he is at the door, and he wants to come in.'

While she was speaking the frog knocked again at the door, and said:

'Open the door, my princess dear,

Open the door to thy true love here!  

And mind the words that thou and I said 

By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.'

Then the king said to the young princess, 'As you have given your word you must keep it; so go and let him in.' She did so, and the frog hopped into the room, and then straight on—tap, tap—plash, plash—from the bottom of the room to the top, till he came up close to the table where the princess sat. 'Pray lift me upon chair,' said he to the princess, 'and let me sit next to you.' As soon as she had done this, the frog said, 'Put your plate nearer to me, that I may eat out of it.' This she did, and when he had eaten as much as he could, he said, 'Now I am tired; carry me upstairs, and put me into your bed.' And the princess, though very unwilling, took him up in her hand, and put him upon the pillow of her own bed, where he slept all night long. As soon as it was light he jumped up, hopped downstairs, and went out of the house. 'Now, then,' thought the princess, 'at last he is gone, and I shall be troubled with him no more.'

But she was mistaken; for when night came again she heard the same tapping at the door; and the frog came once more, and said:

'Open the door, my princess dear,

Open the door to thy true love here!  

And mind the words that thou and I said 

By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.'

And when the princess opened the door the frog came in, and slept upon her pillow as before, till the morning broke. And the third night he did the same. But when the princess awoke on the following morning she was astonished to see, instead of the frog, a handsome prince, gazing on her with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen, and standing at the head of her bed.

He told her that he had been enchanted by a spiteful fairy, who had changed him into a frog; and that he had been fated so to abide till some princess should take him out of the spring, and let him eat from her plate, and sleep upon her bed for three nights. 'You,' said the prince, 'have broken his cruel charm, and now I have nothing to wish for but that you should go with me into my father's kingdom, where I will marry you, and love you as long as you live.'

The young princess, you may be sure, was not long in saying 'Yes' to all this; and as they spoke a gay coach drove up, with eight beautiful horses, decked with plumes of feathers and a golden harness; and behind the coach rode the prince's servant, faithful Heinrich, who had bewailed the misfortunes of his dear master during his enchantment so long and so bitterly, that his heart had well-nigh burst.

They then took leave of the king, and got into the coach with eight horses, and all set out, full of joy and merriment, for the prince's kingdom, which they reached safely; and there they lived happily a great many years.

[viii]
Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Fox

A Georgia Folktale

Now, not many creatures were fond of the water, and Br’er Bear and Br’er Fox and Br’er Rabbit all vowed they couldn’t never get into that habit. It was so bad that when Br’er Coon’s daughter tried to get ‘em swimming in the creek or the river, they ran for cover!

But when other folks got to the river, Br’er Fox noticed they would ride a horse. And that seemed like a mighty fine idea to Br’er Fox.

“I wish I had one,” Br’er Fox said. “I’d get a bridle, and a saddle, and get right on that horse. And you’d better believe I’d get that horse trottin’ around. And I’d cross the river, too, to get at those chickens Farmer Joe keeps in his back yard.”

Well, Br’er Rabbit smiled himself a big smile and said, “Br’er Fox, I do believe I can solve your horse problem for ya! You meet me down where the two roads cross tomorrow morning and we’ll get you a horse.”

“I’ll be there,” Br’er Fox said.

Br’er Rabbit tipped his cap and said, “So long, friend! We’ll get that horse, by golly!”