 The Golden Bird from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Read by Bob Neufeld. A certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree which bore golden apples. These apples were always counted, and about the time when they began to grow ripe, it was found that every night one of them was gone. The king became very angry at this, and ordered the gardener to keep watch all night under the tree. The gardener said his eldest son to watch, but about twelve o'clock he fell asleep, and in the morning another of the apples was missing. Then the second son was ordered to watch, and at midnight he too fell asleep, and in the morning another apple was gone. Then the third son offered to keep watch, but the gardener at first would not let him, for fear some harm should come to him. However, at last he consented, and the young man laid himself under the tree to watch. As the clock struck twelve he heard a rustling noise in the air, and a bird came flying that was of pure gold, and as it was snapping at one of the apples with its beak, the gardener's son jumped up and shot an arrow at it. But the arrow did the bird no harm, only it dropped a golden feather from its tail, and then flew away. The golden feather was brought to the king in the morning, and all the council was called together. Everyone agreed that it was worth more than all the wealth of the kingdom. But the king said, one feather is of no use to me, I must have the whole bird. Then the gardener's eldest son set out and thought to find the golden bird very easily, and when he had gone but a little way he came to a wood, and by the side of the wood he saw a fox sitting. So he took his bow and made ready to shoot at it. Then the fox said, do not shoot me, for I will give you good counsel. I know what your business is, and that you want to find the golden bird. You will reach a village in the evening, and when you get there you will see two inns opposite to each other, one of which is very pleasant and beautiful to look at. Go not in there, but rest for the night in the other, though it may appear to you to be very poor and mean. But the son thought to himself, what can such a beast as this know about the matter? So he shot his arrow at the fox, but he missed it, and it set up its tail above its back and ran into the wood. Then he went his way, and in the evening came to the village where the two inns were, and in one of these were people singing and dancing and feasting, but the other looked very dirty and poor. I should be very silly, said he, if I went to that shabby house and left this charming place. So he went into the smart house, and ate and drank at his ease, and forgot the bird and his country too. Time passed on, and as the eldest son did not come back, and no tidings were heard of him, the second son set out, and the same thing happened to him. He met the fox who gave him the good advice, but when he came to the two inns, his eldest brother was standing at the window where the merry-making was, and called to him to come in, and he could not withstand the temptation, but went in, and forgot the golden bird and his country in the same manner. Time passed on again, and the youngest son too wished to set out into the wide world to seek for the golden bird, but his father would not listen to it for a long while, for he was very fond of his son, and was afraid that some ill luck might happen to him also, and prevent his coming back. However, at last it was agreed he should go, for he would not rest at home, and as he came to the wood he met the fox and heard the same good counsel, but he was thankful to the fox and did not attempt his life as his brothers had done. Sit upon my tail, and you will travel faster." So he sat down, and the fox began to run, and away they went over stock and stone so quick that their hair whistled in the wind. When they came to the village, the son followed the fox's counsel, and without looking about him, went to the shabby inn, and rested there all night at his ease. In the morning came the fox again, and met him as he was beginning his journey, and said, Go straight forward till you come to a castle, before which lie a whole troop of soldiers fast asleep and snoring. Take no notice of them, but go into the castle, and pass on and on till you come to a room where the golden bird sits in a wooden cage. Close by it stands a beautiful golden cage, but do not try to take the bird out of the shabby cage and put it into the handsome one, otherwise you will repent it. Then the fox stretched out his tail again, and the young man sat himself down, and away they went over stock and stone till their hair whistled in the wind. Before the castle gate all was as the fox had said, so the son went in and found the chamber where the golden bird hung in a wooden cage, and below stood the golden cage, and the three golden apples that had been lost were lying close by it. Then thought he to himself, it would be a very droll thing to bring away such a fine bird in this shabby cage. So he opened the door and took hold of it, and put it into the golden cage. But the bird set up such a loud scream that all the soldiers awoke, and they took him prisoner and carried him before the king. The next morning the court sat to judge him, and when all was heard it sentenced him to die, unless he should bring the king the golden horse which could run as swiftly as the wind, and if he did this he was to have the golden bird given him for his own. So he set out once more on his journey sighing and in great despair, when on a sudden his friend the fox met him and said, You see now what has happened on account of your not listening to my counsel. I will still, however, tell you how to find the golden horse. If you will do as I bid you. You must go straight on till you come to the castle where the horse stands in his stall. By his side will lie the groom fast asleep and snoring. Take away the horse quietly, but be sure to put on the old leather saddle upon him, and not the golden one that is close by it. Then the son sat down on the fox's tail, and away they went over stock and stone till their hair whistled in the wind. Paul went right, and the groom lay snoring with his hand upon the golden saddle, but when the son looked at the horse he thought it a great pity to put the leather saddle upon it. I will give him the good one, said he, I am sure he deserves it. As he took up the golden saddle the groom awoke and cried out so loud that all the guards ran in and took him prisoner, and in the morning he was again brought before the court to be judged and was sentenced to die. But it was agreed that if he could bring thither the beautiful princess he should live and have the bird and the horse given him for his own. Then he went his way, very sorrowful, but the old fox came and said, Why did you not listen to me? If you had, you would have carried away both the bird and the horse. Yet will I once more give you counsel. Go straight on and in the evening you will arrive at a castle. At twelve o'clock at night the princess goes to the bathing-house. Go up to her and give her a kiss, and she will let you lead her away. But take care you do not suffer her to go and take leave of her father and mother. Then the fox stretched out his tail and so away they went over stock and stone till their hair whistled again. As they came to the castle all was as the fox had said, and at twelve o'clock the young man met the princess going to the bath and gave her a kiss, and she agreed to run away with him, but begged with many tears that he would let her take leave of her father. At first he refused, but she wept still more and more and fell at his feet till at last he consented. But the moment she came to her father's house the guards awoke and he was taken prisoner again. Then he was brought before the king, and the king said, You shall never have my daughter unless in eight days you dig away the hill that stops the view from my window. Now this hill was so big that the whole world could not take it away, and when he had worked for seven days and done very little, the fox came and said, Lie down and go to sleep. I will work for you. And in the morning he awoke and the hill was gone. So he went merrily to the king and told him that now that it was removed he must give him the princess. Then the king was obliged to keep his word, and away went the young man and the princess. The fox came and said to him, We will have all three, the princess, the horse, and the bird. Ah, said the young man, that would be a great thing, but how can you contrive it? If you will only listen, said the fox, it can be done. When you come to the king and he asks for the beautiful princess, you must say, Here she is. Then he will be very joyful, and you will mount the golden horse that they are to give you and put out your hand to take leave of them. But shake hands with the princess last. Then lift her quickly onto the horse behind you, clap your spurs to his side, and gallop away as fast as you can. All went right. Then the fox said, When you come to the castle where the bird is, I will stay with the princess at the door, and you will ride in and speak to the king, and when he sees that it is the right horse, he will bring out the bird. But you must sit still and say that you want to look at it to see whether it is the true golden bird. And when you get it into your hand, ride away. This too happened, as the fox said. They carried off the bird, the princess mounted again, and they rode on into a great wood. Then the fox came and said, Pray, kill me, and cut off my head and my feet. But the young man refused to do it. So the fox said, I will at any rate give you good counsel. Beware of two things. Then no one from the gallows and sit down by the side of no river. Then away he went. Well, thought the young man, it is no hard matter to keep that advice. He rode on with the princess till at last he came to the village where he had left his two brothers, and there he heard a great noise and uproar, and when he asked what was the matter, the people said two men are going to be hanged. As he came nearer he saw that the two men were his brothers who had turned robbers. So he said, cannot they in any way be saved? But the people said no, unless he would bestow all his money upon the rascals and by their liberty. Then he did not stay to think about the matter, but paid what was asked, and his brothers were given up and went on with him towards their home. And as they came to the wood where the fox first met them, it was so cool and pleasant that the two brothers said, let us sit down by the side of the river and rest a while to eat and drink. So he said, yes, and forgot the fox's counsel and sat down on the side of the river. And while he suspected nothing, they came behind and threw him down the bank, and took the princess, the horse, and the bird, and went home to the king, their master, and said, all this have we won by our neighbor. Then there was great rejoicing made, but the horse would not eat, the bird would not sing, and the princess wept. The youngest son fell to the bottom of the river's bed. Luckily it was nearly dry, but his bones were almost broken and the bank was so steep that he could find no way to get out. Then the old fox came once more and scolded him for not following his advice. Otherwise no evil would have befallen him. Yet, said he, I cannot leave you here, so lay hold of my tail and hold fast. Then he pulled him out of the river and said to him, as he got upon the bank, your brothers have set watch to kill you if they find you in the kingdom. So he dressed himself as a poor man and came secretly to the king's court and was scarcely within the doors when the horse began to eat and the bird to sing and the princess left off weeping. And he went to the king and told him all his brothers' roguery and they were seized and punished and he had the princess given to him again and after the king's death he was heir to his kingdom. A long while after he went to walk one day in the wood and the old fox met him and besought him with tears in his eyes to kill him and cut off his head and feet and at last he did so and in a moment the fox was changed into a man and turned out to be the brother of the princess who had been lost a great many, many years. End of The Golden Bird Hans in Luck from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards Some men are born to good luck. All they do or try comes right. All that falls to them is so much gain. All their geese are swans. All their cards are trumps. Toss them which way you will. They will always, like porpoise, alight upon their legs and only move on so much the faster. The world may very likely not always think of them as they think of themselves but what care they for the world? What can it know about the matter? One of these lucky things was neighbor Hans. Seven long years he had worked hard for his master. At last he said, Master, my time is up. I must go home and see my poor mother once more. So pray, pay me my wages and let me go. When the master said, You have been a faithful and good servant, Hans, so your pay shall be handsome. Then he gave him a lump of silver as big as his head. Hans took out his pocket-hanker-chief, put the piece of silver into it, put over his shoulder, and jogged off on his road homewards. As he went lazily on, dragging one foot after another, a man came in sight, trotting gaily along on a capital horse. Ah! said Hans aloud, what a fine thing it is to ride on horseback. There he sits as easy and happy as if he was at home, in the chair by his fireside. He trips against no stones, saves shoe-leather, and gets on he hardly knows how. Hans did not speak so softly, but the horseman heard it all and said, Well, friend, why do you go on foot then? Ah! said he, I have this load to carry. To be sure it is silver, but it is so heavy that I can't hold up my head, and you must know it hurts my shoulder sadly. Well, what do you say of making an exchange? said the horseman, I will give you my horse, and you shall give me the silver, which will save your great deal of trouble carrying such a heavy load about with you. With all my heart, said Hans, but as you are so kind to me, I must tell you one thing, you will have a weary task to draw that silver about with you. However, the horseman got off, took the silver, helped Hans up, gave him the bridle into one hand and the whip into the other and said, When you want to go very fast, smack your lips loudly together and cry, Jeep! Hans was delighted as he sat on the horse, drew himself up, squared his elbows, turned out his toes, cracked his whip and rode merrily off, one minute whistling a merry tune and another singing. No cares and no sorrow, a fig for your morrow will laugh and be merry, sing they don derri. After a time he thought he should like to go a little faster, so he smacked his lips and cried, Jeep! Away went the horse full gallop, and before Hans knew what he was about, he was thrown off and lay on his back by the roadside. His horse would have run off if a shepherd, who was coming by, driving a cow, had not stopped it. Hans soon came to himself and got up on his legs again, sadly vexed, and said to the shepherd, This riding is no joke, when a man has the luck to get upon a beast like this that stumbles and flings him off as if he would break his neck. However, I'm off now once for all. I like your cow now a great deal better than this smart beast that played me this trick, and has spoiled my best coat, you see, in this puddle, which, by to by, smells not very like a nose-gay. One can walk along at once leisure behind that cow, keep good company, and have milk, butter, cheese every day into the bargain. What would I give to have such a prize? Well, said the shepherd, if you are so fond of her, I will change my cow for your horse. I like to do good to my neighbours, even though I lose by it myself. Done, said Hans merrily, what a noble heart that good man has, thought he. Then the shepherd jumped upon the horse, wished Hans and the cow good morning, and away he rode. Hans brushed his coat, wiped his face and hands, rested a while, and then drove off his cow quietly, and thought his bargain a very lucky one. If I have only a piece of bread, and I certainly shall always be able to get that, I can, whatever I like, eat my butter and cheese with it, and when I am thirsty, I can milk my cow and drink the milk. And what can I wish for more? When he came to an inn, he halted, ate up all his bread, and gave away his last penny for a glass of beer. When he had rested himself, he set off again, driving his cow towards his mother's village. But the heat grew greater as soon as noon came on, till at last, as he found himself on a wide heath that would take him more than an hour to cross, he began to be so hot and parched that his tongue claved to the roof of his mouth. I can find a cure for this, thought he, thou I will milk my cow and quench my thirst. So he tied her to the stump of a tree, and held his leathery cap to milk into. But not a drop was to be had. Who would have thought that this cow, which was to bring him milk and butter and cheese, was all that time utterly dry? Hans had not thought of looking to that. While he was trying his luck in milking, and managing the matter very clumsily, the uneasy beast began to think him very troublesome, and at last gave him such a kick on the head as knocked him down. And there he lay a long while senseless. Luckily a butcher soon came by, driving a pig in a wheel-barrow. Ah, what is the matter with you, my man? said the butcher as he helped him up. Hans told him what had happened, how he was dry and wanted to milk his cow, but found the cow was dry too. Then the butcher gave him a flask of ale, saying, there, drink and refresh yourself. Your cow will give no milk. Don't you see she is an old beast and good for nothing but the slaughterhouse? Alas, alas, said Hans, who would have thought it? What a shame to take my horse and give me only a dry cow. If I kill her, what will she be good for? I hate cow-beef. It is not tender enough for me. If it were a pig now, like that fat gentleman you are driving along at his ease, one could do something with it. It would, at any rate, make sausages. Well, said the butcher, I don't like to say no when one is asked to do a kind neighborly thing. To please you, I will change and give you my fine fat pig for the cow. Heaven reward you for your kindness and self-denial, said Hans as he gave the butcher the cow, and taking the pig off the wheel-barrow drove it away, holding it by the string that was tied to its leg. So on he jogged, and all seemed now to go right with him. He had met with some misfortunes to be sure, but he was now well repaid for all. How could it be otherwise with such a travelling companion as he had at last got? The next man he met was a countryman carrying a fine white goose. The countryman stopped to ask what was o'clock. This led to further chat, and Hans told him all his luck, how he had had so many good bargains and how all the world went gay in smiling with him. The countryman then began to tell his tale and said he was going to take the goose to a christening. Feel, said he, how heavy it is, and yet it is only eight weeks old. Whoever roasts and eats it will find plenty of fat upon it. It has lived so well. You are right, said Hans, as he waited in his hand, but if you talk of fat, my pig is no trifle. Meantime the countryman began to look grave and shook his head. Hark ye, said he, my brother friend, you seem a good sort of fellow, so I can't help doing you a kind turn. Your pig may get you into a scrape. In the village I just came from, the squire has had a pig stolen out of his stye. I was dreadfully afraid when I saw you that you had got the squire's pig. If you have, and they catch you, it will be a bad job for you. The least they will do will be to throw you into the horse pond. Can you swim? Poor Hans was sadly frightened. Good man, cried he, pray, get me out of this scrape. I know nothing of where the pig was either bred or born, but he may have been the squire's for what I can tell. You know this country better than I do. Take my pig and give me the goose. I ought to have something into the bargain, said the countryman. Give a fat goose for a pig, indeed. It is not everyone would do so much for you as that. However, I will not be hard upon you as you are in trouble. Then he took the string in his hand and drove off the pig by a side-path, while Hans went on the way homewards free from care. After all, thought he, that chap is pretty well taken in. I don't care whose pig it is, but wherever it came from, it has been a very good friend to me. I have much the best of the bargain. First there will be a capital roast, then the fat will find me in goose grease for six months, and then there are all the beautiful white feathers. I will put them into my pillow, and then I am sure I will sleep soundly without rocking. How happy my mother will be! Talk of a pig, indeed. Give me a fine fat goose! As he came to the next village, he saw a scissor grinder with his wheel working and singing. O hill and ordeal, so happy I roam, work light and live well, all the world is my home, then who so blind, so merry as I? Hans stood looking on for a while, and at last said, You must be well off, master grinder. You seem so happy at your work. Yes, said the other, mine is a golden trade. A good grinder never puts his hand into his pocket without finding money in it. But where did you get that beautiful goose? I did not buy it, I gave a pig for it. Ah, and where did you get the pig? I gave a cow for it. And the cow? I gave a horse for it. And the horse? I gave a lump of silver as big as my head for it. And the silver? Oh, I worked hard for that, seven long years. You have driven well in the world here, you said the grinder. Now, if you could find money in your pocket whenever you put your hand in it, your fortune would be made. Very true, but how is that to be managed? How? Why, you must turn grinder like myself, said the other. You only want a grindstone, the rest will come of itself. Here is one that is but little the worse for where. I could not ask more than the value of your goose for it. Will you buy? How can you ask? said Hans. I should be the happiest man in the world if I could have money whenever I put my hand in my pocket. Oh, what could I want more? There's the goose. Now, said the grinder, as he gave him a common rough stone that lay by his side, this is a most capital stone. Do but work it well enough and you can make an old nail cut with it. Hans took the stone and went his way with a light heart. His eyes sparkled for joy and he said to himself, surely I must have been born in a lucky hour. Everything I could want or wish for comes of itself. People are so kind, they seem really to think I do them a favour in letting them make me rich and giving me good bargains. Meantime he began to be tired and hungry too, for he had given away his last penny in his joy at getting the cow. At last he could go no farther, he soon tired him sadly and he dragged himself to the side of a river that he might take a drink of water and rest a while. So he laid the stone carefully by his side on the bank, but as he stooped down to drink he forgot it, pushed it a little and down it rolled plump into the stream. For a while he watched it sinking in the deep clear water. Then sprang up and danced for joy, then again fell upon his knees and fanged heaven with tears in his eyes for it kindness in taking away his only plague, the ugly, heavy stone. How happy am I? cried he. Nobody was ever so lucky as I. Then up he got with a light heart, free from all his troubles and walked on till he reached his mother's house and told her how very easy the road to good luck was. End of Hans in Luck Yorinda and Yorindel from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Read by Bob Newfield There was once an old castle that stood in the middle of a deep gloomy wood and in the castle lived an old fairy. Now this fairy could take any shape she pleased. All day long she flew about in the form of an owl or crept about the country like a cat. But at night she always became an old woman again. When any young man came within a hundred paces of her castle he became quite fixed and could not move a step till she came and set him free, which she would not do till he had given her his word never to come there again. But when any pretty maiden came within that space she was changed into a bird and the fairy put her into a cage and hung her up There were seven hundred of these cages hanging in the castle and all with beautiful birds in them. There was once a maiden whose name was Yorinda. She was prettier than all the pretty girls that ever were seen before and a shepherd lad whose name was Yorindel was very fond of her and they were soon to be married. One day they went to walk in the wood that they might be alone and Yorindel said, we must take care that we don't go too near it was a beautiful evening the last rays of the setting sun shone bright through the long stems of the trees upon the green underwood beneath and the turtle doves sang from the tall birches Yorinda sat down to gaze upon the sun Yorindel sat by her side and both felt sad they knew not why but it seemed as if they were to be parted from one another forever they had wandered a long way and when they had looked to see which way they should go home they found themselves at a loss to know what path to take. The sun was setting fast and already half of its circle had sunk behind the hill Yorindel on a sudden looked behind him and saw through the bushes that they had, without knowing it sat down close under the old walls of the castle then he shrank for fear turned pale and trembled Yorinda was just singing the ring dove sang from the willow pray well a day well a day he mourned for the fate of his darling mate well a day when her song stopped suddenly Yorindel turned to see the reason and beheld his Yorinda changed into a nightingale so that her song ended with a mournful chug chug an owl with fire in the eyes flew three times around them and three times screamed too woo too woo Yorindel could not move he stood fixed as a stone and could neither weep nor speak nor stir hand or foot and now the sun went down the gloomy night came and the owl flew into a bush and a moment after the old fairy came forth pale and meagre with staring eyes and a nose and chin that almost met one another she mumbled something to herself seized the nightingale and went away with it in her hand poor Yorindel saw the nightingale was gone but what could he do he could not speak he could not move from the spot where he stood at last the fairy came back and sang with a horse of voice till the prisoner is fast and her doom is cast there stay oh stay when the charm is around her and the spell has bound her stay away away on a sudden Yorindel found himself free then he fell on his knees before the fairy and prayed her to give him back his dill yorinda but she laughed at him and said he should never see her again then she went away he prayed he wept he sorrowed but all in vain alas he said what will become of me he went back to his own home so he went to a strange village and implored himself in keeping sheep many a time did he walk round and round as near to the hated castle as he dared go but all in vain he heard or saw nothing of Yorinda at last he dreamt one night that he found a beautiful purple flower and that in the middle of it lay a costly pearl and he dreamt that he plopped the flower and went with it in his hand into the castle and that everything he touched with it was disenchanted and that there he found his Yorinda again in the morning when he awoke he began to search over hill and dale for this pretty flower and eight long days he sought for it in vain but on the ninth day early in the morning he found the beautiful purple flower and in the middle of it was a large dew drop as big as a costly pearl then he plucked the flower and traveled day and night till he came again to the castle he walked nearer than a hundred paces to it and yet he did not become fixed as before but found that he could go quite close up to the door Yorinda was very glad indeed to see this then he touched the door with the flower and it sprang open so that he went in through the court and listened when he heard so many birds singing at last he came to the chamber where the fairy sat with the seven hundred birds singing in the seven hundred cages when she saw Yorinda she was very angry and screamed with rage but she could not come within two yards of him for the flower he held in his hand was his safeguard he looked around at the birds but alas there were many, many nightingales and how then should he find out which was his Yorinda while he was thinking what to do he saw the fairy had taken down one of the cages in the best of her way off through the door he ran or flew after her touched the cage with the flower and Yorinda stood before him and threw her arms round his neck looking as beautiful as ever as beautiful as when they walked together in the wood then he touched all the other birds with the flower so that they all took their old forms again and he took Yorinda home where they were married and lived happily together many years and so did a good many other lads whose maidens had been forced to sing in the old fairy's cages by themselves much longer than they liked and of Yorinda and Yorindel the traveling musicians from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld an honest farmer had once a donkey that had been a faithful servant to him a great many years but was now growing old and every day more and more unfit for work his master, therefore was tired of keeping him and began to think of putting an end to him but the donkey who saw that some mischief was in the wind took himself slyly off and began his journey towards the great city for there, thought he I may turn musician after he had travelled a little way he spied a dog lying by the roadside and panting as if he were tired what makes you pant so, my friend said the donkey alas, said the dog my master was going to knock me on the head because I am old and weak and can no longer make myself useful to him in hunting so I ran away but what can I do to earn my livelihood Hockey, said the donkey I am going to the great city to take musician suppose you go with me and try what you can do in the same way the dog said he was willing and they jogged on together they had not gone far before they saw a cat sitting in the middle of the road and making a most rueful face pray, my good lady said the donkey what's the matter with you you look quite out of spirits ah, me, said the cat how can one be in good spirits when one's life is in danger because I am beginning to grow old and had rather lie at my ease by the fire than run about the house after the mice my mistress laid hold of me and was going to drown me and though I have been lucky enough to get away from her I do not know what I am to live upon oh, said the donkey by all means go with us to the great city a light singer and may make your fortune as a musician the cat was pleased with the thought and joined the party soon afterwards as they were passing by a farmyard they saw a rooster perched upon a gate and screaming out with all his might and mane bravo, said the donkey upon my word you make a famous noise pray what is all this about my, said the rooster I was just now saying that we should have fine weather and yet my mistress and the cook don't thank me for my pains but threaten to cut off my head tomorrow and make breath of me for the guests that are coming on Sunday heaven forbid, said the donkey come with us, master shanta clear it will be better at any rate than staying here to have your head cut off besides, who knows if we care to sing in tune we may get up some kind of a concert so come along with us with all my heart, said the rooster so they all four went on jollyly together they could not, however reach the great city the first day so, when night came on they went into a wood to sleep the donkey and the dog laid themselves down under a great tree and the cat climbed up into the branches while the rooster, thinking that the higher he sat the safer he should be flew up to the very top of the trees and then, according to his custom before he went to sleep, looked out on all sides of him to see that everything was well in doing this he saw a far-off something bright and shining and calling to his companions said there must be a house no great way off for I see a light if that be the case, said the donkey we had better change our quarters for our lodging is not the best in the world besides, added the dog I should not be the worse for a bone or a bit of meat so they walked off together towards the spot where Shanticleer had seen the light and as they drew near it became larger and brighter till they at last came close to a house in which a gang of robbers lived the donkey, being the tallest of the company, perched up to the window and peeped in well, donkey, said Shanticleer what do you see what do I see? replied the donkey why, I see a table spread with all kinds of good things and robbers sitting round it making merry that would be a noble lodging for us said the rooster yes, said the donkey if we could only get in so they consulted together how they should contrived to get the robbers out and at last they hit upon a plan the donkey placed himself upright on his hind legs with his four feet resting against the window the dog got upon his back his shoulders and the rooster flew up and sat upon the cat's head when all was ready a signal was given and they began their music the donkey braided, the dog barked the cat mewed and the rooster screamed and then they all broke through the window at once and came tumbling into the room amongst the broken glass with a most hideous clatter the robbers, who had been not a little frightened by the opening concert a delightful hobgoblin had broken in upon them and scampered away as fast as they could the coast once clear our traveller soon sat down and dispatched what the robbers had left with as much eagerness as if they had not expected to eat again for a month as soon as they had satisfied themselves they put out the lights and each once more sought out a resting place to his own liking the donkey laid himself down upon a heap of straw in the yard the rooster himself upon a mat behind the door the cat rolled herself up on the hearth before the warm ashes and the rooster perched upon a beam on the top of the house and as they were all rather tired with their journey they soon fell asleep but about midnight when the robbers saw from afar that the lights were out and that all seemed quiet they began to think that they had been in too great a hurry to run away and one of them, who was bolder than the rest went to see what was going on finding everything still he marched into the kitchen and groped about till he found a match in order to light a candle and then, espying the glittering fiery eyes of the cat he mistook them for live coals and held the match to them to light it but the cat, not understanding his joke sprang at his face and spat and scratched at him this frightened him dreadfully and away he ran to the back door but there the dog jumped up and bit him in the leg and as he was crossing over the yard the donkey kicked him and the rooster, who had been awakened by the noise crowed with all his might at this the robber ran back as fast as he could to his comrades and told the captain how a horrid witch had got him into the house and had spat at him and scratched his face with her long bony fingers how a man with a knife in his hand had hidden himself behind the door and stabbed him in the leg that monster stood in the yard and struck him with a club and how the devil had sat up on the top of the house and cried out throw the rascal up here after this the robbers never dared to go back to the house but the musicians were so pleased with their quarters that they took up their abode there and there they are, I dare say at this very day end of the traveling musicians old Sultan from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld a shepherd had a faithful dog called Sultan who was grown very old and had lost all his teeth and one day when the shepherd and his wife were standing together before the house the shepherd said tomorrow morning for he is of no use now but his wife said pray let the poor faithful creature live he has served us well a great many years and we ought to give him a livelihood for the rest of his days but what can we do with him said the shepherd he has not had tooth in his head and the thieves don't care for him at all to be sure he has served us but then he did it to earn his livelihood tomorrow shall be his last day poor Sultan who was lying close by them heard all that the shepherd and his wife said to one another and was very much frightened to think tomorrow would be his last day so in the evening he went to his good friend the wolf who lived in the wood and told him all his sorrows and how his master meant to kill him in the morning make yourself easy said the wolf I will give you some good advice your master you know not every morning very early with his wife into the field and they take their little child with them and lay it down behind the hedge in the shade while they are at work now do you lie down close by the child and pretend to be watching it and I will come out of the wood and run away with it you must run after me as fast as you can and I will let it drop then you may carry it back and they will think you have saved their child and will be so thankful to you that they will take care of you as long as you live the dog liked this plan very well and accordingly so it was managed the wolf ran with the child a little way the shepherd and his wife screamed out but Sultan soon overtook him and carried the poor little thing back to his master and mistress then the shepherd patted him on the head and said whole Sultan has saved our child from the wolf and therefore he shall live and be well taken care of and have plenty to eat wife go home and give him a good dinner and let him have my old cushion to sleep on as long as he lives so from this time forward Sultan had all that he could wish for soon afterwards the wolf came and wished him joy and said now my good fellow you must tell no tales but turn your head the other way when I want to taste one of the old shepherd's fine fat sheep no said the Sultan I will be true to my master however the wolf thought he was in joke and came one night to get a dainty morsel but Sultan had told his master what the wolf meant to do so he laid wait for him behind the barn door and when the wolf was busy looking out for a good fat sheep he had a stout cudgel laid about his back that combed his locks for him finally then the wolf was very angry and called Sultan an old rogue and swore he would have his revenge so the next morning the wolf sent the boar to challenge Sultan to come into the wood to fight the madame now Sultan had nobody he could ask to be his second but the shepherd's old three-legged cat so he took her with him and as the poor thing limped along with some trouble she stuck up her tail straight in the air the wolf and the wild boar were first on the ground and when they aspired their enemies coming and saw the cat's long tail standing straight in the air they thought she was carrying a sword for Sultan to fight with and every time she limped they thought she was picking up a stone to throw at them so they said they should not like this way of fighting and the boar laid down behind a bush and the wolf jumped up into a tree Sultan and the cat soon came up and looked about and wondered that there was no one there the boar however had not quite hidden himself for his ears stuck out of the bush and when he shook one of them a little the cat, seeing something move and thinking it was a mouse, sprang upon it and bit and scratched it so that the boar jumped up and grunted and ran away, roaring out look up in the tree there sits the one who is to blame so they looked up and aspired the wolf sitting among the branches and they called him a cowardly rascal and would not suffer him to come down until he was heartily ashamed of himself and had promised to be good friends again with old Sultan and of old Sultan the straw, the coal and the bean from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld enough village to out a poor old woman who had gathered together a dish of beans and wanted to cook them so she made a fire on her cough and that it might burn the quicker she lighted it with a hen full of straw when she was emptying the beans into the pan one dropped without her observing it and lay on the ground beside a straw and soon afterwards a burning coal from the fire leaped down to the two Dear friends, from whence do you come here? I fortunately sprang out of the fire and if I had not escaped by sheer force my death would have been certain I should have been burnt to ashes the bean said I too have escaped with a whole skin but if the old woman had got me into the pan I should have been made into broth without any mercy, like my comrades and would a better fate have fallen to my lot? asked the straw the old woman has destroyed all my brethren in fire and smoke she seized sixty of them at once and took their lives I luckily slipped through her fingers but when are we to do now? said the coal I think, answered the bean that as we have so fortunately escaped death we should keep together like good companions and lest a new mischance should overtake us here we should go away together and repair to a foreign country the proposition pleased the two others and they set out on their way together soon, however, they came to a little brook since there was no bridge or foot plank they did not know how they were to get over it the straw hit on a good idea and said I will lay myself straight across and then you can walk over on me as on a bridge the straw, therefore, stretched itself from one bank to the other and the coal, who was of an impetuous disposition tripped quite boldly onto the newly built bridge but when she had reached the middle and heard the water rushing beneath her she was, after all, afraid and stood still and ventured no further the straw, however, began to burn broke in two pieces and fell into the stream the coal slipped after her hissed when she got into the water and breezed her last the bean, who had prudently stayed behind on the shore could not but laugh at the event was unable to stop and laughed so heartily that she burst it would have been all over with her likewise if, by good fortune who was travelling in search of work had not sat down to rest by the brook as he had a compassionate heart he pulled out his needle and thread and sewed her together the bean thanked him most prettily but, as the tailor used black thread all beans since then have a black seam end of the straw, the coal and the bean prior rows from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bobnefeld a king and queen once upon a time reigned in a country a great way off where there were, in those days, fairies now this king and queen had plenty of money and plenty of fine clothes to wear and plenty of good things to eat and drink and a coach to ride out in every day but though they had been married many years they had no children and this grieved them very much indeed but one day as the queen was walking by the side of the river at the bottom of the garden she saw a poor little fish that had thrown itself out of the water and lay gasping and nearly dead on the bank then the queen took pity on the little fish and threw it back again into the water and before it swam away it lifted his head out of the water and said, I know what your wish is and it shall be fulfilled in return for your kindness to me and have a daughter what the little fish had foretold soon came to pass and the queen had a little girl so very beautiful that the king could not cease looking on her for joy and said he would hold a great feast and make merry and show the child to all the land so he asked his kinsmen and nobles and friends and neighbors but the queen said I will have the fairies also that they might be kind and good to our little daughter there were thirteen fairies in the kingdom but as the king and queen had only twelve golden dishes for them to eat out of they were forced to leave one of the fairies without asking her so twelve fairies came each with a high red cap on her head and red shoes with high heels on her feet and a long white wand in her hand and after the feast was over they gathered round in a ring and gave all their best gifts to the little princess one gave her goodness another beauty and so on till she had all that was good in the world just as eleven of them had done blessing her a great noise was heard in the courtyard and word was brought that the thirteenth fairy was come with a black cap on her head and black shoes on her feet and a broomstick in her hand and presently up she came into the dining hall now as she had not been asked to the feast she was very angry and scolded the king and queen very much to take her revenge so she cried out the king's daughter shall in her fifteenth year be wounded by a spindle and fall down dead then the twelfth of the friendly fairies who had not yet given her gifts came forward and said that the evil wish must be fulfilled but that she would soften its mischief so her gift was that the king's daughter when the spindle wounded her should not really die she should not really fall asleep for a hundred years however the king hoped still to save his dear child altogether from a threatened evil so he ordered that all the spindles in the kingdom should be brought up and burnt but all the gifts of the first eleven fairies were in the meantime fulfilled for the princess was so beautiful and well behaved and good and wise that everyone who knew her loved her it happened that on the very day she was fifteen years old at home and she was left alone in the palace so she roved about by herself and looked at all the rooms and chambers till at last she came to an old tower to which there was a narrow staircase ending with a little door in the door was a golden key and when she turned it the door sprang open and there sat an old lady spinning away very busily why how now, good mother? said the princess what are you doing there? spinning? said the old lady and nodded her head humming a tune while buzz went the wheel how prettily that little thing turns round said the princess then took the spindle and began to try and spin but scarcely had she touched it before the fairies prophecy was fulfilled the spindle wounded her and she fell down lifeless on the ground however she was not dead but had only fallen into a deep sleep and the king and the queen who had just come home and all their court fell asleep too and the horses slept in the stables and the dogs in the court the pigeons on the housetop and the very flies slept upon the walls even the fire on the hearth left off blazing and went to sleep the jack stopped and the spit that was turning about with a goose upon it for the king's dinner stood still and the cook who was at that moment pulling the kitchen boy by the hair to give him a box on the ear and if there was something he had done amiss let him go and both fell asleep the butler who was slyly tasting the ale fell asleep with the jug at his lips and thus everything stood still and slept soundly a large hage of thorns soon grew round the palace and every year it became higher and thicker till at last the old palace was surrounded and hidden so that not even the roof or the chimneys could be seen but there went a report all the land of the beautiful sleeping brier rose for so the king's daughter was called so that from time to time several king's sons came and tried to break through the thicket into the palace miss, however, none of them could ever do for the thorns and bushes laid hold of them as it were with hands and there they stuck fast and died wretchedly after many, many years there came a king's son into the land and an old man told him the story of the thicket of thorns and how a beautiful palace stood behind it and how a wonderful princess called brier rose lay in it asleep with all her court he told too that he had heard from his grandfather that many, many princess had come and had tried to break through the thicket but that they had all stuck fast in it and died and the young prince said all this shall not frighten me I will go and see this brier rose the old man tried to hinder him but he was bent upon going now that very day the hundred years were ended and as the prince came to the thicket he saw nothing but beautiful flowering shrubs through which he went with ease and they shot in after him as thick as ever then he came at last to the palace and there in the court lay the dogs asleep and the horses were standing in the stables and on the roof sat the pigeons fast asleep with their heads under their wings and when he came into the palace the flies were sleeping on the walls the spit was standing still the butler had the jug of ale in his lips going to drink a draught the maid sat with a foul in her lap ready to be plucked and the cook in the kitchen was still holding up her hand as if she was going to beat the boy then he went on still farther and all was so still that he could hear every breath he drew till at last he came to the old tower and opened the door of the little room in which Briarose was and there she lay fast asleep on a couch by the window she looked so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her so he stooped down and gave her a kiss but the moment he kissed her she opened her eyes and awoke and smiled upon him and they went out together and soon the king and queen also awoke and all the court and gazed on each other with great wonder and the horses shook themselves and the dogs jumped up and barked the pigeons took their heads from under their wings and looked about and flew into the fields the flies on the walls buzzed again the fire in the kitchen blazed up round went the jack and round went the spit with the goose for the king's dinner upon it the butler finished his draught of ale the maid went on plucking the foul and the cook gave the boy the box on his ear and then the prince and Briarose were married and the wedding feast was given and they lived happily together all their lives long end of Briarose the dog and the sparrow from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld a shepherd's dog had a master who took no care of him but often let him suffer the greatest hunger at last he could bear it no longer so he took to his heels and off he ran in a very sad and sorrowful mood on the road he met a sparrow that said to him why are you so sad, my friend? because said the dog I am very, very hungry and have nothing to eat oh, if that be all answered the sparrow come with me into the next town and I will soon find you plenty of food so on they went together into the town and as they passed by a butcher's shop the sparrow said to the dog stand there a little while till I peck you down a piece of meat so the sparrow perched upon the shelf and having first looked carefully about her to see if anyone was watching her she pecked and scratched at a steak that lay upon the edge of the shelf till at last down it fell then the dog snapped it up and scrambled away with it into a corner where he soon ate it all up said the sparrow you shall have some more if you will so come with me to the next shop and I will peck you down another steak when the dog had eaten this too the sparrow said to him well, my good friend, have you had enough now? I have had plenty of meat answered he but I should like to have a piece of bread to eat after it come with me then, said the sparrow and you shall have that too so she took him to a baker's shop to lay in the window till they fell down and as the dog still wished for more she took him to another shop and pecked down some more for him when that was eaten the sparrow asked him whether he had had enough now yes, said he now let us take a walk a little way out of the town so they both went out upon the high road but as the weather was warm they had not gone far before the dog said I am very much tired I should like to take a nap very well, answered the sparrow do so and in the meantime I will perch upon that bush so the dog stretched himself out on the road and fell fast asleep whilst he slept there came by a carter with a cart drawn by three horses and loaded with two casks of wine the sparrow, seeing that the carter did not turn out of the way but would go in the track in which the dog lay so as to drive over him cried out, stop, stop Mr. Carter, or it shall be the worse for you but the carter groaned to himself you make it worse for me indeed, what can you do cracked his whip and drove his cart over the poor dog so that the wheels crushed him to death there, cried the sparrow thou cruel villain thou hast killed my friend the dog now, mind what I say the deed of thine shall cost the all thou art worth do your worst and welcome said the brute what harm can you do me and passed on but the sparrow crept under the tilt of the cart and pecked at the bung of one of the casks till she loosened it and then all the wine ran out without the carter seeing it at last he looked round and saw that the cart was dripping and the cask quite empty oh, what an unlucky wretch I am cried he not wretch enough yet a lighted upon the head of one of the horses and pecked at him till he reared up and kicked when the carter saw this he drew out his hatchet and aimed a blow at the sparrow meaning to kill her but she flew away and the blow fell upon the poor horse's head with such force that he fell down dead oh, an unlucky wretch that I am not wretch enough yet said the sparrow and as the carter went on with the other two horses she again crept under the tilt of the cart and pecked out the bung of the second cask so that all the wine ran out when the carter saw this he again cried out miserable wretch that I am but the sparrow answered not wretch enough yet and perched on the head of the second horse and pecked at him too the carter ran up and struck at her again with his hatchet but away she flew and the blow fell upon the second horse on the spot alas, miserable wretch that I am cried he not wretch enough yet answered the sparrow as she flew away now will I plague and punish thee at thy own house the carter was forced at last to leave his cart behind him and to go home overflowing with rage and vexation alas said he to his wife what ill luck has befallen me my wine is all spilt and my horse is all three dead alas husband replied she and a wicked bird has come into the house and has brought with her all the birds in the world I am sure and they have fallen upon our corn in the loft and are eating it up at such a rate away round the husband upstairs and saw thousands of birds sitting upon the floor eating up his corn with the sparrow in the midst of them oh unlucky wretch that I am cried the carter for he saw that the corn was almost gone not wretch enough yet said the sparrow my cruelty shall cost thee thy life yet and away she flew the carter seeing that he had thus lost all that he had went down into his kitchen and was still not sorry for what he had done but sat himself angrily and sulkily in the chimney corner sat on the outside of the window and cried carter thy cruelty shall cost thee thy life with that he jumped up in a rage seized his hatchet and threw it at the sparrow but it missed her and only broke the window the sparrow now hopped in perched upon the window seat and cried carter it shall cost thee thy life then he became mad and blind with rage and struck the window seat with such force that he cleft it into and as the sparrow flew from place to place the carter and his wife were so furious that they broke all their furniture glasses chairs benches the table and at last the walls without touching the bird at all in the end however they caught her and the wife said shall I kill her at once now cried he that is letting her off too easily she shall die a much more cruel death I will eat her but the sparrow began to flutter about and stretch out her neck and cried carter it shall cost thee thy life yet with that he could wait no longer so he gave his wife the hatchet and cried wife strike at the bird and kill her in my hand and the wife struck but she missed her aim and hit her husband on the head so that he fell down dead and the sparrow flew quietly home to her nest end of the dog and the sparrow the twelve dancing princesses from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there was a king who had twelve beautiful daughters they slept in twelve beds all in one room and when they went to bed the doors were shut and locked up but every morning their shoes were found to be quite worn through as if they had been danced in all night and yet nobody could find out how it happened or where they had been then the king made it known to all the land that if any person could discover the secret and find out where it was that the princesses danced in the night he should have the one he liked best for his wife and should be king after his death but whoever tried and did not succeed after three days and nights should be put to death a king's son soon came he was well entertained and in the evening was taken to the chamber next to the one where the princesses lay in their twelve beds there he was to sit and watch while they went to dance and in order that nothing might pass without his hearing it the door of his chamber was left open but the king's son soon fell asleep and when he awoke in the morning he found that the princesses had all been dancing and the soles of their shoes were full of holes the same thing happened on the second and third night so the king ordered his head to be cut off after him came several others but they had all the same luck and all lost their lives in the same manner now it chanced that an old soldier who had been wounded in battle and could fight no longer passed through the country where this king reigned and as he was travelling through a wood he met an old woman who asked him where he was going I hardly know where I'm going and what I had better do said the soldier but I think I should like very well to find out where it is that the princesses dance and then in time I might be a king well, said the old dame that is no very hard task only take care not to drink any of the wine which one of the princesses will bring to you in the evening and as soon as she leaves you pretend to be fast asleep then she gave him a cloak and as soon as you put that on you will become invisible and you will then be able to follow the princesses wherever they go when the soldier heard all this good counsel he determined to try his luck so he went to the king and said he was willing to undertake the task he was as well received as the others had been and the king ordered fine royal robes to be given him and when the evening came he was led to the outer chamber just as he was going to lie down the eldest of the princesses brought him a cup of wine but the soldier threw it away secretly taking care not to drink a drop then he laid himself down on his bed and in a little while began to snore very loud as if he was fast asleep when the twelve princesses heard this they laughed heartily and the eldest said this fellow too might have done a wiser thing than lose his life in this way then they rose up and opened their drawers and boxes and took out all their fine clothes and dressed themselves at the glass and skipped about as if they were eager to begin dancing but the youngest said I don't know how it is while you are so happy I feel very uneasy I am sure some mischance will be for us you simpleton said the eldest you are always afraid have you forgotten how many king's sons have already watched in vain and as for this soldier even if I had not given him his sleeping draft he would have slept soundly enough when they were all ready they went and looked at the soldier but he snored on and did not stir hand or foot so they thought they were quite safe and the eldest went up to her own bed and clapped her hands and the bed sank into the floor and a trap door flew open the soldier saw them going down through the trap door one after another the eldest leading the way and thinking he had no time to lose he jumped up, put on the cloak which the old woman had given him and followed them but in the middle of the stairs he trod on the gown of the youngest princess and she cried out to her sisters all is not right, someone took hold of my gown you silly creature said the eldest it is nothing but a nail in the wall then down they all went and at the bottom they found themselves in a most delightful grove of trees and the leaves were all of silver glittered and sparkled beautifully the soldier wished to take away some token of the place so he broke off a little branch and there came a loud noise from the tree then the youngest daughter said again I am sure all is not right did you not hear that noise? that never happened before but the eldest said it is only our princess who are shouting for joy at our approach then they came to another grove of trees where all the leaves were gold and afterwards to a third the leaves were all glittering diamonds and the soldier broke a branch from each and every time there was a loud noise which made the youngest sister tremble with fear but the eldest still said it was only the princess who were crying for joy so they went on till they came to a great lake and at the side of the lake there lay twelve little boats with twelve handsome princes in them who seemed to be waiting there for the princesses one of the princesses went into each boat and the soldier stepped into the same boat with the youngest as they were rowing over the lake the prince who was in the boat with the youngest princess and the soldier said I do not know why it is but though I am rowing with all my might we do not get on so fast as usual and I am quite tired the boat seems very heavy today it is only the heat of the weather said the princess I feel it very warm too on the other side of the lake stood a fine illuminated castle from which came the merry music of horns and trumpets there they all landed and went into the castle and each prince danced with his princess and the soldier who was all the time invisible danced with them too and when any of the princesses had a cup of wine set by her he drank it all up so that when she put her cup to her mouth it was empty at this too the youngest sister was terribly frightened but the eldest always silenced her they danced on till three o'clock in the morning and all their shoes were worn out so that they were obliged to leave off the princess rode them back again over the lake at this time the soldier placed himself in the boat with the eldest princess and on the opposite shore they took leave of each other the princesses promising to come again the next night when they came to the stairs the soldier ran on before the princesses and laid himself down and as the twelve sisters slowly came up very much tired they heard him snoring in his bed so they said, now all is quite safe then they undressed themselves put away their fine clothes pulled off their shoes and went to bed in the morning the soldier said nothing about what had happened but determined to see more of this strange adventure and went again the second and third night and everything happened just as before the princesses danced each time till their shoes were worn to pieces and then returned home however on the third night the soldier carried away one of the golden cups as a token of where he had been as soon as the time came when he was to declare the secret he was taken before the king with the three branches and the golden cup and the twelve princesses stood listening behind the door to hear what he would say and when the king asked him where do my twelve daughters dance at night he answered with twelve princesses in a castle underground and then he told the king all that had happened and showed him the three branches of the golden cup which he had brought with him then the king called for the princesses and asked them whether what the soldier said was true and when they saw that they were discovered and that it was of no use to deny what had happened they confessed it all and the king asked the soldier which of them he would choose for his wife and he answered I am not very young so I will have the eldest and they were married that very day and the soldier was chosen to be the king's heir and of the twelve dancing princesses the fisherman and his wife from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there was once a fisherman who lived with his wife in a pigsty close by the seaside the fisherman used to go out all day long efficient and one day he sat on the shore with his rod looking at the sparkling waves and watching his line all of a sudden his float was dragged away deep into the water and in drawing it up he pulled out a great fish but the fish said pray let me live I am not a real fish I am an enchanted prince put me in the water again and let me go oh said the man you need not make so many words about the matter I can talk so swim away sir as soon as you please then he put him back into the water and the fish darted straight down to the bottom and left a long streak of blood behind him on the wave when the fisherman went home to his wife in the pigsty he told her how he had caught a great fish and how it had told him that it was an enchanted prince and how on hearing it speak he had let it go again did you not ask it for anything said the wife we live very wretchedly here in this nasty dirty pigsty do go back and tell the fish we want a snug little cottage the fisherman did not much like the business however he went to the seashore and when he came back there the water looked all yellow and green and he stood at the water's edge and said oh man of the sea hearken to me my wife Isabel will have her own will and have sent me to beg a boon of thee then the fish came swimming to him and said well what is her will what does your wife want ah! said the fisherman she says that when I had caught you I ought to have asked you for something before I let you go she does not like living any longer in the pigsty and wants a snug little cottage go home then said the fish she is in the cottage already so the man went home and saw his wife standing at the door come in, come in said she is not this much better than the filthy pigsty we had and there was a parlor and a bed-jammer and a kitchen and behind the cottage there was a little garden planted with all sorts of flowers and fruits and there was a courtyard behind full of ducks and chickens ah! said the fisherman how happily we shall live now we will try to do so at least said his wife everything went right for a week or two and then Dame Isabel said husband there is not near room enough for us in this cottage the courtyard and the garden are a great deal too small I should like to have a large stone castle to live in go to the fish again and tell him to give us a castle wife said the fisherman I don't like to go to him again for perhaps he will be angry we ought to be easy with this pretty cottage to live in nonsense said the wife he will do it very willingly I know go along and try the fisherman went but his heart was very heavy and when he came to the sea it looked blue and gloomy though it was very calm and he went close to the edge of the waves and said oh man of the sea, hearken to me my wife Isabel will have her own will and hath sent me to beg a boon of thee well what does she want now said the fish ah said the man dolefully my wife wants to live in a stone castle go home then said the fish she is standing at the gate of it already so away went the fisherman and found his wife standing before the gate of a great castle see said she is not this grand with that they went into the castle together and found a great many servants there and the rooms all richly furnished and full of golden chairs and tables behind the castle was a garden and around it was a park half a mile long full of sheep and goats and hares and deer and in the courtyard were stables and cowhouses well said the man now we will live cheerful and happy in this beautiful castle for the rest of our lives perhaps we may said his wife but let us sleep upon it before we make our minds to that she went to bed the next morning went Dame Elizabeth awoke it was broad daylight and she jogged the fisherman with her elbow and said get up husband and bestow yourself for we must be king of all the land wife wife said the man why should we wish to be the king I will not be the king then I will said she but wife said the fisherman make you a king husband said she say no more about it but go and try I will be king so the man went away quite sorrowful to think that his wife should want to be king this time the sea looked a dark gray color and was overspread with curling waves and the ridges of foam as he cried out oh man of the sea hearken to me my wife Elizabeth will have her own will and has sent me to beg a boon of thee well what would she have now said the fish alas said the poor man my wife wants to be king go home said the fish she is king already then the fisherman went home and as he came close to the palace he saw a troop of soldiers and heard the sound of drums and trumpets when he went in he saw his wife sitting on a throne of golden diamonds with a golden crown upon her head and on each side of her stood six fair maidens each a head taller than the other well wife said the fisherman are you king yes said she I am king and when he had looked at her for a long time he said oh wife what a fine thing it is to be king now we shall never have anything more to wish for as long as we live I don't know how that may be said she never is a long time I am king it is true but I begin to be tired of that and I think I should like to be emperor alas wife why should you wish to be emperor said the fisherman husband said she go to the fish I say I will be emperor ah wife replied the fisherman the fish cannot make an emperor I am sure and I should not like to ask him for such a thing I am king said ilsebel and you are my slave so go at once so the fisherman was forced to go and he mothered as he went along this will come to no good it is too much to ask the fish will be tired at last and then we shall be sorry for what we have done he soon came to the seashore and the water was quite black and muddy and a mighty whirlwind blew over the waves and blow them about but he went as near as he could to the water's brink and said oh man of the sea hearken to me my wife ilsebel will have her own will and have sent me to beg a boon of thee what would she have now said the fish ah said the fisherman she wants to be emperor go home said the fish she is emperor already so he went home again and as he came near he saw his wife ilsebel sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold with a great crown on her head full two yards high and on each side of her stood her guards a little bigger than the other from the tallest giant down to a little dwarf no bigger than my finger and before her stood princes and dukes and urls and the fisherman went up to her and said wife are you emperor yes said she I am emperor ah said the man as he gazed upon her what a fine thing it is to be emperor husband said she why should we stop at being emperor I will be pope next oh wife wife said he how can you be pope there is but one pope at a time in chrismdom husband said she I will be pope this very day but replied the husband the fish cannot make you pope what nonsense said she if he can make me an emperor he can make me a pope go and try him so the fisherman went but when he came to the shore the wind was raging and the sea was tossed up and down in boiling waves and the ships were in trouble and rolled fearfully upon the tops of the billows in the middle of the heavens there was a little piece of blue sky but towards the south all was red as if a dreadful storm was rising at this site the fisherman was dreadfully frightened and he trembled so that his knees knocked together but still he went down near to the shore and said oh man of a sea my wife will have her own will and have sent me to beg a boon of thee what does she want now said the fish tried the fisherman my wife wants to be pope go home said the fish she is pope already then the fisherman went home and found Isabelle sitting on a throne that was two miles high with three great crowns on her head and around her stood all the pomp and power of the church and on each side of her were two rows of burning lights of all sizes the greatest as large as the highest and biggest tower in the world and the least no larger than a small brushlight wife said the fisherman as he looked at all this greatness are you pope yes said she I am pope replied he it is a grand thing to be pope and now you must be easy for you can do nothing greater I will think about that said the wife then they went to bed and Dame Isabelle could not sleep all night for thinking what she should be next at last as she was dropping asleep morning broke and the sun rose ha thought she as she woke up and looked at it through the window I cannot prevent the sun rising at this thought she was very angry and wakened her husband and said husband go to the fish and tell him I must be lord of the sun and moon the fisherman was half asleep but the thought frightened him so much that he started and fell out of bed alas wife said he cannot you be easy with being pope no said she as long as the sun and moon rise without my leave go to the fish at once then the man went shivering with fear and as he was going down to the shore a dreadful storm rose so that the trees and the very rocks shook and all the heavens became black with stormy clouds and the lightnings played and the thunders rolled and you might have seen in the sea great black waves swelling up like mountains with crowns of white foam upon their heads and the fisherman crept towards the sea and cried out as well as he could home man of the sea talking to me my wife Elizabeth will have her own will and have sent me to beg a boon of thee what does she want now said the fish ah said he she wants to be lord of the sun and moon go home said the fish to your pigsty again and there they lived this very day and of the fisherman and his wife the willow ren and the bear from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld once in summertime the bear and the wolf were walking in the forest and the bear heard a bird singing so beautifully that he said brother wolf what bird is it that sings so well that is the king of birds said the wolf before whom we must bow down in reality the bird was the willow ren if that's the case said the bear I should very much like to see his royal palace come take me thither that is not done quite as you seem to think said the wolf you must wait until the queen comes soon afterwards the queen arrived with some food in her beak and the Lord King came too and they began to feed their young ones the bear would have liked to go at once but the wolf held him back by the sleeve and said no you must wait until the Lord and Lady Queen have gone away again so they took stock of the hole with a nest lay and trotted away the bear however could not rest until he had seen the royal palace and when a short time had passed went to it again the king and queen had just flown out so he peeped in and saw five or six young ones lying there is that the royal palace cried the bear it is a wretched palace and you are not king's children you are disreputable children when the young wrens heard that they were frightfully angry and screamed no that we are not we are honest people bear you will have to pay for that the bear and the wolf grew uneasy and turned back and went into their holes the young willow wrens however continued to cry and scream and when their parents again brought food they said we will not so much as touch one fly's leg no not if we were dying of hunger until you have settled whether we are respectable children or not the bear has been here and has insulted us then the old king said be easy he shall be punished and he at once flew with the queen to the bear's cave and called in old crowler why have you insulted my children you shall suffer for it we will punish you by a bloody war thus war was announced to the bear and all four-footed animals were summoned to take part in it oxen, donkeys, cows, deer and every other animal the earth contained the willow wrens summoned everything which flew in the air not only birds large and small but midges and hornets bees and flies had to come when the time came for the war to begin the willow wrens sent out spies to discover who was the enemy's commander in chief the gnat who was the most crafty flew into the forest where the enemy was assembled and hid herself beneath a leaf of the tree where the password was to be announced there stood the bear and he called the fox before him and said, fox you are the most cunning of all animals you shall be general and lead us good, said the fox but what signal shall we agree upon? no one knew that so the fox said I have a fine long bushy tail which almost looks like a plume of red feathers when I lift my tail up quite high all is going well and you must charge but if I let it hang down run away as fast as you can when the gnat had heard that she flew away again and revealed everything down to the minutest detail to the willow wren when day broke and the battle was to begin all the four-footed animals came running up with such a noise that the earth trembled the willow wren with his army also came flying through the air with such a humming and whirring and swarming that everyone was uneasy and afraid and on both sides they advanced against each other the willow wren sent down the hornets with orders to settle beneath the fox's tail and sting with all his might when the fox felt the first sting he started so that he lifted one leg from pain but he bore it and still kept his tail high in the air at the second sting he was forced to put it down for a moment at the third he could hold out no longer screamed and put his tail between his legs for the animals saw that they thought all was lost and began to flee each into his hole and the birds had won the battle then the king and queen flew home to their children and cried children rejoice eat and drink to your heart's content we have won the battle but the young wrens said we will not eat yet the bear must come to the nest and beg for pardon and say that we are honourable children before we will do that then the willow wren flew to the bear's hole growler, you want to come to the nest to my children and beg their pardon or else every rib of your body shall be broken so the bear crept thither in the greatest fear and begged their pardon and now at last the young wrens were satisfied and sat down together and ate and drank and made merry till quite late into the night end of the willow wren and the bear the frog prince the tale's by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld one fine evening a young princess put on her bonnets 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 favorite 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! she said 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 this silly frog is talking, thought the princess 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 I will bring 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 the 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 great 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 site she was sadly frightened when 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 she said, 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 the chair said he to the princess and let me sit next to you he 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 the frog 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 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 princess 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 with eight horses and all set out full of joy and merriment for the princess kingdom which they reached safely and there they lived happily a great many years End of The Frog Prince Cat and Mouse in partnership from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording made by Bob Neufeld a certain cat had made the acquaintance of a mouse and had said so much to her about the great love and friendship she felt for her that at length the mouse agreed that they should live and keep house together but we must make a provision for winter or else we shall suffer from hunger said the cat and you little mouse cannot venture everywhere or you will be caught in a trap some day the good advice was followed the fat was bought but they did not know where to put it at length after much consideration the cat said I know no place where it will be better stored up than in the church for no one dares take anything away from there we will set it beneath the altar and not touch it until we are really in need of it so the pot was placed in safety but it was not long before the cat had a great yearning for it and said to the mouse I want to tell you something little mouse my cousin has brought a little son into the world and has asked me to be the godmother he is white with brown spots and I am to hold him over the front at the christening let me go out today and you look after the house by yourself yes yes answered the mouse by all means go and if you get anything very good to eat think of me I should like a drop of sweet red christening wine myself all this however was untrue the cat had no cousin and had not been asked to be godmother she went straight to the church stole to the pot of fat began to lick it and licked the top of the fat off then she took a walk upon the roofs of the town looked out for opportunities and then stretched herself in the sun and licked her lips whenever she thought of the pot of fat and not until it was evening did she return home well here you are again said the mouse what you have had a merry day all went off well answered the cat what name did they give the child top off said the cat quite coolly top off cried the mouse that is a very odd and uncommon name is it a usual one in your family what does it matter it is no worse than crumb stealer as your god children are called before long the cat was seized by another fit of yearning she said to the mouse you must do me a favor and once more manage the house for a day alone I am again asked to be a godmother and as the child has a right ring round its neck I cannot refuse the good mouse consented but the cat crept behind the town walls to the church and devoured half the pot of fat nothing ever seems as good as what one keeps to oneself said she and was quite satisfied with her day's work when she went home the mouse inquired and what was the child christened half done answered the cat half done what are you saying I never heard the name in my life I will wager anything it is not in the calendar the cat's mouse soon began to water for some more licking all good things go in threes said she I am asked to stand godmother again only it has white paws but with that exception it has not a single white hair on its whole body this only happens once every few years you will let me go won't you top off half done answered the mouse they are such odd names they make me very thoughtful you sit at home said the cat in your dark grey fur coat and long tail and are filled with fancies they will not go out in the daytime during the cat's absence the mouse cleaned the house and put it in order but the greedy cat entirely emptied the part of fat when everything is eaten up one has some peace she sat to herself and well filled and fat she did not return home till night the mouse at once asked what name had been given to the third child it will not please you more than the others said the cat all gone all gone cried the mouse that is the most suspicious name of all I have never seen it in print all gone what can that mean and she shook her head curled herself up and lay down to sleep from this time forth no one invited the cat to be godmother but when the winter had come and there was no longer anything to be found outside come cat we will go to our part of fat which we have stored up for ourselves we shall enjoy that yes answered the cat you will enjoy it as much as you would enjoy sticking that dainty tongue of yours out of the window they set out on their way but when they arrived the part of fat certainly was still in its place but it was empty unless said the mouse now I see what has happened now it comes to light you are a true friend you have devoured all when you were standing godmother first top off then half done then will you hold your tongue cried the cat one word more and I will eat you too all gone was already on the poor mouse's lips scarcely had she spoken it before the cat sprang on her seized her and swallowed her down verily that is the way of the world end of cat and mouse in partnership the goose girl from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld the king of a great land died and left his queen to take care of their only child the child was a daughter who was very beautiful her mother loved her dearly and was very kind to her and there was a good fairy too who was fond of the princess and helped her mother to watch over her when she grew up she was betrothed to a prince who lived a great way off and as the time drew near for her to be married she got ready to set off on her journey to his country then the queen her mother packed up a great many costly things jewels and gold and silver trinkets fine dresses and bought everything that became a royal bride and she gave her a waiting-mate a ride with her and give her into the bridegroom's hands and each had a horse for the journey now the princess's horse was the fairy's gift and it was called Falada and could speak when the time came for them to set out the fairy went into her bed chamber and took a little knife and cut off a lock of her hair and gave it to the princess for it is a charm that may be of use to you on the road then they all took a sorrowful leave of the princess and she put the lock of hair into her bosom got upon her horse and set off on her journey to her bridegroom's kingdom one day as they were riding along by a brook the princess began to feel very thirsty and she said to her maid pray get down and fetch me some water in my golden cup out of yonder brook nay, said the maid if you are thirsty get off yourself and stoop down by the water and drink I shall not be your waiting maid any longer then she was so thirsty that she got down and knelt over the little brook and drank for she was frightened and dared not bring out her golden cup and she wept and said alas, what will become of me the lock answered her and said alas, if thy mother knew it sadly, sadly would she rue it but the princess was very gentle and meek, so she said nothing to her maid's ill behavior but got upon her horse again then all rode farther on their journey till the day grew so warm and the sun so scorching that the bride began to feel very thirsty again and at last when they came to a river she forgot her maid's rude speech and said get down and fetch me some water to drink in my golden cup but the maid answered her and spoke even more hotly than before drink if you will but I shall not be your waiting maid then the princess was so thirsty that she got off her horse and lay down and held her head over the running stream and cried and said what will become of me and the lock of hair answered her again alas, alas if thy mother knew it sadly, sadly would she rue it and as she leaned down to drink the lock of hair fell from her bosom and floated away with the water now she was so frightened that she did not see it but her maid saw it and was very glad for she knew the charm and she saw that the poor bride would be in her power now that she had lost the hair so when the bride had done drinking and would have got upon Farada again the maid said I shall ride upon Farada and you may have my horse instead so she was forced to give up her horse and soon afterwards to take off her royal clothes and put on her maid's shabby ones at last as they drew near the end of their journey this treacherous servant threatened to kill her mistress if she ever told anyone what had happened but Farada saw it all and marked it well then the waiting maid got upon Farada and the real bride rode upon the other horse and they went on in this way till at last they came to the royal court there was great joy at their coming and the prince flew to meet them and lifted the maid from her horse thinking she was the one who was to be his wife and she was led upstairs to the royal chamber but the true princess was told to stay in the court below now the old king happened just then to have nothing else to do with himself by sitting at his kitchen window looking at what was going on and he saw her in the courtyard as she looked very pretty and too delicate for a waiting maid he went up into the royal chamber to ask the bride who it was she had brought with her that was thus left standing in the court below I brought her with me for the sake of her company on the road said she pray give the girl some work to do that she may not be idle the old king could not for some time think of any work for her to do but at last he said I have a lad who takes care of my geese she may go and help him now the name of this lad that the real bride was to help in watching the king's geese was Kurdkin dear husband pray do me one piece of kindness that I will said the prince then tell one of your slaughterers to cut off the head of the horse I rode upon for it is very unruly and plagued me sadly on the road but the truth was she was very much afraid lest Falada should some day or other speak and tell all she had done to the princess she carried her point and the faithful Falada was killed but when the true princess heard of it she wept and begged the man to nail up Falada's head against the large dark gate of the city through which she had to pass every morning and evening that there she might still see him sometimes then the slaughterer then the slaughterer said he would do as she wished and cut off the head and nailed it up under the dark gate only the next morning as she and Kurdkin went out through the gate she said sorrowfully Falada, Falada there thou hangest and the head answered bride, bride there thou gangest alas, alas if thy mother knew it sadly, sadly would she ruin it then they went out of the city and drove the geese on and when she came to the meadow she sat down upon a bag there and let down her waving locks of air which were all of pure silver and when Kurdkin saw it glitter in the sun he ran up and would have pulled some of the locks out but she cried blow breezes blow let Kurdkin's hat go blow breezes blow let him after it go or hills and dales and rocks away be it world till the silvery locks are all combed and curled then there came a wind so strong that it blew off Kurdkin's hat and away it flew over the hills and he was forced to turn and run after it till by the time he came back she had done combing and curling her hair and put it up again safe then he was very angry and sulky and would not speak to her at all but they watched the geese until it grew dark in the evening and then drove them homewards the next morning as they were going through the dark gate the poor girl looked up at Falada's head and cried Falada Falada there thou hangest and the head answered Bride Bride there thou gangest alas alas if thy mother knew it sadly sadly would she rue it then she drove on the geese and sat down again in the meadow and began to comb out her hairs before and Kurdkin ran up to her and wanted to take hold of it but she cried out quickly blow breezes blow let Kurdkin's hat go blow breezes blow let him after it go or heels and dales and rocks away be it whirled till the silvery locks are all combed and curled then the wind came and blew away his hat then off it flew a great way over the hills and far away that he had to run after it and when he came back she had bound up her hair again and all was safe so they watched the geese till it grew dark in the evening after they came home Kurdkin went to the old king and said I cannot have that strange girl to help me to keep the geese any longer why? said the king because instead of doing any good she does nothing but tease me all day long to tell him what had happened and Kurdkin said when we go in the morning through the dark gate with our flock of geese she cries and talks with a head of a horse that hangs upon the wall and says falada falada there thou hangest and the head answers bride bride there thou gangest alas alas if thy mother knew it sadly sadly would she rue it and Kurdkin went on telling the king what had happened upon the meadow where the geese fed he was forced to run after it and to leave his flock of geese to themselves but the old king told the boy to go out again the next day and when morning came he placed himself behind the dark gate and heard how she spoke to falada and how falada answered then he went into the field and hid himself in the bush by the meadow side and he soon saw with his own eyes how they drove that flock of geese and how after a little time she let down her hair that glittered in the sun and then he heard her say blow breezes blow let Kurdkin's hat go blow breezes blow let him after it go or hills, dais and rocks away be it world till the silvery locks are all combed and curled and soon came a gale of wind and carried away Kurdkin's hat and away went Kurdkin after it while the girl went on combing and curling her hair all this the old king saw he went home without being seen and when the little goose girl came back in the evening he called her aside and asked her why she did so but she burst into tears and said that I must not tell you or any man or I shall lose my life but the old king begged so hard that she had no peace till she had told him all the tale from beginning to end word for word and it was very lucky for her that she did so for when she had done the king ordered royal clothes to be put upon her and gazed on her with wonder she was so beautiful then he called his son and told him that he had only a false bride for that she was merely a waiting maid while the true bride stood by and the young man rejoiced when he saw her beauty and heard how meek and patient she had been and without saying anything to the false bride the king ordered a great feast to be got ready for all his court the bridegroom sat at the top with the false princess on one side and the true one on the other but nobody knew her again for her beauty was quite dazzling to their eyes and she did not seem at all like the little goose girl now that she had her brilliant dress on when they had eaten and drank and were very merry the old king said he would tell them a tale so he began and told all the story of the princess as if it was one that he had once heard and he asked the true waiting maid what she thought ought to be done to anyone who would behave thus nothing better said this false bride than that she would be thrown into the cask stuck round with sharp nails and that two white horses should be put to it and should drag it from street to street till she was dead thou art she said the old king and as thou has judged thyself so shall it be done to thee and the young king was then married to his true wife and they reigned over the kingdom in peace and happiness all their lives and the good fairy came to see them and restored the faithful falada to life again end of the goose girl the adventures of shanta clear and partlet from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edwin Taylor and Mary and Edward one how they went to the mountains to eat nuts the nuts are quite right now said shanta clear to his wife partlet suppose we go together to the mountains and eat as many as we can before the squirrel takes them all away with all my heart said partlet let us go and make a holiday of it together so they went to the mountains and as it was a lovely day they stayed there till the evening now whether it was that they had eaten so many nuts that they could not walk or whether they were lazy and would not I do not know however they took it into their heads that it did not become them to go home on foot so shanta clear began to build a little carriage of nut shells and when it was finished partlet jumped into it and sat down and bid shanta clear harness himself to it and draw her home that's a good joke said shanta clear I would rather by half walk home I'll sit on the box and be coachman if you like but I'll not draw while this was passing a duck came quacking up and cried out you thieving vagabonds what business have you in my grounds I give it you well for your insolence and upon that she fell upon shanta clear most lustily but shanta clear was no cowered and returned the duck's blows with his sharp so fiercely that she soon began to cry out for mercy which was only granted her upon condition that she would draw the carriage home for them this she agreed to do and shanta clear got upon the box and drove crying now duck get on as fast as you can and away they went at a pretty good pace after they had traveled along a little way they met a needle and a pin walking together along the road and the needle cried out stop! stop! and said it was so dark that they could hardly find their way and such dirty walking they could not get on at all he told them that he and his friend the pin had been at a public house a few miles off and had sat drinking till they had forgotten how late it was he begged therefore that the travelers would be so kind as to give them a lift in their carriage shanta clear observing that they were but thin fellows and not likely to take up much room told them they might ride but made them promise not to dirty the wheels of the carriage and getting in nor to tread upon partner's toes late at night they arrived at an inn and as it was bad traveling in the dark and the duck seemed much tired and waddled about a good deal from one side to the other they made up their minds to fix their quarters there but the landlord at first was unwilling and said his house was full thinking they might not be very respectable company however they spoke civilly to him and gave him the egg which part that had laid by the way and said they would give him the duck who was in the habit of laying one every day so at last he let them come in and they bespoke a handsome supper and spent the evening very jolly early in the morning before it was quite light and when nobody was stirring in the inn shanta clear awakened his wife and fetching the egg they pecked a hole in it aided up and threw the shells into the fireplace they then went to the pin and needle who were fast asleep and seizing them by the heads stuck one into the landlord's easy chair and the other into his handkerchief and having done this they crept away as softly as possible however the duck who slept in the open air in the yard heard them coming and jumping into the brook which ran close by the inn soon swam out of their reach an hour or two afterwards the landlord got up and took his handkerchief to wipe his face but the pin ran into him and pricked him then he walked into the kitchen to light his pipe at the fire but when he stirred it up the eggshells flew into his eyes and almost blinded him bless me said he all the world seems to have a design against my head this morning and so saying he threw himself softly into his easy chair but oh dear the needle ran into him and this time the pain was not in his head he now flew into a very great passion expecting the company who had come in the night before he went to look after them but they were all off so he swore that he never again would take in such a troop of vagabonds who ate a great deal paid no reckoning then gave him nothing for his trouble but their apish tricks two how shanticleer and partlet went to visit Mr. Corbis another day shanticleer and partlet wished to ride out together they built a handsome carriage with four red wheels and harnessed six mice to it and then he and partlet got into the garage and away they drove soon afterwards a cat met them and said where are you going and shanticleer replied all on our way a visit to pay to Mr. Corbis the fox today then the cat said take me with you shanticleer said fine and be sure you do not fall off take care of this handsome coach of mine no dirty my pretty red wheels so fine now mice be ready and wheels run steady for we are going a visit to pay to Mr. Corbis the fox today soon after came up a millstone an egg a duck and a pin and shanticleer gave them all leave to get into the carriage and go with them when they arrived at Mr. Corbis's house he was not at home so the mice drew the carriage into the coach house shanticleer and partlet flew upon a beam the cat sat down in the fireplace the duck got into the washing cistern the pin stuck himself into the red pillow the millstone laid himself over the house door and the egg rolled himself up in the towel when Mr. Corbis came home he went to the fireplace to make a fire but the cat threw all the ashes in his eyes so he ran to the kitchen to wash himself but there the duck splashed all the water in his face and when he tried to wipe himself the egg broke to pieces in the towel all over his face and eyes then he was very angry and went without his supper to bed but when he laid his head on the pillow the pin ran into his cheek at this he became quite furious and jumping up would have run out of the house but when he came to the door the millstone fell down on his head and killed him on the spot three how Partlett died and was buried and how Chanticleer died of grief another day Chanticleer and Partlett agreed to go again to the mountains to eat nuts and it was settled that all the nuts which they found should be shared equally between them now Partlett found a very large nut but she said nothing about it to Chanticleer and kept it all to herself however it was so big that she could not swallow it and it stuck in her throat then she was in a great fright and cried out to Chanticleer pray run as fast as you can and fetch me some water or I shall be choked Chanticleer ran as fast as he could to the river and said river give me some water for Partlett lies in the mountain and will be choked by a great nut the river said run first to the bride and ask her for a silken cord to draw up the water Chanticleer ran to the bride and said bride you must give me a silken cord for then the river will give me water and the water I will give to Partlett who lies on the mountain and will be choked by a great nut but the bride said run first and bring me my garland that is hanging on a willow in the garden then Chanticleer ran to the garden and took the garland from the bow where it hung and brought it to the bride and then the bride gave him the silken cord and he took the silken cord of the river and the river gave him water and he brought it to Partlett but in the meantime she was choked by the great nut and lay quite dead and never moved any more then Chanticleer was very sorry and cried bitterly and all the beasts came and wept with him over poor Partlett and six mice built a little hearse to carry her to her grave and when it was ready they harnessed themselves before it and Chanticleer drove them where are you going Chanticleer said he to bury my Partlett said the other and may I go with you said the fox yes but you must get up behind or my horses will not be able to draw you then the fox got up behind and presently the wolf the bear the goat and all the beasts of the wood came and climbed upon the hearse so on they went until they came to a rapid stream how shall we get over said Chanticleer then said a straw I will lay myself across and you may pass over upon me but as the mice were going over the straw slipped away and fell into the water and the six mice all fell in and were drowned what was to be done then a large log of wood came and said I am big enough I will lay myself across the stream and you shall pass over upon me so he laid himself down but they managed so clumsily that the log of wood fell in and was carried away by the stream then a stone, who saw what had happened came up and kindly offered to help poor Chanticleer by laying himself across the stream and this time he got safely to the other side with the hearse and managed to get Partlett out of it but the fox and the other mourners who were sitting behind were too heavy and were all carried away by the stream and drowned thus Chanticleer was left alone with his dead Partlett and having dug a grave for her he laid her in it and made a little hillock over her then he sat down by the grave and wept and mourned till at last he died too and so all were dead end of the adventures of Chanticleer and Partlett also from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld There once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child at length the woman hoped that God was about to grant her desire these people had a little window at the back of their house the garden could be seen which was full of the most beautiful flowers and herbs it was, however, surrounded by a high wall and no one dared to go into it because it belonged to an enchantress who had great power and was dreaded by all the world one day the woman was standing by this window and looking down into the garden but she saw a bed which was planted with the most beautiful rampion and it looked so fresh and green that she longed for it she quite pined away and began to look pale and miserable then her husband was alarmed and asked, what ale you, dear wife? ah, she replied if I can't eat some of the rampion which is in the garden behind our house I shall die the man, who loved her, thought sooner than let your wife die bring her some of the rampion yourself let it cost what it will at twilight he clammered down over the wall in the garden of the enchantress hastily clutched a handful of rampion and took it to his wife she at once made herself a salad of it and ate it greedily it tasted so good to her so very good that the next day she longed for it three times as much as before if he was to have any rest her husband must once more descend into the garden in the gloom of evening, therefore he let himself down again but when he had clammered down the wall he was terribly afraid for he saw the enchantress standing before him how can you dare said she with angry look descend into my garden and steal my rampion like a thief you shall suffer for it ah, answered he let mercy take the place of justice I only made up my mind to do it for necessity my wife saw your rampion from the window and felt such a longing for it that she would have died if she had not got some to eat then the enchantress allowed her anger to be softened and said to him if the case be as you say I will allow you to take away with you as much rampion as you will only I make one condition you must give me the child which your wife will bring into the world it shall be well treated and I will care for it like a mother the man in his terror consented to everything and when the woman was brought to bed the enchantress appeared at once gave the child the name of Rapunzel and took it away with her Rapunzel grew into the most beautiful child under the sun when she was twelve years old the enchantress shot her into a tower which lay in a forest and had neither stairs nor door but quite at the top was a little window when the enchantress wanted to go in she placed herself beneath it and cried Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair to me Rapunzel had magnificent long hair fine as spun gold and when she heard the voice of the enchantress she unfastened her braided tresses wound them round one of the hooks of the window above and then the hair fell twenty L's down and the enchantress climbed up by it after a year or two it came to pass that the king's son rode through the forest and passed by the tower then he heard a song which was so charming that he stood still and listened this was Rapunzel who in her solitude passed her time in letting her sweet voice resound the king's son wanted to climb up to her and looked for the door of the tower but none was to be found he rode home but the singing had so deeply touched his heart that every day he went out into the forest and listened to it thus standing behind a tree he saw that an enchantress came there and he heard how she cried Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair to me then Rapunzel let down the braids of her hair and the enchantress climbed up to her if that is the ladder by which one mounts I too will try my fortune said he and the next day when it began to grow dark he went to the tower and cried Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair to me immediately the hair fell down and the king's son climbed up at first Rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man such as her eyes had never yet be held came to her but the king's son began to talk to her quite like a friend and told her that his heart had been so stirred that it had let him have no rest and he had been forced to see her then Rapunzel lost her fear and when he asked her if she would take him for her husband and she saw that he was young and handsome she thought he would love me more than old Dame Gothel does and she said yes and laid her hand in his she said I will willingly go away with you but I do not know how to get down bring with you a scale of milk every time that you come and I will weave a ladder with it and when that is ready I will descend and you will take me on your horse they agreed that until that time he should come to her every evening for the old woman came by day the enchantress remarked nothing of this until once Rapunzel said to her tell me Dame Gothel how it happens that you are so much heavier for me to draw up than the young king's son he is with me in a moment ah you wicked child cried the enchantress what do I hear you say I thought I had separated you from all the world and yet you have deceived me in her anger she clutched Rapunzel's beautiful tresses wrapped them twice around her left hand seized a pair of scissors with the right and snip snap they were cut off and the lovely braids lay on the ground then she was so pitiless that she took poor Rapunzel into a desert where she had to live in great grief and misery on the same day that she had cast out Rapunzel however the enchantress fastened the braids of hair which she had cut off to the hook of the window and when the king's son came and cried Rapunzel Rapunzel let down your hair to me she let the hair down the king's son ascended but instead of finding his dearest Rapunzel he found the enchantress who gazed at him with wicked and venomous looks ah ha she cried mockingly you would fetch your dearest but the beautiful bird sits no longer singing the cat has got it and will scratch out your eyes as well Rapunzel is lost to you you will never see her again the king's son was beside himself with pain and in his despair he leapt down from the tower he escaped with his life but the thorns into which he fell pierced his eyes then he wandered quite blind about the forest ate nothing but roots and berries and did not but lament and weep over the loss of his dearest wife thus he roamed about in misery for some years and at length came to the desert where Rapunzel, with the twins to which she had given birth a boy and a girl lived in wretchedness he heard a voice and it seemed so familiar to him that he went towards it and when he approached Rapunzel knew him and fell on his neck and wept two of her tears wetted his eyes and he could see with them as before he led her to his kingdom where he was joyfully received and they lived a long time afterwards happy and contented and of Rapunzel Funde Vogel from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there once was a forester who went into the forest to hunt and as he entered it he heard a sound of screaming as if a little child were there he followed the sound and at last came to a high tree and at the top of this a little child was sitting for the mother had fallen asleep under the tree with the child and a bird of prey had seen it in her arms had flown down, snatched it away and set it on the high tree the forester climbed up brought the child down and thought to himself you will take him home with you and bring him up with your Lena he took it home therefore and the two children grew up together and the one which he had found on a tree was called Funde Vogel because a bird had carried it away Funde Vogel and Lena loved each other so dearly that when they did not see each other they were sad now the forester had an old cook who one evening took two pails and began to fetch water and did not go once only but many times out to the spring Lena saw this and said, listen old son why are you fetching so much water if he will never repeat it to anyone I will tell you why so Lena said no, she would never repeat it to anyone and then the cook said early tomorrow morning when the forester is out hunting I will heat the water and when it is boiling in the kettle I will throw in Funde Vogel and will boil him in it early next morning the forester got up and went out hunting and when he was gone the children were still in bed then Lena said to Funde Vogel if you will never leave me I too will never leave you Funde Vogel said neither now nor ever will I leave you then said Lena then will I tell you old sauna carried so many buckets of water into the house that I asked her why she was doing that and she said that if I would promise not to tell anyone and she said that early tomorrow morning when the father was out hunting she would set the kettle full of water throw you into it and boil you but we will get up quickly dress ourselves and go away together the two children therefore got up dress themselves quickly and went away when the water in the kettle was boiling the cook went into the bedroom to fetch Funde Vogel and throw him into it but when she came in and went to the beds both the children were gone then she was terribly alarmed and she said to herself what shall I say now when the forester comes home and sees that the children are gone they must be followed instantly to get them back again then the cook sent three servants after them who were to run and overtake the children the children however were sitting outside the forest and when they saw from afar the three servants running Lena said to Funde Vogel never leave me and I will never leave you Funde Vogel said neither now nor ever then said Lena do you become a rose tree and I the rose upon it when the three servants came to the forest nothing was there but a rose tree and one rose on it but the children were nowhere then said they there is nothing to be done here and they went home and told the cook that they had seen nothing in the forest but a little rose bush with one rose on it then the old cook scalded and said you simpletons you should have cut the rose bush in two and have broken off the rose and brought it home with you go and do it at once they had therefore to go out and look for the second time the children however saw them coming from a distance then Lena said Funde Vogel never leave me and I will never leave you Funde Vogel said neither now nor ever said Lena then do you become a church and I'll be the chandelier in it so when the three servants came nothing was there but a church with a chandelier in it they said therefore to each other what can we do here let us go home the cook asked if they had not found them so they said no they had found nothing but a church and there was a chandelier in it and the cook scolded them and said you fools why did you not pull the church to pieces and bring the chandelier home with you and now the old cook herself got on her legs and went with the three servants in pursuit of the children the children however saw from afar that the three servants were coming and the cook waddling after them said Lena Funde Vogel never leave me and I will never leave you then said Funde Vogel neither now nor ever said Lena be a fish pond and I will be the duck upon it the cook however came up to them and when she saw the pond she lay down by it and was about to drink it up but the duck swam quickly to her seized her head in its beak and drew her into the water and there the old witch had to drown then the children went home together and were heartily delighted and if they have not died they are living still and of Funde Vogel the valiant little tailor from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld one summer morning a little tailor was sitting on his table by the window he was in good spirits and sewed with all his might then came a pusset woman down the street crying good jams cheap good jams cheap this rang pleasantly the tailor's ears he stretched his delicate head out of the window and called come up here, dear woman here you will get rid of your goods the woman came up the three steps to the tailor with her heavy basket and he made her unpack all the parts for him he inspected each one lifted it up put his nose to it and at length said the jam seems to me to be good so weigh me out four ounces, dear woman and if it is a quarter of a pound that is of no consequence the woman who had hoped to find a good sale gave him what he desired but went away quite angry and grumbling now this jam shall be blessed by God cried the little tailor and give me health and strength so he brought the bread out of the cupboard cut himself a piece right across the loaf and spread the jam over it this won't taste bitter said he but I will just finish the jacket before I take a bite he laid the bread near him sewed on and in his joy made bigger and bigger stitches in the meantime the smell of the sweet jam rose to where the flies were sitting in great numbers where they were attracted and descended on it in hosts hi, who invited you? said the little tailor and drove the unbidden guests away the flies however who understood no English would not be turned away but came back again in ever increasing companies the little tailor at last lost all patience and drew a piece of cloth from the hole under his work table and saying wait and I will give it to you when he drew it away and counted there lay before him no fewer than seven dead and with legs stretched out are you a fellow of that sort? said he and he could not help admiring his own bravery the whole town shall know of this and the little tailor hastened to cut himself a girdle stitched it and embroidered out in large letters seven at one stroke what? the town, he continued a new world shall hear of it and his heart wagged with joy like a lamb's tail the tailor put on the girdle and resolved to go forth into the world because he thought his workshop was too small for his valour before he went away he sought about in the house to see if there was anything which he could take with him however he found nothing but an old cheese and that he put in his pocket in front of the door he observed a bird which had caught itself in the thicket it had to go into his pocket with the cheese now he took to the road boldly and as he was light and nimble he felt no fatigue the road led him up a mountain and when he had reached the highest point of it there sat a powerful giant looking peacefully about him the little tailor went bravely up spoke to him and said good day, comrade so you are sitting there overlooking the widespread world I am just on my way thither and want to try my luck have you any inclination to go with me? the giant looked contemptuously at the tailor and said you ragamuffin you miserable creature oh, indeed answered the little tailor and unbuttoned his coat and showed the giant the girdle there may you read what kind of man I am the giant read seven at one stroke and thought that they had been men whom the tailor had killed the giant said men whom the tailor had killed and began to feel a little respect for the tiny fellow nevertheless he wished to try him first and took a stone in his hand and squeezed it together so that water dropped out of it do that likewise said the giant if you have strength is that all? said the tailor that it's child's play with me and put his hand into his pocket brought out the soft cheese and pressed it until the liquid ran out of it faith, said he thought was a little better, wasn't it? the giant did not know what to say and could not believe it of the little man then the giant picked up a stone and threw it so high that the eye could scarcely follow it oh, little might of a man do that likewise well-thrown said the tailor but after all the stone came down to earth again I will throw you one which shall never come back at all and he put his hand into his pocket took out the bird and threw it into the air the bird, delighted with its liberty rose, flew away and did not come back how does that shot please you, comrade? asked the tailor you can certainly throw said the giant but now we will see if you are able to carry anything properly he took the little tailor to a mighty oak tree which lay there felled on the ground and said if you are strong enough help me to carry the tree out of the forest oh, readily answered the little man take you the trunk on your shoulders and I will raise up the branches and twigs after all they are the heaviest the giant took the trunk on his shoulder but the tailor seated himself on a branch and the giant, who could not look round had to carry away the whole tree and the little tailor into the bargain he, behind, was quite merry and happy and whistled the song three tailors rode forth from the gate as if carrying the tree which I'lls play the giant, after he had dragged the heavy burden part of the way could go no further and cried I shall have to let the tree fall the tailor sprang nimbly down seized the tree with both arms as if he had been carrying it and said to the giant you are such a great fellow you cannot even carry the tree they went on together and as they passed the cherry tree the giant laid hold of the top of the tree where the ripest fruit was hanging bent it down, gave it into the tailor's hand and bade him eat but the little tailor was much too weak to hold the tree and when the giant let it go it sprang back again when the tailor was tossed into the air with it when he had fallen down again without injury the giant said to hold the weak twig there is no lack of strength answered the little tailor do you think that could be anything to a man who was struck down seven at one blow I leaped over the tree because the huntsmen were shooting down there in the thicket jump as I did, if you can do it the giant made the attempt but he could not get over the tree and remain hanging in the branches so that in this also the tailor kept the upper hand the giant said if you are such a valiant fellow come with me into our cavern and spend the night with us the little tailor was willing and followed him when they went into the cave other giants were sitting there by the fire and each of them had a roasted sheep in his hand and was eating it the little tailor looked round and thought it is much more spacious here than in my workshop the giant showed him a bed and said he was to lie down in it and sleep he was too big for the little tailor he did not lie down in it but crept into a corner when it was midnight and the giant thought the little tailor was lying in a sound sleep he got up, took a great iron bar cut through the bed with one blow and thought he had finished off the grasshopper for good with the earliest dawn the giants went into the forest and had quite forgotten the little tailor when all at once he walked up to them quite merrily and boldly the little tailor were terrified they were afraid that he would strike them all dead and ran away in a great hurry the little tailor went onward always following his own pointed nose after he had walked for a long time he came to the courtyard of a royal palace and as he felt weary he lay down on the grass and fell asleep whilst he lay there the people came and inspected him on all sides and read on his girdle seven at one stroke said they what does the great warrior want here in the midst of peace he must be a mighty lord they went and announced him to the king and gave it as their opinion that if war should break out this would be a weighty and useful man who ought on no account to be allowed to depart the council pleased the king and he sent one of his courtiers to the little tailor to offer him military service when he awoke the ambassador remained standing by the sleeper waited until he stretched his limbs and opened his eyes and then conveyed to him his proposal for this very reason have I come here? the tailor replied I am ready to enter the king's service he was therefore honourably received and a special dwelling was assigned him the soldiers however were set against the little tailor and wished him a thousand miles away what is to be the end of this? they said if we quarrel with him and he strikes about him the seven of us will fall at every blow not one of us can stand against him they came therefore to a decision they took themselves in a body to the king and begged for their dismissal we are not prepared said they to stay with a man who kills seven at one stroke the king was sorry that for the sake of one he should lose all his faithful servants he had never set eyes on the tailor and would willingly have been rid of him again but he did not venture to give him his dismissal for he dreaded lest he should strike him and all his people dead and place himself on the royal throne he thought about it for a long time and at last found good counsel he sat to the little tailor and caused him to be informed that as he was a great warrior he had one request to make to him in a forest of his country live two giants who caused great mischief with their robbing murdering ravaging and burning and no one could approach them without putting himself in danger of death if the tailor conquered and killed these two giants he would give him his only daughter to wife and half of his kingdom as a dowry likewise one hundred horsemen would go with him to assist him that would indeed be a fine thing for a man like me thought the little tailor one is not offered a beautiful princess and half a kingdom every day of one's life oh yes he replied I will soon subdue the giants and do not require the help of the hundred horsemen to do it he who can hit seven with one blow has no need to be afraid of two the little tailor went forth and the hundred horsemen followed him when he came to the outskirts of the forest he said to his followers just stay waiting here I alone will soon finish off the giants then he bounded into the forest and looked about right and left after a while he perceived both giants they lay sleeping under a tree and snored so that the branches waved up and down the little tailor not idle gathered two pockets full of stones and with these climbed up the tree when he was half way up he slipped down by a branch until he sat just above the sleepers and then let one stone after another fall on the breast of one of the giants for a long time the giant felt nothing but at last he awoke pushed his comrade and said why are you knocking me you must be dreaming said the other I am not knocking you they laid themselves down to sleep again and then the tailor threw a stone down on the second what is the meaning of this cried the other why are you pelting me what pelting you answered the first growling they disputed about it for a time but as they were weary they let the matter rest and their eyes closed once more the little tailor began his game again picked out the biggest stone and threw it with all his might on the breast of the first giant that is too bad cried he and sprang up like a madman and pushed his companion against the tree until it shook back in the same coin and they got into such a rage that they tore up trees and belabored each other so long that at last they both fell down dead on the ground at the same time then the little tailor leaped down it's a lucky thing said he that they did not tear up the tree on which I was sitting or I should have had to sprint on to a nothing like a squirrel but we tailors are nimble he drew out his sword his breast and then went out to the horseman and said the work is done I have finished both of them but it was hard work they tore up trees in their sore need and defended themselves with them but all that is to no purpose when a man like myself comes who can kill seven at one blow but are you wounded? asked the horseman you need not concern yourself about that answered the tailor the horseman could not believe him and rode into the forest there they found the giants swimming in their blood and all round about lay the torn up trees the little tailor demanded of the king the promised reward he however repented of his promise and again we thought himself how he could get rid of him before he received my daughter and half of my kingdom said he to him you must perform one more heroic deed the forest roams a unicorn which does great harm and you must catch it first I fear one unicorn still less than two giants seven at one blow is my kind of affair he took a rope an axe with him went forth into the forest and again bad those who were sent with him to wait outside he had not long to seek the unicorn soon came towards him and rushed directly on the tailor as if it would gore him with its horn he never do softly softly it can't be done as quickly as that said he and stood still and waited until the animal was quite close and then sprang nimbly behind the tree the unicorn ran against the tree with all its strength and stuck its horn so fast in the trunk that it had not the strength enough to draw it out again and thus it was caught now I have got the bird said the tailor and came out from behind the tree and put the rope round its neck and then with his axe he hewed the horn out of the tree and when all was ready he led the beast away and took it to the king the king still would not give him the promised reward and made a third demand before the wedding the tailor was to catch him a wild boar that made great havoc in the forest and the huntsman should give him their help willingly said the tailor that is child's play he did not take the huntsman with him into the forest they were well pleased that he did not for the wild boar had several times received them in such a manner that they had no inclination to lie and wait for him when the boar perceived the tailor it ran on him with foaming mouth and wetted tusks and was about to throw him to the ground but the hero fled and sprang into a chapel which was near and up to the window at once and in one bound out again the boar ran after him but the tailor ran round outside and shut the door behind it and then the raging beast which was much too heavy and awkward to leap out of the window was caught the little tailor called the huntsman thither that they might see the prisoner with their own eyes the hero however went to the king who was now whether he liked it or not obliged to keep his promise and gave his daughter and the half of his kingdom had he known that it was no war like hero the little tailor who was standing before him it would have gone to his heart still more than it did the wedding was held with great magnificence and small joy and out of the tailor a king was made after some time the young queen heard her husband say in his dreams at night boy make me the doublet and patch the pantaloons or else I will wrap the odd measure over your ears then she discovered in what state of life the young lord had been born and the next morning complained of her wrongs to her father and begged him to help her to get rid of her husband there was nothing else but a tailor the king comforted her and said leave your bedroom door open this night and my servant shall stand outside and when he has fallen asleep shall go in, bind him and take him on board a ship which shall carry him into the wide world the woman was satisfied with this but the king's armor bearer was friendly with the young lord and informed him of the whole plot I'll put a screw into that business said the little tailor at night he went to bed with his wife at the usual time and when she thought he had fallen asleep she got up, opened the door and then lay down again the little tailor, who was only pretending to be asleep, began to cry out in a clear voice boy make me the doublet and patch me the pantaloons wrap the yard measured over your ears I smote seven at one blow I killed two giants I brought away one unicorn and caught a wild boar and am I to fear those who are standing outside the room when these men heard the tailor speaking thus they were overcome by a great dread and ran as if the wild huntsmen were behind them and none of them would venture anything further against him so the little tailor was remained a king to the end of his life end of the valiant little tailor Hansel and Gretel from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld hard by a great forest do out a poor woodcutter the boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel he had little to bite and to break and once when great dirt fell on the land he could no longer procure even daily bread now when he thought over this by night in his bed and tossed about in his anxiety he groaned and said to his wife what is to become of us how are we to feed our poor children when we no longer have anything even for ourselves I'll tell you what husband answered the woman early tomorrow morning we will take the children out into the forest to where it is the thickest there we will light a fire for them and give each of them one more piece of bread then we will go to our work and leave them alone they will not find the way home again and we shall be rid of them no wife said the man I will not do that how can I better leave my children alone in the forest the wild animals would soon come and tear them to pieces oh you fool said she then we must all for die of hunger you may as well plane the planks for our coffins and she left him no peace until he consented but I feel very sorry for the poor children all the same said the man the two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger and had heard what their stepmother had said to their father Gretel wept bitter tears and said to Hansel now is all over with us be quiet Gretel said Hansel do not distress yourself I will soon find a way to help us and when the old folks had fallen asleep he got up put on his little coat opened the door below and crept outside the moon shone brightly and the white pebbles which lay in front of the house glittered like real silver pennies Hansel stooped and stuffed the little pocket of his coat with as many as he could get in and he went back and said to Gretel be comforted dear little sister and sleep in peace God will not forsake us and he lay down again in his bed one day dawned but before the sun had risen the woman came and awoke the two children saying get up you sluggards we are going into the forest to fetch wood she gave each a little piece of bread and said there is something for your dinner but do not eat it up before then for you will get nothing else Gretel took the bread under her apron as Hansel had the pebbles in his pocket then they all set out together on the way to the forest when they had walked a short time Hansel stood still and peeped back at the house and did so again and again his father said Hansel what are you looking at there and staying behind for and do not forget how to use your legs ah father said Hansel I am looking at my little white cat which is sitting up on the roof and wants to say goodbye to me the wife said fool fool that is not your little cat that is the morning sun which is shining on the chimneys Hansel however had not been looking back at the cat but had been constantly throwing one of the white pebble stones out of his pocket on the road when they had reached the middle of the forest the father said children pile up some wood and I will light a fire that you may not be cold Hansel and Gretel gathered brushwood together as high as a little hill the brushwood was lighted and when the flames were burning very high the woman said children lay yourselves down by the fire and rest we will go into the forest and cut some wood when we have done we will come back and fetch you away Hansel and Gretel sat by the fire each ate a little piece of bread and as they heard the strokes of the wood axe they believed that their father was near it was not the axe however but a branch which he had fastened to a withered tree which the wind was blowing backwards and forwards and as they had been sitting such a long time their eyes closed with fatigue and they fell fast asleep when at last they awoke it was already dark night Gretel began to cry and said how are we to get out of the forest now but Hansel comforted her and said just wait a little until the moon has risen and then we will soon find the way and when the full moon had risen Hansel took his little sister by the hand and followed the pebbles which shown like newly coined silver pieces when showed them the way they walked the whole night long and by break of day came once more to their father's house they knocked at the door and when the woman opened it and saw it was Hansel and Gretel she said you naughty children why have you slept so long in the forest we thought you were never coming back at all the father however rejoiced for it had cut him to the heart to leave them behind alone not long afterwards there was once more great dirt throughout the land and the children heard their mother saying at night to their father everything is eaten again we have one half loaf left that is the end we will take them farther into the wood so that they will not find their way out again there is no other means of saving ourselves the man's heart was heavy and he thought it would be better for you to share the last mouthful with your children the woman however would listen to nothing that he had to say but scolded and reproached him he who says A must say B likewise and as he had yielded the first time he had to do so a second time also the children however were still awake and had heard the conversation where the old folks were asleep Hansel again got up and wanted to go out and pick up pebbles as he had done before but the woman had locked the door and Hansel could not get out nevertheless he comforted his little sister and said do not cry Gretel go to sleep quietly the good God will help us early in the morning came the woman and took the children out of their beds their piece of bread was given to them but it was still smaller than the time before on the way into the forest Hansel crumbled his in his pocket and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground Hansel why do you stop and look round said the father go on I am looking back at my little pigeon which is sitting on the roof and wants to say goodbye to me answered Hansel fool said the woman that is not your little pigeon that is the morning sun that is shining on the chimney Hansel however little by little threw all the crumbs on the path the woman let the children still deeper into the forest where they had never in their lives been before then a great fire was again made and the mother said just sit here you children and when you are tired you may sleep a little we are going into the forest to cut wood and in the evening when we are done we will come and fetch you away when it was noon Gretel shared her piece of bread with Hansel who had scattered his by the way then they fell asleep an evening passed but no one came to the poor children they did not awake until it was dark night and Hansel comforted his little sister and said just wait Gretel until the moon rises and then we shall see the crumbs of bread which I have strewn about they will show us our way home again when the moon came they set out but they found no crumbs for the many thousands of birds that fly about in the woods and fields had picked them all up Hansel said to Gretel we shall soon find the way but they did not find it they walked the whole night and all the next day too from morning till evening but they did not get out of the forest and were very hungry for they had nothing to eat but two or three berries which grew on the ground and as they were so weary it was now three mornings since they had left their father's house they began to walk again but they always came deeper into the forest and if help did not come soon they must die of hunger and winteriness when it was midday they saw a beautiful snow white bird sitting on a bow which sang so delightfully that they stood still and listened to it and when its song was over it spread its wings and flew away before them and they followed it until they reached a little house on the roof of which it alighted and when they approached the little house they saw that it was built of bread covered with cakes but that the windows were of clear sugar we were set to work on that said Hansel and have a good meal I will eat a bit of the roof and you Gretel can eat some of the window it will taste sweet Hansel reached up above and broke off a little of the roof to try how it tasted and Gretel leaned against the window with his hands then a soft voice cried from the parlor nibble nibble no who is nibbling at my little house the children answered the wind the wind the heaven-born wind and went on eating without disturbing themselves Hansel who liked the taste of the roof tore down a great piece of it and Gretel pushed out the hole of one round window pane sat down and enjoyed herself with it only the door opened and a woman as old as the hills who supported herself on crutches came creeping out Hansel and Gretel were so terribly frightened that they let for what they had in their hands the old woman however nodded her head and said oh, you dear children who has brought you here that you come in and stay with me no harm shall happen to you she took them both by the hand and led them into her little house the good food was set before them milk and pancakes with sugar apples and nuts afterwards two pretty little beds were covered with clean white linen and Hansel and Gretel lay down in them and thought they were in heaven the old woman had only pretended to be so kind she was in reality a wicked witch who lay in wait for children and had only built the little house of bread in order to entice them there when a child fell into her power she cooked and ate it and that was a feast day with her witches have red eyes and cannot see far but they have a keen scent like the beasts and are aware when human beings draw near when Hansel and Gretel came into her neighborhood she laughed with malice and said, mockingly I have them they shall not escape me again early in the morning before the children were awake she was already up when she saw both of them sleeping so pretty with their plump and rosy cheeks she muttered to herself that will be a dainty mouthful then she seized Hansel with her shriveled hand carried him into a little stable and locked him in behind a greater door scream as he might it would not help him then she went to Gretel shook her till she awoke and cried get up, lazy thing fetch some water and cook something good for your brother he is in the stable outside and is to be made fat when he is fat I will eat him Gretel began to weep bitterly but it was all in vain for she was forced to do what the wicked witch commanded and now the best food was cooked for poor Hansel but Gretel got nothing but crab shells every morning the woman crept to the little stable and cried, Hansel stretch out your finger that I may feel if you will soon be fat Hansel however stretched out a little bone to her and the old woman who had dim eyes could not see it and thought it was Hansel's finger and was astonished that there was no way of fattening him when four weeks had gone by and Hansel still remained thin she was seized with impatience and would not wait any longer now then Gretel she cried to the girl, stir yourself and bring me some water let Hansel be fat or lean tomorrow I will kill him and cook him ah how the poor little sister did lament when she had to fetch the water and how her tears did flow down her cheeks dear God, do help us she cried if the wild beast in the forest had but devoured us we should at any rate have died together just keep your noise to yourself said the old woman it won't help you at all early in the morning Gretel had to go out and hang up the cauldron take the water and light the fire we will bake first said the old woman I have already heated the oven and needed the dough she pushed dear Gretel out to the oven from which flames of the fire were already darting creep in, said the witch and see if it is properly heated so that we can put the bread in and once Gretel was inside she intended to shut the oven and let her bake in it and then she would eat her too but Gretel saw what she had in mind I do not know how I am to do it how do I get in silly goose, said the old woman the door is big enough just look, I can get in myself and she crept up and thrust her head into the oven then Gretel gave her a push that drove her far into it and shot the iron door and fastened the bolt oh, then she began to howl quite horribly but Gretel ran away and the godless witch was miserably burned to death Gretel, however, ran like lightning to Hansel opened his little stable and cried Hansel, we are saved the old witch is dead then Hansel sprang like a bird from its cage when the door is opened how they did rejoice and embrace each other and dance about and kiss each other and as they had no longer any need to fear her they went into the witch's house and in every corner there stood chests full of pearls and jewels these are far better than pebbles said Hansel and thrust into his pockets whatever he could get in and Gretel said I too will take something home with me and filled her pinafore full but now we must be off, said Hansel that we may get out of the witch's forest when they had walked for two hours they came to a great stretch of water we cannot cross, said Hansel I see no foot plank and no bridge and there is also no ferry answered Gretel but a white duck is swimming there if I ask her she will help us over then she cried little duck, little duck does thou see Hansel and Gretel are waiting for thee there's never a plank or a bridge in sight take us across on thy back so white the duck came to them and Hansel seated himself on its back and told his sister to sit by him no, replied Gretel that will be too heavy for the little duck to cross across one after the other the good little duck did so and when they were once safely across and had walked for a short time the fauna seemed to be more and more familiar to them and at length they saw from afar their father's house then they began to run rushed into the parlour and threw themselves round their father's neck the man had not known one happy hour since he had left the children in the forest the woman, however, was dead Gretel emptied her pinafore until pearls and precious stones ran about the room and Hansel threw one handful after another out of his pocket to add to them then all anxiety was at an end and they lived together in perfect happiness my tale is done there runs a mouse whosoever catches it may make himself a big fur cap out of it end of Hansel and Gretel the mouse, the bird and the sausage from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this slip of ox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld once upon a time a mouse, a bird and a sausage entered into partnership and set up house together for a long time all went well they lived in great comfort and prospered so far as to be able to add considerably to their stores when everybody was to fly daily into the wood to bring in fuel the mouse fetched the water and the sausage saw to the cooking when people are too well off they always begin to long for something new and so it came to pass that the bird, while out one day met a fellow bird to whom he boastfully expatiated on the excellence of his household arrangements but the other bird sneered at him for being a poor simpleton who did all the hard work while the other two stayed at home and the mouse had made the fire and fetched in the water she could retire into her little room and rest until it was time to set the table the sausage had only to watch the pot to see that the food was properly cooked and when it was near dinner time he just threw himself into the broth or rolled in and out among the vegetables three or four times and there they were buttered and salted and ready to be served then when the bird came home and had laid aside his burden they sat down to table and when they had finished their meal they went back to the following morning and that was really a very delightful life influenced by those remarks the bird next morning refused to bring in the wood telling the others that he had been their servant long enough had been a fool into the bargain and that it was now time to make a change and to try some other way of arranging the work beg and pray as the mouse and the sausage might it was of no use the bird remained master of the situation and the venture had to be made they therefore drew lots and it fell to the sausage to bring in the wood to the mouse to cook and to the bird to fetch the water and now what happened the sausage started in search of wood the bird made the fire and the mouse put on the pot and then these two waited until the sausage returned with the fuel for the following day but the sausage remained so long away that they became uneasy and the bird flew out to meet him he had not flown far however when he came across a dog who, having met the sausage had regarded him as his legitimate booty and so seized and swallowed him the bird complained to the dog of this bare-faced robbery but nothing he said was of any avail for the dog answered that he found false credentials on the sausage and that was the reason his life had been forfeited he picked up the wood and flew sadly home and told the mouse all he had seen and heard they were both very unhappy but agreed to make the best of things and to remain with one another the bird set the table and the mouse looked after the food and wishing to prepare it in the same way as the sausage by rolling in and out among the vegetables to salt and butter them she jumped into the pot but she stopped short long before she reached the bottom having already parted not only with her skin and hair but also with life presently the bird came in and wanted to serve up the dinner but he could nowhere see the cook in his alarm and flurry he threw the wood here and there about the floor searched but no cook was to be found then some of the wood that had been carelessly thrown down caught fire and began to blaze the bird hastened to fetch some water but his pale fell into the well and he after it and as he was unable to recover himself he was drowned and of the mouse the bird and the sausage Mother Holly from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and Marian Andrews this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters one of them was beautiful and industrious the other ugly and lazy the mother however loved the ugly and lazy one best because she was her own daughter and so the other who was only her stepdaughter was made to do all the work of the house and was quite the Cinderella of the family her stepmother sent her out every day to sit by the well in the high road there to spin until she made her fingers bleed now it chanced one day that some blood fell onto the spindle and as the girl stopped over the well to wash it off the spindle suddenly sprang out of her hand and fell into the well she ran home crying to tell of her misfortune but her stepmother spoke harshly to her and after giving her a violent scolding said unkindly as you have left the spindle fall into the well you may go yourself and fetch it out the girl went back to the well not knowing what to do and at last in her distress she jumped into the water after the spindle she remembered nothing more until she awoke and found herself in a beautiful meadow full of sunshine and with countless flowers blooming in every direction she walked over the meadow and presently she came upon a baker's oven full of bread and the loaves cried out to her take us out or alas we shall be burnt to a cinder we were baked through long ago so she took the bread shovel and drew them all out she went on a little farther till she came to a tree full of apples shake me shake me I pray cried the tree my apples one and all are ripe so she shook the tree and the apples came falling down upon her like rain but she continued shaking the spindle apple left upon it then she carefully gathered in the apples together in a heap and walked on again the next thing she came to was a little house and there she saw an old woman looking out with such large teeth that she was terrified and turned her on away but the old woman called after her what are you afraid of dear child stay with me if you will do the work of my house properly for me I will make you very happy you must be very careful however to make my bed in the right way for I wish you always to shake it so thoroughly so that the feathers fly about then they say, down there in the world that it is snowing for I am mother Holly the old woman spoke so kindly that the girl summoned up courage and agreed to enter into her service she took care to do everything according to the old woman's bidding and every time she made the bed she shook it with all her might and the feathers flew about like so many snowflakes the old woman was as good as her word she never spoke angrily to her and gave her roast and boiled meats every day so she stayed on with mother Holly for some time and then she began to grow unhappy she could not at first tell why she felt sad but she became conscious at last of great longing to go home then she knew she was homesick although she was a thousand times better off with mother Holly than with her mother and sister after waiting a while she went to mother Holly and said I am so homesick that I cannot stay with you any longer for although I am so happy here I must return to my own people then mother Holly said I am pleased that you should want to go back to your own people and as you have served me so well and faithfully I will take you home myself thereupon she led the girl by the hand up to a broad gateway the gate was opened and as the girl passed through a shower of gold fell upon her and the gold clung to her so that she was covered with it from head to foot and as she spoke she handed her the spindle which she had dropped into the well the gate was then closed and the girl found herself back in the old world close to her mother's house as she entered the courtyard the rooster who was perched on the well called out your golden daughters come back to you then she went to her mother and sister and as she was so richly covered with gold they gave her a warm welcome she related to them all that had happened and when the mother heard how she had come by her great riches she thought she should like her ugly lazy daughter to go and try her fortune so she made the sister go and sit by the well and spin and the girl pricked her finger and thrust her hand into a thorn bush so that she might drop some blood onto the spindle then she threw it into the well and jumped in herself like her sister she awoke in the beautiful meadow and walked over it till she came to the oven take us out, take us out or alas we shall be burnt to a cinder we were begged through long ago cry the loaves as before but the lazy girl answered do you think I'm going to dirty my hands for you? and walked on presently she came to the apple tree shake me, shake me, I pray my apples, one and all, are ripe it cried but she only answered a nice thing to ask me to do one of the apples might fall on my head and passed on at last she came to mother Holly's house and as she had heard all about the large teeth from her sister she was not afraid of them and engaged herself without delay to the old woman the first day she was very obedient and industrious and pleased mother Holly for she thought of the gold she would get in return the next day however she began to dawdle over her work and the third day she was more idle still then she began to lie in bed in the mornings and refused to get up worse still she neglected to make the old woman's bed properly and forgot to shake it so that the feathers might fly about so mother Holly very soon got tired of her and told her she might go the lazy girl was delighted at this and thought to herself the gold will soon be mine mother Holly led her as she had led her sister to the broad gateway but as she was passing through instead of a shower of gold a great bucket full of pitch came pouring over her that is in return for your services said the old woman and shut the gate so the lazy girl had to go home covered with pitch and the rooster on the wall called out as he saw her what a doodle-do your dirty daughters come back to you but try what she would she could not get the pitch off and it stocked her as long as she lived and of mother Holly little red riding hood from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LeBrew Vox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone who looked at her but most of all by her grandmother and there was nothing that she would not have given to the child once she gave her a little cap of red velvet which suited her so well that she would never wear anything else so she was always called little red riding hood one day her mother said to her come little red riding hood here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine take them to your grandmother she is ill and weak and they will do her good set out before it gets hot and when you are going walk nicely and quietly and do not run off the path or you may fall and break the bottle and then your grandmother will get nothing and when you go into her room don't forget to say good morning and don't peep into every corner before you do it I will take great care said little red riding hood to her mother and gave her a hand on it in the wood half a league from the village and just as little red riding hood entered the wood a wolf met her little red riding hood did not know what a wicked creature he was and was not at all afraid of him good day little red riding hood said he thank you kindly wolf weather away so early little red riding hood to my grandmothers what have you got in your apron a cake and wine yesterday was baking day so poor sick grandmother is to have something good to make her stronger where does your grandmother live little red riding hood a good quarter of a league farther on in the wood her house stands under three large oak trees the nut trees are just below you surely must know it replied little red riding hood the wolf thought to himself what a tender young creature what a nice plump mouthful she will be better to eat than the old woman I must start craftily so as to catch both so he walked for a short time by the side of little red riding hood and then he said see little red riding hood how pretty the flowers are about here why do you not look around I believe too that you do not hear how sweetly the little birds are singing you walk gravely along as if you were going to school here in the world is merry little red riding hood raised her eyes and when she saw the sunbeams dancing here and there through the trees and pretty flowers growing everywhere she thought suppose I take grandmother a fresh nose gay that would please her too it is so early in the day that I shall still get there in good time and so she ran from the path into the wood to look for flowers and whenever she had picked one she fancied that she saw a still prettier one farther on and right after it and so got deeper and deeper into the wood meanwhile the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knocked at the door who is there little red riding hood replied the wolf she is bringing cake and wine open the door lift the latch cried out the grandmother I am too weak cannot get up the wolf lifted the latch the door sprang open and without saying a word she ran straight to the grandmother's bed and devoured her then he put on her clothes grassed himself in her cap laid himself in bed and drew the curtains little red riding hood however had been running about picking flowers and when she had gathered so many that she could carry no more she remembered her grandmother and sat out on the way to her she was surprised to find the cottage door standing open and when she went into the room she had such a strange feeling dear, how uneasy I feel today and at other times I like being with grandmother so much she called out good morning but received no answer so she went to the bed and drew back the curtains there lay her grandmother with her cap pulled far over her face and looking very strange oh, grandmother she said what big ears you have the better to hear you with my child was the reply but grandmother what big eyes you have she said the better to see you with my dear but grandmother what large hands you have the better to hug you with oh, but grandmother what a terrible big mouth you have the better to eat you with and scarcely had the wolf said this then with one bound he was out of bed and swallowed up little Red Briding Hood when the wolf had appeased his appetite he lay down again in the bed fell asleep and began to snore very loud the huntsman was just passing the house and thought to himself how the old woman is snoring I must just see if she wants anything so he went into the room and when he came to the bed he saw that the wolf was lying in it do I find you here, you old sinner said he I have long sought you then, just as he was going to fire at him it occurred to him that the wolf might have devoured the grandmother and that she might still be saved so he did not fire but took a pair of scissors and began to cut open the stomach of the sleeping wolf when he had made two snips he saw the little Red Briding Hood shining and then he made two snips more and the little girl sprang out crying ah, how frightened I have been how dark it was inside the wolfs and after that the aged grandmother came out alive also but scarcely able to breathe Little Red Briding Hood however quickly fetched great stones with which to fill the wolf's belly and when he awoke he wanted to run away but the stones were so heavy that he collapsed at once and fell dead then all three were delighted the huntsman drew off the wolf's skin and went home with it the grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine which Little Red Briding Hood had brought Little Red Briding Hood thought to herself as long as I live I will never by myself leave the path to run into the wood when my mother has forbidden me to do so it was also related that once when Little Red Briding Hood was again taking cakes to the old grandmother another wolf spoke to her and tried to entice her from the path Little Red Briding Hood however was on her guard and went straight forward on her way and told her grandmother that she had met the wolf and said good morning to her but with such a wicked look in his eyes that if they had not been on the public road she was certain he would have eaten her up well said the grandmother we will shut the door that he may not come in soon afterwards the wolf knocked and cried open the door grandmother I am Little Red Briding Hood and I'm bringing you some cakes but they did not speak or open the door so the gray-beard stole twice the house and at last jumped on the roof and tending to wait until Little Red Briding Hood went home in the evening and then to steal after her and devour her in the docks but the grandmother saw what was in his thoughts in front of the house was a great stone trough so she said to the child take the pale Little Red Briding Hood I made some sausages yesterday so carry the water in which I boiled them to the trough Little Red Briding Hood carried until the great trough was quite full then the smell of the sausages reached the wolf and he sniffed and peeped down and at last stretched out his neck so far that he could no longer keep his footing and began to slip and slipped down from the roof straight into the great trough and was drowned but Little Red Briding Hood went joyously home and no one ever did anything to harm her again End of Little Red Briding Hood The Robber Bridegroom from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this Librevox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there once was a miller who had one beautiful daughter and as she was grown up he was anxious that she should be well married and provided for he said to himself I will give her to the first suitable man who comes and asks for her hand not long after a suitor appeared and as he appeared to be very rich he could see nothing in him with which to find fault he betrothed his daughter to him but the girl did not care for the man as a girl ought to care for her betrothed husband and she could not look at him nor think of him without an inward shudder one day he said to her you have not paid me a visit although we have been betrothed for some time I do not know where your house is she answered my house is out there in the dark forest he said she tried to excuse herself by saying she would not be able to find the way thither her betrothed only replied you must come and see me next Sunday I have already invited guests for that day and that you might not mistake the way I will strew ashes along the path when Sunday came and it was time for the girl to start a feeling of dread came over her which she could not explain and that she might not be able to find a path again she filled her pockets with peas and lentils to sprinkle on the ground as she went along at the entrance to the forest she found the path strewed with ashes and these she followed throwing down some peas on either side of her at every step she took she walked the whole day until she came to the deepest, darkest part of the forest there she saw a lonely house looking so grim and mysterious that it did not please her at all she stepped inside but not a soul was to be seen and a great silence brained throughout suddenly a voice cried turn back young maiden fair linger not in this murderous lair the girl looked up and saw that the voice came from a bird hanging in a cage on the wall again it cried turn back, turn back young maiden fair linger not in this murderous lair the girl passed on going from room to room of the house but they were all empty and still she saw no one at last she came to the cellar and there sat a very, very old woman who could not keep her head from shaking can you tell me asked the girl if my betrothed husband lives here ah, you poor child answered the old woman what a place for you to come to this is a murderous den you think yourself a promised bride and that your marriage will soon take place but it is with death that you will keep your marriage feast look, do you see that large cauldron of water which I am obliged to keep on the fire as soon as they have you in their power they will kill you without mercy and cook and eat you for they are eaters of men if I did not take pity on you and save you you would be lost there upon the old woman led her behind a large cask which quite hid her from view keep as still as a mouse she said speak or it will be all over with you tonight when the robbers are all asleep we will flee together I have long been waiting for an opportunity to escape the words were hardly out of her mouth when the godless crew returned dragging another girl along with them they were all drunk and paid no heed to her cries and lamentations they gave her wine to drink three glasses full one of white wine, one of red and one of yellow that gave way and she died then they tore off her dainty clothing later on a table and cut her beautiful body into pieces and sprinkled salt upon it the poor betrothed girl crouched trembling and shuddering behind the cask for she saw what a terrible fate had been intended for her by the robbers one of them now noticed a gold ring still remaining on the little finger of the murdered girl and as he could not draw it off easily he took a hatchet and cut off the finger then he sprang into the air and fell behind the cask into the lap of the girl who was hiding there the robber took a light and began looking for it but he could not find it have you looked behind the large cask? said one of the others but the old woman called out come and eat your suppers and let the thing be till tomorrow the finger won't run away the old woman is right said the robbers and they ceased looking for the finger and sat down and before long they were all lying on the floor of the cellar fast asleep and snoring as soon as the girl was assured of this she came from behind the cask she was obliged to step over the bodies of the sleepers who were lying close together and every moment she was filled with renewed dread lest she should awaken them but God helped her so that she passed safely over them and then she and the old woman went upstairs opened the door and hastened as fast as they could from the murderous den they found the ashes scattered by the wind but the peas and lentils had sprouted had grown sufficiently above the ground to guide them in the moonlight along the path all night long they walked and it was morning before they reached the mill then the girl told her father all that had happened the day came that had been fixed for the marriage the bridegroom arrived and also a large company of guests for the miller had taken care to invite all his friends and relations as they sat at the feast each guest in turn was asked to tell a tale the bride sat still did not say a word and you my love said the bridegroom turning to her is there no tale you know tell us something I will tell you a dream then said the bride I went alone through a forest and came at last to a house not a soul could I find within but a bird that was hanging in a cage on the wall back turned back young maiden fair linger not in this murderous lair and again a second time it said these words my darling this is only a dream I went on through the house from room to room but they were all empty and everything was so grim and mysterious at last I went down to the cellar and there sat a very very old woman who could not keep her head still I asked her if my betrothed lived there and she answered you poor child you are come to a murderous den your betrothed does indeed live here but he will kill you without mercy and afterwards cook and eat you my darling this is only a dream the old woman hid me behind a large cask and scarcely had she done this when the robbers returned home dragging a young girl along with them they gave her three kinds of wine to drink white, red and yellow and with that she died my darling this is only a dream then they tore off her dainty clothing and cut her beautiful body into pieces and sprinkled salt upon it my darling this is only a dream and one of the robbers saw that there was a gold ring still left on her finger and as it was difficult to draw off he took a hatchet and cut off her finger but the finger sprang into the air and fell behind the great cask into my lap and here is the finger with the ring and with these words the bride drew forth the finger and showed it to the assembled guests the bridegroom who during this recital had grown deadly pale up and tried to escape but the guests seized him and held him fast they delivered him up to justice and he and all his murderous band were condemned to death for their wicked deeds End of the Robber Bridegroom Tom Thumb from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards This LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld A poor woman sat in his cottage one night smoking his pipe by the fireside while his wife sat by his side spinning How lonely it is wife said he as he puffed out a long curl of smoke for you and me to sit here by ourselves without any children to play about and amuses while other people seem so happy and marry with their children What you say is very true said the wife sighing and turning round her wheel How happy should I be if I had but one child If it were ever so small Yea, if it were no bigger than my thumb I should be very happy and love it dearly Now, odd as you may think it it came to pass that this good woman's wish was fulfilled just in the very way she had wished it for not long afterwards she had a little boy who was quite healthy and strong but was not much bigger than my thumb so they said well, we cannot say we have not got what we wished for and little as he is we will love him dearly and they called him Thomas Thumb They gave him plenty of food yet for all they could do he never grew bigger but kept just the same size as he had been when he was born he was sharp and sparkling and he soon showed himself to be a clever little fellow who always knew well what he was about One day as the woodman was getting ready to go into the wood to cut fuel he said, I wish I had someone to bring the cart after me for I want to make haste Oh, father, cried Thumb I will take care of that the cart shall be in the wood by the time you want it Then the woodman laughed and said How can that be? You cannot reach up to the horse's bridle Mind that, father, said Thumb if my mother will only harness the horse I will get into his ear and tell him which way to go Well, said the father we will try for once When the time came the mother harnessed the horse to the carts and put Thumb into his ear and as he sat there the little man told the beast how to go crying out, go on and stop, as he wanted and thus the horse went on just as well giving it himself into the wood It happened that as the horse was going a little too fast and Thumb was calling out, gently, gently two strangers came up What an odd thing that is, said one there is a cart going along and I hear a cart talking to the horse but yet I can see no one That is queer indeed, said the other let us follow the cart and see where it goes So they went on into the wood till at last they came to the place where the woodman was Then Thumb Thumb, seeing his father, cried out See, father, here I am with the cart all right and safe, now take me down So his father took hold of the horse with one hand and with the other took his son out of the horse's ear and put him down upon a straw where he sat as merry as you please The two strangers were all this time looking on and did not know what to say for wonder At last one took the other aside and said That little urchin will make our fortune if we can get him and carry him about from town to town as a show We must buy him So they went up to the woodman and asked him what he would take for the little man He will be better off, said they, with us than with you I won't sell him at all, said the father My own flesh and blood is dearer to me than all the silver and gold in the world But Thumb, hearing of the bargain they wanted to make he wrapped up his father's coat to his shoulder and whispered in his ear Take the money, father, and let them have me I'll soon come back to you So the woodman at last said he would sell Thumb to the strangers for a large piece of gold and they paid the price Where would you like to sit? said one of them Oh, put me on the rim of your hat That will be a nice gallery for me I can walk about there and see the country as we go along So they did as he wished and when Thumb had taken leave of his father they took him away with them They journeyed on till it began to be dusky and then the little man said Let me get down, I'm tired So the man took off his hat and put him down on a claw of earth in a plowed field by the side of the road But Thumb ran about amongst the furrows and at last slipped into an old mouse-hole Good night, my masters, said he I'm off, mind and look sharp after me the next time Then they ran at once to the place and poked the ends of their sticks into the mouse-hole but all in vain Thumb only crawled farther and farther in and at last it became quite dark so that they were forced to go their way without their prize, as sulky as could be When Thumb found they were gone he came out of his hiding-place What dangerous walking it is, said he in this plowed field If I were to fall from one of these great clods I should undoubtedly break my neck At last, by good luck he found a large empty snail-shell This is lucky, said he I can sleep here very well and in he crept Just as he was falling asleep he heard two men passing by, chatting together and one said to the other How can we rob that rich parson's house of his silver and gold? I'll tell you, cried Thumb What noise was that? said the thief, frightened I'm sure I heard someone speak They stood listening and Thumb said Take me with you and I'll soon show you how to get the parson's money But where are you? said they Look about on the ground, answered he and listened where the sound comes from At last the thieves found him out and lifted him up in their hands You little urchin, they said What can you do for us? Why, I can get between the iron window-bars of the parson's house and throw you out whatever you want That's a good thought, said the thieves Come along, we shall see what you can do When they came to the parson's house Thumb slipped through the window-bars into the room and then called out as loud as he could bawl Will you have all that is here? At this the thieves were frightened and said Softly, softly, speak low that you may not awaken anybody The Thumb seemed as if he did not understand them and bawled out again How much will you have? Shall I throw it all out? Now the cook lay in the next room and hearing a noise she raised herself up in her bed and listened Meantime the thieves were frightened and ran off a little way But at last they plucked up their hearts and said This little urchin is only trying to make fools of us So they came back and whispered softly to him, saying Now let us have no more of your roguish jokes but throw us out some of the money Then Thumb called out as loud as he could Very well, hold your hands Here it comes The cook heard this quite plain so she sprang out of her bed and ran to the open door The thieves ran off as if a wolf was at their tails and the maid, having groped about and found nothing, went away for a light By the time she came back, Thumb had slipped off into the barn and when she looked about and searched every hole and corner and found nobody, she went to bed thinking she must have been dreaming with her eyes open The little man crawled about in the hayloft and at last found a snug place to finish his night's rest in So he laid himself down, meaning to sleep till daylight and then find his way home to his father and mother But alas, how woefully he was undone What crosses and sorrows happened to us all in this world The cook got up early before daybreak to feed the cows and going straight to the hayloft carried away a large bundle of hay with the little man in the middle of it, fast asleep He still, however, slept on and did not awake till he found himself in the mouth of a cow For the cook had put the hay into the cow's rick and the cow had taken Tom up in a mouthful of it Good lack a day, said he How came I to tumble into the mill? But he soon found out where he really was and was forced to have all his wits about him that he might not get between the cow's teeth and so be crushed to death At last down he went into her stomach It is rather dark, said he They forgot to build windows in this room to let the sun in A candle would be no bad thing Though he made the best of his bad luck he did not like his quarters at all and the worst of it was that more and more hay was always coming down and the space left for him became smaller and smaller At last he cried out as loud as he could Don't bring me any more hay The maid happened to be just then milking the cow and hearing someone speak but seeing nobody and yet being quite sure it was the same voice that she had heard in the night she was so frightened that she fell off her stool and overset the milk-pale As soon as she could pick herself up out of the dirt she ran off as fast as she could to her master, the parson and said, sir, sir, the cow is talking But the parson said, woman, thou art surely mad However he went with her into the cow-house to try and see what was the matter Scarcely had he set foot on the threshold when Tom called out, don't bring me any more hay Then the parson himself was frightened and thinking the cow was surely bewitched told his man to kill her on the spot So the cow was killed and cut up and the stomach in which Tom lay was thrown out upon a dung hill Tom soon set himself to work to get out which was not a very easy task but at last, just as he had made room to get his head out fresh ill luck befell him a hungry wolf sprang out and swallowed up the whole stomach with Tom in it at one gulp and ran away Tom, however, was still not disheartened and thinking the wolf would not dislike having some chat with him as he was going along he called out, my good friend, I can show you a famous treat Where's that? said the wolf In such and such a house! said Tom, describing his own father's house You can crawl through the drain into the kitchen and then into the pantry and there you will find cakes, ham, beef, cold chicken, roast pig, apple, dumplings, and everything that your heart can wish The wolf did not want to be asked twice so that very night he went to the house and crawled through the drain into the kitchen and then into the pantry and ate and drank there to his heart's content as soon as he had had enough he wanted to get away but he had eaten so much that he could not get out by the same way he came in This was just what Tom had reckoned upon but now he began to set up a great shout making all the noise he could Will you be easy? said the wolf You'll awaken everybody in the house if you make such a clatter What's that to me? said the little man You have had your frolic, now I have a mind to be merry myself and he began singing and shouting as loud as he could The woodman and his wife, being awakened by the noise, peeped through a crack in the door but when they saw a wolf was there you may well suppose that they were sadly frightened and the woodman ran for his axe and gave his wife a scythe Do you stay behind? said the woodman and when I have knocked him on the head you must rip him up with a scythe Tom heard all this and cried out Father, Father, I am here, the wolf has swallowed me and his father said Heaven be praised, we have found our dear child again and he told his wife not to use the scythe for fear she should hurt him Then he aimed a great blow and struck the wolf on the head and killed him on the spot and when he was dead they cut open his body and set Tommy free Ah, said the father, what fears we have had for you Yes, Father, and so did he, I have travelled all over the world I think in one way or other since we parted and now I am very glad to come home and get fresh air again Why, where have you been? said his father I have been in a mouse-hole, in a snail-shell and down a cow's throat and in a wolf's belly and yet here I am again safe and sound Well, said they, you are come back and we will not sell you again for all the riches in the world Then they hugged and kissed their dear little son and gave him plenty to eat and drink, for he was very hungry and then they fetched new clothes for him for his old clothes have been quite spoiled on his journey So Master Thumb stayed at home with his father and mother in peace for though he had been so great a traveller and had done and seen so many fine things and was fond enough of telling the whole story they always agreed that after all there's no place like home End of Tom Thumb Rumpelstiltskin from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards This LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld By the side of a wood in a country a long way off ran a fine stream of water and upon the stream there stood a mill The miller's house was close by and the miller you must know had a very beautiful daughter She was moreover very shrewd and clever and the miller was so proud of her that he one day told the king of the land who used to come and hunt in the wood that his daughter could spin gold out of straw Now this king was very fond of money and when he heard the miller's boast his greediness was raised and he sent for the girl to be brought before him Then he led her to a chamber in his palace where there was a great heap of straw and gave her a spinning wheel and said all this must be spun into gold before morning as you love your life It was in vain that the poor maiden said that it was only a silly boast of her father for that she could do no such thing as spin straw into gold The chamber door was locked and she was left alone She sat down in one corner of the room and began to bewail her hard fate But suddenly the door opened and a droll-looking little man hobbled in and said Good morrow to you, my good lass What are you weeping for? Alas, said she I must spin this straw into gold and I know not how What will you give me? said the hobgoblin to do it for you My necklace replied the maiden He took her at her word and sat himself down to the wheel and whistled and sang round about, round about low and behold reel away, reel away straw into gold and round about the wheel went merrily The work was quickly done and the straw was all spun into gold When the king came for this he was greatly astonished and pleased But his heart grew still more greedy of gain and he shut up the poor miller's daughter again with a fresh task Then she knew not what to do and sat down once more to weep But the dwarf soon opened the door and said What will you give me to do your task? The ring on my finger, said she So her little friend took the ring and began to work at the wheel again and whistled and sang round about, round about low and behold reel away, reel away straw into gold Till long before morning all was done again King was greatly delighted to see all this glittering treasure But still he had not enough So he took the miller's daughter to a yet larger heap and said All this must be spun tonight and if it is you shall be my queen As soon as she was alone that dwarf came in and said What will you give me to spin gold for you this third time? I have nothing left, said she Then say you will give me said the little man the first little child that you may have when you are queen That may never be thought the miller's daughter and as she knew no other way to get her task done she said she would do what he asked Round went the wheel again to the old song and the mannequin once more spun the heap into gold The king came in the morning and finding all he wanted was forced to keep his word So he married the miller's daughter and she really became queen At the birth of her first child she was very glad and forgot the dwarf and what she had said to her room where she was sitting playing with her baby and put her in mind of it Then she grieved sorely at her misfortune and said she would give him all the wealth of the kingdom if he would let her off but in vain till at last her tears softened him and he said I will give you three days grace and if during that time you tell me my name you shall keep your child Now the queen lay awake all night thinking of all the odd names that she had ever heard and she sent messages all over the land to find out new ones The next day the little man came and she began with Timothy Ichabod, Benjamin, Jeremiah and all the names she could remember but to all and each of them he said Madam that's not my name The second day she began with all the comical names she had heard of bandy legs, hunchback, crook shanks and so on she still said to every one of them Madam, that is not my name The third day one of the messengers came back and said I have traveled two days without hearing of any other names but yesterday as I was climbing a high hill among the trees of the forest where the fox and the hare bid each other good night I saw a little hut and before the hut burnt a fire and round about the fire a funny little dwarf was dancing upon one leg and singing Merrily the feast I'll make today I'll brew tomorrow bake Merrily I'll dance and sing for next day we'll a stranger bring Little does my lady dream Rumpelstiltskin is my name When the king heard this she jumped for joy and as soon as her little friend came she sat down upon her throne and called all her court round to enjoy the fun and the nurse stood by her side with the baby in her arms as if it was quite ready to be given up Then the little man began to chuckle at the thought of having the poor child to take home with him to his hut in the woods and he cried out No, lady, what is my name? Is it Tron? asked she No, madam Is it Tom? No, madam Is it Jammy? It is not Can your name be Rumpelstiltskin? said the lady slyly Which told you that? Some witch told you that? cried the little man and dashed his right foot in a rage so deep into the floor that he was forced to lay hold of it with both hands to pull it out Then he made the best of his way off while the nurse laughed and the baby crowed and all the court jeered at him for having had so much trouble for nothing and said We wish you a very good morning and a merry feast Mr. Rumpelstiltskin and of Rumpelstiltskin Clever Gretel from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards This LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufelt There once was a cook named Gretel who wore shoes with red heels and when she walked out with them on she turned herself this way and that was quite happy and thought you certainly are a pretty girl and when she came home she drank in her gladness of heart a draft of wine and as wine excites a desire to eat she tasted the best of whatever she was cooking until she was satisfied and said the cook must know what the food is like it came to pass that the master one day said to her Gretel there is a guest coming this evening prepare me two fowls very daintily I will see to it master answered Gretel she killed two fowls folded them plucked them put them on a spit and towards evening sent them before the fire that they might roast the fowls began to turn brown and were nearly ready but the guest had not yet arrived then Gretel called out to her master if the guest does not come I must take the fowls away from the fire but it will be a sin and a shame if they are not eaten the moment they are at their juiciest the master said I will run myself and fetch the guest when the master had turned his back Gretel laid the spit with the fowls on one side and thought standing so long by the fire there makes one sweat and thirsty who knows when they will come meanwhile I will run into the cellar and take a drink she ran down set her drug and said God bless it for you Gretel and took a good drink and thought that wine should flow on and should not be interrupted and took yet another hearty draft then she went and put the fowls down again to the fire basted them and drove the spit merrily round but as the roast meat smelt so good Gretel thought something might be wrong it ought to be tasted she touched it with her finger and said ah how good fowls are it certainly is a sin and a shame if they are not eaten at the right time she ran to the window to see if the master was not coming with his guest but she saw no one and went back to the fowls and thought one of the wings is burning I had better take it off and eat it so she cut it off, ate it and enjoyed it and when she had done she thought the other must go down too or else master will observe that something is missing when the two wings were eaten she went and looked for her master and did not see him it suddenly occurred to her who knows they are perhaps not coming at all and have turned in somewhere then she said well Gretel, enjoy yourself one fowl has been cut into take another drink and eat it up entirely when it is eaten you will have some peace why should God's good gifts be spoiled so she ran into the cellar again took an enormous drink and ate up the one chicken in great glee when one of the chickens was swallowed down and still her master did not come Gretel looked at the other and said what one is the other should be likewise the two go together what's right for the one is right for the other I think if I were to take another draft it would do me no harm so she took another hearty drink and let the second chicken follow the first while she was making the most of it the master came and cried hurry up Gretel, the guest is coming directly after me yes sir, I will soon serve up answered Gretel meantime the master looked to see that the table was properly laid and took the great knife wherewith he was going to carve the chickens and sharpened it on the steps presently the guest came and knocked politely and courteously at the house door Gretel ran and looked to see who was there and when she saw the guest she put her finger to her lips and said hush hush go away as quickly as you can if my master catches you he certainly did ask you to supper but his intention is to cut off your two ears just listen how he is sharpening the knife for it the guest heard the sharpening and hurried down the steps again as fast as he could Gretel was not idle she ran screaming to her master and cried, you have invited a fine guest why Gretel what do you mean by that yes, said she he has taken the chickens he is going to serve up off the dish and has run away with them that's a nice trick said her master and lamented the fine chickens if he had but left me one so that something remained for me to eat he called to him to stop but the guest pretended not to hear then he ran after him with the knife still in his hand crying, just one just one meaning that the guest should leave him just one chicken and not take both the guest, however, thought no otherwise than that he was to give up one of his ears and ran as if fire were burning under him in order to take them both with him and of clever Gretel the old man and his grandson from Grims Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there was once a very old man whose eyes had become dim his ears doll of hearing his knees trembled and when he sat at table he could hardly hold a spoon and split the broth upon the tablecloth or let it run out of his mouth his son and his son's wife were disgusted at this so the old grandfather at last had to sit in the corner behind the stove and they gave him his food in an earthenware bowl and not even enough of it and he used to look towards the table with his eyes full of tears once too his trembling hands could not hold the bowl and it fell to the ground and broke the young wife scolded him but he said nothing and only sighed then they brought him a wooden bowl for a few haypence out of which he had to eat they were once sitting thus when the little grandson of four years old began to gather together some bits of wood upon the ground there, asked the father I am making a little trough answered the child for father and mother to eat out of when I am big the man and his wife looked at each other for a while and presently began to cry then they took the old grandfather to the table and henceforth always let him eat with them and likewise said nothing if he did spill a little of anything end of the old man and his grandson little peasant from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there was a certain village where in no one lived but really rich peasants and just one poor one whom they called the little peasant he had not even so much as a cow and still less money to buy one and yet he and his wife did so wish to have one one day he said to her listen, I have a good idea there is our gossip the carpenter he shall make us a wooden calf and paint it brown so that it looks like any other and in time it will certainly get big and be a cow the woman also liked the idea and their gossip the carpenter cut and planed the calf and painted it as it ought to be and made it with its head hanging down as if it were eating morning when the cows were being driven out the little peasant called the cowherd in and said, look, I have a little calf here but it is still small and has to be carried the cowherd said, all right and took it in his arms and carried it to the pasture and set it among the grass the little calf always remained standing like one which was eating and the cowherd said, it will soon run by itself just look how it eats already at night when he was going to drive home again, he said to the calf if you can stand there and eat your fill you can also go on your four legs I don't care to drag you home again in my arms but the little peasant stood at his door and waited for his little calf and when the cowherd drove the cows through the village and the calf was missing he inquired where it was the cowherd answered, it is still standing out there eating it would not stop and come with us but the little peasant said my beast back again then they went back to the meadow together but someone had stolen the calf and it was gone the cowherd said it must have run away the peasant however said don't tell me that and led the cowherd before the mayor who for his carelessness condemned him to give the peasant a cow for the calf which had run away and now the little peasant and his wife had the cow for which they had so long wished and they were heartily glad but they had no food for it and could give it nothing to eat so it soon had to be killed they salted the flesh and the peasant went into the town and wanted to sell the skin there so that he might buy a new calf with the proceeds on the way he passed by a mill and there sat a raven with broken wings and out of pity he took him and wrapped him in the skin but as the weather grew so bad and there was a storm of rain and wind he could go no farther and turned back to the mill and begged for shelter the miller's wife was alone in the house and said to the peasant lay yourself on the straw there and gave him a slice of bread and cheese the peasant ate it and laid down with his skin beside him and the woman thought he is tired and has gone to sleep in the meantime came the person the miller's wife received him well and said you will have a feast the peasant listened and when he heard them talk about feasting he was vexed that he had been forced to make shift with a slice of bread and cheese then the woman served up four different things roast meat salad cakes and wine just as they were about to sit down and eat there was a knocking outside the woman said oh heavens it is my husband she quickly hid the roast meat inside the tile stove the wine under the pillow the salad on the bed the cakes under it and the parson in the closet on the porch then she opened the door for her husband and said thank heaven you are back again there is such a storm it looks as if the world were coming to an end the miller saw the peasant lying on the straw and asked what is that fellow doing there ah said the wife the poor nave came in the storm so I gave him a bit of bread and cheese and showed him where the straw was the man said I have no objection but be quick and get me something to eat the woman said but I have nothing but bread and cheese I am contented with anything replied the husband so far as I am concerned bread and cheese will do and looked at the peasant and said come and eat some more with me the peasant did not require to be invited twice and ate after this the miller saw the skin in which the raven was lying on the ground and asked what have you there the peasant answered can he foretell anything to me said the miller why not but he only says four things and the fifth he keeps to himself the miller was curious and said let him foretell something for once the raven's head saw that it croaked and made a noise like the miller said what did he say the peasant answered in the first place he says that there is some wine hidden under the pillow bless me cried the miller and went there and found the wine now go on said he the peasant made the raven croak again and said in the second place upon my word cried the miller and went thither and found the roast meat the peasant made the raven prophesy still more and said thirdly he says that there is some salad on the bed that would be a fine thing cried the miller and went there and found the salad at last the peasant pinched the raven once more till he croaked and said fourthly he says that there are some cakes under the bed that would be a fine thing cried the miller and looked there and found the cakes and now the two sat down to the table together but the miller's wife was frightened to death and went to bed and took all the keys with her the miller would have liked much to know the fifth but the little peasant said first we will quickly eat the four things for the fifth is something bad so they ate and after that they bargained how much the miller was to give for the fifth prophecy until they agreed on three hundred dollars then the peasant once more pinched the raven's head till he croaked loudly the miller asked what did he say the peasant replied he says that the devil is hiding outside there in the closet on the porch the miller said the devil must go out and open the house door then the woman was forced to give up the keys and the peasant unlocked the closet the person ran out as fast as he could and the miller said it was true I saw the black rascal with my own eyes a peasant, however made off next morning by daybreak with the three hundred dollars at home the small peasant gradually launched out he built a beautiful house and the peasant said the small peasant has certainly been to the place where golden snow falls and people carry the gold home in shovels then the small peasant was brought before the mayor when the peasant's wealth came he answered I sold my cow's skin in the town for three hundred dollars when the peasants heard that they too wished to enjoy this great profit and ran home, killed all their cows and stripped off their skins in order to sell them in the town to the greatest advantage the mayor, however said but my servant must go first when she came to the merchant in the town he did not give her more than two dollars for a skin and when the others came he did not give them so much and said what can I do with all these skins then the peasants were vexed that the small peasant should have thus outwitted them wanted to take vengeance on him and accused him of this treachery before the mayor the innocent little peasant was unanimously sentenced to death and was to be rolled into the water in a barrel pierced full of holes he was led forth and a priest was brought who was to say a mass for his soul the others were all obliged to retire to a distance and when the peasant looked at the priest he recognized the man who had been with the miller's wife he said to him I set you free from the closet set me free from the barrel at this same moment up came with a flock of sheep the very shepherd whom the peasant knew had long been wishing to be mayor so he cried with all his might no, I will not do it if the whole world insists on it I will not do it the shepherd, hearing that, came up to him and asked what are you about what is it that you will not do the peasant said they want to make me mayor if I will but put myself in the barrel but I will not do it the shepherd said if nothing more than that is needful in order to be mayor I would get into the barrel at once the peasant said if you will get in you will be mayor the shepherd was willing and got in he shut the top down on him then he took the shepherd's flock for himself and drove it away the parson went to the crowd and declared that the mass had been said then they came and rolled the barrel towards the water when the barrel began to roll the shepherd cried I am quite willing to be mayor they believed no otherwise than that it was the peasant who was saying this and answered that is what we intend but first you shall look about you a little down below there and they rolled the barrel down into the water after the peasants went home and as they were entering the village the small peasant also came quietly in driving a flock of sheep and looking quite contented then the peasants were astonished and said peasant from whence do you come have you come out of the water yes truly replied the peasant I sank down deep down until at last I got to the bottom I pushed the bottom out of the barrel and there were pretty meadows on which a number of lambs were feeding and from thence I brought this flock away with me said the peasants are there any more there oh yes said he more than I could want then the peasants made up their minds that they too would fetch some sheep for themselves a flock apiece but the mayor said I come first so they went to the water together and just then there were some of the small fleecy clouds and they were reflected in the water whereupon the peasants cried we already see the sheep down below the mayor pressed forward and said I will go down first and look about me and if things promise well I'll call you so he jumped in splash went the water it sounded as if he were calling them and the whole crowd plunged in after him as one man then the entire village was dead when the small peasant as sole heir became a rich man end of the little peasant Frederick and Catherine from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there once was a man called Frederick he had a wife whose name was Catherine who had been married one day Frederick said Kate, I am going to work in the fields when I come back I shall be hungry so let me have something nice cooked and a good draft of ale very well said she, it shall all be ready when dinner time drew nigh Catherine took a nice steak which was all the meat she had and put it on the fire to fry the steak soon began to look brown and to crackle in the pan she took a fork and turned it then she said to herself the steak is almost ready I may as well go to the cellar for the ale so she left the pan on the fire and took a large jug and went into the cellar and tapped the ale cask the beer ran into the jug when Catherine stood looking on but last it popped into her head the dog is not shut up he may be running away with the steak that's well thought of so up she ran from the cellar the muscly cur had got the steak in his mouth and was making off with it away ran Catherine and away ran the dog across the field but he ran faster than she and stuck close to the steak it's all gone and what can't be cured must be endured said Catherine so she turned round and as she had run a good way and was tired she walked home leisurely to cool herself now all this time the ale was running too she had not turned the cock and when the jug was full the liquor ran upon the floor till the cask was empty when she got to the cellar stairs she saw what had happened my stars said she what shall I do to keep Frederick from seeing all this slapping about so she thought a while and at last remembered that there was a sack of fine meal bought at the last fair and that if she sprinkled this over the floor it would suck up the ale nicely what a lucky thing we have a good meal we have now a good use for it so away she went for it but she managed to set it down just upon the great jug full of beer and upset it and thus all the ale that had been saved was set swimming on the floor also oh well said she when one goes another may as well follow then she screwed the meal all about the cellar and was quite pleased with her cleverness and said how clean it looked at noon Frederick came home now wife cried he what have you for dinner oh Frederick answered she I was cooking you a steak but while I went down to draw the ale the dog ran away with it and while I ran after him the ale ran out and when I went to dry up the ale with the sack of meal that we got at the fair I upset the jug but now the cellar is quite dry and looks so clean said he how could you do all this why did you leave the steak to fry and the ale to run and then spoil all the meal why Frederick said she I did not know I was doing wrong you should have told me before the husband thought to himself if my wife manages matters thus I must look sharp myself now he had a good deal of gold in the house so he said to Catherine what pretty yellow buttons these are I shall put them into a box and bury them in the garden but take care that you never go near or meddle with them no Frederick said she that I never will as soon as he was gone there came by some peddlers with earthenware plates and dishes and they asked her whether she would buy oh dear me I should like to buy very much but I have no money if you had any use for yellow buttons I might deal with you yellow buttons, said they let us have a look at them go into the garden and dig where I tell you and you will find the yellow buttons I dare not go myself so the rogues went and when they found what these yellow buttons were they took them all away and left her plenty of plates and dishes then she set them all about the house for a show and when Frederick came back he cried out Kate, what have you been doing see, said she these with your yellow buttons but I did not touch them myself the peddlers went themselves and dug them up wife wife, said Frederick what a pretty piece of work you have made those yellow buttons were all my money how came you to do such a thing why? answered she I did not know there was any harm in it you should have told me Catherine stood musing for a while and at last said to her husband ah ye Frederick we will soon get the gold back let us run after the thieves well we will try answered he but take some butter and cheese with you that we may have something to eat by the way very well said she and they set out and as Frederick walked the fastest he left his wife some way behind it does not matter thought she when we turn back I shall be so much nearer home than he there was a road so narrow that the cart wheels always chafed the trees on each side as they passed ah see now said she how they have bruised and wounded those poor trees they will never get well so she took pity on them and made use of the butter to grease them all so that the wheels might not hurt them so much while she was doing this kind office one of her cheeses fell out of the basket and rolled down the hill Catherine looked but could not see where it had gone so she said well I suppose the other would go the same way and find you he has younger legs than I have then she rode the other cheese after it and away it went nobody knows where down the hill but she said she supposed that they knew the road and would follow her and she could not stay there all day waiting for them at last she overtook Frederick who desired her to give him something to eat then she gave him the dry bread where are the butter and cheese said he oh and said she I used the butter to grease those poor trees that the wheels chafed so and one of the cheeses ran away so I sent the other after it to find it and I suppose they are both on the road together somewhere what a goose you are to do such silly things said the husband how can you say so said she what? they ate the dry bread together and Frederick said Kate I hope you locked the door safe when you came away no and said she you did not tell me then go home and do it now before we go any farther said Frederick and bring with you something to eat Catherine did as he told her and thought to herself by the way Frederick wants something to eat but I don't think he's very fond of butter and cheese I'll bring him a bag of fine nuts and the vinegar for I have often seen him take some when she reached home she bolted the back door but the front door she took off the hinges and said Frederick told me to lock the door but surely it can nowhere be so safe if I take it with me so she took her time by the way and when she overtook her husband she cried out there Frederick there is the door itself you may watch it as carefully as you please but last said he what a clever wife I have I sent you to make the house fast and you took the door away so that everybody may go in and out as they please however as you have brought the door you shall carry it about with you for your pains very well and said she I'll carry the door but I'll not carry the nuts and vinegar bottle also that would be too much of a load so if you please I'll fasten them to the door Frederick of course made no objection to that plan and they set off into the wood to look for the thieves but they could not find them and when it grew dark they climbed up into a tree to spend the night there scarcely were they up but who should come by but the very rogues they were looking for they were in truth great rascals and belonged to that class of people who find things before they are lost they were tired so they sat down and made a fire under the very tree where Frederick and Catherine were Frederick slipped down on the other side and picked up some stones then he climbed up again and tried to hit the thieves on the head with them but they only said I must be near morning for the wind shakes the fur apples down Catherine who had the door on her shoulder began to be very tired but she thought it was the nuts upon it that were so heavy so she said softly Frederick I must let the nuts go no answered he not now they will discover us I can't help that they must go well then make haste and throw them down if you will then away rattled the nuts down among the bows and one of the thieves cried bless me it is hailing a little while after Catherine thought the door was still very heavy so she whispered to Frederick I must throw the vinegar down pray don't I can't help it said she go it must so she poured all the vinegar down and the thieves said what a heavy dew there is at last it popped into Catherine's head that it was the door itself that was so heavy all the time so she whispered Frederick I must throw that door down soon but he begged and prayed her not to do so for he was sure it would betray them here goes however said she and down went the door with such a clatter upon the thieves that they cried out murder and not knowing what was coming ran away as fast as they could and left all the gold so when Frederick and Catherine came down there they found all their money safe and sound end of Frederick and Catherine sweetheart Rowland from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there was once upon a time a woman who was a real witch and had two daughters one ugly and wicked and this one she loved because she was her own daughter and one beautiful and good and this one she hated because she was her stepdaughter the stepdaughter once had a pretty apron which the other fancied so much that she became envious and told her mother that she must and would have that apron be quiet my child said the old woman and you shall have it your stepsister has long deserved death tonight when she is asleep I will come and cut her head off only be careful that you are at the far side of the bed and push her well to the front it would have been all over with the poor girl if she had not just then been standing in a corner and heard everything all day long she dared not go out of doors and when bedtime had come the witch's daughter got into bed first so as to lie at the far side but when she was asleep the other pushed her gently to the front and took for herself the place at the back close by the wall in the night the old woman came creeping in she held an axe in her right hand and felt with her left to see if anything were lying at the outside and then she grasped the axe with both hands and cut her own child's head off when she had gone away the girl got up and went to her sweetheart who was called Roland and knocked at his door when he came out she said to him listen dearest Roland we must fly in all haste my stepmother wanted to kill me but she has struck her own child when daylight comes and she sees what she has done we shall be lost but said Roland I counsel you first to take away her magic wand or we cannot escape her if she pursues us the maiden fetched the magic wand and she took the dead girl's head and dropped three drops of blood on the ground one in front of the bed one in the kitchen and one on the stairs then she hurried away with her lover when the old witch got up next morning she called her daughter and wanted to give her the apron but she did not come then the witch cried where are you here on the steps I am sweeping answered the first drop of blood the old woman went out but saw no one on the stairs and cried again where are you here in the kitchen I am warming myself cried the second drop of blood she went into the kitchen but found no one then she cried again where are you here in the bed I am sleeping cried the third drop of blood she went into the room to the bed what did she see there the head she had cut off bathed in her blood the witch fell into a passion sprang to the window and as she could look forth quite far into the world she perceived her stepdaughter hurrying away with her sweetheart Rowland that shall not help you cried she even if you have got a long way off you shall not escape me she put on her many league boots in which she covered an hour's walk at every step and it was not long before she overtook them the girl however when she saw the old woman striding towards her changed with her magic wand her sweetheart Rowland into a lake and herself into a duck swimming in the middle of it the witch placed herself on the shore threw breadcrumbs in and went in endless trouble to entice the duck but the duck did not let herself be enticed but the old woman had to go home at night as she had come at this the girl and her sweetheart Rowland resumed their natural shapes again and they walked on the whole night until daybreak then the maiden changed herself into a beautiful flower which stood in the midst of a briar hedge and her sweetheart Rowland into a fiddler it was not long before the witch came striding up towards them and said to the musician dear musician may I pluck that beautiful flower for myself oh yes he replied I will play to you while you do it as she was hastily creeping into the hedge and was just going to pluck the flower knowing perfectly well who the flower was he began to play and whether she would or not she was forced to dance for it was a magical dance the faster he played the more violent springs was she forced to make and the thorns tore her clothes from her body and pricked her and wounded her till she bled and as she did not stop she had to dance till she lay dead on the ground as they were now set free Rowland said now I will go to my father and arrange for the wedding then in the meantime I will stay here and wait for you said the girl and that no one may recognize me I will change myself into a red-stone landmark then Rowland went away and the girl stood like a red landmark in the field and waited for her beloved but when Rowland got home he fell into the snares of another who so fascinated him that he forgot the maiden the poor girl remained there a long time but at length as he did not return at all she was sad and changed herself into a flower and thought someone will surely come this way and trample me down it befell, however, that a shepherd kept his sheep in the field and saw the flower and as it was so pretty plucked it, took it with him and laid it away in his chest from that time forth strange things happened in the shepherd's house when he arose in the morning all the work was already done the room was swept, the table and benches cleaned the fire in the hearth was lighted and the water was fetched and at noon when he came home the table was laid and a good dinner served he could not conceive how this came to pass for he never saw a human being in his house and no one could have concealed himself in it he was certainly pleased with this good attendance but still at last he was so afraid that he went to a wise woman and asked for her advice the wise woman said there is some enchantment behind it listen very early some morning if anything is moving in the room and if you see anything no matter what it is throw a white cloth over it and then the magic will be stopped the shepherd did as she bade him the next morning just as day dawned he saw the chest open and the flower come out swiftly he sprang towards it a white cloth over it instantly the transformation came to an end and a beautiful girl stood before him who admitted to him that she had been the flower and that up to this time she had attended to his housekeeping she told him her story and as she pleased him he asked her if she would marry him but she answered no for she wanted to remain faithful to her sweetheart Rowland although he had deserted her nevertheless she promised not to go away but to continue keeping house for the shepherd and now the time drew near when Rowland's wedding was to be celebrated and then, according to an old custom in the country it was announced that all the girls were to be present at it and seeing in honour of the bridal pair when the faithful maiden heard of this she grew so sad that she thought her heart would break and she would not go thither but the other girls came and took her when it came her time to sing she stepped back until at last she was the only one left and then she could not refuse but when she began her song and it reached Rowland's ears he sprang up and cried I know the voice that is the true bride I will have no other everything he had forgotten and which had vanished from his mind had suddenly come home again to his heart then the faithful maiden held her wedding with her sweetheart Rowland and the grief came to an end and joy began End of Sweetheart Rowland Snow Drop from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in a public domain read by Bob Neufeld it was the middle of winter when the broad flakes of snow were falling around that the queen of a country many thousand miles off she sat working at her window the frame of the window was made of fine black ebony and as she sat looking out upon the snow she pricked her finger and three drops of blood fell upon it then she gazed thoughtfully upon the red drops that sprinkled the white snow and said would that my little daughter may be as white as that snow and as red as that blood and as black as this ebony window frame and so the little girl really did grow up her skin was as white as snow her cheeks as rosy as the blood and her hair as black as ebony and she was called Snow Drop but this queen died and the king soon married another wife who became queen and was very beautiful but so vain that she could not better think that anyone could be handsomer than she was she had a fairy looking glass to which she used to go and then she would gaze upon herself in it and say tell me glass tell me true and who is the fairest tell me who and the glass had always answered thou queen art the fairest in all the land but Snow Drop grew more and more beautiful and when she was seven years old she was as bright as the day and fairer than the queen herself then the glass one day answered the queen when she went to look in it as usual thou queen art fair and beautiful to see when Snow Drop is lovelier far than thee when she heard this she turned pale with rage and envy and called to one of her servants and said take Snow Drop away into the wild wood that I may never see her any more then the servant led her away but his heart melted when Snow Drop begged him to spare her life and he said I will not hurt you, thou pretty child so he left her by herself and though he thought it most likely that the wild beasts would tear her in pieces he felt as if a great weight would take off his hearts when he made up his mind not to kill her but to leave her to her fate with the chance of someone finding and saving her then the poor Snow Drop wandered along through the wood in great fear and the wild beasts roared about her but none did her any harm in the evening she came to a cottage among the woods and went into rest for her little feet would carry her no further everything was spruce and neat in the cottage on the table was spread a white cloth and there were seven little plates seven little loaves and seven little glasses with wine in them and seven knives and forks laid in order and by the wall stood seven little beds as she was very hungry she picked a little piece of each loaf and drank a very little wine out of each glass and after that she thought she would lie down in rest so she tried all the little beds but one was too long and another was too short till at last the seventh suited her and there she laid herself down and went to sleep by and by in came the masters of the cottage now they were seven little dwarfs that lived among the mountains and dug and searched for gold they lighted up their seven lamps and saw at once that all was not right the first said who has been sitting on my stool the second, who has been eating off my plate the third, who has been picking my bread the fourth, who has been meddling with my spoon the fifth, who has been handling my fork the sixth, who has been cutting with my knife the seventh, who has been drinking my wine then the first looked round and said who has been lying on my bed and the rest came running to him and everyone cried out that somebody had been upon his bed but the seventh saw Snowdrop and called all his brethren to come and see her then they cried out with wonder and astonishment and brought their lamps to look at her and said good heavens, what a lovely child she is and they were very glad to see her and took care not to wake her and the seventh dwarf slept an hour with each of the other dwarfs in turn till the night was gone in the morning Snowdrop told them all her story pitied her and said if she would keep all things in order and cook and wash and knit and spin for them she might stay where she was and they would take good care of her then they went out all day long to their work seeking for gold and silver in the mountains but Snowdrop was left at home and they warned her and said the queen will soon find out where you are so take care and let no one in but the queen, now that she thought Snowdrop was dead believed that she must be the handsomest lady in the land and she went to her glass and said tell me glass, tell me true of all the ladies in the land, who is fairest, tell me who and the glass answered thou queen art the fairest in all this land but over the hills in the greenwood shade where the seven dwarfs there dwelling have made there Snowdrop is hiding her head and she is lovely or far so queen than thee then the queen was very much frightened for she knew that the glass always spoke the truth and was sure that the servants had betrayed her and she could not bear to think that anyone lived who was more beautiful than she was so she dressed herself up as an old peddler and went away over the hills to the place where the dwarfs dwelt then she knocked at the door and cried find where's to sell Snowdrop looked out the window and said good day, good woman what have you to sell? good where's, fine where's said she, laces and barbons of all colors I will let the old lady in she seems to be a very good sort of body thought Snowdrop as she ran down and unbolted the door bless me said the old woman how badly your stays are laced let me lace them up with one of my nice new laces Snowdrop did not dream of any mischief so she stood before the old woman but she set to work so nimbly and pulled the lace so tight that Snowdrop's breath was stopped and she fell down as if she were dead there's an end to all thy beauty said the spiteful queen and went away home in the evening the seven dwarfs came home and I'd need not say how grieved they were to see their faithful Snowdrop stretched out upon the ground as if she was quite dead however they lifted her up and when they found what ailed her they cut the lace and in a little time she began to breathe and very soon came to life again then they said the old woman was the queen herself take care another time and let no one in while we are away when the queen got home she went straight to her glass and spoke to it as before but to her great grief it still said thou queen art the fairest in all this land but over the hills in the greenwood shade were the seven dwarfs their dwelling have made there Snowdrop is hiding her head and she is lovelier far oh queen than thee then the blood ran cold in her heart with spite and malice to see that Snowdrop still lived and she dressed herself up again but in quite another dress from the one she wore before and took with her a poisoned comb when she reached the dwarf's cottage she knocked at the door and cried find where's to sell but Snowdrop said I dare not let any one in then the queen said only look at my beautiful cones and gave her the poisoned one and it looked so pretty that she took it up and put it into her hair to try it but the moment it touched her head the poison was so powerful that she fell down senseless there you may lie said the queen and went her way but by good luck the dwarfs came in very early that evening and when they saw Snowdrop lying on the ground they thought what had happened and soon found the poisoned comb and when they got it away she got well and told them all that had passed and they warned her once more not to open the door to any one meantime the queen went home to her glass and shook with rage when she read the very same answer as before and she said Snowdrop shall die if it cost me my life so she went by herself into her chamber and got ready a poisoned apple the outside looked very rosy and tempting but whoever tasted it was sure to die then she dressed herself up as a peasant's wife and traveled over the hills to the dwarfs cottage and knocked at the door but Snowdrop put her head out of the window and said I dare not let any one in for the dwarfs have told me not do as you please said the old woman but at any rate take this pretty apple I will give it to you no said Snowdrop I dare not take it you silly girl answered the other what are you afraid of do you think it is poisoned come do you eat one part and I will eat the other now the apple was so made up that one side was good though the other side was poisoned then Snowdrop was much tempted to taste for the apple looked so very nice and when she saw the old woman eat she could wait no longer but she had scarcely put the piece into her mouth when she fell down dead upon the ground this time nothing will save thee said the queen and she went home to her glass and at last it said thou queen art the fairest of all the fair and then her wicked heart was glad and as happy as such a heart could be when evening came and the dwarfs had gone home they found Snowdrop lying on the ground no breath came from her lips they were afraid that she was quite dead they lifted her up and combed her hair and washed her face with wine and water but all was in vain for the little girl seemed quite dead so they laid her down upon a beer and all seven watched and bewailed her three whole days and then they thought they would bury her but her cheeks were still rosy and her face looked just as it did while she was alive so they said we will never bury her in the cold ground and they made a coffin of glass so that they might still look at her and wrote upon it in golden letters what her name was and that she was a king's daughter and the coffin was set among the hills and one of the dwarfs always sat by it and watched and the birds of the air came to and bemoaned Snowdrop and first of all came an owl and then a raven and at last a dove and sat by her side and thus Snowdrop lay for a long, long time and still only looked as though she was asleep for she was even now as white as snow and as red as blood and as black as ebony at last a prince came and called at the dwarf's house and he saw Snowdrop and read what was written in golden letters then he offered the dwarfs money and prayed and besought them to let him take her away but they said we will not part with her for all the gold in the world at last, however, they had pity on him and gave him the coffin but the moment he lifted it up to carry it home with him the piece of apple fell from beneath her lips and Snowdrop awoke and said where am I? and the prince said thou art quite safe with me then he told her all that had happened and said I love you far better than all the world so come with me to my father's palace and you shall be my wife and Snowdrop consented and went home with the prince and everything was got ready with great pomp and splendor for their wedding to the feast was asked among the rest Snowdrop's old enemy, the queen and as she was dressing herself in fine rich clothes she looked in the glass and said tell me glass, tell me true of all the ladies in the land who is the fairest, tell me who and the glass answered thou lady art loveliest here I wean but lovelier far is the new maid queen when she heard this she started with rage but her envy and curiosity were so great that she could not help setting out to see the bride when she got there and saw that it was no other than Snowdrop who as she thought had been dead a long while she choked with rage and fell down and died but Snowdrop and the prince lived and reigned happily over that land many, many years and sometimes they went up into the mountains and paid a visit to the little dwarfs who had been so kind to Snowdrop in her time of need End of Snowdrop The Pink from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards This LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bobnefeld There was once upon a time a queen to whom God had given no children Every morning she went into the garden and prayed to God in heaven to bestow on her a son or a daughter Then an angel from heaven came to her and said, be at rest you shall have a son with the power of wishing so that whatsoever in the world he wishes for that shall he have Then she went to the king and told him the joyful tidings and when the time was come she gave birth to a son and the king was filled with gladness Every morning she went with the child to the garden where the wild beasts were kept and washed herself there in a clear stream It happened once when the child was a little older that it was lying in her arms and she fell asleep Then came the old cook who knew that the child had the power of wishing and stole it away and he took a hen and cut it in pieces with some of its blood on the queen's apron and on her dress Then he carried the child away to a secret place where the nurse was obliged to suckle it and he ran to the king and accused the queen of having allowed her child to be taken from her by the wild beasts When the king saw the blood on her apron he believed this fell into such a passion that he ordered a high tower to be built in which neither sun nor moon could be seen and had his wife put into it and walled up The cook was to stay for seven years without meat or drink and die of hunger but God sent two angels from heaven in the shape of white doves which flew to her twice a day and carried her food until the seven years were over The cook, however, thought to himself if the child has the power of wishing and I am here he might very easily get me into trouble So he left the palace and went to the boy who was already big enough to speak and said to him a beautiful palace for yourself with a garden and all else that pertains to it Scarcely were the words out of the boy's mouth when everything was there that he had wished for After a while the cook said to him it is not well for you to be so alone wish for a pretty girl as a companion Then the king saw and wished for one and she immediately stood before him and was more beautiful than any painter could have painted her The two played together and loved each other with all their hearts The old cook went out hunting like a nobleman The thought occurred to him, however that the king's son might someday wish to be with his father and thus bring him into great peril So he went out and took the maiden aside and said tonight, when the boy is asleep go to his bed and plunge this knife into his heart and bring me his heart and tongue and if you do not do it you shall lose your life Thereupon he went away and when he retired next day she had not done it and said why should I shed the blood of an innocent boy who has never harmed anyone The cook once more said if you do not do it it shall cost you your own life When he had gone away she had a little hide brought to her and ordered her to be killed and took her heart and tongue and laid them on a plate and when she saw the old man coming she said to the boy a wicked wretch came in and said where are the boy's heart and tongue The girl reached the plate to him but the king's son threw off the quilt and said, you old sinner why did you want to kill me Now when I pronounce thy sentence you shall become a black poodle and have a gold collar round your neck and shall eat burning coals till the flames burst forth from your throat Then when he had spoken these words the old man was changed into a poodle dog and had a gold collar round his neck and the cooks were ordered to bring him some live coals and these he ate until the flames broke forth from his throat The king's son remained there a short while longer and he thought of his mother and wondered if she was still alive At length he said to the maiden I will go home to my own country if you will go with me I will provide for you Ah! she replied the way is so long in a strange land where I am unknown As she did not seem quite willing and as they could not be parted from each other he wished that she might be changed into a beautiful pink and took her with him Then he went away to his own country and the poodle had to run after him He went to the tower in which his mother was confined and as it was so high he wished for a ladder which would reach up to the very top Then he mounted up and looked inside and cried, beloved mother Queen, are you still alive or are you dead? She answered, I have just eaten and am still satisfied for she thought the angels were there Said he I am your dear son whom the wild beasts were said to have torn from your arms but I am alive still and will soon set you free Then he descended again and went to his father and caused himself to be announced as a strange huntsman and asked if he could offer him service The king said yes if he was skillful and could get game for him he should come to him but that deer had never taken up their quarters in any part of the district or country Then the huntsman promised to procure as much game for him as he could possibly use at the royal table so he summoned all the huntsmen together and bade them go out into the forest with him and he went with them and made them form a great circle open at one end where he stationed himself and began to wish 200 deer and more came running inside the circle at once and the huntsmen shot them Then they were all placed on 60 country carts and driven home to the king and for once he was able to deck the table with game after having none at all for years Now the king felt great joy at this and commanded that his entire household should eat with him next day and made a great feast When they were all assembled together he said to the huntsman As you are so clever, you shall sit by me He replied Lord king, your majesty must excuse me I am a poor huntsman but the king insisted on it and said you shall sit by me until he did it Whilst he was sitting there he thought of his dearest mother and wished that one of the king's principal servants would begin to speak of her and would ask how it was fairing with the queen in the tower and if she were alive still or had perished the wish then the marshal began and said Your majesty, we live joyously here but how is the queen living in the tower is she still alive or has she died? But the king replied she let my dear son be torn to pieces by wild beasts I will not have her named Then the huntsman arose and said gracious lord father, she is alive still and I am her son and I was not carried away by wild beasts but by that wretch the old cook who tore me from her arms when she was asleep and sprinkled her apron with the blood of a chicken Thereupon he took the dog with a golden collar and said that is the wretch and caused live coals to be brought and these the dog was compelled to devour before the sight of all until flames burst forth from its throat On this the huntsman asked the king if he would like to see the dog in his true shape and wished him back into the form of the cook in the which he stood immediately with his white apron and his knife by his side When the king saw him he fell into a passion and ordered him to be cast into the deepest dungeon Then the huntsman spoke further and said Father, will you see the maiden who brought me up so tenderly and who was afterwards a murder me but did not do it though her own life depended on it The king replied to see her The son said Most gracious father, I will show her to you in the form of a beautiful flower and he thrust his hand into his pockets and brought forth the pink and placed it on the royal table and it was so beautiful that the king had never seen one to equal it Then the son said Now will I show her to you in her own form and wished that she might become a maiden and she stood there looking so beautiful and her look more so and the king sent two waiting-maids and two attendants into the tower to fetch the queen and bring her to the royal table but when she was led in she ate nothing and said The gracious and merciful God who has supported me in the tower will soon set me free She lived three days more and then died happily and when she was buried the two white doves which had brought her food to the tower and her body and seated themselves on her grave The aged king ordered the cook to be torn in four pieces but grief consumed the king's own heart and he soon died His son married the beautiful maiden whom he had brought with him as a flower in his pocket and whether they are still alive or not is known to God End of The Pink Clever Elsie from Grimm's Fairy Tales translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards This LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld There was once a man who had a daughter who was called Clever Elsie and when she had grown up her father said, We will get her married Yes, said the mother, if only someone would come who would have her at length a man came from a distance and wooed her who was called Hans But he stipulated that Clever Elsie should be really smart Oh, said the father, she has plenty of good sense and the mother said, oh, she can see the wind coming up the street and hear the flies coughing Well, said Hans, if she is not really smart I won't have her When they were sitting at dinner and had eaten, the mother said Elsie, go into the cellar and fetch some beer Then Clever Elsie took the picture into the cellar and tapped the lid briskly as she went so that the time might not appear long When she was below she fetched herself a chair and set it before the barrel so that she had no need to stoop and did not hurt her back or do herself any unexpected injury Then she placed the can before her and turned the tap and while the beer was running she would not let her eyes be idle but looked up at the wall and after much peering here and there saw a pickaxe exactly above her the masons had accidentally left there Then Clever Elsie began to weep and said, if I get Hans and we have a child and he grows big and we send him into the cellar here to draw a beer then the pickaxe will fall on his head and kill him Then she sat and wept and screamed with all the strength of her body over the misfortune which lay before her Those upstairs waited for the drink but Clever Elsie still did not come the woman said to the servant just go down into the cellar and see where Elsie is The maid went and found her sitting in front of the barrel screaming loudly Elsie, why do you weep? asked the maid She answered, have I not reason to weep? If I get Hans and we have a child and he grows big and has to draw beer here the pickaxe will perhaps fall on his head and kill him Then said the maid What a clever Elsie we have and sat down beside her and began loudly to weep over the misfortune After a while as the maid did not come back and those upstairs were thirsty for beer the man said to the boy just go down into the cellar and see where Elsie and the old girl are The boy went down and there sat Clever Elsie and the girl both weeping together Then he asked Why are you weeping? said Elsie If I get Hans and we have a child and he grows big and has to draw beer here the pickaxe will fall on his head and kill him Then said the boy What a clever Elsie we have and sat down beside her and likewise began to howl loudly Upstairs they waited for the boy but as he still did not return the man said to the woman just go down into the cellar and see where Elsie is The woman went down all three in the midst of their lamentations and inquired what was the cause Then Elsie told her also that her future child was to be killed by the pickaxe when it grew big and had to draw beer and the pickaxe fell down Then said the mother likewise What a clever Elsie we have and sat down and wept with them The man upstairs waited a short time but as his wife did not come back and his thirst grew ever greater he said to the cellar myself and see where Elsie is But when he got into the cellar and they were all sitting together crying and he heard the reason and that Elsie's child was the cause and that Elsie might perhaps bring one into the world some day and that he might be killed by the pickaxe if he should happen to be sitting beneath it drawing beer just at the very time when it fell down he cried, oh what a clever Elsie and sat down and likewise wept with them The bridegroom stayed upstairs alone for a long time then as no one would come back he thought they must be waiting for me below I too must go there and see what they are about When he got down the five of them were sitting screaming and lamenting quite periously each outdoing the other What misfortune has happened then asked he oh dear Hans, said Elsie if we marry each other and have a child and he is big perhaps send him here to draw something to drink then the pickaxe which has been left up there might dash his brains out if it were to fall down so have we not reason to weep? Come, said Hans more understanding than that is not needed for my household as you are such a clever Elsie I will have you and seized her hand, took her upstairs with him and married her After Hans had had her for some time he said, wife bring out to work and earn some money for us go into the field and cut the corn that we may have some bread Yes dear Hans, I will do that After Hans had gone away she cooked herself some good broth and took it into the field with her when she came to the field she said to herself oh what shall I do shall I cut first or shall I eat first? oh, I will eat first then she drank her cup of broth and when she was fully satisfied she once more said oh what shall I do shall I cut first or shall I sleep first? I will sleep first then she lay down among the corn and fell asleep Hans had been at home for a long time but Elsie did not come then said he what a clever Elsie I have she is so industrious that she does not even come home to eat but when evening came and she still stayed away Hans went out to see what she had cut but nothing was cut and she was lying among the corn asleep then Hans hastened home and brought a fowler's net with little bells and hung it round about her and she still went on sleeping then he ran home, shut the house door and sat down in his chair and worked at length when it was quite dark clever Elsie awoke and when she got up there was a jingling all round about her and the bells rang at each step which she took then she was alarmed and became uncertain whether she really was clever Elsie or not and said is it I or is it not I but she knew not what answer to make to this and stood for a time in doubt at length she thought I will go home and ask if it be I or if it be not I they will be sure to know she ran to the door of her own house but it was shut then she knocked at the window and cried Hans is Elsie within yes, answered Hans is within here upon she was terrified and said oh heavens that it is not I and went to another door but when the people heard the jingling of the bells they would not open it and she could get in nowhere then she ran out of the village and no one has seen her since and of clever Elsie the miser in the bush from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld a farmer had a faithful and diligent servant who had worked hard for him three years without having been paid any wages at last it came into the man's head that he would not go on thus without pay any longer so he went to his master and said I have worked hard for you a long time I will trust you to give me what I deserve to have from my trouble the farmer was a sad miser and knew that this man was very simple-hearted so he took out thruppance and gave him for every year's service a penny the poor fellow thought it was a great deal of money to have and said to himself why should I work hard and live here on bad fare any longer I can now travel into the wide world and make myself merry with that he put his money into his purse and set out roaming over hill and valley as he jogged along over the fields singing and dancing a little dwarf met him and asked him what made him so merry why what should make me downhearted said he I am sound in health and rich in purse what should I care for I have saved up my three years earnings and have it all safe in my pocket how much may it come to said the little man a full thruppance replied the countryman I wish you would give them to me said the other I am very poor then the man pitted him and gave him all he had and the little dwarf said in return as you have such a kind honest heart I will grant you three wishes one for every penny so choose whatever you like then the countryman rejoiced at his good luck and said I like many things better than money first I will have a bow that will bring down everything I shoot at secondly a fiddle that will set everyone dancing that hears me play upon it and thirdly I should like that everyone should grant what I ask the dwarf said he should have these three wishes so he gave him the bow and fiddle and went his way our honest friend journeyed on his way too and if he was merry before he was now ten times more so he had not gone far before he met an old miser close by them stood a tree and on the top most twig sat a thrush singing away almost joyfully oh what a pretty bird said the miser I would give a great deal of money to have such a one if that's all said the countryman I will soon bring it down then he took up his bow and down fell the thrush into the bushes at the foot of the tree the miser crept into the bush to find it but directly he had got into the middle his companion took up his fiddle and the miser began to dance and spring about capering higher and higher in the air the thorns soon began to tear his clothes till they all hung in rags about him and he himself was all scratched and wounded so that the blood ran down oh for heaven's sake cried the miser master play let the fiddle alone what have I done to deserve this thou has shaved many a poor soul close enough said the other, thou art only meeting thy reward so he played up another tune then the miser began to beg in promise and offered money for his liberty but he did not come up to the musician's price for some time and he danced him along brisker and brisker and the miser bid higher and higher till at last he offered a round hundred of Florence that he had in his purse and had just gained by cheating some poor fellow when the countryman saw so much money he said, I will agree to your proposal so he took off the purse put up his fiddle and travelled on very pleased with his bargain meanwhile the miser crept out of the bush half naked and in a piteous plight and began to ponder how he should take his revenge and serve his late companion some trick at last he went to the judge and complained that a rascal had robbed him of his money and beaten him into the bargain and that the fellow who did it had his back and a fiddle hung round his neck then the judge sent his officers to bring up the accused wherever they should find him and he was soon caught and brought up to be tried the miser began to tell his tale and said he had been robbed of his money no, you gave it to me for playing a tune to you said the countryman but the judge told him that was not likely and cut the matter short by ordering him off to the gallows so away he was taken but as he stood on the steps he said my lord judge, grant me one last request anything but thy life replied the other no, said he, I do not ask my life only to let me play upon my fiddle for the last time the miser cried out oh no, no for heaven's sake don't listen to him don't listen to him but the judge said it is only this once he will soon have done the fact was he could not refuse the request on account of the dwarf's third gift then the miser said bind me fast, bind me fast for pity's sake but the countryman seized his fiddle and struck up a tune and at the first note judge, clerks and jailer were in motion all began capering and no one could hold the miser at the second note the hangman let his prisoner go and danced also and by the time he had played the first bar of the tune all were dancing together judge, court and miser had all the people who had followed to look on not first the thing was merry and pleasant enough but when it had gone on a while and there seemed to be no end of playing or dancing they began to cry out and beg him to leave off but he stopped not a wits the more for their entreaties till the judge not only gave him his life but promised to return him the hundred florins then he called to the miser and said tell us now you vagabond where you got that gold for I shall play on for your amusement only I stole it said the miser in the presence of all the people I acknowledged that I stole it and that you earned it fairly then the countryman stopped his fiddle and left the miser to take his place at the gallows end of the miser in the bush Ash Puttle from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld the wife of a rich man fell sick and when she felt that her end drew nigh she called her only daughter to her bedside and said always be a good girl and I will look down from heaven and watch over you soon afterwards she shot her eyes and died and was buried in the garden and the little girl went every day to her grave and wept and was always good and kind to all about her and the snow fell and spread a beautiful white covering over the grave but by the time the spring came and the sun had melted it away her father had married another wife this new wife had two daughters of her own that she brought home with her they were fair in face they were foul at heart and it was now a sorry time for the poor little girl what does the good for nothing want in the parlor? said they they who eat bread should first earn it away with the kitchen maid then they took away her fine clothes and gave her an old grey frock to put on and laughed at her and turned her into the kitchen there she was forced to do hard work to rise early before daylight to bring the water to cook and to wash besides that the sisters plagued her in all sorts of ways and laughed at her in the evening when she was tired she had no bed to lie down on but was made to lie by the hearth among the ashes and as this of course made her always dusty and dirty they called her ash puttle it happened once that the father was going to the fair and asked his wife's daughters what he should bring them fine clothes said the first clothes and diamonds cried the second now child said he to his own daughter what will you have the first twig dear father that brushes against your hat when you turn your face to come homewards then he bought for the first two the fine clothes and pearls and diamonds they had asked for and on his way home as he rode through a green cops a hazel twig brushed against him and almost pushed off his hat to his daughter then she took it and went to her mother's grave and planted it there and cried so much that it was watered with her tears and there it grew and became a fine tree three times every day she went to it and cried and soon a little bird came and built its nest upon the tree and talked with her and watched over her and brought her whatever she wished for now it happened that the king of that land held a feast which was to last three days and out of those who came to it his son was to choose a bride for himself Ash Puddle's two sisters were asked to come so they called her up and said now comb our hair brush our shoes and tie our sashes for us for we are going to dance at the king's feast then she did as she was told but when all was done she could not help crying for she thought to herself she should so have liked to have gone with them at last she begged her mother very hard to let her go you Ash Puddle said she you who have nothing to wear no clothes at all and who cannot even dance you want to go to the ball and when she kept on begging she said at last to get rid of her I will throw this dish full of peas into the ash heap and if in two hours time you have picked them all out you shall go to the feast too then she threw the peas down into the ashes but the little maiden ran out of the back door into the garden and cried out hither, hither, through the sky turtle doves and linets fly blackbird, thrush, and chaffinch gay hither, hither, haste away one and all come help me, quick haste ye, haste ye pick, pick, pick then first came two white doves flying in at the kitchen window next came two turtle doves but after them came all the little birds under heaven chirping and fluttering in and they flew down into the ashes and the little doves stooped their heads down and set to work, pick, pick, pick and then the others began to pick, pick, pick and among them all they soon picked out all the good grain and put it into a dish but left the ashes long before the end of the hour the work was quite done and all flew out again at the windows then Ashputl brought the dish to her mother overjoyed at the thought that now she could go to the ball but the mother said, no, no you wench, you have no clothes and cannot dance, you shall not go and when Ashputl begged very hard to go she said, if you can in one hour's time pick two of these dishes of peas out of the ashes you shall go too and thus she thought she should at least get rid of her so she shook two dishes of peas into the ashes but the little maiden went out into the garden at the back of the house and cried out as before hither, hither, through the sky turtle doves and linus fly blackbird, thrush and chaff inch gay hither, hither, haste away one and all come help me, quick haste ye, haste ye, pick, pick, pick then first came two white doves in at the kitchen window next came two turtle doves and after them came all the little birds under heaven chirping and hopping about and they flew down into the ashes little doves put their heads down and set to work pick, pick, pick and then the others began pick, pick, pick and they put all the good grain into the dishes and left all the ashes before half an hour's time all was done and out they flew again and then Ashputl took the dishes to her mother rejoicing to think that she should now go to the ball but her mother said it is all of no use you cannot go you have no clothes and cannot dance just a shame and off she went with her two daughters to the ball now when all were gone and nobody left at home Ashputl went sorrowfully and sat down under the hazel tree and cried out shake, shake, hazel tree golden silver over me then her friend the bird flew out of the tree and brought a golden silver dress for her and slippers of spangled silk and she put them on and followed her sisters to the feast but they did not know her and thought it must be some strange princess she looked so fine and beautiful in her rich clothes and they never once thought of Ashputl taking it for granted that she was safe at home in the dirt the king's son soon came up to her and took her by the hand and danced with her and no one else and he never left her hand and when anyone else came to ask her to dance he said, this lady is dancing with me thus they danced till a late hour of the night and she wanted to go home and the king's son said I shall go and take care of you to your home for he wanted to see where the beautiful maiden lived but she slipped away from him unawares and ran off towards home and as the prince followed her she jumped up into the pigeon house and shut the door and then he waited till her father came home and told him that the unknown maiden who had been at the feast had hid herself in the pigeon house but when they had broken open the door she had put one within and as they came back into the house Ashputl was lying as she always did in her dirty frock by the ashes and her dim little lamp was burning in the chimney for she had run as quickly as she could through the pigeon house and onto the hazel tree and had there taken off her beautiful clothes and put them beneath the tree that the bird might carry them away and had lain down again amid the ashes in her little gray frock the next day when the feast was again held and gone Ashputl went to the hazel tree and said shake, shake hazel tree golden silver over me and the bird came and brought a still finer dress than the one she had worn the day before and when she came in it to the ball everyone wondered at her beauty but the king's son who was waiting for her took her by the hand and danced with her and when anyone asked her to dance he said as before this lady is dancing with me she wanted to go home and the king's son followed her as before that he might see into what house she went but she sprang away from him all at once into the garden behind her father's house in this garden stood a fine large pear tree full of ripe fruit and Ashputl not knowing where to hide herself jumped up into it without being seen then the king's son lost sight of her and could not find out where she was gone a way to tell her father came home and said to him the unknown lady who danced with me has slipped away and I think she must have sprung into the pear tree the father thought to himself can it be Ashputl so he had an axe brought and they cut down the tree but found no one upon it and when they came back into the kitchen there lay Ashputl among the ashes for she had slipped down on the other side of the tree and carried her beautiful clothes back to the bird at the hazel tree and then put on her little grave rock the third day when her father and mother and sisters were gone she went again into the garden and said, shake, shake, hazel tree gold and silver over me then her kind friend the bird brought a dress still finer than the former one and slippers which were all of gold so that when she came to the feast no one knew what to say for wonder at her beauty and the king's son danced with nobody but her and when anyone else asked her to dance he said this lady is my partner, sir when night came she wanted to go home and the king's son would go with her and said to himself I will not lose her this time but however she again slipped away from him though in such a hurry that she dropped her left gold and slipper upon the stairs the prince took the shoe and went the next day to the king's father and said I will take for my wife the lady that this gold and slipper fits then both the sisters were overjoyed to hear it for they had beautiful feet and had no doubt that they could wear the gold and slipper the eldest went first into the room where the slipper was and wanted to try it on and the mother stood by but her great toe could not go into it and the shoe was altogether much too small for her then the mother gave her a knife and said never mind cut it off when you are queen you will not care about toes you will not want to walk so the silly girl cut off her great toe and thus squeezed on the shoe and went to the king's son then he took her for his bride and set her beside him on his horse and rode away with her homewards but on their way home they had to pass by the hazel tree that Ashbuttle had planted and on the branch sat a little dove singing back again back again look to the shoe the shoe is too small and not made for you prince prince look again for thy bride for she's not the true one that sits by thy side then the prince got down and looked at her foot and he saw by the blood that streamed from it what a trick she had played him so he turned his horse round and brought the false bride back to her home and said this is not the right bride let the other sister try and put on the slipper then she went into the room and got her foot into the shoe all but the heel which was too large but her mother squeezed it in till the blood came and took her to the king's son and got her as his bride by his side on his horse and rode away with her but when they came to the hazel tree the little dove sat there still and sang back again back again look to the shoe the shoe is too small and not made for you prince prince look again for thy bride for she's not the true one that sits by thy side then he looked down and saw that the blood streamed so much from the shoe that her white stockings were quite red so he turned his horse and brought her also back again this is not the true bride, said he to the father have you no other daughters no, said he there is only a little dirty ash puddle here the child of my first wife I am sure she cannot be the bride the prince told him to send her but the mother said no, no, she is much too dirty she will not dare to show herself however the prince would have her come and washed her face and hands and then went in and curtsied to him and he reached her the golden slipper then she took her clumsy shoe off her left foot and put on the golden slipper and it fitted her as if it had been made for her and when he drew near and looked at her face he knew her and said this is the right bride but the mother and both the sisters were frightened and turned pale with anger as he took ash puddle on his horse and rode away with her and when they came to the hazel tree the white dove sang home, home, look at the shoe princess, the shoe was made for you prince, prince, take on thy bride for she is the true one who sits by thy side and when the dove had done its song it came flying and perched upon her right shoulder and so went home with her end of ash puddle the white snake from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld a long time ago there lived a king who was famed for his wisdom through all the land nothing was hidden from him and it seemed as if news of the most secret things were brought to him through the air but he had a strange custom every day after dinner when the table was cleared and no one else was present a trusty servant had to bring him one more dish it was covered however and even the servant did not know what was in it neither did anyone know for the king never took off the cover to eat of it until he was quite alone this had gone on for a long time when one day the servant who took away the dish was overcome with such curiosity that he could not help carrying the dish into his room when he had carefully locked the door he lifted up the cover and saw a white snake lying on the dish but when he saw it he could not deny himself the pleasure of tasting it so he cut off a little bit and put it into his mouth no sooner had it touched his tongue than he heard a strange whispering of little voices outside his window he went and listened and then noticed that it was the sparrows who were chattering together and telling one another of all kinds of things which they had seen in the fields and woods eating the snake had given him power to understand the language of animals now it so happened that on this very day the queen lost her most beautiful ring and suspicion of having stolen it fell upon this trusty servant who was allowed to go everywhere the king ordered the man to be brought before him and threatened with angry words that unless he could before the morrow point out the thief he himself should be looked upon as guilty and executed in vain he declared his innocence with no better answer in his trouble and fear he went down into the courtyard and took thought how to help himself out of his trouble now some ducks were sitting together quietly by a brook and taking their rest and whilst they were making their feathers smooth with their bills they were having a confidential conversation together the servant stood by and listened they were telling one another of all the places where they had been waddling about all the morning and what good food they had found and one said in a pitiful tone something lies heavy on my stomach as I was eating in haste I swallowed a ring which lay upon the queen's window the servant at once seized her by the neck carried her to the kitchen and said to the cook here is a fine duck, pray kill her yes said the cook and weighed her in his hand she has spared no trouble to fatten herself and has been waiting to be roasted long enough so he cut off her head and as she was being dressed for the spit the queen's ring was found inside her the servant could now easily prove his innocence and the king, to make amends for the wrong allowed him to ask a favour and promised him the best place in the court that he could wish for the servant refused everything and only asked for a horse and some money for travelling as he had a mind to see the world and go about a little when his request was granted he set out on his way and one day came to a pond where he saw three fishes caught in the reeds and gasping for water now, though it is said that fishes are mute he heard them lamenting that they must perish so miserably and as he had a kind heart he got off his horse and put the three prisoners back into the water they leaped with delight, put out their heads and cried to him we will remember you and repay you for saving us he rode on and after a while it seemed to him that he heard a voice in the sand at his feet he listened and heard an aunt king complain and thought, folks, with their clumsy beasts keep off our bodies that stupid horse with his heavy hooves has been treading down my people without mercy so he turned on to a side path and the aunt king cried out to him we will remember you one good turn deserves another the path led him into a wood and there he saw two ravens standing by their nest and throwing out their young ones out with you, you idle good for nothing creatures cried they we cannot find food for you any longer you are big enough and can provide for yourselves but the poor young ravens lay upon the ground flapping their wings and crying oh, what helpless chicks we are we must shift for ourselves and yet we cannot fly what can we do but lie here and starve so the good young fellow alighted and killed his horse with his sword and gave it to them for food then they came hopping up to it satisfied their hunger and cried we will remember you one good turn deserves another and now he had to use his own legs and when he had walked a long way he came to a large city there was a great noise and crowd in the streets and a man rode up on horseback crying aloud the king's daughter wants a husband but whoever seeks her hand must perform a hard task and if he does not succeed he will forfeit his life many had already made the attempt but in vain nevertheless when the youth saw the king's daughter he was so overcome by her great beauty that he forgot all danger went before the king and declared himself a suitor so he was led out to the sea and a gold ring was thrown into it before his eyes then the king ordered him to fetch this ring up from the bottom of the sea and added if you come up again without it you will be thrown in again and again until you perish amid the waves all the people grieved for the handsome youth then they went away leaving him alone by the sea he stood on the shore and considered what he should do when suddenly he saw three fishes come swimming towards him and they were the very fishes whose lives he had saved the one in the middle held a muscle in its mouth which had laid on the shore at the youth's feet and when he had taken it up and opened it there lay the gold ring in the shell full of joy he took it to the king and expected that he would grant him the promised reward but when the proud princess perceived that he was not her equal in birth she scorned him and required him first to perform another task she went down into the garden and strewed with her own hands ten sacks full of millet seed on the grass then she said, tomorrow morning before sunrise these must be picked up and not a single grain be wanting the youth sat down in the garden and considered how it might be possible to perform this task but he could think of nothing and there he sat sorrowfully awaiting the break of day when he should be led to death but as soon as the first rays of the sun shone into the garden he saw all the ten sacks standing side by side quite full and not a single grain was missing the ant king had come in the night with thousands and thousands of ants and the grateful creatures had by great industry picked up all the millet seed and gathered them into the sacks presently the king's daughter herself came down into the garden and the young man had done the task she had given him but she could not yet conquer her proud heart and said although he has performed both the tasks he shall not be my husband until he has brought me an apple from the tree of life the youth did not know where the tree of life stood but he set out and would have gone on forever as long as his legs would carry him though he had no hope of finding it after he had wandered through three kingdoms he came one evening to a wood and laid down under a tree to sleep but he heard a rustling in the branches and a golden apple fell into his hand at the same time three ravens flew down to him put themselves upon his knee and said we are the three young ravens whom you saved from starving when we had grown big and heard that you were seeking the golden apple we flew over the sea to the end of the world where the tree of life stands and have brought you the apple the youth full of joy set out homewards and took the golden apple to the king's beautiful daughter who had now no more excuses left to make they cut the apple of life in two and ate it together and then her heart became full of love for him and they lived in undisturbed happiness to a great age end of the white snake the wolf and the seven little kids from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards there was once upon a time an old goat who had seven little kids and loved them with all the love of a mother for her children one day she wanted to go into the forest and fetch some food so she called all seven to her and said dear children, I have to go into the forest be on your guard against the wolf if he comes in he will devour you all skin, hair and everything the wretch often disguises himself but you will know him at once by his rough voice and his black feet the kids said dear mother, we will take good care of ourselves you may go away without any anxiety then the old one bleated and went on her way with an easy mind it was not long before someone knocked at the house door and called open the door, dear children your mother is here and has brought something back with her for each of you but the little kids knew that it was the wolf by the rough voice we will not open the door Friday, you are not our mother she has a soft pleasant voice but your voice is rough you are the wolf then the wolf went away to a shopkeeper and bought himself a great lump of chalk ate this and made his voice soft with it then he came back knocked at the door of the house and called open the door, dear children your mother is here and has brought something back with her for each of you but the wolf had laid his black paws against the window and the children saw them and cried, we will not open the door our mother has not black feet like you you are the wolf then the wolf ran to a baker and said, I have hurt my feet rub some dough over them for me and when the baker had rubbed his feet over he ran to the miller and said screw some white meal over my feet for me the miller thought to himself the wolf wants to deceive someone and refused but the wolf said if you will not do it I will devour you then the miller was afraid and made his paws white for him truly this is the way of mankind so now the wretch went for the third time to the house door knocked at it and said open the door for me children your dear little mother has come home and has brought every one of you something back from the forest with her the little kids cried first show us your paws that we may know if you are our dear little mother then he put his paws in through the window and when the kids saw that they were white they believed that all he said was true and opened the door but who should come in but the wolf they were terrified and wanted to hide themselves one sprang under the table the second into the bed the third into the stove the fourth into the kitchen the fifth into the cupboard the sixth under the washing bowl and the seventh into the clock case but the wolf found them all he swallowed them down his throat the youngest who was in the clock case was the only one he did not find when the wolf had satisfied his appetite he took himself off laid himself down under a tree in the green meadow outside and began to sleep soon afterwards the old goat came home again from the forest ah what a sight she saw there the house door stood wide open the table chairs and benches were thrown down the washing bowl lay broken to pieces they were pulled off the bed she saw her children but they were nowhere to be found she called them one after another by name but no one answered at last when she came to the youngest a soft voice cried dear mother I am in the clock case she took the kid out and it told her that the wolf had come and eaten all the others then you may imagine how she wept over her poor children at length in her grief she went out and the youngest kid ran with her when they came to the meadow there lay the wolf by the tree and snored so loud that the branches shook she looked at him on every side and saw that something was moving and struggling in his gorged belly ah heavens she said is it possible that my poor children whom he has swallowed down for his supper can still be alive then the kid had to run home and fetch scissors and a needle and thread and the goat cut open the monster's stomach and hardly had she made one cuts then one little kid thrust its head out and when she had cut farther all six sprang out one after another and were all still alive and had suffered no injury whatever for in his greediness the monster had swallowed them down whole what rejoicing there was they embraced their dear mother and jumped like a tailor at his wedding the mother however said now go and look for some big stones and we will fill the wicked beast's stomach with them while he is still asleep then the seven kids dragged the stones thid there with all speed and put as many of them into his stomach as they could get in and the mother sewed him up again in the greatest haste so that he was not aware of anything and never once stirred when the wolf at length had had his fill of sleep he got on his legs and as the stones in his stomach made him very thirsty he wanted to go to a well to drink but when he began to walk and to move about the stones in his stomach knocked against each other and rattled then cried he put rumbles and tumbles against my poor bones I thought were six kids but it feels like big stones and when he got to the well and stooped over the water to drink the heavy stones made him fall in and he drowned miserably when the seven kids saw that they were running for the spot and cried aloud the wolf is dead the wolf is dead the boy round about the well with their mother and of the wolf and the seven little kids the queen bee from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Mary and Edwards this Libra Box recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld two king's sons once upon a time went into the well to seek their fortunes but they soon fell into a wasteful, foolish way of living so that they could not return home again then their brother who was a little insignificant dwarf went out to seek for his brothers but when he found them they only laughed at him to think that he who was so young and simple should try to travel through the world when they who were so much wiser had been unable to get on however they all set out on their journey together and came at last to an anthill the two elder brothers would have pulled it down in order to see how the poor ants in their fright would run about and carry off their eggs but the little dwarf said let the poor things enjoy themselves I will not suffer you to trouble them so on they went and came to a lake where many many ducks were swimming about the two brothers wanted to catch two and roast them but the dwarf said let the poor things enjoy themselves you shall not kill them next they came to a bee's nest in a hollow tree and there was so much honey that it ran down the trunk and the two brothers wanted to light a fire under the tree and kill the bees but the dwarf held them back and said let the pretty insects enjoy themselves I cannot let you burn them at length the three brothers came to a castle as they passed by the stables they saw fine horses standing there but all were of marble and no man was to be seen then they went through the rooms till they came to a door on which were three locks but in the middle of the door was a wicket so that they could look into the next room there they saw a little gray old man sitting at a table and they called to him once or twice but he did not hear however they called a third time and then he rose and came out to them he said nothing but took hold of them and led them to a beautiful table covered with all sorts of good things and when they had eaten and drunk he showed each of them to a bed chamber the next morning he came to the eldest and took him to a marble table where there were three tablets containing an account of the means by which the castle might be disenchanted the first tablet said the wood under the moss lie the thousand pearls belonging to the king's daughter they must all be found and if one be missing by set of son he who seeks them will be turned into marble the eldest brother set out and sought for the pearls the whole day but the evening came and he had not found the first hundred so he was turned into stone as the tablet had foretold the next day the second brother undertook the task but he succeeded no better than the first or he could only find the second hundred of the pearls and therefore he too was turned into stone at last came the little dwarf's turn and he looked in the moss but it was so hard to find the pearls and the job was so tiresome so he sat down upon a stone and cried and as he sat there the king of the ants whose life he had saved came to help him with five thousand ants and it was not long before they had found all the pearls and laid them in a heap the second tablet said the key of the princess's bed chamber must be fished up out of the lake and as the dwarf came to the brink of it he saw the two ducks whose lives he had saved swimming about and they dived down and soon brought in the key from the bottom the third task was the hardest it was to choose out the youngest and the best of the king's three daughters now they were all beautiful and all exactly alike but he was told that the eldest had eaten a piece of sugar the next some sweet syrup and the youngest a spoonful of honey just to guess which it was that had eaten the honey then came the queen of the bees who had been saved by the little dwarf from the fire and she tried the lips of all three but at last she sat upon the lips of the one that had eaten the honey and so the dwarf knew which was the youngest thus the spell was broken and all who had been turned into stones awoke and took their proper forms and the dwarf married the youngest and best of the princesses and was king after her father's death but his brothers married the other two sisters end of the queen bee the elves and the shoemaker from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there once was a shoemaker who worked very hard and was very honest but still he could not earn enough to live upon and at last all he had in the world was gone saved just leather enough to make one pair of shoes then he cut his leather out all ready to make up the next day meaning to rise early in the morning to his work his conscience was clear and his heart light amidst all his troubles so he went peaceably to bed left all his cares to heaven and soon fell asleep in the morning after he had said his prayers he set himself down to his work went to his great wonder there stood the shoes already made upon the table the good man knew not what to say or think at such an odd thing happening he looked at the workmanship there was not one false stitch in the whole job all was so neat and true that it was quite a masterpiece the same day a customer came in and the shoes suited him so well that he willingly paid a price higher than usual for them and the poor shoemaker with the money bought leather enough to make two pairs more in the evening he cut out the work early that he might get up and begin betimes next day but he was saved all the trouble for when he got up in the morning the work was done ready to his hand soon in came buyers who paid him handsomely for his goods so that he bought leather enough for four pair more he cut out the work again overnight and found it done in the morning as before and so it went on for some time what was got ready in the evening was always done by daybreak and the good man soon became thriving and well off again one evening about Christmas time as he and his wife were sitting over the fire chatting together he said to her I should like to sit up and watch tonight that we may see who it is that comes and does my work for me the wife liked the thought so they left the light burning and hid themselves in a corner of the room behind a curtain that was hung up there and watched what would happen as soon as it was midnight there came in two little naked dwarfs and they sat themselves upon the shoemaker's bench took up all the work that was cut out and began to ply with their little fingers stitching and wrapping and tapping away at such a rate that the shoemaker was all wonder and could not take his eyes off them and on they went till the job was quite done and the shoes stood ready for use upon the table this was long before daybreak and then they bustled away as quick as lightning the next day the wife said to the shoemaker those little whites have made us rich and we ought to be thankful to them and do them a good turn if we can I am quite sorry to see them run about as they do and indeed it is not very decent for they have nothing upon their backs to keep off the cold I'll tell you what I will make each of them a shirt and a coat and a waistcoat and a pair of pantaloons into the bargain and do you make each of them a little pair of shoes the thought pleased the old cobbler very much and one evening when all the things were ready they laid them on the table instead of the work that they used to cut out and then went out and hid themselves to watch what the little elves would do about midnight in they came dancing and skipping, hopping round the room and then went to sit down to their work as usual but when they saw the clothes lying for them they laughed and chuckled and seemed mightily delighted then they dressed themselves in the twinkling of an eye and danced and capered and sprang about as merriest could be till at last they danced out the door and away over the green the good couple saw them no more but everything went well with them from that time forward as long as they lived end of the elves and the shoemaker the juniper tree from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld long, long ago some two thousand years or so there lived a rich man with a good and beautiful wife they loved each other dearly but sorrowed much that they had no children so greatly did they desire to have one that the wife prayed for it day and night but still they remained childless in front of the house there was a court in which grew a juniper tree one winter's day the wife stood under the tree to peel some apples and as she was peeling them she cut her finger and the blood fell on the snow ah sighed the woman heavily if I had but a child as red as blood and as white as snow and as she spoke the words her heart grew light within her and it seemed to her that her wish was granted and she returned to the house feeling glad and comforted a month passed when the snow had all disappeared then another month went by and all the earth was green so the months followed one another and first the trees budded in the woods and soon the green branches grew thickly intertwined and then the blossoms began to fall once again the wife stood under the juniper tree and it was so full of sweet scent that her heart leaped for joy and she was so overcome with her happiness that she fell on her knees presently the fruit became round and firm and she was glad and at peace and when they were fully ripe she picked the berries and ate eagerly of them and then she grew sad and ill a little while later she called her husband and said to him, weeping if I die bury me under the juniper tree then she felt comforted and happy again and before another month had passed she had a little child and when she saw that it was as white as snow and as red as blood her joy was so great that she died her husband buried her under the juniper tree and wept bitterly for her by degrees however his sorrow grew less and although at times he still grieved over his loss he was able to go about as usual and later on he married again he now had a little daughter born to him the child of his first wife was a boy who was as red as blood and as white as snow the mother loved her daughter very much and when she looked at her and then looked at the boy she made her heart to think that he would always stand in the way of her own child and she was continually thinking how she could get the whole of the property for her this evil thought took possession of her more and more and made her behave very unkindly to the boy she drove him from place to place with cuffings and bufferings so that the poor child went about in fear and had no peace from the time he left school to the time he went back one day the little daughter came running to her mother in the storeroom mother give me an apple yes my child said the wife and she gave her a beautiful apple out of the chest the chest had a very heavy lid and a large iron lock mother said the little girl again may not brother have one too the mother was angry at this but she answered yes when he comes out of school just then she looked out of the window and saw him coming and it seemed as if an evil spirit entered into her for she snatched the apple out of her little daughter's hand and said you shall not have one before your brother she threw the apple into the chest and shot it too the little boy now came in and the evil spirit in the wife made her say kindly to him my son will you have an apple but she gave him a wicked look mother said the boy how dreadful you look yes give me an apple the thought came to her that she should kill him come with me she said and she lifted up the lid of the chest take one out for yourself and as he bent over to do so the evil spirit urged her and crash down went the lid and off went the little boy's head then she was overwhelmed with fear at the thought of what she had done if only I could prevent anyone knowing that I did it she thought so she went upstairs to her room and took a white handkerchief out of her top drawer then she set the boy's head again on his shoulders and found it with the handkerchief so that nothing could be seen and placed him on a chair by the door with an apple in his hand soon after this little Marlene came up to her mother who was stirring a pot of boiling water over the fire and said mother, brother is sitting by the door with an apple in his hand and he looks so pale and when I asked him to give me the apple he did not answer and that frightened me go to him again, said her mother so little Marlene went and said brother, give me that apple but he did not say a word then she gave him a box on the ear and his head rolled off she was so terrified at this that she ran crying and screaming to her mother hello she said I have knocked off brother's head and then she wept and wept and nothing would stop her what have you done let us know about it so you must keep silence what is done can't be undone we will make him into puddings and she took the little boy and cut him up, made him into puddings and put him in the pot but Marlene stood looking on and wept and wept and her tears fell into the pot so that there really was no need of salt presently the father came home and sat down to his dinner he asked a large dish of black pudding and Marlene still wept without seizing the father again asked where is my son oh, answered the wife he's gone into the country to his mother's great-uncle he's going to stay there some time what has he gone there for and he never even said goodbye to me well, he likes being there and he told me he should be away quite six weeks he is well looked after there he was very unhappy about it said the husband in case it should not be all right and he ought to have said goodbye to me with this he went on with his dinner and said little Marlene, why do you weep brother will soon be back then he asked his wife for more pudding and as he ate he threw the bones under the table little Marlene went upstairs and took her best silk anchorchief out of her bottom drawer and in it she wrapped all the bones and carried them outside and all the time she did nothing but weep then she laid them in the green grass under the juniper tree and she had no sooner done so then all her sadness seemed to leave her and she wept no more and now the juniper tree began to move and the branches waved backwards and forwards first away from one another and then together again as it might by someone clasping their hands for joy after this a mist came round the tree and in the midst of it there was a burning as a fire and out of the fire there flew a beautiful bird that rose high into the air singing magnificently and when it did no more be seen the juniper tree stood there as before and the silk anchorchief and the bones were gone little Marlene now felt as light-hearted and happy as if her brother were still alive and she went back to the house and sat down chairfully to the table and ate the bird flew away and landed on the house of a goldsmith and began to sing my mother killed her little son my father grieved when I was gone my sister loved me best of all she laid my kerchief over me and took my bones that they might lie underneath the juniper tree kiwit, kiwit what a beautiful bird am I the goldsmith was in his workshop making a gold chain when he heard the song of the bird on his roof he thought it so beautiful he went up and ran out and as he crossed the threshold he lost one of his slippers but he ran on into the middle of the street with a slipper on one foot and a sock on the other he still had on his apron and still held the gold chain and the pincers in his hands and so he stood gazing up at the bird while the sun came shining brightly down on the street bird, he said how beautifully you sing the bird, I do not sing twice for nothing give that gold chain and I will sing it to you again here is the chain, take it said the goldsmith, only sing me that again the bird flew down and took the gold chain in his right claw and then he alighted again in front of the goldsmith and sang my mother killed her little son my father grieved when I was gone my sister loved me best of all she laid her kerchief over me and took my bones that they might lie underneath the juniper tree kiwit, kiwit what a beautiful bird am I then he flew away and settled on the roof of a shoemaker's house and sang my mother killed her little son my father grieved when I was gone my sister loved me best of all she laid her kerchief over me and took my bones that they might lie underneath the juniper tree kiwit, kiwit what a beautiful bird am I the shoemaker heard him and he jumped up and ran out in his shirt sleeves and stood looking up at the bird on the roof with his hand over his eyes to keep himself from being blinded by the sun bird, he said how beautifully you sing then he called through the door to his wife wife, come out here is a bird, come and look at it and hear how beautifully it sings then he called his daughter and the children then the apprentices, girls and boys and they all ran up the street to look at the bird and saw how splendid it was with its red and green feathers and its neck like burnish gold and eyes like two bright stars in its head bird, said the shoemaker sing me that song again nay answered the bird I do not sing twice for nothing you must give me something wife, said the man go into the garret on the upper shelf you will see a pair of red shoes bring them to me put them in and fetch the shoes there bird, said the shoemaker now sing me that song again the bird flew down and took the red shoes in his left claw and then he went back to the roof and sang my mother killed her little son my father grieved when I was gone my sister loved me best of all she laid her kerchief over me and took my bones that they might lie underneath the juniper tree kiwit, kiwit what a beautiful bird am I when he had finished he flew away he had the chain in his right claw and the shoes in his left and he flew right away to a mill and the mill went click-clack, click-clack, click-clack inside the mill were twenty of the miller's men hearing a stone and as they went the mill went click-clack, click-clack the bird settled on a lime tree in front of the mill and sang her little son then one of the men left off my father grieved when I was gone two more men left off and listened my sister loved me best of all then four more left off she laid her kerchief over me and took my bones that they might lie now there were only eight at work underneath and now only five the juniper tree and now only one kiwit, kiwit what a beautiful bird am I then he looked up and the last one had left off work bird, he said what a beautiful song that is you sing let me hear it too sing it again nay, answered the bird I do not sing twice for nothing give me that millstone and I will sing it again if it belong to me alone said the man, you should have it yes, yes said the others, if you will sing again he can have it the bird came down and all the twenty millers set to and lifted up the stone with a beam then the bird put his head through the hole and took the stone round his neck like a collar and flew back with it to the tree and sang my mother killed her little son my father grieved when I was gone my sister loved me best of all she laid her kerchief over me and took my bones that they might lie underneath the juniper tree kiwit, kiwit and when he had finished his song he spread his wings and with the chain in his right claw the shoes in his left and the millstone round his neck he flew right away to his father's house the father, the mother and little Marlene were having their dinner how lighthearted I feel said the father, so pleased and cheerful and I, said the mother I feel so uneasy as if a heavy thunderstorm were coming but little Marlene sat and wept and wept then the bird came flying towards the house and settled on the roof I do feel so happy said the father and how beautifully the sun shines I feel just as if I were going to see an old friend again ah, said the wife and I am so full of distress and uneasiness that my teeth chatter and I feel as if there were a fire in my veins and she tore open her dress and all the while little Marlene sat in the corner and wept and the plate on her knees was wet with her tears the bird now flew to the juniper tree and began singing my mother killed her little son the mother shut her eyes and her ears that she might see and hear nothing but there was a roaring sound in her ears like that of a violent storm and her eyes are burning and flashing like lightning my father grieved when I was gone look mother, said the man who was singing so magnificently and how warm and bright the sun is and what a delicious scent of spice in the air my sister loved me best of all then little Marlene laid her head down on her knees and sobbed I must go outside and see the bird nearer said the man oh, do not go cried the wife, I feel as if the whole house were in flames but the man went out and looked at the bird she laid her kerchief over me she took my bones that they might lie underneath the juniper tree what a beautiful bird am I with that the bird let fall the gold chain and it fell just round the man's neck so that it fitted him exactly he went inside and said, see what a splendid bird that is he has given me this beautiful gold chain and looks so beautiful himself but the wife was in such fear and trouble fell on the floor and her cap fell from her head then the bird began again my mother killed her little son oh, me cried the wife if I were but a thousand feet beneath the earth that I might not hear that song my father grieved when I was gone then the woman fell down again as if dead my sister loved me best of all well, said little Marlene I will go out too and see if the bird will give me anything so she went out she laid her kerchief over me and took my bones that they might lie and he threw down the shoes to her underneath the juniper tree kiwit, kiwit what a beautiful bird am I and she now felt quite happy and light-hearted she put on the shoes and danced and jumped about in them I was so miserable she said when I came out but that has all passed away and that is indeed a splendid bird and he has given me a pair of red shoes the wife sprang up with her hair standing out from her head like flames of fire then I will go out too, she said and see if it will lighten my misery for I feel as if the world were coming to an end but as she crossed the threshold crash, the bird threw the millstone down on her head and she was crushed to death the father and little Marlene heard the sound and ran out but they only saw mist and flame and fire rising from the spot and when these had passed there stood the little brother and he took the father and little Marlene by the hand then they all three rejoiced and went inside together and sat down to their dinners and ate end of the juniper tree The Turnip from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards This LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld There were two brothers who were both soldiers the one was rich and the other poor the poor man thought that he would try to better himself so pulling off his red coat he became a gardener and dug his ground well and sowed turnips when the seed came there was one plant bigger than all the rest and it kept getting larger and larger and it would never cease growing so that it might have been called the Prince of Turnips for there never was such a one seen before and never will again at last it was so big that it filled a cart and two oxen could hardly draw it and the gardener knew not what in the world to do with it nor whether it would be a blessing or a curse to him one day he said to himself what shall I do with it if I sell it it will bring no more than another and for eating the little turnips are better than this the best thing perhaps is to carry it and give it to the king as a mark of respect then he yoked his oxen and drew the turnip to his court and gave it to the king what a wonderful thing said the king I have seen many strange things but such a monster as this I never saw where did you get the seed or is it only your good luck if so you are a true child of fortune ah no answered the gardener I am a poor soldier who never could get enough to live upon so I laid aside my red coat and set to work tilling the ground I have a brother who is rich and your majesty knows him well and all the world knows him but because I am poor everybody forgets me the king then took pity on him and said you shall be poor no longer I will give you so much that you shall be even richer than your brother then he gave him gold and lands and flocks so rich that his brother's fortune cannot at all be compared with his when the brother heard of all this and how a turnip had made the gardener so rich he envied him sorely and bethought himself how he could contrive to get the same good fortune for himself however he determined to manage more cleverly than his brother and got together a rich present of gold and fine horses for the king and thought he must have a much larger gift in return for if his brother had received so much for only a turnip what must his present be worth? the king took the gift very graciously and said he knew not what to give in return more valuable and wonderful than the great turnip so the soldier was forced to put it into a cart and drag it home with him when he reached home he knew not upon whom to vent his rage and spite and at length wicked thoughts came into his head and he resolved to kill his brother so he hired some villains to murder him and having shown them where to lie in ambush he went to his brother and said dear brother I have found a hidden treasure let us go and dig it up and share it between us the other had no suspicions of his roguery so they went out together and as they were travelling along the murderers rushed out upon him, bound him and were going to hang him on a tree and whilst they were getting already they heard the trampling of a horse at a distance which so frightened them that they pushed their prisoner neck and shoulders together into a sack bringing him by a cord to the tree where they left him dangling and ran away meantime he worked and worked away till he made a hole large enough to put out his head when the horseman came up he proved to be a student, a merry fellow who was journeying along on his nag and singing as he went as soon as the man in the sack saw him passing under the tree he cried out good morning, good morning to thee my friend the student looked about everywhere and seeing no one he was knowing where the voice came from cried out who calls me then the man in the tree answered lift up thine eyes for behold here I sit in the sack of wisdom here have I in a short time learned greats and wondrous things compared to this seat all the learning of the schools is as empty air a little longer and I shall know all that man can know and shall come forth wiser than the wisest of mankind the signs and motions of the heavens and the stars the laws that control the winds the number of the sands on the seashore the healing of the sick the virtues of all symbols of birds and of precious stones weren't thou but once here my friend thou wast feel and own the power of knowledge a student listened to all this and wondered much at last he said press it be the day and hour when I found you then the other answered as if very unwillingly a little space I may allow thee to sit here if thou wilt reward me well and entreat me kindly but thou must tear yet an hour below till I have learnt some little matters that are yet unknown to me so the student sat himself down and waited a while but the time hung heavy upon him and he begged earnestly that he might ascend forthwith for his thirst for knowledge was great then the other pretended to give way and said thou must let the sack of wisdom descend by untying undercourd and then thou shalt enter so the student let him down opened the sack and set him free now then cried he let me ascend quickly as he began to put himself into the sack he was first wait a while said the gardener that is not the way then he pushed him in head first tied up the sack and soon swung up the searcher with the wisdom dangling in the air how is it with thee friend said he does thou not feel that wisdom comes unto thee rest there in peace till thou art a wiser man than thou wert so saying he trotted off on the student's nag and left the poor fellow to gather wisdom till somebody should come and let him down end of the turnip Clever Hans from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edward this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld the mother of Hans said whither away Hans Hans answered to Gretel behave well Hans oh I'll behave well goodbye mother goodbye Hans Hans comes to Gretel good day Gretel good day Hans I want to have something given me Gretel presents Hans with a needle Hans says goodbye Gretel goodbye Hans Hans takes the needle sticks it into a hay cart and follows the cart home good evening mother good evening Hans where have you been with Gretel what did you take her I took nothing had something given me what did Gretel give you gave me a needle where is the needle Hans now stuck in the hay cart that was ill done Hans you should have stuck the needle in your sleeve never mind I'll do better next time whither away Hans to Gretel mother behave well Hans I'll behave well goodbye mother goodbye Hans Hans comes to Gretel what do you bring that is good I bring nothing I want to have something given to me Gretel presents Hans with a knife goodbye Gretel goodbye Hans Hans takes the knife sticks it in his sleeve and goes home good evening mother good evening Hans where have you been with Gretel what did you take her I took her nothing she gave me something what did Gretel give you gave me a knife where is the knife Hans stuck in my sleeve where is the knife in your pocket never mind we'll do better next time whither away Hans to Gretel mother behave well Hans oh I'll behave well goodbye mother goodbye Hans Hans comes to Gretel good day Gretel good day Hans what good thing do you bring I bring nothing I want something given me Gretel presents Hans with a young goat goodbye Gretel goodbye Hans Hans takes the goat ties its legs and puts it in his pocket when he gets home it is suffocated good evening mother good evening Hans where have you been with Gretel what did you take her I took nothing she gave me something what did Gretel give you she gave me a goat where is the goat Hans I put it in my pocket that was ill done Hans you should have put a rope around the goat's neck never mind we'll do better next time whither away Hans to Gretel mother behave well Hans goodbye mother goodbye Hans Hans comes to Gretel good day Gretel good day Hans what good thing do you bring I bring nothing I want something given me Gretel presents Hans with a piece of bacon goodbye Gretel goodbye Hans Hans takes the bacon ties it to a rope and drags it away behind him the dogs come and devour the bacon when he gets home he has a rope in his hand and there is no longer anything hanging on to it good evening mother good evening Hans where have you been with Gretel what did you take her I took her nothing she gave me something what did Gretel give you gave me a bit of bacon where is the bacon Hans you took a rope brought it home dogs took it that was ill done Hans you should have carried a bacon on your head never mind we'll do better next time whither away Hans to Gretel mother behave well Hans I'll behave well goodbye mother goodbye Hans Hans comes to Gretel good day Gretel Gretel presents Hans with a calf goodbye Gretel goodbye Hans Hans takes the calf puts it on his head and the calf kicks his face good evening mother good evening Hans where have you been with Gretel what did you take her I took nothing but had something given me what did Gretel give you a calf where have you the calf Hans I set it on my head and it kicked my face well done Hans you should have let the calf and put it in the stall never mind we'll do better next time whither away Hans to Gretel mother behave well Hans goodbye mother goodbye Hans Hans comes to Gretel good day Gretel good day Hans what good thing do you bring I bring nothing but would have something given Hans takes Gretel ties her to a rope leads her to the rack and binds her fast then Hans goes to his mother good evening mother good evening Hans where have you been with Gretel what did you take her I took her nothing what did Gretel give you she gave me nothing she came with me where have you left Gretel I let her by the rope tied her to the rack and scattered some grass for her that was ill done Hans have cast friendly eyes on her never mind we'll do better Hans went into the stable cut out all the calves and sheeps eyes and threw them in Gretel's face then Gretel became angry tore herself loose and ran away and was no longer the bride of Hans end of clever Hans the three languages from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld an aged count once lived in Switzerland who had an only son but he was stupid and could learn nothing then said the father Hark you my son try as I will I can get nothing into your head you must go from Hans I will give you into the care of a celebrated master who shall see what he can do with you the youth was sent into a strange town and remained a whole year with the master at the end of this time he came home again and his father asked now my son what have you learned father I have learned what the dogs say when they bark Lord have mercy on us cried the father is that all you have learned I will send you into another town to another master the youth was taken thither and stayed a year with this master likewise when he came back the father again asked my son what have you learned he answered father I have learned what the birds say then the father fell into a rage and said oh you lost man you have spent the precious time and learned nothing are you not ashamed to appear before my eyes I will send you to a third master but if you learn nothing this time also I will no longer be your father the youth remained a whole year with the third master also and when he came home again and his father inquired my son what have you learned he answered dear father I have this year learned what the frogs croak then the father fell into the most furious anger sprang up called his people thither and said this man is no longer my son I drive him forth and command you to take him out into the forest and kill him they took him forth when they should have killed him they could not do it for pity and let him go and they cut the eyes and tongue out of a deer that they might carry them to the old man as a token the youth wandered on and after some time came to a fortress where he begged for a night's lodging yes said the lord of the castle if he will pass the night down there in the old tower go thither but I warn you it is at the peril of your life for it is full of wild dogs which bark and howl without stopping at certain hours a man has to be given to them whom they at once devour the whole district was in sorrow and dismay because of them and yet no one could do anything to stop this the youth however was without fear and said just let me go down to the barking dogs and give me something that I can throw to them they will do nothing to harm me as he himself would have it so they gave him some food for the wild animals and led him down to the tower and inside the dogs did not bark at him but wag their tails quite amicably around him ate what he set before them and did not hurt one hair of his head next morning to the astonishment of everyone he came out again safe and unharmed and said to the lord of the castle the dogs have revealed to me in their own language why they dwell there and bring evil on the land they are bewitched and are obliged to watch over a great treasure which is below in the tower just until it is taken away and I have likewise learned from their discourse how that is to be done then all who had heard this rejoiced and the lord of the castle said he would adopt him as a son if he accomplished it successfully he went down again and as he knew what he had to do he did it thoroughly and brought a chest full of gold out with him the howling of the wild dogs was henceforth heard no more they had disappeared and the country was freed from the trouble after some time he took it in his head that he would travel to Rome on the way he passed by a marsh in which a number of frogs were sitting croaking he listened to them and when he became aware of what they were saying he grew very thoughtful and sad at last he arrived in Rome where the pope had just died and there was great doubt among the cardinals as to whom they should appoint as his successor they at length agreed that the person should be chosen as pope who should be distinguished by some divine as his token and just as that was decided on the young count entered into the church and suddenly two snow-white doves flew on his shoulders and remained sitting there ecclesiastics recognized therein the token from above and asked him on the spot if he would be pope he was undecided and knew not if he were worthy of this but the doves counseled him to do it and at length he said yes then was he anointed and consecrated and thus was fulfilled what he had heard from the frogs on his way which had so affected him that he was to be his holiness the pope then he had to sing a mass and did not know one word of it but the two doves sat continually on his shoulders and said it all in his ear end of the three languages the fox and the cat from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld it happened that the cat met the fox in a forest and as she thought to herself he is clever and full of experience and much esteemed in the world she spoke to him in a friendly way good day dear Mr. Fox how are you? how is all with you? how are you getting on in these hard times? the fox full of all kinds of arrogance looked at the cat from head to foot and for a long time did not know whether he would give an answer or not at last he said you wretched beard cleaner you piebald fool you hungry mouse hunter what can you be thinking of? have you the cheek to ask how I am getting on? what have you learnt? how many arts do you understand? I understand but one replied the cat modestly what art is that? asked the fox when the hounds are following me I can spring into a tree and save myself is that all? said the fox I am master of a hundred arts and half into the bargain a sack full of cunning you make me sorry for you come with me I will teach you how people get away from the hounds just then came a hunter with four dogs the cat sprang nimbly up a tree and sat down at the top of it the branches and foliage quite concealed her open your sack Mr. Fox open your sack cried the cat to him but the dogs had already seized him and were holding him fast Mr. Fox cried the cat you with your hundred arts are left in the lurch had you been able to climb like me you would not have lost your life end of the fox and the cat the four clever brothers from Grimms Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grim translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in a public domain read by Bob Neufeld dear children set a poor man to his four sons I have nothing to give you you must go out into the wide world and try your luck begin by learning some craft or another and see how you can get on so the four brothers took their walking sticks in their hands and their little bundles on their shoulders and after bidding their father good-bye went all out at the gate together when they had got on some way they came to four crossways each leading to a different country then the eldest said here we must part but this day four years we will come back to this spot and in the meantime each must try to do what he can for himself so each brother went his way and as the eldest was hastening on a man met him where he was going and what he wanted I am going to try my luck in the world and should like to begin by learning some art or trade answered he then said the man go with me and I will teach you to become the cunningest thief that ever was no said the other that is not an honest calling and one can one look to earn buy it in the end but the gallows oh said the man you need not fear the gallows for I will only teach you to steal a game I meddle with nothing but what no one else can get or care anything about and where no one can find you out so the young man agreed to follow his trade and he soon showed himself so clever that nothing could escape him that he had once set his mind upon the second brother also met a man who when he found out what he was setting out upon asked him what craft he meant to follow I do not know yet said he then come with me and be a star it is a noble art for nothing can be hidden from you when once you understand the stars the plan pleased him much and he soon became such a skillful stargazer that when he had served out his time and wanted to leave his master he gave him a glass and said with this you can see all that is passing in the sky and on earth and nothing can be hidden from you the third brother met a huntsman who took him with him and taught him so well all that belonged to hunting that he became very clever in the craft of the woods and when he left his master he gave him a bow and said whatever you should add with this bow you will be sure to hit the youngest brother likewise met a man who asked him what he wished to do what you not like said he to be a tailor oh no said the young man sitting cross-legged from morning to night working backwards and forwards with a needle and goose will never suit me oh answered the man that is not any sort of tailoring come with me and you will learn quite another kind of craft from that not knowing what better to do he came into the plan and learnt tailoring from the beginning and when he left his master he gave him a needle and said you can sew anything with this be it as soft as an egg or as hard as steel and the joint will be so fine that no scene will be seen after the space of four years at the time agreed upon the four brothers met at the four crossroads and having welcomed each other set off towards their father's home where they told him all that had happened to them and how each had learned some craft then one day as they were sitting before the house under a very high tree the father said I should like to try what each of you can do in this way so he looked up and said to the second son at the top of this tree there is a chaff inches nest see how many eggs there are in it the stargazer took his glass looked up and said now, said the father to the eldest son take away the eggs without letting the bird that is sitting upon them and hatching them know anything of what you are doing so the cunning thief climbed up the tree and brought away to his father the five eggs from under the bird and it never saw or felt what he was doing but kept sitting on at its ease then the father took the eggs and put one on each corner of the table and the fifth in the middle and said to the huntsman cut all the eggs in two pieces at one shot the huntsman took up his bow and at one shot struck all the five eggs as his father wished now comes your turn said he to the young tailor so the eggs and the young birds in them together again so neatly that the shot shall have done them no harm then the tailor took his needle and put the eggs as he was told and when he had done the thief was sent to take them back to the nest and put them under the bird without its knowing it then she went on sitting and hatched them and in a few days they crawled out and had only a little red streak across their necks where the tailor had sewn them together well done, sons said the old man you have made good use of your time and learnt something worth the knowing but I am sure I do not know why? oh that a tie might soon come for you to turn your skill to some account not long after this there was a great bustle in the country for the king's daughter had been carried off by a mighty dragon and the king mourned over her lost day and night and made it known that whoever brought her back to him should have her for a wife then the four brothers said to each other here is a chance for us, let us try what we can do and they agreed to see whether they could not set her free I will soon find out where she is however said the stargazer as he looked through his glass and soon cried out I see her afar off sitting upon a rock in the sea and I can spy the dragon close by guarding her then he went to the king and asked for a ship for himself and his brothers and they sailed together over the sea till they came to the right place there they found the princess sitting as the stargazer had said on the rock and the dragon was lying asleep on her lap I dare not shoot at him, said the huntsman for I should kill the beautiful young lady also then I will try my skill said the thief and went and stole her away from under the dragon so quietly and gently that the beast did not know it but went on snoring then away they hastened with her full of joy in their boat towards the ship but soon came the dragon roaring behind them through the air for he awoke and missed the princess and when he got over the boat and wanted to pounce upon them and carry off the princess the huntsman took up his bow and shot him straight through the heart so that he fell down dead they were still not safe for he was such a great beast that in his fall he overset the boat and they had to swim in the open sea upon a few planks so the tailor took his needle and with a few large stitches put some of the planks together and he sat down upon these all the pieces of the boat and then tacked them together so quickly that the boat was soon ready and they then reached the ship and got home safe when they had brought home the princess to her father there was great rejoicing and he said to the four brothers one of you shall marry her but you must settle amongst yourselves which it is to be then there arose a quarrel between them and the stargazer said if I had not found the princess out all your skill would have been of no use to be mine you're seeing her but have been of no use said the thief if I had not taken her away from the dragon therefore she ought to be mine no, she is mine said the huntsman for if I had not killed the dragon he would after all have torn you and the princess into pieces and if I had not served the boat together again said the tailor you would have all drowned therefore she is mine and as all cannot have the young lady the best way is for neither of you to have her for the truth is there is somebody she likes a great deal better but to make up for your loss I will give each of you as a reward for his skill half a kingdom so the brothers agreed that the plan would be much better than either quarrelling or marrying a lady who had no mind to have them and the king then gave to each other half a kingdom as he had said very happily the rest of their days and took good care of their father and somebody took better care of the young lady than to let either the dragon or one of the craftsmen have her again end of the four clever brothers Lily and the Lion from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld a merchant who had three daughters was once setting out upon a journey but before he went he asked each daughter what gift he should bring back for her the eldest wished for pearls the second for jewels but the third who was called Lily said, Dear Father bring me a rose now it was no easy task to find a rose for it was the middle of winter yet as she was his prettiest daughter and was very fond of flowers her father said he would try what he could do so he kissed all three and bid them goodbye and when the time came for him to go home he had bought pearls and jewels for the two eldest but he had sought everywhere in vain for the rose and when he went into any garden and asked for such a thing the people laughed at him and asked him whether he thought roses grew in snow this grieved him very much for Lily was his dearest child and as he was journeying home thinking what he should bring her he came to a fine castle and around the castle was a garden in one half of which it seemed to be summertime and in the other half winter on one side the finest flowers were in full bloom and on the other everything looked dreary and buried in the snow a lucky hit said he as he called to his servant and told him to go to a beautiful bed of roses that was there and bring him one of the finest flowers this done they were riding away well pleased sprang a fierce lion and roared out whoever has stolen my roses shall be eaten up alive then the man said I knew not that the garden belonged to you can nothing save my life no said the lion nothing unless you undertake to give me whatever meets you on your return home if you agree to this I will give you your life and the rose too for your daughter but the man was unwilling to do so and said it may be my youngest daughter who loves me most and always runs to meet me when I go home then the servant was greatly frightened and said it may perhaps be only a cat or a dog and at last the man yielded with a heavy heart and took the rose and said he would give the lion whatever should meet him first on his return and as he came home it was Lily his youngest and dearest daughter that met him she came running and kissed him and welcomed him home and when she saw that he had brought her the rose she was still more glad but her father began to be very sorrowful and to weep saying alas my dearest child I have bought this flower at a high price for I have said I would give you to a wild lion and when he has you he will tear you in pieces and eat you then he told her all that had happened and said that she should not go let what would happen but she comforted him and said dear father the word you have given must be kept I will go to the lion and soothe him perhaps he will let me come home safe again the next morning she asked the way she was to go and took her leave of her father and went forth with a bowed heart into the wood but the lion was an enchanted prince by day he and all his court were lions they took their right forms again and when Lily came to the castle he welcomed her so courteously that she agreed to marry him the wedding feast was held and they lived happily together a long time the prince was only to be seen as soon as evening came and then he held his court but every morning he left his bride and went away by himself she knew not with her till the night came again after some time he said to her tomorrow there will be a great feast in your father's house for your elder sister is to be married and if you wish to go and visit her my lions shall lead you thither then she rejoiced much at the thoughts of seeing her father once more and set out with the lions and every one was overjoyed to see her for they had thought her dead long since but she told them how happy she was and stayed till the feast was over then went back to the wood her second sister was soon after married and when Lily was asked to go to the wedding she said to the prince I will not go alone this time you must go with me but he would not and said that it would be a very hazardous thing for if the least ray of the torch light should fall upon him his enchantment would become still worse for he should be changed into a dove and be forced to wonder about the world for seven long years however she gave him no rest and said she would take care no light should fall upon him so at last they set out together and took with them their little child and she chose a large hall with thick walls for him to sit in while the wedding torches were lighted but, unluckily no one saw that there was a crack in the door then the wedding was held with great pomp but as the train came from the church and passed with the torches before the hall a very small ray of light fell upon the prince in a moment he disappeared and when his wife came in and looked for him she found only a white dove and it said to her the tears must I fly up and down over the face of the earth but every now and then I will let fall a white feather that will show you the way I am going follow it and at last you may overtake and set me free this said he flew out the door and poor Lily followed and every now and then a white feather fell and showed her the way she was to journey thus she went roving on through the wide world and looked neither to the right hand or to the left and rested for seven years then she began to be glad and thought to herself that the time was fast coming when all her trouble should end yet repose was still far off for one day as she was travelling on she missed the white feather and when she lifted up her eyes she could nowhere see the dove now thought she to herself no aid of man can be of use to me so she went to the sun and said on the hill's top in the valley's depth has thou anywhere seen my white dove no said the sun I have not seen it but I will give thee a casket open it when thy hour of need comes so she thanked the sun and went on her way till eventide and when the moon arose she cried unto it and said thou shinest through the night over field and grove has thou nowhere seen my white dove no said the moon I cannot help thee but I will give thee an egg break it when need comes then she thanked the moon and went on till the night wind blew and she raised up her voice to it and said thou blowest through every tree and under every leaf has thou not seen my white dove no said the night wind but I will ask three other winds perhaps they have seen it and said they too had not seen it but the south wind said I have seen the white dove he has fled to the Red Sea and has changed once more into a lion for the seven years are passed away and there he is fighting with a dragon and the dragon is an enchanted princess who seeks to separate him from you then the night wind said I will give thee a council go to the Red Sea on the right shore stand many rods and when thou comest to the eleventh break it off and smite the dragon with it and so the lion will have the victory and both of them will appear to you in their own forms then look round and thou wilt see a griffon winged like a bird sitting by the Red Sea jump on to his back with thy beloved one as quickly as possible and he will carry you over the waters to your home I will also give thee this nut when you are half way over throw it down and out of the waters will immediately spring up a high nut tree on which the griffon will be able to rest otherwise he would not have the strength to bear you the whole way if therefore thou dost forget to throw down the nut he will let you both fall into the sea so our poor wanderer went forth and found all as the night wind had said and she plucked the eleventh rod and smote the dragon became a prince and the dragon a princess again but no sooner was the princess released from the spell than she seized the prince by the arm and sprang on to the griffons back and went off carrying the prince away with her thus the unhappy traveller was again forsaken and forlorn but she took heart and said as far as the wind blows and as long as the rooster crows I will journey on till I find him once again she went on for a long long way till at length she came to the castle where the princess had carried the prince and there was a feast got ready and she heard that the wedding was about to be held heaven aid me now said she and she took the casket that the sun had given her and found that within it lay a dress as dazzling as the sun itself so she put it on and went into the palace and all the people gazed upon her and the dress pleased the bride so much that she asked whether it was to be sold not for gold or silver said she but for flesh and blood the princess asked what she meant and she said let me speak with the bridegroom this night in his chamber and I will give thee the dress at last the princess agreed but she told her chamberlain to give the princess sleeping draft that he might not hear or see her when evening came when the prince had fallen asleep she was led into his chamber without his feet and said I have followed thee seven years I have been to the sun, the moon and the night wind to seek thee and at last I have helped thee to overcome the dragon wilt thou then forget me quite? but the prince all the time slept so soundly that her voice only passed over him and seemed like the whistling of the wind among the fir trees then poor Lily was led away and forced to give up the golden dress so that there was no help for her she went out into the meadow and sat herself down and wept but as she sat she bethought herself of the egg that the moon had given her and when she broke it there ran out a hen and twelve chickens of pure gold that played about and then nestled under the old one's wings so as to form the most beautiful sight in the world then she rose up and drove them before her till the bride saw them from her window and was so pleased that she came forth and asked her if she would sell the brood not for gold or silver but for flesh and blood let me again this evening speak with the bridegroom in his chamber and I will give thee the whole brood then the princess thought to betray her as before and agreed to what she asked but when the prince went to his chamber he asked the chamberlain why the wind had whistled so in the night and the chamberlain told him all how he had given him a sleeping draught into him in his chamber and was to come again that night then the prince took care to throw away the sleeping draught and when Lily came and began again to tell him what woes had befallen her and how faithful and true to him she had been he knew his beloved wife's voice and sprang up and said you have awakened me as from a dream for the strange princess had thrown a spell around me so that I had altogether forgotten you but heaven hath sent you to me in a lucky hour and they stole away out of the palace by night unawares and seated themselves on the griffin who flew back with them over the Red Sea when they were half way across Lily let the nut fall into the water and immediately a large nut tree arose from the sea where on the griffin rested for a while and then carried them safely home there they found their child now grown up to be comely and fair and after all their troubles they lived happily together to the end of their days End of Lily and the Lion The Fox and the Horse from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards This LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld A farmer had a horse that had been an excellent faithful servant to him but he was now grown too old to work so the farmer would give him nothing more to eat and said, I want you no longer so take yourself off out of my stable I shall not take you back again until you are stronger than a lion Then he opened the door and turned him adrift The poor horse was very melancholy and wandered up and down in the wood seeking some little shelter from the cold wind and rain Presently a fox met him What's the matter, my friend? Asked he, why do you hang down your head and look so lonely and woe-begone Ah, replied the horse Justice and aphorists never dwell in one house My master has forgotten all that I have done for him so many years and because I can no longer work he has turned me adrift and says unless I can become stronger than a lion he will not take me back again What chance can I have of that? He knows I have none or he would not talk so However, the fox bid him be of good cheer and said, I will help you Lie down there, stretch yourself out quite stiff and pretend to be dead The horse did as he was told and the fox went straight to the lion who lived in a cave close by and said to him a little way off lies a dead horse come with me and you may make an excellent meal of his carcass The lion was greatly pleased and set off immediately and when they came to the horse the fox said you will not be able to eat him comfortably here I'll tell you what I will tie you fast to his tail and then you can draw him to your den and eat him at your leisure This advice pleased the lion so he laid himself down quietly for the fox to make him fast to the horse but the fox managed to tie his legs together and bound all so hard and fast that with all his strength he could not set himself free When the work was done the fox clapped the horse on the shoulder and said, chip, dub and chip Then up he sprang and moved off dragging the lion behind him The beast began to roar and bellow till all the birds of the wood flew away for fright but the horse let him sing on and made his way quietly over the fields to his master's house Here he is, master said he I have got the better of him and when the farmer saw his old servant his heart relented and he said thou shalt stay and thy stable and be well taken care of till the poor old horse had plenty to eat and lived till he died End of the Fox and the Horse The Blue Light from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards This LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld There was once upon a time a soldier who for many years had served the king faithfully but when the war came to an end he was no longer because of the many wounds which he had received The king said to him you may return to your home I need you no longer and you will not receive any more money for he only receives wages who renders me service for them Then the soldier did not know how to earn a living went away greatly troubled and walked the whole day until in the evening he entered a forest When darkness came on he said to the soldier to give me one night's lodging and a little to eat and drink said he to her I shall starve Who gives anything to a runaway soldier yet will I be compassionate and take you in if you will do what I wish What do you wish said the soldier that you should dig all around my garden for me tomorrow The soldier consented his strength but could not finish it by the evening I see well enough said the witch that you can do no more today but I will keep you yet another night in payment for which you must tomorrow chop a load of wood and chop it small The soldier spent the whole day in doing it and in the evening the witch proposed that he should stay one night more Tomorrow you shall only do me a very trifling piece of work my light has fallen it burns blue and never goes out and you shall bring it up again next day the old woman took him to the well and let him down in a basket he found the blue light and made her a signal to draw him up again she did draw him up but when he came near the edge she stretched down her hand and wanted to take the blue light away from him No, said he perceiving her evil intention I will not give you the light until I am standing upon the ground the witch fell into a passion let him fall again into the well and went away the poor soldier fell without injury on the moist ground and the blue light went on burning but of what use was that to him he saw very well that he could not escape death he sat for a while very sorrowfully then suddenly he felt in his pocket and found his tobacco pipe which was still half-bull This shall be my last pleasure he pulled it out lit it at the blue light and began to smoke when the smoke had circled about the cavern suddenly a little black dwarf stood before him and said Lord, what are your commands? What my commands are replied the soldier quite astonished I must do everything you bid me said the little man Could, said the soldier then in the first place help me out of this well the little man took him by the hand and led him through an underground passage but he did not forget to take the blue light with him on the way the dwarf showed him the treasures which the witch had collected and hidden there and the soldier took as much gold as he could carry when he was above he said to the little man now go and bind the old witch and carry her before the judge in a short time she came by like the wind riding on a wild Tomcat and screaming frightfully nor was it long before the little man reappeared it is all done said he and the witch is already hanging on the gallows what further commands has my lord inquired the dwarf at the moment none answered the soldier you can return home only be at hand immediately if I summon you nothing more is needed than that you should light your pipe at the blue light and I will appear before you at once thereupon he vanished from his sight the soldier returned to the town from which he came he went to the best inn ordered himself handsome clothes and then bade the landlord furnish him a room as handsome as possible when it was ready and the soldier had taken possession of it he summoned the little black mannequin and said I have served the king faithfully but he has dismissed me and left me to hunger and now I want to take my revenge what am I to do? asked the little man late at night when the king's daughter is in bed bringing her here in her sleep she shall do servants work for me the mannequin said that is an easy thing for me to do but a very dangerous thing for you for if it is discovered you will fare ill when twelve o'clock had struck the door sprang open when the mannequin carried in the princess ah, are you there? cried the soldier get to work at once, fetch the broom and sweep the chamber he ordered her to come to his chair and then he stretched out his feet and said pull off my boots then he threw them in her face and made her pick them up again and clean and brightened them she however did everything he bade her without opposition silently and with half shut eyes when the first rooster crowed the mannequin carried her back to the royal palace and laid her in her bed next morning when the princess arose she had had a very strange dream I was carried through the streets with the rapidity of lightning said she and taken into a soldier's room and I had to wait upon him like a servant sweep his room, clean his boots and do all kinds of menial work it was only a dream and yet I am just as tired as if I really had done everything the dream may have been true said the king I will give you a piece of advice fill your pocket full of peas take a small hole in the pocket and then if you are carried away again they will fall out and leave a track in the streets but unseen by the king the mannequin was standing beside him when he said that and heard all at night when the sleeping princess was again carried through the streets some peas certainly did fall out of her pocket but they made no track for the crafty mannequin had just before scattered peas in every street there was and again the princess was compelled to do servant's work until cock-crow next morning the king set his people out to seek the track but it was all in vain for in every street poor children were sitting picking up peas and saying it must have rained peas last night we must think of something else said the king keep your shoes on when you go to bed and before you come back from the place where you are taken hide one of them there I will soon contrive to find it the black mannequin heard this plot and at night when the soldier again ordered him to bring the princess revealed it to him and told him that he knew of no expedient to counteract his stratagem and if the shoe were found in the soldier's house it would go badly with him do what I bid you, replied the soldier and again this third night the princess was obliged to work like a servant but before she went away she hid her shoe under the bed next morning the king had the entire town searched for his daughter's shoe it was found at the soldier's and the soldier himself, who at the entreaty of the dwarf had gone outside the gate was soon brought back and thrown into prison in his flight he had forgotten the most valuable things he had the blue lights and the gold and had only one ducket in his pocket and now loaded with chains he was standing at the window of the dungeon when he chanced to see one of his comrades passing by the soldier tapped at the pane of glass and when this man came up said to him, be so kind as to fetch me a small bundle I have left lying in the inn and I will give you a ducket for doing it his comrade ran thither and brought him what he wanted as soon as the soldier was alone again he lighted his pipe and summoned the black mannequin have no fear said the latter to his master go wheresoever they take you and let them do what they will only take the blue light with you next day the soldier was tried and though he had done nothing wicked the judge condemned him to death when he was led forth to die he begged the last favor of the king what is it asked the king that I may smoke one more pipe on my way you may smoke three answered the king but do not imagine that I will spare your life then the soldier pulled out his pipe and lighted at the blue light and as soon as a few reaves of smoke had ascended the mannequin was there with a small conchel in his hand and said what does my lord command strike down to earth that false judge there and his constable and spare not the king who has treated me so ill then the mannequin fell on them like lightning darting this way and that way and whosoever was so much as touched by his cudgel fell to earth and did not venture to stir again the king was terrified he threw himself on the soldier's mercy and merely to be allowed to live at all gave him his kingdom for his own and his daughter to wife end of the blue light the raven from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there once was a queen who had a little daughter still too young to run alone one day the child was very troublesome and the mother could not quiet it do what she would she grew impatient and seeing the ravens flying round the castle she opened the window and said I wish you were a raven and would fly away then I should have a little peace scarcely were the words out of her mouth when the child in her arms was turned into a raven and flew away from her through the open window the bird took its flight to a dark wood and remained there for a long time and meanwhile the parents could hear nothing of their child long after this a man was making his way through the wood when he heard a raven calling and he followed the sound of the voice as he drew near the raven said I am by birth a king's daughter but am now under the spell of some enchantment you can however set me free what am I to do he asked she replied go farther into the wood until you come to a house then she will offer you food and drink but you must not take of either if you do you will fall into a deep sleep and will not be able to help me in the garden behind the house is a large tan heap and on that you must stand and watch for me I shall drive there in my carriage at two o'clock in the afternoon for three successive days the first day it will be drawn by four white the second by four chestnut and the last by four black horses to keep awake and I find you sleeping I shall not be set free the man promised to do all that she wished but the raven said alas I know even now that you will take something from the woman and be unable to save me the man assured her again that he would on no account touch a thing to eat or drink when he came to the house and went inside the old woman met him and said poor man how tired you are come in and rest and let me give you something to eat and drink no answered the man I will neither eat nor drink but she would not leave him alone and urged him saying if you will not eat anything at least you might take a draft of wine one drink counts for nothing and at last he allowed himself to be persuaded and drank as it drew towards the appointed hour he went outside into the garden and mounted the tan heap to await the raven suddenly a feeling of fatigue came over him and unable to resist it he lay down for a little while fully determined however to keep awake but in another minute his eyes closed of their own accord and he fell into such a deep sleep that all the noises in the world would not have awakened him at two o'clock the raven came driving along drawn by her four white horses but even before she reached the spot she said to herself, sighing I know he has fallen asleep when she entered the garden there she found him as she had feared lying on the tan heap fast asleep she got out of her carriage and went to him she called him and shook him but it was all in vain he still continued sleeping the next day at noon the old woman came to him again with food and drink which he had first refused at last overcome by her persistent entreaties that he would take something he lifted the glass and drank again into the garden and onto the tan heap to watch for the raven he had not been there long before he began to feel so tired that his limbs seemed hardly able to support him and he could not stand upright any longer so again he lay down and fell fast asleep as the raven drove along her four chestnut horses she said sorrowfully to herself I know he has fallen asleep she went as before to look for him but he slept and it was impossible to awaken him the following day the old woman said to him what is this? you are not eating or drinking anything do you want to kill yourself? he answered I may not and will not either eat or drink but she put down the dish of food in the glass of wine in front of him and when he smelt the wine he was unable to resist the temptation and took a deep draft when the hour came round again he went as usual onto the tan heap in the garden to await the king's daughter but he felt even more overcome with weariness than on the two previous days and throwing himself down he slept like a log at two o'clock the raven could be seen approaching and this time her coachman and everything about her as well as her horses were black she was sadder than ever as she drove along and said mournfully I know he has fallen asleep and will not be able to set me free she found him sleeping heavily and all her efforts to awaken him were of no avail then she placed beside him a loaf and some meat and a flask of wine of such a kind that however much he took of them they would never grow less after that she drew a gold ring on which her name was engraved off her finger and put it upon one of his finally she laid a letter near him in which after giving him particulars of the food and drink she had left for him she finished with the following words I see that as long as you remain here you will never be able to set me free if, however, you still wish to do so come to the Golden Castle of Stromberg this is well within your power to accomplish she then returned to her carriage and drove to the Golden Castle of Stromberg when the man awoke and found that he had been sleeping he was grieved at heart and said she has no doubt been here to stay again and it is now too late for me to save her then his eyes fell on the things which were lying beside him he read the letter and knew from it all that had happened he rose up without delay eager to start on his way and to reach the Castle of Stromberg but he had no idea in which direction he ought to go he travelled about a long time in search of it and came at last to a dark forest through which she went on walking for fourteen days and still could not find a way out once more the night came on and worn out he lay down under a bush and fell asleep again the next day he pursued his way through the forest and that evening, thinking to rest again he lay down as before but he heard such a howling and wailing that he found it impossible to sleep he waited till it was darker and people had begun to light up their houses and then, seeing a little glimmer ahead of him he went towards it he found that the light came from a house that looked smaller than it really was from the contrast of its height with that of an immense giant who stood in front of it he thought to himself if the giant sees me going in my life will not be worth much however, after a while he summoned up courage and went forward when the giant saw him he called out it is lucky that you have come for I have not had anything to eat for a long time I can have you now for my supper I would rather you let that alone said the man but I do not willingly give myself up to be eaten if you are wanting food I have enough to satisfy your hunger if that is so, replied the giant I will leave you in peace I only thought of eating you because I had nothing else so they went indoors together and sat down and the man brought out the bread, meat and wine which, although he had eaten and drunk of them he was consumed the giant was pleased with the good cheer and ate and drank to his heart's content when he had finished his supper the man asked him if he could direct him to the castle of Stromberg the giant said I will look on my map on it are marked all the towns, villages and houses so he fetched his map and looked for the castle but could not find it I never mind he said Robert, we will look on those but they searched in vain for the castle was not marked even on these the man now thought he should like to continue his journey but the giant begged him to remain for a day or two longer until the return of his brother who was away in search of provisions when the brother came home they asked him about the castle of Stromberg and he told them that he would look on his own maps as soon as he had eaten and appeased his hunger accordingly when he had finished his supper they all went up together to his room and looked through his maps but the castle was not to be found then he fetched other older maps then they went on looking for the castle until at last they found it but it was many thousand miles away how shall I be able to get there asked the man I have two hours to spare said the giant and I will carry you into the neighborhood of the castle we must then return to look after the child who is in our care the giant thereupon carried the man to within about a hundred leagues of the castle where he left him saying you will be able to walk the remainder of the way yourself the man journeyed on day and night till he reached the golden castle of Stromberg he found it situated however on a glass mountain and looking up from the foot he saw the enchanted maiden in the castle and then go inside he was overjoyed to see her and longed to get to the top of the mountain but the sides were so slippery that every time he attempted to climb he fell back again when he saw that it was impossible to reach her he was greatly grieved and said to himself I will remain here and wait for her so he built himself a little hut and there he sat and watched for a whole year and every day he saw the king's daughter driving around her castle but still was unable to get nearer to her looking out from his hut one day he saw three robbers fighting and he called out to them God be with you they stopped when they heard the call but looking round and seeing nobody they went on again with their fighting which now became more furious God be with you he cried again and again they paused and looked about but seeing no one went back to their fighting God be with you and then thinking he should like to know the cause of dispute between the three men he went out and asked them why they were fighting so angrily with one another one of them said that he had found a stick and that he had but to strike it against any door through which he wished to pass and it immediately flew open another told them that he had found a cloak which rendered its wearer invisible and the third had caught a horse which would carry a rider over any obstacle and even up the glass mountain they had been unable to decide whether they would keep together and have the things in common or whether they would separate on hearing this the man said I will give you something in exchange for those three things not money for that I have not got but something that is of far more value I must first however prove whether all you have told me about your three things is true the robbers therefore made him get on the horse and handed him the stick and the cloak and when he had put this round him he was no longer visible then he fell upon them with a stick and beat them one after another crying there you idle vagabonds you have got what you deserve are you satisfied now after this he rode up the glass mountain when he reached the gate of the castle he found it closed when he gave it a blow with his stick and it flew wide open at once and he passed through he mounted the steps to the room where the maiden was sitting with a golden goblet full of wine in front of her she could not see him for he still wore his cloak he took the ring which she had given him off his finger and threw it into the goblet so that it rang as it touched the bottom that is my own ring she exclaimed and if that is so the man must also be here who is coming to set me free she sought for him about the castle but could find him nowhere meanwhile he had gone outside again and mounted his horse and thrown off the cloak when therefore she came to the castle gate she saw him and cried aloud for joy then he dismounted and took her in his arms and she kissed him and said now you have indeed set me free and tomorrow we will celebrate our marriage End of the Raven The Golden Goose from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there was a man who had three sons the youngest of whom was called Dumbling and was despised, mocked, and sneered at on every occasion it happened that the eldest went to go to the forest to hew wood and before he went his mother gave him a beautiful sweet cake and a bottle of wine in order that he might not suffer from hunger or thirst when he entered the forest he met a little gray-haired old man who bad him good day and said do give me a piece of cake out of your pocket and let me have a draft of your wine I am so hungry and thirsty but the clever son answered if I give you my cake and wine I shall have none for myself be off with you and he left the little man standing and went on but when he began to hew down a tree it was not long before he made a false stroke and the axe cut him in the arm so that he had to go home and have it bound up and this was the little gray man's doing after this the second son went into the forest and his mother gave him, like the eldest a cake and a bottle of wine the little old gray man met him likewise and asked him for a piece of cake and a drink of wine but the second son too said, sensibly enough what I give you will be taken away from myself, be off and he left the little man standing and went on and the man's, however, was not delayed when he had made a few blows at the tree he struck himself in the leg so that he had to be carried home then Dumbling said Father, do let me go and cut wood the father answered your brothers have hurt themselves with it leave it alone you do not understand anything about it but Dumbling begged so long that at last he said just go then you will get wiser by hurting yourself the father gave him a cake made of water and baked in the cinders and with it a bottle of sour beer when he came to the forest the little old gray man met him likewise and greeting him said give me a piece of your cake and a drink of your bottle I am so hungry and thirsty Dumbling answered I have only cinder cake and sour beer if that pleases you we will sit down and eat so they sat down Dumbling pulled out his cinder cake it was a fine sweet cake and the sour beer became good wine so they ate and drank and after that the little man said since you have a good heart and are willing to divide what you have I will give you good luck there stands an old tree cut it down and you will find something at the roots then the little man took leave of him Dumbling went and cut down the tree and when it fell there was a goose sitting in the roots with feathers of pure gold he lifted her up and taking her with him went to an inn where he thought he would stay the night now the host had three daughters who saw the goose and were curious to know what such a wonderful bird might be and would have liked to have one of its golden feathers the eldest thought I will soon find an opportunity of pulling out a feather and as soon as Dumbling had gone out she seized the goose by the wing and her hand remained sticking fast to it the second came soon afterwards thinking only of how she might get a feather for herself but she had scarcely touched her sister when she was held fast at last the third also came with the like intent and the others screamed out keep away for goodness sake keep away but she did not understand why she was to keep away the others are there she thought I may as well be there too and ran to them she remained sticking fast to her so they had to spend the night with the goose the next morning Dumbling took the goose under his arm and set out without troubling himself about the three girls who were hanging on to it they were obliged to run after him continually now left now right wherever his legs took him in the middle of the fields the parson met them and when he saw the procession he said for shame you good for nothing girls why are you running across the fields after this young man is that seemly at the same time he seized the youngest by the hand in order to pull her away but as soon as he touched her he likewise stuck fast and was himself obliged to run behind before long the sexton came by and saw his master the parson running behind three girls he was astonished at this and called out ha hey your reference whither away so quickly today and running after him he took him by the sleeve but was also held fast to it whilst the five were trotting thus one behind the other two laborers came with their hose from the fields the parson called out to them and begged that they would set him in the sexton free but they had scarcely touched the sexton when they were held fast and now there were seven of them running behind Dumbling and the goose soon afterwards he came to a city where a king ruled who had a daughter who was so serious that no one can make her laugh so he had put forth a decree that whosoever should be able to make her laugh should marry her when Dumbling heard this he went with his goose and all her trained before the king's daughter and as soon as she saw the seven people running on and on one behind the other she began to laugh quite loudly and as if she would never stop thereupon Dumbling asked to have her for his wife but the king did not like the son-in-law in all manner of excuses and said he must first produce a man who could drink a cellar full of wine Dumbling thought of the little grey man who would certainly help him so he went into the forest and in the same place where he had felled the tree he saw a man sitting who had a very sorrowful face Dumbling asked him what he was taking to heart so sorely and he answered I have such a great thirst and cannot quench it cold water I cannot stand I have just emptied but that to me is like a drop on a hot stone there I can help you said Dumbling just come with me and you shall be satisfied he led him into the king's cellar and the man bent over the huge barrels and drank and drank till his loins hurt and before the day was out he had emptied all the barrels then Dumbling asked once more for his bride but the king was vexed at such an ugly fellow whom everyone called Dumbling should take away his daughter and he made a new condition he must first find a man who can eat a whole mountain of bread Dumbling did not think long but went straight into the forest where in the same place there sat a man who was tying up his body with a strap and making an awful face and saying I have eaten the whole oven full of rolls but what good is that when one has such a hunger as I my stomach remains empty and I must tie myself up and die of hunger and this Dumbling was glad and said get up come with me you shall eat yourself full he led him to the king's palace where all the flour in the whole kingdom was collected and from it he caused a huge mountain of bread to be baked a man from the forest stood before it began to eat and by the end of one day the whole mountain had vanished then Dumbling for the third time asked for his bride and sought her way out and ordered a ship which could sail on land and on water as soon as you come sailing back in it said he you shall have my daughter for wife Dumbling went straight into the forest and there sat the little grey man to whom he had given his cake when he heard what Dumbling wanted he said since you have given me to eat and drink I will give you the ship and I do all this because you once were kind to me then he gave him the ship to sail on land and water and when the king saw that he could no longer prevent him from having his daughter the wedding was celebrated and after the king's death Dumbling inherited his kingdom and lived for a long time contentedly with his wife and of the golden goose the water of life from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards from the domain read by Bob Neufeld long before you and I were born there reigned in a country a great way off a king who had three sons the king once fell very ill so ill that nobody thought he could live his sons were very much grieved at their father's sickness and as they were walking together very mournfully in the garden of the palace a little old man met them and asked what was the matter ill and that they were afraid nothing could save him I know what would said the little old man it is the water of life if he could have a draft of it he would be well again but it is very hard to get then the eldest one said I shall find it and he went to the sick king and begged that he might go in search for the water of life as it was the only thing that could save him no said the king I'd rather die than place you in such great danger as you must meet within your journey but he begged so hard that the king let him go when the prince thought to himself if I bring my father this water he will make me sole heir to his kingdom then he set out and when he had gone on his way some time he came to a deep valley over hung with rocks and woods and as he looked around he saw standing above him on one of the rocks a little ugly dwarf with a sugar-loved cap and a scarlet cloak and the dwarf called to him and said Prince wither so fast what is that to thee you ugly imp said the prince heartily and rode on but the dwarf was enraged at his behavior and laid a fairy spell of ill luck upon him so that as he rode on the mountain pass became narrower and narrower and at last the way was so straightened that he could not go to step forward and when he thought to have turned his horse round and go back the way he came he heard a loud laugh ringing round him and found that the path was closed behind him so that he was shut in all around he next tried to get off his horse and make his way on foot but again the laugh rang in his ears and he found himself unable to move a step and thus he was forced to abide spellbound meantime the old king was lingering on in daily hope of his son's return till at last the second son said father I will go in search of the water of life for he thought to himself my brother is surely dead and the kingdom will fall to me if I find the water the king was at first very unwilling to let him go but at last yielded to his wish so he set out and followed the same road which his brother had done and met with the same elf who stopped him on the same spot in the mountains saying as before prince wither so fast mind your own affairs busy buddy said the prince scoredfully and rode on but the dwarf put the same spell upon him as he put on his elder brother and he too was at last obliged to take up his abode in the heart of the mountains thus it is with proud silly people who think themselves above everyone else and are too proud to ask or take advice when the second prince had thus been gone a long time the youngest son said he would go in search for the water of life and trusted he would soon be able to make his father well again so he set out and the dwarf met him too at the same spot in the valley among the mountains and said prince wither so fast and the prince said I am going in search of the water of life because my father is ill and like to die can you help me pray be kind and aid me if you can do you know where it is to be found asked the dwarf no said the prince I do not pray tell me if you know then as you have spoken to me kindly and are wise enough to seek for advice I will tell you how and where to go the water you seek springs from a well in an enchanted castle and that you may be able to reach it in safety I will give you an iron wand and two little loaves of bread strike the iron door of the castle three times with the wand and it will open two hungry lions will be lying down inside gaping for their prey tell them the bread they will let you pass then hasten on to the well and take some of the water of life before the clock strikes twelve for if you tarry longer the door will shut upon you forever then the prince thanked his little friend with a scarlet cloak for his friendly aid and took the wand and the bread and went travelling on and on over sea and over land till he came to his journey's end and found everything to be as the dwarf had told him the door flew open at the third stroke of the wand and when the lions were quieted he went on through the castle and came at length to a beautiful hall around it he saw several knights sitting in a trance then he pulled off their rings and put them on his own fingers in another room he saw on a table a sword and a loaf of bread which he also took further on he came to a room where a beautiful young lady sat upon a couch and she welcomed him joyfully and said if he would set her free the kingdom should be his if he would come back in a year and marry her then she told him that the well that held the water of life was in the palace gardens and bat him make haste and draw what he wanted before the clock struck twelve he walked on and as he walked through beautiful gardens he came to a delightful shady spot in which stood a couch and he thought to himself as he felt tired that he would rest himself for a while and gaze on the lovely scenes around him so he laid himself down and sleep fell upon him unawares so that he did not wake up till the clock was striking a quarter to twelve then he sprang from the couch dreadfully frightened ran to the well filled a cup that was standing by him full of water and hastened to get away in time just as he was going out of the iron door it struck twelve and the door fell so quickly upon him that it snapped off a piece of his heel when he found himself safe he was overjoyed he did not think that he had got the water of life and as he was going on his way homewards he passed by the little dwarf who, when he saw the sword and the loaf said, you have made a noble prize with the sword you can at a blow slay whole armies and the bread will never fail you then the prince thought to himself I cannot go home to my father without my brothers so he said, but my dear friend cannot you tell me where my two brothers are who set out in search of the water of life before me and never came back I have shut them up by a charm between two mountains, said the dwarf because they were proud and ill-behaved and scorned to ask advice the prince begged so hard for his brothers that the dwarf at last set them free though unwillingly, saying beware of them for they have bad hearts their brother, however was greatly rejoiced to see them and told them all that had happened to him how he had found the water of life and had taken a cup full of it and how he had set a beautiful princess free from a spell that bound her and how she had engaged to wait a whole year and then to marry him and to give him the kingdom then they all three rode on together when on their way home came to a country that was laid waste by war and a dreadful famine so that it was feared all must die for once but the prince gave the king of the land the bread and all his kingdom ate of it he sent the king the wonderful sword and he slew the enemy's army with it and thus the kingdom was once more in peace and plenty in the same manner he befriended two other countries through which they passed on their way when they came to the sea they got into a ship and during their voyage the two eldest said to themselves our brother has got the water which we could not find therefore our father will forsake us and give him the kingdom which is our right so they were full of envy and revenge and agreed together how they could ruin him then they waited till he was fast asleep and poured the water of life out of the cup and took it for themselves giving him bitter seawater instead when they came to the journey's end the youngest son brought his cup to the sick king that he might drink and be healed scarcely however had he tasted the bitter seawater when he became worse even than he was before and then both the eldest sons came in and blamed the youngest for what they had done and said that he wanted to poison their father but that they found the water of life and had brought it with them he no sooner began to drink of what they brought him than he felt his sickness leave him and was as strong and well as in his younger days then they went to their brother and laughed at him and said well brother you found the water of life did you you have had the trouble and we shall have the reward pray with all your cleverness why did not you manage to keep your eyes open next year one of us will take away your beautiful princess if you do not care you had better say nothing about this to our father for he does not believe a word you say and if you tell tales you shall lose your life into the bargain but be quiet and we will let you off the old king was still very angry with his youngest son and thought he really meant to have taken away his life so he called his court together and asked what should be done and he agreed that he ought to be put to death the prince knew nothing of what was going on till one day when the king's chief huntsman went hunting with him and they were alone in the wood together the huntsman looked so sorrowful that the prince said my friend what is the matter with you I cannot and dare not tell you said he but the prince begged very hard and said only tell me what it is and do not think I shall be angry for I will forgive you the king has ordered me to shoot you the prince started at this and said let me live and I will change dresses with you you shall take my royal coat to show to my father and do you give me your shabby one with all my heart said the huntsman I am sure I shall be glad to save you for I could not have shot you then he took the prince's coat and gave him the shabby one and went away through the wood sometime after three grand embassies came to the old king's court with rich gifts of gold and precious stones for his youngest son now all these were sent from the three kings to whom he had let his sword and loaf of bread in order to rid them of their enemy and feed their people this touched the old king's heart and he thought his son might still be guiltless and said to his court oh that my son was still alive how it grieves me that I had him killed he is still alive said the huntsman and I am glad that I had pity on him he took the girl in peace and brought home his royal coat at this the king was overwhelmed with joy and made it known throughout all his kingdom that if his son would come back to his court he would forgive him meanwhile the princess was eagerly waiting till her deliverer should come back and had a road made leading up to her palace all of shining gold and told her courtiers that whoever came on horseback and rode straight up to the gate upon it was her true lover and that they must let him in whoever rode on one side of it they must be sure was not the right one and that they must send him away at once the time soon came when the eldest brother thought that he would make haste to go to the princess and say that he was the one who had set her free and that he should have her for his wife and the kingdom with her as he came before the palace and saw the golden road he stopped to look at it and thought to himself it is a pity to ride upon this beautiful road so he turned aside but when he came to the gate the guards who had seen the road he took said to him he could not be what he said he was and must go about his business the second prince set out soon afterwards on the same errand but when he came to the golden road and his horse had set one foot upon it he stopped to look at it and thought it very beautiful and said to himself what a pity it is that anyone should tread here then he too turned aside and rode on the left side of it the guard said that he was not the true prince and that he too must go away about his business and away he went now when the full year was come round the third brother left the forest in which he had lain hid for fear of his father's anger and set out in search of his betrothed bride so he journeyed on thinking of her all the way and rode so quickly that he did not even see what the road was made of but went with his horse straight over it and as he came to the gates he had flew open and the princess welcomed him with joy and said he was her deliverer and should now be her husband and lord of the kingdom when the first joy at their meeting was over the princess told him she had heard of his father having forgiven him and of his wish to have him home again so before his wedding with the princess he went to visit his father taking her with him then he told him everything how his brothers had cheated and robbed him and yet that he had borne all those wrongs for the love of his father and the old king was very angry and wanted to punish his wicked sons but they made their escape and got into a ship and sailed away over the wide sea and where they went to nobody knew and nobody cared and now the old king gathered together his court and asked all his kingdom to come and celebrate the wedding of his son and the princess and young and old noble and squire, gentle and simple came at once on the summons among the rest came the friendly dwarf with the sugar-loaf hat and a new scarlet cloak and the wedding was held in a merry bell's run and all the good people they danced and they sung and feasted and froliced I can't tell how long End of The Water of Life The Twelve Huntsmen from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards in the Public Domain read by Bob Neufeld There was once a king's son who had a bride whom he loved very much and when he was sitting beside her and very happy news came that his father lay sick unto death and desired to see him once again before his end then he said to his beloved I must now go and leave you I give you a ring as a remembrance of me when I am king I will return and fetch you so he rode away to fetch his father the latter was dangerously ill and near his death he said to him, dear son I wish to see you once again before my end promise me to marry as I wish that he named a certain king's daughter who was to be his wife the son was in such trouble that he did not think what he was doing and said, yes, dear father your will shall be done and thereupon the king shot his eyes and died after the claim king in the time of morning was over he was forced to keep the promise which he had given his father and caused the king's daughter to be asked in marriage and she was promised to him his first betrothed heard of this and fretted so much about his faithfulness that she nearly died then her father said to her dearest child, why are you so sad you shall have whatsoever you will she thought for a moment and said, dear father I wish for eleven girls exactly like myself in face, figure and size the father said if it be possible your desire shall be fulfilled and he caused the search to be made in his whole kingdom until eleven young maidens were found who exactly resembled his daughter in face, figure and size when they came to the king's daughter she had twelve suits of huntsman's clothes made all alike and the eleven maidens had to put on the huntsman's clothes and she herself put on the twelfth suit thereupon she took her leave of her father and rode away with them and rode to the court of her former betrothed whom she loved so dearly then she asked if he required any huntsman and if he would take all of them into his service the king looked at her and did not know her but as they were such handsome fellows he said, yes and that he would willingly take them and now they were the king's twelve huntsmen the king however had a lion which was a wondrous animal for he knew all concealed and secret things it came to pass that one evening he said to the king you think you have twelve huntsmen? yes, said the king they are twelve huntsmen the lion continued you are mistaken they are twelve girls the king said that cannot be true how will you prove that to me? oh just let some peas be strewn in the antechamber answer the lion and then you will soon see a firm step and when they walk over peas none of them stir but girls trip and skip and drag their feet and the peas roll about the king was well pleased with the council and caused the peas to be strewn there was however a servant of the kings who favored the huntsmen and when he heard that they were going to be put to this test he went to them and repeated everything and said, the lion wants to make the king believe that you are girls then the king's daughter thanked him and the maidens show some strength and step firmly on the peas so next morning when the king had the twelve huntsmen called before him and they came into the antechamber where the peas were lying they stepped so firmly on them and had such a strong sure walk that not one of the peas either rolled or stirred then they went away again and the king said to the lion you have lied to me they walked just like men the lion said that they were going to be put to the test and have assumed some strength just let twelve spinning wheels be brought into the antechamber and they will go to them and be pleased with them and that is what no man would do the king liked the advice and had the spinning wheels placed in the antechamber but the servant who was well disposed to the huntsmen went to them and disclosed the project so when they were alone the king's daughter said to her eleven girls show some restraint on the spinning wheels and the next morning when the king had his twelve huntsmen summoned she went through the antechamber and never once looked at the spinning wheels then the king again said to the lion you have deceived me they are men for they have not looked at the spinning wheels the lion replied they have restrained themselves the king however would no longer believe the lion the twelve huntsmen always followed the king to the chase they were continually increased now it came to pass that once when they were out hunting news came that the king's bride was approaching when the true bride heard that it hurt her so much that her heart was almost broken and she fell fainting to the ground the king thought something had happened to his dear huntsmen ran up to him, wanted to help him and drew his glove off then he saw the ring which he had given to his first bride and when he looked in her face he recognized her then his heart was so touched that he kissed her and when she opened her eyes he said you are mine and I am yours and no one in the world can alter that he sent a messenger to the other bride and entreated her to return to her own kingdom for he had a wife already and someone who had just found an old key did not require a new one thereupon the wedding was celebrated and the lion was again taken into favor because after all he had told the truth end of the twelve huntsmen the king of the golden mountain from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this Slipperovox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there was once a merchant who had only one child a son that was very young and barely able to run alone he had two richly laden ships then making a voyage upon the seas in which he had embarked all his wealth in the hope of making great gains when the news came that both were lost thus from being a rich man he became all at once so very poor that nothing was left to him but one small plot of land and there he often went in an evening to take his walk and ease his mind of a little of his trouble one day as he was roaming along in a brown study thinking with no great comfort on what he had been and what he now was and was like to be all on a sudden there stood before him a little rough-looking black dwarf pretty friend why so sorrowful said he to the merchant what is it you take so deeply to heart if you would do me any good I would willingly tell you, said the merchant who knows but I may said the little man tell me what ails you and perhaps you may find I may be of some use then the merchant told him to the bottom of the sea and how he had nothing left but that little plot of land oh, trouble not yourself about that, said the dwarf only undertake to bring me here twelve years hence whatever meets you first on you are going home and I will give you as much as you please the merchant thought this was no great thing to ask that it would most likely be his dog or his cat or something of that sort but forgot his little boy, Heinel so he agreed to the bargain and signed and sealed the bond to do what was asked of him but as he drew near home his little boy was so glad to see him that he crept behind him and laid fast hold of his legs and looked up in his face and laughed then the father started trembling with fear and horror and saw what it was that he had bound himself to do but as no gold was come he made himself easy by thinking that it was only a joke that the dwarf was playing him and that at any rate when the money came he should see the bearer and would not take it in about a month afterwards he went upstairs into a lumber-room to look for some old iron that he might sell it and raise a little money and there instead of his iron he saw a large pile of gold lying on the floor at the sight of this he was overjoyed and forgetting all about his son went into trade again and became a richer merchant than before meanwhile little Heinel grew up and as the end of the twelve years drew near the merchant began to call to mind his bond and became very sad and thoughtful so that care and sorrow were written upon his face the boy one day asked what was the matter but his father would not tell him for some time at last however he said that he had, without knowing it sold him for gold to a little ugly-looking black dwarf and that the twelve years were coming round when he must keep his word then Heinel said, Father, give yourself very little trouble about it give yourself very little trouble about that I shall be too much for the little man when the time came the father and son went out together to the place agreed upon when the son drew a circle on the ground and set himself and his father in the middle of it the little black dwarf soon came and walked round and round about the circle one could not find any way to get into it and he either could not or dared not jump over it at last the boy said to him have you anything to say to us, my friend or what do you want? now Heinel had found a friend in a good fairy that was fond of him and had told him what to do for this fairy knew what good luck was in store for him have you brought me what you said you would? said the dwarf to the merchant the old man held his tongue but Heinel said again what do you want here? the dwarf said, but come to talk with your father not with you you have cheated and taken it in my father they give him up his bond at once fair and softly said the little old man right is right I have paid my money and your father has had it and spent it so be so good as to let me have what I paid it for you must have my consent to that first said Heinel so please to step in here and let us talk it over the old man grinned and showed his teeth as if he should have been very glad to get into the circle if he could after a long talk they came to terms Heinel agreed that his father must give him up and that so far the dwarf should have his way but on the other hand the fairy had told Heinel what fortune was in store for him if he followed his own course and he did not choose to be given up to his humpbacked friend who seemed so anxious for his company so to make a sort of drawn battle of the matter it was settled that Heinel should be put into an open boat that lay on the seashore hard by should push him off with his own hand and that he should thus be set adrift and left to the bad or good luck of wind and weather then he took leave of his father and set himself in the boats but before it got far off a wave struck it and it fell with one side low in the water so the merchant thought that poor Heinel was lost and went home very sorrowful while the dwarf went his way thinking that at any rate he had had his revenge to boat however did not sink for the good fairy took care of her friend and soon raised the boat up again and it went safely on young man sat safe within till at length it ran ashore upon an unknown land as he jumped upon the shore he saw before him a beautiful castle but empty and dreary within for it was enchanted here said he to himself must I find a prize the good fairy told me of so he once more searched the whole palace through till at last he found a white snake lying coiled up on a cushion in one of the chambers now the white snake was an enchanted princess and she was very glad to see him and said are you at last come to set me free twelve long years have I waited for the fairy to bring you hither as she promised for you alone can save me this night twelve men will come their faces will be black and they will be dressed in chain armor they will ask what you do here no answer and let them do what they will beat, wick, pinch, prick or torment you bear all oh they speak not a word and at twelve o'clock they must go away the second night twelve others will come and the third night twenty-four we will even cut off your head but at the twelfth hour of that night their power is gone and I shall be free and will come and bring you the water of life and will wash you with it and bring you back to life and health all came to pass as she had said Heinal bore all and spoke not a word and the third night the princess came and fell on his neck and kissed him joy and gladness burst forth throughout the castle the wedding was celebrated and he was crowned king of the golden mountain they lived together very happily and the queen had a son and thus eight years had passed over their heads when the king thought of his father and began to long to see him once again the queen was against his going and said I know well what misfortunes will come upon us if you go however he gave her no rest till she agreed at his going away she gave him a wishing ring and said take this ring and put it on your finger whatever you wish it will bring you only promise never to make use of it to bring me hence to your father's house then he said he would do what she asked and put the ring on his finger in the town where his father lived Heino found himself at the gates in a moment but the guards would not let him go in because he was so strangely clad so he went up to a neighboring hill where a shepherd dwelt and borrowed his old frock and thus passed unknown into the town when he came to his father's house he said he was his son but the merchant would not believe him and said he had had but one son his poor Heino as he was only dressed like a poor shepherd he would not even give him anything to eat the king however still vowed that he was his son and said is there no mark by which you would know me if I am really your son yes said his mother our Heino had a mark like a raspberry on his right arm then he showed them the mark and they knew that what he had said was true he next told them how he was king of the golden mountain and was married to a princess seven years old but the merchant said that can never be true he must be a fine king truly who travels about in a shepherd's frock at this the son was vexed and forgetting his word turned his ring and wished for his queen and son in an instant they stood before him but the queen wept and said he had broken his word and bad luck would follow he did all he could to soothe her and she at last seemed to be appeased but she was not so in truth and was only thinking how she should punish him one day he took her to walk with him out of the town and showed her the spot where the boat was set adrift upon the wide waters then he sat himself down and said I am very much tired sit by me I will rest my head in your lap and sleep a while as soon as he had fallen asleep however she drew the ring from his finger and crept softly away and wished herself and her son at home in their kingdom and when he awoke he found himself alone and saw that the ring was gone from his finger I can never go back to my father's house said he they would say I am a sorcerer I will journey forth into the world till I come again to my kingdom so saying he sat out and traveled till he came to a hill where three giants were sharing their father's goods and as they saw him pass they cried out and said little men have sharp wits he shall part the goods between us now there was a sword that cut off an enemy's head whenever the wearer gave the words heads off a cloak that made the owner invisible or gave him any form he pleased and a pair of boots that carried the wearer wherever he wished Heil said they must first let him try these wonderful things then he might know how to set a value upon them then they gave him the cloak and he wished himself a fly and in a moment he was a fly the cloak is very well said he now give me the sword no said they not unless you undertake not to say heads off for if you do we are all dead men so they gave it to him charging him to try it on a tree he next asked for the boots also and the moment he had all three in his power he wished himself at the golden mountain there he was at once so the giants were left behind with no goods to share or quarrel about as Heino came near his castle he heard the sound of merry music and the people around told him that his queen was about to marry another husband then he threw his cloak around him and passed through the castle hall and placed himself by the side of the queen where no one saw him but when anything to eat was put upon her plate he took it away and ate it himself and when a glass of wine was handed to her he took it and drank it and thus though they kept on giving her meat and drink her plate and cup were always empty upon this fear and remorse came over her and she went into her chamber alone and sat there weeping and he followed her there alas! she said to herself was I not once set free why then does this enchantment still seem to bind me false and fickle one said he one indeed came who set thee free and he is now near thee again but how have you used him to ought he to have had such a treatment from thee then he went out and sent away the company and said the wedding was at an end for that he was come back to the kingdom but the princes, peers, and great men mocked at him however he would enter into no party with them but only asked them if they would go in peace or not then they turned upon him and tried to seize him but he drew his sword heads off! cried he and with the word the trader's heads fell before him and Heinle was once more king of the golden mountain and of the king of the golden mountain doctor know all from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Mary and Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there was once upon a time a poor peasant called Crab who drove with two oxen a load of wood to the town and sold it to a doctor for two tollers when the money was being counted out to him it so happened that the doctor was sitting at table and when the peasant saw how well he ate and drank his heart desired what he saw and would willingly have been a doctor too so he remained standing a while and at length inquired if he too could not be a doctor oh yes, said the doctor, that is soon managed ooh, asked the peasant in the first place buy yourself an ABC book of the kind which has a rooster on the frontispiece in the second turn your cart and your two oxen into money and get yourself some clothes and whatsoever else pertains to medicine thirdly, have a sign painted for yourself with the words I am doctor know all and have that nailed up above your house door the peasant did everything that he had been told to do to people a while, but not long a rich and great lord had some money stolen then he was told about doctor know all who lived in such and such a village and must know what had become of the money so the lord had the horses harnessed to his carriage drove out to the village and asked crab if he were doctor know all yes, he was, he said then he was to go with him and bring back the stolen money oh yes, but Greta, my wife must go too the lord was willing to let both of them have a seat in the carriage and they all drove away together when they came to the nobleman's castle the table was spread and crab was told to sit down and eat yes, but my wife Greta too said he, and he seated himself with her at the table and when the first servant came with a dish of delicate fare the peasant nudged his wife and said, Greta, that was the first meaning that was the servant who brought the first dish the servant, however, thought he intended by that to say that is the first thief and as he actually was so he was terrified and said to his comrade outside the doctor knows all we shall fare ill he said I was the first the second did not want to go in at all but was forced so when he went in with his dish the peasant nudged his wife and said Greta, that is the second this servant was equally alarmed and he got out as fast as he could the third fared no better for the peasant again said Greta, that is the third the fourth had to carry in a dish that was covered and the lord told the doctor that he was to show his skill and guess what was beneath the cover actually, they were crabs the doctor looked at the dish had no idea what to say and cried ah, poor crab when the lord heard that he cried there, he knows it he must also know who has the money on this, the servants looked terribly uneasy and made a sign to the doctor that they wished him to step outside for a moment when, therefore, he went out all four of them confessed to him that they had stolen the money and said that they would willingly restore it and give him a heavy sum into the bargain if he would not denounce them for if he did, they would be hanged they led him to the spot where the money was concealed with this, the doctor was satisfied and returned to the hall sat down at the table and said my lord, now will I search in my book where the gold is hidden the fifth servant, however, crept into the stove to hear if the doctor knew still more but the doctor sat still and opened his ABC book turned the pages backwards and forwards and looked for the rooster as he could not find it immediately he said, I know you are there so you had better come out then the fellow in the stove thought the doctor met him but, crying, that man knows everything then Dr. Noah showed the lord where the money was but did not say who had stolen it and received from both sides much money and reward and became a renowned man end of Dr. Noah The Seven Ravens from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain by Bob Neufeld there once was a man who had seven sons and, last of all, one daughter although the little girl was very pretty she was so weak and small that they thought she could not live but they said she should at once be christened so the father sent one of his sons in haste to the spring to get some water but the other six ran with him each wanted to be first at drawing the water and so they were in such a hurry that all their pictures fell into the well they were very foolishly looking at one another and did not know what to do for no one dared go home in the meantime the father was uneasy and could not tell what made the young man stay so long surely, said he the whole Seven must have forgotten themselves over some game of play and when he had waited still longer and they yet did not come he flew into a rage and wished them all turned into ravens scarcely had he spoken these words when he heard a croaking over his head and saw seven ravens as black as coal flying round and round sorry as he was to see his wish so fulfilled he did not know how what was done could be undone and comforted himself as well as he could for the loss of his seven sons with his dear little daughter who soon became stronger and every day more beautiful for a long time she did not know that she had ever had any brothers for her father and mother took care but on one day by chance she heard the people about her speak of them yes, said they, she is beautiful indeed but still tis a pity that her brother should have been lost for her sake then she was much grieved and went to her father and mother and asked if she had any brothers and what had become of them so they dared no longer hide the truth from her but said it was all the will of heaven and that her birth was only the innocent cause of it but the little girl mourned sadly about it every day and thought herself bound to do all she could to bring her brothers back and she had neither rest nor ease till at length one day she stole away and set out into the wide world to find her brothers wherever they might be and free them whatever it might cost her she took nothing with her but a little ring which her father and mother had given her a loaf of bread in case she should be hungry a little pitcher of water in case she should be thirsty and a little stool to rest upon when she should be weary thus she went on and on and journeyed till she came to the world's end then she came to the sun but the sun looked much too hot and fiery so she ran away quickly to the moon but the moon was cold and chilly and said I smell flesh and blood this way so she took herself away in a hurry and came to the stars and the stars were friendly and kind to her and each star sat upon his old little stool but the morning star rose up and gave her a little piece of wood and said if you have not this little piece of wood you cannot unlock the castle that stands on the glass mountain and there your brothers live the little girl took the piece of wood broke it up in a little cloth and went on again until she came to the glass mountain and found the door shut then she felt for the little piece of wood but when she unwrapped the cloth it was not there and she saw she had lost the gift of the good stars what was to be done she wanted to save her brothers and had no key of the castle of the glass mountain so this faithful little sister took a knife out of her pocket and cut off her little finger that was just the size of the piece of wood she had lost and put it in the door and opened it as she went in a little dwarf came up to her and said what are you seeking for I seek for my brothers the seven ravens answered she the dwarf said my masters are not at home but if you will wait till they come pray step in now the little dwarf was getting their dinner ready and he brought their food upon seven little plates and their drink in seven little glasses and set them upon the table and out of each little plate their sister ate a small piece and out of each little glass she drank a small drop but she let the ring that she had brought with her fall into the last glass in the air and the dwarf said here come my masters when they came in they wanted to eat and drink and looked for their little plates and glasses then said one after the other who has eaten from my little plate and who has been drinking out of my little glass well I wean mortal lips have this way been when the seventh came to the bottom of his glass and found there the ring he looked at it and knew that it was his fathers and mothers and said oh that our little sister would but come then we should be free when the little girl heard this for she stood behind the door all the time and listened she ran forward and in an instant all the ravens took their right form again and all hugged and kissed each other and went merrily home End of the Seven Raven The Wedding of Mrs. Fox from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld First Story There was once upon a time an old fox with nine tails who believed that his wife was not faithful to him and wished to put her to the test he stretched himself out under the bench did not move a limb and behaved as if he were stoned dead Mrs. Fox went up to her room shut herself in and made Miss Cat sat by the fire and did the cooking when it became known that the old fox was dead suitors presented themselves the maid heard someone standing at the house door knocking she went and opened it and it was a young fox who said what may you be about Miss Cat do you sleep or do you wake she answered I am not sleeping I am waking would you know what I am making I am boiling warm beer with butter do you rest for supper no thank you miss said the fox what is Mrs. Fox doing the maid replied she is sitting in her room moaning in her gloom weeping her little eyes quite red because old Mr. Fox is dead do just tell her miss that a young fox is here who would like to woo her certainly young sir the cat goes up the stairs trip trip the door she knocks at tap tap tap are you inside oh yes my dear cat she cried a wooer he stands at the door out there what does he look like my dear has he nine as beautiful tails as the late Mr. Fox oh no answered the cat he has only one then I will not have him Miss Cat went downstairs and sent the wooer away soon afterwards there was another knock and another fox was at the door who wished to woo Mrs. Fox but he did not fare better than the first after this still more came each with one tail more than the other but they were all turned down until at last one came who had nine tails like old Mr. Fox when the widow heard that she said joyfully to the cat now open the gates the doors all wide and carry old Mr. Fox outside but just as the wedding was going to be solemnized old Mr. Fox stirred under the bench all the rabble and drove them and Mrs. Fox out of the house second story when old Mr. Fox was dead the wolf came as a suitor and knocked at the door and the cat who was a servant of Mrs. Fox opened it for him the wolf greeted her and said good day Mrs. Cat of Carowit how comes it that alone you sit what are you making good the cat replied in milk I'm breaking bread so sweet will you be my guest and eat no thank you Mrs. Cat answered the wolf is Mrs. Fox not at home the cat said she sits upstairs in her room bewailing her sorrowful doom bewailing her trouble so sore for old Mr. Fox is no more the wolf answered if she's in want of a husband new then will it please her to step below the cat runs quickly up the stair tail fly here and there until she comes to the parlor door with her five gold rings at the door she knocks are you within good Mr. Fox if you're in want of a husband now then will it please you to step below Mrs. Fox answered has the gentleman read stockings on and has he appointed mouth no answered the cat then he won't do for me when the wolf was gone came a dog a stag a hare a lion and all the beasts of the field one after the other but one of the good qualities which old Mr. Fox had possessed was always lacking and the cat had continually to send the suitors away at length came a young fox and Mrs. Fox said has the gentleman read stockings on and has a little pointed mouth yes said the cat he has then let him come upstairs said Mrs. Fox and ordered the servants to prepare the wedding feast sweep me the room as clean as you can up with the window fling out my old man for many a fine fat mouse he brought yet of his wife he never thought but ate up every one he caught then the wedding was solemnized with young Mr. Fox and there was much rejoicing and dancing and if they have not left off they are dancing still and of the wedding of Mrs. Fox the salad from Grims Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld as a merry young huntsman was once going briskly along through a wood there came up a little old woman and said to him good day, good day you seem merry enough but I am hungry and thirsty give me something to eat the huntsman took pity on her and put his hand in his pocket and gave her what he had then he wanted to go his way but she took hold of him and said listen, my friend to what I am going to tell you I will reward you for your kindness go your way and after a little time you will come to a tree where you will see nine birds sitting on a cloak shoot into the midst of them and one will fall down dead the cloak will fall too take it, it is a wishing cloak and when you wear it you will find yourself at any place where you may wish to be cut open the dead bird take out its heart and keep it and you will find a piece of gold under your pillow every morning when you rise it is the bird's heart that will bring you this good luck the huntsman thanked her and thought to himself if all this does happen it will be a fine thing for me when he had gone a hundred steps or so he heard a screaming and chirping in the branches above him and looked up and saw a flock of birds pulling a cloak with their bills and feet screaming, fighting and tugging at each other as if each wished to have it himself well, said the huntsman this is wonderful this happens just as the old woman said then he shot into the midst of them so that their feathers flew all about both went the flock chattering away but one fell dead and the cloak with it then the huntsman did as the old woman told him cut open the bird, took out the heart and carried the cloak home with him the next morning when he awoke he lifted up his pillow and there laid a piece of gold glittering underneath the same happened next day and indeed every day when he arose he heaped up a great deal of gold and at last thought to himself of what use is this gold to me whilst I am at home I will go out into the world and look about me then he took leave of his friends and hung his bag and bow about his neck and went his way it so happened that his road one day led through a thick wood at the end of which was a large castle in a green meadow and at one of the windows stood an old woman with a very beautiful young lady by her side looking about them now the old woman was a witch and said to the young lady there is a young man coming out of the wood who carries a wonderful prize we must get it away from him my dear child for it is more fit for us than for him he has a bird's heart that brings a piece of gold under his pillow every morning meantime the huntsman came nearer and looked at the lady and said to himself I have been traveling so long that I should like to go into this castle and rest myself for I have money enough to pay for anything I want but the real reason was that he wanted to see more of the beautiful lady then he went into the house and was welcomed kindly and it was not long before he was so much in love that he thought of nothing else but looking at the lady's eyes and doing everything that she wished then the old woman said now is the time for getting the bird's heart so the lady stole it away and he never found any more gold under his pillow for it lay now under the young ladies and the old woman took it away every morning but he was so much in love that he never missed his prize well said the old witch we have got the bird's heart wishing cloak yet and that we must also get let us leave him that said the young lady he has already lost his wealth then the witch was very angry and said such a cloak is a very rare and wonderful thing and I must and will have it so she did as the old woman told and set herself at the window and looked about the country and seemed very sorrowful then the huntsman said what makes you so sad said she yonder lies the granite rock where all the costly diamonds grow and I want so much to go there that whenever I think of it I cannot help being sorrowful for who can reach it only the birds and the flies man cannot if that's all your grief said the huntsman I'll take you there with all my heart so he drew her under his cloak and the moment he wished to be on the granite mountain so on all sides that they were delighted with the sight and picked up the finest but the old witch made a deep sleep come upon him and he said to the young lady let us sit down and rest ourselves a little I am so tired that I cannot stand any longer so they sat down and he laid his head in her lap and fell asleep and whilst he was sleeping on she took the cloak from his shoulders hung it on her own, picked up the diamonds he took and found that his lady had tricked him and left him alone on the wild rock he said, Alas! what roguery there is in the world and there he sat in great grief and fear not knowing what to do now this rock belonged to fierce giants who lived upon it and as he saw three of them striding about he thought to himself I can only save myself by feigning to be asleep so he laid himself down as if he were in a sound sleep when the giants came up to him the first pushed him with his foot and said, what worm is this that lies here curled up tread upon him and kill him said the second it's not worth the trouble said the third, let him live he'll be climbing higher up the mountain and some cloud will come rolling and carry him away and they passed on but the huntsmen had heard all they said and as soon as they were gone they came up to the top of the mountain and when he had sat there a short time a cloud came rolling around him and caught him in a whirlwind and bore him along for some time till it settled in a garden and he fell quite gently to the ground amongst the greens and cabbages then he looked around him and said I wish I had something to eat if not I shall be worse off than before for here I see neither apples nor pears nor any kinds of fruits nothing but vegetables at last he thought to himself I can eat salad it will refresh and strengthen me so he picked out a fine head and ate of it but scarcely had he swallowed two bites when he felt himself quite changed and saw with horror that he was turned into a donkey however he still felt very hungry and the salad tasted very nice so he ate on till he came to another kind of salad and scarcely had he tasted it when he felt another change come over him he was lucky enough to found his old shape again then he laid himself down and slept off a little of his weariness and when he awoke the next morning he broke off a head both of the good and the bad salad and thought to himself this will help me to my fortune again and enable me to pay off some folks for their treachery so he went away to try and find a castle of his friends and after wondering about a few days he luckily found it with his face all over brown so that even his mother would not have known him and went into the castle and asked for lodging I am so tired said he that I can go no farther Countrymen said the witch who are you and what is your business I am said he a messenger set by the king to find the finest salad that grows under the sun I have been lucky enough to find it and have brought it with me so that it begins to wither and I don't know that I can carry it farther when the witch and the young lady heard of his beautiful salad they longed to taste it and said dear countrymen let us just taste it to be sure I have two heads of it with me and will give you one so he opened his bag and gave them the bad then the witch herself took it into the kitchen to be dressed and when it was ready she could not wait till it was carried up and ate some leaves immediately and put them in her mouth and scarcely were they swallowed than she lost her own form and ran braying down into the courts in the form of a donkey now the servant maid came into the kitchen and seeing the salad ready was going to carry it up but on the way she too felt a wish to taste it as the old woman had done and ate some leaves so she also was turned into a donkey and ran after the other and just sat all this time with the beautiful young lady and as nobody came with the salad and she longed to taste it she said I don't know where the salad can be then he thought something must have happened and said I will go into the kitchen and see and as he went he saw two donkeys in the court running about and the salad lying on the ground all right said he those two have had their share then he took up the rest of the leaves laid them on the dish and brought them to the young lady saying I bring you the dish myself that you may not wait any longer so she ate of it and like the others ran off into the court braying away then the husband washed his face and went into the court that they might know him now you shall be paid for your roguery said he and tied them all three to a rope and took them along with him till he came to a mill and knocked at the window what's the matter? said the miller I have three tires and beasts here said the other if you will take them give them food in room and treat them as I tell you I will pay you whatever you ask with all my heart said the miller but how shall I treat them then the huntsman said give the old one stripes three times a day in hay once give the next who was the servant made stripes once a day in hay three times and give the youngest who was the beautiful lady hay three times a day and no stripes for he could not find it in his heart to have her beaten after this he went back to the castle where he found everything he wanted some days after the miller came to him and told him that the old donkey was dead the other two said he are alive and eat but are so sorrowful that they cannot last long then the huntsman pitted them and told the miller to drive them back to him and when they came he gave them some of the good salad to eat and the beautiful young lady fell upon her knees before him and said oh dearest huntsman forgive me all the ill I have done you my mother forced me to it it was against my will for I always loved you very much your wishing cloak hangs up in the closet and as for the bird's heart I will give it to you but he said keep it it will be just the same thing I will make you my wife so they were married and lived together very happily till they died end of the salad the story of the youth who went forth to learn what fear was from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld a certain father had two sons the elder of whom was smart and sensible and could do everything but the younger was stupid and could neither learn nor understand anything and when people saw him they said there's a fellow who will give his father some trouble when anything had to be done it was always the elder who was forced to do it but if his father bad him fetch anything when he was late or in the night time and the way led through the churchyard or any other dismal place I'll not go there it makes me shudder for he was afraid or when stories were told by the fire at night which made the flesh creep the listener sometimes said oh, it makes me shudder the younger sat in the corner and listened with the rest of them and could not imagine what they could mean they are always saying it makes me shudder it makes me shudder it does not make me shudder thought he that too must be an art of which I understand nothing now it came to pass that his father said to him one day Harken to me you fellow in the corner there you are growing tall and strong and you too must learn something by which you can earn your bread look how your brother works but you do not even earn your salt well, father, he replied I am quite willing to learn something indeed, if it could be but managed, I should like to learn how to shudder I don't understand that at all yet the elder brother smiled when he heard that and thought to himself goodness, what a blockhead that brother of mine is he will never be good for anything as long as he lives he who wants to be a sickle must bend himself betimes the father sighed and answered him you shall soon learn what it is to shudder but you will not earn your bread by that soon after this the sexton came to the house on a visit and the father bewailed his trouble and told him how his younger son went backward in every respect that he knew nothing and learnt nothing just think, said he when I asked him how he was going to earn his bread he actually wanted to learn to shudder if that be all, replied the sexton he can learn that with me send him to me and I will soon polish him the father was glad to do it for he thought it will train the boy a little the sexton therefore took him into his house and he had to ring the church bell after a day or two the sexton awoke him at midnight and bade him arise and go up into the church tower and ring the bell you shall soon learn what shuddering is thought he and secretly went there before him and when the boy was at the top of the tower and turned round and was just going to take hold of the bell rope he saw a white figure standing on the stairs opposite the sounding hole who is there, cried he but the figure made no reply and did not move or stir give an answer, cried the boy or take yourself off you have no business here at night the sexton however remained standing motionless that the boy might think he was a ghost the boy cried a second time what do you want here, speak if you are an honest fellow or I will throw you down the steps the sexton thought he can't mean to be as bad as his words out of no sound and stood as if he were made of stone then the boy called to him for the third time but also to no purpose he ran against him and pushed the ghost down the stairs so that it fell down the ten steps and remained lying there in the corner there upon he rang the bell went home and without saying a word went to bed and fell asleep the sexton's wife waited a long time for her husband but he did not come back at length she became uneasy and wakened the boy and asked do you know where my husband is he climbed up the tower before you did no I don't know replied the boy but someone was standing by the sounding-hole on the other side of the steps and as he would neither give an answer nor go away I took him for a scoundrel and threw him downstairs just go there and you will see if it was he I should be sorry if it were the woman ran away and found her husband who was lying moaning in the corner and had broken his leg she carried him down and then with loud screams father your boy cried she has been the cause of a great misfortune he has thrown my husband down the steps so that he broke his leg take the good for nothing fellow out of our house the father was terrified and ran thither and scolded the boy what wicked tricks are these said he the devil must have put them into your head father he replied do listen to me I am quite innocent he was standing there by night like one intent on doing evil I did not know who it was and I entreated him three times either to speak or to go away ah said the father I have nothing but unhappiness with you go out of my sight I will see you no more yes father right willingly wait only until it is day then I will go forth and learn how to shudder and then I shall at any rate understand one art which will support me learn what you will father it is all the same to me here are fifty dollars for you take these and go into the wide world and tell no one from once you come and who is your father for I have reason to be ashamed of you yes father it shall be as you will if you desire nothing more than that I can easily keep it in mind when the day dawned therefore the boy put his fifty dollars into his pocket and went forth on the great highway and continually said to himself if I could but shudder if I could but shudder then a man approached who heard this conversation which the youth was holding with himself and when they had walked a little farther to where they could see the gallows the man said to him look there is the tree where seven men have married the rope maker's daughter and are now learning how to fly sit down beneath it and wait till night comes and you will soon learn how to shudder if that is all that is wanted it is easily done but if I learn how to shudder as fast as that you shall have my fifty dollars just come back to me early in the morning then the youth went to the gallows sat down beneath it and waited till evening came and as he was cold he lighted himself a fire and at midnight the wind blew so sharply that in spite of his fire he could not get warm and as the wind knocked the hanged men against each other and they moved backwards and forwards he thought to himself if you shiver below by the fire how those up above must freeze and suffer and as he felt pity for them he raised the ladder and climbed up unbound one of them after the other and brought down all seven then he stoked the fire, blew it and set them all round it to warm themselves but they sat there and did not stir and the fire caught their clothes so he said take care or I will hang you up again the dead men however did not hear but were quite silent and let their rags go on burning at this he grew angry and said if you will not take care I cannot help you I will not be burnt with you and he hung them up again each in his turn then he sat down by his fire and fell asleep and the next morning the man came to him and wanted to have the fifty dollars and said well do you know how to shut air no and said he how should I know they did not open their mouths and were so stupid that they let the few old rags which they had on their bodies get burnt then the men saw that he could not get the fifty dollars that day and went away saying such a youth has never come my way before the youth likewise went his way and once more began to monitor himself ah if I could but shudder ah if I could but shudder a wagoner who was starting behind him heard this and asked you I don't know answered the youth then the wagoner asked from whence do you come I know not who is your father that's I may not tell you what is it that you are always muttering between your teeth ah replied the youth I do so wish I could shudder but no one can teach me how enough of your foolish chatter said the wagoner and in the evening they arrived at an inn where they wished to pass the night then at the entrance of the parlor the youth again said quite loudly if I could but shudder if I could but shudder the host who heard this laughed and said if that is your desire there ought to be a good opportunity for you here ah be silent said the hostess so many prying persons have already lost their lives it would be a pity and a shame of such beautiful eyes as these never see the daylight again but the youth said however difficult it may be I will learn it for this purpose indeed have I journeyed forth he let the host have no rest until the latter told him that not far from thence stood a haunted castle where anyone could very easily learn what shuddering was if he would but watch in it for three nights the king had promised that he who had venture should have his daughter to wife and she was the most beautiful maiden the sun shone on likewise in the castle lay great treasures which were guarded by evil spirits and these treasures would then be freed and would make a poor man rich enough already many men had gone into the castle but as yet none had come out again then the youth went next morning to the king and said if it be allowed I will willily watch these three nights in the haunted castle the king looked at him and as the youth pleased him he said you may ask for three things to take into the castle with you but they must be things without life then he answered then I asked for a fire a turning lathe and a cutting board with the knife the king had these things carried into the castle for him during the day when the night was drawing near the youth went up and made himself a bright fire in one of the rooms placing the cutting board and knife beside it and seated himself by the turning lathe ah, if I could but shudder but I shall not learn it here either towards midnight he was about to poke his fire and as he was blowing it something cried suddenly from one corner ah, meow, how cold we are! you fools, cried he what are you crying about if you are cold come and take a seat by the fire and warm yourselves and when he had said that two great black cats came with one tremendous leap they sat down on each side of him and looked savagely at him with their fiery eyes after a short time when they had warned themselves they said, comrade shall we have a game of cards why not? he replied but just show me your paws then they stretched out their claws oh, said he what long nails you have wait, I must first cut them for you thereupon he seized them by the throats put them on the cutting board feet fast I have looked at your fingers, said he and my fancy for card-playing has gone and he struck them dead and threw them out into the water but when he had made away with these two and was about to sit down again by his fire out from every hole and corner came black cats and black dogs with red-hot chains and more and more of them came until he could no longer move and they yelled horribly and got on his fire, pulled it to pieces and tried to put it out he watched them for a while quietly but at last when they were going too far he seized his cutting-knife and cried away with you, vermin and began to cut them down some of them ran away the others he killed and threw out into the fish pond when he came back he fanned the embers of his fire again and warmed himself and as he thus sat his eyes would keep open no longer and he felt a desired sleep then he looked round and saw a great bed in the corner that is the very thing for me said he and got into it when he was just going to shut his eyes however the bed began to move of its own accord and went over the whole of the castle that's right, said he but go faster then the bed rolled on as if six horses were harnessed to it up and down over thresholds and stairs but suddenly hop, hop it turned over upside down and lay on him like a mountain but he threw quilts and pillows up into the air got out and said now anyone who likes may drive and lay down by his fire and slept till it was day in the morning the king came and when he saw him lying there on the ground he thought the evil spirits had killed him and he was dead then said he after all it is a pity for so handsome a man the youth heard it got up and said it has not come to that yet then the king was astonished but very glad and asked how he had fared very well indeed and said he one night has passed the two others will pass likewise then he went to the innkeeper who opened his eyes very wide and said I never expected to see you alive again have you learnt how to shut her yet no it is all in vain if someone would but tell me the second night he again went up into the old castle sat down by the fire and once more began his old song if I could but shudder when midnight came an uproar a noise of tumbling about was heard at first it was low but it grew louder and louder then he was quiet for a while and at length with a loud scream half a man came down the chimney and fell before him hello? cried he another half belongs to this this is not enough when the uproar began again there was a roaring and howling and the other half fell down likewise wait! said he I will just stoke up a fire a little for you when he had done that and looked round again the two pieces were joined together and a hideous man was sitting in his place this is no part of our bargain said the youth the bench is mine the man wanted to push him away the youth however would not allow that but thrust him off with all his strength and seated himself again in his own place then still more men fell down one after the other they brought nine dead men's legs and two skulls and set them up and played at nine pins with them the youth also wanted to play and said, listen you can I join you? yes if you have any money money enough, replied he but your balls are not quite round then he took the skulls and put them in the lathe there now they will roll better said he hurrah! now we'll have fun he played with them and lost some of his money but when it struck twelve everything vanished from his sight he lay down and quietly fell asleep next morning the king came to inquire after him how has it fair with you this time? asked he I have been playing at nine pins he answered and have lost a couple of far things have you not shuddered then what? then he I have had a wonderful time if I did but know what it was to shudder the third night he sat again on his bench and said quite sadly if I could but shudder when it grew late six tall men came in and brought a coffin then he said that is certainly my little cousin who died only a few days ago and he beckoned with his finger and cried come little cousin they placed a coffin on the ground but he went to it and took the lid off and a dead man lay therein he fell his face but it was cold as ice wait! said he I will warm you a little and went to the fire and warmed his hand and laid it on the dead man's face but he remained cold then he took him out and sat down by the fire and laid him on his breast and rubbed his arms that the blood might circulate again as this also did no good he thought to himself when two people lie in bed together they warm each other when carried him to the bed covered him over and laid down by him after a short time the dead man became warm too and began to move then said the youth see little cousin have I not warmed you the dead man however got up and cried now I will strangle you what? said he and he took him up and threw him into it and shut the lid then came the six men and carried him away again I cannot manage to shudder said he then a man entered who was taller than all others and looked terrible he was old however and had a long white beard you rat! cried he you shall soon learn what it is to shudder you shall die not so fast, replied the youth if I am to die I shall have to have a say in it I will soon seize you said the fiend softly softly do not talk so big I am as strong as you are and perhaps even stronger we shall see said the old man if you are stronger I will let go come we will try then he led him by dark passages to a smith's forge took an axe and with one blow struck an anvil into the ground I can do better than that said the youth and went to the other anvil the old man placed himself near and wanted to look on and his white beard hung down then the youth seized the axe split the anvil with one blow and in it caught the old man's beard now I have you said the youth now it is your turn to die then he seized an iron bar and beat the old man till he moaned and entreated him to stop when he would give him great riches the youth drew out the axe and let him go the old man led him back into the castle and in a cellar showed him three chests full of gold of these, said he one part is for the poor the other for the king the third yours in the meantime it struck twelve the spirit disappeared so that the youth stood in darkness I shall still be able to find my way out said he and felt about found the way into the room and slept there by his fire next morning the king came and said, now you must have learned what shuddering is no, he answered, what can it be my dead cousin was here and a bearded man came and showed me a great deal of money down below but no one told me what it was to shudder then, said the king, you have saved the castle and shall marry my daughter that is all very well, said he but still I do not know what it is to shudder then the gold was brought up and the wedding celebrated but however much the young king loved his wife and however happy he was he still said always if I could but shudder if I could but shudder and this at last angered her a waiting maid said to find a cure for him he shall soon learn what it is to shudder she went out to the stream which flowed through the garden and had a whole bucket full of gudgins brought to her at night when the young king was sleeping his wife was to draw the clothes off him and empty the bucket full of cold water with gudgins in it over him so that the little fishes would sprawl about him then he woke up and cried what makes me shudder so dear wife ah I know what it is to shudder and of the story of the youth who went forth to learn what fear was king grizzly beard from Grimm's fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld a great king of a land far away in the east had a daughter who was very beautiful but so proud and hearty and conceited that none of the princes who came to ask her in marriage was good enough for her and she only made sport of them once upon a time the king held a great feast and asked thither all her suitors and they all sat in a row raged according to their rank kings and princes and dukes and earls and counts and barons and knights then the princes came in and as she passed by them she had something spiteful to say to everyone the first was too fat he's as round as a tub said she the next was too tall what a maypole said she the next was too short what a dumpling said she the fifth was too red so she called him coxcomb the sixth was not straight enough so she said he was like a green stick that had been laid to dry over a baker's oven and thus she had some joke to crack upon everyone she laughed more than all at a good king who was there look at him said she his beard is like an old mop he shall be called grisly beard so the king got the nickname of grisly beard but the old king was very angry when he saw how his daughter behaved and how she ill-treated all his guests and he vowed that willing or unwilling she should marry the first man be he prince or beggar that came to the door after they came by a travelling fiddler who began to play under the window and beg arms and when the king heard him he said let him come in so they brought in a dirty looking fellow and when he had sung before the king and the princess he begged a boon then the king said you have sung so well that I will give you my daughter for your wife the princess begged and prayed but the king said I have sworn to give you to the first comer and I will keep my word and tears were of no avail the parson was sent for and she was married to the fiddler when this was over the king said now get ready to go you must not stay here you must travel on with your husband then the fiddler went his way took her with him and they soon came to a great wood pray said she who's is this wood it belongs to king grisly beard and said he hadst thou taken him fine unlucky wretch that I am would that I had married king grisly beard next they came to some fine meadows who's are these beautiful green meadows said she they belong to king grisly beard hadst thou taken him they had all been fine unlucky wretch that I am would that I had married king grisly beard then they came to a great city who's is this noble city said she it belongs to king grisly beard has thou taken him it had all been fine wretch that I am side she why did I not marry king grisly beard that is no business of mine said the fiddler why should you wish for another husband am not I good enough for you at last they came to a small cottage what a paltry place how old belong then the fiddler said that is your and my house where we are to live where are your servants cried she what do we want with servants you must do for yourself whatever is to be done now make the fire and put on water and cook my supper for I am very tired but the princess knew nothing of making fires and cooking and the fiddler was forced to help her when they had eaten a very scanty meal but the fiddler called her up very early in the morning to clean the house thus they lived for two days and when they had eaten up all there was in the cottage the man said wife we can't go on thus spending money and earning nothing you must learn to weave baskets then he went out and cut willows and brought them home and she began to weave but it made her fingers very sore I see this work won't do said he try and spin you won't do that better so she sat down and tried to spin but the threads cut her tender fingers till the blood ran see now said the fiddler you are good for nothing you can do no work what a bargain I have got however I'll try to set up a trade in pots and pans and you shall stand in the market and sell them alas sighed she if any of my father's court should pass by and see me standing in the market but her husband did not care for that and said she must work if she did not wish to die of hunger at first the trade went well for many people seeing such a beautiful woman went to buy her wares and paid their money without thinking of taking away the goods they lived on this as long as it lasted and then her husband bought a fresh lot of wear and she sat herself down with it in the corner of the market but a drunken soldier soon came by and rode his horse against her stall and put the goods into a thousand pieces then she began to cry and knew not what to do ah what will become of me said she what will my husband say so she ran home and told him all who would have thought you had been so silly said he has to put an earthenware stall in the corner of the market where everybody passes but let us have no more crying I see you are not fit for this sort of work so I have been to the king's palace and asked if they did not want a kitchen maid and they say they will take you and there you will have plenty to eat thus the princess became a kitchen maid and helped the cook to do all the dirtiest work but she was allowed to carry home some of the meat that was left and on this they lived she had not been there long before she heard that the king's eldest son was passing by going to be married and she went to one of the windows and looked out everything was ready all the pomp and brightness of the court was there then she bitterly grieved for the pride and folly which had brought her so low and the servants gave her some of the rich meats which she put into her basket to take home all on a sudden as she was going out in came the king's son in golden clothes and when he saw a beautiful woman at the door he took her by the hand and said she should be his partner in the dance but she trembled for fear for she saw that it was king grizzly beard who was making sport of her however he kept fast-hold and led her in and the cover of the basket came off so that the meats in it fell about then everybody laughed and jeered at her and she was so abashed that she wished herself a thousand feet deep in the earth she sprang to the door to run away but on the steps king grizzly beard overtook her and brought her back and said fear me not I am the fiddler who has lived with you in the hut I brought you there because I really loved you I am also the soldier that overset your stall I have done all this only to cure you of your silly pride and to show you the folly of your ill treatment of me now all is over you have learnt wisdom and it is time to hold our marriage feast then the chamberlains came and brought her the most beautiful robes and her father and his whole court were there already and welcomed her home on her marriage joy was in every face and every heart the feast was grand they danced and sang all were merry and I only wish that you and I had been of the party End of King Grizzly Beard Iron Hans from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Mary and Edward this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bobnefeld there was once upon a time a king who had a great forest near his palace full of all kinds of wild animals one day he sent out a huntsman to shoot him a row but he did not come back perhaps some accident has befallen him said the king and the next day he sent out two more huntsmen who were to search for him but they too stayed away then on the third day he sent for all his huntsmen and said scour the whole forest through and do not give up until you have found all three but also none came home again none were seen again from that time forth no one would any longer venture into the forest and it lay there in deep stillness and solitude and nothing was seen of it but sometimes an eagle or a hawk flying over it this lasted for many years when an unknown huntsman announced himself to the king as seeking a situation and offered to go into the dangerous forest the king however would not give his consent and said it is not safe in there I fear it would fare with you no better than with the others and you would never come out again the huntsman replied Lord, I will venture at my own risk of fear I know nothing the huntsman therefore betook himself with his dog to the forest it was not long before the dog fell in with some game on the way and wanted to pursue it but hardly had the dog run two steps when it stood before a deep pool could go no farther and a naked arm stretched itself out of the water seized it and drew it under when the huntsman saw that he went back and fetched three men to come with buckets and bail out the water when they could see to the bottom there lay a wild man whose body was brown like rusty iron and whose hair hung over his face down to his knees they bound him with cords and led him away to the castle there was great astonishment over the wild man the king however had him put in an iron cage in his courtyard and forbade the door to be opened on pain of death and the queen herself was to take the key into her keeping and from this time forth everyone could again go into the forest with safety the king had a son of eight years who was once playing in the courtyard and while he was playing his golden ball fell into the cage the boy ran thither and said give me my ball out not here you have opened the door for me answered the man no, said the boy, I will not do that the king has forbidden it and ran away the next day he again went and asked for his ball the wild man said open my door but the boy would not on the third day the king had ridden out hunting and the boy went once more and said I cannot open the door even if I wished for I have not the key then the wild man said it lies under your mother's pillow you can get it there the boy who wanted to have his ball back cast all thought to the winds and brought the key the door opened with difficulty and the boy pinched his finger when it was open the wild man stepped out gave him the golden ball and hurried away the boy had become afraid he called and cried after him oh, wild man, do not go away or I shall be beaten the wild man turned back took him up sat him on his shoulder and went with hasty steps into the forest when the king came home he observed the empty cage and asked the queen how that had happened she knew nothing about it and sought the key but it was gone she called the boy but no one answered the king set out people to seek for him in the fields but they did not find him then he could easily guess what had happened and much grief reigned in the royal court when the wild man had once more reached the dark forest he took the boy down from his shoulder and said to him you will never see your father and mother again and I will keep you with me for you have set me free and I have compassion on you if you do all I bid you you shall fare well of treasure and gold have I enough and more than anyone in the world he made a bed of moss for the boy on which he slept and the next morning the man took him to a well and said, behold a gold well is as bright and clear as crystal you shall sit beside it and take care that nothing falls into it or it will be polluted I will come every evening to see if you have obeyed my order the boy placed himself by the brink of the well and often saw a golden fish or a golden snake show itself therein and took care that nothing fell in as he was thus sitting his finger hurt him so violently that he involuntarily put it in the water he drew it quickly out again but saw that it was quite gilded and whatsoever pains he took to wash the gold off again all was to no purpose in the evening Iron Hans came back, looked at the boy and said, what has happened to the well nothing, nothing he answered and held his finger behind his back that the man might not see it but he said you have dipped your finger into the water this time it may pass but take care you do not again let anything go in by daybreak the boy was already sitting by the wall and watching it his finger hurt him again and he passed it over his head and then unhappily a hair fell down into the well he took it quickly out but it was already quite gilded Iron Hans came and already knew what had happened you have let a hair fall into the well then he I will allow you to watch by it once more but if this happens for the third time then the well is polluted and you can no longer remain with me on the third day the boy sat by the well and did not stir his finger however much it hurt him but the time was long to him and he looked at the reflection of his face on the surface of the water and as he still bent down more and more while he was doing so and trying to look straight into the eyes his long hair fell down from his shoulders into the water he raised himself up quickly but the whole of the hair of his head you can imagine how terrified the poor boy was he took his pocket handkerchief and tied it round his head in order that the man might not see it when he came he already knew everything and said take the handkerchief off then the golden hair streamed forth and let the boy excuse himself as he might it was of no use you have not stood the trial and can stay here no longer go forth into the world where you will learn what poverty is but as you have not a bad heart and as I mean well by you there is one thing I will grant you if you fall into any difficulty come to the forest and cry I earn horns and then I will come and help you my power is great greater than you think and I have gold and silver in abundance then the king's son left the forest and walked by beaten and unbeaten paths ever onwards until at length he reached a great city there he looked for work but could find none and he learnt nothing by which he could help himself at length he went to the palace and asked if they would take him in the people about court did not at all know what use they could make of him but they liked him and told him to stay at length the cook took him into his service and said he might carry wood and water and break the cinders together once when it so happened that no one else was at hand the cook ordered him to carry the food to the royal table but as he did not like to let his golden hair be seen he kept his little cap on such a thing as that had never yet come under the king's notice and he said when you come to the royal table you must take your hat off he answered, ah Lord I cannot I have a bad sore place on my head then the king had the cook called before him and scolded him and asked how he could take such a boy as that into his service he came away at once the cook however had pity on him and exchanged him for the gardener's boy and now the boy had to plant and water the garden, hoe and dig and bear the wind and bad weather once in summer when he was working alone in the garden the day was so warm that he took his little cap off that the air might cool him as the sun shone on his hair it glittered and flashed so that the rays fell into the bedroom of the king's daughter and up she sprang to see what that could be then she saw the boy and cried to him, boy bring me a wreath of flowers he put his cap on with all haste and gathered wild field flowers and bound them together when he was ascending the stairs with them the gardener met him and said how can you take the king's daughter a garden of such common flowers go quickly and get another and seek out the prettiest and rarest oh no, replied the boy the wild ones have more scent into the room the king's daughter said take your cap off it is not seemly to keep it on in my presence he again said, I may not I have a sore head she however caught at his cap and pulled it off then his golden hair rolled down on his shoulders and it was splendid to behold he wanted to run out but she held him by the arm and gave him a handful of dockets with these he departed but he cared nothing for the gold pieces he took them to the gardener and said, I present them to your children they can play with them the following day the king's daughter again called to him that he was to bring her a wreath of field flowers and then he went in with it she instantly snatched at his cap and wanted to take it away from him but he held it fast with both hands she again gave him a handful of dockets but he would not keep them and gave them to the gardener for play things for his children on the third day things went just the same she could not get his cap away from him and he would not have her money not long afterwards the country was overrun by war the king gathered together his people and did not know whether or not he could offer any opposition to the enemy who was superior in strength and had a mighty army then said the gardener's boy I am grown up and will go to the wars also only give me a horse the others laughed and said seek one for yourself when we are gone we will leave one behind us in the stable for you when they had gone forth he went into the stable and let the horse out it was lame of one foot and limped, hobbled a jib, hobbled a jib nevertheless he mounted it and rode away to the dark forest when he came to the outskirts he called iron hounds three times so loudly that it echoed through the trees thereupon the wild man appeared immediately and said what do you desire I want a strong steed for I am going to the wars that you shall have and still more than you ask for then the wild man went back into the forest and it was not long before a stable boy came out of it who led a horse that snorted with its nostrils and could hardly be restrained and behind them followed a great troop of warriors entirely equipped in iron and their swords flashed in the sun the youth made over his three-legged horse to the stable boy mounted the other and rode at the head of the soldiers when he got near the battlefield a great part of the king's men had already fallen and little was wanting to make the rest give way then the youth galloped thither with his iron soldiers broke like a hurricane over the enemy and beat down all who opposed him they began to flee but the youth pursued and never stopped until there was not a single man left instead of returning to the king however he conducted his troop by byways back to the forest and called forth iron hans what do you desire? asked the wild man take back your horse and your troops and give me my three-legged horse again all that he asked was done and soon he was riding on his three-legged horse when the king returned to his palace his daughter went to meet him and wished him joy of his victory I am not the one who carried away the victory said he but a strange knight who came to my assistance to the soldiers the daughter wanted to hear who the strange knight was but the king did not know and said he followed the enemy and I did not see him again she inquired of the garden where his boy was but he smiled and said he has just come home on his three-legged horse and the others have been mocking him and crying here comes our hoplity jib back again they asked too under what hedge have you been lying sleeping all the time so he said I did the best of all and it would have gone badly without me and then he was still more ridiculed the king said to his daughter I will proclaim a great feast that shall last for three days and you shall throw a golden apple perhaps the unknown man will show himself when the feast was announced the youth went out to the forest and called iron horns what do you desire fasty that I may catch the king's daughter's golden apple it is as safe as if you had it already said iron horns you shall likewise have a suit of red armor for the occasion and ride on a spirited chestnut horse when the day came the youth galloped to the spot took his place amongst the knights and was recognized by no one the king's daughter came forward and threw a golden apple to the knights but none of them caught it but he only as soon as he had it he galloped away on the second day iron horns equipped him as a white knight and gave him a white horse again he was the only one who caught the apple and he did not linger an instant but galloped off with it the king grew angry and said that is not allowed he must appear before me and tell his name he gave the order that if the knight who caught the apple should go away again they should pursue him and if he would not come back willingly they would cut him down and stab him on the third day he received from iron horns a suit of black armor and a black horse and again he caught the apple but when he was riding off with it the king's attendants pursued him and one of them got so near him that he wounded the youth's leg with the point of his sword the youth nevertheless escaped from them but his horse leaped so violently that the helmet fell from the youth's head and they could see that he had golden hair they rode back and announced this to the king the following day the king's daughter asked the gardener about his boy he is at work in the garden the queer creature has been at the festival too and only came home yesterday evening he has likewise shown my children three golden apples which he has won the king had him summoned into his presence and he came and again had his little cap on his head but the king's daughter went up to him and took it off and then his golden hair fell down over his shoulders and he was so handsome that all were amazed are you the knight who came every day to the festival with all the different colors and who caught the three golden apples asked the king yes, answered he and here the apples are and he took them out of his pockets and returned them to the king if you desire further proof you may see the wound which your people gave me when they followed me but I am likewise the knight who helped you to your victory over your enemies if you can perform such deeds as that you are no gardener's boy my father is a mighty king and gold have I in plenty as great as I require I well see said the king that I owe my thanks to you can I do anything to please you yes, answered he that indeed you can give me your daughter to wife the maiden laughed and said he does not stand much on ceremony but I have already seen by his golden hair that he was no gardener's boy and then she went and kissed him his father and mother came to the wedding and were in great delight for they had given up all hope of ever seeing their dear son again and as they were sitting at the marriage feast the music suddenly stopped the doors opened and a stately king came in with a great retinue he went up to the youth embraced him and said I am Iron Hans and was by enchantment a wild man but you have set me free all the treasures which I possess by property end of Iron Hans Catskin from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards this LibriVox recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld there was once a king whose queen had hair of the purest gold and was so beautiful that her match was not to be met with on the whole face of the earth but this beautiful queen fell ill and when she felt that her end drew near she called the king to her and said promise me that you will never marry again unless you meet with a wife who is as beautiful as I am and who has golden hair like mine then when the king and his grief promised all she asked she shut her eyes and died but the king was not to be comforted and for a long time never thought of taking another wife and last however his wise men said this will not do the king must marry again that we may have a queen so messengers were sent far and wide to seek for a bride as beautiful as the late queen but there was no princess in the world so beautiful and if there had been still there was not one to be found who had golden hair so the messengers came home and had had all their trouble for nothing now the king had a daughter who was just as beautiful as her mother and had the same golden hair and when she was grown up the king looked at her and saw that she was just like this late queen then he said to his courtiers may I not marry my daughter she is the very image of my dead wife unless I have her I shall not find any bride upon the whole earth then you say there must be a queen when the courtiers heard this they were shocked and said heaven forbid that a father should marry his daughter out of so great a sin no good can come and his daughter was also shocked but hoped the king would soon give up such thoughts so she said to him before I marry anyone I must have three dresses one must be of gold like the sun another must be of shining silver like the moon and a third must be dazzling as the stars besides this I want a mantle of a thousand different kinds of fur put together to which every beast in the kingdom must give a part of his skin and thus she thought he would think of the matter no more but the king made the most skillful workmen in his kingdom weave the three dresses one golden like the sun another silvery like the moon and a third sparkling like the stars and his hunters were told to hunt out all the beasts in his kingdom and to take the finest fur out of their skin and thus a mantle of a thousand furs was made when all were ready the king sent them to her but she got up in the night when all were asleep and took three of her trinkets and a golden brooch and packed the three dresses of the sun, the moon and the stars up in a nutshell and wrapped herself up in the mantle made of all sorts of fur and besmeared her face and hands with soot then she threw herself upon heaven for help in her need and went away and journeyed on the whole night till at last she came to a large wood as she was very tired she sat herself down in the hollow of a tree and soon fell asleep and there she slept on till it was midday now as the king to whom the wood belonged was hunting in it his dogs came to the tree and began to sniff about and run round and round in bark look sharp, said the king to the huntsman and see what sort of game lies there and the huntsman went up to the tree and when they came back again said in the hollowed tree there lies a most wonderful beast such as we never saw before its skin seems to be of a thousand kinds of fur but there it lies, fast asleep see, said the king if you can catch it alive and we will take it with us so the huntsman took it up and the maiden awoke and was greatly frightened and said, I am a poor child that has neither father nor mother left have pity on me and take me with you then they said, yes Miss Catskin, you will do for the kitchen you can sweep up the ashes do things of that sort so they put her into the coach and took her home to the king's palace and threw her a little corner under the staircase where no light of day ever peeped in and said, Catskin, you may lie and sleep there and she was sent into the kitchen and made to fetch wood and water and to blow the fire, pluck the poultry pick the herbs, shift the ashes and do all the dirty work thus Catskin lived for a long time very sorrowfully oh, pretty princess thought she, what will now become of thee? but it happened one day that a feast was to be held in the king's castle so she said to the cook may I go up a little while and see what is going on I will take care and stand behind the door and the cook said yes, you may go but be back again in half an hour's time to rake up the ashes then she took her little lamp and went into her cabin and took off the first skin and washed the soot from off her face and hands so that her beauty shone forth like the sun from behind the clouds she next opened her nutshell and brought out of it the dress that shone like the sun and so went to the feast everyone made way for her for nobody knew her and they thought she could be no less than a king's daughter but the king came up to her and held out his hand and danced with her and he thought in his heart I never saw any one half so beautiful when the dance was at an end she curtsied and when the king looked round for her she was gone no one knew with her and it stood at the castle gate where called in but they had seen no one the truth was that she had run into her little cabin pulled off her dress blackened her face and hands put on the first skin cloak and was cat-skin again when she went into the kitchen to her work and began to rake the ashes the cook said let that alone till the morning and heat the king's soot I should like to run up now and give a peep but take care you don't let a hair fall into it or you will run a chance of never eating again the way cat-skin heated the king's soot and toasted a slice of bread first as nicely as ever she could and when he was ready she went and looked in the cabin for her little golden ring and put it into the dish in which the soup was when the dance was over the king ordered his soup to be brought in and it pleased him so well that he thought he had never tasted any so good before at the bottom he saw a gold ring lying and as he could not make out how it got there he ordered the cook to be sent for the cook was frightened when he heard the order and said to cat-skin you must have let a hair fall into the soup if it be so you will have a good beating then he went before the king and he asked him who had cooked the soup I did answered the cook but the king said that is not true it was better done than you could do it then he answered to tell you the truth I did not cook it but cat-skin did cat-skin come up said the king and when she came he said to her who are you I am a poor child said she that has lost both father and mother how came you in my palace asked he I am good for nothing said she but to be a scullion girl and to have boots and shoes thrown at my head but how did you get the ring that was in the soup asked the king then she would not own that she knew anything about the ring the king sent her away again about her business after a time there was another feast and cat-skin asked the cook to let her go up and see it as before yes, said he had come again in half an hour and cooked the king the soup that he liked so much then she ran to her little cabin washed herself quickly and took her dress out which was silvery as the moon and put it on and when she went in looking like a king's daughter the king went up to her and rejoiced at seeing her again and when the dance began he danced with her after the dance was at an end she managed to slip out so slyly that the king did not see where she was gone but she sprang into her little cabin and made herself into cat-skin again and went into the kitchen to cook the soup whilst the cook was above stairs she took the golden necklace and dropped it into the soup then he was brought to the king who ate it and he pleased him as well as before so he sent for the cook who was again forced to tell him that cat-skin had cooked it cat-skin was brought again before the king but she still told him that she was only fit to have boots and shoes thrown at her head but when the king had ordered a feast to be got ready for the third time it happened just the same as before you must be a witch, cat-skin I said the cook for you always put something into your soup so it pleases the king better than mine however he let her go up as before then she put on her dress which sparkled like the stars and went into the ballroom in it and the king danced with her again and thought she had never looked so beautiful as she did then so whilst he was dancing with her he put a gold ring on her finger without her seeing it and ordered that the dance should be kept up a long time when it was at an end he would have held her fast by the hand but she slipped away and sprang so quickly through the crowd that he lost sight of her and she ran as fast as she could into her little cabin under the stairs she kept away too long and stayed beyond the half hour so she had not time to take off her fine dress and threw her firm mantle over it and in her haste did not blacken herself all over with soot but left one of her fingers white then she ran into the kitchen and cooked the king's soup and as soon as the cook was gone she put the golden brooch into the dish when the king got to the bottom he ordered cat-skin to be called once more and soon saw the white finger dancing so he seized her hand and kept fast hold of it and when she wanted to lose herself and spring away the fur cloak fell off a little on one side and the starry dress sparkled underneath it then he got hold of the fur and tore it off and her golden hair and beautiful form were seen and she could no longer hide herself so she washed the soot and ashes from her face and showed herself to be the most beautiful princess upon the face of the earth and the king said you are my beloved bride and we will never more be parted from each other and the wedding feast was held and a merry day it was as ever it was heard of or seen in that country or indeed in any other End of Cat-Skin Snow White and Rose Red from Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards from Brevox Recording is in the public domain read by Bob Neufeld There once was a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage in front of the cottage was a garden where instead two rose trees one of which bore white and the other red roses she had two children who were like the two rose trees and one was called Snow White and the other Rose Red they were as good and happy as busy and cheerful as ever two children in the world were only Snow White was more quiet and gentle than Rose Red Rose Red liked better to run about in the meadows and fields seeking flowers and catching butterflies but Snow White sat at home with her mother and helped her with her housework or read to her when there was nothing to do the two children were so fond of each other that they always held each other by the hand when they went out together and when Snow White said we will not leave each other Rose Red answered never so long as we live with the other they often ran about the forest alone and gathered red berries and no beasts did them any harm but came close to them trustfully the little hare would eat a cabbage leaf out of their hands the roe grazed by their side the stag leaped merrily by them and the birds sat still upon the bowels and sang whatever they knew no mishap overtook them if they had stayed too late in the forest and night came on the moss and slept until morning came and their mother knew this and did not worry on their account once when they had spent the night in the wood and the dawn had roused them they saw a beautiful child in a shining white dress sitting near their bed he got up and looked quite kindly at them but said nothing and went into the forest and when they looked round they found that they had been sleeping quite close to a precipice and would certainly have fallen into it in the darkness if they had gone only a few paces further they told them that it must have been the angel who watches over good children Snow White and Rose Red kept their mother's little cottage so neat that it was a pleasure to look inside it in the summer Rose Red took care of the house and every morning laid a wreath of flowers by her mother's bed before she awoke in which was a rose from each tree in the winter Snow White lit the fire and hung the kettle on the hob the kettle was a brass and shone like gold so brightly was it polished in the evening when the snowflakes fell the mother said go Snow White and bolt the door and then they sat round the hearth and the mother took her spectacles and read aloud out of a large book and the two girls listened as they sat and spun and close by them lay a lamb upon the floor and behind them, upon a perch, sat a white dove with its head hidden beneath its wings one evening as they were thus sitting comfortably together someone knocked at the door to be led in the mother said, quick, Rose Red open the door it must be a traveller who is seeking shelter Rose Red went and pushed back the bolt thinking that it was a poor man but it was not it was a bear that stretched his broad black head within the door Rose Red screamed and sprang back the lamb bleated, the dove fluttered and Snow White hid herself behind her mother's bed but the bear began to speak and said, do not be afraid I will do you no harm I am half frozen and only want to warm myself a little beside you poor bear said the mother, lie down by the fire only take care that you do not burn your coat then she cried Snow White, Rose Red come out the bear will do you no harm he means well so they both came out and by and by the lamb and dove came nearer and were not afraid of him the bear said dear children, knock the snow out of my coat a little so they brought the broom and swept the bear's hide clean and he stretched himself by the fire and growled contentedly and comfortably it was not long before they grew quite at home and played tricks with their clumsy guest they tugged his hair with their hands put their feet upon his back and rolled him about or they took a hazel switch and beat him and when he growled they laughed but the bear took it all in good part only when they were too rough he said out leave me alive children Snow White, Rose Red will you beat your wooer dead when it was bedtime and the others went to bed the mother said to the bear you can lie there by the hearth and then you will be safe from the cold and the bad weather as soon as day dawned the two children let him out and he trotted across the snow into the forest henceforth the bear came every evening at the same time laid himself down by the hearth and the children amused themselves with him as much as they liked and they got so used to him that the doors were never fastened until their black friend had arrived when spring had come and all outside was green the bear said one morning to Snow White now I must go away and cannot come back for the whole summer where are you going then dear bear asked Snow White I must go into the forest and guard my treasures from the wicked dwarfs in winter when the earth is frozen hard they are obliged to stay below and cannot work their way through but now when the sun has thawed and warmed the earth they break through it and come out to pry and steal and what once gets into their hands and in their caves does not easily see daylight again Snow White was quite sorry at his departure and as she unbolted the door for him and the bear was hurrying out he caught against the bolt and it seemed to Snow White as if she had seen gold shining through it but she was not sure about it the bear ran away quickly and was soon out of sight behind the tree a short time afterwards the mother sent her children into the forest to get firewood there they found a big tree which lay felled on the ground and close by the trunk something was jumping backwards and forwards in the grass but they could not make out what it was when they came nearer with an old withered face and a Snow White beard a yard long the end of the beard was caught in a crevice of the tree and the little fellow was jumping about like a dog tied to a rope and did not know what to do he glared at the girls with his fiery red eyes and cried why do you stand there can you not come here and help me what are you up to little man asked Rose Red you stupid prying goose answered the dwarf I took the tree to get a little wood for cooking the little bit of food that we people get is immediately burnt up with heavy logs we do not swallow so much as you coarse greedy folk I had just driven the wedge safely in and everything was going as I wished but the cursed wedge was too smooth and suddenly sprang out and the tree closed so quickly that I could not pull out my beautiful white beard so now it is tight and I cannot get away and the silly sleek milk-faced things laugh how odious you are the children tried very hard but they could not pull the beard out it was caught too fast I will run and fetch someone said Rose Red you senseless goose snarl the dwarf why should you fetch someone you are already too too many for me can you not think of something better don't be impatient said Snow White I will help you hold her scissors out of her pocket and cut off the end of the beard as soon as the dwarf felt himself free he laid hold of a bag which lay amongst the roots of the tree and which was full of gold and lifted it up grumbling to himself uncouth people to cut off a piece of my fine beard bad luck to you and then he swung the bag upon his back and went off without even once looking at the children some time afterwards Snow White and Rose Red went to catch a dish of fish as they came near the brook they saw something like a large grasshopper jumping towards the water as if it were going to leap in they ran to it and found it was the dwarf where are you going said Rose Red you surely don't want to go into the water I am not such a fool cried the dwarf don't you see that the accursed fish wants to pull me in the little man had been sitting there fishing with the fishing line a moment later a big fish made a bite and the feeble creature had not strength to pull it out the fish kept the upper hand and pulled the dwarf towards him he held on to all the reeds and rushes but it was of little good for he was forced to follow the movements of the fish and was in urgent danger of being dragged into the water the girls came just in time they held him fast and tried to free his beard from the line but all in vain the line were entangled fast together there was nothing to do but to bring out the scissors and cut the beard whereby a small part of it was lost when the dwarf saw that he screamed out is that civil you toadstool to disfigure a man's face was it not enough to clip off the end of my beard now you have cut off the best part of it I cannot let myself be seen by my people I wish you had been made to run the souls off your shoes then he took out a sack of pearls which lay in the rushes and without another word he dragged it away and disappeared behind a stone it happened that soon afterwards the mother sent the two children to the town to buy needles and thread and laces and ribbons the road led them across a heath upon which huge pieces of rock lay strewn about there they noticed a large bird hovering in the air flying slowly round and round above them it sank lower and lower settled near a rock not far away immediately they heard a loud piteous cry they ran up and saw with horror that the eagle had seized their old acquaintance the dwarf and was going to carry him off the children full of pity that once took tight hold of the little man and pulled against the eagle so long that at last he let his booty go as soon as the dwarf had recovered from his first fright he cried with his shrill voice could you not have done it more carefully you dragged it my brown coat so that it is all torn and full of holes you clumsy creatures then he took up a sack full of precious stones and slipped away again under the rock into his hole the girls who by this time were used to his ingratitude went on their way and did their business in town as they crossed the heath again on their way home they surprised the dwarf who had emptied out his bag of precious stones in a clean spot and had not thought that anyone would come there so late the evening sun shone upon the brilliant stones they glittered and sparkled with all colors so beautifully that the children stood there and stared at them why do you stand gaping there cried the dwarf and his ashen gray face became copper red with rage he was still cursing when a loud growling was heard and a black bear came trotting towards them out of the forest the dwarf sprang up in a fright and reached his cave for the bear was already close then in the dread of his heart he cried dear Mr. Pear spare me I will give you all my treasures look the beautiful jewels lying there grant me my life what do you want with such a slander little fellow as I you would not feel me between your teeth come take these two wicked girls they are tender morsels for you fat as young quails for mercy's sake eat them the bear took no heed of his words but gave the wicked creature a single blow with his paw and he did not move again the girls had run away but the bear called to them snow white and rose red do not be afraid wait I will come with you then they recognized his voice and waited and when he came up to them suddenly his bear skin fell off and he stood there a handsome man clothed all in gold I am a king's son he said and I was bewitched by that wicked dwarf who had stolen my treasures I have had to run about the forest as a savage bear until I was freed by his death now he has got his well deserved punishment snow white was married to him and rose red to his brother and they divided between them the great treasure which the dwarf had gathered together in his cave her mother lived peacefully and happily with her children for many years she took the two rose trees with her and they stood before her window and every year bore the most beautiful roses white and red and of snow white and rose red about the Grimm's from Grimm's fairytales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm translated by Edgar Taylor and Marion Edwards from Maine read by Bob Neufeld the brothers Grimm, Jacob 1785 to 1863 and Wilhelm, 1786 to 1859 were born in Hanow near Frankfurt in the German state of Hesse throughout their lives they remained close friends and both studied law at Marburg University Jacob was a pioneer in the study of German philology and although Wilhelm's work was hampered by poor health the brothers collaborated with the collection of a German dictionary not completed until a century after their deaths but they were best and universally known for the collection of over 200 folktales they made from oral sources and published in two volumes of nursery and household tales in 1812 and 1814 although their intention was to preserve such material as part of a German cultural and literary history and their collection was first published with scholarly notes and no illustration to the possession of young readers this was in part due to Edgar Taylor who made the first English translation in 1823 selecting about 50 stories quote with the amusement of some young friends principally in view end quote they have been an essential ingredient of children's reading ever since and of Grimm's fairy tales written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm