Tale from Russia.

Who was the strongest?

Tale from Russia.

One day the sun and the wind started arguing about which of them was the strongest. They couldn't agree, so they decided to challenge each other to a little competition.

"Do you see the man down there?" said the wind to the sun. "Let's see who can rip off his coat the fastest."
The sun agreed. "Begin," said the sun to the wind.

The wind caught his breath and sent such a strong gust at the man that his coat almost flew off him instantly. Encouraged by this, the wind continued to blow its icy breath. But the man held on to his clothes and the harder the wind blew, the more he wrapped the clothes around his body.

Finally the wind got tired and had to rest. "Now it's my turn!" said the sun, fermenting as much as he could. The warm rays of the sun shone down on the landscape where the man walked and soon he began to sweat. It got hotter and hotter. Finally, it was so hot that the man couldn't stand it anymore, but took off his coat and hung it on his arm.

Thus the sun had shown that he was strongest, but perhaps not in the way that the wind expected!

Who was the strongest?

Tale from Sweden.

The stomping old man

Tale from Sweden.

There is a mountain not far from Fylkestad in Villand's county, and in that mountain there used to be a giant called Stompegubben. One day it happened that a shepherd boy had climbed the mountain with his goats. The giant heard them clattering about up there and came charging out, angry as a bee.

"If you don't leave at once I will crush you as I crush this stone," roared the giant, seizing a block of flint rock. Then he squeezed the stone in his hand until it turned to gravel.
"Yes, you're probably always strong," said the herd boy, "but I still think I can beat you if you want to fight." So he took a sharp arrow with barbs, strung it to his bow and shot it right into the giant's belly.
"Ouch! What was that something?” wondered the giant, trying to pull out the arrow.
"It was a scolding word," answered the boy.
“Why does it have feathers?” asked the giant.
"To make it fly better," answered the boy.
"And why is it stuck?" asked the giant again.
"Because it has taken root in your body," replied the boy.
"Do you have several such swear words?" wondered the giant.
"Any number! Here you have another,” replied the boy, shooting another arrow at the giant.
"Ouch!" shouted Old Man Stomp. "Aren't you mad enough for us to start fighting in earnest?"
"No, you haven't had enough of scolding yet," said the boy, putting another arrow to the bowstring.
"Keep your goats wherever you want! If I can't deal with your scolding, how can I deal with your punches?? Howled Old Stomp and ran into the mountain.

That's how the herdboy won the battle, because he knew how to settle a fight with cunning instead of fists.

The stomping old man

Tale from Ireland.

The pot of gold coins

Tale from Ireland.

Once upon a time there was a man who was out working in the forest. Suddenly he caught sight of a little red-haired old man dressed in green and with a triangular hat on his head. The man immediately understood that this was a leprechaun, one of the fairies' cobblers. He also knew that each leprechaun guarded a pot full of gold and that if the little old man was captured, he would have to reveal where he hid the gold! So the man carefully crept closer to the little green-clad figure, who sat on a stump and dangled his legs.

Finally, the man was so close to the old man that he could grab hold of him with his hands. The leprechaun was enraged and ordered the man to immediately release him. "Oh no, little old man!" laughed the man. "Now I have you in my power and I'm not going to let you go until you tell me where you hide your gold!" The leprechaun knew this to be true - he must obey if caught. "Well," sighed the old man, pointing to a tree. "There, under the roots of that tree lies a large clay pot filled with gold coins buried. It is my treasure.” The man was happy and went to the tree to see it. "I have to run home immediately and get a shovel," he said. “But now you have to promise not to dig up the treasure before I get back. Remember that I have you in my power!” The little old man promised and the man finally let him go.

To remember which tree the treasure was under, the man tied his red handkerchief to one of the branches. Then he rushed home to get his shovel. But when he came back, his face became long. The little old man had kept his promise not to dig up the treasure. However, every single tree in the forest had a red handkerchief tied around one of its branches! It was quite impossible for the man to find the right tree and he had to go home with his shovel.

The pot of gold coins

Tale from Norway.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Tale from Norway.

Once upon a time there were three goats who were going to the meadow and eating their fat. All three were called The Three Billy Goats Gruff. On the way there was a bridge over a rapid, which they had to cross, and under that bridge lived a nasty troll with eyes like tin plates and a nose as long as a fox's shaft.

First came the youngest goat Gruff and was about to cross the bridge. Tripp, tripp, tripp, it sounded in the bridge. "Who is tripping on my bridge?" shouted the troll. "It's the smallest goat Gruff. I'm going to the meadow and get fat," said the goat in his bright voice. "Now I'll come and take you!" said the troll. "Oh, no, don't take me, because I'm so small. Wait a bit, and the middle goat Gruff will come. He's much bigger!" "Drive on, then," said the troll.

After a little while, the middle goat Gruff came. Tripp, tripp, tripp, tripp, it sounded in the bridge. "Who is stepping on my bridge?" shouted the troll. "It is only the middle goat Gruff, who is going to the meadow and getting fat," said the goat in his rather powerful voice. "Then I'll come and get you!" shouted the troll. "Oh no, don't take me! Wait a little, and the big goat Gruff will come, he's much, much bigger!". "Let go," said the troll impatiently.

Just as it was, the big goat Gruff came. Tripp, tripp, tripp, tripp, tripp, tripp, it sounded in the bridge. That trestle was so heavy that it creaked and creaked in the bridge. "Who's clawing at my bridge?" shouted the troll. "It is the great goat Gruff," said the goat in his booming voice. "Then it's you I've been waiting for and now I'm coming to get you!" shouted the troll. "Yes, just come!", said the goat. And then he rushed at the troll and pushed it so hard that it went far away and down the river. And thanks to that, all three were able to go to the meadow. There the goats got so fat, so fat, that they could hardly bear to go home again. And if the fat hasn't fallen off them, they're probably still fat.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Fairy tale from Finland.

The Devil and the Basting Peasant

Fairy tale from Finland.

Once upon a time there was a farmer who was crazy about basting. As soon as he got up in the morning he entered the sauna and as soon as he was done with his chores for the day he returned there. In the end, he got used to the heat in his sauna and therefore built a new sauna that was even hotter. After a while, he had to build a new one, and so he continued until there was not a sauna in all of Finland that was hot enough for him.

Word of this heat-tolerant farmer quickly spread across the country and eventually the devil himself heard about him. "I'll probably give him all the warmth he needs," thought the evil one, and gave himself up to the farmer. "Peasant! I have a sauna that's probably hot enough for you," said the devil. "Thank you for the invitation," said the farmer. "Let's get off at once!" When they reached the gates of hell, the devil called to his demons to fire like never before, for here they had one who liked heat. The farmer snuggled as he felt the heat rise around him and threw off his clothes. "Sit here, dear friend," said the devil, pointing to a red-hot stone. The farmer did, but still thought the stone was a little cold. The devil snorted at his guest and ordered the demons to turn up the heat even worse. Despite this, the sauna-less farmer only seemed to enjoy himself even better.

The heat from the superheated hell was now beginning to produce results on the surface of the earth. Volcanoes erupted both here and there, and the polar ice caps began to melt. In the end, the devil's own whiskers caught fire and that was enough. "Out with you, you bastard!" howled the devil at the farmer. "I never want to see you again!" So the farmer had to go home. He was sad that he had to leave the nice warmth, but still glad to know that he must now be admitted to heaven when he died.

That's why all Finnish children are taught to bathe in a sauna, so the devil knows his heat doesn't touch them and therefore leaves them alone.

The Devil and the Basting Peasant

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was an old woman and an old man who lived in a little red cabin with a sod roof.

The Job Switch

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was an old woman and an old man who lived in a little red cabin with a sod roof.

One day the old woman said to the old man:

- You have to go into the forest and collect wood because soon I won't have any wood left and can't cook anything on my stove.

- Oh, it's terrible, the old man scolded himself. Every single day the wood is almost gone so I have to go out into the forest and toil and drag. You have it easy, you, who only have to stand by the stove and stir the pot all day.

- You complain, old man, said the old woman, but I will tell you that my job is much more difficult than yours. I have to cook and watch the goat at the same time.

In this way the old woman and the old man tired every single day for many weeks.
One day the old woman said: - Today I will go out into the forest and collect firewood, then you can cook and guard the goat.

- Yes, it will be fine, said the old man, thinking that it will be done soon and then I will lie down on the grass and rest until the old woman comes home.

And so the old woman went into the forest.
The old man started to cook porridge, but then he remembered that he had to guard the goat too.

But how could he guard the goat and stir the pot at the same time? The old man thought for a long time and finally he got a good idea! He tied a rope around the goat's neck, lifted her onto the sod roof of the cottage and let the end of the rope down the chimney.
Then he tied the rope around his waist and so he could stir the pot while the goat ate grass on the roof.
The old woman could never have come up with this, thought the old man.

But right as it was, nothing better happened than the goat falling from the roof.
And since the old man was stuck at the other end of the rope, he jerked up the chimney.

When the old woman came home from the forest towards evening, the goat was standing outside the cabin and barking, the old man was sitting in the chimney and croaking, and the porridge was completely burnt.

But that old man, he never complained about the old woman again and so they lived happily ever after.

The Job Switch

Tale from England.

The three wishes

Tale from England.

Once upon a time there was a poor woodcutter who went out every morning to chop wood. He worked hard all day and in the evening returned home to his cabin, where his wife was waiting with supper. It was a tiring life, but the only kind of life they knew.

One day when the woodcutter was in the middle of his work, he heard someone calling for help. It was a small, squeaky voice so it took him a while to find the caller. It turned out to be a little old man with his foot stuck in a cracked tree trunk. The figure couldn't have been much bigger than a bottle and the woodcutter realized it must be one of the fairies. The woodcutter went up to the tree and soon had chopped up the trunk with his axe, so the old man could get free. The little man was very grateful for the help and said to the woodcutter: “You will get three wishes as a reward from me. You just have to say what you want and it will come to you instantly. But remember, you only have three, so use them!” With those words, the old man disappeared into thin air.

The woodcutter had certainly been given something to think about as he wandered home in the evening. As he sat down at the kitchen table, he felt for the first time that day how hungry he actually was. "Isn't the food ready soon?" he asked his wife. "It's ready when it's ready!" she replied. "I wish I'd at least had a sausage to gnaw on," muttered the lumberjack without thinking. Suddenly there was a large sausage on the plate in front of him. His wife stared at the sausage in surprise and wondered how he got it. Then the woodcutter told about his meeting with the little old man in the forest and about the three wishes.

Then the wife became furious and scolded her husband. “Are you that stupid to waste a wish on a hot dog?? How can you be so careless? How can you be so stupid??? I wish the sausage was stuck on your nose!” And voila, the sausage was at the far end of the lumberjack's nose. Now it became quite quiet in the cabin, when they both realized how stupid they had been. Now what would they put their last wish on? A big house? Lots of money? A long and healthy life?

"I wish the sausage would disappear from my old man's nose," said the wife at last, and the sausage disappeared.
"That's true love!" said the woodcutter. "Aren't we fine the way we are anyway?" The wife grumbled and laid out a large portion of food for her old man, because tomorrow he was going out to chop wood again.

The three wishes

Once upon a time, long ago, there were two girls named Snow White and Rose Red.

Snow White and Rose Red

Once upon a time, long ago, there were two girls named Snow White and Rose Red.

One evening when they were sitting in front of the fireplace, a frozen bear knocked on the cabin and asked to sit by the fire for a while. He got that. The bear and the girls soon became good friends.

When night came, the mother said:

- You are welcome to lie here by the fire overnight.

The bear did, but in the morning he wandered off into the forest and was gone all day. In the evening he came and knocked on the door.

All winter long, the bear came and stayed in the cabin overnight, but disappeared when dawn broke.

When spring came, the bear said one day:

- Now I can't come anymore for a while. I must guard my treasures from the naughty dwarves, who emerge from their burrows in the ground, when it is no longer frozen.

One day the girls were out in the garden picking flowers. As it was, they heard a very loud noise from a cabin at the edge of the forest. They walked up to the cabin and saw a dwarf with his beard stuck in a log.

- Don't stand there and stare, but help me, said the dwarf angrily.

- Don't be so impatient, said Snow White, and then she took a pair of scissors from the table and cut off the dwarf's beard so that he came loose.

But the dwarf was not at all grateful, but scolded that Snow White had ruined his fine beard.

After a while Snow White and Rose Red were out in the meadow.
Then they heard a terrible hissing down from the stream.

They hurried there and caught sight of the dwarf, who had now once again had a bad time. He had snuck his beard into a rope and couldn't get free.

- Don't stand there and stare, but help me, shouted the dwarf.

Rosenröd took out her scissors and cut off a piece of the beard that was left. But the dwarf was not grateful and scolded her terribly.

After a while, the girls were out in the pasture again and heard a terrible life.

- Please Mr. Bear, spare me, they heard the dwarf's voice.

And when they arrived, they saw their friend the bear, chasing the fleeing dwarf. Snow White and Rose Red also got scared and wanted to run but the bear called out:

- Snow White and Rose Red, wait for me. Soon you will come to our play area. There are ferris wheels, bouncy castles, a mini track, a cable car, a pedal carousel and dressage carriages on rails. The Ferris wheel provides exercise for mother and father and fun for the little ones.

Suddenly the bear fur disappeared and in front of the girls stood a handsome prince.

- It was the dwarf who had bewitched me, said the prince.

And Snow White married the prince and Rose Red married his brother and they lived happily ever after.

Snow White and Rose Red

Cook soup on a spike

Tale from Sweden.

Once upon a time there was an old woman who was terribly stingy and rude to everyone. This despite the fact that she was well off and lacked nothing in this world. One evening when it was raining and cold outside, there was a knock on her door. It was a lonely tramp who wondered if he could spend the night at the old woman's farm. "Oh no! This is certainly no inn," said the old woman. But the tramp said he was grateful if he could only sleep on the floor in front of the fire. Finally the old woman gave in and let him in.

The tramp wondered if it might be possible to get something to eat as well. "Never in my life," growled the old woman. "I barely have enough for myself. How will I be able to feed others as well?" "All I ask is to borrow a pot, and I can cook my own food," explained the hobo. "Look, I've got such a good nail to boil soup on, so I can handle it." Cooking soup on a nail? The old woman had never heard of that, so now she became curious. She fetched a pot and started boiling water in it. The hobo dropped his nail into the pot and gently stirred the water. After a while he tasted. "Mmm! This is all going to be a delicious soup," said the hobo, looking pleased. Just as the old woman was about to taste it herself, he said: "But it's clear... With a little milk and a little flour, it would have been even better. But if there is nothing, the soup will still be good." "Oh," said the old woman. "I probably have some at home." And then she went to get flour and milk. The hobo tasted again and looked satisfied. "This will be a lovely soup! Although it was even tastier with a little salt in it." "Of course I have some salt at home," said the old woman, fetching it. The hobo tasted the soup again and said: "This is going to be a really successful dish. Although if you could pour in some vegetables and pieces of meat, the king himself would probably be satisfied with the soup!" Immediately the old woman went and got what she had at home.

When the soup was ready, the hobo poured the food for both the old woman and himself. The old woman ate for a living. Never had she tasted such good soup and she could not praise the tramp enough for his good cooking. The next day when the tramp left, he was given a penny by the old woman. "You should have it because you taught me how to cook soup on a nail," she said. "Not just anyone can cook such cheap food."

The tramp thanked him politely and went on his way, glad that the stingy old woman was also a fool. Because surely you noticed that more than the nail was needed to make the soup good?

Cook soup on a spike

HC Andersen.

The princess on the pea

HC Andersen

Once upon a time in a land far away. There lived a king and a queen with their son. The king and queen were getting old and therefore wanted to hand over the crown to their son the prince, so he would become the king of the land.

There was only one problem, the prince had no wife, so who would be the queen of the land? The king spoke to his son. The prince then promised that he would ride out into the world to look for a wife. The queen then admonished her son that it must be a real princess. The prince promised to think about it.

The prince rode out into the wide world to look for a wife, but nowhere did he find her. After being away from home for a long time, he returned home. He was very sad to come home without a wife. Even the king and queen were sad. The prince explained that as soon as he had found someone he thought would be suitable, it turned out to be no real princess.

One evening when the king, queen and prince were sitting in front of the fire playing a board game, a terrible storm broke out. There was thunder, lightning and rain pouring down. It blew up into a real storm, a branch hit the window hard. It was really creepy.
- How lucky we are indoors and warm and comfortable, said the king.

Just then, a loud banging was heard on the castle gate.
- Who could it be that is out in this storm, said the queen.
Soon after, a servant came into the room and announced that there was a terribly wet and miserable girl out in the hall.
- She says she is a princess, said the servant.

The queen followed the servant out into the hall and there stood a sad girl, who wondered if she could spend the night in the castle. She told me that she had gotten lost when the terrible storm had broken out.

The queen asked her if she was really a real princess. Which the girl promised she was. The queen promised her that she would be allowed to stay the night, but first she would be given dry clothes and something to eat. The queen herself went to tidy up the guest room.

She asked the servants to fetch twenty mattresses and twenty bolsters. Then she made the bed herself, but at the bottom she put a small pea.

The next day they asked the girl how she had slept.
- Terribly bad!, said the girl.
It was as if there had been a large lump in the bed.
- I am completely blue and brown all over my body, said the girl.
Then the queen looked very pleased and happy, for she must be a real princess, who had such a delicate skin that she could feel the little pea through twenty mattresses and twenty bolsters.

Then the prince asked if the princess wanted to marry him and she was happy to. Then there was a wedding and they lived happily ever after.

Wondering what became of the little pea? Well, I can tell you that. It came to a museum, and if no one took it from there, it remains to this day.

The princess on the pea

Long ago there lived a tailor who had three sons and a goat.

Set the table

Long ago there lived a tailor who had three sons and a goat. Once the elder went out and herded the goat for a whole day. When it was time to go home, he asked the goat if she was full.
"Yes, I'm both full and happy, I can't take a single leaf, meh, meh!" said the goat.

Then he went home with her.
But the tailor went out into the stable and asked the goat: "Are you full now, dear goat?"

When she replied that she had received nothing, the tailor became angry and kicked his son out of the home. The same happened to the two other sons when they herded the goat. When they asked her if she was full, she said yes, only to say something completely different then when the tailor asked her. And both were chased from the home with stabs and blows.

Now the tailor himself had to go out with the goat. He let her graze in a meadow with the juiciest grass until evening.
"Are you full now, dear goat?" he then asked, and she answered yes. But when they entered the stable she said:
"How full could I be, had to go around and just look, didn't even find a leaf, meh, meh!"
Then the tailor understood that he had been unfair to his sons, and now it was the goat's turn to be chased away.

The eldest son was apprenticed to a carpenter and when his apprenticeship was over, he was given a small table by his employer. When they said: "Table, set the table!" the most delicious dishes and drinks were presented by himself.

On the way home, the boy came to an inn, where he intended to spend the night. He set forth his little table, and the innkeeper and the other guests were astonished,
when all the good food was conjured up.

At night when the boy slept, the innkeeper replaced the table with another, which looked the same. When the boy got home, he wanted to show his father what the table was good for. But no matter how many times he said "Table, settle down!" then the table was just as empty. Then the poor boy realized that the table had been replaced.

The other son had been apprenticed to a miller. When he had completed his apprenticeship, his employer gave him a donkey and said: "When you put it on a canvas and say 'Briklebrit' it spits gold coins."
The boy thanked and set off with the donkey.

Now it was no better than that he came to the same inn, where his elder brother had had his table changed. The innkeeper spying on him watched as he let the donkey spit out gold coins. At night he changed the donkey to a normal donkey without the boy noticing.

When the boy got home, of course, he wanted to show off his strange donkey, but no matter how many times he said "Briklebrit" it didn't spit out so much as a five-year-old.
The youngest brother had been apprenticed to a turner, and as a parting gift his employer gave him a sack with a stick in it, saying: "If anyone wants to hurt you, you just say 'Put the stick out of the sack' and it will jump out and give the mischief a round."

In the evening the boy came to the same inn as his brothers. The host crept in at night to replace the sack, but then the boy shouted: "Knölpåk out of the sack!" and out went the knölpåken and flogged the innkeeper until he gave up both the table and the golden donkey. And so the boy took everything home with him, and then they lived happily ever after.

Set the table

The Hobyahs

Tale from England.

Once upon a time there was an old man, an old woman and a little girl who lived together in a house made of turnips. They had a little dog that was just called "Turpie", but he was happy with it anyway.

Some distance away, the awful hobyahs had their den. They loathed their neighbors and one night they came up to the turnip house and howled: “Hobyah! Hobjah! Hobjah! Away with the old man! Away with the old lady! Away with the house and away with Turpie! Down with the little girl in the hobyah sack!” But when the dog heard this, he stuck his head out of a window and barked the worst he could. The hobyahs were frightened and immediately ran home to their den. The old man woke up from the noise and thought: "Why in the world is Turpie barking in the middle of the night? Tomorrow night I will lock him up in the turnip basket!” And so he did.

The next evening the hobyahs came back and shouted: “Hobyah! Hobjah! Hobjah! Away with the old man! Away with the old lady! Away with the house and away with Turpie! Down with the little girl in the hobyah sack!” But Turpie heard them and pushed, eel and rolled out of the turnip basket. Then he barked after the hobyahs and chased them all the way to their pot. The old man woke up again and thought: "Now Turpie is barking so loudly that no man can sleep." Tomorrow night I'll put him in the turnip basket and tie the turnip rope around it!” And he did. The next evening the hobyahs came back again and shouted: “Hobyah! Hobjah! Hobjah! Away with the old man! Away with the old woman! Away with the house and away with Turpie! Down with the little girl in the hobyah sack!”

But this time the dog couldn't get out of the turnip basket, so the hobyahs tore down the whole turnip house, put the girl in their hobyah sack, and took her home to their dark den. There they hung the sack with the girl on a nail on the wall. Then they came forward one by one, scratched the sack and shouted "Look here! Look here! Look here!" Who knows why they did that, because hoobjers are strange creatures. Then they all went to bed and slept until the next night, because hoobjers hate the sunlight of the day.

Meanwhile, the old man and the old woman had escaped from their collapsed turnip house. When they noticed that they were alone, they stopped and wondered, "Where are the little girl and Turpie?" Then they remembered that Turpie was trapped in the turnip basket. They immediately ran back and let the dog out, but they couldn't find the girl anywhere. Then they realized that the hobyahs must have taken her.

But little Turpie tracked them with his snout and towards morning they arrived at the hobyahs' den. From inside the cave they could hear someone crying and when the old man poked his head in he could see large tears dripping from a sack hanging on the wall. He pulled out the sack and opened it and immediately the little girl looked forward. Everyone was of course very happy, but then the old man thought twice. "If we build our turnip house, the hobyahs will come again!" So he and little Turpie went down into the hobyahs' den. "Little Turpie, jump into the sack," said the old man, and the dog did. Then he hung the sack on the wall and went out to the old woman and the girl.

That evening when the hobyahs woke up they went to the sack, scratched at it and shouted “Look here! Look here! Look here!" Then they took down the sack and opened it... But then little Turpie jumped out and ate them all! So now there are no more hobyahs.

The Hobyahs

Brother Grimm.

The Enchanted Cauldron

Brother Grimm

Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived with her mother in a small cabin next to a large forest. They were quite well off if they hadn't been so terribly poor. There were many who were at this time.

Every day the mother walked the long way into town to look for work. Sometimes she had to help someone wash, sometimes it was someone who needed help with the cleaning, but often she had to go home without having earned a penny and then she couldn't buy any food.

Every morning the little girl took her bucket and went into the forest to pick some blueberries so they would at least have something to eat. One morning the girl didn't want to pick blueberries. She told her mother that she wanted porridge, the kind that the neighbors ate almost every day.
- Little friend, they are rich and can buy rice groats, I can't, said the mother.
- I'll go to the forest and pick berries then said the girl.
When she came out into the forest, she heard someone shouting:
- Hello.
She looked around, but could see no one. After a while, someone called again. Now she saw a little gray old man sitting on a rock.
- Who are you picking blueberries here in my forest? said the old man.
- My name is Anna and I usually pick berries here. I didn't know it was your forest, said the girl.
- Okay, you can pick berries here then, said the old man.
- Actually, I don't want to pick blueberries because I'm tired of eating berries every single day. I want porridge, but we have no money to buy rice with, said the girl.
- Easily arranged, said the old man.
- You take a pot with you and come here tomorrow, but it must be a really nice pot. Do you have a nice pot?
- Yes, we have, but I'm probably not allowed to take it with me for mom, said the girl.

Anna thought all day about what the little old man had said, but she didn't tell her mother. The next day she went into the forest and she had the nice pot with her and the old man was sitting on the same rock as the day before.
- Do you have the pot with you? said the old man.
The girl nodded and showed him the pot.
- It will do, said the old man.
Then he picked out a horribly ugly and dented pot.
- Do you mean that we should switch and that I should get the ugly pot instead? It doesn't work. Mother, you're going to be very angry and sad, said the girl.
- You forget that this is an enchanted pot, said the old man.
- Yes, but how do you do it? the girl wondered.
- Now listen very carefully!
First, you fill the pot with water. Then you light the fire in the stove, put the pot on and say:
- Please pot cook porridge
When the pot is full, you say:
- Please pot stop cooking porridge.
You have to say exactly that, understand? said the old man.
The girl nodded and thanked him.

When the girl came home, the mother was not at home, so the girl poured water into the pot and put it on the stove, but she did not dare to make a fire in the stove because the mother had forbidden her to do so. When the mother came home and saw the ugly dented pot, she wondered where it came from.
- Have you found it in the forest? Then you collect all kinds of rubbish, said the mother.
- It's an enchanted pot, which can cook porridge with just water, said the girl.
- Dear little child, there are no enchanted pots, said the mother.
- Yes, it is certainly an enchanted pot. I had it exchanged for me by a little old man who lives in the forest. I exchanged it for your new pot, said the girl.
- Please, little child, you haven't!
- Please, mother, light the stove and you'll see, said the girl.
The mother sighed, but did as the girl said.
- Please pot cook porridge, said the girl.
Then something strange happened. The pot began to boil. It became more and more porridge until the girl said:
- Please pot stop cooking porridge.
Then it stopped boiling.
- Oh, it really is an enchanted pot. How happy I am. Now we never have to be hungry again. Thank you dear child, said the mother.
- It was lucky that I met the little old man, said the girl.
- Yes, it really was.
From that day on, the girl and her mother could eat porridge as often as they wanted

The Enchanted Cauldron

The Queen Bee

Brother Grimm

Once upon a time, two sons of a king went out into the world to seek their fortune. They lapsed into a wasteful and careless life which made them unwilling to return home.

Their brother, who was small in stature like a dwarf, became worried about them and after a while he went out to look for them. When he found them, they laughed at him. How could he believe that he, who was so small and insignificant, would be able to make his way in the world when those, who were so much wiser, had a hard time getting by.

However, the three brothers kept company and eventually came to an anthill. The two older brothers wanted to destroy it to see how the terrified ants would run around carrying their eggs. The little dwarf then said "Let the poor ants enjoy their lives, I don't think you should mess with them".

So they went on and came to a lake where many, many ducks were swimming about. The two brothers wanted to catch two of them and roast them, but the dwarf then said: “Leave the poor ducks alone and let them enjoy their lives. Don't kill them!”

Then they came to a hollow tree where bees had built a nest. There was so much honey that it ran down the stem. The two brothers wanted to light a fire under the tree and kill all the bees so they could get at their honey but the dwarf held them back and said: “Let the poor insects enjoy their lives. I cannot allow you to set fire to them!”

Eventually the three brothers came to a castle. There they got to see a stable where there were fine horses, but they were made of marble and no people were visible.
Then they went through all the rooms in the castle until they came to a room where there were three locks. In the middle of the door there was a hatch so you could see into the room. Peeking through the hatch, they saw a small gray old man sitting at a table. They called to him once and twice but he did not hear. When they shouted a third time, he got up and came over to them.

He said nothing but grabbed them and led them to a beautiful table covered with all sorts of goodies. After they had eaten, he showed them to each of their bedrooms.

The next morning he came to the eldest brother and took him to a marble table, where there were three tablets that described how the castle could break its spell.

On the first board it was written: 'In the forest under the moss there are 1000 pearls that belong to the king's daughter. They must be found, and if a single one should be missing when the sun goes down, whoever has been looking for them will turn to marble.'

The elder set off to look for the pearls. He searched all day but when evening came he had not found even a hundred pearls so he turned to stone just as the tablet had predicted.

The next day the second oldest brother took over the task but he did no better than his brother as he only found 100 more gems so he too was turned to stone.

Finally it was the little dwarf's turn. He started looking in the moss but it was so hard to find and it was so tiring so he sat down on a rock and started to cry.
As he sat there, the king of the ants (whose life he had saved) came and helped him along with five thousand ants. It didn't take long then until they found all the pearls and put them in a pile.

The other board read: 'The key to the princess's bedroom must be fished out of the lake'.
When the dwarf reached the shore of the lake, he saw the two ducks whose lives he had saved swimming about out on the lake. The ducks dived into the lake and soon they had found the key and gave it to him.

The third task was the most difficult. It consisted of him pointing out the youngest of the king's three daughters. They were all beautiful and exactly alike but he had been told that the oldest had eaten a little sugar, the second oldest a little syrup and the youngest a spoonful of honey. So he needed to find out who had eaten the honey.
Then came the queen bee who had been saved by the little dwarf from the fire. She tasted their lips and eventually she sat on the one who ate honey. The dwarf then knew that it was the youngest.

Then all the spell was broken and everyone who had been turned to stone came back to life and became normal again and the dwarf married the youngest and best princess and became king after her father's death. His two brothers married the other two sisters and they all lived happily ever after for many, many years.

The Queen Bee

Tale from Japan.

Tokoyo

Tale from Japan.

A long, long time ago, there lived an emperor who was suddenly stricken with a strange illness. He became weak and could barely get out of bed. As a result, his mood was always bad and he blamed his closest aides for everything bad that happened in his kingdom. One day he became furious with the noble samurai Oribe Shima because he happened to be slightly late for a meeting. Oribe received a harsh punishment. He was banished to the poor and desolate Oki Islands, where he could only support himself by fishing.

Oribe Shima had only one child, a daughter who worked as an oyster picker in their home village. Her name was Tokoyo and she wasn't afraid of anything. Where no one dared to dive into the depths, Tokoyo picked his oysters and opened them with his sharp oyster knife. Soon news reached the village that her father had been banished to the Oki Islands and Tokoyo immediately set off to find Oribe. But it was not easy to know which island he had been forced to leave for. She borrowed a small boat and traveled around on her own between the islands, but nowhere had anyone heard of the samurai Oribe Shima. Finally she came to an island that had a small shrine in a cliff by the water. She was both hungry and tired, and huddled inside the sanctuary to get some rest.

She was awakened from her sleep by approaching footsteps. Tokoyo hid behind a rock so that she could spy unseen on those who came walking. It was a priest and a young girl. The girl knelt before the shrine and the priest read prayers and clapped his hands over her head. Then the priest grabbed the girl and began to drag her down towards the water. Then Tokoyo jumped forward and pushed the priest away. “What are you doing, you lunatic?” she wondered. "You're going to drown the girl, aren't you?" "I must throw her into the sea," explained the priest. "Outside our island lives an evil sea god. If we do not sacrifice one of our children to him every year, he will sink all the fishing boats and sink the island.” "Then let me take her place," Tokoyo begged. "I am not afraid of your sea god and should I succumb to the depths it does not matter, for my father has disappeared and my life is only filled with sorrow."

Tokoyo put on the girl's white sacrificial clothes and was blessed by the priest. Then she took her sharp oyster knife between her teeth and dove into the sea. It got darker the further down she got, but she could still see what was on the bottom. To Tokoyo's surprise, she found a wooden statue of the Emperor. Yes, the very same one who exiled her father. At first, Tokoyo thought of putting the knife in the emperor, because she was so angry with him. Then she changed her mind and thought that it wasn't the artist's fault, he who made the statue.

Instead, she took the statue on its back and tied it with a belt. Now she was running out of air and she had to return to the surface.

But on the way up to the light she was stopped by a dark shadow that rose in her path. It was the evil sea god, terrifying to behold. He had a large head with staring eyes and a scaly body with thousands of bones. The beast blew out a blood red cloud around Tokoyo and she became very dizzy. But she still had her oyster knife and she stuck it straight through the cloud and into one of the sea god's eyes and into his head. With this slash, she killed the monster and it began to sink to the bottom. With the last of her strength, Tokoyo grabbed the beast's head and cut it off with her sharp knife, then sped towards the surface.

The priest remained waiting on the shore and was surprised to see Tokoyo emerge from the water with a statue on his back. But then he caught sight of the sea god's head that she had in her hands. The priest carried Tokoyo ashore and ran after the villagers on the island, so that they could see for themselves the wonder that had taken place. When Tokoyo killed the sea god, she saved everyone on the island, but another strange thing also happened. As soon as the statue of the emperor was set down on the beach, the real emperor immediately recovered. On the small fishing island, Tokoyo was hailed as a hero and news of her feat spread all the way to the emperor's ears. When he heard about the wooden statue from the bottom of the sea, he understood that the evil sea god had cast a spell on him somehow and that Tokoyo had healed him. Immediately, Emperor Oribe lifted Shima's banishment and invited both him and his daughter to court. It turned out that Oribe lived on the very island that Tokoyo had now saved and together they traveled to the emperor's palace, where they lived in safety and happiness. Except for one day a week when Tokoyo couldn't hold on any longer and had to visit the sea and go oyster hunting again.

Tokoyo

Tale from Iceland.

Prince Lini

Tale from Iceland.

Once upon a time there was a king and a queen who had only one child, a son named Lini. In the same kingdom also lived an old man and his wife in a wretched hut. They had an only daughter named Signy.

One day Prince Lini was hunting with his courtiers. When they were to return home in the evening, a dense fog settled over the land and the prince was lost.

The courtiers searched for Prince Lini for a long time, but finally they had to return to the castle and tell the king and queen that their son was missing.

Immediately the country's best scouts were sent out to find Lini, but after several weeks they all returned without results. Then the king became so sad that he fell ill and had to lie down in bed. He announced that whoever found Prince Lini would be rewarded with half the kingdom.

Signy heard about this, and she asked her parents to give her a proper lunch bag and a new pair of shoes, so that she could set off to look for the prince.

After several days Signy came to a cave and inside the cave were two beds, one with a silver crochet cover and one with gold crochet. And in the bed with the gold crochet lay the prince. Signy tried to wake him but to no avail. On the headboards were some signs carved, which Signy could not decipher.

Suddenly heavy footsteps were heard outside the cave and Signy hid under the prince's bed. Two burly giantesses entered the cave. One immediately said: “Ugh! This smells like human blood!”
"It must depend on the prince," replied the other giant.
Then the giantesses stepped up to the bed and said: "Sing, sing, my swans, so that Prince Lini wakes up!"

Then swans were heard singing outside and the prince woke up immediately. Two of the giants asked him if he wanted to marry one of them. The prince wrinkled his nose and answered with a resounding "No!". Then the giants shouted: "Sing, sing, my swans, so that Prince Lini falls asleep!"

The swans sang and the prince fell asleep. Then the giantesses laid down in bed with the silver cover and fell asleep themselves. The next morning they woke the prince and asked him the same question. They also received the same answer and they immediately put Lini to sleep again and exited the cave.

When Signy was sure the giants were far away, she read the spell over the prince and woke him up. The prince and Signy greeted each other cordially and Signy told how sad the king was. Then she asked what happened to Lini. He told me that soon after he was separated from his courtiers, two giantesses had come and dragged him with them to this cave. There they had then kept him prisoner and asked him the same question about marriage every day.

"But when the giantesses ask you to-night, you shall answer yes to one of them," said Signy, "on the condition that she tells you what is on the headboards and what they do in the forest during the day."
The prince thought it was a good idea. He fetched a chessboard and they played chess until the evening.

When the giantesses came home, Signy hid and the prince pretended to sleep in bed. When the giants put their question to him, he answered one of them that he could probably think of marrying if she said what was written on the headboard. The giantess replied:
"Run, run my bed wherever I want!"
Now the prince also wanted to know what the giantesses were up to in the forest during the day. They answered that they hunted fowl and game, and that they sat under an oak tree and threw a ball with their life-egg. When the prince asked if it was something that had to be handled carefully, the giants replied that they would die if the egg were broken. So it was a dangerous game they were playing with!

The next morning the giants went out into the forest again without waking Lini, but when they were gone Signy crept forward and woke the prince.
"Now we're going straight out into the forest where the giant women are," said Signy. "You must take your spear and aim at their life egg when they throw it, because otherwise we will never get out of here." then they climbed into bed and cried:
"Run, run my bed wherever I want!"
And the bed ran into the forest and stopped first at the oak tree.

Suddenly there was loud laughter and Signy asked the prince to climb the tree. From the oak branches he could see that the two giantesses were sitting below, playing with a golden egg. The prince then threw his spear and hit the egg in mid-flight. Immediately the two giantesses turned into two large stones.

Lini and Signy now flew back to the cave with the bed, loaded both beds with the treasures of the giantesses, and then went back to Signy's parents' hut. Then they went on to the castle and met Lini's parents, who were obviously overjoyed to see their son again. The king kept his promise to give away half the kingdom. Signy and Lini had to share that, and they lived together for a long time and loved each other very much!


Prince Lini

The wolf and the seven little goats

Brother Grimm

Once upon a time there was a mother goat who had seven little kids. She loved them above all else. One day she was going into the forest to get some food, so she called all seven children to her and said:
“Dear children, I must go to the forest, be careful and beware of the wolf. If he comes here, he will devour you with holes and hair. He will be dressed up, but you will recognize him by his dark voice and black feet.” The goats replied: “Dear mother, we will be fine. You don't have to worry about us.” Then the old mother goat bleated with relief and went off to the forest without worrying.

It wasn't long before someone knocked on the door and called out: "Open the door, dear children, your mother is here and has brought something for you all." But the little goats understood that it was not their mother but the wolf. It was heard on the dark voice. “We will not open the door.” cried the goats, “You are not our mother. She has a soft, pleasant voice. Your voice is dark and gruff. You are the wolf!”
The wolf then went off to a merchant and bought himself a large piece of chalk, which he ate to make his voice brighter. He then went back to the goats' house, knocked on the door and called: "Open the door dear children, your mother is here and has brought something for you all." But he had put one of his black paws on the window. The goats saw it and shouted: "We will not open the door. Our mother doesn't have black feet like you do. You are the wolf!”

The wolf then went to the baker and said: “I have hurt my feet. You might as well put some dough on them.” Then he went on to the miller and said, "Sprinkle some white flour on my feet." The miller thought to himself: "The wolf is going to trick someone." and refused. The wolf then said to the miller: "If you don't do as I say, I will eat you." Then the miller got scared and turned his paws white with the flour.

So now the wicked wolf went to the goats' door for the third time. He knocked and said: "Open the door children, your dear mother has returned home from the forest and has brought something for each of you." The goats then shouted: "Show your feet first so we can see that it is our mother." The wolf then showed his feet in the window. When the goats saw the white feet, they thought he was telling the truth and opened the door. But who came in if not the wolf! They were terrified and wanted to hide. One ran under the table, the second jumped into the bed, the third hid in the oven, the fourth ran into the kitchen, the fifth hid in a cupboard, the sixth hid under the sink and the seventh hid in the large floor clock. However, the wolf found them and showed no mercy but devoured them one goat after another. The youngest who hid in the bell was the only goat that the wolf did not find.

The wolf was now full and satisfied and went his way. He laid down under a tree in the green meadow outside the goats' house and fell asleep. Soon after, the old mother goat came back from the forest. Alas, what a sight met her!
The front door was wide open. Tables, chairs and benches had been knocked over, the wash basin had been smashed, duvets and pillows had been thrown from the beds. She looked for her children, but found them nowhere. She called their names but no one answered until she called the youngest goat's name. Then a small voice said crying: "Dear mother, I am inside the floor clock." She took out the little goat, who then told her that the wolf had come there and eaten all the others. You can imagine how she cried over the poor children.

She went out of the house crying and the little goat ran after her. When they came out into the meadow, they saw the wolf lying snoring under a tree. He snored so loudly that the branches shook. The old mother goat looked closely at the wolf and saw that there was something moving and struggling inside the wolf's belly. "Oh dear," she said, "perhaps my poor little ones, whom he swallowed, are still alive." Then the goat ran home and got scissors, needle and thread. The mother cut open the belly of the wolf and almost before she made the first cut, a little goat jumped out. After a few more clips, all six guys jumped out one by one. They were all still alive and had not been harmed because the wolf in its voraciousness had swallowed them whole. What a happy reunion it was! They all hugged their mother and darted about happily. The mother said to them: "Now go and get some big stones, and we will fill the wretch's stomach with them while he sleeps." The seven goats then hurried to get stones, which they filled the wolf's stomach with. The mother then sewed him back together so quickly that he didn't notice, but continued to sleep.

When the wolf eventually woke up and got to his feet, the stones in his stomach made him very thirsty. He therefore went to the well to drink water, but as he began to walk the stones in his stomach began to move and rattled against each other. He then shouted:
"What's rolling and rattling in my stomach?
I thought there were six little boys,
But now it feels like big rock bumps.”

And when he came to the well and leaned forward to drink, the heavy stones caused him to lose his balance and fall into the water and drown. When the goats saw this, they immediately came running and cried loudly and loudly: “The wolf is dead! The wolf is dead!” They danced for joy around the spring together with their mother.

Then they went home happy knowing that they no longer needed to be afraid of the wolf.

The wolf and the seven little goats

Charles Perrault.

Puss in Boots

Charles Perrault

A miller had three sons. He owned a mill, a donkey and a cat. When he died, the oldest son inherited the mill, the second oldest got the donkey, and the youngest got only the cat. The youngest son then said to himself:
- What should I do with a cat? At best, I can have a pair of leather gloves made from the fur.
- Listen, the cat then told him.
- Do not kill me. Instead, have a pair of boots made for me, so that I can show myself out among people. Then you will soon get help.

Mjölnarsonen was surprised that his cat could speak and he had a pair of boots made for him. When they were done, the cat pulled them on him. Then he took a sack and poured some grain into it. Next he looked for a string, so that he could tie the sack together. At last he slung the sack over his shoulder and went on his way.

At that time, the country was ruled by a king who was very fond of partridges. The cat knew that and since they were hard to shoot, he had figured out a way to capture them. He untied the sack of grain and laid it open on the ground. He laid the string in the grass and pulled it away to a hedge. There he hid and lay in wait. Soon the partridges arrived. They jumped into the grain sack. When enough people had crawled in, the cat pulled the string. Then he put the sack on his back and went straight to the king's castle.
- Stop! Where? shouted the guard.
- To the king, answered the cat boldly.
Since the king was bored, the cat was let in. He bowed deeply to the king and said:
- My lord, the count, sends greetings to his king. He sends some partridges, which he has just caught.
The king was surprised by the beautiful, fat partridges and was overjoyed. He let the cat fill his sack with as much gold as he could carry.
- Take it to your master and thank him for his gift.

But the poor miller's son sat at home by the window with his head leaning on his hand and thought:
- Now I have disposed of my last pennies on a pair of boots for the cat. What can I get out of it?

Just then the cat came in, took the sack from his back, opened it and poured out all the gold in front of the miller's son.

- Here you get for the boots. The king greets you and thanks you for the fine partridges.
Mjölnarsonen was happy about such great wealth! While the cat pulled off his boots, he told all. Then he said:
- Now you have enough gold, but it doesn't stop there. Tomorrow I'll put my boots back on, because you're going to be even richer. To the king I said, that you are a count.

The next day the cat, with his boots on, went hunting again and went to the king with his catch. That's how it went every day, and the cat brought home gold every single time. He was so popular with the king that he could go in and out of the castle as much as he wanted. Once when he was in the kitchen to warm himself up a little, he heard that the coachman was going to take the king and princess for a ride around the lake. Then the cat quickly fetched his master and went with him to the lake. There the miller's son had to take off his clothes and bathe. But the cat hid his master's clothes.

Now when the royal carriage came running, the cat complained:
- Most gracious king! My lord, the count, was bathing here in the lake, and just then a thief came and stole his clothes. Now the count must stay in the water and cannot rise.
Then the king immediately had the finest clothes brought. Mjölnarsonen put them on and then had to sit up with the king in the carriage. The princess was happy, because she liked the young count.

Meanwhile, the cat had run ahead. He came to a large meadow. People were just raking hay there. They told that the meadow belonged to the great sorcerer. Then the cat commanded them:
- When the king now drives by here and asks who owns the meadow, answer: the count! If you don't, it will be a pity for you!
Then the cat hurried on to a large cornfield and a large forest. He commanded the people who worked there to say the same. And because he looked so strange, the people became a little afraid of him. Finally the cat arrived at the wizard's castle. He bowed to him and said:
- I've heard that you can transform into any animal. But could you really transform into an animal as big as an elephant?

- Well, that's what I mean, said the wizard.
And immediately an elephant stood in front of the cat.
- Unbelievable! he exclaimed.
- You are definitely the greatest wizard in the whole world. But I bet you can't turn into an animal as small as a mouse.
- I can do that too, boasted the wizard.
And immediately he ran about like a little mouse. But suddenly, the cat caught the mouse and ate it.

In the meantime the carriage with the king, princess and count had moved on and now came to the great meadow.
- Who owns all the hay? asked the king.
- The count, answered the people, just as the cat had commanded them.
And when they came to the great cornfield and the great forest, the people said each time that it belonged to the count.

The king was amazed at all this wealth. Finally they reached the wizard's castle. The cat was standing on the stairs waiting for them. When the carriage stopped, he ran forward, opened the door, and greeted them with:
- My king, welcome to my master's castle. The honor now shown to him will make him happy for the rest of his life.

The king got out and was amazed at the magnificent building, which was almost bigger and more beautiful than his own castle. But the count led the princess into a hall that glittered and glittered with gold and precious stones. The princess married the count, and when the king died, the miller's son became king. He appointed Puss in Boots his chief minister.


Puss in Boots

The Frog Prince

Brother Grimm

One evening long ago, a young princess put on her bonnet and clogs and went out for a walk in the forest. After a while she came to a beautiful fountain, where she sat down to rest. She had a golden ball in her hand. It was her favorite toy, which she almost always juggled. She was now sitting by the well and threw the ball into the air and then caught it as it fell down. After a while she threw it so high that she missed catching it. The ball fell to the ground, bounced off, then rolled on the ground until it eventually fell into the well.

The princess looked in the well for her ball, but the well was very deep, so deep that she could not see the bottom of it. She began to weep miserably at her loss, and said, "If I could only get my ball back again, I would give away all my fine clothes and jewels, yea, all that I had in this world."

While she was talking, a frog stuck its head out of the water and said, “Princess, why are you so sad?”
“Uh!” said she, “What can you do for me you mean frog? My golden ball has fallen into the well.” The frog then said: "I don't want your fine clothes, your jewels or pearls but if you will love me, let me live with you, eat from your golden plates and sleep in your bed, then I will give you back your ball .” "What nonsense," thought the princess, "this stupid frog is talking." He can't even get out of the water to visit me, but he can probably get my ball. Therefore I shall say that he gets everything he asks for.” She then said to the frog: "If you get my ball, you will get everything you asked for."

The frog then dived under the water and after a while it came up again with the ball in its mouth and placed it on the edge of the well. As soon as the princess saw the ball, she excitedly ran forward and picked it up and thought no more of the frog, but ran home as fast as she could. The frog called after her: "Stop, Princess! You promised to take me with you!” But she didn't stop to listen to him.

The next day, just as the princess had sat down to dinner, she heard a strange sound: "Tap, tap, splash, splash" as if something was coming up the marble stairs. Soon after, a light knock was heard on the door and a voice called out:
“Open the door, my beloved princess!
Open the door and let your loved one in!
Remember what you promised me down at the well!”

Then the princess ran to the door and opened it. She then caught sight of the frog, which she had completely forgotten. At this sight she was frightened, quickly closed the door and returned to the table. Her father, the king, saw that something had frightened her and asked what it was. "There's a nasty frog at the door." she said, “He picked up my ball from the well this morning. I promised him that he would be allowed to live with me, because I thought he would never be able to get out of the well and come here. But now he is here at the door and wants to come in.”

While she was talking, the frog knocked again on the door and said:
“Open the door, my beloved princess!
Open the door and let your loved one in!
Remember what you promised me down at the well!”

"What you promised you must keep." said the king to the princess, "Then go and let him in." The princess went to the door and let the frog in, who jumped into the room with the clapping sounds of his frog feet: "Tap, tap, splash, splash." He continued in this way as far as the table near where the princess sat. "Please lift me up on a chair," he said to the princess, "and let me sit next to you." As soon as she had done so, the frog said, "Put your plate near me, so that I may eat from it."

She did so and when he had eaten as much as he could, he said: “Now I am tired. Carry me up to your room and put me in your bed.” The princess then took him, albeit reluctantly, in her hand, carried him up to her room, and laid him on her pillow.” There the frog slept all night. As soon as it was light, he jumped out of bed, jumped down the stairs and left the house. "Well at last," thought the princess, "now he has gone and he will trouble me no more."

But she was deceived, for in the evening she heard the same strange footsteps on the front steps, the same knocking on the door and the frog's voice calling out once more:
“Open the door, my beloved princess!
Open the door and let your loved one in!
Remember what you promised me down at the well!”
When the princess opened the door, the frog came in and slept on her pillow until morning came. On the third night he did it again, but when the princess awoke, the following morning, she was very surprised. She then saw not a frog but a handsome prince, who looked at her with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen.

He told that he had been bewitched by an evil fairy, who had turned him into a frog, and that he would remain so, until some princess took him out of the well and let him eat from her plate and sleep in her bed for three nights. “You have now broken the spell,” said the prince, “and I have no other wishes than that you will come with me to my father's kingdom, where I will marry you and love you as long as I live.

It didn't take long for the young princess to say yes to everything. At the same time, a coachman drove a stately carriage with eight beautiful horses adorned with plumes, feathers and golden harnesses. Behind the carriage rode the prince's faithful servant, Henrik, who had been so unhappy under his ruler's spell that his heart almost broke.

They then bade farewell to the king and sat down in the carriage. They set off happily and expectantly towards the prince's kingdom, where they arrived without any obstacles and lived there happily for many, many years.

The Frog Prince

The little weaver from Duleek

Tale from Ireland.

In the town of Duleek there once lived a weaver who was a particularly industrious man. When he had sat down at the loom he became absorbed in the patterns he produced, so that he forgot both to eat and to sleep. One day his housekeeper had made a delicious meat stew for him. She had to shout several times before he finally left the loom and went to eat. But then the meat stew had time to be ashamed, because it was in the hottest month of the summer and the flies were swarming around the dining table. Then the weaver became angry. "Are you going to ruin my dinner, you beasts?" he growled, striking the air with his open hand. In that blow he happened to kill no less than three and a half dozen flies that struck down on the table. The weaver was greatly impressed by his ability as a fly killer and counted the flies over and over to see if there really were that many.

After this great deed, the weaver became proud as a rooster on the dunghill and took the rest of the day off to tell the townspeople what had happened. He clenched his fist under the nose of every person he met and said, “Look at that hand. It killed three and a half dozen in a single blow!” Before the day was out he had convinced himself that he should become a knight-errant and thus put his powers to better use than sitting at the loom.

The next day the weaver begged an old iron cauldron from a neighbor and put it on his head like a helmet. He went to the tailor and had him sew together a suit of plate armor. He finally went to the glazier with a large pot lid he had borrowed to have it repainted into a knight's shield. On the lid of the pot, the glass master wrote according to the weaver's instructions: "I am the man among all men who killed three and a half dozen with a single blow!" Now that the weaver had been transformed into a knight, he set out for Dublin, where the king lived, to offer his services.

It was a long way to travel in tin clothes and with an iron cauldron on his head, so when the weaver arrived he was very tired. Around the castle, the king had set out benches for anyone who wanted to rest, and it was on one of these that the weaver lay down to rest. Soon he was snoring so loudly that one of the king's guards looked over the castle wall to see what it was that sounded. Then the guard saw the weaver's shield and read the text on it. "Gentle time, what a fighter he must be!" thought the guard and ran straight to the king to tell him. When the king heard of the sleeping stranger, he himself went out to wake him.

As he shook the weaver to life, the king asked, "You have killed three and a half dozen with a single blow, from what I understand?" "Yes. that's right,” replied the weaver. “That was the last little insignificant feat I performed. But now I'm afraid I'll just lie here and be idle.” "Then I will give you a suitable mission," said the king. “We have a problem with a dragon who lives as a robber here outside the city. He has soon eaten all the cows and all the farmers, so we have no milk here anymore. He has also killed all my best men and now I don't know what we are going to do." "I can arrange that in no time," said the weaver morosely. "Just tell me where the beast lives, and he'll be taken care of right away." The king explained that the dragon resided in a swamp away in Galway and wanted to offer the weaver his own sword in the fight against the beast. But the weaver refused, explaining that he preferred to just use his fists.

It took the weaver four days to reach Galway, but then it was clear that he had come to the right place, for he was met by a crowd of terrified people shouting "murderer", "police" and "dragon". Before the weaver could ask what they were running from, the dragon came crawling over the crest of a hill. It was certainly not a beautiful animal, with scales of armor, a long spiny tail and a jaw full of large teeth. Now the weaver realized the seriousness of it all and he understood that he would soon become dragon food. So he put his legs on his back and climbed the biggest tree he could find. There he actually sat safe, and no matter how much the dragon blew out fire and clawed at the tree, he could not reach the weaver. “Doesn't matter,” said the dragon, “for you are in my power. I'll wait here under the tree and sooner or later you'll have to dim down.” The dragon wrapped his long body around the tree and went to sleep midday, for he had just eaten an entire village.

The weaver waited until he thought the dragon was fast asleep and then he carefully began to climb down from the tree. Everything went well until he got to the last branch. It was completely dark and went off! The weaver fell straight down on the dragon's neck and woke the beast, which began to rush and make a terrible noise. But luckily the weaver had gotten a good grip on the dragon's ears and was now holding on for dear life. It carried on over log and stone with weaver and dragon as the monster tried to shake off its stowaway, and at last they had traveled so far that the weaver could glimpse the walls of Dublin Castle. Then he egged the dragon on even worse with snarls and insults until the beast was so furious that he couldn't see where he was running. So he rushed headfirst into the wall and killed himself.

The weaver felt as dead as the dragon after the perilous journey, and could barely stand up when the king and his people came rushing out of Dublin to pay him homage. "By all that exists!" exclaimed the king. “The knight-errant has ridden the dragon to Dublin and slain him right outside my own castle! Such bravery must be rewarded!” And so it happened. The little weaver from Duleek got a whole chest of gold and also the king's daughter in marriage. The gold was good to have, of course, but from what I heard the princess was the worst dragon of all, with a temper worse than a volcano and a tongue more venomous than all the snakes in Ireland.

The little weaver from Duleek

Sleeping Beauty

Charles Perrault

Long, long ago, there was a king and a queen, who said to each other every day:

- Imagine if we had had a child anyway! But they had not yet received anything.

So one day, when the queen was bathing, a frog crawled out of the water and said to her:

- Your longing shall be fulfilled. Within a year you will have a daughter.

Just as the frog had said, the queen had a daughter. She was so beautiful that the king was overjoyed and threw a big party. He invited not only his relatives, friends and acquaintances but also the fairies to be kind and gracious to the child. There were thirteen fairies in his kingdom. But he only had twelve gold plates on which they could eat, so the thirteenth had to stay at home.

The party was celebrated with pomp and circumstance and when it was over, the fairies bestowed wonderful gifts on the princess. One gave her virtue, another beauty, the third wealth, and so on. The little princess got everything that one could wish for in this world.

When eleven of the fairies had announced their good wishes, suddenly the thirteenth entered. She wanted revenge for not being invited and without greeting or even looking at anyone, she shouted in a loud voice:

- The king's daughter will stab herself on a dragonfly when she turns fifteen, and she will fall dead. Without another word, she turned and left the hall.

Everyone was horrified. Then the twelfth fairy came forward, she who had not yet announced her wish. Since she could not wipe out the evil prophecy but only soften it, she said:

- The princess will not die but just sleep deeply for a hundred years.

The king wanted to preserve his beloved child and therefore he sent out an order that all the dragonflies in the whole kingdom should be set on fire. The wishes of the fairies suited the girl perfectly. She became beautiful and good, kind and wise, and everyone who saw her loved her.

On the day she turned fifteen, the king and queen were not at home and the girl was alone in the castle. There she roamed everywhere, peering into halls and chambers as she pleased, and at last she came to an old tower. A narrow spiral staircase led up to a small door. A rusty key was in the lock. As the girl turned, the door opened, and in the little chamber within sat an old woman by a dragonfly, busily stringing her line.

- Good day, aunt, said the princess, what are you doing?

- I purr, answered the old woman and nodded her head.

- What is spinning and buzzing so funny? asked the girl and she took the dragonfly and wanted to spin, she too. But she had hardly touched the spinner's robe before the prediction came true and she stuck her finger on the dragonfly.

The moment she stabbed herself, she sank down onto the bed that was standing there and fell into a deep sleep. The whole castle fell asleep at the same time as she. The king and queen who had just come home and entered the hall fell asleep and the whole court with them. The horses in the stable, the dogs in the yard, the pigeons on the roof, the flies on the wall, yes, everyone was asleep, even the fire that was blazing in the stove became still and fell asleep. The roast stopped sizzling and the cook, who was just about to give the kitchen boy an ear file, didn't hit him but both fell asleep. The wind died down and the trees outside the castle stopped rustling.

A thorn hedge grew up around the castle. Every year it got higher and higher. Finally it surrounded the whole castle and grew taller than the towers so that even the flags were not visible.

In the kingdom they told the story of the beautiful sleeping Sleeping Beauty - that's what the princess was called - and sometimes princes and young knights came who wanted to break through the hedge to enter the castle. But it was impossible because the thorn was so dense. Several young people were left hanging there without being able to get free and they died a horrible death.

After many long years, a prince finally came to the kingdom and he heard an old man tell about the thorn hedge. Inside it was a castle, said the old man, where a wonderful princess had been sleeping for a hundred years and with her the king, the queen and the whole court. The old man had also heard his grandfather say that many princes had come there and tried to penetrate the hedge, but they had gotten stuck and died a sad death. Then the youth said:

- I'm not afraid, I want to ride there and see the beautiful Sleeping Beauty. However eagerly the old man advised him, the prince would not listen to his words.

Now, in fact, the hundred years had just passed. The day had come when Sleeping Beauty would wake up again. When the king's son approached the hedge, it turned out that it consisted of very large, beautiful roses. They ducked out of their own accord and let him through completely unharmed. Behind him they rejoined a hedge.

In the castle yard he saw the horses and the motley hunting dogs lying down and sleeping. On the roof sat the pigeons with their heads under their wings. When he entered the castle, he saw the flies sleeping on the wall. The cook in the kitchen still held his hand raised over the kitchen boy. The maid sat with the black cock that was to be plucked.

As the prince went on, he saw the whole castle lying asleep in the great hall, and on the throne slumbering the king and queen. He walked on and everything was so quiet that every breath could be heard. At last he came to the tower and opened the door to the little chamber where Sleeping Beauty lay sleeping.

There she lay and was so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her. He bent down and gave her a kiss. As soon as his mouth had touched the girl's mouth, she opened her eyes, woke up and looked at him kindly. Then they went out together and the king, queen and the whole court woke up. Everyone looked at each other with wide eyes. The horses on the farm stood up, the hounds jumped and wagged their tails. The pigeons on the roof pulled their heads out of their wings and looked around and flew out over the fields. The flies on the wall crawled on. The fire in the kitchen took off, the roast began to sizzle, the cook gave the kitchen boy an ear file, so that he screamed and the maid finished plucking the rooster.

So the prince and Sleeping Beauty celebrated their wedding with pomp and circumstance and then they lived happily ever after.

Sleeping Beauty

Once upon a time there was a merchant who had three daughters.

The beauty and the Beast

Once upon a time there was a merchant who had three daughters. He loved them more than anything else. One day he had to make a long journey to buy some goods. Before he left, he said to them:

"What would you like me to bring home from the trip, my dears?"

The eldest daughter asked for a necklace and the second daughter wanted a gold chain. But the youngest daughter said:

"Just come back by yourself dad, that's what I want the most."

"Nonsense, little child," said her father. "You must wish for something that I will bring to you."

"Then bring a rose back, father," she said then.
The merchant set off on his journey and bought his goods. He also bought a pearl necklace for his eldest daughter and a gold chain for his second daughter. He knew there was no point in buying the rose for his youngest daughter, as it would wither before he got home. So he decided that he would buy her a rose on the day he would come home to his house.

When he had done all his shopping, he rode home and forgot about the rose until he was almost home. Then he suddenly remembered what he had promised his youngest daughter and looked around to see if he could find a rose. He then discovered a large garden. He got off his horse and wandered around on it until he found a beautiful rose bush. From it he plucked the most beautiful rose he could see. At the same moment he heard a crash like thunder behind him. Turning, he saw a huge beast with two tusks in its mouth and fiery eyes surrounded by bristles and horns emerging from its head and bending down over its back.
"What are you up to," growled the Beast. "Who says you can pick my roses"?
"Please, sir," said the merchant, trembling with terror. "I promised my daughter to bring home a rose and when I saw your beautiful garden I thought you wouldn't notice if I took a single little rose, otherwise I would have asked your permission".
"Stealing is stealing," said the Beast, "be it a rose or a diamond. Your life is forfeit."
The merchant fell on his knees and prayed for his life and for his three daughters, who had no one but him.
"OK, thief," said the Beast, "You may keep your life on one condition: Seven days from now you must surrender your youngest daughter to me, or you must return and surrender yourself. This you must swear to do"!

So the merchant swore to obey, mounted his horse, and rode home with his rose.
As soon as he entered his house, his daughters came rushing towards him, clapping their hands and showing their joy in every way. He gave the necklace to his eldest daughter, the chain to his second daughter and then he gave the rose to his youngest daughter with a deep and anguished sigh.

"Oh, thank you, father," they cried with joy. But the youngest said, "Why did you sigh so deeply when you gave me my rose"?
"I'll tell you later," said the merchant.

For several days they lived happily together, but the merchant wandered about gloomy and sad, and nothing the daughters did could cheer him up. Finally, he took his youngest daughter aside and said to her, "Bella, do you love your daddy"?
"Of course I do dad, of course I do".
"Well, now you have a chance to show it," he said, and then he told her all that had happened when he picked the rose for her and met the Beast.

Bella was very sad, as you can imagine, and then she said:
"Oh, father, it was because of me that you fell into the hands of this beast. I will go with you to him. Perhaps he will do me no harm, but even if he does, it is better to he hurts me more than he does you any harm my dear father."
So the next day the merchant took Bella with him, who got to sit behind him on the horse and they rode off to the Beast's abode. When they arrived and got off the horse, the doors to the house were opened. What do you think they saw there? Nothing! So they went up the stairs, through the hall and into the dining room. There they saw a table set with all kinds of beautiful glasses, plates, dishes and napkins, and on the table there was plenty of good food to eat. They waited and waited, thinking that the owner of the house would come. At last the merchant said, "Let us sit down and see what happens."
When they sat down, things to eat and drink were served to them by invisible hands and they ate and drank to their heart's content. As they rose from the table, the table lifted from the floor and disappeared through the door as if carried by invisible servants.

Suddenly the Beast stood before them and said to the merchant, "Is this your youngest daughter?" When the merchant replied that it was, he looked at Bella and said, "Is she willing to stay here with me?"

Bella replied with a trembling voice, "Yes, sir."
"Well, no harm shall come to you." Having said this, he brought the merchant down to the horse and said that he would come this weekday every week to visit his daughter. When the Beast returned to Bella, he said to her: "This house, with all that is in it, is yours. If there is anything you desire, clap your hands and say what it is and it will be brought to you". After this he made a slight bow and went on his way.
So Bella lived in the Beast's home, served by invisible servants, and given what she liked to eat and drink. Although he looked so terrible, she had been so well treated that she had lost a great part of her terror of him. But she got tired of her loneliness so the next day, when the Beast came to her, they talked to each other about the garden, about the house, about her father's business and about all sorts of things.

Bella completely lost her fear of the Beast. Shortly afterwards, her father came to see her and found her quite happy. He then felt much less fear of his fate at the hands of the Beast. This went on for several days. Bella met the Beast every day and talked to him. Eventually she began to like him quite well.

One day the Beast didn't come at his usual time, just after dinner and Bella missed him. She walked around the garden trying to find him. She called his name, but got no answer. When she came to the rose bush where her father had picked the rose, she happened to look under it and what do you think she saw! It was the Beast lying curled up without life or movement. Bella felt sad and remembered all the kindness the Beast had shown her. She threw herself down beside the Beast and said, "Oh, Beast, Beast, why are you dying? I love you so much."
Scarcely had she said this when the skin of the beast parted, and out came the most beautiful young prince. He told her that he had been bewitched by a wizard and that he could not regain his natural form unless a maiden, with all her soul, declared that she loved him.
Then the prince sent for the merchant and his daughters. He married Bella, and they all lived happily together for many, many years.

The beauty and the Beast

Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf

Brother Grimm

Once upon a time there was a little girl whom everyone liked very much, but most of all her grandmother. She could give this child anything. Once she gave her a little red bonnet, which suited her so well that she never wanted to wear anything else. She was therefore called Red Riding Hood.

One day her mother said to her “Come Little Red Riding Hood, here is a piece of the freshly baked cake and a bottle of wine. Take them to your grandmother, she is a little sick and it would do her good. Go before it gets too hot. Walk carefully and don't leave the road or you could fall and break the bottle. When you enter her room, don't forget to say good morning before running around every corner.”

"I'll be careful," said Little Red Riding Hood to her mother and set off.

Grandma lived out in the forest far from the village where Red Riding Hood lived. Just as Little Red Riding Hood entered the forest, a wolf met her. Little Red Riding Hood did not know what kind of strange figure it was and was not at all afraid of him.

"Good day, little Red Riding Hood, how are you my little friend," he said.

"Thank you, I'm fine," replied Little Red Riding Hood.

"Where are you going so early?"

"To my grandmother."

"What do you have in the basket?" asked the wolf.

"Cake and wine. Yesterday was baking day and my poor sick grandmother will get something good so she gets better."

"Where does your grandmother live?", asked the wolf.

"She lives a good way into the forest. Her house stands under three large oak trees. You probably know that," replied Little Red Riding Hood.

"What a tender little creature," thought the wolf. "What a nice, full mouth piece she will be. She will be much better than the old woman. I have to be cunning so I can catch both of them.” So the wolf walked for a while by Little Red Riding Hood's side and then said: “Look how beautiful flowers grow around here. Shouldn't you take a look around, listen to the birds and pick a bouquet of flowers for your grandmother?

Little Red Riding Hood looked around and when she saw the sun's rays dancing among the treetops and beautiful flowers growing everywhere, she thought: "Maybe I should pick a bouquet for grandma." That would surely make her happy. It's so early in the day, so I'll get to her in plenty of time." So she left the road and ran into the forest to pick flowers. Once she picked a flower, she thought she saw an even more beautiful flower further into the forest. In this way she got further and further into the forest.

Meanwhile, the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" cried the grandmother.

"It's Little Red Riding Hood," answered the wolf. "I'm here with cake and wine."

"Lift the latch and you can open the door," cried the grandmother, "I'm too weak to stand up."

The wolf lifted the catch and the door opened. Without saying a word, he went straight to the grandmother's bed and devoured her. Then he put on her clothes, put on her nightcap, got into bed and pulled the bed curtains.

Meanwhile, Little Red Riding Hood had been running around the forest picking flowers. When she had picked so many that she could carry no more, she suddenly remembered her grandmother and hurried off to her.

She was surprised to see that the front door was open and as she entered the cabin, she had a strange feeling that everything was not as it should be.

She shouted: "Good morning", but got no answer. She then walked over to the bed and pulled back the drapes. There she saw her grandmother with her night cap pulled down over her face and she looked very strange.

"Grandmother!" she said, "What strange ears you have!"

"The better I hear you, my child," was the reply.

"But grandma, what big eyes you have," she said.

"The better I see you, my friend".

"But Grandma, what big hands you have!"

"The better I can hug you."

"But such an awfully big mouth you have!"

"The easier it is to eat you."

When the wolf had said this, he was quickly out of bed and swallowed little Red Riding Hood in one gulp.

Now the wolf had satisfied its hunger and lay down on the bed again. Soon he fell asleep and started snoring loudly. A hunter then passed by the house and thought to himself: "That old woman was snoring very loudly. Best to see if she wants anything”.

So he went into the cabin and when he got to the bed he saw that it was the wolf lying in it. "What are you doing here, you old sinner," he said. "I've been looking for you for a long time!"

Just as he was about to shoot him, it hit him that the wolf might have devoured the old woman, but that she might still be able to be saved. He then lowered the rifle, retrieved a pair of scissors and began to cut open the belly of the sleeping wolf.

When he made a couple of clips, he saw Little Red Riding Hood and after a few more clips, the girl ran out and cried: "Oh, how scared I was and how dark it was inside the wolf".

After a while, the old grandmother also came out alive, but so terrified that she could hardly breathe. Little Red Riding Hood ran out and fetched large stones, which they filled the wolf's stomach with. When he then awoke, he wanted to run away, but the stones were so heavy that he could not bear it and fell down dead.

All three were now at peace. The hunter took the skin from the wolf and went home with it. The grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine that Little Red Riding Hood had brought with her. Little Red Riding Hood thought to herself: "As long as I live, I shall never leave the road and run alone into the forest, when mother forbade me to do so."

It has also been told that once when Little Red Riding Hood was once again going to bring cookies to her old grandmother, another wolf came up to her and tried to get her to leave the road. However, Little Red Riding Hood was on her guard and continued straight to her grandmother. When she arrived, she told her grandmother that she met a wolf that greeted her. It had looked at her with such a strange look, so she was sure that if she hadn't been on a public road, it would have surely eaten her.
"Oh then," said the grandmother, "we'd better close the door so he can't get in."

Soon after, the wolf knocked on the door and shouted: "Open the door grandma, it's Little Red Riding Hood and I've brought you some cookies".

But they kept quiet and did not open the door. The wolf circled the house a couple of three laps and then jumped onto the roof to wait for Little Red Riding Hood to return home for the evening. Then he would sneak up on her under cover of darkness to catch and eat her.

However, the grandmother understood what the wolf intended to do. In front of the house stood a large stone pot, so she said: "Get the bucket, little Red Riding Hood. I made some sausages yesterday. Carry the water I boiled them in to the pot”. Little Red Riding Hood filled the pot with water until it was completely full.

When the wolf smelled sausage from the pot, he sniffed and crept down to the edge of the roof. He stretched his neck so far that he lost his footing, slipped off the roof and fell straight into the pot and drowned.

But Little Red Riding Hood went home in a cheerful mood and no one ever tried to hurt her again.

Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf

Once upon a time, many, many thousands of years ago, there was a terribly old troll called Pomperipossa.

Pomperipossa

Once upon a time, many, many thousands of years ago, there was a terribly old troll called Pomperipossa. It's not exactly a beautiful name, but it's still much more beautiful than she herself was. Can you imagine what she looked like? She had two little red eyes and a big mouth with only three teeth in it. And she was full of warts on her hands and a big hump on her back. But the worst thing was her nose, for it was a full cubit long. You can imagine how much snuff was consumed when she snuffed! One whole bowl pound at a time! But Pomperipossa could afford it, because she was outrageously rich. She lived alone in a little house in the woods, and that house was built of sausages and hams, and instead of bricks there were big pieces of syrup crack. That's how rich Pomperipossa was. But not a single human dared approach her, and hardly any trolls either, because she was so terribly mean.

If anyone came to her, she would instantly charm him into a table or cauldron or something else. She was a very dangerous pack of wizards. Her greatest sorrow was that her nose grew longer and longer every time she cast a spell on someone. That was her punishment!

So there was also a king in that country where Pomperipossa lived, and he had a little prince called Pipi and a little princess called Fifi. One fine day they went for a walk in the park, accompanied by a court marshal, who was so handsome that he could only answer "A!" or “Ha!” to all that was said to him.
- I want to go out into the forest! said Prince Pippi.
- Ah! said the court marshal, and went with them.
After a while they came to a swamp, and the court marshal's feet got wet, for he was wearing silk shoes.
- Ha! he said, immediately turning to pull on a pair of collared boots.
But before he went, he put his finger to his nose and said:
- Ba!
That would mean: Wait here, Prince Pippi and Princess Fifi, until I come back with my big collared boots on! But the cana children didn't understand that, instead they went on in the forest. It was precisely the same forest where Pomperipossa lived. All the birds immediately began to chirp:
- Don't go there!
But Prince Pipi did not understand the birdsong, but said to his sister:
- If we were to go on an adventure? It's so boring at home. I have six cents. How much do you have, princess?
- I only have a single penny, answered Fifi, but I can fry apples.
- Then you can almost cook. You may be my housekeeper, said Prince Pippi.

And so they wandered off on adventures in the dark forest, until they came to Pomperipossa's little house, which was built of sausages and hams and syrup crackers.
- Let's have supper! said Prince Pipi, who felt hungry, and broke a large sausage out of the house.
Then Pomperipossa stuck his long nose out the window and looked at them.
- Come in here! she said immediately. I am your kind godmother. You will get jam pancake from me.

Prince Pipi and little Fifi believed her and went in, although they were terribly afraid.
- Hmm! said Pomperipossa, looking at them. I haven't had roast goose in a long time...
And so she conjured the air, and immediately Prince Pipi and Princess Fifi became two little geese, who looked at each other very startled.
- Court marshal! Prince Pippi wanted to scream in his anguish.
But it just sounded like "Kakaka". He couldn't speak anymore, just cackled.
- Oh! shouted Pomperipossa, clutching his nose.
It had grown another cubit as long as she enchanted Pipi and Fifi into geese.
- It was right for her! cried all the birds in the forest.
- You wait! cried Pomperipossa, clenching his fist at them. I will send my magic cat at you.
- We will get help, sang all the birds and flew their way to ask the stork to come there and give good advice.
The stork is the wisest of all birds, for he travels every winter to Egypt and studies hieroglyphs on the pyramids.
- Now you can swim, my little geese! said Pomperipossa, pushing Pippi and Fifi in front of him with his big stick.
It makes you so good, and so you taste better, when I fry you tonight. And so she drove the poor prince and princess down to the lake.
- Kakaka! they wailed, but they still had to get out into the cold water.
- Do you say cake? asked Pomperipossa. Maybe you mean jam pancake? she mocked them.
The enchanted geese have to eat little black tadpoles and wet grass - it was anything but jam pancake!

Pomperipossa stood on the shore, leaning on her long nose, which was now as long as her legs. At the same time she heard a rustle behind her in the forest and turned around. It was the court marshal, who had been at home for his collared boots and had been anxiously searching for the missing court children ever since.
- Ha! said the court marshal, when he saw the magic pack.
- Pa! he said, drawing his longsword to chop her nose off. But Pomperipossa immediately bewitched him into an old crow, who anxiously hopped about on the beach and said "Crow, Crow"!
- Yes, crack and cackle you guys! Pomperipossa laughed with satisfaction. There is nothing that can free you from the spell, unless you hear the most horrible scream in the world, one can imagine. For then everything that I have bewitched takes its true shape again, and then I myself become a stone. - But let's hope that doesn't happen for a couple of million years yet, said Pomperipossa and sniffed two cupfuls of snuff.
- That would be right for you, shouted all the little birds, who had come back with the wise stork.
- You tease me, so I get hot, Pomperipossa hissed and stuck his nose into the lake to cool it.

But they, she would never have done that. Because down in the lake there was a big crayfish that hadn't had dinner for three days. And that crayfish clung with its claws to Pomperipossa's long snout. And Pomperipossa screamed so horribly that her whole face turned blue as a plum. But the cancer still didn't let go. Then the troll pack screamed even worse, so that it was heard all the way down in Africa.
- It was the most terrifying scream in the world, you can imagine! said the stork.
And he spoke the truth, for no bird can lie. Flux and crux! Then even Pippi and Fifi's enchantment was solved, and the little white geese became prince and princess again. And the old crow, who darted about on the beach, became court marshal at once, with orders and wig and sword and collared boots.
- Huh? Ah! Good! said the court marshal, taking Prince Pipi and Princess Fifi, one in each hand, and ran with them, as hard as he could, through the forest back to the castle, where the king sat waiting for them with a royal rice in his left hand and a large royal apple in it right hand. He was very angry because they had been gone so long.
- Well! said the court marshal soothingly. And the king immediately understood that the court marshal meant that they had been bewitched by Pomperipossa and that they could not help it. Then the king was moved, stuck the national rice in the crotch of the court marshal as an unusually fine award but gave Prince Pipi and Princess Fifi each half of the big national apple.

But Pomperipossa immediately turned into a large stone. You can see her for yourself yet, if you come to that lake, though she is now so overgrown with moss and bushes that she looks like a small mountain. But once a year, on the same day she was petrified, she becomes like before. And then the cancer pinches her nose, and then she screams again so terribly that it echoes in the mountains. But what day it is - well, only I know, and I don't talk about it, so it's no use for you to go out and look, because then your little nose will be as long as Pomperipossa's - and you want that still not!

Pomperipossa

Tale from Chile.

The magical lake

Tale from Chile.

Once upon a time there was a very powerful king who had only one son. The boy would one day inherit the entire kingdom, but he was so sickly and weak that the king wondered if that would ever happen. The king prayed to his gods for help and in response a bottle of gold appeared before him. He heard a voice saying, "Fill this bottle with water from the magic lake at the end of the world and let the prince drink from it, and he will be healthy and strong.

"But how do you find a lake at the end of the world? First, the king sent out the bravest and strongest warriors to find the lake and its magical waters. But when they all returned empty-handed, the king announced to the common people that he would richly rewarding whoever could get hold of the magical water.

In a valley far from the king's palace lived a poor farmer and his wife. They lived by growing corn and potatoes and raising llamas. They had three children, two older sons and a young daughter. At last the rumor of the king's distress reached their ears as well. The sons were sure that they could find the lake and be rewarded by the king, and after much nagging, their parents let them go in search of the magic water. For a whole year they traveled far and wide and saw many lakes, but they never reached the end of the world.

Finally one of the brothers said, "Surely we can take water from any lake and give it to the king? Surely he would be happy if someone appeared with water for him:" His brother thought it was a good idea, so they filled a leather sack of water and went to the royal palace. The king received them with great joy and began to pour the water from the leather sack into the golden bottle. But the water would not flow into the bottle no matter how hard the king tried. Then he understood that the brothers had tried to deceive him and instead of being rewarded, they were now thrown into the palace's deepest dungeon.

When the farmer and his wife heard what had happened to their sons, they were very sad, but they were also ashamed of how the boys had tried to deceive the king himself. Their daughter Sumac saw how sad they were and asked if she too could try to find the lake. "The king has promised to richly reward whoever can fetch the magic water," she said. "If I succeed in that, I will ask him to release my brothers." The farmer and his wife didn't want to lose their last child, of course, but Sumac was a stubborn little girl and finally they gave in. From his mother, Sumac was given a bag of roasted corn seeds as travel food. Her father selected a strong and hardy llama for Sumac to ride. So she set off to find the lake with the magical water.

When evening fell, Sumac had not made it that far. She stopped by some large rocks and slept with her llama beside her. She put the sack with the corn seeds on a stump. It was a restless night, for a cougar crept very close by, and Sumac could hear it roaring sometimes. As soon as the sun rose, she sent the llama home because she didn't want it to become puma food the next night. Then she lay down to try to get some sleep.

She awoke a moment later to the chirping of a bunch of sparrows who had found her corn seeds, and were now feasting on them. One of the sparrows hopped up to her and said, "We want to thank you for sharing your breakfast with us." Sumac told her about her mission and wondered if the birds could somehow help her with it. Then all the sparrows plucked off a wing-feather each and gave them to her. "Make a fan out of these and hold it up, and you'll be protected and able to travel wherever you want."

Sumac thanked the birds and tied the feathers together with a hair band. So she held up her homemade fan and said aloud, "I wish I were by the magic lake at the end of the world!" Suddenly she was swept up by a powerful whirlwind and carried high into the air. After a swift and breathtaking journey, she landed on the soft sand by the magical lake. At first Sumac was overjoyed that she had made it there. But then she remembered that she had no bottle with her to take the water in. "How stupid I was," sobbed Sumac. "I really wish I had something to take the water in." She had barely had time to say those words before a bottle steamed into the sand beside her. It was actually the golden bottle that the king received from the gods. She took the bottle and ran down to the water, but before she could get the cork off, she heard a strange noise behind her.

It was a giant black crab that came crawling. "What are you doing by my lake?" wondered the crab. "Get off before I snap your head off with my claws!"

Sumac was terrified, but remembered what the sparrows said about the fan and picked it up. When she held the fan up in front of her and the crab looked at it, the beast immediately fell into a deep sleep. Now Sumac could go down to the lake and fill the bottle with water. But before she was done, a very bubbling sound was heard out in the lake and a giant alligator appeared. "What are you doing here by my lake?" wondered the beast. "Get off before I swallow you whole!" Sumac held up the fan in front of the alligator and as soon as the monster saw it his eyelids drooped and he sank snoring into the depths of the lake.

Now Sumac had the magic water and put the cork on the bottle. Just then she heard a loud hissing in the air. It was a huge flying snake that came running. Its eyes flashed and it breathed flames from its gape. "What are you doing at my lake" hissed the snake. "Now I'm going to roast you with my fire and then eat you!" "Now I don't have time for more monsters," said Sumac, holding up his fan. Immediately the snake fell asleep and steamed down to the ground.

Now Sumac didn't want to wait for more monsters to appear, so she held her fan up in front of her face and wished herself to the king's place. Immediately the whirlwind came and lifted her from the lake all the way to the palace gate. At first the guards got mad at her and thought she just wanted to play. They tried to drive her away, but after their adventure Sumac wasn't very easily startled anymore. She showed the golden bottle and demanded to see the king immediately. The guards recognized the bottle and understood that the girl was out on an important errand, so they finally opened the large gate and let her in.

The king sat beside his son's bed and watched over him. The prince looked weaker than ever and Sumac immediately rushed forward and held the bottle to his lips. At the very first sip of water, the prince's appearance changed. His gaze became clearer and the pale cheeks regained their rosiness. Now he could sit up in bed and drink the contents of the bottle himself. "I never thought you could feel so good!" exclaimed the prince, jumping out of bed.

The overjoyed king, of course, wanted to know how little Sumac got hold of the magic water, so she sat on his lap and told the whole strange story. When she was done, the king immediately wanted to reward her for her courage and promised to give her exactly what she wanted. "I really have three wishes," Sumac said. "Is it too much?" But the king certainly did not think so. So Sumac declared that she first wanted her brothers to be set free, and the king at once gave orders that this should be done. Then she wanted help in returning the feathers to the sparrows, because she thought they would probably have more use for them now. She had barely uttered her wish before the whirlwind appeared and swept the fan out the window with it. "Thank you, sparrows!" Sumac called after the wind. Then Sumac wished her parents would have a bigger farm, so they didn't have to be so poor anymore. The king also promised to take care of this, and little Sumac could finally go home, happy but tired.

And everything turned out as she wished. Her brothers were there when she got home and the very next day the king's men started building a new, bigger farm. A fairy tale can end so happily if you are brave, kind and faithful!

The magical lake

Tale from India.

The Guru's Five Wisdoms

Tale from India.

Once upon a time there was a handsome young man named Ram Singh. He befriended everyone he met and should have lived a happy life, had it not been for his only enemy – his stepmother. They were impossible for them to agree on. In the end, Ram Singh decided to leave his home and seek his fortune in the wide world, although he was not really old enough for it. He went to a guru, a wise man, who had taught him since he was a small child. He told the guru about his desire to leave home, but the old man dissuaded him from this. “Stay in your father's house. It is better to have half a loaf of bread than to seek a whole one out in the world,” explained the guru. But Ram Singh did not give up. He had already made up his mind and just wanted a well wish from his old teacher. "Well," said the Guru. "Then you will get five wise pieces of advice from me. Remember them on your journey and all will go well for you. Number one: Always obey without hesitation the order your master gives you. Number two: Never speak unkindly or with harsh words to anyone. Number three: Never lie. Number Four: Never try to appear as nice as those who are nicer than you are. Number Five: Wherever you go, always stop and listen when you hear a wise man speak.” Ram Singh thanked his guru and wandered out into the world. After a few days he came to a big city. There he learned that one of the city's powerful men, the vizier, had just fired his closest servant and was looking for a replacement. Ram Singh sought out the vizier, and as the youth was wise, kind-hearted and handsome, he was immediately employed as a servant of the great man.

Some time later the vizier received a command from the raja, his ruler, that they should set out on a long journey. Ram Singh also accompanied a large retinue of elephants, camels, merchants, servants and soldiers. Their journey took them through a great desert. All too soon the water ran out and the caravan began to look for a village or town. Soon they found a small village, but there the people declared in horror that they could not quench the thirst of the entire royal entourage with their little well. The only option was a spring located in the ruins of a palace outside the village. But this place was said to be haunted by demons and evil spirits, for no one had ever returned from it. The visor stroked his long beard and thought for a while. Then he called out to Ram Singh. "Come my servant," said the vizier. "There is a saying: No man can be trusted until he has been tried. I know you are wise and not the superstitious kind. Go to the ruins of the old palace and fetch water for the raja and his people.”

Ram Singh tied two copper vessels to a donkey and himself took a vessel in each hand. Then he set off for the ruin. When dusk fell he was there. At the bottom of a white alabaster staircase he found a spring, from which a steady stream of clear water flowed into a basin. Here he lowered the copper vessels and filled them with water. But just as he finished he heard heavy footsteps coming thundering down the stairs. It was a giant with a grim look. In one hand he carried a lantern and in the other he carefully carried a human skeleton. "Tell me, O mortal, what you think of my fair wife!" rumbled the giant. Being a wise and perceptive young man, Ram Singh immediately understood what the giant meant. The skeleton he carried had once been his wife, an ordinary human woman. But since the giant was immortal, she had faded away with old age, and in his grief the giant had kept her legs, and in his imagination she was as beautiful and alive as ever. "Surely I have never seen such a beautiful woman!" said Ram Singh. "Finally someone who has eyes to see with!" exclaimed the giant. "The others who came here replied that she was just a pile of dried bones and therefore I killed them all. Since you are a polite, clear-sighted young man, I will help you.” Carefully the giant laid the skeleton on the floor and grabbed the heavy copper vessels filled with water. He carried them easily up the alabaster steps and set them down on the ground outside the ruin. "Since I like you, you may ask me a favor, any favor," said the giant. "Perhaps you want me to show you where the gold treasures of dead kings are buried?" But Ram Singh only shook his head and said, "No, in that case I only want you and your wife to leave this ruin, so that people can come here and fetch water." The giant must have expected a more difficult task, for his face lit up and he lifted up his wife's legs and immediately left the ruin with great strides.

When Ram Singh and the donkey returned to Rajan's camp with the water, he did not tell what had happened, but explained that the spring was now open for anyone to use. The Rajan was greatly impressed and immediately ordered the vizier to exchange Ram Singh for one of his own servants. So now Ram Singh became the servant of one of the most powerful men in India.

As time passed, Ram Singh impressed everyone in the palace and he made friends everywhere. Finally the raja made him treasurer of the great treasury. But one man looked at Ram Singh's success with great envy. It was the raja's own brother, who had plans to overthrow the raja and make himself ruler. His cunning plan was to win over Ram Singh to his side in order to gain access to the treasury. Then he could use the money to equip his own army. Rajan's brother began a long campaign to win Ram Singh's confidence. At first it was all about flattery. This turned into small gifts and finally he offered the young man his daughter's hand in marriage. Ram Singh was flattered, but remembered the guru's words of wisdom: "Never try to appear as nice as those who are nicer than you are." So he refused the marriage.

Rajan's brother couldn't believe his ears! Now he was so furious that instead he started slandering Ram Singh to the raja. He told him that the young man had started stealing from the treasury and laughed at the king behind his back. Rajan was understandably upset by this and gave his brother a free hand to deal with the problem as he wished. So the raja's brother devised a diabolical and cunning plan. He wrote a letter to an outpost of guards, guarding the outskirts of the city. This letter stated that the guards would immediately kill the person who delivered the letter, cut off his head and take it to the raja's palace. Rajan's brother gave Ram Singh the message and sent him off to the outpost. But next to the guards' camp was a small temple. As Ram Singh passed it, he heard a guru lecture inside and remembered his own guru's words of wisdom: "Wherever you go, always stop and listen when you hear a wise man speak." So he sat down among the others who were listening and put the letter beside him. Hours passed and the raja's brother waited impatiently for Ram Singh's head to be delivered to him. Finally, he disguised himself in merchant clothes and went to the guard post to see what happened. There he caught sight of Ram Singh among those listening to the wise guru. The letter lay on the ground next to the youngster. Rajan's brother was so enraged when he saw this that he did not think twice. "You were supposed to deliver this!" he growled at Ram Singh (who did not recognize him) and seized the letter. "How hard can it be to cope??" With these words the raja's brother stepped up to one of the sentinels and left the letter. When the guard read the letter and saw the raja's own seal on it, he dutifully drew his sword and cut off the head of the raja's brother.

Sometime later that day, a sentry appeared at the raja's palace and delivered a head wrapped in a blanket, along with the fateful letter. Rajan was horrified to see his brother's head but when he read the letter and was told that it was actually Ram Singh who would have delivered it, he began to put two and two together. He knew that his brother was an ambitious man and soon figured out the plot that was meant to overthrow his rule. Thus, Ram Singh was able to continue his life as treasurer in the raja's palace. Eventually he married a simple girl from the people and together they had a lot of children and lived as happily as any human could ask for in life.

The Guru's Five Wisdoms

The gold headed fish

Tale from India.

Once upon a time there was a king of Egypt who suddenly fell ill. He lost his sight and his health became so poor that he could not get out of bed. He gathered the wise men of the land around him and they all agreed on the appropriate remedy: The golden-headed fish must be found and the king must be given a taste of its flesh. The king's only son, the prince, immediately set out to sea to search for this marvelous fish. For three months, the prince and his men pulled up one strange fish after another, but none of them were golden headed. On the last evening before they were to go home, on the hundredth day of searching, it happened that the prince cast out his net one last time and in his net the golden-headed fish was caught! The prince lifted the fish in his arms to put it in a tub of water, but when he looked into the fish's large, sad eyes, he could no longer carry out his mission. Instead, he spared the fish and let it dive back into the sea.

So he returned home empty-handed, knowing full well that his father would be angry with him. But he probably hadn't expected how angry he would get. The old king was completely enraged and called for the royal executioner. “Your head will pay for this! Your head will pay for this!” he screamed. But while this was happening a servant had rushed to the queen and told her of the king's anger. The queen fetched her son, dressed him in ordinary clothes, and filled his pockets with silver and gold. Then she hurried off to the harbor and put her son on a ship bound for a distant island.

“Listen to me, my son!” she said. “One day your father will regret his decision and wish you were with him again. Then he will be grateful that I saved your life. One last piece of advice from me: Never take a man into your service who wants payment at the end of every month!” This the prince thought was strange advice. But he knew that his mother was an unusually wise woman and therefore committed it to memory. After several weeks at sea, the ship reached an island covered in lush forests and colorful flowers. Here and there were small villages of white houses. The prince was immediately captivated by the island and bought himself a house to live in. He then began to search for a suitable servant. All who came to him declared that they wanted wages at the end of each month, but as the prince was determined to obey his mother's advice, he employed none of them.

One day a stranger from far away Arabia came to his house and sought the position of a servant. When the prince asked what the man wanted as a salary, he replied: "I don't want money. At the end of the year you can see what my services have been worth and then you can reward me as you see fit." Then the prince understood that the stranger was the kind of servant his mother meant and he hired him on the spot.

At the back of the verdant island lay a desolate desert created by a hideous monster crawling out of the sea every day and scorching the ground with its rancid breath. In addition, the beast devoured all livestock and crops that came within its reach. The governor who ruled the island sent soldiers there every day to fight off the beast, but for some reason they could never stay awake when the monster appeared. Finally, the governor promised his beautiful daughter to anyone who could rid them of the monster. As soon as the prince's servants heard of this, he went to the governor's palace. "If my lord kills the monster, how do you intend to reward him" he asked the governor. "He will have my daughter and everything else he can ask that is in my power to give," replied the governor. "Then we will write a contract on this," demanded the servant, and so it happened.

That night the prince's servant slipped away alone to the deserted beach at the back of the island. He had anointed himself with an oil that itched something really creepy and that way he stayed awake when the monster came crawling out of the sea. It was a nasty animal, which seemed to have features of both snake and bird. But the servant was not afraid of it, but crept up to the monster and gave it a sharp stab behind one of its ears. This was apparently the monster's most vulnerable spot, for it let out a loud wail and rolled over dead on its back. The servant cut off the beast's ears and some of its fangs before heading home. The next morning he told the prince what had happened and asked him to take the trophies from the monster to the governor and say that it was he who defeated the beast. "Never in my life!" said the prince. "You killed it and I refuse to take the credit!" "Do as I ask you," replied the servant. “There is a good reason for this. Trust me and everything will work out for both of us.” At last the prince gave in and went to the governor, who was greatly delighted by the story the young man had to tell. But when the governor went to fetch his daughter, the prince instead asked him for a fast ship that could take him and his servants out into the world.

The governor was glad not to have to marry off his daughter yet, and with pleasure arranged the ship for the prince, and many precious stones and jewels in the traveling coffers to go with it. The prince and his servants sailed away—and sailed and sailed until they came to a great kingdom.

The servant went ashore to find out among the people what sort of place they had come to. Soon he could return with exciting news. It turned out that the king was looking for a suitable husband for his daughter and that no less than a hundred young men had already married her, but then disappeared after the wedding night. The prince was attracted by this mystery and immediately sought out the king to explain his interest as a prospective son-in-law. It was becoming difficult to find interested men in the country and the king was therefore happy when the prince appeared. Already that evening he arranged a wedding between the prince and the princess and when the festivities were over the young people went to the princess's room. It was a beautiful evening and the prince sat down to look out over the palace gardens in the moonlight. In a deserted part of the gardens, two men were digging an oblong pit. It took the prince a moment to realize that it was his grave they were digging! No one expected him to survive either. He could not understand what could happen. The prince looked at the beautiful princess who leaned against a pile of pillows and now dozed off quietly. But suddenly she opened her mouth and a black poisonous snake coiled out! The reptile sped towards the prince, who now understood what had happened to all the other suitors. But just then the door swung open and the prince's servant came rushing in. With his dagger he cut off the snake's head and at the same time as the beast was killed the princess woke up. She declared that she had fallen victim to an evil curse, which compelled her to end all her suitors in this gruesome manner. But now that the snake was dead, this evil sorcery was lifted.

Now the prince settled down with his wife and they lived in the stately palace. But then one day a messenger came with a letter from Egypt. It was the prince's mother who told him that his father had now passed away, but before his death had made the prince heir to the entire country. After so long on the run, the prince could think of nothing better than to return home. So he took his swift ship and set sail for Egypt with the princess and his servant. In the middle of the sea, the servant came up to him and said: "Now it is time for me to say goodbye, for the year has passed and my service with you is finished." The prince was dismayed at the thought of losing his servant, who had also become his best friend, but he asked the man what he now wanted as wages. “Nothing,” the man replied, “for you have already given me life as a gift the day you released me back into the sea. For I am the golden-headed fish, the king of all fishes, and I have merely paid the debt of gratitude I owe you.” With these words the servant jumped overboard, but before he could get into the water his skin had become scaly and his arms and legs into fins. Like a glint of sunlight in the water, the golden-headed fish glimmered before disappearing into the depths of the sea.

The gold headed fish

The emperor's New Clothes

HC Andersen

Many years ago there lived an emperor who was so fond of beautiful new clothes that he wasted all his money to become really nice and handsome. He didn't care about his soldiers, didn't care about the theater or going about the promenades unless it was to show off his new clothes. He changed his coat every hour of the day. Other kings were often said to sit in council. About this one, they always said: the emperor is in the closet.

In the big city where he lived, things were very lively. Every day many strangers came. One day two fraudsters came. They pretended to be weavers and said they could weave the most beautiful cloth imaginable. Not only that the colors and pattern were unusually beautiful, the clothes that were sewn from the fabric also had the wonderful property that they were invisible to the people who mismanaged their work or were stupid.

- Those would be nice clothes, thought the emperor. Wearing them, I would be able to discover which men in my kingdom mismanage their work and I would be able to distinguish the wise from the foolish. That cloth must be woven for me immediately. And so he gave the two swindlers a lot of money in advance so that they could begin their work.

They also set up two looms and pretended they were working, but they had nothing on the loom. They incessantly desired the finest silk and the most magnificent gold; but this they put into their own pocket, and worked with the empty looms, and that until late at night.

- Now I would still like to know how far they got with the fabric, thought the emperor. He was a little strangely at ease when he thought that he who was stupid or who mismanaged his work could not see it. As for himself, he didn't think he needed to be worried, but wanted to send someone first to see how things were. Every man in the town knew what strange power the cloth possessed, and every one wished to see how bad or stupid his neighbor was.

- I want to send my old, faithful minister away to the weavers, thought the emperor. He can best see how the fabric will turn out because he has sense, and no one does his job better than he.

Now the old, honorable minister entered the hall, where the two swindlers sat working at the empty looms. Oh, God save us! thought the old minister, narrowing his eyes. I can't see anything! But he didn't say that.

The two impostors asked him to come closer and asked if it was not a beautiful pattern and beautiful colors. With the same they pointed to the empty loom. The poor old minister kept opening his eyes, but could see nothing, for there was nothing. Oh my God! he thought, would I be stupid? I never believed that, and no one should know that. Would I not be able to handle my work? No, it is not possible for me to say that I cannot see the fabric.

- Well, you don't say anything, said one.

- Oh, it's beautiful, absolutely extraordinarily beautiful! said the old minister, looking through his spectacles. What a pattern and what colors! Yes, I will tell the Emperor that I liked it very much.

- Well, that pleases us, said the two weavers, and now they mentioned the colors and the rare pattern by name. The old minister listened carefully,. so that he might say the same when he came home to the emperor, and he did.

Now the fraudsters demanded more money, more silk and gold, which they would use for the tissue. All they put into their own pockets, and not a thread came into the loom, but they continued to weave as before on the empty loom.

The emperor soon sent another of his honorable officials there to see how the loom was doing and if the cloth would soon be ready. It went the same way as with the minister: mocking looked and looked, but as there was nothing but the empty looms, he could see nothing.

- Yes, isn't it a beautiful fabric? said the two impostors, showing and explaining the beautiful pattern, which did not exist at all.

- I'm not stupid, thought the man. It must be my employment with the king that I am not fit for? It was really strange then! But I mustn't let anyone notice that. And so he praised the cloth, which he did not see, and explained to them his delight in the beautiful colors and the magnificent pattern. Yes, it is really exquisitely beautiful, he said to the emperor.

All the people in the town were talking about the beautiful fabric.

Now the emperor wanted to see it himself, while it was still in the loom. With a whole host of excellent men, among them the two old, honorable men who had been there before, he went to the two crafty impostors, who were now weaving with all their might, but without any material in the loom.

- Yes, isn't it magnificent? said the two honorable men. Or how your majesty see, what pattern, what colors! And then they pointed to the empty loom, because they thought that the others could probably see the fabric.

- What does this mean! thought the emperor. I can't see anything, it's horrible! Am I stupid? Am I not good enough to be emperor? It was the most terrible thing that could happen to me!
- Oh, it's very beautiful! said the emperor. It has my highest approval. And he nodded contentedly, and regarded the empty loom; for he would not say that he could see nothing. Everyone he had with him saw and saw, but still saw no more than all the others. They said, like the emperor: Oh, it is very beautiful! and advised him to dress in this new splendid cloth for the first time at the great procession which was soon to take place.

- It is magnificent, excellent, charming! word of mouth passed. The emperor gave the impostors each a knight's cross to hang in their buttonhole and the title of weavers.

All night before the day on which the procession was to take place, the impostors sat up and had over sixteen candles lighted. People could see that they were in a hurry to get the emperor's new clothes ready. They pretended to take the fabric from the loom. They cut the air with big scissors. They sewed with a sewing needle without thread and finally said
- Look, now the clothes are ready!

The emperor himself came there with his most distinguished companions, and the two impostors raised one arm in the air, as if holding something, and said:
- Here are the leg clothes!
- Here's the rock!
- Here's the cloak!
and so on. They are light as cobwebs! You could think that you had nothing on your body, but that is precisely the beauty of these clothes.

- Yes! said all the companions, but they could see nothing, for there was nothing to see.

- Should your imperial majesty most graciously think to take off his clothes, we will put the new ones on you over there in front of the big mirror, said the fraudsters.

The emperor took off all his clothes and the impostors pretended to give him garment after garment of the new ones, which were supposed to be sewn. They took him around the waist and sort of tied something. It was the trailer and the emperor twisted and turned in front of the mirror.

- God, how well it dresses! What a perfect fit! they all said. What a pattern! Which colors! It is a precious garment!

- The throne sky, which will be carried over your majesty in the procession, is waiting outside! announced the chief master of ceremonies.

- Yes, I'm ready! said the emperor. Does it not fit well? And then he turned once more in front of the mirror, so that it would appear as if he were really looking at his state.

The chamberlains, who were to carry the sleigh, groped their hands to the floor, as if they were picking up the sleigh, and went, holding their hands in the air, for it was not to be seen that they could see nothing.

And so the emperor went in procession under the beautiful throne sky, and all the people in the street and in the windows said:

- Oh, how beautiful the emperor's new clothes are! What a beautiful trail he has on his mantle! It fits so perfectly! Nobody wanted to reveal that he didn't see anything, because then he wouldn't have been good enough for his job or would have been very stupid. None of the emperor's clothes had made such a fortune.

- But he's not wearing anything! said a small child.

- Lord God, hear only the voice of the innocent! said the father, and one whispered to the other what the child had said.

- He has nothing on, is a small child saying.
- He's got nothing on!

- He's got nothing on! finally shouted all the people and it crawled into the emperor, because he thought they were right, but he thought: Now I must keep my good looks until the end of the procession. And so he stood still straighter, and the chamberlains went, carrying a trailer that was not fans.

The emperor's New Clothes

Golden apple with silver leaves

Tale from Sweden.

Once upon a time there was a king who had an only daughter, fair and beautiful. But then she became seriously ill and the king mourned bitterly that she would die. He called together all the wise men of the land, but none of them could think of any remedy. One day a wise old woman came to the royal court and found out that the princess was sick. "Go ahead and get her a golden apple with silver leaves, and she will probably be well again," the old woman told the king.

The king immediately had an edict issued throughout his country, that whoever could arrange a golden apple with silver leaves would be allowed to marry the princess as a reward.

At the same time it happened that a wild apple tree that never bore fruit was growing on a high mountain and next to that mountain lived an old woman who had three sons. Like everyone else in the land, they had heard of the princess and the golden apple she needed to recover. But of course, none of them had any idea where such a fruit could be found. So one morning when the old woman went out to fetch water from the well, she saw something glinting up on the mountain. She called out to her sons who had soon climbed the mountain to take a closer look. Indeed, if the old wild apple hadn't gotten both golden apples and silver leaves on its branches during the night! Now of course the desire was awakened in all three boys to set off at once to the king's castle to win the princess, but their mother reassured them. “Only one of you can have her,” she explained. "You should not argue but go and try your luck each in turn". So the eldest son got to go first and picked a golden apple with silver leaves, put it in a basket and set off for the castle.

To get there he had to walk through a deep forest and there on the path he met an ugly sorceress. "Good day!" said the lady. "What do you have in the basket?" "Pig's hair and horsetail!" replied the boy. "So be it," answered the lady and let him pass.

When the boy arrived at the king's castle, he was stopped by the gatekeeper who wondered about his business. "I'm here to give the princess a golden apple with silver leaves," the boy declared confidently. “It wasn't bad!” replied the guard. "But we have to take a look at that first." When the guard looked in the basket, it turned out to be full of hog bristles and horseradish! The boy had to return home in shame and explain what had happened.

Now the middle son set off with his golden apple in the basket. As he walked through the forest he met the sorceress. "Good day!" said the lady. "What do you have in the basket?" "Nuts that no one can crack!" replied the boy. "So be it," answered the lady and let him pass.

When the boy arrived at the king's castle, he was stopped by the gatekeeper who wondered about his business. "I'm here to give the princess a golden apple with silver leaves," the boy declared confidently. “It wasn't bad!” replied the guard. "But we have to take a look at that first." When the guard looked in the basket, it turned out to be full of rock-hard nuts! The boy was ashamed to go home and tell about his accident.

Now it was the youngest son's turn to try his luck. Like his brothers, he put a golden apple with silver leaves in a basket and set off into the forest. Soon he met the sorceress. "Good day!" said the lady. "What do you have in the basket?" "Golden apple with silver leaves!" replied the boy. "Since you spoke the truth, you shall receive good advice from me!" said the lady. "If you meet someone on your way who you can help, do it! Take this little pipe and blow it when you yourself need help and you will get it.”

The boy thanked the sorceress and went on towards the king's castle. When he came to a lake, he saw that a large fish had jumped onto land and was now unable to get back into the water. The boy carefully lifted the fish and dropped it back into the lake. A little further along the road he saw a pigeon being chased by a hawk. The boy scared the hawk away and gave the pigeon some to eat from his traveling food. When he later passed a meadow, he discovered two ravens fighting each other to the death. The boy separated the ravens and told them right. On the way he then passed two anthills that were at war with each other. The ants swarmed all over the forest hill, biting and pulling at each other. Then the boy took out what was left of his traveling food and sprinkled it in each anthill. Then the ants forgot to fight and sat down to eat instead.

Finally the boy finally arrived at the king's castle and he knocked on the great gate. When the guards saw that he actually had a golden apple in his basket, he was immediately let in. The boy was allowed to go up to the princess, and in the presence of the king and the whole court, the girl ate the apple he had brought with him. Almost immediately she became much healthier and everyone in the castle was happy. But the king's brow darkened. "Should my daughter really have a torparson for a husband?" he asked himself. "No, more difficult tests than this he must pass if he is to have my daughter and half the kingdom!"

So the boy was summoned before the king, who explained that the following night he had to clear a thin bowl of mixed grain, so that the barley came by itself and the rye by itself. When evening came, the king's men poured out the grain in the castle yard and left the boy to do his impossible task.

But then he thought of those two anteaters, whose war he had interrupted. He took out the pipe he had been given by the sorceress and blew on it. Soon the two myr armies came running across the castle yard and in no time had separated the rye from the wheat.

When the king came out to the castle yard the next morning and saw that the boy had succeeded in his task, his vision went dark. The king was not yet willing to give up his daughter so he gave the boy a new impossible task, namely to find a ring in a lake that the king had once dropped there. But the boy thought of the fish he had saved and blew his pipe. Soon the fish emerged from the water and the boy explained what he needed help with. The fish disappeared into the depths of the lake and soon returned with the ring in its mouth.

When the king saw his ring again in the boy's hand, he hardly believed it possible, but he regained his composure and almost immediately thought of a new, even worse task. Now the king wanted an olive branch from paradise itself. The boy then thought of the pigeon he had rescued from the hawk and called it by blowing his pipe. As the pigeon settled on his shoulder, the boy whispered to it what he needed help with. Immediately the dove flew away and now it was all day before the bird returned, for it was a long way to paradise. But sure enough it had an olive branch in its beak and it handed the boy over to the enraged king. In his anger, the king stood up and scolded the boy. "Not that I know how you succeed in all your missions," he growled, "but now I want a glowing coal from hell and if you can't get it, you're going to die!"

It didn't sound fun, but the boy thought he could probably handle this too. He thought of the ravens he had helped to make peace and blew his pipe. The two black birds immediately appeared and the boy told him what he needed help with. One raven set off for hell and as dusk fell he returned with a coal from the devil's own tiled stove. When the raven dropped the coal in the castle yard, a terrible roar was heard and the whole castle shook to its foundations. The king ran out to see what had happened, but was immediately blinded by the glow of the coal, which was more terrible than any light he had seen and any heat he had known. "Now you've been messing with me long enough!" said the boy to the king. "Now give me the princess you promised, or I'll go home and the embers of hell will lie on your farm forever!"

Then the king paled and he realized how badly he had behaved. Could he get a better husband than this boy who had done so much to win his daughter? No, now the king went down on his knees before the boy and promised him everything he could wish for, if he would only take the piece of coal away. The boy blew the pipe and the other raven grabbed the coal and flew off to hell with it.

Now the boy was clothed in purple and gold, the wedding was prepared, and the silver leaf of the enchanted apple was woven into the bride's crown. After a few years, the king withdrew and made the boy and the princess the new rulers of the country. And there they sit and rule even if the story is now true and I thought it seemed that way when I last heard it.

Golden apple with silver leaves

Tale from Zaire, Africa.

The hero Makóma

Tale from Zaire, Africa.

In a village on the banks of the Zambezi River, a strange child was once born. When he emerged from his mother's womb, he had an iron hammer and a leather sack with him. He was also immediately able to speak and asked his parents to fetch the wise men of the village and then take him to the river. There was a particular place the boy wanted to get to, a ford that was dangerous to cross because there were always a lot of crocodiles there. The whole village came down to the river to see what would happen. They all cried out in terror as the children jumped into the water in the midst of the crocodiles. The water began to boil as if a huge battle was going on below the surface of the river. Suddenly the water turned red with blood and the water became still. The boy's parents and the villagers were sure that the child had been devoured by the crocodiles. But soon he came out of the water without a scratch on his skin. What was more strange, he had now turned into a young man, tall, broad-shouldered and handsome. "It was the blood of the crocodiles you saw," he explained. "I have now bathed in it and grown strong. I didn't have time to wait to grow up like a normal man. I have a great task to fulfill and must leave at once. You can henceforth call me Makóma – the greater one.”

Makóma slung his leather bag over his shoulder and took Nu-éndo, his hammer, in his hand. So he embraced his parents and said: “I know that the wilderness around your village is full of mighty monsters and that our people do not dare to spread out and find new land. I will challenge them all and make the wilderness free of all man and beast.”

So Makóma set off and crossed the Zambezi River. He wandered into the wilderness and continued his journey until he came to a place of high mountains. There stood a giant and made the mountains with his hands. "Were greeted!" Makóma said to the giant. "Who are you and what do you do?" "I am Chi-éswa-mapiri, he who builds mountains," answered the giant. "My name is Makóma, which means `bigger'." "Bigger than what?" wondered the giant. "Bigger than you!" answered Makóma. Then the giant rushed at him in fury, but Makóma swung his iron hammer and struck the giant so hard on the head that he shrank into a small dwarf. "You are indeed powerful!" said the giant, rubbing his head. “I swear to be your servant henceforth.” Makóma picked up the former giant and put him in his sack. Then he walked on with new healthy steps. The giant's strength had gone into Makóma's arm when he struck with the hammer, so now he was stronger than before.

After a few days, Makóma came to a place where a giant was digging long furrows in the ground with his fingers. "Good day," greeted Makóma. "Who are you and what do you do?" "I am Chi-dúbula-taka, he who makes riverbeds," answered the giant. "My name is Makóma, which means `bigger'." "Bigger than what?" wondered the giant. "Bigger than you!" answered Makóma. Then the giant became angry and rushed at him with his hands full of stones. But Makóma quickly stepped aside and lashed out at the giant with his mighty hammer. Immediately the giant shrunk to a dwarf. "You have defeated me and I promise to be your servant in the future," chirped the giant. Makóma put him in his sack and moved on, now with the strength of two giants in his arms.

Eventually Makóma came to a forest of thorn bushes. They were as tall as trees and Makóma had never seen anything like them. At the edge of the forest stood a giant planting thorn trees. "Greetings," Makóma called. “What kind of person are you?” "I am Chi-gwisa-miti, he who plants trees," rumbled the giant. "I would love to spar with you," said Makóma. The giant laughed and hurled some of the trees at the young man. But instead of being hit by them, Makóma ran up the trees and jumped from one to the other until he reached the giant. Then he hit the bastard in the skull with his hammer so that he became as small as a child. "I've never met someone like you!" said the giant. "I promise to serve you and be faithful to you."

With three giants in his sack and the strength of three giants in his body, Makóma wandered on until he came to a barren, rocky land with smoking volcanoes and poisonous gases in the air. A giant stood by a volcano and sucked in the fire that burned in the crater. “Good day to you,” Makóma called. "I've never seen anyone do that before! Who are you?" "I am Chin-ideamóto, the fire-eater and I can destroy everything that I see." "You still can't scratch me, because I'm Makóma - the bigger one. So bigger than you!” Then the giant breathed out a long flame of fire at the brave young man. But Makóma took a great leap towards his opponent and knocked him to the ground with the hammer. The cocky giant was pressed into a pout by the blow and looked at Makóma in horror. "I meant no harm," whined the giant. "I will gladly be your friend and servant if you want me." So the fire eater had to join the other little giants in the sack.

Makóma had not yet eaten anything during his long journey and was getting hungry. He made a camp with his giants and went hunting with them, except Chi-éswa-mapiri, who remained as a guard. When the hunting party returned, they found their comrade tied to a tree by a single long strand of hair. Makóma cut it off with his thumb nail. When the little giant was freed, he told what had happened. "A huge fellow came out of the river over here," he explained. "The colossus had long whiskers that threw out this hair and tied me up."

Makóma did not like his comrades being ambushed and went down to the river with his hammer. When he stood staring into the water for a while, he noticed that someone down there was staring back. A giant head suddenly came rushing out of the water. It was a huge man who rose out of the river. He had thick mustaches that billowed into the air along the river in both directions and as far away as Makóma could see. "Who are you?" thundered the giant. “I am Makóma and before I kill you I want to know your name!” "I am Chin-débou-Mau-giri," answered the giant, "and my mustache is the gray fever mist that lies over the river, and with it I ensnare and suffocate all who come hither." "Not any more!" Makóma exclaimed, striking the beast with his iron hammer. But the river giant's skin was so slimy that the hammer blow just slipped off. Chin-débou-Mau-giri threw out one of her long hairs and quickly bound Makóma with it. Makóma felt his arms being locked and he was having trouble breathing. Then he remembered the fire eater's powers, which were now his. Makóma blew out a broom of fire that burned off the hair. Then he threw his sack over the giant's head and struck it with the hammer. The hammer blow did not slip off the sack and the giant's head burst into a thousand pieces.

That evening Makóma and the giants feasted and danced to celebrate the victory over Chindébou-Mau-giri, but the next morning Makóma looked gloomy. His companions asked what was going on. "My ancestors came to me last night in my dreams and told me what I must do next," said Makóma. "They told me that I shall not be able to rest until I have found the great, five-headed Sákatiriná and fought with him." So Makóma bid farewell to his companions and returned the powers and abilities he had taken from them. Now Makóma was as strong as when he once left his home village, but it wasn't bad.

After wandering through swamps, deserts and jungles, Makóma came to a savannah where he saw two beautiful women fetching water from a spring. He told them who he was and asked if they had heard of the great Sákatiriná. "We are his wives," said one woman, "and those are his feet you see over there." She pointed to what Makóma thought were two mountain peaks rising into the clouds. The great Sákatiriná was truly great!

Makóma walked over to one foot and slammed the hammer into it as hard as he could. "Who is tickling my foot?" a voice like thunder from the clouds was heard. "It's Makóma who has come to fight you, so I don't get old, fat and bored!" cried the young hero. "I'm bored," said the huge giant quietly. “I know what you're talking about. Let us fight and may the best fighter win.” Thus began the violent struggle between Makóma and Sákatiriná. Just like before, Makóma's strength grew every time he landed a hammer blow on his enemy, but this time the giant did not shrink. Sákatiriná tore up entire mountains and hurled them at Makóma. For two days they fought and finally Nu-éndo, the durable iron hammer, was split. Then Makóma took a wrestling hold on his opponent and they both tumbled around on the ground so that the earth shook and all of Africa shook. Eventually, their strength began to wane and they became too tired to continue fighting.

Then Mulimó, the great spirit who watches over all living things, appeared. "You are both great fighters indeed," said the spirit, "but look what you have done on earth." Makóma and Sákatiriná looked around at the devastation and were ashamed. Then Mulimó said: "The gods have seen your fight and decided that you are both equally brave and strong. You will therefore be allowed to ascend to their palace above the clouds and live there in the future.” And so Makóma and Sákatiriná became invisible to the people of the earth and were never seen again.

The hero Makóma

(Tale from Germany).

The Devil's Three Golden Hairs

(Tale from Germany)

Once upon a time there was a poor man and woman who lived in a small village. They did not have much to be happy about in this life and therefore they became very happy when they got a little son.

He was also predicted to one day become rich and marry the king's daughter. Sometimes the king of the land used to amuse himself by secretly traveling around and meeting the common people, without them knowing that he was the king. It was during one such trip that he came to the small village. There he heard about the child and the strange prophecy. The king seethed within himself at the thought of an ordinary pauper marrying his daughter. Namely, this was a selfish and mean king. He persuaded the child's parents to let him take care of their little son. The king thought that the boy would be much better off with him, who was a rich man. The parents thought that this was probably how the prophecy would come true and so they let the disguised king take the boy.

But the king had not intended to take care of the boy at all. Instead, he put him in a box and threw him down a cliff. He was sure the boy was dead and rode contentedly home to his castle. But the boy had fallen into a river that flowed past the cliff. There he bobbed about in his box until he got stuck in the reeds next to a mill. That's how the miller's wife found him. She and her husband had no children and were very happy when they found the little boy. With the miller couple, he grew up to be a young man who was both talented and healthy.

One day the king rode by. He was thirsty and stopped at the mill to get something to drink. He saw the young man busily carrying sacks of flour out of the mill and asked the miller how old the young man was. The miller proudly told the incredible story of how they found him in the reeds. Then the king paled and realized that this was the boy he thought was dead. Therefore, he quickly came up with a new cunning and hideous plan to get rid of him.

The king asked for a piece of paper and wrote on it: "The boy who leaves this message must be killed at once!" He rolled up the paper and put his seal on it. Then the king called the boy and ordered him to run to the castle and deliver the message to the queen.

It was a long way to the castle and the boy wanted to take a shortcut through the deep forest. But there he got lost and soon it began to get dark. Then he saw a glimmer of light between the trees. He walked toward the light and came to a small cabin leaning against a mountain. He knocked and stepped inside. By the fireplace sat an old woman who looked absolutely horrified. "What are you doing here?" she asked. "My sons are bloodthirsty robbers and as soon as they get home they will cut your throat!" "I am on my way to the castle with a message from the king" replied the boy. "And now I am so tired that I cannot take another step. Your robber sons may do as they please, but I must be allowed to rest." Then he lay down on a skin fold on the floor and fell asleep.

A while later, the robbers came home and wondered what the boy was doing there. The mother told them who he was, and when the robbers heard about the king's letter, they became curious. They twisted the paper and opened it. The oldest robber could read and told what the king had written. Of course the robbers were hard-hearted and nasty figures, but they had never heard anything so cruel as the king's command. Therefore, they decided to play a trick on the king. They took out a new piece of paper and on it they wrote: "The boy who leaves this message is to be married to the princess at once." With their nimble fingers they affixed the king's seal to the new letter. Then they stuck the paper under the boy's arm and let him finish sleeping.

The next morning the boy continued his journey towards the castle. When he arrived he only had to show the king's seal to be admitted and taken to the queen. When she read the letter, she immediately threw a thunderous wedding party and the surprised boy was hastily and hilariously married to the princess. Fortunately, they immediately liked each other, so it was a really successful event.

When the king returned home a few days later, he expected to see the boy hanged or beheaded. Instead, he was met at the castle gate by the princess and the boy, who happily embraced him. The king was both angry and surprised and asked the queen how this had happened. She showed him the letter and then the king understood that he had been deceived. "I will not consent to any marriage until the boy fetches the devil's three golden hairs for me!" raged the king. This was a royal command and so the boy must obey.

The boy said goodbye to the princess and set off on his long and dangerous journey. He didn't know the way to where the devil lived so he had to stop and ask. The first town he came to had a fountain that spouted wine from which all the townspeople were allowed to drink. But now the source had run out and the people of the city were sad about this. The boy asked the gatekeeper to the town if he knew the way to the devil, but he didn't.

"Go to the next town and ask, they might know" said the gatekeeper. "If I find out how you guys are going to get the fountain working again, I'll come back and tell you about it," the boy promised.

The next town the boy came to had a tree with golden apples that everyone got to eat from. But now the tree was withering and the people of the city were sad about it. The boy asked the gatekeeper to the town if he knew the way to the devil, but he didn't. "If I find out how you're going to make the tree grow again, I'll come back and tell you about it," the boy promised.

Eventually the boy came to a very wide river. On the other side he could glimpse a dark, gloomy land. On the bank of the river stood a boat with an old man sitting in it. "Do you know the way to the devil?" the boy wondered. "Of course I know," replied the man. "He lives on the other side of the river. The dark land on the other side is Hell and I can row you over if you want." The boy jumped into the boat and the man started rowing. The boy wondered how long the old man had been rowing back and forth across the river. "For ages and ages," replied the man. "I would so like to be free if I only knew how." "If I find out how you get free, I'll return and tell you about it," the boy promised.

When they reached the other side, the boy saw that the beach was covered with coins and precious stones. "It's all the money of the greedy lying here," the man explained. "They think they can take their riches with them when they die, but they have to beautifully leave everything they own here before they step into Hell." The boy thanked the old man for his help and entered Hell.

Soon he found the devil's house, knocked and entered. The devil himself was not at home, but his old grandmother was. "Unfortunate wretch!" exclaimed the old woman. "Don't you know that you have come home to the devil. Soon he will step through the door and then you will be sorry." "It will be anyway, unless I return to my father-in-law with the devil's three golden hairs." He also told about the two towns and the old man with the boat that he wanted to help. The old man thought the boy was dashing and brave. "I guess I can help you then. But you have to keep quiet and still until I tell you." So she turned the boy into a small ant and let him crawl into her apron.

Towards evening the devil came home. He was tired and grumpy after tormenting souls all day. "It smells weird in here!" he exclaimed, fanning the air. "You're just imagining things," his grandmother said. "No, indeed! This smells of Christian blood. Why does it do that?" "Well, it was so true. A raven flew by and dropped a leg down the chimney today. It must have come from some poor Christian then." The devil was satisfied with that answer and sat down to eat his supper. When he was full, he sat on the floor and put his head in Grandma's lap, so she could pick lice from him. Soon he had fallen asleep and was snoring loudly. His grandmother found one of the golden hairs and tore it free.

"Ouch! What are you doing?" screamed the devil. "Oh, I had such a strange dream," replied his grandmother. "I dreamed that there was a city with a fountain that spouted wine, but now the well under the fountain has dried up. I wonder why..." "Ah, it's simple," snorted the devil. "At the bottom of the well sits a large toad. If you remove the toad, the wine will flow again." Then he straightened up and fell asleep again.

Soon his grandmother found another of the golden hairs and tore it free. "Ouch! What are you doing?" screamed the devil. "Oh, I had such a strange dream," replied his grandmother. "I dreamed there was a city with a tree with golden apples, but now the tree is withering. Wonder why..." "Ridiculously simple," snorted the devil. "There is a mouse gnawing at the roots of the tree. If you remove the mouse, the tree will get golden apples again." Then he straightened up again and fell asleep again.

But soon his grandmother found the last golden hair and tore it out. Now the devil was really furious and wanted to know what the old woman was really up to. "Oh, I had such a strange dream," replied his grandmother. "I dreamed there was a man who had to row people back and forth across a river all his life. Wonder how he's going to get out of that..." "Nonsense," snorted the devil. "All he has to do is leave the oars to the next man who shows up, and he'll have to row the boat instead. But if I can't sleep now, it'll be a pity for you!!" The devil settled down again and went back to sleep.

Now the old woman called the boy and he crawled out of her apron. He regained his normal form and the old woman handed him the golden hair. "Now you have to hurry out of here. If the devil wakes up one more time, it won't be fun!" The boy thanked them for the help and headed back down to the river. Before stepping into the boat, he filled his pockets with money from the beach. He had a hunch that he would probably have some use for them soon.

When they got over to the other side, the boy told the old man how he would be freed from his work. The old man thanked the boy with all his heart and then they said goodbye to each other. When the boy came to town with the withered apple tree, he told the gatekeeper about the mouse that was gnawing at the tree's roots. The gatekeeper thanked him heartily and the boy continued on to the next town. In the town with the sealed wine well, the boy told them about the toad they must remove. He was heartily thanked for the good advice and then proceeded towards the castle.

The king was of course not happy to see the boy return and was even more upset when he saw the three golden hairs. But when the boy emptied his pockets, the king's eyes widened and wanted to know where the boy had found so much money. The boy talked about how the beach on the other side of the river was full of precious things just lying there, ready to be picked up. The king was taken aback by the thought of so much money and immediately left. After passing the city of the wine fountain and the city of the golden apples, he came to the river with the old man in the boat. "Pull me over at once, old man," commanded the king. "Well, you. I've finished rowing," replied the old man, handing the oar to the king. The king took the oar sourly and thus it was he who in the future had to row people over to the shore of Hell. So if you come to a wide river where a grumpy old man in a boat asks you to take the oar yourself - turn around!

The Devil's Three Golden Hairs

Tale from Romania.

Flower Queen's Daughter

Tale from Romania.

Once upon a time there was a prince who lived with his father, the king, in a big castle. Of course, they didn't live there alone – hundreds of servants, knights, soldiers, cooks, blacksmiths, troubadours, jesters, midwives and monks also lived within the castle walls. Here was everything the prince could ever want. But, like all young men, he still longed to go out into the world. One day he took leave of his father and set off to seek happiness, whatever it might be. After riding a good distance he came to a wide ditch. His horse galloped over, but before he could continue on his journey he heard someone calling to him. There was a little old woman sitting in the ditch with a bunch of rice.

"Would the young gentleman be so kind as to help an old lady out of the ditch where she happened to fall in the dark the other night?" she wondered. The prince immediately dismounted from his horse, lifted up the old woman with the rice and put her in the saddle instead. The old woman showed him where to go and soon they had arrived at her little cabin.

"Wait a moment and you'll get something for the trouble," said the old woman and disappeared into her cabin. Soon she came out again with a small silver bell in her hand. "You are a powerful prince, but at the same time you are kind-hearted and stop to help those who are weaker than yourself," said the old woman. "Would you like to have the most beautiful woman in the world as your wife?" “Who wouldn't want that?” the prince wondered, immediately becoming very interested. "Then you will marry the flower queen's daughter.

"In and of itself, it will not be easy to get hold of her, because she is the prisoner of a cruel dragon. But take this little bell with you and you will get help when you are in trouble. Call once, and the king of eagles will come to you. Call twice and the king of foxes will come to you. Call three times and the king of fishes will come to you, and better helpers than these three kings are not under the sun.” The old woman handed the prince the bell and with that both she and the cottage disappeared into thin air. The prince now understood that the old woman had been a powerful fairy in disguise.

The prince traveled further into the world to find the dragon that held the flower queen's daughter captive and it was a long and difficult journey. First his horse died and he himself became starved and frozen, as his clothes finally began to fall apart. One day he came to a small hut by the side of the road. Outside sat a creepy old man smoking his pipe. “It's not like uncle has heard of the dragon holding the flower queen's daughter captive?” wondered the prince. "No, I can't say that I have," replied the old man. But go a little way down the road and you will come to my father's cabin. Ask him instead.”

The prince moved on and after a year came to a new hut. Outside there sat an even older and more wrinkled old man. “It's not like uncle knows about the dragon that's holding the flower queen's daughter captive?” wondered the prince. "Never heard of," muttered the old man. “But continue down this road and you will come to my father's hut. He probably knows.”

So the prince wandered on and after a year came to yet another hut. Outside it sat the oldest, most wrinkled, driest old man the prince had ever seen. "It's not like uncle knows where to find the dragon that's holding the flower queen's daughter captive?" wondered the prince. "Yes, that wretch lives at the top of the mountain there," grumbled the old man, pointing with a gnarled finger at a black mountain a day's journey away. “The dragon has just begun its year of sleep. He is awake for a whole year, then he sleeps for a whole year. But if you want to meet the flower queen's daughter, you have to climb the mountain next to it. The mother of the dragon lives there and she holds a ball every night where the flower queen's daughter always dances."

The prince thanked the old man heartily and set off for the mountains. It took him a whole day to walk up to the palace where the mother of the dragon lived, but at last he stood before the mighty gates. He had barely had time to knock before seven hideous dragons appeared and angrily asked what he wanted. "I have heard so much about the beauty and goodness of the mother of the dragon that I would like to enter her service," lied the prince. Such beautiful speech amused the dragons so they let him in. When the prince saw the mother of the dragon sitting on her diamond throne, he was about to faint with horror, for such a hideous monstrosity he had not been able to imagine even in his worst nightmares.

The mother of the dragon was warty, scaly, spiky and had three heads. The prince did not dare to think what her son, the dragon, might look like. “Why have you come here?” asked the mother of the dragon in a voice that sounded like the cawing of a hundred ravens. "I am captivated by your beauty and goodness and would like to serve you if I can," explained the prince. “Well, if you want to serve me, you must first prove yourself capable. For three days you shall take my mare out in the meadow below the mountain, but if you do not bring her home unharmed every night I will eat you!” The prince promised to do his best and then went to bed, for he had had quite a tiring day.

The next morning the prince went to the palace stables and fetched the mare. They walked down the path that wound around the mountain until they reached the meadow. But the prince had hardly unleashed the mare before she had disappeared without a trace. For a moment he was gripped by deep despair, but then he remembered the little silver bell he had been given by the old woman. He now picked it out and rang with it once. Suddenly he heard a whoosh in the air and the king of eagles landed next to him. "I know what you want help with," said the king of the eagles. "You are looking for the dragon's mare and you will not find her, because she has hidden herself up in the clouds. But I will call my people and together we will hunt her down.” Then the king mother of the eagles lifted the clouds and soon the sky was completely black with birds. Soon they had startled the mares, who politely jumped down to the ground again.

As evening fell, the prince rode back to the palace of the dragons and stabled the mares. The terrible mother of the dragon was greatly surprised. "You have succeeded in your task today and as a reward you will get to go to my ball tonight." Then she wrapped the prince in a robe of copper and led him into a great hall where a lot of dragons danced. But he also caught sight of the flower queen's daughter among them. She was truly the most beautiful of women. Her skin was like roses and lilies and her dress was woven of the most beautiful flowers. The prince immediately invited her to dance and told her who he was. "I have come to save you from here," he whispered. The beautiful girl looked at him seriously and said, "If you succeed in bringing back the mare all three days, you shall ask for her foal as a reward for your labor." The prince took her words to heart and took leave of the girl as the ball drew to a close.

The following morning he led the mares down the mountain to the meadow, just like the day before. And in the same way the mare disappeared when he released her. Then he took out the little silver bell and rang it twice. In an instant, the king of foxes stood beside him and said, “I know what you want help with. You're looking for the dragon's mare and you won't find her, because she's hidden in a rabbit nest underground. But I will call my people and together we will hunt her down.” Soon the whole meadow was covered with foxes running around and snooping with their long noses. After a while they picked up a trail and several of them disappeared into a small hole in the ground. It wasn't long before the mare came rushing out of another hole with the whole pack of foxes in tow.

The prince thanked the king of the foxes and as dusk fell he returned to the palace of the dragons and stabled the mares. This time the prince was given a silver cloak by the mother of the dragon and was once again shown into the ballroom. There he met the flower queen's daughter, who of course was happy to see him in good health. As they danced together, she whispered in his ear: “If you succeed tomorrow too, take the foal with you and meet me after the ball in the meadow. Then we'll run away together!”

The next morning the prince went to the meadow with the mare and released her as usual. Just like the previous days, she disappeared without a trace, but the prince trusted his little silver bell and rang it three times. Immediately a stream splashed next to him and the king of fishers raised his head. "I know what you want help with," said the King of the Fishermen. "You're looking for the dragon's mare and you won't find her, because she's hidden somewhere in the stream. But I will call my people and together we will hunt her down.” Then the king of the fishers disappeared into the water and soon the whole stream began to boil with fish plowing through the water. After a while the mare came rushing out of the stream. The prince thanked the fish king and as dusk fell he returned to the palace of the dragons and stabled the mares.

The dragon's mother was very pleased with his work and said to him: “You are indeed a brave and cunning youth and I will gladly take you into my service. You have earned a real reward. Say what you want and you'll get it!” So the prince asked for the mare's foal, which the dragon's mother gave him without blinking. In addition, he was given a robe of gold and, like the previous evenings, was admitted to the dragons' ball. He danced with the flower queen's daughter as he used to, and they did not say much to each other, for they knew that much was at stake that night. Before the ball was over, they slunk off in separate directions so as not to attract attention. The prince went to the stable and got the foal and the flower queen's daughter went to her room to get warm clothes. They met in the meadow below the mountain and mounted the foal together, which set off in the wind.

But it wasn't long before the dragon's mother noticed that both youths were missing. She figured out what had happened and furiously gathered all her dragons to go after them.

But first she woke up her son the dragon, who got really grumpy about not getting to sleep through his whole year. But when he heard what had happened, he became even angrier and spread out his miles-wide wings to go after the escapees. The flower queen's daughter knew the way home and the prince steered the foal with a practiced hand over all the cliffs, rivers and mountains. Suddenly they heard a horrible noise behind them and when the girl looked over her shoulder she saw all the dragons coming rushing like a big black cloud of horror. She could almost feel their burning breath on her back and knew that soon the beasts would be right on top of them. But soon they could glimpse the flower queen's castle on the horizon, and the girl cried: “Mother, mother! Call on all your children to help us!” When the echo of her voice had reached the castle, the prince noticed something strange happening on the ground. Right behind them rose a wall of all kinds of plants. It rose far into the sky and contained both flowers with strong scents and thistles with long thorns. The dragons crashed straight into the wall of plants and were left hanging there. Some pricked themselves shudderingly at the thistles, while others snorted horribly at the scent of the flowers, which smelled really bad in their ugly noses. The dragons got no further than that, but the prince and the girl continued on to the castle on the horizon.

The flower queen was obviously overjoyed to see her daughter again and the girl was happy to come home. But she also explained to her mother that she and the prince loved each other and that she now wanted to live with him. "I gladly give you my daughter to be your wife," declared the flower queen. "But you must know one thing. In summer she is yours, but when winter comes she must return to me and live in my palace in the underworld. Then when spring comes, she can go to you again. That is how you must live your lives.”

Both the daughter and the prince agreed to this, and they both returned to the prince's kingdom, where they celebrated a large and pompous wedding.

All summer they lived in great happiness, and when winter came the flower queen's daughter took leave of her husband to travel to her mother's castle. And so she came and went every year, but despite this, she and the prince lived happily ever after.

Flower Queen's Daughter

Hansel and Gretel

Brother Grimm

On the edge of a large forest, there once lived a poor woodcutter with his wife and two children. The children were named Hans and Greta. The father's work did not pay much, and one year when there was a crop failure, food became so expensive that he could not afford to buy food for his family.

At night he could not sleep but tried to figure out what to do. He groaned and said to his wife: “What will become of us? How will we be able to feed the children, when we don't even have food for ourselves."
"I know what we have to do." answered the woman, "Early tomorrow morning we will take the children out into the forest, where it is densest. There we light a fire for them, give them each their bread, and then go to our works, leaving them alone. They won't find their way home again and then all we need is food for the two of us.”
"No!" exclaimed the man, "I don't want to do that." How could I leave my poor children in the forest? The wild animals would come and tear them to pieces.”
"You idiot!" said she, “Then we must all die of hunger. Then you might as well build our chests.” She wouldn't leave him alone, until he finally gave in. "But I feel very sorry for the poor children," said the man.

The two children hadn't slept either because they were so hungry and had heard everything their stepmother had said to their father. Greta cried in despair and said to Hans: "Now it's over for us." "Be quiet, Greta," said Hans, "don't worry, I'll probably think of something."

When the old people had fallen asleep, he got up, put on his jacket, opened the door and slipped out. The moon was shining and the white flint stones that lay in front of the house glittered like silver coins. Hans stuffed the pockets of his jacket full of the white stones, then he went back and said to Greta: "Trust me, little sister, and sleep easy, God will not forsake us." Then he lay down in his bed again.

At dawn, before the sun rose, the stepmother came in and woke the children, saying: “Get up, you lazy jocks! We will go into the forest to get wood.” She gave them each a small piece of bread and said: "Here you will have your dinner, but don't eat anything before that because you won't get anything else." Greta put the bread inside the apron, because Hans had his pockets full of stones. Then they went together into the forest. After they had gone a short while, Hans stopped and looked back towards the house. So he did time and time again.
"Hans, what are you looking for?" said the father, "You're coming after, don't forget how to use your legs."
"I look for my white cat, who is sitting on the roof and wants to say goodbye to me," said Hans.
The woman then said: "Dumbom, it's not your little cat, it's the morning sun shining on the chimney". Hans, however, had not looked for the cat, but had periodically taken a stone out of his pocket and placed it on the road.

When they reached the middle of the forest, the father said: "Now children, gather some wood and I will light a fire for you, so that you will not get cold." Hansel and Gretel gathered twigs for a fire, as high as a small mountain. The father lit the fire and when it was fully burning, the stepfather said: "Now lie down and rest by the fire. We go into the forest and get firewood. When we're done, we'll come here and pick you up"

Hansel and Gretel sat down by the fire and at noon they ate some of their bread. When they heard sounds that sounded like ax cuts, they thought the father was close. However, it was not an ax but a severed branch that swung in the wind and struck a trunk. Eventually they fell asleep. When they awoke it was dark. Greta began to cry and said: "How are we going to get out of the forest now?" But Hans comforted her and said: "Just wait a little until the moon begins to shine, and we will probably find." After a while the moon lit up the forest. Hans then took his sister's hand and followed the white stones he had laid out, which now shone like silver coins, and showed them the way. They walked all night and at dawn they came to the father's house. They knocked on the door and when the stepmother opened the door and saw Hansel and Gretel, she said: "You naughty children, why have you slept so long in the forest? We never thought you would come back.” The father, on the other hand, was glad because it had hurt his heart to leave them alone.

Not long after that, there were bad times in the country again, and one evening the children heard their stepmother say to their father: "All the food is gone again, we have half a loaf left, that's all." The children have to leave us, we take them even further into the forest so they can't find their way back. There is no other way to save ourselves!” The man's heart was heavy and he thought: "It would be better to share the last bread with the children." The stepmother would not listen to him but reproached him and scolded him. Whoever says A must say B and now he must do as he did last time.

The children had been awake and heard the whole conversation. When the old people had fallen asleep, Hans got up again and was going to go out to pick stones, but the stepmother had locked the door, so he could not get out. He still comforted his sister and said: "Don't cry, Greta, sleep peacefully, God will help us."

Early in the morning the stepmother came and took the children out of their beds. They got their bread but it was now even less than it had been last time. On his way into the forest, Hans crumbled his bread in his pocket and at regular intervals he stopped and threw breadcrumbs on the ground.

"Hans, why do you stop and look around?" said the father, "Hurry up." "I'm looking for my little pigeon who is sitting on the roof and wants to say goodbye to me," answered Hans. "Silly!" said the stepmother, "It's not a pigeon. It is the sun that shines on the chimney.” Hans, however, continued to throw crumb after crumb on the road.

The stepmother led the children even deeper into the forest, to a place where they had never been before. Then a big fire was made again and the stepmother said: "Just sit here, children, and when you get tired you can sleep for a while." We go into the forest to chop wood and by the evening when we are done, we will come and get you.”
When it was time for dinner, Greta shared her piece of bread with Hans, who had spread his bread along the road. Eventually they fell asleep. Evening came, but no one came to collect the poor children. They didn't wake up until it was dark at night. Hans comforted Greta and said: "Just wait Greta until the moon shines brighter so we can see the crumbs I left on the road. They will show us the way home.” When the moon lit up the dark night they set out, but they found no crumbs. All the thousands of birds in the forest had eaten every little crumb.

"We will soon find the way out," said Hans to Greta. But they didn't. They walked all night and all the next day too but they did not find their way out of the forest. They became very hungry because they had nothing to eat except a few berries that they found. They were now so tired that their legs could no longer carry them, so they lay down under a tree and fell asleep.

It was now three days since they had left their father's house. They started walking again, but they kept getting deeper and deeper into the forest. If help did not come soon they would die of hunger and exhaustion. At noon they saw a snow-white bird, sitting on a branch, singing so beautifully that they were completely captivated and stopped to listen. When the song ended, it spread its wings and flew ahead of them. They followed and after a while they saw a small house. As they got closer, they saw that the walls were built of bread, the roof of gingerbread, and the windows were made of pure sugar. "We have to take the opportunity to have a good meal." said Hans, “I'll take a bit of the roof and you, Greta, can take a bit of a window. It will taste sweet.” Hans reached up and broke a little off the roof to feel how it tasted and Greta leaned against a window and nibbled a little on it.

"Knappery knapper knus, who's nibbling on my house?" There was a crash from inside the cabin.
"It's just the sound of the wind blowing around your house," answered the children and continued eating undisturbed. Hans, who liked the taste of the roof, tore off a large piece of it and Greta pushed a whole pane out of a round window and sat down to munch on it. Suddenly the door was yanked open and a woman as old as the mountains around them came out. Hansel and Gretel got so scared that they dropped everything they had in their hands. The old woman tilted her head and said: “O dear children, who has brought you here? Come in and stay with me, Nothing dangerous will happen to you.” She took their hands and led them into the house. Good food was set before them, milk, pancakes with sugar, apples and nuts. Afterwards, two small beds were made with clean, white sheets, which the children had to lie down in. They thought they had ended up in heaven.

The old woman had only pretended to be kind. In reality, she was a wicked witch, who tricked little children who passed by. She had built the little house just to lure them there. When a child had been tricked into the house, she killed it, boiled it and ate it.
Witches have red eyes and cannot see far, but they have a good sense of smell. They can smell people when they get close. When Hansel and Gretel came near her, she laughed mockingly and said: "Now I have them and they shall not escape!"

Early the next morning, before the children woke up, the witch was already up and when she saw the children with their plump and rosy cheeks she muttered to herself: "It will be a delicious meal!" Then she took Hans in her shriveled hands and carried him to a cage where she locked him. "He'll probably scream, but it won't help," she thought. Then she went back to Greta, shook her so that she woke up and shouted: "Get up you lazy worm! Get water and cook something good for your brother. He's in a cage out there and needs to get fat. When he gets fat, I will eat him.” Greta began to cry in despair but it was in vain because she was forced to do as the wicked witch wanted.

And now good food was prepared for poor Hans. Greta, on the other hand, got nothing but crab shells. Every morning the witch went out to the cage and shouted: "Hans, stick out a finger so I can see if you've gotten fat." Hans then instead stuck out a small gnawed leg to her. The old witch had bad eyes and thought it was Han's finger. She couldn't understand why Hans didn't get fat.

When four weeks passed and Hans was still thin, she became impatient and didn't want to wait any longer. "Greta," she shouted, "hurry up and get some water." If he's skinny or fat tomorrow, I'll kill him and cook him." Greta cried heartbreakingly when she was forced to fetch water. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Please God, help us," she cried between tears. "Even if the wild animals had caught us and eaten us, then at least we would have had to die together." "Shut up!" said the old witch, "That won't help you."

Early the next morning, Greta was forced out to hang up the pot of water and light the fire. "Now we will bake first." said the witch, "I have already heated the oven and kneaded the dough." She pushed poor Greta out to the oven, from where you could hear the fire crackling. "Creep in," said the witch, "and see if it is warm enough for us to put the loaves in." Once Greta entered the oven, the witch would close the door and let her cook inside and eat her too. But Greta understood what she was going to do and said: "I don't understand what to do. How do I get in?”
"You stupid goose," said the witch. “The door is big enough. Look, I can crawl in myself!” she said and crawled up and stuck her head into the oven. Then Greta gave her a push so that she went into the oven. Greta then quickly closed the oven door. The witch started screaming violently in pain, but Greta ran away and let the wicked witch burn to death.

Greta ran as fast as lightning to Hans, opened the cage and shouted: "Hans, we are saved! The old witch is dead!” Hans ran like a freed bird out of his cage when the door opened. They embraced each other, hugged, kissed and danced around with happiness. As they no longer had anything to fear, they entered the witch's house and there they saw chests full of pearls and jewels standing in every corner. "This is much better than stones," said Hans, stuffing his pockets full of pearls and jewels. "I'll take it home too," said Greta, filling her apron with precious stones. "Now we must go," said Hans, "we must get out of the witch's forest."

After walking for two hours, they came to a large body of water. "We can't take over." said Hans "It's too deep and I don't see a bridge." "And it's not a ferry either," answered Greta, "but I see a duck swimming there. If I ask her, she might want to help us over.” Then she called out:
“Little duck, little duck.
we are Hansel and Gretel
can you give us a helping hand.

We see neither bridge nor ferry
Hope you can help us instead.”

The genie came and Hans sat on his back and told his sister to sit behind him. "No," said Greta, "It will be too heavy. She can take us over one at a time". The kind spirit did so and when they had come over to the other side and walked a little while the forest began to feel more and more familiar and soon they saw their father's house in the distance. Then they started running and rushed through the door and threw themselves around the father's neck. He told me that he hadn't had a single happy moment since they left the children in the forest. He had longed for them so. The stepmother had become ill and died.

Greta emptied her apron and pearls and precious stones rolled out all over the floor and Hans emptied his pockets so that even more precious stones fell out onto the floor.

So at last all the sorrows and sorrows were over and they lived happily together for a long time.

Hansel and Gretel

The fire appliance

HC Andersen

A soldier came marching along the main road: "Left, right - left, right." He had a backpack on his back and a sword at his side. He had been away in the war and was now on his way home.

During his trek, he met a terrifying old witch on the way. Her lower lip almost hung down on her chest. She stopped and said: “Good evening, soldier! You have a very nice sword and a big backpack. Since you are a real soldier, you will get as much money as you ever want.

"Thank you, you old witch," said the soldier.

"Do you see the big tree?" said the witch, pointing to a tree standing next to them. "It's almost completely hollow inside. If you climb up to the top, you'll see a big hole. There you can climb deep into the tree. I'll tie a rope around you, so I can pull you up when you call to me.”

"But what shall I do down there?" asked the soldier.

“Get money.” she replied, “When you have come down to the ground under the tree, you will see a great hall, lit by 300 lamps. You will then see three doors, which can be easily opened because the keys are in the locks. When you enter the first room, you will see a large chest in the middle of the room. On top of the coffin sits a dog with eyes as big as teacups, but you don't have to be afraid of him. You shall take my blue checkered apron with you and lay it on the floor in front of the coffin. If you lift the dog off the chest and place it on the apron, you can then open the chest and take as many coins as you wish. There are only copper coins in the chest. If you would rather have silver coins, you should go into the other room. There you will find a dog with eyes as big as mill wheels but don't worry about that. Just put him on my apron and take as many silver coins as you want. If, on the other hand, you want gold coins, you must go into the third room. There you will find another chest full of gold coins. The dog sitting on this coffin is very terrifying. His eyes are big as ferris wheels, but don't mind him. If you place him on my apron he won't hurt you and you can take as many gold coins as you want.

“This was not a bad story,” said the soldier, “but what shall I give you, you old hag? Because of course you didn't tell all this without you getting something out of it yourself."

“No,” said the witch, “but I don't want a single coin. You just have to promise me to bring an old fire device, which my grandmother forgot the last time she was down there."

“OK, I promise. Now tie a rope around my body.”

"Here it is," replied the witch, "and here is the blue checkered apron,"

As soon as the soldier tied the rope around his body, he climbed up the tree and made his way down through the hole to the ground under the tree. Here he saw, just as the witch had said, a large hall, where hundreds of lamps were burning. He opened the first door and there sat the dog with eyes as big as teacups, staring at him.
"You were a beautiful dog bark to me," said the soldier, lifting him from the coffin and placing him on the witch's apron. He then opened the chest and filled his pockets with coins. Then he closed the lid, placed the dog on top and went into the next room. There, of course, sat the dog with eyes as big as mill wheels.

"You shouldn't look at me like that," said the soldier, "you might hurt your eyes." He then lifted the dog down from the coffin, placed it on the apron and opened the coffin. When he saw how many silver coins were in it, he threw away all the copper coins he had picked up and instead filled both his pockets and knapsack full of silver coins.

He then went into the third room and there sat a dog that was truly terrifying. His eyes were really big like Ferris wheels and they were rolling around, around in his head.

"Good morning," said the soldier, raising his hand to his cap in salute. He had never seen such a dog before, but after looking at him for a while, he plucked up courage, lifted him to the floor, and opened the chest. Gentle times, so much gold there was! Enough to buy any amount of candy, all the tin soldiers and all the rocking horses in the entire world. Yes, he could certainly buy the whole city. There were indeed many gold coins in the chest. He now threw away all the silver coins he had taken and filled his pockets and his knapsack with gold coins. He also filled his cap with coins and even his boots, so that he could hardly walk.

He then put the dog back on the coffin, closed the door, and called up through the tree: "Pull me up now, you old witch."

“Do you have the stove?” asked the witch.
"No, I forgot that one." Answered the soldier and went back and got the fire device. The witch then pulled him out of the tree and he was now once again on the road. Now with pockets, backpack, hat and boots full of gold coins.

"What are you going to do with the fire device?" asked the soldier.

"You have nothing to do with that." replied the witch. "You have your money, now give me the fire device."

"You know what," said the soldier, "if you don't tell me what to do with the fire device, I'll cut your head off."

"No, I won't tell you." said the witch.

The soldier then immediately cut off the witch's head. He put all his coins in the apron he had been given by the witch, tied it together like a sack, threw it on his back, put the fire device in his pocket and started walking towards the nearest town. It was a very nice city. There he entered the best inn in town and ordered a sumptuous dinner, as he was now rich and had plenty of money.

The servant who polished the soldier's shoes wondered why such a rich man had such worn shoes. The very next day, however, he went out into town and bought new, nice clothes and real shoes. Our soldier soon became known as a fine gentleman whom people visited. They then told about all the nice places you could visit in the city and about the king's beautiful daughter, the princess.

“Where can I see her?” asked the soldier.

"You can't see her at all." it was told, “She lives in a great copper castle, surrounded by a high wall. No one but the king himself is allowed to pass in or out of the castle, because there is a prediction that the princess will marry a simple soldier and such a marriage the king cannot imagine.”

"I would very much like to see her," thought the soldier, but he could get no permission to do so. However, he lived well, he went to the theater and walked in the king's garden. He also gave away a lot of money to the poor, because he remembered how it had been in the old days, when he was forced to live without a single nickel. Now he was rich, had fine clothes and many friends, all of whom thought he was a good person and a real gentleman. However, the money didn't last forever and since he gave away a lot every day and had no income, he suddenly found himself one day with only a few coins left. He then had to leave his nice rooms and move into a small scrub up in the attic. He now had to polish his boots and mend his clothes himself. None of his friends visited him anymore. One dark night he didn't even have money to buy a candle. Then he remembered the fire device he had brought with him from the hollow tree.

He took the lighter out of his pocket and struck the flint against the steel to make fire. Already after the first spark the door flew open and the dog with eyes as big as teacups stood before him and said: "What can I do for my master?"

"Oh well," thought the soldier, "this was a funny fire device. Can you wish for anything?”
"Get me some money," he said to the dog.

The dog ran away at once, but returned after a while carrying a bag of copper coins in its mouth. The soldier soon understood the value of the fire device. If he struck once with the flint, the dog sitting on the chest came with copper coins. If he hit twice the dog came from the silver chest and if he hit three times the dog came from the chest with gold coins. The soldier now again had plenty of money, returned to the fine rooms, and again appeared in fine clothes. His old friends returned to him and socialized with him as before.

The soldier again began to think of the princess and thought it very strange that no one could see henna. “Everyone says she's beautiful,” he thought to himself, “but what's the use if she has to be locked up in a copper castle with great protective walls all around. There must be a way to be able to see her. Of course!”, he suddenly thought, “Where is the fire device?” Then he struck a spark and immediately the dog stood before him with eyes as big as teacups.

"It is midnight," said the soldier, "but I would still like to see the princess, if only for a little while."

The dog immediately disappeared and immediately returned with the princess. She lay on the dog's back and slept. She was so beautiful that everyone who saw her immediately understood that she was a real princess. The soldier was so captivated by her that he could not resist kissing her. Then the dog ran back to the castle with the princess.

The next morning, when the princess was breakfasting with the king and queen, she told what a strange dream she had had during the night. It had been about a dog and a soldier. She had ridden on the dog's back and she had been kissed by the soldier.

"It was indeed a sweet story," said the Queen. However, she became worried about her and the next night one of her court ladies was made to sit with her to see if it was really a dream or if it might be something else.

The soldier so longed to see the princess again, that he again sent for the dog and asked it to fetch her for him during the night. However, the court lady on guard saw what was happening and when the dog ran away with the princess, she put on her hunting boots and ran after the dog. She then saw that the dog carried the princess into a large house. To make it easier to remember which house it was, she drew a large cross on the gate with a piece of chalk. The court lady then returned to the castle and the dog carried the princess back to her bed. However, the dog saw the cross on the gate and understood that it was the woman he had seen following who had done it. The dog then took another piece of chalk and painted crosses on all the gates in the city so that the woman would not see which door she herself had marked.

The next morning the king and queen went with the lady-in-waiting to see where the princess had been. They also had with them all the officers of the king's guard.

"Here it is," said the king, when they came to the first gate on which there was a cross drawn.

“No, my dear husband, it must be this one,” said the queen, pointing to the next gate which also had a cross.

"And here's one, and here's another!" they all exclaimed for there were crosses on every door in every direction.

They then felt that it was pointless to look for the right house. The queen, however, was an intelligent woman, who could do more than ride in the king's carriage. She took large gold scissors and cut out small squares from a piece of fine silk, which she then made into a small bag. She filled the bag with wheat groats, tied it around her neck, and then cut a small hole in the bag so that the groats would be sprinkled on the ground when the princess was taken away.

During the night the dog came again, took the princess on his back and ran back with her to the soldier who loved her very much and wished he had been a prince so that he could have married her. The dog had not noticed that the grit had fallen out of the bag along the way and formed a string all the way from the castle wall to the house where the soldier lived. Therefore, the king and queen could easily find where their daughter had been and the soldier was put in prison.

In the prison it was really dark and horrible in every way. One day they said to him: "Tomorrow you will be hanged." It wasn't good news, besides, the fire apparatus had been left at the inn. In the morning he could see through the barred window how people gathered to watch him being hanged. He heard the drums and saw the soldiers marching. All the people gathered to watch the hanging. One of them was a shoemaker's boy in a leather apron and wooden slippers who ran so fast that one of his slippers flew off and bounced against the wall where the soldier sat peering out the barred window. "Hey there, shoemaker boy, you don't need to be in such a hurry." he called to the boy. “Still, there will be no hanging before I come. But if you want to run away to the house where I lived and get my fire device, you will get four gold coins, but you must run as fast as possible.” The shoemaker's boy wanted the money, so he ran as fast as he could to the inn, fetched the lighter, and gave it to the soldier, who put it in his pocket.

The soldier was then taken out to be hanged. Around the gallows stood soldiers and thousands of people. The king and queen sat on their stately thrones facing the judges and the king's council. When the soldier stood on the ladder of the gallows, just before the rope was to be put around his neck, he said: "It is customary to let a prisoner who was about to die have his last wish fulfilled. I would like to smoke a pipe before I die.” The king granted him this last wish. The soldier then took out his incendiary device and struck out sparks once, twice, three times. Immediately all three dogs stood there. The one with eyes as big as teacups, the one with eyes as big as mill wheels and the one with eyes as big as ferris wheels.
"Now help me so I don't get hanged." cried the soldier.

The dogs then put their teeth into the judges and council members and tossed them into the air so that they fell hard to the ground. "Do not touch me!" cried the king. But the biggest dog did the same dance with both him and the queen and threw them after the others.

The soldiers and the people then became afraid and shouted: "Good soldier, you will be our king and you will marry the beautiful princess."

They then placed the soldier in the king's chariot and the three dogs ran ahead. The people shouted: "Hurrah!", the boy whistled and the soldiers fired rifles. The princess came out of the copper castle and became queen, which she liked very much. The wedding went on for a whole week and the dogs sat at the table and stared with their strange eyes.

The fire appliance

The ugly Duckling

HC Andersen

It was so beautiful out in the country, it was summer. The cornfields swayed in the wind. All around the fields and meadows were large forests and in the middle of the forests were deep lakes.

In the middle of the sunshine was an old castle with deep canals all around it. From the wall grew large velcro leaves so tall that small children could stand straight under the largest ones. Here lay a duck incubating her eggs. She was supposed to lie on the eggs until the chicks came out, but now she was tired after lying for so long without visitors. The other ducks liked swimming around in the canals more than running up and chatting with her.

Finally, one egg after another cracked: Beep! beep! said it. All the yolks had come alive and were sticking their heads out.

- Quack! quack! said she, and so they quacked all they could and looked in every direction under the green leaves, and the mother let them look as much as they liked, for green is good for the eyes.

- How big the world is! said all the cubs because they now had much more room to maneuver than when they were inside the egg.

- Do you think this is the whole world? said the mother. It stretches far on the other side of the garden, right into the priest's property, but I have never been there.

- Are you all here? And then she got up. No, I don't have them all! The biggest egg is still there. How long will this last? Now I'm really tired! And then she lay down again.

- Well, how's it going? said an old duck, who came to visit.

It takes so long with the one egg! said the duck, who was brooding. It doesn't want to go through it. But look at all the others, they are the most beautiful ducklings I have ever seen.

- Let me see that egg that won't break! said the old duck. You will see that it is a turkey egg! In that way, I was also cheated once.

- Can I see the egg! Yes, it's a turkey egg! Leave it alone and teach the other children to swim!
 
- I still want to stay a little longer on it, said the brooding duck. If I've been lying for that long, I can lie for the rest of the time.

- You are welcome! said the old duck, and off she went.

Finally the big egg cracked. Beep! beep! said the kid, falling out. He was so big and ugly. The duck looked at him.

- That was a terribly big duckling there! she said. None of the others look like that. It's never a baby turkey! Well, we'll figure that out soon. In the water he shall, if I have to kick him out.

The next day the weather was beautiful. The sun shone on all the green burdocks. The mother duck with her whole family went down to the canal.
Splash! She ran into the water. Quack! quack! she said, and one duckling after another plunged into the water after her. The water went over their heads but they quickly got back up and floated so beautifully. The legs went off by themselves. Everyone was out, the ugly, gray kid was swimming along.

- No, it's not a turkey! she said. Just look how beautifully he uses his legs and how straight he stands! It's my own kid. In fact, he is still quite handsome, when you really look at him. Quack! Quack! now come along, and I will take you out into the world and introduce you to the duck farm.

Then they entered the duck yard. There was a terrible commotion in there because there were two families fighting over an eel head.

- Look, that's how the world works! said the mother duck, licking her beak. Be sure to watch yourselves and your necks for that old duck over there! She is the most distinguished of all here. She is of Spanish blood that's why she is so fat.

- Watch out! Not messing with the legs! A well-behaved duckling puts its legs far apart, like father and mother. Look, you now and say quack!

 And they did, but the other ducks around looked at them and said out loud: Look! Now we will get that companion too! Just as if there weren't enough of us already! And wow, what does that one kid look like! We can't stand him. - And immediately a duck flew forward and bit him on the neck.

- Let him be! said the mother. He doesn't hurt anyone!

- Yes, but he is too big and unusual, said the duck, which had bitten him, and therefore he must be pecked.

- Mother has beautiful children, said the old duck. All are beautiful, so when on that one. It has not succeeded. I wish she could redo it.

- It doesn't work, your grace! said the mother duck. He is not handsome, but he is a heartily good creature, and swims as beautifully as any of the others, yea, even a little better. He's been in the egg too long. Therefore, he has not been given the right form. And then she picked him by the neck and treated him well

- The other kids are cute, said the old duck. Now feel at home here and if you find an eel head, you can give it to me.

 The poor duckling, who was the last to hatch and was so ugly, was bitten, pushed and mocked by both ducks and hens. He's too big, they all said, and the turkey cock, who was born with spurs and therefore thought he was emperor, puffed up like a full-sail ship, went right at him, and then he clucked and turned all red in the head. The poor duckling didn't know how to stand or walk. He was so sorry for being so ugly and a laughingstock to the whole duck farm.

That's how it went the first day and then it got worse and worse. The poor duckling was chased by them all. Even his siblings were mean to him and they kept saying: If the cat still wanted to take you, you nasty spectacle! And the mother said: If only you were far from here! The ducks bit him, the chickens pecked at him, and the maid who was supposed to feed the animals kicked him with her foot.

Then he ran and flew over the fence. The little birds in the bushes flew into the air in terror. It's because I'm so ugly, thought the duckling, closing his eyes, but still running forward. Then he came out to the big bog, where the ducks lived. Here he lay all night, he was so tired and sad.

In the morning the ducks flew up and they looked at the new companion. What kind of one are you? they asked, and the duckling turned in all directions and saluted as best he could.

- You are deeply ugly! said the ducks, but it might do the same to us, as long as you don't marry into our family.

- The poor thing! he certainly didn't think of getting married, only he was allowed to lie in the reeds and drink a little water.

He waited several hours before he looked around and then he hurried away from the marsh as fast as he could. He ran across fields and meadows and there was such a wind that he had difficulty moving forward.

Towards evening he came to a poor little peasant's cottage. It was so miserable that it didn't know which side it was going to fall on so it stayed standing. The wind whizzed around the duckling to such an extent that he had to sit on his tail to hold on and it got worse and worse. Now he noticed that one of the door's hinges had come loose and the door hung so crooked that he could sneak into the room through the gap, and he did.

Here lived an old woman with her cat and her hen. The cat, which she called Kisserulten, could arch his back and purr, he even sparkled, but then you had to stroke his hair. The hen had very small, short legs and was therefore called Chicken Short Legs. She gave birth nicely and the old woman cared for her like her own child.

In the morning, the strange duckling was quickly noticed and the cat began to purr and the hen to cluck.

- What! said the old woman, looking around. But she couldn't see very well and so she thought the duckling was a fat duck that had gotten lost. It was a rare catch! she said. Now I can get duck eggs, as long as it's not a male duck. We have to try that.

And so the duckling was accepted for testing for three weeks, but there were no eggs. The cat was the master of the house, and the hen was the wife, and they always said: We and the world! They thought they made up half of it and that was the very best part.

The duckling thought that you could also have a different opinion, but the hen could not stand that.

-Can you lay eggs? she asked.

- No!

- Well, then keep your mouth shut!

And the cat said: Can you push back, purr and sparkle?

- No!

- Yes, then you shouldn't have any opinion, when sensible people speak!

And the duckling sat in his corner and was in a bad mood. Suddenly he thought of the fresh air and the sunshine And felt like floating on the water. Finally, he couldn't help but tell the hen.

 - What's wrong with you? she asked. You have nothing to do, that's why you get those whims. Lay eggs or spin, and it's over!

- But it is so wonderful to float on the water! said the duckling. So lovely to get it over your head and dive down to the bottom.

- Yes, it's just a great pleasure! said the hen. You must have gone crazy! Ask the smartest cat I know if he likes to float or dive. I don't want to talk about me. Ask our Lordship herself, the old lady. There is no one in the world wiser than her. Do you think she wants to float and get water over her head?

- You don't understand me, said the duckling.

- Yes, if we don't understand you, then who would understand you? You don't think you can be wiser than the cat and the old woman, not to mention me? Now just make sure you lay eggs and learn to purr or sparkle!

- I think I want to go out into the wide world, said the duckling.

- Yes, you do! said the hen.

And so the duckling went. He floated on the water, he dived, but of all the animals he was looked over the shoulder for his ugliness.

Now autumn came, the leaves in the forest turned yellow and brown and up in the air it looked cold. The clouds hung heavy. Yes, you could really freeze, when you thought about it. The poor duckling really didn't have a good time.

One evening when the sun was setting, a whole flock of big beautiful birds came out of the bushes. The duckling had never seen any so beautiful, they were absolutely shining white, with long, flexible necks. It was swans. They uttered a strange sound, spread their magnificent, long wings, and flew away from the cold regions to warmer lands and open lakes. They climbed so high, so high and the ugly little duckling became so strangely at ease. He turned around in the water and stretched his neck high into the air after them, and uttered a scream so loud and wonderful that he himself was frightened. He could not forget the beautiful birds, the happy birds and when he could no longer see them, he dived right down to the bottom and when he came up again, he was beside himself. He did not know what the birds were called or where they flew, but still he liked them as he had never liked anyone before. He was not jealous of them. He would have been happy, if only the ducks wanted him among them, the poor ugly animal!

And the winter got so cold, so cold. The duckling must swim around in the water to prevent it from freezing. But with each night the hole in which he swam became smaller and smaller. It froze so hard that it cracked the ice crust. The duckling must constantly move its legs, so that the water would not freeze. Finally he became exhausted, lay very still and froze in the ice.

Early in the morning a farmer came. He got to see him, went out and broke the ice with his clog, and then carried the duckling home to his wife. There he was recalled to life.
The children wanted to play with him, but the duckling thought that they wanted to hurt him and, in terror, ran into the milk dish, so that the milk splashed onto the floor. The old woman screamed and clapped her hands in the air, then he flew into the trough where the butter was and then down into the flour barrel and up again. Oh, what he looked like! The old woman screamed and hit him with the tongs and the children ran over each other to catch the duckling and they laughed and screamed. Luckily the door was open. He went out among the bushes in the newly fallen snow - and there he lay as if asleep.

During the severe winter he had to endure want and misery. He was lying in the marsh among the reeds, when the sun again began to shine warmly, the larks sang - it was a lovely spring.

Then he raised even his wings, they whizzed stronger than before and carried him strongly forward and before he knew it, he was in a large garden, where the apple trees were in bloom and the lilacs bloomed and hung down towards the canal. It was so beautiful here! And out of the dense bushes right in front of him came three beautiful, white swans. They inflated their feathers and floated so easily on the water. The duckling recognized the magnificent animals and was seized with a strange melancholy.

- I want to fly up to them, the royal birds, but they would stab me to death, because I, who am so ugly, dare to approach them. But it does the same! Better to be killed by them than to be pinched by the ducks, pecked by the hens, kicked by the maid who looks after the hen house and toil badly in the winter. He flew into the water and swam towards the magnificent swans. They saw him and shot towards him with inflated feathers.

- Just kill me! said the poor animal, bending his head down to the water's edge and awaiting death. But what did he see in the clear water? He saw his own image beneath him, but he was no longer a clumsy, black-grey bird, ugly and naughty, but was himself a swan.

It doesn't matter to be born in the duck farm, if you just lay in a swan's egg.

- And the great swans swam around him and stroked him with their beaks.

Out into the garden came some small children. They threw bread and grain into the water. The smallest cried: There is a new one! And the other children also cheered: Yes, there is a new one! And they clapped their hands and danced around, ran after father and mother and then bread was thrown into the water and they all said: The new one is the most beautiful!

So young and so cute! And the old swans bowed to him.

Then he felt completely shy and stuck his head behind his wings. He didn't know how it was. He was all too happy, but not at all proud, for a good heart is never proud. He thought of how he had been persecuted and mocked and now heard everyone say that he was the most beautiful of all beautiful birds. And the lilacs bent their branches right down to him in the water, and the sun shone so warm and so good. Then his feathers puffed up, his supple neck rose, and from his heart he exulted:

- I didn't dream of so much happiness when I was the ugly duckling!

The ugly Duckling

Snow White

Brother Grimm

It was the middle of winter and the snowflakes fell like down from the sky. The queen sat by the window, embroidering. Her embroidery frame was ebony. While she worked, she occasionally looked out at the snow. She accidentally pricked her finger with the needle and three drops of blood fell on some flakes of snow that had fallen through the window. When she saw the bright red blood on the snow, she thought: "If only I had a daughter who was white as snow, red as blood and black as ebony."

Not long after, she had a daughter with skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony. She was christened Snow White and soon after the baptism her mother, the queen, died.

After a year the king took another wife, a beautiful woman. She was very haughty and vain and could not stand that anyone could be more beautiful. She had an enchanted mirror and every morning she used to stand in front of it and look at her reflection and say:

“Mirror, mirror on the wall over there
Tell me who is the most beautiful in the country?”
The mirror then replied;
"You are the most beautiful in the country."
This pleased her, knowing that the mirror always spoke the truth.

Snow White grew up and became more and more beautiful and when she was seven years old she was more beautiful than the day itself, yes she was even more beautiful than the queen herself. Then one day when the queen asked the mirror:
“Mirror, mirror on the wall over there
Tell me who is the most beautiful in the country?”
so the mirror answered:
"Queen, you are the most beautiful in the hall here, but Snow White is the most beautiful in the land."

This came as a great shock to the queen and she turned green with envy. From that day the queen harbored a grudge against Snow White and the hatred grew day by day and she had Snow White in her thoughts day and night. Finally she sent for a hunter and commanded him:

"Take the child out into the forest, so that I don't have to see her. I want you to kill her and take her heart as proof.”
The hunter promised to do so and took her with him into the forest. As he drew up his hunting knife to cut out Snow White's innocent heart, she began to cry and sobbed:
“Please hunter, don't take my life! If you spare me, I will go into the forest and never come back again.”

The hunter then felt sorry for her and said: "Go away with you then, you poor girl." He thought she would surely be eaten by the wild animals but felt relieved to avoid killing her. When Snow White ran away into the forest, the hunter saw a wild boar between the trees. He then killed the boar and cut out the heart to take to the queen as proof that he had killed Snow White.

Now Snow White was all alone in the wild forest. She was terrified and was terrified even though it was only a leaf rustling in the trees. She ran over sharp rocks and through thorn bushes and she saw the wild animals in the forest, but they didn't hurt her. She ran as long as her legs could carry her and as dusk fell she came to a small house. Snow White went into the house to rest and then saw that everything inside was very small but clean and beautiful. There was a small table with a white cloth and a fine table set with seven small plates. Next to the plates were small knives and forks and there were small cups to drink from. Along the wall were seven small beds arranged in a row with clean white sheets. Snow White, who was very hungry, ate some porridge and bread from each plate and took a small sip of wine from each goblet so as not to finish any of the portions. Now she was very tired and wanted to go to bed. She tried one bed after another, but none seemed to fit. One was too short another too long but when she got to the seventh bed it seemed to fit and she lay down and soon fell asleep.

When it was almost completely dark, the masters of the house came home. There were seven dwarfs. They were miners and worked in the surrounding mountains. When they lit their lanterns so that there was light in the little cabin, they saw that someone must have been inside, because everything was not as it had been when they left the cabin.

The first dwarf said:
"Who has been sitting in my little chair?"

The other said:
"Who has eaten from my little plate?"

The third said:
"Who has taken my little bread?"

The fourth said:
"Who has tasted my porridge?"

The fifth said:
"Who has used my little fork?"

The sixth said:
"Who has cut with my little knife?"

The seventh said:
"Who has drunk from my cup?"

Then the first, after looking round and seeing a pit in his bed, said:
"Who's been in my bed?"


Then the others also came running and shouted:
"Someone has been sleeping in our beds too!"

But when the seventh dwarf looked at his bed, he saw Snow White lying there sleeping. When he told this to the others, they came running, shining their seven lanterns and looking in surprise at the sleeping Snow White.

"You big time!" they exclaimed, "What a beautiful child!" They were so delighted with her that they did not dare to wake her, but let her sleep all night. The seventh dwarf slept with his companions in turn. An hour with each until the night was over.

When Snow White woke up in the morning and saw the seven dwarfs, she was scared at first, but they seemed quite kind. One of them asked:
"What's your name?"
"My name is Snow White," she answered.
"How did you get to our house?" they asked further.
She then told how her stepmother had wished her dead but that the hunter who was going to kill her had spared her life and how she then ran all day until she found their house.

The dwarfs then said:
"If you take care of the house for us, cook, wash, make our beds, sew and knit and keep everything clean and tidy in the house, you can stay with us and you won't lack for anything. Do you want to stay?”

"With all my heart." said Snow White. She therefore stayed behind and kept the house in good order. In the morning the dwarves went off to the mine to look for gold and in the evening they came back and then their supper would be ready and on the table. All days Snow White would be alone in the cabin, and the dwarfs warned her:
“Watch out for your stepmother, she'll know you're here soon. Do not let anyone into the house.”

The queen, who now believed that Snow White was dead, was now sure that she was once again the most beautiful of all, and she asked the mirror:
“Mirror, mirror on the wall over there
Tell me who is the most beautiful in the country?”
The mirror then replied:
“Queen, you are the most beautiful in the hall
but Snow White, like now
beyond the mountains dwell with dwarfs seven
she is a thousand times more beautiful.”

She then became very angry. Knowing that the mirror always spoke the truth, she understood that the Huntsman had tricked her and that Snow White was still alive. She thought and thought about how she could end her. As long as she wasn't the most beautiful in the land, she had no peace of mind. Finally she had come up with a plan. She blackened her face and dressed up as an old woman so that no one would recognize her. In her disguise she set off over the mountains to the dwarves' cabin. Once there, she knocked on the door and called out:
“Nice goods for sale! Nice items for sale!”

Snow White looked out the window and shouted:
"Good day, kind lady, what do you have to sell?"

“Fine goods, beautiful goods.” she answered, "Silk ribbons of all colors," and she held up a ribbon of beautiful silk.

"It can't be dangerous to let this kind lady in," thought Snow White. She bolted the door open, let her in and bought the beautiful ribbons.

"Think you need to get your life together properly my little girl." said the old woman. “Let me lace you up properly for once.”

Snow White suspected nothing but stood in front of her and allowed herself to be laced. But the wicked queen laced her so fast and hard that she lost her breath and fell to the floor as if dead.

"Now you have stopped being the most beautiful." thought the disguised queen as she hurried off.

A little while later, towards evening, the seven dwarfs came home. They were horrified when they saw Snow White lying lifeless on the floor. They lifted her up and when they discovered how tightly she was tied, they cut the ties. She then slowly began to breathe again and returned to life after a while. When Snow White had told what had happened, the dwarfs said:
"The old witch was none other than the mean queen. You must be careful not to let anyone in when we are not at home!"

When the Wicked Queen got home, she went to the mirror and asked:
“Mirror, mirror on the wall over there
tell me who is the most beautiful in the land.”
The mirror replied as before:
“Queen, you are the most beautiful in the hall
but Snow White, like now
beyond the mountains dwell with dwarfs seven
she is a thousand times more beautiful.”

When she heard this, she was so surprised that all the blood left her heart. She understood that Snow White was still alive after all.

"Now I have to see to it that I end her," she thought.
She then enchanted a comb so that it became poisonous and then dressed up as a different kind of old lady. She then set off again over the mountains to the dwarfs' little house, knocked on the door and called out:
“Nice goods for sale! Nice items for sale!”

Snow White looked out and said:

"Get off, I can't let anyone in."

"But it cannot be forbidden to look," said the old woman, holding up the poisoned comb. Snow White thought it was so beautiful that she was tempted to open the door and after a moment of negotiating the price, she opened the door and let her in.

"Let me comb you properly," said the old woman.

Poor Snow White didn't think it could be that dangerous so she let herself be combed. But as soon as the old woman put the comb in her hair, the poison began to work and the poor girl fell fainting to the floor.

"Now, you little beauty," said the wicked woman wickedly, "now you are out." and went his way.

Fortunately, it was now almost evening, when the seven dwarfs would come home. When they saw Snow White lying as if dead on the floor, they immediately understood that it was the stepmother who had been on the move again. They immediately examined her and when they saw the comb in her hair they knew it was poisoned. As soon as they took the comb out of her hair, Snow White perked up and told what had happened. Once again they admonished her not to let anyone through the door.

The queen returned home, stood in front of the mirror and said:
“Mirror, mirror on the wall over there
Tell me who is the most beautiful in the country?”
The mirror answered again:
“Queen, you are the most beautiful in the hall
but Snow White, like now
beyond the mountains dwell with dwarfs seven
she is a thousand times more beautiful.”

When the queen heard that, she shook with rage.

"Snow White shall die," she cried, "even if it costs me my life!"
Then she went to a remote, secret chamber, where no one used to find. There she prepared a poisoned apple. It was a beautiful apple. One side was white and the other was red. It looked so appetizing that everyone who looked at it longed to eat it, but if you ate just a small piece of it you would die. When the apple was ready, she dressed up as a peasant woman and went away over the mountains to the house of the seven dwarfs.

When she knocked on the door, Snow White stuck her head out of the window and said:
"I dare not let anyone in. The seven dwarfs have forbidden me to do so.”

"I don't mind," replied the woman, "I'll probably get rid of the apples anyway, but take this, you'll get it for free!"

"No," answered Snow White, "I dare not accept anything."

"Are you afraid it will be poisoned?" said the woman, “Look here, I am cutting the apple in two. You get the red side and I'll take the white.” The apple was so ingeniously poisoned that only the red part contained poison.

Snow White looked longingly at the apple and when she saw that the peasant woman ate one half, she could no longer resist it, but reached out and took the poisoned half. As soon as she took a small mouthful of it, she fell down as if dead.

The wicked woman looked at her evilly, laughed loudly and shouted:
“White as snow, red as blood and black as ebony! This time the dwarves won't be able to bring you back to life!”

Then she went home and asked the mirror:
“Mirror, mirror on the wall over there
Tell me who is the most beautiful in the country?”
and at last the mirror answered:
"Queen, you are the most beautiful in the land."
Then her jealous heart was at rest, if now a jealous heart can be at rest.

When the dwarfs got home, they found Snow White lying on the floor not breathing. She was dead. They lifted her up and saw if they could find anything that poisoned her. They untied her lace, combed her hair, and washed her with wine and water, but all was in vain. The poor girl was dead and remained dead. Then they put her on a stretcher and sat, all seven of them, around her. and mourned and wept for three whole days. Then they were going to bury her, but it looked like she was still alive with her beautiful flowery cheeks so they said:
"We can't hide her away in the underworld." Instead, they made a coffin out of glass so they could see into it from all sides. They then put her in the coffin and wrote in gold letters on it her name and that she was the king's daughter. Then they put the coffin out among the mountains. The seven dwarves then took turns standing guard at the coffin. Even the animals of the forest came to the coffin and mourned Snow White.

Snow White lay in the coffin for a long time without changing. It looked like she was sleeping. She was still white as snow, red as blood and black as ebony. After some time a king's son came riding through the forest to the house of the dwarfs, which was near the place where the chest stood. He got to see the coffin lying among the mountains with the beautiful Snow White inside. He saw what was written in gold letters on it. He then said to the dwarfs:
"Let me have the chest, and you shall have whatever you desire."

But they told him they would not part with the chest for all the gold in the world.

The prince then said:
"But give it to me instead, because I can't live without being able to watch Snow White. I will respect and honor her, as my dearest and I will protect you as if you were my brothers.

The dwarves then gave way. They gave in and let him take the coffin with him. The prince then called his servants and asked them to carry the coffin on their shoulders. On their way through the forest, they happened to stumble upon a bush. The coffin shook and then suddenly a piece of the poisoned apple flew up from her throat. Snow White then opened her eyes, pushed open the coffin lid and sat up as lively as possible.

“Oh, my creator, where am I!” exclaimed Snow White. The king's son looked at her surprised and full of joy and answered:
“You are here, close to me.”

He then told her what had happened to her and then said:
“I want you more than anything else in the world. Come with me to my father's castle and be my wife.”

Snow White was delighted and accompanied him to her father's castle, where the wedding was held with great pomp and circumstance.

Snow White's wicked stepmother was also invited to the wedding. Dressing in her beautiful clothes, she went to the mirror and asked:
“Mirror, mirror on the wall over there
tell me who is the most beautiful in the world.”

The mirror then replied:
“Queen, you are the most beautiful in the hall
but the young bride, a thousand times more beautiful is.”

She was then completely beside herself with rage and disappointment. At first she thought she wouldn't go to the wedding, but then she thought she wouldn't have any peace of mind if she didn't get to see the bride.

When she arrived at the wedding and got to see the bride, she immediately recognized Snow White and was completely frozen with fear and horror. The stepmother had to atone for her crime against Snow White by dancing in a pair of iron shoes, heated over a charcoal grill, until she dropped dead.

Snow White

In a small cabin near a country village, once upon a time there lived a poor widow who had only one child, a boy named Jack.

Jack and the Beanstalk

In a small cabin near a country village, once upon a time there lived a poor widow who had only one child, a boy named Jack.

Jack was a real slob. He was kind-hearted but often did things without thinking. It was probably partly because his mother never reprimanded him when he was growing up. He usually chose to do what benefited him the most without thinking about the consequences for others.

Since the mother was poor and Jack only worked occasionally, she had to support both herself and her son. To get money for food, she had to sell almost everything she owned. In the end, she only had one cow left.

One day Jack's mother said to her son, “Oh, you naughty son, while you were enjoying yourself in town we had to eat the last food we had. I don't even have enough money to buy a piece of bread. Nothing is left but my poor cow. We have to sell it to be able to get food.”

Jack was for a while ashamed of his behavior, but after a while, as he grew increasingly hungry, he persuaded his mother to let him sell the cow. Since she knew no other way out, she allowed herself to be persuaded. She asked her son to have good judgment and see to it that he would get a good price for the cow.

So Jack started his journey towards the market, where he would sell the cow. On the way there, he met a butcher, who asked why he had brought the cow from home. Jack replied that he would sell it. The butcher had a bag with some beautiful beans in different colors that caught Jack's interest. The butcher who knew Jack saw this and decided to try to trick the cow. He therefore offered Jack his beans in exchange for his cow.
The stupid boy forgot what their needs were at home and what he promised his mother. He was just thinking about how much fun it would be to have the beautiful beans. He therefore accepted the offer and the butcher left with the cow. Jack hurried home and excitedly told his mother what he had done.
The mother was completely beside herself and burst into tears. "Stupid boy!" she shouted "now we have nothing to eat at all." You have sold my poor cow for some petty beans that tickled your fancy. Go your way, there will be no supper today.” Then she threw all the beans out the back door while crying over her son's stupidity.

For the first time in his life, Jack felt remorse for what he had done. He now realized how worthless these beans were and his mother's grief saddened him. He no longer felt like enjoying himself. Instead he went to his room lost in thought. He remembered how kind his mother had always been to him and how thoughtless he had been. Tonight he would be blamed for her getting hungry and having nothing to eat. He sat for a long, long time and mourned and decided the next day to get a real job.

Early the next morning when he got out of bed he saw that something strange and green had grown outside his window. He hurried to open it and then saw a huge climbing plant coming out of the ground. Some of his beans had taken root and were growing towards the sky. The stem was rough and the branches shaped like a ladder. Looking up, he couldn't see the end, it looked like it was growing up in the clouds. He tried stepping out on the stem and felt that it was stable and that it did not sway.

A thought struck him. This ladder that grew so strangely outside his window from the beans he had been given must be meant for him. Since he was now sad and repentant for his mistakes, he told himself that this had happened so that he could make amends for his mistakes. He would therefore climb the ladder. The steps would surely lead him to new opportunities and adventures where he would benefit from his newfound wisdom.

Filled with this thought, Jack hurried to his mother. She would have preferred to hold him back but she soon realized it was time to let him go and find his own way out into the world.
He immediately began his climb. He climbed and climbed. He began to worry but continued his climb. He became very worried indeed but still continued to climb. Finally, he finally reached the top and dismounted in a very strange landscape. It seemed a rocky and lonely place. Not a tree, bush, house or any living thing was to be seen. Jack thoughtfully sat down on a rock to rest.

He was very, very hungry because he hadn't eaten since the night before. However, he was still hopeful and believed that he had now arrived at the place where he would find his task. Suddenly, as he sat there thinking, hearing and wondering, a strange little old woman appeared before him. She wore a red, pointed cap and her hair fell loosely over her shoulders. In her hand she held a wand.
“Jack,” she said, moving closer to him, “I'm a fairy. Your remorse for your foolish actions and your desire to do a good thing caused your beans to grow into a ladder that brought you to me. If you had only looked at the giant beanstalk and foolishly wondered about it, you would never have found me. Now you showed curiosity, great courage and enterprise, therefore you deserve a reward. It is my mission to tell you what important things you should do here. What I am going to tell you now, your mother never dared to tell you. Boy, you will now be given a mission that will make you a man.”

Jack held his breath in curiosity and excitement as the fairy continued her story: “Your father was a rich man who was very generous. He was always kind to those around him and he not only helped those who asked him for help but anyone he saw needed something. He was so kind that he angered a gigantic giant who lived nearby. This terrifying creature was full of evil and cruelty and could not stand all the talk of how kind he was. When he heard that your parents were traveling away to visit a friend, he managed to trick them into a side road, captured them, and bound them hand and foot. Then he went up to the castle, drove out your parents' servants and took over the castle.

When this happened, you were only a few months old and, along with your mother and father, you were thrown into the deepest dungeon of the castle. All three of you lay there for several months, but finally he offered to let you and your mother go free on the promise that she would never tell anyone about what she had been through. To make it impossible for her to hurt him, he put your mother, with you in her arms, on board a boat bound for a distant land.

There she was now with only a little money that she got when she sold a few pieces of jewelry she had hidden under her dress. The giant is still alive and holding your father prisoner in the castle. You are the one who must free him and let him recover his possessions. Everything the giant has is yours. Recover everything you can. You will encounter difficulties and dangers, but you must show courage and complete your task. You don't need to rush, but show that you are now a wise young man. Remember that justice always precedes evil. Carry that knowledge with you and you can take on the task without fear and become one of those who can defeat giants.”

As soon as she finished her story, the fairy disappeared, leaving Jack, who was of course very excited by what she had said. It was no easy task before him. He walked and walked without coming to any settlement. Eventually it became evening and he lay down under the shelter of a rock and fell asleep. In the morning he saw, to his great joy, a large castle. He was now in dire need of food and walked slowly towards the door, lifted the door latch and knocked.
A very large woman, with a face that did not look very friendly, opened the door for him. She listened in great astonishment to him as he asked for something to eat.
"It was very surprising," she said, "to see a strange creature near this house," for it was well known that her husband was a cruel and ugly giant who was mean to all who came near him.
"If you know your best," she continued, "you run away at once as fast as your legs can carry you."

Despite his hunger, Jack's first thought was to do as she said and run away. But then he remembered what the fairy had said and the reason he was there. He therefore bravely remained and again asked for food. In exchange, he promised to do any kind of work.
The woman considered this for a moment. She worked like a slave from morning to night and was in dire need of someone to help her. So finally she allowed herself to be persuaded and brought Jack into the house.
First they passed an elegant hall, beautifully furnished, then they passed several large rooms, all in the same grand style but utterly desolate. Then came a long very dark corridor. There was just enough light to see that instead of walls on the sides, there were iron grates. Behind the bars were dark dungeons from which Jack could hear sighs and the rattle of chains.

His heart was now beating rapidly. Perhaps this is where his father was held captive. He became more and more convinced that he would find and free him. The woman now led him to a large kitchen where a large fireplace was burning. She asked him to sit down and gave him plenty to eat and drink. Now he realized that she was a kind woman, just overworked and worried about being mistreated by the mean giant.

When he had eaten his fill, she put him to work scrubbing floors and washing pots. He worked all day, harder and more persistently than he had ever done before and the woman provided him with plenty of food. Eventually evening came and suddenly there was such a loud knock on the door that the whole house shook. "Let me in! Let me in!” roared a boisterous voice. The giant's wife hid Jack in the oven and hurried to the door to let her husband in. Soon he came into the kitchen, a hideous monster with little pig eyes in a terrifying face. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he began sniffing and shouted: "Tvi vale I think it smells like human flesh!" Jack crawled further into the furnace but remembered that the fairy had told him that he had the right on his side and if he was brave and asserted his right he would be one of those who vanquished giants. So he regained his courage and waited quietly. Meanwhile, the woman had replied to her husband: "You will smell people as long as you keep them locked in the dungeons."
“Hmm!” Grunted the giant and sat down beside the fire while the woman cooked the evening meal. Through a crack in the oven, Jack could peek out. He was amazed at the amazing amounts the giant put in. It seemed he would never stop eating and drinking. When he finally finished his meal, a strange hen was placed on the table in front of him. He saw how the hen stood in front of the giant and when the giant said, "Lay eggs!", the hen laid an egg of golden gold. The giant amused himself with the hen for a long time while his wife went to bed. But eventually he fell asleep in his chair and started snoring like a booming cannon.

Jack saw his chance and carefully crept out of his hiding place, grabbed the hen and ran off with it as fast as he could. The hen then started cackling and woke the giant. Just as he was out of the house, he heard him call out: "Woman, woman, what have you done with my golden hen?" That was all Jack managed to hear as he hurried back to the beanstalk and climbed down, quick as oiled lightning.

His mother was overjoyed when she saw him.
"Mother," said Jack, "now I have brought home everything we need to be able to buy what we want." The hen laid as many eggs as he wanted. Jack sold them and had more money than the two of them needed.

For a short time Jack and his mother lived happily but the boy never stopped thinking about his father. Early one morning he climbed the stalk again and arrived at the huge house in the evening.

The big woman came and opened the door when he knocked just like before. Jack immediately requested that she allow him to sleep in the house during the night. At first she scolded him for taking her husband's hen the last time he was there, but by now Jack was sure that the woman was actually kind and he didn't need to be afraid of her. Besides, deep down, she knew that the giant had no right to the riches he had stolen. So finally she let him in and gave him supper.
After the meal, Jack paid back by working diligently in the kitchen until they heard the giant knocking on the door. This time she hid him in a closet. Soon the giant came in and sniffed around. "Tvi vale, I think it smells like human flesh!" he roared, but his wife reminded him again that he had prisoners in the dungeons and that must be where the smell was coming from. The giant then sat down and ate his supper.

Then he asked the woman to get the bags of gold and silver coins. Jack crept out of his hiding place and peered at him as he counted the fortune he had stolen from his father. Finally he poured the coins back into the bags and immediately his chin fell to his chest and he fell asleep. Jack then very carefully crept up to the table. Then a small dog under the giant's chair began barking hysterically and the giant squinted his eyes sleepily. Jack then grabbed his bags and ran. He soon reached the beanstalk, climbed down and was soon back in his room. His mother was overjoyed to see him back safe and sound and they were now very well off and could treat themselves to whatever they wanted.

However, Jack could not enjoy this knowing that his father was locked in a dungeon. Therefore, on the longest day of the year, he got up as soon as the sun rose and climbed up the beanstalk. He arrived at the giant's castle in the evening and found his wife standing in the doorway. This time she was much angrier because her husband had been very mean to her after his gold and silver coins disappeared. It was very difficult to get her to receive him, but at last he succeeded in persuading her to go in and work and have supper as he had done before. When the giant came home, Jack hid in the copper pot.
The big creature was uglier than ever and growled: "Tvi vale I think it smells human!" Regardless of what his wife said now, he searched every nook and cranny of the room. While all this was going on, Jack held his breath. The giant approached the copper cauldron and put his hand on the lid. Jack was convinced that he would now be discovered, but no! The giant stopped looking and sat down next to the fire.

When he had eaten his supper, the giant asked his wife to fetch the harp. Jack peered under the lid of the cauldron and soon saw the woman enter with the instrument. The harp was made of gold and on the front was a beautiful female figure with wings. Her dress floated to the floor, forming like a harp. The giant placed the harp on the table and said: "Play!" The harp immediately began to play. The music was so soft and melodious that Jack was filled with pleasure and anxious to capture this noble treasure as well. But the giant did not enjoy the pleasant music. Instead, he soon fell asleep. Jack immediately got out of the cauldron and took the harp. He had barely had time to grab it before it started shouting: “Master! Master!" Jack was afraid it would wake the giant, so he started running away with the harp in his arms. ''Master! Master!'' the harp continued to call. "Master! Master!" Jack was about to let it go, when suddenly he felt it pull him into his arm as if it were alive. The harp steered with its wings and pulled him along. Not towards the outer door but towards the dungeons. "Master! Master” it continued to call, pulling Jack towards the place where he knew his father was being held captive. "Master! Master! It screamed even louder and then he saw a white-haired man in chains who shouted: "My Harp! My Harp!” Who is it that brings it?” the man continued. Jack immediately replied, “Your son!”
"My son!", repeated the man with tears of joy, "My son!" As he spoke, he stretched out his hands through the grating, and the harp immediately flew into them. "Harp! Harp! Throw away my chains!” he commanded. As the harp played, the chains fell off the old man's feet. "Harp! Harp! Play to make the prison door open!” The harp played again. Then the door flew open, Jack's father came out and they hurried down the hall. But this day there was a big commotion in the kitchen. The giant was now wide awake and roaring for his harp. When Jack and his father ran out the front door of the castle, the giant was briskly on his feet. They ran and ran! Behind them the giant roared with a voice like thunder. Sometimes he was close to reaching them but they held the harp which helped them with their wings. Finally they reached the beanstalk. Jack and his father quickly climbed down. As soon as they reached the bottom the giant appeared at the top of the ladder. He huffed with his clenched fists. The giant came climbing down snorting and roaring but Jack fetched an ax and when the giant was almost down Jack started chopping off the stem. He barely had time to start before the whole beanstalk shriveled up and the big giant exploded like a huge lump.

Then Jack and his mother and father fell into each other's arms, rejoicing that they were finally together again.

As for the giant's wife, she was surely glad to have been freed from such a cruel and mean man.

Short Fairytales