Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm

by Philip Pullman

  In the morning the prince took the feather to the king and explained what had happened. The king called a meeting of the privy council and everyone examined the feather, and they decided that a feather like this was worth more than the kingdom itself.

  ‘Well, if it’s that precious,’ said the king, ‘I can’t be expected to make do with just one feather. I want the whole bird, and I’ll have it, see if I don’t!’

  So the eldest son set out to find the bird, convinced that he was clever enough to find it and bring it back. He had only gone a little way when he saw a fox sitting at the edge of the forest, watching him. The prince raised his gun and took aim, but the fox cried out: ‘Don’t shoot! I’ll give you a piece of advice. You’re looking for the golden bird, aren’t you? Well, if you carry on this way you’ll come to a village with two inns, one on each side of the road. One will be brightly lit, with the sound of songs and laughter, but don’t go there whatever you do: go to the other one, even if you don’t like the look of it.’

  The prince thought, ‘Call that good advice? How can a stupid animal like that give me any advice?’ And he pulled the trigger. But the fox was too quick: in a moment he was away into the dark trees, his tail stretched out behind him.

  The prince went on his way, and as evening fell he came to the village, which was just as the fox had described. Two inns stood there, one brightly lit and full of the sounds of merry-making, the other dismal and dark.

  ‘Well, I’d be a fool if I stayed at that miserable hovel,’ he thought, and he went into the cheerful place, had a high old time, and forgot all about the golden bird, his father, and all the good lessons he had learned.

  After some time had gone past and the eldest son showed no signs of returning, the second son in his turn set out to look for the golden bird. Like his brother, he met the fox, listened to his advice, took no notice of it, and came to the two inns. And there was his brother calling out to him, and he couldn’t resist: he went in and lived it up, forgetting everything but his pleasure.

  More time went past, and then the youngest prince asked if he could go off and try his luck. But his father had other ideas. ‘It’s futile,’ he said to the prime minister. ‘He’s got even less chance of finding the bird than his brothers did. And if he meets any danger, he won’t know how to look after himself. Frankly, I don’t think he’s all there.’

  However, the prince kept asking, and in the end the king gave way. The young man set off just as his brothers had done, and he found the fox sitting in the same place, and offering the same advice. The prince was a good-natured boy, and he said, ‘Thank you, little fox. Don’t worry, I won’t harm you.’

  ‘You won’t regret it,’ said the fox. ‘Now if you just sit on my back, I’ll take you to the village in a brace of shakes.’

  The prince did as he said, and off set the fox, speeding up hill and down dale so fast that the wind whistled through the prince’s hair. When they came to the village, the prince, following the fox’s advice, stayed in the shabby inn, where he spent a quiet and comfortable night. Next morning he went out to the road, and found the fox there waiting for him.

  ‘Since you were sensible enough to take my advice,’ said the fox, ‘I’ll help you with the next part of the journey. We’re going to a castle now, with a whole troop of soldiers outside it. Don’t take any notice of them, because they’ll all be lying on the ground fast asleep and snoring. Go right through the middle of them and into the castle itself. Go straight through all the rooms to the last one of all, and there you’ll find the golden bird. It’ll be in a wooden cage. Nearby there’s a golden cage as well, but ignore that: it’s just for decoration. Remember – whatever you do, don’t try and take the bird out of the simple cage and put it in the fancy one. If you do, there’ll be trouble.’

  When he’d said that, the fox stretched out his tail again, the young prince sat on his back, and off they went as fast as before. When they reached the palace, the fox remained outside and the prince went in, where he found everything just as the fox had said. He went through all the rooms and found the golden bird in its wooden cage with the golden cage beside it. The three golden apples were there too, lying on the floor. The wooden cage looked so ugly and the golden one so beautiful that the prince felt he had to put things right, despite what the fox had said, and he took the bird out of the wooden cage and put it in the golden one.

  As soon as he did that the bird uttered such a piercing cry that the soldiers outside all woke up at once, and they rushed in, took the young man prisoner and carried him off to the dungeons.

  Next morning he was brought before the court. He admitted everything, and the judge sentenced him to death. However, the king of that country liked the look of the young prince, and said he’d spare his life on one condition: the prince had to bring him the golden horse that ran faster than the wind. If he did, the sentence would be annulled and he would receive the golden bird as a reward.

  The prince set off, but without much hope. In fact he had no idea where to find the horse or how to start looking, and he felt pretty sorry for himself. However, as he stepped out along the road, he saw his friend the fox again.

  ‘What did I tell you?’ said the fox. ‘All this trouble came about because you didn’t listen to me. Well, never mind, I’m here now, and I’ll tell you how to find the golden horse. Come with me, and I’ll take you to a castle where the horse is in the stable. There are several grooms there, but they’re all fast asleep outside, so you’ll be able to lead the horse out without any problems. But mind you put the plain old leather saddle on him, and not the golden one you’ll find there. Otherwise – trouble.’

  The fox stretched out his tail, the prince sat on his back, and off they set, so fast that the wind whistled in the prince’s hair. They reached the castle, where everything was as the fox had said. The prince entered the stable and found the golden horse, so beautiful that he had to shade his eyes; and as he looked around for the saddle, he thought it would be ridiculous to put the old battered leather one on, when there was such a beautiful golden one just waiting to be used.

  So he put the golden one on, the horse neighed loudly, the grooms woke up, they seized the prince, he was sentenced to death. And the king of that castle spared his life too. The condition this time was that he had to bring back the golden princess from the golden castle.

  And off set the prince with a heavy heart once more, and once more he met the faithful fox.

  ‘You’re a difficult man to help,’ said the fox. ‘I should really leave you to get on by yourself, but I feel sorry for you. The path we’re on leads directly to the golden castle. We’ll get there in the evening, and when it’s dark and everything’s quiet, the golden princess will go to the bathhouse to bathe. What you must do is run up as soon as you see her, and kiss her. Once you’ve done that she’ll follow you, and you can take her anywhere. But you mustn’t allow her to say goodbye to her parents. If you do that, it’ll all go wrong.’

  The fox stretched out his tail, the prince sat on his back, and off they went, the wind whistling through the prince’s hair. They soon arrived at the golden castle, where everything was as the fox said it would be. The prince hid until midnight, and when everyone else was asleep, the princess went to the bathhouse. The prince ran up and kissed her, and she said she’d gladly go anywhere in the world with him, but first she must bid farewell to her mother and father. She begged him – she implored him – she wept – and although he resisted her pleas at first, she was so beautiful and in such distress that he finally gave in.

  Naturally, as soon as she approached the royal bed, the king woke up. So did everyone else in the palace. The prince was seized and thrown into prison, and next morning he was brought before the king.

  ‘Your life is worth nothing, young man,’ said the king. ‘I’d have you put to death at once, but there’s a task that needs doing, and if you can
do it I’ll spare your life. Out of my window there’s a mountain that blocks the view. Take that away within seven days and the princess is yours. Otherwise, you’ll lose your head.’

  They gave the prince a shovel and he set to work at once, but when six days had gone by and he stood back and looked at what he’d done, his heart sank. He’d hardly made any difference at all.

  However, he kept on shovelling all through the seventh day until the evening. At that point the fox appeared again.

  ‘I don’t know why I bother,’ he said. ‘You don’t deserve any help, but I’ve got a soft spot for you. Go to bed, and I’ll move the mountain.’

  Next morning, when the prince woke up and looked out of the window, he saw that the mountain had vanished. Full of joy, he rushed to the king.

  ‘Your majesty, I’ve done it! The mountain’s gone!’

  The king looked out of the window, and he couldn’t deny it: the mountain had vanished. ‘Very well,’ he said. ‘Whether I like it or not, I shall keep my word. You may take my daughter.’

  So the young prince and the golden princess set off together, and soon the faithful fox had joined them.

  ‘You’ve got the best of all prizes right here,’ said the fox, ‘but the golden princess needs the golden horse.’

  ‘How can I get that?’ said the prince.

  ‘I’ll tell you, and listen to me this time,’ said the fox. ‘First you must take the princess to the king who sent you to fetch her. There will be great celebrations, and they’ll gladly let you have the golden horse. When they bring it out, you must mount it straight away and then shake hands with everyone and say goodbye. Make sure you shake hands with the golden princess last of all, and when you’ve got her hand in yours, swing her up behind you and gallop away at once. No one can possibly catch you, because the horse goes faster than the wind.’

  Everything went as the fox had said, the celebrations, the gift of the horse, the hand-shaking, the escape. The fox went with them, and when they slowed down at last, he said, ‘You did as I told you – good. Now I’ll help you get the golden bird. When you get near the castle where the bird is kept, let the princess down from the horse. I’ll look after her while you do the rest. You must ride the horse into the courtyard, and everyone will rejoice when they see it, and they’ll bring out the golden bird for you. As soon as you have the cage in your hand, set off like the wind and come back for the princess.’

  That plan worked as well. Now that the prince had all the treasures he wanted, he got ready to set off for home, but the fox said, ‘Before you go, I’d like a reward for all the help I’ve given you.’

  ‘Of course!’ said the prince. ‘What would you like?’

  ‘When we come to the forest, I’d like you to shoot me dead and cut off my head and my paws.’

  ‘That would be a strange form of gratitude,’ said the prince. ‘I couldn’t possibly do that.’

  ‘Well, if you won’t do it, I’ll have to leave you. But I’ll give you a last piece of advice: there are two things you have to beware of. Don’t buy any gallows meat, and don’t sit on the edge of a well.’

  When he’d said that, the fox ran off into the forest.

  The prince thought: ‘What a strange animal, to have such ideas! Who’d buy gallows meat? And I’ve never wanted to sit on the edge of a well.’

  He went on his way with the beautiful princess, and before long they came to the village where his two brothers had stayed behind. There he found a crowd gathering with a lot of noise and commotion, and when he asked what was going on, he was told that two men were about to be hanged. He pushed his way through, and found that the two men were his own brothers. They had run through all their money and got up to all kinds of wickedness.

  The young prince asked if there was any way they could be pardoned.

  ‘Well, you can buy their freedom,’ he was told, ‘but why spend good money on saving such wretches?’

  He didn’t hesitate. He paid over the money and bought their freedom, and his brothers were unshackled, with strict warnings not to visit that village ever again. Then they set off, and after a brisk morning’s travelling they came to the forest where they had first met the fox. The sun was hot, and since it was pleasantly cool under the trees, the brothers said, ‘Let’s rest here a little. Look, we can get some water from the well.’

  The young prince agreed. He forgot the fox’s warning and sat down on the rim of the well, suspecting nothing. In a moment the two brothers pushed him into the well, and made off with the princess, the horse and the bird, and took them to their father.

  ‘See, father!’ they said. ‘Not only the bird, but the golden horse and the princess from the golden castle as well! Not bad, eh?’

  The king ordered a great celebration, but observant courtiers noticed that the horse refused to eat, the bird wouldn’t sing, and the princess could do nothing but sit and weep.

  Meanwhile, what of the youngest brother? He didn’t drown, because the well was dry; and he didn’t break any bones, because it was full of moss. He sat at the bottom puzzling how to get out, and he was at his wits’ end when the faithful fox appeared once more. He jumped down the well and scolded the prince.

  ‘What did I tell you?’ he said. ‘Well, I suppose I should have expected it. Never mind, I won’t leave you down here. Get hold of my tail, and hang on tight.’

  The prince did, and a minute later he clambered out after the fox and brushed himself down.

  ‘Now you’re not out of danger yet,’ said the fox. ‘Your brothers weren’t sure that you died in the well, so they’ve stationed guards all around the forest with orders to shoot you on sight.’

  They set off, and presently the prince came across a poor man and exchanged clothes with him. In that way he managed to get to the court without being recognized. As soon as he came in, the bird started singing, the horse began to eat, and the beautiful princess stopped crying.

  The king was amazed. ‘What does this mean?’ he said.

  ‘I don’t know,’ said the princess. ‘I was sad, and now I’m joyful. I feel as happy as if my bridegroom had come.’

  She told the king everything that had happened, defying the brothers, who had threatened to kill her if she revealed the truth. The king ordered the whole court to gather, and the young prince was there too, in the rags he’d got from the poor man. The princess recognized him at once, and ran to embrace him, and the wicked brothers were seized and put to death. The young prince was married to the princess, and appointed heir to the king.

  But what about the poor fox? One day, a long time afterwards, the prince happened to be walking in the forest when he came across his old friend, who said: ‘You’ve got everything you want now, but I’ve had nothing but bad luck for years; and you refused to set me free, even though I asked you to.’

  And once again the fox begged the prince to shoot him and cut off his head and his paws. This time the prince did it, and as soon as it was done, the fox changed into none other than the brother of the princess, released at last from a spell that had been cast over him.

  And from then on nothing was missing from their happiness as long as they lived.

  ***

  Tale type: ATU 550, ‘Bird, Horse and Princess’

  Source: a story told to the Grimm brothers by Gretchen Wild

  Similar stories: Alexander Afanasyev: ‘Prince Ivan, the Firebird, and the Grey Wolf’ (Russian Fairy Tales); Katharine M. Briggs: ‘The King of the Herrings’ (Folk Tales of Britain); Andrew Lang: ‘The Bird Grip’ (Pink Fairy Book)

  Gretchen Wild and the Grimms made an exceptionally neat job of this tale, which can easily ramble. In doing so they turned it into something closely resembling an occult or esoteric narrative of quest and salvation, not unlike the third-century gnostic ‘Hymn of the Pearl’ or The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreu
tz of 1616. It would be easy to construct an interpretation on such lines: the young prince would be the questing individual, the golden princess his female other half, or in Jung’s terms his anima, who has to be won from the unseeing powers of the world: unseeing because of the mountain blocking the king’s view, of course. When the mountain is removed, that king becomes wise enough to see, and lets the young bride go to her true destination. The golden horse is the prince’s own strength, which must not be saddled with the gaudy trappings of flattery and conceit, but only with the dignity of true and honest toil. The golden bird is the prince’s soul: only he can see it in the king’s garden, only he can follow it and win it at last. The two brothers are the prince’s lower selves, overcome in the end by his innocent goodness; and he is aided by the fox, who of course is wisdom. Wisdom is closely related to the questing individual’s own self (he is the princess’s brother) but can’t be seen for what it is till it’s sacrificed. The golden apples in the king’s garden are fragments of truth, which ought to be given away freely with a generous hand, but which the king, blinded by a narrow understanding, treats as possessions that must be counted and numbered, thus failing to . . .

  And so on. I don’t believe this interpretation for a moment, any more than I believe in most sub-Jungian twaddle, but it’s possible. Such a reading could be sustained. What does that show? That the meaning preceded the story, which was composed to illustrate it like an allegory, or that the story fell accidentally into an interpretable shape?

  Obviously the latter. Much ingenious interpretation of story is little more than seeing pleasing patterns in the sparks of a fire, but it does no harm.

  TWENTY-NINE

  FARMERKIN

  There was once a village where every single farmer was rich except for one, whom they called Farmerkin. He didn’t even have the money to buy a cow, though he and his wife longed to have one.