Grimm's Fairy Tales (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

by Brothers Grimm

  The children took all the pains they could to pull the Dwarf’s beard out; but without success. “I will run and fetch some help,” cried Rose-Red at length.

  “Crackbrained sheep’s-head that you are!” snarled the Dwarf; “what are you going to call other people for? You are two too many now for me; can you think of nothing else?”

  “Don’t be impatient,” replied Snow-White; “I have thought of something;” and pulling her scissors out of her pocket she cut off the end of the beard. As soon as the Dwarf found himself at liberty, he snatched up his sack, which laid between the roots of the tree, filled with gold, and throwing it over his shoulder marched off, grumbling and groaning and crying, “Stupid people! to cut off a piece of my beautiful beard. Plague take you!” and away he went without once looking at the children.

  Some time afterwards Snow-White and Rose-Red went a-fishing, and as they neared the pond they saw something like a great locust hopping about on the bank, as if going to jump into the water. They ran up and recognised the Dwarf. “What are you after?” asked Rose-Red; “you will fall into the water.” “I am not quite such a simpleton as that,” replied the Dwarf: “but do you not see this fish will pull me in.” The little man had been sitting there angling, and unfortunately the wind had entangled his beard with the fishing line; and so, when a great fish bit at the bait, the strength of the weak little fellow was not able to draw it out, and the fish had the best of the struggle. The Dwarf held on by the reeds and rushes which grew near; but to no purpose, for the fish pulled him where it liked, and he must soon have been drawn into the pond. Luckily just then the two Maidens arrived, and tried to release the beard of the Dwarf from the fishing line; but both were too closely entangled for it to be done. So the Maiden pulled out her scissors again and cut off another piece of the beard. When the Dwarf saw this done he was in a great rage, and exclaimed, “You donkey! that is the way to disfigure my face. Was it not enough to cut it once, but you must now take away the best part of my fine beard? I dare not show myself again now to my own people. I wish you had run the soles off your boots before you had come here!” So saying, he took up a bag of pearls which laid among the rushes, and without speaking another word, slipped off and disappeared behind a stone.

  Not many days after this adventure, it chanced that the Mother sent the two Maidens to the next town to buy thread, needles and pins, laces and ribbons. Their road passed over a common, on which here and there great pieces of rock were lying about. Just over their heads they saw a great bird flying round and round, and every now and then, dropping lower and lower, till at last it flew down behind a rock. Immediately afterwards they heard a piercing shriek, and running up they saw with affright that the eagle had caught their old acquaintance, the Dwarf, and was trying to carry him off. The compassionate children thereupon laid hold of the little man, and held him fast till the bird gave up the struggle and flew off. As soon then as the Dwarf had recovered from his fright, he exclaimed in his squeaking voice, “Could you not hold me more gently? You have seized my fine brown coat in such a manner that it is all torn and full of holes, meddling and interfering rubbish that you are!” With these words he shouldered a bag filled with precious stones, and slipped away to his cave among the rocks.

  The Maidens were now accustomed to his ingratitude, and so they walked on to the town and transacted their business there. Coming home, they returned over the same common, and unawares walked up to a certain clean spot on which the Dwarf had shaken out his bag of precious stones, thinking nobody was near. The sun was shining, and the bright stones glittered in its beams and displayed such a variety of colours that the two Maidens stopped, to admire them.

  “What are you standing there gaping for?” asked the Dwarf, while his face grew as red as copper with rage; he was continuing to abuse the poor Maidens, when a loud roaring noise was heard, and presently a great black Bear came rolling out of the forest. The Dwarf jumped up terrified, but he could not gain his retreat before the Bear overtook him. Thereupon, he cried out, “Spare me, my dear Lord Bear! I will give you all my treasures. See these beautiful precious stones which lie here; only give me my life; for what have you to fear from a little weak fellow like me? you could not touch me with your big teeth. There are two wicked girls, take them; they would make nice morsels, as fat as young quails; eat them for heaven’s sake.”

  The Bear, however, without troubling himself to speak, gave the bad-hearted Dwarf a single blow with his paw, and he never stirred after.

  The Maidens were then going to run away, but the Bear called after them, “Snow-White and Rose-Red, fear not! wait a bit and I will accompany you.” They recognised his voice and stopped; and when the Bear came, his rough coat suddenly fell off, and he stood up a tall man, dressed entirely in gold. “I am a king’s son,” he said, “and was condemned by the wicked Dwarf, who stole all my treasures, to wander about in this forest, in the form of a bear, till his death released me. Now he has received his well-deserved punishment.”

  Then they went home, and Snow-White was married to the prince, and Rose-Red to his brother, with whom they shared the immense treasure which the Dwarf had collected. The old Mother also lived for many years happily with her two children, and the rose-trees which had stood before the cottage were planted now before the palace, and produced every year beautiful red and white roses.

  The Turnip

  Once upon a time there were two brothers who had both served as soldiers, but one had got riches while the other remained poor. So the poor man, in order to help himself out of his difficulties, drew off his soldiering coat and turned ploughman. He dug and ploughed over his piece of land, and then sowed some turnip seed. Soon the seed began to show itself above ground, and there grew one turnip immensely large and thick, which seemed as if it would never have done growing, but was a princess among turnips; and as there had never before been seen such a turnip, so also there has never been such another since. At length it was such a size, that it filled of itself a whole cart, and two oxen were required to draw it; but the poor man knew not what to do with it, or whether it would be the making of his fortune, or just the contrary. At last he thought to himself that if he sold it he should not get very much for it; and as to eating it, why the ordinary sized turnips would do as well; and so he resolved to take it to the King and offer it to him. So thinking, he laid it on a cart, and harnessing two oxen, took his turnip to court and presented it to the King. “What curious thing is this?” asked the King; “such a wonderful sight I have never before seen, though I have looked at some curiosities; pray from what seed was this grown? or are you a luck-child who have picked it up?”

  “Oh no,” said the man, “I am no luck-child, but only a poor soldier, who, because he could not get enough to live on, has pulled off his uniform and turned to tilling land. I have got a brother who is rich and well known to you, your majesty, but I, because I have nothing, and forgotten by all.”

  Thereupon the King took compassion on the poor Soldier, and said to him, “Your poverty shall be put an end to, and you shall receive so much from me that you shall be equal to your rich brother.” So saying, the King presented the man with much gold, land, flocks, and herds, and made him thereby so rich that his brother’s property was not to be compared with his. When the latter heard what his brother had gained by a single turnip, he envied him, and revolved in his own mind how he could manage to happen with the like luck. He thought he would be much cleverer, and took to the King gold and horses as a present, thinking no less than that he would receive a much handsomer present; since his brother had been treated so liberally for a mere turnip, what would not his generous present be requited with! The King received the present very graciously, and told the Soldier he could give him in return nothing richer or rarer than the magnificent turnip! So the wealthy soldier was obliged to lay the turnip upon his carriage and drive it home with him. When he reached his house he knew not what to do with himself for vexation and rage, till by degrees wicked though
ts took possession of him, and he resolved to kill his brother. So he hired some murderers, whom he placed in ambush, and then going to his brother, he said to him, “I know a secret treasure, my dear brother, which we will obtain and share together.” The good brother was deceived by these words, and unsuspectingly accompanied the wicked one. But as they went along the murderers burst out upon them, and binding the good man prepared to hang him on a tree. But while they were about it a sudden shouting and laughing was heard at a distance, which frightened the assassins so much that they tumbled their prey head over heels into a sack, and suspended him on a bough, and then took flight. The Soldier, however, worked himself about in the sack till he got his head through a hole at the top, and then he perceived that the noise which had saved him was made by a Student, a young fellow who was singing and shouting snatches of songs as he walked along. As soon as this Student was just under the tree, the man in the sack called out, “I hope you are well at this lucky moment.” The Scholar looked about him and wondered where the voice came from, for he could see nobody; at last he said, “Who calls me?” “Raise your eyes and you will see me sitting above here in wisdom’s sack. In a short time I have learnt great things; in fact, this place beats all schools hollow! In a little while I shall have learnt everything, and then I shall descend and mix with my fellow men. I understand astronomy and the signs of heaven, the motion of all the winds, the sand in the sea, the art of healing the sick, the virtue of every herb, birds and stones! Were you once in this place you would feel what a noble thing it is to sit in the sack of wisdom!”

  When the Scholar heard all this he was astonished, and said, “Blessed be the hour in which I found you! can I not also come a little while into the sack?”

  “For a short time I will allow you to take my place in consideration of some reward and your fair speech; but you must first wait an hour, for there is one piece of learning which I have not yet fully mastered.”

  The Scholar accordingly sat down to wait, but the time appeared to him terribly long, and he soon began to pray to be allowed to take his place, because his thirst for wisdom was so great. The man in the sack at length pitied his impatience, and told him to let the sack down carefully by the rope which held it, and then he should get in. Thereupon the Scholar let him down, and, opening the mouth of the sack, delivered the man, and as soon as he had done so he got into the sack, and said, “Now pull me up quickly!”

  “Stop, stop!” cried the other; “that is not quite right;” and laying hold of the Scholar by the shoulders he thrust him head downwards into the sack. Then he pulled the neck to, and, fastening the rope on, swung the sack up on the bough of the tree, while he exclaimed, “How do you feel now, my good fellow? do you find that wisdom comes with your experience? Sit quietly there till you become wiser.”

  With these words he mounted the Student’s horse and rode off; but in an hour’s time he sent somebody to release the poor Student in the sack.

  Star Dollars

  Once upon a time there was a little Girl whose father and mother were dead; and she became so poor that she had no roof to shelter herself under, and no bed to sleep in; and at last she had nothing left but the clothes on her back, and a loaf of bread in her hand, which a compassionate body had given to her. But she was a good and pious little Girl, and when she found herself forsaken by all the world, she went out into the fields trusting on God. Soon she met a poor Man, who said to her, “Give me something to eat, for I am so hungry.” She handed him the whole loaf; and, with a “God bless you!” walked on further. Next she met a little Girl crying very much, who said to her, “Pray give me something to cover my head with, for it is so cold!” So she took off her own bonnet, and gave it away. And in a little while she met another Child who had no cloak, and to her she gave her own cloak. Then she met another who had no dress on, and to this one she gave her own frock. By that time it was growing dark, and our little Girl entered a forest; and presently she met a fourth Maiden, who begged something, and to her she gave her petticoat; for, thought our heroine, “It is growing dark, and nobody will see me, I can give away this.” And now she had scarcely anything left to cover herself; and just then some of the stars fell down in the form of silver dollars, and among them she found a petticoat of the finest linen! and in that she collected the star-money, which made her rich all the rest of her lifetime!

  The Shreds

  Once upon a time there was a Maiden who was very pretty, but lazy and careless. When she used to spin, she was so impatient that, if there chanced to be a little knot in the thread, she snapped off a long bit with it and threw the pieces down on the ground near her. Now she had a Servant-Girl, who was industrious, and used to gather together the shreds of thread, clean them, and weave them, till she had made herself a dress with them.

  And a young Man had fallen in love with this lazy Maiden; and their wedding-day was appointed. On the evening before, the industrious Servant-Girl kept dancing about in her fine dress, till the Bride exclaimed:—

  “Ah! how the Girl does jump about,

  Dressed in my shreds and leavings!”

  When the Bridegroom heard this, he asked the Bride what she meant, and she told him that the Maid had worked herself a dress with the shreds of thread which she had thrown away. As soon as the Bridegroom heard this, and saw the difference between the laziness of his intended and the industry of her Servant, he gave up the Mistress, and chose the Maid for his wife.

  The Glass Coffin

  Never tell a body that a tailor cannot travel far, and arrive at as high an honour as he chooses. Nothing more is necessary than that he should go to the right spot, and what is of most consequence, that he should have good luck.

  Such a clever and nimble Tailor’s lad went out once upon his wanderings, and came to a great forest, in which, because he did not know the road, he lost his way. Night overtook him, and there was nothing else for him to do but to seek a bed in this frightful solitude. He could have easily made a good bed on the soft moss, had he not been afraid of the wild beasts, the thought of which disquieted him so much that he resolved at length to pass the night on a tree. He picked out a lofty oak, to the top of which he climbed, and thanked heaven that he had brought his goose with him, so that the wind which whistled among the trees, could not blow him away. After he had spent some hours in the darkness, not without trembling and shivering, he perceived at a short distance the glimmering of a candle, and thinking that it might be the habitation of some man, where he could find a better resting-place than on the boughs of his trees, he cautiously descended, and walked towards the light. Presently he came to a little hut, built of reeds and rushes, and, knocking boldly at the door, which opened of itself, he saw inside a very old grey-headed man, dressed in a frock made of various coloured rags. “Who are you, and what do you want?” asked this figure in a hoarse voice.

  “I am a poor Tailor,” he replied, “surprised by night in this forest, and I pray you earnestly to keep me in your hut till the morning.” “Go your way,” cried the Old Man peevishly; “I will have nothing to do with vagabonds, seek a welcome elsewhere;” and so saying he would have pushed the man out of the house. The Tailor, however, caught hold of his coat, and begged so earnestly, that the Old Man, who seemed much rougher than he really was, yielded at length, and took the Tailor into his hut, where he gave him something to eat, and then showed him a bed in a corner.

  The weary Tailor needed no rocking, but slept soundly till morning, and even then he would not have got up had he not been aroused by a loud cry. A terrible screaming and moaning pierced through the thin walls of the cottage, and the Tailor, excited by an unusual courage, jumped up, and, drawing his clothes on hastily, went out. Then he saw near the cottage a great black beast and a pretty Goat engaged in a hot contest. They were butting at one another with so much fury that the ground trembled under their feet, and the air resounded with their cries. For some time it was uncertain which would gain the victory; but at last the Goat thrust his horns i
nto his enemy’s body with so much force that the latter fell to the ground with a fearful howl, and was soon despatched with a stroke or two more on the part of the Goat.

  The Tailor, who had watched the fight with astonishment, was still standing by at its close, and as soon as the Goat perceived him, it rushed at him, and, catching him up on its horns before he could escape, bolted away with him over hedge and ditch, hill and valley, meadow and wood. He held fast to the horns with both his hands (for he had managed to get on the goat’s back), and resigned himself to his fate; but it came sooner than he expected, for at last the Goat stopped before a ridge of rocks, and let the Tailor softly down to the ground. More dead than alive, he lay for a long time before he recovered his senses, and when he did so, the Goat, which had remained by him all the time, thrust his horns with such force into a seeming door in the rock that it split open. Flames of fire came out, and presently a great smoke followed which hid the Goat from the eyes of the Tailor, who now knew not what to do, nor where to turn to get out of the wilderness. While he stood considering, a voice came from the rock, which said, “Step in hither without fear, and no harm shall happen to you.” The Tailor hesitated; but drawn by an invisible power, he obeyed the voice, and, passing through the iron door, he found himself in an immense hall, whose roof, walls and floor were formed of bright and polished square stones, on each of which characters unknown to him were engraved. He observed everything with wonder, and was on the point of making his way out again, when the voice said, “Step upon the stone which lies in the middle of the hall, and there await your fate.”