The wife of a rich man fell ill, and when she felt that she was
nearing her end, she called her only daughter to her bedside, and
said:
'Dear child, continue devout and good, then God will always help you,
and I will look down upon you from heaven, and watch over you.'
Thereupon she closed her eyes, and breathed her last.
The maiden went to her mother's grave every day and wept, and she
continued to be devout and good. When the winter came, the snow spread
a white covering on the grave, and when the sun of spring had unveiled
it again, the husband took another wife. The new wife brought home
with her two daughters, who were fair and beautiful to look upon, but
base and black at heart.
Then began a sad time for the unfortunate step-child.
'Is this stupid goose to sit with us in the parlour?' they said.
'Whoever wants to eat bread must earn it; go and sit with the
kitchenmaid.'
They took away her pretty clothes, and made her put on an old grey
frock, and gave her wooden clogs.
'Just look at the proud Princess, how well she's dressed,' they
laughed, as they led her to the kitchen. There, the girl was obliged
to do hard work from morning till night, to get up at daybreak, carry
water, light the fire, cook, and wash. Not content with that, the
sisters inflicted on her every vexation they could think of; they made
fun of her, and tossed the peas and lentils among the ashes, so that
she had to sit down and pick them out again. In the evening, when she
was worn out with work, she had no bed to go to, but had to lie on the
hearth among the cinders. And because, on account of that, she always
looked dusty and dirty, they called her Ashenputtel.
It happened one day that the Father had a mind to go to the Fair. So
he asked both his step-daughters what he should bring home for them.
'Fine clothes,' said one.
'Pearls and jewels,' said the other.
'But you, Ashenputtel?' said he, 'what will you have?'
'Father, break off for me the first twig which brushes against your
hat on your way home.'
Well, for his two step-daughters he brought beautiful clothes, pearls
and jewels, and on his way home, as he was riding through a green
copse, a hazel twig grazed against him and knocked his hat off. Then
he broke off the branch and took it with him.
When he got home he gave his step-daughters what they had asked for,
and to Ashenputtel he gave the twig from the hazel bush.
Ashenputtel thanked him, and went to her mother's grave and planted
the twig upon it; she wept so much that her tears fell and watered it.
And it took root and became a fine tree.
Ashenputtel went to the grave three times every day, wept and prayed,
and every time a little white bird came and perched upon the tree, and
when she uttered a wish, the little bird threw down to her what she
had wished for.
Now it happened that the King proclaimed a festival, which was to last
three days, and to which all the beautiful maidens in the country were
invited, in order that his son might choose a bride.
When the two step-daughters heard that they were also to be present,
they were in high spirits, called Ashenputtel, and said:
'Brush our hair and clean our shoes, and fasten our buckles, for we
are going to the feast at the King's palace.'
Ashenputtel obeyed, but wept, for she also would gladly have gone to
the ball with them, and begged her Step-mother to give her leave to
go.
'You, Ashenputtel!' she said. 'Why, you are covered with dust and
dirt. You go to the festival! Besides you have no clothes or shoes,
and yet you want to go to the ball.'
As she, however, went on asking, her Step-mother said:
'Well, I have thrown a dishful of lentils into the cinders, if you
have picked them all out in two hours you shall go with us.'
The girl went through the back door into the garden, and cried, 'Ye
gentle doves, ye turtle doves, and all ye little birds under heaven,
come and help me,
'The good into a dish to throw,
The bad into your crops can go.'
Then two white doves came in by the kitchen window, and were followed
by the turtle doves, and finally all the little birds under heaven
flocked in, chirping, and settled down among the ashes. And the doves
gave a nod with their little heads, peck, peck, peck; and then the
rest began also, peck, peck, peck, and collected all the good beans
into the dish. Scarcely had an hour passed before they had finished,
and all flown out again.
Then the girl brought the dish to her Step-mother, and was delighted
to think that now she would be able to go to the feast with them.
But she said, 'No, Ashenputtel, you have no clothes, and cannot dance;
you will only be laughed at.'
But when she began to cry, the Step-mother said:
'If you can pick out two whole dishes of lentils from the ashes in an
hour, you shall go with us.'