knife, and was about to pierce little Snow-White’s innocent heart, she
began to weep, and said, “Ah, dear Huntsman, leave me my life! I will
run away into the wild forest, and never come home again.”
And as she was so beautiful, the huntsman had pity on her and said,
“Run away, then, you poor child.” “The wild beasts will soon have
devoured you,” thought he, and yet it seemed as if a stone had been
rolled from his heart since it was no longer needful for him to kill
her.
But now, the poor child was all alone in the great forest, and so
terrified that she looked at every leaf of every tree, and did not
know what to do. Then she began to run, and ran over sharp stones and
through thorns, and the wild beasts ran past her, but did her no harm.
She ran as long as her feet would go, until it was almost evening. Then
she saw a little cottage and went into it to rest herself. Everything
in the cottage was small, but neater and cleaner than can be told.
There was a table on which was a white cover, and seven little plates,
and on each plate a little spoon. Moreover, there were seven little
knives and forks, and seven little mugs. Against the wall stood seven
little beds side by side, and covered with snow-white counterpanes.
Little Snow-White was so hungry and thirsty, that she ate some
vegetables and bread from each plate and drank a drop of wine out of
each mug, for she did not wish to take all from one only. Then, as she
was so tired, she laid herself down on one of the little beds, but none
of them suited her. One was too long, another too short, but at last
she found that the seventh one was right, so she remained in it, said a
prayer and went to sleep.
When it was quite dark the owners of the cottage came back. They were
seven Dwarfs who dug and delved in the mountains for ore. They lit
their seven candles, and, as it was now light within the cottage, they
saw that some one had been there, for everything was not in the same
order in which they had left it.
The first said, “Who has been sitting on my chair?”
The second, “Who has been eating off my plate?”
The third, “Who has been taking some of my bread?”
The fourth, “Who has been eating my vegetables?”
The fifth, “Who has been using my fork?”
The sixth, “Who has been cutting with my knife?”
The seventh, “Who has been drinking out of my mug?”
Then the first looked round and saw that there was a little hole on his
bed, and he said, “Who has been getting into my bed?”
The others came up and each called out, “Somebody has been lying in my
bed too.”
But the seventh when he looked at his bed saw little Snow-White, who
was lying fast asleep therein. And he called the others, who came
running up, and they cried out with astonishment, and brought their
seven little candles and let the light fall on little Snow-White.
“Oh, oh!” cried they, “what a lovely child!” and they were so glad that
they did not wake her up, but let her sleep on in the bed. And the
seventh Dwarf slept with his companions, one hour with each, and so got
through the night.
The next morning, little Snow-White awoke, and was frightened when she
saw the seven Dwarfs. But they were friendly and asked her what her
name was.
“My name is little Snow-White,” she answered.
“How have you come to our house?” said the Dwarfs.
Then she told them that the wicked Queen had wished to have her
killed, but that the huntsman had spared her life, and that she had run
for the whole day, until at last she had found their dwelling.
The Dwarfs said, “If you will take care of our house, cook, make the
beds, wash, sew, and knit, and if you will keep everything neat and
clean, you may stay with us and you shall want for nothing.”
“Yes,” said little Snow-White, “with all my heart,” and she stayed with
them.
She kept the house in order for them. In the mornings they went to the
mountains and looked for copper and gold, in the evenings they came
back, and then their supper had to be ready.
The maiden was alone the whole day, so the good Dwarfs warned her and
said, “Beware of the Queen, she will soon know that you are here. Be
sure to let no one come in.”
But the Queen, believing that little Snow-White was dead, could not but
think that she herself was again the first and most beautiful of all.
She went to her Looking-Glass, and said:
“_Looking-Glass, Looking-Glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?_”
and the Glass answered:
“_Oh, Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,
But over the hills, where the Seven Dwarfs dwell,
Little Snow-White is alive and well,
And none is so fair as she._”
Then she was astounded, for she knew that the Looking-Glass never spoke
falsely, and she knew that the huntsman had betrayed her, for that
little Snow-White was still alive.
And so she thought and thought again how she might kill her, for so
long as she herself was not the fairest in the whole land, envy let her
have no rest. And when she had at last thought of something to do, she
painted her face, and dressed herself like an old pedler-woman, and no
one could have known her.
In this disguise she went over the Seven Mountains to the Seven Dwarfs,
and knocked at the door and cried, “Pretty things to sell, very cheap,
very cheap!”
Little Snow-White looked out at the window, and called, “Good-day, my
dear woman, what have you to sell?”
“Good things, pretty things,” she answered; “stay-laces of all colors,”
and she pulled out one which was woven of bright-colored silk.
“I may let the worthy old woman in,” thought little Snow-White, and she
unbolted the door and bought the pretty laces.
“Child,” said the old woman, “what a fright you look. Come, I will lace
you properly for once.”
Little Snow-White had no suspicion, but stood before her, and let
herself be laced with the new laces. But the old woman laced so quickly
and laced so tightly that little Snow-White lost her breath and fell
down as if dead.
“Now I am the most beautiful,” said the Queen to herself, and ran away.
Not long afterward, in the evening, the Seven Dwarfs came home. But
how shocked they were when they saw their dear little Snow-White lying
on the ground, and that she neither stirred nor moved, and seemed to
be dead. They lifted her up, and, as they saw that she was laced too
tightly, they cut the laces. Than she began to breathe a little, and
after a while came to life again.
When the Dwarfs heard what had happened, they said, “The old
pedler-woman was no one else than the wicked Queen. Take care and let
no one come in when we are not with you.”
But the wicked woman, when she had reached home, went in front of the
Glass and asked:
“_Looking-Glass, Looking-Glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?_”
and it answered as before:
“_Oh, Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,
But over the hills, where the Seven Dwarfs dwell,
Little Snow-White is alive and well,
And none is so fair as she._”
When she heard that, all her blood rushed to her heart with fear, for
she saw plainly that little Snow-White was again alive. “But now,” she
said, “I will think of something that shall put an end to you,” and by
the help of witchcraft, which she understood, she made a poisonous comb.
Then she disguised herself, and took the shape of another old woman. So
she went over the Seven Mountains to the Seven Dwarfs, knocked at the
door, and cried, “Good things to sell, cheap, cheap!”
Little Snow-White looked out, and said, “Go away. I cannot let any one
come in.”
“I suppose you may look,” said the old woman, and pulled the poisonous
comb out and held it up.
It pleased the maiden so well that she let herself be beguiled, and
opened the door. When they had made a bargain, the old woman said, “Now
I will comb you properly for once.”
Poor little Snow-White had no suspicion, and let the Old Woman do as
she pleased. But hardly had she put the comb in her hair, then the
poison in it took effect, and the maiden fell down senseless.
“You paragon of beauty,” said the wicked woman, “you are done for now!”
and she went away.
But fortunately it was almost evening, and the Seven Dwarfs came home.
When they saw little Snow-White lying as if dead upon the ground, they
at once suspected the Queen. They looked and found the poisoned comb.
Scarcely had they taken it out, when little Snow-White came to herself,
and told them what had happened. Then they warned her once more to be
upon her guard, and to open the door to no one.
The Queen, at home, went in front of the Glass and said:
“_Looking-Glass, Looking-Glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?_”
then it answered as before:
“_Oh, Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,
But over the hills, where the Seven Dwarfs dwell,
Little Snow-White is alive and well,
And none is so fair as she._”
When she heard the Glass speak thus, she trembled and shook with rage.
“Little Snow-White shall die,” she cried, “even if it costs me my life!”
Thereupon she went into a secret, lonely room, where no one ever came,
and there she made a very poisonous apple. Outside it looked pretty,
white with a red cheek, so that every one who saw it longed for it.
But whoever ate a piece of it must surely die.
When the apple was ready, she painted her face, and dressed herself as
a countrywoman, and so she went over the Seven Mountains to the Seven
Dwarfs. She knocked at the door. Little Snow-White put her head out of
the window and said, “I cannot let any one in. The Seven Dwarfs have
forbidden me.”
“It is all the same to me,” answered the woman, “I shall soon get rid
of my apples. There, I will give you one.”
“No,” said little Snow-White, “I dare not take anything.”
“Are you afraid of poison?” said the old woman. “Look, I will cut the
apple in two pieces. You eat the red cheek, and I will eat the white.”
The apple was so cunningly made that only the red cheek was poisoned.
Little Snow-White longed for the fine apple, and when she saw that the
woman ate part of it, she could resist no longer, and stretched out her
hand and took the poisonous half. But hardly had she a bit of it in her
mouth, than she fell down dead.
Then the Queen looked at her with a dreadful look, and laughed aloud,
and said, “White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony-wood! This time
the Dwarfs cannot wake you up again!”
And when she asked of the Looking-Glass at home:
“_Looking-Glass, Looking-Glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?_”
it answered at last:
“_Oh, Queen, in this land thou art fairest of all._”
Then her envious heart had rest, so far as an envious heart can have
rest.
The Dwarfs, when they came home in the evening, found little Snow-White
lying upon the ground. She breathed no longer and was dead. They lifted
her up, looked to see whether they could find anything poisonous,
unlaced her, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, but it
was all of no use. The poor child was dead, and remained dead. They
laid her upon a bier, and all seven of them sat round it and wept for
her, and wept three days long.
Then they were going to bury her, but she still looked as if she was
living, and still had her pretty red cheeks. They said, “We could not
bury her in the dark ground,” and they had a transparent coffin of
glass made, so that she might be seen from all sides. They laid her in
it, and wrote her name upon it in golden letters, and that she was a
King’s Daughter.
Then they put the coffin out upon the mountain, and one of them always
stayed by it to watch it. And birds came too, and wept for little
Snow-White; first an owl, then a raven, and last a dove.
And now little Snow-White lay a long, long time in the coffin. She did
not change, but looked as if she were asleep; for she was as white as
snow, as red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony.
It happened, however, that a King’s Son came into the forest, and went
to the Dwarfs’ house to spend the night. He saw the coffin on the
mountain, and the beautiful little Snow-White within it, and read what
was written upon it in golden letters.
Then he said to the Dwarfs, “Let me have the coffin. I will give you
whatever you want for it.”
But the Dwarfs answered, “We will not part with it for all the gold in
the world.”
Then he said, “Let me have it as a gift, for I cannot live without
seeing little Snow-White. I will honor and prize her as my dearest
possession,” As he spoke in this way the good Dwarfs took pity upon
him, and gave him the coffin.
And now the King’s Son had it carried away by his servants on their
shoulders. And it happened, that they stumbled over a tree-stump, and
with the shock the poisonous piece of apple, which little Snow-White
had bitten off, came out of her throat. And before long she opened her
eyes, lifted up the lid of the coffin, sat up, and was once more alive.
“Oh, where am I?” she cried.
The King’s Son, full of joy, said, “You are with me,” and told her what
had happened, and said, “I love you more than everything in the world.
Come with me to my father’s palace, you shall be my wife.”
And little Snow-White was willing, and went with him, and their wedding
was held with great show and splendor. But the wicked Queen was also
bidden to the feast. When she had arrayed herself in beautiful clothes,
she went before the Looking-Glass, and said:
“_Looking-Glass, Looking-Glass, on the wall,
Who in this land is the fairest of all?_”
the Glass answered:
“_Oh, Queen, of all here the fairest art thou,
But the young Queen is fairer by far, I trow!_”
Then the wicked woman uttered a curse, and was so wretched, so utterly
wretched, that she knew not what to do. At first she would not go to
the wedding at all, but she had no peace, and must go to see the young
Queen.
And when she went in she knew little Snow-White. And she stood still
with rage and fear, and could not stir. But iron slippers had already
been put upon the fire, and they were brought in with tongs, and set
before her. Then she was forced to put on the red-hot shoes, and dance
until she dropped down dead.
[Illustration]
RUMPELSTILTSKIN
Once there was a miller who was poor, but who had a beautiful daughter.
Now it happened that he had to speak to the King, and in order to make
himself appear important he said to him, “I have a daughter who can
spin straw into gold.”
The King said to the miller, “That is an art which pleases me well.
If your daughter is as clever as you say, bring her to-morrow to my
palace, and I will try what she can do.”
And when the girl was brought to him, he took her into a room which was
quite full of straw, gave her a spinning-wheel and a reel, and said,
“Now set to work. If by to-morrow morning early, you have not spun this
straw into gold, you must die.”
Thereupon he himself locked up the room, and left her in it alone. So
there sat the poor miller’s daughter, and for her life could not tell
what to do. She had no idea how straw could be spun into gold; and she
grew more and more miserable, until at last she began to weep.
But all at once the door opened, and in came a Little Man, and said,
“Good evening, Mistress Miller. Why are you crying so?”
“Alas!” answered the girl, “I have to spin straw into gold, and I do
not know how to do it.”
“What will you give me,” said the Little Man, “if I do it for you?”
“My necklace,” said the girl.
The Little Man took the necklace, seated himself in front of the wheel,
and _whirr, whirr, whirr,_ three turns, and the reel was full. Then he
put another on, and _whirr, whirr, whirr,_ three times round, and the
second was full too. And so it went on till the morning, when all the
straw was spun, and all the reels were full of gold.
By daybreak, the King was there, and when he saw the gold, he was
astonished and delighted, but his heart became only more greedy. He had
the miller’s daughter taken into another room full of straw, which was
much larger, and commanded her to spin that also in one night if she
valued her life.
The girl knew not how to help herself, and was crying, when the door
again opened, and the Little Man appeared, and said, “What will you
give me if I spin the straw into gold for you?”
“The ring on my finger,” answered the girl.
The Little Man took the ring, again began to turn the wheel, and, by
morning, had spun all the straw into glittering gold.
The King rejoiced beyond measure at the sight, but still he had not
gold enough. He had the miller’s daughter taken into a still larger
room full of straw, and said, “You must spin this, too, in the course
of this night. But if you succeed, you shall be my wife.” “Even if she
be a miller’s daughter,” thought he, “I could not find a richer wife in
the whole world.”
When the girl was alone the Little Man came again for the third time,
and said, “What will you give me if I spin the straw for you this time
also?”
“I have nothing left that I could give,” answered the girl.
“Then promise me, if you should become Queen, your first child.”
“Who knows whether that will ever happen?” thought the miller’s
daughter. And, not knowing how else to help herself in this difficulty,
she promised the Little Man what he wanted. And for that he once more
span the straw into gold.
And when the King came in the morning, and found all as he had wished,
he took her in marriage. And the pretty miller’s daughter became a
Queen.
A year after, she had a beautiful child, and she never gave a thought
to the Little Man. But suddenly he came into her room, and said, “Now
give me what you promised.”
The Queen was horror-struck, and offered the Little Man all the riches
of the kingdom if he would leave her the child.
But the Little Man said, “No, something that is alive, is dearer to me
than all the treasures in the world.”
Then the Queen began to weep and cry, so that the Little Man pitied
her. “I will give you three days’ time,” said he; “if by that time you
find out my name, then you shall keep your child.”
So the Queen thought the whole night of all the names that she had ever
heard, and she sent a messenger over the country to inquire, far and
wide, for any other names there might be.
When the Little Man came the next day, she began with _Caspar,
Melchior, Balthazar,_ and said all the names she knew, one after
another. But to every one the Little Man said, “That is not my name.”
On the second day, she had inquiries made in the neighborhood as to
the names of the people there. And she repeated to the Little Man
the most uncommon and curious, “Perhaps your name is _Shortribs_, or
_Sheepshanks_, or _Laceleg_?” but he always answered, “That is not my
name.”
On the third day, the messenger came back again, and said, “I have not
been able to find a single new name. But as I came to a high mountain
at the end of the forest, where the fox and the hare bid each other
good night, there I saw a little house. Before the house a fire was
burning, and round about the fire a funny Little Man was jumping. He
hopped upon one leg, and shouted:
“_To-day I brew, to-morrow I bake,
And next, I shall the Queen’s child take!
Ah! well it is, none knows the same--
That Rumpelstiltskin is my name!_”
You may think how glad the Queen was when she heard the name! And when
soon afterward the Little Man came in, and asked, “Now, Mistress Queen,
what is my name?” she said:
“Is your name _Conrad_?”
“No.”
“Is your name _Harry_?”
“No.”
“Perhaps your name is _Rumpelstiltskin_?”
[Illustration: “PERHAPS,” SAID SHE, “YOUR NAME IS RUMPELSTILTSKIN?”]
“The devil has told you that! the devil has told you that!” cried the
Little Man, and in his anger he stamped his right foot so deep into the
earth that his whole leg went in. And then in rage, he pulled at his
left leg so hard with both hands, that he tore himself in two.
[Illustration]
LITTLE BRIAR-ROSE
A long time ago, there were a King and Queen who said every day, “Ah,
if only we had a child!” but they never had one.
But it happened that once when the Queen was bathing, a Frog crept
out of the water on to the land, and said to her, “Your wish shall be
fulfilled. Before a year has gone by, you shall have a daughter.”
What the Frog had said came true, and the Queen had a little girl, who
was so pretty that the King could not contain himself for joy, and
ordered a great feast. He invited not only his kindred, friends and
acquaintance, but also the Wise Women, in order that they might be kind
and well-disposed toward the child. There were thirteen of them in his
kingdom. But, as he had only twelve golden plates for them to eat out
of, one of them had to be left at home.
The feast was held with all manner of splendor. When it came to an
end the Wise Women bestowed their magic gifts upon the baby. One gave
Virtue, another Beauty, a third Riches, and so on with everything in
the world that one can wish for.
When eleven of them had made their promises, suddenly the thirteenth
came in. She wished to avenge herself for not having been invited, and
without greeting, or even looking at any one, she cried with a loud
voice, “The King’s Daughter, in her fifteenth year, shall prick herself
with a spindle, and fall down dead.” And, without saying a word more,
she turned round and left the room.
They were all shocked. But the twelfth, whose good wish still remained
unspoken, came forward, and as she could not undo the evil sentence,
but only soften it, she said, “It shall not be death, but a deep sleep
of a hundred years, into which the Princess shall fall.”
The King, who wished to keep his dear child from the misfortune,
gave orders that every spindle in the whole kingdom should be burnt.
Meanwhile, the gifts of the Wise Women were fulfilled on the young
girl, for she was so beautiful, modest, sweet tempered, and wise, that
every one who saw her, was bound to love her.
It happened that on the very day, when she was fifteen years old,
the King and Queen were not at home, and the maiden was left in the
palace quite alone. So she went round into all sorts of places, looked
into rooms and bedchambers just as she liked, and at last came to an
old tower. She climbed up the narrow winding-staircase, and reached
a little door. A rusty key was in the lock, and when she turned it
the door sprang open. There in a little room sat an Old Woman with a
spindle, busily spinning flax.
“Good day, old Dame,” said the King’s Daughter; “what are you doing
there?”
“I am spinning,” said the Old Woman, and nodded her head.
“What sort of thing is that, which rattles round so merrily?” said the
maiden, and she took the spindle and wanted to spin too. But scarcely
had she touched the spindle when the magic decree was fulfilled, and
she pricked her finger with it.
And, in the very moment when she felt the prick, she fell down upon the
bed that stood there, and lay in a deep sleep. And this sleep extended
over the whole palace.
The King and Queen, who had just come home, and had entered the great
hall, began to go to sleep, and the whole of the Court with them. The
horses, too, went to sleep in the stable, the dogs in the yard, the
pigeons upon the roof, the flies on the wall. Even the fire, that was
flaming on the hearth, became quiet and slept. The roast meat left off
frizzling, and the cook, who was just going to pull the hair of the
scullery boy, because he had forgotten something, let him go, and went
to sleep. And the wind fell; and on the trees before the castle not a
leaf moved again.
But round about the castle, there began to grow a hedge of thorns.
Every year it became higher, and at last grew close up round the castle
and all over it, so that there was nothing of it to be seen, not even
the flag upon the roof.
But the story of the beautiful sleeping “Briar-Rose,” for so the
Princess was named, went about the country, so that from time to time
Kings’ Sons came and tried to get through the thorny hedge into
the castle. But they found it impossible, for the thorns held fast
together, as if they had hands, and the youths were caught in them,
could not get loose again, and died a miserable death.
After long, long years, again a King’s Son came to that country. He
heard an old man talking about the thorn-hedge, and that a castle was
said to stand behind it in which a wonderfully beautiful Princess,
named Briar-Rose, had been asleep for a hundred years; and that the
King and Queen and the whole Court were asleep likewise. He had heard,
too, from his grandfather, that many Kings’ Sons had come, and had
tried to get through the thorny hedge, but they had remained sticking
fast in it, so had died a pitiful death.
Then the youth said, “I am not afraid. I will go and see the beautiful
Briar-Rose.” The good old man might dissuade him as he would, he did
not listen to his words.