There was once a poor man, who was a woodman, and went every day to
cut wood in the forest. Once as he went along, he heard a cry like a
little child’s: so he followed the sound, till at last he looked up a
high tree, and on one of the branches sat a very little child. Now its
mother had fallen asleep, and a vulture had taken it out of her lap
and flown away with it, and left it on the tree. Then the woodcutter
climbed up, took the little child down, and found it was a pretty
little girl; and he said to himself, “I will take this poor child home,
and bring her up with my own son Hansel.” So he brought her to his
cottage, and both grew up together: he called the little girl Grethel,
and the two children were so very fond of each other that they were
never happy but when they were together.
But the woodcutter became very poor, and had nothing in the world he
could call his own; and indeed he had scarcely bread enough for his
wife and the two children to eat. At last the time came when even that
was all gone, and he knew not where to seek for help in his need. Then
at night, as he lay on his bed, and turned himself here and there,
restless and full of care, his wife said to him, “Husband, listen to
me, and take the two children out early to-morrow morning; give each of
them a piece of bread, and then lead them into the midst of the wood,
where it is thickest, make a fire for them, and go away and leave them
alone to shift for themselves, for we can no longer keep them here.”
“No, wife,” said the husband, “I cannot find it in my heart to leave
the children to the wild beasts of the forest; they would soon tear
them to pieces.” “Well, if you will not do as I say,” answered the
wife, “we must all starve together.” And she would not let him have any
peace until he came into her hard-hearted plan.
Meantime the poor children too were lying awake restless, and weak
from hunger, so that they heard all that Hansel’s mother said to her
husband. “Now,” thought Grethel to herself, “it is all up with us”: and
she began to weep. But Hansel crept to her bedside, and said, “Do not
be afraid, Grethel, I will find out some help for us.” Then he got up,
put on his jacket, and opened the door and went out.
The moon shone bright upon the little court before the cottage, and
the white pebbles glittered like daisies on the green meadows. So he
stooped down, and put as many as he could into his pocket, and then
went back to the house. “Now, Grethel,” said he, “rest in peace!” and
he went to bed and fell fast asleep.
Early in the morning, before the sun had risen, the woodman’s wife came
and awoke them. “Get up, children,” said she, “we are going into the
wood; there is a piece of bread for each of you, but take care of it,
and keep some for the afternoon.” Grethel took the bread, and carried
it in her apron, because Hansel had his pocket full of stones; and they
made their way into the wood.
[Illustration: Lingering behind to drop one pebble after another along
the road]
After they had walked on for a time, Hansel stood still and looked
towards home; and after a while he turned again, and so on several
times. Then his father said, “Hansel, why do you keep turning and
lagging about so? Move on a little faster.” “Ah, father,” answered
Hansel, “I am stopping to look at my white cat, that sits on the
roof, and wants to say good-bye to me.” “You little fool!” said his
mother, “that is not your cat; it is the morning sun shining on the
chimney-top.” Now Hansel had not been looking at the cat, but had all
the while been lingering behind, to drop from his pocket one white
pebble after another along the road.
When they came into the midst of the wood the woodman said, “Run about,
children, and pick up some wood, and I will make a fire to keep us all
warm.” So they piled up a little heap of brushwood, and set it on fire;
and as the flames burnt bright, the mother said, “Now set yourselves
by the fire, and go to sleep, while we go and cut wood in the forest;
be sure you wait till we come again and fetch you.” Hansel and Grethel
sat by the fireside till the afternoon, and then each of them ate
their piece of bread. They fancied the woodman was still in the wood,
because they thought they heard the blows of his axe; but it was a
bough, which he had cunningly hung upon a tree, in such a way that the
wind blew it backwards and forwards against the other boughs: and so it
sounded as the axe does in cutting. Thus they waited till evening: but
the woodman and his wife kept away, and no one came to fetch them.
When it was quite dark Grethel began to cry; but then Hansel said,
“Wait awhile till the moon rises.” And when the moon rose he took her
by the hand, and there lay the pebbles along the ground, glittering
like new pieces of money, and marking out the way. Towards morning they
came again to the woodman’s house, and he was glad in his heart when he
saw the children again, for he had grieved at leaving them alone. His
wife also seemed to be glad; but in her heart she was angry at it.
Not long afterwards there was again no bread in the house, and Hansel
and Grethel heard the wife say to her husband, “The children found
their way back once, and I took it in good part; but now there is only
half a loaf of bread left for them in the house; to-morrow you must
take them deeper into the wood, that they may not find their way out,
or we shall all be starved.” It grieved the husband in his heart to
do as his selfish wife wished, and he thought it would be better to
share their last morsel with the children; but as he had done as she
said once, he did not dare now to say no. When the children heard all
their plan, Hansel got up, and wanted to pick up pebbles as before; but
when he came to the door, he found his mother had locked it. Still he
comforted Grethel, and said, “Sleep in peace, dear Grethel! God is very
kind, and will help us.”
Early in the morning, a piece of bread was given to each of them,
but still smaller than the one they had before. Upon the road Hansel
crumbled his in his pocket and often stood still, and threw a crumb
upon the ground. “Why do you lag so behind, Hansel?” said the woodman;
“go your ways on before.” “I am looking at my little dove that is
sitting upon the roof, and wants to say good-bye to me.” “You silly
boy!” said the wife, “that is not your little dove; it is the morning
sun, that shines on the chimney-top.” But Hansel still went on
crumbling his bread, and throwing it on the ground. And thus they went
on still further into the wood, where they had never been before in all
their life.
There they were again told to sit down by a large fire, and go to
sleep; and the woodman and his wife said they would come in the evening
and fetch them away. In the afternoon Hansel shared Grethel’s bread,
because he had strewed all his upon the road; but the day passed away,
and evening passed away too, and no one came to the poor children.
Still Hansel comforted Grethel, and said, “Wait till the moon rises;
and then I shall be able to see the crumbs of bread which I have
strewed, and they will show us the way home.”
The moon rose; but when Hansel looked for the crumbs they were gone,
for hundreds of little birds in the wood had found them and picked them
up. Hansel, however, set out to try and find his way home; but they
soon lost themselves in the wilderness, and went on through the night
and all the next day, till at last they laid down and fell asleep for
weariness. Another day they went on as before, but still did not come
to the end of the wood; and they were as hungry as could be, for they
had had nothing to eat.
In the afternoon of the third day they came to a strange little hut,
made of bread, with a roof of cake, and windows of barley-sugar. “Now
we will sit down and eat till we have had enough,” said Hansel; “I will
eat off the roof for my share; do you eat the windows, Grethel, they
will be nice and sweet for you.” Whilst Grethel, however, was picking
at the barley-sugar, a pretty voice called softly from within,
“Tip, tap! who goes there?”
But the children answered,
“The wind, the wind,
That blows through the air!”
and went on eating. Now Grethel had broken out a round pane of the
window for herself, and Hansel had torn off a large piece of cake from
the roof, when the door opened, and a little old fairy came gliding
out. At this Hansel and Grethel were so frightened, that they let fall
what they had in their hands. But the old lady nodded to them, and
said, “Dear children, where have you been wandering about? Come in with
me; you shall have something good.”
So she took them each by the hand, and led them into her little
hut, and brought out plenty to eat,--milk and pancakes, with sugar,
apples, and nuts; and then two beautiful little beds were got ready,
and Grethel and Hansel laid themselves down, and thought they were in
heaven. But the fairy was a spiteful one, and made her pretty sweetmeat
house to entrap little children. Early in the morning, before they
were awake, she went to their little beds; and though she saw the two
sleeping and looking so sweetly, she had no pity on them, but was glad
they were in her power. Then she took up Hansel, and fastened him up in
a coop by himself, and when he awoke he found himself behind a grating,
shut up safely, as chickens are; but she shook Grethel, and called
out, “Get up, you lazy little thing, and fetch some water; and go into
the kitchen, and cook something good to eat: your brother is shut up
yonder; I shall first fatten him, and when he is fat, I think I shall
eat him.”
[Illustration: I will eat off the roof for my share]
When the fairy was gone poor Grethel watched her time, and got up, and
ran to Hansel, and told him what she had heard, and said, “We must run
away quickly, for the old woman is a bad fairy, and will kill us.” But
Hansel said, “You must first steal away her fairy wand, that we may
save ourselves if she should follow; and bring the pipe too that hangs
up in her room.” Then the little maiden ran back, and fetched the magic
wand and the pipe, and away they went together; so when the old fairy
came back and could see no one at home, she sprang in a great rage to
the window, and looked out into the wide world (which she could do far
and near), and a long way off she spied Grethel, running away with
her dear Hansel. “You are already a great way off,” said she; “but you
will still fall into my hands.”
[Illustration: Fastened him up in a coop]
Then she put on her boots, which walked several miles at a step, and
scarcely made two steps with them before she overtook the children; but
Grethel saw that the fairy was coming after them, and, by the help of
the wand, turned her friend Hansel into a lake of water, and herself
into a swan, which swam about in the middle of it. So the fairy sat
herself down on the shore, and took a great deal of trouble to decoy
the swan, and threw crumbs of bread to it; but it would not come near
her, and she was forced to go home in the evening without taking her
revenge. Then Grethel changed herself and Hansel back into their own
forms once more, and they went journeying on the whole night, until the
dawn of day: and then the maiden turned herself into a beautiful rose,
that grew in the midst of a quickset hedge; and Hansel sat by the side.
The fairy soon came striding along. “Good piper,” said she, “may I
pluck yon beautiful rose for myself?” “O yes,” answered he. “And then,”
thought he to himself, “I will play you a tune meantime.” So when she
had crept into the hedge in a great hurry, to gather the flower--for
she well knew what it was,--he pulled out the pipe slily, and began to
play. Now the pipe was a fairy pipe, and, whether they liked it or not,
whoever heard it was obliged to dance. So the old fairy was forced to
dance a merry jig, on and on without any rest, and without being able
to reach the rose. And as he did not cease playing a moment, the thorns
at length tore the clothes from off her body, and pricked her sorely,
and there she stuck quite fast.
Then Grethel set herself free once more, and on they went; but she grew
very tired, and Hansel said, “Now I will hasten home for help.” And
Grethel said, “I will stay here in the meantime, and wait for you.”
Then Hansel went away, and Grethel was to wait for him.
But when Grethel had stayed in the field a long time, and found he did
not come back, she became quite sorrowful, and turned herself into a
little daisy, and thought to herself, “Someone will come and tread me
under foot, and so my sorrows will end.” But it so happened that, as a
shepherd was keeping watch in a field, he saw the daisy; and thinking
it very pretty, he took it home, placed it in a box in his room, and
said, “I have never found so pretty a daisy before.” From that time
everything throve wonderfully at the shepherd’s house. When he got up
in the morning, all the household work was ready done; the room was
swept and cleaned, the fire made, and the water fetched; and in the
afternoon, when he came home, the table-cloth was laid, and a good
dinner ready set for him. He could not make out how all this happened,
for he saw no one in his house; and although it pleased him well
enough, he was at length troubled to think how it could be, and went
to a cunning woman who lived hard by, and asked her what he should do.
She said, “There must be witchcraft in it; look out to-morrow morning
early, and see if anything stirs about in the room: if it does, throw a
white cloth at once over it, and then the witchcraft will be stopped.”
The shepherd did as she said, and the next morning saw the box open,
and the daisy come out: then he sprang up quickly, and threw a white
cloth over it: in an instant the spell was broken, and Grethel stood
before him, for it was she who had taken care of his house for him; and
she was so beautiful, that he asked her if she would marry him. She
said, “No,” because she wished to be faithful to her dear Hansel; but
she agreed to stay, and keep house for him till Hansel came back.
Time passed on, and Hansel came back at last; for the spiteful fairy
had led him astray, and he had not been able for a long time to find
his way, either home or back to Grethel. Then he and Grethel set out
to go home; but after travelling a long way, Grethel became tired, and
she and Hansel laid themselves down to sleep in a fine old hollow tree
that grew in a meadow by the side of the wood. But as they slept the
fairy--who had got out of the bush at last--came by; and finding her
wand was glad to lay hold of it, and at once turned poor Hansel into a
fawn while he was asleep.
Soon after Grethel awoke, and found what had happened; and she wept
bitterly over the poor creature; and the tears too rolled down his
eyes, as he laid himself down beside her. Then she said, “Rest in
peace, dear fawn; I will never, never leave thee.” So she took off her
golden necklace, and put it round his neck, and plucked some rushes,
and plaited them into a soft string to fasten to it, and led the poor
little thing by her side when she went to walk in the wood; and when
they were tired they came back, and laid down to sleep by the side of
the hollow tree, where they lodged at night: but nobody came near them
except the little dwarfs that lived in the wood, and these watched over
them while they were asleep.
At last one day they came to a little cottage; and Grethel having
looked in, and seen that it was quite empty, thought to herself, “We
can stay and live here.” Then she went and gathered leaves and moss
to make a soft bed for the fawn; and every morning she went out and
plucked nuts, roots, and berries for herself, and sweet shrubs and
tender grass for her friend; and it ate out of her hand, and was
pleased, and played and frisked about her. In the evening, when Grethel
was tired, and had said her prayers, she laid her head upon the fawn
for her pillow, and slept; and if poor Hansel could but have his right
form again, she thought they should lead a very happy life.
They lived thus a long while in the wood by themselves, till it chanced
that the king of that country came to hold a great hunt there. And when
the fawn heard all around the echoing of the horns, and the baying of
the dogs, and the merry shouts of the huntsmen, he wished very much to
go and see what was going on. “Ah, sister! sister!” said he, “let me go
out into the wood, I can stay no longer.” And he begged so long, that
she at last agreed to let him go. “But,” said she, “be sure to come to
me in the evening; I shall shut up the door, to keep out those wild
huntsmen; and if you tap at it and say, ‘Sister, let me in!’ I shall
know you; but if you don’t speak, I shall keep the door fast.” Then
away sprang the fawn, and frisked and bounded along in the open air.
The king and his huntsmen saw the beautiful creature, and followed, but
could not overtake him; for when they thought they were sure of their
prize, he sprang over the bushes, and was out of sight at once.
As it grew dark he came running home to the hut and tapped, and said,
“Sister, sister, let me in!” Then she opened the little door, and in
he jumped, and slept soundly all night on his soft bed.
Next morning the hunt began again; and when he heard the huntsmen’s
horns, he said, “Sister, open the door for me, I must go again.” Then
she let him out, and said, “Come back in the evening, and remember
what you are to say.” When the king and the huntsmen saw the fawn with
the golden collar again, they gave him chase; but he was too quick for
them. The chase lasted the whole day; but at last the huntsmen nearly
surrounded him, and one of them wounded him in the foot, so that he
became sadly lame, and could hardly crawl home. The man who had wounded
him followed close behind, and hid himself, and heard the little fawn
say, “Sister, sister, let me in!” upon which the door opened, and soon
shut again. The huntsman marked all well, and went to the king and told
him what he had seen and heard; then the king said, “To-morrow we will
have another chase.”
Grethel was very much frightened when she saw that her dear little fawn
was wounded; but she washed the blood away, and put some healing herbs
on it, and said, “Now go to bed, dear fawn, and you will soon be well
again.” The wound was so slight, that in the morning there was nothing
to be seen of it; and when the horn blew, the little thing said, “I
can’t stay here, I must go and look on; I will take care that none of
them shall catch me.” But Grethel said, “I am sure they will kill you
this time: I will not let you go.” “I shall die of grief,” said he, “if
you keep me here; when I hear the horns, I feel as if I could fly.”
Then Grethel was forced to let him go: so she opened the door with a
heavy heart, and he bounded out gaily into the wood.
When the king saw him, he said to his huntsmen, “Now chase him all day
long, till you catch him; but let none of you do him any harm.” The sun
set, however, without their being able to overtake him, and the king
called away the huntsmen, and said to the one who had watched, “Now
come and show me the little hut.” So they went to the door and tapped,
and said, “Sister, sister, let me in!” Then the door opened, and the
king went in, and there stood a maiden more lovely than any he had ever
seen.
[Illustration: Tailpiece]
Grethel was frightened to see that it was not her fawn, but a king with
a golden crown that was come into her hut: however, he spoke kindly to
her, and took her hand, and said, “Will you come with me to my castle,
and be my wife?” “Yes,” said the maiden, “I will go to your castle, but
I cannot be your wife; and my fawn must go with me, I cannot part with
that.” “Well,” said the king, “he shall come and live with you all your
life, and want for nothing.” Just then in sprang the little fawn; and
his sister tied the string to his neck, and they left the hut in the
wood together.
Then the king took Grethel to his palace, and on the way she told him
all her story: and then he sent for the fairy, and made her change the
fawn into Hansel again; and he and Grethel loved one another, and were
married, and lived happily together all their days in the good king’s
palace.
* * * * *
The story of Hansel and Grethel was liked as well as any one that could
be told and the German Fairy was very proud of this, so much so that
she began to declare that the part of the world which she came from was
one far richer than any other in such stories, and implied that she was
quite ready to tell them all if King Oberon liked, but the king did not
take the hint but instead thanked the German Fairy, and at once began
to look around for the next tale-teller when Puck came flying up and in
a privileged fashion whispered in the ear of the Fairy King.
“Capital,” exclaimed Oberon, “Bottom and his friends must know some
stories and one of them shall be next.”
Off Puck went, and then there was such a shuffling of feet and nudging
of elbows where Nick Bottom the weaver sat with Quince, Snug, Flute,
Snout and Starveling, his companions.
“You first, bully Bottom,” says Snout, and “You first, Peter Quince,”
says Nick Bottom, and “You first, Robin Starveling,” “You first,
Flute,” comes from the others.
Puck would not wait for the dispute as to precedence to be settled
but just laid hold of Robin Starveling the tailor by the ear and
willy-nilly off he had to go. On getting to the stool, like a sensible
fellow, he began at once without any excuses by telling another story
of the Irish fairies, and his story was called
[Illustration: Robin Starveling]
[Illustration: Mick found that he hadn’t enough half to pay the rent]