173 The Bittern and the Hoopoe
178 Master Pfriem (Master Cobbler’s Awl)
179 The Goose-Girl at the Well
182 The Little Folks’ Presents
188 The Spindle, The Shuttle, and the Needle
199 The Boots of Buffalo-Leather
FOREWORD
The Brothers Grimm, Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859) were German brothers who remained close friends, and both studied law. While Jacob went on to study philology, Wilhelm wrote. The two of them worked on creating a German dictionary, but it would not be finished until long after they were both dead.
The Brothers would be lost to history, except they also collaborated on a collection of 200 fairy tales and published two volumes of them in 1812 and 1814. Although their intention was purely to preserve the material and try to keep the German culture and history alive, their collection proved to be massively popular with young children. The first English translation arrived in 1823, making them a must read for children ever since.
1840 edition of the Fairy Tales
1840 cover for Volume 2
1 The Frog-King, or Iron Henry
In old times when wishing still helped one, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful that the sun itself, which has seen so much, was astonished whenever it shone in her face. Close by the King’s castle lay a great dark forest, and under an old lime-tree in the forest was a well, and when the day was very warm, the King’s child went out into the forest and sat down by the side of the cool fountain, and when she was dull she took a golden ball, and threw it up on high and caught it, and this ball was her favorite plaything.
Now it so happened that on one occasion the princess’s golden ball did not fall into the little hand which she was holding up for it, but on to the ground beyond, and rolled straight into the water. The King’s daughter followed it with her eyes, but it vanished, and the well was deep, so deep that the bottom could not be seen. On this she began to cry, and cried louder and louder, and could not be comforted. And as she thus lamented some one said to her, “What ails thee, King’s daughter? Thou weepest so that even a stone would show pity.” She looked round to the side from whence the voice came, and saw a frog stretching forth its thick, ugly head from the water. “Ah! old water-splasher, is it thou?” said she; “I am weeping for my golden ball, which has fallen into the well.”
“Be quiet, and do not weep,” answered the frog, “I can help thee, but what wilt thou give me if I bring thy plaything up again?” “Whatever thou wilt have, dear frog,” said she—“My clothes, my pearls and jewels, and even the golden crown which I am wearing.”
The frog answered,