《Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales》The Goose-Girl
Advertisement
There was once upon a time an old queen whose husband had been dead for many years, and she had a beautiful daughter. When the princess grew up she was betrothed to a prince who lived at a great distance.When the time came for her to be married, and she had to journey forth into the distant kingdom, the aged queen packed up for her many costly vessels of silver and gold, and trinkets also of gold and silver, and cups and jewels, in short, everything which appertained to a royal dowry, for she loved her child with all her heart.She likewise sent her maid-in-waiting, who was to ride with her, and hand her over to the bridegroom, and each had a horse for the journey, but the horse of the king's daughter was called falada, and could speak. So when the hour of parting had come, the aged mother went into her bedroom, took a small knife and cut her finger with it until it bled. Then she held a white handkerchief to it into which she let three drops of blood fall, gave it to her daughter and said,dear child, preserve this carefully, it will be of service to you on your way.So they took a sorrowful leave of each other, the princess put the piece of cloth in her bosom, mounted her horse, and then went away to her bridegroom. After she had ridden for a while she felt a burning thirst, and said to her waiting-maid, dismount, and take my cup which you have brought with you for me, and get me some water from the stream, for I should like to drink. If you are thirsty, said the waiting-maid, get off your horse yourself, and lie down and drink out of the water, I don't choose to be your servant.So in her great thirst the princess alighted, bent down over the water in the stream and drank, and was not allowed to drink out of the golden cup. Then she said, ah, heaven, and the three drops of blood answered, if this your mother knew, her heart would break in two. But the king's daughter was humble, said nothing, and mounted her horse again.She rode some miles further, but the day was warm, the sun scorched her, and she was thirsty once more, and when they came to a stream of water, she again cried to her waiting-maid, dismount, and give me some water in my golden cup, for she had long ago forgotten the girl's ill words. But the waiting-maid said still more haughtily, if you wish to drink, get it yourself, I don't choose to be your maid.Then in her great thirst the king's daughter alighted, bent over the flowing stream, wept and said, ah, heaven, and the drops of blood again replied, if this your mother knew, her heart would break in two. And as she was thus drinking and leaning right over the stream, the hanker chief with the three drops of blood fell out of her bosom, and floated away with the water without her observing it, so great washer trouble. The waiting-maid, however, had seen it, and she rejoiced to think that she had now power over the bride, for since the princess had lost the drops of blood, she had become weak and powerless.So now when she wanted to mount her horse again, the one that was called falada, the waiting-maid said, falada is more suitable for me,and my nag will do for you, and the princess had to be content with that. Then the waiting-maid, with many hard words, bade the princess exchange her royal apparel for her own shabby clothes, and at length she was compelled to swear by the clear sky above her, that she would not say one word of this to anyone at the royal court, and if she had not taken this oath she would have been killed on the spot. But falada saw all this, and observed it well.The waiting-maid now mounted falada, and the true bride the bad horse, and thus they travelled on wards, until at length they entered the royal palace. There were great rejoicings over her arrival, and the prince sprang forward to meet her, lifted the waiting-maid from her horse, and thought she was his consort.She was conducted upstairs, but the real princess was left standing below. Then the old king looked out of the window and saw her standing in the courtyard, and noticed how dainty and delicate and beautiful she was, and instantly went to the royal apartment, and asked the bride about the girl she had with her who was standing down below in the courtyard, and who she was. I picked her up on my way for a companion, give the girl something to work at, that she may not stand idle.But the old king had no work for her, and knew of none, so he said, I have a little boy who tends the geese, she may help him. The boy was called Conrad, and the true bride had to help him to tend the geese.Soon afterwards the false bride said to the young king, dearest husband, I beg you to do me a favour. He answered, I will do so most willingly. Then send for the knacker, and have the head of the horse on which I rode here cut off, for it vexed me on the way. In reality,she was afraid that the horse might tell how she had behaved to the king's daughter.Then she succeeded in making the king promise that it should be done,and the faithful falada was to die, this came to the ears of the real princess, and she secretly promised to pay the knacker a piece of gold if he would perform a small service for her. There was a great dark-looking gateway in the town, through which morning and evening she had to pass with the geese, would he be so good as to nail up falada's head on it, so that she might see him again, more than once.The knacker's man promised to do that, and cut off the head, and nailed it fast beneath the dark gateway.Early in the morning, when she and Conrad drove out their flock beneath this gateway, she said in passing, alas, falada, hanging there.Then the head answered, alas, young queen, how ill you fare. If this your mother knew, her heart would break in two.Then they went still further out of the town, and drove their geese into the country. And when they had come to the meadow, she sat down and unbound her hair which was like pure gold, and Conrad saw it and delighted in its brightness, and wanted to pluck out a few hairs.Then she said, blow, blow, thou gentle wind, I say, blow Conrad's little hat away, and make him chase it here and there, until I have braided all my hair, and bound it up again.And there came such a violent wind that it blew Conrad's hat far away across country, and he was forced to run after it. When he came back she had finished combing her hair and was putting it up again, and he could not get any of it. Then Conrad was angry, and would not speak to her, and thus they watched the geese until the evening, and then they went home. Next day when they were driving the geese out through the dark gateway, the maiden said, alas, falada, hanging there. Falada answered, alas, young queen, how ill you fare. If this your mother knew, her heart would break in two.And she sat down again in the field and began to comb out her hair,and Conrad ran and tried to clutch it, so she said in haste, blow, blow, thou gentle wind, I say, blow Conrad's little hat away, and make him chase it here and there, until I have braided all my hair, and bound it up again.Then the wind blew, and blew his little hat off his head and faraway, and Conrad was forced to run after it, and when he came back,her hair had been put up a long time, and he could get none of it,and so they looked after their geese till evening came.But in the evening after they had got home, Conrad went to the old king, and said, I won't tend the geese with that girl any longer.Why not, inquired the aged king. Oh, because she vexes me the whole day long. Then the aged king commanded him to relate what it wast hat she did to him. And Conrad said, in the morning when we pass beneath the dark gateway with the block, there is a horse's head on the wall, and she says to it, alas, falada, hanging there.And the head replies, alas, young queen how ill you fare. If this your mother knew, her heart would break in two.And Conrad went on to relate what happened on the goose pasture, and how when there he had to chase his hat.The aged king commanded him to drive his block out again next day,and as soon as morning came, he placed himself behind the dark gateway, and heard how the maiden spoke to the head of falada, and then he too went into the country, and hid himself in the thicket in the meadow. There he soon saw with his own eyes the goose-girl and the goose-boy bringing their flock, and how after a while she sat down and in plaited her hair, which shone with radiance. And soon she said, blow, blow, thou gentle wind, I say, blow Conrad's little hat away, and make him chase it here and there, until I have braided all my hair, and bound it up again.Then came a blast of wind and carried off Conrad's hat, so that he had to run far away, while the maiden quietly went on combing and plaiting her hair, all of which the king observed. Then, quite unseen, he went away, and when the goose-girl came home in the evening, he called her aside, and asked why she did all these things.I may not tell that, and I dare not lament my sorrows to any human being, for I have sworn not to do so by the heaven which is above me,if I had not done that, I should have lost my life.He urged her and left her no peace, but he could draw nothing from her. Then said he, if you will not tell me anything, tell your sorrows to the iron-stove there, and he went away. Then she crept to the iron-stove, and began to weep and lament, and emptied her whole heart, and said, here am I deserted by the whole world, and yet I am a king's daughter, and a false waiting-maid has by force brought me to such a pass that I have been compelled to put off my royal apparel, and she has taken my place with my bridegroom, and I have to perform menial service as a goose-girl if this my mother knew, her heart would break in two.The aged king, however, was standing outside by the pipe of the stove, and was listening to what she said, and heard it. Then he came back again, and bade her come out of the stove. And royal garments were placed on her, and it was marvellous how beautiful she was. The aged king summoned his son, and revealed to him that he had got the false bride who was only a waiting-maid, but that the true one was standing there, as the former goose-girl. The young king rejoiced with all his heart when he saw her beauty and youth, and a great feast was made ready to which all the people and all good friends were invited.At the head of the table sat the bridegroom with the king's daughter at one side of him, and the waiting-maid on the other, but the waiting-maid was blinded, and did not recognise the princess in her dazzling array. When they had eaten and drunk, and were merry, the aged king asked the waiting-maid as a riddle, what punishment a person deserved who had behaved in such and such a way to her master,and at the same time related the whole story, and asked what sentence such a person merited. Then the false bride said, she deserves no better fate than to be stripped entirely naked, and put in a barrel which is studded inside with pointed nails, and two white horses should be harnessed to it, which will drag her along through one street after another, till she is dead.It is you, said the aged king, and you have pronounced your own sentence, and thus shall it be done unto you. And when the sentence had been carried out, the young king married his true bride, and both of them reigned over their kingdom in peace and happiness.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Shadow Pack Stories [Completed]
You do know that Werewolves live in a pack, hence, these stories will be picking on Shadow Pack from Cyprus Island. Come on the journey to know what kind of werewolf pack it was. Of course, the hierar...
8 333Hellhound
[Style:] First person, stream of consciousness. A male acid attack victim loses his sight to the liquid hate splashed on his face. Locking himself away from the world, kept sane only by the companionship of his dog, Ria, he attempts to return to society after a week has passed. Only to find that the world has changed when he wasn't "looking". The story of a boy and his dog during the apocalypse.
8 183Yggdrasil - The Tree of Life
Syrus, the son of a small town Captain of the Guard, is thrust into a world of magic and intrigue as a once beaten enemy invades the kingdom of Tardis, desperate to escape an even greater foe that now floods out of the blasted lands. Syrus and his friends must succesfully learn to harness their abilities, before putting them to the ultimate test - war.
8 199Bonespore
Harux Y'saanith is not your average elf. He is wild, untamed, and likes a good old cut of meat over a plate of vegetables. But what he does have in common is his love of fighting and magic. So when he gets the perfect opportunity to join an academy full of strong fighters, he couldn't resist. Journeying with an eccentric tech billionaire, a boy who's way too theatrical for his own good, a proud knightess and many others, Harux wonders if he'd finally found strong opponents, or even people he can call his friends. Bonespore is a shonen-inspired story set in an academy where students train and fight. There is also a blend of magic and SciFi as it is set in a post-modern world of sorts. If you like something that is a blend of both magical slice of life, and tense moments with battle, horror and other events, then it'll be to your liking. (This will be crossposted onto Scribblehub)
8 171Eldingar - The Lady of Golden Steel
We follow the story of a Noble's daughter. Highborn, with everything that she could've asked for. With the status of a Ducal daughter, the wealth of an international business conglomerate, unprecedented magical and intellectual talent that brought her the fear and admiration of her peers... It was certainly quite a life. One where virtually every door of opportunity was open to her. But, of all things. She chose one door in particular. Something that very few her age would've ever decided to do. A path which many more would regret having ever gone down on. But, that was years ago. Surely, it was already behind her. And quite soon, she's to travel across the continent. A trip which she had been planning for the past six years. All by herself. How could things go possibly go wrong from here? And it does, would she be able to pull herself out of it?
8 80Legends of Etheria
It's the year 2020 and the world's first VRMMO game, Legends of Etheria, has taken the world by storm. A fantasy game of epic proportions, featuring common elements such as magic and monsters but on a continental scale. Each player can choose to do whatever they want to in this world. From founding their own nation or joining an existing faction to even living as a peasant, a world with the promise of free choice. We follow Ray, a typical gamer, as he forges his way through this world...with a little help.
8 90