Two Grimm Tales
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The Wedding of Mrs. Fox
(Die Hochzeit der Frau Füchsin)
First Story
There was once on a time an old fox with nine tails, who believed that his wife was not faithful to him, and wished to try her. He stretched himself out under the bench, did not move a limb, and behaved as if he were stone dead. Mrs. Fox went up to her room, shut herself in, and her maid, Miss Cat, sat by the fire, and did the cooking. When it became known that the old fox was dead, wooers presented themselves. The maid heard some one standing at the house-door, knocking. She went and opened it, and it was a young fox, who said,"What may you be about, Miss Cat?She answered,
Do you sleep or do you wake?"
"I am not sleeping, I am waking,"No, thank you, miss," said the fox, "what is Mrs. Fox doing?" The maid replied,
Would you know what I am making?
I am boiling warm beer with butter so nice,
Will the gentleman enter and drink some likewise?"
"She sits all alone,"Do just tell her, miss, that a young fox is here, who would like to woo her."
And makes her moan,
Weeping her little eyes quite red,
Because old Mr. Fox is dead."
"Certainly, young sir."
The cat goes up the stairs trip, trap,"But has he nine as beautiful tails as the late Mr. Fox?"
The door she knocks at tap, tap, tap,
"Mistress Fox, are you inside?"
"Oh yes, my little cat," she cried.
"A wooer he stands at the door out there."
"Tell me what he is like, my dear?"
"Oh, no," answered the cat, "he has only one."
"Then I will not have him."
Miss Cat went downstairs and sent the wooer away. Soon afterwards there was another knock, and another fox was at the door who wished to woo Mrs. Fox. He had two tails, but he did not fare better than the first. After this still more came, each with one tail more than the other, but they were all turned away, till at last one came who had nine tails, like old Mr. Fox. When the widow heard that, she said joyfully to the cat,
"Now open the gates and doors all wide,But just as the wedding was going to be solemnized, old Mr. Fox stirred under the bench, and cudgelled all the rabble, and drove them and Mrs. Fox out of the house.
And carry old Mr. Fox outside."
Second Story
When old Mr. Fox was dead, the wolf came as a wooer, and knocked at the door, and the cat who was servant to Mrs. Fox, opened it for him. The wolf greeted her, and said,"Good day, Mrs. Cat of Kehrewit,The cat replied,
"How comes it that alone you sit?
What are you making good?"
"In milk I'm breaking bread so sweet,"No, thank you, Mrs. Cat," answered the wolf. "Is Mrs. Fox not at home?"
Will the gentleman please come in and eat?"
The cat said,
"She sits upstairs in her room,The wolf answered,
Bewailing her sorrowful doom,
Bewailing her trouble so sore,
For old Mr. Fox is no more."
"If she's in want of a husband now,Mrs. Fox asked, "Has the gentleman red stockings on' and has he a pointed mouth?"
Then will it please her to step below?"
The cat runs quickly up the stair,
And lets her tail fly here and there,
Till she comes to the parlour door.
With her five gold rings at the door she knocks,
"Are you within, good Mistress Fox?
If you're in want of a husband now,
Then will it please you to step below?
"No," answered the cat.
"Then he won't do for me."
When the wolf was gone, came a dog, a stag, a hare, a bear, a lion, and all the beasts of the forest, one after the other. But one of the good points which old Mr. Fox had possessed, was always lacking, and the cat had continually to send the wooers away. At length came a young fox. Then Mrs. Fox said, "Has the gentleman red stockings on, and has he a little pointed mouth?"
"Yes," said the cat, "he has."
"Then let him come upstairs," said Mrs. Fox, and ordered the servant to prepare the wedding-feast.
"Sweep me the room as clean as you can,Then the wedding was solemnized with young Mr. Fox, and there was much rejoicing and dancing; and if they have not left off, they are dancing still.
Up with the window, fling out my old man!
For many a fine fat mouse he brought,
Yet of his wife he never thought,
But ate up every one he caught."
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The Seven Ravens
(Die sieben Raben)
There was once a man who had seven sons, and still he had no daughter, however much
he wished for one. At length his wife again gave him hope of a child, and when it came into
the world it was a girl. The joy was great, but the child was sickly and small, and had to
be privately baptized on account of its weakness. The father sent one of the boys in haste
to the spring to fetch water for the baptism. The other six went with him, and as each of
them wanted to be first to fill it, the jug fell into the well. There they stood and did not
know what to do, and none of them dared to go home. As they still did not return, the father
grew impatient, and said, "They have certainly forgotten it for some game, the wicked boys!"
He became afraid that the girl would have to die without being baptized, and in his anger
cried, "I wish the boys were all turned into ravens." Hardly was the word spoken before he
heard a whirring of wings over his head in the air, looked up and saw seven coal-black
ravens flying away. The parents could not recall the curse, and however sad they were at the
loss of their seven sons, they still to some extent comforted themselves with their dear
little daughter, who soon grew strong and every day became more beautiful. For a long time
she did not know that she had had brothers, for her parents were careful not to mention them
before her, but one day she accidentally heard some people saying of herself, "that the girl
was certainly beautiful, but that in reality she was to blame for the misfortune which had
befallen her seven brothers." Then she was much troubled, and went to her father and mother
and asked if it was true that she had had brothers, and what had become of them? The parents
now dared keep the secret no longer, but said that what had befallen her brothers was the
will of Heaven, and that her birth had only been the innocent cause. But the maiden took it
to heart daily, and thought she must deliver her brothers. She had no rest or peace till she
set out secretly, and went forth into the wide world to trace out her brothers and set them
free, let it cost what it might. She took nothing with her but a little ring belonging to
her parents as a keepsake, a loaf of bread against hunger, a little pitcher of water against
thirst, and a little chair as a provision against weariness.And now she went continually onwards, far, far to the very end of the world. Then she came to the sun, but it was too hot and terrible, and devoured little children. Hastily she ran away, and ran to the moon, but it was far too cold, and also awful and malicious, and when it saw the child, it said, "I smell, I smell the flesh of men."
On this she ran swiftly away, and came to the stars, which were kind and good to her, and each of them sat on its own particular little chair. But the morning star arose, and gave her the drumstick of a chicken, and said, "If you you have not that drumstick you can not open the Glass mountain, and in the Glass mountain are your brothers."
The maiden took the drumstick, wrapped it carefully in a cloth, and went onwards again till she came to the Glass mountain. The door was shut, and she thought she would take out the drumstick; but when she undid the cloth, it was empty, and she had lost the good star's present. What was she now to do? She wished to rescue her brothers, and had no key to the Glass mountain. The good sister took a knife, cut off one of her little fingers, put it in the door, and succeeded in opening it. When she had gone inside, a little dwarf came to meet her, who said, "My child, what are you looking for?"
"I am looking for my brothers, the seven ravens," she replied. The dwarf said, "The lord ravens are not at home, but if you will wait here till they come, step in."
Thereupon the little dwarf carried the ravens' dinner in, on seven little plates, and in seven little glasses, and the little sister ate a morsel from each plate, and from each little glass she took a sip, but in the last little glass she dropped the ring which she had brought away with her.
Suddenly she heard a whirring of wings and a rushing through the air, and then the little dwarf said, "Now the lord ravens are flying home."
Then they came, and wanted to eat and drink, and looked for their little plates and glasses. Then said one after the other, "Who has eaten something from my plate? Who has drunk out of my little glass? It was a human mouth."
And when the seventh came to the bottom of the glass, the ring rolled against his mouth. Then he looked at it, and saw that it was a ring belonging to his father and mother, and said, "God grant that our sister may be here, and then we shall be free."
When the maiden, who was standing behind the door watching, heard that wish, she came forth, and on this all the ravens were restored to their human form again. And they embraced and kissed each other, and went joyfully home.
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