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Grimms' Fairy Tales
The
White Snake
A long time ago there lived a king who was
famed for his wisdom through all the land. Nothing was hidden
from him, and it seemed as if news of the most secret things
was brought to him through the air. But he had a strange
custom; every day after dinner, when the table was cleared,
and no one else was present, a trusty servant had to bring
him one more dish. It was covered, however, and even the
servant did not know what was in it, neither did anyone
know, for the King never took off the cover to eat of it
until he was quite alone.
This had gone on for a long time, when one day the servant,
who took away the dish, was overcome with such curiosity
that he could not help carrying the dish into his room.
When he had carefully locked the door, he lifted up the
cover, and saw a white snake lying on the dish. But when
he saw it he could not deny himself the pleasure of tasting
it, so he cut off a little bit and put it into his mouth.
No sooner had it touched his tongue than he heard a strange
whispering of little voices outside his window. He went
and listened, and then noticed that it was the sparrows
who were chattering together, and telling one another of
all kinds of things which they had seen in the fields and
woods. Eating the snake had given him power of understanding
the language of animals.
Now it so happened that on this very day the Queen lost
her most beautiful ring, and suspicion of having stolen
it fell upon this trusty servant, who was allowed to go
everywhere. The King ordered the man to be brought before
him, and threatened with angry words that unless he could
before the morrow point out the thief, he himself should
be looked upon as guilty and executed. In vain he declared
his innocence; he was dismissed with no better answer.
In his trouble and fear he went down into the courtyard
and took thought how to help himself out of his trouble.
Now some ducks were sitting together quietly by a brook
and taking their rest; and, whilst they were making their
feathers smooth with their bills, they were having a confidential
conversation together. The servant stood by and listened.
They were telling one another of all the places where they
had been waddling about all the morning, and what good food
they had found, and one said in a pitiful tone, "Something
lies heavy on my stomach; as I was eating in haste I swallowed
a ring which lay under the Queen's window." The servant
at once seized her by the neck, carried her to the kitchen,
and said to the cook, "Here is a fine duck; pray, kill
her." "Yes," said the cook, and weighed her
in his hand; "she has spared no trouble to fatten herself,
and has been waiting to be roasted long enough." So
he cut off her head, and as she was being dressed for the
spit, the Queen's ring was found inside her.
The servant could now easily prove his innocence; and the
King, to make amends for the wrong, allowed him to ask a
favor, and promised him the best place in the court that
he could wish for. The servant refused everything, and only
asked for a horse and some money for traveling, as he had
a mind to see the world and go about a little.
When his request was granted he set out on his way, and
one day came to a pond, where he saw three fishes caught
in the reeds and gasping for water. Now, though it is said
that fishes are dumb, he heard them lamenting that they
must perish so miserably, and, as he had a kind heart, he
got off his horse and put the three prisoners back into
the water. They quivered with delight, put out their heads,
and cried to him, "We will remember you and repay you
for saving us!"
He rode on, and after a while it seemed to him that he
heard a voice in the sand at his feet. He listened, and
heard an ant-king complain, "Why cannot folks, with
their clumsy beasts, keep off our bodies? That stupid horse,
with his heavy hoofs, has been treading down my people without
mercy!" So he turned on to a side path and the ant-king
cried out to him, 'We will remember you -- one good turn
deserves another!"
The path led him into a wood, and here he saw two old ravens
standing by their nest, and throwing out their young ones.
"Out with you, you idle, good-for-nothing creatures!"
cried they; "we cannot find food for you any longer;
you are big enough, and can provide for yourselves."
But the poor young ravens lay upon the ground, flapping
their wings, and crying, "Oh, what helpless chicks
we are! We must shift for ourselves, and yet we cannot fly!
What can we do, but lie here and starve?" So the good
young fellow alighted and killed his horse with his sword,
and gave it to them for food. Then they came hopping up
to it, satisfied their hunger, and cried, "We will
remember you -- one good turn deserves another!"
And now he had to use his own legs, and when he had walked
a long way, he came to a large city. There was a great noise
and crowd in the streets, and a man rode up on horseback,
crying aloud, "The King's daughter wants a husband;
but whoever sues for her hand must perform a hard task,
and if he does not succeed he will forfeit his life."
Many had already made the attempt, but in vain; nevertheless
when the youth saw the King's daughter he was so overcome
by her great beauty that he forgot all danger, went before
the King, and declared himself a suitor.
So he was led out to the sea, and a gold ring was thrown
into it, in his sight; then the King ordered him to fetch
this ring up from the bottom of the sea, and added, "If
you come up again without it you will be thrown in again
and again until you perish amid the waves." All the
people grieved for the handsome youth; then they went away,
leaving him alone by the sea.
He stood on the shore and considered what he should do,
when suddenly he saw three fishes come swimming towards
him, and they were the very fishes whose lives he had saved.
The one in the middle held a mussel in its mouth, which
it laid on the shore at the youth's feet, and when he had
taken it up and opened it, there lay the gold ring in the
shell. Full of joy he took it to the King, and expected
that he would grant him the promised reward.
But when the proud princess perceived that he was not her
equal in birth, she scorned him, and required him first
to perform another task. She went down into the garden and
strewed with her own hands ten sacks-full of millet-seed
on the grass; then she said, "To-morrow morning before
sunrise these must be picked up, and not a single grain
be wanting."
The youth sat down in the garden and considered how it
might be possible to perform this task, but he could think
of nothing, and there he sat sorrowfully awaiting the break
of day, when he should be led to death. But as soon as the
first rays of the sun shone into the garden he saw all the
ten sacks standing side by side, quite full, and not a single
grain was missing. The ant-king had come in the night with
thousands and thousands of ants, and the grateful creatures
had by great industry picked up all the millet-seed and
gathered them into the sacks.
Presently the King's daughter herself came down into the
garden, and was amazed to see that the young man had done
the task she had given him. But she could not yet conquer
her proud heart, and said, "Although he has performed
both the tasks, he shall not be my husband until he has
brought me an apple from the Tree of Life."
The youth did not know where the Tree of Life stood, but
he set out, and would have gone on for ever, as long as
his legs would carry him, though he had no hope of finding
it. After he had wandered through three kingdoms, he came
one evening to a wood, and lay down under a tree to sleep.
But he heard a rustling in the branches, and a golden apple
fell into his hand. At the same time three ravens flew down
to him, perched themselves upon his knee, and said, "We
are the three young ravens whom you saved from starving;
when we had grown big, and heard that you were seeking the
Golden Apple, we flew over the sea to the end of the world,
where the Tree of Life stands, and have brought you the
apple." The youth, full of joy, set out homewards,
and took the Golden Apple to the King's beautiful daughter,
who had no more excuses left to make. They cut the Apple
of Life in two and ate it together; and then her heart became
full of love for him, and they lived in undisturbed happiness
to a great age.
From Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Household Tales, trans. Margaret
Hunt (London: George Bell, 1884), 1:72-76. |
