January 21, 2025 • 86 mins
(00:00:00) Welcome to Rest
(00:00:46) Introducing tonight's story - The Fisherman and His Wife
(00:02:08) Sleep Story - The Fisherman and His Wife
Host: Jessika Gössl 🌙
Writer: The Brothers Grimm✍️
Includes mentions of: Talking Fish, Ocean, Storms, Wishes, Fisherman ⭐
Welcome back, my friend. Tonight you’ll meet a humble fisherman, a magical talking fish, and witness how a simple wish can stir the tides of fate.
New episodes are released weekly! Every Tuesday at 6PM (GMT).
Watch, listen and comment on this episode on the Rest YouTube channel!
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a comment in the morning when you wake up, it really goes a long way to help the podcast🌞
Support us:
Now all that’s left for you to do is pick a story, settle in and drift to sleep 😴Sweet dreams and goodnight🌙
(00:00:46) Introducing tonight's story - The Fisherman and His Wife
(00:02:08) Sleep Story - The Fisherman and His Wife
Host: Jessika Gössl 🌙
Writer: The Brothers Grimm✍️
Includes mentions of: Talking Fish, Ocean, Storms, Wishes, Fisherman ⭐
Welcome back, my friend. Tonight you’ll meet a humble fisherman, a magical talking fish, and witness how a simple wish can stir the tides of fate.
New episodes are released weekly! Every Tuesday at 6PM (GMT).
Watch, listen and comment on this episode on the Rest YouTube channel!
If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave a comment in the morning when you wake up, it really goes a long way to help the podcast🌞
Support us:
- Rate the show on Spotify and leave comments on your favourite episodes
- Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts
- Subscribe to our YouTube channel
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- Got a question or thoughts to share? contact us here.
Now all that’s left for you to do is pick a story, settle in and drift to sleep 😴Sweet dreams and goodnight🌙
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Good evening and welcome to Rest, your sanctuary for peaceful
sleep and relaxation. Whether you're escaping daily stresses or seeking
a nightly companion, you're in the right place. My name
is Jessica, and I'll be your host this evening. Before
(00:27):
we begin, why don't you turn off your screens and
turn down your volume. Now that's done, let's unwind and
help you ease into a blessed rest. There is perhaps
(00:52):
no greater collection of folklore than those captured by the
Brother's Grim. Tonight, I'll be reading one of their many
fantastical tales, called The Fisherman and his Wife. I'll be
(01:15):
reading Tonight's story three times, giving you the chance to
settle in and allow the soothing repetition to ease your
mind and body interest. Imagine yourself by the sea waves
(01:40):
rolling in with a gentle rhythm, their soothing melody guiding
you towards sleep. As you listen, you'll meet a humble fisherman,
a magical talking fish, and witness how a simple wish
(02:04):
can stir the tides of fate. There was once a
fisherman who lived with his wife in a pigsti close
by the seaside, The fisherman used to go out all
(02:27):
day long a fishing, and one day, as he sat
on the shore with his rod, looking at the sparkling
waves and watching his line, all of a sudden his
(02:47):
float was dragged away deep into the water, and in
drawing it up, he pulled out a great fish. But
the fish said, pray, let me live. I am not
(03:10):
a real fish, I am an enchanted prince. Put me
in the water again and let me go. Oh ho,
said the man, You need not make so many words
(03:31):
about the matter. I will have nothing to do with
a fish that can talk. So swim away, sir, as
soon as you please. Then he put him back into
the water, and the fish darted straight down to the
(03:56):
bottom and left a long streak of blood behind him
on the wave. When the fisherman went home to his
wife in the Pigsti, he told her how he had
caught a great fish, and how it had told him
(04:21):
it was an enchanted prince, and how, on hearing it speak,
he had let it go again. Did not you ask
for anything, said the wife. We live very wretchedly here
(04:43):
in this nasty, dirty pigstie. Do go back and tell
the fish we want a snug little cottage. The fisherman
did not much like the business. However, he went to
(05:06):
the seashore, and when he came back there the water
looked all yellow and green. And he stood at the
water's edge and said, O man of the sea, hearken
(05:27):
to me. My wife, Ilsebil will have her own will,
and hath sent me to begar boon of thee. Then
the fish came swimming to him and said, well, what
(05:50):
is her will? What does your wife want? Ah, said
the fisherman. She says that when I had caught you,
I ought to have asked you for something before I
(06:10):
let you go. She does not like living any longer
in the pigsty and once a snug little cottage. Go home, then,
said the fish. She is in the cottage already. So
(06:37):
the man went home and saw his wife standing at
the door of a nice, trim little cottage. Come in,
Come in, said she is not this much better than
(06:58):
the filthy pigstye he had. And there was a parlor
and a bedchamber, and a kitchen, and behind the cottage
there was a little garden planted with all sorts of
(07:21):
flowers and fruits, and there was a courtyard behind full
of ducks and chickens. Ah, said the fisherman, How happy
we shall live now. We will try to do so,
(07:44):
at least, said his wife. Everything went right for a
week or two, and then Dame ilse Bill said, husband,
there is not near room enough for us in this cottage.
(08:08):
The courtyard and the garden are a great deal too small.
I should like to have a large stone castle to
live in. Go to the fish again and tell him
(08:29):
to give us a castle. Wife, said the fisherman. I
don't like to go to him again, for perhaps he
will be angry. We ought to be easy with this
pretty cottage to live in. Nonsense, said the wife. He
(08:57):
will do it very willingly, I know. Go along and try.
The fisherman went, but his heart was very heavy, and
when he came to the sea it looked blue and gloomy,
(09:21):
though it was very calm, and he went close to
the edge of the waves and said, O man of
the sea. Hearken to me. My wife Ilsebil will have
(09:43):
her own will, and hath sent me to begar boon
of thee. Well what does she want now, said the fish, Ah,
said the man dolefully. My wife wants to live in
(10:08):
a stone castle. Go home, then, said the fish. She
is standing at the gate of it already. So away
went the fisherman and found his wife standing before the
(10:31):
gate of a great castle. See said she is not
this grand. With that, they went into the castle together
and found a great many servants there, and the rooms
(10:57):
all richly furnished and full of golden chairs and tables.
And behind the castle was a garden, and around it
was a park half a mile long, full of sheep
(11:20):
and goats and hares and deer, And in the courtyard
were stables and cowhouses. Well, said the man. Now we
will live cheerful and happy in this beautiful castle for
(11:45):
the rest of our lives. Perhaps we may, said the wife,
but let us sleep upon it before we make up
our minds to that. So they went to bed. The
(12:08):
next morning. When Dame Ilsebil awoke, it was broad daylight,
and she jogged the fisherman with her elbow and said,
get up, husband, and bestir yourself, for we must be
(12:29):
king of all the land. Wife. Wife said the man,
why should we wish to be the king? I will
not be king, then, I will, said she. But wife
(12:55):
said the fisherman, how can you be king. The fish
cannot make you a king, husband, said she. Say no
more about it, but go and try. I will be king.
(13:22):
So the man went away, quite sorrowful to think that
his wife should want to be king. This time the
sea looked a dark gray color and was overspread with
(13:43):
curling waves and the ridges of foam. As he cried out,
o man of the sea, hearken to me, My wife,
Ilsebill will have her own will, and hath sent me
(14:08):
to beg a boon of thee. Well, what would she
have now? Said the fish? Alas, said the poor man.
My wife wants to be king. Go home, said the fish.
(14:34):
She is king already. Then the fisherman went home, and
as he came close to the palace, he saw a
troop of soldiers and heard the sound of drums and trumpets.
(14:58):
And when he went in he saw his wife sitting
on a throne of gold and diamonds, with a golden
crown upon her head, and on each side of her
(15:20):
stood six fair maidens, each a head taller than the other. Well, wife,
said the fisherman, Are you king? Yes, said she, I
(15:42):
am king. And when he had looked at her for
a long time, he said, our wife. What a fine
thing it is to be king. Now we shall never
(16:05):
have anything more to wish for as long as we live.
I don't know how that may be, said she never
is a long time. I am king, it is true,
(16:29):
but I begin to be tired of that, and I
think I should like to be emperor. Alas wife, Why
should you wish to be emperor, said the fisherman. Husband
(16:52):
said she go to the fish. I say I will
be emperor. Our wife replied the fisherman. The fish cannot
make an emperor. I am sure, and I should not
(17:17):
like to ask him for such a thing. I am king,
said Il Sabil, and you are my slave. So go
at once. So the fisherman was forced to go, and
(17:41):
he muttered as he went along. This will come to
no good. It is too much to ask. The fish
will be tired at last, and then we shall be
sorry for what we have done. He soon came to
(18:07):
the seashore, and the water was quite black and muddy,
and a mighty whirlwind blew over the waves and rolled
them about. But he went as near as he could
(18:29):
to the water's brink, and said, O man of the sea,
hearken to me, My wife Ilsebill will have her own will,
and hath sent me to beg a boon of thee.
(18:56):
What would she have now, said the fish, Ah, said
the fisherman. She wants to be emperor. Go home, said
the fish. She is emperor already. So he went home again,
(19:25):
And as he came near, he saw his wife, Ilsebil,
sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold,
with a great crown on her head, two yards high.
(19:48):
And on each side of her stood her guards and
attendants in a row, each one smaller than the other,
from the tallest giant down to a little dwarf no
(20:10):
bigger than my finger. And before her stood princes and
dukes and earls. And the fisherman went up to her
and said, wife, are you emperor? Yes, said she, I
(20:37):
am emperor. Ah said the man, as he gazed upon her.
What a fine thing it is to be emperor. Husband
said she, Why should we stop at being emperor? I
(21:04):
will be pope next, oh wife. Wife, said he, How
can you be pope? There is but one pope at
a time in Christendom. Husband said she, I will be
(21:30):
pope this very day. But replied the husband, the fish
cannot make you pope. What nonsense, said she. If he
can make an emperor, he can make a pope. Go
(21:56):
and try him. So the fisherman went, But when he
came to the shore, the wind was raging, and the
sea was tossed up and down in boiling waves, and
(22:20):
the ships were in trouble and rolled fearfully upon the
tops of the billows. In the middle of the heavens
there was a light piece of blue sky, but towards
(22:42):
the south all was red, as if a dreadful storm
was rising. At this site, the fisherman was dreadfully frightened,
and he trembled so that his knees knocked together. But
(23:07):
still he went down near to the shore and said,
O man of the sea, hearken to me. My wife,
Ilsebil will have her own will, and hath sent me
(23:32):
to beg a boon of thee. What does she want now,
said the fish, Ah, said the fisherman. My wife wants
to be pope. Go home, said the fish, She is
(23:57):
pope already. Then the fisherman went home and found Ilsebil
sitting on a throne that was two miles high, and
she had three great crowns on her head, and around
(24:22):
her stood all the pomp and power of the church,
and on each side of her were two rows of
burning lights of all sizes, the greatest as large as
(24:46):
the highest and biggest tower in the world, and the
least no larger than a small rush light. Wife said
the fisherman as he looked at all this greatness. Are
(25:10):
you pope? Yes, said she, I am pope, well, wife
replied he. It is a grand thing to be pope,
(25:32):
and now you must be easy, for you can be
nothing greater. I will think about that, said the wife.
Then they went to bed, but Dame Ilsebil could not
(25:55):
sleep all night for thinking what she should be next.
At last, as she was dropping asleep, morning broke and
the sun rose, ha, thought she as she woke up
(26:23):
and looked at it through the window. After all, I
cannot prevent the sun rising. At this thought, she was
very angry and wakened her husband and said, husband, go
(26:49):
to the fish and tell him I must be lord
of the sun and moon. The fisherman was half asleep,
but the thought frightened him so much that he started
(27:10):
and fell out of bed alas wife said, he, cannot
you be easy with being pope? No, said she I
am very uneasy as long as the sun and moon
(27:37):
rise without my leave. Go to the fish at once.
Then the man went shivering with fear, and as he
was going down to the shore, a dreadful storm arose,
(28:01):
so that the trees and the very rocks shook, and
all the heavens became black with stormy clouds, and the
lightnings played, and the thunders rolled, and you might have
(28:25):
seen in the sea great black waves swelling up like
mountains with crowns of white foam upon their heads. And
the fishermen crept towards the sea and cried out as
(28:50):
well as he could, Oh man of the sea. Hearkened
to me, My wife Ilsebil will have her own will,
and hath sent me to beg a boon of thee.
(29:16):
What does she want now, said the fish, ah, said he.
She wants to be lord of the Sun and moon.
Go home, said the fish to your pigstye again. And
(29:45):
there they live to this very day. Quietly absorb the
soothing words, for soon we shall embark on this journey
once more, immersing ourselves in the warmth of the narrative.
(30:06):
Once again. There was once a fisherman who lived with
his wife in a pigsti close by the seaside. The
fisherman used to go out all day long a fishing,
(30:31):
and one day, as he sat on the shore with
his rod, looking at the sparkling waves and watching his line,
all of a sudden his float was dragged away deep
(30:52):
into the water, and in drawing it up, he pulled
out a great fish. But the fish said, pray, let
me live. I am not a real fish. I am
(31:14):
an enchanted prince. Put me in the water again and
let me go. Oh ho, said the man, You need
not make so many words about the matter. I will
(31:36):
have nothing to do with a fish that can talk.
So swim away, sir, as soon as you please. Then
he put him back into the water, and the fish
darted straight down to the bottom and left alone, a
(32:00):
long streak of blood behind him on the wave. When
the fisherman went home to his wife in the pigsti,
he told her how he had caught a great fish,
and how it had told him it was an enchanted prince,
(32:26):
and how, on hearing it speak, he had let it
go again. Did not you ask for anything, said the wife.
We live very wretchedly here in this nasty dirty PIGSTI
(32:49):
do go back and tell the fish we want a
snug little cottage. The fisherman did not much like the business. However,
he went to the seashore, and when he came back
(33:10):
there the water looked all yellow and green. And he
stood at the water's edge and said, O man of
the sea. Hearken to me. My wife, Ilsebill will have
(33:34):
her own will, and hath sent me to begar boon
of thee. Then the fish came swimming to him and said, well,
what is her will? What does your wife want? Ah,
(33:59):
said the fisher. She says that when I had caught you,
I ought to have asked you for something before I
let you go. She does not like living any longer
in the pigsty, and once a snug little cottage. Go home,
(34:27):
then said the fish. She is in the cottage already.
So the man went home and saw his wife standing
at the door of a nice, trim little cottage. Come in,
(34:51):
Come in, said she is not this much better than
the filthy pigstye we had. And there was a parlor
and a bedchamber and a kitchen, and behind the cottage
(35:15):
there was a little garden planted with all sorts of
flowers and fruits, and there was a courtyard behind full
of ducks and chickens. Ah, said the fisherman, How happy
(35:39):
we shall live now. We will try to do so,
at least, said his wife. Everything went right for a
week or two, and then Dame ilse Bill said, husband,
(36:03):
there is not near room enough for us in this cottage.
The courtyard and the garden are a great deal too small.
I should like to have a large stone castle to
(36:23):
live in. Go to the fish again and tell him
to give us a castle. Wife, said the fisherman. I
don't like to go to him again, for perhaps he
(36:43):
will be angry. We ought to be easy with this
pretty cottage to live in. Nonsense, said the wife. He
will do it very willingly, I know. Go along and try.
(37:07):
The fisherman went, but his heart was very heavy, and
when he came to the sea it looked blue and gloomy,
though it was very calm, and he went close to
(37:28):
the edge of the waves, and said, o man of
the sea. Hearken to me. My wife Ilsebil will have
her own will, and hath sent me to begar boon
(37:50):
of thee. Well, what does she want now? Said the fish? Ah,
said the man, dolefully. My wife wants to live in
a stone castle. Go home, then, said the fish. She
(38:18):
is standing at the gate of it already. So away
went the fisherman and found his wife standing before the
gate of a great castle. See said, she is not
(38:42):
this grand. With that, they went into the castle together
and found a great many servants there, and the rooms
all richly furnish and full of golden chairs and tables.
(39:07):
And behind the castle was a garden, and around it
was a park half a mile long, full of sheep
and goats and hares and deer, And in the courtyard
(39:29):
were stables and cowhouses. Well, said the man. Now we
will live cheerful and happy in this beautiful castle for
the rest of our lives. Perhaps we may, said the wife,
(39:55):
but let us sleep upon it before we make up
our minds to that. So they went to bed. The
next morning when Dame Ilsebil awoke, it was broad daylight,
(40:16):
and she jogged the fisherman with her elbow and said,
get up, husband, and bestir yourself, for we must be
king of all the land. Wife. Wife, said the man,
(40:40):
why should we wish to be the king? I will
not be king? Then I will, said she. But wife,
said the fisherman, how can you be king? The fish
(41:03):
cannot make you a king? Husband, said she. Say no
more about it, but go and try. I will be king.
So the man went away, quite sorrowful to think that
(41:30):
his wife should want to be king. This time the
sea looked a dark gray color and was overspread with
curling waves and the ridges of foam. As he cried out,
(41:54):
O man of the sea, hearken to me, My wife
ilsebill will have her own will, and hath sent me
to beg a boon of thee. Well, what would she
(42:17):
have now? Said the fish? Alas, said the poor man.
My wife wants to be king. Go home, said the fish.
She is king already. Then the fisherman went home, and
(42:44):
as he came close to the palace, he saw a
troop of soldiers and heard the sound of drums and trumpets.
And when he went in he saw his wife sitting
(43:06):
on a throne of gold and diamonds, with a golden
crown upon her head, and on each side of her
stood six fair maidens, each a head taller than the other. Well, wife,
(43:33):
said the fisherman, Are you king? Yes? Said she, I
am king, And when he had looked at her for
a long time, he said, our wife, what a fine
(43:59):
thing it is to be king. Now we shall never
have anything more to wish for as long as we live.
I don't know how that may be, said she never
(44:23):
is a long time. I am king, it is true,
but I begin to be tired of that, and I
think I should like to be emperor alas wife. Why
(44:45):
should you wish to be emperor, said the fisherman. Husband
said she go to the fish. I say I will
be emperor. Our wife replied the fisherman. The fish cannot
(45:11):
make an emperor. I am sure, and I should not
like to ask him for such a thing. I am king,
said Ilsebil, and you are my slave. So go at once.
(45:37):
So the fisherman was forced to go, and he muttered
as he went along. This will come to no good.
It is too much to ask. The fish will be
tired at last, and then we shall be sorry for
(46:03):
what we have done. He soon came to the seashore,
and the water was quite black and muddy, and a
mighty whirlwind blew over the waves and rolled them about.
(46:25):
But he went as near as he could to the
water's brink and said o man of the sea. Hearken
to me, My wife Ilsebil, will have her own will,
(46:49):
and hath sent me to beg a boon of thee.
What would she have now, said the fish, Ah, said
the fisherman. She wants to be emperor. Go home, said
(47:15):
the fish. She is emperor already. So he went home again,
And as he came near, he saw his wife, Ilsebil,
sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold,
(47:41):
with a great crown on her head, two yards high.
And on each side of her stood her guards and
attendants in a row, each one smaller than the other,
(48:04):
from the tallest giant down to a little dwarf no
bigger than my finger. And before her stood princes and
dukes and earls. And the fisherman went up to her
(48:27):
and said, wife, are you emperor? Yes, said she, I
am emperor. Ah, said the man, as he gazed upon her.
(48:49):
What a fine thing it is to be emperor. Husband
said she, Why should we stop at being emperor? I
will be pope next, oh wife. Wife, said he. How
(49:16):
can you be pope? There is but one pope at
a time in Christendom. Husband said she, I will be
pope this very day, But replied the husband, the fish
(49:40):
cannot make you pope. What nonsense, said she. If he
can make an emperor, he can make a pope. Go
and try him. So the fisherman went. But when he
(50:06):
came to the shore, the wind was raging, and the
sea was tossed up and down in boiling waves, and
the ships were in trouble and rolled fearfully upon the
(50:28):
tops of the billows. In the middle of the heavens
there was a light piece of blue sky, but towards
the south all was red, as if a dreadful storm
(50:51):
was rising. At this site, the fisherman was dreadfully frightened,
and he trembled so that his knees knocked together. But
still he went down near to the shore and said,
(51:16):
O man of the sea, hearken to me. My wife,
Ilsebil will have her own will, and hath sent me
to beg a boon of thee. What does she want now,
(51:41):
said the fish, Ah, said the fisherman. My wife wants
to be pope. Go home, said the fish. She is
pope all ready. Then the fishermen went home and found
(52:07):
Ilsebille sitting on a throne that was two miles high,
and she had three great crowns on her head, and
around her stood all the pomp and power of the church.
(52:31):
And on each side of her were two rows of
burning lights of all sizes, the greatest as large as
the highest and biggest tower in the world, and the
(52:53):
least no larger than a small rush light. Wife, said
the fisherman as he looked at all this greatness. Are
you pope, yes, said she, I am pope. Well, wife
(53:25):
replied he. It is a grand thing to be pope,
and now you must be easy, for you can be
nothing greater. I will think about that, said the wife.
(53:49):
Then they went to bed, but Dame Ilsebil could not
sleep all night for thinking what she should be next.
At last, as she was dropping asleep, morning broke and
(54:14):
the sun rose, ha, thought she as she woke up
and looked at it through the window. After all, I
cannot prevent the sun rising. At this thought, she was
(54:40):
very angry and wakened her husband and said, husband, go
to the fish and tell him I must be lord
of the sun and moon. The fisherman was half asleep,
(55:04):
but the thought frightened him so much that he started
and fell out of bed. Alas wife said he cannot
you be easy with being pope? No, said she, I
(55:31):
am very uneasy as long as the sun and moon
rise without my leave. Go to the fish at once.
Then the man went shivering with fear, and as he
(55:54):
was going down to the shore, a dreadful storm arose,
so that the trees and the very rocks shook, and
all the heavens became black with stormy clouds, and the
(56:16):
lightnings played, and the thunders rolled, and you might have
seen in the sea great black waves swelling up like
mountains with crowns of white foam upon their heads. And
(56:43):
the fishermen crept towards the sea and cried out as
well as he could, Oh man of the sea, huh
to me, My wife Ilsebil will have her own will,
(57:10):
and hath sent me to beg a boon of thee.
What does she want now, said the fish, ah, said he.
She wants to be lord of the Sun and moon.
(57:36):
Go home, said the fish to your pigstie again. And
there they live to this very day. As the tale
(57:56):
unfolds once more, let it wash over you, resonating in
the quiet corners of your mind. Soon we'll retrace our
steps through the corridors of this narrative, finding comfort and
(58:17):
familiarity in the words. Once again. There was once a
fisherman who lived with his wife in a pigsty close
by the seaside. The fisherman used to go out all
(58:41):
day long a fishing, and one day, as he sat
on the shore with his rod, looking at the sparkling
waves and watching his line, all of us sudden his
(59:01):
float was dragged away deep into the water, and in
drawing it up he pulled out a great fish. But
the fish said, pray, let me live. I am not
(59:24):
a real fish. I am an enchanted prince. Put me
in the water again and let me go. Oh hoh,
said the man. You need not make so many words
(59:45):
about the matter. I will have nothing to do with
a fish that can talk, So swim away, sir, as
soon as you please. Then he put him back into
the water, and the fish darted straight down to the
(01:00:10):
bottom and left a long streak of blood behind him
on the wave. When the fisherman went home to his
wife in the pigsti, he told her how he had
caught a great fish, and how it had told him
(01:00:35):
it was an enchanted prince, and how on hearing it speak,
he had let it go again. Did not you ask
for anything? Said the wife. We live very wretchedly here
(01:00:57):
in this nasty, dirty pig Stye do go back and
tell the fish we want a snug little cottage. The
fisherman did not much like the business. However, he went
(01:01:19):
to the seashore, and when he came back there the
water looked all yellow and green. And he stood at
the water's edge and said, O man of the sea,
(01:01:40):
hearken to me, My wife ilsebill will have her own will,
and hath sent me to begar boon of thee. Then
the fish came swimming to him and said, well, what
(01:02:04):
is her will? What does your wife want? Ah, said
the fisherman. She says that when I had caught you,
I ought to have asked you for something before I
(01:02:24):
let you go. She does not like living any longer
in the pigsty and wants a snug little cottage. Go home, then,
said the fish. She is in the cottage already. So
(01:02:50):
the man went home and saw his wife standing at
the door of a nice, trim little cottage. Come in,
Come in, said she is not this much better than
(01:03:11):
the filthy pigstye we had, and there was a parlor
and a bedchamber, and a kitchen. And behind the cottage
there was a little garden planted with all sorts of
(01:03:34):
flowers and fruits, and there was a courtyard behind full
of ducks and chickens. Ah, said the fisherman, How happy
we shall live now. We will try to do so,
(01:03:58):
at least, said his wife. Everything went right for a
week or two, and then Dame Ilsebil said, husband, there
is not near room enough for us in this cottage.
(01:04:22):
The courtyard and the garden are a great deal too small.
I should like to have a large stone castle to
live in. Go to the fish again and tell him
(01:04:43):
to give us a castle, wife, said the fisherman. I
don't like to go to him again, for perhaps he
will be angry. We or to be easy with this
pretty cottage to live in. Nonsense, said the wife. He
(01:05:11):
will do it very willingly, I know. Go along and try.
The fisherman went, but his heart was very heavy, and
when he came to the sea it looked blue and gloomy,
(01:05:35):
though it was very calm, And he went close to
the edge of the waves, and said, O man of
the sea hearken to me, my wife Ilsebil will have
(01:05:57):
her own will, and hath sent me to begar boon
of thee. Well what does she want now, said the fish, ah,
said the man dolefully. My wife wants to live in
(01:06:22):
a stone castle. Go home, then, said the fish. She
is standing at the gate of it already. So away
went the fisherman and found his wife standing before the
(01:06:45):
gate of a great castle. See said she is not
this grand. With that, they went into the castle together
and found a great many servants there, and the rooms
(01:07:11):
all richly furnished and full of golden chairs and tables.
And behind the castle was a garden, and around it
was a park half a mile long, full of sheep
(01:07:34):
and goats and hares and deer, And in the courtyard
were stables and cowhouses. Well, said the man. Now we
will live cheerful and happy in this beautiful castle for
(01:07:59):
the rest of our lives. Perhaps we may, said the wife,
but let us sleep upon it before we make up
our minds to that. So they went to bed. The
(01:08:22):
next morning. When Dame Ilsebil awoke, it was broad daylight,
and she jogged the fisherman with her elbow and said,
get up, husband, and bestir yourself, for we must be
(01:08:43):
king of all the land. Wife. Wife, said the man,
why should we wish to be the king? I will
not be king, then I will, said she. But wife
(01:09:09):
said the fisherman, how can you be king? The fish
cannot make you a king? Husband said she. Say no
more about it, but go and try. I will be king.
(01:09:36):
So the man went away, quite sorrowful to think that
his wife should want to be king. This time the
sea looked a dark gray color and was overspread with
(01:09:57):
curling waves and the ridges of foam. As he cried out,
o man of the sea, hearken to me, My wife
ilsebill will have her own will, and hath sent me
(01:10:22):
to beg a boon of thee. Well what would she
have now? Said the fish? Alas, said the poor man.
My wife wants to be king. Go home, said the fish.
(01:10:48):
She is king already. Then the fisherman went home, and
as he came close to the palace, he saw a
troop of soldiers and heard the sound of drums and trumpets.
(01:11:12):
And when he went in he saw his wife sitting
on a throne of gold and diamonds, with a golden
crown upon her head, and on each side of her
(01:11:34):
stood six fair maidens, each a head taller than the other. Well, wife,
said the fisherman. Are you king, Yes, said she, I
(01:11:56):
am king. And when he had looked at her for
a long time, he said, our wife, what a fine
thing it is to be king. Now we shall never
(01:12:19):
have anything more to wish for as long as we live.
I don't know how that may be, said she, never
is a long time. I am king, it is true,
(01:12:43):
but I begin to be tired of that, and I
think I should like to be emperor. Alas wife, Why
should you wish to be emperor, said the fisherman. Husband
(01:13:06):
said she go to the fish. I say I will
be emperor. Our wife, replied the fisherman. The fish cannot
make an emperor. I am sure, and I should not
(01:13:31):
like to ask him for such a thing. I am king,
said Il Sabil, and you are my slave. So go
at once. So the fisherman was forced to go, and
(01:13:55):
he muttered as he went along. This will come to
no good. It is too much to ask. The fish
will be tired at last, and then we shall be
sorry for what we have done. He soon came to
(01:14:21):
the seashore and the water was quite black and muddy,
and a mighty whirlwind blew over the waves and rolled
them about. But he went as near as he could
(01:14:43):
to the water's brink, and said, Oh, man of the sea,
hearken to me, My wife, Ilsebill will have her own will,
and hath sent me to beg a boon of thee.
(01:15:10):
What would she have now, said the fish, Ah, said
the fisherman. She wants to be emperor. Go home, said
the fish. She is emperor already. So he went home again,
(01:15:39):
And as he came near, he saw his wife, Ilsebil
sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold,
with a great crown on her head to young high.
(01:16:02):
And on each side of her stood her guards and
attendants in a row, each one smaller than the other,
from the tallest giant down to a little dwarf no
(01:16:24):
bigger than my finger. And before her stood princes and
dukes and earls. And the fisherman went up to her
and said, wife, are you emperor? Yes, said she, I
(01:16:51):
am emperor. Ah said the man, as he gazed upon her.
What a fine thing it is to be emperor, husband,
said she, Why should we stop at being emperor? I
(01:17:18):
will be pope next, oh, wife. Wife said he, how
can you be pope? There is but one pope at
a time in Christendom. Husband said she, I will be
(01:17:44):
pope this very day. But replied the husband, the fish
cannot make you pope. What nonsense? Said she. If he
can make an emperor, he can make a pope. Go
(01:18:10):
and try him. So the fisherman went. But when he
came to the shore, the wind was raging, and the
sea was tossed up and down in boiling waves, and
(01:18:34):
the ships were in trouble and rolled fearfully upon the
tops of the billows. In the middle of the heavens
there was a light piece of blue sky, but towards
(01:18:56):
the south all was read as if a dreadful storm
was rising. At this site, the fisherman was dreadfully frightened,
and he trembled so that his knees knocked together. But
(01:19:21):
still he went down near to the shore and said,
O man of the sea, hearken to me. My wife
Ilsebil will have her own will, and hath sent me
(01:19:46):
to beg a boon of thee. What does she want now,
said the fish? Ah, said the fish, My wife wants
to be pope, go home, said the fish. She is
(01:20:11):
pope already. Then the fisherman went home and found Ilsebil
sitting on a throne that was two miles high, and
she had three great crowns on her head, and around
(01:20:36):
her stood all the pomp and power of the church.
And on each side of her were two rows of
burning lights of all sizes, the greatest as large as
(01:21:00):
highest and biggest tower in the world, and the least
no larger than a small rush light. Wife, said the
fisherman as he looked at all this greatness. Are you pope, yes,
(01:21:29):
said she, I am pope. Well, wife replied he. It
is a grand thing to be pope, and now you
must be easy, for you can be nothing greater. I
(01:21:56):
will think about that, said the world. Then they went
to bed, but Dame Ilsebil could not sleep all night
for thinking what she should be next. At last, as
(01:22:20):
she was dropping asleep, morning broke and the sun rose, ha,
thought she as she woke up and looked at it
through the window. After all, I cannot prevent the sun rising.
(01:22:49):
At this thought, she was very angry and wakened her
husband and said, husband, go to the fish and tell
him I must be lord of the Sun and Moon.
(01:23:13):
The fisherman was half asleep, but the thought frightened him
so much that he started and fell out of bed.
Alas wife said he, cannot you be easy with being pope, No,
(01:23:41):
said she, I am very uneasy as long as the
sun and moon rise without my leave. Go to the
fish at once. Then the man went shivering with fear,
(01:24:06):
and as he was going down to the shore, a
dreadful storm arose, so that the trees and the very
rocks shook, and all the heavens became black with stormy clouds,
(01:24:28):
and the lightnings played, and the thunders rolled, and you
might have seen in the sea great black waves swelling
up like mountains with crowns of white foam upon their heads.
(01:24:55):
And the fishermen crept towards the sea and cried out
as well as he could. O man of the sea.
Hearken to me, my wife Ilsebel will have her own will,
(01:25:23):
and hath sent me to beg a boon of thee.
What does she want now, said the fish, ah, said he.
She wants to be lord of the Sun and Moon.
(01:25:49):
Go home, said the fish, to your pigstie again, and
there they live to this very day, Have a blessed rest,
(01:26:11):
sweet dreams, good night,
Good evening and welcome to Rest, your sanctuary for peaceful
sleep and relaxation. Whether you're escaping daily stresses or seeking
a nightly companion, you're in the right place. My name
is Jessica, and I'll be your host this evening. Before
(00:27):
we begin, why don't you turn off your screens and
turn down your volume. Now that's done, let's unwind and
help you ease into a blessed rest. There is perhaps
(00:52):
no greater collection of folklore than those captured by the
Brother's Grim. Tonight, I'll be reading one of their many
fantastical tales, called The Fisherman and his Wife. I'll be
(01:15):
reading Tonight's story three times, giving you the chance to
settle in and allow the soothing repetition to ease your
mind and body interest. Imagine yourself by the sea waves
(01:40):
rolling in with a gentle rhythm, their soothing melody guiding
you towards sleep. As you listen, you'll meet a humble fisherman,
a magical talking fish, and witness how a simple wish
(02:04):
can stir the tides of fate. There was once a
fisherman who lived with his wife in a pigsti close
by the seaside, The fisherman used to go out all
(02:27):
day long a fishing, and one day, as he sat
on the shore with his rod, looking at the sparkling
waves and watching his line, all of a sudden his
(02:47):
float was dragged away deep into the water, and in
drawing it up, he pulled out a great fish. But
the fish said, pray, let me live. I am not
(03:10):
a real fish, I am an enchanted prince. Put me
in the water again and let me go. Oh ho,
said the man, You need not make so many words
(03:31):
about the matter. I will have nothing to do with
a fish that can talk. So swim away, sir, as
soon as you please. Then he put him back into
the water, and the fish darted straight down to the
(03:56):
bottom and left a long streak of blood behind him
on the wave. When the fisherman went home to his
wife in the Pigsti, he told her how he had
caught a great fish, and how it had told him
(04:21):
it was an enchanted prince, and how, on hearing it speak,
he had let it go again. Did not you ask
for anything, said the wife. We live very wretchedly here
(04:43):
in this nasty, dirty pigstie. Do go back and tell
the fish we want a snug little cottage. The fisherman
did not much like the business. However, he went to
(05:06):
the seashore, and when he came back there the water
looked all yellow and green. And he stood at the
water's edge and said, O man of the sea, hearken
(05:27):
to me. My wife, Ilsebil will have her own will,
and hath sent me to begar boon of thee. Then
the fish came swimming to him and said, well, what
(05:50):
is her will? What does your wife want? Ah, said
the fisherman. She says that when I had caught you,
I ought to have asked you for something before I
(06:10):
let you go. She does not like living any longer
in the pigsty and once a snug little cottage. Go home, then,
said the fish. She is in the cottage already. So
(06:37):
the man went home and saw his wife standing at
the door of a nice, trim little cottage. Come in,
Come in, said she is not this much better than
(06:58):
the filthy pigstye he had. And there was a parlor
and a bedchamber, and a kitchen, and behind the cottage
there was a little garden planted with all sorts of
(07:21):
flowers and fruits, and there was a courtyard behind full
of ducks and chickens. Ah, said the fisherman, How happy
we shall live now. We will try to do so,
(07:44):
at least, said his wife. Everything went right for a
week or two, and then Dame ilse Bill said, husband,
there is not near room enough for us in this cottage.
(08:08):
The courtyard and the garden are a great deal too small.
I should like to have a large stone castle to
live in. Go to the fish again and tell him
(08:29):
to give us a castle. Wife, said the fisherman. I
don't like to go to him again, for perhaps he
will be angry. We ought to be easy with this
pretty cottage to live in. Nonsense, said the wife. He
(08:57):
will do it very willingly, I know. Go along and try.
The fisherman went, but his heart was very heavy, and
when he came to the sea it looked blue and gloomy,
(09:21):
though it was very calm, and he went close to
the edge of the waves and said, O man of
the sea. Hearken to me. My wife Ilsebil will have
(09:43):
her own will, and hath sent me to begar boon
of thee. Well what does she want now, said the fish, Ah,
said the man dolefully. My wife wants to live in
(10:08):
a stone castle. Go home, then, said the fish. She
is standing at the gate of it already. So away
went the fisherman and found his wife standing before the
(10:31):
gate of a great castle. See said she is not
this grand. With that, they went into the castle together
and found a great many servants there, and the rooms
(10:57):
all richly furnished and full of golden chairs and tables.
And behind the castle was a garden, and around it
was a park half a mile long, full of sheep
(11:20):
and goats and hares and deer, And in the courtyard
were stables and cowhouses. Well, said the man. Now we
will live cheerful and happy in this beautiful castle for
(11:45):
the rest of our lives. Perhaps we may, said the wife,
but let us sleep upon it before we make up
our minds to that. So they went to bed. The
(12:08):
next morning. When Dame Ilsebil awoke, it was broad daylight,
and she jogged the fisherman with her elbow and said,
get up, husband, and bestir yourself, for we must be
(12:29):
king of all the land. Wife. Wife said the man,
why should we wish to be the king? I will
not be king, then, I will, said she. But wife
(12:55):
said the fisherman, how can you be king. The fish
cannot make you a king, husband, said she. Say no
more about it, but go and try. I will be king.
(13:22):
So the man went away, quite sorrowful to think that
his wife should want to be king. This time the
sea looked a dark gray color and was overspread with
(13:43):
curling waves and the ridges of foam. As he cried out,
o man of the sea, hearken to me, My wife,
Ilsebill will have her own will, and hath sent me
(14:08):
to beg a boon of thee. Well, what would she
have now? Said the fish? Alas, said the poor man.
My wife wants to be king. Go home, said the fish.
(14:34):
She is king already. Then the fisherman went home, and
as he came close to the palace, he saw a
troop of soldiers and heard the sound of drums and trumpets.
(14:58):
And when he went in he saw his wife sitting
on a throne of gold and diamonds, with a golden
crown upon her head, and on each side of her
(15:20):
stood six fair maidens, each a head taller than the other. Well, wife,
said the fisherman, Are you king? Yes, said she, I
(15:42):
am king. And when he had looked at her for
a long time, he said, our wife. What a fine
thing it is to be king. Now we shall never
(16:05):
have anything more to wish for as long as we live.
I don't know how that may be, said she never
is a long time. I am king, it is true,
(16:29):
but I begin to be tired of that, and I
think I should like to be emperor. Alas wife, Why
should you wish to be emperor, said the fisherman. Husband
(16:52):
said she go to the fish. I say I will
be emperor. Our wife replied the fisherman. The fish cannot
make an emperor. I am sure, and I should not
(17:17):
like to ask him for such a thing. I am king,
said Il Sabil, and you are my slave. So go
at once. So the fisherman was forced to go, and
(17:41):
he muttered as he went along. This will come to
no good. It is too much to ask. The fish
will be tired at last, and then we shall be
sorry for what we have done. He soon came to
(18:07):
the seashore, and the water was quite black and muddy,
and a mighty whirlwind blew over the waves and rolled
them about. But he went as near as he could
(18:29):
to the water's brink, and said, O man of the sea,
hearken to me, My wife Ilsebill will have her own will,
and hath sent me to beg a boon of thee.
(18:56):
What would she have now, said the fish, Ah, said
the fisherman. She wants to be emperor. Go home, said
the fish. She is emperor already. So he went home again,
(19:25):
And as he came near, he saw his wife, Ilsebil,
sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold,
with a great crown on her head, two yards high.
(19:48):
And on each side of her stood her guards and
attendants in a row, each one smaller than the other,
from the tallest giant down to a little dwarf no
(20:10):
bigger than my finger. And before her stood princes and
dukes and earls. And the fisherman went up to her
and said, wife, are you emperor? Yes, said she, I
(20:37):
am emperor. Ah said the man, as he gazed upon her.
What a fine thing it is to be emperor. Husband
said she, Why should we stop at being emperor? I
(21:04):
will be pope next, oh wife. Wife, said he, How
can you be pope? There is but one pope at
a time in Christendom. Husband said she, I will be
(21:30):
pope this very day. But replied the husband, the fish
cannot make you pope. What nonsense, said she. If he
can make an emperor, he can make a pope. Go
(21:56):
and try him. So the fisherman went, But when he
came to the shore, the wind was raging, and the
sea was tossed up and down in boiling waves, and
(22:20):
the ships were in trouble and rolled fearfully upon the
tops of the billows. In the middle of the heavens
there was a light piece of blue sky, but towards
(22:42):
the south all was red, as if a dreadful storm
was rising. At this site, the fisherman was dreadfully frightened,
and he trembled so that his knees knocked together. But
(23:07):
still he went down near to the shore and said,
O man of the sea, hearken to me. My wife,
Ilsebil will have her own will, and hath sent me
(23:32):
to beg a boon of thee. What does she want now,
said the fish, Ah, said the fisherman. My wife wants
to be pope. Go home, said the fish, She is
(23:57):
pope already. Then the fisherman went home and found Ilsebil
sitting on a throne that was two miles high, and
she had three great crowns on her head, and around
(24:22):
her stood all the pomp and power of the church,
and on each side of her were two rows of
burning lights of all sizes, the greatest as large as
(24:46):
the highest and biggest tower in the world, and the
least no larger than a small rush light. Wife said
the fisherman as he looked at all this greatness. Are
(25:10):
you pope? Yes, said she, I am pope, well, wife
replied he. It is a grand thing to be pope,
(25:32):
and now you must be easy, for you can be
nothing greater. I will think about that, said the wife.
Then they went to bed, but Dame Ilsebil could not
(25:55):
sleep all night for thinking what she should be next.
At last, as she was dropping asleep, morning broke and
the sun rose, ha, thought she as she woke up
(26:23):
and looked at it through the window. After all, I
cannot prevent the sun rising. At this thought, she was
very angry and wakened her husband and said, husband, go
(26:49):
to the fish and tell him I must be lord
of the sun and moon. The fisherman was half asleep,
but the thought frightened him so much that he started
(27:10):
and fell out of bed alas wife said, he, cannot
you be easy with being pope? No, said she I
am very uneasy as long as the sun and moon
(27:37):
rise without my leave. Go to the fish at once.
Then the man went shivering with fear, and as he
was going down to the shore, a dreadful storm arose,
(28:01):
so that the trees and the very rocks shook, and
all the heavens became black with stormy clouds, and the
lightnings played, and the thunders rolled, and you might have
(28:25):
seen in the sea great black waves swelling up like
mountains with crowns of white foam upon their heads. And
the fishermen crept towards the sea and cried out as
(28:50):
well as he could, Oh man of the sea. Hearkened
to me, My wife Ilsebil will have her own will,
and hath sent me to beg a boon of thee.
(29:16):
What does she want now, said the fish, ah, said he.
She wants to be lord of the Sun and moon.
Go home, said the fish to your pigstye again. And
(29:45):
there they live to this very day. Quietly absorb the
soothing words, for soon we shall embark on this journey
once more, immersing ourselves in the warmth of the narrative.
(30:06):
Once again. There was once a fisherman who lived with
his wife in a pigsti close by the seaside. The
fisherman used to go out all day long a fishing,
(30:31):
and one day, as he sat on the shore with
his rod, looking at the sparkling waves and watching his line,
all of a sudden his float was dragged away deep
(30:52):
into the water, and in drawing it up, he pulled
out a great fish. But the fish said, pray, let
me live. I am not a real fish. I am
(31:14):
an enchanted prince. Put me in the water again and
let me go. Oh ho, said the man, You need
not make so many words about the matter. I will
(31:36):
have nothing to do with a fish that can talk.
So swim away, sir, as soon as you please. Then
he put him back into the water, and the fish
darted straight down to the bottom and left alone, a
(32:00):
long streak of blood behind him on the wave. When
the fisherman went home to his wife in the pigsti,
he told her how he had caught a great fish,
and how it had told him it was an enchanted prince,
(32:26):
and how, on hearing it speak, he had let it
go again. Did not you ask for anything, said the wife.
We live very wretchedly here in this nasty dirty PIGSTI
(32:49):
do go back and tell the fish we want a
snug little cottage. The fisherman did not much like the business. However,
he went to the seashore, and when he came back
(33:10):
there the water looked all yellow and green. And he
stood at the water's edge and said, O man of
the sea. Hearken to me. My wife, Ilsebill will have
(33:34):
her own will, and hath sent me to begar boon
of thee. Then the fish came swimming to him and said, well,
what is her will? What does your wife want? Ah,
(33:59):
said the fisher. She says that when I had caught you,
I ought to have asked you for something before I
let you go. She does not like living any longer
in the pigsty, and once a snug little cottage. Go home,
(34:27):
then said the fish. She is in the cottage already.
So the man went home and saw his wife standing
at the door of a nice, trim little cottage. Come in,
(34:51):
Come in, said she is not this much better than
the filthy pigstye we had. And there was a parlor
and a bedchamber and a kitchen, and behind the cottage
(35:15):
there was a little garden planted with all sorts of
flowers and fruits, and there was a courtyard behind full
of ducks and chickens. Ah, said the fisherman, How happy
(35:39):
we shall live now. We will try to do so,
at least, said his wife. Everything went right for a
week or two, and then Dame ilse Bill said, husband,
(36:03):
there is not near room enough for us in this cottage.
The courtyard and the garden are a great deal too small.
I should like to have a large stone castle to
(36:23):
live in. Go to the fish again and tell him
to give us a castle. Wife, said the fisherman. I
don't like to go to him again, for perhaps he
(36:43):
will be angry. We ought to be easy with this
pretty cottage to live in. Nonsense, said the wife. He
will do it very willingly, I know. Go along and try.
(37:07):
The fisherman went, but his heart was very heavy, and
when he came to the sea it looked blue and gloomy,
though it was very calm, and he went close to
(37:28):
the edge of the waves, and said, o man of
the sea. Hearken to me. My wife Ilsebil will have
her own will, and hath sent me to begar boon
(37:50):
of thee. Well, what does she want now? Said the fish? Ah,
said the man, dolefully. My wife wants to live in
a stone castle. Go home, then, said the fish. She
(38:18):
is standing at the gate of it already. So away
went the fisherman and found his wife standing before the
gate of a great castle. See said, she is not
(38:42):
this grand. With that, they went into the castle together
and found a great many servants there, and the rooms
all richly furnish and full of golden chairs and tables.
(39:07):
And behind the castle was a garden, and around it
was a park half a mile long, full of sheep
and goats and hares and deer, And in the courtyard
(39:29):
were stables and cowhouses. Well, said the man. Now we
will live cheerful and happy in this beautiful castle for
the rest of our lives. Perhaps we may, said the wife,
(39:55):
but let us sleep upon it before we make up
our minds to that. So they went to bed. The
next morning when Dame Ilsebil awoke, it was broad daylight,
(40:16):
and she jogged the fisherman with her elbow and said,
get up, husband, and bestir yourself, for we must be
king of all the land. Wife. Wife, said the man,
(40:40):
why should we wish to be the king? I will
not be king? Then I will, said she. But wife,
said the fisherman, how can you be king? The fish
(41:03):
cannot make you a king? Husband, said she. Say no
more about it, but go and try. I will be king.
So the man went away, quite sorrowful to think that
(41:30):
his wife should want to be king. This time the
sea looked a dark gray color and was overspread with
curling waves and the ridges of foam. As he cried out,
(41:54):
O man of the sea, hearken to me, My wife
ilsebill will have her own will, and hath sent me
to beg a boon of thee. Well, what would she
(42:17):
have now? Said the fish? Alas, said the poor man.
My wife wants to be king. Go home, said the fish.
She is king already. Then the fisherman went home, and
(42:44):
as he came close to the palace, he saw a
troop of soldiers and heard the sound of drums and trumpets.
And when he went in he saw his wife sitting
(43:06):
on a throne of gold and diamonds, with a golden
crown upon her head, and on each side of her
stood six fair maidens, each a head taller than the other. Well, wife,
(43:33):
said the fisherman, Are you king? Yes? Said she, I
am king, And when he had looked at her for
a long time, he said, our wife, what a fine
(43:59):
thing it is to be king. Now we shall never
have anything more to wish for as long as we live.
I don't know how that may be, said she never
(44:23):
is a long time. I am king, it is true,
but I begin to be tired of that, and I
think I should like to be emperor alas wife. Why
(44:45):
should you wish to be emperor, said the fisherman. Husband
said she go to the fish. I say I will
be emperor. Our wife replied the fisherman. The fish cannot
(45:11):
make an emperor. I am sure, and I should not
like to ask him for such a thing. I am king,
said Ilsebil, and you are my slave. So go at once.
(45:37):
So the fisherman was forced to go, and he muttered
as he went along. This will come to no good.
It is too much to ask. The fish will be
tired at last, and then we shall be sorry for
(46:03):
what we have done. He soon came to the seashore,
and the water was quite black and muddy, and a
mighty whirlwind blew over the waves and rolled them about.
(46:25):
But he went as near as he could to the
water's brink and said o man of the sea. Hearken
to me, My wife Ilsebil, will have her own will,
(46:49):
and hath sent me to beg a boon of thee.
What would she have now, said the fish, Ah, said
the fisherman. She wants to be emperor. Go home, said
(47:15):
the fish. She is emperor already. So he went home again,
And as he came near, he saw his wife, Ilsebil,
sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold,
(47:41):
with a great crown on her head, two yards high.
And on each side of her stood her guards and
attendants in a row, each one smaller than the other,
(48:04):
from the tallest giant down to a little dwarf no
bigger than my finger. And before her stood princes and
dukes and earls. And the fisherman went up to her
(48:27):
and said, wife, are you emperor? Yes, said she, I
am emperor. Ah, said the man, as he gazed upon her.
(48:49):
What a fine thing it is to be emperor. Husband
said she, Why should we stop at being emperor? I
will be pope next, oh wife. Wife, said he. How
(49:16):
can you be pope? There is but one pope at
a time in Christendom. Husband said she, I will be
pope this very day, But replied the husband, the fish
(49:40):
cannot make you pope. What nonsense, said she. If he
can make an emperor, he can make a pope. Go
and try him. So the fisherman went. But when he
(50:06):
came to the shore, the wind was raging, and the
sea was tossed up and down in boiling waves, and
the ships were in trouble and rolled fearfully upon the
(50:28):
tops of the billows. In the middle of the heavens
there was a light piece of blue sky, but towards
the south all was red, as if a dreadful storm
(50:51):
was rising. At this site, the fisherman was dreadfully frightened,
and he trembled so that his knees knocked together. But
still he went down near to the shore and said,
(51:16):
O man of the sea, hearken to me. My wife,
Ilsebil will have her own will, and hath sent me
to beg a boon of thee. What does she want now,
(51:41):
said the fish, Ah, said the fisherman. My wife wants
to be pope. Go home, said the fish. She is
pope all ready. Then the fishermen went home and found
(52:07):
Ilsebille sitting on a throne that was two miles high,
and she had three great crowns on her head, and
around her stood all the pomp and power of the church.
(52:31):
And on each side of her were two rows of
burning lights of all sizes, the greatest as large as
the highest and biggest tower in the world, and the
(52:53):
least no larger than a small rush light. Wife, said
the fisherman as he looked at all this greatness. Are
you pope, yes, said she, I am pope. Well, wife
(53:25):
replied he. It is a grand thing to be pope,
and now you must be easy, for you can be
nothing greater. I will think about that, said the wife.
(53:49):
Then they went to bed, but Dame Ilsebil could not
sleep all night for thinking what she should be next.
At last, as she was dropping asleep, morning broke and
(54:14):
the sun rose, ha, thought she as she woke up
and looked at it through the window. After all, I
cannot prevent the sun rising. At this thought, she was
(54:40):
very angry and wakened her husband and said, husband, go
to the fish and tell him I must be lord
of the sun and moon. The fisherman was half asleep,
(55:04):
but the thought frightened him so much that he started
and fell out of bed. Alas wife said he cannot
you be easy with being pope? No, said she, I
(55:31):
am very uneasy as long as the sun and moon
rise without my leave. Go to the fish at once.
Then the man went shivering with fear, and as he
(55:54):
was going down to the shore, a dreadful storm arose,
so that the trees and the very rocks shook, and
all the heavens became black with stormy clouds, and the
(56:16):
lightnings played, and the thunders rolled, and you might have
seen in the sea great black waves swelling up like
mountains with crowns of white foam upon their heads. And
(56:43):
the fishermen crept towards the sea and cried out as
well as he could, Oh man of the sea, huh
to me, My wife Ilsebil will have her own will,
(57:10):
and hath sent me to beg a boon of thee.
What does she want now, said the fish, ah, said he.
She wants to be lord of the Sun and moon.
(57:36):
Go home, said the fish to your pigstie again. And
there they live to this very day. As the tale
(57:56):
unfolds once more, let it wash over you, resonating in
the quiet corners of your mind. Soon we'll retrace our
steps through the corridors of this narrative, finding comfort and
(58:17):
familiarity in the words. Once again. There was once a
fisherman who lived with his wife in a pigsty close
by the seaside. The fisherman used to go out all
(58:41):
day long a fishing, and one day, as he sat
on the shore with his rod, looking at the sparkling
waves and watching his line, all of us sudden his
(59:01):
float was dragged away deep into the water, and in
drawing it up he pulled out a great fish. But
the fish said, pray, let me live. I am not
(59:24):
a real fish. I am an enchanted prince. Put me
in the water again and let me go. Oh hoh,
said the man. You need not make so many words
(59:45):
about the matter. I will have nothing to do with
a fish that can talk, So swim away, sir, as
soon as you please. Then he put him back into
the water, and the fish darted straight down to the
(01:00:10):
bottom and left a long streak of blood behind him
on the wave. When the fisherman went home to his
wife in the pigsti, he told her how he had
caught a great fish, and how it had told him
(01:00:35):
it was an enchanted prince, and how on hearing it speak,
he had let it go again. Did not you ask
for anything? Said the wife. We live very wretchedly here
(01:00:57):
in this nasty, dirty pig Stye do go back and
tell the fish we want a snug little cottage. The
fisherman did not much like the business. However, he went
(01:01:19):
to the seashore, and when he came back there the
water looked all yellow and green. And he stood at
the water's edge and said, O man of the sea,
(01:01:40):
hearken to me, My wife ilsebill will have her own will,
and hath sent me to begar boon of thee. Then
the fish came swimming to him and said, well, what
(01:02:04):
is her will? What does your wife want? Ah, said
the fisherman. She says that when I had caught you,
I ought to have asked you for something before I
(01:02:24):
let you go. She does not like living any longer
in the pigsty and wants a snug little cottage. Go home, then,
said the fish. She is in the cottage already. So
(01:02:50):
the man went home and saw his wife standing at
the door of a nice, trim little cottage. Come in,
Come in, said she is not this much better than
(01:03:11):
the filthy pigstye we had, and there was a parlor
and a bedchamber, and a kitchen. And behind the cottage
there was a little garden planted with all sorts of
(01:03:34):
flowers and fruits, and there was a courtyard behind full
of ducks and chickens. Ah, said the fisherman, How happy
we shall live now. We will try to do so,
(01:03:58):
at least, said his wife. Everything went right for a
week or two, and then Dame Ilsebil said, husband, there
is not near room enough for us in this cottage.
(01:04:22):
The courtyard and the garden are a great deal too small.
I should like to have a large stone castle to
live in. Go to the fish again and tell him
(01:04:43):
to give us a castle, wife, said the fisherman. I
don't like to go to him again, for perhaps he
will be angry. We or to be easy with this
pretty cottage to live in. Nonsense, said the wife. He
(01:05:11):
will do it very willingly, I know. Go along and try.
The fisherman went, but his heart was very heavy, and
when he came to the sea it looked blue and gloomy,
(01:05:35):
though it was very calm, And he went close to
the edge of the waves, and said, O man of
the sea hearken to me, my wife Ilsebil will have
(01:05:57):
her own will, and hath sent me to begar boon
of thee. Well what does she want now, said the fish, ah,
said the man dolefully. My wife wants to live in
(01:06:22):
a stone castle. Go home, then, said the fish. She
is standing at the gate of it already. So away
went the fisherman and found his wife standing before the
(01:06:45):
gate of a great castle. See said she is not
this grand. With that, they went into the castle together
and found a great many servants there, and the rooms
(01:07:11):
all richly furnished and full of golden chairs and tables.
And behind the castle was a garden, and around it
was a park half a mile long, full of sheep
(01:07:34):
and goats and hares and deer, And in the courtyard
were stables and cowhouses. Well, said the man. Now we
will live cheerful and happy in this beautiful castle for
(01:07:59):
the rest of our lives. Perhaps we may, said the wife,
but let us sleep upon it before we make up
our minds to that. So they went to bed. The
(01:08:22):
next morning. When Dame Ilsebil awoke, it was broad daylight,
and she jogged the fisherman with her elbow and said,
get up, husband, and bestir yourself, for we must be
(01:08:43):
king of all the land. Wife. Wife, said the man,
why should we wish to be the king? I will
not be king, then I will, said she. But wife
(01:09:09):
said the fisherman, how can you be king? The fish
cannot make you a king? Husband said she. Say no
more about it, but go and try. I will be king.
(01:09:36):
So the man went away, quite sorrowful to think that
his wife should want to be king. This time the
sea looked a dark gray color and was overspread with
(01:09:57):
curling waves and the ridges of foam. As he cried out,
o man of the sea, hearken to me, My wife
ilsebill will have her own will, and hath sent me
(01:10:22):
to beg a boon of thee. Well what would she
have now? Said the fish? Alas, said the poor man.
My wife wants to be king. Go home, said the fish.
(01:10:48):
She is king already. Then the fisherman went home, and
as he came close to the palace, he saw a
troop of soldiers and heard the sound of drums and trumpets.
(01:11:12):
And when he went in he saw his wife sitting
on a throne of gold and diamonds, with a golden
crown upon her head, and on each side of her
(01:11:34):
stood six fair maidens, each a head taller than the other. Well, wife,
said the fisherman. Are you king, Yes, said she, I
(01:11:56):
am king. And when he had looked at her for
a long time, he said, our wife, what a fine
thing it is to be king. Now we shall never
(01:12:19):
have anything more to wish for as long as we live.
I don't know how that may be, said she, never
is a long time. I am king, it is true,
(01:12:43):
but I begin to be tired of that, and I
think I should like to be emperor. Alas wife, Why
should you wish to be emperor, said the fisherman. Husband
(01:13:06):
said she go to the fish. I say I will
be emperor. Our wife, replied the fisherman. The fish cannot
make an emperor. I am sure, and I should not
(01:13:31):
like to ask him for such a thing. I am king,
said Il Sabil, and you are my slave. So go
at once. So the fisherman was forced to go, and
(01:13:55):
he muttered as he went along. This will come to
no good. It is too much to ask. The fish
will be tired at last, and then we shall be
sorry for what we have done. He soon came to
(01:14:21):
the seashore and the water was quite black and muddy,
and a mighty whirlwind blew over the waves and rolled
them about. But he went as near as he could
(01:14:43):
to the water's brink, and said, Oh, man of the sea,
hearken to me, My wife, Ilsebill will have her own will,
and hath sent me to beg a boon of thee.
(01:15:10):
What would she have now, said the fish, Ah, said
the fisherman. She wants to be emperor. Go home, said
the fish. She is emperor already. So he went home again,
(01:15:39):
And as he came near, he saw his wife, Ilsebil
sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold,
with a great crown on her head to young high.
(01:16:02):
And on each side of her stood her guards and
attendants in a row, each one smaller than the other,
from the tallest giant down to a little dwarf no
(01:16:24):
bigger than my finger. And before her stood princes and
dukes and earls. And the fisherman went up to her
and said, wife, are you emperor? Yes, said she, I
(01:16:51):
am emperor. Ah said the man, as he gazed upon her.
What a fine thing it is to be emperor, husband,
said she, Why should we stop at being emperor? I
(01:17:18):
will be pope next, oh, wife. Wife said he, how
can you be pope? There is but one pope at
a time in Christendom. Husband said she, I will be
(01:17:44):
pope this very day. But replied the husband, the fish
cannot make you pope. What nonsense? Said she. If he
can make an emperor, he can make a pope. Go
(01:18:10):
and try him. So the fisherman went. But when he
came to the shore, the wind was raging, and the
sea was tossed up and down in boiling waves, and
(01:18:34):
the ships were in trouble and rolled fearfully upon the
tops of the billows. In the middle of the heavens
there was a light piece of blue sky, but towards
(01:18:56):
the south all was read as if a dreadful storm
was rising. At this site, the fisherman was dreadfully frightened,
and he trembled so that his knees knocked together. But
(01:19:21):
still he went down near to the shore and said,
O man of the sea, hearken to me. My wife
Ilsebil will have her own will, and hath sent me
(01:19:46):
to beg a boon of thee. What does she want now,
said the fish? Ah, said the fish, My wife wants
to be pope, go home, said the fish. She is
(01:20:11):
pope already. Then the fisherman went home and found Ilsebil
sitting on a throne that was two miles high, and
she had three great crowns on her head, and around
(01:20:36):
her stood all the pomp and power of the church.
And on each side of her were two rows of
burning lights of all sizes, the greatest as large as
(01:21:00):
highest and biggest tower in the world, and the least
no larger than a small rush light. Wife, said the
fisherman as he looked at all this greatness. Are you pope, yes,
(01:21:29):
said she, I am pope. Well, wife replied he. It
is a grand thing to be pope, and now you
must be easy, for you can be nothing greater. I
(01:21:56):
will think about that, said the world. Then they went
to bed, but Dame Ilsebil could not sleep all night
for thinking what she should be next. At last, as
(01:22:20):
she was dropping asleep, morning broke and the sun rose, ha,
thought she as she woke up and looked at it
through the window. After all, I cannot prevent the sun rising.
(01:22:49):
At this thought, she was very angry and wakened her
husband and said, husband, go to the fish and tell
him I must be lord of the Sun and Moon.
(01:23:13):
The fisherman was half asleep, but the thought frightened him
so much that he started and fell out of bed.
Alas wife said he, cannot you be easy with being pope, No,
(01:23:41):
said she, I am very uneasy as long as the
sun and moon rise without my leave. Go to the
fish at once. Then the man went shivering with fear,
(01:24:06):
and as he was going down to the shore, a
dreadful storm arose, so that the trees and the very
rocks shook, and all the heavens became black with stormy clouds,
(01:24:28):
and the lightnings played, and the thunders rolled, and you
might have seen in the sea great black waves swelling
up like mountains with crowns of white foam upon their heads.
(01:24:55):
And the fishermen crept towards the sea and cried out
as well as he could. O man of the sea.
Hearken to me, my wife Ilsebel will have her own will,
(01:25:23):
and hath sent me to beg a boon of thee.
What does she want now, said the fish, ah, said he.
She wants to be lord of the Sun and Moon.
(01:25:49):
Go home, said the fish, to your pigstie again, and
there they live to this very day, Have a blessed rest,
(01:26:11):
sweet dreams, good night,
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