2 Hours of Continuous Brother's Grimm Fairytales to Fall Asleep to

Episode Transcript
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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 this evening, leave

(00:52):
the day behind you and arrive in the soft stillness
of now. The world can wait, your thoughts can settle,
and for a little while, you don't need to do
anything at all. This evening, I'm going to read you

(01:18):
a collection of fairy tales, gentle timeless stories from the
Brother's Grim. These stories are soft and gentle. They are
full of kindness, wit, and quiet wonder. You'll hear about

(01:40):
a kind girl who gives everything she has and is
given the stars in return. A clever shepherd boy whose
answers outwit a king, twelve beautiful huntsmen with a secret,
and a small, unassuming bee who might be more important

(02:06):
than anyone expects. After these tales, I'll read you a
few more grim stories I've shed before gathered here into
one long, RESTful collection, so you can stay cozy and

(02:26):
still tonight without needing to awaken. I'll read it all
slowly and peacefully, so you can drift along the rhythm
of the words and let the stories gently guide you
into sleep. So settle in, close your eyes if you

(02:54):
haven't already, and let the rest of.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
The world fade away.

Speaker 1 (03:05):
There was once on a time a little girl whose
father and mother were dead, and she was so poor
that she no longer had any little room to live
in or bed to sleep in. And at last she

(03:33):
had nothing else but the clothes she was wearing, and
a little bit of bread in her hand, which some
charitable soul had given her. She was, however, good and pious,

(03:57):
And as she was thus forsaken by all the world,
she went forth into the open country, trusting in the
good God. Then a poor man met her, who said, ah,

(04:21):
give me something to eat.

Speaker 2 (04:24):
I am so hungry.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
She reached him the whole of her peace of bread
and said, may God bless it to thy use, and
went onwards. Then came a child who moaned and said,

(04:52):
my head is so cold.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
Give me something to cover it with.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
So she took off her hood and gave it to him.
And when she had walked a little father, she met
another child who had no jacket and was frozen with cold.

(05:24):
Then she gave it her own, and a little father
on one begged for a frock, and she gave away
that also. At length she got into a forest, and

(05:47):
it had already become dark, And there came yet another
child and asked for a little shirt. And the good
little girl thought to herself, it is a dark night,

(06:11):
and no one sees thee thou canst very well give
thy little shirt away, and took it off and gave
away that also. And as she so stood and had

(06:33):
not one single thing left, suddenly some stars from heaven
fell down, and they were nothing else but hard, smooth
pieces of money. And although she had just given her

(06:58):
little shirt away, she had a new one, which was
of the very finest linen. Then she gathered together the
money into this, and was rich all the days of

(07:22):
her life. There was once on a time a shepherd
boy whose fame spread far and wide because of the
wise answers which he gave to every question. The king

(07:44):
of the country heard of it likewise, but did not
believe it, and sent for the boy. Then he said
to him, if thou canst give me an answer to
three questions which I will ask thee, I will look

(08:08):
on thee as my own child, and thou shalt dwell
with me in my royal palace. The boy said, what
are the three questions?

Speaker 2 (08:26):
The King said.

Speaker 1 (08:29):
The first is how many drops of water are there
in the ocean. The shepherd boy answered, Lord King, if
you will have all the rivers on earth dammed up
so that not a single drop runs from them into

(08:54):
the sea until I have counted it, I will tell
you how many drops there are in the sea. The
King said. The next question is how many stars are

(09:14):
there in the sky. The shepherd boy said, give me
a great sheet of white paper, and then he made
so many fine points on it with a pen that

(09:34):
they could scarcely be seen, and it was all but
impossible to count them. Anyone who looked at them would
have lost his sight. Then he said, there are as

(09:55):
many stars in the sky as there are points on
the paper. Just count them, but no one was able
to do it. The King said, the third question is

(10:17):
how many seconds of time are there in eternity?

Speaker 2 (10:24):
Then said the shepherd.

Speaker 1 (10:26):
Boy in lower Pomerania is the Diamond Mountain, which is
two miles and a half high, two miles and a
half wide, and two miles and a half in depth.

(10:47):
Every hundred years a little bird comes and sharpens its
beacon it. And when the whole mountain is worn away
by this, then the first second of eternity will be over.

(11:09):
The king said, thou hast answered the three questions like
a wise man, and shalt henceforth dwell with me in
my royal palace, and I will regard thee as my
own child. There was once a king's son who had

(11:37):
a bride whom he loved very much. And when he
was sitting beside her and very happy, news came that
his father lay sick on too death, and desired to
see him once again before his end. Then he said

(12:02):
to his beloved, I must now go and leave you.
I give you a ring as a remembrance of me.
When I am king, I will return and fetch you.
So he rode away, and when he reached his father,

(12:27):
the latter was dangerously ill and near his death. He
said to him, dear son, I wished to see you
once again before my end. Promise me to marry as

(12:47):
I wish, and he named a certain king's daughter who
was to be his wife. The son was in such
trouble that he did not think what he was doing,
and said, yes, dear father, your will shall be done.

Speaker 2 (13:14):
And thereupon the king shut his eyes and died.

Speaker 1 (13:21):
When therefore the son had been proclaimed king and the
time of mourning was over, he was forced to keep
the promise which he had given his father, and caused
the king's daughter to be asked in marriage, and she

(13:44):
was promised to him. His first betrothed heard of this
and fretted so much about his faithfulness that she nearly died.
And then her father said to her, dearest child, why

(14:06):
are you so sad? You shall have what soever you will.
She thought for a moment and said, dear father, I
wish for eleven girls exactly like myself in face, figure

(14:30):
and size. The father said, if it be possible, your
desire shall be fulfilled, and he caused a search to
be made in his whole kingdom until eleven young maidens

(14:51):
were found who exactly resembled his daughter in face, figure,
and sighs. When they came to the king's daughter, she
had twelve suits of huntsman's clothes made all alike, and

(15:14):
the eleven maidens had to put on the huntsman's clothes,
and she herself put on the twelve suit. Thereupon she
took her leave of her father and rode away with them,
and rode to the court of her former betrothed, whom

(15:38):
she loved so dearly. Then she asked if he required
any huntsman, and if he would take all of them
into his service. The king looked at her and did
not know her, but as they were such handsome fellows,

(16:04):
he said yes, and that he would willingly take them.
And now they were the king's twelve huntsmen. The king, however,
had a lion, which was a wondrous animal, for he

(16:28):
knew all concealed and secret things. It came to pass
that one evening he said to the King, you think
you have twelve huntsmen. Yes, said the king, they are

(16:51):
twelve huntsmen. The lion continued, you are mistaken. They are
twelve girls. The king said that cannot be true. How
will you prove that to me? Oh, just let some

(17:15):
peas be strewn in the anti chamber, answered the lion,
and then you will soon see men have a firm step,
and when they walk over peace, none of them stir,

(17:36):
but girls trip and skip and drag their feet, and
the peas roll about. The king was well pleased with
the council, and caused the peas to be strewn. There was, however,

(17:59):
a servant of the kings who favored the huntsman, and
when he heard that they were going to be put
to this test, he went to them and repeated everything,
and said, the lion wants to make the king believe

(18:23):
that you are girls.

Speaker 2 (18:26):
Then the king's.

Speaker 1 (18:27):
Daughter thanked him and said to her maidens, show some
strength and step firmly on the peace. So next morning,
when the king had the twelve huntsmen called before him,

(18:48):
and they came into the ante chamber where the peas
were lying, They stepped so firmly on them, and had
such a strong sure walk that not one of the
peas either rolled or stirred. Then they went away again,

(19:14):
and the king said to the lion, you have lied
to me. They walk just like men. The lion said,
they have been informed that they were going to be
put to the test, and have assumed some strength. Just

(19:41):
let twelve spinning wheels be brought into the ante chamber,
and they will go to them and be pleased with them,
And that is what no man would do. The king
the advice and had the spinning wheels placed in the

(20:05):
anti chamber, But the servant, who was well disposed to
the huntsman, went to them and disclosed the project. So
when they were alone, the king's daughter said to her
eleven girls, show some constraint, and do not look round

(20:33):
at the spinning wheels. And next morning, when the king
had his twelve huntsmen summoned, they went through the anti
chamber and never once looked at the spinning wheels. Then

(20:54):
the king again said to the lion, you have deceived me.
They are men, for they have not looked at the
spinning wheels. The lion replied, they have restrained themselves. The king, however,

(21:18):
would no longer believe the lion. The twelve huntsmen always
followed the king to the chase, and his liking for
them continually increased. Now it came to pass that once,

(21:39):
when they were out hunting, news came that the king's
bride was approaching. When the true bride heard that, it
hurt her so much that her heart was almost broken,
and she fell fainting to the ground. The king thought

(22:05):
something had happened to his dear huntsman, ran up to him,
wanted to help him, and drew his glove off. Then
he saw the ring which he had given to his
first bride, and when he looked in her face he

(22:30):
recognized her. Then his heart was so touched that he
kissed her, and when she opened her eyes, he said,
you are mine, and I am yours, and no one

(22:51):
in the world can alter that. He sent a messenger
to the other bride and entreated her to return to
her own kingdom, for he had a wife already, and
someone who had just found an old key did not require.

Speaker 2 (23:18):
A new one.

Speaker 1 (23:20):
Thereupon, the wedding was celebrated, and the lion was again
taken into favor, because after all he had told the truth.

(23:41):
Two kings sons, once upon a time went into the
world to seek their fortunes, but they soon fell into
a wasteful, foolish way of living, so that they could
not return home again. Then their brother, who was a

(24:05):
little insignificant dwarf, went out to seek for his brothers,
but when he found them, they only laughed at him.
To think that he who was so young and simple
should try to travel through the world when they, who

(24:29):
were so much wiser, had been unable to get on. However,
they all set out on their journey together and came
at last to an ant hill. The two elder brothers
would have pulled it down in order to see how

(24:53):
the poor ants in their fright would run about and
carry off their eggs, but the little dwarf said, let
the poor things enjoy themselves. I will not suffer you
to trouble them. So on they went and came to

(25:17):
a lake where many many ducks were swimming about. The
two brothers wanted to catch two and roast them, but
the dwarf said, let the poor things enjoy themselves, you
shall not kill them. Next they came to a bee's

(25:43):
nest in a hollow tree, and there was so much
honey that it ran down the trunk, and the two
brothers wanted to light a fire under the tree and
kill the bees so as to get their honey, but

(26:04):
the dwarf held them back and said, let the pretty
insects enjoy themselves. I cannot let you burn them. At length,
the three brothers came to a castle, and as they
passed by the stables. They saw fine horses standing there,

(26:30):
but all were of marble, and no man was to
be seen. Then they went through all the rooms till
they came to a door on which were three locks.
But in the middle of the door was a wicket,

(26:52):
so that they could look into the next room. There
they saw a little gray old man sitting at a table,
and they called to him once or twice, but he
did not hear. However, they called a third time, and

(27:18):
then he rose and came out to them. He said nothing,
but took hold of them and led them to a
beautiful table covered with all sorts of good things, And
when they had eaten and drunk, he showed each of

(27:40):
them to a bedchamber. The next morning he came to
the eldest and took him to a marble table, where
there were three tablets containing an account of the means
by which the car might be disenchanted. The first tablet said,

(28:07):
in the wood under the moss lie the thousand pearls
belonging to the King's daughter. They must all be found,
and if one be missing, by set of sun, he
who seeks them will be turned into marble. The eldest

(28:31):
brother set out and sought for the pearls the whole day,
but the evening came and he had not found the
first hundred, so he was turned into stone, as the
tablet had foretold. The next day, the second brother undertook

(28:57):
the task, but he succeeds did no better than the first,
for he could only find the second hundred of the pearls,
and therefore he too was turned into stone. At last

(29:17):
came the little Dwarf's turn, and he looked in the moss,
but it was so hard to find the pearls, and
the job was so tiresome, so he sat down upon
a stone and cried. And as he sat there, the

(29:42):
king of the ants, whose life he had saved, came
to help him with five thousand ants, and it was
not long before they had found all the pearls and
laid them in a heap. The second tablet said the

(30:07):
key of the princess's bedchamber must be fished up out
of the lake, and as the dwarf came to the
brink of it, he saw the two ducks whose lives
he had saved, swimming about, and they dived down and

(30:30):
soon brought in the key from the bottom. The third
task was the hardest. It was to choose out the
youngest and the best of the king's three daughters. Now
they were all beautiful and all exactly alike. But he

(30:57):
was told that the eldest had eaten a piece of sugar,
the next some sweet syrup, and the youngest a spoonful
of honey. So he was to guess which it was
that had eaten the honey. Then came the queen of

(31:21):
the bees, who had been saved by the little dwarf
from the fire, and she tried the lips of all three,
But at last she sat upon the lips of the
one that had eaten the honey, and so the dwarf

(31:45):
knew which was the youngest. Thus the spell was broken,
and all who had been turned into stones awoke and.

Speaker 2 (31:58):
Took their proper forms.

Speaker 1 (32:02):
And the dwarf married the youngest and the best of
the princesses, and was the king after her father's death.
But his two brothers married the other two sisters. There

(32:23):
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, and one day,
as he sat on the shore with his rod, looking

(32:49):
at the sparkling waves and watching his line. All of
a sudden his float was dragged way deep into the water,
and in drawing it up, he pulled out a great fish.

(33:13):
But the fish said, pray, let me live. I am
not a real fish. I am an enchanted prince. Put
me in the water again and let me go. Oh hoh,

(33:36):
said the man. You need not make so many words
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

(34:01):
the water, and the fish darted straight down to the
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

(34:25):
caught a great fish, and how it had told him
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

(34:53):
in this nasty, dirty PIGSTI.

Speaker 2 (34:59):
Do go back and tell the.

Speaker 1 (35:01):
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 there the water looked all

(35:23):
yellow and green. And he stood at the water's edge
and said, O man of the sea.

Speaker 2 (35:37):
Hearken to me.

Speaker 1 (35:40):
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 is her will?

(36:02):
What does your wife want, ah, said the fisherman.

Speaker 2 (36:11):
She says that.

Speaker 1 (36:13):
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, then, said the fish.

(36:40):
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, Come in, said

(37:03):
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 there was a

(37:26):
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 we shall live now.

Speaker 2 (37:53):
We will try to.

Speaker 1 (37:54):
Do so, at least, said his wife. Everything went right
for a week or two, and then Dame Ilsebill said, husband,
there is not near room enough for us in this cottage.

(38:19):
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

(38:39):
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 cot to live in. Nonsense, said the wife. He

(39:07):
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,

(39:32):
though it was very calm, and he went close to
the edge of the waves and said, O man of
the sea.

Speaker 2 (39:47):
Hearken to me.

Speaker 1 (39:50):
My wife Ilsebil will have her own will, and hath
sent me to begar Boon of the well. What does
she want now, said the fish, Ah, said the man dolefully.

(40:16):
My wife wants to live in 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

(40:39):
wife standing before the 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,

(41:06):
and the rooms 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,

(41:28):
full of sheep and goats and hares and deer, And
in the courtyard were stables and cowhouses. Well, said the man,

(41:48):
Now we will live cheerful and happy in this beautiful
castle for the rest.

Speaker 2 (41:57):
Of our lives.

Speaker 1 (42:00):
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 next morning. When Dame

(42:21):
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 king of all the land.

Speaker 2 (42:44):
Wife.

Speaker 1 (42:46):
Wife said the man, 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

(43:10):
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. So the man went away,

(43:36):
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 curling waves and the ridges

(43:58):
of foam. He cried out, 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.

(44:24):
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. She is king already. Then

(44:50):
the fisherman went home, and as he came close to
the palace, he saw a truth of soldiers and heard
the sound of drums and trumpets. And when he went

(45:10):
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 stood six fair maidens,

(45:34):
each a.

Speaker 2 (45:35):
Head taller than the other.

Speaker 1 (45:40):
Well, wife, said the fisherman, Are you king?

Speaker 2 (45:48):
Yes?

Speaker 1 (45:50):
Said she, I am king. And when he had looked
at her for a long time, he said.

Speaker 2 (46:04):
Our wife, what a fine thing it is to be king.

Speaker 1 (46:14):
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 is a long time. I

(46:36):
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 should you wish to be emperor,

(46:58):
said the fisherman, and.

Speaker 2 (47:01):
Husband said she go to the fish. I say I
will be emperor.

Speaker 1 (47:13):
Our wife replied the fisherman. The fish cannot make an emperor.
I am sure, and I should not like to ask
him for such a thing. I am king, said il Sabil,

(47:37):
and you are my slave. So go at once. So
the fisherman was forced to go, and he muttered as
he went along. This will come to no good. Is

(48:00):
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 the seashore, and the water was

(48:21):
quite black and muddy, and a mighty whirlwind blew over
the waves and rolled them about. But he went as
near as he could to the water's brink, and said, oh,

(48:46):
man of the sea, hearken to me. My wife, Ilsebill
will have her own will, and has sent me to
beg a boon of the What would she have now,

(49:10):
said the fish. Ah, said the fisherman. She wants to
be emperor. Go home, said the fish. She is emperor already.

(49:32):
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, with a great crown on

(49:54):
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, from the tallest giant down

(50:18):
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 and said, wife, are you emperor? Yes,

(50:45):
said she, I 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

(51:12):
at being emperor?

Speaker 2 (51:15):
I will be pope next.

Speaker 1 (51:19):
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 pope this very day.

(51:45):
But replied the husband, the fish cannot make you pope.

Speaker 2 (51:54):
What nonsense, said she.

Speaker 1 (51:58):
If he can an emperor, he can make a pope.

Speaker 2 (52:06):
Go and try him.

Speaker 1 (52:10):
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 the ships were in

(52:32):
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 the south all was red,

(52:58):
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 still he went down near

(53:21):
to the shore and said, O man of the sea,
hearken to me, My wife, Ilsebil will have her own will,

(53:47):
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 pope already. Then the fisherman

(54:14):
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 her stood all the pomp

(54:36):
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 the highest and biggest tower

(55:00):
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, said she,

(55:27):
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.

Speaker 2 (55:52):
I will think about that, said the.

Speaker 3 (55:56):
Wife then went to bed, but Dame Ilsebil could not
sleep all night for thinking what she should be next.

Speaker 1 (56:15):
At last, as 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

(56:40):
cannot prevent the sun rising. 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

(57:06):
of the sun and moon. 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

(57:31):
you be easy with being pope? No, said she, I
am very uneasy as long as the sun and moon
rise without my leave.

Speaker 2 (57:51):
Go to the fish at once.

Speaker 1 (57:57):
Then the man went shiver with fear, And as he
was going down to the shore, a dreadful storm arose,
so that the trees and the very rocks shook, and

(58:19):
all the heavens became black with stormy clouds, and the
lightnings played, and the thunders rolled, and you might have
seen in the sea great black waves swelling up like

(58:44):
mountains with crowns of white foam upon their heads. And
the fishermen crept towards the sea and cried out as
well as he could. O man of the sea. Hearken

(59:10):
to me, my wife Ilsebel will have her own will,
What does she want now, said the fish, ah.

Speaker 2 (59:36):
Said he.

Speaker 1 (59:38):
She wants to be lord of the Sun and moon.
Go home, said the fish to your pigstye again. And
there they live to this very day. There was a

(01:00:05):
king who had twelve beautiful daughters. They slept in twelve beds,
all in one room, and when they went to bed,
the doors were shut and locked up. But every morning

(01:00:29):
their shoes were found to be quite worn through, as
if they had been danced in all night. And yet
nobody could find out how it happened.

Speaker 2 (01:00:47):
Or where they had been.

Speaker 1 (01:00:51):
Then the king made it known to all the land
that if any person could disci discover the secret and
find out where it was that the princesses danced in
the night, he should have the one he liked best

(01:01:14):
for his wife, and should be king after his death.
But who ever tried and did not succeed after three
days and nights should be put to death. A king's

(01:01:35):
son soon came. He was well entertained, and in the
evening was taken to the chamber next to the one
where the princesses lay in their twelve beds. There he

(01:01:56):
was to sit and watch where they went to dance,
and in order that nothing might pass without his hearing it,
the door of his chamber was left open. But the

(01:02:18):
king's son soon fell asleep, and when he awoke in
the morning, he found that the princesses had all been dancing,
for the soles of their shoes were full of holes.

(01:02:41):
The same thing happened the second and third night, so
the king ordered his head to be cut off. After
him came several others, but they had all the same luck,

(01:03:04):
and all lost their lives in the same manner. Now
it chanced that an old soldier who had been wounded
in battle and could fight no longer, passed through the

(01:03:25):
country where this king reigned, and as he was traveling
through a wood, he met an old woman who asked
him where he was going. I hardly know where I

(01:03:45):
am going or what I had better do, said the soldier,
But I think I should like very well to find
out where it is that the princesses dance, and then

(01:04:07):
in time I might be a king. Well, said the
old dame, that is no very hard task. Only take
care not to drink any of the wine which one

(01:04:30):
of the princesses will bring to you in the evening,
and as soon as she leaves you pretend to be
fast asleep. Then she gave him a cloak and said,

(01:04:51):
as soon as you put that on, you will become invisible,
and you will then be able to follow the princesses
wherever they go. When the soldier heard all this good counsel,

(01:05:15):
he determined to try his luck. So he went to
the king and said he was willing to undertake the task.
He was as well received as the others had been,

(01:05:36):
and the king ordered fine royal robes to be given him.
And when the evening came, he was led to the
outer chamber. Just as he was going to lie down,

(01:05:56):
the eldest of the princesses brought him a cup of wine,
but the soldier threw it all away, secretly, taking care
not to drink a drop. Then he laid himself down

(01:06:21):
on his bed, and in a little while began to
snore very loud, as if he was fast asleep. When
the twelve princesses heard this, they laughed heartily, and the

(01:06:44):
eldest said, this fellow, too might have done a wiser
thing than lose his life in this way. Then they
rose up and opened their drawers and boxes, and took

(01:07:09):
out all their fine clothes, and dressed themselves at the glass,
and skipped about as if they were eager to begin dancing.
But the youngest said, I don't know how it is

(01:07:34):
while you are so happy, I feel very uneasy. I
am sure some mischance will befall us. You simpleton, said
the eldest. You are always afraid. Have you forgotten how

(01:08:03):
many King's sons have already watched in vain? And as
for this soldier, even if I had not given him
his sleeping draft, he would have slept soundly enough. When

(01:08:27):
they were all ready, they went and looked at the soldier,
But he snored on and did not stir hand or foot,
so they thought they were quite safe. And the eldest

(01:08:52):
went up to her own bed and clapped her hands,
and the bed sank into the floor, and a trap
door flew open. The soldier saw them going down through

(01:09:14):
the trap door, one after another, the eldest leading the way,
and thinking he had no time to lose, he jumped up,
put on the cloak which the old woman had given him,

(01:09:36):
and followed them. But in the middle of the stairs
he trod on the gown of the youngest princess, and
she cried out to her sisters, All is not right.

(01:09:57):
Someone took hold of my you silly creature, said the eldest.
It is nothing but a nail in the wall. Then
down they all went, and at the bottom they found

(01:10:22):
themselves in a most delightful grove of trees, and the
leaves were all of silver and glittered and sparkled beautifully.
The soldier wished to take away some token of the place,

(01:10:47):
so he broke off a little branch, and there came
a loud noise from the tree. Then the young daughter
said again, I am sure all is not right. Did

(01:11:09):
not you hear that noise that never happened before? But
the eldest said, it is only our princes who are
shouting for joy at our approach. Then they came to

(01:11:33):
another grove of trees, where all the leaves were of gold,
and afterwards to a third where the leaves were all
glittering diamonds, and the soldier broke a branch from each

(01:11:58):
and every time there was a loud noise, which made
the youngest sister tremble with fear. But the eldest still
said it was only the princess who were crying for joy.

(01:12:23):
So they went on till they came to a great lake,
and at the side of the lake there lay twelve
little boats with twelve handsome princes in them, who seemed

(01:12:45):
to be waiting there for the princesses. One of the
princesses went into each boat, and the soldier stepped into
the same boat with the youngest. As they were rowing

(01:13:08):
over the lake, the prince who was in the boat
with the youngest princess, and the soldier said, I do
not know why it is, but though I am rowing
with all my might. We do not get on so

(01:13:32):
fast as usual, and I am quite tired. The boat
seems very heavy today. It is only the heat of
the weather, said the princess. I feel it very warm too.

(01:13:58):
On the other side of the lake stood a fine
illuminated castle, from which came the merry music of horns
and trumpets. There they all landed and went into the castle,

(01:14:23):
and each prince danced with his princess, and the soldier,
who was all the time invisible, danced with them too,
And when any of the princesses had a cup of

(01:14:45):
wine set by her, he drank it all up, so
that when she put the cup to her mouth it
was empty. At this too, the youngest sister was terribly frightened,

(01:15:10):
but the eldest always silenced her. They danced on till
three o'clock in the morning, and then all their shoes
were worn out, so that they were obliged to leave off.

(01:15:35):
The princess rowed them back again over the lake, but
this time the soldier placed himself in the boat with
the eldest princess, and on the opposite shore they took

(01:15:55):
leave of each other. The princess is promising to come again.
The next night. When they came to the stairs, the
soldier ran on before the princesses and laid himself down,

(01:16:20):
And as the twelve sisters slowly came up, very much tired,
they heard him snoring in his bed, so they said,
now all is quite safe. Then they undressed themselves, put

(01:16:47):
away their fine clothes, pulled off their shoes, and went
to bed. In the morning, the soldier said nothing about
what had happened, but determined to see more of this

(01:17:11):
strange adventure, and went again the second and third night,
and everything happened just as before. The princesses danced each
time till their shoes were worn to pieces, and then

(01:17:36):
returned home. However, on the third night, the soldier carried
away one of the golden cups as a token of
where he had been. As soon as the time came

(01:17:59):
when he he was to declare the secret, he was
taken before the king with the three branches and the
golden cup, and the twelve princesses stood listening behind the

(01:18:19):
door to hear what he would say. And when the
king asked him, where do my twelve daughters dance at night,
he answered, with twelve princes in a castle underground, and

(01:18:46):
then he told the king all that had happened, and
showed him the three branches and the golden cup which
he had brought with him. Then the king called for
the princesses and asked them whether what the soldier said

(01:19:12):
was true. And when they saw that they were discovered
and that it was of no use to deny what
had happened, they confessed it all. And the king asked

(01:19:34):
the soldier which of them he would choose for his wife,
and he answered, I am not very young, so I
will have the eldest. And they were married that very day,

(01:20:00):
and the soldier was chosen to be the king's heir.
In the olden time, when wishing was having, there lived
a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest

(01:20:26):
was so exceedingly beautiful that the sun himself, although he
saw her very very often, was delighted every time she
came out into the sunshine. Near the castle of this

(01:20:48):
king was a large and gloomy forest, where in the
midst stood an old lime tree uneath whose branches splashed
a little fountain. So whenever it was very hot, the

(01:21:11):
king's youngest daughter ran off into this wood, and sat
down by the side of the fountain, and when she
felt dull, would often divert herself by throwing a golden
ball up into the air and catching it again. And

(01:21:38):
this was her favorite amusement. Now, one day it happened
that this golden ball, when the king's daughter threw it
into the air, did not fall down into her hand,

(01:22:01):
but onto the grass, and then it rolled right into
the fountain. The king's daughter followed the ball with her eyes,
but it disappeared beneath the water, which was so deep

(01:22:24):
that she could not see to the bottom. Then she
began to lament and to cry more loudly and more loudly.
And as she cried, a voice called out, why weepest thou, o,

(01:22:52):
King's daughter. Thy tears would melt even a stone to pity.
She looked around to the spot whence the voice came,
and saw a frog stretching his thick, ugly head out

(01:23:14):
of the water. Ah, you, old water paddler, said she
was it you that spoke. I am weeping for my
golden ball, which bounced away from me into the water.

(01:23:37):
Be quiet and do not cry, replied the frog. I
can give thee good assistance, but what wilt thou give
me if I succeed in fetching thy plaything up again?

(01:23:57):
What would you like dear from, said she, my dresses,
my pearls and jewels, or the golden crown which I wear.
The frog replied, dresses or jewels or golden crowns are

(01:24:22):
not for me. But if thou wilt love me and
let me be thy companion and playmate, and sit at
thy table, and eat from thy little golden plate, and

(01:24:42):
drink out of thy cup, and sleep in thy little bed,
if thou wilt promise me all these things, then I
will dive down and fetch up thy golden ball. Oh,

(01:25:05):
I will promise you all, said she, if you will
only get me.

Speaker 2 (01:25:13):
My golden ball.

Speaker 1 (01:25:17):
But she thought to herself, what is the silly frog
chattering about? Let him stay in the water with his equals.
He cannot enter into society. Then the frog, as soon

(01:25:40):
as he had received her promise, drew his head under
the water and dived down. Presently, he swam up again
with the golden ball in his mouth, and threw it

(01:26:02):
onto the grass. The king's daughter was full of joy
when she again saw her beautiful plaything, and taking it
up she ran off immediately. Stop, stop, cried the frog.

(01:26:30):
Take me with thee I cannot run as thou canst.
But this croaking was of no avail. Although it was
loud enough, the king's daughter did not hear it, but

(01:26:52):
hastening home, soon forgot the poor frog, who was obliged
to leave deep back into the fountain. The next day,
when the king's daughter was sitting at table with her
father and all his courtiers, and was eating from her

(01:27:18):
own little golden plate, something was heard coming up the
marble stairs, splish splash, splish splash, And when it arrived
at the top, it knocked at the door, and a

(01:27:43):
voice said, open the door, thou, youngest daughter of the king.
So she arose and went to see who it was
that caught her. But when she opened the door and

(01:28:05):
caught sight of the frog, she shut it again very
quickly and with great passion, and sat down at the table,
looking exceedingly pale. But the king perceived that her heart

(01:28:29):
was beating violently, and asked her whether it were a
giant who had come to fetch her away who stood
at the door. Oh no, answered she, It is no giant,

(01:28:50):
but an ugly frog. What does the frog want with you,
said the king. Oh, dear father, yesterday, when I was
playing by the fountain, my golden ball fell into the water,

(01:29:16):
and this frog fetched it up again because I cried
so much. But first I must tell you he pressed
me so much that I promised him he should be
my companion. I never thought that he could come out

(01:29:41):
of the water, but somehow he has managed to jump out,
and now he wants to come in here. At that moment,
there was another knock, and a voice said, King's daughter Youngest,

(01:30:07):
open the door. Hast thou forgotten thy promises made at
the fountain so clear neath the lime tree's shade. King's
daughter Youngest, open the door. Then the king said, what

(01:30:32):
you have promised that you must perform, go and let
him in. So the King's daughter went and opened the door,
and the frog hopped in after her, right up to

(01:30:55):
her chair, and as soon as she was seated, he said,
lift me up. But she hesitated so long that the
king had to order her to obey. And as soon

(01:31:17):
as the frog sat on the chair, he jumped onto
the table and said, now push thy plate near me
that we may eat together. And she did so. But

(01:31:39):
as everyone noticed very unwillingly. The frog seemed to relish
his dinner very much, but every bit that the king's
daughter ate nearly choked her, till at last the frog said,

(01:32:05):
I have satisfied my hunger and feel very tired. Wilt
thou carry me upstairs now into thy chamber and make
thy bed ready, that we may sleep together. At this speech,

(01:32:28):
the king's daughter began to cry, for she was afraid
of the cold frog and dared not touch him, and besides,
he actually wanted to sleep in her own beautiful, clean bed.

(01:32:52):
But her tears only made the king very angry, and
he said, he who helped you in the time of
your trouble must not now be despised. So she took

(01:33:15):
the frog up with two fingers and put him into
a corner of her chamber. But as she lay in
her bed, he crept up to it and said, I

(01:33:35):
am so very tired that I shall sleep well. Do
take me up, or I will tell thy father. This
speech put the king's daughter into a terrible passion, and

(01:33:58):
catching the frog up, she threw him with all her
strength against the wall, saying, now will you be quiet,
you ugly frog. But as he fell, he was changed

(01:34:22):
from a frog into a handsome prince with beautiful eyes, who,
after a little while became her dear companion and betrothed.
One morning, Henry, trusted servant of the prince, came for

(01:34:49):
them with a carriage. When his master was changed into
a frog. Trusty Henry had grieved so much that he
had bound three iron bands around his heart for fear

(01:35:11):
it should break with grief and sorrow. The faithful Henry,
who was also the Trusty Henry, helped in the bride
and bridegroom and placed himself in the seat behind, full

(01:35:34):
of joy at his master's release, they had not proceeded
far when the prince heard a crack, as if something
had broken behind the carriage. So he put his head

(01:35:54):
out of the window and asked Trusty Henry what was broken,
and Faithful Henry answered, it was not the carriage, my master,
but an iron band which I bound around my heart

(01:36:19):
when it was in such grief, because you were changed
into a frog. Twice afterwards on the journey there was
the same noise, and each time the Prince thought that

(01:36:41):
it was some part of the carriage that had given way,
But it was only the breaking of the bands which
bound the heart of the trusty henry, who was also
so the faithful Henry, and who was thenceforward free and happy.

(01:37:14):
Once upon a time there was a king who had
three sons, two of whom were clever and intelligent. But
the third one did not talk very much, was simple minded,
and the only name they gave him was the Simpleton.

(01:37:40):
When the king became old and weak and thought that
he was nearing his end, he did not know which
of his sons should inherit the kingdom after him. So
he said to them fourth, and the one of you

(01:38:03):
who brings me the finest carpet, he shall be king
after my death, so there would be no dispute among them.
He led them to the front of his castle, blew
three feathers into the air, and said, as they fly,

(01:38:30):
so shall you go. The one feather flew to the east,
the other to the west, and the third feather flew
straight ahead, falling quickly to the ground after going only

(01:38:50):
a short distance. The one brother went to the right,
the other to the left, and they laughed at the simpleton,
who had to stand there where the third feather had fallen.
The simpleton sat down and was sad. Then he suddenly

(01:39:16):
noticed that there was a trap door next to his feather.
He lifted it up, found a stairway, and climbed down Inside.
He came to another door and knocked on it, upon

(01:39:38):
which he heard someone calling out from within. Maiden green
and small hopping toad. Hopping toad's puppy, hop to and fro,
quickly see who is outside. The door opened and he

(01:40:03):
saw a big, fat toad sitting there, surrounded by a
large number of little toads. The fat toad asked what
he wanted. The simpleton answered, I would like the most

(01:40:24):
beautiful and finest carpet. Then the fat toad called to
a young toad, saying, Maiden green and small hopping toad,
hopping toad's puppy, hop to and fro, bring me the

(01:40:48):
large box. The young toad brought the box, and the
fat toad opened it, then gave the simpleton a carpet
from it. It was so beautiful and so fine, the

(01:41:09):
like of which could never have been woven in the
world above. He thanked the toad and climbed back out.
Now the other two thought that their brother was so
stupid that he would not find anything to bring home.

(01:41:32):
Why should we spend a lot of effort looking for
a carpet, they said. So they took some pieces of
coarse cloth from the first shepherd's wife they came to
and took these back home to the king. At the

(01:41:55):
same time they returned home, the simpleton around bringing his
beautiful carpet. When the king saw it, he was astounded
and said, it is only right that the kingdom should

(01:42:15):
go to my youngest son. However, the other sons gave
their father no peace, saying that it would be impossible
for the simpleton to become king because he lacked understanding

(01:42:36):
in all things. They asked him to declare another contest.
Then the father said, he who brings me the most
beautiful ring shall inherit the kingdom. Leading the three brothers outside,

(01:42:59):
he blew so the three feathers into the air that
they were to follow. The two oldest brothers again went
to the east and to the west, and the simpleton's
feather again flew straight ahead, falling down next to the

(01:43:22):
door in the ground. Once again, he climbed down to
the fat toad and told it that he needed the
most beautiful ring. The toad had the box brought out
again and gave him from it a ring that glistened

(01:43:46):
with precious stones and was so beautiful that no goldsmith
on earth could have made it. The two oldest brothers
loved at the simpleton who was going to look for
a golden ring, and they took.

Speaker 2 (01:44:08):
No effort at all.

Speaker 1 (01:44:11):
Instead, they drove the nails out of an old wagon
ring and brought it to the king. However, when the
simpleton presented his ring, the king said, once again, the
kingdom belongs to him. The two oldest sons tormented the

(01:44:39):
king endlessly, until finally he declared a third contest, saying
that he who would bring home the most beautiful woman
should have the kingdom. Once again, he blew the three

(01:45:00):
feathers into the air, and they flew in the same
directions as before. Without hesitating, the simpleton went back to
the fat toad and said, I am supposed to take

(01:45:21):
home the most beautiful woman. Oh, answered the toad, the
most beautiful woman. She is not here at the moment,
but you shall have her. Nonetheless, the fat toad gave

(01:45:44):
him a hollowed out yellow turnip, to which were harnessed
six little mice. The simpleton said, sadly, what am I
to do with this, The toad answered, just put one

(01:46:04):
of my little toads inside it. Then he grabbed one
of them from the group and set it inside the
yellow coach. The little toad was scarcely inside when it
turned into a beautiful young lady, the turnip into a coach,

(01:46:29):
and the six mice into horses. He kissed her, raced
away with the horses, and brought her to the king.
His brothers came along afterward. They had given no effort

(01:46:50):
to find a beautiful woman, but simply brought along the first.

Speaker 2 (01:46:57):
Peasant woman they had come upon.

Speaker 1 (01:47:01):
After looking at them, the king said, after my death,
the kingdom belongs to my youngest son. However, the two
oldest sons again deafened the king's ears with the cry,

(01:47:23):
we cannot allow the simpleton to become king, and they
demanded that the preference should go to the brother whose
woman could jump through a hoop that was hanging in
the middle of the hall. They thought, the peasant women

(01:47:46):
will be able to do that very well. They are
very strong, but the dainty lady will jump in vain.
The old king gave into this as well. The two
peasant women did indeed jump through the hoop, but they

(01:48:12):
were so plump that each one fell. Then the beautiful
lady that the simpleton had brought home jumped, and she
jumped through the hoop as lightly as a deer. After

(01:48:34):
this all the protests had to stop. Thus the simpleton
received the crown, and he ruled wisely for a long time.
There was once an old castle that stood in the

(01:48:58):
middle of a deep, gloomy wood, and in the castle
lived an old fairy. Now this fairy could take any
shape she pleased, or the day long she flew about
in the form of an owl, or crept about the

(01:49:21):
country like a cat. But at night she always became
an old woman. Again. When any young man came within
a hundred paces of her castle, he became quite fixed

(01:49:42):
and could not move a step till she came and
set him free, which she would not do till he
had given her his word never to come there again.
But when when any pretty maiden came within that space,

(01:50:05):
she was changed into a bird, and the fairy put
her into a cage and hung her up in a
chamber in the castle. There were seven hundred of these
cages hanging in the castle, and all with beautiful birds

(01:50:28):
in them. Now there was once a maiden whose name
was Gerinda. She was prettier than all the pretty girls
that ever were seen before. And a shepherd lad whose
name was Girndel, was very fond of her, and they

(01:50:53):
were soon to be married. One day they went to
war in the wood that they might be alone, and
Girndeal said, we must take care that we don't go
too near to the fairy's castle. It was a beautiful evening.

(01:51:21):
The last rays of the setting sun shone bright through
the long stems of the trees upon the green underward beneath,
and the turtle dove sang from the tall birches. Girinda

(01:51:41):
sat down to gaze upon the sun. Girndell sat by
her side, and both felt sad. They knew not why,
but it seemed as if they were to be parted
from one another forever. They had wandered a long way,

(01:52:07):
and when they looked to see which way they should
go home, they found themselves at a loss to know
what path to take. The sun was setting fast, and
already half of its circle had sunk behind the hill. Girndell,

(01:52:32):
on a sudden looked behind him and saw through the
bushes that they had without knowing it, sat down close
under the old walls of the castle. Then he shrank
for fear, turned pale and trembled. Girnda was just singing.

(01:53:01):
The ringdove sang from the willow spray well a day, well,
a day he mourned for the fate of his darling mate,
well a day when her song stopped. Suddenly, Girndell turned

(01:53:23):
to see the reason, and beheld his Girnda had changed
into a nightingale, so that her song ended with a
mournful jug jug. An owl with fiery eyes flew three

(01:53:43):
times round them, and three times screamed too too to
Girndell could not move. He stood fixed as a stone,
and could neither weep, nor speak, nor stir.

Speaker 2 (01:54:07):
Hand or foot.

Speaker 1 (01:54:10):
And now the sun went quite down the gloomy night
came the owl flew into a bush, and a moment
after the old fairy came forth, pale and meager, with
staring eyes and a nose and chin that almost met

(01:54:36):
one another. She mumbled something to herself, seized the nightingale,
and went away with it in her hand. Poor Jerndell
saw the nightingale was gone, But what could he do?

(01:54:57):
He could not speak. He could not move from the
spot where he stood. At last, the fairy came back
and sang with a hoarse voice, till the prisoner is
fast and her doom is cast. There, stay, oh, stay,

(01:55:24):
when the charm is around her and the spell has
bound her high, away away. On a sudden Girndal found
himself free. Then he fell on his knees before the

(01:55:45):
fairy and prayed her to give him back his dear Gerinda.
But she laughed at him and said he should never
see her again.

Speaker 2 (01:56:00):
Then she went her way.

Speaker 1 (01:56:03):
He prayed, he wept, he sorrowed, but all in vain
alas he said, what will become of me? He could
not go back to his own home. So he went

(01:56:24):
to a strange village and employed himself in keeping sheep.
Many a time did he walk round and round as
near to the hated castle as he dared go, but
all in vain he heard or saw nothing of Churnder.

(01:56:53):
At last, he dreamt one night that he found a
beautiful purple flower, and that in the middle of it
lay a costly pearl. And he dreamt that he plucked
the flower and went with it in his hand into

(01:57:17):
the castle, and that everything he touched with it was disenchanted,
and that there he found his girinder again. In the
morning when he awoke, he began to search over hill

(01:57:39):
and dale for this pretty flower. And eight long days
he sought for it in vain. But on the ninth day,
early in the morning, he found the beautiful purple flower,

(01:58:00):
and in the middle of it was a large jew drop,
as big as a costly pearl. Then he plucked the
flower and set out and traveled day and night till
he came again to the castle. He walked nearer than

(01:58:26):
a hundred paces to it, and yet he did not
become fixed as before, but found that he could go
quite close up to the door. Jirndell was very glad
indeed to see this. Then he touched the door with

(01:58:50):
the flower, and it sprang open, so that he went
in through the court and listened when he heard so
many birds singing. At last he came to the chamber
where the fairy sat with the seven hundred birds singing

(01:59:15):
in the seven hundred cages. When she saw Girndel, she
was very angry and screamed with rage. But she could
not come within two yards of him, for the flower
he held in his hand was his safeguard. He looked

(01:59:41):
around at the birds, but alas there were many many nightingales,
and how then should he find out which was his girnder.
While he was thinking what to do, he saw the

(02:00:02):
fairy had taken down one of the cages and was
making the best of her.

Speaker 2 (02:00:10):
Way off through the door.

Speaker 1 (02:00:13):
He ran or flew after her, touched the cage with
the flower, and Durinda stood before him and threw her
arms round his neck, looking as beautiful as ever, as

(02:00:35):
beautiful as when they walked together in the wood. Then
he touched all the other birds with the flower, so
that they all took their old forms again. He took
Gurinda home, where they were married, and lived happily together

(02:01:02):
many years, And so did a good many other lads
whose maidens had been forced to sing in the old
fairies cages by themselves much longer than they liked

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