Children's stories, German -- Translations into English; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- Germany
You may think how glad the Queen was when she heard the name! And when
soon afterward the Little Man came in, and asked, “Now, Mistress Queen,
what is my name?” she said:
“Is your name _Conrad_?”
“No.”
“Is your name _Harry_?”
“No.”
“Perhaps your name is _Rumpelstiltskin_?”
[Illustration: “PERHAPS,” SAID SHE, “YOUR NAME IS RUMPELSTILTSKIN?”]
“The devil has told you that! the devil has told you that!” cried the
Little Man, and in his anger he stamped his right foot so deep into the
earth that his whole leg went in. And then in rage, he pulled at his
left leg so hard with both hands, that he tore himself in two.
[Illustration]
LITTLE BRIAR-ROSE
A long time ago, there were a King and Queen who said every day, “Ah,
if only we had a child!” but they never had one.
But it happened that once when the Queen was bathing, a Frog crept
out of the water on to the land, and said to her, “Your wish shall be
fulfilled. Before a year has gone by, you shall have a daughter.”
What the Frog had said came true, and the Queen had a little girl, who
was so pretty that the King could not contain himself for joy, and
ordered a great feast. He invited not only his kindred, friends and
acquaintance, but also the Wise Women, in order that they might be kind
and well-disposed toward the child. There were thirteen of them in his
kingdom. But, as he had only twelve golden plates for them to eat out
of, one of them had to be left at home.
The feast was held with all manner of splendor. When it came to an
end the Wise Women bestowed their magic gifts upon the baby. One gave
Virtue, another Beauty, a third Riches, and so on with everything in
the world that one can wish for.
When eleven of them had made their promises, suddenly the thirteenth
came in. She wished to avenge herself for not having been invited, and
without greeting, or even looking at any one, she cried with a loud
voice, “The King’s Daughter, in her fifteenth year, shall prick herself
with a spindle, and fall down dead.” And, without saying a word more,
she turned round and left the room.
They were all shocked. But the twelfth, whose good wish still remained
unspoken, came forward, and as she could not undo the evil sentence,
but only soften it, she said, “It shall not be death, but a deep sleep
of a hundred years, into which the Princess shall fall.”
The King, who wished to keep his dear child from the misfortune,
gave orders that every spindle in the whole kingdom should be burnt.
Meanwhile, the gifts of the Wise Women were fulfilled on the young
girl, for she was so beautiful, modest, sweet tempered, and wise, that
every one who saw her, was bound to love her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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