Household Tales | by Brothers Grimm

Contains a set of well known loved fairy tails like Hansel and Gretel, Snow-Drop(Snow-White), from the great authors them selves.

Title	Household Tales by Brothers Grimm
Author	Brothers Grimm
Publisher	J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd
Year	1912
Copyright	1912, J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd
Amazon	Household Tales by Brothers Grimm

Grimm's Household Tales

Edited and Partly translated by Marian Edwardes

Preface: There is no need of many words in introducing the old familiar friends of fairy-land, who never fail of a welcome from those, not yet too old to feel the power of their fascination. The following coll...

The Golden Goose: There was a man who had three sons. The youngest was called Dummling — which is much the same as Dunderhead, for all thought he was more than half a fool — and he was at all times mocked and ill-treat...

The Wishing Table The Gold Ass And The Cudgel: A long time ago there lived a tailor who had three sons but only one goat. As the goat supplied the whole family with milk, she had to be well fed and taken daily to pasture. This the sons did in turn...

The Wishing Table The Gold Ass And The Cudgel. Part 2: I have enough now to last me as long as I live, thought the young man to himself, and accordingly he went about enjoying himself, not minding whether the inns he stayed at were good or bad, whether ...

The Wishing Table The Gold Ass And The Cudgel. Part 3: Having finished his meal, the stranger asked for his bill, and the landlord thinking he might safely overcharge such a rich customer, asked for two more gold pieces. The miller felt in his pocket but ...

The Mouse, The Bird, And The Sausage: Once upon a time, a mouse, a bird, and a sausage, entered into partnership and set up house together. For a long time all went well; they lived in great comfort, and prospered so far as to be able to ...

The Fox's Brush: The King of the East had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree that bore golden apples. Lest any of these apples should be stolen, they were always counted ; but about the time when they ...

The Fox's Brush. Continued: So he set out once more on his journey, sighing, and in great despair; when, on a sudden, he met his good friend the fox taking his morning's walk. Heyday, young gentleman! said Reynard; you see no...

Fisherman And His Wife: There was once a fisherman who lived with his wife in a pigstye, close by the sea-side. The fisherman used to go out all day long a-fishing; and one day, as he sat on the shore with his rod, looking a...

The Twelve Brothers: There were once a king and queen who had lived happily together for many years. They had twelve children, but it so happened that all these children were boys. One day the king said to the queen, If ...

The Twelve Brothers. Continued: I would gladly die, said his sister, if by so doing I could restore my dear brothers to their home. No, no, you shall not die, cried Benjamin, hide yourself under this tub, and when the ot...

Briar Rose: A king and queen once upon a time reigned in a country a great way off, where there were in those days fairies. Now this king and queen had plenty of money, and plenty of fine clothes to wear, and ple...

The Raven: There was once a queen who had a little daughter, still too young to run alone. One day the child was very troublesome, and the mother could not quiet it, do what she would. She grew impatient, and se...

The Raven. Continued: Again the next day he pursued his way through the forest, and that evening, thinking to rest again, he lay down as before, but he heard such a howling and wailing that he found it impossible to sleep....

Fritz And His Friends: Honest Fritz had worked hard all his life, but ill luck befell him; his cattle died, his barns were burned, and he lost almost all his money. So at last he said, u Before it is all gone I will buy goo...

The Elfin Grove: As an honest woodman was sitting one evening, after his work was done, talking with his wife, he said, 1 hope the children will not run into that grove by the side of the river; it looks more gloomy...

Bear Skin: There was once a youth who enlisted as as oldier. He bore himself bravely, and was always seen to be foremost when the bullets were falling. Everything went well with him while the war lasted, but as ...

Bear Skin. Continued: It was in the course of the fourth year that he came to an inn, the landlord of which refused to take him in, or even to allow him a place in the stables, for he was afraid that even the horses would ...

The Jew In The Bush: A faithful servant had worked hard for his master, a thrifty farmer, for three long years, and had been paid no wages. At last it came into the man's head that he would not go on thus any longer: so h...

The Robber Bridegroom: There was once a miller who had one beautiful daughter, and as she was grown up, he was anxious that she should be well married and provided for. He said to himself, I will give her to the first suit...

Ashputtel: The wife of a rich man fell sick; and when she felt that her end drew nigh, she called her only daughter to her bedside, and said, Always be a good girl, and I will look down from heaven and watch ov...

Ashputtel. Continued: Shake, shake, hazel-tree, Gold and silver over me! Then her friend the bird flew out of the tree, and brought a gold and silver dress for her, and slippers of spangled silk; and she put them o...

The Three Spinning Fairies: There was once upon a time a girl, who was lazy and hated work, and nothing her mother could say would induce her to spin. At last the mother grew angry, and losing all patience with her, gave her a b...

Rumpel Stilts-Ken: By the side of a wood, in country a long way oft, ran a fine stream of water; and upon the stream there stood a mill. The miller's house was close by, and the miller, you must know, had a very beautif...

Mother Holle: Once upon a time there was a widow who had two daughters; one of them was beautiful and industrious, the other ugly and lazy. The mother, however, loved the ugly and lazy one best, because she was her...

The Nose-Tree: Did you ever hear the story of the three poor soldiers, who, after having fought hard in the wars, set out on their road home, begging their way as they went ? They had journeyed on a long way, sic...

The Nose-Tree. Continued: In the morning she began to ramble about, singing ballads so beautifully that all the tents were left empty, and the soldiers ran round in crowds, and thought of nothing but hearing her sing. Amongst ...

The Goose Girl: The king of a great land died, and left his queen to take care of their only child. This child was a daughter, who was very beautiful; and her mother loved her dearly, and was very kind to her. And th...

The Goose Girl. Continued: Sadly, sadly, would she rue it. Then they went out of the city, and drove the geese on. And when she came to the meadow, she sat down upon a bank there, and let down her waving locks of hair, whic...

King Guzzle Beard: A great king of a land far away in the East had a daughter who was very beautiful, but so proud, and haughty, and conceited, that none of the princes who came to ask her in marriage were good enough f...

The Man In The Bag: There were two brothers, who were both soldiers, the one had grown rich, but the other had had no luck, and was very poor. The poor man thought he would try to better himself; so pulling off his red c...

The Forbidden Room: Once upon a time there was a wizard, who changed himself into the form of a poor man, and went about begging from house to house and carrying away all the pretty girls he could find. No one ever knew ...

Karl Katz: In the midst of the Hartz forests there is a high mountain, of which the neighbours tell all sorts of stories: how the goblins and fairies dance on it by night; and how the old Emperor Red-beard holds...

Karl Katz. Continued: His first step was to look for the doorwray through which he had followed his goat; but to his astonishment, not the least trace of an opening of any sort was to be seen. There stood the wall, without...

The Changeling: A mother once had her child stolen from her by the elves. They took it out of the cradle and placed in its stead a changeling with a large head and staring eyes, that would do nothing but eat and drin...

Hans In Luck: Some men are born to good luck: all they do or try to do comes right:—all that falls to them is so much gain :—all their geese are swans:—all their cards are trumps:—toss them which way you will, they...

Hans In Luck. Continued: So on he jogged, and all seemed now to go right with him: he had met with some misfortunes, to be sure ; but he was now well repaid for all. How could it be otherwise with such a travelling companion ...

The Bear And The Skrattel: One Christmas Day, the King of Norway sat in the great hall of his palace, holding a feast. Here's a health, said he, to our brother the King of Denmark ! What present shall we send our royal bro...

The Bear And The Skrattel. Part 2: My wife and I bore such a lodger as long as we could, but at length we were fairly beaten; and as he seemed to have taken up his abode in the house, we thought it best to give up to him what he want...

The Bear And The Skrattel. Part 3: Meantime Gunter had become sadly frightened, and seeing the oven door open, crept in for shelter from the fray, and lay there quaking for fear. The struggle went on thus a long time, without its seemi...

Tom Thumb: A poor woodman sat in his cottage one night, smoking his pipe by the fireside, while his wife sat by his side spinning. How lonely it is, wife, said he, as he puffed out a long curl of smoke, for y...

Tom Thumb. Continued: The cook heard this quite plain, so she sprang out of bed, and ran to open the door. The thieves ran off as if a wolf was at their tails; and the maid, having groped about and found nothing, went away...

Snow-Drop: It was the middle of winter, when the broad flakes of snow were falling around, that the queen of a country-many thousand miles off sat working at her window. The frame of the window was made of fine ...

Snow-Drop. Continued: In the evening the seven dwarfs came home; and I need not say how grieved they were to see their faithful Snow-drop stretched out upon the ground, as if she were quite dead. However, they lifted her u...

The Four Crafts-Men: Dear children, said a poor man to his four sons, I have nothing to give you; you must go out into the wide world and try your luck. Begin by learning some craft or another, and see how you can get ...

Cat-Skin: There was once a king, whose queen had hair of the purest gold, and was so beautiful that her match was not to be met with on the whole face of the earth. But this beautiful queen fell ill, and when s...

Jorinda And Jorindel: There was once an old castle, that stood in the middle of a deep gloomy wood, and in the castle lived an old fairy. Now this fairy could take any shape she pleased. All the day long she flew about in ...

Thumbling The Dwarf And Thumbling The Giant: An honest husbandman had once upon a time a son born to him who was no bigger than my thumb, and who for many years did not grow one hair's breadth taller. One day, as the father was going to plough i...

Thumbling The Dwarf And Thumbling The Giant. Continued: Just before the wood was a hollow way, through which all must pass; so he drove the cart on first, and built up behind him such a mound of fagots and briers that no horse could pass. This done, he dro...

The Juniper Tree: Long, long ago, some two thousand years or so, there lived a rich man with a good and beautiful wife. They loved each other dearly, but sorrowed much that they had no children. So greatly did they des...

The Juniper Tree. Continued: I feel very unhappy about it, said the husband, in case it should not be all right, and he ought to have said good-bye to me. With this he went on with his dinner, and said, Little Marleen, why d...

The Water Of Life: Long before you or I were born, there reigned, in a country a great way off, a king who had three sons. This king once fell very ill,—so ill that nobody thought he could live. His sons were very much ...

The Water Of Life. Continued: When he found himself safe, he was overjoyed to think that he had got the Water of Life ; and as he was going on his way homewards, he passed by the little dwarf who, when he saw the sword and the loa...

The Blue Light: An old soldier had served the king his master many years, while the war lasted. But in the end peace came; the army was broken up, and honest Kurt was left without pay or reward, and sent about his bu...

The Water Fairy: Once upon a time there was a miller and his wife, who together led a life of contentment and ease. They possessed both money and lands, and their prosperity steadily increased from year to year. But f...

The Water Fairy. Continued: Be comforted, said the old woman, I will help you. Here is a golden comb ; wait till the moon is at its full, then go and comb your long black hair as you sit beside the mill-pond; when you have f...

The Three Crows: A band of soldiers came home from the wars; for peace had been made, and their king wanted their service no longer. One of them, whose name was Conrad, had saved a good deal of money out of his pay; f...

The Frog-Prince: One fine evening a young princess put on her bonnet and clogs, and went out to take a walk by herself in a wood; and when she came to a cool spring of water, that rose in the midst of it, she sat hers...

The Elves And The Cobbler: There was once a cobbler, who worked very hard and was very honest: but still he could not earn enough to live upon; and at last all he had in the world was gone, save just leather enough to make one ...

Cherry The Frog-Bride: There was once a king who had three sons. Not far from his kingdom lived an old woman, who had an only-daughter called Cherry. The king sent his sons out to see the world, that they might learn the wa...

Cherry The Frog-Bride. Continued: His sons were not a little frightened at such a task, but they all longed for the crown, and made lip their minds to go and try their hands ; and so after a few days they set out once more on their tr...

The Dancing Shoes: Over the seas and far away there is a fine country that neither you nor I, nor anybody else that we know, ever saw; but a very great king once reigned there who had no son at all, but had twelve most ...

The Brave Little Tailor: It was a fine summer morning when Master Snip the tailor, who was a very little man, bound his girdle round his body, cocked his hat, took up his walking-stick, and looked about his house, to see if t...

Giant Golden-Beard: In a country village, over the hills and far away, lived a poor man, who had an only son born to him. Now this child was born under a lucky star, and was therefore what the people of that country call...

Giant Golden-Beard. Continued: At last his way led him to the side of a great lake of water, over which he must pass. The ferryman soon began to ask, as the others had done, what was his trade, and what he knew. Everything, said ...

Pee-Wit: A poor countryman, whose name was Pee-wit, lived with his wife in a very quiet way, in the parish where he was born. One day as he was ploughing with his two oxen in the field, he heard all on a sudde...

Hansel And Grethel: There was once a poor man, who was a woodman, and went every day to cut wood in the forest. One day as he went along, he heard a cry like a little child's: so he followed the sound, till at last he lo...

Hansel And Grethel. Part 2: There they were again told to sit down by a large fire, and go to sleep; and the woodman and his wife said they would come in the evening and fetch them away. In the afternoon Hansel shared Grethel's ...

Hansel And Grethel. Part 3: Time passed on, and Hansel came back at last; for the spiteful fairy had led him astray, and he had not been able for a long time to find his way, either home or back to Grethel. Then he and Grethel s...

Lily And The Lion: A merchant, who had three daughters, was once setting out upon a journey; but before he went he asked each daughter what gift he should bring back for her. The eldest wished for pearls; the second for...

Lily And The Lion. Continued: So she thanked the sun, and went on her way till eventide; and when the moon arose, she cried unto it, and said, Thou shinest through all the night, over field and grove; hast thou nowhere seen my wh...

Donkey-Wort: A Merry young huntsman, named Peter, was once riding briskly along through a wood, one while winding his horn and another singing a merry song— Merry rides the huntsman bold, Blithsome and gay ...

Donkey-Wort. Continued: Then Master Peter got up and scratched his head, and looked around him, and said, I wish I had something to eat; if I have not I shall be worse off than before: for here I see neither apples nor pea...

The King Of The Golden Mountain: There was once a merchant who had only one child, a son, that was very young, and barely able to run alone. He had two richly-laden ships then making a voyage upon the seas, in which he had embarked a...

The King Of The Golden Mountain. Continued: Now the white snake was an enchanted princess; and she was very glad to see him, and said, Are you at last come to set me free? Twelve long years have I waited here for the fairy to bring you hither...

The Two Brothers: Once upon a time there were two brothers, the one rich and the other poor. The rich brother was a goldsmith, and a wicked man at heart; the poor one supported himself by broom-making, and was good and...

The Two Brothers. Part 2: The huntsman then declared them free from any further dependence upon himself, adding, You are now both accomplished huntsmen. So the brothers went off into the wood and consulted together, and f...

The Two Brothers. Part 3: But why has no one killed the dragon ? said the huntsman. Ah! answered the innkeeper, many knights have lost their lives in the attempt, for the king has not only promised his daughter as ...

The Two Brothers. Part 4: I cannot do that, she answered, for it was a huntsman with his animals who saved me. But he drew his sword and threatened to kill her, if she refused to do as he commanded, and she was at last for...

The Two Brothers. Part 5: Well, said the huntsman to the innkeeper, you see, my friend, the hundred gold pieces are mine. The innkeeper was filled with astonishment, but now the huntsman said, The bread I have got, now...

The Two Brothers. Part 6: The huntsman drew out a purse containing a thousand gold pieces, and laid it on the table: And I will wager that much that I do, was his response. While this was going on at the inn, the king was...

The Two Brothers. Part 7: As he was sitting by the fire, his animals lying near him, he thought he heard the sound of a human voice; he looked about, but could see nothing. A little while after he again heard what sounded like...