The Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales were translated and introduced to China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They have a history of more than 100 years and have experienced changes in different eras. What are the classic fairy tales among them? Follow me to take a look at these classic Grimm’s fairy tales!
Classic Grimm’s Fairy Tales: The Six Swans
Once upon a time, there was a king While hunting in the forest, he chased a wild beast, but his followers failed to keep up with him. It was getting late, and the king stopped and looked around, only to realize that he had lost his way. He wanted to get out of the forest, but he couldn't find the way. At this time, the king saw an old woman nodding her head walking towards him. She was a witch. "Hello," the king said to her, "Can you tell me the way out of the forest? Yes, Your Majesty," the witch replied, "Of course I can tell you, but there is a condition." If you don't agree, you will never leave the forest, and you will starve to death in the forest. ?
?What conditions? The king asked.
I have a daughter who is very beautiful, the old witch replied. Her beauty is unparalleled and she is more than enough to be your wife. If you will make her your queen, I will tell you the way out of the forest. ?The king was so worried that he had to agree to the witch's conditions. The old witch led the king into her little room, where her daughter was sitting and warming herself by the fire. The daughter received the king as if she had expected him to come. The king thought she was indeed very beautiful, but he did not like her and was frightened when he saw her. After the king put the girl on the horse, the old witch told the king the way. After the king returned to the palace, he held a wedding ceremony with the girl.
The king once had a marriage. His first wife gave him seven children: six boys and one girl. The king loved them very much. After the wedding, the king was worried that his stepmother would abuse the children, and even more worried that they would be harmed by her stepmother, so he sent them to live in an isolated ancient castle in the forest.
The castle is located deep in a dense forest, and the road is extremely difficult to find. If a witch had not given the king a magical ball of thread, even he would never have found it. As long as the king throws the ball of thread forward on the ground, the ball of thread will open by itself and lead the way for the king.
The king often visited his beloved children, but the queen found that the king was often not around. She was very curious and always wanted to find out what the king was doing alone in the forest. She used a large amount of money to bribe the king's entourage, who revealed the secret to her and also told her the ball of thread that could lead the way.
From then on, the queen was uneasy, and she did not feel at ease until she found out where the king kept the ball of thread. Then the queen sewed several small shirts out of white silk. She had learned witchcraft from her mother and sewed a charm into each shirt.
One day, when the king went hunting on horseback, the queen took these little shirts and walked into the forest, using a ball of thread to guide her. The children saw someone coming from a distance and thought it was their dear father coming to visit them. They were all very happy and ran to greet them. Just then, the stepmother threw a small shirt towards each of them. As soon as the little shirt touched their bodies, in the blink of an eye they turned into swans one by one, flew into the sky, and disappeared into the distance. The queen returned to the palace, very happy, thinking that she had dismissed these stepchildren. Unexpectedly, the girl did not rush out with her brothers to greet her, but the queen knew nothing about it.
The next day, the king went to visit the children and found that his daughter was alone in the castle. ?Where are your brothers? asked the king. ?Oh, forget it, dear father,? replied the daughter, ?they are all gone, and I am left alone!? Then she told her father that she saw from the small window of her room that her brothers were all gone. It turned into a swan and flew away over the forest. As she said this, she took out the feathers and showed them to her father. They had dropped them in the yard and she had picked them up. The king was devastated, but he never thought that the queen had done this outrageous thing. He was worried that his daughter would be taken away from him, so he wanted to take her back, but the daughter was afraid of her stepmother and begged the king to allow her to stay one more night in the castle in the forest.
The poor girl thought: I can’t stay here any longer. I have to go find my brothers. ?When night fell, she ran out of the castle and walked straight into the dense forest. She walked all night, and the next day without stopping all day, until she was so exhausted that she couldn't walk any more, and then she stopped. At this moment, she saw a hut where a hunter lived, and walked in. She found that there were six small beds in the house, but she did not dare to lie on the bed, so she crawled under a bed and lay down on the hard bed. On the ground, prepare to spend the night there. When the sun was about to set, she suddenly heard a rustling sound and saw six swans flying in from the window. The swans flew to the ground, blowing on each other, blowing off all their feathers, and then their swan skins fell off their bodies like shirts. At this time, the girl looked at them again and found that they were her brothers. She was overjoyed and hurriedly crawled out from under the bed. Her brothers were also extremely happy to see their little sister. However, their happiness was short-lived.
"You can't stay here at all," they said to the little sister, "This is a place where bandits are infested. If they come back and find you, you will be dead." ?Can't you protect me? The little sister asked. ?No,? they replied, ?we have only a quarter of an hour each night to take off the swan skin and regain our human form, and then we must immediately become swans again. When the little sister heard this, she started crying and said, "Can't you be saved? Oh, it's still not possible," they replied, "Those conditions are really too harsh! It will take six years, and you won't allow it." You are not allowed to speak, and you are not allowed to laugh out loud, and during these six years, you have to sew us six little shirts with water purslane. As long as one word escapes your lips, all your efforts will be in vain. ?As soon as the brothers finished speaking, a quarter of an hour was up. They turned into swans again and flew away from the window.
As for the girl, she is determined to save her brothers at all costs, even her own life. When night fell, she left the hut, walked deep into the forest, and climbed into a tree to spend the night. The next morning, she went around collecting water chestnuts and started sewing shirts. She couldn't talk to anyone, and she didn't feel like laughing, so she just sat there with her head down and went about her work. She spent a long time in the forest like this, until one day the local king came to the forest to hunt, and the hunters came to the tree where the girl was sitting. When they found her, they greeted her loudly and asked her, "Who are you?" But she didn't answer silently. ?Come down quickly,? they said to her: ?We will not hurt you. ?She just shook her head after hearing this. They kept asking questions, so she threw her gold necklace to them, thinking that now they would be satisfied. Unexpectedly, these guys still refused to give up, so she threw the belt to them again, but it still didn't help. Then she threw them one by one her garters and all the other things she had on her body, until she was left in her underwear. But even so, these hunters still refused to leave, climbed up the tree, picked up the girl, and brought her to the king. The king asked her: "Who are you? What are you doing in the tree?" But she did not answer. The king then asked her in every language he could speak, but she remained silent. The girl's extraordinary beauty touched the king's heart, and he fell deeply in love with her. The king put his cloak on her, carried her onto his horse, sat her in front of him, and took her back to the palace. Immediately, the king ordered her to be dressed in colorful clothes, which made her more dazzling and beautiful, but she remained silent. During the meal, the king asked her to sit beside him. The girl was dignified and polite, and the king liked her very much, so he murmured to himself: She is the queen in my heart, and I would not marry her unless she was her. ?A few days later, the king and the girl got married for a hundred years.
Unexpectedly, the king's mother was cunning and vicious. She was very dissatisfied with the marriage and often spoke ill of the young queen. "Who knows," she said, "where did this dumb girl come from? She is not worthy of being the queen at all!" In the blink of an eye, a year passed, and the queen's first child was born. The old woman took the child away while the queen was asleep, and smeared some blood on the queen's mouth. Then she went to the king and falsely accused the queen of being a man-eating monster. The king refused to believe it and would not allow anyone to harm the queen. But the queen, indifferent to everything, sat and stitched shirts all the time. The second time, the queen gave birth to a beautiful boy. The vicious mother-in-law repeated her old tricks again. The king still refused to believe it. He said: "She is so pious and kind-hearted that she would not do such a thing." . If she could speak and defend herself, her innocence would be known to the world. ?However, after the old woman stole the third newborn child, she went to falsely accuse the queen, but the queen still did not say a word to defend herself. The king was helpless and had to hand the queen over to the court for trial, and the court ordered her to be burned at the stake.
The day of execution happened to be the last day of the six years when she could not speak or laugh, and she was able to rescue her dear brothers from the magic. Six shirts have been sewn, but the last one is missing a sleeve on the left side. She had those shirts draped over her arms as she was led to the stake. She was pushed to the stake and the wood was about to be lit. The queen looked around at the last moment, and at that moment six swans flew toward her in the air. She knew in her heart that she was about to be saved, and her heart jumped with excitement. The swan flew across the sky and landed near her. She threw the shirt towards them. As soon as the swan touched the shirt, the swan skin fell off immediately. Her brothers had returned to their human form, and they were all lively, handsome and beautiful. They were standing in front of her, but her little brother was missing a left arm and still had a swan wing on his shoulder. The brothers and sisters hugged and kissed each other. Then the queen went to the deeply moved king and began to speak: "My dear husband, now I can speak and show you that I am innocent and have been falsely accused." ?Then she told the king about the evil deeds of the old woman, who had stolen her three children and hid them. After a while, the children were brought to the king. The king was very excited.
The cunning and vicious old woman received the punishment she deserved and was tied to the stake and burned to ashes.
From then on, the king and queen lived happily and peacefully with her six brothers for many years.
Grimm’s classic fairy tale: ?Little brother and little sister?
The little brother took the little sister’s hand and said: ?Since mother died, we have not lived a happy life. . My stepmother beat us every day, and whenever we came near her, she would kick us away. What we eat every day is hard leftover bread crust. Even the puppy under the table eats better than us because she often throws some delicious things to it. May God have mercy on us and let our mothers know! Come on, let's escape together. ?
They walked for a whole day among the grass, fields and rocks. Suddenly it started to rain, and the little sister said: "Look, the sky is crying with our hearts." ?In the evening, they came to a large forest. They were tired from sadness and hunger and from walking such a long way, so they got into a big hollow tree and lay down in it and fell asleep.
When they woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky, shining warmly into the big hollow tree. The little brother said: "Sister, I'm thirsty." If I knew where there was a stream, I would go and drink some water. I seemed to hear the sound of flowing water in the creek. ?The younger brother stood up, took the little sister's hand, and walked to find the creek. But their evil-hearted stepmother was a witch. Knowing that the two children had escaped, she followed them secretly like all witches do, and witchcrafted all the creeks in the forest.
Seeing a clear stream flowing among the rocks, the younger brother wanted to go over and drink water, but the younger sister heard the flowing water of the stream saying: Whoever drinks from me will turn into a tiger! Whoever drinks me will turn into a tiger!? The little sister quickly shouted: "Good brother, I beg you not to drink this water, otherwise you will turn into a beast and tear me to pieces." The little brother endured his thirst and refused to drink the water, but he said: "I will wait until I find the second stream before drinking." ?
When they came to the second stream, the young lady heard this stream saying again: "Whoever drinks from me will turn into a wolf! Whoever drinks from me will turn into a wolf!" I will turn into a wolf! The little sister then shouted: Good brother, I beg you not to drink this water, otherwise you will turn into a wolf and eat me. The little brother didn’t drink and said, “I’ll wait until I find the next stream.” No matter what you say, I will drink it, because I am really thirsty. ?
When they came to the third creek, the little sister heard the creek saying: "Whoever wants to drink, I will turn into a deer! Whoever wants to drink, I will turn into a deer" Deer! My sister said: My dear brother, I beg you, don’t drink this water, otherwise you will turn into a deer and run away from me. ?But as soon as the younger brother saw the creek, he knelt down and bent down to drink water. As soon as his lips touched a few drops of water, he turned into a deer lying there.
Seeing that the poor brother was under the spell, the little sister started to cry, and the little deer also sat beside her and cried sadly. Finally, the little girl said: "Dear little deer, don't cry, I will never leave you." ?
She took off a golden garter and tied it around the deer's neck. Then she plucked some rushes and braided a soft rope. She tied the rope to the deer and led it deeper into the forest.
They walked and walked, and finally came to a small house. The little girl looked inside and saw that it was empty, so she thought: "We can stay and live here." ?So she found a lot of leaves and moss and made a soft bed for the deer. She went out every morning and gathered roots, berries, and nuts for herself, and brought back some young grass for the fawn. The deer ate the grass in her hand and always jumped around her happily. At night, after the tired girl finished her prayers, she rested her head on the deer's back and slept quietly like a pillow. If her brother could still keep his human form, this kind of life would be quite beautiful!
They lived alone in the wild for a while. One day, the king of this country came to this forest to hunt. The forest is filled with the sound of horns, the barking of dogs and the laughter of hunters. The deer heard this and wanted to take a look. ?Oh,? it said to her sister: ?Let me go there. I couldn't bear it any longer!? It begged and begged, and my sister finally agreed. She said to it: "But you have to come back to me at night." I am afraid of those rough hunters, so I will close the door. When you come back, just knock on the door and say: "My little sister, let me in!", and I will know that it is you who is back. If you don't say this, I won't open the door. ? The little deer jumped away from the house and came to the world outside the house. It felt really comfortable and happy.
The king and the hunters saw the beautiful deer and chased it, but they could not catch it. Every time they thought they were sure to catch it, it always jumped into the bushes and disappeared. After dark, he ran to the hut, knocked on the door, and said, "My little sister, let me in!" The door opened immediately, and he jumped in and slept well all night on the soft bed.
The next day, the hunting started again. When the deer heard the horn sound again and the "ho ho ho ho" shouts from the hunters, it could no longer be quiet.
It said: ?Sister, let me out! I must go out!? Its sister opened the door for it and said to it: ?But you must come back at night, and you must say the secret phrase!?
When the king and the hunters saw the fawn with the golden collar again, they chased it together, but it was too fast and clever for them. They chased it all day and finally surrounded it at dusk. A hunter also shot a little bit of its foot, so it had to limp forward slowly. A hunter quietly followed it to the hut and heard it say: "My little sister, let me in!" The hunter saw the door of the hut open, and then closed it immediately after the deer entered. The hunter saw all this and told the king what he saw and heard when he returned. The king said: "We will go hunting again tomorrow." ?
The young lady was very frightened when she saw that the deer was injured. She washed away the blood on it, applied medicinal herbs to its wound, and said: "Dear little deer, go and lie down on the bed." Take good care of yourself. ?But the wound was very minor, and the deer felt nothing the next morning. When it heard the hunting cry outside again, it said: "I can't bear it anymore." I must go there. I won't let them catch me easily. ?My sister cried and said: ?They will definitely kill you this time, and then I will be left alone and helpless in this forest. I can't let you out. "Then I will suffocate to death in the house," said the deer. "When I heard the sound of the horn, I felt as if my heart was about to jump out." ?The sister had no other choice but to open the door for it with a heavy heart. The deer ran happily towards the forest.
When the king saw the deer, he said to the hunter who reported the news: "Come here." Take me to that cabin. ?When he reached the hut, he knocked on the door and cried: ?My little sister, let me in!? As soon as the door was opened, the king went in, and saw in the house the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. When she saw that it was not a deer that came in, but a man with a golden crown on his head, the girl was very frightened, but the king looked at her kindly, stretched out his hand to her and said: "Will you come back with me and be my dear wife?" "Yes," said the girl, "but the deer must come with me." I can't live without it. ?The king said: ?It can stay by your side forever, and there will be nothing missing. ?At this moment, the fawn ran in. The sister tied a rush rope to it, led it, and left the hut in the forest with the king.
The king put the lovely girl on horseback and took her back to the palace, where a grand wedding was held. She was now the queen and lived happily with the king for many years. The fawn was carefully cared for and ran around in the palace garden.
But that evil stepmother, after her two children ran away from home because of her, she thought that the little sister must have been torn to pieces by wild beasts in the forest, and the little brother must have been shot to death by hunters as a deer. But now that she heard that they lived a happy and perfect life, jealousy and resentment burned in her heart like two raging fires, making her unable to rest for a moment. She spends her days thinking about how to bring misfortune to her siblings again. Her own daughter was as ugly as the night and had only one eye. Then she blamed her and said: "She is a queen! This kind of good thing should belong to me!"
"Don't make trouble," the old woman comforted her. She said, "When the time comes, I will make your wish come true." ?
Soon, the queen gave birth to a beautiful boy, and the king happened to go out hunting. The old witch then dressed up as a maid, went into the queen's bedroom, and said to her: "Come, the bath water is boiled." A wash will do you good and rejuvenate you. Hurry or the water will get cold. ?
Her biological daughter was also nearby, so the mother and daughter carried the weak queen into the bathroom, put her in the tub, locked the door and ran away. They built a blazing fire in the bathhouse, and soon the beautiful young queen suffocated to death.
Then the old woman took her daughter, put a nightcap on her head, and laid her down on the queen's bed. She also gave her daughter the figure and appearance of a queen, but she could not give her daughter an eye. In order to prevent the king from seeing the flaw, she had to sleep on her side, facing the side without eyes.
In the evening, the king returned home and learned that the queen had given birth to a son for him. He was very happy and immediately went to see his beloved wife at the bedside. But the old woman immediately shouted: "Don't open the curtains! The queen can't see the light yet and needs a good rest!" The king went out and didn't realize that there was a fake queen lying on the bed.
But at midnight, when everyone was asleep, the nurse, who was sitting alone by the cradle in the nursery, saw the door open and the real queen come in. The queen took the baby from the cradle, held him in her arms, and nursed him. Then she shook the child's little pillow, put the child back in the cradle, and covered him with the quilt. She did not forget the deer, but walked to the corner where it lay, stroked its back, and then quietly walked out of the door. The next morning, the nanny asked the guards if anyone had entered the palace at night, but the guards all said: "No, none of us saw any." ?In this way, for many days in a row, the queen always came here at night, but she never said a word. The nanny saw her every time, but she didn't dare tell anyone.
After some time passed in this way, the queen said one night: "What shall I do with my child? What shall I do with my fawn? I can come again twice." I will never be able to come again. ?
The nurse made no answer, but as soon as the queen left, she ran to the king and told him everything. The king said: "Oh, my God! What is going on? Tomorrow night I will personally stay with the baby." ?
At night, he entered the nursery. At midnight the queen did come again, and said: What shall I do with my child? What shall I do with my fawn? I can do it again. I will never be able to come again. ?
She fed the baby as usual and then left. The king did not dare to speak to her, but he went to keep vigil the next night. Just listen to the queen saying: What should I do with my child? What should I do with my fawn? This is the last time I come here, and I will never come again. ?
When the king heard this, he could no longer restrain himself. He ran towards her and said: ?You must be my dear wife!? She replied: ?Yes, I am your dear wife. ?As soon as the words came out of her mouth she came back to life, and, by the grace of God, she became very healthy and very rosy.
She told the king what the evil witch and the witch's daughter had done to her. The king immediately ordered them both to be tried and sentenced them. The daughter was taken into the forest and torn to pieces by wild beasts; the old witch was thrown into the fire and sadly burned to ashes. At the moment when the old witch was burned to ashes, the fawn also changed and regained its human shape. From then on, the sister and brother lived happily together until their hair turned gray for eternity.