In old
times when wishing
still helped one, there lived a king whose daughters were all
beautiful,
but the youngest was so beautiful that the sun itself, which has seen
so
much, was astonished whenever it shone in her face. Close by the King's
castle lay a great dark forest, and under an old lime-tree in the
forest
was a well, and when the day was very warm, the King's child went out
into
the forest and sat down by the side of the cool fountain, and when she
was dull she took a golden ball, and threw it up on high and caught it,
and this ball was her favorite plaything.
Now it so
happened that on
one occasion the princess's golden ball did not fall into the little
hand
which she was holding up for it, but on to the ground beyond, and
rolled
straight into the water. The King's daughter followed it with her eyes,
but it vanished, and the well was deep, so deep that the bottom could
not
be seen. On this she began to cry, and cried louder and louder, and
could
not be comforted.
And as she
thus lamented
some one said to her, "What ails thee, King's daughter? Thou weepest so
that even a stone would show pity."
She looked
round to the side
from whence the voice came, and saw a frog stretching forth its thick,
ugly head from the water. "Ah! old water-splasher, is it thou?" said
she;
"I am weeping for my golden ball, which has fallen into the well."
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"Be quiet,
and do not weep,"
answered the frog, "I can help thee, but what wilt thou give me if I
bring
thy plaything up again?"
"Whatever
thou wilt have,
dear frog," said she--"My clothes, my pearls and jewels, and even the
golden
crown which I am wearing."
The frog
answered, "I do
not care for thy clothes, thy pearls and jewels, or thy golden crown,
but
if thou wilt love me and let me be thy companion and play-fellow, and
sit
by thee at thy little table, and eat off thy little golden plate, and
drink
out of thy little cup, and sleep in thy little bed---if thou wilt
promise
me this I will go down below, and bring thee thy golden ball up
again."
"Oh yes,"
said she, "I promise
thee all thou wishest, if thou wilt but bring me my ball back again."
She,
however, thought, "How the silly frog does talk! He lives in the water
with the other frogs, and croaks, and can be no companion to any human
being!"
But the
frog when he had
received this promise, put his head into the water and sank down, and
in
a short while came swimmming up again with the ball in his mouth, and
threw
it on the grass.
The King's
daughter was delighted
to see her pretty plaything once more, and picked it up, and ran away
with
it. "Wait, wait," said the frog. "Take me with thee. I can't run as
thou
canst." But what did it avail him to scream his croak, croak, after
her,
as loudly as he could? She did not listen to it, but ran home and soon
forgot the poor frog, who was forced to go back into his well
again.
The next
day when she had
seated herself at table with the King and all the courtiers, and was
eating
from her little golden plate, something came creeping splish splash,
splish
splash, up the marble staircase, and when it had got to the top, it
knocked
at the door and cried, "Princess, youngest princess, open the door for
me." She ran to see who was outside, but when she opened the door,
there
sat the frog in front of it. Then she slammed the door to, in great
haste,
sat down to dinner again, and was quite frightened.
The King
saw plainly that
her heart was beating violently, and said, "My child, what art thou so
afraid of? Is there perchance a giant outside who wants to carry thee
away?"
"Ah, no,"
replied she. "It
is no giant but a disgusting frog."
"What does
a frog want with
thee?" "Ah, dear father, yesterday as I was in the forest sitting by
the
well, playing, my golden ball fell into the water. And because I cried
so, the frog brought it out again for me, and because he so insisted, I
promised him he should be my companion, but I never thought he would be
able to come out of his water! And now he is outside there, and wants
to
come in to me." In the meantime it knocked a second time, and cried,
"Princess!
youngest princess! Open the door for me! Dost thou not know what thou
saidst
to me Yesterday by the cool waters of the fountain? Princess, youngest
princess! Open the door for me!"
Then said
the King, "That
which thou hast promised must thou perform. Go and let him in."
She went
and opened the door,
and the frog hopped in and followed her, step by step, to her chair.
There
he sat and cried, "Lift me up beside thee."
She
delayed, until at last
the King commanded her to do it. When the frog was once on the chair he
wanted to be on the table, and when he was on the table he said, "Now,
push thy little golden plate nearer to me that we may eat together."
She
did this, but it was easy to see that she did not do it willingly. The
frog enjoyed what he ate, but almost every mouthful she took choked
her.
At length he said, "I have eaten and am satisfied; now I am tired,
carry
me into thy little room and make thy little silken bed ready, and we
will
both lie down and go to sleep."
The King's
daughter began
to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frog which she did not like to
touch,
and which was now to sleep in her pretty, clean little bed. But the
King
grew angry and said, "He who helped thee when thou wert in trouble
ought
not afterwards to be despised by thee."
So she took
hold of the frog
with two fingers, carried him upstairs, and put him in a corner. But
when
she was in bed he crept to her and said, "I am tired, I want to sleep
as
well as thou, lift me up or I will tell thy father." Then she was
terribly
angry, and took him up and threw him with all her might against the
wall.
"Now, thou wilt be quiet, odious frog," said she. But when he fell down
he was no frog but a King's son with beautiful kind eyes. He by her
father's
will was now her dear companion and husband. Then he told her how he
had
been bewitched by a wicked witch, and how no one could have delivered
him
from the well but herself, and that to-morrow they would go together
into
his kingdom.
Then they
went to sleep,
and next morning when the sun awoke them, a carriage came driving up
with
eight white horses, which had white ostrich feathers on their heads,
and
were harnessed with golden chains, and behind stood the young King's
servant
Faithful Henry. Faithful Henry had been so unhappy when his master was
changed into a frog, that he had caused three iron bands to be laid
round
his heart, lest it should burst with grief and sadness. The carriage
was
to conduct the young King into his Kingdom. Faithful Henry helped them
both in, and placed himself behind again, and was full of joy because
of
this deliverance. And when they had driven a part of the way the King's
son heard a cracking behind him as if something had broken. So he
turned
round and cried, "Henry, the carriage is breaking." "No, master, it is
not the carriage. It is a band from my heart, which was put there in my
great pain when you were a frog and imprisoned in the well." Again and
once again while they were on their way something cracked, and each
time
the King's son thought the carriage was breaking; but it was only the
bands
which were springing from the heart of faithful Henry because his
master
was set free and was happy.
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