« > 1 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2018 with funding from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill https://archive.org/details/littlebrotherlit00grim_1 Little Brother and Little Sister constable -&-cz up LONDON V First Published 1917 Printed in Great Britain ) PUBLISHERS’ NOTE These forty stories, chosen and illustrated for this edition by Arthur Rackham, together with the selection which we published some years ago with illustrations by the same artist, make a total of one hundred stories which include, it is thought, all the best of the Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. Of the remainder most are probably of interest rather to students of folklore than to the girls and boys of to-day, and many are little more than variants or similar tales from other sources. The story called 4 The Nose Tree ’ has been more or less re-written from the rather abridged form among the notes where alone it is included in the original. And in adapting it and the other stories from the German text, the publishers have to acknowledge the permission of Messrs. George Bell and Sons to make use of Mrs. Hunt’s translation in Bohn’s Standard Library, which Messrs. Bell claim to be the only complete English rendering of the original with the notes and comments of the Brothers Grimm. a 2 v Contents I’AGE LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER . 1 SNOW-WHITE AND ROSE-RED . 9 SWEET PORRIDGE ....... 16 THUMBLING’S TRAVELS ...... 17 THE SKILFUL HUNTER ...... 22 THE TRUE SWEETHEART ...... 29 THE TWELVE BROTHERS . 36 THE THREE SPINNERS ...... 44 THE STAR-MONEY ....... 47 THE OLD WOMAN IN THE WOOD . 49 BEARSKIN ........ 53 ONE-EYE, TWO-EYES, AND THREE-EYES. 59 THE WISHING-TABLE, THE GOLD-ASS, AND THE CUDGEL IN THE KNAPSACK ...... 68 THE WONDERFUL MUSICIAN 80 THE CUNNING LITTLE TAILOR 85 THE GNOMES ........ 89 HANS THE HEDGEHOG ...... 94 THE NOSE TREE ....... 100 THE THREE FEATHERS 105 THE GOOSE-GIRL AT THE WELL . 108 LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER PAGE THE LITTLE PEOPLE'S PRESENTS 122 THE THREE LITTLE MEN IN THE WOOD 126 THE SPIRIT IN THE BOTTLE 133 THE THREE ARMY SURGEONS 139 THE HARE AND THE HEDGEHOG 143 THE GRIFFIN ...... 147 THE SPINDLE, THE SHUTTLE, AND THE NEEDLE 155 MAID MALEEN ..... 158 THE YOUNG GIANT ..... 165 THE THREE SONS OF FORTUNE . 174 FITCHER’S BIRD 178 THE POOR MILLER’S BOY AND THE CAT 182 HOW SIX MEN GOT ON IN THE WORLD 186 THE TWO TRAVELLERS .... 1.92 THE HUT IN THE FOREST .... 203 THE PEASANT’S WISE DAUGHTER 209 THE TWO BROTHERS .... 213 THE NIX OF THE MILL-POND 238 THE FOX AND THE GEESE 244 THE IRON STOVE ..... 245 List of Illustrations ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR She took off her golden garter and put it round the roebuck’s neck (page 2) ...... Frontispiece FACING TAGE The end of his beard was caught in a crack in the tree . 12 The third time, she wore the star-dress which sparkled at every step . 34 Suddenly the branches twined round her and turned into two arms . 52 Gold pieces fell down on the cloth like a thunder shower . 78 He played until the room was entirely filled with gnomes . 92 They came at last to their poor old friend . .102 What did she find there but real ripe strawberries . .128 The Three Army-Surgeons . .140 The waiting maid sprang down first and Maid Maleen followed . 158 At last she met the bridegroom who was coming slowly back . 180 She begged quite prettily to be allowed to spend the night there . 206 ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT PAGE 9 Headpiece to Little Brother and Little Sister .... 1 She crept after them secretly, as witches do creep ... 3 She met an aged woman who knew of her distress, and presented her with a little pot . • • • . l6 IX LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER PAGE So, one by one, he threw out all the money . 19 The giant gave the one who was sitting next him a box on the ear . 25 To whom do these twelve shirts belong? ..... 38, 39 The wicked mother-in-law was put into a barrel full of boiling oil and venomous snakes ....... 42 In came the three women dressed in the strangest fashion . 46 Then she gathered the money into this, and was rich all the days of her life ........ 48 Headpiece to the Old Woman in the Wood .... 49 The old woman seized her by the gown, and tried to hold her fast . 51 Whoever saw him, ran away . .55 Now I know why that stuck-up thing there does not eat . 62 Little Two-eyes ........ 63 Headpiece to the Wishing-Table, the Gold-Ass, and the Cudgel in the Knapsack ........ 68 The Musician and the Wolf ...... 80 The Musician and the Fox . .81 The Musician and the Hare ...... 83 When the bear heard the music he could not help beginning to dance . 87 Hans the Hedgehog ....... 94 Headpiece to the Three Feathers . .105 The pretty maiden skipped through the hoop as lightly as a deer . 109 Groaning continually, he climbed the mountain . 113 There she sat, and would have remained sitting a long time, if there had not been a rustling and cracking in the boughs of the nearest tree . 119 When it was sharp enough, he looked round at the strangers . 123 X LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ’ PAGE With every word she said, out of her mouth jumped a toad . ISO A terrible fellow half as big as the tree by which he was standing 137 The cat came creeping in . .140 The Hare and the Hedgehog . .143 He sniffed and said, e Wife, I smell a Christian,’ . 153 There stood the maiden in her poor garments . .157 When her husband saw her, he shouted, f Hi! come to me here’ . 173 The cat made herself merry with the mice in the royal palace . 176 The poor miller’s boy and the cat . .182 It was just as if the wind had whistled by . .188 Cousin Longlegs came carefully in ..... 202 They found in the earth a mortar of pure gold . 209 It was not long before the seven-headed dragon came, loudly roaring . 220 Instantly they lay still all turned into stone 233 Headpiece to the Nix of the Mill-pond 238 Headpiece to the Fox and the Geese 244 The little one went and brought the box . 248 Tailpiece to the Iron Stove 251 XI Little Brother and Little Sister LITTLE BROTHER took Little Sister by the hand and said, 4 Since our mother died we have not had another happy hour ; our step-mother beats us every day, and if we come near her she kicks us away with her foot. Our meals are the hard crusts of bread that are left over ; and the little dog under the table is better off, for she often throws it a nice morsel. May Heaven pity us. If only our mother knew ! Come, let us go forth together into the wide world.5 The whole day they walked through meadows and fields, and over stony wastes ; and when it rained Little Sister said, 4 Heaven and our hearts are weeping together.5 In the evening they came to a large forest, and they were so weary with sorrow and hunger and their long journey, that they lay down in a hollow tree and fell asleep. Next day when they awoke, the sun was already high in the sky, and shone down hot into the tree. Then Little Brother said, 4 Little Sister, I am thirsty ; if I knew where there was a little brook I would go and drink. Listen ! I think I hear one.5 So he got up and took Little Sister by the hand, and they set off to find the brook. A 1 LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER But their wicked step-mother was a witch, and had seen how the two children had gone away, and she had crept after them secretly, as witches do creep, and had bewitched all the brooks in the forest. So when they found a little brook leaping brightly over the stones, Little Brother was going to drink out of it, but Little Sister heard how it said as it ran, ‘ Who drinks of me will become a tiger ; who drinks of me will become a tiger.’ Then Little Sister cried, ‘ Pray, Little Brother, do not drink, or you will become a wild beast, and tear me to pieces.’ Little Brother did not drink, although he was so thirsty, but said, ‘ I will wait for the next spring.’ When they came to the next Little Sister heard this one also say, 4 Who drinks of me will become a wolf; who drinks of me will become a wolf.’ Then Little Sister cried out, 4 Pray, pray, Little Brother, do not drink, or you will become a wolf, and eat me up.’ Little Brother did not drink, and said, 41 will wait until we come to the next spring, but then I must drink, say what you like ; for my thirst is too great.’ And when they came to the third brook Little Sister heard how it said as it ran, 4 Who drinks of me will become a deer ; who drinks of me will become a deer.’ Little Sister said, 4 Oh, I pray you, dear brother, do not drink, or you will become a deer, and run away from me.’ But Little Brother had already knelt down by the brook, and had leant over and drunk some water, and as soon as the first drop touched his lips there he lay, a little roebuck.