Fairy Tales: Also called "magic stories," these are filled with dreamlike possibility. Fairy tales feature magical and enchanted forces. They usually have a "happily ever after" ending, where good is rewarded and evil is punished.
Little Red-Cap
Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved
by every one who looked at her, but most of all by her
grandmother, and there was nothing that she would not have
given to the child. Once she gave her a little cap of red
velvet, which suited her so well that she would never wear
anything else. So she was always called little red-cap.
One day her mother said to her, come, little red-cap, here
is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine. Take them to your
grandmother, she is ill and weak, and they will do her good.
Set out before it gets hot, and when you are going, walk
nicely and quietly and do not run off the path, or you may
fall and break the bottle, and then your grandmother will
get nothing. And when you go into her room, don't forget
to say, good-morning, and don't peep into every corner before
you do it.
I will take great care, said little red-cap to her mother, and
gave her hand on it.
The grandmother lived out in the wood, half a league from the
village, and just as little red-cap entered the wood, a wolf
met her. Red-cap did not know what a wicked creature he was,
and was not at all afraid of him.
"Good-day, little red-cap," said he.
"Thank you kindly, wolf."
"Whither away so early, little red-cap?"
"To my grandmother's."
"What have you got in your apron?"
"Cake and wine. Yesterday was baking-day, so poor sick
grandmother is to have something good, to make her stronger."
"Where does your grandmother live, little red-cap?"
"A good quarter of a league farther on in the wood. Her house
stands under the three large oak-trees, the nut-trees are just
below. You surely must know it," replied little red-cap.
The wolf thought to himself, what a tender young creature. What a
nice plump mouthful, she will be better to eat than the old
woman. I must act craftily, so as to catch both. So he walked
for a short time by the side of little red-cap, and then he
said, "see little red-cap, how pretty the flowers are about here.
Why do you not look round. I believe, too, that you do not
hear how sweetly the little birds are singing. You walk gravely
along as if you were going to school, while everything else out
here in the wood is merry."
Little red-cap raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams
dancing here and there through the trees, and pretty flowers
growing everywhere, she thought, suppose I take grandmother a
fresh nosegay. That would please her too. It is so early in the
day that I shall still get there in good time. And so she ran
from the path into the wood to look for flowers. And whenever
she had picked one, she fancied that she saw a still prettier one
farther on, and ran after it, and so got deeper and deeper into
the wood.
Meanwhile the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and
knocked at the door.
"Who is there?"
"Little red-cap," replied the wolf. "She is bringing cake and
wine. Open the door."
"Lift the latch," called out the grandmother, "I am too weak, and
cannot get up."
The wolf lifted the latch, the door sprang open, and without
saying a word he went straight to the grandmother's bed, and
devoured her. Then he put on her clothes, dressed himself in
her cap, laid himself in bed and drew the curtains.
Little red-cap, however, had been running about picking flowers,
and when she had gathered so many that she could carry
no more, she remembered her grandmother, and set out on the
way to her.
She was surprised to find the cottage-door standing open, and
when she went into the room, she had such a strange feeling that
she said to herself, oh dear, how uneasy I feel to-day, and at
other times I like being with grandmother so much. She called
out, "good morning," but received no answer. So she went to the
bed and drew back the curtains. There lay her grandmother with
her cap pulled far over her face, and looking very strange.
"Oh, grandmother," she said, "what big ears you have."
"The better to hear you with, my child," was the reply.
"But, grandmother, what big eyes you have," she said.
"The better to see you with," my dear.
"But, grandmother, what large hands you have."
"The better to hug you with."
"Oh, but, grandmother, what a terrible big mouth you have."
"The better to eat you with."
And scarcely had the wolf said this, than with one bound he was
out of bed and swallowed up red-cap.
When the wolf had appeased his appetite, he lay down again in
the bed, fell asleep and began to snore very loud. The
huntsman was just passing the house, and thought to himself, how
the old woman is snoring. I must just see if she wants anything.
So he went into the room, and when he came to the bed, he saw
that the wolf was lying in it. Do I find you here, you old
sinner, said he. I have long sought you. Then just as he was going
to fire at him, it occurred to him that the wolf might have
devoured the grandmother, and that she might still be saved, so
he did not fire, but took a pair of scissors, and began to cut
open the stomach of the sleeping wolf. When he had made two
snips, he saw the little red-cap shining, and then he made two
snips more, and the little girl sprang out, crying, ah, how
frightened I have been. How dark it was inside the wolf. And
after that the aged grandmother came out alive also, but scarcely
able to breathe. Red-cap, however, quickly
fetched great stones with which they filled the wolf's belly, and
when he awoke, he wanted to run away, but the stones were so
heavy that he collapsed at once, and fell dead.
Then all three were delighted. The huntsman drew off the wolf's
skin and went home with it. The grandmother ate the cake and
drank the wine which red-cap had brought, and revived, but
red-cap thought to herself, as long as I live, I will never by
myself leave the path, to run into the wood, when my mother has
forbidden me to do so.
Gambling Hansel
Once upon a time there was a man who did nothing but gamble, and
for that reason people never called him anything but gambling
Hansel, and as he never ceased to gamble, he played away his house
and all that he had.
Now the very day before his creditors were
to take his house from him, came the Lord and St. Peter, and
asked him to give them shelter for the night. Then gambling Hansel
said, for my part, you may stay the night, but I cannot give you
a bed or anything to eat. So the Lord said he was just to take
them in, and they themselves would buy something to eat, to which
gambling Hansel made no objection. Thereupon St. Peter gave him
three groschen, and said he was to go to the baker's and fetch
some bread.
So gambling Hansel went, but when he reached the house
where the other gambling vagabonds were gathered together, they,
although they had won all that he had, greeted him clamorously,
and said, Hansel, do come in. Oh, said he, do you want to win
three groschen too. On this they would not let him go. So he
went in, and played away the three groschen also.
Meanwhile St. Peter and the Lord were waiting, and as he was so long in
coming, they set out to meet him. When gambling Hansel came,
however, he pretended that the money had fallen into the gutter,
and kept raking about in it all the while to find it, but
our Lord already knew that he had lost it in play. St. Peter again gave him
three groschen, and now he did not allow himself to be led away
once more, but fetched them the loaf. Our Lord then inquired if
he had no wine, and he said, alack, sir, the casks are all empty.
But the Lord said he was to go down into the cellar, for the best
wine was still there.
For a long time he would not believe this, but at length he said, well, I will go down, but I know that there is none there. When he turned the tap, however, lo
and behold, the best of wine ran out. So he took it to them, and
the two passed the night there.
Early next day our Lord told
gambling Hansel that he might beg three favors. The Lord
expected that he would ask to go to heaven, but gambling Hansel
asked for a pack of cards with which he could win everything,
for dice with which he would win everything, and for a tree
whereon every kind of fruit would grow, and from which no one who
had climbed up, could descend until he bade him do so. The Lord
gave him all that he had asked, and departed with St. Peter.
And now gambling Hansel at once set about gambling in real
earnest, and before long he had gained half the world.
Upon this
St. Peter said to the Lord, Lord, this thing must not go on, at
last he will win the whole world. We must send death to him.
And they sent death to him. When death appeared, gambling Hansel
had just seated himself at the gaming-table, and death said,
Hansel, come out a while. But gambling Hansel said, just wait
a little until the game is done, and in the meantime get up into
that tree out there, and gather a little fruit that we may have
something to munch on our way. Thereupon death climbed up, but
when he wanted to come down again, he could not, and gambling
Hansel left him up there for seven years, during which time no one
died.
So St. Peter said to the Lord, Lord, this thing must not go on.
People no longer die, we must go ourselves. And they went
themselves, and the Lord commanded Hansel to let death come down.
So Hansel went at once to death and said to him, come down, and
death took him directly and put an end to him. They went away
together and came to the next world, and then gambling
Hansel made straight for the door of heaven, and knocked at it.
Who is there. Gambling Hansel. Ah, we will have nothing to do
with him. Begone.
So he went to the door of purgatory, and
knocked once more. Who is there. Gambling Hansel. Ah, there is
quite enough weeping and wailing here without him. We do not
want to gamble, just go away again.
Then he went to the door of hell, and there they let him in.
There was, however, no one at
home but old lucifer and the crooked devils - the straight ones
were just busy in the world. And no sooner was Hansel there than
he sat down to gamble again. Lucifer, however, had nothing to
lose, but his mis-shapen devils, and gambling Hansel won them
from him, as with his cards he could not fail to do.
And now he
was off again with his crooked devils, and they went to hohenfurt
and pulled up a hop-pole, and with it went to heaven and began to
thrust the pole against it, and heaven began to crack. So again
St. Peter said, Lord, this thing cannot go on, we must let him
in, or he will overthrow the whole heaven. And they let him in.
But gambling Hansel instantly began to play again, and there was
such a noise and confusion that there was no hearing what they
themselves were saying.
Therefore St. Peter once more said,
Lord, this cannot go on, we must throw him down, or he will make
all heaven rebellious. So they went to him at once, and threw
him down, and his soul broke into fragments, and went into the
gambling vagabonds who are living this very day.
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