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               The Frog King

            by the Grimm Brothers

In olden 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 bored 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. At this she began to cry,
and cried louder and louder, and could not be
comforted. And as she thus lamented someone
said to her, "What ails you, king's daughter?
You weep 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
big, ugly head from the water. "Ah,
oldwater-splasher, is it you," she said, "I am
weeping for my golden ball, which has fallen
into the well." "Be quiet, and do not weep,"
answered the frog, "I can help you, but what
will you give me if I bring your plaything up
again?" "Whatever you will 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 your
clothes, your pearls and jewels, nor for your
golden crown, but if you will love me and let
me be your companion and play-fellow, and sit
by you at your little table, and eat off your
little golden plate, and drink out of your
little cup, and sleep in your little bed - if
you will promise me this I will go down below,
and bring you your golden ball up again."

"Oh yes," said she, "I promise you all you
wish, if you will but bring me my ball back
again." But she thought, "How the silly frog
does talk. All he does is to sit in the water
with the other frogs, and croak. He 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 swimming 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 you. I can't run as you
can." 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 are you so afraid of? Is there
perchance a giant outside who wants to carry
you away?" "Ah, no," replied she. "It is no
giant but a disgusting frog."

"What does a frog want with you?" "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, do you not know what you said to
me yesterday by the cool waters of the well.
Princess, youngest princess, open the door for
me."

Then said the king, "That which you have
promised must you 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 you." She delayed, until at last the
king commanded her to do it. Once the frog was
on the chair he wanted to be on the table, and
when he was on the table he said, "Now, push
your 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 your little room and make
your 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 you when you
were in trouble ought not afterwards to be
despised by you." 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 you, lift me up or I will tell
your father." At this she was terribly angry,
and took him up and threw him with all her
might against the wall. "Now, will you be
quiet, odious frog," said she. But when he fell
down he was no frog but a king's son with kind
and beautiful 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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