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The Phoenix bird
H.C. Andersen →

The best fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm

The brothers Grimm - The 40 best fairy tales: 21 - 40 (Page 2)

21The mouse, the bird, and the sausage

Once upon a time a mouse, a bird, and a sausage formed a partnership. They kept house together, and for a long time they lived in peace and prosperity, acquiring many possessions. The bird's task was to fly into the forest every day to fetch wood. The mouse carried water, made the fire, and set the table. The sausage did the cooking.Read the story →

22The wonderful musician

There was once a wonderful musician, who went quite alone through a forest and thought of all manner of things, and when nothing was left for him to think about, he said to himself, Time is beginning to pass heavily with me here in the forest, I will fetch hither a good companion for myself. Then he took his fiddle from his back, and played so that it echoed through the trees.Read the story →

23The brother and sister

The brother took his sister's hand and said to her, Since our mother died we have had no good days; our stepmother beats us every day, and if we go near her she kicks us away; we have nothing to eat but hard crusts of bread left over; the dog under the table fares better, he gets a good piece every now and then.Read the story →

24The star-money

There was once on a time a little girl whose father and mother were dead, and she was so poor that she no longer had any little room to live in, or bed to sleep in, and at last she had nothing else but the clothes she was wearing and a little bit of bread in her hand which some charitable soul had given her. She was, however, good and pious.Read the story →

25The story of the youth who went forth to learn what fear was

A certain father had two sons, the elder of whom was smart and sensible, and could do everything, but the younger was stupid and could neither learn nor understand anything, and when people saw him they said, There's a fellow who will give his father some trouble! When anything had to be done, it was always the elder who was forced to do it; but if his father bade him fetch anything when it was laRead the story →

26The seven ravens

There was once a man who had seven sons, and still he had no daughter, however much he wished for one. At length his wife again gave him hope of a child, and when it came into the world it was a girl. The joy was great, but the child was sickly and small, and had to be privately baptized on account of its weakness.Read the story →

27The rabbit's bride

There was once a woman who lived with her daughter in a beautiful cabbage-garden; and there came a rabbit and ate up all the cabbages. At last said the woman to her daughter, Go into the garden, and drive out the rabbit. Shoo! shoo! said the maiden; don't eat up all our cabbages, little rabbit! Come, maiden, said the rabbit, sit on my tail and go with me to my rabbit-hutch.Read the story →

28Our Lady's Child

Hard by a great forest dwelt a wood-cutter with his wife, who had an only child, a little girl three years old. They were so poor, however, that they no longer had daily bread, and did not know how to get food for her.Read the story →

29The girl without hands

A certain miller had little by little fallen into poverty, and had nothing left but his mill and a large apple-tree behind it.Read the story →

30The twelve brothers

There were once on a time a king and a queen who lived happily together and had twelve children, but they were all boys. Then said the King to his wife, If the thirteenth child which thou art about to bring into the world, is a girl, the twelve boys shall die, in order that her possessions may be great, and that the kingdom may fall to her alone.Read the story →

31The valiant little tailor

One summer morning a little tailor was sitting on his board near the window, and working cheerfully with all his might, when an old woman came down the street crying, Good jelly to sell! good jelly to sell! The cry sounded pleasant in the little tailor's ears, so he put his head out of the window, and called out, Here, my good woman, come here, if you want a customer.Read the story →

32The devil with the three golden hairs

There was once a poor woman who gave birth to a little son; and as he came into the world with a caul on, it was predicted that in his fourteenth year he would have the King's daughter for his wife.Read the story →

There was once a poor countryman who used to sit in the chimney-corner all evening and poke the fire, while his wife sat at her spinning-wheel.Read the story →

34The golden goose

There was a man who had three sons, the youngest of whom was called the Simpleton, and was despised, laughed at, and neglected, on every occasion. It happened one day that the eldest son wished to go into the forest to cut wood, and before he went his mother gave him a delicious pancake and a flask of wine, that he might not suffer from hunger or thirst.Read the story →

35The hare and the hedgehog

This story, my dear young folks, seems to be false, but it really is true, for my grandfather, from whom I have it, used always, when relating it, to say complacently, It must be true, my son, or else no one could tell it to you. The story is as follows.Read the story →

There was once on a time an old king who was ill, and thought to himself, I am lying on what must be my death-bed. Then said he, Tell Faithful John to come to me. Faithful John was his favourite servant, and was so called, because he had for his whole life long been so true to him.Read the story →

37The six swans

Once on a time a king was hunting in a great wood, and he pursued a wild animal so eagerly that none of his people could follow him. When evening came he stood still, and looking round him he found that he had lost his way; and seeking a path, he found none. Then all at once he saw an old woman with a nodding head coming up to him; and it was a witch.Read the story →

38The hand with the knife

There once lived a girl who had three brothers. The boys meant everything to their mother, and the girl was always put at a disadvantage and treated badly. Every day she had to go out to a barren heath to dig peat, which was used for cooking and heating. A dull old tool was all she had for that nasty work. The little girl had an admirer, an elf who lived in a hill near her mother's house.Read the story →

39The good bargain

There was once a peasant who had driven his cow to the fair, and sold her for seven thalers. On the way home he had to pass a pond, and already from afar he heard the frogs crying, Aik, aik, aik, aik. Well, said he to himself, they are talking without rhyme or reason, it is seven that I have received, not eight.Read the story →

40The white snake

A long time ago there lived a king who was famed for his wisdom through all the land. Nothing was hidden from him, and it seemed as if news of the most secret things was brought to him through the air. But he had a strange custom; every day after dinner, when the table was cleared, and no one else was present, a trusty servant had to bring him one more dish.Read the story →

The little mermaid
H.C. Andersen →

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