The Frog Prince

The Frog Prince
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 favourite 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."
"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 time 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 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 the frog want with thee?" "Ah, dear father, yesterday when 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 insisted
so on it, 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 still 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 andsadness. 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.
From Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Household Tales, trans. Margaret Hunt

(London: George Bell, 1884

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The Frog Prince

In the meantime it knocked a second time, and cried,

"Princess! youngest princess!

From Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Household Tales, trans. Margaret Hunt

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