Household Tales by Jacob Grimm (classic books for 12 year olds .txt) ๐
Description
When it was first published in 1812 as Childrenโs and Household Tales, this collection of Germanic fairy tales contained eighty-six stories and was criticized because, despite the name, it wasnโt particularly well-suited to children. Over the next forty-five years, stories were added, removed, and modified until the final seventh edition was published in 1857, containing 210 fairy tales. Today, the book is commonly referred to as Grimmsโ Fairy Tales.
These fairy tales include well-known characters such as Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, as well as many more that never became quite as popular. Over the years, these stories have been translated, retold, and adapted to many different media.
This is a collection of Margaret Huntโs 1884 English translation, originally published in two volumes.
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- Author: Jacob Grimm
Read book online ยซHousehold Tales by Jacob Grimm (classic books for 12 year olds .txt) ๐ยป. Author - Jacob Grimm
The wood was got together, and when she was fast bound to the stake, and the fire began to burn round about her, the hard ice of pride melted, her heart was moved by repentance, and she thought, โIf I could but confess before my death that I opened the door.โ Then her voice came back to her, and she cried out loudly, โYes, Mary, I did it;โ and straightway rain fell from the sky and extinguished the flames of fire, and a light broke forth above her, and the Virgin Mary descended with the two little sons by her side, and the newborn daughter in her arms.
She spoke kindly to her, and said, โHe who repents his sin and acknowledges it, is forgiven.โ Then she gave her the three children, untied her tongue, and granted her happiness for her whole life.
The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear WasA 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, โThereโs a fellow who will give his father some trouble!โ
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 late, or in the nighttime, and the way led through the churchyard, or any other dismal place, he answered โOh, no, father, Iโll not go there, it makes me shudder!โ for he was afraid. Or when stories were told by the fire at night which made the flesh creep, the listeners sometimes said โOh, it makes us shudder!โ
The younger sat in a corner and listened with the rest of them, and could not imagine what they could mean. โThey are always saying โIt makes me shudder, it makes me shudder!โ It does not make me shudder,โ thought he. โThat, too, must be an art of which I understand nothing.โ
Now it came to pass that his father said to him one day โHearken to me, thou fellow in the corner there, thou art growing tall and strong, and thou too must learn something by which thou canst earn thy living. Look how thy brother works, but thou dost not even earn thy salt.โ
โWell, father,โ he replied, โI am quite willing to learn somethingโ โindeed, if it could but be managed, I should like to learn how to shudder. I donโt understand that at all yet.โ
The elder brother smiled when he heard that, and thought to himself, โGood God, what a blockhead that brother of mine is! He will never be good for anything as long as he lives. He who wants to be a sickle must bend himself betimes.โ
The father sighed, and answered him, โThou shalt soon learn what it is to shudder, but thou wilt not earn thy bread by that.โ
Soon after this the sexton came to the house on a visit, and the father bewailed his trouble, and told him how his younger son was so backward in every respect that he knew nothing and learnt nothing. โJust think,โ said he, โwhen I asked him how he was going to earn his bread, he actually wanted to learn to shudder.โ
โIf that be all,โ replied the sexton, โhe can learn that with me. Send him to me, and I will soon polish him.โ
The father was glad to do it, for he thought, โIt will train the boy a little.โ The sexton therefore took him into his house, and he had to ring the bell. After a day or two, the sexton awoke him at midnight, and bade him arise and go up into the church tower and ring the bell. โThou shalt soon learn what shuddering is,โ thought he, and secretly went there before him; and when the boy was at the top of the tower and turned round, and was just going to take hold of the bell rope, he saw a white figure standing on the stairs opposite the sounding hole.
โWho is there?โ cried he, but the figure made no reply, and did not move or stir. โGive an answer,โ cried the boy, โor take thy self off, thou hast no business here at night.โ
The sexton, however, remained standing motionless that the boy might think he was a ghost. The boy cried a second time, โWhat do you want here?โ โspeak if thou art an honest fellow, or I will throw thee down the steps!โ
The sexton thought, โhe canโt intend to be as bad as his words,โ uttered no sound and stood as if he were made of stone. Then the boy called to him for the third time, and as that was also to no purpose, he ran against him and pushed the ghost down the stairs, so that it fell down ten steps and remained lying there in a corner. Thereupon he rang the bell, went home, and without saying a word went to bed, and fell asleep.
The sextonโs wife waited a long time for her husband, but he did not come back. At length she became uneasy, and wakened the boy, and asked, โDost thou not know where my husband is? He climbed up the tower before thou didst.โ
โNo, I donโt know,โ replied the boy, โbut someone was standing by the sounding hole on the other side of the steps, and as he would neither give an answer nor go away, I took him for a scoundrel, and threw him downstairs, just go there and you will see if it was he. I should be sorry if it were.โ The woman ran away
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