The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales (Pantheon Books) - Jacob Grimm [149]
* Of many different kinds of fur.
The Hare’s Bride
THERE was once a woman and her daughter who lived in a pretty garden with cabbages; and a little hare came into it, and during the winter time ate all the cabbages. Then says the mother to the daughter: “Go into the garden, and chase the hare away.” The girl says to the little hare: “Sh-sh, hare, you will be eating all our cabbages.” Says the hare: “Come, maiden, and seat yourself on my little hare’s tail, and come with me into my little hare’s hut.” The girl will not do it. Next day the hare comes again and eats the cabbages, then says the mother to the daughter: “Go into the garden, and drive the hare away.” The girl says to the hare: “Sh-sh, little hare, you will be eating all the cabbages.” The little hare says: “Maiden, seat yourself on my little hare’s tail, and come with me into my little hare’s hut.” The maiden refuses. The third day the hare comes again, and eats the cabbages. On this the mother says to the daughter: “Go into the garden, and hunt the hare away.” Says the maiden: “Sh-sh, little hare, you will be eating all our cabbages.” Says the little hare: “Come, maiden, seat yourself on my little hare’s tail, and come with me into my little hare’s hut.” The girl seats herself on the little hare’s tail, and then the hare takes her far away to his little hut, and says: “Now cook green cabbage and millet-seed, and I will invite the wedding-guests.” Then all the wedding-guests assembled. (Who were the wedding-guests? That I can tell you as another told it to me. They were all hares, and the crow was there as parson to marry the bride and bridegroom, and the fox as clerk, and the altar was under the rainbow.)
The girl, however, was sad, for she was all alone. The little hare comes and says: “Open the doors, open the doors, the wedding-guests are merry.” The bride says nothing, but weeps. The little hare goes away. The little hare comes back and says: “Take off the lid, take off the lid, the wedding-guests are hungry.” The bride again says nothing, and weeps. The little hare goes away. The little hare comes back and says: “Take off the lid, take off the lid, the wedding-guests are waiting.” Then the bride says nothing, and the hare goes away, but she dresses a straw-doll in her clothes, and gives her a spoon to stir with, and sets her by the pan with the millet-seed, and goes back to her mother. The little hare comes once more and says: “Take off the lid, take off the lid,” and gets up, and strikes the doll on the head so that her cap falls off.
Then the little hare sees that it is not his bride, and goes away and is sorrowful.
The Twelve Huntsmen
THERE was once a King’s son who had a bride whom he loved very much. And when he was sitting beside her and very happy, news came that his father lay sick unto death, and desired to see him once again before his end. Then he said to his beloved: “I must now go and leave you, I give you a ring as a remembrance of me. When I am King, I will return and fetch you.” So he rode away, and when he reached his father, the latter was dangerously ill, and near his death. He said to him: “Dear son, I wished to see you once again before my end, promise me to marry as I wish,” and he named a certain King’s daughter who was to be his wife. The son was in such trouble that he did not think what he was doing, and said: “Yes, dear father, your will shall be done,” and thereupon the King shut his eyes, and died.
When therefore the son had been proclaimed King, and the time of mourning was over, he was forced to keep the promise which he had given his father, and caused the King’s daughter to be asked in marriage, and she was promised to him. His first betrothed heard of this, and fretted so much about his faithlessness that she nearly died. Then her father said to her: “Dearest child, why are you so sad? You shall have whatsoever you will.” She thought for a moment