Included here are fairy tales from 'Children’s and Household Tales' by the Brothers Grimm, translated by Margaret Hunt. The translation is based on the last edition of the book, featuring 200 fairy tales and 10 children’s legends and includes such firm favourites as Rapunzel, The Goose Girl, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel and Snow White. The Brothers Grimm rediscovered a host of fairy tales, telling of princes and princesses in their castles, witches in their towers and forests, of giants and dwarfs, of fabulous animals and dark deeds.
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 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. 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.'
