The Frog Princess

One fine evening a young princess put on her bonnet and clogs, and went out to take a walk by

herself in a wood; and when she came to a cool spring of water with a rose in the middle of it, she

sat herself down to rest a while. Now she had a golden ball in her hand, which was her favourite

plaything; and she was always tossing it up into the air, and catching it again as it fell.

After a time she threw it up so high that she missed catching it as it fell; and the ball bounded

away, and rolled along on the ground, until at last it fell down into the spring. The princess looked

into the spring after her ball, but it was very deep, so deep that she could not see the bottom of it.

She began to cry, and said, 'Alas! if I could only get my ball again, I would give all my fine

clothes and jewels, and everything that I have in the world.'

Whilst she was speaking, a frog put its head out of the water, and said, 'Princess, why do you

weep so bitterly?'

'Alas!' said she, 'what can you do for me, you nasty frog? My golden ball has fallen into the

spring.'

The frog said, 'I do not want your pearls, and jewels, and fine clothes; but if you will love me,

and let me live with you and eat from off your golden plate, and sleep on your bed, I will bring

you your ball again.'

'What nonsense,' thought the princess, 'this silly frog is talking! He can never even get out of

the spring to visit me, though he may be able to get my ball for me, and therefore I will tell him he

shall have what he asks.'

So she said to the frog, 'Well, if you will bring me my ball, I will do all you ask.'

Then the frog put his head down, and dived deep under the water; and after a little while he

came up again, with the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the edge of the spring.

As soon as the young princess saw her ball, she ran to pick it up; and she was so overjoyed to

have it in her hand again, that she never thought of the frog, but ran home with it as fast as she

could.

The frog called after her, 'Stay, princess, and take me with you as you said,'

But she did not stop to hear a word.

The next day, just as the princess had sat down to dinner, she heard a strange noise - tap, tap -

plash, plash - as if something was coming up the marble staircase, and soon afterwards there was a

gentle knock at the door, and a little voice cried out and said:

'Open the door, my princess dear,

Open the door to thy true love here!

And mind the words that thou and I said

By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.'

Then the princess ran to the door and opened it, and there she saw the frog, whom she had quite

forgotten. At this sight she was sadly frightened, and shutting the door as fast as she could came

back to her seat.

The king, her father, seeing that something had frightened her, asked her what was the matter.

'There is a nasty frog,' said she, 'at the door, that lifted my ball for me out of the spring this

morning. I told him that he should live with me here, thinking that he could never get out of the

spring; but there he is at the door, and he wants to come in.'

While she was speaking the frog knocked again at the door, and said:

'Open the door, my princess dear,

Open the door to thy true love here!

And mind the words that thou and I said

By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.'

Then the king said to the young princess, 'As you have given your word you must keep it; so go

and let him in.'

She did so, and the frog hopped into the room, and then straight on - tap, tap - plash, plash -

from the bottom of the room to the top, till he came up close to the table where the princess sat.

'Pray lift me upon chair,' said he to the princess, 'and let me sit next to you.'

As soon as she had done this, the frog said, 'Put your plate nearer to me, that I may eat out of it.'

This she did, and when he had eaten as much as he could, he said, 'Now I am tired; carry me

upstairs, and put me into your bed.' And the princess, though very unwilling, took him up in her

hand, and put him upon the pillow of her own bed, where he slept all night long.

As soon as it was light the frog jumped up, hopped downstairs, and went out of the house.

'Now, then,' thought the princess, 'at last he is gone, and I shall be troubled with him no more.'

But she was mistaken; for when night came again she heard the same tapping at the door; and

the frog came once more, and said:

'Open the door, my princess dear,

Open the door to thy true love here!

And mind the words that thou and I said

By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.'

And when the princess opened the door the frog came in, and slept upon her pillow as before,

till the morning broke. And the third night he did the same. But when the princess awoke on the

following morning she was astonished to see, instead of the frog, a handsome prince, gazing on

her with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen and standing at the head of her bed.

He told her that he had been enchanted by a spiteful fairy, who had changed him into a frog;

and that he had been fated so to abide till some princess should take him out of the spring, and let

him eat from her plate, and sleep upon her bed for three nights.

'You,' said the prince, 'have broken his cruel charm, and now I have nothing to wish for but that

you should go with me into my father's kingdom, where I will marry you, and love you as long as

you live.'

The young princess, you may be sure, was not long in saying 'Yes' to all this; and as they spoke

a brightly coloured coach drove up, with eight beautiful horses, decked with plumes of feathers

and a golden harness; and behind the coach rode the prince's servant, faithful Heinrich, who had

bewailed the misfortunes of his dear master during his enchantment so long and so bitterly, that his

heart had well-nigh burst.

They then took leave of the king, and got into the coach with eight horses, and all set out, full

of joy and merriment, for the prince's kingdom, which they reached safely; and there they lived

happily a great many years.

Rapunzel

There were once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a child. At length the

woman hoped that God was about to grant her desire. These people had a little window at the back

of their house from which a splendid garden could be seen, which was full of the most beautiful

flowers and herbs. It was, however, surrounded by a high wall, and no one dared to go into it

because it belonged to an enchantress, who had great power and was dreaded by all the world.

One day the woman was standing by this window and looking down into the garden, when she

saw a bed which was planted with the most beautiful vegetables, and they looked so fresh and

green that she longed for it, she quite pined away, and began to look pale and miserable. Then her

husband was alarmed, and asked: ’What ails you, dear wife?’ ’Ah,’ she replied, ’if I can’t eat some

of the radishes, which is in the garden behind our house, I shall die.’ The man, who loved her,

thought: ’Sooner than let your wife die, bring her some of the rampion yourself, let it cost what it

will.’ At twilight, he clambered down over the wall into the garden of the enchantress, hastily

clutched a handful of radishes, and took it to his wife. She at once made herself a salad of it, and

ate it greedily. It tasted so good to her–so very good, that the next day she longed for it three times

as much as before. If he was to have any rest, her husband must once more descend into the

garden.

In the gloom of evening therefore, he let himself down again; but when he had clambered down

the wall he was terribly afraid, for he saw the enchantress standing before him. ’How can you

dare,’ said she with angry look, ’descend into my garden and steal my radishes like a thief? You

shall suffer for it!’ ’Ah,’ answered he, ’let mercy take the place of justice, I only made up my mind

to do it out of necessity. My wife saw your radishes from the window, and felt such a longing for

it that she would have died if she had not got some to eat.’ Then the enchantress allowed her anger

to be softened, and said to him: ’If the case be as you say, I will allow you to take away with you

as much radishes as you will, only I make one condition, you must give me the child which your

wife will bring into the world; it shall be well treated, and I will care for it like a mother.’ The man

in his terror consented to everything, and when the woman was brought to bed, the enchantress

appeared at once, gave the child the name of Rapunzel, and took it away with her.

Rapunzel grew into the most beautiful child under the sun. When she was twelve years old, the

enchantress shut her into a tower, which lay in a forest, and had neither stairs nor door, but quite at

the top was a little window. When the enchantress wanted to go in, she placed herself beneath it

and cried:

’Rapunzel, Rapunzel,

Let down your hair to me.’

Rapunzel had magnificent long hair, fine as spun gold, and when she heard the voice of the

enchantress she unfastened her braided tresses, wound them round one of the hooks of the window

above, and then the hair fell twenty ells down, and the enchantress climbed up by it.

After a year or two, it came to pass that the king’s son rode through the forest and passed by the

tower. Then he heard a song, which was so charming that he stood still and listened. This was

Rapunzel, who in her solitude passed her time in letting her sweet voice resound. The king’s son

wanted to climb up to her, and looked for the door of the tower, but none was to be found. He rode

home, but the singing had so deeply touched his heart, that every day he went out into the forest

and listened to it. Once when he was thus standing behind a tree, he saw that an enchantress came

there, and he heard how she cried:

’Rapunzel, Rapunzel,

Let down your hair to me.’

Then Rapunzel let down the braids of her hair, and the enchantress climbed up to her. ’If that is the

ladder by which one mounts, I too will try my fortune,’ said he, and the next day when it began to

grow dark, he went to the tower and cried:

’Rapunzel, Rapunzel,

Let down your hair to me.’

Immediately the hair fell down and the king’s son climbed up.

At first Rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man, such as her eyes had never yet beheld, came

to her; but the king’s son began to talk to her quite like a friend, and told her that his heart had

been so stirred that it had let him have no rest, and he had been forced to see her. Then Rapunzel

lost her fear, and when he asked her if she would take him for her husband, and she saw that he

was young and handsome, she thought: ’He will love me more than old Dame Gothel does’; and

she said yes, and laid her hand in his. She said: ’I will willingly go away with you, but I do not

know how to get down. Bring with you a skein of silk every time that you come, and I will weave

a ladder with it, and when that is ready I will descend, and you will take me on your horse.’ They

agreed that until that time he should come to her every evening, for the old woman came by day.

The enchantress remarked nothing of this, until once Rapunzel said to her: ’Tell me, Dame Gothel,

how it happens that you are so much heavier for me to draw up than the young king’s son–he is

with me in a moment.’ ’Ah! you wicked child,’ cried the enchantress. ’What do I hear you say! I

thought I had separated you from all the world, and yet you have deceived me!’ In her anger she

clutched Rapunzel’s beautiful tresses, wrapped them twice round her left hand, seized a pair of

scissors with the right, and snip, snap, they were cut off, and the lovely braids lay on the ground.

And she was so pitiless that she took poor Rapunzel into a desert where she had to live in great

grief and misery.

On the same day that she cast out Rapunzel, however, the enchantress fastened the braids of hair,

which she had cut off, to the hook of the window, and when the king’s son came and cried:

’Rapunzel, Rapunzel,

Let down your hair to me.’

she let the hair down. The king’s son ascended, but instead of finding his dearest Rapunzel, he

found the enchantress, who gazed at him with wicked and venomous looks. ’Aha!’ she cried

mockingly, ’you would fetch your dearest, but the beautiful bird sits no longer singing in the nest;

the cat has got it, and will scratch out your eyes as well. Rapunzel is lost to you; you will never see

her again.’ The king’s son was beside himself with pain, and in his despair he leapt down from the

tower. He escaped with his life, but the thorns into which he fell pierced his eyes. Then he

wandered quite blind about the forest, ate nothing but roots and berries, and did naught but lament

and weep over the loss of his dearest wife. Thus he roamed about in misery for some years, and at

length came to the desert where Rapunzel, with the twins to which she had given birth, a boy and a

girl, lived in wretchedness. He heard a voice, and it seemed so familiar to him that he went

towards it, and when he approached, Rapunzel knew him and fell on his neck and wept. Two of

her tears wetted his eyes and they grew clear again, and he could see with them as before. He led

her to his kingdom where he was joyfully received, and they lived for a long time afterwards,

happy and contented.

Hansel and Gretel

There was once a poor man and his horrible wife. They had two children but were very poor.

When they were faced with a sleepless night of hunger, the wife suggested leaving the children in

the woods to let them starve rather than herself.

The two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger, and had heard what their step-

mother had said to their father. Gretel wept bitter tears, and said to Hansel, "Now all is over with

us."

"Be quiet, Gretel," said Hansel, "do not distress yourself, I will soon find a way to help us."

And when the old folks had fallen asleep, he got up, put on his little coat, opened the door below,

and crept outside.

The moon shone brightly, and the white pebbles which lay in front of the house glittered like

real silver pennies. Hansel stooped and stuffed the little pocket of his coat with as many as he

could get in. Then he went back and said to Gretel, "Be comforted, dear little sister, and sleep in

peace, God will not forsake us," and he lay down again in his bed.

When day dawned, but before the sun had risen, the woman came and awoke the two children,

saying, "Get up, you sluggards. We are going into the forest to fetch wood." She gave each a little

piece of bread, and said, "There is something for your dinner, but do not eat it up before then, for

you will get nothing else."

Gretel took the bread under her apron, as Hansel had the pebbles in his pocket. Then they all set

out together on the way to the forest.

When they had walked a short time, Hansel stood still and peeped back at the house, and did so

again and again. His father said, "Hansel, what are you looking at there and staying behind for?

Pay attention, and do not forget how to use your legs."

"Ah, father," said Hansel, "I am looking at my little white cat, which is sitting up on the roof,

and wants to say good-bye to me."

The wife said, "Fool, that is not your little cat, that is the morning sun which is shining on the

chimneys."

Hansel, however, had not been looking back at the cat, but had been constantly throwing one of

the white pebble-stones out of his pocket on the road.

When they had reached the middle of the forest, the father said, "Now, children, pile up some

wood, and I will light a fire that you may not be cold."

Hansel and Gretel gathered brushwood together, as high as a little hill. The brushwood was

lighted, and when the flames were burning very high, the woman said, "Now, children, lay

yourselves down by the fire and rest, we will go into the forest and cut some wood. When we have

done, we will come back and fetch you away."

Hansel and Gretel sat by the fire, and when noon came, each ate a little piece of bread, and as

they heard the strokes of the wood-axe they believed that their father was near. It was not the axe,

however, but a branch which he had fastened to a withered tree which the wind was blowing

backwards and forwards. And as they had been sitting such a long time, their eyes closed with

fatigue, and they fell fast asleep.

When at last they awoke, it was already dark night. Gretel began to cry and said, "How are we

to get out of the forest now?"

But Hansel comforted her and said, "Just wait a little, until the moon has risen, and then we will

soon find the way." And when the full moon had risen, Hansel took his little sister by the hand,

and followed the pebbles which shone like newly-coined silver pieces, and showed them the way.

They walked the whole night long, and by break of day came once more to their father's house.

They knocked at the door, and when the woman opened it and saw that it was Hansel and Gretel,

she said, "You naughty children, why have you slept so long in the forest? We thought you were

never coming back at all."

The father, however, rejoiced, for it had cut him to the heart to leave them behind alone.

Not long afterwards, there was once more great dearth throughout the land, and the children

heard their mother saying at night to their father:

"Everything is eaten again, we have one half loaf left, and that is the end. The children must go,

we will take them farther into the wood, so that they will not find their way out again. There is no

other means of saving ourselves."

The man's heart was heavy, and he thought, "It would be better for you to share the last

mouthful with your children." The woman, however, would listen to nothing that he had to say,

but scolded and reproached him. He who says a must say b, likewise, and as he had yielded the

first time, he had to do so a second time also.

The children, however, were still awake and had heard the conversation. When the old folks

were asleep, Hansel again got up, and wanted to go out and pick up pebbles as he had done before,

but the woman had locked the door, and Hansel could not get out. Nevertheless he comforted his

little sister, and said, "Do not cry, Gretel, go to sleep quietly, the good God will help us."

Early in the morning came the woman, and took the children out of their beds. Their piece of

bread was given to them, but it was still smaller than the time before. On the way into the forest

Hansel crumbled his in his pocket, and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground.

"Hansel, why do you stop and look round?" Said the father. "Go on."

"I am looking back at my little pigeon which is sitting on the roof, and wants to say good-bye to

me, answered Hansel.

"Fool." Said the woman, "That is not your little pigeon, that is the morning sun that is shining

on the chimney."

Hansel, however, little by little, threw all the crumbs on the path. The woman led the children

still deeper into the forest, where they had never in their lives been before.

Then a great fire was again made, and the mother said, "Just sit there, you children, and when

you are tired you may sleep a little. We are going into the forest to cut wood, and in the evening

when we are done, we will come and fetch you away."

When it was noon, Gretel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who had scattered his by the

way. Then they fell asleep and evening passed, but no one came to the poor children.

They did not awake until it was dark night, and Hansel comforted his little sister and said, "Just

wait, Gretel, until the moon rises, and then we shall see the crumbs of bread which I have strewn

about, they will show us our way home again."

When the moon came they set out, but they found no crumbs, for the many thousands of birds

which fly about in the woods and fields had picked them all up. Hansel said to Gretel, "We shall

soon find the way."

But they did not find it. They walked the whole night and all the next day too from morning till

evening, but they did not get out of the forest, and were very hungry, for they had nothing to eat

but two or three berries, which grew on the ground. And as they were so weary that their legs

would carry them no longer, they lay down beneath a tree and fell asleep.

It was now three mornings since they had left their father's house. They began to walk again,

but they always came deeper into the forest, and if help did not come soon, they must die of

hunger and weariness. When it was mid-day, they saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a

bough, which sang so delightfully that they stood still and listened to it. And when its song was

over, it spread its wings and flew away before them, and they followed it until they reached a little

house, on the roof of which it alighted. And when they approached the little house they saw that it

was built of bread and covered with cakes, but that the windows were of clear sugar.

"We will set to work on that," said Hansel, "and have a good meal. I will eat a bit of the roof,

and you Gretel, can eat some of the window, it will taste sweet."

Hansel reached up above, and broke off a little of the roof to try how it tasted, and Gretel leant

against the window and nibbled at the panes. Then a soft voice cried from the parlor -

"Nibble, nibble, gnaw who is nibbling at my little house?"

Suddenly the door opened, and a woman as old as the hills, who supported herself on crutches,

came creeping out. Hansel and Gretel were so terribly frightened that they let fall what they had in

their hands.

The old woman, however, nodded her head, and said, "Oh, you dear children, who has brought

you here? Do come in, and stay with me. No harm shall happen to you."

She took them both by the hand, and led them into her little house. Then good food was set

before them, milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples, and nuts. Afterwards two pretty little beds

were covered with clean white linen, and Hansel and Gretel lay down in them, and thought they

were in heaven.

The old woman had only pretended to be so kind. She was in reality a wicked witch, who lay in

wait for children, and had only built the little house of bread in order to entice them there. When a

child fell into her power, she killed it, cooked and ate it, and that was a feast day with her. Witches

have red eyes, and cannot see far, but they have a keen scent like the beasts, and are aware when

human beings draw near. When Hansel and Gretel came into her neighborhood, she laughed with

malice, and said mockingly, "I have them, they shall not escape me again."

Early in the morning before the children were awake, she was already up, and when she saw

both of them sleeping and looking so pretty, with their plump and rosy cheeks, she muttered to

herself, that will be a dainty mouthful.

Then she seized Hansel with her shrivelled hand, carried him into a little stable, and locked him

in behind a grated door. Scream as he might, it would not help him. Then she went to Gretel,

shook her till she awoke, and cried, "Get up, lazy thing, fetch some water, and cook something

good for your brother, he is in the stable outside, and is to be made fat. When he is fat, I will eat

him."

Gretel began to weep bitterly, but it was all in vain, for she was forced to do what the wicked

witch commanded. And now the best food was cooked for poor Hansel, but Gretel got nothing but

crab-shells. Every morning the woman crept to the little stable, and cried, "Hansel, stretch out your

finger that I may feel if you will soon be fat."

Hansel, however, stretched out a little dry bone to her, and the old woman, who had dim eyes,

could not see it, and thought it was Hansel's finger, and was astonished that there was no way of

fattening him.

When four weeks had gone by, and Hansel still remained thin, she was seized with impatience

and would not wait any longer.

"Now, then, Gretel," she cried to the girl, "stir yourself, and bring some water. Let Hansel be fat

or lean, to-morrow I will kill him, and cook him."

Ah, how the poor little sister did lament when she had to fetch the water, and how her tears did

flow down her cheeks. "Dear God, do help us," she cried. "If the wild beasts in the forest had but

devoured us, we should at any rate have died together."

"Just keep your noise to yourself," said the old woman, "it won't help you at all."

Early in the morning, Gretel had to go out and hang up the cauldron with the water, and light

the fire.

"We will bake first," said the old woman, "I have already heated the oven, and kneaded the

dough." She pushed poor Gretel out to the oven, from which flames of fire were already darting.

"Creep in," said the witch, "and see if it properly heated, so that we can put the bread in." And

once Gretel was inside, she intended to shut the oven and let her bake in it, and then she would eat

her, too.

But Gretel saw what she had in mind, and said, "I do not know how I am to do it. How do I get

in?"

"Silly goose," said the old woman, "the door is big enough. Just look, I can get in myself." And

she crept up and thrust her head into the oven.

Then Gretel gave her a push that drove her far into it, and shut the iron door, and fastened the

bolt. Oh. Then she began to howl quite horribly, but Gretel ran away, and the godless witch was

miserably burnt to death. Gretel, however, ran like lightning to Hansel, opened his little stable, and

cried, "Hansel, we are saved. The old witch is dead."

Then Hansel sprang like a bird from its cage when the door is opened. How they did rejoice and

embrace each other, and dance about and kiss each other. And as they had no longer any need to

fear her, they went into the witch's house, and in every corner there stood chests full of pearls and

jewels.

"These are far better than pebbles." Said Hansel, and thrust into his pockets whatever could be

got in.

And Gretel said, "I, too, will take something home with me," and filled her pinafore full.

"But now we must be off," said Hansel, "that we may get out of the witch's forest."

When they had walked for two hours, they saw from afar their father's house. Then they began

to run, rushed into the parlor, and threw themselves round their father's neck. The man had not

known one happy hour since he had left the children in the forest. The woman, however, was dead.

Gretel emptied her pinafore until pearls and precious stones ran about the room, and Hansel threw

one handful after another out of his pocket to add to them. Then all anxiety was at an end, and they

lived together in perfect happiness.

Red Riding Hood

Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone who looked at her, but

most of all by her grandmother, and there was nothing that she would not have given to the child.

Once she gave her a little riding hood of red velvet, which suited her so well that she would never

wear anything else; so she was always called 'Little Red Riding Hood.'

One day her mother said to her: 'Come, Little Red Riding Hood, here is a piece of cake and a

bottle of wine; take them to your grandmother, she is ill and weak, and they will do her good. Set

out before it gets hot, and when you are going, walk nicely and quietly and do not run off the path,

or you may fall and break the bottle, and then your grandmother will get nothing; and when you go

into her room, don't forget to say, "Good morning", and don't peep into every corner before you do

it.'

'I will take great care,' said Little Red Riding Hood to her mother, and gave her hand on it.

The grandmother lived out in the wood, half a league from the village, and just as Little Red

Riding Hood entered the wood, a wolf met her. Red Riding Hood did not know what a wicked

creature he was, and was not at all afraid of him.

'Good day, Little Red Riding Hood,' said he.

'Thank you kindly, wolf.'

'Whither away so early, Little Red Riding Hood?'

'To my grandmother's.'

'What have you got in your apron?'

'Cake and wine; yesterday was baking-day, so poor sick grandmother is to have something

good, to make her stronger.'

'Where does your grandmother live, Little Red Riding Hood?

'A good quarter of a league farther on in the wood; her house stands under the three large oak-

trees, the nut-trees are just below; you surely must know it,' replied Little Red Riding Hood.

The wolf thought to himself: 'What a tender young creature! what a nice plump mouthful - she

will be better to eat than the old woman. I must act craftily, so as to catch both.'

So he walked for a short time by the side of Little Red Riding Hood, and then he said: 'See,

Little Red Riding Hood, how pretty the flowers are about here - why do you not look round? I

believe, too, that you do not hear how sweetly the little birds are singing; you walk gravely along

as if you were going to school, while everything else out here in the wood is merry.'

Little Red Riding Hood raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing here and there

through the trees, and pretty flowers growing everywhere, she thought: 'Suppose I take

grandmother a fresh nosegay; that would please her too. It is so early in the day that I shall still get

there in good time.'

So she ran from the path into the wood to look for flowers. And whenever she had picked one,

she fancied that she saw a still prettier one farther on, and ran after it, and so got deeper and deeper

into the wood.

Meanwhile the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knocked at the door.

'Who is there?

'Little Red Riding Hood,' replied the wolf. 'She is bringing cake and wine; open the door.'

'Lift the latch,' called out the grandmother, 'I am too weak, and cannot get up.'

The wolf lifted the latch, the door sprang open, and without saying a word he went straight to

the grandmother's bed, and devoured her. Then he put on her clothes, dressed himself in her cap,

laid himself in bed and drew the curtains.

Little Red Riding Hood, however, had been running about picking flowers, and when she had

gathered so many that she could carry no more, she remembered her grandmother, and set out on

the way to her.

She was surprised to find the cottage-door standing open, and when she went into the room, she

had such a strange feeling that she said to herself: 'Oh dear! how uneasy I feel today, and at other

times I like being with grandmother so much.' She called out: 'Good morning,' but received no

answer; so she went to the bed and drew back the curtains. There lay her grandmother with her cap

pulled far over her face, and looking very strange.

'Oh! grandmother,' she said, 'what big ears you have!'

'All the better to hear you with, my child,' was the reply.

'But, grandmother, what big eyes you have!' she said.

'All the better to see you with, my dear.'

'But, grandmother, what large hands you have!'

'All the better to hug you with.'

'Oh! but, grandmother, what a terrible big mouth you have!'

'All the better to eat you with!'

And scarcely had the wolf said this, than with one bound he was out of bed and swallowed up

Red Riding Hood.

When the wolf had appeased his appetite, he lay down again in the bed, fell asleep and began to

snore very loud.

The huntsman was just passing the house, and thought to himself: 'How the old woman is

snoring! I must just see if she wants anything.' So he went into the room, and when he came to the

bed, he saw that the wolf was lying in it.

'Do I find you here, you old sinner!' said he. 'I have long sought you!' But just as he was going

to fire at him, it occurred to him that the wolf might have devoured the grandmother, and that she

might still be saved, so he did not fire, but took a pair of scissors, and began to cut open the

stomach of the sleeping wolf.

When he had made two snips, he saw the little red riding hood shining, and then he made two

snips more, and the little girl sprang out, crying: 'Ah, how frightened I have been! How dark it was

inside the wolf.'

After that the aged grandmother came out alive also, but scarcely able to breathe. Red Riding

Hood, however, quickly fetched great stones with which they filled the wolf's belly, and when he

awoke, he wanted to run away, but the stones were so heavy that he collapsed at once, and fell

dead.

Then all three were delighted. The huntsman drew off the wolf's skin and went home with it;

the grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine which Red Riding Hood had brought, and

revived. But Red Riding Hood thought to herself: 'As long as I live, I will never leave the path by

myself to run into the wood, when my mother has forbidden me to do so.'

It is also related that once, when Red Riding Hood was again taking cakes to the old grandmother,

another wolf spoke to her, and tried to entice her from the path. Red Riding Hood, however, was

on her guard, and went straight forward on her way, and told her grandmother that she had met the

wolf, and that he had said 'good morning' to her, but with such a wicked look in his eyes, that if

they had not been on the public road she was certain he would have eaten her up.

'Well,' said the grandmother, 'we will shut the door, so that he can not come in.'

Soon afterwards the wolf knocked, and cried: 'Open the door, grandmother, I am Little Red

Riding Hood, and am bringing you some cakes.'

But they did not speak, or open the door, so the grey-beard stole twice or thrice round the

house, and at last jumped on the roof, intending to wait until Red Riding Hood went home in the

evening, and then to steal after her and devour her in the darkness. But the grandmother saw what

was in his thoughts.

In front of the house was a great stone trough, so she said to the child: 'Take the pail, Red

Riding Hood; I made some sausages yesterday, so carry the water in which I boiled them to the

trough.'

Red Riding Hood carried until the great trough was quite full. Then the smell of the sausages

reached the wolf, and he sniffed and peeped down, and at last stretched out his neck so far that he

could no longer keep his footing and began to slip, and slipped down from the roof straight into

the great trough, and was drowned. But Red Riding Hood went joyously home, and no one ever

did anything to harm her again.

Sleeping Beauty

Once upon a time there lived a king and queen who were very unhappy because they had no

children. But at last a little daughter was born, and their sorrow was turned to joy. All the bells in

the land were rung to tell the glad tidings.

The king gave a christening feast so grand that the like of it had never been known. He invited all

the fairies he could find in the kingdom—there were seven of them—to come to the christening as

godmothers. He hoped that each would give the princess a good gift.

When the christening was over, the feast came. Before each of the fairies was placed a plate with a

spoon, a knife, and a fork—all pure gold. But alas! As the fairies were about to seat themselves at

the table, there came into the hall a very old fairy who had not been invited. She had left the

kingdom fifty years before and had not been seen or heard of until this day.

The king at once ordered that a plate should be brought for her, but he could not furnish a gold one

such as the others had. This made the old fairy angry, and she sat there muttering to herself.

A young fairy who sat near overheard her angry threats. This good godmother, fearing the old

fairy might give the child an unlucky gift, hid herself behind a curtain. She did this because she

wished to speak last and perhaps be able to change the old fairy’s gift.

At the end of the feast, the youngest fairy stepped forward and said, “The princess shall be the

most beautiful woman in the world.”

The second said,

“She shall have a temper as sweet as an angel.”

The third said,

“She shall have a wonderful grace in all she does or says.”

The fourth said,

“She shall sing like a nightingale.”

The fifth said,

“She shall dance like a flower in the wind.”

The sixth said,

“She shall play such music as was never heard on earth.”

Then the old fairy’s turn came. Shaking her head spitefully, she said,

“When the princess is seventeen years old, she shall prick her finger with a spindle, and-she-shall-

die!”

At this all the guests trembled, and many of them began to weep. The king and queen wept loudest

of all.

Just then the wise young fairy came from behind the curtain and said: “Do not grieve, O King and

Queen. Your daughter shall not die. I cannot undo what my elder sister has done; the princess shall

indeed prick her finger with the spindle, but she shall not die. She shall fall into sleep that will last

a hundred years. At the end of that time, a king’s son will find her and awaken her.”

Immediately all the fairies vanished.

The king, hoping to save his child even from this misfortune, commanded that all spindles should

be burned. This was done, but it was all in vain.

One day when the princess was seventeen years of age, the king and queen left her alone in the

castle. She wandered about the palace and at last came to a little room in the top of a tower. There

an old woman—so old and deaf that she had never heard of the king’s command—sat spinning.

“What are you doing, good old woman?” asked the princess.

“I am spinning, my pretty child.”

“Ah,” said the princess. “How do you do it? Let me see if I can spin also.”

She had just taken the spindle in her hand when, in some way, it pricked her finger. The princess

dropped down on the floor. The old woman called for help, and people came from all sides, but

nothing could be done.

When the good young fairy heard the news, she came quickly to the castle. She knew that the

princess must sleep a hundred years and would be frightened if she found herself alone when she

awoke. So the fairy touched with her magic wand all in the palace except the king and the queen.

Ladies, gentlemen, pages, waiting maids, footmen, grooms in the stable, and even the horses—she

touched them all. They all went to sleep just where they were when the wand touched them. Some

of the gentlemen were bowing to the ladies, the ladies were embroidering, the grooms stood

currying their horses, and the cook was slapping the kitchen boy.

The king and queen departed from the castle, giving orders that no one was to go near it. This

command, however, was not needed. In a little while there sprang around the castle a wood so

thick that neither man nor beast could pass through.

A great many changes take place in a hundred years. The king had no other child, and when he

died, his throne passed to another royal family. Even the story of the sleeping princess was almost

forgotten.

One day the son of the king who was then reigning was out hunting, and he saw towers rising

above a thick wood. He asked what they were, but no one could answer him.

At last an old peasant was found who said, “Your highness, fifty years ago my father told me that

there is a castle in the woods where a princess sleeps—the most beautiful princess that ever lived.

It was said that she must sleep there a hundred years, when she would be awakened by a king’s

son.”

At this the young prince determined to find out the truth for himself. He leaped from his horse and

began to force his way through the wood. To his astonishment, the stiff branches gave way, and

then closed again, allowing none of his companions to follow.

A beautiful palace rose before him. In the courtyard the prince saw horses and men who looked as

if they were dead. But he was not afraid and boldly entered the palace. There were guards

motionless as stone, gentlemen and ladies, pages and footmen, some standing, some sitting, but all

like statues.

At last the prince came to a chamber of gold, where he saw upon a bed the fairest sight one ever

beheld—a princess of about seventeen years who looked as if she had just fallen asleep.

Trembling, the prince knelt beside her, and awakened her with a kiss. And now the enchantment

was broken.

The princess looked at him with wondering eyes and said: “Is it you, my prince? I have waited for

you long.”

So happy were the two that they talked hour after hour. In the meantime all in the palace awaked

and each began to do what he was doing when he fell asleep. The gentlemen went on bowing to

the ladies. The ladies went on with their embroidery. The grooms went on currying their horses,

the cook went on slapping the kitchen boy, and the servants began to serve the supper. Then the

chief lady in waiting, who was ready to die of hunger, told the princess aloud that supper was

ready.

The prince gave the princess his hand, and they all went into the great hall for supper. That very

evening the prince and princess were married. The next day the prince took his bride to his father’s

palace, and there they lived happily ever afterward.

Cinderella

A rich man's wife became sick, and when she felt that her end was drawing near, she called her

only daughter to her bedside and said, "Dear child, remain good, and then our dear God will

protect you, and I will look down on you and be near you." Then she closed her eyes and died. The

girl went out to her mother's grave every day and wept, and she remained good. When the spring

sun had come again, the man took himself another wife. This wife brought two daughters into the

house with her. They were beautiful, with fair faces, but evil and dark hearts. Times soon grew

very bad for the poor stepchild.

"Why should that stupid goose sit in the parlor with us?" they said. "If she wants to eat bread, then

she will have to earn it. Out with this kitchen maid!" They took her beautiful clothes away from

her, dressed her in an old gray smock, and gave her wooden shoes. "Just look at the proud

princess! How decked out she is!" they shouted and laughed as they led her into the kitchen.

There she had to do hard work from morning until evening, get up before daybreak, carry water,

make the fires, cook, and wash. Besides this, the sisters did everything imaginable to hurt her.

They made fun of her, scattered peas and lentils into the ashes for her, so that she had to sit and

pick them out again. In the evening when she had worked herself weary, there was no bed for her.

Instead she had to sleep by the hearth in the ashes. And because she always looked dusty and dirty,

they called her Cinderella.

One day it happened that the father was going to the fair, and he asked his two stepdaughters what

he should bring back for them. "Beautiful dresses," said the one. "Pearls and jewels," said the

other. "And you, Cinderella," he said, "what do you want?" "Father, break off for me the first twig

that brushes against your hat on your way home." So he bought beautiful dresses, pearls, and

jewels for his two stepdaughters. On his way home, as he was riding through a green thicket, a

hazel twig brushed against him and knocked off his hat. Then he broke off the twig and took it

with him. Arriving home, he gave his stepdaughters the things that they had asked for, and he gave

Cinderella the twig from the hazel bush.

Cinderella thanked him, went to her mother's grave, and planted the branch on it, and she wept so

much that her tears fell upon it and watered it. It grew and became a beautiful tree. Cinderella went

to this tree three times every day, and beneath it she wept and prayed. A white bird came to the

tree every time, and whenever she expressed a wish, the bird would throw down to her what she

had wished for.

Now it happened that the king proclaimed a festival that was to last three days. All the beautiful

young girls in the land were invited, so that his son could select a bride for himself. When the two

stepsisters heard that they too had been invited, they were in high spirits. They called Cinderella,

saying, "Comb our hair for us. Brush our shoes and fasten our buckles. We are going to the festival

at the king's castle." Cinderella obeyed, but wept, because she too would have liked to go to the

dance with them. She begged her stepmother to allow her to go.

"You, Cinderella?" she said. "You, all covered with dust and dirt, and you want to go to the

festival?. You have neither clothes nor shoes, and yet you want to dance!" However, because

Cinderella kept asking, the stepmother finally said, "I have scattered a bowl of lentils into the

ashes for you. If you can pick them out again in two hours, then you may go with us."

The girl went through the back door into the garden, and called out, "You tame pigeons, you

turtledoves, and all you birds beneath the sky, come and help me to gather: “The good ones go into

the pot, The bad ones go into your crop." Two white pigeons came in through the kitchen window,

and then the turtledoves, and finally all the birds beneath the sky came whirring and swarming in,

and lit around the ashes. The pigeons nodded their heads and began to pick, pick, pick, pick. And

the others also began to pick, pick, pick, pick. They gathered all the good grains into the bowl.

Hardly one hour had passed before they were finished, and they all flew out again.

The girl took the bowl to her stepmother, and was happy, thinking that now she would be allowed

to go to the festival with them. But the stepmother said, "No, Cinderella, you have no clothes, and

you don't know how to dance. Everyone would only laugh at you." Cinderella began to cry, and

then the stepmother said, "You may go if you are able to pick two bowls of lentils out of the ashes

for me in one hour," thinking to herself, "She will never be able to do that." The girl went through

the back door into the garden, and called out, "You tame pigeons, you turtledoves, and all you

birds beneath the sky, come and help me to gather: The good ones go into the pot, The bad ones go

into your crop." Two white pigeons came in through the kitchen window, and then the turtledoves,

and finally all the birds beneath the sky came whirring and swarming in, and lit around the ashes.

The pigeons nodded their heads and began to pick, pick, pick, pick. And the others also began to

pick, pick, pick, pick. They gathered all the good grains into the bowls. Before a half hour had

passed they were finished, and they all flew out again.

The girl took the bowls to her stepmother, and was happy, thinking that now she would be allowed

to go to the festival with them. But the stepmother said, "It's no use. You are not coming with us,

for you have no clothes, and you don't know how to dance. We would be ashamed of you." With

this she turned her back on Cinderella, and hurried away with her two proud daughters. Now that

no one else was at home, Cinderella went to her mother's grave beneath the hazel tree, and cried

out: “Shake and quiver, little tree, Throw gold and silver down to me.”

Then the bird threw a gold and silver dress down to her, and slippers embroidered with silk and

silver. She quickly put on the dress and went to the festival. Her stepsisters and her stepmother did

not recognize her. They thought she must be a foreign princess, for she looked so beautiful in the

golden dress. They never once thought it was Cinderella, for they thought that she was sitting at

home in the dirt, looking for lentils in the ashes.

The prince approached her, took her by the hand, and danced with her. Furthermore, he would

dance with no one else. He never let go of her hand, and whenever anyone else came and asked

her to dance, he would say, "She is my dance partner." She danced until evening, and then she

wanted to go home. But the prince said, "I will go along and escort you," for he wanted to see to

whom the beautiful girl belonged. However, she eluded him and jumped into the pigeon coop. The

prince waited until her father came, and then he told him that the unknown girl had jumped into

the pigeon coop. The old man thought, "Could it be Cinderella?" He had them bring him an ax and

a pick so that he could break the pigeon coop apart, but no one was inside. When they got home

Cinderella was lying in the ashes, dressed in her dirty clothes. A dim little oil-lamp was burning in

the fireplace. Cinderella had quickly jumped down from the back of the pigeon coop and had run

to the hazel tree. There she had taken off her beautiful clothes and laid them on the grave, and the

bird had taken them away again. Then, dressed in her gray smock, she had returned to the ashes in

the kitchen.

The next day when the festival began anew, and her parents and her stepsisters had gone again,

Cinderella went to the hazel tree and said: “Shake and quiver, little tree, Throw gold and silver

down to me.”

Then the bird threw down an even more magnificent dress than on the preceding day. When

Cinderella appeared at the festival in this dress, everyone was astonished at her beauty. The prince

had waited until she came, then immediately took her by the hand, and danced only with her.

When others came and asked her to dance with them, he said, "She is my dance partner."

When evening came she wanted to leave, and the prince followed her, wanting to see into which

house she went. But she ran away from him and into the garden behind the house. A beautiful tall

tree stood there, on which hung the most magnificent pears. She climbed as nimbly as a squirrel

into the branches, and the prince did not know where she had gone. He waited until her father

came, then said to him, "The unknown girl has eluded me, and I believe she has climbed up the

pear tree.

The father thought, "Could it be Cinderella?" He had an ax brought to him and cut down the tree,

but no one was in it. When they came to the kitchen, Cinderella was lying there in the ashes as

usual, for she had jumped down from the other side of the tree, had taken the beautiful dress back

to the bird in the hazel tree, and had put on her gray smock.

On the third day, when her parents and sisters had gone away, Cinderella went again to her

mother's grave and said to the tree: “Shake and quiver, little tree, Throw gold and silver down to

me.” This time the bird threw down to her a dress that was more splendid and magnificent than

any she had yet had, and the slippers were of pure gold. When she arrived at the festival in this

dress, everyone was so astonished that they did not know what to say. The prince danced only with

her, and whenever anyone else asked her to dance, he would say, "She is my dance partner."

When evening came Cinderella wanted to leave, and the prince tried to escort her, but she ran

away from him so quickly that he could not follow her. The prince, however, had set a trap. He

had had the entire stairway smeared with pitch. When she ran down the stairs, her left slipper stuck

in the pitch. The prince picked it up. It was small and dainty, and of pure gold.

The next morning, he went with it to the man, and said to him, "No one shall be my wife except

for the one whose foot fits this golden shoe." The two sisters were happy to hear this, for they had

pretty feet. With her mother standing by, the older one took the shoe into her bedroom to try it on.

She could not get her big toe into it, for the shoe was too small for her. Then her mother gave her a

knife and said, "Cut off your toe. When you are queen you will no longer have to go on foot." The

girl cut off her toe, forced her foot into the shoe, swallowed the pain, and went out to the prince.

He took her on his horse as his bride and rode away with her. However, they had to ride past the

grave, and there, on the hazel tree, sat the two pigeons, crying out: “Rook di goo, rook di goo!

There's blood in the shoe. The shoe is too tight, This bride is not right!”

Then he looked at her foot and saw how the blood was running from it. He turned his horse around

and took the false bride home again, saying that she was not the right one, and that the other sister

should try on the shoe. She went into her bedroom, and got her toes into the shoe all right, but her

heel was too large. Then her mother gave her a knife, and said, "Cut a piece off your heel. When

you are queen you will no longer have to go on foot." The girl cut a piece off her heel, forced her

foot into the shoe, swallowed the pain, and went out to the prince. He took her on his horse as his

bride and rode away with her. When they passed the hazel tree, the two pigeons were sitting in it,

and they cried out: “Rook di goo, rook di goo! There's blood in the shoe. The shoe is too tight,

This bride is not right!”

He looked down at her foot and saw how the blood was running out of her shoe, and how it had

stained her white stocking all red. Then he turned his horse around and took the false bride home

again. "This is not the right one, either," he said. "Don't you have another daughter?" "No," said

the man. "There is only a deformed little Cinderella from my first wife, but she cannot possibly be

the bride." The prince told him to send her to him, but the mother answered, "Oh, no, she is much

too dirty. She cannot be seen."

But the prince insisted on it, and they had to call Cinderella. She first washed her hands and face

clean, and then went and bowed down before the prince, who gave her the golden shoe. She sat

down on a stool, pulled her foot out of the heavy wooden shoe, and put it into the slipper, and it

fitted her perfectly. When she stood up the prince looked into her face, and he recognized the

beautiful girl who had danced with him. He cried out, "She is my true bride."

The stepmother and the two sisters were horrified and turned pale with anger. The prince,

however, took Cinderella onto his horse and rode away with her. As they passed by the hazel tree,

the two white pigeons cried out: “Rook di goo, rook di goo! No blood's in the shoe. The shoe's not

too tight, This bride is right!

When the wedding with the prince was to be held, the two false sisters came, wanting to gain favor

with Cinderella and to share her good fortune. When the bridal couple walked into the church, the

older sister walked on their right side and the younger on their left side, and the pigeons pecked

out one eye from each of them. And thus, for their wickedness and falsehood, they were punished

with blindness as long as they lived.

Pandora’s Box

Once up a time, a long time ago, there were two brothers named Epimetheus and Prometheus.

They were good gods. They had good hearts. They were good friends.

One day, Prometheus got in trouble with Zeus. Angry over something or other, Zeus had declared

that man did not deserve fire. Because he had a kind heart, and he knew how much man needed

fire for food and warmth, Prometheus gave man the secret of fire even though Zeus had told all the

gods not to do that. Zeus was furious that his order had been ignored. As punishment, Zeus

chained Prometheus to a rock for many years.

But that was not enough punishment, not for Zeus. Once Prometheus was chained to a rock, Zeus

went after Prometheus' brother, the gentle, kind-hearted Epimetheus. Zeus did not chain

Epimetheus to a rock. Zeus had a more sneaky punishment in mind.

First, Zeus ordered the gods' handyman, the maker of things - Hephaestus - to make Zeus a

daughter. Hephaestus made a woman out of clay, a beautiful woman. He brought her to life, and

then brought her to Zeus. Zeus named his lovely new daughter Pandora.

Zeus knew that Epimetheus was lonely. Zeus told Epimetheus that his brother had to be punished

and that's why he was chained to a rock. But Zeus felt sorry that this punishment left Epimetheus

without the company of his brother. That's why Zeus had decided to give Pandora in marriage to

Epimetheus.

Epimetheus was kind-hearted and gentle and thoughtful, but he was no fool. He knew Zeus was up

to something. But he loved Pandora at first sight.

Zeus gave the newlyweds a gift. Some say it was a jar. Some say it was a box. Whatever it was, it

was locked. It came with a note. The note said: "DO NOT OPEN." Attached to the note was a key.

It was all very curious.

You can guess what happened next. It was Pandora whose curiosity got the better of her. One day,

she used the key to open the box. As she raised the lid, out flew all the bad things in the world

today - envy, sickness, hate, disease. Pandora slammed the lid closed, but it was too late.

Epimetheus heard her weeping. He came running. Pandora opened the lid to show him it was

empty. Quickly, before she could slam the lid shut, one tiny bug flew out. He gave Pandora a big

smile in thanks for his freedom and flew away. That tiny bug was named Hope. And Hope made

all the difference in the world.

Wishing Well

Such a beautiful place was the Wishing Well. It didn’t look like anything special, just an ordinary

stone well with a wooden bucket in the middle of a field. But drop the bucket down into the

Wishing Well and it came up full, frothing and bubbling with your deepest desire. Childless

women came to the Well and pulled up a bucket with a new born babe inside and many were the

musicians and philosophers who came to drink deeply of a draught of Inspiration.

But though few saw it in their excitement of finding the Well, a carved on the rim of the stone well

were six word of warnings; an old curse.

May all your wishes be granted

“Take those who came seeking riches, for instance – pulling up a bucket of gold they discovered

their treasure was too heavy to carry. Their skeletons were sometimes found resting upon their

riches, teethmarks left behind on their gold coins.

The brokenhearted, too, came to the Wishing Well, desiring only to forget. But after drinking deep

from the Well, they forgot not only the name of their Beloved but also their names, origins and

professions, condemned to wander the world for the rest of their lives like aimless ghosts.

It was said that the Wishing Well was only ever found by those who believed they would find it.

No sooner had they emptied the bucket of their wishes then the Well would vanish and reappear

somewhere else.

So it was perhaps ironic that the last person to find the Wishing Well was one of the rare souls

who wanted nothing at all. His home was wherever he lay his head to sleep that night and, owning

no more than the clothes on his back, he was grateful that he had nothing to carry. His friends were

the people he happened to meet as he walked the earth and he traveled wherever the winds blew

him – until one day when a mischievous gust nudged him into a large open field with a stone well

in the middle.

It was a hot day so he walked up to the well to slake his thirst and lowered the bucket to pull

himself a drink of water. The rope seemed creaky and reluctant though and when it came up too

light to have filled, he expected to find holes in the bottom of the bucket. Instead there was a

folded note. Opening it he read:

Are you sure?

Scratching his head he suddenly saw the words carved into the stone rim and all at once he

understood where he was and broke into hearty laughter. What on earth could he wish for? He

needed new shoes, it was true – but the ones he wore were so comfy now that his feet were used to

them. He could do with something to eat but he was willing to bet there were berries in season in

the forest. He briefly considered asking for a new razor as the one he had was going quite rusty –

but it seemed a waste of a wish and he rather fancied himself with a beard anyway.

It struck him as a little sad that so many people would have given their little finger to be where he

stood and yet he couldn’t think what to wish for. Then inspiration struck and he lowered the

bucket, chuckling as he dunked it in the water below and pulled up a load of…dynamite. Striking a

match on the stubble of his chin, he lit the fuse and, as he let the bucket fall, he ran away as fast as

his legs would carry him.

A loud explosion from behind sent him sprawling flat on his face and suddenly the air filled with a

cacophony of sound; elephants blowing their trumpets mixed with the sound of roaring

locomotives and a New Orleans jazz band. He raised his head to see all the water from the Well

shooting up in the air in an impossible collage of images – flamingos performed ballet upon the

back of an enormous sunburned whale, polar bears kissed passionately in tuxedos and telephone

boxes argued furiously about whether there was such a thing as free will…

And then it was all gone. The water of the Wishing Well evaporated into the sky and mingled with

the clouds. A sharp breeze came along and in no time the clouds were dispersed far and wide

across the planet.

Which is why, if you ever want a wish to come true, all you have to do is take a walk in the rain,

stick out your tongue and maybe, just maybe, you’ll catch a drop from the Wishing Well.

The City of Rome

Rhea was a princess and a mortal woman who was married to Mars, the Roman god of war. Rhea

and Mars had twin sons and named them Romulus and Remus. Some of the other gods were

jealous of Mars and Rhea, and plotted to kill Romulus and Remus. Rhea heard about the plot.

Since Mars was away she needed to protect the boys. She put them in a basket and set it floating

down the river hoping that they would be found. They were found by a female wolf who decided

to raise them as her own cubs. After the boys had grown some the wolf knew she couldn't keep

them so she put them where a shepherd would find them. The shepherd and his wife continued to

raise Romulus and Remus.

As the boys grew into manhood, they decided to build a city and rule it as its king. They had a

contest to see who would be the top king. When it appeared that Remus was going to win the

contest, Romulus got so angry that he killed Remus with a rock and became the first king of

Rome. This is an important story for Romans since their city was started by the son of a god it had

to be more powerful than any other city.

Now look at the names Romulus and Remus. This is supposed to be how Rome got its name.

Echo

Echo was a magical wood nymph. Echo had the most beautiful voice. She was very musical and

possessed a good and loving heart. Echo lived deep in the woods and rejected all suitors, which

made her more desirable.

One day, Zeus tore into the woods, looking for a place to hide. His wife, Hera, was after him

again. Would he never learn to stop flirting with the nymphs who lived deep in the woods?

Apparently not. Spotting Echo, he asked her to help him escape the eagle eye of his wife. One did

not turn down a request from Zeus, not and live to tell about it.

When Hera tore into the woods after Zeus, Echo sidetracked her with chatter and gossip. After that

day, each time Zeus raced into the forest with Hera close on his heels, Echo sidetracked her with

chatter and gossip. For some time, this worked well for Zeus.

When Hera finally figured out what was going on, she punished Echo by denying her much of her

beautiful voice. All Echo could do forever after was repeat the last few sounds she heard.

Glooscap (Eastern Canada)

The first person that was created on this Earth was Glooscap, with his head lying in the direction

of the rising sun, and his feet in the direction of the setting sun. And his arms were outstretched,

one to the south, and one to the north.

And so Glooscap was created on the surface of the Earth, stretched out in the four directions. And

he was created with all of the Earth’s elements: the dirt and leaves, the plants and stones and

wood. Everything was gathered together to form Glooscap on the surface of the earth.

But creation did not begin with Glooscap. He came to life within the Seven Levels of Creation,

which are represented by the Seven sacred directions.

The first level of creation comes with The Giver of Life. In the Mi’kmaq understanding of the

world, the sky or the direction above is symbolic of this first level of creation.

The second level of creation is our Grandfather Sun. The sun is symbolic of the centre direction

and also of the self.

The third level of creation is Mother Earth. She is represented in the direction below us.

The fourth level of creation is represented by Glooscap lying with his head in the East as he is

being formed. And the quality of leadership is associated with this direction, as well as the birds.

The fifth level of creation is represented by Grandmother in the South - she is symbolic of wisdom

and knowledge, and also the animal life.

The sixth level of creation is represented by the Young Man, the Nephew, and the west. He is

symbolic of youth and vision and strength, and the fish, the ocean life.

The seventh level of creation is represented by the Mother in the North - she is symbolic of

understanding and love, and the plant life.

These are the Seven Sacred Directions that represent the seven levels of Creation.

Gaea (Greece)

In the beginning there was only chaos. Then out of the void appeared Erebus, the unknowable

place where death dwells, and Night. All else was empty, silent, endless, darkness. Then somehow

Love was born bringing a start of order. From Love came Light and Day. Once there was Light

and Day, Gaea, the earth appeared.

Then Erebus slept with Night, who gave birth to Ether, the heavenly light, and to Day the earthly

light. Then Night alone produced Doom, Fate, Death, Sleep, Dreams, Nemesis, and others that

come to man out of darkness.

Meanwhile Gaea alone gave birth to Uranus, the heavens. Uranus became Gaea's mate covering

her on all sides. Together they produced the three Cyclopes, the three Hecatoncheires, and twelve

Titans.

However, Uranus was a bad father and husband. He hated the Hecatoncheires. He imprisoned

them by pushing them into the hidden places of the earth, Gaea's womb. This angered Gaea and

she plotted against Uranus. She made a flint sickle and tried to get her children to attack Uranus.

All were too afraid except, the youngest Titan, Cronus.

Gaea and Cronus set up an ambush of Uranus as he lay with Gaea at night. Cronus grabbed his

father and castrated him, with the stone sickle, throwing the severed genitals into the ocean. The

fate of Uranus is not clear. He either died, withdrew from the earth, or exiled himself to Italy. As

he departed he promised that Cronus and the Titans would be punished. From his spilt blood came

the Giants, the Ash Tree Nymphs, and the Erinyes. From the sea foam where his genitals fell came

Aphrodite.

Cronus became the next ruler. He imprisoned the Cyclopes and the Hecatoncheires in Tartarus. He

married his sister Rhea, under his rule the Titans had many offspring. He ruled for many ages.

However, Gaea and Uranus both had prophesied that he would be overthrown by a son. To avoid

this Cronus swallowed each of his children as they were born. Rhea was angry at the treatment of

the children and plotted against Cronus. When it came time to give birth to her sixth child, Rhea

hid herself, then she left the child to be raised by nymphs. To conceal her act she wrapped a stone

in swaddling clothes and passed it off as the baby to Cronus, who swallowed it.

This child was Zeus. He grew into a handsome youth on Crete. He consulted Metis on how to

defeat Cronus. She prepared a drink for Cronus design to make him vomit up the other children.

Rhea convinced Cronus to accept his son and Zeus was allowed to return to Mount Olympus as

Cronus's cupbearer. This gave Zeus the opportunity to slip Cronus the specially prepared drink.

This worked as planned and the other five children were vomited up. Being gods they were

unharmed. They were thankful to Zeus and made him their leader

Trentren Vilu and Caicai Vilu (Chile)

The Trentren Vilu is the god of Earth, and is a generous spirit and protector of all earth's life.

Caicai Vilu is the god of Water and the origin of all that inhabits it, and rules the seas.

According to this myth, thousands of years ago, what is now the Chiloé Province was once one

contiguous landmass with continental Chile. One day a monstrous serpent appeared and inundated

the lowlands, valleys, and mountains, submerging all the flora and fauna. Without delay, Trentren

Vilu appeared to start a confrontation with his enemy, elevating the land and protecting it from

disaster. The battle persisted a long time. Trentren Vilu reached a costly victory, he won the battle,

but was unable to restore the land to its primeval state leaving it in the dismembered form it still

has today.

At the end of the hostilities, Caicai Vilu left as representative and owner of all the seas, the king

Millalobo (Millalonco), who was conceived during the invasion when a beautiful woman fell in

love with a sea lion.

This legend describes the new region formed of water and earth and delineates the marine life style

of Chiloé.

Mbombo/Bumba (Central Africa)

In the beginning, all was dark. Then out of the darkness came Bumba, a giant pale-skinned figure.

He was not feeling well. In fact he had not been feeling well for millions of years. He was lonely,

and the unbearable solitude was making him ill.

Troubled by a ballooning bellyache, he staggered, moaned and vomited up the Sun. Light burst

forth into the Universe — and he choked out the Moon. The stars came next and then, with a

tremendous effort, he threw up the planet Earth. We do live in a very sick world.

This nauseating display was brought to a triumphant conclusion when, as an encore, he vomited

forth nine animals, an assortment of humans, and a pile of diced carrots.

Exhausted from his labors, he sat and watched as the nine creatures multiplied. After a while, they

had evolved into every living thing on Earth. Which just shows that Creationism and Evolution are

both right.

Apart from a pesky critter named Tsetse-Bumba, all his creatures were friendly and respectful. His

loneliness abated and finally he was content.

Then Bumba’s three sons appeared. Nyonye-Ngana, Chonganda and Chedi-Bumba added the

finishing touches and thus the world was made. Bumba spoke kindly to his human creations before

ascending to Heaven, never to be seen again. So far as we know, his stomach has never troubled

him since.

Ahura Mazda (Persia)

The Zoroastrian creation myth says that in the beginning, there was nothing in the world but Ahura

Mazda, the Wise Lord, who lived in the Endless Light. And the evil Evil Spirit Ahriman, who

lived in the Absolute Darkness. And between these realms was emptiness.

One day, Ahura Mazda decided to make different creations. First he shaped the sky made of metal,

shining and bright. Second, he made pure water. Third, he created the earth, flat and round with no

mountains or valleys. Fourth he made the plants, moist with no thorns. Fifth, created animals, big

and small.

Then, the Zoroastrian creation myth continues, he created the First Man, called Gayomard, bright,

tall, and handsome. Last he created fire and distributed it within the creation. The Wise Lord

ordered fire to serve mankind in preparing food and overcoming cold.

The Evil Spirit peeked out of his dark world to see all the amazing new creations. The Wise Lord

called him and said: "Evil Spirit! Aid my creatures and give them praise so that you will be

immortal". The Evil Spirit snarled: "Why should I aid your creatures? Why Should I praise them?

I am more powerful! I will destroy you and your creatures". Then he crawled back to the darkness

to shape demons, witches, and monsters to attack the Endless Light.

The Wise Lord was All-Knowing. He knew what the Evil Spirit was doing, and he also knew

would be a great battle with the Dark side. So the Wise Lord fashioned six spirit: The Holy

Immortals, to guard His creations against the Endless Darkness. The Wise Lord shaped the Holy

Immortals from his own soul, each giving His own nature.

The first Holy Spirit, based on what the Zoroastrian creation myth tell us, was Khashathra, the

Righteous Power, guardian of the sky. Then the Wise Lord created Haurvatat, the Peace and

Perfection, she was the protector of the waters. Next was Spenta Armaiti, the Holy Devotion, she

was the Earth guardian. The other Holy Spirit , Ameretat, the Immortality, was the protector of the

plants. Vohu Manah, the Good Mind, decided to protect the animals. And Asha Vahishta, the

Justice was the guardian of the Fire. Lastly, the Wise Lord made his own Holy Spirit protector of

mankind.

Ahriman saw the Wise Lord's Holy Immortals and was enraged. "Ahura Mazda! I will destroy you

and all your creations. You will never be victorious" he cried. So he, and his demons attacked

God's creations one by one. They tried to destroy the water but they could only bring bitterness to

it. They tried to destroy the Earth but they could only put mountains and valleys. They tried to

wither the plants but they only grew horns. The Evil Spirit and his demons brought sadness against

happiness, pain against pleasure, pollution against purification and death against life. They

attacked Gayomard, the First Man, and gave him sickness and death.

The Evil Spirit thought he had destroyed the mankind and became victorious against the light, but

he was ignorant and foolish. when Gayomard died, from his bones grew a rhubarb plant. After

forty years, a man and a woman, Mashya and Mashyana, grew out of the plant. Mashya and

Mashyana promised the Wise Lord that their children would help Him in His battle with the Evil

Spirit, then gave birth to fifteen twins and every pair scattered around the world and became a

race. Then each person followed the good thoughts, good deeds and good words. Each became the

follower of the Wise Lord in His battle with the Evil Spirit.