“Uncle Wolf,” by Italo Calvino
[Music plays softly] NARRATOR: Hello! I’m the Narrator. Welcome to Mythical, the podcast that wanders the dark and fantastical pages of fairy tale and myths. Throughout season two I’m reading Italian fairy tales. Today’s story is titled “Uncle Wolf,” by Italo Calvino. The part of Uncle Wolf will be played by Shawn Enis, host of the podcast Stories of Yore and Yours; another storytelling podcast with classic and new tales alike. Shawn and I have collaborated in the past and the work he does is always impressive. I’ll begin today’s story as all good stories should, with once upon a time. [Chimes] NARRATOR: There was once a greedy little girl. One day during carnival time, she schoolmistress said to the children, SCHOOLMISTRESS: If you are good and finish your knitting, I will give you pancakes. NARRATOR: But the little girl didn’t know how to knit and asked for permission to go to the privy. There she sat and fell asleep. When she came back into school, the other children had eaten all the pancakes. She went home crying and told her mother what had happened. MOTHER: Be a good little girl, my poor dear. NARRATOR: Said her mother. MOTHER: I’ll make pancakes for you. NARRATOR: But her mother was so poor she didn’t even have a skillet. MOTHER: Go to Uncle Wolf and asked him if he’ll lend us his skillet. NARRATOR: The little girl went to Uncle Wolf’s house and knocked. Knock, knock. UNCLE WOLF: “Who is it?” GIRL: It’s me! UNCLE WOLF: “For years and months no one has knocked at this door! What do you want?” GIRL: Mamma sent me to ask if you’ll lend us your skillet to make pancakes. UNCLE WOLF: “Just a minute, let me put my shirt on.” NARRATOR: Knock, knock. UNCLE WOLF: “Just a minute, let me put on my drawers.” NARRATOR: Knock, knock. UNCLE WOLF: “Just a minute, let me put on my pants.” NARRATOR: Knock, knock. UNCLE WOLF: “Just a minute, let me put on my overcoat.” NARRATOR: Finally Uncle Wolf opened the door and gave her the skillet. UNCLE WOLF: “I’ll lend it to you, but tell Mamma to return it full of pancakes, together with a round loaf of bread and a bottle of wine.” GIRL: Yes, yes, I’ll bring you everything. NARRATOR: When she got home, her mother made her a whole stack of pancakes, and also a stack for Uncle Wolf. Before nightfall she said to the child, MOTHER: Take the pancakes to Uncle Wolf together with this loaf of bread and bottle of wine. NARRATOR: Along the way the child, glutton that she was, began sniffing the pancakes. GIRL: Oh, what a wonderful smell! I think I’ll try just one. NARRATOR: But then she had to eat another and another and another, and soon the pancakes were all gone and followed by the bread, down to the last crumb, and the wine, down to the last drop. Now to fill up the skillet she raked up some donkey manure from off the road. She refilled the bottle with dirty water. To replace the bread, she made a round loaf out of the lime she got from a stonemason working along the way. When she reached Uncle Wolf’s, she gave him this ugly mess. Uncle Wolf bit into a pancake. UNCLE WOLF: “Uck! This is donkey dung!” NARRATOR: He uncorked the wine at once to wash the bad taste out of his mouth. UNCLE WOLF: “Uck! This is dirty water!” NARRATOR: He bit off a piece of bread. UNCLE WOLF: “Uck! This is lime!” NARRATOR: He glared at the child and said, UNCLE WOLF: “Tonight I’m coming to eat you!” NARRATOR: The child ran home to her mother. GIRL: Tonight Uncle Wolf is coming to eat me! NARRATOR: Her mother went around closing doors and windows and stopping up all the holes in the house, so Uncle Wolf couldn’t get in; but she forgot to stop up the chimney. When it was night and the child was already in bed, Uncle Wolf’s voice was heard outside the house. UNCLE WOLF: “I’m going to eat you now. I’m right outside!” NARRATOR: Then a footstep was heard on the roof. UNCLE WOLF: “I’m going to eat you now! I’m on the roof!” NARRATOR: Then a clatter was heard in the chimney. UNCLE WOLF: “I’m going to eat you now. I’m in the chimney!” GIRL” Mamma, Mamma! The wolf is here! MOTHER: Hide under the covers! UNCLE WOLF: “I’m going to eat you now. I’m on the hearth!” NARRATOR: Shaking like a leaf, the child curled up as small as possible in a corner of the bed. UNCLE WOLF: “I’m going to eat you now! I’m in the room!” NARRATOR: The little girl held her breath. UNCLE WOLF: “I’m going to eat you now! I’m at the foot of the bed!” Ahem, here I go!” NARRATOR: And he gobbled her up. So Uncle Woolf always eats greedy little girls. [Chimes] NARRATOR: The moral of this story is, stay true to your word and don’t be a glutton. For if you like to eat so much, you may be eaten yourself. Unlike the more commonly known story of Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf does eat the little girl. But in this version his actions are for revenge, rather than a wolf who happens to be hungry and is looking for a meal. While I wouldn’t murder someone if they ate all my food, I do feel that this story has more of a moral to it than Little Red Riding Hood, and it shows children there are consequences for their actions. Calvino has a note on this story. He mentions how this tale is the simplest for children, with its rudimentary elements: such as the progression of fear and gluttony. He took the richest version, as he called it, for his collection and edits. Coming back to Little Red Riding Hood, Calvino does acknowledge how this Italian tale would lead to the more popular version, and he called Riding Hood, a “perfect grace.” While I do enjoy Little Red Riding Hood, I do also enjoy Uncle Wolf and prefer this ending myself. Today’s story was read from Italian Folktales, Selected and Retold by Italo Calvino. Thank you to Shawn Enis for his voice acting abilities in bringing Uncle Wolf to life. Links to his show, Stories of Yore and Yours, will be in the show notes. If you have a fairy tale you’d like me to read you can email me at [email protected]. You can follow the show on Instagram and Twitter at MythicalPodcast. There I post updates, behind the scenes, and clues to each episode’s fairy tale. Thank you for joining me today! Have a magical week and don’t anger the fairies. [Music fades]
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[Music plays softly]
NARRATOR: Hello! I’m the Narrator. Welcome to Mythical. The podcast that wanders the dark and fantastical pages of fairy tales and myths. I’m delighted to welcome you to the second season of Mythical! It’s going to be a wonderful season full of brand new Italian fairy tales and folklore. This season will feature several different Italian folklorists, different storytelling styles, and several guest voices. To begin the season, I’ve chosen a listener suggested tale. It’s titled, “Face,” by Giambattista Basile. I’d like to introduce our first guest voices. MOXIE: Tonight the part of Renza will be played by Moxie LaBouche NARRATOR: The role of Cecio will be played by Ian Aldridge. I’ll begin “Face” as all good stories should, with once upon a time. [Cimes indicate the start of the story] NARRATOR: There once was a king, the king of Narrow Ditch, who had a beautiful daughter. Since he wanted to know what sort of destiny was written for her in the book of the stars, he summoned all the necromancers, astrologers, and gypsies of the land. They came to the royal court, and when some had examined the lines of her hand, others the signs on her face, and others the birthmarks on Renza’s body, for this was her name, each of them spoke their opinion, and the majority of them concluded that she was in danger of tapping the sewer main of her life because of a big bone. When the king heard this, he decided to duck so that he wouldn’t get hit, and he had a lovely tower built where he enclosed his daughter together with twelve ladies-in-waiting and a governess to serve her, and gave the order that, under penalty of death, they were always to being her meat without bones so as to bypass that unlucky planet. Renza grew like a moon, and one day, as she was at a window covered by an iron railing, Cecio, the son of the queen of Wide Vineyard, passed by the tower. At the sight of such a beautiful thing, he immediately got all heated up, and when he saw that his greeting was returned and that a little laugh filled her mouth, he took heart, moved closer to the window, and said, CECIO: Hello, register of all of nature’s privileges! Hello, archive of all of the heavens concessions! Hello, universal table of all of the titles of beauty! NARRATOR: Hearing this praise bestowed upon her, Renza became more beautiful in her embarrassment, and as she threw wood onto Cecio’s fire she poured, as someone once said, boiling water on hsi burns. And since she didn’t want Cecio to outdo her in courtesy, she answered, RENZA: May you be welcome, O larder of the Graces’ provisions, O warehouse of Virtue’s merchandise, O customshouse of Love’s commerce! NARRATOR: Cecio replied, CECIO: How can the castle of Cupid’s forces be shut up in that tower? How can the prison of souls be thus jailed? How can there be a golden apple behind that iron railing? NARRATOR: And when Renza explained the situation to him, Cecio told her that he was the son of a queen but the vassal of her beauty, and that if it were her pleasure to steal away to his kingdom, he would put a crown on her head. Renza was feeling musty inside those four walls and couldn’t wait to air out her life, and so she accepted the proposal and told him to come back in the morning--when Dawn would call the birds as witnesses to the filth Aurora smeared her with--and they would sneak out together. And after she threw him a kiss from the window, she went back in and the prince returned to his lodgings. Now while Renza was thinking of how she could slip out of there and fool her ladies-in-waiting, a Corsican hound, which the king kept to guard the tower, came into her room with a big bone in its mouth, and as the dog was gnawing on it under the bed, Renza put her head down and saw the goings-on. Since all this seemed to have been sent by fortune for her very needs, she kicked the dog out and took the bone, and when she had made it clear to her ladies-in-waiting that her head hurt and they should therefore leave her to rest without bothering her, she set a prop against the door and began, with this bone, to put in a day’s work. Chipping at the stone in the wall, she worked until she pried it away and took enough of the wall out to be able to get through it without hardship. Then she ripped up a couple of sheets and knotted them together like a rope, and--as soon as the curtain of shadows had been raised on the stage of the heavens so that Aurora might come out and recite the prologue to Night’s tragedy--when she heard Cecio whistle she attached the end of the sheets to a doorpost and lowered herself down to the street below where, once Cecio embraced her and put her on a donkey covered by a rug, they set off for Wide Vineyard. That evening they arrived in a certain placed called Face and found a splendid palace there, where Cecio planted his stakes in the lovely farmland and marked off his amorous property. But since fortune always has the bad habit of tangling the yarn, putting an end to games, and slamming the door on the nose of all the fine plans that lovers may have, just as their pleasure reached its highest point a courier arrived with a letter from Cecio’s mother, in which she wrote that if he did not race home that very instant to see her he would not find her alive, since she was carrying on as best she could but was close to reaching the “z” of the alphabet of life. Upon hearing this bad news Cecio said to Renza, CECIO: My heart, this business is of great importance, and I’ll need to run off posthaste in order to arrive in time. So stay for five or six days in this palace, and then I’ll either return or send someone to get you. NARRATOR: And when Renza heard this bitter news, she burst into tears and answered, RENZA: O, hapless is my fate! How quickly the barrel of my pleasures has been drained to its dregs, the pot of my good times scraped to its very bottom, the basket of my delights filled with mere scraps! Poor me. My hopes are thrown away with the water, my plans turn to bran, and every satisfaction I have goes up in smoke! I have only just brought this royal sauce to my lips and already it’s caught in my throat. I have only just put my mouth to this fountain of sweetness and already my pleasure has muddied. I have only just seen the sun rise and I can already say, “good night, uncle mattress!” NARRATOR: These and other words were coming out from under the Turkish arches of those lips to pierce Cecio’s soul, when he said to her, CECIO: Quiet, O lovely support of my life. O bright lantern of those eyes. O curative hyacinth of this heart. I will soon be back, and the miles of distance cannot separate me one span from this lovely body, nor can the force of time knock the memory of you from this noggin. Calm down, rest that head, dry those eyes, and keep me in your heart! NARRATOR: And as he said this he got on his horse and began to gallop toward his kingdom. Renza, who saw herself ditched like a cucumber seed, set out to follow Cecio’s tracks, and after untying a horse that she found grazing in the middle of a field, she raced off on his trail. When she encountered a hermit’s errand boy she got off her horse and gave him her clothes, which were all trimmed with gold, and had him giver her the sack and cord that he was wearing. She put it over her head and then got back on her horse, spurring the animal so hard that in a short time she reached Cecio, and said to him, RENZA: Good to see you, my dear gentlemen! NARRATOR: And Cecio answered her, CECIO: Welcome, my little monk! Where are you coming from? And were are you headed? NARRATOR: And Renza answered. RENZA: I come from a place where there is a woman ever in tears, who cries, “O white face, alas, who has taken you from my side?” NARRATOR: When he head this, Cecio said to what he thought was a boy, CECIO: O my lovely young man, how dear your company is to me! Do me a favor and take the pupils of my eyes. Never leave my side, and every now and then repeat those verses, which really tickle my heart. NARRATOR: And so, cooling themselves with the fan of chatter to relieve themselves from the heat of the road, they arrived at Wide Vineyard, where they found that the queen had arranged a marriage for Cecio, having sent for him with a ruse, and that the bride was ready and waiting. When Cecio arrived, he begged his mother to keep the boy who accompanied him in their house and to treat him as if he were a brother of his. And since his mother was happy with this, she made sure the boy was always at his side and ate at the table where he and his bride sat. Now consider how poor Renza’s heart felt, and whether she was able to swallow this nux vomica. Nonetheless, every now and then she repeated the verses that Cecio liked so much. But when the tables had been cleared and the newlyweds retired to a little room so that they could talk in private, the field was open for Renza to pour out her heart’s passion in solitude. She went into a garden outside the hall and retired under a mulberry tree, where she began to lament in this manner, RENZA: Alas, cruel Cecio, is this your thousand thanks for the love I bear you? Is this the deposit on the fondness I feel for you? I this the reward for the affection I show you? There you have it: I dumped my father, left my home, trampled on my honor, and let myself fall under the power of a rabid dog, and all so that I can see my steps stayed, the door slammed in my face, and the bridge raised. And just when I believed I would take possession of this lovely fortress! So that I can see myself put on the tax list of your ingratitude, when I thought I would live quietly at the Duchesca of your graces. So that I can see myself made to play Master Iommiento Proclaims and Orders. When I imagined playing Anca Nicola with you! I sowed hope, and now I’m harvesting bits of cheese! I threw out nets of desire and now I’m pulling in sands of ingratitude. I built castles in the air, and now my body is knocked down--boom!--to the ground! So this is what I get in exchange! This is the trade off I’m given! This is the payment I’ve gotten out of all this! I lowered the bucket into the well of amorous longing and I’m left with the handle in my hand. I hung out the laundry of my plans and out of the blue it started to rain. I put the pot of my thoughts on the fire of desire and the soot of disgrace fell in. But who would have thought, you turncoat, that your words would reveal themselves to be copper? That the barrel of your promises would be drained to its dregs? That the bread of your goodness would turn moldy? Nice manners for a respectable man, nice example for an honorable person, nice habits for a king’s son to have. You tricked me, you hoodwinked me! You gave me a stomachache! You cut me a wide cape only to leave me with a jacket that’s too short. You promised me the sea and mountains only to hurl me into a ditch. You washed my face clean only to leave me with a black heart. O promises of wind! O words of bran! O oaths of sauteed spleen! There you have it: I said “four” before it was in the bag. I’m a hundred miles away when I thought I’d reached the baron’s house. It seems quite clear that evening words are carried off by the wind. Alas, I thought I’d be flesh and blood with this cruel man, but we’ll be like cat and dog. I imagined I’d be bowl and spoon with this rabid mutt, but we’ll be like snake and toad, since I can’t bear that with a fifty-five of good fortune someone else will take the winning primero of hopes from my hand, and I can’t stand that I’ll be checkmated! O, misguided Renza, see what trust brings you, see what happens when you let men’s words impregnate you. Men without law, without faith; poor is the woman who mixes with them, sorry is the woman who grows attached to them, wretched is the woman who gets into the wide bed they’re in the habit of preparing for you. But not to worry: you know that he who tricks children dies like a cricket. You know that in the bank of the heavens there are no swindling clerks to fiddle with the papers. And when you least expect it your day will come! You worked this sleight of hand on one who gave herself to you on credit, only to receive this bad service in cash! But don’t I realize that I’m telling my reasons to the wind? That I’m sighing into the void. I’m sighing at a net loss; I’m lamenting to myself! This evening he’ll settle his accounts with the bride and collect his ransom, while I balance my account with Death and pay my debt to nature. He’ll lie in a white bed that smells of fresh laundry, and I’ll be in a dark coffin that stinks of the freshly killed. He’ll play Empty the Barrel with that good-luck bride, while I do I’m Wounded, My Friend and pierce my loins with a pointed stick to prove my mastery over life! NARRATOR: After these and other words spoken in rage, it was by then time for everyone to get their teeth moving, and Renza was called to the table, where the grains and the stews were arsenic and euphorbia to her, since she had other things in her head than the desire to eat, and other things in her stomach than an appetite for filling it. When Cecio saw her so lost in thought and downhearted he said to her, CECIO: What does it mean that you’re not doing honor to these dishes? What’s the matter? What are you thinking? How do you feel? RENZA: I don’t feel at all well. NARRATOR: Answered Renza. RENZA: Nor do I know whether it’s indigestion or vertigo. CECIO: You’re right to skip a meal, NARRATOR: Replied Cecio. CECIO: For a diet is the best tobacco for every ill. But if you need a physician we can send for the urine doctor, who can recognize people’s illnesses by merely looking at their face, without even taking a pulse. RENZA: This is not an ailment that can be cured by prescription, NARRATOR: Answered Renza. RENZA: For no one knows the troubles of the pot like the serving spoon. CECIO: Go out for a bit and get some air. NARRATOR: Said Cecio. And Renza, RENZA: The more I see, the more my heart breaks. NARRATOR: As they continued talking, the eating came to an end and it was time to go to sleep. Cecio wanted Renza to sleep on a sofa in the same room where he was going to sleep with the bride, so that he could always hear her song, and every now and then he called her over and had her repeat the usual words, which were daggers in Renza’s heart and a headache for the bride, who, after sitting there for a while, finally burst out, BRIDE: You’ve broken my ass with this white face! What kind of dark music is this? It’s been going on for so long now that it’s nothing short of diarrhea! That’s enough, for heaven’s sake! What, are your brains falling out, so that you repeat the same thing over and over again? I thought I was getting into bed with you to hear the music of instruments, not a lament for voices, but just look how you stoop down and always play the same note! By your good graces, no more of this, my husband. And you shut up, since you stink of garlic, and let us rest a little! CECIO: Be quiet, my wife, NARRATOR: Answered Cecio. CECIO: We’re going to break the thread of our talk now. NARRATOR: And saying this, he gave her a kiss so loud you could hear it a mile away. The sound of their lips was thunder in Renza’s breast, and she felt such pain that when all of her spirits raced to aid her heart it happened just as the proverb says--”Too much breaks the lid”--for the rush of blood was such and so much that it suffocated her, and she stretched out her feet for the last time. After Cecio had given the bride four little pats he called Renza under his breath, so that she would repeat those words that he liked so much. Not hearing her answer as he wishes, he started begging her again to do him this little favor, but when he saw that she was not saying a word, he got up very quietly and pulled her by the arm. When she didn’t respond even then, he put his hand on her face, and when he touched her freezing nose he realized that the fire of that body’s natural heat had gone out. This dismayed and terrified him, and he had candles brought in. Renza was uncovered, and he recognized her by a lovely mole she had in the middle of her chest. His shrieks rising to the sky, he began to cry, CECIO: What do you see, O wretched Cecio? What has happened to you, unlucky one? What sort of spectacle is before your eyes? What sort of ruin falls on your joints? O my flower, who has picked you? O, my lantern, who has put you out? O pot of love’s delights, how did you overflow? Who has demolished you, O lovely house of my joys? Who has torn you up, O permit of all my pleasures? Who has sunk you, O lovely ship of the pastimes of this heart? O, my darling, when those beautiful eyes closed, the shop of beauty went bankrupt, the business of the graces came to a halt, and love went to throw bones off the bridge. With the departure of this beautiful soul the seed of all beautiful women has been lost and the mold of all charming women broken, nor will the compass for the sea of amorous sweetness ever be found again! O damage without repair, O agony without comparison, O ruin without measure! Go flex your muscles, my dear mother, for you’ve been quite successful at strangling me until I lost this lovely treasure! What will I do, hapless, devoid of every pleasure, cleaned out of every consolation, lightened of every joy, deprived of every satisfaction, stripped of every amusement, emptied of all happiness? Do not believe, O dear heart, that I intend to continue weighing on this world without you, for I intend to follow you and lay siege to wherever you may go. And in spite of death’s grip we will be united; if I took you on to do service as bedside companion, now I will be your partner in the grace, and one and the same epitaph will tell of the misfortunes of us both! NARRATOR: As he said this he took hold of a nail and gave himself a devigorating treatment under his left tittie, and his life gushed out all at once, leaving his bride cold and freezing. As soon as she was able to untie her tongue and unleash her voice she called the queen, who at all the noise came running with the whole court. And when she saw the dismal end of her son and Renza and heard the reason for this disaster, she left not a lock of hair on her noodle, and, heaving herself this way and that like a fish out of water, she accused the cruel stars that had caused so much ill luck to rain down on her house and cursed her sad old age that had preserved her for so much ruin. And after she screamed, knocked herself around, pulled her hair out, and moaned and groaned, she had the two of them thrown into a ditch and atop it written the whole bitter story of their fortune. At that same time, Renza’s father, the king, arrived. While roaming the world in search of his runaway daughter, he had encountered the hermit’s servant selling Renza’s clothes. He had told the king what had happened and how Renza was following the king of Wide Vineyard. And the king got there at the very moment when death had finished harvesting the spikes of their years and they were about to be buried in the ditch. He saw her and recognized her and cried for her and sighed for her, and then cursed the bone that had fattened up the soup of his ruin, for he had found it in his daughter’s room and recognized it as the instrument of her bitter tragedy. And this abomination thus verified for him, in general and in particular, the gloomy omen of those mountebanks who had said that she would die from a big bone, in clear demonstration of the fact that when calamity intends to strike, it enters through the cracks in the door. [Chimes to indicate the end of the story] [Music plays softly] NARRATOR: The moral of today’s story is: Basile’s work was written for courtly and adult audiences, rather than the audience we imagine fairy tales to be for: children. “Face” is a rare tale, one with a tragic ending. Basile’s collection of fairy tales is an interesting one. There are 50 stories in The Tale of Tales; but the structure is fairy tales in a fairy tale. The frame for the 49 tales is about Lucia, who craves tales. Ten of the best storytellers are summoned and over five days tell stories. “Face” is the third story on the third day. And before it begins, the frame is written as this: While Cecca was telling her tale to great effect, you could see a stew of pleasure and disgust, of comfort and affliction, of laughter and tears cooking. They cried at Penta’s misfortune, they laughed at how her hardships came to an end, and they were afflicted to see her in so much danger, it was a comfort to them that she was saved so honorably, they were disgusted by the betrayals of which she was a victim, and they felt pleasure at the vendetta that followed. In the meantime Meneca, who was about to light the fuse of her chatter, took her weapons in hand and said, “it often happens that just when someone thinks he has escaped a misfortune he runs right into one. For this reason a wise man should put all his affairs in the hands of the heavens and not go searching for magicians’ circles or astrologers’ eyeholes, since if he tries to foresee dangers in a prudent manner he falls to his ruin like a beast. Listen, and you will find that it is true.” Who is Lucia and why does she crave tales? That is an answer for another episode. I’ll be doing a few more Basile tales, and I don’t want to give away all the fun all at once. Today’s story was read from The Tale of Tales, by Giambattista Basile. Thank you to Moxie and Ian for lending your talents to today’s episode. Moxie hosts a fantastic podcast called “Your Brain on Facts,” which gives lots of interesting information on topics ranging from British comedy to banned book to funeral practices across the globe. To easily find both of my guests, I’ll post links in the show notes. If you have a fairy tale you’d like me to read you can email me at [email protected]. You can follow the show on Instagram and Twitter at MythicalPodcast. There I post updates, behind the scenes, and clues to each episode’s fairy tale. Thank you for joining me today! I’m the Narrator. Have a magical week and don’t anger the fairies. [Music fades] [Slow string instruments play and fade to be heard under The Narrator]
Narrator: Hello! Welcome to Mythical. The podcast that wanders the dark and fantastical pages of fairy tales and myths. I’m the Narrator. Today’s bonus episode features a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It’s titled, “The Mother-in-Law.” I’ll begin today’s story, as all good stories should, with once upon a time. [Chimes to indicate the start of the story] Narrator: Once there was a king and a queen, and the queen had a terribly evil mother-in-law. One day the king went to war, and the old queen had her daughter-in-law locked up in a damp cellar along with her two little sons. Narrator’s Comments: How did no one in the castle stop her? She’s locking up the queen and two princes and no one in the castle bats an eye? Narrator: After some time had passed the mother-in-law said to herself, Narrator as Mother-in-Law: I’d really like to eat one of the children. Narrator: So she called her cook and ordered him to go down into the cellar, take one of the little sons, slaughter him, and cook him. Narrator as Cook: What kind of sauce would you like? Narrator: Asked the cook. Mother-in-Law: A brown one. Narrator: Said the old queen. The cook then went down into the cellar and said, Cook: Ah, your highness, the old queen wants me to slaughter and cook one of your sons this evening. Narrator: The young queen was deeply distressed and said, Narrator as Queen: Well, why don’t we take a pig? Cook it the way she wants and say that it was my child. Narrator: The cook did just that and served the pig in a brown sauce to the old queen as though it were a child. Indeed, she ate it with great relish. Soon thereafter the old queen thought, Mother-in-Law: The child’s meat tasted so tender that I’d like to have the second as well. Narrator: So she called the cook and ordered him to go down into the cellar and slaughter the second son. Narrator’s Comments: Does the mother-in-law not go down into the cellar to check on her captives? At all? Cook: What kind of a sauce should I cook him in? Mother-in-Law: Oh! In a white one. Narrator: Said the old queen. The cook went down into the cellar and said, Cook: Ah, the old queen has ordered me now to slaughter your second little son and cook him, too. Queen: Take…a suckling pig, Narrator: The young queen said, Queen: And cook it exactly as she likes it. Narrator: The cook did just that, and set it in front of the old queen in a white sauce, and she devoured it with even greater relish than before. Finally the old queen thought, Mother-in-Law: Now that the children are in my body I’d like to eat the young queen as well. Narrator: The old queen called the cook and ordered him to cook the young queen. [Chimes to signal the end of the story] [Strings play softly under The Narrator] Narrator: This is where “The Mother-in-Law” ends. It is an unfinished story, not yet fully written out by the Grimm brothers. There is a fragment attached to the story that reads: “the cook slaughters a doe the third time. However, the young queen has trouble preventing her children from screaming. She doesn’t want the old queen to hear them and realize they are still alive, and so on.” End note. The inspiration for this story comes from two possible sources: the French tale “La Belle au Bois Dormant,” by Charles Perrault, and the Italian tale “Sole, Luna e Talia,” by Giambattista Basile. Now, I don’t speak French or Italian, so I’m very sorry if I butchered any of those names. Both of these stories are a telling of “Sleeping Beauty.” Unlike “Briar Rose,” the French and Italian versions don’t end when the prince wakes the sleeping princess. They continue into a story of a mother-in-law who wants to murder and eat her grandchildren and daughter-in-law. Ultimately, the princess and children are saved and the mother-in-law dies. Folklorists believe this second half to have originally been a separate story, like the Grimm’s version, but were combined with the “Sleeping Beauty” tale in Perrault and Basile’s collections. “The Mother-in-Law” does not appear in any other published collection that the Grimm Brothers released. The brothers wanted to collect and preserve German culture and were against French occupation. This tale had too much of a French influence and as a result was removed. I hope you enjoyed today’s bonus episode, as short and as unfinished as it was. There will be a holiday bonus episode. It will be a story that will be familiar to many of us. And it is breaking from the first season’s theme of German tales and instead was written by a Russian author. Today’s story was read from The Complete First Edition, The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of The Brothers Grimm. Translated and Edited by Jack Zipes. If you have an Italian fairy tale for season two that you would like me to read aloud, you can email me at [email protected]. You can follow the show on Twitter and Instagram at Mythicalpodcast. There I post behind the scenes, updates, and clues to each episode. If you like the show, please leave a rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts. I greatly appreciate it, and I like reading what you think of the show. Thank you for joining me today. I’m The Narrator, and this is Mythical. [Music swells and fades] SHOW NOTES "I'd really like to eat one of the children." Die Schwiegermutter It's a bonus episode! While not directly related in the Grimm Brothers' collection, this tale does have history with "Sleeping Beauty." So go listen to "Briar Rose" before this one, and then come back for a little history and an unfinished story. If there is a fairy tale you'd like me to read next season, email me: [email protected] [Mythical Website](mythicalpodcast.weebly.com) Instagram: @mythicalpodcast Twitter: @mythicalpodcast
[Slow string instruments play and fade to be heard under The Narrator]
Narrator: Hello! Welcome to Mythical, the podcast that wanders the dark and fantastical pages of fairy tales and myths. I’m The Narrator. This season I’m reading the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Happy Halloween, listeners! Today’s story is a disturbing one, and in vein with our Halloween tales. It is “The Robber Bridegroom.” Let’s begin this tale as all good stories should with once upon a time. [Chimes to indicate the start of the story] Narrator: A princess was pledged to marry a prince, and he asked her many times to come once and visit him in his castle. But since the way to the castle led through a large forest, she continually refused because she feared she might lose her way. If that was her concern, the prince told her, he would readily help her by tying a ribbon on each tree so that she could easily find her way. Nevertheless, she tried to postpone the trip for some time since she inwardly dreaded it. Finally, she couldn’t make any more excuses and had to set out one day on the journey. It took her the entire day to talk through a long, long forest. [Footsteps through the forest] When she finally arrived at a large house, everything was quiet inside, and only an old woman sat in front of the door. Narrator’s Comments: Why would the princess go alone? She’s a princess. She has people to protect her. And it’d be unlikely a prince and a princess hadn’t visited each other’s kingdoms at this time. Why does he only live in a large house? Narrator as Princess: Can you tell me whether the prince, my bridegroom, lives here? Narrator as Old Woman: It’s good, my child, that you have come now. Narrator: Responded the woman. Old Woman: Because the prince is not at home. Before your arrival I had to fetch water and pour it into a large kettle. They want to kill you, and afterward they’ll cook and eat you. Narrator: Just as she was saying this, the prince could be seen returning from a robbery with his villainous band of robbers. Narrator’s Comments: How did no one in her castle know this prince was a robber and lived in a house in a forest without a kingdom? Is he only pretending to be a prince and when he gets betrothed he lures his bride-to-be to his house and kills them so the story never gets out? Narrator: Fortunately, the old woman took pity on the princess because of her youth and beauty, and before anyone had noticed her, she said Old Woman: Quick, go down into the cellar and hide yourself behind the large barrel! Narrator: No sooner did the princess dash down into the cellar than the robbers also went down there, dragging an old woman whom they had captured. The princess saw clearly that it was her grandmother, for she could see everything that happened from her corner without being noticed. Narrator’s Comments: How did they capture her grandmother without being noticed? Narrator: The robbers grabbed hold of the old grandmother, killed her, and pulled off all the rings from her fingers, one after the other. However, the gold ring on one of her fingers wouldn’t come off. So one of the robbers took a hatchet and chopped off the finger, but the finger sprang behind the barrel and fell right into the princess’s lap. After the robbers had searched in vain for the finger a long time, one of them spoke, Narrator as Robber 1: Has anyone looked behind the large barrel? Narrator as Robber 2: It’s better if we continue searching when there’s more light. Narrator: Another said. Robber 2: Early tomorrow morning we’ll continue looking. Then we’ll soon find the ring. Narrator: Soon thereafter the robbers lay down to sleep in the cellar, and as they were sleeping and snoring, the bride came out from behind the barrel. Narrator’s Comments: Why are they sleeping in the cellar? That’s just a bad, uncomfortable idea. [Snoring] Narrator: The robbers were lying there all in a row, and she had to step over the sleeping men until she came to the door. She cautiously entered the rooms in between, and she was constantly afraid that she might wake someone, but fortunately nothing happened, and once she reached the outside door and was in the forest again, she followed the ribbons, for the moon shone brightly up to the time that she managed to reach her home. She told her father everything that had happened to her, and he immediately gave orders for an entire regiment to surround the castle as soon as the bridegroom was to arrive. The soldiers did as he ordered. Then the bridegroom came the same day and asked right away why the princess had not come to him as she had promised to do. Then she said: Princess: I had such a dreadful dream. I dreamt I came to a house where an old woman was sitting in front of the door, and she said to me: What a good thing it is, my child, that you have come now because nobody is home, and I must tell you, I had to carry water to a large kettle. They want to kill you and then boil and eat you. And as she was speaking the robbers came home. Then before anyone could notice, the old woman said: quick, go down into the cellar and hide behind the large barrel. No sooner did I hide behind the barrel than the robbers came down the cellar stairs and dragged an old woman with them. Then they grabbed hold of her and murdered her. After they had murdered the old woman, they pulled off all the rings from her fingers, one after another. But they couldn’t pull off the gold ring from one of the fingers. So one of the robbers grabbed a hatchet and chopped off the finger, which flew into the air and fell behind the barrel right into my lap. And here is the finger! Narrator: Upon saying this, the princess suddenly drew the finger from her pocket. When the bridegroom head and saw all of this, he became chalk white from fright. He immediately thought of fleeing and jumped through the window. However, there were guards standing beneath the window. They caught the bridegroom and his entire band of robbers. All of them were executed as payment for their villainy. The end. [Chimes to signal the end of the story] [Strings play softly under The Narrator] Narrator: The moral of today’s story is: trust your instincts. This story makes me think that the original tellers of the tale couldn’t find a satisfying way to end it. They weren’t sure how to catch the prince, so they had the princess repeat her journey practically verbatim to lengthen the story. It feels as though you’re reading it again after loosing focus and rereading the same lines over and over. The final version the Brothers Grimm published changes and adds several things from the original: from the trail the maiden follows to the titles of the maiden and her bridegroom. The final version fleshes out the story a bit more, so it’s a little more believable that the bride doesn’t visit the bridegroom. And we’re given more of a reason for the bride and father to not realize who the groom is. As this is the final story in our Halloween series, I’m going to leave you with the treat of reading the 1856 version. Even if that treat is a more gruesome one. Once upon a time. [Chimes to indicate the start of the story] Narrator: Once upon a time there was a miller who had a beautiful daughter, and when she was grown-up, he wanted to see her well provided for and well married. Narrator as Miller: If the right suitor comes along and asks to marry her. Narrator: He thought. Miller: I shall give her to him. Narrator: It was not long before a suitor appeared who seemed to be very rich, and since the miller found nothing wrong with him, he promised him his daughter. The maiden, however, did not love him the way a bride-to-be should love her bridegroom, nor did she trust him. Whenever she looked at him or thought about him, her heart shuddered with dread. One day he said to her, Suitor: You’re my bride-to-be, and yet you’ve never visited me. Maiden: I don’t know where your house is. Narrator: The maiden replied. Suitor: My house is out in the dark forest. Narrator: Said the bridegroom. She tired to make excuses and told him she would not be able to find the way. But the bridegroom said, Suitor: Next Sunday I want you to come out and visit me. I’ve already invited the guests and I shall spread ashes on the ground so you can find the way. Narrator: When Sunday arrived and the maiden was supposed to set out on her way, she became very anxious but could not explain to herself why she felt so. She filled both her pockets with peas and lentils to mark the path. At the entrance to the forest, she found that ashes had been spread and she followed them while throwing peas right and left on the ground with each step she took. Narrator’s Comments: Good girl. Trusting you instincts…a little…and making sure she had her own path home. Narrator: She walked nearly the whole day until she came to the middle of the forest. There she saw a solitary house, but she did not like the look of it because it was so dark and dreary. She went inside and found nobody at home. The place was deadly silent. Then suddenly a voice cried out. Narrator as Bird: Turn back, turn back, young bride. The den belongs to murderers, who’ll soon be at your side. Narrator: The maiden looked up and saw that the voice came from a bird in a cage hanging on the wall. Once again it cried out: Bird: Turn back, turn back, young bride. The den belongs to murderers, who’ll soon be at your side. Narrator: The beautiful bride moved from one room to the next and explored the entire house, but it was completely empty. Narrator’s Comments: Why would you wander a creepy, empty house by yourself? I’d see a run down home like that and book it the way I came! Narrator: Not a soul could be found. Finally, she went down into the cellar-- Narrator’s Comments: Why…why would you go into the cellar? That is where all the bad things happen. That’s where all of the people are always chained up. That’s the dark creepy places that the villain hides out. You just don’t go into a dark cellar in a creepy house. This…this girl needs to watch more movies. Narrator: where she encountered a very, very old woman, whose head was constantly bobbing. Maiden: Could you tell me whether my bridegroom lives here? Narrator: Asked the bride. Narrator as Old Woman: Oh, you poor child. Narrator: The old woman answered. Old Woman: Do you realize where you are? You are in a murderer's den. You think you are a bride soon to be celebrating your wedding, but the only marriage you’ll celebrate will be with death. Just look! They ordered me to put this big kettle of water on the fire to boil. When they have you in their power, they’ll chop you to pieces without mercy. Then they’ll cook you, and eat you, because they’re cannibals. If I don’t take pity on you and save you, you’ll be lost forever. Narrator: The old woman then led her behind a large barrel where nobody could see her. Old Woman: Be still as a mouse. Narrator: She said. Old Woman: Don’t budge or move! Otherwise, or it will all be over for you. Tonight when the robbers are asleep we will escape. I’ve been waiting a long time for this chance. Narrator: No sooner was the maiden hidden than the godless crew came home, dragging another maiden with them. They were drunk and paid no attention to her screams and pleas. They gave her wine to drink, three glasses full, one white, one red, and one yellow, and soon her heart burst in two. Then they tore off her fine clothes, put her on a table, chopped her beautiful body to pieces and sprinkled the pieces with salt. Behind the barrel, the poor bride shook and trembled, for she now realized what kind of fate the robbers had been planning for her. One of them noticed a ring on the murdered maiden's little finger, and since he could not slip it off easily, he took a hatchet and chopped the finger off. But the finger sprang into the air and over the barrel and fell right into the bride's lap. The robber took a candle and went looking for it, but he could not find it. Then another robber said: Robber: Have you already looked behind the barrel? Narrator: But the old woman cried out: Old Woman: Come and eat! You can look for it tomorrow. The finger’s not going to run away from you. Robbers: The old woman’s right. Narrator: The robbers said, and they stopped looking and sat down to eat. The old woman put a sleeping potion into their wine, and soon they lay down in the cellar, fell asleep, and began snoring. When the bride heard that, she came out from behind the barrel, and had to step over the sleeping bodies lying in rows on the ground. She feared she might wake them up, but she got safely through with the help of God. The old woman went upstairs with her and opened the door, and the two of them scampered out of the murderer's den as fast as they could. Narrator’s Comments: I always think the old woman has an ulterior motive. Plot twist! She’s really working with the robbers! Narrator: The wind had blown away the ashes, but the peas and lentils had sprouted and unfurled, pointing the way in the moonlight. They walked the whole night, and by morning they had reached the mill. Then the maiden told her father everything that had happened. When the day of the wedding came, the bridegroom appeared, as did all the relatives and friends that the miller had invited. As they were all sitting at the table, each person was asked to tell a story. The bride, though, remained still and did not utter a word. Finally the bridegroom said: Suitor: Well, my dear, can’t you think of anything? Tell us a good story. Maiden: All right. Narrator: She said. Maiden: I’ll tell you a dream: I was walking alone through the forest, and finally came to a house. There wasn’t a soul to be found in the place except for a bird in a cage on the wall that cried out: Turn back, turn back, young bride. The den belongs to murderers, who’ll soon be at your side! Then the bird repeated the warning. Suitor: My dear, it was only a dream. Maiden: After that I went through all the rooms and they were empty, but there was something about them that gave me an eerie feeling. Finally I went downstairs into the cellar, where I found a very, very old woman who was bobbing her head. I asked her, "Does my bridegroom live in this house?" ‘Oh, you poor child,’ she responded, ‘you’ve stumbled on a murderer's den. Your bridegroom lives here, but he wants to chop you up and kill you, and then he wants to cook you and eat you." Suitor: My dear, it was only a dream. Maiden: The old woman hid me behind a large barrel, and no sooner was I hidden than the robbers came home, dragging a maiden with them. They gave her all sorts of wine to drink: white, red, and yellow, and her heart burst in two. Suitor: My dear, it was only a dream. Maiden: One of the robbers saw that a gold ring was still on her finger, and since he had trouble getting it off, he took a hatchet and chopped it off. The finger sprang into the air, over the barrel, and right into my lap. And here’s the finger with the ring! Narrator: With these words she produced the finger and showed it to all those present. The robber, who had turned white as a ghost while hearing her story, jumped up and attempted to flee. However, the guests seized him and turned him over to the magistrate. Then he and his whole band were executed for their shameful crimes. The end. [Chimes to signal the end of the story] [Strings play softly under The Narrator] Narrator: The moral of this story is: don’t go into creepy, empty houses…that’s how horror movies start. Today’s first story was read from The Complete First Edition, The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of The Brothers Grimm. Translated and Edited by Jack Zipes. Our second story was read from All-New Third Edition. The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm. Translation and introduction by Jack Zipes. If you have a fairy tale you would like me to read aloud, you can email me at [email protected]. You can follow the show on Twitter and Instagram at Mythicalpodcast. There I post behind the scenes, updates, and clues to each week’s episode. If you like the show, please leave a rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts. I greatly appreciate it and it helps other people find the show. Thank you for joining me today. I’m The Narrator, and this is Mythical. Happy Halloween! [Music swells and fades] SHOW NOTES “This den belongs to murderers who’ll soon be at your side!” Der Räuberbräutigam If you were expecting someone to come to your creepy house in the middle of a dark forest, wouldn’t you wait around rather than go murdering and robbing? Transcript If there is a fairy tale you'd like me to read, email me: [email protected] Mythical Website Instagram: @mythicalpodcast Twitter: @mythicalpodcast SFX: Snoring: In Studio Rempen -- Footsteps: Freesound.com
[Slow string instruments play and fade to be heard under The Narrator]
Narrator: Hello! Welcome to Mythical, the podcast that wanders the dark and fantastical pages of fairy tales and myths. I’m The Narrator. This season I’m reading the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Today’s story is “Hansel and Gretel,” the next story in our Halloween series that answers the question of trick or treat? Congratulations to tacosntalespodcast on Instagram for correctly guessing this week’s fairy tale. Thanks for playing! Let’s begin Hansel and Gretel as all good stories should with once upon a time. [Chimes to indicate the start of the story] Narrator: A poor woodcutter lived on the edge of a large forest. He didn’t have a bite to eat and barely provided the daily bread for his wife and two children, Hansel and Gretel. It reached a point when he couldn’t even provide the anymore. Indeed, he didn’t know how to solve this predicament. One night as he was tossing and turning in bed because of his worries, his wife said to him, Narrator as Wife []: Listen to me, husband, early tomorrow morning you’re to take both the children and give them each a piece of bread. Then lead them into the middle of the forest where it’s most dense. After you build a fire for them, go away and leave them there. We can no longer feed them. Narrator’s Comments: What is it in these original fairy tales that causes the biological mother to be a horrid one? None of these women have maternal instincts. Narrator as the Woodcutter [Deep and accented]: No, wife, Narrator: The man said. Woodcutter: I don’t have the heart to take my own children and abandon them to wild beasts, for they’d soon come and tear them apart in the forest. Wife: If you don’t do that, Narrator: His wife responded Wife: We shall all have to starve to death. Narrator’s Comments: So he can afford to feed two people but not four…and there’s no way to share anymore? Can’t he cut more wood? He lives next to a giant forest! Are people not buying wood anymore in preparation for winter or for cooking? Narrator: She didn’t give him any peace until he said yes. The two children were still awake because of their hunger, and they had heard everything that their mother said to their father. Gretel thought, Narrator as Gretel [worried and light]: Now it’s all over for me. Narrator: And began to weep pitiful tears. But Hansel spoke, Narrator as Hansel [young]: Be quiet, Gretel. Don’t get upset. I’ll find a way to help us. Narrator: Upon saying this, he got up, put on his little jacket, opened the bottom half of the door and crept outside. The moon was shining very brightly, and the white pebbles glittered in front of the house like pure silver coins. Hansel stooped down to the ground and stuffed his pocket with as many pebbles as he could fit in. Then he went back into the house. Hansel: Don’t worry, Gretel. Just sleep quietly. Narrator: And he lay down again in his bed and fell asleep. Early the next morning, before the sun had even begun to rise, their mother came and woke the two children. Wife: Get up, children. We’re going into the forest. Here’s a piece of bread for each of you. But be smart and don’t eat it until noon. Narrator: Gretel put the bread under her apron because Hansel had the pebbles in his pocket. Then they all set out together into the forest. After they had walked a while, Hansel stopped still and looked back at the house. He did this time and again until his father said, Woodcutter: Hansel, what are you looking at there and why are you dawdling? Pay attention and march along! Narrator’s Comments: Do the children get no explanation as to why they’re wandering the forest? No lie such as: we’re going to help cut down some trees, or let’s go play and have a picnic? Hansel: Oh, father, Narrator: Said Hansel Hansel: I’m looking at my little white cat that’s sitting up on the roof and wants to say good-bye to me. Wife: You fool Narrator: The mother said. Wife: That’s not a cat. It’s the morning sun shining on the chimney. Narrator: But Hansel had not been looking at the cat. Instead, he had been looking at the shiny pebbles from his pocket that he had been dropping on the ground. When they reached the middle of the forest, the father said, Woodcutter: Children, I want you to gather some wood. I’m going to make a fire so you won’t get cold. Narrator: Hansel and Gretel gathered together some brushwood and built quite a nice little pile. The brushwood was soon kindled, and when the fire was ablaze, the mother said, Wife: Now, children, lie down by the fire and sleep. We’re going into the forest to chop wood. When we’re finished, we’ll come back and get you. Narrator: Hansel and Gretel sat by the fire, and when noon came, they kept eating their pieces of bread until evening. But their mother and father did not return. Nobody came to fetch them. When it became pitch dark, Gretel began to weep, but Hansel said, Hansel: Just wait awhile until the moon has risen. Narrator: And when the full moon had risen, Hansel took Gretel by the hand. The pebbles glittered like newly minted silver coins and showed them the way. They walked the whole night long and arrived back at their father’s house at break of day. Their father rejoiced with all his heart when he saw his children again, for he had not liked the idea of abandoning them alone in the forest. Their mother also seemed to be delighted by their return, but secretly she was angry. Narrator’s Comments: Well of course she’s angry! She wanted them gone and they came back. And what an awkward family dinner that’s going to be. The children know it was their mother’s idea to abandon them and now they have to pretend to be happy and unaware? Narrator: Not long after this, there was once again nothing to eat in the house, and one evening Gretel heard her mother say to their father: Wife: The children found their way back one time, and I just let that go, but now there’s nothing left in the house except for a half loaf of bread. Tomorrow you must take them farther into the forest so they won’t find their way back home again. Otherwise, there’s no hope for us. Narrator: All this saddened the father and he thought, Woodcutter: It’d be much better to share your last bite to eat with your children. Narrator: But since he had given in the first time, he also had to yield a second. Narrator’s Comments: No, you don’t! Protect your kids! Narrator: Hansel and Gretel overheard their parents’ conversations. Then Hansel got up and intended to gather pebbles once again, but their parents had locked the door. Nevertheless, he comforted Gretel and said, Hansel: Just sleep, dear Gretel. The dear Lord will certainly help us. Narrator: Early the next morning they each received little pieces of bread, but they were smaller than the last time. On the way into the forest Hansel crumbled the bread in his pocket and stopped as often as he could to throw the crumbs on the ground. Woodcutter: Hansel, why are you always stopping and looking around? Narrator: Asked the father. Woodcutter: Keep going! Hansel: Oh, I’m looking at my little pigeon that’s sitting on the roof and wants to say goodbye to me. Narrator: Hansel answered. Wife: You fool! Narrator: His mother said. Wife: That’s not your little pigeon. It’s the morning sun shining on the chimney. Narrator: Now their mother led the children even deeper into the forest until they came to a spot they had never been to before in their lives. Once again they were to sleep by a large fire, and their parents were to come and fetch them in the evening. When noon came, Gretel shared her bread with Hansel because he had scattered his along the way. Noon went by and then evening passed, but no one came for the poor children. Hansel comforted Gretel and said, Hansel: Just wait until the moon has risen, Gretel. Then I’ll see the little bread crumbs that I scattered. They’ll show us the way back home. Narrator: When the moon rose and Hansel looked for the bread crumbs, they were gone because the many thousands of birds that fly about the forest had found them and gobbled them up. Narrator’s Comments: Hansel had a good idea, but he really didn’t think any sort of animal would come and find the bread? Narrator: Nevertheless, Hansel believed he could find the way home and pulled Gretel along with him, but they soon lost their way in the great wilderness. They walked the entire night and all the next day as well, from morning till night, until they fell asleep from exhaustion. Then they walked for one more day, but they didn’t find their way out of the forest. They were now also very hungry, for they had had nothing to eat except some berries that they had found growing on the ground. On the third day they continued walking until noon. Then they came to a little house made of bread with cake for a roof and pure sugar for windows. Hansel: Let’s sit down and eat until we’re full. Narrator: Said Hansel. Hansel: I want to eat a piece of the roof. Gretel, you can have part of the window since it’s sweet. Narrator: Hansel had already eaten a good piece of the roof and Gretel had devoured a couple of small round windows and was about to break off a new one when they heard a shrill voice cry from inside. Narrator as the Witch [shrill]: Nibble, nibble, I hear a louse! Who’s that nibbling on my house? Narrator: Hansel and Gretel were so tremendously frightened that they dropped what they had in their hands, and immediately thereafter a small, ancient woman crept out of the door. She shook her head and said, Witch: Well now, dear children, where’ve you come from? Come inside with me. You’ll have a good time. Narrator: She took them both by the hand and led them into her little house. Then she served them a good meal of milk and pancakes with sugar and apples and nuts. Afterward she made up two beautiful beds, and when Hansel and Gretel lay down in them, they thought they were in heaven. The old woman, however, was really a wicked witch on the lookout for children and had built the house made of bread only to lure them to her. As soon as she had any children in her power, she would kill, cook, and eat them. It would be like a feast day for her. Therefore, she was quite happy that Hansel and Gretel had come her way. Narrator’s Comments: Are we sure the mother isn’t this witch? She wants so badly to be rid of her kids maybe she magiced this whole house and old woman disguise to kill them. She didn’t want to take her chances that Hansel and Gretel would find their way out of the forest again. Narrator: Early the next morning, before the children were awake, she got up and looked at the two of them sleeping so sweetly, and she was delighted and thought, Witch: They’ll certainly be a tasty meal for you! Narrator: Then she grabbed Hansel and stuck him into a small coop, and when he woke up, he was behind a wire mesh used to lock up chickens, and he couldn’t move about. Narrator’s Comments: How did he not notice her moving him? Is she so strong and gentle that she floated him there? Magic, I guess? Magic is just the answer for everything in fairytales that is unexplainable. Slash the writers were lazy and didn’t want to put it in. Narrator: Immediately after, she shook Gretel and yelled, Witch: Get up, you lazybones! Fetch some water, and then go into the kitchen and cook something nice. Your brother’s sitting in a chicken coop. I want to fatten him up, and when he’s fat enough, I’m going to eat him. But now I want you to feed him. Narrator: Gretel was frightened and wept, but she had to do what the witch demanded. So the very best food was cooked for poor Hansel so that he would become fat, while Gretel got nothing but crab shells. Every day the old woman came and called out, Witch: Hansel, stick out your finger so I can feel whether you’re fat enough. Narrator: However, Hansel stuck out a little bone, and the witch was continually puzzled that Hansel didn’t get any fatter. Narrator’s Comments: Why doesn’t she just look inside the chicken coop? And Hansel could not be eating all the food, another reason he isn’t getting bigger. Narrator: One evening, after a month had passed, she said to Gretel, Witch: Get a move on and fetch some water! I don’t care whether your little brother’s fat enough or not. He’s going to be slaughtered and boiled tomorrow. In the meantime I want to prepare the dough so that we can also bake. Narrator: So Gretel went off with a sad heart and fetched the water in which Hansel was to be boiled. Early the next morning Gretel had to get up, light the fire, and hang up a kettle full of water. Witch: Make sure that it boils. Narrator: Said the witch. Witch: I’m going to light the fire in the oven and shove the bread inside. Narrator: Gretel was standing in the kitchen and wept bloody tears and thought, Gretel: It would have been better if the wild animals in the forest had eaten us. Then we would have died together and wouldn’t have had to bear this sorrow, and I wouldn’t have to boil the water that will be the death of my dear brother. Oh dear God, help us poor children get out of this predicament! Narrator: Then the old woman called, Witch: Gretel, come right away over here to the oven! Narrator: When Gretel came, she said, Witch: Look inside and see if the bread is already nice and brown and well-done. My eyes are weak. I can no longer see so well from a distance, and if you can’t see, then sit down on the board, and I’ll shove you inside. Then you can get around inside and check everything. Narrator: The witch wanted to shut the oven door once Gretel was inside, for she wanted to bake her in the hot oven and eat her, too. Narrator’s Comments: Then why was she only feeding her crab shells? She won’t taste very good or have a lot of meat on her. Narrator: This is what the wicked witch had planned and why she had called the girl. But God inspired Gretel, and she said, Gretel: I don’t know how to do it. First you show it to me. Sit down on the board, and I’ll shove you inside. Narrator: And so the old woman sat down on the board, and since she was light, Gretel shoved her inside as far as she could, and then she quickly shut the oven door and bolted it with an iron bar. Narrator’s Comments: Look at that! A maiden with a name and a character arc… in a fairy tale! What!? Also, this witch is an idiot for trusting Gretel and going into a damn oven. Narrator: The old woman began to scream and groan in the hot oven, but Gretel ran off, and the witch was miserably burned to death. Meanwhile, Gretel went straight to Hansel and opened the door to the coop. After Hansel jumped out, they kissed each other and were glad. The entire house was full of jewels and pearls. So they filled their pockets with them. Narrator: Then they went off and found their way home. Their father rejoiced when he saw them again. He hadn’t spent a single happy day since his children had been away. Now he was a rich man. However, the mother had died. The end. [Chimes to signal the end of the story] [Strings play softly under The Narrator] Narrator: The moral of today’s story is: Don’t go in strangers’ homes. They will be a witch who wants to eat you. I’m convinced the old witch is the mother. They both die at the end of the story, and the bread house seemed awfully close to the woodcutter’s home. The father could have always gone looking for his children. Especially after his wife had died. The version I just read, has more dialogue then we’ve seen previously, but the final version has more still. The final version of Hansel and Gretel changes the mother from a biological mother to a stepmother, a classic edit of the Brothers Grimm. A famine has swept over the kingdom, which explains why the woodcutter and his family are so desperate for food. The stepmother is even more heartless in the final version, calling the children names and talking down to them, and being more persistent in abandoning them. When the woodcutter leaves the children in the forest, he rigs a branch to a dead tree, which swings with the wind and tricks the children into thinking it’s an ax. They fall asleep thinking their father is close by. When they find their way home, their stepmother says to them “you wicked children, why did you sleep so long in the forest? We thought you’d never come back again.” Still pretending it wasn’t her idea to leave them in the woods. And they knew where the children were sleeping, they could’ve woken them up….if they were good parents. Another famine ravages the country, and the woodcutter and his family have no food again. Once the children are left in the forest again and wander for three days, they see a beautiful white bird singing and follow it to the witch’s house. The children don’t stop eating right when the witch calls out to them. And her call is different in this version. She calls, “nibble, nibble, I hear a mouse. Who’s that nibbling at my house?” And in the final version the children answer, “The wind, the wind; it’s very mild, blowing like the Heavenly Child.” We’re told right away that witches have red eyes and poor eye sight, so this doesn’t come as an after thought when the witch is checking on Hansel. The witch in this version also walks with a crutch. When she asks Gretel to check the fire, she makes no pretense about wanting to get Gretel inside. She tells her right away to, “crawl inside.” When Gretel says she doesn’t know how to do it, the witch is overcome with stupidity and says, “The opening’s large enough. Watch, even I can do it.” On their way home, the Brothers Grimm write in a wide river the children have to cross. There is no bridge or boat to help them get to the other side. Keeping Gretel as the heroine, she spots a duck and calls, “Help us, help us, little duck! We’re Hansel and Gretel, out of luck. We can’t get over, try as we may. Please take us across right away!” The duck carries them across one at a time. When they get home their father is so happy to see them and they show him all the jewels they stole. The stepmother still dies, with no mention of how. I still think she’s the witch. In this version both the stepmother and the witch call the children “lazybones.” The woodcutter’s house is close to the witch’s cottage. They both hate children. And both are dead in the end. The similarities seem obvious to me. One of the weirdest things about this story is how it ends. It ends with the children and father being happy and wealthy, but after that there’s an extra line that makes little sense. The story of Hansel and Gretel ends with this: My tale is done. See the mouse run. Catch it, whoever can, and then you can make a great big cap out of its fur. That is the last line of Hansel and Gretel. The witch did call the children mice, and she caught them, but this last line leaves me wondering its purpose and the randomness of it closing the story. Today’s story was read from The Complete First Edition, The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of The Brothers Grimm. Translated and Edited by Jack Zipes. If you have a fairy tale you would like me to read aloud, you can email me at [email protected]. You can follow the show on Twitter and Instagram at Mythicalpodcast. There I post behind the scenes, updates, and clues to each week’s episode. If you like the show, please leave a rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts. I greatly appreciate it and it helps other people find the show. Thank you for joining me today. I’m The Narrator, and this is Mythical. [Music swells and fades]
SHOW NOTES
"A house made of bread with cake for a roof and pure sugar for windows." Hänsel und Gretel When your mother wants you dead, is it better to starve to death knowing you aren’t loved, or eaten after having a wonderful meal and heavenly sleep? This classic tale brings us one of the original trick or treats. Will the children escape the clutches of an evil witch? [Transcript]( https://mythicalpodcast.weebly.com/blog-and-transcripts/season-1-episode-9-hansel-and-gretel-transcript) If there is a fairy tale you'd like me to read, email me: [email protected] Instagram: [@mythicalpodcast](https://www.instagram.com/mythicalpodcast/) Twitter: [@mythicalpodcast](https://twitter.com/MythicalPodcast) Gretel Crying and Witch Shrieking SFX: In Studio Other SFX: Fractal Studios--[Fire](https://freesound.org/people/FractalStudios/sounds/363092/) Rempen -- [Footsteps](https://freesound.org/people/rempen/sounds/274833/) Darth_Biomech--[Oven Door](https://freesound.org/people/Darth_Biomech/sounds/389402/) Bsumorals -- [Pebbles](https://freesound.org/people/bsumorals/sounds/416267/)
TRANSCRIPT:
[Slow string instruments play and fade to be heard under The Narrator] Narrator: Hello. Welcome to Mythical, the podcast that wanders the dark and fantastical pages of fairy tales and myths. This season, I’m reading the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Today’s story has dark tricks and a transformation in honor of the month of October and Halloween. It is “The Six Swans.” Today is also a special episode because I have a guest! Adding her voice and commentary with me is Kayla Knight, host of Get Grimm, a storytelling podcast about fairy tales and folk tales for adolescent folklorists, and co-host of That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to It. Kayla and I have been friends for a long time, and I’m very excited to have her on Mythical. Before Kayla and I begin, I’d like to showcase two podcasts: Dark Remnants podcast, and Our True Crime Podcast. [A deep, slow siren, and a heartbeat] Male Voice: These are the dark fringes of our world. The pieces forgotten. The dark remnants. Dark Remnants is a podcast that features horror stories. These stories may be scary, brutal, odd, creepy, or just plain weird. If you’re a fan of horror, dark sci-fi, Lovecraft, or Creepy Pasta, then join me every other Saturday for a new tale to tell. You can find Dark Remnants wherever you get your podcasts, or visit darkremnants.com. Come and join us in the dark. [Boom and fade] Jen: Are your friends tired of hearing you talk about serial killers? Cam: While you’re at a party have you randomly blurted out the odds of a person being murdered by a complete stranger? Jen: Does your Hulu or Netflix only recommend documentaries on true crime? Cam: If you have answered yes to one or more of these questions, you may have a problem. Jen: And so do we! That’s why we started Our True Crime Podcast! Cam: We are the hosts: Cam and Jen. We’re lifelong best friends that love to talk about all things true crime, so we decided to start our own podcast, hoping to find others that share our passion. Jen: You can find us on ourtruecrimepodcast.com, or you can download new episodes of Our True Crime Podcast on Podbean, iTunes, Stitcher, or any other places you download podcasts. Cam: See ya on Wednesdays! [Slow string instruments play under The Narrator] Narrator: I personally listen to both of these podcasts, and think you should give them a try if dark stories are of interest. Let’s begin today’s story: The Six Swans. I’m The Narrator, and I’ll begin, as all good stories should, with once upon a time. [Chimes to indicate the start of the story] Narrator: A king went hunting in a vast forest, got lost, and couldn’t find his way out. Finally he came upon a witch and asked her to show him the way out of the forest. However, the witch told him she wouldn’t do it, he had to remain there and would lose his life. He could only be saved if he married her daughter. The king cherished his life and he was so frightened he said yes, so the witch brought the maiden to him. Narrator’s Comments: That’s such a bad stroke of luck, you get lost in a forest and then a witch is like, “I’m not gonna tell you, but hey look I have a—“ Kayla’s Comments: She’s a witch! Narrator’s Comments: I’m not a witch, I’m your wife! [Laughter] Kayla’s Comments: Well, at least he didn’t get the witch as a wife. Narrator’s Comments: That’s true; he got the witch’s daughter as a wife. Kayla’s Comments: Yeah. Narrator’s Comments: But, I mean, if you really cherish your life, I get it, marry whoever shows up. Kayla’s Comments: Can we talk about how there’s always a random witch hanging out in the woods? Narrator’s Comments: Right? Is that where all the witches live? Kayla’s Comments: I guess so. Narrator: Though she was young and beautiful, he couldn’t look at her without getting the creeps and secretly shuddering. However, he intended to keep his promise. Then, the old woman led both of them on the right path out of the forest, and once they were at the king’s house, the witch’s daughter became his wife. Kayla’s Comments: I mean, at least she trusted him to marry her once they were out of the forest and didn’t make him marry her while they were still there. Narrator’s Comments: Right, ‘cause who’s to say that the king wouldn’t just bolt in a different direction once he got out of the forest. Kayla’s Comments: I mean, the witch could probably track him down, they do show up in random places all the time. Narrator’s Comments: Probably. Witches are very powerful in fairy tales. Now the king still had seven children from his first wife, six boys and a girl, and since he was afraid the stepmother might harm them, he brought them to a castle in the middle of a forest. It lay so well concealed nobody knew the way to it, and he himself would not have found it if a wise woman had not given him the ball of yarn. When he threw the ball before him, the yarn unwound itself and showed him the way. Kayla’s Comments: Wish the yarn in my house did that. Narrator’s Comments: Right? I want that yarn. It would be so handy for lost things. Kayla’s Comments: Tie my keys to it. And my phone. And me! Narrator’s Comments: But I get being afraid for his children’s’ life, he literally just met this woman…and she’s the daughter of a witch. Kayla’s Comments [Sarcastic]: Gee, I wonder if he was reason to be suspicious. Let’s find out. Narrator: Since the king loved his children very much, he frequently went to the castle. However, the queen became curious and wanted to know why he was going out into the forest all alone. She interrogated the servants, and they revealed the entire secret. The first thing she did was use her cunning and acquire the ball of yard. Then she took seven small shirts and went out into the forest alone. The ball of yarn showed her the way and when the six little princes saw her coming from the distance, they were delighted because they thought their father was coming and ran out to her. [Running footsteps] But all at once she threw a shirt over each one of them, and as soon as they were touched by the shirts, they were turned into swans and flew away over the forest. Kayla’s Comments: This woman has some freaky good aim if she can land a shirt on a kid in the first try. And then six times in a row. Six little boys too! Narrator: Now the queen thought that she had gotten rid of all her stepchildren and returned home. Narrator’s Comments: Could she not count? Kayla’s Comments: Maybe she didn’t know about the daughter? Narrator’s Comments: That’d be weird though. Kayla’s Comments: Well, she only saw the six little boys. Narrator’s Comments: Yeah, but she took seven shirts. So…she just has a random shirt left? Kayla’s Comments: I don’t know, maybe she’s just sexist. Narrator: So the maiden, who had remained in her room, was saved. The next day the king went to the castle in the forest, and she told him what had happened and showed him the swan feathers that had fallen down from her six brothers in the courtyard. The king was horrified but couldn’t believe that the queen had done such an evil deed. At the same time, he was worried that the princess might also be stolen away from him. So he wanted to take her with him. However, she was afraid of her stepmother and begged the king to allow her to spend one more night in the castle. Then, during the night, she fled and went deeper into the forest. Kayla’s Comments: But wasn’t he the one that put them in the tower to begin with? Because he didn’t trust the stepmother and now all of a sudden he doesn’t believe the queen could do such an evil deed. What is wrong with this man? Narrator’s Comments: Right? You don’t trust your wife, so you hide your kids. It doesn’t make any sense; the guy’s an idiot. [Footsteps on leaves] Narrator: She walked the entire day, and toward evening she came to a hut. Once she entered, she found a room with six small beds. Since she was now tired, she lay herself down beneath one of the beds and wanted to spend the night there. [Birds flying] Yet at sunset six swans came flying through the window, landed on the floor, and blew on one another until all their feathers were blown off as if some cloth had slipped off them, and there stood her six brothers. She crawled out from beneath the bed, and the brothers were both glad and distressed to see her again. Kayla as the Brothers [Fast and Accented]: You can’t stay here, Narrator: They said. Brothers: This is a robbers’ den. When they come home from their marauding they live here. We can take off our swan skins for only a quarter of an hour every evening and assume our human form during this time. Then it’s all over. If you want to rescue us, you must sew six little shirts made out of asters, but during this time you’re not allowed to speak or laugh. Otherwise all your work will be for naught. Narrator: As the brothers were speaking, the quarter of an hour expired, and once again they were transformed into swans. The next morning, however, the maiden gathered asters, perched herself on a branch of a tall tree, and began to sew. She didn’t speak a single word or laugh. She just sat there and concentrated on her work. After she had been there a long time, the king who owned this land went hunting and came to the tree where the maiden was perched. His hunters called to her and told her to come down. [Men shouting] But because she was not permitted to answer them, she wanted to satisfy them by throwing them presents. So she threw down her golden necklace. Yet they continued to call out. So she threw them her girdle, and when this didn’t work either, she threw down her garters and little by little everything that she had on and could do without until she had nothing left but her little shift. Kayla’s Comments: I don’t like how this story isn’t very clear on which king this is. Narrator’s Comments: Yeah, it says the king that owned the land, so it can’t be her father. But it doesn’t seem like she ran very far from her father’s land. Kayla’s Comments: Maybe the kept the extra castle on the border, like a border fortress? Narrator: Still all this was not enough for the hunters. They climbed the tree, carried her down, and led her by force to the king, who was astonished by her beauty. He covered her with his cloak, lifted her onto his horse, and brought her to his home. Even though she was mute, he loved her with all his heart, and she became his wife. Narrator’s Comments: I can just picture when they’re, like, taking her down by force, she can’t make any sound so is she, like, kicking around or whatever? ‘Cause she can’t scream for help. Just kinda has to go along with it. Kayla’s Comments: I would be. I don’t care if my brothers stay swans. More for me. I can be queen if they’re all swans. Narrator’s Comments: Well, she’s gonna be queen of this land, she gets married to him. Kayla’s Comments: Well, then you get more land. And more money. Narrator’s Comments: That’s true, ‘cause she’ll get her father’s land too. Narrator: Now the king’s mother was angry about all of this and spoke ill of the young queen: nobody knew where the wench came from, and she wasn’t worthy of the king. When the queen gave birth to her first child, the old mother-in-law took the child away and smeared the queen’s mouth with blood while she was asleep. Then she accused the young queen of having eaten her own child and of being a sorceress. However, because of his great love for his wife, the king refused to believe this. Narrator’s Comments: Do they not have any sort of writing utensil in this kingdom? Can she not write anything down? Kayla’s Comments: Probably not. That probably breaks the rules. Narrator’s Comments: Well, that’s dumb. ‘Cause that’s not speaking or laughing. Narrator: Some time later the queen gave birth to a second prince, and the godless mother-in-law played the same trick and accused the queen of cannibalism again. Since the queen wasn’t allowed to talk and had to sit there mute and work on the six little shirts, she couldn’t save herself and was sentenced at the stake. The day came when the sentence was to be carried out. It was exactly the last day of the six years, and she had managed to finish sewing the six shirts. Only the left sleeve of the last shirt was missing. When she was led to the stake, she took the six shirts with her, and when she stood on the pile of wood and the fire was about to be lit, she saw the six swans flying through the air until they descended right near her. [Birds flying by] So she threw the shirts over them, and as soon as the shirts touched them, the swan skins fell off, and her six brothers stood before her in the flesh. Only the sixth one was missing his left arm: instead, he had a swan’s wing on his shoulder. Now she could speak once again and told everyone how her mother-in-law had slandered her in such a wicked way. Consequently, the old woman was tied to the stake and burned to death. However, the young queen lived with the king and her six brothers a long time in great joy. [Chimes to signal the end of the story] [Strings play softly under The Narrator] Narrator: The moral of today’s story is: Learn to write. You never know when you or your siblings will be cursed by an evil stepmother your father married so he could get directions home. “The Six Swans” is my favorite fairy tale, and the final version is my favorite of all of them. I’m sure you’ll be surprised to hear that the final version the Brothers Grimm published has some edits to it. It’s a little more complete, with some questions answered. It explains that the king got lost in the forest by hunting a deer so intensely that his men couldn’t follow him. It implies that the witch and her daughter knew the king would be in the forest and were waiting for him; or that the witch made the deer appear. Rather than interrogating the servants, the queen bribed them with money and they told her about the children and the ball of yarn. In this version it is clear that the queen does not know how many children the king has. It even says that once she has turned the brothers into swans she thinks she has gotten rid of all the children. She does know witchcraft, and sews the transformation into the shirts. The princess and the king have no idea that the queen is behind the brothers’ disappearance; the princess simply thinks they’ve turned into swans and left her alone. There’s more dialogue overall in the final version, but where it is best put to use is between the brothers and the sister. She’s involved in asking questions, and the brothers mention the six years, rather than it being a last minute add on in the first version. The Brothers Grimm added dialogue between the king and the witch, the brothers and sister, and the princess and the king and his men when she is found in the tree. The king tries all the languages he knows to see if she will respond. He is so taken by her polite manners and modesty that he falls in love with her; at least it’s more than her beauty. He clothes her and feeds her. And the mother-in-law mostly hates the girl because she won’t speak. In the final version there is a third child that the princess bears, and the mother-in-law kidnaps that child as well. Until that point the king is adamant that if the princess would speak, she’d declare her innocence, but after the third child is taken, he puts his wife before a court who sentence her to death by fire. Once her brothers are freed of their curse—which it still doesn’t say how they know how to reverse their curse—the children are returned to their parents. What the final version doesn’t answer is how the king and mother-in-law didn’t know of the princess of the bordering kingdom. Today’s story was read from The Complete First Edition, The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of The Brothers Grimm. Translated and Edited by Jack Zipes. If you have a fairy tale you would like me to read aloud, you can email me at [email protected]. You can follow the show on Twitter and Instagram at Mythicalpodcast. Where I post behind the scenes, updates, and clues to each week’s episode. If you like the show, please leave a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts, as I greatly appreciate it and it helps other people find the show. Thank you, Kayla, for lending “The Six Swans” your voice in this episode! Links to Get Grimm will be in the show notes. I highly recommend them. Thank you for joining me today. I’m The Narrator, and this is Mythical. [Music swells and fades]
SHOW NOTES:
"Once again they were transformed into swans." Die Sechs Schwäne It's best not to wander forests alone: witches hide between the trees. Beware stepmothers: they may turn you into a swan. Learn to write: you may not be permitted to speak. Transcript If you have a fairy tale you'd like me to read aloud, email me: [email protected] Instagram: @mythicalpodcast Twitter: @mythicalpodcast Get Grimm Dark Remnants Our True Crime Podcast Men Shouting SFX from Jace on Freesound.com Other SFX from Zapsplat.com
[Slow string instruments play and fade to be heard under The Narrator]
Narrator: Hello. Welcome to Mythical, the podcast that wanders the dark and fantastical pages of fairy tales. This season, I’m reading the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Today’s story is one full of tricks in honor of the month of October and Halloween. It is “Rumpelstiltskin.” Shout out to This Film is Lit, on Instagram, for correctly guessing today’s story. This Film is Lit is a podcast that talks all about books and their film adaptions. Thanks for playing along! Before I begin, I’d like to introduce this week’s podcast partner: The Lift. [Ominous music] Female Child with a Voice that Echoes: How many choices do you make in a day? In a year? In a lifetime? How many really matter in the end? Do you agonize over the small ones and avoid the important ones? Here on my lift, in this place where all things are possible, your choices matter. Your choices require sacrifice. Will you make the right one? Choose to listen to The Lift in iTunes, Tune In, Stitcher, and now iHeart Radio. [Ominous music fades] [Strings play under the Narrator] Narrator: If that audio drama sounds intriguing, go give them a listen after this episode. Now that you’ve been introduced to The Lift, let’s begin today’s fairy tale. I’m The Narrator, and I’ll begin as all good stories should with once upon a time. [Chimes to indicate the start of the story] Narrator: Once upon a time there was a miller who was poor, but he had a beautiful daughter. Now, one day he happened to talk to the king and said, Narrator as the Miller [Feeble and slow]: I have a daughter who knows the art of transforming straw into gold. Narrator: So the king had the miller’s daughter summoned to him right away and ordered her to spin all the straw in a room into gold in one night and if she couldn’t do this, she would die. Then she was locked in the room where she sat and wept. For the life of her, she didn’t have the slightest inkling of how to spin straw into gold. Narrator’s Comments: So the king is going to kill this poor innocent girl if she doesn’t spin any straw into gold, which just goes to show that her father is a liar, so shouldn’t the king be punishing the father instead? And how did the miller happen to be talking to the king one day? That’s very random, considering he’s poor and a miller. Narrator: All of a sudden a little man entered the room and said, Narrator as Rumpelstiltskin [Sinister]: What will you give me if I spin everything into gold? Narrator: She took off her necklace and gave it to the little man, Narrator’s Comments: Well, she doesn’t seem frightened by a random little man walking into a room that she’s locked in. Narrator: And he did what he promised. The next morning the king found the entire room filled with gold, but because of this his heart grew even greedier, and he locked the miller’s daughter in another room full of straw that was even larger than the first, and she was to spin it all into gold. Then the little man came again, and she gave him a ring from one of her fingers, and everything was spun into gold. However, on the third night the king had her locked again in another room that was larger than the other two and filled with straw. Narrator’s Comments: Because her proving herself twice was not nearly enough. Three time’s the charm! Is that where it comes from? Third time’s the charm? Spin these three rooms into gold and you won’t die. Third time’s the charm! Narrator as the King [deep and stately]: If you succeed, you shall become my wife. Narrator: He said. Then the little man came again and spoke. Rumpelstiltskin: I’ll do everything for you one more time, but you must promise me your firstborn child that you have with the king. Narrator’s Comments: Wow! First born. Go straight from a ring on a finger, a piece of jewelry, to give me the child you will push from your body. That escalated quite quickly. Narrator: Out of desperation she promised him what he wanted, and when the king saw once again how the straw had been spun into gold, he took the miller’s beautiful daughter for his wife. Soon thereafter the queen gave birth, and the little man appeared before her and demanded the promised child. However, the queen offered the little man all that she could and all the treasures of the kingdom if he would let her keep her child, but it was all in vain. Then the little man said, Rumpelstiltskin: In three days I’ll come again to fetch the child. But if you know my name by then, you shall keep your child. Narrator’s Comments: What an odd game to play. I wonder how many times Rumpelstiltskin has played this game with someone. And how did know she was locked up in a room and needed help? And how did he know he could leverage her desperation into something that he wanted. What kind of creature is Rumpelstiltskin? There are so many questions. Narrator: During the first and second nights the queen tried to think of the little man’s name, but she wasn’t able to come up with a name and became complete depressed. On the third day, however, the king returned home from hunting and told her, King: I was out hunting the day before yesterday, and when I went deep into the dark forest, I came upon a small cottage, and in front of the house there was a ridiculous little man, hopping around as if he only had one leg and screeching: Rumpelstiltskin: Today I’ll brew, tomorrow I’ll bake. Soon I’ll have the queen’s namesake. Oh, how hard it is to play my game, for Rumpelstiltskin is my name! Narrator’s Comments: Did she tell the king there was a many who was trying to steal their son all because of a promise that she made? She obviously isn’t going to tell the king that all of the rooms full of straw were spun into gold by this little man, but she doesn’t have to tell him the specifics. She can just tell him there is a little man threatening their family, and either the king could help or he would know. Or is this just one of those random stories where the husband goes out hunting and he comes back and he’s like, “oh darling you won’t believe what happened, it was the craziest thing!” Narrator: When the queen heard this, she rejoiced, and when the dangerous little man came, he asked, Rumpelstiltskin: What’s my name, Your Highness? Narrator: She responded first by guessing. Narrator as the Queen [Soft]: Is your name Conrand? Rumpelstiltskin: No. Queen: Is your name Henry? Rumpelstiltskin: No. Queen: Is your name Rumpelstiltskin? Rumpelstiltskin: The devil told you that! Narrator: The little man screamed, and he ran off full of anger and never returned. [Chimes to signal the end of the story] [Strings play softly under The Narrator] Narrator: The moral of today’s story is don’t make deals with sketchy little men. Also, don’t put your name in a song if you don’t want people to find it out what it is. It says the Rumpelstiltskin runs away and never returns, but does he go off and try and play that game with someone else? It doesn’t say that Rumpelstiltskin would eat the human child, but it is inferred, and for him to have lived as long as he did we may have to assume that he has eaten several children. The final published version of Rumpelstiltskin is my favorite of the two, mostly for how it ends. But first, I’ll go over some over differences that the Brothers Grimm put into the final version of Rumpelstiltskin. As with most of the other final published works of the Brothers Grimm there is more dialogue between the miller’s daughter and Rumpelstiltskin, and the miller and the king. It also feels very over dramatic with the miller talking with the king and telling him that his daughter spins straw into gold to seem more important. The king is very pleased by this art and tells the miller’s daughter that if she can’t do it then she MUST die. And the miller’s daughter is at her wit’s end when she is locked in the room and can’t figure out how to spin straw into gold. There is more of a description of how Rumpelstiltskin works through the night: spinning the wheel three times round and then having one spool full of gold. When the third night comes, in the final version, Rumpelstiltskin asks the miller’s daughter what she will give him, and in this version she says that she has nothing left, and that is when Rumpelstiltskin asks for the child. Where in the first, he asks for the child straight away. When he comes to collect the child, the miller’s daughter does offer him anything else that he would like. But he replies, “something living is more important…than all the treasures in the world,” which means he either wants a child to raise on his own, or he really doe want to eat the human child. There are still three days for the new queen to figure out Rumpelstiltskin’s name. In the later version, Rumpelstiltskin comes back to the queen on each of the three nights. During the first two, the queen does come up with several names such as: Kasper, Balzer, Ribsofbeef, Muttonchops, or Lacedleg. She also sends out messengers and servants to go around the countryside and the village gathering all the names of all the people so she may guess every single one. I feel as though the queen in the first story should have at least one name to guess: Linus, Richard, or any sort of combination of letters and syllables, which is what Rumpelstiltskin sounds like anyway. I can’t quite believe she couldn’t come up with a single name. In this version and the last, there doesn’t seem to be a limit on the amount of names the queen can guess. In the later version, the first names that the queen guesses on day three are different. Rather than Conrad and Henry, she guesses Kunz and Heinz. Rather than the king coming back to the queen and saying that he had found the little man screaming his own name, in the later version it is a messenger, and the messenger is on a mountaintop and sees Rumpelstiltskin in front of his cottage, rather than the king going into a deep forest. The ending of this one is quite different, and it truly does make me laugh. After she correctly guesses his name he does not simply run away. He stamps so ferociously with his right foot that his leg goes deep into the ground, up to his waist, and he is so angry that he grabs his other leg and pulls, but rips himself in two. That’s one way to make sure that Rumpelstiltskin never bothers anyone ever again. Today’s story was read from The Complete First Edition. The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of The Brothers Grimm. Translated and Edited by Jack Zipes. If you have a fairy tale you would like me to read aloud, you can email me at [email protected]. You can follow the show on Twitter and Instagram at Mythicalpodcast, where I post behind the scenes, updates, and clues to each week’s episode. If you like the show, please leave a rating and a review wherever you listen to podcasts, as I greatly appreciate it and it helps other people find the show. Thank you for joining me today. I’m the Narrator and this is Mythical. [Music swells and fades]
[Slow string instruments play and fade to be heard under The Narrator]
Narrator: Hello, welcome to Mythical, the podcast that wanders the dark and fantastical pages of fairy tales. This season all the fairy tales come from The Brothers Grimm. As it is now the month of October the stories I read will focus on tricks, treats, and transformations in preparation for Halloween. This week’s story is “The Frog Prince.” Before I begin, I’d like to introduce this week’s podcast partner. The podcast featured today is “Get Grimm,” another fairy tale podcast, but this one is more appropriate for younger ears. [Bright and courtly stringed instruments play and then stop] Kayla (Host of Get Grimm): Hello, I’m Kayla Knight, the host of Get Grimm, a weekly podcast for the miniature folklorist or teller of tales in your life. Each week I adventure to adapt several tales around a central theme and share them with my audience, along with my own commentary and background on each story. New episodes are released every Saturday and I can be found on Apple iTunes or on your favorite podcast app. [Bright and courtly stringed instruments play and then stop] [Slow string instruments play under The Narrator] Narrator: Today, to start our Halloween month, I have a treat for you, which I will reveal after reading “The Frog Prince.” I’m The Narrator, and I’ll begin, as all good stories should with once upon a time. [Chimes to indicate the start of the story] Narrator: Once upon a time there was a king who had three daughters, and in his courtyard there was a well with beautiful clear water. On a hot summer’s day the eldest daughter went down to the well and scooped out a glass full of water. However, when she looked at it and held it up to the sun, she saw that the water was murky. She found this very unusual and wanted to scoop out another glass when a frog stirred in the water, stuck his head up high, and finally jumped on to the edge of the well, where he spoke: Narrator as the Frog [an underwater tone]: If you’ll be my sweetheart, my dear, I’ll give you water clearer than clear. Narrator as the eldest daughter [hoity toity]: Oh, who’d ever want to be a nasty frog’s sweetheart? Narrator: She cried out and ran away. Then she told her sisters that there was an odd frog down at the well that made the water murky. The second sister became curious, and so she went down to the well and scooped a glass of water for herself, but it was just as murky as her sister’s glass so that she wasn’t able to drink it. Narrator’s Comments: Are they sure the frog is the one who was making the water murky? I mean, this was olden times, maybe the water’s just dirty. I mean, you know that they put all sorts of gross things in their water. Narrator: Once again, however, the frog was on the edge of the well and said: Frog: If you’ll be my sweetheart, my dear, I’ll give you water clearer than clear. Narrator as the second daughter [high and nasally]: Do you think that would suit me? Narrator: the princess replied and ran away. Finally, the third sister went, and things were no better. But when the frog spoke, Frog: If you’ll be my sweetheart, my dear, I’ll give you water clearer than clear. Narrator: She replied, Narrator as the third daughter [slow and gentle]: Yes, why not? I’ll be your sweetheart. Get me some clear water. Narrator: However, she thought, The Third Daughter: That won’t do any harm. I can speak to him just as I please. A dumb frog can never become my sweetheart. Narrator’s Comments: How common are talking animals in their world? It must be very common. They don’t seem too shocked that he can talk to them. They just think he’s gross because he’s a frog. And a dumb frog. But he’s a talking frog! He can’t be that dumb if he’s also controlling the water. It’s probably just magic. Narrator: Meanwhile the frog had jumped back into the water, and when she scooped up some water a second time, it was so clear that the sun nearly gleamed with joy in the glass. Then she drank and quenched her thirst and also brought her sisters some of the water. Narrator’s Comments: It’s a very interesting power to have though…change water from clear to murky, or back. The Third Daughter: Why were you so simple minded and afraid of the frog? Narrator: She said to them, and afterward the princess didn’t think anything more about it and went happily to bed. However, after she had been lying there for a while and couldn’t fall asleep, she suddenly heard some scratching at the door and then some singing. [Scratching] Frog [in a sing-song voice]: Open up! Open up! Princess, youngest daughter, don’t you remember what you said when I sat on the well at the water’s edge? You wanted to be my sweetheart, my dear, and I gave you water clearer than clear. The Third Daughter: Oh, that’s my sweetheart, the frog, Narrator: The princess said. The Third Daughter: And since I gave him my word, I’ll open the door. The Narrator’s Comments: For thinking her word wouldn’t do any harm, I thought that she would be more hesitant to let the frog in…she’d be a bit more “no I’m not gonna do that. Her word means something. Narrator: So she got out of bed, opened the door a little, and then lay back down in the bed. The frog hopped after her and jumped on the bed down by her feet and remained there. When the night was over and morning dawned, the frog sprang off the bed and went out through the door. The next evening, when the princess was once again lying in bed, there was some scratching and singing at the door once more. The princess opened the door, and the frog lay in the bed at her feet until it turned day. On the third evening the frog came just like he had done the previous evenings. Narrator’s Comments: Why does he go away in the morning? Also it’s very interesting that to him being a sweetheart means just sharing a bed. The Third Daughter: This is the last time I’ll open the door to you. Narrator: The princess said to him. The Third Daughter: In the future there will be no more of this. Narrator: Then the frog jumped and crawled under her pillow, and the princess fell asleep. Narrator’s Comments: Oh he changed positions. Narrator: When she woke up the next morning, she thought the frog would hop off again. Instead she saw a handsome young prince standing before her, and he told her that he had been the bewitched frog and that she had saved him because she had promised to be his sweetheart. Narrator’s Comments: If it was just the promise he needed, she promised him three days ago. Why did this magic have a lag effect? Narrator: Then the two of them went to the king, who gave them his blessing, and a wedding was held. Meanwhile, the two other sisters were angry with themselves because they had not taken the frog to be their sweetheart. The end. [Chimes to signal the end of the story] [Strings play softly under The Narrator] Narrator: The moral of today’s story is: be kind to animals, they could be magic and secretly very attractive. I find it very funny that the sisters were so disappointed that they didn’t agree to be the frog’s sweetheart. I can just imagine them going around now, and anytime there is a talking animal, wishing so much for that animal to also be an enchanted prince, that they go around making deals with animals. I’m sure that will always turn out great. For today’s treat, I’m going to read you a second story. In the final published version of the Brothers Grimm’s works, there is no story titled “The Frog Prince,” but in both the first and last versions there is a story titled “The Frog King,” or “Iron Henry.” This story is very similar to “The Frog Prince” in that it has an enchanted frog that requires a princess to help break his curse. In “The Frog King” there are more elements that we closely associate with the story of “The Frog Prince,” such as the golden ball that that falls into the well, only one princess coming down to the well, and her disgust with the frog, and the frog asking for more things in return for retrieving the ball from the well. There is still no magical kiss in “The Frog King,” but rather the frog is thrown against the wall before returning to human form. There is also the addition of the Frog Prince’s faithful servant, Henry, who had iron bands put around his heart after his master was cursed, so that it wouldn’t break from sadness. The version of “The Frog King,” or “Iron Henry,” is from the final published works of the Brothers Grimm. Once upon a time… [Chimes to signal the start of the story] Narrator: In olden times, when wishing still helped, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful that the sun itself, which had seen so many things, was always filled with amazement each time it casts its rays upon her face. Now, there was a great dark forest near the king’s castle, and in this forest, beneath an old linden tree, was a well. Whenever the days were very hot, the king’s daughter would go into this forest and sit down by the edge of the cool well. If she became bored, she would take her golden ball, throw it into the air, and catch it. More than anything else she loved playing with this ball. Narrator’s Comments: I love that opening line so much: when wishing still helped. It’s so bittersweet. There really wasn’t anything for these people to do for fun in olden times, if the princess’s most joyous times came from throwing a ball up into the air and catching it. Though that is points for simple pleasures. Narrator: One day it so happened that the ball did not fall back into the princess’s little hand as she reached out to catch it. Instead, it bounced right by her and rolled straight into the water. The princess followed it with her eyes, but the ball disappeared, and the well was deep, so very deep that she could not see the bottom. She began to cry, and she cried louder and louder, for there was nothing that could comfort her. Narrator’s Comments: I’m surprised the ball hadn’t rolled into the well at an earlier time, considering how many time she played with the ball by the well. Narrator: As she sat there grieving over her loss a voice called out to her, Narrator as the Frog [throaty and ribbity]: What’s the matter, Princess? Yours tears could move even a stone to pity. Narrator: She looked around to see where the voice was coming from and saw a frog sticking his thick, ugly head out of the water. Narrator as the Princess [bratty]: Oh, it’s you, you old water-splasher!” Narrator: She said. Princess: I’m crying because my golden ball has fallen into the well. Frog: Be quiet and stop crying. Narrator: The frog responded. Frog: I’m sure I can help you. But what will you give me if I fetch your plaything? Princess: Whatever you like, dear frog. Narrator: She said. Princess: My clothes, my pearls and jewels, even the golden crown I’m wearing on my head. Frog: I don’t want your clothes, your pearls and jewels, or your golden crown. Narrator: The frog responded. Frog: But if you will love me and let me be your companion and playmate, and let me sit beside you at the table, eat from your little golden plate, drink from your little cup, and sleep in your little bed—if you promise me all that, I’ll dive down and retrieve your golden ball. Princess: Oh, yes. Narrator: She said. Princess: I’ll promise you anything you want if only you’ll bring back the ball! Narrator: However, she thought… Princess: What nonsense that stupid frog talks! He just sits in the water croaking with the rest of the frogs. How can he expect a human being to accept him as a companion? Narrator: Once the frog had her promise, he dipped his head under the water, dived downward, and soon came paddling back to the surface with the ball in his mouth. When he threw it onto the grass, the princess picked it up and ran off with it. Narrator’s Comments: that sounds more like a princess, and a child, just so excited that their toy is back that they take off and forget all about who’s around them. Frog: Wait, wait! Narrator: Cried the frog. Frog: Take me with you. I can’t run like you. [Croaking] Narrator: He croaked as loudly as he could, but what good did it do? She paid no attention to him. Instead, she rushed home and soon forgot about the poor frog, who had to climb back down into his well. The next day, as she sat at the table with the king and his courtiers and ate from her little golden plate, something came crawling, [Squelching water] Narrator: Splish, splash, splish, splash up the marble steps. When it reached the top, it knocked on the door and cried out, [Knocking] Frog: Princess, youngest daughter, open up! Narrator: She ran to see who was outside. But when she opened the door and saw the frog, she quickly slammed the door shut and went back to the table in a state of fright. The king could clearly see her heart was thumping and said, Narrator as the King [deep]: My child, what are you afraid of? Has a giant come to get you? Princess: Oh, no. Narrator: She answered. Princess: It’s not a giant, but a nasty frog. King: What does a frog want from you? Princess: Oh, dear Father, yesterday when I was sitting and playing near the well in the forest, my golden ball fell into the water, and because I cried so much, the frog fetched it for me, and because he insisted, I had to promise he could be my companion. But I never thought he’d get out of the water. Now he’s outside and wants to come in and be with me. Narrator: Just then there was a second knock at the door, and voice cried out, [Knocking] Frog: Princess, Princess, youngest daughter, open up and let me in. Have you forgotten what you promise down by the well’s cool water? Princess, Princess, youngest daughter, open up and let me in. Narrator: Then the king said, King: If you’ve made a promise, you must keep it. Go and let him in. Narrator: After she went and opened the door, the frog hopped into the room and followed her right to her chair, where he plopped himself down and cried out, Frog: Lift me up beside you! Narrator: She refused until the king finally ordered her to do so. Once the frog was on the chair, he wanted to climb onto the table, and when he made it to the table, he said, Frog: Now push your little golden plate nearer to me so we can eat together. Narrator: To be sure, she did this, but it was quite clear that she did not like it. The frog enjoyed his meal, while each bite the princess took got stuck in her throat. Finally, he said, Frog: I’ve had enough, and now I’m tired. Carry me upstairs to your room and get your silken bed ready so we can go to sleep. Narrator’s Comments: This frog really wants a lot done for himself. His demands are a lot more than the first story. I wonder how hard it was to really get that ball…if all of this is really an even trade. Narrator: The princess began to cry because the cold frog frightened her. She did not even have enough courage to touch him, and yet, now she was supposed to let him sleep in her beautiful, clean bed. But the king gave her an angry look and said, King: It’s not proper to scorn someone who helped you when you were in trouble! Narrator: So she picked up the frog with her two fingers, carried him upstairs, and set him down in a corner. Narrator’s Comments: I can just picture her picking him up between her thumb and forefinger and carrying the frog as far in front of her as she could, with just this look on her face of disgust! Narrator: Soon after she had got into bed, he came crawling over to her and said, Frog: I’m tired and want to sleep as much as you do. Lift me up, or I’ll tell your father! Narrator: This made the princess extremely angry, and after she picked him up, she threw him against the wall with all her might. Narrator’s Comments: Good thing PETA wasn’t around in these days. They would come knocking at her door so fast. Princess: Now you can have your rest, you nasty frog! Narrator: However, when he fell to the ground, he was no longer a frog but a prince with kind and beautiful eyes. So, in keeping with her father’s wishes, she accepted him as her dear companion and husband, whereupon the prince told her that a wicked witch had cast a spell over him and no one could have got him out of the well except her, and now he intended to take her to his kingdom the next day. Narrator’s Comments: I love that she pins this on her father. Well my dad wanted you to be my companion, he said I needed to keep my promises, plus you’re super hot, so yeah, I’ll totally marry you, this totally worked out so well. And I wonder if the witch specifically picked this princess because she knew that she was a brat and was trying to teach her a lesson, or if any of the other king’s daughters would’ve worked. Narrator: Then they fell asleep, Narrator’s Comments: Did they really just fall asleep? And they’re already sharing a bed. And are they already married? Because she says that she’s accepted him as her husband… but I feel like they have to have a whole ceremony first. Narrator: And in the morning, when the sun woke them, a coach drawn by eight white horses came driving up. The horses had ostrich plumes on their heads and harnesses with golden chains. At the back of the coach stood Faithful Heinrich, the young king’s servant. He had been so distressed when he had learned his master had been turned into a frog that he had ordered three iron bands be wrapped around his heart to keep it from bursting from grief and sadness. But now the coach had come to bring the young king back to his kingdom, and Faithful Heinrich helped the prince and princess into it and then took his place at the back again. He was overcome by joy because his master had been saved. Narrator’s Comments: That coach got there very quickly. Could they tell that the magic had been lifted or did they have to send a note? ‘Cause a note would’ve taken a little bit longer to get to Heinrich and the prince’s kingdom. Narrator: When they had traveled some distance, the prince heard a cracking noise behind him, as if something had broken. [Cracking] Narrator: He turned around and cried out, Narrator as the Prince [husky]: Heinrich, the coach is breaking! Narrator as Heinrich [a bit Scottish]: No, my lord, it’s really nothing but the band around my heart, for it nearly fell apart when the witch did cast her spell and made you live as a frog in a well. [More cracking] Narrator: The cracking noise was heard two more times along the way, and the prince thought each time that the coach was breaking, but the noise as only the sound of the bands snapping from Faithful Heinrich’s heart, for he knew his master was safe and happy. The end. [Chimes to signal the end of the story] [Strings play softly under The Narrator] Narrator: The moral of this story is be kind to animals, don’t be a brat, but even if you are you may still end up with a rich, handsome prince as a husband. There are few differences between the first and last version of “The Frog King.” Some dialogue is reworded, along with some of the descriptive narrative, but nothing too drastic as we have seen in previous stories. One line in the original version of “The Frog King” that I really do enjoy, is after the princess has thrown the frog against the wall, it reads, “but the frog didn’t fall down dead, instead when he fell down on the bed he became a handsome, young prince. Well, now indeed he did become her dear companion and she cherished him as she had promised, and in their delight they fell asleep together.” That really makes me wonder what happened between those sheets. The first story was read from The Complete First Edition. The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of The Brothers Grimm. Translated and Edited by Jack Zipes. The second story was read from All New Third Edition The Complete Fairy Tales of The Brothers Grimm. Translation and Introduction by Jack Zipes. If you have a fairy tale you would like me to read aloud, you can email me at [email protected]. You can follow the show on Twitter and Instagram at Mythicalpodcast. Where I post behind the scenes, updates, and clues to each week’s episode. If you like the show, please a rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts, as I greatly appreciate it and it helps other people find the show. Thank you for joining me today. I’m the Narrator and this is Mythical. [Music swells and fades] |
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