Grimm's Fairy Tales | Frederick & Kate | Sweetheart Roland

Enjoy this reading of two of the classic Grimm's Fairy Tales... "Frederick and Catherine" and "Sweetheart Roland"!

The Grimm Fairy Tales were originally a collection of over 200 folk tales, collected by the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in Germany and published in the early 1800s... There are many different stories in the collection and many of them are indeed quite "grim", yet they form the backbones of so many of our familiar fairy tales today!

Transcript

Hello there,

Thank you so much for joining me for this reading of another couple of the Grimm's Fairy Tales,

This time Frederick and Catherine and Sweetheart Roland.

Perhaps you've heard some of the other recordings of Grimm's Fairy Tales,

You can actually find a lot of them together in the Grimm's Fairy Tales playlist.

But for now,

Before we get into listening to this couple of stories,

Let's take a moment here to have a nice deep exhale.

Letting go of the day,

Letting go of whichever baggage we might be bringing along with us.

For right now,

There's nowhere else that we have to be,

And nothing else that we have to do.

So we can just relax,

Get ourselves comfortable,

And enjoy this reading of another couple of the Grimm's Fairy Tales.

Frederick and Catherine There was once a man called Frederick.

He had a wife whose name was Catherine,

And they had not long been married.

One day Frederick said,

Kate,

I am going to work in the fields.

When I come back,

I shall be hungry,

So let me have something nice cooked and a good draft of ale.

Very well,

Said she,

It shall all be ready.

When dinner time drew nigh,

Catherine took a nice steak,

Which was all the meat she had,

And put it on the fire to fry.

The steak soon began to look brown and to crackle in the pan,

And Catherine stood by with a fork and turned it.

Then she said to herself,

She said to herself,

The steak is almost ready.

I may as well go to the cellar for the ale.

So she left the pan on the fire and took a large jug and went into the cellar and tapped the ale cask.

The beer ran into the jug and Catherine stood looking on.

At last,

It popped into her head.

The dog is not shut up.

He may be running away with the steak.

That's well thought of.

So up she ran from the cellar and sure enough,

The rascally cur had got the steak in his mouth and was making off with it.

Away ran Catherine,

And away ran the dog across the field,

But he ran faster than she and stuck close to the steak.

It's all gone,

And what can't be cured must be endured,

Said Catherine.

So she turned round,

And as she had run a good way and was tired,

She walked home leisurely to cool herself.

Now,

All this time,

The ale was running too,

For Catherine had not turned the cock,

And when the jug was full,

The liquor ran upon the floor till the cask was empty.

When she got to the cellar stairs,

She saw what had happened.

My stars,

Said she.

What shall I do to keep Frederick from seeing all this slopping about?

So she thought a while,

And at last remembered that there was a sack of fine meal bought at the last fair,

And that if she sprinkled this over the floor,

It would suck up the ale nicely.

What a lucky thing,

Said she,

That we kept that meal.

We have now a good use for it.

So away she went for it,

But she managed to set it down just upon the great jug full of beer full of beer and upset it,

And thus all the ale that had been saved was set swimming on the floor also.

Oh well,

Said she,

When one goes,

Another may as well follow.

Then she strewed the meal all about the cellar,

And was quite pleased with her cleverness,

And said,

How very neat and clean it looks.

At noon,

Frederick came home.

Now wife,

Cried he,

What have you for dinner?

Oh,

Frederick,

Answered she,

I was cooking you a steak,

But while I went down to draw the ale,

The dog ran away with it,

And while I ran after him,

The ale ran out,

And when I went to dry up the ale with the sack of meal that we got at the fair,

I upset the jug.

But the cellar is now quite dry and looks so clean.

Kate,

Kate,

Said he,

How could you do all this?

Why did you leave the steak to fry and the ale to run and then spoil all the meal?

Why,

Frederick,

Said she,

I did not know I was doing wrong.

You should have told me before.

The husband thought to himself,

If my wife manages matters thus,

I must look sharp myself.

Now,

He had a good deal of gold in the house,

So he said to Catherine,

What pretty yellow buttons these are.

I shall put them into a box and bury them in the garden,

But take care that you never go near or meddle with them.

No,

Frederick,

Said she,

That I never will.

As soon as he was gone,

There came by some peddlers with earthenware plates and dishes,

And they asked her whether she would buy.

Oh,

Oh,

Dear me,

I should like to buy very much,

But I have no money.

If you had any use for yellow buttons,

I might deal with you.

Yellow buttons,

Said they.

Let us have a look at them.

Go into the garden and dig where I tell you,

And you will find the yellow buttons.

I dare not go myself.

So,

The rogues went,

And when they found what these yellow buttons were,

They took them all away and left her plenty of plates and dishes.

Then she set them all about the house for a show,

And when Frederick came back,

He cried out,

Kate,

What have you been doing?

See,

Said she,

I have bought all these with your yellow buttons,

But I did not touch them myself.

The peddlers went themselves and took them up.

Wife,

Wife,

Said Frederick,

What a pretty piece of work you have made.

Those yellow buttons were all my money.

How came you to do such a thing?

Why,

Answered she,

I did not know there was any harm in it.

You should have told me.

Catherine stood musing for a while,

And at last said to her husband,

Hark ye,

Frederick,

We will soon get the gold back.

Let us run after the thieves.

Well,

We will try,

Answered he,

But take some butter and cheese with you,

That we may have something to eat by the way.

Very well,

Said she,

And they set out,

And as Frederick walked the fastest,

He left his wife some way behind.

It does not matter,

Thought she,

When we turn back,

I shall be so much nearer home than he.

Presently she came to the top of a hill,

Down the side of which there was a road so narrow that the cart wheels always chafed the trees on each side as they passed.

Ah,

See now,

Said she,

How they have bruised and wounded those poor trees.

They will never get well.

So she took pity on them,

And made use of the butter to grease them all,

So that the wheels might not hurt them so much.

While she was doing this kind of office,

One of her cheeses fell out of the basket and rolled down the hill.

Catherine looked,

But could not see where it had gone,

So she said,

Well,

Well,

I suppose the other will go the same way and find you.

He has younger legs than I have.

Then she rolled the other cheese after it,

And away it went,

Nobody knows where,

Down the hill,

But she said she supposed that they knew the road and would follow her,

And she could not stay there all day waiting for them.

At last she overtook Frederick,

Who desired her to give him something to eat.

Then she gave him the dry bread.

Where are the butter and cheese,

Said he.

Oh,

Answered she,

I used the butter to grease those poor trees that the wheels chafed so,

And one of the cheeses ran away,

So I sent the other after it to find it,

And I suppose they are both on the road together somewhere.

What a goose you are to do such silly things,

Said the husband.

How can you say so,

Said she,

I am sure you never told me not.

They ate the dry bread together,

And Frederick said,

Kate,

I hope you locked the door safe when you came away.

No,

Answered she,

You did not tell me.

You did not tell me.

Then go home and do it now before we go any farther,

Said Frederick,

And bring with you something to eat.

Catherine did as he told her,

And thought to herself,

By the way,

Frederick wants something to eat.

But I don't think he is very fond of butter and cheese.

I'll bring him a bag of fine nuts and the vinegar,

For I have often seen him take some.

When she reached home,

She bolted the back door,

But the front door she took off the hinges and said,

Frederick told me to lock the door,

But surely it can nowhere be so safe if I take it with me.

So she took her time,

By the way,

And when she overtook her husband,

She cried out,

There,

Frederick,

There is the door itself.

You may watch it as carefully as you please.

Alas,

Alas,

Said he,

What a clever wife I have.

I sent you to make the house fast,

And you take the door away so that everybody may go in and out as they please.

However,

As you have brought the door,

You shall carry it about with you.

For your pains.

Very well,

Answered she,

I'll carry the door,

But I'll not carry the nuts and vinegar bottle also.

That would be too much of a load.

So if you please,

I'll fasten them to the door.

Frederick,

Of course,

Made no objection to that plan,

And they set off into the wood to look for the thieves,

But they could not find them.

And when it grew dark,

They climbed up into a tree to spend the night there.

Scarcely were they up than who should come by but the very rogues they were looking for.

They were,

In truth,

Great rascals and belonged to that class of people who find things before they are lost.

They were tired,

So they sat down and made a fire under the very tree where Frederick and Catherine were.

Frederick slipped down on the other side and picked up some stones.

Then he climbed up again and tried to hit the thieves on the head with them,

But they only said,

It must be near morning,

For the wind shakes the fir apples down.

Catherine,

Who had the door on her shoulder,

Began to be very tired,

But she thought it was the nuts upon it that were so heavy,

So she said softly,

Frederick,

I must let the nuts go.

No,

Answered he,

Not now,

They will discover us.

I can't help that,

They must go.

Well then,

Make haste and throw them down if you will.

Then away rattled the nuts down among the boughs and one of the thieves cried,

Bless me,

It is hailing.

A little while after,

Catherine thought the door was still very heavy,

So she whispered to Frederick,

I must throw the vinegar down.

Pray don't,

Answered he,

It will discover us.

I can't help that,

Said she,

Go it must.

So she poured all the vinegar down and the thieves said,

What a heavy dew there is.

At last,

It popped into Catherine's head that it was the door itself that was so heavy all the time.

So she whispered,

Frederick,

I must throw the door down soon,

But he begged and prayed her not to do so,

For he was sure it would betray them.

Here goes,

However,

Said she,

And down went the door with such a clatter upon the thieves that they cried out,

Murder,

And not knowing what was coming,

Ran away as fast as they could and left all the gold.

So when Frederick and Catherine came down,

There they found all their money safe and sound.

Sweetheart Roland There was once upon a time a woman who was a real witch and had two daughters,

One ugly and wicked and this one she loved because she was her own daughter and one beautiful and good and this one she hated because she was her stepdaughter.

The stepdaughter once had a pretty apron which the other fancied so much that she became envious and told her mother that she must and would have that apron.

Be quiet,

My child,

Said the old woman,

And you shall have it.

Your stepsister has long deserved death.

Tonight,

When she is asleep,

I will come and cut her head off.

Only be careful that you are at the far side of the bed and push her well to the front.

It would have been all over with the poor girl if she had not just then been standing in a corner and heard everything.

All day long she dared not go out of doors and when bedtime had come the witch's daughter got into bed first so as to lie at the far side but when she was asleep the other pushed her gently to the front and took for herself the place at the back close by the wall.

In the night,

The old woman came creeping in.

She held an axe in her right hand and felt with her left to see if anyone were lying at the outside and then she grasped the axe with both hands and cut her own child's head off.

When she had gone away,

The girl got up and went to her sweetheart who was called Roland and knocked at his door.

When he came out,

She said to him,

Listen,

Dearest Roland,

We must fly in all haste.

My stepmother wanted to kill me but has struck her own child.

When daylight comes and she sees what she has done,

We shall be lost.

But,

Said Roland,

I counsel you first to take away her magic wand or we cannot escape if she pursues us.

The maiden fetched the magic wand and she took the dead girl's head and dropped three drops of blood on the ground.

One in front of the bed,

One in the kitchen and one on the stairs.

Then she hurried away with her lover.

When the old witch got up next morning,

She called her daughter and wanted to give her the apron but she did not come.

Then the witch cried,

Where are you?

Here on the stairs I am sweeping,

Answered the first drop of blood.

The old woman went out but saw no one on the stairs and cried again,

Where are you?

Here in the kitchen I am warming myself,

Cried the second drop of blood.

She went into the kitchen but found no one.

Then she cried again,

Where are you?

Ah,

Here in the bed I am sleeping,

Cried the third drop of blood.

She went into the room to the bed.

What did she see there?

Her own child,

Whose head she had cut off,

Bathed in her blood.

The witch fell into a passion,

A passion sprang to the window and as she could look forth quite far into the world,

She perceived her stepdaughter hurrying away with her sweetheart,

Roland.

That shall not help you,

Cried she,

Even if you have got a long way off.

You shall still not escape me.

She put on her many-league boots in which she covered an hour's walk at every step and it was not long before she overtook them.

The girl,

However,

When she saw the old woman striding towards her,

Changed with her magic wand,

Her sweetheart,

Roland,

Into a lake and herself into a duck swimming in the middle of it.

The witch placed herself on the shore through breadcrumbs in and went to endless trouble to entice the duck,

But the duck did not let herself be enticed and the old woman had to go home at night as she had come.

At this,

The girl and her sweetheart,

Roland,

Resumed their natural shapes again and they walked on the whole night until daybreak.

Then the maiden changed herself into a beautiful flower which stood in the midst of a briar hedge and her sweetheart,

Roland,

Into a fiddler.

It was not long before the witch came striding up towards them and said to the musician,

Dear musician,

May I pluck that beautiful flower for myself?

Oh,

Yes,

He replied.

I will play to you while you do it.

As she was hastily creeping into the hedge and was just going to pluck the flower,

Knowing perfectly well who the flower was,

He began to play and whether she would or not,

She was forced to dance,

For it was a magical dance.

The faster he played,

The more violent springs she was forced to make and the thorns tore her clothes from her body and pricked her and wounded her till she bled and as he did not stop,

She had to dance till she lay dead on the ground.

As they were now set free,

Roland said,

Now I will go to my father and arrange for the wedding.

Then,

In the meantime,

I will stay here and wait for you,

Said the girl,

And that no one may recognize me,

I will change myself into a red stone landmark.

Then Roland went away and the girl stood like a red landmark in the field and waited for her beloved.

But when Roland got home,

He fell into the snares of another who so fascinated him that he forgot the maiden.

The poor girl remained there a long time,

But at length,

As he did not return at all,

She was sad and changed herself into a flower and thought,

Someone will surely come this way and trample me down.

It befell,

However,

That a shepherd kept his sheep in the field and saw the flower and as it was so pretty,

Plucked it,

Took it with him and laid it away in his chest.

From that time forth,

Strange things happened in the shepherd's house.

When he arose in the morning,

All the work was already done.

The room was swept,

The table and benches cleaned,

The fire in the hearth was lighted and the water was fetched.

And at noon,

When he came home,

The table was laid and a good dinner served.

He could not conceive how this came to pass,

For he never saw a human being in his house and no one could have concealed himself in it.

He was certainly pleased with this good attendance,

But still,

At last,

He was so afraid that he went to a wise woman and asked for her advice.

The wise woman said,

There is some enchantment behind it.

Listen very early some morning,

If anything is moving in the room and if you see anything,

No matter what it is,

Throw a white cloth over it and then the magic will be stopped.

The shepherd did as she bade him and next morning,

Just as day dawned,

He saw the chest open and the flower come out.

Swiftly,

He sprang towards it and threw a white cloth over it.

Instantly,

The transformation came to an end and a beautiful girl stood before him,

Who admitted to him that she had been the flower and that up to this time,

She had attended to his housekeeping.

She told him her story and as she pleased him,

He asked her if she would marry him,

But she answered no,

For she wanted to remain faithful to her sweetheart,

Roland,

Although he had deserted her.

Nevertheless,

She promised not to go away,

But to continue keeping house for the shepherd.

And now the time drew near when Roland's wedding was to be celebrated and then,

According to an old custom in the country,

It was announced that all the girls were to be present at it and sing in honour of the bridal pair.

When the faithful maiden heard of this,

She grew so sad that she thought her heart would break and she would not go thither,

But the other girls came and took her.

When it came to her turn to sing,

She stepped back until at last she was the only one left and then she could not refuse,

But when she began her song and it reached Roland's ears,

He sprang up and cried,

I know the voice,

That is the true bride,

I will have no other.

Everything he had forgotten and which had vanished from his mind had suddenly come home again to his heart.

Then the faithful maiden held her wedding with her sweetheart Roland Roland and grief came to an end and joy began.