Grimms' Fairy Tales | Briar Rose | The Fisherman & His Wife

Enjoy this reading of two more of the classic Grimms' Fairy Tales... "Briar Rose" (Sleeping Beauty) and "The Fisherman and His Wife"!

The Grimms' 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 will be Briar Rose, Which is basically Sleeping Beauty, And the fisherman and his wife. So as you probably know, The Grimm's Fairy Tales was a collection of more than 200 folktales collected up in Germany by the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and published in the early 1800s. So many stories, So many themes that we still see in modern fairy tales today. Castles and royalty and spells and animals and witches and fairies and enchantments and challenges and more. Many of these stories can seem quite grim to modern audiences and yet also very familiar. So before we get into these particular stories, Let's just take a moment here to have a nice deep exhale. Letting go of the day, Letting go of whichever baggage we may be bringing along with us into this moment. For right now, There's nowhere else we have to go and nothing else we have to be doing. So we can just relax, Get ourselves comfortable and enjoy another couple of the Grimm's Fairy Tales. Briar Rose. A king and queen once upon a time reigned in a country a great way off, Where there were, In those days, Fairies. Now this king and queen had plenty of money and plenty of fine clothes to wear and plenty of good things to eat and drink and a coach to ride out in every day. But though they had been married many years, They had no children and this grieved them very much indeed. But one day, As the queen was walking by the side of the at the bottom of the garden, She saw a poor little fish that had thrown itself out of the water and lay gasping and nearly dead on the bank. Then the queen took pity on the little fish and threw it back again into the river and before it swam away, It lifted its head out of the water and said, I know what your wish is and it shall be fulfilled. In return for your kindness to me, You will soon have a daughter. What the little fish had foretold soon came to pass and the queen had a little girl so very beautiful that the king could not cease looking on it for joy and said he would hold a great feast and make merry and show the child to all the land. So he asked his kinsmen and nobles and friends and neighbours, But the queen said I will have the fairies also that they might be kind and good to our little daughter. Now there were 13 fairies in the kingdom, But as the king and queen had only 12 golden dishes for them to eat out of, They were forced to leave one of the fairies without asking her. So 12 fairies came, Each with a high red cap on her head and red shoes with high heels on her feet and a long white wand in her hand and after the feast was over they gathered round in a ring and gave all their best gifts to the little princess. One gave her goodness, Another beauty, Another riches and so on till she had all that was good in the world. Just as 11 of them had done blessing her, A great noise was heard in the courtyard and word was brought that the 13th fairy was come with a black cap on her head and black shoes on her feet and a broomstick in her hand and presently up she came into the dining hall. Now as she had not been asked to the feast, She was very angry and scolded the king and queen very much and set to work to take her revenge. So she cried out, The king's daughter shall in her 15th year be wounded by a spindle and fall down dead. Then the 12th of the friendly fairies who had not yet given her gift came forward and said that the evil wish must be fulfilled but that she could soften its mischief. So her gift was that the king's daughter when the spindle wounded her should not really die but should only fall asleep for a hundred years. However the king hoped still to save his dear child altogether from the threatened evil so he ordered that all the spindles in the kingdom should be bought up and burnt but all the gifts of the first 11 fairies were in the meantime fulfilled for the princess was so beautiful and well behaved and good and wise that everyone who knew her loved her. It happened that on the very day she was 15 years old the king and queen were not at home and she was left alone in the palace. So she roved about by herself and looked at all the rooms and chambers till at last she came to an old tower to which there was a narrow staircase ending with a little door. In the door there was a golden key and when she turned it the door sprang open and there sat an old lady spinning away very busily. Why how now good mother said the princess. What are you doing there? Spinning said the old lady and nodded her head humming a tune while went the wheel. How prettily that little thing turns round said the princess and took the spindle and began to try and spin but scarcely had she touched it before the fairy's prophecy was fulfilled. The spindle wounded her and she fell down lifeless on the ground. However she was not dead but had only fallen into a deep sleep and the king and the queen who had just come home and all their court fell asleep too and the horses slept in the stables and the dogs in the court the pigeons on the housetop and the very flies slept upon the walls. Even the fire on the hearth left off blazing and went to sleep. The jack stopped and the spit that was turning about with the goose upon it for the king's dinner stood still and the cook who was at that moment pulling the kitchen boy by the hair to give him a box on the ear for something he had done amiss let him go and both fell asleep. The butler who was slyly tasting the ale fell asleep with the jug at his lips and thus everything stood still and slept soundly. A large hedge of thorns soon grew round the palace and every year it became higher and thicker till at last the old palace was surrounded and hidden. So that not even the roof or the chimneys could be seen but there went a report through all the land of the beautiful sleeping Briar Rose or so the king's daughter was called. So that from time to several king's sons came and tried to break through the thicket into the palace. This however none of them could ever do for the thorns and bushes laid hold of them as it were with hands and there they stuck fast and died wretchedly. After many many years there came a king's son into that land and an old man told him the story of the thicket of thorns and how a beautiful palace stood behind it and how a wonderful princess called Briar Rose lay in it asleep with all her court. He told too how he had heard from his grandfather that many many princes had come and had tried to break through the thicket but that they had all stuck fast in it and died. Then the young prince said all this shall not frighten me I will go and see this Briar Rose. The old man tried to hinder him but he was bent upon going. Now that very day the hundred years were ended and as the prince came to the thicket he saw nothing but beautiful flowering shrubs through which he went with ease and they shut in after him as thick as ever. Then he came at last to the palace and there in the court lay the dogs asleep and the horses were standing in the stables and on the roof sat the pigeons fast asleep with their heads under their wings and when he came into the palace the flies were sleeping on the walls, The spit was standing still, The butler had the jug of ale at his lips going to drink a draught, The maid sat with a fowl in her lap ready to be plucked and the cook in the kitchen was still holding up her hand as if she was going to beat the boy. Then he went on still farther and all was so still that he could hear every breath he drew till at last he came to the old tower and opened the door of the little room in which Briar Rose was and there she lay fast asleep on a couch by the window. She looked so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her so he stooped down and gave her a kiss but the moment he kissed her she opened her eyes and awoke and smiled upon him and they went out together and soon the king and queen also awoke and all the court and gazed on each other with great wonder and the horses shook themselves and the dogs jumped up and barked, The pigeons took their heads from under their wings and looked about and flew into the fields, The flies on the walls buzzed again, The fire in the kitchen blazed up, Round went the jack and round went the spit with the goose for the king's dinner upon it, The butler finished his draught of ale, The maid went on plucking the fowl and the cook gave the boy the box on his ear and then the prince and Briar Rose were married and the wedding feast was given and they lived happily together all their lives long. The Fisherman and His Wife There was once a fisherman who lived with his wife in a pigsty close by the seaside. The fisherman used to go out all day long a-fishing and one day as he sat on the shore with his rod looking at the sparkling waves and watching his line, All of a sudden his float was dragged away deep into the water and in drawing it up he pulled out a great fish but the fish said, Pray let me live, I'm not a real fish, I am an enchanted prince, Put me in the water again and let me go. Oh ho, Said the man, You need not make so many words about the matter, I will have nothing to do with a fish that can talk, So swim away sir as soon as you please. Then he put him back into the water and the fish darted straight down to the bottom and left a long streak of blood behind him on the wave. When the fisherman went home to his wife in the pigsty he told her how he had caught a great fish and how it had told him it was an enchanted prince and how on hearing it speak he had let it go again. Did you not ask it for anything, Said the wife, We live very wretchedly here in this nasty dirty pigsty, Do go back and tell the fish we want a snug little cottage. The fisherman did not much like the business, However he went to the seashore and when he came back there the water looked all yellow and green and he stood at the water's edge and said, Oh man of the sea, Hearken to me, My wife Ilsebill will have her own will and hath sent me to beg a boon of thee. Then the fish came swimming to him and said, Well what is her will, What does your wife want? Ah, Said the fisherman, She says that when I had caught you I ought to have asked you for something before I let you go. She does not like living any longer in the pigsty and wants a snug little cottage. Go home then, Said the fish, She is in the cottage already. So the man went home and saw his wife standing at the door of a nice trim little cottage. Come in, Come in, Said she, Is not this much better than that filthy pigsty we had? And there was a parlour and a bed chamber and a kitchen and behind the cottage there was a little garden planted with all sorts of flowers and fruits and there was a courtyard behind full of ducks and chickens. Ah, Said the fisherman, How happily we shall live now. We will try to do so at least, Said his wife. Everything went right for a week or two and then Dame Ilsebill said, Husband there is not near room enough for us in this cottage. The courtyard and the garden are a great deal too small. I should like to have a large stone castle to live in. Go to the fish again and tell him to give us a castle. Wife, Said the fisherman, I don't like to go to him again but perhaps he will be angry. We ought to be easy with this pretty cottage to live in. Nonsense, Said the wife, He will do it very willingly I know. Go along and try. The fisherman went but his heart was very heavy and when he came to the sea it looked blue and gloomy, Though it was very calm and he went close to the edge of the waves and said, Oh man of the sea hearken to me. My wife Ilsebill will have her own will and has sent me to beg a boon of thee. Well what does she want now, Said the fish. Ah, Said the man dolefully, My wife wants to live in a stone castle. Go home then, Said the fish, She is standing at the gate of it already. So away went the fisherman and found his wife standing before the gate of a great castle. See, Said she, Is not this grand. And with that they went into the castle together and found a great many servants there and the rooms all richly furnished and full of golden chairs and tables and behind the castle was a garden and around it was a park half a mile long, Full of sheep and goats and hares and deer and in the courtyard were stables and cow houses. Well, Said the man, Now we will live cheerful and happy in this beautiful castle for the rest of our lives. Perhaps we may, Said the wife, But let us sleep upon it before we make up our minds to that. So they went to bed. The next morning, When Dame Ilsebill awoke, It was broad daylight and she jogged the fisherman with her elbow and said, Get up husband and bestow yourself for we must be king of all the land. Wife, Wife, Said the man, Why should we wish to be the king? I will not be king. Then I will, Said she. But wife, Said the fisherman, How can you be king? A fish cannot make you a king. Husband, Said she, Say no more about it, But go and try. I will be king. So the man went away quite sorrowful to think that his wife should want to be king. This time the sea looked a dark grey colour and was overspread with curling waves and the ridges of foam as he cried out, O man of the sea, Hearken to me. My wife Ilsebill will have her own will and has sent me to beg a boon of thee. Well, What would she have now, Said the fish. Alas, Said the poor man, My wife wants to be king. Go home, Said the fish, She is king already. Then the fisherman went home and as he came close to the palace, He saw a troop of soldiers and heard the sound of drums and trumpets. And when he went in, He saw his wife sitting on a throne of golden diamonds with a golden crown upon her head and on each side of her stood six fair maidens, Each a head taller than the other. Well, Wife, Said the fisherman, Are you king? Yes, Said she, I am king. And when he had looked at her for a long time, He said, Ah, Wife, What a fine thing it is to be king. Now we shall never have anything more to wish for as long as we live. I don't know how that may be, Said she, Never. It was a long time. I am king, It is true, But I begin to be tired of that and I think I should like to be emperor. Ah, Alas, Wife, Why should you wish to be emperor, Said the fisherman. Husband, Said she, Go to the fish, I say I will be emperor. Ah, Wife, Replied the fisherman, The fish cannot make an emperor, I'm sure. And I should not like to ask him for such a thing. I am king, Said Ilsebill, And you are my slave. So go at once. So the fisherman was forced to go and he muttered as he went along, This will come to no good. It is too much to ask. The fish will be tired at last and then we shall be sorry for what we have done. He soon came to the seashore and the water was quite black and muddy and a mighty whirlwind blew over the waves and rolled them about. But he went as near as he could to the water's brink and said, Oh man of the sea, Hearken to me, My wife Ilsebill will have her own will and has sent me to beg a boon of thee. What would she have now, Said the fish. Ah, Said the fisherman, She wants to be emperor. Go home, Said the fish, She is emperor already. So he went home again and as he came near he saw his wife Ilsebill sitting on a very lofty throne made of solid gold with a great crown on her head, Full two yards high. And on each side of her stood her guards and attendants in a row, Each one smaller than the other, From the tallest giant down to a little dwarf no bigger than my finger. And before her stood princes and dukes and earls and the fisherman went up to her and said, Wife are you emperor? Yes, Said she, I am emperor. Ah, Said the man as he gazed upon her, What a fine thing it is to be emperor. Husband, Said she, Why should we stop at being emperor? I will be pope next. Ah, Wife, Wife, Said he, How can you be pope? There is but one pope at a time in Christendom. Husband, Said she, I will be pope this very day. But, Replied the husband, The fish cannot make you pope. What nonsense, Said she, If he can make an emperor he can make a pope, Go and try him. So, The fisherman went. But when he came to the shore the wind was raging and the sea was tossed up and down in boiling waves and the ships were in trouble and rolled fearfully upon the tops of billows. In the middle of the heavens there was a little piece of blue sky but towards the south all was red as if a dreadful storm was rising. At this sight the fisherman was dreadfully frightened and he trembled so that his knees knocked together. But still he went down near to the shore and said, O man of the sea, Hearken to me. My wife, Ilsebill, Will have her own will and has sent me to beg a boon of thee. What does she want now, Said the fish. Ah, Said the fisherman, My wife wants to be pope. Go home, Said the fish, She is pope already. Then the fisherman went home and found Ilsebill sitting on a throne that was two miles high and she had three great crowns on her head and around her stood all the pomp and power of the church and on each side of her were two rows of burning lights of all sizes, The greatest as large as the highest and biggest tower in the world and the least no larger than a small rush light. Wife, Said the fisherman as he looked at all this greatness, Are you pope? Yes, Said she, I am pope. Well, Wife replied he, It is a grand thing to be pope and now you must be easy for you can be nothing greater. I will think about that, Said the wife. Then they went to bed but Dame Ilsebill could not sleep all night for thinking what she should be next. At last, As she was dropping asleep, Morning broke and the sun rose. Ha, Thought she, As she woke up and looked at it through the window, After all I cannot prevent the sun rising, At this thought she was very angry and wakened her husband and said, Husband go to the fish and tell him I must be lord of the sun and moon. The fisherman was half asleep but the thought frightened him so much that he started and fell out of bed. Alas, Wife, Said he, Cannot you be easy with being pope? No, Said she, I'm very uneasy. As long as the sun and moon rise, Without my leave, Go to the fish at once. Then the man went shivering with fear and as he was going down to the shore a dreadful storm arose so that the trees and the very rocks shook and all the heavens became black with stormy clouds and the lightnings played and the thunders rolled and you might have seen in the sea great black waves swelling up like mountains with crowns of white foam upon their heads and the fisherman crept towards the sea and cried out as well as he could, O man of the sea, Hearken to me, My wife Ilsebill will have her own will and has sent me to beg a boon of thee. What does she want now? Said the fish. Ah, Said he, She wants to be lord of the sun and moon. Go home, Said the fish, To your pigsty again. And there they live to this very day.