About the Brothers Grimm

The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, were born in Hanau *. Throughout their lives they
remained close friends. They attended the University of Marburg together; first studying law and
then German literature (Brothers Grimm, 2019).

Jacob was a pioneer in the study of German Jacob and Wilhelm collected and recorded
philology, and although Wilhelm’s work was stories from the wide wealth of European folk
hampered by poor health the brothers tales, and their aim was to retell the tales
collaborated in the creation of a German exactly as they heard them (Grimm & Grimm,
dictionary, not completed until a century after 2013). Although their intention was to
their deaths. But they were best (and preserve such material as part of German
universally) known for the collection of over cultural and literary history, and their
two hundred folk tales they made from oral collection was first published with scholarly
sources and published in two volumes of notes and no illustration, the tales soon came
’Children’s and Household Tales’ in 1812 and into the possession of young readers. This was
1814.The books later became known as in part due to Edgar Taylor, who made the first
Grimms’ Fairy Tales (Grimms' Fairy Tales, English translation in 1823, selecting about
2019). fifty stories ’with the amusement of some
young friends principally in view.’ They have
been an essential ingredient of children’s
reading ever since.

*
Hanau is located near Frankfurt, in the German state of Hesse.
 The Golden Bird
by the Brothers Grimm

A certain king had a beautiful garden, and in the garden stood a tree which bore golden apples. These apples were always counted, and about the time
when they began to grow ripe it was found that every night one of them was gone. The king became very angry at this, and ordered the gardener to
keep watch all night under the tree.

The gardener set his eldest son to watch; but about twelve o’clock he fell asleep, and in the morning
another of the apples was missing. Then the second son was ordered to watch; and at midnight he too
fell asleep, and in the morning another apple was gone. Then the third son offered to keep watch; but
the gardener at first would not let him, for fear some harm should come to him: however, at last he
consented, and the young man laid himself under the tree to watch. As the clock struck twelve he heard
a rustling noise in the air, and a bird came flying that was of pure gold; and as it was snapping at one of
the apples with its beak, the gardener’s son jumped up and shot an arrow at it. But the arrow did the
bird no harm; only it dropped a golden feather from its tail, and then flew away. The golden feather was
brought to the king in the morning, and all the council was called together. Everyone agreed that it was
worth more than all the wealth of the kingdom: but the king said, ’One feather is of no use to me, I must
have the whole bird.’

Then the gardener’s eldest son set out and thought to find the golden bird very easily; and when he had
gone but a little way, he came to a wood, and by the side of the wood he saw a fox sitting; so he took his bow and made ready to shoot at it. Then the
fox said, ’Do not shoot me, for I will give you good counsel; I know what your business is, and that you want to find the golden bird. You will reach a
village in the evening; and when you get there, you will see two inns opposite to each other, one of which is very pleasant and beautiful to look at: go
not in there, but rest for the night in the other, though it may appear to you to be very poor and mean.’ But the son thought to himself, ’What can such
a beast as this know about the matter?’ So he shot his arrow at the fox; but he missed it, and it set up its tail above its back and ran into the wood.
Then he went his way, and in the evening came to the village where the two inns were; and in one of these were people singing, and dancing, and
feasting; but the other looked very dirty, and poor.
Time passed on; and as the eldest son did not come back, and no
tidings were heard of him, the second son set out, and the same
thing happened to him. He met the fox, who gave him the good
advice: but when he came to the two inns, his eldest brother was
standing at the window where the merrymaking was, and called
to him to come in; and he could not withstand the temptation,
but went in, and forgot the golden bird and his country in the
same manner.

Time passed on again, and the youngest son too wished to set
out into the wide world to seek for the golden bird; but his father would not listen to it for a long
while, for he was very fond of his son, and was afraid that some ill luck might happen to him also,
and prevent his coming back. However, at last it was agreed he should go, for he would not rest at
home; and as he came to the wood, he met the fox, and heard the same good counsel. But he was
thankful to the fox, and did not attempt his life as his brothers had done; so the fox said, ’Sit upon
my tail, and you will travel faster.’ So he sat down, and the fox began to run, and away they went
over stock and stone so quick that their hair whistled in the wind.

When they came to the village, the son followed the fox’s counsel, and without looking about him
went to the shabby inn and rested there all night at his ease. In the morning came the fox again and
met him as he was beginning his journey, and said, ’Go straight forward, till you come to a castle,
before which lie a whole troop of soldiers fast asleep and snoring: take no notice of them, but go
into the castle and pass on and on till you come to a room, where the golden bird sits in a wooden
cage; close by it stands a beautiful golden cage; but do not try to take the bird out of the shabby
cage and put it into the handsome one, otherwise you will repent it.’ Then the fox stretched out his
tail again, and the young man sat himself down, and away they went over stock and stone till their
hair whistled in the wind.

Before the castle gate all was as the fox had said: so the son went in
and found the chamber where the golden bird hung in a wooden
cage, and below stood the golden cage, and the three golden apples
that had been lost were lying close by it. Then thought he to himself,
’It will be a very droll thing to bring away such a fine bird in this
shabby cage’; so he opened the door and took hold of it and put it
into the golden cage. But the bird set up such a loud scream that all
the soldiers awoke, and they took him prisoner and carried him
before the king. The next morning the court sat to judge him; and
when all was heard, it sentenced him to die, unless he should bring
the king the golden horse which could run as swiftly as the wind; and
if he did this, he was to have the golden bird given him for his own.

<To be continued…>