Hansel and Grethel

Near a great forest lived a poor woodcutter with his wife and his two children. The boy was called Hansel and the girl Grethel. He had very little to eat, and once when a great famine came to the land, he could no longer get enough daily bread.

One night as he lay in bed worrying, he sighed and said to his wife, "What will become of us? How can we feed our poor children when we have nothing left for ourselves?" "Listen," answered the woman, "early tomorrow morning we will take the children out into the forest where it is thickest.

We will light a fire for them and give each one a piece of bread. Then we will go to work and leave them alone. They won't find their way home, and we will be rid of them." "No, wife," said the man, "I cannot do that.

How could I leave my children alone in the forest? The wild animals would soon come and tear them to pieces." "Oh, you fool!" she said, "then we must all four die of hunger. You might as well start making our coffins." She gave him no peace until he agreed.

"But I still feel so sorry for the poor children," said the man.

The two children had not been able to sleep because of hunger, and they had heard what their stepmother said to their father. Grethel wept bitterly and said to Hansel, "Now it's all over for us." "Be quiet, Grethel," said Hansel, "don't worry.

I will soon find a way to help us." When the old people had fallen asleep, he got up, put on his little coat, opened the door, and crept outside. The moon shone brightly, and the white pebbles in front of the house glittered like silver coins.

Hansel stooped and put as many as he could into his coat pocket. Then he went back and said to Grethel, "Don't be afraid, dear little sister. Sleep peacefully. God will not forget us." Then he lay down again in his bed.

At daybreak, before the sun had risen, the woman came and woke the two children. "Get up, you lazybones! We are going into the forest to fetch wood." She gave each a little piece of bread and said, "Here is something for your dinner, but don't eat it before then, for you will get nothing else." Grethel tucked the bread under her apron, and Hansel already had the stones in his pocket.

Then they all set out together toward the forest. After they had walked a little while, Hansel stopped and looked back at the house, again and again. His father said, "Hansel, what are you looking at? Why are you lagging behind?

Pay attention and don't forget how to walk." "Oh, Father," said Hansel, "I am looking at my little white cat, who is sitting on the roof and wants to say goodbye to me." The wife said, "Fool, that's not your little cat.

That is the morning sun shining on the chimney." But Hansel had not been looking at the cat; he had been dropping one white pebble after another from his pocket onto the path.

When they reached the middle of the forest, the father said, "Now children, gather some wood and I will light a fire so you won't be cold." Hansel and Grethel piled up brushwood as high as a little hill. The brushwood was lit, and when the flames were burning high, the woman said, "Now children, lie down by the fire and rest. We will go into the forest to cut wood. When we are done, we will come back and get you."

Hansel and Grethel sat by the fire. At noon each ate a little piece of bread. They heard the sound of an axe and thought their father was nearby. But it was not an axe; it was a branch that the father had tied to a dead tree, and the wind was blowing it back and forth.

They sat for a long time, until their eyes closed from tiredness and they fell fast asleep. When they woke up, it was already dark. Grethel began to cry and said, "How will we ever get out of the forest now?" But Hansel comforted her.

"Just wait a little until the moon rises, and then we will find our way." When the full moon had risen, Hansel took his little sister by the hand and followed the pebbles that shone like new silver coins and showed them the way.

They walked all night long, and at daybreak they came again to their father's house. They knocked on the door, and when the woman opened it and saw Hansel and Grethel, she said, "You naughty children, why did you sleep so long in the forest? We thought you were never coming back!" But the father was overjoyed, because leaving them behind had broken his heart.

Not long afterward, there was another great famine in the land, and the children heard their mother saying to their father at night, "Everything is eaten again. We have only half a loaf left, and after that, nothing. The children must go.

We will take them deeper into the forest so they will not find their way out. There is no other way to save ourselves!" The man was heavy-hearted and thought, "It would be better to share the last bite with your children." But the woman would not listen to anything he said; she scolded and blamed him.

He who says A must also say B, and since he had given in the first time, he had to do so the second time as well.

But the children were still awake and had heard everything. When the old people had fallen asleep, Hansel got up again and wanted to go out to pick up pebbles as before, but the woman had locked the door, so Hansel could not get out. Even so, he comforted his little sister and said, "Don't cry, Grethel. Go to sleep peacefully. The good God will help us."

Early in the morning the woman came and took the children from their beds. They were given their piece of bread, but it was even smaller than the time before. On the way into the forest, Hansel crumbled his bread in his pocket and often stopped to throw a crumb on the ground.

"Hansel, why do you stop and look around?" said the father. "Go on." "I am looking at my little pigeon, which is sitting on the roof and wants to say goodbye to me," answered Hansel. "Fool!" said the woman, "that is not your little pigeon.

That is the morning sun shining on the chimney." But Hansel kept throwing all the crumbs onto the path.

The woman led the children even deeper into the forest, where they had never been before. Then a great fire was lit again, and the mother said, "Just sit here, children. If you get tired, you may sleep a little. We are going into the forest to cut wood.

In the evening, when we are done, we will come and get you." When noon came, Grethel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, because he had scattered his along the way. Then they fell asleep, and evening came and went, but no one came for the poor children.

They did not wake up until it was dark night. Hansel comforted his little sister and said, "Just wait, Grethel, until the moon rises, and then we will see the bread crumbs I scattered. They will show us the way home." When the moon rose, they set out, but they found no crumbs, because the thousands of birds that fly about in the woods and fields had eaten them all.

Hansel said to Grethel, "We will soon find the way," but they did not. They walked all night and all the next day from morning to evening, but they could not get out of the forest.

They were very hungry, for they had nothing to eat but two or three berries growing on the ground. And when they were so weary that their legs would not carry them any longer, they lay down under a tree and fell asleep.

It was now three mornings since they had left their father's house. They began to walk again, but they only got deeper into the forest, and if help did not come soon, they would die of hunger and exhaustion. At midday they saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a branch.

It sang so beautifully that they stopped to listen. When the bird had finished its song, it spread its wings and flew ahead of them. They followed it until they reached a little house on whose roof the bird landed.

When they got close, they saw that the house was made of bread and covered with cake, and the windows were made of clear sugar. "Let's get to work on that," said Hansel. "I will eat a piece of the roof, and you, Grethel, can eat some of the window.

It will taste sweet." Hansel reached up and broke off a little piece of the roof to see how it tasted, and Grethel leaned against the window and nibbled at the panes. Then a soft voice called from inside:

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

The children answered:

"The wind, the wind, the heavenly wind."

And they kept eating without worrying. Hansel, who thought the roof tasted very good, tore down a big piece, and Grethel pushed out a whole windowpane, sat down, and enjoyed it. Suddenly the door opened, and a very, very old woman came creeping out, leaning on a crutch.

Hansel and Grethel were so frightened that they dropped what they were holding. But the old woman nodded her head and said, "Oh, you dear children, who brought you here? Come in and stay with me.

No harm will come to you." She took them both by the hand and led them into her little house. Then good food was set before them: milk and pancakes with sugar, apples, and nuts.

Afterward, two little beds were made with clean white sheets, and Hansel and Grethel lay down and thought they were in heaven.

But the old woman had only pretended to be kind. She was really a wicked witch who lay in wait for children. She had built the little house of bread just to lure them in.

When a child fell into her power, she killed it, cooked it, and ate it—that was a feast day for her. Witches have red eyes and cannot see far, but they have a keen sense of smell like animals and know when humans are near.

When Hansel and Grethel came into her neighborhood, she laughed wickedly and said mockingly, "I have them! They will not escape me again!" Early in the morning, before the children were awake, she got up.

When she saw both of them sleeping and looking so pretty with their round red cheeks, she muttered to herself, "That will be a tasty bite!" Then she grabbed Hansel with her shriveled hand, carried him into a little stable, and shut him in behind a grated door.

He could scream as much as he liked; it did no good. Then she went to Grethel, shook her awake, and cried, "Get up, lazy thing! Fetch some water and cook something good for your brother. He is in the stable outside and must be fattened up.

When he is fat, I will eat him." Grethel began to weep bitterly, but it was no use. She had to do what the wicked witch ordered.

And now the best food was cooked for poor Hansel, but Grethel got nothing but crab shells. Every morning the old woman crept to the little stable and cried, "Hansel, stretch out your finger so I can feel if you are fat yet." But Hansel stretched out a little bone, and the old woman, who had dim eyes, could not see it and thought it was Hansel's finger.

She was amazed that he did not get fat. After four weeks, Hansel was still thin, and the witch grew impatient and would not wait any longer. "Hey, Grethel!" she cried to the girl, "be quick and fetch water.

Whether Hansel is fat or thin, tomorrow I will kill him and cook him." Oh, how the poor little sister wept when she had to fetch the water! Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Dear God, help us!" she cried.

"If only the wild beasts in the forest had eaten us, then we would have died together." "Keep your noise to yourself!" said the old woman. "It won't help you at all."

Early the next morning, Grethel had to go out and hang the cauldron of water over the fire and light it. "We will bake first," said the old woman. "I have already heated the oven and kneaded the dough." She pushed poor Grethel toward the oven, from which flames were already shooting.

"Crawl in," said the witch, "and see if it is hot enough so we can put the bread in." She planned to shut the oven door once Grethel was inside and let her bake, then eat her too.

But Grethel saw what she had in mind and said, "I don't know how to do it. How do you get in?" "Silly goose," said the old woman, "the door is big enough. Look, I can get in myself!" She crept up and stuck her head into the oven.

Then Grethel gave her a push that sent her far inside, shut the iron door, and fastened the bolt. Oh, how horribly the witch screamed! But Grethel ran away, and the godless witch burned to death miserably.

Grethel ran like lightning to Hansel, opened his little stable, and cried, "Hansel, we are saved! The old witch is dead!" Then Hansel jumped out like a bird from its cage when the door is opened. How they hugged, danced, and kissed each other! They no longer had to be afraid.

They went into the witch's house, and in every corner there were chests full of pearls and jewels. "These are much better than pebbles!" said Hansel, and he stuffed his pockets full. Grethel said, "I will also take something home with me," and filled her apron full.

"But now we must go," said Hansel, "so we can get out of the witch's forest."

After they had walked for two hours, they came to a large lake. "We cannot get across," said Hansel. "I see no plank and no bridge." "And no boat either," answered Grethel, "but a white duck is swimming there. If I ask her, she will help us across." Then she called:

"Little duck, little duck, do you see?

Hansel and Grethel are waiting for thee.

There's no plank or bridge in sight.

Carry us across on your back so white."

The duck swam over to them. Hansel climbed onto its back and told his sister to sit beside him. "No," replied Grethel, "that would be too heavy for the little duck. She will take us one at a time." The good little duck did just that.

When they were safely across and had walked for a short while, the forest seemed more and more familiar. At last, they saw their father's house in the distance. They began to run, rushed into the room, and threw themselves into their father's arms.

The man had not had a single happy hour since he left the children in the forest. The woman, however, had died. Grethel emptied her apron, and pearls and jewels rolled all over the room. Hansel added handful after handful from his pockets.

Then all their worries were over, and they lived together in perfect happiness. My tale is done. There runs a mouse. Whoever catches it may make a big fur cap from it.