The Juniper-Tree

It happened long ago, almost two thousand years ago, that a rich man had a beautiful and loving wife. They loved each other dearly, but they had no children, even though they wished for them very much. The woman prayed day and night, but still they had none.

In front of their house there was a courtyard with a juniper-tree. One winter day the woman stood under the tree, peeling an apple. As she peeled, she cut her finger, and the blood fell on the snow. "Ah," she sighed heavily, looking at the blood before her. She felt very sad. "If only I had a child as red as blood and as white as snow!" As she spoke, she felt happy inside, as if it would happen. Then she went into the house.

A month passed, and the snow melted. Two months passed, and everything turned green. Three months passed, and flowers bloomed. Four months passed, and the trees grew thicker. The birds sang, and blossoms fell. When the fifth month passed, she stood under the juniper-tree, which smelled so sweet that her heart leaped.

She fell to her knees, overflowing with joy. After the sixth month, the fruit was large and fine, and she felt calm. In the seventh month, she picked juniper-berries and ate them eagerly, but then she grew sick and sad. The eighth month passed, and she called her husband to her.

Weeping, she said, "If I die, bury me under the juniper-tree." Then she felt comforted and happy. When the ninth month passed, she gave birth to a child as white as snow and as red as blood. When she saw him, she was so delighted that she died.

Her husband buried her under the juniper-tree and wept bitterly. After a while, he felt better, though he still cried sometimes. After more time, he married another woman.

His second wife had a daughter, but the first wife's child was a little son, as red as blood and as white as snow. When the woman looked at her daughter, she loved her very much, but when she looked at the little boy, it cut her to the heart.

She thought he would always be in her way, and she wanted all the fortune for her daughter. The Evil One filled her mind, and she became angry with the little boy. She slapped him and hit him, so the poor child lived in constant fear.

Even when he came home from school, he had no peace.

One day, the woman went to her room upstairs, and her little daughter followed. "Mother, give me an apple," said the girl. "Yes, my child," said the woman, and she gave her a beautiful apple from a chest. The chest had a heavy lid with a sharp iron lock.

"Mother," said the little daughter, "can't brother have one too?" This made the woman angry, but she said, "Yes, when he comes home from school." From the window she saw him coming. It was as if the Devil entered her.

She snatched the apple back from her daughter and said, "You will not have one before your brother." She threw the apple into the chest and shut it.

Then the little boy came in. The Devil made the woman speak kindly to him: "My son, would you like an apple?" But she looked at him wickedly. "Mother," said the little boy, "you look so scary!

Yes, give me an apple." It seemed as if she had to say, "Come with me." She opened the lid of the chest and said, "Take out an apple for yourself." As the little boy bent down inside, the Devil prompted her. Crash!

She slammed the lid down, and his head flew off and fell among the red apples. Terror filled her. "If only I could make them think I didn't do it!" she thought. She went to her room, took a white handkerchief from a drawer, put the head back on the neck, wrapped the handkerchief so nothing showed, and sat him on a chair in front of the door.

She put an apple in his hand.

Then Marlinchen came into the kitchen to her mother, who stood by the fire stirring a pan of hot water. "Mother," said Marlinchen, "brother is sitting at the door. He looks all white and has an apple in his hand.

I asked him to give me the apple, but he didn't answer, and I got scared." "Go back to him," said her mother, "and if he won't answer, give him a slap." So Marlinchen went to him and said, "Brother, give me the apple." He was silent.

She slapped his ear, and his head fell off. Marlinchen was terrified. She screamed and ran to her mother: "Oh, Mother, I knocked my brother's head off!" She cried and cried. "Marlinchen," said the mother, "what have you done? Be quiet and don't tell anyone. It can't be helped now.

We will make him into black pudding." The mother took the little boy, chopped him into pieces, put him in the pan, and made him into black pudding. Marlinchen stood by weeping, and all her tears fell into the pan, so no salt was needed.

The father came home and sat down to dinner. "But where is my son?" he asked. The mother served a big dish of black pudding. Marlinchen wept and couldn't stop. Again the father asked, "But where is my son?" "Oh," said the mother, "he went away to his mother's great uncle.

He will stay there a while." "What will he do there? He didn't even say goodbye." "Oh, he wanted to go, and asked if he could stay six weeks. He is well looked after." "Ah," said the man, "I feel so uneasy, as if something is wrong.

He should have said goodbye." He began to eat. "Marlinchen, why are you crying? Your brother will come back," he said. Then: "Ah, wife, this food is delicious. Give me more." The more he ate, the more he wanted. "Give me more! You shall have none.

It seems all mine." He ate and ate, and threw all the bones under the table, until he finished everything.

Marlinchen went to her chest of drawers, took her best silk handkerchief from the bottom drawer, gathered all the bones from under the table, tied them in the handkerchief, and carried them outside the door, weeping tears of blood. The juniper-tree began to move.

Its branches parted and came together again, as if someone was rejoicing and clapping. A mist rose from the tree, and in the center it burned like fire. A beautiful bird flew out of the fire, singing magnificently.

It flew high into the air, and when it was gone, the juniper-tree was as before. The handkerchief with the bones was no longer there. Marlinchen felt as happy as if her brother were still alive. She went merrily into the house, sat down, and ate.

The bird flew away and landed on a goldsmith's house and began to sing:

"My mother she killed me, My father he ate me, My sister, little Marlinchen, Gathered together all my bones, Tied them in a silken handkerchief, Laid them beneath the juniper-tree, Kywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!"

The goldsmith was in his workshop making a gold chain. He heard the bird on his roof and thought the song was beautiful. He stood up and rushed out, losing one slipper. He ran down the street with one shoe and one sock, wearing his apron, holding the gold chain and pincers.

The sun shone brightly. He stopped and said: "Bird, how beautifully you sing! Sing me that song again." "No," said the bird, "I won't sing twice for nothing. Give me the gold chain, and I will sing again." "Here," said the goldsmith, "take the gold chain, and sing that song again." The bird came down, took the chain in his right claw, sat in front of the goldsmith, and sang.

Then the bird flew away to a shoemaker and landed on his roof. It sang the same song. The shoemaker heard it and ran out in his shirtsleeves, looking up at the roof. He had to shield his eyes from the sun.

"Bird," he said, "how beautifully you sing!" He called inside: "Wife, come out! There's a bird. Look at that bird! He sings so well!" Then he called his daughter and children and apprentices, boys and girls. They all came and looked at the bird.

They saw how beautiful it was, with fine red and green feathers, a neck like real gold, and eyes shining like stars. "Bird," said the shoemaker, "sing me that song again." "No," said the bird, "I won't sing twice for nothing.

You must give me something." "Wife," said the man, "go to the attic. On the top shelf there is a pair of red shoes. Bring them down." The wife brought the shoes. "There, bird," said the man, "now sing me that song again." The bird came, took the shoes in his left claw, flew back to the roof, and sang.

When he finished, he flew away. In his right claw he had the chain, in his left the shoes.

He flew to a mill. The mill went klipp-klapp, klipp-klapp. Twenty millers sat hewing a stone, going hick-hack, hick-hack. The bird landed on a lime tree in front of the mill and sang:

"My mother she killed me," One stopped working. "My father he ate me." Two more stopped. "My sister, little Marlinchen," Four more stopped. "Gathered together all my bones, Tied them in a silken handkerchief," Now eight only worked. "Laid them beneath" Now only five. "The juniper-tree," Now one.

"Kywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!" That last one stopped too. "Bird," he said, "how beautifully you sing! Let me hear that again. Sing it once more." "No," said the bird, "I won't sing twice for nothing.

Give me the millstone, and I will sing again." "Yes," said the man, "if it were only mine, you could have it." "Yes," said the others, "if he sings again, he shall have it." The bird came down. The twenty millers lifted the stone with a beam.

The bird stuck its neck through the hole, wore the stone like a collar, flew onto the tree, and sang. When he finished, he spread his wings. In his right claw he had the chain, in his left the shoes, around his neck the millstone.

He flew far away to his father's house.

In the room sat the father, the mother, and Marlinchen at dinner. The father said, "How light-hearted I feel! How happy I am!" "No," said the mother, "I feel so uneasy, as if a heavy storm is coming." Marlinchen sat weeping. The bird flew and sat on the roof.

The father said, "Oh, I feel so truly happy! The sun shines so beautifully. I feel like I'm about to see an old friend again." "No," said the woman, "I feel so anxious! My teeth chatter, and it feels like fire in my veins." She tore open her dress.

Marlinchen sat in a corner crying, holding her plate before her eyes until it was wet.

The bird sat on the juniper-tree and sang:

"My mother she killed me,"

The mother stopped her ears and shut her eyes, but the roaring in her ears was like a violent storm, and her eyes burned and flashed like lightning.

"My father he ate me,"

"Oh, mother," said the man, "that is a beautiful bird! He sings so splendidly. The sun is so warm, and it smells like cinnamon!"

"My sister, little Marlinchen,"

Marlinchen laid her head on her knees and wept. But the man said, "I am going out. I must see the bird close up." "Oh, don't go!" said the woman. "I feel as if the whole house is shaking and on fire!" But the man went out and looked at the bird.

"Gathered together all my bones, Tied them in a silken handkerchief, Laid them beneath the juniper-tree, Kywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!"

Then the bird let the gold chain fall. It fell exactly around the man's neck and fit perfectly. He went back inside and said, "Just look what a fine bird that is! And what a handsome gold chain he gave me! How pretty he is!" The woman was terrified and fell to the floor. Her cap fell off. The bird sang again:

"My mother she killed me."

"I wish I were a thousand feet underground, so I couldn't hear that!"

"My father he ate me,"

She fell down again as if dead.

"My sister, little Marlinchen,"

"Oh," said Marlinchen, "I too will go out and see if the bird gives me something." She went out.

"Gathered together all my bones, Tied them in a silken handkerchief,"

Then he threw down the shoes to her.

"Laid them beneath the juniper-tree, Kywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!"

She felt light and happy. She put on the new red shoes and danced into the house. "Oh," she said, "I was so sad when I went out, and now I am so happy. That is a splendid bird!

He gave me a pair of red shoes!" "Well," said the woman, springing to her feet. Her hair stood up like flames of fire. "I feel as if the world is coming to an end! I too will go out and see if I feel lighter." As she stepped outside, crash!

The bird threw down the millstone on her head, and she was completely crushed. The father and Marlinchen heard the noise and ran out. Smoke, flames, and fire rose from the spot. When it cleared, the little brother stood there. He took his father's hand and Marlinchen's hand. All three were overjoyed.

They went into the house to dinner and ate.