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Title: Grimm's Fairy Tales; Ashputtel
Date of first publication: 1930
Author: Jacob Grimm (1785-1863)
Author: Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859)
Illustrator: Noel Pocock (1880-1955)
Date first posted: September 19 2011
Date last updated: September 19 2011
Faded Page eBook #20120917

This ebook was produced by: David Edwards, Donna Ritchey
& the Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net

(This file was produced from images generously made available by
The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries).




Ashputtel


The wife of a rich man fell sick: and when she felt that her end drew
nigh, she called her only daughter to her bed-side, and said, "Always be
a good girl, and I will look down from heaven and watch over you." Soon
afterwards she shut her eyes and died, and was buried in the garden; and
the little girl went every day to her grave and wept, and was always
good and kind to all about her. And the snow spread a beautiful white
covering over the grave; but by the time the sun had melted it away
again, her father had married another wife. This new wife had two
daughters of her own, that she brought home with her: they were fair in
face, but foul at heart, and it was now a sorry time for the poor little
girl. "What does the good-for-nothing thing want in the parlour?" said
they; "they who would eat bread should first earn it; away with the
kitchen maid!" Then they took away her fine clothes, and gave her an old
gray frock to put on, and laughed at her and turned her into the
kitchen.

There she was forced to do hard work; to rise early before day-light, to
bring the water, to make the fire, to cook and to wash. Besides that,
the sisters plagued her in all sorts of ways and laughed at her. In the
evening when she was tired she had no bed to lie down on, but was made
to lie by the hearth among the ashes; and then, as she was of course
always dusty and dirty, they called her Ashputtel.

It happened once that the father was going to the fair, and asked his
wife's daughters what he should bring them. "Fine clothes," said the
first: "Pearls and diamonds," cried the second. "Now, child," said he to
his own daughter, "what will you have?" "The first sprig, dear father,
that rubs against your hat on your way home," said she. Then he bought
for the two first the fine clothes and pearls and diamonds they had
asked for: and on his way home as he rode through a green copse, a sprig
of hazel brushed against him, and almost pushed off his hat: so he broke
it off and brought it away; and when he got home he gave it to his
daughter. Then she took it and went to her mother's grave and planted it
there, and cried so much that it was watered with her tears; and there
it grew and became a fine tree. Three times every day she went to it and
wept; and soon a little bird came and built its nest upon the tree, and
talked with her, and watched over her, and brought her whatever she
wished for.

Now it happened that the king of the land held a feast which was to last
three days, and out of those who came to it his son was to choose a
bride for himself: and Ashputtel's two sisters were asked to come. So
they called her up, and said, "Now, comb our hair, brush our shoes, and
tie our sashes for us, for we are going to dance at the king's feast."
Then she did as she was told, but when all was done she could not help
crying, for she thought to herself, she should have liked to go to the
dance too; and at last she begged her mother very hard to let her go.
"You! Ashputtel?" said she; "you who have nothing to wear, no clothes at
all, and who cannot even dance--you want to go to the ball?" And when
she kept on begging,--to get rid of her, she said at last, "I will throw
this basinful of peas into the ash heap, and if you have picked them
all out in two hours' time you shall go to the feast too." Then she
threw the peas into the ashes: but the little maiden ran out at the back
door into the garden, and cried out--

    "Hither, hither, through the sky,
     Turtle-doves and linnets, fly!
     Blackbird, thrush, and chaffinch gay,
     Hither, hither, haste away!
     One and all, come help me quick,
     Haste ye, haste ye,--pick, pick, pick!"

Then first came two white doves flying in at the kitchen window; and
next came two turtle-doves; and after them all the little birds under
heaven came chirping and fluttering in, and flew down into the ashes:
and the little doves stooped their heads down and set to work, pick,
pick, pick; and then the others began to pick, pick, pick; and picked
out all the good grain and put it in a dish, and left the ashes. At the
end of one hour the work was done, and all flew out again at the
windows. Then she brought the dish to her mother, overjoyed at the
thought that now she should go to the wedding. But she said, "No, no!
you slut, you have no clothes and cannot dance, you shall not go." And
when Ashputtel begged very hard to go, she said, "If you can in one
hour's time pick two of those dishes of peas out of the ashes, you shall
go too." And thus she thought she should at last get rid of her. So she
shook two dishes of peas into the ashes; but the little maiden went out
into the garden at the back of the house, and cried out as before--

    "Hither, hither, through the sky,
     Turtle-doves and linnets, fly!
     Blackbird, thrush, and chaffinch gay,
     Hither, hither, haste away!
     One and all, come help me quick,
     Haste ye, haste ye,--pick, pick, pick!"

Then first came two white doves in at the kitchen window; and next came
the turtle-doves; and after them all the little birds under heaven came
chirping and hopping about, and flew down about the ashes: and the
little doves put their heads down and set to work, pick, pick, pick; and
then the others began pick, pick, pick; and they put all the good grain
into the dishes, and left all the ashes. Before half an hour's time all
was done, and out they flew again. And then Ashputtel took the dishes to
her mother, rejoicing to think that she should now go to the ball. But
her mother said, "It is all of no use, you cannot go; you have no
clothes, and cannot dance, and you would only put us to shame:" and off
she went with her two daughters to the feast.

Now when all were gone, and nobody left at home, Ashputtel went
sorrowfully and sat down under the hazel-tree, and cried out--

    "Shake, shake, hazel-tree,
     Gold and silver over me!"

Then her friend the bird flew out of the tree and brought a gold and
silver dress for her, and slippers of spangled silk: and she put them
on, and followed her sisters to the feast. But they did not know her,
and thought it must be some strange princess, she looked so fine and
beautiful in her rich clothes: and they never once thought of Ashputtel,
but took for granted that she was safe at home in the dirt.

The king's son soon came up to her, and took her by the hand and danced
with her and no one else: and he never left her hand; but when any one
else came to ask her to dance, he said, "This lady is dancing with me."
Thus they danced till a late hour of the night; and then she wanted to
go home: and the king's son said, "I shall go and take care of you to
your home;" for he wanted to see where the beautiful maid lived. But she
slipped away from him unawares, and ran off towards home, and the prince
followed her; but she jumped up into the pigeon-house and shut the door.
Then he waited till her father came home, and told him that the unknown
maiden who had been at the feast had hid herself in the pigeon-house.
But when they had broken open the door they found no one within; and as
they came back into the house, Ashputtel lay, as she always did, in her
dirty frock by the ashes, and her dim little lamp burnt in the chimney:
for she had run as quickly as she could through the pigeon-house and on
to the hazel-tree, and had there taken off her beautiful clothes, and
laid them beneath the tree, that the bird might carry them away, and had
seated herself amid the ashes again in her little gray frock.

The next day when the feast was again held, and her father, mother, and
sisters were gone, Ashputtel went to the hazel-tree, and said--

    "Shake, shake, hazel-tree,
     Gold and silver over me!"

And the bird came and brought a still finer dress than the one she had
worn the day before. And when she came in it to the ball, every one
wondered at her beauty: but the king's son, who was waiting for her,
took her by the hand, and danced with her; and when any one asked her to
dance, he said as before, "This lady is dancing with me." When night
came she wanted to go home; and the king's son followed her as before,
that he might see into what house she went: but she sprung away from him
all at once into the garden behind her father's house. In this garden
stood a fine large pear-tree full of ripe fruit; and Ashputtel not
knowing where to hide herself jumped up into it without being seen. Then
the king's son could not find out where she was gone, but waited till
her father came home, and said to him, "The unknown lady who danced with
me has slipt away, and I think she must have sprung into the pear-tree."
The father thought to himself, "Can it be Ashputtel?" So he ordered an
axe to be brought; and they cut down the tree, but found no one upon it.
And when they came back into the kitchen, there lay Ashputtel in the
ashes as usual; for she had slipped down on the other side of the tree,
and carried her beautiful clothes back to the bird at the hazel-tree,
and then put on her little gray frock.

The third day, when her father and mother and sisters were gone, she
went again into the garden, and said--

    "Shake, shake, hazel-tree,
     Gold and silver over me!"

Then her kind friend the bird brought a dress still finer than the
former one, and slippers which were all of gold: so that when she came
to the feast no one knew what to say for wonder at her beauty: and the
king's son danced with her alone; and when any one else asked her to
dance, he said, "This lady is my partner." Now when night came she
wanted to go home; and the king's son would go with her, and said to
himself, "I will not lose her this time;" but however she managed to
slip away from him, though in such a hurry that she dropped her left
golden slipper upon the stairs.

So the prince took the shoe, and went the next day to the king his
father, and said, "I will take for my wife the lady that this golden
slipper fits." Then both the sisters were overjoyed to hear this; for
they had beautiful feet, and had no doubt that they could wear the
golden slipper. The eldest went first into the room where the slipper
was and wanted to try it on, and the mother stood by. But her great toe
could not go into it, and the shoe was altogether much too small for
her. Then the mother gave her a knife, and said, "Never mind, cut it
off; when you are queen you will not care about toes, you will not want
to go on foot." So the silly girl cut her great toe off, and squeezed
the shoe on, and went to the king's son. Then he took her for his bride,
and set her beside him on his horse and rode away with her.

But in their way home they had to pass by the hazel-tree that Ashputtel
had planted, and there sat a little dove on the branch singing--

    "Back again! back again! look to the shoe!
     The shoe is too small, and not made for you!
     Prince! prince! look again for thy bride,
     For she's not the true one that sits by thy side."

Then the prince got down and looked at her foot, and saw by the blood
that streamed from it what a trick she had played him. So he turned his
horse round and brought the false bride back to her home, and said,
"This is not the right bride; let the other sister try and put on the
slipper." Then she went into the room and got her foot into the shoe,
all but the heel, which was too large. But her mother squeezed it in
till the blood came, and took her to the king's son; and he set her as
his bride by his side on his horse, and rode away with her.

But when they came to the hazel-tree the little dove sate there still,
and sang--

    "Back again! back again! look to the shoe!
     The shoe is too small, and not made for you!
     Prince! prince! look again for thy bride,
     For she's not the true one that sits by thy side."

Then he looked down and saw that the blood streamed so from the shoe
that her white stockings were quite red. So he turned his horse and
brought her back again also. "This is not the true bride," said he to
the father; "have you no other daughters?" "No," said he; "there is only
a little dirty Ashputtel here, the child of my first wife; I am sure she
cannot be the bride." However, the prince told him to send her. But the
mother said, "No, no, she is much too dirty, she will not dare to show
herself:" however, the prince would have her come. And she first washed
her face and hands, and then went in and curtsied to him, and he reached
her the golden slipper. Then she took her clumsy shoe off her left foot,
and put on the golden slipper; and it fitted her as if it had been made
for her. And when he drew near and looked at her face he knew her, and
said, "This is the right bride." But the mother and both the sisters
were frightened and turned pale with anger as he took Ashputtel on his
horse, and rode away with her. And when they came to the hazel-tree, the
white dove sang--

    "Home! home! look at the shoe!
     Princess! the shoe was made for you!
     Prince! prince! take home thy bride,
     For she is the true one that sits by thy side!"

And when the dove had done its song, it came flying and perched upon her
right shoulder, and so went home with her.


[The end of _Grimm's Fairy Tales: Ashputtel_ by the Brothers Grimm]