Sunday, January 15, 2012

Short Stories (Grimms Fairy Tales)


The Frog Prince

“In the older time, when wishing was having, there lived a King, whose daughters were all beautiful; but the youngest was so exceedly beautiful that the Sun himself, although he saw her very often, was surprised whenever she came out into the sunshine.”
One day while the Kings youngest daughter was setting by a brook, playing catch with her golden ball, her ball rolls into the water.  Thinking her ball was lost forever the Kings daughter began to cry.  A frog setting nearby hears her cries and asks her what will she give him if he fetches her ball?   When she asks what he wants in return the frog answers:
“Dresses, or jewels, or golden crowns, are not for me; but if thou wilt love me, and let me be thy companion and playfellow, and sit at thy table, and eat from thy little golden plate, and drink out of thy cup, and sleep in thy little bed, if thou promise me all these, then will I dive down and fetch up thy golden ball.”
Of course she promises him everything but thinking at the same time that he should remain in the water with his own kind.  As soon as the frog fetches the ball for her, she grabs it up and runs off to the castle with no more thought of the frog.
When the frog shows up the next day and demands the daughter let him in, she must explain to the King why the frog is there.  The King orders his youngest daughter to live up to her promises she made to the frog.  Finally after being forced to carry the frog up to her bed chamber she becomes angry with him and throws him against the wall.  The second he hits the floor he changes back into a handsome Prince.  He explains that a witch had cursed him and only the Kings daughter could break the spell.  The two marry and live happily ever after.

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