The Frog-King, Or Iron Henry

The Frog-King, Or Iron Henry


     In old times when wishing still helped one, there lived a king whose
daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful that the sun
itself, which has seen so much, was astonished whenever it shone in her face.
Close by the King's castle lay a great dark forest, and under an old lime -
tree in the forest was a well, and when the day was very warm, the King's
child went out into the forest and sat down by the side of the cool fountain,
and when she was dull she took a golden ball, and threw it up on high and
caught it, and this ball was her favourite plaything.


     Now it so happened that on one occasion the princess' golden ball did
not fall into the little hand which she was holding up for it, but on to the
ground beyond, and rolled straight into the water. The King's daughter
followed it with her eyes, but it vanished, and the well was deep, so deep
that the bottom could not be seen. On this she began to cry, and cried louder
and louder, and could not be comforted. And as she thus lamented, some one
said to her, "What ails thee, King's daughter? Thou weepest so that even a
stone would show pity." She looked round to the side from whence the voice
came, and saw a frog stretching forth its thick, ugly head from the water.
"Ah! old water-splasher, is it thou?" said she; "I am weeping for my golden
ball, which has fallen into the well."


     "Be quiet, and do not weep," answered the frog. "I can help thee, but
what wilt thou give me if I bring thy plaything up again?" "Whatever thou wilt
have, dear frog," said she - "my clothes, my pearls and jewels, and even the
golden crown which I am wearing."


     The frog answered, "I do not care for thy clothes, thy pearls and jewels,
or thy golden crown, but if thou wilt love me and let me be thy companion and
play-fellow, and sit by thee at thy little table, and eat off thy little
golden plate, and drink out of thy little cup, and sleep in thy little bed -
if thou wilt promise me this I will go down below, and bring thee thy golden
ball up again."


     "Oh, yes," said she, "I promise thee all thou wishest, if thou wilt but
bring me my ball back again." She, however, thought, "How silly the frog does
talk! He lives in the water with the other frogs and croaks, and can be no
companion to any human being!"


     But the frog when he had received this promise put his head into the
water and sank down, and in a short time came swimming up again with the ball
in his mouth, and threw it on the grass. The King's daughter was delighted to
see her pretty plaything once more, and picked it up, and ran away with it.
"Wait, wait," said the frog. "Take me with thee. I can't run as thou canst."
But what did it avail him to scream his croak, croak, after her, as loudly as
he could? She did not listen to it, but ran home and soon forgot the poor
frog, who was forced to go back into his well again.


     The next day when she had seated herself at table with the King and all
the courtiers, and was eating from her little golden plate, something came
creeping splish, splash, splish, splash, up the marble staircase, and when it
had got to the top, it knocked at the door and cried, "Princess, youngest
princess, open the door for me." She ran to see who was outside, but when she
opened the door, there sat the frog in front of it. Then she slammed the door
to, in great haste, sat down to dinner again, and was quite frightened. The
King saw plainly that her heart was beating violently, and said, "My child,
what art thou so afraid of? Is there perchance a giant outside who wants to
carry thee away?" "Ah, no," replied she, "it is no giant, but a disgusting
frog."


     "What does the frog want with thee?" "Ah, dear father, yesterday when I
was in the forest sitting by the well, playing, my golden ball fell into the
water. And because I cried so, the frog brought it out again for me, and
because he insisted so on it, I promised him he should be my companion, but I
never thought he would be able to come out of his water! And now he is outside
there, and wants to come in to me."


     In the meantime it knocked a second time, and cried,


"Princess! youngest princess!
Open the door for me!
Dost thou not know what thou saidst to me
Yesterday by the cool waters of the fountain?
Princess, youngest princess!
Open the door for me!"


     Then said the King, "That which thou hast promised, must thou perform. Go
and let him in." She went and opened the door, and the frog hopped in and
followed her, step by step, to her chair. There he sat still and cried, "Lift
me up beside thee." She delayed, until at last the King commanded her to do
it. When the frog was once on the chair he wanted to be on the table, and when
he was on the table he said, "Now, push thy little golden plate nearer to me
that we may eat together." She did this, but it was easy to see that she did
not do it willingly. The frog enjoyed what he ate, but almost every mouthful
she took choked her. At length he said, "I have eaten and am satisfied; now I
am tired, carry me into thy little room and make thy little silken bed ready,
and we will both lie down and go to sleep."


     The King's daughter began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frog
which she did not like to touch, and which was now to sleep in her pretty,
clean little bed. But the King grew angry and said, "He who helped thee when
thou wert in trouble ought not afterwards to be despised by thee." So she took
hold of the frog with two fingers, carried him upstairs, and put him in a
corner. But when she was in bed he crept to her and said, "I am tired, I want
to sleep as well as thou, lift me up or I will tell thy father." Then she was
terribly angry, and took him up and threw him with all her might against the
wall. "Now, thou wilt be quiet, odious frog," said she. But when he fell down
he was no frog but a king's son with beautiful, kind eyes. He by her father's
will was now her dear companion and husband. Them he told her how he had been
bewitched by a wicked witch, and how no one could have delivered him from the
well but herself, and that to-morrow they would go together into his
kingdom. Then they went to sleep, and next morning when the sun awoke them, a
carriage came driving up with eight white horses, which had white ostrich
feathers on their heads, and were harnessed with golden chains, and behind
stood the young King's servant, faithful Henry. Faithful Henry had been so
unhappy when his master was changed into a frog, that he had caused three iron
bands to be laid round his heart, lest it should burst with grief and sadness.
The carriage was to conduct the young King into his kingdom. Faithful Henry
helped them both in, and placed himself behind again, and was full of joy
because of this deliverance. And when they had driven a part of the way, the
King's son heard a cracking behind him as if something had broken. So he
turned round and cried, "Henry, the carriage is breaking."


     "No, master, it is not the carriage. It is a band from my heart, which
was put there in my great pain when you were a frog and imprisoned in the
well." Again and once again while they were on their way something cracked,
and each time the King's son thought the carriage was breaking; but it was
only the bands which were springing from the heart of faithful Henry because
his master was set free and was happy.