Chapter Chapter 1 · 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 favorite plaything.

Now it so happened that on one occasion the princess’s 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 the silly

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 while came swimmming 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 a frog want with thee?” “Ah, dear father, yesterday as 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 so insisted, 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 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. Then 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.