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In the old times when wishing still helped lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful that the sun, itself, which had seen so much, marveled whenever it shone in her face.

translated by Gary V. Hartman


In the old times when wishing still helped (2) lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful that the sun, itself, which had seen so much, marveled whenever it shone in her face. Close by the king's castle lay a great, dark forest and in the forest, under an old linden tree, (3) was a well. When the day was very warm, the king's child went out into the forest and sat herself on the edge of the cool well. And, when she was bored, she took a golden ball (4) and threw it up high and caught it again. And it was her favorite plaything.

Now it once came to pass that the king's daughter's golden ball did not fall into her little hand which she held up high, but hit the earth nearby and rolled straight into the water. The king's daughter followed it with her eyes, but the ball disappeared and the well was deep, so deep that one could not see the bottom. Then she began to cry and cried louder and louder and could find no solace. And as she thus lamented, someone called to her, "What's up with you, king's daughter? You shriek so that even a stone would feel pity." She looked around to see where the voice came from and caught sight of a frog stretching its thick, ugly head out of the water. "Oh, it's you, old water-splasher," she said. "I am weeping for my golden ball which has fallen down into the well." — "Be still and do not weep," answered the frog. "I can figure something out, but what will you give me if I bring your plaything back up?" — "Whatever you will have, dear frog," she said, "my clothes, my pearls and precious stones, even the golden crown, which I wear." The frog answered, "Your clothes, your pearls and precious stones, and your golden crown I do not care for. But if you will like me and I can be your companion and playmate, sit next to you at your little table, eat from your little golden plate, drink out of your little cup, and sleep in your little bed, if you promise me this I will climb down and bring you up the golden ball again." — "Oh, yes," she said. "I promise you everything that you want if you will only bring me back my ball." But she thought, "How the simple frog talks! He sits in the water with those like him and croaks and can be no companion to any human being!"

The frog, when he had received her agreement, dipped his head under [the water], sank down, and in a little while came rowing up again, had the ball in his mouth, and threw it into the grass. The king's daughter was filled with joy when she saw her beautiful plaything again, picked it up, and ran off with it. "Wait, wait," called the frog. "Take me along. I can't run like you." But what did it help him to cry his "croak, croak" after her as loudly as he could! She did not listen, hurried home, and had soon forgotten the poor frog, who had to climb down into his well again.

The next day when she had seated herself with the king and all the people of the court at table and was eating from her little golden plate, there came, splish splash, splish splash, something crawling up the marble stairs. When it had reached the top, it knocked at the door and cried, "King's daughter, youngest [one], open for me." She ran and wanted to see who might be outside, but when she opened the door, there sat the frog in front of it. Then she hastily threw the door shut, sat down at the table again, and was most afraid. The king saw clearly that her heart was beating violently and said, "My child, what are you afraid of? Is there maybe a giant standing at the door and wants to fetch you?" — "Oh, no," she answered, "it is no giant, but a disgusting frog." — "What does the frog want of you?" "Oh, dear father, when I was in the forest yesterday, sitting by the well and playing, my golden ball fell into the water. And because I cried so, the frog brought it up again, and because he so insisted, I promised him he should be my companion. I never ever thought he would be able to come up out of his water! Now he is outside and wants to come in to me." Thereupon came a second knock and the cry,

"King's daughter, youngest [one],
Open for me.
Do not you know what yesterday
You said to me
By the cool water of the well?
King's daughter, youngest [one],
Open for me!" (5)

Then the king said, "What you have promised, that must you keep. Go and open for him." She went and opened the door and the frog hopped in after her, step by step, to her chair. There he sat and called, "Lift me up to you." She hesitated until at last the king ordered it. As soon as the frog was on the chair, he wanted on the table, and when he sat there he said, "Now shove your little golden plate nearer to me so that we [can] eat together." She did so, but one saw clearly that she did not do it gladly. The frog ate heartily, but almost every little bite caught in her throat. Finally he said, "I have eaten my fill and am tired. Now carry me to your little bedroom (6) and make ready your little silken bed so we can lie down to sleep." The king's daughter began to cry and she was afraid of the cold frog which she did not dare to touch and which was now supposed to sleep in her pretty, clean (7) little bed. But the king became angry and said, "He who helped you when you were in need should you not hereafter despise." So she grabbed him with two fingers, carried him up[stairs], and set him in a corner. But when she lay in bed, he crawled [to her] and said, "I am tired. I want to sleep as well as you: lift me up or I will tell your father." At this she became furious, picked him up, and threw him against the wall with all her might. "Now you will have rest, you vile frog."

When, however, he fell [to the ground], he was no frog but a king's son with beautiful and friendly eyes. He was now, according to her father's will, her dear companion and husband. Then he told her he had been enchanted by a wicked witch, and no one could have released him from the well but she, alone, and in the morning they would go together to his kingdom. Then they went to sleep and the next morning when the sun awakened them, a carriage came driving up drawn by eight white horses, which had white ostrich feathers on their heads and went with golden chains. At the rear stood the young king's servant: it was faithful Henry. Faithful Henry had been so unhappy when his master was changed into a frog that he had had three iron bands laid around his heart so that it should not burst from woe and sadness. The carriage was to carry the young king to his kingdom. Faithful Henry lifted them both in, took his place at the rear, and was full of joy over this deliverance. And when they had traveled a part of the way, the king's son heard it crack behind him as if something had broken. He turned around and cried,

"Henry, the carriage is breaking."
"No, master, not the carriage.
It is a band from my heart,
Which lay in great pain
When you sat in the well
When you were a frog." (8)

Again and yet again there was a crack along the way, and each time the king's son thought the carriage was breaking, and it was only the bands that sprang from the heart of faithful Henry because his master was released and happy.


© 1991 Gary V. Hartman
E-mail address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Notes

  1. The Frog King or Iron Henry — Der Froschkönig oder der Eiserne Heinrich. The title is a literal translation.

  2. when wishing still helped — wo das Wünschen noch geholfen hat, a literal translation.

    The reference to "wishing" here seems enigmatical. In "The Three Feathers" (No. 63), the toad that helps the youngest son is called an Itsche in German. While this may be a dialect term for toad, in Sanskrit—and German belongs to the Indo-Germanic language group—itsche means "wishing" or "desire." The dumbling's openness to what he encounters in "Three Feathers" proves to be his salvation. In other words, he was able to accept the help of "wishing." In more prosaic language, one could say, "In olden times, when there was still an openness to the unconscious . . ."

  3. linden tree — The linden is a European variety of the basswood family. It is best known, perhaps, to Americans from the avenue in Berlin, Unter den Linden, which is lined with these trees. In German folklore, the linden is the quintessential tree of German Romanticism and is almost always found with a spring or water source. It is the feminine representative of the tree world by contrast with the oak, which was sacred to Wotan.

  4. ball — Kugel, "ball," "globe," or "sphere." Although a Kugel is a ball, it also carries wider imaginal connotations than simply, "ball."

  5. "Königstochter, jüngste,
    Mach mir auf,
    Weißt du nicht, was gestern
    Du zu mir gesagt
    Bei dem kühlen Brunnenwasser?
    Königstochter, jüngste,
    Mach mir auf."

  6. bedroom — Kammer, "chamber," "room." Although the text does not read Bettkammer, "bedchamber," that is the implication.

  7. clean — rein, which carries the connotation of "pure" or "purity", rather than just "free of dirt."

  8. "Heinrich, der Wagen bricht."
    "Nein, Herr, der Wagen nicht,
    Es ist ein Band von meinem Herzen,
    Das da lag in großen Schmerzen,
    Als Ihr in dem Brunnen saßt,
    Als Ihr eine Fretsche wast."

    I have translated this for the meaning and not for the rhymed couplets of the original.

    Except for this last verse, whenever "frog" is mentioned in the story, the German word is Frosch. Here, however, the word is Fretsche, a dialect term for "frog" perhaps suggesting Henry's down-to-earth quality and/or servant status.

The Loose-Leaf Fairy Tale Book is a work-in-progress. Gary Hartman has translated over fifty of the Grimms' stories. Thirty-seven of the stories are available for purchase—$35.00 for the text in a spiral binding. Anyone wishing to purchase the second batch of fairytales translated by the fall of 2000 can purchase them for $25.00. If you would like to purchase these works, please contact Gary Hartman at his e-mail address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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