I knew I wasn’t like anyone else. I was very awkward. But I had never thought about my difference until I became a young lord. Then one day I went walking and happened to see my image in the mirror of a clear pond. I was a donkey! From the tip of my ears to the brush of my tail, every inch an ass! I was so distressed that I left my royal parents and set off with a trusted companion.

We eventually came to the palace of an old king. My friend got me in through the gate by telling the gatekeeper that I was a musician. The courtiers couldn’t wait to hear the donkey play!

I refused to eat with the servants, though. I said, “I am no common stable donkey. I am a noble ass.” The king was so amused that he asked me to come and sit beside him.

Noble Ass in The Donkey, Grimms. Illustrator unknown.