My youngest son wanted to sail a ship to foreign lands but he was an idle boy who spent most of his time in alehouses and taverns. He kept begging me to go, insisting that he would earn his living by his wits. “You’ll spend everything on drink and come...
I was sitting on an old tree stump when the soldier approached. He had nothing–not a penny to his name–but he had the most charming and fearless spirit. He shook my hand and stretched himself out on the grass by my side. “I see you’ve got good...
Not a single Christian has ever dared to approach my husband the Griffin. But then one day this fellow comes to the door, and when I ask him what he wants, he tells me everything that’s brought him here to the other side. He wants a feather from the...
I work hard, here at the end of the world. Every day, I do the same thing. I take people on my shoulders and carry them over the lake to the other side. I don’t need a ferry boat, because I am a tall, tall man. But I’ve never been able to enjoy my own life...
The king’s youngest daughter is our princess, and we serve her. When she comes into the forest and summons us: “Earthworkers, come out!” we appear from under every root and stone. When she asks for help, we ask no questions. If she wants the forest...
What’s this? She calls us with bowls of milk and sugar and then she stands blocking the door. “Oh, Queen of Snakes,” she cries, “Give me back my husband!” “Husssband? Hussssband?” I thrust my head into her face. She repeats...
My mother would take me with her to rob rich people on the road. One night, we waited in the dark like we usually did, and then a coach came along. It lit up the forest like a torch. The robbers set upon it and killed everyone, except for a little girl. My mother, the...
When I was just a twig, I brushed against a man’s hat, and his hat fell off. He got off his horse, came to the tree, broke me, and put me in his pocket. He carried me to his home and gave me to his daughter, who planted me by her mother’s grave. She...
We came to the cobbler’s house and found his last pieces of leather, cut exquisitely. We were inspired! So we stitched, sewed, and hammered them into a pair of perfect shoes. The next night, there were two sets of shoes to finish, and the work doubled, and after...
I do pirouettes on the table in front of a cardboard castle while little boys play with their toy soldiers on the floor. The castle has little windows, and I can see inside them when the breeze spins me round. In front of the castle, cardboard trees gaze at their...
