Gambling Hansel

by The Brothers Grimm

　　

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Once upon a time there was a man who did nothing but gamble, and forthat reason people never called him anything but Gambling Hansel, andas he never ceased to gamble, he played away his house and all that hehad. Now the very day before his creditors were to take his house fromhim, came the Lord and St. Peter, and asked him to give them shelterfor the night. Then Gambling Hansel said, "For my part, you may staythe night, but I cannot give you a bed or anything to eat." So the Lordsaid he was just to take them in, and they themselves would buy somethingto eat, to which Gambling Hansel made no objection. Thereupon St. Petergave him three groschen, and said he was to go to the baker's and fetchsome bread. So Gambling Hansel went, but when he reached the house wherethe other gambling vagabonds were gathered together, they, although theyhad won all that he had, greeted him clamorously, and said, "Hansel, docome in." "Oh," said he, "do you want to win the three groschen too?" Onthis they would not let him go. So he went in, and played away the threegroschen also. Meanwhile St. Peter and the Lord were waiting, and as hewas so long in coming, they set out to meet him. When Gambling Hanselcame, however, he pretended that the money had fallen into the gutter,and kept raking about in it all the while to find it, but our Lord alreadyknew that he had lost it in play. St. Peter again gave him three groschen,and now he did not allow himself to be led away once more, but fetchedthem the loaf. Our Lord then inquired if he had no wine, and he said,"Alack, sir, the casks are all empty!" But the Lord said he was to godown into the cellar, for the best wine was still there. For a long timehe would not believe this, but at length he said, "Well, I will go down,but I know that there is none there." When he turned the tap, however,lo and behold, the best of wine ran out! So he took it to them, and thetwo passed the night there. Early next day our Lord told Gambling Hanselthat he might beg three favours. The Lord expected that he would ask togo to Heaven; but Gambling Hansel asked for a pack of cards with whichhe could win everything, for dice with which he would win everything,and for a tree whereon every kind of fruit would grow, and from whichno one who had climbed up, could descend until he bade him do so. TheLord gave him all that he had asked, and departed with St. Peter.

　　And now Gambling Hansel at once set about gambling in real earnest,and before long he had gained half the world. Upon this St. Peter saidto the Lord, "Lord, this thing must not go on, he will win, and thoulose, the whole world. We must send Death to him." When Death appeared,Gambling Hansel had just seated himself at the gaming-table, and Deathsaid, "Hansel, come out a while." But Gambling Hansel said, "Just waita little until the game is done, and in the meantime get up into thattree out there, and gather a little fruit that we may have somethingto munch on our way." Thereupon Death climbed up, but when he wantedto come down again, he could not, and Gambling Hansel left him up therefor seven years, during which time no one died.

　　So St. Peter said to the Lord, "Lord, this thing must not go on. Peopleno longer die; we must go ourselves." And they went themselves, and theLord commanded Hansel to let Death come down. So Hansel went at onceto Death and said to him, "Come down," and Death took him directly andput an end to him. They went away together and came to the next world,and then Gambling Hansel made straight for the door of Heaven, andknocked at it. "Who is there?" "Gambling Hansel." "Ah, we will havenothing to do with him! Begone!" So he went to the door of Purgatory,and knocked once more. "Who is there?" "Gambling Hansel." "Ah, thereis quite enough weeping and wailing here without him. We do not want togamble, just go away again." Then he went to the door of Hell, and therethey let him in. There was, however, no one at home but old Luciferand the crooked devils who had just been doing their evil work in theworld. And no sooner was Hansel there than he sat down to gamble again.Lucifer, however, had nothing to lose, but his mis-shapen devils, andGambling Hansel won them from him, as with his cards he could not failto do. And now he was off again with his crooked devils, and they wentto Hohenfuert and pulled up a hop-pole, and with it went to Heaven andbegan to thrust the pole against it, and Heaven began to crack. So againSt. Peter said, "Lord, this thing cannot go on, we must let him in, orhe will throw us down from Heaven." And they let him in. But GamblingHansel instantly began to play again, and there was such a noise andconfusion that there was no hearing what they themselves were saying.Therefore St. Peter once more said, "Lord, this cannot go on, we mustthrow him down, or he will make all Heaven rebellious." So they wentto him at once, and threw him down, and his soul broke into fragments,and went into the gambling vagabonds who are living this very day.

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