The Old Man Made Young Again

by The Brothers Grimm

　　

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In the time when our Lord still walked this earth, he and St. Peterstopped one evening at a smith's and received free quarters. Then itcame to pass that a poor beggar, hardly pressed by age and infirmity,came to this house and begged alms of the smith. St. Peter had compassionon him and said, "Lord and master, if it please thee, cure his tormentsthat he may be able to win his own bread." The Lord said kindly, "Smith,lend me thy forge, and put on some coals for me, and then I will make thisailing old man young again." The smith was quite willing, and St. Peterblew the bellows, and when the coal fire sparkled up large and highour Lord took the little old man, pushed him in the forge in the midstof the red-hot fire, so that he glowed like a rose-bush, and praisedGod with a loud voice. After that the Lord went to the quenching tub,put the glowing little man into it so that the water closed over him,and after he had carefully cooled him, gave him his blessing, when beholdthe little man sprang nimbly out, looking fresh, straight, healthy, andas if he were but twenty. The smith, who had watched everything closelyand attentively, invited them all to supper. He, however, had an oldhalf-blind crooked, mother-in-law who went to the youth, and with greatearnestness asked if the fire had burnt him much. He answered that he hadnever felt more comfortable, and that he had sat in the red heat as ifhe had been in cool dew. The youth's words echoed in the ears of the oldwoman all night long, and early next morning, when the Lord had gone onhis way again and had heartily thanked the smith, the latter thought hemight make his old mother-in-law young again likewise, as he had watchedeverything so carefully, and it lay in the province of his trade. Sohe called to ask her if she, too, would like to go bounding about likea girl of eighteen. She said, "With all my heart, as the youth has comeout of it so well." So the smith made a great fire, and thrust the oldwoman into it, and she writhed about this way and that, and utteredterrible cries of murder. "Sit still; why art thou screaming and jumpingabout so?" cried he, and as he spoke he blew the bellows again until allher rags were burnt. The old woman cried without ceasing, and the smiththought to himself, "I have not quite the right art," and took her outand threw her into the cooling-tub. Then she screamed so loudly that thesmith's wife upstairs and her daughter-in-law heard, and they both randownstairs, and saw the old woman lying in a heap in the quenching-tub,howling and screaming, with her face wrinkled and shrivelled and all outof shape. Thereupon the two, who were both with child, were so terrifiedthat that very night two boys were born who were not made like men butapes, and they ran into the woods, and from them sprang the race of apes.

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