The White Bride and the Black One

by The Brothers Grimm

　　

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A WOMAN was going about the unenclosed land with her daughter andher step-daughter cutting fodder, when the Lord came walking towardsthem in the form of a poor man, and asked, "Which is the way into thevillage?" "If you want to know," said the mother, "seek it for yourself,"and the daughter added, "If you are afraid you will not find it, take aguide with you." But the step-daughter said, "Poor man, I will take youthere, come with me." Then God was angry with the mother and daughter,and turned his back on them, and wished that they should become asblack as night and as ugly as sin. To the poor step-daughter, however,God was gracious, and went with her, and when they were near the village,he said a blessing over her, and spake, "Choose three things for thyself,and I will grant them to thee." Then said the maiden, "I should like tobe as beautiful and fair as the sun," and instantly she was white andfair as day. "Then I should like to have a purse of money which wouldnever grow empty." That the Lord gave her also, but he said, "Do notforget what is best of all." Said she, "For my third wish, I desire,after my death, to inhabit the eternal kingdom of Heaven." That alsowas granted unto her, and then the Lord left her. When the step-mothercame home with her daughter, and they saw that they were both as blackas coal and ugly, but that the step-daughter was white and beautiful,wickedness increased still more in their hearts, and they thought ofnothing else but how they could do her an injury. The step-daughter,however, had a brother called Reginer, whom she loved much, and shetold him all that had happened. Once on a time Reginer said to her,"Dear sister, I will take thy likeness, that I may continually see theebefore mine eyes, for my love for thee is so great that I should likealways to look at thee." Then she answered, "But, I pray thee, let noone see the picture." So he painted his sister and hung up the picturein his room; he, however, dwelt in the King's palace, for he was hiscoachman. Every day he went and stood before the picture, and thanked Godfor the happiness of having such a dear sister. Now it happened that theKing whom he served, had just lost his wife, who had been so beautifulthat no one could be found to compare with her, and on this accountthe King was in deep grief. The attendants about the court, however,remarked that the coachman stood daily before this beautiful picture,and they were jealous of him, so they informed the King. Then the latterordered the picture to be brought to him, and when he saw that it was likehis lost wife in every respect, except that it was still more beautiful,he fell mortally in love with it. He caused the coachman to be broughtbefore him, and asked whom the portrait represented? The coachman said itwas his sister, so the King resolved to take no one but her as his wife,and gave him a carriage and horses and splendid garments of cloth of gold,and sent him forth to fetch his chosen bride. When Reginer came on thiserrand, his sister was glad, but the black maiden was jealous of hergood fortune, and grew angry above all measure, and said to her mother,"Of what use are all your arts to us now when you cannot procure sucha piece of luck for me?" "Be quiet," said the old woman, "I will soondivert it to you," and by her arts of witchcraft, she so troubled the eyesof the coachman that he was half-blind, and she stopped the ears of thewhite maiden so that she was half-deaf. Then they got into the carriage,first the bride in her noble royal apparel, then the step-mother withher daughter, and Reginer sat on the box to drive. When they had beenon the way for some time the coachman cried,

　　"Cover thee well, my sister dear, That the rain may not wet thee, That thewind may not load thee with dust, That thou may'st be fair and beautifulWhen thou appearest before the King."

　　The bride asked, "What is my dear brother saying?" "Ah," said the oldwoman, "he says that you ought to take off your golden dress and give itto your sister." Then she took it off, and put it on the black maiden,who gave her in exchange for it a shabby grey gown. They drove onwards,and a short time afterwards, the brother again cried,

　　"Cover thee well, my sister dear, That the rain may not wet thee, That thewind may not load thee with dust, That thou may'st be fair and beautifulWhen thou appearest before the King."

　　The bride asked, "What is my dear brother saying?" "Ah," said the oldwoman, "he says that you ought to take off your golden hood and giveit to your sister." So she took off the hood and put it on her sister,and sat with her own head uncovered. And they drove on farther. Aftera while, the brother once more cried,

　　"Cover thee well, my sister dear, That the rain may not wet thee, That thewind may not load thee with dust, That thou may'st be fair and beautifulWhen thou appearest before the King."

　　The bride asked, "What is my dear brother saying?" "Ah," said the oldwoman, "he says you must look out of the carriage." They were, however,just on a bridge, which crossed deep water. When the bride stood up andleant forward out of the carriage, they both pushed her out, and shefell into the middle of the water. At the same moment that she sank, asnow-white duck arose out of the mirror-smooth water, and swam down theriver. The brother had observed nothing of it, and drove the carriageon until they reached the court. Then he took the black maiden to theKing as his sister, and thought she really was so, because his eyes weredim, and he saw the golden garments glittering. When the King saw theboundless ugliness of his intended bride, he was very angry, and orderedthe coachman to be thrown into a pit which was full of adders and nestsof snakes. The old witch, however, knew so well how to flatter the Kingand deceive his eyes by her arts, that he kept her and her daughteruntil she appeared quite endurable to him, and he really married her.

　　One evening when the black bride was sitting on the King's knee,a white duck came swimming up the gutter to the kitchen, and said tothe kitchen-boy, "Boy, light a fire, that I may warm my feathers." Thekitchen-boy did it, and lighted a fire on the hearth. Then came theduck and sat down by it, and shook herself and smoothed her feathers torights with her bill. While she was thus sitting and enjoying herself,she asked, "What is my brother Reginer doing?" The scullery-boy replied,"He is imprisoned in the pit with adders and with snakes." Then sheasked, "What is the black witch doing in the house?" The boy answered,"She is loved by the King and happy."

　　"May God have mercy on him," said the duck, and swam forth by the sink.

　　The next night she came again and put the same questions, and the thirdnight also. Then the kitchen-boy could bear it no longer, and went tothe King and discovered all to him. The King, however, wanted to see itfor himself, and next evening went thither, and when the duck thrust herhead in through the sink, he took his sword and cut through her neck,and suddenly she changed into a most beautiful maiden, exactly like thepicture, which her brother had made of her. The King was full of joy, andas she stood there quite wet, he caused splendid apparel to be broughtand had her clothed in it. Then she told how she had been betrayed bycunning and falsehood, and at last thrown down into the water, and herfirst request was that her brother should be brought forth from the pitof snakes, and when the King had fulfilled this request, he went into thechamber where the old witch was, and asked, What does she deserve who doesthis and that? and related what had happened. Then was she so blinded thatshe was aware of nothing and said, "She deserves to be stripped naked,and put into a barrel with nails, and that a horse should be harnessedto the barrel, and the horse sent all over the world." All of which wasdone to her, and to her black daughter. But the King married the whiteand beautiful bride, and rewarded her faithful brother, and made him arich and distinguished man.

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