The Wise Little Girl
"The Wise Little Girl" by The Brothers Grimm
Once upon a time there was a little village in
Russia. Surrounded by a sea of grass, the village was the perfect place to breed horses. Every October, the main town filled with people who had come from near and far for the annual livestock market, where they hoped to sell their horses.
Two brothers, Dimitri and Ivan, set off for the market. Wealthy Dimitri rode a handsome stallion while his poor brother Ivan rode a small mare, a female horse, to the village. The mare's belly dragged almost to the ground, while the strong stallion galloped valiantly to the market. At sunset, the two brothers stopped for the night beside an empty hut. They tied up their horses then crawled onto the clean straw and dropped to sleep.
During the night, Ivan's mare gave birth to a little foal. The foal, or baby horse, struggled to its feet, but after a quick drink from its mama, the foal wobbled on its spindly legs and took its first steps. The foal stopped next to the stallion, and the stallion greeted it with a cheerful whinny.
When the brothers woke, they discovered three horses instead of two. Three horses! What wonderful luck! An extra horse to take to the market!
"It belongs to me!" Dimitri cried. "It's my stallion's foal."
Ivan started laughing.
"Whoever heard of a stallion having a foal?
Boys can't have babies. It was born to my mare!
It's mine, of course."
"No, that's not true! It is standing next to the stallion, so it's the stallion's foal. It's mine!"
The brothers argued and fought until they finally decided to go to town and present the matter to the judges. They hurried to the town square where the courtroom stood, arguing all the way. Little did they know, today was not an ordinary day. One day a year, the Emperor himself sat at court and administered the law. Today the mighty Emperor himself would receive all who came seeking justice.
The brothers were escorted to the Emperor, and they quickly told him their disagreement. Of course, the Emperor knew perfectly well who really owned the foal. He was about to say, "The foal belongs to the poor man," when all of a sudden he caught Ivan winking and smiling at him.
"Most disrespectful," thought the Emperor. "A common peasant winking at the Emperor. The man must be punished for such horrible manners!"
And so the Emperor decided to play a trick on
Ivan. The Emperor loved riddles. He loved inventing them, he loved solving them, and he loved making others solve them. In a loud voice the
Emperor announced, "I cannot possibly judge which of you should have the foal. So I am going to ask you both four riddles. Whoever can solve the four riddles will in the foal. What is the fastest thing in the world? What is the fattest? What is the softest and what is the most precious? I command you to return to the palace in one week with your answers!"
Dimitri left the courtroom and puzzled over the riddles all the way home. But when he arrived, he was no closer to an answer.
"I need help," thought Dimitri. "If I don't solve these riddles I'll lose that foal!"
But who could help him? Suddenly Dimitri thought of his neighbor. She had borrowed a silver ducat from him some time ago. She'd never repaid, and now she owed him even more, three ducats in all. Dimitri's neighbor also had a reputation for being quick-witted and wise. So Dimitri decided to ask her advice in exchange for canceling part of her debt. Dimitri's neighbor was wise, so wise, in fact, that she quickly negotiated a deal: Dimitri must wipe out her entire debt in exchange for an answer. Dimitri reluctantly agreed.
"The fastest thing in the world is my husband's bay horse," she said. "Nothing can beat it! The fattest thing in the world is our pig! Such a huge beast has never been seen before! The softest thing is the quilt I made for my bed. I used my own goose's feathers, and it's the envy of all my friends. The most precious thing is my three-month old nephew. Not a handsomer child was ever born. I wouldn't trade him for all the gold and jewels in the world. That makes him the most precious thing on earth!"
"Hmmmm," thought Dimitri. "I'm not sure that's right. But I've got to give the Emperor some kind of answer."
Meanwhile Dimitri's brother Ivan had returned to his humble cottage. A poor widower, Ivan had little, just his mare and one small daughter seven years old. Ivan worked long hours trying to earn money for the two of them, and the little girl was often alone. But instead of becoming lonely, she had become thoughtful and unusually clever for her age.
Like his brother, Ivan knew he would never discover the answer to the riddles by himself. He sat his little girl down and told her his trouble. She sat in silence for a moment. Then she said, "Tell the Emperor that the fastest thing in the world is the cold north wind in winter. The fattest thing is the soil in our fields whose crops give life to men and animals alike. The softest thing is a child's caress, and the most precious thing is honesty."
At the end of the week, the two brothers returned to the Emperor's palace. Again they were escorted into his presence. The Emperor couldn't wait to hear their answers. Dimitri answered first.
"The fastest thing is my neighbor's bay horse. The fattest thing is her pig. The softest thing is her quilt, and the most precious thing is her nephew," he said.
When the Emperor heard Dimitri's foolish answers, he roared with laughter. Then it was Ivan's turn. Ivan repeated his daughter's words:
"The fastest thing in the world is the cold north wind in winter. The fattest thing is the soil in our fields whose crops give life to men and animals alike. The softest thing is a child's caress, and the most precious thing is honesty."
The Emperor frowned and squirmed as he listened to Ivan's wise answers. Especially the answer about honesty being most precious of all. The Emperor knew he had been dishonest in dealing with Ivan. He had denied the poor man justice. But the Emperor certainly wasn't going to admit it, especially not in front of his own counselors. The Emperor's face turned red and his fists shook.
"Who gave you these answers?" the Emperor demanded.
"My little daughter, your Excellency," quaked
Ivan.
"Ah," said the Emperor. "Well, you shall be rewarded for having such a wise and clever daughter. I reward you with the foal that your brother claimed, together with a hundred silver ducats. But... but..."
The Emperor winked at his counselors.
"But you will come before me in seven days time, bringing your daughter. And since she's so clever, she must appear before me neither naked nor dressed, neither on foot nor on horseback, neither bearing gifts nor empty-handed. If she does this, you will have your reward. If not, you'll be sent to jail!"
Everyone in the court laughed, knowing that the
poor man could never fulfill the Emperor's conditions. Ivan returned home in despair, his eyes brimming with tears. He wept as he told his little daughter the terrible news. To his amazement, his daughter replied,
"Tomorrow, go and catch a hare and a partridge.
Both must be alive. Don't worry, papa. You'll have the foal and the hundred silver ducats. Leave it to me."
Ivan couldn't imagine why his daughter needed a hare and a partridge, but, trusting her wisdom, he did as she said.
Again the day came to appear before the Emperor.
Bystanders thronged to the palace waiting for Ivan and his daughter to arrive. At last the little girl appeared--draped in a fishing net, riding the hare, and holding the partridge in her hand. She was neither naked nor dressed, on foot or on horseback.
The Emperor scowled.
"I said neither bearing gifts nor empty-handed!" he snapped.
At these words, the little girl held out the partridge. As the Emperor stretched out his hand to grasp it, the bird fluttered into the air. The third condition had been met! In spite of himself, the Emperor couldn't help but admire the little girl who had so cleverly passed his test.
In a gentler voice the Emperor asked, "Is your father terribly poor, and does he desperately need the foal?"
"Oh yes, your Excellency," replied the little girl. "We live on the hares he catches in the rivers and the fish he picks from the trees!"
"Aha!" cried the Emperor triumphantly. "So you're not as clever as you seem to be! Whoever heard of hares in the river and fish in the trees!
"And whoever heard of a stallion having a foal?" the girl replied.
At that, the Emperor and his court burst out laughing. The court immediately awarded Ivan the foal and one hundred silver ducats. And all the court cheered as the Emperor proclaimed:
"Only in my kingdom could such a wise little girl be born!"
Once upon a time there was a little village in
Russia. Surrounded by a sea of grass, the village was the perfect place to breed horses. Every October, the main town filled with people who had come from near and far for the annual livestock market, where they hoped to sell their horses.
Two brothers, Dimitri and Ivan, set off for the market. Wealthy Dimitri rode a handsome stallion while his poor brother Ivan rode a small mare, a female horse, to the village. The mare's belly dragged almost to the ground, while the strong stallion galloped valiantly to the market. At sunset, the two brothers stopped for the night beside an empty hut. They tied up their horses then crawled onto the clean straw and dropped to sleep.
During the night, Ivan's mare gave birth to a little foal. The foal, or baby horse, struggled to its feet, but after a quick drink from its mama, the foal wobbled on its spindly legs and took its first steps. The foal stopped next to the stallion, and the stallion greeted it with a cheerful whinny.
When the brothers woke, they discovered three horses instead of two. Three horses! What wonderful luck! An extra horse to take to the market!
"It belongs to me!" Dimitri cried. "It's my stallion's foal."
Ivan started laughing.
"Whoever heard of a stallion having a foal?
Boys can't have babies. It was born to my mare!
It's mine, of course."
"No, that's not true! It is standing next to the stallion, so it's the stallion's foal. It's mine!"
The brothers argued and fought until they finally decided to go to town and present the matter to the judges. They hurried to the town square where the courtroom stood, arguing all the way. Little did they know, today was not an ordinary day. One day a year, the Emperor himself sat at court and administered the law. Today the mighty Emperor himself would receive all who came seeking justice.
The brothers were escorted to the Emperor, and they quickly told him their disagreement. Of course, the Emperor knew perfectly well who really owned the foal. He was about to say, "The foal belongs to the poor man," when all of a sudden he caught Ivan winking and smiling at him.
"Most disrespectful," thought the Emperor. "A common peasant winking at the Emperor. The man must be punished for such horrible manners!"
And so the Emperor decided to play a trick on
Ivan. The Emperor loved riddles. He loved inventing them, he loved solving them, and he loved making others solve them. In a loud voice the
Emperor announced, "I cannot possibly judge which of you should have the foal. So I am going to ask you both four riddles. Whoever can solve the four riddles will in the foal. What is the fastest thing in the world? What is the fattest? What is the softest and what is the most precious? I command you to return to the palace in one week with your answers!"
Dimitri left the courtroom and puzzled over the riddles all the way home. But when he arrived, he was no closer to an answer.
"I need help," thought Dimitri. "If I don't solve these riddles I'll lose that foal!"
But who could help him? Suddenly Dimitri thought of his neighbor. She had borrowed a silver ducat from him some time ago. She'd never repaid, and now she owed him even more, three ducats in all. Dimitri's neighbor also had a reputation for being quick-witted and wise. So Dimitri decided to ask her advice in exchange for canceling part of her debt. Dimitri's neighbor was wise, so wise, in fact, that she quickly negotiated a deal: Dimitri must wipe out her entire debt in exchange for an answer. Dimitri reluctantly agreed.
"The fastest thing in the world is my husband's bay horse," she said. "Nothing can beat it! The fattest thing in the world is our pig! Such a huge beast has never been seen before! The softest thing is the quilt I made for my bed. I used my own goose's feathers, and it's the envy of all my friends. The most precious thing is my three-month old nephew. Not a handsomer child was ever born. I wouldn't trade him for all the gold and jewels in the world. That makes him the most precious thing on earth!"
"Hmmmm," thought Dimitri. "I'm not sure that's right. But I've got to give the Emperor some kind of answer."
Meanwhile Dimitri's brother Ivan had returned to his humble cottage. A poor widower, Ivan had little, just his mare and one small daughter seven years old. Ivan worked long hours trying to earn money for the two of them, and the little girl was often alone. But instead of becoming lonely, she had become thoughtful and unusually clever for her age.
Like his brother, Ivan knew he would never discover the answer to the riddles by himself. He sat his little girl down and told her his trouble. She sat in silence for a moment. Then she said, "Tell the Emperor that the fastest thing in the world is the cold north wind in winter. The fattest thing is the soil in our fields whose crops give life to men and animals alike. The softest thing is a child's caress, and the most precious thing is honesty."
At the end of the week, the two brothers returned to the Emperor's palace. Again they were escorted into his presence. The Emperor couldn't wait to hear their answers. Dimitri answered first.
"The fastest thing is my neighbor's bay horse. The fattest thing is her pig. The softest thing is her quilt, and the most precious thing is her nephew," he said.
When the Emperor heard Dimitri's foolish answers, he roared with laughter. Then it was Ivan's turn. Ivan repeated his daughter's words:
"The fastest thing in the world is the cold north wind in winter. The fattest thing is the soil in our fields whose crops give life to men and animals alike. The softest thing is a child's caress, and the most precious thing is honesty."
The Emperor frowned and squirmed as he listened to Ivan's wise answers. Especially the answer about honesty being most precious of all. The Emperor knew he had been dishonest in dealing with Ivan. He had denied the poor man justice. But the Emperor certainly wasn't going to admit it, especially not in front of his own counselors. The Emperor's face turned red and his fists shook.
"Who gave you these answers?" the Emperor demanded.
"My little daughter, your Excellency," quaked
Ivan.
"Ah," said the Emperor. "Well, you shall be rewarded for having such a wise and clever daughter. I reward you with the foal that your brother claimed, together with a hundred silver ducats. But... but..."
The Emperor winked at his counselors.
"But you will come before me in seven days time, bringing your daughter. And since she's so clever, she must appear before me neither naked nor dressed, neither on foot nor on horseback, neither bearing gifts nor empty-handed. If she does this, you will have your reward. If not, you'll be sent to jail!"
Everyone in the court laughed, knowing that the
poor man could never fulfill the Emperor's conditions. Ivan returned home in despair, his eyes brimming with tears. He wept as he told his little daughter the terrible news. To his amazement, his daughter replied,
"Tomorrow, go and catch a hare and a partridge.
Both must be alive. Don't worry, papa. You'll have the foal and the hundred silver ducats. Leave it to me."
Ivan couldn't imagine why his daughter needed a hare and a partridge, but, trusting her wisdom, he did as she said.
Again the day came to appear before the Emperor.
Bystanders thronged to the palace waiting for Ivan and his daughter to arrive. At last the little girl appeared--draped in a fishing net, riding the hare, and holding the partridge in her hand. She was neither naked nor dressed, on foot or on horseback.
The Emperor scowled.
"I said neither bearing gifts nor empty-handed!" he snapped.
At these words, the little girl held out the partridge. As the Emperor stretched out his hand to grasp it, the bird fluttered into the air. The third condition had been met! In spite of himself, the Emperor couldn't help but admire the little girl who had so cleverly passed his test.
In a gentler voice the Emperor asked, "Is your father terribly poor, and does he desperately need the foal?"
"Oh yes, your Excellency," replied the little girl. "We live on the hares he catches in the rivers and the fish he picks from the trees!"
"Aha!" cried the Emperor triumphantly. "So you're not as clever as you seem to be! Whoever heard of hares in the river and fish in the trees!
"And whoever heard of a stallion having a foal?" the girl replied.
At that, the Emperor and his court burst out laughing. The court immediately awarded Ivan the foal and one hundred silver ducats. And all the court cheered as the Emperor proclaimed:
"Only in my kingdom could such a wise little girl be born!"