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Fairytale lovers of all ages, will enjoy this collection of timeless classics, as Ms. Rae takes you into the woods and to far off places.
SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Forget Me
Not Fairy Tale.
Classic stories for book lovers
of all ages.
Let's begin.
The Frog King or Iron Henry.
Collected by Jacob and Wilhelm
Grimm.
Illustrated by Ray Wilson.
In old times, when wishing was
having, there lived a king whose
daughters were all beautiful.
But the youngest was so
beautiful that the sun itself,
which has seen so much, was
astonished whenever it shone in
her face.
Close by the king's castle lay a
great dark forest.
And under an old lime tree in
the forest was a fountain.
When the day was very warm, the
king's child went out into the
forest and sat down by the side
of the cool fountain.
And when she was tall, she took
a golden ball and threw it up in
the air and caught it.
This ball was her favorite
plaything.
Now, it so happened one day the
king's daughter's golden ball
did not fall into the little
hand which she was holding up
for it, but onto the ground and
rolled straight into the water.
The king's daughter followed it
with her eyes, but it vanished,
and the well was deep, so deep
that the bottom could not be
seen.
On this she began to cry and
cried louder and louder and
could not be comforted.
And as she thus lamented,
someone said to her, What ails
you, King's daughter?
You weep so that even a stone
would show pity.
She looked round to the side
from whence the voice came and
saw a frog stretching its thick,
ugly head from the water.
Old water splasher, is it you?
said she.
I am weeping for my golden ball,
which has fallen into the
fountain.
Be quiet and do not weep,
answered the frog.
I can help you.
But what will you give me if I
bring your plaything up again?
Whatever you will have, dear
frog, said she.
My clothes, my pearls and
jewels, and even the golden
crown which I am wearing.
The frog answered, I do not care
for your clothes, your pearls
and jewels, or your golden
crown.
But if you will love me and let
me be your companion and
playfellow, and sit by you at
your little table and eat off
your little golden plate, and
drink out of your little cup and
sleep in your little bed.
If you will promise me this, I
will go down below and bring
your golden ball up again.
Oh yes, said she.
I promise you all you wish if
you will but bring my ball back
again.
She, however, thought, Well, the
silly frog does talk.
He lives in the water with the
other frogs and croaks and can
be no companion to any human.
But the frog, when he had
received his promise, put his
head into the water and sank
down.
In a short time, he came
swimming up again with the ball
in his mouth and threw it on the
grass.
The king's daughter was
delighted to see her pretty
plaything once more and picked
it up and ran away with it.
Wait, wait, said the frog, take
me with you.
I can't run as you can.
But what did it avail him to
scream his croak croak after
her?
As loudly as he could.
She did not listen to it, but
ran home and soon forgot the
poor frog who was forced to go
back into his fountain again.
The next day, when she had
seated herself at the table with
the king and all the courtiers,
and was eating from her little
golden plate, something came
creeping, splish, splash,
splish, splash, up the marble
staircase.
When it got to the top, it
knocked at the door and cried,
Brr.
King's daughter, youngest, open
the door.
She ran to see who was outside.
But when she opened the door,
there sat the frog in front of
it.
Then she slammed the door in
great haste, sat down to dinner
again, and was quite frightened.
The king saw plainly that her
heart was beating violently and
said, My child, what are you so
afraid of?
Is there a giant outside who
wants to carry you away?
Uh no, replied she.
And because I cried so, the frog
brought it out again for me.
And because he insisted so on
it, I promised him he should be
my companion.
But I never thought he would be
able to come out of the water.
And now he is here and wants to
come in.
In the meantime, it knocked a
second time and cried.
King's daughter, youngest, open
to me.
Don't you remember yesterday?
And all that you to me did sing,
beside the cooling fountain
spray, King's daughter,
youngest, open to me.
Then said the king, that which
you have promised you must
perform.
Go and let him in.
She went and opened the door,
and the frog hopped in and
followed her step by step to her
chair.
There he sat still and cried,
Lift me up beside you.
She delayed until at last the
king commanded her to do it.
When the frog was once on the
chair, he wanted to be on the
table.
And when he was on the table, he
said, Now push your little
golden plate nearer to me that
we may eat together.
She did this, but it was easy to
see that she did not do it
willingly.
The frog enjoyed what he ate,
but almost every mouthful she
took choked her.
At length he said, I have eaten
and am satisfied.
Now I am tired.
Carry me into your little room
and make your little silken bed
ready, and we will both lie down
and go to sleep.
The king's daughter began to
cry, for she was afraid of the
cold frog, which she did not
like to touch, and which was now
to sleep in her pretty clean
little bed.
But the king grew angry and
said, He who helped you when you
were in trouble ought not
afterward to be despised.
So she took hold of the frog
with two fingers, carried him
upstairs, and put him in a
corner.
But when she was in bed, he
crept to her and said, I am
tired.
I want to sleep as well as you.
Lift me up, or I will tell your
father.
Then she was terribly angry and
took him up and threw him with
all her might against the wall.
Now you will be quiet, odious
frog, said she.
But when he fell down, he was no
frog but a king's son with
beautiful, kind eyes.
He, by her father's will, was
now her dear companion and
husband.
Then he told her how he had been
bewitched by a wicked witch, and
how no one could have delivered
him from the fountain but
herself, and that tomorrow they
would go together into his
kingdom.
Then they went to sleep, and
next morning, when the sun awoke
them, a coach came rolling up,
drawn by eight white horses,
with white ostrich feathers on
their heads.
They were harnessed with golden
chains, and behind stood the
young king's servant, Faithful
Henley.
Faithful Henry had been so
unhappy when his master was
changed into a frog that he had
three iron bands laid round his
heart, lest it should burst with
grief and sadness.
The coach was to conduct the
young king into his kingdom.
Faithful Henry helped them both
in and placed himself behind
again, and was full of joy
because of this deliverance.
And when they had driven a part
of the way, the king's son heard
a cracking behind him as if
something had broken.
So he turned round and cried,
Henry, the coach does break.
No, no, my lord, you do mistake.
It is the band around my heart
that felt such great and bitter
smart when you were in the
fountain strange.
When you into a frog were
changed.
Again and again, while they were
on their way, something cracked,
and each time the king's son
thought the carriage was
breaking.
But it was only the bands which
were springing from the heart of
faithful Henry because his
master was set free and was
happy.
The end I hope you like this
story, The Frog King or Iron
Henry, collected by Jacob and
Wilhelm Grimm.
Fairy tales contain many morals.
One lesson from this story is Be
true to your word.
Do not offer promises if you
have no plans to keep them, or
frown at those who have helped
you.
Thanks for listening.
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