In olden times when wishing still helped
one, 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 well, and 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
bored she took a golden ball, and threw it up on
high and caught it, and this ball was her favorite
plaything.
Now it so happened that on one occasion the
princess's golden ball did not fall into the
little hand which she was holding up for it, but
on to the ground beyond, 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. At 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 forth its
big, ugly head from the water.
"Ah, oldwater-splasher, is it you," she said,
"I am weeping for my golden ball, which has fallen
into the well."
"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, nor for your
golden crown, but if you will love me and let me
be your companion and play-fellow, 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 you your
golden ball up again."
"Oh yes," said she, "I promise you all you
wish, if you will but bring me my ball back
again." But she thought, "How the silly frog does
talk. All he does is to sit in the water with the
other frogs, and croak. He can be no companion to
any human being."
But the frog when he had received this promise,
put his head into the water and sank down; and in
a short while 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 well
again.
The next day when she had seated herself at
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, and when it had got to the top,
it knocked at the door and cried, "Princess,
youngest princess, open the door for me."
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 to, 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 perchance a giant outside who
wants to carry you away?"
"Ah, no," replied she. "It is no giant but a
disgusting frog. Yesterday as I was in the forest
sitting by the well, playing, my golden ball fell
into the water. And because I cried so, the frog
brought it out again for me, and because he so
insisted, I promised him he should be my
companion, but I never thought he would be able to
come out of his water. And now he is outside
there, and wants to come in to me."
In the meantime it knocked a second time, and
cried, "Princess, youngest princess, open the door
for me, do you not know what you said to me
yesterday by the cool waters of the well.
Princess, youngest princess, open the door for
me."
Then said the king, "That which you have
promised must you 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 and cried, "Lift me up beside
you."
She delayed, until at last the king commanded
her to do it. Once the frog was 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
afterwards to be despised by you."
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."
At this she was terribly angry, and took him up
and threw him with all her might against the wall.
"Now, will you be quiet, odious frog," said she.
But when he fell down he was no frog but a
king's son with kind and beautiful 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 well but herself, and
that to-morrow they would go together into his
kingdom.
Then they went to sleep, and next morning when
the sun awoke them, a carriage came driving up
with eight white horses, which had white ostrich
feathers on their heads, and were harnessed with
golden chains, and behind stood the young king's
servant Faithful Henry.
Faithful Henry had been so unhappy when his
master was changed into a frog, that he had caused
three iron bands to be laid round his heart, lest
it should burst with grief and sadness. The
carriage 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 carriage is breaking." "No,
master, it is not the carriage. It is a band from
my heart, which was put there in my great pain
when you were a frog and imprisoned in the well."
Again and once 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.