the frog king

tale of the brothers grimm

translation by Alda Volkmann
review by Ruth Salles

drawing by teacher Veronica Calandra Martins

In the old days, when wishes were still granted, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful. The youngest, however, was so beautiful that the sun itself, which had seen so many things, marveled whenever its rays hit her. Near the king's castle there was a large dark forest, and under an old linden tree there was a well. When the day was very hot, the king's youngest daughter would go into the forest and sit on the edge of the cool well; when he got tired of standing there, he would pick up a golden ball, throw it in the air, and trim it again. She was his favorite toy.

Now it happened that once the golden ball which the king's daughter threw up did not fall into her little hands, but to the ground, and rolled straight into the water. The king's daughter followed it with her eyes, but the ball disappeared, and the well was so deep that the bottom could not be seen. She then began to cry, crying louder and louder and could not comfort herself. And he was so sorry that a voice exclaimed:

– What do you have, daughter of the king? You scream in such a way that even a stone is moved.

She looked around to see where the voice was coming from, and saw a frog sticking its thick, ugly head out of the water.

- Ah, it's you, old diver - she said - I cry because of my golden ball, which fell into the well.

- Be quiet and don't cry - replied the frog - because I can help you. But what will you give me if I take your toy out of the well?

“I give you what you want, dear frog,” she said, “my dresses, my pearls and gems, and even the golden crown I wear.

The frog replied:

– I do not want your dresses, your pearls and precious stones or your golden crown. But if you have affection for me, and if I can be your friend and playmate, if I can sit at the table next to you, eat from your little gold plate, drink from your little cup and sleep in your bed, if you promise me everything That's it, I go down there and bring your golden ball.

“Oh yes,” she said, “I promise you all that you want; just bring my ball back.

She, however, thought: “What a conversation, that simple frog, who lives in the water with his peers and croaks. He cannot be the companion of any human creature.”

Having confirmed the promise, the frog dipped his head, sank and, shortly after, resurfaced with the ball in his mouth and threw it on the grass.

The king's daughter was overjoyed to see her beautiful toy again, picked it up from the ground and ran away.

– Wait, wait! – shouted the frog – Take me with you! I can't run so fast!

But what was the use of croaking as loudly as he could? She didn't even pay attention, ran quickly home and soon forgot about the poor frog, who would have to go down the well again. The next day, when she sat at the table with the king and all the court and ate from her little golden plate, – plich, plach, plich, plach – someone crept up the marble stairs, knocked on the door, and called:

– Youngest daughter of the king, open it for me!

She ran to find out who was outside, and when she opened the door, in front of her was the frog. Then he slammed the door quickly, sat down at the table again, and got very scared. The king noticed that his heart was beating fast and asked:

- My daughter, why were you scared? Behind the door is some giant who wants to take you?

“Oh no,” she replied, “it's not a giant, but a nasty frog.

– What does the frog want from you?

– Ah, my dear father, yesterday in the forest, when I was playing sitting by the well, my golden ball fell into the water. And as I cried a lot, the frog brought her back. And, as he insisted, I promised he would be my mate, but I never thought he could get out of the water. And now he's out there and he wants to come in and be with me.

In the meantime, there was a second knock at the door, and a voice called out:

- King's daughter, youngest,
open for me!
You don't know what you told me anymore
next to fresh water from the well?
King's daughter, the youngest,
open for me!

Then the king said: – What you promised you must keep; Go and open the door for him.

She went and opened the door, the frog jumped in and went, always at her feet, to her chair. There he stopped and said:

– Lift me up there.

She hesitated, but the king ordered her to lift him up. The frog being in the chair, he wanted to go up to the table, and when he had gone up, he said:

– Now, pull your little golden plate closer to me, so that we can eat together.

She did as he asked, but it was clear she didn't do it willingly. While the frog ate with gusto, almost everything stuck in his throat. Finally he said:

– I am satisfied, but I feel tired. Take me now to your room, prepare your silk bed and let's go to bed.

The king's daughter began to cry, and she was afraid of that cold frog, which she did not have the courage to touch and who would have to sleep in her beautiful and precious bed. But the king was angry and said:

- You must not despise those who helped you in a time of need.

So she picked it up with two fingers, carried it upstairs, and sat it in a corner. But when she lay down, he came crawling over and said:

- I'm tired, I want to sleep as comfortably as you. Lift me up, or I'll tell your father.

Then she became furious, picked him up and threw him against the wall with all her strength, saying:

– Now you will be at peace, you disgusting frog.

But when he fell, he was no longer a frog, but a son of a king, with beautiful, affectionate eyes. And, by his father's will, he became her much-loved companion and husband. Then he said that he had been bewitched by an evil witch, that no one could free him from the well but the king's daughter, and that the next day they would go to her kingdom.

Then they went to sleep, and early in the morning, when the sun woke them, a carriage arrived, where eight white horses were harnessed, with white ostrich feathers on their heads and golden reins. Behind came faithful Henry, the young king's servant. Faithful Henry was so distressed when his master was turned into a frog that he had three iron rings fastened around his heart, so that it would not burst with pain and sadness. The chariot, then, was to carry the young king to his kingdom; faithful Henry brought the couple up, turned back again, and was beaming with joy on account of his master's salvation.

Having traveled a good distance, the king's son heard a crack behind him, as if something had burst. Then he turned and exclaimed:

– Henry, the carriage broke down.

– No, my lord, not the carriage.
It was the rim that broke,
the rim around my heart,
who was immersed in affliction,
to see my master in the abandoned well
and a transformed frog.

There was another snap and yet another along the way, and the king's son always thought it was the chariot breaking, but it was the other hoops of faithful Henry's heart breaking, for his master was safe and happy.

***