German Fairytale

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Retold by The Legendary Connection

TLC#00122

Once upon a time, in a quiet village, there lived a wealthy farmer who had all the land and riches he could ever want. Yet, for all his wealth, he longed for a child, and this made him sad. Whenever he went to town, the other villagers would tease him, asking why he had no children. Frustrated and hurt, he declared, “I’ll have a child, even if he’s a hedgehog!”

Soon after, his wife had a child—a boy who was half hedgehog on the top and a regular boy on the bottom. When she saw him, she was frightened and said, “Oh, look what you’ve wished upon us!” But the farmer sighed and said, “What’s done is done. We’ll have him christened, though we’ll likely struggle to find a godparent.” They named him Hans the Hedgehog.

When Hans was christened, the priest advised they couldn’t lay him in a regular bed because of his sharp quills. So, they made a soft straw bed for him behind the stove, and there he stayed. Hans couldn’t be held or fed like other children, as his quills would prick anyone who touched him. So he lay there, out of sight, for eight long years. His father grew tired of having Hans around, often wishing he would simply disappear.

One day, the farmer went to town for a fair and asked his family what they’d like him to bring back. His wife asked for bread and meat, the servant wanted a pair of slippers, and finally, Hans asked for a set of bagpipes.

When the farmer returned, he gave everyone their gifts, including Hans. Hans took his bagpipes and said, “Dear Father, please have the blacksmith shoe my rooster, and I’ll leave and never return.” The farmer gladly arranged it, eager to see Hans go. Hans climbed on the rooster, took along some pigs and donkeys, and set off to live in the forest. He spent years there, taking care of his animals, and playing beautiful music on his bagpipes.

One day, a king who had lost his way in the forest heard Hans’s music. Intrigued, he sent a servant to find out who was playing. The servant found Hans high up in a tree, sitting on his rooster. When the king approached, Hans agreed to show him the way home on one condition: the king must promise him the first thing that greeted him upon his return. The king agreed, though he thought he could trick Hans by writing something else in the promise.

When the king reached his palace, his daughter was the first to greet him. Though he remembered his promise, he was relieved, for he had written that Hans would receive nothing.

Sometime later, a second king came through the forest and heard Hans’s music. This king, too, needed help finding his way home, so Hans made the same request, and the king agreed. When the second king returned home, his daughter ran out to greet him. Though saddened, she agreed to fulfill her father’s promise.

After many years, Hans returned to his village with his animals, asking his father to prepare the village for a grand feast. Then he journeyed to the first king, who had ordered his guards to attack Hans if he came. But Hans flew on his rooster over the palace walls and reminded the king of his promise. Terrified, the king’s daughter reluctantly joined him. On the way, Hans realized she didn’t truly want to be with him.  So he beat her, then let her return home, ensuring she understood the importance of keeping promises.

Finally, Hans traveled to the second king’s palace. This king’s daughter, though frightened, honored her father’s word and welcomed Hans. That night, Hans instructed her to have four men guard their chamber and to burn his hedgehog skin. At midnight, he removed his prickly skin, and the guards threw it into the fire. Hans transformed into a handsome young man, free of his curse.

The next morning, Hans and the princess celebrated their wedding. Eventually, he became king and returned to visit his father, who didn’t recognize him. But when Hans revealed who he was, his father rejoiced.

---. “Household Tales by Brothers Grimm.” Https://Www.gutenberg.org/Files/5314/5314-h/5314-H.htm, 1 Mar. 2004, www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/5314/pg5314-images.html.