Jorinde and Joringel

JORINDE AND JORINGEL

There was once upon a time a castle in the middle of a thick wood where

lived an old woman quite alone, for she was an enchantress. In the

day-time she changed herself into a cat or a night-owl, but in the

evening she became like an ordinary woman again. She could entice

animals and birds to come to her, and then she would kill and cook them.

If any youth came within a hundred paces of the castle, he was obliged

to stand still, and could not stir from the spot till she set him free;

but if a pretty girl came within this boundary, the old enchantress

changed her into a bird, and shut her up in a wicker cage, which she put

in one of the rooms in the castle. She had quite seven thousand of such

cages in the castle with very rare birds in them.

Now, there was once a maiden called Jorinde, who was more beautiful than

other maidens. She and a youth named Joringel, who was just as

good-looking as she was, were betrothed to one another. Their greatest

delight was to be together, and so that they might get a good long talk,

they went one evening for a walk in the wood. 'Take care,' said

Joringel, 'not to come too close to the castle.' It was a beautiful

evening; the sun shone brightly between the stems of the trees among the

dark green leaves of the forest, and the turtle-dove sang clearly on the

old may bushes.

Jorinde wept from time to time, and she sat herself down in the sunshine

and lamented, and Joringel lamented too. They felt as sad as if they had

been condemned to die; they looked round and got quite confused, and did

not remember which was their way home. Half the sun was still above the

mountain and half was behind it when Joringel looked through the trees

and saw the old wall of the castle quite near them. He was terrified and

half dead with fright. Jorinde sang:

'My little bird with throat so red

Sings sorrow, sorrow, sorrow;

He sings to the little dove that's dead,

Sings sorrow, sor----jug, jug, jug.'

Joringel looked up at Jorinde. She had been changed into a nightingale,

who was singing 'jug, jug.' A night-owl with glowing eyes flew three

times round her, and screeched three times 'tu-whit, tu-whit, tu-whoo.'

Joringel could not stir; he stood there like a stone; he could not weep,

or speak, or move hand or foot. Now the sun set; the owl flew into a

bush, and immediately an old, bent woman came out of it; she was

yellow-skinned and thin, and had large red eyes and a hooked nose, which

met her chin. She muttered to herself, caught the nightingale, and

carried her away in her hand. Joringel could say nothing; he could not

move from the spot, and the nightingale was gone. At last the woman came

back again, and said in a gruff voice, 'Good evening, Zachiel; when the

young moon shines in the basket, you are freed early, Zachiel.' Then

Joringel was free. He fell on his knees before the old woman and

implored her to give him back his Jorinde, but she said he should never

have her again, and then went away. He called after her, he wept and

lamented, but all in vain. 'What is to become of me!' he thought. Then

he went away, and came at last to a strange village, where he kept sheep

for a long time. He often went round the castle while he was there, but

never too close. At last he dreamt one night that he had found a

blood-red flower, which had in its centre a beautiful large pearl. He

plucked this flower and went with it to the castle; and there everything

which he touched with the flower was freed from the enchantment, and he

got his Jorinde back again through it. When he awoke in the morning he

began to seek mountain and valley to find such a flower. He sought it

for eight days, and on the ninth early in the morning he found the

blood-red flower. In its centre was a large dew-drop, as big as the most

lovely pearl. He travelled day and night with this flower till he

arrived at the castle. When he came within a hundred paces of it he did

not cease to be able to move, but he went on till he reached the gate.

He was delighted at his success, touched the great gate with the flower,

and it sprung open. He entered, passed through the courtyard, and then

stopped to listen for the singing of the birds; at last he heard it. He

went in and found the hall in which was the enchantress, and with her

seven thousand birds in their wicker cages. When she saw Joringel she

was furious, and breathed out poison and gall at him, but she could not

move a step towards him. He took no notice of her, and went and looked

over the cages of birds; but there were many hundred nightingales, and

how was he to find his Jorinde from among them? Whilst he was

considering, he observed the old witch take up a cage secretly and go

with it towards the door. Instantly he sprang after her, touched the

cage with the flower, and the old woman as well. Now she could no longer

work enchantments, and there stood Jorinde before him, with her arms

round his neck, and more beautiful than ever. Then he turned all the

other birds again into maidens, and he went home with his Jorinde, and

they lived a long and happy life.

[Illustration]

Grimm.