This little known, but charming story by the Brothers Grimm is about a servant who learns to understand the speech of animals. He travels the world and does favours to creatures along the way. And then, when he needs help to win the hand of a princess, they come to his aid.

Read by Natasha. Duration 14 Minutes.

A long time ago there lived a king who was famed for his wisdom through

all the land. Nothing was hidden from him, and it seemed as if news of

the most secret things was brought to him through the air. But he had

a strange custom; every day after dinner, when the table was cleared,

and no one else was present, a trusty servant had to bring him one more

dish. It was covered, however, and even the servant did not know what

was in it, neither did anyone know, for the King never took off the

cover to eat of it until he was quite alone.

This had gone on for a long time, when one day the servant, who took

away the dish, was overcome with such curiosity that he could not help

carrying the dish into his room. When he had carefully locked the door,

he lifted up the cover, and saw a white snake lying on the dish. But

when he saw it he could not deny himself the pleasure of tasting it,

so he cut off a little bit and put it into his mouth. No sooner had it

touched his tongue than he heard a strange whispering of little voices

outside his window. He went and listened, and then noticed that it was

the sparrows who were chattering together, and telling one another of

all kinds of things which they had seen in the fields and woods. Eating

the snake had given him power of understanding the language of animals.

Now it so happened that on this very day the Queen lost her most beautiful

ring, and suspicion of having stolen it fell upon this trusty servant,

who was allowed to go everywhere. The King ordered the man to be brought

before him, and threatened with angry words that unless he could before

the morrow point out the thief, he himself should be looked upon as guilty

and executed. In vain he declared his innocence.

In his trouble and fear he went down into the courtyard and though long and hard.

Now some ducks weresitting together quietly by a brook and taking their rest; and, whilst

they were making their feathers smooth with their bills, they were

having a confidentia conversation together. The servant stood by and

listened. They were telling one another of all the places where they had

been waddling about all the morning, and what good food they had found,

and one said in a pitiful tone, “Something lies heavy on my stomach;

as I was eating in haste I swallowed a ring which lay under the Queen’s

window.” The servant at once seized her, carried her to

the kitchen, and said to the cook, “Here is a fine duck; roast her for dinner.”

“Yes,” said the cook, and weighed her in his hand; “she has spared

no trouble to fatten herself, and has been waiting to be roasted long

enough.” And as he prepared the duck for dinner, he found the ring inside.

The servant could now easily prove his innocence; and the King, to make

amends for the wrong, allowed him to ask a favor, and promised him the

best place in the court that he could wish for. The servant refused

everything, and only asked for a horse and some money for traveling,

as he had a mind to see the world and go about a little.

When his request was granted he set out on his way, and one day came

to a pond, where he saw three fishes caught in the reeds and gasping

for water. Now, though it is said that fishes are dumb, he heard them

complaining that they must perish so miserably, and, as he had a kind

heart, he got off his horse and put the three prisoners back into the

water. They quivered with delight, put out their heads, and cried to him,

“We will remember you and repay you for saving us!”

He rode on, and after a while it seemed to him that he heard a voice

in the sand at his feet. He listened, and heard an ant-king complain,

“Why cannot folks, with their clumsy beasts, keep off our bodies? That

stupid horse, with his heavy hoofs, has been treading down my people

without mercy!” So he turned on to a side path and the ant-king cried

out to him, “We will remember you—one good turn deserves another!”

The path led him into a wood, and here he saw two old ravens standing by

their nest, and throwing out their young ones. “Out with you, you idle,

good-for-nothing creatures!” cried they; “we cannot find food for you

any longer; you are big enough, and can provide for yourselves.” But the

poor young ravens lay upon the ground, flapping their wings, and crying,

“Oh, what helpless chicks we are! We must shift for ourselves, and yet

we cannot fly! What can we do, but lie here and starve?” So the good

young fellow climbed down, and gave them his own food which he had

been carrying for his lunch.

Then they came hopping up to it, satisfied their hunger,

and cried, “We will remember you—one good turn deserves another!”

And when he had gone on a long way further, he

came to a large city. There was a great noise and crowd in the streets,

and a man rode up on horseback, crying aloud, “The King’s daughter

wants a husband; but whoever sues for her hand must perform a hard task,

and if he does not succeed he will forfeit his life.” Many had already

made the attempt, but in vain; nevertheless when the youth saw the King’s

daughter he was so overcome by her great beauty that he forgot all danger,

went before the King, and declared himself a suitor.

So he was led out to the sea, and a gold ring was thrown into it, in his

sight; then the King ordered him to fetch this ring up from the bottom of

the sea, and added, “If you come up again without it you will be thrown in

again and again until you perish amid the waves.” All the people grieved

for the handsome youth; then they went away, leaving him alone by the sea.

He stood on the shore and considered what he should do, when suddenly

he saw three fishes come swimming towards him, and they were the very

fishes whose lives he had saved. The one in the middle held a mussel in

its mouth, which it laid on the shore at the youth’s feet, and when he

had taken it up and opened it, there lay the gold ring in the shell. Full

of joy he took it to the King, and expected that he would grant him the

promised reward.

But when the proud princess saw that he was not her equal in birth,

she scorned him, and required him first to perform another task. She

went down into the garden and strewed with her own hands ten sacks-full

of millet-seed on the grass; then she said, “To-morrow morning before

sunrise these must be picked up, and not a single grain be wanting.”

The youth sat down in the garden and considered how it might be possible

to perform this task, but he could think of nothing, and there he sat

sorrowfully awaiting the break of day, when he should be led to death. But

as soon as the first rays of the sun shone into the garden he saw all the

ten sacks standing side by side, quite full, and not a single grain was

missing. The ant-king had come in the night with thousands and thousands

of ants, and the grateful creatures had by great industry picked up all

the millet-seed and gathered them into the sacks.

Presently the King’s daughter herself came down into the garden,

and was amazed to see that the young man had done the task she had

given him. But she could not yet conquer her proud heart, and said,

“Although he has performed both the tasks, he shall not be my husband

until he has brought me an apple from the Tree of Life.”

The youth did not know where the Tree of Life stood, but he set out,

and would have gone on for ever, as long as his legs would carry him,

though he had no hope of finding it. After he had wandered through three

kingdoms, he came one evening to a wood, and lay down under a tree to

sleep. But he heard a rustling in the branches, and a golden apple fell

into his hand. At the same time three ravens flew down to him, perched

themselves upon his knee, and said, “We are the three young ravens

whom you saved from starving; when we had grown big, and heard that you

were seeking the Golden Apple, we flew over the sea to the end of the

world, where the Tree of Life stands, and have brought you the apple.”

The youth, full of joy, set out homewards, and took the Golden Apple to

the King’s beautiful daughter, who had no more excuses left to make. They

cut the Apple of Life in two and ate it together; and then her heart

became full of love for him, and they lived in undisturbed happiness to

a great age.