Smiles innocent love

The Story of The Golden Goose

The Golden Goose a Grimms Fairy Tale retold by Ally.

This is a story about a Special Golden Goose and a man who had three sons.

Dummling the youngest was often the victim of horrible bullying.

When the oldest wanted to go and chop wood his mother would always give him a good packed lunch for the day.
On this particular day he met an old man who asked him to please share some food with him. The young man shouted at the old man and said;

 “It is my food – not yours! – away with you!”

Now you see this old man was not any ordinary old man he had special charms and when the young man tried to cut the tree – the axe slipped and he had to return home wounded with no wood.!

Then the second son went out to get wood, his mother gave him a lovely packed lunch and off he went. He too met the old man and the old man asked him to please spare him some food. The second son answered

“If I give it to you – I won’t have any for myself –No I will not share my food with you!”

Needless to say this young man was unable to cut wood either and soon returned home injured but with no wood.

   

That left Dummling, who turned to his father and said

“Let me go out and chop wood!”

His father said, “Your brothers couldn’t what makes you think you can? You don’t even know how to carry an axe!”

But Dummling begged and so his father said to him
“Off with you – go on then but don’t come crying home when you hurt yourself!” -
Dummling’s Mother gave him some water and dry bread and shooed him out.

Now when Dummling entered the forest he too met the old man who asked him for a bite to eat.

Dummling answered,
“I don’t have much but what I do have you we can share.”
The two sat down together and it seemed a fine feast to be sharing.
The Old man turned to Dummling and said;
“You have a good heart, I will give you good luck!
There stands an old tree, cut it down, and you will find something at the roots.”
With that the old man turned and walked away.

 Dummling went and cut down the tree, and when it fell there was a goose sitting in the roots with feathers of pure gold.  This was his ticket to freedom, so he picked up the goose and went to town. He found a Tavern where he thought he would spend the night. There he met three young ladies who were amazed with his goose and eager to have one of it’s fathers.

The eldest thought, I shall soon find an opportunity of pulling out a feather, and as soon as Dummling had gone out she seized the goose by the wing, but her finger and hand remained sticking fast to it.
The second came soon afterwards, thinking only of how she might get a feather for herself, but she had scarcely touched her sister than she was held fast.
At last the third also came with the like intent, and the others screamed out, keep away, for goodness, sake keep away. But she did not understand why she was to keep away. The others are there, she thought, I may as well be there too, and ran to them, but as soon as she had touched her sister, she remained sticking fast to her. So they had to spend the night with the goose.

The next day when Dummling awoke he picked up his Golden Goose which was truely magical and he could not see the girls who were stuck to the Goose. Nor could he feel them – The Goose had turned them invisible.

The next morning Dummling took the goose under his arm and set out, without troubling himself about the three girls who were hanging on to it. They were obliged to run after him continually, now left, now right, wherever his legs took him.

In the middle of the fields the parson met them, and when he saw the procession he said, for shame, you good-for-nothing girls, why are you running across the fields after this young man. Is that seemly? At the same time he seized the youngest by the hand in order to pull her away, but as soon as he touched her he likewise stuck fast, and was himself obliged to run behind.

Before long the sexton came by and saw his master, the parson, running behind three girls. He was astonished at this and called out, hi, your reverence, whither away so quickly. Do not forget that we have a christening to-day, and running after him he took him by the sleeve, but was also held fast to it. Whilst the five were trotting thus one behind the other, two laborers came with their hoes from the fields, the parson called out to them and begged that they would set him and the sexton free. But they had scarcely touched the sexton when they were held fast, and now there were seven of them running behind Dummling and the goose.

Soon he came to a city, where the kings ruled daughter was so serious no one could make her laugh. The king had said who ever could make her laugh could have her hand in marriage.
As soon as she saw Dummling she started laughing for she could see the people trailing behind him stuck to his goose.
Dummling asked to have her for his wife, but the king did not like the son-in-law, and said before he could marry his daughter he had to bring to the King a man who could drink a cellarful of wine.

Dummling thought of the little grey man, who could certainly help him, so he went into the forest, and in the same place where he had felled the tree, he saw a man sitting, who had a very sorrowful face. Dummling asked him what he was taking to heart so sorely, and he answered, I have such a great thirst and cannot quench it, cold water I cannot stand, a barrel of wine I have just emptied, but that to me is like a drop on a hot stone.

There, I can help you, said Dummling, just come with me and you shall be satisfied.

He led him into the king's cellar, and the man bent over the huge barrels, and drank and drank till had emptied all the barrels.

Then Dummling asked once more for his bride, but the king once again changed the rules and asked Dummling, who he really didn’t like because he looked stupid and was not of high standing, to  find a man who could eat a whole mountain of bread. Dummling did not think long, but went straight into the forest, where in the same place there sat a man who was tying up his body with a strap, and making an awful face, and saying, I have eaten a whole ovenful of rolls, but what good is that when one has such a hunger as I. My stomach remains empty, and I must tie myself up if I am not to die of hunger.

At this Dummling was glad, and said, get up and come with me, you shall eat yourself full. He led him to the king's palace, where all the flour in the whole kingdom was collected, and from it he caused a huge mountain of bread to be baked. The man from the forest stood before it, began to eat, and by the end of one day the whole mountain had vanished. Then Dummling for the third time asked for his bride, but the king again sought a way out, and ordered a ship which could sail on land and on water. As soon as you come sailing back in it, said he, you shall have my daughter for wife.

Dummling went straight into the forest, and there sat the little grey man to whom he had given his cake. When he heard what Dummling wanted, he said, since you have given me to eat and to drink, I will give you the ship, and I do all this because you once were kind to me. Then he gave him the ship which could sail on land and water, and when the king saw that, he could no longer prevent him from having his daughter. The wedding was celebrated, and after the king's death, Dummling inherited his kingdom and lived for a long time contentedly with his wife