The Frog King, or Iron Henry

In olden times, when wishes could still help, there lived a king who had many beautiful daughters. The youngest was so lovely that the sun itself, which had seen so much, was quite amazed every time it shone upon her face. Near the king's castle lay a large, dark forest, and under an old lime tree in the forest there was a well.

When it was very hot, the king's daughter would go out into the forest and sit by the cool spring. When she was bored, she would take a golden ball, toss it high up, and catch it. This ball was her favorite toy.

One day it happened that the princess's golden ball did not fall into the little hand she held up to catch it, but instead hit the ground and rolled straight into the water. The king's daughter followed it with her eyes, but it disappeared, and the well was deep, so deep that the bottom could not be seen.

Then she began to cry, louder and louder, and could not be comforted. As she was lamenting, someone said to her: "What ails you, king's daughter? You weep so that even a stone would take pity." She looked around to the side where the voice came from, and saw a frog sticking its thick, ugly head up out of the water.

"Oh, old water-splasher, is it you?" she said. "I am crying over my golden ball, which has fallen into the well."

"Be still and do not cry," answered the frog. "I can help you, but what will you give me if I fetch your toy back up?" "Whatever you want, dear frog," she said. "My clothes, my pearls and jewels, and even the golden crown I am wearing."

The frog replied: "I do not care about your clothes, your pearls and jewels, or your golden crown, but if you will love me and let me be your companion and playmate, sit beside you at your little table, eat from your little golden plate, drink from your little cup, and sleep in your little bed – if you promise me this, I will go down and bring your golden ball back up."

"Oh yes," she said, "I promise you anything you wish, just get my ball back." But she thought: "What nonsense the stupid frog talks! He lives in the water with the other frogs and croaks, and cannot be a companion to a human!"

But the frog, once he had the promise, stuck his head into the water and sank. After a little while, he came swimming back up with the ball in his mouth and threw it onto the grass. The king's daughter was overjoyed to see her toy again, picked it up, and ran away with it.

"Wait, wait," said the frog. "Take me with you. I cannot run like you can." But what good was it that he screamed "Croak, croak" as loud as he could? She did not listen to him, but ran home and soon forgot the poor frog, who had to return to his well.

The next day, when she had sat down at the table with the king and all the courtiers, and was eating from her little golden plate, something came crawling splash-splash, splash-splash up the marble staircase. When it reached the top, it knocked on the door and called: "Princess, youngest princess, open the door for me." She ran to see who was outside, but when she opened the door, there sat the frog.

She slammed the door shut in haste, sat back down at the table, and became quite frightened. The king saw that her heart was beating hard, and said: "My child, what are you so afraid of? Is there perhaps a giant outside who wants to take you?" "Oh no," she answered.

"It is no giant, but a nasty frog."

"What does a frog want with you?" "Oh, dear father, yesterday when I was in the forest by the well and playing, my golden ball fell into the water. And because I cried so much, the frog brought it back up for me, and because he insisted, I promised that he should be my companion, but I never thought he could come out of the water! And now he is out there and wants to come in to me."

In the meantime, there was another knock, and it called:

"Princess, youngest princess! Open the door for me! Don't you know what you said to me yesterday by the cool well? Princess, youngest princess! Open the door for me!"

Then the king said: "What you have promised, you must keep. Go and let him in." She went and opened the door, and the frog hopped in and followed her, step by step, all the way to her chair.

There he sat and called: "Lift me up beside you." She hesitated, until the king finally commanded her to do it. Once the frog was on the chair, he wanted to be on the table, and when he was on the table, he said: "Push your little golden plate closer to me, so we can eat together." She did so, but it was easy to see that she did not do it gladly.

The frog enjoyed the food, but almost every bite she took choked her. Finally he said: "I have eaten and am full. Now I am tired, carry me to your room and make your little silk bed ready, so we shall both lie down and sleep."

The king's daughter began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frog that she did not like to touch, and who now was to sleep in her pretty, clean little bed. But the king grew angry and said: "He who helped you when you were in need must not be despised afterwards." So she took the frog with two fingers, carried him up the stairs, and set him in a corner.

But when she was in bed, he crept over to her and said: "I am tired, I want to sleep as much as you, lift me up, or I will tell your father." Then she became very angry, picked him up, and threw him with all her might against the wall.

"Now will you be quiet, nasty frog," she said. But when he fell down, he was no longer a frog, but a king's son with beautiful, kind eyes. And, according to his father's will, he became her dear companion and husband.

Then he told her how he had been bewitched by a wicked witch, and that no one could have saved him from the well except her, and that tomorrow they would travel together to his kingdom.

So they fell asleep, and the next morning when the sun woke them, a carriage came driving up with eight white horses that had white ostrich feathers on their heads and were harnessed with golden chains. Behind stood the young king's servant, faithful Henry.

Faithful Henry had been so unhappy when his master was turned into a frog that he had had three iron bands forged around his heart, so that it would not burst from sorrow and grief. The carriage was to bring the young king to his kingdom.

Faithful Henry helped them both up, took his place behind again, and was filled with joy at this rescue. When they had driven a little way, the prince heard a crack behind him, as if something had broken. He turned around and called out: "Henry, the carriage is breaking."

"No, master, it is not the carriage. It is a band from my heart, which was placed there in my great sorrow when you were a frog and imprisoned in the well." Again and yet once more, while they were on the way, something cracked, and each time the prince thought the carriage was breaking apart, but it was only the bands snapping from the heart of faithful Henry, because his master had been set free and was happy.