Children Stories - Jorinde And Joringel

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Jorinde And Joringel

from The Green Fairy Book

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 maybushes.

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.

Next: Allerleirauh Or The Many-furred Creature

Previous: Little One-eye Little Two-eyes And Little Three-eyes

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