Faithful John (Grimm)
Short summary
A fairy tale kingdom, medieval times. A dying king made his servant promise to hide from his son a portrait of a princess that would endanger him.
After the king died, the young king demanded to see the forbidden room. Upon seeing the portrait, he fainted from love.
They sailed with golden treasures to win her. She came aboard to see the gold and was tricked into marriage.
Faithful John overheard three ravens foretelling dangers. To save the couple, he shot a horse, burned a poisoned garment, and drew blood from the queen. The king condemned him to death. At the gallows, Faithful John explained his actions.
Oh, my most Faithful John. Pardon, pardon—bring him down. But as Faithful John spoke the last word he had fallen down lifeless and become a stone.
The stone later told the king he could revive him by sacrificing his twin sons. The king did so, Faithful John returned to life and restored the children. They all lived happily.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The dying kings last wish and Faithful Johns promise
An old king lay dying on his deathbed, consumed with worry about his young son's future. He summoned his most trusted servant, who had served him faithfully his entire life.
The king asked Faithful John to promise to teach his son everything he needed to know and serve as his foster-father. Without this assurance, the king could not die in peace. Faithful John made a solemn vow:
I will not forsake him, and will serve him with fidelity, even if it should cost me my life.
The king then gave one crucial warning about a forbidden chamber.
The forbidden portrait and the young kings obsession
The dying king warned that in the last chamber of the long gallery hung a portrait of the princess of the Golden Dwelling. He made Faithful John promise never to show it to his son, explaining:
If he sees that picture, he will fall violently in love with her, and will drop down in a swoon, and go through great danger for her sake, therefore thou must preserve him from that.
After the old king died, Faithful John showed the young prince his inheritance - the entire palace with all its treasures and magnificent rooms. However, he carefully avoided opening the forbidden chamber. The curious young king noticed this omission and demanded to see what lay behind the locked door. Despite Faithful John's protests about his promise to the late king, the prince threatened to break down the door himself. Reluctantly, Faithful John opened the chamber. The portrait was so magnificently painted that it seemed to breathe and live. When the young king saw the beautiful princess, he immediately fell fainting to the ground, just as his father had predicted.
The journey to win the princess of the Golden Dwelling
Upon awakening, the young king declared his overwhelming love for the princess, proclaiming:
My love for her is so great, that if all the leaves on all the trees were tongues, they could not declare it. I will give my life to win her.
Faithful John devised a plan. Knowing the princess loved golden objects, he ordered the kingdom's goldsmiths to work night and day creating magnificent golden vessels, utensils, birds, and strange animals.
Disguised as merchants, Faithful John and the king sailed to the princess's kingdom. Faithful John went ashore with samples of their golden wares and encountered a beautiful waiting-maid drawing water with golden buckets.
The maid was amazed by the golden objects and led Faithful John to the princess. The princess was so delighted with the beautiful craftsmanship that she wanted to buy everything. When Faithful John claimed these were nothing compared to what his master had on the ship, her curiosity was aroused. Eventually, she agreed to visit the ship to see the remaining treasures. Once aboard, the king showed her all the golden vessels while Faithful John secretly ordered the ship to sail away. When the princess discovered the deception, she was initially angry, but the king revealed his true identity and explained his actions were motivated by love. Touched by his devotion, she consented to become his wife.
The ravens prophecy and the three deadly dangers
During the voyage home, Faithful John overheard three ravens discussing the dangers that awaited the young king. The first raven revealed that a chestnut horse would appear when they reached land, and if the king mounted it, the horse would carry him away forever. The second raven warned of a poisonous bridal garment that would burn the king to his bones. The third raven prophesied that the bride would fall as if dead during the wedding dance and could only be saved by drawing three drops of blood from her breast. Most ominously, the ravens declared that anyone who revealed these prophecies would be turned to stone.
Faithful John resolved to save his master despite the terrible cost to himself.
Faithful Johns sacrifices and condemnation to death
When they reached shore, everything happened as the ravens had foretold. Faithful John quickly mounted the chestnut horse himself and shot it dead with a pistol. At the palace, he seized the golden bridal garment with gloves and burned it in the fire. During the wedding celebration, when the bride suddenly turned pale and collapsed, Faithful John lifted her up, drew three drops of blood from her breast, and spat them out, saving her life. Each time, the other attendants criticized his seemingly destructive actions, but the king defended him. However, when Faithful John was seen apparently attacking the unconscious bride, the king's patience ended. Ignorant of the true reasons behind these actions, the king ordered Faithful John thrown into a dungeon and condemned him to death. At the gallows, Faithful John was granted a final speech and revealed the ravens' prophecy and how he had been forced to act to save his master's life. As he finished speaking, he fell lifeless and turned to stone.
The stones demand and Faithful Johns resurrection
The king and queen suffered great anguish over their treatment of Faithful John. They placed his stone figure in their bedroom, and the king often wept before it, wishing he could bring his faithful servant back to life. Years later, when the queen had borne twin sons, the stone began to speak, revealing that Faithful John could be restored to life if the king would sacrifice what was dearest to him. When the stone demanded that the king cut off his children's heads and sprinkle their blood on the stone, the king, remembering Faithful John's great sacrifice, complied. Faithful John was immediately restored to life and, in turn, restored the children by placing their heads back on and rubbing the wounds with their blood. The king and queen rejoiced at this miraculous reunion, and they all lived together in happiness until their deaths.