Hans the Hedgehog (Brothers Grimm)
Short summary
A German village, fairy tale times. A childless countryman wished for a child, even if it were a hedgehog. His wife gave birth to a boy who was hedgehog above and human below.
Hans lived behind the stove for eight years. His father gave him bagpipes and had a rooster shod so Hans could ride away. Hans went to the forest where he tended swine and asses while playing music. Two lost kings came by. The first promised Hans whatever first met him at home for directions, then broke his word. Hans later pierced the first princess with his quills for her father's falseness. The second king kept his promise and welcomed Hans honorably.
When the fire had consumed it, he was delivered, and lay there in bed in human form, but he was coal-black as if he had been burnt... he became white, and was a handsome young man.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
Birth and early years of Hans the Hedgehog
A wealthy countryman lived with his wife, possessing money and land in abundance, yet remained deeply unhappy because they had no children. When other peasants mocked him in town for his childlessness, he became angry and declared in frustration:
I will have a child, even if it be a hedgehog... Then his wife had a child, that was a hedgehog in the upper part of his body, and a boy in the lower
His wife was terrified by the strange child and blamed her husband for bringing ill-luck upon them.
They named him Hans the Hedgehog and had him christened, though the parson noted he could not sleep in an ordinary bed because of his spikes. Hans was laid on straw behind the stove, where his mother could not nurse him due to his quills.
Forest life and encounters with two kings
So he lay there behind the stove for eight years, and his father was tired of him and thought, 'If he would but die!' He did not die, however, but remained lying there.
When the father went to a fair, he asked what each family member wanted. His wife requested meat and rolls, the servant wanted slippers and stockings, and Hans asked for bagpipes. Upon receiving the bagpipes, Hans requested his father have a cock shod at the forge, promising to ride away forever.
Hans rode the cock into the forest with swine and asses, making his home in a high tree where he tended his growing herd and played beautiful music on his bagpipes. A lost king heard the music and sent his servant to investigate. Hans agreed to show the way home if the king would promise him whatever first met him in the royal courtyard.
The king wrote a false promise, intending to deceive Hans. When he arrived home, his daughter ran to greet him. Learning of the promise, she was glad her father had deceived Hans, saying she would never go with the hedgehog. Later, a second king also became lost and encountered Hans, who made the same offer.
The deceptive first king and his punishment
Hans eventually returned to his father's village with a massive herd of pigs, ordering a great slaughter that could be heard for miles. After having the cock shod once more, he departed to collect on the kings' promises. At the first kingdom, the king had ordered that Hans be attacked on sight to prevent him from entering the palace.
Hans flew over the gate on his cock and demanded the king fulfill his promise or face death for both himself and his daughter. The terrified king begged his daughter to go with Hans to save their lives. She dressed in white and entered a carriage with Hans, but once they left the town, Hans revealed his knowledge of their deception.
That is the reward of your falseness... go your way, I will not have you!... and on that he chased her home again, and she was disgraced for the rest of her life.
Hans stripped off her fine clothes and pierced her with his spikes until she bled, then sent her home in disgrace.
Marriage, transformation, and happy ending
Hans then traveled to the second kingdom, where the king had arranged for him to be welcomed with honor. Though initially terrified by his appearance, the princess remembered her father's promise and agreed to marry Hans.
On their wedding night, Hans instructed the king to have four men watch by their chamber door with a great fire. When Hans shed his hedgehog skin, the men were to throw it into the flames. At eleven o'clock, Hans removed his spiky exterior and became human, though he appeared coal-black as if burnt. The royal physician treated him with precious salves, and he became a handsome white man.
The princess rejoiced at his transformation, and their marriage was properly celebrated. Hans inherited the kingdom from the aged king. Years later, he visited his father, who initially refused to recognize him, claiming his only son had been born like a hedgehog and had gone into the world. When Hans revealed his identity, his father rejoiced and accompanied him to his kingdom.