Hansel and Gretel (Grimm)
Short summary
A poor woodcutter lived with his wife and two children near a forest. During a famine, the stepmother convinced him to abandon Hänsel and his sister in the woods.
Hänsel overheard the plan and collected white pebbles. The next day, he dropped them along the path. When abandoned, the children followed the pebbles home by moonlight. Their stepmother planned a second abandonment. This time, Hänsel could only drop breadcrumbs, which birds ate. Lost deeper in the forest, the children found a house made of bread and cake. Grethel nibbled at the windows.
A witch lured them inside, then locked Hänsel in a cage to fatten him. She ordered Grethel to cook for him. When the witch prepared to eat them, she asked Grethel to check the oven.
But Grethel saw what she had in her mind, and said, I do not know how I am to do it; how do you get in? ...Then Grethel gave her a push that drove her far into it
Grethel freed Hänsel. They took the witch's jewels and found their way home. Their stepmother had died, and they lived happily with their father.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The parents desperate plan and the first abandonment
A poor woodcutter lived near a great forest with his wife and two children. When great scarcity fell upon the land and he could no longer provide daily bread for his family, he lay awake at night in anxiety. His wife proposed a desperate solution, telling her husband:
What is to become of us? How are we to feed our poor children, when we no longer have anything even for ourselves? ...we will take the children out into the forest
She planned to abandon the children in the thickest part of the forest where they would not find their way home again. The woodcutter initially refused, fearing wild animals would tear them apart, but his wife gave him no peace until he consented, though he felt very sorry for the poor children. The two children had overheard their stepmother's cruel plan.
Brief return and preparation for second abandonment
That night, Hänsel crept outside and filled his pockets with white pebbles that glittered like silver pennies in the moonlight. He comforted his sister, promising to find a way to help them.
The next morning, the parents led the children into the forest. Along the way, Hänsel secretly dropped the white pebbles to mark their path. Left alone by a fire, the children eventually fell asleep. When they awoke in the dark night, Hänsel waited for the moon to rise, then followed the pebbles that shone like newly-coined silver pieces back home. Their father rejoiced at their return, but the stepmother was displeased.
Lost in the forest with failed breadcrumbs
Soon after, scarcity returned and the stepmother again insisted on abandoning the children, this time taking them even deeper into the forest. The father reluctantly agreed once more. This time, the stepmother had locked the door, preventing Hänsel from collecting pebbles. Instead, he crumbled his piece of bread along the path as they walked deeper into the woods than ever before.
Again left by a fire, the children shared Grethel's bread since Hänsel had scattered his along the way. When they awoke in the dark night and tried to follow the breadcrumb trail home, they discovered a devastating truth:
they found no crumbs, for the many thousands of birds which fly about in the woods and fields had picked them all up. ...they did not get out of the forest
They wandered for days, surviving only on berries, growing weaker and more desperate as they went deeper into the forest.
The gingerbread house and the witchs deception
On the third morning, a beautiful snow-white bird led them to an extraordinary sight. The children discovered a little house built entirely of bread and covered with cakes, with windows made of clear sugar. Overcome with hunger, Hänsel declared they would have a good meal, and both children began eating the house.
A soft voice called out asking who was nibbling at the house, to which the children replied it was only the wind. Suddenly, a very old woman on crutches emerged. She appeared kind, inviting them inside and providing milk, pancakes, sugar, apples, and nuts, then tucking them into clean white beds. However, the old woman was actually a wicked witch who built the house to lure children.
Hansels imprisonment and the fattening plan
The next morning, the witch seized Hänsel and locked him in a stable with a grated door. She forced Grethel to cook rich food for her brother to fatten him up before eating him. Every morning, the witch checked Hänsel's progress by feeling his finger, but the clever boy had a plan:
Hänsel, however, stretched out a little bone to her, and the old woman, who had dim eyes, could not see it, and thought it was Hänsel's finger, and was astonished
After four weeks of this deception, the impatient witch decided to cook Hänsel regardless of whether he was fat or thin. She ordered Grethel to prepare the oven and heat water in the cauldron.
Gretels clever defeat of the witch
The witch told Grethel to crawl into the oven to check if it was properly heated, intending to bake her as well. But Grethel saw through the deception and pretended not to understand how to get inside. When the witch demonstrated by thrusting her own head into the oven, Grethel pushed her far inside, shut the iron door, and fastened the bolt. The witch burned to death while howling horribly.
Escape with treasure and joyful homecoming
Grethel freed Hänsel from his prison, and they discovered the witch's house filled with chests of pearls and jewels. They filled their pockets and Grethel's pinafore with treasure. When they reached a great body of water blocking their path, a helpful white duck carried them across one by one.
The forest became familiar, and they soon saw their father's house. They rushed into the parlour and threw themselves into their father's arms. The man had not known one happy hour since abandoning them, but the stepmother had died during their absence. The children emptied their treasure, and all anxiety ended.
Then all anxiety was at an end, and they lived together in perfect happiness. My tale is done, there runs a mouse, whosoever catches it, may make himself a big fur cap