Maid Maleen (Brothers Grimm)
Short summary
A medieval kingdom, fairy tale times. Maid Maleen loved a prince but her father wanted her to marry another.
When she refused, her father imprisoned her in a dark tower for seven years. She and her waiting-woman dug their way out to find the kingdom destroyed by war. They wandered until they found work as scullions in another kingdom, which happened to be ruled by her beloved prince's father.
The prince was to marry an ugly bride who, ashamed of her appearance, forced Maid Maleen to take her place at the wedding. During the ceremony, Maid Maleen spoke verses to nettles, a footbridge, and the church door. The prince gave her a jewel necklace. That night, the false bride couldn't answer his questions about what was said. When she couldn't produce the jewel, the prince unveiled her ugliness. He called for the scullery-maid, recognized his true love, and Maid Maleen revealed herself.
I am Maid Maleen, who for thy sake was imprisoned seven years in the darkness, who suffered hunger and thirst, and has lived so long in want and poverty.
They married and lived happily. The false bride was executed.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The courtship, refusal, and imprisonment
A King's son fell in love with the daughter of a mighty King and asked for her hand in marriage. The beautiful princess was called Maid Maleen.
However, her father wished to give her to another suitor, so the prince was rejected. Since both lovers refused to give each other up, Maid Maleen declared to her father:
I can and will take no other for my husband... Therein shalt thou be imprisoned for seven years, and then I will come and see if thy perverse spirit is broken.
Enraged by his daughter's defiance, the King ordered a dark tower to be built where no sunlight or moonlight could enter. When it was finished, he imprisoned Maid Maleen and her waiting-woman inside, walling them up completely with seven years' worth of food and drink. The King's son often walked around the tower calling their names, but no sound could penetrate the thick walls. Time passed slowly in the darkness, and the prisoners could only tell the seven years were ending by their dwindling supplies.
Escape and discovery of the ruined kingdom
When their food ran dangerously low and no rescue came, Maid Maleen took a bread-knife and began picking at the mortar around a stone. She and her waiting-woman
took turns working until they created an opening large enough to escape. When they finally emerged, they discovered a devastated landscape:
Her father's castle lay in ruins, the town and the villages were... destroyed by fire, the fields far and wide laid to waste, and no human being was visible.
The enemy had ravaged the entire kingdom, driven away the King, and slain all inhabitants. The two women wandered forth seeking shelter, forced to eat nettles to survive. After long journeying, they reached another country and eventually arrived at a large city with a royal palace. Though initially turned away, the cook
allowed them to stay and work as scullions in the kitchen.
The false bride and the wedding deception
Unknown to Maid Maleen, the King's son of this kingdom was the very prince who had once been betrothed to her. His father had chosen another bride for him - a woman whose face was as ugly as her heart was wicked.
On the wedding day, the false bride was too ashamed of her ugliness to appear in public. She commanded Maid Maleen to wear her wedding clothes and take her place, threatening:
If thou dost not obey me, it shall cost thee thy life. I have but to speak the word, and thy head will lie at thy feet.
Forced to comply, Maid Maleen put on the magnificent wedding dress and jewels. When she entered the royal hall, everyone was amazed by her beauty. The bridegroom
was astonished by her resemblance to his lost love but believed Maid Maleen was dead. During the procession to church, the disguised bride spoke to a nettle plant, remembering when she had eaten them during her desperate journey. At the footbridge and church door, she whispered that she was not the true bride. The priest
married them, and the prince gave her a precious chain. After the ceremony, Maid Maleen returned to her gray gown, keeping only the chain. That night, when the real bride came to the prince's chamber with her face veiled, he questioned her about the words spoken during the procession. Unable to answer, she repeatedly consulted Maid Maleen, who provided the responses. However, when asked about the chain, the false bride could not produce it.
Recognition, revelation, and true marriage
When the prince drew back the veil and saw the false bride's ugliness, he demanded an explanation. She claimed she had sent the scullery-maid in her place and ordered the servants to execute Maid Maleen. However, the prince heard Maid Maleen's cries for help and rescued her, recognizing the gold chain around her neck. He declared her the true bride and brought her to his chamber, where she revealed her identity:
Today, however, the sun is shining on me once more. I was married to thee in the church, and I am thy lawful wife.
The lovers kissed and were happy for the rest of their lives. The false bride was executed for her deception. The tower where Maid Maleen had been imprisoned remained standing, and children passing by would sing about the King's daughter trapped within its walls.