Rapunzel (Grimm)
Short summary
A fairy tale kingdom, medieval times. A pregnant woman craved rampion from an enchantress's garden. Her husband stole some, but was caught.
The enchantress demanded their unborn child as payment. When born, she took the girl and named her Rapunzel.
At twelve, the enchantress locked Rapunzel in a tower. A prince heard her singing and discovered how to reach her.
They fell in love. When Rapunzel accidentally revealed his visits, the enchantress raged.
Ah! thou wicked child... I thought I had separated thee from all the world, and yet thou hast deceived me... snip, snap, they were cut off, and the lovely braids lay on the ground
She banished Rapunzel to a desert. The prince, tricked by the enchantress, fell from the tower and was blinded. Years later, he found Rapunzel with their twins. Her tears healed his eyes, and they returned to his kingdom to live happily.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The desperate parents and the enchantresss bargain
A man and woman had long wished for a child, and finally the woman became pregnant. From their house, they could see a beautiful garden filled with flowers and herbs, but it belonged to a powerful enchantress whom everyone feared. One day, the woman saw a bed of rampion in the garden and developed an intense craving for it. Her desire grew so strong that she became pale and miserable, telling her husband she would die if she could not eat some of the rampion.
Her loving husband decided to help her, climbing over the wall into the enchantress's garden at twilight to steal some rampion. His wife made a salad and ate it with great relish, but this only increased her craving threefold. When the man returned to the garden a second time, he was caught by the enchantress herself, who angrily confronted him about his theft.
Rapunzel imprisoned in the tower
I will allow thee to take away with thee as much rampion as thou wilt, only I make one condition, thou must give me the child which thy wife will bring into the world
The terrified man agreed to this bargain. When the child was born, the enchantress appeared immediately, named the baby Rapunzel, and took her away. Rapunzel grew into the most beautiful child under the sun, with magnificent long golden hair. When she turned twelve, the enchantress imprisoned her in a tower deep in the forest that had no stairs or door, only a small window at the top.
The princes discovery and secret courtship
To visit Rapunzel, the enchantress would call up to the tower, and Rapunzel would let down her braided hair for the enchantress to climb. After a year or two, a king's son rode through the forest and heard Rapunzel's beautiful singing. He searched for a door but found none. Day after day he returned to listen, until one day he witnessed the enchantress's visit and learned the secret of entry.
Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down thy hair to me.
The next evening, the prince called out these same words, and Rapunzel let down her hair. At first she was terrified to see a man, but the prince spoke kindly and told her how her singing had stirred his heart. Rapunzel lost her fear and agreed to marry him when he asked. They planned her escape: the prince would bring silk each visit so she could weave a ladder. Until then, he visited every evening while the enchantress came by day. Their secret meetings continued until Rapunzel made a fatal mistake.
The enchantresss revenge and separation
Tell me, Dame Gothel, how it happens that you are so much heavier for me to draw up than the young King's son—he is with me in a moment.
Rapunzel's innocent question revealed her secret. The enchantress flew into a rage, cut off Rapunzel's beautiful hair with scissors, and banished her to a desert where she lived in misery. That same evening, the enchantress fastened the severed braids to the window hook and waited. When the prince climbed up expecting to find his beloved, he instead faced the vengeful enchantress, who mocked him cruelly.
The beautiful bird sits no longer singing in the nest; the cat has got it, and will scratch out thy eyes as well. Rapunzel is lost to thee; thou wilt never see her more
In despair, the prince leaped from the tower. He survived the fall but thorns pierced his eyes, leaving him blind. For years he wandered the forest, eating only roots and berries, lamenting the loss of his beloved wife.
Wandering, reunion, and happy ending
Eventually the prince's wanderings brought him to the desert where Rapunzel lived in wretchedness with the twins she had borne - a boy and a girl. He heard a familiar voice and approached. Rapunzel recognized him and fell on his neck, weeping.
Two of her tears fell into his wounded eyes, restoring his sight completely. He led Rapunzel and their children to his kingdom, where they were joyfully received and lived happily ever after.