The Drummer (Grimm)
Short summary
A young drummer found white linen by a lake. That night, a voice begged him to return her dress.
The King's daughter revealed she was imprisoned by a witch on the glass-mountain and needed her dress to fly.
The drummer tricked giants into carrying him to the mountain. Using a magic saddle, he reached the top where the witch gave him impossible tasks. The princess secretly helped him with her wishing-ring. He threw the witch into fire, freeing her.
When he returned home and kissed his parents, he forgot everything. At his wedding to another, the princess appeared in magical dresses. Each night she sang:
Drummer, drummer, I pray thee hear!
Hast thou forgotten thou heldest me dear?
That on the glass-mountain we sat hour by hour?
That I rescued thy life from the witch's power?
He remembered and married her.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The princesss plea and the drummers promise
One evening, a young drummer ventured alone into the countryside and discovered three pieces of white linen by a lake. Intrigued by the fine fabric, he took one piece home and went to bed. As he was falling asleep, a soft voice called his name, asking for the return of her dress. The voice belonged to an invisible figure hovering near his bed.
The mysterious voice revealed her identity and plight.
I am the daughter of a mighty King; but I have fallen into the power of a witch, and am shut up on the glass-mountain. I have to bathe in the lake every day with my two sisters
Journey through the forest of giants
The princess explained that without her dress, she could not fly back to the glass-mountain like her sisters. The drummer promised to help rescue her, despite not knowing the way. She warned him that the path led through a dangerous forest inhabited by man-eaters, but he remained undaunted.
When I want to do a thing I always can do it... I am sorry for you, and have no fear of anything. But I do not know the way which leads to the glass-mountain.
At daybreak, the drummer entered the forest and beat his drum loudly to wake the giants. A massive giant, tall as a fir-tree, arose angrily from his sleep.
The clever drummer told the giant that thousands of warriors were following him to destroy all giants. He described how these warriors would attack while the giant slept, using steel hammers to crush his skull. Frightened by this deception, the giant agreed to carry the drummer to the glass-mountain in exchange for calling off the supposed army. Two more giants joined the journey, passing the drummer between them until they reached the mountain's base.
Three impossible tasks on the glass mountain
The glass-mountain proved impossibly smooth and high, like three mountains stacked together. Unable to climb it, the drummer discovered two men fighting over a magical saddle that could transport its rider anywhere instantly. He tricked them into racing for it, then stole the saddle and wished himself to the mountain's summit. There he found an old stone house with a fishpond and dark forest, inhabited by an old witch.
The witch agreed to provide food and shelter in exchange for three services. First, she gave him a thimble to empty the entire pond and sort all the fish by kind and size before nightfall. The task seemed hopeless until a beautiful maiden appeared at noon and offered help. She told him to rest his head in her lap and sleep.
Using her wishing-ring, the maiden completed the task while he slept. She instructed him to throw one fish at the witch's face when questioned about it. The second day brought the task of chopping down the entire forest with tools made of lead and tin. Again, the maiden helped him complete the impossible task, telling him to strike the witch with a remaining branch. The third task required burning all the wood in one pile, which the maiden also accomplished through magic.
Defeating the witch and rescuing the princess
Before the final confrontation, the maiden gave crucial advice.
Listen to me... when the witch comes, she will give thee all kinds of orders; do whatever she asks thee without fear, and then she will not be able to get the better of thee
The witch commanded the drummer to retrieve a log from the burning pile. He fearlessly entered the flames, which could not harm him. When he brought out the log, it transformed into the beautiful princess. As the witch tried to recapture her, the drummer seized the old woman and threw her into the fire, where she was consumed. The grateful princess revealed her true identity and offered to marry him, showing him the witch's treasures. She took only precious stones, leaving the gold and silver behind.
The forgotten promise and lost love
Using her wishing-ring, the princess transported them to his hometown. She warned him not to kiss his parents on the right cheek, or he would forget everything about her. Despite promising to remember, when he reunited with his overjoyed parents after three years away, he kissed both their cheeks in his excitement. Instantly, all memory of the princess vanished. His parents, now wealthy from the jewels he brought, arranged his marriage to another woman. The heartbroken princess waited outside town, then retreated to a forest hut.
Three nights of pleading and true loves triumph
During the wedding festivities, the princess appeared in magical dresses—first bright as the sun, then silvery as the moon, finally glittering like stars. She traded each dress to the bride for permission to spend the night outside the groom's door, pleading for him to remember her. The first two nights failed because the bride gave him sleeping draughts. On the third night, warned by servants, he avoided the drugged wine and heard her call. His memory suddenly returned, and he realized his mistake. He declared the princess his true bride, and they celebrated their real wedding with great rejoicing.