The Fisherman and His Wife (Grimm)
Short summary
A seaside hovel, fairy tale times. A poor fisherman caught a magical flounder who claimed to be an enchanted prince and begged for release.
The fisherman let him go, but his wife Ilsabil insisted he should have wished for something.
She sent him back to ask for a cottage. The flounder granted it. Soon dissatisfied, she demanded a castle, then to be King, then Emperor, then Pope. Each time the reluctant fisherman returned to an increasingly stormy sea, and each wish was granted. Finally, she wanted to be like God.
Go at once; I wish to be like unto God... the Flounder cannot do that; he can make an emperor and a pope; I beseech you, go on as you are, and be Pope.
The fisherman went through a terrible storm to make this final request. The flounder sent them back to their original hovel, where they lived forever after.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The enchanted flounder and the first wish
A poor fisherman lived with his wife in a miserable hovel by the sea. One day while fishing, his line suddenly went deep underwater, and when he pulled it up, he caught a large flounder. The fish spoke to him, pleading for its life.
I am no Flounder really, but an enchanted prince. What good will it do you to kill me? I should not be good to eat, put me in the water again, and let me go.
The kind fisherman immediately released the talking fish back into the water. When he returned home empty-handed, his wife asked what he had caught. He told her about the enchanted prince in fish form.
She scolded him for not making a wish first, demanding he return to ask for a small cottage to replace their dirty hovel.
From cottage to castle
Reluctantly, the fisherman returned to the now green and yellow sea. He called to the flounder with a verse, and the magical fish appeared. When he explained his wife's request, the flounder granted it immediately. The fisherman returned to find a beautiful cottage with fine furniture, a garden, and yard animals.
After a fortnight, the wife grew dissatisfied again. She demanded a great stone castle, claiming the cottage was too small. Despite the fisherman's protests, she insisted he return to the flounder. The sea had turned purple and dark-blue when he made his second request. The flounder granted this wish too, and they found themselves in a magnificent palace with marble halls, golden furniture, crystal chandeliers, servants, stables, and a large park.
Becoming king
The next morning, the wife looked out at the beautiful countryside and decided she wanted to be king over all the land. When her husband refused, she declared she would be king herself. The fisherman went unhappily to the now dark-grey, heaving sea that smelled putrid. He recited his verse again, and the flounder granted this wish as well.
Flounder, flounder in the sea,
Come, I pray thee, here to me;
For my wife, good Ilsabil,
Wills not as I'd have her will.
The castle had become even grander, with a great tower, soldiers, and magnificent ornaments. Inside, everything was marble and gold with velvet covers. His wife sat on a high throne of gold and diamonds, wearing a golden crown and holding a golden scepter, surrounded by maids-in-waiting arranged by height.
Becoming emperor
Even as king, the wife found time passing heavily and demanded to become emperor as well. The fisherman protested that there was only one emperor in the land, but she forced him to go. The sea had turned black and thick, boiling up with bubbles and sharp winds. The flounder granted this wish too.
The man's heart grew heavy, and he would not go. He said to himself, 'It is not right,' and yet he went.
The palace was now made of polished marble with alabaster figures and golden ornaments. Soldiers marched outside with trumpets, cymbals, and drums. Inside, barons, counts, and dukes served as servants. The wife sat on a throne made of solid gold, two miles high, wearing a crown three yards high set with diamonds and carbuncles. She held both a scepter and imperial orb, flanked by guards ranging from giants two miles tall to dwarfs the size of a finger.
Becoming pope and the final punishment
Still unsatisfied, the wife now demanded to become pope. The fisherman was horrified, explaining there was only one pope in Christendom, but she insisted. A terrible storm raged as he approached the sea - high winds blew, leaves fell from trees, water roared and boiled, ships fired distress guns in the distance, and the sky turned red except for a small patch of blue.
The flounder granted even this wish. The fisherman found what seemed like a large church surrounded by palaces, lit with thousands of candles. His wife wore gold and sat on an even higher throne with three golden crowns, surrounded by ecclesiastical splendor. Emperors and kings knelt before her, kissing her shoe.
That night, the wife could not sleep, consumed by greed and wondering what more she could become. At dawn, she watched the sun rise and decided she wanted to control the sun and moon themselves.
if I can't order the sun and moon to rise... I shall not know what it is to have another happy hour, unless I can make them rise myself.
She demanded to be like God himself. The terrified fisherman begged her to be content as pope, but she flew into a rage. Outside, a tremendous storm raged with winds so strong he could barely stand. The final wish was too much.
Go to her, and you will find her back again in the dirty hovel. And there they are living still at this very time.