The Giant and the Tailor (Grimm)
Division into chapters is editorial.
The tailors journey and encounter with the giant
A boastful tailor decided to leave his workshop and explore the world beyond his hometown. He wandered through hills and valleys, driven by restless curiosity rather than any real skill at his craft. During his travels, he spotted a steep hill in the distance with what appeared to be a tower reaching toward the clouds, rising from a dark forest.
But what made the tailor open his eyes and mouth when he came near it, was to see that the tower had legs, and leapt in one bound over the steep hill.
What he had mistaken for a tower was actually an enormous giant who now stood before him as an all-powerful being. The giant confronted the tiny visitor with a thunderous voice, demanding to know what brought such a small creature to his domain.
Tasks, boasting, and growing fear
The frightened tailor whimpered that he only wanted to look around and earn some bread in the forest. The giant offered him employment with wages of three hundred and sixty-five days per year, plus one extra day in leap years. The tailor accepted, thinking he would escape as soon as possible, knowing he must adapt to his circumstances.
The giant immediately put his new servant to work, ordering him to fetch a jug of water. Instead of simply complying, the tailor made an outrageous boast, asking if he should bring the entire well and spring at once. This seemingly innocent question began to unnerve the giant, who had never encountered such bold talk from a servant.
That knave is not a fool, he has a wizard in his body. Be on thy guard, old Hans, this is no serving-man for thee.
When the tailor returned with the water, the giant sent him to cut wood from the forest. Again, the tailor responded with an exaggerated boast, asking why not take the whole forest at once, both young and old trees, with everything rough and smooth. The giant's fear grew stronger, convinced that his servant possessed magical powers.
After the tailor brought back the wood, the giant commanded him to hunt wild boars for supper. The pattern continued as the tailor asked why not shoot a thousand boars at one shot and bring them all. By now, the giant was terrified of what he believed to be a sorcerer disguised as a servant.
The giant was so terribly alarmed that he could not close an eye all night long for thinking what would be the best way to get rid of this accursed sorcerer.
The frightened giant spent the entire night awake, desperately trying to devise a plan to rid himself of what he believed was a dangerous wizard. Time brought him counsel, and by morning he had conceived what he thought was a clever solution to his problem.
The final test and the tailors fate
The next morning, the giant led the tailor to a marsh surrounded by willow trees. He challenged the tailor to sit on one of the willow branches, claiming he wanted to see if the tailor was big enough to bend it down. The giant believed this test would finally expose the truth about his mysterious servant's abilities.
The tailor climbed onto the willow branch and held his breath, making himself as heavy as possible. The branch bent down under his weight, but when he was forced to breathe again, the branch sprang back up with tremendous force.
All at once the tailor was sitting on it, holding his breath, and making himself so heavy that the bough bent down.
Unfortunately for the tailor, he had not brought his goose with him, which might have helped him fly or land safely. The willow branch catapulted him so high into the air that he disappeared completely from sight. The giant was delighted to see his troublesome servant vanish, finally free from what he believed was a dangerous sorcerer.
The story concluded with the tailor's mysterious disappearance into the sky. Whether he ever came down again remained unknown, leaving his ultimate fate a matter of speculation.
If the tailor has not fallen down again, he must be hovering about in the air.