The Gold-Children (Grimm)
Short summary
A poor fisherman caught a golden fish that promised him wealth in exchange for freedom.
The fisherman and his wife gained a castle and magical cupboard but lost everything when the wife's curiosity made him reveal the secret. This happened twice. On the third catch, the fish told him to cut it into six pieces. From these came two golden children, two golden horses, and two golden lilies.
The golden children grew up and decided to travel. One returned home after being mocked, while the other disguised himself with bearskins and continued. He married a beautiful maiden but was turned to stone by a witch while hunting a stag.
At home, his brother saw one golden lily droop.
Good heavens!... my brother has met with some great misfortune! I must away to see if I can possibly rescue him.
He rode to the forest, found the witch, and forced her to restore his brother. The two rejoiced and returned home together.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The fisherman and the golden fish: promises broken by curiosity
A poor fisherman and his wife lived in a small cottage, earning their bread by fishing and surviving from hand to mouth. One day, while casting his net by the waterside, the fisherman caught a fish made entirely of gold. The magical fish spoke to him, offering to transform his humble hut into a splendid castle in exchange for its freedom.
The fish promised that a cupboard in the castle would provide endless delicious food. However, it warned the fisherman that he must never reveal the source of his good fortune to anyone. The fisherman agreed and threw the fish back into the water. When he returned home, he found a magnificent castle where his hovel had stood, and his wife dressed in beautiful clothes.
The wife was delighted but curious about their sudden wealth. Despite her husband's warnings that he could not reveal the secret, she persisted in questioning him.
However, she was not in earnest; she never rested day or night, and she goaded her husband until in his impatience he revealed that all was owing to a wonderful golden fish
As soon as he revealed the secret, the castle and cupboard vanished, leaving them back in their old fisherman's hut. The same pattern repeated when the fisherman caught the golden fish a second time - the fish restored their wealth, but the wife's curiosity again led to the husband breaking his promise and losing everything once more.
The creation of the gold-children: miraculous births from sacrifice
When the fisherman caught the golden fish for the third time, it gave him different instructions. The fish told him to take it home and cut it into six pieces - two for his wife to eat, two for his horse, and two to bury in the ground. The fish promised these would bring him a blessing. The fisherman followed these instructions exactly.
From the buried pieces, two golden lilies sprang up. The horse bore two golden foals, and the fisherman's wife gave birth to two children made entirely of gold. All grew tall, handsome, and magnificent.
Growing up and venturing forth: one brothers courage, anothers retreat
When the gold-children reached maturity, they expressed their desire to mount their golden steeds and travel into the world. Their father worried about their safety, but they reassured him by explaining that the two golden lilies would serve as indicators of their wellbeing.
The two golden lilies remain here. By them you can see how it is with us; if they are fresh, then we are in health; if they are withered, we are ill; if they perish, then we are dead.
The brothers set out together and came to an inn where many people gathered. When the people saw the gold-children, they began to laugh and mock them. One brother felt ashamed and decided to return home to his father, unable to face the ridicule.
The other brother continued his journey alone and reached a great forest. People warned him about robbers who would surely kill him for his golden appearance, but he refused to be frightened. He covered himself and his horse with bearskins to hide their golden nature and rode safely through the forest, as the robbers dismissed him as a poor beggar.
Marriage and new life: finding love despite appearances
The gold-child eventually entered a village where he encountered a maiden of extraordinary beauty. Overwhelmed by love, he proposed to her, and she accepted, agreeing to be his wife and remain true to him for life. They were married while he still wore his bearskin disguise.
When the bride's father returned and saw his daughter's wedding celebration, he was outraged to discover what appeared to be a ragged vagabond as the bridegroom. He threatened to kill the gold-child, but his daughter's pleas eventually calmed his anger.
The next morning, when the father peered into the bedroom, he discovered a magnificent golden man in bed with the cast-off bearskins on the ground. Realizing his mistake, he felt grateful that he had restrained his anger and avoided committing a terrible crime.
The witchs curse and brotherly rescue: stone, magic, and reunion
The gold-child dreamed of hunting a splendid stag and insisted on going hunting despite his wife's concerns about potential misfortune. In the forest, he chased a stag that led him to a small house where an old witch lived. When he rudely threatened to shoot her barking dog, calling it an odious toad, the witch became enraged and immediately transformed him into stone.
At home, the bride waited in vain for her husband's return. Meanwhile, the other brother noticed that one of the golden lilies suddenly drooped, indicating his brother was in grave danger. Despite his father's pleas to stay, he mounted his golden horse and rode into the great forest to rescue his brother.
The first brother found his sibling transformed to stone near the witch's house. When the old witch emerged and tried to entrap him as well, he kept his distance and threatened her with his weapon, demanding she restore his brother to life.
I will shoot you, if you will not bring my brother to life again... She touched the stone, though very unwillingly, with her forefinger, and he was immediately restored
The two gold-children rejoiced at their reunion, embracing and caressing each other before riding away together from the forest. One brother returned home to his bride, while the other went back to their father. The father knew his son had successfully rescued his brother because the golden lily suddenly rose up and blossomed again. From that day forward, they all lived happily and prospered until their deaths.