The Hut in the Forest (Grimm)
Short summary
A poor woodcutter lived with his wife and three daughters. When his eldest daughter got lost trying to bring him dinner in the forest, she found a hut with an old man and three animals. She cooked and ate without feeding the animals, so the old man dropped her through a trapdoor into the cellar. The same fate befell the second daughter who also neglected the animals.
The youngest daughter also lost her way but behaved differently.
She fed the hen, cock, and cow before eating herself. The animals responded with kindness. At midnight, the house underwent a violent transformation.
There was a sound of cracking and splitting in every corner... it seemed as if the staircase were falling down, and at length there was a crash as if the entire roof had fallen in.
The girl awoke in a royal palace. The old man revealed himself as a young prince.
A witch had cursed him to live as an old man until a girl showed kindness to both humans and animals. They married, and the two selfish sisters became servants to a charcoal-burner.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The woodcutters plan and the eldest daughters journey
A poor woodcutter lived with his wife and three daughters in a small hut at the edge of a lonely forest.
One morning, he asked his wife to have their eldest daughter bring his dinner to the forest, as he would never finish his work otherwise. To help her find the way, he scattered millet seeds along the path. When the sun reached the center of the forest, the girl set out with a bowl of soup.
However, birds had eaten all the millet seeds, leaving no trail to follow. The girl wandered deeper into the forest until darkness fell and she became frightened. In the distance, she spotted a light glimmering between the trees and approached a house with illuminated windows.
Selfish behavior and mysterious punishment
A rough voice invited her inside, where she found an old gray-haired man sitting at a table, his white beard reaching almost to the ground.
By the stove lay three animals: a hen, a cock, and a brindled cow. When the girl begged for shelter, the old man asked the animals what they thought, and they replied "Duks," which meant they were willing. The girl cooked a good supper but gave no thought to feeding the animals. She ate with the old man and satisfied her hunger. When she asked for a bed, the animals responded:
Thou hast eaten with him,
Thou hast drunk with him,
Thou hast had no thought for us,
So find out for thyself where thou canst pass the night.
The old man directed her upstairs to prepare beds with clean sheets. After she fell asleep, he came with a candle, looked at her, shook his head, and opened a trapdoor, letting her down into the cellar.
The second daughter repeats her sisters mistake
When the woodcutter returned home hungry, his wife explained that their daughter had not returned. The next day, he sent his second daughter with dinner, scattering lentils instead of millet since the seeds were larger.
However, forest birds had eaten the lentils too, and she also became lost. She reached the same house, where the old man and animals welcomed her. Like her sister, she cooked well, ate with the old man, but ignored the animals completely. When she asked about sleeping arrangements, the animals gave the same reproachful response, and she too was dropped into the cellar while sleeping.
The youngest daughters kindness breaks the spell
On the third morning, the woodcutter wanted to send his youngest child, praising her as good and obedient, unlike her sisters who ran after every wild humblebee. His wife protested, fearing to lose her dearest child, but he insisted, taking peas to mark the path since they were even larger than lentils.
Wood-pigeons had already eaten all the peas, leaving her lost as well. She worried constantly about her hungry father and grieving mother.
She was full of sorrow and never ceased to think how hungry her father would be, and how her good mother would grieve, if she did not go home.
When darkness fell, she found the same house and politely asked for shelter. After the animals gave their consent, she went to the stove where they lay, petted the cock and hen, stroked their feathers, and caressed the cow between her horns. Before eating, she declared:
Outside is food in plenty, I will look after them first... I hope you will like it, dear animals, and you shall have a refreshing draught in case you are thirsty.
She brought barley for the cock and hen, sweet hay for the cow, and fresh water for all. Only after caring for the animals did she eat what the old man had left. When bedtime came, the animals responded differently:
Thou hast eaten with us,
Thou hast drunk with us,
Thou hast had kind thought for all of us,
We wish thee good night.
The prince revealed and the sisters fates
At midnight, the house shook violently with cracking sounds, doors flying open, and beams groaning as if the entire structure was collapsing. When morning came, the girl found herself in a magnificent royal palace with golden flowers on silk walls, an ivory bed, and pearl-embroidered shoes nearby. The old man had transformed into a handsome young prince who explained that a wicked witch had cursed him and his three attendants to live as an old man and animals until someone with a truly good heart showed love to both humans and animals. Her kindness had broken the spell, and he asked her to marry him. When she inquired about her sisters, he replied that they were locked in the cellar and would serve a charcoal-burner until they learned kindness toward animals.