The Spirit in the Bottle (Grimm)
Short summary
A poor woodcutter sent his son to High School, but the money ran out before he completed his education. The young man returned home to help his father chop wood in the forest.
While exploring during a break, the Scholar heard a voice crying from beneath an old oak tree. He found a glass bottle containing a trapped spirit who grew into a giant upon release. The spirit, Mercurius, threatened to strangle him as punishment for whoever freed him. The Scholar cleverly challenged the spirit to prove he could fit back in the bottle.
Scarcely was he within than the scholar thrust the cork he had drawn back into the bottle, and threw it among the roots of the oak into its old place, and the spirit was betrayed.
After bargaining, the Scholar freed the spirit again and received a magical plaster that healed wounds and turned iron to silver. He used it to transform his axe into silver, sold it for four hundred thalers, paid his father's debts, returned to school, and became the world's most famous doctor.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The poor woodcutter and his sons interrupted education
A poor woodcutter worked tirelessly from dawn to dusk to support his family. After years of labor, he had finally saved enough money to invest in his son's future. The devoted father made a heartfelt promise to his boy:
You are my only child, I will spend the money which I have earned with the sweat of my brow on your education; if you learn some honest trade you can support me in my old age
The son went to High School and proved to be an excellent student.
However, after completing two classes, the family's modest savings were exhausted. The father sorrowfully informed his son that he could no longer afford the education expenses, as he barely earned enough for their daily bread.
Working in the forest and discovering the spirit in the bottle
The understanding son accepted his fate gracefully and offered to help his father earn money by working in the forest. The woodcutter initially hesitated, explaining that the rough work would be too difficult for his educated son, and they only had one axe.
The son suggested borrowing an axe from their neighbour, and the next morning they went to work together. When the sun reached its peak, the father wanted to rest for dinner, but the energetic son decided to explore the forest and look for birds' nests. Despite his father's warnings about getting tired, the young man ventured deeper into the woods. He came upon an ancient, massive oak tree that was several hundred years old and so wide that five men could not span it. While examining this magnificent tree, he suddenly heard a muffled voice crying out desperately:
Let me out! Let me out! ...I am down here amongst the roots of the oak-tree. Let me out! Let me out!
The spirits threat and the scholars clever trap
The scholar searched among the roots and discovered a glass bottle containing a frog-like creature. Thinking no evil, he drew out the cork. Immediately, a spirit emerged and grew rapidly until it stood as tall as half the tree. The terrifying being threatened the young man menacingly:
Knowest thou what thy wages are for having let me out? ...Then I will tell thee, I must strangle thee for it.
The spirit explained that he was the mighty Mercurius, imprisoned as punishment, and that whoever released him must be strangled. However, the clever scholar remained fearless and devised a cunning plan. He challenged the spirit's claim by expressing doubt:
I must first know that thou really wert shut up in that little bottle, and that thou art the right spirit. If, indeed, thou canst get in again, I will believe
The haughty spirit, considering this a trifling feat, made himself small and slender again, creeping back through the bottle's neck. The moment he was inside, the scholar quickly thrust the cork back into the bottle and threw it among the oak roots, trapping the spirit once more. Despite the spirit's piteous cries for release, the scholar initially refused, declaring that anyone who had tried to take his life would not be freed again.
The magical plaster and the transformed axe
The spirit then promised great rewards, pleading:
If thou wilt set me free, I will give thee so much that thou wilt have plenty all the days of thy life.
After much consideration, the scholar decided to venture trusting the spirit's word. Upon his release, the grateful spirit handed him a small plaster-like bag, explaining its magical properties:
If thou spreadest one end of this over a wound it will heal, and if thou rubbest steel or iron with the other end it will be changed into silver.
The scholar tested the plaster on a tree wound, which healed immediately. When he returned to his father and rubbed his axe with the plaster before chopping, the iron transformed into silver, causing the edge to bend. The father was shocked and worried about paying for the damaged borrowed axe, not knowing of its transformation.
Wealth discovered and return to learning
The son took the silver axe to a goldsmith in town, who valued it at four hundred thalers.
The scholar received three hundred thalers immediately, with the remainder promised as debt. He returned home and generously compensated the neighbour double the axe's original price, then gave his father a hundred thalers, declaring:
You shall never know want, live as comfortably as you like ...Good heavens! how hast thou come by these riches?
The scholar explained everything to his amazed father. With the remaining money, he returned to High School to continue his education. Using his magical healing plaster, he eventually became the most famous doctor in the world.