The Ungrateful Son (Grimm)
Division into chapters is editorial.
The ungrateful act: hiding food from the aged father
A man and his wife sat by the door of their house one day, preparing to share a meal together.
A man and his wife were once sitting by the door of their house, and they had a roasted chicken set before them, and were about to eat it together.
The couple had prepared a roasted chicken for their meal and looked forward to enjoying it. However, their peaceful moment was interrupted when the man spotted his aged father approaching their home. Instead of welcoming his father to join them for the meal, the son made a shocking decision.
Driven by selfishness and greed, the son acted swiftly to conceal their food from his own father.
Then the man saw that his aged father was coming, and hastily took the chicken and hid it, for he would not permit him to have any of it.
His wife remained passive during this shameful act, neither protesting nor encouraging her husband's behavior.
The elderly father arrived at their home, unaware of his son's cruel deception. He was an old man who had come seeking perhaps some companionship or refreshment from his family.
The old man's visit was brief and modest. He simply took a drink and departed, completely unaware that his son had deliberately hidden their meal to avoid sharing it with him.
The old man came, took a drink, and went away.
The supernatural punishment: the toad curse
After his father departed, the ungrateful son believed he could now enjoy his meal in peace. He moved to retrieve the hidden roasted chicken and place it back on the table, expecting to continue with his interrupted dinner. However, supernatural forces had already begun to work against him for his heartless treatment of his elderly father.
Now the son wanted to put the roasted chicken on the table again, but when he took it up, it had become a great toad, which jumped into his face and sat there
The transformation was complete and irreversible. Where once there had been a delicious roasted chicken, now sat a large, repulsive toad that had attached itself permanently to the man's face. This was no ordinary toad, but a supernatural creature that served as both punishment and constant reminder of his cruelty toward his father.
The toad's presence was not merely uncomfortable but actively menacing. When anyone attempted to help the cursed man by trying to remove the creature from his face, the toad would respond with threatening behavior.
it looked venomously at him as if it would jump in his face, so that no one would venture to touch it
The toad's venomous glare and threatening posture were so intimidating that no one dared approach or attempt to help the suffering man. This left him completely isolated with his supernatural burden, unable to find relief or assistance from others.
The curse extended beyond mere physical discomfort to create a daily struggle for survival. The ungrateful son found himself trapped in a horrifying routine where he was forced to care for the very creature that tormented him.
And the ungrateful son was forced to feed the toad every day, or else it fed itself on his face
This daily feeding requirement created a grotesque dependency between the man and his supernatural punishment. If he failed to provide food for the toad, it would consume parts of his own face, making his situation even more unbearable. The curse ensured that he could never ignore or neglect the consequences of his actions.
The punishment proved to be not only physical but also social and psychological. The man's life was forever changed as he became a wandering figure, unable to find peace or acceptance anywhere. His curse made him a frightening spectacle that others avoided, leaving him to bear his burden alone.
and thus he went about the world without knowing rest
The tale concluded with the ungrateful son condemned to wander endlessly, carrying his supernatural burden as eternal punishment for his heartless treatment of his aged father.