The Wonderful Musician (Grimm)
Division into chapters is editorial.
The musician tricks the wolf
A skilled fiddle player wandered alone through a forest, lost in thought. When his mind grew weary of contemplation, he decided he needed companionship to pass the time more pleasantly.
Time is beginning to pass heavily with me here in the forest, I will fetch hither a good companion for myself. Then he took his fiddle from his back, and played so that it echoed through the trees.
Soon a wolf appeared, drawn by the beautiful music. The wolf expressed his desire to learn the art of fiddle playing, praising the musician's skill.
The musician promised to teach him, requiring only complete obedience. The wolf agreed to follow like a devoted student. They walked together until they reached an old oak tree that was hollow inside and split down the middle. The musician instructed the wolf to place his front paws into the crevice to learn fiddle playing. When the wolf obeyed, the musician quickly wedged the paws fast with a stone, trapping him completely. He left the imprisoned wolf behind and continued on his way.
The musician tricks the fox
Growing lonely again, the musician played his fiddle once more. A fox crept through the trees toward the sound, also expressing admiration for the music and a desire to learn. The musician made the same promise as before, demanding complete obedience in return for instruction.
The fox eagerly agreed to obey like a scholar follows his master. They walked to a footpath bordered by high bushes on both sides. There the musician bent down young hazel bushes from each side, creating a trap. He instructed the fox to give him first his left front paw, then his right, tying each to the bent branches.
When he had examined whether they were firm enough, he let go, and the bushes sprang up again, and jerked up the little fox, so that it hung struggling in the air.
The musician told the suspended fox to wait until his return and departed.
The musician tricks the hare
Once again feeling the need for companionship, the musician played his fiddle. A little hare came springing toward him, also enchanted by the beautiful music and eager to learn the skill. The musician repeated his familiar conditions, and the hare promised obedience like a devoted student.
They traveled together to an open space where an aspen tree stood. The musician tied a long string around the hare's neck, fastening the other end to the tree. He commanded the hare to run twenty times around the tree trunk.
When it had run round twenty times, it had twisted the string twenty times round the trunk of the tree, and the little hare was caught, and let it pull and tug as it liked...
The string only cut deeper into the hare's tender neck with each struggle. The musician instructed the trapped hare to wait for his return and continued on his journey.
The animals revenge and the woodcutters protection
Meanwhile, the wolf had worked tirelessly to free himself, pushing, pulling, and biting at the stone until he managed to extract his paws from the cleft. Full of rage, he hurried after the musician, intent on revenge. When the fox saw him running past, he cried out for help, explaining how the musician had betrayed him. The wolf freed the fox by biting through the cord, and together they rescued the hare. All three animals then set out to find their common enemy.
The musician had played his fiddle once more as he traveled, and this time fortune smiled upon him. The sound reached the ears of a poor woodcutter, who was compelled to abandon his work and come listen, carrying his hatchet.
The musician rejoiced at finding a human companion rather than another wild beast. He played so beautifully that the poor man stood enchanted, his heart filled with gladness. When the three vengeful animals arrived with evil intentions, the woodcutter raised his glittering axe and positioned himself protectively before the musician. The beasts, terrified by this show of force, fled back into the forest. Grateful for the protection, the musician played once more for the woodcutter before continuing his journey.