The Golden Goose

The Golden Goose

Who hasn’t heard the story of the bird with the golden feathers and who hasn’t smiled imagining how many people clung to its feathers? The texts of the Brothers Grimm are known not only to you, the reader, but also to your parents and even your grandparents. The two German writers published several volumes of stories, starting from popular texts, from folklore, and also worked on a German reference dictionary. Their stories are translated into many languages, screened, played on stage and illustrated by whole generations of people who love literature.

Like all stories, this one begins with… once upon a time there was a family with three boys. One day, the eldest son decided to go to the forest to cut wood to help his parents. Mom put a muffin and a bottle of wine in her backpack to have on the road. As soon as he reached the forest, the boy met an old man who asked him to share the food with him, but the boy refused. It seems that the little man was some kind of wizard, because the boy had a very bad time chopping wood that day. Sometimes the ax fell from his hand, sometimes the branches hit him, sometimes he tripped. The same thing happened to the middle boy the next day. After many pleas, the youngest boy also set off for the forest, but his mother gave him only an old loaf of bread in his backpack. Unlike his brothers, he shares his food with the sorcerer, so the old man encourages him to cut down an old tree, at the root of which he discovers a goose with golden feathers. Happy, he took the goose under his arm and started for the inn at the edge of the forest where he wanted to spend the night. As soon as they saw the bird, the innkeeper’s three daughters set their eyes on the beautiful feathers with the intention of stealing them, but the feathers were enchanted, and every time someone touched them, their hand stuck to the goose. And that’s how all three girls stayed trapped not for an hour, not for two hours, but for the whole night.

The next morning the boy took his goose and set off with it, not caring that the girls were attached to the bird with golden feathers. On the way, a priest and an assistant priest who were planning to help the girls also stuck to the goose. As they walked, they reached a large city, where reigned an emperor who had a daughter who was always sad. In vain the emperor had tried to bring all kinds of clowns to cheer her up… the girl was getting more and more angry. In the end, the emperor had promised the kingdom to whoever could make her smile. Seeing the group of people clinging to the goose, the girl began to laugh out loud. Although promises must be kept, the emperor subjected the boy to a few more tests before giving him the girl: to drink all the wine in the royal cellar, to eat a mountain of bread, to bring a ship that would also float on water, but also walk on land. With the help of the little man in the forest, the boy successfully passed all the tests and married the emperor’s daughter.

Adaptare LSR după povestea originală

The Golden Goose

The Golden Goose

Who hasn’t heard the story of the bird with the golden feathers and who hasn’t smiled imagining how many people clung to its feathers? The texts of the Brothers Grimm are known not only to you, the reader, but also to your parents and even your grandparents. The two German writers published several volumes of stories, starting from popular texts, from folklore, and also worked on a German reference dictionary. Their stories are translated into many languages, screened, played on stage and illustrated by whole generations of people who love literature.

Reading: James Christian Brown

Like all other stories, this one too beings with… once upon a time, there was a family who had three sons. One day, the eldest son decided to go into the forest and cut some wood, to help his parents.

            – Take this delicious cake and a bottle of wine, said his mother. You’re bound to get hungry on the way!

            And so he did. The moment he reached the forest, the boy met an old man, who said:

            – Dear boy, can I have a bite of that cake and a sip of wine? I’m so tired and hungry…

            – No, you can’t! If I give it to you, then what will I be left with? Go away!

            But it seemed that the old man was some type of wizard, for the boy had nothing but trouble that day: he kept on dropping his axe, stumbling or being hit by tree branches.

            The same thing happened to the second son, the following day. He too refused to share his food and wine with the old man, and he returned home with a bruised leg, without any wood for the fire.

            – Father, let me go cut some wood too! Said the youngest son, on the third day.

            – Don’t you even think about it! Can’t you see what your brothers went through?

            – Don’t go, added his mother. I have no food or wine to give you anyway. We only have some sour beer and some stale bread.

            But his parents’ words fell on deaf ears. The boy took his axe and headed to the forest.

            – My boy, can I have a bite of your cake and a sip of wine? I’m so tired and hungry, said the old man, as soon as he saw the young boy.

            – Dear sir, I have no cake, nor wine. I only have some sour beer and some bread but, if you wish, join me and let’s eat together.

            – You have such a big heart, my boy! As you were willing to share your fod with me, I wish to repay your kindness. See that old tree over there? Cut it down and at its roots you are to find an incredible treasure.

            Lo and behold, after the boy cut down the tree, he came across a big fat goose, with golden feathers. Happy, the boy took the goose and headed to the inn at the edge of the forest, where he wanted to spend the night.

            When they saw the bird, the inn keeper’s daugthers could not take their eyes off its golden feathers and started plotting.

            – You just wait, he’ll doze off soon enough and leave the goose here so I can snatch a feather, said the eldest.

            And that’s precisely what she did, but her fingers got glued to the golden wing.

            After a little while, the second daugther wanted to steal a feather too, but no sooner had she touched it, than her hand got stuck on its golden feathers as well. 

            – Don’t come any closer! yelled the two girls to their youngest sister.

            – Why? Do you take me for a fool? I also want a feather!

            So the three girls got glued to the goose not for an hour or two, but the whole night!

            The following morning, the boy took his goose and set off, not caring that the girls were still glued to the bird with golden feathers. Whenever he took a left, a right, walked fast or slow, the girls had no choice but to follow him. And as they were all walking along, they came across a priest who wanted to help the girls, but who got stuck as well. The same thing happened to the teacher, who was terribly surprised to see the priest running as fast as he could.

            – Father, what’s the rush? Have you forgotten about our christening today?

            And so the boy ended up with five people walking behind him, all glued to the golden goose.

            And if that was not enough, two workers coming back from the field showed up. As you can very well imagine, they too got glued to the goose.

            And so they went on and on, until they reached a great castle. The king that ruled those lands had a daughter, who was always sad. The king had tried everything he could to make her smile, he had even brought jesters to court, and yet… the girl was becoming sadder and sadder. Eventually, the king had promised his entire to kingdom to the man who could make her smile again.

            Upon hearing that, the youngest boy went to the palace, dragging all those people behind.

            – Haaaa, haaaa! the princess burst into laughter when she saw 7 people strung behind… a goose.

            Although promises need to be kept, our king was not to thrilled about the boy, so he told him:

            – I’ll give you the girl on one condition – you need to drink all the wine in our cellars. Are you up for the challenge?

I need to go back to the old man in the forest, thought the young boy. The one who helped me. I can’t drink all this wine by myself.     

And that’s exactly what he did. When he got back to the forest, he saw a long-faced man, standing right by the tree he had chopped down a few days before.

– What’s wrong, good man? asked the boy.

– Well, I’m very, very thirsty and I can’t find anything to drink.

– Come with me, my friend, and I’ll sort you out! said the boy.

You can’t even imagine how quickly the man drank the cellar dry. There was not a single

drop of wine left!

– I can see you’ve drunk all the wine, but I can’t you give you my daughter just yet. You

must pass another test. I need you to find me a man who will eat a mountain of bread. Can you do that?

The boy went into the forest again and found a starving man, whom he took to the palace. He ate every single bread crumb!

– Whatever will I do with you? I simply won’t give my daughter away! Here’s what… I’ll

give you one more test. If you can pull this off, you are free to marry my daughter. I want you to bring me a ship that can float on water, but also run on sand.

– You just wait!

And he went to the forest again.

– I’ll help you again, said the man in the woods. You were so kind to me and now I get to

return the favour. Here’s your magic ship!

And so the boy went back to the king. And you know what they say… you reap what you

sow.

Retelling of the original story by the brothers Grimm

0:00 / 0:00
The Golden Goose

Like all other stories, this one too beings with… once upon a time, there was a family who had three sons. One day, the eldest son decided to go into the forest and cut some wood, to help his parents.

            – Take this delicious cake and a bottle of wine, said his mother. You’re bound to get hungry on the way!

            And so he did. The moment he reached the forest, the boy met an old man, who said:

            – Dear boy, can I have a bite of that cake and a sip of wine? I’m so tired and hungry…

            – No, you can’t! If I give it to you, then what will I be left with? Go away!

            But it seemed that the old man was some type of wizard, for the boy had nothing but trouble that day: he kept on dropping his axe, stumbling or being hit by tree branches.

            The same thing happened to the second son, the following day. He too refused to share his food and wine with the old man, and he returned home with a bruised leg, without any wood for the fire.

            – Father, let me go cut some wood too! Said the youngest son, on the third day.

            – Don’t you even think about it! Can’t you see what your brothers went through?

            – Don’t go, added his mother. I have no food or wine to give you anyway. We only have some sour beer and some stale bread.

            But his parents’ words fell on deaf ears. The boy took his axe and headed to the forest.

            – My boy, can I have a bite of your cake and a sip of wine? I’m so tired and hungry, said the old man, as soon as he saw the young boy.

            – Dear sir, I have no cake, nor wine. I only have some sour beer and some bread but, if you wish, join me and let’s eat together.

            – You have such a big heart, my boy! As you were willing to share your fod with me, I wish to repay your kindness. See that old tree over there? Cut it down and at its roots you are to find an incredible treasure.

            Lo and behold, after the boy cut down the tree, he came across a big fat goose, with golden feathers. Happy, the boy took the goose and headed to the inn at the edge of the forest, where he wanted to spend the night.

            When they saw the bird, the inn keeper’s daugthers could not take their eyes off its golden feathers and started plotting.

            – You just wait, he’ll doze off soon enough and leave the goose here so I can snatch a feather, said the eldest.

            And that’s precisely what she did, but her fingers got glued to the golden wing.

            After a little while, the second daugther wanted to steal a feather too, but no sooner had she touched it, than her hand got stuck on its golden feathers as well. 

            – Don’t come any closer! yelled the two girls to their youngest sister.

            – Why? Do you take me for a fool? I also want a feather!

            So the three girls got glued to the goose not for an hour or two, but the whole night!

            The following morning, the boy took his goose and set off, not caring that the girls were still glued to the bird with golden feathers. Whenever he took a left, a right, walked fast or slow, the girls had no choice but to follow him. And as they were all walking along, they came across a priest who wanted to help the girls, but who got stuck as well. The same thing happened to the teacher, who was terribly surprised to see the priest running as fast as he could.

            – Father, what’s the rush? Have you forgotten about our christening today?

            And so the boy ended up with five people walking behind him, all glued to the golden goose.

            And if that was not enough, two workers coming back from the field showed up. As you can very well imagine, they too got glued to the goose.

            And so they went on and on, until they reached a great castle. The king that ruled those lands had a daughter, who was always sad. The king had tried everything he could to make her smile, he had even brought jesters to court, and yet… the girl was becoming sadder and sadder. Eventually, the king had promised his entire to kingdom to the man who could make her smile again.

            Upon hearing that, the youngest boy went to the palace, dragging all those people behind.

            – Haaaa, haaaa! the princess burst into laughter when she saw 7 people strung behind… a goose.

            Although promises need to be kept, our king was not to thrilled about the boy, so he told him:

            – I’ll give you the girl on one condition – you need to drink all the wine in our cellars. Are you up for the challenge?

I need to go back to the old man in the forest, thought the young boy. The one who helped me. I can’t drink all this wine by myself.

And that’s exactly what he did. When he got back to the forest, he saw a long-faced man, standing right by the tree he had chopped down a few days before.

– What’s wrong, good man? asked the boy.

– Well, I’m very, very thirsty and I can’t find anything to drink.

– Come with me, my friend, and I’ll sort you out! said the boy.

You can’t even imagine how quickly the man drank the cellar dry. There was not a single

drop of wine left!

– I can see you’ve drunk all the wine, but I can’t you give you my daughter just yet. You

must pass another test. I need you to find me a man who will eat a mountain of bread. Can you do that?

The boy went into the forest again and found a starving man, whom he took to the palace. He ate every single bread crumb!

– Whatever will I do with you? I simply won’t give my daughter away! Here’s what… I’ll

give you one more test. If you can pull this off, you are free to marry my daughter. I want you to bring me a ship that can float on water, but also run on sand.

– You just wait!

And he went to the forest again.

– I’ll help you again, said the man in the woods. You were so kind to me and now I get to

return the favour. Here’s your magic ship!

And so the boy went back to the king. And you know what they say… you reap what you

sow.

Retelling of the original story by the brothers Grimm