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Once upon
a time...
There was once upon a time a castle in the middle of a thick
wood where lived an old woman quite alone, for she was an
enchantress. In the day-time she changed herself into a cat or a
night-owl, but in the evening she became like an ordinary woman
again. She could entice animals and birds to come to her, and then
she would kill and cook them. If any youth came within a hundred
paces of the castle, he was obliged to stand still, and could not
stir from the spot till she set him free; but if a pretty girl came
within this boundary, the old enchantress changed her into a bird,
and shut her up in a wicker cage, which she put in one of the rooms
in the castle. She had quite seven thousand of such cages in the
castle with very rare birds in them.
Now, there was once a maiden called Jorinde, who was more beautiful
than other maidens. She and a youth named Joringel, who was just as
good-looking as she was, were betrothed to one another. Their
greatest delight was to be together, and so that they might get a
good long talk, they went one evening for a walk in the wood. 'Take
care,' said Joringel, 'not to come too close to the castle.' It was
a beautiful evening; the sun shone brightly between the stems of the
trees among the dark green leaves of the forest, and the turtle-dove
sang clearly on the old maybushes.
Jorinde wept from time to time, and she sat herself down in the
sunshine and lamented, and Joringel lamented too. They felt as sad
as if they had been condemned to die; they looked round and got
quite confused, and did not remember which was their way home. Half
the sun was still above the mountain and half was behind it when
Joringel looked through the trees and saw the old wall of the castle
quite near them. He was terrified and half dead with fright. Jorinde
sang:
'My little bird with throat so red Sings sorrow, sorrow, sorrow; He
sings to the little dove that's dead, Sings sorrow, sor--jug, jug,
jug.'
Joringel looked up at Jorinde. She had been changed into a
nightingale, who was singing 'jug, jug.' A night-owl with glowing
eyes flew three times round her, and screeched three times 'tu-
whit, tu-whit, tu-whoo.' Joringel could not stir; he stood there
like a stone; he could not weep, or speak, or move hand or foot. Now
the sun set; the owl flew into a bush, and immediately an old, bent
woman came out of it; she was yellow-skinned and thin, and had large
red eyes and a hooked nose, which met her chin. She muttered to
herself, caught the nightingale, and carried her away in her hand.
Joringel could say nothing; he could not move from the spot, and the
nightingale was gone. At last the woman came back again, and said in
a gruff voice, 'Good evening, Zachiel; when the young moon shines in
the basket, you are freed early, Zachiel.' Then Joringel was free.
He fell on his knees before the old woman and implored her to give
him back his Jorinde, but she said he should never have her again,
and then went away. He called after her, he wept and lamented, but
all in vain. 'What is to become of me!' he thought. Then he went
away, and came at last to a strange village, where he kept sheep for
a long time. He often went round the castle while he was there, but
never too close. At last he dreamt one night that he had found a
blood-red flower, which had in its centre a beautiful large pearl.
He plucked this flower and went with it to the castle; and there
everything which he touched with the flower was freed from the
enchantment, and he got his Jorinde back again through it. When he
awoke in the morning he began to seek mountain and valley to find
such a flower. He sought it for eight days, and on the ninth early
in the morning he found the blood-red flower. In its centre was a
large dew-drop, as big as the most lovely pearl. He travelled day
and night with this flower till he arrived at the castle. When he
came within a hundred paces of it he did not cease to be able to
move, but he went on till he reached the gate. He was delighted at
his success, touched the great gate with the flower, and it sprung
open. He entered, passed through the courtyard, and then stopped to
listen for the singing of the birds; at last he heard it. He went in
and found the hall in which was the enchantress, and with her seven
thousand birds in their wicker cages. When she saw Joringel she was
furious, and breathed out poison and gall at him, but she could not
move a step towards him. He took no notice of her, and went and
looked over the cages of birds; but there were many hundred
nightingales, and how was he to find his Jorinde from among them?
Whilst he was considering, he observed the old witch take up a cage
secretly and go with it towards the door. Instantly he sprang after
her, touched the cage with the flower, and the old woman as well.
Now she could no longer work enchantments, and there stood Jorinde
before him, with her arms round his neck, and more beautiful than
ever. Then he turned all the other birds again into maidens, and he
went home with his Jorinde, and they lived a long and happy life.
Jorinde And Joringel
from the Green Fairy Book
Story Edited
by Andrew Lang |
