Reading Notes Brothers Grimm (Reading B)

(Pexels)

The Fox and the Cat 

• The car met Mr. Fox in the woods 
• The cat asked how the fox was doing but he looked at her with arrogance and asked her what kind of tricks she knew
• She told him she knew to jump in a tree when a dog is chasing her 
• He was not impressed with her trick but when hunting dogs came by she jumped into a tree
• The fox did not know how to do this so he was caught and killed 

The Duration of Life: 

• Gad was determining how long each life would live when a donkey asked him how long 
• He told the donkey 30 years but the donkey thought that was too long and it was shortened to 18 
• Next, the dog asked God how long he would live and god told him 10 years because the dog felt that 30 was too long 
• Next man asked god and when he told him 30 years, man felt that was not enough time 
• God gave him the 30 years, plus the dogs 10, the donkey’s 18, and the monkey’s 10 and thus, man lives 70 years

Eve’s Unequal Children: 

• Adam and Ever were forced to make a home together and every year Eve had a child 
• one day the Lord said he was going to come to visit so she cleaned her home and made only her good-looking children presentable and hid her ugly children away 
• He blessed her children with noble positions like kings and princesses but when she brought forth her ugly children he did not bless them as equally, giving them roles like fisherman and farmer 
• The Lord told her this was for a reason because there needed to be people in every role 

The Peasant and the Devil:

• One day the peasant was working in his field when he saw a pile of burning coals. 
• He walked over and saw there was a little black devil sitting on the pile 
• The devil told him he could have treasure if he gave him half of whatever he grew in his field 
• The peasant told him he would give the devil everything grown above ground and he would keep everything grown below ground 
• The devil agreed to this but realized later her was tricked when he learned that the peasant only grew turnips 

Story source: The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales translated by D. L. Ashliman (1998-2013).