KINGDOM
LINKS
OTHER FAIRY TALE CHARACTERS
IN THE NINE KINGDOMS, TWO OTHER FAIRY TALE HEROINES BECAME KNOWN AS "ONE OF THE FIVE WOMEN WHO CHANGED HISTORY".
WE'VE ALREADY EXPLORED CINDERELLA , SNOW WHITE AND RED RIDING HOOD'S
STORIES ON OTHER PAGES AND
UNFORTUNATELY, NOT MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT THESE TWO LAST WOMEN AFTER THEIR FAIRY TALES WERE OVER.
HERE I WILL RELATE THE GREAT TALES OF THEIR EARLIER YEARS AND YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHY THE LEGENDS ARE NEVER FORGOTTEN.
HANSEL AND GRETEL
ONCE UPON A TIME, IN A FARAWAY LAND, A WOODCUTTER AND HIS FAMILY LIVED IN A DARK FOREST. ALTHOUGH THEY WERE POOR, THE WOODCUTTER DID THE BEST HE COULD TO SUPPORT HIS WIFE AND TWO CHILDREN, HANSEL AND GRETEL. HOWEVER, THE WOODCUTTER'S WIFE WAS A SELFISH AND TERRIBLE WOMAN, AND NEVER DID ANYTHING TO HELP OUT HER HUSBAND AND TREATED HER CHILDREN HORRIBLY, FOR THEY THOUGHT THE WORLD OF THEIR FATHER AND NOT MUCH OF THEIR MOTHER, AND SHE KNEW IT. SHE ATE THE BEST FOOD THEY COULD AFFORD AND ONLY LET THE CHILDREN EAT BREAD AND WATER. EVERYDAY, HANSEL AND GRETEL WERE SAD. THEY WISHED NOTHING MORE THAN FOR THEIR FATHER TO LEAVE THEIR MOTHER AND FOR THE THREE OF THEM ONE DAY TO LIVE IN HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY.
LATER,. AFTER A PARTICULARILY HARD DAY AT HOME, HANSEL AND GRETEL DECIDED TO EXPLORE THE FOREST. THEY HAD ALWAYS BEEN WARNED BY THEIR FATHER NOT TO WANDER IN THE FOREST LEST THEY GET LOST, AND THEY ALWAYS HEEDED HIS ADVICE, BUT THIS TIME, THEIR CURIOSITY GOT THE BETTER OF THEM AND THEY LEFT THEIR SMALL COTTAGE WHEN IT WAS STILL LIGHT OUT TO EXPLORE THE DARKER PARTS OF THE FOREST. GRETEL WAS AFRAID. SHE KNEW THAT THEY WOULD SURELY GET LOST,. BUT HANSEL HAD A PLAN. SAVING HIS BREAD FROM HIS EVENING MEAL, HE TOLD HER THAT IF THEY LEFT A TRAIL OF BREADCRUMBS BEHIND THEM, THEY COULD FOLLOW THEM BACK TO THEIR HOME WHEN IT GOT TOO DARK. GRETEL THOUGHT THIS WAS A GREAT IDEA AND FOR A TIME, THEY WALKED AND WALKED, AND IT BEGAN TO GET REALLY DARK WHEN GRETEL SUGGESTED THAT THEY START BACK.HOWEVER, TO THEIR HORROR, THE TRAIL OF BREADCRUMBS WAS GONE!! BIRDS HAD FLOWN DOWN FROM THE TREES AND EATEN THEM ALL UP. THE CHILDREN WERE VERY SCARED. THEY HAD NO IDEA WHERE THEY WERE AND DARKNESS WAS SETTLING LIKE A BLANKET OVER THE FOREST TREES. GRETEL BEGAN TO CRY BUT WAS COMFORTED BY HER BROTHER WHO TOLD HER NOT TO WORRY. THEY WOULD STAY PUT FOR THE NIGHT AND IT WOULD BE MUCH EASIER TO FIND THEIR WAY BACK HOME IN THE BRIGHT SUNSHINE OF DAYLIGHT.
IN THE MORNING, AS THE SUN WAS RISING, THE BIRDS HAPPILY SINGING WOKE HANSEL AND GRETEL FROM THEIR SOUND SLUMBER. UPON AWAKING, A GLORIOUS SIGHT WELCOMED THEM AND CAUSED THEIR EYES TO LIGHT UP WITH HAPPINESS. NOT FIFTEEN FEET AWAY FROM THAT VERY SPOT, WAS A WONDERFUL LITTLE COTTAGE MADE ENTIRELY OF GINGERBREAD! SUGAR ICING SEEMED TO HOLD THE SMALL HOUSE TOGETHER AND CANDY GALORE DECORATED ITS EXTERIOR. HANSEL AND GRETEL WERE SO HUNGRY! THEY HADN'T EATEN THE NIGHT BEFORE AND BEFORE THEY KNEW IT, THEY WERE BUSILY DEVOURING THE COOKIE SHINGLES AND PEPPERMINT STICK DOORFRAME. THEY WERE AMAZED AT ALL THAT WAS AROUND THEM AND WERE CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW SUCH A PLACE WOULD BE OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DEEP FOREST. BUT THEIR HUNGER OVERCAME THEIR QUESTIONS. THEY SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT MORE CAREFULLY, FOR LITTLE DID THEY KNOW THAT THE WONDEROUS CANDY HOUSE BELONGED TO A UGLY OLD WITCH WHO LIKED NOTHING BETTER THAN TO EAT LITTLE CHILDREN FOR HER MEALS! SHE USED THE CANDY HOUSE AS A LURE TO TRAP SMALL CHILDREN LIKE A FISHERMAN WOULD CATCH A FISH.
AS HANSEL AND GRETEL MUNCHED AWAY AT HER SMALL ABODE, THE OLD WITCH LISTENED QUIETLY INSIDE. SHE HEARD THEIR LAUGHTER AND GIGGLING AND WAS STILL AMAZED AFTER ALL THESE YEARS AT HOW GREEDY CHILDREN WERE. THEN SHE SAID LOUD ENOUGH, AS SHE HAD SIAD MANY TIMES BEFORE, FOR HANSEL AND GRETEL TO HEAR, " NIBBLE...NIBBLE...LIKE A MOUSE, WHO IS NIBBLING ON MY HOUSE?"
HANSEL AND GRETEL STOPPED THEIR EATING IN FEAR, AND THEN THEIR FEAR TURNED TO TERROR AS OUT OF THE HOUSE CAME THE MOST HIDIOUS OLD CRONE THAT THEY HAD EVER SEEN! THEY TURNED TO RUN AWAY BUT WHEN THE WITCH SAID THAT SHE WAS A LONELY OLD WOMAN WHO JUST NEEDED SOMEONE TO TALK TO, THEY FELT SORRY FOR HER. THEN SHE SAID THAT EVEN BETTER CANDY WAS INSIDE HER HOUSE, AND THEY WERE STILL HUNGRY SO THEY FOLLOWED HER INSIDE. GRETEL WAS VERY AFRAID. SHE DIDN'T TRUST THE OLD WOMAN, AND HER FEARS WERE FOUNDED BECAUSE AFTER THEY WERE INSIDE THE HOUSE, THE OLD WOMAN SUDDENLY GAINED ENORMOUS STRENGTH AND SHOVED HANSEL INTO THE ENORMOUS WIRE CAGE THAT DOMINATED THE FIRST ROOM, LOCKING IT. SHE SLIPPED THE KEY AROUND HER NECK AND THEN TOLD HANSEL AND GRETEL HER TRUE INTENTIONS. SHE PLANNED TO EAT THEM AND IF GRETEL WANTED TO KEEP HER BROTHER ALIVE FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, SHE WOULD BECOME HER SLAVE OR ELSE!
GRETEL SAW THAT SHE HAD NO CHOICE AND AS THE DAYS PASSED INTO WEEKS, SHE KEPT HOUSE FOR OLD WOMAN. SHE WORKED UNTIL HER HANDS BLED, COOKING AND CLEANING THE SMALL COTTAGE. THE OLD WOMAN FED HER ONLY SCARPS OF FOOD WHILE SHE FED HANSEL MORE THAN WOULD BE FIT FOR A KING! SHE WAS TRYING TO FATTEN HIM UP ENOUGH SO THAT HE WOULD BE A MEATIER MEAL. EVERYDAY SHE WOULD ASK HANSEL TO PUT OUT HIS FINGER SO SHE COULD FEEL IF HE WAS GETTING FAT ENOUGH. THE WITCH WAS SOMEWHAT BLIND AND RELIED ON HER SENSE OF TOUCH TO GET AROUND. HOWEVER, HANSEL WAS A SMART LAD, AND IN TURN , HE WOULD STICK OUT A CHICKEN BONE THAT HE HAD SAVED INSTEAD OF HIS FINGER. THE OLD WITCH WOULD FEEL IT AND CURSE OUT LOUD TAHT THE BOY WASN'T GETTING ANY FATTER AND THAT HE WAS TAKING WAY TOO LONG TO FATTEN UP. THIS SAME RITUAL WENT ON FOR WEEKS, AND ONE DAY THE WITCH GOT FED UP WITH WAITING AND DECIDED THAT VERY NIGHT THAT HANSEL WOULD BE HER EVENING MEAL. SHE TOOK OUT HER LARGE ROASTING PAN AND AS SHE PREPARED IT, SHE TOLD GRETEL TO LIGHT THE ENORMOUS OVEN. GRETEL DID AS SHE WAS TOLD, AND THE OLD WITCH THEN SAT DOWN TO WAIT FOR THE OVEN TO APPROACH THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE TO ROAST THE SMALL BOY. SHE TOLD GRETEL TO TELL HER IMMMEDIATELY WHEN THE OVEN WAS HOT ENOUGH.
HOURS PASSED AND THE WITCH BECAME IMPATIENT. SHE ASKED GRETEL WHAT WAS TAKING SO LONG AND GRETEL REPLIED THAT SHE DIDN'T KNOW AND COULDN'T TELL IF THE OVEN WAS HOT ENOUGH. THE WITCH SAID SNEAKILY THAT SHE NEEDED TO STICK HER HEAD IN AND THEN SHE COULD TELL. GRETEL WASN'T STUPID BUT CAM EUP WITH A BRILLIANT PLAN. SHE TOLD THE OLD CRONE THAT SHE WASN'T SURE HOW TO DO WHAT SHE ASKED AND IF SHE WOULD'T MIND DEMONSTRATING. THE IMPATIENT AND EXASPERATED WITCH DID JUST THAT, AND AS HER HEAD WAS JUST INSIDE THE OVEN DOOR, GRETEL RIPPED THE KEY FROM AROUND HER WRINKLED NECK AND SHOVED HARD AGAINST HER BACKSIDE, PUSHING HER INTO TO DEPTHS OF THE ENORMOUS OVEN. SHE SLAMMED THE DOOR SHUT AS THE WITCH WRITHED AND SCREAMED IN AGONY. THEN HER CRIES FADED AWAY AND GRETEL KNEW THAT SHE WAS DEAD. SHE UNLOCKED HANSEL'S CAGE AND THEY EMBRACED OVERJOYED. THEY DECIDED THEN THAT IT WAS TIME TO GO HOME, BUT BEFORE THEY LEFT THEY SEARCHED THE HOUSE AND FOUND THE WITCH'S TREASURE IN AN OLD TRUNK- A LARGE BAG OF GOLD COINS! THEY KNEW THEN THAT THEY WOULD NEVER WANT FOR ANYTHING AGAIN AND THEY LEFT THE COTTAGE.THEY DIDN'Y GET MORE THAN A FEW FEET WHEN THEIR FATHER CAME RUNNING TOWARDS THEM. HE HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR THEM FOR SUCH A LONG TIME AND TOLD THEM THAT THEIR MOTHER HAD DIED. THEY ALL EMBRACED WARMLY AND THEY TOLD HIM OF THEIR ADVENTURE. HE WAS OVERJOYED TO SEE THE TREASURE THEY FOUND AND HE KNEW THAT THEY WOULD NEVER BE POOR AGAIN.. THEY WLKED OUT OF THE FOREST AHND IN HAND AND LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER..
THANKS FOR VISITING MY PAGE!
STACIE VEGA 2000