The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids

by The Brothers Grimm

　　There was once upon a time an old goat who had seven little kids, andloved them with all the love of a mother for her children. One day shewanted to go into the forest and fetch some food. So she called all sevento her and said, "Dear children, I have to go into the forest, be on yourguard against the wolf; if he come in, he will devour you all—-skin,hair, and all. The wretch often disguises himself, but you will knowhim at once by his rough voice and his black feet." The kids said, "Dearmother, we will take good care of ourselves; you may go away without anyanxiety." Then the old one bleated, and went on her way with an easy mind.

　　It was not long before some one knocked at the house-door and called,"Open the door, dear children; your mother is here, and has broughtsomething back with her for each of you." But the little kids knewthat it was the wolf, by the rough voice; "We will not open the door,"cried they, "thou art not our mother. She has a soft, pleasant voice,but thy voice is rough; thou art the wolf!" Then the wolf went away to ashopkeeper and bought himself a great lump of chalk, ate this and madehis voice soft with it. The he came back, knocked at the door of thehouse, and cried, "Open the door, dear children, your mother is hereand has brought something back with her for each of you." But the wolfhad laid his black paws against the window, and the children saw themand cried, "We will not open the door, our mother has not black feetlike thee; thou art the wolf." Then the wolf ran to a baker and said,"I have hurt my feet, rub some dough over them for me." And when thebaker had rubbed his feet over, he ran to the miller and said, "Strewsome white meal over my feet for me." The miller thought to himself,"The wolf wants to deceive someone," and refused; but the wolf said,"If thou wilt not do it, I will devour thee." Then the miller was afraid,and made his paws white for him. Truly men are like that.

　　So now the wretch went for the third time to the house-door, knocked atit and said, "Open the door for me, children, your dear little motherhas come home, and has brought every one of you something back fromthe forest with her." The little kids cried, "First show us thy pawsthat we may know if thou art our dear little mother." Then he put hispaws in through the window, and when the kids saw that they were white,they believed that all he said was true, and opened the door. But whoshould come in but the wolf! They were terrified and wanted to hidethemselves. One sprang under the table, the second into the bed, thethird into the stove, the fourth into the kitchen, the fifth into thecupboard, the sixth under the washing-bowl, and the seventh into theclock-case. But the wolf found them all, and used no great ceremony;one after the other he swallowed them down his throat. The youngest,who was in the clock-case, was the only one he did not find. When thewolf had satisfied his appetite he took himself off, laid himselfdown under a tree in the green meadow outside, and began to sleep.Soon afterwards the old goat came home again from the forest. Ah! What asight she saw there! The house-door stood wide open. The table, chairs,and benches were thrown down, the washing-bowl lay broken to pieces, andthe quilts and pillows were pulled off the bed. She sought her children,but they were nowhere to be found. She called them one after anotherby name, but no one answered. At last, when she came to the youngest,a soft voice cried, "Dear mother, I am in the clock-case." She took thekid out, and it told her that the wolf had come and had eaten all theothers. Then you may imagine how she wept over her poor children.

　　At length in her grief she went out, and the youngest kid ran withher. When they came to the meadow, there lay the wolf by the tree andsnored so loud that the branches shook. She looked at him on everyside and saw that something was moving and struggling in his gorgedbelly. "Ah, heavens," said she, "is it possible that my poor childrenwhom he has swallowed down for his supper, can be still alive?" Thenthe kid had to run home and fetch scissors, and a needle and thread,and the goat cut open the monster's stomach, and hardly had she makeone cut, than one little kid thrust its head out, and when she cutfarther, all six sprang out one after another, and were all still alive,and had suffered no injury whatever, for in his greediness the monsterhad swallowed them down whole. What rejoicing there was! They embracedtheir dear mother, and jumped like a sailor at his wedding. The mother,however, said, "Now go and look for some big stones, and we will fillthe wicked beast's stomach with them while he is still asleep." Then theseven kids dragged the stones thither with all speed, and put as many ofthem into his stomach as they could get in; and the mother sewed him upagain in the greatest haste, so that he was not aware of anything andnever once stirred.

　　When the wolf at length had had his sleep out, he got on his legs, andas the stones in his stomach made him very thirsty, he wanted to go toa well to drink. But when he began to walk and move about, the stonesin his stomach knocked against each other and rattled. Then cried he,

　　"What rumbles and tumbles

　　Against my poor bones?

　　I thought 't was six kids,

　　But it's naught but big stones."

　　And when he got to the well and stooped over the water and was justabout to drink, the heavy stones made him fall in, and there was no help,but he had to drown miserably. When the seven kids saw that, they camerunning to the spot and cried aloud, "The wolf is dead! The wolf isdead!" and danced for joy round about the well with their mother.