Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES

Once upon a time there was a king who had twelve daughters, each one more beautiful than the next. They slept together in a large room with their beds lined up in a row, and at night, after they had gone to bed, the king locked and bolted the door. But when he opened the door in the morning, he saw that their shoes were all worn out from dancing, and nobody could discover how this happened.

The king issued a proclamation that whoever could find out where they went dancing at night could choose one of them for his wife and succeed him as king; but anyone who volunteered and could not find out after three days and nights was to forfeit his life. It wasn't long until a king's son offered to take the risk. He was received with hospitality, and at night he was taken to a room that opened on the bedroom. His bed was made there, and he was supposed to see where they went dancing. And in order to keep them from playing any secret tricks or going out by some other way, the door to the bedroom was left open. But the eyes of the king's son suddenly felt like lead and he fell asleep, and when he woke up the next morning, all twelve had been to the dance, for there were their shoes with the soles worn right through. The second and third nights were just the same, and so his head was chopped off without pity. Many others followed him and offered to undertake the dangerous enterprise, but they all lost their lives.

Now it happened that a poor soldier, who had been wounded and was no longer fit for service, was on his way to the city where the king lived. He met an old woman who asked him where he was going. "I'm not very sure myself," he said, and he added jokingly, "I'd really like to find out where the king's daughters wear out their shoes dancing, and then get to be king."

"That's not so hard," said the old woman. "You mustn't drink the wine they bring you before you go to bed, and you must pretend that you're fast asleep." With that, she gave him a little cloak and said, "If you put that around your shoulders, you'll be invisible and then you can steal after the twelve princesses."

Having been so well advised, the soldier took the matter in good earnest, and so he screwed up his courage, went before the king, and volunteered to be a suitor. He was received with the same hospitality as the others, and they gave him royal garments to wear.

At bedtime he was led to the anteroom, and when he got ready for bed, the oldest daughter brought him a goblet of wine. But he had tied a sponge under his chin and let the wine run into it so that he didn't drink a drop. Then he lay down, and after lying there a little while, he started snoring as if he were fast asleep.

The twelve princesses heard him and laughed. "That one shouldn't have risked his life, either," said the oldest. Then they got up, opened wardrobes, chests, and boxes, and took out magnificent clothes. They primped in front of the mirrors, frolicked around the room, and joyfully looked forward to the dance—except for the youngest. She said, "I don't know, you can be gay if you like, but I have such a strange feeling—I'm sure something terrible is going to happen to us."

"You're a little goose," said the oldest; "you're always afraid. Have you forgotten how many kings' sons have already been here and failed? As for the soldier, I wouldn't have even had to give him the sleeping potion—nothing would have wakened that lout."

When they were all ready, they first had a look at the soldier, but he had his eyes closed and didn't move a muscle, so they thought they were completely safe. The oldest one went to her bed and rapped on it. Immediately it sank through the floor and they climbed through the opening, one after the other, with the oldest in the lead.

The soldier, who had watched everything, lost no time, put on his little cloak, and climbed down after the youngest. Halfway down the stairs he stepped lightly on her gown. She was frightened and called out, "What is it? Who is holding onto my gown?"

"Don't be such a simpleton," said the oldest; "you caught it on a nail."

Then they went all the way down, and when they got to the bottom, they were standing in a magnificent avenue of trees: all the leaves were of silver, and they shimmered and shone. The soldier thought, "You'd better take along some token as proof," and he broke off a branch. The tree gave a prodigious crack.

The youngest cried out again, "Something's the matter —did you hear that cracking?"

But the oldest said, "They're firing a victory salute because soon we shall have redeemed our princes."

Next they came to an avenue of trees with leaves of gold, and finally to a third where the leaves were of bright diamond. Each time he broke a branch, and each time there was a cracking that made the youngest start with alarm. But the oldest insisted they were victory salutes.

They went on and came to a big river. Twelve little boats were floating on the water, and in each boat sat a handsome prince. They had been waiting for the twelve princesses, and each took one in his boat. The soldier, however, went and sat by the youngest.

"I don't know what's wrong," said the prince; "the boat is much heavier tonight, and I've got to row with all my strength to move it along."

"It must be the hot weather," said the youngest. "I'm very warm myself."

On the other side of the river stood a beautiful castle brightly illuminated, from which the gay music of drums and trumpets was sounding. They rowed across and went inside, and each prince danced with his own sweetheart.

The soldier danced along invisibly, and each time a princess took a goblet of wine in her hand, he drank it so that it was empty when she raised it to her lips. The youngest was frightened at this, too, but the oldest always managed to silence her.

They danced until three o'clock the next morning, when all the shoes were worn out and they had to stop. The princes rowed them back across the river, and this time the soldier sat up front with the oldest. On the...