Chapter - 17

Hansel and Gretel (Original Story)

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Summary of the story

Hansel, a brother, and Gretel, a sister lived with their father and step-mother. Their father was a woodcutter and they lived near a forest. The family was very poor and didn’t have enough eat. One night Hansel and Gretel heard their parents planning to leave them in the forest to save their own life due to lack of food. The woodcutter didn’t want to leave his children in the forest but his wife persuaded him.

After hearing the plan, made by their parents, Hansel went out of his room quietly and filled his pocket with shiny pebbles. The next day when they went into the forest, Hansel dropped shiny pebbles throughout the way, according to the plan, the children were left alone in the jungle by their parents. However, when it was high, the moon made pebbles back to their home and trail of pebbles back to their home and succeed in reaching their destination.

Sometime later, there was again no food the parents took them into the forest again. This time Hansel didn’t have any shiny pebbles, the birds ate those bread crumbs and therefore the children were lost in the jungle. They were lost there for three days. They became very hungry and tired. Suddenly, they found the lovely snow-white bird sitting on a branch. They followed it because of its sweet voice and finally reached the house, which was made out of chocolates, bread, sugar, and cake. At the movement; they were starving so they begin to eat it. Just after some time, an old witch came out of the house and behaved very kindly with them she served them a lot of delicious foods and provided a comfortable bed to sleep. But actually she was a witch and her intention was to kill and eat them.

Next day, she locked Hansel in a small shed and made Gretel do lots of householders. The witch wanted to eat children and she was waiting until they got fat. Therefore, she gave them enough foods but even after four weeks, they were as thin as they were before. Finally, she decided not to wait any longer and kill them. Gretel understood her intention, therefore she pretended for not knowing to check the hot oven. When the old witch tried to make her learn, she pushed her with her full strength into the oven. The witch was burnt to death. She rescued her brother and both of them filled their pockets with lots of jewelry, pearls, and precious stones.

Eventually, when they tried to find the way of their home, they focused water on the way and there was neither bridge nor boat to take them across it. They were carried across the water by a large white duck. When they got home, they found that their stepmother had died. They gave their father that jewelry that they were all very happy.