Foundling-Bird facts for kids

Foundling-Bird is a classic German fairy tale collected by the famous Brothers Grimm. It's story number 51 in their collection. This tale is a type of story where a girl helps a hero escape danger. It often includes a magical "transformation chase," where characters change shape to get away from someone chasing them. Other similar stories are "The Master Maid" and "The Water Nixie".

The Story of Foundling-Bird

A long time ago, a kind forester found a baby boy in a bird's nest. He brought the baby home and raised him alongside his own daughter, Lenchen. They named the boy Fundevogel, which means "Foundling-Bird." Fundevogel and Lenchen grew up together and loved each other very much.

The Cook's Secret Plan

One day, Lenchen saw the cook carrying many buckets of water into the house. She was curious and asked the cook what she was doing. The cook told Lenchen a scary secret: the next day, she planned to boil Fundevogel in that water!

Lenchen was very scared and quickly ran to tell Fundevogel the terrible news. They knew they had to escape right away. So, they quietly fled from the house.

The Magical Escape

When the cook realized that Fundevogel and Lenchen were gone, she was very worried. She knew the forester would be angry about his lost daughter. So, she sent her servants to chase after the children.

As the servants got close, Fundevogel used his magic. He transformed into a beautiful rosebush, and Lenchen became a single rose blooming on it. The servants searched everywhere but saw nothing but the rosebush. They went back to the cook empty-handed. When they told her what they had seen, she scolded them for not bringing back the rose. She knew it was the children!

The servants went out again. This time, Fundevogel turned into a church, and Lenchen became a sparkling chandelier inside it. The servants returned and told the cook about the church and the chandelier. Again, she scolded them for not bringing back the chandelier.

The Cook's Final Chase

Finally, the cook decided to go after the children herself. As she got closer, Fundevogel used his magic one last time. He turned into a pond, and Lenchen became a little duck swimming on it.

The cook knelt down by the pond, planning to drink all the water to catch them. But Lenchen, as the duck, was clever. She quickly caught the cook's head and pulled her into the pond. The cook fell into the water.

After this, Fundevogel and Lenchen were safe. They went back home and lived happily ever after.