The Hare's Bride facts for kids
The Hare's Bride is a German fairy tale collected by the famous Brothers Grimm. It was first published in 1819 as part of their book Kinder- und Hausmärchen, which means Children's and Household Tales. This story is known as KHM 66, which is its number in the Grimm collection. It's a type of folk tale often called "Aarne-Thompson type 311," which means it shares a similar plot with other stories from around the world.
Contents
What Happens in The Hare's Bride?
Once upon a time, a mother and her daughter lived in a cozy house. They had a lovely garden with a patch full of tasty cabbages. A clever hare kept sneaking into their garden. All winter long, he quietly munched on their cabbages.
The Girl Meets the Hare
Finally, the mother told her daughter to go to the garden. "Go chase that hare away!" she said. The girl found the hare busy eating. "Hare, you must leave!" she told him. "You are eating all our cabbages!"
The hare turned to her. "Sit on my little hare's tail," he said. "Come with me to my little hare's hut." But the girl did not want to go with him. She refused.
The very next day, the hare came back. He started eating their cabbages again. So, the mother told her daughter, "Go to the garden and shoo that hare away!"
The girl found the hare once more. "Hare, you must go!" she cried. "You are eating all our cabbages!" But the hare gave the same answer. "Sit on my little hare's tail and come with me to my little hare's hut." Again, the girl said no.
The Wedding Invitation
On the third day, the hare returned again. He was eating the cabbages in the garden. The mother told her daughter, "Go chase that hare away!"
So, the young girl went to the garden. She found the hare eating the cabbages. "Hare, you must go!" she cried. "You are eating all our cabbages!"
But the hare's reply was the same. "Sit on my little hare's tail and come with me to my little hare's hut." This time, the girl actually did it! She sat on the hare's tail. The hare carried her far away to his small hut.
Inside the hut, the hare said to the girl, "Here is a pot. Please cook some cabbage and millet. Today, we will get married!" He then added, "I am going to get the guests for our wedding."
Soon after, the hare returned. His wedding guests were all other hares! A crow was there to act like a parson (a priest). A fox was there to act like a sexton (someone who helps in a church). The wedding table was set under a beautiful rainbow.
The Girl's Escape
But the girl was very sad. She was all alone in the hut, far from her home. She locked the door of the little hut.
The hare came to the door. "Open the door!" he cried. "The wedding guests are having fun!" But the young girl was crying. She did not open the door. The hare went away.
When he returned, the hare cried, "Take off the pot's lid! The wedding guests are hungry!" But the girl still did not open the door. She kept crying because she felt so lonely. Again, the hare went away.
The hare came back for a third time. "Take off the pot's lid!" he cried. "The wedding guests are waiting!" She stayed silent. She still did not open the door. The hare went away one last time.
The girl then had an idea. She found a straw doll. She dressed the doll in her own clothes. She put a wooden spoon in its hand. Then, she placed the doll next to the millet pot. After that, the girl ran all the way home.
When the hare came back to his little hut, he cried, "Take off the pot's lid!" He found the door unlocked. He went inside the hut. In his anger, he hit the straw doll on the head. Its cap fell off. The hare then realized the doll was not his bride. The girl had run away from him. The hare felt very sad and walked away.
Images for kids
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The hare in the cabbage plot, by Walter Crane, c. 1890
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And the girl sat on the hare’s tail and went to his little hut
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The wedding in The Hare's Bride, by Walter Crane
