The Two Brothers facts for kids
The Two Brothers is a classic German fairy tale collected by the famous Brothers Grimm. It is a story about two twin brothers and their amazing adventures. This tale is known for its magical elements and themes of bravery and loyalty. A similar story, from Sicily, was also shared by author and folklorist Andrew Lang in The Pink Fairy Book.
Contents
The Magical Golden Bird
Once, there were two brothers: a rich goldsmith and a poor broommaker. The broommaker had two twin sons who looked exactly alike. One day, the broommaker found a special golden bird in the woods. He managed to get a golden feather from it and sold it to his rich brother for a lot of money.
Later, he found a golden lamp from the same bird. The third time, he caught the bird itself. His brother, the goldsmith, knew the bird had magical powers. If someone ate its heart and liver, they would find a gold coin under their pillow every night!
The goldsmith asked his wife to cook the bird. But his nephews, the twin sons, came to the kitchen. They were hungry and begged for some food. Two small pieces fell from the bird, and the boys quickly ate them. That night, just as the magic said, gold coins appeared under their pillows!
A New Life with a Huntsman
The goldsmith was not happy about the boys' magic coins. He told his brother that his sons were somehow involved with dark magic. He convinced the broommaker to leave his sons in the woods.
A kind huntsman found the boys and took them in. He taught them everything he knew about hunting. When the twins grew up, they became skilled huntsmen. They asked their foster father if they could go out and seek their own adventures. The huntsman was proud of them and agreed.
He gave them a special knife. He told them that if they ever went separate ways, they should stick the knife into a tree. If one brother returned, he could check the knife. If one side of the blade was rusty, it meant the other brother was in trouble.
Meeting Animal Friends
As the brothers traveled, they met many animals. They almost shot a hare for food, but it begged for its life. It offered them two young hares instead, so they let it go. The same thing happened with a fox, a wolf, a bear, and a lion. Each animal offered their young ones in return for their freedom.
The young animals then showed the brothers a village where they could buy food. After this, the brothers decided to go their separate ways. They each took half of the animals with them. Before they parted, they stuck the special knife into a tree, just as their foster father had told them.
The Younger Brother's Brave Act
The younger brother arrived in a town that was completely covered in black decorations. He learned that a terrible dragon had eaten all the young maidens in the town. Only the princess was left, and she was to be given to the dragon the very next day.
The huntsman bravely climbed the dragon's hill. There, he found three cups and a powerful sword. He couldn't lift the sword until he drank from the cups. After drinking, he felt strong enough to wield it.
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The next morning, the princess was brought to the hill. The king's marshal was watching. The huge, seven-headed dragon appeared, breathing fire and setting the grass ablaze. But the huntsman's animal friends quickly stomped out the flames. The huntsman fought the dragon bravely. He cut off six of its heads and its tail, and his animals helped tear it apart.
The princess was so grateful. She gave parts of her necklace to the animals. She also gave the huntsman her knife, which he used to cut out the dragon's tongues. The huntsman was very tired. He asked his lion to keep watch while he slept. But the lion was also tired and asked the bear to watch, and so on, until it was the hare's turn. The hare had no one to ask to watch.
While the huntsman slept, the marshal saw his chance. He attacked the huntsman, leaving him unconscious. The marshal then forced the princess to promise she would say that he had saved her.
The Truth Comes Out
The animals woke up and were very upset with the hare. But the hare said it knew a special root that could heal the huntsman. They let it go fetch the root, and the huntsman was restored. He thought the princess might have been involved in the attack, so he wandered the world for a year.
He eventually returned to the town. It was decorated in red for the princess's wedding to the marshal. The huntsman made a bet with an innkeeper that he could get bread from the king's table. He sent the hare. The princess recognized the hare by the piece of her necklace it wore and sent a loaf of bread with it.
The innkeeper wouldn't bet anymore, but the huntsman sent his other animals – the fox, wolf, bear, and lion – to get meat, vegetables, sweets, and wine from the king's table. The king was amazed by these clever animals. The princess then told him to send for their master.
When the huntsman arrived at the castle, the seven dragon heads were on display. The huntsman opened their mouths and asked where their tongues were. He then showed the tongues he had cut out. The princess bravely confirmed his true story. The marshal was punished, and the huntsman and princess were married.
The Older Brother's Quest
One day, the young king (the younger brother) was hunting a white stag. He ended up alone in the woods. An old woman asked to come near his fire. She then asked him to tap his animals with a magic wand so they wouldn't harm her. When he did, they all turned to stone. Then, she turned him to stone too.
Meanwhile, the older twin found the special knife. One side of the blade was completely rusted, meaning his brother was in great danger. He immediately set out to find him. When he arrived in the town, he was welcomed as the young king because he looked exactly like his brother. He even slept in the king's bed, but he placed a sword between himself and the princess to show his respect.
Hearing what his younger brother had been doing, the older brother went to the same woods. He found the same witch. But he refused to hit his animals with her wand. When he shot his gun at her, she was not hurt by lead bullets. So, he quickly tore off three silver buttons from his coat and shot her again. This time, she was defeated! He made her turn his brother, his brother's animals, and many other people back from stone.
A Happy Reunion
The brothers went home, sharing their amazing stories. When the younger king heard that his older brother had been accepted as him and had slept in his bed, he became very upset and acted without thinking. But he quickly felt terrible about what he had done. The hare, once again, brought the special root, and the brother was healed.
They returned to the town. The princess could tell her real husband apart by the necklace pieces on his animals. She asked him why he had put the sword in the bed that night, which showed him that his brother had been completely loyal and true.
Other Versions of the Story
A version of this tale was also written by the French author Alexandre Dumas. His story, called Les Deux Frères (The Two Brothers), is very similar to the Grimm's tale. In his version, the brothers are named Gottlieb and Wilfrid. Each of them also has a lion, a bear, a hare, a wolf, and a fox as companions.
