When I was a child, my parents gave me this two book fairytale collection set, that was probably published back in the Seventies [[the drawing in the books
lead me to believe that is the decade it was]] A few years back a house fire destroyed the books and for the life of me i can not remember them. But thats not
my subject. In these books was a story that i loved and that has stayed with me for a long time.
it was about the girl that lived with her stepmother and stepsister and the two didnt like her one bit so the stepmum sent her out in the woods during winter to find strawberries sending with her only a bit of bread and cheese. and while there she came across a little how with 3 drawfs who offered to come in and sit by the fire if she would spare a bit of her food and sweep away the snow from their walk which she did and as she was doing away with the snow she came across the strawberries in the snow.
as she was picking the strawberries the three dwarfs blessed her, one blessing was that she would grow even more beautiful as the days passed the second was that every time she spoke that gold coins would fall from her mouth and finally that she would marry a young king. soon the girl rushed back on home and gave her step mother the basket of strawberries. The woman ranted and raved until the girl told her what happened, gold falling from her mouth as she spoke so the stepmum thought she would get this sort of good luck for her own daughter and the next evening sent her daughter out to the forest ... dressed in furs to keep warm and a large basket of food. She came across the dwarfs [maybe gnomes i forget] as well but instead of being invited in she barged in refused their requests and was cursed with uglyness, that frogs would fall from her mouth and that she would die a horrible death.
and she went home empty handed. angry the next day the mother sent the stepdaughter out to wash a blanket in the frozen river. as the girl struggled with the hammer to break the ice the kingdom's newly crowned young king was riding by. Noticing the girls stuggle he stopped his carriage and ran over to help her ... upon seeing her face they instantly fell in love with one another. Soon they were married and about a year and one son later the step mother and sister came to the palace to 'make amends' with the new queen and to faun over the little prince.
the king stepped out and the two women grabbed the queen and pushed her into the lake where she turned into a swan. The stepmother pushed her own daughter into the bed and closed the currents making excused to the King when he returned that the Queen wasn't feeling well and wanted to rest.
a few days passed and one of the guards came across the little swan and was surprised when it spoke to him, telling him that she was his Queen and [im not sure if this correct i know it went something like this]] that he must swing his sword over her head three times. doubtful but the man did so anyways, the queen regaining her form, running inside to check on her son. the guard wanted to go to the king but she said no to let the women's plot thicken. going back to the lake she turned back into the swan, the guard coming to her each day for her to check on her son. finally she had enough and told the guard to bring her husband to her. he did so and the king swung his sword over her head and released her from the spell completely where she told him of what her step family did to her
plotting he called the two into his throne room and asked them what the punishment should be for someone who tried to kill a beloved queen. the two women answered stating that the person should be flogged, put into a barrel and weighted down then have the barrel rolled into the lake to drown." as they said the queen step out from her hiding spot and the king stood and shouted for his guards to do just that to the two women
I'd apprecate any help at all and I thank you in advance.
it was about the girl that lived with her stepmother and stepsister and the two didnt like her one bit so the stepmum sent her out in the woods during winter to find strawberries sending with her only a bit of bread and cheese. and while there she came across a little how with 3 drawfs who offered to come in and sit by the fire if she would spare a bit of her food and sweep away the snow from their walk which she did and as she was doing away with the snow she came across the strawberries in the snow.
as she was picking the strawberries the three dwarfs blessed her, one blessing was that she would grow even more beautiful as the days passed the second was that every time she spoke that gold coins would fall from her mouth and finally that she would marry a young king. soon the girl rushed back on home and gave her step mother the basket of strawberries. The woman ranted and raved until the girl told her what happened, gold falling from her mouth as she spoke so the stepmum thought she would get this sort of good luck for her own daughter and the next evening sent her daughter out to the forest ... dressed in furs to keep warm and a large basket of food. She came across the dwarfs [maybe gnomes i forget] as well but instead of being invited in she barged in refused their requests and was cursed with uglyness, that frogs would fall from her mouth and that she would die a horrible death.
and she went home empty handed. angry the next day the mother sent the stepdaughter out to wash a blanket in the frozen river. as the girl struggled with the hammer to break the ice the kingdom's newly crowned young king was riding by. Noticing the girls stuggle he stopped his carriage and ran over to help her ... upon seeing her face they instantly fell in love with one another. Soon they were married and about a year and one son later the step mother and sister came to the palace to 'make amends' with the new queen and to faun over the little prince.
the king stepped out and the two women grabbed the queen and pushed her into the lake where she turned into a swan. The stepmother pushed her own daughter into the bed and closed the currents making excused to the King when he returned that the Queen wasn't feeling well and wanted to rest.
a few days passed and one of the guards came across the little swan and was surprised when it spoke to him, telling him that she was his Queen and [im not sure if this correct i know it went something like this]] that he must swing his sword over her head three times. doubtful but the man did so anyways, the queen regaining her form, running inside to check on her son. the guard wanted to go to the king but she said no to let the women's plot thicken. going back to the lake she turned back into the swan, the guard coming to her each day for her to check on her son. finally she had enough and told the guard to bring her husband to her. he did so and the king swung his sword over her head and released her from the spell completely where she told him of what her step family did to her
plotting he called the two into his throne room and asked them what the punishment should be for someone who tried to kill a beloved queen. the two women answered stating that the person should be flogged, put into a barrel and weighted down then have the barrel rolled into the lake to drown." as they said the queen step out from her hiding spot and the king stood and shouted for his guards to do just that to the two women
I'd apprecate any help at all and I thank you in advance.
