Fairytales of Famous Authors Compared to Disney Cartoons with proper respect etc

Story 45: Three Snake Leaves Brothers' Grimm (1812)

Three Snake Leaves

There was once a poor man who couldn't support his only son any longer. One day the son said: "Dear father, you're having such a bad time of it and I'm only a burden to you. I'd better leave home and see I can earn my own living." Then the father gave him his blessing and they parted in great sorrow. At that time a powerful king was waging war. The boy entered his service, joined in the campaign, and breached the enemy lines just as a battle was being fought. The danger was great, the bullets flew thick and fast, and his comrades fell on all sides. When the captain was killed, the men were going to take flight, but the boy stepped forward, bade them take courage, and said: "We won't let our country go under!" The men followed him, and he pressed forward and defeated the enemy. When the king heard that he had him alone to thank for the victory, he raised him up above all others, gave him great treasures, and made him the first in his kingdom.

The king had a daughter, who was very beautiful, but also very strange. She had sworn an oath not to take any man for her lord and master unless he promised that if she died first he would let himself be buried alive with her. "If he really loves me," she said, "why would he want to go on living?" And she said she would do likewise and let herself be buried with him if she should die first. So far her strange oath had frightened all her suitors away, but the boy was so taken with her beauty that nothing could discourage him and he asked her father for her hand. "Do you know what you must promise?" the king asked. "Oh yes," he said. "I shall have to let myself be buried with her if I outlive her. But my love is so great that I care nothing for the risk." Then the king consented and the marriage was celebrated with great splendor.
For a while they lived happily together, but then it so happened that the young queen fell gravely ill and no doctor could help her.
When she lay dead, the young king remembered the promise he had been obliged to make, and he shuddered at the thought of being buried alive, but there was nothing he could do, for the king had stationed sentries at all the gates, and he could not escape his fate. When the day came for the body to be buried, he was taken down to the royal vault along with it, and the door was locked and bolted.
Beside the coffin there was a table, and on it there were four can-dles, four loaves of bread, and four bottles of wine. When these provisions were gone, he would starve. There he sat in grief and anguish.
Each day he ate only one bite of bread and drank only one mouthful of wine; yet he knew that death was coming closer and closer. As he sat staring, he saw a snake crawl from one corner of the vault and approach the corpse. Thinking it had come to nibble at the body, he drew his sword and said: "While I live, you will not touch that body!" and he cut the snake into three pieces. In a little while a second snake came crawling out of the corner. When it saw the first snake lying there dead and in pieces, it went away, but soon came back with three green leaves in its mouth. It took the three pieces of the dead snake, put them together as they belonged, and laid a leaf on each wound. Instantly what had been parted was made one, the snake stirred and came to life again, and the two snakes hurried away to-gether. The leaves were still lying on the floor, and it occurred to the unhappy young king who had witnessed the whole scene that the miraculous power of the leaves, which had brought a snake back to life, might help a human being as well. So he picked up the leaves and laid one on the dead woman's mouth and the two others on her two eyes.
No sooner had he done this than the blood stirred in her veins and the color came back into her pale face. Then she drew breath, opened her eyes, and said. "Heavens! Where am I?" "You are with me, my dear wife," he replied, and told her exactly what had happened and how he had brought her back to life. Then he gave her some bread and wine, and when her strength had returned she got up/stood up. They went to the door and knocked and shouted so loudly that the sentries heard them and told the King. The King himself came and opened the door. He found them both alive and well, and they all rejoiced that their sorrow was over. The young King to be took the three snake leaves and gave them to a servant. "Take good care of them, and carry them with you wherever you go. Who knows what use we may make of them in time of trouble!"

But a change took place in the wife after she was brought back to life, one her love for her husband seemed to have gone out of her heart. Some time later he decided to go on a sea voyage to visit his old father, and on shipboard she forgot the great love and devotion he had shown her and conceived a guilty passion for the sea captain.
Once when the young king lay asleep she called the captain. Then she co thie sleeper by the head and the captain took him by the feet, and tney threw him into the sea. After the shameful deed was done, she said to the captain: "Now we will go back home and say he died at sea, and I will sing your praises to my father and he will betroth me to you and make you the heir to his crown." But the faithful ser. vant, who had seen what they had done, secretly untied a boat from the ship, got into it and went in search of his master, letting the vile lains go their way. He fished the body out of the sea, put the three snake leaves, which he carried with him, on the young king's eyes and mouth, and brought him back to life.
The ivo of them fowed with all their might. Day and night they rowed, and their boat flew over the waves so fast that they reached the old king before the others. He was surprised to see them coming back alone, and asked them what had happened. When he heard of his daughter's treachery, he said: "I can't believe she would do such a terrible thing, but the truch will soon come to light." And he bade them go into a hidden room and not let anyone know they were fore her father with a mournful face.'
there. Soon the big ship arrived and the wicked woman appeared be-
"Why have you come back
alone?" he asked her. "Where is your husband?" "Oh, father dear," she replied, 'Ive come home in deep mourning. My husband suddenly fell sick and died at sea, and if this good sea captain hadn't helped me, I don't know what I'd have done. He was there when my husband died, so he can tell you all about it." The king said: "I'm going to bring the dead man back to life," and he opened the door and bade the two come out. When the woman saw her husband, she was thunderstruck; she fell on her knees and begged for mercy.
The king said: "Don't speak to me of mercy. He was ready to die with you and he gave you back your life, but you killed him in his sleep and shall be punished as you deserve." She and her accomplice were put on board a ship with holes drilled in it, and sent out over the stormy sea, where they soon sank.

Gruesome one but at least the conflict is equalized in realization of consequence on both sides of their decisions, Lumna10.