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The brother and sister
The brothers Grimm →

Cinderella
The brothers Grimm →

The frog king or Iron Henry
The brothers Grimm →

The most beautiful fairytales of Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen - The best fairytales: 21 - 40 (Page 2)

21Little Claus and big Claus

In a village there once lived two men who had the same name. They were both called Claus. One of them had four horses, but the other had only one; so to distinguish them, people called the owner of the four horses, Great Claus, and he who had only one, Little Claus. Now we shall hear what happened to them, for this is a true story.Read the story →

22The snow queen

First Story Which Treats of a Mirror and of the Splinters Now then, let us begin. When we are at the end of the story, we shall know more than we know now: but to begin. Once upon a time there was a wicked sprite, indeed he was the most mischievous of all sprites.Read the story →

A windmill stood upon the hill, proud to look at, and it was proud too. I am not proud at all, it said, but I am very much enlightened without and within. I have sun and moon for my outward use, and for inward use too; and into the bargain I have stearine candles, train oil and lamps, and tallow candles. I may well say that I'm enlightened.Read the story →

Now listen! In the country, close by the high road, stood a farmhouse; perhaps you have passed by and seen it yourself. There was a little flower garden with painted wooden palings in front of it; close by was a ditch, on its fresh green bank grew a little daisy; the sun shone as warmly and brightly upon it as on the magnificent garden flowers, and therefore it thrived well.Read the story →

25The swan's nest

Between the Baltic and the North Sea there lies an old swan's nest, wherein swans are born and have been born that shall never die. In olden times a flock of swans flew over the Alps to the green plains around Milan, where it was delightful to dwell. This flight of swans men called the Lombards.Read the story →

26The elf of the rose

In the midst of a garden grew a rose-tree, in full blossom, and in the prettiest of all the roses lived an elf. He was such a little wee thing, that no human eye could see him. Behind each leaf of the rose he had a sleeping chamber. He was as well formed and as beautiful as a little child could be, and had wings that reached from his shoulders to his feet.Read the story →

27Little Ida's flowers

My poor flowers are quite dead, said little Ida, they were so pretty yesterday evening, and now all the leaves are hanging down quite withered.Read the story →

28The travelling companion

Poor John was very sad; for his father was so ill, he had no hope of his recovery. John sat alone with the sick man in the little room, and the lamp had nearly burnt out; for it was late in the night. You have been a good son, John, said the sick father, and God will help you on in the world.Read the story →

29The wicked prince

There lived once upon a time a wicked prince whose heart and mind were set upon conquering all the countries of the world, and on frightening the people; he devastated their countries with fire and sword, and his soldiers trod down the crops in the fields and destroyed the peasants' huts by fire, so that the flames licked the green leaves off the branches, and the fruit hung dried up on the singedRead the story →

30Holger Danske

In Denmark there stands an old castle named Kronenburg, close by the Sound of Elsinore, where large ships, both English, Russian, and Prussian, pass by hundreds every day. And they salute the old castle with cannons, Boom, boom, which is as if they said, Good-day. And the cannons of the old castle answer Boom, which means Many thanks.Read the story →

31On judgment day

The most solemn of all the days of our life is the day we die. It is judgment day, the great sacred day of transfiguration. Have you really seriously given a fleeting thought to that grave and mighty last hour we shall spend on earth? There was once a man, a stanch upholder of truth, as he was called, to whom the word of his God was law, a zealous servant of his zealous God.Read the story →

32Which was the happiest?

Such lovely roses! said the Sunshine. And each bud will soon burst in bloom and be equally beautiful. These are my children. It is I who have kissed them to life. They are my children, said the Dew. It is I who have nourished them with my tears. I should think I am their mother, the Rose Bush said.Read the story →

In the narrow streets of a large town people often heard in the evening, when the sun was setting, and his last rays gave a golden tint to the chimney-pots, a strange noise which resembled the sound of a church bell; it only lasted an instant, for it was lost in the continual roar of traffic and hum of voices which rose from the town.Read the story →

34The flea and the professor

There was an aëronaut, and things went badly with him. His balloon burst, hurled him out, and went all to pieces. Just two minutes before, the aëronaut had sent his boy down by parachute - wasn't the boy lucky! He wasn't hurt, and he knew enough to be an aëronaut himself, but he had no balloon and no means of getting one.Read the story →

35The darning-needle

There was once a darning-needle who thought herself so fine that she fancied she must be fit for embroidery. Hold me tight, she would say to the fingers, when they took her up, don't let me fall; if you do I shall never be found again, I am so very fine. That is your opinion, is it? said the fingers, as they seized her round the body.Read the story →

A prize, or rather two prizes, a great one and a small one, had been awarded for the greatest swiftness in running,– not in a single race, but for the whole year. I obtained the first prize, said the hare.Read the story →

37The Phoenix bird

In the Garden of Paradise, beneath the Tree of Knowledge, bloomed a rose bush. Here, in the first rose, a bird was born. His flight was like the flashing of light, his plumage was beauteous, and his song ravishing.Read the story →

38A cheerful temper

From my father I received the best inheritance, namely a good temper. And who was my father? That has nothing to do with the good temper; but I will say he was lively, good-looking round, and fat; he was both in appearance and character a complete contradiction to his profession.Read the story →

I mean to be somebody, and do something useful in the world, said the eldest of five brothers. I don't care how humble my position is, so that I can only do some good, which will be something. I intend to be a brickmaker; bricks are always wanted, and I shall be really doing something.Read the story →

40Children's prattle

There was a large party for children at the house of the merchant; rich people's children and important people's children were all there. Their host, the merchant, was a learned man; his father had insisted that he have a college education. You see, his father had been only a cattle dealer, but he had always been honest and thrifty.Read the story →

The fisherman and his wife
The brothers Grimm →

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