Jorinda and Jorindel
Once upon a time, an old castle stood in the middle of a distant, dark forest, and in the castle lived an old fairy. This fairy could take any form she wished.
She used to fly everywhere as an owl or sneak around the land as a cat, but at night she always transformed back into an old woman.
— Oh, how I wish I could get rid of these wrinkles and white hairs!
But she couldn't. She always remained a grumpy old fairy who ruled in her castle. Every time a young man came within a hundred paces of her castle, he would become stuck and couldn't take another step unless she freed him.
— Oh, old fairy, please, set me free! — Don't call me old! I'll only free you if you promise not to return. — I'm sorry. I promise I won't come back here.
The Maiden Transformed into a Bird
But when a maiden came to that place, she was transformed into a bird, and the fairy locked her in a cage. In the castle hung seven hundred such cages, and all of them held beautiful birds.
— Ah, my beautiful bird collection! How spectacular!
There was a maiden whose name was Jorinda. Jorindel, a shepherd boy, loved her dearly, and they were soon to be married.
— Ah, these woods are so beautiful, so peaceful. — Yes, my dear, they are, but we must be careful not to go too close to the castle. — Are you afraid of the old fairy?
Jorinda ran into the forest, pulling Jorindel along. They reached the top of the hill. It was a beautiful evening; the last bright rays of the sunset shone through the tall tree trunks onto the green undergrowth below.
And the doves sang from the tall trees.
— And if this isn't heaven, then what is?
Jorinda sat down to catch her breath. Jorindel sat beside her, and both were sad.
— Jorindel, I don't feel very well. — Neither do I. I feel like I might lose you. — Let's go home.
They looked to see the way home, but they felt lost, not knowing which path to take.
— Oh dear, we're lost!
The sun was setting fast. Jorindel suddenly looked behind him and realized that without noticing, they had sat too close to the castle walls. He turned pale with fear.
Jorinda just sang.
— This is the voice of my Jorinda! The dove sang from the top of the willow. Oh what a day, oh what a day. It mourned the sad fate of the pair. Oh what a day, oh what a day.
When her song suddenly stopped, Jorindel looked at her and watched as she transformed into a nightingale. An owl with fiery eyes flew past them, and all three shrieked.
— Ah! Ah! Jorinda, no, my dear! I will save you!
Jorindel could not move or speak.
— What has happened to me and Jorinda? Is there no escape from this misfortune?
And now the sun was slowly setting. Gloomy night arrived. The owl flew into a bush, and immediately after, the old fairy appeared with astonished eyes.
— Ah! Oh! Ah! Another nightingale for my collection!
She mumbled something to herself. She caught the nightingale and left with it in her hand. Poor Jorindel saw that the bird was gone.
The Fairy's Curse
After a while, the fairy returned and sang in a hoarse voice:
— The prisoner is unmoving, fate is fulfilled. Yes, yes, enough! By spell she is threatened and by curse she is bound. So be it! So be it!
Suddenly, Jorindel was free. He then fell to his knees before the fairy and begged her to return his dear Jorinda.
— Oh, thank you, dear old fairy! Now please, free my Jorinda from your spell! — Ah! Never! You will never see her again! — But I cannot live without her! I beg you! I beg you!
But she was unmoved by Jorindel's pleas and merely laughed at him, then walked away. He prayed, he cried, he begged, but all was in vain.
— Oh, woe! What shall I do now? How can I return home without my dear Jorinda?
The Magic Flower
Since he couldn't return home, he went to a foreign village and took a job caring for sheep. He would wander as often as he dared around the castle he hated.
But it was useless; he had neither seen nor heard anything of Jorinda.
— Is there no hope left for me?
One night, he dreamed that he found a beautiful purple flower, and in its center was a precious pearl. And he dreamed that he plucked the flower and went with it in his hand to the castle, and that everything he touched with it was freed from spells, and that there he found Jorinda again, and the old fairy was frightened by the pearl.
The morning he awoke, he was filled with hope.
— This dream surely meant something! Perhaps I will find my Jorinda after all.
So he began to search over the hills for this beautiful flower, and for eight whole days he searched and searched, but all in vain. But on the ninth day, he found that beautiful purple flower, and in its center was a large drop of dew, as big as a precious pearl.
— Here you were! You will help me find my Jorinda!
Then he picked the flower and traveled day and night until he reached the castle once more. He walked more than a hundred paces closer to the castle and did not become stuck as before.
But he discovered that he could walk closer to the door. Jorindel was very happy to see this.
— This flower is truly magical! Jorinda, come to me!
Then he touched the door with the flower and it swung wide open, so he entered through the courtyard and listened as he heard so many birds singing.
— Jorinda must be here!
He continued to walk further. Finally, he reached the room where the fairy sat with the seven hundred birds singing in the seven hundred cages.
— Oh, dear! So many nightingales!
When the fairy saw Jorindel, she became furious and shrieked wildly.
— How dare you come to my castle? Didn't I tell you never to return? Now you shall pay with your life!
She ran towards him to attack, but she couldn't get near him at all, because the flower he held in his hand offered him protection. He looked around at the birds, but in vain! There were too many nightingales.
— Where is my Jorinda?
While he was thinking what to do, he noticed the fairy taking down one of her cages and hurrying quickly out the door.
— Ah! There she is!
He ran after her. He touched the cage with the flower, and Jorinda appeared before him and threw her arms around Jorindel.
— No!
Then he touched all the other birds with the flower, and they all returned to their original forms.
— Oh, yes! Yes! Yes, thank you! Yes! — No! No! No! My bird collection! Oh, no!
And then Jorindel sprinkled the old fairy with the dew drops from the flower. To their astonishment, she transformed into a nightingale. Jorindel quickly caught the nightingale and locked her in a cage.
— It's all over, fairy! Come, Jorinda, my love, let us go home!
And he took Jorinda home, where they married and lived happily ever after. And so did many other young men, whose maidens had been forced to sing in the old fairy's cages.
The moral of the story is that true love and perseverance can overcome any obstacle, even the most powerful spells and curses.
