Stories and fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen - Page 3

Stories and fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen

The little match-sellerH.C. Andersen →

The snow queenH.C. Andersen →

Little Ida's flowersH.C. Andersen →

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The complete fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm

The goose girlThe brothers Grimm →

The story of the youth who went forth to learn what fear wasThe brothers Grimm →

Snow-whiteThe brothers Grimm →

Fairy tales and stories by H.C. Andersen

List of fairy tales (Page 3)

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The neighbouring families

The neighbouring families

One would have thought that something important was going on in the duck-pond, but it was nothing after all. All the ducks lying quietly on the water or standing on their heads in it– for they could do that– at once swarm to the sides; the traces of their feet were seen in the wet earth, and their cackling was heard far and wide. The water, which a few moments before had been as clear and smooth as a mirror, became very troubled. Before, every tree, every neighbouring bush, the old farmhouse witRead the story →

Little Tuk

Little Tuk

Yes, they called him Little Tuk, but it was not his real name; he had called himself so before he could speak plainly, and he meant it for Charles. It was all very well for those who knew him, but not for strangers. Little Tuk was left at home to take care of his little sister, Gustava, who was much younger than himself, and he had to learn his lessons at the same time, and the two things could not very well be performed together. The poor boy sat there with his sister on his lap, and sung to heRead the story →

The shadow

The shadow

In very hot climates, where the heat of the sun has great power, people are usually as brown as mahogany; and in the hottest countries they are negroes, with black skins. A learned man once travelled into one of these warm climates, from the cold regions of the north, and thought he would roam about as he did at home; but he soon had to change his opinion. He found that, like all sensible people, he must remain in the house during the whole day, with every window and door closed, so that it lookRead the story →

The old house

The old house

A very old house stood once in a street with several that were quite new and clean. The date of its erection had been carved on one of the beams, and surrounded by scrolls formed of tulips and hop-tendrils; by this date it could be seen that the old house was nearly three hundred years old. Verses too were written over the windows in old-fashioned letters, and grotesque faces, curiously carved, grinned at you from under the cornices. One story projected a long way over the other, and under the rRead the story →

The drop of water

The drop of water

Of course you know what is meant by a magnifying glass– one of those round spectacle-glasses that make everything look a hundred times bigger than it is? When any one takes one of these and holds it to his eye, and looks at a drop of water from the pond yonder, he sees above a thousand wonderful creatures that are otherwise never discerned in the water. But there they are, and it is no delusion. It almost looks like a great plateful of spiders jumping about in a crowd. And how fierce they are! TRead the story →

The happy family

The happy family

The largest green leaf in this country is certainly the burdock-leaf. If you hold it in front of you, it is large enough for an apron; and if you hold it over your head, it is almost as good as an umbrella, it is so wonderfully large. A burdock never grows alone; where it grows, there are many more, and it is a splendid sight; and all this splendor is good for snails. The great white snails, which grand people in olden times used to have made into fricassees; and when they had eaten them, they wRead the story →

The story of a mother

The story of a mother

A mother sat by her little child; she was very sad, for she feared it would die. It was quite pale, and its little eyes were closed, and sometimes it drew a heavy deep breath, almost like a sigh; and then the mother gazed more sadly than ever on the poor little creature. Some one knocked at the door, and a poor old man walked in. He was wrapped in something that looked like a great horse-cloth; and he required it truly to keep him warm, for it was cold winter; the country everywhere lay coveredRead the story →

The shirt-collar

The shirtcollar

There was once a fine gentleman who possessed among other things a boot-jack and a hair-brush; but he had also the finest shirt-collar in the world, and of this collar we are about to hear a story. The collar had become so old that he began to think about getting married; and one day he happened to find himself in the same washing-tub as a garter. Upon my word, said the shirt-collar, I have never seen anything so slim and delicate, so neat and soft before. May I venture to ask your name? I shallRead the story →

The flax

The flax

The flax was in full bloom; it had pretty little blue flowers as delicate as the wings of a moth, or even more so. The sun shone, and the showers watered it; and this was just as good for the flax as it is for little children to be washed and then kissed by their mother. They look much prettier for it, and so did the flax. People say that I look exceedingly well, said the flax, and that I am so fine and long that I shall make a beautiful piece of linen. How fortunate I am; it makes me so happy,Read the story →

The Phoenix bird

The 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. But when Eve plucked the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, when she and Adam were driven from Paradise, there fell from the flaming sword of the cherub a spark into the nest of the bird, which blazed up forthwith. The bird perished in the flames; but from the red egg inRead the story →

There is a difference

There is a difference

It was in the month of May. The wind was still cold, but spring had come, said the trees and the bushes, the fields and the meadows. Everywhere flowers were budding into blossom; even the hedges were alive with them. Here spring spoke about herself; it spoke from a little apple tree, from which hung a single branch so fresh and blooming, and fairly weighed down by a glorious mass of rosy buds just ready to open. Now this branch knew how lovely it was, for that knowledge lies in the leaf as wellRead the story →

The loveliest rose in the world

The loveliest rose in the world

There lived once a great queen, in whose garden were found at all seasons the most splendid flowers, and from every land in the world. She specially loved roses, and therefore she possessed the most beautiful varieties of this flower, from the wild hedge-rose, with its apple-scented leaves, to the splendid Provence rose. They grew near the shelter of the walls, wound themselves round columns and window-frames, crept along passages and over the ceilings of the halls. They were of every fragranceRead the story →

In a thousand years

In a thousand years

Yes, in a thousand years people will fly on the wings of steam through the air, over the ocean! The young inhabitants of America will become visitors of old Europe. They will come over to see the monuments and the great cities, which will then be in ruins, just as we in our time make pilgrimages to the tottering splendors of Southern Asia. In a thousand years they will come! The Thames, the Danube, and the Rhine still roll their course, Mont Blanc stands firm with its snow-capped summit, and theRead the story →

The swan's nest

The 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. Another flock, with shining plumage and honest eyes, soared southward to Byzantium; the swans established themselves there close by the Emperor's throne, and spread their wings over him as shields to proRead the story →

The old grave-stone

The old gravestone

In a house, with a large courtyard, in a provincial town, at that time of the year in which people say the evenings are growing longer, a family circle were gathered together at their old home. A lamp burned on the table, although the weather was mild and warm, and the long curtains hung down before the open windows, and without the moon shone brightly in the dark-blue sky. But they were not talking of the moon, but of a large, old stone that lay below in the courtyard not very far from the kitcRead the story →

The story of the year

The story of the year

It was near the end of January, and a terrible fall of snow was pelting down, and whirling through the streets and lanes; the windows were plastered with snow on the outside, snow fell in masses from the roofs. Every one seemed in a great hurry; they ran, they flew, fell into each other's arms, holding fast for a moment as long as they could stand safely. Coaches and horses looked as if they had been frosted with sugar. The footmen stood with their backs against the carriages, so as to turn theiRead the story →

On judgment day

On 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. With a stern but heavenly look, the Angel of Death stood at his bedside. The hour has come; you shall follow me! said DeatRead the story →

There is no doubt about it

There is no doubt about it

That was a terrible affair! said a hen, and in a quarter of the town, too, where it had not taken place. That was a terrible affair in a hen-roost. I cannot sleep alone to-night. It is a good thing that many of us sit on the roost together. And then she told a story that made the feathers on the other hens bristle up, and the cock's comb fall. There was no doubt about it. But we will begin at the beginning, and that is to be found in a hen-roost in another part of the town. The sun was setting,Read the story →

A cheerful temper

A 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. And pray what was his profession and his standing in respectable society? Well, perhaps, if in the beginning of a book these were written and printed, many, when they read it, would lay the book down and say, It seems tRead the story →

Heartache

Heartache

The story we have for you here is really divided into two parts. The first part could be omitted, but it gives us some preliminary information which is useful. We were staying at a manor house in the country, and it happened that the owner was absent for a day or so. Meanwhile a lady with a pug dog arrived from the next town; come, she explained, to dispose of the shares in her tannery. She had her certificates with her, and we advised her to seal them in an envelope and to write on it the addreRead the story →

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The most beautiful stories of AndersenThe best fairy tales →

CinderellaA fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm →

The wolf and the foxA fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm →

The golden birdA fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm →