there was once a farmer who lived in great comfort . he had both lands and money , but , though he was so well off , one thing was wanting to complete his happiness ; he had no children . many and many a time , when he met other farmers at the nearest market town , they would teaze him , asking how it came about that he was childless . at length he grew so angry that he exclaimed : ' i must and will have a child of some sort or kind , even should it only be a hedgehog ! ' not long after this his wife gave birth to a child , but though the lower half of the little creature was a fine boy , from the waist upwards it was a hedgehog , so that when his mother first saw him she was quite frightened , and said to her husband , ' there now , you have cursed the child yourself . ' the farmer said , ' what 's the use of making a fuss ? i suppose the creature must be christened , but i do n't see how we are to ask anyone to be sponsor to him , and what are we to call him ? ' ' there is nothing we can possibly call him but jack my hedgehog , ' replied the wife . so they took him to be christened , and the parson said : ' you 'll never be able to put that child in a decent bed on account of his prickles . ' which was true , but they shook down some straw for him behind the stove , and there he lay for eight years . his father grew very tired of him and often wished him dead , but he did not die , but lay on there year after year . now one day there was a big fair at the market town to which the farmer meant to go , so he asked his wife what he should bring her from it . ' some meat and a couple of big loaves for the house , ' said she . then he asked the maid what she wanted , and she said a pair of slippers and some stockings . lastly he said , ' well , jack my hedgehog , and what shall i bring you ? ' ' daddy , ' said he , ' do bring me a bagpipe . ' when the farmer came home he gave his wife and the maid the things they had asked for , and then he went behind the stove and gave jack my hedgehog the bagpipes . 
their son was half - hedgehog .
why did the farmer and his wife christen their child ?
why did the farmer and his wife christen their child ?