It
was already lighted up when she arrived, but not as it usually was with
wax candles, but with a dim light. It was also crowded already with
people, and all the seats were filled; and when the old woman got to
her usual place it also was not empty, but the whole bench was entirely
full. And when she looked at the people, they were none other than her
dead relations who were sitting there in their old-fashioned garments,
but with pale faces. They neither spoke nor sang; but a soft humming
and whispering was heard all over the church. Then an aunt of hers
stood up, stepped forward, and said to the poor old woman, “Look there
beside the altar, and thou wilt see thy sons.” The old woman looked
there, and saw her two children, one hanging on the gallows, the other
bound to the wheel. Then said the aunt, “Behold, so would it have been
with them if they had lived, and if the good God had not taken them to
himself when they were innocent children.” The old woman went trembling
home, and on her knees thanked God for having dealt with her more
kindly than she had been able to understand, and on the third day she
lay down and died. Legend 9 The Heavenly Wedding

A poor peasant-boy one day heard the priest say in church that
whosoever desired to enter into the kingdom of heaven must always go
straight onward. So he set out, and walked continually straight onwards
over hill and valley without ever turning aside. At length his way led
him into a great town, and into the midst of a church, where just at
that time God’s service was being performed. Now when he beheld all the
magnificence of this, he thought he had reached heaven, sat down, and
rejoiced with his whole heart. When the service was over, and the clerk
bade him go out, he replied, “No, I will not go out again, I am glad to
be in heaven at last.” So the clerk went to the priest, and told him
that there was a child in the church who would not go out again,
because he believed he was in heaven. The priest said, “If he believes
that, we will leave him inside.” So he went to him, and asked if he had
any inclination to work. “Yes,” the little fellow replied, “I am
accustomed to work, but I will not go out of heaven again.” So he
stayed in the church, and when he saw how the people came and knelt and
prayed to Our Lady with the blessed child Jesus which was carved in
wood, he thought “that is the good God,” and said, “Dear God, how thin
you are! The people must certainly let you starve; but every day I will
give you half my dinner.” From this time forth, he every day took half
his dinner to the image, and the image began to enjoy the food. When a
few weeks had gone by, people remarked that the image was growing
larger and stout and strong, and wondered much. The priest also could
not understand it, but stayed in the church, and followed the little
boy about, and then he saw how he shared his food with the Virgin Mary,
and how she accepted it. After some time the boy became ill, and for eight days could not leave
his bed; but as soon as he could get up again, the first thing he did
was to take his food to Our Lady. The priest followed him, and heard
him say, “Dear God, do not take it amiss that I have not brought you
anything for such a long time, for I have been ill and could not get
up.” Then the image answered him and said, “I have seen thy good-will,
and that is enough for me. Next Sunday thou shalt go with me to the
wedding.” The boy rejoiced at this, and repeated it to the priest, who
begged him to go and ask the image if he, too, might be permitted to
go. “No,” answered the image, “thou alone.” The priest wished to
prepare him first, and give him the holy communion and the child was
willing, and next Sunday, when the host came to him, he fell down and
died, and was at the eternal wedding. Legend 10 The Hazel-Branch

One afternoon the Christ-child had laid himself in his cradle-bed and
had fallen asleep. Then his mother came to him, looked at him full of
gladness, and said, “Hast thou laid thyself down to sleep, my child? Sleep sweetly, and in the meantime I will go into the wood, and fetch
thee a handful of strawberries, for I know that thou wilt be pleased
with them when thou awakest.” In the wood outside, she found a spot
with the most beautiful strawberries; but as she was stooping down to
gather one, an adder sprang up out of the grass. She was alarmed, left
the strawberries where they were, and hastened away. The adder darted
after her; but Our Lady, as you can readily understand, knew what it
was best to do. She hid herself behind a hazel-bush, and stood there
until the adder had crept away again. Then she gathered the
strawberries, and as she set out on her way home she said, “As the
hazel-bush has been my protection this time, it shall in future protect
others also.” Therefore, from the most remote times, a green
hazel-branch has been the safest protection against adders, snakes, and
everything else which creeps on the earth. *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOUSEHOLD TALES BY BROTHERS GRIMM ***


    

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