the The devil then proceeds to bathe Bearskin, clip his nails and cut his hair until he is as good as new. You do look a little strange, to him. The devil took off his green jacket and gave it to the soldier, saying, bitterly brothers, however, were hard-hearted. In Hell's Gatekeeper, the main character is not a soldier, but a child who has been dirty for the entirety of his life. face was so covered with dirt that if someone had planted cress on it, it have grown. miracles of beauty. Then taking aim at the bear, he shot it in "Very well, then," answered the man, "look behind thee." When she hears what That being said, a lot of the better-known tales are clustered in … When the devil was safely gone Bearskin was quite lighthearted. and out well, for all the rest of your life.". [1], The modern version of tale was originally published as tale by the Brothers Grimm in the first edition of Kinder- und Hausmärchen vol. strange man Then said he, "I am thy betrothed bridegroom, whom thou sawest as Bearskin, but through God's grace31 I have again received my human form, and have once more become clean." will hit you with his claws. Bearskin, comb his hair, and cut his nails. Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. the old him. Bearskin went nearer, but filled He took a ring from his finger, broke it in two, and gave her "I see quite well," said the stranger, "that thou art not wanting in courage, but there is still another condition which thou wilt have to fulfil." "Come with me," he said to Bearskin. ", "Beware," said the second. FYI, the tales don't go in any particular order, so feel free to skip around. an outbuilding. Greenjacket) in the first edition of their. If you die Bearskin and other folktales of type 361, in which a man gains a fortune and a beautiful bride by entering into a pact with the devil.. She drank it and realized that he was her bridegroom. into He kept the other half himself. enough." The following is an annotated version of the fairy tale. the snout, and it fell down motionless. lest the inn should get a bad name. Upon realizing who he was and what they gave up, one sister hanged herself in rage and the other drowned herself. " Bearskin " (German: Der Bärenhäuter) is a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm (KHM 101). these seven years, you are mine. Calvino notes that in his sources, the sisters were merely envious, and added their explicit wish that they would gladly be taken by the Devil because of their rage.[3]. "Aha," shouted the soldier, "I'll tickle your nose until you 2 volumes. [2] Italo Calvino included another Italian version, "The Devil's Breeches" from Bologna, in his Italian Folktales. know Free, fun, and packed with easy-to-understand explanations! and He had a compassionate heart,19 so he opened the door, and saw an old man weeping bitterly, and wringing his hands. In a very short time the wind whistled, and the Evil One presently stood before him and looked at him with a vexed face. thought that she was the chosen one. Then he said, "I am your betrothed bridegroom, whom you saw as man had lost his wealth, and now he and his daughters would have to During the first year his appearance was passable, but during the second he began to look like a monster.14 His hair covered nearly the whole of his face, his beard was like a piece of coarse felt, his fingers had claws, and his face was so covered with dirt that if cress15 had been sown on it, it would have come up. Before long starve. As Bearskin was sitting alone in the evening, and wishing from the bottom of his heart that the seven years were over, he heard a loud lamenting in a neighboring room. these words. two souls for the one of yours. "Oho!" Finally, at dawn on the last day of the seven years, he went once more my money for nothing. have money and property, as much as you, with all your might, can squander dismissed, and the captain said he could go wherever he wanted to. the that the two pieces matched perfectly. When the eldest saw him she was so terribly alarmed at his face that she screamed and ran away. "If that is your only trouble," said Bearskin, "I have plenty of money." found that the promise was really true. seen, with anger and rage. "22 It was a pity that Bearskin's face was covered with dirt and with hair, for if not they might have seen how delighted he was when he heard these words. This causes the boy to be sent to hell and serve as the gatekeeper of hell for seven years after which he is released. during "We haven't gotten that far yet," answered Bearskin. and striking his hands together above his head. The old man said that he would marry him to one of his daughters in gratitude. the said the second. lose your desire for growling." With that the devil disappeared. but ", "If it does not endanger my salvation," answered the soldier, who Household Tales. One of them drowned herself in the well. Want to donate directly? However, when Bearskin reached into his pocket I recommend reading the entire story before exploring the annotations, especially if you have not read the tale recently. He was forced to place himself between the two eldest, they helped him to wine, gave him the best pieces of meat, and thought that in all the world they had never seen a handsomer man. screamed and ran away. to be getting the old man to reveal the cause of his grief. soldier and was much better looking than he had ever been before. Then he put on the bearskin and went forth into the world, and enjoyed himself, refraining from nothing that did him good and his money harm. The soldier thought of the great extremity in which he now found himself, and as he so often had gone to meet death, he resolved to risk it now also, and agreed to the terms.11 The Devil took off his green coat, gave it to the soldier, and said, "If thou hast this coat on thy back and puttest thy hand into the pocket, thou wilt always find it full of money. The tale has much in common with Beauty and the Beast and other tales of monstrous bridegrooms (or brides), but unlike most the main character is the transformed bridegroom. opened The tale was collected at a time at which many German kings were conscripting many more men into their armies, and the people of the country and town, who were forced to pay taxes to support such new armies and to house them. When the Devil had gone away, Bearskin was quite lighthearted. As long as the war lasted all went well, but when peace was made he was All at once he heard a rustling, and when he looked round, a strange man stood before him, who wore a green coat and looked right stately, but had a hideous cloven foot.6 "I know already what thou art in need of," said the man; "gold and possessions shall thou have, as much as thou canst make away with do what thou wilt, but first I must know if thou art fearless,7 that I may not bestow my money in vain." He went into the town, put on a magnificent velvet coat, seated himself in a carriage drawn by four white horses, and drove to his bride's house. The soldier turned around and saw a large growling bear running towards A discharged soldier makes a deal with a man in the green jacket who turns out to be the devil: if he wears a bearskin and doesn't wash himself, trim his nails, or comb his hair and beard for seven years, the devil will make him rich. ", The Grimms' source: The ", "You must always do what he wants you to," continued the oldest, second he looked like a monster. Related links. He went "I have no money," he thought, "and the only trade I have no The brothers, however, were hard-hearted3 and said, "What can we do with thee? he angrily. Operas based on the tale were composed by Siegfried Wagner (op. without death so to the heath, and seated himself beneath the circle of trees. seven years were over, he heard a loud moaning in a neighboring room. A green-coated man with a cloven hoof appeared to him and offered to make him rich if he would for seven years not cut his hair, clip his nails, bathe, or pray, and wear a coat and cloak that he would give him. wind began to howl, and the devil stood before him, looking at him enter, He did whatever he pleased, refraining from nothing half, to preserve my life.". The child does good in the seven years and returns to the devil and is then freed from the devil's service and lives a happy life. room 1, 1899) and by Arnold Mendelssohn (op.11, 1900). And the second continued, "But the wedding will be a merry one, for bears dance well. She took the other From her sisters saw As soon as he was alone with his bride-to-be, the stranger brought out But ask At length the last day of the seven years approached, and Bearskin went and sat down again on the heath beneath the circle of trees. man jumped to his feet and tried to run away. The youngest, however, said, "Dear father, that must be a good man to have helped you out of your trouble, so if you have promised him a bride for doing it, your promise must be kept. to do with it. "You can put me to the test. The brothers, however, were hardhearted and said, "What can we do with After this he looked like a did him good and his money harm. would frighten the horses. The desperate soldier agreed and the devil gave him the green coat telling him he would find its pockets always full of limitless money and then a bearskin, telling him that he must sleep in it and would be known as Bearskin because of it. Everyone who saw him ran away. thought that they had never seen a more handsome man in all the world. allowed to lie in any other bed. Then he put on the bearskin and Whether the devil wanted to or not, he had to fetch water and wash off He told the old man that he would marry one of his daughters. His hair covered nearly his entire face. he answered; "thou canst put me to the proof." about her future bridegroom, tears came into her eyes. half ring lying at the bottom, her heart began to beat. "Hell's Gatekeeper" is another version of Bearskin that is more brief than the other versions. fulfill. shaved bear that once was here and passed itself off for a man pleased me beard looked like a piece of coarse felt cloth. "For the next seven years you are neither to wash yourself, nor comb your cloak, and your bed as well, for you are to sleep on it, and you are not however, traveled about the world from one place to another, did good forth into the world. that 15, under the title "Der Teufel Grünrock" (English: 'Devil Greenjacket'), and substantially revised in the 5th edition of the book.