WEBVTT - The Juniper Tree 0:00:08.245 --> 0:00:09.165 School of Humans. 0:00:11.445 --> 0:00:17.685 This episode discusses sensitive topics. Please listen with care. My 0:00:17.845 --> 0:00:22.085 name is Miranda Hawkins. Welcome to the Deep Dark Woods. 0:00:23.165 --> 0:00:29.685 Today's episode is at U seven twenty or the Juniper Tree. 0:00:30.085 --> 0:00:32.765 Like the Robber Bridegroom. You might not have heard this 0:00:32.885 --> 0:00:36.765 tale before. It hasn't been adapted by big names like 0:00:36.805 --> 0:00:41.005 Walt Disney, but a lot of folklorests agree it's the 0:00:41.045 --> 0:00:45.445 most gruesome brothers Grim story. We'll be telling the tale 0:00:45.525 --> 0:00:55.565 in its entirety, so sit back and enjoy. 0:00:56.965 --> 0:01:00.085 Long ago, at least two thousand years there was a 0:01:00.205 --> 0:01:03.125 rich man who had a beautiful and pious wife, and 0:01:03.165 --> 0:01:06.885 they loved each other dearly. However, they had no children, 0:01:07.005 --> 0:01:09.885 though they wished very much to have some, and the 0:01:09.925 --> 0:01:12.445 woman prayed for them day and night, but they didn't 0:01:12.485 --> 0:01:16.725 get any, and they didn't get any. In front of 0:01:16.765 --> 0:01:19.445 their house there was a courtyard where there stood a 0:01:19.565 --> 0:01:24.005 juniper tree. One day in winter, the woman was standing 0:01:24.045 --> 0:01:26.845 beneath it, peeling herself an apple. And while she was 0:01:26.885 --> 0:01:29.285 thus peeling the apple, she cut her finger and the 0:01:29.325 --> 0:01:34.365 blood fell into the snow. Oh, the woman said. She 0:01:34.605 --> 0:01:37.725 sighed heavily, looked at the blood before her, and was 0:01:37.845 --> 0:01:41.645 most unhappy, if only I had a child as red 0:01:41.645 --> 0:01:44.925 as blood and as white as snow. And as she 0:01:45.005 --> 0:01:48.845 said that, she became quite contented and felt sure that 0:01:48.885 --> 0:01:52.205 it was going to happen. Then she went into the house, 0:01:52.245 --> 0:01:54.805 and a month went by and the snow was gone. 0:01:55.245 --> 0:01:58.285 Then two months and everything was green. And three months 0:01:58.285 --> 0:02:00.765 and all the flowers came out of the earth. And 0:02:00.925 --> 0:02:03.565 four months and all the trees in the woods grew thicker, 0:02:03.925 --> 0:02:06.565 and the green branches were all in twined in one another, 0:02:06.885 --> 0:02:09.365 and the birds sang until the woods resounded, and the 0:02:09.405 --> 0:02:14.285 blossoms fell from the trees. Then the fifth month passed, 0:02:14.325 --> 0:02:17.365 and she stood beneath the juniper tree, which smelled so 0:02:17.605 --> 0:02:21.005 sweet that her heart jumped for joy. And she fell 0:02:21.045 --> 0:02:24.365 on her knees and was beside herself. And when the 0:02:24.405 --> 0:02:27.485 sixth month was over, the fruit was thick and large, 0:02:28.325 --> 0:02:32.325 and then she was quite still. And after the seventh 0:02:32.365 --> 0:02:35.285 month she picked up the juniper berries and ate them greedily. 0:02:36.605 --> 0:02:42.005 Then she grew sick and sorrowful. Then the eighth month passed, 0:02:42.005 --> 0:02:44.445 and she called her husband to her and cried and said, 0:02:45.085 --> 0:02:47.965 if I die, then bury me beneath the juniper tree. 0:02:48.405 --> 0:02:51.605 Then she was quite comforted and happy until the next 0:02:51.605 --> 0:02:54.085 month was over. And then she had a child as 0:02:54.125 --> 0:02:57.445 white as snow and as red as blood. And when 0:02:57.485 --> 0:03:00.245 she saw it, she was so happy that she died. 0:03:01.525 --> 0:03:04.445 Her husband buried her beneath the juniper tree and began 0:03:04.485 --> 0:03:08.445 to cry bitterly. After some time he was at more ease, 0:03:08.885 --> 0:03:12.285 and although he still cried, he could bear it. And 0:03:12.405 --> 0:03:15.925 some time later he took another wife. He had a 0:03:16.005 --> 0:03:18.805 daughter by the second wife, but the first wife's child 0:03:18.845 --> 0:03:21.245 was a little son, and he was as red as 0:03:21.285 --> 0:03:24.605 blood and as white as snow. When the woman looked 0:03:24.605 --> 0:03:28.085 at her daughter, she loved her very much. But then 0:03:28.205 --> 0:03:30.605 she looked at the little boy, and it pierced her heart, 0:03:31.365 --> 0:03:33.525 for she thought that he would always stand in her way. 0:03:34.045 --> 0:03:36.485 That she was always thinking of how she could get 0:03:36.485 --> 0:03:40.285 the entire inheritance for her daughter, and the evil one 0:03:40.405 --> 0:03:43.285 filled her mind with this, until she grew very angry 0:03:43.325 --> 0:03:46.245 with the little boy, and she pushed him from one 0:03:46.325 --> 0:03:48.645 corner to the other, and slapped him here and cuffed 0:03:48.685 --> 0:03:52.725 him there, until the poor child was always afraid, for 0:03:52.805 --> 0:03:54.885 when he came home from school there was nowhere he 0:03:54.885 --> 0:03:58.685 could find any peace. One day, the woman had gone 0:03:58.725 --> 0:04:01.405 upstairs to her room when her little daughter came up 0:04:01.445 --> 0:04:06.125 too and said, Mother, give me an apple. Yes, my child, 0:04:06.165 --> 0:04:08.885 said the woman, and gave her a beautiful apple out 0:04:08.885 --> 0:04:12.605 of the chest. The chest had a large, heavy lid 0:04:12.605 --> 0:04:16.365 with a sharp iron lock. Mother said, the little daughter 0:04:17.285 --> 0:04:20.565 is brother not to have one too. This made the 0:04:20.565 --> 0:04:23.965 woman angry, but she said, yes, when he comes home 0:04:24.005 --> 0:04:27.725 from school. When from the window she saw him coming, 0:04:27.965 --> 0:04:30.205 it was as though the evil one came over her, 0:04:30.405 --> 0:04:32.725 and she grabbed the apple and took it away from 0:04:32.765 --> 0:04:35.885 her daughter, saying, you shall not have one before your brother. 0:04:36.565 --> 0:04:38.565 She threw the apple into the chest and shut it. 0:04:39.365 --> 0:04:41.605 Then the little boy came in the door, and the 0:04:41.645 --> 0:04:44.645 evil one made her say to him kindly, my son, 0:04:44.765 --> 0:04:48.045 do you want an apple? And she looked at him fiercely. 0:04:48.805 --> 0:04:52.765 Mother said the little boy, how angry you look. Yes, 0:04:53.085 --> 0:04:56.525 give me an apple. Then it seemed to her as 0:04:56.525 --> 0:05:00.005 if she had to persuade him. Come with me, she said, 0:05:00.045 --> 0:05:03.245 opening the lid of the chest, take out an apple 0:05:03.285 --> 0:05:06.845 for yourself. And while the little boy was leaning over, 0:05:06.925 --> 0:05:10.445 the evil One prompted her and crash. She slammed down 0:05:10.485 --> 0:05:14.125 the lid and his head flew off, falling among the 0:05:14.165 --> 0:05:19.965 red apples. Then fear overcame her, and she thought, maybe 0:05:19.965 --> 0:05:22.685 I can get out of this. So she went upstairs 0:05:22.765 --> 0:05:24.845 to her room to her chest of drawers and took 0:05:24.885 --> 0:05:27.725 a white scarf out of the top drawer and set 0:05:27.765 --> 0:05:30.525 the head on the neck, again, tying the scarf around 0:05:30.525 --> 0:05:34.085 it so that nothing could be seen. Then she set 0:05:34.165 --> 0:05:35.805 him on a chair in front of the door and 0:05:35.845 --> 0:05:39.685 put the apple in his hand. After this, Marlene came 0:05:39.685 --> 0:05:41.725 into the kitchen to her mother, who was standing by 0:05:41.765 --> 0:05:43.885 the fire with a pot of hot water before her, 0:05:44.085 --> 0:05:48.645 which she was stirring around and around. Mother said, Marlene, 0:05:49.085 --> 0:05:51.445 brother is sitting at the door, and he looks totally 0:05:51.525 --> 0:05:53.845 white and has an apple in his hand. I asked 0:05:53.885 --> 0:05:55.285 him to give me the apple, but he did not 0:05:55.405 --> 0:05:59.005 answer me, and I was very frightened. Go back to him, 0:05:59.085 --> 0:06:01.685 said the mother. And if you will not answer, you 0:06:01.925 --> 0:06:07.845 then box his ears. So Arlene went to him and said, brother, 0:06:08.205 --> 0:06:11.565 give me the apple, but he was silent, so she 0:06:11.645 --> 0:06:13.765 gave him one on the ear and his head fell off. 0:06:14.765 --> 0:06:18.005 Marlene was terrified and began crying and screaming and ran 0:06:18.045 --> 0:06:20.445 to her mother and said, oh, mother, I have knocked 0:06:20.445 --> 0:06:23.765 my brother's head off. And she cried and cried and 0:06:23.885 --> 0:06:27.565 could not be comforted. Marlene said the mother, what have 0:06:27.645 --> 0:06:31.605 you done? Be quiet and don't let anyone know about it. 0:06:31.605 --> 0:06:34.285 It cannot be helped. Now we will cook him into 0:06:34.285 --> 0:06:39.045 the stew. Then the mother took the little boy and 0:06:39.125 --> 0:06:42.405 shopped him in pieces, put him into the pot, and 0:06:42.525 --> 0:06:48.045 cooked him into stew. But Marlene stood by crying and crying, 0:06:48.085 --> 0:06:50.765 and all her tears fell into the pot, and they 0:06:50.805 --> 0:06:54.605 did not need any salt. Then the father came home 0:06:54.645 --> 0:06:57.405 and sat down at the table and said where is 0:06:57.445 --> 0:07:01.965 my son? And the mother served up a large large 0:07:02.085 --> 0:07:06.805 dish of stew, and Marlene cried and could not stop. 0:07:08.325 --> 0:07:12.405 Then the father said again, where is my son? Oh, 0:07:12.445 --> 0:07:14.805 said the mother. He has gone across the country to 0:07:14.845 --> 0:07:17.485 his mother's great uncle. He will stay there for a while. 0:07:18.765 --> 0:07:20.885 What is he doing there? He did not even say 0:07:20.885 --> 0:07:24.565 good bye to me. Oh, he wanted to go, and 0:07:24.645 --> 0:07:26.685 he asked me if he could stay six weeks. He 0:07:26.725 --> 0:07:30.605 will be well taken care of there. Oh, said the man. 0:07:31.285 --> 0:07:32.165 I am unhappy. 0:07:32.365 --> 0:07:33.085 This isn't right. 0:07:33.525 --> 0:07:36.405 He should have said good bye to me. With that, 0:07:36.525 --> 0:07:40.125 he began to eat, saying Marlen, why are you crying? 0:07:40.685 --> 0:07:45.525 Your brother will certainly come back then, he said, wife, 0:07:46.005 --> 0:07:49.405 this food is delicious. Give me some more. And the 0:07:49.405 --> 0:07:51.725 more he ate, the more he wanted. And he said, 0:07:52.325 --> 0:07:54.605 give me some more. You two shall have none of 0:07:54.645 --> 0:07:57.645 it seems to me as if it were all mine. 0:07:58.765 --> 0:08:01.485 And he ate and ate, throwing all the bones under 0:08:01.485 --> 0:08:04.885 the table until he had finished it all. Marlen went 0:08:04.925 --> 0:08:08.205 to her chest drawers, took her best silk scarf from 0:08:08.205 --> 0:08:10.685 the bottom drawer, and carried all the bones from beneath 0:08:10.725 --> 0:08:13.405 the table and tied them up in her silk scarf, 0:08:14.165 --> 0:08:17.645 then carried them outside the door. Crying tears of blood. 0:08:18.685 --> 0:08:20.925 She laid them down beneath the juniper tree on the 0:08:20.925 --> 0:08:23.525 green grass, and after she had put them there, she 0:08:23.605 --> 0:08:27.805 suddenly felt better and did not cry anymore. The juniper 0:08:27.845 --> 0:08:31.805 tree began to move. The branches moved apart, then moved 0:08:31.845 --> 0:08:34.565 together again, just as if someone were rejoicing and clapping 0:08:34.605 --> 0:08:38.525 his hands. At the same time. A mist seemed to 0:08:38.605 --> 0:08:40.925 rise from the tree. And in the center of this 0:08:41.125 --> 0:08:44.765 mist it burned like a fire, and a beautiful bird 0:08:45.165 --> 0:08:50.205 flew out of the fire, singing magnificently, and it flew 0:08:50.365 --> 0:08:54.005 high into the air, and then it was gone. The 0:08:54.085 --> 0:08:56.925 juniper tree was just as it had been before, and 0:08:57.005 --> 0:09:01.125 the cloth with the bones was no longer there. Marlene, however, 0:09:01.285 --> 0:09:03.805 was as happy and contented as if her brother was 0:09:03.845 --> 0:09:07.085 still alive. And she he went merrily into the house, 0:09:07.205 --> 0:09:11.245 sat down at the table, and ate. The bird flew 0:09:11.285 --> 0:09:14.725 away and lit on a goldsmith's house and began to sing, 0:09:15.485 --> 0:09:18.685 My mother she killed me, My father, he ate me. 0:09:19.605 --> 0:09:22.965 My sister. Marlene gathered all my bones, tied them in 0:09:23.005 --> 0:09:28.045 a silken scarf, laid them beneath the juniper tree. Tweet, tweet, 0:09:28.085 --> 0:09:31.725 What a beautiful bird am I? The goldsmith was sitting 0:09:31.725 --> 0:09:34.365 in his workshop making a golden chain when he heard 0:09:34.365 --> 0:09:37.725 the bird sitting on his roof and singing. The song 0:09:37.845 --> 0:09:42.005 seemed very beautiful to him. He stood up, but as 0:09:42.005 --> 0:09:44.245 he crossed the threshold he lost one. 0:09:44.085 --> 0:09:45.365 Of his slippers. 0:09:45.685 --> 0:09:47.685 However, he went right up the middle of the street 0:09:47.765 --> 0:09:50.885 with only one slipper and one sock on. He had 0:09:50.925 --> 0:09:53.245 his leather apron on, and in one hand he had 0:09:53.245 --> 0:09:56.885 a golden chain and in the other his tongs. The 0:09:56.965 --> 0:10:00.765 sun was shining brightly on the street. He walked onward, 0:10:00.885 --> 0:10:05.245 then stood still and said to the bird, bird, he said, 0:10:06.045 --> 0:10:07.485 how beautifully you can sing? 0:10:08.205 --> 0:10:09.245 Sing that piece again? 0:10:09.285 --> 0:10:12.485 For me, No, said the bird. I do not sing 0:10:12.565 --> 0:10:15.845 twice for nothing. Give me the golden chain, and then 0:10:15.885 --> 0:10:18.405 I will sing it again for you. Here is the 0:10:18.405 --> 0:10:21.045 golden chain for you. Now sing that song again for me. 0:10:22.205 --> 0:10:24.485 Then the bird came and took the golden chain in 0:10:24.525 --> 0:10:27.005 his right claw, and went and sat in front of 0:10:27.045 --> 0:10:30.365 the goldsmith and sang, my mother she killed me. My 0:10:30.525 --> 0:10:34.725 father he ate me. My sister Marlene gathered all my bones, 0:10:35.045 --> 0:10:38.165 tied them in a silken scarf, laid them beneath the 0:10:38.285 --> 0:10:39.205 juniper tree. 0:10:39.845 --> 0:10:42.045 Tweet tweaked, What a beautiful bird am I? 0:10:44.525 --> 0:10:47.565 Then the bird flew away to a shoemaker and lit 0:10:47.645 --> 0:10:50.765 on his roof and sang, my mother, she killed me, 0:10:50.885 --> 0:10:53.765 My father he ate me. My sister Marlen gathered all 0:10:53.765 --> 0:10:56.165 my bones, tied them in a silken scarf, laid them 0:10:56.165 --> 0:11:00.125 beneath the juniper tree. Tweet tweet, What a beautiful bird 0:11:00.165 --> 0:11:04.085 am I? Hearing this, the shoemaker ran out of doors 0:11:04.085 --> 0:11:05.845 in his shirt sleeves and looked at up at his 0:11:05.965 --> 0:11:07.965 roof and had to hold his hand in front of 0:11:07.965 --> 0:11:11.205 his eyes to keep the sun from blinding him. Bird, 0:11:11.285 --> 0:11:15.205 He said, how beautifully you can sing? Then he called 0:11:15.205 --> 0:11:19.005 in at his door wife, come outside, there's a bird here. 0:11:19.725 --> 0:11:20.805 Look at this bird. 0:11:21.125 --> 0:11:24.525 You certainly can sing. Then he called his daughter and 0:11:24.565 --> 0:11:27.165 her children, and the journeymen, and the apprentice and the maid, 0:11:27.445 --> 0:11:29.405 and they all came out into the street and looked 0:11:29.405 --> 0:11:31.925 at the bird and saw how beautiful he was, and 0:11:32.005 --> 0:11:35.205 what fine red and green feathers he had, and how 0:11:35.245 --> 0:11:38.205 his neck was like pure gold, and how his eyes 0:11:38.325 --> 0:11:43.125 shone like stars in his head. Bird said the shoemaker, 0:11:43.325 --> 0:11:46.925 Now sing that song again for me. No, said the bird. 0:11:47.165 --> 0:11:49.805 I do not sing twice for nothing. You must give 0:11:49.845 --> 0:11:53.445 me something. Wife said the man. Go into the shop. 0:11:53.485 --> 0:11:55.485 There's a pair of red shoes on the top shelf. 0:11:55.805 --> 0:11:56.525 Bring them down. 0:11:57.405 --> 0:11:58.885 Then the wife went and. 0:11:58.765 --> 0:12:00.765 Brought the shoes there. 0:12:00.845 --> 0:12:03.965 Birds, said the man, Now sing that piece again for me. 0:12:05.205 --> 0:12:07.845 Then the bird came and took the shoe in his 0:12:07.965 --> 0:12:10.845 left claw, and flew back to the roof and sang, 0:12:11.565 --> 0:12:14.125 my mother she killed me, My father he ate me, 0:12:14.165 --> 0:12:17.605 and my sister Marlene. Gathered on my bones, tied them 0:12:17.605 --> 0:12:20.565 in a silken scarf, laid them beneath the juniper tree. 0:12:20.965 --> 0:12:25.325 Twee tweet, What a beautiful bird ever I. When he 0:12:25.365 --> 0:12:28.565 had finished his song, he flew away in his right claw, 0:12:28.645 --> 0:12:31.405 he had the chain, and in his left warm the shoes. 0:12:32.405 --> 0:12:33.245 He flew far. 0:12:33.085 --> 0:12:36.685 Away to a mill, and the mill went crickety clack, 0:12:36.765 --> 0:12:41.485 crickety clack, crickety clack. In the mill sat twenty millers 0:12:41.525 --> 0:12:47.205 apprentices cutting a stone and chiseling chip toop, chiptop, chip top, 0:12:48.085 --> 0:12:51.205 and the mill went clickety clack, clickty clack, crickety clap. 0:12:51.925 --> 0:12:54.245 Then the bird went and sat on a linden tree 0:12:54.325 --> 0:12:57.605 which stood in front of the mill, and sang, my mother, 0:12:57.765 --> 0:13:01.485 she killed me. Then one of them stopped working. My 0:13:01.685 --> 0:13:05.165 father he ate me. Then two more stopped working, and 0:13:05.245 --> 0:13:10.765 less and my sister Marlene. Then four more stopped, gathered 0:13:10.805 --> 0:13:13.965 all my bones, tied them in a silken scarf. Now 0:13:14.085 --> 0:13:18.485 only eight were chiseling, laid them beneath, now only five 0:13:18.885 --> 0:13:22.725 the juniper tree. Now only one tweet tweet, What a 0:13:22.725 --> 0:13:26.445 beautiful bird am I? Then the last one stopped also 0:13:26.885 --> 0:13:31.165 and heard the last words bird, He said, how beautiful 0:13:31.205 --> 0:13:34.605 you sing? Let me hear that too. Sing it once 0:13:34.605 --> 0:13:37.965 more for me, No, said the bird. I do not 0:13:38.085 --> 0:13:41.405 sing twice for nothing. Give me the millstone and then 0:13:41.445 --> 0:13:45.405 I will sing it again. Yes, he said, if it 0:13:45.485 --> 0:13:49.165 belonged only to me. You should have it, yes, said 0:13:49.165 --> 0:13:51.765 the other. If he sings again, he can have it. 0:13:53.005 --> 0:13:55.765 Then the bird came down, and the twenty millers took 0:13:55.845 --> 0:13:57.965 a beam and lifted the stone up. 0:13:58.805 --> 0:14:02.165 Yo. Heave ho yo, heave ho yo, heave holl. 0:14:03.205 --> 0:14:05.485 The bird stuck his neck through the hole and put 0:14:05.685 --> 0:14:08.965 stone on as if it were a collar. Then flew 0:14:09.005 --> 0:14:12.405 to the tree again and sang, my mother she killed me, 0:14:12.525 --> 0:14:15.885 My father he ate me. My sister Marlene gathered all 0:14:15.885 --> 0:14:18.885 my bones, tied them in a silken scarf, laid them 0:14:18.925 --> 0:14:20.405 beneath the juniper tree. 0:14:21.045 --> 0:14:23.085 Tweet tweet, What a beautiful. 0:14:22.605 --> 0:14:26.405 Bird am I. When he was finished singing, he spread 0:14:26.445 --> 0:14:29.365 his wings, and in his right claw he had the chain, 0:14:29.525 --> 0:14:32.725 and in his left one the shoes, and around his 0:14:32.845 --> 0:14:37.125 neck the millstone. He flew far away to his father's house. 0:14:39.205 --> 0:14:41.645 In the room, the father, the mother, and Marlene were 0:14:41.685 --> 0:14:46.165 sitting at the table. The father said, I feel so contented. 0:14:46.205 --> 0:14:50.125 I am so happy. Not, I said the mother. I 0:14:50.245 --> 0:14:52.965 feel uneasy, just as if a bad storm were coming. 0:14:53.685 --> 0:14:57.925 But Marlene just sat and cried and cried. Then the 0:14:57.925 --> 0:15:01.245 bird flew up, and as it seated itself on the roof, 0:15:01.285 --> 0:15:05.285 the father said Oh, I feel so truly happy, and 0:15:05.485 --> 0:15:09.325 the sun is shining so beautifully outside. I feel as 0:15:09.325 --> 0:15:14.165 if I were about to see some old acquaintance again. Not, 0:15:14.325 --> 0:15:16.645 I said the woman. I am so afraid that my 0:15:16.725 --> 0:15:18.845 teeth are chattering, and I feel like I have fire 0:15:18.925 --> 0:15:22.605 in my veins. And she tore open her bodice even more. 0:15:23.645 --> 0:15:27.445 Marlene sat in a corner crying. She held a handkerchief 0:15:27.485 --> 0:15:30.245 before her eyes and cried until it was wet clear through. 0:15:31.485 --> 0:15:34.605 Then the bird seated itself on the juniper tree and sang, 0:15:35.005 --> 0:15:38.125 my mother, she killed me. The mother stopped her ears 0:15:38.125 --> 0:15:40.365 and shut her eyes, not wanting to see or hear. 0:15:40.405 --> 0:15:42.325 But there was a roaring in her ears like the 0:15:42.445 --> 0:15:46.445 fiercest storm, and her eyes burned and flashed like lightning. 0:15:48.045 --> 0:15:51.925 My father he ate me, Oh, mother, said the man. 0:15:52.205 --> 0:15:55.605 That is a beautiful bird. He's singing so splendidly, and 0:15:55.645 --> 0:15:58.125 the sun is shining so warmly, and it smells like 0:15:58.205 --> 0:16:05.045 pure cinnamon, my sister Marlene. Then Marlene laid her head 0:16:05.045 --> 0:16:07.325 on her knee and cried and cried. But the man said, 0:16:07.565 --> 0:16:10.365 I'm going out. I must see the bird up close. 0:16:11.245 --> 0:16:14.285 Oh don't go, said the woman. I feel as if 0:16:14.325 --> 0:16:17.725 the whole house were shaking and on fire. But the 0:16:17.765 --> 0:16:21.245 man went out and looked at the bird, gathered all 0:16:21.245 --> 0:16:24.205 my bones, tied them in a silken scarf, laid them 0:16:24.205 --> 0:16:25.645 beneath the juniper tree. 0:16:26.125 --> 0:16:28.125 Tweet tweaked, what a beautiful bird am I? 0:16:29.285 --> 0:16:31.805 With this? The bird dropped the golden chain, and it 0:16:31.925 --> 0:16:35.645 fell right around the man's neck, so exactly around it 0:16:35.685 --> 0:16:39.565 that it fit beautifully. Then the man went in and said, 0:16:40.205 --> 0:16:42.765 just look what a beautiful bird that is, and what 0:16:42.805 --> 0:16:45.725 a beautiful golden chain he has given me, and how 0:16:45.845 --> 0:16:50.485 nice it looks. But the woman was terrified. She fell 0:16:50.525 --> 0:16:52.365 down on the floor in the room, and her cap 0:16:52.445 --> 0:16:56.165 fell off her head. Then the bird sang once more, 0:16:57.285 --> 0:17:00.285 my mother, she killed me. I wish I were a 0:17:00.365 --> 0:17:03.005 thousand fathoms beneath the earth so I would not have 0:17:03.125 --> 0:17:03.685 to hear that. 0:17:04.805 --> 0:17:06.045 My father ate me. 0:17:06.925 --> 0:17:09.685 The woman fell down as if she were dead. My 0:17:09.845 --> 0:17:14.205 sister Marlin, Oh, said Marlene, I too will go out 0:17:14.205 --> 0:17:17.245 and see if the bird will give me something. Then 0:17:17.485 --> 0:17:21.085 she went out, gathered all my bones, tied them in 0:17:21.125 --> 0:17:24.605 a silken scarf. He threw the shoes down to her, 0:17:25.485 --> 0:17:29.005 laid them beneath the juniper tree. Tweet tweet, what a 0:17:29.005 --> 0:17:33.205 beautiful bird. And I then she was so contented and happy. 0:17:33.485 --> 0:17:35.245 She put on the new red shoes. 0:17:34.965 --> 0:17:37.725 And danced and leaped into the house. Oh, she said, 0:17:38.005 --> 0:17:39.765 I was so sad when I went out, and now 0:17:39.805 --> 0:17:43.365 I am so contented. That is a splendid bird. He 0:17:43.405 --> 0:17:46.565 has given me a pair of red shoes. No, said 0:17:46.605 --> 0:17:49.205 the woman, jumping to her feet, and with her hair 0:17:49.325 --> 0:17:52.645 standing up like flames of a fire. I feel as 0:17:52.645 --> 0:17:54.885 if the world were coming to an end. I too, 0:17:54.925 --> 0:17:56.805 will go out and see if it makes me feel better. 0:17:57.485 --> 0:18:00.845 And as she went out the door crash. The bird 0:18:00.925 --> 0:18:03.765 threw the millstone on her head, and it crushed her 0:18:03.805 --> 0:18:09.205 to death. The father and Marlene heard it and went out. Smoke, 0:18:09.445 --> 0:18:12.445 flames and fire were rising from the place. And when 0:18:12.445 --> 0:18:15.965 that was over, the little brother was standing there, and 0:18:16.005 --> 0:18:18.805 he took his father and Marlene by the hand, and 0:18:18.965 --> 0:18:22.765 all three were very happy, and they went into the house, 0:18:23.045 --> 0:18:24.885 sat down at the table, and. 0:18:24.965 --> 0:18:29.685 Ate more on the juniper tree. After the break the 0:18:29.765 --> 0:18:32.885 Juniper Tree is considered the darkest collected tale by the 0:18:32.925 --> 0:18:36.965 Grim Brothers. In fact, the stories listed under at U 0:18:37.205 --> 0:18:41.125 seven twenty are also titled My Mother slew Me, My 0:18:41.285 --> 0:18:46.445 Father ate to me. Folklorist Maria Tatar, who's written extensively 0:18:46.565 --> 0:18:50.485 about the Grim Tales, said that it is probably the 0:18:50.525 --> 0:18:54.605 most shocking of all fairy tales, and not just of 0:18:54.645 --> 0:18:59.365 Grim but of all tales. So what makes it so dark? 0:19:00.605 --> 0:19:03.245 We know in other fairy tales the stepmother is a 0:19:03.245 --> 0:19:07.525 bad guy, but there's usually a reason for it. Stepmothers 0:19:07.565 --> 0:19:10.045 are looking out for themselves so they don't starve to 0:19:10.085 --> 0:19:13.805 death like a handle and Gretel, or they're looking out 0:19:13.845 --> 0:19:18.445 for their own biological children to secure an inheritance. However, 0:19:18.765 --> 0:19:22.885 folkloreist doctor Lynn McNeil says the stepmother's actions and the 0:19:22.965 --> 0:19:25.005 juniper tree are beyond redemption. 0:19:26.285 --> 0:19:29.565 We could say, man, she's looking out for herself and 0:19:29.605 --> 0:19:33.445 her daughter. That makes sense, But the way to make 0:19:33.565 --> 0:19:36.885 us not think that at all is to have her 0:19:37.085 --> 0:19:39.885 set the body up, put the head back on the shoulders, 0:19:39.925 --> 0:19:42.725 and ask the other child to slap them across the face. 0:19:43.165 --> 0:19:47.205 That suddenly it's like, nope, no more, no, we cannot 0:19:47.245 --> 0:19:51.885 make any excuses for her. She is just evil because 0:19:51.925 --> 0:19:57.845 there's a there's almost a level of unsettling enjoyment in that, 0:19:58.205 --> 0:20:02.565 you know, there's almost a she's we get no description 0:20:02.725 --> 0:20:06.885 that she finds her work distasteful. She sets this child's 0:20:06.885 --> 0:20:09.525 body up in a chair, right, she is like, all right, 0:20:09.685 --> 0:20:11.285 I know what to do, and then she cooks and 0:20:11.325 --> 0:20:13.445 eats him and makes someone else think that they're. 0:20:13.285 --> 0:20:17.205 To be Doctor McNeil says, the stepmother takes her evilness 0:20:17.285 --> 0:20:21.765 a step further by involving her own daughter. She's not 0:20:22.045 --> 0:20:25.525 only messing with her step son, but also her own 0:20:25.645 --> 0:20:26.485 flesh and blood. 0:20:27.125 --> 0:20:30.125 She sits his body on a chair, puts his head 0:20:30.125 --> 0:20:32.845 back on his neck, ties the scarf around it so 0:20:32.925 --> 0:20:38.485 you can't see what's happened, and then asks his sister 0:20:39.445 --> 0:20:42.725 to come in and interact with him, and makes her 0:20:42.885 --> 0:20:46.325 think that she knocked his head off when she slaps 0:20:46.365 --> 0:20:49.445 him on the cheek. I mean, this is like the 0:20:49.485 --> 0:20:53.325 worst kind of horrific gaslighting ever. Like this young girl 0:20:53.405 --> 0:20:55.965 is being made to believe she murdered her brother so 0:20:56.125 --> 0:20:59.725 that she will be complicit in hiding the crime from 0:20:59.725 --> 0:21:04.005 her father. It is so horrifying. The whole thing, just 0:21:04.405 --> 0:21:07.765 the deviousness, the complexity of it. The whole thing is 0:21:08.285 --> 0:21:09.485 absolutely horrible. 0:21:10.685 --> 0:21:14.325 I've had visceral reactions to the cannibalism and some of 0:21:14.365 --> 0:21:17.925 these stories, but in the Juniper Tree. There was a 0:21:18.005 --> 0:21:21.285 different element that I couldn't quite put my finger on. 0:21:22.125 --> 0:21:25.565 Doctor McNeil helped me understand what that element is. 0:21:26.325 --> 0:21:29.645 We see a lot of monsters eating people in fairy tales, 0:21:29.685 --> 0:21:32.085 the wolf swallowing, Little Red riding Hood and Grandma Hole, 0:21:32.845 --> 0:21:36.285 the giant in Jack and the beanstalk. Who's gonna eat Jack? 0:21:36.605 --> 0:21:39.685 Somehow wolves and giants sort of get a pass. We 0:21:39.885 --> 0:21:43.805 understand that they eat people because they're monsters, right. Giants, wolves, 0:21:44.005 --> 0:21:47.485 they are predators, They are you know, supernatural evil things 0:21:47.485 --> 0:21:52.045 that eat people. This is someone's dad eating them. So 0:21:52.165 --> 0:21:55.085 we are on a whole different level of cannibalism that 0:21:55.165 --> 0:21:58.845 really leans into the taboo nature of it. And so 0:21:58.965 --> 0:22:03.525 the cannibalism becomes insidious on this level that I think 0:22:03.645 --> 0:22:07.445 is really unsettling in a way that it's not when 0:22:07.485 --> 0:22:10.965 a monster's doing it. And I think that's what I think, 0:22:10.965 --> 0:22:14.205 that's what gives this tale its staying power, but it's 0:22:14.245 --> 0:22:17.445 also what has led it to be lesser known. 0:22:18.845 --> 0:22:22.645 Even though it's, as doctor McNeil says, lesser known. There 0:22:22.685 --> 0:22:26.645 are several hundred versions of the Juniper Tree, and most 0:22:26.685 --> 0:22:29.725 of the other versions were recorded and published with any 0:22:29.725 --> 0:22:34.525 century of the Grims. The first recorded version was titled 0:22:34.605 --> 0:22:38.685 The Almond Tree. It was collected by Philip Otto Runge 0:22:38.965 --> 0:22:41.885 and was published in a journal in eighteen oh eight. 0:22:43.005 --> 0:22:47.205 Runge was a German Romantic painter, draftsman, and art theorist. 0:22:47.605 --> 0:22:51.685 He's known for his expressive portraits and symbolic landscapes. He's 0:22:51.805 --> 0:22:56.565 also known for his groundbreaking color theory. He introduced the 0:22:56.605 --> 0:22:59.405 color sphere during the last year of his life in 0:22:59.485 --> 0:23:03.605 eighteen ten. It was one of the first attempts to 0:23:03.645 --> 0:23:09.205 create a comprehensive color system in three dimensions. Runge didn't 0:23:09.245 --> 0:23:12.365 specify a source for the story. He did give the 0:23:12.365 --> 0:23:16.125 Brothers Grimma copy, and it was that story, the one 0:23:16.165 --> 0:23:19.125 you heard at the beginning of this episode, that the 0:23:19.125 --> 0:23:24.125 Brothers included in their eighteen twelve collection. The same story 0:23:24.405 --> 0:23:28.685 was included in all their future collections, although with stylistic 0:23:28.925 --> 0:23:33.685