Fitcher's Bird

Author: A Brothers Grimm Tale · Retold as a Fable by DozyStories

  • Age7–10
  • Reading time10 min
  • LevelAdvanced

Introduction

Chinese fables teach big lessons through small stories. A short tale about a fox or a farmer can carry a whole truth about life, and that is the spirit we bring to this old Grimm tale. "Fitcher's Bird" is dark and strange, but at its heart there is a quiet lesson: when danger comes, protect what matters first, then act. The youngest sister does not rush to explore the wizard's house. She hides the egg before she looks at anything else, and that one careful move changes everything. Her older sisters are not foolish; they are simply ruled by curiosity. The youngest one adds a single step — keeping her head — and the whole story turns around. There is an old Chinese saying that fits her choice: keep the green mountain standing, and you will never run out of firewood. Guard your most precious thing, and your future stays safe. As you read together, ask your child to weigh curiosity against caution, and to notice how much quiet strength a calm person can show. A fable does not need loud scenes to teach; it needs one clear truth, told plainly, the way an elder tells a lesson by lamplight. That is why we retell this tale today.

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Fitcher's Bird - Disguised as a beggar, the wizard tests the eldest daughter with a key and an egg, and curiosity finally wins over her caution. - Scene Illustration 1
Disguised as a beggar, the wizard tests the eldest daughter with a key and an egg, and curiosity finally wins over her caution.
Long ago a cruel wizard lived in a dark forest. He often dressed as a poor beggar and walked from house to house asking for food. When a pretty girl came close, he touched her, and she had to step into his basket. After that, nobody ever saw her again.
One day he came to a house with three beautiful daughters. He looked like a weak old beggar, and on his back he carried a big basket. The eldest daughter came out with a piece of bread. He touched her once, and she had to jump into the basket.
He carried her far into the forest, to a fine house in the middle of the trees. Everything in the house was rich and bright. "Dear girl," he said, "stay with me and you will have everything you want. You will be happy here."
After a few days the wizard said, "I must go away for a while. Here are the keys. You may open every room except one. Do not open the door that this little key unlocks, or you will lose your life." He also gave her an egg. "Keep this egg with you at all times. If you lose it, great trouble will follow."
The girl took the keys and the egg and said she would obey. As soon as the wizard left, she walked through the whole house. Gold and silver shone in every room. Then she came to the forbidden door. She wanted to walk past it, but her curiosity was too strong. She tried the little key in the lock. It turned, and the door swung open.
Inside the room stood a huge basin. It was full of the bones of the girls who had come before her. A sharp axe lay on a wooden block beside it. The girl was so afraid that the egg fell from her hand into the basin. She picked it up and washed it, but the blood would not come off. She washed and washed, but the red mark stayed.
Fitcher's Bird - The wizard sees the blood on the egg and kills the eldest daughter, then takes the second sister, who repeats the same mistake and loses her life. - Scene Illustration 2
The wizard sees the blood on the egg and kills the eldest daughter, then takes the second sister, who repeats the same mistake and loses her life.
Before long the wizard came home. The first thing he asked for was the key and the egg. The girl's hands shook as she gave them to him. He saw the red mark at once. He knew she had opened the forbidden door.
"You went into that room against my order," he said. "Now you will go back into it against your will. Your life is over." He dragged her into the room and killed her. Then he threw her into the basin with the others.
The wizard dressed as a poor man again and went back to that house. He took the second daughter in the same way. She was just as curious as her sister. She opened the forbidden door and looked in. When the wizard came home, he saw the blood on her egg, and she died too.
Fitcher's Bird - The clever third sister hides the egg first, discovers the terrible secret, and puts her sisters back together so that they live again. - Scene Illustration 3
The clever third sister hides the egg first, discovers the terrible secret, and puts her sisters back together so that they live again.
Then the wizard took the third daughter. This girl was clever and careful. When he gave her the keys and the egg and left, she hid the egg in a safe place first. Then she looked around the house. At last she opened the forbidden door.
What a terrible sight she saw! Her two sisters lay in the basin, dead. But she did not run away or cry for long. She gathered the pieces of their bodies and put them in the right order: head, body, arms and legs. When every piece was in place, the limbs began to move and join together. Her sisters opened their eyes and lived again. The three girls hugged and kissed one another with joy.
When the wizard came home, he asked for the keys and the egg. The egg was clean. There was not a drop of blood on it. "You have passed the test," he said. "You will be my bride." From that day on, he could not force her to do anything. He had to do whatever she asked.
Fitcher's Bird - The third sister hides her sisters under gold in a basket, makes the wizard carry them home, and pretends to watch him from her little window so he never dares to rest. - Scene Illustration 4
The third sister hides her sisters under gold in a basket, makes the wizard carry them home, and pretends to watch him from her little window so he never dares to rest.
"Very well," she said. "But first you must carry a basket of gold to my father and mother, and you must carry it on your own back. I will get everything ready for the wedding here." Then she ran to the little room where her sisters were hiding. "The time to save you has come," she said. "The wicked man will carry you home himself. As soon as you are home, send someone to rescue me."
She put her two sisters into a basket and covered them with gold from top to bottom. Nobody could see them. Then she called the wizard. "Take this basket away," she said. "Remember, I will watch from my little window. If you stop to rest on the road, I will see you."
The wizard put the basket on his back and set off. It was so heavy that sweat ran down his face. He sat down to rest for a moment. At once a voice came from the basket: "I am looking out of my little window. I can see you resting. Get up and go!" He thought it was his bride calling, so he stood up and walked on.
Every time he tried to rest, the voice called out the same words. So he had to keep walking, tired and out of breath, until he carried the gold and the two sisters right into their parents' house.
Fitcher's Bird - The girl escapes disguised as a strange bird and tricks the wizard with a skull, until her kinsmen arrive, burn the house, and the wicked man meets his end. - Scene Illustration 5
The girl escapes disguised as a strange bird and tricks the wizard with a skull, until her kinsmen arrive, burn the house, and the wicked man meets his end.
At the house, the girl got the wedding feast ready and sent invitations to the wizard's friends. Then she took a skull with grinning teeth. She put jewels on it and a wreath of flowers on its head, and set it at the attic window, so that it looked out over the road.
When all was ready, she rolled in a barrel of honey, then in a pile of feathers. Now she looked like a strange bird. Nobody could recognize her. She left the house and walked down the road. Soon she met some wedding guests. They asked her:
"Fitcher's bird, where do you go?" "From Fitcher's house, where the tall trees grow." "And how is the young bride today?" "She swept every room, from the top to the floor, and now at the window she watches below."
At last she met the wizard himself. He was walking home slowly, and he asked the same question: "Fitcher's bird, where do you go?" "From Fitcher's house, where the tall trees grow." "And how is the young bride today?" "She swept every room, from the top to the floor, and now at the window she watches below."
The wizard looked up and saw the skull at the window. He thought it was his bride, and he nodded to it with a happy smile. Then he and his guests went into the house. But the bride's brothers and kinsmen were already on their way, for they had been sent to save her. They locked every door from the outside, so that nobody could get out. Then they set the house on fire. That was the end of the wizard and all his evil friends. The three sisters went home at last, safe and sound. This is why the tale is still told today: a calm head and a quick mind can beat even the most wicked enemy.

Vocabulary from "Fitcher's Bird"

12 key words from this story with definitions and original context sentences for language learners.

wizardB2
/ˈwɪz.əd/n.

A man with magic powers, usually evil in stories.

巫师；术士。

Long ago a cruel wizard lived in a dark forest.

从前，幽深的森林里住着一个狠毒的巫师。

beggarB1
/ˈbeɡ.ər/n.

A person who asks strangers for money or food.

乞丐；要饭的人。

He often dressed as a poor beggar and walked from house to house asking for food.

他惯会扮成要饭的穷人，挨家挨户讨食。

curiosityB2
/ˌkjʊə.riˈɒs.ə.ti/n.

A strong wish to know or see something.

好奇心；求知欲。

She wanted to walk past it, but her curiosity was too strong.

她本想走开，可心里痒痒的，怎么也按捺不住。

forbidden(forbid)B2
/fəˈbɪd.ən/adj.

Not allowed; a rule says you must not do it.

被禁止的；不许碰的。

Then she came to the forbidden door.

最后她来到那扇禁门前。

obeyB2
/əˈbeɪ/v.

To do what someone tells you to do.

听从；服从。

The girl took the keys and the egg and said she would obey.

姑娘接过钥匙和鸡蛋，答应一一照办。

recognizeB2
/ˈrek.əɡ.naɪz/v.

To know who or what someone or something is.

认出；辨认出。

Nobody could recognize her.

转眼活像一只谁也认不出的怪鸟。

wickedB2
/ˈwɪk.ɪd/adj.

Very bad or evil.

邪恶的；缺德的。

The wicked man will carry you home himself.

那恶棍要亲自把你们背回家去。

rescueB2
/ˈres.kjuː/v.

To save someone from danger.

营救；解救。

As soon as you are home, send someone to rescue me.

你们一到家，就速速派人来救我。

invitations(invitation)B2
/ˌɪn.vɪˈteɪ.ʃənz/n.

Messages that ask people to come to a party or event.

请帖；邀请函。

At the house, the girl got the wedding feast ready and sent invitations to the wizard's friends.

宅子里，姑娘张罗着婚宴，给巫师的朋友们发了请帖。

wreathC1
/riːθ/n.

A ring of flowers or leaves.

花环；花冠。

She put jewels on it and a wreath of flowers on its head, and set it at the attic window, so that it looked out over the road.

她又取来一个龇着牙的骷髅，给骷髅戴上首饰，头上套一个花环，端到阁楼的窗口，让它朝着外面张望。

out of breathB2
/ˌaʊt əv ˈbreθ/phr.

Breathing fast because you are very tired.

气喘吁吁；上气不接下气。

So he had to keep walking, tired and out of breath, until he carried the gold and the two sisters right into their parents' house.

他只得一路走，直累得气喘吁吁，总算把装着金子和两个姐姐的筐送进了姑娘父母的家里。

skullB2
/skʌl/n.

The hard bone part of the head.

头骨；骷髅。

Then she took a skull with grinning teeth.

她又取来一个龇着牙的骷髅。

Reading Together & Learning More

The Moral

Stay calm in danger: protect what matters first, then use your wits. A calm mind beats cruelty and brute force.

Educational Value

Shows children that panic and force cannot save anyone, while a calm, careful mind can; it also teaches the simple order of action — protect what is important first, then make your move.

Tips for Parents

This tale has dark and frightening scenes, so read it slowly with older children and comfort them as you go. Afterwards, ask why the youngest sister did better than her sisters and why hiding the egg first mattered so much. It is also a good chance to remind children to stay alert around strangers and not to trust someone just because they look pitiful.

Talk About It

  1. The wizard tests the girls with his rules. Why do the first two sisters lose to their own curiosity, while the youngest one guards her egg first?
  2. The youngest sister hides the egg before she looks around the house. What does this order of actions tell you about her? What do you think she was thinking?
  3. In this story no knight or fairy saves the day — the youngest sister saves herself and her sisters. What other plan could she have tried?
  4. The wizard dresses as a poor beggar to trick people. Bad people often act pitiful. How can we stay alert? What would you do if a stranger pretended to be in need?
  5. The youngest sister makes the wizard carry her sisters home and fools him with her "little window." Which of her tricks is the smartest, and why?

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