Old Hildebrand

Author: Brothers Grimm

Age10–12
Reading time9 min
LevelIntermediate

Introduction

'Old Hildebrand' is the 95th tale in Grimm, classed by folklorists as ATU 1360C, 'Old Hildebrand.' It belongs to an ancient kind of 'village joke-tale' (in German, a Schwank) — the comic stories passed mouth to mouth in European towns centuries ago to poke fun at all sorts of people. Its skeleton is the classic 'iron triangle' of medieval comedy: an honest husband kept in the dark, a restless wife, and a parson full of sly schemes. Such bits abound in Boccaccio's Decameron and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, because mocking a sanctimonious clergyman was just the kind of satisfying joke the common folk loved best. Two things make this story stand out: first, the trick is exposed not by a brawl but by that absurd 'singing match' at the end — each character sings out their private scheming in a little rhyme, capped with a 'Hallelujah' that parodies church hymns, dripping with irony; and second, the ruse of being smuggled home hidden in an egg-basket is a tried-and-true device of European farce. Even the hero's name hides a joke: 'Hildebrand' was a mighty old warrior in Germany's oldest heroic poem, the 'Lay of Hildebrand,' yet the story pins that resounding hero's name on a good-natured farmer who is led around by the nose by his wife and the parson — and the mismatch alone is enough to raise a smile. Read it as a village farce from centuries past, and watch how the tricksters end up singing themselves into their own trap.

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Once upon a time lived a peasant and his wife, and the parson of the village had a fancy for the wife, and had wished for a long while to spend a whole day happily with her. The peasant woman, too, was quite willing. One day, therefore, he said to the woman, "Listen, my dear friend, I have now thought of a way by which we can for once spend a whole day happily together. I'll tell you what; on Wednesday, you must take to your bed, and tell your husband you are ill, and if you only complain and act being ill properly, and go on doing so until Sunday when I have to preach, I will then say in my sermon that whosoever has at home a sick child, a sick husband, a sick wife, a sick father, a sick mother, a sick brother or whosoever else it may be, and makes a pilgrimage to the Göckerli hill in Italy, where you can get a peck of laurel-leaves for a kreuzer, the sick child, the sick husband, the sick wife, the sick father, or sick mother, the sick sister, or whosoever else it may be, will be restored to health immediately."

"I will manage it," said the woman promptly. Now therefore on the Wednesday, the peasant woman took to her bed, and complained and lamented as agreed on, and her husband did everything for her that he could think of, but nothing did her any good, and when Sunday came the woman said, "I feel as ill as if I were going to die at once, but there is one thing I should like to do before my end I should like to hear the parson's sermon that he is going to preach to-day."

On that the peasant said, "Ah, my child, do not do it -- thou mightest make thyself worse if thou wert to get up. Look, I will go to the sermon, and will attend to it very carefully, and will tell thee everything the parson says."

"Well," said the woman, "go, then, and pay great attention, and repeat to me all that thou hearest."

So the peasant went to the sermon, and the parson began to preach and said, if any one had at home a sick child, a sick husband, a sick wife, a sick father a sick mother, a sick sister, brother or any one else, and would make a pilgimage to the Göckerli hill in Italy, where a peck of laurel-leaves costs a kreuzer, the sick child, sick husband, sick wife, sick father, sick mother, sick sister, brother, or whosoever else it might be, would be restored to health instantly, and whosoever wished to undertake the journey was to go to him after the service was over, and he would give him the sack for the laurel-leaves and the kreuzer.

Then no one was more rejoiced than the peasant, and after the service was over, he went at once to the parson, who gave him the bag for the laurel-leaves and the kreuzer. After that he went home, and even at the house door he cried, "Hurrah! dear wife, it is now almost the same thing as if thou wert well! The parson has preached to-day that whosoever had at home a sick child, a sick husband, a sick wife, a sick father, a sick mother, a sick sister, brother or whoever it might be, and would make a pilgrimage to the Göckerli hill in Italy, where a peck of laurel-leaves costs a kreuzer, the sick child, sick husband, sick wife, sick father, sick mother, sick sister, brother, or whosoever else it was, would be cured immediately, and now I have already got the bag and the kreuzer from the parson, and will at once begin my journey so that thou mayst get well the faster," and thereupon he went away. He was, however, hardly gone before the woman got up, and the parson was there directly.

But now we will leave these two for a while, and follow the peasant, who walked on quickly without stopping, in order to get the sooner to the Göckerli hill, and on his way he met his gossip. His gossip was an egg-merchant, and was just coming from the market, where he had sold his eggs. "May you be blessed," said the gossip, "where are you off to so fast?"

"To all eternity, my friend," said the peasant, "my wife is ill, and I have been to-day to hear the parson's sermon, and he preached that if any one had in his house a sick child, a sick husband, a sick wife, a sick father, a sick mother, a sick sister, brother or any one else, and made a pilgrimage to the Göckerli hill in Italy, where a peck of laurel-leaves costs a kreuzer, the sick child, the sick husband, the sick wife, the sick father, the sick mother, the sick sister, brother or whosoever else it was, would be cured immediately, and so I have got the bag for the laurel-leaves and the kreuzer from the parson, and now I am beginning my pilgrimage."

"But listen, gossip," said the egg-merchant to the peasant, "are you, then, stupid enough to believe such a thing as that? Don't you know what it means? The parson wants to spend a whole day alone with your wife in peace, so he has given you this job to do to get you out of the way."

"My word!" said the peasant. "How I'd like to know if that's true!" "Come, then," said the gossip, "I'll tell you what to do. Get into my egg-basket and I will carry you home, and then you will see for yourself." So that was settled, and the gossip put the peasant into his egg-basket and carried him home.

When they got to the house, hurrah! but all was going merry there! The woman had already had nearly everything killed that was in the farmyard, and had made pancakes, and the parson was there, and had brought his fiddle with him. The gossip knocked at the door, and woman asked who was there.

"It is I, gossip," said the egg-merchant, "give me shelter this night; I have not sold my eggs at the market, so now I have to carry them home again, and they are so heavy that I shall never be able to do it, for it is dark already."

"Indeed, my friend," said the woman, "thou comest at a very inconvenient time for me, but as thou art here it can't be helped, come in, and take a seat there on the bench by the stove." Then she placed the gossip and the basket which he carried on his back on the bench by the stove. The parso, however, and the woman, were as merry as possible.

At length the parson said, "Listen, my dear friend, thou canst sing beautifully; sing something to me." - "Oh," said the woman, "I cannot sing now, in my young days indeed I could sing well enough, but that's all over now." "Come," said the parson once more, "do sing some little song."

On that the woman began and sang, "I've sent my husband away from me To the Göckerli hill in Italy." Thereupon the parson sang, "I wish 'twas a year before he came back, I'd never ask him for the laurel-leaf sack." Hallelujah.

Then the gossip who was in the background began to sing (but I ought to tell you the peasant was called Hildebrand), so the gossip sang, "What art thou doing, my Hildebrand dear, There on the bench by the stove so near?" Hallelujah.

And then the peasant sang from his basket, "All singing I ever shall hate from this day, And here in this basket no longer I'll stay." Hallelujah. And he got out of the basket, and cudgelled the parson out of the house.

Vocabulary from "Old Hildebrand"

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

fancyB2

/ˈfænsi/n.

A liking or attraction to someone or something.

喜爱；爱慕；一时的兴致。

The parson of the village had a fancy for the wife, and had wished for a long while to spend a whole day happily with her.
村里的牧师看上了这个妻子，早就希望能和她快乐地共度一整天。

lamented(lament)C1

/ləˈmentɪd/v.

Expressed grief or sorrow, often loudly.

悲叹；哀号。

The peasant woman took to her bed, and complained and lamented as agreed on.
农妇便卧床不起，按约定那样呻吟哀叹。

sermonC1

/ˈsɜːmən/n.

A talk on a religious subject, usually given in church.

布道；讲道。

I should like to hear the parson's sermon that he is going to preach to-day.
我想听听牧师今天布道讲些什么。

pilgrimageC1

/ˈpɪlɡrɪmɪdʒ/n.

A journey to a holy place for religious reasons.

朝圣；朝圣之旅。

Now I am beginning my pilgrimage.
现在我开始我的朝圣之旅。

laurelC1

/ˈlɒrəl/n.

An evergreen tree or shrub with shiny leaves used as a symbol of honour.

月桂（树）；月桂叶。

After the service was over, he went at once to the parson, who gave him the bag for the laurel-leaves and the kreuzer.
礼拜一结束，他立刻去找牧师，牧师给了他装月桂叶的袋子和那个克鲁泽。

rejoiced(rejoice)C1

/rɪˈdʒɔɪst/v.

Felt or showed great joy.

欣喜；欢喜。

Then no one was more rejoiced than the peasant.
没有人比这农夫更高兴的了。

gossipB1

/ˈɡɒsɪp/n.

Here an old meaning: a close friend or a child's godparent (not idle talk).

（旧义）好友；教父/教母（并非'闲话'之意）。

On his way he met his gossip.
他在路上遇到了他的教父。

eternityC1

/ɪˈtɜːnɪti/n.

Time without end; a state that lasts forever.

永恒；永远。

"To all eternity, my friend," said the peasant.
"去永恒的地方，我的朋友，"农夫说。

shelterB1

/ˈʃeltə/n.

A place giving protection or a night's lodging.

庇护；(过夜的)住处。

"Give me shelter this night; I have not sold my eggs at the market."
今晚收留我一下吧；我在市场上没把蛋卖出去。

inconvenientB2

/ˌɪnkənˈviːniənt/adj.

Causing trouble or difficulty; coming at a bad time.

不方便的；不合时宜的。

"Thou comest at a very inconvenient time for me, but as thou art here it can't be helped."
你来得真不是时候，但既然你都到了，也没办法。

fiddleB2

/ˈfɪdl/n.

A violin, especially one used for folk music.

小提琴（尤指民间音乐用的）。

The parson was there, and had brought his fiddle with him.
牧师也在那里，还带着他的小提琴。

cudgelled(cudgel)C1

/ˈkʌdʒld/v.

Beat someone with a short, thick stick.

用棍棒痛打。

And he got out of the basket, and cudgelled the parson out of the house.
说完他从筐里钻出来，把牧师用棍子打出了家门。

Reading Together & Learning More

The Moral

This is a village comedy from centuries ago, and the whole joke is that 'the tricksters get caught out': the parson and the wife cook up a tall tale together, packing honest Hildebrand off on a far-away 'pilgrimage' to Italy so the two can enjoy a peaceful, merry day; but a kind friend smuggles him home hidden in an egg-basket and lets him see the truth with his own eyes. The story wants to make you laugh, and along the way it reminds you of one thing: trickery may fool people for a while, but rarely forever — and when the person you fool is one who truly trusts you, once the truth comes out, it is never the trickster who laughs last.

Educational Value

Suited to older children as an entry point to the ancient genre of the 'folk joke-tale': for centuries European villages passed around comic stories poking fun at people who 'put on airs,' and this one is special in that the truth comes out not through a fight but through an improvised 'singing match' at the end, sung out line by line. You can talk with your child about honesty and trust: Hildebrand's real trouble isn't stupidity but being too trusting; and you can talk about the friend who hides him in the egg-basket — how precious a person is who's willing to help you see the truth.

Tips for Parents

A note: this is an adult-flavoured 'village joke-tale' (in German, a Schwank) with medieval roots, built on the old European comic trio of 'the unfaithful wife, the lecherous parson, and the husband kept in the dark' — you'll find similar bits in Boccaccio's Decameron and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. This Chinese retelling keeps the 'spending a day together' quite discreet and not explicit, but the theme still hints at marital unfaithfulness, so it's best read to children over 10 who can grasp irony, keeping the focus on the comedy and on 'the trickster caught out.' Here's a fun fact to share: 'Hildebrand' is actually the name of a great hero from Germany's oldest heroic epic, yet the story pins it on a plain farmer who is led around by the nose — and that mismatch of 'giving a little nobody a great hero's name' is itself a kind of joke.

Talk About It

The parson and the wife invent a tall tale that 'a pilgrimage to Italy will cure illness' to send Hildebrand away. At what moment did you start to feel 'something's not right here'?
The egg-selling friend sees through the trick at once and finds a way to carry Hildebrand home in the basket. What kind of friend do you think he is? Would you have told your friend the truth?
At the end, everyone sings out their private thoughts line by line. What do you find fun about exposing the truth through 'singing' instead of a quarrel?
Is Hildebrand's biggest problem that he's foolish, or that he trusts people too easily? Are 'being gullible' and 'being kind' the same thing?
'Hildebrand' was really the name of a great hero, yet it's given to a farmer who gets fooled. Why do you think the author chose such a name on purpose?