The Almond Tree

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

  • Age10–12
  • Reading time13 min
  • LevelAdvanced

Introduction

This old tale from the Brothers Grimm is known to scholars as ATU 720, and its plainest title is the chilling song the bird sings: my mother killed me, my father ate me. It was written down in a northern dialect of Germany by the painter Philipp Otto Runge, and the Grimms kept his version almost untouched, which is why it still reads with such strange, song-like beauty. Why retell it now in the style of a Chinese fable? Because beneath its dark surface it teaches a very old and very universal lesson: evil reaps what it sows. The greedy thought that took a child's life is the same greed that brings the millstone down, and a truth once buried will always find a voice. Chinese folk wisdom holds the same faith — heaven keeps accounts, a wrong cannot stay hidden forever, and the innocent will be heard at last. The tale also shows how much a storyteller's voice can change a story: many modern retellings cut the dark scenes entirely, while the Grimms kept them and let the poetry carry the weight. Parents should read this one beside their children, not ahead of them, and let the child's questions lead the way. Watch Marjory's hands as she gathers the bones; watch the bird rise from the tree; watch the family sit down to their meal at the end. The dark is real in this story, but so is the light — and it is the light the fable means for us to keep.

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The Almond Tree - A rich couple long for a child; the wife makes a wish under the almond tree, bears a son white as snow and red as blood, then dies of joy. - Scene Illustration 1
A rich couple long for a child; the wife makes a wish under the almond tree, bears a son white as snow and red as blood, then dies of joy.
Long ago a rich man lived with his gentle wife in a fine house. They had everything they could want, but they had no child. Day and night, the wife prayed for a child.
An almond tree grew in their yard. One winter day the wife peeled an apple under the tree. She cut her finger, and a drop of blood fell on the snow. "Oh," she sighed, "if only I could have a child as white as snow and as red as blood!" The moment she spoke, her heart grew light, and she felt sure her wish would come true.
The days passed. The snow melted, and the grass turned green. The flowers came up, and the almond tree was full of leaves. Little birds sang, and white blossom drifted down. In the fifth month the tree smelled so sweet that the wife knelt down and wept for joy.
In the sixth month the fruit hung thick on the boughs. In the seventh she ate the almonds and felt heavy and ill. In the eighth month she called her husband to her. "If I die," she said, "bury me under the almond tree."
When the ninth month was over, she gave birth to a son, white as snow and red as blood. One look at him filled her with such joy that her heart broke, and she died.
Her husband buried her under the almond tree and wept for many days. In time his sorrow grew faint, and at last he took a second wife.
The Almond Tree - The stepmother hates her stepson, kills him with the heavy chest lid, and lets the blame fall on her own daughter Marjory. - Scene Illustration 2
The stepmother hates her stepson, kills him with the heavy chest lid, and lets the blame fall on her own daughter Marjory.
The new wife had a daughter named Marjory. She loved her own child dearly, but the boy from the first marriage stood in her way. If the boy lived, he would inherit half the house one day. So she hated him. She shoved him here and slapped him there, and the poor child was always at fault.
One day the mother and her daughter went upstairs to get an apple. The chest was deep, and its lid was heavy as a door. "Mother," said the little girl, "leave an apple for my brother too." The mother had been waiting for those words. "Yes," she said, "when he comes home from school."
Then she saw the boy coming home from the window. A wicked thought came into her mind. She snatched the apple from her daughter and said, "You shall not eat before your brother does." She threw the apple back into the chest and shut the heavy lid.
The boy came in. The mother smiled, but her eyes were cold. "My son, would you like an apple?" she asked. "Mother, your face looks strange," said the boy, "but yes, give me one." She lifted the heavy lid. "Come and take one yourself." The boy bent over the chest, and the lid crashed down on him. In a moment he was dead.
Terror seized the woman. She had to hide her crime. She took a white handkerchief and tied it around the boy's neck. Then she sat him on a chair by the door and put an apple in his hand.
Soon little Marjory came into the kitchen. Her mother stood at the fire, stirring a pot of water. "Mother," said Marjory, "my brother sits by the door with an apple in his hand, and his face is pale as death. He will not answer me." "Ask him again," said the mother. "If he still says nothing, box his ears." Marjory did as she was told. She boxed his ears, and his head fell from his shoulders. She screamed and ran to her mother in tears. "Quiet now," said the mother. "What is done cannot be undone. Say nothing, and I will hide him."
The Almond Tree - The father unknowingly eats his son's flesh; Marjory buries the bones under the almond tree, and a singing bird flies out of it. - Scene Illustration 3
The father unknowingly eats his son's flesh; Marjory buries the bones under the almond tree, and a singing bird flies out of it.
When the father came home, he sat down and asked, "Where is my son?" The mother was serving a big dish of dark broth. Marjory sat crying and could not stop. The father asked again. "Oh," said the mother, "he has gone to stay with his great-uncle in the country." "Why did he leave without saying goodbye?" said the father. "He begged to go, and I could not refuse him," said the mother.
The father began to eat. The broth tasted strange, yet so good that he ate one bowl after another. When the pot was empty, he threw the bones under the table.
Marjory knew the truth, but she did not dare to speak. She went to her room, took her best white handkerchief, and gathered every bone from under the table. She wrapped them in the cloth and carried them out to the yard, where she buried them in the grass under the almond tree. The moment she finished, her heart grew light, and her tears stopped.
Strange to tell, the almond tree began to sway. Its branches opened and closed like two hands clapping for joy. A cloud rose from the tree, with a flame burning in its heart, and out of the flame flew a beautiful bird. It sang sweetly and soared high into the sky. When Marjory looked again, the handkerchief with the bones was gone. She felt light and glad, as if her brother were alive again, and she went in happily to her dinner.
The bird flew on until it reached a goldsmith's roof. There it stopped and sang: "My mother took my life away; My father ate my flesh that day. My sister Marjory, good and kind, Gathered my bones and left none behind. She wrapped them in a cloth so white And laid them by the almond tree, just right. Tweet, tweet, I cry aloud — What a lovely bird, so free and proud!"
The Almond Tree - The bird trades its song for a gold chain, red shoes, and a millstone, then flies home with all three. - Scene Illustration 4
The bird trades its song for a gold chain, red shoes, and a millstone, then flies home with all three.
The goldsmith sat in his shop, making a golden chain. He heard the bird singing on his roof, and he rushed out so fast that he lost a slipper. He stood in the street, the chain in one hand and his pincers in the other, staring up at the bird. "Dear bird," he said, "please sing that song again!" "I never sing twice for nothing," said the bird. "Give me your golden chain, and I will sing." The goldsmith agreed at once. The bird flew down, took the chain in its right claw, and sang the whole song from beginning to end.
Then the bird flew to a shoemaker's roof and sang the same song. The shoemaker ran out without his shoes, and he called his wife, his children, and all his neighbors to come and listen. They all looked up and saw the bird with red and green feathers, a ring of gold around its throat, and eyes that sparkled like stars. They were amazed.
The shoemaker begged the bird to sing again, but the bird asked for a gift. The shoemaker told his wife to fetch the red shoes from the top shelf of the shop. The bird took the shoes in its left claw, flew back to the roof, and sang once more.
When the song was done, the bird flew on, with the chain in its right claw and the shoes in its left, until it came to a mill. Twenty millers were cutting a millstone there. The bird began to sing on a big tree near the mill. One by one, the millers stopped their work to listen. Only the last miller kept his chisel in his hand, and he begged the bird to sing the song from the start. "Give me the millstone," said the bird, "and I will sing." All twenty millers pushed together and lifted the heavy stone. The bird put its head through the hole in the middle, flew up into the tree with the millstone around its neck, and sang at the top of its voice.
When it finished, it spread its wings — the chain in its right claw, the shoes in its left, the millstone around its neck — and flew straight to its father's house.
The Almond Tree - The bird gives the chain to the father and the shoes to Marjory, crushes the wicked stepmother with the millstone, turns back into the boy, and the family is reunited. - Scene Illustration 5
The bird gives the chain to the father and the shoes to Marjory, crushes the wicked stepmother with the millstone, turns back into the boy, and the family is reunited.
One day the father, the stepmother, and Marjory sat at the table. "How light my heart feels today!" said the father. "Mine feels heavy," said the stepmother, "as if a great storm were coming." Marjory sat in the corner and wept.
The bird flew down and settled on the roof. "The sun is so bright," said the father, "and I feel as if I were about to meet an old friend." The stepmother's teeth chattered, and her face was white as paper. She tore her dress open to get some air. Marjory wept until her plate was full of tears.
The bird settled in the almond tree and began to sing. The stepmother stopped her ears and shut her eyes, but the song still found its way in, and she trembled all over. "How well it sings!" said the father. "I must go out and see this bird." "Do not go!" cried the stepmother. "I feel as if the house were on fire." But the father went out and looked up at the bird.
The bird sang its whole song: "My mother took my life away; My father ate my flesh that day. My sister Marjory, good and kind, Gathered my bones and left none behind. She wrapped them in a cloth so white And laid them by the almond tree, just right. Tweet, tweet, I cry aloud — What a lovely bird, so free and proud!" As the song ended, a golden chain fell from the sky and landed around the father's neck. He went inside, proud and happy. When the stepmother saw the chain, she fell to the floor in fear.
The bird sang again. Marjory dried her tears and went outside, and a pair of red shoes fell right at her feet. She put them on and danced for joy. But the stepmother's hair stood up like flames. "I care no more!" she cried. "Even if the sky falls, I must go out for air!"
She had just stepped through the door when the millstone crashed down from the sky. That was the end of her. The father and Marjory ran out. They saw smoke and fire rise up, and when it cleared, there stood the little brother. He took his father by one hand and Marjory by the other, and the three of them went inside and sat down to a happy meal together.

Vocabulary from "The Almond Tree"

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

prayed(pray)B1
/preɪd/v.

To speak to God and ask for something with all one's heart.

祈祷；祈求。

Day and night, the wife prayed for a child.

妻子日也求，夜也求，盼着老天赐她一个孩子。

sighed(sigh)B1
/saɪd/v.

To breathe out slowly and loudly, often when sad or wishing for something.

叹气；叹息。

"Oh," she sighed, "if only I could have a child as white as snow and as red as blood!"

「唉，」她叹道，「我若有个孩子，白得像雪，红得像血，那该多好！」

blossomB2
/ˈblɒsəm/n.

The flowers that grow on a tree, especially a fruit tree.

花朵；花（尤指果树上开的花）。

Little birds sang, and white blossom drifted down.

小鸟在枝头啼叫，白色的花瓣纷纷飘落。

inheritB2
/ɪnˈherɪt/v.

To receive money or property from someone after they die.

继承（遗产、家产）。

If the boy lived, he would inherit half the house one day.

这孩子若在，家业日后要分他一半。

wickedB1
/ˈwɪkɪd/adj.

Very evil or cruel.

邪恶的；恶毒的。

A wicked thought came into her mind.

一个恶念顿时钻进她心里。

snatched(snatch)B2
/snætʃt/v.

To take something away quickly and roughly.

一把夺过；抢走。

She snatched the apple from her daughter and said, "You shall not eat before your brother does."

她从女儿手里夺过苹果：「哥哥没吃，你也不许先吃！」

terrorB2
/ˈterə/n.

Very great fear.

极度恐惧；惊骇。

Terror seized the woman.

继母慌了，心里盘算着如何脱身。

dared(dare)B2
/deəd/v.

To be brave enough to do something.

敢；敢于。

Marjory knew the truth, but she did not dare to speak.

玛乔丽心里明白，却不敢作声。

swayB2
/sweɪ/v.

To move slowly from side to side.

摇摆；晃动。

Strange to tell, the almond tree began to sway.

说也奇怪，那杏树忽然摇动起来。

soared(soar)B2
/sɔːd/v.

To fly high up into the air.

高飞；翱翔。

It sang sweetly and soared high into the sky.

一边婉转啼鸣，一边高高飞上天去。

chattered(chatter)B2
/ˈtʃætəd/v.

To shake together quickly, as teeth do when a person is very cold or afraid.

（牙齿因寒冷或恐惧而）打战。

The stepmother's teeth chattered, and her face was white as paper.

继母却牙齿打战，脸白如纸。

millstoneC1
/ˈmɪlstəʊn/n.

A huge round stone used to grind grain into flour.

磨盘；磨石。

The bird put its head through the hole in the middle, flew up into the tree with the millstone around its neck, and sang at the top of its voice.

鸟儿把头从磨盘中间的孔里钻过，脖子上套着磨盘，飞上树去，放声唱了起来。

Reading Together & Learning More

The Moral

Evil brings its own end: however deep a wicked deed is hidden, the truth will sing it out at last. And kindness, in the end, brings back what love has lost.

Educational Value

Children can learn that cruelty never goes unpunished and that the truth will always come to light. In Marjory's kindness and courage they can also see that what truly completes the story is love, not revenge.

Tips for Parents

This tale holds dark scenes, such as a stepmother's crime and a father's unwitting meal, so read it together with children aged ten and up. Guide the child toward the light: Marjory's kindness, the rebirth of the almond tree and the bird, and the reunion at the end. Afterwards, ask: if no one had ever sung out the truth, what might have happened to this story?

Talk About It

  1. Where did the stepmother's wicked plan first come from? If she had not wanted the family fortune for her own daughter, how might the story have changed?
  2. Marjory understood what had happened to her brother, yet she still gathered and buried his bones in secret. Was she afraid? Why did she do it?
  3. The bird never sings for nothing, and the goldsmith, the shoemaker, and the millers are all glad to pay for its song. What does this tell us about giving and receiving?
  4. The father ate the broth without knowing the truth. If he had asked more questions at the table, could the story have turned out differently?
  5. At the end, the guilty one is punished and the family is reunited. Why do you think so many old stories like to end this way, with good rewarded and evil punished?

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