The Hare's Bride (German Folk Tale)

There was once a woman and her daughter who lived in a pretty garden with cabbages; and a little hare came into it, and during the winter time ate all the cabbages. Then says the mother to the daughter, “Go into the garden, and chase the hare away.”

The girl says to the little hare, “Sh-sh, hare, you are still eating up all our cabbages.”

Says the hare, “Come, maiden, and seat yourself on my little hare”s tail, and come with me into my little hare”s hut.”

The girl will not do it. Next day the hare comes again and eats the cabbages, then says the mother to the daughter, “Go into the garden, and drive the hare away.”

The girl says to the hare, “Sh-sh, little hare, you are still eating all the cabbages.”

The little hare says, “Maiden, seat thyself on my little hare”s tail, and come with me into my little hare”s hut.” The maiden refuses.

The third day the hare again comes and eats the cabbages. On this the mother says to the daughter, “Go into the garden, and hunt the hare away.” Says the maiden, “Sh-sh, little hare, you are still eating all our cabbages.”

Says the little hare, “Come, maiden, seat thyself on my little hare”s tail, and come with me into my little hare”s hut.”

The girl seats herself on the little hare”s tail, and then the hare takes her far away to his little hut, and says, “Now cook green cabbage and millet-seed, and I will invite the wedding-guests.” Then all the wedding-guests assembled. (Who were the wedding-guests?) That I can tell you as another told it to me. They were all hares, and the crow was there as parson to marry the bride and bridegroom, and the fox as clerk, and the altar was under the rainbow.

The girl, however, was sad, for she was all alone. The little hare comes and says, “Open the doors, open the doors, the wedding-guests are merry.”

The bride says nothing, but weeps. The little hare goes away. The little hare comes back and says, “Take off the lid, take off the lid, the wedding- guests are hungry.”

The bride again says nothing, and weeps. The little hare goes away. The little hare comes back and says, “Take off the lid, take off the lid, the wedding-guests are waiting.” Then the bride says nothing, and the hare goes away, but she dresses a straw-doll in her clothes, and gives her a spoon to stir with, and sets her by the pan with the millet- seed, and goes back to her mother. The little hare comes once more and says, “Take off the lid, take off the lid,” and gets up, and strikes the doll on the head so that her cap falls off.

Then the little hare sees that it is not his bride, and goes away and is sorrowful.