the brothers Grimm original stories

faithful john

There was once upon a time an old king who was ill and thought to

himself 'I am lying on what must be my deathbed.' Then said he 'tell

faithful John to come to me.' Faithful John was his favorite servant,

and was so called, because he had for his whole life long been so

true to him. When therefore he came beside the bed, the king said to

him 'most faithful John, I feel my end approaching, and have no

anxiety except about my son. He is still of tender age, and cannot

always know how to guide himself. If you do not promise me to teach

him everything that he ought to know, and to be his foster-father, I

cannot close my eyes in peace.' Then answered faithful John 'I will

not forsake him, and will serve him with fidelity, even if it should

cost me my life.' At this, the old king said 'now I die in comfort

and peace.' Then he added 'after my death, you shall show him the

whole castle - all the chambers, halls, and vaults, and all the

treasures which lie therein, but the last chamber in the long

gallery, in which is the picture of the princess of the golden

dwelling, shall you not show. If he sees that picture, he will fall

violently in love with her, and will drop down in a swoon, and go

through great danger for her sake, therefore you must protect him

from that.' And when faithful John had once more given his promise to

the old king about this, the king said no more, but laid his head on

his pillow, and died.

When the old king had been carried to his grave, faithful John told

the young king all that he had promised his father on his deathbed,

and said 'this will I assuredly keep, and will be faithful to you as

I have been faithful to him, even if it should cost me my life.' When

the mourning was over, faithful John said to him 'it is now time that

you should see your inheritance. I will show you your father's

palace.' Then he took him about everywhere, up and down, and let him

see all the riches, and the magnificent apartments, only there was

one room which he did not open, that in which hung the dangerous

picture. The picture, however, was so placed that when the door was

opened you looked straight on it, and it was so admirably painted

that it seemed to breathe and live, and there was nothing more

charming or more beautiful in the whole world. The young king

noticed, however, that faithful John always walked past this one

door, and said 'why do you never open this one for me.' 'There is

something within it, he replied, 'which would terrify you.' But the

king answered 'I have seen all the palace, and I want to know what is