Hansel And Gretel: Bedtime Story

24:58

24:58

Hansel And Gretel: Bedtime Story

by Sally Clough

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4.7

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talks

Activity

Meditation

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Everyone

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13k

This is my reading of the Brothers Grimm version of Hansel and Gretel—a children's classic fairytale about a brother and sister who get lost in the woods. If you enjoyed my reading of this, then please check out my other bedtime stories and meditations. I hope you sleep well, dear ones.

Bedtime Fairy Tale Breathing Childhood Family Children Meditation Childhood Memories Overcoming Adversity Family Dynamics Bedtime Stories Stories

Meet your Teacher

Nottingham, England, United Kingdom

Meet your Teacher

Nottingham, England, United Kingdom

Transcript

Good evening beautiful souls. This is a reading of Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm. Find yourself in a nice relaxed position. Snuggle up in your bed. Feel your body relax down into the mattress and take some deep relaxing breaths arriving fully in this moment. And when you're ready we'll begin. Enjoy. By a great forest dwelt a poor woodcutter with his wife and his two children from a previous marriage. The boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel. He had little to bite and to break and once when great scarcity fell on the land he could no longer procure daily bread. Now when he thought this over by night in his bed and tossed about in his anxiety he groaned and said to his wife what is to become of us how are we to feed our poor children when we no longer have anything even for ourselves. I'll tell you what husband answered the woman early tomorrow morning we will take the children out into the forest to where it is the thickest there we will light a fire for them and give each of them one piece of bread more and then we will go to our work and leave them alone. They will not find the way home again and we shall be rid of them. No wife said the man. I will not do that. How can I bear to leave my children alone in the forest? The wild animals would soon come and tear them to pieces. Oh fool thou said she then we must all four die of hunger. Thou mayest as well play in the planks for our coffins and she left him no peace until he consented but I feel very sorry for the poor children all the same said the man. The two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger and had heard what their stepmother had said to their father Gretel wept bitter tears and said to Hansel now all is over with us now all is over with us be quiet Gretel said Hansel do not distress thyself I will soon find a way to help us and when the old folks had fallen asleep he got up put on his little coat open the door below and crept outside the moon shone brightly and the white pebbles which lay in front of the house glittered like real silver pennies Hansel stooped and put as many of them in the little pocket of his coat as he could possibly get in then he went back and said to Gretel be comforted dear sister and sleep in peace God will not forsake us and he lay down again in his bed when day dawned but before the sun had risen the woman came and awoke the two children saying get up you sluggards we are going into the forest to fetch wood she gave each a little piece of bread and said there is something for your dinner but do not eat it up before then for you will get nothing else Gretel took the bread up under her apron as Hansel had the stones in his pocket then they all set out together on the way to the forest when they had walked a short time Hansel stood still and peeped back at the house and did so again and again his father said Hansel what art thou looking at there and staying behind for mind what thou art about and do not forget how to use thy legs ah father said Hansel I am looking at my little white cat which is sitting up on the roof and wants to say goodbye to me the wife said fool that is not thy little cat that is the morning sun which is shining on the chimneys Hansel however had not been looking back at the cat but had been constantly throwing one of the white pebble stones out of his pocket on the road when they had reached the middle of the forest the father said now children pile up some wood and I will light a fire that you may not be cold Hansel and Gretel gathered brushwood together as high as a little hill the brushwood was lighted and when the flames were burning very high the woman said now children lay yourselves down by the fire and rest we will go into the forest and cut wood when we have done we will come back and fetch you away Hansel and Gretel sat by the fire and when noon came each ate a little piece of bread and as they heard the strokes of the wood axe they believed that their father was near it was not however the axe it was a branch which he had fastened to a withered tree which the wind was blowing backwards and forwards and as they had been sitting such a long time their eyes shut with fatigue and they fell fast asleep when at last they were able to wake up when at last they awoke it was already dark night Gretel began to cry and said how are we to get out of the forest now but Hansel comforted her and said just wait a little until the moon has risen and then we will soon find the way and when the full moon had risen Hansel took his little sister by the hand and followed the pebbles which shone like newly coined silver pieces and showed them the way they walked the whole night long and by break of day came once more to their father's house they knocked at the door and when the woman opened it and saw it was Hansel and Gretel she said you naughty children why have you slept so long in the forest we thought you were never coming back at all the father however rejoiced for it had cut him to the heart to leave them behind alone not long afterwards there was once more great scarcity in all parts and their children heard their mother saying at night to their father everything is eaten again we have one half loaf left and after that there is an end the children must go we will take them farther into the woods so that they will not find their way out again there is no other way of saving ourselves the man's heart was heavy and he thought it would be better for thee to share the last mouthful with thy children the woman however would not listen to nothing that he had to say but scolded and reproached him he who says a must say b likewise and as he had yielded the first time he had to do so a second time also the children were however still awake and had heard the conversation when the old folks were asleep Hansel again got up and wanted to go out and pick up pebbles as he had done before but the woman had locked the door and Hansel could not get out nevertheless he comforted his little sister and said do not cry Gretel go to sleep quietly the good god will help us early in the morning came the woman and took the children out of their beds their bit of bread was given to them but it was still smaller than the time before on the way into the forest Hansel crumbled his in his pocket and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground Hansel why dost thou stop me Hansel Hansel why dost thou stop and look around said the father go on I am looking back at my little pigeon which is sitting on the roof and wants to say goodbye to me and said Hansel that is not thy little pigeon that is the morning sun that is shining on the chimney said the woman Hansel however little by little threw all the crumbs on the path the woman led the children still deeper into the forest where they had never in their lives been before then a great fire was again made and the mother said just sit there you children and when you are tired you may sleep a little we are going into the forest to cook wood and in the evening when we are done we will come and fetch you away when it was noon Gretel shared her piece of bread with Hansel who had scattered his by the way then they fell asleep and evening came and went but no one came to the poor children they did not awake until it was dark night and Hansel comforted his little sister and said just wait Gretel until the moon rises and then we shall see the crumbs of bread which I have strewn about and they will show us our way home again when the moon came they set out but they found no crumbs found no crumbs for the many thousands of birds which fly about in the woods and fields had picked them all up Hansel said to Gretel we shall soon find the way but they did not find it they walked the whole night and all the next day too from morning till evening but they did not get out of the forest and were very hungry for they had nothing to eat but two or three berries which grew on the ground and as they were so weary that their legs would carry them no longer they lay down beneath a tree and fell asleep it was now three mornings since they had left their father's house they began to walk again but they always got deeper into the forest and if help did not come soon they must die of hunger and weariness when it was midday they saw a beautiful snow white bird when it was midday they saw a beautiful snow white bird which sang so delightfully that they stood still and listened to it and when it had finished its song it spread its wings and flew away before them and they followed it until they reached a little house on the roof of which it alighted and when they came quite up to the little house they saw that it was built of bread and covered with cakes but that the windows were of clear sugar we will set to work on that said Hansel and have a good meal i will eat a bit of the roof and thou Gretel can eat some of the window it will taste sweet Hansel reached up and broke off a little of the roof to try how it tasted and Gretel leant against the window and nibbled at the panes then a soft voice cried from the room nibble nibble who is nibbling at my house the children answered the wind the wind the heaven-born wind and went on eating without disturbing themselves Hansel who thought the roof tasted very nice tore down a great piece of it and Gretel pushed out the whole of one round window pane sat down and enjoyed herself with it suddenly the door opened and a very very old woman who supported herself on crutches came creeping out Hansel and Gretel were so terribly frightened that they leapt for what they had in their hands the old woman however nodded her head and said oh you dear children who has brought you here do come in and stay with me no harm shall happen to you she took them both by the hand and led them into her house then good food was set before them milk and pancakes with sugar apples and nuts afterwards two pretty little beds were covered with clean white linen and Hansel and Gretel lay down in them and thought they were in heaven the old woman had only pretended to be so kind she was in reality a wicked witch who lay in wait for children and had only built the little house of bread in order to entice them there when a child fell into her power she killed it cooked and ate it and that was a feast day with her witches have red eyes and cannot see far but they have a keen scent like the beasts and are aware when human beings draw near when Hansel and Gretel came into her neighborhood she laughed maliciously and said mockingly I have them they shall not escape me again early in the morning before the children were awake she was already up and when she saw both of them sleeping and looking so pretty with their plump red cheeks she muttered to herself that will be a dainty mouthful then she seized Hansel with her shriveled hand carried him into a little stable and shut him in with a grated door he might scream has he liked that was of no use then she went to Gretel shook her till she awoke and cried get up lazy thing fetch some water and cook something good for thy brother he is in the stable outside and is to be made fat when he is fat I will eat him Gretel began to weep bitterly but it was all in vain she was forced to do what the wicked witch ordered her and now the best food was cooked for poor Hansel but Gretel got nothing but crab shells every morning the woman crept to the little stable and cried Hansel stretch out thy finger that I may feel if thou wilt soon be fat Hansel however stretched out a little bone to her and the old woman who had dim eyes could not see it and thought it was Hansel's finger and was astonished that there was no way of fattening him when four weeks had gone by and Hansel still continued thin she was seized with impatience and would not wait any longer hola Gretel she cried to the girl be active and bring some water let Hansel be fat or lean tomorrow I will kill him and cook him oh how the poor little sister did lament when she had to fetch the water and how her tears did flow down over her cheeks dear god do help us she cried if the wild beasts in the forest had but devoured us we should at any rate have died together just keep thy noise to thyself said the old woman all that won't help thee at all early in the morning Gretel had to go out and hang up the cauldron with the water and light the fire we will bake first said the old woman I have already heated the oven and kneaded the dough she pushed poor Gretel out to the oven from which flames of fire were already darting creep in said the witch and see if it is properly heated so that we can shut the bread in but when once Gretel was inside she intended to shut the oven and let her bake in it and then she would eat her too but Gretel saw what she had in her mind and said I do not know how I am to do it how do you get in silly goose said the old woman the door is big enough just look I can get in myself and she crept up and thrust her head into the oven then Gretel gave her a push that drove her far into it and shut the iron door and fasten the bolt oh then she began to howl quite horribly but Gretel ran away and the godless witch was miserably burnt to death Gretel ran like lightning to Hansel opened his little stable and cried Hansel we are saved the old witch is dead then Hansel sprang out like a bird from its cage when the door is open for it how they did rejoice and embrace each other and dance about and kiss each other and as they no longer had any need to fear they went into the witch's house and in every corner there stood chests full of pearls and jewels these are far better than pebbles said Hansel and thrust into his pockets whatever could be got in and Gretel said I too will take something home with me and filled her pinafore full but now we will go away said Hansel that we may get out of the witch's forest when they had walked for two hours they came out of the witch's house and said that we may get out of the witch's forest when they had walked for two hours they came to a great piece of water we cannot get over said Hansel I see no foot plank and no bridge and no boat crosses either answered Gretel but a white duck is swimming there if I ask her she will help us over then she cried little duck little duck dost thou see Hansel and Gretel are waiting for thee there's never a plank or bridge in sight take us across on thy back so white the duck came to them and Hansel seated himself on its back and told his sister to sit by him no replied Gretel that will be too heavy for the little duck she shall take us across one after the other the good little duck did so and when they were once safely across and had walked for a short time the forest seemed to be more and more familiar to them and at length they saw from afar their father's house then they began to run rushed into the parlor and threw themselves into their father's arms the man had not known one happy hour since he had left the children in the forest the woman however was dead Gretel emptied her pinafore until pills and precious stones ran about the room and Hansel threw one handful after another out of his pocket to add to them then all anxiety was at an end and they lived together in perfect happiness