The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was

Story by: Brothers Grimm

Source: Kinder- und Hausmärchen

The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was

There once was a youth who could not shudder, no matter how hard he tried. “If only I could learn what fear is,” he would say, puzzling his father and neighbors. One day, his father sent him to learn a trade, but the youth only repeated, “I wish I could shudder.”

Hearing of a haunted castle where many had perished, the youth volunteered to spend three nights there. The king promised riches and a princess’s hand if he survived. The youth entered the castle with only a fire, a lathe, and a bench.

On the first night, as the fire flickered, strange voices called, “Let us warm ourselves!” Skeletons and ghosts appeared, rattling bones and rolling heads. The youth calmly invited them to sit, even helping them reattach their skulls. “Is that all?” he yawned.

The second night, black cats and dogs with fiery eyes leapt from the shadows. The youth fought them off with his bench, then lay down to sleep. “If only I could shudder,” he sighed.

On the third night, six men carried in a coffin. The youth opened it and found a corpse. “You’re cold,” he said, and tried to warm the body by the fire. Suddenly, the corpse sprang up and vanished. Still, the youth felt no fear.

At dawn, the castle was his. The king gave him gold and the princess’s hand. But the youth still lamented, “If only I could shudder!”

One night, his wife poured a bucket of cold water and wriggling fish over him as he slept. He woke with a start, shivering. “Now I know what it is to shudder!” he cried, at last content.

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