Clever Grethel is a humorous fairy tale from the Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm. It tells the story of Grethel, a cook who loves good food and drink a little too much. When her master asks her to prepare two roasted fowls for an important guest, Grethel’s appetite leads her into a series of clever—and rather mischievous—tricks.
The story is filled with comedy, quick thinking, misunderstanding, and an unexpected ending. Children can enjoy watching Grethel use her imagination to escape trouble, while also thinking about honesty, self-control, and the consequences of being too greedy.
Original Story
Excerpt from: Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Walter Crane, translated by Lucy Crane, Macmillan and Company, 1886.
There was once a cook called Grethel, who wore shoes with red heels, and when she went out in them she gave herself great airs, and thought herself very fine indeed. When she came home again, she would take a drink of wine to refresh herself, and as that gave her an appetite, she would take some of the best of whatever she was cooking, until she had had enough;—“for,” said she, “a cook must know how things taste.”
Now it happened that one day her master said to her,
“Grethel, I expect a guest this evening; you must make ready a pair of fowls.”
“Certainly, sir, I will,” answered Grethel.
So she killed the fowls, cleaned them, and plucked them, and put them on the spit. Then, as evening drew near, she placed them before the fire to roast. They began to turn brown and were nearly done, but the guest had not come.
“If he does not make haste,” cried Grethel to her master, “I must take them away from the fire; it’s a pity and a shame not to eat them now, just when they are done to a turn.”
And the master said he would run himself and fetch the guest.
As soon as he had turned his back, Grethel took the fowls from before the fire.
“Standing so long before the fire,” said she, “makes one hot and thirsty—and who knows when they will come? In the meanwhile I will go to the cellar and have a drink.”
So down she ran, took up a mug, and saying, “Here’s to me!” took a good draught.
“One good drink deserves another,” she said, “and it should not be cut short.”
So she took another hearty draught.
Then she went and put the fowls down to the fire again. Basting them with butter, she turned the spit briskly round. And now they began to smell so good that Grethel, saying, “I must find out whether they really are all right,” licked her fingers.
Then she cried,
“Well, I never! The fowls are good; it’s a sin and a shame that no one is here to eat them!”
So she ran to the window to see if her master and his guest were coming, but as she could see nobody, she went back to her fowls.
“Why, one of the wings is burning!” she cried presently. “I had better eat it and get it out of the way.”
So she cut it off and ate it up, and it tasted good. Then she thought,
“I had better cut off the other too, in case the master should miss anything.”
And when both wings had been disposed of, she went and looked for the master, but still he did not come.
“Who knows,” said she, “whether they are coming or not? They may have put up at an inn.”
And after a pause she said again,
“Come, I may as well make myself happy, and first I will make sure of a good drink and then of a good meal, and when all is done I shall be easy; the gifts of the gods are not to be despised.”
So first she ran down into the cellar and had a famous drink, and ate up one of the fowls with great relish.
And when that was done, and still the master did not come, Grethel eyed the other fowl, saying,
“What one is the other must be, the two belong to each other, it is only fair that they should be both treated alike; perhaps, when I have had another drink, I shall be able to manage it.”
So she took another hearty drink, and then the second fowl went the way of the first.
Just as she was in the middle of it the master came back.
“Make haste, Grethel,” cried he, “the guest is coming directly!”
“Very well, master,” she answered, “it will soon be ready.”
The master went to see that the table was properly laid, and, taking the great carving knife with which he meant to carve the fowls, he sharpened it upon the step.
Presently came the guest, knocking very genteelly and softly at the front door.
Grethel ran and looked to see who it was, and when she caught sight of the guest she put her finger on her lip, saying,
“Hush! Make the best haste you can out of this, for if my master catches you, it will be bad for you. He asked you to come to supper, but he really means to cut off your ears! Just listen how he is sharpening his knife!”
The guest, hearing the noise of the sharpening, made off as fast as he could go.
And Grethel ran screaming to her master.
“A pretty guest you have asked to the house!” cried she.
“How so, Grethel? What do you mean?” asked he.
“What indeed!” said she. “Why, he has gone and run away with my pair of fowls that I had just dished up.”
“That’s pretty sort of conduct!” said the master, feeling very sorry about the fowls. “He might at least have left me one, that I might have had something to eat.”
And he called out to him to stop, but the guest made as if he did not hear him.
Then he ran after him, the knife still in his hand, crying out,
“Only one! Only one!”
He meant that the guest should let him have one of the fowls and not take both.
But the guest thought he meant to have only one of his ears, and he ran so much the faster that he might get home with both of them safe.
What Children Can Learn From This Story
- Quick thinking can help in difficult situations. Grethel uses her imagination to get herself out of trouble when her master discovers what has happened.
- Greed can lead to problems. Grethel enjoys the food and drink so much that she eats both fowls that were meant for the guest.
- Words can be misunderstood. The ending is funny because Grethel’s master means “only one” fowl, while the frightened guest thinks he means one of his ears.
- Actions have consequences. Grethel’s choices create a chain of events that becomes increasingly complicated.
- Think before you act. The story encourages children to consider what might happen before making a tempting or selfish choice.
Vocabulary
- Appetite — A desire or need for food.
- Refresh — To make someone feel cooler, better, or less tired.
- Pluck — To remove feathers from a bird.
- Spit — A long metal rod used for turning and roasting meat over a fire.
- Baste — To pour or brush liquid, such as butter or cooking juices, over food while it cooks.
- Hearty — Large, plentiful, or enthusiastic.
- Relish — To enjoy something greatly, especially food.
- Disposed of — Got rid of or finished something.
- Genteel — Polite, refined, or well-mannered.
- Sharpen — To make something, such as a knife, have a sharper edge.
Questions for Children
- Why did Grethel say that a cook must know how things taste?
- What happened when the fowls were nearly finished roasting?
- Why did Grethel go down to the cellar?
- Why did Grethel decide to eat the first fowl?
- What happened when Grethel saw the guest arrive?
Moral / Lesson
Cleverness can help us escape trouble, but greed and poor choices can create trouble in the first place.
Grethel is certainly clever, but she uses her cleverness to cover up her own actions. The story also shows how easily words can be misunderstood when people do not know what is really happening. It reminds children that self-control, honesty, and thinking about the consequences of our actions are important, even when something tempting is right in front of us.
Read more: Household Stories By the Brothers Grimm…
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