The Death of the Hen: A Grimm Fairy Tale About Greed, Kindness, and Consequences

Once upon a time, a cheerful cock and a little hen lived together near a green forest. One sunny morning, they decided to visit a place called Nut Mountain, where the trees were covered with delicious nuts.

Before they set off, the cock and the hen made a promise.

“Whatever we find,” said the cock, “we will share with each other.”

The hen happily agreed.

But when they reached Nut Mountain, the hen discovered the biggest, finest nut she had ever seen.

And for a moment, she forgot all about their promise.

The Big Nut

The hen picked up the enormous nut and looked around.

“This is the biggest nut on the whole mountain!” she thought. “I would love to keep it all for myself.”

So she quickly tried to eat it.

But the nut was much too big.

It got stuck in her mouth, and the hen began coughing.

“Oh dear!” she cried. “Cock! Please help me!”

The cock hurried over.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll get you some water.”

He ran as quickly as he could to the nearby brook.

“Brook, please give me some water for the hen!” he called. “She needs a drink!”

The brook gently bubbled.

“I would be happy to help,” said the brook, “but first, please ask the bride for a little red ribbon. I need it to decorate my bridge.”

So the cock hurried to the village to find the bride.

The Bride’s Request

“Please, may I have a little red ribbon?” asked the cock. “The brook needs it before it will give me some water for the hen.”

The bride smiled.

“Of course,” she said. “But I need my beautiful garland first. It is hanging from the willow tree.”

“I’ll get it!” said the cock.

He ran to the willow tree.

The Willow Tree

The garland was hanging from one of the willow’s branches.

“Dear Willow,” said the cock, “may I take the garland to the bride? The hen needs help, and the bride needs her garland before she can give me the ribbon.”

The willow tree rustled its leaves in the breeze.

“Take it,” said the Willow. “Helping a friend is important.”

The cock carefully took the garland to the bride.

The bride was delighted.

“Thank you!” she said.

She gave the cock a beautiful piece of red ribbon.

The cock hurried back to the brook.

Water for the Hen

“Here is the red ribbon,” said the cock.

The brook sparkled happily.

“Thank you for helping the bride,” it said. “Now take this fresh water to the hen.”

The cock filled a little cup with water and raced back to Nut Mountain.

When he arrived, the hen was sitting beneath a tree.

“Here you are!” said the cock.

The hen took a careful drink.

She coughed once more—and then the large piece of nut popped safely out.

“Oh!” said the hen.

She looked at the nut on the ground.

Then she looked at the cock.

“I am sorry,” she said. “I forgot our promise. I should have shared the nut with you.”

The cock smiled.

“I’m just glad you’re all right.”

The hen picked up the nut.

“Let’s share it now.”

So the two friends broke the nut into pieces and shared it together.

Everyone Helps

The cock and the hen were so grateful to everyone who had helped them that they decided to visit the village and say thank you.

The bride came to meet them.

The willow tree waved its branches.

The brook bubbled happily.

Soon, other animals from the forest joined them.

The fox brought berries.

The rabbit brought carrots.

The squirrel brought acorns.

And the little mice brought tiny cakes made from seeds and grains.

Everyone sat together and enjoyed a wonderful woodland feast.

The hen looked around at all her new friends.

“I learned something important today,” she said.

“What did you learn?” asked the rabbit.

“That something tastes much better when you share it with friends.”

Everyone laughed and agreed.

From that day forward, whenever the cock and the hen found something wonderful, they remembered their promise.

They always shared.

And whenever one of their friends needed help, they were ready to help too.

They all lived happily together in the forest, sharing food, helping one another, and enjoying many cheerful adventures.

Original Story

Once upon a time, the cock and the hen went to the Nut Mountain. Before they began searching, they agreed that whichever of them found a nut would share it with the other.

The hen soon found a very large nut.

But instead of keeping her promise, she decided to eat it all by herself.

The nut had a very large kernel, and when the hen tried to swallow it, it became stuck in her throat. She was frightened that she would choke.

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.

“Cock!” cried the hen. “Run as fast as you can and fetch me some water, or I shall choke!”

The cock immediately ran to the brook.

“Brook, please give me some water!” he cried. “The hen is choking with a big nut stuck in her throat!”

But the brook answered,

“First run to the bride and ask her for some red silk.”

So the cock hurried to the bride.

“Bride, please give me some red silk,” he said. “The brook wants me to bring it some red silk. I need the brook to give me water because the hen is choking on a big nut!”

But the bride answered,

“First go and fetch me my garland that hangs on a willow.”

The cock quickly ran to the willow, pulled the garland from its branch, and carried it back to the bride.

The bride then gave him the red silk.

The cock carried the red silk to the brook, and at last the brook gave him some water.

The cock hurried back to the hen with the water.

But sadly, it was too late.

The hen had already choked and died.

The cock was heartbroken. He cried loudly, and all the animals came to mourn for the hen.

Six little mice decided to help.

They built a tiny wagon for carrying the hen to her grave. When the wagon was ready, they harnessed themselves to it, and the cock became the driver.

The sad procession began its journey.

Along the way, they met a fox.

“Hello, Cock!” called the fox. “Where are you going?”

“I am taking my hen to be buried,” answered the cock.

“May I come with you?” asked the fox.

“Yes,” said the cock, “but follow behind.”

So the fox joined the procession.

Soon the wolf, the bear, the stag, the lion, and many other animals from the forest joined them too.

They continued until they reached a brook.

“How shall we get across?” asked the cock.

They looked around and saw a piece of straw in the water.

“I will lie across the brook,” said the straw, “so that you can use me as a bridge.”

The six mice carefully climbed onto the straw.

But the straw slipped.

The mice fell into the water and were drowned.

The animals were now in trouble again.

Then a piece of coal came along.

“I will lie across the brook so that you can cross,” said the coal.

But as soon as the coal touched the water, it hissed, went out, and sank away.

A stone saw what had happened and felt sorry for the cock.

“I will help you,” said the stone.

The stone lay across the brook, making a bridge.

The cock carefully pulled the wagon carrying the dead hen across the stone bridge and reached the other side safely.

Then he tried to bring the other animals across too.

But there were too many of them.

The wagon became too heavy, tipped over, and everyone fell into the water.

They were all drowned.

At last, the cock was left completely alone with his dead hen.

He dug a grave for her and carefully placed her inside.

Then he built a mound over the grave.

The cock sat beside the grave and mourned his hen with great sadness.

He grieved for so long and so deeply that, in the end, he died too.

And so the cock and the hen were together again, but all the others who had joined their journey were gone as well.

• Sharing makes good things even better. The hen discovers that enjoying the nut with a friend is more rewarding than keeping it for herself.
• It is important to ask for help when we need it. The hen does not try to solve her problem alone; she asks the cock for help.
• Helping others creates a chain of kindness. The cock helps the hen, the brook helps the cock, the bride helps the brook, and everyone works together.
• It is never too late to admit a mistake. The hen recognizes that she forgot her promise and honestly apologizes.
• Friends should look after one another. The story shows that cooperation, kindness, and friendship can bring a whole community together

• Kernel — The soft edible part inside a nut or seed.
• Choke — To have something stuck in your throat so that it becomes difficult or impossible to breathe.
• Brook — A small stream or natural flow of water.
• Garland — A decoration made from flowers, leaves, or other materials, usually arranged in a long chain or circle.
• Willow — A tree that often grows near rivers, streams, and other wet places.
• Procession — A group of people or animals moving together from one place to another, often as part of a ceremony or important event.
• Mourn — To feel and show great sadness after someone has died.
• Harness — Equipment used to attach an animal to a vehicle that it pulls.
• Mound — A raised area of earth, often made over a grave.
• Tragic — Extremely sad, especially because something terrible has happened.