Edition Comparison

Once upon a time, we believed in the Brothers Grimm as folklorists.

Their tales, they assured us, came straight from the mouths of the German Volk. They did a little editing and cleanup work, maybe, but these were real and authentic German folktales; nothing was added, nothing was taken away. Then we met a guy named John Ellis. In his book One Fairy Story Too Many, Ellis debunks any claims our friends Jakob and Wilhelm may have made about being good folklore scholars. What's below is a synthesis of some of his most damning evidence: a motif-by-motif comparison of the original manuscript of the Frog Prince to the way it appeared in the First, Second and Third Editions of the Kinder - und Hausmarchen. Click here for an analysis of the changes.

Manuscript* (1810)
First Edition (1812)
Second Edition (1819)
Third Edition (1837)

The

Princess
The youngest daughter of the king.

A king's daughter

A "king's daughter who was so bored that she did not know what to do."

A king's youngest daughter, "who was so beautiful that the sun itself... was amazed whenever it looked at her face."

The

Golden

Ball
"Then she took a golden ball and was playing with it."

"She had a golden ball, which was her favorite toy, she threw it up high and caught it again in the air and it was her delight."

"Then she took a golden ball with which she had played often ... she ... threw the ball high into the air, caught it again, and it was a plaything for her."

"...and when she was bored she took a golden ball, threw it high into the air and caught it again and that was her favorite toy."

Her Reaction to the Loss of the Ball
"She saw how it fell into the depth and stood by the well and was very sad."

"Then she began to weep and lament pitifully: 'Oh! If I had my ball again, I would give everything for it, my clothes, my jewels, my pearls, and anything in the world.'"

... "the girl began to weep most pitifully and cried: 'Oh! My golden ball! if I had it again I would give everything for it: my clothes, my jewels, my pearls, even my golden crown as well.'"

"Then she began to weep, and wept louder and louder and was inconsolable."

A frog stuck his head out of the water and asked what she was lamenting about. "Oh, you horrid frog," she said, "what can you do to help me? my golden ball has fallen into the well."

The

Exchange
"Then the frog said, if you will take me home with you, I will get your golden ball back for you."

"The frog said: 'your pearls, your jewels and your clothes, I don't ask for them, but if you will take me as your companion, and I shall sit near you and eat from your little golden plate and sleep in your bed and if you will esteem and love me, I will bring you back your ball.'"

"The frog continued: 'Your clothes, your jewels, your pearls, even your golden crown I don't want; but if you will accept me as your friend and companion, if I shall sit at your table at your right hand side, eat with you off your little golden plate, drink from your little goblet and sleep in your little bed then I will fetch your ball up again for you.'"

"The frog answered, 'your clothes, your pearls and jewels, your golden crown, I don't want them: but if you will love me and I can be your companion and playmate, sit near you at your little table, eat off your little golden plate, drink out of your little goblet, sleep in your little bed: if you promised me that, then I will fetch your golden ball again from the deep.'"

The

Agreement
She promises it.

"The king's daughter thought, what is the silly frog talking about, he will surely have to remain in the water, but perhaps he can get me my ball back, and so I'll just say yes. And she said: 'Well, all right then, just get me my golden ball back and I'll promise you everything.'"

"The king's daughter thought in her heart: what nonsense the silly frog talks! A frog is not a companion for a human being, and has to remain in the water with his own kind, but perhaps he can get my ball out for me; and she said to him: 'Well, all right then, just get my golden ball for me and I'll promise you everything.'"

"'Oh yes,' she said, 'I promise you everything if you only bring me back the ball.' But she thought, 'What nonsense the silly frog talks, he stays in the water with his own kind, and croaks, and cannot be the companion of a human being.'"

The frog plunged under the water, retrieved her ball, and threw it onto land. The king's daughter grabbed it and ran away, ignoring the frog's calls to take him with her as she had promised. Once home, she forgot all about her promise to the frog. The next day, she had just sat down for dinner when she heard something coming up the marble staircase, plitch, platch! plitch, platch! soon after there was a knock on the door, and a voice cried "King's daughter, youngest, open up for me!" She ran to open the door; but seeing that it was the frog, slammed it again and returned to the table.

Telling

Her

Father
"Her father, however, asked who it was and she told him everything."

"But the king saw that her heart was pounding, and said: 'why are you afraid' --'Out there is a horrid frog, she said, who fetched my golden ball out of the water for me, I promised him that he should be my companion, but I never believed that he could leave his water, now he is outside the door and wants to come in.'"

"The king saw that her heart was pounding strongly and said: 'Why, what are you afraid of, is there a giant at the door waiting to get you?' 'Oh no,' said the child, 'it's not a giant but a horrid frog who fetched my golden ball out of the water for me yesterday in the forest; because of that I promised him that he should be my companion, but I didn't ever think that he could leave his water, now he is outside and wants to come in to me.'"

Unchanged from the second edition

Meanwhile, there was another knock and a cry:

"King's daughter, youngest,
open up for me,
don't you know what yesterday
you said to me
by the cool well water?
King's daughter, youngest
open up for me."

Her Father's Instruction
"And the king ordered her to open up for the frog"

"The king said, 'What you have promised, you must do, go and open up the door for the frog.'"

"Then the king said: 'if you've promised it, you must keep your promise, go and open up for him.'"

Unchanged from the second edition

The princess opens the door for the frog, and he follows her back to the dining room.

Dinner

Time
"Then he said to her put me next to you at the table, I want to eat with you. But she didn't want to do it until the king ordered it too. And the frog sat at the side of the king's daughter and ate with her."

..."and when she had sat down again, he cried: 'Pick me up and put me on a chair next to you.' The king's daughter didn't want to, but the king ordered her to. When the frog was up, he spoke: 'Now push your little golden plate nearer, I want to eat from it with you.' She had to do that too."

"Then he sat and cried: 'lift me up beside you!' She didn't want to, until the king ordered it. When the frog was now sitting up on a chair next to her, he said to her: 'now push your little golden plate nearer, so that we can eat together.' Full of annoyance she did this too, and the frog enjoyed it very much, but every mouthful stuck in her throat."

"There he sat and cried, 'lift me up beside you.' She didn't want to, until the king ordered it. When the frog had got onto the chair, he said 'now push your little golden plate nearer to me so that we can eat together.' She did that too, but you could see that she didn't want to. The frog enjoyed it well, but every mouthful stuck in her throat."

Bed Time
"And when he had had enough, he said to her: take me to your bed I want to sleep beside you."

"When he had eaten himself full, he said: 'Now I'm tired and want to sleep, take me up to your little bedroom, make your little bed ready, and we will sleep in it.'"

"Then he said: 'now I have eaten enough, and I'm tired, carry me up into your little room, and make your little silken bed ready, then we shall lie down to sleep.'"

"At last he said, 'now I have eaten enough, I'm tired, carry me up into your little room, and make your little silk bed ready and we shall lie down to sleep."

The Princess' Dilemma
"She didn't want to do that at all, because she was very much afraid of the cold frog. But the king ordered it again"...

"The king's daughter was alarmed when she heard that, she was afraid of the cold frog, she didn't think she could touch him and now he was to lie beside her in her bed, she began to cry and didn't want to do it at all. Then the king became angry and ordered her on pain of his displeasure, to do what she had promised."

"Then the king's daughter began to cry most bitterly and was afraid of the cold frog, she did not think she could touch him and now he was to sleep in her beautiful clean little bed. The king however looked angrily at her and said, 'what you have promised, you must do, and the frog is your companion.'"

"Then the king's daughter began to cry and was afraid of the cold frog whom she didn't dare to touch and who was now to sleep in her beautiful, clean little bed. The king however looked angrily at her, and said, 'what you have promised, you must do, and the frog is your companion.'"

Against

the

Wall
..."then she took the frog and carried him into her own room and full of anger she seized him and threw him with all her strength against the wall."

"It was no use, she had to do as her father wished, but she was bitterly angry in her heart. She seized the frog with two fingers and carried him up to her room, got into bed and instead of laying him next to her threw him crash! against the wall; 'Now you'll leave me in peace, you horrid frog!'"

"It was no use, whether she wanted to or not, she had to take the frog with her. But she was bitterly angry in her heart, seized him with two fingers and carried him up and when she lay in her bed, instead of lifting him into it, she threw him with all her strength at the wall; 'now you will have rest, you horrid frog!'"

"It was no use, whether she wanted to or not, she had to take the frog with her. Then she seized him, bitterly angry, with two fingers and carried him up and as she lay in bed instead of lifting him into it, she threw him with all her strength at the wall, and said 'Now you'll have peace, you horrid frog.'"

Transformation
"But as he hit the wall, he fell down into the bed and lay there as a handsome young prince"...

"Yet the frog did not fall down dead, but as he fell onto the bed, there was a beautiful young prince."

"But what fell down was not a dead frog but a living, young king's son with handsome and friendly eyes."

Unchanged from the second edition

Love and Marriage
..."and the king's daughter lay down with him."

"He now became her dear companion, and she cherished him as she had promised and they went to sleep contentedly together."

"He now became rightfully and with her father's approval, her dear companion and husband. They now fell asleep contentedly together"...

Unchanged from the second edition

The Morning

After,

and the

Faithful

Servant
"The next morning a fine coach came with the faithful servant of the prince, who had suffered so much over his transformation, that he had had to put three iron hoops around his heart."

"The next morning, however, a resplendent coach with eight horses came decked with feathers and shimmering with gold, and with it was the prince's faithful Henry, who had been so saddened by the transformation of the prince, that he had had to put three iron hoops around his heart, so that it should not burst with sadness."

..."and on the next morning when the sun awoke them, a coach arrived with eight white horses which were adorned with feathers and harnessed with golden chains, and behind stood the servant of the young king, faithful Henry. Faithful Henry had been so unhappy when his lord had been transformed into a frog that he had had to put three iron hoops around his heart so that it should not burst with pain and sadness."

Unchanged from the second edition

The prince and the king's daughter got into the coach, and the faithful servant sat up behind, full of joy at the prince's release, and they set off for his realm. And when they had gone part of the way, the prince heard something crack behind him, as if something was broken, and he cried:

"Henry, the coach is breaking!"
"No, Lord, not the coach,
It is a hoop about my heart,
Which was in great pain,
When you were in the well,
When you were a frog."

Once again and still again there was a crack on the way, and the prince thought it was the coach breaking; but it was only the hoops which fell away from the heart of the faithful Henry, because his lord was released and happy.

* "Manuscript" refers to the Olenberg manuscripts of 1810, salvaged from the papers of Clemens Brentano. Translations of the texts are taken from John Ellis, One Fairy Story Too Many, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983. The cross-column summaries are synthesized from all four texts. This page produced by Cheryl Klein for Once Upon A Time: The Frog Prince.

Return to the Frog's Well.

	Manuscript* (1810)	First Edition (1812)	Second Edition (1819)	Third Edition (1837)
The Princess	The youngest daughter of the king.	A king's daughter	A "king's daughter who was so bored that she did not know what to do."	A king's youngest daughter, "who was so beautiful that the sun itself... was amazed whenever it looked at her face."
The Golden Ball	"Then she took a golden ball and was playing with it."	"She had a golden ball, which was her favorite toy, she threw it up high and caught it again in the air and it was her delight."	"Then she took a golden ball with which she had played often ... she ... threw the ball high into the air, caught it again, and it was a plaything for her."	"...and when she was bored she took a golden ball, threw it high into the air and caught it again and that was her favorite toy."
Her Reaction to the Loss of the Ball	"She saw how it fell into the depth and stood by the well and was very sad."	"Then she began to weep and lament pitifully: 'Oh! If I had my ball again, I would give everything for it, my clothes, my jewels, my pearls, and anything in the world.'"	... "the girl began to weep most pitifully and cried: 'Oh! My golden ball! if I had it again I would give everything for it: my clothes, my jewels, my pearls, even my golden crown as well.'"	"Then she began to weep, and wept louder and louder and was inconsolable."
A frog stuck his head out of the water and asked what she was lamenting about. "Oh, you horrid frog," she said, "what can you do to help me? my golden ball has fallen into the well."
The Exchange	"Then the frog said, if you will take me home with you, I will get your golden ball back for you."	"The frog said: 'your pearls, your jewels and your clothes, I don't ask for them, but if you will take me as your companion, and I shall sit near you and eat from your little golden plate and sleep in your bed and if you will esteem and love me, I will bring you back your ball.'"	"The frog continued: 'Your clothes, your jewels, your pearls, even your golden crown I don't want; but if you will accept me as your friend and companion, if I shall sit at your table at your right hand side, eat with you off your little golden plate, drink from your little goblet and sleep in your little bed then I will fetch your ball up again for you.'"	"The frog answered, 'your clothes, your pearls and jewels, your golden crown, I don't want them: but if you will love me and I can be your companion and playmate, sit near you at your little table, eat off your little golden plate, drink out of your little goblet, sleep in your little bed: if you promised me that, then I will fetch your golden ball again from the deep.'"
The Agreement	She promises it.	"The king's daughter thought, what is the silly frog talking about, he will surely have to remain in the water, but perhaps he can get me my ball back, and so I'll just say yes. And she said: 'Well, all right then, just get me my golden ball back and I'll promise you everything.'"	"The king's daughter thought in her heart: what nonsense the silly frog talks! A frog is not a companion for a human being, and has to remain in the water with his own kind, but perhaps he can get my ball out for me; and she said to him: 'Well, all right then, just get my golden ball for me and I'll promise you everything.'"	"'Oh yes,' she said, 'I promise you everything if you only bring me back the ball.' But she thought, 'What nonsense the silly frog talks, he stays in the water with his own kind, and croaks, and cannot be the companion of a human being.'"
The frog plunged under the water, retrieved her ball, and threw it onto land. The king's daughter grabbed it and ran away, ignoring the frog's calls to take him with her as she had promised. Once home, she forgot all about her promise to the frog. The next day, she had just sat down for dinner when she heard something coming up the marble staircase, plitch, platch! plitch, platch! soon after there was a knock on the door, and a voice cried "King's daughter, youngest, open up for me!" She ran to open the door; but seeing that it was the frog, slammed it again and returned to the table.
Telling Her Father	"Her father, however, asked who it was and she told him everything."	"But the king saw that her heart was pounding, and said: 'why are you afraid' --'Out there is a horrid frog, she said, who fetched my golden ball out of the water for me, I promised him that he should be my companion, but I never believed that he could leave his water, now he is outside the door and wants to come in.'"	"The king saw that her heart was pounding strongly and said: 'Why, what are you afraid of, is there a giant at the door waiting to get you?' 'Oh no,' said the child, 'it's not a giant but a horrid frog who fetched my golden ball out of the water for me yesterday in the forest; because of that I promised him that he should be my companion, but I didn't ever think that he could leave his water, now he is outside and wants to come in to me.'"	Unchanged from the second edition
Meanwhile, there was another knock and a cry: "King's daughter, youngest, open up for me, don't you know what yesterday you said to me by the cool well water? King's daughter, youngest open up for me."
Her Father's Instruction	"And the king ordered her to open up for the frog"	"The king said, 'What you have promised, you must do, go and open up the door for the frog.'"	"Then the king said: 'if you've promised it, you must keep your promise, go and open up for him.'"	Unchanged from the second edition
The princess opens the door for the frog, and he follows her back to the dining room.
Dinner Time	"Then he said to her put me next to you at the table, I want to eat with you. But she didn't want to do it until the king ordered it too. And the frog sat at the side of the king's daughter and ate with her."	..."and when she had sat down again, he cried: 'Pick me up and put me on a chair next to you.' The king's daughter didn't want to, but the king ordered her to. When the frog was up, he spoke: 'Now push your little golden plate nearer, I want to eat from it with you.' She had to do that too."	"Then he sat and cried: 'lift me up beside you!' She didn't want to, until the king ordered it. When the frog was now sitting up on a chair next to her, he said to her: 'now push your little golden plate nearer, so that we can eat together.' Full of annoyance she did this too, and the frog enjoyed it very much, but every mouthful stuck in her throat."	"There he sat and cried, 'lift me up beside you.' She didn't want to, until the king ordered it. When the frog had got onto the chair, he said 'now push your little golden plate nearer to me so that we can eat together.' She did that too, but you could see that she didn't want to. The frog enjoyed it well, but every mouthful stuck in her throat."
Bed Time	"And when he had had enough, he said to her: take me to your bed I want to sleep beside you."	"When he had eaten himself full, he said: 'Now I'm tired and want to sleep, take me up to your little bedroom, make your little bed ready, and we will sleep in it.'"	"Then he said: 'now I have eaten enough, and I'm tired, carry me up into your little room, and make your little silken bed ready, then we shall lie down to sleep.'"	"At last he said, 'now I have eaten enough, I'm tired, carry me up into your little room, and make your little silk bed ready and we shall lie down to sleep."
The Princess' Dilemma	"She didn't want to do that at all, because she was very much afraid of the cold frog. But the king ordered it again"...	"The king's daughter was alarmed when she heard that, she was afraid of the cold frog, she didn't think she could touch him and now he was to lie beside her in her bed, she began to cry and didn't want to do it at all. Then the king became angry and ordered her on pain of his displeasure, to do what she had promised."	"Then the king's daughter began to cry most bitterly and was afraid of the cold frog, she did not think she could touch him and now he was to sleep in her beautiful clean little bed. The king however looked angrily at her and said, 'what you have promised, you must do, and the frog is your companion.'"	"Then the king's daughter began to cry and was afraid of the cold frog whom she didn't dare to touch and who was now to sleep in her beautiful, clean little bed. The king however looked angrily at her, and said, 'what you have promised, you must do, and the frog is your companion.'"
Against the Wall	..."then she took the frog and carried him into her own room and full of anger she seized him and threw him with all her strength against the wall."	"It was no use, she had to do as her father wished, but she was bitterly angry in her heart. She seized the frog with two fingers and carried him up to her room, got into bed and instead of laying him next to her threw him crash! against the wall; 'Now you'll leave me in peace, you horrid frog!'"	"It was no use, whether she wanted to or not, she had to take the frog with her. But she was bitterly angry in her heart, seized him with two fingers and carried him up and when she lay in her bed, instead of lifting him into it, she threw him with all her strength at the wall; 'now you will have rest, you horrid frog!'"	"It was no use, whether she wanted to or not, she had to take the frog with her. Then she seized him, bitterly angry, with two fingers and carried him up and as she lay in bed instead of lifting him into it, she threw him with all her strength at the wall, and said 'Now you'll have peace, you horrid frog.'"
Transformation	"But as he hit the wall, he fell down into the bed and lay there as a handsome young prince"...	"Yet the frog did not fall down dead, but as he fell onto the bed, there was a beautiful young prince."	"But what fell down was not a dead frog but a living, young king's son with handsome and friendly eyes."	Unchanged from the second edition
Love and Marriage	..."and the king's daughter lay down with him."	"He now became her dear companion, and she cherished him as she had promised and they went to sleep contentedly together."	"He now became rightfully and with her father's approval, her dear companion and husband. They now fell asleep contentedly together"...	Unchanged from the second edition
The Morning After, and the Faithful Servant	"The next morning a fine coach came with the faithful servant of the prince, who had suffered so much over his transformation, that he had had to put three iron hoops around his heart."	"The next morning, however, a resplendent coach with eight horses came decked with feathers and shimmering with gold, and with it was the prince's faithful Henry, who had been so saddened by the transformation of the prince, that he had had to put three iron hoops around his heart, so that it should not burst with sadness."	..."and on the next morning when the sun awoke them, a coach arrived with eight white horses which were adorned with feathers and harnessed with golden chains, and behind stood the servant of the young king, faithful Henry. Faithful Henry had been so unhappy when his lord had been transformed into a frog that he had had to put three iron hoops around his heart so that it should not burst with pain and sadness."	Unchanged from the second edition
The prince and the king's daughter got into the coach, and the faithful servant sat up behind, full of joy at the prince's release, and they set off for his realm. And when they had gone part of the way, the prince heard something crack behind him, as if something was broken, and he cried: "Henry, the coach is breaking!" "No, Lord, not the coach, It is a hoop about my heart, Which was in great pain, When you were in the well, When you were a frog." Once again and still again there was a crack on the way, and the prince thought it was the coach breaking; but it was only the hoops which fell away from the heart of the faithful Henry, because his lord was released and happy.