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Bearskin

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Ex-soldier serves devil 7 years, then does a lot of good, wins youngest of 3 sisters as wife. He is free again. Who serves devil now?

Der Froschkönig oder der eiserne Heinrich
Katze und Maus in Gesellschaft
Marienkind
Von einem, der auszog, das Fürchten zu lernen
Der Wolf und die sieben jungen Geißlein
Der treue Johannes
Der gute Handel
Der wunderliche Spielmann
Die zwölf Brüder
Das Lumpengesindel
Brüderchen und Schwesterchen
Rapunzel
Die drei Männlein im Walde
Die drei Spinnerinnen
Hänsel und Gretel
Die drei Schlangenblätter
Die weiße Schlange
Strohhalm, Kohle und Bohne
Von dem Fischer und seiner Frau
Das tapfere Schneiderlein
Aschenputtel
Das Rätsel
Von dem Mäuschen, Vögelchen und der Bratwurst
Frau Holle
Die sieben Raben
Rotkäppchen
Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten
Der singende Knochen
Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren
Läuschen und Flöhchen
Das Mädchen ohne Hände
Der gescheite Hans
Die drei Sprachen
Die kluge Else
Der Schneider im Himmel
Tischchen deck dich, Goldesel und Knüppel aus dem Sack
Daumesdick
Die Hochzeit der Frau Füchsin
Die Wichtelmänner
Der Räuberbräutigam
Herr Korbes
Der Herr Gevatter
Frau Trude
Der Gevatter Tod
Daumerlings Wanderschaft
Fitchers Vogel
Von dem Machandelboom
Der alte Sultan
Die sechs Schwäne
Dornröschen
Fundevogel
König Drosselbart
Schneewittchen
Der Ranzen, das Hütlein und das Hörnlein
Rumpelstilzchen
Der liebste Roland
Der goldene Vogel
Der Hund und der Sperling
Der Frieder und das Katherlieschen
Die zwei Brüder
Das Bürle
Die Bienenkönigin
Die drei Federn
Die goldene Gans
Allerleirauh
Häsichenbraut
Die zwölf Jäger
Von dem Sommer- und Wintergarten
Jorinde und Joringel
Die drei Glückskinder
Sechse kommen durch die ganze Welt
Der Wolf und der Mensch
Der Wolf und der Fuchs
Der Fuchs und die Frau Gevatterin
Der Fuchs und die Katze
Die Nelke
Das kluge Gretel
Der alte Großvater und der Enkel
Die Wassernixe
Von dem Tode des Hühnchens
Bruder Lustig
Der Spielhansl
Hans im Glück
Hans heiratet
Die Goldkinder
Der Fuchs und die Gänse
Der Arme und der Reiche
Das singende, springende Löweneckerchen
Die Gänsemagd
Der junge Riese
Das Erdmännchen
Der König vom goldenen Berg
Die Rabe
Die kluge Bauerntochter
Der alte Hildebrand
Die drei Vögelchen
Das Wasser des Lebens
Doktor Allwissend
Der Geist im Glas
Des Teufels rußiger Bruder
Der Bärenhäuter
Der Zaunkönig und der Bär
Der süße Brei
Die klugen Leute
Märchen von der Unke
Der arme Müllerbursch und das Kätzchen
Die beiden Wanderer
Hans mein Igel
Das Totenhemdchen
Der Jude im Dorn
Der gelernte Jäger
Der Dreschflegel vom Himmel
Die beiden Königskinder
Vom klugen Schneiderlein
Die klare Sonne bringts an den Tag
Das blaue Licht
Das eigensinnige Kind
Die drei Feldscherer
Die sieben Schwaben
Die drei Handwerksburschen
Der Königssohn, der sich vor nichts fürchtet
Der Krautesel
Die Alte im Wald
Die drei Brüder
Der Teufel und seine Großmutter
Ferdinand getreu und Ferdinand ungetreu
Der Eisenofen
Die faule Spinnerin
Die vier kunstreichen Brüder
Einäuglein, Zweiäuglein und Dreiäuglein
Die schöne Katrinelje und Pif Paf Poltrie
Der Fuchs und das Pferd
Die zertanzten Schuhe
Die sechs Diener
Die weiße und die schwarze Braut
Der Eisenhans
Die drei schwarzen Prinzessinnen
Knoist und seine drei Söhne
Das Mädchen von Brakel
Das Hausgesinde
Das Lämmchen und Fischchen
Simeliberg
Auf Reisen gehen
Das Eselein
Der undankbare Sohn
Die Rübe
Das junggeglühte Männlein
Des Herrn und des Teufels Getier
Der Hahnenbalken
Die alte Bettelfrau
Die drei Faulen
Das Hirtenbüblein
Die Sterntaler
Der gestohlene Heller
Die Brautschau
Die Schlickerlinge
Der Sperling und seine vier Kinder
Das Märchen vom Schlaraffenland
Das Dietmarsische Lügenmärchen
Rätselmärchen
Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot
Der kluge Knecht
Der gläserne Sarg
Der faule Heinz
Der Vogel Greif
Der starke Hans
Das Bürle im Himmel
Die hagere Liese
Das Waldhaus
Lieb und Leid teilen
Der Zaunkönig
Die Scholle
Rohrdommel und Wiedehopf
Die Eule
Der Mond
Die Lebenszeit
Die Boten des Todes
Meister Pfriem
Die Gänsehirtin am Brunnen
Die ungleichen Kinder Evas
Die Nixe im Teich
Die Geschenke des kleinen Volkes
Der Riese und der Schneider
Der Nagel
Der arme Junge im Grab
Die wahre Braut
Der Hase und der Igel
Spindel, Weberschiffchen und Nadel
Der Bauer und der Teufel
Die Brosamen auf dem Tisch
Das Meerhäschen
Der Meisterdieb
Der Trommler
Die Kornähre
Der Grabhügel
Oll Rinkrank
Die Kristallkugel
Jungfrau Maleen
Die Stiefel von Büffelleder
Der goldene Schlüssel

Once upon a time there was a young fellow who enlisted as a soldier, held his own bravely, and was always the foremost when it rained blue beans. As long as the war lasted, everything went well, but when peace was concluded, he received his discharge, and the captain said he could go wherever he wanted. His parents were dead and he had no home, so he went to his brothers and asked them to support him until the war started again. But the brothers were hard-hearted and said, "What shall we do with you? We can't use you, see how you get along. The soldier had nothing left but his rifle, which he took on his shoulder and wanted to go into the world. He came to a large heath, on which nothing was to be seen but a ring of trees: under it he sat down quite sadly and pondered his fate. I have no money,' he thought, 'I have learned nothing but the trade of war, and now that peace has been concluded, they no longer need me; I see ahead I must starve.

Suddenly he heard a roar, and as he looked around, an unknown man stood in front of him, wearing a green skirt, looking quite handsome, but with a nasty horse's foot. 'I already know what you lack,' said the man, 'money and goods you shall have, as much as you can get by with all your might, but I must first know if you are not afraid, lest I spend my money in vain.' 'A soldier and fear, how does that fit together?' he replied, 'you can put me to the test.' 'Well,' replied the man, 'look behind you.' The soldier turned around and saw a big bear trotting toward him, growling. I want to tickle you on the nose, so that you won't feel like growling,' the soldier shouted, and shot the bear on the snout, so that it collapsed and didn't move anymore. I see,' said the stranger, 'that you do not lack courage, but there is still one condition, which you must fulfill. If it does not harm my happiness,' replied the soldier, who well realized whom he had before him, 'otherwise I will not agree to anything. You will see for yourself,' replied the greencoat, 'for the next seven years you must not wash, comb your beard and hair, cut your nails, or pray the Lord's Prayer. Then I will give you a skirt and coat, which you must wear during this time. If you die during these seven years, you are mine, but if you stay alive, you are free and rich for life. The soldier thought of the great trouble he was in, and since he had gone to his death so often, he wanted to dare to do it now, too, and agreed. The devil took off the green skirt, handed it to the soldier and said, 'if you have the skirt on your body and reach into your pocket, you will always have a hand full of money'. Then he skinned the bear and said 'this shall be your coat and also your bed, for you must sleep on it and not get into any other bed.' And because of this costume you shall be called Bear Skin.' Then the devil disappeared.

The soldier put on the skirt, immediately reached into his pocket and found that the matter was justified. Then he put on the bear skin, went out into the world, was in good spirits and did nothing that was good for him and bad for the money. In the first year he was doing well, but in the second year he looked like a monster. His hair covered almost his entire face, his beard resembled a piece of coarse felt cloth, his fingers had claws, and his face was so covered with dirt that if you had sown cress in it, it would have sprouted. Whoever saw him ran away, but because he gave money to the poor in all places so that they would pray for him that he would not die during the seven years, and because he paid everything well, he still received shelter. In the fourth year he came to an inn, where the innkeeper did not want to take him in and would not even give him a place in the stable, because he feared his horses would become shy. But when the bear skinner reached into his pocket and took out a handful of ducats, the innkeeper relented and gave him a room in the back building, but he had to promise not to show his face, so that his house would not get a bad reputation.

As the bear-skinner sat alone in the evening, wishing with all his heart that the seven years were over, he heard a loud wailing in an adjoining room. He had a compassionate heart, opened the door and saw an old man crying profusely and beating his hands over his head. The bear skinner approached, but the man jumped up and wanted to escape. At last, hearing a human voice, he was moved, and by friendly coaxing the bear-skinner made him reveal the cause of his grief. His fortune had gradually dwindled, he and his daughters were starving, and he was so poor that he could not even pay the innkeeper and was to be put in prison. If you have no further worries," said the bear-skinner, "I have enough money. He sent for the host, paid him, and put another bag of gold in the unfortunate man's pocket. When the old man saw himself released from his worries, he did not know how to show his gratitude. Come with me," he said to him, "my daughters are wonders of beauty, choose one of them as your wife. When she hears what you have done for me, she will not refuse. You look a little strange, of course, but she will fix you up.' The bear-skinner liked that and went along. When the eldest saw him, she was so frightened by his face that she cried out and ran away. The second one stopped and looked at him from head to toe, but then she said, "How can I take a man who is no longer human? I liked the shaved bear even better, who was seen here once and pretended to be a man, but he had a hussar's coat on and white gloves. If he were only ugly, I could get used to him. The youngest, however, said, "Dear father, this must be a good man who has helped you out of trouble; if you have promised him a bride in return, then your word must be kept. It was a pity that the bear-skin's face was covered with dirt and hair, otherwise one could have seen how his heart laughed in his body when he heard these words. He took a ring from his finger, broke it in two and gave her one half, keeping the other for himself. In her half he wrote his name and in his half he wrote her name and asked her to keep her piece. Then he took his leave and said, "I have to wander for another three years, but if I don't come back, you will be free, because I will be dead. But ask God to preserve my life.

The poor bride dressed all in black, and when she thought of her bridegroom, tears came to her eyes. Her sisters gave her nothing but scorn and ridicule. Be careful,' said the eldest, 'if you shake hands with him, he will hit you with his paw. Beware,' said the second, 'the bears love sweetness, and if you please him, he will eat you up. You must always do his will," said the eldest again, "otherwise he will start growling. And the second continued, 'but the wedding will be fun, bears dance well.' The bride was silent and did not let herself be misled. The bear-skinner, however, went about the world from one place to another, doing good where he could and giving abundantly to the poor so that they would pray for him. Finally, when the last day of the seven years dawned, he went out again to the heath and sat down under the ring of trees. Not long after, the wind blew, and the devil stood before him and looked at him glumly; then he threw him the old skirt and demanded his green one back. 'We are not that far yet,' replied the bear-skinner, 'first you shall clean me.' The devil may or may not have wanted to, but he had to fetch water, wash the bearskin, comb his hair and cut his nails. Then he looked like a brave warrior and was much more beautiful than ever before.

When the devil had happily departed, the bear's heart was light. He went into town, put on a splendid tunic, got into a carriage with four white horses and drove to his bride's house. No one recognized him; his father took him for a noble field officer and led him into the room where his daughters were sitting. He had to sit down between the two oldest ones: they poured him wine, put the best morsels before him and said they had not seen a more beautiful man in the world. The bride, however, sat opposite him in a black dress, did not open her eyes and did not speak a word. When he finally asked the father if he wanted to give him one of his daughters as a wife, the two oldest jumped up, ran into their chamber and wanted to put on splendid clothes, because each of them imagined that she was the chosen one. The stranger, as soon as he was alone with his bride, took out half the ring and threw it into a cup of wine, which he handed to her across the table. She accepted it, but when she had drunk and found half the ring lying at the bottom, her heart sank. She fetched the other half, which she wore on a ribbon around her neck, held it to it, and it turned out that both parts fitted perfectly to each other. Then he said, "I am your betrothed bridegroom, whom you have seen as a bear skinner, but by the grace of God I have regained my human form and have become pure again. He went up to her, embraced her and gave her a kiss. Then the two sisters came in in full costume, and when they saw that the handsome man had been given to the youngest, and heard that it was the bear-skinner, they ran out in anger and rage; one drowned herself in the well, the other hanged herself on a tree. In the evening someone knocked at the door, and when the bridegroom opened it, it was the devil in the green skirt, who said, 'You see, now I have two souls for your one.

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