A merchant wanted to go to the fair, so he asked his three daughters what he should bring them. The eldest said, "a beautiful dress;" the second, "a pair of pretty shoes;" the third, "a rose." But it was difficult to get the rose, because it was the middle of winter, but because the youngest was the most beautiful, and she was so fond of flowers, the father said he would see if he could get it and make a real effort.

When the merchant was on his way back again, he had a splendid dress for the eldest, and a pair of beautiful shoes for the second, but he had not been able to get the rose for the third, when he had gone into a garden, and asked for roses, the people had laughed at him, "whether he believed that roses grew in the snow." But he was very sorry about that, and as he pondered whether he could not bring anything for his dearest child, he came to a castle, and there was a garden in which it was half summer and half winter, and on one side the most beautiful flowers were blooming large and small, and on the other side everything was bare and there was a deep snow. The man got down from his horse, and when he saw a whole hedge full of roses on the summer side, he was glad, went and broke one off, then rode away again. He had already ridden a little way, when he heard something running and snorting behind him, he turned around, and saw a large black animal, which shouted: "you give me back my rose, or I will kill you, you give me back my rose, or I will kill you!" then the man spoke: "I beg you, leave me the rose, I should bring it to my daughter, she is the most beautiful in the world." - "For my sake, but give me the beautiful daughter in exchange for a wife?" The man, in order to get rid of the beast, said yes, and thought that it would not come and demand her, but the beast still called behind him: "In eight days I will come and get my bride.

The merchant brought each of the daughters what they had wanted; they were all happy about it, but the youngest was most happy about the rose. After eight days the three sisters were sitting together at the table, when something came with a heavy gait up the stairs and to the door, calling, "Open up! Open up!" So they opened the door, but were quite startled when a large black beast entered: "Since my bride has not come, and the time is up, I will get her myself. With that, it approached the youngest daughter and grabbed her. She began to scream, but it was no use, she had to leave with him, and when the father came home, his dearest child had been stolen. But the black beast carried the beautiful maiden into his castle, where it was quite wonderful and beautiful, and musicians were in it, who played, and downstairs the garden was half summer and half winter, and the beast did everything for her love, which it could only see in her eyes. They ate together, and she had to scoop him up, otherwise he would not eat; then she became fond of the animal, and at last she was quite fond of him. Once she said to it: "I am so afraid, I don't really know why, but I feel as if my father were ill, or one of my sisters, if I could only see them once! Then she led the beast to a mirror and said, "Look into it," and as she looked into it, it was just as if she were at home; she saw her room and her father, who was really ill, out of heartache, because he blamed himself that his dearest child had been stolen by a wild beast and had even been eaten by it; if he had known how well he was, he would not have grieved; she also saw her two sisters sitting by the bedside, crying. Her heart was heavy from all this, and she begged the beast to let her go home again for only a few days. The beast did not want to for a long time, but at last, as she lamented, it took pity on her and said: "Go to your father, but promise me that you will be back in eight days. She promised him, and when she left, he called out: "But don't stay out longer than eight days.

When she came home, her father was happy to see her again, but the illness and suffering had already eaten away at his heart so much that he could not get well again, and after a few days he died. Then she could think of nothing else because of sadness, and afterwards her father was buried, so she went with him to the corpse, and then the sisters cried together and comforted each other, and when she finally thought of her dear animal again, the eight days had long since passed. Then she was quite frightened, and it seemed to her as if she were also ill, and she immediately set out and went back to his castle. But when she arrived again, it was quite quiet and sad there, the musicians were not playing, and everything was covered with black pile; but the garden was all winter and covered with snow. And when she looked for the animal itself, it was gone, and she searched everywhere, but she could not find it. Then she was doubly sad, and did not know how to comfort herself, and once she was walking so sadly in the garden, and saw a pile of cabbages, which were already old and rotten at the top, so she laid them around, and when she had turned a few over, she saw her dear animal, which was lying underneath and was dead. She quickly fetched water and doused it with it continuously, and it jumped up and was suddenly transformed into a handsome prince. Then the wedding was held and the musicians played again immediately, the summer side in the garden came out splendidly, and the black pile was torn off, and they lived happily together forever.