The Cock and the Hen
One day, the cock tells the hen that they should go eat the ripe nuts on the hill. If they don’t go now, the squirrels will soon eat them all. The hen agrees and the two set off.At the hill, they both eat their fill from morning to evening. Yet, when it’s time to leave, they both refuse to walk home, so the cock builds a carriage out of nutshells.
Delighted, the hen hops into the carriage and tells the rooster to pull her. But the rooster refuses: “I would rather go home on foot than let myself be harnessed to it.”
While they argue over the carriage, a duck comes along and reprimands the greedy chickens for taking nuts from her nut-hill. She rushes at the cock with her beak open and ready to snap.
However, the cock retaliates and injures her with his spurs, so that the duck willingly agrees to pull the carriage. The cock harnesses the duck up and urges her forward: “ Duck, go as fast as you can.”
Pins and Needles
After a while, the carriage comes upon a pin and needle walking in the road. They approach the carriage and ask the chickens to give them a ride, for they are exhausted, the road is dirty, and the sun sets fast. The cock agrees and they ride on.
Night falls and, not wishing to drive in the dark, they stop at an inn. At first, the landlord refuses to take them in. But the two chickens address him with kind language and offer him the hen’s egg laid on the way, as well as the duck (who also lays a daily egg), that he finally relents and allows them to stay the night.
However, his kindness is ill rewarded. For, as the sun rises the next day, the cock and hen get up before everyone else. Rather than giving the innkeeper the hen’s egg, they eat it themselves and leave the eggshell on the hearth. Moreover, they stick the sleeping needle in the landlord’s chair cushion and place the pin in his towel.
Having performed their mischievous acts, the cock and hen flee. The duck sees the chickens fleeing and likewise takes the opportunity to escape down a small stream.
A couple hours later, the landlord wakes. He washes his face, but, when he dries it, the pin in the towel scratches him across the face.
He then heads into the kitchen to light his pipe. As he bends down at the hearth, the eggshell flies up into his face.
Filled with anger, he sits down in his chair. Ouch! The needle in the cushion pokes him and he quickly jumps back up.
Furious, the landlord searches for the two chickens, but discovers that they had fled. After such an ordeal, he promises never to accept ragamuffins into his inn again.
Through this story, the Brothers Grimm demonstrated that the cock and hen lose friends and good opportunities through their unkind and mischievous actions. Their greedy, ungrateful behavior creates a divide between themselves and the rest of the world.
By showing the cock and hen’s negative outcome, the Brothers Grimm emphasized that everyone should uphold acts of charity and goodwill. Such acts bring joy, peace, friendship, and unity.
