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Godfather Death

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm - No. 44

A poor man had twelve children and had to work day and night in order just to feed them. Thus when the thirteenth came into the world, not knowing what to do in his need, he ran out into the highway, intending to ask the first person whom he met to be the godfather.

……….(body too long, Death is chosen as the GODFATHER)

Death, seeing that he had been cheated out of his property for a second time, approached (his godson) the physician with long strides and said, "You are finished. Now it is your turn."

Then Death seized him so firmly with his ice-cold hand that he could not resist, and led him into an underground cavern. There the physician saw how thousands and thousands of candles were burning in endless rows, some large, others medium-sized, others small. Every instant some died out, and others were relit, so that the little flames seemed to be jumping about in constant change.

"See," said Death,

"these are the life-lights of mankind.

The large ones belong to children, the medium-sized ones to married people in their best years, and the little ones to old people. However, even children and young people often have only a tiny candle."

"Show me my life-light," said the physician, thinking that it still would be very large.

Death pointed to a little stump that was just threatening to go out, and said, "See, there it is."

"Oh, dear godfather," said the horrified physician, "light a new one for me. Do it as a favor to me, so that I can enjoy my life, and become king and the husband of the beautiful princess."

"I cannot," answered Death.

"One must go out before a new one is lighted."

"Then set the old one onto a new one that will go on burning

after the old one is finished,"

begged the physician.

Death pretended that he was going to fulfill this wish and took hold of a large new candle, but, desiring revenge, he purposely made a mistake in relighting it, and the little piece fell down and went out. The physician immediately fell to the ground, and he too was now in the hands of Death.

Source: Der Gevatter Tod, Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children's and Household Tales – Grimms' Fairy Tales), 7th ed. (Berlin, 1857), no. 44.

The Grimms' source: Marie Elisabeth Wild (1794-1867).