Category: Hans Christian Andersen

A couple of large ships were sent up toward the North Pole, to discover the boundaries of land and sea and how far it would…

”I’ll tell you a story,” said the wind. ”Kindly remember,” said the Rain, ”that it’s my turn to talk. You’ve been howling around the corner…

A duck arrived from Portugal. Some people said she came from Spain, but that doesn’t really matter. She was called the Portuguese; she laid eggs,…

There was once an old mansion with a moat and drawbridge. The drawbridge was more often up than down; not all visitors are good or…

”My poor flowers are quite dead,” said little Ida, ”they were so pretty yesterday evening, and now all the leaves are hanging down quite withered….

In a house, with a large courtyard, in a provincial town, at that time of the year in which people say the evenings are growing…

A very old house stood once in a street with several that were quite new and clean. The date of its erection had been carved…

There lived once a great queen, in whose garden were found at all seasons the most splendid flowers, and from every land in the world….

A rose tree drooped in the window. Not so long ago it was green and blooming, but now it looked sickly – something was wrong…

It was terribly cold and nearly dark on the last evening of the old year, and the snow was falling fast. In the cold and…

The storks relate to their little ones a great many stories, and they are all about moors and reed banks, and suited to their age…

In a nursery where a number of toys lay scattered about, a money-box stood on the top of a very high wardrobe. It was made…

You surely remember Ole, the tower watchman. I have told you about two visits I paid him, and now I’ll tell you of a third,…

A long time ago, there lived an old poet, a thoroughly kind old poet. As he was sitting one evening in his room, a dreadful…

One would have thought that something important was going on in the duck-pond, but it was nothing after all. All the ducks lying quietly on…

Whosoever could do the most incredible thing was to have the King’s daughter and half of his kingdom. The young men, yes, and the old…

It sizzled and fizzled as the flames fired the cauldron.. it was the Tallow Candle’s cradle – and out of the warm cradle came a…

There was a proud Teapot, proud of being made of porcelain, proud of its long spout and its broad handle. It had something in front…

”That was a terrible affair!” said a hen, and in a quarter of the town, too, where it had not taken place. ”That was a…

There was once a woman who wished very much to have a little child, but she coul not obtain her wish. At last she went…

In the forest that extends from the banks of the Gudenau, in North Jutland, a long way into the country, and not far from the…

In Denmark there stands an old castle named Kronenburg, close by the Sound of Elsinore, where large ships, both English, Russian, and Prussian, pass by…

A Beginning In a house in Copenhagen, not far from the king’s new market, a very large party had assembled, the host and his family…

”In the world it’s always going up and down; and now I can’t go up any higher!” So said Ole the tower-keeper. ”Most people have…

A whipping top and a little ball lay together in a box, among other toys, and the top said to the ball, ”Shall we be…

The New Century’ s Goddess – whom our great-grandchildren or perhaps a still later generation will know, but we shall not – when and how…

There is nobody in the world who knows so many stories as Ole-Luk-Oie, or who can relate them so nicely. In the evening, while the…

Between the Baltic and the North Sea there lies an old swan’s nest, wherein swans are born and have been born that shall never die….

There is an old fairy tale: ”The Thorny Road of Honor was trodden by a marksman named Bryde, to whom came great honor and dignity,…

It was in the month of May. The wind was still cold, but spring had come, said the trees and the bushes, the fields and…

There was once a regular student, who lived in a garret, and had no possessions. And there was also a regular huckster, to whom the…

There were two cocks– one on the dung-hill, the other on the roof. They were both arrogant, but which of the two rendered most service?…

A soldier came marching along the high road: ”Left, right – left, right.” He had his knapsack on his back, and a sword at his…

Poor John was very sad; for his father was so ill, he had no hope of his recovery. John sat alone with the sick man…

Have you ever seen ”a maiden”? I am referring to what road pavers call a ”maiden,” a thing used for ramming down the paving stones….

The country around the town of Kjöge is very bare. The town itself lies by the seashore, which is always beautiful, although it might be…

In a village there once lived two men who had the same name. They were both called Claus. One of them had four horses, but…

Yes, in a thousand years people will fly on the wings of steam through the air, over the ocean! The young inhabitants of America will…

There was a little sea fish of good family, the name of which I don’t remember; that the more learned will have to tell you….

There was once a girl who trod on a loaf to avoid soiling her shoes, and the misfortunes that happened to her in consequence are…

You know the Goblin, but do you know the Woman-the Gardener’s wife? She was very well read and knew poems by heart; yes, and she…

Every key has a history, and there are many kinds of keys – a chamberlain’s key, a watch key, Saint Peter’s key. We could tell…

There was once a king’s son who had a larger and more beautiful collection of books than any one else in the world, and full…

There was an aëronaut, and things went badly with him. His balloon burst, hurled him out, and went all to pieces. Just two minutes before,…

Many, many years ago lived an emperor, who thought so much of new clothes that he spent all his money in order to obtain them;…

In the midst of a garden grew a rose-tree, in full blossom, and in the prettiest of all the roses lived an elf. He was…

There was once a darning-needle who thought herself so fine that she fancied she must be fit for embroidery. ”Hold me tight,” she would say…

There was an old manor house where a young, splendid family lived. They had riches and many blessings; they liked to enjoy themselves, and yet…

Chicken Grethe was the only human tenant of the fine new house that was built for the hens and ducks on the estate. It was…

Anne Lisbeth’s complexion was like peaches and cream; her eyes were bright, her teeth shiny white; she was young, gay, and beautiful to look upon;…

The most solemn of all the days of our life is the day we die. It is judgment day, the great sacred day of transfiguration….

It is unbelievable all that children know nowadays; one can scarcely say what they don’t know. They no longer believe the old story that the…

In a poet’s study, somebody made a remark as he looked at the inkstand that was standing on the table: ”It’s strange what can come…

Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess; but she woul have to be a real princess. He travelled…

The General lived in the grand first floor, and the porter lived in the cellar. There was a great distance between the two families– the…

In the Garden of Paradise, beneath the Tree of Knowledge, bloomed a rose bush. Here, in the first rose, a bird was born. His flight…

What did the whole family say? Well listen first to what little Marie said. It was little Marie’s birthday, the most wonderful of all days,…

It was lovely summer weather in the country, and the golden corn, the green oats, and the haystacks piled up i the meadows looked beautiful….

There was a man who once knew many stories, but they had slipped away from him– so he said. The Story that used to visit…

When the wind sweeps over the grass, the blades of grass ripple like the water of a lake; and when it sweeps over the cornfield,…