The Moon.

This is a story called,

The Moon. By The Brothers Grimm.

In days gone by there was a land where the nights were always dark, and the sky spread over it like a black cloth, in that land the moon never rose, and no star shone in the sky. At the creation of the world, the light at night had been sufficient. Three young men once went out of this country on a travelling expedition, and arrived in another kingdom, where, in the evening when the sun had disappeared behind the mountains, a shining globe was placed on an oak-tree, which shed a soft light far and wide.

Even though this soft light was not as brilliant as the sun it still enabled the people of that land to see everything at night. The travellers stopped and asked a man who was driving past with his cart, what kind of a light it was.

"That’s the moon," answered the man,” our mayor bought it for three Euros, and fastened it to the oak-tree. He has to keep it clean and pour oil into it daily, so that it continues to burn clearly. We pay him a generous wage for doing it and everyone is happy."

When the countryman had driven away, one of travellers said,

 "We could make some use of this lamp, we have an oak-tree at home, which is just as big as this, and we could hang it on that. What a pleasure it would be not to have to feel about at night in the darkness!"

 "I'll tell you what we'll do," said the second; "we will fetch a cart and horses and carry away the moon. The people here can always  buy themselves another lamp."

"I'm a good climber," said the third, "I will bring it down."

The second traveller brought a cart and horses, and the third climbed the tree, bored a hole in the moon, passed a rope through it, and let it down. When the shining ball lay in the cart, they covered it over with a cloth, so it was hidden from view and no one would see that they had stolen it.  They carried it safely back to their own country, and placed it on a high oak tree.

All the people of their land were overjoyed when the new lamp cast its light over the whole land, and bed-rooms and sitting-rooms were filled with it. The dwarfs came forth from their caves in the rocks, and the tiny elves in their little red coats danced in rings on the meadows.

The travellers took care that the moon was provided with oil, cleaned the wick, and received their weekly wages which had been agreed with the people of their land. All went well for a number of years but eventually with the passing of time the three travellers became old men, and when one of them grew ill, and saw that he was about to die, he gave orders that as he owned one third of the moon, then this should  be laid in his grave with him. When he died, the mayor climbed up the tree, and cut off a third with a big pair of scissors, and this was placed in his coffin according to his orders. The light of the moon decreased, but by very little, in fact you would hardly notice it.

When the second traveller died, a third of the moon was buried with him, and the light of the moon grew weaker.  It grew weaker still after the death of the third traveller who had the last piece of the moon buried with him, so weak in fact that the old state of darkness returned, and whenever the people went out at night without their lanterns they knocked their heads together.

When, however, the pieces of the moon had united themselves together again in the world below, where darkness had always prevailed, it came to pass that the dead became restless and awoke from their sleep. They were astonished when they were able to see again; the moonlight was quite sufficient for them, for their eyes had become so weak that they could not have borne the brilliance of the sun. They rose up and were merry, and fell into their former ways of living. Some of them went to the theatre and to dances, others went to the pub, where they asked for wine or beer, got drunk, started fighting, arguing, and beating each other over the head with branches and stones. They made such a noise that it even reached heaven.

Saint Peter who guards the gates of heaven thought the lower world had broken out in revolt and gathered together the heavenly troops, which are always kept ready to do battle against the Evil One when he and his demons stormed the gates of heaven.  The Evil One and his demons, however, did not come, so Saint Peter got on his horse and rode through the gates of heaven, down into the world below. When he saw what had happened he ordered the dead to get back in their graves and wait until he called them. He then took the moon away with him and hung it up in heaven and that is where it is till this day and all people of the world can share its light.