The Fisherman and His Wife

One day, as he sat fishing, the hook went deep down in the clear water, and when he pulled it up, he had caught a big Fish. The Fish said to him, “Listen, fisherman, I beg of you, let me live. I am not a real fish; I am an enchanted Prince. I wouldn’t taste good to you if you cooked and ate me, so please, put me back into the water and let me go.”

“Well,” said the man, “don’t worry! A Fish that can talk is special, indeed! I will let you go.”

He put him back into the clear water, and as the Fish swam away, the man noticed that he left a long streak of blood after him. The fisherman got up and went home to his wife in the vinegar vat.

“Husband,” said the wife, “did you catch anything today?”

“No,” said the man, “I caught a large Fish who said he was an enchanted Prince, but I let him swim again.”

“Didn’t you ask him for a wish for yourself?” asked the wife.

“No,” said the man. “What could I have wished for? We have everything we need.”

“Well,” said the wife, “here we live in a vinegar vat that smells so sour and is so dark inside. You could have wished for a little cottage for us. Go back and call him. Tell him we want to have a little cottage, and he will surely give us that.”

“Why would he give us a cottage?” asked the man.

“Why, indeed!” said the woman. “You caught him and set him free. He is sure to do it. Go at once.” The man still did not want to go, but he did not want to anger his wife either, and so he went to the sea.

When he got there, the sea was all green and yellow, and no longer clear and calm. He stood and said:

Big Fish, big Fish in the sea,
Come, I beg thee, here to me;
Willful Isabel, my wife,
Is not happy with her life.

Soon the Fish came to where the man stood and said, “Well, what does she want, then?”

“Ah,” said the man, “because I caught you and set you free, my wife says I really ought to have wished for something. She does not want to live in our vinegar vat any longer and would like to have a cottage.”

“Go, then,” said the Fish, “she has it already.”

When the man got home, his wife was no longer in the vinegar vat. Instead, there was a cottage, and she was sitting on a bench in front of the door. She took him by the hand and went inside.

“See, now isn’t this a lot better?” she cried. Inside, there was a pretty, little parlor and bedroom, a kitchen, and pantry, with the best of furniture and the most beautiful things made of tin and brass. Behind the cottage was a small yard with hens and ducks and a little flower garden with fruit trees.

“Look,” said the wife, “isn’t that nice!”

“Yes,” said the husband, “and so it shall be--now, we will live here and be happy.”

“We will see about that,” said the wife. Then, they ate dinner and went to bed.

Things went well for a week or two, and then the woman said, “Husband, this cottage is too small for us, and the garden is puny. The Fish could just as easily have given us a larger house. I should like to live in a great stone castle. Go to the Fish again, and tell him to give us a castle.”

“Ah, wife,” said the man, “this cottage is good enough. Why should we live in a castle?”

“Why?” screeched the woman, “Because I want to, that’s why! Now go and tell the Fish to give us a castle!”

“No, wife,” the man responded, “the Fish has just given us this cottage, and I do not want to go back so soon; it might make him angry.”

“Go,” said the woman, “he can do it quite easily, and will be glad to do so. Just go to him.”

The man’s heart grew heavy, and he did not want to go. He said to himself, “It is not right,” and yet, he went. When he came to the sea, the water was purple and dark blue and gray and thick, no longer green and yellow, but was still calm. He stood there and said:

Big Fish, big Fish in the sea,
Come, I beg thee, here to me;
Willful Isabel, my wife,
Is not happy with her life.

“What does she want, now?” asked the Fish.

“Well,” said the man, half scared, “she wants to live in a great stone castle.”

“Go to her, then, for she is standing now before the great door,” said the Fish.

The man went home. A great stone castle stood where the cottage had been, and his wife was standing in front of a huge door. She took him by the hand, and into the castle they went. Inside, the great hall was paved with marble, and there were many servants who flung wide the doors. The walls were all covered with beautiful hangings, and in the rooms were chairs and tables of pure gold. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and all the rooms and bedrooms had carpets. Food and wine of the very best were loaded so heavily on a large, carved wooden table that it nearly broke from the weight. Behind the castle was a great courtyard, with stables for horses and cows and magnificent carriages. There was a wonderful, large garden, too, with the most beautiful collection of flowers and fruit trees. Behind the garden was a large park where deer, stag, and hares roamed free.

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“Well, what does she want now?” asked the Fish.

“Alas,” said the man, “she now wants to be Pope.”

“Go to her, then,” said the Fish, “she is Pope already.” So he went home, and when he got there, he saw what seemed to be a large church surrounded by many palaces. He pushed his way through the crowd. Inside, everything was alight with thousands of candles, and his wife was cloaked in gold, sitting on a much higher throne, and her crown was three times bigger than before. All around her was rich splendor, and on both sides of the throne was a row of candles, the largest of which was as tall as the very tallest tower, down to the very smallest birthday-cake candle, and all the emperors and kings were on their knees before her, kissing her shoe. “Wife,” said the man, “are you now Pope?”

“Yes,” said she, “I am Pope.” So he stood and looked at her, and with all the gold, it was just as if he was looking at the sun. Then, he said, “Wife, now that you are Pope, do let well enough alone! There is nothing greater that you can become. Please be satisfied now!” “We’ll see about that,” said the woman, whereupon they both went to bed. But she was not satisfied and was continually thinking what there was left for her to be. The man slept soundly, but the woman could not sleep at all. She tossed about in the huge bed all night, wondering what else she could ask for.

Eventually, the sun began to rise, and when the woman saw the red of dawn, she sat up in bed and looked at it. And when she saw the sun rising over the distant mountain top she said, “Why can’t I order the sun and moon to rise? Husband,” she said, poking him in the ribs with her elbow, “Wake up! Go to the Fish, for I wish to be like unto God.” The man was still half asleep, but he was so horrified that he fell out of bed. He thought he must have heard wrong and rubbed his eyes.

“What are you saying?” he asked, in disbelief. “If I have to look out and see the sun and moon rising, and cannot command them to rise or fall, I can’t bear it. I shall not have another happy hour unless I can make them rise and fall myself,” insisted the woman. When she looked at him, the poor man shuddered and fell to the ground. “Go at once to the Fish. I wish to be like unto God.”

“Alas, wife,” said the man on his knees before her, “the Fish cannot make you like unto God. He made an emperor and a pope, but I beg you, do not ask him to make you like unto God!” Then, she fell into a rage and her hair flew wildly about her head, her eyes rolled back, and she kicked him sharply in the ribs while she screamed, “I can’t stand it, I can’t stand it any longer! You must go this instant!” The man put on his clothes and ran away like a madman. Outside, a great storm was raging, and he could scarcely keep on his feet. The mountains trembled, houses fell over, the ocean was washing over the land, and the sky was pitch black with streaks of red. He went to the sea and called,

Big Fish, big Fish in the sea,
Come, I beg thee, here to me;
Willful Isabel, my wife,
Is not happy with her life.

“Well, what does she want, now?” asked the Fish. “Alas,” wept the man, “she wants to command the sun and moon to rise and to be like unto God.” “Go to her, then, and you will find her back in the vinegar vat.”

And there they are still living to this day.