Today I am going to tell a very interesting and educational short story called “The Fisherman and his Wife”. This is one of the fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm in Germany. Although the story happened a long time ago, the truths told in it are still applicable even now.
The story is about the life of an ordinary fisherman and his wife. They were doing okay, but because they were too greedy, they ended up with nothing. If you want to know what they really went through, then read on!
The old couple who lived by the sea.
Once upon a time there was an old fisherman and his wife who lived in a little wooden house by the sea. The house was very old, and it looked rickety from the wind and the rain, but they lived quite peacefully.
Every morning, the fisherman would go out to the sea with his tattered fishing net to catch fish. Sometimes they were lucky enough to catch a few fish to cook and eat in soup, but if they were unlucky, they could only go home empty-handed. The days weren’t rich, but they didn’t have much to worry about.
Caught a talking fish.
One day, the fisherman went fishing as usual, and suddenly found an unusually large fish in his net. The fish was strange-looking, with round eyes and a mouth that opened and closed as if it were saying something.
Just as the fisherman was about to take the fish home, something unexpected happened – the fish actually spoke!
It said, “Please let me go back to the sea! I’m no ordinary fish, I’m a prince who was turned into a fish by magic.”
The fisherman was shocked to hear this, but he was a kind man and released the fish back into the sea without much thought.
When he came home he was scolded by his wife.
When he got home, the fisherman told his wife about the incident. He thought his wife would praise him for doing a good thing, but to his surprise, instead of praising him, she got angry and said:
“Why are you so stupid? Why don’t you let him fulfill a wish for you? Like asking for a big house or a big sum of money!”
When the fisherman heard this, he felt a little regret in his heart, but he just sighed and said nothing.
The wife started making demands.
Early the next morning, his wife urged him again, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go to the beach to find that fish so that it can build us a better house.”
The fisherman was actually not very willing to go, but he couldn’t help his wife’s daily nagging, so he had to go to the beach.
He shouted from the seashore, “Flounder in the sea, listen to me, it is my wife who told me to come to you.”
After a while, the marvelous fish really appeared. It asked the fisherman, “What does your wife want this time?”
Embarrassed, the fisherman whispered, “She says she wants a nice house.”
The flounder nodded and said, “Then go back, she’s already got it.”
The fisherman half-heartedly went home and found that the old dilapidated hut was gone, and in its place was a new, clean and tidy house with a table, chairs, beds, and nice dishes, and even a little garden.
The fisherman thought to himself: this should always satisfy him, right?
But he was wrong.
Greed grows stronger and stronger.
Within a few days, his wife began to complain again: “This house is too small, I want a bigger one! Go tell the fish again, let’s move into a big palace made of stone!”
It was hard for the fisherman to hear this, but he went to the beach anyway. This time, the water became muddy and yellow, not as clear as before.
Once again he stood on the shore and called out, “Flounder in the sea, please listen to me, it was my wife who told me to come to you.”
The flounder reappeared and asked him, “What does she want this time?”
The fisherman sighed and said, “She wants a stone palace.”
The flounder was silent for a moment, then said, “Well, go back and see, she’s already got it.”
Sure enough, as soon as the fisherman returned home, there was a large, gilded mansion before him, with servants standing at the door, and gardens and carriages behind the house. Life became very luxurious at once.
But his wife said coldly, “This is not enough.”
The wife who wanted to be king.
A few days later, the wife made a new request: “I don’t want to live in just a big house, I want to be a king! Go catch some fish to help me realize this wish!”
When the fisherman heard this, he felt bad. He knew the wish was too big, but went to the sea anyway.
The weather wasn’t too good this time either, the sea was windy and there was a bad smell in the air.
The fisherman stood on the shore and shouted with a little tremor in his voice, “Flounder in the sea, please listen to me, it was my wife who told me to come to you.”
The flounder appeared and asked him, “What does she want now?”
The fisherman looked down and said, “She …… wants to be king.”
The flounder laughed and said, “Then go home, she is already king.”
When the fisherman returned home, he saw his wife sitting on a high throne in a gorgeous dress, surrounded by ministers and soldiers. She had really become the ruler of the country.
But there was not a smile on her face.
Next, she wanted to be pope.
After becoming king, the wife didn’t stop there. Soon afterward, she had a new idea: “The king doesn’t have enough power; I want to be the pope! That way, everyone will have to listen to me!”
The fisherman almost cried when he heard this. He pleaded with his wife to stop wishing, but she wouldn’t listen at all.
The fisherman had no choice but to go to the beach again. The sky was overcast, the wind howled, and the waves lapped at the shore as if warning him not to come back.
He gathered his courage and shouted, “Flounder in the sea, please listen to me, my wife told me to come to you.”
The flounder appeared one last time and asked him, “What does she want this time?”
The fisherman choked and said, “She …… wants to be pope.”
The flounder nodded and said, “Then go back and see, she has already achieved it.”
The fisherman returned home and found that everything had changed. What had been a palace had become a church, and his wife was sitting at the top, receiving worship from the people. She had truly become a religious leader.
But there was still no joy on her face.
In the end, she wanted to be God.
You think that’s the end? No, it wasn’t over.
One day, the wife made another amazing request: “I want to become God! I’m only as strong as I can be if I become God Almighty! You go now and tell the fish to make me the supreme God!”
The fisherman almost fell to the ground when he heard this. He cried and begged his wife, “Don’t ever make such a wish again, it’s too much!”
But his wife didn’t care about that at all. Instead, she scolded him for being timid and fearful, and forced him to set out immediately to find fish.
With tears in his eyes, the fisherman went out to sea once again. This time the weather was particularly bad, the wind was howling, the waves were tumbling, and the whole world seemed to be shaking.
He shouted with all his strength, “Flounder in the sea, please listen to me, it was my wife who told me to come to you.”
The flounder finally appeared. It looked tired and asked the fisherman, “What else does she want?”
The fisherman almost cried, “She …… wants to be a god.”
The flounder was silent for a long time, sighed and said, “Go back then, she is nothing now.”
Everything went back to square one.
The fisherman returned home and was shocked by the sight before him. The magnificent church was gone, and everything was back to the way it was: the dilapidated hut, the simple furniture, nothing had changed.
His wife sat at the door, full of remorse, unable to utter a word.
After that, the magical halibut never appeared again, and all their wishes were in vain. They could only continue to live the same hard life.
Words to children: Learn to be contented and be happy!
Dear children, do you think the fisherman’s wife was too greedy?
In fact, she was not a bad person in the beginning, but she just didn’t know the meaning of “enough”. She always wanted “more” and lost everything.
So we have to remember: don’t always want more, learn to cherish what you already have. If you think about how to make yourself happy every day, instead of always staring at what others have, then you will live a happier life.
Gratitude is a strength and contentment is a wisdom. I hope we can all become a person who knows how to be content and grateful!
