Rapunzel: German Fairy Tale

The Story of Rapunzel

Rapunzel’s Parents and the Forbidden Garden

Once upon a time, in a village near a deep forest, there lived a couple who had long wished for a child. They were kind and hardworking, and at last, their wish came true.

Soon the woman became pregnant, and they dreamed of their happy future together.

The Garden Next Door and the Rapunzel Plant

One evening, the wife looked out of her window and saw a garden next door, filled with beautiful plants and flowers. It belonged to a witch named Gothel, and no one dared to enter it.

Still, the wife couldn’t take her eyes off the garden. In the center of it grew a special plant called rapunzel. For days, she craved it, so much so that she became weak and sick.

“I must have some of that rapunzel from the garden,” she whispered to her husband. “I don’t know why, but I need it. I’m feeling so ill.”

That night her husband, worried for her health, decided to sneak into the garden that night.

Though he feared the witch, he crept through the shadows and picked a handful of the rapunzel leaves.

His wife ate them and felt much better, but the next day, she wanted more.

Gothel’s Deal and the Baby Taken Away

“I’ll just go once more,” the husband told himself. But as he reached into the garden, a figure appeared in front of him. It was Gothel.

“How dare you steal from my garden!” Gothel’s voice was cold and sharp. “You’ll pay for this!”

“Please,” the man begged, “my wife is sick. She needed the rapunzel to feel better.”

Gothel thought for a moment, her eyes narrowing. “Very well,” she said. “But when your child is born, you must give her to me.”

The man was horrified. “No, we could never—”

“Then your wife will suffer,” Gothel interrupted. “Choose.”

Fearing for his wife, the man agreed to the witch’s terms, though his heart was heavy with dread.

When their daughter was born, Gothel appeared at their door. Without a word, she took the baby and disappeared into the forest. The couple never saw their child again.

Rapunzel’s Tower in the Deep Forest

Gothel named her Rapunzel and raised her in a tall tower, hidden deep in the forest. The tower had no doors, only a single window at the top. Gothel never let anyone see Rapunzel, keeping her locked away from the world.

As the years passed, Rapunzel grew into a beautiful young woman with long dark hair that gleamed softly in the sunlight.  Her hair grew longer and longer, until it was so long that Gothel could use it to climb up to the tower.

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” Gothel would call each day. Rapunzel would lower her long braid out the window, and Gothel would climb up.

Though Rapunzel was kind and gentle, she was terribly lonely. She often sat by the window, singing to pass the time. Her voice was sweet, and it echoed through the forest, though she never dreamed anyone would hear it.

The Prince Hears a Voice and Finds the Tower

One day, a prince was riding through the forest when he heard a beautiful voice. He stopped his horse and listened.

“Who could that be?” he wondered aloud.

He followed the voice deeper into the woods until he came upon the tall tower. He looked up and saw a young woman at the window, singing softly. Her dark hair flowed down, catching the sunlight with a soft, warm glow.

The prince was amazed. “How can I get up there?” he thought, looking around. He circled the tower but found no door.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard someone approaching. Quickly, he hid behind a tree and watched.

An old woman, dressed in dark robes, appeared at the base of the tower. She called out in a sharp voice, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”

To the prince’s surprise, a thick, dark braid fell from the window, and the old woman climbed up it like a rope.

“Who is she?” the prince wondered. “And why is that girl locked away in a tower?”

He decided to return the next day to see if he could speak with the girl himself.

Rapunzel Meets the Prince

The next day, the prince returned to the tower. He waited until the old woman had left, then he stood at the base of the tower and called out, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”

A Stranger Climbs the Tower

Rapunzel, thinking it was Gothel, lowered her braid out the window. But when the prince climbed up and appeared at her window, Rapunzel gasped in shock.

“You’re not Gothel!” she cried, stepping back.

“No, I’m not,” the prince said kindly. “I heard your singing and followed it here. I had to meet you.”

Rapunzel’s heart raced. She had never seen anyone besides Gothel before. “But… who are you?”

“I am a prince,” he explained. “I mean you no harm. I only wanted to know who you were and why you are locked in this tower.”

Rapunzel sighed, sadness in her eyes. “The woman you saw—Gothel—took me as a baby. She’s kept me here my whole life, and I don’t even know why.”

A Promise to Return

The prince frowned. “That’s terrible. You don’t deserve to be trapped here. Come with me, and I’ll take you away from this place.”

Rapunzel shook her head. “I can’t. Gothel would find me. I have no way to escape.”

The prince thought for a moment. “Then I’ll come back each day and visit you. We’ll find a way to free you, I promise.”

Rapunzel smiled for the first time. “Thank you. No one has ever been kind to me before.”

From that day on, the prince visited Rapunzel regularly, and they became close friends. Every time Gothel left, he would call out for Rapunzel, and they would spend hours talking and planning.

Gothel Discovers the Secret and Cuts Rapunzel’s Hair

For weeks, the prince visited Rapunzel, bringing her hope and joy she had never known before. But one day, as Gothel climbed up the tower, Rapunzel made a terrible mistake.

“Why are you so much heavier than the prince?” she asked, not realizing what she had said.

Gothel froze. “The prince? What prince?”

Rapunzel gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. She had said too much.

“You’ve been seeing someone behind my back!” Gothel shrieked, her eyes blazing with fury. “You’ve betrayed me!”

“No, Gothel, I didn’t mean to—” Rapunzel began, but Gothel’s face twisted with rage.

“Never again will you see him!” Gothel hissed. She grabbed a pair of scissors and, with a swift motion, cut off Rapunzel’s beautiful hair. The long, dark braid fell to the floor, lifeless.

Gothel’s voice was cold and cruel. “Now you’ll see what happens when you disobey me.”

That night, Gothel took Rapunzel far away to a lonely desert, where she left her to live in sorrow and isolation. Then, Gothel returned to the tower and waited for the prince.

The Prince Falls and Loses His Sight

The next day, the prince returned, as he always did, to visit Rapunzel. He called up to the tower, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”

A dark braid was lowered from the window, just as before. But when he climbed up, to his surprise he found Gothel waiting for him instead.

“You’re too late!” Gothel sneered. “Rapunzel is gone, and you will never see her again!”

The prince’s heart sank. “Where is she? What have you done to her?”

“She is far away, where you will never find her,” Gothel said coldly.

In despair, he leapt from the tower to escape Gothel’s wrath. He fell through the trees below, landing hard on the ground. Though he survived, his eyes were injured by the sharp thorns, and he was blinded.

Heartbroken, the prince wandered the forest, calling out for Rapunzel, though he had no hope of finding her.

Rapunzel in the Desert and the Reunion

Meanwhile, Rapunzel lived alone in the desert, her heart aching for the prince. Each day, she thought of him and the brief happiness they had shared. She cried often, her tears falling to the earth as she mourned her lost friend.

One day, as she walked through the desert, Rapunzel heard a familiar voice calling out. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Prince?” she whispered. “Is that really you?”

She ran toward the sound, and there, wandering blindly through the desert, was the prince. His clothes were torn, and he looked lost and hopeless.

“Prince!” Rapunzel cried, rushing to his side. “It’s me! It’s Rapunzel!”

He stopped, his eyes filling with tears. “Rapunzel? Is it really you?”

“Yes!” Rapunzel said, holding his hands. “I’ve missed you so much!”

As Rapunzel wept, her tears fell onto the prince’s face. To their astonishment, his sight was suddenly restored.

“I can see again!” the prince exclaimed, gazing into Rapunzel’s eyes. “Your tears… they healed me!”

Together, they left the desert, their hearts full of joy at being reunited.

Happily Ever After

The prince took Rapunzel back to his kingdom, where they were married in a grand celebration. Rapunzel was finally free from the tower and from Gothel’s control.

As for Gothel, she was never seen again after that day in the tower. Some say she returned to her lonely garden, where her power slowly faded. Others say she vanished into the forest, bitter and angry.

In the end Rapunzel didn’t worry about Gothel. She was free, and with the prince by her side, she finally knew what happiness and love truly felt like.

And so, Rapunzel and the prince lived happily ever after.