Rapunzel

Once upon a time, there lived a man and woman, who for a very long time had dreamed of having a baby. They hoped one day their wish would come true.

They lived together in a little house, next to a beautiful garden full of flowers and herbs.

The garden belonged to a witch, who everyone feared and was surrounded by a huge wall so no one could enter.

One morning, the woman was looking out of her bedroom window into the garden below and saw the tastiest looking plant, known as Rapunzel.

The plant looked good enough to eat and the woman really wanted to taste it. The urge to eat some of the delicious looking plants got greater and greater every day.

One day the man decided he would climb into the walled garden to get some for her.

When night-time came, he climbed over the wall, into the witch’s garden and took a handful of the plant’s fresh green leaves.

His wife was so thankful he had done this for her. She made herself a delicious salad and ate it all up. She liked it so much the next day she wanted even more!

Once again as darkness fell, the man climbed over the wall into the witch’s garden.

This time, just as he was taking a handful of the plant, he realised the witch was standing behind him and he was terrified.

“How dare you come into my garden and steal my plants!” she yelled “You will pay for this!”

“I am so sorry,” the man replied, “My wife saw it from our window, and she longed to taste some. The more she ate, the more she needed, so I had to get it for her.

“Very well,” said the witch, “If this is true and your wife needs the plant as much as you say, take as much as you wish but I have one condition… You must give me your first-born child when it is born and I will take care of it like I am its mother.

The man was so scared of the witch he agreed to her demands and went back home to his wife.

The man and woman’s dream soon came true and their first baby, a little girl, was born. As soon as the witch heard this, she came and took her away and she named the baby Rapunzel.

Rapunzel grew up to be the most beautiful girl in the world.

When she was twelve years old, the witch took her deep into the forest and locked her in a very high tower. The tower had no door or stairs, just a small window at the top.

When the witch wanted to get up into the tower, she would call up to Rapunzel and say:

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel,

Let down your hair”

Rapunzel had the longest, most beautiful, golden hair anyone had ever seen. When she heard the witch calling, she let down her hair from the small window at the top of the tower, so the witch could climb up.

A few years passed and Rapunzel continued to be alone in the tower with only the witch for company during the day. At night she was all alone. To pass the time Rapunzel loved to sing and she had the sweetest voice.

One day, a prince was riding through the forest on his horse when he heard Rapunzel singing.

He wanted to see her but there was no way into the tower. He rode back home on his horse but he could not forget the sound of Rapunzel’s voice.

Every day he rode into the forest to listen to her sing again and again.

One day he was standing behind a tree listening to her sing when he saw the witch call to Rapunzel and say:

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel,

Let down your hair”

Rapunzel let down her hair and the prince realised this is how he could get up into the tower. The next day he returned and said:

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down your hair”

Rapunzel let down her long, beautiful, golden hair and the prince climbed up.

Rapunzel was frightened at first when she saw the prince as she had never seen another person apart from the witch. He reassured her and she was no longer afraid.

The prince was so in love with Rapunzel he asked her to marry him!

She had been on her own for so long in the tower that she decided the prince would love her more than the witch does and agreed to go with him.

As there were no stairs, Rapunzel had no way of getting down from the tower. She asked the prince to bring her some rolls of silk so she could make a ladder.

Every evening, after the witch had gone, the prince brought Rapunzel the silk.

The old witch did not know about the prince until one day Rapunzel said, “How is it you are so much heavier to pull up than the prince?”

This made the witch very angry. She thought she had hidden Rapunzel away from the world and did not like being lied to.

In her anger, the witch grabbed a pair of scissors and cut off poor Rapunzel’s long, beautiful, golden hair!

She took Rapunzel through the forest, into the desert and left her there alone.

Later that same day, the witch took Rapunzel’s cut hair and attached it to a hook on the window of the tower and waited for the prince to arrive.

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel,

Let down your hair,” the prince called.

The witch let down the long, beautiful, golden hair, but when the prince climbed up and reached the top, he realised his dearest Rapunzel was not there – he had been tricked by the witch.

She told the prince Rapunzel had gone and he would never see her again.

The prince was so upset, he jumped from the tower, ran deep into the forest, and lived there for a few years, wandering aimlessly, thinking about poor Rapunzel.

As he was wandering through the forest one day, still thinking about Rapunzel, he came across the desert where the witch had taken her.

There he heard a familiar sound. It was his beloved Rapunzel singing with her sweet voice.

They both cried tears of joy to have found each other again and returned to the prince’s kingdom together where they lived happily ever after.