This book contains the following story:
"The Fisherman and His Wife" is a well-known German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. Here's a summary of the plot:
Once, there was a poor fisherman who lived in a small, rundown hut by the sea. One day, he caught a magical fish that spoke to him, claiming to be an enchanted prince. The fish begged the fisherman to release him back into the sea, promising to grant him any wish in return.
The fisherman, being a kind-hearted soul, released the fish without making a wish. When he returned home, he told his wife about the encounter. Intrigued, the fisherman's wife demanded that her husband return to the sea and ask the fish for a small cottage to replace their hut.
The fisherman complied, and when he made his wish, the magical fish granted it immediately. The couple moved into the cozy cottage, but the wife soon grew dissatisfied. She wanted more and more, making increasingly extravagant wishes.
With each wish, the fish granted her requests, transforming their cottage into a castle and fulfilling her desires for power and wealth. However, her greed knew no bounds. She demanded to be queen, then empress, and eventually even wanted to become ruler of the sun, moon, and stars.
The fisherman, troubled by his wife's insatiable greed, went to the sea once more. The fish, saddened by the woman's ungratefulness, granted the fisherman's wish and reversed all the previous wishes. When the fisherman returned home, he found their tiny, rundown hut restored, and his wife was once again content but humbled.
"The Fisherman and His Wife" serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of greed and the importance of being content with what one has. It highlights the themes of humility, gratitude, and the dangers of never being satisfied with material wealth.
