The Heavenly Wedding (Children's Legends)

Name: The Heavenly Wedding (Children's Legends)
Author: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

A young girl marries a prince who has been turned into a frog by a wicked witch. The girl's kindness and love ultimately break the curse, transforming the frog back into a handsome prince. They get married in a grand ceremony attended by all the creatures of the forest.

By Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm · First published 1819 · Genre: Fairy Tale, Religious Fiction, Children's Literature · 605 words

First lines

A poor peasant-boy one day heard the priest say in church that whosoever desired to enter into the kingdom of heaven must always go straight onward. So he set out, and walked continually straight onwards over hill and valley without ever turning aside. At length his way led him into a great town, and into the midst of a church, where just at that time God's service was being performed. Now when he beheld all the magnificence of this, he thought he had reached heaven, sat down, and rejoiced with his whole heart. When the service was over, and the clerk bade him go out, he replied, "No, I will not go out again, I am glad to be in heaven at last. " So the clerk went to the priest, and told him that there was a child in the church who would not go out again, because he believed he was in heaven. The priest said, "If he believes that, we will leave him inside. " So he went to him, and asked if he had any inclination to work. "Yes," the little fellow replied, "I am accustomed to work, but I will not go out of heaven again. " So he stayed in the church, and when he saw how the people came and knelt and prayed to Our Lady with the blessed child Jesus which was carved in wood, he thought "that is the good God," and said, "Dear God, how thin you are! The people must certainly let you starve; but every day I will give you half my dinner. " From this time forth, he every day took half his dinner to the image, and the image began to enjoy the food. When a few weeks had gone by, people remarked that the image was growing larger and stout and strong, and wondered much. The priest also could not understand it, but stayed in the church, and followed the little boy about, and then he saw how he shared his food with the Virgin Mary, and how she accepted it.

What this Textopian page supports

The Heavenly Wedding (Children's Legends) is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, dated 1819 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Fable
Author: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Date: 1819 CE
Language: English
Genres: Fairy Tale, Religious Fiction, Children's Literature, Fantasy, Moral Tale
Length: 605 words
Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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Similar titles

Genres

Fairy Tale — The narrative follows a traditional fairy tale structure with a moral lesson, fantastical elements, and a child protagonist.
Religious Fiction — The story incorporates religious themes, such as heaven, divine figures, and moral teachings.
Children's Literature — The simple language, moral lesson, and child protagonist make it suitable for a young audience.
Fantasy — The story includes fantastical elements, such as a talking image and a miraculous transformation.