Showing results by author "Jean Hersholt" in All Categories

Rasmus was a bitter, pessimistic young boy who was nothing like his good and pious mother. Rasmus was with a free spirit and he could not bear living in a small town. So he set on a long, exhausting journey - leaving behind his home, his family and his childhood friend Johanne. Years passed and Rasmus returned. But the old Rasmus’ spirit was not the same. The man was put under a spell. He was either going to be saved or the enchantment was going to kill him. The Old Johanne will tell us how Rasmus’ life went and what happened with him.

Bring in the New Year with the whimsical fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen! This collection of wonderful stories are centred around New Year’s Eve and will enchant children and adults alike. The collection contains the following fairy tales: - The Little Match Girl - The Story of the Year - Ole, the Tower Keeper - The Porter's Son - The Gardener and the Noble Family - Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist.

On the day that the emperor’s horse received his golden horseshoes as a reward for his heroic deeds, the beetle who shared his stable was very jealous. The smith refused to make shoes for his little feet and the beetle’s anger went up a notch. So, furious, he left the stable and set off to discover the world alone.

"One of you will be hanged, the second imprisoned, the third burned and the fourth turned upside down." This is how the children mocked the family of storks that lived on the roof. This frightened the chicks and, to reassure them, their mother spoke of the long journey they would soon take. And, who knows, perhaps one day they would have their revenge on the little tyrants who mocked them in their nest. - Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist.

"In all the world, no one knows as many stories as Ole-Luk-Oie. He really knows how to tell a tale." Every evening, Ole-Luk-Oie lulled the children with his stories and, one they were asleep, if they were good, he gave them beautiful dreams using his two umbrellas. What is Ole-Luk-Oie’s week like and what stories does he tell? Find out here.

Many families lived close to the pond: the roses, the sparrows and even men. During a family discussion, the little sparrows asked their parents, what is Beauty? A question whose answer would arrive in the most unexpected way. - Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist. Celebrated for children’s literature, his most cherished fairy tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", "The Nightingale", "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "The Snow Queen", "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Little Match Girl".

While the town judge was at his window, the son of the washerwoman passed before him. The judge said him unkind words to him about his mother. She drank to keep warm during the long days she spent washing in the freezing water of the river. He even told her son that she was good for nothing.

In Denmark, there is an old castle called Kronborg. Situated on the coast, in summer boats come here from all over the world, but the reason for the castle’s renown is hidden in its cellars. It is a statue of Holger Danske. Everyone in Denmark knows his history and the legend says that one day, the statue will come to life.

A woman wanted to have a child, but not knowing how to go about it, asked a witch for help. The witch gave her a barley seed and told her to plant it. No sooner had she done so than a large tulip grew. When it opened, the woman discovered a tiny girl, no bigger than her thumb. She called her Thumbelina. - Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist.

One day a Portuguese duck arrived at the duck house. Some said she came from Spain, but from then on all her descendants were called ‘Portuguese’. Today, there is only one Portuguese duck at the duck house - and it is she who takes care of the song bird who fell from the roof while the cat was chasing it...

In every peasant dwelling, lives a goblin, a small invisible creature, who plays all kinds of tricks on the inhabitants. At least, that is what the peasants believe, but one woman, the gardener’s wife, did not believe this. Yet, they really do exist, and the little goblin who lived in the gardener’s house was very angry that the woman did not believe in him! - Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist.

Once there was a pastor who always gave terrifying sermons. He promised that sinners would burn in hell and, in his eyes, everyone had committed sufficient wrongs to deserve this punishment. Despite his impressive speeches, the pastor’s wife did not believe that everyone could be as bad as all that. When she died, the pastor was very sad. But one night, the dead woman’s ghost appeared and took him on an adventure that led him to question everything he had previously believed.

Little Ida liked the student, who always had a tale to tell, a lot. So, one morning, when little Ida's flowers had all withered, she asked the student what could have happened to them.

One day, a diabolical troll made a mirror that showed everything beautiful as ugly and all that was good as evil. Delighted, the trolls decided to carry their mirror to heaven and mock the angels, but on the way the mirror shattered and pieces of the mirror spread across the world. This was how some became windows and others were made into spectacles, but the most unfortunate received tiny pieces in their eyes or in their heart, changing their life for ever.

In the tallest and poorest house in a very narrow winding street, was an attic with a single window. Behind this window, was a bird in a cage; the state of the house and the cage were so miserable that the bird did not even have a cup for drinking: he had to make do with the neck of a bottle closed with a stopper. The bird had no problem with this and sang joyfully - as for the bottle neck, he remembered the good old days when he was still a bottle...

A family of toads lived in a very deep well: it was so deep that, from the top, you could not even see the surface of the water.

A long time ago, in Copenhagen, there lived an old bachelor who lived alone in a small shack and always slept with a nightcap that he pulled well down over his face. People laughed at his strange attire. However, there was a story behind this nightcap and, if it had been widely know, they would have mocked him less.

In the rose bush in the middle of the garden lived a tiny elf, she was so small that it was impossible to see her with the naked eye. Behind each rose petal hides a room and the elf spent her days exploring the garden. At the bottom of the garden was a house where one day she saw a charming young woman, her lover and her evil brother. The tiny elf then found herself in the front row of a drama that would leave no one indifferent. - Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist.

One sunny day, when a little sea fish was swimming joyfully with his eighteen thousand brothers and sisters, the water was darkened by an enormous eel who came from above and was heading deeper into the sea. It disappeared very quickly and as soon as the calm had returned, the cutest little fish, who was also the most curious, went looking for information to find out who this newcomer to the Ocean was.

When his father died, young Johannes did not know what to do. He was now all alone in the world and he was inconsolable. With his inheritance, he decided to explore the world and he had only one goal in mind: to be as good as his father in the hope of one day finding him again in heaven. - Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist.