A Wish for a Child
In a small village, a man, and a woman who were very nice to all around had a home filled with love and peace. The nice people had quite a lot of things, but there was one thing they lacked—a child. Long years came and went, but the harvest of their love remained empty. The woman was pregnant at last. Their joy was beyond words.
The woman was able to look into the lovely garden that was next to their house. The garden was full of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. However, the garden was the witch’s possession, who was quite a wicked character and if anyone was to go there, it had to be only herself.
One day a woman was walking in a garden and she spotted a green plant with leaves. The plant was named rapunzel. She couldn’t quite explain it, but she became extremely hungry for that plant.
“If I don’t eat that rapunzel plant,” she told her husband “I think I might not survive.”
The Rapunzel Plant and Witch’s Deal
The husband, however, although he didn’t want to anger the witch, loved his wife so much that he couldn’t stay at home. He waited until it was dark and silently climbed over the wall into the witch’s garden. He took some of the rapunzel leaves and gave them to his wife. She ate them with great pleasure and was relieved.
The following night, the husband set off once again to gather more rapunzel leaves. However, this time, the witch was there and she caught him.
“Thief, do you think me a fool that you could take from my garden without my knowledge?” she screamed with eyes red as coals.
“I am very sorry,” the man said while going down on his knees and looking up at her kindly. “It is certainly not the case that my wife is going to have a baby and that she was very sick. Only the leaves to save her I took.”
The witch was silent for some time, and then she told, “I would prefer not to impose a sentence, but the only way this is possible is if you give me your child when it is born.”
The man was very sad but there was no other way so he winked to her and agreed.
Rapunzel is Taken Away and Life In the Tower
Once a baby girl was born, the witch appeared and took the baby. She also gave the baby the name Rapunzel. She brought Rapunzel up in a tower that was in the middle of the forest. The tower did not have a door and only one small window at the very top.
With time, Rapunzel’s golden hair became longer and longer—it even touched the floor.
Rapunzel was in the tower every day. She did not have anyone to talk to except the witch, who only came once a day. When the witch came, she would stand under the tower and shout:
“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”
Rapunzel would then let her hair go out of the window, and the witch would use it as if it were a rope and climb up.
Rapunzel was crazy about singing and she was frequently singing charming songs during her hair brushing and while looking out of the window, she was just dreaming of the world outside.
The Prince Hears a Voice
Once upon a time, a prince was riding on his horse through the woods when he heard Rapunzel’s sweet singing and decided to follow the voice. He caught sight of the tower and, not wanting to be noticed, he hid behind a tree. In a moment, he saw the witch coming and calling out:
“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”
Unexpectedly, a lock of hair appeared at the window and the witch went up.
The prince, who had never seen anything like it before, stood there in complete silence until the witch went away. Then he gave it a shot:
“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”
Rapunzel, who believed it was the witch, went to the window to let down her hair. But when the prince entered her room after climbing up, she was so frightened that she was almost speechless.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“I am a prince and your voice was the reason I came. It was the happiest sound I have ever heard,” he said in a soft voice.
Rapunzel was never in a situation to have anyone but the witch to be around her. The prince was gentle and friendly though, and soon they were inseparable.
A Secret Friendship
Every day the prince came to the tower to visit Rapunzel. They talked, laughed, and even dreamed up a plan to get her out of the tower. The prince told that he would bring a piece of silk each time, and she could turn it into a ladder to go down if she wanted.
Rapunzel was happy. For the first time in her life, she was going to be free.
Then, one day, while she was combing her hair, she inadvertently told the witch, “You weigh definitely more than the prince!”
The witch was very angry. She was sure that Rapunzel could not have been with only herself now.
The Witch’s Cruel Trick and the Power of True Love
At one point, while trying to untangle her long, shining yellow hair, Rapunzel said to the witch without realizing it, “You are so much heavier than the prince!”
The eyes of the witch became very big with the anger. She was sure now that Rapunzel was meeting someone secretly.
In a mood of anger, the wicked witch took a pair of scissors and cut off Rapunzel’s hair that was very beautiful. After that, she sent Rapunzel without any mercy far away from there to live alone in a dry and empty desert. Rapunzel was crying as she was heartbroken and frightened.
Now, the witch remained in the tower and stayed there while she waited for the prince to come back.
“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” the prince shouted when he arrived on the following day.
Upon the window, the witch released the hair that had been cut off. The prince was so surprised when he saw the angry witch instead of the smiling Rapunzel, that he forgot why he was there.
“Looking for someone?” the witch whispered fiercely, and with that, she gave the prince a push, and he was out of the high tower.
His landing spot was a bed of thorny bushes beneath the tower. Though he barely survived, the thorns were so sharp that they got into his eyes and thus, he could not see. The prince was blind.
Even in the dark, he really did not lose his spirit. For many days and nights, he was going through the forests and deserts, still calling Rapunzel, though. Though he was tired, hungry, and in pain, he only kept on walking, with hope being his only lamp.
Then one day, from quite a distance in the desert, Rapunzel recognized a voice that called her name. Her heartbeat became very fast. She dashed towards the voice and, upon meeting the prince, she exclaimed, “My prince!”
She was crying while hugging him. When her tears got into his eyes, a miracle happened—his sight came back! The prince was able to see once more!
Elated, he carried Rapunzel back to his kingdom. The people were very warm and joyful about her arrival. In a short time, they got married, and from that very moment on, Rapunzel and the prince enjoyed their happily ever after—being free, loved, and never lonely.
What we learn from the Rapunzel Story
True love, kindness, and patience can overcome any difficulty. Even when things seem lost, hope and courage can lead to happiness.