The Fox and the Geese
Tasty geese. All together in a meadow. Just before the fox eats them, they have a little request…
The Fox and the Geese is a Brothers Grimm fairy tale about a fox who finds a flock of geese in a meadow. Before eating them they are allowed to say their last prayer. The geese start to cackle, and they are still cackling to this day.
Complete text The Fox and the Geese
The fox once came to a meadow in which was a flock of fine fat geese.
He smiled at them and said, “This is a perfect time, you are sitting together quite beautifully. I can eat you up one after the other.”
The geese cackled with terror, sprang up, and began to wail and beg piteously for their lives.
But the fox would listen to nothing, and said, “There is no mercy! You must die.”
At last one of them took heart and said, “If we poor geese are to yield up our vigorous young lives, show us the only possible favor. Allow us one more prayer, that we may not die in our sins. After it, we will place ourselves in a row, so that you can always pick yourself out the fattest.”
“Yes,” said the fox, “that is reasonable, and a pious request. Pray away, I will wait till you are done.”
Then the first began a good long prayer, forever saying, “Ga! Ga!”
As she would make no end, the second did not wait until her turn came, but began also, “Ga! Ga!” The third and fourth followed her, and soon they were all cackling together.
When they have done praying, the story shall be continued further. At present, they are still praying without stopping.
Tips for Telling The Fox and the Geese
- This is a fun little story to throw in between longer stories or at the end of a storytelling session. Practice the sound of the geese beforehand.
- The end will come as a surprise to people. Take a good pause to allow them to process that this story has no real ending.
- What is the reaction of the fox at the end? You don’t need to show it, but it’s good to know it.
All Questions Answered
It was published by the Brothers Grimm in the first edition of their Grimm’s Fairy Tales. However it was missing from some first printed editions, and this was later corrected.
The Brothers Grimm included it in the 1812 first edition of their Grimm’s fairy tales.
The Fox and the Geese was originally the last tale of the first volume of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales. They wanted to show that storytelling goes on and on and on.
More Useful information
Fairy tales with a fox
- The Fox and His Cousin
- The Fox and the Cat
- The Fox and the Geese
- The Fox and the Horse
- The Golden Bird
- The Hare’s Bride
- The Wedding of Mrs. Fox
- The Wolf and the Fox
- The Wolf and the Man
- The Wonderful Musician
Fairy tales with a goose
Photo credits: Nick Fewings on Unsplash
The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales on this website are based on the authentic translation of Margaret Hunt. They were edited and reformatted for pleasant reading and telling by Storyteller Rudolf Roos.
See the complete list of The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales (link to internationalstoryteller.com).