Hans the Hedgehog

Hans the Hedgehog

Hans the Hedgehog

Dimension: Ogres:

A farmer and his wife wish for a child, even if it were a hedgehog. The wife gives birth to a strange child, a boy who is half human and half hedgehog. They name him Hans My Hedgehog. He asks for bagpipes and a rooster to ride away on. On his own, he herds pigs and donkeys in the forest. Two different kings get lost in his forest, and he agrees to show them the way out only if they give him their daughters in marriage. Each agrees, but the first king secretly doesn’t want to honor the bargain, and neither does his daughter. So when Hans My Hedgehog comes to claim his bride and finds out about their attitudes, he strips her naked and sticks her with his quills until she bleeds to death. He goes for the second daughter, who welcomes him warmly. When they’re married, he throws off his hedgehog skin and they burn it. The couple lives happily, and he brings his father to live with them.