A miller fell slowly but surely into poverty, until finally he had nothing more than his mill and a large apple tree which stood behind it. One day he had gone into the forest to gather wood, where he was approached by an old man, whom he had never seen before, and who said, "Why do you torment yourself with chopping wood? I will make you rich if you will promise me that which is standing behind your mill."
"What can that be but my apple tree?" thought the miller, said yes, and signed it over to the strange man.
The latter, however, laughed mockingly and said, "I will come in three years and get what belongs to me," then went away.
When he arrived home, his wife came up to him and said, "Miller, tell me, where did all the wealth come from that is suddenly in our house? All at once all the chests and boxes are full, and no one brought it here, and I don't know where it came from."
He answered, "It comes from an strange man whom I met in the woods and who promised me great treasures if I would but sign over to him that which stands behind the mill. We can give up the large apple tree for all this."
"Oh, husband!" said the woman, terrified. "That was the devil. He didn't mean the apple tree, but our daughter, who was just then standing behind the mill sweeping the yard."
The miller's daughter was a beautiful and pious girl, and she lived the three years worshipping God and without sin. When the time was up and the day came when the evil one was to get her, she washed herself clean and drew a circle around herself with chalk. The devil appeared very early in the morning, but he could not approach her. He spoke angrily to the miller, "Keep water away from her, so she cannot wash herself any more. Otherwise I have no power over her."
The miller was frightened and did what he was told. The next morning the devil returned, but she had wept into her hands, and they were entirely clean.Thus he still could not approach her, and he spoke angrily to the miller, "Chop off her hands. Otherwise I cannot get to her."
The miller was horrified and answered, "How could I chop off my own child's hands!"
Then the evil one threatened him, saying, "If you do not do it, then you will be mine, and I will take you yourself."
This frightened the father, and he promised to obey him. Then he went to the girl and said, "My child, if I do not chop off both of your hands, then the devil will take me away, and in my fear I have promised him to do this. Help me in my need, and forgive me of the evil that I am going to do to you."
She answered, "Dear father, do with me what you will. I am your child," and with that she stretched forth both hands and let her father chop them off.
The devil came a third time, but she had wept so long and so much onto the stumps, that they were entirely clean. Then he had to give up, for he had lost all claim to her.
The miller spoke to her, "I have gained great wealth through you. I shall take care of you in splendor as long as you live."
But she answered, "I cannot remain here. I will go away. Compassionate people will give me as much as I need."
Then she had her mutilated arms tied to her back, and at sunrise she set forth, walking the entire day until it was night. She came to a royal garden, and by the light of the moon she saw that inside there were trees full of beautiful fruit. But she could not get inside, for there it was surrounded by water.
Having walked the entire day without eating a bite, she was suffering from hunger, and she thought, "Oh, if only I were inside the garden so I could eat of those fruits. Otherwise I shall perish."
Then she kneeled down and, crying out to God the Lord, she prayed. Suddenly an angel appeared. He closed a head gate, so that the moat dried up, and she could walk through.She entered the garden, and the angel went with her. She saw a fruit tree with beautiful pears, but they had all been counted. She stepped up to the tree and ate from it with her mouth, enough to satisfy her hunger, but no more. The gardener saw it happen, but because the angel was standing by her he was afraid and thought that the girl was a spirit. He said nothing and did not dare to call out nor to speak to the spirit. After she had eaten the pear she was full, and she went and lay down in the brush.
The king who owned this garden came the next morning. He counted the fruit and saw that one of the pears was missing. It was not lying under the tree, but had somehow disappeared.
He asked the gardener what had happened to it. The gardener answered, "Last night a spirit came here. It had no hands and ate one of the pears with its mouth."
The king said, "How did the spirit get across the water? And where did it go after it had eaten the pear?"
The gardener answered, "Someone dressed in snow-white came from heaven and closed the head gate so the spirit could walk through the moat. Because it must have been an angel I was afraid, and I asked no questions, and I did not call out. After the spirit had eaten the pear it went away again."
The king said, "If what you said is true, I will keep watch with you tonight."
After it was dark the king entered the garden, bringing a priest with him who was to talk to the spirit. All three sat down under the tree and kept watch. At midnight the girl came creeping out of the brush, stepped up to the tree, and again ate off a pear with her mouth. An angel dressed in white was standing next to her.
The priest walked up to them and said, "Have you come from God, or from the world? Are you a spirit or a human?"
She answered, "I am not a spirit, but a poor human who has been abandoned by everyone except God."
The king said, "Even if you have been abandoned by the whole world, I will not abandon you."He took her home with him to his royal castle, and because she was so beautiful and pure he loved her with all his heart, had silver hands made for her, and took her as his wife.
格林童话《没有手的姑娘》（上）
从前有位磨房主，他越来越穷，除了磨房后有棵大大的苹果树外一无所有。有一天，他到森林里去砍柴，一个他从没见过的老头走近前来对他说：“你何苦这么辛苦地砍柴呀？只要你答应把你磨房后的东西给我，我就让你过富人的日子。”
“磨房后面不就是那棵苹果树吗？”磨房主想。“行。”他说着就写了个承诺给陌生人。
陌生人嘲笑地说：“三年之后，我会来取走属于我的东西。”说完便走了。
磨房主回到家中，妻子迎出来对他说：“快告诉我，咱们家这些财富突然从甚么地方来的？家里所有的箱笼一下子全被装满了，又没人来过，到底是怎么回事呀？”
磨房主回答说：“是我在森林里碰到的一个陌生人给的。他只要我们磨房后的东西作为回报。我们把那棵大苹果树给他不就得了。”
“唉呀，老公，”妻子吓坏了，“那准是恶魔！他不是要苹果树，他要的是我们女儿，她正在磨房后面扫院子呢。”
磨房主的女儿是个美丽、虔诚的姑娘，她敬畏上帝、没犯任何过失。三年过去了，在恶魔要来带她走那天，她将自己从头到脚洗得乾乾净净，用粉笔绕着自己画了一个圈。恶魔很早就来了，可就是没法靠近姑娘。他怒气沖沖地对磨房主说：“把水全给我拿走！让她没法洗得那么乾净。要不然我对她就没有魔法了。”
磨房主害怕，只得照办。第二天，恶魔又来了。可姑娘的泪水把她的手沖得十分乾净。恶魔还是没法靠近她，因此气势汹汹地对磨房主说：“把她的手砍掉，要不然我对她就没有魔力了！”
磨房主吓了一跳，回答说：“我怎么能砍自己孩子的手呢！”
恶魔威胁说：“如果你不这么做，你就是我的，我就要把你带走。”
这位父亲吓坏了，答应照他说的去做。他走到女儿跟前，对她说：“我的孩子，假如我不砍掉你的手，恶魔就要把我抓走，我吓坏了，就答应了他。现在请你帮帮我，饶恕我对你的伤害吧。”
姑娘回答说：“亲爱的父亲，尽管砍吧，我是你的孩子。”说着，她伸出了双手，让父亲砍下了。
恶魔第三次来到磨房。可是姑娘一直在哭泣，泪水将残肢沖洗得十分洁净。恶魔只好放弃了，而且对姑娘失去了所有权。
磨房主对女儿说：“我以你为代价换取了这么多财富。只要你活着，我就会让你过得舒舒服服的。”
可是姑娘回答说：“我不能住在这里，我情愿出去，有同情心的人们会给我所需要的东西的。”
她请人将她残废的手绑到身后，等太阳升起来的时候，便出发了，走了一整天，直到深夜。她来到一个皇家花园，在闪烁的月光中，她看到园子里挂满了诱人的果子的果树。但是她无法进去，因为果园被一道满是水的深壕围住了。
姑娘已经走了整整一天了，而且没吃过任何东西。她饿得要命。“啊，如果我在果园里面就能吃到水果了，”她想，“否则我准会饿死的！”
她跪到地上向上帝祈祷。忽然，有个天使向她走来，在水中筑起一道堤坝。这样一来，壕中的水干了，姑娘就可以走到果园去了。天使陪着她一起进了果园。果园的树上挂满了迷人的梨子，可每个上面都编了号。姑娘来到梨子树前，用嘴吃了树上的东西，足以满足她的饥饿感，但仅此而已。园丁看到了这一切，可见天使站在姑娘身边，便以为是幽灵，有些害怕，所以不敢出声，更不敢大声喊叫。她吃完梨子后，吃饱了，就走到灌木丛里躺下。
果园的主人是个国王。第二天，他来到果园数梨时发现少了一个，而且并没有落在地上，而是不知怎么消失了。
他问园丁怎么回事，园丁回复说：“昨晚来了个幽灵，没有手，用嘴咬掉了一个。”
“幽灵怎么越过水沟的呢？吃完梨之后上哪儿去了呢？”国王问。
园丁回答说：“有个浑身雪白的人从天而降。他筑起一道堤坝拦住了水，让幽灵走了过来。我想那人准是个天使，所以有些惧怕，没敢出声。幽灵吃完梨就走了。”
“我今晚和你一起看看是不是真像你说的那样。”国王说。
天黑了，国王带着牧师来到果园。他要牧师来是为了和幽灵对话。他们三人坐在树下等着、看着。半夜时分，姑娘从灌木丛里爬了出来，走到梨树下，用嘴咬下一个梨，身穿白袍的天使仍然陪着她。
牧师从树下走出来对他们说：“你们是从天上来的，还是从地下来的？是人还是鬼？”
姑娘回答说：“我不是鬼，我是个不幸的人。除了上帝外，人人都抛弃了我。”
国王接口说：“即使世界上所有的人都抛弃了你，我也不会那么做的。”他将姑娘带回王宫，姑娘的美貌和善良使国王深深地爱上了她。他为姑娘做了一双银手，并娶她为妻。
未完，请这里阅读下篇 没有手的姑娘（下）