The Wedding of Mrs Fox: Grimm Fairy Tale

The Wedding of Mrs Fox is a German animal tale collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Unlike stories that follow a single sequence of events, this tale contains two versions of Mrs Fox’s unusual marriage story. In the first, an old fox pretends to be dead to test his wife, only to discover that other suitors arrive at his door. In the second, Mrs Fox is a widow who considers several animals before accepting a new fox. Both versions use animal characters and comic situations to explore marriage, jealousy and the qualities valued in a partner.

First Story: The Old Fox’s Test

Once upon a time, there lived an old fox who had nine tails. He was married to Mrs Fox, but he suspected that she was not faithful to him. Instead of speaking openly about his suspicions, he decided to test her.

The old fox stretched himself out beneath a bench. He remained completely still and behaved as though he were dead.

Mrs Fox went upstairs to her room and shut herself inside. Their maid, Miss Cat, stayed downstairs beside the fire, preparing food and attending to the household.

Before long, word spread that old Mr Fox had died. When the news reached the other animals, several suitors began arriving at the house, hoping to marry Mrs Fox.

The first visitor was a young fox. He knocked at the door and asked Miss Cat what she was doing.

Miss Cat replied with a little rhyme, explaining that she was awake and preparing warm beer with butter. The young fox declined the invitation to eat and asked what Mrs Fox was doing.

The cat told him that Mrs Fox was upstairs, grieving for her husband.

The young fox asked whether she would consider receiving a new suitor. Miss Cat agreed to carry the message upstairs.

The First Suitor Is Rejected

Miss Cat climbed the stairs and knocked at Mrs Fox’s door.

“Are you inside, Mistress Fox,” she called.

Mrs Fox answered that she was there and asked what the cat wanted.

“A young fox is waiting downstairs,” the cat explained. “He wishes to court you.”

Mrs Fox wanted to know what the visitor looked like.

“Does he have nine beautiful tails like my late husband,” she asked.

The cat admitted that the young fox had only one tail.

Mrs Fox immediately refused him.

“My husband had nine tails,” she declared. “I will not take a husband who has only one.”

Miss Cat returned downstairs and sent the disappointed suitor away.

Soon another fox arrived. He hoped that Mrs Fox would accept him as her husband, but he had only two tails. When Miss Cat carried the news upstairs, Mrs Fox rejected him as well.

The same thing happened with the next visitor. Although each suitor had more tails than the one before him, none was considered suitable until he possessed the same number as the old fox.

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Meanwhile, the old fox remained beneath the bench, listening to the events unfolding in his home.

The Nine Tailed Suitor

At last, a fox arrived who had nine tails, just like old Mr Fox.

Miss Cat hurried upstairs to announce the visitor. When Mrs Fox heard that the suitor possessed nine tails, she was delighted.

At last, she believed she had found a husband who matched the qualities of her former companion.

She instructed the cat to open the doors and prepare to remove the old fox from the house.

Mrs Fox even gave orders for the room to be cleaned and the wedding preparations to begin. She spoke as though her first husband were truly gone and her new marriage could proceed without delay.

However, the old fox had heard enough.

Just as the wedding was about to take place, he suddenly sprang up from beneath the bench. He was not dead at all. His supposed death had been a trick designed to discover whether his wife would accept another husband.

The old fox was furious. He took a cudgel and began beating the gathered suitors, driving them out of the house. He also drove Mrs Fox out with them.

His test had revealed what he suspected, but the result was not the peaceful resolution he might have expected. Instead, the wedding was ruined, and the household was thrown into confusion.

The first version ends with the old fox exposing his trick and driving everyone away.

Second Story: Mrs Fox Seeks a New Husband

The second version begins differently. In this account, old Mr Fox is genuinely dead, and Mrs Fox is left a widow.

Her maid, Miss Cat, remains in the house to serve her. When the news of the fox’s death spreads, animals from the surrounding countryside begin arriving to ask whether Mrs Fox will marry again.

The first visitor is a wolf. He greets Miss Cat and asks what she is preparing. The cat explains that she is making food and then tells him that Mrs Fox is mourning her dead husband.

The wolf expresses interest in marrying the widow. Miss Cat carries his proposal upstairs.

Mrs Fox asks what the visitor looks like and whether he possesses the qualities she admired in her former husband.

When she learns that the wolf does not have the features she wants, she refuses him.

The wolf leaves, and Miss Cat returns to her duties.

A Parade of Suitors

After the wolf, other animals arrive one after another. A dog comes to court Mrs Fox, followed by a stag, a hare, a bear and a lion. Other animals also seek her attention.

Each visitor hopes to become her new husband, but Mrs Fox compares them with her former companion.

She asks Miss Cat about their appearance and listens to the descriptions. Whenever a suitor lacks one of the qualities she remembers in her old husband, she sends him away.

The wolf does not satisfy her wishes. Neither does the dog, the stag, the hare, the bear or the lion.

Although these animals differ in appearance and character, none possesses the particular combination of features Mrs Fox desires.

Her maid continues carrying messages between the visitors and the widow upstairs. The repeated visits create a comic pattern, as one hopeful suitor after another arrives only to be rejected.

Mrs Fox is not prepared to accept just anyone who offers to marry her. She wants a husband who resembles the one she has lost.

The Fox Who Wins Her Heart

Eventually, a young fox arrives at the house.

Miss Cat speaks with him and then carries the news upstairs. Mrs Fox asks the familiar questions about his appearance.

This time, the answer pleases her. The young fox has red stockings and a pointed mouth, qualities that remind her of her former husband.

Mrs Fox agrees to receive him.

She tells Miss Cat to prepare the house for the wedding and gives her instructions to clean the room and remove the memory of the former husband from the household.

Her words are playful and unkind towards the dead fox. She recalls how he used to catch fat mice but complains that he ate them himself rather than sharing them with her.

The young fox is accepted, and the wedding preparations begin.

A Wedding Celebration

The second version ends with the marriage of Mrs Fox and the young fox.

The wedding is celebrated with rejoicing and dancing. The animals enjoy the occasion, and the story closes with the familiar fairy tale suggestion that the celebrations may still be continuing.

Unlike the first version, this story does not reveal a trick by the old fox or end with the wedding party being beaten and driven away. Instead, Mrs Fox chooses a new husband after considering several suitors.

Together, the two versions show different outcomes for a similar situation. In one, a husband’s jealousy leads him to test his wife, and his plan ends in disorder. In the other, a widow searches for a new companion and eventually finds one whose appearance matches her expectations.

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Moral Lesson

The Wedding of Mrs Fox reminds readers that jealousy and suspicion can create conflict, while judging others only by outward appearance can lead to shallow decisions. The two versions also show how different choices can produce very different outcomes.

Knowledge Check

1. How many tails did the old fox have in the first story?

The old fox had nine tails.

2. Why did the old fox pretend to be dead?

He suspected that his wife was not faithful to him and wanted to test her.

3. Why did Mrs Fox reject the early suitors in the first story?

She rejected them because they did not have nine tails like her husband.

4. Which animals came to court Mrs Fox in the second story?

The visitors included a wolf, a dog, a stag, a hare, a bear and a lion, followed eventually by a young fox.

5. What qualities did Mrs Fox want in her new husband in the second story?

She wanted a fox with red stockings and a pointed mouth, features she associated with her former husband.

6. How do the endings of the two stories differ?

In the first, the old fox reveals that he has been pretending to be dead and drives the wedding party away. In the second, Mrs Fox marries a young fox, and the wedding ends with celebration and dancing.

Source

Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm, Grimm’s Household Tales, translated by Margaret Raine Hunt, 1884, Tale 38, “The Wedding of Mrs Fox” (German: “Die Hochzeit der Frau Füchsin”). The original collection contains two versions of the tale. This article adapts both versions while keeping their separate plots and endings.

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