The Musicians of Bremen

Once upon a time, in a small village in the countryside, there was a donkey who had spent many years faithfully serving his master. He carried heavy sacks of grain to the mill every day, but now he was growing old and weak. One morning, the donkey overheard his master saying, “This donkey is no use to me anymore. I’ll have to get rid of him.”

The donkey, frightened and determined to save himself, decided to run away. “I’ll go to Bremen,” he thought. “I’ve always wanted to be a musician. I’ll join a band and sing to my heart’s content!”

With newfound hope, the donkey set off on the road to Bremen.

As the donkey trotted along the path, he met a dog lying by the side of the road. The dog looked tired and sad.

“Why do you look so down, my friend?” the donkey asked.

“My master says I’m too old to hunt, so he doesn’t want me anymore,” the dog replied. “Now I don’t know what to do.”

“Well,” said the donkey, “why don’t you come with me to Bremen? I’m going to be a musician. You can join my band and play the drum!”

The dog’s tail wagged with excitement. “That sounds wonderful! Let’s go!” And so, the two animals continued down the road together.

Not long after, they came across a cat sitting on a fence, looking miserable.

“What’s wrong, little cat?” asked the donkey.

The cat sighed. “I’m too old to catch mice, so my mistress doesn’t want me anymore. She threw me out of the house, and now I have nowhere to go.”

“Don’t be sad,” said the donkey. “We’re going to Bremen to become musicians. You can join us and play the violin!”

The cat’s whiskers twitched with excitement. “That sounds like fun! I’ll come with you.”

Now the donkey, the dog, and the cat made their way down the road to Bremen.

As the sun began to set, the trio heard a loud crowing in the distance. Following the sound, they found a rooster perched on a gate, crowing so loudly that it echoed through the countryside.

“Why are you crowing so loudly, friend?” asked the dog.

“I’m crowing for the last time,” the rooster replied sadly. “My mistress says I’m no good because I’m getting old, and she plans to cook me for dinner tomorrow.”

“That’s terrible!” said the donkey. “Why don’t you join us? We’re going to Bremen to become musicians. Your voice is so loud—you could be our lead singer!”

The rooster brightened up immediately. “That’s a splendid idea! Let’s go!”

Now the group was complete: the donkey, the dog, the cat, and the rooster made their way toward Bremen, singing and dreaming of their future as musicians.

As night fell, the animals realized they were still far from Bremen and needed a place to rest. In the distance, they saw the warm glow of a cottage. Quietly, they approached and peeked through the window.

Inside, they saw a group of robbers feasting at a table covered with food and drink. The animals’ mouths watered, and their stomachs growled.

“That food would be perfect for us,” whispered the rooster. “But how can we get rid of the robbers?”

The animals huddled together and came up with a clever plan.

The donkey stood on his hind legs and placed his front hooves on the windowsill. The dog climbed onto the donkey’s back, the cat perched on the dog’s back, and finally, the rooster flew to the top. Together, they created a towering figure.

At the signal, they began their performance. The donkey brayed, the dog barked, the cat meowed, and the rooster crowed, creating such a terrible racket that it sounded like a chorus of ghosts and monsters.

The robbers, startled by the noise and the frightening shadow at the window, thought they were being attacked by spirits. Panicking, they ran out of the cottage and into the forest, leaving everything behind.

Laughing at their success, the animals entered the cottage and helped themselves to the food. They ate and drank until they were full, then found cozy spots to rest.

The donkey lay down on a pile of straw in the yard, the dog curled up behind the door, the cat settled on the hearth near the warm fire, and the rooster perched on a high beam. Soon, they were all fast asleep, dreaming of Bremen and their future as musicians.

Later that night, the robbers, shivering in the forest, decided to return to the cottage. “We must have imagined those ghosts,” one of them said. “Let’s go back and check.”

The bravest robber crept into the dark cottage. He saw the cat’s glowing eyes near the fire and mistook them for burning coals. When he reached out to light his candle, the cat scratched him viciously.

Startled, the robber stumbled toward the door, where the dog bit him on the leg. As he ran into the yard, the donkey kicked him with his strong hind legs. Finally, the rooster, still perched on the beam, let out a deafening crow.

Terrified, the robber ran back to the forest, screaming, “The cottage is full of monsters! We’ll never go back!”

The animals laughed when they heard the robbers had fled for good. They realized they had no reason to leave—they had found a home where they could live together in safety and comfort.

As for Bremen, they decided they didn’t need to go after all. Instead, the donkey, the dog, the cat, and the rooster spent their days making music in their cozy cottage, happy to have each other and a place to call home.