Section 1
There was a castle located in a dense forest, and inside it lived an elderly woman who was a witch. During the day, she transformed herself into either a cat or a screech-owl, but at night she returned to her original human form. The witch possessed the ability to attract and capture wild animals and birds, which she then killed, cooked, and ate. The witch's castle had a peculiar enchantment around it that compelled anyone who came within a hundred paces of it to freeze in place and remain there until the witch released them. However, if a pure and innocent young woman entered the perimeter, the witch would transform her into a bird and trap her in a cage made of woven sticks. The witch had amassed a collection of around seven thousand rare bird cages in the castle's room.
After the celebration, which was extravagantly splendid, the wise women bestowed their magical gifts upon the newborn baby. Each wise woman gave the baby a unique gift - one gifted the baby with virtue, another with beauty, a third with wealth, and so on, with every desirable thing in the world.There was a beautiful maiden named Jorinda who surpassed all other girls in her loveliness. She was engaged to a handsome young man named Joringel, and their greatest joy was spending time together. One day, they decided to take a walk in the forest so that they could have some peace and privacy to talk. Joringel said, "Be careful not to approach the castle too closely."
It was described as a beautiful evening, with the sun shining brightly through the trunks of the trees and casting a warm light on the dark green forest. The mournful songs of turtle-doves could be heard on the young branches of the birch-trees.
Jorinda was feeling sorrowful and shed tears from time to time. She sat down in the sunshine, and her sadness was apparent. Joringel was also sad and distressed, and they both felt as if they were about to die. They looked around but were unable to determine which path would lead them home. At that time, the sun was setting behind the mountain, and only half of it could be seen.
As Joringel peered through the bushes, he caught sight of the old castle walls, which were situated nearby. He was overcome with terror and filled with an overwhelming sense of dread. Meanwhile, Jorinda was singing a mournful tune, "Sorrow, sorrow, sorrow, my little bird with the red necklace sings. He sings that the dove will soon meet its end, singing sorrow, sor - jug, jug, jug."
Joringel searched for Jorinda and discovered that she had been transformed into a nightingale. She sang, "jug, jug, jug." A screech-owl with glowing eyes circled around her three times, crying out "to-whoo, to-whoo, to-whoo!" three times.
Joringel was paralyzed and unable to move. He stood there motionless, like a statue, and was unable to shed tears, speak, or even move a single limb.
As the sun had set, the screech-owl flew into the thicket and a crooked old woman emerged from it. She was yellow and gaunt with large red eyes and a hooked nose that extended down to her chin. Muttering to herself, she captured the nightingale and took it away in her hand.
Joringel was unable to move or speak because the nightingale had vanished.A woman returned and spoke with a hollow voice, "Hello Zachiel, if the moonlight falls on the cage, please release him immediately.”
