格林童话集：The Lord's Animals and the Devil's

THE Lord God had created all animals, and had chosen out the wolf

to be his dog, but he had forgotten the goat.Then the Devil made

ready and began to create also, and created goats with fine long

tails.Now when they went to pasture, they generally remained

caught in the hedges by their tails, then the Devil had to go there

and disentangle them, with a great deal of trouble.This enraged

him at last, and he went and bit off the tail of every goat, as may

be seen to this day by the stump.Then he let them go to pasture alone,

but it came to pass that the Lord God perceived how at one time they

gnawed away at a fruitful tree, at another injured the noble vines, or

destroyed other tender plants.This distressed him, so that in his goodness

and mercy he summoned his wolves, who soon tore in pieces the goats

that went there.When the devil observed this, he went before the Lord

and said, "Thy creatures have destroyed mine."The Lord answered, "Why

didst thou create things to do harm?"The Devil said, "I was compelled

to do it: inasmuch as my thoughts run on evil, what I create can have no

other nature, and thou must pay me heavy damages.""I will pay thee as

soon as the oak leaves fall; come then, thy money will then be ready counted

out."When the oak-leaves had fallen, the Devil came and demanded what

was due to him.But the Lord said, "In the church of Constantinople stands

a tall oak-tree which still has all its leaves."With raging and curses, the Devil

departed, and went to seek the oak, wandered in the wilderness for six months

before he found it, and when he returned, all the oaks had in the meantime

covered themselves again with green leaves.Then he had to forfeit his

indemnity, and in his rage he put out the eyes of all the remaining goats, and

put his own in instead.

This is why all goats have devil's eyes, and their tails bitten off,

and why he likes to assume their shape.

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