Once upon a time in a faraway land there lived a cobbler and his wife. They desperately wanted to have children, but however they tried, it was all in vain. These people lived in a little house next to a mansion, and one of their bedroom windows looked out over the wall of the adjoining property, into an enormous garden, where flowers and vegetables grew side by side in abundance. But nobody ever visited the garden, it was rumoured that the owner of the house, an old woman, was in fact a terrible witch, who possessed terrible dark powers, and as a consequence everybody in the little town avoided contact with her.

But one fine morning, the cobbler’s wife was sitting at her window looking out over the garden, when she spotted a little bed full of wonderful radishes. The sight of these radishes filled her with a great desire to have some, and however much she tried during the course of the day to forget about it, the desire to eat these radishes would not go away. Days and days passed, and her inability to satisfy her desire made her quite ill, she could hardly eat anything if she could not have the radishes. One evening her husband remarked that she looked quite unwell, and wanted to know what it was that was ailing her. “Oh, it’s nothing, she said, I’m just feeling a little faint. It will pass,”

More days passed, and the cobbler watched his wife getting more and more ill. So he asked her again: “My dear wife, you must be honest with me, tell me what the matter is.”

She then confessed to her husband that she had developed insatiable appetite for the radishes growing on the other side of the wall in the witches' garden. The cobbler loved his wife very much, so he decided to set aside his worries about the witch, and made up his mind to get her some of those radishes, come what may . He waited till nightfall, then got out his ladder, and climbed over the wall. He rushed to the radishes bed as fast as his feet would carry him, and stuffed a few handfuls in his pockets, then scrambled back over the wall, into his own backyard. His heart was beating ferociously when he came back into the kitchen with his prize, and his wife cried with joy. She immediately set about preparing a salad with the fresh produce, and that night enjoyed the best sleep of her life.

For a few days, she was very happy, but bye and bye the desire returned, and she pleaded with her husband to go back into the neighbour's garden and get some ore radishes. The husband consented, he love his wife so much he would do anything for her. So that night he got his ladder out, climbed over the wall, and rushed, As fast as his feet could carry him towards the radishes bed. There he started pulling out he plants and stuffing them in his pocket, when suddenly he heard a screeching voice next to his ear:'' A little birdie told me there was a thief in my garden, stealing my vegetables! Here I have caught you in the act, red handed as they say. Empty your pockets! You will pay very dearly for this, you wretched little man!”

The cobbler was happy to promise her anything to get out of that garden alive. “You can come and get all the radishes your little wife can eat, the witch continued, but when your wife gives birth to her child, as she will, you must give the child to me! I promise you I will take very good care of her indeed!” The cobbler fell on his knees, and bowed his head, “Thank, you, thank you”, he muttered. The witch picked up the radishes from the ground, spat on them and stroked them, mumbling some incomprehensible words. “Take these, she said, and make sure your wife eats all of them tonight, don’t waste any of them. And don’t forget, if you try to cheat me, or get out of your promise, you will pay with your life”. She turned about and walked away, leaving the poor cobbler on his own with his radishes. He climbed back over the wall, and into his kitchen, where his wife was waiting. He did not tell her what had happened between him and the witch, but set about helping his wife prepare the salad, and then making sure she consumed all of it.

As the witch had predicted, the wife fell pregnant, and gave birth to a cute little daughter. That very same evening the witch appeared at the kitchen door and demanded to see the newborn baby. She was obviously very pleased with what she saw, laughing heartily. “Hello there, my little Rapunzel she sang in her crooked voice. You’re all mine! All mine!” And she disappeared carrying the little girl with her, leaving the cobbler to explain to his wife how they had come to loose their baby. It is said that the wife was so sad at the thought of the witch having taken her baby that she refused to eat anything at all after that and cried continuously, and eventually she passed away. Nobody remembers what happened to the unfortunate cobbler.

The witch, in the meantime, did indeed take very good care of the baby girl, whom she’d named Rapunzel, but the child was never allowed to leave the witch’s house, and never had her hair cut, so that it grew and grew. When she was twelve years old, or thereabouts, the witch took her to an old tower, in the middle of nowhere, where she was locked in a room on the top floor. All around the base of the tower there grew large thorny bushes, so that nobody could get near to it. And to make doubly sure that her most treasured possession would not be disturbed, the witch put a magic spell on the entrance door to the tower, making it disappear.

The witch would visit Rapunzel every day, and in order to get into the room, at the top of the tower, she would call out to Rapunzel to let down her hair, which had grown so long, that it easily reached the ground. As the hair fell down to the ground, the witch used it to hold onto while she clambered up the wall, and through the window, into the room.

The witch, in the meantime, did indeed take very good care of the baby girl, whom she’d named Rapunzel, but the child was never allowed to leave the witch’s house, and never had her hair cut, so that it grew and grew. When she was twelve years old, or thereabouts, the witch took her to an old tower, in the middle of nowhere, where she was locked in a room on the top floor. All around the base of the tower there grew large thorny bushes, so that nobody could get near to it. And to make doubly sure that her most treasured possession would not be disturbed, the witch put a magic spell on the entrance door to the tower, making it disappear.

The witch would visit Rapunzel every day, and in order to get into the room, at the top of the tower, she would call out to Rapunzel to let down her hair, which had grown so long, that it easily reached the ground. As the hair fell down to the ground, the witch used it to hold onto while she clambered up the wall, and through the window, into the room.

Years and years passed, and Rapunzel stayed locked up in the tower, while the witch brought her food every day. Now it so happened that one fine day, a knight rode by the tower on his horse, and he heard a sweet singing voice coming from the direction of the tower, but try as he might, he could not discover the singer. He rode around the tower, looking for an entrance, but there was none. So eventually he rode on, scratching his head. But so entranced was he by the melodious voice, that he could not help himself but to return to this mysterious place. So one day, as he was sitting on his horse, listening to the enticing tones coming from the tower, he heard another voice, calling out: “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let down your hair!”