Arthur Rackham (1867-1939) “The ducks, which he had once saved, dived and brought up the key from the depths” The Queen Bee in The Fairy Tales of the Brother Grimm (1912) Source
“The present illustration derives from the story 'The Queen Bee' in The Fairy Tales of the Brother Grimm. In the story, three princes embark on an adventure. Two of the princes attempt to wreak havoc along the way, wanting to bury ant hills, capture ducks, and suffocate bees. The youngest prince, however, stops his brothers from harming any of the animals. The princes eventually reach a cursed castle whose owner begs them to lift the enchantment by completing three tasks: find a thousand pearls in the forest; retrieve the Princess's key from the lake; and identify the youngest and sweetest princess by figuring out which of the three had recently eaten honey. If the princes fail, the castle keeper warns, they will fall victim to the curse as well and be turned to stone.
“While the eldest two princes are unable to complete the tasks and are each turned to stone, the youngest is helped by the various creatures he saved along the way. The present work illustrates the ducks retrieving the Princess's key for the prince from the lake. The youngest prince succeeds, lifts the curse from the castle and his brothers, marries the Princess of the castle, and becomes King.”
