"The Good Bargain" () is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, KHM 7. This antisemitic fairytale was added to the Grimms' collection Kinder- und Hausmärchen with the second edition of 1819. It is a tale of Aarne–Thompson type 1642. A similar anti-Semitic tale collected by the Grimms' is The Jew Among Thorns (Der Jude im Dorn).
Story
A peasant took his cow to market where he sold her for seven thalers. On his way home he passed a pond where the frogs sang out, "akt, akt, akt, akt", which to him sounded like "eight, eight, eight, eight". "What nonsense they speak", he said, "for I was paid seven and not eight". But still they called out, "akt, akt, akt, akt". Rushing to the water's edge the peasant shouted "You stupid animals! I was paid seven thalers, not eight!" and he took the coins from his purse and counted them, but still the frogs persisted with their "akt, akt, akt, akt".
"Well", he shouted, "if you think you know more about it than me you can count them for yourselves!" With that he threw the coins into the pond and waited for the frogs to count them and throw them back, but still the frogs cried out "akt, akt, akt, akt". The peasant waited and waited. He waited until late into the evening when finally he gave up and went home, cursing the frogs for their stupidity as he went.
He arrived home in a bad mood and decided he would buy another cow. This he did and he slaughtered it himself, thinking that if he could get a good price for the meat he would make as much as the two cows had been worth and would have the cow's hide too. The peasant took the meat to town where he was met at the town gate by a pack of dogs led by a large greyhound, who belonged to the town's butcher. The greyhound came sniffing to the meat and barked "Bow wow, what now?" The peasant said to the dog, "I understand that you want the meat but I cannot give it to you for free. If you will be responsible for your fellows I will leave the meat with you for I know your master. But mind, you must bring me the money for the meat in three days." "Bow wow, what now?" said the dog. Satisfied with the deal the peasant left.
After three days the peasant had not received his money. "I trusted that dog to keep the bargain", he said to himself bitterly. Storming into town he went straight to the butcher and demanded payment for the meat. The butcher thought the peasant was joking, but the peasant insisted he wanted payment for the meat he had left in the custody of the butcher's dog. Instead the butcher seized his broom and chased the peasant out of his shop.
"I will get justice!", said the peasant. "I will go to the king!", and with that he set off for the royal palace. Appearing before the king and his daughter, the king demanded of him what was his grievance. "Well", said the peasant, "the frogs stole my money and the dogs my meat and the butcher struck me with the broom handle!" As he told his tale the princess laughed out loud. The king, however, listened patiently and said, "I cannot put right the wrong done to you, but instead you can have the hand of my daughter. She has never laughed before and I promised that she should marry the first man to make her do so. You can thank God for your good fortune today." "But I already have a wife at home and she's quite enough of a handful", said the peasant, "and I do not want another."
Insulted, the king angrily said to the peasant, "You are a lout!" to which the peasant replied "What else can you expect from an ox, your majesty, but beef?" The king replied, "Well, instead you can have a different reward. Leave now but return in three days when you shall receive five hundred." Happily, the peasant left, and on passing through the town gate met the sentry, who said that in return for making the princess laugh the peasant must have received a great reward. "I haver indeed", replied the peasant. "In three days I must return when five hundred will be counted out for me."
"What can you do with all that money?", asked the soldier. "Let me have some of it." The peasant agreed to let the soldier have two hundred from his share. "In three days go to the king", he said "and have it counted out for you."