Brothers Grimm: The Godfather Death

The Godfather Death is a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. In the story a poor man searches for a Godfather for his thirteenth child, after receiving offers from both God and the Devil, He eventually settles on Death; seeing him as a fair and genuine figure who holds no discrimination against either the rich or the poor.

Death teaches his Godson to become a skilled physician by granting him with a selection of magical herbs that will cure most ailments and conditions. Death explained that whenever the boy would visit a patient, Death would appear beside either the head or at the feet of the patient. If Death appeared at the head of the patient then the boy would be allowed to cure them however if Death appeared at the foot of the patient then the boy would have to allow Death to take them.

The boy soon disobeyed Death by turning the beds of a wealthy king (who had promised him riches) and his daughter (who the boy fell in love with) thus making Death appear next to their heads inside of at their feet, effectively allowing the boy to save them.

This angered Death greatly, who took the boy to an underground cavern. Inside the cavern there laid thousands of candles which represented each person's life. Death then showed the boy his very own candle which had grown short and with a little flickering flame due to the boy's trickery and his betrayal of his Godfather's trust. Although the boy pleaded with Death to light him a new candle, it was too late and the flame soon extinguished and the boy fell to the ground.