Grimm's Fairy Tales - Vol. V
The Brothers Grimm
#pgx0
Grimm's Fairy Tales - Vol. V
by The Brothers Grimm
#pgx1
down, and all the twenty millers set to and lifted up the
stone with a beam; then the bird put his head through the hole and took
the stone round his neck like a collar, and flew back with it to the
tree and sang--
'My mother killed her little
#pgx2
son;
My father grieved when I was gone;
My sister loved me best of all;
She laid her kerchief over me,
And took my bones that they might lie
Underneath the juniper-tree
Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am
#pgx3
I!'
And when he had finished his song, he spread his wings, and with the
chain in his right claw, the shoes in his left, and the millstone round
his neck, he flew right away to his father's house.
The father, the
#pgx4
mother, and little Marleen were having their dinner.
'How lighthearted I feel,' said the father, 'so pleased and cheerful.'
'And I,' said the mother, 'I feel so uneasy, as if a heavy thunderstorm
were coming.'
But little Marleen
#pgx5
sat and wept and wept.
Then the bird came flying towards the house and settled on the roof.
'I do feel so happy,' said the father, 'and how beautifully the sun
shines; I feel just as if I were going to see an old friend
#pgx6
again.'
'Ah!' said the wife, 'and I am so full of distress and uneasiness that
my teeth chatter, and I feel as if there were a fire in my veins,' and
she tore open her dress; and all the while little Marleen sat in the
corner and wept,
#pgx7
and the plate on her knees was wet with her tears.
The bird now flew to the juniper-tree and began singing:
'My mother killed her little son;
the mother shut her eyes and her ears, that she might see and hear
nothing, but there
#pgx8
was a roaring sound in her ears like that of a
violent storm, and in her eyes a burning and flashing like lightning:
My father grieved when I was gone;
'Look, mother,' said the man, 'at the beautiful bird that is singing so
magnificently; and
#pgx9
how warm and bright the sun is, and what a delicious
scent of spice in the air!'
My sister loved me best of all;
then little Marleen laid her head down on her knees and sobbed.
'I must go outside and see the bird nearer,' said the man.
#pgx10
'Ah, do not go!' cried the wife. 'I feel as if the whole house were in
flames!'
But the man went out and looked at the bird.
She laid her kerchief over me,
And took my bones that they might lie
Underneath the
#pgx11
juniper-tree
Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!'
With that the bird let fall the gold chain, and it fell just round the
man's neck, so that it fitted him exactly.
He went inside, and said, 'See, what a splendid bird that is; he has
#pgx12
given me this beautiful gold chain, and looks so beautiful himself.'
But the wife was in such fear and trouble, that she fell on the floor,
and her cap fell from her head.
Then the bird began again:
'My mother killed
#pgx13
her little son;
'Ah me!' cried the wife, 'if I were but a thousand feet beneath the
earth, that I might not hear that song.'
My father grieved when I was gone;
then the woman fell down again as if dead.
My sister loved me
#pgx14
best of all;
'Well,' said little Marleen, 'I will go out too and see if the bird will
give me anything.'
So she went out.
She laid her kerchief over me,
And took my bones that they might lie
and he threw down the shoes to her,
#pgx15
Underneath the juniper-tree
Kywitt, Kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!'
And she now felt quite happy and lighthearted; she put on the shoes and
danced and jumped about in them. 'I was so miserable,' she said, 'when I
came out, but that
#pgx16
has all passed away; that is indeed a splendid bird,
and he has given me a pair of red shoes.'
The wife sprang up, with her hair standing out from her head like flames
of fire. 'Then I will go out too,' she said, 'and see if it will lighten
my
#pgx17
misery, for I feel as if the world were coming to an end.'
But as she crossed the threshold, crash! the bird threw the millstone
down on her head, and she was crushed to death.
The father and little Marleen heard the sound and ran
#pgx18
out, but they only
saw mist and flame and fire rising from the spot, and when these had
passed, there stood the little brother, and he took the father and
little Marleen by the hand; then they all three rejoiced, and went
#pgx19
inside together and sat down to their dinners and ate.
THE TURNIP
There were two brothers who were both soldiers; the one was rich and
the other poor. The poor man thought he would try to better himself; so,
pulling off his red
#pgx20
coat, he became a gardener, and dug his ground well,
and sowed turnips.
When the seed came up, there was one plant bigger than all the rest; and
it kept getting larger and larger, and seemed as if it would never cease
growing; so that it
#pgx21
might have been called the prince of turnips for
there never was such a one seen before, and never will again. At last it
was so big that it filled a cart, and two oxen could hardly draw it; and
the gardener knew not what in the
#pgx22
world to do with it, nor whether it
would be a blessing or a curse to him. One day he said to himself, 'What
shall I do with it? if I sell it, it will bring no more than another;
and for eating, the little turnips are better than this; the best
#pgx23
thing
perhaps is to carry it and give it to the king as a mark of respect.'
Then he yoked his oxen, and drew the turnip to the court, and gave it
to the king. 'What a wonderful thing!' said the king; 'I have seen many
#pgx24
strange things, but such a monster as this I never saw. Where did you
get the seed? or is it only your good luck? If so, you are a true child
of fortune.' 'Ah, no!' answered the gardener, 'I am no child of fortune;
I am a poor
#pgx25
soldier, who never could get enough to live upon; so I
laid aside my red coat, and set to work, tilling the ground. I have a
brother, who is rich, and your majesty knows him well, and all the world
knows him; but because I am
#pgx26
poor, everybody forgets me.'
The king then took pity on him, and said, 'You shall be poor no
longer. I will give you so much that you shall be even richer than your
brother.' Then he gave him gold and lands and flocks, and made him so
#pgx27
rich that his brother's fortune could not at all be compared with his.
When the brother heard of all this, and how a turnip had made the
gardener so rich, he envied him sorely, and bethought himself how he
could contrive to
#pgx28
get the same good fortune for himself. However, he
determined to manage more cleverly than his brother, and got together a
rich present of gold and fine horses for the king; and thought he must
have a much larger gift in return; for
#pgx29
if his brother had received so
much for only a turnip, what must his present be worth?
The king took the gift very graciously, and said he knew not what to
give in return more valuable and wonderful than the great turnip; so
#pgx30
the soldier was forced to put it into a cart, and drag it home with him.
When he reached home, he knew not upon whom to vent his rage and spite;
and at length wicked thoughts came into his head, and he resolved to
kill his brother.
#pgx31
So he hired some villains to murder him; and having shown them where to
lie in ambush, he went to his brother, and said, 'Dear brother, I have
found a hidden treasure; let us go and dig it up, and share it between
us.' The other had
#pgx32
no suspicions of his roguery: so they went out
together, and as they were travelling along, the murderers rushed out
upon him, bound him, and were going to hang him on a tree.
But whilst they were getting all ready, they heard the
#pgx33
trampling of a
horse at a distance, which so frightened them that they pushed their
prisoner neck and shoulders together into a sack, and swung him up by a
cord to the tree, where they left him dangling, and ran away. Meantime
#pgx34
he worked and worked away, till he made a hole large enough to put out
his head.
When the horseman came up, he proved to be a student, a merry fellow,
who was journeying along on his nag, and singing as he went. As soon as
#pgx35
the man in the sack saw him passing under the tree, he cried out, 'Good
morning! good morning to thee, my friend!' The student looked about
everywhere; and seeing no one, and not knowing where the voice came
from, cried out,
#pgx36
'Who calls me?'
Then the man in the tree answered, 'Lift up thine eyes, for behold here
I sit in the sack of wisdom; here have I, in a short time, learned great
and wondrous things. Compared to this seat, all the learning of the
#pgx37
schools is as empty air. A little longer, and I shall know all that man
can know, and shall come forth wiser than the wisest of mankind. Here
I discern the signs and motions of the heavens and the stars; the laws
that control the
#pgx38
winds; the number of the sands on the seashore; the
healing of the sick; the virtues of all simples, of birds, and of
precious stones. Wert thou but once here, my friend, though wouldst feel
and own the power of knowledge.
#pgx39
The student listened to all this and wondered much; at last he said,
'Blessed be the day and hour when I found you; cannot you contrive to
let me into the sack for a little while?' Then the other answered, as if
very unwillingly, 'A
#pgx40
little space I may allow thee to sit here, if thou
wilt reward me well and entreat me kindly; but thou must tarry yet an
hour below, till I have learnt some little matters that are yet unknown
to me.'
So the student sat
#pgx41
himself down and waited a while; but the time hung
heavy upon him, and he begged earnestly that he might ascend forthwith,
for his thirst for knowledge was great. Then the other pretended to give
way, and said, 'Thou must let the sack
#pgx42
of wisdom descend, by untying
yonder cord, and then thou shalt enter.' So the student let him down,
opened the sack, and set him free. 'Now then,' cried he, 'let me ascend
quickly.' As he began to put himself into the sack heels first,
#pgx43
'Wait a
while,' said the gardener, 'that is not the way.' Then he pushed him
in head first, tied up the sack, and soon swung up the searcher after
wisdom dangling in the air. 'How is it with thee, friend?' said he,
#pgx44
'dost thou not feel that wisdom comes unto thee? Rest there in peace,
till thou art a wiser man than thou wert.'
So saying, he trotted off on the student's nag, and left the poor fellow
to gather wisdom till somebody should come and let him
#pgx45
down.
CLEVER HANS
The mother of Hans said: 'Whither away, Hans?' Hans answered: 'To
Gretel.' 'Behave well, Hans.' 'Oh, I'll behave well. Goodbye, mother.'
'Goodbye, Hans.' Hans comes to Gretel. 'Good day, Gretel.' 'Good
#pgx46
day,
Hans. What do you bring that is good?' 'I bring nothing, I want to have
something given me.' Gretel presents Hans with a needle, Hans says:
'Goodbye, Gretel.' 'Goodbye, Hans.'
Hans takes the needle, sticks it
#pgx47
into a hay-cart, and follows the cart
home. 'Good evening, mother.' 'Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?'
'With Gretel.' 'What did you take her?' 'Took nothing; had something
given me.' 'What did Gretel give you?' 'Gave me a
#pgx48
needle.' 'Where is the
needle, Hans?' 'Stuck in the hay-cart.' 'That was ill done, Hans. You
should have stuck the needle in your sleeve.' 'Never mind, I'll do
better next time.'
'Whither away, Hans?' 'To Gretel, mother.' 'Behave well,
#pgx49
Hans.' 'Oh,
I'll behave well. Goodbye, mother.' 'Goodbye, Hans.' Hans comes to
Gretel. 'Good day, Gretel.' 'Good day, Hans. What do you bring that is
good?' 'I bring nothing. I want to have something given to me.' Gretel
#pgx50
presents Hans with a knife. 'Goodbye, Gretel.' 'Goodbye, Hans.' Hans
takes the knife, sticks it in his sleeve, and goes home. 'Good evening,
mother.' 'Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?' 'With Gretel.' What
did you take her?'
#pgx51
'Took her nothing, she gave me something.' 'What did
Gretel give you?' 'Gave me a knife.' 'Where is the knife, Hans?' 'Stuck
in my sleeve.' 'That's ill done, Hans, you should have put the knife in
your pocket.' 'Never mind, will do better
#pgx52
next time.'
'Whither away, Hans?' 'To Gretel, mother.' 'Behave well, Hans.' 'Oh,
I'll behave well. Goodbye, mother.' 'Goodbye, Hans.' Hans comes to
Gretel. 'Good day, Gretel.' 'Good day, Hans. What good thing do you
#pgx53
bring?' 'I bring nothing, I want something given me.' Gretel presents
Hans with a young goat. 'Goodbye, Gretel.' 'Goodbye, Hans.' Hans takes
the goat, ties its legs, and puts it in his pocket. When he gets home it
is suffocated.
#pgx54
'Good evening, mother.' 'Good evening, Hans. Where have
you been?' 'With Gretel.' 'What did you take her?' 'Took nothing, she
gave me something.' 'What did Gretel give you?' 'She gave me a goat.'
'Where is the goat,
#pgx55
Hans?' 'Put it in my pocket.' 'That was ill done,
Hans, you should have put a rope round the goat's neck.' 'Never mind,
will do better next time.'
'Whither away, Hans?' 'To Gretel, mother.' 'Behave well, Hans.' 'Oh,
#pgx56
I'll behave well. Goodbye, mother.' 'Goodbye, Hans.' Hans comes to
Gretel. 'Good day, Gretel.' 'Good day, Hans. What good thing do you
bring?' 'I bring nothing, I want something given me.' Gretel presents
Hans with a piece
#pgx57
of bacon. 'Goodbye, Gretel.' 'Goodbye, Hans.'
Hans takes the bacon, ties it to a rope, and drags it away behind him.
The dogs come and devour the bacon. When he gets home, he has the rope
in his hand, and there is no longer
#pgx58
anything hanging on to it. 'Good
evening, mother.' 'Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?' 'With
Gretel.' 'What did you take her?' 'I took her nothing, she gave me
something.' 'What did Gretel give you?' 'Gave me a bit of bacon.' 'Where
#pgx59
is the bacon, Hans?' 'I tied it to a rope, brought it home, dogs took
it.' 'That was ill done, Hans, you should have carried the bacon on your
head.' 'Never mind, will do better next time.'
'Whither away, Hans?' 'To Gretel, mother.' 'Behave well,
#pgx60
Hans.' 'I'll
behave well. Goodbye, mother.' 'Goodbye, Hans.' Hans comes to Gretel.
'Good day, Gretel.' 'Good day, Hans, What good thing do you bring?' 'I
bring nothing, but would have something given.' Gretel presents Hans
#pgx61
with a calf. 'Goodbye, Gretel.' 'Goodbye, Hans.'
Hans takes the calf, puts it on his head, and the calf kicks his face.
'Good evening, mother.' 'Good evening, Hans. Where have you been?' 'With
Gretel.' 'What did you take her?' 'I took
#pgx62
nothing, but had something
given me.' 'What did Gretel give you?' 'A calf.' 'Where have you the
calf, Hans?' 'I set it on my head and it kicked my face.' 'That was
ill done, Hans, you should have led the calf, and put it in the stall.'
#pgx63
'Never mind, will do better next time.'
'Whither away, Hans?' 'To Gretel, mother.' 'Behave well, Hans.' 'I'll
behave well. Goodbye, mother.' 'Goodbye, Hans.'
Hans comes to Gretel. 'Good day, Gretel.' 'Good day, Hans. What good
#pgx64
thing do you bring?' 'I bring nothing, but would have something given.'
Gretel says to Hans: 'I will go with you.'
Hans takes Gretel, ties her to a rope, leads her to the rack, and binds
her fast. Then Hans goes to his mother. 'Good evening,
#pgx65
mother.' 'Good
evening, Hans. Where have you been?' 'With Gretel.' 'What did you take
her?' 'I took her nothing.' 'What did Gretel give you?' 'She gave me
nothing, she came with me.' 'Where have you left Gretel?' 'I led her by
#pgx66
the rope, tied her to the rack, and scattered some grass for her.' 'That
was ill done, Hans, you should have cast friendly eyes on her.' 'Never
mind, will do better.'
Hans went into the stable, cut out all the calves' and sheep's eyes,
#pgx67
and threw them in Gretel's face. Then Gretel became angry, tore herself
loose and ran away, and was no longer the bride of Hans.
THE THREE LANGUAGES
An aged count once lived in Switzerland, who had an only son, but he
was stupid, and
#pgx68
could learn nothing. Then said the father: 'Hark you,
my son, try as I will I can get nothing into your head. You must go from
hence, I will give you into the care of a celebrated master, who shall
see what he can do with you.' The
#pgx69
youth was sent into a strange town,
and remained a whole year with the master. At the end of this time,
he came home again, and his father asked: 'Now, my son, what have you
learnt?' 'Father, I have learnt what the dogs say when
#pgx70
they bark.' 'Lord
have mercy on us!' cried the father; 'is that all you have learnt? I
will send you into another town, to another master.' The youth was taken
thither, and stayed a year with this master likewise. When he came back
#pgx71
the father again asked: 'My son, what have you learnt?' He answered:
'Father, I have learnt what the birds say.' Then the father fell into a
rage and said: 'Oh, you lost man, you have spent the precious time and
learnt nothing; are
#pgx72
you not ashamed to appear before my eyes? I will
send you to a third master, but if you learn nothing this time also, I
will no longer be your father.' The youth remained a whole year with the
third master also, and when he came
#pgx73
home again, and his father inquired:
'My son, what have you learnt?' he answered: 'Dear father, I have this
year learnt what the frogs croak.' Then the father fell into the most
furious anger, sprang up, called his people thither,
#pgx74
and said: 'This man
is no longer my son, I drive him forth, and command you to take him
out into the forest, and kill him.' They took him forth, but when they
should have killed him, they could not do it for pity, and let him go,
#pgx75
and they cut the eyes and tongue out of a deer that they might carry
them to the old man as a token.
The youth wandered on, and after some time came to a fortress where he
begged for a night's lodging. 'Yes,' said the lord of the
#pgx76
castle, 'if
you will pass the night down there in the old tower, go thither; but I
warn you, it is at the peril of your life, for it is full of wild dogs,
which bark and howl without stopping, and at certain hours a man has to
be given to them,
#pgx77
whom they at once devour.' The whole district was in
sorrow and dismay because of them, and yet no one could do anything to
stop this. The youth, however, was without fear, and said: 'Just let me
go down to the barking dogs, and give me
#pgx78
something that I can throw to
them; they will do nothing to harm me.' As he himself would have it so,
they gave him some food for the wild animals, and led him down to the
tower. When he went inside, the dogs did not bark at him,
#pgx79
but wagged
their tails quite amicably around him, ate what he set before them, and
did not hurt one hair of his head. Next morning, to the astonishment of
everyone, he came out again safe and unharmed, and said to the lord of
#pgx80
the castle: 'The dogs have revealed to me, in their own language, why
they dwell there, and bring evil on the land. They are bewitched, and
are obliged to watch over a great treasure which is below in the tower,
and they can have
#pgx81
no rest until it is taken away, and I have likewise
learnt, from their discourse, how that is to be done.' Then all who
heard this rejoiced, and the lord of the castle said he would adopt him
as a son if he accomplished it
#pgx82
successfully. He went down again, and
as he knew what he had to do, he did it thoroughly, and brought a chest
full of gold out with him. The howling of the wild dogs was henceforth
heard no more; they had disappeared, and the country was
#pgx83
freed from the
trouble.
After some time he took it in his head that he would travel to Rome. On
the way he passed by a marsh, in which a number of frogs were sitting
croaking. He listened to them, and when he became aware of
#pgx84
what they
were saying, he grew very thoughtful and sad. At last he arrived in
Rome, where the Pope had just died, and there was great doubt among
the cardinals as to whom they should appoint as his successor. They
#pgx85
at
length agreed that the person should be chosen as pope who should be
distinguished by some divine and miraculous token. And just as that was
decided on, the young count entered into the church, and suddenly two
#pgx86
snow-white doves flew on his shoulders and remained sitting there. The
ecclesiastics recognized therein the token from above, and asked him on
the spot if he would be pope. He was undecided, and knew not if he were
#pgx87
worthy of this, but the doves counselled him to do it, and at length he
said yes. Then was he anointed and consecrated, and thus was fulfilled
what he had heard from the frogs on his way, which had so affected him,
that he was to be
#pgx88
his Holiness the Pope. Then he had to sing a mass, and
did not know one word of it, but the two doves sat continually on his
shoulders, and said it all in his ear.
THE FOX AND THE CAT
It happened that the cat met the fox in a forest, and as she
#pgx89
thought to
herself: 'He is clever and full of experience, and much esteemed in the
world,' she spoke to him in a friendly way. 'Good day, dear Mr Fox,
how are you? How is all with you? How are you getting on in these hard
#pgx90
times?' The fox, full of all kinds of arrogance, looked at the cat from
head to foot, and for a long time did not know whether he would give
any answer or not. At last he said: 'Oh, you wretched beard-cleaner, you
piebald fool, you
#pgx91
hungry mouse-hunter, what can you be thinking of? Have
you the cheek to ask how I am getting on? What have you learnt? How
many arts do you understand?' 'I understand but one,' replied the
cat, modestly.
#pgx92
'What art is that?' asked the fox. 'When the hounds are
following me, I can spring into a tree and save myself.' 'Is that all?'
said the fox. 'I am master of a hundred arts, and have into the bargain
a sackful of cunning. You make me sorry
#pgx93
for you; come with me, I will
teach you how people get away from the hounds.' Just then came a hunter
with four dogs. The cat sprang nimbly up a tree, and sat down at the top
of it, where the branches and foliage quite concealed
#pgx94
her. 'Open your
sack, Mr Fox, open your sack,' cried the cat to him, but the dogs had
already seized him, and were holding him fast. 'Ah, Mr Fox,' cried the
cat. 'You with your hundred arts are left in the lurch! Had you been
#pgx95
able to climb like me, you would not have lost your life.'
THE FOUR CLEVER BROTHERS
'Dear children,' said a poor man to his four sons, 'I have nothing to
give you; you must go out into the wide world and try your luck. Begin
#pgx96
by learning some craft or another, and see how you can get on.' So the
four brothers took their walking-sticks in their hands, and their little
bundles on their shoulders, and after bidding their father goodbye, went
all out at the gate
#pgx97
together. When they had got on some way they came
to four crossways, each leading to a different country. Then the eldest
said, 'Here we must part; but this day four years we will come back
to this spot, and in the meantime each
#pgx98
must try what he can do for
himself.'
So each brother went his way; and as the eldest was hastening on a man
met him, and asked him where he was going, and what he wanted. 'I am
going to try my luck in the world, and
#pgx99
should like to begin by learning
some art or trade,' answered he. 'Then,' said the man, 'go with me, and
I will teach you to become the cunningest thief that ever was.' 'No,'
said the other, 'that is not an honest calling, and what
#pgx100
can one look
to earn by it in the end but the gallows?' 'Oh!' said the man, 'you need
not fear the gallows; for I will only teach you to steal what will be
fair game: I meddle with nothing but what no one else can get or care
#pgx101
anything about, and where no one can find you out.' So the young man
agreed to follow his trade, and he soon showed himself so clever, that
nothing could escape him that he had once set his mind upon.
The second brother also met a man,
#pgx102
who, when he found out what he was
setting out upon, asked him what craft he meant to follow. 'I do not
know yet,' said he. 'Then come with me, and be a star-gazer. It is a
noble art, for nothing can be hidden from you, when once
#pgx103
you understand
the stars.' The plan pleased him much, and he soon became such a skilful
star-gazer, that when he had served out his time, and wanted to leave
his master, he gave him a glass, and said, 'With this you can see all
#pgx104
that is passing in the sky and on earth, and nothing can be hidden from
you.'
The third brother met a huntsman, who took him with him, and taught him
so well all that belonged to hunting, that he became very clever in the
#pgx105
craft of the woods; and when he left his master he gave him a bow, and
said, 'Whatever you shoot at with this bow you will be sure to hit.'
The youngest brother likewise met a man who asked him what he wished to
do. 'Would not you
#pgx106
like,' said he, 'to be a tailor?' 'Oh, no!' said
the young man; 'sitting cross-legged from morning to night, working
backwards and forwards with a needle and goose, will never suit me.'
'Oh!' answered the man, 'that is not my sort of tailoring;
#pgx107
come with me,
and you will learn quite another kind of craft from that.' Not knowing
what better to do, he came into the plan, and learnt tailoring from the
beginning; and when he left his master, he gave him a needle, and said,
#pgx108
'You can sew anything with this, be it as soft as an egg or as hard as
steel; and the joint will be so fine that no seam will be seen.'
After the space of four years, at the time agreed upon, the four
brothers met at the four
#pgx109
cross-roads; and having welcomed each other,
set off towards their father's home, where they told him all that had
happened to them, and how each had learned some craft.
Then, one day, as they were sitting before the house under a
#pgx110
very high
tree, the father said, 'I should like to try what each of you can do in
this way.' So he looked up, and said to the second son, 'At the top of
this tree there is a chaffinch's nest; tell me how many eggs there are
#pgx111
in it.' The star-gazer took his glass, looked up, and said, 'Five.'
'Now,' said the father to the eldest son, 'take away the eggs without
letting the bird that is sitting upon them and hatching them know
anything of what you are doing.' So the
#pgx112
cunning thief climbed up the
tree, and brought away to his father the five eggs from under the bird;
and it never saw or felt what he was doing, but kept sitting on at its
ease. Then the father took the eggs, and put one on each
#pgx113
corner of the
table, and the fifth in the middle, and said to the huntsman, 'Cut all
the eggs in two pieces at one shot.' The huntsman took up his bow, and
at one shot struck all the five eggs as his father wished.
'Now comes your turn,' said he to
#pgx114
the young tailor; 'sew the eggs and
the young birds in them together again, so neatly that the shot shall
have done them no harm.' Then the tailor took his needle, and sewed the
eggs as he was told; and when he had done, the thief was
#pgx115
sent to take
them back to the nest, and put them under the bird without its knowing
it. Then she went on sitting, and hatched them: and in a few days they
crawled out, and had only a little red streak across their necks, where
#pgx116
the tailor had sewn them together.
'Well done, sons!' said the old man; 'you have made good use of your
time, and learnt something worth the knowing; but I am sure I do not
know which ought to have the prize. Oh, that a time might
#pgx117
soon come for
you to turn your skill to some account!'
Not long after this there was a great bustle in the country; for the
king's daughter had been carried off by a mighty dragon, and the king
mourned over his loss day and night, and
#pgx118
made it known that whoever
brought her back to him should have her for a wife. Then the four
brothers said to each other, 'Here is a chance for us; let us try
what we can do.' And they agreed to see whether they
#pgx119
could not set the
princess free. 'I will soon find out where she is, however,' said the
star-gazer, as he looked through his glass; and he soon cried out, 'I
see her afar off, sitting upon a rock in the sea, and I can spy the
#pgx120
dragon close by, guarding her.' Then he went to the king, and asked for
a ship for himself and his brothers; and they sailed together over the
sea, till they came to the right place. There they found the princess
sitting, as the
#pgx121
star-gazer had said, on the rock; and the dragon was
lying asleep, with his head upon her lap. 'I dare not shoot at him,'
said the huntsman, 'for I should kill the beautiful young lady also.'
'Then I will try my skill,' said the
#pgx122
thief, and went and stole her away
from under the dragon, so quietly and gently that the beast did not know
it, but went on snoring.
Then away they hastened with her full of joy in their boat towards the
ship; but soon
#pgx123
came the dragon roaring behind them through the air; for
he awoke and missed the princess. But when he got over the boat, and
wanted to pounce upon them and carry off the princess, the huntsman took
up his bow and shot him straight
#pgx124
through the heart so that he fell down
dead. They were still not safe; for he was such a great beast that in
his fall he overset the boat, and they had to swim in the open sea
upon a few planks. So the tailor took his needle, and with a few
#pgx125
large
stitches put some of the planks together; and he sat down upon these,
and sailed about and gathered up all pieces of the boat; and then tacked
them together so quickly that the boat was soon ready, and they then
#pgx126
reached the ship and got home safe.
When they had brought home the princess to her father, there was great
rejoicing; and he said to the four brothers, 'One of you shall marry
her, but you must settle amongst
#pgx127
yourselves which it is to be.' Then
there arose a quarrel between them; and the star-gazer said, 'If I had
not found the princess out, all your skill would have been of no use;
therefore she ought to be mine.' 'Your
#pgx128
seeing her would have been of
no use,' said the thief, 'if I had not taken her away from the dragon;
therefore she ought to be mine.' 'No, she is mine,' said the huntsman;
'for if I had not killed the dragon, he would, after all, have
#pgx129
torn you
and the princess into pieces.' 'And if I had not sewn the boat together
again,' said the tailor, 'you would all have been drowned, therefore she
is mine.' Then the king put in a word, and said, 'Each of you is right;
#pgx130
and as all cannot have the young lady, the best way is for neither of
you to have her: for the truth is, there is somebody she likes a great
deal better. But to make up for your loss, I will give each of you, as a
reward for his
#pgx131
skill, half a kingdom.' So the brothers agreed that this
plan would be much better than either quarrelling or marrying a lady who
had no mind to have them. And the king then gave to each half a kingdom,
as he had said; and they lived very
#pgx132
happily the rest of their days, and
took good care of their father; and somebody took better care of the
young lady, than to let either the dragon or one of the craftsmen have
her again.
LILY AND THE LION
A merchant, who
#pgx133
had three daughters, was once setting out upon a
journey; but before he went he asked each daughter what gift he should
bring back for her. The eldest wished for pearls; the second for jewels;
but the third, who was called Lily, said,
#pgx134
'Dear father, bring me a
rose.' Now it was no easy task to find a rose, for it was the middle
of winter; yet as she was his prettiest daughter, and was very fond of
flowers, her father said he would try what he could do.
#pgx135
So he kissed all
three, and bid them goodbye.
And when the time came for him to go home, he had bought pearls and
jewels for the two eldest, but he had sought everywhere in vain for the
rose; and when he went into any
#pgx136
garden and asked for such a thing, the
people laughed at him, and asked him whether he thought roses grew in
snow. This grieved him very much, for Lily was his dearest child; and as
he was journeying home, thinking what he should bring her,
#pgx137
he came to a
fine castle; and around the castle was a garden, in one half of which it
seemed to be summer-time and in the other half winter. On one side the
finest flowers were in full bloom, and on the other everything
#pgx138
looked
dreary and buried in the snow. 'A lucky hit!' said he, as he called to
his servant, and told him to go to a beautiful bed of roses that was
there, and bring him away one of the finest flowers.
This done, they
#pgx139
were riding away well pleased, when up sprang a fierce
lion, and roared out, 'Whoever has stolen my roses shall be eaten up
alive!' Then the man said, 'I knew not that the garden belonged to you;
can nothing save my life?' 'No!' said the
#pgx140
lion, 'nothing, unless you
undertake to give me whatever meets you on your return home; if you
agree to this, I will give you your life, and the rose too for your
daughter.' But the man was unwilling to do so and said, 'It may be
#pgx141
my
youngest daughter, who loves me most, and always runs to meet me when
I go home.' Then the servant was greatly frightened, and said, 'It may
perhaps be only a cat or a dog.' And at last the man yielded with a
heavy heart, and
#pgx142
took the rose; and said he would give the lion whatever
should meet him first on his return.
And as he came near home, it was Lily, his youngest and dearest
daughter, that met him; she came running, and kissed him, and welcomed
#pgx143
him home; and when she saw that he had brought her the rose, she was
still more glad. But her father began to be very sorrowful, and to weep,
saying, 'Alas, my dearest child! I have bought this flower at a high
price, for I have
#pgx144
said I would give you to a wild lion; and when he has
you, he will tear you in pieces, and eat you.' Then he told her all that
had happened, and said she should not go, let what would happen.
But she comforted him, and said, 'Dear
#pgx145
father, the word you have given
must be kept; I will go to the lion, and soothe him: perhaps he will let
me come safe home again.'
The next morning she asked the way she was to go, and took leave of her
father, and went
#pgx146
forth with a bold heart into the wood. But the lion was
an enchanted prince. By day he and all his court were lions, but in the
evening they took their right forms again. And when Lily came to the
castle, he welcomed her so
#pgx147
courteously that she agreed to marry him. The
wedding-feast was held, and they lived happily together a long time. The
prince was only to be seen as soon as evening came, and then he held his
court; but every morning he left his
#pgx148
bride, and went away by himself,
she knew not whither, till the night came again.
After some time he said to her, 'Tomorrow there will be a great feast in
your father's house, for your eldest sister is to be married; and if
#pgx149
you wish to go and visit her my lions shall lead you thither.' Then she
rejoiced much at the thoughts of seeing her father once more, and set
out with the lions; and everyone was overjoyed to see her, for they had
thought her dead
#pgx150
long since. But she told them how happy she was, and
stayed till the feast was over, and then went back to the wood.
Her second sister was soon after married, and when Lily was asked to
go to the wedding, she said to the
#pgx151
prince, 'I will not go alone this
time--you must go with me.' But he would not, and said that it would be
a very hazardous thing; for if the least ray of the torch-light should
fall upon him his enchantment would become still
#pgx152
worse, for he should be
changed into a dove, and be forced to wander about the world for seven
long years. However, she gave him no rest, and said she would take care
no light should fall upon him. So at last they set out
#pgx153
together, and
took with them their little child; and she chose a large hall with thick
walls for him to sit in while the wedding-torches were lighted; but,
unluckily, no one saw that there was a crack in the door. Then the
#pgx154
wedding was held with great pomp, but as the train came from the church,
and passed with the torches before the hall, a very small ray of light
fell upon the prince. In a moment he disappeared, and when his wife came
in and looked for
#pgx155
him, she found only a white dove; and it said to her,
'Seven years must I fly up and down over the face of the earth, but
every now and then I will let fall a white feather, that will show you
the way I am going; follow it, and at
#pgx156
last you may overtake and set me
free.'
This said, he flew out at the door, and poor Lily followed; and every
now and then a white feather fell, and showed her the way she was to
journey. Thus she went roving on
#pgx157
through the wide world, and looked
neither to the right hand nor to the left, nor took any rest, for seven
years. Then she began to be glad, and thought to herself that the time
was fast coming when all her troubles should end; yet
#pgx158
repose was still
far off, for one day as she was travelling on she missed the white
feather, and when she lifted up her eyes she could nowhere see the dove.
'Now,' thought she to herself, 'no aid of man can be of use to me.' So
#pgx159
she went to the sun and said, 'Thou shinest everywhere, on the hill's
top and the valley's depth--hast thou anywhere seen my white dove?'
'No,' said the sun, 'I have not seen it; but I will give thee a
casket--open it when thy hour of need
#pgx160
comes.'
So she thanked the sun, and went on her way till eventide; and when
the moon arose, she cried unto it, and said, 'Thou shinest through the
night, over field and grove--hast thou nowhere seen my white dove?'
#pgx161
'No,' said the moon, 'I cannot help thee but I will give thee an
egg--break it when need comes.'
Then she thanked the moon, and went on till the night-wind blew; and she
raised up her voice to it, and said, 'Thou blowest through every tree
#pgx162
and under every leaf--hast thou not seen my white dove?' 'No,' said the
night-wind, 'but I will ask three other winds; perhaps they have seen
it.' Then the east wind and the west wind came, and said they too had
not seen it, but the
#pgx163
south wind said, 'I have seen the white dove--he
has fled to the Red Sea, and is changed once more into a lion, for the
seven years are passed away, and there he is fighting with a dragon;
and the dragon is an enchanted
#pgx164
princess, who seeks to separate him from
you.' Then the night-wind said, 'I will give thee counsel. Go to the
Red Sea; on the right shore stand many rods--count them, and when thou
comest to the eleventh, break it off, and smite the
#pgx165
dragon with it; and
so the lion will have the victory, and both of them will appear to you
in their own forms. Then look round and thou wilt see a griffin, winged
like bird, sitting by the Red Sea; jump on to his back with thy beloved
#pgx166
one as quickly as possible, and he will carry you over the waters to
your home. I will also give thee this nut,' continued the night-wind.
'When you are half-way over, throw it down, and out of the waters will
immediately spring
#pgx167
up a high nut-tree on which the griffin will be able
to rest, otherwise he would not have the strength to bear you the whole
way; if, therefore, thou dost forget to throw down the nut, he will let
you both fall into the sea.'
#pgx168
So our poor wanderer went forth, and found all as the night-wind had
said; and she plucked the eleventh rod, and smote the dragon, and the
lion forthwith became a prince, and the dragon a princess again. But
no sooner was the
#pgx169
princess released from the spell, than she seized
the prince by the arm and sprang on to the griffin's back, and went off
carrying the prince away with her.
Thus the unhappy traveller was again forsaken and forlorn; but she
#pgx170
took heart and said, 'As far as the wind blows, and so long as the cock
crows, I will journey on, till I find him once again.' She went on for
a long, long way, till at length she came to the castle whither the
princess had carried the prince; and
#pgx171
there was a feast got ready, and
she heard that the wedding was about to be held. 'Heaven aid me now!'
said she; and she took the casket that the sun had given her, and found
that within it lay a dress as dazzling as the sun itself. So
#pgx172
she put it
on, and went into the palace, and all the people gazed upon her; and
the dress pleased the bride so much that she asked whether it was to be
sold. 'Not for gold and silver.' said she, 'but for flesh and blood.'
The princess
#pgx173
asked what she meant, and she said, 'Let me speak with the
bridegroom this night in his chamber, and I will give thee the dress.'
At last the princess agreed, but she told her chamberlain to give the
prince a sleeping draught, that he
#pgx174
might not hear or see her. When
evening came, and the prince had fallen asleep, she was led into
his chamber, and she sat herself down at his feet, and said: 'I have
followed thee seven years. I have been to the sun, the moon,
#pgx175
and the
night-wind, to seek thee, and at last I have helped thee to overcome
the dragon. Wilt thou then forget me quite?' But the prince all the time
slept so soundly, that her voice only passed over him, and seemed like
#pgx176
the whistling of the wind among the fir-trees.
Then poor Lily was led away, and forced to give up the golden dress; and
when she saw that there was no help for her, she went out into a meadow,
and sat herself down and wept. But as
#pgx177
she sat she bethought herself of
the egg that the moon had given her; and when she broke it, there ran
out a hen and twelve chickens of pure gold, that played about, and then
nestled under the old one's wings, so as to form the most
#pgx178
beautiful
sight in the world. And she rose up and drove them before her, till the
bride saw them from her window, and was so pleased that she came forth
and asked her if she would sell the brood. 'Not for gold or silver, but
#pgx179
for flesh and blood: let me again this evening speak with the bridegroom
in his chamber, and I will give thee the whole brood.'
Then the princess thought to betray her as before, and agreed to
what she asked: but when the prince
#pgx180
went to his chamber he asked
the chamberlain why the wind had whistled so in the night. And the
chamberlain told him all--how he had given him a sleeping draught, and
how a poor maiden had come and spoken to him in his
#pgx181
chamber, and was
to come again that night. Then the prince took care to throw away the
sleeping draught; and when Lily came and began again to tell him what
woes had befallen her, and how faithful and true to him she had been,
#pgx182
he knew his beloved wife's voice, and sprang up, and said, 'You have
awakened me as from a dream, for the strange princess had thrown a spell
around me, so that I had altogether forgotten you; but Heaven hath sent
you to me in a lucky
#pgx183
hour.'
And they stole away out of the palace by night unawares, and seated
themselves on the griffin, who flew back with them over the Red Sea.
When they were half-way across Lily let the nut fall into the water,
#pgx184
and immediately a large nut-tree arose from the sea, whereon the griffin
rested for a while, and then carried them safely home. There they found
their child, now grown up to be comely and fair; and after all their
troubles they
#pgx185
lived happily together to the end of their days.
THE FOX AND THE HORSE
A farmer had a horse that had been an excellent faithful servant to
him: but he was now grown too old to work; so the farmer would give him
#pgx186
nothing more to eat, and said, 'I want you no longer, so take yourself
off out of my stable; I shall not take you back again until you are
stronger than a lion.' Then he opened the door and turned him adrift.
The poor horse
#pgx187
was very melancholy, and wandered up and down in the
wood, seeking some little shelter from the cold wind and rain. Presently
a fox met him: 'What's the matter, my friend?' said he, 'why do you hang
down your head
#pgx188
and look so lonely and woe-begone?' 'Ah!' replied the
horse, 'justice and avarice never dwell in one house; my master has
forgotten all that I have done for him so many years, and because I
can no longer work he has turned me
#pgx189
adrift, and says unless I become
stronger than a lion he will not take me back again; what chance can I
have of that? he knows I have none, or he would not talk so.'
However, the fox bid him be of good cheer, and said, 'I will help you;
#pgx190
lie down there, stretch yourself out quite stiff, and pretend to be
dead.' The horse did as he was told, and the fox went straight to the
lion who lived in a cave close by, and said to him, 'A little way off
lies a dead horse; come with me and
#pgx191
you may make an excellent meal of
his carcase.' The lion was greatly pleased, and set off immediately; and
when they came to the horse, the fox said, 'You will not be able to eat
him comfortably here; I'll tell you what--I will tie you
#pgx192
fast to
his tail, and then you can draw him to your den, and eat him at your
leisure.'
This advice pleased the lion, so he laid himself down quietly for the
fox to make him fast to the horse. But the fox managed to tie his
#pgx193
legs
together and bound all so hard and fast that with all his strength he
could not set himself free. When the work was done, the fox clapped the
horse on the shoulder, and said, 'Jip! Dobbin! Jip!' Then up he sprang,
#pgx194
and moved off, dragging the lion behind him. The beast began to roar
and bellow, till all the birds of the wood flew away for fright; but the
horse let him sing on, and made his way quietly over the fields to his
master's house.
#pgx195
'Here he is, master,' said he, 'I have got the better of him': and when
the farmer saw his old servant, his heart relented, and he said. 'Thou
shalt stay in thy stable and be well taken care of.' And so the poor old
horse had plenty
#pgx196
to eat, and lived--till he died.
THE BLUE LIGHT
There was once upon a time a soldier who for many years had served the
king faithfully, but when the war came to an end could serve no longer
because of the many wounds which he
#pgx197
had received. The king said to him:
'You may return to your home, I need you no longer, and you will not
receive any more money, for he only receives wages who renders me
service for them.' Then the soldier did not know how to
#pgx198
earn a living,
went away greatly troubled, and walked the whole day, until in the
evening he entered a forest. When darkness came on, he saw a light,
which he went up to, and came to a house wherein lived a witch. 'Do give
#pgx199
me one night's lodging, and a little to eat and drink,' said he to
her, 'or I shall starve.' 'Oho!' she answered, 'who gives anything to a
run-away soldier? Yet will I be compassionate, and take you in, if you
will do what I wish.'
#pgx200
'What do you wish?' said the soldier. 'That you
should dig all round my garden for me, tomorrow.' The soldier consented,
and next day laboured with all his strength, but could not finish it by
the evening. 'I see well enough,' said
#pgx201
the witch, 'that you can do no
more today, but I will keep you yet another night, in payment for
which you must tomorrow chop me a load of wood, and chop it small.' The
soldier spent the whole day in doing it, and in the evening the witch
#pgx202
proposed that he should stay one night more. 'Tomorrow, you shall only
do me a very trifling piece of work. Behind my house, there is an old
dry well, into which my light has fallen, it burns blue, and never goes
out, and you shall
#pgx203
bring it up again.' Next day the old woman took him
to the well, and let him down in a basket. He found the blue light, and
made her a signal to draw him up again. She did draw him up, but when he
came near the edge, she stretched
#pgx204
down her hand and wanted to take the
blue light away from him. 'No,' said he, perceiving her evil intention,
'I will not give you the light until I am standing with both feet upon
the ground.' The witch fell into a passion, let him fall again into
#pgx205
the
well, and went away.
The poor soldier fell without injury on the moist ground, and the blue
light went on burning, but of what use was that to him? He saw very well
that he could not escape death. He sat for a while very
#pgx206
sorrowfully,
then suddenly he felt in his pocket and found his tobacco pipe, which
was still half full. 'This shall be my last pleasure,' thought he,
pulled it out, lit it at the blue light and began to smoke. When the
smoke had circled
#pgx207
about the cavern, suddenly a little black dwarf stood
before him, and said: 'Lord, what are your commands?' 'What my commands
are?' replied the soldier, quite astonished. 'I must do everything you
bid me,' said the little man. 'Good,' said
#pgx208
the soldier; 'then in the
first place help me out of this well.' The little man took him by the
hand, and led him through an underground passage, but he did not forget
to take the blue light with him. On the way
#pgx209
the dwarf showed him the
treasures which the witch had collected and hidden there, and the
soldier took as much gold as he could carry. When he was above, he said
to the little man: 'Now go and bind the old witch, and carry
#pgx210
her before
the judge.' In a short time she came by like the wind, riding on a wild
tom-cat and screaming frightfully. Nor was it long before the little man
reappeared. 'It is all done,' said he, 'and the witch is
#pgx211
already hanging
on the gallows. What further commands has my lord?' inquired the dwarf.
'At this moment, none,' answered the soldier; 'you can return home, only
be at hand immediately, if I summon you.' 'Nothing more is needed
#pgx212
than
that you should light your pipe at the blue light, and I will appear
before you at once.' Thereupon he vanished from his sight.
The soldier returned to the town from which he came. He went to the
best inn, ordered
#pgx213
himself handsome clothes, and then bade the landlord
furnish him a room as handsome as possible. When it was ready and the
soldier had taken possession of it, he summoned the little black manikin
and said: 'I have served the king
#pgx214
faithfully, but he has dismissed me,
and left me to hunger, and now I want to take my revenge.' 'What am I to
do?' asked the little man. 'Late at night, when the king's daughter is
in bed, bring her here in her sleep, she shall do servant's
#pgx215
work for
me.' The manikin said: 'That is an easy thing for me to do, but a very
dangerous thing for you, for if it is discovered, you will fare ill.'
When twelve o'clock had struck, the door sprang open, and the manikin
#pgx216
carried in the princess. 'Aha! are you there?' cried the soldier, 'get
to your work at once! Fetch the broom and sweep the chamber.' When
she had done this, he ordered her to come to his chair, and then he
stretched out his
#pgx217
feet and said: 'Pull off my boots,' and then he
threw them in her face, and made her pick them up again, and clean
and brighten them. She, however, did everything he bade her, without
opposition, silently and with
#pgx218
half-shut eyes. When the first cock
crowed, the manikin carried her back to the royal palace, and laid her
in her bed.
Next morning when the princess arose she went to her father, and told
him that she had had a very strange
#pgx219
dream. 'I was carried through the
streets with the rapidity of lightning,' said she, 'and taken into a
soldier's room, and I had to wait upon him like a servant, sweep his
room, clean his boots, and do all kinds of menial work. It was
#pgx220
only a
dream, and yet I am just as tired as if I really had done everything.'
'The dream may have been true,' said the king. 'I will give you a piece
of advice. Fill your pocket full of peas, and make a small hole in the
#pgx221
pocket, and then if you are carried away again, they will fall out and
leave a track in the streets.' But unseen by the king, the manikin was
standing beside him when he said that, and heard all. At night when
the sleeping
#pgx222
princess was again carried through the streets, some peas
certainly did fall out of her pocket, but they made no track, for the
crafty manikin had just before scattered peas in every street there
was. And again the princess was
#pgx223
compelled to do servant's work until
cock-crow.
Next morning the king sent his people out to seek the track, but it was
all in vain, for in every street poor children were sitting, picking up
peas, and saying: 'It must have rained
#pgx224
peas, last night.' 'We must think
of something else,' said the king; 'keep your shoes on when you go to
bed, and before you come back from the place where you are taken, hide
one of them there, I will soon contrive to find it.' The black
#pgx225
manikin
heard this plot, and at night when the soldier again ordered him to
bring the princess, revealed it to him, and told him that he knew of no
expedient to counteract this stratagem, and that if the shoe were found
in the soldier's
#pgx226
house it would go badly with him. 'Do what I bid you,'
replied the soldier, and again this third night the princess was obliged
to work like a servant, but before she went away, she hid her shoe under
the bed.
Next morning the
#pgx227
king had the entire town searched for his daughter's
shoe. It was found at the soldier's, and the soldier himself, who at the
entreaty of the dwarf had gone outside the gate, was soon brought back,
and thrown into prison. In his
#pgx228
flight he had forgotten the most valuable
things he had, the blue light and the gold, and had only one ducat in
his pocket. And now loaded with chains, he was standing at the window of
his dungeon, when he chanced to see one of his comrades
#pgx229
passing by. The
soldier tapped at the pane of glass, and when this man came up, said to
him: 'Be so kind as to fetch me the small bundle I have left lying in
the inn, and I will give you a ducat for doing it.' His comrade ran
thither and
#pgx230
brought him what he wanted. As soon as the soldier was alone
again, he lighted his pipe and summoned the black manikin. 'Have no
fear,' said the latter to his master. 'Go wheresoever they take you, and
let them do what they will, only take the
#pgx231
blue light with you.' Next day
the soldier was tried, and though he had done nothing wicked, the judge
condemned him to death. When he was led forth to die, he begged a last
favour of the king. 'What is it?' asked the king. 'That I may
#pgx232
smoke one
more pipe on my way.' 'You may smoke three,' answered the king, 'but do
not imagine that I will spare your life.' Then the soldier pulled out
his pipe and lighted it at the blue light, and as soon as a few wreaths
of smoke had
#pgx233
ascended, the manikin was there with a small cudgel in his
hand, and said: 'What does my lord command?' 'Strike down to earth that
false judge there, and his constable, and spare not the king who has
treated me so ill.' Then the manikin fell on
#pgx234
them like lightning,
darting this way and that way, and whosoever was so much as touched by
his cudgel fell to earth, and did not venture to stir again. The king
was terrified; he threw himself on the soldier's mercy, and merely to
#pgx235
be allowed to live at all, gave him his kingdom for his own, and his
daughter to wife.
THE RAVEN
There was once a queen who had a little daughter, still too young to run
alone. One day the child was very troublesome, and
#pgx236
the mother could not
quiet it, do what she would. She grew impatient, and seeing the ravens
flying round the castle, she opened the window, and said: 'I wish you
were a raven and would fly away, then I should have a little peace.'
#pgx237
Scarcely were the words out of her mouth, when the child in her arms was
turned into a raven, and flew away from her through the open window. The
bird took its flight to a dark wood and remained there for a long time,
and meanwhile the
#pgx238
parents could hear nothing of their child.
Long after this, a man was making his way through the wood when he heard
a raven calling, and he followed the sound of the voice. As he drew
near, the raven said, 'I am by birth a
#pgx239
king's daughter, but am now under
the spell of some enchantment; you can, however, set me free.' 'What
am I to do?' he asked. She replied, 'Go farther into the wood until you
come to a house, wherein lives an old woman; she will
#pgx240
offer you food and
drink, but you must not take of either; if you do, you will fall into
a deep sleep, and will not be able to help me. In the garden behind the
house is a large tan-heap, and on that you must stand and watch for me.
#pgx241
I shall drive there in my carriage at two o'clock in the afternoon for
three successive days; the first day it will be drawn by four white, the
second by four chestnut, and the last by four black horses; but if you
fail to keep awake
#pgx242
and I find you sleeping, I shall not be set free.'
The man promised to do all that she wished, but the raven said, 'Alas! I
know even now that you will take something from the woman and be unable
to save me.' The man assured her
#pgx243
again that he would on no account touch
a thing to eat or drink.
When he came to the house and went inside, the old woman met him, and
said, 'Poor man! how tired you are! Come in and rest and let me give you
something to eat
#pgx244
and drink.'
'No,' answered the man, 'I will neither eat not drink.'
But she would not leave him alone, and urged him saying, 'If you will
not eat anything, at least you might take a draught of wine; one drink
counts for
#pgx245
nothing,' and at last he allowed himself to be persuaded, and
drank.
As it drew towards the appointed hour, he went outside into the garden
and mounted the tan-heap to await the raven. Suddenly a feeling of
fatigue came over
#pgx246
him, and unable to resist it, he lay down for a little
while, fully determined, however, to keep awake; but in another minute
his eyes closed of their own accord, and he fell into such a deep sleep,
that all the noises
#pgx247
in the world would not have awakened him. At two
o'clock the raven came driving along, drawn by her four white horses;
but even before she reached the spot, she said to herself, sighing, 'I
know he has fallen asleep.' When she
#pgx248
entered the garden, there she found
him as she had feared, lying on the tan-heap, fast asleep. She got out
of her carriage and went to him; she called him and shook him, but it
was all in vain, he still continued sleeping.
The next day at
#pgx249
noon, the old woman came to him again with food and
drink which he at first refused. At last, overcome by her persistent
entreaties that he would take something, he lifted the glass and drank
again.
Towards two
#pgx250
o'clock he went into the garden and on to the tan-heap to
watch for the raven. He had not been there long before he began to feel
so tired that his limbs seemed hardly able to support him, and he could
not stand upright any longer; so again
#pgx251
he lay down and fell fast asleep.
As the raven drove along her four chestnut horses, she said sorrowfully
to herself, 'I know he has fallen asleep.' She went as before to look
for him, but he slept, and it was impossible to awaken him.
#pgx252
The following day the old woman said to him, 'What is this? You are not
eating or drinking anything, do you want to kill yourself?'
He answered, 'I may not and will not either eat or drink.'
But she put down the dish of food and the glass of wine
#pgx253
in front of him,
and when he smelt the wine, he was unable to resist the temptation, and
took a deep draught.
When the hour came round again he went as usual on to the tan-heap in
the garden to await the king's daughter, but he felt even
#pgx254
more overcome
with weariness than on the two previous days, and throwing himself down,
he slept like a log. At two o'clock the raven could be seen approaching,
and this time her coachman and everything about her, as well as her
#pgx255
horses, were black.
She was sadder than ever as she drove along, and said mournfully, 'I
know he has fallen asleep, and will not be able to set me free.' She
found him sleeping heavily, and all her efforts to awaken him were of no
#pgx256
avail. Then she placed beside him a loaf, and some meat, and a flask
of wine, of such a kind, that however much he took of them, they would
never grow less. After that she drew a gold ring, on which her name was
engraved, off her
#pgx257
finger, and put it upon one of his. Finally, she laid
a letter near him, in which, after giving him particulars of the food
and drink she had left for him, she finished with the following words:
'I see that as long as you remain here
#pgx258
you will never be able to set me
free; if, however, you still wish to do so, come to the golden castle
of Stromberg; this is well within your power to accomplish.' She then
returned to her carriage and drove to the golden
#pgx259
castle of Stromberg.
When the man awoke and found that he had been sleeping, he was grieved
at heart, and said, 'She has no doubt been here and driven away again,
and it is now too late for me to save her.' Then his eyes fell on the
#pgx260
things which were lying beside him; he read the letter, and knew from it
all that had happened. He rose up without delay, eager to start on his
way and to reach the castle of Stromberg, but he had no idea in which
direction he ought
#pgx261
to go. He travelled about a long time in search of it
and came at last to a dark forest, through which he went on walking for
fourteen days and still could not find a way out. Once more the night
came on, and worn out he lay down under
#pgx262
a bush and fell asleep. Again
the next day he pursued his way through the forest, and that evening,
thinking to rest again, he lay down as before, but he heard such a
howling and wailing that he found it impossible to
#pgx263
sleep. He waited till
it was darker and people had begun to light up their houses, and then
seeing a little glimmer ahead of him, he went towards it.
He found that the light came from a house which looked smaller than
it really was, from
#pgx264
the contrast of its height with that of an immense
giant who stood in front of it. He thought to himself, 'If the giant
sees me going in, my life will not be worth much.' However, after a
while he summoned up courage and went
#pgx265
forward. When the giant saw him,
he called out, 'It is lucky for that you have come, for I have not had
anything to eat for a long time. I can have you now for my supper.' 'I
would rather you let that alone,' said the man, 'for I do not
#pgx266
willingly
give myself up to be eaten; if you are wanting food I have enough to
satisfy your hunger.' 'If that is so,' replied the giant, 'I will leave
you in peace; I only thought of eating you because I had nothing else.'
So they went
#pgx267
indoors together and sat down, and the man brought out the
bread, meat, and wine, which although he had eaten and drunk of them,
were still unconsumed. The giant was pleased with the good cheer, and
ate and drank to his heart's content.
#pgx268
When he had finished his supper
the man asked him if he could direct him to the castle of Stromberg.
The giant said, 'I will look on my map; on it are marked all the towns,
villages, and houses.' So he fetched his map, and looked for the
#pgx269
castle,
but could not find it. 'Never mind,' he said, 'I have larger maps
upstairs in the cupboard, we will look on those,' but they searched in
vain, for the castle was not marked even on these. The man now thought
he should like to
#pgx270
continue his journey, but the giant begged him to
remain for a day or two longer until the return of his brother, who was
away in search of provisions. When the brother came home, they asked him
about the castle of Stromberg, and he
#pgx271
told them he would look on his own
maps as soon as he had eaten and appeased his hunger. Accordingly, when
he had finished his supper, they all went up together to his room and
looked through his maps, but the
#pgx272
castle was not to be found. Then he
fetched other older maps, and they went on looking for the castle until
at last they found it, but it was many thousand miles away. 'How shall I
be able to get there?' asked the man. 'I have two hours to
#pgx273
spare,' said
the giant, 'and I will carry you into the neighbourhood of the castle; I
must then return to look after the child who is in our care.'
The giant, thereupon, carried the man to within about a hundred leagues
of the castle,
#pgx274
where he left him, saying, 'You will be able to walk the
remainder of the way yourself.' The man journeyed on day and night
till he reached the golden castle of Stromberg. He found it situated,
however, on a glass mountain, and
#pgx275
looking up from the foot he saw the
enchanted maiden drive round her castle and then go inside. He was
overjoyed to see her, and longed to get to the top of the mountain, but
the sides were so slippery that every time he attempted
#pgx276
to climb he
fell back again. When he saw that it was impossible to reach her, he was
greatly grieved, and said to himself, 'I will remain here and wait for
her,' so he built himself a little hut, and there he sat and watched for
#pgx277
a whole year, and every day he saw the king's daughter driving round her
castle, but still was unable to get nearer to her.
Looking out from his hut one day he saw three robbers fighting and he
called out to them, 'God be with you.'
#pgx278
They stopped when they heard the
call, but looking round and seeing nobody, they went on again with their
fighting, which now became more furious. 'God be with you,' he cried
again, and again they paused and looked about, but seeing
#pgx279
no one went
back to their fighting. A third time he called out, 'God be with you,'
and then thinking he should like to know the cause of dispute between
the three men, he went out and asked them why they were fighting so
angrily with one
#pgx280
another. One of them said that he had found a stick,
and that he had but to strike it against any door through which he
wished to pass, and it immediately flew open. Another told him that he
had found a cloak which rendered
#pgx281
its wearer invisible; and the third had
caught a horse which would carry its rider over any obstacle, and even
up the glass mountain. They had been unable to decide whether they
would keep together and have the things in common, or
#pgx282
whether they would
separate. On hearing this, the man said, 'I will give you something in
exchange for those three things; not money, for that I have not got,
but something that is of far more value. I must first, however, prove
#pgx283
whether all you have told me about your three things is true.' The
robbers, therefore, made him get on the horse, and handed him the stick
and the cloak, and when he had put this round him he was no longer
visible. Then he
#pgx284
fell upon them with the stick and beat them one after
another, crying, 'There, you idle vagabonds, you have got what you
deserve; are you satisfied now!'
After this he rode up the glass mountain. When he reached the gate of
#pgx285
the castle, he found it closed, but he gave it a blow with his stick,
and it flew wide open at once and he passed through. He mounted the
steps and entered the room where the maiden was sitting, with a golden
goblet full of wine in front of her.
#pgx286
She could not see him for he still
wore his cloak. He took the ring which she had given him off his finger,
and threw it into the goblet, so that it rang as it touched the bottom.
'That is my own ring,' she exclaimed, 'and if that is so the man
#pgx287
must
also be here who is coming to set me free.'
She sought for him about the castle, but could find him nowhere.
Meanwhile he had gone outside again and mounted his horse and thrown off
the cloak. When
#pgx288
therefore she came to the castle gate she saw him, and
cried aloud for joy. Then he dismounted and took her in his arms; and
she kissed him, and said, 'Now you have indeed set me free, and tomorrow
we will celebrate our marriage.'
#pgx289
THE GOLDEN GOOSE
There was a man who had three sons, the youngest of whom was called
Dummling,[*] and was despised, mocked, and sneered at on every occasion.
It happened that the eldest wanted to go into the forest to hew wood,
#pgx290
and before he went his mother gave him a beautiful sweet cake and a
bottle of wine in order that he might not suffer from hunger or thirst.
When he entered the forest he met a little grey-haired old man who bade
him good day, and
#pgx291
said: 'Do give me a piece of cake out of your pocket,
and let me have a draught of your wine; I am so hungry and thirsty.' But
the clever son answered: 'If I give you my cake and wine, I shall have
none for myself; be off with you,' and
#pgx292
he left the little man standing
and went on.
But when he began to hew down a tree, it was not long before he made a
false stroke, and the axe cut him in the arm, so that he had to go home
and have it bound up. And this was the
#pgx293
little grey man's doing.
After this the second son went into the forest, and his mother gave him,
like the eldest, a cake and a bottle of wine. The little old grey man
met him likewise, and asked him for a piece of cake and a drink of wine.
#pgx294
But the second son, too, said sensibly enough: 'What I give you will be
taken away from myself; be off!' and he left the little man standing and
went on. His punishment, however, was not delayed; when he had made a
#pgx295
few blows at the tree he struck himself in the leg, so that he had to be
carried home.
Then Dummling said: 'Father, do let me go and cut wood.' The father
answered: 'Your brothers have hurt themselves with it, leave it alone,
#pgx296
you do not understand anything about it.' But Dummling begged so long
that at last he said: 'Just go then, you will get wiser by hurting
yourself.' His mother gave him a cake made with water and baked in the
cinders, and with it a bottle of sour
#pgx297
beer.
When he came to the forest the little old grey man met him likewise,
and greeting him, said: 'Give me a piece of your cake and a drink out
of your bottle; I am so hungry and thirsty.' Dummling answered: 'I have
#pgx298
only cinder-cake and sour beer; if that pleases you, we will sit
down and eat.' So they sat down, and when Dummling pulled out his
cinder-cake, it was a fine sweet cake, and the sour beer had become good
wine. So they ate
#pgx299
and drank, and after that the little man said: 'Since
you have a good heart, and are willing to divide what you have, I will
give you good luck. There stands an old tree, cut it down, and you will
find something at the roots.' Then the
#pgx300
little man took leave of him.
Dummling went and cut down the tree, and when it fell there was a goose
sitting in the roots with feathers of pure gold. He lifted her up, and
taking her with him, went to an inn where he thought he
#pgx301
would stay the
night. Now the host had three daughters, who saw the goose and were
curious to know what such a wonderful bird might be, and would have
liked to have one of its golden feathers.
The eldest thought: 'I shall soon find an
#pgx302
opportunity of pulling out a
feather,' and as soon as Dummling had gone out she seized the goose by
the wing, but her finger and hand remained sticking fast to it.
The second came soon afterwards, thinking only of
#pgx303
how she might get a
feather for herself, but she had scarcely touched her sister than she
was held fast.
At last the third also came with the like intent, and the others
screamed out: 'Keep away; for goodness' sake keep away!' But she did
#pgx304
not understand why she was to keep away. 'The others are there,' she
thought, 'I may as well be there too,' and ran to them; but as soon as
she had touched her sister, she remained sticking fast to her. So they
had to spend the
#pgx305
night with the goose.
The next morning Dummling took the goose under his arm and set out,
without troubling himself about the three girls who were hanging on to
it. They were obliged to run after him continually, now left, now right,
#pgx306
wherever his legs took him.
In the middle of the fields the parson met them, and when he saw the
procession he said: 'For shame, you good-for-nothing girls, why are you
running across the fields after this young man? Is
#pgx307
that seemly?' At the
same time he seized the youngest by the hand in order to pull her away,
but as soon as he touched her he likewise stuck fast, and was himself
obliged to run behind.
Before long the sexton came by and saw his master,
#pgx308
the parson, running
behind three girls. He was astonished at this and called out: 'Hi!
your reverence, whither away so quickly? Do not forget that we have a
christening today!' and running after him he took him by the sleeve, but
#pgx309
was also held fast to it.
Whilst the five were trotting thus one behind the other, two labourers
came with their hoes from the fields; the parson called out to them
and begged that they would set him and the sexton free. But
#pgx310
they had
scarcely touched the sexton when they were held fast, and now there were
seven of them running behind Dummling and the goose.
Soon afterwards he came to a city, where a king ruled who had a daughter
who was so
#pgx311
serious that no one could make her laugh. So he had put forth
a decree that whosoever should be able to make her laugh should marry
her. When Dummling heard this, he went with his goose and all her train
before the king's
#pgx312
daughter, and as soon as she saw the seven people
running on and on, one behind the other, she began to laugh quite
loudly, and as if she would never stop. Thereupon Dummling asked to have
her for his wife; but the king did not like
#pgx313
the son-in-law, and made all
manner of excuses and said he must first produce a man who could drink
a cellarful of wine. Dummling thought of the little grey man, who could
certainly help him; so he went into the forest, and in the
#pgx314
same place
where he had felled the tree, he saw a man sitting, who had a very
sorrowful face. Dummling asked him what he was taking to heart so
sorely, and he answered: 'I have such a great thirst and cannot
#pgx315
quench
it; cold water I cannot stand, a barrel of wine I have just emptied, but
that to me is like a drop on a hot stone!'
'There, I can help you,' said Dummling, 'just come with me and you shall
be satisfied.'
He led him into the
#pgx316
king's cellar, and the man bent over the huge
barrels, and drank and drank till his loins hurt, and before the day was
out he had emptied all the barrels. Then Dummling asked once more
for his bride, but the king was vexed
#pgx317
that such an ugly fellow, whom
everyone called Dummling, should take away his daughter, and he made a
new condition; he must first find a man who could eat a whole mountain
of bread. Dummling did not think long, but went straight into
#pgx318
the
forest, where in the same place there sat a man who was tying up his
body with a strap, and making an awful face, and saying: 'I have eaten a
whole ovenful of rolls, but what good is that when one has such a hunger
#pgx319
as I? My stomach remains empty, and I must tie myself up if I am not to
die of hunger.'
At this Dummling was glad, and said: 'Get up and come with me; you shall
eat yourself full.' He led him to the king's palace where all the
flour in the whole
#pgx320
Kingdom was collected, and from it he caused a huge
mountain of bread to be baked. The man from the forest stood before it,
began to eat, and by the end of one day the whole mountain had vanished.
Then Dummling for the third time asked
#pgx321
for his bride; but the king again
sought a way out, and ordered a ship which could sail on land and on
water. 'As soon as you come sailing back in it,' said he, 'you shall
have my daughter for wife.'
Dummling went straight into the
#pgx322
forest, and there sat the little grey
man to whom he had given his cake. When he heard what Dummling wanted,
he said: 'Since you have given me to eat and to drink, I will give you
the ship; and I do all this because you once were kind to
#pgx323
me.' Then he
gave him the ship which could sail on land and water, and when the king
saw that, he could no longer prevent him from having his daughter. The
wedding was celebrated, and after the king's death, Dummling
#pgx324
inherited
his kingdom and lived for a long time contentedly with his wife.
[*] Simpleton
THE WATER OF LIFE
Long before you or I were born, there reigned, in a country a great way
off, a king who had three sons. This
#pgx325
king once fell very ill--so ill
that nobody thought he could live. His sons were very much grieved
at their father's sickness; and as they were walking together very
mournfully in the garden of the palace, a little old
#pgx326
man met them and
asked what was the matter. They told him that their father was very ill,
and that they were afraid nothing could save him. 'I know what would,'
said the little old man; 'it is the Water of Life. If he could have a
#pgx327
draught of it he would be well again; but it is very hard to get.' Then
the eldest son said, 'I will soon find it': and he went to the sick
king, and begged that he might go in search of the Water of Life, as
it was the only thing that could save
#pgx328
him. 'No,' said the king. 'I had
rather die than place you in such great danger as you must meet with in
your journey.' But he begged so hard that the king let him go; and the
prince thought to himself, 'If I bring my father this water,
#pgx329
he will
make me sole heir to his kingdom.'
Then he set out: and when he had gone on his way some time he came to a
deep valley, overhung with rocks and woods; and as he looked around, he
saw standing above him on one of the
#pgx330
rocks a little ugly dwarf, with a
sugarloaf cap and a scarlet cloak; and the dwarf called to him and said,
'Prince, whither so fast?' 'What is that to thee, you ugly imp?' said
the prince haughtily, and rode on.
But the dwarf was
#pgx331
enraged at his behaviour, and laid a fairy spell
of ill-luck upon him; so that as he rode on the mountain pass became
narrower and narrower, and at last the way was so straitened that he
could not go to step forward: and when
#pgx332
he thought to have turned his
horse round and go back the way he came, he heard a loud laugh ringing
round him, and found that the path was closed behind him, so that he was
shut in all round. He next tried to get off his horse and
#pgx333
make his way
on foot, but again the laugh rang in his ears, and he found himself
unable to move a step, and thus he was forced to abide spellbound.
Meantime the old king was lingering on in daily hope of his son's
#pgx334
return, till at last the second son said, 'Father, I will go in search
of the Water of Life.' For he thought to himself, 'My brother is surely
dead, and the kingdom will fall to me if I find the water.' The king was
at first very
#pgx335
unwilling to let him go, but at last yielded to his wish.
So he set out and followed the same road which his brother had done,
and met with the same elf, who stopped him at the same spot in the
mountains, saying, as before, 'Prince,
#pgx336
prince, whither so fast?' 'Mind
your own affairs, busybody!' said the prince scornfully, and rode on.
But the dwarf put the same spell upon him as he put on his elder
brother, and he, too, was at last obliged to take up his abode in the
#pgx337
heart of the mountains. Thus it is with proud silly people, who think
themselves above everyone else, and are too proud to ask or take advice.
When the second prince had thus been gone a long time, the youngest son
said he would go
#pgx338
and search for the Water of Life, and trusted he should
soon be able to make his father well again. So he set out, and the dwarf
met him too at the same spot in the valley, among the mountains, and
said, 'Prince, whither so fast?' And the
#pgx339
prince said, 'I am going in
search of the Water of Life, because my father is ill, and like to die:
can you help me? Pray be kind, and aid me if you can!' 'Do you know
where it is to be found?' asked the dwarf. 'No,' said the prince, 'I do
#pgx340
not. Pray tell me if you know.' 'Then as you have spoken to me kindly,
and are wise enough to seek for advice, I will tell you how and where to
go. The water you seek springs from a well in an enchanted castle; and,
that you may be
#pgx341
able to reach it in safety, I will give you an iron wand
and two little loaves of bread; strike the iron door of the castle three
times with the wand, and it will open: two hungry lions will be lying
down inside gaping for their prey, but if
#pgx342
you throw them the bread they
will let you pass; then hasten on to the well, and take some of the
Water of Life before the clock strikes twelve; for if you tarry longer
the door will shut upon you for ever.'
Then the prince thanked his little
#pgx343
friend with the scarlet cloak for his
friendly aid, and took the wand and the bread, and went travelling on
and on, over sea and over land, till he came to his journey's end, and
found everything to be as the dwarf had told him. The door
#pgx344
flew open at
the third stroke of the wand, and when the lions were quieted he went on
through the castle and came at length to a beautiful hall. Around it he
saw several knights sitting in a trance; then he pulled off their rings
#pgx345
and put them on his own fingers. In another room he saw on a table a
sword and a loaf of bread, which he also took. Further on he came to a
room where a beautiful young lady sat upon a couch; and she welcomed him
joyfully, and said,
#pgx346
if he would set her free from the spell that bound
her, the kingdom should be his, if he would come back in a year and
marry her. Then she told him that the well that held the Water of Life
was in the palace gardens; and
#pgx347
bade him make haste, and draw what he
wanted before the clock struck twelve.
He walked on; and as he walked through beautiful gardens he came to a
delightful shady spot in which stood a couch; and he thought to himself,
as he felt tired,
#pgx348
that he would rest himself for a while, and gaze on
the lovely scenes around him. So he laid himself down, and sleep
fell upon him unawares, so that he did not wake up till the clock was
striking a quarter to twelve. Then he
#pgx349
sprang from the couch dreadfully
frightened, ran to the well, filled a cup that was standing by him full
of water, and hastened to get away in time. Just as he was going out of
the iron door it struck twelve, and the door fell so