In the Springtime a certain King pitched his tent in a flowery meadow
tract, among shady trees and near a gurgling brook. There came from the
village three sisters, maidens of marriageable age, to gather flowers
and edible vegetables. At noon-time they sat down on the bank of the
crystal brook, not far from the royal tent, and began to prattle.
"If the King takes me in marriage for his eldest son," said the oldest
maiden, "I will weave for him a tent so big that it will accommodate
all his army, and yet one-half of it will be empty."
"If the King takes me in marriage for his second son," said the second
maiden, "I will weave for him a rug so big that it will accommodate
all his court and the people of his realm, and yet half of it will
be left empty."
"I will not brag," said the youngest sister; "but if the King takes
me in marriage for his youngest son, and if it pleases Heaven, I will
give birth to twins,--a silver-haired boy and a golden-haired girl."
The two older maidens laughed at their young sister and ridiculed
her. The King, who was listening to the talk of the maidens from behind
the arras, was pleased with them and gave all three in marriage to
his three sons. One day he asked of the oldest sister:
"Where is the tent which you were going to weave?"
"It was only vain prattle we sisters were indulging in," said she.
"Where is your rug?" inquired the King of the second sister.
"It was merely idle talk," replied she.
"And where are your twins?" asked he of the youngest sister.
"If it pleases Heaven I will bear them in the fulness of time,"
replied she.
The older sisters became very envious of their younger sister and they
vowed to be revenged, for now the love and caresses of the whole court
seemed to be bestowed upon her. One night there came to the arms of
the youngest sister the promised silver-haired boy and golden-haired
girl. The envious sisters immediately took the babies away and put
them into a chest which they threw into the river. Bringing a pair of
puppies, they placed them by the bedside of the young mother. Then they
went to the young Prince and informed him that his beloved wife was
mother to the two puppies. The young Prince was horror-stricken. The
King was mad with rage. He ordered his servants to wrap the young
woman in a camel's hide and put her in the corner by the palace door,
so that every one who entered the palace might spit in her face,
for her base conduct in thus bringing shame upon those who had loved
and favored her. The King's order was at once put into execution.
It so happened that there was an old man and his wife living in a hut
on the banks of the river on the outskirts of the city. The old man
used to cast his nets into the river every day and catch two fish,
one for himself and one for his wife. On that day he threw his net
for fish, and lo! a chest was drawn out. He took it to his hut where
he and his wife opening it saw that there was in it a pair of pretty
babies. The silver-haired boy had put his thumb into the mouth of the
golden-haired girl, and the girl had put her thumb into the mouth of
the boy. So they were sucking one another's thumbs and were not crying
at all. The aged couple looked upon them with great joy and said:
"Thank Heaven! We were till now without offspring, and lo! Heaven
has now granted us twins."
The old dame washed the babies, and lo! gold and silver fell down
from their hair. She said to her husband,--
"Now, husband, get up and take this gold and silver to the mart and
buy for us a cow that we may feed the babies with milk."
The old man went, and with that silver and gold bought not only
a cow, but a great many other things necessary for the twins, who
were brought up with great care and kindness, although in an obscure
hut. The children grew rapidly and became a great comfort to the aged
couple. The boy grew to be a brave lad and became a hunter, and the
girl grew to be a beautiful, intelligent maiden. The aged couple,
following the course of the world, died when the children were
quite young. The girl had only once heard from the old woman that
they were fished from the river in a chest, and that the despised
woman in the King's palace door was their mother, whom the King's
two daughters-in-law had put in that position by falsehood. After
the death of their benefactors, the sister and brother continued to
live in the hut. The lad went hunting, and the maiden used to visit
the court, for the purpose of seeing their mother; but, following the
advice of her deceased godmother, she did not let herself be known,
lest mischief should befall herself and her brother. She learned,
however, all that was going on in the royal palace. One day the lad
hunted for an antelope and found a fine one, which he secured.
"This is worthy of the King," said the lad, and took it to the
palace. The King was very much pleased. On another day he shot a lion,
whose skin he took to the King, who said to him:
"Good for you, my little hunter! Come to-morrow to the palace again;
I will praise you before my men."
The lad came home and told his sister that he was invited to the
palace by the King.
"Good!" said the maiden; "take this bouquet with you. When you enter
the King's palace you will see there, in a corner, a woman wrapped in
the hide of a camel, and buried in the dust up to her waist. All who
enter the door spit in her face; for my sake, do throw this bunch of
roses to her as you pass by her."
"All right," said the lad; and on the following day, as he was
entering the palace, he threw the bunch of roses to the despised
woman. He then entered the King's apartment, where both the King and
the courtiers were very much pleased with him. His manly bearing and
intelligent conversation were the subject of general admiration. But
the King's two daughters-in-law were very much displeased with the
little hunter, who threw a bunch of roses to their disgraced sister
instead of spitting at her. They thought there was something at the
bottom of the lad's conduct, and said to one another:
"Let us find out some means of getting rid of this urchin, lest our
secret should leak out."
As they had great influence with the King and the court, they went
to the King and said:
"Long live the King! You see that this lad is an expert hunter; he
has brought you a lion's hide; but it shall be useless as long as
there is only one. Send him to bring a dozen more lions' skins with
which to adorn the new palace."
The King liked this suggestion and sent the lad to bring him a dozen
lions' skins. The lad came home and told his sister, who said to him:
"Brother, when our godmother died she told me that we had an aunt
living somewhere among the rocks of yonder Black Mountains. In case
some difficult task was imposed upon us by the court we might go to
our aunt, who would always be glad to help us. So you had better go
to her; she will show you how to hunt twelve lions."
The lad started towards the Black Mountains. There, in a deep cavern,
he saw an old fairy woman sitting. He ran to her and at once kissed
her hand.
"Halloo!" exclaimed the old dame, "is it you, silver-haired twin?"
"Aye, auntie, it is I," answered the lad.
"And how does your golden-haired sister thrive?" the fairy woman asked.
"She humbly kisses both of your hands, auntie," said the lad.
"And what have you come for, my boy?" inquired the fairy dame.
"The King wants from me a dozen lions' skins," answered the lad.
"Well then, come and hide you under my apron till your forty cousins
come," said the old woman, hiding the lad in the folds of her skirts.
Soon the forty fairies, the sons of the old dame, came, and smelling
the lad, exclaimed:
"How now, mother! have you prepared for us a meal of human meat
to-day?"
"No, sons," answered the dame, "unless you are so cruel as to eat
your own human cousin."
"Where is he, mother?" inquired the forty, "we will not hurt him,
but talk to him."
The lad came out from under the apron of his fairy aunt.
The forty brothers were very much pleased with him and kissed him by
turns. Then they asked him about his errand, and when the lad told
them, they said:
"That is nothing, cousin, we will give you twelve lions' skins which
we are now using as quilts and replace them with new ones to-morrow."
They gave the lad the lions' skins to carry to the King, also a tent as
a present to his golden-haired sister. The lad came home, and giving
the tent to his sister, took the skins to the King, who was highly
pleased with them. But the two women were more uneasy now than ever,
and asked the King to send the lad to bring seven pairs of elephants'
tusks, in order to decorate the new palace with ivory. The King,
not knowing that the intention of the wicked women was to destroy the
youth, sent him to bring the ivory. The lad went again to his fairy
cousins and told his errand.
"Cousin," said the forty brothers, "we can bring you seven pairs of
elephants' tusks, but you must bring us a saw, and seven horse-loads
of seven-year-old wine."
The lad went back to the city, and getting the saw and seven
skinfuls of old wine, loaded them on seven horses and brought them
to the fairies, who took them to the pool which was the elephants'
watering-place. They emptied the water from the pool and filled it
with wine. At night the elephants came to drink, and not knowing that
it was wine, they soon were drunken and fell down senseless. Thereupon
the fairies cut off their tusks and brought them to the lad. Besides
this they gave him also a rug as a present for the golden-haired
maiden. The lad came home, and giving the rug to his sister, he took
the ivory to the King, who was very much pleased with it. But the
King's two daughters-in-law were very angry at the lad's success,
and went again to the King, saying:
"Long live the King! The new palace is very nicely decorated with
lions' skins and ivory, but it has one deficiency, and that is
a beautiful mistress to dwell in it. The King of India's daughter
must live there. Her beauty is unequalled in the world. And as your
youngest son is without a wife, she will be his wife. Send the little
hunter to bring her."
The King was persuaded and sent the lad on the errand. The youth again
went to his fairy cousins, who kidnaped and brought the daughter of
the King of India safely, and gave her to the lad. They gave to him
also a table, which was served by itself, as a present. He fell in
love with the maiden at first sight; she also fell in love with the
lad. But as he had promised to take her to the King, he did so. The
King ordered him to take the maiden to the new palace, and invited the
lad who was the hero of so many great deeds to a private banquet at
the palace. The two wicked women, seeing that they could not destroy
the lad by sending him on difficult errands, were mad with anger. The
lad went home and told his sister that the King had invited him for
the following day.
"Brother," said the maiden, "when you go to-morrow to the King's
palace, take your hound with you. Let it go before you, and you step
only wherever it has stepped. And when you eat, first give your dog
to eat of the meat. If you see it has not hurt him, you may eat of
the meat; but if he dies, be careful not to eat, lest you die also."
On the following day the lad did as the maiden had advised him and
sent the dog before him. Just under the threshold of the door there
was a deep pit dug which was discovered by the dog's walking before
him, and he avoided it. Entering in, he cast the bouquet which his
sister had given him to the woman in the dust. And when he was called
to the table he gave a piece of the food to the dog, and lo! it died
at once. Thereupon he withdrew, saying:
"I am not hungry to-day. I had my meal before I came."
He refused to touch any of the food, in spite of the polite entreaties
of the King's two daughters-in-law. Then in his interview with the
King he asked his majesty to accept his invitation and come to his
humble home for dinner, with all the court. The King, who by this time
had become very much fascinated with the appearance of the youth,
accepted his invitation. In the evening the lad came home and told
his sister what had happened.
"Do you know who digged the pit under the threshold?" asked the maiden.
"Who?" said the lad.
"The King's two daughters-in-law," said the maiden, "in order that
you might fall into it and be killed."
"But they were so friendly and polite," said the lad.
"And do you know why your dog died?" inquired the maiden.
"Why?" said the lad.
"The King's two daughters-in-law had poisoned the food, in order to
kill you," said the maiden.
"Strange!" exclaimed the lad, "what have I done to them?"
"And do you know who the woman is who is buried in the dust and to whom
you have given bunches of roses while all others spat at her?" asked
the maiden.
"Oh! her lot is most pitiful; for Heaven's sake tell me who she is,"
said the lad.
"She is our mother, the one who gave us our existence," said she.
"How! how!" exclaimed the lad, impatiently.
The maiden told him everything. She also told him that it was their
cruel aunts who, wanting to destroy him, had persuaded the King to
send him on dangerous errands. Then sister and brother planned how
to entertain the King on the following day. They at first pitched
the tent sent by the fairies, and lo! it was so large that a whole
kingdom could be entertained in it. Then they stretched the rug,
and lo! it was as large as the tent. Then they put in the middle of
it the wishing-table, which served as much and as many kinds of food
as one desires. On the following day the King with all the court and
the army came, and seeing the tent the King said to himself:
"Aha! this is the tent that my oldest daughter-in-law would weave."
Entering in, he saw the immense rug, and he said to himself:
"This is the rug which my second daughter-in-law was boasting about."
All his army was entertained and there was still room for as many
more people. The King fell into deep meditation and thought there
must be something at the bottom of it all. The foods served from the
wishing-table were so various and delicious that the King was very
much pleased, and at the end of the banquet, while all the crowd was
listening, he said to the twins:
"Ask of me whatever you want, and I will give it to you, even to the
half of my kingdom."
"Is there anything more precious than father and mother?" said the
twins; "mighty King, give us our father and mother."
"Although I am a King," said the King, "do not forget that I am
human. Is it possible that a human being should give you your lost
parents?"
"How is it," said the twins, "that you believe that a human being can
give birth to dogs, and you do not believe a human being to be able
to restore lost parents? If one is true, the other also must be true."
A thunderbolt suddenly falling from the sky would not have frightened
the King's two daughters-in-law as much as did these words.
"What do you mean?" said the King, with a trembling voice.
The twins told him their story, at the end of which the lad took
off his cap, displaying his silver hair; and the maiden took off her
head-dress, letting fall her rich golden locks. Thereupon the King
embraced his grandchildren, weeping loudly because of great joy. Then
they embraced the Prince, their father, and their dear, wronged mother,
who was immediately released from her disgraceful punishment. The King
at once ordered the furnace to be heated to seven times the usual heat,
and the two wicked women were thrown into the fire. Then a wedding
was celebrated for forty days and nights and the lad was married to
the daughter of the King of India, whom he had brought to the palace.
Thus Heaven rewarded the good and punished the evil.
Three apples fell from heaven; one for me, one for the story-teller,
and one for him who entertained the company.