abroad that the terrible monster was dead. His conqueror was received
into the city with as much pomp as if he had been the mightiest of
kings. The old King did not need to urge his daughter to marry the
slayer of the Dragon; he found her already willing to bestow her hand
upon this hero, who had done all alone what whole armies had tried in
vain to do. In a few days a magnificent wedding was celebrated, at
which the rejoicings lasted four whole weeks, for all the neighbouring
kings had met together to thank the man who had freed the world from
their common enemy. But everyone forgot amid the general joy that they
ought to have buried the Dragon’s monstrous body, for it began now to
have such a bad smell that no one could live in the neighbourhood, and
before long the whole air was poisoned, and a pestilence broke out
which destroyed many hundreds of people. In this distress, the King’s
son-in-law resolved to seek help once more from the Eastern magician,
to whom he at once travelled through the air like a bird by the help
of the ring. But there is a proverb which says that ill-gotten gains
never prosper, and the Prince found that the stolen ring brought him
ill-luck after all. The Witch-maiden had never rested night nor day
until she had found out where the ring was. As soon as she had
discovered by means of magical arts that the Prince in the form of a
bird was on his way to the Eastern magician, she changed herself into
an eagle and watched in the air until the bird she was waiting for
came in sight, for she knew him at once by the ring which was hung
round his neck by a ribbon. Then the eagle pounced upon the bird, and
the moment she seized him in her talons she tore the ring from his
neck before the man in bird’s shape had time to prevent her. Then the
eagle flew down to the earth with her prey, and the two stood face to
face once more in human form.
‘Now, villain, you are in my power!’ cried the Witch-maiden. ‘I
favoured you with my love, and you repaid me with treachery and theft.
You stole my most precious jewel from me, and do you expect to live
happily as the King’s son-in-law? Now the tables are turned; you are
in my power, and I will be revenged on you for your crimes.’
‘Forgive me! forgive me!’ cried the Prince; ‘I know too well how
deeply I have wronged you, and most heartily do I repent it.’
The maiden answered, ‘Your prayers and your repentance come too late,
and if I were to spare you everyone would think me a fool. You have
doubly wronged me; first you scorned my love, and then you stole my
ring, and you must bear the punishment.’
With these words she put the ring upon her left thumb, lifted the
young man with one hand, and walked away with him under her arm. This
time she did not take him to a splendid palace, but to a deep cave in
a rock, where there were chains hanging from the wall. The maiden now
chained the young man’s hands and feet so that he could not escape;
then she said in an angry voice, ‘Here you shall remain chained up
until you die. I will bring you every day enough food to prevent you
dying of hunger, but you need never hope for freedom any more.’ With
these words she left him.
The old King and his daughter waited anxiously for many weeks for the
Prince’s return, but no news of him arrived. The King’s daughter often
dreamed that her husband was going through some great suffering; she
therefore begged her father to summon all the enchanters and
magicians, that they might try to find out where the Prince was and
how he could be set free. But the magicians, with all their arts,
could find out nothing, except that he was still living and undergoing
great suffering; but none could tell where he was to be found. At last
a celebrated magician from Finland was brought before the King, who
had found out that the King’s son-in-law was imprisoned in the East,
not by men, but by some more powerful being. The King now sent
messengers to the East to look for his son-in-law, and they by good
luck met with the old magician who had interpreted the signs on King
Solomon’s ring, and thus was possessed of more wisdom than anyone else
in the world. The magician soon found out what he wished to know, and
pointed out the place where the Prince was imprisoned, but said: ‘He
is kept there by enchantment, and cannot be set free without my help.
I will therefore go with you myself.’
So they all set out, guided by birds, and after some days came to the
cave where the unfortunate Prince had been chained up for nearly seven
years. He recognised the magician immediately, but the old man did not
know him, he had grown so thin. However, he undid the chains by the
help of magic, and took care of the Prince until he recovered and
became strong enough to travel. When he reached home he found that the
old King had died that morning, so that he was now raised to the
throne. And now after his long suffering came prosperity, which lasted
to the end of his life; but he never got back the magic ring, nor has
it ever again been seen by mortal eyes.
Now, if _you_ had been the Prince, would you not rather have stayed
with the pretty witch-maiden?
[Illustration: ‘Here You Shall Remain Chained Up Until You Die’]
_STORY OF THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES_[4]
Many years ago there lived an Emperor who was so fond of new clothes
that he spent all his money on them in order to be beautifully
dressed. He did not care about his soldiers, he did not care about the
theatre; he only liked to go out walking to show off his new clothes.
He had a coat for every hour of the day; and just as they say of a
king, ‘He is in the council-chamber,’ they always said here, ‘The
Emperor is in the wardrobe.’
In the great city in which he lived there was always something going
on; every day many strangers came there. One day two impostors arrived
who gave themselves out as weavers, and said that they knew how to
manufacture the most beautiful cloth imaginable. Not only were the
texture and pattern uncommonly beautiful, but the clothes which were
made of the stuff possessed this wonderful property that they were
invisible to anyone who was not fit for his office, or who was
unpardonably stupid.
‘Those must indeed be splendid clothes,’ thought the Emperor. ‘If I
had them on I could find out which men in my kingdom are unfit for the
offices they hold; I could distinguish the wise from the stupid! Yes,
this cloth must be woven for me at once.’ And he gave both the
impostors much money, so that they might begin their work.
They placed two weaving-looms, and began to do as if they were
working, but they had not the least thing on the looms. They also
demanded the finest silk and the best gold, which they put in their
pockets, and worked at the empty looms till late into the night.
[Footnote 4: Andersen.]
‘I should like very much to know how far they have got on with the
cloth,’ thought the Emperor. But he remembered when he thought about
it that whoever was stupid or not fit for his office would not be able
to see it. Now he certainly believed that he had nothing to fear for
himself, but he wanted first to send somebody else in order to see how
he stood with regard to his office. Everybody in the whole town knew
what a wonderful power the cloth had, and they were all curious to see
how bad or how stupid their neighbour was.
‘I will send my old and honoured minister to the weavers,’ thought the
Emperor. ‘He can judge best what the cloth is like, for he has
intellect, and no one understands his office better than he.’
Now the good old minister went into the hall where the two impostors
sat working at the empty weaving-looms. ‘Dear me!’ thought the old
minister, opening his eyes wide, ‘I can see nothing!’ But he did not
say so.
Both the impostors begged him to be so kind as to step closer, and
asked him if it were not a beautiful texture and lovely colours. They
pointed to the empty loom, and the poor old minister went forward
rubbing his eyes; but he could see nothing, for there was nothing
there.
‘Dear, dear!’ thought he, ‘can I be stupid? I have never thought that,
and nobody must know it! Can I be not fit for my office? No, I must
certainly not say that I cannot see the cloth!’
‘Have you nothing to say about it?’ asked one of the men who was
weaving.
‘Oh, it is lovely, most lovely!’ answered the old minister, looking
through his spectacles. ‘What a texture! What colours! Yes, I will
tell the Emperor that it pleases me very much.’
‘Now we are delighted at that,’ said both the weavers, and thereupon
they named the colours and explained the make of the texture.
The old minister paid great attention, so that he could tell the same
to the Emperor when he came back to him, which he did.
The impostors now wanted more money, more silk, and more gold to use
in their weaving. They put it all in their own pockets, and there came
no threads on the loom, but they went on as they had done before,
working at the empty loom. The Emperor soon sent another worthy
statesman to see how the weaving was getting on, and whether the cloth
would soon be finished. It was the same with him as the first one; he
looked and looked, but because there was nothing on the empty loom he
could see nothing.
‘Is it not a beautiful piece of cloth?’ asked the two impostors, and
they pointed to and described the splendid material which was not
there.
‘Stupid I am not!’ thought the man, ‘so it must be my good office for
which I am not fitted. It is strange, certainly, but no one must be
allowed to notice it.’ And so he praised the cloth which he did not
see, and expressed to them his delight at the beautiful colours and
the splendid texture. ‘Yes, it is quite beautiful,’ he said to the
Emperor.
Everybody in the town was talking of the magnificent cloth.
Now the Emperor wanted to see it himself while it was still on the
loom. With a great crowd of select followers, amongst whom were both
the worthy statesmen who had already been there before, he went to the
cunning impostors, who were now weaving with all their might, but
without fibre or thread.
‘Is it not splendid!’ said both the old statesmen who had already been
there. ‘See, your Majesty, what a texture! What colours!’ And then
they pointed to the empty loom, for they believed that the others
could see the cloth quite well.
‘What!’ thought the Emperor, ‘I can see nothing! This is indeed
horrible! Am I stupid? Am I not fit to be Emperor? That were the most
dreadful thing that could happen to me.’ ‘Oh, it is very beautiful,’ he
said. ‘It has my gracious approval.’ And then he nodded pleasantly,
and examined the empty loom, for he would not say that he could see
nothing.
His whole Court round him looked and looked, and saw no more than the
others; but they said like the Emperor, ‘Oh! it is beautiful!’ And
they advised him to wear these new and magnificent clothes for the
first time at the great procession which was soon to take place.
‘Splendid! Lovely! Most beautiful!’ went from mouth to mouth; everyone
seemed delighted over them, and the Emperor gave to the impostors the
title of Court weavers to the Emperor.
Throughout the whole of the night before the morning on which the
procession was to take place, the impostors were up and were working
by the light of over sixteen candles. The people could see that they
were very busy making the Emperor’s new clothes ready. They pretended
they were taking the cloth from the loom, cut with huge scissors in
the air, sewed with needles without thread, and then said at last,
‘Now the clothes are finished!’
The Emperor came himself with his most distinguished knights, and each
impostor held up his arm just as if he were holding something, and
said, ‘See! here are the breeches! Here is the coat! Here the cloak!’
and so on.
‘Spun clothes are so comfortable that one would imagine one had
nothing on at all; but that is the beauty of it!’
‘Yes,’ said all the knights, but they could see nothing, for there was
nothing there.
[Illustration: The Emperor comes to see his new clothes]
‘Will it please your Majesty graciously to take off your clothes,’
said the impostors, ‘then we will put on the new clothes, here before
the mirror.’
The Emperor took off all his clothes, and the impostors placed
themselves before him as if they were putting on each part of his new
clothes which was ready, and the Emperor turned and bent himself in
front of the mirror.
‘How beautifully they fit! How well they sit!’ said everybody. ‘What
material! What colours! It is a gorgeous suit!’
‘They are waiting outside with the canopy which your Majesty is wont
to have borne over you in the procession,’ announced the Master of the
Ceremonies.
‘Look, I am ready,’ said the Emperor. ‘Doesn’t it sit well!’ And he
turned himself again to the mirror to see if his finery was on all
right.
The chamberlains who were used to carry the train put their hands near
the floor as if they were lifting up the train; then they did as if
they were holding something in the air. They would not have it noticed
that they could see nothing.
So the Emperor went along in the procession under the splendid canopy,
and all the people in the streets and at the windows said, ‘How
matchless are the Emperor’s new clothes! That train fastened to his
dress, how beautifully it hangs!’
No one wished it to be noticed that he could see nothing, for then he
would have been unfit for his office, or else very stupid. None of the
Emperor’s clothes had met with such approval as these had.
‘But he has nothing on!’ said a little child at last.
‘Just listen to the innocent child!’ said the father, and each one
whispered to his neighbour what the child had said.
‘But he has nothing on!’ the whole of the people called out at last.
This struck the Emperor, for it seemed to him as if they were right;
but he thought to himself, ‘I must go on with the procession now.’ And
the chamberlains walked along still more uprightly, holding up the
train which was not there at all.
_THE GOLDEN CRAB_[5]
Once upon a time there was a fisherman who had a wife and three
children. Every morning he used to go out fishing, and whatever fish
he caught he sold to the King. One day, among the other fishes, he
caught a golden crab. When he came home he put all the fishes together
into a great dish, but he kept the Crab separate because it shone so
beautifully, and placed it upon a high shelf in the cupboard. Now
while the old woman, his wife, was cleaning the fish, and had tucked
up her gown so that her feet were visible, she suddenly heard a voice,
which said:
‘Let down, let down thy petticoat
That lets thy feet be seen.’
She turned round in surprise, and then she saw the little creature,
the Golden Crab.
‘What! You can speak, can you, you ridiculous crab?’ she said, for she
was not quite pleased at the Crab’s remarks. Then she took him up and
placed him on a dish.
When her husband came home and they sat down to dinner, they presently
heard the Crab’s little voice saying, ‘Give me some too.’ They were
all very much surprised, but they gave him something to eat. When the
old man came to take away the plate which had contained the Crab’s
dinner, he found it full of gold, and as the same thing happened every
day he soon became very fond of the Crab.
One day the Crab said to the fisherman’s wife, ‘Go to the King and
tell him I wish to marry his younger daughter.’
[Footnote 5: ‘Prinz Krebs,’ from _Griechische Mährchen_. Schmidt.]
The old woman went accordingly, and laid the matter before the King,
who laughed a little at the notion of his daughter marrying a crab,
but did not decline the proposal altogether, because he was a prudent
monarch, and knew that the Crab was likely to be a prince in disguise.
He said, therefore, to the fisherman’s wife, ‘Go, old woman, and tell
the Crab I will give him my daughter if by to-morrow morning he can
build a wall in front of my castle much higher than my tower, upon
which all the flowers of the world must grow and bloom.’
The fisherman’s wife went home and gave this message.
[Illustration: Let down Let Down thy Petticoat That Lets thy Feet be
Seen]
Then the Crab gave her a golden rod, and said, ‘Go and strike with
this rod three times upon the ground on the place which the King
showed you, and to-morrow morning the wall will be there.’
The old woman did so and went away again.
The next morning, when the King awoke, what do you think he saw? The
wall stood there before his eyes, exactly as he had bespoken it!
Then the old woman went back to the King and said to him, ‘Your
Majesty’s orders have been fulfilled.’
‘That is all very well,’ said the King, ‘but I cannot give away my
daughter until there stands in front of my palace a garden in which
there are three fountains, of which the first must play gold, the
second diamonds, and the third brilliants.’
[Illustration: The fisherman brings the crab on the golden cushion]
So the old woman had to strike again three times upon the ground with
the rod, and the next morning the garden was there. The King now gave
his consent, and the wedding was fixed for the very next day.
Then the Crab said to the old fisherman, ‘Now take this rod; go and
knock with it on a certain mountain; then a black man[6] will come out
and ask you what you wish for. Answer him thus: “Your master, the
King, has sent me to tell you that you must send him his golden
garment that is like the sun.” Make him give you, besides, the queenly
robes of gold and precious stones which are like the flowery meadows,
and bring them both to me. And bring me also the golden cushion.’
[Footnote 6: Ein Mohr.]
The old man went and did his errand. When he had brought the precious
robes, the Crab put on the golden garment and then crept upon the
golden cushion, and in this way the fisherman carried him to the
castle, where the Crab presented the other garment to his bride. Now
the ceremony took place, and when the married pair were alone together
the Crab made himself known to his young wife, and told her how he was
the son of the greatest king in the world, and how he was enchanted,
so that he became a crab by day and was a man only at night; and he
could also change himself into an eagle as often as he wished. No
sooner had he said this than he shook himself, and immediately became
a handsome youth, but the next morning he was forced to creep back
again into his crab-shell. And the same thing happened every day. But
the Princess’s affection for the Crab, and the polite attention with
which she behaved to him, surprised the royal family very much. They
suspected some secret, but though they spied and spied, they could not
discover it. Thus a year passed away, and the Princess had a son, whom
she called Benjamin. But her mother still thought the whole matter
very strange. At last she said to the King that he ought to ask his
daughter whether she would not like to have another husband instead of
the Crab? But when the daughter was questioned she only answered:
‘I am married to the Crab, and him only will I have.’
Then the King said to her, ‘I will appoint a tournament in your
honour, and I will invite all the princes in the world to it, and if
any one of them pleases you, you shall marry him.’
In the evening the Princess told this to the Crab, who said to her,
‘Take this rod, go to the garden gate and knock with it, then a black
man will come out and say to you, “Why have you called me, and what do
you require of me?” Answer him thus: “Your master the King has sent me
hither to tell you to send him his golden armour and his steed and the
silver apple.” And bring them to me.’
The Princess did so, and brought him what he desired.
The following evening the Prince dressed himself for the tournament.
Before he went he said to his wife, ‘Now mind you do not say when you
see me that I am the Crab. For if you do this evil will come of it.
Place yourself at the window with your sisters; I will ride by and
throw you the silver apple. Take it in your hand, but if they ask you
who I am, say that you do not know.’ So saying, he kissed her,
repeated his warning once more, and went away.
The Princess went with her sisters to the window and looked on at the
tournament. Presently her husband rode by and threw the apple up to
her. She caught it in her hand and went with it to her room, and
by-and-by her husband came back to her. But her father was much
surprised that she did not seem to care about any of the Princes; he
therefore appointed a second tournament.
The Crab then gave his wife the same directions as before, only this
time the apple which she received from the black man was of gold. But
before the Prince went to the tournament he said to his wife, ‘Now I
know you will betray me to-day.’
But she swore to him that she would not tell who he was. He then
repeated his warning and went away.
In the evening, while the Princess, with her mother and sisters, was
standing at the window, the Prince suddenly galloped past on his steed
and threw her the golden apple.
Then her mother flew into a passion, gave her a box on the ear, and
cried out, ‘Does not even that prince please you, you fool?’
The Princess in her fright exclaimed, ‘That is the Crab himself!’
Her mother was still more angry because she had not been told sooner,
ran into her daughter’s room where the crab-shell was still lying,
took it up and threw it into the fire. Then the poor Princess cried
bitterly, but it was of no use; her husband did not come back.
Now we must leave the Princess and turn to the other persons in the
story. One day an old man went to a stream to dip in a crust of bread
which he was going to eat, when a dog came out of the water, snatched
the bread from his hand, and ran away. The old man ran after him, but
the dog reached a door, pushed it open, and ran in, the old man
following him. He did not overtake the dog, but found himself above a
staircase, which he descended. Then he saw before him a stately
palace, and, entering, he found in a large hall a table set for twelve
persons. He hid himself in the hall behind a great picture, that he
might see what would happen. At noon he heard a great noise, so that
he trembled with fear. When he took courage to look out from behind
the picture, he saw twelve eagles flying in. At this sight his fear
became still greater. The eagles flew to the basin of a fountain that
was there and bathed themselves, when suddenly they were changed into
twelve handsome youths. Now they seated themselves at the table, and
one of them took up a goblet filled with wine, and said, ‘A health to
my father!’ And another said, ‘A health to my mother!’ and so the
healths went round. Then one of them said:
‘A health to my dearest lady,
Long may she live and well!
But a curse on the cruel mother
That burnt my golden shell!’
[Illustration: The Prince Throws the Apple To the Princess]
And so saying he wept bitterly. Then the youths rose from the table,
went back to the great stone fountain, turned themselves into eagles
again, and flew away.
Then the old man went away too, returned to the light of day, and went
home. Soon after he heard that the Princess was ill, and that the only
thing that did her good was having stories told to her. He therefore
went to the royal castle, obtained an audience of the Princess, and
told her about the strange things he had seen in the underground
palace. No sooner had he finished than the Princess asked him whether
he could find the way to that palace.
‘Yes,’ he answered, ‘certainly.’
And now she desired him to guide her thither at once. The old man did
so, and when they came to the palace he hid her behind the great
picture and advised her to keep quite still, and he placed himself
behind the picture also. Presently the eagles came flying in, and
changed themselves into young men, and in a moment the Princess
recognised her husband amongst them all, and tried to come out of her
hiding-place; but the old man held her back. The youths seated
themselves at the table; and now the Prince said again, while he took
up the cup of wine:
‘A health to my dearest lady,
Long may she live and well!
But a curse on the cruel mother
That burnt my golden shell!’
Then the Princess could restrain herself no longer, but ran forward
and threw her arms round her husband. And immediately he knew her
again, and said:
‘Do you remember how I told you that day that you would betray me? Now
you see that I spoke the truth. But all that bad time is past. Now
listen to me: I must still remain enchanted for three months. Will you
stay here with me till that time is over?’
So the Princess stayed with him, and said to the old man, ‘Go back to
the castle and tell my parents that I am staying here.’