Mother Dragon’s mare who is galloping about among the clouds. I will
summon all the eagles of the air together, and order them to catch the
mare and bring her to you.’ And with these words the King of the
Eagles flew away. Towards evening the Prince heard a mighty rushing
sound in the air, and when he looked up he saw thousands of eagles
driving the mare before them. They sank at his feet on to the ground
and gave the mare over to him. Then the Prince rode home to the old
Mother Dragon, who was full of wonder when she saw him, and said, ‘You
have succeeded to-day in looking after my mare, and as a reward you
shall come to my ball to-night.’ She gave him at the same time a cloak
made of copper, and led him to a big room where several young
he-dragons and she-dragons were dancing together. Here, too, was the
Flower Queen’s beautiful daughter. Her dress was woven out of the most
lovely flowers in the world, and her complexion was like lilies and
roses. As the Prince was dancing with her he managed to whisper in her
ear, ‘I have come to set you free!’
[Illustration: The Dragons Dancing.]
Then the beautiful girl said to him, ‘If you succeed in bringing the
mare back safely the third day, ask the Mother Dragon to give you a
foal of the mare as a reward.’
The ball came to an end at midnight, and early next morning the Prince
again led the Mother Dragon’s mare out into the meadow. But again she
vanished before his eyes. Then he took out his little bell and rang it
twice.
In a moment the King of the Foxes stood before him and said: ‘I know
already what you want, and will summon all the foxes of the world
together to find the mare who has hidden herself in a hill.’
With these words the King of the Foxes disappeared, and in the evening
many thousand foxes brought the mare to the Prince.
Then he rode home to the Mother Dragon, from whom he received this
time a cloak made of silver, and again she led him to the ball-room.
The Flower Queen’s daughter was delighted to see him safe and sound,
and when they were dancing together she whispered in his ear: ‘If you
succeed again to-morrow, wait for me with the foal in the meadow.
After the ball we will fly away together.’
On the third day the Prince led the mare to the meadow again; but once
more she vanished before his eyes. Then the Prince took out his little
bell and rang it three times.
In a moment the King of the Fishes appeared, and said to him: ‘I know
quite well what you want me to do, and I will summon all the fishes of
the sea together, and tell them to bring you back the mare, who is
hiding herself in a river.’
Towards evening the mare was returned to him, and when he led her home
to the Mother Dragon she said to him:
‘You are a brave youth, and I will make you my body-servant. But what
shall I give you as a reward to begin with?’
The Prince begged for a foal of the mare, which the Mother Dragon at
once gave him, and over and above, a cloak made of gold, for she had
fallen in love with him because he had praised her beauty.
[Illustration: The Flower Queen’s Daughter.
In Winter When Everything is Dead She Must Come and Live With Me In My
Palace Underground.]
So in the evening he appeared at the ball in his golden cloak; but
before the entertainment was over he slipped away, and went straight
to the stables, where he mounted his foal and rode out into the meadow
to wait for the Flower Queen’s daughter. Towards midnight the
beautiful girl appeared, and placing her in front of him on his horse,
the Prince and she flew like the wind till they reached the Flower
Queen’s dwelling. But the dragons had noticed their flight, and woke
their brother out of his year’s sleep. He flew into a terrible rage
when he heard what had happened, and determined to lay siege to the
Flower Queen’s palace; but the Queen caused a forest of flowers as
high as the sky to grow up round her dwelling, through which no one
could force a way.
When the Flower Queen heard that her daughter wanted to marry the
Prince, she said to him: ‘I will give my consent to your marriage
gladly, but my daughter can only stay with you in summer. In winter,
when everything is dead and the ground covered with snow, she must
come and live with me in my palace underground.’ The Prince consented
to this, and led his beautiful bride home, where the wedding was held
with great pomp and magnificence. The young couple lived happily
together till winter came, when the Flower Queen’s daughter departed
and went home to her mother. In summer she returned to her husband,
and their life of joy and happiness began again, and lasted till the
approach of winter, when the Flower Queen’s daughter went back again
to her mother. This coming and going continued all her life long, and
in spite of it they always lived happily together.
_THE FLYING SHIP_[24]
Once upon a time there lived an old couple who had three sons; the two
elder were clever, but the third was a regular dunce. The clever sons
were very fond of their mother, gave her good clothes, and always
spoke pleasantly to her; but the youngest was always getting in her
way, and she had no patience with him. Now, one day it was announced
in the village that the King had issued a decree, offering his
daughter, the Princess, in marriage to whoever should build a ship
that could fly. Immediately the two elder brothers determined to try
their luck, and asked their parents’ blessing. So the old mother
smartened up their clothes, and gave them a store of provisions for
their journey, not forgetting to add a bottle of brandy. When they had
gone the poor Simpleton began to tease his mother to smarten him up
and let him start off.
‘What would become of a dolt like you?’ she answered. ‘Why, you would
be eaten up by wolves.’
But the foolish youth kept repeating, ‘I will go, I will go, I will
go!’
Seeing that she could do nothing with him, the mother gave him a crust
of bread and a bottle of water, and took no further heed of him.
So the Simpleton set off on his way. When he had gone a short distance
he met a little old manikin. They greeted one another, and the manikin
asked him where he was going.
‘I am off to the King’s Court,’ he answered. ‘He has promised to give
his daughter to whoever can make a flying ship.’
‘And can you make such a ship?’
‘Not I.’
‘Then why in the world are you going?’
‘Can’t tell,’ replied the Simpleton.
[Footnote 24: From the Russian.]
‘Well, if that is the case,’ said the manikin, ‘sit down beside me; we
can rest for a little and have something to eat. Give me what you have
got in your satchel.’
Now, the poor Simpleton was ashamed to show what was in it. However,
he thought it best not to make a fuss, so he opened the satchel, and
could scarcely believe his own eyes, for, instead of the hard crust,
he saw two beautiful fresh rolls and some cold meat. He shared them
with the manikin, who licked his lips and said:
‘Now, go into that wood, and stop in front of the first tree, bow
three times, and then strike the tree with your axe, fall on your
knees on the ground, with your face on the earth, and remain there
till you are raised up. You will then find a ship at your side, step
into it and fly to the King’s Palace. If you meet anyone on the way,
take him with you.’
[Illustration: The Simpleton Awakes & Sees the Flying Ship]
The Simpleton thanked the manikin very kindly, bade him farewell, and
went into the road. When he got to the first tree he stopped in front
of it, did everything just as he had been told, and, kneeling on the
ground with his face to the earth, fell asleep. After a little time he
was aroused; he awoke and, rubbing his eyes, saw a ready-made ship at
his side, and at once got into it. And the ship rose and rose, and in
another minute was flying through the air, when the Simpleton, who was
on the look-out, cast his eyes down to the earth and saw a man beneath
him on the road, who was kneeling with his ear upon the damp ground.
‘Hallo!’ he called out, ‘what are you doing down there?’
‘I am listening to what is going on in the world,’ replied the man.
‘Come with me in my ship,’ said the Simpleton.
So the man was only too glad, and got in beside him; and the ship
flew, and flew, and flew through the air, till again from his outlook
the Simpleton saw a man on the road below, who was hopping on one leg,
while his other leg was tied up behind his ear. So he hailed him,
calling out:
‘Hallo! what are you doing, hopping on one leg?’
‘I can’t help it,’ replied the man. ‘I walk so fast that unless I tied
up one leg I should be at the end of the earth in a bound.’
‘Come with us on my ship,’ he answered; and the man made no
objections, but joined them; and the ship flew on, and on, and on,
till suddenly the Simpleton, looking down on the road below, beheld a
man aiming with a gun into the distance.
‘Hallo!’ he shouted to him, ‘what are you aiming at? As far as eye can
see, there is no bird in sight.’
‘What would be the good of my taking a near shot?’ replied the man; ‘I
can hit beast or bird at a hundred miles’ distance. That is the kind
of shot I enjoy.’
‘Come into the ship with us,’ answered the Simpleton; and the man was
only too glad to join them, and he got in; and the ship flew on,
farther and farther, till again the Simpleton from his outlook saw a
man on the road below, carrying on his back a basket full of bread.
And he waved to him, calling out:
‘Hallo! where are you going?’
‘To fetch bread for my breakfast.’
‘Bread? Why, you have got a whole basket-load of it on your back.’
‘That’s nothing,’ answered the man; ‘I should finish that in one
mouthful.’
‘Come along with us in my ship, then.’
And so the glutton joined the party, and the ship mounted again into
the air, and flew up and onward, till the Simpleton from his outlook
saw a man walking by the shore of a great lake, and evidently looking
for something.
‘Hallo!’ he cried to him, ‘what are you seeking?’
‘I want water to drink, I’m so thirsty,’ replied the man.
‘Well, there’s a whole lake in front of you; why don’t you drink some
of that?’
‘Do you call that enough?’ answered the other. ‘Why, I should drink it
up in one gulp.’
‘Well, come with us in the ship.’
[Illustration: The comrades in the flying ship meet the drinker]
And so the mighty drinker was added to the company; and the ship flew
farther, and even farther, till again the Simpleton looked out, and
this time he saw a man dragging a bundle of wood, walking through the
forest beneath them.
‘Hallo!’ he shouted to him, ‘why are you carrying wood through a
forest?’
‘This is not common wood,’ answered the other.
‘What sort of wood is it, then?’ said the Simpleton.
‘If you throw it upon the ground,’ said the man, ‘it will be changed
into an army of soldiers.’
‘Come into the ship with us, then.’
And so he too joined them; and away the ship flew on, and on, and on,
and once more the Simpleton looked out, and this time he saw a man
carrying straw upon his back.
‘Hallo! Where are you carrying that straw to?’
‘To the village,’ said the man.
‘Do you mean to say there is no straw in the village?’
‘Ah! but this is quite a peculiar straw. If you strew it about even in
the hottest summer the air at once becomes cold, and snow falls, and
the people freeze.’
Then the Simpleton asked him also to join them.
At last the ship, with its strange crew, arrived at the King’s Court.
The King was having his dinner, but he at once despatched one of his
courtiers to find out what the huge, strange new bird could be that
had come flying through the air. The courtier peeped into the ship,
and, seeing what it was, instantly went back to the King and told him
that it was a flying ship, and that it was manned by a few peasants.
Then the King remembered his royal oath; but he made up his mind that
he would never consent to let the Princess marry a poor peasant. So he
thought and thought, and then said to himself:
‘I will give him some impossible tasks to perform; that will be the
best way of getting rid of him.’ And he there and then decided to
despatch one of his courtiers to the Simpleton, with the command that
he was to fetch the King the healing water from the world’s end before
he had finished his dinner.
But while the King was still instructing the courtier exactly what he
was to say, the first man of the ship’s company, the one with the
miraculous power of hearing, had overheard the King’s words, and
hastily reported them to the poor Simpleton.
‘Alas, alas!’ he cried; ‘what am I to do now? It would take me quite a
year, possibly my whole life, to find the water.’
‘Never fear,’ said his fleet-footed comrade, ‘I will fetch what the
King wants.’
Just then the courtier arrived, bearing the King’s command.
‘Tell his Majesty,’ said the Simpleton, ‘that his orders shall be
obeyed;’ and forthwith the swift runner unbound the foot that was
strung up behind his ear and started off, and in less than no time had
reached the world’s end and drawn the healing water from the well.
‘Dear me,’ he thought to himself, ‘that’s rather tiring! I’ll just
rest for a few minutes; it will be some little time yet before the
King has got to dessert.’ So he threw himself down on the grass, and,
as the sun was very dazzling, he closed his eyes, and in a few seconds
had fallen sound asleep.
In the meantime all the ship’s crew were anxiously awaiting him; the
King’s dinner would soon be finished, and their comrade had not yet
returned. So the man with the marvellous quick hearing lay down, and,
putting his ear to the ground, listened.
‘That’s a nice sort of fellow!’ he suddenly exclaimed. ‘He’s lying on
the ground, snoring hard!’
At this the marksman seized his gun, took aim, and fired in the
direction of the world’s end, in order to awaken the sluggard. And a
moment later the swift runner reappeared, and, stepping on board the
ship, handed the healing water to the Simpleton. So while the King was
still sitting at table finishing his dinner news was brought to him
that his orders had been obeyed to the letter.
What was to be done now? The King determined to think of a still more
impossible task. So he told another courtier to go to the Simpleton
with the command that he and his comrades were instantly to eat up
twelve oxen and twelve tons of bread. Once more the sharp-eared
comrade overheard the King’s words while he was still talking to the
courtier, and reported them to the Simpleton.
‘Alas, alas!’ he sighed; ‘what in the world shall I do? Why, it would
take us a year, possibly our whole lives, to eat up twelve oxen and
twelve tons of bread.’
‘Never fear,’ said the glutton. ‘It will scarcely be enough for me,
I’m so hungry.’
So when the courtier arrived with the royal message he was told to
take back word to the King that his orders should be obeyed. Then
twelve roasted oxen and twelve tons of bread were brought alongside of
the ship, and at one sitting the glutton had devoured it all.
‘I call that a small meal,’ he said. ‘I wish they’d brought me some
more.’
Next, the King ordered that forty casks of wine, containing forty
gallons each, were to be drunk up on the spot by the Simpleton and his
party. When these words were overheard by the sharp-eared comrade and
repeated to the Simpleton, he was in despair.
‘Alas, alas!’ he exclaimed; ‘what is to be done? It would take us a
year, possibly our whole lives, to drink so much.’
‘Never fear,’ said his thirsty comrade. ‘I’ll drink it all up at a
gulp, see if I don’t.’ And sure enough, when the forty casks of wine
containing forty gallons each were brought alongside of the ship, they
disappeared down the thirsty comrade’s throat in no time; and when
they were empty he remarked:
‘Why, I’m still thirsty. I should have been glad of two more casks.’
Then the King took counsel with himself and sent an order to the
Simpleton that he was to have a bath, in a bath-room at the royal
palace, and after that the betrothal should take place. Now the
bath-room was built of iron, and the King gave orders that it was to
be heated to such a pitch that it would suffocate the Simpleton. And
so when the poor silly youth entered the room, he discovered that the
iron walls were red hot. But, fortunately, his comrade with the straw
on his back had entered behind him, and when the door was shut upon
them he scattered the straw about, and suddenly the red-hot walls
cooled down, and it became so very cold that the Simpleton could
scarcely bear to take a bath, and all the water in the room froze. So
the Simpleton climbed up upon the stove, and, wrapping himself up in
the bath blankets, lay there the whole night. And in the morning when
they opened the door there he lay sound and safe, singing cheerfully
to himself.
Now when this strange tale was told to the King he became quite sad,
not knowing what he should do to get rid of so undesirable a
son-in-law, when suddenly a brilliant idea occurred to him.
‘Tell the rascal to raise me an army, now at this instant!’ he
exclaimed to one of his courtiers. ‘Inform him at once of this, my
royal will.’ And to himself he added, ‘I think I shall do for him this
time.’
As on former occasions, the quick-eared comrade had overheard the
King’s command and repeated it to the Simpleton.
‘Alas, alas!’ he groaned; ‘now I am quite done for.’
‘Not at all,’ replied one of his comrades (the one who had dragged the
bundle of wood through the forest). ‘Have you quite forgotten me?’
In the meantime the courtier, who had run all the way from the palace,
reached the ship panting and breathless, and delivered the King’s
message.
[Illustration: Simpleton’s Army Appears Before the King]
‘Good!’ remarked the Simpleton. ‘I will raise an army for the King,’
and he drew himself up. ‘But if, after that, the King refuses to
accept me as his son-in-law, I will wage war against him, and carry
the Princess off by force.’
During the night the Simpleton and his comrade went together into a
big field, not forgetting to take the bundle of wood with them, which
the man spread out in all directions—and in a moment a mighty army
stood upon the spot, regiment on regiment of foot and horse soldiers;
the bugles sounded and the drums beat, the chargers neighed, and their
riders put their lances in rest, and the soldiers presented arms.
In the morning when the King awoke he was startled by these warlike
sounds, the bugles and the drums, and the clatter of the horses, and
the shouts of the soldiers. And, stepping to the window, he saw the
lances gleam in the sunlight and the armour and weapons glitter. And
the proud monarch said to himself, ‘I am powerless in comparison with
this man.’ So he sent him royal robes and costly jewels, and commanded
him to come to the palace to be married to the Princess. And his
son-in-law put on the royal robes, and he looked so grand and stately
that it was impossible to recognise the poor Simpleton, so changed was
he; and the Princess fell in love with him as soon as ever she saw
him.
Never before had so grand a wedding been seen, and there was so much
food and wine that even the glutton and the thirsty comrade had enough
to eat and drink.
_THE SNOW-DAUGHTER AND THE FIRE-SON_[25]
There was once upon a time a man and his wife, and they had no
children, which was a great grief to them. One winter’s day, when the
sun was shining brightly, the couple were standing outside their
cottage, and the woman was looking at all the little icicles which
hung from the roof. She sighed, and turning to her husband said, ‘I
wish I had as many children as there are icicles hanging there.’
‘Nothing would please me more either,’ replied her husband. Then a
tiny icicle detached itself from the roof, and dropped into the
woman’s mouth, who swallowed it with a smile, and said, ‘Perhaps I
shall give birth to a snow child now!’ Her husband laughed at his
wife’s strange idea, and they went back into the house.
But after a short time the woman gave birth to a little girl, who was
as white as snow and as cold as ice. If they brought the child
anywhere near the fire, it screamed loudly till they put it back into
some cool place. The little maid throve wonderfully, and in a few
months she could run about and speak. But she was not altogether easy
to bring up, and gave her parents much trouble and anxiety, for all
summer she insisted on spending in the cellar, and in the winter she
would sleep outside in the snow, and the colder it was the happier she
seemed to be. Her father and mother called her simply ‘Our
Snow-daughter,’ and this name stuck to her all her life.
[Footnote 25: From the _Bukowinaer Tales and Legends_. Von Wliolocki.]
One day her parents sat by the fire, talking over the extraordinary
behaviour of their daughter, who was disporting herself in the
snowstorm that raged outside. The woman sighed deeply and said, ‘I
wish I had given birth to a Fire-son!’ As she said these words, a
spark from the big wood fire flew into the woman’s lap, and she said
with a laugh, ‘Now perhaps I shall give birth to a Fire-son!’ The man
laughed at his wife’s words, and thought it was a good joke. But he
ceased to think it a joke when his wife shortly afterwards gave birth
to a boy, who screamed lustily till he was put quite close to the
fire, and who nearly yelled himself into a fit if the Snow-daughter
came anywhere near him. The Snow-daughter herself avoided him as much
as she could, and always crept into a corner as far away from him as
possible. The parents called the boy simply ‘Our Fire-son,’ a name
which stuck to him all his life. They had a great deal of trouble and
worry with him too; but he throve and grew very quickly, and before he
was a year old he could run about and talk. He was as red as fire, and
as hot to touch, and he always sat on the hearth quite close to the
fire, and complained of the cold; if his sister were in the room he
almost crept into the flames, while the girl on her part always
complained of the great heat if her brother were anywhere near. In
summer the boy always lay out in the sun, while the girl hid herself
in the cellar: so it happened that the brother and sister came very
little into contact with each other—in fact, they carefully avoided
it.
[Illustration: The Snow Maiden]
Just as the girl grew up into a beautiful woman, her father and mother
both died one after the other. Then the Fire-son, who had grown up in
the meantime into a fine, strong young man, said to his sister, ‘I am
going out into the world, for what is the use of remaining on here?’
‘I shall go with you,’ she answered, ‘for, except you, I have no one
in the world, and I have a feeling that if we set out together we
shall be lucky.’
The Fire-son said, ‘I love you with all my heart, but at the same time
I always freeze if you are near me, and you nearly die of heat if I
approach you! How shall we travel about together without being odious
the one to the other?’
‘Don’t worry about that,’ replied the girl, ‘for I’ve thought it all
over, and have settled on a plan which will make us each able to bear
with the other! See, I have had a fur cloak made for each of us, and
if we put them on I shall not feel the heat so much nor you the cold.’
So they put on the fur cloaks, and set out cheerfully on their way,
and for the first time in their lives quite happy in each other’s
company.
For a long time the Fire-son and the Snow-daughter wandered through
the world, and when at the beginning of winter they came to a big wood
they determined to stay there till spring. The Fire-son built himself
a hut where he always kept up a huge fire, while his sister with very
few clothes on stayed outside night and day. Now it happened one day
that the King of the land held a hunt in this wood, and saw the
Snow-daughter wandering about in the open air. He wondered very much
who the beautiful girl clad in such garments could be, and he stopped
and spoke to her. He soon learnt that she could not stand heat, and
that her brother could not endure cold. The King was so charmed by the
Snow-daughter, that he asked her to be his wife. The girl consented,
and the wedding was held with much state. The King had a huge house of
ice made for his wife underground, so that even in summer it did not
melt. But for his brother-in-law he had a house built with huge ovens
all round it, that were kept heated all day and night. The Fire-son
was delighted, but the perpetual heat in which he lived made his body
so hot, that it was dangerous to go too close to him.