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
Who burned my golden shell!"
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, certainly," he answered.
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 recognized her husband
among 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
Who burned my golden shell!"
Then the Princess could restrain herself no longer, but ran forward and
threw her arms around 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 evil 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."
Her parents were very much vexed when the old man came back and told
them this, but as soon as the three months of the Prince's enchantment
were over he ceased to be an eagle and became once more a man, and they
returned home together. And then they lived happily, and we who hear the
story are happier still.
_The Table, the Ass, and the Stick_
ONCE upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a Tailor and his three
sons; but they only had one Goat, which, as it had to give milk enough
for all, had to feed well every day. The sons had to lead it to pasture
in turns, and one morning, when it was the turn of the eldest, he took
it into the churchyard, where grew the richest grass, and let it eat its
fill. In the evening, when it was time to return, he said:
"Goat, have you eaten well?"
And the Goat answered:
"'Tis said that enough is as good as a feast,
And I've had enough for a wise little beast."
"Then we will go home," said the youth; and he led the Goat home by its
halter, and tied it up in the stable for the night.
"Well," said the Tailor, "has the Goat eaten well?"
"It has eaten as much as it can," answered the boy.
But the father wanted to make sure; so he went into the stable and
stroked the Goat, saying:
"Goat, have you eaten well?"
The wicked Goat replied:
"How can I have eaten well?
I wandered where the dead lie,
But nothing found to feed upon."
"What do you say?" cried the Tailor, and running in to his son he cried,
"Oh, you wicked boy! you told me the Goat had eaten well, and I find him
shivering in the stable almost famished!" and, seizing his yard measure,
he chased the boy out of the house in great wrath.
The next day it was the second son's turn, and he chose a place under
the hedge in the garden where there grew some fine rich grass, which the
Goat was not long in eating up completely. When the evening came, and it
was time to go home, this lad, too, asked the Goat if it had had enough,
and it answered as before:
"'Tis said that enough is as good as a feast,
And I've had enough for a wise little beast."
"Then we will go home," said the boy, and he took it to the stable and
tied it up. When he went into the house, the Tailor met him, and asked
him:
"Has the Goat eaten well?"
"It has eaten as much as it can," answered his son.
But the Tailor would make sure for all that, and nothing would satisfy
him but that he should go to the stable and ask the Goat for himself.
"How can I have eaten well?
I roamed all day along the hedge,
And nothing found to feed upon,"
answered the Goat.
"You bad rascal, to starve such a splendid animal!" cried the Tailor,
running back to the house and catching up his yard measure. Then with
cuffs and blows he chased his second son out of the house.
The next day it was the third boy's turn, and he found a spot where
there was some lovely young grass; and when it was time to go home, he
asked the Goat the same question, and obtained the same answer:
"'Tis said that enough is as good as a feast,
And I've had enough for a wise little beast."
So the lad led the Goat home, and he put it in the stable; and soon the
Tailor came and asked if the Goat had had enough.
"Yes," replied the boy.
But the old man would go and make sure for all that.
"How can I have eaten well?
I sought all day among the leaves,
And nothing found to feed upon,"
was the wicked Goat's answer.
"The scamp!" cried the Tailor in a fury; "he is as bad as the others,
and out he shall go!" and he drove the poor boy out with the yard
measure, dealing him fearful blows.
Now the Tailor was left alone to look after the Goat, and next day he
went to it and said:
"Come, pretty creature, I will take you myself to pasture," and he took
it to the lettuce bed, and there it fed all day. When night came he
asked it, as the boys had done, if it had eaten well, and it said:
"'Tis said that enough is as good as a feast,
And I've had enough for a wise little beast."
So they went home, and he put it in the stable; but as he was going, he
said once more:
"Goat, have you eaten well?"
The wicked animal, not thinking for the moment to whom he was replying,
answered with the usual complaint:
"How can I have eaten well?
I only frisked about the bed,
And nothing found to feed upon."
When the old man heard this he was horrified, for he saw at once how
things had stood all the time, and that he had driven his boys away for
no reason whatever.
"Oh, you brute!" he said. "You, too, shall be driven out; and I will
take care that you never dare to appear among honest tailors again."
So he rushed into the house for his razor, and shaved the Goat's head as
smooth as your face; and because the yard measure was too good to use
upon him, he fetched his whip and gave the Goat such a sound thrashing
that it was only too glad to scamper out of the stable and make off as
fast as its legs could carry it.
When the Tailor returned into his house he was overcome with sorrow for
the three sons whom he had driven from home, and who were wandering no
one knew where.
However, the eldest boy had apprenticed himself to a carpenter, and he
worked with him well and merrily till his time was out. Then his master
gave him a table, which, though it looked only like an ordinary common
wooden one, yet if its owner stood before it and said, "Table, Table,
spread yourself," it at once became covered with all sorts of good
things, meat and wine and everything necessary for a splendid meal.
"Now I shall never want again," the young man said to himself, and he
went on journeying merrily, never troubling himself whether his lodging
was good or bad, or whether there was anything to eat or not.
Sometimes he did not go to an inn at all, but just stopped where he was,
under a hedge or in a wood, and there he would put down his table and
cry, "Table, Table, spread yourself," and then in the twinkle of an eye
he had before him as much as he liked to eat and drink.
One day he made up his mind to turn his steps homeward, as his father's
anger, he knew, was sure to have died down by then, and they could live
very comfortably together with his lucky table. It happened that one
evening he came to an inn that was full of people, who invited him to
eat in their company.
"No, not a mouthful, unless you consent to be my guests," answered the
boy.
The people of course laughed, and thought he was joking; but their mirth
soon changed to wonder when he set down his table in their midst, and
saw that at his command, "Table, Table, spread yourself," it at once
covered itself with all sorts of delicious things, quite as good as the
host could have given them, and smelling very tempting to the hungry
guests.
"Pray be seated, friends," said the Carpenter cheerily; and the people,
seeing he really meant it, sat down at once and began to ply their
knives and forks very merrily.
The thing that surprised them the most was, that whenever they emptied
one dish, another full one always appeared immediately in its place; and
the innkeeper, who was looking on, said to himself, "My friend, you
could do very well with such a table as that in your own kitchen"; but
he kept his own counsel. The guests sat up very late that night, but at
last they went to bed. The Carpenter lay down, too, with his magic table
beside him.
Now the landlord couldn't get to sleep that night at all for thinking
and wishing, till suddenly he remembered that in the lumber room there
was a table that he didn't use, and which was as like the one he coveted
as two pins. Breathlessly and very cautiously he made his way to the
garret and fetched it, and put it beside the lad's bed in place of the
lucky table, which he carried away and hid in a safe place. The next day
the Carpenter paid for his lodging and went on his way, not noticing any
difference in the table, which he hoisted on his back. At midday he
reached his home, and his father was overjoyed to see him.
"Well, my dear boy," said the old man, "what have you been doing all
these months?"
"I have been apprenticed to a carpenter," answered the lad.
"And a very good trade, too; and what have you brought home with you?"
"The most wonderful thing I ever set eyes on," said his son, setting
down the table.
"Uhm! I don't think much of that; it looks a very common piece of
furniture," said the father, looking at it all around.
"But," cried the boy, "it is a magic table, and when I say, 'Table,
Table, spread yourself,' it is at once covered with good things, which
will make your mouth water. Invite all our friends in, and you will see
what a feast there will be."
When the guests had all arrived, he fetched his table, and placing it in
the middle of the room, he commanded it to spread itself. But the table
remained just like any other table, which takes no notice when you speak
to it; and the poor lad saw at once that somebody had robbed him. Of
course the guests thought he was an impostor and laughed at him, and
went home without any feast, to the poor Carpenter's shame. So the
Tailor had to take up his needle again and stitch away as fast as ever,
and the boy had to leave home again and work for another carpenter.
Meantime, the second son had taken service with a miller, and when he
had learned everything, his master said:
"Because you have worked for me faithfully I will give you this ass,
which, though it can neither draw nor carry, is a clever beast,
nevertheless."
"What can it do, then?" said the boy.
"Why, if you only pat it and cry 'Bricklebit,' gold will drop out of its
mouth like potatoes into a sack," replied the Miller.
"That is grand," said the boy; so, thanking his master, he started on
his journey. Now he was rich, for he only had to say "Bricklebit" and a
torrent of gold pieces came out of the ass's mouth, and were there for
the picking up. Wherever he went he ordered the best of everything, and
the more he had to pay for it the better he was pleased.
Soon he got tired of wandering about the world and thought he would like
to go home and see his father, whose anger had, no doubt, died down by
this time; or, if not, it certainly would when he saw what a rich ass he
had brought home with him.
Now it chanced that he came to the very same inn where his brother had
lost his table, and when the landlord came out and offered to take the
animal to the stable he said: "No, I will take him myself, for I want to
see where he goes."
The landlord was surprised, but thought that one who would look after
his own beast must be a poor man. But the boy, putting his hand in his
pocket, drew out two gold pieces, and ordered the best the house
contained. The landlord was very much astonished indeed, and ran and
fetched him the best of everything. When he had eaten his fill the boy
asked what more he owed, and the landlord, being a greedy man, said that
two more gold pieces would pay the bill. The youth put his hand in his
pocket and found it empty.
"Wait a moment, my friend, and I will fetch some gold," he said
carelessly, and picking up the tablecloth, he went out.
The landlord didn't at all understand what was going on, but being
inquisitive he crept out after the youth, and as the stable door was
bolted carefully, the landlord had to glue his eye to a hole in the
wall. Then he saw the boy spread out the cloth and say "Bricklebit," and
immediately gold began to drop out of the ass's mouth in showers, as if
it were hailing.
"Thunder and lightning!" gasped the landlord, running back to the house,
"did one ever see the like of this! Why, that is the finest and fattest
purse I ever set eyes on, and I must see what I can do to obtain it."
Later in the evening the lad paid his bill and went to bed; but when he
was well asleep, the wicked landlord crept into the stable and took away
the ass, and tied up an ordinary one in its stead.
The next day the youth went on his way with the ass, which he never
noticed had been changed, and arrived at midday at his father's house.
His father was delighted to see him again, and asked what trade he had
learned. The boy told him that he was a miller.
"And what have you brought home with you?" said the old man.
"Only an ass," replied the boy.
"Ah, my lad, you had better have brought a goat. We have asses enough
about already."
"Perhaps so," retorted the boy; "but wait till you see what this ass can
do. I have only to say 'Bricklebit' and gold drops out of his mouth in
heaps. Just send for all your friends, and we will make them rich in a
trice."
"Indeed," said the Tailor, "that is not a bad idea. If what you say is
true, I shall never need to do any more tailoring," and he hurried out
and gathered all his friends in.
They arrived in high excitement, as you may be sure, and the youth bade
them stand in a circle while he spread out a cloth under the ass's head.
"Now," he said proudly, "listen to me," and he called, "Bricklebit!"
But nothing happened, and it seemed that the ass could not coin gold
after all; for it is not an easy thing to do, as you will agree.
The poor youth was very rueful, for he saw that some one had robbed him,
and he was obliged to apologize to the guests, who only sneered and
jeered at him and departed as poor as they came.
So the Tailor had to take up his needle once more and stitch away as
fast as ever, and the boy had to go and work for another miller.
Meantime, the third son had apprenticed himself to a turner. But it
takes a long time to learn to be a turner, and he was still with his
master when his brothers sent a message to tell him how they had fared,
and all about the wicked landlord who had robbed them of their precious
belongings.
Time went on, and soon he had learned everything, and he took leave of
his master, who gave him a sack, saying:
"In the sack lies a stick."
"I will take the sack gladly," said the youth, "for it will be handy.
But of what use is the stick, except to make the sack heavier?"
"This is the use of the stick: if you want to punish anyone at any time,
you have only to say, 'Come forth, Stick!' and the stick will slip out
of the sack and lay about your enemy's shoulders in such a lively
fashion that he will be as quiet as a tortoise for days afterwards, and
it will not cease beating till you say, 'Stop, Stick, and into the
sack!'"
The youth thanked him and went on his way, and when any rogue interfered
with him, he only had to cry, "Come forth, Stick!" and out it came and
gave them a sound thrashing, until he told it to stop, and then it
slipped back so quickly that nobody saw where it went.
One night he arrived at the very inn where his brothers had been
deceived, and putting his sack on the table, he began to boast of all
the curious things he had seen.
"Yes," he said, "I have even known of a table which covers itself with
food and wine in a twinkling. But that is not all, for I have seen an
ass which coins gold, and scores of other wonderful things besides. But,
when all is said and done, none have compared with what I carry in my
sack."
The landlord opened his round eyes, saying:
"I wonder what it is?" and he thought to himself: "The sack must be full
of precious stones. I must get hold of it, for all good luck runs in
threes, and there is no reason why I should not succeed this time as I
have done before."
As soon as it was time to go to bed the youth lay down on a bench and
pillowed his head on his sack, and when the landlord thought he was fast
asleep he came creeping softly to his side and pulled ever so gently at
the sack to see if he could exchange it for another which he had all
ready in his hand.
However, the boy was only waiting for this, and suddenly he called out,
"Come forth, Stick!" Immediately it sprang out and beat the landlord
right merrily.
The landlord howled for mercy, but the Stick only hit the faster, till
at last the rogue fell down exhausted.
"Now," said the Turner, ordering the stick to return to its bag, "if you
do not deliver up to me the magic table and the lucky ass, the Stick
shall begin again."
"No, no!" gasped the wretched man. "I will give them up if you will only
spare me!"
"I will pardon you if you keep your word," said the youth; "but beware
if you try to deceive me!"
Early next morning the Turner went on his way with the ass and the table
to his father's house. When he arrived his father was overjoyed to see
him, and asked him what trade he had learned.
"Dear father," he said, "I have become a turner."
"That is a difficult trade. And what have you brought home with you?"
"A sack and a stick, and a very valuable stick, too," said the son.
"What!" cried the old man. "A stick! Why, you can cut a stick off any
tree!"
"Not a stick like this, for I have only to say, 'Come forth, Stick!' and
it immediately slips out and lays about the shoulders of anyone who
would injure me, so that he has to cry for mercy. By the aid of my stick
I have got back the magic table and lucky ass which the thief of a
landlord stole from my brothers. Now send for them, and call in all your
friends, and I will give them a feast and fill their pockets with money
as well."
The old Tailor could scarcely believe him, but he did as he was told.
Then the youth spread a cloth on the floor and brought in the ass,
telling his brother to speak to it.
The Miller called out, "Bricklebit!" and immediately the gold pieces
began dropping out on to the floor in showers, till they all had as much
as they could carry.
Then the table was brought in and the Carpenter said, "Table, be
spread!" and at once it was covered with all sorts of dainties. Then
they had such a feast as the Tailor had never seen, and they all
remained till late at night making merry.
The next day the happy Tailor gathered together all his needles and
thread and measures and goose and put them away, and he lived happily
with his sons forever after.
Now we must see what became of the Goat, whose fault it was that the
brothers had been driven away. It was so ashamed of its shaven head that
it crept into a fox's hole to hide itself. When the Fox came home he saw
two great eyes glittering out of the blackness, and he was so terrified
that he ran away. Soon he met a bear, who, noticing how frightened he
looked, said:
"What has happened, Brother Fox, to make you look like that?"
"Oh!" he said, "in my lair is a fearful monster that rolled flaming eyes
at me."
"We will soon turn him out," said the brave Bear. But when he looked in,
he also was terrified at the glittering eyes and took to flight. He soon
met a bee, and seeing that it was no good to sting him through his thick
coat she said, in friendly fashion:
"You look very solemn, Mr. Bear. What has come over you?"
"Oh!" said the Bear, "in Brother Fox's lair is a fearful monster which
rolls flaming eyes at us, and we daren't drive him out."
"Well, Mr. Bear," said the Bee, "I am sorry for you, and I believe I can
help, though I am such a little creature that nobody thinks I can do any
good in the world."
So she flew off to the Fox's lair, and dropping on to his bald head,
stung him so terribly that the poor Goat rushed out madly, and he has
never been heard of since.
_The Little Brother and Sister_
THERE was once a little Brother who took his Sister by the hand and
said: "Since our own dear mother's death we have not had one happy hour;
our stepmother beats us every day, and, if we come near her, kicks us
away with her foot. Our food is the hard crusts of bread which are left,
and even the dog under the table fares better than we, for he often gets
a nice morsel. Come, let us wander forth into the wide world." So the
whole day long they traveled over meadows, fields, and stony roads, and
when it rained the Sister said, "It is Heaven crying in sympathy." By
evening they came into a large forest, and were so wearied with grief,
hunger, and their long walk that they laid themselves down in a hollow
tree and went to sleep. When they awoke the next morning the sun had
already risen high in the heavens, and its beams made the tree so hot
that the little boy said to his Sister, "I am so thirsty; if I knew
where there was a brook I would go and drink. Ah, I think I hear one
running"; and so saying he got up, and taking his Sister's hand they
went in search of the brook.
The wicked stepmother, however, was a witch, and had witnessed the
departure of the two children; so sneaking after them secretly, as is
the habit of witches, she had enchanted all the springs in the forest.
Presently they found a brook which ran trippingly over the pebbles, and
the Brother would have drunk out of it, but the Sister heard how it said
as it ran along, "Who drinks of me will become a tiger!" So the Sister
exclaimed: "I pray you, Brother, drink not, or you will become a tiger
and tear me to pieces!" So the Brother did not drink, although his
thirst was so great, and he said, "I will wait till the next brook." As
they came to the second the Sister heard it say, "Who drinks of me
becomes a wolf!" The Sister ran up crying: "Brother, do not, pray do
not, drink, or you will become a wolf and eat me up!" Then the Brother
did not drink, saying: "I will wait until we come to the next spring,
but then I must drink, you may say what you will; my thirst is much too
great." Just as they reached the third brook the Sister heard the voice
saying: "Who drinks of me will become a fawn--who drinks of me will
become a fawn!" So the Sister said: "Oh, my Brother! do not drink, or
you will be changed to a fawn and run away from me!" But he had already
kneeled down and drank of the water, and, as the first drops passed his
lips, his shape became that of a fawn.
At first the Sister cried over her little changed Brother, and he wept
too, and knelt by her very sorrowful; but at last the maiden said, "Be
still, dear little Fawn, and I will never forsake you"; and, undoing her
golden garter, she put it around his neck, and weaving rushes made a
white girdle to lead him with. This she tied to him, and, taking the
other end in her hand she led him away, and they traveled deeper and
deeper into the forest. After they had walked a long distance they came
to a little hut, and the maiden, peeping in, found it empty, and
thought, "Here we can stay and dwell." Then she looked for leaves and
moss to make a soft couch for the Fawn, and every morning she went out
and collected roots and berries and nuts for herself and tender grass
for the Fawn, which he ate out of her hand, and played happily around
her. In the evening, when the Sister was tired and had said her prayers,
she laid her head upon the back of the Fawn, which served for a pillow,
on which she slept soundly. Had but the Brother regained his own proper
form, their life would have been happy indeed.
Thus they dwelt in this wilderness, and some time had elapsed, when it
happened that the King of the country held a great hunt in the forest;
and now resounded through the trees the blowing of horns, the barking of
dogs, and the lusty cries of the hunters, so that the little Fawn heard
them and wanted very much to join. "Ah!" said he to his Sister, "let me
go to the hunt, I cannot restrain myself any longer"; and he begged so
hard that at last she consented. "But," said she to him, "return again
in the evening, for I shall shut my door against the wild huntsmen,
and, that I may know you, do you knock and say, 'Sister, let me in,' and
if you do not speak I shall not open the door." As soon as she had said
this, the little Fawn sprang off, quite glad and merry in the fresh
breeze. The King and his huntsmen perceived the beautiful animal, and
pursued him; but they could not catch him, and when they thought they
had him for certain he sprang away over the bushes and got out of sight.
Just as it was getting dark he ran up to the hut, and, knocking, said,
"Sister mine, let me in." Then she undid the little door, and he went in
and rested all night long upon his soft couch. The next morning the hunt
was commenced again, and as soon as the little Fawn heard the horns and
the tallyho of the sportsmen he could not rest, and said, "Sister, dear,
open the door, I must be off." The Sister opened it, saying, "Return at
evening, mind, and say the words as before." When the King and his
huntsmen saw again the Fawn with the golden necklace, they followed him
closely, but he was too nimble and quick for them. The whole day long
they kept up with him, but toward evening the huntsmen made a circle
around him, and one wounded him slightly in the hind foot, so that he
could only run slowly. Then one of them slipped after him to the little
hut, and heard him say, "Sister, dear, open the door," and saw that the
door was opened and immediately shut behind. The huntsman, having
observed all this, went and told the King what he had seen and heard,
and he said, "On the morrow I will once more pursue him."
The Sister, however, was terribly frightened when she saw that her Fawn
was wounded, and washing off the blood she put herbs upon the foot and
said: "Go and rest upon your bed, dear Fawn, that the wound may heal."
It was so slight that the next morning he felt nothing of it, and when
he heard the hunting cries outside he exclaimed: "I cannot stop away--I
must be there, and none shall catch me so easily again!" The Sister wept
very much and told him: "Soon they will kill you, and I shall be here
all alone in this forest, forsaken by all the world. I cannot let you
go."
"I shall die here in vexation," answered the Fawn, "if you do not, for
when I hear the horn I think I shall jump out of my skin." The Sister,
finding she could not prevent him, opened the door with a heavy heart,
and the Fawn jumped out, quite delighted, into the forest. As soon as
the King perceived him he said to his huntsmen: "Follow him all day long
till the evening, but let no one do him an injury." When the sun had
set, the King asked his huntsmen to show him the hut; and as they came
to it, he knocked at the door and said, "Let me in, dear Sister." Then
the door was opened, and stepping in the King saw a maiden more
beautiful than he had ever before seen. She was frightened when she saw
not her Fawn, but a man step in who had a golden crown upon his head.
But the King, looking at her with a friendly glance, reached her his
hand, saying, "Will you go with me to my castle and be my dear wife?"
"Oh, yes," replied the maiden; "but the Fawn must go too; him I will
never forsake." The King replied: "He shall remain with you as long as
you live, and shall want for nothing." In the meantime the Fawn had come
in, and the Sister, binding the girdle to him, again took it in her
hand, and led him away with her out of the hut.
The King took the beautiful maiden upon his horse, and rode to his
castle, where the wedding was celebrated with great splendor, and she
became Queen, and they lived together a long time; while the Fawn was
taken care of and lived well, playing about the castle garden. The
wicked stepmother, however, on whose account the children had wandered
forth into the world, supposed that long ago the Sister had been torn in
pieces by the wild beasts, and the little Brother hunted to death in his
Fawn's shape by the hunters. As soon, therefore, as she heard how happy
they had become, and how everything prospered with them, envy and
jealousy were roused in her heart and left her no peace, and she was
always thinking in what way she could work misfortune to them. Her own
daughter, who was as ugly as night and had but one eye, for which she
was continually reproached, said, "The luck of being a queen has never
yet happened to me."
"Be quiet now," said the old woman, "and make yourself contented. When
the time comes, I shall be at hand." As soon, then, as the time came
when the Queen brought into the world a beautiful little boy, which
happened when the King was out hunting, the old witch took the form of a
chambermaid, and got into the room where the Queen was lying, and said
to her: "The bath is ready which will restore you and give you fresh
strength; be quick, before it gets cold." Her daughter being at hand,
they carried the weak Queen between them into the room, and laid her in
the bath, and then, shutting the door, they ran off; but first they had
made an immense fire in the stove, which must soon suffocate the young
Queen.
When this was done the old woman took her daughter, and putting a cap on
her, laid her in the bed in the Queen's place. She gave her, too, the
form and appearance of the real Queen as far as she could; but she could
not restore the lost eye, and so that the King might not notice it, she
turned upon that side where there was no eye. When he came home at
evening and heard that a son was born to him, he was much delighted, and
prepared to go to his wife's bedside to see how she did. So the old
woman called out in a great hurry: "For your life, do not undraw the
curtains; the Queen must not yet see the light, and must be kept quiet."
So the King went away, and did not discover that a false Queen was laid
in the bed.
When midnight came and everyone was asleep, the nurse, who sat by
herself, wide awake, near the cradle in the nursery, saw the door open
and the true Queen come in. She took the child in her arms and rocked it
awhile, and then, shaking up its pillow, laid it down in its cradle and
covered it over again. She did not forget the Fawn either, but going to
the corner where he was, stroked his back, and then went silently out at
the door. The nurse asked in the morning of the guards if anyone had
passed into the castle during the night, but they answered, "No, we have
seen nobody." For many nights afterwards she came constantly, and never
spoke a word; and the nurse saw her always, but she would not trust
herself to speak about it to anyone.
When some time had passed away, the Queen one night began to speak, and
said:
"How fares my child, how fares my Fawn?
Twice more will I come, but never again."
The nurse made no reply; but, when she had disappeared, went to the King
and told him all. The King exclaimed: "Oh, heavens! what does this mean?
The next night I will watch myself by the child." In the evening he went
into the nursery, and about midnight the Queen appeared and said:
"How fares my child, how fares my Fawn?
Once more will I come, but never again."
And she nursed the child as she was used to do, and then disappeared.
The King dared not speak, but he watched the following night, and this
time she said:
"How fares my child, how fares my Fawn?
This time have I come, but never again."
At these words the King could hold back no longer, but sprang up and
said, "You can be no other than my dear wife!" Then she answered, "Yes,
I am your dear wife"; and at that moment her life was restored by God's
mercy, and she was again as beautiful and charming as ever. She told the
King the fraud which the witch and her daughter had practiced upon him,
and he had them both tried and sentence pronounced against them. The
daughter was taken into the forest, where the wild beasts tore her in
pieces, but the old witch was led to the fire and miserably burned. And
as soon as she was reduced to ashes the little Fawn was unbewitched, and
received again his human form; and the Brother and Sister lived happily
together to the end of their days.
_The Old Griffin_
THERE was once a king, but where he reigned and how he was called I know
nothing about. He had no son, only a daughter, who was always ill, and
no doctor could cure her; but it was prophesied to the King that his
daughter would eat herself well with an apple. So he made it known all
over the kingdom that whoever brought his daughter some apples with
which she could eat herself well should marry her and be King. Now a
peasant who had three sons heard of it; and he said to the eldest: "Go
to the garden, take a basketful of those beautiful apples with the red
cheeks, and carry them to the court. Perhaps the King's daughter will be
able to eat herself well with them, and then you can marry her and be
King." The chap did as he was bid and took to the road. When he had
walked a little while he met quite a little iron man, who asked him what
he had in his basket. So Hele, for that was his name, said, "Frogs'
legs!" The Little Man then said, "Well, so it shall be and remain"; and
then went on. At last Hele came to the castle, and had it announced that
he had some apples which would cure the Princess if she ate them. At
that the King was mightily pleased, and received Hele in court. Oh,
dear! when he opened it, instead of apples he had frogs' legs in the
basket, and they were kicking about still. The King flew into a great
rage, and had him kicked out of the castle. When he got home he told his
father how he had fared. Then the father sent his next son, whose name
was Saeme, but it went just the same with him as with Hele. The little
Iron Man met him very soon, and asked him what he had in the basket, and
Saeme said, "Sow-thistles"; and the Little Man said, "Well, so it shall
be and remain." When he arrived at the King's castle, and said he had
apples with which the King's daughter could eat herself well, they would
not let him in, and told him there had already been one who had made
fools of them. But Saeme insisted he had really such apples; they should
only let him in. At last they believed him and took him before the
King; but when he opened the basket he had nothing but sow-thistles.
That annoyed the King most dreadfully, so that he had Saeme whipped out
of the castle. When he got home he told them what had happened to him,
and then came the youngest boy, whom they had always called Stupid Jack,
and asked the father whether he, too, might go with apples. "Yes," said
the father, "you are just the right sort of fellow; if the clever ones
can't succeed, what will you be able to do?" The boy did not believe it.
"Well, father, I will go too." "Get away, you stupid chap!" said the
father; "you must wait till you grow wiser"; and then he turned his back
upon him; but the boy tugged at his smock frock behind and said, "Now,
father, I will go too." "Well, just as you like; go--you will be sure to
come back," he answered in a spiteful way. The boy was beyond measure
delighted, and jumped for joy. "Aye, there! act like a fool! You get
stupider from one day to the next," said the father. That did not affect
Jack a bit, who would not be disturbed in his joy. As night soon came
on, he thought he would wait till the next morning; anyhow, he would not
be able to get to court that day. He could not sleep that night in bed,
and when he only slumbered a little he dreamed of beautiful maidens, of
castles, gold, silver, and all that sort of thing. Early next morning he
went his way, and soon the Little Man in his iron dress met him and
asked him what he had in the basket. "Apples," he answered, "with which
the King's daughter can eat herself well." "Well," said the Little Man,
"such it shall be and remain." But at court they would not let Jack in
at all; for that there had been two who had said they brought apples,
and one had frogs' legs and the other sow-thistles. But Jack insisted
tremendously he had no frogs' legs, but the most beautiful apples that
grew in the kingdom. As he spoke so nicely the doorkeeper thought he
could not be telling a lie, and let him in; and they did quite right,
too, for when Jack uncovered the basket before the King, apples as
yellow as gold came tumbling out. The King was delighted, and had some
of them taken to his daughter at once, and waited in anxious
expectation until they should bring him word what effect they had. Not
long after news was brought him; but what think you it was? It was the
daughter herself! As soon as she had eaten of those apples she had
jumped out of bed quite well. What the King's delight was cannot be
described.
But now the King would not give Jack his daughter to marry, and said
that he must first make him a boat that would swim better on land than
in the water. Jack agreed to the condition and went home and told his
adventures. So the father sent Hele into the wood to make such a boat;
he worked away diligently, and whistled the while. At midday, when the
sun was at the highest, came the little Iron Man and asked what he was
making. "Wooden bowls," answered he. The Little Man answered, "Well, so
it shall be and remain." In the evening Hele thought he had made the
boat, but when he was going to get into it, it turned to wooden bowls.
The next day Saeme went into the wood, but he met with exactly the same
fate as his brother. On the third day Stupid Jack went. He worked very
hard, so that the wood resounded all through with his heavy blows, and
he sang and whistled besides right merrily. The Little Man came to him
at midday when it was very warm, and asked him what he was making. "A
boat that will swim better on dry land than in the water," he answered,
"and that when he had done it he should marry the King's daughter."
"Well," said the Little Man, "such an one it shall be and remain." In
the evening when the sun was setting like a ball of gold, Jack made
ready his boat and all things belonging to it, and rowed toward the
castle; but the boat went as fast as the wind. The King saw it a long
way off, but would not give Jack his daughter yet, and said he must
first take a hundred hares out grazing from early morning to late in the
evening, and if one were missing he should not have his daughter. Jack
was quite contented, and the next day went out with his herd to the
meadow, and kept a sharp lookout that none should stray away. Not many
hours had passed when a maid came from the castle, and said Jack was to
give her a hare directly, as some visitors had arrived. But Jack saw
through that well enough, and said he would not give her one; the King
might treat his visitors to hare pepper. But the maid would not heed
him, and at last set to scolding. So Jack said that if the King's
daughter came herself he would give her a hare. The maid told them in
the castle, and the King's daughter did go herself. But in the meantime
the Little Man had come again to Jack and asked him what he was doing
there. Oh, he had to watch a hundred hares so that none ran away, and
then he might marry the King's daughter and be King. "Good!" said the
Little Man, "there's a whistle for you, and when one runs away, only
just whistle and he will come back again." When the King's daughter
came, Jack put a hare into her apron, but when she had gone about a
hundred steps off, Jack whistled, and the hare jumped out of the cloth,
and jump, jump! was back to the herd directly. In the evening the
hareherd whistled again, and looked to see they were all right, and
drove them to the castle. The King wondered how Jack had been able to
take care of a hundred hares, so that none should run off, but he would
not yet give him his daughter so easily, but said he must first get him
a feather from the Old Griffin's tail.
Jack started at once, and marched right briskly on. In the evening he
arrived at a castle, where he asked for a night's lodging, for at that
time there were no such things as hotels; and the master of the castle
greeted him very civilly, and asked him where he was going to. Jack
answered, "To the Old Griffin." "Oh, indeed! to the Old Griffin; they
say he knows everything, and I have lost the key to an iron money chest;
perhaps you would be good enough to ask him where it is!" "Certainly,"
said Jack, "that I will." Early the next morning he started off again on
his road, and arrived at another castle, where he again passed the
night. When the people learned that he was going to the Old Griffin,
they said a daughter was ill in the house; they had already tried every
possible remedy, but without effect; would he be kind enough to ask Old
Griffin what would cure her? Jack said he would do it with pleasure, and
went on again. He arrived at a lake, and instead of a ferryboat there
was a big man who had to carry everybody over. The man asked him where
he was bound for? "To the Old Griffin," said Jack. "When you get to
him," said the man, "just ask him why I am obliged to carry everybody
over the water." "Yes, to be sure," said Jack; "goodness gracious! yes,
willingly!" The man then took him up on his shoulder and carried him
over. At last Jack arrived at the Old Griffin's house, and only found
the wife at home, not Old Griffin. The woman asked him what he wanted,
so he told her he must have a feather from Old Griffin's tail; and that
in a castle they had lost the key to the money chest, and he was to ask
the Griffin where it was; and then, in another castle, the daughter was
ill, and he was to know what would make her well again; then not far
from there were the water and the man who was obliged to carry everybody
over, and he should very much like to know why the man was obliged to
carry everybody over. "But," said the woman, "look you, my good friend,
no Christian can speak with a Griffin; he eats them all up; but, if you
like, you can lie there under his bed, and at night when he is fast
asleep you can reach up and pull a feather out of his tail; and as to
those things that you want to know, I will ask him myself." Jack was
quite satisfied with the arrangement, and got under the bed. In the
evening Old Griffin came home, and when he stepped into the room he
said, "Wife, I smell a Christian!" "Yes," said the wife, "there has been
one here to-day, but he went away again." So Old Griffin said no more.
In the middle of the night, when Griffin was snoring away lustily, Jack
reached up and pulled a feather out of his tail. The Griffin jumped up
suddenly and cried: "Wife, I smell a Christian! and it was just as if
some one had been plucking at my tail." The wife said: "You have no
doubt been dreaming. I have told you already that one has been here
to-day, but that he went away again. He told me all sorts of things;
that in one castle they had lost the key of the money chest and could
not find it." "Oh, the fools!" exclaimed the Griffin; "the key lies in
the wood-shed, behind the door, under a log of wood." "And further, he
said that in another castle the daughter was ill, and they knew no means
to cure her." "Oh, the fools!" said the Griffin, "under the cellar
stairs a toad has made its nest of her hair, and if she got the hair
back again she would be well." "And then, again, he said at a certain
place there was a lake, and a man who was obliged to carry everybody
over." "Oh, the fool!" said the Old Griffin, "if he were only to put
somebody into the middle he need not carry any more over."
[Illustration: "IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, WHEN GRIFFIN WAS SNORING
AWAY LUSTILY, JACK REACHED UP AND PULLED A FEATHER OUT OF HIS TAIL"]
Early next morning the Old Griffin got up and went out, and Jack crept
from under the bed with a beautiful feather, having heard what the
Griffin had said about the key, the daughter, and the man. The wife
repeated it all to him so that he should not forget, and then he started
off toward home. He came to the man at the water first, and he asked him
directly what the Griffin had said; but Jack said he must carry him over
first, and then he would tell him. So he carried him over, and when they
got there Jack told him he had only to put somebody into the middle and
then he need carry no more. The man was delighted beyond measure, and
told Jack that out of gratitude he should like to carry him over and
back once more. But Jack said nay, he would save him the trouble; he was
quite contented with him already, and then went on. Next he arrived at
the castle where the daughter was ill; he took her on his shoulder, for
she was not able to walk, and carried her down the cellar stairs, and
then took the toad's nest from under the bottom step and put it into the
daughter's hand, and all at once she jumped off his shoulder, up the
stairs before him, strong and well. Now the father and mother were
delighted indeed, and made Jack presents of gold and silver, and
whatever he wanted they gave him.
When Jack arrived at the other castle he went straight to the wood-shed,
and found the key right behind the door under the log of wood, and took
it to the master. He was not a little pleased, and gave Jack in return a
great deal of gold that was in the box and all sorts of things besides,
such as cows and sheep and goats.
When Jack returned to the King with all these things, with the money and
gold and silver, and the cows, sheep, and goats, the King asked him how
he had come by it all. So Jack said the Old Griffin would give one as
much as one liked. The King thought he could find a use for that kind of
gifts himself, and so started off to the Griffin; but when he got to the
water he happened to be the first who had crossed over since Jack, and
the man put him in the middle of the stream and walked off, and the King
was drowned.
So Jack married the King's daughter and became King.
_The Three Feathers_
ONCE upon a time there lived a king who had three sons, two of whom were
bright youths, but the youngest never had anything to say for himself,
so he was set down by everyone as a simpleton.
Years went on, and the King felt himself growing old, and he thought it
was time to decide which of his sons was to succeed him.
This was not so easy, so he told the youths that whoever should bring
him the most beautiful carpet should be his heir, and, lest they should
all want to go in the same direction and quarrel, he went up to the roof
of the palace and blew three feathers up into the air, saying:
"As they fly, thither shall you follow."
One feather flew east, another west, and the third went in a straight
line between the two for a little way, and then fell suddenly to the
ground. So one brother went east, and another west, and poor Dummling
was left to follow the third feather, which had gone no distance at all,
whereat his brothers were much amused.
Dummling sat down beside his feather, feeling very sad and doleful, and
he was just thinking that all chance of the kingdom was at an end for
him, when he discovered that all the time he was staring at a trapdoor
in the ground. He lifted it, and found steps leading down into the
earth, so he went down the stairs till he came to a door, and then he
knocked.
Immediately he heard a voice singing:
"Little frog, so green and cold,
I prithee open and behold
Who it is that knocks so bold,"
and the door opened, and he saw a large frog squatting in the middle of
a circle of little ones. The big one bowed to him as he entered, and
asked him what he sought.
"Please," said Dummling, taking off his cap and returning the bow, "I
want to know if you can help me to get the most beautiful carpet in the
world."
The Frog rolled her eyes for a minute, and then, turning to one of the
little ones at her side, said:
"Go bring me hither the big casket," and the little frog hopped away,
and came back dragging a large box.
Then the mother Frog took a key that hung around her neck on a chain,
and opened the box and drew forth the most beautiful carpet that was
ever seen.
Dummling was delighted with it, and thanking her very heartily, he
hurried up the steps, eager to take it to the palace.
Meanwhile, the two brothers, never thinking that Dummling was clever
enough to find any sort of carpet at all, said to each other:
"Let us buy the shawl of the first peasant woman we meet. That should be
good enough to win us the kingdom."
So they bought a common old shawl at the first opportunity, and took it
home to the palace, arriving just at the same moment as Dummling.
The King was astonished when the carpets were spread out before him and
he saw the lovely thing Dummling had brought.
[Illustration: "THEN DUMMLING'S LOVELY MAIDEN SPRANG LIGHTLY AND
GRACEFULLY THROUGH THE RING"]
"The prize," said he, "should by rights belong to my youngest son."
But the others were so angry at this, and worried their father so much,
that for very peace he had to consent to a new test.
So the King gave out that whoever should bring him the most beautiful
ring should be King when he died, and he blew up the feathers as before,
and bade the youths follow them.
The two eldest went east and west, but Dummling's feather did as it did
the first time, and fell to earth just by the trapdoor. So he pulled it
up once again and went down the steps.
When the door was opened, he told the big Frog that he wanted the most
beautiful ring in the world. So she sent one of her little attendants
hopping for her jewel casket, and, when it was come, she took out of it
a ring that fairly blazed with diamonds and other jewels, and finer than
the finest workmanship that could be obtained. You may imagine Dummling
thanked her very warmly for the ring, and hurried off back to the palace
as fast as his legs could carry him. He found his brothers had just
arrived with rings they had taken no more pains to make than to beat two
rusty nails into circlets. As soon as the King saw Dummling's lovely
jewel, he cried out:
"The kingdom belongs to him."
But the brothers again flew into a passion at this, and said that a
youth who had as little wit as Dummling could not possibly reign over
the land. So they worried the father at last to make just one more
condition; and this time he said that whoever should bring home the most
beautiful woman in the world should succeed to the throne. A third time
he blew the feathers into the air, and the youths set out after them.
Dummling's feather floated and fell just as before, and again he pulled
up his trapdoor and went down into the presence of the old Frog, and
told her that this time he wanted the most beautiful maiden in all the
world.
"Hum!" said the Frog, "it is not everyone who gets that; still I will do
my best for you, nevertheless. But first take this," and she gave
Dummling a little toy cart made of a hollow carrot, to which were
harnessed six beautiful white mice.
The youth looked at this rather doubtfully, and asked the mother Frog
what he was to do with it.
"I will tell you," she said. "Take one of my little frog attendants and
set her on the carrot."
So Dummling picked up the one that happened to be nearest him and put
her on the carrot, and lo and behold! no sooner was she seated than she
changed into a beautiful maiden, and the carrot and the mice into a
grand chariot drawn by six prancing horses. As soon as he could stop
rubbing his eyes from wonder, Dummling kissed the maiden, and drove off
in triumph to the palace.
Meanwhile, the brothers, as usual, had taken no trouble whatever, and at
the moment Dummling drove up in his glory they appeared with two peasant
girls, who were not even pretty.
Of course the King had nothing for it but to award the kingdom to his
youngest son, and, of course, the elder brothers still grumbled, and
made such a fuss that at last the poor King had to consent to yet
another trial.
To prove which was the best wife of the three, he decided that they
should all jump through a hoop in the hall, and the one who did it most
prettily was to be the winner.
And now all the court was gathered together in the hall to see the
contest. The country girls jumped, but were so plump that they fell
heavily and broke their arms and legs. Then Dummling's lovely maiden
sprang lightly and gracefully through the ring, and landed safely on the
other side.
So at last the brothers had to be content, and in time Dummling came to
the throne and ruled wisely and well for many, many years.
_The House in the Wood_
THERE was once a poor Woodcutter who lived with his Wife and three
Daughters in a little hut on the edge of a large forest. One morning,
when he went out to his usual work, he said to his Wife: "Let my dinner
be brought by our eldest Daughter, I shall not be ready to come home;
and that she may not lose her way, I will take with me a bag of seeds
and strew them on my path."
So when the sun was risen to the center of the heavens, the Maiden set
out on her way, carrying a jug of soup. But the field and wood sparrows,
the larks, blackbirds, goldfinches, and greenfinches, had many hours ago
picked up the seeds, so that the Maiden could find no trace of the way.
So she walked on, trusting to fortune, till the sun set and night came
on. The trees soon began to rustle in the darkness, the owls to hoot,
and the girl began to feel frightened. All at once she perceived a light
shining at a distance among the trees. "People must dwell there," she
thought, "who will keep me during the night"; and she walked toward the
light. In a short time she came to a cottage where the windows were all
lighted up, and when she knocked at the door a hoarse voice called from
within, "Come in." The girl opened the door and perceived a hoary Old
Man sitting at a table with his face buried in his hands, and his white
beard flowing down over the table on to the ground. On the hearth lay
three animals--a hen, a cock, and a brindled cow. The girl told the Old
Man her adventures, and begged for a night's lodging. The Man said:
"Pretty Hen, pretty Cock,
And pretty brindled Cow,
What have you to say to that?"
"Cluck!" said the animals, and as that meant they were satisfied, the
Old Man said to the Maiden: "Here is abundance, and to spare; go now
into the kitchen and cook some supper for us."
The girl found plenty of everything in the kitchen, and cooked a good
meal, but thought nothing about the animals. When she had finished she
carried a full dish into the room, and, sitting down opposite the Old
Man, ate till she had satisfied her hunger. When she had done she said:
"I am very tired; where is my bed, where I shall lie down and sleep?"
The animals replied:
"You have eaten with him,
You have drunk, too, with him;
And yet you have not thought of us;
Still you may pass the night here."
Thereupon the Old Man said: "Step down yon stair, and you will come to a
room containing two beds, shake them up and cover them with white
sheets, and then I will come and lie down to sleep myself." The Maiden
stepped down the stair, and as soon as she had shaken up the beds and
covered them afresh, she laid herself down in one bed, without waiting
for the Old Man. But after some time the Old Man came, and, after
looking at the girl with the light, shook his head when he saw she was
fast asleep; and then, opening a trapdoor, dropped her down into the
cellar below.
Late in the evening the Woodcutter arrived at home, and scolded his Wife
because she had let him hunger all day long. "It is not my fault," she
replied; "the girl was sent out with your dinner; she must have lost her
way; but to-morrow she will return, no doubt." At daybreak the
Woodcutter got up to go into the forest, and desired that the second
Daughter should bring him his meal this time. "I will take a bag of
peas," he said; "they are larger than corn seed, and the girl will
therefore see them better and not lose my track." At noonday,
accordingly, the girl set out with her father's dinner; but the peas had
all disappeared, for the wood birds had picked them all up as they had
on the day before, and not one was left. So the poor girl wandered about
in the forest till it was quite dark, and then she also arrived at the
Old Man's hut, was invited in, and begged food and a night's lodging.
The Man of the white beard asked his animals again:
"Pretty Hen, and pretty Cock,
And pretty brindled Cow,
What have you to say to that?"
They answered again, "Cluck!" and everything thereupon occurred the same
as on the previous day. The girl cooked a good meal, ate and drank with
the Old Man, but never once thought of the animals; and when she asked
for her bed, they made answer:
"You have eaten with him,
You have drunk, too, with him;
And yet you have not thought of us;
Still you may pass the night here!"
As soon as she was gone to sleep the Old Man came, and, after looking at
her and shaking his head as before, dropped her into the cellar below.
Meanwhile the third morning arrived, and the Woodcutter told his Wife to
send their youngest child with his dinner: "For," said he, "she is
always obedient and good; she will keep in the right path and not run
about like those idle hussies, her sisters!"