"Be not afraid of that," said her husband; "the girl will not miss her
way, she is too steady and prudent; but for more precaution I will take
beans to strew, they are larger still than peas, and will show her the
way better."
But by and by, when the girl went out with her basket on her arm, the
wood pigeons had eaten up all the beans, and she knew not which way to
turn. She was full of trouble, and thought with grief how her Father
would want his dinner and how her dear Mother would grieve when she did
not return. At length, when it became quite dark, she also perceived
the lighted cottage, and entering it, begged very politely to be allowed
to pass the night there. The Old Man asked the animals a third time in
the same words:
"Pretty Hen, pretty Cock,
And pretty brindled Cow,
What have you to say to that?"
"Cluck, cluck!" said they. Thereupon the Maiden stepped up to the fire,
near which they lay, and fondled the pretty Hen and Cock, smoothing
their plumage down with her hands, while she stroked the Cow between her
horns. Afterwards, when she had got ready a good supper at the Old Man's
request, and had placed the dishes on the table, she thought to herself:
"I must not appease my hunger till I have fed these good creatures.
There is an abundance in the kitchen, I will serve them first." Thus
thinking she went and fetched some corn and strewed it before the fowls,
and then she brought an armful of hay and gave it to the Cow. "Now, eat
away, you good creatures," said she to them, "and when you are thirsty
you shall have a nice fresh draught." So saying she brought in a pailful
of water; and the Hen and Cock perched themselves on its edge, put their
beaks in, and then drew their heads up as birds do when drinking; the
Cow also took a hearty draught. When the animals were thus fed, the
Maiden sat down at table with the Old Man and ate what was left for her.
In a short while the Hen and Cock began to fold their wings over their
heads, and the brindled Cow blinked with both eyes. Then the Maiden
asked: "Shall we not also take our rest?" The Old Man replied as before:
"Pretty Hen, pretty Cock,
And pretty brindled Cow,
What have you to say to that?"
"Cluck, cluck!" replied the animals, meaning:
"You have eaten with us,
You have drunk, too, with us,
You have thought of us kindly, too;
And we wish you a good night's rest."
So the Maiden went down the stairs, and shook up the feather beds and
laid on clean sheets, and when they were ready the Old Man came and lay
down in one, with his white beard stretching down to his feet. The girl
then lay down in the other bed, first saying her prayers before she went
to sleep.
She slept quietly till midnight, and at that hour there began such a
tumult in the house that it awakened her. Presently it began to crack
and rumble in every corner of the room, and the doors were slammed back
against the wall, and then the beams groaned as if they were being riven
away from their fastenings, and the stairs fell down, and at last it
seemed as if the whole roof fell in. Soon after that all was quiet, but
the Maiden took no harm, and went quietly off again to sleep. When,
however the bright light of the morning sun awoke her, what a sight met
her eyes! She found herself lying in a large chamber, with everything
around belonging to regal pomp. On the walls were represented gold
flowers growing on a green silk ground; the bed was of ivory, and the
curtains of red velvet, and on a stool close by was placed a pair of
slippers ornamented with pearls. The Maiden thought it was all a dream;
but presently in came three servants dressed in rich liveries, who asked
her what were her commands. "Leave me," replied the Maiden; "I will get
up at once and cook some breakfast for the Old Man, and also feed the
pretty Hen, the pretty Cock, and the brindled Cow." She spoke thus
because she thought the Old Man was already up; but when she looked
round at his bed, she saw a stranger to her lying asleep in it. While
she was looking at him, and saw that he was both young and handsome, he
awoke, and starting up, said to the Maiden: "I am a king's son, who was
long ago changed by a wicked old witch into the form of an old man, and
condemned to live alone in the wood, with nobody to bear me company but
my three servants in the form of a hen, a cock, and a brindled cow. And
the enchantment was not to end until a maiden should come so
kind-hearted that she should behave as well to my animals as she did to
me; and such a one you have been; and, therefore, this last midnight we
were saved through you, and the old wooden hut has again become my royal
palace."
When he had thus spoken the girl and he arose, and the Prince told his
three servants to fetch to the palace the Father and Mother of the
Maiden, that they might witness her marriage.
"But where are my two Sisters?" she asked. "I have put them in the
cellar," replied the Prince, "and there they must remain till to-morrow
morning, when they shall be led into the forest, and bound as servants
to a collier, until they have reformed their tempers, and learned not to
let poor animals suffer hunger."
_Rapunzel_
THERE was once a man and his wife who had long wished in vain for a
child, when at last they had reason to hope that Heaven would grant
their wish. There was a little window at the back of their house, which
overlooked a beautiful garden, full of lovely flowers and shrubs. It
was, however, surrounded by a high wall, and nobody dared to enter it,
because it belonged to a powerful witch, who was feared by everyone.
One day the woman, standing at this window and looking into the garden,
saw a bed planted with beautiful corn salad. It looked so fresh and
green that it made her long to eat some of it. This longing increased
every day, and as she knew it could never be satisfied, she began to
look pale and miserable, and to pine away. Then her husband became
alarmed, and said: "What ails you, my dear wife?"
"Alas!" she answered, "if I cannot get any of the corn salad from the
garden behind our house to eat, I shall die."
Her husband, who loved her, thought: "Before you let your wife die, you
must fetch her some of that corn salad, cost what it may." So in the
twilight he climbed over the wall into the Witch's garden, hastily
picked a handful of corn salad, and took it back to his wife. She
immediately dressed it, and ate it up very eagerly. It was so very, very
nice that the next day her longing for it increased threefold. She could
have no peace unless her husband fetched her some more. So in the
twilight he set out again; but when he got over the wall he was
terrified to see the Witch before him.
"How dare you come into my garden like a thief, and steal my corn
salad?" she said, with angry looks. "It shall disagree with you."
"Alas!" he answered, "be merciful to me; I am only here from necessity.
My wife sees your corn salad from the window, and she has such a longing
for it that she would die if she could not get some of it."
The anger of the Witch abated, and she said to him: "If it is as you
say, I will allow you to take away with you as much corn salad as you
like, but on one condition. You must give me the child which your wife
is about to bring into the world. I will care for it like a mother, and
all will be well with it." In his fear the man consented to everything,
and when the baby was born the Witch appeared, gave it the name of
Rapunzel (corn salad), and took it away with her.
Rapunzel was the most beautiful child under the sun. When she was twelve
years old, the Witch shut her up in a tower which stood in a wood. It
had neither staircase nor doors, and only a little window quite high up
in the wall. When the Witch wanted to enter the tower, she stood at the
foot of it and cried:
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!"
Rapunzel had splendid long hair, as fine as spun gold. As soon as she
heard the voice of the Witch she unfastened her plaits and twisted them
around a hook by the window. They fell twenty ells downward, and the
Witch climbed up by them.
It happened a couple of years later that the King's son rode through the
forest and came close to the tower. From thence he heard a song so
lovely that he stopped to listen. It was Rapunzel, who in her loneliness
made her sweet voice resound to pass away the time. The King's son
wanted to join her, and he sought for the door of the tower, but there
was none to find.
He rode home, but the song had touched his heart so deeply that he went
into the forest every day to listen to it. Once, when he was hidden
behind a tree, he saw a witch come to the tower and call out:
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!"
Then Rapunzel lowered her plaits of hair and the Witch climbed up to
her.
"If that is the ladder by which one ascends, I will try my luck myself."
And the next day, when it began to grow dark, he went to the tower and
cried:
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!"
The hair fell down at once, and the King's son climbed up by it.
At first Rapunzel was terrified, for she had never set eyes on a man
before, but the King's son talked to her in a friendly way, and told her
that his heart had been so deeply touched by her song that he had no
peace, and he was obliged to see her. Then Rapunzel lost her fear, and
when he asked if she would have him for her husband, and she saw that he
was young and handsome, she thought, "He will love me better than old
Mother Gothel." So she said, "Yes," and laid her hand in his. She said:
"I will gladly go with you, but I do not know how I am to get down from
this tower. When you come, will you bring a skein of silk with you every
time? I will twist it into a ladder, and when it is long enough I will
descend by it, and you can take me away with you on your horse."
She arranged with him that he should come and see her every evening, for
the old Witch came in the daytime.
The Witch discovered nothing, till suddenly Rapunzel said to her: "Tell
me, Mother Gothel, how can it be that you are so much heavier to draw up
than the young Prince who will be here in a moment?"
"Oh, you wicked child, what do you say? I thought I had separated you
from all the world, and yet you have deceived me." In her rage she
seized Rapunzel's beautiful hair, twisted it twice around her left hand,
snatched up a pair of shears and cut off the plaits, which fell to the
ground. She was so merciless that she took poor Rapunzel away into a
wilderness, where she forced her to live in the greatest grief and
misery.
In the evening of the day on which she had banished Rapunzel, the Witch
fastened the plaits, which she had cut off, to the hook by the window,
and when the Prince came and called, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your
hair!" she lowered the hair. The Prince climbed up, but there he found,
not his beloved Rapunzel, but the Witch, who looked at him with angry
and wicked eyes.
"Ah!" she cried mockingly, "you have come to fetch your ladylove, but
the pretty bird is no longer in her nest; and she can sing no more, for
the cat has seized her, and it will scratch your own eyes out too.
Rapunzel is lost to you; you will never see her again."
The Prince was beside himself with grief, and in his despair he sprang
out of the window. He was not killed, but his eyes were scratched out by
the thorns among which he fell. He wandered about blind in the wood, and
had nothing but roots and berries to eat. He did nothing but weep and
lament over the loss of his beloved wife Rapunzel. In this way he
wandered about for some years, till at last he reached the wilderness
where Rapunzel had been living in great poverty with the twins (a boy
and a girl) who had been born to her.
He heard a voice which seemed very familiar to him, and he went toward
it. The voice was Rapunzel's, and she knew him at once, and fell weeping
upon his neck. Two of her tears fell upon his eyes, and they immediately
grew quite clear, and he could see as well as ever.
He took her to his kingdom, where he was received with joy, and they
lived long and happily together.
_The Queen Bee_
ONCE upon a time two princes started off in search of adventure, and,
falling into a wild, free mode of life, did not come home again.
The third brother, who was called the Blockhead, set out to look for the
other two. But when at last he found them, they mocked him for thinking
of making his way in the world with his simplicity, while they, who were
so much cleverer, could not get on.
They all three went on together till they came to an ant heap. The two
elder princes wanted to disturb it, to see how the little ants crept
away, carrying their eggs.
But the Blockhead said: "Leave the little creatures alone; I will not
allow you to disturb them."
Then they went on farther till they came to a lake in which a great many
ducks were swimming about. The two wanted to catch and roast a pair.
But the Blockhead would not allow it, and said: "Leave the creatures
alone. You shall not kill them."
At last they came to a bee's nest, containing such a quantity of honey
that it flowed around the trunk of the tree.
The two princes wanted to set fire to the tree and suffocate the bees,
so as to remove the honey.
But the Blockhead stopped them again, and said: "Leave the creatures
alone. I will not let you burn them."
At last the three brothers came to a castle, where the stables were full
of stone horses, but not a soul was to be seen. They went through all
the rooms till they came to a door quite at the end, fastened with three
bolts. In the middle of the door was a lattice, through which one could
see into the room.
There they saw a little gray man sitting at a table. They called to him
once, twice; but he did not hear them. Finally, when they had called him
the third time, he stood up and opened the door and came out. He said
not a word, but led them to a richly spread table, and when they had
eaten and drunk, he took them each to a bedroom.
The next morning the little Gray Man came to the eldest Prince,
beckoned, and led him to a stone tablet whereon were inscribed three
tasks by means of which the castle should be freed from enchantment.
This was the first task: in the wood, under the moss, lay the Princess's
pearls, a thousand in number. These had all to be found, and if at
sunset a single one were missing, the seeker would be turned to stone.
The eldest went away, and searched all day, but when evening came, he
had only found the first hundred, and it happened as the inscription
foretold--he was turned to stone.
The next day the second brother undertook the quest; but he fared no
better than the first, for he found only two hundred pearls, and he too
was turned to stone.
At last came the Blockhead's turn; he searched in the moss, but the
pearls were hard to find, and he got on but slowly.
Then he sat down on a rock and cried, and as he was sitting there, the
Ant King, whose life he had saved, came up with five thousand ants, and
it was not long before the little creatures had found all the pearls and
laid them in a heap.
Now the second task was to get the key of the Princess's room out of the
lake.
When the Blockhead came to the lake, the ducks, which he had once saved,
swam up, dived, and brought up the key from the depths.
But the third task was the hardest. The Prince had to find out which was
the youngest and prettiest of the princesses while they were asleep.
They were exactly alike, and could not be distinguished in any way,
except that before going to sleep each had eaten a different kind of
sweet. The eldest a piece of sugar, the second a little syrup, and the
third a spoonful of honey.
Then the Queen of the Bees, whom the Blockhead had saved from burning,
came and tried the lips of all three. Finally, she settled on the mouth
of the one who had eaten the honey, and so the Prince recognized the
right one.
Then the charm was broken and everything in the castle was set free, and
those who had been turned to stone took human form again.
And the Blockhead married the youngest and sweetest Princess, and became
King after her father's death, while his two brothers married the other
sisters.
_The Many-Furred Creature_
THERE was once upon a time a king who had a wife with golden hair, and
she was so beautiful that you couldn't find anyone like her in the
world. It happened that she fell ill, and when she felt that she must
soon die she sent for the King and said: "If you want to marry after my
death, make no one queen unless she is just as beautiful as I am and has
just such golden hair as I have. Promise me this." After the King had
promised her this she closed her eyes and died.
For a long time the King was not to be comforted, and he did not even
think of taking a second wife. At last his councilors said: "The King
must marry again, so that we may have a Queen." So messengers were sent
far and wide to seek for a bride equal to the late Queen in beauty. But
there was no one in the wide world, and if there had been she could not
have had such golden hair. Then the messengers came home again, not
having been able to find a queen.
Now, the King had a daughter who was just as beautiful as her dead
mother and had just such golden hair. One day, when she had grown up,
her father looked at her and saw that she was exactly like her mother,
so he said to his councilors: "I will marry my daughter to one of you
and she shall be Queen, for she is exactly like her dead mother, and
when I die her husband shall be King." But when the Princess heard of
her father's decision she was not at all pleased and said to him:
"Before I do your bidding I must have three dresses; one as golden as
the sun, one as silver as the moon, and one as shining as the stars.
Besides these, I want a cloak made of a thousand different kinds of
skin. Every animal in your kingdom must give a bit of his skin to it."
But she thought to herself: "This will be quite impossible, and I shall
not have to marry some one I do not care for."
The King, however, was not to be turned from his purpose, and he
commanded the most skilled maidens in his kingdom to weave the three
dresses, one as golden as the sun, and one as silver as the moon, and
one as shining as the stars; and he gave orders to all his huntsmen to
catch one of every kind of beast in the kingdom and to get a bit of its
skin to make the cloak of a thousand pieces of fur. At last, when all
was ready, the King commanded the cloak to be brought to him, and he
spread it out before the Princess and said: "To-morrow shall be your
wedding day." When the Princess saw that there was no more hope of
changing her father's resolution, she determined to flee away.
In the night, when everyone else was sleeping, she got up and took three
things from her treasures, a gold ring, a little gold spinning wheel,
and a gold reel. She put the sun, moon, and star dresses in a nut shell,
drew on the cloak of many skins, and made her face and hands black with
soot. Then she commended herself to God and went out and traveled the
whole night till she came to a large forest. And as she was very much
tired she sat down inside a hollow tree and fell asleep.
The sun rose and she still slept on and on, although it was nearly noon.
Now, it happened that the King to whom this wood belonged was hunting in
it. When his dogs came to the tree they sniffed and ran round and round
it, barking. The King said to the huntsmen: "See what sort of a wild
beast is in there." The huntsmen went in and then came back and said:
"In the hollow tree there lies a wonderful animal that we don't know,
and we have never seen one like it. Its skin is made of a thousand
pieces of fur; but it is lying down asleep." The King said: "See if you
can catch it alive, and then fasten it to the cart and we will take it
with us."
When the huntsmen seized the maiden, she awoke and was frightened and
cried out to them: "I am a poor child, forsaken by father and mother.
Take pity on me and let me go with you." Then they said to her:
"Many-furred Creature, you can work in the kitchen. Come with us and
sweep the ashes together." So they put her in the cart and went back to
the palace. There they showed her a tiny room under the stairs, where no
daylight came, and said to her: "Many-furred Creature, you can live and
sleep here." Then she was sent into the kitchen, where she carried wood
and water, poked the fire, washed vegetables, plucked fowls, swept up
the ashes, and did all the dirty work.
So the Many-furred Creature lived for a long time in great poverty. Ah,
beautiful king's daughter, what is going to befall you now?
It happened once when a great feast was being held in the palace that
she said to the cook: "Can I go upstairs for a little bit and look on? I
will stand outside the doors." The cook replied: "Yes, you can go up,
but in half an hour you must be back here to sweep up the ashes." Then
she took her little oil lamp and went into her little room, drew off her
fur cloak, and washed off the soot from her face and hands, so that her
beauty shone forth, and it was as if one sunbeam after another were
coming out of a black cloud. Then she opened the nut and took out the
dress as golden as the sun. And when she had done this she went up to
the feast, and everyone stepped out of her way, for nobody knew her, and
they thought she must be a king's daughter. But the King came toward her
and gave her his hand, and danced with her, thinking to himself, "My
eyes have never beheld anyone so fair!" When the dance was ended she
courtesied to him, and when the King looked around she had disappeared,
no one knew whither. The guards who were standing before the palace were
called and questioned, but no one had seen her.
She had run to her little room and had quickly taken off her dress, made
her face and hands black, put on the fur cloak, and was once more the
Many-furred Creature. When she came into the kitchen and was setting
about her work of sweeping the ashes together the cook said to her: "Let
that wait till to-morrow, and just cook the King's soup for me. I want
to have a little peep at the company upstairs. But be sure that you do
not let a hair fall into it, otherwise you will get nothing to eat in
future!" So the cook went away, and the Many-furred Creature cooked the
soup for the King. She made a bread soup as well as she possibly could,
and when it was done she fetched her gold ring from her little room and
laid it in the tureen in which the soup was to be served up.
When the dance was ended the King had his soup brought to him and ate
it, and it was so good that he thought he had never tasted such soup in
his life. But when he came to the bottom of the dish he saw a gold ring
lying there, and he could not imagine how it got in. Then he commanded
the cook to be brought before him. The cook was terrified when he heard
the command and said to the Many-furred Creature: "You must have let a
hair fall into the soup, and if you have you deserve a good beating!"
When he came before the King, the King asked who had cooked the soup.
The cook answered: "I cooked it." But the King said: "That's not true,
for it was quite different and much better soup than you have ever
cooked." Then the cook said: "I must confess. I did not cook the soup;
the Many-furred Creature did." "Let her be brought before me," said the
King.
When the Many-furred Creature came the King asked her who she was. "I
am a poor child without father or mother." Then he asked her: "What do
you do in my palace?" "I am of no use except to have boots thrown at my
head." "How did you get the ring which was in the soup?" he asked. "I
know nothing at all about the ring," she answered. So the King could
find out nothing and was obliged to send her away.
After a time there was another feast, and the Many-furred Creature
begged the cook again to let her go and look on. He answered: "Yes, but
come back again in half an hour and cook the King the bread soup that he
likes so much." So she ran away to her little room, washed herself
quickly, took out of the nut the dress as silver as the moon and put it
on. Then she went upstairs looking just like a king's daughter, and the
King came toward her, delighted to see her again, and as the dance had
just begun, they danced together. But when the dance was ended she
disappeared again so quickly that the King could not see which way she
went.
She ran to her little room and changed herself once more into the
Many-furred Creature, and went into the kitchen to cook the bread soup.
When the cook was upstairs she fetched the golden spinning wheel and put
it in the dish, so that the soup was poured over it. It was brought to
the King, who ate it and liked it as much as the last time. He had the
cook sent to him, and again he had to confess that the Many-furred
Creature had cooked the soup. Then the Many-furred Creature came before
the King, but she said again that she was of no use except to have boots
thrown at her head, and that she knew nothing at all of the golden
spinning wheel.
When the King had a feast for the third time things did not turn out
quite the same as they had before. The cook said: "You must be a witch,
Many-furred Creature, for you always put something in the soup, so that
it is much better and tastes nicer to the King than any that I cook."
But because she begged hard he let her go up for the third time. Now she
put on the dress as shining as the stars and stepped into the hall in
it.
The King danced again with the beautiful maiden, and thought she had
never looked so beautiful. And while he was dancing he put a gold ring
on her finger without her seeing it, and he commanded that the dance
should last longer than usual. When it was finished he wanted to keep
her hands in his, but she broke from him and sprang so quickly away
among the people that she vanished from his sight. She ran as fast as
she could to her little room under the stairs, but because she had
stayed too long beyond the half hour she could not stop to take off the
beautiful dress, but only threw the fur cloak over it, and in her haste
did not make herself quite black with the soot, one finger remaining
white.
The Many-furred Creature now ran into the kitchen, cooked the King's
bread soup, and when the cook had gone she laid the golden reel in the
dish. When the King found the reel at the bottom, he had the Many-furred
Creature brought to him, and then he saw the white finger and the ring
which he had put on her hand in the dance. Then he took her hand and
held her tightly, and as she was trying to get away she undid the fur
cloak a little bit and the star dress shone out. The King seized the
cloak and tore it off her. Her golden hair came down, and she stood
there in her full splendor and could not hide herself away any more. And
when the soot and ashes had been washed from her face she looked more
beautiful than anyone in the world. But the King said: "You are my dear
bride and we will never be separated from each other." So the wedding
was celebrated and they lived happily ever after.
_Snow-white and Rose-red_
A POOR widow once lived in a little cottage with a garden in front of
it, in which grew two rose trees, one bearing white roses and the other
red. She had two children, who were just like the two rose trees; one
was called Snow-white and the other Rose-red, and they were the
sweetest and best children in the world, always diligent and always
cheerful; but Snow-white was quieter and more gentle than Rose-red.
Rose-red loved to run about the fields and meadows and to pick flowers
and catch butterflies; but Snow-white sat at home with her mother and
helped her in the household, or read aloud to her when there was no work
to do. The two children loved each other so dearly that they always
walked about, hand in hand, whenever they went out together, and when
Snow-white said, "We will never desert each other," Rose-red answered,
"No, not as long as we live"; and the mother added: "Whatever one gets
she shall share with the other." They often roamed about in the woods
gathering berries, and no beast offered to hurt them; on the contrary,
they came up to them in the most confiding manner; the little hare would
eat a cabbage leaf from their hands, the deer grazed beside them, the
stag would bound past them merrily, and the birds remained on the
branches and sang to them with all their might. No evil ever befell
them; if they tarried late in the wood and night overtook them, they lay
down together on the moss and slept till morning, and their mother knew
they were quite safe and never felt anxious about them. Once, when they
had slept the night in the wood and had been wakened by the morning sun,
they perceived a beautiful child in a shining white robe sitting close
to their resting place. The figure rose up, looked at them kindly, but
said nothing and vanished into the wood. And when they looked round
about them they became aware that they had slept quite close to a
precipice, over which they would certainly have fallen had they gone on
a few steps farther in the darkness. And when they told their mother of
their adventure, she said what they had seen must have been the angel
that guards good children.
Snow-white and Rose-red kept their mother's cottage so beautifully clean
and neat that it was a pleasure to go into it. In summer Rose-red looked
after the house, and every morning before her mother awoke she placed a
bunch of flowers before the bed, and a rose from each tree. In winter
Snow-white lit the fire and put on the kettle, which was made of brass,
but so beautifully polished that it shone like gold. In the evening when
the snowflakes fell, their mother said, "Snow-white, go and close the
shutters"; and they drew round the fire, while the mother put on her
spectacles and read aloud from a big book, and the two girls listened
and sat and spun. Beside them on the ground lay a little lamb, and
behind them perched a little white dove with its head tucked under its
wings.
One evening as they sat thus cozily together some one knocked at the
door as though he desired admittance. The mother said: "Rose-red, open
the door quickly! it must be some traveler seeking shelter." Rose-red
hastened to unbar the door, and thought she saw a poor man standing in
the darkness outside; but it was no such thing, only a bear, who poked
his thick black head through the door. Rose-red screamed aloud and
sprang back in terror, the lamb began to bleat, the dove flapped its
wings, and Snow-white ran and hid behind her mother's bed. But the bear
began to speak, and said: "Don't be afraid; I won't hurt you. I am half
frozen, and only wish to warm myself a little." "My poor bear," said the
mother, "lie down by the fire, only take care you don't burn your fur."
Then she called out: "Snow-white and Rose-red, come out; the bear will
do you no harm; he is a good, honest creature." So they both came out of
their hiding places, and gradually the lamb and dove drew near too, and
they all forgot their fear. The bear asked the children to beat the snow
a little out of his fur, and they fetched a brush and scrubbed him till
he was dry. Then the beast stretched himself in front of the fire and
growled quite happily and comfortably. The children soon grew quite at
their ease with him and led their hapless guest a fearful life. They
tugged his fur with their hands, put their small feet on his back, and
rolled him about here and there, or took a hazel wand and beat him with
it; and if he growled they only laughed. The bear submitted to
everything with the best possible good nature, only when they went too
far he cried: "O children, spare my life!
"'Snow-white and Rose-red,
Don't beat your lover dead.'"
When it was time to retire for the night and the others went to bed, the
mother said to the bear: "You can lie there on the hearth, in Heaven's
name; it will be shelter for you from the cold and wet." As soon as day
dawned the children let him out, and he trotted over the snow into the
wood. From this time on the bear came every evening at the same hour,
and lay down by the hearth and let the children play what pranks they
liked with him; and they grew so accustomed to him that the door was
never shut till their black friend had made his appearance.
When spring came and all outside was green, the bear said one morning to
Snow-white: "Now I must go away and not return again the whole summer."
"Where are you going to, dear bear?" asked Snow-white. "I must go to the
wood and protect my treasure from the wicked dwarfs. In winter, when the
earth is frozen hard, they are obliged to remain underground, for they
can't work their way through; but now, when the sun has thawed and
warmed the ground, they break through and come up above to spy the land
and steal what they can. What once falls into their hands and into their
caves is not easily brought back to light." Snow-white was quite sad
over their friend's departure, and when she unbarred the door for him
the bear, stepping out, caught a piece of his fur in the door knocker,
and Snow-white thought she caught sight of glittering gold beneath it,
but she couldn't be certain of it; and the bear ran hastily away and
soon disappeared behind the trees.
A short time after this the mother sent the children into the wood to
collect fagots. They came in their wanderings upon a big tree which lay
felled on the ground, and on the trunk among the long grass they noticed
something jumping up and down, but what it was they couldn't
distinguish.
When they approached nearer they perceived a dwarf with a wizened face
and a beard a yard long. The end of the beard was jammed into a cleft of
the tree, and the little man sprang about like a dog on a chain, and
didn't seem to know what he was to do. He glared at the girls with his
fiery red eyes and screamed out: "What are you standing there for? Can't
you come and help me?" "What were you doing, little man?" asked
Rose-red. "You stupid, inquisitive goose!" replied the dwarf; "I wanted
to split the tree in order to get little chips of wood for our kitchen
fire; those thick logs that serve to make fires for coarse, greedy
people like yourselves quite burn up all the little food we need. I had
successfully driven in the wedge and all was going well, but the horrid
wood was so slippery that it suddenly sprang out, and the tree closed up
so rapidly that I had no time to take my beautiful white beard out, so
here I am stuck fast and I can't get away; and you silly, smooth-faced,
milk-and-water girls just stand and laugh. Ugh, what wretches you are!"
The children did all in their power, but they couldn't get the beard
out; it was wedged in far too firmly. "I will run and fetch somebody,"
said Rose-red. "Crazy blockheads!" snapped the dwarf; "what's the good
of calling anyone else? You're already two too many for me. Does nothing
better occur to you than that?" "Don't be so impatient," said
Snow-white. "I'll see you get help." And taking her scissors out of her
pocket she cut the end off his beard. As soon as the dwarf felt himself
free he seized a bagful of gold which was hidden among the roots of the
tree, lifted it up, and muttered aloud: "Curse these rude wretches,
cutting off a piece of my splendid beard!" With these words he swung the
bag over his back and disappeared without as much as looking at the
children again.
Shortly after this Snow-white and Rose-red went out to get a dish of
fish. As they approached the stream they saw something which looked like
an enormous grasshopper springing toward the water as if it were going
to jump in. They ran forward and recognized their old friend, the
dwarf. "Where are you going to?" asked Rose-red. "You're surely not
going to jump into the water?" "I'm not such a fool," screamed the
dwarf. "Don't you see that horrid fish is trying to drag me in?" The
little man had been sitting on the bank fishing, when unfortunately the
wind had entangled his beard in the line; and when immediately
afterwards a big fish bit, the feeble little creature had no strength to
pull it out. The fish had the upper fin and dragged the dwarf toward
him. He clung on with all his might to every rush and blade of grass,
but it didn't help him much. He had to follow every movement of the fish
and was in great danger of being drawn into the water. The girls came up
just at the right moment, held him firm, and did all they could to
disentangle his beard from the line; but in vain--beard and line were in
a hopeless muddle. Nothing remained but to produce the scissors and cut
the beard, by which a small part of it was sacrificed.
When the dwarf perceived what they were about, he yelled to them: "Do
you call that manners, you toadstools! to disfigure a fellow's face? It
wasn't enough that you shortened my beard before, but you must now needs
cut off the best of it. I can't appear like this before my own people. I
wish you'd been at Jericho first." Then he fetched a sack of pearls that
lay among the rushes, and without saying another word he dragged it away
and disappeared behind a stone.
It happened that soon after this the mother sent the two girls to the
town to buy needles, thread, laces, and ribbons. Their road led over a
heath where huge bowlders of rock lay scattered here and there. While
trudging along they saw a big bird hovering in the air, circling slowly
above them, but always descending lower, till at last it settled on a
rock not far from them. Immediately afterwards they heard a sharp,
piercing cry. They ran forward and saw with horror that the eagle had
pounced on their old friend the dwarf and was about to carry him off.
The tender-hearted children seized hold of the little man, and struggled
so long with the bird that at last he let go his prey. When the dwarf
had recovered from the first shock he screamed in his squeaking voice:
"Couldn't you have treated me more carefully? You have torn my thin
little coat all to shreds, useless, awkward hussies that you are!" Then
he took a bag of precious stones and vanished under the rocks into his
cave. The girls were accustomed to his ingratitude, and went on their
way and did their business in town. On their way home, as they were
again passing the heath, they surprised the dwarf pouring out his
precious stones on an open space, for he had thought no one would pass
by at so late an hour. The evening sun shone on the glittering stones,
and they glanced and gleamed so beautifully that the children stood
still and gazed on them. "What are you standing there gaping for?"
screamed the dwarf, and his ashen-gray face became scarlet with rage. He
was about to go off with these angry words, when a sudden growl was
heard and a black bear trotted out of the wood. The dwarf jumped up in a
great fright, but he hadn't time to reach his place of retreat, for the
bear was already close to him. Then he cried in terror: "Dear Mr. Bear,
spare me! I'll give you all my treasure. Look at these beautiful
precious stones lying there. Spare my life! What pleasure would you get
from a poor, feeble little fellow like me? You won't feel me between
your teeth. There, lay hold of these two wicked girls--they will be a
tender morsel for you, as fat as young quails; eat them up, for Heaven's
sake." But the bear, paying no attention to his words, gave the evil
little creature one blow with his paw and he never moved again.
[Illustration: "'WHAT ARE YOU STANDING THERE GAPING FOR?' SCREAMED THE
DWARF"]
The girls had run away, but the bear called after them: "Snow-white and
Rose-red, don't be afraid. Wait, and I'll come with you." Then they
recognized his voice and stood still, and when the bear was quite close
to them his skin suddenly fell off, and a beautiful man stood beside
them, all dressed in gold. "I am a king's son," he said, "and have been
doomed by that unholy little dwarf, who had stolen my treasure, to roam
about the woods as a wild bear till his death should set me free. Now he
has received his well-merited punishment."
Snow-white married him and Rose-red his brother, and they divided the
great treasure the dwarf had collected in his cave between them. The old
mother lived for many years peacefully with her children; and she
carried the two rose trees with her, and they stood in front of her
window, and every year they bore the finest red and white roses.
_The Frog Prince_
IN times of yore, when wishes were both heard and granted, lived a king
whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so lovely that
the sun himself, who has seen so much, wondered at her beauty every time
he looked in her face. Now, near the King's castle was a large dark
forest; and in the forest, under an old linden tree, was a deep well.
When the day was very hot, the King's daughter used to go to the wood
and seat herself at the edge of the cool well; and when she became
wearied she would take a golden ball, throw it up in the air, and catch
it again. This was her favorite amusement. Once it happened that her
golden ball, instead of falling back into the little hand that she
stretched out for it, dropped on the ground and immediately rolled away
into the water. The King's daughter followed it with her eyes, but the
ball had vanished and the well was so deep that no one could see down to
the bottom. Then she began to weep, wept louder and louder every minute,
and could not console herself at all.
While she was thus lamenting, some one called to her: "What is the
matter with you, King's daughter? You weep so bitterly that you would
touch the heart of a stone."
She looked around to see whence the voice came, and saw a frog
stretching his thick, ugly head out of the water.
"Ah, it is you, old water paddler!" said she. "I am crying for my golden
ball, which has fallen into the well."
"Be content," answered the Frog, "I dare say I can give you some good
advice; but what will you give me if I bring back your plaything to
you?"
"Whatever you like, dear Frog," said she, "my clothes, my pearls, and
jewels, even the golden crown I wear."
The Frog answered: "Your clothes, your pearls, and jewels, even your
golden crown I do not care for; but if you will love me, and let me be
your companion and playfellow; sit near you at your little table, eat
from your little golden plate, drink from your little cup, and sleep in
your little bed--if you will promise me this, then I will bring you back
your golden ball from the bottom of the well."
"Oh, yes!" said she; "I promise you everything, if you will only bring
me back my golden ball."
She thought to herself meanwhile: "What nonsense the silly Frog talks!
He sits in the water with the other frogs and croaks, and cannot be
anybody's playfellow."
But the Frog, as soon as he had received the promise, dipped his head
under the water and sank down. In a little while up he came again with
the ball in his mouth, and threw it on the grass. The King's daughter
was overjoyed when she beheld her pretty plaything and picked it up and
ran away with it.
"Wait! wait!" cried the Frog; "take me with you. I cannot run as fast as
you."
Alas! of what use was it that he croaked after her as loud as he could.
She would not listen to him, but hastened home, and soon forgot the poor
Frog, who was obliged to plunge again to the bottom of his well.
The next day, when she was sitting at dinner with the King and all the
courtiers, eating from her little golden plate, there came a sound of
something creeping up the marble staircase--splish, splash; and when it
had reached the top, it knocked at the door and cried: "Youngest King's
daughter, open to me."
She ran, wishing to see who was outside; but when she opened the door,
and there sat the Frog, she flung it hastily to again, and sat down at
table, feeling very, very uncomfortable. The King saw that her heart was
beating violently, and said: "Well, my child, why are you afraid? Is a
giant standing outside the door to carry you off?"
"Oh, no!" answered she, "it is no giant, but a nasty frog, who
yesterday, when I was playing in the wood near the well, fetched my
golden ball out of the water. For this I promised him he should be my
companion, but I never thought he could come out of his well. Now he is
at the door, and wants to come in."
Again, the second time there was a knock, and a voice cried:
"Youngest King's daughter,
Open to me;
Know you what yesterday
You promised me
By the cool water?
Youngest King's daughter,
Open to me."
Then said the King: "What you promised you must perform. Go and open the
door." She went and opened the door; the Frog hopped in, always
following and following her till he came up to her chair. There he sat
and cried out: "Lift me up to you on the table." She refused, till the
King, her father commanded her to do it. When the Frog was on the table
he said: "Now push your little golden plate nearer to me that we may eat
together." She did as he desired, but one could easily see that she did
it unwillingly. The Frog seemed to enjoy his dinner very much, but every
morsel she ate stuck in the throat of the poor little Princess.
Then said the Frog: "I have eaten enough, and am tired; carry me to your
little room, and make your little silken bed smooth, and we will lay
ourselves down to sleep together."
At this the daughter of the King began to weep, for she was afraid of
the cold frog, who wanted to sleep in her pretty clean bed.
But the King looked angrily at her, and said again: "What you have
promised you must perform. The Frog is your companion."
It was no use to complain; whether she liked it or not, she was obliged
to take the Frog with her up to her little bed. So she picked him up
with two fingers, hating him bitterly the while, and carried him
upstairs. But when she got into bed, instead of lifting him up to her,
she threw him with all her strength against the wall, saying: "Now, you
nasty Frog, there will be an end of you!"
But what fell down from the wall was not a dead frog, but a living young
prince, with beautiful and loving eyes, who at once became, by her own
promise and her father's will, her dear companion and husband. He told
her how he had been cursed by a wicked sorceress, and that no one but
the King's youngest daughter could release him from his enchantment and
take him out of the well.
The next day a carriage drove up to the palace gates with eight white
horses, having white feathers on their heads and golden reins. Behind it
stood the servant of the young Prince, called the Faithful Henry. This
Faithful Henry had been so grieved when his master was changed into a
frog, that he had been compelled to have three iron bands fastened
around his heart, lest it should break. Now the carriage came to convey
the Prince to his kingdom, so the Faithful Henry lifted in the bride and
bridegroom, and mounted behind, full of joy at his lord's release. But
when they had gone a short distance, the Prince heard behind him a noise
as if something was breaking. He turned around and cried out: "Henry,
the carriage is breaking!"
But Henry replied: "No, sir, it is not the carriage, but one of the
bands from my heart with which I was forced to bind it up, or it would
have broken with grief while you sat as a frog at the bottom of the
well."
Twice again this happened, and the Prince always thought the carriage
was breaking; but it was only the bands breaking off from the heart of
the Faithful Henry, out of joy that his lord the Frog Prince was a frog
no more.
_The Goose Girl_
THE King of a great land died, and left his Queen to take care of their
only child. This child was a daughter who was very beautiful, and her
mother loved her dearly and was very kind to her. And there was a good
fairy, too, who was fond of the Princess, and helped her mother to watch
over her. When she grew up she was betrothed to a prince who lived a
great way off; and as the time drew near for her to be married she made
ready to set off on her journey to his country. Then the Queen, her
mother, packed up a great many costly things; jewels and gold and
silver; trinkets, fine dresses, and in short, everything that became a
royal bride. And she gave her a waiting maid to ride with her, and give
her into the bridegroom's hands; and each had a horse for the journey.
Now the Princess's horse was the fairy's gift, and it was called Falada,
and could speak.
When the time came for them to set out the fairy went into her
bedchamber, and took a little knife and cut off a lock of her hair and
gave it to the Princess, and said: "Take care of it, dear child; for it
is a charm that may be of use to you on the road." Then they all took a
sorrowful leave of the Princess; and she put the lock of hair into her
bosom, got upon her horse, and set off on her journey to her
bridegroom's kingdom.
One day, as they were riding along by a brook, the Princess began to
feel very thirsty, and she said to her maid: "Pray get down and fetch me
some water in my golden cup out of yonder brook, for I want to drink."
"Nay," said the maid, "if you are thirsty, get off yourself and stoop
down by the water and drink; I shall not be your waiting maid any
longer." Then she was so thirsty that she got down and knelt over the
little brook and drank, for she was frightened, and dared not bring out
her golden cup; and she wept and said:
"Alas! what will become of me?" And the lock of hair answered her, and
said:
"Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,
Sadly, sadly would she rue it."
But the Princess was very gentle and meek, so she said nothing to her
maid's ill behavior, but got upon her horse again.
Then all rode farther on their journey till the day grew so warm, and
the sun so scorching that the bride began to feel very thirsty again;
and at last, when they came to a river, she forgot her maid's rude
speech, and said: "Pray get down and fetch me some water to drink in my
golden cup." But the maid answered her, and spoke even more haughtily
than before: "Drink if you will, but I shall not be your waiting maid."
Then the Princess was so thirsty that she got off her horse and lay
down, and held her head over the running stream and cried and said:
"What will become of me?" And the lock of hair answered her again:
"Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,
Sadly, sadly would she rue it."
And as she leaned down to drink, the lock of hair fell from her bosom
and floated away with the water. Now she was so frightened that she did
not see it; but her maid saw it and was very glad, for she knew the
charm; and she saw that the poor bride would be in her power, now that
she had lost the hair. So when the bride had done drinking, and would
have got upon Falada again, the maid said: "I shall ride upon Falada,
and you may have my horse instead." So she was forced to give up her
horse, and soon afterwards to take off her royal clothes and put on her
maid's shabby ones.
At last, as they drew near the end of their journey, this treacherous
servant threatened to kill her mistress if she ever told anyone what had
happened. But Falada saw it all and marked it well.
Then the waiting maid got upon Falada, and the real bride rode upon the
other horse, and they went on in this way till at last they came to the
royal court. There was great joy at their coming, and the Prince flew to
meet them, and lifted the maid from her horse, thinking she was the one
who was to be his wife; and she was led upstairs to the royal chamber;
but the true Princess was told to stay in the court below.
Now the old King happened just then to have nothing else to do, so he
amused himself by sitting at his kitchen window, looking at what was
going on, and he saw her in the courtyard. As she looked very pretty,
and too delicate for a waiting maid, he went up into the royal chamber
to ask the bride who it was she had brought with her, that was thus left
standing in the court below. "I brought her with me for the sake of her
company on the road," said she; "pray give the girl some work to do,
that she may not be idle." The old King could not for some time think of
any work for her to do, but at last he said: "I have a lad who takes
care of my geese, she may go and help him." Now the name of this lad
that the real bride was to help in watching the King's geese was
Curdken.
But the false bride said to the Prince: "Dear husband, pray do me one
act of kindness." "That I will," said the Prince. "Then tell one of your
slaughterers to cut off the head of the horse I rode upon, for it was
very unruly, and plagued me sadly on the road"; but the truth was, she
was very much afraid lest Falada should some day or other speak and tell
all she had done to the Princess. She carried her point, and the
faithful Falada was killed; but when the true Princess heard of it she
wept, and begged the man to nail up Falada's head against a large dark
gate of the city, through which she had to pass every morning and
evening, that there she might still see him sometimes. Then the
slaughterer said he would do as she wished; and cut off the head, and
nailed it up under the dark gate.
Early the next morning, as she and Curdken went out through the gate,
she cried sorrowfully:
[Illustration: "FALADA, FALADA, THERE THOU HANGEST!"
"BRIDE, BRIDE, THERE THOU GANGEST!"]
"Falada, Falada, there thou hangest!"
and the head answered:
"Bride, bride, there thou gangest!
Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,
Sadly, sadly would she rue it."
Then they went out of the city and drove the geese on. And when she came
to the meadow she sat down upon a bank there, and let down her waving
locks of hair, which were all of pure silver; and when Curdken saw it
glitter in the sun he ran up, and would have pulled some of the locks
out, but she cried:
"Blow, breezes, blow!
Let Curdken's hat go!
Blow, breezes, blow!
Let him after it go!
O'er hills, dales, and rocks,
Away be it whirl'd,
Till the silvery locks
Are all comb'd and curl'd!"
Then there came a wind so strong that it blew off Curdken's hat, and
away it flew over the hills, and he was forced to turn and run after it,
till, by the time he came back, she had done combing and curling her
hair, and had put it up safe again. Then he was very angry and sulky,
and would not speak to her at all; but they watched the geese until it
grew dark in the evening, and then drove them homeward.
The next morning, as they were going through the dark gate, the poor
girl looked up at Falada's head, and cried:
"Falada, Falada, there thou hangest!"
and it answered:
"Bride, bride, there thou gangest!
Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,
Sadly, sadly would she rue it."
Then she drove on the geese, and sat down again in the meadow, and began
to comb out her hair as before; and Curdken ran up to her, and wanted to
take hold of it, but she cried out quickly:
"Blow, breezes, blow!
Let Curdken's hat go!
Blow, breezes, blow!
Let him after it go!
O'er hills, dales, and rocks,
Away be it whirl'd,
Till the silvery locks
Are all comb'd and curl'd!"
Then a wind came and blew away his hat; and off it flew a great way,
over the hills and far away, so that he had to run after it; and when he
came back she had bound up her hair again, and all was safe. So they
watched the geese till it grew dark.
In the evening, after they came home, Curdken went to the old King, and
said: "I cannot have that strange girl to help me to keep the geese any
longer." "Why?" said the King. "Because, instead of doing any good, she
does nothing but tease me all day long." Then the King made him tell
what had happened. And Curdken said: "When we go in the morning through
the dark gate with our flock of geese, she cries and talks with the head
of a horse that hangs upon the wall, and says:
"Falada, Falada, there thou hangest!"
and the head answers:
"Bride, bride, there thou gangest!
Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,
Sadly, sadly would she rue it."
And Curdken went on telling the King what had happened upon the meadow
where the geese fed; how his hat was blown away, and how he was forced
to run after it, and to leave his flock of geese to themselves. But the
old King told the boy to go out again the next day. And when morning
came, he placed himself behind the dark gate, and heard how she spoke to
Falada, and how Falada answered. Then he went into the field, and hid
himself in a bush by the meadow's side; and he soon saw with his own
eyes how they drove the flock of geese; and how, after a little time,
she let down her hair that glittered in the sun. And then he heard her
say:
"Blow, breezes, blow!
Let Curdken's hat go!
Blow, breezes, blow!
Let him after it go!
O'er hills, dales, and rocks,
Away be it whirl'd,
Till the silvery locks
Are all comb'd and curl'd!"
And soon came a gale of wind and carried away Curdken's hat, and away
went Curdken after it, while the girl went on combing and curling her
hair. All this the old King saw. So he went home without being seen, and
when the little goose girl came back in the evening he called her aside,
and asked her why she did this; but she burst into tears, and said:
"That I must not tell you or any man, or I shall lose my life."
But the old King begged so hard that she had no peace till she had told
him all the tale, from beginning to end, word for word. And it was very
lucky for her that she did so, for when she had done, the King ordered
royal clothes to be put upon her, and gazed on her with wonder, she was
so beautiful. Then he called his son, and told him that he had only the
false bride; for that she was merely a waiting maid while the true bride
stood by. And the young King rejoiced when he saw her beauty, and heard
how meek and patient she had been; and without saying anything to the
false bride, the King ordered a great feast to be made ready for all his
court. The bridegroom sat at the head, with the false Princess on one
side, and the true one on the other; but nobody knew her again, for her
beauty was quite dazzling to their eyes, and she did not seem at all
like the little goose girl, now that she had her brilliant dress on.
When they had eaten and drunk, and were very merry, the old King said he
would tell them a tale. So he began, and told all the story of the
Princess, as if it was one that he had once heard; and he asked the true
waiting maid what she thought ought to be done to anyone who would
behave thus. "Nothing better," said this false bride, "than that she
should be banished to the depths of the dark woods and live there
forever." "Thou art she!" said the old King; "and as thou hast judged
thyself, so shall it be done to thee." And the young King was then
married to his true wife, and they reigned over the kingdom in peace and
happiness all their lives; and the good fairy came to see them, and
restored the faithful Falada to life again.
_Briar Rose_
A LONG time ago there lived a king and a queen, who said every day, "If
only we had a child"; but for a long time they had none.
It fell out once, as the Queen was bathing, that a frog crept out of the
water on to the land and said to her: "Your wish shall be fulfilled;
before a year has passed you shall bring a daughter into the world."
The frog's words came true. The Queen had a little girl who was so
beautiful that the King could not contain himself for joy, and prepared
a great feast. He invited not only his relations, friends, and
acquaintances, but the fairies, in order that they might be favorably
and kindly disposed toward the child. There were thirteen of them in the
kingdom, but as the King had only twelve golden plates for them to eat
off, one of the fairies had to stay at home.
The feast was held with all splendor, and when it came to an end the
fairies all presented the child with a magic gift. One gave her virtue,
another beauty, a third riches, and so on, with everything in the world
that she could wish for.
When eleven of the fairies had said their say, the thirteenth suddenly
appeared. She wanted to revenge herself for not having been invited.
Without greeting anyone, or even glancing at the company, she called out
in a loud voice, "The Princess shall prick herself with a distaff in her
fifteenth year and shall fall down dead"; and without another word she
turned and left the hall.
Everyone was terror-stricken, but the twelfth fairy, whose wish was
still unspoken, stepped forward. She could not cancel the curse, but
could only soften it, so she said: "It shall not be death, but a deep
sleep lasting a hundred years, into which your daughter shall fall."
The King was so anxious to guard his dear child from the misfortune that
he sent out a command that all the distaffs in the whole kingdom should
be burned.
All the promises of the fairies came true.
The Princess grew up so beautiful, modest, kind, and clever that
everyone who saw her could not but love her. Now it happened that on the
very day when she was fifteen years old the King and Queen were away
from home, and the Princess was left quite alone in the castle. She
wandered about over the whole place, looking at rooms and halls as she
pleased, and at last she came to an old tower. She ascended a narrow,
winding staircase and reached a little door. A rusty key was sticking in
the lock, and when she turned it the door flew open. In a little room
sat an old woman with a spindle, busily spinning her flax.
"Good day, Granny," said the Princess; "what are you doing?"
"I am spinning," said the old woman, and nodded her head.
"What is the thing that whirls round so merrily?" asked the Princess;
and she took the spindle and tried to spin too.
But she had scarcely touched it before the curse was fulfilled, and she
pricked her finger with the spindle. The instant she felt the prick she
fell upon the bed which was standing near, and lay still in a deep
sleep which spread over the whole castle.
The King and Queen, who had just come home and had stepped into the
hall, went to sleep, and all their courtiers with them. The horses went
to sleep in the stable, the dogs in the yard, the doves on the roof, the
flies on the wall; yes, even the fire flickering on the hearth grew
still and went to sleep, and the roast meat stopped crackling; and the
cook, who was pulling the scullion's hair because he had made some
mistake, let him go and went to sleep. And the wind dropped, and on the
trees in front of the castle not a leaf stirred.
But round the castle a hedge of brier roses began to grow up; every year
it grew higher, till at last it surrounded the whole castle so that
nothing could be seen of it, not even the flags on the roof.
But there was a legend in the land about the lovely sleeping Brier Rose,
as the King's daughter was called, and from time to time princes came
and tried to force a way through the hedge into the castle. But they
found it impossible, for the thorns, as though they had hands, held them
fast, and the princes remained caught in them without being able to free
themselves, and so died a miserable death.
After many, many years a prince came again to the country and heard an
old man tell of the castle which stood behind the brier hedge, in which
a most beautiful maiden called Brier Rose had been asleep for the last
hundred years, and with her slept the King, Queen, and all her
courtiers. He knew also, from his grandfather, that many princes had
already come and sought to pierce through the brier hedge, and had
remained caught in it and died a sad death.
Then the young Prince said: "I am not afraid; I am determined to go and
look upon the lovely Brier Rose."
The good old man did all in his power to dissuade him, but the Prince
would not listen to his words.
Now, however, the hundred years were just ended, and the day had come
when Brier Rose was to wake up again. When the Prince approached the
brier hedge it was in blossom, and was covered with beautiful large
flowers which made way for him of their own accord and let him pass
unharmed, and then closed up again into a hedge behind him.
[Illustration: "AT LAST HE REACHED THE TOWER ... WHERE BRIER ROSE WAS
ASLEEP"]
In the courtyard he saw the horses and dappled hounds lying asleep, on
the roof sat the doves with their heads under their wings, and when he
went into the house the flies were asleep on the walls, and near the
throne lay the King and Queen; in the kitchen was the cook, with his
hand raised as though about to strike the scullion, and the maid sat
with the black fowl before her which she was about to pluck.
He went on farther, and all was so still that he could hear his own
breathing. At last he reached the tower, and opened the door into the
little room where Brier Rose was asleep. There she lay, looking so
beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her; he bent down and gave
her a kiss. As he touched her, Brier Rose opened her eyes and looked
quite sweetly at him. Then they went down together; and the King and the
Queen and all the courtiers woke up, and looked at each other with
astonished eyes. The horses in the stable stood up and shook themselves,
the hounds leaped about and wagged their tails, the doves on the roof
lifted their heads from under their wings, looked around, and flew into
the fields; the flies on the walls began to crawl again, the fire in the
kitchen roused itself and blazed up and cooked the food, the meat began
to crackle, and the cook boxed the scullion's ears so soundly that he
screamed aloud, while the maid finished plucking the fowl. Then the
wedding of the Prince and Brier Rose was celebrated with all splendor,
and they lived happily till they died.
_The Iron Stove_
ONCE upon a time when wishes came true there was a king's son who was
enchanted by an old witch, so that he was obliged to sit in a large iron
stove in a wood. There he lived for many years, and no one could free
him. At last a king's daughter came into the wood; she had lost her
way and could not find her father's kingdom again. She had been
wandering round and round for nine days, and she came at last to the
iron stove. A voice came from within and asked her: "Where do you come
from and where do you want to go?" She answered: "I have lost my way to
my father's kingdom, and I shall never get home again." Then the voice
from the iron stove said: "I will help you to find your home again, and
that in a very short time, if you will promise to do what I ask you. I
am a greater prince than you are a princess, and I will marry you." Then
she grew frightened and thought: "What can a young lassie do with an
iron stove?" But as she wanted very much to go home to her father, she
promised to do what he wished. He said: "You must come again, and bring
a knife with you to scrape a hole in the iron."
Then he gave her some one for a guide, who walked near her and said
nothing, but he brought her in two hours to her house. There was great
joy in the castle when the Princess came back, and the old King fell on
her neck and kissed her. But she was very much troubled and said: "Dear
father, listen to what has befallen me. I should never have come home
again out of the great wildwood if I had not come to an iron stove, and
I have had to promise that I will go back to free him and marry him!"
The old King was so frightened that he nearly fainted, for she was his
only daughter. So they consulted together and determined that the
miller's daughter, who was very beautiful, should take her place. They
took her there, gave her a knife, and said she must scrape at the iron
stove. She scraped for twenty-four hours, but did not make the least
impression. When the day broke a voice called from the iron stove: "It
seems to me that it is day outside." Then she answered: "It seems so to
me; I think I hear my father's mill rattling."
"So you are a miller's daughter! Then go away at once and tell the
King's daughter to come."
Then she went away and told the old King that the thing inside the iron
stove would not have her, but wanted the Princess. The old King was
frightened, and his daughter wept. But they had a swineherd's daughter
who was even more beautiful than the miller's daughter, and they gave
her a piece of gold to go to the iron stove instead of the Princess.
Then she was taken there and made to scrape for twenty-four hours, but
she could make no impression. As soon as the day broke the voice from
the stove called out: "It seems to be daylight outside." Then she
answered: "It seems so to me, too; I think I hear my father blowing his
horn." "So you are a swineherd's daughter! Go away at once and let the
King's daughter come. And say to her that what I foretell shall come to
pass, and if she does not come everything in the kingdom shall fall into
ruin, and not one stone shall be left upon another." When the Princess
heard this she began to cry, but it was no good; she had to keep her
word. She took leave of her father, put a knife in her belt, and went to
the iron stove in the wood. As soon as she reached it she began to
scrape and the iron gave way, and before two hours had passed she had
made a little hole. Then she peeped in and saw such a beautiful youth
all shining with gold and precious stones that she fell in love with him
on the spot. So she scraped away harder than ever, and made the hole so
large that he could get out. Then he said: "You are mine and I am thine;
you are my bride and have set me free!" He wanted to take her with him
to his kingdom, but she begged him just to let her go once more to her
father; and the Prince let her go, but told her not to say more than
three words to her father, then to come back again. So she went home,
but, alas! she said more than three words; and immediately the iron
stove vanished and went away over a mountain of glass and sharp swords.
But the Prince was free and was no longer shut up in it. Then she said
good-by to her father, and took a little money with her and went again
into the great wood to look for the iron stove; but she could not find
it. She sought it for nine days, and then her hunger became so great
that she did not know how she could live any longer. And when it was
evening she climbed a little tree and wished that the night would not
come, because she was afraid of the wild beasts. When midnight came she
saw afar off a little light and thought: "Ah, if only I could reach
that!" Then she got down from the tree and went toward the light. She
came to a little old house with a great deal of grass growing around,
and stood in front of a little heap of wood. She thought, "Alas! what am
I coming to?" and peeped through the window; but she saw nothing inside
except big and little toads and a table beautifully spread with roast
meats and wine, and all the dishes and drinking cups were of silver, so
she took heart and knocked. Then a fat toad called out:
"Little green toad with leg like crook,
Open wide the door, and look
Who it was the latch that shook."
And a little toad came forward and let her in. When she entered they all
bade her welcome and made her sit down. They asked her how she came
there and what she wanted. Then she told everything that had happened to
her, and how, because she had exceeded her permission only to speak
three words, the stove had disappeared with the Prince; and how she had
searched a very long time, and must wander over mountain and valley till
she found him.
Then the old toad said:
"Little green toad whose leg doth twist,
Go to the corner of which you wist,
And bring to me the large old kist."
And the little toad went and brought out a great chest. Then they gave
her food and drink and led her to a beautifully made bed of silk and
samite, on which she lay down and slept soundly. When the day dawned she
arose, and the old toad gave her three things out of the huge chest to
take with her. She would have need of them, for she had to cross a high
glass mountain, three cutting swords, and a great lake. When she had
passed these she would find her lover again. So she was given three
large needles, a plow wheel, and three nuts, which she was to take great
care of. She set out with these things, and when she came to the glass
mountain which was so slippery, she stuck the three needles behind her
feet and then in front, and so got over it, and when she was on the
other side put them carefully away.
Then she reached the three cutting swords and got on her plow wheel and
rolled over them. At last she came to a great lake, and when she had
crossed that arrived at a beautiful castle. She went in and gave herself
out as a servant, a poor maid who would gladly be engaged. But she knew
that the Prince whom she had freed from the iron stove in the great wood
was in the castle. So she was taken on as a kitchen maid for very small
wages. Now, the Prince was about to marry another princess, for he
thought she was dead long ago.
In the evening, when she had washed up and was ready, she felt in her
pocket and found the three nuts which the old toad had given her. She
cracked one and was going to eat the kernel, when behold! there was a
beautiful royal dress inside it. When the bride heard of this she came
and begged for the dress and wanted to buy it, saying that it was not a
dress for a serving maid. Then she said she would not sell it unless she
was granted one favor--namely, to sleep by the Prince's door. The bride
granted her this, because the dress was so beautiful and she had so few
like it. When it was evening she said to her bridegroom: "That stupid
maid wants to sleep by your door."
"If you are contented, I am," he said. But she gave him a glass of wine
in which she had poured a sleeping draught. Then they both went to their
room, but he slept so soundly that she could not wake him. The maid wept
all night long and said: "I freed you in the wildwood out of the iron
stove. I have sought you and have crossed a glassy mountain, three sharp
swords, and a great lake before I found you, and will you not hear me
now?" The servants outside heard how she cried the whole night, and they
told their master in the morning.
When she had washed up the next evening she bit the second nut, and
there was a still more beautiful dress inside. When the bride saw it she
wanted to buy it also. But the maid did not want money and asked that
she should sleep again by the Prince's door. The bride, however, gave
him a sleeping draught, and he slept so soundly that he heard nothing.
But the kitchen maid wept the whole night long and said: "I have freed
you in a wood and from an iron stove; I sought you and have crossed a
glassy mountain, three sharp swords, and a great lake to find you, and
now you will not hear me!" The servants outside heard how she cried the
whole night, and in the morning they told their master. And when she had
washed up on the third night she bit the third nut, and there was a
still more beautiful dress inside that was made of pure gold. When the
bride saw it she wanted to have it, but the maid would only give it her
on condition that she should sleep for the third time by the Prince's
door. But the Prince took care not to drink the sleeping draught. When
she began to weep and to say, "Dearest sweetheart, I freed you in the
horrible wildwood and from an iron stove," he jumped up and said: "Thou
art right. Thou art mine and I am thine." Though it was still night, he
got into a carriage with her, and they took the false bride's clothes
away, so that she could not follow them. When they came to the great
lake they rowed across, and when they reached the three sharp swords
they sat on the plow wheel, and on the glassy mountain they stuck the
three needles in. So they arrived at last at the little old house, but
when they stepped inside it turned into a large castle. The toads were
all freed and were beautiful king's children running about for joy.
There they were married, and they remained in the castle, which was much
larger than that of the Princess's father. But because the old man did
not like being left alone they went and fetched him. So they had two
kingdoms and lived in great wealth.
"A mouse has run,
My story's done."
_Rumpel-stilts-ken_
BY the side of a wood, in a country a long way off, ran a fine stream of
water, and upon the stream there stood a mill. The miller's house was
close by, and the miller, you must know, had a very beautiful daughter.
She was, moreover, very shrewd and clever; and the miller was so proud
of her that he one day told the King of the land, who used to come and
hunt in the wood, that his daughter could spin gold out of straw. Now
this King was very fond of money, and when he heard the miller's boast
his greediness was roused, and he sent for the girl to be brought before
him. Then he led her to a chamber in his palace where there was a great
heap of straw, and gave her a spinning wheel, and said: "All this must
be spun into gold before morning, as you love your life." It was in vain
that the poor maiden said that it was only a silly boast of her father,
for that she could do no such thing as spin straw into gold. The chamber
door was locked, and she was left alone.
She sat down in one corner of the room and began to bewail her hard
fate, when on a sudden the door opened and a droll-looking little man
hobbled in and said: "Good morrow to you, my good lass; what are you
weeping for?" "Alas!" said she, "I must spin this straw into gold, and I
know not how." "What will you give me," said the hobgoblin, "to do it
for you?" "My necklace," replied the maiden. He took her at her word and
sat himself down to the wheel, and whistled and sang:
"Round about, round about,
Lo and behold!
Reel away, reel away,
Straw into gold!"
And round about the wheel went merrily; the work was quickly done, and
the straw was all spun into gold.
When the King came in and saw this he was greatly astonished and
pleased, but his heart grew still more greedy of gain, and he shut up
the poor miller's daughter again with a fresh task. Then she knew not
what to do, and sat down once more to weep; but the dwarf soon opened
the door and said: "What will you give me to do your task?" "The ring on
my finger," said she. So her little friend took the ring, and began to
work at the wheel again, and whistled and sang,
"Round about, round about,
Lo and behold!
Reel away, reel away,
Straw into gold!"
till, long before morning, all was done again.
The King was greatly delighted to see all this glittering treasure, but
still he had not enough, so he took the miller's daughter to a yet
larger heap and said: "All this must be spun to-night; and if it is, you
shall be my Queen." As soon as she was alone the dwarf came in and said:
"What will you give me to spin gold for you this third time?" "I have
nothing left," said she. "Then say you will give me," said the little
man, "the first little child that you may have when you are Queen." "That
may never be," thought the miller's daughter, and as she knew no other
way to get her task done she said she would do what he asked. Round went
the wheel again to the old song, and the manikin once more spun the heap
into gold. The King came in the morning, and, finding all he wanted, was
forced to keep his word; so he married the miller's daughter, and she
really became Queen.
At the birth of her first little child she was very glad, and forgot the
dwarf and what she had promised. But one day he came into her room,
where she was sitting playing with her baby, and put her in mind of it.
Then she grieved sorely at her misfortune, and said she would give him
all the wealth of the kingdom if he would let her off, but in vain; till
at last her tears softened him and he said: "I will give you three days'
grace, and, if during that time you tell me my name, you shall keep your
child."
Now the Queen lay awake all night, thinking of all the odd names that
she had ever heard, and she sent messengers all over the land to find
out new ones. The next day the little man came, and she began with
TIMOTHY, ICHABOD, BENJAMIN, JEREMIAH, and all the names she could
remember; but to all and each of them he said: "Madam, that is not my
name."
The second day she began with all the comical names she could hear of,
BANDY LEGS, HUNCHBACK, CROOK SHANKS, and so on; but the little gentleman
still said to every one of them: "Madam, that is not my name."
The third day one of the messengers came back and said: "I traveled two
days without hearing of any other names; but yesterday, as I was
climbing a high hill, among the trees of the forest where the fox and
the hare bid each other good night, I saw a little hut; and before the
hut burned a fire; and round about the fire a funny little dwarf was
dancing upon one leg, and singing:
"'Merrily the feast I'll make,
To-day I'll brew, to-morrow bake;
Merrily I'll dance and sing,
For next day will a stranger bring.
Little does my lady dream
Rumpel-stilts-ken is my name!'"
When the Queen heard this she jumped for joy, and as soon as her little
friend came she sat down upon her throne and called all her court around
to enjoy the fun; and the nurse stood by her side with the baby in her
arms, as if it was quite ready to be given up. Then the little man began
to chuckle at the thoughts of having the poor child to take home with
him to his hut in the woods, and he cried out: "Now, lady, what is my
name?" "Is it JOHN?" asked she. "No, madam!" "Is it TOM?" "No, madam!"
"Is it JEMMY?" "It is not." "Can your name be RUMPEL-STILTS-KEN?" said
the lady slyly. "Some witch told you that!--some witch told you that!"
cried the little man, and dashed his right foot in a rage so deep into
the floor, that he was forced to lay hold of it with both hands to pull
it out.
Then he made the best of his way off, while the nurse laughed and the
baby crowed; and all the court jeered at him for having had so much
trouble for nothing, and said: "We wish you a very good morning, and a
merry feast, Mr. RUMPEL-STILTS-KEN!"
_Faithful John, the King's Servant_
THE old King lay dying and was very much worried in his mind because he
was leaving behind him, as his heir, his son, who was a headstrong and
willful youth, not yet come to years of wisdom. He called to his bedside
faithful John, who had been his servant ever since he was a boy, and
charged him thus:
"I am going to my last rest, and am sorrowful because my boy is left
alone in a high position, and will have no other guidance but yours. Be
his guardian and counselor, and serve him faithfully even as you have
served me, or I cannot die happily."
"Master, I will," answered faithful John, "even if it cost me my life."
"Now I can rest in peace," said the King. "When I am dead you must lead
him all over the castle, and show him the halls and chambers and the
vaults and the treasures therein. But one room he must never enter, the
last room in the long corridor, for there hangs the portrait of the
daughter of the King of the Golden Palace, and she is so beautiful that
whoever gazes on her picture will fall down in a swoon for love of her,
and will go through great perils for her sake. Therefore he must never
enter that room."
The trusty servant pressed his master's hand and promised to do his
commands, and soon afterwards the King laid his head on the pillow and
died.
After the old King was laid in his grave, the faithful John told the
young King of the commands his father had laid upon him, and swore to
serve him faithfully, even unto death.
When the days of mourning were over he told the young King that it was
now time for him to see his inheritance; so they went all over the
castle, up into the towers and down into the vaults, and saw all the
great treasure the old King had collected; and they went into all the
grand halls and splendid chambers, into all save one--the last room at
the end of the long corridor, wherein hung the portrait.
The King noticed that they always passed this door, and asked John why.
"There is something there that it is dangerous to see," said John.
"But," answered the King, "I have seen everything else that I possess,
and you must not imagine I am going away without seeing this."
Faithful John tried to argue him out of it, but it was of no use, and
the obstinate King even made an effort to force the door open, and
declared that he would not leave the spot till he had seen the contents
of the chamber.
So John, seeing that there was nothing for it but to yield, sorrowfully
took the key from the bunch and put it in the lock. He turned it
suddenly and hurried in, hoping to cover over the portrait before the
King saw it; but he was close on his heels, and John was too late to
prevent the catastrophe, for no sooner had his master set eyes on the
wonderful painting, which appeared to be living, breathing flesh, than
he fell on the floor in a swoon.
Poor John carried him tenderly to his bed, deeply bewailing the
misfortune that had come upon them, and by dint of forcing wine down his
throat he brought him round again. The first words that he uttered were:
"Who is the lady of the beautiful picture?"
"She is the daughter of the King of the Golden Palace," replied John.
"Then," said the King, "we must seek her at once, for I am filled with
so great a love for her that if all the leaves on the trees had tongues
they should not gainsay it."
Then trusty John thought for a long, long time as how to set about the
matter, for it was very difficult to reach the presence of the beautiful
Princess. At last he thought of a plan, and he said to the King:
"I have thought of a way by which you may achieve your end; all the
things the Princess uses, and all the things about her, are
gold--chairs, tables, dishes, pots and pans, all are fashioned of gold.
There are five tons of gold bars in your cellars; you must have them
wrought into articles of every kind, even into beasts and flowers, and
then we will set out and seek her favor."
So the King sent for all the goldsmiths in the kingdom, and they worked
day and night till all the gold was made into most wonderful and
beautiful forms of the finest workmanship. Then they took them all
aboard a great ship and set sail. They sailed for many days, till they
came to the city where dwelt the daughter of the King of the Golden
Palace.
The faithful John had decided that it was better for him to go ashore,
so he told the King to remain on board and have all things in readiness,
the treasures displayed and all in order, lest he should bring the
Princess back with him. Then he tied up some of the smaller things in a
handkerchief and rowed ashore.
When he entered the courtyard of the palace, he saw a beautiful girl
filling two golden pails at the well. When they were full she turned,
and, perceiving the stranger, demanded his business. So he untied the
handkerchief and showed her the dainty trinkets. She was delighted with
them, and at once said:
"The Princess must see these, for she has a passion for golden things,
and will, no doubt, buy them all." So she took him by the hand and led
him to the King's daughter. The Princess was even more beautiful than
report had made her, and John was dazzled. The lady was very gracious to
him, and was charmed with his treasures, which she wished to purchase.
But John said:
"I am only a servant. My master is a rich merchant who has even more
beautiful things than these aboard his ship."
"Let them be brought hither," replied the Princess; but he said:
"That would take many days and nights, their number is so vast, and even
if they were all brought hither there is no room in the palace large
enough to show them to advantage."
The Princess's curiosity was very much excited by this time, and she
said:
"Bring me to the ship, and I will see them there."
Faithful John was overjoyed at the success of his plans, and conducted
her thither immediately. When the King saw her, he was so overcome with
her beauty that he could hardly help her aboard, but he managed to
control the violent beatings of his heart, and led her down into the
cabin. John remained on deck, and commanded the helmsman to steer out to
sea, and put on all the sail he could, so that they might leave the land
far behind.
Down below the Princess was enjoying herself immensely, looking at all
the beautiful and curious things, and several hours passed before she
bethought her that it was time to go ashore. So she went on deck
prepared to land immediately, and behold! no land was to be seen,
nothing but the wide sea all around her.
"Ah!" she screamed, in sudden terror, "I am entrapped by a strange
merchant. I would rather die than remain in his power!"
The King reassured her, and taking her hand he said: "I am no merchant,
I am a king of royal blood like yourself. I have carried you off because
my love for you is so great that I cannot live without you. You must
know that when I saw your portrait, I was so stricken with love for you
that I fell in a swoon before it."
When the King's daughter heard this her fear disappeared, and love grew
in its place and she was willing to be his bride.
One day, when John was sitting on deck piping sweet music, three crows
flew over the ship, talking hard all the time. John understood every
word they said, and this is what he heard:
"There he is, sailing home with the daughter of the King of the Golden
Palace," said the first. "Ah! they are not home yet," said the second.
"But she is with him in the ship," said the third. "What matters that?"
began the first again; "when they land there will come a beautiful
fox-colored horse, and he will spring upon it and the horse will bound
away with him up into the air and he will never be seen again."
"But is there no way to save him?" the second one asked.
"Yes, if one springs up quickly behind him and seizes the pistols which
are in the holsters and shoots the fox-colored horse, then the King will
be saved. But nobody knows, and if one knew and told him, he would be
turned into stone from toe to knee."
Then the second crow spoke again:
"I know still more, for even if the horse be shot he will not keep his
lovely bride. When they arrive at the castle a bridal shirt will be
brought to him on a dish, looking as though it were made of silver and
gold, but it is only sulphur and pitch, and when he puts it on he will
be burned to the marrow of his bones."
"Is there no way to save him?" asked the third crow.
"Oh, yes! if one were to take up the shirt with his gloves on and throw
it on the fire before the King touches it, he will be saved. But what
matter? for no one knows that, and if one knew and were to tell, he
would be turned into stone from his knee to his heart."
Then the third crow spoke again:
"I know even more. Even if the shirt be burned the King will not keep
his bride. After supper a dance will be held, and suddenly, when she is
dancing, the Queen will turn pale and fall in a faint; and if some one
does not raise her up and take three drops of blood from her little
finger and throw them away, she will die. But if anyone knows that and
tells it, he will be turned into stone from the crown of his head to the
toes of his feet."
Then the crows flew away, leaving John very quiet and sad; for if he
concealed what he knew, misfortune would fall upon his master, and if he
told, he must lose his own life; but he decided that whatever happened
to himself he must save his master.
When they landed it happened just as the crows had said, and a beautiful
fox-colored horse appeared in front of the King. He exclaimed with
pleasure:
"Splendid! this shall carry us to the castle." And he sprang into the
saddle.
But John sprang up after him, and finding the pistols, shot the horse
dead. The other servants who were jealous of John, began to grumble at
this, and said:
"Shame to kill such a lovely animal, which was fit to bear the King!"
But the King said:
"Peace; be silent. He is my faithful servant and I trust him. Who knows
what he has saved us from?"
Then they went on to the castle, and in the hall it happened just as it
had been foretold--a beautiful bridal shirt was brought to the King. He
was just about to pick it up and put it on when John threw himself in
front of him, and seizing the shirt, carried it to the fire and burned
it.
Again the other servants set up a murmur:
"What is he about? See, he has burned the bridal shirt!"
But the King silenced them and said:
"He is my faithful John, and I trust him. Who knows what danger he has
averted?"
After the wedding supper a grand ball was given, and John watched the
Queen very carefully while she danced. Suddenly he saw her turn pale and
fall in a faint. He hurried toward her, and lifting her up he carried
her away to her chamber. Then he knelt down, and drawing three drops of
blood from her little finger he threw them away. Soon the Queen stirred,
and then sat up, quite herself again. But the King had watched all this,
and this time he was furiously angry with faithful John, and ordered him
to be thrown into prison. Next day he was brought to trial and condemned
to be hanged at the gallows. When he was about to be executed he asked
for the usual privilege of a condemned prisoner, to speak once what was
in his mind. The King granted it, and faithful John began:
"I am innocent of any crime against you, and have always served you
faithfully."
Then he told what he had heard the crows saying at sea; and how he had
done all these things to save his master's life.
Then the King cried: "Pardon, pardon, my faithful friend; you are
innocent!"
But at the last word he had spoken John had fallen down, turned into
stone.
After this there was great sorrow and lamentation in the palace, and
they had the statue raised and taken to their chamber and placed near
the bed, and often the King looked at it and said:
"Ah! my trusty John, could I but bring you back to life again!"
Some time afterwards, to their great joy, twins were born to them, two
healthy boys. One day the Queen was at church and the King was at home
playing with his children, when he looked up at the statue and said:
"Ah, my poor faithful John, what would I not do to bring you back to
life!"
To his surprise the statue answered him and said:
"If you will sacrifice what is dearest to you, you can restore my life
to me."
"I will do anything in the world for you, only tell me what," answered
the King.
Then the statue spoke again:
"Cut off the heads of your children, and sprinkle me with their blood,
and I will be restored to life."
The poor King was horrified when he heard this, for how could he do such
an awful deed as to kill his own children? But he thought of all John
had done for him, and how much he had sacrificed, and, without
flinching, he drew his sword to cut off their heads.
But as he was about to kill the little princes, faithful John became
alive again, crying:
"Stop, stop, my master! Your faith in me is rewarded, and I am free."
The King was now as happy as he could be, and he thought to give his
wife a pleasant surprise; so when he heard her coming he hid faithful
John and the twins in a cupboard. When she came in he asked her if she
had prayed for all her friends.
"Yes," she answered; "but I have been thinking of poor John, who is past
our prayers."
Then the King said:
"We can restore him to life again, but we must sacrifice both our sons."
The Queen turned very pale at this and nearly fainted; but she thought
of how it was their fault that John had suffered, and she said bravely
that if it was to restore him to life it must be done.
The King was overjoyed to find that she thought as he did, and he threw
open the cupboard door and disclosed, not only the twins, but faithful
John also. Then they all rejoiced and were happy together to the end of
their days.
_Spindle, Shuttle, and Needle_
ONCE upon a time there lived a girl who lost her father and mother when
she was quite a tiny child. Her godmother lived all alone in a little
cottage at the far end of the village, and there she earned her living
by spinning, weaving, and sewing. The old woman took the little orphan
home with her and brought her up in good, pious, industrious habits.
When the girl was fifteen years old her godmother fell ill, and calling
the child to her bedside she said: "My dear daughter, I feel that my end
is near. I leave you my cottage, which will, at least, shelter you, and
also my spindle, my weaver's shuttle, and my needle, with which to earn
your bread."
Then she laid her hands on the girl's head, blessed her, and added:
"Mind and be good, and then all will go well with you." With that she
closed her eyes for the last time, and when she was carried to her grave
the girl walked behind her coffin weeping bitterly and paid her all the
last honors.
After this the girl lived all alone in the little cottage. She worked
hard, spinning, weaving, and sewing, and her old godmother's blessing
seemed to prosper all she did. The flax seemed to spread and increase;
and when she wove a carpet or a piece of linen, or made a shirt, she was
sure to find a customer who paid her well, so that not only did she feel
no want herself, but she was able to help those who did.
Now, it happened that about this time the King's son was making a tour
through the entire country to look out for a bride. He could not marry a
poor woman and he did not wish for a rich one.
"She shall be my wife," said he, "who is at once the poorest and the
richest."
When he reached the village where the girl lived he inquired who was the
richest and who the poorest woman in it. The richest was named first;
the poorest, he was told, was a young girl who lived alone in a little
cottage at the far end of the village.
The rich girl sat at her door dressed in all her best clothes, and when
the King's son came near she got up, went to meet him, and made him a
low courtesy. He looked well at her, said nothing, but rode on farther.
When he reached the poor girl's house he did not find her at her door,
for she was at work in her room. The Prince reined in his horse, looked
in at the window through which the sun was shining brightly, and saw the
girl sitting at her wheel busily spinning away.
[Illustration: "JUST AS IT HAD COME TO THE END OF THE GOLDEN THREAD IT
REACHED THE KING'S SON"]
She looked up, and when she saw the King's son gazing in at her she
blushed red all over, cast down her eyes, and spun on. Whether the
thread was quite as even as usual I really cannot say, but she went on
spinning till the King's son had ridden off. Then she stepped to the
window and opened the lattice, saying, "The room is so hot," but she
looked after him as long as she could see the white plumes of his hat.
Then she sat down to her work once more and spun on, and as she did so
an old saying, which she had often heard her godmother repeat while at
work, came into her head, and she began to sing:
"Spindle, spindle, go and see
If my love will come to me."
Lo and behold! the spindle leaped from her hand and rushed out of the
room, and when she had sufficiently recovered from her surprise to look
after it she saw it dancing merrily through the fields, dragging a long
golden thread after it, and soon it was lost to sight.
The girl, having lost her spindle, took up the shuttle and, seating
herself at her loom, began to weave. Meantime the spindle danced on and
on, and just as it had come to the end of the golden thread it reached
the King's son.
"What do I see?" he cried. "This spindle seems to wish to point out the
way to me." So he turned his horse's head and rode back beside the
golden thread.
Meantime the girl sat weaving and sang:
"Shuttle, weave both web and woof;
Bring my love beneath my roof."
The shuttle instantly escaped from her hand and with one bound was out
at the door. On the threshold it began weaving the loveliest carpet that
was ever seen. Roses and lilies bloomed on both sides, and in the
center a thicket seemed to grow with rabbits and hares running through
it, stags and fawns peeping through the branches, while on the topmost
boughs sat birds of brilliant plumage and so lifelike one almost
expected to hear them sing. The shuttle flew from side to side and the
carpet seemed almost to grow of itself.
As the shuttle had run away the girl sat down to sew. She took her
needle and sang:
"Needle, needle, stitch away;
Make my chamber bright and gay."
And the needle promptly slipped from her fingers and flew about the room
like lightning. You would have thought invisible spirits were at work,
for in next to no time the table and benches were covered with green
cloth, the chairs with velvet, and elegant silk curtains hung before the
windows. The needle had barely put in its last stitch when the girl,
glancing at the window, spied the white-plumed hat of the King's son,
who was being led back by the spindle with the golden thread.
He dismounted and walked over the carpet into the house, and when he
entered the room there stood the girl blushing like any rose. "You are
the poorest and yet the richest," said he. "Come with me--you shall be
my bride."
She said nothing but she held out her hand. Then he kissed her and led
her out, lifted her on his horse, and took her to his royal palace,
where the wedding was celebrated with great rejoicings.
The spindle, the shuttle, and the needle were carefully placed in the
treasury and were always held in the very highest honor.
_The Magic Egg_
THERE was once upon a time a lark who was the Czar among the birds, and
he took unto himself as his Czaritsa a little shrew mouse. They had a
field all to themselves, which they sowed with wheat, and when the wheat
grew up they divided it between them. When they found that there was one
grain over, the mouse said:
"Let me have it!"
But the lark said:
"No, let me have it!"
"What's to be done?" thought they.
They would have liked to take counsel of some one; but they had no
parents or kinsmen--nobody at all to whom they could go and ask advice
in the matter. At last the mouse said:
"At any rate, let me have the first nibble!"
The lark Czar agreed to this; but the little mouse fastened her teeth in
it, and ran off into her hole with it, and there ate it all up. At this
the lark Czar was wroth, and collected all the birds of the air to make
war upon the mouse Czaritsa; but the Czaritsa called together all the
beasts to defend her, and so the war began. Whenever the beasts came
rushing out of the wood to tear the birds to pieces, the birds flew up
into the trees; but the birds kept in the air, and hacked and pecked the
beasts wherever they could. Thus they fought the whole day, and in the
evening they lay down to rest. Now when the Czaritsa looked around upon
her forces she saw that the ant was taking no part in the war. She
immediately went and commanded the ant to be there by evening, and when
the ant came the Czaritsa ordered her to climb up the trees with her
kinsmen, and bite off the feathers around the birds' wings.
Next day, when there was light enough to see by, the mouse Czaritsa
cried:
"Up, up, my warriors!"
Thereupon the birds also rose up, and immediately fell to the ground,
where the beasts tore them to bits. So the Czaritsa overcame the Czar.
But there was one eagle who saw there was something wrong, so he did not
try to fly, but remained sitting on the tree. And lo! there came an
archer along that way, and seeing the eagle on the tree, he took aim at
it; but the eagle besought him and said:
"Do not kill me, and I'll be of great service to thee!"
The archer aimed a second time, but the eagle besought him still more
and said:
"Take me down rather and keep me, and thou shalt see that it will be to
thy advantage."
The archer, however, took aim a third time, but the eagle began to beg
of him most piteously:
"Nay, kill me not, but take me home with thee, and thou shalt see what
great advantage it will be to thee!"
The archer believed the bird. He climbed up the tree, took the eagle
down, and carried it home. Then the eagle said to him:
"Put me in a hut, and feed me with flesh till my wings have grown
again."
Now this archer had two cows and a steer, and he at once killed and cut
up one of the cows for the eagle. The eagle fed upon this cow for a full
year, and then he said to the archer:
"Let me go, that I may fly. I see that my wings have already grown
again!"
Then the archer let him loose from the hut. The eagle flew around and
around, he flew about for half a day, and then he returned to the archer
and said:
"I feel I have but little strength in me, slay me another cow!"
And the archer obeyed him, and slew the second cow, and the eagle lived
upon that for yet another year. Again the eagle flew around and around
in the air. He flew around and about the whole day till evening, when he
returned to the archer and said:
"I am stronger than I was, but I have still but little strength in me,
slay me the steer also!"
Then the man thought to himself:
"What shall I do? Shall I slay it, or shall I not slay it?"
At last he said:
"Well! I've sacrificed more than this before, so let this go too!" and
he took the steer and slaughtered it for the eagle.
Then the eagle lived upon this for another whole year longer, and after
that he took to flight, and flew high up right to the very clouds. Then
he flew down again to the man and said to him:
"I thank thee, brother, for that thou hast been the saving of me! come
now and sit upon me!"
"Nay, but," said the man, "what if some evil befall me?"
"Sit on me, I say!" cried the eagle.
So the archer sat down upon the bird.
Then the eagle bore him nearly as high as the big clouds, and then let
him fall. Down plumped the man; but the eagle did not let him fall to
the earth, but swiftly flew beneath him and upheld him, and said to him:
"How dost thou feel now?"
"I feel," said the man, "as if I had no life in me."
Then the eagle replied:
"That was just how I felt when thou didst aim at me the first time."
Then he said to him:
"Sit on my back again!"
The man did not want to sit on him, but what could he do? Sit he must.
Then the eagle flew with him quite as high as the big clouds, and shook
him off, and down he fell headlong till he was about two fathoms from
the ground, when the bird again flew beneath him and held him up. Again
the eagle asked him:
"How dost thou feel?"
And the man replied:
"I feel just as if all my bones were already broken to bits!"
"That is just how I felt when thou didst take aim at me the second
time," replied the eagle. "But now sit on my back once more."
The man did so, and the eagle flew with him as high as the small fleecy
clouds, and then he shook him off, and down he fell headlong; but when
he was but a hand's breadth from the earth, the eagle again flew beneath
him and held him up, and said to him:
"How dost thou feel now?"
And he replied:
"I feel as if I no longer belonged to this world!"
"That is just how I felt when thou didst aim at me the third time,"
replied the eagle. "But now," continued the bird, "thou art guilty no
more. We are quits. I owe thee naught, and thou owest naught to me; so
sit on my back again, and I'll take thee to my master."
They flew on and on, they flew till they came to the eagle's uncle. And
the eagle said to the archer:
"Go to my house, and when they ask thee: 'Hast thou not seen our poor
child?' reply, 'Give me the magic egg, and I'll bring him before your
eyes!'"
So he went to the house, and there they said to him:
"Hast thou heard of our poor child with thine ears, or seen him with
thine eyes, and hast thou come hither willingly or unwillingly?"
And he answered:
"I have come hither willingly!"
Then they asked:
"Hast thou smelt out anything of our poor youngster? for it is three
years now since he went to the wars, and there's neither sight nor sound
of him more!"
And he answered:
"Give me the magic egg, and I'll bring him straightway before your
eyes!"
Then they replied:
"'Twere better we never saw him than that we should give thee the magic
egg!"
Then he went back to the eagle and said to him:
"They said: 'Twere better we never saw him than that we should give thee
the magic egg.'"
Then the eagle answered:
"Let us fly on farther!"
They flew on and on till they came to the eagle's brother, and the
archer said just the same to him as he had said to the eagle's uncle,
and still he didn't get the egg. Then they flew to the eagle's father,
and the eagle said to him:
"Go up to the hut, and if they ask for me, say that thou hast seen me
and will bring me before their eyes."
So he went up to the hut, and they said to him:
"O Czarevich, we hear thee with our ears and see thee with our eyes, but
hast thou come hither of thine own free will or by the will of another?"
And the archer answered:
"I have come hither of my own free will!"
Then they asked him:
"Hast thou seen our son? Lo, these four years we have not had news of
him. He went off to the wars, and perchance he has been slain there."
And he answered them:
"I have seen him, and if thou wilt give me the magic egg, I will bring
him before your eyes."
And the eagle's father said to him:
"What good will such a thing do thee? We had better give thee the lucky
penny!"
But he answered:
"I don't want the lucky penny, give me the magic egg!"
"Come hither, then!" said he, "and thou shalt have it."
So he went into the hut. Then the eagle's father rejoiced and gave him
the egg and said to him:
"Take heed thou dost not break it anywhere on the road, and when thou
gettest home, hedge it around and build a strong fence about it, and it
will do thee good."
So he went homeward. He went on and on till a great thirst came upon
him. So he stopped at the first spring he came to, and as he stooped to
drink he stumbled and the magic egg was broken. Then he perceived that
an ox had come out of the egg and was rolling away. He gave chase to the
ox, but whenever he was getting close to one side of it, the other side
of it got farther away from him. Then the poor fellow cried:
"I shall do nothing with it myself, I see."
At that moment an old she dragon came up to him and said:
"What wilt thou give me, O man, if I chase this ox back again into the
egg for thee?"
And the archer replied:
"What can I give?"
The dragon said to him:
"Give me what thou hast at home without thy will and wit!"
"Done!" said the archer.
Then the dragon chased the ox nicely into the egg again, patched it up
prettily, and gave it into the man's hand. Then the archer went home,
and when he got home he found a son had been born to him there, and his
son said to him:
"Why didst thou give me to the old she dragon, dad? But never mind, I'll
manage to live in spite of her."
Then the father was very grieved for a time, but what could he do? Now
the name of this son was Ivan.
So Ivan lost no time in going to the dragon, and the dragon said to him:
"Go to my house and do me three tasks, and if thou dost them not, I'll
devour thee."
Now around the dragon's house was a large meadow stretching as far as
the eye could reach. And the dragon said to him:
"Thou must in a single night weed out this field and sow wheat in it,
and reap the wheat and store it, all in this very night; and thou must
bake me a roll out of this selfsame wheat, and the roll must be lying
ready for me on my table in the morning."
Then Ivan went and leaned over the fence, and his heart within him was
sore troubled. Now near to him there was a post, and on this post was
the dragon's starveling daughter. So when he came thither and fell
a-weeping, she asked him:
"Wherefore dost thou weep?"
And he said: "How can I help weeping? The dragon has bidden me do
something I can never, never do; and what is more, she has bidden me do
it in a single night."
"What is it, pray?" asked the dragon's daughter. Then he told her.
"Not every bush bears a berry!" cried she. "Promise to take me to wife,
and I'll do all she has bidden thee do."
He promised, and then she said to him again:
"Now go and lie down, but see that thou art up early in the morning to
bring her her roll."
Then she went to the field, and before one could whistle she had cleaned
it of weeds and harrowed it and sown it with wheat, and by dawn she had
reaped the wheat and cooked the roll and brought it to him, and said:
"Now, take it to her hut and put it on her table."
Then the old she dragon awoke and came to the door, and was amazed at
the sight of the field, which was now all stubble, for the corn had been
cut. Then she said to Ivan:
"Yes, thou hast done the work well. But now, see that thou doest my
second task."
Then she gave him her second command:
"Dig up that mountain yonder and let the Dnieper flow past the site of
it, and there build a storehouse, and in the storehouse stack the wheat
that thou hast reaped, and sell this wheat to the merchant barques that
sail by, and everything must be done by the time I get up early next
morning!"
Then he again went to the fence and wept, and the maiden said to him:
"Why dost thou weep?" and he told her all that the she dragon had bidden
him do.
"There are lots of bushes, but where are the berries? Go and lie down,
and I'll do it all for thee."
Then she whistled, and the mountain was leveled and the Dnieper flowed
over the site of it, and round about the Dnieper, storehouses rose up,
and then she came and woke him that he might go and sell the wheat to
the merchant barques that sailed by that way, and when the she dragon
rose up early in the morning she was amazed to see that everything had
been done which she had commanded him.
Then she gave him her third command:
"This night thou must catch the golden hare, and bring it to me by the
morning light."
Again he went to the fence and fell a-weeping. And the girl asked him:
"Why art thou weeping?"