fourth day, at dusk, he felt overcome by sleep; so he let his horse go
free in a meadow, and himself lay down on the grass. Then all at once he
heard a piercing shriek, and straight before him beheld a hare, and an
owl perched upon it--its claws digging into the poor creature's side.
The prince caught up the first thing that lay near him, and aimed at the
screech-owl, so truly that he killed it on the spot, and the hare ran up
to him, like a tame creature, licked his hands, and ran away.
Then the prince saw that the thing he had thrown at the owl was a human
skull. And it spoke to him, in these words:
"Prince Dobrotek, I thank you for what you have done for me. When I was
alive I committed suicide, and was therefore condemned to lie unburied
at this cross-way, till I should be the means of saving life. I have
lain here for seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and Heaven knows
how much longer I should have had to remain, if you had not chanced to
throw me at the screech-owl, and so saved the life of the poor hare. Now
bury me, so that I may lie peacefully in the ground at this same place,
and I will tell you how to summon the Grey Seer-horse, with the golden
mane, who will always help you in case of need. Go out into a plain, and
without looking behind you, call out:
"Grey Seer-horse, with golden mane!
Like a bird--and not like steed,
On the blast--and not the mead,
Fly thou hither unto me!"
Thus having spoken, the head was silent; but a blue light shot up from
it towards the sky; it was the soul of the deceased, which having now
expiated its sin by its long imprisonment in the skull, had attained
heaven.
The prince then dug a grave, and buried the skull. He then called out:
"Grey Seer-horse, with golden mane!
Like a bird--and not like steed,
On the blast--and not the mead,
Do thou hither fly to me!"
The wind rose, the lightning flashed, the thunder roared, and the
wonderful horse with the golden mane appeared. He flew as fast as the
storm-wind, flames shot from his nostrils, sparks from his eyes, and
clouds of smoke from his mouth. He stood still, and said in human tones:
[Illustration: THE HORSE APPEARS IN THE STORM]
"What are your commands, Prince Dobrotek?"
"I am in trouble; I wish you to help me."
And he told him all that had occurred.
"Creep in at my left ear," said the horse, "and creep out again at the
right."
So the prince crept in at the horse's left ear, and came out again at
the right one, all clad in golden armour. He also found himself
miraculously increased in strength, so that when he stamped on the
ground it trembled; and when he shouted a storm arose, which shook the
leaves from the trees.
Then he asked the horse:
"What is to be done next?"
"Your betrothed, Princess Ladna," said the horse, "was carried off by
the seven-inch-high dwarf, with the seven-foot-long beard; he is a
powerful magician; he dwells beyond the seven seas, among inaccessible
mountains. He can only be conquered by the All-Cutting Sword, which
sword is jealously guarded by his own brother, the Giant-Head, with
basilisk eye. To this Giant-Head we must therefore go."
Prince Dobrotek mounted on horseback, and they flew like an arrow, over
lands and seas, high mountains and wide oceans. They stopped at length
upon a wide plain strewn with bones, before a moving mountain. And the
horse said:
"This moving mountain, which you see before you, is the giant's head
with the basilisk eyes; and the bones strewn so thickly hereabouts prove
how deadly his looks are--so be careful. He is now asleep from the heat
of the sun; but only two steps before him lies the sword, with which
alone you can conquer your enemy. Lie down along my back, so that his
glance cannot reach you through my neck and mane; but when you get near
to it, lay hold of the sword; when you have it you will not only be safe
from his basilisk glances, but you will even have the giant's head at
your mercy."
And the horse drew near lightly, and the prince bent down, and secured
the wonderful sword; but he shouted so loud that the Giant-Head woke up,
sniffed hard, and looked about with his bloodshot eyes; and seeing the
wonderful sword in the prince's hand, he called out:
"Sir knight! are you weary of the world, that you court speedy death?"
"You need not boast like that, you empty head!" replied Prince Dobrotek.
"Your looks cannot hurt me now; and you shall die by this All-Cutting
Sword! But I would first know who, and what you are."
"Then I confess, prince," replied the head; "that I am in your power;
but be merciful to me, for I am worthy of pity. I am a knight of the
race of giants, and were it not for the envy of my brother, I should
still have been happy. He was the black sheep of our family, and was
born an ugly dwarf, with a long beard; and my handsome giant-like
proportions caused him to hate me bitterly. His only good point is his
great strength, and it all resides in his long beard, and so long as it
is not cut he cannot be conquered, and this can only be done by that
sword, which you now hold.
"One day, being bent upon my destruction, he said to me:
"'Brother, do not refuse to help me. I have read in my books of magic
that beyond the mountains, on a plain lies buried a certain sword,
whereby a knight, seeking for his betrothed, shall compass the
destruction of us both; let us therefore go and dig it up, so that we
shall escape the threatened doom!'
"To this I agreed. I took a hundred-year-old pine--torn up from its
roots--on one arm, and carried my brother on my other. We set out; he
showed me the spot, and I dug up the sword, on this same plain. Then we
began to quarrel about who should possess it. After a long dispute he
said:
"'We were best decide it by lot, brother. Let each of us lay his ear to
the ground, and whoever first hears the sound of the evening bell shall
have the sword.'
"So he laid his ear to the ground, and I mine. I listened; but heard
nothing; and he meantime, having got hold of the sword, crept up to me,
and cut my head from my shoulders.
"My headless trunk, left unburied, rotted away, and the grass grew over
it; but my head, endowed with supernatural life by the malicious dwarf,
my brother, was left here, with charge to guard this sword, and kill
every one who came near with my deadly glance. After many centuries you
have won it; so I implore you to cut off his seven-foot beard, and make
him into mince-meat; and avenge me."
"You shall be avenged," said the prince; "and at once. Grey Seer-Horse,
carry me to the kingdom of the dwarf magician, with the seven-foot-long
beard."
So they set off at once, flying with lightning speed through the air,
over the seas and over the forests. In an hour or two they halted on the
summit of a high mountain, and the horse said:
"These mountains are the kingdom of the dwarf magician, who carried off
your betrothed, and they are both now in the garden; challenge him to
fight."
Prince Dobrotek sounded a challenge three times, and the dwarf, as we
have seen, flew up into the air, so as to swoop down upon his
antagonist, unperceived of him.
All at once the prince heard a murmuring sound above him, and he saw
when he looked up, the dwarf soaring above him, like an eagle in the
clouds--for he had the magic power of increasing his size and
strength--with his sword drawn, ready to fall upon him.
The prince sprang aside, and the dwarf came down, with such an impetus,
that his head and neck were rammed into the ground.
The prince dismounted, seized the dwarf by the beard, wound it about his
left hand, and began to sever it with the All-Cutting Sword.
The dwarf saw that he had to do with no feather-bed knight; so he tugged
with all his strength, and flew up again into the clouds; but the
prince, holding fast with his left hand to the beard, kept on severing
it with his sword, so that he had nearly cut half of it through; and the
dwarf became weaker and weaker the more hair he lost, so he began to cry
for mercy.
"Drop down to the ground, off which you took me," said the prince.
The dwarf dropped down slowly, but the prince cut off the remainder of
his beard and threw him--when thus deprived of his charms and his
strength alike--on to the ground, wreathed the severed beard round his
own helmet, and entered the palace.
The invisible servants of the dwarf, seeing their master's beard,
wreathed about the prince's helmet, threw open all the doors to him at
once.
He went through all the rooms; but not finding his princess anywhere,
went into the garden, traversing all the paths and lawns, and calling
her name. He could find her nowhere.
But thus running from one place to another he chanced to touch the
invisible cap; he caught hold of it, and pulled it away from where it
was, on the head of the princess, and saw her at once in all her
loveliness, but fast asleep.
Overcome with joy, he called her by her name; but she had been cast into
such a deep sleep by the dwarf's poisonous breath, that he could not
rouse her.
He took her up in his arms, put the invisible cap into his pocket, also
picking up the wicked dwarf, whom he carried along with him. He then
mounted his horse, flew like an arrow, and in a few minutes stood before
the Giant-Head, with the basilisk eyes.
He threw the dwarf into its open jaws, where he was ground at once into
powder; the prince then cut up the monstrous head into small pieces, and
scattered them all over the plain.
Thus having got rid of both the dwarf and the giant, the prince rode on
with the sleeping princess, upon the Golden-Mane horse, and at sunset
they came to the same cross-roads, where he had first summoned him.
"Here, prince, we must part," said the Golden-Mane; "but here in the
meadow is your own horse, and it is not far to your own home, so
creep into my right ear, and come out at my left."
[Illustration: THE DWARF DEFEATED]
The prince did as he was told, and came out as he was before. His own
horse recognized him, and came running with a joyful neigh to meet his
master.
The prince was tired out with the long journey, so, having laid down his
betrothed wife, still sleeping, on the soft grass, and covered her up
from the cold, he laid down himself and went to sleep.
But that very night, one of Princess Ladna's rejected suitors, riding
that way, saw by the light of the moon those two asleep, and he
recognized in them the princess, and the prince, his fortunate rival. So
first stabbing the latter through with his sabre, he carried off the
princess, and bore her on horseback before him to her father.
The king welcomed him rapturously, as his daughter's deliverer. But when
he found, to his dismay, that he could not awake her, with all his
caresses, he asked the supposed rescuer what this meant.
"I do not know, Sir King," replied the knight. "After I had overtaken
and slain the great enchanter, who was carrying off the princess, I
found her as she is now, sound asleep."
Prince Dobrotek meanwhile, mortally wounded, had just strength enough
left to summon the Wonderful Grey Horse, who came instantly; and seeing
what was the matter, flew off to the top of the mountain of Everlasting
Life. On its summit were three springs--the Water of Loosening, the
Water of Healing, and the Water of Life. He sprinkled the dead prince
with all three; Prince Dobrotek opened his eyes, and exclaimed:
"Oh! how well I have slept!"
"You were sleeping the sleep of death," returned the Golden-Mane; "one
of your rivals killed you sleeping, and carried off your princess home
to her father, pretending to be her deliverer, in the hope of gaining
her hand. But do not be afraid; she is still asleep, and only you can
awaken her, by touching her forehead with the beard of the dwarf, which
you have with you. Go then to her; I must be elsewhere."
The Golden-Mane vanished, and the prince, calling his own horse, and
taking with him his invisible cap, betook himself to the court of his
loved one's father.
But when he drew near he found that the city was all surrounded by
enemies, who had already mastered the outer defences, and were
threatening the town itself; and half of its defenders being slain, the
rest were thinking of surrender.
Prince Dobrotek put on his invisible cap, and drawing his All-Cutting
Sword, fell upon the enemy.
They fell to right and left as the sword smote them on each side, till
one half of them were slain, and the rest ran away into the forest.
Unseen by anyone the prince entered the city, and arrived at the royal
palace, where the king, surrounded by his knights, was hearing the
account of this sudden attack, whereby his foes had been discomfited;
but by whom no one could inform him.
Then Prince Dobrotek took off his invisible cap, and appearing suddenly
in the midst of the assembly, said:
"King and father! it was I who beat your enemies. But where is my
betrothed, Princess Ladna, whom I rescued from the wizard dwarf, with
the seven-foot beard? whom one of your knights treacherously stole from
me? Let me see her, that I may waken her from her magic sleep."
When the traitor knight heard this he took to his heels; Prince Dobrotek
touched the sleeping princess's forehead with the beard, she woke up
directly, gazed at him fondly with her lovely eyes, but could not at
first understand where she was, or what had happened to her.
The king caught her in his arms, pressed her to his heart, and that very
evening he married her to Prince Dobrotek. He gave them half his
kingdom, and there was a splendid wedding, such as had never been seen
or heard of before.
[Illustration: THE GOOD FERRYMAN CAPTURES THE MERMAID]
THE GOOD FERRYMAN AND THE WATER NYMPHS
There was once an old man, very poor, with three sons. They lived
chiefly by ferrying people over a river; but he had had nothing but
ill-luck all his life. And to crown all, on the night he died, there was
a great storm, and in it the crazy old ferry-boat, on which his sons
depended for a living, was sunk.
As they were lamenting both their father and their poverty, an old man
came by, and learning the reason of their sorrow said:
"Never mind; all will come right in time. Look! there is your boat as
good as new."
And there was a fine new ferry-boat on the water, in place of the old
one, and a number of people waiting to be ferried over.
The three brothers arranged to take turns with the boat, and divide the
fares they took.
They were however very different in disposition. The two elder brothers
were greedy and avaricious, and would never take anyone over the river,
without being handsomely paid for it.
But the youngest brother took over poor people, who had no money, for
nothing; and moreover frequently relieved their wants out of his own
pocket.
One day, at sunset, when the eldest brother was at the ferry the same
old man, who had visited them on the night their father died, came, and
asked for a passage.
"I have nothing to pay you with, but this empty purse," he said.
"Go and get something to put in it then first," replied the ferry-man;
"and be off with you now!"
Next day it was the second brother's turn; and the same old man came,
and offered his empty purse as his fare. But he met with a like reply.
The third day it was the youngest brother's turn; and when the old man
arrived, and asked to be ferried over for charity, he answered:
"Yes, get in, old man."
"And what is the fare?" asked the old man.
"That depends upon whether you can pay or not," was the reply; "but if
you cannot, it is all the same to me."
"A good deed is never without its reward," said the old man: "but in the
meantime take this empty purse; though it is very worn, and looks
worth nothing. But if you shake it, and say:
'For his sake who gave it, this purse I hold,
I wish may always be full of gold;'
it will always afford you as much gold as you wish for."
[Illustration: THE PURSE THAT WAS EVER FULL]
The youngest brother came home, and his brothers, who were sitting over
a good supper, laughed at him, because he had taken only a few copper
coins that day, and they told him he should have no supper. But when he
began to shake his purse and scatter gold coins all about, they jumped
up from the table, and began picking them up eagerly.
And as it was share and share alike, they all grew rich very quickly.
The youngest brother made good use of his riches, for he gave away money
freely to the poor. But the greedy elder brothers envied him the
possession of the wonderful purse, and contrived to steal it from him.
Then they left their old home; and the one bought a ship, laded it with
all sorts of merchandize, for a trading voyage. But the ship ran upon a
rock, and every one on board was drowned. The second brother was no more
fortunate, for as he was travelling through a forest, with an enormous
treasure of precious stones, in which he had laid out his wealth, to
sell at a profit, he was waylaid by robbers, who murdered him, and
shared the spoil among them.
The youngest brother, who remained at home, having lost his purse,
became as poor as before. But he still did as formerly, took pay from
passengers who could afford it, ferried over poor folks for nothing, and
helped those who were poorer than himself so far as he could.
One day the same old man with the long white beard came by; the
ferry-man welcomed him as an old friend, and while rowing him over the
river, told him all that had happened since he last saw him.
"Your brothers did very wrong, and they have paid for it," said the old
man; "but you were in fault yourself. Still, I will give you one more
chance. Take this hook and line; and whatever you catch, mind you hold
fast, and not let it escape you; or you will bitterly repent it."
The old man then disappeared, and the ferry-man looked in wonder at his
new fishing-tackle--a diamond hook, a silver line, and a golden rod.
All at once the hook sprang of itself into the water; the line
lengthened out along the river current, and there came a strong pull
upon it. The fisherman drew it in, and beheld a most lovely creature,
upwards from the waist a woman, but with a fish's tail.
"Good ferry-man, let me go," she said; "take your hook out of my hair!
The sun is setting, and after sunset I can no longer be a water-nymph
again."
But without answering, the ferry-man only held her fast, and covered
her over with his coat, to prevent her escaping. Then the sun set, and
she lost her fish-tail.
"Now," she said: "I am yours; so let us go to the nearest church and get
married."
She was already dressed as a bride, with a myrtle garland on her head,
in a white dress, with a rainbow-coloured girdle, and rich jewels in her
hair and on her neck. And she held in her hand the wonderful purse, that
was always full of gold.
They found the priest and all ready at the church; were married in a few
minutes; and then came home to their wedding-feast, to which all the
neighbours were invited. They were royally entertained, and when they
were about to leave the bride shook the wonderful purse, and sent a
shower of gold pieces flying among the guests; so they all went home
very well pleased.
The good ferry-man and his marvellous wife lived most happily together;
they never wanted for anything, and gave freely to all who came. He
continued to ply his ferry-boat; but he now took all passengers over for
nothing, and gave them each a piece of gold into the bargain.
Now there was a king over that country, who a year ago had just
succeeded to his elder brother. He had heard of the ferry-man, who was
so marvellously rich, and wishing to ascertain the truth of the story he
had heard, came on purpose to see for himself. But when he saw the
ferry-man's beautiful young wife, he resolved to have her for himself,
and determined to get rid of her husband somehow.
At that time there was an eclipse of the sun; and the king sent for the
ferry-man, and told him he must find out the cause of this eclipse, or
be put to death.
He came home in great distress to his wife; but she replied:
"Never mind, my dear. I will tell you what to do, and how to gratify the
king's curiosity."
So she gave him a wonderful ball of thread, which he was to throw before
him, and follow the thread as it kept unwinding--towards the East.
He went on a long way, over high mountains, deep rivers, and wide
regions. At last he came to a ruined city, where a number of corpses
were lying about unburied, tainting the air with pestilence.
The good man was sorry to see this, and took the pains to summon men
from the neighbouring cities, and get the bodies properly buried. He
then resumed his journey.
He came at last to the ends of the earth. Here he found a magnificent
golden palace, with an amber roof, and diamond doors and windows.
The ball of thread went straight into the palace, and the ferry-man
found himself in a vast apartment, where sat a very dignified old lady,
spinning from a golden distaff.
"Wretched man! what are you here for?" she exclaimed, when she saw him.
"My son will come back presently and burn you up."
He explained to her how he had been forced to come, out of sheer
necessity.
"Well, I must help you," replied the old lady, who was no less than the
Mother of the Sun, "because you did Sol that good turn some days ago, in
burying the inhabitants of that town, when they were killed by a dragon.
He journeys every day across the wide arch of heaven, in a diamond car,
drawn by twelve grey horses, with golden manes, giving heat and light to
the whole world. He will soon be back here, to rest for the night....
But ... here he comes; hide yourself, and take care to observe what
follows."
So saying she changed her visitor into a lady-bird, and let him fly to
the window.
Then the neighing of the wonderful horses and the rattling of chariot
wheels were heard, and the bright Sun himself presently came in, and
stretching himself upon a coral bed, remarked to his mother:
"I smell a human being here!"
"What nonsense you talk!" replied his mother. "How could any human being
come here? You know it is impossible."
The Sun, as if he did not quite believe her, began to peer anxiously
about the room.
"Don't be so restless," said the old lady; "but tell me why you suffered
eclipse a month or two ago."
"How could I help it?" answered the Sun; "When the dragon from the deep
abyss attacked me, and I had to fight him? Perhaps I should have been
fighting with the monster till now, if a wonderful mermaid had not come
to help me. When she began to sing, and looked at the dragon with her
beautiful eyes, all his rage softened at once; he was absorbed in gazing
upon her beauty, and I meanwhile burnt him to ashes, and threw them into
the sea."
The Sun then went to sleep, and his mother again touched the ferry-man
with her spindle; he then returned to his natural shape, and slipped out
of the palace. Following the ball of thread he reached home at last, and
next day went to the king, and told him all.
But the king was so enchanted at the description of the beautiful
sea-maiden, that he ordered the ferry-man to go and bring her to him, on
pain of death.
He went home very sad to his wife, but she told him she would manage
this also. So saying she gave him another ball of thread, to show him
which way to go, and she also gave him a carriage-load of costly lady's
apparel and jewels, and ornaments--told him what he was to do, and they
took leave of one another.
On the way the ferry-man met a youth, riding on a fine grey horse, who
asked:
"What have you got there, man?"
"A woman's wearing apparel, most costly and beautiful"--he had several
dresses, not simply one.
"I say, give me some of those as a present for my intended, whom I am
going to see. I can be of use to you, for I am the Storm-wind. I will
come, whenever you call upon me thus:
'Storm-wind! Storm-wind! come with speed!
Help me in my sudden need!'"
The ferry-man gave him some of the most beautiful things he had, and the
Storm-wind passed.
A little further on he met an old man, grey-haired, but strong and
vigorous-looking, who also said:
"What have you got there?"
"Women's garments costly and beautiful."
"I am going to my daughter's wedding; she is to marry the Storm-wind;
give me something as a wedding present for her, and I will be of use to
you. I am the Frost; if you need me call upon me thus:
'Frost, I call thee; come with speed;
Help me in my sudden need!'"
The ferry-man let him take all he wanted and went on.
And now he came to the sea-coast; here the ball of thread stopped, and
would go no further.