Her mother was still more angry because she had not been told sooner,
ran into her daughter's room where the crab-shell was still lying, took
it up and threw it into the fire. Then the poor Princess cried
bitterly, but it was of no use; her husband did not come back.
Now we must leave the Princess and turn to the other persons in the
story. One day an old man went to a stream to dip in a crust of bread
which he was going to eat, when a dog came out of the water, snatched
the bread from his hand, and ran away. The old man ran after him, but
the dog reached a door, pushed it open, and ran in, the old man
following him. He did not overtake the dog, but found himself above a
staircase, which he descended. Then he saw before him a stately palace,
and, entering, he found in a large hall a table set for twelve persons.
He hid himself in the hall behind a great picture, that he might see
what would happen. At noon he heard a great noise, so that he trembled
with fear. When he took courage to look out from behind the picture, he
saw twelve eagles flying in. At this sight his fear became still
greater. The eagles flew to the basin of a fountain that was there and
bathed themselves, when suddenly they were changed into twelve handsome
youths. Now they seated themselves at the table, and one of them took
up a goblet filled with wine, and said, 'A health to my father!' And
another said, 'A health to my mother!' and so the healths went round.
Then one of them said:
'A health to my dearest lady,
Long may she live and well!
But a curse on the cruel mother
That burnt my golden shell!'
And so saying he wept bitterly. Then the youths rose from the table,
went back to the great stone fountain, turned themselves into eagles
again, and flew away.
Then the old man went away too, returned to the light of day, and went
home. Soon after he heard that the Princess was ill, and that the only
thing that did her good was having stories told to her. He therefore
went to the royal castle, obtained an audience of the Princess, and told
her about the strange things he had seen in the underground palace. No
sooner had he finished than the Princess asked him whether he could find
the way to that palace.
'Yes,' he answered, 'certainly.'
And now she desired him to guide her thither at once. The old man did
so, and when they came to the palace he hid her behind the great picture
and advised her to keep quite still, and he placed himself behind the
picture also. Presently the eagles came flying in, and changed
themselves into young men, and in a moment the Princess recognised her
husband amongst them all, and tried to come out of her hiding-place; but
the old man held her back. The youths seated themselves at the table;
and now the Prince said again, while he took up the cup of wine:
'A health to my dearest lady,
Long may she live and well!
But a curse on the cruel mother
That burnt my golden shell!'
Then the Princess could restrain herself no longer, but ran forward and
threw her arms round her husband. And immediately he knew her again,
and said:
'Do you remember how I told you that day that you would betray me? Now
you see that I spoke the truth. But all that bad time is past. Now
listen to me: I must still remain enchanted for three months. Will you
stay here with me till that time is over?'
So the Princess stayed with him, and said to the old man, 'Go back to
the castle and tell my parents that I am staying here.'
Her parents were very much vexed when the old man came back and told
them this, but as soon as the three months of the Prince's enchantment
were over, he ceased to be an eagle and became once more a man, and they
returned home together. And then they lived happily, and we who hear
the story are happier still.
*THE 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 came at last to the iron
case. 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 someone 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 wild wood if I had not come to an iron
stove, to whom 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.'
[Illustration: The iron stove]
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 out, and had to scrape for four-and-twenty 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-bye 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 towards the light. She
came to a little old house with a great deal of grass growing round, 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.
Then 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
bid 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 plough-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 plough-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 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 it was not a
dress for a serving-maid. Then she said she would not sell it unless she
was granted one favour--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.'
[Illustration: 'Then she reached the three cutting swords, and got on
her plough-wheel and rolled over them.']
'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 into
his 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 wild wood 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 wild wood, and from an iron
stove,' he jumped up and said, 'You are right. You are 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 plough-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.
*THE DRAGON AND HIS GRANDMOTHER*
There was once a great war, and the King had a great many soldiers, but
he gave them so little pay that they could not live upon it. Then three
of them took counsel together and determined to desert.
One of them said to the others, 'If we are caught, we shall be hanged on
the gallows; how shall we set about it?' The other said, 'Do you see
that large cornfield there? If we were to hide ourselves in that, no
one could find us. The army cannot come into it, and to-morrow it is to
march on.'
They crept into the corn, but the army did not march on, but remained
encamped close around them. They sat for two days and two nights in the
corn, and grew so hungry that they nearly died; but if they were to
venture out, it was certain death.
They said at last, 'What use was it our deserting? We must perish here
miserably.'
Whilst they were speaking a fiery dragon came flying through the air.
It hovered near them, and asked why they were hidden there. They
answered, 'We are three soldiers, and have deserted because our pay was
so small. Now if we remain here we shall die of hunger, and if we move
out we shall be strung up on the gallows.' 'If you will serve me for
seven years,' said the Dragon, 'I will lead you through the midst of the
army so that no one shall catch you.' 'We have no choice, and must take
your offer,' said they. Then the dragon seized them in his claws, took
them through the air over the army, and set them down on the earth a
long way from it.
He gave them a little whip, saying, 'Whip and slash with this, and as
much money as you want will jump up before you. You can then live as
great lords, keep horses, and drive about in carriages. But after seven
years you are mine.' Then he put a book before them, which he made all
three of them sign. 'I will then give you a riddle,' he said; 'if you
guess it, you shall be free and out of my power.' The Dragon then flew
away, and they journeyed on with their little whip. They had as much
money as they wanted, wore grand clothes, and made their way into the
world. Wherever they went they lived in merrymaking and splendour,
drove about with horses and carriages, ate and drank, but did nothing
wrong.
[Illustration: The Dragon carries off the three soldiers.]
The time passed quickly away, and when the seven years were nearly ended
two of them grew terribly anxious and frightened, but the third made
light of it, saying, 'Don't be afraid, brothers, I wasn't born
yesterday; I will guess the riddle.'
They went into a field, sat down, and the two pulled long faces. An old
woman passed by, and asked them why they were so sad. 'Alas! what have
you to do with it? You cannot help us.' 'Who knows?' she answered.
'Only confide your trouble in me.'
Then they told her that they had become the servants of the Dragon for
seven long years, and how he had given them money as plentifully as
blackberries; but as they had signed their names they were his, unless
when the seven years had passed they could guess a riddle. The old
woman said, 'If you would help yourselves, one of you must go into the
wood, and there he will come upon a tumble-down building of rocks which
looks like a little house. He must go in, and there he will find help.'
The two melancholy ones thought, 'That won't save us!' and they remained
where they were. But the third and merry one jumped up and went into
the wood till he found the rock hut. In the hut sat a very old woman,
who was the Dragon's grandmother. She asked him how he came, and what
was his business there. He told her all that had happened, and because
she was pleased with him she took compassion on him, and said she would
help him.
She lifted up a large stone which lay over the cellar, saying, 'Hide
yourself there; you can hear all that is spoken in this room. Only sit
still and don't stir. When the dragon comes, I will ask him what the
riddle is, for he tells me everything; then listen carefully what he
answers.'
At midnight the Dragon flew in, and asked for his supper. His
grandmother laid the table, and brought out food and drink till he was
satisfied, and they ate and drank together. Then in the course of the
conversation she asked him what he had done in the day, and how many
souls he had conquered.
'I haven't had much luck to-day,' he said, 'but I have a tight hold on
three soldiers.'
'Indeed! three soldiers!' said she. 'Who cannot escape you?'
'They are mine,' answered the Dragon scornfully, 'for I shall only give
them one riddle which they will never be able to guess.'
'What sort of a riddle is it?' she asked.
'I will tell you this. In the North Sea lies a dead sea-cat--that shall
be their roast meat; and the rib of a whale--that shall be their silver
spoon; and the hollow foot of a dead horse--that shall be their
wineglass.'
When the Dragon had gone to bed, his old grandmother pulled up the stone
and let out the soldier.
'Did you pay attention to everything?'
'Yes,' he replied, 'I know enough, and can help myself splendidly.'
Then he went by another way through the window secretly, and in all
haste back to his comrades. He told them how the Dragon had been
outwitted by his grandmother, and how he had heard from his own lips the
answer to the riddle.
Then they were all delighted and in high spirits, took out their whip,
and cracked so much money that it came jumping up from the ground. When
the seven years had quite gone, the Fiend came with his book, and,
pointing at the signatures, said, 'I will take you underground with me;
you shall have a meal there. If you can tell me what you will get for
your roast meat, you shall be free, and shall also keep the whip.'
Then said the first soldier, 'In the North Sea lies a dead sea-cat; that
shall be the roast meat.'
[Illustration: The Fiend defeated.]
The Dragon was much annoyed, and hummed and hawed a good deal, and asked
the second, 'But what shall be your spoon?'
'The rib of a whale shall be our silver spoon.'
The Dragon made a face, and growled again three times, 'Hum, hum, hum,'
and said to the third, 'Do you know what your wineglass shall be?'
'An old horse's hoof shall be our wineglass.'
Then the Dragon flew away with a loud shriek, and had no more power over
them. But the three soldiers took the little whip, whipped as much
money as they wanted, and lived happily to their lives' end.
*THE DONKEY CABBAGE*
There was once a young Hunter who went boldly into the forest. He had a
merry and light heart, and as he went whistling along there came an ugly
old woman, who said to him, 'Good-day, dear hunter! You are very merry
and contented, but I suffer hunger and thirst, so give me a trifle.'
The Hunter was sorry for the poor old woman, and he felt in his pocket
and gave her all he could spare. He was going on then, but the old
woman stopped him and said, 'Listen, dear hunter, to what I say.
Because of your kind heart I will make you a present. Go on your way,
and in a short time you will come to a tree on which sit nine birds who
have a cloak in their claws and are quarrelling over it. Then take aim
with your gun and shoot in the middle of them; they will let the cloak
fall, but one of the birds will be hit and will drop down dead. Take the
cloak with you; it is a wishing-cloak, and when you throw it on your
shoulders you have only to wish yourself at a certain place, and in the
twinkling of an eye you are there. Take the heart out of the dead bird
and swallow it whole, and early every morning when you get up you will
find a gold piece under your pillow.'
The Hunter thanked the wise woman, and thought to himself, 'These are
splendid things she has promised me, if only they come to pass!' So he
walked on about a hundred yards, and then he heard above him in the
branches such a screaming and chirping that he looked up, and there he
saw a heap of birds tearing a cloth with their beaks and feet,
shrieking, tugging, and fighting, as if each wanted it for himself.
'Well,' said the Hunter, 'this is wonderful! It is just as the old
woman said'; and he took his gun on his shoulder, pulled the trigger,
and shot into the midst of them, so that their feathers flew about. Then
the flock took flight with much screaming, but one fell dead, and the
cloak fluttered down. Then the Hunter did as the old woman had told him:
he cut open the bird, found its heart, swallowed it, and took the cloak
home with him. The next morning when he awoke he remembered the promise,
and wanted to see if it had come true. But when he lifted up his
pillow, there sparkled the gold piece, and the next morning he found
another, and so on every time he got up. He collected a heap of gold,
but at last he thought to himself, 'What good is all my gold to me if I
stay at home? I will travel and look a bit about me in the world.' So
he took leave of his parents, slung his hunting knapsack and his gun
round him, and journeyed into the world.
It happened that one day he went through a thick wood, and when he came
to the end of it there lay in the plain before him a large castle. At
one of the windows in it stood an old woman with a most beautiful maiden
by her side, looking out. But the old woman was a witch, and she said
to the girl, 'There comes one out of the wood who has a wonderful
treasure in his body which we must manage to possess ourselves of,
darling daughter; we have more right to it than he. He has a bird's
heart in him, and so every morning there lies a gold piece under his
pillow.'
She told her how they could get hold of it, and how she was to coax it
from him, and at last threatened her angrily, saying, 'And if you do not
obey me, you shall repent it!'
When the Hunter came nearer he saw the maiden, and said to himself, 'I
have travelled so far now that I will rest, and turn into this beautiful
castle; money I have in plenty.' But the real reason was that he had
caught sight of the lovely face.
He went into the house, and was kindly received and hospitably
entertained. It was not long before he was so much in love with the
witch-maiden that he thought of nothing else, and only looked in her
eyes, and whatever she wanted, that he gladly did. Then the old witch
said, 'Now we must have the bird-heart; he will not feel when it is
gone.' She prepared a drink, and when it was ready she poured it in a
goblet and gave it to the maiden, who had to hand it to the Hunter.
'Drink to me now, my dearest,' she said. Then he took the goblet, and
when he had swallowed the drink the bird-heart came out of his mouth.
The maiden had to get hold of it secretly and then swallow it herself,
for the old witch wanted to have it. Thenceforward he found no more
gold under his pillow, and it lay under the maiden's; but he was so much
in love and so much bewitched that he thought of nothing except spending
all his time with the maiden.
[Illustration: THE MAIDEN OBTAINS THE BIRD-HEART]
Then the old witch said, 'We have the bird-heart, but we must also get
the wishing-cloak from him.'
The maiden answered, 'We will leave him that; he has already lost his
wealth!'
The old witch grew angry, and said, 'Such a cloak is a wonderful thing,
it is seldom to be had in the world, and have it I must and will.' She
beat the maiden, and said that if she did not obey it would go ill with
her.
So she did her mother's bidding, and, standing one day by the window,
she looked away into the far distance as if she were very sad.
'Why are you standing there looking so sad?' asked the Hunter.
'Alas, my love,' she replied, 'over there lies the granite mountain
where the costly precious stones grow. I have a great longing to go
there, so that when I think of it I am very sad. For who can fetch
them? Only the birds who fly; a man, never.'
'If you have no other trouble,' said the Hunter, 'that one I can easily
remove from your heart.'
So he wrapped her round in his cloak and wished themselves to the
granite mountain, and in an instant there they were, sitting on it! The
precious stones sparkled so brightly on all sides that it was a pleasure
to see them, and they collected the most beautiful and costly together.
But now the old witch had through her witchcraft caused the Hunter's
eyes to become heavy.
He said to the maiden, 'We will sit down for a little while and rest; I
am so tired that I can hardly stand on my feet.'
So they sat down, and he laid his head on her lap and fell asleep. As
soon as he was sound asleep she unfastened the cloak from his shoulders,
threw it on her own, left the granite and stones, and wished herself
home again.
But when the Hunter had finished his sleep and awoke, he found that his
love had betrayed him and left him alone on the wild mountain. 'Oh,'
said he, 'why is faithlessness so great in the world?' and he sat down
in sorrow and trouble, not knowing what to do.
But the mountain belonged to fierce and huge giants, who lived on it and
traded there, and he had not sat long before he saw three of them
striding towards him. So he lay down as if he had fallen into a deep
sleep.
The giants came up, and the first pushed him with his foot, and said,
'What sort of an earthworm is that?'