There was once a King’s son, who was no longer content to stay at home
in his father’s house, and as he had no fear of anything, he thought,
“I will go forth into the wide world, there the time will not seem long
to me, and I shall see wonders enough.” So he took leave of his
parents, and went forth, and on and on from morning till night, and
whichever way his path led it was the same to him. It came to pass that
he got to the house of a giant, and as he was so tired he sat down by
the door and rested. And as he let his eyes roam here and there, he saw
the giant’s playthings lying in the yard. These were a couple of
enormous balls, and nine-pins as tall as a man. After a while he had a
fancy to set the nine-pins up and then rolled the balls at them, and
screamed and cried out when the nine-pins fell, and had a merry time of
it. The giant heard the noise, stretched his head out of the window,
and saw a man who was not taller than other men, and yet played with
his nine-pins. “Little worm,” cried he, “why art thou playing with my
balls? Who gave thee strength to do it?” The King’s son looked up, saw
the giant, and said, “Oh, thou blockhead, thou thinkest indeed that
thou only hast strong arms, I can do everything I want to do.” The
giant came down and watched the bowling with great admiration, and
said, “Child of man, if thou art one of that kind, go and bring me an
apple of the tree of life.” “What dost thou want with it?” said the
King’s son. “I do not want the apple for myself,” answered the giant,
“but I have a betrothed bride who wishes for it. I have travelled far
about the world and cannot find the tree.” “I will soon find it,” said
the King’s son, “and I do not know what is to prevent me from getting
the apple down.” The giant said, “Thou really believest it to be so
easy! The garden in which the tree stands is surrounded by an iron
railing, and in front of the railing lie wild beasts, each close to the
other, and they keep watch and let no man go in.” “They will be sure to
let me in,” said the King’s son. “Yes, but even if thou dost get into
the garden, and seest the apple hanging to the tree, it is still not
thine; a ring hangs in front of it, through which any one who wants to
reach the apple and break it off, must put his hand, and no one has yet
had the luck to do it.” “That luck will be mine,” said the King’s son.
Then he took leave of the giant, and went forth over mountain and
valley, and through plains and forests, until at length he came to the
wondrous garden.
The beasts lay round about it, but they had put their heads down and
were asleep. Moreover, they did not awake when he went up to them, so
he stepped over them, climbed the fence, and got safely into the
garden. There, in the very middle of it, stood the tree of life, and
the red apples were shining upon the branches. He climbed up the trunk
to the top, and as he was about to reach out for an apple, he saw a
ring hanging before it; but he thrust his hand through that without any
difficulty, and gathered the apple. The ring closed tightly on his arm,
and all at once he felt a prodigious strength flowing through his
veins. When he had come down again from the tree with the apple, he
would not climb over the fence, but grasped the great gate, and had no
need to shake it more than once before it sprang open with a loud
crash. Then he went out, and the lion which had been lying down before,
was awake and sprang after him, not in rage and fierceness, but
following him humbly as its master.
The King’s son took the giant the apple he had promised him, and said,
“Seest thou, I have brought it without difficulty.” The giant was glad
that his desire had been so soon satisfied, hastened to his bride, and
gave her the apple for which she had wished. She was a beautiful and
wise maiden, and as she did not see the ring on his arm, she said, “I
shall never believe that thou hast brought the apple, until I see the
ring on thine arm.” The giant said, “I have nothing to do but go home
and fetch it,” and thought it would be easy to take away by force from
the weak man, what he would not give of his own free will. He therefore
demanded the ring from him, but the King’s son refused it. “Where the
apple is, the ring must be also,” said the giant; “if thou wilt not
give it of thine own accord, thou must fight with me for it.”
They wrestled with each other for a long time, but the giant could not
get the better of the King’s son, who was strengthened by the magical
power of the ring. Then the giant thought of a stratagem, and said, “I
have got warm with fighting, and so hast thou. We will bathe in the
river, and cool ourselves before we begin again.” The King’s son, who
knew nothing of falsehood, went with him to the water, and pulled off
with his clothes the ring also from his arm, and sprang into the river.
The giant instantly snatched the ring, and ran away with it, but the
lion, which had observed the theft, pursued the giant, tore the ring
out of his hand, and brought it back to its master. Then the giant
placed himself behind an oak-tree, and while the King’s son was busy
putting on his clothes again, surprised him, and put both his eyes out.
And now the unhappy King’s son stood there, and was blind and knew not
how to help himself. Then the giant came back to him, took him by the
hand as if he were someone who wanted to guide him, and led him to the
top of a high rock. There he left him standing, and thought, “Just two
steps more, and he will fall down and kill himself, and I can take the
ring from him.” But the faithful lion had not deserted its master; it
held him fast by the clothes, and drew him gradually back again. When
the giant came and wanted to rob the dead man, he saw that his cunning
had been in vain. “Is there no way, then, of destroying a weak child of
man like that?” said he angrily to himself, and seized the King’s son
and led him back again to the precipice by another way, but the lion
which saw his evil design, helped its master out of danger here also.
When they had got close to the edge, the giant let the blind man’s hand
drop, and was going to leave him behind alone, but the lion pushed the
giant so that he was thrown down and fell, dashed to pieces, on the
ground.
The faithful animal again drew its master back from the precipice, and
guided him to a tree by which flowed a clear brook. The King’s son sat
down there, but the lion lay down, and sprinkled the water in his face
with its paws. Scarcely had a couple of drops wetted the sockets of his
eyes, than he was once more able to see something, and remarked a
little bird flying quite close by, which wounded itself against the
trunk of a tree. On this it went down to the water and bathed itself
therein, and then it soared upwards and swept between the trees without
touching them, as if it had recovered its sight again. Then the King’s
son recognized a sign from God and stooped down to the water, and
washed and bathed his face in it. And when he arose he had his eyes
once more, brighter and clearer than they had ever been.
The King’s son thanked God for his great mercy, and travelled with his
lion onwards through the world. And it came to pass that he arrived
before a castle which was enchanted. In the gateway stood a maiden of
beautiful form and fine face, but she was quite black. She spoke to him
and said, “Ah, if thou couldst but deliver me from the evil spell which
is thrown over me.” “What shall I do?” said the King’s son. The maiden
answered, “Thou must pass three nights in the great hall of this
enchanted castle, but thou must let no fear enter thy heart. When they
are doing their worst to torment thee, if thou bearest it without
letting a sound escape thee, I shall be free. Thy life they dare not
take.” Then said the King’s son, “I have no fear; with God’s help I
will try it.” So he went gaily into the castle, and when it grew dark
he seated himself in the large hall and waited. Everything was quiet,
however, till midnight, when all at once a great tumult began, and out
of every hole and corner came little devils. They behaved as if they
did not see him, seated themselves in the middle of the room, lighted a
fire, and began to gamble. When one of them lost, he said, “It is not
right; some one is here who does not belong to us; it is his fault that
I am losing.” “Wait, you fellow behind the stove, I am coming,” said
another. The screaming became still louder, so that no one could have
heard it without terror. The King’s son stayed sitting quite quietly,
and was not afraid; but at last the devils jumped up from the ground,
and fell on him, and there were so many of them that he could not
defend himself from them. They dragged him about on the floor, pinched
him, pricked him, beat him, and tormented him, but no sound escaped
from him. Towards morning they disappeared, and he was so exhausted
that he could scarcely move his limbs, but when day dawned the black
maiden came to him. She bore in her hand a little bottle wherein was
the water of life wherewith she washed him, and he at once felt all
pain depart and new strength flow through his veins. She said, “Thou
hast held out successfully for one night, but two more lie before
thee.” Then she went away again, and as she was going, he observed that
her feet had become white. The next night the devils came and began
their gambols anew. They fell on the King’s son, and beat him much more
severely than the night before, until his body was covered with wounds.
But as he bore all quietly, they were forced to leave him, and when
dawn appeared, the maiden came and healed him with the water of life.
And when she went away, he saw with joy that she had already become
white to the tips of her fingers. And now he had only one night more to
go through, but it was the worst. The hob-goblins came again: “Art thou
there still?” cried they, “thou shalt be tormented till thy breath
stops.” They pricked him and beat him, and threw him here and there,
and pulled him by the arms and legs as if they wanted to tear him to
pieces, but he bore everything, and never uttered a cry. At last the
devils vanished, but he lay fainting there, and did not stir, nor could
he raise his eyes to look at the maiden who came in, and sprinkled and
bathed him with the water of life. But suddenly he was freed from all
pain, and felt fresh and healthy as if he had awakened from sleep, and
when he opened his eyes he saw the maiden standing by him, snow-white,
and fair as day. “Rise,” said she, “and swing thy sword three times
over the stairs, and then all will be delivered.” And when he had done
that, the whole castle was released from enchantment, and the maiden
was a rich King’s daughter. The servants came and said that the table
was already set in the great hall, and dinner served up. Then they sat
down and ate and drank together, and in the evening the wedding was
solemnized with great rejoicings.