Once on a time there was a fisherman who lived close by a palace, and
fished for the _King's_ table. One day when he was out fishing he just
caught nothing. Do what he would--however he tried with bait and
angle--there was never a sprat on his hook. But when the day was far
spent a head bobbed up out of the water, and said:
"If I may have what your wife bears under her girdle, you shall catch
fish enough."
So the man answered boldly, "Yes;" for he did not know that his wife
was going to have a child. After that, as was like enough, he caught
plenty of fish of all kinds. But when he got home at night and told
his story, how he had got all that fish, his wife fell a-weeping and
moaning, and was beside herself for the promise which her husband had
made, for she said, "I bear a babe under my girdle."
Well, the story soon spread, and came up to the castle; and when the
_King_ heard the woman's grief and its cause, he sent down to say he
would take care of the child, and see if he couldn't save it.
So the months went on and on, and when her time came the fisher's wife
had a boy; so the king took it at once, and brought it up as his own
son, until the lad grew up. Then he begged leave one day to go out
fishing with his father; he had such a mind to go, he said. At first
the _King_ wouldn't hear of it, but at last the lad had his way, and
went. So he and his father were out the whole day, and all went right
and well till they landed at night. Then the lad remembered he had
left his handkerchief, and went to look for it; but as soon as ever he
got into the boat, it began to move off with him at such speed that
the water roared under the bow, and all the lad could do in rowing
against it with the oars was no use; so he went and went the whole
night, and at last he came to a white strand, far far away.
There he went ashore, and when he had walked about a bit, an old, old
man met him, with a long white beard.
"What's the name of this land?" asked the lad.
"Whiteland," said the man, who went on to ask the lad whence he came,
and what he was going to do. So the lad told him all.
[Illustration: "You'll come to three Princesses, whom you will see
standing in the earth up to their necks, with only their heads out."]
"Aye, aye!" said the man; "now when you have walked a little farther
along the strand here, you'll come to three _Princesses_, whom you
will see standing in the earth up to their necks, with only their
heads out. Then the first--she is the eldest--will call out and beg
you so prettily to come and help her; and the second will do the same;
to neither of these shall you go; make haste past them, as if you
neither saw nor heard anything. But the third you shall go to, and do
what she asks. If you do this, you'll have good luck--that's all."
When the lad came to the first _Princess_, she called out to him, and
begged him so prettily to come to her, but he passed on as though he
saw her not. In the same way he passed by the second; but to the third
he went straight up.
"If you'll do what I bid you," she said, "you may have which of us you
please."
"Yes;" he was willing enough; so she told him how three _Trolls_ had
set them down in the earth there; but before they had lived in the
castle up among the trees.
"Now," she said, "you must go into that castle, and let the _Trolls_
whip you each one night for each of us. If you can bear that, you'll
set us free."
Well, the lad said he was ready to try.
"When you go in," the _Princess_ went on to say, "you'll see two lions
standing at the gate; but if you'll only go right in the middle
between them they'll do you no harm. Then go straight on into a little
dark room, and make your bed. Then the _Troll_ will come to whip you;
but if you take the flask which hangs on the wall, and rub yourself
with the ointment that's in it, wherever his lash falls, you'll be as
sound as ever. Then grasp the sword that hangs by the side of the
flask and strike the _Troll_ dead."
Yes, he did as the _Princess_ told him; he passed in the midst between
the lions, as if he hadn't seen them, and went straight into the
little room, and there he lay down to sleep. The first night there
came a _Troll_ with three heads and three rods, and whipped the lad
soundly; but he stood it till the _Troll_ was done; then he took the
flask and rubbed himself, and grasped the sword and slew the _Troll_.
So, when he went out next morning, the _Princesses_ stood out of the
earth up to their waists.
The next night 'twas the same story over again, only this time the
_Troll_ had six heads and six rods, and he whipped him far worse than
the first; but when he went out next morning, the _Princesses_ stood
out of the earth as far as the knee.
The third night there came a _Troll_ that had nine heads and nine
rods, and he whipped and flogged the lad so long that he fainted away;
then the _Troll_ took him up and dashed him against the wall; but the
shock brought down the flask, which fell on the lad, burst, and
spilled the ointment all over him, and so he became as strong and
sound as ever again. Then he wasn't slow; he grasped the sword and
slew the _Troll_; and next morning when he went out of the castle the
_Princesses_ stood before him with all their bodies out of the earth.
So he took the youngest for his _Queen_, and lived well and happily
with her for some time.
At last he began to long to go home for a little to see his parents.
His _Queen_ did not like this; but at last his heart was so set on it,
and he longed and longed so much, there was no holding him back, so
she said:
"One thing you must promise me. This--only to do what your father begs
you to do, and not what mother wishes;" and that he promised.
Then she gave him a ring, which was of that kind that any one who wore
it might wish two wishes. So he wished himself home, and when he got
home his parents could not wonder enough what a grand man their son
had become.
Now, when he had been at home some days, his mother wished him to go
up to the palace and show the _King_ what a fine fellow he had come
to be. But his father said:
"No! don't let him do that; if he does, we shan't have any more joy of
him this time."
But it was no good, the mother begged and prayed so long that at last
he went. So when he got up to the palace he was far braver, both in
clothes and array, than the other king, who didn't quite like this,
and at last he said:
"All very fine; but here you can see my _Queen_, what like she is, but
I can't see yours: that I can't. Do you know, I scarce think she's so
good-looking as mine."
"Would to Heaven," said the young _King_, "she were standing here,
then you'd see what she was like." And that instant there she stood
before them.
But she was very woeful, and said to him:
"Why did you not mind what I told you; and why did you not listen to
what your father said? Now, I must away home, and as for you, you have
had both your wishes."
With that she knitted a ring among his hair with her name on it, and
wished herself home, and was off.
Then the young _King_ was cut to the heart, and went, day out day in,
thinking and thinking how he should get back to his _Queen_. "I'll
just try," he thought, "if I can't learn where Whiteland lies;" and so
he went out into the world to ask. So when he had gone a good way, he
came to a high hill, and there he met one who was lord over all the
beasts of the wood, for they all came home to him when he blew his
horn; so the _King_ asked if he knew where Whiteland was.
"No, I don't," said he, "but I'll ask my beasts." Then he blew his
horn and called them, and asked if any of them knew where Whiteland
lay. But there was no beast that knew.
So the man gave him a pair of snow-shoes.
[Illustration: So the man gave him a pair of snow-shoes.]
"When you get on these," he said, "you'll come to my brother, who
lives hundreds of miles off; he is lord over all the birds of the air.
Ask him. When you reach his house, just turn the shoes so that the
toes point this way, and they'll come home of themselves." So when the
_King_ reached the house, he turned the shoes as the lord of the
beasts had said, and away they went home of themselves.
So he asked again after Whiteland, and the man called all the birds
with a blast of his horn, and asked if any of them knew where
Whiteland lay; but none of the birds knew. Now, long, long after the
rest of the birds came an old eagle, which had been away ten round
years, but he couldn't tell any more than the rest.
"Well, well," said the man, "I'll lend you a pair of snow-shoes, and,
when you get them on, they'll carry you to my brother, who lives
hundreds of miles off; he's lord of all the fish in the sea; you'd
better ask him. But don't forget to turn the toes of the shoes this
way."
The _King_ was full of thanks, got on the shoes, and when he came to
the man who was lord over the fish of the sea, he turned the toes
round, and so off they went home like the other pair. After that, he
asked again after Whiteland.
So the man called the fish with a blast, but no fish could tell where
it lay. At last came an old pike, which they had great work to call
home, he was such a way off. So when they asked him he said:
"Know it? I should think I did! I've been cook there ten years, and
to-morrow I'm going there again; for now the queen of Whiteland, whose
king is away, is going to wed another husband."
"Well!" said the man, "as this is so, I'll give you a bit of advice.
Hereabouts, on a moor, stand three brothers, and here they have stood
these hundred years, fighting about a hat, a cloak, and a pair of
boots. If any one has these three things he can make himself
invisible, and wish himself anywhere he pleases. You can tell them you
wish to try the things, and, after that, you'll pass judgment between
them, whose they shall be."
Yes! the _King_ thanked the man, and went and did as he told him.
"What's all this?" he said to the brothers. "Why do you stand here
fighting for ever and a day? Just let me try these things, and I'll
give judgment whose they shall be."
They were very willing to do this; but, as soon as he had got the hat,
cloak, and boots, he said:
"When we meet next time, I'll tell you my judgment," and with these
words he wished himself away.
So as he went along up in the air, he came up with the North wind.
"Whither away?" roared the North Wind.
"To Whiteland," said the _King_; and then he told him all that had
befallen him.
"Ah," said the North Wind, "you go faster than I--you do; for you can
go straight, while I have to puff and blow round every turn and
corner. But when you get there, just place yourself on the stairs by
the side of the door, and then I'll come storming in, as though I were
going to blow down the whole castle. And then when the prince, who is
to have your _Queen_, comes out to see what's the matter, just you
take him by the collar and pitch him out of doors; then I'll look
after him, and see if I can't carry him off."
[Illustration: The King went into the Castle, and at first his Queen
didn't know him, he was so wan and thin, through wandering so far and
being so woeful.]
Well, the _King_ did as the North Wind said. He took his stand on the
stairs, and when the North Wind came, storming and roaring, and took
hold of the castle wall, so that it shook again, the prince came out
to see what was the matter. But as soon as ever he came, the _King_
caught him by the collar and pitched him out of doors, and then the
North Wind caught him up and carried him off. So when there was an end
of him, the _King_ went into the castle, and at first his _Queen_
didn't know him, he was so wan and thin, through wandering so far and
being so woeful; but when he shewed her the ring, she was as glad as
glad could be; and so the rightful wedding was held, and the fame of
it spread far and wide.