The next day he goes fishing again, and (what a chance!) the same fish
came again. It asks him again to spare its life. But the man answers:
"No! My wife loaded me with abuse last evening."
The fish said to him that he would give him as much money as he wished
if he would but spare him. And our fisherman lets him go again. He
remains there again all day, but nothing comes to his hook. Again
he goes off home without anything at all. His wife is furious at
seeing that he has nothing. He gives her some money, but she was not
satisfied, and told her husband that he ought to have brought the fish.
He goes fishing again for the third time, and again the same fish
returns, and says to him, "Let me go into the water."
But our man will not let him go again; his wife had scolded him so
much last night. He must carry him home.
"Well, then, since you will carry me home, I will tell you how you
must divide me. You must give my tail to the dog, my head to the
mare, and my trunk to your wife. At the end of a certain time your
wife will bear three sons, and they will all be exactly like each
other, exactly alike. The mare will have three colts, but all three
alike, and the bitch three puppies, all exactly alike too. And if
any misfortune should happen to any of the three children, the well
which is behind the house will begin to boil."
The woman did as the fish had said, and she gave birth to three
wonderfully fine boys, who were all exactly, exactly alike, and
the mare had three colts exactly alike, and the bitch three puppies
exactly alike too.
When these children grew big, one of them said to his parents that
he wished to go from country to country to see the world. His parents
did not wish it. But he had such a desire that at last they gave him
leave. He takes a horse and a dog, extraordinarily large and handsome,
a sword also, [85] and off he starts. He goes on, and on, very,
very far. He comes to a city and goes to an inn. They were lamenting
loudly there, and everybody was sad. [86] He asks, "What is it?" They
tell him how that a serpent with seven heads lived in the mountain,
and that every day they drew lots to know who should go to him,
because he must eat one person every day; and that to-day the lot
has fallen on the king's daughter, and that everyone was in mourning,
and that the next day this princess must go very early to the mountain.
Our young man takes his horse, his dog, and his sword, and starts off
before the princess. He keeps himself hidden until the princess was
alone at the top. Then our lad comes out, and the princess says to him:
"Where do you come from here? Go down quickly, else you will be eaten
as well as I. It is quite enough for one (to die)."
And she entreats him to go down, but our lad will not. He wishes to try
if he can do anything. At the same moment they hear a shrill hissing,
and with that the serpent comes. The lad says to the dog:
"Do your duty."
And the dog leaps upon the serpent and holds him. He takes his sword
and cuts off his seven heads as best he can. When he has done that
he takes the seven tongues out of the seven heads and puts them in
his pocket. This princess had on seven robes, each more beautiful
than the others, and he cuts seven pieces out of them severally. The
princess does not know what to do to thank him. She wishes to take
the lad home with her, but he will not go. And he returns to the inn.
The king proclaims that the man who has killed the serpent has gained
the half of his kingdom, and his daughter; that he should make himself
known. Our lad does not show himself at all, but a charcoal-burner [87]
passing by on the mountain found the seven heads. He presents himself
before the king as if he had killed the serpent. But the princess does
not recognise him, and says that it is not he who has saved her. But
as no one else came the marriage was about to be celebrated, when the
princess pointed out to her father from a distance her rescuer. The
king would not believe her. But they send and fetch him, and tell
the charcoal-burner to show the seven heads of the serpent, and he
shows them with great boldness. Our young man tells him to open their
mouths. He does so, and the mouths had no tongues. Then he who had
killed the serpent shows the seven tongues, and the seven pieces of
the princess' robes, and they were all convinced that he had killed
the serpent; and they burned the charcoal-burner alive in the middle
of the market-place.
Our young man marries the princess, and they had many and great
rejoicings because he had delivered all the world from the terrible
serpent. In the evening, when they retired to their chamber, the
wife knelt down to say her prayers, and the husband went and looked
out of the window, and he saw by the moonlight a magnificent castle,
[88] which he had never seen before.
He asks his wife:
"What is that?"
His wife says to him:
"Nobody goes to that castle, for they who go there never return." [89]
The husband said to her that he must go there. His wife did not
wish it, but he had such a desire to do so that he takes his horse,
his dog, and his sword, and goes off. He looks round and round (the
castle), but he cannot find the door. At last he finds a little door
half hidden, very small. He knocks. An old woman comes to him, and
asks him what he wants.
He says, "I have seen this castle so beautiful outside, that I am
anxious to see the inside."
She shows him in. He sees a table splendidly laid out. There was
nothing that there was not on the table. This woman invites him
to take something. He says that he does not want anything, but she
insists so much that he ends by taking something. As soon as he has
eaten the first mouthful he becomes a terrible monster, and by no
means could he get out of that house.
The water begins to boil at home, as the fish had said. All those
in the house are grieved because some misfortune has happened to the
son. One of the brothers at home said that he would immediately set
out to the help of his brother. Those at home are very sorry, but they
let him go. He takes a horse and a dog. The father and mother give him
all the money that they can give him, and he starts off. He goes on,
and on, and on, and, as was fated, [90] he comes to the same inn as
his brother. There they recognise him. They inform the king that the
gentleman is at the house, because he had had a search made for him
through all the neighbourhood. They come and fetch him out of his
corner, and he lets them do as they wish. A great supper was made,
and he goes off with the princess. As before, the princess knelt down
to pray. The young man goes to look out of the window, and sees this
palace. He asks her what this beautiful castle is. She says to him:
"You do not know what takes place there! They who go there never
return."
He says that he will start off directly. His wife asks him if he will
return to that castle as before. "Do not go, I pray you."
But nothing could have stopped him, and off he goes with his horse
and his dog. Like the other brother, he goes wandering round and round
the house without finding the door. At last he sees a very little door
half hidden. He knocks at it, and the old woman comes and says to him:
"What do you want?"
"I have seen the outside of this castle, and I wish to see the inside."
She tells him to come in. He leaves his horse and his dog outside,
and he sees a table splendidly set out; one could not mention anything
that was wanting, there was something of everything. She tells him to
eat something. He did not wish to, but at last he takes something,
(so little, that it was) almost nothing. At the first mouthful he
becomes a terrible monster, and cannot in any way get out.
The water at home begins to boil, and they know that some misfortune
has happened to him.
The third brother said that he must set out as quickly as possible. The
parents did not wish it, but he said to them:
"Perhaps I shall save them; let me go."
They give him as much money as they can. He takes a horse and a dog,
and off he starts. He goes on, and on, and on. He also goes to the
same inn as his other brothers. He is recognised immediately, and
the king is informed that this young gentleman is there. He sends
to fetch him immediately, and makes great feastings and rejoicings,
thinking that it is always the same as their first young gentleman. In
the evening he is conducted to the princess. The princess kneels down
to say her evening prayers, and her husband, wishing to see a little
more of the festival, placed himself at the window. He also sees the
beautiful castle. He asks his wife:
"What is this beautiful house?"
She says to him, "What! You! Do not you know what it is? No one returns
from there. You know yourself what happens there, since you have been
there yourself."