There was once an old woman called “Nancy Fairy”. She was a witch, and
used to steal all the little babies as soon as they were born, and eat
them. One day she stole a little baby, who was so beautiful that she
had not the heart to eat her; but she took her home and brought her up.
She called her “daughter”, named her “Nancy Fairy”, after herself, and
the girl called the old woman “Granny”.
So the girl grew up, and the more she grew the more beautiful she got.
The old woman never let her daughter know of her doings; but one day
when she had brought a baby home, and had locked herself in a room, her
daughter peeped through a chink to see what she was about, and the old
woman saw her shadow, and thought her daughter had seen what she was
doing, and the daughter thought her granny had seen her, and was very
much afraid.
So the old woman asked her, “Nancy Fairy, did you see what I was
doing?”
“No, Granny.”
She asked the girl several times, “Nancy Fairy, did you see what I was
doing?” and the girl always said, “No, Granny.”
So the old woman took her up to a hut in a wood, and left her there as
a punishment; and she took her food every day.
One day it happened that the king’s servant, going that way, saw the
beautiful girl come out of the hut. Next day he went again and saw the
same beautiful girl again. So he went home and told the prince that he
could show him in the wood a girl more beautiful than he had ever seen.
The prince went and saw the girl, and then sent a band of soldiers to
fetch her home, and took her for his bride.
A year after she had a baby. Soldiers were set to keep guard at the
gate, and the room was full of nurses; but in the middle of the night
the old woman came in a whirlwind and put them all to sleep. She stole
the child, and on going away gave the mother a slap on the mouth which
made her dumb.
Next morning there was a great stir, and they said the mother had eaten
the child. There was a trial, but the mother was let off that time.
Next year she had another baby, and the same thing happened again. The
old woman came in the middle of the night in a whirlwind, and put them
all to sleep. She stole the child, and struck the mother on the mouth,
which made it bleed.
In the morning there was a stir; and the servant maid, who was jealous,
said the mother had eaten the child. All believed it, as her mouth was
covered with blood; and, besides, what would be expected of a girl
brought out of the wood? So she was tried again, and condemned to be
hanged.
Invitations were sent out to all the grand folk to come and see her
hanged; so many fine carriages came driving up. At last, just before
the time, there came a very grand carriage, all of gold, which
glistened in the sun. In it were the old woman and two children,
dressed in fine clothes, with the king’s star on them. When the queen
saw this grand carriage she got her speech and sung,
“Do spare me till I see that grand carriage.”
The old woman came into the courtyard, and asked the people if they saw
any likeness to any one in the children. They said, “they were like the
prince”, and asked her how she came by them, and told her she had
stolen them. She said she had not stolen them; she had taken them, for
they were her own; the prince had taken away her daughter without her
leave, and so she had taken his children; but she was willing to give
them back, if they would allow that she was right.
So they consented, and the old woman made the prince and his queen a
present of the grand carriage, and so they lived happily. The old woman
was allowed to come and see the children whenever she liked. But the
servant girl, who said the queen had eaten her babies, was hanged.
“THE DANCING GANG”
A water carrier once went to the river to fetch water. She dipped in
her calabash, and brought out a cray-fish. The cray-fish began beating
his claws on the calabash, and played such a beautiful tune, that the
girl began dancing, and could not stop.
The driver of the gang wondered why she did not come, and sent another
to see after her. When she came, she too began to dance. So the driver
sent another, who also began to dance when she heard the music and the
cray-fish singing:
Vaitsi, Vaitsi, O sulli Van.
Stay for us, stay for us, how long will you stay for us?
Then the driver sent another and another, till he had sent the whole
gang.
At last he went himself, and when he found the whole gang dancing, he
too began to dance; and they all danced till night, when the cray-fish
went back into the water; and if they haven’t done dancing, they are
dancing still.