you must go to the devil, and fetch me his tribute," said he to the
king's son. "When you have done that, you may rest for the remainder of
the time, for you have come to a kind master, and you might as well know
it," and with that he went off. "You may be a kind master," said the
king's son; "yet you hand over some pretty mean jobs to me in spite of
it, but I think I'll look after your Master Girl a bit. You claim that
she belongs to you, but perhaps, in spite of it, she may tell me what to
do," and with that he went in to her. And when the Master Girl asked him
what the giant had given him to do that day, he told her he must go to
the devil and fetch a tribute. "But how will you go about it?" asked the
Master Girl. "You will have to tell me that," said the king's son, "for
I have never been to the devil's place, and even though I knew the way
there, I still would not know how much to ask for." "I will tell you
what you must do," said the Master Girl. "You must go to the rock behind
the pasture, and take the club that is lying there, and strike the rock
with it. Then one will come out whose eyes flash fire, and you must tell
him your business. And if he asks how much you want, you must tell him
as much as you can carry." He would take good note of it, said the
king's son, and he sat there with the Master Girl all day long until
evening, and he might be sitting there yet, if the Master Girl had not
reminded him that he must still go to the devil about the tribute before
the giant came home. So he set out, and did exactly as the Master Girl
had told him: he went to the rock, took the club and beat against it.
Then one came out from whose eyes and nose the sparks flew. "What do you
want?" he asked. "The giant has sent me to fetch his tribute," said the
king's son. "How much do you want?" the other again inquired. "I never
ask for more than I can carry," was the reply of the king's son. "It is
lucky for you that you did not ask for a whole ton at once," said the
one on the hill. "But come in with me, and wait a while." This the
king's son did, and saw a great deal of gold and silver lying in the
hill like dead rock in an ore-pile. Then as much as he could carry was
packed up, and with it he went his way. When the giant came home in
the evening with his goats, the king's son was running about the room,
whistling and singing as on the two preceding evenings. "Did you go to
the devil for the tribute?" asked the giant. "Yes, indeed, master," said
the king's son. "Where did you put it?" asked the giant again. "I stood
the sack of gold outside on the bench," was the reply. "I must see that
at once," said the giant, and went over to the bench. But the sack was
really standing there, and it was so full that the gold and silver
rolled right out when the giant loosened the string. "You surely must
have spoken to my Master Girl," said the giant. "If that is the case I
will tear your head off." "With your Master Girl?" said the king's
son. "Yesterday master talked about that Master Girl, and to-day he is
talking about her again, and the day before yesterday he talked about
her, too! I only wish that I might get the chance to see her sometime!"
said he. "Well, just wait until to-morrow," said the giant, "and then I
will lead you to her myself," he said. "A thousand thanks, master," said
the king's son, "but I think you are only joking!" The following day the
giant took him to the Master Girl.
"Now you must slaughter him, and cook him in the big kettle, you know
which one I mean. And when the soup is ready, you can call me," said the
giant, and he lay down on the bench to sleep, and at once began to snore
so that the hills shook. Then the Master Girl took a knife, and cut the
youth's little finger, and let three drops of blood fall on the bench.
Then she took all the old rags, and old shoes and other rubbish she
could find, and threw them all into the kettle. And then she took a
chest of gold-dust, and a lick-stone, and a bottle of water that hung
over the door, and a golden apple, and two golden hens, and left the
giant's castle together with the king's son as quickly as possible.
After a time they came to the sea, and they sailed across; though where
they got the ship I do not exactly know.
Now when the giant had been sleeping quite a while, he began to stretch
himself on his bench. "Is dinner ready yet?" he asked. "Just begun!"
said the first drop of blood on the bench. Then the giant turned
around, went to sleep again, and went on sleeping for quite some time.
Then he again turned around a little. "Is dinner not ready yet?" he
said, but did not open his eyes--nor had he done so the first time--for
he was still half asleep. "It is half ready!" called out the second drop
of blood, and then the giant thought it was the Master Girl. He turned
around on the bench and took another nap. After he had slept a couple of
hours longer, he once more began to move about and stretch: "Is dinner
still not ready?" said he. "Ready!" answered the third drop of blood.
The giant sat up and rubbed his eyes. But he could not see who had
called him, and so he called out to the Master Girl. But no one answered
him. "O, I suppose she has gone out for a little," thought the giant,
and he dipped his spoon in the kettle to try the dinner; but there was
nothing but leather soles and rags and like rubbish cooked together, and
he did not know whether it were mush or porridge. When he noticed this
he began to see a light, and realize how matters had come to pass, and
he grew so angry that he hardly knew what to do, and made after the
king's son and the Master Girl in flying haste. In a short time he came
to the sea, and could not cross. "But I know how to help myself," said
he. "I will fetch my sea-sucker." So the sea-sucker came, and lay down
and took two or three swallows, and thus lowered the water so that the
giant could see the king's son and the Master Girl out on the ship. "Now
you must throw the lick-stone overboard," said the Master Girl, and the
king's son did so. It turned into a tremendous large rock square across
the sea, and the giant could not get over, and the sea-sucker could
drink up no more of the sea. "I know quite well what I must do," said
the giant. "I must now fetch my hill-borer." So the hill-borer came, and
bored a hole through the rock, so the sea-sucker could get through and
keep on sucking. But no sooner were they thus far than the Master Girl
told the king's son to pour a drop or so of the bottle overboard, and
the sea grew so full that they had landed before the sea-sucker could so
much as take a single swallow.
Now they wanted to go home to the father of the king's son; but he would
not hear of the Master Girl's going afoot, since he did not think this
fitting for either of them. "Wait here a little while, until I fetch the
seven horses that stand in my father's stable," said the king's son. "It
is not far, and I will soon be back; for I will not have my bride come
marching home afoot." "No, do not do so, for when you get home to the
castle you will forget me, I know that positively," said the Master
Girl. "How could I forget you?" said the king's son. "We have passed
through so many hardships together, and we love each other so dearly,"
said he. He wanted to fetch the coach and seven horses at all costs, and
she was to wait by the seashore. So at last the Master Girl had to give
in.
"But when you get there, you must not take time to greet a single
person. You must at once go to the stable, harness the horses, and drive
back as swiftly as you can. They will all come to meet you, but you
must act as though you did not see them, and must not take a single bite
to eat. If you do not do that, you will make both of us unhappy," said
she. And he promised to do as she had said.
But when he got home to the castle, one of his brothers was just getting
married, and the bride and all the guests were already there. They all
crowded around him and asked him this, and asked him that, and wanted to
lead him in. But he acted as though he saw none of them, led out the
horses, and began to put them to the coach. And since they could by no
manner of means induce him to come into the castle, they came out with
food and drink, and offered him the best of all that had been prepared
for the wedding feast.
But the king's son would taste nothing, and only made haste in order to
get away. Yet, finally, the bride's sister rolled an apple over to him
across the court-yard: "And if you will touch nothing else, then at
least you might take a bite of the apple, for you must be hungry and
thirsty after your long journey," said she, and he took the apple and
bit into it. But no sooner did he have the bit of apple in his mouth
than he had forgotten the Master Girl, and that he was to fetch her.
"I think I must be going mad! What am I doing with the horses and the
coach?" he said, and he led back the horses into the stable, and went
back to the castle, and wanted to marry the bride's sister, the one who
had thrown him the apple.
In the meantime the Master Girl sat by the seashore, and waited and
waited; but no king's son came. Then she went on, and after she had gone
a while, she came to a little hut that lay all by itself in the forest,
near the king's castle. She went in and asked whether she might not
stay there. Now the little hut belonged to an old woman, and she was an
arrant and evil witch; at first she did not want to take in the Master
Girl at all; but at last she agreed to do so for love of money. But the
whole hut was as dark and dirty as a pig-sty; therefore the Master Girl
said she would clean up a bit, so that things would look as they did in
other, decent people's houses. The old woman would have none of it, and
was very disagreeable and angry; but the Master Girl paid no attention
to her. She took the chest of gold dust, and threw a handful into the
fire, so that a ray of gold shone over the whole hut, and it was gilded
outside and in. But when the gold flamed up, the old woman was so
terribly frightened that she ran out as though the evil one were after
her, and from pure rage she forgot to duck at the threshold, and ran her
head against the door-post. And that was the end of her.
The following morning the bailiff came by. He was much surprised to see
the little golden hut, glittering and sparkling there in the forest, and
was still more surprised at the girl within the hut. He fell in love
with her at once, and asked her whether she would not become the
bailiff's lady. "Yes, but have you plenty of money?" said the Master
Girl. Yes, he had quite a little, said the bailiff. Then he went home
to fetch his money, and came back again at evening dragging along an
enormous sack of it, which he stood on a bench before the door. The
Master Girl said that, seeing he had so much money, she would accept
him. And then she asked him to rake the fire, which she said she had
forgotten to do. But as soon as he had the poker in his hand, the Master
Girl cried: "May God grant that you hold the poker, and the poker hold
you, and that sparks and ashes fly around you until morning!" And there
the bailiff stood the whole night through, and sparks and ashes flew
about him, nor were the sparks the less hot for all his complaining and
begging. And when morning came, and he could let go the poker, he did
not stay long; but ran off as though the evil one were at his heels. And
those who saw him stared and laughed, for he ran like a madman, and
looked as though he had been thrashed and tanned. And all would have
liked to have known where he had come from, but he said not a word, for
he was ashamed.
On the following day the clerk passed by the Master Girl's little house.
He saw it glistening and shining in the woods, and went in to find out
who lived there. When he saw the beautiful girl he fell even more deeply
in love with her than the bailiff had, and lost no time in suing for her
hand. The Master Girl asked him, as she had asked the bailiff, whether
he had plenty of money. Money he had to spare, answered the clerk, and
ran right home to fetch it. By evening he was back again with a great
sack--it must have been as much again as the bailiff had brought--and
stood it on the bench. And so she promised to take him. Then she asked
him to shut the house-door, which she said she had forgotten to do. But
when he had the door-knob in his hand, she cried: "May God grant that
you hold the door-knob and that the door-knob hold you, and that you
move back and forth with it all night long until morning!" And the clerk
had to dance the whole night through, such a waltz as he had never
tripped before, and he had no wish to repeat the experience. Sometimes
he was ahead, and sometimes the door was, and so they went back and
forth all night, from wall to post and post to wall, and he was nearly
bruised to death. First he cursed, then he wailed and pleaded; but the
door paid no attention to him, and flung open and shut until it dawned.
When it at last released him, he hurried away as quickly as though he
had stolen something, forgot his sackful of money, and his wish to
marry, and was glad that the door did not come threshing along after
him. All grinned and stared at the clerk, for he ran like a madman, and
looked worse than if a ram had been butting him all night long.
On the third day the magistrate came by, and also saw the little golden
house in the forest. And he, too, went in to see who lived in it. And
when he saw the Master Girl, he fell so deeply in love with her that he
sued for her hand as soon as he bade her good-day. But she told him just
what she had told the others, that if he had plenty of money she would
take him. He had money enough, said the magistrate, and he went straight
home to fetch it. When he came back in the evening, he had a much bigger
sack of money with him than the clerk had had, and he stood it on the
bench. Then the Master Girl said she would take him. But first she
asked him to go fetch the calf, which she had forgotten to bring to the
stable. And when he had the calf by the tail she cried: "May God grant
that you hold the calf's tail, and the calf's tail hold you, and that
you fly about the world together until morning!" And with that the
race began, over stick and stone, over hill and dale, and the more the
magistrate cursed and yelled, the more madly the calf ran away. When it
dawned there was hardly a whole bone in the magistrate's body, and he
was so happy to be able to let go the calf's tail that he forgot his bag
of money, and the whole occurrence. It is true that he went home more
slowly than the bailiff and the clerk; but the slower he went the more
time the people had to stare and grin at him, so ragged and badly beaten
did he appear after his dance with the calf.
On the following day there was to be a wedding at the castle, and not
only was the older prince to marry, but the one who had stayed with the
giant as well, and he was to get the other bride's sister.
But when they entered the coach and were about to drive to church, one
of the axles broke. They took another, and then a third, but all of them
broke, no matter what kind of wood they used. It took a great deal of
time, and they did not move from the spot, and got all out of sorts.
Then the bailiff said, for he had also been invited to the wedding at
the castle, that a maiden lived out in the forest, and "if they could
only get the loan of her poker, it would be sure to hold." So they sent
to the little house in the forest, and asked most politely whether the
maiden would not loan them the poker of which the bailiff had spoken.
And they got it, too, and then they had an axle that would not break.
But when they wanted to drive on, the bottom of the coach broke. They
made a new bottom as well as they were able, but no matter how they put
it together, nor what kind of wood they used, it kept on breaking again
as soon as they had left the court-yard. And they were worse off than
they had been with the axle. Then the clerk said--for if the bailiff was
one of the company, you may be sure they had not forgotten to invite the
clerk--"Out in the forest lives a maiden, and if you will get the loan
of her house-door, I am sure it would not break." So they sent to the
little house in the forest, and asked most politely whether the maiden
would not loan them the golden house-door, of which the clerk had told
them. And they got it, too, and were about to drive on, when suddenly
the horses could not draw the coach. There were six, so they put to
eight, and then ten and twelve, but though they put as many as they
liked to the coach and helped along with the whip, still the coach would
not budge. The day was already far advanced, and they simply had to get
to church, and actually began to despair. But then the magistrate said
that out in the golden house in the forest lived a maiden, "and if one
could only get the loan of her calf, it would be sure to pull the coach,
and though it were as heavy as a bowlder." They did not think it quite
the thing to drive to church with a calf; but still there was nothing to
do but to send to the maiden, and to ask her most politely, with a kind
greeting from the king, if she would loan them the calf of which the
magistrate had spoken. Nor did the Master Girl refuse them this time.
And then, when they had put the calf to the coach, it moved from the
spot quickly enough. It flew over stick and stone, hill and dale, so
that the people inside could hardly catch their breath. First it was
on the ground, and next it was in the air, and when they reached
the church, it spun around it like a top, and they had the greatest
difficulty in getting out and into the church. And going home they went
still faster, and were nearly out of their wits by the time they reached
the castle.
When they sat down to the table the king's son--the same who had been at
the giant's--said it would be no more than right to invite the maiden,
too, who had lent them the poker, and the door and the calf: "for if we
had not had these things, we should not have moved from the spot." This
seemed right to the king, so he sent five of his most distinguished
courtiers to the little golden house. They were to carry the king's
kindest greetings, and ask that the maiden come up to the castle and
take dinner with them. "A kind greeting to the king, and if he is too
good to come to me, then I am too good to go to him," said the Master
Girl. So the king had to go to her himself, and then she went along
with him at once, and the king saw very well that she was more than she
appeared to be, and gave her a place at the head of the table, next to
the young bridegroom. After they had been at dinner for a while, the
Master Girl produced the rooster and the hen and the golden apple--they
were the three things she had taken along from the giant's castle--and
placed them on the table before her. At once the rooster and the hen
began to fight for the golden apple. "Why, just see how the two fight
for the golden apple!" said the king's son. "Yes, that is how we had to
fight the time we wanted to get out of the rock!" said the Master Girl.
And then the king's son recognized her, and was very happy. The witch
who had rolled the apple over to him was duly punished, and then the
wedding really began, and the bailiff, and the clerk and the magistrate
held out to the very end, for all that their wings had been so
thoroughly singed.
NOTE
"The Master Girl" (Asbjoernsen and Moe, N.F.E., p. 222. No. 46) is
fitted out with a great wealth of interesting incident. The dream
motive of not being able to get away is most delightfully woven
into the context of the story, and the sea-sucker, whom the giant
fetches to stop the flight of the lovers, is a unique creation of
fancy.
XVI
ANENT THE GIANT WHO DID NOT HAVE HIS HEART ABOUT HIM
Once upon a time there was a king who had seven sons, and he was so fond
of them that he never could bear to have them all away from him at once,
and one of them always had to stay with him. When they had grown up, six
of them were to go forth and look for wives; but the youngest the king
wanted to keep at home, and the others were to bring along a bride for
him. The king gave the six the handsomest clothes that had ever been
seen, clothes that glittered from afar, and each received a horse that
had cost many hundred dollars, and so they set forth. And after they had
been at the courts of many kings, and had seen many princesses, they at
last came to a king who had six daughters. Such beautiful princesses
they had not as yet met with, and so each of them paid court to one of
them, and when each had won his sweetheart, they rode back home again.
But they were so deeply in love with their brides that they altogether
forgot they were also to bring back a princess for their young brother
who had stayed at home.
Now when they had already covered a good bit of the homeward road, they
passed close to a steep cliff-side where the giants dwelt. And a giant
came out, looked at them, and turned them all to stone, princes and
princesses. The king waited and waited for his six sons; but though he
waited and yearned, they did not come. Then he grew very sad, and said
that he would never really be happy again. "If I did not have you," he
told his youngest, "I would not keep on living, so sad am I at having
lost your brothers." "But I had already been thinking of asking your
permission to set out and find my brothers again," said the youngest.
"No, that I will not allow under any circumstances," answered the
father, "otherwise you will be lost to me into the bargain." But the
youth's mind was set on going, and he pleaded so long that finally the
king had to let him have his way. Now the king had only a wretched old
nag for him, since the six other princes and their suite had been given
all the good horses; but that did not worry the youngest. He mounted the
shabby old nag, and "Farewell, father!" he said to the king. "I will
surely return, and perhaps I will bring my six brothers back with me."
And with that he rode off.
Now when he had ridden a while he met a raven, who was lying in the road
beating his wings, and unable to move from the spot because he was so
starved. "O, dear friend, if you will give me a bite to eat, then I'll
help you in your hour of direst need!" cried the raven. "I have not much
food, nor are you likely to be able to help me much," said the king's
son, "but still I can give you a little, for it is easy to see you need
it." And with that he gave the raven some of the provisions he had with
him. And when he had ridden a while longer, he came to a brook, and
there lay a great salmon who had gotten on dry land, and was threshing
about, and could not get back into the water. "O, dear friend, help me
back into the water," said the salmon to the king's son, "and I will
help you, too, in your hour of greatest need!" "The help you will be
able to give me will probably not amount to much," said the prince, "but
it would be a pity if you had to lie there and pine away." And with that
he pushed the fish back into the water. Then he rode on a long, long
way, and met a wolf; and the wolf was so starved that he lay in the
middle of the road, and writhed with hunger. "Dear friend, let me eat
your horse," said the wolf. "My hunger is so great that my very inwards
rattle, because I have had nothing to eat for the past two years!" "No,"
said the prince, "I cannot do that: first I met a raven, and had to give
him my provisions; then I met a salmon and had to help him back into the
water; and now you want my horse. That will not do, for what shall I
ride on then?" "Well, my dear friend, you must help me," was the wolf's
reply. "You can ride on me. I will help you in turn in your hour of
greatest need." "The help you might give me would probably not amount to
much; but I will let you eat the horse, since you are in such sorry
case," returned the prince. And when the wolf had eaten the horse, the
prince took the bit and put it in the wolf's mouth, and fastened the
saddle on his back, and his meal had made the wolf so strong that he
trotted off with the king's son as fast as he could. He had never ridden
so swiftly before. "When we have gone a little further I will show you
the place where the giants live," said the wolf; and in a short time
they were there. "Well, this is where the giants live," said the wolf.
"There you see your six brothers, whom the giant turned into stone, and
yonder are their six brides; and up there is the door through which you
must pass." "No, I would not dare do that," said the king's son. "He
would murder me." "O no," was the wolf's reply, "when you go in you will
find a princess, and she will tell you how to set about getting rid of
the giant. You need only do as she says." And the prince went in, though
he was afraid. When he entered the house the giant was not there; but in
one of the rooms sat a princess, just as the wolf had said, and such a
beautiful maiden the youth had never seen. "Now may God help you, how
did you get in here?" cried the princess, when she saw him. "It is
certain death for you. No one can kill the giant who lives here, for he
hasn't his heart about him."
"Well, since I do happen to be here, I will at least make the attempt,"
said the prince. "And I want to try to deliver my brothers, who stand
outside, turned to stone, and I would like to save you as well."
"Well, if you insist upon it, we must see what we can do," replied
the princess. "Now you must crawl under the bed here, and must listen
carefully when I talk to the giant. But you must not make a sound." The
prince slipped under the bed, and no sooner was he there than the giant
came home. "Hu, it smells like the flesh of a Christian here!" he cried.
"Yes," said the princess, "a jackdaw flew by with a human bone, and let
it fall down the chimney. I threw it out again at once, but the odor
does not disappear so quickly." Then the giant said no more about it.
Toward evening he went to bed, but after he had lain there a while, the
princess, who sat looking out of the window, said: "There is something I
would have asked you about long ago, if only I had dared." "And what may
that be?" inquired the giant. "I would like to know where you keep your
heart, since you do not have it about you?" said the princess. "O, that
is something you need not ask about; at any rate, it lies under the
threshold of the door," was the giant's reply. "Aha," thought the prince
under the bed, "that is where we will find it!"