"O, only a little. My fast has hardly been broken," said the cat. "I
have had no more than a dish of mush and a little pot of fat and the man
in the house and the woman in the stable and the bell-cow at the manger
and the leaf-sweeper in the orchard and the weasel on the stone-pile and
the squirrel in the hazel-bush and the fox, the sly-boots, and the
hopping hare and the wild wolf, and I'm thinking over whether I ought
not to eat you up as well," said she, and seized the little bear and ate
him up.
When the cat had gone a bit further, she met the mother bear, who was
clawing at the tree-stems so that the bark flew, so angry was she to
have lost her little one.
"Good-day, you biting mother bear," said the cat.
"Good-day, cat! Have you had anything to eat yet to-day?" said the
mother bear.
"O, only a little. My fast has hardly been broken," said the cat. "I
have had no more than a dish of mush and a little potful of fat and the
man in the house and the woman in the stable and the bell-cow at the
manger and the leaf-sweeper in the orchard and the weasel on the
stone-pile and the squirrel in the hazel-bush and the fox, the
sly-boots, and the hopping hare and the wild wolf and the little bear
brown-coat, and I'm thinking over whether I ought not to eat you as
well," said she, and seized the mother bear and ate her, too.
When the cat had gone on a little further, she met the bear himself.
"Good-day, Bruin Good-fellow," said she.
"Good-day, cat! Have you had anything to eat yet to-day?" asked the
bear.
"O, only a little. My fast has hardly been broken," said the cat. "I
have had no more than a dish of mush and a little potful of fat and the
man in the house and the woman in the stable and the bell-cow at the
manger and the leaf-sweeper in the orchard and the weasel in the
stone-pile and the squirrel in the hazel-bush and the fox, the
sly-boots, and the hopping hare and the wild wolf and the little bear
brown-coat and the biting mother bear, and now I'm thinking over whether
I ought not to eat you as well," said she, and she seized the bear and
ate him up, too.
Then the cat went far and farther than far, until she came into the
parish. And there she met a bridal party on the road.
"Good-day, bridal party on the road," said the cat.
"Good-day, cat! Have you had anything to eat yet to-day?"
"O, only a little. My fast is hardly broken," said the cat. "I have had
no more than a dish of mush and a little potful of fat and the man in
the house and the woman in the stable and the bell-cow at the manger and
the leaf-sweeper in the orchard and the weasel on the stone-pile and the
squirrel in the hazel-bush and the fox, the sly-boots, and the hopping
hare and the wild wolf and the little bear brown-coat and the biting
mother bear and bruin good-fellow and now I'm thinking whether I ought
not to eat you up as well," said she, and she pounced on the whole
bridal party, and ate it up, with the cook, the musicians, the horses
and all.
When she had gone a bit farther, she came to the church. And there she
met a funeral procession.
"Good-day, funeral procession at the church," said the cat.
"Good-day, cat! Have you had anything to eat yet to-day?" said the
funeral procession.
"O, only a little. My fast has hardly been broken," said the cat. "I
have had no more than a dish of mush and a little potful of fat and
the man in the house and the woman in the stable and the bell-cow at
the manger and the leaf-sweeper in the orchard and the weasel on the
stone-pile and the squirrel in the hazel-bush and the fox, the
sly-boots, and the hopping hare and the wild wolf and little bear
brown-coat and the biting mother bear and bruin good-fellow and the
bridal party on the road, and now I'm thinking over whether I ought
not to eat you up as well," said she, and pounced on the funeral
procession, and ate up corpse and procession.
When the cat had swallowed it all, she went straight on up to the sky,
and when she had gone far and farther than far, she met the moon in a
cloud.
"Good-day, moon in a cloud," said the cat.
"Good-day, cat! Have you had anything to eat yet to-day?" said the moon.
"O, only a little. My fast has hardly been broken," said the cat. "I
have had no more than a dish of mush and a little potful of fat and the
man in the house and the woman in the stable and the bell-cow at the
manger and the leaf-sweeper in the orchard and the weasel on the
stone-pile and the squirrel in the hazel-bush and the fox, the
sly-boots, and the wild wolf and little bear brown-coat and the biting
mother bear and bruin good-fellow and the bridal party on the road and
the funeral procession at the church, and now I'm thinking over whether
I ought not to eat you up as well," said she, and pounced on the moon
and ate him up, half and full.
Then the cat went far and farther than far, and met the sun.
"Good morning, cat! Have you had anything to eat yet to-day?" said the
sun.
"O, only a little," said the cat. "I have had no more than a dish of
mush and a little potful of fat and the man in the house and the woman
in the stable and the bell-cow at the manger and the leaf-sweeper in the
orchard and the weasel on the stone-pile and the squirrel in the
hazel-bush and the fox, the sly-boots, and the hopping hare and the wild
wolf and little bear brown-coat and the biting mother bear and bruin
good-fellow and the bridal party on the road and the funeral procession
at the church and the moon in a cloud, and now I'm thinking over whether
I ought not to eat you up as well," said she, and pounced on the sun in
the sky and ate him up.
Then the cat went far and farther than far, until she came to a bridge,
and there she met a large billy-goat.
"Good morning, billy-goat on the broad bridge," said the cat.
"Good morning, cat! Have you had anything to eat yet to-day?" said the
goat.
"O, only a little. My fast has hardly been broken," said the cat. "I had
no more than a dish of mush and a little potful of fat and the man in
the house and the woman in the stable and the bell-cow at the manger and
the leaf-sweeper in the orchard and the weasel on the stone-pile and the
squirrel in the hazel-bush and the fox, the sly-boots, and the hopping
hare and the wild wolf and little bear brown-coat and the biting mother
bear and bruin good-fellow and the bridal party on the road and the
funeral procession at the church and the moon in a cloud and the sun in
the sky, and now I'm thinking over whether I ought not to eat you up as
well," said she.
"We'll fight about that first of all," said the goat, and butted the cat
with his horns so that she rolled off the bridge, and fell into the
water, and there she burst.
Then they all crawled out, and each went to his own place, all whom the
cat had eaten up, and were every one of them as lively as before, the
man in the house and the woman in the stable and the bell-cow at the
manger and the leaf-sweeper in the orchard and the weasel on the
stone-pile and the squirrel in the hazel-bush and the fox, the
sly-boots, and the hopping hare and the wild wolf and little bear
brown-coat and the biting mother bear and bruin good-fellow and the
bridal party on the road and the funeral procession at the church and
the moon in a cloud and the sun in the sky.
NOTE
A real nursery fairy-tale is that of "The Cat Who Could Eat So
Much" (Asbjoernsen, N.F.E., No. 102, p. 222. From Gudbrandsdal). It
may be a survival from the time when it was believed that the sun
and moon in the sky were devoured by a monster when they were
obscured by a passing cloud.
XXII
EAST OF THE SUN AND WEST OF THE MOON
Once upon a time there was a poor tenant farmer who had a number of
children whom he could feed but poorly, and had to clothe in the
scantiest way. They were all handsome; but the most beautiful, after
all, was the youngest daughter, for she was beautiful beyond all
telling.
Now it happened that one Thursday evening late in the fall there was a
terrible storm raging outside. It was pitch dark, and it rained and
stormed so that the house shook in every joint. The whole family sat
around the hearth, and each was busy with some work or other. Suddenly
there were three loud knocks on the window-pane. The man went out to see
who was there, and when he stepped outside, there stood a great white
bear.
"Good evening," said the white bear.
"Good evening," returned the man.
"If you'll give me your youngest daughter, I will make you just as rich
as now you are poor," said the bear.
The man was not ill-pleased that he was to become so rich; yet he did
think that first he ought to speak to his daughter about it. So he went
in again, and said that there was a white bear outside, who had promised
to make him just as rich as he was poor now, if he could only have the
youngest daughter for his bride. But the girl said no, and would not
hear of it. Then the man went back to the bear again, and they both
agreed that the white bear should return again the following Thursday
and get his answer. In the meantime, however, the parents worked upon
their daughter, and talked at length about all the riches they would
gain, and how well she herself would fare. So at last she agreed, washed
and mended the few poor clothes she had, adorned herself as well as she
could, and made ready to travel. And what she was given to take along
with her is not worth mentioning, either.
The following Thursday the white bear came to fetch his bride. The girl
seated herself on his back with her bundle, and then he trotted off.
After they had gone a good way, the white bear asked: "Are you afraid?"
"No, not at all," she answered.
"Just keep a tight hold on my fur, and then you will be in no danger,"
said the bear. So she rode on the bear's back, far, far away, until at
last they came to a great rock. There the bear knocked, and at once
a door opened through which they entered a great castle, with many
brilliantly lighted rooms, where everything gleamed with gold and
silver. Then they came into a great hall, and there stood a table
completely covered with the most splendid dishes. Here the white bear
gave the maiden a silver bell, and said that if there were anything she
wanted, she need only ring the bell, and she should have it at once.
And after the maiden had eaten, and evening came on, she felt like lying
down and going to sleep. So she rang her bell; and at its very first
peal she found herself transported to a room in which stood the most
beautiful bed one might wish to have, with silken cushions and curtains
with golden tassels; and all that was in the room was of gold and
silver. Yet when she had lain down and put out the light, she saw a man
come in and cast himself down in a corner. It was the white bear, who
was allowed to throw off his fur at night; yet the maiden never actually
saw him, for he never came until she had put out the light, and before
dawn brightened he had disappeared again.
For a time all went well; but gradually the maiden grew sad and silent;
for she had not a soul to keep her company the live-long day, and she
felt very homesick for her parents and sisters. When the white bear
asked her what troubled her, she told him she was always alone, and that
she wanted so very much to see her parents and sisters again, and felt
very sad because she could not do so. "O that can be managed," said the
white bear. "But first you must promise me that you will never speak to
your mother alone; but only when others are present. Very likely she
will take you by the hand, and want to lead you into her room, so that
she can speak to you alone. But this you must not allow, otherwise you
will make us both unhappy."
And then, one Sunday, the white bear actually came and told her that now
she might make the trip to her parents. So she seated herself on the
bear's back, and the bear set out. After they had gone a very long
distance, they at length came to a fine, large, white house, before
which her brothers and sisters were running about and playing, and all
was so rich and splendid that it was a real pleasure merely to look at
it.
"This is where your parents live," said the white bear. "Only do not
forget what I told you, or you will make us both unhappy." Heaven forbid
that she should forget it, said the maiden; and when she had come to the
house, she got down, and the bear turned back.
When the daughter entered her parents' home, they were more than happy;
they told her that they could not thank her enough for what she had
done, and that now all of them were doing splendidly. Then they asked
her how she herself fared. The maiden answered that all was well with
her, also, and that she had all that heart could desire. I do not know
exactly all the other things she told them; but I do not believe she
told them every last thing there was to tell. So in the afternoon, when
the family had eaten dinner, it happened as the white bear had foretold;
the mother wanted to talk to her daughter alone, in her room; but she
thought of what the white bear had told her, and did not want to go with
her mother, but said:
"All we have to say to each other can just as well be said here."
Yet--she herself did not know exactly how it happened--her mother
finally did persuade her, and then she had to tell just how things
were. So she informed her that as soon as she put out the light at
night, a man came and cast himself down in the corner of the room.
She had never yet seen him, for he always went away before the dawn
brightened. And this grieved her, for she did want to see him so very
much, and she was alone through the day, and it was very dreary and
lonely.
"Alas, perhaps he is a troll, after all," said the mother. "But I
can give you some good advice as to how you can see him. Here is a
candle-end, which you must hide under your wimple. When the troll is
sleeping, light the light and look at him. But be careful not to let
a drop of tallow fall on him."
The daughter took the candle-end and hid it in her wimple, and in the
evening the white bear came to fetch her.
After they had gone a way the white bear asked whether everything had
not happened just as he had said. Yes, such had been the case, and the
maiden could not deny it.
"If you have listened to your mother's advice, then you will make us
both unhappy, and all will be over between us," said the bear. "O, no,
she had not done so," replied the maiden, indeed she had not.
When they reached home, and the maiden had gone to bed, all went as
usual: a man came in and cast himself down in a corner of the room. But
in the night, when she heard him sleeping soundly, she stood up and
lighted the candle. She threw the light on him, and saw the handsomest
prince one might wish to see. And she liked him so exceedingly well
that she thought she would be unable to keep on living if she could not
kiss him that very minute. She did so, but by mistake she let three hot
drops of tallow fall on him, and he awoke.
"Alas, what have you done!" cried he. "Now you have made both of us
unhappy. If you had only held out until the end of the year, I would
have been delivered. I have a step-mother who has cast a spell on me, so
that by day I am a bear, and at night a human being. But now all is over
between us, and I must return to my step-mother. She lives in a castle
that is east of the sun and west of the moon, where there is a princess
with a nose three yards long, whom I must now marry."
The maiden wept and wailed; but to no avail, for the prince said he must
journey away. Then she asked him whether she might not go with him. No,
said he, that could not be.
"But can you not at least tell me the road, so that I can search for
you. For surely that will be permitted me?"
"Yes, that you may do," said he. "But there is no road that leads there.
The castle lies east of the sun and west of the moon, and neither now
nor at any other time will you find the road to it!"
When the maiden awoke the next morning, the prince as well as the castle
had disappeared. She lay in a green opening in the midst of a thick,
dark wood, and beside her lay the bundle of poor belongings she had
brought from home. And when she had rubbed the sleep out of her eyes,
and had cried her fill, she set out and wandered many, many days, until
at last she came to a great hill. And before the hill sat an old woman
who was playing with a golden apple. The maiden asked the woman whether
she did not know which road led to the prince who lived in the castle
that was east of the sun and west of the moon, and who was to marry a
princess with a nose three yards long.
"How do you come to know him?" asked the woman. "Are you, perhaps, the
maiden he wanted to marry?"
"Yes, I am that maiden," she replied.
"So you are that girl," said the woman. "Well, my child, I am sorry to
say that all I know of him is that he lives in the castle that is east
of the sun and west of the moon, and that you will probably never
get there. But I will loan you my horse, on which you may ride to my
neighbor, and perhaps she can tell you. And when you get there just give
the horse a blow back of his left ear, and order him to go home. And
here, take this golden apple along!"
The maiden mounted the horse, and rode a long, long time. At length she
again came to a hill, before which sat an old woman with a golden reel.
The maiden asked whether she could not tell her the road which led to
the castle that lay east of the sun and west of the moon. This woman
said just what the other had, no, she knew no more of the castle than
that it lay east of the sun and west of the moon. "And," said she, "you
will probably never get there. But I will loan you my horse to ride
to the nearest neighbor; perhaps she can tell you. And when you have
reached her just give the horse a blow back of his left ear, and order
him to go home again." And finally she gave the maiden the golden reel,
for, said the old woman, it might be useful to her.
The maiden then mounted the horse, and again rode a long, long time. At
length she once more came to a great hill, before which sat an old woman
spinning at a golden spindle. Then the maiden once more asked after the
prince, and the castle that lay east of the sun and west of the moon.
And everything happened exactly as on the two previous occasions.
"Do you happen to be the maiden the prince wanted to marry?" asked the
old woman.
"Yes, I am that maiden," answered the maiden.
But this old woman knew no more about the road than the two others.
"Yes, the castle lies east of the sun and west of the moon, that I
know," said she. "And you will probably never get there. But I will
loan you my horse, and you may ride on it to the East Wind and ask him.
Perhaps he is acquainted there, and can blow you thither. And when you
reach him, just give my horse a blow back of the left ear, and then he
will return here of his own accord." Finally the old woman gave her her
golden spindle. "Perhaps it may be useful to you," said she.
The maiden now rode for many days and weeks, and it took a long, long
time before she came to the East Wind. But at last she did find him, and
then she asked the East Wind whether he could show her the road that led
to the prince who lived in the castle that was east of the sun and west
of the moon.
O, yes, he had heard tell of the prince, and of the castle as well, said
the East Wind, but he did not know the road that led to it, for he had
never blown so far. "But if you wish, I will take you to my brother, the
West Wind, and perhaps he can tell you, for he is much stronger than I
am. Just sit down on my back, and I will carry you to him."
The maiden did as he told her, and then they moved swiftly away. When
they came to the West Wind, the East Wind said that here he was bringing
the maiden whom the prince who lived in the castle that lay east of the
sun and west of the moon had wanted to marry, that she was journeying
on her way to him, and looking for him everywhere, and that he had
accompanied her in order to find out whether the West Wind knew where
this castle might be.
"No," said the West Wind to the maiden, "I have never blown so far, but
if you wish I will take you to the South Wind, who is much stronger than
both of us, and has traveled far and wide, and perhaps he can tell you.
Seat yourself on my back, and I will carry you to him."
The maiden did so, and then they flew quickly off to the South Wind.
When they found him, the West Wind asked whether the South Wind could
show them the road that led to the castle that lay east of the sun and
west of the moon; and that this was the maiden who was to have the
prince.
"Well, well, so this is the girl?" cried the South Wind. "Yes, it is
true that I have gone about a good deal during my life," said he, "yet I
have never blown so far. But if you wish, I will take you to my brother,
the North Wind. He is the oldest and strongest of us all. If he does not
know where the castle lies, then no one in the whole world can tell you.
Seat yourself on my back, and I will carry you to him."
The maiden seated herself on the back of the South Wind, and he flew
away with a roar and a rush. The journey did not take long.
When they had reached the dwelling of the North Wind, the latter was so
wild and unmannerly that he blew a cold blast at them while they were
still a good way off. "What do you want?" cried he, as soon as he caught
sight of them, so that a cold shiver ran down their backs.
"You should not greet us so rudely," said the South Wind. "It is I, the
South Wind. And this is the maiden who wanted to marry the prince who
lives in the castle that lies east of the sun and west of the moon. She
wishes to ask you whether you have ever been there, and if you can show
her the road that leads to it; for she would like to find the prince
again."
"O, yes, I know very well where the castle lies," said the North Wind.
"I blew an aspen leaf there just once, and then I was so weary that I
could not blow at all for many a long day. But if you want to get there
above all things, and are not afraid of me, I will take you on my back,
and see whether I can blow you there."
The maiden said that she must and would get to the castle, if it were by
any means possible, and that she was not afraid, no matter how hard the
journey might be. "Very well, then you must stay here over night," said
the North Wind. "For if we are to get there to-morrow, we must have the
whole day before us."
Early the next morning the North Wind awakened the maiden. Then he
blew himself up, and made himself so large and thick that he was quite
horrible to look at, and thereupon they rushed along through the air as
though they meant to reach the end of the world at once. And everywhere
beneath them raged such a storm that forests were pulled out by the
roots, and houses torn down, and as they rushed across the sea, ships
foundered by the hundreds. Further and further they went, so far that no
one could even imagine it, and still they were flying across the sea;
but gradually the North Wind grew weary, and became weaker and weaker.
Finally he could hardly keep going, and sank lower and lower, and at
last he flew so low that the waves washed his ankles.
"Are you afraid?" asked the North Wind.
"No, not at all," answered the maiden. By now they were not far distant
from the land, and the North Wind had just enough strength left to be
able to set down the maiden on the strand, beneath the windows of the
castle that lay east of the sun and west of the moon. And then he was so
wearied and wretched that he had to rest many a long day before he could
set out for home again.
The next morning the maiden seated herself beneath the windows of the
castle and played with the golden apple, and the first person who showed
herself was the monster with the nose, whom the prince was to marry.
"What do you want for your golden apple?" asked the princess with the
nose, as she opened the window.
"I will not sell it at all, either for gold or for money," answered the
maiden.
"Well, what do you want for it, if you will not sell it either for gold
or for money?" asked the princess. "Ask what you will!"
"I only want to speak to-night to the prince who lives here, then I will
give you the apple," said the maiden who had come with the North Wind.
The princess replied that this could be arranged, and then she received
the golden apple. But when the maiden came into the prince's room in the
evening, he was sleeping soundly. She called and shook him, wept and
wailed; but she could not wake him, and in the morning, as soon as it
dawned, the princess with the long nose came and drove her out.