{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_5314/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_5314","id":"gutenberg_5314","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5314","summary":null,"tags":["Category: German Literature","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Short Stories","Fairy tales -- Germany","Harvard Classics"],"text":"Household Tales by Brothers Grimm\n\nby Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm\n\nTranslated by Margaret Hunt\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\n 1 The Frog King, or Iron Henry (Der Froschk\u00f6nig oder der eiserne Heinrich)\n 2 Cat and Mouse in Partnership (Katze und Maus in Gesellschaft)\n 3 Our Lady\u2019s Child (Marienkind)\n 4 The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was (M\u00e4rchen von einem, der auszog, das F\u00fcrchten zu lernen)\n 5 The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids (Der Wolf und die sieben jungen Gei\u00dflein)\n 6 Faithful John (Der treue Johannes)\n 7 The Good Bargain (Der gute Handel)\n 8 The Strange Musician (Der wunderliche Spielmann)\n 9 The Twelve Brothers (Die zw\u00f6lf Br\u00fcder)\n 10 The Pack of Ragamuffins (Das Lumpengesindel)\n 11 Little Brother and Little Sister (Br\u00fcderchen und Schwesterchen)\n 12 Rapunzel (Rapunzel)\n 13 The Three Little Men in the Forest (Die drei M\u00e4nnlein im Walde)\n 14 The Three Spinning Women (Die drei Spinnerinnen)\n 15 Hansel and Gretel (H\u00e4nsel und Gretel)\n 16 The Three Snake-Leaves (Die drei Schlangenbl\u00e4tter)\n 17 The White Snake (Die wei\u00dfe Schlange)\n 18 Straw, Coal, and Bean (Strohhalm, Kohle und Bohne)\n 19 The Fisherman and His Wife (Von dem Fischer un syner Fru)\n 20 The Brave Little Tailor (Das tapfere Schneiderlein)\n 21 Cinderella (Aschenputtel)\n 22 The Riddle (Das R\u00e4tsel)\n 23 The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage (Von dem M\u00e4uschen, V\u00f6gelchen und der Bratwurst)\n 24 Frau Holle (Frau Holle)\n 25 The Seven Ravens (Die sieben Raben)\n 26 Little Red-Cap (Rotk\u00e4ppchen)\n 27 The Bremen Town Musicians (Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten)\n 28 The Singing Bone (Der singende Knochen)\n 29 The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs (Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren)\n 30 Little Louse and Little Flea (L\u00e4uschen und Fl\u00f6hchen)\n 31 The Girl without Hands (Das M\u00e4dchen ohne H\u00e4nde)\n 32 Clever Hans (Der gescheite Hans)\n 33 The Three Languages (Die drei Sprachen)\n 34 Clever Elsie (Die kluge Else)\n 35 The Tailor in Heaven (Der Schneider im Himmel)\n 36 The Wishing-table, the Gold-ass, and the Cudgel in the Sack (Tischchendeckdich, Goldesel und Kn\u00fcppel aus dem Sack)\n 37 Thumbling (Daumesdick)\n 38 The Wedding of Mrs. Fox (Die Hochzeit der Frau F\u00fcchsin)\n 39 The Elves (Die Wichtelm\u00e4nner)\n 40 The Robber Bridegroom (Der R\u00e4uberbr\u00e4utigam)\n 41 Herr Korbes (Herr Korbes)\n 42 The Godfather (Der Herr Gevatter)\n 43 Frau Trude (Frau Trude)\n 44 Godfather Death (Der Gevatter Tod)\n 45 Thumbling as Journeyman [Thumbling\u2019s Travels] (Daumerlings Wanderschaft)\n 46 Fitcher\u2019s Bird [Fowler\u2019s Fowl] (Fitchers Vogel)\n 47 The Juniper-Tree (Von dem Machandelboom)\n 48 Old Sultan (Der alte Sultan)\n 49 The Six Swans (Die sechs Schw\u00e4ne)\n 50 Little Briar-Rose (Dornr\u00f6schen)\n 51 Foundling-Bird (Fundevogel)\n 52 King Thrushbeard (K\u00f6nig Drosselbart)\n 53 Little Snow-White (Sneewittchen)\n 54 The Knapsack, the Hat, and the Horn (Der Ranzen, das H\u00fctlein und das H\u00f6rnlein)\n 55 Rumpelstiltskin (Rumpelstilzchen)\n 56 Sweetheart Roland (Der Liebste Roland)\n 57 The Golden Bird (Der goldene Vogel)\n 58 The Dog and the Sparrow (Der Hund und der Sperling)\n 59 Frederick and Catherine (Der Frieder und das Catherlieschen)\n 60 The Two Brothers (Die zwei Br\u00fcder)\n 61 The Little Peasant (Das B\u00fcrle)\n 62 The Queen Bee (Die Bienenk\u00f6nigin)\n 63 The Three Feathers (Die drei Federn)\n 64 The Golden Goose (Die goldene Gans)\n 65 Allerleirauh [All-Kinds-Of-Fur] (Allerleirauh)\n 66 The Hare\u2019s Bride (H\u00e4sichenbraut)\n 67 The Twelve Huntsmen (Die zw\u00f6lf J\u00e4ger)\n 68 The Thief and His Master (De Gaudeif un sien Meester)\n 69 Jorinde and Joringel (Jorinde und Joringel)\n 70 The Three Children of Fortune (Die drei Gl\u00fcckskinder)\n 71 How Six Men Got On in the World (Sechse kommen durch die ganze Welt)\n 72 The Wolf and the Man (Der Wolf und der Mensch)\n 73 The Wolf and the Fox (Der Wolf und der Fuchs)\n 74 The Fox and His Cousin (Der Fuchs und die Frau Gevatterin)\n 75 The Fox and the Cat (Der Fuchs und die Katze)\n 76 The Pink (Die Nelke)\n 77 Clever Grethel (Das kluge Gretel)\n 78 The Old Man and His Grandson (Der alte Gro\u00dfvater und der Enkel)\n 79 The Water-Nix (Die Wassernixe)\n 80 The Death of the Little Hen (Von dem Tode des H\u00fchnchens)\n 81 Brother Lustig (Bruder Lustig)\n 82 Gambling Hansel (De Spielhansl)\n 83 Hans in Luck (Hans im Gl\u00fcck)\n 84 Hans Married (Hans heiratet)\n 85 The Gold-Children (Die Goldkinder)\n 86 The Fox and the Geese (Der Fuchs und die G\u00e4nse)\n 87 The Poor Man and the Rich Man (Der Arme und der Reiche)\n 88 The Singing, Springing Lark (Das singende springende L\u00f6weneckerchen)\n 89 The Goose-Girl (Die G\u00e4nsemagd)\n 90 The Young Giant (Der junge Riese)\n 91 The Gnome (Dat Erdm\u00e4nneken)\n 92 The King of the Golden Mountain (Der K\u00f6nig vom goldenen Berg)\n 93 The Raven (Die Rabe)\n 94 The Peasant\u2019s Clever Daughter (Die kluge Bauerntochter)\n 95 Old Hildebrand (Der alte Hildebrand)\n 96 The Three Little Birds (De drei V\u00fcgelkens)\n 97 The Water of Life (Das Wasser des Lebens)\n 98 Dr. Know-All (Doktor Allwissend)\n 99 The Spirit in the Bottle (Der Geist im Glas)\n 100 The Devil\u2019s Sooty Brother (Des Teufels ru\u00dfiger Bruder)\n 101 Bearskin (Der B\u00e4renh\u00e4uter)\n 102 The Willow-Wren and the Bear (Der Zaunk\u00f6nig und der B\u00e4r)\n 103 Sweet Porridge (Der s\u00fc\u00dfe Brei)\n 104 Wise Folks (Die klugen Leute)\n 105 Stories about Snakes (M\u00e4rchen von der Unke)\n 106 The Poor Miller\u2019s Boy and the Cat (Der arme M\u00fcllerbursch und das K\u00e4tzchen)\n 107 The Two Travellers (Die beiden Wanderer)\n 108 Hans the Hedgehog (Hans mein Igel)\n 109 The Shroud (Das Totenhemdchen)\n 110 The Jew among Thorns (Der Jude im Dorn)\n 111 The Skilful Huntsman (Der gelernte J\u00e4ger)\n 112 The Flail from Heaven (Der Dreschflegel vom Himmel)\n 113 The Two Kings\u2019 Children (De beiden K\u00fcnigeskinner)\n 114 The Cunning Little Tailor (Vom klugen Schneiderlein)\n 115 The Bright Sun Brings It to Light (Die klare Sonne bringt\u2019s an den Tag)\n 116 The Blue Light (Das blaue Licht)\n 117 The Wilful Child (Das eigensinnige Kind)\n 118 The Three Army Surgeons (Die drei Feldscherer)\n 119 The Seven Swabians (Die sieben Schwaben)\n 120 The Three Apprentices (Die drei Handwerksburschen)\n 121 The King\u2019s Son Who Feared Nothing (Der K\u00f6nigssohn, der sich vor nichts f\u00fcrchtet)\n 122 Donkey Cabbages (Der Krautesel)\n 123 The Old Woman in the Wood (Die Alte im Wald)\n 124 The Three Brothers (Die drei Br\u00fcder)\n 125 The Devil and His Grandmother (Der Teufel und seine Gro\u00dfmutter)\n 126 Ferdinand the Faithful (Ferenand getr\u00fc un Ferenand ungetr\u00fc)\n 127 The Iron Stove (Der Eisenofen)\n 128 The Lazy Spinner (Die faule Spinnerin)\n 129 The Four Skilful Brothers (Die vier kunstreichen Br\u00fcder)\n 130 One-Eye, Two-Eyes, and Three-Eyes (Ein\u00e4uglein, Zwei\u00e4uglein und Drei\u00e4uglein)\n 131 Fair Katrinelje and Pif Paf Poltrie (Die sch\u00f6ne Katrinelje und Pif Paf Poltrie)\n 132 The Fox and the Horse (Der Fuchs und das Pferd)\n 133 The Shoes that Were Danced to Pieces (Die zertanzten Schuhe)\n 134 The Six Servants (Die sechs Diener)\n 135 The White Bride and the Black One (Die wei\u00dfe und die schwarze Braut)\n 136 Iron John (Der Eisenhans)\n 137 The Three Black Princesses (De drei schwatten Prinzessinnen)\n 138 Knoist and His Three Sons (Knoist un sine dre S\u00fchne)\n 139 The Maid of Brakel (Dat M\u00e4ken von Brakel)\n 140 Domestic Servants (Das Hausgesinde)\n 141 The Lambkin and the Little Fish (Das L\u00e4mmchen und Fischchen)\n 142 Simeli Mountain (Simeliberg)\n 143 Going A-Travelling (Up Reisen gohn)\n 144 The Donkey (Das Eselein)\n 145 The Ungrateful Son (Der undankbare Sohn)\n 146 The Turnip (Die R\u00fcbe)\n 147 The Old Man Made Young Again (Das junggegl\u00fchte M\u00e4nnlein)\n 148 The Lord\u2019s Animals and the Devil\u2019s (Des Herrn und des Teufels Getier)\n 149 The Beam (Der Hahnenbalken)\n 150 The Old Beggar-Woman (Die alte Bettelfrau)\n 151 The Three Sluggards (Die drei Faulen)\n 151* The Twelve Idle Servants (Die zw\u00f6lf faulen Knechte)\n 152 The Shepherd Boy (Das Hirtenb\u00fcblein)\n 153 The Star-Money (Die Sterntaler)\n 154 The Stolen Farthings (Der gestohlene Heller)\n 155 Brides on their Trial (Die Brautschau)\n 156 Odds and Ends (Die Schlickerlinge)\n 157 The Sparrow and His Four Children (Der Sperling und seine vier Kinder)\n 158 The Story of Schlauraffen Land [The Tale of Cockaigne] (Das M\u00e4rchen vom Schlauraffenland)\n 159 The Ditmarsh Tale of Wonders (Das Diethmarsische L\u00fcgenm\u00e4rchen)\n 160 A Riddling Tale (R\u00e4tselm\u00e4rchen)\n 161 Snow-White and Rose-Red (Schneewei\u00dfchen und Rosenrot)\n 162 The Wise Servant (Der kluge Knecht)\n 163 The Glass Coffin (Der gl\u00e4serne Sarg)\n 164 Lazy Harry (Der faule Heinz)\n 165 The Griffin (Der Vogel Greif)\n 166 Strong Hans (Der starke Hans)\n 167 The Peasant in Heaven (Das B\u00fcrle im Himmel)\n 168 Lean Lisa (Die hagere Liese)\n 169 The Hut in the Forest (Das Waldhaus)\n 170 Sharing Joy and Sorrow (Lieb und Leid teilen)\n 171 The Willow-Wren (Der Zaunk\u00f6nig)\n 172 The Sole [The Flounder] (Die Scholle)\n 173 The Bittern and Hoopoe (Rohrdommel und Wiedehopf)\n 174 The Owl (Die Eule)\n 175 The Moon (Der Mond)\n 176 The Duration of Life (Die Lebenszeit)\n 177 Death\u2019s Messengers (Die Boten des Todes)\n 178 Master Pfriem (Meister Pfriem)\n 179 The Goose-Girl at the Well (Die G\u00e4nsehirtin am Brunnen)\n 180 Eve\u2019s Various Children (Die ungleichen Kinder Evas)\n 181 The Nixie of the Mill-Pond (Die Nixe im Teich)\n 182 The Little Folks\u2019 Presents (Die Geschenke des kleinen Volkes)\n 183 The Giant and the Tailor (Der Riese und der Schneider)\n 184 The Nail (Der Nagel)\n 185 The Poor Boy in the Grave (Der arme Junge im Grab)\n 186 The True Sweetheart [The True Bride] (Die wahre Braut)\n 187 The Hare and the Hedgehog (Der Hase und der Igel)\n 188 The Spindle, the Shuttle, and the Needle (Spindel, Weberschiffchen und Nadel)\n 189 The Peasant and the Devil (Der Bauer und der Teufel)\n 190 The Crumbs on the Table (Die Brosamen auf dem Tisch)\n 191 The Sea-Hare (Das Meerh\u00e4schen)\n 192 The Master Thief (Der Meisterdieb)\n 193 The Drummer (Der Trommler)\n 194 The Ear of Corn (Die Korn\u00e4hre)\n 195 The Grave Mound (Der Grabh\u00fcgel)\n 196 Old Rinkrank (Oll Rinkrank)\n 197 The Crystal Ball (Die Kristallkugel)\n 198 Maid Maleen (Jungfrau Maleen)\n 199 The Boot of Buffalo Leather (Der Stiefel von B\u00fcffelleder)\n 200 The Golden Key (Der goldene Schl\u00fcssel)\n Children\u2019s Legends\n Legend 1 St. Joseph in the Forest (Der heilige Joseph im Walde)\n Legend 2 The Twelve Apostles (Die zw\u00f6lf Apostel)\n Legend 3 The Rose (Die Rose)\n Legend 4 Poverty and Humility Lead to Heaven (Armut und Demut f\u00fchren zum Himmel)\n Legend 5 God\u2019s Food (Gottes Speise)\n Legend 6 The Three Green Twigs (Die drei gr\u00fcnen Zweige)\n Legend 7 Our Lady\u2019s Little Glass (Muttergottesgl\u00e4schen)\n Legend 8 The Aged Mother (Die alte M\u00fctterchen)\n Legend 9 The Heavenly Wedding (Die himmlische Hochzeit)\n Legend 10 The Hazel Branch (Die Haselrute)\n\n\n\n1 The Frog-King, or Iron Henry\n\nIn old times when wishing still helped one, there lived a king whose\ndaughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful that\nthe sun itself, which has seen so much, was astonished whenever it\nshone in her face. Close by the King\u2019s castle lay a great dark forest,\nand under an old lime-tree in the forest was a well, and when the day\nwas very warm, the King\u2019s child went out into the forest and sat down\nby the side of the cool fountain, and when she was dull she took a\ngolden ball, and threw it up on high and caught it, and this ball was\nher favorite plaything.\n\nNow it so happened that on one occasion the princess\u2019s golden ball did\nnot fall into the little hand which she was holding up for it, but on\nto the ground beyond, and rolled straight into the water. The King\u2019s\ndaughter followed it with her eyes, but it vanished, and the well was\ndeep, so deep that the bottom could not be seen. On this she began to\ncry, and cried louder and louder, and could not be comforted. And as\nshe thus lamented some one said to her, \u201cWhat ails thee, King\u2019s\ndaughter? Thou weepest so that even a stone would show pity.\u201d She\nlooked round to the side from whence the voice came, and saw a frog\nstretching forth its thick, ugly head from the water. \u201cAh! old\nwater-splasher, is it thou?\u201d said she; \u201cI am weeping for my golden\nball, which has fallen into the well.\u201d\n\n\u201cBe quiet, and do not weep,\u201d answered the frog, \u201cI can help thee, but\nwhat wilt thou give me if I bring thy plaything up again?\u201d \u201cWhatever\nthou wilt have, dear frog,\u201d said she\u2014\u201cMy clothes, my pearls and jewels,\nand even the golden crown which I am wearing.\u201d\n\nThe frog answered, \u201cI do not care for thy clothes, thy pearls and\njewels, or thy golden crown, but if thou wilt love me and let me be thy\ncompanion and play-fellow, and sit by thee at thy little table, and eat\noff thy little golden plate, and drink out of thy little cup, and sleep\nin thy little bed\u2014if thou wilt promise me this I will go down below,\nand bring thee thy golden ball up again.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh yes,\u201d said she, \u201cI promise thee all thou wishest, if thou wilt but\nbring me my ball back again.\u201d She, however, thought, \u201cHow the silly\nfrog does talk! He lives in the water with the other frogs, and croaks,\nand can be no companion to any human being!\u201d\n\nBut the frog when he had received this promise, put his head into the\nwater and sank down, and in a short while came swimmming up again with\nthe ball in his mouth, and threw it on the grass. The King\u2019s daughter\nwas delighted to see her pretty plaything once more, and picked it up,\nand ran away with it. \u201cWait, wait,\u201d said the frog. \u201cTake me with thee.\nI can\u2019t run as thou canst.\u201d But what did it avail him to scream his\ncroak, croak, after her, as loudly as he could? She did not listen to\nit, but ran home and soon forgot the poor frog, who was forced to go\nback into his well again.\n\nThe next day when she had seated herself at table with the King and all\nthe courtiers, and was eating from her little golden plate, something\ncame creeping splish splash, splish splash, up the marble staircase,\nand when it had got to the top, it knocked at the door and cried,\n\u201cPrincess, youngest princess, open the door for me.\u201d She ran to see who\nwas outside, but when she opened the door, there sat the frog in front\nof it. Then she slammed the door to, in great haste, sat down to dinner\nagain, and was quite frightened. The King saw plainly that her heart\nwas beating violently, and said, \u201cMy child, what art thou so afraid of?\nIs there perchance a giant outside who wants to carry thee away?\u201d \u201cAh,\nno,\u201d replied she. \u201cIt is no giant but a disgusting frog.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat does a frog want with thee?\u201d \u201cAh, dear father, yesterday as I was\nin the forest sitting by the well, playing, my golden ball fell into\nthe water. And because I cried so, the frog brought it out again for\nme, and because he so insisted, I promised him he should be my\ncompanion, but I never thought he would be able to come out of his\nwater! And now he is outside there, and wants to come in to me.\u201d\n\nIn the meantime it knocked a second time, and cried,\n\n\u201cPrincess! youngest princess!\nOpen the door for me!\nDost thou not know what thou saidst to me\nYesterday by the cool waters of the fountain?\nPrincess, youngest princess!\nOpen the door for me!\u201d\n\n\nThen said the King, \u201cThat which thou hast promised must thou perform.\nGo and let him in.\u201d She went and opened the door, and the frog hopped\nin and followed her, step by step, to her chair. There he sat and\ncried, \u201cLift me up beside thee.\u201d She delayed, until at last the King\ncommanded her to do it. When the frog was once on the chair he wanted\nto be on the table, and when he was on the table he said, \u201cNow, push\nthy little golden plate nearer to me that we may eat together.\u201d She did\nthis, but it was easy to see that she did not do it willingly. The frog\nenjoyed what he ate, but almost every mouthful she took choked her. At\nlength he said, \u201cI have eaten and am satisfied; now I am tired, carry\nme into thy little room and make thy little silken bed ready, and we\nwill both lie down and go to sleep.\u201d\n\nThe King\u2019s daughter began to cry, for she was afraid of the cold frog\nwhich she did not like to touch, and which was now to sleep in her\npretty, clean little bed. But the King grew angry and said, \u201cHe who\nhelped thee when thou wert in trouble ought not afterwards to be\ndespised by thee.\u201d So she took hold of the frog with two fingers,\ncarried him upstairs, and put him in a corner. But when she was in bed\nhe crept to her and said, \u201cI am tired, I want to sleep as well as thou,\nlift me up or I will tell thy father.\u201d Then she was terribly angry, and\ntook him up and threw him with all her might against the wall. \u201cNow,\nthou wilt be quiet, odious frog,\u201d said she. But when he fell down he\nwas no frog but a King\u2019s son with beautiful kind eyes. He by her\nfather\u2019s will was now her dear companion and husband. Then he told her\nhow he had been bewitched by a wicked witch, and how no one could have\ndelivered him from the well but herself, and that to-morrow they would\ngo together into his kingdom. Then they went to sleep, and next morning\nwhen the sun awoke them, a carriage came driving up with eight white\nhorses, which had white ostrich feathers on their heads, and were\nharnessed with golden chains, and behind stood the young King\u2019s servant\nFaithful Henry. Faithful Henry had been so unhappy when his master was\nchanged into a frog, that he had caused three iron bands to be laid\nround his heart, lest it should burst with grief and sadness. The\ncarriage was to conduct the young King into his Kingdom. Faithful Henry\nhelped them both in, and placed himself behind again, and was full of\njoy because of this deliverance. And when they had driven a part of the\nway the King\u2019s son heard a cracking behind him as if something had\nbroken. So he turned round and cried, \u201cHenry, the carriage is\nbreaking.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, master, it is not the carriage. It is a band from my heart, which\nwas put there in my great pain when you were a frog and imprisoned in\nthe well.\u201d Again and once again while they were on their way something\ncracked, and each time the King\u2019s son thought the carriage was\nbreaking; but it was only the bands which were springing from the heart\nof faithful Henry because his master was set free and was happy.\n\n\n\n2 Cat and Mouse in Partnership\n\nA certain cat had made the acquaintance of a mouse, and had said so\nmuch to her about the great love and friendship she felt for her, that\nat length the mouse agreed that they should live and keep house\ntogether. \u201cBut we must make a provision for winter, or else we shall\nsuffer from hunger,\u201d said the cat, \u201cand you, little mouse, cannot\nventure everywhere, or you will be caught in a trap some day.\u201d The good\nadvice was followed, and a pot of fat was bought, but they did not know\nwhere to put it. At length, after much consideration, the cat said, \u201cI\nknow no place where it will be better stored up than in the church, for\nno one dares take anything away from there. We will set it beneath the\naltar, and not touch it until we are really in need of it.\u201d So the pot\nwas placed in safety, but it was not long before the cat had a great\nyearning for it, and said to the mouse, \u201cI want to tell you something,\nlittle mouse; my cousin has brought a little son into the world, and\nhas asked me to be godmother; he is white with brown spots, and I am to\nhold him over the font at the christening. Let me go out to-day, and\nyou look after the house by yourself.\u201d \u201cYes, yes,\u201d answered the mouse,\n\u201cby all means go, and if you get anything very good, think of me, I\nshould like a drop of sweet red christening wine too.\u201d All this,\nhowever, was untrue; the cat had no cousin, and had not been asked to\nbe godmother. She went straight to the church, stole to the pot of fat,\nbegan to lick at it, and licked the top of the fat off. Then she took a\nwalk upon the roofs of the town, looked out for opportunities, and then\nstretched herself in the sun, and licked her lips whenever she thought\nof the pot of fat, and not until it was evening did she return home.\n\u201cWell, here you are again,\u201d said the mouse, \u201cno doubt you have had a\nmerry day.\u201d \u201cAll went off well,\u201d answered the cat. \u201cWhat name did they\ngive the child?\u201d \u201cTop off!\u201d said the cat quite coolly. \u201cTop off!\u201d cried\nthe mouse, \u201cthat is a very odd and uncommon name, is it a usual one in\nyour family?\u201d \u201cWhat does it signify,\u201d said the cat, \u201cit is no worse\nthan Crumb-stealer, as your god-children are called.\u201d\n\nBefore long the cat was seized by another fit of longing. She said to\nthe mouse, \u201cYou must do me a favour, and once more manage the house for\na day alone. I am again asked to be godmother, and, as the child has a\nwhite ring round its neck, I cannot refuse.\u201d The good mouse consented,\nbut the cat crept behind the town walls to the church, and devoured\nhalf the pot of fat. \u201cNothing ever seems so good as what one keeps to\noneself,\u201d said she, and was quite satisfied with her day\u2019s work. When\nshe went home the mouse inquired, \u201cAnd what was this child christened?\u201d\n\u201cHalf-done,\u201d answered the cat. \u201cHalf-done! What are you saying? I never\nheard the name in my life, I\u2019ll wager anything it is not in the\ncalendar!\u201d\n\nThe cat\u2019s mouth soon began to water for some more licking. \u201cAll good\nthings go in threes,\u201d said she, \u201cI am asked to stand godmother again.\nThe child is quite black, only it has white paws, but with that\nexception, it has not a single white hair on its whole body; this only\nhappens once every few years, you will let me go, won\u2019t you?\u201d \u201cTop-off!\nHalf-done!\u201d answered the mouse, \u201cthey are such odd names, they make me\nvery thoughtful.\u201d \u201cYou sit at home,\u201d said the cat, \u201cin your dark-grey\nfur coat and long tail, and are filled with fancies, that\u2019s because you\ndo not go out in the daytime.\u201d During the cat\u2019s absence the mouse\ncleaned the house, and put it in order but the greedy cat entirely\nemptied the pot of fat. \u201cWhen everything is eaten up one has some\npeace,\u201d said she to herself, and well filled and fat she did not return\nhome till night. The mouse at once asked what name had been given to\nthe third child. \u201cIt will not please you more than the others,\u201d said\nthe cat. \u201cHe is called All-gone.\u201d \u201cAll-gone,\u201d cried the mouse, \u201cthat is\nthe most suspicious name of all! I have never seen it in print.\nAll-gone; what can that mean?\u201d and she shook her head, curled herself\nup, and lay down to sleep.\n\nFrom this time forth no one invited the cat to be god-mother, but when\nthe winter had come and there was no longer anything to be found\noutside, the mouse thought of their provision, and said, \u201cCome cat, we\nwill go to our pot of fat which we have stored up for ourselves\u2014we\nshall enjoy that.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d answered the cat, \u201cyou will enjoy it as much\nas you would enjoy sticking that dainty tongue of yours out of the\nwindow.\u201d They set out on their way, but when they arrived, the pot of\nfat certainly was still in its place, but it was empty. \u201cAlas!\u201d said\nthe mouse, \u201cnow I see what has happened, now it comes to light! You are\na true friend! You have devoured all when you were standing godmother.\nFirst top off, then half done, then\u2014.\u201d \u201cWill you hold your tongue,\u201d\ncried the cat, \u201cone word more and I will eat you too.\u201d \u201cAll gone\u201d was\nalready on the poor mouse\u2019s lips; scarcely had she spoken it before the\ncat sprang on her, seized her, and swallowed her down. Verily, that is\nthe way of the world.\n\n\n\n3 Our Lady\u2019s Child\n\nHard by a great forest dwelt a wood-cutter with his wife, who had an\nonly child, a little girl three years old. They were so poor, however,\nthat they no longer had daily bread, and did not know how to get food\nfor her. One morning the wood-cutter went out sorrowfully to his work\nin the forest, and while he was cutting wood, suddenly there stood\nbefore him a tall and beautiful woman with a crown of shining stars on\nher head, who said to him, \u201cI am the Virgin Mary, mother of the child\nJesus. Thou art poor and needy, bring thy child to me, I will take her\nwith me and be her mother, and care for her.\u201d The wood-cutter obeyed,\nbrought his child, and gave her to the Virgin Mary, who took her up to\nheaven with her. There the child fared well, ate sugar-cakes, and drank\nsweet milk, and her clothes were of gold, and the little angels played\nwith her. And when she was fourteen years of age, the Virgin Mary\ncalled her one day and said, \u201cDear child, I am about to make a long\njourney, so take into thy keeping the keys of the thirteen doors of\nheaven. Twelve of these thou mayest open, and behold the glory which is\nwithin them, but the thirteenth, to which this little key belongs, is\nforbidden thee. Beware of opening it, or thou wilt bring misery on\nthyself.\u201d The girl promised to be obedient, and when the Virgin Mary\nwas gone, she began to examine the dwellings of the kingdom of heaven.\nEach day she opened one of them, until she had made the round of the\ntwelve. In each of them sat one of the Apostles in the midst of a great\nlight, and she rejoiced in all the magnificence and splendour, and the\nlittle angels who always accompanied her rejoiced with her. Then the\nforbidden door alone remained, and she felt a great desire to know what\ncould be hidden behind it, and said to the angels, \u201cI will not quite\nopen it, and I will not go inside it, but I will unlock it so that we\ncan just see a little through the opening.\u201d \u201cOh no,\u201d said the little\nangels, \u201cthat would be a sin. The Virgin Mary has forbidden it, and it\nmight easily cause thy unhappiness.\u201d Then she was silent, but the\ndesire in her heart was not stilled, but gnawed there and tormented\nher, and let her have no rest. And once when the angels had all gone\nout, she thought, \u201cNow I am quite alone, and I could peep in. If I do\nit, no one will ever know.\u201d She sought out the key, and when she had\ngot it in her hand, she put it in the lock, and when she had put it in,\nshe turned it round as well. Then the door sprang open, and she saw\nthere the Trinity sitting in fire and splendour. She stayed there\nawhile, and looked at everything in amazement; then she touched the\nlight a little with her finger, and her finger became quite golden.\nImmediately a great fear fell on her. She shut the door violently, and\nran away. Her terror too would not quit her, let her do what she might,\nand her heart beat continually and would not be still; the gold too\nstayed on her finger, and would not go away, let her rub it and wash it\nnever so much.\n\nIt was not long before the Virgin Mary came back from her journey. She\ncalled the girl before her, and asked to have the keys of heaven back.\nWhen the maiden gave her the bunch, the Virgin looked into her eyes and\nsaid, \u201cHast thou not opened the thirteenth door also?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d she\nreplied. Then she laid her hand on the girl\u2019s heart, and felt how it\nbeat and beat, and saw right well that she had disobeyed her order and\nhad opened the door. Then she said once again, \u201cArt thou certain that\nthou hast not done it?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said the girl, for the second time. Then\nshe perceived the finger which had become golden from touching the fire\nof heaven, and saw well that the child had sinned, and said for the\nthird time \u201cHast thou not done it?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said the girl for the third\ntime. Then said the Virgin Mary, \u201cThou hast not obeyed me, and besides\nthat thou hast lied, thou art no longer worthy to be in heaven.\u201d\n\nThen the girl fell into a deep sleep, and when she awoke she lay on the\nearth below, and in the midst of a wilderness. She wanted to cry out,\nbut she could bring forth no sound. She sprang up and wanted to run\naway, but whithersoever she turned herself, she was continually held\nback by thick hedges of thorns through which she could not break. In\nthe desert, in which she was imprisoned, there stood an old hollow\ntree, and this had to be her dwelling-place. Into this she crept when\nnight came, and here she slept. Here, too, she found a shelter from\nstorm and rain, but it was a miserable life, and bitterly did she weep\nwhen she remembered how happy she had been in heaven, and how the\nangels had played with her. Roots and wild berries were her only food,\nand for these she sought as far as she could go. In the autumn she\npicked up the fallen nuts and leaves, and carried them into the hole.\nThe nuts were her food in winter, and when snow and ice came, she crept\namongst the leaves like a poor little animal that she might not freeze.\nBefore long her clothes were all torn, and one bit of them after\nanother fell off her. As soon, however, as the sun shone warm again,\nshe went out and sat in front of the tree, and her long hair covered\nher on all sides like a mantle. Thus she sat year after year, and felt\nthe pain and the misery of the world. One day, when the trees were once\nmore clothed in fresh green, the King of the country was hunting in the\nforest, and followed a roe, and as it had fled into the thicket which\nshut in this part of the forest, he got off his horse, tore the bushes\nasunder, and cut himself a path with his sword. When he had at last\nforced his way through, he saw a wonderfully beautiful maiden sitting\nunder the tree; and she sat there and was entirely covered with her\ngolden hair down to her very feet. He stood still and looked at her\nfull of surprise, then he spoke to her and said, \u201cWho art thou? Why art\nthou sitting here in the wilderness?\u201d But she gave no answer, for she\ncould not open her mouth. The King continued, \u201cWilt thou go with me to\nmy castle?\u201d Then she just nodded her head a little. The King took her\nin his arms, carried her to his horse, and rode home with her, and when\nhe reached the royal castle he caused her to be dressed in beautiful\ngarments, and gave her all things in abundance. Although she could not\nspeak, she was still so beautiful and charming that he began to love\nher with all his heart, and it was not long before he married her.\n\nAfter a year or so had passed, the Queen brought a son into the world.\nThereupon the Virgin Mary appeared to her in the night when she lay in\nher bed alone, and said, \u201cIf thou wilt tell the truth and confess that\nthou didst unlock the forbidden door, I will open thy mouth and give\nthee back thy speech, but if thou perseverest in thy sin, and deniest\nobstinately, I will take thy new-born child away with me.\u201d Then the\nqueen was permitted to answer, but she remained hard, and said, \u201cNo, I\ndid not open the forbidden door;\u201d and the Virgin Mary took the new-born\nchild from her arms, and vanished with it. Next morning when the child\nwas not to be found, it was whispered among the people that the Queen\nwas a man-eater, and had killed her own child. She heard all this and\ncould say nothing to the contrary, but the King would not believe it,\nfor he loved her so much.\n\nWhen a year had gone by the Queen again bore a son, and in the night\nthe Virgin Mary again came to her, and said, \u201cIf thou wilt confess that\nthou openedst the forbidden door, I will give thee thy child back and\nuntie thy tongue; but if you continuest in sin and deniest it, I will\ntake away with me this new child also.\u201d Then the Queen again said, \u201cNo,\nI did not open the forbidden door;\u201d and the Virgin took the child out\nof her arms, and away with her to heaven. Next morning, when this child\nalso had disappeared, the people declared quite loudly that the Queen\nhad devoured it, and the King\u2019s councillors demanded that she should be\nbrought to justice. The King, however, loved her so dearly that he\nwould not believe it, and commanded the councillors under pain of death\nnot to say any more about it.\n\nThe following year the Queen gave birth to a beautiful little daughter,\nand for the third time the Virgin Mary appeared to her in the night and\nsaid, \u201cFollow me.\u201d She took the Queen by the hand and led her to\nheaven, and showed her there her two eldest children, who smiled at\nher, and were playing with the ball of the world. When the Queen\nrejoiced thereat, the Virgin Mary said, \u201cIs thy heart not yet softened?\nIf thou wilt own that thou openedst the forbidden door, I will give\nthee back thy two little sons.\u201d But for the third time the Queen\nanswered, \u201cNo, I did not open the forbidden door.\u201d Then the Virgin let\nher sink down to earth once more, and took from her likewise her third\nchild.\n\nNext morning, when the loss was reported abroad, all the people cried\nloudly, \u201cThe Queen is a man-eater. She must be judged,\u201d and the King\nwas no longer able to restrain his councillors. Thereupon a trial was\nheld, and as she could not answer, and defend herself, she was\ncondemned to be burnt alive. The wood was got together, and when she\nwas fast bound to the stake, and the fire began to burn round about\nher, the hard ice of pride melted, her heart was moved by repentance,\nand she thought, \u201cIf I could but confess before my death that I opened\nthe door.\u201d Then her voice came back to her, and she cried out loudly,\n\u201cYes, Mary, I did it;\u201d and straight-way rain fell from the sky and\nextinguished the flames of fire, and a light broke forth above her, and\nthe Virgin Mary descended with the two little sons by her side, and the\nnew-born daughter in her arms. She spoke kindly to her, and said, \u201cHe\nwho repents his sin and acknowledges it, is forgiven.\u201d Then she gave\nher the three children, untied her tongue, and granted her happiness\nfor her whole life.\n\n\n\n4 The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was\n\nA certain father had two sons, the elder of whom was smart and\nsensible, and could do everything, but the younger was stupid and could\nneither learn nor understand anything, and when people saw him they\nsaid, \u201cThere\u2019s a fellow who will give his father some trouble!\u201d When\nanything had to be done, it was always the elder who was forced to do\nit; but if his father bade him fetch anything when it was late, or in\nthe night-time, and the way led through the churchyard, or any other\ndismal place, he answered \u201cOh, no, father, I\u2019ll not go there, it makes\nme shudder!\u201d for he was afraid. Or when stories were told by the fire\nat night which made the flesh creep, the listeners sometimes said \u201cOh,\nit makes us shudder!\u201d The younger sat in a corner and listened with the\nrest of them, and could not imagine what they could mean. \u201cThey are\nalways saying \u2018it makes me shudder, it makes me shudder!\u2019 It does not\nmake me shudder,\u201d thought he. \u201cThat, too, must be an art of which I\nunderstand nothing.\u201d\n\nNow it came to pass that his father said to him one day \u201cHearken to me,\nthou fellow in the corner there, thou art growing tall and strong, and\nthou too must learn something by which thou canst earn thy living. Look\nhow thy brother works, but thou dost not even earn thy salt.\u201d \u201cWell,\nfather,\u201d he replied, \u201cI am quite willing to learn something\u2014indeed, if\nit could but be managed, I should like to learn how to shudder. I don\u2019t\nunderstand that at all yet.\u201d The elder brother smiled when he heard\nthat, and thought to himself, \u201cGood God, what a blockhead that brother\nof mine is! He will never be good for anything as long as he lives. He\nwho wants to be a sickle must bend himself betimes.\u201d\n\nThe father sighed, and answered him \u201cthou shalt soon learn what it is\nto shudder, but thou wilt not earn thy bread by that.\u201d\n\nSoon after this the sexton came to the house on a visit, and the father\nbewailed his trouble, and told him how his younger son was so backward\nin every respect that he knew nothing and learnt nothing. \u201cJust think,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cwhen I asked him how he was going to earn his bread, he\nactually wanted to learn to shudder.\u201d \u201cIf that be all,\u201d replied the\nsexton, \u201che can learn that with me. Send him to me, and I will soon\npolish him.\u201d The father was glad to do it, for he thought, \u201cIt will\ntrain the boy a little.\u201d The sexton therefore took him into his house,\nand he had to ring the bell. After a day or two, the sexton awoke him\nat midnight, and bade him arise and go up into the church tower and\nring the bell. \u201cThou shalt soon learn what shuddering is,\u201d thought he,\nand secretly went there before him; and when the boy was at the top of\nthe tower and turned round, and was just going to take hold of the bell\nrope, he saw a white figure standing on the stairs opposite the\nsounding hole. \u201cWho is there?\u201d cried he, but the figure made no reply,\nand did not move or stir. \u201cGive an answer,\u201d cried the boy, \u201cor take thy\nself off, thou hast no business here at night.\u201d\n\nThe sexton, however, remained standing motionless that the boy might\nthink he was a ghost. The boy cried a second time, \u201cWhat do you want\nhere?\u2014speak if thou art an honest fellow, or I will throw thee down the\nsteps!\u201d The sexton thought, \u201che can\u2019t intend to be as bad as his\nwords,\u201d uttered no sound and stood as if he were made of stone. Then\nthe boy called to him for the third time, and as that was also to no\npurpose, he ran against him and pushed the ghost down the stairs, so\nthat it fell down ten steps and remained lying there in a corner.\nThereupon he rang the bell, went home, and without saying a word went\nto bed, and fell asleep. The sexton\u2019s wife waited a long time for her\nhusband, but he did not come back. At length she became uneasy, and\nwakened the boy, and asked, \u201cDost thou not know where my husband is? He\nclimbed up the tower before thou didst.\u201d \u201cNo, I don\u2019t know,\u201d replied\nthe boy, \u201cbut some one was standing by the sounding hole on the other\nside of the steps, and as he would neither give an answer nor go away,\nI took him for a scoundrel, and threw him downstairs, just go there and\nyou will see if it was he. I should be sorry if it were.\u201d The woman ran\naway and found her husband, who was lying moaning in the corner, and\nhad broken his leg.\n\nShe carried him down, and then with loud screams she hastened to the\nboy\u2019s father. \u201cYour boy,\u201d cried she, \u201chas been the cause of a great\nmisfortune! He has thrown my husband down the steps and made him break\nhis leg. Take the good-for-nothing fellow away from our house.\u201d The\nfather was terrified, and ran thither and scolded the boy. \u201cWhat wicked\ntricks are these?\u201d said he, \u201cthe devil must have put this into thy\nhead.\u201d \u201cFather,\u201d he replied, \u201cdo listen to me. I am quite innocent. He\nwas standing there by night like one who is intending to do some evil.\nI did not know who it was, and I entreated him three times either to\nspeak or to go away.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said the father, \u201cI have nothing but\nunhappiness with you. Go out of my sight. I will see thee no more.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, father, right willingly, wait only until it is day. Then will I\ngo forth and learn how to shudder, and then I shall, at any rate,\nunderstand one art which will support me.\u201d \u201cLearn what thou wilt,\u201d\nspake the father, \u201cit is all the same to me. Here are fifty thalers for\nthee. Take these and go into the wide world, and tell no one from\nwhence thou comest, and who is thy father, for I have reason to be\nashamed of thee.\u201d \u201cYes, father, it shall be as you will. If you desire\nnothing more than that, I can easily keep it in mind.\u201d\n\nWhen day dawned, therefore, the boy put his fifty thalers into his\npocket, and went forth on the great highway, and continually said to\nhimself, \u201cIf I could but shudder! If I could but shudder!\u201d Then a man\napproached who heard this conversation which the youth was holding with\nhimself, and when they had walked a little farther to where they could\nsee the gallows, the man said to him, \u201cLook, there is the tree where\nseven men have married the ropemaker\u2019s daughter, and are now learning\nhow to fly. Sit down below it, and wait till night comes, and you will\nsoon learn how to shudder.\u201d \u201cIf that is all that is wanted,\u201d answered\nthe youth, \u201cit is easily done; but if I learn how to shudder as fast as\nthat, thou shalt have my fifty thalers. Just come back to me early in\nthe morning.\u201d Then the youth went to the gallows, sat down below it,\nand waited till evening came. And as he was cold, he lighted himself a\nfire, but at midnight the wind blew so sharply that in spite of his\nfire, he could not get warm. And as the wind knocked the hanged men\nagainst each other, and they moved backwards and forwards, he thought\nto himself \u201cThou shiverest below by the fire, but how those up above\nmust freeze and suffer!\u201d And as he felt pity for them, he raised the\nladder, and climbed up, unbound one of them after the other, and\nbrought down all seven. Then he stirred the fire, blew it, and set them\nall round it to warm themselves. But they sat there and did not stir,\nand the fire caught their clothes. So he said, \u201cTake care, or I will\nhang you up again.\u201d The dead men, however, did not hear, but were quite\nsilent, and let their rags go on burning. On this he grew angry, and\nsaid, \u201cIf you will not take care, I cannot help you, I will not be\nburnt with you,\u201d and he hung them up again each in his turn. Then he\nsat down by his fire and fell asleep, and the next morning the man came\nto him and wanted to have the fifty thalers, and said, \u201cWell, dost thou\nknow how to shudder?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d answered he, \u201chow was I to get to know?\nThose fellows up there did not open their mouths, and were so stupid\nthat they let the few old rags which they had on their bodies get\nburnt.\u201d Then the man saw that he would not get the fifty thalers that\nday, and went away saying, \u201cOne of this kind has never come my way\nbefore.\u201d\n\nThe youth likewise went his way, and once more began to mutter to\nhimself, \u201cAh, if I could but shudder! Ah, if I could but shudder!\u201d A\nwaggoner who was striding behind him heard that and asked, \u201cWho are\nyou?\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d answered the youth. Then the waggoner asked,\n\u201cFrom whence comest thou?\u201d \u201cI know not.\u201d \u201cWho is thy father?\u201d \u201cThat I\nmay not tell thee.\u201d \u201cWhat is it that thou art always muttering between\nthy teeth.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d replied the youth, \u201cI do so wish I could shudder, but\nno one can teach me how to do it.\u201d \u201cGive up thy foolish chatter,\u201d said\nthe waggoner. \u201cCome, go with me, I will see about a place for thee.\u201d\nThe youth went with the waggoner, and in the evening they arrived at an\ninn where they wished to pass the night. Then at the entrance of the\nroom the youth again said quite loudly, \u201cIf I could but shudder! If I\ncould but shudder!\u201d The host who heard this, laughed and said, \u201cIf that\nis your desire, there ought to be a good opportunity for you here.\u201d\n\u201cAh, be silent,\u201d said the hostess, \u201cso many inquisitive persons have\nalready lost their lives, it would be a pity and a shame if such\nbeautiful eyes as these should never see the daylight again.\u201d\n\nBut the youth said, \u201cHowever difficult it may be, I will learn it and\nfor this purpose indeed have I journeyed forth.\u201d He let the host have\nno rest, until the latter told him, that not far from thence stood a\nhaunted castle where any one could very easily learn what shuddering\nwas, if he would but watch in it for three nights. The King had\npromised that he who would venture should have his daughter to wife,\nand she was the most beautiful maiden the sun shone on. Great treasures\nlikewise lay in the castle, which were guarded by evil spirits, and\nthese treasures would then be freed, and would make a poor man rich\nenough. Already many men had gone into the castle, but as yet none had\ncome out again. Then the youth went next morning to the King and said\nif he were allowed he would watch three nights in the haunted castle.\nThe King looked at him, and as the youth pleased him, he said, \u201cThou\nmayest ask for three things to take into the castle with thee, but they\nmust be things without life.\u201d Then he answered, \u201cThen I ask for a fire,\na turning lathe, and a cutting-board with the knife.\u201d The King had\nthese things carried into the castle for him during the day. When night\nwas drawing near, the youth went up and made himself a bright fire in\none of the rooms, placed the cutting-board and knife beside it, and\nseated himself by the turning-lathe. \u201cAh, if I could but shudder!\u201d said\nhe, \u201cbut I shall not learn it here either.\u201d Towards midnight he was\nabout to poke his fire, and as he was blowing it, something cried\nsuddenly from one corner, \u201cAu, miau! how cold we are!\u201d \u201cYou\nsimpletons!\u201d cried he, \u201cwhat are you crying about? If you are cold,\ncome and take a seat by the fire and warm yourselves.\u201d And when he had\nsaid that, two great black cats came with one tremendous leap and sat\ndown on each side of him, and looked savagely at him with their fiery\neyes. After a short time, when they had warmed themselves, they said,\n\u201cComrade, shall we have a game at cards?\u201d \u201cWhy not?\u201d he replied, \u201cbut\njust show me your paws.\u201d Then they stretched out their claws. \u201cOh,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cwhat long nails you have! Wait, I must first cut them for\nyou.\u201d Thereupon he seized them by the throats, put them on the\ncutting-board and screwed their feet fast. \u201cI have looked at your\nfingers,\u201d said he, \u201cand my fancy for card-playing has gone,\u201d and he\nstruck them dead and threw them out into the water. But when he had\nmade away with these two, and was about to sit down again by his fire,\nout from every hole and corner came black cats and black dogs with\nred-hot chains, and more and more of them came until he could no longer\nstir, and they yelled horribly, and got on his fire, pulled it to\npieces, and tried to put it out. He watched them for a while quietly,\nbut at last when they were going too far, he seized his cutting-knife,\nand cried, \u201cAway with ye, vermin,\u201d and began to cut them down. Part of\nthem ran away, the others he killed, and threw out into the fish-pond.\nWhen he came back he fanned the embers of his fire again and warmed\nhimself. And as he thus sat, his eyes would keep open no longer, and he\nfelt a desire to sleep. Then he looked round and saw a great bed in the\ncorner. \u201cThat is the very thing for me,\u201d said he, and got into it. When\nhe was just going to shut his eyes, however, the bed began to move of\nits own accord, and went over the whole of the castle. \u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cbut go faster.\u201d Then the bed rolled on as if six horses were\nharnessed to it, up and down, over thresholds and steps, but suddenly\nhop, hop, it turned over upside down, and lay on him like a mountain.\nBut he threw quilts and pillows up in the air, got out and said, \u201cNow\nany one who likes, may drive,\u201d and lay down by his fire, and slept till\nit was day. In the morning the King came, and when he saw him lying\nthere on the ground, he thought the evil spirits had killed him and he\nwas dead. Then said he, \u201cAfter all it is a pity,\u2014he is a handsome man.\u201d\nThe youth heard it, got up, and said, \u201cIt has not come to that yet.\u201d\nThen the King was astonished, but very glad, and asked how he had\nfared. \u201cVery well indeed,\u201d answered he; \u201cone night is past, the two\nothers will get over likewise.\u201d Then he went to the innkeeper, who\nopened his eyes very wide, and said, \u201cI never expected to see thee\nalive again! Hast thou learnt how to shudder yet?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said he, \u201cit\nis all in vain. If some one would but tell me.\u201d\n\nThe second night he again went up into the old castle, sat down by the\nfire, and once more began his old song, \u201cIf I could but shudder.\u201d When\nmidnight came, an uproar and noise of tumbling about was heard; at\nfirst it was low, but it grew louder and louder. Then it was quiet for\nawhile, and at length with a loud scream, half a man came down the\nchimney and fell before him. \u201cHollo!\u201d cried he, \u201canother half belongs\nto this. This is too little!\u201d Then the uproar began again, there was a\nroaring and howling, and the other half fell down likewise. \u201cWait,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cI will just blow up the fire a little for thee.\u201d When he had\ndone that and looked round again, the two pieces were joined together,\nand a frightful man was sitting in his place. \u201cThat is no part of our\nbargain,\u201d said the youth, \u201cthe bench is mine.\u201d The man wanted to push\nhim away; the youth, however, would not allow that, but thrust him off\nwith all his strength, and seated himself again in his own place. Then\nstill more men fell down, one after the other; they brought nine dead\nmen\u2019s legs and two skulls, and set them up and played at nine-pins with\nthem. The youth also wanted to play and said \u201cHark you, can I join\nyou?\u201d \u201cYes, if thou hast any money.\u201d \u201cMoney enough,\u201d replied he, \u201cbut\nyour balls are not quite round.\u201d Then he took the skulls and put them\nin the lathe and turned them till they were round. \u201cThere, now, they\nwill roll better!\u201d said he. \u201cHurrah! Now it goes merrily!\u201d He played\nwith them and lost some of his money, but when it struck twelve,\neverything vanished from his sight. He lay down and quietly fell\nasleep. Next morning the King came to inquire after him. \u201cHow has it\nfared with you this time?\u201d asked he. \u201cI have been playing at\nnine-pins,\u201d he answered, \u201cand have lost a couple of farthings.\u201d \u201cHast\nthou not shuddered then?\u201d \u201cEh, what?\u201d said he, \u201cI have made merry. If I\ndid but know what it was to shudder!\u201d\n\nThe third night he sat down again on his bench and said quite sadly,\n\u201cIf I could but shudder.\u201d When it grew late, six tall men came in and\nbrought a coffin. Then said he, \u201cHa, ha, that is certainly my little\ncousin, who died only a few days ago,\u201d and he beckoned with his finger,\nand cried \u201cCome, little cousin, come.\u201d They placed the coffin on the\nground, but he went to it and took the lid off, and a dead man lay\ntherein. He felt his face, but it was cold as ice. \u201cStop,\u201d said he, \u201cI\nwill warm thee a little,\u201d and went to the fire and warmed his hand and\nlaid it on the dead man\u2019s face, but he remained cold. Then he took him\nout, and sat down by the fire and laid him on his breast and rubbed his\narms that the blood might circulate again. As this also did no good, he\nthought to himself \u201cWhen two people lie in bed together, they warm each\nother,\u201d and carried him to the bed, covered him over and lay down by\nhim. After a short time the dead man became warm too, and began to\nmove. Then said the youth, \u201cSee, little cousin, have I not warmed\nthee?\u201d The dead man, however, got up and cried, \u201cNow will I strangle\nthee.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d said he, \u201cis that the way thou thankest me? Thou shalt at once\ngo into thy coffin again,\u201d and he took him up, threw him into it, and\nshut the lid. Then came the six men and carried him away again. \u201cI\ncannot manage to shudder,\u201d said he. \u201cI shall never learn it here as\nlong as I live.\u201d\n\nThen a man entered who was taller than all others, and looked terrible.\nHe was old, however, and had a long white beard. \u201cThou wretch,\u201d cried\nhe, \u201cthou shalt soon learn what it is to shudder, for thou shalt die.\u201d\n\u201cNot so fast,\u201d replied the youth. \u201cIf I am to die, I shall have to have\na say in it.\u201d \u201cI will soon seize thee,\u201d said the fiend. \u201cSoftly,\nsoftly, do not talk so big. I am as strong as thou art, and perhaps\neven stronger.\u201d \u201cWe shall see,\u201d said the old man. \u201cIf thou art\nstronger, I will let thee go\u2014come, we will try.\u201d Then he led him by\ndark passages to a smith\u2019s forge, took an axe, and with one blow struck\nan anvil into the ground. \u201cI can do better than that,\u201d said the youth,\nand went to the other anvil. The old man placed himself near and wanted\nto look on, and his white beard hung down. Then the youth seized the\naxe, split the anvil with one blow, and struck the old man\u2019s beard in\nwith it. \u201cNow I have thee,\u201d said the youth. \u201cNow it is thou who will\nhave to die.\u201d Then he seized an iron bar and beat the old man till he\nmoaned and entreated him to stop, and he would give him great riches.\nThe youth drew out the axe and let him go. The old man led him back\ninto the castle, and in a cellar showed him three chests full of gold.\n\u201cOf these,\u201d said he, \u201cone part is for the poor, the other for the king,\nthe third is thine.\u201d In the meantime it struck twelve, and the spirit\ndisappeared; the youth, therefore, was left in darkness. \u201cI shall still\nbe able to find my way out,\u201d said he, and felt about, found the way\ninto the room, and slept there by his fire. Next morning the King came\nand said \u201cNow thou must have learnt what shuddering is?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d he\nanswered; \u201cwhat can it be? My dead cousin was here, and a bearded man\ncame and showed me a great deal of money down below, but no one told me\nwhat it was to shudder.\u201d \u201cThen,\u201d said the King, \u201cthou hast delivered\nthe castle, and shalt marry my daughter.\u201d \u201cThat is all very well,\u201d said\nhe, \u201cbut still I do not know what it is to shudder.\u201d\n\nThen the gold was brought up and the wedding celebrated; but howsoever\nmuch the young king loved his wife, and however happy he was, he still\nsaid always \u201cIf I could but shudder\u2014if I could but shudder.\u201d And at\nlast she was angry at this. Her waiting-maid said, \u201cI will find a cure\nfor him; he shall soon learn what it is to shudder.\u201d She went out to\nthe stream which flowed through the garden, and had a whole bucketful\nof gudgeons brought to her. At night when the young king was sleeping,\nhis wife was to draw the clothes off him and empty the bucketful of\ncold water with the gudgeons in it over him, so that the little fishes\nwould sprawl about him. When this was done, he woke up and cried \u201cOh,\nwhat makes me shudder so?\u2014what makes me shudder so, dear wife? Ah! now\nI know what it is to shudder!\u201d\n\n\n\n5 The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids\n\nThere was once upon a time an old goat who had seven little kids, and\nloved them with all the love of a mother for her children. One day she\nwanted to go into the forest and fetch some food. So she called all\nseven to her and said, \u201cDear children, I have to go into the forest, be\non your guard against the wolf; if he come in, he will devour you\nall\u2014skin, hair, and all. The wretch often disguises himself, but you\nwill know him at once by his rough voice and his black feet.\u201d The kids\nsaid, \u201cDear mother, we will take good care of ourselves; you may go\naway without any anxiety.\u201d Then the old one bleated, and went on her\nway with an easy mind.\n\nIt was not long before some one knocked at the house-door and called,\n\u201cOpen the door, dear children; your mother is here, and has brought\nsomething back with her for each of you.\u201d But the little kids knew that\nit was the wolf, by the rough voice; \u201cWe will not open the door,\u201d cried\nthey, \u201cthou art not our mother. She has a soft, pleasant voice, but thy\nvoice is rough; thou art the wolf!\u201d Then the wolf went away to a\nshopkeeper and bought himself a great lump of chalk, ate this and made\nhis voice soft with it. The he came back, knocked at the door of the\nhouse, and cried, \u201cOpen the door, dear children, your mother is here\nand has brought something back with her for each of you.\u201d But the wolf\nhad laid his black paws against the window, and the children saw them\nand cried, \u201cWe will not open the door, our mother has not black feet\nlike thee; thou art the wolf.\u201d Then the wolf ran to a baker and said,\n\u201cI have hurt my feet, rub some dough over them for me.\u201d And when the\nbaker had rubbed his feet over, he ran to the miller and said, \u201cStrew\nsome white meal over my feet for me.\u201d The miller thought to himself,\n\u201cThe wolf wants to deceive someone,\u201d and refused; but the wolf said,\n\u201cIf thou wilt not do it, I will devour thee.\u201d Then the miller was\nafraid, and made his paws white for him. Truly men are like that.\n\nSo now the wretch went for the third time to the house-door, knocked at\nit and said, \u201cOpen the door for me, children, your dear little mother\nhas come home, and has brought every one of you something back from the\nforest with her.\u201d The little kids cried, \u201cFirst show us thy paws that\nwe may know if thou art our dear little mother.\u201d Then he put his paws\nin through the window, and when the kids saw that they were white, they\nbelieved that all he said was true, and opened the door. But who should\ncome in but the wolf! They were terrified and wanted to hide\nthemselves. One sprang under the table, the second into the bed, the\nthird into the stove, the fourth into the kitchen, the fifth into the\ncupboard, the sixth under the washing-bowl, and the seventh into the\nclock-case. But the wolf found them all, and used no great ceremony;\none after the other he swallowed them down his throat. The youngest,\nwho was in the clock-case, was the only one he did not find. When the\nwolf had satisfied his appetite he took himself off, laid himself down\nunder a tree in the green meadow outside, and began to sleep. Soon\nafterwards the old goat came home again from the forest. Ah! What a\nsight she saw there! The house-door stood wide open. The table, chairs,\nand benches were thrown down, the washing-bowl lay broken to pieces,\nand the quilts and pillows were pulled off the bed. She sought her\nchildren, but they were nowhere to be found. She called them one after\nanother by name, but no one answered. At last, when she came to the\nyoungest, a soft voice cried, \u201cDear mother, I am in the clock-case.\u201d\nShe took the kid out, and it told her that the wolf had come and had\neaten all the others. Then you may imagine how she wept over her poor\nchildren.\n\nAt length in her grief she went out, and the youngest kid ran with her.\nWhen they came to the meadow, there lay the wolf by the tree and snored\nso loud that the branches shook. She looked at him on every side and\nsaw that something was moving and struggling in his gorged belly. \u201cAh,\nheavens,\u201d said she, \u201cis it possible that my poor children whom he has\nswallowed down for his supper, can be still alive?\u201d Then the kid had to\nrun home and fetch scissors, and a needle and thread, and the goat cut\nopen the monster\u2019s stomach, and hardly had she make one cut, than one\nlittle kid thrust its head out, and when she cut farther, all six\nsprang out one after another, and were all still alive, and had\nsuffered no injury whatever, for in his greediness the monster had\nswallowed them down whole. What rejoicing there was! They embraced\ntheir dear mother, and jumped like a sailor at his wedding. The mother,\nhowever, said, \u201cNow go and look for some big stones, and we will fill\nthe wicked beast\u2019s stomach with them while he is still asleep.\u201d Then\nthe seven kids dragged the stones thither with all speed, and put as\nmany of them into his stomach as they could get in; and the mother\nsewed him up again in the greatest haste, so that he was not aware of\nanything and never once stirred.\n\nWhen the wolf at length had had his sleep out, he got on his legs, and\nas the stones in his stomach made him very thirsty, he wanted to go to\na well to drink. But when he began to walk and move about, the stones\nin his stomach knocked against each other and rattled. Then cried he,\n\n\u201cWhat rumbles and tumbles\nAgainst my poor bones?\nI thought \u2019t was six kids,\nBut it\u2019s naught but big stones.\u201d\n\n\nAnd when he got to the well and stooped over the water and was just\nabout to drink, the heavy stones made him fall in, and there was no\nhelp, but he had to drown miserably. When the seven kids saw that, they\ncame running to the spot and cried aloud, \u201cThe wolf is dead! The wolf\nis dead!\u201d and danced for joy round about the well with their mother.\n\n\n\n6 Faithful John\n\nThere was once on a time an old king who was ill, and thought to\nhimself, \u201cI am lying on what must be my death-bed.\u201d Then said he, \u201cTell\nFaithful John to come to me.\u201d Faithful John was his favourite servant,\nand was so called, because he had for his whole life long been so true\nto him. When therefore he came beside the bed, the King said to him,\n\u201cMost faithful John, I feel my end approaching, and have no anxiety\nexcept about my son. He is still of tender age, and cannot always know\nhow to guide himself. If thou dost not promise me to teach him\neverything that he ought to know, and to be his foster-father, I cannot\nclose my eyes in peace.\u201d Then answered Faithful John, \u201cI will not\nforsake him, and will serve him with fidelity, even if it should cost\nme my life.\u201d On this, the old King said, \u201cNow I die in comfort and\npeace.\u201d Then he added, \u201cAfter my death, thou shalt show him the whole\ncastle: all the chambers, halls, and vaults, and all the treasures\nwhich lie therein, but the last chamber in the long gallery, in which\nis the picture of the princess of the Golden Dwelling, shalt thou not\nshow. If he sees that picture, he will fall violently in love with her,\nand will drop down in a swoon, and go through great danger for her\nsake, therefore thou must preserve him from that.\u201d And when Faithful\nJohn had once more given his promise to the old King about this, the\nKing said no more, but laid his head on his pillow, and died.\n\nWhen the old King had been carried to his grave, Faithful John told the\nyoung King all that he had promised his father on his deathbed, and\nsaid, \u201cThis will I assuredly perform, and will be faithful to thee as I\nhave been faithful to him, even if it should cost me my life.\u201d When the\nmourning was over, Faithful John said to him, \u201cIt is now time that thou\nshouldst see thine inheritance. I will show thee thy father\u2019s palace.\u201d\nThen he took him about everywhere, up and down, and let him see all the\nriches, and the magnificent apartments, only there was one room which\nhe did not open, that in which hung the dangerous picture. The picture\nwas, however, so placed that when the door was opened you looked\nstraight on it, and it was so admirably painted that it seemed to\nbreathe and live, and there was nothing more charming or more beautiful\nin the whole world. The young King, however, plainly remarked that\nFaithful John always walked past this one door, and said, \u201cWhy dost\nthou never open this one for me?\u201d \u201cThere is something within it,\u201d he\nreplied, \u201cwhich would terrify thee.\u201d But the King answered, \u201cI have\nseen all the palace, and I will know what is in this room also,\u201d and he\nwent and tried to break open the door by force. Then Faithful John held\nhim back and said, \u201cI promised thy father before his death that thou\nshouldst not see that which is in this chamber, it might bring the\ngreatest misfortune on thee and on me.\u201d \u201cAh, no,\u201d replied the young\nKing, \u201cif I do not go in, it will be my certain destruction. I should\nhave no rest day or night until I had seen it with my own eyes. I shall\nnot leave the place now until thou hast unlocked the door.\u201d\n\nThen Faithful John saw that there was no help for it now, and with a\nheavy heart and many sighs, sought out the key from the great bunch.\nWhen he had opened the door, he went in first, and thought by standing\nbefore him he could hide the portrait so that the King should not see\nit in front of him, but what availed that? The King stood on tip-toe\nand saw it over his shoulder. And when he saw the portrait of the\nmaiden, which was so magnificent and shone with gold and precious\nstones, he fell fainting to the ground. Faithful John took him up,\ncarried him to his bed, and sorrowfully thought, \u201cThe misfortune has\nbefallen us, Lord God, what will be the end of it?\u201d Then he\nstrengthened him with wine, until he came to himself again. The first\nwords the King said were, \u201cAh, the beautiful portrait! whose it it?\u201d\n\u201cThat is the princess of the Golden Dwelling,\u201d answered Faithful John.\nThen the King continued, \u201cMy love for her is so great, that if all the\nleaves on all the trees were tongues, they could not declare it. I will\ngive my life to win her. Thou art my most Faithful John, thou must help\nme.\u201d\n\nThe faithful servant considered within himself for a long time how to\nset about the matter, for it was difficult even to obtain a sight of\nthe King\u2019s daughter. At length he thought of a way, and said to the\nKing, \u201cEverything which she has about her is of gold\u2014tables, chairs,\ndishes, glasses, bowls, and household furniture. Among thy treasures\nare five tons of gold; let one of the goldsmiths of the Kingdom work\nthese up into all manner of vessels and utensils, into all kinds of\nbirds, wild beasts and strange animals, such as may please her, and we\nwill go there with them and try our luck.\u201d\n\nThe King ordered all the goldsmiths to be brought to him, and they had\nto work night and day until at last the most splendid things were\nprepared. When everything was stowed on board a ship, Faithful John put\non the dress of a merchant, and the King was forced to do the same in\norder to make himself quite unrecognizable. Then they sailed across the\nsea, and sailed on until they came to the town wherein dwelt the\nprincess of the Golden Dwelling.\n\nFaithful John bade the King stay behind on the ship, and wait for him.\n\u201cPerhaps I shall bring the princess with me,\u201d said he, \u201ctherefore see\nthat everything is in order; have the golden vessels set out and the\nwhole ship decorated.\u201d Then he gathered together in his apron all kinds\nof gold things, went on shore and walked straight to the royal palace.\nWhen he entered the courtyard of the palace, a beautiful girl was\nstanding there by the well with two golden buckets in her hand, drawing\nwater with them. And when she was just turning round to carry away the\nsparkling water she saw the stranger, and asked who he was. So he\nanswered, \u201cI am a merchant,\u201d and opened his apron, and let her look in.\nThen she cried, \u201cOh, what beautiful gold things!\u201d and put her pails\ndown and looked at the golden wares one after the other. Then said the\ngirl, \u201cThe princess must see these, she has such great pleasure in\ngolden things, that she will buy all you have.\u201d She took him by the\nhand and led him upstairs, for she was the waiting-maid. When the\nKing\u2019s daughter saw the wares, she was quite delighted and said, \u201cThey\nare so beautifully worked, that I will buy them all of thee.\u201d But\nFaithful John said, \u201cI am only the servant of a rich merchant. The\nthings I have here are not to be compared with those my master has in\nhis ship. They are the most beautiful and valuable things that have\never been made in gold.\u201d She wanted to have everything brought to her\nthere, but he said, \u201cThere are so many of them that it would take a\ngreat many days to do that, and so many rooms would be required to\nexhibit them, that your house is not big enough.\u201d Then her curiosity\nand longing were still more excited, until at last she said, \u201cConduct\nme to the ship, I will go there myself, and behold the treasures of\nthine master.\u201d\n\nOn this Faithful John was quite delighted, and led her to the ship, and\nwhen the King saw her, he perceived that her beauty was even greater\nthan the picture had represented it to be, and thought no other than\nthat his heart would burst in twain. Then she got into the ship, and\nthe King led her within. Faithful John, however, remained behind with\nthe pilot, and ordered the ship to be pushed off, saying, \u201cSet all\nsail, till it fly like a bird in air.\u201d Within, however, the King showed\nher the golden vessels, every one of them, also the wild beasts and\nstrange animals. Many hours went by whilst she was seeing everything,\nand in her delight she did not observe that the ship was sailing away.\nAfter she had looked at the last, she thanked the merchant and wanted\nto go home, but when she came to the side of the ship, she saw that it\nwas on the deep sea far from land, and hurrying onwards with all sail\nset. \u201cAh,\u201d cried she in her alarm, \u201cI am betrayed! I am carried away\nand have fallen into the power of a merchant\u2014I would die rather!\u201d The\nKing, however, seized her hand, and said, \u201cI am not a merchant. I am a\nking, and of no meaner origin than thou art, and if I have carried thee\naway with subtlety, that has come to pass because of my exceeding great\nlove for thee. The first time that I looked on thy portrait, I fell\nfainting to the ground.\u201d When the princess of the Golden Dwelling heard\nthat, she was comforted, and her heart was inclined unto him, so that\nshe willingly consented to be his wife.\n\nIt so happened, however, while they were sailing onwards over the deep\nsea, that Faithful John, who was sitting on the fore part of the\nvessel, making music, saw three ravens in the air, which came flying\ntowards them. On this he stopped playing and listened to what they were\nsaying to each other, for that he well understood. One cried, \u201cOh,\nthere he is carrying home the princess of the Golden Dwelling.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d\nreplied the second, \u201cbut he has not got her yet.\u201d Said the third, \u201cBut\nhe has got her, she is sitting beside him in the ship.\u201d Then the first\nbegan again, and cried, \u201cWhat good will that do him? When they reach\nland a chestnut horse will leap forward to meet him, and the prince\nwill want to mount it, but if he does that, it will run away with him,\nand rise up into the air with him, and he will never see his maiden\nmore.\u201d Spake the second, \u201cBut is there no escape?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes, if any one else gets on it swiftly, and takes out the pistol\nwhich must be in its holster, and shoots the horse dead with it, the\nyoung King is saved. But who knows that? And whosoever does know it,\nand tells it to him, will be turned to stone from the toe to the knee.\u201d\nThen said the second, \u201cI know more than that; even if the horse be\nkilled, the young King will still not keep his bride. When they go into\nthe castle together, a wrought bridal garment will be lying there in a\ndish, and looking as if it were woven of gold and silver; it is,\nhowever, nothing but sulphur and pitch, and if he put it on, it will\nburn him to the very bone and marrow.\u201d Said the third, \u201cIs there no\nescape at all?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes,\u201d replied the second, \u201cif any one with gloves on seizes the\ngarment and throws it into the fire and burns it, the young King will\nbe saved. \u201cBut what avails that?\u201d \u201cWhosoever knows it and tells it to\nhim, half his body will become stone from the knee to the heart.\u201d\n\nThen said the third, \u201cI know still more; even if the bridal garment be\nburnt, the young King will still not have his bride. After the wedding,\nwhen the dancing begins and the young queen is dancing, she will\nsuddenly turn pale and fall down as if dead, and if some one does not\nlift her up and draw three drops of blood from her right breast and\nspit them out again, she will die. But if any one who knows that were\nto declare it, he would become stone from the crown of his head to the\nsole of his foot.\u201d When the ravens had spoken of this together, they\nflew onwards, and Faithful John had well understood everything, but\nfrom that time forth he became quiet and sad, for if he concealed what\nhe had heard from his master, the latter would be unfortunate, and if\nhe discovered it to him, he himself must sacrifice his life. At length,\nhowever, he said to himself, \u201cI will save my master, even if it bring\ndestruction on myself.\u201d\n\nWhen therefore they came to shore, all happened as had been foretold by\nthe ravens, and a magnificent chestnut horse sprang forward. \u201cGood,\u201d\nsaid the King, \u201che shall carry me to my palace,\u201d and was about to mount\nit when Faithful John got before him, jumped quickly on it, drew the\npistol out of the holster, and shot the horse. Then the other\nattendants of the King, who after all were not very fond of Faithful\nJohn, cried, \u201cHow shameful to kill the beautiful animal, that was to\nhave carried the King to his palace.\u201d But the King said, \u201cHold your\npeace and leave him alone, he is my most faithful John, who knows what\nmay be the good of that!\u201d They went into the palace, and in the hall\nthere stood a dish, and therein lay the bridal garment looking no\notherwise than as if it were made of gold and silver. The young King\nwent towards it and was about to take hold of it, but Faithful John\npushed him away, seized it with gloves on, carried it quickly to the\nfire and burnt it. The other attendants again began to murmur, and\nsaid, \u201cBehold, now he is even burning the King\u2019s bridal garment!\u201d But\nthe young King said, \u201cWho knows what good he may have done, leave him\nalone, he is my most faithful John.\u201d\n\nAnd now the wedding was solemnized: the dance began, and the bride also\ntook part in it; then Faithful John was watchful and looked into her\nface, and suddenly she turned pale and fell to the ground, as if she\nwere dead. On this he ran hastily to her, lifted her up and bore her\ninto a chamber\u2014then he laid her down, and knelt and sucked the three\ndrops of blood from her right breast, and spat them out. Immediately\nshe breathed again and recovered herself, but the young King had seen\nthis, and being ignorant why Faithful John had done it, was angry and\ncried, \u201cThrow him into a dungeon.\u201d Next morning Faithful John was\ncondemned, and led to the gallows, and when he stood on high, and was\nabout to be executed, he said, \u201cEvery one who has to die is permitted\nbefore his end to make one last speech; may I too claim the right?\u201d\n\u201cYes,\u201d answered the King, \u201cit shall be granted unto thee.\u201d Then said\nFaithful John, \u201cI am unjustly condemned, and have always been true to\nthee,\u201d and he related how he had hearkened to the conversation of the\nravens when on the sea, and how he had been obliged to do all these\nthings in order to save his master. Then cried the King, \u201cOh, my most\nFaithful John. Pardon, pardon\u2014bring him down.\u201d But as Faithful John\nspoke the last word he had fallen down lifeless and become a stone.\n\nThereupon the King and the Queen suffered great anguish, and the King\nsaid, \u201cAh, how ill I have requited great fidelity!\u201d and ordered the\nstone figure to be taken up and placed in his bedroom beside his bed.\nAnd as often as he looked on it he wept and said, \u201cAh, if I could bring\nthee to life again, my most faithful John.\u201d Some time passed and the\nQueen bore twins, two sons who grew fast and were her delight. Once\nwhen the Queen was at church and the two children were sitting playing\nbeside their father, the latter full of grief again looked at the stone\nfigure, sighed and said, \u201cAh, if I could but bring thee to life again,\nmy most faithful John.\u201d Then the stone began to speak and said, \u201cThou\ncanst bring me to life again if thou wilt use for that purpose what is\ndearest to thee.\u201d Then cried the King, \u201cI will give everything I have\nin the world for thee.\u201d The stone continued, \u201cIf thou wilt will cut off\nthe heads of thy two children with thine own hand, and sprinkle me with\ntheir blood, I shall be restored to life.\u201d\n\nThe King was terrified when he heard that he himself must kill his\ndearest children, but he thought of faithful John\u2019s great fidelity, and\nhow he had died for him, drew his sword, and with his own hand cut off\nthe children\u2019s heads. And when he had smeared the stone with their\nblood, life returned to it, and Faithful John stood once more safe and\nhealthy before him. He said to the King, \u201cThy truth shall not go\nunrewarded,\u201d and took the heads of the children, put them on again, and\nrubbed the wounds with their blood, on which they became whole again\nimmediately, and jumped about, and went on playing as if nothing had\nhappened. Then the King was full of joy, and when he saw the Queen\ncoming he hid Faithful John and the two children in a great cupboard.\nWhen she entered, he said to her, \u201cHast thou been praying in the\nchurch?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d answered she, \u201cbut I have constantly been thinking of\nFaithful John and what misfortune has befallen him through us.\u201d Then\nsaid he, \u201cDear wife, we can give him his life again, but it will cost\nus our two little sons, whom we must sacrifice.\u201d The Queen turned pale,\nand her heart was full of terror, but she said, \u201cWe owe it to him, for\nhis great fidelity.\u201d Then the King was rejoiced that she thought as he\nhad thought, and went and opened the cupboard, and brought forth\nFaithful John and the children, and said, \u201cGod be praised, he is\ndelivered, and we have our little sons again also,\u201d and told her how\neverything had occurred. Then they dwelt together in much happiness\nuntil their death.\n\n\n\n7 The Good Bargain\n\nThere was once a peasant who had driven his cow to the fair, and sold\nher for seven thalers. On the way home he had to pass a pond, and\nalready from afar he heard the frogs crying, \u201cAik, aik, aik, aik.\u201d\n\u201cWell,\u201d said he to himself, \u201cthey are talking without rhyme or reason,\nit is seven that I have received, not eight.\u201d When he got to the water,\nhe cried to them, \u201cStupid animals that you are! Don\u2019t you know better\nthan that? It is seven thalers and not eight.\u201d The frogs, however,\nstood to their, \u201caik aik, aik, aik.\u201d \u201cCome, then, if you won\u2019t believe\nit, I can count it out to you.\u201d And he took his money out of his pocket\nand counted out the seven thalers, always reckoning four and twenty\ngroschen to a thaler. The frogs, however, paid no attention to his\nreckoning, but still cried, \u201caik, aik, aik, aik.\u201d \u201cWhat,\u201d cried the\npeasant, quite angry, \u201csince you are determined to know better than I,\ncount it yourselves,\u201d and threw all the money into the water to them.\nHe stood still and wanted to wait until they were done and had brought\nhim his own again, but the frogs maintained their opinion and cried\ncontinually, \u201caik, aik, aik, aik,\u201d and besides that, did not throw the\nmoney out again. He still waited a long while until evening came on and\nhe was forced to go home. Then he abused the frogs and cried, \u201cYou\nwater-splashers, you thick-heads, you goggle-eyes, you have great\nmouths and can screech till you hurt one\u2019s ears, but you cannot count\nseven thalers! Do you think I\u2019m going to stand here till you get done?\u201d\nAnd with that he went away, but the frogs still cried, \u201caik, aik, aik,\naik,\u201d after him till he went home quite angry.\n\nAfter a while he bought another cow, which he killed, and he made the\ncalculation that if he sold the meat well he might gain as much as the\ntwo cows were worth, and have the skin into the bargain. When therefore\nhe got to the town with the meat, a great troop of dogs were gathered\ntogether in front of the gate, with a large greyhound at the head of\nthem, which jumped at the meat, snuffed at it, and barked, \u201cWow, wow,\nwow.\u201d As there was no stopping him, the peasant said to him, \u201cYes, yes,\nI know quite well that thou art saying, \u2018wow, wow, wow,\u2019 because thou\nwantest some of the meat; but I should fare badly if I were to give it\nto thee.\u201d The dog, however, answered nothing but \u201cwow, wow.\u201d \u201cWilt thou\npromise not to devour it all then, and wilt thou go bail for thy\ncompanions?\u201d \u201cWow, wow, wow,\u201d said the dog. \u201cWell, if thou insistest on\nit, I will leave it for thee; I know thee well, and know who is thy\nmaster; but this I tell thee, I must have my money in three days or\nelse it will go ill with thee; thou must just bring it out to me.\u201d\nThereupon he unloaded the meat and turned back again, the dogs fell\nupon it and loudly barked, \u201cwow, wow.\u201d\n\nThe countryman, who heard them from afar, said to himself, \u201cHark, now\nthey all want some, but the big one is responsible to me for it.\u201d\n\nWhen three days had passed, the countryman thought, \u201cTo-night my money\nwill be in my pocket,\u201d and was quite delighted. But no one would come\nand pay it. \u201cThere is no trusting any one now,\u201d said he; and at last he\nlost patience, and went into the town to the butcher and demanded his\nmoney. The butcher thought it was a joke, but the peasant said,\n\u201cJesting apart, I will have my money! Did not the great dog bring you\nthe whole of the slaughtered cow three days ago?\u201d Then the butcher grew\nangry, snatched a broomstick and drove him out. \u201cWait a while,\u201d said\nthe peasant, \u201cthere is still some justice in the world!\u201d and went to\nthe royal palace and begged for an audience. He was led before the\nKing, who sat there with his daughter, and asked him what injury he had\nsuffered. \u201cAlas!\u201d said he, \u201cthe frogs and the dogs have taken from me\nwhat is mine, and the butcher has paid me for it with the stick,\u201d and\nhe related at full length all that had happened. Thereupon the King\u2019s\ndaughter began to laugh heartily, and the King said to him, \u201cI cannot\ngive you justice in this, but you shall have my daughter to wife for\nit,\u2014in her whole life she has never yet laughed as she has just done at\nthee, and I have promised her to him who could make her laugh. Thou\nmayst thank God for thy good fortune!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d answered the peasant, \u201cI will not have her, I have a wife\nalready, and she is one too many for me; when I go home, it is just as\nbad as if I had a wife standing in every corner.\u201d Then the King grew\nangry, and said, \u201cThou art a boor.\u201d \u201cAh, Lord King,\u201d replied the\npeasant, \u201cwhat can you expect from an ox, but beef?\u201d \u201cStop,\u201d answered\nthe King, \u201cthou shalt have another reward. Be off now, but come back in\nthree days, and then thou shalt have five hundred counted out in full.\u201d\n\nWhen the peasant went out by the gate, the sentry said, \u201cThou hast made\nthe King\u2019s daughter laugh, so thou wilt certainly receive something\ngood.\u201d \u201cYes, that is what I think,\u201d answered the peasant; \u201cfive hundred\nare to be counted out to me.\u201d \u201cHark thee,\u201d said the soldier, \u201cgive me\nsome of it. What canst thou do with all that money?\u201d \u201cAs it is thou,\u201d\nsaid the peasant, \u201cthou shalt have two hundred; present thyself in\nthree days\u2019 time before the King, and let it be paid to thee.\u201d A Jew,\nwho was standing by and had heard the conversation, ran after the\npeasant, held him by the coat, and said, \u201cOh, wonder! what a luck-child\nthou art! I will change it for thee, I will change it for thee into\nsmall coins, what dost thou want with the great thalers?\u201d \u201cJew,\u201d said\nthe countryman, \u201cthree hundred canst thou still have; give it to me at\nonce in coin, in three days from this, thou wilt be paid for it by the\nKing.\u201d The Jew was delighted with the profit, and brought the sum in\nbad groschen, three of which were worth two good ones. After three days\nhad passed, according to the King\u2019s command, the peasant went before\nthe King. \u201cPull his coat off,\u201d said the latter, \u201cand he shall have his\nfive hundred.\u201d \u201cAh!\u201d said the peasant, \u201cthey no longer belong to me; I\npresented two hundred of them to the sentinel, and three hundred the\nJew has changed for me, so by right nothing at all belongs to me.\u201d In\nthe meantime the soldier and the Jew entered and claimed what they had\ngained from the peasant, and they received the blows strictly counted\nout. The soldier bore it patiently and knew already how it tasted, but\nthe Jew said sorrowfully, \u201cAlas, alas, are these the heavy thalers?\u201d\nThe King could not help laughing at the peasant, and as all his anger\nwas gone, he said, \u201cAs thou hast already lost thy reward before it fell\nto thy lot, I will give thee something in the place of it. Go into my\ntreasure chamber and get some money for thyself, as much as thou wilt.\u201d\nThe peasant did not need to be told twice, and stuffed into his big\npockets whatsoever would go in. Afterwards he went to an inn and\ncounted out his money. The Jew had crept after him and heard how he\nmuttered to himself, \u201cThat rogue of a King has cheated me after all,\nwhy could he not have given me the money himself, and then I should\nhave known what I had? How can I tell now if what I have had the luck\nto put in my pockets is right or not?\u201d \u201cGood heavens!\u201d said the Jew to\nhimself, \u201cthat man is speaking disrespectfully of our lord the King, I\nwill run and inform, and then I shall get a reward, and he will be\npunished as well.\u201d\n\nWhen the King heard of the peasant\u2019s words he fell into a passion, and\ncommanded the Jew to go and bring the offender to him. The Jew ran to\nthe peasant, \u201cYou are to go at once to the lord King in the very\nclothes you have on.\u201d \u201cI know what\u2019s right better than that,\u201d answered\nthe peasant, \u201cI shall have a new coat made first. Dost thou think that\na man with so much money in his pocket is to go there in his ragged old\ncoat?\u201d The Jew, as he saw that the peasant would not stir without\nanother coat, and as he feared that if the King\u2019s anger cooled, he\nhimself would lose his reward, and the peasant his punishment, said, \u201cI\nwill out of pure friendship lend thee a coat for the short time. What\nwill people not do for love!\u201d The peasant was contented with this, put\nthe Jew\u2019s coat on, and went off with him.\n\nThe King reproached the countryman because of the evil speaking of\nwhich the Jew had informed him. \u201cAh,\u201d said the peasant, \u201cwhat a Jew\nsays is always false\u2014no true word ever comes out of his mouth! That\nrascal there is capable of maintaining that I have his coat on.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is that?\u201d shrieked the Jew. \u201cIs the coat not mine? Have I not\nlent it to thee out of pure friendship, in order that thou might appear\nbefore the lord King?\u201d When the King heard that, he said, \u201cThe Jew has\nassuredly deceived one or the other of us, either myself or the\npeasant,\u201d and again he ordered something to be counted out to him in\nhard thalers. The peasant, however, went home in the good coat, with\nthe good money in his pocket, and said to himself, \u201cThis time I have\nhit it!\u201d\n\n\n\n8 The Wonderful Musician\n\nThere was once a wonderful musician, who went quite alone through a\nforest and thought of all manner of things, and when nothing was left\nfor him to think about, he said to himself, \u201cTime is beginning to pass\nheavily with me here in the forest, I will fetch hither a good\ncompanion for myself.\u201d Then he took his fiddle from his back, and\nplayed so that it echoed through the trees. It was not long before a\nwolf came trotting through the thicket towards him. \u201cAh, here is a wolf\ncoming! I have no desire for him!\u201d said the musician; but the wolf came\nnearer and said to him, \u201cAh, dear musician, how beautifully thou dost\nplay. I should like to learn that, too.\u201d \u201cIt is soon learnt,\u201d the\nmusician replied, \u201cthou hast only to do all that I bid thee.\u201d \u201cOh,\nmusician,\u201d said the wolf, \u201cI will obey thee as a scholar obeys his\nmaster.\u201d The musician bade him follow, and when they had gone part of\nthe way together, they came to an old oak-tree which was hollow inside,\nand cleft in the middle. \u201cLook,\u201d said the musician, \u201cif thou wilt learn\nto fiddle, put thy fore paws into this crevice.\u201d The wolf obeyed, but\nthe musician quickly picked up a stone and with one blow wedged his two\npaws so fast that he was forced to stay there like a prisoner. \u201cStay\nthere until I come back again,\u201d said the musician, and went his way.\n\nAfter a while he again said to himself, \u201cTime is beginning to pass\nheavily with me here in the forest, I will fetch hither another\ncompanion,\u201d and took his fiddle and again played in the forest. It was\nnot long before a fox came creeping through the trees towards him. \u201cAh,\nthere\u2019s a fox coming!\u201d said the musician. \u201cI have no desire for him.\u201d\nThe fox came up to him and said, \u201cOh, dear musician, how beautifully\nthou dost play! I should like to learn that too.\u201d \u201cThat is soon\nlearnt,\u201d said the musician. \u201cThou hast only to do everything that I bid\nthee.\u201d \u201cOh, musician,\u201d then said the fox, \u201cI will obey thee as a\nscholar obeys his master.\u201d \u201cFollow me,\u201d said the musician; and when\nthey had walked a part of the way, they came to a footpath, with high\nbushes on both sides of it. There the musician stood still, and from\none side bent a young hazel-bush down to the ground, and put his foot\non the top of it, then he bent down a young tree from the other side as\nwell, and said, \u201cNow little fox, if thou wilt learn something, give me\nthy left front paw.\u201d The fox obeyed, and the musician fastened his paw\nto the left bough. \u201cLittle fox,\u201d said he, \u201cnow reach me thy right paw\u201d\nand he tied it to the right bough. When he had examined whether they\nwere firm enough, he let go, and the bushes sprang up again, and jerked\nup the little fox, so that it hung struggling in the air. \u201cWait there\ntill I come back again,\u201d said the musician, and went his way.\n\nAgain he said to himself, \u201cTime is beginning to pass heavily with me\nhere in the forest, I will fetch hither another companion,\u201d so he took\nhis fiddle, and the sound echoed through the forest. Then a little hare\ncame springing towards him. \u201cWhy, a hare is coming,\u201d said the musician,\n\u201cI do not want him.\u201d \u201cAh, dear musician,\u201d said the hare, \u201chow\nbeautifully thou dost fiddle; I too, should like to learn that.\u201d \u201cThat\nis soon learnt,\u201d said the musician, \u201cthou hast only to do everything\nthat I bid thee.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, musician,\u201d replied the little hare, \u201cI will obey thee as a scholar\nobeys his master.\u201d They went a part of the way together until they came\nto an open space in the forest, where stood an aspen tree. The musician\ntied a long string round the little hare\u2019s neck, the other end of which\nhe fastened to the tree. \u201cNow briskly, little hare, run twenty times\nround the tree!\u201d cried the musician, and the little hare obeyed, and\nwhen it had run round twenty times, it had twisted the string twenty\ntimes round the trunk of the tree, and the little hare was caught, and\nlet it pull and tug as it liked, it only made the string cut into its\ntender neck. \u201cWait there till I come back,\u201d said the musician, and went\nonwards.\n\nThe wolf, in the meantime, had pushed and pulled and bitten at the\nstone, and had worked so long that he had set his feet at liberty and\nhad drawn them once more out of the cleft. Full of anger and rage he\nhurried after the musician and wanted to tear him to pieces. When the\nfox saw him running, he began to lament, and cried with all his might,\n\u201cBrother wolf, come to my help, the musician has betrayed me!\u201d The wolf\ndrew down the little tree, bit the cord in two, and freed the fox, who\nwent with him to take revenge on the musician. They found the tied-up\nhare, whom likewise they delivered, and then they all sought the enemy\ntogether.\n\nThe musician had once more played his fiddle as he went on his way, and\nthis time he had been more fortunate. The sound reached the ears of a\npoor wood-cutter, who instantly, whether he would or no, gave up his\nwork and came with his hatchet under his arm to listen to the music.\n\u201cAt last comes the right companion,\u201d said the musician, \u201cfor I was\nseeking a human being, and no wild beast.\u201d And he began and played so\nbeautifully and delightfully that the poor man stood there as if\nbewitched, and his heart leaped with gladness. And as he thus stood,\nthe wolf, the fox, and the hare came up, and he saw well that they had\nsome evil design. So he raised his glittering axe and placed himself\nbefore the musician, as if to say, \u201cWhoso wishes to touch him let him\nbeware, for he will have to do with me!\u201d Then the beasts were terrified\nand ran back into the forest. The musician, however, played once more\nto the man out of gratitude, and then went onwards.\n\n\n\n9 The Twelve Brothers\n\nThere were once on a time a king and a queen who lived happily together\nand had twelve children, but they were all boys. Then said the King to\nhis wife, \u201cIf the thirteenth child which thou art about to bring into\nthe world, is a girl, the twelve boys shall die, in order that her\npossessions may be great, and that the kingdom may fall to her alone.\u201d\nHe caused likewise twelve coffins to be made, which were already filled\nwith shavings, and in each lay the little pillow for the dead, and he\nhad them taken into a locked-up room, and then he gave the Queen the\nkey of it, and bade her not to speak of this to any one.\n\nThe mother, however, now sat and lamented all day long, until the\nyoungest son, who was always with her, and whom she had named Benjamin,\nfrom the Bible, said to her, \u201cDear mother, why art thou so sad?\u201d\n\n\u201cDearest child,\u201d she answered, \u201cI may not tell thee.\u201d But he let her\nhave no rest until she went and unlocked the room, and showed him the\ntwelve coffins ready filled with shavings. Then she said, \u201cmy dearest\nBenjamin, thy father has had these coffins made for thee and for thy\neleven brothers, for if I bring a little girl into the world, you are\nall to be killed and buried in them.\u201d And as she wept while she was\nsaying this, the son comforted her and said, \u201cWeep not, dear mother, we\nwill save ourselves, and go hence.\u201d But she said, \u201cGo forth into the\nforest with thy eleven brothers, and let one sit constantly on the\nhighest tree which can be found, and keep watch, looking towards the\ntower here in the castle. If I give birth to a little son, I will put\nup a white flag, and then you may venture to come back, but if I bear a\ndaughter, I will hoist a red flag, and then fly hence as quickly as you\nare able, and may the good God protect you. And every night I will rise\nup and pray for you\u2014in winter that you may be able to warm yourself at\na fire, and in summer that you may not faint away in the heat.\u201d\n\nAfter she had blessed her sons therefore, they went forth into the\nforest. They each kept watch in turn, and sat on the highest oak and\nlooked towards the tower. When eleven days had passed and the turn came\nto Benjamin, he saw that a flag was being raised. It was, however, not\nthe white, but the blood-red flag which announced that they were all to\ndie. When the brothers heard that, they were very angry and said, \u201cAre\nwe all to suffer death for the sake of a girl? We swear that we will\navenge ourselves!\u2014wheresoever we find a girl, her red blood shall\nflow.\u201d\n\nThereupon they went deeper into the forest, and in the midst of it,\nwhere it was the darkest, they found a little bewitched hut, which was\nstanding empty. Then said they, \u201cHere we will dwell, and thou Benjamin,\nwho art the youngest and weakest, thou shalt stay at home and keep\nhouse, we others will go out and get food.\u201d Then they went into the\nforest and shot hares, wild deer, birds and pigeons, and whatsoever\nthere was to eat; this they took to Benjamin, who had to dress it for\nthem in order that they might appease their hunger. They lived together\nten years in the little hut, and the time did not appear long to them.\n\nThe little daughter which their mother the Queen had given birth to,\nwas now grown up; she was good of heart, and fair of face, and had a\ngolden star on her forehead. Once, when it was the great washing, she\nsaw twelve men\u2019s shirts among the things, and asked her mother, \u201cTo\nwhom do these twelve shirts belong, for they are far too small for\nfather?\u201d Then the Queen answered with a heavy heart, \u201cDear child, these\nbelong to thy twelve brothers.\u201d Said the maiden, \u201cWhere are my twelve\nbrothers, I have never yet heard of them?\u201d She replied, \u201cGod knows\nwhere they are, they are wandering about the world.\u201d Then she took the\nmaiden and opened the chamber for her, and showed her the twelve\ncoffins with the shavings, and pillows for the head. \u201cThese coffins,\u201d\nsaid she, \u201cwere destined for thy brothers, but they went away secretly\nbefore thou wert born,\u201d and she related to her how everything had\nhappened; then said the maiden, \u201cDear mother, weep not, I will go and\nseek my brothers.\u201d\n\nSo she took the twelve shirts and went forth, and straight into the\ngreat forest. She walked the whole day, and in the evening she came to\nthe bewitched hut. Then she entered it and found a young boy, who\nasked, \u201cFrom whence comest thou, and whither art thou bound?\u201d and was\nastonished that she was so beautiful, and wore royal garments, and had\na star on her forehead. And she answered, \u201cI am a king\u2019s daughter, and\nam seeking my twelve brothers, and I will walk as far as the sky is\nblue until I find them.\u201d She likewise showed him the twelve shirts\nwhich belonged to them. Then Benjamin saw that she was his sister, and\nsaid, \u201cI am Benjamin, thy youngest brother.\u201d And she began to weep for\njoy, and Benjamin wept also, and they kissed and embraced each other\nwith the greatest love. But after this he said, \u201cDear sister, there is\nstill one difficulty. We have agreed that every maiden whom we meet\nshall die, because we have been obliged to leave our kingdom on account\nof a girl.\u201d Then said she, \u201cI will willingly die, if by so doing I can\ndeliver my twelve brothers.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d answered he, \u201cthou shalt not die, seat thyself beneath this tub\nuntil our eleven brothers come, and then I will soon come to an\nagreement with them.\u201d\n\nShe did so, and when it was night the others came from hunting, and\ntheir dinner was ready. And as they were sitting at table, and eating,\nthey asked, \u201cWhat news is there?\u201d Said Benjamin, \u201cDon\u2019t you know\nanything?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d they answered. He continued, \u201cYou have been in the\nforest and I have stayed at home, and yet I know more than you do.\u201d\n\u201cTell us then,\u201d they cried. He answered, \u201cBut promise me that the first\nmaiden who meets us shall not be killed.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d they all cried, \u201cshe\nshall have mercy, only do tell us.\u201d\n\nThen said he, \u201cOur sister is here,\u201d and he lifted up the tub, and the\nKing\u2019s daughter came forth in her royal garments with the golden star\non her forehead, and she was beautiful, delicate and fair. Then they\nwere all rejoiced, and fell on her neck, and kissed and loved her with\nall their hearts.\n\nNow she stayed at home with Benjamin and helped him with the work. The\neleven went into the forest and caught game, and deer, and birds, and\nwood-pigeons that they might have food, and the little sister and\nBenjamin took care to make it ready for them. She sought for the wood\nfor cooking and herbs for vegetables, and put the pans on the fire so\nthat the dinner was always ready when the eleven came. She likewise\nkept order in the little house, and put beautifully white clean\ncoverings on the little beds, and the brothers were always contented\nand lived in great harmony with her.\n\nOnce on a time the two at home had prepared a beautiful entertainment,\nand when they were all together, they sat down and ate and drank and\nwere full of gladness. There was, however, a little garden belonging to\nthe bewitched house wherein stood twelve lily flowers, which are\nlikewise called students. She wished to give her brothers pleasure, and\nplucked the twelve flowers, and thought she would present each brother\nwith one while at dinner. But at the self-same moment that she plucked\nthe flowers the twelve brothers were changed into twelve ravens, and\nflew away over the forest, and the house and garden vanished likewise.\nAnd now the poor maiden was alone in the wild forest, and when she\nlooked around, an old woman was standing near her who said, \u201cMy child,\nwhat hast thou done? Why didst thou not leave the twelve white flowers\ngrowing? They were thy brothers, who are now for evermore changed into\nravens.\u201d The maiden said, weeping, \u201cIs there no way of delivering\nthem?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the woman, \u201cthere is but one in the whole world, and that is\nso hard that thou wilt not deliver them by it, for thou must be dumb\nfor seven years, and mayst not speak or laugh, and if thou speakest one\nsingle word, and only an hour of the seven years is wanting, all is in\nvain, and thy brothers will be killed by the one word.\u201d\n\nThen said the maiden in her heart, \u201cI know with certainty that I shall\nset my brothers free,\u201d and went and sought a high tree and seated\nherself in it and span, and neither spoke nor laughed. Now it so\nhappened that a king was hunting in the forest, who had a great\ngreyhound which ran to the tree on which the maiden was sitting, and\nsprang about it, whining, and barking at her. Then the King came by and\nsaw the beautiful King\u2019s daughter with the golden star on her brow, and\nwas so charmed with her beauty that he called to ask her if she would\nbe his wife. She made no answer, but nodded a little with her head. So\nhe climbed up the tree himself, carried her down, placed her on his\nhorse, and bore her home. Then the wedding was solemnized with great\nmagnificence and rejoicing, but the bride neither spoke nor smiled.\nWhen they had lived happily together for a few years, the King\u2019s\nmother, who was a wicked woman, began to slander the young Queen, and\nsaid to the King, \u201cThis is a common beggar girl whom thou hast brought\nback with thee. Who knows what impious tricks she practises secretly!\nEven if she be dumb, and not able to speak, she still might laugh for\nonce; but those who do not laugh have bad consciences.\u201d At first the\nKing would not believe it, but the old woman urged this so long, and\naccused her of so many evil things, that at last the King let himself\nbe persuaded and sentenced her to death.\n\nAnd now a great fire was lighted in the courtyard in which she was to\nbe burnt, and the King stood above at the window and looked on with\ntearful eyes, because he still loved her so much. And when she was\nbound fast to the stake, and the fire was licking at her clothes with\nits red tongue, the last instant of the seven years expired. Then a\nwhirring sound was heard in the air, and twelve ravens came flying\ntowards the place, and sank downwards, and when they touched the earth\nthey were her twelve brothers, whom she had delivered. They tore the\nfire asunder, extinguished the flames, set their dear sister free, and\nkissed and embraced her. And now as she dared to open her mouth and\nspeak, she told the King why she had been dumb, and had never laughed.\nThe King rejoiced when he heard that she was innocent, and they all\nlived in great unity until their death. The wicked step-mother was\ntaken before the judge, and put into a barrel filled with boiling oil\nand venomous snakes, and died an evil death.\n\n\n\n10 The Pack of Ragamuffins\n\nThe cock once said to the hen, \u201cIt is now the time when our nuts are\nripe, so let us go to the hill together and for once eat our fill\nbefore the squirrel takes them all away.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d replied the hen,\n\u201ccome, we will have some pleasure together.\u201d Then they went away to the\nhill, and on it was a bright day they stayed till evening. Now I do not\nknow whether it was that they had eaten till they were too fat, or\nwhether they had become proud, but they would not go home on foot, and\nthe cock had to build a little carriage of nut-shells. When it was\nready, the little hen seated herself in it and said to the cock, \u201cThou\ncanst just harness thyself to it.\u201d \u201cI like that!\u201d said the cock, \u201cI\nwould rather go home on foot than let myself be harnessed to it; no,\nthat is not our bargain. I do not mind being coachman and sitting on\nthe box, but drag it myself I will not.\u201d\n\nAs they were thus disputing, a duck quacked to them, \u201cYou thieving\nfolks, who bade you go to my nut-hill? Well, you shall suffer for it!\u201d\nand ran with open beak at the cock. But the cock also was not idle, and\nfell boldly on the duck, and at last wounded her so with his spurs that\nshe also begged for mercy, and willingly let herself be harnessed to\nthe carriage as a punishment. The little cock now seated himself on the\nbox and was coachman, and thereupon they went off in a gallop, with\n\u201cDuck, go as fast as thou canst.\u201d When they had driven a part of the\nway they met two foot-passengers, a pin and a needle. They cried,\n\u201cStop! stop!\u201d and said that it would soon be as dark as pitch, and then\nthey could not go a step further, and that it was so dirty on the road,\nand asked if they could not get into the carriage for a while. They had\nbeen at the tailor\u2019s public-house by the gate, and had stayed too long\nover the beer. As they were thin people, who did not take up much room,\nthe cock let them both get in, but they had to promise him and his\nlittle hen not to step on their feet. Late in the evening they came to\nan inn, and as they did not like to go further by night, and as the\nduck also was not strong on her feet, and fell from one side to the\nother, they went in. The host at first made many objections, his house\nwas already full, besides he thought they could not be very\ndistinguished persons; but at last, as they made pleasant speeches, and\ntold him that he should have the egg which the little hen has laid on\nthe way, and should likewise keep the duck, which laid one every day,\nhe at length said that they might stay the night. And now they had\nthemselves well served, and feasted and rioted. Early in the morning,\nwhen day was breaking, and every one was asleep, the cock awoke the\nhen, brought the egg, pecked it open, and they ate it together, but\nthey threw the shell on the hearth. Then they went to the needle which\nwas still asleep, took it by the head and stuck it into the cushion of\nthe landlord\u2019s chair, and put the pin in his towel, and at the last\nwithout more ado they flew away over the heath. The duck who liked to\nsleep in the open air and had stayed in the yard, heard them going\naway, made herself merry and found a stream, down which she swam, which\nwas a much quicker way of travelling than being harnessed to a\ncarriage. The host did not get out of bed for two hours after this; he\nwashed himself and wanted to dry himself, then the pin went over his\nface and made a red streak from one ear to the other. After this he\nwent into the kitchen and wanted to light a pipe, but when he came to\nthe hearth the egg-shell darted into his eyes. \u201cThis morning everything\nattacks my head,\u201d said he, and angrily sat down on his grandfather\u2019s\nchair, but he quickly started up again and cried, \u201cWoe is me,\u201d for the\nneedle had pricked him still worse than the pin, and not in the head.\nNow he was thoroughly angry, and suspected the guests who had come so\nlate the night before, and when he went and looked about for them, they\nwere gone. Then he made a vow to take no more ragamuffins into his\nhouse, for they consume much, pay for nothing, and play mischievous\ntricks into the bargain by way of gratitude.\n\n\n\n11 Little Brother and Little Sister\n\nLittle brother took his little sister by the hand and said, \u201cSince our\nmother died we have had no happiness; our step-mother beats us every\nday, and if we come near her she kicks us away with her foot. Our meals\nare the hard crusts of bread that are left over; and the little dog\nunder the table is better off, for she often throws it a nice bit. May\nHeaven pity us. If our mother only knew! Come, we will go forth\ntogether into the wide world.\u201d\n\nThey walked the whole day over meadows, fields, and stony places; and\nwhen it rained the little sister said, \u201cHeaven and our hearts are\nweeping together.\u201d In the evening they came to a large forest, and they\nwere so weary with sorrow and hunger and the long walk, that they lay\ndown in a hollow tree and fell asleep.\n\nThe next day when they awoke, the sun was already high in the sky, and\nshone down hot into the tree. Then the brother said, \u201cSister, I am\nthirsty; if I knew of a little brook I would go and just take a drink;\nI think I hear one running.\u201d The brother got up and took the little\nsister by the hand, and they set off to find the brook.\n\nBut the wicked step-mother was a witch, and had seen how the two\nchildren had gone away, and had crept after them privily, as witches do\ncreep, and had bewitched all the brooks in the forest.\n\nNow when they found a little brook leaping brightly over the stones,\nthe brother was going to drink out of it, but the sister heard how it\nsaid as it ran, \u201cWho drinks of me will be a tiger; who drinks of me\nwill be a tiger.\u201d Then the sister cried, \u201cPray, dear brother, do not\ndrink, or you will become a wild beast, and tear me to pieces.\u201d The\nbrother did not drink, although he was so thirsty, but said, \u201cI will\nwait for the next spring.\u201d\n\nWhen they came to the next brook the sister heard this also say, \u201cWho\ndrinks of me will be a wolf; who drinks of me will be a wolf.\u201d Then the\nsister cried out, \u201cPray, dear brother, do not drink, or you will become\na wolf, and devour me.\u201d The brother did not drink, and said, \u201cI will\nwait until we come to the next spring, but then I must drink, say what\nyou like; for my thirst is too great.\u201d\n\nAnd when they came to the third brook the sister heard how it said as\nit ran, \u201cWho drinks of me will be a roebuck; who drinks of me will be a\nroebuck.\u201d The sister said, \u201cOh, I pray you, dear brother, do not drink,\nor you will become a roebuck, and run away from me.\u201d But the brother\nhad knelt down at once by the brook, and had bent down and drunk some\nof the water, and as soon as the first drops touched his lips he lay\nthere a young roebuck.\n\nAnd now the sister wept over her poor bewitched brother, and the little\nroe wept also, and sat sorrowfully near to her. But at last the girl\nsaid, \u201cBe quiet, dear little roe, I will never, never leave you.\u201d\n\nThen she untied her golden garter and put it round the roebuck\u2019s neck,\nand she plucked rushes and wove them into a soft cord. With this she\ntied the little beast and led it on, and she walked deeper and deeper\ninto the forest.\n\nAnd when they had gone a very long way they came at last to a little\nhouse, and the girl looked in; and as it was empty, she thought, \u201cWe\ncan stay here and live.\u201d Then she sought for leaves and moss to make a\nsoft bed for the roe; and every morning she went out and gathered roots\nand berries and nuts for herself, and brought tender grass for the roe,\nwho ate out of her hand, and was content and played round about her. In\nthe evening, when the sister was tired, and had said her prayer, she\nlaid her head upon the roebuck\u2019s back: that was her pillow, and she\nslept softly on it. And if only the brother had had his human form it\nwould have been a delightful life.\n\nFor some time they were alone like this in the wilderness. But it\nhappened that the King of the country held a great hunt in the forest.\nThen the blasts of the horns, the barking of dogs, and the merry shouts\nof the huntsmen rang through the trees, and the roebuck heard all, and\nwas only too anxious to be there. \u201cOh,\u201d said he, to his sister, \u201clet me\nbe off to the hunt, I cannot bear it any longer;\u201d and he begged so much\nthat at last she agreed. \u201cBut,\u201d said she to him, \u201ccome back to me in\nthe evening; I must shut my door for fear of the rough huntsmen, so\nknock and say, \u2018My little sister, let me in!\u2019 that I may know you; and\nif you do not say that, I shall not open the door.\u201d Then the young\nroebuck sprang away; so happy was he and so merry in the open air.\n\nThe King and the huntsmen saw the pretty creature, and started after\nhim, but they could not catch him, and when they thought that they\nsurely had him, away he sprang through the bushes and could not be\nseen. When it was dark he ran to the cottage, knocked, and said, \u201cMy\nlittle sister, let me in.\u201d Then the door was opened for him, and he\njumped in, and rested himself the whole night through upon his soft\nbed.\n\nThe next day the hunt went on afresh, and when the roebuck again heard\nthe bugle-horn, and the ho! ho! of the huntsmen, he had no peace, but\nsaid, \u201cSister, let me out, I must be off.\u201d His sister opened the door\nfor him, and said, \u201cBut you must be here again in the evening and say\nyour pass-word.\u201d\n\nWhen the King and his huntsmen again saw the young roebuck with the\ngolden collar, they all chased him, but he was too quick and nimble for\nthem. This went on for the whole day, but at last by the evening the\nhuntsmen had surrounded him, and one of them wounded him a little in\nthe foot, so that he limped and ran slowly. Then a hunter crept after\nhim to the cottage and heard how he said, \u201cMy little sister, let me\nin,\u201d and saw that the door was opened for him, and was shut again at\nonce. The huntsman took notice of it all, and went to the King and told\nhim what he had seen and heard. Then the King said, \u201cTo-morrow we will\nhunt once more.\u201d\n\nThe little sister, however, was dreadfully frightened when she saw that\nher fawn was hurt. She washed the blood off him, laid herbs on the\nwound, and said, \u201cGo to your bed, dear roe, that you may get well\nagain.\u201d But the wound was so slight that the roebuck, next morning, did\nnot feel it any more. And when he again heard the sport outside, he\nsaid, \u201cI cannot bear it, I must be there; they shall not find it so\neasy to catch me.\u201d The sister cried, and said, \u201cThis time they will\nkill you, and here am I alone in the forest and forsaken by all the\nworld. I will not let you out.\u201d \u201cThen you will have me die of grief,\u201d\nanswered the roe; \u201cwhen I hear the bugle-horns I feel as if I must jump\nout of my skin.\u201d Then the sister could not do otherwise, but opened the\ndoor for him with a heavy heart, and the roebuck, full of health and\njoy, bounded into the forest.\n\nWhen the King saw him, he said to his huntsmen, \u201cNow chase him all day\nlong till night-fall, but take care that no one does him any harm.\u201d\n\nAs soon as the sun had set, the King said to the huntsman, \u201cNow come\nand show me the cottage in the wood;\u201d and when he was at the door, he\nknocked and called out, \u201cDear little sister, let me in.\u201d Then the door\nopened, and the King walked in, and there stood a maiden more lovely\nthan any he had ever seen. The maiden was frightened when she saw, not\nher little roe, but a man come in who wore a golden crown upon his\nhead. But the King looked kindly at her, stretched out his hand, and\nsaid, \u201cWill you go with me to my palace and be my dear wife?\u201d \u201cYes,\nindeed,\u201d answered the maiden, \u201cbut the little roe must go with me, I\ncannot leave him.\u201d The King said, \u201cIt shall stay with you as long as\nyou live, and shall want nothing.\u201d Just then he came running in, and\nthe sister again tied him with the cord of rushes, took it in her own\nhand, and went away with the King from the cottage.\n\nThe King took the lovely maiden upon his horse and carried her to his\npalace, where the wedding was held with great pomp. She was now the\nQueen, and they lived for a long time happily together; the roebuck was\ntended and cherished, and ran about in the palace-garden.\n\nBut the wicked step-mother, because of whom the children had gone out\ninto the world, thought all the time that the sister had been torn to\npieces by the wild beasts in the wood, and that the brother had been\nshot for a roebuck by the huntsmen. Now when she heard that they were\nso happy, and so well off, envy and hatred rose in her heart and left\nher no peace, and she thought of nothing but how she could bring them\nagain to misfortune. Her own daughter, who was ugly as night, and had\nonly one eye, grumbled at her and said, \u201cA Queen! that ought to have\nbeen my luck.\u201d \u201cOnly be quiet,\u201d answered the old woman, and comforted\nher by saying, \u201cwhen the time comes I shall be ready.\u201d\n\nAs time went on, the Queen had a pretty little boy, and it happened\nthat the King was out hunting; so the old witch took the form of the\nchamber-maid, went into the room where the Queen lay, and said to her,\n\u201cCome, the bath is ready; it will do you good, and give you fresh\nstrength; make haste before it gets cold.\u201d\n\nThe daughter also was close by; so they carried the weakly Queen into\nthe bath-room, and put her into the bath; then they shut the door and\nran away. But in the bath-room they had made a fire of such deadly heat\nthat the beautiful young Queen was soon suffocated.\n\nWhen this was done the old woman took her daughter, put a nightcap on\nher head, and laid her in bed in place of the Queen. She gave her too\nthe shape and the look of the Queen, only she could not make good the\nlost eye. But in order that the King might not see it, she was to lie\non the side on which she had no eye.\n\nIn the evening when he came home and heard that he had a son he was\nheartily glad, and was going to the bed of his dear wife to see how she\nwas. But the old woman quickly called out, \u201cFor your life leave the\ncurtains closed; the Queen ought not to see the light yet, and must\nhave rest.\u201d The King went away, and did not find out that a false Queen\nwas lying in the bed.\n\nBut at midnight, when all slept, the nurse, who was sitting in the\nnursery by the cradle, and who was the only person awake, saw the door\nopen and the true Queen walk in. She took the child out of the cradle,\nlaid it on her arm, and suckled it. Then she shook up its pillow, laid\nthe child down again, and covered it with the little quilt. And she did\nnot forget the roebuck, but went into the corner where it lay, and\nstroked its back. Then she went quite silently out of the door again.\nThe next morning the nurse asked the guards whether anyone had come\ninto the palace during the night, but they answered, \u201cNo, we have seen\nno one.\u201d\n\nShe came thus many nights and never spoke a word: the nurse always saw\nher, but she did not dare to tell anyone about it.\n\nWhen some time had passed in this manner, the Queen began to speak in\nthe night, and said\u2014\n\n\u201cHow fares my child, how fares my roe?\nTwice shall I come, then never more.\u201d\n\n\nThe nurse did not answer, but when the Queen had gone again, went to\nthe King and told him all. The King said, \u201cAh, heavens! what is this?\nTo-morrow night I will watch by the child.\u201d In the evening he went into\nthe nursery, and at midnight the Queen again appeared and said\u2014\n\n\u201cHow fares my child, how fares my roe?\nOnce will I come, then never more.\u201d\n\n\nAnd she nursed the child as she was wont to do before she disappeared.\nThe King dared not speak to her, but on the next night he watched\nagain. Then she said\u2014\n\n\u201cHow fares my child, how fares my roe?\nThis time I come, then never more.\u201d\n\n\nThen the King could not restrain himself; he sprang towards her, and\nsaid, \u201cYou can be none other than my dear wife.\u201d She answered, \u201cYes, I\nam your dear wife,\u201d and at the same moment she received life again, and\nby God\u2019s grace became fresh, rosy, and full of health.\n\nThen she told the King the evil deed which the wicked witch and her\ndaughter had been guilty of towards her. The King ordered both to be\nled before the judge, and judgment was delivered against them. The\ndaughter was taken into the forest where she was torn to pieces by wild\nbeasts, but the witch was cast into the fire and miserably burnt. And\nas soon as she was burnt the roebuck changed his shape, and received\nhis human form again, so the sister and brother lived happily together\nall their lives.\n\n\n\n12 Rapunzel\n\nThere were once a man and a woman who had long in vain wished for a\nchild. At length the woman hoped that God was about to grant her\ndesire. These people had a little window at the back of their house\nfrom which a splendid garden could be seen, which was full of the most\nbeautiful flowers and herbs. It was, however, surrounded by a high\nwall, and no one dared to go into it because it belonged to an\nenchantress, who had great power and was dreaded by all the world. One\nday the woman was standing by this window and looking down into the\ngarden, when she saw a bed which was planted with the most beautiful\nrampion (rapunzel), and it looked so fresh and green that she longed\nfor it, and had the greatest desire to eat some. This desire increased\nevery day, and as she knew that she could not get any of it, she quite\npined away, and looked pale and miserable. Then her husband was\nalarmed, and asked, \u201cWhat aileth thee, dear wife?\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d she replied,\n\u201cif I can\u2019t get some of the rampion, which is in the garden behind our\nhouse, to eat, I shall die.\u201d The man, who loved her, thought, \u201cSooner\nthan let thy wife die, bring her some of the rampion thyself, let it\ncost thee what it will.\u201d In the twilight of the evening, he clambered\ndown over the wall into the garden of the enchantress, hastily clutched\na handful of rampion, and took it to his wife. She at once made herself\na salad of it, and ate it with much relish. She, however, liked it so\nmuch\u2014so very much, that the next day she longed for it three times as\nmuch as before. If he was to have any rest, her husband must once more\ndescend into the garden. In the gloom of evening, therefore, he let\nhimself down again; but when he had clambered down the wall he was\nterribly afraid, for he saw the enchantress standing before him. \u201cHow\ncanst thou dare,\u201d said she with angry look, \u201cto descend into my garden\nand steal my rampion like a thief? Thou shalt suffer for it!\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d\nanswered he, \u201clet mercy take the place of justice, I only made up my\nmind to do it out of necessity. My wife saw your rampion from the\nwindow, and felt such a longing for it that she would have died if she\nhad not got some to eat.\u201d Then the enchantress allowed her anger to be\nsoftened, and said to him, \u201cIf the case be as thou sayest, I will allow\nthee to take away with thee as much rampion as thou wilt, only I make\none condition, thou must give me the child which thy wife will bring\ninto the world; it shall be well treated, and I will care for it like a\nmother.\u201d The man in his terror consented to everything, and when the\nwoman was brought to bed, the enchantress appeared at once, gave the\nchild the name of Rapunzel, and took it away with her.\n\nRapunzel grew into the most beautiful child beneath the sun. When she\nwas twelve years old, the enchantress shut her into a tower, which lay\nin a forest, and had neither stairs nor door, but quite at the top was\na little window. When the enchantress wanted to go in, she placed\nherself beneath it and cried,\n\n\u201cRapunzel, Rapunzel,\nLet down thy hair to me.\u201d\n\n\nRapunzel had magnificent long hair, fine as spun gold, and when she\nheard the voice of the enchantress she unfastened her braided tresses,\nwound them round one of the hooks of the window above, and then the\nhair fell twenty ells down, and the enchantress climbed up by it.\n\nAfter a year or two, it came to pass that the King\u2019s son rode through\nthe forest and went by the tower. Then he heard a song, which was so\ncharming that he stood still and listened. This was Rapunzel, who in\nher solitude passed her time in letting her sweet voice resound. The\nKing\u2019s son wanted to climb up to her, and looked for the door of the\ntower, but none was to be found. He rode home, but the singing had so\ndeeply touched his heart, that every day he went out into the forest\nand listened to it. Once when he was thus standing behind a tree, he\nsaw that an enchantress came there, and he heard how she cried,\n\n\u201cRapunzel, Rapunzel,\nLet down thy hair.\u201d\n\n\nThen Rapunzel let down the braids of her hair, and the enchantress\nclimbed up to her. \u201cIf that is the ladder by which one mounts, I will\nfor once try my fortune,\u201d said he, and the next day when it began to\ngrow dark, he went to the tower and cried,\n\n\u201cRapunzel, Rapunzel,\nLet down thy hair.\u201d\n\n\nImmediately the hair fell down and the King\u2019s son climbed up.\n\nAt first Rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man such as her eyes\nhad never yet beheld, came to her; but the King\u2019s son began to talk to\nher quite like a friend, and told her that his heart had been so\nstirred that it had let him have no rest, and he had been forced to see\nher. Then Rapunzel lost her fear, and when he asked her if she would\ntake him for her husband, and she saw that he was young and handsome,\nshe thought, \u201cHe will love me more than old Dame Gothel does;\u201d and she\nsaid yes, and laid her hand in his. She said, \u201cI will willingly go away\nwith thee, but I do not know how to get down. Bring with thee a skein\nof silk every time that thou comest, and I will weave a ladder with it,\nand when that is ready I will descend, and thou wilt take me on thy\nhorse.\u201d They agreed that until that time he should come to her every\nevening, for the old woman came by day. The enchantress remarked\nnothing of this, until once Rapunzel said to her, \u201cTell me, Dame\nGothel, how it happens that you are so much heavier for me to draw up\nthan the young King\u2019s son\u2014he is with me in a moment.\u201d \u201cAh! thou wicked\nchild,\u201d cried the enchantress \u201cWhat do I hear thee say! I thought I had\nseparated thee from all the world, and yet thou hast deceived me.\u201d In\nher anger she clutched Rapunzel\u2019s beautiful tresses, wrapped them twice\nround her left hand, seized a pair of scissors with the right, and\nsnip, snap, they were cut off, and the lovely braids lay on the ground.\nAnd she was so pitiless that she took poor Rapunzel into a desert where\nshe had to live in great grief and misery.\n\nOn the same day, however, that she cast out Rapunzel, the enchantress\nin the evening fastened the braids of hair which she had cut off, to\nthe hook of the window, and when the King\u2019s son came and cried,\n\n\u201cRapunzel, Rapunzel,\nLet down thy hair,\u201d\n\n\nshe let the hair down. The King\u2019s son ascended, but he did not find his\ndearest Rapunzel above, but the enchantress, who gazed at him with\nwicked and venomous looks. \u201cAha!\u201d she cried mockingly, \u201cThou wouldst\nfetch thy dearest, but the beautiful bird sits no longer singing in the\nnest; the cat has got it, and will scratch out thy eyes as well.\nRapunzel is lost to thee; thou wilt never see her more.\u201d The King\u2019s son\nwas beside himself with pain, and in his despair he leapt down from the\ntower. He escaped with his life, but the thorns into which he fell,\npierced his eyes. Then he wandered quite blind about the forest, ate\nnothing but roots and berries, and did nothing but lament and weep over\nthe loss of his dearest wife. Thus he roamed about in misery for some\nyears, and at length came to the desert where Rapunzel, with the twins\nto which she had given birth, a boy and a girl, lived in wretchedness.\nHe heard a voice, and it seemed so familiar to him that he went towards\nit, and when he approached, Rapunzel knew him and fell on his neck and\nwept. Two of her tears wetted his eyes and they grew clear again, and\nhe could see with them as before. He led her to his kingdom where he\nwas joyfully received, and they lived for a long time afterwards, happy\nand contented.\n\n\n\n13 The Three Little Men in the Wood\n\nThere was once a man whose wife died, and a woman whose husband died,\nand the man had a daughter, and the woman also had a daughter. The\ngirls were acquainted with each other, and went out walking together,\nand afterwards came to the woman in her house. Then said she to the\nman\u2019s daughter, \u201cListen, tell thy father that I would like to marry\nhim, and then thou shalt wash thyself in milk every morning, and drink\nwine, but my own daughter shall wash herself in water and drink water.\u201d\nThe girl went home, and told her father what the woman had said. The\nman said, \u201cWhat shall I do? Marriage is a joy and also a torment.\u201d At\nlength as he could come to no decision, he pulled off his boot, and\nsaid, \u201cTake this boot, it has a hole in the sole of it. Go with it up\nto the loft, hang it on the big nail, and then pour water into it. If\nit hold the water, then I will again take a wife, but if it run\nthrough, I will not.\u201d The girl did as she was ordered, but the water\ndrew the hole together, and the boot became full to the top. She\ninformed her father how it had turned out. Then he himself went up, and\nwhen he saw that she was right, he went to the widow and wooed her, and\nthe wedding was celebrated.\n\nThe next morning, when the two girls got up, there stood before the\nman\u2019s daughter milk for her to wash in and wine for her to drink, but\nbefore the woman\u2019s daughter stood water to wash herself with and water\nfor drinking. On the second morning, stood water for washing and water\nfor drinking before the man\u2019s daughter as well as before the woman\u2019s\ndaughter. And on the third morning stood water for washing and water\nfor drinking before the man\u2019s daughter, and milk for washing and wine\nfor drinking, before the woman\u2019s daughter, and so it continued. The\nwoman became bitterly unkind to her step-daughter, and day by day did\nher best to treat her still worse. She was also envious because her\nstep-daughter was beautiful and lovable, and her own daughter ugly and\nrepulsive.\n\nOnce, in winter, when everything was frozen as hard as a stone, and\nhill and vale lay covered with snow, the woman made a frock of paper,\ncalled her step-daughter, and said, \u201cHere, put on this dress and go out\ninto the wood, and fetch me a little basketful of strawberries,\u2014I have\na fancy for some.\u201d \u201cGood heavens!\u201d said the girl, \u201cno strawberries grow\nin winter! The ground is frozen, and besides the snow has covered\neverything. And why am I to go in this paper frock? It is so cold\noutside that one\u2019s very breath freezes! The wind will blow through the\nfrock, and the thorns will tear it off my body.\u201d \u201cWilt thou contradict\nme again?\u201d said the stepmother, \u201cSee that thou goest, and do not show\nthy face again until thou hast the basketful of strawberries!\u201d Then she\ngave her a little piece of hard bread, and said, \u201cThis will last thee\nthe day,\u201d and thought, \u201cThou wilt die of cold and hunger outside, and\nwilt never be seen again by me.\u201d\n\nThen the maiden was obedient, and put on the paper frock, and went out\nwith the basket. Far and wide there was nothing but snow, and not a\ngreen blade to be seen. When she got into the wood she saw a small\nhouse out of which peeped three dwarfs. She wished them good day, and\nknocked modestly at the door. They cried, \u201cCome in,\u201d and she entered\nthe room and seated herself on the bench by the stove, where she began\nto warm herself and eat her breakfast. The elves said, \u201cGive us, too,\nsome of it.\u201d \u201cWillingly,\u201d she said, and divided her bit of bread in two\nand gave them the half. They asked, \u201cWhat dost thou here in the forest\nin the winter time, in thy thin dress?\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d she answered, \u201cI am to\nlook for a basketful of strawberries, and am not to go home until I can\ntake them with me.\u201d When she had eaten her bread, they gave her a broom\nand said, \u201cSweep away the snow at the back door with it.\u201d But when she\nwas outside, the three little men said to each other, \u201cWhat shall we\ngive her as she is so good, and has shared her bread with us?\u201d Then\nsaid the first, \u201cMy gift is, that she shall every day grow more\nbeautiful.\u201d The second said, \u201cMy gift is, that gold pieces shall fall\nout of her mouth every time she speaks.\u201d The third said, \u201cMy gift is,\nthat a king shall come and take her to wife.\u201d\n\nThe girl, however, did as the little men had bidden her, swept away the\nsnow behind the little house with the broom, and what did she find but\nreal ripe strawberries, which came up quite dark-red out of the snow!\nIn her joy she hastily gathered her basket full, thanked the little\nmen, shook hands with each of them, and ran home to take her\nstep-mother what she had longed for so much. When she went in and said\ngood-evening, a piece of gold at once fell from her mouth. Thereupon\nshe related what had happened to her in the wood, but with every word\nshe spoke, gold pieces fell from her mouth, until very soon the whole\nroom was covered with them. \u201cNow look at her arrogance,\u201d cried the\nstep-sister, \u201cto throw about gold in that way!\u201d but she was secretly\nenvious of it, and wanted to go into the forest also to seek\nstrawberries. The mother said, \u201cNo, my dear little daughter, it is too\ncold, thou mightest die of cold.\u201d However, as her daughter let her have\nno peace, the mother at last yielded, made her a magnificent dress of\nfur, which she was obliged to put on, and gave her bread-and-butter and\ncake with her.\n\nThe girl went into the forest and straight up to the little house. The\nthree little elves peeped out again, but she did not greet them, and\nwithout looking round at them and without speaking to them, she went\nawkwardly into the room, seated herself by the stove, and began to eat\nher bread-and-butter and cake. \u201cGive us some of it,\u201d cried the little\nmen; but she replied, \u201cThere is not enough for myself, so how can I\ngive it away to other people?\u201d When she had done eating, they said,\n\u201cThere is a broom for thee, sweep all clean for us outside by the\nback-door.\u201d \u201cHumph! Sweep for yourselves,\u201d she answered, \u201cI am not your\nservant.\u201d When she saw that they were not going to give her anything,\nshe went out by the door. Then the little men said to each other, \u201cWhat\nshall we give her as she is so naughty, and has a wicked envious heart,\nthat will never let her do a good turn to any one?\u201d The first said, \u201cI\ngrant that she may grow uglier every day.\u201d The second said, \u201cI grant\nthat at every word she says, a toad shall spring out of her mouth.\u201d The\nthird said, \u201cI grant that she may die a miserable death.\u201d The maiden\nlooked for strawberries outside, but as she found none, she went\nangrily home. And when she opened her mouth, and was about to tell her\nmother what had happened to her in the wood, with every word she said,\na toad sprang out of her mouth, so that every one was seized with\nhorror of her.\n\nThen the step-mother was still more enraged, and thought of nothing but\nhow to do every possible injury to the man\u2019s daughter, whose beauty,\nhowever, grew daily greater. At length she took a cauldron, set it on\nthe fire, and boiled yarn in it. When it was boiled, she flung it on\nthe poor girl\u2019s shoulder, and gave her an axe in order that she might\ngo on the frozen river, cut a hole in the ice, and rinse the yarn. She\nwas obedient, went thither and cut a hole in the ice; and while she was\nin the midst of her cutting, a splendid carriage came driving up, in\nwhich sat the King. The carriage stopped, and the King asked,\u201dMy child,\nwho are thou, and what art thou doing here?\u201d \u201cI am a poor girl, and I\nam rinsing yarn.\u201d Then the King felt compassion, and when he saw that\nshe was so very beautiful, he said to her, \u201cWilt thou go away with me?\u201d\n\u201cAh, yes, with all my heart,\u201d she answered, for she was glad to get\naway from the mother and sister.\n\nSo she got into the carriage and drove away with the King, and when\nthey arrived at his palace, the wedding was celebrated with great pomp,\nas the little men had granted to the maiden. When a year was over, the\nyoung Queen bore a son, and as the step-mother had heard of her great\ngood-fortune, she came with her daughter to the palace and pretended\nthat she wanted to pay her a visit. Once, however, when the King had\ngone out, and no one else was present, the wicked woman seized the\nQueen by the head, and her daughter seized her by the feet, and they\nlifted her out of the bed, and threw her out of the window into the\nstream which flowed by. Then the ugly daughter laid herself in the bed,\nand the old woman covered her up over her head. When the King came home\nagain and wanted to speak to his wife, the old woman cried, \u201cHush,\nhush, that can\u2019t be now, she is lying in a violent perspiration; you\nmust let her rest to-day.\u201d The King suspected no evil, and did not come\nback again till next morning; and as he talked with his wife and she\nanswered him, with every word a toad leaped out, whereas formerly a\npiece of gold had fallen out. Then he asked what that could be, but the\nold woman said that she had got that from the violent perspiration, and\nwould soon lose it again. During the night, however, the scullion saw a\nduck come swimming up the gutter, and it said,\n\n\u201cKing, what art thou doing now?\nSleepest thou, or wakest thou?\u201d\n\n\nAnd as he returned no answer, it said,\n\n\u201cAnd my guests, What may they do?\u201d\n\n\nThe scullion said,\n\n\u201cThey are sleeping soundly, too.\u201d\n\n\nThen it asked again,\n\n\u201cWhat does little baby mine?\u201d\n\n\nHe answered,\n\n\u201cSleepeth in her cradle fine.\u201d\n\n\nThen she went upstairs in the form of the Queen, nursed the baby, shook\nup its little bed, covered it over, and then swam away again down the\ngutter in the shape of a duck. She came thus for two nights; on the\nthird, she said to the scullion, \u201cGo and tell the King to take his\nsword and swing it three times over me on the threshold.\u201d Then the\nscullion ran and told this to the King, who came with his sword and\nswung it thrice over the spirit, and at the third time, his wife stood\nbefore him strong, living, and healthy as she had been before.\nThereupon the King was full of great joy, but he kept the Queen hidden\nin a chamber until the Sunday, when the baby was to be christened. And\nwhen it was christened he said, \u201cWhat does a person deserve who drags\nanother out of bed and throws him in the water?\u201d \u201cThe wretch deserves\nnothing better,\u201d answered the old woman, \u201cthan to be taken and put in a\nbarrel stuck full of nails, and rolled down hill into the water.\u201d\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the King, \u201cThou hast pronounced thine own sentence;\u201d and\nhe ordered such a barrel to be brought, and the old woman to be put\ninto it with her daughter, and then the top was hammered on, and the\nbarrel rolled down hill until it went into the river.\n\n\n\n14 The Three Spinners\n\nThere was once a girl who was idle and would not spin, and let her\nmother say what she would, she could not bring her to it. At last the\nmother was once so overcome with anger and impatience, that she beat\nher, on which the girl began to weep loudly. Now at this very moment\nthe Queen drove by, and when she heard the weeping she stopped her\ncarriage, went into the house and asked the mother why she was beating\nher daughter so that the cries could be heard out on the road? Then the\nwoman was ashamed to reveal the laziness of her daughter and said, \u201cI\ncannot get her to leave off spinning. She insists on spinning for ever\nand ever, and I am poor, and cannot procure the flax.\u201d Then answered\nthe Queen, \u201cThere is nothing that I like better to hear than spinning,\nand I am never happier than when the wheels are humming. Let me have\nyour daughter with me in the palace. I have flax enough, and there she\nshall spin as much as she likes.\u201d The mother was heartily satisfied\nwith this, and the Queen took the girl with her. When they had arrived\nat the palace, she led her up into three rooms which were filled from\nthe bottom to the top with the finest flax. \u201cNow spin me this flax,\u201d\nsaid she, \u201cand when thou hast done it, thou shalt have my eldest son\nfor a husband, even if thou art poor. I care not for that, thy\nindefatigable industry is dowry enough.\u201d The girl was secretly\nterrified, for she could not have spun the flax, no, not if she had\nlived till she was three hundred years old, and had sat at it every day\nfrom morning till night. When therefore she was alone, she began to\nweep, and sat thus for three days without moving a finger. On the third\nday came the Queen, and when she saw that nothing had been spun yet,\nshe was surprised; but the girl excused herself by saying that she had\nnot been able to begin because of her great distress at leaving her\nmother\u2019s house. The queen was satisfied with this, but said when she\nwas going away, \u201cTo-morrow thou must begin to work.\u201d\n\nWhen the girl was alone again, she did not know what to do, and in her\ndistress went to the window. Then she saw three women coming towards\nher, the first of whom had a broad flat foot, the second had such a\ngreat underlip that it hung down over her chin, and the third had a\nbroad thumb. They remained standing before the window, looked up, and\nasked the girl what was amiss with her? She complained of her trouble,\nand then they offered her their help and said, \u201cIf thou wilt invite us\nto the wedding, not be ashamed of us, and wilt call us thine aunts, and\nlikewise wilt place us at thy table, we will spin up the flax for thee,\nand that in a very short time.\u201d \u201cWith all my heart,\u201d she replied, \u201cdo\nbut come in and begin the work at once.\u201d Then she let in the three\nstrange women, and cleared a place in the first room, where they seated\nthemselves and began their spinning. The one drew the thread and trod\nthe wheel, the other wetted the thread, the third twisted it, and\nstruck the table with her finger, and as often as she struck it, a\nskein of thread fell to the ground that was spun in the finest manner\npossible. The girl concealed the three spinners from the Queen, and\nshowed her whenever she came the great quantity of spun thread, until\nthe latter could not praise her enough. When the first room was empty\nshe went to the second, and at last to the third, and that too was\nquickly cleared. Then the three women took leave and said to the girl,\n\u201cDo not forget what thou hast promised us,\u2014it will make thy fortune.\u201d\n\nWhen the maiden showed the Queen the empty rooms, and the great heap of\nyarn, she gave orders for the wedding, and the bridegroom rejoiced that\nhe was to have such a clever and industrious wife, and praised her\nmightily. \u201cI have three aunts,\u201d said the girl, \u201cand as they have been\nvery kind to me, I should not like to forget them in my good fortune;\nallow me to invite them to the wedding, and let them sit with us at\ntable.\u201d The Queen and the bridegroom said, \u201cWhy should we not allow\nthat?\u201d Therefore when the feast began, the three women entered in\nstrange apparel, and the bride said, \u201cWelcome, dear aunts.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said\nthe bridegroom, \u201chow comest thou by these odious friends?\u201d Thereupon he\nwent to the one with the broad flat foot, and said, \u201cHow do you come by\nsuch a broad foot?\u201d \u201cBy treading,\u201d she answered, \u201cby treading.\u201d Then\nthe bridegroom went to the second, and said, \u201cHow do you come by your\nfalling lip?\u201d \u201cBy licking,\u201d she answered, \u201cby licking.\u201d Then he asked\nthe third, \u201cHow do you come by your broad thumb?\u201d \u201cBy twisting the\nthread,\u201d she answered, \u201cby twisting the thread.\u201d On this the King\u2019s son\nwas alarmed and said, \u201cNeither now nor ever shall my beautiful bride\ntouch a spinning-wheel.\u201d And thus she got rid of the hateful\nflax-spinning.\n\n\n\n15 Hansel and Grethel\n\nHard by a great forest dwelt a poor wood-cutter with his wife and his\ntwo children. The boy was called Hansel and the girl Grethel. He had\nlittle to bite and to break, and once when great scarcity fell on the\nland, he could no longer procure daily bread. Now when he thought over\nthis by night in his bed, and tossed about in his anxiety, he groaned\nand said to his wife, \u201cWhat is to become of us? How are we to feed our\npoor children, when we no longer have anything even for ourselves?\u201d\n\u201cI\u2019ll tell you what, husband,\u201d answered the woman, \u201cEarly to-morrow\nmorning we will take the children out into the forest to where it is\nthe thickest, there we will light a fire for them, and give each of\nthem one piece of bread more, and then we will go to our work and leave\nthem alone. They will not find the way home again, and we shall be rid\nof them.\u201d \u201cNo, wife,\u201d said the man, \u201cI will not do that; how can I bear\nto leave my children alone in the forest?\u2014the wild animals would soon\ncome and tear them to pieces.\u201d \u201cO, thou fool!\u201d said she, \u201cThen we must\nall four die of hunger, thou mayest as well plane the planks for our\ncoffins,\u201d and she left him no peace until he consented. \u201cBut I feel\nvery sorry for the poor children, all the same,\u201d said the man.\n\nThe two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger, and had\nheard what their step-mother had said to their father. Grethel wept\nbitter tears, and said to Hansel, \u201cNow all is over with us.\u201d \u201cBe quiet,\nGrethel,\u201d said Hansel, \u201cdo not distress thyself, I will soon find a way\nto help us.\u201d And when the old folks had fallen asleep, he got up, put\non his little coat, opened the door below, and crept outside. The moon\nshone brightly, and the white pebbles which lay in front of the house\nglittered like real silver pennies. Hansel stooped and put as many of\nthem in the little pocket of his coat as he could possibly get in. Then\nhe went back and said to Grethel, \u201cBe comforted, dear little sister,\nand sleep in peace, God will not forsake us,\u201d and he lay down again in\nhis bed. When day dawned, but before the sun had risen, the woman came\nand awoke the two children, saying \u201cGet up, you sluggards! we are going\ninto the forest to fetch wood.\u201d She gave each a little piece of bread,\nand said, \u201cThere is something for your dinner, but do not eat it up\nbefore then, for you will get nothing else.\u201d Grethel took the bread\nunder her apron, as Hansel had the stones in his pocket. Then they all\nset out together on the way to the forest. When they had walked a short\ntime, Hansel stood still and peeped back at the house, and did so again\nand again. His father said, \u201cHansel, what art thou looking at there and\nstaying behind for? Mind what thou art about, and do not forget how to\nuse thy legs.\u201d \u201cAh, father,\u201d said Hansel, \u201cI am looking at my little\nwhite cat, which is sitting up on the roof, and wants to say good-bye\nto me.\u201d The wife said, \u201cFool, that is not thy little cat, that is the\nmorning sun which is shining on the chimneys.\u201d Hansel, however, had not\nbeen looking back at the cat, but had been constantly throwing one of\nthe white pebble-stones out of his pocket on the road.\n\nWhen they had reached the middle of the forest, the father said, \u201cNow,\nchildren, pile up some wood, and I will light a fire that you may not\nbe cold.\u201d Hansel and Grethel gathered brushwood together, as high as a\nlittle hill. The brushwood was lighted, and when the flames were\nburning very high, the woman said, \u201cNow, children, lay yourselves down\nby the fire and rest, we will go into the forest and cut some wood.\nWhen we have done, we will come back and fetch you away.\u201d\n\nHansel and Grethel sat by the fire, and when noon came, each ate a\nlittle piece of bread, and as they heard the strokes of the wood-axe\nthey believed that their father was near. It was not, however, the axe,\nit was a branch which he had fastened to a withered tree which the wind\nwas blowing backwards and forwards. And as they had been sitting such a\nlong time, their eyes shut with fatigue, and they fell fast asleep.\nWhen at last they awoke, it was already dark night. Grethel began to\ncry and said, \u201cHow are we to get out of the forest now?\u201d But Hansel\ncomforted her and said, \u201cJust wait a little, until the moon has risen,\nand then we will soon find the way.\u201d And when the full moon had risen,\nHansel took his little sister by the hand, and followed the pebbles\nwhich shone like newly-coined silver pieces, and showed them the way.\n\nThey walked the whole night long, and by break of day came once more to\ntheir father\u2019s house. They knocked at the door, and when the woman\nopened it and saw that it was Hansel and Grethel, she said, \u201cYou\nnaughty children, why have you slept so long in the forest?\u2014we thought\nyou were never coming back at all!\u201d The father, however, rejoiced, for\nit had cut him to the heart to leave them behind alone.\n\nNot long afterwards, there was once more great scarcity in all parts,\nand the children heard their mother saying at night to their father,\n\u201cEverything is eaten again, we have one half loaf left, and after that\nthere is an end. The children must go, we will take them farther into\nthe wood, so that they will not find their way out again; there is no\nother means of saving ourselves!\u201d The man\u2019s heart was heavy, and he\nthought \u201cit would be better for thee to share the last mouthful with\nthy children.\u201d The woman, however, would listen to nothing that he had\nto say, but scolded and reproached him. He who says A must say B,\nlikewise, and as he had yielded the first time, he had to do so a\nsecond time also.\n\nThe children were, however, still awake and had heard the conversation.\nWhen the old folks were asleep, Hansel again got up, and wanted to go\nout and pick up pebbles as he had done before, but the woman had locked\nthe door, and Hansel could not get out. Nevertheless he comforted his\nlittle sister, and said, \u201cDo not cry, Grethel, go to sleep quietly, the\ngood God will help us.\u201d\n\nEarly in the morning came the woman, and took the children out of their\nbeds. Their bit of bread was given to them, but it was still smaller\nthan the time before. On the way into the forest Hansel crumbled his in\nhis pocket, and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground.\n\u201cHansel, why dost thou stop and look round?\u201d said the father, \u201cgo on.\u201d\n\u201cI am looking back at my little pigeon which is sitting on the roof,\nand wants to say good-bye to me,\u201d answered Hansel. \u201cSimpleton!\u201d said\nthe woman, \u201cthat is not thy little pigeon, that is the morning sun that\nis shining on the chimney.\u201d Hansel, however, little by little, threw\nall the crumbs on the path.\n\nThe woman led the children still deeper into the forest, where they had\nnever in their lives been before. Then a great fire was again made, and\nthe mother said, \u201cJust sit there, you children, and when you are tired\nyou may sleep a little; we are going into the forest to cut wood, and\nin the evening when we are done, we will come and fetch you away.\u201d When\nit was noon, Grethel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who had\nscattered his by the way. Then they fell asleep and evening came and\nwent, but no one came to the poor children. They did not awake until it\nwas dark night, and Hansel comforted his little sister and said, \u201cJust\nwait, Grethel, until the moon rises, and then we shall see the crumbs\nof bread which I have strewn about, they will show us our way home\nagain.\u201d When the moon came they set out, but they found no crumbs, for\nthe many thousands of birds which fly about in the woods and fields had\npicked them all up. Hansel said to Grethel, \u201cWe shall soon find the\nway,\u201d but they did not find it. They walked the whole night and all the\nnext day too from morning till evening, but they did not get out of the\nforest, and were very hungry, for they had nothing to eat but two or\nthree berries, which grew on the ground. And as they were so weary that\ntheir legs would carry them no longer, they lay down beneath a tree and\nfell asleep.\n\nIt was now three mornings since they had left their father\u2019s house.\nThey began to walk again, but they always got deeper into the forest,\nand if help did not come soon, they must die of hunger and weariness.\nWhen it was mid-day, they saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a\nbough, which sang so delightfully that they stood still and listened to\nit. And when it had finished its song, it spread its wings and flew\naway before them, and they followed it until they reached a little\nhouse, on the roof of which it alighted; and when they came quite up to\nlittle house they saw that it was built of bread and covered with\ncakes, but that the windows were of clear sugar. \u201cWe will set to work\non that,\u201d said Hansel, \u201cand have a good meal. I will eat a bit of the\nroof, and thou, Grethel, canst eat some of the window, it will taste\nsweet.\u201d Hansel reached up above, and broke off a little of the roof to\ntry how it tasted, and Grethel leant against the window and nibbled at\nthe panes. Then a soft voice cried from the room,\n\n\u201cNibble, nibble, gnaw,\nWho is nibbling at my little house?\u201d\n\n\nThe children answered,\n\n\u201cThe wind, the wind,\nThe heaven-born wind,\u201d\n\n\nand went on eating without disturbing themselves. Hansel, who thought\nthe roof tasted very nice, tore down a great piece of it, and Grethel\npushed out the whole of one round window-pane, sat down, and enjoyed\nherself with it. Suddenly the door opened, and a very, very old woman,\nwho supported herself on crutches, came creeping out. Hansel and\nGrethel were so terribly frightened that they let fall what they had in\ntheir hands. The old woman, however, nodded her head, and said, \u201cOh,\nyou dear children, who has brought you here? Do come in, and stay with\nme. No harm shall happen to you.\u201d She took them both by the hand, and\nled them into her little house. Then good food was set before them,\nmilk and pancakes, with sugar, apples, and nuts. Afterwards two pretty\nlittle beds were covered with clean white linen, and Hansel and Grethel\nlay down in them, and thought they were in heaven.\n\nThe old woman had only pretended to be so kind; she was in reality a\nwicked witch, who lay in wait for children, and had only built the\nlittle house of bread in order to entice them there. When a child fell\ninto her power, she killed it, cooked and ate it, and that was a feast\nday with her. Witches have red eyes, and cannot see far, but they have\na keen scent like the beasts, and are aware when human beings draw\nnear. When Hansel and Grethel came into her neighborhood, she laughed\nmaliciously, and said mockingly, \u201cI have them, they shall not escape me\nagain!\u201d Early in the morning before the children were awake, she was\nalready up, and when she saw both of them sleeping and looking so\npretty, with their plump red cheeks, she muttered to herself, \u201cThat\nwill be a dainty mouthful!\u201d Then she seized Hansel with her shrivelled\nhand, carried him into a little stable, and shut him in with a grated\ndoor. He might scream as he liked, that was of no use. Then she went to\nGrethel, shook her till she awoke, and cried, \u201cGet up, lazy thing,\nfetch some water, and cook something good for thy brother, he is in the\nstable outside, and is to be made fat. When he is fat, I will eat him.\u201d\nGrethel began to weep bitterly, but it was all in vain, she was forced\nto do what the wicked witch ordered her.\n\nAnd now the best food was cooked for poor Hansel, but Grethel got\nnothing but crab-shells. Every morning the woman crept to the little\nstable, and cried, \u201cHansel, stretch out thy finger that I may feel if\nthou wilt soon be fat.\u201d Hansel, however, stretched out a little bone to\nher, and the old woman, who had dim eyes, could not see it, and thought\nit was Hansel\u2019s finger, and was astonished that there was no way of\nfattening him. When four weeks had gone by, and Hansel still continued\nthin, she was seized with impatience and would not wait any longer.\n\u201cHola, Grethel,\u201d she cried to the girl, \u201cbe active, and bring some\nwater. Let Hansel be fat or lean, to-morrow I will kill him, and cook\nhim.\u201d Ah, how the poor little sister did lament when she had to fetch\nthe water, and how her tears did flow down over her cheeks! \u201cDear God,\ndo help us,\u201d she cried. \u201cIf the wild beasts in the forest had but\ndevoured us, we should at any rate have died together.\u201d \u201cJust keep thy\nnoise to thyself,\u201d said the old woman, \u201call that won\u2019t help thee at\nall.\u201d\n\nEarly in the morning, Grethel had to go out and hang up the cauldron\nwith the water, and light the fire. \u201cWe will bake first,\u201d said the old\nwoman, \u201cI have already heated the oven, and kneaded the dough.\u201d She\npushed poor Grethel out to the oven, from which flames of fire were\nalready darting. \u201cCreep in,\u201d said the witch, \u201cand see if it is properly\nheated, so that we can shut the bread in.\u201d And when once Grethel was\ninside, she intended to shut the oven and let her bake in it, and then\nshe would eat her, too. But Grethel saw what she had in her mind, and\nsaid, \u201cI do not know how I am to do it; how do you get in?\u201d \u201cSilly\ngoose,\u201d said the old woman, \u201cThe door is big enough; just look, I can\nget in myself!\u201d and she crept up and thrust her head into the oven.\nThen Grethel gave her a push that drove her far into it, and shut the\niron door, and fastened the bolt. Oh! then she began to howl quite\nhorribly, but Grethel ran away, and the godless witch was miserably\nburnt to death.\n\nGrethel, however, ran like lightning to Hansel, opened his little\nstable, and cried, \u201cHansel, we are saved! The old witch is dead!\u201d Then\nHansel sprang out like a bird from its cage when the door is opened for\nit. How they did rejoice and embrace each other, and dance about and\nkiss each other! And as they had no longer any need to fear her, they\nwent into the witch\u2019s house, and in every corner there stood chests\nfull of pearls and jewels. \u201cThese are far better than pebbles!\u201d said\nHansel, and thrust into his pockets whatever could be got in, and\nGrethel said, \u201cI, too, will take something home with me,\u201d and filled\nher pinafore full. \u201cBut now we will go away.\u201d said Hansel, \u201cthat we may\nget out of the witch\u2019s forest.\u201d\n\nWhen they had walked for two hours, they came to a great piece of\nwater. \u201cWe cannot get over,\u201d said Hansel, \u201cI see no foot-plank, and no\nbridge.\u201d \u201cAnd no boat crosses either,\u201d answered Grethel, \u201cbut a white\nduck is swimming there; if I ask her, she will help us over.\u201d Then she\ncried,\n\n\u201cLittle duck, little duck, dost thou see,\nHansel and Grethel are waiting for thee?\nThere\u2019s never a plank, or bridge in sight,\nTake us across on thy back so white.\u201d\n\n\nThe duck came to them, and Hansel seated himself on its back, and told\nhis sister to sit by him. \u201cNo,\u201d replied Grethel, \u201cthat will be too\nheavy for the little duck; she shall take us across, one after the\nother.\u201d The good little duck did so, and when they were once safely\nacross and had walked for a short time, the forest seemed to be more\nand more familiar to them, and at length they saw from afar their\nfather\u2019s house. Then they began to run, rushed into the parlour, and\nthrew themselves into their father\u2019s arms. The man had not known one\nhappy hour since he had left the children in the forest; the woman,\nhowever, was dead. Grethel emptied her pinafore until pearls and\nprecious stones ran about the room, and Hansel threw one handful after\nanother out of his pocket to add to them. Then all anxiety was at an\nend, and they lived together in perfect happiness. My tale is done,\nthere runs a mouse, whosoever catches it, may make himself a big fur\ncap out of it.\n\n\n\n16 The Three Snake-Leaves\n\nThere was once on a time a poor man, who could no longer support his\nonly son. Then said the son, \u201cDear father, things go so badly with us\nthat I am a burden to you. I would rather go away and see how I can\nearn my bread.\u201d So the father gave him his blessing, and with great\nsorrow took leave of him. At this time the King of a mighty empire was\nat war, and the youth took service with him, and with him went out to\nfight. And when he came before the enemy, there was a battle, and great\ndanger, and it rained shot until his comrades fell on all sides, and\nwhen the leader also was killed, those left were about to take flight,\nbut the youth stepped forth, spoke boldly to them, and cried, \u201cWe will\nnot let our fatherland be ruined!\u201d Then the others followed him, and he\npressed on and conquered the enemy. When the King heard that he owed\nthe victory to him alone, he raised him above all the others, gave him\ngreat treasures, and made him the first in the kingdom.\n\nThe King had a daughter who was very beautiful, but she was also very\nstrange. She had made a vow to take no one as her lord and husband who\ndid not promise to let himself be buried alive with her if she died\nfirst. \u201cIf he loves me with all his heart,\u201d said she, \u201cof what use will\nlife be to him afterwards?\u201d On her side she would do the same, and if\nhe died first, would go down to the grave with him. This strange oath\nhad up to this time frightened away all wooers, but the youth became so\ncharmed with her beauty that he cared for nothing, but asked her father\nfor her. \u201cBut dost thou know what thou must promise?\u201d said the King. \u201cI\nmust be buried with her,\u201d he replied, \u201cif I outlive her, but my love is\nso great that I do not mind the danger.\u201d Then the King consented, and\nthe wedding was solemnized with great splendour.\n\nThey lived now for a while happy and contented with each other, and\nthen it befell that the young Queen was attacked by a severe illness,\nand no physician could save her. And as she lay there dead, the young\nKing remembered what he had been obliged to promise, and was horrified\nat having to lie down alive in the grave, but there was no escape. The\nKing had placed sentries at all the gates, and it was not possible to\navoid his fate. When the day came when the corpse was to be buried, he\nwas taken down into the royal vault with it and then the door was shut\nand bolted.\n\nNear the coffin stood a table on which were four candles, four loaves\nof bread, and four bottles of wine, and when this provision came to an\nend, he would have to die of hunger. And now he sat there full of pain\nand grief, ate every day only a little piece of bread, drank only a\nmouthful of wine, and nevertheless saw death daily drawing nearer.\nWhilst he thus gazed before him, he saw a snake creep out of a corner\nof the vault and approach the dead body. And as he thought it came to\ngnaw at it, he drew his sword and said, \u201cAs long as I live, thou shalt\nnot touch her,\u201d and hewed the snake in three pieces. After a time a\nsecond snake crept out of the hole, and when it saw the other lying\ndead and cut in pieces, it went back, but soon came again with three\ngreen leaves in its mouth. Then it took the three pieces of the snake,\nlaid them together, as they ought to go, and placed one of the leaves\non each wound. Immediately the severed parts joined themselves\ntogether, the snake moved, and became alive again, and both of them\nhastened away together. The leaves were left lying on the ground, and a\ndesire came into the mind of the unhappy man who had been watching all\nthis, to know if the wondrous power of the leaves which had brought the\nsnake to life again, could not likewise be of service to a human being.\nSo he picked up the leaves and laid one of them on the mouth of his\ndead wife, and the two others on her eyes. And hardly had he done this\nthan the blood stirred in her veins, rose into her pale face, and\ncoloured it again. Then she drew breath, opened her eyes, and said,\n\u201cAh, God, where am I?\u201d \u201cThou art with me, dear wife,\u201d he answered, and\ntold her how everything had happened, and how he had brought her back\nagain to life. Then he gave her some wine and bread, and when she had\nregained her strength, he raised her up and they went to the door and\nknocked, and called so loudly that the sentries heard it, and told the\nKing. The King came down himself and opened the door, and there he\nfound both strong and well, and rejoiced with them that now all sorrow\nwas over. The young King, however, took the three snake-leaves with\nhim, gave them to a servant and said, \u201cKeep them for me carefully, and\ncarry them constantly about thee; who knows in what trouble they may\nyet be of service to us!\u201d\n\nA change had, however, taken place in his wife; after she had been\nrestored to life, it seemed as if all love for her husband had gone out\nof her heart. After some time, when he wanted to make a voyage over the\nsea, to visit his old father, and they had gone on board a ship, she\nforgot the great love and fidelity which he had shown her, and which\nhad been the means of rescuing her from death, and conceived a wicked\ninclination for the skipper. And once when the young King lay there\nasleep, she called in the skipper and seized the sleeper by the head,\nand the skipper took him by the feet, and thus they threw him down into\nthe sea. When the shameful deed was done, she said, \u201cNow let us return\nhome, and say that he died on the way. I will extol and praise thee so\nto my father that he will marry me to thee, and make thee the heir to\nhis crown.\u201d But the faithful servant who had seen all that they did,\nunseen by them, unfastened a little boat from the ship, got into it,\nsailed after his master, and let the traitors go on their way. He\nfished up the dead body, and by the help of the three snake-leaves\nwhich he carried about with him, and laid on the eyes and mouth, he\nfortunately brought the young King back to life.\n\nThey both rowed with all their strength day and night, and their little\nboat flew so swiftly that they reached the old King before the others\ndid. He was astonished when he saw them come alone, and asked what had\nhappened to them. When he learnt the wickedness of his daughter he\nsaid, \u201cI cannot believe that she has behaved so ill, but the truth will\nsoon come to light,\u201d and bade both go into a secret chamber and keep\nthemselves hidden from every one. Soon afterwards the great ship came\nsailing in, and the godless woman appeared before her father with a\ntroubled countenance. He said, \u201cWhy dost thou come back alone? Where is\nthy husband?\u201d \u201cAh, dear father,\u201d she replied, \u201cI come home again in\ngreat grief; during the voyage, my husband became suddenly ill and\ndied, and if the good skipper had not given me his help, it would have\ngone ill with me. He was present at his death, and can tell you all.\u201d\nThe King said, \u201cI will make the dead alive again,\u201d and opened the\nchamber, and bade the two come out. When the woman saw her husband, she\nwas thunderstruck, and fell on her knees and begged for mercy. The King\nsaid, \u201cThere is no mercy. He was ready to die with thee and restored\nthee to life again, but thou hast murdered him in his sleep, and shalt\nreceive the reward that thou deservest.\u201d Then she was placed with her\naccomplice in a ship which had been pierced with holes, and sent out to\nsea, where they soon sank amid the waves.\n\n\n\n17 The White Snake\n\nA long time ago there lived a king who was famed for his wisdom through\nall the land. Nothing was hidden from him, and it seemed as if news of\nthe most secret things was brought to him through the air. But he had a\nstrange custom; every day after dinner, when the table was cleared, and\nno one else was present, a trusty servant had to bring him one more\ndish. It was covered, however, and even the servant did not know what\nwas in it, neither did anyone know, for the King never took off the\ncover to eat of it until he was quite alone.\n\nThis had gone on for a long time, when one day the servant, who took\naway the dish, was overcome with such curiosity that he could not help\ncarrying the dish into his room. When he had carefully locked the door,\nhe lifted up the cover, and saw a white snake lying on the dish. But\nwhen he saw it he could not deny himself the pleasure of tasting it, so\nhe cut off a little bit and put it into his mouth. No sooner had it\ntouched his tongue than he heard a strange whispering of little voices\noutside his window. He went and listened, and then noticed that it was\nthe sparrows who were chattering together, and telling one another of\nall kinds of things which they had seen in the fields and woods. Eating\nthe snake had given him power of understanding the language of animals.\n\nNow it so happened that on this very day the Queen lost her most\nbeautiful ring, and suspicion of having stolen it fell upon this trusty\nservant, who was allowed to go everywhere. The King ordered the man to\nbe brought before him, and threatened with angry words that unless he\ncould before the morrow point out the thief, he himself should be\nlooked upon as guilty and executed. In vain he declared his innocence;\nhe was dismissed with no better answer.\n\nIn his trouble and fear he went down into the courtyard and took\nthought how to help himself out of his trouble. Now some ducks were\nsitting together quietly by a brook and taking their rest; and, whilst\nthey were making their feathers smooth with their bills, they were\nhaving a confidential conversation together. The servant stood by and\nlistened. They were telling one another of all the places where they\nhad been waddling about all the morning, and what good food they had\nfound, and one said in a pitiful tone, \u201cSomething lies heavy on my\nstomach; as I was eating in haste I swallowed a ring which lay under\nthe Queen\u2019s window.\u201d The servant at once seized her by the neck,\ncarried her to the kitchen, and said to the cook, \u201cHere is a fine duck;\npray, kill her.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said the cook, and weighed her in his hand;\n\u201cshe has spared no trouble to fatten herself, and has been waiting to\nbe roasted long enough.\u201d So he cut off her head, and as she was being\ndressed for the spit, the Queen\u2019s ring was found inside her.\n\nThe servant could now easily prove his innocence; and the King, to make\namends for the wrong, allowed him to ask a favor, and promised him the\nbest place in the court that he could wish for. The servant refused\neverything, and only asked for a horse and some money for traveling, as\nhe had a mind to see the world and go about a little.\n\nWhen his request was granted he set out on his way, and one day came to\na pond, where he saw three fishes caught in the reeds and gasping for\nwater. Now, though it is said that fishes are dumb, he heard them\nlamenting that they must perish so miserably, and, as he had a kind\nheart, he got off his horse and put the three prisoners back into the\nwater. They quivered with delight, put out their heads, and cried to\nhim, \u201cWe will remember you and repay you for saving us!\u201d\n\nHe rode on, and after a while it seemed to him that he heard a voice in\nthe sand at his feet. He listened, and heard an ant-king complain, \u201cWhy\ncannot folks, with their clumsy beasts, keep off our bodies? That\nstupid horse, with his heavy hoofs, has been treading down my people\nwithout mercy!\u201d So he turned on to a side path and the ant-king cried\nout to him, \u201cWe will remember you\u2014one good turn deserves another!\u201d\n\nThe path led him into a wood, and here he saw two old ravens standing\nby their nest, and throwing out their young ones. \u201cOut with you, you\nidle, good-for-nothing creatures!\u201d cried they; \u201cwe cannot find food for\nyou any longer; you are big enough, and can provide for yourselves.\u201d\nBut the poor young ravens lay upon the ground, flapping their wings,\nand crying, \u201cOh, what helpless chicks we are! We must shift for\nourselves, and yet we cannot fly! What can we do, but lie here and\nstarve?\u201d So the good young fellow alighted and killed his horse with\nhis sword, and gave it to them for food. Then they came hopping up to\nit, satisfied their hunger, and cried, \u201cWe will remember you\u2014one good\nturn deserves another!\u201d\n\nAnd now he had to use his own legs, and when he had walked a long way,\nhe came to a large city. There was a great noise and crowd in the\nstreets, and a man rode up on horseback, crying aloud, \u201cThe King\u2019s\ndaughter wants a husband; but whoever sues for her hand must perform a\nhard task, and if he does not succeed he will forfeit his life.\u201d Many\nhad already made the attempt, but in vain; nevertheless when the youth\nsaw the King\u2019s daughter he was so overcome by her great beauty that he\nforgot all danger, went before the King, and declared himself a suitor.\n\nSo he was led out to the sea, and a gold ring was thrown into it, in\nhis sight; then the King ordered him to fetch this ring up from the\nbottom of the sea, and added, \u201cIf you come up again without it you will\nbe thrown in again and again until you perish amid the waves.\u201d All the\npeople grieved for the handsome youth; then they went away, leaving him\nalone by the sea.\n\nHe stood on the shore and considered what he should do, when suddenly\nhe saw three fishes come swimming towards him, and they were the very\nfishes whose lives he had saved. The one in the middle held a mussel in\nits mouth, which it laid on the shore at the youth\u2019s feet, and when he\nhad taken it up and opened it, there lay the gold ring in the shell.\nFull of joy he took it to the King, and expected that he would grant\nhim the promised reward.\n\nBut when the proud princess perceived that he was not her equal in\nbirth, she scorned him, and required him first to perform another task.\nShe went down into the garden and strewed with her own hands ten\nsacks-full of millet-seed on the grass; then she said, \u201cTo-morrow\nmorning before sunrise these must be picked up, and not a single grain\nbe wanting.\u201d\n\nThe youth sat down in the garden and considered how it might be\npossible to perform this task, but he could think of nothing, and there\nhe sat sorrowfully awaiting the break of day, when he should be led to\ndeath. But as soon as the first rays of the sun shone into the garden\nhe saw all the ten sacks standing side by side, quite full, and not a\nsingle grain was missing. The ant-king had come in the night with\nthousands and thousands of ants, and the grateful creatures had by\ngreat industry picked up all the millet-seed and gathered them into the\nsacks.\n\nPresently the King\u2019s daughter herself came down into the garden, and\nwas amazed to see that the young man had done the task she had given\nhim. But she could not yet conquer her proud heart, and said, \u201cAlthough\nhe has performed both the tasks, he shall not be my husband until he\nhas brought me an apple from the Tree of Life.\u201d\n\nThe youth did not know where the Tree of Life stood, but he set out,\nand would have gone on for ever, as long as his legs would carry him,\nthough he had no hope of finding it. After he had wandered through\nthree kingdoms, he came one evening to a wood, and lay down under a\ntree to sleep. But he heard a rustling in the branches, and a golden\napple fell into his hand. At the same time three ravens flew down to\nhim, perched themselves upon his knee, and said, \u201cWe are the three\nyoung ravens whom you saved from starving; when we had grown big, and\nheard that you were seeking the Golden Apple, we flew over the sea to\nthe end of the world, where the Tree of Life stands, and have brought\nyou the apple.\u201d The youth, full of joy, set out homewards, and took the\nGolden Apple to the King\u2019s beautiful daughter, who had no more excuses\nleft to make. They cut the Apple of Life in two and ate it together;\nand then her heart became full of love for him, and they lived in\nundisturbed happiness to a great age.\n\n\n\n18 The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean\n\nIn a village dwelt a poor old woman, who had gathered together a dish\nof beans and wanted to cook them. So she made a fire on her hearth, and\nthat it might burn the quicker, she lighted it with a handful of straw.\nWhen she was emptying the beans into the pan, one dropped without her\nobserving it, and lay on the ground beside a straw, and soon afterwards\na burning coal from the fire leapt down to the two. Then the straw\nbegan and said, \u201cDear friends, from whence do you come here?\u201d The coal\nreplied, \u201cI fortunately sprang out of the fire, and if I had not\nescaped by main force, my death would have been certain,\u2014I should have\nbeen burnt to ashes.\u201d The bean said, \u201cI too have escaped with a whole\nskin, but if the old woman had got me into the pan, I should have been\nmade into broth without any mercy, like my comrades.\u201d \u201cAnd would a\nbetter fate have fallen to my lot?\u201d said the straw. \u201cThe old woman has\ndestroyed all my brethren in fire and smoke; she seized sixty of them\nat once, and took their lives. I luckily slipped through her fingers.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut what are we to do now?\u201d said the coal.\n\n\u201cI think,\u201d answered the bean, \u201cthat as we have so fortunately escaped\ndeath, we should keep together like good companions, and lest a new\nmischance should overtake us here, we should go away together, and\nrepair to a foreign country.\u201d\n\nThe proposition pleased the two others, and they set out on their way\nin company. Soon, however, they came to a little brook, and as there\nwas no bridge or foot-plank, they did not know how they were to get\nover it. The straw hit on a good idea, and said, \u201cI will lay myself\nstraight across, and then you can walk over on me as on a bridge.\u201d The\nstraw therefore stretched itself from one bank to the other, and the\ncoal, who was of an impetuous disposition, tripped quite boldly on to\nthe newly-built bridge. But when she had reached the middle, and heard\nthe water rushing beneath her, she was, after all, afraid, and stood\nstill, and ventured no farther. The straw, however, began to burn,\nbroke in two pieces, and fell into the stream. The coal slipped after\nher, hissed when she got into the water, and breathed her last. The\nbean, who had prudently stayed behind on the shore, could not but laugh\nat the event, was unable to stop, and laughed so heartily that she\nburst. It would have been all over with her, likewise, if, by good\nfortune, a tailor who was traveling in search of work, had not sat down\nto rest by the brook. As he had a compassionate heart he pulled out his\nneedle and thread, and sewed her together. The bean thanked him most\nprettily, but as the tailor used black thread, all beans since then\nhave a black seam.\n\n\n\n19 The Fisherman and His Wife\n\nThere was once on a time a Fisherman who lived with his wife in a\nmiserable hovel close by the sea, and every day he went out fishing.\nAnd once as he was sitting with his rod, looking at the clear water,\nhis line suddenly went down, far down below, and when he drew it up\nagain he brought out a large Flounder. Then the Flounder said to him,\n\u201cHark, you Fisherman, I pray you, let me live, I am no Flounder really,\nbut an enchanted prince. What good will it do you to kill me? I should\nnot be good to eat, put me in the water again, and let me go.\u201d \u201cCome,\u201d\nsaid the Fisherman, \u201cthere is no need for so many words about it\u2014a fish\nthat can talk I should certainly let go, anyhow,\u201d with that he put him\nback again into the clear water, and the Flounder went to the bottom,\nleaving a long streak of blood behind him. Then the Fisherman got up\nand went home to his wife in the hovel.\n\n\u201cHusband,\u201d said the woman, \u201chave you caught nothing to-day?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said\nthe man, \u201cI did catch a Flounder, who said he was an enchanted prince,\nso I let him go again.\u201d \u201cDid you not wish for anything first?\u201d said the\nwoman. \u201cNo,\u201d said the man; \u201cwhat should I wish for?\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said the\nwoman, \u201cit is surely hard to have to live always in this dirty hovel;\nyou might have wished for a small cottage for us. Go back and call him.\nTell him we want to have a small cottage, he will certainly give us\nthat.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said the man, \u201cwhy should I go there again?\u201d \u201cWhy,\u201d said\nthe woman, \u201cyou did catch him, and you let him go again; he is sure to\ndo it. Go at once.\u201d The man still did not quite like to go, but did not\nlike to oppose his wife, and went to the sea.\n\nWhen he got there the sea was all green and yellow, and no longer so\nsmooth; so he stood still and said,\n\n\u201cFlounder, flounder in the sea,\nCome, I pray thee, here to me;\nFor my wife, good Ilsabil,\nWills not as I\u2019d have her will.\u201d\n\n\nThen the Flounder came swimming to him and said, \u201cWell what does she\nwant, then?\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said the man, \u201cI did catch you, and my wife says I\nreally ought to have wished for something. She does not like to live in\na wretched hovel any longer. She would like to have a cottage.\u201d \u201cGo,\nthen,\u201d said the Flounder, \u201cshe has it already.\u201d\n\nWhen the man went home, his wife was no longer in the hovel, but\ninstead of it there stood a small cottage, and she was sitting on a\nbench before the door. Then she took him by the hand and said to him,\n\u201cJust come inside, look, now isn\u2019t this a great deal better?\u201d So they\nwent in, and there was a small porch, and a pretty little parlor and\nbedroom, and a kitchen and pantry, with the best of furniture, and\nfitted up with the most beautiful things made of tin and brass,\nwhatsoever was wanted. And behind the cottage there was a small yard,\nwith hens and ducks, and a little garden with flowers and fruit.\n\u201cLook,\u201d said the wife, \u201cis not that nice!\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said the husband,\n\u201cand so we must always think it,\u2014now we will live quite contented.\u201d \u201cWe\nwill think about that,\u201d said the wife. With that they ate something and\nwent to bed.\n\nEverything went well for a week or a fortnight, and then the woman\nsaid, \u201cHark you, husband, this cottage is far too small for us, and the\ngarden and yard are little; the Flounder might just as well have given\nus a larger house. I should like to live in a great stone castle; go to\nthe Flounder, and tell him to give us a castle.\u201d \u201cAh, wife,\u201d said the\nman, \u201cthe cottage is quite good enough; why should we live in a\ncastle?\u201d \u201cWhat!\u201d said the woman; \u201cjust go there, the Flounder can\nalways do that.\u201d \u201cNo, wife,\u201d said the man, \u201cthe Flounder has just given\nus the cottage, I do not like to go back so soon, it might make him\nangry.\u201d \u201cGo,\u201d said the woman, \u201che can do it quite easily, and will be\nglad to do it; just you go to him.\u201d\n\nThe man\u2019s heart grew heavy, and he would not go. He said to himself,\n\u201cIt is not right,\u201d and yet he went. And when he came to the sea the\nwater was quite purple and dark-blue, and grey and thick, and no longer\nso green and yellow, but it was still quiet. And he stood there and\nsaid\u2014\n\n\u201cFlounder, flounder in the sea,\nCome, I pray thee, here to me;\nFor my wife, good Ilsabil,\nWills not as I\u2019d have her will.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cWell, what does she want, then?\u201d said the Flounder. \u201cAlas,\u201d said the\nman, half scared, \u201cshe wants to live in a great stone castle.\u201d \u201cGo to\nit, then, she is standing before the door,\u201d said the Flounder.\n\nThen the man went away, intending to go home, but when he got there, he\nfound a great stone palace, and his wife was just standing on the steps\ngoing in, and she took him by the hand and said, \u201cCome in.\u201d So he went\nin with her, and in the castle was a great hall paved with marble, and\nmany servants, who flung wide the doors; And the walls were all bright\nwith beautiful hangings, and in the rooms were chairs and tables of\npure gold, and crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and all the\nrooms and bed-rooms had carpets, and food and wine of the very best\nwere standing on all the tables, so that they nearly broke down beneath\nit. Behind the house, too, there was a great court-yard, with stables\nfor horses and cows, and the very best of carriages; there was a\nmagnificent large garden, too, with the most beautiful flowers and\nfruit-trees, and a park quite half a mile long, in which were stags,\ndeer, and hares, and everything that could be desired. \u201cCome,\u201d said the\nwoman, \u201cisn\u2019t that beautiful?\u201d \u201cYes, indeed,\u201d said the man, \u201cnow let it\nbe; and we will live in this beautiful castle and be content.\u201d \u201cWe will\nconsider about that,\u201d said the woman, \u201cand sleep upon it;\u201d thereupon\nthey went to bed.\n\nNext morning the wife awoke first, and it was just daybreak, and from\nher bed she saw the beautiful country lying before her. Her husband was\nstill stretching himself, so she poked him in the side with her elbow,\nand said, \u201cGet up, husband, and just peep out of the window. Look you,\ncouldn\u2019t we be the King over all that land? Go to the Flounder, we will\nbe the King.\u201d \u201cAh, wife,\u201d said the man, \u201cwhy should we be King? I do\nnot want to be King.\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d said the wife, \u201cif you won\u2019t be King, I\nwill; go to the Flounder, for I will be King.\u201d \u201cAh, wife,\u201d said the\nman, \u201cwhy do you want to be King? I do not like to say that to him.\u201d\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d said the woman; \u201cgo to him this instant; I must be King!\u201d So\nthe man went, and was quite unhappy because his wife wished to be King.\n\u201cIt is not right; it is not right,\u201d thought he. He did not wish to go,\nbut yet he went.\n\nAnd when he came to the sea, it was quite dark-grey, and the water\nheaved up from below, and smelt putrid. Then he went and stood by it,\nand said,\n\n\u201cFlounder, flounder in the sea,\nCome, I pray thee, here to me;\nFor my wife, good Ilsabil,\nWills not as I\u2019d have her will\u201d\n\n\n\u201cWell, what does she want, then?\u201d said the Flounder. \u201cAlas,\u201d said the\nman, \u201cshe wants to be King.\u201d \u201cGo to her; she is King already.\u201d\n\nSo the man went, and when he came to the palace, the castle had become\nmuch larger, and had a great tower and magnificent ornaments, and the\nsentinel was standing before the door, and there were numbers of\nsoldiers with kettle-drums and trumpets. And when he went inside the\nhouse, everything was of real marble and gold, with velvet covers and\ngreat golden tassels. Then the doors of the hall were opened, and there\nwas the court in all its splendour, and his wife was sitting on a high\nthrone of gold and diamonds, with a great crown of gold on her head,\nand a sceptre of pure gold and jewels in her hand, and on both sides of\nher stood her maids-in-waiting in a row, each of them always one head\nshorter than the last.\n\nThen he went and stood before her, and said, \u201cAh, wife, and now you are\nKing.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said the woman, \u201cnow I am King.\u201d So he stood and looked\nat her, and when he had looked at her thus for some time, he said, \u201cAnd\nnow that you are King, let all else be, now we will wish for nothing\nmore.\u201d \u201cNay, husband,\u201d said the woman, quite anxiously, \u201cI find time\npass very heavily, I can bear it no longer; go to the Flounder\u2014I am\nKing, but I must be Emperor, too.\u201d \u201cAlas, wife, why do you wish to be\nEmperor?\u201d \u201cHusband,\u201d said she, \u201cgo to the Flounder. I will be Emperor.\u201d\n\u201cAlas, wife,\u201d said the man, \u201che cannot make you Emperor; I may not say\nthat to the fish. There is only one Emperor in the land. An Emperor the\nFlounder cannot make you! I assure you he cannot.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d said the woman, \u201cI am the King, and you are nothing but my\nhusband; will you go this moment? go at once! If he can make a King he\ncan make an emperor. I will be Emperor; go instantly.\u201d So he was forced\nto go. As the man went, however, he was troubled in mind, and thought\nto himself, \u201cIt will not end well; it will not end well! Emperor is too\nshameless! The Flounder will at last be tired out.\u201d\n\nWith that he reached the sea, and the sea was quite black and thick,\nand began to boil up from below, so that it threw up bubbles, and such\na sharp wind blew over it that it curdled, and the man was afraid. Then\nhe went and stood by it, and said,\n\n\u201cFlounder, flounder in the sea,\nCome, I pray thee, here to me;\nFor my wife, good Ilsabil,\nWills not as I\u2019d have her will.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cWell, what does she want, then?\u201d said the Flounder. \u201cAlas, Flounder,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cmy wife wants to be Emperor.\u201d \u201cGo to her,\u201d said the Flounder;\n\u201cshe is Emperor already.\u201d\n\nSo the man went, and when he got there the whole palace was made of\npolished marble with alabaster figures and golden ornaments, and\nsoldiers were marching before the door blowing trumpets, and beating\ncymbals and drums; and in the house, barons, and counts, and dukes were\ngoing about as servants. Then they opened the doors to him, which were\nof pure gold. And when he entered, there sat his wife on a throne,\nwhich was made of one piece of gold, and was quite two miles high; and\nshe wore a great golden crown that was three yards high, and set with\ndiamonds and carbuncles, and in one hand she had the sceptre, and in\nthe other the imperial orb; and on both sides of her stood the yeomen\nof the guard in two rows, each being smaller than the one before him,\nfrom the biggest giant, who was two miles high, to the very smallest\ndwarf, just as big as my little finger. And before it stood a number of\nprinces and dukes.\n\nThen the man went and stood among them, and said, \u201cWife, are you\nEmperor now?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said she, \u201cnow I am Emperor.\u201d Then he stood and\nlooked at her well, and when he had looked at her thus for some time,\nhe said, \u201cAh, wife, be content, now that you are Emperor.\u201d \u201cHusband,\u201d\nsaid she, \u201cwhy are you standing there? Now, I am Emperor, but I will be\nPope too; go to the Flounder.\u201d \u201cAlas, wife,\u201d said the man, \u201cwhat will\nyou not wish for? You cannot be Pope. There is but one in Christendom.\nHe cannot make you Pope.\u201d \u201cHusband,\u201d said she, \u201cI will be Pope; go\nimmediately, I must be Pope this very day.\u201d \u201cNo, wife,\u201d said the man,\n\u201cI do not like to say that to him; that would not do, it is too much;\nthe Flounder can\u2019t make you Pope.\u201d \u201cHusband,\u201d said she, \u201cwhat nonsense!\nIf he can make an emperor he can make a pope. Go to him directly. I am\nEmperor, and you are nothing but my husband; will you go at once?\u201d\n\nThen he was afraid and went; but he was quite faint, and shivered and\nshook, and his knees and legs trembled. And a high wind blew over the\nland, and the clouds flew, and towards evening all grew dark, and the\nleaves fell from the trees, and the water rose and roared as if it were\nboiling, and splashed upon the shore. And in the distance he saw ships\nwhich were firing guns in their sore need, pitching and tossing on the\nwaves. And yet in the midst of the sky there was still a small bit of\nblue, though on every side it was as red as in a heavy storm. So, full\nof despair, he went and stood in much fear and said,\n\n\u201cFlounder, flounder in the sea,\nCome, I pray thee, here to me;\u201d\nFor my wife, good Ilsabil,\nWills not as I\u2019d have her will.\n\n\n\u201cWell, what does she want, then?\u201d said the Flounder. \u201cAlas,\u201d said the\nman, \u201cshe wants to be Pope.\u201d \u201cGo to her then,\u201d said the Flounder; \u201cshe\nis Pope already.\u201d\n\nSo he went, and when he got there, he saw what seemed to be a large\nchurch surrounded by palaces. He pushed his way through the crowd.\nInside, however, everything was lighted up with thousands and thousands\nof candles, and his wife was clad in gold, and she was sitting on a\nmuch higher throne, and had three great golden crowns on, and round\nabout her there was much ecclesiastical splendour; and on both sides of\nher was a row of candles the largest of which was as tall as the very\ntallest tower, down to the very smallest kitchen candle, and all the\nemperors and kings were on their knees before her, kissing her shoe.\n\u201cWife,\u201d said the man, and looked attentively at her, \u201care you now\nPope?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said she, \u201cI am Pope.\u201d So he stood and looked at her, and\nit was just as if he was looking at the bright sun. When he had stood\nlooking at her thus for a short time, he said, \u201cAh, wife, if you are\nPope, do let well alone!\u201d But she looked as stiff as a post, and did\nnot move or show any signs of life. Then said he, \u201cWife, now that you\nare Pope, be satisfied, you cannot become anything greater now.\u201d \u201cI\nwill consider about that,\u201d said the woman. Thereupon they both went to\nbed, but she was not satisfied, and greediness let her have no sleep,\nfor she was continually thinking what there was left for her to be.\n\nThe man slept well and soundly, for he had run about a great deal\nduring the day; but the woman could not fall asleep at all, and flung\nherself from one side to the other the whole night through, thinking\nalways what more was left for her to be, but unable to call to mind\nanything else. At length the sun began to rise, and when the woman saw\nthe red of dawn, she sat up in bed and looked at it. And when, through\nthe window, she saw the sun thus rising, she said, \u201cCannot I, too,\norder the sun and moon to rise?\u201d \u201cHusband,\u201d she said, poking him in the\nribs with her elbows, \u201cwake up! go to the Flounder, for I wish to be\neven as God is.\u201d The man was still half asleep, but he was so horrified\nthat he fell out of bed. He thought he must have heard amiss, and\nrubbed his eyes, and said, \u201cAlas, wife, what are you saying?\u201d\n\u201cHusband,\u201d said she, \u201cif I can\u2019t order the sun and moon to rise, and\nhave to look on and see the sun and moon rising, I can\u2019t bear it. I\nshall not know what it is to have another happy hour, unless I can make\nthem rise myself.\u201d Then she looked at him so terribly that a shudder\nran over him, and said, \u201cGo at once; I wish to be like unto God.\u201d\n\u201cAlas, wife,\u201d said the man, falling on his knees before her, \u201cthe\nFlounder cannot do that; he can make an emperor and a pope; I beseech\nyou, go on as you are, and be Pope.\u201d Then she fell into a rage, and her\nhair flew wildly about her head, and she cried, \u201cI will not endure\nthis, I\u2019ll not bear it any longer; wilt thou go?\u201d Then he put on his\ntrousers and ran away like a madman. But outside a great storm was\nraging, and blowing so hard that he could scarcely keep his feet;\nhouses and trees toppled over, the mountains trembled, rocks rolled\ninto the sea, the sky was pitch black, and it thundered and lightened,\nand the sea came in with black waves as high as church-towers and\nmountains, and all with crests of white foam at the top. Then he cried,\nbut could not hear his own words,\n\n\u201cFlounder, flounder in the sea,\nCome, I pray thee, here to me;\nFor my wife, good Ilsabil,\nWills not as I\u2019d have her will.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cWell, what does she want, then?\u201d said the Flounder. \u201cAlas,\u201d said he,\n\u201cshe wants to be like unto God.\u201d \u201cGo to her, and you will find her back\nagain in the dirty hovel.\u201d And there they are living still at this very\ntime.\n\n\n\n20 The Valiant Little Tailor\n\nOne summer\u2019s morning a little tailor was sitting on his table by the\nwindow; he was in good spirits, and sewed with all his might. Then came\na peasant woman down the street crying, \u201cGood jams, cheap! Good jams,\ncheap!\u201d This rang pleasantly in the tailor\u2019s ears; he stretched his\ndelicate head out of the window, and called, \u201cCome up here, dear woman;\nhere you will get rid of your goods.\u201d The woman came up the three steps\nto the tailor with her heavy basket, and he made her unpack the whole\nof the pots for him. He inspected all of them, lifted them up, put his\nnose to them, and at length said, \u201cThe jam seems to me to be good, so\nweigh me out four ounces, dear woman, and if it is a quarter of a pound\nthat is of no consequence.\u201d The woman who had hoped to find a good\nsale, gave him what he desired, but went away quite angry and\ngrumbling. \u201cNow, God bless the jam to my use,\u201d cried the little tailor,\n\u201cand give me health and strength;\u201d so he brought the bread out of the\ncupboard, cut himself a piece right across the loaf and spread the jam\nover it. \u201cThis won\u2019t taste bitter,\u201d said he, \u201cbut I will just finish\nthe jacket before I take a bite.\u201d He laid the bread near him, sewed on,\nand in his joy, made bigger and bigger stitches. In the meantime the\nsmell of the sweet jam ascended so to the wall, where the flies were\nsitting in great numbers, that they were attracted and descended on it\nin hosts. \u201cHola! who invited you?\u201d said the little tailor, and drove\nthe unbidden guests away. The flies, however, who understood no German,\nwould not be turned away, but came back again in ever-increasing\ncompanies. The little tailor at last lost all patience, and got a bit\nof cloth from the hole under his work-table, and saying, \u201cWait, and I\nwill give it to you,\u201d struck it mercilessly on them. When he drew it\naway and counted, there lay before him no fewer than seven, dead and\nwith legs stretched out. \u201cArt thou a fellow of that sort?\u201d said he, and\ncould not help admiring his own bravery. \u201cThe whole town shall know of\nthis!\u201d And the little tailor hastened to cut himself a girdle, stitched\nit, and embroidered on it in large letters, \u201cSeven at one stroke!\u201d\n\u201cWhat, the town!\u201d he continued, \u201cThe whole world shall hear of it!\u201d and\nhis heart wagged with joy like a lamb\u2019s tail. The tailor put on the\ngirdle, and resolved to go forth into the world, because he thought his\nworkshop was too small for his valour. Before he went away, he sought\nabout in the house to see if there was anything which he could take\nwith him; however, he found nothing but an old cheese, and that he put\nin his pocket. In front of the door he observed a bird which had caught\nitself in the thicket. It had to go into his pocket with the cheese.\nNow he took to the road boldly, and as he was light and nimble, he felt\nno fatigue. The road led him up a mountain, and when he had reached the\nhighest point of it, there sat a powerful giant looking about him quite\ncomfortably. The little tailor went bravely up, spoke to him, and said,\n\u201cGood day, comrade, so thou art sitting there overlooking the\nwide-spread world! I am just on my way thither, and want to try my\nluck. Hast thou any inclination to go with me?\u201d The giant looked\ncontemptuously at the tailor, and said, \u201cThou ragamuffin! Thou\nmiserable creature!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, indeed?\u201d answered the little tailor, and unbuttoned his coat, and\nshowed the giant the girdle, \u201cThere mayst thou read what kind of a man\nI am!\u201d The giant read, \u201cSeven at one stroke,\u201d and thought that they had\nbeen men whom the tailor had killed, and began to feel a little respect\nfor the tiny fellow. Nevertheless, he wished to try him first, and took\na stone in his hand and squeezed it together so that water dropped out\nof it. \u201cDo that likewise,\u201d said the giant, \u201cif thou hast strength?\u201d \u201cIs\nthat all?\u201d said the tailor, \u201cthat is child\u2019s play with us!\u201d and put his\nhand into his pocket, brought out the soft cheese, and pressed it until\nthe liquid ran out of it. \u201cFaith,\u201d said he, \u201cthat was a little better,\nwasn\u2019t it?\u201d The giant did not know what to say, and could not believe\nit of the little man. Then the giant picked up a stone and threw it so\nhigh that the eye could scarcely follow it. \u201cNow, little mite of a man,\ndo that likewise.\u201d \u201cWell thrown,\u201d said the tailor, \u201cbut after all the\nstone came down to earth again; I will throw you one which shall never\ncome back at all.\u201d And he put his hand into his pocket, took out the\nbird, and threw it into the air. The bird, delighted with its liberty,\nrose, flew away and did not come back. \u201cHow does that shot please you,\ncomrade?\u201d asked the tailor. \u201cThou canst certainly throw,\u201d said the\ngiant, \u201cbut now we will see if thou art able to carry anything\nproperly.\u201d He took the little tailor to a mighty oak tree which lay\nthere felled on the ground, and said, \u201cIf thou art strong enough, help\nme to carry the tree out of the forest.\u201d \u201cReadily,\u201d answered the little\nman; \u201ctake thou the trunk on thy shoulders, and I will raise up the\nbranches and twigs; after all, they are the heaviest.\u201d The giant took\nthe trunk on his shoulder, but the tailor seated himself on a branch,\nand the giant who could not look round, had to carry away the whole\ntree, and the little tailor into the bargain: he behind, was quite\nmerry and happy, and whistled the song, \u201cThree tailors rode forth from\nthe gate,\u201d as if carrying the tree were child\u2019s play. The giant, after\nhe had dragged the heavy burden part of the way, could go no further,\nand cried, \u201cHark you, I shall have to let the tree fall!\u201d The tailor\nsprang nimbly down, seized the tree with both arms as if he had been\ncarrying it, and said to the giant, \u201cThou art such a great fellow, and\nyet canst not even carry the tree!\u201d\n\nThey went on together, and as they passed a cherry-tree, the giant laid\nhold of the top of the tree where the ripest fruit was hanging, bent it\ndown, gave it into the tailor\u2019s hand, and bade him eat. But the little\ntailor was much too weak to hold the tree, and when the giant let it\ngo, it sprang back again, and the tailor was hurried into the air with\nit. When he had fallen down again without injury, the giant said, \u201cWhat\nis this? Hast thou not strength enough to hold the weak twig?\u201d \u201cThere\nis no lack of strength,\u201d answered the little tailor. \u201cDost thou think\nthat could be anything to a man who has struck down seven at one blow?\nI leapt over the tree because the huntsmen are shooting down there in\nthe thicket. Jump as I did, if thou canst do it.\u201d The giant made the\nattempt, but could not get over the tree, and remained hanging in the\nbranches, so that in this also the tailor kept the upper hand.\n\nThe giant said, \u201cIf thou art such a valiant fellow, come with me into\nour cavern and spend the night with us.\u201d The little tailor was willing,\nand followed him. When they went into the cave, other giants were\nsitting there by the fire, and each of them had a roasted sheep in his\nhand and was eating it. The little tailor looked round and thought, \u201cIt\nis much more spacious here than in my workshop.\u201d The giant showed him a\nbed, and said he was to lie down in it and sleep. The bed, however, was\ntoo big for the little tailor; he did not lie down in it, but crept\ninto a corner. When it was midnight, and the giant thought that the\nlittle tailor was lying in a sound sleep, he got up, took a great iron\nbar, cut through the bed with one blow, and thought he had given the\ngrasshopper his finishing stroke. With the earliest dawn the giants\nwent into the forest, and had quite forgotten the little tailor, when\nall at once he walked up to them quite merrily and boldly. The giants\nwere terrified, they were afraid that he would strike them all dead,\nand ran away in a great hurry.\n\nThe little tailor went onwards, always following his own pointed nose.\nAfter he had walked for a long time, he came to the courtyard of a\nroyal palace, and as he felt weary, he lay down on the grass and fell\nasleep. Whilst he lay there, the people came and inspected him on all\nsides, and read on his girdle, \u201cSeven at one stroke.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said they,\n\u201cWhat does the great warrior here in the midst of peace? He must be a\nmighty lord.\u201d They went and announced him to the King, and gave it as\ntheir opinion that if war should break out, this would be a weighty and\nuseful man who ought on no account to be allowed to depart. The counsel\npleased the King, and he sent one of his courtiers to the little tailor\nto offer him military service when he awoke. The ambassador remained\nstanding by the sleeper, waited until he stretched his limbs and opened\nhis eyes, and then conveyed to him this proposal. \u201cFor this very reason\nhave I come here,\u201d the tailor replied, \u201cI am ready to enter the King\u2019s\nservice.\u201d He was therefore honorably received and a special dwelling\nwas assigned him.\n\nThe soldiers, however, were set against the little tailor, and wished\nhim a thousand miles away. \u201cWhat is to be the end of this?\u201d they said\namongst themselves. \u201cIf we quarrel with him, and he strikes about him,\nseven of us will fall at every blow; not one of us can stand against\nhim.\u201d They came therefore to a decision, betook themselves in a body to\nthe King, and begged for their dismissal. \u201cWe are not prepared,\u201d said\nthey, \u201cto stay with a man who kills seven at one stroke.\u201d The King was\nsorry that for the sake of one he should lose all his faithful\nservants, wished that he had never set eyes on the tailor, and would\nwillingly have been rid of him again. But he did not venture to give\nhim his dismissal, for he dreaded lest he should strike him and all his\npeople dead, and place himself on the royal throne. He thought about it\nfor a long time, and at last found good counsel. He sent to the little\ntailor and caused him to be informed that as he was such a great\nwarrior, he had one request to make to him. In a forest of his country\nlived two giants who caused great mischief with their robbing,\nmurdering, ravaging, and burning, and no one could approach them\nwithout putting himself in danger of death. If the tailor conquered and\nkilled these two giants, he would give him his only daughter to wife,\nand half of his kingdom as a dowry, likewise one hundred horsemen\nshould go with him to assist him. \u201cThat would indeed be a fine thing\nfor a man like me!\u201d thought the little tailor. \u201cOne is not offered a\nbeautiful princess and half a kingdom every day of one\u2019s life!\u201d \u201cOh,\nyes,\u201d he replied, \u201cI will soon subdue the giants, and do not require\nthe help of the hundred horsemen to do it; he who can hit seven with\none blow has no need to be afraid of two.\u201d\n\nThe little tailor went forth, and the hundred horsemen followed him.\nWhen he came to the outskirts of the forest, he said to his followers,\n\u201cJust stay waiting here, I alone will soon finish off the giants.\u201d Then\nhe bounded into the forest and looked about right and left. After a\nwhile he perceived both giants. They lay sleeping under a tree, and\nsnored so that the branches waved up and down. The little tailor, not\nidle, gathered two pocketsful of stones, and with these climbed up the\ntree. When he was half-way up, he slipped down by a branch, until he\nsat just above the sleepers, and then let one stone after another fall\non the breast of one of the giants. For a long time the giant felt\nnothing, but at last he awoke, pushed his comrade, and said, \u201cWhy art\nthou knocking me?\u201d \u201cThou must be dreaming,\u201d said the other, \u201cI am not\nknocking thee.\u201d They laid themselves down to sleep again, and then the\ntailor threw a stone down on the second. \u201cWhat is the meaning of this?\u201d\ncried the other. \u201cWhy art thou pelting me?\u201d \u201cI am not pelting thee,\u201d\nanswered the first, growling. They disputed about it for a time, but as\nthey were weary they let the matter rest, and their eyes closed once\nmore. The little tailor began his game again, picked out the biggest\nstone, and threw it with all his might on the breast of the first\ngiant. \u201cThat is too bad!\u201d cried he, and sprang up like a madman, and\npushed his companion against the tree until it shook. The other paid\nhim back in the same coin, and they got into such a rage that they tore\nup trees and belabored each other so long, that at last they both fell\ndown dead on the ground at the same time. Then the little tailor leapt\ndown. \u201cIt is a lucky thing,\u201d said he, \u201cthat they did not tear up the\ntree on which I was sitting, or I should have had to spring on to\nanother like a squirrel; but we tailors are nimble.\u201d He drew out his\nsword and gave each of them a couple of thrusts in the breast, and then\nwent out to the horsemen and said, \u201cThe work is done; I have given both\nof them their finishing stroke, but it was hard work! They tore up\ntrees in their sore need, and defended themselves with them, but all\nthat is to no purpose when a man like myself comes, who can kill seven\nat one blow.\u201d \u201cBut are you not wounded?\u201d asked the horsemen. \u201cYou need\nnot concern yourself about that,\u201d answered the tailor, \u201cThey have not\nbent one hair of mine.\u201d The horsemen would not believe him, and rode\ninto the forest; there they found the giants swimming in their blood,\nand all round about lay the torn-up trees.\n\nThe little tailor demanded of the King the promised reward; he,\nhowever, repented of his promise, and again bethought himself how he\ncould get rid of the hero. \u201cBefore thou receivest my daughter, and the\nhalf of my kingdom,\u201d said he to him, \u201cthou must perform one more heroic\ndeed. In the forest roams a unicorn which does great harm, and thou\nmust catch it first.\u201d \u201cI fear one unicorn still less than two giants.\nSeven at one blow, is my kind of affair.\u201d He took a rope and an axe\nwith him, went forth into the forest, and again bade those who were\nsent with him to wait outside. He had to seek long. The unicorn soon\ncame towards him, and rushed directly on the tailor, as if it would\nspit him on his horn without more ceremony. \u201cSoftly, softly; it can\u2019t\nbe done as quickly as that,\u201d said he, and stood still and waited until\nthe animal was quite close, and then sprang nimbly behind the tree. The\nunicorn ran against the tree with all its strength, and struck its horn\nso fast in the trunk that it had not strength enough to draw it out\nagain, and thus it was caught. \u201cNow, I have got the bird,\u201d said the\ntailor, and came out from behind the tree and put the rope round its\nneck, and then with his axe he hewed the horn out of the tree, and when\nall was ready he led the beast away and took it to the King.\n\nThe King still would not give him the promised reward, and made a third\ndemand. Before the wedding the tailor was to catch him a wild boar that\nmade great havoc in the forest, and the huntsmen should give him their\nhelp. \u201cWillingly,\u201d said the tailor, \u201cthat is child\u2019s play!\u201d He did not\ntake the huntsmen with him into the forest, and they were well pleased\nthat he did not, for the wild boar had several times received them in\nsuch a manner that they had no inclination to lie in wait for him. When\nthe boar perceived the tailor, it ran on him with foaming mouth and\nwhetted tusks, and was about to throw him to the ground, but the active\nhero sprang into a chapel which was near, and up to the window at once,\nand in one bound out again. The boar ran in after him, but the tailor\nran round outside and shut the door behind it, and then the raging\nbeast, which was much too heavy and awkward to leap out of the window,\nwas caught. The little tailor called the huntsmen thither that they\nmight see the prisoner with their own eyes. The hero, however went to\nthe King, who was now, whether he liked it or not, obliged to keep his\npromise, and gave him his daughter and the half of his kingdom. Had he\nknown that it was no warlike hero, but a little tailor who was standing\nbefore him, it would have gone to his heart still more than it did. The\nwedding was held with great magnificence and small joy, and out of a\ntailor a king was made.\n\nAfter some time the young Queen heard her husband say in his dreams at\nnight, \u201cBoy, make me the doublet, and patch the pantaloons, or else I\nwill rap the yard-measure over thine ears.\u201d Then she discovered in what\nstate of life the young lord had been born, and next morning complained\nof her wrongs to her father, and begged him to help her to get rid of\nher husband, who was nothing else but a tailor. The King comforted her\nand said, \u201cLeave thy bed-room door open this night, and my servants\nshall stand outside, and when he has fallen asleep shall go in, bind\nhim, and take him on board a ship which shall carry him into the wide\nworld.\u201d The woman was satisfied with this; but the King\u2019s\narmour-bearer, who had heard all, was friendly with the young lord, and\ninformed him of the whole plot. \u201cI\u2019ll put a screw into that business,\u201d\nsaid the little tailor. At night he went to bed with his wife at the\nusual time, and when she thought that he had fallen asleep, she got up,\nopened the door, and then lay down again. The little tailor, who was\nonly pretending to be asleep, began to cry out in a clear voice, \u201cBoy,\nmake me the doublet and patch me the pantaloons, or I will rap the\nyard-measure over thine ears. I smote seven at one blow. I killed two\ngiants, I brought away one unicorn and caught a wild boar, and am I to\nfear those who are standing outside the room.\u201d When these men heard the\ntailor speaking thus, they were overcome by a great dread, and ran as\nif the wild huntsman were behind them, and none of them would venture\nanything further against him. So the little tailor was a king and\nremained one, to the end of his life.\n\n\n\n21 Cinderella\n\nThe wife of a rich man fell sick, and as she felt that her end was\ndrawing near, she called her only daughter to her bedside and said,\n\u201cDear child, be good and pious, and then the good God will always\nprotect thee, and I will look down on thee from heaven and be near\nthee.\u201d Thereupon she closed her eyes and departed. Every day the maiden\nwent out to her mother\u2019s grave, and wept, and she remained pious and\ngood. When winter came the snow spread a white sheet over the grave,\nand when the spring sun had drawn it off again, the man had taken\nanother wife.\n\nThe woman had brought two daughters into the house with her, who were\nbeautiful and fair of face, but vile and black of heart. Now began a\nbad time for the poor step-child. \u201cIs the stupid goose to sit in the\nparlour with us?\u201d said they. \u201cHe who wants to eat bread must earn it;\nout with the kitchen-wench.\u201d They took her pretty clothes away from\nher, put an old grey bedgown on her, and gave her wooden shoes. \u201cJust\nlook at the proud princess, how decked out she is!\u201d they cried, and\nlaughed, and led her into the kitchen. There she had to do hard work\nfrom morning till night, get up before daybreak, carry water, light\nfires, cook and wash. Besides this, the sisters did her every\nimaginable injury\u2014they mocked her and emptied her peas and lentils into\nthe ashes, so that she was forced to sit and pick them out again. In\nthe evening when she had worked till she was weary she had no bed to go\nto, but had to sleep by the fireside in the ashes. And as on that\naccount she always looked dusty and dirty, they called her Cinderella.\nIt happened that the father was once going to the fair, and he asked\nhis two step-daughters what he should bring back for them. \u201cBeautiful\ndresses,\u201d said one, \u201cPearls and jewels,\u201d said the second. \u201cAnd thou,\nCinderella,\u201d said he, \u201cwhat wilt thou have?\u201d \u201cFather, break off for me\nthe first branch which knocks against your hat on your way home.\u201d So he\nbought beautiful dresses, pearls and jewels for his two step-daughters,\nand on his way home, as he was riding through a green thicket, a hazel\ntwig brushed against him and knocked off his hat. Then he broke off the\nbranch and took it with him. When he reached home he gave his\nstep-daughters the things which they had wished for, and to Cinderella\nhe gave the branch from the hazel-bush. Cinderella thanked him, went to\nher mother\u2019s grave and planted the branch on it, and wept so much that\nthe tears fell down on it and watered it. And it grew, however, and\nbecame a handsome tree. Thrice a day Cinderella went and sat beneath\nit, and wept and prayed, and a little white bird always came on the\ntree, and if Cinderella expressed a wish, the bird threw down to her\nwhat she had wished for.\n\nIt happened, however, that the King appointed a festival which was to\nlast three days, and to which all the beautiful young girls in the\ncountry were invited, in order that his son might choose himself a\nbride. When the two step-sisters heard that they too were to appear\namong the number, they were delighted, called Cinderella and said,\n\u201cComb our hair for us, brush our shoes and fasten our buckles, for we\nare going to the festival at the King\u2019s palace.\u201d Cinderella obeyed, but\nwept, because she too would have liked to go with them to the dance,\nand begged her step-mother to allow her to do so. \u201cThou go,\nCinderella!\u201d said she; \u201cThou art dusty and dirty and wouldst go to the\nfestival? Thou hast no clothes and shoes, and yet wouldst dance!\u201d As,\nhowever, Cinderella went on asking, the step-mother at last said, \u201cI\nhave emptied a dish of lentils into the ashes for thee, if thou hast\npicked them out again in two hours, thou shalt go with us.\u201d The maiden\nwent through the back-door into the garden, and called, \u201cYou tame\npigeons, you turtle-doves, and all you birds beneath the sky, come and\nhelp me to pick\n\n\u201cThe good into the pot,\nThe bad into the crop.\u201d\n\n\nThen two white pigeons came in by the kitchen-window, and afterwards\nthe turtle-doves, and at last all the birds beneath the sky, came\nwhirring and crowding in, and alighted amongst the ashes. And the\npigeons nodded with their heads and began pick, pick, pick, pick, and\nthe rest began also pick, pick, pick, pick, and gathered all the good\ngrains into the dish. Hardly had one hour passed before they had\nfinished, and all flew out again. Then the girl took the dish to her\nstep-mother, and was glad, and believed that now she would be allowed\nto go with them to the festival. But the step-mother said, \u201cNo,\nCinderella, thou hast no clothes and thou canst not dance; thou wouldst\nonly be laughed at.\u201d And as Cinderella wept at this, the step-mother\nsaid, \u201cIf thou canst pick two dishes of lentils out of the ashes for me\nin one hour, thou shalt go with us.\u201d And she thought to herself, \u201cThat\nshe most certainly cannot do.\u201d When the step-mother had emptied the two\ndishes of lentils amongst the ashes, the maiden went through the\nback-door into the garden and cried, You tame pigeons, you\nturtle-doves, and all you birds under heaven, come and help me to pick\n\n\u201cThe good into the pot,\nThe bad into the crop.\u201d\n\n\nThen two white pigeons came in by the kitchen-window, and afterwards\nthe turtle-doves, and at length all the birds beneath the sky, came\nwhirring and crowding in, and alighted amongst the ashes. And the doves\nnodded with their heads and began pick, pick, pick, pick, and the\nothers began also pick, pick, pick, pick, and gathered all the good\nseeds into the dishes, and before half an hour was over they had\nalready finished, and all flew out again. Then the maiden carried the\ndishes to the step-mother and was delighted, and believed that she\nmight now go with them to the festival. But the step-mother said, \u201cAll\nthis will not help thee; thou goest not with us, for thou hast no\nclothes and canst not dance; we should be ashamed of thee!\u201d On this she\nturned her back on Cinderella, and hurried away with her two proud\ndaughters.\n\nAs no one was now at home, Cinderella went to her mother\u2019s grave\nbeneath the hazel-tree, and cried,\n\n\u201cShiver and quiver, little tree,\nSilver and gold throw down over me.\u201d\n\n\nThen the bird threw a gold and silver dress down to her, and slippers\nembroidered with silk and silver. She put on the dress with all speed,\nand went to the festival. Her step-sisters and the step-mother however\ndid not know her, and thought she must be a foreign princess, for she\nlooked so beautiful in the golden dress. They never once thought of\nCinderella, and believed that she was sitting at home in the dirt,\npicking lentils out of the ashes. The prince went to meet her, took her\nby the hand and danced with her. He would dance with no other maiden,\nand never left loose of her hand, and if any one else came to invite\nher, he said, \u201cThis is my partner.\u201d\n\nShe danced till it was evening, and then she wanted to go home. But the\nKing\u2019s son said, \u201cI will go with thee and bear thee company,\u201d for he\nwished to see to whom the beautiful maiden belonged. She escaped from\nhim, however, and sprang into the pigeon-house. The King\u2019s son waited\nuntil her father came, and then he told him that the stranger maiden\nhad leapt into the pigeon-house. The old man thought, \u201cCan it be\nCinderella?\u201d and they had to bring him an axe and a pickaxe that he\nmight hew the pigeon-house to pieces, but no one was inside it. And\nwhen they got home Cinderella lay in her dirty clothes among the ashes,\nand a dim little oil-lamp was burning on the mantle-piece, for\nCinderella had jumped quickly down from the back of the pigeon-house\nand had run to the little hazel-tree, and there she had taken off her\nbeautiful clothes and laid them on the grave, and the bird had taken\nthem away again, and then she had placed herself in the kitchen amongst\nthe ashes in her grey gown.\n\nNext day when the festival began afresh, and her parents and the\nstep-sisters had gone once more, Cinderella went to the hazel-tree and\nsaid\u2014\n\n\u201cShiver and quiver, my little tree,\nSilver and gold throw down over me.\u201d\n\n\nThen the bird threw down a much more beautiful dress than on the\npreceding day. And when Cinderella appeared at the festival in this\ndress, every one was astonished at her beauty. The King\u2019s son had\nwaited until she came, and instantly took her by the hand and danced\nwith no one but her. When others came and invited her, he said, \u201cShe is\nmy partner.\u201d When evening came she wished to leave, and the King\u2019s son\nfollowed her and wanted to see into which house she went. But she\nsprang away from him, and into the garden behind the house. Therein\nstood a beautiful tall tree on which hung the most magnificent pears.\nShe clambered so nimbly between the branches like a squirrel that the\nKing\u2019s son did not know where she was gone. He waited until her father\ncame, and said to him, \u201cThe stranger-maiden has escaped from me, and I\nbelieve she has climbed up the pear-tree.\u201d The father thought, \u201cCan it\nbe Cinderella?\u201d and had an axe brought and cut the tree down, but no\none was on it. And when they got into the kitchen, Cinderella lay there\namongst the ashes, as usual, for she had jumped down on the other side\nof the tree, had taken the beautiful dress to the bird on the little\nhazel-tree, and put on her grey gown.\n\nOn the third day, when the parents and sisters had gone away,\nCinderella went once more to her mother\u2019s grave and said to the little\ntree\u2014\n\n\u201cShiver and quiver, my little tree,\nSilver and gold throw down over me.\u201d\n\n\nAnd now the bird threw down to her a dress which was more splendid and\nmagnificent than any she had yet had, and the slippers were golden. And\nwhen she went to the festival in the dress, no one knew how to speak\nfor astonishment. The King\u2019s son danced with her only, and if any one\ninvited her to dance, he said, \u201cShe is my partner.\u201d\n\nWhen evening came, Cinderella wished to leave, and the King\u2019s son was\nanxious to go with her, but she escaped from him so quickly that he\ncould not follow her. The King\u2019s son had, however, used a strategem,\nand had caused the whole staircase to be smeared with pitch, and there,\nwhen she ran down, had the maiden\u2019s left slipper remained sticking. The\nKing\u2019s son picked it up, and it was small and dainty, and all golden.\nNext morning, he went with it to the father, and said to him, \u201cNo one\nshall be my wife but she whose foot this golden slipper fits.\u201d Then\nwere the two sisters glad, for they had pretty feet. The eldest went\nwith the shoe into her room and wanted to try it on, and her mother\nstood by. But she could not get her big toe into it, and the shoe was\ntoo small for her. Then her mother gave her a knife and said, \u201cCut the\ntoe off; when thou art Queen thou wilt have no more need to go on\nfoot.\u201d The maiden cut the toe off, forced the foot into the shoe,\nswallowed the pain, and went out to the King\u2019s son. Then he took her on\nhis horse as his bride and rode away with her. They were, however,\nobliged to pass the grave, and there, on the hazel-tree, sat the two\npigeons and cried,\n\n\u201cTurn and peep, turn and peep,\nThere\u2019s blood within the shoe,\nThe shoe it is too small for her,\nThe true bride waits for you.\u201d\n\n\nThen he looked at her foot and saw how the blood was streaming from it.\nHe turned his horse round and took the false bride home again, and said\nshe was not the true one, and that the other sister was to put the shoe\non. Then this one went into her chamber and got her toes safely into\nthe shoe, but her heel was too large. So her mother gave her a knife\nand said, \u201cCut a bit off thy heel; when thou art Queen thou wilt have\nno more need to go on foot.\u201d The maiden cut a bit off her heel, forced\nher foot into the shoe, swallowed the pain, and went out to the King\u2019s\nson. He took her on his horse as his bride, and rode away with her, but\nwhen they passed by the hazel-tree, two little pigeons sat on it and\ncried,\n\n\u201cTurn and peep, turn and peep,\nThere\u2019s blood within the shoe\nThe shoe it is too small for her,\nThe true bride waits for you.\u201d\n\n\nHe looked down at her foot and saw how the blood was running out of her\nshoe, and how it had stained her white stocking. Then he turned his\nhorse and took the false bride home again. \u201cThis also is not the right\none,\u201d said he, \u201chave you no other daughter?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said the man, \u201cThere\nis still a little stunted kitchen-wench which my late wife left behind\nher, but she cannot possibly be the bride.\u201d The King\u2019s son said he was\nto send her up to him; but the mother answered, \u201cOh, no, she is much\ntoo dirty, she cannot show herself!\u201d He absolutely insisted on it, and\nCinderella had to be called. She first washed her hands and face clean,\nand then went and bowed down before the King\u2019s son, who gave her the\ngolden shoe. Then she seated herself on a stool, drew her foot out of\nthe heavy wooden shoe, and put it into the slipper, which fitted like a\nglove. And when she rose up and the King\u2019s son looked at her face he\nrecognized the beautiful maiden who had danced with him and cried,\n\u201cThat is the true bride!\u201d The step-mother and the two sisters were\nterrified and became pale with rage; he, however, took Cinderella on\nhis horse and rode away with her. As they passed by the hazel-tree, the\ntwo white doves cried\u2014\n\n\u201cTurn and peep, turn and peep,\nNo blood is in the shoe,\nThe shoe is not too small for her,\nThe true bride rides with you,\u201d\n\n\nand when they had cried that, the two came flying down and placed\nthemselves on Cinderella\u2019s shoulders, one on the right, the other on\nthe left, and remained sitting there.\n\nWhen the wedding with the King\u2019s son had to be celebrated, the two\nfalse sisters came and wanted to get into favour with Cinderella and\nshare her good fortune. When the betrothed couple went to church, the\nelder was at the right side and the younger at the left, and the\npigeons pecked out one eye of each of them. Afterwards as they came\nback, the elder was at the left, and the younger at the right, and then\nthe pigeons pecked out the other eye of each. And thus, for their\nwickedness and falsehood, they were punished with blindness as long as\nthey lived.\n\n\n\n22 The Riddle\n\nThere was once a King\u2019s son who was seized with a desire to travel\nabout the world, and took no one with him but a faithful servant. One\nday he came to a great forest, and when darkness overtook him he could\nfind no shelter, and knew not where to pass the night. Then he saw a\ngirl who was going towards a small house, and when he came nearer, he\nsaw that the maiden was young and beautiful. He spoke to her, and said,\n\u201cDear child, can I and my servant find shelter for the night in the\nlittle house?\u201d \u201cOh, yes,\u201d said the girl in a sad voice, \u201cthat you\ncertainly can, but I do not advise you to venture it. Do not go in.\u201d\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d asked the King\u2019s son. The maiden sighed and said, \u201cMy\nstep-mother practises wicked arts; she is ill-disposed toward\nstrangers.\u201d Then he saw very well that he had come to the house of a\nwitch, but as it was dark, and he could not go farther, and also was\nnot afraid, he entered. The old woman was sitting in an armchair by the\nfire, and looked at the stranger with her red eyes. \u201cGood evening,\u201d\ngrowled she, and pretended to be quite friendly. \u201cTake a seat and rest\nyourselves.\u201d She blew up the fire on which she was cooking something in\na small pot. The daughter warned the two to be prudent, to eat nothing,\nand drink nothing, for the old woman brewed evil drinks. They slept\nquietly until early morning. When they were making ready for their\ndeparture, and the King\u2019s son was already seated on his horse, the old\nwoman said, \u201cStop a moment, I will first hand you a parting draught.\u201d\nWhilst she fetched it, the King\u2019s son rode away, and the servant who\nhad to buckle his saddle tight, was the only one present when the\nwicked witch came with the drink. \u201cTake that to your master,\u201d said she.\nBut at that instant the glass broke and the poison spirted on the\nhorse, and it was so strong that the animal immediately fell down dead.\nThe servant ran after his master and told him what had happened, but\nwould not leave his saddle behind him, and ran back to fetch it. When,\nhowever, he came to the dead horse a raven was already sitting on it\ndevouring it. \u201cWho knows whether we shall find anything better to-day?\u201d\nsaid the servant; so he killed the raven, and took it with him. And now\nthey journeyed onwards into the forest the whole day, but could not get\nout of it. By nightfall they found an inn and entered it. The servant\ngave the raven to the innkeeper to make ready for supper. They had,\nhowever, stumbled on a den of murderers, and during the darkness twelve\nof these came, intending to kill the strangers and rob them. Before\nthey set about this work, they sat down to supper, and the innkeeper\nand the witch sat down with them, and together they ate a dish of soup\nin which was cut up the flesh of the raven. Hardly, however, had they\nswallowed a couple of mouthfuls, before they all fell down dead, for\nthe raven had communicated to them the poison from the horse-flesh.\nThere was no no one else left in the house but the innkeeper\u2019s\ndaughter, who was honest, and had taken no part in their godless deeds.\nShe opened all doors to the stranger and showed him the heaped-up\ntreasures. But the King\u2019s son said she might keep everything, he would\nhave none of it, and rode onwards with his servant.\n\nAfter they had traveled about for a long time, they came to a town in\nwhich was a beautiful but proud princess, who had caused it to be\nproclaimed that whosoever should set her a riddle which she could not\nguess, that man should be her husband; but if she guessed it, his head\nmust be cut off. She had three days to guess it in, but was so clever\nthat she always found the answer to the riddle given her, before the\nappointed time. Nine suitors had already perished in this manner, when\nthe King\u2019s son arrived, and blinded by her great beauty, was willing to\nstake his life for it. Then he went to her and laid his riddle before\nher. \u201cWhat is this?\u201d said he, \u201cOne slew none, and yet slew twelve.\u201d She\ndid not know what that was, she thought and thought, but she could not\nfind out, she opened her riddle-books, but it was not in them\u2014in short,\nher wisdom was at an end. As she did not know how to help herself, she\nordered her maid to creep into the lord\u2019s sleeping-chamber, and listen\nto his dreams, and thought that he would perhaps speak in his sleep and\ndiscover the riddle. But the clever servant had placed himself in the\nbed instead of his master, and when the maid came there, he tore off\nfrom her the mantle in which she had wrapped herself, and chased her\nout with rods. The second night the King\u2019s daughter sent her\nmaid-in-waiting, who was to see if she could succeed better in\nlistening, but the servant took her mantle also away from her, and\nhunted her out with rods. Now the master believed himself safe for the\nthird night, and lay down in his own bed. Then came the princess\nherself, and she had put on a misty-grey mantle, and she seated herself\nnear him. And when she thought that he was asleep and dreaming, she\nspoke to him, and hoped that he would answer in his sleep, as many do,\nbut he was awake, and understood and heard everything quite well. Then\nshe asked, \u201cOne slew none, what is that?\u201d He replied, \u201cA raven, which\nate of a dead and poisoned horse, and died of it.\u201d She inquired\nfurther, \u201cAnd yet slew twelve, what is that?\u201d He answered, \u201cThat means\ntwelve murderers, who ate the raven and died of it.\u201d\n\nWhen she knew the answer to the riddle she wanted to steal away, but he\nheld her mantle so fast that she was forced to leave it behind her.\nNext morning, the King\u2019s daughter announced that she had guessed the\nriddle, and sent for the twelve judges and expounded it before them.\nBut the youth begged for a hearing, and said, \u201cShe stole into my room\nin the night and questioned me, otherwise she could not have discovered\nit.\u201d The judges said, \u201cBring us a proof of this.\u201d Then were the three\nmantles brought thither by the servant, and when the judges saw the\nmisty-grey one which the King\u2019s daughter usually wore, they said, \u201cLet\nthe mantle be embroidered with gold and silver, and then it will be\nyour wedding-mantle.\n\n\n\n23 The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage\n\nOnce on a time a mouse, a bird, and a sausage became companions, kept\nhouse together, lived well and happily with each other, and wonderfully\nincreased their possessions. The bird\u2019s work was to fly every day into\nthe forest and bring back wood. The mouse had to carry water, light the\nfire, and lay the table, but the sausage had to cook.\n\nHe who is too well off is always longing for something new. One day,\ntherefore, the bird met with another bird, on the way, to whom it\nrelated its excellent circumstances and boasted of them. The other\nbird, however, called it a poor simpleton for his hard work, but said\nthat the two at home had good times. For when the mouse had made her\nfire and carried her water, she went into her little room to rest until\nthey called her to lay the table. The sausage stayed by the pot, saw\nthat the food was cooking well, and, when it was nearly time for\ndinner, it rolled itself once or twice through the broth or vegetables\nand then they were buttered, salted, and ready. When the bird came home\nand laid his burden down, they sat down to dinner, and after they had\nhad their meal, they slept their fill till next morning, and that was a\nsplendid life.\n\nNext day the bird, prompted by the other bird, would go no more into\nthe wood, saying that he had been servant long enough, and had been\nmade a fool of by them, and that they must change about for once, and\ntry to arrange it in another way. And, though the mouse and the sausage\nalso begged most earnestly, the bird would have his way, and said it\nmust be tried. They cast lots about it, and the lot fell on the sausage\nwho was to carry wood, the mouse became cook, and the bird was to fetch\nwater.\n\nWhat happened? The little sausage went out towards the wood, the little\nbird lighted the fire, the mouse stayed by the pot and waited alone\nuntil little sausage came home and brought wood for next day. But the\nlittle sausage stayed so long on the road that they both feared\nsomething was amiss, and the bird flew out a little way in the air to\nmeet it. Not far off, however, it met a dog on the road who had fallen\non the poor sausage as lawful booty, and had seized and swallowed it.\nThe bird charged the dog with an act of barefaced robbery, but it was\nin vain to speak, for the dog said he had found forged letters on the\nsausage, on which account its life was forfeited to him.\n\nThe bird sadly took up the wood, flew home, and related what he had\nseen and heard. They were much troubled, but agreed to do their best\nand remain together. The bird therefore laid the cloth, and the mouse\nmade ready the food, and wanted to dress it, and to get into the pot as\nthe sausage used to do, and roll and creep amongst the vegetables to\nmix them; but before she got into the midst of them she was stopped,\nand lost her skin and hair and life in the attempt.\n\nWhen the bird came to carry up the dinner, no cook was there. In its\ndistress the bird threw the wood here and there, called and searched,\nbut no cook was to be found! Owing to his carelessness the wood caught\nfire, so that a conflagration ensued, the bird hastened to fetch water,\nand then the bucket dropped from his claws into the well, and he fell\ndown with it, and could not recover himself, but had to drown there.\n\n\n\n24 Mother Holle\n\nThere was once a widow who had two daughters\u2014one of whom was pretty and\nindustrious, whilst the other was ugly and idle. But she was much\nfonder of the ugly and idle one, because she was her own daughter; and\nthe other, who was a step-daughter, was obliged to do all the work, and\nbe the Cinderella of the house. Every day the poor girl had to sit by a\nwell, in the highway, and spin and spin till her fingers bled.\n\nNow it happened that one day the shuttle was marked with her blood, so\nshe dipped it in the well, to wash the mark off; but it dropped out of\nher hand and fell to the bottom. She began to weep, and ran to her\nstep-mother and told her of the mishap. But she scolded her sharply,\nand was so merciless as to say, \u201cSince you have let the shuttle fall\nin, you must fetch it out again.\u201d\n\nSo the girl went back to the well, and did not know what to do; and in\nthe sorrow of her heart she jumped into the well to get the shuttle.\nShe lost her senses; and when she awoke and came to herself again, she\nwas in a lovely meadow where the sun was shining and many thousands of\nflowers were growing. Along this meadow she went, and at last came to a\nbaker\u2019s oven full of bread, and the bread cried out, \u201cOh, take me out!\ntake me out! or I shall burn; I have been baked a long time!\u201d So she\nwent up to it, and took out all the loaves one after another with the\nbread-shovel. After that she went on till she came to a tree covered\nwith apples, which called out to her, \u201cOh, shake me! shake me! we\napples are all ripe!\u201d So she shook the tree till the apples fell like\nrain, and went on shaking till they were all down, and when she had\ngathered them into a heap, she went on her way.\n\nAt last she came to a little house, out of which an old woman peeped;\nbut she had such large teeth that the girl was frightened, and was\nabout to run away.\n\nBut the old woman called out to her, \u201cWhat are you afraid of, dear\nchild? Stay with me; if you will do all the work in the house properly,\nyou shall be the better for it. Only you must take care to make my bed\nwell, and shake it thoroughly till the feathers fly\u2014for then there is\nsnow on the earth. I am Mother Holle.\n\nAs the old woman spoke so kindly to her, the girl took courage and\nagreed to enter her service. She attended to everything to the\nsatisfaction of her mistress, and always shook her bed so vigorously\nthat the feathers flew about like snow-flakes. So she had a pleasant\nlife with her; never an angry word; and boiled or roast meat every day.\n\nShe stayed some time with Mother Holle, and then she became sad. At\nfirst she did not know what was the matter with her, but found at\nlength that it was home-sickness: although she was many thousand times\nbetter off here than at home, still she had a longing to be there. At\nlast she said to the old woman, \u201cI have a longing for home; and however\nwell off I am down here, I cannot stay any longer; I must go up again\nto my own people.\u201d Mother Holle said, \u201cI am pleased that you long for\nyour home again, and as you have served me so truly, I myself will take\nyou up again.\u201d Thereupon she took her by the hand, and led her to a\nlarge door. The door was opened, and just as the maiden was standing\nbeneath the doorway, a heavy shower of golden rain fell, and all the\ngold remained sticking to her, so that she was completely covered over\nwith it.\n\n\u201cYou shall have that because you have been so industrious,\u201d said Mother\nHolle, and at the same time she gave her back the shuttle which she had\nlet fall into the well. Thereupon the door closed, and the maiden found\nherself up above upon the earth, not far from her mother\u2019s house.\n\nAnd as she went into the yard the cock was standing by the well-side,\nand cried\u2014\n\n\u201cCock-a-doodle-doo!\nYour golden girl\u2019s come back to you!\u201d\n\n\nSo she went in to her mother, and as she arrived thus covered with\ngold, she was well received, both by her and her sister.\n\nThe girl told all that had happened to her; and as soon as the mother\nheard how she had come by so much wealth, she was very anxious to\nobtain the same good luck for the ugly and lazy daughter. She had to\nseat herself by the well and spin; and in order that her shuttle might\nbe stained with blood, she stuck her hand into a thorn bush and pricked\nher finger. Then she threw her shuttle into the well, and jumped in\nafter it.\n\nShe came, like the other, to the beautiful meadow and walked along the\nvery same path. When she got to the oven the bread again cried, \u201cOh,\ntake me out! take me out! or I shall burn; I have been baked a long\ntime!\u201d But the lazy thing answered, \u201cAs if I had any wish to make\nmyself dirty?\u201d and on she went. Soon she came to the apple-tree, which\ncried, \u201cOh, shake me! shake me! we apples are all ripe!\u201d But she\nanswered, \u201cI like that! one of you might fall on my head,\u201d and so went\non.\n\nWhen she came to Mother Holle\u2019s house she was not afraid, for she had\nalready heard of her big teeth, and she hired herself to her\nimmediately.\n\nThe first day she forced herself to work diligently, and obeyed Mother\nHolle when she told her to do anything, for she was thinking of all the\ngold that she would give her. But on the second day she began to be\nlazy, and on the third day still more so, and then she would not get up\nin the morning at all. Neither did she make Mother Holle\u2019s bed as she\nought, and did not shake it so as to make the feathers fly up. Mother\nHolle was soon tired of this, and gave her notice to leave. The lazy\ngirl was willing enough to go, and thought that now the golden rain\nwould come. Mother Holle led her also to the great door; but while she\nwas standing beneath it, instead of the gold a big kettleful of pitch\nwas emptied over her. \u201cThat is the reward for your service,\u201d said\nMother Holle, and shut the door.\n\nSo the lazy girl went home; but she was quite covered with pitch, and\nthe cock by the well-side, as soon as he saw her, cried out\u2014\n\n\u201cCock-a-doodle-doo!\nYour pitchy girl\u2019s come back to you!\u201d\n\n\nBut the pitch stuck fast to her, and could not be got off as long as\nshe lived.\n\n\n\n25 The Seven Ravens\n\nThere was once a man who had seven sons, and still he had no daughter,\nhowever much he wished for one. At length his wife again gave him hope\nof a child, and when it came into the world it was a girl. The joy was\ngreat, but the child was sickly and small, and had to be privately\nbaptized on account of its weakness. The father sent one of the boys in\nhaste to the spring to fetch water for the baptism. The other six went\nwith him, and as each of them wanted to be first to fill it, the jug\nfell into the well. There they stood and did not know what to do, and\nnone of them dared to go home. As they still did not return, the father\ngrew impatient, and said, \u201cThey have certainly forgotten it for some\ngame, the wicked boys!\u201d He became afraid that the girl would have to\ndie without being baptized, and in his anger cried, \u201cI wish the boys\nwere all turned into ravens.\u201d Hardly was the word spoken before he\nheard a whirring of wings over his head in the air, looked up and saw\nseven coal-black ravens flying away. The parents could not recall the\ncurse, and however sad they were at the loss of their seven sons, they\nstill to some extent comforted themselves with their dear little\ndaughter, who soon grew strong and every day became more beautiful. For\na long time she did not know that she had had brothers, for her parents\nwere careful not to mention them before her, but one day she\naccidentally heard some people saying of herself, \u201cthat the girl was\ncertainly beautiful, but that in reality she was to blame for the\nmisfortune which had befallen her seven brothers.\u201d Then she was much\ntroubled, and went to her father and mother and asked if it was true\nthat she had had brothers, and what had become of them? The parents now\ndared keep the secret no longer, but said that what had befallen her\nbrothers was the will of Heaven, and that her birth had only been the\ninnocent cause. But the maiden took it to heart daily, and thought she\nmust deliver her brothers. She had no rest or peace until she set out\nsecretly, and went forth into the wide world to trace out her brothers\nand set them free, let it cost what it might. She took nothing with her\nbut a little ring belonging to her parents as a keepsake, a loaf of\nbread against hunger, a little pitcher of water against thirst, and a\nlittle chair as a provision against weariness.\n\nAnd now she went continually onwards, far, far to the very end of the\nworld. Then she came to the sun, but it was too hot and terrible, and\ndevoured little children. Hastily she ran away, and ran to the moon,\nbut it was far too cold, and also awful and malicious, and when it saw\nthe child, it said, \u201cI smell, I smell the flesh of men.\u201d On this she\nran swiftly away, and came to the stars, which were kind and good to\nher, and each of them sat on its own particular little chair. But the\nmorning star arose, and gave her the drumstick of a chicken, and said,\n\u201cIf you thou hast not that drumstick thou canst not open the Glass\nmountain, and in the Glass mountain are thy brothers.\u201d\n\nThe maiden took the drumstick, wrapped it carefully in a cloth, and\nwent onwards again until she came to the Glass mountain. The door was\nshut, and she thought she would take out the drumstick; but when she\nundid the cloth, it was empty, and she had lost the good star\u2019s\npresent. What was she now to do? She wished to rescue her brothers, and\nhad no key to the Glass mountain. The good sister took a knife, cut off\none of her little fingers, put it in the door, and succeeded in opening\nit. When she had gone inside, a little dwarf came to meet her, who\nsaid, \u201cMy child, what are you looking for?\u201d \u201cI am looking for my\nbrothers, the seven ravens,\u201d she replied. The dwarf said, \u201cThe lord\nravens are not at home, but if you will wait here until they come, step\nin.\u201d Thereupon the little dwarf carried the ravens\u2019 dinner in, on seven\nlittle plates, and in seven little glasses, and the little sister ate a\nmorsel from each plate, and from each little glass she took a sip, but\nin the last little glass she dropped the ring which she had brought\naway with her.\n\nSuddenly she heard a whirring of wings and a rushing through the air,\nand then the little dwarf said, \u201cNow the lord ravens are flying home.\u201d\nThen they came, and wanted to eat and drink, and looked for their\nlittle plates and glasses. Then said one after the other, \u201cWho has\neaten something from my plate? Who has drunk out of my little glass? It\nwas a human mouth.\u201d And when the seventh came to the bottom of the\nglass, the ring rolled against his mouth. Then he looked at it, and saw\nthat it was a ring belonging to his father and mother, and said, \u201cGod\ngrant that our sister may be here, and then we shall be free.\u201d When the\nmaiden, who was standing behind the door watching, heard that wish, she\ncame forth, and on this all the ravens were restored to their human\nform again. And they embraced and kissed each other, and went joyfully\nhome.\n\n\n\n26 Little Red-Cap\n\nOnce upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by every\none who looked at her, but most of all by her grandmother, and there\nwas nothing that she would not have given to the child. Once she gave\nher a little cap of red velvet, which suited her so well that she would\nnever wear anything else; so she was always called \u201cLittle Red-Cap.\u201d\n\nOne day her mother said to her, \u201cCome, Little Red-Cap, here is a piece\nof cake and a bottle of wine; take them to your grandmother, she is ill\nand weak, and they will do her good. Set out before it gets hot, and\nwhen you are going, walk nicely and quietly and do not run off the\npath, or you may fall and break the bottle, and then your grandmother\nwill get nothing; and when you go into her room, don\u2019t forget to say,\n\u2018Good-morning,\u2019 and don\u2019t peep into every corner before you do it.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will take great care,\u201d said Little Red-Cap to her mother, and gave\nher hand on it.\n\nThe grandmother lived out in the wood, half a league from the village,\nand just as Little Red-Cap entered the wood, a wolf met her. Red-Cap\ndid not know what a wicked creature he was, and was not at all afraid\nof him.\n\n\u201cGood-day, Little Red-Cap,\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cThank you kindly, wolf.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhither away so early, Little Red-Cap?\u201d\n\n\u201cTo my grandmother\u2019s.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat have you got in your apron?\u201d\n\n\u201cCake and wine; yesterday was baking-day, so poor sick grandmother is\nto have something good, to make her stronger.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere does your grandmother live, Little Red-Cap?\u201d\n\n\u201cA good quarter of a league farther on in the wood; her house stands\nunder the three large oak-trees, the nut-trees are just below; you\nsurely must know it,\u201d replied Little Red-Cap.\n\nThe wolf thought to himself, \u201cWhat a tender young creature! what a nice\nplump mouthful\u2014she will be better to eat than the old woman. I must act\ncraftily, so as to catch both.\u201d So he walked for a short time by the\nside of Little Red-Cap, and then he said, \u201cSee Little Red-Cap, how\npretty the flowers are about here\u2014why do you not look round? I believe,\ntoo, that you do not hear how sweetly the little birds are singing; you\nwalk gravely along as if you were going to school, while everything\nelse out here in the wood is merry.\u201d\n\nLittle Red-Cap raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing\nhere and there through the trees, and pretty flowers growing\neverywhere, she thought, \u201cSuppose I take grandmother a fresh nosegay;\nthat would please her too. It is so early in the day that I shall still\nget there in good time;\u201d and so she ran from the path into the wood to\nlook for flowers. And whenever she had picked one, she fancied that she\nsaw a still prettier one farther on, and ran after it, and so got\ndeeper and deeper into the wood.\n\nMeanwhile the wolf ran straight to the grandmother\u2019s house and knocked\nat the door.\n\n\u201cWho is there?\u201d\n\n\u201cLittle Red-Cap,\u201d replied the wolf. \u201cShe is bringing cake and wine;\nopen the door.\u201d\n\n\u201cLift the latch,\u201d called out the grandmother, \u201cI am too weak, and\ncannot get up.\u201d\n\nThe wolf lifted the latch, the door flew open, and without saying a\nword he went straight to the grandmother\u2019s bed, and devoured her. Then\nhe put on her clothes, dressed himself in her cap, laid himself in bed\nand drew the curtains.\n\nLittle Red-Cap, however, had been running about picking flowers, and\nwhen she had gathered so many that she could carry no more, she\nremembered her grandmother, and set out on the way to her.\n\nShe was surprised to find the cottage-door standing open, and when she\nwent into the room, she had such a strange feeling that she said to\nherself, \u201cOh dear! how uneasy I feel to-day, and at other times I like\nbeing with grandmother so much.\u201d She called out, \u201cGood morning,\u201d but\nreceived no answer; so she went to the bed and drew back the curtains.\nThere lay her grandmother with her cap pulled far over her face, and\nlooking very strange.\n\n\u201cOh! grandmother,\u201d she said, \u201cwhat big ears you have!\u201d\n\n\u201cThe better to hear you with, my child,\u201d was the reply.\n\n\u201cBut, grandmother, what big eyes you have!\u201d she said.\n\n\u201cThe better to see you with, my dear.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, grandmother, what large hands you have!\u201d\n\n\u201cThe better to hug you with.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh! but, grandmother, what a terrible big mouth you have!\u201d\n\n\u201cThe better to eat you with!\u201d\n\nAnd scarcely had the wolf said this, than with one bound he was out of\nbed and swallowed up Red-Cap.\n\nWhen the wolf had appeased his appetite, he lay down again in the bed,\nfell asleep and began to snore very loud. The huntsman was just passing\nthe house, and thought to himself, \u201cHow the old woman is snoring! I\nmust just see if she wants anything.\u201d So he went into the room, and\nwhen he came to the bed, he saw that the wolf was lying in it. \u201cDo I\nfind thee here, thou old sinner!\u201d said he. \u201cI have long sought thee!\u201d\nThen just as he was going to fire at him, it occurred to him that the\nwolf might have devoured the grandmother, and that she might still be\nsaved, so he did not fire, but took a pair of scissors, and began to\ncut open the stomach of the sleeping wolf. When he had made two snips,\nhe saw the little Red-Cap shining, and then he made two snips more, and\nthe little girl sprang out, crying, \u201cAh, how frightened I have been!\nHow dark it was inside the wolf;\u201d and after that the aged grandmother\ncame out alive also, but scarcely able to breathe. Red-Cap, however,\nquickly fetched great stones with which they filled the wolf\u2019s body,\nand when he awoke, he wanted to run away, but the stones were so heavy\nthat he fell down at once, and fell dead.\n\nThen all three were delighted. The huntsman drew off the wolf\u2019s skin\nand went home with it; the grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine\nwhich Red-Cap had brought, and revived, but Red-Cap thought to herself,\n\u201cAs long as I live, I will never by myself leave the path, to run into\nthe wood, when my mother has forbidden me to do so.\u201d\n\n                            * * * * * * *\n\nIt is also related that once when Red-Cap was again taking cakes to the\nold grandmother, another wolf spoke to her, and tried to entice her\nfrom the path. Red-Cap, however, was on her guard, and went straight\nforward on her way, and told her grandmother that she had met the wolf,\nand that he had said \u201cgood-morning\u201d to her, but with such a wicked look\nin his eyes, that if they had not been on the public road she was\ncertain he would have eaten her up. \u201cWell,\u201d said the grandmother, \u201cwe\nwill shut the door, that he may not come in.\u201d Soon afterwards the wolf\nknocked, and cried, \u201cOpen the door, grandmother, I am little Red-Cap,\nand am fetching you some cakes.\u201d But they did not speak, or open the\ndoor, so the grey-beard stole twice or thrice round the house, and at\nlast jumped on the roof, intending to wait until Red-Cap went home in\nthe evening, and then to steal after her and devour her in the\ndarkness. But the grandmother saw what was in his thoughts. In front of\nthe house was a great stone trough, so she said to the child, \u201cTake the\npail, Red-Cap; I made some sausages yesterday, so carry the water in\nwhich I boiled them to the trough.\u201d Red-Cap carried until the great\ntrough was quite full. Then the smell of the sausages reached the wolf,\nand he sniffed and peeped down, and at last stretched out his neck so\nfar that he could no longer keep his footing and began to slip, and\nslipped down from the roof straight into the great trough, and was\ndrowned. But Red-Cap went joyously home, and never did anything to harm\nany one.\n\n\n\n27 The Bremen Town-Musicians\n\nA certain man had a donkey, which had carried the corn-sacks to the\nmill indefatigably for many a long year; but his strength was going,\nand he was growing more and more unfit for work. Then his master began\nto consider how he might best save his keep; but the donkey, seeing\nthat no good wind was blowing, ran away and set out on the road to\nBremen. \u201cThere,\u201d he thought, \u201cI can surely be town-musician.\u201d When he\nhad walked some distance, he found a hound lying on the road, gasping\nlike one who had run till he was tired. \u201cWhat are you gasping so for,\nyou big fellow?\u201d asked the donkey.\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d replied the hound, \u201cas I am old, and daily grow weaker, and no\nlonger can hunt, my master wanted to kill me, so I took to flight; but\nnow how am I to earn my bread?\u201d\n\n\u201cI tell you what,\u201d said the donkey, \u201cI am going to Bremen, and shall be\ntown-musician there; go with me and engage yourself also as a musician.\nI will play the lute, and you shall beat the kettledrum.\u201d\n\nThe hound agreed, and on they went.\n\nBefore long they came to a cat, sitting on the path, with a face like\nthree rainy days! \u201cNow then, old shaver, what has gone askew with you?\u201d\nasked the donkey.\n\n\u201cWho can be merry when his neck is in danger?\u201d answered the cat.\n\u201cBecause I am now getting old, and my teeth are worn to stumps, and I\nprefer to sit by the fire and spin, rather than hunt about after mice,\nmy mistress wanted to drown me, so I ran away. But now good advice is\nscarce. Where am I to go?\u201d\n\n\u201cGo with us to Bremen. You understand night-music, you can be a\ntown-musician.\u201d\n\nThe cat thought well of it, and went with them. After this the three\nfugitives came to a farm-yard, where the cock was sitting upon the\ngate, crowing with all his might. \u201cYour crow goes through and through\none,\u201d said the donkey. \u201cWhat is the matter?\u201d\n\n\u201cI have been foretelling fine weather, because it is the day on which\nOur Lady washes the Christ-child\u2019s little shirts, and wants to dry\nthem,\u201d said the cock; \u201cbut guests are coming for Sunday, so the\nhousewife has no pity, and has told the cook that she intends to eat me\nin the soup to-morrow, and this evening I am to have my head cut off.\nNow I am crowing at full pitch while I can.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh, but red-comb,\u201d said the donkey, \u201cyou had better come away with us.\nWe are going to Bremen; you can find something better than death\neverywhere: you have a good voice, and if we make music together it\nmust have some quality!\u201d\n\nThe cock agreed to this plan, and all four went on together. They could\nnot, however, reach the city of Bremen in one day, and in the evening\nthey came to a forest where they meant to pass the night. The donkey\nand the hound laid themselves down under a large tree, the cat and the\ncock settled themselves in the branches; but the cock flew right to the\ntop, where he was most safe. Before he went to sleep he looked round on\nall four sides, and thought he saw in the distance a little spark\nburning; so he called out to his companions that there must be a house\nnot far off, for he saw a light. The donkey said, \u201cIf so, we had better\nget up and go on, for the shelter here is bad.\u201d The hound thought that\na few bones with some meat on would do him good too!\n\nSo they made their way to the place where the light was, and soon saw\nit shine brighter and grow larger, until they came to a well-lighted\nrobber\u2019s house. The donkey, as the biggest, went to the window and\nlooked in.\n\n\u201cWhat do you see, my grey-horse?\u201d asked the cock. \u201cWhat do I see?\u201d\nanswered the donkey; \u201ca table covered with good things to eat and\ndrink, and robbers sitting at it enjoying themselves.\u201d \u201cThat would be\nthe sort of thing for us,\u201d said the cock. \u201cYes, yes; ah, how I wish we\nwere there!\u201d said the donkey.\n\nThen the animals took counsel together how they should manage to drive\naway the robbers, and at last they thought of a plan. The donkey was to\nplace himself with his fore-feet upon the window-ledge, the hound was\nto jump on the donkey\u2019s back, the cat was to climb upon the dog, and\nlastly the cock was to fly up and perch upon the head of the cat.\n\nWhen this was done, at a given signal, they began to perform their\nmusic together: the donkey brayed, the hound barked, the cat mewed, and\nthe cock crowed; then they burst through the window into the room, so\nthat the glass clattered! At this horrible din, the robbers sprang up,\nthinking no otherwise than that a ghost had come in, and fled in a\ngreat fright out into the forest. The four companions now sat down at\nthe table, well content with what was left, and ate as if they were\ngoing to fast for a month.\n\nAs soon as the four minstrels had done, they put out the light, and\neach sought for himself a sleeping-place according to his nature and to\nwhat suited him. The donkey laid himself down upon some straw in the\nyard, the hound behind the door, the cat upon the hearth near the warm\nashes, and the cock perched himself upon a beam of the roof; and being\ntired from their long walk, they soon went to sleep.\n\nWhen it was past midnight, and the robbers saw from afar that the light\nwas no longer burning in their house, and all appeared quiet, the\ncaptain said, \u201cWe ought not to have let ourselves be frightened out of\nour wits;\u201d and ordered one of them to go and examine the house.\n\nThe messenger finding all still, went into the kitchen to light a\ncandle, and, taking the glistening fiery eyes of the cat for live\ncoals, he held a lucifer-match to them to light it. But the cat did not\nunderstand the joke, and flew in his face, spitting and scratching. He\nwas dreadfully frightened, and ran to the back-door, but the dog, who\nlay there sprang up and bit his leg; and as he ran across the yard by\nthe straw-heap, the donkey gave him a smart kick with its hind foot.\nThe cock, too, who had been awakened by the noise, and had become\nlively, cried down from the beam, \u201cCock-a-doodle-doo!\u201d\n\nThen the robber ran back as fast as he could to his captain, and said,\n\u201cAh, there is a horrible witch sitting in the house, who spat on me and\nscratched my face with her long claws; and by the door stands a man\nwith a knife, who stabbed me in the leg; and in the yard there lies a\nblack monster, who beat me with a wooden club; and above, upon the\nroof, sits the judge, who called out, \u2018Bring the rogue here to me!\u2019 so\nI got away as well as I could.\u201d\n\nAfter this the robbers did not trust themselves in the house again; but\nit suited the four musicians of Bremen so well that they did not care\nto leave it any more. And the mouth of him who last told this story is\nstill warm.\n\n\n\n28 The Singing Bone\n\nIn a certain country there was once great lamentation over a wild boar\nthat laid waste the farmer\u2019s fields, killed the cattle, and ripped up\npeople\u2019s bodies with his tusks. The King promised a large reward to\nanyone who would free the land from this plague; but the beast was so\nbig and strong that no one dared to go near the forest in which it\nlived. At last the King gave notice that whosoever should capture or\nkill the wild boar should have his only daughter to wife.\n\nNow there lived in the country two brothers, sons of a poor man, who\ndeclared themselves willing to undertake the hazardous enterprise; the\nelder, who was crafty and shrewd, out of pride; the younger, who was\ninnocent and simple, from a kind heart. The King said, \u201cIn order that\nyou may be the more sure of finding the beast, you must go into the\nforest from opposite sides.\u201d So the elder went in on the west side, and\nthe younger on the east.\n\nWhen the younger had gone a short way, a little man stepped up to him.\nHe held in his hand a black spear and said, \u201cI give you this spear\nbecause your heart is pure and good; with this you can boldly attack\nthe wild boar, and it will do you no harm.\u201d\n\nHe thanked the little man, shouldered the spear, and went on\nfearlessly.\n\nBefore long he saw the beast, which rushed at him; but he held the\nspear towards it, and in its blind fury it ran so swiftly against it\nthat its heart was cloven in twain. Then he took the monster on his\nback and went homewards with it to the King.\n\nAs he came out at the other side of the wood, there stood at the\nentrance a house where people were making merry with wine and dancing.\nHis elder brother had gone in here, and, thinking that after all the\nboar would not run away from him, was going to drink until he felt\nbrave. But when he saw his young brother coming out of the wood laden\nwith his booty, his envious, evil heart gave him no peace. He called\nout to him, \u201cCome in, dear brother, rest and refresh yourself with a\ncup of wine.\u201d\n\nThe youth, who suspected no evil, went in and told him about the good\nlittle man who had given him the spear wherewith he had slain the boar.\n\nThe elder brother kept him there until the evening, and then they went\naway together, and when in the darkness they came to a bridge over a\nbrook, the elder brother let the other go first; and when he was\nhalf-way across he gave him such a blow from behind that he fell down\ndead. He buried him beneath the bridge, took the boar, and carried it\nto the King, pretending that he had killed it; whereupon he obtained\nthe King\u2019s daughter in marriage. And when his younger brother did not\ncome back he said, \u201cThe boar must have killed him,\u201d and every one\nbelieved it.\n\nBut as nothing remains hidden from God, so this black deed also was to\ncome to light.\n\nYears afterwards a shepherd was driving his herd across the bridge, and\nsaw lying in the sand beneath, a snow-white little bone. He thought\nthat it would make a good mouth-piece, so he clambered down, picked it\nup, and cut out of it a mouth-piece for his horn. But when he blew\nthrough it for the first time, to his great astonishment, the bone\nbegan of its own accord to sing:\n\n\u201cAh, friend, thou blowest upon my bone!\nLong have I lain beside the water;\nMy brother slew me for the boar,\nAnd took for his wife the King\u2019s young daughter.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cWhat a wonderful horn!\u201d said the shepherd; \u201cit sings by itself; I must\ntake it to my lord the King.\u201d And when he came with it to the King the\nhorn again began to sing its little song. The King understood it all,\nand caused the ground below the bridge to be dug up, and then the whole\nskeleton of the murdered man came to light. The wicked brother could\nnot deny the deed, and was sewn up in a sack and drowned. But the bones\nof the murdered man were laid to rest in a beautiful tomb in the\nchurchyard.\n\n\n\n29 The Devil With the Three Golden Hairs\n\nThere was once a poor woman who gave birth to a little son; and as he\ncame into the world with a caul on, it was predicted that in his\nfourteenth year he would have the King\u2019s daughter for his wife. It\nhappened that soon afterwards the King came into the village, and no\none knew that he was the King, and when he asked the people what news\nthere was, they answered, \u201cA child has just been born with a caul on;\nwhatever any one so born undertakes turns out well. It is prophesied,\ntoo, that in his fourteenth year he will have the King\u2019s daughter for\nhis wife.\u201d\n\nThe King, who had a bad heart, and was angry about the prophecy, went\nto the parents, and, seeming quite friendly, said, \u201cYou poor people,\nlet me have your child, and I will take care of it.\u201d At first they\nrefused, but when the stranger offered them a large amount of gold for\nit, and they thought, \u201cIt is a luck-child, and everything must turn out\nwell for it,\u201d they at last consented, and gave him the child.\n\nThe King put it in a box and rode away with it until he came to a deep\npiece of water; then he threw the box into it and thought, \u201cI have\nfreed my daughter from her unlooked-for suitor.\u201d\n\nThe box, however, did not sink, but floated like a boat, and not a drop\nof water made its way into it. And it floated to within two miles of\nthe King\u2019s chief city, where there was a mill, and it came to a\nstand-still at the mill-dam. A miller\u2019s boy, who by good luck was\nstanding there, noticed it and pulled it out with a hook, thinking that\nhe had found a great treasure, but when he opened it there lay a pretty\nboy inside, quite fresh and lively. He took him to the miller and his\nwife, and as they had no children they were glad, and said, \u201cGod has\ngiven him to us.\u201d They took great care of the foundling, and he grew up\nin all goodness.\n\nIt happened that once in a storm, the King went into the mill, and he\nasked the mill-folk if the tall youth was their son. \u201cNo,\u201d answered\nthey, \u201che\u2019s a foundling. Fourteen years ago he floated down to the\nmill-dam in a box, and the mill-boy pulled him out of the water.\u201d\n\nThen the King knew that it was none other than the luck-child which he\nhad thrown into the water, and he said, \u201cMy good people, could not the\nyouth take a letter to the Queen; I will give him two gold pieces as a\nreward?\u201d \u201cJust as the King commands,\u201d answered they, and they told the\nboy to hold himself in readiness. Then the King wrote a letter to the\nQueen, wherein he said, \u201cAs soon as the boy arrives with this letter,\nlet him be killed and buried, and all must be done before I come home.\u201d\n\nThe boy set out with this letter; but he lost his way, and in the\nevening came to a large forest. In the darkness he saw a small light;\nhe went towards it and reached a cottage. When he went in, an old woman\nwas sitting by the fire quite alone. She started when she saw the boy,\nand said, \u201cWhence do you come, and whither are you going?\u201d \u201cI come from\nthe mill,\u201d he answered, \u201cand wish to go to the Queen, to whom I am\ntaking a letter; but as I have lost my way in the forest I should like\nto stay here over night.\u201d \u201cYou poor boy,\u201d said the woman, \u201cyou have\ncome into a den of thieves, and when they come home they will kill\nyou.\u201d \u201cLet them come,\u201d said the boy, \u201cI am not afraid; but I am so\ntired that I cannot go any farther:\u201d and he stretched himself upon a\nbench and fell asleep.\n\nSoon afterwards the robbers came, and angrily asked what strange boy\nwas lying there? \u201cAh,\u201d said the old woman, \u201cit is an innocent child who\nhas lost himself in the forest, and out of pity I have let him come in;\nhe has to take a letter to the Queen.\u201d The robbers opened the letter\nand read it, and in it was written that the boy as soon as he arrived\nshould be put to death. Then the hard-hearted robbers felt pity, and\ntheir leader tore up the letter and wrote another, saying, that as soon\nas the boy came, he should be married at once to the King\u2019s daughter.\nThen they let him lie quietly on the bench until the next morning, and\nwhen he awoke they gave him the letter, and showed him the right way.\n\nAnd the Queen, when she had received the letter and read it, did as was\nwritten in it, and had a splendid wedding-feast prepared, and the\nKing\u2019s daughter was married to the luck-child, and as the youth was\nhandsome and agreeable she lived with him in joy and contentment.\n\nAfter some time the King returned to his palace and saw that the\nprophecy was fulfilled, and the luck-child married to his daughter.\n\u201cHow has that come to pass?\u201d said he; \u201cI gave quite another order in my\nletter.\u201d\n\nSo the Queen gave him the letter, and said that he might see for\nhimself what was written in it. The King read the letter and saw quite\nwell that it had been exchanged for the other. He asked the youth what\nhad become of the letter entrusted to him, and why he had brought\nanother instead of it. \u201cI know nothing about it,\u201d answered he; \u201cit must\nhave been changed in the night, when I slept in the forest.\u201d The King\nsaid in a passion, \u201cYou shall not have everything quite so much your\nown way; whosoever marries my daughter must fetch me from hell three\ngolden hairs from the head of the devil; bring me what I want, and you\nshall keep my daughter.\u201d In this way the King hoped to be rid of him\nfor ever. But the luck-child answered, \u201cI will fetch the golden hairs,\nI am not afraid of the Devil;\u201d thereupon he took leave of them and\nbegan his journey.\n\nThe road led him to a large town, where the watchman by the gates asked\nhim what his trade was, and what he knew. \u201cI know everything,\u201d answered\nthe luck-child. \u201cThen you can do us a favour,\u201d said the watchman, \u201cif\nyou will tell us why our market-fountain, which once flowed with wine\nhas become dry, and no longer gives even water?\u201d \u201cThat you shall know,\u201d\nanswered he; \u201conly wait until I come back.\u201d\n\nThen he went farther and came to another town, and there also the\ngatekeeper asked him what was his trade, and what he knew. \u201cI know\neverything,\u201d answered he. \u201cThen you can do us a favour and tell us why\na tree in our town which once bore golden apples now does not even put\nforth leaves?\u201d \u201cYou shall know that,\u201d answered he; \u201conly wait until I\ncome back.\u201d\n\nThen he went on and came to a wide river over which he must go. The\nferryman asked him what his trade was, and what he knew. \u201cI know\neverything,\u201d answered he. \u201cThen you can do me a favour,\u201d said the\nferryman, \u201cand tell me why I must always be rowing backwards and\nforwards, and am never set free?\u201d \u201cYou shall know that,\u201d answered he;\n\u201conly wait until I come back.\u201d\n\nWhen he had crossed the water he found the entrance to Hell. It was\nblack and sooty within, and the Devil was not at home, but his\ngrandmother was sitting in a large arm-chair. \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d said\nshe to him, but she did not look so very wicked. \u201cI should like to have\nthree golden hairs from the devil\u2019s head,\u201d answered he, \u201celse I cannot\nkeep my wife.\u201d \u201cThat is a good deal to ask for,\u201d said she; \u201cif the\ndevil comes home and finds you, it will cost you your life; but as I\npity you, I will see if I cannot help you.\u201d\n\nShe changed him into an ant and said, \u201cCreep into the folds of my\ndress, you will be safe there.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d answered he, \u201cso far, so good;\nbut there are three things besides that I want to know: why a fountain\nwhich once flowed with wine has become dry, and no longer gives even\nwater; why a tree which once bore golden apples does not even put forth\nleaves; and why a ferry-man must always be going backwards and\nforwards, and is never set free?\u201d\n\n\u201cThose are difficult questions,\u201d answered she, \u201cbut only be silent and\nquiet and pay attention to what the devil says when I pull out the\nthree golden hairs.\u201d\n\nAs the evening came on, the devil returned home. No sooner had he\nentered than he noticed that the air was not pure. \u201cI smell man\u2019s\nflesh,\u201d said he; \u201call is not right here.\u201d Then he pried into every\ncorner, and searched, but could not find anything. His grandmother\nscolded him. \u201cIt has just been swept,\u201d said she, \u201cand everything put in\norder, and now you are upsetting it again; you have always got man\u2019s\nflesh in your nose. Sit down and eat your supper.\u201d\n\nWhen he had eaten and drunk he was tired, and laid his head in his\ngrandmother\u2019s lap, and before long he was fast asleep, snoring and\nbreathing heavily. Then the old woman took hold of a golden hair,\npulled it out, and laid it down near her. \u201cOh!\u201d cried the devil, \u201cwhat\nare you doing?\u201d \u201cI have had a bad dream,\u201d answered the grandmother, \u201cso\nI seized hold of your hair.\u201d \u201cWhat did you dream then?\u201d said the devil.\n\u201cI dreamed that a fountain in a market-place from which wine once\nflowed was dried up, and not even water would flow out of it; what is\nthe cause of it?\u201d \u201cOh, ho! if they did but know it,\u201d answered the\ndevil; \u201cthere is a toad sitting under a stone in the well; if they\nkilled it, the wine would flow again.\u201d\n\nHe went to sleep again and snored until the windows shook. Then she\npulled the second hair out. \u201cHa! what are you doing?\u201d cried the devil\nangrily. \u201cDo not take it ill,\u201d said she, \u201cI did it in a dream.\u201d \u201cWhat\nhave you dreamt this time?\u201d asked he. \u201cI dreamt that in a certain\nkingdom there stood an apple-tree which had once borne golden apples,\nbut now would not even bear leaves. What, think you, was the reason?\u201d\n\u201cOh! if they did but know,\u201d answered the devil. \u201cA mouse is gnawing at\nthe root; if they killed this they would have golden apples again, but\nif it gnaws much longer the tree will wither altogether. But leave me\nalone with your dreams: if you disturb me in my sleep again you will\nget a box on the ear.\u201d\n\nThe grandmother spoke gently to him until he fell asleep again and\nsnored. Then she took hold of the third golden hair and pulled it out.\nThe devil jumped up, roared out, and would have treated her ill if she\nhad not quieted him once more and said, \u201cWho can help bad dreams?\u201d\n\u201cWhat was the dream, then?\u201d asked he, and was quite curious. \u201cI dreamt\nof a ferry-man who complained that he must always ferry from one side\nto the other, and was never released. What is the cause of it?\u201d \u201cAh!\nthe fool,\u201d answered the devil; \u201cwhen any one comes and wants to go\nacross he must put the oar in his hand, and the other man will have to\nferry and he will be free.\u201d As the grandmother had plucked out the\nthree golden hairs, and the three questions were answered, she let the\nold serpent alone, and he slept until daybreak.\n\nWhen the devil had gone out again the old woman took the ant out of the\nfolds of her dress, and gave the luck-child his human shape again.\n\u201cThere are the three golden hairs for you,\u201d said she. \u201cWhat the Devil\nsaid to your three questions, I suppose you heard?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d answered he,\n\u201cI heard, and will take care to remember.\u201d \u201cYou have what you want,\u201d\nsaid she, \u201cand now you can go your way.\u201d He thanked the old woman for\nhelping him in his need, and left hell well content that everything had\nturned out so fortunately.\n\nWhen he came to the ferry-man he was expected to give the promised\nanswer. \u201cFerry me across first,\u201d said the luck-child, \u201cand then I will\ntell you how you can be set free,\u201d and when he reached the opposite\nshore he gave him the devil\u2019s advice: \u201cNext time any one comes, who\nwants to be ferried over, just put the oar in his hand.\u201d\n\nHe went on and came to the town wherein stood the unfruitful tree, and\nthere too the watchman wanted an answer. So he told him what he had\nheard from the devil: \u201cKill the mouse which is gnawing at its root, and\nit will again bear golden apples.\u201d Then the watchman thanked him, and\ngave him as a reward two asses laden with gold, which followed him.\n\nAt last he came to the town whose well was dry. He told the watchman\nwhat the devil had said: \u201cA toad is in the well beneath a stone; you\nmust find it and kill it, and the well will again give wine in plenty.\u201d\nThe watchman thanked him, and also gave him two asses laden with gold.\n\nAt last the luck-child got home to his wife, who was heartily glad to\nsee him again, and to hear how well he had prospered in everything. To\nthe King he took what he had asked for, the devil\u2019s three golden hairs,\nand when the King saw the four asses laden with gold he was quite\ncontent, and said, \u201cNow all the conditions are fulfilled, and you can\nkeep my daughter. But tell me, dear son-in-law, where did all that gold\ncome from? this is tremendous wealth!\u201d \u201cI was rowed across a river,\u201d\nanswered he, \u201cand got it there; it lies on the shore instead of sand.\u201d\n\u201cCan I too fetch some of it?\u201d said the King; and he was quite eager\nabout it. \u201cAs much as you like,\u201d answered he. \u201cThere is a ferry-man on\nthe river; let him ferry you over, and you can fill your sacks on the\nother side.\u201d The greedy King set out in all haste, and when he came to\nthe river he beckoned to the ferry-man to put him across. The ferry-man\ncame and bade him get in, and when they got to the other shore he put\nthe oar in his hand and sprang out. But from this time forth the King\nhad to ferry, as a punishment for his sins. Perhaps he is ferrying\nstill? If he is, it is because no one has taken the oar from him.\n\n\n\n30 The Louse and the Flea\n\nA louse and a flea kept house together and were brewing beer in an\negg-shell. Then the little louse fell in and burnt herself. On this the\nlittle flea began to scream loudly. Then said the little room-door,\n\u201cLittle flea, why art thou screaming?\u201d \u201cBecause the louse has burnt\nherself.\u201d\n\nThen the little door began to creak. On this a little broom in the\ncorner said, \u201cWhy art thou creaking, little door?\u201d \u201cHave I not reason\nto creak?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe little louse has burnt herself,\nThe little flea is weeping.\u201d\n\n\nSo the little broom began to sweep frantically. Then a little cart\npassed by and said, \u201cWhy art thou sweeping, little broom?\u201d \u201cHave I not\nreason to sweep?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe little louse has burnt herself,\nThe little flea is weeping,\nThe little door is creaking.\u201d\n\n\nSo the little cart said, \u201cThen I will run,\u201d and began to run wildly.\nThen said the ash-heap by which it ran, \u201cWhy art thou running so,\nlittle cart?\u201d \u201cHave I not reason to run?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe little louse has burnt herself,\nThe little flea is weeping,\nThe little door is creaking,\nThe little broom is sweeping.\u201d\n\n\nThe ash-heap said, \u201cThen I will burn furiously,\u201d and began to burn in\nclear flames. A little tree stood near the ash-heap and said,\n\u201cAsh-heap, why art thou burning?\u201d \u201cHave I not reason to burn?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe little louse has burnt herself,\nThe little flea is weeping,\nThe little door is creaking,\nThe little broom is sweeping,\nThe little cart is running.\u201d\n\n\nThe little tree said, \u201cThen I will shake myself,\u201d and began to shake\nherself so that all her leaves fell off; a girl who came up with her\nwater-pitcher saw that, and said, \u201cLittle tree, why art thou shaking\nthyself?\u201d \u201cHave I not reason to shake myself?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe little louse has burnt herself,\nThe little flea is weeping,\nThe little door is creaking,\nThe little broom is sweeping,\nThe little cart is running,\nThe little ash-heap is burning.\u201d\n\n\nOn this the girl said, \u201cThen I will break my little water-pitcher,\u201d and\nshe broke her little water-pitcher. Then said the little spring from\nwhich ran the water, \u201cGirl, why art thou breaking thy water-jug?\u201d \u201cHave\nI not reason to break my water-jug?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe little louse has burnt herself,\nThe little flea is weeping,\nThe little door is creaking,\nThe little broom is sweeping,\nThe little cart is running,\nThe little ash-heap is burning,\nThe little tree is shaking itself.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cOh, ho!\u201d said the spring, \u201cthen I will begin to flow,\u201d and began to\nflow violently. And in the water everything was drowned, the girl, the\nlittle tree, the little ash-heap, the little cart, the broom, the\nlittle door, the little flea, the little louse, all together.\n\n\n\n31 The Girl Without Hands\n\nA certain miller had little by little fallen into poverty, and had\nnothing left but his mill and a large apple-tree behind it. Once when\nhe had gone into the forest to fetch wood, an old man stepped up to him\nwhom he had never seen before, and said, \u201cWhy dost thou plague thyself\nwith cutting wood, I will make thee rich, if thou wilt promise me what\nis standing behind thy mill?\u201d \u201cWhat can that be but my apple-tree?\u201d\nthought the miller, and said, \u201cYes,\u201d and gave a written promise to the\nstranger. He, however, laughed mockingly and said, \u201cWhen three years\nhave passed, I will come and carry away what belongs to me,\u201d and then\nhe went. When the miller got home, his wife came to meet him and said,\n\u201cTell me, miller, from whence comes this sudden wealth into our house?\nAll at once every box and chest was filled; no one brought it in, and I\nknow not how it happened.\u201d He answered, \u201cIt comes from a stranger who\nmet me in the forest, and promised me great treasure. I, in return,\nhave promised him what stands behind the mill; we can very well give\nhim the big apple-tree for it.\u201d \u201cAh, husband,\u201d said the terrified wife,\n\u201cthat must have been the devil! He did not mean the apple-tree, but our\ndaughter, who was standing behind the mill sweeping the yard.\u201d\n\nThe miller\u2019s daughter was a beautiful, pious girl, and lived through\nthe three years in the fear of God and without sin. When therefore the\ntime was over, and the day came when the Evil-one was to fetch her, she\nwashed herself clean, and made a circle round herself with chalk. The\ndevil appeared quite early, but he could not come near to her. Angrily,\nhe said to the miller, \u201cTake all water away from her, that she may no\nlonger be able to wash herself, for otherwise I have no power over\nher.\u201d The miller was afraid, and did so. The next morning the devil\ncame again, but she had wept on her hands, and they were quite clean.\nAgain he could not get near her, and furiously said to the miller, \u201cCut\nher hands off, or else I cannot get the better of her.\u201d The miller was\nshocked and answered, \u201cHow could I cut off my own child\u2019s hands?\u201d Then\nthe Evil-one threatened him and said, \u201cIf thou dost not do it thou art\nmine, and I will take thee thyself.\u201d The father became alarmed, and\npromised to obey him. So he went to the girl and said, \u201cMy child, if I\ndo not cut off both thine hands, the devil will carry me away, and in\nmy terror I have promised to do it. Help me in my need, and forgive me\nthe harm I do thee.\u201d She replied, \u201cDear father, do with me what you\nwill, I am your child.\u201d Thereupon she laid down both her hands, and let\nthem be cut off. The devil came for the third time, but she had wept so\nlong and so much on the stumps, that after all they were quite clean.\nThen he had to give in, and had lost all right over her.\n\nThe miller said to her, \u201cI have by means of thee received such great\nwealth that I will keep thee most delicately as long as thou livest.\u201d\nBut she replied, \u201cHere I cannot stay, I will go forth, compassionate\npeople will give me as much as I require.\u201d Thereupon she caused her\nmaimed arms to be bound to her back, and by sunrise she set out on her\nway, and walked the whole day until night fell. Then she came to a\nroyal garden, and by the shimmering of the moon she saw that trees\ncovered with beautiful fruits grew in it, but she could not enter, for\nthere was much water round about it. And as she had walked the whole\nday and not eaten one mouthful, and hunger tormented her, she thought,\n\u201cAh, if I were but inside, that I might eat of the fruit, else must I\ndie of hunger!\u201d Then she knelt down, called on God the Lord, and\nprayed. And suddenly an angel came towards her, who made a dam in the\nwater, so that the moat became dry and she could walk through it. And\nnow she went into the garden and the angel went with her. She saw a\ntree covered with beautiful pears, but they were all counted. Then she\nwent to them, and to still her hunger, ate one with her mouth from the\ntree, but no more. The gardener was watching; but as the angel was\nstanding by, he was afraid and thought the maiden was a spirit, and was\nsilent, neither did he dare to cry out, or to speak to the spirit. When\nshe had eaten the pear, she was satisfied, and went and concealed\nherself among the bushes. The King to whom the garden belonged, came\ndown to it next morning, and counted, and saw that one of the pears was\nmissing, and asked the gardener what had become of it, as it was not\nlying beneath the tree, but was gone. Then answered the gardener, \u201cLast\nnight, a spirit came in, who had no hands, and ate off one of the pears\nwith its mouth.\u201d The King said, \u201cHow did the spirit get over the water,\nand where did it go after it had eaten the pear?\u201d The gardener\nanswered, \u201cSome one came in a snow-white garment from heaven who made a\ndam, and kept back the water, that the spirit might walk through the\nmoat. And as it must have been an angel, I was afraid, and asked no\nquestions, and did not cry out. When the spirit had eaten the pear, it\nwent back again.\u201d The King said, \u201cIf it be as thou sayest, I will watch\nwith thee to-night.\u201d\n\nWhen it grew dark the King came into the garden and brought a priest\nwith him, who was to speak to the spirit. All three seated themselves\nbeneath the tree and watched. At midnight the maiden came creeping out\nof the thicket, went to the tree, and again ate one pear off it with\nher mouth, and beside her stood the angel in white garments. Then the\npriest went out to them and said, \u201cComest thou from heaven or from\nearth? Art thou a spirit, or a human being?\u201d She replied, \u201cI am no\nspirit, but an unhappy mortal deserted by all but God.\u201d The King said,\n\u201cIf thou art forsaken by all the world, yet will I not forsake thee.\u201d\nHe took her with him into his royal palace, and as she was so beautiful\nand good, he loved her with all his heart, had silver hands made for\nher, and took her to wife.\n\nAfter a year the King had to take the field, so he commended his young\nQueen to the care of his mother and said, \u201cIf she is brought to bed\ntake care of her, nurse her well, and tell me of it at once in a\nletter.\u201d Then she gave birth to a fine boy. So the old mother made\nhaste to write and announce the joyful news to him. But the messenger\nrested by a brook on the way, and as he was fatigued by the great\ndistance, he fell asleep. Then came the Devil, who was always seeking\nto injure the good Queen, and exchanged the letter for another, in\nwhich was written that the Queen had brought a monster into the world.\nWhen the King read the letter he was shocked and much troubled, but he\nwrote in answer that they were to take great care of the Queen and\nnurse her well until his arrival. The messenger went back with the\nletter, but rested at the same place and again fell asleep. Then came\nthe Devil once more, and put a different letter in his pocket, in which\nit was written that they were to put the Queen and her child to death.\nThe old mother was terribly shocked when she received the letter, and\ncould not believe it. She wrote back again to the King, but received no\nother answer, because each time the Devil substituted a false letter,\nand in the last letter it was also written that she was to preserve the\nQueen\u2019s tongue and eyes as a token that she had obeyed.\n\nBut the old mother wept to think such innocent blood was to be shed,\nand had a hind brought by night and cut out her tongue and eyes, and\nkept them. Then said she to the Queen, \u201cI cannot have thee killed as\nthe King commands, but here thou mayst stay no longer. Go forth into\nthe wide world with thy child, and never come here again.\u201d The poor\nwoman tied her child on her back, and went away with eyes full of\ntears. She came into a great wild forest, and then she fell on her\nknees and prayed to God, and the angel of the Lord appeared to her and\nled her to a little house on which was a sign with the words, \u201cHere all\ndwell free.\u201d A snow-white maiden came out of the little house and said,\n\u201cWelcome, Lady Queen,\u201d and conducted her inside. Then they unbound the\nlittle boy from her back, and held him to her breast that he might\nfeed, and laid him in a beautifully-made little bed. Then said the poor\nwoman, \u201cFrom whence knowest thou that I was a queen?\u201d The white maiden\nanswered, \u201cI am an angel sent by God, to watch over thee and thy\nchild.\u201d The Queen stayed seven years in the little house, and was well\ncared for, and by God\u2019s grace, because of her piety, her hands which\nhad been cut off, grew once more.\n\nAt last the King came home again from the war, and his first wish was\nto see his wife and the child. Then his aged mother began to weep and\nsaid, \u201cThou wicked man, why didst thou write to me that I was to take\nthose two innocent lives?\u201d and she showed him the two letters which the\nEvil-one had forged, and then continued, \u201cI did as thou badest me,\u201d and\nshe showed the tokens, the tongue and eyes. Then the King began to weep\nfor his poor wife and his little son so much more bitterly than she was\ndoing, that the aged mother had compassion on him and said, \u201cBe at\npeace, she still lives; I secretly caused a hind to be killed, and took\nthese tokens from it; but I bound the child to thy wife\u2019s back and bade\nher go forth into the wide world, and made her promise never to come\nback here again, because thou wert so angry with her.\u201d Then spoke the\nKing, \u201cI will go as far as the sky is blue, and will neither eat nor\ndrink until I have found again my dear wife and my child, if in the\nmeantime they have not been killed, or died of hunger.\u201d\n\nThereupon the King travelled about for seven long years, and sought her\nin every cleft of the rocks and in every cave, but he found her not,\nand thought she had died of want. During the whole of this time he\nneither ate nor drank, but God supported him. At length he came into a\ngreat forest, and found therein the little house whose sign was, \u201cHere\nall dwell free.\u201d Then forth came the white maiden, took him by the\nhand, led him in, and said, \u201cWelcome, Lord King,\u201d and asked him from\nwhence he came. He answered, \u201cSoon shall I have travelled about for the\nspace of seven years, and I seek my wife and her child, but cannot find\nthem.\u201d The angel offered him meat and drink, but he did not take\nanything, and only wished to rest a little. Then he lay down to sleep,\nand put a handkerchief over his face.\n\nThereupon the angel went into the chamber where the Queen sat with her\nson, whom she usually called \u201cSorrowful,\u201d and said to her, \u201cGo out with\nthy child, thy husband hath come.\u201d So she went to the place where he\nlay, and the handkerchief fell from his face. Then said she,\n\u201cSorrowful, pick up thy father\u2019s handkerchief, and cover his face\nagain.\u201d The child picked it up, and put it over his face again. The\nKing in his sleep heard what passed, and had pleasure in letting the\nhandkerchief fall once more. But the child grew impatient, and said,\n\u201cDear mother, how can I cover my father\u2019s face when I have no father in\nthis world? I have learnt to say the prayer, \u2018Our Father, which art in\nHeaven,\u2019 thou hast told me that my father was in Heaven, and was the\ngood God, and how can I know a wild man like this? He is not my\nfather.\u201d When the King heard that, he got up, and asked who they were.\nThen said she, \u201cI am thy wife, and that is thy son, Sorrowful.\u201d And he\nsaw her living hands, and said, \u201cMy wife had silver hands.\u201d She\nanswered, \u201cThe good God has caused my natural hands to grow again;\u201d and\nthe angel went into the inner room, and brought the silver hands, and\nshowed them to him. Hereupon he knew for a certainty that it was his\ndear wife and his dear child, and he kissed them, and was glad, and\nsaid, \u201cA heavy stone has fallen from off mine heart.\u201d Then the angel of\nGod gave them one meal with her, and after that they went home to the\nKing\u2019s aged mother. There were great rejoicings everywhere, and the\nKing and Queen were married again, and lived contentedly to their happy\nend.\n\n\n\n32 Clever Hans\n\nThe mother of Hans said, \u201cWhither away, Hans?\u201d Hans answered, \u201cTo\nGrethel.\u201d \u201cBehave well, Hans.\u201d \u201cOh, I\u2019ll behave well. Good-bye,\nmother.\u201d \u201cGood-bye, Hans.\u201d Hans comes to Grethel, \u201cGood day, Grethel.\u201d\n\u201cGood day, Hans. What dost thou bring that is good?\u201d \u201cI bring nothing,\nI want to have something given me.\u201d Grethel presents Hans with a\nneedle. Hans says, \u201cGood-bye, Grethel.\u201d \u201cGood-bye, Hans.\u201d\n\nHans takes the needle, sticks it into a hay-cart, and follows the cart\nhome. \u201cGood evening, mother.\u201d \u201cGood evening, Hans. Where hast thou\nbeen?\u201d \u201cWith Grethel.\u201d \u201cWhat didst thou take her?\u201d \u201cTook nothing; had\nsomething given me.\u201d \u201cWhat did Grethel give thee?\u201d \u201cGave me a needle.\u201d\n\u201cWhere is the needle, Hans?\u201d \u201cStuck it in the hay-cart.\u201d \u201cThat was ill\ndone, Hans. Thou shouldst have stuck the needle in thy sleeve.\u201d \u201cNever\nmind, I\u2019ll do better next time.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhither away, Hans?\u201d \u201cTo Grethel, mother.\u201d \u201cBehave well, Hans.\u201d \u201cOh,\nI\u2019ll behave well. Good-bye, mother.\u201d \u201cGood-bye, Hans.\u201d\n\nHans comes to Grethel. \u201cGood day, Grethel.\u201d \u201cGood day, Hans. What dost\nthou bring that is good?\u201d \u201cI bring nothing; I want to have something\ngiven to me.\u201d Grethel presents Hans with a knife. \u201cGood-bye, Grethel.\u201d\n\u201cGood-bye Hans.\u201d Hans takes the knife, sticks it in his sleeve, and\ngoes home. \u201cGood evening, mother.\u201d \u201cGood evening, Hans. Where hast thou\nbeen?\u201d \u201cWith Grethel.\u201d \u201cWhat didst thou take her?\u201d \u201cTook her nothing,\nshe gave me something.\u201d \u201cWhat did Grethel give thee?\u201d \u201cGave me a\nknife.\u201d \u201cWhere is the knife, Hans?\u201d \u201cStuck in my sleeve.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s ill\ndone, Hans, thou shouldst have put the knife in thy pocket.\u201d \u201cNever\nmind, will do better next time.\u201d \u201cWhither away, Hans?\u201d \u201cTo Grethel,\nmother.\u201d \u201cBehave well, Hans.\u201d \u201cOh, I\u2019ll behave well. Good-bye, mother.\u201d\n\u201cGood-bye, Hans.\u201d\n\nHans comes to Grethel. \u201cGood day, Grethel.\u201d \u201cGood day, Hans. What good\nthing dost thou bring?\u201d \u201cI bring nothing, I want something given me.\u201d\nGrethel presents Hans with a young goat. \u201cGood-bye, Grethel.\u201d\n\u201cGood-bye, Hans.\u201d Hans takes the goat, ties its legs, and puts it in\nhis pocket. When he gets home it is suffocated. \u201cGood evening, mother.\u201d\n\u201cGood evening, Hans. Where hast thou been?\u201d \u201cWith Grethel.\u201d \u201cWhat didst\nthou take her?\u201d \u201cTook nothing, she gave me something.\u201d \u201cWhat did\nGrethel give thee?\u201d \u201cShe gave me a goat.\u201d \u201cWhere is the goat, Hans?\u201d\n\u201cPut it in my pocket.\u201d \u201cThat was ill done, Hans, thou shouldst have put\na rope round the goat\u2019s neck.\u201d \u201cNever mind, will do better next time.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhither away, Hans?\u201d \u201cTo Grethel, mother.\u201d \u201cBehave well, Hans.\u201d \u201cOh,\nI\u2019ll behave well. Good-bye, mother.\u201d \u201cGood-bye, Hans.\u201d Hans comes to\nGrethel. \u201cGood day, Grethel.\u201d \u201cGood day, Hans. What good thing dost\nthou\nbring?\u201d \u201cI bring nothing, I want something given me.\u201d Grethel presents\nHans with a piece of bacon. \u201cGood-bye, Grethel.\u201d \u201cGood-bye, Hans.\u201d\n\nHans takes the bacon, ties it to a rope, and drags it away behind him.\nThe dogs come and devour the bacon. When he gets home, he has the rope\nin his hand, and there is no longer anything hanging to it. \u201cGood\nevening, mother.\u201d \u201cGood evening, Hans.\u201d \u201cWhere hast thou been?\u201d \u201cWith\nGrethel.\u201d \u201cWhat didst thou take her?\u201d \u201cI took her nothing, she gave me\nsomething.\u201d \u201cWhat did Grethel give thee?\u201d \u201cGave me a bit of bacon.\u201d\n\u201cWhere is the bacon, Hans?\u201d \u201cI tied it to a rope, brought it home, dogs\ntook it.\u201d \u201cThat was ill done, Hans, thou shouldst have carried the\nbacon on thy head.\u201d \u201cNever mind, will do better next time.\u201d \u201cWhither\naway, Hans?\u201d \u201cTo Grethel, mother.\u201d \u201cBehave well, Hans.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll behave\nwell. Good-bye, mother.\u201d \u201cGood-bye, Hans.\u201d\n\nHans comes to Grethel. \u201cGood day, Grethel.\u201d \u201cGood day, Hans.\u201d \u201cWhat\ngood thing dost thou bring?\u201d \u201cI bring nothing, but would have something\ngiven.\u201d Grethel presents Hans with a calf. \u201cGood-bye, Grethel.\u201d\n\u201cGood-bye, Hans.\u201d\n\nHans takes the calf, puts it on his head, and the calf kicks his face.\n\u201cGood evening, mother.\u201d \u201cGood evening, Hans. Where hast thou been?\u201d\n\u201cWith Grethel.\u201d \u201cWhat didst thou take her?\u201d \u201cI took nothing, but had\nsomething given me.\u201d \u201cWhat did Grethel give thee?\u201d \u201cA calf.\u201d \u201cWhere\nhast thou the calf, Hans?\u201d \u201cI set it on my head and it kicked my face.\u201d\n\u201cThat was ill done, Hans, thou shouldst have led the calf, and put it\nin the stall.\u201d \u201cNever mind, will do better next time.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhither away, Hans?\u201d \u201cTo Grethel, mother.\u201d \u201cBehave well, Hans.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll\nbehave well. Good-bye, mother.\u201d \u201cGood-bye, Hans.\u201d\n\nHans comes to Grethel. \u201cGood day, Grethel.\u201d \u201cGood day, Hans. What good\nthing dost thou bring?\u201d \u201cI bring nothing, but would have something\ngiven.\u201d Grethel says to Hans, \u201cI will go with thee.\u201d\n\nHans takes Grethel, ties her to a rope, leads her to the rack and binds\nher fast. Then Hans goes to his mother. \u201cGood evening, mother.\u201d \u201cGood\nevening, Hans. Where hast thou been?\u201d \u201cWith Grethel.\u201d \u201cWhat didst thou\ntake her?\u201d \u201cI took her nothing.\u201d \u201cWhat did Grethel give thee?\u201d \u201cShe\ngave me nothing, she came with me.\u201d \u201cWhere hast thou left Grethel?\u201d \u201cI\nled her by the rope, tied her to the rack, and scattered some grass for\nher.\u201d \u201cThat was ill done, Hans, thou shouldst have cast friendly eyes\non her.\u201d \u201cNever mind, will do better.\u201d\n\nHans went into the stable, cut out all the calves\u2019 and sheep\u2019s eyes,\nand threw them in Grethel\u2019s face. Then Grethel became angry, tore\nherself loose and ran away, and became the bride of Hans.\n\n\n\n33 The Three Languages\n\nAn aged count once lived in Switzerland, who had an only son, but he\nwas stupid, and could learn nothing. Then said the father, \u201cHark thee,\nmy son, I can get nothing into thy head, let me try as I will. Thou\nmust go from hence, I will give thee into the care of a celebrated\nmaster, who shall see what he can do with thee.\u201d The youth was sent\ninto a strange town, and remained a whole year with the master. At the\nend of this time, he came home again, and his father asked, \u201cNow, my\nson, what hast thou learnt?\u201d \u201cFather, I have learnt what the dogs say\nwhen they bark.\u201d \u201cLord have mercy on us!\u201d cried the father; \u201cis that\nall thou hast learnt? I will send thee into another town, to another\nmaster.\u201d The youth was taken thither, and stayed a year with this\nmaster likewise. When he came back the father again asked, \u201cMy son,\nwhat hast thou learnt?\u201d He answered, \u201cFather, I have learnt what the\nbirds say.\u201d Then the father fell into a rage and said, \u201cOh, thou lost\nman, thou hast spent the precious time and learnt nothing; art thou not\nashamed to appear before mine eyes? I will send thee to a third master,\nbut if thou learnest nothing this time also, I will no longer be thy\nfather.\u201d The youth remained a whole year with the third master also,\nand when he came home again, and his father inquired, \u201cMy son, what\nhast thou learnt?\u201d he answered, \u201cDear father, I have this year learnt\nwhat the frogs croak.\u201d Then the father fell into the most furious\nanger, sprang up, called his people thither, and said, \u201cThis man is no\nlonger my son, I drive him forth, and command you to take him out into\nthe forest, and kill him.\u201d They took him forth, but when they should\nhave killed him, they could not do it for pity, and let him go, and\nthey cut the eyes and the tongue out of a deer that they might carry\nthem to the old man as a token.\n\nThe youth wandered on, and after some time came to a fortress where he\nbegged for a night\u2019s lodging. \u201cYes,\u201d said the lord of the castle, \u201cif\nthou wilt pass the night down there in the old tower, go thither; but I\nwarn thee, it is at the peril of thy life, for it is full of wild dogs,\nwhich bark and howl without stopping, and at certain hours a man has to\nbe given to them, whom they at once devour.\u201d The whole district was in\nsorrow and dismay because of them, and yet no one could do anything to\nstop this. The youth, however, was without fear, and said, \u201cJust let me\ngo down to the barking dogs, and give me something that I can throw to\nthem; they will do nothing to harm me.\u201d As he himself would have it so,\nthey gave him some food for the wild animals, and led him down to the\ntower. When he went inside, the dogs did not bark at him, but wagged\ntheir tails quite amicably around him, ate what he set before them, and\ndid not hurt one hair of his head. Next morning, to the astonishment of\neveryone, he came out again safe and unharmed, and said to the lord of\nthe castle, \u201cThe dogs have revealed to me, in their own language, why\nthey dwell there, and bring evil on the land. They are bewitched, and\nare obliged to watch over a great treasure which is below in the tower,\nand they can have no rest until it is taken away, and I have likewise\nlearnt, from their discourse, how that is to be done.\u201d Then all who\nheard this rejoiced, and the lord of the castle said he would adopt him\nas a son if he accomplished it successfully. He went down again, and as\nhe knew what he had to do, he did it thoroughly, and brought a chest\nfull of gold out with him. The howling of the wild dogs was henceforth\nheard no more; they had disappeared, and the country was freed from the\ntrouble.\n\nAfter some time he took it into his head that he would travel to Rome.\nOn the way he passed by a marsh, in which a number of frogs were\nsitting croaking. He listened to them, and when he became aware of what\nthey were saying, he grew very thoughtful and sad. At last he arrived\nin Rome, where the Pope had just died, and there was great difficulty\nas to whom they should appoint as his successor. They at length agreed\nthat the person should be chosen as pope who should be distinguished by\nsome divine and miraculous token. And just as that was decided on, the\nyoung count entered into the church, and suddenly two snow-white doves\nflew on his shoulders and remained sitting there. The ecclesiastics\nrecognized therein the token from above, and asked him on the spot if\nhe would be pope. He was undecided, and knew not if he were worthy of\nthis, but the doves counselled him to do it, and at length he said yes.\nThen was he anointed and consecrated, and thus was fulfilled what he\nhad heard from the frogs on his way, which had so affected him, that he\nwas to be his Holiness the Pope. Then he had to sing a mass, and did\nnot know one word of it, but the two doves sat continually on his\nshoulders, and said it all in his ear.\n\n\n\n34 Clever Elsie\n\nThere was once a man who had a daughter who was called Clever Elsie.\nAnd when she had grown up her father said, \u201cWe will get her married.\u201d\n\u201cYes,\u201d said the mother; \u201cif only any one would come who would have\nher.\u201d At length a man came from a distance and wooed her, who was\ncalled Hans; but he stipulated that Clever Elsie should be really wise.\n\u201cOh,\u201d said the father, \u201cshe\u2019s sharp enough;\u201d and the mother said, \u201cOh,\nshe can see the wind coming up the street, and hear the flies\ncoughing.\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d said Hans, \u201cif she is not really wise, I won\u2019t have\nher.\u201d When they were sitting at dinner and had eaten, the mother said,\n\u201cElsie, go into the cellar and fetch some beer.\u201d Then Clever Elsie took\nthe pitcher from the wall, went into the cellar, and tapped the lid\nbriskly as she went, so that the time might not appear long. When she\nwas below she fetched herself a chair, and set it before the barrel so\nthat she had no need to stoop, and did not hurt her back or do herself\nany unexpected injury. Then she placed the can before her, and turned\nthe tap, and while the beer was running she would not let her eyes be\nidle, but looked up at the wall, and after much peering here and there,\nsaw a pick-axe exactly above her, which the masons had accidentally\nleft there.\n\nThen Clever Elsie began to weep, and said, \u201cIf I get Hans, and we have\na child, and he grows big, and we send him into the cellar here to draw\nbeer, then the pick-axe will fall on his head and kill him.\u201d Then she\nsat and wept and screamed with all the strength of her body, over the\nmisfortune which lay before her. Those upstairs waited for the drink,\nbut Clever Elsie still did not come. Then the woman said to the\nservant, \u201cJust go down into the cellar and see where Elsie is.\u201d The\nmaid went and found her sitting in front of the barrel, screaming\nloudly. \u201cElsie, why weepest thou?\u201d asked the maid. \u201cAh,\u201d she answered,\n\u201chave I not reason to weep? If I get Hans, and we have a child, and he\ngrows big, and has to draw beer here, the pick-axe will perhaps fall on\nhis head, and kill him.\u201d Then said the maid, \u201cWhat a clever Elsie we\nhave!\u201d and sat down beside her and began loudly to weep over the\nmisfortune. After a while, as the maid did not come back, those\nupstairs were thirsty for the beer, the man said to the boy, \u201cJust go\ndown into the cellar and see where Elsie and the girl are.\u201d The boy\nwent down, and there sat Clever Elsie and the girl both weeping\ntogether. Then he asked, \u201cWhy are ye weeping?\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said Elsie, \u201chave\nI not reason to weep? If I get Hans, and we have a child, and he grows\nbig, and has to draw beer here, the pick-axe will fall on his head and\nkill him.\u201d Then said the boy, \u201cWhat a clever Elsie we have!\u201d and sat\ndown by her, and likewise began to howl loudly. Upstairs they waited\nfor the boy, but as he still did not return, the man said to the woman,\n\u201cJust go down into the cellar and see where Elsie is!\u201d The woman went\ndown, and found all three in the midst of their lamentations, and\ninquired what was the cause; then Elsie told her also that her future\nchild was to be killed by the pick-axe, when it grew big and had to\ndraw beer, and the pick-axe fell down. Then said the mother likewise,\n\u201cWhat a clever Elsie we have!\u201d and sat down and wept with them. The man\nupstairs waited a short time, but as his wife did not come back and his\nthirst grew ever greater, he said, \u201cI must go into the cellar myself\nand see where Elsie is.\u201d But when he got into the cellar, and they were\nall sitting together crying, and he heard the reason, and that Elsie\u2019s\nchild was the cause, and that Elsie might perhaps bring one into the\nworld some day, and that it might be killed by the pick-axe, if it\nshould happen to be sitting beneath it, drawing beer just at the very\ntime when it fell down, he cried, \u201cOh, what a clever Elsie!\u201d and sat\ndown, and likewise wept with them. The bridegroom stayed upstairs alone\nfor a long time; then as no one would come back he thought, \u201cThey must\nbe waiting for me below; I too must go there and see what they are\nabout.\u201d When he got down, five of them were sitting screaming and\nlamenting quite piteously, each out-doing the other. \u201cWhat misfortune\nhas happened then?\u201d he asked. \u201cAh, dear Hans,\u201d said Elsie, \u201cif we marry\neach other and have a child, and he is big, and we perhaps send him\nhere to draw something to drink, then the pick-axe which has been left\nup there might dash his brains out if it were to fall down, so have we\nnot reason to weep?\u201d \u201cCome,\u201d said Hans, \u201cmore understanding than that\nis not needed for my household, as thou art such a clever Elsie, I will\nhave thee,\u201d and he seized her hand, took her upstairs with him, and\nmarried her.\n\nAfter Hans had had her some time, he said, \u201cWife, I am going out to\nwork and earn some money for us; go into the field and cut the corn\nthat we may have some bread.\u201d \u201cYes, dear Hans, I will do that.\u201d After\nHans had gone away, she cooked herself some good broth and took it into\nthe field with her. When she came to the field she said to herself,\n\u201cWhat shall I do; shall I shear first, or shall I eat first? Oh, I will\neat first.\u201d Then she emptied her basin of broth, and when she was fully\nsatisfied, she once more said, \u201cWhat shall I do? Shall I shear first,\nor shall I sleep first? I will sleep first.\u201d Then she lay down among\nthe corn and fell asleep. Hans had been at home for a long time, but\nElsie did not come; then said he, \u201cWhat a clever Elsie I have; she is\nso industrious that she does not even come home to eat.\u201d As, however,\nshe still stayed away, and it was evening, Hans went out to see what\nshe had cut, but nothing was cut, and she was lying among the corn\nasleep. Then Hans hastened home and brought a fowler\u2019s net with little\nbells and hung it round about her, and she still went on sleeping. Then\nhe ran home, shut the house-door, and sat down in his chair and worked.\nAt length, when it was quite dark, Clever Elsie awoke and when she got\nup there was a jingling all round about her, and the bells rang at each\nstep which she took. Then she was alarmed, and became uncertain whether\nshe really was Clever Elsie or not, and said, \u201cIs it I, or is it not\nI?\u201d But she knew not what answer to make to this, and stood for a time\nin doubt; at length she thought, \u201cI will go home and ask if it be I, or\nif it be not I, they will be sure to know.\u201d She ran to the door of her\nown house, but it was shut; then she knocked at the window and cried,\n\u201cHans, is Elsie within?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d answered Hans, \u201cshe is within.\u201d\nHereupon she was terrified, and said, \u201cAh, heavens! Then it is not I,\u201d\nand went to another door; but when the people heard the jingling of the\nbells they would not open it, and she could get in nowhere. Then she\nran out of the village, and no one has seen her since.\n\n\n\n35 The Tailor in Heaven\n\nOne very fine day it came to pass that the good God wished to enjoy\nhimself in the heavenly garden, and took all the apostles and saints\nwith him, so that no one stayed in heaven but Saint Peter. The Lord had\ncommanded him to let no one in during his absence, so Peter stood by\nthe door and kept watch. Before long some one knocked. Peter asked who\nwas there, and what he wanted? \u201cI am a poor, honest tailor who prays\nfor admission,\u201d replied a smooth voice. \u201cHonest indeed,\u201d said Peter,\n\u201clike the thief on the gallows! Thou hast been light-fingered and hast\nsnipped folks\u2019 clothes away. Thou wilt not get into heaven. The Lord\nhath forbidden me to let any one in while he is out.\u201d \u201cCome, do be\nmerciful,\u201d cried the tailor. \u201cLittle scraps which fall off the table of\ntheir own accord are not stolen, and are not worth speaking about.\nLook, I am lame, and have blisters on my feet with walking here, I\ncannot possibly turn back again. Only let me in, and I will do all the\nrough work. I will carry the children, and wash their clothes, and wash\nand clean the benches on which they have been playing, and patch all\ntheir torn clothes.\u201d Saint Peter let himself be moved by pity, and\nopened the door of heaven just wide enough for the lame tailor to slip\nhis lean body in. He was forced to sit down in a corner behind the\ndoor, and was to stay quietly and peaceably there, in order that the\nLord, when he returned, might not observe him and be angry. The tailor\nobeyed, but once when Saint Peter went outside the door, he got up, and\nfull of curiosity, went round about into every corner of heaven, and\ninspected the arrangement of every place. At length he came to a spot\nwhere many beautiful and delightful chairs were standing, and in the\nmidst was a seat all of gold which was set with shining jewels,\nlikewise it was much higher than the other chairs, and a footstool of\ngold was before it. It was, however, the seat on which the Lord sat\nwhen he was at home, and from which he could see everything which\nhappened on earth. The tailor stood still, and looked at the seat for a\nlong time, for it pleased him better than all else. At last he could\nmaster his curiosity no longer, and climbed up and seated himself in\nthe chair. Then he saw everything which was happening on earth, and\nobserved an ugly old woman who was standing washing by the side of a\nstream, secretly laying two veils on one side for herself. The sight of\nthis made the tailor so angry that he laid hold of the golden\nfootstool, and threw it down to earth through heaven, at the old thief.\nAs, however, he could not bring the stool back again, he slipped\nquietly out of the chair, seated himself in his place behind the door,\nand behaved as if he had never stirred from the spot.\n\nWhen the Lord and master came back again with his heavenly companions,\nhe did not see the tailor behind the door, but when he seated himself\non his chair the footstool was missing. He asked Saint Peter what had\nbecome of the stool, but he did not know. Then he asked if he had let\nanyone come in. \u201cI know of no one who has been here,\u201d answered Peter,\n\u201cbut a lame tailor, who is still sitting behind the door.\u201d Then the\nLord had the tailor brought before him, and asked him if he had taken\naway the stool, and where he had put it? \u201cOh, Lord,\u201d answered the\ntailor joyously, \u201cI threw it in my anger down to earth at an old woman\nwhom I saw stealing two veils at the washing.\u201d \u201cOh, thou knave,\u201d said\nthe Lord, \u201cwere I to judge as thou judgest, how dost thou think thou\ncouldst have escaped so long? I should long ago have had no chairs,\nbenches, seats, nay, not even an oven-fork, but should have thrown\neverything down at the sinners. Henceforth thou canst stay no longer in\nheaven, but must go outside the door again. Then go where thou wilt. No\none shall give punishment here, but I alone, the Lord.\u201d\n\nPeter was obliged to take the tailor out of heaven again, and as he had\ntorn shoes, and feet covered with blisters, he took a stick in his\nhand, and went to \u201cWait-a-bit,\u201d where the good soldiers sit and make\nmerry.\n\n\n\n36 The Wishing-Table, the Gold-Ass, and the Cudgel in the Sack\n\nThere was once upon a time a tailor who had three sons, and only one\ngoat. But as the goat supported the whole of them with her milk, she\nwas obliged to have good food, and to be taken every day to pasture.\nThe sons, therefore, did this, in turn. Once the eldest took her to the\nchurchyard, where the finest herbs were to be found, and let her eat\nand run about there. At night when it was time to go home he asked,\n\u201cGoat, hast thou had enough?\u201d The goat answered,\n\n\u201cI have eaten so much,\nNot a leaf more I\u2019ll touch, meh! meh!\u201d\n\n\n\u201cCome home, then,\u201d said the youth, and took hold of the cord round her\nneck, led her into the stable and tied her up securely. \u201cWell,\u201d said\nthe old tailor, \u201chas the goat had as much food as she ought?\u201d \u201cOh,\u201d\nanswered the son, \u201cshe has eaten so much, not a leaf more she\u2019ll\ntouch.\u201d But the father wished to satisfy himself, and went down to the\nstable, stroked the dear animal and asked, \u201cGoat, art thou satisfied?\u201d\nThe goat answered,\n\n\u201cWherewithal should I be satisfied?\nAmong the graves I leapt about,\nAnd found no food, so went without, meh! meh!\u201d\n\n\n\u201cWhat do I hear?\u201d cried the tailor, and ran upstairs and said to the\nyouth, \u201cHollo, thou liar: thou saidest the goat had had enough, and\nhast let her hunger!\u201d and in his anger he took the yard-measure from\nthe wall, and drove him out with blows.\n\nNext day it was the turn of the second son, who looked out for a place\nin the fence of the garden, where nothing but good herbs grew, and the\ngoat cleared them all off. At night when he wanted to go home, he\nasked, \u201cGoat, art thou satisfied?\u201d The goat answered,\n\n\u201cI have eaten so much,\nNot a leaf more I\u2019ll touch, meh! meh!\u201d\n\n\n\u201cCome home, then,\u201d said the youth, and led her home, and tied her up in\nthe stable. \u201cWell,\u201d said the old tailor, \u201chas the goat had as much food\nas she ought?\u201d \u201cOh,\u201d answered the son, \u201cshe has eaten so much, not a\nleaf more she\u2019ll touch.\u201d The tailor would not rely on this, but went\ndown to the stable and said, \u201cGoat, hast thou had enough?\u201d The goat\nanswered,\n\n\u201cWherewithal should I be satisfied?\nAmong the graves I leapt about,\nAnd found no food, so went without, meh! meh!\u201d\n\n\n\u201cThe godless wretch!\u201d cried the tailor, \u201cto let such a good animal\nhunger,\u201d and he ran up and drove the youth out of doors with the\nyard-measure.\n\nNow came the turn of the third son, who wanted to do the thing well,\nand sought out some bushes with the finest leaves, and let the goat\ndevour them. In the evening when he wanted to go home, he asked, \u201cGoat,\nhast thou had enough?\u201d The goat answered,\n\n\u201cI have eaten so much,\nNot a leaf more I\u2019ll touch, meh! meh!\u201d\n\n\n\u201cCome home, then,\u201d said the youth, and led her into the stable, and\ntied her up. \u201cWell,\u201d said the old tailor, \u201chas the goat had a proper\namount of food?\u201d \u201cShe has eaten so much, not a leaf more she\u2019ll touch.\u201d\nThe tailor did not trust to that, but went down and asked, \u201cGoat, hast\nthou had enough?\u201d The wicked beast answered,\n\n\u201cWherewithal should I be satisfied?\nAmong the graves I leapt about,\nAnd found no leaves, so went without, meh! meh!\u201d\n\n\n\u201cOh, the brood of liars!\u201d cried the tailor, \u201ceach as wicked and\nforgetful of his duty as the other! Ye shall no longer make a fool of\nme,\u201d and quite beside himself with anger, he ran upstairs and belabored\nthe poor young fellow so vigorously with the yard-measure that he\nsprang out of the house.\n\nThe old tailor was now alone with his goat. Next morning he went down\ninto the stable, caressed the goat and said, \u201cCome, my dear little\nanimal, I will take thee to feed myself.\u201d He took her by the rope and\nconducted her to green hedges, and amongst milfoil, and whatever else\ngoats like to eat. \u201cThere thou mayest for once eat to thy heart\u2019s\ncontent,\u201d said he to her, and let her browse till evening. Then he\nasked, \u201cGoat, art thou satisfied?\u201d She replied,\n\n\u201cI have eaten so much,\nNot a leaf more I\u2019ll touch, meh! meh!\u201d\n\n\n\u201cCome home, then,\u201d said the tailor, and led her into the stable, and\ntied her fast. When he was going away, he turned round again and said,\n\u201cWell, art thou satisfied for once?\u201d But the goat did not behave the\nbetter to him, and cried,\n\n\u201cWherewithal should I be satisfied?\nAmong the graves I leapt about,\nAnd found no leaves, so went without, meh! meh!\u201d\n\n\nWhen the tailor heard that, he was shocked, and saw clearly that he had\ndriven away his three sons without cause. \u201cWait, thou ungrateful\ncreature,\u201d cried he, \u201cit is not enough to drive thee forth, I will mark\nthee so that thou wilt no more dare to show thyself amongst honest\ntailors.\u201d In great haste he ran upstairs, fetched his razor, lathered\nthe goat\u2019s head, and shaved her as clean as the palm of his hand. And\nas the yard-measure would have been too good for her, he brought the\nhorsewhip, and gave her such cuts with it that she ran away in violent\nhaste.\n\nWhen the tailor was thus left quite alone in his house he fell into\ngreat grief, and would gladly have had his sons back again, but no one\nknew whither they were gone. The eldest had apprenticed himself to a\njoiner, and learnt industriously and indefatigably, and when the time\ncame for him to go travelling, his master presented him with a little\ntable which had no particular appearance, and was made of common wood,\nbut it had one good property; if anyone set it out, and said, \u201cLittle\ntable, spread thyself,\u201d the good little table was at once covered with\na clean little cloth, and a plate was there, and a knife and fork\nbeside it, and dishes with boiled meats and roasted meats, as many as\nthere was room for, and a great glass of red wine shone so that it made\nthe heart glad. The young journeyman thought, \u201cWith this thou hast\nenough for thy whole life,\u201d and went joyously about the world and never\ntroubled himself at all whether an inn was good or bad, or if anything\nwas to be found in it or not. When it suited him he did not enter an\ninn at all, but either on the plain, in a wood, a meadow, or wherever\nhe fancied, he took his little table off his back, set it down before\nhim, and said, \u201cCover thyself,\u201d and then everything appeared that his\nheart desired. At length he took it into his head to go back to his\nfather, whose anger would now be appeased, and who would now willingly\nreceive him with his wishing-table. It came to pass that on his way\nhome, he came one evening to an inn which was filled with guests. They\nbade him welcome, and invited him to sit and eat with them, for\notherwise he would have difficulty in getting anything. \u201cNo,\u201d answered\nthe joiner, \u201cI will not take the few bites out of your mouths; rather\nthan that, you shall be my guests.\u201d They laughed, and thought he was\njesting with them; he, however, placed his wooden table in the middle\nof the room, and said, \u201cLittle table, cover thyself.\u201d Instantly it was\ncovered with food, so good that the host could never have procured it,\nand the smell of it ascended pleasantly to the nostrils of the guests.\n\u201cFall to, dear friends,\u201d said the joiner; and the guests when they saw\nthat he meant it, did not need to be asked twice, but drew near, pulled\nout their knives and attacked it valiantly. And what surprised them the\nmost was that when a dish became empty, a full one instantly took its\nplace of its own accord. The innkeeper stood in one corner and watched\nthe affair; he did not at all know what to say, but thought, \u201cThou\ncouldst easily find a use for such a cook as that in thy kitchen.\u201d The\njoiner and his comrades made merry until late into the night; at length\nthey lay down to sleep, and the young apprentice also went to bed, and\nset his magic table against the wall. The host\u2019s thoughts, however, let\nhim have no rest; it occurred to him that there was a little old table\nin his lumber-room which looked just like the apprentice\u2019s and he\nbrought it out quite softly, and exchanged it for the wishing-table.\nNext morning, the joiner paid for his bed, took up his table, never\nthinking that he had got a false one, and went his way. At mid-day he\nreached his father, who received him with great joy. \u201cWell, my dear\nson, what hast thou learnt?\u201d said he to him. \u201cFather, I have become a\njoiner.\u201d\n\n\u201cA good trade,\u201d replied the old man; \u201cbut what hast thou brought back\nwith thee from thy apprenticeship?\u201d \u201cFather, the best thing which I\nhave brought back with me is this little table.\u201d The tailor inspected\nit on all sides and said, \u201cThou didst not make a masterpiece when thou\nmad\u2019st that; it is a bad old table.\u201d \u201cBut it is a table which furnishes\nitself,\u201d replied the son. \u201cWhen I set it out, and tell it to cover\nitself, the most beautiful dishes stand on it, and a wine also, which\ngladdens the heart. Just invite all our relations and friends, they\nshall refresh and enjoy themselves for once, for the table will give\nthem all they require.\u201d When the company was assembled, he put his\ntable in the middle of the room and said, \u201cLittle table, cover\nthyself,\u201d but the little table did not bestir itself, and remained just\nas bare as any other table which did not understand language. Then the\npoor apprentice became aware that his table had been changed, and was\nashamed at having to stand there like a liar. The relations, however,\nmocked him, and were forced to go home without having eaten or drunk.\nThe father brought out his patches again, and went on tailoring, but\nthe son went to a master in the craft.\n\nThe second son had gone to a miller and had apprenticed himself to him.\nWhen his years were over, the master said, \u201cAs thou hast conducted\nthyself so well, I give thee an ass of a peculiar kind, which neither\ndraws a cart nor carries a sack.\u201d \u201cTo what use is he put, then?\u201d asked\nthe young apprentice. \u201cHe lets gold drop from his mouth,\u201d answered the\nmiller. \u201cIf thou settest him on a cloth and sayest \u2018Bricklebrit,\u2019 the\ngood animal will drop gold pieces for thee.\u201d \u201cThat is a fine thing,\u201d\nsaid the apprentice, and thanked the master, and went out into the\nworld. When he had need of gold, he had only to say \u201cBricklebrit\u201d to\nhis ass, and it rained gold pieces, and he had nothing to do but pick\nthem off the ground. Wheresoever he went, the best of everything was\ngood enough for him, and the dearer the better, for he had always a\nfull purse. When he had looked about the world for some time, he\nthought, \u201cThou must seek out thy father; if thou goest to him with the\ngold-ass he will forget his anger, and receive thee well.\u201d It came to\npass that he came to the same public-house in which his brother\u2019s table\nhad been exchanged. He led his ass by the bridle, and the host was\nabout to take the animal from him and tie him up, but the young\napprentice said, \u201cDon\u2019t trouble yourself, I will take my grey horse\ninto the stable, and tie him up myself too, for I must know where he\nstands.\u201d This struck the host as odd, and he thought that a man who was\nforced to look after his ass himself, could not have much to spend; but\nwhen the stranger put his hand in his pocket and brought out two gold\npieces, and said he was to provide something good for him, the host\nopened his eyes wide, and ran and sought out the best he could muster.\nAfter dinner the guest asked what he owed. The host did not see why he\nshould not double the reckoning, and said the apprentice must give two\nmore gold pieces. He felt in his pocket, but his gold was just at an\nend. \u201cWait an instant, sir host,\u201d said he, \u201cI will go and fetch some\nmoney;\u201d but he took the table-cloth with him. The host could not\nimagine what this could mean, and being curious, stole after him, and\nas the guest bolted the stable-door, he peeped through a hole left by a\nknot in the wood. The stranger spread out the cloth under the animal\nand cried, \u201cBricklebrit,\u201d and immediately the beast began to let gold\npieces fall, so that it fairly rained down money on the ground. \u201cEh, my\nword,\u201d said the host, \u201cducats are quickly coined there! A purse like\nthat is not amiss.\u201d The guest paid his score, and went to bed, but in\nthe night the host stole down into the stable, led away the master of\nthe mint, and tied up another ass in his place. Early next morning the\napprentice travelled away with his ass, and thought that he had his\ngold-ass. At mid-day he reached his father, who rejoiced to see him\nagain, and gladly took him in. \u201cWhat hast thou made of thyself, my\nson?\u201d asked the old man. \u201cA miller,\u201d dear father, he answered. \u201cWhat\nhast thou brought back with thee from thy travels?\u201d \u201cNothing else but\nan ass.\u201d \u201cThere are asses enough here,\u201d said the father, \u201cI would\nrather have had a good goat.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d replied the son, \u201cbut it is no\ncommon ass, but a gold-ass, when I say \u2018Bricklebrit,\u2019 the good beast\nopens its mouth and drops a whole sheetful of gold pieces. Just summon\nall our relations hither, and I will make them rich folks.\u201d \u201cThat suits\nme well,\u201d said the tailor, \u201cfor then I shall have no need to torment\nmyself any longer with the needle,\u201d and ran out himself and called the\nrelations together. As soon as they were assembled, the miller bade\nthem make way, spread out his cloth, and brought the ass into the room.\n\u201cNow watch,\u201d said he, and cried, \u201cBricklebrit,\u201d but no gold pieces\nfell, and it was clear that the animal knew nothing of the art, for\nevery ass does not attain such perfection. Then the poor miller pulled\na long face, saw that he was betrayed, and begged pardon of the\nrelatives, who went home as poor as they came. There was no help for\nit, the old man had to betake him to his needle once more, and the\nyouth hired himself to a miller.\n\nThe third brother had apprenticed himself to a turner, and as that is\nskilled labour, he was the longest in learning. His brothers, however,\ntold him in a letter how badly things had gone with them, and how the\ninnkeeper had cheated them of their beautiful wishing-gifts on the last\nevening before they reached home. When the turner had served his time,\nand had to set out on his travels, as he had conducted himself so well,\nhis master presented him with a sack and said, \u201cThere is a cudgel in\nit.\u201d \u201cI can put on the sack,\u201d said he, \u201cand it may be of good service\nto me, but why should the cudgel be in it? It only makes it heavy.\u201d \u201cI\nwill tell thee why,\u201d replied the master; \u201cif any one has done anything\nto injure thee, do but say, \u2018Out of the sack, Cudgel!\u2019 and the cudgel\nwill leap forth among the people, and play such a dance on their backs\nthat they will not be able to stir or move for a week, and it will not\nleave off until thou sayest, \u2018Into the sack, Cudgel!\u2019\u201d The apprentice\nthanked him, and put the sack on his back, and when any one came too\nnear him, and wished to attack him, he said, \u201cOut of the sack, Cudgel!\u201d\nand instantly the cudgel sprang out, and dusted the coat or jacket of\none after the other on their backs, and never stopped until it had\nstripped it off them, and it was done so quickly, that before anyone\nwas aware, it was already his own turn. In the evening the young turner\nreached the inn where his brothers had been cheated. He laid his sack\non the table before him, and began to talk of all the wonderful things\nwhich he had seen in the world. \u201cYes,\u201d said he, \u201cpeople may easily find\na table which will cover itself, a gold-ass, and things of that\nkind\u2014extremely good things which I by no means despise\u2014but these are\nnothing in comparison with the treasure which I have won for myself,\nand am carrying about with me in my sack there.\u201d The inn-keeper pricked\nup his ears, \u201cWhat in the world can that be?\u201d thought he; \u201cthe sack\nmust be filled with nothing but jewels; I ought to get them cheap too,\nfor all good things go in threes.\u201d When it was time for sleep, the\nguest stretched himself on the bench, and laid his sack beneath him for\na pillow. When the inn-keeper thought his guest was lying in a sound\nsleep, he went to him and pushed and pulled quite gently and carefully\nat the sack to see if he could possibly draw it away and lay another in\nits place. The turner had, however, been waiting for this for a long\ntime, and now just as the inn-keeper was about to give a hearty tug, he\ncried, \u201cOut of the sack, Cudgel!\u201d Instantly the little cudgel came\nforth, and fell on the inn-keeper and gave him a sound thrashing.\n\nThe host cried for mercy; but the louder he cried, so much more heavily\nthe cudgel beat the time on his back, until at length he fell to the\nground exhausted. Then the turner said, \u201cIf thou dost not give back the\ntable which covers itself, and the gold-ass, the dance shall begin\nafresh.\u201d \u201cOh, no,\u201d cried the host, quite humbly, \u201cI will gladly produce\neverything, only make the accursed kobold creep back into the sack.\u201d\nThen said the apprentice, \u201cI will let mercy take the place of justice,\nbut beware of getting into mischief again!\u201d So he cried, \u201cInto the\nsack, Cudgel!\u201d and let him have rest.\n\nNext morning the turner went home to his father with the wishing-table,\nand the gold-ass. The tailor rejoiced when he saw him once more, and\nasked him likewise what he had learned in foreign parts. \u201cDear father,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cI have become a turner.\u201d \u201cA skilled trade,\u201d said the father.\n\u201cWhat hast thou brought back with thee from thy travels?\u201d\n\n\u201cA precious thing, dear father,\u201d replied the son, \u201ca cudgel in the\nsack.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d cried the father, \u201ca cudgel! That\u2019s worth thy trouble, indeed!\nFrom every tree thou can cut thyself one.\u201d \u201cBut not one like this, dear\nfather. If I say, \u2018Out of the sack, Cudgel!\u2019 the cudgel springs out and\nleads any one who means ill with me a weary dance, and never stops\nuntil he lies on the ground and prays for fair weather. Look you, with\nthis cudgel have I got back the wishing-table and the gold-ass which\nthe thievish inn-keeper took away from my brothers. Now let them both\nbe sent for, and invite all our kinsmen. I will give them to eat and to\ndrink, and will fill their pockets with gold into the bargain.\u201d The old\ntailor would not quite believe, but nevertheless got the relatives\ntogether. Then the turner spread a cloth in the room and led in the\ngold-ass, and said to his brother, \u201cNow, dear brother, speak to him.\u201d\nThe miller said, \u201cBricklebrit,\u201d and instantly the gold pieces fell down\non the cloth like a thunder-shower, and the ass did not stop until\nevery one of them had so much that he could carry no more. (I can see\nin thy face that thou also wouldst like to be there.)\n\nThen the turner brought the little table, and said, \u201cNow dear brother,\nspeak to it.\u201d And scarcely had the carpenter said, \u201cTable, cover\nthyself,\u201d than it was spread and amply covered with the most exquisite\ndishes. Then such a meal took place as the good tailor had never yet\nknown in his house, and the whole party of kinsmen stayed together till\nfar in the night, and were all merry and glad. The tailor locked away\nneedle and thread, yard-measure and goose, in a press, and lived with\nhis three sons in joy and splendour. (What, however, has become of the\ngoat who was to blame for the tailor driving out his three sons? That I\nwill tell thee. She was ashamed that she had a bald head, and ran to a\nfox\u2019s hole and crept into it. When the fox came home, he was met by two\ngreat eyes shining out of the darkness, and was terrified and ran away.\nA bear met him, and as the fox looked quite disturbed, he said, \u201cWhat\nis the matter with thee, brother Fox, why dost thou look like that?\u201d\n\u201cAh,\u201d answered Redskin, \u201ca fierce beast is in my cave and stared at me\nwith its fiery eyes.\u201d \u201cWe will soon drive him out,\u201d said the bear, and\nwent with him to the cave and looked in, but when he saw the fiery\neyes, fear seized on him likewise; he would have nothing to do with the\nfurious beast, and took to his heels. The bee met him, and as she saw\nthat he was ill at ease, she said, \u201cBear, thou art really pulling a\nvery pitiful face; what has become of all thy gaiety?\u201d \u201cIt is all very\nwell for thee to talk,\u201d replied the bear, \u201ca furious beast with staring\neyes is in Redskin\u2019s house, and we can\u2019t drive him out.\u201d The bee said,\n\u201cBear I pity thee, I am a poor weak creature whom thou wouldst not turn\naside to look at, but still, I believe, I can help thee.\u201d She flew into\nthe fox\u2019s cave, lighted on the goat\u2019s smoothly-shorn head, and stung\nher so violently, that she sprang up, crying \u201cMeh, meh,\u201d and ran forth\ninto the world as if mad, and to this hour no one knows where she has\ngone.)\n\n\n\n37 Thumbling\n\nThere was once a poor peasant who sat in the evening by the hearth and\npoked the fire, and his wife sat and span. Then said he, \u201cHow sad it is\nthat we have no children! With us all is so quiet, and in other houses\nit is noisy and lively.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d replied the wife, and sighed, \u201ceven if we had only one, and it\nwere quite small, and only as big as a thumb, I should be quite\nsatisfied, and we would still love it with all our hearts.\u201d Now it so\nhappened that the woman fell ill, and after seven months gave birth to\na child, that was perfect in all its limbs, but no longer than a thumb.\nThen said they, \u201cIt is as we wished it to be, and it shall be our dear\nchild;\u201d and because of its size, they called it Thumbling. They did not\nlet it want for food, but the child did not grow taller, but remained\nas it had been at the first, nevertheless it looked sensibly out of its\neyes, and soon showed itself to be a wise and nimble creature, for\neverything it did turned out well.\n\nOne day the peasant was getting ready to go into the forest to cut\nwood, when he said as if to himself, \u201cHow I wish that there was any one\nwho would bring the cart to me!\u201d \u201cOh father,\u201d cried Thumbling, \u201cI will\nsoon bring the cart, rely on that; it shall be in the forest at the\nappointed time.\u201d The man smiled and said, \u201cHow can that be done, thou\nart far too small to lead the horse by the reins?\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s of no\nconsequence, father, if my mother will only harness it, I shall sit in\nthe horse\u2019s ear and call out to him how he is to go.\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d answered\nthe man, \u201cfor once we will try it.\u201d\n\nWhen the time came, the mother harnessed the horse, and placed\nThumbling in its ear, and then the little creature cried, \u201cGee up, gee\nup!\u201d\n\nThen it went quite properly as if with its master, and the cart went\nthe right way into the forest. It so happened that just as he was\nturning a corner, and the little one was crying, \u201cGee up,\u201d two strange\nmen came towards him. \u201cMy word!\u201d said one of them, \u201cWhat is this? There\nis a cart coming, and a driver is calling to the horse and still he is\nnot to be seen!\u201d \u201cThat can\u2019t be right,\u201d said the other, \u201cwe will follow\nthe cart and see where it stops.\u201d The cart, however, drove right into\nthe forest, and exactly to the place where the wood had been cut. When\nThumbling saw his father, he cried to him, \u201cSeest thou, father, here I\nam with the cart; now take me down.\u201d The father got hold of the horse\nwith his left hand and with the right took his little son out of the\near. Thumbling sat down quite merrily on a straw, but when the two\nstrange men saw him, they did not know what to say for astonishment.\nThen one of them took the other aside and said, \u201cHark, the little\nfellow would make our fortune if we exhibited him in a large town, for\nmoney. We will buy him.\u201d They went to the peasant and said, \u201cSell us\nthe little man. He shall be well treated with us.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d replied the\nfather, \u201che is the apple of my eye, and all the money in the world\ncannot buy him from me.\u201d Thumbling, however, when he heard of the\nbargain, had crept up the folds of his father\u2019s coat, placed himself on\nhis shoulder, and whispered in his ear, \u201cFather do give me away, I will\nsoon come back again.\u201d Then the father parted with him to the two men\nfor a handsome bit of money. \u201cWhere wilt thou sit?\u201d they said to him.\n\u201cOh just set me on the rim of your hat, and then I can walk backwards\nand forwards and look at the country, and still not fall down.\u201d They\ndid as he wished, and when Thumbling had taken leave of his father,\nthey went away with him. They walked until it was dusk, and then the\nlittle fellow said, \u201cDo take me down, I want to come down.\u201d The man\ntook his hat off, and put the little fellow on the ground by the\nwayside, and he leapt and crept about a little between the sods, and\nthen he suddenly slipped into a mouse-hole which he had sought out.\n\u201cGood evening, gentlemen, just go home without me,\u201d he cried to them,\nand mocked them. They ran thither and stuck their sticks into the\nmouse-hole, but it was all lost labour. Thumbling crept still farther\nin, and as it soon became quite dark, they were forced to go home with\ntheir vexation and their empty purses.\n\nWhen Thumbling saw that they were gone, he crept back out of the\nsubterranean passage. \u201cIt is so dangerous to walk on the ground in the\ndark,\u201d said he; \u201chow easily a neck or a leg is broken!\u201d Fortunately he\nknocked against an empty snail-shell. \u201cThank God!\u201d said he. \u201cIn that I\ncan pass the night in safety,\u201d and got into it. Not long afterwards,\nwhen he was just going to sleep, he heard two men go by, and one of\nthem was saying, \u201cHow shall we contrive to get hold of the rich\npastor\u2019s silver and gold?\u201d \u201cI could tell thee that,\u201d cried Thumbling,\ninterrupting them. \u201cWhat was that?\u201d said one of the thieves in fright,\n\u201cI heard some one speaking.\u201d They stood still listening, and Thumbling\nspoke again, and said, \u201cTake me with you, and I\u2019ll help you.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut where art thou?\u201d \u201cJust look on the ground, and observe from whence\nmy voice comes,\u201d he replied. There the thieves at length found him, and\nlifted him up. \u201cThou little imp, how wilt thou help us?\u201d they said. \u201cA\ngreat deal,\u201d said he, \u201cI will creep into the pastor\u2019s room through the\niron bars, and will reach out to you whatever you want to have.\u201d \u201cCome\nthen,\u201d they said, \u201cand we will see what thou canst do.\u201d When they got\nto the pastor\u2019s house, Thumbling crept into the room, but instantly\ncried out with all his might, \u201cDo you want to have everything that is\nhere?\u201d The thieves were alarmed, and said, \u201cBut do speak softly, so as\nnot to waken any one!\u201d Thumbling however, behaved as if he had not\nunderstood this, and cried again, \u201cWhat do you want? Do you want to\nhave everything that is here?\u201d The cook, who slept in the next room,\nheard this and sat up in bed, and listened. The thieves, however, had\nin their fright run some distance away, but at last they took courage,\nand thought, \u201cThe little rascal wants to mock us.\u201d They came back and\nwhispered to him, \u201cCome, be serious, and reach something out to us.\u201d\nThen Thumbling again cried as loudly as he could, \u201cI really will give\nyou everything, just put your hands in.\u201d The maid who was listening,\nheard this quite distinctly, and jumped out of bed and rushed to the\ndoor. The thieves took flight, and ran as if the Wild Huntsman were\nbehind them, but as the maid could not see anything, she went to strike\na light. When she came to the place with it, Thumbling, unperceived,\nbetook himself to the granary, and the maid, after she had examined\nevery corner and found nothing, lay down in her bed again, and believed\nthat, after all, she had only been dreaming with open eyes and ears.\n\nThumbling had climbed up among the hay and found a beautiful place to\nsleep in; there he intended to rest until day, and then go home again\nto his parents. But he had other things to go through. Truly, there is\nmuch affliction and misery in this world! When day dawned, the maid\narose from her bed to feed the cows. Her first walk was into the barn,\nwhere she laid hold of an armful of hay, and precisely that very one in\nwhich poor Thumbling was lying asleep. He, however, was sleeping so\nsoundly that he was aware of nothing, and did not awake until he was in\nthe mouth of the cow, who had picked him up with the hay. \u201cAh,\nheavens!\u201d cried he, \u201chow have I got into the fulling mill?\u201d but he soon\ndiscovered where he was. Then it was necessary to be careful not to let\nhimself go between the teeth and be dismembered, but he was\nnevertheless forced to slip down into the stomach with the hay. \u201cIn\nthis little room the windows are forgotten,\u201d said he, \u201cand no sun\nshines in, neither will a candle be brought.\u201d His quarters were\nespecially unpleasing to him, and the worst was, more and more hay was\nalways coming in by the door, and the space grew less and less. Then at\nlength in his anguish, he cried as loud as he could, \u201cBring me no more\nfodder, bring me no more fodder.\u201d The maid was just milking the cow,\nand when she heard some one speaking, and saw no one, and perceived\nthat it was the same voice that she had heard in the night, she was so\nterrified that she slipped off her stool, and spilt the milk. She ran\nin great haste to her master, and said, \u201cOh heavens, pastor, the cow\nhas been speaking!\u201d \u201cThou art mad,\u201d replied the pastor; but he went\nhimself to the byre to see what was there. Hardly, however had he set\nhis foot inside when Thumbling again cried, \u201cBring me no more fodder,\nbring me no more fodder.\u201d Then the pastor himself was alarmed, and\nthought that an evil spirit had gone into the cow, and ordered her to\nbe killed. She was killed, but the stomach, in which Thumbling was, was\nthrown on the midden. Thumbling had great difficulty in working his\nway; however, he succeeded so far as to get some room, but just as he\nwas going to thrust his head out, a new misfortune occurred. A hungry\nwolf ran thither, and swallowed the whole stomach at one gulp.\nThumbling did not lose courage. \u201cPerhaps,\u201d thought he, \u201cthe wolf will\nlisten to what I have got to say,\u201d and he called to him from out of his\nstomach, \u201cDear wolf, I know of a magnificent feast for you.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere is it to be had?\u201d said the wolf.\n\n\u201cIn such and such a house; thou must creep into it through the\nkitchen-sink, and wilt find cakes, and bacon, and sausages, and as much\nof them as thou canst eat,\u201d and he described to him exactly his\nfather\u2019s house. The wolf did not require to be told this twice,\nsqueezed himself in at night through the sink, and ate to his heart\u2019s\ncontent in the larder. When he had eaten his fill, he wanted to go out\nagain, but he had become so big that he could not go out by the same\nway. Thumbling had reckoned on this, and now began to make a violent\nnoise in the wolf\u2019s body, and raged and screamed as loudly as he could.\n\u201cWilt thou be quiet,\u201d said the wolf, \u201cthou wilt waken up the people!\u201d\n\u201cEh, what,\u201d replied the little fellow, \u201cthou hast eaten thy fill, and I\nwill make merry likewise,\u201d and began once more to scream with all his\nstrength. At last his father and mother were aroused by it, and ran to\nthe room and looked in through the opening in the door. When they saw\nthat a wolf was inside, they ran away, and the husband fetched his axe,\nand the wife the scythe. \u201cStay behind,\u201d said the man, when they entered\nthe room. \u201cWhen I have given him a blow, if he is not killed by it,\nthou must cut him down and hew his body to pieces.\u201d Then Thumbling\nheard his parents, voices and cried, \u201cDear father, I am here; I am in\nthe wolf\u2019s body.\u201d Said the father, full of joy, \u201cThank God, our dear\nchild has found us again,\u201d and bade the woman take away her scythe,\nthat Thumbling might not be hurt with it. After that he raised his arm,\nand struck the wolf such a blow on his head that he fell down dead, and\nthen they got knives and scissors and cut his body open and drew the\nlittle fellow forth. \u201cAh,\u201d said the father, \u201cwhat sorrow we have gone\nthrough for thy sake.\u201d \u201cYes father, I have gone about the world a great\ndeal. Thank heaven, I breathe fresh air again!\u201d \u201cWhere hast thou been,\nthen?\u201d \u201cAh, father, I have been in a mouse\u2019s hole, in a cow\u2019s stomach,\nand then in a wolf\u2019s; now I will stay with you.\u201d \u201cAnd we will not sell\nthee again, no, not for all the riches in the world,\u201d said his parents,\nand they embraced and kissed their dear Thumbling. They gave him to eat\nand to drink, and had some new clothes made for him, for his own had\nbeen spoiled on his journey.\n\n\n\n38 The Wedding of Mrs. Fox\n\nFIRST STORY\n\n\nThere was once on a time an old fox with nine tails, who believed that\nhis wife was not faithful to him, and wished to try her. He stretched\nhimself out under the bench, did not move a limb, and behaved as if he\nwere stone dead. Mrs. Fox went up to her room, shut herself in, and her\nmaid, Miss Cat, sat by the fire, and did the cooking. When it became\nknown that the old fox was dead, wooers presented themselves. The maid\nheard some one standing at the house-door, knocking. She went and\nopened it, and it was a young fox, who said,\n\n\u201cWhat may you be about, Miss Cat?\nDo you sleep or do you wake?\u201d\n\n\nShe answered,\n\n\u201cI am not sleeping, I am waking,\nWouldst thou know what I am making?\nI am boiling warm beer with butter so nice,\nWill the gentleman enter and drink some likewise?\u201d\n\n\n\u201cNo, thank you, miss,\u201d said the fox, \u201cwhat is Mrs. Fox doing?\u201d The maid\nreplied,\n\n\u201cShe sits all alone,\nAnd makes her moan,\nWeeping her little eyes quite red,\nBecause old Mr. Fox is dead.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cDo just tell her, miss, that a young fox is here, who would like to\nwoo her.\u201d \u201cCertainly, young sir.\u201d\n\nThe cat goes up the stairs trip, trap,\nThe door she knocks at tap, tap, tap,\n\u201cMistress Fox, are you inside?\u201d\n\u201cOh yes, my little cat,\u201d she cried.\n\u201cA wooer he stands at the door out there.\u201d\n\u201cTell me what he is like, my dear?\u201d\n\n\n\u201cBut has he nine as beautiful tails as the late Mr. Fox?\u201d \u201cOh, no,\u201d\nanswered the cat, \u201che has only one.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen I will not have him.\u201d Miss Cat went downstairs and sent the wooer\naway. Soon afterwards there was another knock, and another fox was at\nthe door who wished to woo Mrs. Fox. He had two tails, but he did not\nfare better than the first. After this still more came, each with one\ntail more than the other, but they were all turned away, until at last\none came who had nine tails, like old Mr. Fox. When the widow heard\nthat, she said joyfully to the cat,\n\n\u201cNow open the gates and doors all wide,\nAnd carry old Mr. Fox outside.\u201d\n\n\nBut just as the wedding was going to be solemnized, old Mr. Fox stirred\nunder the bench, and cudgelled all the rabble, and drove them and Mrs.\nFox out of the house.\n\nSECOND STORY\n\n\nWhen old Mr. Fox was dead, the wolf came as a wooer, and knocked at the\ndoor, and the cat who was servant to Mrs. Fox, opened it for him. The\nwolf greeted her, and said,\n\n\u201cGood day, Mrs. Cat of Kehrewit,\n\u201cHow comes it that alone you sit?\nWhat are you making good?\u201d\n\n\nThe cat replied,\n\n\u201cIn milk I\u2019m breaking bread so sweet,\nWill the gentleman please come in and eat?\u201d\n\n\n\u201cNo, thank you, Mrs. Cat,\u201d answered the wolf. \u201cIs Mrs. Fox not at\nhome?\u201d\n\nThe cat said,\n\n\u201cShe sits upstairs in her room,\nBewailing her sorrowful doom,\nBewailing her trouble so sore,\nFor old Mr. Fox is no more.\u201d\n\n\nThe wolf answered,\n\n\u201cIf she\u2019s in want of a husband now,\nThen will it please her to step below?\u201d\nThe cat runs quickly up the stair,\nAnd lets her tail fly here and there,\nUntil she comes to the parlour door.\nWith her five gold rings at the door she knocks,\n\u201cAre you within, good Mistress Fox?\nIf you\u2019re in want of a husband now,\nThen will it please you to step below?\n\n\nMrs. Fox asked, \u201cHas the gentleman red stockings on\u2019 and has he a\npointed mouth?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d answered the cat. \u201cThen he won\u2019t do for me.\u201d\n\nWhen the wolf was gone, came a dog, a stag, a hare, a bear, a lion, and\nall the beasts of the forest, one after the other. But one of the good\npoints which old Mr. Fox had possessed, was always lacking, and the cat\nhad continually to send the wooers away. At length came a young fox.\nThen Mrs. Fox said, \u201cHas the gentleman red stockings on, and has he a\nlittle pointed mouth?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said the cat, \u201che has.\u201d \u201cThen let him\ncome upstairs,\u201d said Mrs. Fox, and ordered the servant to prepare the\nwedding-feast.\n\n\u201cSweep me the room as clean as you can,\nUp with the window, fling out my old man!\nFor many a fine fat mouse he brought,\nYet of his wife he never thought,\nBut ate up every one he caught.\u201d\n\n\nThen the wedding was solemnized with young Mr. Fox, and there was much\nrejoicing and dancing; and if they have not left off, they are dancing\nstill.\n\n\n\n39 The Elves\n\nFIRST STORY\n\n\nA shoemaker, by no fault of his own, had become so poor that at last he\nhad nothing left but leather for one pair of shoes. So in the evening,\nhe cut out the shoes which he wished to begin to make the next morning,\nand as he had a good conscience, he lay down quietly in his bed,\ncommended himself to God, and fell asleep. In the morning, after he had\nsaid his prayers, and was just going to sit down to work, the two shoes\nstood quite finished on his table. He was astounded, and knew not what\nto say to it. He took the shoes in his hands to observe them closer,\nand they were so neatly made that there was not one bad stitch in them,\njust as if they were intended as a masterpiece. Soon after, a buyer\ncame in, and as the shoes pleased him so well, he paid more for them\nthan was customary, and, with the money, the shoemaker was able to\npurchase leather for two pairs of shoes. He cut them out at night, and\nnext morning was about to set to work with fresh courage; but he had no\nneed to do so, for, when he got up, they were already made, and buyers\nalso were not wanting, who gave him money enough to buy leather for\nfour pairs of shoes. The following morning, too, he found the four\npairs made; and so it went on constantly, what he cut out in the\nevening was finished by the morning, so that he soon had his honest\nindependence again, and at last became a wealthy man. Now it befell\nthat one evening not long before Christmas, when the man had been\ncutting out, he said to his wife, before going to bed, \u201cWhat think you\nif we were to stay up to-night to see who it is that lends us this\nhelping hand?\u201d The woman liked the idea, and lighted a candle, and then\nthey hid themselves in a corner of the room, behind some clothes which\nwere hanging up there, and watched. When it was midnight, two pretty\nlittle naked men came, sat down by the shoemaker\u2019s table, took all the\nwork which was cut out before them and began to stitch, and sew, and\nhammer so skilfully and so quickly with their little fingers that the\nshoemaker could not turn away his eyes for astonishment. They did not\nstop until all was done, and stood finished on the table, and they ran\nquickly away.\n\nNext morning the woman said, \u201cThe little men have made us rich, and we\nreally must show that we are grateful for it. They run about so, and\nhave nothing on, and must be cold. I\u2019ll tell thee what I\u2019ll do: I will\nmake them little shirts, and coats, and vests, and trousers, and knit\nboth of them a pair of stockings, and do thou, too, make them two\nlittle pairs of shoes.\u201d The man said, \u201cI shall be very glad to do it;\u201d\nand one night, when everything was ready, they laid their presents all\ntogether on the table instead of the cut-out work, and then concealed\nthemselves to see how the little men would behave. At midnight they\ncame bounding in, and wanted to get to work at once, but as they did\nnot find any leather cut out, but only the pretty little articles of\nclothing, they were at first astonished, and then they showed intense\ndelight. They dressed themselves with the greatest rapidity, putting\nthe pretty clothes on, and singing,\n\n\u201cNow we are boys so fine to see,\nWhy should we longer cobblers be?\u201d\n\n\nThen they danced and skipped and leapt over chairs and benches. At last\nthey danced out of doors. From that time forth they came no more, but\nas long as the shoemaker lived all went well with him, and all his\nundertakings prospered.\n\nSECOND STORY\n\n\nThere was once a poor servant-girl, who was industrious and cleanly,\nand swept the house every day, and emptied her sweepings on the great\nheap in front of the door. One morning when she was just going back to\nher work, she found a letter on this heap, and as she could not read,\nshe put her broom in the corner, and took the letter to her master and\nmistress, and behold it was an invitation from the elves, who asked the\ngirl to hold a child for them at its christening. The girl did not know\nwhat to do, but at length, after much persuasion, and as they told her\nthat it was not right to refuse an invitation of this kind, she\nconsented. Then three elves came and conducted her to a hollow\nmountain, where the little folks lived. Everything there was small, but\nmore elegant and beautiful than can be described. The baby\u2019s mother lay\nin a bed of black ebony ornamented with pearls, the coverlids were\nembroidered with gold, the cradle was of ivory, the bath of gold. The\ngirl stood as godmother, and then wanted to go home again, but the\nlittle elves urgently entreated her to stay three days with them. So\nshe stayed, and passed the time in pleasure and gaiety, and the little\nfolks did all they could to make her happy. At last she set out on her\nway home. Then first they filled her pockets quite full of money, and\nafter that they led her out of the mountain again. When she got home,\nshe wanted to begin her work, and took the broom, which was still\nstanding in the corner, in her hand and began to sweep. Then some\nstrangers came out of the house, who asked her who she was, and what\nbusiness she had there? And she had not, as she thought, been three\ndays with the little men in the mountains, but seven years, and in the\nmeantime her former masters had died.\n\nTHIRD STORY\n\n\nA certain mother\u2019s child had been taken away out of its cradle by the\nelves, and a changeling with a large head and staring eyes, which would\ndo nothing but eat and drink, laid in its place. In her trouble she\nwent to her neighbour, and asked her advice. The neighbour said that\nshe was to carry the changeling into the kitchen, set it down on the\nhearth, light a fire, and boil some water in two egg-shells, which\nwould make the changeling laugh, and if he laughed, all would be over\nwith him. The woman did everything that her neighbour bade her. When\nshe put the egg-shells with water on the fire, the imp said, \u201cI am as\nold now as the Wester forest, but never yet have I seen any one boil\nanything in an egg-shell!\u201d And he began to laugh at it. Whilst he was\nlaughing, suddenly came a host of little elves, who brought the right\nchild, set it down on the hearth, and took the changeling away with\nthem.\n\n\n\n40 The Robber Bridegroom\n\nThere was once on a time a miller, who had a beautiful daughter, and as\nshe was grown up, he wished that she was provided for, and well\nmarried. He thought, \u201cIf any good suitor comes and asks for her, I will\ngive her to him.\u201d Not long afterwards, a suitor came, who appeared to\nbe very rich, and as the miller had no fault to find with him, he\npromised his daughter to him. The maiden, however, did not like him\nquite so much as a girl should like the man to whom she is engaged, and\nhad no confidence in him. Whenever she saw, or thought of him, she felt\na secret horror. Once he said to her, \u201cThou art my betrothed, and yet\nthou hast never once paid me a visit.\u201d The maiden replied, \u201cI know not\nwhere thy house is.\u201d Then said the bridegroom, \u201cMy house is out there\nin the dark forest.\u201d She tried to excuse herself and said she could not\nfind the way there. The bridegroom said, \u201cNext Sunday thou must come\nout there to me; I have already invited the guests, and I will strew\nashes in order that thou mayst find thy way through the forest.\u201d When\nSunday came, and the maiden had to set out on her way, she became very\nuneasy, she herself knew not exactly why, and to mark her way she\nfilled both her pockets full of peas and lentils. Ashes were strewn at\nthe entrance of the forest, and these she followed, but at every step\nshe threw a couple of peas on the ground. She walked almost the whole\nday until she reached the middle of the forest, where it was the\ndarkest, and there stood a solitary house, which she did not like, for\nit looked so dark and dismal. She went inside it, but no one was\nwithin, and the most absolute stillness reigned. Suddenly a voice\ncried,\n\n\u201cTurn back, turn back, young maiden dear,\n\u2019Tis a murderer\u2019s house you enter here.\u201d\n\n\nThe maiden looked up, and saw that the voice came from a bird, which\nwas hanging in a cage on the wall. Again it cried,\n\n\u201cTurn back, turn back, young maiden dear,\n\u2019Tis a murderer\u2019s house you enter here.\u201d\n\n\nThen the young maiden went on farther from one room to another, and\nwalked through the whole house, but it was entirely empty and not one\nhuman being was to be found. At last she came to the the cellar, and\nthere sat an extremely aged woman, whose head shook constantly. \u201cCan\nyou not tell me,\u201d said the maiden, \u201cif my betrothed lives here?\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas, poor child,\u201d replied the old woman, \u201cwhither hast thou come?\nThou art in a murderer\u2019s den. Thou thinkest thou art a bride soon to be\nmarried, but thou wilt keep thy wedding with death. Look, I have been\nforced to put a great kettle on there, with water in it, and when they\nhave thee in their power, they will cut thee to pieces without mercy,\nwill cook thee, and eat thee, for they are eaters of human flesh. If I\ndo not have compassion on thee, and save thee, thou art lost.\u201d\n\nThereupon the old woman led her behind a great hogshead where she could\nnot be seen. \u201cBe as still as a mouse,\u201d said she, \u201cdo not make a sound,\nor move, or all will be over with thee. At night, when the robbers are\nasleep, we will escape; I have long waited for an opportunity.\u201d Hardly\nwas this done, than the godless crew came home. They dragged with them\nanother young girl. They were drunk, and paid no heed to her screams\nand lamentations. They gave her wine to drink, three glasses full, one\nglass of white wine, one glass of red, and a glass of yellow, and with\nthis her heart burst in twain. Thereupon they tore off her delicate\nraiment, laid her on a table, cut her beautiful body in pieces and\nstrewed salt thereon. The poor bride behind the cask trembled and\nshook, for she saw right well what fate the robbers had destined for\nher. One of them noticed a gold ring on the little finger of the\nmurdered girl, and as it would not come off at once, he took an axe and\ncut the finger off, but it sprang up in the air, away over the cask and\nfell straight into the bride\u2019s bosom. The robber took a candle and\nwanted to look for it, but could not find it. Then another of them\nsaid, \u201cHast thou looked behind the great hogshead?\u201d But the old woman\ncried, \u201cCome and get something to eat, and leave off looking till the\nmorning, the finger won\u2019t run away from you.\u201d\n\nThen the robbers said, \u201cThe old woman is right,\u201d and gave up their\nsearch, and sat down to eat, and the old woman poured a\nsleeping-draught in their wine, so that they soon lay down in the\ncellar, and slept and snored. When the bride heard that, she came out\nfrom behind the hogshead, and had to step over the sleepers, for they\nlay in rows on the ground, and great was her terror lest she should\nwaken one of them. But God helped her, and she got safely over. The old\nwoman went up with her, opened the doors, and they hurried out of the\nmurderers\u2019 den with all the speed in their power. The wind had blown\naway the strewn ashes, but the peas and lentils had sprouted and grown\nup, and showed them the way in the moonlight. They walked the whole\nnight, until in the morning they arrived at the mill, and then the\nmaiden told her father everything exactly as it had happened.\n\nWhen the day came when the wedding was to be celebrated, the bridegroom\nappeared, and the Miller had invited all his relations and friends. As\nthey sat at table, each was bidden to relate something. The bride sat\nstill, and said nothing. Then said the bridegroom to the bride, \u201cCome,\nmy darling, dost thou know nothing? Relate something to us like the\nrest.\u201d She replied, \u201cThen I will relate a dream. I was walking alone\nthrough a wood, and at last I came to a house, in which no living soul\nwas, but on the wall there was a bird in a cage which cried,\n\n\u201cTurn back, turn back, young maiden dear,\n\u2019Tis a murderer\u2019s house you enter here.\u201d\n\n\nAnd this it cried once more. \u2018My darling, I only dreamt this. Then I\nwent through all the rooms, and they were all empty, and there was\nsomething so horrible about them! At last I went down into the cellar,\nand there sat a very very old woman, whose head shook; I asked her,\n\u2018Does my bridegroom live in this house? She answered, \u2018Alas poor child,\nthou hast got into a murderer\u2019s den, thy bridegroom does live here, but\nhe will hew thee in pieces, and kill thee, and then he will cook thee,\nand eat thee.\u2019 My darling, I only dreamt this. But the old woman hid me\nbehind a great hogshead, and, scarcely was I hidden, when the robbers\ncame home, dragging a maiden with them, to whom they gave three kinds\nof wine to drink, white, red, and yellow, with which her heart broke in\ntwain. My darling, I only dreamt this. Thereupon they pulled off her\npretty clothes, and hewed her fair body in pieces on a table, and\nsprinkled them with salt. My darling, I only dreamt this. And one of\nthe robbers saw that there was still a ring on her little finger, and\nas it was hard to draw off, he took an axe and cut it off, but the\nfinger sprang up in the air, and sprang behind the great hogshead, and\nfell in my bosom. And there is the finger with the ring!\u201d And with\nthese words she drew it forth, and showed it to those present.\n\nThe robber, who had during this story become as pale as ashes, leapt up\nand wanted to escape, but the guests held him fast, and delivered him\nover to justice. Then he and his whole troop were executed for their\ninfamous deeds.\n\n\n\n41 Herr Korbes\n\nThere were once a cock and a hen who wanted to take a journey together.\nSo the cock built a beautiful carriage, which had four red wheels, and\nharnessed four mice to it. The hen seated herself in it with the cock,\nand they drove away together. Not long afterwards they met a cat who\nsaid, \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d The cock replied, \u201cWe are going to the\nhouse of Herr Korbes.\u201d \u201cTake me with you,\u201d said the cat. The cock\nanswered, \u201cMost willingly, get up behind, lest you fall off in front.\nTake great care not to dirty my little red wheels. And you little\nwheels, roll on, and you little mice pipe out, as we go forth on our\nway to the house of Herr Korbes.\u201d\n\nAfter this came a millstone, then an egg, then a duck, then a pin, and\nat last a needle, who all seated themselves in the carriage, and drove\nwith them. When, however, they reached the house of Herr Korbes, Herr\nKorbes was not there. The mice drew the carriage into the barn, the hen\nflew with the cock upon a perch. The cat sat down by the hearth, the\nduck on the well-pole. The egg rolled itself into a towel, the pin\nstuck itself into the chair-cushion, the needle jumped on to the bed in\nthe middle of the pillow, and the millstone laid itself over the door.\nThen Herr Korbes came home, went to the hearth, and was about to light\nthe fire, when the cat threw a quantity of ashes in his face. He ran\ninto the kitchen in a great hurry to wash it off, and the duck splashed\nsome water in his face. He wanted to dry it with the towel, but the egg\nrolled up against him, broke, and glued up his eyes. He wanted to rest,\nand sat down in the chair, and then the pin pricked him. He fell in a\npassion, and threw himself on his bed, but as soon as he laid his head\non the pillow, the needle pricked him, so that he screamed aloud, and\nwas just going to run out into the wide world in his rage, but when he\ncame to the house-door, the millstone leapt down and struck him dead.\nHerr Korbes must have been a very wicked man!\n\n\n\n42 The Godfather\n\nA poor man had so many children that he had already asked every one in\nthe world to be godfather, and when still another child was born, no\none else was left whom he could invite. He knew not what to do, and, in\nhis perplexity, he lay down and fell asleep. Then he dreamt that he was\nto go outside the gate, and ask the first person who met him to be\ngodfather. When he awoke, he determined to obey his dream, and went\noutside the gate, and asked the first person who came up to him to be\ngodfather. The stranger presented him with a little glass of water, and\nsaid, \u201cThis is a wonderful water, with it thou canst heal the sick,\nonly thou must see where Death is standing. If he is standing by the\npatient\u2019s head, give the patient some of the water and he will be\nhealed, but if Death is standing by his feet, all trouble will be in\nvain, for the sick man must die.\u201d From this time forth, the man could\nalways say whether a patient could be saved or not, and became famous\nfor his skill, and earned a great deal of money. Once he was called in\nto the child of the King, and when he entered, he saw death standing by\nthe child\u2019s head and cured it with the water, and he did the same a\nsecond time, but the third time Death was standing by its feet, and\nthen he knew the child was forced to die.\n\nOnce the man thought he would visit the godfather, and tell him how he\nhad succeeded with the water. But when he entered the house, it was\nsuch a strange establishment! On the first flight of stairs, the broom\nand shovel were disputing, and knocking each other about violently. He\nasked them, \u201cWhere does the godfather live?\u201d The broom replied, \u201cOne\nflight of stairs higher up.\u201d When he came to the second flight, he saw\na heap of dead fingers lying. He asked, \u201cWhere does the godfather\nlive?\u201d One of the fingers replied, \u201cOne flight of stairs higher.\u201d On\nthe third flight lay a heap of dead heads, which again directed him to\nthe flight beyond. On the fourth flight, he saw fishes on the fire,\nwhich frizzled in the pans and baked themselves. They, too, said, \u201cOne\nflight of stairs higher.\u201d And when he had ascended the fifth, he came\nto the door of a room and peeped through the keyhole, and there he saw\nthe godfather who had a pair of long horns. When he opened the door and\nwent in, the godfather got into bed in a great hurry and covered\nhimself up. Then said the man, \u201cSir godfather, what a strange household\nyou have! When I came to your first flight of stairs, the shovel and\nbroom were quarreling, and beating each other violently.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow stupid you are!\u201d said the godfather. \u201cThat was the boy and the\nmaid talking to each other.\u201d \u201cBut on the second flight I saw dead\nfingers lying.\u201d \u201cOh, how silly you are! Those were some roots of\nscorzonera.\u201d \u201cOn the third flight lay a heap of dead men\u2019s heads.\u201d\n\u201cFoolish man, those were cabbages.\u201d \u201cOn the fourth flight, I saw fishes\nin a pan, which were hissing and baking themselves.\u201d When he had said\nthat, the fishes came and served themselves up. \u201cAnd when I got to the\nfifth flight, I peeped through the keyhole of a door, and there,\ngodfather, I saw you, and you had long, long horns.\u201d \u201cOh, that is a\nlie!\u201d The man became alarmed, and ran out, and if he had not, who knows\nwhat the godfather would have done to him.\n\n\n\n43 Frau Trude\n\nThere was once a little girl who was obstinate and inquisitive, and\nwhen her parents told her to do anything, she did not obey them, so how\ncould she fare well? One day she said to her parents, \u201cI have heard so\nmuch of Frau Trude, I will go to her some day. People say that\neverything about her does look so strange, and that there are such odd\nthings in her house, that I have become quite curious!\u201d Her parents\nabsolutely forbade her, and said, \u201cFrau Trude is a bad woman, who does\nwicked things, and if thou goest to her; thou art no longer our child.\u201d\nBut the maiden did not let herself be turned aside by her parent\u2019s\nprohibition, and still went to Frau Trude. And when she got to her,\nFrau Trude said, \u201cWhy art thou so pale?\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d she replied, and her\nwhole body trembled, \u201cI have been so terrified at what I have seen.\u201d\n\u201cWhat hast thou seen?\u201d \u201cI saw a black man on your steps.\u201d \u201cThat was a\ncollier.\u201d \u201cThen I saw a green man.\u201d \u201cThat was a huntsman.\u201d \u201cAfter that\nI saw a blood-red man.\u201d \u201cThat was a butcher.\u201d \u201cAh, Frau Trude, I was\nterrified; I looked through the window and saw not you, but, as I\nverily believe, the devil himself with a head of fire.\u201d \u201cOho!\u201d said\nshe, \u201cthen thou hast seen the witch in her proper costume. I have been\nwaiting for thee, and wanting thee a long time already; thou shalt give\nme some light.\u201d Then she changed the girl into a block of wood, and\nthrew it into the fire. And when it was in full blaze she sat down\nclose to it, and warmed herself by it, and said, \u201cThat shines bright\nfor once in a way.\u201d\n\n\n\n44 Godfather Death\n\nA poor man had twelve children and was forced to work night and day to\ngive them even bread. When therefore the thirteenth came into the\nworld, he knew not what to do in his trouble, but ran out into the\ngreat highway, and resolved to ask the first person whom he met to be\ngodfather. The first to meet him was the good God who already knew what\nfilled his heart, and said to him, \u201cPoor man, I pity thee. I will hold\nthy child at its christening, and will take charge of it and make it\nhappy on earth.\u201d The man said, \u201cWho art thou?\u201d \u201cI am God.\u201d \u201cThen I do\nnot desire to have thee for a godfather,\u201d said the man; \u201cthou givest to\nthe rich, and leavest the poor to hunger.\u201d Thus spoke the man, for he\ndid not know how wisely God apportions riches and poverty. He turned\ntherefore away from the Lord, and went farther. Then the Devil came to\nhim and said, \u201cWhat seekest thou? If thou wilt take me as a godfather\nfor thy child, I will give him gold in plenty and all the joys of the\nworld as well.\u201d The man asked, \u201cWho art thou?\u201d \u201cI am the Devil.\u201d \u201cThen\nI do not desire to have thee for godfather,\u201d said the man; \u201cthou\ndeceivest men and leadest them astray.\u201d He went onwards, and then came\nDeath striding up to him with withered legs, and said, \u201cTake me as\ngodfather.\u201d The man asked, \u201cWho art thou?\u201d \u201cI am Death, and I make all\nequal.\u201d Then said the man, \u201cThou art the right one, thou takest the\nrich as well as the poor, without distinction; thou shalt be\ngodfather.\u201d Death answered, \u201cI will make thy child rich and famous, for\nhe who has me for a friend can lack nothing.\u201d The man said, \u201cNext\nSunday is the christening; be there at the right time.\u201d Death appeared\nas he had promised, and stood godfather quite in the usual way.\n\nWhen the boy had grown up, his godfather one day appeared and bade him\ngo with him. He led him forth into a forest, and showed him a herb\nwhich grew there, and said, \u201cNow shalt thou receive thy godfather\u2019s\npresent. I make thee a celebrated physician. When thou art called to a\npatient, I will always appear to thee. If I stand by the head of the\nsick man, thou mayst say with confidence that thou wilt make him well\nagain, and if thou givest him of this herb he will recover; but if I\nstand by the patient\u2019s feet, he is mine, and thou must say that all\nremedies are in vain, and that no physician in the world could save\nhim. But beware of using the herb against my will, or it might fare ill\nwith thee.\u201d\n\nIt was not long before the youth was the most famous physician in the\nwhole world. \u201cHe had only to look at the patient and he knew his\ncondition at once, and if he would recover, or must needs die.\u201d So they\nsaid of him, and from far and wide people came to him, sent for him\nwhen they had any one ill, and gave him so much money that he soon\nbecame a rich man. Now it so befell that the King became ill, and the\nphysician was summoned, and was to say if recovery were possible. But\nwhen he came to the bed, Death was standing by the feet of the sick\nman, and the herb did not grow which could save him. \u201cIf I could but\ncheat Death for once,\u201d thought the physician, \u201che is sure to take it\nill if I do, but, as I am his godson, he will shut one eye; I will risk\nit.\u201d He therefore took up the sick man, and laid him the other way, so\nthat now Death was standing by his head. Then he gave the King some of\nthe herb, and he recovered and grew healthy again. But Death came to\nthe physician, looking very black and angry, threatened him with his\nfinger, and said, \u201cThou hast overreached me; this time I will pardon\nit, as thou art my godson; but if thou venturest it again, it will cost\nthee thy neck, for I will take thee thyself away with me.\u201d\n\nSoon afterwards the King\u2019s daughter fell into a severe illness. She was\nhis only child, and he wept day and night, so that he began to lose the\nsight of his eyes, and he caused it to be made known that whosoever\nrescued her from death should be her husband and inherit the crown.\nWhen the physician came to the sick girl\u2019s bed, he saw Death by her\nfeet. He ought to have remembered the warning given by his godfather,\nbut he was so infatuated by the great beauty of the King\u2019s daughter,\nand the happiness of becoming her husband, that he flung all thought to\nthe winds. He did not see that Death was casting angry glances on him,\nthat he was raising his hand in the air, and threatening him with his\nwithered fist. He raised up the sick girl, and placed her head where\nher feet had lain. Then he gave her some of the herb, and instantly her\ncheeks flushed red, and life stirred afresh in her.\n\nWhen Death saw that for a second time he was defrauded of his own\nproperty, he walked up to the physician with long strides, and said,\n\u201cAll is over with thee, and now the lot falls on thee,\u201d and seized him\nso firmly with his ice-cold hand, that he could not resist, and led him\ninto a cave below the earth. There he saw how thousands and thousands\nof candles were burning in countless rows, some large, others\nhalf-sized, others small. Every instant some were extinguished, and\nothers again burnt up, so that the flames seemed to leap hither and\nthither in perpetual change. \u201cSee,\u201d said Death, \u201cthese are the lights\nof men\u2019s lives. The large ones belong to children, the half-sized ones\nto married people in their prime, the little ones belong to old people;\nbut children and young folks likewise have often only a tiny candle.\u201d\n\u201cShow me the light of my life,\u201d said the physician, and he thought that\nit would be still very tall. Death pointed to a little end which was\njust threatening to go out, and said, \u201cBehold, it is there.\u201d \u201cAh, dear\ngodfather,\u201d said the horrified physician, \u201clight a new one for me, do\nit for love of me, that I may enjoy my life, be King, and the husband\nof the King\u2019s beautiful daughter.\u201d \u201cI cannot,\u201d answered Death, \u201cone\nmust go out before a new one is lighted.\u201d \u201cThen place the old one on a\nnew one, that will go on burning at once when the old one has come to\nan end,\u201d pleaded the physician. Death behaved as if he were going to\nfulfill his wish, and took hold of a tall new candle; but as he desired\nto revenge himself, he purposely made a mistake in fixing it, and the\nlittle piece fell down and was extinguished. Immediately the physician\nfell on the ground, and now he himself was in the hands of Death.\n\n\n\n45 Thumbling as Journeyman\n\nA certain tailor had a son, who happened to be small, and no bigger\nthan a Thumb, and on this account he was always called Thumbling. He\nhad, however, some courage in him, and said to his father, \u201cFather, I\nmust and will go out into the world.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s right, my son,\u201d said the\nold man, and took a long darning-needle and made a knob of sealing-wax\non it at the candle, \u201cand there is a sword for thee to take with thee\non the way.\u201d Then the little tailor wanted to have one more meal with\nthem, and hopped into the kitchen to see what his lady mother had\ncooked for the last time. It was, however, just dished up, and the dish\nstood on the hearth. Then he said, \u201cMother, what is there to eat\nto-day?\u201d \u201cSee for thyself,\u201d said his mother. So Thumbling jumped on to\nthe hearth, and peeped into the dish, but as he stretched his neck in\ntoo far the steam from the food caught hold of him, and carried him up\nthe chimney. He rode about in the air on the steam for a while, until\nat length he sank down to the ground again. Now the little tailor was\noutside in the wide world, and he travelled about, and went to a master\nin his craft, but the food was not good enough for him. \u201cMistress, if\nyou give us no better food,\u201d said Thumbling, \u201cI will go away, and early\nto-morrow morning I will write with chalk on the door of your house,\n\u2018Too many potatoes, too little meat! Farewell, Mr. Potato-King.\u2019\u201d \u201cWhat\nwouldst thou have forsooth, grasshopper?\u201d said the mistress, and grew\nangry, and seized a dishcloth, and was just going to strike him; but my\nlittle tailor crept nimbly under a thimble, peeped out from beneath it,\nand put his tongue out at the mistress. She took up the thimble, and\nwanted to get hold of him, but little Thumbling hopped into the cloth,\nand while the mistress was opening it out and looking for him, he got\ninto a crevice in the table. \u201cHo, ho, lady mistress,\u201d cried he, and\nthrust his head out, and when she began to strike him he leapt down\ninto the drawer. At last, however, she caught him and drove him out of\nthe house.\n\nThe little tailor journeyed on and came to a great forest, and there he\nfell in with a band of robbers who had a design to steal the King\u2019s\ntreasure. When they saw the little tailor, they thought, \u201cA little\nfellow like that can creep through a key-hole and serve as picklock to\nus.\u201d \u201cHollo,\u201d cried one of them, \u201cthou giant Goliath, wilt thou go to\nthe treasure-chamber with us? Thou canst slip thyself in and throw out\nthe money.\u201d Thumbling reflected a while, and at length he said, \u201cyes,\u201d\nand went with them to the treasure-chamber. Then he looked at the doors\nabove and below, to see if there was any crack in them. It was not long\nbefore he espied one which was broad enough to let him in. He was\ntherefore about to get in at once, but one of the two sentries who\nstood before the door, observed him, and said to the other, \u201cWhat an\nugly spider is creeping there; I will kill it.\u201d \u201cLet the poor creature\nalone,\u201d said the other; \u201cit has done thee no harm.\u201d Then Thumbling got\nsafely through the crevice into the treasure-chamber, opened the window\nbeneath which the robbers were standing, and threw out to them one\nthaler after another. When the little tailor was in the full swing of\nhis work, he heard the King coming to inspect his treasure-chamber, and\ncrept hastily into a hiding-place. The King noticed that several solid\nthalers were missing, but could not conceive who could have stolen\nthem, for locks and bolts were in good condition, and all seemed well\nguarded. Then he went away again, and said to the sentries, \u201cBe on the\nwatch, some one is after the money.\u201d When therefore Thumbling\nrecommenced his labours, they heard the money moving, and a sound of\nklink, klink, klink. They ran swiftly in to seize the thief, but the\nlittle tailor, who heard them coming, was still swifter, and leapt into\na corner and covered himself with a thaler, so that nothing could be\nseen of him, and at the same time he mocked the sentries and cried,\n\u201cHere am I!\u201d The sentries ran thither, but as they got there, he had\nalready hopped into another corner under a thaler, and was crying, \u201cHo,\nho, here am I!\u201d The watchmen sprang there in haste, but Thumbling had\nlong ago got into a third corner, and was crying, \u201cHo, ho, here am I!\u201d\nAnd thus he made fools of them, and drove them so long round about the\ntreasure-chamber that they were weary and went away. Then by degrees he\nthrew all the thalers out, dispatching the last with all his might,\nthen hopped nimbly upon it, and flew down with it through the window.\nThe robbers paid him great compliments. \u201cThou art a valiant hero,\u201d said\nthey; \u201cwilt thou be our captain?\u201d\n\nThumbling, however, declined, and said he wanted to see the world\nfirst. They now divided the booty, but the little tailor only asked for\na kreuzer because he could not carry more.\n\nThen he once more buckled on his sword, bade the robbers goodbye, and\ntook to the road. First, he went to work with some masters, but he had\nno liking for that, and at last he hired himself as man-servant in an\ninn. The maids, however, could not endure him, for he saw all they did\nsecretly, without their seeing him, and he told their master and\nmistress what they had taken off the plates, and carried away out of\nthe cellar, for themselves. Then said they, \u201cWait, and we will pay thee\noff!\u201d and arranged with each other to play him a trick. Soon afterwards\nwhen one of the maids was mowing in the garden, and saw Thumbling\njumping about and creeping up and down the plants, she mowed him up\nquickly with the grass, tied all in a great cloth, and secretly threw\nit to the cows. Now amongst them there was a great black one, who\nswallowed him down without hurting him. Down below, however, it pleased\nhim ill, for it was quite dark, neither was any candle burning. When\nthe cow was being milked he cried,\n\n\u201cStrip, strap, strull,\nWill the pail soon be full?\u201d\n\n\nBut the noise of the milking prevented his being understood. After this\nthe master of the house came into the cow-byre and said, \u201cThat cow\nshall be killed to-morrow.\u201d Then Thumbling was so alarmed that he cried\nout in a clear voice, \u201cLet me out first, for I am shut up inside her.\u201d\nThe master heard that quite well, but did not know from whence the\nvoice came. \u201cWhere art thou?\u201d asked he. \u201cIn the black one,\u201d answered\nThumbling, but the master did not understand what that meant, and went\nout.\n\nNext morning the cow was killed. Happily Thumbling did not meet with\none blow at the cutting up and chopping; he got among the sausage-meat.\nAnd when the butcher came in and began his work, he cried out with all\nhis might, \u201cDon\u2019t chop too deep, don\u2019t chop too deep, I am amongst it.\u201d\nNo one heard this because of the noise of the chopping-knife. Now poor\nThumbling was in trouble, but trouble sharpens the wits, and he sprang\nout so adroitly between the blows that none of them touched him, and he\nescaped with a whole skin. But still he could not get away, there was\nnothing for it but to let himself be thrust into a black-pudding with\nthe bits of bacon. His quarters there were rather confined, and besides\nthat he was hung up in the chimney to be smoked, and there time did\nhang terribly heavy on his hands.\n\nAt length in winter he was taken down again, as the black-pudding had\nto be set before a guest. When the hostess was cutting it in slices, he\ntook care not to stretch out his head too far lest a bit of it should\nbe cut off; at last he saw his opportunity, cleared a passage for\nhimself, and jumped out.\n\nThe little tailor, however, would not stay any longer in a house where\nhe fared so ill, so at once set out on his journey again. But his\nliberty did not last long. In the open country he met with a fox who\nsnapped him up in a fit of absence. \u201cHollo, Mr. Fox,\u201d cried the little\ntailor, \u201cit is I who am sticking in your throat, set me at liberty\nagain.\u201d \u201cThou art right,\u201d answered the fox. \u201cThou art next to nothing\nfor me, but if thou wilt promise me the fowls in thy father\u2019s yard I\nwill let thee go.\u201d \u201cWith all my heart,\u201d replied Thumbling. \u201cThou shalt\nhave all the cocks and hens, that I promise thee.\u201d Then the fox let him\ngo again, and himself carried him home. When the father once more saw\nhis dear son, he willingly gave the fox all the fowls which he had.\n\u201cFor this I likewise bring thee a handsome bit of money,\u201d said\nThumbling, and gave his father the kreuzer which he earned on his\ntravels.\n\n\u201cBut why did the fox get the poor chickens to eat?\u201d \u201cOh, you goose,\nyour father would surely love his child far more than the fowls in the\nyard!\u201d\n\n\n\n46 Fitcher\u2019s Bird\n\nThere was once a wizard who used to take the form of a poor man, and\nwent to houses and begged, and caught pretty girls. No one knew whither\nhe carried them, for they were never seen more. One day he appeared\nbefore the door of a man who had three pretty daughters; he looked like\na poor weak beggar, and carried a basket on his back, as if he meant to\ncollect charitable gifts in it. He begged for a little food, and when\nthe eldest daughter came out and was just reaching him a piece of\nbread, he did but touch her, and she was forced to jump into his\nbasket. Thereupon he hurried away with long strides, and carried her\naway into a dark forest to his house, which stood in the midst of it.\nEverything in the house was magnificent; he gave her whatsoever she\ncould possibly desire, and said, \u201cMy darling, thou wilt certainly be\nhappy with me, for thou hast everything thy heart can wish for.\u201d This\nlasted a few days, and then he said, \u201cI must journey forth, and leave\nthee alone for a short time; there are the keys of the house; thou\nmayst go everywhere and look at everything except into one room, which\nthis little key here opens, and there I forbid thee to go on pain of\ndeath.\u201d He likewise gave her an egg and said, \u201cPreserve the egg\ncarefully for me, and carry it continually about with thee, for a great\nmisfortune would arise from the loss of it.\u201d\n\nShe took the keys and the egg, and promised to obey him in everything.\nWhen he was gone, she went all round the house from the bottom to the\ntop, and examined everything. The rooms shone with silver and gold, and\nshe thought she had never seen such great splendour. At length she came\nto the forbidden door; she wished to pass it by, but curiosity let her\nhave no rest. She examined the key, it looked just like any other; she\nput it in the keyhole and turned it a little, and the door sprang open.\nBut what did she see when she went in? A great bloody basin stood in\nthe middle of the room, and therein lay human beings, dead and hewn to\npieces, and hard by was a block of wood, and a gleaming axe lay upon\nit. She was so terribly alarmed that the egg which she held in her hand\nfell into the basin. She got it out and washed the blood off, but in\nvain, it appeared again in a moment. She washed and scrubbed, but she\ncould not get it out.\n\nIt was not long before the man came back from his journey, and the\nfirst things which he asked for were the key and the egg. She gave them\nto him, but she trembled as she did so, and he saw at once by the red\nspots that she had been in the bloody chamber. \u201cSince thou hast gone\ninto the room against my will,\u201d said he, \u201cthou shalt go back into it\nagainst thine own. Thy life is ended.\u201d He threw her down, dragged her\nthither by her hair, cut her head off on the block, and hewed her in\npieces so that her blood ran on the ground. Then he threw her into the\nbasin with the rest.\n\n\u201cNow I will fetch myself the second,\u201d said the wizard, and again he\nwent to the house in the shape of a poor man, and begged. Then the\nsecond daughter brought him a piece of bread; he caught her like the\nfirst, by simply touching her, and carried her away. She did not fare\nbetter than her sister. She allowed herself to be led away by her\ncuriosity, opened the door of the bloody chamber, looked in, and had to\natone for it with her life on the wizard\u2019s return. Then he went and\nbrought the third sister, but she was clever and crafty. When he had\ngiven her the keys and the egg, and had left her, she first put the egg\naway with great care, and then she examined the house, and at last went\ninto the forbidden room. Alas, what did she behold! Both her sisters\nlay there in the basin, cruelly murdered, and cut in pieces. But she\nbegan to gather their limbs together and put them in order, head, body,\narms and legs. And when nothing further was wanting the limbs began to\nmove and unite themselves together, and both the maidens opened their\neyes and were once more alive. Then they rejoiced and kissed and\ncaressed each other.\n\nOn his arrival, the man at once demanded the keys and the egg, and as\nhe could perceive no trace of any blood on it, he said, \u201cThou hast\nstood the test, thou shalt be my bride.\u201d He now had no longer any power\nover her, and was forced to do whatsoever she desired. \u201cOh, very well,\u201d\nsaid she, \u201cthou shalt first take a basketful of gold to my father and\nmother, and carry it thyself on thy back; in the meantime I will\nprepare for the wedding.\u201d Then she ran to her sisters, whom she had\nhidden in a little chamber, and said, \u201cThe moment has come when I can\nsave you. The wretch shall himself carry you home again, but as soon as\nyou are at home send help to me.\u201d She put both of them in a basket and\ncovered them quite over with gold, so that nothing of them was to be\nseen, then she called in the wizard and said to him, \u201cNow carry the\nbasket away, but I shall look through my little window and watch to see\nif thou stoppest on the way to stand or to rest.\u201d\n\nThe wizard raised the basket on his back and went away with it, but it\nweighed him down so heavily that the perspiration streamed from his\nface. Then he sat down and wanted to rest awhile, but immediately one\nof the girls in the basket cried, \u201cI am looking through my little\nwindow, and I see that thou art resting. Wilt thou go on at once?\u201d He\nthought it was his bride who was calling that to him; and got up on his\nlegs again. Once more he was going to sit down, but instantly she\ncried, \u201cI am looking through my little window, and I see that thou art\nresting. Wilt thou go on directly?\u201d And whenever he stood still, she\ncried this, and then he was forced to go onwards, until at last,\ngroaning and out of breath, he took the basket with the gold and the\ntwo maidens into their parents\u2019 house. At home, however, the bride\nprepared the marriage-feast, and sent invitations to the friends of the\nwizard. Then she took a skull with grinning teeth, put some ornaments\non it and a wreath of flowers, carried it upstairs to the\ngarret-window, and let it look out from thence. When all was ready, she\ngot into a barrel of honey, and then cut the feather-bed open and\nrolled herself in it, until she looked like a wondrous bird, and no one\ncould recognize her. Then she went out of the house, and on her way she\nmet some of the wedding-guests, who asked,\n\n\u201cO, Fitcher\u2019s bird, how com\u2019st thou here?\u201d\n\u201cI come from Fitcher\u2019s house quite near.\u201d\n\u201cAnd what may the young bride be doing?\u201d\n\u201cFrom cellar to garret she\u2019s swept all clean,\nAnd now from the window she\u2019s peeping, I ween.\u201d\n\n\nAt last she met the bridegroom, who was coming slowly back. He, like\nthe others, asked,\n\n\u201cO, Fitcher\u2019s bird, how com\u2019st thou here?\u201d\n\u201cI come from Fitcher\u2019s house quite near.\u201d\n\u201cAnd what may the young bride be doing?\n\u201cFrom cellar to garret she\u2019s swept all clean,\nAnd now from the window she\u2019s peeping, I ween.\u201d\n\n\nThe bridegroom looked up, saw the decked-out skull, thought it was his\nbride, and nodded to her, greeting her kindly. But when he and his\nguests had all gone into the house, the brothers and kinsmen of the\nbride, who had been sent to rescue her, arrived. They locked all the\ndoors of the house, that no one might escape, set fire to it, and the\nwizard and all his crew had to burn.\n\n\n\n47 The Juniper-Tree\n\nIt is now long ago, quite two thousand years, since there was a rich\nman who had a beautiful and pious wife, and they loved each other\ndearly. They had, however, no children, though they wished for them\nvery much, and the woman prayed for them day and night, but still they\nhad none. Now there was a court-yard in front of their house in which\nwas a juniper-tree, and one day in winter the woman was standing\nbeneath it, paring herself an apple, and while she was paring herself\nthe apple she cut her finger, and the blood fell on the snow. \u201cAh,\u201d\nsaid the woman, and sighed right heavily, and looked at the blood\nbefore her, and was most unhappy, \u201cah, if I had but a child as red as\nblood and as white as snow!\u201d And while she thus spake, she became quite\nhappy in her mind, and felt just as if that were going to happen. Then\nshe went into the house and a month went by and the snow was gone, and\ntwo months, and then everything was green, and three months, and then\nall the flowers came out of the earth, and four months, and then all\nthe trees in the wood grew thicker, and the green branches were all\nclosely entwined, and the birds sang until the wood resounded and the\nblossoms fell from the trees, then the fifth month passed away and she\nstood under the juniper-tree, which smelt so sweetly that her heart\nleapt, and she fell on her knees and was beside herself with joy, and\nwhen the sixth month was over the fruit was large and fine, and then\nshe was quite still, and the seventh month she snatched at the\njuniper-berries and ate them greedily, then she grew sick and\nsorrowful, then the eighth month passed, and she called her husband to\nher, and wept and said, \u201cIf I die then bury me beneath the\njuniper-tree.\u201d Then she was quite comforted and happy until the next\nmonth was over, and then she had a child as white as snow and as red as\nblood, and when she beheld it she was so delighted that she died.\n\nThen her husband buried her beneath the juniper-tree, and he began to\nweep sore; after some time he was more at ease, and though he still\nwept he could bear it, and after some time longer he took another wife.\n\nBy the second wife he had a daughter, but the first wife\u2019s child was a\nlittle son, and he was as red as blood and as white as snow. When the\nwoman looked at her daughter she loved her very much, but then she\nlooked at the little boy and it seemed to cut her to the heart, for the\nthought came into her mind that he would always stand in her way, and\nshe was for ever thinking how she could get all the fortune for her\ndaughter, and the Evil One filled her mind with this till she was quite\nwroth with the little boy, and slapped him here and cuffed him there,\nuntil the unhappy child was in continual terror, for when he came out\nof school he had no peace in any place.\n\nOne day the woman had gone upstairs to her room, and her little\ndaughter went up too, and said, \u201cMother, give me an apple.\u201d \u201cYes, my\nchild,\u201d said the woman, and gave her a fine apple out of the chest, but\nthe chest had a great heavy lid with a great sharp iron lock. \u201cMother,\u201d\nsaid the little daughter, \u201cis brother not to have one too?\u201d This made\nthe woman angry, but she said, \u201cYes, when he comes out of school.\u201d And\nwhen she saw from the window that he was coming, it was just as if the\nDevil entered into her, and she snatched at the apple and took it away\nagain from her daughter, and said, \u201cThou shalt not have one before thy\nbrother.\u201d Then she threw the apple into the chest, and shut it. Then\nthe little boy came in at the door, and the Devil made her say to him\nkindly, \u201cMy son, wilt thou have an apple?\u201d and she looked wickedly at\nhim. \u201cMother,\u201d said the little boy, \u201chow dreadful you look! Yes, give\nme an apple.\u201d Then it seemed to her as if she were forced to say to\nhim, \u201cCome with me,\u201d and she opened the lid of the chest and said,\n\u201cTake out an apple for thyself,\u201d and while the little boy was stooping\ninside, the Devil prompted her, and crash! she shut the lid down, and\nhis head flew off and fell among the red apples. Then she was\noverwhelmed with terror, and thought, \u201cIf I could but make them think\nthat it was not done by me!\u201d So she went upstairs to her room to her\nchest of drawers, and took a white handkerchief out of the top drawer,\nand set the head on the neck again, and folded the handkerchief so that\nnothing could be seen, and she set him on a chair in front of the door,\nand put the apple in his hand.\n\nAfter this Marlinchen came into the kitchen to her mother, who was\nstanding by the fire with a pan of hot water before her which she was\nconstantly stirring round. \u201cMother,\u201d said Marlinchen, \u201cbrother is\nsitting at the door, and he looks quite white and has an apple in his\nhand. I asked him to give me the apple, but he did not answer me, and I\nwas quite frightened.\u201d \u201cGo back to him,\u201d said her mother, \u201cand if he\nwill not answer thee, give him a box on the ear.\u201d So Marlinchen went to\nhim and said, \u201cBrother, give me the apple.\u201d But he was silent, and she\ngave him a box on the ear, on which his head fell down. Marlinchen was\nterrified, and began crying and screaming, and ran to her mother, and\nsaid, \u201cAlas, mother, I have knocked my brother\u2019s head off!\u201d and she\nwept and wept and could not be comforted. \u201cMarlinchen,\u201d said the\nmother, \u201cwhat hast thou done? but be quiet and let no one know it; it\ncannot be helped now, we will make him into black-puddings.\u201d Then the\nmother took the little boy and chopped him in pieces, put him into the\npan and made him into black puddings; but Marlinchen stood by weeping\nand weeping, and all her tears fell into the pan and there was no need\nof any salt.\n\nThen the father came home, and sat down to dinner and said, \u201cBut where\nis my son?\u201d And the mother served up a great dish of black-puddings,\nand Marlinchen wept and could not leave off. Then the father again\nsaid, \u201cBut where is my son?\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said the mother, \u201che has gone across\nthe country to his mother\u2019s great uncle; he will stay there awhile.\u201d\n\u201cAnd what is he going to do there? He did not even say good-bye to me.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, he wanted to go, and asked me if he might stay six weeks, he is\nwell taken care of there.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said the man, \u201cI feel so unhappy lest\nall should not be right. He ought to have said good-bye to me.\u201d With\nthat he began to eat and said, \u201cMarlinchen, why art thou crying? Thy\nbrother will certainly come back.\u201d Then he said, \u201cAh, wife, how\ndelicious this food is, give me some more.\u201d And the more he ate the\nmore he wanted to have, and he said, \u201cGive me some more, you shall have\nnone of it. It seems to me as if it were all mine.\u201d And he ate and ate\nand threw all the bones under the table, until he had finished the\nwhole. But Marlinchen went away to her chest of drawers, and took her\nbest silk handkerchief out of the bottom drawer, and got all the bones\nfrom beneath the table, and tied them up in her silk handkerchief, and\ncarried them outside the door, weeping tears of blood. Then the\njuniper-tree began to stir itself, and the branches parted asunder, and\nmoved together again, just as if some one was rejoicing and clapping\nhis hands. At the same time a mist seemed to arise from the tree, and\nin the centre of this mist it burned like a fire, and a beautiful bird\nflew out of the fire singing magnificently, and he flew high up in the\nair, and when he was gone, the juniper-tree was just as it had been\nbefore, and the handkerchief with the bones was no longer there.\nMarlinchen, however, was as gay and happy as if her brother were still\nalive. And she went merrily into the house, and sat down to dinner and\nate.\n\nBut the bird flew away and lighted on a goldsmith\u2019s house, and began to\nsing,\n\n\u201cMy mother she killed me,\nMy father he ate me,\nMy sister, little Marlinchen,\nGathered together all my bones,\nTied them in a silken handkerchief,\nLaid them beneath the juniper-tree,\nKywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u201d\n\n\nThe goldsmith was sitting in his workshop making a gold chain, when he\nheard the bird which was sitting singing on his roof, and very\nbeautiful the song seemed to him. He stood up, but as he crossed the\nthreshold he lost one of his slippers. But he went away right up the\nmiddle of the street with one shoe on and one sock; he had his apron\non, and in one hand he had the gold chain and in the other the pincers,\nand the sun was shining brightly on the street. Then he went right on\nand stood still, and said to the bird, \u201cBird,\u201d said he then, \u201chow\nbeautifully thou canst sing! Sing me that piece again.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said the\nbird, \u201cI\u2019ll not sing it twice for nothing! Give me the golden chain,\nand then I will sing it again for thee.\u201d \u201cThere,\u201d said the goldsmith,\n\u201cthere is the golden chain for thee, now sing me that song again.\u201d Then\nthe bird came and took the golden chain in his right claw, and went and\nsat in front of the goldsmith, and sang,\n\n\u201cMy mother she killed me,\nMy father he ate me,\nMy sister, little Marlinchen,\nGathered together all my bones,\nTied them in a silken handkerchief,\nLaid them beneath the juniper-tree,\nKywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u201d\n\n\nThen the bird flew away to a shoemaker, and lighted on his roof and\nsang,\n\n\u201cMy mother she killed me,\nMy father he ate me,\nMy sister, little Marlinchen,\nGathered together all my bones,\nTied them in a silken handkerchief,\nLaid them beneath the juniper-tree,\nKywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u201d\n\n\nThe shoemaker heard that and ran out of doors in his shirt sleeves, and\nlooked up at his roof, and was forced to hold his hand before his eyes\nlest the sun should blind him. \u201cBird,\u201d said he, \u201chow beautifully thou\ncanst sing!\u201d Then he called in at his door, \u201cWife, just come outside,\nthere is a bird, look at that bird, he just can sing well.\u201d Then he\ncalled his daughter and children, and apprentices, boys and girls, and\nthey all came up the street and looked at the bird and saw how\nbeautiful he was, and what fine red and green feathers he had, and how\nlike real gold his neck was, and how the eyes in his head shone like\nstars. \u201cBird,\u201d said the shoemaker, \u201cnow sing me that song again.\u201d\n\u201cNay,\u201d said the bird, \u201cI do not sing twice for nothing; thou must give\nme something.\u201d \u201cWife,\u201d said the man, \u201cgo to the garret, upon the top\nshelf there stands a pair of red shoes, bring them down.\u201d Then the wife\nwent and brought the shoes. \u201cThere, bird,\u201d said the man, \u201cnow sing me\nthat piece again.\u201d Then the bird came and took the shoes in his left\nclaw, and flew back on the roof, and sang,\n\n\u201cMy mother she killed me,\nMy father he ate me,\nMy sister, little Marlinchen,\nGathered together all my bones,\nTied them in a silken handkerchief,\nLaid them beneath the juniper-tree,\nKywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u201d\n\n\nAnd when he had sung the whole he flew away. In his right claw he had\nthe chain and the shoes in his left, and he flew far away to a mill,\nand the mill went, \u201cklipp klapp, klipp klapp, klipp klapp,\u201d and in the\nmill sat twenty miller\u2019s men hewing a stone, and cutting, hick hack,\nhick hack, hick hack, and the mill went klipp klapp, klipp klapp, klipp\nklapp. Then the bird went and sat on a lime-tree which stood in front\nof the mill, and sang,\n\n\u201cMy mother she killed me,\u201d\n\n\nThen one of them stopped working,\n\n\u201cMy father he ate me.\u201d\n\n\nThen two more stopped working and listened to that,\n\n\u201cMy sister, little Marlinchen,\u201d\n\n\nThen four more stopped,\n\n\u201cGathered together all my bones,\nTied them in a silken handkerchief,\u201d\n\n\nNow eight only were hewing,\n\n\u201cLaid them beneath\u201d\n\n\nNow only five,\n\n\u201cThe juniper-tree,\u201d\n\n\nAnd now only one,\n\n\u201cKywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u201d\n\n\nThen the last stopped also, and heard the last words. \u201cBird,\u201d said he,\n\u201chow beautifully thou singest! Let me, too, hear that. Sing that once\nmore for me.\u201d\n\n\u201cNay,\u201d said the bird, \u201cI will not sing twice for nothing. Give me the\nmillstone, and then I will sing it again.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said he, \u201cif it belonged to me only, thou shouldst have it.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said the others, \u201cif he sings again he shall have it.\u201d Then the\nbird came down, and the twenty millers all set to work with a beam and\nraised the stone up. And the bird stuck his neck through the hole, and\nput the stone on as if it were a collar, and flew on to the tree again,\nand sang,\n\n\u201cMy mother she killed me,\nMy father he ate me,\nMy sister, little Marlinchen,\nGathered together all my bones,\nTied them in a silken handkerchief,\nLaid them beneath the juniper-tree,\nKywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u201d\n\n\nAnd when he had done singing, he spread his wings, and in his right\nclaw he had the chain, and in his left the shoes, and round his neck\nthe millstone, and he flew far away to his father\u2019s house.\n\nIn the room sat the father, the mother, and Marlinchen at dinner, and\nthe father said, \u201cHow light-hearted I feel, how happy I am!\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d\nsaid the mother, \u201cI feel so uneasy, just as if a heavy storm were\ncoming.\u201d Marlinchen, however, sat weeping and weeping, and then came\nthe bird flying, and as it seated itself on the roof the father said,\n\u201cAh, I feel so truly happy, and the sun is shining so beautifully\noutside, I feel just as if I were about to see some old friend again.\u201d\n\u201cNay,\u201d said the woman, \u201cI feel so anxious, my teeth chatter, and I seem\nto have fire in my veins.\u201d And she tore her stays open, but Marlinchen\nsat in a corner crying, and held her plate before her eyes and cried\ntill it was quite wet. Then the bird sat on the juniper tree, and sang,\n\n\u201cMy mother she killed me,\u201d\n\n\nThen the mother stopped her ears, and shut her eyes, and would not see\nor hear, but there was a roaring in her ears like the most violent\nstorm, and her eyes burnt and flashed like lightning,\n\n\u201cMy father he ate me,\u201d\n\n\n\u201cAh, mother,\u201d says the man, \u201cthat is a beautiful bird! He sings so\nsplendidly, and the sun shines so warm, and there is a smell just like\ncinnamon.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy sister, little Marlinchen,\u201d\n\n\nThen Marlinchen laid her head on her knees and wept without ceasing,\nbut the man said, \u201cI am going out, I must see the bird quite close.\u201d\n\u201cOh, don\u2019t go,\u201d said the woman, \u201cI feel as if the whole house were\nshaking and on fire.\u201d But the man went out and looked at the bird:\n\n\u201cGathered together all my bones,\nTied them in a silken handkerchief,\nLaid them beneath the juniper tree,\nKywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u201d\n\n\nOn this the bird let the golden chain fall, and it fell exactly round\nthe man\u2019s neck, and so exactly round it that it fitted beautifully.\nThen he went in and said, \u201cJust look what a fine bird that is, and what\na handsome gold chain he has given me, and how pretty he is!\u201d But the\nwoman was terrified, and fell down on the floor in the room, and her\ncap fell off her head. Then sang the bird once more,\n\n\u201cMy mother she killed me.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cWould that I were a thousand feet beneath the earth so as not to hear\nthat!\u201d\n\n\u201cMy father he ate me,\u201d\n\n\nThen the woman fell down again as if dead.\n\n\u201cMy sister, little Marlinchen,\u201d\n\n\n\u201cAh,\u201d said Marlinchen, \u201cI too will go out and see if the bird will give\nme anything,\u201d and she went out.\n\n\u201cGathered together all my bones,\nTied them in a silken handkerchief,\u201d\n\n\nThen he threw down the shoes to her.\n\n\u201cLaid them beneath the juniper-tree,\nKywitt, kywitt, what a beautiful bird am I!\u201d\n\n\nThen she was light-hearted and joyous, and she put on the new red\nshoes, and danced and leaped into the house. \u201cAh,\u201d said she, \u201cI was so\nsad when I went out and now I am so light-hearted; that is a splendid\nbird, he has given me a pair of red shoes!\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d said the woman, and\nsprang to her feet and her hair stood up like flames of fire, \u201cI feel\nas if the world were coming to an end! I, too, will go out and see if\nmy heart feels lighter.\u201d And as she went out at the door, crash! the\nbird threw down the millstone on her head, and she was entirely crushed\nby it. The father and Marlinchen heard what had happened and went out,\nand smoke, flames, and fire were rising from the place, and when that\nwas over, there stood the little brother, and he took his father and\nMarlinchen by the hand, and all three were right glad, and they went\ninto the house to dinner, and ate.\n\n\n\n48 Old Sultan\n\nA farmer once had a faithful dog called Sultan, who had grown old, and\nlost all his teeth, so that he could no longer hold anything fast. One\nday the farmer was standing with his wife before the house-door, and\nsaid, \u201cTo-morrow I intend to shoot Old Sultan, he is no longer of any\nuse.\u201d\n\nHis wife, who felt pity for the faithful beast, answered, \u201cHe has\nserved us so long, and been so faithful, that we might well give him\nhis keep.\u201d\n\n\u201cEh! what?\u201d said the man. \u201cYou are not very sharp. He has not a tooth\nleft in his mouth, and not a thief is afraid of him; now he may be off.\nIf he has served us, he has had good feeding for it.\u201d\n\nThe poor dog, who was lying stretched out in the sun not far off, had\nheard everything, and was sorry that the morrow was to be his last day.\nHe had a good friend, the wolf, and he crept out in the evening into\nthe forest to him, and complained of the fate that awaited him. \u201cHark\nye, gossip,\u201d said the wolf, \u201cbe of good cheer, I will help you out of\nyour trouble. I have thought of something. To-morrow, early in the\nmorning, your master is going with his wife to make hay, and they will\ntake their little child with them, for no one will be left behind in\nthe house. They are wont, during work-time, to lay the child under the\nhedge in the shade; you lay yourself there too, just as if you wished\nto guard it. Then I will come out of the wood, and carry off the child.\nYou must rush swiftly after me, as if you would seize it again from me.\nI will let it fall, and you will take it back to its parents, who will\nthink that you have saved it, and will be far too grateful to do you\nany harm; on the contrary, you will be in high favor, and they will\nnever let you want for anything again.\u201d\n\nThe plan pleased the dog, and it was carried out just as it was\narranged. The father screamed when he saw the Wolf running across the\nfield with his child, but when Old Sultan brought it back, then he was\nfull of joy, and stroked him and said, \u201cNot a hair of yours shall be\nhurt, you shall eat my bread free as long as you live.\u201d And to his wife\nhe said, \u201cGo home at once and make Old Sultan some bread-sop that he\nwill not have to bite, and bring the pillow out of my bed, I will give\nhim that to lie upon.\u201d\n\nHenceforth Old Sultan was as well off as he could wish to be.\n\nSoon afterwards the wolf visited him, and was pleased that everything\nhad succeeded so well. \u201cBut, gossip,\u201d said he, \u201cyou will just wink an\neye if when I have a chance, I carry off one of your master\u2019s fat\nsheep.\u201d \u201cDo not reckon upon that,\u201d answered the dog; \u201cI will remain\ntrue to my master; I cannot agree to that.\u201d The wolf, who thought that\nthis could not be spoken in earnest, came creeping about in the night\nand was going to take away the sheep. But the farmer, to whom the\nfaithful Sultan had told the wolf\u2019s plan, caught him and dressed his\nhide soundly with the flail. The wolf had to pack off, but he cried out\nto the dog, \u201cWait a bit, you scoundrel, you shall pay for this.\u201d\n\nThe next morning the wolf sent the boar to challenge the dog to come\nout into the forest so that they might settle the affair. Old Sultan\ncould find no one to stand by him but a cat with only three legs, and\nas they went out together the poor cat limped along, and at the same\ntime stretched out her tail into the air with pain.\n\nThe wolf and his friend were already on the spot appointed, but when\nthey saw their enemy coming they thought that he was bringing a sabre\nwith him, for they mistook the outstretched tail of the cat for one.\nAnd when the poor beast hopped on its three legs, they could only think\nevery time that it was picking up a stone to throw at them. So they\nwere both afraid; the wild boar crept into the under-wood and the wolf\njumped up a tree.\n\nThe dog and the cat, when they came up, wondered that there was no one\nto be seen. The wild boar, however, had not been able to hide himself\naltogether; and one of his ears was still to be seen. Whilst the cat\nwas looking carefully about, the boar moved his ear; the cat, who\nthought it was a mouse moving there, jumped upon it and bit it hard.\nThe boar made a fearful noise and ran away, crying out, \u201cThe guilty one\nis up in the tree.\u201d The dog and cat looked up and saw the wolf, who was\nashamed of having shown himself so timid, and made friends with the\ndog.\n\n\n\n49 The Six Swans\n\nOnce upon a time, a certain King was hunting in a great forest, and he\nchased a wild beast so eagerly that none of his attendants could follow\nhim. When evening drew near he stopped and looked around him, and then\nhe saw that he had lost his way. He sought a way out, but could find\nnone. Then he perceived an aged woman with a head which nodded\nperpetually, who came towards him, but she was a witch. \u201cGood woman,\u201d\nsaid he to her, \u201cCan you not show me the way through the forest?\u201d \u201cOh,\nyes, Lord King,\u201d she answered, \u201cthat I certainly can, but on one\ncondition, and if you do not fulfil that, you will never get out of the\nforest, and will die of hunger in it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat kind of condition is it?\u201d asked the King.\n\n\u201cI have a daughter,\u201d said the old woman, \u201cwho is as beautiful as any\none in the world, and well deserves to be your consort, and if you will\nmake her your Queen, I will show you the way out of the forest.\u201d In the\nanguish of his heart the King consented, and the old woman led him to\nher little hut, where her daughter was sitting by the fire. She\nreceived the King as if she had been expecting him, and he saw that she\nwas very beautiful, but still she did not please him, and he could not\nlook at her without secret horror. After he had taken the maiden up on\nhis horse, the old woman showed him the way, and the King reached his\nroyal palace again, where the wedding was celebrated.\n\nThe King had already been married once, and had by his first wife,\nseven children, six boys and a girl, whom he loved better than anything\nelse in the world. As he now feared that the step-mother might not\ntreat them well, and even do them some injury, he took them to a lonely\ncastle which stood in the midst of a forest. It lay so concealed, and\nthe way was so difficult to find that he himself would not have found\nit, if a wise woman had not given him a ball of yarn with wonderful\nproperties. When he threw it down before him, it unrolled itself and\nshowed him his path. The King, however, went so frequently away to his\ndear children that the Queen observed his absence; she was curious and\nwanted to know what he did when he was quite alone in the forest. She\ngave a great deal of money to his servants, and they betrayed the\nsecret to her, and told her likewise of the ball which alone could\npoint out the way. And now she knew no rest until she had learnt where\nthe King kept the ball of yarn, and then she made little shirts of\nwhite silk, and as she had learnt the art of witchcraft from her\nmother, she sewed a charm inside them. And once when the King had\nridden forth to hunt, she took the little shirts and went into the\nforest, and the ball showed her the way. The children, who saw from a\ndistance that some one was approaching, thought that their dear father\nwas coming to them, and full of joy, ran to meet him. Then she threw\none of the little shirts over each of them, and no sooner had the\nshirts touched their bodies than they were changed into swans, and flew\naway over the forest. The Queen went home quite delighted, and thought\nshe had got rid of her step-children, but the girl had not run out with\nher brothers, and the Queen knew nothing about her. Next day the King\nwent to visit his children, but he found no one but the little girl.\n\u201cWhere are thy brothers?\u201d asked the King. \u201cAlas, dear father,\u201d she\nanswered, \u201cthey have gone away and left me alone!\u201d and she told him\nthat she had seen from her little window how her brothers had flown\naway over the forest in the shape of swans, and she showed him the\nfeathers, which they had let fall in the courtyard, and which she had\npicked up. The King mourned, but he did not think that the Queen had\ndone this wicked deed, and as he feared that the girl would also be\nstolen away from him, he wanted to take her away with him. But she was\nafraid of her step-mother, and entreated the King to let her stay just\nthis one night more in the forest castle.\n\nThe poor girl thought, \u201cI can no longer stay here. I will go and seek\nmy brothers.\u201d And when night came, she ran away, and went straight into\nthe forest. She walked the whole night long, and next day also without\nstopping, until she could go no farther for weariness. Then she saw a\nforest-hut, and went into it, and found a room with six little beds,\nbut she did not venture to get into one of them, but crept under one,\nand lay down on the hard ground, intending to pass the night there.\nJust before sunset, however, she heard a rustling, and saw six swans\ncome flying in at the window. They alighted on the ground and blew at\neach other, and blew all the feathers off, and their swan\u2019s skins\nstripped off like a shirt. Then the maiden looked at them and\nrecognized her brothers, was glad and crept forth from beneath the bed.\nThe brothers were not less delighted to see their little sister, but\ntheir joy was of short duration. \u201cHere canst thou not abide,\u201d they said\nto her. \u201cThis is a shelter for robbers, if they come home and find\nthee, they will kill thee.\u201d \u201cBut can you not protect me?\u201d asked the\nlittle sister. \u201cNo,\u201d they replied, \u201conly for one quarter of an hour\neach evening can we lay aside our swan\u2019s skins and have during that\ntime our human form; after that, we are once more turned into swans.\u201d\nThe little sister wept and said, \u201cCan you not be set free?\u201d \u201cAlas, no,\u201d\nthey answered, \u201cthe conditions are too hard! For six years thou mayst\nneither speak nor laugh, and in that time thou must sew together six\nlittle shirts of starwort for us. And if one single word falls from thy\nlips, all thy work will be lost.\u201d And when the brothers had said this,\nthe quarter of an hour was over, and they flew out of the window again\nas swans.\n\nThe maiden, however, firmly resolved to deliver her brothers, even if\nit should cost her her life. She left the hut, went into the midst of\nthe forest, seated herself on a tree, and there passed the night. Next\nmorning she went out and gathered starwort and began to sew. She could\nnot speak to any one, and she had no inclination to laugh; she sat\nthere and looked at nothing but her work. When she had already spent a\nlong time there it came to pass that the King of the country was\nhunting in the forest, and his huntsmen came to the tree on which the\nmaiden was sitting. They called to her and said, \u201cWho art thou?\u201d But\nshe made no answer. \u201cCome down to us,\u201d said they. \u201cWe will not do thee\nany harm.\u201d She only shook her head. As they pressed her further with\nquestions she threw her golden necklace down to them, and thought to\ncontent them thus. They, however, did not cease, and then she threw her\ngirdle down to them, and as this also was to no purpose, her garters,\nand by degrees everything that she had on that she could do without\nuntil she had nothing left but her shift. The huntsmen, however, did\nnot let themselves be turned aside by that, but climbed the tree and\nfetched the maiden down and led her before the King. The King asked,\n\u201cWho art thou? What art thou doing on the tree?\u201d But she did not\nanswer. He put the question in every language that he knew, but she\nremained as mute as a fish. As she was so beautiful, the King\u2019s heart\nwas touched, and he was smitten with a great love for her. He put his\nmantle on her, took her before him on his horse, and carried her to his\ncastle. Then he caused her to be dressed in rich garments, and she\nshone in her beauty like bright daylight, but no word could be drawn\nfrom her. He placed her by his side at table, and her modest bearing\nand courtesy pleased him so much that he said, \u201cShe is the one whom I\nwish to marry, and no other woman in the world.\u201d And after some days he\nunited himself to her.\n\nThe King, however, had a wicked mother who was dissatisfied with this\nmarriage and spoke ill of the young Queen. \u201cWho knows,\u201d said she, \u201cfrom\nwhence the creature who can\u2019t speak, comes? She is not worthy of a\nking!\u201d After a year had passed, when the Queen brought her first child\ninto the world, the old woman took it away from her, and smeared her\nmouth with blood as she slept. Then she went to the King and accused\nthe Queen of being a man-eater. The King would not believe it, and\nwould not suffer any one to do her any injury. She, however, sat\ncontinually sewing at the shirts, and cared for nothing else. The next\ntime, when she again bore a beautiful boy, the false step-mother used\nthe same treachery, but the King could not bring himself to give credit\nto her words. He said, \u201cShe is too pious and good to do anything of\nthat kind; if she were not dumb, and could defend herself, her\ninnocence would come to light.\u201d But when the old woman stole away the\nnewly-born child for the third time, and accused the Queen, who did not\nutter one word of defence, the King could do no otherwise than deliver\nher over to justice, and she was sentenced to suffer death by fire.\n\nWhen the day came for the sentence to be executed, it was the last day\nof the six years during which she was not to speak or laugh, and she\nhad delivered her dear brothers from the power of the enchantment. The\nsix shirts were ready, only the left sleeve of the sixth was wanting.\nWhen, therefore, she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her\narm, and when she stood on high and the fire was just going to be\nlighted, she looked around and six swans came flying through the air\ntowards her. Then she saw that her deliverance was near, and her heart\nleapt with joy. The swans swept towards her and sank down so that she\ncould throw the shirts over them, and as they were touched by them,\ntheir swan\u2019s skins fell off, and her brothers stood in their own bodily\nform before her, and were vigorous and handsome. The youngest only\nlacked his left arm, and had in the place of it a swan\u2019s wing on his\nshoulder. They embraced and kissed each other, and the Queen went to\nthe King, who was greatly moved, and she began to speak and said,\n\u201cDearest husband, now I may speak and declare to thee that I am\ninnocent, and falsely accused.\u201d And she told him of the treachery of\nthe old woman who had taken away her three children and hidden them.\nThen to the great joy of the King they were brought thither, and as a\npunishment, the wicked step-mother was bound to the stake, and burnt to\nashes. But the King and the Queen with their six brothers lived many\nyears in happiness and peace.\n\n\n\n50 Briar-Rose\n\nA long time ago there were a King and Queen who said every day, \u201cAh, if\nonly we had a child!\u201d but they never had one. But it happened that once\nwhen the Queen was bathing, a frog crept out of the water on to the\nland, and said to her, \u201cYour wish shall be fulfilled; before a year has\ngone by, you shall have a daughter.\u201d\n\nWhat the frog had said came true, and the Queen had a little girl who\nwas so pretty that the King could not contain himself for joy, and\nordered a great feast. He invited not only his kindred, friends and\nacquaintance, but also the Wise Women, in order that they might be kind\nand well-disposed towards the child. There were thirteen of them in his\nkingdom, but, as he had only twelve golden plates for them to eat out\nof, one of them had to be left at home.\n\nThe feast was held with all manner of splendour and when it came to an\nend the Wise Women bestowed their magic gifts upon the baby: one gave\nvirtue, another beauty, a third riches, and so on with everything in\nthe world that one can wish for.\n\nWhen eleven of them had made their promises, suddenly the thirteenth\ncame in. She wished to avenge herself for not having been invited, and\nwithout greeting, or even looking at any one, she cried with a loud\nvoice, \u201cThe King\u2019s daughter shall in her fifteenth year prick herself\nwith a spindle, and fall down dead.\u201d And, without saying a word more,\nshe turned round and left the room.\n\nThey were all shocked; but the twelfth, whose good wish still remained\nunspoken, came forward, and as she could not undo the evil sentence,\nbut only soften it, she said, \u201cIt shall not be death, but a deep sleep\nof a hundred years, into which the princess shall fall.\u201d\n\nThe King, who would fain keep his dear child from the misfortune, gave\norders that every spindle in the whole kingdom should be burnt.\nMeanwhile the gifts of the Wise Women were plenteously fulfilled on the\nyoung girl, for she was so beautiful, modest, good-natured, and wise,\nthat everyone who saw her was bound to love her.\n\nIt happened that on the very day when she was fifteen years old, the\nKing and Queen were not at home, and the maiden was left in the palace\nquite alone. So she went round into all sorts of places, looked into\nrooms and bed-chambers just as she liked, and at last came to an old\ntower. She climbed up the narrow winding-staircase, and reached a\nlittle door. A rusty key was in the lock, and when she turned it the\ndoor sprang open, and there in a little room sat an old woman with a\nspindle, busily spinning her flax.\n\n\u201cGood day, old dame,\u201d said the King\u2019s daughter; \u201cwhat are you doing\nthere?\u201d \u201cI am spinning,\u201d said the old woman, and nodded her head. \u201cWhat\nsort of thing is that, that rattles round so merrily?\u201d said the girl,\nand she took the spindle and wanted to spin too. But scarcely had she\ntouched the spindle when the magic decree was fulfilled, and she\npricked her finger with it.\n\nAnd, in the very moment when she felt the prick, she fell down upon the\nbed that stood there, and lay in a deep sleep. And this sleep extended\nover the whole palace; the King and Queen who had just come home, and\nhad entered the great hall, began to go to sleep, and the whole of the\ncourt with them. The horses, too, went to sleep in the stable, the dogs\nin the yard, the pigeons upon the roof, the flies on the wall; even the\nfire that was flaming on the hearth became quiet and slept, the roast\nmeat left off frizzling, and the cook, who was just going to pull the\nhair of the scullery boy, because he had forgotten something, let him\ngo, and went to sleep. And the wind fell, and on the trees before the\ncastle not a leaf moved again.\n\nBut round about the castle there began to grow a hedge of thorns, which\nevery year became higher, and at last grew close up round the castle\nand all over it, so that there was nothing of it to be seen, not even\nthe flag upon the roof. But the story of the beautiful sleeping\n\u201cBriar-rose,\u201d for so the princess was named, went about the country, so\nthat from time to time kings\u2019 sons came and tried to get through the\nthorny hedge into the castle.\n\nBut they found it impossible, for the thorns held fast together, as if\nthey had hands, and the youths were caught in them, could not get loose\nagain, and died a miserable death.\n\nAfter long, long years a King\u2019s son came again to that country, and\nheard an old man talking about the thorn-hedge, and that a castle was\nsaid to stand behind it in which a wonderfully beautiful princess,\nnamed Briar-rose, had been asleep for a hundred years; and that the\nKing and Queen and the whole court were asleep likewise. He had heard,\ntoo, from his grandfather, that many kings\u2019 sons had already come, and\nhad tried to get through the thorny hedge, but they had remained\nsticking fast in it, and had died a pitiful death. Then the youth said,\n\u201cI am not afraid, I will go and see the beautiful Briar-rose.\u201d The good\nold man might dissuade him as he would, he did not listen to his words.\n\nBut by this time the hundred years had just passed, and the day had\ncome when Briar-rose was to awake again. When the King\u2019s son came near\nto the thorn-hedge, it was nothing but large and beautiful flowers,\nwhich parted from each other of their own accord, and let him pass\nunhurt, then they closed again behind him like a hedge. In the\ncastle-yard he saw the horses and the spotted hounds lying asleep; on\nthe roof sat the pigeons with their heads under their wings. And when\nhe entered the house, the flies were asleep upon the wall, the cook in\nthe kitchen was still holding out his hand to seize the boy, and the\nmaid was sitting by the black hen which she was going to pluck.\n\nHe went on farther, and in the great hall he saw the whole of the court\nlying asleep, and up by the throne lay the King and Queen.\n\nThen he went on still farther, and all was so quiet that a breath could\nbe heard, and at last he came to the tower, and opened the door into\nthe little room where Briar-rose was sleeping. There she lay, so\nbeautiful that he could not turn his eyes away; and he stooped down and\ngave her a kiss. But as soon as he kissed her, Briar-rose opened her\neyes and awoke, and looked at him quite sweetly.\n\nThen they went down together, and the King awoke, and the Queen, and\nthe whole court, and looked at each other in great astonishment. And\nthe horses in the court-yard stood up and shook themselves; the hounds\njumped up and wagged their tails; the pigeons upon the roof pulled out\ntheir heads from under their wings, looked round, and flew into the\nopen country; the flies on the wall crept again; the fire in the\nkitchen burned up and flickered and cooked the meat; the joint began to\nturn and frizzle again, and the cook gave the boy such a box on the ear\nthat he screamed, and the maid plucked the fowl ready for the spit.\n\nAnd then the marriage of the King\u2019s son with Briar-rose was celebrated\nwith all splendour, and they lived contented to the end of their days.\n\n\n\n51 Fundevogel (Bird-foundling)\n\nThere was once a forester who went into the forest to hunt, and as he\nentered it he heard a sound of screaming as if a little child were\nthere. He followed the sound, and at last came to a high tree, and at\nthe top of this a little child was sitting, for the mother had fallen\nasleep under the tree with the child, and a bird of prey had seen it in\nher arms, had flown down, snatched it away, and set it on the high\ntree.\n\nThe forester climbed up, brought the child down, and thought to\nhimself, \u201cThou wilt take him home with thee, and bring him up with thy\nLina.\u201d He took it home, therefore, and the two children grew up\ntogether. The one, however, which he had found on a tree was called\nFundevogel, because a bird had carried it away. Fundevogel and Lina\nloved each other so dearly that when they did not see each other they\nwere sad.\n\nThe forester, however, had an old cook, who one evening took two pails\nand began to fetch water, and did not go once only, but many times, out\nto the spring. Lina saw this and said, \u201cHark you, old Sanna, why are\nyou fetching so much water?\u201d \u201cIf thou wilt never repeat it to anyone, I\nwill tell thee why.\u201d So Lina said, no, she would never repeat it to\nanyone, and then the cook said, \u201cEarly to-morrow morning, when the\nforester is out hunting, I will heat the water, and when it is boiling\nin the kettle, I will throw in Fundevogel, and will boil him in it.\u201d\n\nBetimes next morning the forester got up and went out hunting, and when\nhe was gone the children were still in bed. Then Lina said to\nFundevogel, \u201cIf thou wilt never leave me, I too will never leave thee.\u201d\nFundevogel said, \u201cNeither now, nor ever will I leave thee.\u201d Then said\nLina, \u201cThen I will tell thee. Last night, old Sanna carried so many\nbuckets of water into the house that I asked her why she was doing\nthat, and she said that if I would promise not to tell any one she\nwould tell me, and I said I would be sure not to tell any one, and she\nsaid that early to-morrow morning when father was out hunting, she\nwould set the kettle full of water, throw thee into it and boil thee;\nbut we will get up quickly, dress ourselves, and go away together.\u201d\n\nThe two children therefore got up, dressed themselves quickly, and went\naway. When the water in the kettle was boiling, the cook went into the\nbed-room to fetch Fundevogel and throw him into it. But when she came\nin, and went to the beds, both the children were gone. Then she was\nterribly alarmed, and she said to herself, \u201cWhat shall I say now when\nthe forester comes home and sees that the children are gone? They must\nbe followed instantly to get them back again.\u201d\n\nThen the cook sent three servants after them, who were to run and\novertake the children. The children, however, were sitting outside the\nforest, and when they saw from afar the three servants running, Lina\nsaid to Fundevogel, \u201cNever leave me, and I will never leave thee.\u201d\nFundevogel said, \u201cNeither now, nor ever.\u201d Then said Lina, \u201cDo thou\nbecome a rose-tree, and I the rose upon it.\u201d When the three servants\ncame to the forest, nothing was there but a rose-tree and one rose on\nit, but the children were nowhere. Then said they, \u201cThere is nothing to\nbe done here,\u201d and they went home and told the cook that they had seen\nnothing in the forest but a little rose-bush with one rose on it. Then\nthe old cook scolded and said, \u201cYou simpletons, you should have cut the\nrose-bush in two, and have broken off the rose and brought it home with\nyou; go, and do it once.\u201d They had therefore to go out and look for the\nsecond time. The children, however, saw them coming from a distance.\nThen Lina said, \u201cFundevogel, never leave me, and I will never leave\nthee.\u201d Fundevogel said, \u201cNeither now, nor ever.\u201d Said Lina, \u201cThen do\nthou become a church, and I\u2019ll be the chandelier in it.\u201d So when the\nthree servants came, nothing was there but a church, with a chandelier\nin it. They said therefore to each other, \u201cWhat can we do here, let us\ngo home.\u201d When they got home, the cook asked if they had not found\nthem; so they said no, they had found nothing but a church, and that\nthere was a chandelier in it. And the cook scolded them and said, \u201cYou\nfools! why did you not pull the church to pieces, and bring the\nchandelier home with you?\u201d And now the old cook herself got on her\nlegs, and went with the three servants in pursuit of the children. The\nchildren, however, saw from afar that the three servants were coming,\nand the cook waddling after them. Then said Lina, \u201cFundevogel, never\nleave me, and I will never leave thee.\u201d Then said Fundevogel, \u201cNeither\nnow, nor ever.\u201d Said Lina, \u201cBe a fishpond, and I will be the duck upon\nit.\u201d The cook, however, came up to them, and when she saw the pond she\nlay down by it, and was about to drink it up. But the duck swam quickly\nto her, seized her head in its beak and drew her into the water, and\nthere the old witch had to drown. Then the children went home together,\nand were heartily delighted, and if they are not dead, they are living\nstill.\n\n\n\n52 King Thrushbeard\n\nA King had a daughter who was beautiful beyond all measure, but so\nproud and haughty withal that no suitor was good enough for her. She\nsent away one after the other, and ridiculed them as well.\n\nOnce the King made a great feast and invited thereto, from far and\nnear, all the young men likely to marry. They were all marshalled in a\nrow according to their rank and standing; first came the kings, then\nthe grand-dukes, then the princes, the earls, the barons, and the\ngentry. Then the King\u2019s daughter was led through the ranks, but to\nevery one she had some objection to make; one was too fat, \u201cThe\nwine-cask,\u201d she said. Another was too tall, \u201cLong and thin has little\nin.\u201d The third was too short, \u201cShort and thick is never quick.\u201d The\nfourth was too pale, \u201cAs pale as death.\u201d The fifth too red, \u201cA\nfighting-cock.\u201d The sixth was not straight enough, \u201cA green log dried\nbehind the stove.\u201d\n\nSo she had something to say against every one, but she made herself\nespecially merry over a good king who stood quite high up in the row,\nand whose chin had grown a little crooked. \u201cWell,\u201d she cried and\nlaughed, \u201che has a chin like a thrush\u2019s beak!\u201d and from that time he\ngot the name of King Thrushbeard.\n\nBut the old King, when he saw that his daugher did nothing but mock the\npeople, and despised all the suitors who were gathered there, was very\nangry, and swore that she should have for her husband the very first\nbeggar that came to his doors.\n\nA few days afterwards a fiddler came and sang beneath the windows,\ntrying to earn a small alms. When the King heard him he said, \u201cLet him\ncome up.\u201d So the fiddler came in, in his dirty, ragged clothes, and\nsang before the King and his daughter, and when he had ended he asked\nfor a trifling gift. The King said, \u201cYour song has pleased me so well\nthat I will give you my daughter there, to wife.\u201d\n\nThe King\u2019s daughter shuddered, but the King said, \u201cI have taken an oath\nto give you to the very first beggar-man, and I will keep it.\u201d All she\ncould say was in vain; the priest was brought, and she had to let\nherself be wedded to the fiddler on the spot. When that was done the\nKing said, \u201cNow it is not proper for you, a beggar-woman, to stay any\nlonger in my palace, you may just go away with your husband.\u201d\n\nThe beggar-man led her out by the hand, and she was obliged to walk\naway on foot with him. When they came to a large forest she asked, \u201cTo\nwhom does that beautiful forest belong?\u201d \u201cIt belongs to King\nThrushbeard; if you had taken him, it would have been yours.\u201d \u201cAh,\nunhappy girl that I am, if I had but taken King Thrushbeard!\u201d\n\nAfterwards they came to a meadow, and she asked again, \u201cTo whom does\nthis beautiful green meadow belong?\u201d \u201cIt belongs to King Thrushbeard;\nif you had taken him, it would have been yours.\u201d \u201cAh, unhappy girl that\nI am, if I had but taken King Thrushbeard!\u201d\n\nThen they came to a large town, and she asked again, \u201cTo whom does this\nfine large town belong?\u201d \u201cIt belongs to King Thrushbeard; if you had\ntaken him, it would have been yours.\u201d \u201cAh, unhappy girl that I am, if I\nhad but taken King Thrushbeard!\u201d\n\n\u201cIt does not please me,\u201d said the fiddler, \u201cto hear you always wishing\nfor another husband; am I not good enough for you?\u201d At last they came\nto a very little hut, and she said, \u201cOh goodness! what a small house;\nto whom does this miserable, mean hovel belong?\u201d The fiddler answered,\n\u201cThat is my house and yours, where we shall live together.\u201d\n\nShe had to stoop in order to go in at the low door. \u201cWhere are the\nservants?\u201d said the King\u2019s daughter. \u201cWhat servants?\u201d answered the\nbeggar-man; \u201cyou must yourself do what you wish to have done. Just make\na fire at once, and set on water to cook my supper, I am quite tired.\u201d\nBut the King\u2019s daughter knew nothing about lighting fires or cooking,\nand the beggar-man had to lend a hand himself to get anything fairly\ndone. When they had finished their scanty meal they went to bed; but he\nforced her to get up quite early in the morning in order to look after\nthe house.\n\nFor a few days they lived in this way as well as might be, and came to\nthe end of all their provisions. Then the man said, \u201cWife, we cannot go\non any longer eating and drinking here and earning nothing. You weave\nbaskets.\u201d He went out, cut some willows, and brought them home. Then\nshe began to weave, but the tough willows wounded her delicate hands.\n\n\u201cI see that this will not do,\u201d said the man; \u201cyou had better spin,\nperhaps you can do that better.\u201d She sat down and tried to spin, but\nthe hard thread soon cut her soft fingers so that the blood ran down.\n\u201cSee,\u201d said the man, \u201cyou are fit for no sort of work; I have made a\nbad bargain with you. Now I will try to make a business with pots and\nearthenware; you must sit in the market-place and sell the ware.\u201d\n\u201cAlas,\u201d thought she, \u201cif any of the people from my father\u2019s kingdom\ncome to the market and see me sitting there, selling, how they will\nmock me?\u201d But it was of no use, she had to yield unless she chose to\ndie of hunger.\n\nFor the first time she succeeded well, for the people were glad to buy\nthe woman\u2019s wares because she was good-looking, and they paid her what\nshe asked; many even gave her the money and left the pots with her as\nwell. So they lived on what she had earned as long as it lasted, then\nthe husband bought a lot of new crockery. With this she sat down at the\ncorner of the market-place, and set it out round about her ready for\nsale. But suddenly there came a drunken hussar galloping along, and he\nrode right amongst the pots so that they were all broken into a\nthousand bits. She began to weep, and did now know what to do for fear.\n\u201cAlas! what will happen to me?\u201d cried she; \u201cwhat will my husband say to\nthis?\u201d\n\nShe ran home and told him of the misfortune. \u201cWho would seat herself at\na corner of the market-place with crockery?\u201d said the man; \u201cleave off\ncrying, I see very well that you cannot do any ordinary work, so I have\nbeen to our King\u2019s palace and have asked whether they cannot find a\nplace for a kitchen-maid, and they have promised me to take you; in\nthat way you will get your food for nothing.\u201d\n\nThe King\u2019s daughter was now a kitchen-maid, and had to be at the cook\u2019s\nbeck and call, and do the dirtiest work. In both her pockets she\nfastened a little jar, in which she took home her share of the\nleavings, and upon this they lived.\n\nIt happened that the wedding of the King\u2019s eldest son was to be\ncelebrated, so the poor woman went up and placed herself by the door of\nthe hall to look on. When all the candles were lit, and people, each\nmore beautiful than the other, entered, and all was full of pomp and\nsplendour, she thought of her lot with a sad heart, and cursed the\npride and haughtiness which had humbled her and brought her to so great\npoverty.\n\nThe smell of the delicious dishes which were being taken in and out\nreached her, and now and then the servants threw her a few morsels of\nthem: these she put in her jars to take home.\n\nAll at once the King\u2019s son entered, clothed in velvet and silk, with\ngold chains about his neck. And when he saw the beautiful woman\nstanding by the door he seized her by the hand, and would have danced\nwith her; but she refused and shrank with fear, for she saw that it was\nKing Thrushbeard, her suitor whom she had driven away with scorn. Her\nstruggles were of no avail, he drew her into the hall; but the string\nby which her pockets were hung broke, the pots fell down, the soup ran\nout, and the scraps were scattered all about. And when the people saw\nit, there arose general laughter and derision, and she was so ashamed\nthat she would rather have been a thousand fathoms below the ground.\nShe sprang to the door and would have run away, but on the stairs a man\ncaught her and brought her back; and when she looked at him it was King\nThrushbeard again. He said to her kindly, \u201cDo not be afraid, I and the\nfiddler who has been living with you in that wretched hovel are one.\nFor love of you I disguised myself so; and I also was the hussar who\nrode through your crockery. This was all done to humble your proud\nspirit, and to punish you for the insolence with which you mocked me.\u201d\n\nThen she wept bitterly and said, \u201cI have done great wrong, and am not\nworthy to be your wife.\u201d But he said, \u201cBe comforted, the evil days are\npast; now we will celebrate our wedding.\u201d Then the maids-in-waiting\ncame and put on her the most splendid clothing, and her father and his\nwhole court came and wished her happiness in her marriage with King\nThrushbeard, and the joy now began in earnest. I wish you and I had\nbeen there too.\n\n\n\n53 Little Snow-white\n\nOnce upon a time in the middle of winter, when the flakes of snow were\nfalling like feathers from the sky, a queen sat at a window sewing, and\nthe frame of the window was made of black ebony. And whilst she was\nsewing and looking out of the window at the snow, she pricked her\nfinger with the needle, and three drops of blood fell upon the snow.\nAnd the red looked pretty upon the white snow, and she thought to\nherself, \u201cWould that I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood,\nand as black as the wood of the window-frame.\u201d\n\nSoon after that she had a little daughter, who was as white as snow,\nand as red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony; and she was\ntherefore called Little Snow-white. And when the child was born, the\nQueen died.\n\nAfter a year had passed the King took to himself another wife. She was\na beautiful woman, but proud and haughty, and she could not bear that\nanyone else should surpass her in beauty. She had a wonderful\nlooking-glass, and when she stood in front of it and looked at herself\nin it, and said\u2014\n\n\u201cLooking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,\nWho in this land is the fairest of all?\u201d\n\n\nthe looking-glass answered\u2014\n\n\u201cThou, O Queen, art the fairest of all!\u201d\n\n\nThen she was satisfied, for she knew that the looking-glass spoke the\ntruth.\n\nBut Snow-white was growing up, and grew more and more beautiful; and\nwhen she was seven years old she was as beautiful as the day, and more\nbeautiful than the Queen herself. And once when the Queen asked her\nlooking-glass\u2014\n\n\u201cLooking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,\nWho in this land is the fairest of all?\u201d\n\n\nit answered\u2014\n\n\u201cThou art fairer than all who are here, Lady Queen.\u201d\nBut more beautiful still is Snow-white, as I ween.\u201d\n\n\nThen the Queen was shocked, and turned yellow and green with envy. From\nthat hour, whenever she looked at Snow-white, her heart heaved in her\nbreast, she hated the girl so much.\n\nAnd envy and pride grew higher and higher in her heart like a weed, so\nthat she had no peace day or night. She called a huntsman, and said,\n\u201cTake the child away into the forest; I will no longer have her in my\nsight. Kill her, and bring me back her heart as a token.\u201d The huntsman\nobeyed, and took her away; but when he had drawn his knife, and was\nabout to pierce Snow-white\u2019s innocent heart, she began to weep, and\nsaid, \u201cAh dear huntsman, leave me my life! I will run away into the\nwild forest, and never come home again.\u201d\n\nAnd as she was so beautiful the huntsman had pity on her and said, \u201cRun\naway, then, you poor child.\u201d \u201cThe wild beasts will soon have devoured\nyou,\u201d thought he, and yet it seemed as if a stone had been rolled from\nhis heart since it was no longer needful for him to kill her. And as a\nyoung boar just then came running by he stabbed it, and cut out its\nheart and took it to the Queen as proof that the child was dead. The\ncook had to salt this, and the wicked Queen ate it, and thought she had\neaten the heart of Snow-white.\n\nBut now the poor child was all alone in the great forest, and so\nterrified that she looked at every leaf of every tree, and did not know\nwhat to do. Then she began to run, and ran over sharp stones and\nthrough thorns, and the wild beasts ran past her, but did her no harm.\n\nShe ran as long as her feet would go until it was almost evening; then\nshe saw a little cottage and went into it to rest herself. Everything\nin the cottage was small, but neater and cleaner than can be told.\nThere was a table on which was a white cover, and seven little plates,\nand on each plate a little spoon; moreover, there were seven little\nknives and forks, and seven little mugs. Against the wall stood seven\nlittle beds side by side, and covered with snow-white counterpanes.\n\nLittle Snow-white was so hungry and thirsty that she ate some\nvegetables and bread from each plate and drank a drop of wine out of\neach mug, for she did not wish to take all from one only. Then, as she\nwas so tired, she laid herself down on one of the little beds, but none\nof them suited her; one was too long, another too short, but at last\nshe found that the seventh one was right, and so she remained in it,\nsaid a prayer and went to sleep.\n\nWhen it was quite dark the owners of the cottage came back; they were\nseven dwarfs who dug and delved in the mountains for ore. They lit\ntheir seven candles, and as it was now light within the cottage they\nsaw that someone had been there, for everything was not in the same\norder in which they had left it.\n\nThe first said, \u201cWho has been sitting on my chair?\u201d\n\nThe second, \u201cWho has been eating off my plate?\u201d\n\nThe third, \u201cWho has been taking some of my bread?\u201d\n\nThe fourth, \u201cWho has been eating my vegetables?\u201d\n\nThe fifth, \u201cWho has been using my fork?\u201d\n\nThe sixth, \u201cWho has been cutting with my knife?\u201d\n\nThe seventh, \u201cWho has been drinking out of my mug?\u201d\n\nThen the first looked round and saw that there was a little hole on his\nbed, and he said, \u201cWho has been getting into my bed?\u201d The others came\nup and each called out, \u201cSomebody has been lying in my bed too.\u201d But\nthe seventh when he looked at his bed saw little Snow-white, who was\nlying asleep therein. And he called the others, who came running up,\nand they cried out with astonishment, and brought their seven little\ncandles and let the light fall on little Snow-white. \u201cOh, heavens! oh,\nheavens!\u201d cried they, \u201cwhat a lovely child!\u201d and they were so glad that\nthey did not wake her up, but let her sleep on in the bed. And the\nseventh dwarf slept with his companions, one hour with each, and so got\nthrough the night.\n\nWhen it was morning little Snow-white awoke, and was frightened when\nshe saw the seven dwarfs. But they were friendly and asked her what her\nname was. \u201cMy name is Snow-white,\u201d she answered. \u201cHow have you come to\nour house?\u201d said the dwarfs. Then she told them that her step-mother\nhad wished to have her killed, but that the huntsman had spared her\nlife, and that she had run for the whole day, until at last she had\nfound their dwelling. The dwarfs said, \u201cIf you will take care of our\nhouse, cook, make the beds, wash, sew, and knit, and if you will keep\neverything neat and clean, you can stay with us and you shall want for\nnothing.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said Snow-white, \u201cwith all my heart,\u201d and she stayed\nwith them. She kept the house in order for them; in the mornings they\nwent to the mountains and looked for copper and gold, in the evenings\nthey came back, and then their supper had to be ready. The girl was\nalone the whole day, so the good dwarfs warned her and said, \u201cBeware of\nyour step-mother, she will soon know that you are here; be sure to let\nno one come in.\u201d\n\nBut the Queen, believing that she had eaten Snow-white\u2019s heart, could\nnot but think that she was again the first and most beautiful of all;\nand she went to her looking-glass and said\u2014\n\n\u201cLooking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,\nWho in this land is the fairest of all?\u201d\n\n\nand the glass answered\u2014\n\n\u201cOh, Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,\nBut over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell,\nSnow-white is still alive and well,\nAnd none is so fair as she.\u201d\n\n\nThen she was astounded, for she knew that the looking-glass never spoke\nfalsely, and she knew that the huntsman had betrayed her, and that\nlittle Snow-white was still alive.\n\nAnd so she thought and thought again how she might kill her, for so\nlong as she was not the fairest in the whole land, envy let her have no\nrest. And when she had at last thought of something to do, she painted\nher face, and dressed herself like an old peddler-woman, and no one\ncould have known her. In this disguise she went over the seven\nmountains to the seven dwarfs, and knocked at the door and cried,\n\u201cPretty things to sell, very cheap, very cheap.\u201d Little Snow-white\nlooked out of the window and called out, \u201cGood-day my good woman, what\nhave you to sell?\u201d \u201cGood things, pretty things,\u201d she answered;\n\u201cstay-laces of all colours,\u201d and she pulled out one which was woven of\nbright-coloured silk. \u201cI may let the worthy old woman in,\u201d thought\nSnow-white, and she unbolted the door and bought the pretty laces.\n\u201cChild,\u201d said the old woman, \u201cwhat a fright you look; come, I will lace\nyou properly for once.\u201d Snow-white had no suspicion, but stood before\nher, and let herself be laced with the new laces. But the old woman\nlaced so quickly and so tightly that Snow-white lost her breath and\nfell down as if dead. \u201cNow I am the most beautiful,\u201d said the Queen to\nherself, and ran away.\n\nNot long afterwards, in the evening, the seven dwarfs came home, but\nhow shocked they were when they saw their dear little Snow-white lying\non the ground, and that she neither stirred nor moved, and seemed to be\ndead. They lifted her up, and, as they saw that she was laced too\ntightly, they cut the laces; then she began to breathe a little, and\nafter a while came to life again. When the dwarfs heard what had\nhappened they said, \u201cThe old peddler-woman was no one else than the\nwicked Queen; take care and let no one come in when we are not with\nyou.\u201d\n\nBut the wicked woman when she had reached home went in front of the\nglass and asked\u2014\n\n\u201cLooking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,\nWho in this land is the fairest of all?\u201d\n\n\nand it answered as before\u2014\n\n\u201cOh, Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,\nBut over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell,\nSnow-white is still alive and well,\nAnd none is so fair as she.\u201d\n\n\nWhen she heard that, all her blood rushed to her heart with fear, for\nshe saw plainly that little Snow-white was again alive. \u201cBut now,\u201d she\nsaid, \u201cI will think of something that shall put an end to you,\u201d and by\nthe help of witchcraft, which she understood, she made a poisonous\ncomb. Then she disguised herself and took the shape of another old\nwoman. So she went over the seven mountains to the seven dwarfs,\nknocked at the door, and cried, \u201cGood things to sell, cheap, cheap!\u201d\nLittle Snow-white looked out and said, \u201cGo away; I cannot let any one\ncome in.\u201d \u201cI suppose you can look,\u201d said the old woman, and pulled the\npoisonous comb out and held it up. It pleased the girl so well that she\nlet herself be beguiled, and opened the door. When they had made a\nbargain the old woman said, \u201cNow I will comb you properly for once.\u201d\nPoor little Snow-white had no suspicion, and let the old woman do as\nshe pleased, but hardly had she put the comb in her hair than the\npoison in it took effect, and the girl fell down senseless. \u201cYou\nparagon of beauty,\u201d said the wicked woman, \u201cyou are done for now,\u201d and\nshe went away.\n\nBut fortunately it was almost evening, when the seven dwarfs came home.\nWhen they saw Snow-white lying as if dead upon the ground they at once\nsuspected the step-mother, and they looked and found the poisoned comb.\nScarcely had they taken it out when Snow-white came to herself, and\ntold them what had happened. Then they warned her once more to be upon\nher guard and to open the door to no one.\n\nThe Queen, at home, went in front of the glass and said\u2014\n\n\u201cLooking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,\nWho in this land is the fairest of all?\u201d\n\n\nthen it answered as before\u2014\n\n\u201cOh, Queen, thou art fairest of all I see,\nBut over the hills, where the seven dwarfs dwell,\nSnow-white is still alive and well,\nAnd none is so fair as she.\u201d\n\n\nWhen she heard the glass speak thus she trembled and shook with rage.\n\u201cSnow-white shall die,\u201d she cried, \u201ceven if it costs me my life!\u201d\n\nThereupon she went into a quite secret, lonely room, where no one ever\ncame, and there she made a very poisonous apple. Outside it looked\npretty, white with a red cheek, so that everyone who saw it longed for\nit; but whoever ate a piece of it must surely die.\n\nWhen the apple was ready she painted her face, and dressed herself up\nas a country-woman, and so she went over the seven mountains to the\nseven dwarfs. She knocked at the door. Snow-white put her head out of\nthe window and said, \u201cI cannot let any one in; the seven dwarfs have\nforbidden me.\u201d \u201cIt is all the same to me,\u201d answered the woman, \u201cI shall\nsoon get rid of my apples. There, I will give you one.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Snow-white, \u201cI dare not take anything.\u201d \u201cAre you afraid of\npoison?\u201d said the old woman; \u201clook, I will cut the apple in two pieces;\nyou eat the red cheek, and I will eat the white.\u201d The apple was so\ncunningly made that only the red cheek was poisoned. Snow-white longed\nfor the fine apple, and when she saw that the woman ate part of it she\ncould resist no longer, and stretched out her hand and took the\npoisonous half. But hardly had she a bit of it in her mouth than she\nfell down dead. Then the Queen looked at her with a dreadful look, and\nlaughed aloud and said, \u201cWhite as snow, red as blood, black as\nebony-wood! this time the dwarfs cannot wake you up again.\u201d\n\nAnd when she asked of the Looking-glass at home\u2014\n\n\u201cLooking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,\nWho in this land is the fairest of all?\u201d\n\n\nit answered at last\u2014\n\n\u201cOh, Queen, in this land thou art fairest of all.\u201d\n\n\nThen her envious heart had rest, so far as an envious heart can have\nrest.\n\nThe dwarfs, when they came home in the evening, found Snow-white lying\nupon the ground; she breathed no longer and was dead. They lifted her\nup, looked to see whether they could find anything poisonous, unlaced\nher, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, but it was all of\nno use; the poor child was dead, and remained dead. They laid her upon\na bier, and all seven of them sat round it and wept for her, and wept\nthree days long.\n\nThen they were going to bury her, but she still looked as if she were\nliving, and still had her pretty red cheeks. They said, \u201cWe could not\nbury her in the dark ground,\u201d and they had a transparent coffin of\nglass made, so that she could be seen from all sides, and they laid her\nin it, and wrote her name upon it in golden letters, and that she was a\nking\u2019s daughter. Then they put the coffin out upon the mountain, and\none of them always stayed by it and watched it. And birds came too, and\nwept for Snow-white; first an owl, then a raven, and last a dove.\n\nAnd now Snow-white lay a long, long time in the coffin, and she did not\nchange, but looked as if she were asleep; for she was as white as snow,\nas red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony.\n\nIt happened, however, that a king\u2019s son came into the forest, and went\nto the dwarfs\u2019 house to spend the night. He saw the coffin on the\nmountain, and the beautiful Snow-white within it, and read what was\nwritten upon it in golden letters. Then he said to the dwarfs, \u201cLet me\nhave the coffin, I will give you whatever you want for it.\u201d But the\ndwarfs answered, \u201cWe will not part with it for all the gold in the\nworld.\u201d Then he said, \u201cLet me have it as a gift, for I cannot live\nwithout seeing Snow-white. I will honour and prize her as my dearest\npossession.\u201d As he spoke in this way the good dwarfs took pity upon\nhim, and gave him the coffin.\n\nAnd now the King\u2019s son had it carried away by his servants on their\nshoulders. And it happened that they stumbled over a tree-stump, and\nwith the shock the poisonous piece of apple which Snow-white had bitten\noff came out of her throat. And before long she opened her eyes, lifted\nup the lid of the coffin, sat up, and was once more alive. \u201cOh,\nheavens, where am I?\u201d she cried. The King\u2019s son, full of joy, said,\n\u201cYou are with me,\u201d and told her what had happened, and said, \u201cI love\nyou more than everything in the world; come with me to my father\u2019s\npalace, you shall be my wife.\u201d\n\nAnd Snow-white was willing, and went with him, and their wedding was\nheld with great show and splendour. But Snow-white\u2019s wicked step-mother\nwas also bidden to the feast. When she had arrayed herself in beautiful\nclothes she went before the Looking-glass, and said\u2014\n\n\u201cLooking-glass, Looking-glass, on the wall,\nWho in this land is the fairest of all?\u201d\n\n\nthe glass answered\u2014\n\n\u201cOh, Queen, of all here the fairest art thou,\nBut the young Queen is fairer by far as I trow.\u201d\n\n\nThen the wicked woman uttered a curse, and was so wretched, so utterly\nwretched, that she knew not what to do. At first she would not go to\nthe wedding at all, but she had no peace, and must go to see the young\nQueen. And when she went in she knew Snow-white; and she stood still\nwith rage and fear, and could not stir. But iron slippers had already\nbeen put upon the fire, and they were brought in with tongs, and set\nbefore her. Then she was forced to put on the red-hot shoes, and dance\nuntil she dropped down dead.\n\n\n\n54 The Knapsack, the Hat, and the Horn\n\nThere were once three brothers who had fallen deeper and deeper into\npoverty, and at last their need was so great that they had to endure\nhunger, and had nothing to eat or drink. Then said they, \u201cWe cannot go\non thus, we had better go into the world and seek our fortune.\u201d They\ntherefore set out, and had already walked over many a long road and\nmany a blade of grass, but had not yet met with good luck. One day they\narrived in a great forest, and in the midst of it was a hill, and when\nthey came nearer they saw that the hill was all silver. Then spoke the\neldest, \u201cNow I have found the good luck I wished for, and I desire\nnothing more.\u201d He took as much of the silver as he could possibly\ncarry, and then turned back and went home again. But the two others\nsaid, \u201cWe want something more from good luck than mere silver,\u201d and did\nnot touch it, but went onwards. After they had walked for two days\nlonger without stopping, they came to a hill which was all gold. The\nsecond brother stopped, took thought with himself, and was undecided.\n\u201cWhat shall I do?\u201d said he; \u201cshall I take for myself so much of this\ngold, that I have sufficient for all the rest of my life, or shall I go\nfarther?\u201d At length he made a decision, and putting as much into his\npockets as would go in, said farewell to his brother, and went home.\nBut the third said, \u201cSilver and gold do not move me, I will not\nrenounce my chance of fortune, perhaps something better still will be\ngiven me.\u201d He journeyed onwards, and when he had walked for three days,\nhe got into a forest which was still larger than the one before, and\nnever would come to an end, and as he found nothing to eat or to drink,\nhe was all but exhausted. Then he climbed up a high tree to find out if\nup there he could see the end of the forest, but so far as his eye\ncould pierce he saw nothing but the tops of trees. Then he began to\ndescend the tree again, but hunger tormented him, and he thought to\nhimself, \u201cIf I could but eat my fill once more!\u201d When he got down he\nsaw with astonishment a table beneath the tree richly spread with food,\nthe steam of which rose up to meet him. \u201cThis time,\u201d said he, \u201cmy wish\nhas been fulfilled at the right moment.\u201d And without inquiring who had\nbrought the food, or who had cooked it, he approached the table, and\nate with enjoyment until he had appeased his hunger. When he was done,\nhe thought, \u201cIt would after all be a pity if the pretty little\ntable-cloth were to be spoilt in the forest here,\u201d and folded it up\ntidily and put it in his pocket. Then he went onwards, and in the\nevening, when hunger once more made itself felt, he wanted to make a\ntrial of his little cloth, and spread it out and said, \u201cI wish thee to\nbe covered with good cheer again,\u201d and scarcely had the wish crossed\nhis lips than as many dishes with the most exquisite food on them stood\non the table as there was room for. \u201cNow I perceive,\u201d said he, \u201cin what\nkitchen my cooking is done. Thou shalt be dearer to me than the\nmountains of silver and gold.\u201d For he saw plainly that it was a\nwishing-cloth. The cloth, however, was still not enough to enable him\nto sit down quietly at home; he preferred to wander about the world and\npursue his fortune farther.\n\nOne night he met, in a lonely wood, a dusty, black charcoal-burner, who\nwas burning charcoal there, and had some potatoes by the fire, on which\nhe was going to make a meal. \u201cGood evening, blackbird!\u201d said the youth.\n\u201cHow dost thou get on in thy solitude?\u201d\n\n\u201cOne day is like another,\u201d replied the charcoal-burner, \u201cand every\nnight potatoes! Hast thou a mind to have some, and wilt thou be my\nguest?\u201d \u201cMany thanks,\u201d replied the traveler, \u201cI won\u2019t rob thee of thy\nsupper; thou didst not reckon on a visitor, but if thou wilt put up\nwith what I have, thou shalt have an invitation.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho is to prepare it for thee?\u201d said the charcoal-burner. \u201cI see that\nthou hast nothing with thee, and there is no one within a two hours\u2019\nwalk who could give thee anything.\u201d \u201cAnd yet there shall be a meal,\u201d\nanswered the youth, \u201cand better than any thou hast ever tasted.\u201d\nThereupon he brought his cloth out of his knapsack, spread it on the\nground, and said, \u201cLittle cloth, cover thyself,\u201d and instantly boiled\nmeat and baked meat stood there, and as hot as if it had just come out\nof the kitchen. The charcoal-burner stared, but did not require much\npressing; he fell to, and thrust larger and larger mouthfuls into his\nblack mouth. When they had eaten everything, the charcoal-burner smiled\ncontentedly, and said, \u201cHark thee, thy table-cloth has my approval; it\nwould be a fine thing for me in this forest, where no one ever cooks me\nanything good. I will propose an exchange to thee; there in the corner\nhangs a soldier\u2019s knapsack, which is certainly old and shabby, but in\nit lie concealed wonderful powers; but, as I no longer use it, I will\ngive it to thee for the table-cloth.\u201d\n\n\u201cI must first know what these wonderful powers are,\u201d answered the\nyouth.\n\n\u201cThat will I tell thee,\u201d replied the charcoal-burner; \u201cevery time thou\ntappest it with thy hand, a corporal comes with six men armed from head\nto foot, and they do whatsoever thou commandest them.\u201d \u201cSo far as I am\nconcerned,\u201d said the youth, \u201cif nothing else can be done, we will\nexchange,\u201d and he gave the charcoal-burner the cloth, took the knapsack\nfrom the hook, put it on, and bade farewell. When he had walked a\nwhile, he wished to make a trial of the magical powers of his knapsack\nand tapped it. Immediately the seven warriors stepped up to him, and\nthe corporal said, \u201cWhat does my lord and ruler wish for?\u201d\n\n\u201cMarch with all speed to the charcoal-burner, and demand my\nwishing-cloth back.\u201d They faced to the left, and it was not long before\nthey brought what he required, and had taken it from the\ncharcoal-burner without asking many questions. The young man bade them\nretire, went onwards, and hoped fortune would shine yet more brightly\non him. By sunset he came to another charcoal-burner, who was making\nhis supper ready by the fire. \u201cIf thou wilt eat some potatoes with\nsalt, but with no dripping, come and sit down with me,\u201d said the sooty\nfellow.\n\n\u201cNo, he replied, this time thou shalt be my guest,\u201d and he spread out\nhis cloth, which was instantly covered with the most beautiful dishes.\nThey ate and drank together, and enjoyed themselves heartily. After the\nmeal was over, the charcoal-burner said, \u201cUp there on that shelf lies a\nlittle old worn-out hat which has strange properties: when any one puts\nit on, and turns it round on his head, the cannons go off as if twelve\nwere fired all together, and they shoot down everything so that no one\ncan withstand them. The hat is of no use to me, and I will willingly\ngive it for thy table-cloth.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat suits me very well,\u201d he answered, took the hat, put it on, and\nleft his table-cloth behind him. Hardly, however, had he walked away\nthan he tapped on his knapsack, and his soldiers had to fetch the cloth\nback again. \u201cOne thing comes on the top of another,\u201d thought he, \u201cand I\nfeel as if my luck had not yet come to an end.\u201d Neither had his\nthoughts deceived him. After he had walked on for the whole of one day,\nhe came to a third charcoal-burner, who like the previous ones, invited\nhim to potatoes without dripping. But he let him also dine with him\nfrom his wishing-cloth, and the charcoal-burner liked it so well, that\nat last he offered him a horn for it, which had very different\nproperties from those of the hat. When any one blew it all the walls\nand fortifications fell down, and all towns and villages became ruins.\nHe certainly gave the charcoal-burner the cloth for it, but he\nafterwards sent his soldiers to demand it back again, so that at length\nhe had the knapsack, hat and horn, all three. \u201cNow,\u201d said he, \u201cI am a\nmade man, and it is time for me to go home and see how my brothers are\ngetting on.\u201d\n\nWhen he reached home, his brothers had built themselves a handsome\nhouse with their silver and gold, and were living in clover. He went to\nsee them, but as he came in a ragged coat, with his shabby hat on his\nhead, and his old knapsack on his back, they would not acknowledge him\nas their brother. They mocked and said, \u201cThou givest out that thou art\nour brother who despised silver and gold, and craved for something\nstill better for himself. He will come in his carriage in full\nsplendour like a mighty king, not like a beggar,\u201d and they drove him\nout of doors. Then he fell into a rage, and tapped his knapsack until a\nhundred and fifty men stood before him armed from head to foot. He\ncommanded them to surround his brothers\u2019 house, and two of them were to\ntake hazel-sticks with them, and beat the two insolent men until they\nknew who he was. A violent disturbance arose, people ran together, and\nwanted to lend the two some help in their need, but against the\nsoldiers they could do nothing. News of this at length came to the\nKing, who was very angry, and ordered a captain to march out with his\ntroop, and drive this disturber of the peace out of the town; but the\nman with the knapsack soon got a greater body of men together, who\nrepulsed the captain and his men, so that they were forced to retire\nwith bloody noses. The King said, \u201cThis vagabond is not brought to\norder yet,\u201d and next day sent a still larger troop against him, but\nthey could do even less. The youth set still more men against them, and\nin order to be done the sooner, he turned his hat twice round on his\nhead, and heavy guns began to play, and the king\u2019s men were beaten and\nput to flight. \u201cAnd now,\u201d said he, \u201cI will not make peace until the\nKing gives me his daughter to wife, and I govern the whole kingdom in\nhis name.\u201d He caused this to be announced to the King, and the latter\nsaid to his daughter, \u201cNecessity is a hard nut to crack, what remains\nto me but to do what he desires? If I want peace and to keep the crown\non my head, I must give thee away.\u201d\n\nSo the wedding was celebrated, but the King\u2019s daughter was vexed that\nher husband should be a common man, who wore a shabby hat, and put on\nan old knapsack. She wished much to get rid of him, and night and day\nstudied how she could accomplished this. Then she thought to herself,\n\u201cIs it possible that his wonderful powers lie in the knapsack?\u201d and she\ndissembled and caressed him, and when his heart was softened, she said,\n\u201cIf thou wouldst but lay aside that ugly knapsack, it makes disfigures\nthee so, that I can\u2019t help being ashamed of thee.\u201d \u201cDear child,\u201d said\nhe, \u201cthis knapsack is my greatest treasure; as long as I have it, there\nis no power on earth that I am afraid of.\u201d And he revealed to her the\nwonderful virtue with which it was endowed. Then she threw herself in\nhis arms as if she were going to kiss him, but dexterously took the\nknapsack off his shoulders, and ran away with it. As soon as she was\nalone she tapped it, and commanded the warriors to seize their former\nmaster, and take him out of the royal palace. They obeyed, and the\nfalse wife sent still more men after him, who were to drive him quite\nout of the country. Then he would have been ruined if he had not had\nthe little hat. But his hands were scarcely at liberty before he turned\nit twice. Immediately the cannon began to thunder, and struck down\neverything, and the King\u2019s daughter herself was forced to come and beg\nfor mercy. As she entreated in such moving terms, and promised\namendment, he allowed himself to be persuaded and granted her peace.\nShe behaved in a friendly manner to him, and acted as if she loved him\nvery much, and after some time managed so to befool him, that he\nconfided to her that even if someone got the knapsack into his power,\nhe could do nothing against him so long as the old hat was still his.\nWhen she knew the secret, she waited until he was asleep, and then she\ntook the hat away from him, and had it thrown out into the street. But\nthe horn still remained to him, and in great anger he blew it with all\nhis strength. Instantly all walls, fortifications, towns, and villages,\ntoppled down, and crushed the King and his daughter to death. And had\nhe not put down the horn and had blown just a little longer, everything\nwould have been in ruins, and not one stone would have been left\nstanding on another. Then no one opposed him any longer, and he made\nhimself King of the whole country.\n\n\n\n55 Rumpelstiltskin\n\nOnce there was a miller who was poor, but who had a beautiful daughter.\nNow it happened that he had to go and speak to the King, and in order\nto make himself appear important he said to him, \u201cI have a daughter who\ncan spin straw into gold.\u201d The King said to the miller, \u201cThat is an art\nwhich pleases me well; if your daughter is as clever as you say, bring\nher to-morrow to my palace, and I will try what she can do.\u201d\n\nAnd when the girl was brought to him he took her into a room which was\nquite full of straw, gave her a spinning-wheel and a reel, and said,\n\u201cNow set to work, and if by to-morrow morning early you have not spun\nthis straw into gold during the night, you must die.\u201d Thereupon he\nhimself locked up the room, and left her in it alone. So there sat the\npoor miller\u2019s daughter, and for the life of her could not tell what to\ndo; she had no idea how straw could be spun into gold, and she grew\nmore and more miserable, until at last she began to weep.\n\nBut all at once the door opened, and in came a little man, and said,\n\u201cGood evening, Mistress Miller; why are you crying so?\u201d \u201cAlas!\u201d\nanswered the girl, \u201cI have to spin straw into gold, and I do not know\nhow to do it.\u201d \u201cWhat will you give me,\u201d said the manikin, \u201cif I do it\nfor you?\u201d \u201cMy necklace,\u201d said the girl. The little man took the\nnecklace, seated himself in front of the wheel, and \u201cwhirr, whirr,\nwhirr,\u201d three turns, and the reel was full; then he put another on, and\nwhirr, whirr, whirr, three times round, and the second was full too.\nAnd so it went on until the morning, when all the straw was spun, and\nall the reels were full of gold. By daybreak the King was already\nthere, and when he saw the gold he was astonished and delighted, but\nhis heart became only more greedy. He had the miller\u2019s daughter taken\ninto another room full of straw, which was much larger, and commanded\nher to spin that also in one night if she valued her life. The girl\nknew not how to help herself, and was crying, when the door again\nopened, and the little man appeared, and said, \u201cWhat will you give me\nif I spin that straw into gold for you?\u201d \u201cThe ring on my finger,\u201d\nanswered the girl. The little man took the ring, again began to turn\nthe wheel, and by morning had spun all the straw into glittering gold.\n\nThe King rejoiced beyond measure at the sight, but still he had not\ngold enough; and he had the miller\u2019s daughter taken into a still larger\nroom full of straw, and said, \u201cYou must spin this, too, in the course\nof this night; but if you succeed, you shall be my wife.\u201d \u201cEven if she\nbe a miller\u2019s daughter,\u201d thought he, \u201cI could not find a richer wife in\nthe whole world.\u201d\n\nWhen the girl was alone the manikin came again for the third time, and\nsaid, \u201cWhat will you give me if I spin the straw for you this time\nalso?\u201d \u201cI have nothing left that I could give,\u201d answered the girl.\n\u201cThen promise me, if you should become Queen, your first child.\u201d \u201cWho\nknows whether that will ever happen?\u201d thought the miller\u2019s daughter;\nand, not knowing how else to help herself in this strait, she promised\nthe manikin what he wanted, and for that he once more span the straw\ninto gold.\n\nAnd when the King came in the morning, and found all as he had wished,\nhe took her in marriage, and the pretty miller\u2019s daughter became a\nQueen.\n\nA year after, she had a beautiful child, and she never gave a thought\nto the manikin. But suddenly he came into her room, and said, \u201cNow give\nme what you promised.\u201d The Queen was horror-struck, and offered the\nmanikin all the riches of the kingdom if he would leave her the child.\nBut the manikin said, \u201cNo, something that is living is dearer to me\nthan all the treasures in the world.\u201d Then the Queen began to weep and\ncry, so that the manikin pitied her. \u201cI will give you three days\u2019\ntime,\u201d said he, \u201cif by that time you find out my name, then shall you\nkeep your child.\u201d\n\nSo the Queen thought the whole night of all the names that she had ever\nheard, and she sent a messenger over the country to inquire, far and\nwide, for any other names that there might be. When the manikin came\nthe next day, she began with Caspar, Melchior, Balthazar, and said all\nthe names she knew, one after another; but to every one the little man\nsaid, \u201cThat is not my name.\u201d On the second day she had inquiries made\nin the neighborhood as to the names of the people there, and she\nrepeated to the manikin the most uncommon and curious. \u201cPerhaps your\nname is Shortribs, or Sheepshanks, or Laceleg?\u201d but he always answered,\n\u201cThat is not my name.\u201d\n\nOn the third day the messenger came back again, and said, \u201cI have not\nbeen able to find a single new name, but as I came to a high mountain\nat the end of the forest, where the fox and the hare bid each other\ngood night, there I saw a little house, and before the house a fire was\nburning, and round about the fire quite a ridiculous little man was\njumping: he hopped upon one leg, and shouted\u2014\n\n\u201cTo-day I bake, to-morrow brew,\nThe next I\u2019ll have the young Queen\u2019s child.\nHa! glad am I that no one knew\nThat Rumpelstiltskin I am styled.\u201d\n\n\nYou may think how glad the Queen was when she heard the name! And when\nsoon afterwards the little man came in, and asked, \u201cNow, Mistress\nQueen, what is my name?\u201d at first she said, \u201cIs your name Conrad?\u201d\n\u201cNo.\u201d \u201cIs your name Harry?\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d\n\n\u201cPerhaps your name is Rumpelstiltskin?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe devil has told you that! the devil has told you that!\u201d cried the\nlittle man, and in his anger he plunged his right foot so deep into the\nearth that his whole leg went in; and then in rage he pulled at his\nleft leg so hard with both hands that he tore himself in two.\n\n\n\n56 Sweetheart Roland\n\nThere was once on a time a woman who was a real witch and had two\ndaughters, one ugly and wicked, and this one she loved because she was\nher own daughter, and one beautiful and good, and this one she hated,\nbecause she was her step-daughter. The step-daughter once had a pretty\napron, which the other fancied so much that she became envious, and\ntold her mother that she must and would have that apron. \u201cBe quiet, my\nchild,\u201d said the old woman, \u201cand thou shalt have it. Thy step-sister\nhas long deserved death, to-night when she is asleep I will come and\ncut her head off. Only be careful that thou art at the far-side of the\nbed, and push her well to the front.\u201d It would have been all over with\nthe poor girl if she had not just then been standing in a corner, and\nheard everything. All day long she dared not go out of doors, and when\nbed-time had come, the witch\u2019s daughter got into bed first, so as to\nlie at the far side, but when she was asleep, the other pushed her\ngently to the front, and took for herself the place at the back, close\nby the wall. In the night, the old woman came creeping in, she held an\naxe in her right hand, and felt with her left to see if anyone was\nlying at the outside, and then she grasped the axe with both hands, and\ncut her own child\u2019s head off.\n\nWhen she had gone away, the girl got up and went to her sweetheart, who\nwas called Roland, and knocked at his door. When he came out, she said\nto him, \u201cHear me, dearest Roland, we must fly in all haste; my\nstep-mother wanted to kill me, but has struck her own child. When\ndaylight comes, and she sees what she has done, we shall be lost.\u201d\n\u201cBut,\u201d said Roland, \u201cI counsel thee first to take away her magic wand,\nor we cannot escape if she pursues us.\u201d The maiden fetched the magic\nwand, and she took the dead girl\u2019s head and dropped three drops of\nblood on the ground, one in front of the bed, one in the kitchen, and\none on the stairs. Then she hurried away with her lover. When the old\nwitch got up next morning, she called her daughter, and wanted to give\nher the apron, but she did not come. Then the witch cried, \u201cWhere art\nthou?\u201d \u201cHere, on the stairs, I am sweeping,\u201d answered the first drop of\nblood. The old woman went out, but saw no one on the stairs, and cried\nagain, \u201cWhere art thou?\u201d \u201cHere in the kitchen, I am warming myself,\u201d\ncried the second drop of blood. She went into the kitchen, but found no\none. Then she cried again, \u201cWhere art thou?\u201d \u201cAh, here in the bed, I am\nsleeping.\u201d cried the third drop of blood. She went into the room to the\nbed. What did she see there? Her own child, whose head she had cut off,\nbathed in her blood. The witch fell into a passion, sprang to the\nwindow, and as she could look forth quite far into the world, she\nperceived her step-daughter hurrying away with her sweetheart Roland.\n\u201cThat shall not serve you,\u201d cried she, \u201ceven if you have got a long way\noff, you shall still not escape me.\u201d She put on her many league boots,\nin which went an hour\u2019s walk at every step, and it was not long before\nshe overtook them. The girl, however, when she saw the old woman\nstriding towards her, changed, with her magic wand, her sweetheart\nRoland into a lake, and herself into a duck swimming in the middle of\nit. The witch placed herself on the shore, threw bread-crumbs in, and\ngave herself every possible trouble to entice the duck; but the duck\ndid not let herself be enticed, and the old woman had to go home at\nnight as she had come. On this the girl and her sweetheart Roland\nresumed their natural shapes again, and they walked on the whole night\nuntil daybreak. Then the maiden changed herself into a beautiful flower\nwhich stood in the midst of a briar hedge, and her sweetheart Roland\ninto a fiddler. It was not long before the witch came striding up\ntowards them, and said to the musician, \u201cDear musician, may I pluck\nthat beautiful flower for myself?\u201d \u201cOh, yes,\u201d he replied, \u201cI will play\nto you while you do it.\u201d As she was hastily creeping into the hedge and\nwas just going to pluck the flower, for she well knew who the flower\nwas, he began to play, and whether she would or not, she was forced to\ndance, for it was a magical dance. The quicker he played, the more\nviolent springs was she forced to make, and the thorns tore her clothes\nfrom her body, and pricked her and wounded her till she bled, and as he\ndid not stop, she had to dance till she lay dead on the ground.\n\nWhen they were delivered, Roland said, \u201cNow I will go to my father and\narrange for the wedding.\u201d \u201cThen in the meantime I will stay here and\nwait for thee,\u201d said the girl, \u201cand that no one may recognize me, I\nwill change myself into a red stone land-mark.\u201d Then Roland went away,\nand the girl stood like a red land-mark in the field and waited for her\nbeloved. But when Roland got home, he fell into the snares of another,\nwho prevailed on him so far that he forgot the maiden. The poor girl\nremained there a long time, but at length, as he did not return at all,\nshe was sad, and changed herself into a flower, and thought, \u201cSome one\nwill surely come this way, and trample me down.\u201d\n\nIt befell, however, that a shepherd kept his sheep in the field, and\nsaw the flower, and as it was so pretty, plucked it, took it with him,\nand laid it away in his chest. From that time forth, strange things\nhappened in the shepherd\u2019s house. When he arose in the morning, all the\nwork was already done, the room was swept, the table and benches\ncleaned, the fire on the hearth was lighted, and the water was fetched,\nand at noon, when he came home, the table was laid, and a good dinner\nserved. He could not conceive how this came to pass, for he never saw a\nhuman being in his house, and no one could have concealed himself in\nit. He was certainly pleased with this good attendance, but still at\nlast he was so afraid that he went to a wise woman and asked for her\nadvice. The wise woman said, \u201cThere is some enchantment behind it,\nlisten very early some morning if anything is moving in the room, and\nif thou seest anything, let it be what it may, throw a white cloth over\nit, and then the magic will be stopped.\u201d\n\nThe shepherd did as she bade him, and next morning just as day dawned,\nhe saw the chest open, and the flower come out. Swiftly he sprang\ntowards it, and threw a white cloth over it. Instantly the\ntransformation came to an end, and a beautiful girl stood before him,\nwho owned to him that she had been the flower, and that up to this time\nshe had attended to his housekeeping. She told him her story, and as\nshe pleased him he asked her if she would marry him, but she answered,\n\u201cNo,\u201d for she wanted to remain faithful to her sweetheart Roland,\nalthough he had deserted her, but she promised not to go away, but to\nkeep house for the shepherd for the future.\n\nAnd now the time drew near when Roland\u2019s wedding was to be celebrated,\nand then, according to an old custom in the country, it was announced\nthat all the girls were to be present at it, and sing in honour of the\nbridal pair. When the faithful maiden heard of this, she grew so sad\nthat she thought her heart would break, and she would not go thither,\nbut the other girls came and took her. When it came to her turn to\nsing, she stepped back, until at last she was the only one left, and\nthen she could not refuse. But when she began her song, and it reached\nRoland\u2019s ears, he sprang up and cried, \u201cI know the voice, that is the\ntrue bride, I will have no other!\u201d Everything he had forgotten, and\nwhich had vanished from his mind, had suddenly come home again to his\nheart. Then the faithful maiden held her wedding with her sweetheart\nRoland, and grief came to an end and joy began.\n\n\n\n57 The Golden Bird\n\nIn the olden time there was a king, who had behind his palace a\nbeautiful pleasure-garden in which there was a tree that bore golden\napples. When the apples were getting ripe they were counted, but on the\nvery next morning one was missing. This was told to the King, and he\nordered that a watch should be kept every night beneath the tree.\n\nThe King had three sons, the eldest of whom he sent, as soon as night\ncame on, into the garden; but when midnight came he could not keep\nhimself from sleeping, and next morning again an apple was gone.\n\nThe following night the second son had to keep watch, it fared no\nbetter with him; as soon as twelve o\u2019clock had struck he fell asleep,\nand in the morning an apple was gone.\n\nNow it came to the turn of the third son to watch; and he was quite\nready, but the King had not much trust in him, and thought that he\nwould be of less use even than his brothers; but at last he let him go.\nThe youth lay down beneath the tree, but kept awake, and did not let\nsleep master him. When it struck twelve, something rustled through the\nair, and in the moonlight he saw a bird coming whose feathers were all\nshining with gold. The bird alighted on the tree, and had just plucked\noff an apple, when the youth shot an arrow at him. The bird flew off,\nbut the arrow had struck his plumage, and one of his golden feathers\nfell down. The youth picked it up, and the next morning took it to the\nKing and told him what he had seen in the night. The King called his\ncouncil together, and everyone declared that a feather like this was\nworth more than the whole kingdom. \u201cIf the feather is so precious,\u201d\ndeclared the King, \u201cone alone will not do for me; I must and will have\nthe whole bird!\u201d\n\nThe eldest son set out; he trusted to his cleverness, and thought that\nhe would easily find the Golden Bird. When he had gone some distance he\nsaw a Fox sitting at the edge of a wood, so he cocked his gun and took\naim at him. The Fox cried, \u201cDo not shoot me! and in return I will give\nyou some good counsel. You are on the way to the Golden Bird; and this\nevening you will come to a village in which stand two inns opposite to\none another. One of them is lighted up brightly, and all goes on\nmerrily within, but do not go into it; go rather into the other, even\nthough it seems a bad one.\u201d \u201cHow can such a silly beast give wise\nadvice?\u201d thought the King\u2019s son, and he pulled the trigger. But he\nmissed the Fox, who stretched out his tail and ran quickly into the\nwood.\n\nSo he pursued his way, and by evening came to the village where the two\ninns were; in one they were singing and dancing; the other had a poor,\nmiserable look. \u201cI should be a fool, indeed,\u201d he thought, \u201cif I were to\ngo into the shabby tavern, and pass by the good one.\u201d So he went into\nthe cheerful one, lived there in riot and revel, and forgot the bird\nand his father, and all good counsels.\n\nWhen some time had passed, and the eldest son for month after month did\nnot come back home, the second set out, wishing to find the Golden\nBird. The Fox met him as he had met the eldest, and gave him the good\nadvice of which he took no heed. He came to the two inns, and his\nbrother was standing at the window of the one from which came the\nmusic, and called out to him. He could not resist, but went inside and\nlived only for pleasure.\n\nAgain some time passed, and then the King\u2019s youngest son wanted to set\noff and try his luck, but his father would not allow it. \u201cIt is of no\nuse,\u201d said he, \u201che will find the Golden Bird still less than his\nbrothers, and if a mishap were to befall him he knows not how to help\nhimself; he is a little wanting at the best.\u201d But at last, as he had no\npeace, he let him go.\n\nAgain the Fox was sitting outside the wood, and begged for his life,\nand offered his good advice. The youth was good-natured, and said, \u201cBe\neasy, little Fox, I will do you no harm.\u201d \u201cYou shall not repent it,\u201d\nanswered the Fox; \u201cand that you may get on more quickly, get up behind\non my tail.\u201d And scarcely had he seated himself when the Fox began to\nrun, and away he went over stock and stone till his hair whistled in\nthe wind. When they came to the village the youth got off; he followed\nthe good advice, and without looking round turned into the little inn,\nwhere he spent the night quietly.\n\nThe next morning, as soon as he got into the open country, there sat\nthe Fox already, and said, \u201cI will tell you further what you have to\ndo. Go on quite straight, and at last you will come to a castle, in\nfront of which a whole regiment of soldiers is lying, but do not\ntrouble yourself about them, for they will all be asleep and snoring.\nGo through the midst of them straight into the castle, and go through\nall the rooms, till at last you will come to a chamber where a Golden\nBird is hanging in a wooden cage. Close by, there stands an empty gold\ncage for show, but beware of taking the bird out of the common cage and\nputting it into the fine one, or it may go badly with you.\u201d With these\nwords the Fox again stretched out his tail, and the King\u2019s son seated\nhimself upon it, and away he went over stock and stone till his hair\nwhistled in the wind.\n\nWhen he came to the castle he found everything as the Fox had said. The\nKing\u2019s son went into the chamber where the Golden Bird was shut up in a\nwooden cage, whilst a golden one stood hard by; and the three golden\napples lay about the room. \u201cBut,\u201d thought he, \u201cit would be absurd if I\nwere to leave the beautiful bird in the common and ugly cage,\u201d so he\nopened the door, laid hold of it, and put it into the golden cage. But\nat the same moment the bird uttered a shrill cry. The soldiers awoke,\nrushed in, and took him off to prison. The next morning he was taken\nbefore a court of justice, and as he confessed everything, was\nsentenced to death.\n\nThe King, however, said that he would grant him his life on one\ncondition namely, if he brought him the Golden Horse which ran faster\nthan the wind; and in that case he should receive, over and above, as a\nreward, the Golden Bird.\n\nThe King\u2019s son set off, but he sighed and was sorrowful, for how was he\nto find the Golden Horse? But all at once he saw his old friend the Fox\nsitting on the road. \u201cLook you,\u201d said the Fox, \u201cthis has happened\nbecause you did not give heed to me. However, be of good courage. I\nwill give you my help, and tell you how to get to the Golden Horse. You\nmust go straight on, and you will come to a castle, where in the stable\nstands the horse. The grooms will be lying in front of the stable; but\nthey will be asleep and snoring, and you can quietly lead out the\nGolden Horse. But of one thing you must take heed; put on him the\ncommon saddle of wood and leather, and not the golden one, which hangs\nclose by, else it will go ill with you.\u201d Then the Fox stretched out his\ntail, the King\u2019s son seated himself upon it, and away he went over\nstock and stone until his hair whistled in the wind.\n\nEverything happened just as the Fox had said; the prince came to the\nstable in which the Golden Horse was standing, but just as he was going\nto put the common saddle upon him, he thought, \u201cIt will be a shame to\nsuch a beautiful beast, if I do not give him the good saddle which\nbelongs to him by right.\u201d But scarcely had the golden saddle touched\nthe horse than he began to neigh loudly. The grooms awoke, seized the\nyouth, and threw him into prison. The next morning he was sentenced by\nthe court to death; but the King promised to grant him his life, and\nthe Golden Horse as well, if he could bring back the beautiful princess\nfrom the Golden Castle.\n\nWith a heavy heart the youth set out; yet luckily for him he soon found\nthe trusty Fox. \u201cI ought only to leave you to your ill-luck,\u201d said the\nFox, \u201cbut I pity you, and will help you once more out of your trouble.\nThis road takes you straight to the Golden Castle, you will reach it by\neventide; and at night when everything is quiet the beautiful princess\ngoes to the bathing-house to bathe. When she enters it, run up to her\nand give her a kiss, then she will follow you, and you can take her\naway with you; only do not allow her to take leave of her parents\nfirst, or it will go ill with you.\u201d\n\nThen the Fox stretched out his tail, the King\u2019s son seated himself upon\nit, and away the Fox went, over stock and stone, till his hair whistled\nin the wind.\n\nWhen he reached the Golden Castle it was just as the Fox had said. He\nwaited until midnight, when everything lay in deep sleep, and the\nbeautiful princess was going to the bathing-house. Then he sprang out\nand gave her a kiss. She said that she would like to go with him, but\nshe asked him pitifully, and with tears, to allow her first to take\nleave of her parents. At first he withstood her prayer, but when she\nwept more and more, and fell at his feet, he at last gave in. But no\nsooner had the maiden reached the bedside of her father than he and all\nthe rest in the castle awoke, and the youth was laid hold of and put\ninto prison.\n\nThe next morning the King said to him, \u201cYour life is forfeited, and you\ncan only find mercy if you take away the hill which stands in front of\nmy windows, and prevents my seeing beyond it; and you must finish it\nall within eight days. If you do that you shall have my daughter as\nyour reward.\u201d\n\nThe King\u2019s son began, and dug and shovelled without leaving off, but\nwhen after seven days he saw how little he had done, and how all his\nwork was as good as nothing, he fell into great sorrow and gave up all\nhope. But on the evening of the seventh day the Fox appeared and said,\n\u201cYou do not deserve that I should take any trouble about you; but just\ngo away and lie down to sleep, and I will do the work for you.\u201d\n\nThe next morning when he awoke and looked out of the window the hill\nhad gone. The youth ran, full of joy, to the King, and told him that\nthe task was fulfilled, and whether he liked it or not, the King had to\nhold to his word and give him his daughter.\n\nSo the two set forth together, and it was not long before the trusty\nFox came up with them. \u201cYou have certainly got what is best,\u201d said he,\n\u201cbut the Golden Horse also belongs to the maiden of the Golden Castle.\u201d\n\u201cHow shall I get it?\u201d asked the youth. \u201cThat I will tell you,\u201d answered\nthe Fox; \u201cfirst take the beautiful maiden to the King who sent you to\nthe Golden Castle. There will be unheard-of rejoicing; they will gladly\ngive you the Golden Horse, and will bring it out to you. Mount it as\nsoon as possible, and offer your hand to all in farewell; last of all\nto the beautiful maiden. And as soon as you have taken her hand swing\nher up on to the horse, and gallop away, and no one will be able to\nbring you back, for the horse runs faster than the wind.\u201d\n\nAll was carried out successfully, and the King\u2019s son carried off the\nbeautiful princess on the Golden Horse.\n\nThe Fox did not remain behind, and he said to the youth, \u201cNow I will\nhelp you to get the Golden Bird. When you come near to the castle where\nthe Golden Bird is to be found, let the maiden get down, and I will\ntake her into my care. Then ride with the Golden Horse into the\ncastle-yard; there will be great rejoicing at the sight, and they will\nbring out the Golden Bird for you. As soon as you have the cage in your\nhand gallop back to us, and take the maiden away again.\u201d\n\nWhen the plan had succeeded, and the King\u2019s son was about to ride home\nwith his treasures, the Fox said, \u201cNow you shall reward me for my\nhelp.\u201d \u201cWhat do you require for it?\u201d asked the youth. \u201cWhen you get\ninto the wood yonder, shoot me dead, and chop off my head and feet.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat would be fine gratitude,\u201d said the King\u2019s son. \u201cI cannot possibly\ndo that for you.\u201d\n\nThe Fox said, \u201cIf you will not do it I must leave you, but before I go\naway I will give you a piece of good advice. Be careful about two\nthings. Buy no gallows\u2019-flesh, and do not sit at the edge of any well.\u201d\nAnd then he ran into the wood.\n\nThe youth thought, \u201cThat is a wonderful beast, he has strange whims;\nwho is going to buy gallows\u2019-flesh? and the desire to sit at the edge\nof a well it has never yet seized me.\u201d\n\nHe rode on with the beautiful maiden, and his road took him again\nthrough the village in which his two brothers had remained. There was a\ngreat stir and noise, and, when he asked what was going on, he was told\nthat two men were going to be hanged. As he came nearer to the place he\nsaw that they were his brothers, who had been playing all kinds of\nwicked pranks, and had squandered all their wealth. He inquired whether\nthey could not be set free. \u201cIf you will pay for them,\u201d answered the\npeople; \u201cbut why should you waste your money on wicked men, and buy\nthem free.\u201d He did not think twice about it, but paid for them, and\nwhen they were set free they all went on their way together.\n\nThey came to the wood where the Fox had first met them, as it was cool\nand pleasant within it, the two brothers said, \u201cLet us rest a little by\nthe well, and eat and drink.\u201d He agreed, and whilst they were talking\nhe forgot himself, and sat down upon the edge of the well without\nthinking of any evil. But the two brothers threw him backwards into the\nwell, took the maiden, the Horse, and the Bird, and went home to their\nfather. \u201cHere we bring you not only the Golden Bird,\u201d said they; \u201cwe\nhave won the Golden Horse also, and the maiden from the Golden Castle.\u201d\nThen was there great joy; but the Horse would not eat, the Bird would\nnot sing, and the maiden sat and wept.\n\nBut the youngest brother was not dead. By good fortune the well was\ndry, and he fell upon soft moss without being hurt, but he could not\nget out again. Even in this strait the faithful Fox did not leave him:\nit came and leapt down to him, and upbraided him for having forgotten\nits advice. \u201cBut yet I cannot give it up so,\u201d he said; \u201cI will help you\nup again into daylight.\u201d He bade him grasp his tail and keep tight hold\nof it; and then he pulled him up.\n\n\u201cYou are not out of all danger yet,\u201d said the Fox. \u201cYour brothers were\nnot sure of your death, and have surrounded the wood with watchers, who\nare to kill you if you let yourself be seen.\u201d But a poor man was\nsitting upon the road, with whom the youth changed clothes, and in this\nway he got to the King\u2019s palace.\n\nNo one knew him, but the Bird began to sing, the Horse began to eat,\nand the beautiful maiden left off weeping. The King, astonished, asked,\n\u201cWhat does this mean?\u201d Then the maiden said, \u201cI do not know, but I have\nbeen so sorrowful and now I am so happy! I feel as if my true\nbridegroom had come.\u201d She told him all that had happened, although the\nother brothers had threatened her with death if she were to betray\nanything.\n\nThe King commanded that all people who were in his castle should be\nbrought before him; and amongst them came the youth in his ragged\nclothes; but the maiden knew him at once and fell upon his neck. The\nwicked brothers were seized and put to death, but he was married to the\nbeautiful maiden and declared heir to the King.\n\nBut how did it fare with the poor Fox? Long afterwards the King\u2019s son\nwas once again walking in the wood, when the Fox met him and said, \u201cYou\nhave everything now that you can wish for, but there is never an end to\nmy misery, and yet it is in your power to free me,\u201d and again he asked\nhim with tears to shoot him dead and chop off his head and feet. So he\ndid it, and scarcely was it done when the Fox was changed into a man,\nand was no other than the brother of the beautiful princess, who at\nlast was freed from the magic charm which had been laid upon him. And\nnow nothing more was wanting to their happiness as long as they lived.\n\n\n\n58 The Dog and the Sparrow\n\nA sheep-dog had not a good master, but, on the contrary, one who let\nhim suffer hunger. As he could stay no longer with him, he went quite\nsadly away. On the road he met a sparrow who said, \u201cBrother dog, why\nart thou so sad?\u201d The dog replied, \u201cI am hungry, and have nothing to\neat.\u201d Then said the sparrow, \u201cDear brother, come into the town with me,\nand I will satisfy thy hunger.\u201d So they went into the town together,\nand when they came in front of a butcher\u2019s shop the sparrow said to the\ndog, \u201cStay there, and I will pick a bit of meat down for thee,\u201d and he\nalighted on the stall, looked about him to see that no one was\nobserving him, and pecked and pulled and tore so long at a piece which\nlay on the edge, that it slipped down. Then the dog seized it, ran into\na corner, and devoured it. The sparrow said, \u201cNow come with me to\nanother shop, and then I will get thee one more piece that thou mayst\nbe satisfied.\u201d When the dog had devoured the second piece as well, the\nsparrow asked, \u201cBrother dog, hast thou now had enough?\u201d \u201cYes, I have\nhad meat enough,\u201d he answered, \u201cbut I have had no bread yet.\u201d Said the\nsparrow, \u201cThou shalt have that also, come with me.\u201d Then he took him to\na baker\u2019s shop, and pecked at a couple of little buns till they rolled\ndown, and as the dog wanted still more, he led him to another stall,\nand again got bread for him. When that was consumed, the sparrow said,\n\u201cBrother dog, hast thou now had enough?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d he replied, \u201cnow we\nwill walk awhile outside the town.\u201d Then they both went out on to the\nhighway. It was, however, warm weather, and when they had walked a\nlittle way the dog said, \u201cI am tired, and would like to sleep.\u201d \u201cWell,\ndo sleep,\u201d answered the sparrow, \u201cand in the meantime I will seat\nmyself on a branch.\u201d So the dog lay down on the road, and fell fast\nasleep. Whilst he lay sleeping there, a waggoner came driving by, who\nhad a cart with three horses, laden with two barrels of wine. The\nsparrow, however, saw that he was not going to turn aside, but was\nstaying in the wheel track in which the dog was lying, so it cried,\n\u201cWaggoner, don\u2019t do it, or I will make thee poor.\u201d The waggoner,\nhowever, growled to himself, \u201cThou wilt not make me poor,\u201d and cracked\nhis whip and drove the cart over the dog, and the wheels killed him.\nThen the sparrow cried, \u201cThou hast run over my brother dog and killed\nhim, it shall cost thee thy cart and horses.\u201d \u201cCart and horses indeed!\u201d\nsaid the waggoner. \u201cWhat harm canst thou do me?\u201d and drove onwards.\nThen the sparrow crept under the cover of the cart, and pecked so long\nat the same bung-hole that he got the bung out, and then all the wine\nran out without the driver noticing it. But once when he was looking\nbehind him he saw that the cart was dripping, and looked at the barrels\nand saw that one of them was empty. \u201cUnfortunate fellow that I am,\u201d\ncried he. \u201cNot unfortunate enough yet,\u201d said the sparrow, and flew on\nto the head of one of the horses and pecked his eyes out. When the\ndriver saw that, he drew out his axe and wanted to hit the sparrow, but\nthe sparrow flew into the air, and he hit his horse on the head, and it\nfell down dead. \u201cOh, what an unfortunate man I am,\u201d cried he. \u201cNot\nunfortunate enough yet,\u201d said the sparrow, and when the driver drove on\nwith the two horses, the sparrow again crept under the cover, and\npecked the bung out of the second cask, so all the wine was spilt. When\nthe driver became aware of it, he again cried, \u201cOh, what an unfortunate\nman I am,\u201d but the sparrow replied, \u201cNot unfortunate enough yet,\u201d and\nseated himself on the head of the second horse, and pecked his eyes\nout. The driver ran up to it and raised his axe to strike, but the\nsparrow flew into the air and the blow struck the horse, which fell.\n\u201cOh, what an unfortunate man I am.\u201d \u201cNot unfortunate enough yet,\u201d said\nthe sparrow, and lighted on the third horse\u2019s head, and pecked out his\neyes. The driver, in his rage, struck at the sparrow without looking\nround, and did not hit him but killed his third horse likewise. \u201cOh,\nwhat an unfortunate man I am,\u201d cried he. \u201cNot unfortunate enough yet,\u201d\nanswered the sparrow. \u201cNow will I make thee unfortunate in thy home,\u201d\nand flew away.\n\nThe driver had to leave the waggon standing, and full of anger and\nvexation went home. \u201cAh,\u201d said he to his wife, \u201cwhat misfortunes I have\nhad! My wine has run out, and the horses are all three dead!\u201d \u201cAlas,\nhusband,\u201d she answered, \u201cwhat a malicious bird has come into the house!\nIt has gathered together every bird there is in the world, and they\nhave fallen on our corn up there, and are devouring it.\u201d Then he went\nupstairs, and thousands and thousands of birds were sitting in the loft\nand had eaten up all the corn, and the sparrow was sitting in the midst\nof them. Then the driver cried, \u201cOh, what an unfortunate man I am?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot unfortunate enough yet!\u201d answered the sparrow; \u201cwaggoner, it shall\ncost thee thy life as well,\u201d and flew out.\n\nThen the waggoner had lost all his property, and he went downstairs\ninto the room, sat down behind the stove and was quite furious and\nbitter. But the sparrow sat outside in front of the window, and cried,\n\u201cWaggoner, it shall cost thee thy life.\u201d Then the waggoner snatched the\naxe and threw it at the sparrow, but it only broke the window, and did\nnot hit the bird. The sparrow now hopped in, placed itself on the stove\nand cried, \u201cWaggoner, it shall cost thee thy life.\u201d The latter, quite\nmad and blind with rage, smote the stove in twain, and as the sparrow\nflew from one place to another so it fared with all his household\nfurniture, looking-glass, benches, table, and at last the walls of his\nhouse, and yet he could not hit the bird. At length, however, he caught\nit with his hand. Then his wife said, \u201cShall I kill it?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d cried\nhe, \u201cthat would be too merciful. It shall die much more cruelly,\u201d and\nhe took it and swallowed it whole. The sparrow, however, began to\nflutter about in his body, and fluttered up again into the man\u2019s mouth;\nthen it stretched out its head, and cried, \u201cWaggoner, it shall still\ncost thee thy life.\u201d The driver gave the axe to his wife, and said,\n\u201cWife, kill the bird in my mouth for me.\u201d The woman struck, but missed\nher blow, and hit the waggoner right on his head, so that he fell dead.\nBut the sparrow flew up and away.\n\n\n\n59 Frederick and Catherine\n\nThere was once on a time a man who was called Frederick and a woman\ncalled Catherine, who had married each other and lived together as\nyoung married folks. One day Frederick said, \u201cI will now go and plough,\nCatherine; when I come back, there must be some roast meat on the table\nfor hunger, and a fresh draught for thirst.\u201d \u201cJust go, Frederick,\u201d\nanswered Kate, \u201cjust go, I will have all ready for you.\u201d Therefore when\ndinner-time drew near she got a sausage out of the chimney, put it in\nthe frying-pan, put some butter to it, and set it on the fire. The\nsausage began to fry and to hiss, Catherine stood beside it and held\nthe handle of the pan, and had her own thoughts as she was doing it.\nThen it occurred to her, \u201cWhile the sausage is getting done thou\ncouldst go into the cellar and draw beer.\u201d So she set the frying-pan\nsafely on the fire, took a can, and went down into the cellar to draw\nbeer. The beer ran into the can and Kate watched it, and then she\nthought, \u201cOh, dear! The dog upstairs is not fastened up, it might get\nthe sausage out of the pan. Well thought of.\u201d And in a trice she was up\nthe cellar-steps again, but the Spitz had the sausage in its mouth\nalready, and trailed it away on the ground. But Catherine, who was not\nidle, set out after it, and chased it a long way into the field; the\ndog, however, was swifter than Catherine and did not let the sausage\njourney easily, but skipped over the furrows with it. \u201cWhat\u2019s gone is\ngone!\u201d said Kate, and turned round, and as she had run till she was\nweary, she walked quietly and comfortably, and cooled herself. During\nthis time the beer was still running out of the cask, for Kate had not\nturned the tap. And when the can was full and there was no other place\nfor it, it ran into the cellar and did not stop until the whole cask\nwas empty. As soon as Kate was on the steps she saw the mischance.\n\u201cGood gracious!\u201d she cried. \u201cWhat shall I do now to stop Frederick\nknowing it!\u201d She thought for a while, and at last she remembered that\nup in the garret was still standing a sack of the finest wheat flour\nfrom the last fair, and she would fetch that down and strew it over the\nbeer. \u201cYes,\u201d said she, \u201che who saves a thing when he ought, has it\nafterwards when he needs it,\u201d and she climbed up to the garret and\ncarried the sack below, and threw it straight down on the can of beer,\nwhich she knocked over, and Frederick\u2019s draught swam also in the\ncellar. \u201cIt is all right,\u201d said Kate, \u201cwhere the one is the other ought\nto be also,\u201d and she strewed the meal over the whole cellar. When it\nwas done she was heartily delighted with her work, and said, \u201cHow clean\nand wholesome it does look here!\u201d At mid-day home came Frederick: \u201cNow,\nwife, what have you ready for me?\u201d \u201cAh, Freddy,\u201d she answered, \u201cI was\nfrying a sausage for you, but whilst I was drawing the beer to drink\nwith it, the dog took it away out of the pan, and whilst I was running\nafter the dog, all the beer ran out, and whilst I was drying up the\nbeer with the flour, I knocked over the can as well, but be easy, the\ncellar is quite dry again.\u201d Said Frederick, \u201cKate, Kate, you should not\nhave done that! to let the sausage be carried off and the beer run out\nof the cask, and throw out all our flour into the bargain!\u201d \u201cIndeed,\nFrederick, I did not know that, you should have told me.\u201d The man\nthought, \u201cIf my wife is like this, I must look after things more.\u201d Now\nhe had got together a good number of thalers which he changed into\ngold, and said to Catherine, \u201cLook, these are counters for playing\ngames; I will put them in a pot and bury them in the stable under the\ncow\u2019s manger, but mind you keep away from them, or it will be the worse\nfor you.\u201d Said she, \u201cOh, no, Frederick, I certainly will not go.\u201d And\nwhen Frederick was gone some pedlars came into the village who had\ncheap earthen-bowls and pots, and asked the young woman if there was\nnothing she wanted to bargain with them for? \u201cOh, dear people,\u201d said\nCatherine, \u201cI have no money and can buy nothing, but if you have any\nuse for yellow counters I will buy of you.\u201d \u201cYellow counters, why not?\nBut just let us see them.\u201d \u201cThen go into the stable and dig under the\ncow\u2019s manger, and you will find the yellow counters. I am not allowed\nto go there.\u201d The rogues went thither, dug and found pure gold. Then\nthey laid hold of it, ran away, and left their pots and bowls behind in\nthe house. Catherine thought she must use her new things, and as she\nhad no lack in the kitchen already without these, she knocked the\nbottom out of every pot, and set them all as ornaments on the paling\nwhich went round about the house. When Frederick came and saw the new\ndecorations, he said, \u201cCatherine, what have you been about?\u201d \u201cI have\nbought them, Frederick, for the counters which were under the cow\u2019s\nmanger. I did not go there myself, the pedlars had to dig them out for\nthemselves.\u201d \u201cAh, wife,\u201d said Frederick, \u201cwhat have you done? Those\nwere not counters, but pure gold, and all our wealth; you should not\nhave done that.\u201d \u201cIndeed, Frederick,\u201d said she, \u201cI did not know that,\nyou should have forewarned me.\u201d\n\nCatherine stood for a while and bethought to herself; then she said,\n\u201cListen, Frederick, we will soon get the gold back again, we will run\nafter the thieves.\u201d \u201cCome, then,\u201d said Frederick, \u201cwe will try it; but\ntake with you some butter and cheese that we may have something to eat\non the way.\u201d \u201cYes, Frederick, I will take them.\u201d They set out, and as\nFrederick was the better walker, Catherine followed him. \u201cIt is to my\nadvantage,\u201d thought she, \u201cwhen we turn back I shall be a little way in\nadvance.\u201d Then she came to a hill where there were deep ruts on both\nsides of the road. \u201cThere one can see,\u201d said Catherine, \u201chow they have\ntorn and skinned and galled the poor earth, it will never be whole\nagain as long as it lives,\u201d and in her heart\u2019s compassion she took her\nbutter and smeared the ruts right and left, that they might not be so\nhurt by the wheels, and as she was thus bending down in her charity,\none of the cheeses rolled out of her pocket down the hill. Said\nCatherine, \u201cI have made my way once up here, I will not go down again;\nanother may run and fetch it back.\u201d So she took another cheese and\nrolled it down. But the cheeses did not come back, so she let a third\nrun down, thinking. \u201cPerhaps they are waiting for company, and do not\nlike to walk alone.\u201d As all three stayed away she said, \u201cI do not know\nwhat that can mean, but it may perhaps be that the third has not found\nthe way, and has gone wrong, I will just send the fourth to call it.\u201d\nBut the fourth did no better than the third. Then Catherine was angry,\nand threw down the fifth and sixth as well, and these were her last.\nShe remained standing for some time watching for their coming, but when\nthey still did not come, she said, \u201cOh, you are good folks to send in\nsearch of death, you stay a fine long time away! Do you think I will\nwait any longer for you? I shall go my way, you may run after me; you\nhave younger legs than I.\u201d Catherine went on and found Frederick, who\nwas standing waiting for her because he wanted something to eat. \u201cNow\njust let us have what you have brought with you,\u201d said he. She gave him\nthe dry bread. \u201cWhere have you the butter and the cheeses?\u201d asked the\nman. \u201cAh, Freddy,\u201d said Catherine, \u201cI smeared the cart-ruts with the\nbutter and the cheeses will come soon; one ran away from me, so I sent\nthe others after to call it.\u201d Said Frederick, \u201cYou should not have done\nthat, Catherine, to smear the butter on the road, and let the cheeses\nrun down the hill!\u201d \u201cReally, Frederick, you should have told me.\u201d Then\nthey ate the dry bread together, and Frederick said, \u201cCatherine, did\nyou make the house safe when you came away?\u201d \u201cNo, Frederick, you should\nhave told me to do it before.\u201d \u201cThen go home again, and make the house\nsafe before we go any farther, and bring with you something else to\neat. I will wait here for you.\u201d Catherine went back and thought,\n\u201cFrederick wants something more to eat, he does not like butter and\ncheese, so I will take with me a handkerchief full of dried pears and a\npitcher of vinegar for him to drink.\u201d Then she bolted the upper half of\nthe door fast, but unhinged the lower door, and took it on her back,\nbelieving that when she had placed the door in security the house must\nbe well taken care of. Catherine took her time on the way, and thought,\n\u201cFrederick will rest himself so much the longer.\u201d When she had once\nreached him she said, \u201cHere is the house-door for you, Frederick, and\nnow you can take care of the house yourself.\u201d \u201cOh, heavens,\u201d said he,\n\u201cwhat a wise wife I have! She takes the under-door off the hinges that\neverything may run in, and bolts the upper one. It is now too late to\ngo back home again, but since you have brought the door here, you shall\njust carry it farther.\u201d \u201cI will carry the door, Frederick, but the\ndried pears and the vinegar-jug will be too heavy for me, I will hang\nthem on the door, it may carry them.\u201d\n\nAnd now they went into the forest, and sought the rogues, but did not\nfind them. At length as it grew dark they climbed into a tree and\nresolved to spend the night there. Scarcely, however, had they sat down\nat the top of it than the rascals came thither who carry away with them\nwhat does not want to go, and find things before they are lost. They\nsat down under the very tree in which Frederick and Catherine were\nsitting, lighted a fire, and were about to share their booty. Frederick\ngot down on the other side and collected some stones together. Then he\nclimbed up again with them, and wished to throw them at the thieves and\nkill them. The stones, however, did not hit them, and the knaves cried,\n\u201cIt will soon be morning, the wind is shaking down the fir-apples.\u201d\nCatherine still had the door on her back, and as it pressed so heavily\non her, she thought it was the fault of the dried pears, and said,\n\u201cFrederick, I must throw the pears down.\u201d \u201cNo, Catherine, not now,\u201d he\nreplied, \u201cthey might betray us.\u201d \u201cOh, but, Frederick, I must! They\nweigh me down far too much.\u201d \u201cDo it, then, and be hanged!\u201d Then the\ndried pears rolled down between the branches, and the rascals below\nsaid, \u201cThe leaves are falling.\u201d\n\nA short time afterwards, as the door was still heavy, Catherine said,\n\u201cAh, Frederick, I must pour out the vinegar.\u201d \u201cNo, Catherine, you must\nnot, it might betray us.\u201d \u201cAh, but, Frederick, I must, it weighs me\ndown far too much.\u201d \u201cThen do it and be hanged!\u201d So she emptied out the\nvinegar, and it besprinkled the robbers. They said amongst themselves,\n\u201cThe dew is already falling.\u201d At length Catherine thought, \u201cCan it\nreally be the door which weighs me down so?\u201d and said, \u201cFrederick, I\nmust throw the door down.\u201d \u201cNo, not now, Catherine, it might discover\nus.\u201d \u201cOh, but, Frederick, I must. It weighs me down far too much.\u201d \u201cOh,\nno, Catherine, do hold it fast.\u201d \u201cAh, Frederick, I am letting it fall!\u201d\n\u201cLet it go, then, in the devil\u2019s name.\u201d Then it fell down with a\nviolent clatter, and the rascals below cried, \u201cThe devil is coming down\nthe tree!\u201d and they ran away and left everything behind them. Early\nnext morning, when the two came down they found all their gold again,\nand carried it home.\n\nWhen they were once more at home, Frederick said, \u201cAnd now, Catherine,\nyou, too, must be industrious and work.\u201d \u201cYes, Frederick, I will soon\ndo that, I will go into the field and cut corn.\u201d When Catherine got\ninto the field, she said to herself, \u201cShall I eat before I cut, or\nshall I sleep before I cut? Oh, I will eat first.\u201d Then Catherine ate\nand eating made her sleepy, and she began to cut, and half in a dream\ncut all her clothes to pieces, her apron, her gown, and her shift. When\nCatherine awoke again after a long sleep she was standing there\nhalf-naked, and said to herself, \u201cIs it I, or is it not I? Alas, it is\nnot I.\u201d In the meantime night came, and Catherine ran into the village,\nknocked at her husband\u2019s window, and cried, \u201cFrederick.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is the matter?\u201d \u201cI should very much like to know if Catherine is\nin?\u201d \u201cYes, yes,\u201d replied Frederick, \u201cshe must be in and asleep.\u201d\n\nSaid she, \u201c\u2019Tis well, then I am certainly at home already,\u201d and ran\naway.\n\nOutside Catherine found some vagabonds who were going to steal. Then\nshe went to them and said, \u201cI will help you to steal.\u201d The rascals\nthought that she knew the situation of the place, and were willing.\nCatherine went in front of the houses, and cried, \u201cGood folks, have you\nanything? We want to steal.\u201d The thieves thought to themselves, \u201cThat\u2019s\na fine way of doing things,\u201d and wished themselves once more rid of\nCatherine. Then they said to her, \u201cOutside the village the pastor has\nsome turnips in the field. Go there and pull up some turnips for us.\u201d\nCatherine went to the ground, and began to pull them up, but was so\nidle that she did not gather them together. Then a man came by, saw\nher, and stood still and thought that it was the devil who was thus\nrooting amongst the turnips. He ran away into the village to the\npastor, and said, \u201cMr. Pastor, the devil is in your turnip-ground,\nrooting up turnips.\u201d \u201cAh, heavens,\u201d answered the pastor, \u201cI have a lame\nfoot, I cannot go out and drive him away.\u201d Said the man, \u201cThen I will\ncarry you on my back,\u201d and he carried him out on his back. And when\nthey came to the ground, Catherine arose and stood up her full height.\n\u201cAh, the devil!\u201d cried the pastor, and both hurried away, and in his\ngreat fright the pastor could run better with his lame foot than the\nman who had carried him on his back could do with his sound one.\n\n\n\n60 The Two Brothers\n\nThere were once upon a time two brothers, one rich and the other poor.\nThe rich one was a goldsmith and evil-hearted. The poor one supported\nhimself by making brooms, and was good and honourable. The poor one had\ntwo children, who were twin brothers and as like each other as two\ndrops of water. The two boys went backwards and forwards to the rich\nhouse, and often got some of the scraps to eat. It happened once when\nthe poor man was going into the forest to fetch brush-wood, that he saw\na bird which was quite golden and more beautiful than any he had ever\nchanced to meet with. He picked up a small stone, threw it at him, and\nwas lucky enough to hit him, but one golden feather only fell down, and\nthe bird flew away. The man took the feather and carried it to his\nbrother, who looked at it and said, \u201cIt is pure gold!\u201d and gave him a\ngreat deal of money for it. Next day the man climbed into a birch-tree,\nand was about to cut off a couple of branches when the same bird flew\nout, and when the man searched he found a nest, and an egg lay inside\nit, which was of gold. He took the egg home with him, and carried it to\nhis brother, who again said, \u201cIt is pure gold,\u201d and gave him what it\nwas worth. At last the goldsmith said, \u201cI should indeed like to have\nthe bird itself.\u201d The poor man went into the forest for the third time,\nand again saw the golden bird sitting on the tree, so he took a stone\nand brought it down and carried it to his brother, who gave him a great\nheap of gold for it. \u201cNow I can get on,\u201d thought he, and went\ncontentedly home.\n\nThe goldsmith was crafty and cunning, and knew very well what kind of a\nbird it was. He called his wife and said, \u201cRoast me the gold bird, and\ntake care that none of it is lost. I have a fancy to eat it all\nmyself.\u201d The bird, however, was no common one, but of so wondrous a\nkind that whosoever ate its heart and liver found every morning a piece\nof gold beneath his pillow. The woman made the bird ready, put it on\nthe spit, and let it roast. Now it happened that while it was at the\nfire, and the woman was forced to go out of the kitchen on account of\nsome other work, the two children of the poor broom-maker ran in, stood\nby the spit and turned it round once or twice. And as at that very\nmoment two little bits of the bird fell down into the dripping-tin, one\nof the boys said, \u201cWe will eat these two little bits; I am so hungry,\nand no one will ever miss them.\u201d Then the two ate the pieces, but the\nwoman came into the kitchen and saw that they were eating something and\nsaid, \u201cWhat have ye been eating?\u201d \u201cTwo little morsels which fell out of\nthe bird,\u201d answered they. \u201cThat must have been the heart and the\nliver,\u201d said the woman, quite frightened, and in order that her husband\nmight not miss them and be angry, she quickly killed a young cock, took\nout his heart and liver, and put them beside the golden bird. When it\nwas ready, she carried it to the goldsmith, who consumed it all alone,\nand left none of it. Next morning, however, when he felt beneath his\npillow, and expected to bring out the piece of gold, no more gold\npieces were there than there had always been.\n\nThe two children did not know what a piece of good-fortune had fallen\nto their lot. Next morning when they arose, something fell rattling to\nthe ground, and when they picked it up there were two gold pieces! They\ntook them to their father, who was astonished and said, \u201cHow can that\nhave happened?\u201d When next morning they again found two, and so on\ndaily, he went to his brother and told him the strange story. The\ngoldsmith at once knew how it had come to pass, and that the children\nhad eaten the heart and liver of the golden bird, and in order to\nrevenge himself, and because he was envious and hard-hearted, he said\nto the father, \u201cThy children are in league with the Evil One, do not\ntake the gold, and do not suffer them to stay any longer in thy house,\nfor he has them in his power, and may ruin thee likewise.\u201d The father\nfeared the Evil One, and painful as it was to him, he nevertheless led\nthe twins forth into the forest, and with a sad heart left them there.\n\nAnd now the two children ran about the forest, and sought the way home\nagain, but could not find it, and only lost themselves more and more.\nAt length they met with a huntsman, who asked, \u201cTo whom do you children\nbelong?\u201d \u201cWe are the poor broom-maker\u2019s boys,\u201d they replied, and they\ntold him that their father would not keep them any longer in the house\nbecause a piece of gold lay every morning under their pillows. \u201cCome,\u201d\nsaid the huntsman, \u201cthat is nothing so very bad, if at the same time\nyou keep honest, and are not idle.\u201d As the good man liked the children,\nand had none of his own, he took them home with him and said, \u201cI will\nbe your father, and bring you up till you are big.\u201d They learnt\nhuntsmanship from him, and the piece of gold which each of them found\nwhen he awoke, was kept for them by him in case they should need it in\nthe future.\n\nWhen they were grown up, their foster-father one day took them into the\nforest with him, and said, \u201cTo-day shall you make your trial shot, so\nthat I may release you from your apprenticeship, and make you\nhuntsmen.\u201d They went with him to lie in wait and stayed there a long\ntime, but no game appeared. The huntsman, however, looked above him and\nsaw a covey of wild geese flying in the form of a triangle, and said to\none of them, \u201cShoot me down one from each corner.\u201d He did it, and thus\naccomplished his trial shot. Soon after another covey came flying by in\nthe form of the figure two, and the huntsman bade the other also bring\ndown one from each corner, and his trial shot was likewise successful.\n\u201cNow,\u201d said the foster-father, \u201cI pronounce you out of your\napprenticeship; you are skilled huntsmen.\u201d Thereupon the two brothers\nwent forth together into the forest, and took counsel with each other\nand planned something. And in the evening when they had sat down to\nsupper, they said to their foster-father, \u201cWe will not touch food, or\ntake one mouthful, until you have granted us a request.\u201d Said he,\n\u201cWhat, then, is your request?\u201d They replied, \u201cWe have now finished\nlearning, and we must prove ourselves in the world, so allow us to go\naway and travel.\u201d Then spake the old man joyfully, \u201cYou talk like brave\nhuntsmen, that which you desire has been my wish; go forth, all will go\nwell with you.\u201d Thereupon they ate and drank joyously together.\n\nWhen the appointed day came, their foster-father presented each of them\nwith a good gun and a dog, and let each of them take as many of his\nsaved-up gold pieces as he chose. Then he accompanied them a part of\nthe way, and when taking leave, he gave them a bright knife, and said,\n\u201cIf ever you separate, stick this knife into a tree at the place where\nyou part, and when one of you goes back, he will will be able to see\nhow his absent brother is faring, for the side of the knife which is\nturned in the direction by which he went, will rust if he dies, but\nwill remain bright as long as he is alive.\u201d The two brothers went still\nfarther onwards, and came to a forest which was so large that it was\nimpossible for them to get out of it in one day. So they passed the\nnight in it, and ate what they had put in their hunting-pouches, but\nthey walked all the second day likewise, and still did not get out. As\nthey had nothing to eat, one of them said, \u201cWe must shoot something for\nourselves or we shall suffer from hunger,\u201d and loaded his gun, and\nlooked about him. And when an old hare came running up towards them, he\nlaid his gun on his shoulder, but the hare cried,\n\n\u201cDear huntsman, do but let me live,\nTwo little ones to thee I\u2019ll give,\u201d\n\n\nand sprang instantly into the thicket, and brought two young ones. But\nthe little creatures played so merrily, and were so pretty, that the\nhuntsmen could not find it in their hearts to kill them. They therefore\nkept them with them, and the little hares followed on foot. Soon after\nthis, a fox crept past; they were just going to shoot it, but the fox\ncried,\n\n\u201cDear hunstman, do but let me live,\nTwo little ones I\u2019ll also give.\u201d\n\n\nHe, too, brought two little foxes, and the huntsmen did not like to\nkill them either, but gave them to the hares for company, and they\nfollowed behind. It was not long before a wolf strode out of the\nthicket; the huntsmen made ready to shoot him, but the wolf cried,\n\n\u201cDear huntsman, do but let me live,\nTwo little ones I\u2019ll likewise give.\u201d\n\n\nThe huntsmen put the two wolves beside the other animals, and they\nfollowed behind them. Then a bear came who wanted to trot about a\nlittle longer, and cried:\n\n\u201cDear huntsman, do but let me live,\nTwo little ones I, too, will give.\u201d\n\n\nThe two young bears were added to the others, and there were already\neight of them. At length who came? A lion came, and tossed his mane.\nBut the huntsmen did not let themselves be frightened and aimed at him\nlikewise, but the lion also said,\n\n\u201cDear huntsman, do but let me live,\nTwo little ones I, too, will give.\u201d\n\n\nAnd he brought his little ones to them, and now the huntsmen had two\nlions, two bears, two wolves, two foxes, and two hares, who followed\nthem and served them. In thu meantime their hunger was not appeased by\nthis, and they said to the foxes, \u201cHark ye, cunning fellows, provide us\nwith something to eat. You are crafty and deep.\u201d They replied, \u201cNot far\nfrom here lies a village, from which we have already brought many a\nfowl; we will show you the way there.\u201d So they went into the village,\nbought themselves something to eat, had some food given to their\nbeasts, and then travelled onwards. The foxes, however, knew their way\nvery well about the district and where the poultry-yards were, and were\nable to guide the huntsmen.\n\nNow they travelled about for a while, but could find no situations\nwhere they could remain together, so they said, \u201cThere is nothing else\nfor it, we must part.\u201d They divided the animals, so that each of them\nhad a lion, a bear, a wolf, a fox, and a hare, then they took leave of\neach other, promised to love each other like brothers till their death,\nand stuck the knife which their foster-father had given them, into a\ntree, after which one went east, and the other went west.\n\nThe younger, however, arrived with his beasts in a town which was all\nhung with black crape. He went into an inn, and asked the host if he\ncould accommodate his animals. The innkeeper gave him a stable, where\nthere was a hole in the wall, and the hare crept out and fetched\nhimself the head of a cabbage, and the fox fetched himself a hen, and\nwhen he had devoured that got the cock as well, but the wolf, the bear,\nand the lion could not get out because they were too big. Then the\ninnkeeper let them be taken to a place where a cow was just then lying\non the grass, that they might eat till they were satisfied. And when\nthe huntsman had taken care of his animals, he asked the innkeeper why\nthe town was thus hung with black crape? Said the host, \u201cBecause our\nKing\u2019s only daughter is to die to-morrow.\u201d The huntsman inquired if she\nwas \u201csick unto death?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d answered the host, \u201cshe is vigorous and\nhealthy, nevertheless she must die!\u201d \u201cHow is that?\u201d asked the huntsman.\n\u201cThere is a high hill without the town, whereon dwells a dragon who\nevery year must have a pure virgin, or he lays the whole country waste,\nand now all the maidens have already been given to him, and there is no\nlonger anyone left but the King\u2019s daughter, yet there is no mercy for\nher; she must be given up to him, and that is to be done to-morrow.\u201d\nSaid the huntsman, \u201cWhy is the dragon not killed?\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d replied the\nhost, \u201cso many knights have tried it, but it has cost all of them their\nlives. The King has promised that he who conquers the dragon shall have\nhis daughter to wife, and shall likewise govern the kingdom after his\nown death.\u201d\n\nThe huntsman said nothing more to this, but next morning took his\nanimals, and with them ascended the dragon\u2019s hill. A little church\nstood at the top of it, and on the altar three full cups were standing,\nwith the inscription, \u201cWhosoever empties the cups will become the\nstrongest man on earth, and will be able to wield the sword which is\nburied before the threshold of the door.\u201d The huntsman did not drink,\nbut went out and sought for the sword in the ground, but was unable to\nmove it from its place. Then he went in and emptied the cups, and now\nhe was strong enough to take up the sword, and his hand could quite\neasily wield it. When the hour came when the maiden was to be delivered\nover to the dragon, the King, the marshal, and courtiers accompanied\nher. From afar she saw the huntsman on the dragon\u2019s hill, and thought\nit was the dragon standing there waiting for her, and did not want to\ngo up to him, but at last, because otherwise the whole town would have\nbeen destroyed, she was forced to go the miserable journey. The King\nand courtiers returned home full of grief; the King\u2019s marshal, however,\nwas to stand still, and see all from a distance.\n\nWhen the King\u2019s daughter got to the top of the hill, it was not the\ndragon which stood there, but the young huntsman, who comforted her,\nand said he would save her, led her into the church, and locked her in.\nIt was not long before the seven-headed dragon came thither with loud\nroaring. When he perceived the huntsman, he was astonished and said,\n\u201cWhat business hast thou here on the hill?\u201d The huntsman answered, \u201cI\nwant to fight with thee.\u201d Said the dragon, \u201cMany knights have left\ntheir lives here, I shall soon have made an end of thee too,\u201d and he\nbreathed fire out of seven jaws. The fire was to have lighted the dry\ngrass, and the huntsman was to have been suffocated in the heat and\nsmoke, but the animals came running up and trampled out the fire. Then\nthe dragon rushed upon the huntsman, but he swung his sword until it\nsang through the air, and struck off three of his heads. Then the\ndragon grew right furious, and rose up in the air, and spat out flames\nof fire over the huntsman, and was about to plunge down on him, but the\nhuntsman once more drew out his sword, and again cut off three of his\nheads. The monster became faint and sank down, nevertheless it was just\nable to rush upon the huntsman, but he with his last strength smote its\ntail off, and as he could fight no longer, called up his animals who\ntore it in pieces. When the struggle was ended, the huntsman unlocked\nthe church, and found the King\u2019s daughter lying on the floor, as she\nhad lost her senses with anguish and terror during the contest. He\ncarried her out, and when she came to herself once more, and opened her\neyes, he showed her the dragon all cut to pieces, and told her that she\nwas now delivered. She rejoiced and said, \u201cNow thou wilt be my dearest\nhusband, for my father has promised me to him who kills the dragon.\u201d\nThereupon she took off her necklace of coral, and divided it amongst\nthe animals in order to reward them, and the lion received the golden\nclasp. Her pocket-handkerchief, however, on which was her name, she\ngave to the huntsman, who went and cut the tongues out of the dragon\u2019s\nseven heads, wrapped them in the handkerchief, and preserved them\ncarefully.\n\nThat done, as he was so faint and weary with the fire and the battle,\nhe said to the maiden, \u201cWe are both faint and weary, we will sleep\nawhile.\u201d Then she said, \u201cyes,\u201d and they lay down on the ground, and the\nhuntsman said to the lion, \u201cThou shalt keep watch, that no one\nsurprises us in our sleep,\u201d and both fell asleep. The lion lay down\nbeside them to watch, but he also was so weary with the fight, that he\ncalled to the bear and said, \u201cLie down near me, I must sleep a little:\nif anything comes, waken me.\u201d Then the bear lay down beside him, but he\nalso was tired, and called the wolf and said, \u201cLie down by me, I must\nsleep a little, but if anything comes, waken me.\u201d Then the wolf lay\ndown by him, but he was tired likewise, and called the fox and said,\n\u201cLie down by me, I must sleep a little; if anything comes, waken me.\u201d\nThen the fox lay down beside him, but he too was weary, and called the\nhare and said, \u201cLie down near me, I must sleep a little, and if\nanything should come, waken me.\u201d Then the hare sat down by him, but the\npoor hare was tired too, and had no one whom he could call there to\nkeep watch, and fell asleep. And now the King\u2019s daughter, the huntsman,\nthe lion, the bear, the wolf, the fox, and the hare, were all sleeping\na sound sleep. The marshal, however, who was to look on from a\ndistance, took courage when he did not see the dragon flying away with\nthe maiden, and finding that all the hill had become quiet, ascended\nit. There lay the dragon hacked and hewn to pieces on the ground, and\nnot far from it were the King\u2019s daughter and a huntsman with his\nanimals, and all of them were sunk in a sound sleep. And as he was\nwicked and godless he took his sword, cut off the huntsman\u2019s head, and\nseized the maiden in his arms, and carried her down the hill. Then she\nawoke and was terrified, but the marshal said, \u201cThou art in my hands,\nthou shalt say that it was I who killed the dragon.\u201d \u201cI cannot do\nthat,\u201d she replied, \u201cfor it was a huntsman with his animals who did\nit.\u201d Then he drew his sword, and threatened to kill her if she did not\nobey him, and so compelled her that she promised it. Then he took her\nto the King, who did not know how to contain himself for joy when he\nonce more looked on his dear child in life, whom he had believed to\nhave been torn to pieces by the monster. The marshal said to him, \u201cI\nhave killed the dragon, and delivered the maiden and the whole kingdom\nas well, therefore I demand her as my wife, as was promised.\u201d The King\nsaid to the maiden, \u201cIs what he says true?\u201d \u201cAh, yes,\u201d she answered,\n\u201cit must indeed be true, but I will not consent to have the wedding\ncelebrated until after a year and a day,\u201d for she thought in that time\nshe should hear something of her dear huntsman.\n\nThe animals, however, were still lying sleeping beside their dead\nmaster on the dragon\u2019s hill, and there came a great humble-bee and\nlighted on the hare\u2019s nose, but the hare wiped it off with his paw, and\nwent on sleeping. The humble-bee came a second time, but the hare again\nrubbed it off and slept on. Then it came for the third time, and stung\nhis nose so that he awoke. As soon as the hare was awake, he roused the\nfox, and the fox, the wolf, and the wolf the bear, and the bear the\nlion. And when the lion awoke and saw that the maiden was gone, and his\nmaster was dead, he began to roar frightfully and cried, \u201cWho has done\nthat? Bear, why didst thou not waken me?\u201d The bear asked the wolf, \u201cWhy\ndidst thou not waken me?\u201d and the wolf the fox, \u201cWhy didst thou not\nwaken me?\u201d and the fox the hare, \u201cWhy didst thou not waken me?\u201d The\npoor hare alone did not know what answer to make, and the blame rested\nwith him. Then they were just going to fall upon him, but he entreated\nthem and said, \u201cKill me not, I will bring our master to life again. I\nknow a mountain on which a root grows which, when placed in the mouth\nof any one, cures him of all illness and every wound. But the mountain\nlies two hundred hours journey from here.\u201d The lion said, \u201cIn\nfour-and-twenty hours must thou have run thither and have come back,\nand have brought the root with thee.\u201d Then the hare sprang away, and in\nfour-and-twenty hours he was back, and brought the root with him. The\nlion put the huntsman\u2019s head on again, and the hare placed the root in\nhis mouth, and immediately everything united together again, and his\nheart beat, and life came back. Then the huntsman awoke, and was\nalarmed when he did not see the maiden, and thought, \u201cShe must have\ngone away whilst I was sleeping, in order to get rid of me.\u201d The lion\nin his great haste had put his master\u2019s head on the wrong way round,\nbut the huntsman did not observe it because of his melancholy thoughts\nabout the King\u2019s daughter. But at noon, when he was going to eat\nsomething, he saw that his head was turned backwards and could not\nunderstand it, and asked the animals what had happened to him in his\nsleep. Then the lion told him that they, too, had all fallen asleep\nfrom weariness, and on awaking, had found him dead with his head cut\noff, that the hare had brought the life-giving root, and that he, in\nhis haste, had laid hold of the head the wrong way, but that he would\nrepair his mistake. Then he tore the huntsman\u2019s head off again, turned\nit round, and the hare healed it with the root.\n\nThe huntsman, however, was sad at heart, and travelled about the world,\nand made his animals dance before people. It came to pass that\nprecisely at the end of one year he came back to the same town where he\nhad delivered the King\u2019s daughter from the dragon, and this time the\ntown was gaily hung with red cloth. Then he said to the host, \u201cWhat\ndoes this mean? Last year the town was all hung with black crape, what\nmeans the red cloth to-day?\u201d The host answered, \u201cLast year our King\u2019s\ndaughter was to have been delivered over to the dragon, but the marshal\nfought with it and killed it, and so to-morrow their wedding is to be\nsolemnized, and that is why the town was then hung with black crape for\nmourning, and is to-day covered with red cloth for joy?\u201d\n\nNext day when the wedding was to take place, the huntsman said at\nmid-day to the inn-keeper, \u201cDo you believe, sir host, that I while with\nyou here to-day shall eat bread from the King\u2019s own table?\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d said\nthe host, \u201cI would bet a hundred pieces of gold that that will not come\ntrue.\u201d The huntsman accepted the wager, and set against it a purse with\njust the same number of gold pieces. Then he called the hare and said,\n\u201cGo, my dear runner, and fetch me some of the bread which the King is\neating.\u201d Now the little hare was the lowest of the animals, and could\nnot transfer this order to any the others, but had to get on his legs\nhimself. \u201cAlas!\u201d thought he, \u201cif I bound through the streets thus\nalone, the butchers\u2019 dogs will all be after me.\u201d It happened as he\nexpected, and the dogs came after him and wanted to make holes in his\ngood skin. But he sprang away, have you have never seen one running?\nand sheltered himself in a sentry-box without the soldier being aware\nof it. Then the dogs came and wanted to have him out, but the soldier\ndid not understand a jest, and struck them with the butt-end of his\ngun, till they ran away yelling and howling. As soon as the hare saw\nthat the way was clear, he ran into the palace and straight to the\nKing\u2019s daughter, sat down under her chair, and scratched at her foot.\nThen she said, \u201cWilt thou get away?\u201d and thought it was her dog. The\nhare scratched her foot for the second time, and she again said, \u201cWilt\nthou get away?\u201d and thought it was her dog. But the hare did not let\nitself be turned from its purpose, and scratched her for the third\ntime. Then she peeped down, and knew the hare by its collar. She took\nhim on her lap, carried him into her chamber, and said, \u201cDear Hare,\nwhat dost thou want?\u201d He answered, \u201cMy master, who killed the dragon,\nis here, and has sent me to ask for a loaf of bread like that which the\nKing eats.\u201d Then she was full of joy and had the baker summoned, and\nordered him to bring a loaf such as was eaten by the King. The little\nhare said, \u201cBut the baker must likewise carry it thither for me, that\nthe butchers\u2019 dogs may do no harm to me.\u201d The baker carried if for him\nas far as the door of the inn, and then the hare got on his hind legs,\ntook the loaf in his front paws, and carried it to his master. Then\nsaid the huntsman, \u201cBehold, sir host, the hundred pieces of gold are\nmine.\u201d The host was astonished, but the huntsman went on to say, \u201cYes,\nsir host, I have the bread, but now I will likewise have some of the\nKing\u2019s roast meat.\u201d\n\nThe host said, \u201cI should indeed like to see that,\u201d but he would make no\nmore wagers. The huntsman called the fox and said, \u201cMy little fox, go\nand fetch me some roast meat, such as the King eats.\u201d The red fox knew\nthe bye-ways better, and went by holes and corners without any dog\nseeing him, seated himself under the chair of the King\u2019s daughter, and\nscratched her foot. Then she looked down and recognized the fox by its\ncollar, took him into her chamber with her and said, \u201cDear fox, what\ndost thou want?\u201d He answered, \u201cMy master, who killed the dragon, is\nhere, and has sent me. I am to ask for some roast meat such as the King\nis eating.\u201d Then she made the cook come, who was obliged to prepare a\nroast joint, the same as was eaten by the King, and to carry it for the\nfox as far as the door. Then the fox took the dish, waved away with his\ntail the flies which had settled on the meat, and then carried it to\nhis master. \u201cBehold, sir host,\u201d said the huntsman, \u201cbread and meat are\nhere but now I will also have proper vegetables with it, such as are\neaten by the King.\u201d Then he called the wolf, and said, \u201cDear Wolf, go\nthither and fetch me vegetables such as the King eats.\u201d Then the wolf\nwent straight to the palace, as he feared no one, and when he got to\nthe King\u2019s daughter\u2019s chamber, he twitched at the back of her dress, so\nthat she was forced to look round. She recognized him by his collar,\nand took him into her chamber with her, and said, \u201cDear Wolf, what dost\nthou want?\u201d He answered, \u201cMy master, who killed the dragon, is here, I\nam to ask for some vegetables, such as the King eats.\u201d Then she made\nthe cook come, and he had to make ready a dish of vegetables, such as\nthe King ate, and had to carry it for the wolf as far as the door, and\nthen the wolf took the dish from him, and carried it to his master.\n\u201cBehold, sir host,\u201d said the huntsman, \u201cnow I have bread and meat and\nvegetables, but I will also have some pastry to eat like that which the\nKing eats.\u201d He called the bear, and said, \u201cDear Bear, thou art fond of\nlicking anything sweet; go and bring me some confectionery, such as the\nKing eats.\u201d Then the bear trotted to the palace, and every one got out\nof his way, but when he went to the guard, they presented their\nmuskets, and would not let him go into the royal palace. But he got up\non his hind legs, and gave them a few boxes on the ears, right and\nleft, with his paws, so that the whole watch broke up, and then he went\nstraight to the King\u2019s daughter, placed himself behind her, and growled\na little. Then she looked behind her, knew the bear, and bade him go\ninto her room with her, and said, \u201cDear Bear, what dost thou want?\u201d He\nanswered, \u201cMy master, who killed the dragon, is here, and I am to ask\nfor some confectionery, such as the King eats.\u201d Then she summoned her\nconfectioner, who had to bake confectionery such as the King ate, and\ncarry it to the door for the bear; then the bear first licked up the\ncomfits which had rolled down, and then he stood upright, took the\ndish, and carried it to his master. \u201cBehold, sir host,\u201d said the\nhuntsman, \u201cnow I have bread, meat, vegetables and confectionery, but I\nwill drink wine also, and such as the King drinks.\u201d He called his lion\nto him and said, \u201cDear Lion, thou thyself likest to drink till thou art\nintoxicated, go and fetch me some wine, such as is drunk by the King.\u201d\nThen the lion strode through the streets, and the people fled from him,\nand when he came to the watch, they wanted to bar the way against him,\nbut he did but roar once, and they all ran away. Then the lion went to\nthe royal apartment, and knocked at the door with his tail. Then the\nKing\u2019s daughter came forth, and was almost afraid of the lion, but she\nknew him by the golden clasp of her necklace, and bade him go with her\ninto her chamber, and said, \u201cDear Lion, what wilt thou have?\u201d He\nanswered, \u201cMy master, who killed the dragon, is here, and I am to ask\nfor some wine such as is drunk by the King.\u201d Then she bade the\ncup-bearer be called, who was to give the lion some wine like that\nwhich was drunk by the King. The lion said, \u201cI will go with him, and\nsee that I get the right wine.\u201d Then he went down with the cup-bearer,\nand when they were below, the cup-bearer wanted to draw him some of the\ncommon wine that was drunk by the King\u2019s servants, but the lion said,\n\u201cStop, I will taste the wine first,\u201d and he drew half a measure, and\nswallowed it down at one draught. \u201cNo,\u201d said he, \u201cthat is not right.\u201d\nThe cup-bearer looked at him askance, but went on, and was about to\ngive him some out of another barrel which was for the King\u2019s marshal.\nThe lion said, \u201cStop, let me taste the wine first,\u201d and drew half a\nmeasure and drank it. \u201cThat is better, but still not right,\u201d said he.\nThen the cup-bearer grew angry and said, \u201cHow can a stupid animal like\nyou understand wine?\u201d But the lion gave him a blow behind the ears,\nwhich made him fall down by no means gently, and when he had got up\nagain, he conducted the lion quite silently into a little cellar apart,\nwhere the King\u2019s wine lay, from which no one ever drank. The lion first\ndrew half a measure and tried the wine, and then he said, That may\npossibly be the right sort, and bade the cup-bearer fill six bottles of\nit. And now they went upstairs again, but when the lion came out of the\ncellar into the open air, he reeled here and there, and was rather\ndrunk, and the cup-bearer was forced to carry the wine as far as the\ndoor for him, and then the lion took the handle of the basket in his\nmouth, and took it to his master. The huntsman said, \u201cBehold, sir host,\nhere have I bread, meat, vegetables, confectionery and wine such as the\nKing has, and now I will dine with my animals,\u201d and he sat down and ate\nand drank, and gave the hare, the fox, the wolf, the bear, and the lion\nalso to eat and to drink, and was joyful, for he saw that the King\u2019s\ndaughter still loved him. And when he had finished his dinner, he said,\n\u201cSir host, now have I eaten and drunk, as the King eats and drinks, and\nnow I will go to the King\u2019s court and marry the King\u2019s daughter.\u201d Said\nthe host, \u201cHow can that be, when she already has a betrothed husband,\nand when the wedding is to be solemnized to-day?\u201d Then the huntsman\ndrew forth the handkerchief which the King\u2019s daughter had given him on\nthe dragon\u2019s hill, and in which were folded the monster\u2019s seven\ntongues, and said, \u201cThat which I hold in my hand shall help me to do\nit.\u201d Then the innkeeper looked at the handkerchief, and said, \u201cWhatever\nI believe, I do not believe that, and I am willing to stake my house\nand courtyard on it.\u201d The huntsman, however, took a bag with a thousand\ngold pieces, put it on the table, and said, \u201cI stake that on it.\u201d\n\nNow the King said to his daughter, at the royal table, \u201cWhat did all\nthe wild animals want, which have been coming to thee, and going in and\nout of my palace?\u201d She replied, \u201cI may not tell you, but send and have\nthe master of these animals brought, and you will do well.\u201d The King\nsent a servant to the inn, and invited the stranger, and the servant\ncame just as the huntsman had laid his wager with the innkeeper. Then\nsaid he, \u201cBehold, sir host, now the King sends his servant and invites\nme, but I do not go in this way.\u201d And he said to the servant, \u201cI\nrequest the Lord King to send me royal clothing, and a carriage with\nsix horses, and servants to attend me.\u201d When the King heard the answer,\nhe said to his daughter, \u201cWhat shall I do?\u201d She said, \u201cCause him to be\nfetched as he desires to be, and you will do well.\u201d Then the King sent\nroyal apparel, a carriage with six horses, and servants to wait on him.\nWhen the huntsman saw them coming, he said, \u201cBehold, sir host, now I am\nfetched as I desired to be,\u201d and he put on the royal garments, took the\nhandkerchief with the dragon\u2019s tongues with him, and drove off to the\nKing. When the King saw him coming, he said to his daughter, \u201cHow shall\nI receive him?\u201d She answered, \u201cGo to meet him and you will do well.\u201d\nThen the King went to meet him and led him in, and his animals\nfollowed. The King gave him a seat near himself and his daughter, and\nthe marshal, as bridegroom, sat on the other side, but no longer knew\nthe huntsman. And now at this very moment, the seven heads of the\ndragon were brought in as a spectacle, and the King said, \u201cThe seven\nheads were cut off the dragon by the marshal, wherefore to-day I give\nhim my daughter to wife.\u201d The the huntsman stood up, opened the seven\nmouths, and said, \u201cWhere are the seven tongues of the dragon?\u201d Then was\nthe marshal terrified, and grew pale and knew not what answer he should\nmake, and at length in his anguish he said, \u201cDragons have no tongues.\u201d\nThe huntsman said, \u201cLiars ought to have none, but the dragon\u2019s tongues\nare the tokens of the victor,\u201d and he unfolded the handkerchief, and\nthere lay all seven inside it. And he put each tongue in the mouth to\nwhich it belonged, and it fitted exactly. Then he took the handkerchief\non which the name of the princess was embroidered, and showed it to the\nmaiden, and asked to whom she had given it, and she replied, \u201cTo him\nwho killed the dragon.\u201d And then he called his animals, and took the\ncollar off each of them and the golden clasp from the lion, and showed\nthem to the maiden and asked to whom they belonged. She answered, \u201cThe\nnecklace and golden clasp were mine, but I divided them among the\nanimals who helped to conquer the dragon.\u201d Then spake the huntsman,\n\u201cWhen I, tired with the fight, was resting and sleeping, the marshal\ncame and cut off my head. Then he carried away the King\u2019s daughter, and\ngave out that it was he who had killed the dragon, but that he lied I\nprove with the tongues, the handkerchief, and the necklace.\u201d And then\nhe related how his animals had healed him by means of a wonderful root,\nand how he had travelled about with them for one year, and had at\nlength again come there and had learnt the treachery of the marshal by\nthe inn-keeper\u2019s story. Then the King asked his daughter, \u201cIs it true\nthat this man killed the dragon?\u201d And she answered, \u201cYes, it is true.\nNow can I reveal the wicked deed of the marshal, as it has come to\nlight without my connivance, for he wrung from me a promise to be\nsilent. For this reason, however, did I make the condition that the\nmarriage should not be solemnized for a year and a day.\u201d Then the King\nbade twelve councillors be summoned who were to pronounce judgment on\nthe marshal, and they sentenced him to be torn to pieces by four bulls.\nThe marshal was therefore executed, but the King gave his daughter to\nthe huntsman, and named him his viceroy over the whole kingdom. The\nwedding was celebrated with great joy, and the young King caused his\nfather and his foster-father to be brought, and loaded them with\ntreasures. Neither did he forget the inn-keeper, but sent for him and\nsaid, \u201cBehold, sir host, I have married the King\u2019s daughter, and your\nhouse and yard are mine.\u201d The host said, \u201cYes, according to justice it\nis so.\u201d But the young King said, \u201cIt shall be done according to mercy,\u201d\nand told him that he should keep his house and yard, and gave him the\nthousand pieces of gold as well.\n\nAnd now the young King and Queen were thoroughly happy, and lived in\ngladness together. He often went out hunting because it was a delight\nto him, and the faithful animals had to accompany him. In the\nneighborhood, however, there was a forest of which it was reported that\nit was haunted, and that whosoever did but enter it did not easily get\nout again. The young King, however, had a great inclination to hunt in\nit, and let the old King have no peace until he allowed him to do so.\nSo he rode forth with a great following, and when he came to the\nforest, he saw a snow-white hart and said to his people, \u201cWait here\nuntil I return, I want to chase that beautiful creature,\u201d and he rode\ninto the forest after it, followed only by his animals. The attendants\nhalted and waited until evening, but he did not return, so they rode\nhome, and told the young Queen that the young King had followed a white\nhart into the enchanted forest, and had not come back again. Then she\nwas in the greatest concern about him. He, however, had still continued\nto ride on and on after the beautiful wild animal, and had never been\nable to overtake it; when he thought he was near enough to aim, he\ninstantly saw it bound away into the far distance, and at length it\nvanished altogether. And now he perceived that he had penetrated deep\ninto the forest, and blew his horn but he received no answer, for his\nattendants could not hear it. And as night, too, was falling, he saw\nthat he could not get home that day, so he dismounted from his horse,\nlighted himself a fire near a tree, and resolved to spend the night by\nit. While he was sitting by the fire, and his animals also were lying\ndown beside him, it seemed to him that he heard a human voice. He\nlooked round, but could perceived nothing. Soon afterwards, he again\nheard a groan as if from above, and then he looked up, and saw an old\nwoman sitting in the tree, who wailed unceasingly, \u201cOh, oh, oh, how\ncold I am!\u201d Said he, \u201cCome down, and warm thyself if thou art cold.\u201d\nBut she said, \u201cNo, thy animals will bite me.\u201d He answered, \u201cThey will\ndo thee no harm, old mother, do come down.\u201d She, however, was a witch,\nand said, \u201cI will throw down a wand from the tree, and if thou strikest\nthem on the back with it, they will do me no harm.\u201d Then she threw him\na small wand, and he struck them with it, and instantly they lay still\nand were turned into stone. And when the witch was safe from the\nanimals, she leapt down and touched him also with a wand, and changed\nhim to stone. Thereupon she laughed, and dragged him and the animals\ninto a vault, where many more such stones already lay.\n\nAs, however, the young King did not come back at all, the Queen\u2019s\nanguish and care grew constantly greater. And it so happened that at\nthis very time the other brother who had turned to the east when they\nseparated, came into the kingdom. He had sought a situation, and had\nfound none, and had then travelled about here and there, and had made\nhis animals dance. Then it came into his mind that he would just go and\nlook at the knife that they had thrust in the trunk of a tree at their\nparting, that he might learn how his brother was. When he got there his\nbrother\u2019s side of the knife was half rusted, and half bright. Then he\nwas alarmed and thought, \u201cA great misfortune must have befallen my\nbrother, but perhaps I can still save him, for half the knife is still\nbright.\u201d He and his animals travelled towards the west, and when he\nentered the gate of the town, the guard came to meet him, and asked if\nhe was to announce him to his consort the young Queen, who had for a\ncouple of days been in the greatest sorrow about his staying away, and\nwas afraid he had been killed in the enchanted forest? The sentries,\nindeed, thought no otherwise than that he was the young King himself,\nfor he looked so like him, and had wild animals running behind him.\nThen he saw that they were speaking of his brother, and thought, \u201cIt\nwill be better if I pass myself off for him, and then I can rescue him\nmore easily.\u201d So he allowed himself to be escorted into the castle by\nthe guard, and was received with the greatest joy. The young Queen\nindeed thought that he was her husband, and asked him why he had stayed\naway so long. He answered, \u201cI had lost myself in a forest, and could\nnot find my way out again any sooner.\u201d At night he was taken to the\nroyal bed, but he laid a two-edged sword between him and the young\nQueen; she did not know what that could mean, but did not venture to\nask.\n\nHe remained in the palace a couple of days, and in the meantime\ninquired into everything which related to the enchanted forest, and at\nlast he said, \u201cI must hunt there once more.\u201d The King and the young\nQueen wanted to persuade him not to do it, but he stood out against\nthem, and went forth with a larger following. When he had got into the\nforest, it fared with him as with his brother; he saw a white hart and\nsaid to his people, \u201cStay here, and wait until I return, I want to\nchase the lovely wild beast,\u201d and then he rode into the forest and his\nanimals ran after him. But he could not overtake the hart, and got so\ndeep into the forest that he was forced to pass the night there. And\nwhen he had lighted a fire, he heard some one wailing above him, \u201cOh,\noh, oh, how cold I am!\u201d Then he looked up, and the self-same witch was\nsitting in the tree. Said he, \u201cIf thou art cold, come down, little old\nmother, and warm thyself.\u201d She answered, \u201cNo, thy animals will bite\nme.\u201d But he said, \u201cThey will not hurt thee.\u201d Then she cried, \u201cI will\nthrow down a wand to thee, and if thou smitest them with it they will\ndo me no harm.\u201d When the huntsman heard that, he had no confidence in\nthe old woman, and said, \u201cI will not strike my animals. Come down, or I\nwill fetch thee.\u201d Then she cried, \u201cWhat dost thou want? Thou shalt not\ntouch me.\u201d But he replied, \u201cIf thou dost not come, I will shoot thee.\u201d\nSaid she, \u201cShoot away, I do not fear thy bullets!\u201d Then he aimed, and\nfired at her, but the witch was proof against all leaden bullets, and\nlaughed, and yelled and cried, \u201cThou shalt not hit me.\u201d The huntsman\nknew what to do, tore three silver buttons off his coat, and loaded his\ngun with them, for against them her arts were useless, and when he\nfired she fell down at once with a scream. Then he set his foot on her\nand said, Old witch, if thou dost not instantly confess where my\nbrother is, I will seize thee with both my hands and throw thee into\nthe fire. She was in a great fright, begged for mercy and said, He and\nhis animals lie in a vault, turned to stone. Then he compelled her to\ngo thither with him, threatened her, and said, Old sea-cat, now shalt\nthou make my brother and all the human beings lying here, alive again,\nor thou shalt go into the fire! She took a wand and touched the stones,\nand then his brother with his animals came to life again, and many\nothers, merchants, artizans, and shepherds, arose, thanked him for\ntheir deliverance, and went to their homes. But when the twin brothers\nsaw each other again, they kissed each other and rejoiced with all\ntheir hearts. Then they seized the witch, bound her and laid her on the\nfire, and when she was burnt the forest opened of its own accord, and\nwas light and clear, and the King\u2019s palace could be seen at about the\ndistance of a three hours walk.\n\nThereupon the two brothers went home together, and on the way told each\nother their histories. And when the youngest said that he was ruler of\nthe whole country in the King\u2019s stead, the other observed, \u201cThat I\nremarked very well, for when I came to the town, and was taken for\nthee, all royal honours were paid me; the young Queen looked on me as\nher husband, and I had to eat at her side, and sleep in thy bed.\u201d When\nthe other heard that, he became so jealous and angry that he drew his\nsword, and struck off his brother\u2019s head. But when he saw him lying\nthere dead, and saw his red blood flowing, he repented most violently:\n\u201cMy brother delivered me,\u201d cried he, \u201cand I have killed him for it,\u201d\nand he bewailed him aloud. Then his hare came and offered to go and\nbring some of the root of life, and bounded away and brought it while\nyet there was time, and the dead man was brought to life again, and\nknew nothing about the wound.\n\nAfter this they journeyed onwards, and the youngest said, \u201cThou lookest\nlike me, hast royal apparel on as I have, and the animals follow thee\nas they do me; we will go in by opposite gates, and arrive at the same\ntime from the two sides in the aged King\u2019s presence.\u201d So they\nseparated, and at the same time came the watchmen from the one door and\nfrom the other, and announced that the young King and the animals had\nreturned from the chase. The King said, \u201cIt is not possible, the gates\nlie quite a mile apart.\u201d In the meantime, however, the two brothers\nentered the courtyard of the palace from opposite sides, and both\nmounted the steps. Then the King said to the daughter, \u201cSay which is\nthy husband. Each of them looks exactly like the other, I cannot tell.\u201d\nThen she was in great distress, and could not tell; but at last she\nremembered the necklace which she had given to the animals, and she\nsought for and found her little golden clasp on the lion, and she cried\nin her delight, \u201cHe who is followed by this lion is my true husband\u201d.\nThen the young King laughed and said, \u201cYes, he is the right one,\u201d and\nthey sat down together to table, and ate and drank, and were merry. At\nnight when the young King went to bed, his wife said, \u201cWhy hast thou\nfor these last nights always laid a two-edged sword in our bed? I\nthought thou hadst a wish to kill me.\u201d Then he knew how true his\nbrother had been.\n\n\n\n61 The Little Peasant\n\nThere was a certain village wherein no one lived but really rich\npeasants, and just one poor one, whom they called the little peasant.\nHe had not even so much as a cow, and still less money to buy one, and\nyet he and his wife did so wish to have one. One day he said to her,\n\u201cHark you, I have a good thought, there is our gossip the carpenter, he\nshall make us a wooden calf, and paint it brown, so that it look like\nany other, and in time it will certainly get big and be a cow.\u201d The\nwoman also liked the idea, and their gossip the carpenter cut and\nplaned the calf, and painted it as it ought to be, and made it with its\nhead hanging down as if it were eating.\n\nNext morning when the cows were being driven out, the little peasant\ncalled the cow-herd and said, \u201cLook, I have a little calf there, but it\nis still small and has still to be carried.\u201d The cow-herd said, \u201cAll\nright, and took it in his arms and carried it to the pasture, and set\nit among the grass.\u201d The little calf always remained standing like one\nwhich was eating, and the cow-herd said, \u201cIt will soon run alone, just\nlook how it eats already!\u201d At night when he was going to drive the herd\nhome again, he said to the calf, \u201cIf thou canst stand there and eat thy\nfill, thou canst also go on thy four legs; I don\u2019t care to drag thee\nhome again in my arms.\u201d But the little peasant stood at his door, and\nwaited for his little calf, and when the cow-herd drove the cows\nthrough the village, and the calf was missing, he inquired where it\nwas. The cow-herd answered, \u201cIt is still standing out there eating. It\nwould not stop and come with us.\u201d But the little peasant said, \u201cOh, but\nI must have my beast back again.\u201d Then they went back to the meadow\ntogether, but some one had stolen the calf, and it was gone. The\ncow-herd said, \u201cIt must have run away.\u201d The peasant, however, said,\n\u201cDon\u2019t tell me that,\u201d and led the cow-herd before the mayor, who for\nhis carelessness condemned him to give the peasant a cow for the calf\nwhich had run away.\n\nAnd now the little peasant and his wife had the cow for which they had\nso long wished, and they were heartily glad, but they had no food for\nit, and could give it nothing to eat, so it soon had to be killed. They\nsalted the flesh, and the peasant went into the town and wanted to sell\nthe skin there, so that he might buy a new calf with the proceeds. On\nthe way he passed by a mill, and there sat a raven with broken wings,\nand out of pity he took him and wrapped him in the skin. As, however,\nthe weather grew so bad and there was a storm of rain and wind, he\ncould go no farther, and turned back to the mill and begged for\nshelter. The miller\u2019s wife was alone in the house, and said to the\npeasant, \u201cLay thyself on the straw there\u201d, and gave him a slice of\nbread with cheese on it. The peasant ate it, and lay down with his skin\nbeside him, and the woman thought, \u201cHe is tired and has gone to sleep.\u201d\nIn the meantime came the parson; the miller\u2019s wife received him well,\nand said, \u201cMy husband is out, so we will have a feast.\u201d The peasant\nlistened, and when he heard about feasting he was vexed that he had\nbeen forced to make shift with a slice of bread with cheese on it. Then\nthe woman served up four different things, roast meat, salad, cakes,\nand wine.\n\nJust as they were about to sit down and eat, there was a knocking\noutside. The woman said, \u201cOh, heavens! It is my husband!\u201d She quickly\nhid the roast meat inside the tiled stove, the wine under the pillow,\nthe salad on the bed, the cakes under it, and the parson in the\ncupboard in the entrance. Then she opened the door for her husband, and\nsaid, \u201cThank heaven, thou art back again! There is such a storm, it\nlooks as if the world were coming to an end.\u201d The miller saw the\npeasant lying on the straw, and asked, \u201cWhat is that fellow doing\nthere?\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said the wife, \u201cthe poor knave came in the storm and\nrain, and begged for shelter, so I gave him a bit of bread and cheese,\nand showed him where the straw was.\u201d The man said, \u201cI have no\nobjection, but be quick and get me something to eat.\u201d The woman said,\n\u201cBut I have nothing but bread and cheese.\u201d \u201cI am contented with\nanything,\u201d replied the husband, \u201cso far as I am concerned, bread and\ncheese will do,\u201d and looked at the peasant and said, \u201cCome and eat some\nmore with me.\u201d The peasant did not require to be invited twice, but got\nup and ate. After this the miller saw the skin in which the raven was,\nlying on the ground, and asked, \u201cWhat hast thou there?\u201d The peasant\nanswered, \u201cI have a soothsayer inside it.\u201d \u201cCan he foretell anything to\nme?\u201d said the miller. \u201cWhy not?\u201d answered the peasant, \u201cbut he only\nsays four things, and the fifth he keeps to himself.\u201d The miller was\ncurious, and said, \u201cLet him foretell something for once.\u201d Then the\npeasant pinched the raven\u2019s head, so that he croaked and made a noise\nlike krr, krr. The miller said, \u201cWhat did he say?\u201d The peasant\nanswered, \u201cIn the first place, he says that there is some wine hidden\nunder the pillow.\u201d \u201cBless me!\u201d cried the miller, and went there and\nfound the wine. \u201cNow go on,\u201d said he. The peasant made the raven croak\nagain, and said, \u201cIn the second place, he says that there is some roast\nmeat in the tiled stove.\u201d \u201cUpon my word!\u201d cried the miller, and went\nthither, and found the roast meat. The peasant made the raven prophesy\nstill more, and said, \u201cThirdly, he says that there is some salad on the\nbed.\u201d \u201cThat would be a fine thing!\u201d cried the miller, and went there\nand found the salad. At last the peasant pinched the raven once more\ntill he croaked, and said, \u201cFourthly, he says that there are some cakes\nunder the bed.\u201d \u201cThat would be a fine thing!\u201d cried the miller, and\nlooked there, and found the cakes.\n\nAnd now the two sat down to the table together, but the miller\u2019s wife\nwas frightened to death, and went to bed and took all the keys with\nher. The miller would have liked much to know the fifth, but the little\npeasant said, \u201cFirst, we will quickly eat the four things, for the\nfifth is something bad.\u201d So they ate, and after that they bargained how\nmuch the miller was to give for the fifth prophesy, until they agreed\non three hundred thalers. Then the peasant once more pinched the\nraven\u2019s head till he croaked loudly. The miller asked, \u201cWhat did he\nsay?\u201d The peasant replied, \u201cHe says that the Devil is hiding outside\nthere in the cupboard in the entrance.\u201d The miller said, \u201cThe Devil\nmust go out,\u201d and opened the house-door; then the woman was forced to\ngive up the keys, and the peasant unlocked the cupboard. The parson ran\nout as fast as he could, and the miller said, \u201cIt was true; I saw the\nblack rascal with my own eyes.\u201d The peasant, however, made off next\nmorning by daybreak with the three hundred thalers.\n\nAt home the small peasant gradually launched out; he built a beautiful\nhouse, and the peasants said, \u201cThe small peasant has certainly been to\nthe place where golden snow falls, and people carry the gold home in\nshovels.\u201d Then the small peasant was brought before the Mayor, and\nbidden to say from whence his wealth came. He answered, \u201cI sold my\ncow\u2019s skin in the town, for three hundred thalers.\u201d When the peasants\nheard that, they too wished to enjoy this great profit, and ran home,\nkilled all their cows, and stripped off their skins in order to sell\nthem in the town to the greatest advantage. The Mayor, however, said,\n\u201cBut my servant must go first.\u201d When she came to the merchant in the\ntown, he did not give her more than two thalers for a skin, and when\nthe others came, he did not give them so much, and said, \u201cWhat can I do\nwith all these skins?\u201d\n\nThen the peasants were vexed that the small peasant should have thus\noverreached them, wanted to take vengeance on him, and accused him of\nthis treachery before the Mayor. The innocent little peasant was\nunanimously sentenced to death, and was to be rolled into the water, in\na barrel pierced full of holes. He was led forth, and a priest was\nbrought who was to say a mass for his soul. The others were all obliged\nto retire to a distance, and when the peasant looked at the priest, he\nrecognized the man who had been with the miller\u2019s wife. He said to him,\n\u201cI set you free from the cupboard, set me free from the barrel.\u201d At\nthis same moment up came, with a flock of sheep, the very shepherd who\nas the peasant knew had long been wishing to be Mayor, so he cried with\nall his might, \u201cNo, I will not do it; if the whole world insists on it,\nI will not do it!\u201d The shepherd hearing that, came up to him, and\nasked, \u201cWhat art thou about? What is it that thou wilt not do?\u201d The\npeasant said, \u201cThey want to make me Mayor, if I will but put myself in\nthe barrel, but I will not do it.\u201d The shepherd said, \u201cIf nothing more\nthan that is needful in order to be Mayor, I would get into the barrel\nat once.\u201d The peasant said, \u201cIf thou wilt get in, thou wilt be Mayor.\u201d\nThe shepherd was willing, and got in, and the peasant shut the top down\non him; then he took the shepherd\u2019s flock for himself, and drove it\naway. The parson went to the crowd, and declared that the mass had been\nsaid. Then they came and rolled the barrel towards the water. When the\nbarrel began to roll, the shepherd cried, \u201cI am quite willing to be\nMayor.\u201d They believed no otherwise than that it was the peasant who was\nsaying this, and answered, \u201cThat is what we intend, but first thou\nshalt look about thee a little down below there,\u201d and they rolled the\nbarrel down into the water.\n\nAfter that the peasants went home, and as they were entering the\nvillage, the small peasant also came quietly in, driving a flock of\nsheep and looking quite contented. Then the peasants were astonished,\nand said, \u201cPeasant, from whence comest thou? Hast thou come out of the\nwater?\u201d \u201cYes, truly,\u201d replied the peasant, \u201cI sank deep, deep down,\nuntil at last I got to the bottom; I pushed the bottom out of the\nbarrel, and crept out, and there were pretty meadows on which a number\nof lambs were feeding, and from thence I brought this flock away with\nme.\u201d Said the peasants, \u201cAre there any more there?\u201d \u201cOh, yes,\u201d said he,\n\u201cmore than I could do anything with.\u201d Then the peasants made up their\nminds that they too would fetch some sheep for themselves, a flock\napiece, but the Mayor said, \u201cI come first.\u201d So they went to the water\ntogether, and just then there were some of the small fleecy clouds in\nthe blue sky, which are called little lambs, and they were reflected in\nthe water, whereupon the peasants cried, \u201cWe already see the sheep down\nbelow!\u201d The Mayor pressed forward and said, \u201cI will go down first, and\nlook about me, and if things promise well I\u2019ll call you.\u201d So he jumped\nin; splash! went the water; he made a sound as if he were calling them,\nand the whole crowd plunged in after him as one man. Then the entire\nvillage was dead, and the small peasant, as sole heir, became a rich\nman.\n\n\n\n62 The Queen Bee\n\nTwo kings\u2019 sons once went out in search of adventures, and fell into a\nwild, disorderly way of living, so that they never came home again. The\nyoungest, who was called Simpleton, set out to seek his brothers, but\nwhen at length he found them they mocked him for thinking that he with\nhis simplicity could get through the world, when they two could not\nmake their way, and yet were so much cleverer. They all three travelled\naway together, and came to an ant-hill. The two elder wanted to destroy\nit, to see the little ants creeping about in their terror, and carrying\ntheir eggs away, but Simpleton said, \u201cLeave the creatures in peace; I\nwill not allow you to disturb them.\u201d Then they went onwards and came to\na lake, on which a great number of ducks were swimming. The two\nbrothers wanted to catch a couple and roast them, but Simpleton would\nnot permit it, and said, \u201cLeave the creatures in peace, I will not\nsuffer you to kill them.\u201d At length they came to a bee\u2019s nest, in which\nthere was so much honey that it ran out of the trunk of the tree where\nit was. The two wanted to make a fire beneath the tree, and suffocate\nthe bees in order to take away the honey, but Simpleton again stopped\nthem and said, \u201cLeave the creatures in peace, I will not allow you to\nburn them.\u201d At length the three brothers arrived at a castle where\nstone horses were standing in the stables, and no human being was to be\nseen, and they went through all the halls until, quite at the end, they\ncame to a door in which were three locks. In the middle of the door,\nhowever, there was a little pane, through which they could see into the\nroom. There they saw a little grey man, who was sitting at a table.\nThey called him, once, twice, but he did not hear; at last they called\nhim for the third time, when he got up, opened the locks, and came out.\nHe said nothing, however, but conducted them to a handsomely-spread\ntable, and when they had eaten and drunk, he took each of them to a\nbedroom. Next morning the little grey man came to the eldest, beckoned\nto him, and conducted him to a stone table, on which were inscribed\nthree tasks, by the performance of which the castle could be delivered.\nThe first was that in the forest, beneath the moss, lay the princess\u2019s\npearls, a thousand in number, which must be picked up, and if by sunset\none single pearl was wanting, he who had looked for them would be\nturned into stone. The eldest went thither, and sought the whole day,\nbut when it came to an end, he had only found one hundred, and what was\nwritten on the table came to pass, and he was changed into stone. Next\nday, the second brother undertook the adventure; it did not, however,\nfare much better with him than with the eldest; he did not find more\nthan two hundred pearls, and was changed to stone. At last the turn\ncame to Simpleton also, who sought in the moss. It was, however, so\nhard to find the pearls, and he got on so slowly, that he seated\nhimself on a stone, and wept. And while he was thus sitting, the King\nof the ants whose life he had once saved, came with five thousand ants,\nand before long the little creatures had got all the pearls together,\nand laid them in a heap. The second task, however, was to fetch out of\nthe lake the key of the King\u2019s daughter\u2019s bed-chamber. When Simpleton\ncame to the lake, the ducks which he had saved, swam up to him, dived\ndown, and brought the key out of the water. But the third task was the\nmost difficult; from amongst the three sleeping daughters of the King\nwas the youngest and dearest to be sought out. They, however, resembled\neach other exactly, and were only to be distinguished by their having\neaten different sweetmeats before they fell asleep; the eldest a bit of\nsugar; the second a little syrup; and the youngest a spoonful of honey.\nThen the Queen of the bees, which Simpleton had protected from the\nfire, came and tasted the lips of all three, and at last she remained\nsitting on the mouth which had eaten honey, and thus the King\u2019s son\nrecognized the right princess. Then the enchantment was at an end;\neverything was released from sleep, and those who had been turned to\nstone received once more their natural forms. Simpleton married the\nyoungest and sweetest princess, and after her father\u2019s death became\nKing, and his two brothers received the two other sisters.\n\n\n\n63 The Three Feathers\n\nThere was once on a time a King who had three sons, of whom two were\nclever and wise, but the third did not speak much, and was simple, and\nwas called the Simpleton. When the King had become old and weak, and\nwas thinking of his end, he did not know which of his sons should\ninherit the kingdom after him. Then he said to them, \u201cGo forth, and he\nwho brings me the most beautiful carpet shall be King after my death.\u201d\nAnd that there should be no dispute amongst them, he took them outside\nhis castle, blew three feathers in the air, and said, \u201cYou shall go as\nthey fly.\u201d One feather flew to the east, the other to the west, but the\nthird flew straight up and did not fly far, but soon fell to the\nground. And now one brother went to the right, and the other to the\nleft, and they mocked Simpleton, who was forced to stay where the third\nfeather had fallen. He sat down and was sad, then all at once he saw\nthat there was a trap-door close by the feather. He raised it up, found\nsome steps, and went down them, and then he came to another door,\nknocked at it, and heard somebody inside calling,\n\n\u201cLittle green maiden small,\nHopping hither and thither;\nHop to the door,\nAnd quickly see who is there.\u201d\n\n\nThe door opened, and he saw a great, fat toad sitting, and round about\nher a crowd of little toads. The fat toad asked what he wanted? He\nanswered, \u201cI should like to have the prettiest and finest carpet in the\nworld.\u201d Then she called a young one and said,\n\n\u201cLittle green maiden small,\nHopping hither and thither,\nHop quickly and bring me\nThe great box here.\u201d\n\n\nThe young toad brought the box, and the fat toad opened it, and gave\nSimpleton a carpet out of it, so beautiful and so fine, that on the\nearth above, none could have been woven like it. Then he thanked her,\nand ascended again. The two others had, however, looked on their\nyoungest brother as so stupid that they believed he would find and\nbring nothing at all. \u201cWhy should we give ourselves a great deal of\ntrouble to search?\u201d said they, and got some coarse handkerchiefs from\nthe first shepherds\u2019 wives whom they met, and carried them home to the\nKing. At the same time Simpleton also came back, and brought his\nbeautiful carpet, and when the King saw it he was astonished, and said,\n\u201cIf justice be done, the kingdom belongs to the youngest.\u201d But the two\nothers let their father have no peace, and said that it was impossible\nthat Simpleton, who in everything lacked understanding, should be King,\nand entreated him to make a new agreement with them. Then the father\nsaid, \u201cHe who brings me the most beautiful ring shall inherit the\nkingdom,\u201d and led the three brothers out, and blew into the air three\nfeathers, which they were to follow. Those of the two eldest again went\neast and west, and Simpleton\u2019s feather flew straight up, and fell down\nnear the door into the earth. Then he went down again to the fat toad,\nand told her that he wanted the most beautiful ring. She at once\nordered her great box to be brought, and gave him a ring out of it,\nwhich sparkled with jewels, and was so beautiful that no goldsmith on\nearth would have been able to make it. The two eldest laughed at\nSimpleton for going to seek a golden ring. They gave themselves no\ntrouble, but knocked the nails out of an old carriage-ring, and took it\nto the King; but when Simpleton produced his golden ring, his father\nagain said, \u201cThe kingdom belongs to him.\u201d The two eldest did not cease\nfrom tormenting the King until he made a third condition, and declared\nthat the one who brought the most beautiful woman home, should have the\nkingdom. He again blew the three feathers into the air, and they flew\nas before.\n\nThen Simpleton without more ado went down to the fat toad, and said, \u201cI\nam to take home the most beautiful woman!\u201d \u201cOh,\u201d answered the toad,\n\u201cthe most beautiful woman! She is not at hand at the moment, but still\nthou shalt have her.\u201d She gave him a yellow turnip which had been\nhollowed out, to which six mice were harnessed. Then Simpleton said\nquite mournfully, \u201cWhat am I to do with that?\u201d The toad answered, \u201cJust\nput one of my little toads into it.\u201d Then he seized one at random out\nof the circle, and put her into the yellow coach, but hardly was she\nseated inside it than she turned into a wonderfully beautiful maiden,\nand the turnip into a coach, and the six mice into horses. So he kissed\nher, and drove off quickly with the horses, and took her to the King.\nHis brothers came afterwards; they had given themselves no trouble at\nall to seek beautiful girls, but had brought with them the first\npeasant women they chanced to meet. When the King saw them he said,\n\u201cAfter my death the kingdom belongs to my youngest son.\u201d But the two\neldest deafened the King\u2019s ears afresh with their clamour, \u201cWe cannot\nconsent to Simpleton\u2019s being King,\u201d and demanded that the one whose\nwife could leap through a ring which hung in the centre of the hall\nshould have the preference. They thought, \u201cThe peasant women can do\nthat easily; they are strong enough, but the delicate maiden will jump\nherself to death.\u201d The aged King agreed likewise to this. Then the two\npeasant women jumped, and jumped through the ring, but were so stout\nthat they fell, and their coarse arms and legs broke in two. And then\nthe pretty maiden whom Simpleton had brought with him, sprang, and\nsprang through as lightly as a deer, and all opposition had to cease.\nSo he received the crown, and has ruled wisely for a length of time.\n\n\n\n64 The Golden Goose\n\nThere was a man who had three sons, the youngest of whom was called\nDummling, and was despised, mocked, and put down on every occasion.\n\nIt happened that the eldest wanted to go into the forest to hew wood,\nand before he went his mother gave him a beautiful sweet cake and a\nbottle of wine in order that he might not suffer from hunger or thirst.\n\nWhen he entered the forest there met him a little grey-haired old man\nwho bade him good-day, and said, \u201cDo give me a piece of cake out of\nyour pocket, and let me have a draught of your wine; I am so hungry and\nthirsty.\u201d But the prudent youth answered, \u201cIf I give you my cake and\nwine, I shall have none for myself; be off with you,\u201d and he left the\nlittle man standing and went on.\n\nBut when he began to hew down a tree, it was not long before he made a\nfalse stroke, and the axe cut him in the arm, so that he had to go home\nand have it bound up. And this was the little grey man\u2019s doing.\n\nAfter this the second son went into the forest, and his mother gave\nhim, like the eldest, a cake and a bottle of wine. The little old grey\nman met him likewise, and asked him for a piece of cake and a drink of\nwine. But the second son, too, said with much reason, \u201cWhat I give you\nwill be taken away from myself; be off!\u201d and he left the little man\nstanding and went on. His punishment, however, was not delayed; when he\nhad made a few strokes at the tree he struck himself in the leg, so\nthat he had to be carried home.\n\nThen Dummling said, \u201cFather, do let me go and cut wood.\u201d The father\nanswered, \u201cYour brothers have hurt themselves with it, leave it alone,\nyou do not understand anything about it.\u201d But Dummling begged so long\nthat at last he said, \u201cJust go then, you will get wiser by hurting\nyourself.\u201d His mother gave him a cake made with water and baked in the\ncinders, and with it a bottle of sour beer.\n\nWhen he came to the forest the little old grey man met him likewise,\nand greeting him, said, \u201cGive me a piece of your cake and a drink out\nof your bottle; I am so hungry and thirsty.\u201d Dummling answered, \u201cI have\nonly cinder-cake and sour beer; if that pleases you, we will sit down\nand eat.\u201d So they sat down, and when Dummling pulled out his\ncinder-cake, it was a fine sweet cake, and the sour beer had become\ngood wine. So they ate and drank, and after that the little man said,\n\u201cSince you have a good heart, and are willing to divide what you have,\nI will give you good luck. There stands an old tree, cut it down, and\nyou will find something at the roots.\u201d Then the little man took leave\nof him.\n\nDummling went and cut down the tree, and when it fell there was a goose\nsitting in the roots with feathers of pure gold. He lifted her up, and\ntaking her with him, went to an inn where he thought he would stay the\nnight. Now the host had three daughters, who saw the goose and were\ncurious to know what such a wonderful bird might be, and would have\nliked to have one of its golden feathers.\n\nThe eldest thought, \u201cI shall soon find an opportunity of pulling out a\nfeather,\u201d and as soon as Dummling had gone out she seized the goose by\nthe wing, but her finger and hand remained sticking fast to it.\n\nThe second came soon afterwards, thinking only of how she might get a\nfeather for herself, but she had scarcely touched her sister than she\nwas held fast.\n\nAt last the third also came with the like intent, and the others\nscreamed out, \u201cKeep away; for goodness\u2019 sake keep away!\u201d But she did\nnot understand why she was to keep away. \u201cThe others are there,\u201d she\nthought, \u201cI may as well be there too,\u201d and ran to them; but as soon as\nshe had touched her sister, she remained sticking fast to her. So they\nhad to spend the night with the goose.\n\nThe next morning Dummling took the goose under his arm and set out,\nwithout troubling himself about the three girls who were hanging on to\nit. They were obliged to run after him continually, now left, now\nright, just as he was inclined to go.\n\nIn the middle of the fields the parson met them, and when he saw the\nprocession he said, \u201cFor shame, you good-for-nothing girls, why are you\nrunning across the fields after this young man? is that seemly?\u201d At the\nsame time he seized the youngest by the hand in order to pull her away,\nbut as soon as he touched her he likewise stuck fast, and was himself\nobliged to run behind.\n\nBefore long the sexton came by and saw his master, the parson, running\nbehind three girls. He was astonished at this and called out, \u201cHi, your\nreverence, whither away so quickly? do not forget that we have a\nchristening to-day!\u201d and running after him he took him by the sleeve,\nbut was also held fast to it.\n\nWhilst the five were trotting thus one behind the other, two labourers\ncame with their hoes from the fields; the parson called out to them and\nbegged that they would set him and the sexton free. But they had\nscarcely touched the sexton when they were held fast, and now there\nwere seven of them running behind Dummling and the goose.\n\nSoon afterwards he came to a city, where a king ruled who had a\ndaughter who was so serious that no one could make her laugh. So he had\nput forth a decree that whosoever should be able to make her laugh\nshould marry her. When Dummling heard this, he went with his goose and\nall her train before the King\u2019s daughter, and as soon as she saw the\nseven people running on and on, one behind the other, she began to\nlaugh quite loudly, and as if she would never leave off. Thereupon\nDummling asked to have her for his wife, and the wedding was\ncelebrated. After the King\u2019s death, Dummling inherited the kingdom and\nlived a long time contentedly with his wife.\n\n\n\n65 Allerleirauh\n\nThere was once on a time a King who had a wife with golden hair, and\nshe was so beautiful that her equal was not to be found on earth. It\ncame to pass that she lay ill, and as she felt that she must soon die,\nshe called the King and said, \u201cIf thou wishest to marry again after my\ndeath, take no one who is not quite as beautiful as I am, and who has\nnot just such golden hair as I have: this thou must promise me.\u201d And\nafter the King had promised her this she closed her eyes and died.\n\nFor a long time the King could not be comforted, and had no thought of\ntaking another wife. At length his councillors said, \u201cThere is no help\nfor it, the King must marry again, that we may have a Queen.\u201d And now\nmessengers were sent about far and wide, to seek a bride who equalled\nthe late Queen in beauty. In the whole world, however, none was to be\nfound, and even if one had been found, still there would have been no\none who had such golden hair. So the messengers came home as they went.\n\nNow the King had a daughter, who was just as beautiful as her dead\nmother, and had the same golden hair. When she was grown up the King\nlooked at her one day, and saw that in every respect she was like his\nlate wife, and suddenly felt a violent love for her. Then he spake to\nhis councillors, \u201cI will marry my daughter, for she is the counterpart\nof my late wife, otherwise I can find no bride who resembles her.\u201d When\nthe councillors heard that, they were shocked, and said, \u201cGod has\nforbidden a father to marry his daughter, no good can come from such a\ncrime, and the kingdom will be involved in the ruin.\u201d\n\nThe daughter was still more shocked when she became aware of her\nfather\u2019s resolution, but hoped to turn him from his design. Then she\nsaid to him, \u201cBefore I fulfil your wish, I must have three dresses, one\nas golden as the sun, one as silvery as the moon, and one as bright as\nthe stars; besides this, I wish for a mantle of a thousand different\nkinds of fur and hair joined together, and one of every kind of animal\nin your kingdom must give a piece of his skin for it.\u201d But she thought,\n\u201cTo get that will be quite impossible, and thus I shall divert my\nfather from his wicked intentions.\u201d The King, however, did not give it\nup, and the cleverest maidens in his kingdom had to weave the three\ndresses, one as golden as the sun, one as silvery as the moon, and one\nas bright as the stars, and his huntsmen had to catch one of every kind\nof animal in the whole of his kingdom, and take from it a piece of its\nskin, and out of these was made a mantle of a thousand different kinds\nof fur. At length, when all was ready, the King caused the mantle to be\nbrought, spread it out before her, and said, \u201cThe wedding shall be\nto-morrow.\u201d\n\nWhen, therefore, the King\u2019s daughter saw that there was no longer any\nhope of turning her father\u2019s heart, she resolved to run away from him.\nIn the night whilst every one was asleep, she got up, and took three\ndifferent things from her treasures, a golden ring, a golden\nspinning-wheel, and a golden reel. The three dresses of the sun, moon,\nand stars she put into a nutshell, put on her mantle of all kinds of\nfur, and blackened her face and hands with soot. Then she commended\nherself to God, and went away, and walked the whole night until she\nreached a great forest. And as she was tired, she got into a hollow\ntree, and fell asleep.\n\nThe sun rose, and she slept on, and she was still sleeping when it was\nfull day. Then it so happened that the King to whom this forest\nbelonged, was hunting in it. When his dogs came to the tree, they\nsniffed, and ran barking round about it. The King said to the huntsmen,\n\u201cJust see what kind of wild beast has hidden itself in there.\u201d The\nhuntsmen obeyed his order, and when they came back they said, \u201cA\nwondrous beast is lying in the hollow tree; we have never before seen\none like it. Its skin is fur of a thousand different kinds, but it is\nlying asleep.\u201d Said the King, \u201cSee if you can catch it alive, and then\nfasten it to the carriage, and we will take it with us.\u201d When the\nhuntsmen laid hold of the maiden, she awoke full of terror, and cried\nto them, \u201cI am a poor child, deserted by father and mother; have pity\non me, and take me with you.\u201d Then said they, \u201cAllerleirauh, thou wilt\nbe useful in the kitchen, come with us, and thou canst sweep up the\nashes.\u201d So they put her in the carriage, and took her home to the royal\npalace. There they pointed out to her a closet under the stairs, where\nno daylight entered, and said, \u201cHairy animal, there canst thou live and\nsleep.\u201d Then she was sent into the kitchen, and there she carried wood\nand water, swept the hearth, plucked the fowls, picked the vegetables,\nraked the ashes, and did all the dirty work.\n\nAllerleirauh lived there for a long time in great wretchedness. Alas,\nfair princess, what is to become of thee now! It happened, however,\nthat one day a feast was held in the palace, and she said to the cook,\n\u201cMay I go up-stairs for a while, and look on? I will place myself\noutside the door.\u201d The cook answered, \u201cYes, go, but you must be back\nhere in half-an-hour to sweep the hearth.\u201d Then she took her oil-lamp,\nwent into her den, put off her fur-dress, and washed the soot off her\nface and hands, so that her full beauty once more came to light. And\nshe opened the nut, and took out her dress which shone like the sun,\nand when she had done that she went up to the festival, and every one\nmade way for her, for no one knew her, and thought no otherwise than\nthat she was a king\u2019s daughter. The King came to meet her, gave his\nhand to her, and danced with her, and thought in his heart, \u201cMy eyes\nhave never yet seen any one so beautiful!\u201d When the dance was over she\ncurtsied, and when the King looked round again she had vanished, and\nnone knew whither. The guards who stood outside the palace were called\nand questioned, but no one had seen her.\n\nShe had, however, run into her little den, had quickly taken off her\ndress, made her face and hands black again, put on the fur-mantle, and\nagain was Allerleirauh. And now when she went into the kitchen, and was\nabout to get to her work and sweep up the ashes, the cook said, \u201cLeave\nthat alone till morning, and make me the soup for the King; I, too,\nwill go upstairs awhile, and take a look; but let no hairs fall in, or\nin future thou shalt have nothing to eat.\u201d So the cook went away, and\nAllerleirauh made the soup for the king, and made bread soup and the\nbest she could, and when it was ready she fetched her golden ring from\nher little den, and put it in the bowl in which the soup was served.\nWhen the dancing was over, the King had his soup brought and ate it,\nand he liked it so much that it seemed to him he had never tasted\nbetter. But when he came to the bottom of the bowl, he saw a golden\nring lying, and could not conceive how it could have got there. Then he\nordered the cook to appear before him. The cook was terrified when he\nheard the order, and said to Allerleirauh, \u201cThou hast certainly let a\nhair fall into the soup, and if thou hast, thou shalt be beaten for\nit.\u201d When he came before the King the latter asked who had made the\nsoup? The cook replied, \u201cI made it.\u201d But the King said, \u201cThat is not\ntrue, for it was much better than usual, and cooked differently.\u201d He\nanswered, \u201cI must acknowledge that I did not make it, it was made by\nthe rough animal.\u201d The King said, \u201cGo and bid it come up here.\u201d\n\nWhen Allerleirauh came, the King said, \u201cWho art thou?\u201d \u201cI am a poor\ngirl who no longer has any father or mother.\u201d He asked further, \u201cOf\nwhat use art thou in my palace?\u201d She answered, \u201cI am good for nothing\nbut to have boots thrown at my head.\u201d He continued, \u201cWhere didst thou\nget the ring which was in the soup?\u201d She answered, \u201cI know nothing\nabout the ring.\u201d So the King could learn nothing, and had to send her\naway again.\n\nAfter a while, there was another festival, and then, as before,\nAllerleirauh begged the cook for leave to go and look on. He answered,\n\u201cYes, but come back again in half-an-hour, and make the King the bread\nsoup which he so much likes.\u201d Then she ran into her den, washed herself\nquickly, and took out of the nut the dress which was as silvery as the\nmoon, and put it on. Then she went up and was like a princess, and the\nKing stepped forward to meet her, and rejoiced to see her once more,\nand as the dance was just beginning they danced it together. But when\nit was ended, she again disappeared so quickly that the King could not\nobserve where she went. She, however, sprang into her den, and once\nmore made herself a hairy animal, and went into the kitchen to prepare\nthe bread soup. When the cook had gone up-stairs, she fetched the\nlittle golden spinning-wheel, and put it in the bowl so that the soup\ncovered it. Then it was taken to the King, who ate it, and liked it as\nmuch as before, and had the cook brought, who this time likewise was\nforced to confess that Allerleirauh had prepared the soup. Allerleirauh\nagain came before the King, but she answered that she was good for\nnothing else but to have boots thrown at her head, and that she knew\nnothing at all about the little golden spinning-wheel.\n\nWhen, for the third time, the King held a festival, all happened just\nas it had done before. The cook said, \u201cFaith rough-skin, thou art a\nwitch, and always puttest something in the soup which makes it so good\nthat the King likes it better than that which I cook,\u201d but as she\nbegged so hard, he let her go up at the appointed time. And now she put\non the dress which shone like the stars, and thus entered the hall.\nAgain the King danced with the beautiful maiden, and thought that she\nnever yet had been so beautiful. And whilst she was dancing, he\ncontrived, without her noticing it, to slip a golden ring on her\nfinger, and he had given orders that the dance should last a very long\ntime. When it was ended, he wanted to hold her fast by her hands, but\nshe tore herself loose, and sprang away so quickly through the crowd\nthat she vanished from his sight. She ran as fast as she could into her\nden beneath the stairs, but as she had been too long, and had stayed\nmore than half-an-hour she could not take off her pretty dress, but\nonly threw over it her fur-mantle, and in her haste she did not make\nherself quite black, but one finger remained white. Then Allerleirauh\nran into the kitchen, and cooked the bread soup for the King, and as\nthe cook was away, put her golden reel into it. When the King found the\nreel at the bottom of it, he caused Allerleirauh to be summoned, and\nthen he espied the white finger, and saw the ring which he had put on\nit during the dance. Then he grasped her by the hand, and held her\nfast, and when she wanted to release herself and run away, her mantle\nof fur opened a little, and the star-dress shone forth. The King\nclutched the mantle and tore it off. Then her golden hair shone forth,\nand she stood there in full splendour, and could no longer hide\nherself. And when she had washed the soot and ashes from her face, she\nwas more beautiful than anyone who had ever been seen on earth. But the\nKing said, \u201cThou art my dear bride, and we will never more part from\neach other.\u201d Thereupon the marriage was solemnized, and they lived\nhappily until their death.\n\n\n\n66 The Hare\u2019s Bride\n\nThere was once a woman and her daughter who lived in a pretty garden\nwith cabbages; and a little hare came into it, and during the winter\ntime ate all the cabbages. Then says the mother to the daughter, \u201cGo\ninto the garden, and chase the hare away.\u201d The girl says to the little\nhare, \u201cSh-sh, hare, you are still eating up all our cabbages.\u201d Says the\nhare, \u201cCome, maiden, and seat yourself on my little hare\u2019s tail, and\ncome with me into my little hare\u2019s hut.\u201d The girl will not do it. Next\nday the hare comes again and eats the cabbages, then says the mother to\nthe daughter, \u201cGo into the garden, and drive the hare away.\u201d The girl\nsays to the hare, \u201cSh-sh, little hare, you are still eating all the\ncabbages.\u201d The little hare says, \u201cMaiden, seat thyself on my little\nhare\u2019s tail, and come with me into my little hare\u2019s hut.\u201d The maiden\nrefuses. The third day the hare comes again, and eats the cabbages. On\nthis the mother says to the daughter, \u201cGo into the garden, and hunt the\nhare away.\u201d Says the maiden, \u201cSh-sh, little hare, you are still eating\nall our cabbages.\u201d Says the little hare, \u201cCome, maiden, seat thyself on\nmy little hare\u2019s tail, and come with me into my little hare\u2019s hut.\u201d The\ngirl seats herself on the little hare\u2019s tail, and then the hare takes\nher far away to his little hut, and says, \u201cNow cook green cabbage and\nmillet-seed, and I will invite the wedding-guests.\u201d Then all the\nwedding-guests assembled. (Who were the wedding-guests?) That I can\ntell you as another told it to me. They were all hares, and the crow\nwas there as parson to marry the bride and bridegroom, and the fox as\nclerk, and the altar was under the rainbow.\n\nThe girl, however, was sad, for she was all alone. The little hare\ncomes and says, \u201cOpen the doors, open the doors, the wedding-guests are\nmerry.\u201d The bride says nothing, but weeps. The little hare goes away.\nThe little hare comes back and says, \u201cTake off the lid, take off the\nlid, the wedding-guests are hungry.\u201d The bride again says nothing, and\nweeps. The little hare goes away. The little hare comes back and says,\n\u201cTake off the lid, take off the lid, the wedding-guests are waiting.\u201d\nThen the bride says nothing, and the hare goes away, but she dresses a\nstraw-doll in her clothes, and gives her a spoon to stir with, and sets\nher by the pan with the millet-seed, and goes back to her mother. The\nlittle hare comes once more and says, \u201cTake off the lid, take off the\nlid,\u201d and gets up, and strikes the doll on the head so that her cap\nfalls off.\n\nThen the little hare sees that it is not his bride, and goes away and\nis sorrowful.\n\n\n\n67 The Twelve Huntsmen\n\nThere was once a King\u2019s son who was betrothed to a maiden whom he loved\nvery much. And when he was sitting beside her and very happy, news came\nthat his father lay sick unto death, and desired to see him once again\nbefore his end. Then he said to his beloved, \u201cI must now go and leave\nthee, I give thee a ring as a remembrance of me. When I am King, I will\nreturn and fetch thee.\u201d So he rode away, and when he reached his\nfather, the latter was dangerously ill, and near his death. He said to\nhim, \u201cDear son, I wished to see thee once again before my end, promise\nme to marry as I wish,\u201d and he named a certain King\u2019s daughter who was\nto be his wife. The son was in such trouble that he did not think what\nhe was doing, and said, \u201cYes, dear father, your will shall be done,\u201d\nand thereupon the King shut his eyes, and died.\n\nWhen therefore the son had been proclaimed King, and the time of\nmourning was over, he was forced to keep the promise which he had given\nhis father, and caused the King\u2019s daughter to be asked in marriage, and\nshe was promised to him. His first betrothed heard of this, and fretted\nso much about his faithlessness that she nearly died. Then her father\nsaid to her, \u201cDearest child, why art thou so sad? Thou shalt have\nwhatsoever thou wilt.\u201d She thought for a moment and said, \u201cDear father,\nI wish for eleven girls exactly like myself in face, figure, and size.\u201d\nThe father said, \u201cIf it be possible, thy desire shall be fulfilled,\u201d\nand he caused a search to be made in his whole kingdom, until eleven\nyoung maidens were found who exactly resembled his daughter in face,\nfigure, and size.\n\nWhen they came to the King\u2019s daughter, she had twelve suits of\nhuntsmen\u2019s clothes made, all alike, and the eleven maidens had to put\non the huntsmen\u2019s clothes, and she herself put on the twelfth suit.\nThereupon she took leave of her father, and rode away with them, and\nrode to the court of her former betrothed, whom she loved so dearly.\nThen she inquired if he required any huntsmen, and if he would take the\nwhole of them into his service. The King looked at her and did not know\nher, but as they were such handsome fellows, he said, \u201cYes,\u201d and that\nhe would willingly take them, and now they were the King\u2019s twelve\nhuntsmen.\n\nThe King, however, had a lion which was a wondrous animal, for he knew\nall concealed and secret things. It came to pass that one evening he\nsaid to the King, \u201cThou thinkest thou hast twelve huntsmen?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d\nsaid the King, \u201cthey are twelve huntsmen.\u201d The lion continued, \u201cThou\nart mistaken, they are twelve girls.\u201d The King said, \u201cThat cannot be\ntrue! How wilt thou prove that to me?\u201d \u201cOh, just let some peas be\nstrewn in thy ante-chamber,\u201d answered the lion, \u201cand then thou wilt\nsoon see it. Men have a firm step, and when they walk over the peas\nnone of them stir, but girls trip and skip, and drag their feet, and\nthe peas roll about.\u201d The King was well pleased with the counsel, and\ncaused the peas to be strewn.\n\nThere was, however, a servant of the King\u2019s who favored the huntsmen,\nand when he heard that they were going to be put to this test he went\nto them and repeated everything, and said, \u201cThe lion wants to make the\nKing believe that you are girls.\u201d Then the King\u2019s daughter thanked him,\nand said to her maidens, \u201cPut on some strength, and step firmly on the\npeas.\u201d So next morning when the King had the twelve huntsmen called\nbefore him, and they came into the ante-chamber where the peas were\nlying, they stepped so firmly on them, and had such a strong, sure\nwalk, that not one of the peas either rolled or stirred. Then they went\naway again, and the King said to the lion, \u201cThou hast lied to me, they\nwalk just like men.\u201d The lion said, \u201cThey have got to know that they\nwere going to be put to the test, and have assumed some strength. Just\nlet twelve spinning-wheels be brought into the ante-chamber some day,\nand they will go to them and be pleased with them, and that is what no\nman would do.\u201d The King liked the advice, and had the spinning-wheels\nplaced in the ante-chamber.\n\nBut the servant, who was well disposed to the huntsmen, went to them,\nand disclosed the project. Then when they were alone the King\u2019s\ndaughter said to her eleven girls, \u201cPut some constraint on yourselves,\nand do not look round at the spinning-wheels.\u201d And next morning when\nthe King had his twelve huntsmen summoned, they went through the\nante-chamber, and never once looked at the spinning wheels. Then the\nKing again said to the lion, \u201cThou hast deceived me, they are men, for\nthey have not looked at the spinning-wheels.\u201d The lion replied, \u201cThey\nhave learnt that they were going to be put to the test, and have\nrestrained themselves.\u201d The King, however, would no longer believe the\nlion.\n\nThe twelve huntsmen always followed the King to the chase, and his\nliking for them continually increased. Now it came to pass that once\nwhen they were out hunting, news came that the King\u2019s betrothed was\napproaching. When the true bride heard that, it hurt her so much that\nher heart was almost broken, and she fell fainting to the ground. The\nKing thought something had happened to his dear huntsman, ran up to\nhim, wanted to help him, and drew his glove off. Then he saw the ring\nwhich he had given to his first bride, and when he looked in her face\nhe recognized her. Then his heart was so touched that he kissed her,\nand when she opened her eyes he said, \u201cThou art mine, and I am thine,\nand no one in the world can alter that.\u201d He sent a messenger to the\nother bride, and entreated her to return to her own kingdom, for he had\na wife already, and a man who had just found an old dish did not\nrequire a new one. Thereupon the wedding was celebrated, and the lion\nwas again taken into favour, because, after all, he had told the truth.\n\n\n\n68 The Thief and his Master\n\nHans wished to put his son to learn a trade, so he went into the church\nand prayed to our Lord God to know which would be most advantageous for\nhim. Then the clerk got behind the altar, and said, \u201cThieving,\nthieving.\u201d On this Hans goes back to his son, and tells him he is to\nlearn thieving, and that the Lord God had said so. So he goes with his\nson to seek a man who is acquainted with thieving. They walk a long\ntime and come into a great forest, where stands a little house with an\nold woman in it. Hans says, \u201cDo you know of a man who is acquainted\nwith thieving?\u201d \u201cYou can learn that here quite well,\u201d says the woman,\n\u201cmy son is a master of it.\u201d So he speaks with the son, and asks if he\nknows thieving really well? The master-thief says, \u201cI will teach him\nwell. Come back when a year is over, and then if you recognize your\nson, I will take no payment at all for teaching him; but if you don\u2019t\nknow him, you must give me two hundred thalers.\u201d\n\nThe father goes home again, and the son learns witchcraft and thieving,\nthoroughly. When the year is out, the father is full of anxiety to know\nhow he is to contrive to recognize his son. As he is thus going about\nin his trouble, he meets a little dwarf, who says, \u201cMan, what ails you,\nthat you are always in such trouble?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d says Hans, \u201ca year ago I placed my son with a master-thief who\ntold me I was to come back when the year was out, and that if I then\ndid not know my son when I saw him, I was to pay two hundred thalers;\nbut if I did know him I was to pay nothing, and now I am afraid of not\nknowing him and can\u2019t tell where I am to get the money.\u201d Then the dwarf\ntells him to take a small basket of bread with him, and to stand\nbeneath the chimney. \u201cThere on the cross-beam is a basket, out of which\na little bird is peeping, and that is your son.\u201d\n\nHans goes thither, and throws a little basket full of black bread in\nfront of the basket with the bird in it, and the little bird comes out,\nand looks up. \u201cHollo, my son, art thou here?\u201d says the father, and the\nson is delighted to see his father, but the master-thief says, \u201cThe\ndevil must have prompted you, or how could you have known your son?\u201d\n\u201cFather, let us go,\u201d said the youth.\n\nThen the father and son set out homeward. On the way a carriage comes\ndriving by. Hereupon the son says to his father, \u201cI will change myself\ninto a large greyhound, and then you can earn a great deal of money by\nme.\u201d Then the gentleman calls from the carriage, \u201cMy man, will you sell\nyour dog?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d says the father. \u201cHow much do you want for it?\u201d\n\u201cThirty thalers.\u201d \u201cEh, man, that is a great deal, but as it is such a\nvery fine dog I will have it.\u201d The gentleman takes it into his\ncarriage, but when they have driven a little farther the dog springs\nout of the carriage through the window, and goes back to his father,\nand is no longer a greyhound.\n\nThey go home together. Next day there is a fair in the neighboring\ntown, so the youth says to his father, \u201cI will now change myself into a\nbeautiful horse, and you can sell me; but when you have sold me, you\nmust take off my bridle, or I cannot become a man again.\u201d Then the\nfather goes with the horse to the fair, and the master-thief comes and\nbuys the horse for a hundred thalers, but the father forgets, and does\nnot take off the bridle. So the man goes home with the horse, and puts\nit in the stable. When the maid crosses the threshold, the horse says,\n\u201cTake off my bridle, take off my bridle.\u201d Then the maid stands still,\nand says, \u201cWhat, canst thou speak?\u201d So she goes and takes the bridle\noff, and the horse becomes a sparrow, and flies out at the door, and\nthe wizard becomes a sparrow also, and flies after him. Then they come\ntogether and cast lots, but the master loses, and betakes himself to\nthe water and is a fish. Then the youth also becomes a fish, and they\ncast lots again, and the master loses. So the master changes himself\ninto a cock, and the youth becomes a fox, and bites the master\u2019s head\noff, and he died and has remained dead to this day.\n\n\n\n69 Jorinda and Joringel\n\nThere was once an old castle in the midst of a large and thick forest,\nand in it an old woman who was a witch dwelt all alone. In the day-time\nshe changed herself into a cat or a screech-owl, but in the evening she\ntook her proper shape again as a human being. She could lure wild\nbeasts and birds to her, and then she killed and boiled and roasted\nthem. If any one came within one hundred paces of the castle he was\nobliged to stand still, and could not stir from the place until she\nbade him be free. But whenever an innocent maiden came within this\ncircle, she changed her into a bird, and shut her up in a wicker-work\ncage, and carried the cage into a room in the castle. She had about\nseven thousand cages of rare birds in the castle.\n\nNow, there was once a maiden who was called Jorinda, who was fairer\nthan all other girls. She and a handsome youth named Joringel had\npromised to marry each other. They were still in the days of betrothal,\nand their greatest happiness was being together. One day in order that\nthey might be able to talk together in quiet they went for a walk in\nthe forest. \u201cTake care,\u201d said Joringel, \u201cthat you do not go too near\nthe castle.\u201d\n\nIt was a beautiful evening; the sun shone brightly between the trunks\nof the trees into the dark green of the forest, and the turtle-doves\nsang mournfully upon the young boughs of the birch-trees.\n\nJorinda wept now and then: she sat down in the sunshine and was\nsorrowful. Joringel was sorrowful too; they were as sad as if they were\nabout to die. Then they looked around them, and were quite at a loss,\nfor they did not know by which way they should go home. The sun was\nstill half above the mountain and half set.\n\nJoringel looked through the bushes, and saw the old walls of the castle\nclose at hand. He was horror-stricken and filled with deadly fear.\nJorinda was singing\u2014\n\n\u201cMy little bird, with the necklace red,\nSings sorrow, sorrow, sorrow,\nHe sings that the dove must soon be dead,\nSings sorrow, sor\u2014jug, jug, jug.\u201d\n\n\nJoringel looked for Jorinda. She was changed into a nightingale, and\nsang, \u201cjug, jug, jug.\u201d A screech-owl with glowing eyes flew three times\nround about her, and three times cried, \u201cto-whoo, to-whoo, to-whoo!\u201d\n\nJoringel could not move: he stood there like a stone, and could neither\nweep nor speak, nor move hand or foot.\n\nThe sun had now set. The owl flew into the thicket, and directly\nafterwards there came out of it a crooked old woman, yellow and lean,\nwith large red eyes and a hooked nose, the point of which reached to\nher chin. She muttered to herself, caught the nightingale, and took it\naway in her hand.\n\nJoringel could neither speak nor move from the spot; the nightingale\nwas gone. At last the woman came back, and said in a hollow voice,\n\u201cGreet thee, Zachiel. If the moon shines on the cage, Zachiel, let him\nloose at once.\u201d Then Joringel was freed. He fell on his knees before\nthe woman and begged that she would give him back his Jorinda, but she\nsaid that he should never have her again, and went away. He called, he\nwept, he lamented, but all in vain, \u201cAh, what is to become of me?\u201d\n\nJoringel went away, and at last came to a strange village; there he\nkept sheep for a long time. He often walked round and round the castle,\nbut not too near to it. At last he dreamt one night that he found a\nblood-red flower, in the middle of which was a beautiful large pearl;\nthat he picked the flower and went with it to the castle, and that\neverything he touched with the flower was freed from enchantment; he\nalso dreamt that by means of it he recovered his Jorinda.\n\nIn the morning, when he awoke, he began to seek over hill and dale if\nhe could find such a flower. He sought until the ninth day, and then,\nearly in the morning, he found the blood-red flower. In the middle of\nit there was a large dew-drop, as big as the finest pearl.\n\nDay and night he journeyed with this flower to the castle. When he was\nwithin a hundred paces of it he was not held fast, but walked on to the\ndoor. Joringel was full of joy; he touched the door with the flower,\nand it sprang open. He walked in through the courtyard, and listened\nfor the sound of the birds. At last he heard it. He went on and found\nthe room from whence it came, and there the witch was feeding the birds\nin the seven thousand cages.\n\nWhen she saw Joringel she was angry, very angry, and scolded and spat\npoison and gall at him, but she could not come within two paces of him.\nHe did not take any notice of her, but went and looked at the cages\nwith the birds; but there were many hundred nightingales, how was he to\nfind his Jorinda again?\n\nJust then he saw the old woman quietly take away a cage with a bird in\nit, and go towards the door.\n\nSwiftly he sprang towards her, touched the cage with the flower, and\nalso the old woman. She could now no longer bewitch any one; and\nJorinda was standing there, clasping him round the neck, and she was as\nbeautiful as ever!\n\n\n\n70 The Three Sons of Fortune\n\nA father once called his three sons before him, and he gave to the\nfirst a cock, to the second a scythe, and to the third a cat. \u201cI am\nalready aged,\u201d said he, \u201cmy death is nigh, and I have wished to take\nthought for you before my end; money I have not, and what I now give\nyou seems of little worth, but all depends on your making a sensible\nuse of it. Only seek out a country where such things are still unknown,\nand your fortune is made.\u201d\n\nAfter the father\u2019s death the eldest went away with his cock, but\nwherever he came the cock was already known; in the towns he saw him\nfrom a long distance, sitting upon the steeples and turning round with\nthe wind, and in the villages he heard more than one crowing; no one\nwould show any wonder at the creature, so that it did not look as if he\nwould make his fortune by it.\n\nAt last, however, it happened that he came to an island where the\npeople knew nothing about cocks, and did not even understand how to\ndivide their time. They certainly knew when it was morning or evening,\nbut at night, if they did not sleep through it, not one of them knew\nhow to find out the time.\n\n\u201cLook!\u201d said he, \u201cwhat a proud creature! it has a ruby-red crown upon\nits head, and wears spurs like a knight; it calls you three times\nduring the night, at fixed hours, and when it calls for the last time,\nthe sun soon rises. But if it crows by broad daylight, then take\nnotice, for there will certainly be a change of weather.\u201d\n\nThe people were well pleased; for a whole night they did not sleep, and\nlistened with great delight as the cock at two, four, and six o\u2019clock,\nloudly and clearly proclaimed the time. They asked if the creature were\nfor sale, and how much he wanted for it? \u201cAbout as much gold as an ass\ncan carry,\u201d answered he. \u201cA ridiculously small price for such a\nprecious creature!\u201d they cried unanimously, and willingly gave him what\nhe had asked.\n\nWhen he came home with his wealth his brothers were astonished, and the\nsecond said, \u201cWell, I will go forth and see whether I cannot get rid of\nmy scythe as profitably.\u201d But it did not look as if he would, for\nlabourers met him everywhere, and they had scythes upon their shoulders\nas well as he.\n\nAt last, however, he chanced upon an island where the people knew\nnothing of scythes. When the corn was ripe there, they took cannon out\nto the fields and shot it down. Now this was rather an uncertain\naffair; many shot right over it, others hit the ears instead of the\nstems, and shot them away, whereby much was lost, and besides all this,\nit made a terrible noise. So the man set to work and mowed it down so\nquietly and quickly that the people opened their mouths with\nastonishment. They agreed to give him what he wanted for the scythe,\nand he received a horse laden with as much gold as it could carry.\n\nAnd now the third brother wanted to take his cat to the right man. He\nfared just like the others; so long as he stayed on the mainland there\nwas nothing to be done. Every place had cats, and there were so many of\nthem that new-born kittens were generally drowned in the ponds.\n\nAt last he sailed over to an island, and it luckily happened that no\ncats had ever yet been seen there, and that the mice had got the upper\nhand so much that they danced upon the tables and benches whether the\nmaster were at home or not. The people complained bitterly of the\nplague; the King himself in his palace did not know how to secure\nhimself against them; mice squeaked in every corner, and gnawed\nwhatever they could lay hold of with their teeth. But now the cat began\nher chase, and soon cleared a couple of rooms, and the people begged\nthe King to buy the wonderful beast for the country. The King willingly\ngave what was asked, which was a mule laden with gold, and the third\nbrother came home with the greatest treasure of all.\n\nThe cat made herself merry with the mice in the royal palace, and\nkilled so many that they could not be counted. At last she grew warm\nwith the work and thirsty, so she stood still, lifted up her head and\ncried, \u201cMew. Mew!\u201d When they heard this strange cry, the King and all\nhis people were frightened, and in their terror ran all at once out of\nthe palace. Then the King took counsel what was best to be done; at\nlast it was determined to send a herald to the cat, and demand that she\nshould leave the palace, or if not, she was to expect that force would\nbe used against her. The councillors said, \u201cRather will we let\nourselves be plagued with the mice, for to that misfortune we are\naccustomed, than give up our lives to such a monster as this.\u201d A noble\nyouth, therefore, was sent to ask the cat \u201cwhether she would peaceably\nquit the castle?\u201d But the cat, whose thirst had become still greater,\nmerely answered, \u201cMew! Mew!\u201d The youth understood her to say, \u201cMost\ncertainly not! most certainly not!\u201d and took this answer to the King.\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the councillors, \u201cshe shall yield to force.\u201d Cannon were\nbrought out, and the palace was soon in flames. When the fire reached\nthe room where the cat was sitting, she sprang safely out of the\nwindow; but the besiegers did not leave off until the whole palace was\nshot down to the ground.\n\n\n\n71 How Six Men Got on in the World\n\nThere was once a man who understood all kinds of arts; he served in\nwar, and behaved well and bravely, but when the war was over he\nreceived his dismissal, and three farthings for his expenses on the\nway. \u201cStop,\u201d said he, \u201cI shall not be content with this. If I can only\nmeet with the right people, the King will yet have to give me all the\ntreasure of the country.\u201d Then full of anger he went into the forest,\nand saw a man standing therein who had plucked up six trees as if they\nwere blades of corn. He said to him, \u201cWilt thou be my servant and go\nwith me?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d he answered, \u201cbut, first, I will take this little\nbundle of sticks home to my mother,\u201d and he took one of the trees, and\nwrapped it round the five others, lifted the bundle on his back, and\ncarried it away. Then he returned and went with his master, who said,\n\u201cWe two ought to be able to get through the world very well,\u201d and when\nthey had walked on for a short while they found a huntsman who was\nkneeling, had shouldered his gun, and was about to fire. The master\nsaid to him, \u201cHuntsman, what art thou going to shoot?\u201d He answered,\n\u201cTwo miles from here a fly is sitting on the branch of an oak-tree, and\nI want to shoot its left eye out.\u201d \u201cOh, come with me,\u201d said the man,\n\u201cif we three are together, we certainly ought to be able to get on in\nthe world!\u201d The huntsman was ready, and went with him, and they came to\nseven windmills whose sails were turning round with great speed, and\nyet no wind was blowing either on the right or the left, and no leaf\nwas stirring. Then said the man, \u201cI know not what is driving the\nwindmills, not a breath of air is stirring,\u201d and he went onwards with\nhis servants, and when they had walked two miles they saw a man sitting\non a tree who was shutting one nostril, and blowing out of the other.\n\u201cGood gracious! what are you doing up there?\u201d He answered, \u201cTwo miles\nfrom here are seven windmills; look, I am blowing them till they turn\nround.\u201d \u201cOh, come with me,\u201d said the man. \u201cIf we four are together, we\nshall carry the whole world before us!\u201d Then the blower came down and\nwent with him, and after a while they saw a man who was standing on one\nleg and had taken off the other, and laid it beside him. Then the\nmaster said, \u201cYou have arranged things very comfortably to have a\nrest.\u201d \u201cI am a runner,\u201d he replied, \u201cand to stop myself running far too\nfast, I have taken off one of my legs, for if I run with both, I go\nquicker than any bird can fly.\u201d \u201cOh, go with me. If we five are\ntogether, we shall carry the whole world before us.\u201d So he went with\nthem, and it was not long before they met a man who wore a cap, but had\nput it quite on one ear. Then the master said to him, \u201cGracefully,\ngracefully, don\u2019t stick your cap on one ear, you look just like a\ntom-fool!\u201d \u201cI must not wear it otherwise,\u201d said he, \u201cfor if I set my\nhat straight, a terrible frost comes on, and all the birds in the air\nare frozen, and drop dead on the ground.\u201d \u201cOh, come with me,\u201d said the\nmaster. \u201cIf we six are together, we can carry the whole world before\nus.\u201d\n\nNow the six came to a town where the King had proclaimed that whosoever\nran a race with his daughter and won the victory, should be her\nhusband, but whosoever lost it, must lose his head. Then the man\npresented himself and said, \u201cI will, however, let my servant run for\nme.\u201d The King replied, \u201cThen his life also must be staked, so that his\nhead and thine are both set on the victory.\u201d When that was settled and\nmade secure, the man buckled the other leg on the runner, and said to\nhim, \u201cNow be nimble, and help us to win.\u201d It was fixed that the one who\nwas first to bring some water from a far distant well was to be the\nvictor. The runner received a pitcher, and the King\u2019s daughter one too,\nand they began to run at the same time, but in an instant, when the\nKing\u2019s daughter had got a very little way, the people who were looking\non could see no more of the runner, and it was just as if the wind had\nwhistled by. In a short time he reached the well, filled his pitcher\nwith water, and turned back. Half-way home, however, he was overcome\nwith fatigue, and set his pitcher down, lay down himself, and fell\nasleep. He had, however, made a pillow of a horse\u2019s skull which was\nlying on the ground, in order that he might lie uncomfortably, and soon\nwake up again. In the meantime the King\u2019s daughter, who could also run\nvery well quite as well as any ordinary mortal can had reached the\nwell, and was hurrying back with her pitcher full of water, and when\nshe saw the runner lying there asleep, she was glad and said, \u201cMy enemy\nis delivered over into my hands,\u201d emptied his pitcher, and ran on. And\nnow all would have been lost if by good luck the huntsman had not been\nstanding at the top of the castle, and had not seen everything with his\nsharp eyes. Then said he, \u201cThe King\u2019s daughter shall still not prevail\nagainst us;\u201d and he loaded his gun, and shot so cleverly, that he shot\nthe horse\u2019s skull away from under the runner\u2019s head without hurting\nhim. Then the runner awoke, leapt up, and saw that his pitcher was\nempty, and that the King\u2019s daughter was already far in advance. He did\nnot lose heart, however, but ran back to the well with his pitcher,\nagain drew some water, and was at home again, ten minutes before the\nKing\u2019s daughter. \u201cBehold!\u201d said he, \u201cI have not bestirred myself till\nnow, it did not deserve to be called running before.\u201d\n\nBut it pained the King, and still more his daughter, that she should be\ncarried off by a common disbanded soldier like that; so they took\ncounsel with each other how to get rid of him and his companions. Then\nsaid the King to her, \u201cI have thought of a way; don\u2019t be afraid, they\nshall not come back again.\u201d And he said to them, \u201cYou shall now make\nmerry together, and eat and drink,\u201d and he conducted them to a room\nwhich had a floor of iron, and the doors also were of iron, and the\nwindows were guarded with iron bars. There was a table in the room\ncovered with delicious food, and the King said to them, \u201cGo in, and\nenjoy yourselves.\u201d And when they were inside, he ordered the doors to\nbe shut and bolted. Then he sent for the cook, and commanded him to\nmake a fire under the room until the iron became red-hot. This the cook\ndid, and the six who were sitting at table began to feel quite warm,\nand they thought the heat was caused by the food; but as it became\nstill greater, and they wanted to get out, and found that the doors and\nwindows were bolted, they became aware that the King must have an evil\nintention, and wanted to suffocate them. \u201cHe shall not succeed,\nhowever,\u201d said the one with the cap. \u201cI will cause a frost to come,\nbefore which the fire shall be ashamed, and creep away.\u201d Then he put\nhis cap on straight, and immediately there came such a frost that all\nheat disappeared, and the food on the dishes began to freeze. When an\nhour or two had passed by, and the King believed that they had perished\nin the heat, he had the doors opened to behold them himself. But when\nthe doors were opened, all six were standing there, alive and well, and\nsaid that they should very much like to get out to warm themselves, for\nthe very food was fast frozen to the dishes with the cold. Then, full\nof anger, the King went down to the cook, scolded him, and asked why he\nhad not done what he had been ordered to do. But the cook replied,\n\u201cThere is heat enough there, just look yourself.\u201d Then the King saw\nthat a fierce fire was burning under the iron room, and perceived that\nthere was no getting the better of the six in this way.\n\nAgain the King considered how to get rid of his unpleasant guests, and\ncaused their chief to be brought and said, \u201cIf thou wilt take gold and\nrenounce my daughter, thou shalt have as much as thou wilt.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, yes, Lord King,\u201d he answered, \u201cgive me as much as my servant can\ncarry, and I will not ask for your daughter.\u201d\n\nOn this the King was satisfied, and the other continued, \u201cIn fourteen\ndays, I will come and fetch it.\u201d Thereupon he summoned together all the\ntailors in the whole kingdom, and they were to sit for fourteen days\nand sew a sack. And when it was ready, the strong one who could tear up\ntrees had to take it on his back, and go with it to the King. Then said\nthe King, \u201cWho can that strong fellow be who is carrying a bundle of\nlinen on his back that is as big as a house?\u201d and he was alarmed and\nsaid, \u201cWhat a lot of gold he can carry away!\u201d Then he commanded a ton\nof gold to be brought; it took sixteen of his strongest men to carry\nit, but the strong one snatched it up in one hand, put it in his sack,\nand said, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you bring more at the same time? that hardly\ncovers the bottom!\u201d Then, little by little, the King caused all his\ntreasure to be brought thither, and the strong one pushed it into the\nsack, and still the sack was not half full with it. \u201cBring more,\u201d cried\nhe, \u201cthese few crumbs don\u2019t fill it.\u201d Then seven thousand carts with\ngold had to be gathered together in the whole kingdom, and the strong\none thrust them and the oxen harnessed to them into his sack. \u201cI will\nexamine it no longer,\u201d said he, \u201cbut will just take what comes, so long\nas the sack is but full.\u201d When all that was inside, there was still\nroom for a great deal more; then he said, \u201cI will just make an end of\nthe thing; people do sometimes tie up a sack even when it is not full.\u201d\nSo he took it on his back, and went away with his comrades. When the\nKing now saw how one single man was carrying away the entire wealth of\nthe country, he became enraged, and bade his horsemen mount and pursue\nthe six, and ordered them to take the sack away from the strong one.\nTwo regiments speedily overtook the six, and called out, \u201cYou are\nprisoners, put down the sack with the gold, or you will all be cut to\npieces!\u201d \u201cWhat say you?\u201d cried the blower, \u201cthat we are prisoners!\nRather than that should happen, all of you shall dance about in the\nair.\u201d And he closed one nostril, and with the other blew on the two\nregiments. Then they were driven away from each other, and carried into\nthe blue sky over all the mountains one here, the other there. One\nsergeant cried for mercy; he had nine wounds, and was a brave fellow\nwho did not deserve ill treatment. The blower stopped a little so that\nhe came down without injury, and then the blower said to him, \u201cNow go\nhome to thy King, and tell him he had better send some more horsemen,\nand I will blow them all into the air.\u201d When the King was informed of\nthis he said, \u201cLet the rascals go. They have the best of it.\u201d Then the\nsix conveyed the riches home, divided it amongst them, and lived in\ncontent until their death.\n\n\n\n72 The Wolf and the Man\n\nOnce on a time the fox was talking to the wolf of the strength of man;\nhow no animal could withstand him, and how all were obliged to employ\ncunning in order to preserve themselves from him. Then the wolf\nanswered, \u201cIf I had but the chance of seeing a man for once, I would\nset on him notwithstanding.\u201d \u201cI can help thee to do that,\u201d said the\nfox. \u201cCome to me early to-morrow morning, and I will show thee one.\u201d\nThe wolf presented himself betimes, and the fox took him out on the\nroad by which the huntsmen went daily. First came an old discharged\nsoldier. \u201cIs that a man?\u201d inquired the wolf. \u201cNo,\u201d answered the fox,\n\u201cthat was one.\u201d Afterwards came a little boy who was going to school.\n\u201cIs that a man?\u201d \u201cNo, that is going to be one.\u201d At length came a hunter\nwith his double-barrelled gun at his back, and hanger by his side. Said\nthe fox to the wolf, \u201cLook, there comes a man, thou must attack him,\nbut I will take myself off to my hole.\u201d The wolf then rushed on the\nman. When the huntsman saw him he said, \u201cIt is a pity that I have not\nloaded with a bullet,\u201d aimed, and fired his small shot in his face. The\nwolf pulled a very wry face, but did not let himself be frightened, and\nattacked him again, on which the huntsman gave him the second barrel.\nThe wolf swallowed his pain, and rushed on the huntsman, but he drew\nout his bright hanger, and gave him a few cuts with it right and left,\nso that, bleeding everywhere, he ran howling back to the fox. \u201cWell,\nbrother wolf,\u201d said the fox, \u201chow hast thou got on with man?\u201d \u201cAh!\u201d\nreplied the wolf, \u201cI never imagined the strength of man to be what it\nis! First, he took a stick from his shoulder, and blew into it, and\nthen something flew into my face which tickled me terribly; then he\nbreathed once more into the stick, and it flew into my nose like\nlightning and hail; when I was quite close, he drew a white rib out of\nhis side, and he beat me so with it that I was all but left lying\ndead.\u201d \u201cSee what a braggart thou art!\u201d said the fox. \u201cThou throwest thy\nhatchet so far that thou canst not fetch it back again!\u201d\n\n\n\n73 The Wolf and the Fox\n\nThe wolf had the fox with him, and whatsoever the wolf wished, that the\nfox was compelled to do, for he was the weaker, and he would gladly\nhave been rid of his master. It chanced that once as they were going\nthrough the forest, the wolf said, \u201cRed-fox, get me something to eat,\nor else I will eat thee thyself.\u201d Then the fox answered, \u201cI know a\nfarm-yard where there are two young lambs; if thou art inclined, we\nwill fetch one of them.\u201d That suited the wolf, and they went thither,\nand the fox stole the little lamb, took it to the wolf, and went away.\nThe wolf devoured it, but was not satisfied with one; he wanted the\nother as well, and went to get it. As, however, he did it so awkwardly,\nthe mother of the little lamb heard him, and began to cry out terribly,\nand to bleat so that the farmer came running there. They found the\nwolf, and beat him so mercilessly, that he went to the fox limping and\nhowling. \u201cThou hast misled me finely,\u201d said he; \u201cI wanted to fetch the\nother lamb, and the country folks surprised me, and have beaten me to a\njelly.\u201d The fox replied, \u201cWhy art thou such a glutton?\u201d\n\nNext day they again went into the country, and the greedy wolf once\nmore said, \u201cRed-fox, get me something to eat, or I will eat thee\nthyself.\u201d Then answered the fox, \u201cI know a farm-house where the wife is\nbaking pancakes to-night; we will get some of them for ourselves.\u201d They\nwent there, and the fox slipped round the house, and peeped and sniffed\nabout until he discovered where the dish was, and then drew down six\npancakes and carried them to the wolf. \u201cThere is something for thee to\neat,\u201d said he to him, and then went his way. The wolf swallowed down\nthe pancakes in an instant, and said, \u201cThey make one want more,\u201d and\nwent thither and tore the whole dish down so that it broke in pieces.\nThis made such a great noise that the woman came out, and when she saw\nthe wolf she called the people, who hurried there, and beat him as long\nas their sticks would hold together, till with two lame legs, and\nhowling loudly, he got back to the fox in the forest. \u201cHow abominably\nthou hast misled me!\u201d cried he, \u201cthe peasants caught me, and tanned my\nskin for me.\u201d But the fox replied, \u201cWhy art thou such a glutton?\u201d\n\nOn the third day, when they were out together, and the wolf could only\nlimp along painfully, he again said, \u201cRed-fox, get me something to eat,\nor I will eat thee thyself.\u201d The fox answered, \u201cI know a man who has\nbeen killing, and the salted meat is lying in a barrel in the cellar;\nwe will get that.\u201d Said the wolf, \u201cI will go when thou dost, that thou\nmayest help me if I am not able to get away.\u201d \u201cI am willing,\u201d said the\nfox, and showed him the by-paths and ways by which at length they\nreached the cellar. There was meat in abundance, and the wolf attacked\nit instantly and thought, \u201cThere is plenty of time before I need leave\noff!\u201d The fox liked it also, but looked about everywhere, and often ran\nto the hole by which they had come in, and tried if his body was still\nthin enough to slip through it. The wolf said, \u201cDear fox, tell me why\nthou art running here and there so much, and jumping in and out?\u201d\n\n\u201cI must see that no one is coming,\u201d replied the crafty fellow. \u201cDon\u2019t\neat too much!\u201d Then said the wolf, \u201cI shall not leave until the barrel\nis empty.\u201d In the meantime the farmer, who had heard the noise of the\nfox\u2019s jumping, came into the cellar. When the fox saw him he was out of\nthe hole at one bound. The wolf wanted to follow him, but he had made\nhimself so fat with eating that he could no longer get through, but\nstuck fast. Then came the farmer with a cudgel and struck him dead, but\nthe fox bounded into the forest, glad to be rid of the old glutton.\n\n\n\n74 The Fox and His Cousin\n\nThe she-wolf brought forth a young one, and invited the fox to be\ngodfather. \u201cAfter all, he is a near relative of ours,\u201d said she, \u201che\nhas a good understanding, and much talent; he can instruct my little\nson, and help him forward in the world.\u201d The fox, too, appeared quite\nhonest, and said, \u201cWorthy Mrs. Gossip, I thank you for the honour which\nyou are doing me; I will, however, conduct myself in such a way that\nyou shall be repaid for it.\u201d He enjoyed himself at the feast, and made\nmerry; afterwards he said, \u201cDear Mrs. Gossip, it is our duty to take\ncare of the child, it must have good food that it may be strong. I know\na sheep-fold from which we might fetch a nice morsel.\u201d The wolf was\npleased with the ditty, and she went out with the fox to the farm-yard.\nHe pointed out the fold from afar, and said, \u201cYou will be able to creep\nin there without being seen, and in the meantime I will look about on\nthe other side to see if I can pick up a chicken.\u201d He, however, did not\ngo there, but sat down at the entrance to the forest, stretched his\nlegs and rested. The she-wolf crept into the stable. A dog was lying\nthere, and it made such a noise that the peasants came running out,\ncaught Gossip Wolf, and poured a strong burning mixture, which had been\nprepared for washing, over her skin. At last she escaped, and dragged\nherself outside. There lay the fox, who pretended to be full of\ncomplaints, and said, \u201cAh, dear Mistress Gossip, how ill I have fared,\nthe peasants have fallen on me, and have broken every limb I have; if\nyou do not want me to lie where I am and perish, you must carry me\naway.\u201d The she-wolf herself was only able to go away slowly, but she\nwas in such concern about the fox that she took him on her back, and\nslowly carried him perfectly safe and sound to her house. Then the fox\ncried to her, \u201cFarewell, dear Mistress Gossip, may the roasting you\nhave had do you good,\u201d laughed heartily at her, and bounded off.\n\n\n\n75 The Fox and the Cat\n\nIt happened that the cat met the fox in a forest, and as she thought to\nherself, \u201cHe is clever and full of experience, and much esteemed in the\nworld,\u201d she spoke to him in a friendly way. \u201cGood-day, dear Mr. Fox,\nhow are you? How is all with you? How are you getting through this dear\nseason?\u201d The fox, full of all kinds of arrogance, looked at the cat\nfrom head to foot, and for a long time did not know whether he would\ngive any answer or not. At last he said, \u201cOh, thou wretched\nbeard-cleaner, thou piebald fool, thou hungry mouse-hunter, what canst\nthou be thinking of? Dost thou venture to ask how I am getting on? What\nhast thou learnt? How many arts dost thou understand?\u201d \u201cI understand\nbut one,\u201d replied the cat, modestly. \u201cWhat art is that?\u201d asked the fox.\n\u201cWhen the hounds are following me, I can spring into a tree and save\nmyself.\u201d \u201cIs that all?\u201d said the fox. \u201cI am master of a hundred arts,\nand have into the bargain a sackful of cunning. Thou makest me sorry\nfor thee; come with me, I will teach thee how people get away from the\nhounds.\u201d Just then came a hunter with four dogs. The cat sprang nimbly\nup a tree, and sat down on top of it, where the branches and foliage\nquite concealed her. \u201cOpen your sack, Mr. Fox, open your sack,\u201d cried\nthe cat to him, but the dogs had already seized him, and were holding\nhim fast. \u201cAh, Mr. Fox,\u201d cried the cat. \u201cYou with your hundred arts are\nleft in the lurch! Had you been able to climb like me, you would not\nhave lost your life.\u201d\n\n\n\n76 The Pink\n\nThere was once on a time a Queen to whom God had given no children.\nEvery morning she went into the garden and prayed to God in heaven to\nbestow on her a son or a daughter. Then an angel from heaven came to\nher and said, \u201cBe at rest, thou shalt have a son with the power of\nwishing, so that whatsoever in the world he wishes for, that shall he\nhave.\u201d Then she went to the King, and told him the joyful tidings, and\nwhen the time was come she gave birth to a son, and the King was filled\nwith gladness. Every morning she went with the child to the garden\nwhere the wild beasts were kept, and washed herself there in a clear\nstream. It happened once when the child was a little older, that it was\nlying in her arms and she fell asleep. Then came the old cook, who knew\nthat the child had the power of wishing, and stole it away, and he took\na hen, and cut it in pieces, and dropped some of its blood on the\nQueen\u2019s apron and on her dress. Then he carried the child away to a\nsecret place, where a nurse was obliged to suckle it, and he ran to the\nKing and accused the Queen of having allowed her child to be taken from\nher by the wild beasts. When the King saw the blood on her apron, he\nbelieved this, fell into such a passion that he ordered a high tower to\nbe built, in which neither sun nor moon could be seen, and had his wife\nput into it, and walled up. Here she was to stay for seven years\nwithout meat or drink, and die of hunger. But God sent two angels from\nheaven in the shape of white doves, which flew to her twice a day, and\ncarried her food until the seven years were over.\n\nThe cook, however, thought to himself, \u201cIf the child has the power of\nwishing, and I am here, he might very easily get me into trouble.\u201d So\nhe left the palace and went to the boy, who was already big enough to\nspeak, and said to him, \u201cWish for a beautiful palace for thyself with a\ngarden, and all else that pertains to it.\u201d Scarcely were the words out\nof the boy\u2019s mouth, when everything was there that he had wished for.\nAfter a while the cook said to him, \u201cIt is not well for thee to be so\nalone, wish for a pretty girl as a companion.\u201d Then the King\u2019s son\nwished for one, and she immediately stood before him, and was more\nbeautiful than any painter could have painted her. The two played\ntogether, and loved each other with all their hearts, and the old cook\nwent out hunting like a nobleman. The thought, however, occurred to him\nthat the King\u2019s son might some day wish to be with his father, and thus\nbring him into great peril. So he went out and took the maiden aside,\nand said, \u201cTo-night when the boy is asleep, go to his bed and plunge\nthis knife into his heart, and bring me his heart and tongue, and if\nthou dost not do it, thou shalt lose thy life.\u201d Thereupon he went away,\nand when he returned next day she had not done it, and said, \u201cWhy\nshould I shed the blood of an innocent boy who has never harmed any\none?\u201d The cook once more said, \u201cIf thou dost not do it, it shall cost\nthee thy own life.\u201d When he had gone away, she had a little hind\nbrought to her, and ordered her to be killed, and took her heart and\ntongue, and laid them on a plate, and when she saw the old man coming,\nshe said to the boy, \u201cLie down in thy bed, and draw the clothes over\nthee.\u201d Then the wicked wretch came in and said, \u201cWhere are the boy\u2019s\nheart and tongue?\u201d The girl reached the plate to him, but the King\u2019s\nson threw off the quilt, and said, \u201cThou old sinner, why didst thou\nwant to kill me? Now will I pronounce thy sentence. Thou shalt become a\nblack poodle and have a gold collar round thy neck, and shalt eat\nburning coals, till the flames burst forth from thy throat.\u201d And when\nhe had spoken these words, the old man was changed into a poodle dog,\nand had a gold collar round his neck, and the cooks were ordered to\nbring up some live coals, and these he ate, until the flames broke\nforth from his throat. The King\u2019s son remained there a short while\nlonger, and he thought of his mother, and wondered if she were still\nalive. At length he said to the maiden, \u201cI will go home to my own\ncountry; if thou wilt go with me, I will provide for thee.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d she\nreplied, \u201cthe way is so long, and what shall I do in a strange land\nwhere I am unknown?\u201d As she did not seem quite willing, and as they\ncould not be parted from each other, he wished that she might be\nchanged into a beautiful pink, and took her with him. Then he went away\nto his own country, and the poodle had to run after him. He went to the\ntower in which his mother was confined, and as it was so high, he\nwished for a ladder which would reach up to the very top. Then he\nmounted up and looked inside, and cried, \u201cBeloved mother, Lady Queen,\nare you still alive, or are you dead?\u201d She answered, \u201cI have just\neaten, and am still satisfied,\u201d for she thought the angels were there.\nSaid he, \u201cI am your dear son, whom the wild beasts were said to have\ntorn from your arms; but I am alive still, and will speedily deliver\nyou.\u201d Then he descended again, and went to his father, and caused\nhimself to be announced as a strange huntsman, and asked if he could\ngive him a place. The King said yes, if he was skilful and could get\ngame for him, he should come to him, but that deer had never taken up\ntheir quarters in any part of the district or country. Then the\nhuntsman promised to procure as much game for him as he could possibly\nuse at the royal table. So he summoned all the huntsmen together, and\nbade them go out into the forest with him. And he went with them and\nmade them form a great circle, open at one end where he stationed\nhimself, and began to wish. Two hundred deer and more came running\ninside the circle at once, and the huntsmen shot them. Then they were\nall placed on sixty country carts, and driven home to the King, and for\nonce he was able to deck his table with game, after having had none at\nall for years.\n\nNow the King felt great joy at this, and commanded that his entire\nhousehold should eat with him next day, and made a great feast. When\nthey were all assembled together, he said to the huntsmen, \u201cAs thou art\nso clever, thou shalt sit by me.\u201d He replied, \u201cLord King, your majesty\nmust excuse me, I am a poor huntsman.\u201d But the King insisted on it, and\nsaid, \u201cThou shalt sit by me,\u201d until he did it. Whilst he was sitting\nthere, he thought of his dearest mother, and wished that one of the\nKing\u2019s principal servants would begin to speak of her, and would ask\nhow it was faring with the Queen in the tower, and if she were alive\nstill, or had perished. Hardly had he formed the wish than the marshal\nbegan, and said, \u201cYour majesty, we live joyously here, but how is the\nQueen living in the tower? Is she still alive, or has she died?\u201d But\nthe King replied, \u201cShe let my dear son be torn to pieces by wild\nbeasts; I will not have her named.\u201d Then the huntsman arose and said,\n\u201cGracious lord father, she is alive still, and I am her son, and I was\nnot carried away by wild beasts, but by that wretch the old cook, who\ntore me from her arms when she was asleep, and sprinkled her apron with\nthe blood of a chicken.\u201d Thereupon he took the dog with the golden\ncollar, and said, \u201cThat is the wretch!\u201d and caused live coals to be\nbrought, and these the dog was compelled to devour before the sight of\nall, until flames burst forth from its throat. On this the huntsman\nasked the King if he would like to see the dog in his true shape, and\nwished him back into the form of the cook, in the which he stood\nimmediately, with his white apron, and his knife by his side. When the\nKing saw him he fell into a passion, and ordered him to be cast into\nthe deepest dungeon. Then the huntsman spoke further and said, \u201cFather,\nwill you see the maiden who brought me up so tenderly and who was\nafterwards to murder me, but did not do it, though her own life\ndepended on it?\u201d The King replied, \u201cYes, I would like to see her.\u201d The\nson said, \u201cMost gracious father, I will show her to you in the form of\na beautiful flower,\u201d and he thrust his hand into his pocket and brought\nforth the pink, and placed it on the royal table, and it was so\nbeautiful that the King had never seen one to equal it. Then the son\nsaid, \u201cNow will I show her to you in her own form,\u201d and wished that she\nmight become a maiden, and she stood there looking so beautiful that no\npainter could have made her look more so.\n\nAnd the King sent two waiting-maids and two attendants into the tower,\nto fetch the Queen and bring her to the royal table. But when she was\nled in she ate nothing, and said, \u201cThe gracious and merciful God who\nhas supported me in the tower, will speedily deliver me.\u201d She lived\nthree days more, and then died happily, and when she was buried, the\ntwo white doves which had brought her food to the tower, and were\nangels of heaven, followed her body and seated themselves on her grave.\nThe aged King ordered the cook to be torn in four pieces, but grief\nconsumed the King\u2019s own heart, and he soon died. His son married the\nbeautiful maiden whom he had brought with him as a flower in his\npocket, and whether they are still alive or not, is known to God.\n\n\n\n77 Clever Grethel\n\nThere was once a cook named Grethel, who wore shoes with red rosettes,\nand when she walked out with them on, she turned herself this way and\nthat, and thought, \u201cYou certainly are a pretty girl!\u201d And when she came\nhome she drank, in her gladness of heart, a draught of wine, and as\nwine excites a desire to eat, she tasted the best of whatever she was\ncooking until she was satisfied, and said, \u201cThe cook must know what the\nfood is like.\u201d\n\nIt came to pass that the master one day said to her, \u201cGrethel, there is\na guest coming this evening; prepare me two fowls very daintily.\u201d \u201cI\nwill see to it, master,\u201d answered Grethel. She killed two fowls,\nscalded them, plucked them, put them on the spit, and towards evening\nset them before the fire, that they might roast. The fowls began to\nturn brown, and were nearly ready, but the guest had not yet arrived.\nThen Grethel called out to her master, \u201cIf the guest does not come, I\nmust take the fowls away from the fire, but it will be a sin and a\nshame if they are not eaten directly, when they are juiciest.\u201d The\nmaster said, \u201cI will run myself, and fetch the guest.\u201d When the master\nhad turned his back, Grethel laid the spit with the fowls on one side,\nand thought, \u201cStanding so long by the fire there, makes one hot and\nthirsty; who knows when they will come? Meanwhile, I will run into the\ncellar, and take a drink.\u201d She ran down, set a jug, said, \u201cGod bless it\nto thy use, Grethel,\u201d and took a good drink, and took yet another\nhearty draught.\n\nThen she went and put the fowls down again to the fire, basted them,\nand drove the spit merrily round. But as the roast meat smelt so good,\nGrethel thought, \u201cSomething might be wrong, it ought to be tasted!\u201d She\ntouched it with her finger, and said, \u201cAh! how good fowls are! It\ncertainly is a sin and a shame that they are not eaten directly!\u201d She\nran to the window, to see if the master was not coming with his guest,\nbut she saw no one, and went back to the fowls and thought, \u201cOne of the\nwings is burning! I had better take it off and eat it.\u201d So she cut it\noff, ate it, and enjoyed it, and when she had done, she thought, \u201cthe\nother must go down too, or else master will observe that something is\nmissing.\u201d When the two wings were eaten, she went and looked for her\nmaster, and did not see him. It suddenly occurred to her, \u201cWho knows?\nThey are perhaps not coming at all, and have turned in somewhere.\u201d Then\nshe said, \u201cHallo, Grethel, enjoy yourself, one fowl has been cut into,\ntake another drink, and eat it up entirely; when it is eaten you will\nhave some peace, why should God\u2019s good gifts be spoilt?\u201d So she ran\ninto the cellar again, took an enormous drink and ate up the one\nchicken in great glee. When one of the chickens was swallowed down, and\nstill her master did not come, Grethel looked at the other and said,\n\u201cWhere one is, the other should be likewise, the two go together;\nwhat\u2019s right for the one is right for the other; I think if I were to\ntake another draught it would do me no harm.\u201d So she took another\nhearty drink, and let the second chicken rejoin the first.\n\nWhile she was just in the best of the eating, her master came and\ncried, hurry up, \u201cHaste thee, Grethel, the guest is coming directly\nafter me!\u201d \u201cYes, sir, I will soon serve up,\u201d answered Grethel. Meantime\nthe master looked to see that the table was properly laid, and took the\ngreat knife, wherewith he was going to carve the chickens, and\nsharpened it on the steps. Presently the guest came, and knocked\npolitely and courteously at the house-door. Grethel ran, and looked to\nsee who was there, and when she saw the guest, she put her finger to\nher lips and said, \u201cHush! hush! get away as quickly as you can, if my\nmaster catches you it will be the worse for you; he certainly did ask\nyou to supper, but his intention is to cut off your two ears. Just\nlisten how he is sharpening the knife for it!\u201d The guest heard the\nsharpening, and hurried down the steps again as fast as he could.\nGrethel was not idle; she ran screaming to her master, and cried, \u201cYou\nhave invited a fine guest!\u201d \u201cEh, why, Grethel? What do you mean by\nthat?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said she, \u201che has taken the chickens which I was just\ngoing to serve up, off the dish, and has run away with them!\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s a\nnice trick!\u201d said her master, and lamented the fine chickens. \u201cIf he\nhad but left me one, so that something remained for me to eat.\u201d He\ncalled to him to stop, but the guest pretended not to hear. Then he ran\nafter him with the knife still in his hand, crying, \u201cJust one, just\none,\u201d meaning that the guest should leave him just one chicken, and not\ntake both. The guest, however, thought no otherwise than that he was to\ngive up one of his ears, and ran as if fire were burning under him, in\norder to take them both home with him.\n\n\n\n78 The Old Man and His Grandson\n\nThere was once a very old man, whose eyes had become dim, his ears dull\nof hearing, his knees trembled, and when he sat at table he could\nhardly hold the spoon, and spilt the broth upon the table-cloth or let\nit run out of his mouth. His son and his son\u2019s wife were disgusted at\nthis, so the old grandfather at last had to sit in the corner behind\nthe stove, and they gave him his food in an earthenware bowl, and not\neven enough of it. And he used to look towards the table with his eyes\nfull of tears. Once, too, his trembling hands could not hold the bowl,\nand it fell to the ground and broke. The young wife scolded him, but he\nsaid nothing and only sighed. Then they bought him a wooden bowl for a\nfew half-pence, out of which he had to eat.\n\nThey were once sitting thus when the little grandson of four years old\nbegan to gather together some bits of wood upon the ground. \u201cWhat are\nyou doing there?\u201d asked the father. \u201cI am making a little trough,\u201d\nanswered the child, \u201cfor father and mother to eat out of when I am\nbig.\u201d\n\nThe man and his wife looked at each other for a while, and presently\nbegan to cry. Then they took the old grandfather to the table, and\nhenceforth always let him eat with them, and likewise said nothing if\nhe did spill a little of anything.\n\n\n\n79 The Water-Nix\n\nA little brother and sister were once playing by a well, and while they\nwere thus playing, they both fell in. A water-nix lived down below, who\nsaid, \u201cNow I have got you, now you shall work hard for me!\u201d and carried\nthem off with her. She gave the girl dirty tangled flax to spin, and\nshe had to fetch water in a bucket with a hole in it, and the boy had\nto hew down a tree with a blunt axe, and they got nothing to eat but\ndumplings as hard as stones. Then at last the children became so\nimpatient, that they waited until one Sunday, when the nix was at\nchurch, and ran away. But when church was over, the nix saw that the\nbirds were flown, and followed them with great strides. The children\nsaw her from afar, and the girl threw a brush behind her which formed\nan immense hill of bristles, with thousands and thousands of spikes,\nover which the nix was forced to scramble with great difficulty; at\nlast, however, she got over. When the children saw this, the boy threw\nbehind him a comb which made a great hill of combs with a thousand\ntimes a thousand teeth, but the nix managed to keep herself steady on\nthem, and at last crossed over that. Then the girl threw behind her a\nlooking-glass which formed a hill of mirrors, and was so slippery that\nit was impossible for the nix to cross it. Then she thought, \u201cI will go\nhome quickly and fetch my axe, and cut the hill of glass in half.\u201d Long\nbefore she returned, however, and had hewn through the glass, the\nchildren had escaped to a great distance, and the water-nix was obliged\nto betake herself to her well again.\n\n\n\n80 The Death of the Little Hen\n\nOnce upon a time the little hen went with the little cock to the\nnut-hill, and they agreed together that whichsoever of them found a\nkernel of a nut should share it with the other. Then the hen found a\nlarge, large nut, but said nothing about it, intending to eat the\nkernel herself. The kernel, however, was so large that she could not\nswallow it, and it remained sticking in her throat, so that she was\nalarmed lest she should be choked. Then she cried, \u201cCock, I entreat\nthee to run as fast thou canst, and fetch me some water, or I shall\nchoke.\u201d The little cock did run as fast as he could to the spring, and\nsaid, \u201cStream, thou art to give me some water; the little hen is lying\non the nut-hill, and she has swallowed a large nut, and is choking.\u201d\nThe well answered, \u201cFirst run to the bride, and get her to give thee\nsome red silk.\u201d The little cock ran to the bride and said, \u201cBride, you\nare to give me some red silk; I want to give red silk to the well, the\nwell is to give me some water, I am to take the water to the little hen\nwho is lying on the nut-hill and has swallowed a great nut-kernel, and\nis choking with it.\u201d The bride answered, \u201cFirst run and bring me my\nlittle wreath which is hanging to a willow.\u201d So the little cock ran to\nthe willow, and drew the wreath from the branch and took it to the\nbride, and the bride gave him some water for it. Then the little cock\ntook the water to the hen, but when he got there the hen had choked in\nthe meantime, and lay there dead and motionless. Then the cock was so\ndistressed that he cried aloud, and every animal came to lament the\nlittle hen, and six mice built a little carriage to carry her to her\ngrave, and when the carriage was ready they harnessed themselves to it,\nand the cock drove. On the way, however, they met the fox, who said,\n\u201cWhere art thou going, little cock?\u201d \u201cI am going to bury my little\nhen.\u201d \u201cMay I drive with thee?\u201d \u201cYes, but seat thyself at the back of\nthe carriage, for in the front my little horses could not drag thee.\u201d\nThen the fox seated himself at the back, and after that the wolf, the\nbear, the stag, the lion, and all the beasts of the forest did the\nsame. Then the procession went onwards, and they reached the stream.\n\u201cHow are we to get over?\u201d said the little cock. A straw was lying by\nthe stream, and it said, \u201cI will lay myself across, and you shall drive\nover me.\u201d But when the six mice came to the bridge, the straw slipped\nand fell into the water, and the six mice all fell in and were drowned.\nThen they were again in difficulty, and a coal came and said, \u201cI am\nlarge enough, I will lay myself across and you shall drive over me.\u201d So\nthe coal also laid itself across the water, but unhappily just touched\nit, on which the coal hissed, was extinguished and died. When a stone\nsaw that, it took pity on the little cock, wished to help him, and laid\nitself over the water. Then the cock drew the carriage himself, but\nwhen he got it over and reached the other shore with the dead hen, and\nwas about to draw over the others who were sitting behind as well,\nthere were too many of them, the carriage ran back, and they all fell\ninto the water together, and were drowned. Then the little cock was\nleft alone with the dead hen, and dug a grave for her and laid her in\nit, and made a mound above it, on which he sat down and fretted until\nhe died too, and then every one was dead.\n\n\n\n81 Brother Lustig\n\nThere was one on a time a great war, and when it came to an end, many\nsoldiers were discharged. Then Brother Lustig also received his\ndismissal, and besides that, nothing but a small loaf of\ncontract-bread, and four kreuzers in money, with which he departed. St.\nPeter had, however, placed himself in his way in the shape of a poor\nbeggar, and when Brother Lustig came up, he begged alms of him. Brother\nLustig replied, \u201cDear beggar-man, what am I to give you? I have been a\nsoldier, and have received my dismissal, and have nothing but this\nlittle loaf of contract-bread, and four kreuzers of money; when that is\ngone, I shall have to beg as well as you. Still I will give you\nsomething.\u201d Thereupon he divided the loaf into four parts, and gave the\napostle one of them, and a kreuzer likewise. St. Peter thanked him,\nwent onwards, and threw himself again in the soldier\u2019s way as a beggar,\nbut in another shape; and when he came up begged a gift of him as\nbefore. Brother Lustig spoke as he had done before, and again gave him\na quarter of the loaf and one kreuzer. St. Peter thanked him, and went\nonwards, but for the third time placed himself in another shape as a\nbeggar on the road, and spoke to Brother Lustig. Brother Lustig gave\nhim also the third quarter of bread and the third kreuzer. St. Peter\nthanked him, and Brother Lustig went onwards, and had but a quarter of\nthe loaf, and one kreuzer. With that he went into an inn, ate the\nbread, and ordered one kreuzer\u2019s worth of beer. When he had had it, he\njourneyed onwards, and then St. Peter, who had assumed the appearance\nof a discharged soldier, met and spoke to him thus: \u201cGood day, comrade,\ncanst thou not give me a bit of bread, and a kreuzer to get a drink?\u201d\n\u201cWhere am I to procure it?\u201d answered Brother Lustig; \u201cI have been\ndischarged, and I got nothing but a loaf of ammunition-bread and four\nkreuzers in money. I met three beggars on the road, and I gave each of\nthem a quarter of my bread, and one kreuzer. The last quarter I ate in\nthe inn, and had a drink with the last kreuzer. Now my pockets are\nempty, and if thou also hast nothing we can go a-begging together.\u201d\n\u201cNo,\u201d answered St. Peter, \u201cwe need not quite do that. I know a little\nabout medicine, and I will soon earn as much as I require by that.\u201d\n\u201cIndeed,\u201d said Brother Lustig, \u201cI know nothing of that, so I must go\nand beg alone.\u201d \u201cJust come with me,\u201d said St. Peter, \u201cand if I earn\nanything, thou shalt have half of it.\u201d \u201cAll right,\u201d said Brother\nLustig, so they went away together.\n\nThen they came to a peasant\u2019s house inside which they heard loud\nlamentations and cries; so they went in, and there the husband was\nlying sick unto death, and very near his end, and his wife was crying\nand weeping quite loudly. \u201cStop that howling and crying,\u201d said St.\nPeter, \u201cI will make the man well again,\u201d and he took a salve out of his\npocket, and healed the sick man in a moment, so that he could get up,\nand was in perfect health. In great delight the man and his wife said,\n\u201cHow can we reward you? What shall we give you?\u201d But St. Peter would\ntake nothing, and the more the peasant folks offered him, the more he\nrefused. Brother Lustig, however, nudged St. Peter, and said, \u201cTake\nsomething; sure enough we are in need of it.\u201d At length the woman\nbrought a lamb and said to St. Peter that he really must take that, but\nhe would not. Then Brother Lustig gave him a poke in the side, and\nsaid, \u201cDo take it, you stupid fool; we are in great want of it!\u201d Then\nSt. Peter said at last, \u201cWell, I will take the lamb, but I won\u2019t carry\nit; if thou wilt insist on having it, thou must carry it.\u201d \u201cThat is\nnothing,\u201d said Brother Lustig. \u201cI will easily carry it,\u201d and took it on\nhis shoulder. Then they departed and came to a wood, but Brother Lustig\nhad begun to feel the lamb heavy, and he was hungry, so he said to St.\nPeter, \u201cLook, that\u2019s a good place, we might cook the lamb there, and\neat it.\u201d \u201cAs you like,\u201d answered St. Peter, \u201cbut I can\u2019t have anything\nto do with the cooking; if thou wilt cook, there is a kettle for thee,\nand in the meantime I will walk about a little until it is ready. Thou\nmust, however, not begin to eat until I have come back, I will come at\nthe right time.\u201d \u201cWell, go, then,\u201d said Brother Lustig, \u201cI understand\ncookery, I will manage it.\u201d Then St. Peter went away, and Brother\nLustig killed the lamb, lighted a fire, threw the meat into the kettle,\nand boiled it. The lamb was, however, quite ready, and the apostle\nPeter had not come back, so Brother Lustig took it out of the kettle,\ncut it up, and found the heart. \u201cThat is said to be the best part,\u201d\nsaid he, and tasted it, but at last he ate it all up. At length St.\nPeter returned and said, \u201cThou mayst eat the whole of the lamb thyself,\nI will only have the heart, give me that.\u201d Then Brother Lustig took a\nknife and fork, and pretended to look anxiously about amongst the\nlamb\u2019s flesh, but not to be able to find the heart, and at last he said\nabruptly, \u201cThere is none here.\u201d \u201cBut where can it be?\u201d said the\napostle. \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d replied Brother Lustig, \u201cbut look, what fools\nwe both are, to seek for the lamb\u2019s heart, and neither of us to\nremember that a lamb has no heart!\u201d \u201cOh,\u201d said St. Peter, \u201cthat is\nsomething quite new! Every animal has a heart, why is a lamb to have\nnone?\u201d \u201cNo, be assured, my brother,\u201d said Brother Lustig, \u201cthat a lamb\nhas no heart; just consider it seriously, and then you will see that it\nreally has none.\u201d \u201cWell, it is all right,\u201d said St. Peter, \u201cif there is\nno heart, then I want none of the lamb; thou mayst eat it alone.\u201d \u201cWhat\nI can\u2019t eat now, I will carry away in my knapsack,\u201d said Brother\nLustig, and he ate half the lamb, and put the rest in his knapsack.\n\nThey went farther, and then St. Peter caused a great stream of water to\nflow right across their path, and they were obliged to pass through it.\nSaid St. Peter, \u201cDo thou go first.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d answered Brother Lustig,\n\u201cthou must go first,\u201d and he thought, \u201cif the water is too deep I will\nstay behind.\u201d Then St. Peter strode through it, and the water just\nreached to his knee. So Brother Lustig began to go through also, but\nthe water grew deeper and reached to his throat. Then he cried,\n\u201cBrother, help me!\u201d St. Peter said, \u201cThen wilt thou confess that thou\nhast eaten the lamb\u2019s heart?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said he, \u201cI have not eaten it.\u201d\nThen the water grew deeper still and rose to his mouth. \u201cHelp me,\nbrother,\u201d cried the soldier. St. Peter said, \u201cThen wilt thou confess\nthat thou hast eaten the lamb\u2019s heart?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d he replied, \u201cI have not\neaten it.\u201d St. Peter, however, would not let him be drowned, but made\nthe water sink and helped him through it.\n\nThen they journeyed onwards, and came to a kingdom where they heard\nthat the King\u2019s daughter lay sick unto death. \u201cHollo, brother!\u201d said\nthe soldier to St. Peter, \u201cthis is a chance for us; if we can heal her\nwe shall be provided for, for life!\u201d But St. Peter was not half quick\nenough for him, \u201cCome, lift your legs, my dear brother,\u201d said he, \u201cthat\nwe may get there in time.\u201d But St. Peter walked slower and slower,\nthough Brother Lustig did all he could to drive and push him on, and at\nlast they heard that the princess was dead. \u201cNow we are done for!\u201d said\nBrother Lustig; \u201cthat comes of thy sleepy way of walking!\u201d \u201cJust be\nquiet,\u201d answered St. Peter, \u201cI can do more than cure sick people; I can\nbring dead ones to life again.\u201d \u201cWell, if thou canst do that,\u201d said\nBrother Lustig, \u201cit\u2019s all right, but thou shouldst earn at least half\nthe kingdom for us by that.\u201d Then they went to the royal palace, where\nevery one was in great grief, but St. Peter told the King that he would\nrestore his daughter to life. He was taken to her, and said, \u201cBring me\na kettle and some water,\u201d and when that was brought, he bade everyone\ngo out, and allowed no one to remain with him but Brother Lustig. Then\nhe cut off all the dead girl\u2019s limbs, and threw them in the water,\nlighted a fire beneath the kettle, and boiled them. And when the flesh\nhad fallen away from the bones, he took out the beautiful white bones,\nand laid them on a table, and arranged them together in their natural\norder. When he had done that, he stepped forward and said three times,\n\u201cIn the name of the holy Trinity, dead woman, arise.\u201d And at the third\ntime, the princess arose, living, healthy and beautiful. Then the King\nwas in the greatest joy, and said to St. Peter, \u201cAsk for thy reward;\neven if it were half my kingdom, I would give it thee.\u201d But St. Peter\nsaid, \u201cI want nothing for it.\u201d \u201cOh, thou tomfool!\u201d thought Brother\nLustig to himself, and nudged his comrade\u2019s side, and said, \u201cDon\u2019t be\nso stupid! If thou hast no need of anything, I have.\u201d St. Peter,\nhowever, would have nothing, but as the King saw that the other would\nvery much like to have something, he ordered his treasurer to fill\nBrother Lustig\u2019s knapsack with gold. Then they went on their way, and\nwhen they came to a forest, St. Peter said to Brother Lustig, \u201cNow, we\nwill divide the gold.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d he replied, \u201cwe will.\u201d So St. Peter\ndivided the gold, and divided it into three heaps. Brother Lustig\nthought to himself, \u201cWhat craze has he got in his head now? He is\nmaking three shares, and there are only two of us!\u201d But St. Peter said,\n\u201cI have divided it exactly; there is one share for me, one for thee,\nand one for him who ate the lamb\u2019s heart.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I ate that!\u201d replied Brother Lustig, and hastily swept up the\ngold. \u201cYou may trust what I say.\u201d \u201cBut how can that be true,\u201d said St.\nPeter, \u201cwhen a lamb has no heart?\u201d \u201cEh, what, brother, what can you be\nthinking of? Lambs have hearts like other animals, why should only they\nhave none?\u201d \u201cWell, so be it,\u201d said St. Peter, \u201ckeep the gold to\nyourself, but I will stay with you no longer; I will go my way alone.\u201d\n\u201cAs you like, dear brother,\u201d answered Brother Lustig. \u201cFarewell.\u201d\n\nThen St. Peter went a different road, but Brother Lustig thought, \u201cIt\nis a good thing that he has taken himself off, he is certainly a\nstrange saint, after all.\u201d Then he had money enough, but did not know\nhow to manage it, squandered it, gave it away, and and when some time\nhad gone by, once more had nothing. Then he arrived in a certain\ncountry where he heard that a King\u2019s daughter was dead. \u201cOh, ho!\u201d\nthought he, \u201cthat may be a good thing for me; I will bring her to life\nagain, and see that I am paid as I ought to be.\u201d So he went to the\nKing, and offered to raise the dead girl to life again. Now the King\nhad heard that a discharged soldier was traveling about and bringing\ndead persons to life again, and thought that Brother Lustig was the\nman; but as he had no confidence in him, he consulted his councillors\nfirst, who said that he might give it a trial as his daughter was dead.\nThen Brother Lustig ordered water to be brought to him in a kettle,\nbade every one go out, cut the limbs off, threw them in the water and\nlighted a fire beneath, just as he had seen St. Peter do. The water\nbegan to boil, the flesh fell off, and then he took the bones out and\nlaid them on the table, but he did not know the order in which to lay\nthem, and placed them all wrong and in confusion. Then he stood before\nthem and said, \u201cIn the name of the most holy Trinity, dead maiden, I\nbid thee arise,\u201d and he said this thrice, but the bones did not stir.\nSo he said it thrice more, but also in vain: \u201cConfounded girl that you\nare, get up!\u201d cried he, \u201cGet up, or it shall be worse for you!\u201d When he\nhad said that, St. Peter suddenly appeared in his former shape as a\ndischarged soldier; he entered by the window and said, \u201cGodless man,\nwhat art thou doing? How can the dead maiden arise, when thou hast\nthrown about her bones in such confusion?\u201d \u201cDear brother, I have done\neverything to the best of my ability,\u201d he answered. \u201cThis once, I will\nhelp thee out of thy difficulty, but one thing I tell thee, and that is\nthat if ever thou undertakest anything of the kind again, it will be\nthe worse for thee, and also that thou must neither demand nor accept\nthe smallest thing from the King for this!\u201d Thereupon St. Peter laid\nthe bones in their right order, said to the maiden three times, \u201cIn the\nname of the most holy Trinity, dead maiden, arise,\u201d and the King\u2019s\ndaughter arose, healthy and beautiful as before. Then St. Peter went\naway again by the window, and Brother Lustig was rejoiced to find that\nall had passed off so well, but was very much vexed to think that after\nall he was not to take anything for it. \u201cI should just like to know,\u201d\nthought he, \u201cwhat fancy that fellow has got in his head, for what he\ngives with one hand he takes away with the other there is no sense\nwhatever in it!\u201d Then the King offered Brother Lustig whatsoever he\nwished to have, but he did not dare to take anything; however, by hints\nand cunning, he contrived to make the King order his knapsack to be\nfilled with gold for him, and with that he departed. When he got out,\nSt. Peter was standing by the door, and said, \u201cJust look what a man\nthou art; did I not forbid thee to take anything, and there thou hast\nthy knapsack full of gold!\u201d \u201cHow can I help that,\u201d answered Brother\nLustig, \u201cif people will put it in for me?\u201d \u201cWell, I tell thee this,\nthat if ever thou settest about anything of this kind again thou shalt\nsuffer for it!\u201d \u201cEh, brother, have no fear, now I have money, why\nshould I trouble myself with washing bones?\u201d \u201cFaith,\u201d said St. Peter,\n\u201cthe gold will last a long time! In order that after this thou mayst\nnever tread in forbidden paths, I will bestow on thy knapsack this\nproperty, namely, that whatsoever thou wishest to have inside it, shall\nbe there. Farewell, thou wilt now never see me more.\u201d \u201cGood-bye,\u201d said\nBrother Lustig, and thought to himself, \u201cI am very glad that thou hast\ntaken thyself off, thou strange fellow; I shall certainly not follow\nthee.\u201d But of the magical power which had been bestowed on his\nknapsack, he thought no more.\n\nBrother Lustig travelled about with his money, and squandered and\nwasted what he had as before. When at last he had no more than four\nkreuzers, he passed by an inn and thought, \u201cThe money must go,\u201d and\nordered three kreuzers\u2019 worth of wine and one kreuzer\u2019s worth of bread\nfor himself. As he was sitting there drinking, the smell of roast goose\nmade its way to his nose. Brother Lustig looked about and peeped, and\nsaw that the host had two geese standing in the oven. Then he\nremembered that his comrade had said that whatsoever he wished to have\nin his knapsack should be there, so he said, \u201cOh, ho! I must try that\nwith the geese.\u201d So he went out, and when he was outside the door, he\nsaid, \u201cI wish those two roasted geese out of the oven and in my\nknapsack,\u201d and when he had said that, he unbuckled it and looked in,\nand there they were inside it. \u201cAh, that\u2019s right!\u201d said he, \u201cnow I am a\nmade man!\u201d and went away to a meadow and took out the roast meat. When\nhe was in the midst of his meal, two journeymen came up and looked at\nthe second goose, which was not yet touched, with hungry eyes. Brother\nLustig thought to himself, \u201cOne is enough for me,\u201d and called the two\nmen up and said, \u201cTake the goose, and eat it to my health.\u201d They\nthanked him, and went with it to the inn, ordered themselves a half\nbottle of wine and a loaf, took out the goose which had been given\nthem, and began to eat. The hostess saw them and said to her husband,\n\u201cThose two are eating a goose; just look and see if it is not one of\nours, out of the oven.\u201d The landlord ran thither, and behold the oven\nwas empty! \u201cWhat!\u201d cried he, \u201cyou thievish crew, you want to eat goose\nas cheap as that? Pay for it this moment; or I will wash you well with\ngreen hazel-sap.\u201d The two said, \u201cWe are no thieves, a discharged\nsoldier gave us the goose, outside there in the meadow.\u201d \u201cYou shall not\nthrow dust in my eyes that way! the soldier was here but he went out by\nthe door, like an honest fellow. I looked after him myself; you are the\nthieves and shall pay!\u201d But as they could not pay, he took a stick, and\ncudgeled them out of the house.\n\nBrother Lustig went his way and came to a place where there was a\nmagnificent castle, and not far from it a wretched inn. He went to the\ninn and asked for a night\u2019s lodging, but the landlord turned him away,\nand said, \u201cThere is no more room here, the house is full of noble\nguests.\u201d \u201cIt surprises me that they should come to you and not go to\nthat splendid castle,\u201d said Brother Lustig. \u201cAh, indeed,\u201d replied the\nhost, \u201cbut it is no slight matter to sleep there for a night; no one\nwho has tried it so far, has ever come out of it alive.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf others have tried it,\u201d said Brother Lustig, \u201cI will try it too.\u201d\n\n\u201cLeave it alone,\u201d said the host, \u201cit will cost you your neck.\u201d \u201cIt\nwon\u2019t kill me at once,\u201d said Brother Lustig, \u201cjust give me the key, and\nsome good food and wine.\u201d So the host gave him the key, and food and\nwine, and with this Brother Lustig went into the castle, enjoyed his\nsupper, and at length, as he was sleepy, he lay down on the ground, for\nthere was no bed. He soon fell asleep, but during the night was\ndisturbed by a great noise, and when he awoke, he saw nine ugly devils\nin the room, who had made a circle, and were dancing around him.\nBrother Lustig said, \u201cWell, dance as long as you like, but none of you\nmust come too close.\u201d But the devils pressed continually nearer to him,\nand almost stepped on his face with their hideous feet. \u201cStop, you\ndevils\u2019 ghosts,\u201d said he, but they behaved still worse. Then Brother\nLustig grew angry, and cried, \u201cHola! but I will soon make it quiet,\u201d\nand got the leg of a chair and struck out into the midst of them with\nit. But nine devils against one soldier were still too many, and when\nhe struck those in front of him, the others seized him behind by the\nhair, and tore it unmercifully. \u201cDevils\u2019 crew,\u201d cried he, \u201cit is\ngetting too bad, but wait. Into my knapsack, all nine of you!\u201d In an\ninstant they were in it, and then he buckled it up and threw it into a\ncorner. After this all was suddenly quiet, and Brother Lustig lay down\nagain, and slept till it was bright day. Then came the inn-keeper, and\nthe nobleman to whom the castle belonged, to see how he had fared; but\nwhen they perceived that he was merry and well they were astonished,\nand asked, \u201cHave the spirits done you no harm, then?\u201d \u201cThe reason why\nthey have not,\u201d answered Brother Lustig, \u201cis because I have got the\nwhole nine of them in my knapsack! You may once more inhabit your\ncastle quite tranquilly, none of them will ever haunt it again.\u201d The\nnobleman thanked him, made him rich presents, and begged him to remain\nin his service, and he would provide for him as long as he lived. \u201cNo,\u201d\nreplied Brother Lustig, \u201cI am used to wandering about, I will travel\nfarther.\u201d Then he went away, and entered into a smithy, laid the\nknapsack, which contained the nine devils on the anvil, and asked the\nsmith and his apprentices to strike it. So they smote with their great\nhammers with all their strength, and the devils uttered howls which\nwere quite pitiable. When he opened the knapsack after this, eight of\nthem were dead, but one which had been lying in a fold of it, was still\nalive, slipped out, and went back again to hell. Thereupon Brother\nLustig travelled a long time about the world, and those who know them\ncan tell many a story about him, but at last he grew old, and thought\nof his end, so he went to a hermit who was known to be a pious man, and\nsaid to him, \u201cI am tired of wandering about, and want now to behave in\nsuch a manner that I shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven.\u201d The\nhermit replied, \u201cThere are two roads, one is broad and pleasant, and\nleads to hell, the other is narrow and rough, and leads to heaven.\u201d \u201cI\nshould be a fool,\u201d thought Brother Lustig, \u201cif I were to take the\nnarrow, rough road.\u201d So he set out and took the broad and pleasant\nroad, and at length came to a great black door, which was the door of\nHell. Brother Lustig knocked, and the door-keeper peeped out to see who\nwas there. But when he saw Brother Lustig, he was terrified, for he was\nthe very same ninth devil who had been shut up in the knapsack, and had\nescaped from it with a black eye. So he pushed the bolt in again as\nquickly as he could, ran to the devil\u2019s lieutenant, and said, \u201cThere is\na fellow outside with a knapsack, who wants to come in, but as you\nvalue your lives don\u2019t allow him to enter, or he will wish the whole of\nhell into his knapsack. He once gave me a frightful hammering when I\nwas inside it.\u201d So they called out to Brother Lustig that he was to go\naway again, for he should not get in there! \u201cIf they won\u2019t have me\nhere,\u201d thought he, \u201cI will see if I can find a place for myself in\nheaven, for I must be somewhere.\u201d So he turned about and went onwards\nuntil he came to the door of Heaven, where he knocked. St. Peter was\nsitting hard by as door-keeper. Brother Lustig recognised him at once,\nand thought, \u201cHere I find an old friend, I shall get on better.\u201d But\nSt. Peter said, \u201cI really believe that thou wantest to come into\nHeaven.\u201d \u201cLet me in, brother; I must get in somewhere; if they would\nhave taken me into Hell, I should not have come here.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said St.\nPeter, \u201cthou shalt not enter.\u201d \u201cThen if thou wilt not let me in, take\nthy knapsack back, for I will have nothing at all from thee.\u201d \u201cGive it\nhere, then,\u201d said St. Peter. Then Brother Lustig gave him the knapsack\ninto Heaven through the bars, and St. Peter took it, and hung it beside\nhis seat. Then said Brother Lustig, \u201cAnd now I wish myself inside my\nknapsack,\u201d and in a second he was in it, and in Heaven, and St. Peter\nwas forced to let him stay there.\n\n\n\n82 Gambling Hansel\n\nOnce upon a time there was a man who did nothing but gamble, and for\nthat reason people never called him anything but Gambling Hansel, and\nas he never ceased to gamble, he played away his house and all that he\nhad. Now the very day before his creditors were to take his house from\nhim, came the Lord and St. Peter, and asked him to give them shelter\nfor the night. Then Gambling Hansel said, \u201cFor my part, you may stay\nthe night, but I cannot give you a bed or anything to eat.\u201d So the Lord\nsaid he was just to take them in, and they themselves would buy\nsomething to eat, to which Gambling Hansel made no objection. Thereupon\nSt. Peter gave him three groschen, and said he was to go to the baker\u2019s\nand fetch some bread. So Gambling Hansel went, but when he reached the\nhouse where the other gambling vagabonds were gathered together, they,\nalthough they had won all that he had, greeted him clamorously, and\nsaid, \u201cHansel, do come in.\u201d \u201cOh,\u201d said he, \u201cdo you want to win the\nthree groschen too?\u201d On this they would not let him go. So he went in,\nand played away the three groschen also. Meanwhile St. Peter and the\nLord were waiting, and as he was so long in coming, they set out to\nmeet him. When Gambling Hansel came, however, he pretended that the\nmoney had fallen into the gutter, and kept raking about in it all the\nwhile to find it, but our Lord already knew that he had lost it in\nplay. St. Peter again gave him three groschen, and now he did not allow\nhimself to be led away once more, but fetched them the loaf. Our Lord\nthen inquired if he had no wine, and he said, \u201cAlack, sir, the casks\nare all empty!\u201d But the Lord said he was to go down into the cellar,\nfor the best wine was still there. For a long time he would not believe\nthis, but at length he said, \u201cWell, I will go down, but I know that\nthere is none there.\u201d When he turned the tap, however, lo and behold,\nthe best of wine ran out! So he took it to them, and the two passed the\nnight there. Early next day our Lord told Gambling Hansel that he might\nbeg three favours. The Lord expected that he would ask to go to Heaven;\nbut Gambling Hansel asked for a pack of cards with which he could win\neverything, for dice with which he would win everything, and for a tree\nwhereon every kind of fruit would grow, and from which no one who had\nclimbed up, could descend until he bade him do so. The Lord gave him\nall that he had asked, and departed with St. Peter.\n\nAnd now Gambling Hansel at once set about gambling in real earnest, and\nbefore long he had gained half the world. Upon this St. Peter said to\nthe Lord, \u201cLord, this thing must not go on, he will win, and thou lose,\nthe whole world. We must send Death to him.\u201d When Death appeared,\nGambling Hansel had just seated himself at the gaming-table, and Death\nsaid, \u201cHansel, come out a while.\u201d But Gambling Hansel said, \u201cJust wait\na little until the game is done, and in the meantime get up into that\ntree out there, and gather a little fruit that we may have something to\nmunch on our way.\u201d Thereupon Death climbed up, but when he wanted to\ncome down again, he could not, and Gambling Hansel left him up there\nfor seven years, during which time no one died.\n\nSo St. Peter said to the Lord, \u201cLord, this thing must not go on. People\nno longer die; we must go ourselves.\u201d And they went themselves, and the\nLord commanded Hansel to let Death come down. So Hansel went at once to\nDeath and said to him, \u201cCome down,\u201d and Death took him directly and put\nan end to him. They went away together and came to the next world, and\nthen Gambling Hansel made straight for the door of Heaven, and knocked\nat it. \u201cWho is there?\u201d \u201cGambling Hansel.\u201d \u201cAh, we will have nothing to\ndo with him! Begone!\u201d So he went to the door of Purgatory, and knocked\nonce more. \u201cWho is there?\u201d \u201cGambling Hansel.\u201d \u201cAh, there is quite\nenough weeping and wailing here without him. We do not want to gamble,\njust go away again.\u201d Then he went to the door of Hell, and there they\nlet him in. There was, however, no one at home but old Lucifer and the\ncrooked devils who had just been doing their evil work in the world.\nAnd no sooner was Hansel there than he sat down to gamble again.\nLucifer, however, had nothing to lose, but his mis-shapen devils, and\nGambling Hansel won them from him, as with his cards he could not fail\nto do. And now he was off again with his crooked devils, and they went\nto Hohenfuert and pulled up a hop-pole, and with it went to Heaven and\nbegan to thrust the pole against it, and Heaven began to crack. So\nagain St. Peter said, \u201cLord, this thing cannot go on, we must let him\nin, or he will throw us down from Heaven.\u201d And they let him in. But\nGambling Hansel instantly began to play again, and there was such a\nnoise and confusion that there was no hearing what they themselves were\nsaying. Therefore St. Peter once more said, \u201cLord, this cannot go on,\nwe must throw him down, or he will make all Heaven rebellious.\u201d So they\nwent to him at once, and threw him down, and his soul broke into\nfragments, and went into the gambling vagabonds who are living this\nvery day.\n\n\n\n83 Hans in Luck\n\nHans had served his master for seven years, so he said to him, \u201cMaster,\nmy time is up; now I should be glad to go back home to my mother; give\nme my wages.\u201d The master answered, \u201cYou have served me faithfully and\nhonestly; as the service was so shall the reward be;\u201d and he gave Hans\na piece of gold as big as his head. Hans pulled his handkerchief out of\nhis pocket, wrapped up the lump in it, put it on his shoulder, and set\nout on the way home.\n\nAs he went on, always putting one foot before the other, he saw a\nhorseman trotting quickly and merrily by on a lively horse. \u201cAh!\u201d said\nHans quite loud, \u201cwhat a fine thing it is to ride! There you sit as on\na chair; you stumble over no stones, you save your shoes, and get on,\nyou don\u2019t know how.\u201d\n\nThe rider, who had heard him, stopped and called out, \u201cHollo! Hans, why\ndo you go on foot, then?\u201d\n\n\u201cI must,\u201d answered he, \u201cfor I have this lump to carry home; it is true\nthat it is gold, but I cannot hold my head straight for it, and it\nhurts my shoulder.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will tell you what,\u201d said the rider, \u201cwe will exchange: I will give\nyou my horse, and you can give me your lump.\u201d\n\n\u201cWith all my heart,\u201d said Hans, \u201cbut I can tell you, you will have to\ncrawl along with it.\u201d\n\nThe rider got down, took the gold, and helped Hans up; then gave him\nthe bridle tight in his hands and said, \u201cIf you want to go at a really\ngood pace, you must click your tongue and call out, \u201cJup! Jup!\u201d\n\nHans was heartily delighted as he sat upon the horse and rode away so\nbold and free. After a little while he thought that it ought to go\nfaster, and he began to click with his tongue and call out, \u201cJup! Jup!\u201d\nThe horse put himself into a sharp trot, and before Hans knew where he\nwas, he was thrown off and lying in a ditch which separated the field\nfrom the highway. The horse would have gone off too if it had not been\nstopped by a countryman, who was coming along the road and driving a\ncow before him.\n\nHans got his limbs together and stood up on his legs again, but he was\nvexed, and said to the countryman, \u201cIt is a poor joke, this riding,\nespecially when one gets hold of a mare like this, that kicks and\nthrows one off, so that one has a chance of breaking one\u2019s neck. Never\nagain will I mount it. Now I like your cow, for one can walk quietly\nbehind her, and have, over and above, one\u2019s milk, butter and cheese\nevery day without fail. What would I not give to have such a cow.\u201d\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the countryman, \u201cif it would give you so much pleasure, I\ndo not mind giving the cow for the horse.\u201d Hans agreed with the\ngreatest delight; the countryman jumped upon the horse, and rode\nquickly away.\n\nHans drove his cow quietly before him, and thought over his lucky\nbargain. \u201cIf only I have a morsel of bread\u2014and that can hardly fail\nme\u2014I can eat butter and cheese with it as often as I like; if I am\nthirsty, I can milk my cow and drink the milk. Good heart, what more\ncan I want?\u201d\n\nWhen he came to an inn he made a halt, and in his great content ate up\nwhat he had with him\u2014his dinner and supper\u2014and all he had, and with his\nlast few farthings had half a glass of beer. Then he drove his cow\nonwards along the road to his mother\u2019s village.\n\nAs it drew nearer mid-day, the heat was more oppressive, and Hans found\nhimself upon a moor which it took about an hour to cross. He felt it\nvery hot and his tongue clave to the roof of his mouth with thirst. \u201cI\ncan find a cure for this,\u201d thought Hans; \u201cI will milk the cow now and\nrefresh myself with the milk.\u201d He tied her to a withered tree, and as\nhe had no pail he put his leather cap underneath; but try as he would,\nnot a drop of milk came. And as he set himself to work in a clumsy way,\nthe impatient beast at last gave him such a blow on his head with its\nhind foot, that he fell on the ground, and for a long time could not\nthink where he was.\n\nBy good fortune a butcher just then came along the road with a\nwheel-barrow, in which lay a young pig. \u201cWhat sort of a trick is this?\u201d\ncried he, and helped the good Hans up. Hans told him what had happened.\nThe butcher gave him his flask and said, \u201cTake a drink and refresh\nyourself. The cow will certainly give no milk, it is an old beast; at\nthe best it is only fit for the plough, or for the butcher.\u201d \u201cWell,\nwell,\u201d said Hans, as he stroked his hair down on his head, \u201cwho would\nhave thought it? Certainly it is a fine thing when one can kill a beast\nlike that at home; what meat one has! But I do not care much for beef,\nit is not juicy enough for me. A young pig like that now is the thing\nto have, it tastes quite different; and then there are the sausages!\u201d\n\n\u201cHark ye, Hans,\u201d said the butcher, \u201cout of love for you I will\nexchange, and will let you have the pig for the cow.\u201d \u201cHeaven repay you\nfor your kindness!\u201d said Hans as he gave up the cow, whilst the pig was\nunbound from the barrow, and the cord by which it was tied was put in\nhis hand.\n\nHans went on, and thought to himself how everything was going just as\nhe wished; if he did meet with any vexation it was immediately set\nright. Presently there joined him a lad who was carrying a fine white\ngoose under his arm. They said good morning to each other, and Hans\nbegan to tell of his good luck, and how he had always made such good\nbargains. The boy told him that he was taking the goose to a\nchristening-feast. \u201cJust lift her,\u201d added he, and laid hold of her by\nthe wings; \u201chow heavy she is\u2014she has been fattened up for the last\neight weeks. Whoever has a bit of her when she is roasted will have to\nwipe the fat from both sides of his mouth.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said Hans, as he\nweighed her in one hand, \u201cshe is a good weight, but my pig is no bad\none.\u201d\n\nMeanwhile the lad looked suspiciously from one side to the other, and\nshook his head. \u201cLook here,\u201d he said at length, \u201cit may not be all\nright with your pig. In the village through which I passed, the Mayor\nhimself had just had one stolen out of its sty. I fear\u2014I fear that you\nhave got hold of it there. They have sent out some people and it would\nbe a bad business if they caught you with the pig; at the very least,\nyou would be shut up in the dark hole.\u201d\n\nThe good Hans was terrified. \u201cGoodness!\u201d he said, \u201chelp me out of this\nfix; you know more about this place than I do, take my pig and leave me\nyour goose.\u201d \u201cI shall risk something at that game,\u201d answered the lad,\n\u201cbut I will not be the cause of your getting into trouble.\u201d So he took\nthe cord in his hand, and drove away the pig quickly along a by-path.\n\nThe good Hans, free from care, went homewards with the goose under his\narm. \u201cWhen I think over it properly,\u201d said he to himself, \u201cI have even\ngained by the exchange; first there is the good roast-meat, then the\nquantity of fat which will drip from it, and which will give me\ndripping for my bread for a quarter of a year, and lastly the beautiful\nwhite feathers; I will have my pillow stuffed with them, and then\nindeed I shall go to sleep without rocking. How glad my mother will\nbe!\u201d\n\nAs he was going through the last village, there stood a\nscissors-grinder with his barrow; as his wheel whirred he sang\u2014\n\n\u201cI sharpen scissors and quickly grind,\nMy coat blows out in the wind behind.\u201d\n\n\nHans stood still and looked at him; at last he spoke to him and said,\n\u201cAll\u2019s well with you, as you are so merry with your grinding.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d\nanswered the scissors-grinder, \u201cthe trade has a golden foundation. A\nreal grinder is a man who as often as he puts his hand into his pocket\nfinds gold in it. But where did you buy that fine goose?\u201d\n\n\u201cI did not buy it, but exchanged my pig for it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd the pig?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat I got for a cow.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd the cow?\u201d\n\n\u201cI took that instead of a horse.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd the horse?\u201d\n\n\u201cFor that I gave a lump of gold as big as my head.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd the gold?\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, that was my wages for seven years\u2019 service.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou have known how to look after yourself each time,\u201d said the\ngrinder. \u201cIf you can only get on so far as to hear the money jingle in\nyour pocket whenever you stand up, you will have made your fortune.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow shall I manage that?\u201d said Hans. \u201cYou must be a grinder, as I am;\nnothing particular is wanted for it but a grindstone, the rest finds\nitself. I have one here; it is certainly a little worn, but you need\nnot give me anything for it but your goose; will you do it?\u201d\n\n\u201cHow can you ask?\u201d answered Hans. \u201cI shall be the luckiest fellow on\nearth; if I have money whenever I put my hand in my pocket, what need I\ntrouble about any longer?\u201d and he handed him the goose and received the\ngrindstone in exchange. \u201cNow,\u201d said the grinder, as he took up an\nordinary heavy stone that lay by him, \u201chere is a strong stone for you\ninto the bargain; you can hammer well upon it, and straighten your old\nnails. Take it with you and keep it carefully.\u201d\n\nHans loaded himself with the stones, and went on with a contented\nheart; his eyes shone with joy. \u201cI must have been born with a caul,\u201d he\ncried; \u201ceverything I want happens to me just as if I were a\nSunday-child.\u201d\n\nMeanwhile, as he had been on his legs since daybreak, he began to feel\ntired. Hunger also tormented him, for in his joy at the bargain by\nwhich he got the cow he had eaten up all his store of food at once. At\nlast he could only go on with great trouble, and was forced to stop\nevery minute; the stones, too, weighed him down dreadfully. Then he\ncould not help thinking how nice it would be if he had not to carry\nthem just then.\n\nHe crept like a snail to a well in a field, and there he thought that\nhe would rest and refresh himself with a cool draught of water, but in\norder that he might not injure the stones in sitting down, he laid them\ncarefully by his side on the edge of the well. Then he sat down on it,\nand was to stoop and drink, when he made a slip, pushed against the\nstones, and both of them fell into the water. When Hans saw them with\nhis own eyes sinking to the bottom, he jumped for joy, and then knelt\ndown, and with tears in his eyes thanked God for having shown him this\nfavour also, and delivered him in so good a way, and without his having\nany need to reproach himself, from those heavy stones which had been\nthe only things that troubled him.\n\n\u201cThere is no man under the sun so fortunate as I,\u201d he cried out. With a\nlight heart and free from every burden he now ran on until he was with\nhis mother at home.\n\n\n\n84 Hans Married\n\nThere was once upon a time a young peasant named Hans, whose uncle\nwanted to find him a rich wife. He therefore seated Hans behind the\nstove, and had it made very hot. Then he fetched a pot of milk and\nplenty of white bread, gave him a bright newly-coined farthing in his\nhand, and said, \u201cHans, hold that farthing fast, crumble the white bread\ninto the milk, and stay where you are, and do not stir from that spot\ntill I come back.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said Hans, \u201cI will do all that.\u201d Then the\nwooer put on a pair of old patched trousers, went to a rich peasant\u2019s\ndaughter in the next village, and said, \u201cWon\u2019t you marry my nephew\nHans\u2014you will get an honest and sensible man who will suit you?\u201d The\ncovetous father asked, \u201cHow is it with regard to his means? Has he\nbread to break?\u201d \u201cDear friend,\u201d replied the wooer, \u201cmy young nephew has\na snug berth, a nice bit of money in hand, and plenty of bread to\nbreak, besides he has quite as many patches as I have,\u201d (and as he\nspoke, he slapped the patches on his trousers, but in that district\nsmall pieces of land were called patches also.) \u201cIf you will give\nyourself the trouble to go home with me, you shall see at once that all\nis as I have said.\u201d Then the miser did not want to lose this good\nopportunity, and said, \u201cIf that is the case, I have nothing further to\nsay against the marriage.\u201d\n\nSo the wedding was celebrated on the appointed day, and when the young\nwife went out of doors to see the bridegroom\u2019s property, Hans took off\nhis Sunday coat and put on his patched smock-frock and said, \u201cI might\nspoil my good coat.\u201d Then together they went out and wherever a\nboundary line came in sight, or fields and meadows were divided from\neach other, Hans pointed with his finger and then slapped either a\nlarge or a small patch on his smock-frock, and said, \u201cThat patch is\nmine, and that too, my dearest, just look at it,\u201d meaning thereby that\nhis wife should not stare at the broad land, but look at his garment,\nwhich was his own.\n\n\u201cWere you indeed at the wedding?\u201d \u201cYes, indeed I was there, and in full\ndress. My head-dress was of snow; then the sun came out, and it was\nmelted. My coat was of cobwebs, and I had to pass by some thorns which\ntore it off me, my shoes were of glass, and I pushed against a stone\nand they said, \u201cKlink,\u201d and broke in two.\n\n\n\n85 The Gold-Children\n\nThere was once a poor man and a poor woman who had nothing but a little\ncottage, and who earned their bread by fishing, and always lived from\nhand to mouth. But it came to pass one day when the man was sitting by\nthe water-side, and casting his net, that he drew out a fish entirely\nof gold. As he was looking at the fish, full of astonishment, it began\nto speak and said, \u201cHark you, fisherman, if you will throw me back\nagain into the water, I will change your little hut into a splendid\ncastle.\u201d Then the fisherman answered, \u201cOf what use is a castle to me,\nif I have nothing to eat?\u201d The gold fish continued, \u201cThat shall be\ntaken care of, there will be a cupboard in the castle in which, when\nyou open it, shall be dishes of the most delicate meats, and as many of\nthem as you can desire.\u201d \u201cIf that be true,\u201d said the man, \u201cthen I can\nwell do you a favour.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said the fish, \u201cthere is, however, the\ncondition that you shall disclose to no one in the world, whosoever he\nmay be, whence your good luck has come, if you speak but one single\nword, all will be over.\u201d Then the man threw the wonderful fish back\nagain into the water, and went home. But where his hovel had formerly\nstood, now stood a great castle. He opened wide his eyes, entered, and\nsaw his wife dressed in beautiful clothes, sitting in a splendid room,\nand she was quite delighted, and said, \u201cHusband, how has all this come\nto pass? It suits me very well.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said the man, \u201cit suits me too,\nbut I am frightfully hungry, just give me something to eat.\u201d Said the\nwife, \u201cBut I have got nothing and don\u2019t know where to find anything in\nthis new house.\u201d \u201cThere is no need of your knowing,\u201d said the man, \u201cfor\nI see yonder a great cupboard, just unlock it.\u201d When she opened it,\nthere stood cakes, meat, fruit, wine, quite a bright prospect.\n\nThen the woman cried joyfully, \u201cWhat more can you want, my dear?\u201d and\nthey sat down, and ate and drank together. When they had had enough,\nthe woman said, \u201cBut husband, whence come all these riches?\u201d \u201cAlas,\u201d\nanswered he, \u201cdo not question me about it, for I dare not tell you\nanything; if I disclose it to any one, then all our good fortune will\nfly.\u201d \u201cVery good,\u201d said she, \u201cif I am not to know anything, then I do\nnot want to know anything.\u201d However, she was not in earnest; she never\nrested day or night, and she goaded her husband until in his impatience\nhe revealed that all was owing to a wonderful golden fish which he had\ncaught, and to which in return he had given its liberty. And as soon as\nthe secret was out, the splendid castle with the cupboard immediately\ndisappeared, they were once more in the old fisherman\u2019s hut, and the\nman was obliged to follow his former trade and fish. But fortune would\nso have it, that he once more drew out the golden fish. \u201cListen,\u201d said\nthe fish, \u201cif you will throw me back into the water again, I will once\nmore give you the castle with the cupboard full of roast and boiled\nmeats; only be firm, for your life\u2019s sake don\u2019t reveal from whom you\nhave it, or you will lose it all again!\u201d \u201cI will take good care,\u201d\nanswered the fisherman, and threw the fish back into the water. Now at\nhome everything was once more in its former magnificence, and the wife\nwas overjoyed at their good fortune, but curiosity left her no peace,\nso that after a couple of days she began to ask again how it had come\nto pass, and how he had managed to secure it. The man kept silence for\na short time, but at last she made him so angry that he broke out, and\nbetrayed the secret. In an instant the castle disappeared, and they\nwere back again in their old hut. \u201cNow you have got what you want,\u201d\nsaid he; \u201cand we can gnaw at a bare bone again.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said the woman,\n\u201cI had rather not have riches if I am not to know from whom they come,\nfor then I have no peace.\u201d\n\nThe man went back to fish, and after a while he chanced to draw out the\ngold fish for a third time. \u201cListen,\u201d said the fish, \u201cI see very well\nthat I am fated to fall into your hands, take me home and cut me into\nsix pieces; give your wife two of them to eat, two to your horse and\nbury two of them in the ground, then they will bring you a blessing.\u201d\nThe fisherman took the fish home with him, and did as it had bidden\nhim. It came to pass, however, that from the two pieces that were\nburied in the ground two golden lilies sprang up, that the horse had\ntwo golden foals, and the fisherman\u2019s wife bore two children who were\nmade entirely of gold. The children grew up, became tall and handsome,\nand the lilies and horses grew likewise. Then they said, \u201cFather, we\nwant to mount our golden steeds and travel out in the world.\u201d But he\nanswered sorrowfully, \u201cHow shall I bear it if you go away, and I know\nnot how it fares with you?\u201d Then they said, \u201cThe two golden lilies\nremain here. By them you can see how it is with us; if they are fresh,\nthen we are in health; if they are withered, we are ill; if they\nperish, then we are dead.\u201d So they rode forth and came to an inn, in\nwhich were many people, and when they perceived the gold-children they\nbegan to laugh, and jeer. When one of them heard the mocking he felt\nashamed and would not go out into the world, but turned back and went\nhome again to his father. But the other rode forward and reached a\ngreat forest. As he was about to enter it, the people said, It is not\nsafe for you to ride through, the wood is full of robbers who would\ntreat you badly. You will fare ill, and when they see that you are all\nof gold, and your horse likewise, they will assuredly kill you.\u2019\n\nBut he would not allow himself to be frightened, and said, \u201cI must and\nwill ride through it.\u201d Then he took bear-skins and covered himself and\nhis horse with them, so that the gold was no more to be seen, and rode\nfearlessly into the forest. When he had ridden onward a little he heard\na rustling in the bushes, and heard voices speaking together. From one\nside came cries of, \u201cThere is one,\u201d but from the other, \u201cLet him go,\n\u2019tis an idle fellow, as poor and bare as a church-mouse, what should we\ngain from him?\u201d\n\nSo the gold-child rode joyfully through the forest, and no evil befell\nhim. One day he entered a village wherein he saw a maiden, who was so\nbeautiful that he did not believe that any more beautiful than she\nexisted in the world. And as such a mighty love took possession of him,\nhe went up to her and said, \u201cI love thee with my whole heart, wilt thou\nbe my wife?\u201d He, too, pleased the maiden so much that she agreed and\nsaid, \u201cYes, I will be thy wife, and be true to thee my whole life\nlong.\u201d Then they were married, and just as they were in the greatest\nhappiness, home came the father of the bride, and when he saw that his\ndaughter\u2019s wedding was being celebrated, he was astonished, and said,\n\u201cWhere is the bridegroom?\u201d They showed him the gold-child, who,\nhowever, still wore his bear-skins. Then the father said wrathfully, \u201cA\nvagabond shall never have my daughter!\u201d and was about to kill him. Then\nthe bride begged as hard as she could, and said, \u201cHe is my husband, and\nI love him with all my heart!\u201d until at last he allowed himself to be\nappeased. Nevertheless the idea never left his thoughts, so that next\nmorning he rose early, wishing to see whether his daughter\u2019s husband\nwas a common ragged beggar. But when he peeped in, he saw a magnificent\ngolden man in the bed, and the cast-off bear-skins lying on the ground.\nThen he went back and thought, \u201cWhat a good thing it was that I\nrestrained my anger! I should have committed a great crime.\u201d But the\ngold-child dreamed that he rode out to hunt a splendid stag, and when\nhe awoke in the morning, he said to his wife, \u201cI must go out hunting.\u201d\nShe was uneasy, and begged him to stay there, and said, \u201cYou might\neasily meet with a great misfortune,\u201d but he answered, \u201cI must and will\ngo.\u201d\n\nThereupon he got up, and rode forth into the forest, and it was not\nlong before a fine stag crossed his path exactly according to his\ndream. He aimed and was about to shoot it, when the stag ran away. He\ngave chase over hedges and ditches for the whole day without feeling\ntired, but in the evening the stag vanished from his sight, and when\nthe gold-child looked round him, he was standing before a little house,\nwherein was a witch. He knocked, and a little old woman came out and\nasked, \u201cWhat are you doing so late in the midst of the great forest?\u201d\n\u201cHave you not seen a stag?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d answered she, \u201cI know the stag\nwell,\u201d and thereupon a little dog which had come out of the house with\nher, barked at the man violently. \u201cWilt thou be silent, thou odious\ntoad,\u201d said he, \u201cor I will shoot thee dead.\u201d Then the witch cried out\nin a passion, \u201cWhat! will you slay my little dog?\u201d and immediately\ntransformed him, so that he lay like a stone, and his bride awaited him\nin vain and thought, \u201cThat which I so greatly dreaded, which lay so\nheavily on my heart, has come upon him!\u201d But at home the other brother\nwas standing by the gold-lilies, when one of them suddenly drooped.\n\u201cGood heavens!\u201d said he, \u201cmy brother has met with some great\nmisfortune! I must away to see if I can possibly rescue him.\u201d Then the\nfather said, \u201cStay here, if I lose you also, what shall I do?\u201d But he\nanswered, \u201cI must and will go forth!\u201d\n\nThen he mounted his golden horse, and rode forth and entered the great\nforest, where his brother lay turned to stone. The old witch came out\nof her house and called him, wishing to entrap him also, but he did not\ngo near her, and said, \u201cI will shoot you, if you will not bring my\nbrother to life again.\u201d She touched the stone, though very unwillingly,\nwith her forefinger, and he was immediately restored to his human\nshape. But the two gold-children rejoiced when they saw each other\nagain, kissed and caressed each other, and rode away together out of\nthe forest, the one home to his bride, and the other to his father. The\nfather then said, \u201cI knew well that you had rescued your brother, for\nthe golden lily suddenly rose up and blossomed out again.\u201d Then they\nlived happily, and all prospered with them until their death.\n\n\n\n86 The Fox and the Geese\n\nThe fox once came to a meadow in which was a flock of fine fat geese,\non which he smiled and said, \u201cI come in the nick of time, you are\nsitting together quite beautifully, so that I can eat you up one after\nthe other.\u201d The geese cackled with terror, sprang up, and began to wail\nand beg piteously for their lives. But the fox would listen to nothing,\nand said, \u201cThere is no mercy to be had! You must die.\u201d At length one of\nthem took heart and said, \u201cIf we poor geese are to yield up our\nvigorous young lives, show us the only possible favour and allow us one\nmore prayer, that we may not die in our sins, and then we will place\nourselves in a row, so that you can always pick yourself out the\nfattest.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said the fox, \u201cthat is reasonable, and a pious\nrequest. Pray away, I will wait till you are done.\u201d Then the first\nbegan a good long prayer, for ever saying, \u201cGa! Ga!\u201d and as she would\nmake no end, the second did not wait until her turn came, but began\nalso, \u201cGa! Ga!\u201d The third and fourth followed her, and soon they were\nall cackling together.\n\nWhen they have done praying, the story shall be continued further, but\nat present they are still praying without stopping.\u201d\n\n\n\n87 The Poor Man and the Rich Man\n\nIn olden times, when the Lord himself still used to walk about on this\nearth amongst men, it once happened that he was tired and overtaken by\nthe darkness before he could reach an inn. Now there stood on the road\nbefore him two houses facing each other; the one large and beautiful,\nthe other small and poor. The large one belonged to a rich man, and the\nsmall one to a poor man.\n\nThen the Lord thought, \u201cI shall be no burden to the rich man, I will\nstay the night with him.\u201d When the rich man heard some one knocking at\nhis door, he opened the window and asked the stranger what he wanted.\nThe Lord answered, \u201cI only ask for a night\u2019s lodging.\u201d\n\nThen the rich man looked at the traveler from head to foot, and as the\nLord was wearing common clothes, and did not look like one who had much\nmoney in his pocket, he shook his head, and said, \u201cNo, I cannot take\nyou in, my rooms are full of herbs and seeds; and if I were to lodge\neveryone who knocked at my door, I might very soon go begging myself.\nGo somewhere else for a lodging,\u201d and with this he shut down the window\nand left the Lord standing there.\n\nSo the Lord turned his back on the rich man, and went across to the\nsmall house and knocked. He had hardly done so when the poor man opened\nthe little door and bade the traveler come in. \u201cPass the night with me,\nit is already dark,\u201d said he; \u201cyou cannot go any further to-night.\u201d\nThis pleased the Lord, and he went in. The poor man\u2019s wife shook hands\nwith him, and welcomed him, and said he was to make himself at home and\nput up with what they had got; they had not much to offer him, but what\nthey had they would give him with all their hearts. Then she put the\npotatoes on the fire, and while they were boiling, she milked the goat,\nthat they might have a little milk with them. When the cloth was laid,\nthe Lord sat down with the man and his wife, and he enjoyed their\ncoarse food, for there were happy faces at the table. When they had had\nsupper and it was bed-time, the woman called her husband apart and\nsaid, \u201cHark you, dear husband, let us make up a bed of straw for\nourselves to-night, and then the poor traveler can sleep in our bed and\nhave a good rest, for he has been walking the whole day through, and\nthat makes one weary.\u201d \u201cWith all my heart,\u201d he answered, \u201cI will go and\noffer it to him;\u201d and he went to the stranger and invited him, if he\nhad no objection, to sleep in their bed and rest his limbs properly.\nBut the Lord was unwilling to take their bed from the two old folks;\nhowever, they would not be satisfied, until at length he did it and lay\ndown in their bed, while they themselves lay on some straw on the\nground.\n\nNext morning they got up before daybreak, and made as good a breakfast\nas they could for the guest. When the sun shone in through the little\nwindow, and the Lord had got up, he again ate with them, and then\nprepared to set out on his journey.\n\nBut as he was standing at the door he turned round and said, \u201cAs you\nare so kind and good, you may wish three things for yourselves and I\nwill grant them.\u201d Then the man said, \u201cWhat else should I wish for but\neternal happiness, and that we two, as long as we live, may be healthy\nand have every day our daily bread; for the third wish, I do not know\nwhat to have.\u201d And the Lord said to him, \u201cWill you wish for a new house\ninstead of this old one?\u201d \u201cOh, yes,\u201d said the man; \u201cif I can have that,\ntoo, I should like it very much.\u201d And the Lord fulfilled his wish, and\nchanged their old house into a new one, again gave them his blessing,\nand went on.\n\nThe sun was high when the rich man got up and leaned out of his window\nand saw, on the opposite side of the way, a new clean-looking house\nwith red tiles and bright windows where the old hut used to be. He was\nvery much astonished, and called his wife and said to her, \u201cTell me,\nwhat can have happened? Last night there was a miserable little hut\nstanding there, and to-day there is a beautiful new house. Run over and\nsee how that has come to pass.\u201d\n\nSo his wife went and asked the poor man, and he said to her, \u201cYesterday\nevening a traveler came here and asked for a night\u2019s lodging, and this\nmorning when he took leave of us he granted us three wishes\u2014eternal\nhappiness, health during this life and our daily bread as well, and\nbesides this, a beautiful new house instead of our old hut.\u201d\n\nWhen the rich man\u2019s wife heard this, she ran back in haste and told her\nhusband how it had happened. The man said, \u201cI could tear myself to\npieces! If I had but known that! That traveler came to our house too,\nand wanted to sleep here, and I sent him away.\u201d \u201cQuick!\u201d said his wife,\n\u201cget on your horse. You can still catch the man up, and then you must\nask to have three wishes granted to you.\u201d\n\nThe rich man followed the good counsel and galloped away on his horse,\nand soon came up with the Lord. He spoke to him softly and pleasantly,\nand begged him not to take it amiss that he had not let him in\ndirectly; he was looking for the front-door key, and in the meantime\nthe stranger had gone away, if he returned the same way he must come\nand stay with him. \u201cYes,\u201d said the Lord; \u201cif I ever come back again, I\nwill do so.\u201d Then the rich man asked if might not wish for three things\ntoo, as his neighbor had done? \u201cYes,\u201d said the Lord, he might, but it\nwould not be to his advantage, and he had better not wish for anything;\nbut the rich man thought that he could easily ask for something which\nwould add to his happiness, if he only knew that it would be granted.\nSo the Lord said to him, \u201cRide home, then, and three wishes which you\nshall form, shall be fulfilled.\u201d\n\nThe rich man had now gained what he wanted, so he rode home, and began\nto consider what he should wish for. As he was thus thinking he let the\nbridle fall, and the horse began to caper about, so that he was\ncontinually disturbed in his meditations, and could not collect his\nthoughts at all. He patted its neck, and said, \u201cGently, Lisa,\u201d but the\nhorse only began new tricks. Then at last he was angry, and cried quite\nimpatiently, \u201cI wish your neck was broken!\u201d Directly he had said the\nwords, down the horse fell on the ground, and there it lay dead and\nnever moved again. And thus was his first wish fulfilled. As he was\nmiserly by nature, he did not like to leave the harness lying there; so\nhe cut it off, and put it on his back; and now he had to go on foot. \u201cI\nhave still two wishes left,\u201d said he, and comforted himself with that\nthought.\n\nAnd now as he was walking slowly through the sand, and the sun was\nburning hot at noon-day, he grew quite hot-tempered and angry. The\nsaddle hurt his back, and he had not yet any idea what to wish for. \u201cIf\nI were to wish for all the riches and treasures in the world,\u201d said he\nto himself, \u201cI should still to think of all kinds of other things later\non, I know that, beforehand. But I will manage so that there is nothing\nat all left me to wish for afterwards.\u201d Then he sighed and said, \u201cAh,\nif I were but that Bavarian peasant, who likewise had three wishes\ngranted to him, and knew quite well what to do, and in the first place\nwished for a great deal of beer, and in the second for as much beer as\nhe was able to drink, and in the third for a barrel of beer into the\nbargain.\u201d\n\nMany a time he thought he had found it, but then it seemed to him to\nbe, after all, too little. Then it came into his mind, what an easy\nlife his wife had, for she stayed at home in a cool room and enjoyed\nherself. This really did vex him, and before he was aware, he said, \u201cI\njust wish she was sitting there on this saddle, and could not get off\nit, instead of my having to drag it along on my back.\u201d And as the last\nword was spoken, the saddle disappeared from his back, and he saw that\nhis second wish had been fulfilled. Then he really did feel warm. He\nbegan to run and wanted to be quite alone in his own room at home, to\nthink of something really large for his last wish. But when he arrived\nthere and opened the parlour-door, he saw his wife sitting in the\nmiddle of the room on the saddle, crying and complaining, and quite\nunable to get off it. So he said, \u201cDo bear it, and I will wish for all\nthe riches on earth for thee, only stay where thou art.\u201d She, however,\ncalled him a fool, and said, \u201cWhat good will all the riches on earth do\nme, if I am to sit on this saddle? Thou hast wished me on it, so thou\nmust help me off.\u201d So whether he would or not, he was forced to let his\nthird wish be that she should be quit of the saddle, and able to get\noff it, and immediately the wish was fulfilled. So he got nothing by it\nbut vexation, trouble, abuse, and the loss of his horse; but the poor\npeople lived happily, quietly, and piously until their happy death.\n\n\n\n88 The Singing, Springing Lark\n\nThere was once on a time a man who was about to set out on a long\njourney, and on parting he asked his three daughters what he should\nbring back with him for them. Whereupon the eldest wished for pearls,\nthe second wished for diamonds, but the third said, \u201cDear father, I\nshould like a singing, soaring lark.\u201d The father said, \u201cYes, if I can\nget it, you shall have it,\u201d kissed all three, and set out. Now when the\ntime had come for him to be on his way home again, he had brought\npearls and diamonds for the two eldest, but he had sought everywhere in\nvain for a singing, soaring lark for the youngest, and he was very\nunhappy about it, for she was his favorite child. Then his road lay\nthrough a forest, and in the midst of it was a splendid castle, and\nnear the castle stood a tree, but quite on the top of the tree, he saw\na singing, soaring lark. \u201cAha, you come just at the right moment!\u201d he\nsaid, quite delighted, and called to his servant to climb up and catch\nthe little creature. But as he approached the tree, a lion leapt from\nbeneath it, shook himself, and roared till the leaves on the trees\ntrembled. \u201cHe who tries to steal my singing, soaring lark,\u201d he cried,\n\u201cwill I devour.\u201d Then the man said, \u201cI did not know that the bird\nbelonged to thee. I will make amends for the wrong I have done and\nransom myself with a large sum of money, only spare my life.\u201d The lion\nsaid, \u201cNothing can save thee, unless thou wilt promise to give me for\nmine own what first meets thee on thy return home; and if thou wilt do\nthat, I will grant thee thy life, and thou shalt have the bird for thy\ndaughter, into the bargain.\u201d But the man hesitated and said, \u201cThat\nmight be my youngest daughter, she loves me best, and always runs to\nmeet me on my return home.\u201d The servant, however, was terrified and\nsaid, \u201cWhy should your daughter be the very one to meet you, it might\nas easily be a cat, or dog?\u201d Then the man allowed himself to be\nover-persuaded, took the singing, soaring lark, and promised to give\nthe lion whatsoever should first meet him on his return home.\n\nWhen he reached home and entered his house, the first who met him was\nno other than his youngest and dearest daughter, who came running up,\nkissed and embraced him, and when she saw that he had brought with him\na singing, soaring lark, she was beside herself with joy. The father,\nhowever, could not rejoice, but began to weep, and said, \u201cMy dearest\nchild, I have bought the little bird dear. In return for it, I have\nbeen obliged to promise thee to a savage lion, and when he has thee he\nwill tear thee in pieces and devour thee,\u201d and he told her all, just as\nit had happened, and begged her not to go there, come what might. But\nshe consoled him and said, \u201cDearest father, indeed your promise must be\nfulfilled. I will go thither and soften the lion, so that I may return\nto thee safely.\u201d Next morning she had the road pointed out to her, took\nleave, and went fearlessly out into the forest. The lion, however, was\nan enchanted prince and was by day a lion, and all his people were\nlions with him, but in the night they resumed their natural human\nshapes. On her arrival she was kindly received and led into the castle.\nWhen night came, the lion turned into a handsome man, and their wedding\nwas celebrated with great magnificence. They lived happily together,\nremained awake at night, and slept in the daytime. One day he came and\nsaid, \u201cTo-morrow there is a feast in thy father\u2019s house, because your\neldest sister is to be married, and if thou art inclined to go there,\nmy lions shall conduct thee.\u201d She said, \u201cYes, I should very much like\nto see my father again,\u201d and went thither, accompanied by the lions.\nThere was great joy when she arrived, for they had all believed that\nshe had been torn in pieces by the lion, and had long ceased to live.\nBut she told them what a handsome husband she had, and how well off she\nwas, remained with them while the wedding-feast lasted, and then went\nback again to the forest. When the second daughter was about to be\nmarried, and she was again invited to the wedding, she said to the\nlion, \u201cThis time I will not be alone, thou must come with me.\u201d The\nlion, however, said that it was too dangerous for him, for if when\nthere a ray from a burning candle fell on him, he would be changed into\na dove, and for seven years long would have to fly about with the\ndoves. She said, \u201cAh, but do come with me, I will take great care of\nthee, and guard thee from all light.\u201d So they went away together, and\ntook with them their little child as well. She had a chamber built\nthere, so strong and thick that no ray could pierce through it; in this\nhe was to shut himself up when the candles were lit for the\nwedding-feast. But the door was made of green wood which warped and\nleft a little crack which no one noticed. The wedding was celebrated\nwith magnificence, but when the procession with all its candles and\ntorches came back from church, and passed by this apartment, a ray\nabout the breadth of a hair fell on the King\u2019s son, and when this ray\ntouched him, he was transformed in an instant, and when she came in and\nlooked for him, she did not see him, but a white dove was sitting\nthere. The dove said to her, \u201cFor seven years must I fly about the\nworld, but at every seventh step that you take I will let fall a drop\nof red blood and a white feather, and these will show thee the way, and\nif thou followest the trace thou canst release me.\u201d Thereupon the dove\nflew out at the door, and she followed him, and at every seventh step a\nred drop of blood and a little white feather fell down and showed her\nthe way.\n\nSo she went continually further and further in the wide world, never\nlooking about her or resting, and the seven years were almost past;\nthen she rejoiced and thought that they would soon be delivered, and\nyet they were so far from it! Once when they were thus moving onwards,\nno little feather and no drop of red blood fell, and when she raised\nher eyes the dove had disappeared. And as she thought to herself, \u201cIn\nthis no man can help thee,\u201d she climbed up to the sun, and said to him,\n\u201cThou shinest into every crevice, and over every peak, hast thou not\nseen a white dove flying?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said the sun, \u201cI have seen none, but I\npresent thee with a casket, open it when thou art in sorest need.\u201d Then\nshe thanked the sun, and went on until evening came and the moon\nappeared; she then asked her, \u201cThou shinest the whole night through,\nand on every field and forest, hast thou not seen a white dove flying?\u201d\n\u201cNo,\u201d said the moon, \u201cI have seen no dove, but here I give thee an egg,\nbreak it when thou art in great need.\u201d She thanked the moon, and went\non until the night wind came up and blew on her, then she said to it,\n\u201cThou blowest over every tree and under every leaf, hast thou not seen\na white dove flying?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said the night wind, \u201cI have seen none, but\nI will ask the three other winds, perhaps they have seen it.\u201d The east\nwind and the west wind came, and had seen nothing, but the south wind\nsaid, \u201cI have seen the white dove, it has flown to the Red Sea, where\nit has become a lion again, for the seven years are over, and the lion\nis there fighting with a dragon; the dragon, however, is an enchanted\nprincess.\u201d The night wind then said to her, \u201cI will advise thee; go to\nthe Red Sea, on the right bank are some tall reeds, count them, break\noff the eleventh, and strike the dragon with it, then the lion will be\nable to subdue it, and both then will regain their human form. After\nthat, look round and thou wilt see the griffin which is by the Red Sea;\nswing thyself, with thy beloved, on to his back, and the bird will\ncarry you over the sea to your own home. Here is a nut for thee, when\nthou are above the center of the sea, let the nut fall, it will\nimmediately shoot up, and a tall nut-tree will grow out of the water on\nwhich the griffin may rest; for if he cannot rest, he will not be\nstrong enough to carry you across, and if thou forgettest to throw down\nthe nut, he will let you fall into the sea.\u201d\n\nThen she went thither, and found everything as the night wind had said.\nShe counted the reeds by the sea, and cut off the eleventh, struck the\ndragon therewith, whereupon the lion overcame it, and immediately both\nof them regained their human shapes. But when the princess, who had\nbefore been the dragon, was delivered from enchantment, she took the\nyouth by the arm, seated herself on the griffin, and carried him off\nwith her. There stood the poor maiden who had wandered so far and was\nagain forsaken. She sat down and cried, but at last she took courage\nand said, \u201cStill I will go as far as the wind blows and as long as the\ncock crows, until I find him,\u201d and she went forth by long, long roads,\nuntil at last she came to the castle where both of them were living\ntogether; there she heard that soon a feast was to be held, in which\nthey would celebrate their wedding, but she said, \u201cGod still helps me,\u201d\nand opened the casket that the sun had given her. A dress lay therein\nas brilliant as the sun itself. So she took it out and put it on, and\nwent up into the castle, and everyone, even the bride herself, looked\nat her with astonishment. The dress pleased the bride so well that she\nthought it might do for her wedding-dress, and asked if it was for\nsale? \u201cNot for money or land,\u201d answered she, \u201cbut for flesh and blood.\u201d\nThe bride asked her what she meant by that, so she said, \u201cLet me sleep\na night in the chamber where the bridegroom sleeps.\u201d The bride would\nnot, yet wanted very much to have the dress; at last she consented, but\nthe page was to give the prince a sleeping-draught. When it was night,\ntherefore, and the youth was already asleep, she was led into the\nchamber; she seated herself on the bed and said, \u201cI have followed after\nthee for seven years. I have been to the sun and the moon, and the four\nwinds, and have enquired for thee, and have helped thee against the\ndragon; wilt thou, then quite forget me?\u201d But the prince slept so\nsoundly that it only seemed to him as if the wind were whistling\noutside in the fir-trees. When therefore day broke, she was led out\nagain, and had to give up the golden dress. And as that even had been\nof no avail, she was sad, went out into a meadow, sat down there, and\nwept. While she was sitting there, she thought of the egg which the\nmoon had given her; she opened it, and there came out a clucking hen\nwith twelve chickens all of gold, and they ran about chirping, and\ncrept again under the old hen\u2019s wings; nothing more beautiful was ever\nseen in the world! Then she arose, and drove them through the meadow\nbefore her, until the bride looked out of the window. The little\nchickens pleased her so much that she immediately came down and asked\nif they were for sale. \u201cNot for money or land, but for flesh and blood;\nlet me sleep another night in the chamber where the bridegroom sleeps.\u201d\nThe bride said, \u201cYes,\u201d intending to cheat her as on the former evening.\nBut when the prince went to bed he asked the page what the murmuring\nand rustling in the night had been? On this the page told all; that he\nhad been forced to give him a sleeping-draught, because a poor girl had\nslept secretly in the chamber, and that he was to give him another that\nnight. The prince said, \u201cPour out the draught by the bed-side.\u201d At\nnight, she was again led in, and when she began to relate how ill all\nhad fared with her, he immediately recognized his beloved wife by her\nvoice, sprang up and cried, \u201cNow I really am released! I have been as\nit were in a dream, for the strange princess has bewitched me so that I\nhave been compelled to forget thee, but God has delivered me from the\nspell at the right time.\u201d Then they both left the castle secretly in\nthe night, for they feared the father of the princess, who was a\nsorcerer, and they seated themselves on the griffin which bore them\nacross the Red Sea, and when they were in the midst of it, she let fall\nthe nut. Immediately a tall nut-tree grew up, whereon the bird rested,\nand then carried them home, where they found their child, who had grown\ntall and beautiful, and they lived thenceforth happily until their\ndeath.\n\n\n\n89 The Goose-Girl\n\nThere was once upon a time an old Queen whose husband had been dead for\nmany years, and she had a beautiful daughter. When the princess grew up\nshe was betrothed to a prince who lived at a great distance. When the\ntime came for her to be married, and she had to journey forth into the\ndistant kingdom, the aged Queen packed up for her many costly vessels\nof silver and gold, and trinkets also of gold and silver; and cups and\njewels, in short, everything which appertained to a royal dowry, for\nshe loved her child with all her heart. She likewise sent her maid in\nwaiting, who was to ride with her, and hand her over to the bridegroom,\nand each had a horse for the journey, but the horse of the King\u2019s\ndaughter was called Falada, and could speak. So when the hour of\nparting had come, the aged mother went into her bedroom, took a small\nknife and cut her finger with it until it bled, then she held a white\nhandkerchief to it into which she let three drops of blood fall, gave\nit to her daughter and said, \u201cDear child, preserve this carefully, it\nwill be of service to you on your way.\u201d\n\nSo they took a sorrowful leave of each other; the princess put the\npiece of cloth in her bosom, mounted her horse, and then went away to\nher bridegroom. After she had ridden for a while she felt a burning\nthirst, and said to her waiting-maid, \u201cDismount, and take my cup which\nthou hast brought with thee for me, and get me some water from the\nstream, for I should like to drink.\u201d \u201cIf you are thirsty,\u201d said the\nwaiting-maid, \u201cget off your horse yourself, and lie down and drink out\nof the water, I don\u2019t choose to be your servant.\u201d So in her great\nthirst the princess alighted, bent down over the water in the stream\nand drank, and was not allowed to drink out of the golden cup. Then she\nsaid, \u201cAh, Heaven!\u201d and the three drops of blood answered, \u201cIf thy\nmother knew, her heart would break.\u201d But the King\u2019s daughter was\nhumble, said nothing, and mounted her horse again. She rode some miles\nfurther, but the day was warm, the sun scorched her, and she was\nthirsty once more, and when they came to a stream of water, she again\ncried to her waiting-maid, \u201cDismount, and give me some water in my\ngolden cup,\u201d for she had long ago forgotten the girl\u2019s ill words. But\nthe waiting-maid said still more haughtily, \u201cIf you wish to drink,\ndrink as you can, I don\u2019t choose to be your maid.\u201d Then in her great\nthirst the King\u2019s daughter alighted, bent over the flowing stream, wept\nand said, \u201cAh, Heaven!\u201d and the drops of blood again replied, \u201cIf thy\nmother knew this, her heart would break.\u201d And as she was thus drinking\nand leaning right over the stream, the handkerchief with the three\ndrops of blood fell out of her bosom, and floated away with the water\nwithout her observing it, so great was her trouble. The waiting-maid,\nhowever, had seen it, and she rejoiced to think that she had now power\nover the bride, for since the princess had lost the drops of blood, she\nhad become weak and powerless. So now when she wanted to mount her\nhorse again, the one that was called Falada, the waiting-maid said,\n\u201cFalada is more suitable for me, and my nag will do for thee\u201d and the\nprincess had to be content with that. Then the waiting-maid, with many\nhard words, bade the princess exchange her royal apparel for her own\nshabby clothes; and at length she was compelled to swear by the clear\nsky above her, that she would not say one word of this to any one at\nthe royal court, and if she had not taken this oath she would have been\nkilled on the spot. But Falada saw all this, and observed it well.\n\nThe waiting-maid now mounted Falada, and the true bride the bad horse,\nand thus they traveled onwards, until at length they entered the royal\npalace. There were great rejoicings over her arrival, and the prince\nsprang forward to meet her, lifted the waiting-maid from her horse, and\nthought she was his consort. She was conducted upstairs, but the real\nprincess was left standing below. Then the old King looked out of the\nwindow and saw her standing in the courtyard, and how dainty and\ndelicate and beautiful she was, and instantly went to the royal\napartment, and asked the bride about the girl she had with her who was\nstanding down below in the courtyard, and who she was? \u201cI picked her up\non my way for a companion; give the girl something to work at, that she\nmay not stand idle.\u201d But the old King had no work for her, and knew of\nnone, so he said, \u201cI have a little boy who tends the geese, she may\nhelp him.\u201d The boy was called Conrad, and the true bride had to help\nhim to tend the geese. Soon afterwards the false bride said to the\nyoung King, \u201cDearest husband, I beg you to do me a favour.\u201d He\nanswered, \u201cI will do so most willingly.\u201d \u201cThen send for the knacker,\nand have the head of the horse on which I rode here cut off, for it\nvexed me on the way.\u201d In reality, she was afraid that the horse might\ntell how she had behaved to the King\u2019s daughter. Then she succeeded in\nmaking the King promise that it should be done, and the faithful Falada\nwas to die; this came to the ears of the real princess, and she\nsecretly promised to pay the knacker a piece of gold if he would\nperform a small service for her. There was a great dark-looking gateway\nin the town, through which morning and evening she had to pass with the\ngeese: would he be so good as to nail up Falada\u2019s head on it, so that\nshe might see him again, more than once. The knacker\u2019s man promised to\ndo that, and cut off the head, and nailed it fast beneath the dark\ngateway.\n\nEarly in the morning, when she and Conrad drove out their flock beneath\nthis gateway, she said in passing,\n\n\u201cAlas, Falada, hanging there!\u201d\n\n\nThen the head answered,\n\n\u201cAlas, young Queen, how ill you fare!\nIf this your tender mother knew,\nHer heart would surely break in two.\u201d\n\n\nThen they went still further out of the town, and drove their geese\ninto the country. And when they had come to the meadow, she sat down\nand unbound her hair which was like pure gold, and Conrad saw it and\ndelighted in its brightness, and wanted to pluck out a few hairs. Then\nshe said,\n\n\u201cBlow, blow, thou gentle wind, I say,\nBlow Conrad\u2019s little hat away,\nAnd make him chase it here and there,\nUntil I have braided all my hair,\nAnd bound it up again.\u201d\n\n\nAnd there came such a violent wind that it blew Conrad\u2019s hat far away\nacross country, and he was forced to run after it. When he came back\nshe had finished combing her hair and was putting it up again, and he\ncould not get any of it. Then Conrad was angry, and would not speak to\nher, and thus they watched the geese until the evening, and then they\nwent home.\n\nNext day when they were driving the geese out through the dark gateway,\nthe maiden said,\n\n\u201cAlas, Falada, hanging there!\u201d\n\n\nFalada answered,\n\n\u201cAlas, young Queen, how ill you fare!\nIf this your tender mother knew,\nHer heart would surely break in two.\u201d\n\n\nAnd she sat down again in the field and began to comb out her hair, and\nConrad ran and tried to clutch it, so she said in haste,\n\n\u201cBlow, blow, thou gentle wind, I say,\nBlow Conrad\u2019s little hat away,\nAnd make him chase it here and there,\nUntil I have braided all my hair,\nAnd bound it up again.\u201d\n\n\nThen the wind blew, and blew his little hat off his head and far away,\nand Conrad was forced to run after it, and when he came back, her hair\nhad been put up a long time, and he could get none of it, and so they\nlooked after their geese till evening came.\n\nBut in the evening after they had got home, Conrad went to the old\nKing, and said, \u201cI won\u2019t tend the geese with that girl any longer!\u201d\n\u201cWhy not?\u201d inquired the aged King. \u201cOh, because she vexes me the whole\nday long.\u201d Then the aged King commanded him to relate what it was that\nshe did to him. And Conrad said, \u201cIn the morning when we pass beneath\nthe dark gateway with the flock, there is a sorry horse\u2019s head on the\nwall, and she says to it,\n\n\u201cAlas, Falada, hanging there!\u201d\n\n\nAnd the head replies,\n\n\u201cAlas, young Queen how ill you fare!\nIf this your tender mother knew,\nHer heart would surely break in two.\u201d\n\n\nAnd Conrad went on to relate what happened on the goose pasture, and\nhow when there he had to chase his hat.\n\nThe aged King commanded him to drive his flock out again next day, and\nas soon as morning came, he placed himself behind the dark gateway, and\nheard how the maiden spoke to the head of Falada, and then he too went\ninto the country, and hid himself in the thicket in the meadow. There\nhe soon saw with his own eyes the goose-girl and the goose-boy bringing\ntheir flock, and how after a while she sat down and unplaited her hair,\nwhich shone with radiance. And soon she said,\n\n\u201cBlow, blow, thou gentle wind, I say,\nBlow Conrad\u2019s little hat away,\nAnd make him chase it here and there,\nUntil I have braided all my hair,\nAnd bound it up again.\u201d\n\n\nThen came a blast of wind and carried off Conrad\u2019s hat, so that he had\nto run far away, while the maiden quietly went on combing and plaiting\nher hair, all of which the King observed. Then, quite unseen, he went\naway, and when the goose-girl came home in the evening, he called her\naside, and asked why she did all these things. \u201cI may not tell you\nthat, and I dare not lament my sorrows to any human being, for I have\nsworn not to do so by the heaven which is above me; if I had not done\nthat, I should have lost my life.\u201d He urged her and left her no peace,\nbut he could draw nothing from her. Then said he, \u201cIf thou wilt not\ntell me anything, tell thy sorrows to the iron-stove there,\u201d and he\nwent away. Then she crept into the iron-stove, and began to weep and\nlament, and emptied her whole heart, and said, \u201cHere am I deserted by\nthe whole world, and yet I am a King\u2019s daughter, and a false\nwaiting-maid has by force brought me to such a pass that I have been\ncompelled to put off my royal apparel, and she has taken my place with\nmy bridegroom, and I have to perform menial service as a goose-girl. If\nmy mother did but know that, her heart would break.\u201d\n\nThe aged King, however, was standing outside by the pipe of the stove,\nand was listening to what she said, and heard it. Then he came back\nagain, and bade her come out of the stove. And royal garments were\nplaced on her, and it was marvellous how beautiful she was! The aged\nKing summoned his son, and revealed to him that he had got the false\nbride who was only a waiting-maid, but that the true one was standing\nthere, as the sometime goose-girl. The young King rejoiced with all his\nheart when he saw her beauty and youth, and a great feast was made\nready to which all the people and all good friends were invited. At the\nhead of the table sat the bridegroom with the King\u2019s daughter at one\nside of him, and the waiting-maid on the other, but the waiting-maid\nwas blinded, and did not recognize the princess in her dazzling array.\nWhen they had eaten and drunk, and were merry, the aged King asked the\nwaiting-maid as a riddle, what a person deserved who had behaved in\nsuch and such a way to her master, and at the same time related the\nwhole story, and asked what sentence such an one merited? Then the\nfalse bride said, \u201cShe deserves no better fate than to be stripped\nentirely naked, and put in a barrel which is studded inside with\npointed nails, and two white horses should be harnessed to it, which\nwill drag her along through one street after another, till she is\ndead.\u201d \u201cIt is thou,\u201d said the aged King, \u201cand thou hast pronounced\nthine own sentence, and thus shall it be done unto thee.\u201d And when the\nsentence had been carried out, the young King married his true bride,\nand both of them reigned over their kingdom in peace and happiness.\n\n\n\n90 The Young Giant\n\nOnce on a time a countryman had a son who was as big as a thumb, and\ndid not become any bigger, and during several years did not grow one\nhair\u2019s breadth. Once when the father was going out to plough, the\nlittle one said, \u201cFather, I will go out with you.\u201d \u201cThou wouldst go out\nwith me?\u201d said the father. \u201cStay here, thou wilt be of no use out\nthere, besides thou mightest get lost!\u201d Then Thumbling began to cry,\nand for the sake of peace his father put him in his pocket, and took\nhim with him. When he was outside in the field, he took him out again,\nand set him in a freshly-cut furrow. Whilst he was there, a great giant\ncame over the hill. \u201cDo thou see that great bogie?\u201d said the father,\nfor he wanted to frighten the little fellow to make him good; \u201che is\ncoming to fetch thee.\u201d The giant, however, had scarcely taken two steps\nwith his long legs before he was in the furrow. He took up little\nThumbling carefully with two fingers, examined him, and without saying\none word went away with him. His father stood by, but could not utter a\nsound for terror, and he thought nothing else but that his child was\nlost, and that as long as he lived he should never set eyes on him\nagain.\n\nThe giant, however, carried him home, suckled him, and Thumbling grew\nand became tall and strong after the manner of giants. When two years\nhad passed, the old giant took him into the forest, wanted to try him,\nand said, \u201cPull up a stick for thyself.\u201d Then the boy was already so\nstrong that he tore up a young tree out of the earth by the roots. But\nthe giant thought, \u201cWe must do better than that,\u201d took him back again,\nand suckled him two years longer. When he tried him, his strength had\nincreased so much that he could tear an old tree out of the ground.\nThat was still not enough for the giant; he again suckled him for two\nyears, and when he then went with him into the forest and said, \u201cNow\njust tear up a proper stick for me,\u201d the boy tore up the strongest\noak-tree from the earth, so that it split, and that was a mere trifle\nto him. \u201cNow that will do,\u201d said the giant, \u201cthou art perfect,\u201d and\ntook him back to the field from whence he had brought him. His father\nwas there following the plough. The young giant went up to him, and\nsaid, \u201cDoes my father see what a fine man his son has grown into?\u201d\n\nThe farmer was alarmed, and said, \u201cNo, thou art not my son; I don\u2019t\nwant thee leave me!\u201d \u201cTruly I am your son; allow me to do your work, I\ncan plough as well as you, nay better.\u201d \u201cNo, no, thou art not my son;\nand thou canst not plough go away!\u201d However, as he was afraid of this\ngreat man, he left go of the plough, stepped back and stood at one side\nof the piece of land. Then the youth took the plough, and just pressed\nit with one hand, but his grasp was so strong that the plough went deep\ninto the earth. The farmer could not bear to see that, and called to\nhim, \u201cIf thou art determined to plough, thou must not press so hard on\nit, that makes bad work.\u201d The youth, however, unharnessed the horses,\nand drew the plough himself, saying, \u201cJust go home, father, and bid my\nmother make ready a large dish of food, and in the meantime I will go\nover the field.\u201d Then the farmer went home, and ordered his wife to\nprepare the food; but the youth ploughed the field which was two acres\nlarge, quite alone, and then he harnessed himself to the harrow, and\nharrowed the whole of the land, using two harrows at once. When he had\ndone it, he went into the forest, and pulled up two oak-trees, laid\nthem across his shoulders, and hung on them one harrow behind and one\nbefore, and also one horse behind and one before, and carried all as if\nit had been a bundle of straw, to his parents\u2019 house. When he entered\nthe yard, his mother did not recognize him, and asked, \u201cWho is that\nhorrible tall man?\u201d The farmer said, \u201cThat is our son.\u201d She said, \u201cNo\nthat cannot be our son, we never had such a tall one, ours was a little\nthing.\u201d She called to him, \u201cGo away, we do not want thee!\u201d The youth\nwas silent, but led his horses to the stable, gave them some oats and\nhay, and all that they wanted. When he had done this, he went into the\nparlour, sat down on the bench and said, \u201cMother, now I should like\nsomething to eat, will it soon be ready?\u201d Then she said, \u201cYes,\u201d and\nbrought in two immense dishes full of food, which would have been\nenough to satisfy herself and her husband for a week. The youth,\nhowever, ate the whole of it himself, and asked if she had nothing more\nto set before him. \u201cNo,\u201d she replied, \u201cthat is all we have.\u201d \u201cBut that\nwas only a taste, I must have more.\u201d She did not dare to oppose him,\nand went and put a huge caldron full of food on the fire, and when it\nwas ready, carried it in. \u201cAt length come a few crumbs,\u201d said he, and\nate all there was, but it was still not sufficient to appease his\nhunger. Then said he, \u201cFather, I see well that with you I shall never\nhave food enough; if you will get me an iron staff which is strong, and\nwhich I cannot break against my knees, I will go out into the world.\u201d\nThe farmer was glad, put his two horses in his cart, and fetched from\nthe smith a staff so large and thick, that the two horses could only\njust bring it away. The youth laid it across his knees, and snap! he\nbroke it in two in the middle like a bean-stalk, and threw it away. The\nfather then harnessed four horses, and brought a bar which was so long\nand thick, that the four horses could only just drag it. The son\nsnapped this also in twain against his knees, threw it away, and said,\n\u201cFather, this can be of no use to me, you must harness more horses, and\nbring a stronger staff.\u201d So the father harnessed eight horses, and\nbrought one which was so long and thick, that the eight horses could\nonly just carry it. When the son took it in his hand, he broke off a\nbit from the top of it also, and said, \u201cFather, I see that you will not\nbe able to procure me any such staff as I want, I will remain no longer\nwith you.\u201d\n\nSo he went away, and gave out that he was a smith\u2019s apprentice. He\narrived at a village, wherein lived a smith who was a greedy fellow,\nwho never did a kindness to any one, but wanted everything for himself.\nThe youth went into the smithy and asked if he needed a journeyman.\n\u201cYes,\u201d said the smith, and looked at him, and thought, \u201cThat is a\nstrong fellow who will strike out well, and earn his bread.\u201d So he\nasked, \u201cHow much wages dost thou want?\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t want any at all,\u201d he\nreplied, \u201conly every fortnight, when the other journeymen are paid, I\nwill give thee two blows, and thou must bear them.\u201d The miser was\nheartily satisfied, and thought he would thus save much money. Next\nmorning, the strange journeyman was to begin to work, but when the\nmaster brought the glowing bar, and the youth struck his first blow,\nthe iron flew asunder, and the anvil sank so deep into the earth, that\nthere was no bringing it out again. Then the miser grew angry, and\nsaid, \u201cOh, but I can\u2019t make any use of you, you strike far too\npowerfully; what will you have for the one blow?\u201d\n\nThen said he, \u201cI will only give you quite a small blow, that\u2019s all.\u201d\nAnd he raised his foot, and gave him such a kick that he flew away over\nfour loads of hay. Then he sought out the thickest iron bar in the\nsmithy for himself, took it as a stick in his hand and went onwards.\n\nWhen he had walked for some time, he came to a small farm, and asked\nthe bailiff if he did not require a head-servant. \u201cYes,\u201d said the\nbailiff, \u201cI can make use of one; you look a strong fellow who can do\nsomething, how much a year do you want as wages?\u201d He again replied that\nhe wanted no wages at all, but that every year he would give him three\nblows, which he must bear. Then the bailiff was satisfied, for he, too,\nwas a covetous fellow. Next morning all the servants were to go into\nthe wood, and the others were already up, but the head-servant was\nstill in bed. Then one of them called to him, \u201cGet up, it is time; we\nare going into the wood, and thou must go with us.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said he quite\nroughly and surlily, \u201cyou may just go, then; I shall be back again\nbefore any of you.\u201d Then the others went to the bailiff, and told him\nthat the head-man was still lying in bed, and would not go into the\nwood with them. The bailiff said they were to awaken him again, and\ntell him to harness the horses. The head-man, however, said as before,\n\u201cJust go there, I shall be back again before any of you.\u201d And then he\nstayed in bed two hours longer. At length he arose from the feathers,\nbut first he got himself two bushels of peas from the loft, made\nhimself some broth with them, ate it at his leisure, and when that was\ndone, went and harnessed the horses, and drove into the wood. Not far\nfrom the wood was a ravine through which he had to pass, so he first\ndrove the horses on, and then stopped them, and went behind the cart,\ntook trees and brushwood, and made a great barricade, so that no horse\ncould get through. When he was entering the wood, the others were just\ndriving out of it with their loaded carts to go home; then said he to\nthem, \u201cDrive on, I will still get home before you do.\u201d He did not drive\nfar into the wood, but at once tore two of the very largest trees of\nall out of the earth, threw them on his cart, and turned round. When he\ncame to the barricade, the others were still standing there, not able\nto get through. \u201cDon\u2019t you see,\u201d said he, \u201cthat if you had stayed with\nme, you would have got home just as quickly, and would have had another\nhour\u2019s sleep?\u201d He now wanted to drive on, but his horses could not work\ntheir way through, so he unharnessed them, laid them on the top of the\ncart, took the shafts in his own hands, and pulled it all through, and\nhe did this just as easily as if it had been laden with feathers. When\nhe was over, he said to the others, \u201cThere, you see, I have got over\nquicker than you,\u201d and drove on, and the others had to stay where they\nwere. In the yard, however, he took a tree in his hand, showed it to\nthe bailiff, and said, \u201cIsn\u2019t that a fine bundle of wood?\u201d Then said\nthe bailiff to his wife, \u201cThe servant is a good one, if he does sleep\nlong, he is still home before the others.\u201d So he served the bailiff for\na year, and when that was over, and the other servants were getting\ntheir wages, he said it was time for him to take his too. The bailiff,\nhowever, was afraid of the blows which he was to receive, and earnestly\nentreated him to excuse him from having them; for rather than that, he\nhimself would be head-servant, and the youth should be bailiff. \u201cNo,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cI will not be a bailiff, I am head-servant, and will remain\nso, but I will administer that which we agreed on.\u201d The bailiff was\nwilling to give him whatsoever he demanded, but it was of no use, the\nhead-servant said no to everything. Then the bailiff did not know what\nto do, and begged for a fortnight\u2019s delay, for he wanted to find some\nway of escape. The head-servant consented to this delay. The bailiff\nsummoned all his clerks together, and they were to think the matter\nover, and give him advice. The clerks pondered for a long time, but at\nlast they said that no one was sure of his life with the head-servant,\nfor he could kill a man as easily as a midge, and that the bailiff\nought to make him get into the well and clean it, and when he was down\nbelow, they would roll up one of the mill-stones which was lying there,\nand throw it on his head; and then he would never return to daylight.\nThe advice pleased the bailiff, and the head-servant was quite willing\nto go down the well. When he was standing down below at the bottom,\nthey rolled down the largest mill-stone and thought they had broken his\nskull, but he cried, \u201cChase away those hens from the well, they are\nscratching in the sand up there, and throwing the grains into my eyes,\nso that I can\u2019t see.\u201d So the bailiff cried, \u201cSh-sh,\u201d and pretended to\nfrighten the hens away. When the head-servant had finished his work, he\nclimbed up and said, \u201cJust look what a beautiful neck-tie I have on,\u201d\nand behold it was the mill-stone which he was wearing round his neck.\nThe head-servant now wanted to take his reward, but the bailiff again\nbegged for a fortnight\u2019s delay. The clerks met together and advised him\nto send the head-servant to the haunted mill to grind corn by night,\nfor from thence as yet no man had ever returned in the morning alive.\nThe proposal pleased the bailiff, he called the head-servant that very\nevening, and ordered him to take eight bushels of corn to the mill, and\ngrind it that night, for it was wanted. So the head-servant went to the\nloft, and put two bushels in his right pocket, and two in his left, and\ntook four in a wallet, half on his back, and half on his breast, and\nthus laden went to the haunted mill. The miller told him that he could\ngrind there very well by day, but not by night, for the mill was\nhaunted, and that up to the present time whosoever had gone into it at\nnight had been found in the morning lying dead inside. He said, \u201cI will\nmanage it, just you go away to bed.\u201d Then he went into the mill, and\npoured out the corn. About eleven o\u2019clock he went into the miller\u2019s\nroom, and sat down on the bench. When he had sat there a while, a door\nsuddenly opened, and a large table came in, and on the table, wine and\nroasted meats placed themselves, and much good food besides, but\neverything came of itself, for no one was there to carry it. After this\nthe chairs pushed themselves up, but no people came, until all at once\nhe beheld fingers, which handled knives and forks, and laid food on the\nplates, but with this exception he saw nothing. As he was hungry, and\nsaw the food, he, too, place himself at the table, ate with those who\nwere eating and enjoyed it. When he had had enough, and the others also\nhad quite emptied their dishes, he distinctly heard all the candles\nbeing suddenly snuffed out, and as it was now pitch dark, he felt\nsomething like a box on the ear. Then he said, \u201cIf anything of that\nkind comes again, I shall strike out in return.\u201d And when he had\nreceived a second box on the ear, he, too struck out. And so it\ncontinued the whole night. He took nothing without returning it, but\nrepaid everything with interest, and did not lay about him in vain. At\ndaybreak, however, everything ceased. When the miller had got up, he\nwanted to look after him, and wondered if he were still alive. Then the\nyouth said, \u201cI have eaten my fill, have received some boxes on the\nears, but I have given some in return.\u201d The miller rejoiced, and said\nthat the mill was now released from the spell, and wanted to give him\nmuch money as a reward. But he said, \u201cMoney, I will not have, I have\nenough of it.\u201d So he took his meal on his back, went home, and told the\nbailiff that he had done what he had been told to do, and would now\nhave the reward agreed on. When the bailiff heard that, he was\nseriously alarmed and quite beside himself; he walked backwards and\nforwards in the room, and drops of perspiration ran down from his\nforehead. Then he opened the window to get some fresh air, but before\nhe was aware, the head-servant had given him such a kick that he flew\nthrough the window out into the air, and so far away that no one ever\nsaw him again. Then said the head-servant to the bailiff\u2019s wife, \u201cIf he\ndoes not come back, you must take the other blow.\u201d She cried, \u201cNo, no I\ncannot bear it,\u201d and opened the other window, because drops of\nperspiration were running down her forehead. Then he gave her such a\nkick that she, too, flew out, and as she was lighter she went much\nhigher than her husband. Her husband cried, \u201cDo come to me,\u201d but she\nreplied, \u201cCome thou to me, I cannot come to thee.\u201d And they hovered\nabout there in the air, and could not get to each other, and whether\nthey are still hovering about, or not, I do not know, but the young\ngiant took up his iron bar, and went on his way.\n\n\n\n91 The Gnome\n\nThere was once upon a time a rich King who had three daughters, who\ndaily went to walk in the palace garden, and the King was a great lover\nof all kinds of fine trees, but there was one for which he had such an\naffection, that if anyone gathered an apple from it he wished him a\nhundred fathoms underground. And when harvest time came, the apples on\nthis tree were all as red as blood. The three daughters went every day\nbeneath the tree, and looked to see if the wind had not blown down an\napple, but they never by any chance found one, and the tree was so\nloaded with them that it was almost breaking, and the branches hung\ndown to the ground. Then the King\u2019s youngest child had a great desire\nfor an apple, and said to her sisters, \u201cOur father loves us far too\nmuch to wish us underground, it is my belief that he would only do that\nto people who were strangers.\u201d And while she was speaking, the child\nplucked off quite a large apple, and ran to her sisters, saying, \u201cJust\ntaste, my dear little sisters, for never in my life have I tasted\nanything so delightful.\u201d Then the two other sisters also ate some of\nthe apple, whereupon all three sank deep down into the earth, where\nthey could hear no cock crow.\n\nWhen mid-day came, the King wished to call them to come to dinner, but\nthey were nowhere to be found. He sought them everywhere in the palace\nand garden, but could not find them. Then he was much troubled, and\nmade known to the whole land that whosoever brought his daughters back\nagain should have one of them to wife. Hereupon so many young men went\nabout the country in search, that there was no counting them, for every\none loved the three children because they were so kind to all, and so\nfair of face. Three young huntsmen also went out, and when they had\ntravelled about for eight days, they arrived at a great castle, in\nwhich were beautiful apartments, and in one room a table was laid on\nwhich were delicate dishes which were still so warm that they were\nsmoking, but in the whole of the castle no human being was either to be\nseen or heard. They waited there for half a day, and the food still\nremained warm and smoking, and at length they were so hungry that they\nsat down and ate, and agreed with each other that they would stay and\nlive in that castle, and that one of them, who should be chosen by\ncasting lots, should remain in the house, and the two others seek the\nKing\u2019s daughters. They cast lots, and the lot fell on the eldest; so\nnext day the two younger went out to seek, and the eldest had to stay\nhome. At mid-day came a small, small mannikin and begged for a piece of\nbread, then the huntsman took the bread which he had found there, and\ncut a round off the loaf and was about to give it to him, but whilst he\nwas giving it to the mannikin, the latter let it fall, and asked the\nhuntsman to be so good as to give him that piece again. The huntsman\nwas about to do so and stooped, on which the mannikin took a stick,\nseized him by the hair, and gave him a good beating. Next day, the\nsecond stayed at home, and he fared no better. When the two others\nreturned in the evening, the eldest said, \u201cWell, how have you got on?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, very badly,\u201d said he, and then they lamented their misfortune\ntogether, but they said nothing about it to the youngest, for they did\nnot like him at all, and always called him Stupid Hans, because he did\nnot exactly belong to the forest. On the third day, the youngest stayed\nat home, and again the little mannikin came and begged for a piece of\nbread. When the youth gave it to him, the elf let it fall as before,\nand asked him to be so good as to give him that piece again. Then said\nHans to the little mannikin, \u201cWhat! canst thou not pick up that piece\nthyself? If thou wilt not take as much trouble as that for thy daily\nbread, thou dost not deserve to have it.\u201d Then the mannikin grew very\nangry and said he was to do it, but the huntsman would not, and took my\ndear mannikin, and gave him a thorough beating. Then the mannikin\nscreamed terribly, and cried, \u201cStop, stop, and let me go, and I will\ntell thee where the King\u2019s daughters are.\u201d When Hans heard that, he\nleft off beating him and the mannikin told him that he was an earth\nmannikin, and that there were more than a thousand like him, and that\nif he would go with him he would show him where the King\u2019s daughters\nwere. Then he showed him a deep well, but there was no water in it. And\nthe elf said that he knew well that the companions Hans had with him\ndid not intend to deal honourably with him, therefore if he wished to\ndeliver the King\u2019s children, he must do it alone. The two other\nbrothers would also be very glad to recover the King\u2019s daughters, but\nthey did not want to have any trouble or danger. Hans was therefore to\ntake a large basket, and he must seat himself in it with his hanger and\na bell, and be let down. Below were three rooms, and in each of them\nwas a princess, with a many-headed dragon, whose heads she was to comb\nand trim, but he must cut them off. And having said all this, the elf\nvanished. When it was evening the two brothers came and asked how he\nhad got on, and he said, \u201cpretty well so far,\u201d and that he had seen no\none except at mid-day when a little mannikin had come and begged for a\npiece of bread, that he had given some to him, but that the mannikin\nhad let it fall and had asked him to pick it up again; but as he did\nnot choose to do that, the elf had begun to lose his temper, and that\nhe had done what he ought not, and had given the elf a beating, on\nwhich he had told him where the King\u2019s daughters were. Then the two\nwere so angry at this that they grew green and yellow. Next morning\nthey went to the well together, and drew lots who should first seat\nhimself in the basket, and again the lot fell on the eldest, and he was\nto seat himself in it, and take the bell with him. Then he said, \u201cIf I\nring, you must draw me up again immediately.\u201d When he had gone down for\na short distance, he rang, and they at once drew him up again. Then the\nsecond seated himself in the basket, but he did just the same as the\nfirst, and then it was the turn of the youngest, but he let himself be\nlowered quite to the bottom. When he had got out of the basket, he took\nhis hanger, and went and stood outside the first door and listened, and\nheard the dragon snoring quite loudly. He opened the door slowly, and\none of the princesses was sitting there, and had nine dragon\u2019s heads\nlying upon her lap, and was combing them. Then he took his hanger and\nhewed at them, and the nine fell off. The princess sprang up, threw her\narms round his neck, embraced and kissed him repeatedly, and took her\nstomacher, which was made of pure gold, and hung it round his neck.\nThen he went to the second princess, who had a dragon with five heads\nto comb, and delivered her also, and to the youngest, who had a dragon\nwith four heads, he went likewise. And they all rejoiced, and embraced\nhim and kissed him without stopping. Then he rang very loud, so that\nthose above heard him, and he placed the princesses one after the other\nin the basket, and had them all drawn up, but when it came to his own\nturn he remembered the words of the elf, who had told him that his\ncomrades did not mean well by him. So he took a great stone which was\nlying there, and placed it in the basket, and when it was about half\nway up, his false brothers above cut the rope, so that the basket with\nthe stone fell to the ground, and they thought that he was dead, and\nran away with the three princesses, making them promise to tell their\nfather that it was they who had delivered them, and then they went to\nthe King, and each demanded a princess in marriage.\n\nIn the meantime the youngest huntsman was wandering about the three\nchambers in great trouble, fully expecting to have to end his days\nthere, when he saw, hanging on the wall, a flute; then said he, \u201cWhy\ndost thou hang there, no one can be merry here?\u201d He looked at the\ndragons, heads likewise and said, \u201cYou too cannot help me now.\u201d He\nwalked backwards and forwards for such a long time that he made the\nsurface of the ground quite smooth. But at last other thoughts came to\nhis mind, and he took the flute from the wall, and played a few notes\non it, and suddenly a number of elves appeared, and with every note\nthat he sounded one more came. Then he played until the room was\nentirely filled. They all asked what he desired, so he said he wished\nto get above ground back to daylight, on which they seized him by every\nhair that grew on his head, and thus they flew with him onto the earth\nagain. When he was above ground, he at once went to the King\u2019s palace,\njust as the wedding of one princess was about to be celebrated, and he\nwent to the room where the King and his three daughters were. When the\nprincesses saw him they fainted. Hereupon the King was angry, and\nordered him to be put in prison at once, because he thought he must\nhave done some injury to the children. When the princesses came to\nthemselves, however, they entreated the King to set him free again. The\nKing asked why, and they said that they were not allowed to tell that,\nbut their father said that they were to tell it to the stove. And he\nwent out, listened at the door, and heard everything. Then he caused\nthe two brothers to be hanged on the gallows, and to the third he gave\nhis youngest daughter, and on that occasion I wore a pair of glass\nshoes, and I struck them against a stone, and they said, \u201cKlink,\u201d and\nwere broken.\n\n\n\n92 The King of the Golden Mountain\n\nThere was a certain merchant who had two children, a boy and a girl;\nthey were both young, and could not walk. And two richly-laden ships of\nhis sailed forth to sea with all his property on board, and just as he\nwas expecting to win much money by them, news came that they had gone\nto the bottom, and now instead of being a rich man he was a poor one,\nand had nothing left but one field outside the town. In order to drive\nhis misfortune a little out of his thoughts, he went out to this field,\nand as he was walking forwards and backwards in it, a little black\nmannikin stood suddenly by his side, and asked why he was so sad, and\nwhat he was taking so much to heart. Then said the merchant, \u201cIf thou\ncouldst help me I would willingly tell thee.\u201d \u201cWho knows?\u201d replied the\nblack dwarf. \u201cPerhaps, I can help thee.\u201d Then the merchant told him\nthat all he possessed had gone to the bottom of the sea, and that he\nhad nothing left but this field. \u201cDo not trouble thyself,\u201d said the\ndwarf. \u201cIf thou wilt promise to give me the first thing that rubs\nitself against thy leg when thou art at home again, and to bring it\nhere to this place in twelve years\u2019 time, thou shalt have as much money\nas thou wilt.\u201d The merchant thought, \u201cWhat can that be but my dog?\u201d and\ndid not remember his little boy, so he said yes, gave the black man a\nwritten and sealed promise, and went home.\n\nWhen he reached home, his little boy was so delighted that he held by a\nbench, tottered up to him and seized him fast by the legs. The father\nwas shocked, for he remembered his promise, and now knew what he had\npledged himself to do; as however, he still found no money in his\nchest, he thought the dwarf had only been jesting. A month afterwards\nhe went up to the garret, intending to gather together some old tin and\nto sell it, and saw a great heap of money lying. Then he was happy\nagain, made purchases, became a greater merchant than before, and felt\nthat this world was well-governed. In the meantime the boy grew tall,\nand at the same time sharp and clever. But the nearer the twelfth year\napproached the more anxious grew the merchant, so that his distress\nmight be seen in his face. One day his son asked what ailed him, but\nthe father would not say. The boy, however, persisted so long, that at\nlast he told him that without being aware of what he was doing, he had\npromised him to a black dwarf, and had received much money for doing\nso. He said likewise that he had set his hand and seal to this, and\nthat now when twelve years had gone by he would have to give him up.\nThen said the son, \u201cOh, father, do not be uneasy, all will go well. The\nblack man has no power over me.\u201d The son had himself blessed by the\npriest, and when the time came, father and son went together to the\nfield, and the son made a circle and placed himself inside it with his\nfather. Then came the black dwarf and said to the old man, \u201cHast thou\nbrought with thee that which thou hast promised me?\u201d He was silent, but\nthe son asked, \u201cWhat dost thou want here?\u201d Then said the black dwarf,\n\u201cI have to speak with thy father, and not with thee.\u201d The son replied,\n\u201cThou hast betrayed and misled my father, give back the writing.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d\nsaid the black dwarf, \u201cI will not give up my rights.\u201d They spoke\ntogether for a long time after this, but at last they agreed that the\nson, as he did not belong to the enemy of mankind, nor yet to his\nfather, should seat himself in a small boat, which should lie on water\nwhich was flowing away from them, and that the father should push it\noff with his own foot, and then the son should remain given up to the\nwater. So he took leave of his father, placed himself in a little boat,\nand the father had to push it off with his own foot. The boat capsized\nso that the keel was uppermost, and the father believed his son was\nlost, and went home and mourned for him.\n\nThe boat, however, did not sink, but floated quietly away, and the boy\nsat safely inside it, and it floated thus for a long time, until at\nlast it stopped by an unknown shore. Then he landed and saw a beautiful\ncastle before him, and set out to go to it. But when he entered it, he\nfound that it was bewitched. He went through every room, but all were\nempty until he reached the last, where a snake lay coiled in a ring.\nThe snake, however, was an enchanted maiden, who rejoiced to see him,\nand said, \u201cHast thou come, oh, my deliverer? I have already waited\ntwelve years for thee; this kingdom is bewitched, and thou must set it\nfree.\u201d \u201cHow can I do that?\u201d he inquired. \u201cTo-night come twelve black\nmen, covered with chains who will ask what thou art doing here; keep\nsilent; give them no answer, and let them do what they will with thee;\nthey will torment thee, beat thee, stab thee; let everything pass, only\ndo not speak; at twelve o\u2019clock, they must go away again. On the second\nnight twelve others will come; on the third, four-and-twenty, who will\ncut off thy head, but at twelve o\u2019clock their power will be over, and\nthen if thou hast endured all, and hast not spoken the slightest word,\nI shall be released. I will come to thee, and will have, in a bottle,\nsome of the water of life. I will rub thee with that, and then thou\nwilt come to life again, and be as healthy as before.\u201d Then said he, \u201cI\nwill gladly set thee free.\u201d And everything happened just as she had\nsaid; the black men could not force a single word from him, and on the\nthird night the snake became a beautiful princess, who came with the\nwater of life and brought him back to life again. So she threw herself\ninto his arms and kissed him, and there was joy and gladness in the\nwhole castle. After this their marriage was celebrated, and he was King\nof the Golden Mountain.\n\nThey lived very happily together, and the Queen bore a fine boy. Eight\nyears had already gone by, when the King bethought him of his father;\nhis heart was moved, and he wished to visit him. The Queen, however,\nwould not let him go away, and said, \u201cI know beforehand that it will\ncause my unhappiness;\u201d but he suffered her to have no rest until she\nconsented. At their parting she gave him a wishing-ring, and said,\n\u201cTake this ring and put it on thy finger, and then thou wilt\nimmediately be transported whithersoever thou wouldst be, only thou\nmust promise me not to use it in wishing me away from this place and\nwith thy father.\u201d That he promised her, put the ring on his finger, and\nwished himself at home, just outside the town where his father lived.\nInstantly he found himself there, and made for the town, but when he\ncame to the gate, the sentries would not let him in, because he wore\nsuch strange and yet such rich and magnificent clothing. Then he went\nto a hill where a shepherd was watching his sheep, changed clothes with\nhim, put on his old shepherd\u2019s-coat, and then entered the town without\nhindrance. When he came to his father, he made himself known to him,\nbut he did not at all believe that the shepherd was his son, and said\nhe certainly had had a son, but that he was dead long ago; however, as\nhe saw he was a poor, needy shepherd, he would give him something to\neat. Then the shepherd said to his parents, \u201cI am verily your son. Do\nyou know of no mark on my body by which you could recognize me?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d\nsaid his mother, \u201cour son had a raspberry mark under his right arm.\u201d He\nslipped back his shirt, and they saw the raspberry under his right arm,\nand no longer doubted that he was their son. Then he told them that he\nwas King of the Golden Mountain, and a king\u2019s daughter was his wife,\nand that they had a fine son of seven years old. Then said the father,\n\u201cThat is certainly not true; it is a fine kind of a king who goes about\nin a ragged shepherd\u2019s-coat.\u201d On this the son fell in a passion, and\nwithout thinking of his promise, turned his ring round, and wished both\nhis wife and child with him. They were there in a second, but the Queen\nwept, and reproached him, and said that he had broken his word, and had\nbrought misfortune upon her. He said, \u201cI have done it thoughtlessly,\nand not with evil intention,\u201d and tried to calm her, and she pretended\nto believe this; but she had mischief in her mind.\n\nThen he led her out of the town into the field, and showed her the\nstream where the little boat had been pushed off, and then he said, \u201cI\nam tired; sit down, I will sleep awhile on thy lap.\u201d And he laid his\nhead on her lap, and fell asleep. When he was asleep, she first drew\nthe ring from his finger, then she drew away the foot which was under\nhim, leaving only the slipper behind her, and she took her child in her\narms, and wished herself back in her own kingdom. When he awoke, there\nhe lay quite deserted, and his wife and child were gone, and so was the\nring from his finger, the slipper only was still there as a token.\n\u201cHome to thy parents thou canst not return,\u201d thought he, \u201cthey would\nsay that thou wast a wizard; thou must be off, and walk on until thou\narrivest in thine own kingdom.\u201d So he went away and came at length to a\nhill by which three giants were standing, disputing with each other\nbecause they did not know how to divide their father\u2019s property. When\nthey saw him passing by, they called to him and said little men had\nquick wits, and that he was to divide their inheritance for them. The\ninheritance, however, consisted of a sword, which had this property\nthat if any one took it in his hand, and said, \u201cAll heads off but\nmine,\u201d every head would lie on the ground; secondly, of a cloak which\nmade any one who put it on invisible; thirdly, of a pair of boots which\ncould transport the wearer to any place he wished in a moment. He said,\n\u201cGive me the three things that I may see if they are still in good\ncondition.\u201d They gave him the cloak, and when he had put it on, he was\ninvisible and changed into a fly. Then he resumed his own form and\nsaid, \u201cThe cloak is a good one, now give me the sword.\u201d They said, \u201cNo,\nwe will not give thee that; if thou were to say, All heads off but\nmine,\u2019 all our heads would be off, and thou alone wouldst be left with\nthine.\u201d Nevertheless they gave it to him with the condition that he was\nonly to try it against a tree. This he did, and the sword cut in two\nthe trunk of a tree as if it had been a blade of straw. Then he wanted\nto have the boots likewise, but they said, \u201cNo, we will not give them;\nif thou hadst them on thy feet and wert to wish thyself at the top of\nthe hill, we should be left down here with nothing.\u201d \u201cOh, no,\u201d said he,\n\u201cI will not do that.\u201d So they gave him the boots as well. And now when\nhe had got all these things, he thought of nothing but his wife and his\nchild, and said as though to himself, \u201cOh, if I were but on the Golden\nMountain,\u201d and at the same moment he vanished from the sight of the\ngiants, and thus their inheritance was divided. When he was near his\npalace, he heard sounds of joy, and fiddles, and flutes, and the people\ntold him that his wife was celebrating her wedding with another. Then\nhe fell into a rage, and said, \u201cFalse woman, she betrayed and deserted\nme whilst I was asleep!\u201d So he put on his cloak, and unseen by all went\ninto the palace. When he entered the dining-hall a great table was\nspread with delicious food, and the guests were eating and drinking,\nand laughing, and jesting. She sat on a royal seat in the midst of them\nin splendid apparel, with a crown on her head. He placed himself behind\nher, and no one saw him. When she put a piece of meat on a plate for\nherself, he took it away and ate it, and when she poured out a glass of\nwine for herself, he took it away and drank it. She was always helping\nherself to something, and yet she never got anything, for plate and\nglass disappeared immediately. Then dismayed and ashamed, she arose and\nwent to her chamber and wept, but he followed her there. She said, \u201cHas\nthe devil power over me, or did my deliverer never come?\u201d Then he\nstruck her in the face, and said, \u201cDid thy deliverer never come? It is\nhe who has thee in his power, thou traitor. Have I deserved this from\nthee?\u201d Then he made himself visible, went into the hall, and cried,\n\u201cThe wedding is at an end, the true King has returned.\u201d The kings,\nprinces, and councillors who were assembled there, ridiculed and mocked\nhim, but he did not trouble to answer them, and said, \u201cWill you go\naway, or not?\u201d On this they tried to seize him and pressed upon him,\nbut he drew his sword and said, \u201cAll heads off but mine,\u201d and all the\nheads rolled on the ground, and he alone was master, and once more King\nof the Golden Mountain.\n\n\n\n93 The Raven\n\nThere was once upon a time a Queen who had a little daughter who was\nstill so young that she had to be carried. One day the child was\nnaughty, and the mother might say what she liked, but the child would\nnot be quiet. Then she became impatient, and as the ravens were flying\nabout the palace, she opened the window and said, \u201cI wish you were a\nraven and would fly away, and then I should have some rest.\u201d Scarcely\nhad she spoken the words, before the child was changed into a raven,\nand flew from her arms out of the window. It flew into a dark forest,\nand stayed in it a long time, and the parents heard nothing of their\nchild. Then one day a man was on his way through this forest and heard\nthe raven crying, and followed the voice, and when he came nearer, the\nbird said, \u201cI am a king\u2019s daughter by birth, and am bewitched, but thou\ncanst set me free.\u201d \u201cWhat am I to do,\u201d asked he. She said, \u201cGo further\ninto the forest, and thou wilt find a house, wherein sits an aged\nwoman, who will offer thee meat and drink, but you must accept nothing,\nfor if you eatest and drinkest anything, thou wilt fall into a sleep,\nand then thou wilt not be able to deliver me. In the garden behind the\nhouse there is a great heap of tan, and on this thou shalt stand and\nwait for me. For three days I will come every afternoon at two o\u2019clock\nin a carriage. On the first day four white horses will be harnessed to\nit, then four chestnut horses, and lastly four black ones; but if thou\nart not awake, but sleeping, I shall not be set free.\u201d The man promised\nto do everything that she desired, but the raven said, alas, \u201cI know\nalready that thou wilt not deliver me; thou wilt accept something from\nthe woman.\u201d Then the man once more promised that he would certainly not\ntouch anything either to eat or to drink. But when he entered the house\nthe old woman came to him and said, \u201cPoor man, how faint you are; come\nand refresh yourself; eat and drink.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said the man, \u201cI will not\neat or drink.\u201d She, however, let him have no peace, and said, \u201cIf you\nwill not eat, take one drink out of the glass; one is nothing.\u201d Then he\nlet himself be persuaded, and drank. Shortly before two o\u2019clock in the\nafternoon he went into the garden to the tan heap to wait for the\nraven. As he was standing there, his weariness all at once became so\ngreat that he could not struggle against it, and lay down for a short\ntime, but he was determined not to go to sleep. Hardly, however, had he\nlain down, than his eyes closed of their own accord, and he fell asleep\nand slept so soundly that nothing in the world could have aroused him.\nAt two o\u2019clock the raven came driving up with four white horses, but\nshe was already in deep grief and said, \u201cI know he is asleep.\u201d And when\nshe came into the garden, he was indeed lying there asleep on the heap\nof tan. She alighted from the carriage, went to him, shook him, and\ncalled him, but he did not awake. Next day about noon, the old woman\ncame again and brought him food and drink, but he would not take any of\nit. But she let him have no rest and persuaded him until at length he\nagain took one drink out of the glass. Towards two o\u2019clock he went into\nthe garden to the tan heap to wait for the raven, but all at once felt\nsuch a great weariness that his limbs would no longer support him. He\ncould not help himself, and was forced to lie down, and fell into a\nheavy sleep. When the raven drove up with four brown horses, she was\nalready full of grief, and said, \u201cI know he is asleep.\u201d She went to\nhim, but there he lay sleeping, and there was no wakening him. Next day\nthe old woman asked what was the meaning of this? He was neither eating\nnor drinking anything; did he want to die? He replied, \u201cI am not\nallowed to eat or drink, and will not do so.\u201d But she set a dish with\nfood, and a glass with wine before him, and when he smelt it he could\nnot resist, and swallowed a deep draught. When the time came, he went\nout into the garden to the heap of tan, and waited for the King\u2019s\ndaughter; but he became still more weary than on the day before, and\nlay down and slept as soundly as if he had been a stone. At two o\u2019clock\nthe raven came with four black horses, and the coachman and everything\nelse was black. She was already in the deepest grief, and said, \u201cI know\nthat he is asleep and cannot deliver me.\u201d When she came to him, there\nhe was lying fast asleep. She shook him and called him, but she could\nnot waken him. Then she laid a loaf beside him, and after that a piece\nof meat, and thirdly a bottle of wine, and he might consume as much of\nall of them as he liked, but they would never grow less. After this she\ntook a gold ring from her finger, and put it on his, and her name was\ngraven on it. Lastly, she laid a letter beside him wherein was written\nwhat she had given him, and that none of the things would ever grow\nless; and in it was also written, \u201cI see right well that here you will\nnever be able to deliver me, but if thou art still willing to deliver\nme, come to the golden castle of Stromberg; it lies in thy power, of\nthat I am certain.\u201d And when she had given him all these things, she\nseated herself in her carriage, and drove to the golden castle of\nStromberg.\n\nWhen the man awoke and saw that he had slept, he was sad at heart, and\nsaid, \u201cShe has certainly driven by, and I have not set her free.\u201d Then\nhe perceived the things which were lying beside him, and read the\nletter wherein was written how everything had happened. So he arose and\nwent away, intending to go to the golden castle of Stromberg, but he\ndid not know where it was. After he had walked about the world for a\nlong time, he entered into a dark forest, and walked for fourteen days,\nand still could not find his way out. Then it was once more evening,\nand he was so tired that he lay down in a thicket and fell asleep. Next\nday he went onwards, and in the evening, as he was again about to lie\ndown beneath some bushes, he heard such a howling and crying that he\ncould not go to sleep. And at the time when people light the candles,\nhe saw one glimmering, and arose and went towards it. Then he came to a\nhouse which seemed very small, for in front of it a great giant was\nstanding. He thought to himself, \u201cIf I go in, and the giant sees me, it\nwill very likely cost me my life.\u201d\n\nAt length he ventured it and went in. When the giant saw him, he said,\n\u201cIt is well that thou comest, for it is long since I have eaten; I will\nat once eat thee for my supper.\u201d \u201cI\u2019d rather you would leave that\nalone,\u201d said the man, \u201cI do not like to be eaten; but if thou hast any\ndesire to eat, I have quite enough here to satisfy thee.\u201d \u201cIf that be\ntrue,\u201d said the giant, \u201cthou mayst be easy, I was only going to devour\nthee because I had nothing else.\u201d Then they went, and sat down to the\ntable, and the man took out the bread, wine, and meat which would never\ncome to an end. \u201cThis pleases me well,\u201d said the giant, and ate to his\nheart\u2019s content. Then the man said to him, \u201cCanst thou tell me where\nthe golden castle of Stromberg is?\u201d The giant said, \u201cI will look at my\nmap; all the towns, and villages, and houses are to be found on it.\u201d He\nbrought out the map which he had in the room and looked for the castle,\nbut it was not to be found on it. \u201cIt\u2019s no matter!\u201d said he, \u201cI have\nsome still larger maps in my cupboard upstairs, and we will look in\nthem.\u201d But there, too, it was in vain. The man now wanted to go\nonwards, but the giant begged him to wait a few days longer until his\nbrother, who had gone out to bring some provisions, came home. When the\nbrother came home they inquired about the golden castle of Stromberg.\nHe replied, \u201cWhen I have eaten and have had enough, I will look in the\nmap.\u201d Then he went with them up to his chamber, and they searched in\nhis map, but could not find it. Then he brought out still older maps,\nand they never rested until they found the golden castle of Stromberg,\nbut it was many thousand miles away. \u201cHow am I to get there?\u201d asked the\nman. The giant said, \u201cI have two hours\u2019 time, during which I will carry\nyou into the neighbourhood, but after that I must be at home to suckle\nthe child that we have.\u201d So the giant carried the man to about a\nhundred leagues from the castle, and said, \u201cThou canst very well walk\nthe rest of the way alone.\u201d And he turned back, but the man went\nonwards day and night, until at length he came to the golden castle of\nStromberg. It stood on a glass-mountain, and the bewitched maiden drove\nin her carriage round the castle, and then went inside it. He rejoiced\nwhen he saw her and wanted to climb up to her, but when he began to do\nso he always slipped down the glass again. And when he saw that he\ncould not reach her, he was filled with trouble, and said to himself,\n\u201cI will stay down here below, and wait for her.\u201d So he built himself a\nhut and stayed in it for a whole year, and every day saw the King\u2019s\ndaughter driving about above, but never could go to her. Then one day\nhe saw from his hut three robbers who were beating each other, and\ncried to them, \u201cGod be with ye!\u201d They stopped when they heard the cry,\nbut as they saw no one, they once more began to beat each other, and\nthat too most dangerously. So he again cried, \u201cGod be with ye!\u201d Again\nthey stopped, looked round about, but as they saw no one they went on\nbeating each other. Then he cried for the third time, \u201cGod be with ye,\u201d\nand thought, \u201cI must see what these three are about,\u201d and went thither\nand asked why they were beating each other so furiously. One of them\nsaid that he found a stick, and that when he struck a door with it,\nthat door would spring open. The next said that he had found a mantle,\nand that whenever he put it on, he was invisible, but the third said he\nhad found a horse on which a man could ride everywhere, even up the\nglass-mountain. And now they did not know whether they ought to have\nthese things in common, or whether they ought to divide them. Then the\nman said, \u201cI will give you something in exchange for these three\nthings. Money indeed have I not, but I have other things of more value;\nbut first I must try yours to see if you have told the truth.\u201d Then\nthey put him on the horse, threw the mantle round him, and gave him the\nstick in his hand, and when he had all these things they were no longer\nable to see him. So he gave them some vigorous blows and cried, \u201cNow,\nvagabonds, you have got what you deserve, are you satisfied?\u201d And he\nrode up the glass-mountain, but when he came in front of the castle at\nthe top, it was shut. Then he struck the door with his stick, and it\nsprang open immediately. He went in and ascended the stairs until he\ncame to the hall where the maiden was sitting with a golden cup full of\nwine before her. She, however, could not see him because he had the\nmantle on. And when he came up to her, he drew from his finger the ring\nwhich she had given him, and threw it into the cup so that it rang.\nThen she cried, \u201cThat is my ring, so the man who is to set me free must\nbe here.\u201d They searched the whole castle and did not find him, but he\nhad gone out, and had seated himself on the horse and thrown off the\nmantle. When they came to the door, they saw him and cried aloud in\ntheir delight.* Then he alighted and took the King\u2019s daughter in his\narms, but she kissed him and said, \u201cNow hast thou set me free, and\nto-morrow we will celebrate our wedding.\u201d\n\n\n\n94 The Peasant\u2019s Wise Daughter\n\nThere was once a poor peasant who had no land, but only a small house,\nand one daughter. Then said the daughter, \u201cWe ought to ask our lord the\nKing for a bit of newly-cleared land.\u201d When the King heard of their\npoverty, he presented them with a piece of land, which she and her\nfather dug up, and intended to sow with a little corn and grain of that\nkind. When they had dug nearly the whole of the field, they found in\nthe earth a mortar made of pure gold. \u201cListen,\u201d said the father to the\ngirl, \u201cas our lord the King has been so gracious and presented us with\nthe field, we ought to give him this mortar in return for it.\u201d The\ndaughter, however, would not consent to this, and said, \u201cFather, if we\nhave the mortar without having the pestle as well, we shall have to get\nthe pestle, so you had much better say nothing about it.\u201d He would,\nhowever, not obey her, but took the mortar and carried it to the King,\nsaid that he had found it in the cleared land, and asked if he would\naccept it as a present. The King took the mortar, and asked if he had\nfound nothing besides that? \u201cNo,\u201d answered the countryman. Then the\nKing said that he must now bring him the pestle. The peasant said they\nhad not found that, but he might just as well have spoken to the wind;\nhe was put in prison, and was to stay there until he produced the\npestle. The servants had daily to carry him bread and water, which is\nwhat people get in prison, and they heard how the man cried out\ncontinually, \u201cAh! if I had but listened to my daughter! Alas, alas, if\nI had but listened to my daughter!\u201d and would neither eat nor drink. So\nhe commanded the servants to bring the prisoner before him, and then\nthe King asked the peasant why he was always crying, \u201cAh! if I had but\nlistened to my daughter!\u201d and what it was that his daughter had said.\n\u201cShe told me that I ought not to take the mortar to you, for I should\nhave to produce the pestle as well.\u201d \u201cIf you have a daughter who is as\nwise as that, let her come here.\u201d She was therefore obliged to appear\nbefore the King, who asked her if she really was so wise, and said he\nwould set her a riddle, and if she could guess that, he would marry\nher. She at once said yes, she would guess it. Then said the King,\n\u201cCome to me not clothed, not naked, not riding, not walking, not in the\nroad, and not out of the road, and if thou canst do that I will marry\nthee.\u201d So she went away, put off everything she had on, and then she\nwas not clothed, and took a great fishing net, and seated herself in it\nand wrapped it entirely round and round her, so that she was not naked,\nand she hired an ass, and tied the fisherman\u2019s net to its tail, so that\nit was forced to drag her along, and that was neither riding nor\nwalking. The ass had also to drag her in the ruts, so that she only\ntouched the ground with her great toe, and that was neither being in\nthe road nor out of the road. And when she arrived in that fashion, the\nKing said she had guessed the riddle and fulfilled all the conditions.\nThen he ordered her father to be released from the prison, took her to\nwife, and gave into her care all the royal possessions.\n\nNow when some years had passed, the King was once drawing up his troops\non parade, when it happened that some peasants who had been selling\nwood stopped with their waggons before the palace; some of them had\noxen yoked to them, and some horses. There was one peasant who had\nthree horses, one of which was delivered of a young foal, and it ran\naway and lay down between two oxen which were in front of the waggon.\nWhen the peasants came together, they began to dispute, to beat each\nother and make a disturbance, and the peasant with the oxen wanted to\nkeep the foal, and said one of the oxen had given birth to it, and the\nother said his horse had had it, and that it was his. The quarrel came\nbefore the King, and he give the verdict that the foal should stay\nwhere it had been found, and so the peasant with the oxen, to whom it\ndid not belong, got it. Then the other went away, and wept and lamented\nover his foal. Now he had heard how gracious his lady the Queen was\nbecause she herself had sprung from poor peasant folks, so he went to\nher and begged her to see if she could not help him to get his foal\nback again. Said she, \u201cYes, I will tell you what to do, if thou wilt\npromise me not to betray me. Early to-morrow morning, when the King\nparades the guard, place thyself there in the middle of the road by\nwhich he must pass, take a great fishing-net and pretend to be fishing;\ngo on fishing, too, and empty out the net as if thou hadst got it full\u201d\nand then she told him also what he was to say if he was questioned by\nthe King. The next day, therefore, the peasant stood there, and fished\non dry ground. When the King passed by, and saw that, he sent his\nmessenger to ask what the stupid man was about? He answered, \u201cI am\nfishing.\u201d The messenger asked how he could fish when there was no water\nthere? The peasant said, \u201cIt is as easy for me to fish on dry land as\nit is for an ox to have a foal.\u201d The messenger went back and took the\nanswer to the King, who ordered the peasant to be brought to him and\ntold him that this was not his own idea, and he wanted to know whose it\nwas? The peasant must confess this at once. The peasant, however, would\nnot do so, and said always, God forbid he should! the idea was his own.\nThey laid him, however, on a heap of straw, and beat him and tormented\nhim so long that at last he admitted that he had got the idea from the\nQueen.\n\nWhen the King reached home again, he said to his wife, \u201cWhy hast thou\nbehaved so falsely to me? I will not have thee any longer for a wife;\nthy time is up, go back to the place from whence thou camest to thy\npeasant\u2019s hut.\u201d One favour, however, he granted her; she might take\nwith her the one thing that was dearest and best in her eyes; and thus\nwas she dismissed. She said, \u201cYes, my dear husband, if you command\nthis, I will do it,\u201d and she embraced him and kissed him, and said she\nwould take leave of him. Then she ordered a powerful sleeping draught\nto be brought, to drink farewell to him; the King took a long draught,\nbut she took only a little. He soon fell into a deep sleep, and when\nshe perceived that, she called a servant and took a fair white linen\ncloth and wrapped the King in it, and the servant was forced to carry\nhim into a carriage that stood before the door, and she drove with him\nto her own little house. She laid him in her own little bed, and he\nslept one day and one night without awakening, and when he awoke he\nlooked round and said, \u201cGood God! where am I?\u201d He called his\nattendants, but none of them were there. At length his wife came to his\nbedside and said, \u201cMy dear lord and King, you told me I might bring\naway with me from the palace that which was dearest and most precious\nin my eyes I have nothing more precious and dear than yourself, so I\nhave brought you with me.\u201d Tears rose to the King\u2019s eyes and he said,\n\u201cDear wife, thou shalt be mine and I will be thine,\u201d and he took her\nback with him to the royal palace and was married again to her, and at\nthe present time they are very likely still living.\n\n\n\n95 Old Hildebrand\n\nOnce upon a time lived a peasant and his wife, and the parson of the\nvillage had a fancy for the wife, and had wished for a long while to\nspend a whole day happily with her. The peasant woman, too, was quite\nwilling. One day, therefore, he said to the woman, \u201cListen, my dear\nfriend, I have now thought of a way by which we can for once spend a\nwhole day happily together. I\u2019ll tell you what; on Wednesday, you must\ntake to your bed, and tell your husband you are ill, and if you only\ncomplain and act being ill properly, and go on doing so until Sunday\nwhen I have to preach, I will then say in my sermon that whosoever has\nat home a sick child, a sick husband, a sick wife, a sick father, a\nsick mother, a sick brother or whosoever else it may be, and makes a\npilgrimage to the G\u00f6ckerli hill in Italy, where you can get a peck of\nlaurel-leaves for a kreuzer, the sick child, the sick husband, the sick\nwife, the sick father, or sick mother, the sick sister, or whosoever\nelse it may be, will be restored to health immediately.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will manage it,\u201d said the woman promptly. Now therefore on the\nWednesday, the peasant woman took to her bed, and complained and\nlamented as agreed on, and her husband did everything for her that he\ncould think of, but nothing did her any good, and when Sunday came the\nwoman said, \u201cI feel as ill as if I were going to die at once, but there\nis one thing I should like to do before my end I should like to hear\nthe parson\u2019s sermon that he is going to preach to-day.\u201d On that the\npeasant said, \u201cAh, my child, do not do it\u2014thou mightest make thyself\nworse if thou wert to get up. Look, I will go to the sermon, and will\nattend to it very carefully, and will tell thee everything the parson\nsays.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the woman, \u201cgo, then, and pay great attention, and repeat\nto me all that thou hearest.\u201d So the peasant went to the sermon, and\nthe parson began to preach and said, if any one had at home a sick\nchild, a sick husband, a sick wife, a sick father a sick mother, a sick\nsister, brother or any one else, and would make a pilgrimage to the\nG\u00f6ckerli hill in Italy, where a peck of laurel-leaves costs a kreuzer,\nthe sick child, sick husband, sick wife, sick father, sick mother, sick\nsister, brother, or whosoever else it might be, would be restored to\nhealth instantly, and whosoever wished to undertake the journey was to\ngo to him after the service was over, and he would give him the sack\nfor the laurel-leaves and the kreuzer.\n\nThen no one was more rejoiced than the peasant, and after the service\nwas over, he went at once to the parson, who gave him the bag for the\nlaurel-leaves and the kreuzer. After that he went home, and even at the\nhouse door he cried, \u201cHurrah! dear wife, it is now almost the same\nthing as if thou wert well! The parson has preached to-day that\nwhosoever had at home a sick child, a sick husband, a sick wife, a sick\nfather, a sick mother, a sick sister, brother or whoever it might be,\nand would make a pilgrimage to the G\u00f6ckerli hill in Italy, where a peck\nof laurel-leaves costs a kreuzer, the sick child, sick husband, sick\nwife, sick father, sick mother, sick sister, brother, or whosoever else\nit was, would be cured immediately, and now I have already got the bag\nand the kreuzer from the parson, and will at once begin my journey so\nthat thou mayst get well the faster,\u201d and thereupon he went away. He\nwas, however, hardly gone before the woman got up, and the parson was\nthere directly.\n\nBut now we will leave these two for a while, and follow the peasant,\nwho walked on quickly without stopping, in order to get the sooner to\nthe G\u00f6ckerli hill, and on his way he met his gossip. His gossip was an\negg-merchant, and was just coming from the market, where he had sold\nhis eggs. \u201cMay you be blessed,\u201d said the gossip, \u201cwhere are you off to\nso fast?\u201d\n\n\u201cTo all eternity, my friend,\u201d said the peasant, \u201cmy wife is ill, and I\nhave been to-day to hear the parson\u2019s sermon, and he preached that if\nany one had in his house a sick child, a sick husband, a sick wife, a\nsick father, a sick mother, a sick sister, brother or any one else, and\nmade a pilgrimage to the G\u00f6ckerli hill in Italy, where a peck of\nlaurel-leaves costs a kreuzer, the sick child, the sick husband, the\nsick wife, the sick father, the sick mother, the sick sister, brother\nor whosoever else it was, would be cured immediately, and so I have got\nthe bag for the laurel-leaves and the kreuzer from the parson, and now\nI am beginning my pilgrimage.\u201d \u201cBut listen, gossip,\u201d said the\negg-merchant to the peasant, \u201care you, then, stupid enough to believe\nsuch a thing as that? Don\u2019t you know what it means? The parson wants to\nspend a whole day alone with your wife in peace, so he has given you\nthis job to do to get you out of the way.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy word!\u201d said the peasant. \u201cHow I\u2019d like to know if that\u2019s true!\u201d\n\n\u201cCome, then,\u201d said the gossip, \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what to do. Get into my\negg-basket and I will carry you home, and then you will see for\nyourself.\u201d So that was settled, and the gossip put the peasant into his\negg-basket and carried him home.\n\nWhen they got to the house, hurrah! but all was going merry there! The\nwoman had already had nearly everything killed that was in the\nfarmyard, and had made pancakes, and the parson was there, and had\nbrought his fiddle with him. The gossip knocked at the door, and woman\nasked who was there. \u201cIt is I, gossip,\u201d said the egg-merchant, \u201cgive me\nshelter this night; I have not sold my eggs at the market, so now I\nhave to carry them home again, and they are so heavy that I shall never\nbe able to do it, for it is dark already.\u201d\n\n\u201cIndeed, my friend,\u201d said the woman, \u201cthou comest at a very\ninconvenient time for me, but as thou art here it can\u2019t be helped, come\nin, and take a seat there on the bench by the stove.\u201d Then she placed\nthe gossip and the basket which he carried on his back on the bench by\nthe stove. The parson, however, and the woman, were as merry as\npossible. At length the parson said, \u201cListen, my dear friend, thou\ncanst sing beautifully; sing something to me.\u201d \u201cOh,\u201d said the woman, \u201cI\ncannot sing now, in my young days indeed I could sing well enough, but\nthat\u2019s all over now.\u201d\n\n\u201cCome,\u201d said the parson once more, \u201cdo sing some little song.\u201d\n\nOn that the woman began and sang,\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve sent my husband away from me\nTo the G\u00f6ckerli hill in Italy.\u201d\n\n\nThereupon the parson sang,\n\n\u201cI wish \u2019twas a year before he came back,\nI\u2019d never ask him for the laurel-leaf sack.\u201d\nHallelujah.\n\n\nThen the gossip who was in the background began to sing (but I ought to\ntell you the peasant was called Hildebrand), so the gossip sang,\n\n\u201cWhat art thou doing, my Hildebrand dear,\nThere on the bench by the stove so near?\u201d\nHallelujah.\n\n\nAnd then the peasant sang from his basket,\n\n\u201cAll singing I ever shall hate from this day,\nAnd here in this basket no longer I\u2019ll stay.\u201d\nHallelujah.\n\n\nAnd he got out of the basket, and cudgelled the parson out of the\nhouse.\n\n\n\n96 The Three Little Birds\n\nAbout a thousand or more years ago, there were in this country nothing\nbut small kings, and one of them who lived on the Keuterberg was very\nfond of hunting. Once on a time when he was riding forth from his\ncastle with his huntsmen, three girls were watching their cows upon the\nmountain, and when they saw the King with all his followers, the eldest\ngirl pointed to him, and called to the two other girls, \u201cIf I do not\nget that one, I will have none.\u201d Then the second girl answered from the\nother side of the hill, and pointed to the one who was on the King\u2019s\nright hand, \u201cHilloa! hilloa! If I do not get him, I will have no one.\u201d\nThese, however, were the two ministers. The King heard all this, and\nwhen he had come back from the chase, he caused the three girls to be\nbrought to him, and asked them what they had said yesterday on the\nmountain. This they would not tell him, so the King asked the eldest if\nshe really would take him for her husband? Then she said, \u201cYes,\u201d and\nthe two ministers married the two sisters, for they were all three fair\nand beautiful of face, especially the Queen, who had hair like flax.\nBut the two sisters had no children, and once when the King was obliged\nto go from home he invited them to come to the Queen in order to cheer\nher, for she was about to bear a child. She had a little boy who\nbrought a bright red star into the world with him. Then the two sisters\nsaid to each other that they would throw the beautiful boy into the\nwater. When they had thrown him in (I believe it was into the Weser) a\nlittle bird flew up into the air, which sang,\n\n\u201cTo thy death art thou sped,\nUntil God\u2019s word be said.\nIn the white lily bloom,\nBrave boy, is thy tomb.\u201d\n\n\nWhen the two heard that, they were frightened to death, and ran away in\ngreat haste. When the King came home they told him that the Queen had\nbeen delivered of a dog. Then the King said, \u201cWhat God does, is well\ndone!\u201d But a fisherman who dwelt near the water fished the little boy\nout again while he was still alive, and as his wife had no children,\nthey reared him. When a year had gone by, the King again went away, and\nthe Queen had another little boy, whom the false sisters likewise took\nand threw into the water. Then up flew a little bird again and sang,\n\n\u201cTo thy death art thou sped,\nUntil God\u2019s word be said.\nIn the white lily bloom,\nBrave boy, is thy tomb.\u201d\n\n\nAnd when the King came back, they told him that the Queen had once more\ngiven birth to a dog, and he again said, \u201cWhat God does, is well done.\u201d\nThe fisherman, however, fished this one also out of the water, and\nreared him.\n\nThen the King again journeyed forth, and the Queen had a little girl,\nwhom also the false sisters threw into the water. Then again a little\nbird flew up on high and sang,\n\n\u201cTo thy death art thou sped\nUntil God\u2019s word be said.\nIn the white lily bloom,\nBonny girl, is thy tomb.\u201d\n\n\nAnd when the King came home they told him that the Queen had been\ndelivered of a cat. Then the King grew angry, and ordered his wife to\nbe cast into prison, and therein was she shut up for many long years.\n\nIn the meantime the children had grown up. Then eldest once went out\nwith some other boys to fish, but the other boys would not have him\nwith them, and said, \u201cGo thy way, foundling.\u201d\n\nHereupon he was much troubled, and asked the old fisherman if that was\ntrue? The fisherman told him that once when he was fishing he had drawn\nhim out of the water. So the boy said he would go forth and seek his\nfather. The fisherman, however, entreated him to stay, but he would not\nlet himself be hindered, and at last the fisherman consented. Then the\nboy went on his way and walked for many days, and at last he came to a\ngreat piece of water by the side of which stood an old woman fishing.\n\u201cGood day, mother,\u201d said the boy.\n\n\u201cMany thanks,\u201d said she.\n\n\u201cThou wilt fish long enough before thou catchest anything.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd thou wilt seek long enough before thou findest thy father. How\nwilt thou get over the water?\u201d said the woman.\n\n\u201cGod knows.\u201d\n\nThen the old woman took him up on her back and carried him through it,\nand he sought for a long time, but could not find his father.\n\nWhen a year had gone by, the second boy set out to seek his brother. He\ncame to the water, and all fared with him just as with his brother. And\nnow there was no one at home but the daughter, and she mourned for her\nbrothers so much that at last she also begged the fisherman to let her\nset forth, for she wished to go in search of her brothers. Then she\nlikewise came to the great piece of water, and she said to the old\nwoman, \u201cGood day, mother.\u201d\n\n\u201cMany thanks,\u201d replied the old woman.\n\n\u201cMay God help you with your fishing,\u201d said the maiden. When the old\nwoman heard that, she became quite friendly, and carried her over the\nwater, gave her a wand, and said to her, \u201cGo, my daughter, ever onwards\nby this road, and when you come to a great black dog, you must pass it\nsilently and boldly, without either laughing or looking at it. Then you\nwill come to a great high castle, on the threshold of which you must\nlet the wand fall, and go straight through the castle, and out again on\nthe other side. There you will see an old fountain out of which a large\ntree has grown, whereon hangs a bird in a cage which you must take\ndown. Take likewise a glass of water out of the fountain, and with\nthese two things go back by the same way. Pick up the wand again from\nthe threshold and take it with you, and when you again pass by the dog,\nstrike him in the face with it, but be sure that you hit him, and then\njust come back here to me.\u201d The maiden found everything exactly as the\nold woman had said, and on her way back she found her two brothers who\nhad sought each other over half the world. They went together to the\nplace where the black dog was lying on the road; she struck it in the\nface, and it turned into a handsome prince who went with them to the\nriver. There the old woman was still standing. She rejoiced much to see\nthem again, and carried them all over the water, and then she too went\naway, for now she was freed. The others, however, went to the old\nfisherman, and all were glad that they had found each other again, but\nthey hung the bird on the wall.\n\nBut the second son could not settle at home, and took his cross-bow and\nwent a-hunting. When he was tired he took his flute, and made music.\nThe King was hunting too, and heard that and went thither, and when he\nmet the youth, he said, \u201cWho has given thee leave to hunt here?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, no one.\u201d\n\n\u201cTo whom dost thou belong, then?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am the fisherman\u2019s son.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut he has no children.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf thou wilt not believe, come with me.\u201d\n\nThat the King did, and questioned the fisherman, who told everything to\nhim, and the little bird on the wall began to sing,\n\n\u201cThe mother sits alone\nThere in the prison small,\nO King of royal blood,\nThese are thy children all.\nThe sisters twain so false,\nThey wrought the children woe,\nThere in the waters deep\nWhere the fishermen come and go.\u201d\n\n\nThen they were all terrified, and the King took the bird, the fisherman\nand the three children back with him to the castle, and ordered the\nprison to be opened and brought his wife out again. She had, however,\ngrown quite ill and weak. Then the daughter gave her some of the water\nof the fountain to drink, and she became strong and healthy. But the\ntwo false sisters were burnt, and the daughter married the prince.\n\n\n\n97 The Water of Life\n\nThere was once a King who had an illness, and no one believed that he\nwould come out of it with his life. He had three sons who were much\ndistressed about it, and went down into the palace-garden and wept.\nThere they met an old man who inquired as to the cause of their grief.\nThey told him that their father was so ill that he would most certainly\ndie, for nothing seemed to cure him. Then the old man said, \u201cI know of\none more remedy, and that is the water of life; if he drinks of it he\nwill become well again; but it is hard to find.\u201d The eldest said, \u201cI\nwill manage to find it,\u201d and went to the sick King, and begged to be\nallowed to go forth in search of the water of life, for that alone\ncould save him. \u201cNo,\u201d said the King, \u201cthe danger of it is too great. I\nwould rather die.\u201d But he begged so long that the King consented. The\nprince thought in his heart, \u201cIf I bring the water, then I shall be\nbest beloved of my father, and shall inherit the kingdom.\u201d So he set\nout, and when he had ridden forth a little distance, a dwarf stood\nthere in the road who called to him and said, \u201cWhither away so fast?\u201d\n\u201cSilly shrimp,\u201d said the prince, very haughtily, \u201cit is nothing to do\nwith you,\u201d and rode on. But the little dwarf had grown angry, and had\nwished an evil wish. Soon after this the prince entered a ravine, and\nthe further he rode the closer the mountains drew together, and at last\nthe road became so narrow that he could not advance a step further; it\nwas impossible either to turn his horse or to dismount from the saddle,\nand he was shut in there as if in prison. The sick King waited long for\nhim, but he came not. Then the second son said, \u201cFather, let me go\nforth to seek the water,\u201d and thought to himself, \u201cIf my brother is\ndead, then the kingdom will fall to me.\u201d At first the King would not\nallow him to go either, but at last he yielded, so the prince set out\non the same road that his brother had taken, and he too met the dwarf,\nwho stopped him to ask, whither he was going in such haste? \u201cLittle\nshrimp,\u201d said the prince, \u201cthat is nothing to thee,\u201d and rode on\nwithout giving him another look. But the dwarf bewitched him, and he,\nlike the other, rode into a ravine, and could neither go forwards nor\nbackwards. So fare haughty people.\n\nAs the second son also remained away, the youngest begged to be allowed\nto go forth to fetch the water, and at last the King was obliged to let\nhim go. When he met the dwarf and the latter asked him whither he was\ngoing in such haste, he stopped, gave him an explanation, and said, \u201cI\nam seeking the water of life, for my father is sick unto death.\u201d \u201cDost\nthou know, then, where that is to be found?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said the prince. \u201cAs\nthou hast borne thyself as is seemly, and not haughtily like thy false\nbrothers, I will give thee the information and tell thee how thou mayst\nobtain the water of life. It springs from a fountain in the courtyard\nof an enchanted castle, but thou wilt not be able to make thy way to\nit, if I do not give thee an iron wand and two small loaves of bread.\nStrike thrice with the wand on the iron door of the castle and it will\nspring open: inside lie two lions with gaping jaws, but if thou\nthrowest a loaf to each of them, they will be quieted. Then hasten to\nfetch some of the water of life before the clock strikes twelve, else\nthe door will shut again, and thou wilt be imprisoned.\u201d The prince\nthanked him, took the wand and the bread, and set out on his way. When\nhe arrived, everything was as the dwarf had said. The door sprang open\nat the third stroke of the wand, and when he had appeased the lions\nwith the bread, he entered the castle, and came to a large and splendid\nhall, wherein sat some enchanted princes whose rings he drew off their\nfingers. A sword and a loaf of bread were lying there, which he carried\naway. After this, he entered a chamber, in which was a beautiful maiden\nwho rejoiced when she saw him, kissed him, and told him that he had\ndelivered her, and should have the whole of her kingdom, and that if he\nwould return in a year their wedding should be celebrated; likewise she\ntold him where the spring of the water of life was, and that he was to\nhasten and draw some of it before the clock struck twelve. Then he went\nonwards, and at last entered a room where there was a beautiful\nnewly-made bed, and as he was very weary, he felt inclined to rest a\nlittle. So he lay down and fell asleep. When he awoke, it was striking\na quarter to twelve. He sprang up in a fright, ran to the spring, drew\nsome water in a cup which stood near, and hastened away. But just as he\nwas passing through the iron door, the clock struck twelve, and the\ndoor fell to with such violence that it carried away a piece of his\nheel. He, however, rejoicing at having obtained the water of life, went\nhomewards, and again passed the dwarf. When the latter saw the sword\nand the loaf, he said, \u201cWith these thou hast won great wealth; with the\nsword thou canst slay whole armies, and the bread will never come to an\nend.\u201d But the prince would not go home to his father without his\nbrothers, and said, \u201cDear dwarf, canst thou not tell me where my two\nbrothers are? They went out before I did in search of the water of\nlife, and have not returned.\u201d \u201cThey are imprisoned between two\nmountains,\u201d said the dwarf. \u201cI have condemned them to stay there,\nbecause they were so haughty.\u201d Then the prince begged until the dwarf\nreleased them; but he warned him, however, and said, \u201cBeware of them,\nfor they have bad hearts.\u201d When his brothers came, he rejoiced, and\ntold them how things had gone with him, that he had found the water of\nlife and had brought a cupful away with him, and had rescued a\nbeautiful princess, who was willing to wait a year for him, and then\ntheir wedding was to be celebrated and he would obtain a great kingdom.\nAfter that they rode on together, and chanced upon a land where war and\nfamine reigned, and the King already thought he must perish, for the\nscarcity was so great. Then the prince went to him and gave him the\nloaf, wherewith he fed and satisfied the whole of his kingdom, and then\nthe prince gave him the sword also wherewith he slew the hosts of his\nenemies, and could now live in rest and peace. The prince then took\nback his loaf and his sword, and the three brothers rode on. But after\nthis they entered two more countries where war and famine reigned and\neach time the prince gave his loaf and his sword to the Kings, and had\nnow delivered three kingdoms, and after that they went on board a ship\nand sailed over the sea. During the passage, the two eldest conversed\napart and said, \u201cThe youngest has found the water of life and not we,\nfor that our father will give him the kingdom the kingdom which belongs\nto us, and he will rob us of all our fortune.\u201d They then began to seek\nrevenge, and plotted with each other to destroy him. They waited until\nthey found him fast asleep, then they poured the water of life out of\nthe cup, and took it for themselves, but into the cup they poured salt\nsea-water. Now therefore, when they arrived home, the youngest took his\ncup to the sick King in order that he might drink out of it, and be\ncured. But scarcely had he drunk a very little of the salt sea-water\nthan he became still worse than before. And as he was lamenting over\nthis, the two eldest brothers came, and accused the youngest of having\nintended to poison him, and said that they had brought him the true\nwater of life, and handed it to him. He had scarcely tasted it, when he\nfelt his sickness departing, and became strong and healthy as in the\ndays of his youth. After that they both went to the youngest, mocked\nhim, and said, \u201cYou certainly found the water of life, but you have had\nthe pain, and we the gain; you should have been sharper, and should\nhave kept your eyes open. We took it from you whilst you were asleep at\nsea, and when a year is over, one of us will go and fetch the beautiful\nprincess. But beware that you do not disclose aught of this to our\nfather; indeed he does not trust you, and if you say a single word, you\nshall lose your life into the bargain, but if you keep silent, you\nshall have it as a gift.\u201d\n\nThe old King was angry with his youngest son, and thought he had\nplotted against his life. So he summoned the court together and had\nsentence pronounced upon his son, that he should be secretly shot. And\nonce when the prince was riding forth to the chase, suspecting no evil,\nthe King\u2019s huntsman had to go with him, and when they were quite alone\nin the forest, the huntsman looked so sorrowful that the prince said to\nhim, \u201cDear huntsman, what ails you?\u201d The huntsman said, \u201cI cannot tell\nyou, and yet I ought.\u201d Then the prince said, \u201cSay openly what it is, I\nwill pardon you.\u201d \u201cAlas!\u201d said the huntsman, \u201cI am to shoot you dead,\nthe King has ordered me to do it.\u201d Then the prince was shocked, and\nsaid, \u201cDear huntsman, let me live; there, I give you my royal garments;\ngive me your common ones in their stead.\u201d The huntsman said, \u201cI will\nwillingly do that, indeed I should not have been able to shoot you.\u201d\nThen they exchanged clothes, and the huntsman returned home; the\nprince, however, went further into the forest. After a time three\nwaggons of gold and precious stones came to the King for his youngest\nson, which were sent by the three Kings who had slain their enemies\nwith the prince\u2019s sword, and maintained their people with his bread,\nand who wished to show their gratitude for it. The old King then\nthought, \u201cCan my son have been innocent?\u201d and said to his people,\n\u201cWould that he were still alive, how it grieves me that I have suffered\nhim to be killed!\u201d \u201cHe still lives,\u201d said the huntsman, \u201cI could not\nfind it in my heart to carry out your command,\u201d and told the King how\nit had happened. Then a stone fell from the King\u2019s heart, and he had it\nproclaimed in every country that his son might return and be taken into\nfavour again.\n\nThe princess, however, had a road made up to her palace which was quite\nbright and golden, and told her people that whosoever came riding\nstraight along it to her, would be the right wooer and was to be\nadmitted, and whoever rode by the side of it, was not the right one,\nand was not to be admitted. As the time was now close at hand, the\neldest thought he would hasten to go to the King\u2019s daughter, and give\nhimself out as her deliverer, and thus win her for his bride, and the\nkingdom to boot. Therefore he rode forth, and when he arrived in front\nof the palace, and saw the splendid golden road, he thought, it would\nbe a sin and a shame if he were to ride over that, and turned aside,\nand rode on the right side of it. But when he came to the door, the\nservants told him that he was not the right man, and was to go away\nagain. Soon after this the second prince set out, and when he came to\nthe golden road, and his horse had put one foot on it, he thought, it\nwould be a sin and a shame to tread a piece of it off, and he turned\naside and rode on the left side of it, and when he reached the door,\nthe attendants told him he was not the right one, and he was to go away\nagain. When at last the year had entirely expired, the third son\nlikewise wished to ride out of the forest to his beloved, and with her\nforget his sorrows. So he set out and thought of her so incessantly,\nand wished to be with her so much, that he never noticed the golden\nroad at all. So his horse rode onwards up the middle of it, and when he\ncame to the door, it was opened and the princess received him with joy,\nand said he was her deliverer, and lord of the kingdom, and their\nwedding was celebrated with great rejoicing. When it was over she told\nhim that his father invited him to come to him, and had forgiven him.\nSo he rode thither, and told him everything; how his brothers had\nbetrayed him, and how he had nevertheless kept silence. The old King\nwished to punish them, but they had put to sea, and never came back as\nlong as they lived.\n\n\n\n98 Doctor Knowall\n\nThere was once on a time a poor peasant called Crabb, who drove with\ntwo oxen a load of wood to the town, and sold it to a doctor for two\nthalers. When the money was being counted out to him, it so happened\nthat the doctor was sitting at table, and when the peasant saw how\ndaintily he ate and drank, his heart desired what he saw, and he would\nwillingly have been a doctor too. So he remained standing a while, and\nat length inquired if he too could not be a doctor. \u201cOh, yes,\u201d said the\ndoctor, \u201cthat is soon managed.\u201d \u201cWhat must I do?\u201d asked the peasant.\n\u201cIn the first place buy thyself an A B C book of the kind which has a\ncock on the frontispiece: in the second, turn thy cart and thy two oxen\ninto money, and get thyself some clothes, and whatsoever else pertains\nto medicine; thirdly, have a sign painted for thyself with the words,\n\u201cI am Doctor Knowall,\u201d and have that nailed up above thy house-door.\u201d\nThe peasant did everything that he had been told to do. When he had\ndoctored people awhile, but not long, a rich and great lord had some\nmoney stolen. Then he was told about Doctor Knowall who lived in such\nand such a village, and must know what had become of the money. So the\nlord had the horses put in his carriage, drove out to the village, and\nasked Crabb if he were Doctor Knowall? Yes, he was, he said. Then he\nwas to go with him and bring back the stolen money. \u201cOh, yes, but\nGrethe, my wife, must go too.\u201d The lord was willing and let both of\nthem have a seat in the carriage, and they all drove away together.\nWhen they came to the nobleman\u2019s castle, the table was spread, and\nCrabb was told to sit down and eat. \u201cYes, but my wife, Grethe, too,\u201d\nsaid he, and he seated himself with her at the table. And when the\nfirst servant came with a dish of delicate fare, the peasant nudged his\nwife, and said, \u201cGrethe, that was the first,\u201d meaning that was the\nservant who brought the first dish. The servant, however, thought he\nintended by that to say, \u201cThat is the first thief,\u201d and as he actually\nwas so, he was terrified, and said to his comrade outside, \u201cThe doctor\nknows all: we shall fare ill, he said I was the first.\u201d The second did\nnot want to go in at all, but was forced. So when he went in with his\ndish, the peasant nudged his wife, and said, \u201cGrethe, that is the\nsecond.\u201d This servant was just as much alarmed, and he got out. The\nthird did not fare better, for the peasant again said, \u201cGrethe, that is\nthe third.\u201d The fourth had to carry in a dish that was covered, and the\nlord told the doctor that he was to show his skill, and guess what was\nbeneath the cover. The doctor looked at the dish, had no idea what to\nsay, and cried, \u201cAh, poor Crabb.\u201d When the lord heard that, he cried,\n\u201cThere! he knows it, he knows who has the money!\u201d\n\nOn this the servants looked terribly uneasy, and made a sign to the\ndoctor that they wished him to step outside for a moment. When\ntherefore he went out, all four of them confessed to him that they had\nstolen the money, and said that they would willingly restore it and\ngive him a heavy sum into the bargain, if he would not denounce them,\nfor if he did they would be hanged. They led him to the spot where the\nmoney was concealed. With this the doctor was satisfied, and returned\nto the hall, sat down to the table, and said, \u201cMy lord, now will I\nsearch in my book where the gold is hidden.\u201d The fifth servant,\nhowever, crept into the stove to hear if the doctor knew still more.\nThe Doctor, however, sat still and opened his A B C book, turned the\npages backwards and forwards, and looked for the cock. As he could not\nfind it immediately he said, \u201cI know you are there, so you had better\nshow yourself.\u201d Then the fellow in the stove thought that the doctor\nmeant him, and full of terror, sprang out, crying, \u201cThat man knows\neverything!\u201d Then Dr. Knowall showed the count where the money was, but\ndid not say who had stolen it, and received from both sides much money\nin reward, and became a renowned man.\n\n\n\n99 The Spirit in the Bottle\n\nThere was once a poor woodcutter who toiled from early morning till\nlate night. When at last he had laid by some money he said to his boy,\n\u201cYou are my only child, I will spend the money which I have earned with\nthe sweat of my brow on your education; if you learn some honest trade\nyou can support me in my old age, when my limbs have grown stiff and I\nam obliged to stay at home.\u201d Then the boy went to a High School and\nlearned diligently so that his masters praised him, and he remained\nthere a long time. When he had worked through two classes, but was\nstill not yet perfect in everything, the little pittance which the\nfather had earned was all spent, and the boy was obliged to return home\nto him. \u201cAh,\u201d said the father, sorrowfully, \u201cI can give you no more,\nand in these hard times I cannot earn a farthing more than will suffice\nfor our daily bread.\u201d \u201cDear father,\u201d answered the son, \u201cdon\u2019t trouble\nyourself about it, if it is God\u2019s will, it will turn to my advantage I\nshall soon accustom myself to it.\u201d When the father wanted to go into\nthe forest to earn money by helping to pile and stack wood and also\nchop it, the son said, \u201cI will go with you and help you.\u201d \u201cNay, my\nson,\u201d said the father, \u201cthat would be hard for you; you are not\naccustomed to rough work, and will not be able to bear it, besides I\nhave only one axe and no money left wherewith to buy another.\u201d \u201cJust go\nto the neighbour,\u201d answered the son, \u201che will lend you his axe until I\nhave earned one for myself.\u201d The father then borrowed an axe of the\nneighbour, and next morning at break of day they went out into the\nforest together. The son helped his father and was quite merry and\nbrisk about it. But when the sun was right over their heads, the father\nsaid, \u201cWe will rest, and have our dinner, and then we shall work as\nwell again.\u201d The son took his bread in his hands, and said, \u201cJust you\nrest, father, I am not tired; I will walk up and down a little in the\nforest, and look for birds\u2019 nests.\u201d \u201cOh, you fool,\u201d said the father,\n\u201cwhy should you want to run about there? Afterwards you will be tired,\nand no longer able to raise your arm; stay here, and sit down beside\nme.\u201d The son, however, went into the forest, ate his bread, was very\nmerry and peered in among the green branches to see if he could\ndiscover a bird\u2019s nest anywhere. So he went up and down to see if he\ncould find a bird\u2019s nest until at last he came to a great\ndangerous-looking oak, which certainly was already many hundred years\nold, and which five men could not have spanned. He stood still and\nlooked at it, and thought, \u201cMany a bird must have built its nest in\nthat.\u201d Then all at once it seemed to him that he heard a voice. He\nlistened and became aware that someone was crying in a very smothered\nvoice, \u201cLet me out, let me out!\u201d He looked around, but could discover\nnothing; nevertheless, he fancied that the voice came out of the\nground. Then he cried, \u201cWhere art thou?\u201d The voice answered, \u201cI am down\nhere amongst the roots of the oak-tree. Let me out! Let me out!\u201d The\nscholar began to loosen the earth under the tree, and search among the\nroots, until at last he found a glass bottle in a little hollow. He\nlifted it up and held it against the light, and then saw a creature\nshaped like a frog, springing up and down in it. \u201cLet me out! Let me\nout!\u201d it cried anew, and the scholar thinking no evil, drew the cork\nout of the bottle. Immediately a spirit ascended from it, and began to\ngrow, and grew so fast that in a very few moments he stood before the\nscholar, a terrible fellow as big as half the tree by which he was\nstanding. \u201cKnowest thou,\u201d he cried in an awful voice, \u201cwhat thy wages\nare for having let me out?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d replied the scholar fearlessly, \u201chow\nshould I know that?\u201d \u201cThen I will tell thee,\u201d cried the spirit; \u201cI must\nstrangle thee for it.\u201d \u201cThou shouldst have told me that sooner,\u201d said\nthe scholar, \u201cfor I should then have left thee shut up, but my head\nshall stand fast for all thou canst do; more persons than one must be\nconsulted about that.\u201d \u201cMore persons here, more persons there,\u201d said\nthe spirit. \u201cThou shalt have the wages thou hast earned. Dost thou\nthink that I was shut up there for such a long time as a favour. No, it\nwas a punishment for me. I am the mighty Mercurius. Whoso releases me,\nhim must I strangle.\u201d \u201cSoftly,\u201d answered the scholar, \u201cnot so fast. I\nmust first know that thou really wert shut up in that little bottle,\nand that thou art the right spirit. If, indeed, thou canst get in\nagain, I will believe and then thou mayst do as thou wilt with me.\u201d The\nspirit said haughtily, \u201cthat is a very trifling feat,\u201d drew himself\ntogether, and made himself as small and slender as he had been at\nfirst, so that he crept through the same opening, and right through the\nneck of the bottle in again. Scarcely was he within than the scholar\nthrust the cork he had drawn back into the bottle, and threw it among\nthe roots of the oak into its old place, and the spirit was betrayed.\n\nAnd now the scolar was about to return to his father, but the spirit\ncried very piteously, \u201cAh, do let me out! ah, do let me out!\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d\nanswered the scholar, \u201cnot a second time! He who has once tried to take\nmy life shall not be set free by me, now that I have caught him again.\u201d\n\u201cIf thou wilt set me free,\u201d said the spirit, \u201cI will give thee so much\nthat thou wilt have plenty all the days of thy life.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d answered\nthe boy, \u201cthou wouldst cheat me as thou didst the first time.\u201d \u201cThou\nart playing away with thy own good luck,\u201d said the spirit; \u201cI will do\nthee no harm but will reward thee richly.\u201d The scholar thought, \u201cI will\nventure it, perhaps he will keep his word, and anyhow he shall not get\nthe better of me.\u201d Then he took out the cork, and the spirit rose up\nfrom the bottle as he had done before, stretched himself out and became\nas big as a giant. \u201cNow thou shalt have thy reward,\u201d said he, and\nhanded the scholar a little bag just like a plaster, and said, \u201cIf thou\nspreadest one end of this over a wound it will heal, and if thou\nrubbest steel or iron with the other end it will be changed into\nsilver.\u201d \u201cI must just try that,\u201d said the scholar, and went to a tree,\ntore off the bark with his axe, and rubbed it with one end of the\nplaster. It immediately closed together and was healed. \u201cNow, it is all\nright,\u201d he said to the spirit, \u201cand we can part.\u201d The spirit thanked\nhim for his release, and the boy thanked the spirit for his present,\nand went back to his father.\n\n\u201cWhere hast thou been racing about?\u201d said the father; \u201cwhy hast thou\nforgotten thy work? I said at once that thou wouldst never get on with\nanything.\u201d \u201cBe easy, father, I will make it up.\u201d \u201cMake it up indeed,\u201d\nsaid the father angrily, \u201cthere\u2019s no art in that.\u201d \u201cTake care, father,\nI will soon hew that tree there, so that it will split.\u201d Then he took\nhis plaster, rubbed the axe with it, and dealt a mighty blow, but as\nthe iron had changed into silver, the edge turned; \u201cHollo, father, just\nlook what a bad axe you\u2019ve given me, it has become quite crooked.\u201d The\nfather was shocked and said, \u201cAh, what hast thou done? now I shall have\nto pay for that, and have not the wherewithal, and that is all the good\nI have got by thy work.\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t get angry,\u201d said the son, \u201cI will soon\npay for the axe.\u201d \u201cOh, thou blockhead,\u201d cried the father, \u201cwherewith\nwilt thou pay for it? Thou hast nothing but what I give thee. These are\nstudents\u2019 tricks that are sticking in thy head, but thou hast no idea\nof wood-cutting.\u201d After a while the scholar said, \u201cFather, I can really\nwork no more, we had better take a holiday.\u201d \u201cEh, what!\u201d answered he,\n\u201cDost thou think I will sit with my hands lying in my lap like thee? I\nmust go on working, but thou mayst take thyself off home.\u201d \u201cFather, I\nam here in this wood for the first time, I don\u2019t know my way alone. Do\ngo with me.\u201d As his anger had now abated, the father at last let\nhimself be persuaded and went home with him. Then he said to the son,\n\u201cGo and sell thy damaged axe, and see what thou canst get for it, and I\nmust earn the difference, in order to pay the neighbour.\u201d The son took\nthe axe, and carried it into town to a goldsmith, who tested it, laid\nit in the scales, and said, \u201cIt is worth four hundred thalers, I have\nnot so much as that by me.\u201d The son said, \u201cGive me what thou hast, I\nwill lend you the rest.\u201d The goldsmith gave him three hundred thalers,\nand remained a hundred in his debt. The son thereupon went home and\nsaid, \u201cFather, I have got the money, go and ask the neighbour what he\nwants for the axe.\u201d \u201cI know that already,\u201d answered the old man, \u201cone\nthaler, six groschen.\u201d \u201cThen give him two thalers, twelve groschen,\nthat is double and enough; see, I have money in plenty,\u201d and he gave\nthe father a hundred thalers, and said, \u201cYou shall never know want,\nlive as comfortably as you like.\u201d \u201cGood heavens!\u201d said the father, \u201chow\nhast thou come by these riches?\u201d The scholar then told how all had come\nto pass, and how he, trusting in his luck, had made such a good hit.\nBut with the money that was left, he went back to the High School and\nwent on learning more, and as he could heal all wounds with his\nplaster, he became the most famous doctor in the whole world.\n\n\n\n100 The Devil\u2019s Sooty Brother\n\nA disbanded soldier had nothing to live on, and did not know how to get\non. So he went out into the forest and when he had walked for a short\ntime, he met a little man who was, however, the Devil. The little man\nsaid to him, \u201cWhat ails you, you seem so very sorrowful?\u201d Then the\nsoldier said, \u201cI am hungry, but have no money.\u201d The Devil said, \u201cIf you\nwill hire yourself to me, and be my serving-man, you shall have enough\nfor all your life. You shall serve me for seven years, and after that\nyou shall again be free. But one thing I must tell you, and that is,\nyou must not wash, comb, or trim yourself, or cut your hair or nails,\nor wipe the water from your eyes.\u201d The soldier said, \u201cAll right, if\nthere is no help for it,\u201d and went off with the little man, who\nstraightway led him down into hell. Then he told him what he had to do.\nHe was to poke the fire under the kettles wherein the hell-broth was\nstewing, keep the house clean, drive all the sweepings behind the\ndoors, and see that everything was in order, but if he once peeped into\nthe kettles, it would go ill with him. The soldier said, \u201cGood, I will\ntake care.\u201d And then the old Devil went out again on his wanderings,\nand the soldier entered upon his new duties, made the fire, and swept\nthe dirt well behind the doors, just as he had been bidden. When the\nold Devil came back again, he looked to see if all had been done,\nappeared satisfied, and went forth a second time. The soldier now took\na good look on every side; the kettles were standing all round hell\nwith a mighty fire below them, and inside they were boiling and\nsputtering. He would have given anything to look inside them, if the\nDevil had not so particularly forbidden him: at last, he could no\nlonger restrain himself, slightly raised the lid of the first kettle,\nand peeped in, and there he saw his former corporal shut in. \u201cAha, old\nbird!\u201d said he, \u201cDo I meet you here? You once had me in your power, now\nI have you,\u201d and he quickly let the lid fall, poked the fire, and added\na fresh log. After that, he went to the second kettle, raised its lid\nalso a little, and peeped in; his former ensign was in that. \u201cAha, old\nbird, so I find you here! you once had me in your power, now I have\nyou.\u201d He closed the lid again, and fetched yet another log to make it\nreally hot. Then he wanted to see who might be sitting up in the third\nkettle it was actually be but a general. \u201cAha, old bird, do I meet you\nhere? Once you had me in your power, now I have you.\u201d And he fetched\nthe bellows and made hell-fire blaze right under him. So he did his\nwork seven years in hell, did not wash, comb, or trim himself, or cut\nhis hair or nails, or wash the water out of his eyes, and the seven\nyears seemed so short to him that he thought he had only been half a\nyear. Now when the time had fully gone by, the Devil came and said,\n\u201cWell Hans, what have you done?\u201d \u201cI poked the fire under the kettles,\nand I have swept all the dirt well behind the doors.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut you have peeped into the kettles as well; it is lucky for you that\nyou added fresh logs to them, or else your life would have been\nforfeited; now that your time is up, will you go home again?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d\nsaid the soldier, \u201cI should very much like to see what my father is\ndoing at home.\u201d The Devil said, \u201cIn order that you may receive the\nwages you have earned, go and fill your knapsack full of the sweepings,\nand take it home with you. You must also go unwashed and uncombed, with\nlong hair on your head and beard, and with uncut nails and dim eyes,\nand when you are asked whence you come, you must say, \u201cFrom hell,\u201d and\nwhen you are asked who you are, you are to say, \u201cThe Devil\u2019s sooty\nbrother, and my King as well.\u201d The soldier held his peace, and did as\nthe Devil bade him, but he was not at all satisfied with his wages.\nThen as soon as he was up in the forest again, he took his knapsack\nfrom his back, to empty it, but on opening it, the sweepings had become\npure gold. \u201cI should never have expected that,\u201d said he, and was well\npleased, and entered the town. The landlord was standing in front of\nthe inn, and when he saw the soldier approaching, he was terrified,\nbecause Hans looked so horrible, worse than a scare-crow. He called to\nhim and asked, \u201cWhence comest thou?\u201d \u201cFrom hell.\u201d \u201cWho art thou?\u201d \u201cThe\nDevil\u2019s sooty brother, and my King as well.\u201d Then the host would not\nlet him enter, but when Hans showed him the gold, he came and unlatched\nthe door himself. Hans then ordered the best room and attendance, ate,\nand drank his fill, but neither washed nor combed himself as the Devil\nhad bidden him, and at last lay down to sleep. But the knapsack full of\ngold remained before the eyes of the landlord, and left him no peace,\nand during the night he crept in and stole it away. Next morning,\nhowever, when Hans got up and wanted to pay the landlord and travel\nfurther, behold his knapsack was gone! But he soon composed himself and\nthought, \u201cThou hast been unfortunate from no fault of thine own,\u201d and\nstraightway went back again to hell, complained of his misfortune to\nthe old Devil, and begged for his help. The Devil said, \u201cSeat yourself,\nI will wash, comb, and trim you, cut your hair and nails, and wash your\neyes for you,\u201d and when he had done with him, he gave him the knapsack\nback again full of sweepings, and said, \u201cGo and tell the landlord that\nhe must return you your money, or else I will come and fetch him, and\nhe shall poke the fire in your place.\u201d Hans went up and said to the\nlandlord, \u201cThou hast stolen my money; if thou dost not return it, thou\nshalt go down to hell in my place, and wilt look as horrible as I.\u201d\nThen the landlord gave him the money, and more besides, only begging\nhim to keep it secret, and Hans was now a rich man.\n\nHe set out on his way home to his father, bought himself a shabby\nsmock-frock to wear, and strolled about making music, for he had\nlearned to do that while he was with the Devil in hell. There was\nhowever, an old King in that country, before whom he had to play, and\nthe King was so delighted with his playing, that he promised him his\neldest daughter in marriage. But when she heard that she was to be\nmarried to a common fellow in a smock-frock, she said, \u201cRather than do\nthat, I would go into the deepest water.\u201d Then the King gave him the\nyoungest, who was quite willing to do it to please her father, and thus\nthe Devil\u2019s sooty brother got the King\u2019s daughter, and when the aged\nKing died, the whole kingdom likewise.\n\n\n\n101 Bearskin\n\nThere was once a young fellow who enlisted as a soldier, conducted\nhimself bravely, and was always the foremost when it rained bullets. So\nlong as the war lasted, all went well, but when peace was made, he\nreceived his dismissal, and the captain said he might go where he\nliked. His parents were dead, and he had no longer a home, so he went\nto his brothers and begged them to take him in, and keep him until war\nbroke out again. The brothers, however, were hard-hearted and said,\n\u201cWhat can we do with thee? thou art of no use to us; go and make a\nliving for thyself.\u201d The soldier had nothing left but his gun; he took\nthat on his shoulder, and went forth into the world. He came to a wide\nheath, on which nothing was to be seen but a circle of trees; under\nthese he sat sorrowfully down, and began to think over his fate. \u201cI\nhave no money,\u201d thought he, \u201cI have learnt no trade but that of\nfighting, and now that they have made peace they don\u2019t want me any\nlonger; so I see beforehand that I shall have to starve.\u201d All at once\nhe heard a rustling, and when he looked round, a strange man stood\nbefore him, who wore a green coat and looked right stately, but had a\nhideous cloven foot. \u201cI know already what thou art in need of,\u201d said\nthe man; \u201cgold and possessions shall thou have, as much as thou canst\nmake away with do what thou wilt, but first I must know if thou art\nfearless, that I may not bestow my money in vain.\u201d \u201cA soldier and\nfear\u2014how can those two things go together?\u201d he answered; \u201cthou canst\nput me to the proof.\u201d \u201cVery well, then,\u201d answered the man, \u201clook behind\nthee.\u201d The soldier turned round, and saw a large bear, which came\ngrowling towards him. \u201cOho!\u201d cried the soldier, \u201cI will tickle thy nose\nfor thee, so that thou shalt soon lose thy fancy for growling,\u201d and he\naimed at the bear and shot it through the muzzle; it fell down and\nnever stirred again. \u201cI see quite well,\u201d said the stranger, \u201cthat thou\nart not wanting in courage, but there is still another condition which\nthou wilt have to fulfil.\u201d \u201cIf it does not endanger my salvation,\u201d\nreplied the soldier, who knew very well who was standing by him. \u201cIf it\ndoes, I\u2019ll have nothing to do with it.\u201d \u201cThou wilt look to that for\nthyself,\u201d answered Greencoat; \u201cthou shalt for the next seven years\nneither wash thyself, nor comb thy beard, nor thy hair, nor cut thy\nnails, nor say one paternoster. I will give thee a coat and a cloak,\nwhich during this time thou must wear. If thou diest during these seven\nyears, thou art mine; if thou remainest alive, thou art free, and rich\nto boot, for all the rest of thy life.\u201d The soldier thought of the\ngreat extremity in which he now found himself, and as he so often had\ngone to meet death, he resolved to risk it now also, and agreed to the\nterms. The Devil took off his green coat, gave it to the soldier, and\nsaid, \u201cIf thou hast this coat on thy back and puttest thy hand into the\npocket, thou wilt always find it full of money.\u201d Then he pulled the\nskin off the bear and said, \u201cThis shall be thy cloak, and thy bed also,\nfor thereon shalt thou sleep, and in no other bed shalt thou lie, and\nbecause of this apparel shalt thou be called Bearskin.\u201d After this the\nDevil vanished.\n\nThe soldier put the coat on, felt at once in the pocket, and found that\nthe thing was really true. Then he put on the bearskin and went forth\ninto the world, and enjoyed himself, refraining from nothing that did\nhim good and his money harm. During the first year his appearance was\npassable, but during the second he began to look like a monster. His\nhair covered nearly the whole of his face, his beard was like a piece\nof coarse felt, his fingers had claws, and his face was so covered with\ndirt that if cress had been sown on it, it would have come up.\nWhosoever saw him, ran away, but as he everywhere gave the poor money\nto pray that he might not die during the seven years, and as he paid\nwell for everything he still always found shelter. In the fourth year,\nhe entered an inn where the landlord would not receive him, and would\nnot even let him have a place in the stable, because he was afraid the\nhorses would be scared. But as Bearskin thrust his hand into his pocket\nand pulled out a handful of ducats, the host let himself be persuaded\nand gave him a room in an outhouse. Bearskin was, however, obliged to\npromise not to let himself be seen, lest the inn should get a bad name.\n\nAs Bearskin was sitting alone in the evening, and wishing from the\nbottom of his heart that the seven years were over, he heard a loud\nlamenting in a neighboring room. He had a compassionate heart, so he\nopened the door, and saw an old man weeping bitterly, and wringing his\nhands. Bearskin went nearer, but the man sprang to his feet and tried\nto escape from him. At last when the man perceived that Bearskin\u2019s\nvoice was human he let himself be prevailed on, and by kind words\nbearskin succeeded so far that the old man revealed the cause of his\ngrief. His property had dwindled away by degrees, he and his daughters\nwould have to starve, and he was so poor that he could not pay the\ninnkeeper, and was to be put in prison. \u201cIf that is your only trouble,\u201d\nsaid Bearskin, \u201cI have plenty of money.\u201d He caused the innkeeper to be\nbrought thither, paid him and put a purse full of gold into the poor\nold man\u2019s pocket besides.\n\nWhen the old man saw himself set free from all his troubles he did not\nknow how to be grateful enough. \u201cCome with me,\u201d said he to Bearskin;\n\u201cmy daughters are all miracles of beauty, choose one of them for\nthyself as a wife. When she hears what thou hast done for me, she will\nnot refuse thee. Thou dost in truth look a little strange, but she will\nsoon put thee to rights again.\u201d This pleased Bearskin well, and he\nwent. When the eldest saw him she was so terribly alarmed at his face\nthat she screamed and ran away. The second stood still and looked at\nhim from head to foot, but then she said, \u201cHow can I accept a husband\nwho no longer has a human form? The shaven bear that once was here and\npassed itself off for a man pleased me far better, for at any rate it\nwore a hussar\u2019s dress and white gloves. If it were nothing but\nugliness, I might get used to that.\u201d The youngest, however, said, \u201cDear\nfather, that must be a good man to have helped you out of your trouble,\nso if you have promised him a bride for doing it, your promise must be\nkept.\u201d It was a pity that Bearskin\u2019s face was covered with dirt and\nwith hair, for if not they might have seen how delighted he was when he\nheard these words. He took a ring from his finger, broke it in two, and\ngave her one half, the other he kept for himself. He wrote his name,\nhowever, on her half, and hers on his, and begged her to keep her piece\ncarefully, and then he took his leave and said, \u201cI must still wander\nabout for three years, and if I do not return then, thou art free, for\nI shall be dead. But pray to God to preserve my life.\u201d\n\nThe poor betrothed bride dressed herself entirely in black, and when\nshe thought of her future bridegroom, tears came into her eyes. Nothing\nbut contempt and mockery fell to her lot from her sisters. \u201cTake care,\u201d\nsaid the eldest, \u201cif thou givest him thy hand, he will strike his claws\ninto it.\u201d \u201cBeware!\u201d said the second. \u201cBears like sweet things, and if\nhe takes a fancy to thee, he will eat thee up.\u201d \u201cThou must always do as\nhe likes,\u201d began the elder again, \u201cor else he will growl.\u201d And the\nsecond continued, \u201cBut the wedding will be a merry one, for bears dance\nwell.\u201d The bride was silent, and did not let them vex her. Bearskin,\nhowever, travelled about the world from one place to another, did good\nwhere he was able, and gave generously to the poor that they might pray\nfor him.\n\nAt length, as the last day of the seven years dawned, he went once more\nout on to the heath, and seated himself beneath the circle of trees. It\nwas not long before the wind whistled, and the Devil stood before him\nand looked angrily at him; then he threw Bearskin his old coat, and\nasked for his own green one back. \u201cWe have not got so far as that yet,\u201d\nanswered Bearskin, \u201cthou must first make me clean.\u201d Whether the Devil\nliked it or not, he was forced to fetch water, and wash Bearskin, comb\nhis hair, and cut his nails. After this, he looked like a brave\nsoldier, and was much handsomer than he had ever been before.\n\nWhen the Devil had gone away, Bearskin was quite lighthearted. He went\ninto the town, put on a magnificent velvet coat, seated himself in a\ncarriage drawn by four white horses, and drove to his bride\u2019s house. No\none recognized him, the father took him for a distinguished general,\nand led him into the room where his daughters were sitting. He was\nforced to place himself between the two eldest, they helped him to\nwine, gave him the best pieces of meat, and thought that in all the\nworld they had never seen a handsomer man. The bride, however, sat\nopposite to him in her black dress, and never raised her eyes, nor\nspoke a word. When at length he asked the father if he would give him\none of his daughters to wife, the two eldest jumped up, ran into their\nbedrooms to put on splendid dresses, for each of them fancied she was\nthe chosen one. The stranger, as soon as he was alone with his bride,\nbrought out his half of the ring, and threw it in a glass of wine which\nhe reached across the table to her. She took the wine, but when she had\ndrunk it, and found the half ring lying at the bottom, her heart began\nto beat. She got the other half, which she wore on a ribbon round her\nneck, joined them, and saw that the two pieces fitted exactly together.\nThen said he, \u201cI am thy betrothed bridegroom, whom thou sawest as\nBearskin, but through God\u2019s grace I have again received my human form,\nand have once more become clean.\u201d He went up to her, embraced her, and\ngave her a kiss. In the meantime the two sisters came back in full\ndress, and when they saw that the handsome man had fallen to the share\nof the youngest, and heard that he was Bearskin, they ran out full of\nanger and rage. One of them drowned herself in the well, the other\nhanged herself on a tree. In the evening, some one knocked at the door,\nand when the bridegroom opened it, it was the Devil in his green coat,\nwho said, \u201cSeest thou, I have now got two souls in the place of thy\none!\u201d\n\n\n\n102 The Willow-Wren and the Bear\n\nOnce in summer-time the bear and the wolf were walking in the forest,\nand the bear heard a bird singing so beautifully that he said, \u201cBrother\nwolf, what bird is it that sings so well?\u201d \u201cThat is the King of birds,\u201d\nsaid the wolf, \u201cbefore whom we must bow down.\u201d It was, however, in\nreality the willow-wren (Zaunk\u00f6nig). \u201cIf that\u2019s the case,\u201d said the\nbear, \u201cI should very much like to see his royal palace; come, take me\nthither.\u201d \u201cThat is not done quite as you seem to think,\u201d said the wolf;\n\u201cyou must wait until the Queen comes.\u201d Soon afterwards, the Queen\narrived with some food in her beak, and the lord King came too, and\nthey began to feed their young ones. The bear would have liked to go at\nonce, but the wolf held him back by the sleeve, and said, \u201cNo, you must\nwait until the lord and lady Queen have gone away again.\u201d So they\nobserved the hole in which was the nest, and trotted away. The bear,\nhowever, could not rest until he had seen the royal palace, and when a\nshort time had passed, again went to it. The King and Queen had just\nflown out, so he peeped in and saw five or six young ones lying in it.\n\u201cIs that the royal palace?\u201d cried the bear; \u201cit is a wretched palace,\nand you are not King\u2019s children, you are disreputable children!\u201d When\nthe young wrens heard that, they were frightfully angry, and screamed,\n\u201cNo, that we are not! Our parents are honest people! Bear, thou wilt\nhave to pay for that!\u201d\n\nThe bear and the wolf grew uneasy, and turned back and went into their\nholes. The young willow-wrens, however, continued to cry and scream,\nand when their parents again brought food they said, \u201cWe will not so\nmuch as touch one fly\u2019s leg, no, not if we were dying of hunger, until\nyou have settled whether we are respectable children or not; the bear\nhas been here and has insulted us!\u201d Then the old King said, \u201cBe easy,\nhe shall be punished,\u201d and he at once flew with the Queen to the bear\u2019s\ncave, and called in, \u201cOld Growler, why hast thou insulted my children?\nThou shalt suffer for it we will punish thee by a bloody war.\u201d Thus war\nwas announced to the Bear, and all four-footed animals were summoned to\ntake part in it, oxen, asses, cows, deer, and every other animal the\nearth contained. And the willow-wren summoned everything which flew in\nthe air, not only birds, large and small, but midges, and hornets, bees\nand flies had to come.\n\nWhen the time came for the war to begin, the willow-wren sent out spies\nto discover who was the enemy\u2019s commander-in-chief. The gnat, who was\nthe most crafty, flew into the forest where the enemy was assembled,\nand hid herself beneath a leaf of the tree where the watchword was to\nbe given. There stood the bear, and he called the fox before him and\nsaid, \u201cFox, thou art the most cunning of all animals, thou shalt be\ngeneral and lead us.\u201d \u201cGood,\u201d said the fox, \u201cbut what signal shall we\nagree upon?\u201d No one knew that, so the fox said, \u201cI have a fine long\nbushy tail, which almost looks like a plume of red feathers. When I\nlift my tail up quite high, all is going well, and you must charge; but\nif I let it hang down, run away as fast as you can.\u201d When the gnat had\nheard that, she flew away again, and revealed everything, with the\ngreatest minuteness, to the willow-wren. When day broke, and the battle\nwas to begin, all the four-footed animals came running up with such a\nnoise that the earth trembled. The willow-wren also came flying through\nthe air with his army with such a humming, and whirring, and swarming\nthat every one was uneasy and afraid, and on both sides they advanced\nagainst each other. But the willow-wren sent down the hornet, with\norders to get beneath the fox\u2019s tail, and sting with all his might.\nWhen the fox felt the first sting, he started so that he drew up one\nleg, with the pain, but he bore it, and still kept his tail high in the\nair; at the second sting, he was forced to put it down for a moment; at\nthe third, he could hold out no longer, and screamed out and put his\ntail between his legs. When the animals saw that, they thought all was\nlost, and began to fly, each into his hole and the birds had won the\nbattle.\n\nThen the King and Queen flew home to their children and cried,\n\u201cChildren, rejoice, eat and drink to your heart\u2019s content, we have won\nthe battle!\u201d But the young wrens said, \u201cWe will not eat yet, the bear\nmust come to the nest, and beg for pardon and say that we are honorable\nchildren, before we will do that.\u201d Then the willow-wren flew to the\nbear\u2019s hole and cried, \u201cGrowler, thou art to come to the nest to my\nchildren, and beg their pardon, or else every rib of thy body shall be\nbroken.\u201d So the bear crept thither in the greatest fear, and begged\ntheir pardon. And now at last the young wrens were satisfied, and sat\ndown together and ate and drank, and made merry till quite late into\nthe night.\n\n\n\n103 Sweet Porridge\n\nThere was a poor but good little girl who lived alone with her mother,\nand they no longer had anything to eat. So the child went into the\nforest, and there an aged woman met her who was aware of her sorrow,\nand presented her with a little pot, which when she said, \u201cCook, little\npot, cook,\u201d would cook good, sweet porridge, and when she said, \u201cStop,\nlittle pot,\u201d it ceased to cook. The girl took the pot home to her\nmother, and now they were freed from their poverty and hunger, and ate\nsweet porridge as often as they chose. Once on a time when the girl had\ngone out, her mother said, \u201cCook, little pot, cook.\u201d And it did cook\nand she ate till she was satisfied, and then she wanted the pot to stop\ncooking, but did not know the word. So it went on cooking and the\nporridge rose over the edge, and still it cooked on until the kitchen\nand whole house were full, and then the next house, and then the whole\nstreet, just as if it wanted to satisfy the hunger of the whole world,\nand there was the greatest distress, but no one knew how to stop it. At\nlast when only one single house remained, the child came home and just\nsaid, \u201cStop, little pot,\u201d and it stopped and gave up cooking, and\nwhosoever wished to return to the town had to eat his way back.\n\n\n\n104 Wise Folks\n\nOne day a peasant took his good hazel-stick out of the corner and said\nto his wife, \u201cTrina, I am going across country, and shall not return\nfor three days. If during that time the cattle-dealer should happen to\ncall and want to buy our three cows, you may strike a bargain at once,\nbut not unless you can get two hundred thalers for them; nothing less,\ndo you hear?\u201d \u201cFor heaven\u2019s sake just go in peace,\u201d answered the woman,\n\u201cI will manage that.\u201d \u201cYou, indeed,\u201d said the man. \u201cYou once fell on\nyour head when you were a little child, and that affects you even now;\nbut let me tell you this, if you do anything foolish, I will make your\nback black and blue, and not with paint, I assure you, but with the\nstick which I have in my hand, and the colouring shall last a whole\nyear, you may rely on that.\u201d And having said that, the man went on his\nway.\n\nNext morning the cattle-dealer came, and the woman had no need to say\nmany words to him. When he had seen the cows and heard the price, he\nsaid, \u201cI am quite willing to give that, honestly speaking, they are\nworth it. I will take the beasts away with me at once.\u201d He unfastened\ntheir chains and drove them out of the byre, but just as he was going\nout of the yard-door, the woman clutched him by the sleeve and said,\n\u201cYou must give me the two hundred thalers now, or I cannot let the cows\ngo.\u201d \u201cTrue,\u201d answered the man, \u201cbut I have forgotten to buckle on my\nmoney-belt. Have no fear, however, you shall have security for my\npaying. I will take two cows with me and leave one, and then you will\nhave a good pledge.\u201d The woman saw the force of this, and let the man\ngo away with the cows, and thought to herself, \u201cHow pleased Hans will\nbe when he finds how cleverly I have managed it!\u201d The peasant came home\non the third day as he had said he would, and at once inquired if the\ncows were sold? \u201cYes, indeed, dear Hans,\u201d answered the woman, \u201cand as\nyou said, for two hundred thalers. They are scarcely worth so much, but\nthe man took them without making any objection.\u201d \u201cWhere is the money?\u201d\nasked the peasant. \u201cOh, I have not got the money,\u201d replied the woman;\n\u201che had happened to forget his money-belt, but he will soon bring it,\nand he left good security behind him.\u201d \u201cWhat kind of security?\u201d asked\nthe man. \u201cOne of the three cows, which he shall not have until he has\npaid for the other two. I have managed very cunningly, for I have kept\nthe smallest, which eats the least.\u201d The man was enraged and lifted up\nhis stick, and was just going to give her the beating he had promised\nher. Suddenly he let the stick fail and said, \u201cYou are the stupidest\ngoose that ever waddled on God\u2019s earth, but I am sorry for you. I will\ngo out into the highways and wait for three days to see if I find\nanyone who is still stupider than you. If I succeed in doing so, you\nshall go scot-free, but if I do not find him, you shall receive your\nwell-deserved reward without any discount.\u201d\n\nHe went out into the great highways, sat down on a stone, and waited\nfor what would happen. Then he saw a peasant\u2019s waggon coming towards\nhim, and a woman was standing upright in the middle of it, instead of\nsitting on the bundle of straw which was lying beside her, or walking\nnear the oxen and leading them. The man thought to himself, \u201cThat is\ncertainly one of the kind I am in search of,\u201d and jumped up and ran\nbackwards and forwards in front of the waggon like one who is not very\nwise. \u201cWhat do you want, my friend?\u201d said the woman to him; \u201cI don\u2019t\nknow you, where do you come from?\u201d \u201cI have fallen down from heaven,\u201d\nreplied the man, \u201cand don\u2019t know how to get back again, couldn\u2019t you\ndrive me up?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said the woman, \u201cI don\u2019t know the way, but if you\ncome from heaven you can surely tell me how my husband, who has been\nthere these three years is. You must have seen him?\u201d \u201cOh, yes, I have\nseen him, but all men can\u2019t get on well. He keeps sheep, and the sheep\ngive him a great deal to do. They run up the mountains and lose their\nway in the wilderness, and he has to run after them and drive them\ntogether again. His clothes are all torn to pieces too, and will soon\nfall off his body. There is no tailor there, for Saint Peter won\u2019t let\nany of them in, as you know by the story.\u201d \u201cWho would have thought it?\u201d\ncried the woman, \u201cI tell you what, I will fetch his Sunday coat which\nis still hanging at home in the cupboard, he can wear that and look\nrespectable. You will be so kind as to take it with you.\u201d \u201cThat won\u2019t\ndo very well,\u201d answered the peasant; \u201cpeople are not allowed to take\nclothes into Heaven, they are taken away from one at the gate.\u201d \u201cThen\nhark you,\u201d said the woman, \u201cI sold my fine wheat yesterday and got a\ngood lot of money for it, I will send that to him. If you hide the\npurse in your pocket, no one will know that you have it.\u201d \u201cIf you can\u2019t\nmanage it any other way,\u201d said the peasant, \u201cI will do you that favor.\u201d\n\u201cJust sit still where you are,\u201d said she, \u201cand I will drive home and\nfetch the purse, I shall soon be back again. I do not sit down on the\nbundle of straw, but stand up in the waggon, because it makes it\nlighter for the cattle.\u201d She drove her oxen away, and the peasant\nthought, \u201cThat woman has a perfect talent for folly, if she really\nbrings the money, my wife may think herself fortunate, for she will get\nno beating.\u201d It was not long before she came in a great hurry with the\nmoney, and with her own hands put it in his pocket. Before she went\naway, she thanked him again a thousand times for his courtesy.\n\nWhen the woman got home again, she found her son who had come in from\nthe field. She told him what unlooked-for things had befallen her, and\nthen added, \u201cI am truly delighted at having found an opportunity of\nsending something to my poor husband. Who would ever have imagined that\nhe could be suffering for want of anything up in heaven?\u201d The son was\nfull of astonishment. \u201cMother,\u201d said he, \u201cit is not every day that a\nman comes from Heaven in this way, I will go out immediately, and see\nif he is still to be found; he must tell me what it is like up there,\nand how the work is done.\u201d He saddled the horse and rode off with all\nspeed. He found the peasant who was sitting under a willow-tree, and\nwas just going to count the money in the purse. \u201cHave you seen the man\nwho has fallen down from Heaven?\u201d cried the youth to him. \u201cYes,\u201d\nanswered the peasant, \u201che has set out on his way back there, and has\ngone up that hill, from whence it will be rather nearer; you could\nstill catch him up, if you were to ride fast.\u201d \u201cAlas,\u201d said the youth,\n\u201cI have been doing tiring work all day, and the ride here has\ncompletely worn me out; you know the man, be so kind as to get on my\nhorse, and go and persuade him to come here.\u201d \u201cAha!\u201d thought the\npeasant, \u201chere is another who has no wick in his lamp!\u201d \u201cWhy should I\nnot do you this favor?\u201d said he, and mounted the horse and rode off in\na quick trot. The youth remained sitting there till night fell, but the\npeasant never came back. \u201cThe man from Heaven must certainly have been\nin a great hurry, and would not turn back,\u201d thought he, \u201cand the\npeasant has no doubt given him the horse to take to my father.\u201d He went\nhome and told his mother what had happened, and that he had sent his\nfather the horse so that he might not have to be always running about.\n\u201cThou hast done well,\u201d answered she, \u201cthy legs are younger than his,\nand thou canst go on foot.\u201d\n\nWhen the peasant got home, he put the horse in the stable beside the\ncow which he had as a pledge, and then went to his wife and said,\n\u201cTrina, as your luck would have it, I have found two who are still\nsillier fools than you; this time you escape without a beating, I will\nstore it up for another occasion.\u201d Then he lighted his pipe, sat down\nin his grandfather\u2019s chair, and said, \u201cIt was a good stroke of business\nto get a sleek horse and a great purse full of money into the bargain,\nfor two lean cows. If stupidity always brought in as much as that, I\nwould be quite willing to hold it in honor.\u201d So thought the peasant,\nbut you no doubt prefer the simple folks.\n\n\n\n105 Stories about Snakes\n\nFirst Story.\n\nThere was once a little child whose mother gave her every afternoon a\nsmall bowl of milk and bread, and the child seated herself in the yard\nwith it. When she began to eat however, a snake came creeping out of a\ncrevice in the wall, dipped its little head in the dish, and ate with\nher. The child had pleasure in this, and when she was sitting there\nwith her little dish and the snake did not come at once, she cried,\n\n\u201cSnake, snake, come swiftly\nHither come, thou tiny thing,\nThou shalt have thy crumbs of bread,\nThou shalt refresh thyself with milk.\u201d\n\n\nThen the snake came in haste, and enjoyed its food. Moreover it showed\ngratitude, for it brought the child all kinds of pretty things from its\nhidden treasures, bright stones, pearls, and golden playthings. The\nsnake, however, only drank the milk, and left the bread-crumbs alone.\nThen one day the child took its little spoon and struck the snake\ngently on its head with it, and said, \u201cEat the bread-crumbs as well,\nlittle thing.\u201d The mother, who was standing in the kitchen, heard the\nchild talking to someone, and when she saw that she was striking a\nsnake with her spoon, ran out with a log of wood, and killed the good\nlittle creature.\n\nFrom that time forth, a change came over the child. As long as the\nsnake had eaten with her, she had grown tall and strong, but now she\nlost her pretty rosy cheeks and wasted away. It was not long before the\nfuneral bird began to cry in the night, and the redbreast to collect\nlittle branches and leaves for a funeral garland, and soon afterwards\nthe child lay on her bier.\n\nSecond Story.\n\n\nAn orphan child was sitting on the town walls spinning, when she saw a\nsnake coming out of a hole low down in the wall. Swiftly she spread out\nbeside this one of the blue silk handkerchiefs which snakes have such a\nstrong liking for, and which are the only things they will creep on. As\nsoon as the snake saw it, it went back, then returned, bringing with it\na small golden crown, laid it on the handkerchief, and then went away\nagain. The girl took up the crown, it glittered and was of delicate\ngolden filagree work. It was not long before the snake came back for\nthe second time, but when it no longer saw the crown, it crept up to\nthe wall, and in its grief smote its little head against it as long as\nit had strength to do so, until at last it lay there dead. If the girl\nhad but left the crown where it was, the snake would certainly have\nbrought still more of its treasures out of the hole.\n\nThird Story.\n\n\nA snake cries, \u201cHuhu, huhu.\u201d A child says, \u201cCome out.\u201d The snake comes\nout, then the child inquires about her little sister: \u201cHast thou not\nseen little Red-stockings?\u201d The snake says, \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cNeither have I.\u201d\n\u201cThen I am like you. Huhu, huhu, huhu.\u201d\n\n\n\n106 The Poor Miller\u2019s Boy and the Cat\n\nIn a certain mill lived an old miller who had neither wife nor child,\nand three apprentices served under him. As they had been with him\nseveral years, he one day said to them, \u201cI am old, and want to sit in\nthe chimney-corner, go out, and whichsoever of you brings me the best\nhorse home, to him will I give the mill, and in return for it he shall\ntake care of me till my death.\u201d The third of the boys was, however, the\ndrudge, who was looked on as foolish by the others; they begrudged the\nmill to him, and afterwards he would not have it. Then all three went\nout together, and when they came to the village, the two said to stupid\nHans, \u201cThou mayst just as well stay here, as long as thou livest thou\nwilt never get a horse.\u201d Hans, however, went with them, and when it was\nnight they came to a cave in which they lay down to sleep. The two\nsharp ones waited until Hans had fallen asleep, then they got up, and\nwent away leaving him where he was. And they thought they had done a\nvery clever thing, but it was certain to turn out ill for them. When\nthe sun arose, and Hans woke up, he was lying in a deep cavern. He\nlooked around on every side and exclaimed, \u201cOh, heavens, where am I?\u201d\nThen he got up and clambered out of the cave, went into the forest, and\nthought, \u201cHere I am quite alone and deserted, how shall I obtain a\nhorse now?\u201d Whilst he was thus walking full of thought, he met a small\ntabby-cat which said quite kindly, \u201cHans, where are you going?\u201d \u201cAlas,\nthou canst not help me.\u201d \u201cI well know your desire,\u201d said the cat. \u201cYou\nwish to have a beautiful horse. Come with me, and be my faithful\nservant for seven years long, and then I will give you one more\nbeautiful than any you have ever seen in your whole life.\u201d \u201cWell, this\nis a wonderful cat!\u201d thought Hans, \u201cbut I am determined to see if she\nis telling the truth.\u201d So she took him with her into her enchanted\ncastle, where there were nothing but cats who were her servants. They\nleapt nimbly upstairs and downstairs, and were merry and happy. In the\nevening when they sat down to dinner, three of them had to make music.\nOne played the bassoon, the other the fiddle, and the third put the\ntrumpet to his lips, and blew out his cheeks as much as he possibly\ncould. When they had dined, the table was carried away, and the cat\nsaid, \u201cNow, Hans, come and dance with me.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said he, \u201cI won\u2019t\ndance with a pussy cat. I have never done that yet.\u201d \u201cThen take him to\nbed,\u201d said she to the cats. So one of them lighted him to his bed-room,\none pulled his shoes off, one his stockings, and at last one of them\nblew out the candle. Next morning they returned and helped him out of\nbed, one put his stockings on for him, one tied his garters, one\nbrought his shoes, one washed him, and one dried his face with her\ntail. \u201cThat feels very soft!\u201d said Hans. He, however, had to serve the\ncat, and chop some wood every day, and to do that, he had an axe of\nsilver, and the wedge and saw were of silver and the mallet of copper.\nSo he chopped the wood small; stayed there in the house and had good\nmeat and drink, but never saw anyone but the tabby-cat and her\nservants. Once she said to him, \u201cGo and mow my meadow, and dry the\ngrass,\u201d and gave him a scythe of silver, and a whetstone of gold, but\nbade him deliver them up again carefully. So Hans went thither, and did\nwhat he was bidden, and when he had finished the work, he carried the\nscythe, whetstone, and hay to the house, and asked if it was not yet\ntime for her to give him his reward. \u201cNo,\u201d said the cat, \u201cyou must\nfirst do something more for me of the same kind. There is timber of\nsilver, carpenter\u2019s axe, square, and everything that is needful, all of\nsilver, with these build me a small house.\u201d Then Hans built the small\nhouse, and said that he had now done everything, and still he had no\nhorse. Nevertheless the seven years had gone by with him as if they\nwere six months. The cat asked him if he would like to see her horses?\n\u201cYes,\u201d said Hans. Then she opened the door of the small house, and when\nshe had opened it, there stood twelve horses, such horses, so bright\nand shining, that his heart rejoiced at the sight of them. And now she\ngave him to eat and drink, and said, \u201cGo home, I will not give thee thy\nhorse away with thee; but in three days\u2019 time I will follow thee and\nbring it.\u201d So Hans set out, and she showed him the way to the mill. She\nhad, however, never once given him a new coat, and he had been obliged\nto keep on his dirty old smock-frock, which he had brought with him,\nand which during the seven years had everywhere become too small for\nhim. When he reached home, the two other apprentices were there again\nas well, and each of them certainly had brought a horse with him, but\none of them was a blind one, and the other lame. They asked Hans where\nhis horse was. \u201cIt will follow me in three days\u2019 time.\u201d Then they\nlaughed and said, \u201cIndeed, stupid Hans, where wilt thou get a horse?\u201d\n\u201cIt will be a fine one!\u201d Hans went into the parlour, but the miller\nsaid he should not sit down to table, for he was so ragged and torn,\nthat they would all be ashamed of him if any one came in. So they gave\nhim a mouthful of food outside, and at night, when they went to rest,\nthe two others would not let him have a bed, and at last he was forced\nto creep into the goose-house, and lie down on a little hard straw. In\nthe morning when he awoke, the three days had passed, and a coach came\nwith six horses and they shone so bright that it was delightful to see\nthem! and a servant brought a seventh as well, which was for the poor\nmiller\u2019s boy. And a magnificent princess alighted from the coach and\nwent into the mill, and this princess was the little tabby-cat whom\npoor Hans had served for seven years. She asked the miller where the\nmiller\u2019s boy and drudge was? Then the miller said, \u201cWe cannot have him\nhere in the mill, for he is so ragged; he is lying in the goose-house.\u201d\nThen the King\u2019s daughter said that they were to bring him immediately.\nSo they brought him out, and he had to hold his little smock-frock\ntogether to cover himself. The servants unpacked splendid garments, and\nwashed him and dressed him, and when that was done, no King could have\nlooked more handsome. Then the maiden desired to see the horses which\nthe other apprentices had brought home with them, and one of them was\nblind and the other lame. So she ordered the servant to bring the\nseventh horse, and when the miller saw it, he said that such a horse as\nthat had never yet entered his yard. \u201cAnd that is for the third\nmiller\u2019s boy,\u201d said she. \u201cThen he must have the mill,\u201d said the miller,\nbut the King\u2019s daughter said that the horse was there, and that he was\nto keep his mill as well, and took her faithful Hans and set him in the\ncoach, and drove away with him. They first drove to the little house\nwhich he had built with the silver tools, and behold it was a great\ncastle, and everything inside it was of silver and gold; and then she\nmarried him, and he was rich, so rich that he had enough for all the\nrest of his life. After this, let no one ever say that anyone who is\nsilly can never become a person of importance.\n\n\n\n107 The Two Travellers\n\nHill and vale do not come together, but the children of men do, good\nand bad. In this way a shoemaker and a tailor once met with each other\nin their travels. The tailor was a handsome little fellow who was\nalways merry and full of enjoyment. He saw the shoemaker coming towards\nhim from the other side, and as he observed by his bag what kind of a\ntrade he plied, he sang a little mocking song to him,\n\n\u201cSew me the seam,\nDraw me the thread,\nSpread it over with pitch,\nKnock the nail on the head.\u201d\n\n\nThe shoemaker, however, could not endure a joke; he pulled a face as if\nhe had drunk vinegar, and made a gesture as if he were about to seize\nthe tailor by the throat. But the little fellow began to laugh, reached\nhim his bottle, and said, \u201cNo harm was meant, take a drink, and swallow\nyour anger down.\u201d The shoemaker took a very hearty drink, and the storm\non his face began to clear away. He gave the bottle back to the tailor,\nand said, \u201cI spoke civilly to you; one speaks well after much drinking,\nbut not after much thirst. Shall we travel together?\u201d \u201cAll right,\u201d\nanswered the tailor, \u201cif only it suits you to go into a big town where\nthere is no lack of work.\u201d \u201cThat is just where I want to go,\u201d answered\nthe shoemaker. \u201cIn a small nest there is nothing to earn, and in the\ncountry, people like to go barefoot.\u201d They travelled therefore onwards\ntogether, and always set one foot before the other like a weasel in the\nsnow.\n\nBoth of them had time enough, but little to bite and to break. When\nthey reached a town they went about and paid their respects to the\ntradesmen, and because the tailor looked so lively and merry, and had\nsuch pretty red cheeks, every one gave him work willingly, and when\nluck was good the master\u2019s daughters gave him a kiss beneath the porch,\nas well. When he again fell in with the shoemaker, the tailor had\nalways the most in his bundle. The ill-tempered shoemaker made a wry\nface, and thought, \u201cThe greater the rascal the more the luck,\u201d but the\ntailor began to laugh and to sing, and shared all he got with his\ncomrade. If a couple of pence jingled in his pockets, he ordered good\ncheer, and thumped the table in his joy till the glasses danced, and it\nwas lightly come, lightly go, with him.\n\nWhen they had travelled for some time, they came to a great forest\nthrough which passed the road to the capital. Two foot-paths, however,\nled through it, one of which was a seven days\u2019 journey, and the other\nonly two, but neither of the travellers knew which way was the short\none. They seated themselves beneath an oak-tree, and took counsel\ntogether how they should forecast, and for how many days they should\nprovide themselves with bread. The shoemaker said, \u201cOne must look\nbefore one leaps, I will take with me bread for a week.\u201d \u201cWhat!\u201d said\nthe tailor, \u201cdrag bread for seven days on one\u2019s back like a beast of\nburden, and not be able to look about. I shall trust in God, and not\ntrouble myself about anything! The money I have in my pocket is as good\nin summer as in winter, but in hot weather bread gets dry, and mouldy\ninto the bargain; even my coat does not go as far as it might. Besides,\nwhy should we not find the right way? Bread for two days, and that\u2019s\nenough.\u201d Each, therefore, bought his own bread, and then they tried\ntheir luck in the forest.\n\nIt was as quiet there as in a church. No wind stirred, no brook\nmurmured, no bird sang, and through the thickly-leaved branches no\nsunbeam forced its way. The shoemaker spoke never a word, the heavy\nbread weighed down his back until the perspiration streamed down his\ncross and gloomy face. The tailor, however, was quite merry, he jumped\nabout, whistled on a leaf, or sang a song, and thought to himself, \u201cGod\nin heaven must be pleased to see me so happy.\u201d\n\nThis lasted two days, but on the third the forest would not come to an\nend, and the tailor had eaten up all his bread, so after all his heart\nsank down a yard deeper. In the meantime he did not lose courage, but\nrelied on God and on his luck. On the third day he lay down in the\nevening hungry under a tree, and rose again next morning hungry still;\nso also passed the fourth day, and when the shoemaker seated himself on\na fallen tree and devoured his dinner, the tailor was only a looker-on.\nIf he begged for a little piece of bread the other laughed mockingly,\nand said, \u201cThou hast always been so merry, now thou canst try for once\nwhat it is to be sad: the birds which sing too early in the morning are\nstruck by the hawk in the evening,\u201d In short he was pitiless. But on\nthe fifth morning the poor tailor could no longer stand up, and was\nhardly able to utter one word for weakness; his cheeks were white, and\nhis eyes red. Then the shoemaker said to him, \u201cI will give thee a bit\nof bread to-day, but in return for it, I will put out thy right eye.\u201d\nThe unhappy tailor who still wished to save his life, could not do it\nin any other way; he wept once more with both eyes, and then held them\nout, and the shoemaker, who had a heart of stone, put out his right eye\nwith a sharp knife. The tailor called to remembrance what his mother\nhad formerly said to him when he had been eating secretly in the\npantry. \u201cEat what one can, and suffer what one must.\u201d When he had\nconsumed his dearly-bought bread, he got on his legs again, forgot his\nmisery and comforted himself with the thought that he could always see\nenough with one eye. But on the sixth day, hunger made itself felt\nagain, and gnawed him almost to the heart. In the evening he fell down\nby a tree, and on the seventh morning he could not raise himself up for\nfaintness, and death was close at hand. Then said the shoemaker, \u201cI\nwill show mercy and give thee bread once more, but thou shalt not have\nit for nothing, I shall put out thy other eye for it.\u201d And now the\ntailor felt how thoughtless his life had been, prayed to God for\nforgiveness, and said, \u201cDo what thou wilt, I will bear what I must, but\nremember that our Lord God does not always look on passively, and that\nan hour will come when the evil deed which thou hast done to me, and\nwhich I have not deserved of thee, will be requited. When times were\ngood with me, I shared what I had with thee. My trade is of that kind\nthat each stitch must always be exactly like the other. If I no longer\nhave my eyes and can sew no more I must go a-begging. At any rate do\nnot leave me here alone when I am blind, or I shall die of hunger.\u201d The\nshoemaker, however, who had driven God out of his heart, took the knife\nand put out his left eye. Then he gave him a bit of bread to eat, held\nout a stick to him, and drew him on behind him.\n\nWhen the sun went down, they got out of the forest, and before them in\nthe open country stood the gallows. Thither the shoemaker guided the\nblind tailor, and then left him alone and went his way. Weariness,\npain, and hunger made the wretched man fall asleep, and he slept the\nwhole night. When day dawned he awoke, but knew not where he lay. Two\npoor sinners were hanging on the gallows, and a crow sat on the head of\neach of them. Then one of the men who had been hanged began to speak,\nand said, \u201cBrother, art thou awake?\u201d \u201cYes, I am awake,\u201d answered the\nsecond. \u201cThen I will tell thee something,\u201d said the first; \u201cthe dew\nwhich this night has fallen down over us from the gallows, gives every\none who washes himself with it his eyes again. If blind people did but\nknow this, how many would regain their sight who do not believe that to\nbe possible.\u201d\n\nWhen the tailor heard that, he took his pocket-handkerchief, pressed it\non the grass, and when it was moist with dew, washed the sockets of his\neyes with it. Immediately was fulfilled what the man on the gallows had\nsaid, and a couple of healthy new eyes filled the sockets. It was not\nlong before the tailor saw the sun rise behind the mountains; in the\nplain before him lay the great royal city with its magnificent gates\nand hundred towers, and the golden balls and crosses which were on the\nspires began to shine. He could distinguish every leaf on the trees,\nsaw the birds which flew past, and the midges which danced in the air.\nHe took a needle out of his pocket, and as he could thread it as well\nas ever he had done, his heart danced with delight. He threw himself on\nhis knees, thanked God for the mercy he had shown him, and said his\nmorning prayer. He did not forget also to pray for the poor sinners who\nwere hanging there swinging against each other in the wind like the\npendulums of clocks. Then he took his bundle on his back and soon\nforgot the pain of heart he had endured, and went on his way singing\nand whistling.\n\nThe first thing he met was a brown foal running about the fields at\nlarge. He caught it by the mane, and wanted to spring on it and ride\ninto the town. The foal, however, begged to be set free. \u201cI am still\ntoo young,\u201d it said, \u201ceven a light tailor such as thou art would break\nmy back in two let me go till I have grown strong. A time may perhaps\ncome when I may reward thee for it.\u201d \u201cRun off,\u201d said the tailor, \u201cI see\nthou art still a giddy thing.\u201d He gave it a touch with a switch over\nits back, whereupon it kicked up its hind legs for joy, leapt over\nhedges and ditches, and galloped away into the open country.\n\nBut the little tailor had eaten nothing since the day before. \u201cThe sun\nto be sure fills my eyes,\u201d said he, \u201cbut the bread does not fill my\nmouth. The first thing that comes across me and is even half edible\nwill have to suffer for it.\u201d In the meantime a stork stepped solemnly\nover the meadow towards him. \u201cHalt, halt!\u201d cried the tailor, and seized\nhim by the leg. \u201cI don\u2019t know if thou art good to eat or not, but my\nhunger leaves me no great choice. I must cut thy head off, and roast\nthee.\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t do that,\u201d replied the stork; \u201cI am a sacred bird which\nbrings mankind great profit, and no one does me an injury. Leave me my\nlife, and I may do thee good in some other way.\u201d \u201cWell, be off, Cousin\nLonglegs,\u201d said the tailor. The stork rose up, let its long legs hang\ndown, and flew gently away.\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s to be the end of this?\u201d said the tailor to himself at last, \u201cmy\nhunger grows greater and greater, and my stomach more and more empty.\nWhatsoever comes in my way now is lost.\u201d At this moment he saw a couple\nof young ducks which were on a pond come swimming towards him. \u201cYou\ncome just at the right moment,\u201d said he, and laid hold of one of them\nand was about to wring its neck. On this an old duck which was hidden\namong the reeds, began to scream loudly, and swam to him with open\nbeak, and begged him urgently to spare her dear children. \u201cCanst thou\nnot imagine,\u201d said she, \u201chow thy mother would mourn if any one wanted\nto carry thee off, and give thee thy finishing stroke?\u201d \u201cOnly be\nquiet,\u201d said the good-tempered tailor, \u201cthou shalt keep thy children,\u201d\nand put the prisoner back into the water.\n\nWhen he turned round, he was standing in front of an old tree which was\npartly hollow, and saw some wild bees flying in and out of it. \u201cThere I\nshall at once find the reward of my good deed,\u201d said the tailor, \u201cthe\nhoney will refresh me.\u201d But the Queen-bee came out, threatened him and\nsaid, \u201cIf thou touchest my people, and destroyest my nest, our stings\nshall pierce thy skin like ten thousand red-hot needles. But if thou\nwilt leave us in peace and go thy way, we will do thee a service for it\nanother time.\u201d\n\nThe little tailor saw that here also nothing was to be done. \u201cThree\ndishes empty and nothing on the fourth is a bad dinner!\u201d He dragged\nhimself therefore with his starved-out stomach into the town, and as it\nwas just striking twelve, all was ready-cooked for him in the inn, and\nhe was able to sit down at once to dinner. When he was satisfied he\nsaid, \u201cNow I will get to work.\u201d He went round the town, sought a\nmaster, and soon found a good situation. As, however, he had thoroughly\nlearnt his trade, it was not long before he became famous, and every\none wanted to have his new coat made by the little tailor, whose\nimportance increased daily. \u201cI can go no further in skill,\u201d said he,\n\u201cand yet things improve every day.\u201d At last the King appointed him\ncourt-tailor.\n\nBut how things do happen in the world! On the very same day his former\ncomrade the shoemaker also became court-shoemaker. When the latter\ncaught sight of the tailor, and saw that he had once more two healthy\neyes, his conscience troubled him. \u201cBefore he takes revenge on me,\u201d\nthought he to himself, \u201cI must dig a pit for him.\u201d He, however, who\ndigs a pit for another, falls into it himself. In the evening when work\nwas over and it had grown dusk, he stole to the King and said, \u201cLord\nKing, the tailor is an arrogant fellow and has boasted that he will get\nthe gold crown back again which was lost in ancient times.\u201d \u201cThat would\nplease me very much,\u201d said the King, and he caused the tailor to be\nbrought before him next morning, and ordered him to get the crown back\nagain, or to leave the town for ever. \u201cOho!\u201d thought the tailor, \u201ca\nrogue gives more than he has got. If the surly King wants me to do what\ncan be done by no one, I will not wait till morning, but will go out of\nthe town at once, to-day.\u201d He packed up his bundle, therefore, but when\nhe was without the gate he could not help being sorry to give up his\ngood fortune, and turn his back on the town in which all had gone so\nwell with him. He came to the pond where he had made the acquaintance\nof the ducks; at that very moment the old one whose young ones he had\nspared, was sitting there by the shore, pluming herself with her beak.\nShe knew him again instantly, and asked why he was hanging his head so?\n\u201cThou wilt not be surprised when thou hearest what has befallen me,\u201d\nreplied the tailor, and told her his fate. \u201cIf that be all,\u201d said the\nduck, \u201cwe can help thee. The crown fell into the water, and lies down\nbelow at the bottom; we will soon bring it up again for thee. In the\nmeantime just spread out thy handkerchief on the bank.\u201d She dived down\nwith her twelve young ones, and in five minutes she was up again and\nsat with the crown resting on her wings, and the twelve young ones were\nswimming round about and had put their beaks under it, and were helping\nto carry it. They swam to the shore and put the crown on the\nhandkerchief. No one can imagine how magnificent the crown was; when\nthe sun shone on it, it gleamed like a hundred thousand carbuncles. The\ntailor tied his handkerchief together by the four corners, and carried\nit to the King, who was full of joy, and put a gold chain round the\ntailor\u2019s neck.\n\nWhen the shoemaker saw that one stroke had failed, he contrived a\nsecond, and went to the King and said, \u201cLord King, the tailor has\nbecome insolent again; he boasts that he will copy in wax the whole of\nthe royal palace, with everything that pertains to it, loose or fast,\ninside and out.\u201d The King sent for the tailor and ordered him to copy\nin wax the whole of the royal palace, with everything that pertained to\nit, movable or immovable, within and without, and if he did not succeed\nin doing this, or if so much as one nail on the wall were wanting, he\nshould be imprisoned for his whole life under ground.\n\nThe tailor thought, \u201cIt gets worse and worse! No one can endure that?\u201d\nand threw his bundle on his back, and went forth. When he came to the\nhollow tree, he sat down and hung his head. The bees came flying out,\nand the Queen-bee asked him if he had a stiff neck, since he held his\nhead so awry? \u201cAlas, no,\u201d answered the tailor, \u201csomething quite\ndifferent weighs me down,\u201d and he told her what the King had demanded\nof him. The bees began to buzz and hum amongst themselves, and the\nQueen-bee said, \u201cJust go home again, but come back to-morrow at this\ntime, and bring a large sheet with you, and then all will be well.\u201d So\nhe turned back again, but the bees flew to the royal palace and\nstraight into it through the open windows, crept round about into every\ncorner, and inspected everything most carefully. Then they hurried back\nand modelled the palace in wax with such rapidity that any one looking\non would have thought it was growing before his eyes. By the evening\nall was ready, and when the tailor came next morning, the whole of the\nsplendid building was there, and not one nail in the wall or tile of\nthe roof was wanting, and it was delicate withal, and white as snow,\nand smelt sweet as honey. The tailor wrapped it carefully in his cloth\nand took it to the King, who could not admire it enough, placed it in\nhis largest hall, and in return for it presented the tailor with a\nlarge stone house.\n\nThe shoemaker, however, did not give up, but went for the third time to\nthe King and said, \u201cLord King, it has come to the tailor\u2019s ears that no\nwater will spring up in the court-yard of the castle, and he has\nboasted that it shall rise up in the midst of the court-yard to a man\u2019s\nheight and be clear as crystal.\u201d Then the King ordered the tailor to be\nbrought before him and said, \u201cIf a stream of water does not rise in my\ncourt-yard by to-morrow as thou hast promised, the executioner shall in\nthat very place make thee shorter by the head.\u201d The poor tailor did not\ntake long to think about it, but hurried out to the gate, and because\nthis time it was a matter of life and death to him, tears rolled down\nhis face. Whilst he was thus going forth full of sorrow, the foal to\nwhich he had formerly given its liberty, and which had now become a\nbeautiful chestnut horse, came leaping towards him. \u201cThe time has\ncome,\u201d it said to the tailor, \u201cwhen I can repay thee for thy good deed.\nI know already what is needful to thee, but thou shalt soon have help;\nget on me, my back can carry two such as thou.\u201d The tailor\u2019s courage\ncame back to him; he jumped up in one bound, and the horse went full\nspeed into the town, and right up to the court-yard of the castle. It\ngalloped as quick as lightning thrice round it, and at the third time\nit fell violently down. At the same instant, however, there was a\nterrific clap of thunder, a fragment of earth in the middle of the\ncourt-yard sprang like a cannon-ball into the air, and over the castle,\nand directly after it a jet of water rose as high as a man on\nhorseback, and the water was as pure as crystal, and the sunbeams began\nto dance on it. When the King saw that he arose in amazement, and went\nand embraced the tailor in the sight of all men.\n\nBut good fortune did not last long. The King had daughters in plenty,\none still prettier than the other, but he had no son. So the malicious\nshoemaker betook himself for the fourth time to the King, and said,\n\u201cLord King, the tailor has not given up his arrogance. He has now\nboasted that if he liked, he could cause a son to be brought to the\nLord king through the air.\u201d The King commanded the tailor to be\nsummoned, and said, \u201cIf thou causest a son to be brought to me within\nnine days, thou shalt have my eldest daughter to wife.\u201d \u201cThe reward is\nindeed great,\u201d thought the little tailor; \u201cone would willingly do\nsomething for it, but the cherries grow too high for me, if I climb for\nthem, the bough will break beneath me, and I shall fall.\u201d\n\nHe went home, seated himself cross-legged on his work-table, and\nthought over what was to be done. \u201cIt can\u2019t be managed,\u201d cried he at\nlast, \u201cI will go away; after all I can\u2019t live in peace here.\u201d He tied\nup his bundle and hurried away to the gate. When he got to the meadow,\nhe perceived his old friend the stork, who was walking backwards and\nforwards like a philosopher. Sometimes he stood still, took a frog into\nclose consideration, and at length swallowed it down. The stork came to\nhim and greeted him. \u201cI see,\u201d he began, \u201cthat thou hast thy pack on thy\nback. Why art thou leaving the town?\u201d The tailor told him what the King\nhad required of him, and how he could not perform it, and lamented his\nmisfortune. \u201cDon\u2019t let thy hair grow grey about that,\u201d said the stork,\n\u201cI will help thee out of thy difficulty. For a long time now, I have\ncarried the children in swaddling-clothes into the town, so for once in\na way I can fetch a little prince out of the well. Go home and be easy.\nIn nine days from this time repair to the royal palace, and there will\nI come.\u201d The little tailor went home, and at the appointed time was at\nthe castle. It was not long before the stork came flying thither and\ntapped at the window. The tailor opened it, and cousin Longlegs came\ncarefully in, and walked with solemn steps over the smooth marble\npavement. He had, moreover, a baby in his beak that was as lovely as an\nangel, and stretched out its little hands to the Queen. The stork laid\nit in her lap, and she caressed it and kissed it, and was beside\nherself with delight. Before the stork flew away, he took his\ntravelling bag off his back and handed it over to the Queen. In it\nthere were little paper parcels with colored sweetmeats, and they were\ndivided amongst the little princesses. The eldest, however, had none of\nthem, but got the merry tailor for a husband. \u201cIt seems to me,\u201d said\nhe, \u201cjust as if I had won the highest prize. My mother was if right\nafter all, she always said that whoever trusts in God and only has good\nluck, can never fail.\u201d\n\nThe shoemaker had to make the shoes in which the little tailor danced\nat the wedding festival, after which he was commanded to quit the town\nfor ever. The road to the forest led him to the gallows. Worn out with\nanger, rage, and the heat of the day, he threw himself down. When he\nhad closed his eyes and was about to sleep, the two crows flew down\nfrom the heads of the men who were hanging there, and pecked his eyes\nout. In his madness he ran into the forest and must have died there of\nhunger, for no one has ever either seen him again or heard of him.\n\n\n\n108 Hans the Hedgehog\n\nThere was once a countryman who had money and land in plenty, but how\nrich soever he was, one thing was still wanting in his happiness he had\nno children. Often when he went into the town with the other peasants\nthey mocked him and asked why he had no children. At last he became\nangry, and when he got home he said, \u201cI will have a child, even if it\nbe a hedgehog.\u201d Then his wife had a child, that was a hedgehog in the\nupper part of his body, and a boy in the lower, and when she saw the\nchild, she was terrified, and said, \u201cSee, there thou hast brought\nill-luck on us.\u201d Then said the man, \u201cWhat can be done now? The boy must\nbe christened, but we shall not be able to get a godfather for him.\u201d\nThe woman said, \u201cAnd we cannot call him anything else but Hans the\nHedgehog.\u201d\n\nWhen he was christened, the parson said, \u201cHe cannot go into any\nordinary bed because of his spikes.\u201d So a little straw was put behind\nthe stove, and Hans the Hedgehog was laid on it. His mother could not\nsuckle him, for he would have pricked her with his quills. So he lay\nthere behind the stove for eight years, and his father was tired of him\nand thought, \u201cIf he would but die!\u201d He did not die, however, but\nremained lying there. Now it happened that there was a fair in the\ntown, and the peasant was about to go to it, and asked his wife what he\nshould bring back with him for her. \u201cA little meat and a couple of\nwhite rolls which are wanted for the house,\u201d said she. Then he asked\nthe servant, and she wanted a pair of slippers and some stockings with\nclocks. At last he said also, \u201cAnd what wilt thou have, Hans my\nHedgehog?\u201d \u201cDear father,\u201d he said, \u201cdo bring me bagpipes.\u201d When,\ntherefore, the father came home again, he gave his wife what he had\nbought for her; meat and white rolls, and then he gave the maid the\nslippers, and the stockings with clocks; and, lastly, he went behind\nthe stove, and gave Hans the Hedgehog the bagpipes. And when Hans the\nHedgehog had the bagpipes, he said, \u201cDear father, do go to the forge\nand get the cock shod, and then I will ride away, and never come back\nagain.\u201d On this, the father was delighted to think that he was going to\nget rid of him, and had the cock shod for him, and when it was done,\nHans the Hedgehog got on it, and rode away, but took swine and asses\nwith him which he intended to keep in the forest. When they got there\nhe made the cock fly on to a high tree with him, and there he sat for\nmany a long year, and watched his asses and swine until the herd was\nquite large, and his father knew nothing about him. While he was\nsitting in the tree, however, he played his bagpipes, and made music\nwhich was very beautiful. Once a King came travelling by who had lost\nhis way and heard the music. He was astonished at it, and sent his\nservant forth to look all round and see from whence this music came. He\nspied about, but saw nothing but a little animal sitting up aloft on\nthe tree, which looked like a cock with a hedgehog on it which made\nthis music. Then the King told the servant he was to ask why he sat\nthere, and if he knew the road which led to his kingdom. So Hans the\nHedgehog descended from the tree, and said he would show the way if the\nKing would write a bond and promise him whatever he first met in the\nroyal courtyard as soon as he arrived at home. Then the King thought,\n\u201cI can easily do that, Hans the Hedgehog understands nothing, and I can\nwrite what I like.\u201d So the King took pen and ink and wrote something,\nand when he had done it, Hans the Hedgehog showed him the way, and he\ngot safely home. But his daughter, when she saw him from afar, was so\noverjoyed that she ran to meet him, and kissed him. Then he remembered\nHans the Hedgehog, and told her what had happened, and that he had been\nforced to promise whatsoever first met him when he got home, to a very\nstrange animal which sat on a cock as if it were a horse, and made\nbeautiful music, but that instead of writing that he should have what\nhe wanted, he had written that he should not have it. Thereupon the\nprincess was glad, and said he had done well, for she never would have\ngone away with the Hedgehog.\n\nHans the Hedgehog, however, looked after his asses and pigs, and was\nalways merry and sat on the tree and played his bagpipes.\n\nNow it came to pass that another King came journeying by with his\nattendants and runners, and he also had lost his way, and did not know\nhow to get home again because the forest was so large. He likewise\nheard the beautiful music from a distance, and asked his runner what\nthat could be, and told him to go and see. Then the runner went under\nthe tree, and saw the cock sitting at the top of it, and Hans the\nHedgehog on the cock. The runner asked him what he was about up there?\n\u201cI am keeping my asses and my pigs; but what is your desire?\u201d The\nmessenger said that they had lost their way, and could not get back\ninto their own kingdom, and asked if he would not show them the way.\nThen Hans the Hedgehog got down the tree with the cock, and told the\naged King that he would show him the way, if he would give him for his\nown whatsoever first met him in front of his royal palace. The King\nsaid, \u201cYes,\u201d and wrote a promise to Hans the Hedgehog that he should\nhave this. That done, Hans rode on before him on the cock, and pointed\nout the way, and the King reached his kingdom again in safety. When he\ngot to the courtyard, there were great rejoicings. Now he had an only\ndaughter who was very beautiful; she ran to meet him, threw her arms\nround his neck, and was delighted to have her old father back again.\nShe asked him where in the world he had been so long. So he told her\nhow he had lost his way, and had very nearly not come back at all, but\nthat as he was travelling through a great forest, a creature, half\nhedgehog, half man, who was sitting astride a cock in a high tree, and\nmaking music, had shown him the way and helped him to get out, but that\nin return he had promised him whatsoever first met him in the royal\ncourt-yard, and how that was she herself, which made him unhappy now.\nBut on this she promised that, for love of her father, she would\nwillingly go with this Hans if he came.\n\nHans the Hedgehog, however, took care of his pigs, and the pigs\nmultiplied until they became so many in number that the whole forest\nwas filled with them. Then Hans the Hedgehog resolved not to live in\nthe forest any longer, and sent word to his father to have every stye\nin the village emptied, for he was coming with such a great herd that\nall might kill who wished to do so. When his father heard that, he was\ntroubled, for he thought Hans the Hedgehog had died long ago. Hans the\nHedgehog, however, seated himself on the cock, and drove the pigs\nbefore him into the village, and ordered the slaughter to begin. Ha!\nbut there was a killing and a chopping that might have been heard two\nmiles off! After this Hans the Hedgehog said, \u201cFather, let me have the\ncock shod once more at the forge, and then I will ride away and never\ncome back as long as I live.\u201d Then the father had the cock shod once\nmore, and was pleased that Hans the Hedgehog would never return again.\n\nHans the Hedgehog rode away to the first kingdom. There the King had\ncommanded that whosoever came mounted on a cock and had bagpipes with\nhim should be shot at, cut down, or stabbed by everyone, so that he\nmight not enter the palace. When, therefore, Hans the Hedgehog came\nriding thither, they all pressed forward against him with their pikes,\nbut he spurred the cock and it flew up over the gate in front of the\nKing\u2019s window and lighted there, and Hans cried that the King must give\nhim what he had promised, or he would take both his life and his\ndaughter\u2019s. Then the King began to speak his daughter fair, and to beg\nher to go away with Hans in order to save her own life and her\nfather\u2019s. So she dressed herself in white, and her father gave her a\ncarriage with six horses and magnificent attendants together with gold\nand possessions. She seated herself in the carriage, and placed Hans\nthe Hedgehog beside her with the cock and the bagpipes, and then they\ntook leave and drove away, and the King thought he should never see her\nagain. He was however, deceived in his expectation, for when they were\nat a short distance from the town, Hans the Hedgehog took her pretty\nclothes off, and pierced her with his hedgehog\u2019s skin until she bled\nall over. \u201cThat is the reward of your falseness,\u201d said he, \u201cgo your\nway, I will not have you!\u201d and on that he chased her home again, and\nshe was disgraced for the rest of her life.\n\nHans the Hedgehog, however, rode on further on the cock, with his\nbagpipes, to the dominions of the second King to whom he had shown the\nway. This one, however, had arranged that if any one resembling Hans\nthe Hedgehog should come, they were to present arms, give him safe\nconduct, cry long life to him, and lead him to the royal palace.\n\nBut when the King\u2019s daughter saw him she was terrified, for he looked\nquite too strange. She remembered however, that she could not change\nher mind, for she had given her promise to her father. So Hans the\nHedgehog was welcomed by her, and married to her, and had to go with\nher to the royal table, and she seated herself by his side, and they\nate and drank. When the evening came and they wanted to go to sleep,\nshe was afraid of his quills, but he told her she was not to fear, for\nno harm would befall her, and he told the old King that he was to\nappoint four men to watch by the door of the chamber, and light a great\nfire, and when he entered the room and was about to get into bed, he\nwould creep out of his hedgehog\u2019s skin and leave it lying there by the\nbedside, and that the men were to run nimbly to it, throw it in the\nfire, and stay by it until it was consumed. When the clock struck\neleven, he went into the chamber, stripped off the hedgehog\u2019s skin, and\nleft it lying by the bed. Then came the men and fetched it swiftly, and\nthrew it in the fire; and when the fire had consumed it, he was\ndelivered, and lay there in bed in human form, but he was coal-black as\nif he had been burnt. The King sent for his physician who washed him\nwith precious salves, and anointed him, and he became white, and was a\nhandsome young man. When the King\u2019s daughter saw that she was glad, and\nthe next morning they arose joyfully, ate and drank, and then the\nmarriage was properly solemnized, and Hans the Hedgehog received the\nkingdom from the aged King.\n\nWhen several years had passed he went with his wife to his father, and\nsaid that he was his son. The father, however, declared he had no son\nhe had never had but one, and he had been born like a hedgehog with\nspikes, and had gone forth into the world. Then Hans made himself\nknown, and the old father rejoiced and went with him to his kingdom.\n\nMy tale is done,\nAnd away it has run\nTo little August\u2019s house.\n\n\n\n109 The Shroud\n\nThere was once a mother who had a little boy of seven years old, who\nwas so handsome and lovable that no one could look at him without\nliking him, and she herself worshipped him above everything in the\nworld. Now it so happened that he suddenly became ill, and God took him\nto himself; and for this the mother could not be comforted, and wept\nboth day and night. But soon afterwards, when the child had been\nburied, it appeared by night in the places where it had sat and played\nduring its life, and if the mother wept, it wept also, and when morning\ncame it disappeared. As, however, the mother would not stop crying, it\ncame one night, in the little white shroud in which it had been laid in\nits coffin, and with its wreath of flowers round its head, and stood on\nthe bed at her feet, and said, \u201cOh, mother, do stop crying, or I shall\nnever fall asleep in my coffin, for my shroud will not dry because of\nall thy tears, which fall upon it.\u201d The mother was afraid when she\nheard that, and wept no more. The next night the child came again, and\nheld a little light in its hand, and said, \u201cLook, mother, my shroud is\nnearly dry, and I can rest in my grave.\u201d Then the mother gave her\nsorrow into God\u2019s keeping, and bore it quietly and patiently, and the\nchild came no more, but slept in its little bed beneath the earth.\n\n\n\n110 The Jew Among Thorns\n\nThere was once a rich man, who had a servant who served him diligently\nand honestly: He was every morning the first out of bed, and the last\nto go to rest at night; and, whenever there was a difficult job to be\ndone, which nobody cared to undertake, he was always the first to set\nhimself to it. Moreover, he never complained, but was contented with\neverything, and always merry.\n\nWhen a year was ended, his master gave him no wages, for he said to\nhimself, \u201cThat is the cleverest way; for I shall save something, and he\nwill not go away, but stay quietly in my service.\u201d The servant said\nnothing, but did his work the second year as he had done it the first;\nand when at the end of this, likewise, he received no wages, he made\nhimself happy, and still stayed on.\n\nWhen the third year also was past, the master considered, put his hand\nin his pocket, but pulled nothing out. Then at last the servant said,\n\u201cMaster, for three years I have served you honestly, be so good as to\ngive me what I ought to have, for I wish to leave, and look about me a\nlittle more in the world.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, my good fellow,\u201d answered the old miser; \u201cyou have served me\nindustriously, and, therefore, you shall be cheerfully rewarded;\u201d And\nhe put his hand into his pocket, but counted out only three farthings,\nsaying, \u201cThere, you have a farthing for each year; that is large and\nliberal pay, such as you would have received from few masters.\u201d\n\nThe honest servant, who understood little about money, put his fortune\ninto his pocket, and thought, \u201cAh! now that I have my purse full, why\nneed I trouble and plague myself any longer with hard work!\u201d So on he\nwent, up hill and down dale; and sang and jumped to his heart\u2019s\ncontent. Now it came to pass that as he was going by a thicket a little\nman stepped out, and called to him, \u201cWhither away, merry brother? I see\nyou do not carry many cares.\u201d \u201cWhy should I be sad?\u201d answered the\nservant; \u201cI have enough; three years\u2019 wages are jingling in my pocket.\u201d\n\u201cHow much is your treasure?\u201d the dwarf asked him. \u201cHow much? Three\nfarthings sterling, all told.\u201d \u201cLook here,\u201d said the dwarf, \u201cI am a\npoor needy man, give me your three farthings; I can work no longer, but\nyou are young, and can easily earn your bread.\u201d\n\nAnd as the servant had a good heart, and felt pity for the old man, he\ngave him the three farthings, saying, \u201cTake them in the name of Heaven,\nI shall not be any the worse for it.\u201d\n\nThen the little man said, \u201cAs I see you have a good heart I grant you\nthree wishes, one for each farthing, they shall all be fulfilled.\u201d\n\n\u201cAha?\u201d said the servant, \u201cyou are one of those who can work wonders!\nWell, then, if it is to be so, I wish, first, for a gun, which shall\nhit everything that I aim at; secondly, for a fiddle, which when I play\non it, shall compel all who hear it to dance; thirdly, that if I ask a\nfavor of any one he shall not be able to refuse it.\u201d\n\n\u201cAll that shall you have,\u201d said the dwarf; and put his hand into the\nbush, and only think, there lay a fiddle and gun, all ready, just as if\nthey had been ordered. These he gave to the servant, and then said to\nhim, \u201cWhatever you may ask at any time, no man in the world shall be\nable to deny you.\u201d\n\n\u201cHeart alive! What can one desire more?\u201d said the servant to himself,\nand went merrily onwards. Soon afterwards he met a Jew with a long\ngoat\u2019s-beard, who was standing listening to the song of a bird which\nwas sitting up at the top of a tree. \u201cGood heavens,\u201d he was exclaiming,\n\u201cthat such a small creature should have such a fearfully loud voice! If\nit were but mine! If only someone would sprinkle some salt upon its\ntail!\u201d\n\n\u201cIf that is all,\u201d said the servant, \u201cthe bird shall soon be down here;\u201d\nAnd taking aim he pulled the trigger, and down fell the bird into the\nthorn-bushes. \u201cGo, you rogue,\u201d he said to the Jew, \u201cand fetch the bird\nout for yourself!\u201d\n\n\u201cOh!\u201d said the Jew, \u201cleave out the rogue, my master, and I will do it\nat once. I will get the bird out for myself, as you really have hit\nit.\u201d Then he lay down on the ground, and began to crawl into the\nthicket.\n\nWhen he was fast among the thorns, the good servant\u2019s humor so tempted\nhim that he took up his fiddle and began to play. In a moment the Jew\u2019s\nlegs began to move, and to jump into the air, and the more the servant\nfiddled the better went the dance. But the thorns tore his shabby coat\nfrom him, combed his beard, and pricked and plucked him all over the\nbody. \u201cOh dear,\u201d cried the Jew, \u201cwhat do I want with your fiddling?\nLeave the fiddle alone, master; I do not want to dance.\u201d\n\nBut the servant did not listen to him, and thought, \u201cYou have fleeced\npeople often enough, now the thorn-bushes shall do the same to you;\u201d\nand he began to play over again, so that the Jew had to jump higher\nthan ever, and scraps of his coat were left hanging on the thorns. \u201cOh,\nwoe\u2019s me! cried the Jew; I will give the gentleman whatsoever he asks\nif only he leaves off fiddling a purse full of gold.\u201d \u201cIf you are so\nliberal,\u201d said the servant, \u201cI will stop my music; but this I must say\nto your credit, that you dance to it so well that it is quite an art;\u201d\nand having taken the purse he went his way.\n\nThe Jew stood still and watched the servant quietly until he was far\noff and out of sight, and then he screamed out with all his might, \u201cYou\nmiserable musician, you beer-house fiddler! wait till I catch you\nalone, I will hunt you till the soles of your shoes fall off! You\nragamuffin! just put five farthings in your mouth, and then you may be\nworth three halfpence!\u201d and went on abusing him as fast as he could\nspeak. As soon as he had refreshed himself a little in this way, and\ngot his breath again, he ran into the town to the justice.\n\n\u201cMy lord judge,\u201d he said, \u201cI have come to make a complaint; see how a\nrascal has robbed and ill-treated me on the public highway! a stone on\nthe ground might pity me; my clothes all torn, my body pricked and\nscratched, my little all gone with my purse, good ducats, each piece\nbetter than the last; for God\u2019s sake let the man be thrown into\nprison!\u201d\n\n\u201cWas it a soldier,\u201d said the judge, \u201cwho cut you thus with his sabre?\u201d\n\u201cNothing of the sort!\u201d said the Jew; \u201cit was no sword that he had, but\na gun hanging at his back, and a fiddle at his neck; the wretch may\neasily be known.\u201d\n\nSo the judge sent his people out after the man, and they found the good\nservant, who had been going quite slowly along, and they found, too,\nthe purse with the money upon him. As soon as he was taken before the\njudge he said, \u201cI did not touch the Jew, nor take his money; he gave it\nto me of his own free will, that I might leave off fiddling because he\ncould not bear my music.\u201d \u201cHeaven defend us!\u201d cried the Jew, \u201chis lies\nare as thick as flies upon the wall.\u201d\n\nBut the judge also did not believe his tale, and said, \u201cThis is a bad\ndefence, no Jew would do that.\u201d And because he had committed robbery on\nthe public highway, he sentenced the good servant to be hanged. As he\nwas being led away the Jew again screamed after him, \u201cYou vagabond! you\ndog of a fiddler! now you are going to receive your well-earned\nreward!\u201d The servant walked quietly with the hangman up the ladder, but\nupon the last step he turned round and said to the judge, \u201cGrant me\njust one request before I die.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes, if you do not ask your life,\u201d said the judge. \u201cI do not ask for\nlife,\u201d answered the servant, \u201cbut as a last favor let me play once more\nupon my fiddle.\u201d The Jew raised a great cry of \u201cMurder! murder! for\ngoodness\u2019 sake do not allow it! Do not allow it!\u201d But the judge said,\n\u201cWhy should I not let him have this short pleasure? it has been granted\nto him, and he shall have it.\u201d However, he could not have refused on\naccount of the gift which had been bestowed on the servant.\n\nThen the Jew cried, \u201cOh! woe\u2019s me! tie me, tie me fast!\u201d while the good\nservant took his fiddle from his neck, and made ready. As he gave the\nfirst scrape, they all began to quiver and shake, the judge, his clerk,\nand the hangman and his men, and the cord fell out of the hand of the\none who was going to tie the Jew fast. At the second scrape all raised\ntheir legs, and the hangman let go his hold of the good servant, and\nmade himself ready to dance. At the third scrape they all leaped up and\nbegan to dance; the judge and the Jew being the best at jumping. Soon\nall who had gathered in the market-place out of curiosity were dancing\nwith them; old and young, fat and lean, one with another. The dogs,\nlikewise, which had run there got up on their hind legs and capered\nabout; and the longer he played, the higher sprang the dancers, so that\nthey knocked against each other\u2019s heads, and began to shriek terribly.\n\nAt length the judge cried, quite out of breath, \u201cI will give you your\nlife if you will only stop fiddling.\u201d The good servant thereupon had\ncompassion, took his fiddle and hung it round his neck again, and\nstepped down the ladder. Then he went up to the Jew, who was lying upon\nthe ground panting for breath, and said, \u201cYou rascal, now confess,\nwhence you got the money, or I will take my fiddle and begin to play\nagain.\u201d \u201cI stole it, I stole it!\u201d cried he; \u201cbut you have honestly\nearned it.\u201d So the judge had the Jew taken to the gallows and hanged as\na thief.\n\n\n\n111 The Skilful Huntsman\n\nThere was once a young fellow who had learnt the trade of locksmith,\nand told his father he would now go out into the world and seek his\nfortune. \u201cVery well,\u201d said the father, \u201cI am quite content with that,\u201d\nand gave him some money for his journey. So he travelled about and\nlooked for work. After a time he resolved not to follow the trade of\nlocksmith any more, for he no longer liked it, but he took a fancy for\nhunting. Then there met him in his rambles a huntsman dressed in green,\nwho asked whence he came and whither he was going? The youth said he\nwas a locksmith\u2019s apprentice, but that the trade no longer pleased him,\nand he had a liking for huntsmanship, would he teach it to him? \u201cOh,\nyes,\u201d said the huntsman, \u201cif thou wilt go with me.\u201d Then the young\nfellow went with him, bound himself to him for some years, and learnt\nthe art of hunting. After this he wished to try his luck elsewhere, and\nthe huntsman gave him nothing in the way of payment but an air-gun,\nwhich had, however, this property, that it hit its mark without fail\nwhenever he shot with it. Then he set out and found himself in a very\nlarge forest, which he could not get to the end of in one day. When\nevening came he seated himself in a high tree in order to escape from\nthe wild beasts. Towards midnight, it seemed to him as if a tiny little\nlight glimmered in the distance. Then he looked down through the\nbranches towards it, and kept well in his mind where it was. But in the\nfirst place he took off his hat and threw it down in the direction of\nthe light, so that he might go to the hat as a mark when he had\ndescended. Then he got down and went to his hat, put it on again and\nwent straight forwards. The farther he went, the larger the light grew,\nand when he got close to it he saw that it was an enormous fire, and\nthat three giants were sitting by it, who had an ox on the spit, and\nwere roasting it. Presently one of them said, \u201cI must just taste if the\nmeat will soon be fit to eat,\u201d and pulled a piece off, and was about to\nput it in his mouth when the huntsman shot it out of his hand. \u201cWell,\nreally,\u201d said the giant, \u201cif the wind has not blown the bit out of my\nhand!\u201d and helped himself to another. But when he was just about to\nbite into it, the huntsman again shot it away from him. On this the\ngiant gave the one who was sitting next him a box on the ear, and cried\nangrily, \u201cWhy art thou snatching my piece away from me?\u201d \u201cI have not\nsnatched it away,\u201d said the other, \u201ca sharpshooter must have shot it\naway from thee.\u201d The giant took another piece, but could not, however,\nkeep it in his hand, for the huntsman shot it out. Then the giant said,\n\u201cThat must be a good shot to shoot the bit out of one\u2019s very mouth,\nsuch an one would be useful to us.\u201d And he cried aloud, \u201cCome here,\nthou sharpshooter, seat thyself at the fire beside us and eat thy fill,\nwe will not hurt thee; but if thou wilt not come, and we have to bring\nthee by force, thou art a lost man!\u201d On this the youth went up to them\nand told them he was a skilled huntsman, and that whatever he aimed at\nwith his gun, he was certain to hit. Then they said if he would go with\nthem he should be well treated, and they told him that outside the\nforest there was a great lake, behind which stood a tower, and in the\ntower was imprisoned a lovely princess, whom they wished very much to\ncarry off. \u201cYes,\u201d said he, \u201cI will soon get her for you.\u201d Then they\nadded, \u201cBut there is still something else, there is a tiny little dog,\nwhich begins to bark directly any one goes near, and as soon as it\nbarks every one in the royal palace wakens up, and for this reason we\ncannot get there; canst thou undertake to shoot it dead?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said\nhe, \u201cthat will be a little bit of fun for me.\u201d After this he got into a\nboat and rowed over the lake, and as soon as he landed, the little dog\ncame running out, and was about to bark, but the huntsman took his\nair-gun and shot it dead. When the giants saw that, they rejoiced, and\nthought they already had the King\u2019s daughter safe, but the huntsman\nwished first to see how matters stood, and told them that they must\nstay outside until he called them. Then he went into the castle, and\nall was perfectly quiet within, and every one was asleep. When he\nopened the door of the first room, a sword was hanging on the wall\nwhich was made of pure silver, and there was a golden star on it, and\nthe name of the King, and on a table near it lay a sealed letter which\nhe broke open, and inside it was written that whosoever had the sword\ncould kill everything which opposed him. So he took the sword from the\nwall, hung it at his side and went onwards: then he entered the room\nwhere the King\u2019s daughter was lying sleeping, and she was so beautiful\nthat he stood still and, holding his breath, looked at her. He thought\nto himself, \u201cHow can I give an innocent maiden into the power of the\nwild giants, who have evil in their minds?\u201d He looked about further,\nand under the bed stood a pair of slippers, on the right one was her\nfather\u2019s name with a star, and on the left her own name with a star.\nShe wore also a great neck-kerchief of silk embroidered with gold, and\non the right side was her father\u2019s name, and on the left her own, all\nin golden letters. Then the huntsman took a pair of scissors and cut\nthe right corner off, and put it in his knapsack, and then he also took\nthe right slipper with the King\u2019s name, and thrust that in. Now the\nmaiden still lay sleeping, and she was quite sewn into her night-dress,\nand he cut a morsel from this also, and thrust it in with the rest, but\nhe did all without touching her. Then he went forth and left her lying\nasleep undisturbed, and when he came to the gate again, the giants were\nstill standing outside waiting for him, and expecting that he was\nbringing the princess. But he cried to them that they were to come in,\nfor the maiden was already in their power, that he could not open the\ngate to them, but there was a hole through which they must creep. Then\nthe first approached, and the huntsman wound the giant\u2019s hair round his\nhand, pulled the head in, and cut it off at one stroke with his sword,\nand then drew the rest of him in. He called to the second and cut his\nhead off likewise, and then he killed the third also, and he was well\npleased that he had freed the beautiful maiden from her enemies, and he\ncut out their tongues and put them in his knapsack. Then thought he, \u201cI\nwill go home to my father and let him see what I have already done, and\nafterwards I will travel about the world; the luck which God is pleased\nto grant me will easily find me.\u201d\n\nBut when the King in the castle awoke, he saw the three giants lying\nthere dead. So he went into the sleeping-room of his daughter, awoke\nher, and asked who could have killed the giants? Then said she, \u201cDear\nfather, I know not, I have been asleep.\u201d But when she arose and would\nhave put on her slippers, the right one was gone, and when she looked\nat her neck-kerchief it was cut, and the right corner was missing, and\nwhen she looked at her night-dress a piece was cut out of it. The King\nsummoned his whole court together, soldiers and every one else who was\nthere, and asked who had set his daughter at liberty, and killed the\ngiants? Now it happened that he had a captain, who was one-eyed and a\nhideous man, and he said that he had done it. Then the old King said\nthat as he had accomplished this, he should marry his daughter. But the\nmaiden said, \u201cRather than marry him, dear father, I will go away into\nthe world as far as my legs can carry me.\u201d But the King said that if\nshe would not marry him she should take off her royal garments and wear\npeasant\u2019s clothing, and go forth, and that she should go to a potter,\nand begin a trade in earthen vessels. So she put off her royal apparel,\nand went to a potter and borrowed crockery enough for a stall, and she\npromised him also that if she had sold it by the evening, she would pay\nfor it. Then the King said she was to seat herself in a corner with it\nand sell it, and he arranged with some peasants to drive over it with\ntheir carts, so that everything should be broken into a thousand\npieces. When therefore the King\u2019s daughter had placed her stall in the\nstreet, by came the carts, and broke all she had into tiny fragments.\nShe began to weep and said, \u201cAlas, how shall I ever pay for the pots\nnow?\u201d The King had, however, wished by this to force her to marry the\ncaptain; but instead of that, she again went to the potter, and asked\nhim if he would lend to her once more. He said, \u201cNo,\u201d she must first\npay for the things she had already had. Then she went to her father and\ncried and lamented, and said she would go forth into the world. Then\nsaid he, \u201cI will have a little hut built for thee in the forest\noutside, and in it thou shalt stay all thy life long and cook for every\none, but thou shalt take no money for it.\u201d When the hut was ready, a\nsign was hung on the door whereon was written, \u201cTo-day given, to-morrow\nsold.\u201d There she remained a long time, and it was rumored about the\nworld that a maiden was there who cooked without asking for payment,\nand that this was set forth on a sign outside her door. The huntsman\nheard it likewise, and thought to himself, \u201cThat would suit thee. Thou\nart poor, and hast no money.\u201d So he took his air-gun and his knapsack,\nwherein all the things which he had formerly carried away with him from\nthe castle as tokens of his truthfulness were still lying, and went\ninto the forest, and found the hut with the sign, \u201cTo-day given,\nto-morrow sold.\u201d He had put on the sword with which he had cut off the\nheads of the three giants, and thus entered the hut, and ordered\nsomething to eat to be given to him. He was charmed with the beautiful\nmaiden, who was indeed as lovely as any picture. She asked him whence\nhe came and whither he was going, and he said, \u201cI am roaming about the\nworld.\u201d Then she asked him where he had got the sword, for that truly\nher father\u2019s name was on it. He asked her if she were the King\u2019s\ndaughter. \u201cYes,\u201d answered she. \u201cWith this sword,\u201d said he, \u201cdid I cut\noff the heads of three giants.\u201d And he took their tongues out of his\nknapsack in proof. Then he also showed her the slipper, and the corner\nof the neck-kerchief, and the bit of the night-dress. Hereupon she was\noverjoyed, and said that he was the one who had delivered her. On this\nthey went together to the old King, and fetched him to the hut, and she\nled him into her room, and told him that the huntsman was the man who\nhad really set her free from the giants. And when the aged King saw all\nthe proofs of this, he could no longer doubt, and said that he was very\nglad he knew how everything had happened, and that the huntsman should\nhave her to wife, on which the maiden was glad at heart. Then she\ndressed the huntsman as if he were a foreign lord, and the King ordered\na feast to be prepared. When they went to table, the captain sat on the\nleft side of the King\u2019s daughter, but the huntsman was on the right,\nand the captain thought he was a foreign lord who had come on a visit.\nWhen they had eaten and drunk, the old King said to the captain that he\nwould set before him something which he must guess. \u201cSupposing any one\nsaid that he had killed the three giants and he were asked where the\ngiants\u2019 tongues were, and he were forced to go and look, and there were\nnone in their heads, how could that happen?\u201d The captain said, \u201cThen\nthey cannot have had any.\u201d \u201cNot so,\u201d said the King. \u201cEvery animal has a\ntongue,\u201d and then he likewise asked what any one would deserve who made\nsuch an answer? The captain replied, \u201cHe ought to be torn in pieces.\u201d\nThen the King said he had pronounced his own sentence, and the captain\nwas put in prison and then torn in four pieces; but the King\u2019s daughter\nwas married to the huntsman. After this he brought his father and\nmother, and they lived with their son in happiness, and after the death\nof the old King he received the kingdom.\n\n\n\n112 The Flail From Heaven\n\nA countryman was once going out to plough with a pair of oxen. When he\ngot to the field, both the animals\u2019 horns began to grow, and went on\ngrowing, and when he wanted to go home they were so big that the oxen\ncould not get through the gateway for them. By good luck a butcher came\nby just then, and he delivered them over to him, and made the bargain\nin this way, that he should take the butcher a measure of turnip-seed,\nand then the butcher was to count him out a Brabant thaler for every\nseed. I call that well sold! The peasant now went home, and carried the\nmeasure of turnip-seed to him on his back. On the way, however, he lost\none seed out of the bag. The butcher paid him justly as agreed on, and\nif the peasant had not lost the seed, he would have had one thaler the\nmore. In the meantime, when he went on his way back, the seed had grown\ninto a tree which reached up to the sky. Then thought the peasant, \u201cAs\nthou hast the chance, thou must just see what the angels are doing up\nthere above, and for once have them before thine eyes.\u201d So he climbed\nup, and saw that the angels above were threshing oats, and he looked\non. While he was thus watching them, he observed that the tree on which\nhe was standing, was beginning to totter; he peeped down, and saw that\nsomeone was just going to cut it down. \u201cIf I were to fall down from\nhence it would be a bad thing,\u201d thought he, and in his necessity he did\nnot know how to save himself better than by taking the chaff of the\noats which lay there in heaps, and twisting a rope of it. He likewise\nsnatched a hoe and a flail which were lying about in heaven, and let\nhimself down by the rope. But he came down on the earth exactly in the\nmiddle of a deep, deep hole. So it was a real piece of luck that he had\nbrought the hoe, for he hoed himself a flight of steps with it, and\nmounted up, and took the flail with him as a token of his truth, so\nthat no one could have any doubt of his story.\n\n\n\n113 The Two Kings\u2019 Children\n\nThere was once on a time a King who had a little boy of whom it had\nbeen foretold that he should be killed by a stag when he was sixteen\nyears of age, and when he had reached that age the huntsmen once went\nhunting with him. In the forest, the King\u2019s son was separated from the\nothers, and all at once he saw a great stag which he wanted to shoot,\nbut could not hit. At length he chased the stag so far that they were\nquite out of the forest, and then suddenly a great tall man was\nstanding there instead of the stag, and said, \u201cIt is well that I have\nthee. I have already ruined six pairs of glass skates with running\nafter thee, and have not been able to get thee.\u201d Then he took the\nKing\u2019s son with him, and dragged him through a great lake to a great\npalace, and then he had to sit down to table with him and eat\nsomething. When they had eaten something together the King said, \u201cI\nhave three daughters, thou must keep watch over the eldest for one\nnight, from nine in the evening till six in the morning, and every time\nthe clock strikes, I will come myself and call, and if thou then givest\nme no answer, to-morrow morning thou shall be put to death, but if thou\nalways givest me an answer, thou shalt have her to wife.\u201d\n\nWhen the young folks went to the bed-room there stood a stone image of\nSt. Christopher, and the King\u2019s daughter said to it, \u201cMy father will\ncome at nine o\u2019clock, and every hour till it strikes three; when he\ncalls, give him an answer instead of the King\u2019s son.\u201d Then the stone\nimage of St. Christopher nodded its head quite quickly, and then more\nand more slowly till at last it stood still. The next morning the King\nsaid to him, \u201cThou hast done the business well, but I cannot give my\ndaughter away. Thou must now watch a night by my second daughter, and\nthen I will consider with myself, whether thou canst have my eldest\ndaughter to wife, but I shall come every hour myself, and when I call\nthee, answer me, and if I call thee and thou dost not reply, thy blood\nshall flow.\u201d Then they both went into the sleeping-room, and there\nstood a still larger stone image of St. Christopher, and the King\u2019s\ndaughter said to it, \u201cIf my father calls, do you answer him.\u201d Then the\ngreat stone image of St. Christopher again nodded its head quite\nquickly and then more and more slowly, until at last it stood still\nagain. And the King\u2019s son lay down on the threshold, put his hand under\nhis head and slept. The next morning the King said to him, \u201cThou hast\ndone the business really well, but I cannot give my daughter away; thou\nmust now watch a night by the youngest princess, and then I will\nconsider with myself whether thou canst have my second daughter to\nwife, but I shall come every hour myself, and when I call thee answer\nme, and if I call thee and thou answerest not, thy blood shall flow for\nme.\u201d\n\nThen they once more went to the sleeping-room together, and there was a\nmuch greater and much taller image of St. Christopher than the two\nfirst had been. The King\u2019s daughter said to it, \u201cWhen my father calls,\ndo thou answer.\u201d Then the great tall stone image of St. Christopher\nnodded quite half an hour with its head, until at length the head stood\nstill again. And the King\u2019s son laid himself down on the threshold of\nthe door and slept. The next morning the King said, \u201cThou hast indeed\nwatched well, but I cannot give thee my daughter now; I have a great\nforest, if thou cuttest it down for me between six o\u2019clock this morning\nand six at night, I will think about it.\u201d Then he gave him a glass axe,\na glass wedge, and a glass mallet. When he got into the wood, he began\nat once to cut, but the axe broke in two, then he took the wedge, and\nstruck it once with the mallet, and it became as short and as small as\nsand. Then he was much troubled and believed he would have to die, and\nsat down and wept.\n\nNow when it was noon the King said, \u201cOne of you girls must take him\nsomething to eat.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said the two eldest, \u201cWe will not take it to\nhim; the one by whom he last watched, can take him something.\u201d Then the\nyoungest was forced to go and take him something to eat. When she got\ninto the forest, she asked him how he was getting on? \u201cOh,\u201d said he, \u201cI\nam getting on very badly.\u201d Then she said he was to come and just eat a\nlittle. \u201cNay,\u201d said he, \u201cI cannot do that, I shall still have to die,\nso I will eat no more.\u201d Then she spoke so kindly to him and begged him\njust to try, that he came and ate something. When he had eaten\nsomething she said, \u201cI will comb thy hair a while, and then thou wilt\nfeel happier.\u201d\n\nSo she combed his hair, and he became weary and fell asleep, and then\nshe took her handkerchief and made a knot in it, and struck it three\ntimes on the earth, and said, \u201cEarth-workers, come forth.\u201d In a moment,\nnumbers of little earth-men came forth, and asked what the King\u2019s\ndaughter commanded? Then said she, \u201cIn three hours\u2019 time the great\nforest must be cut down, and the whole of the wood laid in heaps.\u201d So\nthe little earth-men went about and got together the whole of their\nkindred to help them with the work. They began at once, and when the\nthree hours were over, all was done, and they came back to the King\u2019s\ndaughter and told her so. Then she took her white handkerchief again\nand said, \u201cEarth-workers, go home.\u201d On this they all disappeared. When\nthe King\u2019s son awoke, he was delighted, and she said, \u201cCome home when\nit has struck six o\u2019clock.\u201d He did as she told him, and then the King\nasked, \u201cHast thou made away with the forest?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said the King\u2019s\nson. When they were sitting at table, the King said, \u201cI cannot yet give\nthee my daughter to wife, thou must still do something more for her\nsake.\u201d So he asked what it was to be, then? \u201cI have a great fish-pond,\u201d\nsaid the King. \u201cThou must go to it to-morrow morning and clear it of\nall mud until it is as bright as a mirror, and fill it with every kind\nof fish.\u201d The next morning the King gave him a glass shovel and said,\n\u201cThe fish-pond must be done by six o\u2019clock.\u201d So he went away, and when\nhe came to the fish-pond he stuck his shovel in the mud and it broke in\ntwo, then he stuck his hoe in the mud, and broke it also. Then he was\nmuch troubled. At noon the youngest daughter brought him something to\neat, and asked him how he was getting on? So the King\u2019s son said\neverything was going very ill with him, and he would certainly have to\nlose his head. \u201cMy tools have broken to pieces again.\u201d \u201cOh,\u201d said she,\n\u201cthou must just come and eat something, and then thou wilt be in\nanother frame of mind.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said he, \u201cI cannot eat, I am far too\nunhappy for that!\u201d Then she gave him many good words until at last he\ncame and ate something. Then she combed his hair again, and he fell\nasleep, so once more she took her handkerchief, tied a knot in it, and\nstruck the ground thrice with the knot, and said, \u201cEarth-workers, come\nforth.\u201d In a moment a great many little earth-men came and asked what\nshe desired, and she told them that in three hours\u2019 time, they must\nhave the fish-pond entirely cleaned out, and it must be so clear that\npeople could see themselves reflected in it, and every kind of fish\nmust be in it. The little earth-men went away and summoned all their\nkindred to help them, and in two hours it was done. Then they returned\nto her and said, \u201cWe have done as thou hast commanded.\u201d The King\u2019s\ndaughter took the handkerchief and once more struck thrice on the\nground with it, and said, \u201cEarth-workers, go home again.\u201d Then they all\nwent away.\n\nWhen the King\u2019s son awoke the fish-pond was done. Then the King\u2019s\ndaughter went away also, and told him that when it was six he was to\ncome to the house. When he arrived at the house the King asked, \u201cHast\nthou got the fish-pond done?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said the King\u2019s son. That was very\ngood.\n\nWhen they were again sitting at table the King said, \u201cThou hast\ncertainly done the fish-pond, but I cannot give thee my daughter yet;\nthou must just do one thing more.\u201d \u201cWhat is that, then?\u201d asked the\nKing\u2019s son. The King said he had a great mountain on which there was\nnothing but briars which must all be cut down, and at the top of it the\nyouth must build up a great castle, which must be as strong as could be\nconceived, and all the furniture and fittings belonging to a castle\nmust be inside it. And when he arose next morning the King gave him a\nglass axe and a glass gimlet with him, and he was to have all done by\nsix o\u2019clock. As he was cutting down the first briar with the axe, it\nbroke off short, and so small that the pieces flew all round about, and\nhe could not use the gimlet either. Then he was quite miserable, and\nwaited for his dearest to see if she would not come and help him in his\nneed. When it was mid-day she came and brought him something to eat. He\nwent to meet her and told her all, and ate something, and let her comb\nhis hair and fell asleep. Then she once more took the knot and struck\nthe earth with it, and said, \u201cEarth-workers, come forth!\u201d Then came\nonce again numbers of earth-men, and asked what her desire was. Then\nsaid she, \u201cIn the space of three hours they must cut down the whole of\nthe briars, and a castle must be built on the top of the mountain that\nmust be as strong as any one could conceive, and all the furniture that\npertains to a castle must be inside it.\u201d They went away, and summoned\ntheir kindred to help them and when the time was come, all was ready.\nThen they came to the King\u2019s daughter and told her so, and the King\u2019s\ndaughter took her handkerchief and struck thrice on the earth with it,\nand said, \u201cEarth-workers, go home,\u201d on which they all disappeared. When\ntherefore the King\u2019s son awoke and saw everything done, he was as happy\nas a bird in air.\n\nWhen it had struck six, they went home together. Then said the King,\n\u201cIs the castle ready?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said the King\u2019s son. When they sat down\nto table, the King said, \u201cI cannot give away my youngest daughter until\nthe two eldest are married.\u201d Then the King\u2019s son and the King\u2019s\ndaughter were quite troubled, and the King\u2019s son had no idea what to\ndo. But he went by night to the King\u2019s daughter and ran away with her.\nWhen they had got a little distance away, the King\u2019s daughter peeped\nround and saw her father behind her. \u201cOh,\u201d said she, \u201cwhat are we to\ndo? My father is behind us, and will take us back with him. I will at\nonce change thee into a briar, and myself into a rose, and I will\nshelter myself in the midst of the bush.\u201d When the father reached the\nplace, there stood a briar with one rose on it, then he was about to\ngather the rose, when the thorn came and pricked his finger so that he\nwas forced to go home again. His wife asked why he had not brought\ntheir daughter back with him? So he said he had nearly got up to her,\nbut that all at once he had lost sight of her, and a briar with one\nrose was growing on the spot.\n\nThen said the Queen, \u201cIf thou hadst but gathered the rose, the briar\nwould have been forced to come too.\u201d So he went back again to fetch the\nrose, but in the meantime the two were already far over the plain, and\nthe King ran after them. Then the daughter once more looked round and\nsaw her father coming, and said, \u201cOh, what shall we do now? I will\ninstantly change thee into a church and myself into a priest, and I\nwill stand up in the pulpit, and preach.\u201d When the King got to the\nplace, there stood a church, and in the pulpit was a priest preaching.\nSo he listened to the sermon, and then went home again.\n\nThen the Queen asked why he had not brought their daughter with him,\nand he said, \u201cNay, I ran a long time after her, and just as I thought I\nshould soon overtake her, a church was standing there and a priest was\nin the pulpit preaching.\u201d \u201cThou shouldst just have brought the priest,\u201d\nsaid his wife, \u201cand then the church would soon have come. It is no use\nto send thee, I must go there myself.\u201d When she had walked for some\ntime, and could see the two in the distance, the King\u2019s daughter peeped\nround and saw her mother coming, and said, \u201cNow we are undone, for my\nmother is coming herself: I will immediately change thee into a\nfish-pond and myself into a fish.\n\nWhen the mother came to the place, there was a large fish-pond, and in\nthe midst of it a fish was leaping about and peeping out of the water,\nand it was quite merry. She wanted to catch the fish, but she could\nnot. Then she was very angry, and drank up the whole pond in order to\ncatch the fish, but it made her so ill that she was forced to vomit,\nand vomited the whole pond out again. Then she cried, \u201cI see very well\nthat nothing can be done now,\u201d and said that now they might come back\nto her. Then the King\u2019s daughter went back again, and the Queen gave\nher daughter three walnuts, and said, \u201cWith these thou canst help\nthyself when thou art in thy greatest need.\u201d So the young folks went\nonce more away together. And when they had walked quite ten miles, they\narrived at the castle from whence the King\u2019s son came, and close by it\nwas a village. When they reached it, the King\u2019s son said, \u201cStay here,\nmy dearest, I will just go to the castle, and then will I come with a\ncarriage and with attendants to fetch thee.\u201d\n\nWhen he got to the castle they all rejoiced greatly at having the\nKing\u2019s son back again, and he told them he had a bride who was now in\nthe village, and they must go with the carriage to fetch her. Then they\nharnessed the horses at once, and many attendants seated themselves\noutside the carriage. When the King\u2019s son was about to get in, his\nmother gave him a kiss, and he forgot everything which had happened,\nand also what he was about to do. On this his mother ordered the horses\nto be taken out of the carriage again, and everyone went back into the\nhouse. But the maiden sat in the village and watched and watched, and\nthought he would come and fetch her, but no one came. Then the King\u2019s\ndaughter took service in the mill which belonged to the castle, and was\nobliged to sit by the pond every afternoon and clean the tubs.\n\nAnd the Queen came one day on foot from the castle, and went walking by\nthe pond, and saw the well-grown maiden sitting there, and said, \u201cWhat\na fine strong girl that is! She pleases me well!\u201d Then she and all with\nher looked at the maid, but no one knew her. So a long time passed by\nduring which the maiden served the miller honorably and faithfully. In\nthe meantime, the Queen had sought a wife for her son, who came from\nquite a distant part of the world. When the bride came, they were at\nonce to be married. And many people hurried together, all of whom\nwanted to see everything. Then the girl said to the miller that he\nmight be so good as to give her leave to go also. So the miller said,\n\u201cYes, do go there.\u201d When she was about to go, she opened one of the\nthree walnuts, and a beautiful dress lay inside it. She put it on, and\nwent into the church and stood by the altar. Suddenly came the bride\nand bridegroom, and seated themselves before the altar, and when the\npriest was just going to bless them, the bride peeped half round and\nsaw the maiden standing there. Then she stood up again, and said she\nwould not be given away until she also had as beautiful a dress as that\nlady there. So they went back to the house again, and sent to ask the\nlady if she would sell that dress. No, she would not sell it, but the\nbride might perhaps earn it. Then the bride asked her how she was to do\nthis? Then the maiden said if she might sleep one night outside the\nKing\u2019s son\u2019s door, the bride might have what she wanted. So the bride\nsaid, \u201cYes, she was willing to do that.\u201d But the servants were ordered\nto give the King\u2019s son a sleeping-drink, and then the maiden laid\nherself down on the threshold and lamented all night long. She had had\nthe forest cut down for him, she had had the fish-pond cleaned out for\nhim, she had had the castle built for him, she had changed him into a\nbriar, and then into a church, and at last into a fish-pond, and yet he\nhad forgotten her so quickly. The King\u2019s son did not hear one word of\nit, but the servants had been awakened, and had listened to it, and had\nnot known what it could mean. The next morning when they were all up,\nthe bride put on the dress, and went away to the church with the\nbridegroom. In the meantime the maiden opened the second walnut, and a\nstill more beautiful dress was inside it. She put it on, and went and\nstood by the altar in the church, and everything happened as it had\nhappened the time before. And the maiden again lay all night on the\nthreshold which led to the chamber of the King\u2019s son, and the servant\nwas once more to give him a sleeping-drink. The servant, however, went\nto him and gave him something to keep him awake, and then the King\u2019s\nson went to bed, and the miller\u2019s maiden bemoaned herself as before on\nthe threshold of the door, and told of all that she had done. All this\nthe King\u2019s son heard, and was sore troubled, and what was past came\nback to him. Then he wanted to go to her, but his mother had locked the\ndoor. The next morning, however, he went at once to his beloved, and\ntold her everything which had happened to him, and prayed her not to be\nangry with him for having forgotten her. Then the King\u2019s daughter\nopened the third walnut, and within it was a still more magnificent\ndress, which she put on, and went with her bridegroom to church, and\nnumbers of children came who gave them flowers, and offered them gay\nribbons to bind about their feet, and they were blessed by the priest,\nand had a merry wedding. But the false mother and the bride had to\ndepart. And the mouth of the person who last told all this is still\nwarm.\n\n\n\n114 The Cunning Little Tailor\n\nThere was once on a time a princess who was extremely proud. If a wooer\ncame she gave him some riddle to guess, and if he could not find it\nout, he was sent contemptuously away. She let it be made known also\nthat whosoever solved her riddle should marry her, let him be who he\nmight. At length, therefore, three tailors fell in with each other, the\ntwo eldest of whom thought they had done so many dexterous bits of work\nsuccessfully that they could not fail to succeed in this also; the\nthird was a little useless land-louper, who did not even know his\ntrade, but thought he must have some luck in this venture, for where\nelse was it to come from? Then the two others said to him, \u201cJust stay\nat home; thou canst not do much with thy little bit of understanding.\u201d\nThe little tailor, however, did not let himself be discouraged, and\nsaid he had set his head to work about this for once, and he would\nmanage well enough, and he went forth as if the whole world were his.\n\nThey all three announced themselves to the princess, and said she was\nto propound her riddle to them, and that the right persons were now\ncome, who had understandings so fine that they could be threaded in a\nneedle. Then said the princess, \u201cI have two kinds of hair on my head,\nof what color is it?\u201d \u201cIf that be all,\u201d said the first, \u201cit must be\nblack and white, like the cloth which is called pepper and salt.\u201d The\nprincess said, \u201cWrongly guessed; let the second answer.\u201d Then said the\nsecond, \u201cIf it be not black and white, then it is brown and red, like\nmy father\u2019s company coat.\u201d \u201cWrongly guessed,\u201d said the princess, \u201clet\nthe third give the answer, for I see very well he knows it for\ncertain.\u201d Then the little tailor stepped boldly forth and said, \u201cThe\nprincess has a silver and a golden hair on her head, and those are the\ntwo different colors.\u201d When the princess heard that, she turned pale\nand nearly fell down with terror, for the little tailor had guessed her\nriddle, and she had firmly believed that no man on earth could discover\nit. When her courage returned she said, \u201cThou hast not won me yet by\nthat; there is still something else that thou must do. Below, in the\nstable is a bear with which thou shalt pass the night, and when I get\nup in the morning if thou art still alive, thou shalt marry me.\u201d She\nexpected, however, she should thus get rid of the tailor, for the bear\nhad never yet left any one alive who had fallen into his clutches. The\nlittle tailor did not let himself be frightened away, but was quite\ndelighted, and said, \u201cBoldly ventured is half won.\u201d\n\nWhen therefore the evening came, our little tailor was taken down to\nthe bear. The bear was about to set at the little fellow at once, and\ngive him a hearty welcome with his paws: \u201cSoftly, softly,\u201d said the\nlittle tailor, \u201cI will soon make thee quiet.\u201d Then quite composedly,\nand as if he had not an anxiety in the world, he took some nuts out of\nhis pocket, cracked them, and ate the kernels. When the bear saw that,\nhe was seized with a desire to have some nuts too. The tailor felt in\nhis pockets, and reached him a handful; they were, however, not nuts,\nbut pebbles. The bear put them in his mouth, but could get nothing out\nof them, let him bite as he would. \u201cEh!\u201d thought he, \u201cwhat a stupid\nblockhead I am! I cannot even crack a nut!\u201d and then he said to the\ntailor, \u201cHere, crack me the nuts.\u201d \u201cThere, see what a stupid fellow\nthou art!\u201d said the little tailor, \u201cto have such a great mouth, and not\nbe able to crack a small nut!\u201d Then he took the pebble and nimbly put a\nnut in his mouth in the place of it, and crack, it was in two! \u201cI must\ntry the thing again,\u201d said the bear; \u201cwhen I watch you, I then think I\nought to be able to do it too.\u201d So the tailor once more gave him a\npebble, and the bear tried and tried to bite into it with all the\nstrength of his body. But no one will imagine that he accomplished it.\nWhen that was over, the tailor took out a violin from beneath his coat,\nand played a piece of it to himself. When the bear heard the music, he\ncould not help beginning to dance, and when he had danced a while, the\nthing pleased him so well that he said to the little tailor, \u201cHark you,\nis the fiddle heavy?\u201d \u201cLight enough for a child. Look, with the left\nhand I lay my fingers on it, and with the right I stroke it with the\nbow, and then it goes merrily, hop sa sa vivallalera!\u201d \u201cSo,\u201d said the\nbear; \u201cfiddling is a thing I should like to understand too, that I\nmight dance whenever I had a fancy. What dost thou think of that? Wilt\nthou give me lessons?\u201d \u201cWith all my heart,\u201d said the tailor, \u201cif thou\nhast a talent for it. But just let me see thy claws, they are terribly\nlong, I must cut thy nails a little.\u201d Then a vise was brought, and the\nbear put his claws in it, and the little tailor screwed it tight, and\nsaid, \u201cNow wait until I come with the scissors,\u201d and he let the bear\ngrowl as he liked, and lay down in the corner on a bundle of straw, and\nfell asleep.\n\nWhen the princess heard the bear growling so fiercely during the night,\nshe believed nothing else but that he was growling for joy, and had\nmade an end of the tailor. In the morning she arose careless and happy,\nbut when she peeped into the stable, the tailor stood gaily before her,\nand was as healthy as a fish in water. Now she could not say another\nword against the wedding because she had given a promise before every\none, and the King ordered a carriage to be brought in which she was to\ndrive to church with the tailor, and there she was to be married. When\nthey had got into the carriage, the two other tailors, who had false\nhearts and envied him his good fortune, went into the stable and\nunscrewed the bear again. The bear in great fury ran after the\ncarriage. The princess heard him snorting and growling; she was\nterrified, and she cried, \u201cAh, the bear is behind us and wants to get\nthee!\u201d The tailor was quick and stood on his head, stuck his legs out\nof the window, and cried, \u201cDost thou see the vise? If thou dost not be\noff thou shalt be put into it again.\u201d When the bear saw that, he turned\nround and ran away. The tailor drove quietly to church, and the\nprincess was married to him at once, and he lived with her as happy as\na woodlark. Whosoever does not believe this, must pay a thaler.\n\n\n\n115 The Bright Sun Brings It to Light\n\nA tailor\u2019s apprentice was travelling about the world in search of work,\nand at one time he could find none, and his poverty was so great that\nhe had not a farthing to live on. Presently he met a Jew on the road,\nand as he thought he would have a great deal of money about him, the\ntailor thrust God out of his heart, fell on the Jew, and said, \u201cGive me\nthy money, or I will strike thee dead.\u201d Then said the Jew, \u201cGrant me my\nlife, I have no money but eight farthings.\u201d But the tailor said, \u201cMoney\nthou hast; and it shall be produced,\u201d and used violence and beat him\nuntil he was near death. And when the Jew was dying, the last words he\nsaid were, \u201cThe bright sun will bring it to light,\u201d and thereupon he\ndied. The tailor\u2019s apprentice felt in his pockets and sought for money,\nbut he found nothing but eight farthings, as the Jew had said. Then he\ntook him up and carried him behind a clump of trees, and went onwards\nto seek work. After he had traveled about a long while, he got work in\na town with a master who had a pretty daughter, with whom he fell in\nlove, and he married her, and lived in good and happy wedlock.\n\nAfter a long time when he and his wife had two children, the wife\u2019s\nfather and mother died, and the young people kept house alone. One\nmorning, when the husband was sitting on the table before the window,\nhis wife brought him his coffee, and when he had poured it out into the\nsaucer, and was just going to drink, the sun shone on it and the\nreflection gleamed hither and thither on the wall above, and made\ncircles on it. Then the tailor looked up and said, \u201cYes, it would like\nvery much to bring it to light, and cannot!\u201d The woman said, \u201cOh, dear\nhusband, and what is that, then?\u201d \u201cWhat dost thou mean by that?\u201d He\nanswered, \u201cI must not tell thee.\u201d But she said, \u201cIf thou lovest me,\nthou must tell me,\u201d and used her most affectionate words, and said that\nno one should ever know it, and left him no rest. Then he told her how\nyears ago, when he was travelling about seeking work and quite worn out\nand penniless, he had killed a Jew, and that in the last agonies of\ndeath, the Jew had spoken the words, \u201cThe bright sun will bring it to\nlight.\u201d And now, the sun had just wanted to bring it to light, and had\ngleamed and made circles on the wall, but had not been able to do it.\nAfter this, he again charged her particularly never to tell this, or he\nwould lose his life, and she did promise. When however, he had sat down\nto work again, she went to her great friend and confided the story to\nher, but she was never to repeat it to any human being, but before two\ndays were over, the whole town knew it, and the tailor was brought to\ntrial, and condemned. And thus, after all, the bright sun did bring it\nto light.\n\n\n\n116 The Blue Light\n\nThere was once on a time a soldier who for many years had served the\nKing faithfully, but when the war came to an end could serve no longer\nbecause of the many wounds which he had received. The King said to him,\n\u201cThou mayst return to thy home, I need thee no longer, and thou wilt\nnot receive any more money, for he only receives wages who renders me\nservice for them.\u201d Then the soldier did not know how to earn a living,\nwent away greatly troubled, and walked the whole day, until in the\nevening he entered a forest. When darkness came on, he saw a light,\nwhich he went up to, and came to a house wherein lived a witch. \u201cDo\ngive me one night\u2019s lodging, and a little to eat and drink,\u201d said he to\nher, \u201cor I shall starve.\u201d \u201cOho!\u201d she answered, \u201cwho gives anything to a\nrun-away soldier? Yet will I be compassionate, and take you in, if you\nwill do what I wish.\u201d \u201cWhat do you wish?\u201d said the soldier. \u201cThat you\nshould dig all round my garden for me, tomorrow.\u201d The soldier\nconsented, and next day labored with all his strength, but could not\nfinish it by the evening. \u201cI see well enough,\u201d said the witch, \u201cthat\nyou can do no more to-day, but I will keep you yet another night, in\npayment for which you must to-morrow chop me a load of wood, and make\nit small.\u201d The soldier spent the whole day in doing it, and in the\nevening the witch proposed that he should stay one night more.\n\u201cTo-morrow, you shall only do me a very trifling piece of work. Behind\nmy house, there is an old dry well, into which my light has fallen, it\nburns blue, and never goes out, and you shall bring it up again for\nme.\u201d Next day the old woman took him to the well, and let him down in a\nbasket. He found the blue light, and made her a signal to draw him up\nagain. She did draw him up, but when he came near the edge, she\nstretched down her hand and wanted to take the blue light away from\nhim. \u201cNo,\u201d said he, perceiving her evil intention, \u201cI will not give\nthee the light until I am standing with both feet upon the ground.\u201d The\nwitch fell into a passion, let him down again into the well, and went\naway.\n\nThe poor soldier fell without injury on the moist ground, and the blue\nlight went on burning, but of what use was that to him? He saw very\nwell that he could not escape death. He sat for a while very\nsorrowfully, then suddenly he felt in his pocket and found his tobacco\npipe, which was still half full. \u201cThis shall be my last pleasure,\u201d\nthought he, pulled it out, lit it at the blue light and began to smoke.\nWhen the smoke had circled about the cavern, suddenly a little black\ndwarf stood before him, and said, \u201cLord, what are thy commands?\u201d \u201cWhat\ncommands have I to give thee?\u201d replied the soldier, quite astonished.\n\u201cI must do everything thou biddest me,\u201d said the little man. \u201cGood,\u201d\nsaid the soldier; \u201cthen in the first place help me out of this well.\u201d\nThe little man took him by the hand, and led him through an underground\npassage, but he did not forget to take the blue light with him. On the\nway the dwarf showed him the treasures which the witch had collected\nand hidden there, and the soldier took as much gold as he could carry.\nWhen he was above, he said to the little man, \u201cNow go and bind the old\nwitch, and carry her before the judge.\u201d In a short time she, with\nfrightful cries, came riding by, as swift as the wind on a wild\ntom-cat, nor was it long after that before the little man re-appeared.\n\u201cIt is all done,\u201d said he, \u201cand the witch is already hanging on the\ngallows. What further commands has my lord?\u201d inquired the dwarf. \u201cAt\nthis moment, none,\u201d answered the soldier; \u201cThou canst return home, only\nbe at hand immediately, if I summon thee.\u201d \u201cNothing more is needed than\nthat thou shouldst light thy pipe at the blue light, and I will appear\nbefore thee at once.\u201d Thereupon he vanished from his sight.\n\nThe soldier returned to the town from which he had come. He went to the\nbest inn, ordered himself handsome clothes, and then bade the landlord\nfurnish him a room as handsomely as possible. When it was ready and the\nsoldier had taken possession of it, he summoned the little black\nmannikin and said, \u201cI have served the King faithfully, but he has\ndismissed me, and left me to hunger, and now I want to take my\nrevenge.\u201d \u201cWhat am I to do?\u201d asked the little man. \u201cLate at night, when\nthe King\u2019s daughter is in bed, bring her here in her sleep, she shall\ndo servant\u2019s work for me.\u201d The mannikin said, \u201cThat is an easy thing\nfor me to do, but a very dangerous thing for you, for if it is\ndiscovered, you will fare ill.\u201d When twelve o\u2019clock had struck, the\ndoor sprang open, and the mannikin carried in the princess. \u201cAha! art\nthou there?\u201d cried the soldier, \u201cget to thy work at once! Fetch the\nbroom and sweep the chamber.\u201d When she had done this, he ordered her to\ncome to his chair, and then he stretched out his feet and said, \u201cPull\noff my boots for me,\u201d and then he threw them in her face, and made her\npick them up again, and clean and brighten them. She, however, did\neverything he bade her, without opposition, silently and with half-shut\neyes. When the first cock crowed, the mannikin carried her back to the\nroyal palace, and laid her in her bed.\n\nNext morning when the princess arose, she went to her father, and told\nhim that she had had a very strange dream. \u201cI was carried through the\nstreets with the rapidity of lightning,\u201d said she, \u201cand taken into a\nsoldier\u2019s room, and I had to wait upon him like a servant, sweep his\nroom, clean his boots, and do all kinds of menial work. It was only a\ndream, and yet I am just as tired as if I really had done everything.\u201d\n\u201cThe dream may have been true,\u201d said the King, \u201cI will give thee a\npiece of advice. Fill thy pocket full of peas, and make a small hole in\nit, and then if thou art carried away again, they will fall out and\nleave a track in the streets.\u201d But unseen by the King, the mannikin was\nstanding beside him when he said that, and heard all. At night when the\nsleeping princess was again carried through the streets, some peas\ncertainly did fall out of her pocket, but they made no track, for the\ncrafty mannikin had just before scattered peas in every street there\nwas. And again the princess was compelled to do servant\u2019s work until\ncock-crow.\n\nNext morning the King sent his people out to seek the track, but it was\nall in vain, for in every street poor children were sitting, picking up\npeas, and saying, \u201cIt must have rained peas, last night.\u201d \u201cWe must\nthink of something else,\u201d said the King; \u201ckeep thy shoes on when thou\ngoest to bed, and before thou comest back from the place where thou art\ntaken, hide one of them there, I will soon contrive to find it.\u201d The\nblack mannikin heard this plot, and at night when the soldier again\nordered him to bring the princess, revealed it to him, and told him\nthat he knew of no expedient to counteract this stratagem, and that if\nthe shoe were found in the soldier\u2019s house it would go badly with him.\n\u201cDo what I bid thee,\u201d replied the soldier, and again this third night\nthe princess was obliged to work like a servant, but before she went\naway, she hid her shoe under the bed.\n\nNext morning the King had the entire town searched for his daughter\u2019s\nshoe. It was found at the soldier\u2019s, and the soldier himself, who at\nthe entreaty of the dwarf had gone outside the gate, was soon brought\nback, and thrown into prison. In his flight he had forgotten the most\nvaluable things he had, the blue light and the gold, and had only one\nducat in his pocket. And now loaded with chains, he was standing at the\nwindow of his dungeon, when he chanced to see one of his comrades\npassing by. The soldier tapped at the pane of glass, and when this man\ncame up, said to him, \u201cBe so kind as to fetch me the small bundle I\nhave left lying in the inn, and I will give you a ducat for doing it.\u201d\nHis comrade ran thither and brought him what he wanted. As soon as the\nsoldier was alone again, he lighted his pipe and summoned the black\nmannikin. \u201cHave no fear,\u201d said the latter to his master. \u201cGo\nwheresoever they take you, and let them do what they will, only take\nthe blue light with you.\u201d Next day the soldier was tried, and though he\nhad done nothing wicked, the judge condemned him to death. When he was\nled forth to die, he begged a last favor of the King. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d\nasked the King. \u201cThat I may smoke one more pipe on my way.\u201d \u201cThou mayst\nsmoke three,\u201d answered the King, \u201cbut do not imagine that I will spare\nthy life.\u201d Then the soldier pulled out his pipe and lighted it at the\nblue light, and as soon as a few wreaths of smoke had ascended, the\nmannikin was there with a small cudgel in his hand, and said, \u201cWhat\ndoes my lord command?\u201d \u201cStrike down to earth that false judge there,\nand his constable, and spare not the King who has treated me so ill.\u201d\nThen the mannikin fell on them like lightning, darting this way and\nthat way, and whosoever was so much as touched by his cudgel fell to\nearth, and did not venture to stir again. The King was terrified; he\nthrew himself on the soldier\u2019s mercy, and merely to be allowed to live\nat all, gave him his kingdom for his own, and the princess to wife.\n\n\n\n117 The Wilful Child\n\nOnce upon a time there was a child who was willful, and would not do at\nher mother wished. For this reason God had no pleasure in her, and let\nher become ill, and no doctor could do her any good, and in a short\ntime she lay on her death-bed. When she had been lowered into her\ngrave, and the earth was spread over her, all at once her arm came out\nagain, and stretched upwards, and when they had put it in and spread\nfresh earth over it, it was all to no purpose, for the arm always came\nout again. Then the mother herself was obliged to go to the grave, and\nstrike the arm with a rod, and when she had done that, it was drawn in,\nand then at last the child had rest beneath the ground.\n\n\n\n118 The Three Army-Surgeons\n\nThree army-surgeons who thought they knew their art perfectly, were\ntravelling about the world, and they came to an inn where they wanted\nto pass the night. The host asked whence they came, and whither they\nwere going? \u201cWe are roaming about the world and practising our art.\u201d\n\u201cJust show me for once in a way what you can do,\u201d said the host. Then\nthe first said he would cut off his hand, and put it on again early\nnext morning; the second said he would tear out his heart, and replace\nit next morning; the third said he would cut out his eyes and heal them\nagain next morning. \u201cIf you can do that,\u201d said the innkeeper, \u201cyou have\nlearnt everything.\u201d They, however, had a salve, with which they rubbed\nthemselves, which joined parts together, and they carried the little\nbottle in which it was, constantly with them. Then they cut the hand,\nheart and eyes from their bodies as they had said they would, and laid\nthem all together on a plate, and gave it to the innkeeper. The\ninnkeeper gave it to a servant who was to set it in the cupboard, and\ntake good care of it. The girl, however, had a lover in secret, who was\na soldier. When therefore the innkeeper, the three army-surgeons, and\neveryone else in the house were asleep, the soldier came and wanted\nsomething to eat. The girl opened the cupboard and brought him some\nfood, and in her love forgot to shut the cupboard-door again; She\nseated herself at the table by her lover, and they chattered away\ntogether. While she sat so contentedly there, thinking of no ill luck,\nthe cat came creeping in, found the cupboard open, took the hand and\nheart and eyes of the three army-surgeons, and ran off with them. When\nthe soldier had done eating, and the girl was taking away the things\nand going to shut the cupboard she saw that the plate which the\ninnkeeper had given her to take care of, was empty. Then she said in a\nfright to her lover, \u201cAh, miserable girl, what shall I do? The hand is\ngone, the heart and the eyes are gone too, what will become of me in\nthe morning?\u201d \u201cBe easy,\u201d said he, \u201cI will help thee out of thy trouble\nthere is a thief hanging outside on the gallows, I will cut off his\nhand. Which hand was it?\u201d \u201cThe right one.\u201d Then the girl gave him a\nsharp knife, and he went and cut the poor sinner\u2019s right hand off, and\nbrought it to her. After this he caught the cat and cut its eyes out,\nand now nothing but the heart was wanting. \u201cHave you not been killing,\nand are not the dead pigs in the cellar?\u201d said he. \u201cYes,\u201d said the\ngirl. \u201cThat\u2019s well,\u201d said the soldier, and he went down and fetched a\npig\u2019s heart. The girl placed all together on the plate, and put it in\nthe cupboard, and when after this her lover took leave of her, she went\nquietly to bed.\n\nIn the morning when the three army-surgeons got up, they told the girl\nshe was to bring them the plate on which the hand, heart, and eyes were\nlying. Then she brought it out of the cupboard, and the first fixed the\nthief\u2019s hand on and smeared it with his salve, and it grew to his arm\ndirectly. The second took the cat\u2019s eyes and put them in his own head.\nThe third fixed the pig\u2019s heart firm in the place where his own had\nbeen, and the innkeeper stood by, admired their skill, and said he had\nnever yet seen such a thing as that done, and would sing their praises\nand recommend them to everyone. Then they paid their bill, and\ntravelled farther.\n\nAs they were on their way, the one with the pig\u2019s heart did not stay\nwith them at all, but wherever there was a corner he ran to it, and\nrooted about in it with his nose as pigs do. The others wanted to hold\nhim back by the tail of his coat, but that did no good; he tore himself\nloose, and ran wherever the dirt was thickest. The second also behaved\nvery strangely; he rubbed his eyes, and said to the others, \u201cComrades,\nwhat is the matter? I don\u2019t see at all. Will one of you lead me, so\nthat I do not fall.\u201d Then with difficulty they travelled on till\nevening, when they reached another inn. They went into the bar\ntogether, and there at a table in the corner sat a rich man counting\nmoney. The one with the thief\u2019s hand walked round about him, made a\nsudden movement twice with his arm, and at last when the stranger\nturned away, he snatched at the pile of money, and took a handful from\nit. One of them saw this, and said, \u201cComrade, what art thou about? Thou\nmust not steal shame on thee!\u201d \u201cEh,\u201d said he, \u201cbut how can I stop\nmyself? My hand twitches, and I am forced to snatch things whether I\nwill or not.\u201d\n\nAfter this, they lay down to sleep, and while they were lying there it\nwas so dark that no one could see his own hand. All at once the one\nwith the cat\u2019s eyes awoke, aroused the others, and said. \u201cBrothers,\njust look up, do you see the white mice running about there?\u201d The two\nsat up, but could see nothing. Then said he, \u201cThings are not right with\nus, we have not got back again what is ours. We must return to the\ninnkeeper, he has deceived us.\u201d They went back therefore, the next\nmorning, and told the host they had not got what was their own again;\nthat the first had a thief\u2019s hand, the second cat\u2019s eyes, and the third\na pig\u2019s heart. The innkeeper said that the girl must be to blame for\nthat, and was going to call her, but when she had seen the three\ncoming, she had run out by the backdoor, and not come back. Then the\nthree said he must give them a great deal of money, or they would set\nhis house on fire. He gave them what he had, and whatever he could get\ntogether, and the three went away with it. It was enough for the rest\nof their lives, but they would rather have had their own proper organs.\n\n\n\n119 The Seven Swabians\n\nSeven Swabians were once together. The first was Master Schulz; the\nsecond, Jackli; the third, Marli; the fourth, Jergli; the fifth,\nMichal; the sixth, Hans; the seventh, Veitli: all seven had made up\ntheir minds to travel about the world to seek adventures, and perform\ngreat deeds. But in order that they might go in security and with arms\nin their hands, they thought it would be advisable that they should\nhave one solitary, but very strong, and very long spear made for them.\nThis spear all seven of them took in their hands at once; in front\nwalked the boldest and bravest, and that was Master Schulz; all the\nothers followed in a row, and Veitli was the last. Then it came to pass\none day in the hay-making month (July), when they had walked a long\ndistance, and still had a long way to go before they reached the\nvillage where they were to pass the night, that as they were in a\nmeadow in the twilight a great beetle or hornet flew by them from\nbehind a bush, and hummed in a menacing manner. Master Schulz was so\nterrified that he all but dropped the spear, and a cold perspiration\nbroke out over his whole body. \u201cHark! hark!\u201d cried he to his comrades,\n\u201cGood heavens! I hear a drum.\u201d Jackli, who was behind him holding the\nspear, and who perceived some kind of a smell, said, \u201cSomething is most\ncertainly going on, for I taste powder and matches.\u201d At these words\nMaster Schulz began to take to flight, and in a trice jumped over a\nhedge, but as he just happened to jump on to the teeth of a rake which\nhad been left lying there after the hay-making, the handle of it struck\nagainst his face and gave him a tremendous blow. \u201cOh dear! Oh dear!\u201d\nscreamed Master Schulz. \u201cTake me prisoner; I surrender! I surrender!\u201d\nThe other six all leapt over, one on the top of the other, crying, \u201cIf\nyou surrender, I surrender too! If you surrender, I surrender too!\u201d At\nlength, as no enemy was there to bind and take them away, they saw that\nthey had been mistaken, and in order that the story might not be known,\nand they be treated as fools and ridiculed, they all swore to each\nother to hold their peace about it until one of them accidentally spoke\nof it. Then they journeyed onwards. The second danger which they\nsurvived cannot be compared with the first. Some days afterwards, their\npath led them through a fallow-field where a hare was sitting sleeping\nin the sun. Her ears were standing straight up, and her great glassy\neyes were wide open. All of them were alarmed at the sight of the\nhorrible wild beast, and they consulted together as to what it would be\nthe least dangerous to do. For if they were to run away, they knew that\nthe monster would pursue and swallow them whole. So they said, \u201cWe must\ngo through a great and dangerous struggle. Boldly ventured, is half\nwon,\u201d and all seven grasped the spear, Master Schulz in front, and\nVeitli behind. Master Schulz was always trying to keep the spear back,\nbut Veitli had become quite brave while behind, and wanted to dash\nforward and cried,\n\n\u201cStrike home, in every Swabian\u2019s name,\nOr else I wish ye may be lame.\u201d\n\n\nBut Hans knew how to meet this, and said,\n\n\u201cThunder and lightning, it\u2019s fine to prate,\nBut for dragon-hunting thou\u2019rt aye too late.\u201d\n\n\nMichal cried,\n\n\u201cNothing is wanting, not even a hair,\nBe sure the Devil himself is there.\u201d\n\n\nThen it was Jergli\u2019s turn to speak,\n\n\u201cIf it be not, it\u2019s at least his mother,\nOr else it\u2019s the Devil\u2019s own step-brother.\u201d\n\n\nAnd now Marli had a bright thought, and said to Veitli,\n\n\u201cAdvance, Veitli, advance, advance,\nAnd I behind will hold the lance.\u201d\n\n\nVeitli, however, did not attend to that, and Jackli said,\n\n\u201cTis Schulz\u2019s place the first to be,\nNo one deserves that honor but he.\u201d\n\n\nThen Master Schulz plucked up his courage, and said, gravely,\n\n\u201cThen let us boldly advance to the fight,\nAnd thus we shall show our valour and might.\u201d\n\n\nHereupon they all together set on the dragon. Master Schulz crossed\nhimself and prayed for God\u2019s assistance, but as all this was of no\navail, and he was getting nearer and nearer to the enemy, he screamed\n\u201cOho! oho! ho! ho! ho!\u201d in the greatest anguish. This awakened the\nhare, which in great alarm darted swiftly away. When Master Schulz saw\nher thus flying from the field of battle, he cried in his joy.\n\n\u201cQuick, Veitli, quick, look there, look there,\nThe monster\u2019s nothing but a hare!\u201d\n\n\nBut the Swabian allies went in search of further adventures, and came\nto the Moselle, a mossy, quiet, deep river, over which there are few\nbridges, and which in many places people have to cross in boats. As the\nseven Swabians did not know this, they called to a man who was working\non the opposite side of the river, to know how people contrived to get\nacross. The distance and their way of speaking made the man unable to\nunderstand what they wanted, and he said \u201cWhat? what?\u201d in the way\npeople speak in the neighborhood of Treves. Master Schulz thought he\nwas saying, \u201cWade, wade through the water,\u201d and as he was the first,\nbegan to set out and went into the moselle. It was not long before he\nsank in the mud and the deep waves which drove against him, but his hat\nwas blown on the opposite shore by the wind, and a frog sat down beside\nit, and croaked \u201cWat, wat, wat.\u201d The other six on the opposite side\nheard that, and said, \u201cOho, comrades, Master Schulz is calling us; if\nhe can wade across, why cannot we?\u201d So they all jumped into the water\ntogether in a great hurry, and were drowned, and thus one frog took the\nlives of all six of them, and not one of the Swabian allies ever\nreached home again.\n\n\n\n120 The Three Apprentices\n\nThere were once three apprentices, who had agreed to keep always\ntogether while travelling, and always to work in the same town. At one\ntime, however, their masters had no more work to give them, so that at\nlast they were in rags, and had nothing to live on. Then one of them\nsaid, \u201cWhat shall we do? We cannot stay here any longer, we will travel\nonce more, and if we do not find any work in the town we go to, we will\narrange with the innkeeper there, that we are to write and tell him\nwhere we are staying, so that we can always have news of each other,\nand then we will separate.\u201d And that seemed best to the others also.\nThey went forth, and met on the way a richly-dressed man who asked who\nthey were. \u201cWe are apprentices looking for work; Up to this time we\nhave kept together, but if we cannot find anything to do we are going\nto separate.\u201d \u201cThere is no need for that,\u201d said the man, \u201cif you will\ndo what I tell you, you shall not want for gold or for work; nay, you\nshall become great lords, and drive in your carriages!\u201d One of them\nsaid, \u201cIf our souls and salvation be not endangered, we will certainly\ndo it.\u201d \u201cThey will not,\u201d replied the man, \u201cI have no claim on you.\u201d One\nof the others had, however, looked at his feet, and when he saw a\nhorse\u2019s foot and a man\u2019s foot, he did not want to have anything to do\nwith him. The Devil, however, said, \u201cBe easy, I have no designs on you,\nbut on another soul, which is half my own already, and whose measure\nshall but run full.\u201d As they were now secure, they consented, and the\nDevil told them what he wanted. The first was to answer, \u201cAll three of\nus,\u201d to every question; the second was to say, \u201cFor money,\u201d and the\nthird, \u201cAnd quite right too!\u201d They were always to say this, one after\nthe other, but they were not to say one word more, and if they\ndisobeyed this order, all their money would disappear at once, but so\nlong as they observed it, their pockets would always be full. As a\nbeginning, he at once gave them as much as they could carry, and told\nthem to go to such and such an inn when they got to the town. They went\nto it, and the innkeeper came to meet them, and asked if they wished\nfor anything to eat? The first replied, \u201cAll three of us.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said\nthe host, \u201cthat is what I mean.\u201d The second said, \u201cFor money.\u201d \u201cOf\ncourse,\u201d said the host. The third said, \u201cAnd quite right too!\u201d\n\u201cCertainly it is right,\u201d said the host.\n\nGood meat and drink were now brought to them, and they were well waited\non. After the dinner came the payment, and the innkeeper gave the bill\nto the one who said, \u201cAll three of us,\u201d the second said, \u201cFor money,\u201d\nand the third, \u201cand quite right too!\u201d \u201cIndeed it is right,\u201d said the\nhost, \u201call three pay, and without money I can give nothing.\u201d They,\nhowever, paid still more than he had asked. The lodgers, who were\nlooking on, said, \u201cThese people must be mad.\u201d \u201cYes, indeed they are,\u201d\nsaid the host, \u201cthey are not very wise.\u201d So they stayed some time in\nthe inn, and said nothing else but, \u201cAll three of us,\u201d \u201cFor money,\u201d and\n\u201cAnd quite right too!\u201d But they saw and knew all that was going on. It\nso happened that a great merchant came with a large sum of money, and\nsaid, \u201cSir host, take care of my money for me, here are three crazy\napprentices who might steal it from me.\u201d The host did as he was asked.\nAs he was carrying the trunk into his room, he felt that it was heavy\nwith gold. Thereupon he gave the three apprentices a lodging below, but\nthe merchant came up-stairs into a separate apartment. When it was\nmidnight, and the host thought that all were asleep, he came with his\nwife, and they had an axe and struck the rich merchant dead; and after\nthey had murdered him they went to bed again. When it was day there was\na great outcry; the merchant lay dead in bed bathed in blood. All the\nguests ran at once but the host said, \u201cThe three crazy apprentices have\ndone this;\u201d the lodgers confirmed it, and said, \u201cIt can have been no\none else.\u201d The innkeeper, however, had them called, and said to them,\n\u201cHave you killed the merchant?\u201d \u201cAll three of us,\u201d said the first, \u201cFor\nmoney,\u201d said the second; and the third added, \u201cAnd quite right too!\u201d\n\u201cThere now, you hear,\u201d said the host, \u201cthey confess it themselves.\u201d\nThey were taken to prison, therefore, and were to be tried. When they\nsaw that things were going so seriously, they were after all afraid,\nbut at night the Devil came and said, \u201cBear it just one day longer, and\ndo not play away your luck, not one hair of your head shall be hurt.\u201d\n\nThe next morning they were led to the bar, and the judge said, \u201cAre you\nthe murderers?\u201d \u201cAll three of us.\u201d \u201cWhy did you kill the merchant?\u201d\n\u201cFor money.\u201d \u201cYou wicked wretches, you have no horror of your sins?\u201d\n\u201cAnd quite right too!\u201d \u201cThey have confessed, and are still stubborn,\u201d\nsaid the judge, \u201clead them to death instantly.\u201d So they were taken out,\nand the host had to go with them into the circle. When they were taken\nhold of by the executioner\u2019s men, and were just going to be led up to\nthe scaffold where the headsman was standing with naked sword, a coach\ndrawn by four blood-red chestnut horses came up suddenly, driving so\nfast that fire flashed from the stones, and someone made signs from the\nwindow with a white handkerchief. Then said the headsman, \u201cIt is a\npardon coming,\u201d and \u201cPardon! pardon!\u201d was called from the carriage\nalso. Then the Devil stepped out as a very noble gentleman, beautifully\ndressed, and said, \u201cYou three are innocent; you may now speak, make\nknown what you have seen and heard.\u201d Then said the eldest, \u201cWe did not\nkill the merchant, the murderer is standing there in the circle,\u201d and\nhe pointed to the innkeeper. \u201cIn proof of this, go into his cellar,\nwhere many others whom he has killed are still hanging.\u201d Then the judge\nsent the executioner\u2019s men thither, and they found it was as the\napprentices said, and when they had informed the judge of this, he\ncaused the innkeeper to be led up, and his head was cut off. Then said\nthe Devil to the three, \u201cNow I have got the soul which I wanted to\nhave, and you are free, and have money for the rest of your lives.\u201d\n\n\n\n121 The King\u2019s Son Who Feared Nothing\n\nThere was once a King\u2019s son, who was no longer content to stay at home\nin his father\u2019s house, and as he had no fear of anything, he thought,\n\u201cI will go forth into the wide world, there the time will not seem long\nto me, and I shall see wonders enough.\u201d So he took leave of his\nparents, and went forth, and on and on from morning till night, and\nwhichever way his path led it was the same to him. It came to pass that\nhe got to the house of a giant, and as he was so tired he sat down by\nthe door and rested. And as he let his eyes roam here and there, he saw\nthe giant\u2019s playthings lying in the yard. These were a couple of\nenormous balls, and nine-pins as tall as a man. After a while he had a\nfancy to set the nine-pins up and then rolled the balls at them, and\nscreamed and cried out when the nine-pins fell, and had a merry time of\nit. The giant heard the noise, stretched his head out of the window,\nand saw a man who was not taller than other men, and yet played with\nhis nine-pins. \u201cLittle worm,\u201d cried he, \u201cwhy art thou playing with my\nballs? Who gave thee strength to do it?\u201d The King\u2019s son looked up, saw\nthe giant, and said, \u201cOh, thou blockhead, thou thinkest indeed that\nthou only hast strong arms, I can do everything I want to do.\u201d The\ngiant came down and watched the bowling with great admiration, and\nsaid, \u201cChild of man, if thou art one of that kind, go and bring me an\napple of the tree of life.\u201d \u201cWhat dost thou want with it?\u201d said the\nKing\u2019s son. \u201cI do not want the apple for myself,\u201d answered the giant,\n\u201cbut I have a betrothed bride who wishes for it. I have travelled far\nabout the world and cannot find the tree.\u201d \u201cI will soon find it,\u201d said\nthe King\u2019s son, \u201cand I do not know what is to prevent me from getting\nthe apple down.\u201d The giant said, \u201cThou really believest it to be so\neasy! The garden in which the tree stands is surrounded by an iron\nrailing, and in front of the railing lie wild beasts, each close to the\nother, and they keep watch and let no man go in.\u201d \u201cThey will be sure to\nlet me in,\u201d said the King\u2019s son. \u201cYes, but even if thou dost get into\nthe garden, and seest the apple hanging to the tree, it is still not\nthine; a ring hangs in front of it, through which any one who wants to\nreach the apple and break it off, must put his hand, and no one has yet\nhad the luck to do it.\u201d \u201cThat luck will be mine,\u201d said the King\u2019s son.\n\nThen he took leave of the giant, and went forth over mountain and\nvalley, and through plains and forests, until at length he came to the\nwondrous garden.\n\nThe beasts lay round about it, but they had put their heads down and\nwere asleep. Moreover, they did not awake when he went up to them, so\nhe stepped over them, climbed the fence, and got safely into the\ngarden. There, in the very middle of it, stood the tree of life, and\nthe red apples were shining upon the branches. He climbed up the trunk\nto the top, and as he was about to reach out for an apple, he saw a\nring hanging before it; but he thrust his hand through that without any\ndifficulty, and gathered the apple. The ring closed tightly on his arm,\nand all at once he felt a prodigious strength flowing through his\nveins. When he had come down again from the tree with the apple, he\nwould not climb over the fence, but grasped the great gate, and had no\nneed to shake it more than once before it sprang open with a loud\ncrash. Then he went out, and the lion which had been lying down before,\nwas awake and sprang after him, not in rage and fierceness, but\nfollowing him humbly as its master.\n\nThe King\u2019s son took the giant the apple he had promised him, and said,\n\u201cSeest thou, I have brought it without difficulty.\u201d The giant was glad\nthat his desire had been so soon satisfied, hastened to his bride, and\ngave her the apple for which she had wished. She was a beautiful and\nwise maiden, and as she did not see the ring on his arm, she said, \u201cI\nshall never believe that thou hast brought the apple, until I see the\nring on thine arm.\u201d The giant said, \u201cI have nothing to do but go home\nand fetch it,\u201d and thought it would be easy to take away by force from\nthe weak man, what he would not give of his own free will. He therefore\ndemanded the ring from him, but the King\u2019s son refused it. \u201cWhere the\napple is, the ring must be also,\u201d said the giant; \u201cif thou wilt not\ngive it of thine own accord, thou must fight with me for it.\u201d\n\nThey wrestled with each other for a long time, but the giant could not\nget the better of the King\u2019s son, who was strengthened by the magical\npower of the ring. Then the giant thought of a stratagem, and said, \u201cI\nhave got warm with fighting, and so hast thou. We will bathe in the\nriver, and cool ourselves before we begin again.\u201d The King\u2019s son, who\nknew nothing of falsehood, went with him to the water, and pulled off\nwith his clothes the ring also from his arm, and sprang into the river.\nThe giant instantly snatched the ring, and ran away with it, but the\nlion, which had observed the theft, pursued the giant, tore the ring\nout of his hand, and brought it back to its master. Then the giant\nplaced himself behind an oak-tree, and while the King\u2019s son was busy\nputting on his clothes again, surprised him, and put both his eyes out.\n\nAnd now the unhappy King\u2019s son stood there, and was blind and knew not\nhow to help himself. Then the giant came back to him, took him by the\nhand as if he were someone who wanted to guide him, and led him to the\ntop of a high rock. There he left him standing, and thought, \u201cJust two\nsteps more, and he will fall down and kill himself, and I can take the\nring from him.\u201d But the faithful lion had not deserted its master; it\nheld him fast by the clothes, and drew him gradually back again. When\nthe giant came and wanted to rob the dead man, he saw that his cunning\nhad been in vain. \u201cIs there no way, then, of destroying a weak child of\nman like that?\u201d said he angrily to himself, and seized the King\u2019s son\nand led him back again to the precipice by another way, but the lion\nwhich saw his evil design, helped its master out of danger here also.\nWhen they had got close to the edge, the giant let the blind man\u2019s hand\ndrop, and was going to leave him behind alone, but the lion pushed the\ngiant so that he was thrown down and fell, dashed to pieces, on the\nground.\n\nThe faithful animal again drew its master back from the precipice, and\nguided him to a tree by which flowed a clear brook. The King\u2019s son sat\ndown there, but the lion lay down, and sprinkled the water in his face\nwith its paws. Scarcely had a couple of drops wetted the sockets of his\neyes, than he was once more able to see something, and remarked a\nlittle bird flying quite close by, which wounded itself against the\ntrunk of a tree. On this it went down to the water and bathed itself\ntherein, and then it soared upwards and swept between the trees without\ntouching them, as if it had recovered its sight again. Then the King\u2019s\nson recognized a sign from God and stooped down to the water, and\nwashed and bathed his face in it. And when he arose he had his eyes\nonce more, brighter and clearer than they had ever been.\n\nThe King\u2019s son thanked God for his great mercy, and travelled with his\nlion onwards through the world. And it came to pass that he arrived\nbefore a castle which was enchanted. In the gateway stood a maiden of\nbeautiful form and fine face, but she was quite black. She spoke to him\nand said, \u201cAh, if thou couldst but deliver me from the evil spell which\nis thrown over me.\u201d \u201cWhat shall I do?\u201d said the King\u2019s son. The maiden\nanswered, \u201cThou must pass three nights in the great hall of this\nenchanted castle, but thou must let no fear enter thy heart. When they\nare doing their worst to torment thee, if thou bearest it without\nletting a sound escape thee, I shall be free. Thy life they dare not\ntake.\u201d Then said the King\u2019s son, \u201cI have no fear; with God\u2019s help I\nwill try it.\u201d So he went gaily into the castle, and when it grew dark\nhe seated himself in the large hall and waited. Everything was quiet,\nhowever, till midnight, when all at once a great tumult began, and out\nof every hole and corner came little devils. They behaved as if they\ndid not see him, seated themselves in the middle of the room, lighted a\nfire, and began to gamble. When one of them lost, he said, \u201cIt is not\nright; some one is here who does not belong to us; it is his fault that\nI am losing.\u201d \u201cWait, you fellow behind the stove, I am coming,\u201d said\nanother. The screaming became still louder, so that no one could have\nheard it without terror. The King\u2019s son stayed sitting quite quietly,\nand was not afraid; but at last the devils jumped up from the ground,\nand fell on him, and there were so many of them that he could not\ndefend himself from them. They dragged him about on the floor, pinched\nhim, pricked him, beat him, and tormented him, but no sound escaped\nfrom him. Towards morning they disappeared, and he was so exhausted\nthat he could scarcely move his limbs, but when day dawned the black\nmaiden came to him. She bore in her hand a little bottle wherein was\nthe water of life wherewith she washed him, and he at once felt all\npain depart and new strength flow through his veins. She said, \u201cThou\nhast held out successfully for one night, but two more lie before\nthee.\u201d Then she went away again, and as she was going, he observed that\nher feet had become white. The next night the devils came and began\ntheir gambols anew. They fell on the King\u2019s son, and beat him much more\nseverely than the night before, until his body was covered with wounds.\nBut as he bore all quietly, they were forced to leave him, and when\ndawn appeared, the maiden came and healed him with the water of life.\nAnd when she went away, he saw with joy that she had already become\nwhite to the tips of her fingers. And now he had only one night more to\ngo through, but it was the worst. The hob-goblins came again: \u201cArt thou\nthere still?\u201d cried they, \u201cthou shalt be tormented till thy breath\nstops.\u201d They pricked him and beat him, and threw him here and there,\nand pulled him by the arms and legs as if they wanted to tear him to\npieces, but he bore everything, and never uttered a cry. At last the\ndevils vanished, but he lay fainting there, and did not stir, nor could\nhe raise his eyes to look at the maiden who came in, and sprinkled and\nbathed him with the water of life. But suddenly he was freed from all\npain, and felt fresh and healthy as if he had awakened from sleep, and\nwhen he opened his eyes he saw the maiden standing by him, snow-white,\nand fair as day. \u201cRise,\u201d said she, \u201cand swing thy sword three times\nover the stairs, and then all will be delivered.\u201d And when he had done\nthat, the whole castle was released from enchantment, and the maiden\nwas a rich King\u2019s daughter. The servants came and said that the table\nwas already set in the great hall, and dinner served up. Then they sat\ndown and ate and drank together, and in the evening the wedding was\nsolemnized with great rejoicings.\n\n\n\n122 Donkey Cabbages\n\nThere was once a young huntsman who went into the forest to lie in\nwait. He had a fresh and joyous heart, and as he was going thither,\nwhistling upon a leaf, an ugly old crone came up, who spoke to him and\nsaid, \u201cGood-day, dear huntsman, truly you are merry and contented, but\nI am suffering from hunger and thirst, do give me an alms.\u201d The\nhuntsman had compassion on the poor old creature, felt in his pocket,\nand gave her what he could afford. He was then about to go further, but\nthe old woman stopped him and said, \u201cListen, dear huntsman, to what I\ntell you; I will make you a present in return for your kindness. Go on\nyour way now, but in a little while you will come to a tree, whereon\nnine birds are sitting which have a cloak in their claws, and are\nplucking at it; take your gun and shoot into the midst of them, they\nwill let the cloak fall down to you, but one of the birds will be hurt,\nand will drop down dead. Carry away the cloak, it is a wishing-cloak;\nwhen you throw it over your shoulders, you only have to wish to be in a\ncertain place, and you will be there in the twinkling of an eye. Take\nout the heart of the dead bird and swallow it whole, and every morning\nearly, when you get up, you will find a gold piece under your pillow.\u201d\nThe huntsman thanked the wise woman, and thought to himself, \u201cThose are\nfine things that she has promised me, if all does but come true.\u201d And\nverily when he had walked about a hundred paces, he heard in the\nbranches above him such a screaming and twittering that he looked up\nand saw there a crowd of birds who were tearing a piece of cloth about\nwith their beaks and claws, and tugging and fighting as if each wanted\nto have it all to himself. \u201cWell,\u201d said the huntsman, \u201cthis is\nwonderful, it has really come to pass just as the old wife foretold!\u201d\nand he took the gun from his shoulder, aimed and fired right into the\nmidst of them, so that the feathers flew about. The birds instantly\ntook to flight with loud outcries, but one dropped down dead, and the\ncloak fell at the same time. Then the huntsman did as the old woman had\ndirected him, cut open the bird, sought the heart, swallowed it down,\nand took the cloak home with him.\n\nNext morning, when he awoke, the promise occurred to him, and he wished\nto see if it also had been fulfilled. When he lifted up the pillow, the\ngold piece shone in his eyes, and next day he found another, and so it\nwent on, every time he got up. He gathered together a heap of gold, but\nat last he thought, \u201cOf what use is all my gold to me if I stay at\nhome? I will go forth and see the world.\u201d\n\nHe then took leave of his parents, buckled on his huntsman\u2019s pouch and\ngun, and went out into the world. It came to pass, that one day he\ntravelled through a dense forest, and when he came to the end of it, in\nthe plain before him stood a fine castle. An old woman was standing\nwith a wonderfully beautiful maiden, looking out of one of the windows.\nThe old woman, however, was a witch and said to the maiden, \u201cThere\ncomes one out of the forest, who has a wonderful treasure in his body,\nwe must filch it from him, my dear daughter, it is more suitable for us\nthan for him. He has a bird\u2019s heart about him, by means of which a gold\npiece lies every morning under his pillow.\u201d She told her what she was\nto do to get it, and what part she had to play, and finally threatened\nher, and said with angry eyes, \u201cAnd if you do not attend to what I say,\nit will be the worse for you.\u201d Now when the huntsman came nearer he\ndescried the maiden, and said to himself, \u201cI have travelled about for\nsuch a long time, I will take a rest for once, and enter that beautiful\ncastle. I have certainly money enough.\u201d Nevertheless, the real reason\nwas that he had caught sight of the pretty girl.\n\nHe entered the house, and was well received and courteously\nentertained. Before long he was so much in love with the young witch\nthat he no longer thought of anything else, and only saw things as she\nsaw them, and did what she desired. The old woman then said, \u201cNow we\nmust have the bird\u2019s heart, he will never miss it.\u201d She prepared a\ndrink, and when it was ready, poured it into a cup and gave it to the\nmaiden, who was to present it to the huntsman. She did so, saying,\n\u201cNow, my dearest, drink to me.\u201d So he took the cup, and when he had\nswallowed the draught, he brought up the heart of the bird. The girl\nhad to take it away secretly and swallow it herself, for the old woman\nwould have it so. Thenceforward he found no more gold under his pillow,\nbut it lay instead under that of the maiden, from whence the old woman\nfetched it away every morning; but he was so much in love and so\nbefooled, that he thought of nothing else but of passing his time with\nthe girl.\n\nThen the old witch said, \u201cWe have the bird\u2019s heart, but we must also\ntake the wishing-cloak away from him.\u201d The girl answered, \u201cWe will\nleave him that, he has lost his wealth.\u201d The old woman was angry and\nsaid, \u201cSuch a mantle is a wonderful thing, and is seldom to be found in\nthis world. I must and will have it!\u201d She gave the girl several blows,\nand said that if she did not obey, it should fare ill with her. So she\ndid the old woman\u2019s bidding, placed herself at the window and looked on\nthe distant country, as if she were very sorrowful. The huntsman asked,\n\u201cWhy dost thou stand there so sorrowfully?\u201d \u201cAh, my beloved,\u201d was her\nanswer, \u201cover yonder lies the Garnet Mountain, where the precious\nstones grow. I long for them so much that when I think of them, I feel\nquite sad, but who can get them? Only the birds; they fly and can reach\nthem, but a man never.\u201d \u201cHast thou nothing else to complain of?\u201d said\nthe huntsman. \u201cI will soon remove that burden from thy heart.\u201d With\nthat he drew her under his mantle, wished himself on the Garnet\nMountain, and in the twinkling of an eye they were sitting on it\ntogether. Precious stones were glistening on every side so that it was\na joy to see them, and together they gathered the finest and costliest\nof them. Now, the old woman had, through her sorceries, contrived that\nthe eyes of the huntsman should become heavy. He said to the maiden,\n\u201cWe will sit down and rest awhile, I am so tired that I can no longer\nstand on my feet.\u201d Then they sat down, and he laid his head in her lap,\nand fell asleep. When he was asleep, she unfastened the mantle from his\nshoulders, and wrapped herself in it, picked up the garnets and stones,\nand wished herself back at home with them.\n\nBut when the huntsman had had his sleep out and awoke, and perceived\nthat his sweetheart had betrayed him, and left him alone on the wild\nmountain, he said, \u201cOh, what treachery there is in the world!\u201d and sat\ndown there in care and sorrow, not knowing what to do. But the mountain\nbelonged to some wild and monstrous giants who dwelt thereon and lived\ntheir lives there, and he had not sat long before he saw three of them\ncoming towards him, so he lay down as if he were sunk in a deep sleep.\nThen the giants came up, and the first kicked him with his foot and\nsaid, \u201cWhat sort of an earth-worm is lying curled up here?\u201d The second\nsaid, \u201cStep upon him and kill him.\u201d But the third said, \u201cThat would\nindeed be worth your while; just let him live, he cannot remain here;\nand when he climbs higher, toward the summit of of the mountain, the\nclouds will lay hold of him and bear him away.\u201d So saying they passed\nby. But the huntsman had paid heed to their words, and as soon as they\nwere gone, he rose and climbed up to the summit of the mountain, and\nwhen he had sat there a while, a cloud floated towards him, caught him\nup, carried him away, and travelled about for a long time in the\nheavens. Then it sank lower, and let itself down on a great\ncabbage-garden, girt round by walls, so that he came softly to the\nground on cabbages and vegetables.\n\nThen the huntsman looked about him and said, \u201cIf I had but something to\neat! I am so hungry, and my hunger will increase in course of time; but\nI see here neither apples nor pears, nor any other sort of fruit,\neverywhere nothing but cabbages,\u201d but at length he thought, \u201cAt a pinch\nI can eat some of the leaves, they do not taste particularly good, but\nthey will refresh me.\u201d With that he picked himself out a fine head of\ncabbage, and ate it, but scarcely had he swallowed a couple of\nmouthfuls than he felt very strange and quite different.\n\nFour legs grew on him, a large head and two thick ears, and he saw with\nhorror that he was changed into an ass. Still as his hunger increased\nevery minute, and as the juicy leaves were suitable to his present\nnature, he went on eating with great zest. At last he arrived at a\ndifferent kind of cabbage, but as soon as he had swallowed it, he again\nfelt a change, and reassumed his former human shape.\n\nThen the huntsman lay down and slept off his fatigue. When he awoke\nnext morning, he broke off one head of the bad cabbages and another of\nthe good ones, and thought to himself, \u201cThis shall help me to get my\nown again and punish treachery.\u201d Then he took the cabbages with him,\nclimbed over the wall, and went forth to seek for the castle of his\nsweetheart. After wandering about for a couple of days he was lucky\nenough to find it again. He dyed his face brown, so that his own mother\nwould not have known him; and begged for shelter: \u201cI am so tired,\u201d said\nhe, \u201cthat I can go no further.\u201d The witch asked, \u201cWho are you,\ncountryman, and what is your business?\u201d \u201cI am a King\u2019s messenger, and\nwas sent out to seek the most delicious salad which grows beneath the\nsun. I have even been so fortunate as to find it, and am carrying it\nabout with me; but the heat of the sun is so intense that the delicate\ncabbage threatens to wither, and I do not know if I can carry it any\nfurther.\u201d\n\nWhen the old woman heard of the exquisite salad, she was greedy, and\nsaid, \u201cDear countryman, let me just taste this wonderful salad.\u201d \u201cWhy\nnot?\u201d answered he, \u201cI have brought two heads with me, and will give you\none of them,\u201d and he opened his pouch and handed her the bad cabbage.\nThe witch suspected nothing amiss, and her mouth watered so for this\nnew dish that she herself went into the kitchen and dressed it. When it\nwas prepared she could not wait until it was set on the table, but took\na couple of leaves at once, and put them in her mouth, but hardly had\nshe swallowed them than she was deprived of her human shape, and she\nran out into the courtyard in the form of an ass. Presently the\nmaid-servant entered the kitchen, saw the salad standing there ready\nprepared, and was about to carry it up; but on the way, according to\nhabit, she was seized by the desire to taste, and she ate a couple of\nleaves. Instantly the magic power showed itself, and she likewise\nbecame an ass and ran out to the old woman, and the dish of salad fell\nto the ground. Meantime the messenger sat beside the beautiful girl,\nand as no one came with the salad and she also was longing for it, she\nsaid, \u201cI don\u2019t know what has become of the salad.\u201d The huntsman\nthought, \u201cThe salad must have already taken effect,\u201d and said, \u201cI will\ngo to the kitchen and inquire about it.\u201d As he went down he saw the two\nasses running about in the courtyard; the salad, however, was lying on\nthe ground. \u201cAll right,\u201d said he, \u201cthe two have taken their portion,\u201d\nand he picked up the other leaves, laid them on the dish, and carried\nthem to the maiden. \u201cI bring you the delicate food myself,\u201d said he,\n\u201cin order that you may not have to wait longer.\u201d Then she ate of it,\nand was, like the others, immediately deprived of her human form, and\nran out into the courtyard in the shape of an ass.\n\nAfter the huntsman had washed his face, so that the transformed ones\ncould recognize him, he went down into the courtyard, and said, \u201cNow\nyou shall receive the wages of your treachery,\u201d and bound them\ntogether, all three with one rope, and drove them along until he came\nto a mill. He knocked at the window, the miller put out his head, and\nasked what he wanted. \u201cI have three unmanageable beasts,\u201d answered he,\n\u201cwhich I don\u2019t want to keep any longer. Will you take them in, and give\nthem food and stable room, and manage them as I tell you, and then I\nwill pay you what you ask.\u201d The miller said, \u201cWhy not? But how am I to\nmanage them?\u201d The huntsman then said that he was to give three beatings\nand one meal daily to the old donkey, and that was the witch; one\nbeating and three meals to the younger one, which was the servant-girl;\nand to the youngest, which was the maiden, no beatings and three meals,\nfor he could not bring himself to have the maiden beaten. After that he\nwent back into the castle, and found therein everything he needed.\n\nAfter a couple of days, the miller came and said he must inform him\nthat the old ass which had received three beatings and only one meal\ndaily was dead; \u201cthe two others,\u201d he continued, \u201care certainly not\ndead, and are fed three times daily, but they are so sad that they\ncannot last much longer.\u201d The huntsman was moved to pity, put away his\nanger, and told the miller to drive them back again to him. And when\nthey came, he gave them some of the good salad, so that they became\nhuman again. The beautiful girl fell on her knees before him, and said,\n\u201cAh, my beloved, forgive me for the evil I have done you; my mother\ndrove me to it; it was done against my will, for I love you dearly.\nYour wishing-cloak hangs in a cupboard, and as for the bird\u2019s-heart I\nwill take a vomiting potion.\u201d But he thought otherwise, and said, \u201cKeep\nit; it is all the same, for I will take thee for my true wife.\u201d So the\nwedding was celebrated, and they lived happily together until their\ndeath.\n\n\n\n123 The Old Woman in the Wood\n\nA poor servant-girl was once travelling with the family with which she\nwas in service, through a great forest, and when they were in the midst\nof it, robbers came out of the thicket, and murdered all they found.\nAll perished together except the girl, who had jumped out of the\ncarriage in a fright, and hidden herself behind a tree. When the\nrobbers had gone away with their booty, she came out and beheld the\ngreat disaster. Then she began to weep bitterly, and said, \u201cWhat can a\npoor girl like me do now? I do not know how to get out of the forest,\nno human being lives in it, so I must certainly starve.\u201d She walked\nabout and looked for a road, but could find none. When it was evening\nshe seated herself under a tree, gave herself into God\u2019s keeping, and\nresolved to sit waiting there and not go away, let what might happen.\nWhen, however, she had sat there for a while, a white dove came flying\nto her with a little golden key in its mouth. It put the little key in\nher hand, and said, \u201cDost thou see that great tree, therein is a little\nlock, it opens with the tiny key, and there thou wilt find food enough,\nand suffer no more hunger.\u201d Then she went to the tree and opened it,\nand found milk in a little dish, and white bread to break into it, so\nthat she could eat her fill. When she was satisfied, she said, \u201cIt is\nnow the time when the hens at home go to roost, I am so tired I could\ngo to bed too.\u201d Then the dove flew to her again, and brought another\ngolden key in its bill, and said, \u201cOpen that tree there, and thou willt\nfind a bed.\u201d So she opened it, and found a beautiful white bed, and she\nprayed God to protect her during the night, and lay down and slept. In\nthe morning the dove came for the third time, and again brought a\nlittle key, and said, \u201cOpen that tree there, and thou wilt find\nclothes.\u201d And when she opened it, she found garments beset with gold\nand with jewels, more splendid than those of any king\u2019s daughter. So\nshe lived there for some time, and the dove came every day and provided\nher with all she needed, and it was a quiet good life.\n\nOnce, however, the dove came and said, \u201cWilt thou do something for my\nsake?\u201d \u201cWith all my heart,\u201d said the girl. Then said the little dove,\n\u201cI will guide thee to a small house; enter it, and inside it, an old\nwoman will be sitting by the fire and will say, \u2018Good-day.\u2019 But on thy\nlife give her no answer, let her do what she will, but pass by her on\nthe right side; further on, there is a door, which open, and thou wilt\nenter into a room where a quantity of rings of all kinds are lying,\namongst which are some magnificent ones with shining stones; leave\nthem, however, where they are, and seek out a plain one, which must\nlikewise be amongst them, and bring it here to me as quickly as thou\ncanst.\u201d The girl went to the little house, and came to the door. There\nsat an old woman who stared when she saw her, and said, \u201cGood-day my\nchild.\u201d The girl gave her no answer, and opened the door. \u201cWhither\naway,\u201d cried the old woman, and seized her by the gown, and wanted to\nhold her fast, saying, \u201cThat is my house; no one can go in there if I\nchoose not to allow it.\u201d But the girl was silent, got away from her,\nand went straight into the room. Now there lay on the table an enormous\nquantity of rings, which gleamed and glittered before her eyes. She\nturned them over and looked for the plain one, but could not find it.\nWhile she was seeking, she saw the old woman and how she was stealing\naway, and wanting to get off with a bird-cage which she had in her\nhand. So she went after her and took the cage out of her hand, and when\nshe raised it up and looked into it, a bird was inside which had the\nplain ring in its bill. Then she took the ring, and ran quite joyously\nhome with it, and thought the little white dove would come and get the\nring, but it did not. Then she leant against a tree and determined to\nwait for the dove, and, as she thus stood, it seemed just as if the\ntree was soft and pliant, and was letting its branches down. And\nsuddenly the branches twined around her, and were two arms, and when\nshe looked round, the tree was a handsome man, who embraced and kissed\nher heartily, and said, \u201cThou hast delivered me from the power of the\nold woman, who is a wicked witch. She had changed me into a tree, and\nevery day for two hours I was a white dove, and so long as she\npossessed the ring I could not regain my human form.\u201d Then his servants\nand his horses, who had likewise been changed into trees, were freed\nfrom the enchantment also, and stood beside him. And he led them forth\nto his kingdom, for he was a King\u2019s son, and they married, and lived\nhappily.\n\n\n\n124 The Three Brothers\n\nThere was once a man who had three sons, and nothing else in the world\nbut the house in which he lived. Now each of the sons wished to have\nthe house after his father\u2019s death; but the father loved them all\nalike, and did not know what to do; he did not wish to sell the house,\nbecause it had belonged to his forefathers, else he might have divided\nthe money amongst them. At last a plan came into his head, and he said\nto his sons, \u201cGo into the world, and try each of you to learn a trade,\nand, when you all come back, he who makes the best masterpiece shall\nhave the house.\u201d\n\nThe sons were well content with this, and the eldest determined to be a\nblacksmith, the second a barber, and the third a fencing-master. They\nfixed a time when they should all come home again, and then each went\nhis way.\n\nIt chanced that they all found skilful masters, who taught them their\ntrades well. The blacksmith had to shoe the King\u2019s horses, and he\nthought to himself, \u201cThe house is mine, without doubt.\u201d The barber only\nshaved great people, and he too already looked upon the house as his\nown. The fencing-master got many a blow, but he only bit his lip, and\nlet nothing vex him; \u201cfor,\u201d said he to himself, \u201cIf you are afraid of a\nblow, you\u2019ll never win the house.\u201d\n\nWhen the appointed time had gone by, the three brothers came back home\nto their father; but they did not know how to find the best opportunity\nfor showing their skill, so they sat down and consulted together. As\nthey were sitting thus, all at once a hare came running across the\nfield. \u201cAh, ha, just in time!\u201d said the barber. So he took his basin\nand soap, and lathered away until the hare came up; then he soaped and\nshaved off the hare\u2019s whiskers whilst he was running at the top of his\nspeed, and did not even cut his skin or injure a hair on his body.\n\u201cWell done!\u201d said the old man. \u201cYour brothers will have to exert\nthemselves wonderfully, or the house will be yours.\u201d\n\nSoon after, up came a nobleman in his coach, dashing along at full\nspeed. \u201cNow you shall see what I can do, father,\u201d said the blacksmith;\nso away he ran after the coach, took all four shoes off the feet of one\nof the horses whilst he was galloping, and put him on four new shoes\nwithout stopping him. \u201cYou are a fine fellow, and as clever as your\nbrother,\u201d said his father; \u201cI do not know to which I ought to give the\nhouse.\u201d\n\nThen the third son said, \u201cFather, let me have my turn, if you please;\u201d\nand, as it was beginning to rain, he drew his sword, and flourished it\nbackwards and forwards above his head so fast that not a drop fell upon\nhim. It rained still harder and harder, till at last it came down in\ntorrents; but he only flourished his sword faster and faster, and\nremained as dry as if he were sitting in a house. When his father saw\nthis he was amazed, and said, \u201cThis is the master-piece, the house is\nyours!\u201d\n\nHis brothers were satisfied with this, as was agreed beforehand; and,\nas they loved one another very much, they all three stayed together in\nthe house, followed their trades, and, as they had learnt them so well\nand were so clever, they earned a great deal of money. Thus they lived\ntogether happily until they grew old; and at last, when one of them\nfell sick and died, the two others grieved so sorely about it that they\nalso fell ill, and soon after died. And because they had been so\nclever, and had loved one another so much, they were all laid in the\nsame grave.\n\n\n\n125 The Devil and his Grandmother\n\nThere was a great war, and the King had many soldiers, but gave them\nsmall pay, so small that they could not live upon it, so three of them\nagreed among themselves to desert. One of them said to the others, \u201cIf\nwe are caught we shall be hanged on the gallows; how shall we manage\nit?\u201d Another said, \u201cLook at that great cornfield, if we were to hide\nourselves there, no one could find us; the troops are not allowed to\nenter it, and to-morrow they are to march away.\u201d They crept into the\ncorn, only the troops did not march away, but remained lying all round\nabout it. They stayed in the corn for two days and two nights, and were\nso hungry that they all but died, but if they had come out, their death\nwould have been certain. Then said they, \u201cWhat is the use of our\ndeserting if we have to perish miserably here?\u201d But now a fiery dragon\ncame flying through the air, and it came down to them, and asked why\nthey had concealed themselves there? They answered, \u201cWe are three\nsoldiers who have deserted because the pay was so bad, and now we shall\nhave to die of hunger if we stay here, or to dangle on the gallows if\nwe go out.\u201d \u201cIf you will serve me for seven years,\u201d said the dragon, \u201cI\nwill convey you through the army so that no one shall seize you.\u201d \u201cWe\nhave no choice and are compelled to accept,\u201d they replied. Then the\ndragon caught hold of them with his claws, and carried them away\nthrough the air over the army, and put them down again on the earth far\nfrom it; but the dragon was no other than the Devil. He gave them a\nsmall whip and said, \u201cWhip with it and crack it, and then as much gold\nwill spring up round about as you can wish for; then you can live like\ngreat lords, keep horses, and drive your carriages, but when the seven\nyears have come to an end, you are my property.\u201d Then he put before\nthem a book which they were all three forced to sign. \u201cI will, however,\nthen set you a riddle,\u201d said he, \u201cand if you can guess that, you shall\nbe free, and released from my power.\u201d Then the dragon flew away from\nthem, and they went away with their whip, had gold in plenty, ordered\nthemselves rich apparel, and travelled about the world. Wherever they\nwere they lived in pleasure and magnificence, rode on horseback, drove\nin carriages, ate and drank, but did nothing wicked. The time slipped\nquickly away, and when the seven years were coming to an end, two of\nthem were terribly anxious and alarmed; but the third took the affair\neasily, and said, \u201cBrothers, fear nothing, my head is sharp enough, I\nshall guess the riddle.\u201d They went out into the open country and sat\ndown, and the two pulled sorrowful faces. Then an aged woman came up to\nthem who inquired why they were so sad? \u201cAlas!\u201d said they, \u201chow can\nthat concern you? After all, you cannot help us.\u201d \u201cWho knows?\u201d said\nshe. \u201cConfide your trouble to me.\u201d So they told her that they had been\nthe Devil\u2019s servants for nearly seven years, and that he had provided\nthem with gold as plentifully as if it had been blackberries, but that\nthey had sold themselves to him, and were forfeited to him, if at the\nend of the seven years they could not guess a riddle. The old woman\nsaid, \u201cIf you are to be saved, one of you must go into the forest,\nthere he will come to a fallen rock which looks like a little house, he\nmust enter that, and then he will obtain help.\u201d The two melancholy ones\nthought to themselves, \u201cThat will still not save us,\u201d and stayed where\nthey were, but the third, the merry one, got up and walked on in the\nforest until he found the rock-house. In the little house, however, a\nvery aged woman was sitting, who was the Devil\u2019s grandmother, and asked\nthe soldier where he came from, and what he wanted there? He told her\neverything that had happened, and as he pleased her well, she had pity\non him, and said she would help him. She lifted up a great stone which\nlay above a cellar, and said, \u201cConceal thyself there, thou canst hear\neverything that is said here; only sit still, and do not stir. When the\ndragon comes, I will question him about the riddle, he tells everything\nto me, so listen carefully to his answer.\u201d At twelve o\u2019clock at night,\nthe dragon came flying thither, and asked for his dinner. The\ngrandmother laid the table, and served up food and drink, so that he\nwas pleased, and they ate and drank together. In the course of\nconversation, she asked him what kind of a day he had had, and how many\nsouls he had got? \u201cNothing went very well to-day,\u201d he answered, \u201cbut I\nhave laid hold of three soldiers, I have them safe.\u201d \u201cIndeed! three\nsoldiers, that\u2019s something like, but they may escape you yet.\u201d The\nDevil said mockingly, \u201cThey are mine! I will set them a riddle, which\nthey will never in this world be able to guess!\u201d \u201cWhat riddle is that?\u201d\nshe inquired. \u201cI will tell you. In the great North Sea lies a dead\ndog-fish, that shall be your roast meat, and the rib of a whale shall\nbe your silver spoon, and a hollow old horse\u2019s hoof shall be your\nwine-glass.\u201d When the Devil had gone to bed, the old grandmother raised\nup the stone, and let out the soldier. \u201cHast thou paid particular\nattention to everything?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said he, \u201cI know enough, and will\ncontrive to save myself.\u201d Then he had to go back another way, through\nthe window, secretly and with all speed to his companions. He told them\nhow the Devil had been overreached by the old grandmother, and how he\nhad learned the answer to the riddle from him. Then they were all\njoyous, and of good cheer, and took the whip and whipped so much gold\nfor themselves that it ran all over the ground. When the seven years\nhad fully gone by, the Devil came with the book, showed the signatures,\nand said, \u201cI will take you with me to hell. There you shall have a\nmeal! If you can guess what kind of roast meat you will have to eat,\nyou shall be free and released from your bargain, and may keep the whip\nas well.\u201d Then the first soldier began and said, \u201cIn the great North\nSea lies a dead dog-fish, that no doubt is the roast meat.\u201d The Devil\nwas angry, and began to mutter, \u201cHm! hm! hm!\u201d And asked the second,\n\u201cBut what will your spoon be?\u201d \u201cThe rib of a whale, that is to be our\nsilver spoon.\u201d The Devil made a wry face, again growled, \u201cHm! hm! hm!\u201d\nand said to the third, \u201cAnd do you also know what your wine-glass is to\nbe?\u201d \u201cAn old horse\u2019s hoof is to be our wineglass.\u201d Then the Devil flew\naway with a loud cry, and had no more power over them, but the three\nkept the whip, whipped as much money for themselves with it as they\nwanted, and lived happily to their end.\n\n\n\n126 Ferdinand the Faithful\n\nOnce on a time lived a man and a woman who so long as they were rich\nhad no children, but when they were poor they had a little boy. They\ncould, however, find no godfather for him, so the man said he would\njust go to another place to see if he could get one there. As he went,\na poor man met him, who asked him where he was going. He said he was\ngoing to see if he could get a godfather, that he was poor, so no one\nwould stand as godfather for him. \u201cOh,\u201d said the poor man, \u201cyou are\npoor, and I am poor; I will be godfather for you, but I am so ill off I\ncan give the child nothing. Go home and tell the nurse that she is to\ncome to the church with the child.\u201d\n\nWhen they all got to the church together, the beggar was already there,\nand he gave the child the name of Ferdinand the Faithful.\n\nWhen he was going out of the church, the beggar said, \u201cNow go home, I\ncan give you nothing, and you likewise ought to give me nothing.\u201d But\nhe gave a key to the nurse, and told her when she got home she was to\ngive it to the father, who was to take care of it until the child was\nfourteen years old, and then he was to go on the heath where there was\na castle which the key would fit, and that all which was therein should\nbelong to him. Now when the child was seven years old and had grown\nvery big, he once went to play with some other boys, and each of them\nboasted that he had got more from his godfather than the other; but the\nchild could say nothing, and was vexed, and went home and said to his\nfather, \u201cDid I get nothing at all, then, from my godfather?\u201d \u201cOh, yes,\u201d\nsaid the father, \u201cthou hadst a key if there is a castle standing on the\nheath, just go to it and open it.\u201d Then the boy went thither, but no\ncastle was to be seen, or heard of.\n\nAfter seven years more, when he was fourteen years old, he again went\nthither, and there stood the castle. When he had opened it, there was\nnothing within but a horse, a white one. Then the boy was so full of\njoy because he had a horse, that he mounted on it and galloped back to\nhis father. \u201cNow I have a white horse, and I will travel,\u201d said he. So\nhe set out, and as he was on his way, a pen was lying on the road. At\nfirst he thought he would pick it up, but then again he thought to\nhimself, \u201cThou shouldst leave it lying there; thou wilt easily find a\npen where thou art going, if thou hast need of one.\u201d As he was thus\nriding away, a voice called after him, \u201cFerdinand the Faithful, take it\nwith thee.\u201d He looked around, but saw no one, then he went back again\nand picked it up. When he had ridden a little way farther, he passed by\na lake, and a fish was lying on the bank, gasping and panting for\nbreath, so he said, \u201cWait, my dear fish, I will help thee get into the\nwater,\u201d and he took hold of it by the tail, and threw it into the lake.\nThen the fish put its head out of the water and said, \u201cAs thou hast\nhelped me out of the mud I will give thee a flute; when thou art in any\nneed, play on it, and then I will help thee, and if ever thou lettest\nanything fall in the water, just play and I will reach it out to thee.\u201d\nThen he rode away, and there came to him a man who asked him where he\nwas going. \u201cOh, to the next place.\u201d Then what his name was? \u201cFerdinand\nthe Faithful.\u201d \u201cSo! then we have got almost the same name, I am called\nFerdinand the Unfaithful.\u201d And they both set out to the inn in the\nnearest place.\n\nNow it was unfortunate that Ferdinand the Unfaithful knew everything\nthat the other had ever thought and everything he was about to do; he\nknew it by means of all kinds of wicked arts. There was, however, in\nthe inn an honest girl, who had a bright face and behaved very\nprettily. She fell in love with Ferdinand the Faithful because he was a\nhandsome man, and she asked him whither he was going. \u201cOh, I am just\ntravelling round about,\u201d said he. Then she said he ought to stay there,\nfor the King of that country wanted an attendant or an outrider, and he\nought to enter his service. He answered he could not very well go to\nany one like that and offer himself. Then said the maiden, \u201cOh, but I\nwill soon do that for you.\u201d And so she went straight to the King, and\ntold him that she knew of an excellent servant for him. He was well\npleased with that, and had Ferdinand the Faithful brought to him, and\nwanted to make him his servant. He, however, liked better to be an\noutrider, for where his horse was, there he also wanted to be, so the\nKing made him an outrider. When Ferdinand the Unfaithful learnt that,\nhe said to the girl, \u201cWhat! Dost thou help him and not me?\u201d \u201cOh,\u201d said\nthe girl, \u201cI will help thee too.\u201d She thought, \u201cI must keep friends\nwith that man, for he is not to be trusted.\u201d She went to the King, and\noffered him as a servant, and the King was willing.\n\nNow when the King met his lords in the morning, he always lamented and\nsaid, \u201cOh, if I had but my love with me.\u201d Ferdinand the Unfaithful was,\nhowever, always hostile to Ferdinand the Faithful. So once, when the\nKing was complaining thus, he said, \u201cYou have the outrider, send him\naway to get her, and if he does not do it, his head must be struck\noff.\u201d Then the King sent for Ferdinand the Faithful, and told him that\nthere was, in this place or in that place, a girl he loved, and that he\nwas to bring her to him, and if he did not do it he should die.\n\nFerdinand the Faithful went into the stable to his white horse, and\ncomplained and lamented, \u201cOh, what an unhappy man I am!\u201d Then someone\nbehind him cried, \u201cFerdinand the Faithful, why weepest thou?\u201d He looked\nround but saw no one, and went on lamenting; \u201cOh, my dear little white\nhorse, now must I leave thee; now must I die.\u201d Then some one cried once\nmore, \u201cFerdinand the Faithful, why weepest thou?\u201d Then for the first\ntime he was aware that it was his little white horse who was putting\nthat question. \u201cDost thou speak, my little white horse; canst thou do\nthat?\u201d And again, he said, \u201cI am to go to this place and to that, and\nam to bring the bride; canst thou tell me how I am to set about it?\u201d\nThen answered the little white horse, \u201cGo thou to the King, and say if\nhe will give thou what thou must have, thou wilt get her for him. If he\nwill give thee a ship full of meat, and a ship full of bread, it will\nsucceed. Great giants dwell on the lake, and if thou takest no meat\nwith thee for them, they will tear thee to pieces, and there are the\nlarge birds which would pick the eyes out of thy head if thou hadst no\nbread for them.\u201d Then the King made all the butchers in the land kill,\nand all the bakers bake, that the ships might be filled. When they were\nfull, the little white horse said to Ferdinand the Faithful, \u201cNow mount\nme, and go with me into the ship, and then when the giants come, say,\n\n\u201cPeace, peace, my dear little giants,\nI have had thought of ye,\nSomething I have brought for ye;\u201d\n\n\nand when the birds come, thou shalt again say,\n\n\u201cPeace, peace, my dear little birds,\nI have had thought of ye,\nSomething I have brought for ye;\u201d\n\n\nthen they will do nothing to thee, and when thou comest to the castle,\nthe giants will help thee. Then go up to the castle, and take a couple\nof giants with thee. There the princess lies sleeping; thou must,\nhowever, not awaken her, but the giants must lift her up, and carry her\nin her bed to the ship.\u201d And now everything took place as the little\nwhite horse had said, and Ferdinand the Faithful gave the giants and\nthe birds what he had brought with him for them, and that made the\ngiants willing, and they carried the princess in her bed to the King.\nAnd when she came to the King, she said she could not live, she must\nhave her writings, they had been left in her castle. Then by the\ninstigation of Ferdinand the Unfaithful, Ferdinand the Faithful was\ncalled, and the King told him he must fetch the writings from the\ncastle, or he should die. Then he went once more into the stable, and\nbemoaned himself and said, \u201cOh, my dear little white horse, now I am to\ngo away again, how am I to do it?\u201d Then the little white horse said he\nwas just to load the ships full again. So it happened again as it had\nhappened before, and the giants and the birds were satisfied, and made\ngentle by the meat. When they came to the castle, the white horse told\nFerdinand the Faithful that he must go in, and that on the table in the\nprincess\u2019s bed-room lay the writings. And Ferdinand the Faithful went\nin, and fetched them. When they were on the lake, he let his pen fall\ninto the water; then said the white horse, \u201cNow I cannot help thee at\nall.\u201d But he remembered his flute, and began to play on it, and the\nfish came with the pen in its mouth, and gave it to him. So he took the\nwritings to the castle, where the wedding was celebrated.\n\nThe Queen, however, did not love the King because he had no nose, but\nshe would have much liked to love Ferdinand the Faithful. Once,\ntherefore, when all the lords of the court were together, the Queen\nsaid she could do feats of magic, that she could cut off any one\u2019s head\nand put it on again, and that one of them ought just to try it. But\nnone of them would be the first, so Ferdinand the Faithful, again at\nthe instigation of Ferdinand the Unfaithful, undertook it and she hewed\noff his head, and put it on again for him, and it healed together\ndirectly, so that it looked as if he had a red thread round his throat.\nThen the King said to her, \u201cMy child, and where hast thou learnt that?\u201d\n\u201cYes,\u201d she said, \u201cI understand the art; shall I just try it on thee\nalso?\u201d \u201cOh, yes,\u201d said he. But she cut off his head, and did not put it\non again; but pretended that she could not get it on, and that it would\nnot keep fixed. Then the King was buried, but she married Ferdinand the\nFaithful.\n\nHe, however, always rode on his white horse, and once when he was\nseated on it, it told him that he was to go on to the heath which he\nknew, and gallop three times round it. And when he had done that, the\nwhite horse stood up on its hind legs, and was changed into a King\u2019s\nson.\n\n\n\n127 The Iron Stove\n\nIn the days when wishing was still of some use, a King\u2019s son was\nbewitched by an old witch, and shut up in an iron stove in a forest.\nThere he passed many years, and no one could deliver him. Then a King\u2019s\ndaughter came into the forest, who had lost herself, and could not find\nher father\u2019s kingdom again. After she had wandered about for nine days,\nshe at length came to the iron stove. Then a voice came forth from it,\nand asked her, \u201cWhence comest thou, and whither goest, thou?\u201d She\nanswered, \u201cI have lost my father\u2019s kingdom, and cannot get home again.\u201d\nThen a voice inside the iron stove said, \u201cI will help thee to get home\nagain, and that indeed most swiftly, if thou wilt promise to do what I\ndesire of thee. I am the son of a far greater King than thy father, and\nI will marry thee.\u201d\n\nThen was she afraid, and thought, \u201cGood heavens! What can I do with an\niron stove?\u201d But as she much wished to get home to her father, she\npromised to do as he desired. But he said, \u201cThou shalt return here, and\nbring a knife with thee, and scrape a hole in the iron.\u201d Then he gave\nher a companion who walked near her, but did not speak, but in two\nhours he took her home; there was great joy in the castle when the\nKing\u2019s daughter came home, and the old King fell on her neck and kissed\nher. She, however, was sorely troubled, and said, \u201cDear father, what I\nhave suffered! I should never have got home again from the great wild\nforest, if I had not come to an iron stove, but I have been forced to\ngive my word that I will go back to it, set it free, and marry it.\u201d\nThen the old King was so terrified that he all but fainted, for he had\nbut this one daughter. They therefore resolved they would send, in her\nplace, the miller\u2019s daughter, who was very beautiful. They took her\nthere, gave her a knife, and said she was to scrape at the iron stove.\nSo she scraped at it for four-and-twenty hours, but could not bring off\nthe least morsel of it. When day dawned, a voice in the stove said, \u201cIt\nseems to me it is day outside.\u201d Then she answered, \u201cIt seems so to me\ntoo; I fancy I hear the noise of my father\u2019s mill.\u201d\n\n\u201cSo thou art a miller\u2019s daughter! Then go thy way at once, and let the\nKing\u2019s daughter come here.\u201d Then she went away at once, and told the\nold King that the man outside there, would have none of her he wanted\nthe King\u2019s daughter. They, however, still had a swine-herd\u2019s daughter,\nwho was even prettier than the miller\u2019s daughter, and they determined\nto give her a piece of gold to go to the iron stove instead of the\nKing\u2019s daughter. So she was taken thither, and she also had to scrape\nfor four-and-twenty hours. She, however, made nothing of it. When day\nbroke, a voice inside the stove cried, \u201cIt seems to me it is day\noutside!\u201d Then answered she, \u201cSo it seems to me also; I fancy I hear my\nfather\u2019s horn blowing.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen thou art a swine-herd\u2019s daughter! Go away at once, and tell the\nKing\u2019s daughter to come, and tell her all must be done as promised, and\nif she does not come, everything in the kingdom shall be ruined and\ndestroyed, and not one stone be left standing on another.\u201d When the\nKing\u2019s daughter heard that she began to weep, but now there was nothing\nfor it but to keep her promise. So she took leave of her father, put a\nknife in her pocket, and went forth to the iron stove in the forest.\nWhen she got there, she began to scrape, and the iron gave way, and\nwhen two hours were over, she had already scraped a small hole. Then\nshe peeped in, and saw a youth so handsome, and so brilliant with gold\nand with precious jewels, that her very soul was delighted. Now,\ntherefore, she went on scraping, and made the hole so large that he was\nable to get out. Then said he, \u201cThou art mine, and I am thine; thou art\nmy bride, and hast released me.\u201d He wanted to take her away with him to\nhis kingdom, but she entreated him to let her go once again to her\nfather, and the King\u2019s son allowed her to do so, but she was not to say\nmore to her father than three words, and then she was to come back\nagain. So she went home, but she spoke more than three words, and\ninstantly the iron stove disappeared, and was taken far away over glass\nmountains and piercing swords; but the King\u2019s son was set free, and no\nlonger shut up in it. After this she bade good-bye to her father, took\nsome money with her, but not much, and went back to the great forest,\nand looked for the iron stove, but it was nowhere to be found. For nine\ndays she sought it, and then her hunger grew so great that she did not\nknow what to do, for she could no longer live. When it was evening, she\nseated herself in a small tree, and made up her mind to spend the night\nthere, as she was afraid of wild beasts. When midnight drew near she\nsaw in the distance a small light, and thought, \u201cAh, there I should be\nsaved!\u201d She got down from the tree, and went towards the light, but on\nthe way she prayed. Then she came to a little old house, and much grass\nhad grown all about it, and a small heap of wood lay in front of it.\nShe thought, \u201cAh, whither have I come,\u201d and peeped in through the\nwindow, but she saw nothing inside but toads, big and little, except a\ntable well covered with wine and roast meat, and the plates and glasses\nwere of silver. Then she took courage, and knocked at the door. The fat\ntoad cried,\n\n\u201cLittle green waiting-maid,\nWaiting-maid with the limping leg,\nLittle dog of the limping leg,\nHop hither and thither,\nAnd quickly see who is without:\u201d\n\n\nand a small toad came walking by and opened the door to her. When she\nentered, they all bade her welcome, and she was forced to sit down.\nThey asked, \u201cWhere hast thou come from, and whither art thou going?\u201d\nThen she related all that had befallen her, and how because she had\ntransgressed the order which had been given her not to say more than\nthree words, the stove, and the King\u2019s son also, had disappeared, and\nnow she was about to seek him over hill and dale until she found him.\nThen the old fat one said,\n\n\u201cLittle green waiting-maid,\nWaiting-maid with the limping leg,\nLittle dog of the limping leg,\nHop hither and thither,\nAnd bring me the great box.\u201d\n\n\nThen the little one went and brought the box. After this they gave her\nmeat and drink, and took her to a well-made bed, which felt like silk\nand velvet, and she laid herself therein, in God\u2019s name, and slept.\nWhen morning came she arose, and the old toad gave her three needles\nout of the great box which she was to take with her; they would be\nneeded by her, for she had to cross a high glass mountain, and go over\nthree piercing swords and a great lake. If she did all this she would\nget her lover back again. Then she gave her three things, which she was\nto take the greatest care of, namely, three large needles, a\nplough-wheel, and three nuts. With these she travelled onwards, and\nwhen she came to the glass mountain which was so slippery, she stuck\nthe three needles first behind her feet and then before them, and so\ngot over it, and when she was over it, she hid them in a place which\nshe marked carefully. After this she came to the three piercing swords,\nand then she seated herself on her plough-wheel, and rolled over them.\nAt last she arrived in front of a great lake, and when she had crossed\nit, she came to a large and beautiful castle. She went and asked for a\nplace; she was a poor girl, she said, and would like to be hired. She\nknew, however, that the King\u2019s son whom she had released from the iron\nstove in the great forest was in the castle. Then she was taken as a\nscullery-maid at low wages. But, already the King\u2019s son had another\nmaiden by his side whom he wanted to marry, for he thought that she had\nlong been dead.\n\nIn the evening, when she had washed up and was done, she felt in her\npocket and found the three nuts which the old toad had given her. She\ncracked one with her teeth, and was going to eat the kernel when lo and\nbehold there was a stately royal garment in it! But when the bride\nheard of this she came and asked for the dress, and wanted to buy it,\nand said, \u201cIt is not a dress for a servant-girl.\u201d But she said no, she\nwould not sell it, but if the bride would grant her one thing she\nshould have it, and that was, leave to sleep one night in her\nbridegroom\u2019s chamber. The bride gave her permission because the dress\nwas so pretty, and she had never had one like it. When it was evening\nshe said to her bridegroom, \u201cThat silly girl will sleep in thy room.\u201d\n\u201cIf thou art willing so am I,\u201d said he. She, however, gave him a glass\nof wine in which she had poured a sleeping-draught. So the bridegroom\nand the scullery-maid went to sleep in the room, and he slept so\nsoundly that she could not waken him.\n\nShe wept the whole night and cried, \u201cI set thee free when thou wert in\nan iron stove in the wild forest, I sought thee, and walked over a\nglass mountain, and three sharp swords, and a great lake before I found\nthee, and yet thou wilt not hear me!\u201d\n\nThe servants sat by the chamber-door, and heard how she thus wept the\nwhole night through, and in the morning they told it to their lord. And\nthe next evening when she had washed up, she opened the second nut, and\na far more beautiful dress was within it, and when the bride beheld it,\nshe wished to buy that also. But the girl would not take money, and\nbegged that she might once again sleep in the bridegroom\u2019s chamber. The\nbride, however, gave him a sleeping-drink, and he slept so soundly that\nhe could hear nothing. But the scullery-maid wept the whole night long,\nand cried, \u201cI set thee free when thou wert in an iron stove in the wild\nforest, I sought thee, and walked over a glass mountain, and over three\nsharp swords and a great lake before I found thee, and yet thou wilt\nnot hear me!\u201d The servants sat by the chamber-door and heard her\nweeping the whole night through, and in the morning informed their lord\nof it. And on the third evening, when she had washed up, she opened the\nthird nut, and within it was a still more beautiful dress which was\nstiff with pure gold. When the bride saw that she wanted to have it,\nbut the maiden only gave it up on condition that she might for the\nthird time sleep in the bridegroom\u2019s apartment. The King\u2019s son was,\nhowever, on his guard, and threw the sleeping-draught away. Now,\ntherefore, when she began to weep and to cry, \u201cDearest love, I set thee\nfree when thou wert in the iron stove in the terrible wild forest,\u201d the\nKing\u2019s son leapt up and said, \u201cThou art the true one, thou art mine,\nand I am thine.\u201d Thereupon, while it was still night, he got into a\ncarriage with her, and they took away the false bride\u2019s clothes so that\nshe could not get up. When they came to the great lake, they sailed\nacross it, and when they reached the three sharp-cutting swords they\nseated themselves on the plough-wheel, and when they got to the glass\nmountain they thrust the three needles in it, and so at length they got\nto the little old house; but when they went inside that, it was a great\ncastle, and the toads were all disenchanted, and were King\u2019s children,\nand full of happiness. Then the wedding was celebrated, and the King\u2019s\nson and the princess remained in the castle, which was much larger than\nthe castles of their fathers. As, however, the old King grieved at\nbeing left alone, they fetched him away, and brought him to live with\nthem, and they had two kingdoms, and lived in happy wedlock.\n\nA mouse did run,\nThis story is done.\n\n\n\n128 The Lazy Spinner\n\nIn a certain village there once lived a man and his wife, and the wife\nwas so idle that she would never work at anything; whatever her husband\ngave her to spin, she did not get done, and what she did spin she did\nnot wind, but let it all remain entangled in a heap. If the man scolded\nher, she was always ready with her tongue, and said, \u201cWell, how should\nI wind it, when I have no reel? Just you go into the forest and get me\none.\u201d \u201cIf that is all,\u201d said the man, \u201cthen I will go into the forest,\nand get some wood for making reels.\u201d Then the woman was afraid that if\nhe had the wood he would make her a reel of it, and she would have to\nwind her yarn off, and then begin to spin again. She bethought herself\na little, and then a lucky idea occurred to her, and she secretly\nfollowed the man into the forest, and when he had climbed into a tree\nto choose and cut the wood, she crept into the thicket below where he\ncould not see her, and cried,\n\n\u201cHe who cuts wood for reels shall die,\nAnd he who winds, shall perish.\u201d\n\n\nThe man listened, laid down his axe for a moment, and began to consider\nwhat that could mean. \u201cHollo,\u201d he said at last, \u201cwhat can that have\nbeen; my ears must have been singing, I won\u2019t alarm myself for\nnothing.\u201d So he again seized the axe, and began to hew, then again\nthere came a cry from below:\n\n\u201cHe who cuts wood for reels shall die,\nAnd he who winds, shall perish.\u201d\n\n\nHe stopped, and felt afraid and alarmed, and pondered over the\ncircumstance. But when a few moments had passed, he took heart again,\nand a third time he stretched out his hand for the axe, and began to\ncut. But some one called out a third time, and said loudly,\n\n\u201cHe who cuts wood for reels shall die,\nAnd he who winds, shall perish.\u201d\n\n\nThat was enough for him, and all inclination had departed from him, so\nhe hastily descended the tree, and set out on his way home. The woman\nran as fast as she could by by-ways so as to get home first. So when he\nentered the parlour, she put on an innocent look as if nothing had\nhappened, and said, \u201cWell, have you brought a nice piece of wood for\nreels?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said he, \u201cI see very well that winding won\u2019t do,\u201d and\ntold her what had happened to him in the forest, and from that time\nforth left her in peace about it. Neverthless after some time, the man\nagain began to complain of the disorder in the house. \u201cWife,\u201d said he,\n\u201cit is really a shame that the spun yarn should lie there all\nentangled!\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what,\u201d said she, \u201cas we still don\u2019t come by\nany reel, go you up into the loft, and I will stand down below, and\nwill throw the yarn up to you, and you will throw it down to me, and so\nwe shall get a skein after all.\u201d \u201cYes, that will do,\u201d said the man. So\nthey did that, and when it was done, he said, \u201cThe yarn is in skeins,\nnow it must be boiled.\u201d The woman was again distressed; She certainly\nsaid, \u201cYes, we will boil it next morning early.\u201d but she was secretly\ncontriving another trick.\n\nEarly in the morning she got up, lighted a fire, and put the kettle on,\nonly instead of the yarn, she put in a lump of tow, and let it boil.\nAfter that she went to the man who was still lying in bed, and said to\nhim, \u201cI must just go out, you must get up and look after the yarn which\nis in the kettle on the fire, but you must be at hand at once; mind\nthat, for if the cock should happen to crow, and you are not attending\nto the yarn, it will become tow.\u201d The man was willing and took good\ncare not to loiter. He got up as quickly as he could, and went into the\nkitchen. But when he reached the kettle and peeped in, he saw, to his\nhorror, nothing but a lump of tow. Then the poor man was as still as a\nmouse, thinking he had neglected it, and was to blame, and in future\nsaid no more about yarn and spinning. But you yourself must own she was\nan odious woman!\n\n\n\n129 The Four Skilful Brothers\n\nThere was once a poor man who had four sons, and when they were grown\nup, he said to them, \u201cMy dear children, you must now go out into the\nworld, for I have nothing to give you, so set out, and go to some\ndistance and learn a trade, and see how you can make your way.\u201d So the\nfour brothers took their sticks, bade their father farewell, and went\nthrough the town-gate together. When they had travelled about for some\ntime, they came to a cross-way which branched off in four different\ndirections. Then said the eldest, \u201cHere we must separate, but on this\nday four years, we will meet each other again at this spot, and in the\nmeantime we will seek our fortunes.\u201d\n\nThen each of them went his way, and the eldest met a man who asked him\nwhere he was going, and what he was intending to do? \u201cI want to learn a\ntrade,\u201d he replied. Then the other said, \u201cCome with me, and be a\nthief.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d he answered, \u201cthat is no longer regarded as a reputable\ntrade, and the end of it is that one has to swing on the gallows.\u201d\n\u201cOh,\u201d said the man, \u201cyou need not be afraid of the gallows; I will only\nteach you to get such things as no other man could ever lay hold of,\nand no one will ever detect you.\u201d So he allowed himself to be talked\ninto it, and while with the man became an accomplished thief, and so\ndexterous that nothing was safe from him, if he once desired to have\nit. The second brother met a man who put the same question to him what\nhe wanted to learn in the world. \u201cI don\u2019t know yet,\u201d he replied. \u201cThen\ncome with me, and be an astronomer; there is nothing better than that,\nfor nothing is hid from you.\u201d He liked the idea, and became such a\nskillful astronomer that when he had learnt everything, and was about\nto travel onwards, his master gave him a telescope and said to him,\n\u201cWith that you canst thou see whatsoever takes place either on earth or\nin heaven, and nothing can remain concealed from thee.\u201d A huntsman took\nthe third brother into training, and gave him such excellent\ninstruction in everything which related to huntsmanship, that he became\nan experienced hunter. When he went away, his master gave him a gun and\nsaid, \u201cIt will never fail you; whatsoever you aim at, you are certain\nto hit.\u201d The youngest brother also met a man who spoke to him, and\ninquired what his intentions were. \u201cWould you not like to be a tailor?\u201d\nsaid he. \u201cNot that I know of,\u201d said the youth; \u201csitting doubled up from\nmorning till night, driving the needle and the goose backwards and\nforwards, is not to my taste.\u201d \u201cOh, but you are speaking in ignorance,\u201d\nanswered the man; \u201cwith me you would learn a very different kind of\ntailoring, which is respectable and proper, and for the most part very\nhonorable.\u201d So he let himself be persuaded, and went with the man, and\nlearnt his art from the very beginning. When they parted, the man gave\nthe youth a needle, and said, \u201cWith this you can sew together whatever\nis given you, whether it is as soft as an egg or as hard as steel; and\nit will all become one piece of stuff, so that no seam will be\nvisible.\u201d\n\nWhen the appointed four years were over, the four brothers arrived at\nthe same time at the cross-roads, embraced and kissed each other, and\nreturned home to their father. \u201cSo now,\u201d said he, quite delighted, \u201cthe\nwind has blown you back again to me.\u201d They told him of all that had\nhappened to them, and that each had learnt his own trade. Now they were\nsitting just in front of the house under a large tree, and the father\nsaid, \u201cI will put you all to the test, and see what you can do.\u201d Then\nhe looked up and said to his second son, \u201cBetween two branches up at\nthe top of this tree, there is a chaffinch\u2019s nest, tell me how many\neggs there are in it?\u201d The astronomer took his glass, looked up, and\nsaid, \u201cThere are five.\u201d Then the father said to the eldest, \u201cFetch the\neggs down without disturbing the bird which is sitting hatching them.\u201d\nThe skillful thief climbed up, and took the five eggs from beneath the\nbird, which never observed what he was doing, and remained quietly\nsitting where she was, and brought them down to his father. The father\ntook them, and put one of them on each corner of the table, and the\nfifth in the middle, and said to the huntsman, \u201cWith one shot thou\nshalt shoot me the five eggs in two, through the middle.\u201d The huntsman\naimed, and shot the eggs, all five as the father had desired, and that\nat one shot. He certainly must have had some of the powder for shooting\nround corners. \u201cNow it\u2019s your turn,\u201d said the father to the fourth son;\n\u201cyou shall sew the eggs together again, and the young birds that are\ninside them as well, and you must do it so that they are not hurt by\nthe shot.\u201d The tailor brought his needle, and sewed them as his father\nwished. When he had done this the thief had to climb up the tree again,\nand carry them to the nest, and put them back again under the bird\nwithout her being aware of it. The bird sat her full time, and after a\nfew days the young ones crept out, and they had a red line round their\nnecks where they had been sewn together by the tailor.\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d said the old man to his sons, \u201cI begin to think you are worth\nmore than breen clover; you have used your time well, and learnt\nsomething good. I can\u2019t say which of you deserves the most praise. That\nwill be proved if you have but an early opportunity of using your\ntalents.\u201d Not long after this, there was a great uproar in the country,\nfor the King\u2019s daughter was carried off by a dragon. The King was full\nof trouble about it, both by day and night, and caused it to be\nproclaimed that whosoever brought her back should have her to wife. The\nfour brothers said to each other, \u201cThis would be a fine opportunity for\nus to show what we can do!\u201d and resolved to go forth together and\nliberate the King\u2019s daughter. \u201cI will soon know where she is,\u201d said the\nastronomer, and looked through his telescope and said, \u201cI see her\nalready, she is far away from here on a rock in the sea, and the dragon\nis beside her watching her.\u201d Then he went to the King, and asked for a\nship for himself and his brothers, and sailed with them over the sea\nuntil they came to the rock. There the King\u2019s daughter was sitting, and\nthe dragon was lying asleep on her lap. The huntsman said, \u201cI dare not\nfire, I should kill the beautiful maiden at the same time.\u201d \u201cThen I\nwill try my art,\u201d said the thief, and he crept thither and stole her\naway from under the dragon, so quietly and dexterously, that the\nmonster never remarked it, but went on snoring. Full of joy, they\nhurried off with her on board ship, and steered out into the open sea;\nbut the dragon, who when he awoke had found no princess there, followed\nthem, and came snorting angrily through the air. Just as he was\ncircling above the ship, and about to descend on it, the huntsman\nshouldered his gun, and shot him to the heart. The monster fell down\ndead, but was so large and powerful that his fall shattered the whole\nship. Fortunately, however, they laid hold of a couple of planks, and\nswam about the wide sea. Then again they were in great peril, but the\ntailor, who was not idle, took his wondrous needle, and with a few\nstitches sewed the planks together, and they seated themselves upon\nthem, and collected together all the fragments of the vessel. Then he\nsewed these so skilfully together, that in a very short time the ship\nwas once more seaworthy, and they could go home again in safety.\n\nWhen the King once more saw his daughter, there were great rejoicings.\nHe said to the four brothers, \u201cOne of you shall have her to wife, but\nwhich of you it is to be you must settle among yourselves.\u201d Then a warm\ncontest arose among them, for each of them preferred his own claim. The\nastronomer said, \u201cIf I had not seen the princess, all your arts would\nhave been useless, so she is mine.\u201d The thief said, \u201cWhat would have\nbeen the use of your seeing, if I had not got her away from the dragon?\nso she is mine.\u201d The huntsman said, \u201cYou and the princess, and all of\nyou, would have been torn to pieces by the dragon if my ball had not\nhit him, so she is mine.\u201d The tailor said, \u201cAnd if I, by my art, had\nnot sewn the ship together again, you would all of you have been\nmiserably drowned, so she is mine.\u201d Then the King uttered this saying,\n\u201cEach of you has an equal right, and as all of you cannot have the\nmaiden, none of you shall have her, but I will give to each of you, as\na reward, half a kingdom.\u201d The brothers were pleased with this\ndecision, and said, \u201cIt is better thus than that we should be at\nvariance with each other.\u201d Then each of them received half a kingdom,\nand they lived with their father in the greatest happiness as long as\nit pleased God.\n\n\n\n130 One-eye, Two-eyes, and Three-eyes\n\nThere was once a woman who had three daughters, the eldest of whom was\ncalled One-eye, because she had only one eye in the middle of her\nforehead, and the second, Two-eyes, because she had two eyes like other\nfolks, and the youngest, Three-eyes, because she had three eyes; and\nher third eye was also in the centre of her forehead. However, as\nTwo-eyes saw just as other human beings did, her sisters and her mother\ncould not endure her. They said to her, \u201cThou, with thy two eyes, art\nno better than the common people; thou dost not belong to us!\u201d They\npushed her about, and threw old clothes to her, and gave her nothing to\neat but what they left, and did everything that they could to make her\nunhappy. It came to pass that Two-eyes had to go out into the fields\nand tend the goat, but she was still quite hungry, because her sisters\nhad given her so little to eat. So she sat down on a ridge and began to\nweep, and so bitterly that two streams ran down from her eyes. And once\nwhen she looked up in her grief, a woman was standing beside her, who\nsaid, \u201cWhy art thou weeping, little Two-eyes?\u201d Two-Eyes answered, \u201cHave\nI not reason to weep, when I have two eyes like other people, and my\nsisters and mother hate me for it, and push me from one corner to\nanother, throw old clothes at me, and give me nothing to eat but the\nscraps they leave? To-day they have given me so little that I am still\nquite hungry.\u201d Then the wise woman said, \u201cWipe away thy tears,\nTwo-eyes, and I will tell thee something to stop thee ever suffering\nfrom hunger again; just say to thy goat,\n\n\u201cBleat, my little goat, bleat,\nCover the table with something to eat,\u201d\n\n\nand then a clean well-spread little table will stand before thee, with\nthe most delicious food upon it of which thou mayst eat as much as thou\nart inclined for, and when thou hast had enough, and hast no more need\nof the little table, just say,\n\n\u201cBleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray,\nAnd take the table quite away,\u201d\n\n\nand then it will vanish again from thy sight.\u201d Hereupon the wise woman\ndeparted. But Two-eyes thought, \u201cI must instantly make a trial, and see\nif what she said is true, for I am far too hungry,\u201d and she said,\n\n\u201cBleat, my little goat, bleat,\nCover the table with something to eat,\u201d\n\n\nand scarcely had she spoken the words than a little table, covered with\na white cloth, was standing there, and on it was a plate with a knife\nand fork, and a silver spoon; and the most delicious food was there\nalso, warm and smoking as if it had just come out of the kitchen. Then\nTwo-eyes said the shortest prayer she knew, \u201cLord God, be with us\nalways, Amen,\u201d and helped herself to some food, and enjoyed it. And\nwhen she was satisfied, she said, as the wise woman had taught her,\n\n\u201cBleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray,\nAnd take the table quite away,\u201d\n\n\nand immediately the little table and everything on it was gone again.\n\u201cThat is a delightful way of keeping house!\u201d thought Two-eyes, and was\nquite glad and happy.\n\nIn the evening, when she went home with her goat, she found a small\nearthenware dish with some food, which her sisters had set ready for\nher, but she did not touch it. Next day she again went out with her\ngoat, and left the few bits of broken bread which had been handed to\nher, lying untouched. The first and second time that she did this, her\nsisters did not remark it at all, but as it happened every time, they\ndid observe it, and said, \u201cThere is something wrong about Two-eyes, she\nalways leaves her food untasted, and she used to eat up everything that\nwas given her; she must have discovered other ways of getting food.\u201d In\norder that they might learn the truth, they resolved to send One-eye\nwith Two-eyes when she went to drive her goat to the pasture, to\nobserve what Two-eyes did when she was there, and whether any one\nbrought her anything to eat and drink. So when Two-eyes set out the\nnext time, One-eye went to her and said, \u201cI will go with you to the\npasture, and see that the goat is well taken care of, and driven where\nthere is food.\u201d But Two-eyes knew what was in One-eye\u2019s mind, and drove\nthe goat into high grass and said, \u201cCome, One-eye, we will sit down,\nand I will sing something to you.\u201d One-eye sat down and was tired with\nthe unaccustomed walk and the heat of the sun, and Two-eyes sang\nconstantly,\n\n\u201cOne eye, wakest thou?\nOne eye, sleepest thou?\u201d\n\n\nuntil One-eye shut her one eye, and fell asleep, and as soon as\nTwo-eyes saw that One-eye was fast asleep, and could discover nothing,\nshe said,\n\n\u201cBleat, my little goat, bleat,\nCover the table with something to eat,\u201d\n\n\nand seated herself at her table, and ate and drank until she was\nsatisfied, and then she again cried,\n\n\u201cBleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray,\nAnd take the table quite away,\u201d\n\n\nand in an instant all was gone. Two-eyes now awakened One-eye, and\nsaid, \u201cOne-eye, you want to take care of the goat, and go to sleep\nwhile you are doing it, and in the meantime the goat might run all over\nthe world. Come, let us go home again.\u201d So they went home, and again\nTwo-eyes let her little dish stand untouched, and One-eye could not\ntell her mother why she would not eat it, and to excuse herself said,\n\u201cI fell asleep when I was out.\u201d\n\nNext day the mother said to Three-eyes, \u201cThis time thou shalt go and\nobserve if Two-eyes eats anything when she is out, and if any one\nfetches her food and drink, for she must eat and drink in secret.\u201d So\nThree-eyes went to Two-eyes, and said, \u201cI will go with you and see if\nthe goat is taken proper care of, and driven where there is food.\u201d But\nTwo-eyes knew what was in Three-eyes\u2019 mind, and drove the goat into\nhigh grass and said, \u201cWe will sit down, and I will sing something to\nyou, Three-eyes.\u201d Three-eyes sat down and was tired with the walk and\nwith the heat of the sun, and Two-eyes began the same song as before,\nand sang,\n\n\u201cThree eyes, are you waking?\u201d\n\n\nbut then, instead of singing,\n\n\u201cThree eyes, are you sleeping?\u201d\n\n\nas she ought to have done, she thoughtlessly sang,\n\n\u201cTwo eyes, are you sleeping?\u201d\n\n\nand sang all the time,\n\n\u201cThree eyes, are you waking?\nTwo eyes, are you sleeping?\u201d\n\n\nThen two of the eyes which Three-eyes had, shut and fell asleep, but\nthe third, as it had not been named in the song, did not sleep. It is\ntrue that Three-eyes shut it, but only in her cunning, to pretend it\nwas asleep too, but it blinked, and could see everything very well. And\nwhen Two-eyes thought that Three-eyes was fast asleep, she used her\nlittle charm,\n\n\u201cBleat, my little goat, bleat,\nCover the table with something to eat,\u201d\n\n\nand ate and drank as much as her heart desired, and then ordered the\ntable to go away again,\n\n\u201cBleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray,\nAnd take the table quite away,\u201d\n\n\nand Three-eyes had seen everything. Then Two-eyes came to her, waked\nher and said, \u201cHave you been asleep, Three-eyes? You are a good\ncare-taker! Come, we will go home.\u201d And when they got home, Two-eyes\nagain did not eat, and Three-eyes said to the mother, \u201cNow, I know why\nthat high-minded thing there does not eat. When she is out, she says to\nthe goat,\n\n\u201cBleat, my little goat, bleat,\nCover the table with something to eat,\u201d\n\n\nand then a little table appears before her covered with the best of\nfood, much better than any we have here, and when she has eaten all she\nwants, she says,\n\n\u201cBleat, bleat, my little goat, I pray,\nAnd take the table quite away,\u201d\n\n\nand all disappears. I watched everything closely. She put two of my\neyes to sleep by using a certain form of words, but luckily the one in\nmy forehead kept awake.\u201d Then the envious mother cried, \u201cDost thou want\nto fare better than we do? The desire shall pass away,\u201d and she fetched\na butcher\u2019s knife, and thrust it into the heart of the goat, which fell\ndown dead.\n\nWhen Two-eyes saw that, she went out full of trouble, seated herself on\nthe ridge of grass at the edge of the field, and wept bitter tears.\nSuddenly the wise woman once more stood by her side, and said,\n\u201cTwo-eyes, why art thou weeping?\u201d \u201cHave I not reason to weep?\u201d she\nanswered. \u201cThe goat which covered the table for me every day when I\nspoke your charm, has been killed by my mother, and now I shall again\nhave to bear hunger and want.\u201d The wise woman said, \u201cTwo-eyes, I will\ngive thee a piece of good advice; ask thy sisters to give thee the\nentrails of the slaughtered goat, and bury them in the ground in front\nof the house, and thy fortune will be made.\u201d Then she vanished, and\nTwo-eyes went home and said to her sisters, \u201cDear sisters, do give me\nsome part of my goat; I don\u2019t wish for what is good, but give me the\nentrails.\u201d Then they laughed and said, \u201cIf that\u2019s all you want, you can\nhave it.\u201d So Two-eyes took the entrails and buried them quietly in the\nevening, in front of the house-door, as the wise woman had counselled\nher to do.\n\nNext morning, when they all awoke, and went to the house-door, there\nstood a strangely magnificent tree with leaves of silver, and fruit of\ngold hanging among them, so that in all the wide world there was\nnothing more beautiful or precious. They did not know how the tree\ncould have come there during the night, but Two-eyes saw that it had\ngrown up out of the entrails of the goat, for it was standing on the\nexact spot where she had buried them. Then the mother said to One-eye,\n\u201cClimb up, my child, and gather some of the fruit of the tree for us.\u201d\nOne-eye climbed up, but when she was about to get hold of one of the\ngolden apples, the branch escaped from her hands, and that happened\neach time, so that she could not pluck a single apple, let her do what\nshe might. Then said the mother, \u201cThree-eyes, do you climb up; you with\nyour three eyes can look about you better than One-eye.\u201d One-eye\nslipped down, and Three-eyes climbed up. Three-eyes was not more\nskilful, and might search as she liked, but the golden apples always\nescaped her. At length the mother grew impatient, and climbed up\nherself, but could get hold of the fruit no better than One-eye and\nThree-eyes, for she always clutched empty air. Then said Two-eyes, \u201cI\nwill just go up, perhaps I may succeed better.\u201d The sisters cried, \u201cYou\nindeed, with your two eyes, what can you do?\u201d But Two-eyes climbed up,\nand the golden apples did get out of her way, but came into her hand of\ntheir own accord, so that she could pluck them one after the other, and\nbrought a whole apronful down with her. The mother took them away from\nher, and instead of treating poor Two-eyes any better for this, she and\nOne-eye and Three-eyes were only envious, because Two-eyes alone had\nbeen able to get the fruit, and they treated her still more cruelly.\n\nIt so befell that once when they were all standing together by the\ntree, a young knight came up. \u201cQuick, Two-eyes,\u201d cried the two sisters,\n\u201ccreep under this, and don\u2019t disgrace us!\u201d and with all speed they\nturned an empty barrel which was standing close by the tree over poor\nTwo-eyes, and they pushed the golden apples which she had been\ngathering, under it too. When the knight came nearer he was a handsome\nlord, who stopped and admired the magnificent gold and silver tree, and\nsaid to the two sisters, \u201cTo whom does this fine tree belong? Any one\nwho would bestow one branch of it on me might in return for it ask\nwhatsoever he desired.\u201d Then One-eye and Three-eyes replied that the\ntree belonged to them, and that they would give him a branch. They both\ntook great trouble, but they were not able to do it, for the branches\nand fruit both moved away from them every time. Then said the knight,\n\u201cIt is very strange that the tree should belong to you, and that you\nshould still not be able to break a piece off.\u201d They again asserted\nthat the tree was their property. Whilst they were saying so, Two-eyes\nrolled out a couple of golden apples from under the barrel to the feet\nof the knight, for she was vexed with One-eye and Three-eyes, for not\nspeaking the truth. When the knight saw the apples he was astonished,\nand asked where they came from. One-eye and Three-eyes answered that\nthey had another sister, who was not allowed to show herself, for she\nhad only two eyes like any common person. The knight, however, desired\nto see her, and cried, \u201cTwo-eyes, come forth.\u201d Then Two-eyes, quite\ncomforted, came from beneath the barrel, and the knight was surprised\nat her great beauty, and said, \u201cThou, Two-eyes, canst certainly break\noff a branch from the tree for me.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d replied Two-eyes, \u201cthat I\ncertainly shall be able to do, for the tree belongs to me.\u201d And she\nclimbed up, and with the greatest ease broke off a branch with\nbeautiful silver leaves and golden fruit, and gave it to the knight.\nThen said the knight, \u201cTwo-eyes, what shall I give thee for it?\u201d\n\u201cAlas!\u201d answered Two-eyes, \u201cI suffer from hunger and thirst, grief and\nwant, from early morning till late night; if you would take me with\nyou, and deliver me from these things, I should be happy.\u201d So the\nknight lifted Two-eyes on to his horse, and took her home with him to\nhis father\u2019s castle, and there he gave her beautiful clothes, and meat\nand drink to her heart\u2019s content, and as he loved her so much he\nmarried her, and the wedding was solemnized with great rejoicing. When\nTwo-eyes was thus carried away by the handsome knight, her two sisters\ngrudged her good fortune in downright earnest. \u201cThe wonderful tree,\nhowever, still remains with us,\u201d thought they, \u201cand even if we can\ngather no fruit from it, still every one will stand still and look at\nit, and come to us and admire it. Who knows what good things may be in\nstore for us?\u201d But next morning, the tree had vanished, and all their\nhopes were at an end. And when Two-eyes looked out of the window of her\nown little room, to her great delight it was standing in front of it,\nand so it had followed her.\n\nTwo-eyes lived a long time in happiness. Once two poor women came to\nher in her castle, and begged for alms. She looked in their faces, and\nrecognized her sisters, One-eye, and Three-eyes, who had fallen into\nsuch poverty that they had to wander about and beg their bread from\ndoor to door. Two-eyes, however, made them welcome, and was kind to\nthem, and took care of them, so that they both with all their hearts\nrepented the evil that they had done their sister in their youth.\n\n\n\n131 Fair Katrinelje and Pif-Paf-Poltrie\n\n\u201cGood-day, Father Hollenthe.\u201d \u201cMany thanks, Pif-paf-poltrie.\u201d \u201cMay I be\nallowed to have your daughter?\u201d \u201cOh, yes, if Mother Malcho (Milch-cow),\nBrother High-and-Mighty, Sister K\u00e4setraut, and fair Katrinelje are\nwilling, you can have her.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere is Mother Malcho, then?\u201d \u201cShe is in the cow-house, milking the\ncow.\u201d\n\n\u201cGood-day, Mother Malcho.\u201d \u201cMany thanks, Pif-paf-poltrie.\u201d \u201cMay I be\nallowed to have your daughter?\u201d \u201cOh, yes, if Father Hollenthe, Brother\nHigh-and-Mighty, Sister K\u00e4setraut, and fair Katrinelje are willing, you\ncan have her.\u201d \u201cWhere is Brother High-and-Mighty, then?\u201d \u201cHe is in the\nroom chopping some wood.\u201d \u201cGood-day, Brother High-and-Mighty.\u201d \u201cMany\nthanks, Pif-paf-poltrie.\u201d \u201cMay I be allowed to have your sister?\u201d \u201cOh,\nyes, if Father Hollenthe, Mother Malcho, Sister K\u00e4setraut, and fair\nKatrinelje are willing, you can have her.\u201d \u201cWhere is Sister K\u00e4setraut,\nthen?\u201d \u201cShe is in the garden cutting cabbages.\u201d \u201cGood-day, sister\nK\u00e4setraut.\u201d \u201cMany thanks, Pif-paf-poltrie.\u201d \u201cMay I be allowed to have\nyour sister?\u201d \u201cOh, yes, if Father Hollenthe, Mother Malcho, Brother\nHigh-and-Mighty, and fair Katrinelje are willing, you may have her.\u201d\n\u201cWhere is fair Katrinelje, then?\u201d \u201cShe is in the room counting out her\nfarthings.\u201d \u201cGood day, fair Katrinelje.\u201d \u201cMany thanks,\nPif-paf-poltrie.\u201d \u201cWilt thou be my bride?\u201d \u201cOh, yes, if Father\nHollenthe, Mother Malcho, Brother High-and-Mighty, and Sister K\u00e4setraut\nare willing, I am ready.\u201d\n\n\u201cFair Katrinelje, how much dowry do hast thou?\u201d \u201cFourteen farthings in\nready money, three and a half groschen owing to me, half a pound of\ndried apples, a handful of fried bread, and a handful of spices.\n\nAnd many other things are mine,\nHave I not a dowry fine?\n\n\n\u201cPif-paf-poltrie, what is thy trade? Art thou a tailor?\u201d \u201cSomething\nbetter.\u201d \u201cA shoemaker?\u201d \u201cSomething better.\u201d \u201cA husbandman?\u201d \u201cSomething\nbetter.\u201d \u201cA joiner?\u201d \u201cSomething better.\u201d \u201cA smith?\u201d \u201cSomething better.\u201d\n\u201cA miller?\u201d \u201cSomething better.\u201d \u201cPerhaps a broom-maker?\u201d \u201cYes, that\u2019s\nwhat I am, is it not a fine trade?\u201d\n\n\n\n132 The Fox and the Horse\n\nA peasant had a faithful horse which had grown old and could do no more\nwork, so his master would no longer give him anything to eat and said,\n\u201cI can certainly make no more use of thee, but still I mean well by\nthee; if thou provest thyself still strong enough to bring me a lion\nhere, I will maintain thee, but now take thyself away out of my\nstable,\u201d and with that he chased him into the open country. The horse\nwas sad, and went to the forest to seek a little protection there from\nthe weather. Then the fox met him and said, \u201cWhy dost thou hang thy\nhead so, and go about all alone?\u201d \u201cAlas,\u201d replied the horse, \u201cavarice\nand fidelity do not dwell together in one house. My master has\nforgotten what services I have performed for him for so many years, and\nbecause I can no longer plough well, he will give me no more food, and\nhas driven me out.\u201d \u201cWithout giving thee a chance?\u201d asked the fox. \u201cThe\nchance was a bad one. He said, if I were still strong enough to bring\nhim a lion, he would keep me, but he well knows that I cannot do that.\u201d\nThe fox said, \u201cI will help thee, just lay thyself down, stretch thyself\nout, as if thou wert dead, and do not stir.\u201d The horse did as the fox\ndesired, and the fox went to the lion, who had his den not far off, and\nsaid, \u201cA dead horse is lying outside there, just come with me, thou\ncanst have a rich meal.\u201d The lion went with him, and when they were\nboth standing by the horse the fox said, \u201cAfter all, it is not very\ncomfortable for thee here I tell thee what I will fasten it to thee by\nthe tail, and then thou canst drag it into thy cave, and devour it in\npeace.\u201d\n\nThis advice pleased the lion: he lay down, and in order that the fox\nmight tie the horse fast to him, he kept quite quiet. But the fox tied\nthe lion\u2019s legs together with the horse\u2019s tail, and twisted and\nfastened all so well and so strongly that no strength could break it.\nWhen he had finished his work, he tapped the horse on the shoulder and\nsaid, \u201cPull, white horse, pull.\u201d Then up sprang the horse at once, and\ndrew the lion away with him. The lion began to roar so that all the\nbirds in the forest flew out in terror, but the horse let him roar, and\ndrew him and dragged him over the country to his master\u2019s door. When\nthe master saw the lion, he was of a better mind, and said to the\nhorse, \u201cThou shalt stay with me and fare well,\u201d and he gave him plenty\nto eat until he died.\n\n\n\n133 The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces\n\nThere was once upon a time a King who had twelve daughters, each one\nmore beautiful than the other. They all slept together in one chamber,\nin which their beds stood side by side, and every night when they were\nin them the King locked the door, and bolted it. But in the morning\nwhen he unlocked the door, he saw that their shoes were worn out with\ndancing, and no one could find out how that had come to pass. Then the\nKing caused it to be proclaimed that whosoever could discover where\nthey danced at night, should choose one of them for his wife and be\nKing after his death, but that whosoever came forward and had not\ndiscovered it within three days and nights, should have forfeited his\nlife. It was not long before a King\u2019s son presented himself, and\noffered to undertake the enterprise. He was well received, and in the\nevening was led into a room adjoining the princesses\u2019 sleeping-chamber.\nHis bed was placed there, and he was to observe where they went and\ndanced, and in order that they might do nothing secretly or go away to\nsome other place, the door of their room was left open.\n\nBut the eyelids of the prince grew heavy as lead, and he fell asleep,\nand when he awoke in the morning, all twelve had been to the dance, for\ntheir shoes were standing there with holes in the soles. On the second\nand third nights it fell out just the same, and then his head was\nstruck off without mercy. Many others came after this and undertook the\nenterprise, but all forfeited their lives. Now it came to pass that a\npoor soldier, who had a wound, and could serve no longer, found himself\non the road to the town where the King lived. There he met an old\nwoman, who asked him where he was going. \u201cI hardly know myself,\u201d\nanswered he, and added in jest, \u201cI had half a mind to discover where\nthe princesses danced their shoes into holes, and thus become King.\u201d\n\u201cThat is not so difficult,\u201d said the old woman, \u201cyou must not drink the\nwine which will be brought to you at night, and must pretend to be\nsound asleep.\u201d With that she gave him a little cloak, and said, \u201cIf you\nput on that, you will be invisible, and then you can steal after the\ntwelve.\u201d When the soldier had received this good advice, he went into\nthe thing in earnest, took heart, went to the King, and announced\nhimself as a suitor. He was as well received as the others, and royal\ngarments were put upon him. He was conducted that evening at bed-time\ninto the ante-chamber, and as he was about to go to bed, the eldest\ncame and brought him a cup of wine, but he had tied a sponge under his\nchin, and let the wine run down into it, without drinking a drop. Then\nhe lay down and when he had lain a while, he began to snore, as if in\nthe deepest sleep. The twelve princesses heard that, and laughed, and\nthe eldest said, \u201cHe, too, might as well have saved his life.\u201d With\nthat they got up, opened wardrobes, presses, cupboards, and brought out\npretty dresses; dressed themselves before the mirrors, sprang about,\nand rejoiced at the prospect of the dance. Only the youngest said, \u201cI\nknow not how it is; you are very happy, but I feel very strange; some\nmisfortune is certainly about to befall us.\u201d \u201cThou art a goose, who art\nalways frightened,\u201d said the eldest. \u201cHast thou forgotten how many\nKings\u2019 sons have already come here in vain? I had hardly any need to\ngive the soldier a sleeping-draught, in any case the clown would not\nhave awakened.\u201d When they were all ready they looked carefully at the\nsoldier, but he had closed his eyes and did not move or stir, so they\nfelt themselves quite secure. The eldest then went to her bed and\ntapped it; it immediately sank into the earth, and one after the other\nthey descended through the opening, the eldest going first. The\nsoldier, who had watched everything, tarried no longer, put on his\nlittle cloak, and went down last with the youngest. Half-way down the\nsteps, he just trod a little on her dress; she was terrified at that,\nand cried out, \u201cWhat is that? who is pulling my dress?\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t be so\nsilly!\u201d said the eldest, \u201cyou have caught it on a nail.\u201d Then they went\nall the way down, and when they were at the bottom, they were standing\nin a wonderfully pretty avenue of trees, all the leaves of which were\nof silver, and shone and glistened. The soldier thought, \u201cI must carry\na token away with me,\u201d and broke off a twig from one of them, on which\nthe tree cracked with a loud report. The youngest cried out again.\n\u201cSomething is wrong, did you hear the crack?\u201d But the eldest said, \u201cIt\nis a gun fired for joy, because we have got rid of our prince so\nquickly.\u201d After that they came into an avenue where all the leaves were\nof gold, and lastly into a third where they were of bright diamonds; he\nbroke off a twig from each, which made such a crack each time that the\nyoungest started back in terror, but the eldest still maintained that\nthey were salutes. They went on and came to a great lake whereon stood\ntwelve little boats, and in every boat sat a handsome prince, all of\nwhom were waiting for the twelve, and each took one of them with him,\nbut the soldier seated himself by the youngest. Then her prince said,\n\u201cI can\u2019t tell why the boat is so much heavier to-day; I shall have to\nrow with all my strength, if I am to get it across.\u201d \u201cWhat should cause\nthat,\u201d said the youngest, \u201cbut the warm weather? I feel very warm too.\u201d\nOn the opposite side of the lake stood a splendid, brightly-lit castle,\nfrom whence resounded the joyous music of trumpets and kettle-drums.\nThey rowed over there, entered, and each prince danced with the girl he\nloved, but the soldier danced with them unseen, and when one of them\nhad a cup of wine in her hand he drank it up, so that the cup was empty\nwhen she carried it to her mouth; the youngest was alarmed at this, but\nthe eldest always made her be silent. They danced there till three\no\u2019clock in the morning when all the shoes were danced into holes, and\nthey were forced to leave off; the princes rowed them back again over\nthe lake, and this time the soldier seated himself by the eldest. On\nthe shore they took leave of their princes, and promised to return the\nfollowing night. When they reached the stairs the soldier ran on in\nfront and lay down in his bed, and when the twelve had come up slowly\nand wearily, he was already snoring so loudly that they could all hear\nhim, and they said, \u201cSo far as he is concerned, we are safe.\u201d They took\noff their beautiful dresses, laid them away, put the worn-out shoes\nunder the bed, and lay down. Next morning the soldier was resolved not\nto speak, but to watch the wonderful goings on, and again went with\nthem. Then everything was done just as it had been done the first time,\nand each time they danced until their shoes were worn to pieces. But\nthe third time he took a cup away with him as a token. When the hour\nhad arrived for him to give his answer, he took the three twigs and the\ncup, and went to the King, but the twelve stood behind the door, and\nlistened for what he was going to say. When the King put the question,\n\u201cWhere have my twelve daughters danced their shoes to pieces in the\nnight?\u201d he answered, \u201cIn an underground castle with twelve princes,\u201d\nand related how it had come to pass, and brought out the tokens. The\nKing then summoned his daughters, and asked them if the soldier had\ntold the truth, and when they saw that they were betrayed, and that\nfalsehood would be of no avail, they were obliged to confess all.\nThereupon the King asked which of them he would have to wife? He\nanswered, \u201cI am no longer young, so give me the eldest.\u201d Then the\nwedding was celebrated on the self-same day, and the kingdom was\npromised him after the King\u2019s death. But the princes were bewitched for\nas many days as they had danced nights with the twelve.\n\n\n\n134 The Six Servants\n\nIn former times there lived an aged Queen who was a sorceress, and her\ndaughter was the most beautiful maiden under the sun. The old woman,\nhowever, had no other thought than how to lure mankind to destruction,\nand when a wooer appeared, she said that whosoever wished to have her\ndaughter, must first perform a task, or die. Many had been dazzled by\nthe daughter\u2019s beauty, and had actually risked this, but they never\ncould accomplish what the old woman enjoined them to do, and then no\nmercy was shown; they had to kneel down, and their heads were struck\noff. A certain King\u2019s son who had also heard of the maiden\u2019s beauty,\nsaid to his father, \u201cLet me go there, I want to demand her in\nmarriage.\u201d \u201cNever,\u201d answered the King; \u201cif you were to go, it would be\ngoing to your death.\u201d On this the son lay down and was sick unto death,\nand for seven years he lay there, and no physician could heal him. When\nthe father perceived that all hope was over, with a heavy heart he said\nto him, \u201cGo thither, and try your luck, for I know no other means of\ncuring you.\u201d When the son heard that, he rose from his bed and was well\nagain, and joyfully set out on his way.\n\nAnd it came to pass that as he was riding across a heath, he saw from\nafar something like a great heap of hay lying on the ground, and when\nhe drew nearer, he could see that it was the stomach of a man, who had\nlaid himself down there, but the stomach looked like a small mountain.\nWhen the fat man saw the traveller, he stood up and said, \u201cIf you are\nin need of any one, take me into your service.\u201d The prince answered,\n\u201cWhat can I do with such a great big man?\u201d \u201cOh,\u201d said the Stout One,\n\u201cthis is nothing, when I stretch myself out well, I am three thousand\ntimes fatter.\u201d \u201cIf that\u2019s the case,\u201d said the prince, \u201cI can make use\nof thee, come with me.\u201d So the Stout One followed the prince, and after\na while they found another man who was lying on the ground with his ear\nlaid to the turf. \u201cWhat art thou doing there?\u201d asked the King\u2019s son. \u201cI\nam listening,\u201d replied the man. \u201cWhat art thou listening to so\nattentively?\u201d \u201cI am listening to what is just going on in the world,\nfor nothing escapes my ears; I even hear the grass growing.\u201d \u201cTell me,\u201d\nsaid the prince, \u201cwhat thou hearest at the court of the old Queen who\nhas the beautiful daughter.\u201d Then he answered, \u201cI hear the whizzing of\nthe sword that is striking off a wooer\u2019s head.\u201d The King\u2019s son said, \u201cI\ncan make use of thee, come with me.\u201d They went onwards, and then saw a\npair of feet lying and part of a pair of legs, but could not see the\nrest of the body. When they had walked on for a great distance, they\ncame to the body, and at last to the head also. \u201cWhy,\u201d said the prince,\n\u201cwhat a tall rascal thou art!\u201d \u201cOh,\u201d replied the Tall One, \u201cthat is\nnothing at all yet; when I really stretch out my limbs, I am three\nthousand times as tall, and taller than the highest mountain on earth.\nI will gladly enter your service, if you will take me.\u201d \u201cCome with me,\u201d\nsaid the prince, \u201cI can make use of thee.\u201d They went onwards and found\na man sitting by the road who had bound up his eyes. The prince said to\nhim, \u201cHast thou weak eyes, that thou canst not look at the light?\u201d\n\u201cNo,\u201d replied the man, \u201cbut I must not remove the bandage, for\nwhatsoever I look at with my eyes, splits to pieces, my glance is so\npowerful. If you can use that, I shall be glad to serve you.\u201d \u201cCome\nwith me,\u201d replied the King\u2019s son, \u201cI can make use of thee.\u201d They\njourneyed onwards and found a man who was lying in the hot sunshine,\ntrembling and shivering all over his body, so that not a limb was\nstill. \u201cHow canst thou shiver when the sun is shining so warm?\u201d said\nthe King\u2019s son. \u201cAlack,\u201d replied the man, \u201cI am of quite a different\nnature. The hotter it is, the colder I am, and the frost pierces\nthrough all my bones; and the colder it is, the hotter I am. In the\nmidst of ice, I cannot endure the heat, nor in the midst of fire, the\ncold.\u201d \u201cThou art a strange fellow,\u201d said the prince, \u201cbut if thou wilt\nenter my service, follow me.\u201d They travelled onwards, and saw a man\nstanding who made a long neck and looked about him, and could see over\nall the mountains. \u201cWhat art thou looking at so eagerly?\u201d said the\nKing\u2019s son. The man replied, \u201cI have such sharp eyes that I can see\ninto every forest and field, and hill and valley, all over the world.\u201d\nThe prince said, \u201cCome with me if thou wilt, for I am still in want of\nsuch an one.\u201d\n\nAnd now the King\u2019s son and his six servants came to the town where the\naged Queen dwelt. He did not tell her who he was, but said, \u201cIf you\nwill give me your beautiful daughter, I will perform any task you set\nme.\u201d The sorceress was delighted to get such a handsome youth as this\ninto her net, and said, \u201cI will set thee three tasks, and if thou art\nable to perform them all, thou shalt be husband and master of my\ndaughter.\u201d \u201cWhat is the first to be?\u201d \u201cThou shalt fetch me my ring\nwhich I have dropped into the Red Sea.\u201d So the King\u2019s son went home to\nhis servants and said, \u201cThe first task is not easy. A ring is to be got\nout of the Red Sea. Come, find some way of doing it.\u201d Then the man with\nthe sharp sight said, \u201cI will see where it is lying,\u201d and looked down\ninto the water and said, \u201cIt is sticking there, on a pointed stone.\u201d\nThe Tall One carried them thither, and said, \u201cI would soon get it out,\nif I could only see it.\u201d \u201cOh, is that all!\u201d cried the Stout One, and\nlay down and put his mouth to the water, on which all the waves fell\ninto it just as if it had been a whirlpool, and he drank up the whole\nsea till it was as dry as a meadow. The Tall One stooped down a little,\nand brought out the ring with his hand. Then the King\u2019s son rejoiced\nwhen he had the ring, and took it to the old Queen. She was astonished,\nand said, \u201cYes, it is the right ring. Thou hast safely performed the\nfirst task, but now comes the second. Dost thou see the meadow in front\nof my palace? Three hundred fat oxen are feeding there, and these must\nthou eat, skin, hair, bones, horns and all, and down below in my cellar\nlie three hundred casks of wine, and these thou must drink up as well,\nand if one hair of the oxen, or one little drop of the wine is left,\nthy life will be forfeited to me.\u201d \u201cMay I invite no guests to this\nrepast?\u201d inquired the prince, \u201cno dinner is good without some company.\u201d\nThe old woman laughed maliciously, and replied, \u201cThou mayst invite one\nfor the sake of companionship, but no more.\u201d\n\nThe King\u2019s son went to his servants and said to the Stout One, \u201cThou\nshalt be my guest to-day, and shalt eat thy fill.\u201d Hereupon the Stout\nOne stretched himself out and ate the three hundred oxen without\nleaving one single hair, and then he asked if he was to have nothing\nbut his breakfast. He drank the wine straight from the casks without\nfeeling any need of a glass, and he licked the last drop from his\nfinger-nails. When the meal was over, the prince went to the old woman,\nand told her that the second task also was performed. She wondered at\nthis and said, \u201cNo one has ever done so much before, but one task still\nremains,\u201d and she thought to herself, \u201cThou shalt not escape me, and\nwilt not keep thy head on thy shoulders! This night,\u201d said she, \u201cI will\nbring my daughter to thee in thy chamber, and thou shalt put thine arms\nround her, but when you are sitting there together, beware of falling\nasleep. When twelve o\u2019clock is striking, I will come, and if she is\nthen no longer in thine arms, thou art lost.\u201d The prince thought, \u201cThe\ntask is easy, I will most certainly keep my eyes open.\u201d Nevertheless he\ncalled his servants, told them what the old woman had said, and\nremarked, \u201cWho knows what treachery lurks behind this? Foresight is a\ngood thing keep watch, and take care that the maiden does not go out of\nmy room again.\u201d When night fell, the old woman came with her daughter,\nand gave her into the princes\u2019s arms, and then the Tall One wound\nhimself round the two in a circle, and the Stout One placed himself by\nthe door, so that no living creature could enter. There the two sat,\nand the maiden spake never a word, but the moon shone through the\nwindow on her face, and the prince could behold her wondrous beauty. He\ndid nothing but gaze at her, and was filled with love and happiness,\nand his eyes never felt weary. This lasted until eleven o\u2019clock, when\nthe old woman cast such a spell over all of them that they fell asleep,\nand at the self-same moment the maiden was carried away.\n\nThen they all slept soundly until a quarter to twelve, when the magic\nlost its power, and all awoke again. \u201cOh, misery and misfortune!\u201d cried\nthe prince, \u201cnow I am lost!\u201d The faithful servants also began to\nlament, but the Listener said, \u201cBe quiet, I want to listen.\u201d Then he\nlistened for an instant and said, \u201cShe is on a rock, three hundred\nleagues from hence, bewailing her fate. Thou alone, Tall One, canst\nhelp her; if thou wilt stand up, thou wilt be there in a couple of\nsteps.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d answered the Tall One, \u201cbut the one with the sharp eyes must go\nwith me, that we may destroy the rock.\u201d Then the Tall One took the one\nwith bandaged eyes on his back, and in the twinkling of an eye they\nwere on the enchanted rock. The Tall One immediately took the bandage\nfrom the other\u2019s eyes, and he did but look round, and the rock shivered\ninto a thousand pieces. Then the Tall One took the maiden in his arms,\ncarried her back in a second, then fetched his companion with the same\nrapidity, and before it struck twelve they were all sitting as they had\nsat before, quite merrily and happily. When twelve struck, the aged\nsorceress came stealing in with a malicious face, which seemed to say,\n\u201cNow he is mine!\u201d for she believed that her daughter was on the rock\nthree hundred leagues off. But when she saw her in the prince\u2019s arms,\nshe was alarmed, and said, \u201cHere is one who knows more than I do!\u201d She\ndared not make any opposition, and was forced to give him her daughter.\nBut she whispered in her ear, \u201cIt is a disgrace to thee to have to obey\ncommon people, and that thou art not allowed to choose a husband to\nthine own liking.\u201d\n\nOn this the proud heart of the maiden was filled with anger, and she\nmeditated revenge. Next morning she caused three hundred great bundles\nof wood to be got together, and said to the prince that though the\nthree tasks were performed, she would still not be his wife until some\none was ready to seat himself in the midst of the wood, and bear the\nfire. She thought that none of his servants would let themselves be\nburnt for him, and that out of love for her, he himself would place\nhimself upon it, and then she would be free. But the servants said,\n\u201cEvery one of us has done something except the Frosty One, he must set\nto work,\u201d and they put him in the middle of the pile, and set fire to\nit. Then the fire began to burn, and burnt for three days until all the\nwood was consumed, and when the flames had burnt out, the Frosty One\nwas standing amid the ashes, trembling like an aspen leaf, and saying,\n\u201cI never felt such a frost during the whole course of my life; if it\nhad lasted much longer, I should have been benumbed!\u201d\n\nAs no other pretext was to be found, the beautiful maiden was now\nforced to take the unknown youth as a husband. But when they drove away\nto church, the old woman said, \u201cI cannot endure the disgrace,\u201d and sent\nher warriors after them with orders to cut down all who opposed them,\nand bring back her daughter. But the Listener had sharpened his ears,\nand heard the secret discourse of the old woman. \u201cWhat shall we do?\u201d\nsaid he to the Stout One. But he knew what to do, and spat out once or\ntwice behind the carriage some of the sea-water which he had drunk, and\na great sea arose in which the warriors were caught and drowned. When\nthe sorceress perceived that, she sent her mailed knights; but the\nListener heard the rattling of their armour, and undid the bandage from\none eye of Sharp-eyes, who looked for a while rather fixedly at the\nenemy\u2019s troops, on which they all sprang to pieces like glass. Then the\nyouth and the maiden went on their way undisturbed, and when the two\nhad been blessed in church, the six servants took leave, and said to\ntheir master, \u201cYour wishes are now satisfied, you need us no longer, we\nwill go our way and seek our fortunes.\u201d\n\nHalf a league from the palace of the prince\u2019s father was a village near\nwhich a swineherd tended his herd, and when they came thither the\nprince said to his wife, \u201cDo you know who I really am? I am no prince,\nbut a herder of swine, and the man who is there with that herd, is my\nfather. We two shall have to set to work also, and help him.\u201d Then he\nalighted with her at the inn, and secretly told the innkeepers to take\naway her royal apparel during the night. So when she awoke in the\nmorning, she had nothing to put on, and the innkeeper\u2019s wife gave her\nan old gown and a pair of worsted stockings, and at the same time\nseemed to consider it a great present, and said, \u201cIf it were not for\nthe sake of your husband I should have given you nothing at all!\u201d Then\nthe princess believed that he really was a swineherd, and tended the\nherd with him, and thought to herself, \u201cI have deserved this for my\nhaughtiness and pride.\u201d This lasted for a week, and then she could\nendure it no longer, for she had sores on her feet. And now came a\ncouple of people who asked if she knew who her husband was. \u201cYes,\u201d she\nanswered, \u201che is a swineherd, and has just gone out with cords and\nropes to try to drive a little bargain.\u201d But they said, \u201cJust come with\nus, and we will take you to him,\u201d and they took her up to the palace,\nand when she entered the hall, there stood her husband in kingly\nraiment. But she did not recognize him until he took her in his arms,\nkissed her, and said, \u201cI suffered much for thee and now thou, too, hast\nhad to suffer for me.\u201d And then the wedding was celebrated, and he who\nhas told you all this, wishes that he, too, had been present at it.\n\n\n\n135 The White Bride and the Black One\n\nA woman was going about the unenclosed land with her daughter and her\nstep-daughter cutting fodder, when the Lord came walking towards them\nin the form of a poor man, and asked, \u201cWhich is the way into the\nvillage?\u201d \u201cIf you want to know,\u201d said the mother, \u201cseek it for\nyourself,\u201d and the daughter added, \u201cIf you are afraid you will not find\nit, take a guide with you.\u201d But the step-daughter said, \u201cPoor man, I\nwill take you there, come with me.\u201d Then God was angry with the mother\nand daughter, and turned his back on them, and wished that they should\nbecome as black as night and as ugly as sin. To the poor step-daughter,\nhowever, God was gracious, and went with her, and when they were near\nthe village, he said a blessing over her, and spake, \u201cChoose three\nthings for thyself, and I will grant them to thee.\u201d Then said the\nmaiden, \u201cI should like to be as beautiful and fair as the sun,\u201d and\ninstantly she was white and fair as day. \u201cThen I should like to have a\npurse of money which would never grow empty.\u201d That the Lord gave her\nalso, but he said, \u201cDo not forget what is best of all.\u201d Said she, \u201cFor\nmy third wish, I desire, after my death, to inhabit the eternal kingdom\nof Heaven.\u201d That also was granted unto her, and then the Lord left her.\nWhen the step-mother came home with her daughter, and they saw that\nthey were both as black as coal and ugly, but that the step-daughter\nwas white and beautiful, wickedness increased still more in their\nhearts, and they thought of nothing else but how they could do her an\ninjury. The step-daughter, however, had a brother called Reginer, whom\nshe loved much, and she told him all that had happened. Once on a time\nReginer said to her, \u201cDear sister, I will take thy likeness, that I may\ncontinually see thee before mine eyes, for my love for thee is so great\nthat I should like always to look at thee.\u201d Then she answered, \u201cBut, I\npray thee, let no one see the picture.\u201d So he painted his sister and\nhung up the picture in his room; he, however, dwelt in the King\u2019s\npalace, for he was his coachman. Every day he went and stood before the\npicture, and thanked God for the happiness of having such a dear\nsister. Now it happened that the King whom he served, had just lost his\nwife, who had been so beautiful that no one could be found to compare\nwith her, and on this account the King was in deep grief. The\nattendants about the court, however, remarked that the coachman stood\ndaily before this beautiful picture, and they were jealous of him, so\nthey informed the King. Then the latter ordered the picture to be\nbrought to him, and when he saw that it was like his lost wife in every\nrespect, except that it was still more beautiful, he fell mortally in\nlove with it. He caused the coachman to be brought before him, and\nasked whom the portrait represented? The coachman said it was his\nsister, so the King resolved to take no one but her as his wife, and\ngave him a carriage and horses and splendid garments of cloth of gold,\nand sent him forth to fetch his chosen bride. When Reginer came on this\nerrand, his sister was glad, but the black maiden was jealous of her\ngood fortune, and grew angry above all measure, and said to her mother,\n\u201cOf what use are all your arts to us now when you cannot procure such a\npiece of luck for me?\u201d \u201cBe quiet,\u201d said the old woman, \u201cI will soon\ndivert it to you,\u201d and by her arts of witchcraft, she so troubled the\neyes of the coachman that he was half-blind, and she stopped the ears\nof the white maiden so that she was half-deaf. Then they got into the\ncarriage, first the bride in her noble royal apparel, then the\nstep-mother with her daughter, and Reginer sat on the box to drive.\nWhen they had been on the way for some time the coachman cried,\n\n\u201cCover thee well, my sister dear,\nThat the rain may not wet thee,\nThat the wind may not load thee with dust,\nThat thou may\u2019st be fair and beautiful\nWhen thou appearest before the King.\u201d\n\n\nThe bride asked, \u201cWhat is my dear brother saying?\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said the old\nwoman, \u201che says that you ought to take off your golden dress and give\nit to your sister.\u201d Then she took it off, and put it on the black\nmaiden, who gave her in exchange for it a shabby grey gown. They drove\nonwards, and a short time afterwards, the brother again cried,\n\n\u201cCover thee well, my sister dear,\nThat the rain may not wet thee,\nThat the wind may not load thee with dust,\nThat thou may\u2019st be fair and beautiful\nWhen thou appearest before the King.\u201d\n\n\nThe bride asked, \u201cWhat is my dear brother saying?\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said the old\nwoman, \u201che says that you ought to take off your golden hood and give it\nto your sister.\u201d So she took off the hood and put it on her sister, and\nsat with her own head uncovered. And they drove on farther. After a\nwhile, the brother once more cried,\n\n\u201cCover thee well, my sister dear,\nThat the rain may not wet thee,\nThat the wind may not load thee with dust,\nThat thou may\u2019st be fair and beautiful\nWhen thou appearest before the King.\u201d\n\n\nThe bride asked, \u201cWhat is my dear brother saying?\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said the old\nwoman, \u201che says you must look out of the carriage.\u201d They were, however,\njust on a bridge, which crossed deep water. When the bride stood up and\nleant forward out of the carriage, they both pushed her out, and she\nfell into the middle of the water. At the same moment that she sank, a\nsnow-white duck arose out of the mirror-smooth water, and swam down the\nriver. The brother had observed nothing of it, and drove the carriage\non until they reached the court. Then he took the black maiden to the\nKing as his sister, and thought she really was so, because his eyes\nwere dim, and he saw the golden garments glittering. When the King saw\nthe boundless ugliness of his intended bride, he was very angry, and\nordered the coachman to be thrown into a pit which was full of adders\nand nests of snakes. The old witch, however, knew so well how to\nflatter the King and deceive his eyes by her arts, that he kept her and\nher daughter until she appeared quite endurable to him, and he really\nmarried her.\n\nOne evening when the black bride was sitting on the King\u2019s knee, a\nwhite duck came swimming up the gutter to the kitchen, and said to the\nkitchen-boy, \u201cBoy, light a fire, that I may warm my feathers.\u201d The\nkitchen-boy did it, and lighted a fire on the hearth. Then came the\nduck and sat down by it, and shook herself and smoothed her feathers to\nrights with her bill. While she was thus sitting and enjoying herself,\nshe asked, \u201cWhat is my brother Reginer doing?\u201d The scullery-boy\nreplied, \u201cHe is imprisoned in the pit with adders and with snakes.\u201d\nThen she asked, \u201cWhat is the black witch doing in the house?\u201d The boy\nanswered, \u201cShe is loved by the King and happy.\u201d\n\n\u201cMay God have mercy on him,\u201d said the duck, and swam forth by the sink.\n\nThe next night she came again and put the same questions, and the third\nnight also. Then the kitchen-boy could bear it no longer, and went to\nthe King and discovered all to him. The King, however, wanted to see it\nfor himself, and next evening went thither, and when the duck thrust\nher head in through the sink, he took his sword and cut through her\nneck, and suddenly she changed into a most beautiful maiden, exactly\nlike the picture, which her brother had made of her. The King was full\nof joy, and as she stood there quite wet, he caused splendid apparel to\nbe brought and had her clothed in it. Then she told how she had been\nbetrayed by cunning and falsehood, and at last thrown down into the\nwater, and her first request was that her brother should be brought\nforth from the pit of snakes, and when the King had fulfilled this\nrequest, he went into the chamber where the old witch was, and asked,\nWhat does she deserve who does this and that? and related what had\nhappened. Then was she so blinded that she was aware of nothing and\nsaid, \u201cShe deserves to be stripped naked, and put into a barrel with\nnails, and that a horse should be harnessed to the barrel, and the\nhorse sent all over the world.\u201d All of which was done to her, and to\nher black daughter. But the King married the white and beautiful bride,\nand rewarded her faithful brother, and made him a rich and\ndistinguished man.\n\n\n\n136 Iron John\n\nThere was once on a time a King who had a great forest near his palace,\nfull of all kinds of wild animals. One day he sent out a huntsman to\nshoot him a roe, but he did not come back. \u201cPerhaps some accident has\nbefallen him,\u201d said the King, and the next day he sent out two more\nhuntsmen who were to search for him, but they too stayed away. Then on\nthe third day, he sent for all his huntsmen, and said, \u201cScour the whole\nforest through, and do not give up until ye have found all three.\u201d But\nof these also, none came home again, and of the pack of hounds which\nthey had taken with them, none were seen more. From that time forth, no\none would any longer venture into the forest, and it lay there in deep\nstillness and solitude, and nothing was seen of it, but sometimes an\neagle or a hawk flying over it. This lasted for many years, when a\nstrange huntsman announced himself to the King as seeking a situation,\nand offered to go into the dangerous forest. The King, however, would\nnot give his consent, and said, \u201cIt is not safe in there; I fear it\nwould fare with thee no better than with the others, and thou wouldst\nnever come out again.\u201d The huntsman replied, \u201cLord, I will venture it\nat my own risk, of fear I know nothing.\u201d\n\nThe huntsman therefore betook himself with his dog to the forest. It\nwas not long before the dog fell in with some game on the way, and\nwanted to pursue it; but hardly had the dog run two steps when it stood\nbefore a deep pool, could go no farther, and a naked arm stretched\nitself out of the water, seized it, and drew it under, When the\nhuntsman saw that, he went back and fetched three men to come with\nbuckets and bale out the water. When they could see to the bottom there\nlay a wild man whose body was brown like rusty iron, and whose hair\nhung over his face down to his knees. They bound him with cords, and\nled him away to the castle. There was great astonishment over the wild\nman; the King, however, had him put in an iron cage in his court-yard,\nand forbade the door to be opened on pain of death, and the Queen\nherself was to take the key into her keeping. And from this time forth\nevery one could again go into the forest with safety.\n\nThe King had a son of eight years, who was once playing in the\ncourt-yard, and while he was playing, his golden ball fell into the\ncage. The boy ran thither and said, \u201cGive me my ball out.\u201d \u201cNot till\nthou hast opened the door for me,\u201d answered the man. \u201cNo,\u201d said the\nboy, \u201cI will not do that; the King has forbidden it,\u201d and ran away. The\nnext day he again went and asked for his ball; the wild man said, \u201cOpen\nmy door,\u201d but the boy would not. On the third day the King had ridden\nout hunting, and the boy went once more and said, \u201cI cannot open the\ndoor even if I wished, for I have not the key.\u201d Then the wild man said,\n\u201cIt lies under thy mother\u2019s pillow, thou canst get it there.\u201d The boy,\nwho wanted to have his ball back, cast all thought to the winds, and\nbrought the key. The door opened with difficulty, and the boy pinched\nhis fingers. When it was open the wild man stepped out, gave him the\ngolden ball, and hurried away. The boy had become afraid; he called and\ncried after him, \u201cOh, wild man, do not go away, or I shall be beaten!\u201d\nThe wild man turned back, took him up, set him on his shoulder, and\nwent with hasty steps into the forest. When the King came home, he\nobserved the empty cage, and asked the Queen how that had happened? She\nknew nothing about it, and sought the key, but it was gone. She called\nthe boy, but no one answered. The King sent out people to seek for him\nin the fields, but they did not find him. Then he could easily guess\nwhat had happened, and much grief reigned in the royal court.\n\nWhen the wild man had once more reached the dark forest, he took the\nboy down from his shoulder, and said to him, \u201cThou wilt never see thy\nfather and mother again, but I will keep thee with me, for thou hast\nset me free, and I have compassion on thee. If thou dost all I bid\nthee, thou shalt fare well. Of treasure and gold have I enough, and\nmore than anyone in the world.\u201d He made a bed of moss for the boy on\nwhich he slept, and the next morning the man took him to a well, and\nsaid, \u201cBehold, the gold well is as bright and clear as crystal, thou\nshalt sit beside it, and take care that nothing falls into it, or it\nwill be polluted. I will come every evening to see if thou hast obeyed\nmy order.\u201d The boy placed himself by the margin of the well, and often\nsaw a golden fish or a golden snake show itself therein, and took care\nthat nothing fell in. As he was thus sitting, his finger hurt him so\nviolently that he involuntarily put it in the water. He drew it quickly\nout again, but saw that it was quite gilded, and whatsoever pains he\ntook to wash the gold off again, all was to no purpose. In the evening\nIron John came back, looked at the boy, and said, \u201cWhat has happened to\nthe well?\u201d \u201cNothing, nothing,\u201d he answered, and held his finger behind\nhis back, that the man might not see it. But he said, \u201cThou hast dipped\nthy finger into the water, this time it may pass, but take care thou\ndost not again let anything go in.\u201d By daybreak the boy was already\nsitting by the well and watching it. His finger hurt him again and he\npassed it over his head, and then unhappily a hair fell down into the\nwell. He took it quickly out, but it was already quite gilded. Iron\nJohn came, and already knew what had happened. \u201cThou hast let a hair\nfall into the well,\u201d said he. \u201cI will allow thee to watch by it once\nmore, but if this happens for the third time then the well is polluted,\nand thou canst no longer remain with me.\u201d\n\nOn the third day, the boy sat by the well, and did not stir his finger,\nhowever much it hurt him. But the time was long to him, and he looked\nat the reflection of his face on the surface of the water. And as he\nstill bent down more and more while he was doing so, and trying to look\nstraight into the eyes, his long hair fell down from his shoulders into\nthe water. He raised himself up quickly, but the whole of the hair of\nhis head was already golden and shone like the sun. You may imagine how\nterrified the poor boy was! He took his pocket-handkerchief and tied it\nround his head, in order that the man might not see it. When he came he\nalready knew everything, and said, \u201cTake the handkerchief off.\u201d Then\nthe golden hair streamed forth, and let the boy excuse himself as he\nmight, it was of no use. \u201cThou hast not stood the trial, and canst stay\nhere no longer. Go forth into the world, there thou wilt learn what\npoverty is. But as thou hast not a bad heart, and as I mean well by\nthee, there is one thing I will grant thee; if thou fallest into any\ndifficulty, come to the forest and cry, \u2018Iron John,\u2019 and then I will\ncome and help thee. My power is great, greater than thou thinkest, and\nI have gold and silver in abundance.\u201d\n\nThen the King\u2019s son left the forest, and walked by beaten and unbeaten\npaths ever onwards until at length he reached a great city. There he\nlooked for work, but could find none, and he had learnt nothing by\nwhich he could help himself. At length he went to the palace, and asked\nif they would take him in. The people about court did not at all know\nwhat use they could make of him, but they liked him, and told him to\nstay. At length the cook took him into his service, and said he might\ncarry wood and water, and rake the cinders together. Once when it so\nhappened that no one else was at hand, the cook ordered him to carry\nthe food to the royal table, but as he did not like to let his golden\nhair be seen, he kept his little cap on. Such a thing as that had never\nyet come under the King\u2019s notice, and he said, \u201cWhen thou comest to the\nroyal table thou must take thy hat off.\u201d He answered, \u201cAh, Lord, I\ncannot; I have a bad sore place on my head.\u201d Then the King had the cook\ncalled before him and scolded him, and asked how he could take such a\nboy as that into his service; and that he was to turn him off at once.\nThe cook, however, had pity on him, and exchanged him for the\ngardener\u2019s boy.\n\nAnd now the boy had to plant and water the garden, hoe and dig, and\nbear the wind and bad weather. Once in summer when he was working alone\nin the garden, the day was so warm he took his little cap off that the\nair might cool him. As the sun shone on his hair it glittered and\nflashed so that the rays fell into the bed-room of the King\u2019s daughter,\nand up she sprang to see what that could be. Then she saw the boy, and\ncried to him, \u201cBoy, bring me a wreath of flowers.\u201d He put his cap on\nwith all haste, and gathered wild field-flowers and bound them\ntogether. When he was ascending the stairs with them, the gardener met\nhim, and said, \u201cHow canst thou take the King\u2019s daughter a garland of\nsuch common flowers? Go quickly, and get another, and seek out the\nprettiest and rarest.\u201d \u201cOh, no,\u201d replied the boy, \u201cthe wild ones have\nmore scent, and will please her better.\u201d When he got into the room, the\nKing\u2019s daughter said, \u201cTake thy cap off, it is not seemly to keep it on\nin my presence.\u201d He again said, \u201cI may not, I have a sore head.\u201d She,\nhowever, caught at his cap and pulled it off, and then his golden hair\nrolled down on his shoulders, and it was splendid to behold. He wanted\nto run out, but she held him by the arm, and gave him a handful of\nducats. With these he departed, but he cared nothing for the gold\npieces. He took them to the gardener, and said, \u201cI present them to thy\nchildren, they can play with them.\u201d The following day the King\u2019s\ndaughter again called to him that he was to bring her a wreath of\nfield-flowers, and when he went in with it, she instantly snatched at\nhis cap, and wanted to take it away from him, but he held it fast with\nboth hands. She again gave him a handful of ducats, but he would not\nkeep them, and gave them to the gardener for playthings for his\nchildren. On the third day things went just the same; she could not get\nhis cap away from him, and he would not have her money.\n\nNot long afterwards, the country was overrun by war. The King gathered\ntogether his people, and did not know whether or not he could offer any\nopposition to the enemy, who was superior in strength and had a mighty\narmy. Then said the gardener\u2019s boy, \u201cI am grown up, and will go to the\nwars also, only give me a horse.\u201d The others laughed, and said, \u201cSeek\none for thyself when we are gone, we will leave one behind us in the\nstable for thee.\u201d When they had gone forth, he went into the stable,\nand got the horse out; it was lame of one foot, and limped hobblety\njig, hobblety jig; nevertheless he mounted it, and rode away to the\ndark forest. When he came to the outskirts, he called \u201cIron John,\u201d\nthree times so loudly that it echoed through the trees. Thereupon the\nwild man appeared immediately, and said, \u201cWhat dost thou desire?\u201d \u201cI\nwant a strong steed, for I am going to the wars.\u201d \u201cThat thou shalt\nhave, and still more than thou askest for.\u201d Then the wild man went back\ninto the forest, and it was not long before a stable-boy came out of\nit, who led a horse that snorted with its nostrils, and could hardly be\nrestrained, and behind them followed a great troop of soldiers entirely\nequipped in iron, and their swords flashed in the sun. The youth made\nover his three-legged horse to the stable-boy, mounted the other, and\nrode at the head of the soldiers. When he got near the battle-field a\ngreat part of the King\u2019s men had already fallen, and little was wanting\nto make the rest give way. Then the youth galloped thither with his\niron soldiers, broke like a hurricane over the enemy, and beat down all\nwho opposed him. They began to fly, but the youth pursued, and never\nstopped, until there was not a single man left. Instead, however, of\nreturning to the King, he conducted his troop by bye-ways back to the\nforest, and called forth Iron John. \u201cWhat dost thou desire?\u201d asked the\nwild man. \u201cTake back thy horse and thy troops, and give me my\nthree-legged horse again.\u201d All that he asked was done, and soon he was\nriding on his three-legged horse. When the King returned to his palace,\nhis daughter went to meet him, and wished him joy of his victory. \u201cI am\nnot the one who carried away the victory,\u201d said he, \u201cbut a stranger\nknight who came to my assistance with his soldiers.\u201d The daughter\nwanted to hear who the strange knight was, but the King did not know,\nand said, \u201cHe followed the enemy, and I did not see him again.\u201d She\ninquired of the gardener where his boy was, but he smiled, and said,\n\u201cHe has just come home on his three-legged horse, and the others have\nbeen mocking him, and crying, \u201cHere comes our hobblety jig back again!\u201d\nThey asked, too, \u201cUnder what hedge hast thou been lying sleeping all\nthe time?\u201d He, however, said, \u201cI did the best of all, and it would have\ngone badly without me.\u201d And then he was still more ridiculed.\u201d\n\nThe King said to his daughter, \u201cI will proclaim a great feast that\nshall last for three days, and thou shalt throw a golden apple. Perhaps\nthe unknown will come to it.\u201d When the feast was announced, the youth\nwent out to the forest, and called Iron John. \u201cWhat dost thou desire?\u201d\nasked he. \u201cThat I may catch the King\u2019s daughter\u2019s golden apple.\u201d \u201cIt is\nas safe as if thou hadst it already,\u201d said Iron John. \u201cThou shalt\nlikewise have a suit of red armour for the occasion, and ride on a\nspirited chestnut-horse.\u201d When the day came, the youth galloped to the\nspot, took his place amongst the knights, and was recognized by no one.\nThe King\u2019s daughter came forward, and threw a golden apple to the\nknights, but none of them caught it but he, only as soon as he had it\nhe galloped away.\n\nOn the second day Iron John equipped him as a white knight, and gave\nhim a white horse. Again he was the only one who caught the apple, and\nhe did not linger an instant, but galloped off with it. The King grew\nangry, and said, \u201cThat is not allowed; he must appear before me and\ntell his name.\u201d He gave the order that if the knight who caught the\napple, should go away again they should pursue him, and if he would not\ncome back willingly, they were to cut him down and stab him.\n\nOn the third day, he received from Iron John a suit of black armour and\na black horse, and again he caught the apple. But when he was riding\noff with it, the King\u2019s attendants pursued him, and one of them got so\nnear him that he wounded the youth\u2019s leg with the point of his sword.\nThe youth nevertheless escaped from them, but his horse leapt so\nviolently that the helmet fell from the youth\u2019s head, and they could\nsee that he had golden hair. They rode back and announced this to the\nKing.\n\nThe following day the King\u2019s daughter asked the gardener about his boy.\n\u201cHe is at work in the garden; the queer creature has been at the\nfestival too, and only came home yesterday evening; he has likewise\nshown my children three golden apples which he has won.\u201d\n\nThe King had him summoned into his presence, and he came and again had\nhis little cap on his head. But the King\u2019s daughter went up to him and\ntook it off, and then his golden hair fell down over his shoulders, and\nhe was so handsome that all were amazed. \u201cArt thou the knight who came\nevery day to the festival, always in different colours, and who caught\nthe three golden apples?\u201d asked the King. \u201cYes,\u201d answered he, \u201cand here\nthe apples are,\u201d and he took them out of his pocket, and returned them\nto the King. \u201cIf you desire further proof, you may see the wound which\nyour people gave me when they followed me. But I am likewise the knight\nwho helped you to your victory over your enemies.\u201d \u201cIf thou canst\nperform such deeds as that, thou art no gardener\u2019s boy; tell me, who is\nthy father?\u201d \u201cMy father is a mighty King, and gold have I in plenty as\ngreat as I require.\u201d \u201cI well see,\u201d said the King, \u201cthat I owe thanks to\nthee; can I do anything to please thee?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d answered he, \u201cthat\nindeed you can. Give me your daughter to wife.\u201d The maiden laughed, and\nsaid, \u201cHe does not stand much on ceremony, but I have already seen by\nhis golden hair that he was no gardener\u2019s boy,\u201d and then she went and\nkissed him. His father and mother came to the wedding, and were in\ngreat delight, for they had given up all hope of ever seeing their dear\nson again. And as they were sitting at the marriage-feast, the music\nsuddenly stopped, the doors opened, and a stately King came in with a\ngreat retinue. He went up to the youth, embraced him and said, \u201cI am\nIron John, and was by enchantment a wild man, but thou hast set me\nfree; all the treasures which I possess, shall be thy property.\u201d\n\n\n\n137 The Three Black Princesses\n\nEast India was besieged by an enemy who would not retire until he had\nreceived six hundred dollars. Then the townsfolk caused it to be\nproclaimed by beat of drum that whosoever was able to procure the money\nshould be burgomaster. Now there was a poor fisherman who fished on the\nlake with his son, and the enemy came and took the son prisoner, and\ngave the father six hundred dollars for him. So the father went and\ngave them to the great men of the town, and the enemy departed, and the\nfisherman became burgomaster. Then it was proclaimed that whosoever did\nnot say, \u201cMr. Burgomaster,\u201d should be put to death on the gallows.\n\nThe son got away again from the enemy, and came to a great forest on a\nhigh mountain. The mountain opened, and he went into a great enchanted\ncastle, wherein chairs, tables, and benches were all hung with black.\nThen came three young princesses who were entirely dressed in black,\nbut had a little white on their faces; they told him he was not to be\nafraid, they would not hurt him, and that he could deliver them. He\nsaid he would gladly do that, if he did but know how. At this, they\ntold him he must for a whole year not speak to them and also not look\nat them, and what he wanted to have he was just to ask for, and if they\ndared give him an answer they would do so. When he had been there for a\nlong while he said he should like to go to his father, and they told\nhim he might go. He was to take with him this purse with money, put on\nthis coat, and in a week he must be back there again.\n\nThen he was caught up, and was instantly in East India. He could no\nlonger find his father in the fisherman\u2019s hut, and asked the people\nwhere the poor fisherman could be, and they told him he must not say\nthat, or he would come to the gallows. Then he went to his father and\nsaid, \u201cFisherman, how hast thou got here?\u201d Then the father said, \u201cThou\nmust not say that, if the great men of the town knew of that, thou\nwouldst come to the gallows.\u201d He, however, would not stop, and was\nbrought to the gallows. When he was there, he said, \u201cO, my masters,\njust give me leave to go to the old fisherman\u2019s hut.\u201d Then he put on\nhis old smock-frock, and came back to the great men, and said, \u201cDo ye\nnot now see? Am I not the son of the poor fisherman? Did I not earn\nbread for my father and mother in this dress?\u201d Hereupon his father knew\nhim again, and begged his pardon, and took him home with him, and then\nhe related all that had happened to him, and how he had got into a\nforest on a high mountain, and the mountain had opened and he had gone\ninto an enchanted castle, where all was black, and three young\nprincesses had come to him who were black except a little white on\ntheir faces. And they had told him not to fear, and that he could\ndeliver them. Then his mother said that might very likely not be a good\nthing to do, and that he ought to take a holy-water vessel with him,\nand drop some boiling water on their faces.\n\nHe went back again, and he was in great fear, and he dropped the water\non their faces as they were sleeping, and they all turned half-white.\nThen all the three princesses sprang up, and said, \u201cThou accursed dog,\nour blood shall cry for vengeance on thee! Now there is no man born in\nthe world, nor will any ever be born who can set us free! We have still\nthree brothers who are bound by seven chains they shall tear thee to\npieces.\u201d Then there was a loud shrieking all over the castle, and he\nsprang out of the window, and broke his leg, and the castle sank into\nthe earth again, the mountain shut to again, and no one knew where the\ncastle had stood.\n\n\n\n138 Knoist and his Three Sons\n\nBetween Werrel and Soist there lived a man whose name was Knoist, and\nhe had three sons. One was blind, the other lame, and the third\nstark-naked. Once on a time they went into a field, and there they saw\na hare. The blind one shot it, the lame one caught it, the naked one\nput it in his pocket. Then they came to a mighty big lake, on which\nthere were three boats, one sailed, one sank, the third had no bottom\nto it. They all three got into the one with no bottom to it. Then they\ncame to a mighty big forest in which there was a mighty big tree; in\nthe tree was a mighty big chapel in the chapel was a sexton made of\nbeech-wood and a box-wood parson, who dealt out holy-water with\ncudgels.\n\n\u201cHow truly happy is that one\nWho can from holy water run!\u201d\n\n\n\n139 The Maid of Brakel\n\nA girl from Brakel once went to St. Anne\u2019s Chapel at the foot of the\nHinnenberg, and as she wanted to have a husband, and thought there was\nno one else in the chapel, she sang,\n\n\u201cOh, holy Saint Anne!\nHelp me soon to a man.\nThou know\u2019st him right well,\nBy Suttmer gate does he dwell,\nHis hair it is golden,\nThou know\u2019st him right well.\u201d\n\n\nThe clerk, however, was standing behind the altar and heard that, so he\ncried in a very gruff voice, \u201cThou shalt not have him! Thou shalt not\nhave him!\u201d The maiden thought that the child Mary who stood by her\nmother Anne had called out that to her, and was angry, and cried,\n\u201cFiddle de dee, conceited thing, hold your tongue, and let your mother\nspeak!\u201d\n\n\n\n140 Domestic Servants\n\n\u201cWhither goest thou?\u201d \u201cTo Walpe.\u201d \u201cI to Walpe, thou to Walpe, so, so,\ntogether we\u2019ll go.\u201d\n\n\u201cHast thou a man? What is his name?\u201d \u201cCham.\u201d \u201cMy man Cham, thy man\nCham; I to Walpe, thou to Walpe; so, so, together we\u2019ll go.\u201d \u201cHast thou\na child; how is he styled?\u201d \u201cWild.\u201d \u201cMy child Wild, thy child Wild; my\nman Cham, thy man Cham; I to Walpe, thou to Walpe, so, so, together\nwe\u2019ll go.\u201d \u201cHast thou a cradle? How callest thou thy cradle?\u201d\n\u201cHippodadle.\u201d \u201cMy cradle Hippodadle, my child Wild, thy child Wild, my\nman Cham, thy man Cham; I to Walpe, thou to Walpe, so, so, together\nwe\u2019ll go.\u201d\n\n\u201cHast thou also a drudge? what name has thy drudge?\u201d\n\u201cFrom-thy-work-do-not-budge.\u201d \u201cMy drudge, From-thy-work-do-not-budge:\nmy child Wild, thy child Wild; my man Cham, thy man Cham; I to Walpe,\nthou to Walpe; so, so, together we\u2019ll go.\u201d\n\n\n\n141 The Lambkin and the Little Fish\n\nThere were once a little brother and a little sister, who loved each\nother with all their hearts. Their own mother was, however, dead, and\nthey had a step-mother, who was not kind to them, and secretly did\neverything she could to hurt them. It so happened that the two were\nplaying with other children in a meadow before the house, and there was\na pond in the meadow which came up to one side of the house. The\nchildren ran about it, and caught each other, and played at counting\nout.\n\n\u201cEneke Beneke, let me live,\nAnd I to thee my bird will give.\nThe little bird, it straw shall seek,\nThe straw I\u2019ll give to the cow to eat.\nThe pretty cow shall give me milk,\nThe milk I\u2019ll to the baker take.\nThe baker he shall bake a cake,\nThe cake I\u2019ll give unto the cat.\nThe cat shall catch some mice for that,\nThe mice I\u2019ll hang up in the smoke,\nAnd then you\u2019ll see the snow.\u201d\n\n\nThey stood in a circle while they played this, and the one to whom the\nword snow fell, had to run away and all the others ran after him and\ncaught him. As they were running about so merrily the step-mother\nwatched them from the window, and grew angry. And as she understood\narts of witchcraft she bewitched them both, and changed the little\nbrother into a fish, and the little sister into a lamb. Then the fish\nswam here and there about the pond and was very sad, and the lambkin\nwalked up and down the meadow, and was miserable, and could not eat or\ntouch one blade of grass. Thus passed a long time, and then strangers\ncame as visitors to the castle. The false step-mother thought, \u201cThis is\na good opportunity,\u201d and called the cook and said to him, \u201cGo and fetch\nthe lamb from the meadow and kill it, we have nothing else for the\nvisitors.\u201d Then the cook went away and got the lamb, and took it into\nthe kitchen and tied its feet, and all this it bore patiently. When he\nhad drawn out his knife and was whetting it on the door-step to kill\nthe lamb, he noticed a little fish swimming backwards and forwards in\nthe water, in front of the kitchen-sink and looking up at him. This,\nhowever, was the brother, for when the fish saw the cook take the lamb\naway, it followed them and swam along the pond to the house; then the\nlamb cried down to it,\n\n\u201cAh, brother, in the pond so deep,\nHow sad is my poor heart!\nEven now the cook he whets his knife\nTo take away my tender life.\u201d\n\n\nThe little fish answered,\n\n\u201cAh, little sister, up on high\nHow sad is my poor heart\nWhile in this pond I lie.\u201d\n\n\nWhen the cook heard that the lambkin could speak and said such sad\nwords to the fish down below, he was terrified and thought this could\nbe no common lamb, but must be bewitched by the wicked woman in the\nhouse. Then said he, \u201cBe easy, I will not kill thee,\u201d and took another\nsheep and made it ready for the guests, and conveyed the lambkin to a\ngood peasant woman, to whom he related all that he had seen and heard.\n\nThe peasant was, however, the very woman who had been foster-mother to\nthe little sister, and she suspected at once who the lamb was, and went\nwith it to a wise woman. Then the wise woman pronounced a blessing over\nthe lambkin and the little fish, by means of which they regained their\nhuman forms, and after this she took them both into a little hut in a\ngreat forest, where they lived alone, but were contented and happy.\n\n\n\n142 Simeli Mountain\n\nThere were once two brothers, the one rich, the other poor. The rich\none, however, gave nothing to the poor one, and he gained a scanty\nliving by trading in corn, and often did so badly that he had no bread\nfor his wife and children. Once when he was wheeling a barrow through\nthe forest he saw, on one side of him, a great, bare, naked-looking\nmountain, and as he had never seen it before, he stood still and stared\nat it with amazement.\n\nWhile he was thus standing he saw twelve great, wild men coming towards\nhim, and as he believed they were robbers he pushed his barrow into the\nthicket, climbed up a tree, and waited to see what would happen. The\ntwelve men, however, went to the mountain and cried, \u201cSemsi mountain,\nSemsi mountain, open,\u201d and immediately the barren mountain opened down\nthe middle, and the twelve went into it, and as soon as they were\nwithin, it shut. After a short time, however, it opened again, and the\nmen came forth carrying heavy sacks on their shoulders, and when they\nwere all once more in the daylight they said, \u201cSemsi mountain, Semsi\nmountain, shut thyself;\u201d then the mountain closed together, and there\nwas no longer any entrance to be seen to it, and the twelve went away.\n\nWhen they were quite out of sight the poor man got down from the tree,\nand was curious to know what really was secretly hidden in the\nmountain. So he went up to it and said, \u201cSemsi mountain, Semsi\nmountain, open,\u201d and the mountain opened to him also. The he went\ninside, and the whole mountain was a cavern full of silver and gold,\nand behind lay great piles of pearls and sparkling jewels, heaped up\nlike corn. The poor man hardly knew what to do, and whether he might\ntake any of these treasures for himself or not; but at last he filled\nhis pockets with gold, but he left the pearls and precious stones where\nthey were. When he came out again he also said, \u201cSemsi mountain, Semsi\nmountain, shut thyself;\u201d and the mountain closed itself, and he went\nhome with his barrow.\n\nAnd now he had no more cause for anxiety, but could buy bread for his\nwife and children with his gold, and wine into the bargain. He lived\njoyously and uprightly, gave help to the poor, and did good to every\none. When, however, the money came to an end he went to his brother,\nborrowed a measure that held a bushel, and brought himself some more,\nbut did not touch any of the most valuable things. When for the third\ntime he wanted to fetch something, he again borrowed the measure of his\nbrother. The rich man had, however, long been envious of his brother\u2019s\npossessions, and of the handsome way of living which he had set on\nfoot, and could not understand from whence the riches came, and what\nhis brother wanted with the measure. Then he thought of a cunning\ntrick, and covered the bottom of the measure with pitch, and when he\ngot the measure back a piece of money was sticking in it. He at once\nwent to his brother and asked him, \u201cWhat hast thou been measuring in\nthe bushel measure?\u201d \u201cCorn and barley,\u201d said the other. Then he showed\nhim the piece of money, and threatened that if he did not tell the\ntruth he would accuse him before a court of justice. The poor man then\ntold him everything, just as it happened. The rich man, however,\nordered his carriage to be made ready, and drove away, resolved to use\nthe opportunity better than his brother had done, and to bring back\nwith him quite different treasures.\n\nWhen he came to the mountain he cried, \u201cSemsi mountain, Semsi mountain,\nopen.\u201d The mountain opened, and he went inside it. There lay the\ntreasures all before him, and for a long time he did not know which to\nclutch at first. At length he loaded himself with as many precious\nstones as he could carry. He wished to carry his burden outside, but,\nas his heart and soul were entirely full of the treasures, he had\nforgotten the name of the mountain, and cried, \u201cSimeli mountain, Simeli\nmountain, open.\u201d That, however, was not the right name, and the\nmountain never stirred, but remained shut. Then he was alarmed, but the\nlonger he thought about it the more his thoughts confused themselves,\nand his treasures were no more of any use to him. In the evening the\nmountain opened, and the twelve robbers came in, and when they saw him\nthey laughed, and cried out, \u201cBird, have we caught thee at last! Didst\nthou think we had never noticed that thou hadst been in here twice? We\ncould not catch thee then; this third time thou shalt not get out\nagain!\u201d Then he cried, \u201cIt was not I, it was my brother,\u201d but let him\nbeg for his life and say what he would, they cut his head off.\n\n\n\n143 Going A-Travelling\n\nThere was once a poor woman who had a son, who much wished to travel,\nbut his mother said, \u201cHow canst thou travel? We have no money at all\nfor thee to take away with thee.\u201d Then said the son, \u201cI will manage\nvery well for myself; I will always say, Not much, not much, not much.\u201d\n\nSo he walked for a long time and always said, \u201cNot much, not much, not\nmuch.\u201d Then he passed by a company of fishermen and said, \u201cGod speed\nyou! not much, not much, not much.\u201d \u201cWhat sayst thou churl, \u2018not\nmuch?\u2019\u201d And when the net was drawn out they had not caught much fish.\nSo one of them fell on the youth with a stick and said, \u201cHast thou\nnever seen me threshing?\u201d \u201cWhat ought I to say, then?\u201d asked the youth.\n\u201cThou must say, \u2018Get it full, get it full.\u2019\u201d After this he again walked\na long time, and said, \u201cGet it full, get it full,\u201d until he came to the\ngallows, where they had got a poor sinner whom they were about to hang.\nThen said he, \u201cGood morning; get it full, get it full.\u201d \u201cWhat sayst\nthou, knave, get it full? Dost thou want to make out that there are\nstill more wicked people in the world is not this enough?\u201d And he again\ngot some blows on his back. \u201cWhat am I to say, then?\u201d said he. \u201cThou\nmust say, may God have pity on the poor soul.\u201d\n\nAgain the youth walked on for a long while and said, \u201cMay God have pity\non the poor soul!\u201d Then he came to a pit by which stood a knacker who\nwas cutting up a horse. The youth said, \u201cGood morning; God have pity on\nthe poor soul!\u201d \u201cWhat dost thou say, thou ill-tempered knave?\u201d and the\nknacker gave him such a box on the ear, that he could not see out of\nhis eyes. \u201cWhat am I to say, then?\u201d \u201cThou must say, \u2018There lies the\ncarrion in the pit!\u2019\u201d\n\nSo he walked on, and always said, \u201cThere lies the carrion in the pit,\nthere lies the carrion in the pit.\u201d And he came to a cart full of\npeople, so he said, \u201cGood morning, there lies the carrion in the pit!\u201d\nThen the cart pushed him into a hole, and the driver took his whip and\ncracked it upon the youth, till he was forced to crawl back to his\nmother, and as long as he lived he never went out a-travelling again.\n\n\n\n144 The Donkey\n\nOnce on a time there lived a King and a Queen, who were rich, and had\neverything they wanted, but no children. The Queen lamented over this\nday and night, and said, \u201cI am like a field on which nothing grows.\u201d At\nlast God gave her her wish, but when the child came into the world, it\ndid not look like a human child, but was a little donkey. When the\nmother saw that, her lamentations and outcries began in real earnest;\nshe said she would far rather have had no child at all than have a\ndonkey, and that they were to throw it into the water that the fishes\nmight devour it. But the King said, \u201cNo, since God has sent him he\nshall be my son and heir, and after my death sit on the royal throne,\nand wear the kingly crown.\u201d The donkey, therefore, was brought up and\ngrew bigger, and his ears grew up beautifully high and straight. He\nwas, however, of a merry disposition, jumped about, played and had\nespecial pleasure in music, so that he went to a celebrated musician\nand said, \u201cTeach me thine art, that I may play the lute as well as thou\ndost.\u201d \u201cAh, dear little master,\u201d answered the musician, \u201cthat would\ncome very hard to you, your fingers are certainly not suited to it, and\nare far too big. I am afraid the strings would not last.\u201d No excuses\nwere of any use. The donkey was determined to play the lute; he was\npersevering and industrious, and at last learnt to do it as well as the\nmaster himself. The young lordling once went out walking full of\nthought and came to a well, he looked into it and in the mirror-clear\nwater saw his donkey\u2019s form. He was so distressed about it, that he\nwent out into the wide world and only took with him one faithful\ncompanion. They travelled up and down, and at last they came into a\nkingdom where an old King reigned who had an only but wonderfully\nbeautiful daughter. The donkey said, \u201cHere we will stay,\u201d knocked at\nthe gate, and cried, \u201cA guest is without open, that he may enter.\u201d As,\nhowever, the gate was not opened, he sat down, took his lute and played\nit in the most delightful manner with his two fore-feet. Then the\ndoor-keeper opened his eyes most wonderfully wide, and ran to the King\nand said, \u201cOutside by the gate sits a young donkey which plays the lute\nas well as an experienced master!\u201d \u201cThen let the musician come to me,\u201d\nsaid the King. When, however, a donkey came in, every one began to\nlaugh at the lute-player. And now the donkey was asked to sit down and\neat with the servants. He, however, was unwilling, and said, \u201cI am no\ncommon stable-ass, I am a noble one.\u201d Then they said, \u201cIf that is what\nthou art, seat thyself with the men of war.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said he, \u201cI will sit\nby the King.\u201d The King smiled, and said good-humouredly, \u201cYes, it shall\nbe as thou wilt, little ass, come here to me.\u201d Then he asked, \u201cLittle\nass, how does my daughter please thee?\u201d The donkey turned his head\ntowards her, looked at her, nodded and said, \u201cI like her above measure,\nI have never yet seen anyone so beautiful as she is.\u201d \u201cWell, then, thou\nshalt sit next her too,\u201d said the King. \u201cThat is exactly what I wish,\u201d\nsaid the donkey, and he placed himself by her side, ate and drank, and\nknew how to behave himself daintily and cleanly. When the noble beast\nhad stayed a long time at the King\u2019s court, he thought, \u201cWhat good does\nall this do me, I shall still have to go home again?\u201d let his head hang\nsadly, and went to the King and asked for his dismissal. But the King\nhad grown fond of him, and said, \u201cLittle ass, what ails thee? Thou\nlookest as sour as a jug of vinegar, I will give thee what thou\nwantest. Dost thou want gold?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said the donkey, and shook his\nhead. \u201cDost thou want jewels and rich dress?\u201d \u201cNo.\u201d \u201cDost thou wish for\nhalf my kingdom?\u201d \u201cIndeed, no.\u201d Then said the King, \u201cif I did but know\nwhat would make thee content. Wilt thou have my pretty daughter to\nwife?\u201d \u201cAh, yes,\u201d said the ass, \u201cI should indeed like her,\u201d and all at\nonce he became quite merry and full of happiness, for that was exactly\nwhat he was wishing for. So a great and splendid wedding was held. In\nthe evening, when the bride and bridegroom were led into their\nbed-room, the King wanted to know if the ass would behave well, and\nordered a servant to hide himself there. When they were both within,\nthe bridegroom bolted the door, looked around, and as he believed that\nthey were quite alone, he suddenly threw off his ass\u2019s skin, and stood\nthere in the form of a handsome royal youth. \u201cNow,\u201d said he, \u201cthou\nseest who I am, and seest also that I am not unworthy of thee.\u201d Then\nthe bride was glad, and kissed him, and loved him dearly. When morning\ncame, he jumped up, put his animal\u2019s skin on again, and no one could\nhave guessed what kind of a form was hidden beneath it. Soon came the\nold King, \u201cAh,\u201d cried he, \u201cis the little ass merry? But surely thou art\nsad?\u201d said he to his daughter, \u201cthat thou hast not got a proper man for\nthy husband?\u201d \u201cOh, no, dear father, I love him as well as if he were\nthe handsomest in the world, and I will keep him as long as I live.\u201d\nThe King was surprised, but the servant who had concealed himself came\nand revealed everything to him. The King said, \u201cThat cannot be true.\u201d\n\u201cThen watch yourself the next night, and you will see it with your own\neyes; and hark you, lord King, if you were to take his skin away and\nthrow it in the fire, he would be forced to show himself in his true\nshape.\u201d \u201cThy advice is good,\u201d said the King, and at night when they\nwere asleep, he stole in, and when he got to the bed he saw by the\nlight of the moon a noble-looking youth lying there, and the skin lay\nstretched on the ground. So he took it away, and had a great fire\nlighted outside, and threw the skin into it, and remained by it himself\nuntil it was all burnt to ashes. As, however, he was anxious to know\nhow the robbed man would behave himself, he stayed awake the whole\nnight and watched. When the youth had slept his sleep out, he got up by\nthe first light of morning, and wanted to put on the ass\u2019s skin, but it\nwas not to be found. On this he was alarmed, and, full of grief and\nanxiety, said, \u201cNow I shall have to contrive to escape.\u201d But when he\nwent out, there stood the King, who said, \u201cMy son, whither away in such\nhaste? what hast thou in mind? Stay here, thou art such a handsome man,\nthou shalt not go away from me. I will now give thee half my kingdom,\nand after my death thou shalt have the whole of it.\u201d \u201cThen I hope that\nwhat begins so well may end well, and I will stay with you,\u201d said the\nyouth. And the old man gave him half the kingdom, and in a year\u2019s time,\nwhen he died, the youth had the whole, and after the death of his\nfather he had another kingdom as well, and lived in all magnificence.\n\n\n\n145 The Ungrateful Son\n\nA man and his wife were once sitting by the door of their house, and\nthey had a roasted chicken set before them, and were about to eat it\ntogether. Then the man saw that his aged father was coming, and hastily\ntook the chicken and hid it, for he would not permit him to have any of\nit. The old man came, took a drink, and went away. Now the son wanted\nto put the roasted chicken on the table again, but when he took it up,\nit had become a great toad, which jumped into his face and sat there\nand never went away again, and if any one wanted to take it off, it\nlooked venomously at him as if it would jump in his face, so that no\none would venture to touch it. And the ungrateful son was forced to\nfeed the toad every day, or else it fed itself on his face; and thus he\nwent about the world without knowing rest.\n\n\n\n146 The Turnip\n\nThere were once two brothers who both served as soldiers; one of them\nwas rich, and the other poor. Then the poor one, to escape from his\npoverty, put off his soldier\u2019s coat, and turned farmer. He dug and hoed\nhis bit of land, and sowed it with turnip-seed. The seed came up, and\none turnip grew there which became large and vigorous, and visibly grew\nbigger and bigger, and seemed as if it would never stop growing, so\nthat it might have been called the princess of turnips, for never was\nsuch an one seen before, and never will such an one be seen again.\n\nAt length it was so enormous that by itself it filled a whole cart, and\ntwo oxen were required to draw it, and the farmer had not the least\nidea what he was to do with the turnip, or whether it would be a\nfortune to him or a misfortune. At last he thought, \u201cIf thou sellest\nit, what wilt thou get for it that is of any importance, and if thou\neatest it thyself, why, the small turnips would do thee just as much\ngood; it would be better to take it to the King, and make him a present\nof it.\u201d\n\nSo he placed it on a cart, harnessed two oxen, took it to the palace,\nand presented it to the King. \u201cWhat strange thing is this?\u201d said the\nKing. \u201cMany wonderful things have come before my eyes, but never such a\nmonster as this! From what seed can this have sprung, or are you a\nluck-child and have met with it by chance?\u201d \u201cAh, no!\u201d said the farmer,\n\u201cno luck-child am I. I am a poor soldier, who because he could no\nlonger support himself hung his soldier\u2019s coat on a nail and took to\nfarming land. I have a brother who is rich and well known to you, Lord\nKing, but I, because I have nothing, am forgotten by every one.\u201d\n\nThen the King felt compassion for him, and said, \u201cThou shalt be raised\nfrom thy poverty, and shalt have such gifts from me that thou shalt be\nequal to thy rich brother.\u201d Then he bestowed on him much gold, and\nlands, and meadows, and herds, and made him immensely rich, so that the\nwealth of the other brother could not be compared with his. When the\nrich brother heard what the poor one had gained for himself with one\nsingle turnip, he envied him, and thought in every way how he also\ncould get hold of a similar piece of luck. He would, however, set about\nit in a much wiser way, and took gold and horses and carried them to\nthe King, and made certain the King would give him a much larger\npresent in return. If his brother had got so much for one turnip, what\nwould he not carry away with him in return for such beautiful things as\nthese? The King accepted his present, and said he had nothing to give\nhim in return that was more rare and excellent than the great turnip.\nSo the rich man was obliged to put his brother\u2019s turnip in a cart and\nhave it taken to his home. When there he did not know on whom to vent\nhis rage and anger, until bad thoughts came to him, and he resolved to\nkill his brother. He hired murderers, who were to lie in ambush, and\nthen he went to his brother and said, \u201cDear brother, I know of a hidden\ntreasure, we will dig it up together, and divide it between us.\u201d The\nother agreed to this, and accompanied him without suspicion. While they\nwere on their way, however, the murderers fell on him, bound him, and\nwould have hanged him to a tree. But just as they were doing this, loud\nsinging and the sound of a horse\u2019s feet were heard in the distance. On\nthis their hearts were filled with terror, and they pushed their\nprisoner head first into the sack, hung it on a branch, and took to\nflight. He, however, worked up there until he had made a hole in the\nsack through which he could put his head. The man who was coming by was\nno other than a travelling student, a young fellow who rode on his way\nthrough the wood joyously singing his song. When he who was aloft saw\nthat someone was passing below him, he cried, \u201cGood day! You have come\nat a lucky time.\u201d The student looked round on every side, but did not\nknow whence the voice came. At last he said, \u201cWho calls me?\u201d Then an\nanswer came from the top of the tree, \u201cRaise your eyes; here I sit\naloft in the Sack of Wisdom. In a short time have I learnt great\nthings; compared with this all schools are a jest; in a very short time\nI shall have learnt everything, and shall descend wiser than all other\nmen. I understand the stars, and the signs of the Zodiac, and the\ntracks of the winds, the sand of the sea, the healing of illness, and\nthe virtues of all herbs, birds, and stones. If you were once within it\nyou would feel what noble things issue forth from the Sack of\nKnowledge.\u201d\n\nThe student, when he heard all this, was astonished, and said, \u201cBlessed\nbe the hour in which I have found thee! May not I also enter the sack\nfor a while?\u201d He who was above replied as if unwillingly, \u201cFor a short\ntime I will let you get into it, if you reward me and give me good\nwords; but you must wait an hour longer, for one thing remains which I\nmust learn before I do it.\u201d When the student had waited a while he\nbecame impatient, and begged to be allowed to get in at once, his\nthirst for knowledge was so very great. So he who was above pretended\nat last to yield, and said, \u201cIn order that I may come forth from the\nhouse of knowledge you must let it down by the rope, and then you shall\nenter it.\u201d So the student let the sack down, untied it, and set him\nfree, and then cried, \u201cNow draw me up at once,\u201d and was about to get\ninto the sack. \u201cHalt!\u201d said the other, \u201cthat won\u2019t do,\u201d and took him by\nthe head and put him upside down into the sack, fastened it, and drew\nthe disciple of wisdom up the tree by the rope. Then he swung him in\nthe air and said, \u201cHow goes it with thee, my dear fellow? Behold,\nalready thou feelest wisdom coming, and art gaining valuable\nexperience. Keep perfectly quiet until thou becomest wiser.\u201d Thereupon\nhe mounted the student\u2019s horse and rode away, but in an hour\u2019s time\nsent some one to let the student out again.\n\n\n\n147 The Old Man Made Young Again\n\nIn the time when our Lord still walked this earth, he and St. Peter\nstopped one evening at a smith\u2019s and received free quarters. Then it\ncame to pass that a poor beggar, hardly pressed by age and infirmity,\ncame to this house and begged alms of the smith. St. Peter had\ncompassion on him and said, \u201cLord and master, if it please thee, cure\nhis torments that he may be able to win his own bread.\u201d The Lord said\nkindly, \u201cSmith, lend me thy forge, and put on some coals for me, and\nthen I will make this ailing old man young again.\u201d The smith was quite\nwilling, and St. Peter blew the bellows, and when the coal fire\nsparkled up large and high our Lord took the little old man, pushed him\nin the forge in the midst of the red-hot fire, so that he glowed like a\nrose-bush, and praised God with a loud voice. After that the Lord went\nto the quenching tub, put the glowing little man into it so that the\nwater closed over him, and after he had carefully cooled him, gave him\nhis blessing, when behold the little man sprang nimbly out, looking\nfresh, straight, healthy, and as if he were but twenty. The smith, who\nhad watched everything closely and attentively, invited them all to\nsupper. He, however, had an old half-blind crooked, mother-in-law who\nwent to the youth, and with great earnestness asked if the fire had\nburnt him much. He answered that he had never felt more comfortable,\nand that he had sat in the red heat as if he had been in cool dew. The\nyouth\u2019s words echoed in the ears of the old woman all night long, and\nearly next morning, when the Lord had gone on his way again and had\nheartily thanked the smith, the latter thought he might make his old\nmother-in-law young again likewise, as he had watched everything so\ncarefully, and it lay in the province of his trade. So he called to ask\nher if she, too, would like to go bounding about like a girl of\neighteen. She said, \u201cWith all my heart, as the youth has come out of it\nso well.\u201d So the smith made a great fire, and thrust the old woman into\nit, and she writhed about this way and that, and uttered terrible cries\nof murder. \u201cSit still; why art thou screaming and jumping about so?\u201d\ncried he, and as he spoke he blew the bellows again until all her rags\nwere burnt. The old woman cried without ceasing, and the smith thought\nto himself, \u201cI have not quite the right art,\u201d and took her out and\nthrew her into the cooling-tub. Then she screamed so loudly that the\nsmith\u2019s wife upstairs and her daughter-in-law heard, and they both ran\ndownstairs, and saw the old woman lying in a heap in the quenching-tub,\nhowling and screaming, with her face wrinkled and shrivelled and all\nout of shape. Thereupon the two, who were both with child, were so\nterrified that that very night two boys were born who were not made\nlike men but apes, and they ran into the woods, and from them sprang\nthe race of apes.\n\n\n\n148 The Lord\u2019s Animals and the Devil\u2019s\n\nThe Lord God had created all animals, and had chosen out the wolf to be\nhis dog, but he had forgotten the goat. Then the Devil made ready and\nbegan to create also, and created goats with fine long tails. Now when\nthey went to pasture, they generally remained caught in the hedges by\ntheir tails, then the Devil had to go there and disentangle them, with\na great deal of trouble. This enraged him at last, and he went and bit\noff the tail of every goat, as may be seen to this day by the stump.\nThen he let them go to pasture alone, but it came to pass that the Lord\nGod perceived how at one time they gnawed away at a fruitful tree, at\nanother injured the noble vines, or destroyed other tender plants. This\ndistressed him, so that in his goodness and mercy he summoned his\nwolves, who soon tore in pieces the goats that went there. When the\ndevil observed this, he went before the Lord and said, \u201cThy creatures\nhave destroyed mine.\u201d The Lord answered, \u201cWhy didst thou create things\nto do harm?\u201d The Devil said, \u201cI was compelled to do it: inasmuch as my\nthoughts run on evil, what I create can have no other nature, and thou\nmust pay me heavy damages.\u201d \u201cI will pay thee as soon as the oak leaves\nfall; come then, thy money will then be ready counted out.\u201d When the\noak-leaves had fallen, the Devil came and demanded what was due to him.\nBut the Lord said, \u201cIn the church of Constantinople stands a tall\noak-tree which still has all its leaves.\u201d With raging and curses, the\nDevil departed, and went to seek the oak, wandered in the wilderness\nfor six months before he found it, and when he returned, all the oaks\nhad in the meantime covered themselves again with green leaves. Then he\nhad to forfeit his indemnity, and in his rage he put out the eyes of\nall the remaining goats, and put his own in instead.\n\nThis is why all goats have devil\u2019s eyes, and their tails bitten off,\nand why he likes to assume their shape.\n\n\n\n149 The Beam\n\nThere was once an enchanter who was standing in the midst of a great\ncrowd of people performing his wonders. He had a cock brought in, which\nlifted a heavy beam and carried it as if it were as light as a feather.\nBut a girl was present who had just found a bit of four-leaved clover,\nand had thus become so wise that no deception could stand out against\nher, and she saw that the beam was nothing but a straw. So she cried,\n\u201cYou people, do you not see that it is a straw that the cock is\ncarrying, and no beam?\u201d Immediately the enchantment vanished, and the\npeople saw what it was, and drove the magician away in shame and\ndisgrace. He, however, full of inward anger, said, \u201cI will soon revenge\nmyself.\u201d\n\nAfter some time the girl\u2019s wedding-day came, and she was decked out,\nand went in a great procession over the fields to the place where the\nchurch was. All at once she came to a stream which was very much\nswollen, and there was no bridge and no plank to cross it. Then the\nbride nimbly took her clothes up, and wanted to wade through it. And\njust as she was thus standing in the water, a man, and it was the\nenchanter, cried mockingly close beside her, \u201cAha! Where are thine eyes\nthat thou takest that for water?\u201d Then her eyes were opened, and she\nsaw that she was standing with her clothes lifted up in the middle of a\nfield that was blue with the flowers of blue flax. Then all the people\nsaw it likewise, and chased her away with ridicule and laughter.\n\n\n\n150 The Old Beggar-Woman\n\nThere was once an old woman, but thou hast surely seen an old woman go\na-begging before now? This woman begged likewise, and when she got\nanything she said, \u201cMay God reward you.\u201d The beggar-woman came to a\ndoor, and there by the fire a friendly rogue of a boy was standing\nwarming himself. The boy said kindly to the poor old woman as she was\nstanding shivering thus by the door, \u201cCome, old mother, and warm\nyourself.\u201d She came in, but stood too near the fire, so that her old\nrags began to burn, and she was not aware of it. The boy stood and saw\nthat, but he ought to have put the flames out. Is it not true that he\nought to have put them out? And if he had not any water, then should he\nhave wept all the water in his body out of his eyes, and that would\nhave supplied two pretty streams with which to extinguish them.\n\n\n\n151 The Three Sluggards\n\nA certain King had three sons who were all equally dear to him, and he\ndid not know which of them to appoint as his successor after his own\ndeath. When the time came when he was about to die, he summoned them to\nhis bedside and said, \u201cDear children, I have been thinking of something\nwhich I will declare unto you; whichsoever of you is the laziest shall\nhave the kingdom.\u201d The eldest said, \u201cThen, father, the kingdom is mine,\nfor I am so idle that if I lie down to rest, and a drop falls in my\neye, I will not open it that I may sleep.\u201d The second said; \u201cFather,\nthe kingdom belongs to me, for I am so idle that when I am sitting by\nthe fire warming myself, I would rather let my heel be burnt off than\ndraw back my leg.\u201d The third said, \u201cFather, the kingdom is mine, for I\nam so idle that if I were going to be hanged, and had the rope already\nround my neck, and any one put a sharp knife into my hand with which I\nmight cut the rope, I would rather let myself be hanged than raise my\nhand to the rope.\u201d When the father heard that, he said, \u201cThou hast\ncarried it the farthest, and shalt be King.\u201d\n\n\n\n151* The Twelve Idle Servants\n\nTwelve servants who had done nothing all the day would not exert\nthemselves at night either, but laid themselves on the grass and\nboasted of their idleness. The first said, \u201cWhat is your laziness to\nme, I have to concern myself about mine own? The care of my body is my\nprincipal work, I eat not a little and drink still more. When I have\nhad four meals, I fast a short time until I feel hunger again, and that\nsuits me best. To rise betimes is not for me; when it is getting near\nmid-day, I already seek out a resting-place for myself. If the master\ncall, I do exactly as if I had not heard him, and if he call for the\nsecond time, I wait awhile before I get up, and go to him very slowly.\nIn this way life is endurable.\u201d\n\nThe second said, \u201cI have a horse to look after, but I leave the bit in\nhis mouth, and if I do not want to do it, I give him no food, and I say\nhe has had it already. I, however, lay myself in the oat-chest and\nsleep for four hours. After this I stretch out one foot and move it a\ncouple of times over the horse\u2019s body, and then he is combed and\ncleaned. Who is going to make a great business of that? Nevertheless\nservice is too toilsome for me.\u201d\n\nThe third said, \u201cWhy plague oneself with work? Nothing comes of it! I\nlaid myself in the sun, and fell asleep. It began to rain a little, but\nwhy should I get up? I let it rain on in God\u2019s name. At last came a\nsplashing shower, so heavy indeed, that it pulled the hair out of my\nhead and washed it away, and I got a hole in the skull; I put a plaster\non it, and then it was all right. I have already had several injuries\nof that kind.\u201d\n\nThe fourth said, \u201cIf I am to undertake a piece of work, I first loiter\nabout for an hour that I may save up my strength. After that I begin\nquite slowly, and ask if no one is there who could help me. Then I let\nhim do the chief of the work, and in reality only look on; but that\nalso is still too much for me.\u201d\n\nThe fifth said, \u201cWhat does that matter? Just think, I am to take away\nthe manure from the horse\u2019s stable, and load the cart with it. I let it\ngo on slowly, and if I have taken anything on the fork, I only\nhalf-raise it up, and then I rest just a quarter of an hour until I\nquite throw it in. It is enough and to spare if I take out a cartful in\nthe day. I have no fancy for killing myself with work.\u201d\n\nThe sixth said, \u201cShame on ye; I am afraid of no work, but I lie down\nfor three weeks, and never once take my clothes off. What is the use of\nbuckling your shoes on? For aught I care they may fall off my feet, it\nis no matter. If I am going up some steps, I drag one foot slowly after\nthe other on to the first step, and then I count the rest of them that\nI may know where I must rest.\u201d\n\nThe seventh said, \u201cThat will not do with me; my master looks after my\nwork, only he is not at home the whole day. But I neglect nothing, I\nrun as fast as it is possible to do when one crawls. If I am to get on,\nfour sturdy men must push me with all their might. I came where six men\nwere lying sleeping on a bed beside each other. I lay down by them and\nslept too. There was no wakening me again, and when they wanted to have\nme home, they had to carry me.\u201d The eighth said, \u201cI see plainly that I\nam the only active fellow; if a stone lie before me, I do not give\nmyself the trouble to raise my legs and step over it. I lay myself down\non the ground, and if I am wet and covered with mud and dirt, I stay\nlying until the sun has dried me again. At the very most, I only turn\nmyself so that it can shine on me.\u201d The ninth said, \u201cThat is the right\nway! To-day the bread was before me, but I was too idle to take it, and\nnearly died of hunger! Moreover a jug stood by it, but it was so big\nand heavy that I did not like to lift it up, and preferred bearing\nthirst. Just to turn myself round was too much for me, I remained lying\nlike a log the whole day.\u201d The tenth said, \u201cLaziness has brought\nmisfortune on me, a broken leg and swollen calf. Three of us were lying\nin the road, and I had my legs stretched out. Some one came with a\ncart, and the wheels went over me. I might indeed have drawn my legs\nback, but I did not hear the cart coming, for the midges were humming\nabout my ears, and creeping in at my nose and out again at my mouth;\nwho can take the trouble to drive the vermin away?\u201d\n\nThe eleventh said, \u201cI gave up my place yesterday. I had no fancy for\ncarrying the heavy books to my master any longer or fetching them away\nagain. There was no end of it all day long. But to tell the truth, he\ngave me my dismissal, and would not keep me any longer, for his\nclothes, which I had left lying in the dust, were all moth-eaten, and I\nam very glad of it.\u201d\n\nThe twelfth said, \u201cTo-day I had to drive the cart into the country, and\nmade myself a bed of straw on it, and had a good sleep. The reins\nslipped out of my hand, and when I awoke, the horse had nearly torn\nitself loose, the harness was gone, the strap which fastened the horse\nto the shafts was gone, and so were the collar, the bridle and bit.\nSome one had come by, who had carried all off. Besides this, the cart\nhad got into a quagmire and stuck fast. I left it standing, and\nstretched myself on the straw again. At last the master came himself,\nand pushed the cart out, and if he had not come I should not be lying\nhere but there, and sleeping in full tranquillity.\u201d\n\n\n\n152 The Shepherd Boy\n\nThere was once on a time a shepherd boy whose fame spread far and wide\nbecause of the wise answers which he gave to every question. The King\nof the country heard of it likewise, but did not believe it, and sent\nfor the boy. Then he said to him, \u201cIf thou canst give me an answer to\nthree questions which I will ask thee, I will look on thee as my own\nchild, and thou shalt dwell with me in my royal palace.\u201d The boy said,\n\u201cWhat are the three questions?\u201d The King said, \u201cThe first is, how many\ndrops of water are there in the ocean?\u201d The shepherd boy answered,\n\u201cLord King, if you will have all the rivers on earth dammed up so that\nnot a single drop runs from them into the sea until I have counted it,\nI will tell you how many drops there are in the sea.\u201d The King said,\n\u201cThe next question is, how many stars are there in the sky?\u201d The\nshepherd boy said, \u201cGive me a great sheet of white paper,\u201d and then he\nmade so many fine points on it with a pen that they could scarcely be\nseen, and it was all but impossible to count them; any one who looked\nat them would have lost his sight. Then he said, \u201cThere are as many\nstars in the sky as there are points on the paper; just count them.\u201d\nBut no one was able to do it. The King said, \u201cThe third question is,\nhow many seconds of time are there in eternity.\u201d Then said the shepherd\nboy, \u201cIn Lower Pomerania is the Diamond Mountain, which is two miles\nand a half high, two miles and a half wide, and two miles and a half in\ndepth; every hundred years a little bird comes and sharpens its beak on\nit, and when the whole mountain is worn away by this, then the first\nsecond of eternity will be over.\u201d\n\nThe King said, \u201cThou hast answered the three questions like a wise man,\nand shalt henceforth dwell with me in my royal palace, and I will\nregard thee as my own child.\u201d\n\n\n\n153 The Star-Money\n\nThere was once on a time a little girl whose father and mother were\ndead, and she was so poor that she no longer had any little room to\nlive in, or bed to sleep in, and at last she had nothing else but the\nclothes she was wearing and a little bit of bread in her hand which\nsome charitable soul had given her. She was, however, good and pious.\nAnd as she was thus forsaken by all the world, she went forth into the\nopen country, trusting in the good God. Then a poor man met her, who\nsaid, \u201cAh, give me something to eat, I am so hungry!\u201d She reached him\nthe whole of her piece of bread, and said, \u201cMay God bless it to thy\nuse,\u201d and went onwards. Then came a child who moaned and said, \u201cMy head\nis so cold, give me something to cover it with.\u201d So she took off her\nhood and gave it to him; and when she had walked a little farther, she\nmet another child who had no jacket and was frozen with cold. Then she\ngave it her own; and a little farther on one begged for a frock, and\nshe gave away that also. At length she got into a forest and it had\nalready become dark, and there came yet another child, and asked for a\nlittle shirt, and the good little girl thought to herself, \u201cIt is a\ndark night and no one sees thee, thou canst very well give thy little\nshirt away,\u201d and took it off, and gave away that also. And as she so\nstood, and had not one single thing left, suddenly some stars from\nheaven fell down, and they were nothing else but hard smooth pieces of\nmoney, and although she had just given her little shirt away, she had a\nnew one which was of the very finest linen. Then she gathered together\nthe money into this, and was rich all the days of her life.\n\n\n\n154 The Stolen Farthings\n\nA father was one day sitting at dinner with his wife and his children,\nand a good friend who had come on a visit was with them. And as they\nthus sat, and it was striking twelve o\u2019clock, the stranger saw the door\nopen, and a very pale child dressed in snow-white clothes came in. It\ndid not look around, and it did not speak; but went straight into the\nnext room. Soon afterwards it came back, and went out at the door again\nin the same quiet manner. On the second and on the third day, it came\nalso exactly in the same way. At last the stranger asked the father to\nwhom the beautiful child that went into the next room every day at noon\nbelonged? \u201cI have never seen it,\u201d said he, neither did he know to whom\nit could belong. The next day when it again came, the stranger pointed\nit out to the father, who however did not see it, and the mother and\nthe children also all saw nothing. On this the stranger got up, went to\nthe room door, opened it a little, and peeped in. Then he saw the child\nsitting on the ground, and digging and seeking about industriously\namongst the crevices between the boards of the floor, but when it saw\nthe stranger, it disappeared. He now told what he had seen and\ndescribed the child exactly, and the mother recognized it, and said,\n\u201cAh, it is my dear child who died a month ago.\u201d They took up the boards\nand found two farthings which the child had once received from its\nmother that it might give them to a poor man; it, however, had thought,\n\u201cThou canst buy thyself a biscuit for that,\u201d and had kept the\nfarthings, and hidden them in the openings between the boards; and\ntherefore it had had no rest in its grave, and had come every day at\nnoon to seek for these farthings. The parents gave the money at once to\na poor man, and after that the child was never seen again.\n\n\n\n155 Brides On Their Trial\n\nThere was once a young shepherd who wished much to marry, and was\nacquainted with three sisters who were all equally pretty, so that it\nwas difficult to him to make a choice, and he could not decide to give\nthe preference to any one of them. Then he asked his mother for advice,\nand she said, \u201cInvite all three, and set some cheese before them, and\nwatch how they eat it.\u201d The youth did so; the first, however, swallowed\nthe cheese with the rind on; the second hastily cut the rind off the\ncheese, but she cut it so quickly that she left much good cheese with\nit, and threw that away also; the third peeled the rind off carefully,\nand cut neither too much nor too little. The shepherd told all this to\nhis mother, who said, \u201cTake the third for thy wife.\u201d This he did, and\nlived contentedly and happily with her.\n\n\n\n156 Odds And Ends\n\nThere was once on a time a maiden who was pretty, but idle and\nnegligent. When she had to spin she was so out of temper that if there\nwas a little knot in the flax, she at once pulled out a whole heap of\nit, and strewed it about on the ground beside her. Now she had a\nservant who was industrious, and gathered together the bits of flax\nwhich were thrown away, cleaned them, span them fine, and had a\nbeautiful gown made out of them for herself. A young man had wooed the\nlazy girl, and the wedding was to take place. On the eve of the\nwedding, the industrious one was dancing merrily about in her pretty\ndress, and the bride said,\u2014\n\n\u201cAh, how that girl does jump about, dressed in my odds and ends.\u201d\n\nThe bridegroom heard that, and asked the bride what she meant by it?\nThen she told him that the girl was wearing a dress make of the flax\nwhich she had thrown away. When the bridegroom heard that, and saw how\nidle she was, and how industrious the poor girl was, he gave her up and\nwent to the other, and chose her as his wife.\n\n\n\n157 The Sparrow And His Four Children\n\nA sparrow had four young ones in a swallow\u2019s nest. When they were\nfledged, some naughty boys pulled out the nest, but fortunately all the\nbirds got safely away in the high wind. Then the old bird was grieved\nthat as his sons had all gone out into the world, he had not first\nwarned them of every kind of danger, and given them good instruction\nhow to deal with each. In the autumn a great many sparrows assembled\ntogether in a wheatfield, and there the old bird met his four children\nagain, and full of joy took them home with him. \u201cAh, my dear sons, what\npain I have been in about you all through the summer, because you got\naway in the wind without my teaching; listen to my words, obey your\nfather, and be well on your guard. Little birds have to encounter great\ndangers!\u201d And then he asked the eldest where he had spent the summer,\nand how he had supported himself? \u201cI stayed in the gardens, and looked\nfor caterpillars and small worms, until the cherries got ripe.\u201d \u201cAh, my\nson,\u201d said the father, \u201ctit-bits are not bad, but there is great risk\nabout them; on that account take great care of thyself henceforth, and\nparticularly when people are going about the gardens who carry long\ngreen poles which are hollow inside and have a little hole at the top.\u201d\n\u201cYes, father, but what if a little green leaf is stuck over the hole\nwith wax?\u201d said the son. \u201cWhere hast thou seen that?\u201d \u201cIn a merchant\u2019s\ngarden,\u201d said the youngster. \u201cOh, my son, merchant folks are quick\nfolks,\u201d said the father. \u201cIf thou hast been among the children of the\nworld, thou hast learned worldly shiftiness enough, only see that thou\nusest it well, and do not be too confident.\u201d After this he asked the\nnext, \u201cWhere hast thou passed thy time?\u201d \u201cAt court,\u201d said the son.\n\u201cSparrows and silly little birds are of no use in that place\u2014there one\nfinds much gold, velvet, silk, armour, harnesses, sparrow-hawks,\nscreech-owls and hen-harriers; keep to the horses\u2019 stable where they\nwinnow oats, or thresh, and then fortune may give thee thy daily grain\nof corn in peace.\u201d \u201cYes, father,\u201d said the son, \u201cbut when the\nstable-boys make traps and fix their gins and snares in the straw, many\na one is caught fast.\u201d \u201cWhere hast thou seen that?\u201d said the old bird.\n\u201cAt court, among the stable-boys.\u201d \u201cOh, my son, court boys are bad\nboys! If thou hast been to court and among the lords, and hast left no\nfeathers there, thou hast learnt a fair amount, and wilt know very well\nhow to go about the world, but look around thee and above thee, for the\nwolves devour the wisest dogs.\u201d The father examined the third also:\n\u201cWhere didst thou seek thy safety?\u201d \u201cI have broken up tubs and ropes on\nthe cart-roads and highways, and sometimes met with a grain of corn or\nbarley.\u201d \u201cThat is indeed dainty fare,\u201d said the father, \u201cbut take care\nwhat thou art about and look carefully around, especially when thou\nseest any one stooping and about to pick up a stone, there is not much\ntime to stay then.\u201d \u201cThat is true,\u201d said the son, \u201cbut what if any one\nshould carry a bit of rock, or ore, ready beforehand in his breast or\npocket?\u201d \u201cWhere hast thou seen that?\u201d \u201cAmong the mountaineers, dear\nfather; when they go out, they generally take little bits of ore with\nthem.\u201d \u201cMountain folks are working folks, and clever folks. If thou\nhast been among mountain lads, thou hast seen and learnt something, but\nwhen thou goest thither beware, for many a sparrow has been brought to\na bad end by a mountain boy.\u201d At length the father came to the youngest\nson: \u201cThou, my dear chirping nestling, wert always the silliest and\nweakest; stay with me, the world has many rough, wicked birds which\nhave crooked beaks and long claws, and lie in wait for poor little\nbirds and swallow them. Keep with those of thine own kind, and pick up\nlittle spiders and caterpillars from the trees, or the house, and then\nthou wilt live long in peace.\u201d \u201cMy dear father, he who feeds himself\nwithout injury to other people fares well, and no sparrow-hawk, eagle,\nor kite will hurt him if he specially commits himself and his lawful\nfood, evening and morning, faithfully to God, who is the Creator and\nPreserver of all forest and village birds, who likewise heareth the cry\nand prayer of the young ravens, for no sparrow or wren ever falls to\nthe ground except by his will.\u201d \u201cWhere hast thou learnt this?\u201d The son\nanswered, \u201cWhen the great blast of wind tore me away from thee I came\nto a church, and there during the summer I have picked up the flies and\nspiders from the windows, and heard this discourse preached. The Father\nof all sparrows fed me all the summer through, and kept me from all\nmischance and from ferocious birds.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn sooth, my dear son, if thou takest refuge in the churches and\nhelpest to clear away spiders and buzzing flies, and criest unto God\nlike the young ravens, and commendest thyself to the eternal Creator,\nall will be well with thee, and that even if the whole world were full\nof wild malicious birds.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe who to God commits his ways,\nIn silence suffers, waits, and prays,\nPreserves his faith and conscience pure,\nHe is of God\u2019s protection sure.\u201d\n\n\n\n158 The Story of Schlauraffen Land\n\nIn the time of Schlauraffen I went there, and saw Rome and the Lateran\nhanging by a small silken thread, and a man without feet who outran a\nswift horse, and a keen sharp sword that cut through a bridge. There I\nsaw a young ass with a silver nose which pursued two fleet hares, and a\nlime-tree that was very large, on which hot cakes were growing. There I\nsaw a lean old goat which carried about a hundred cart-loads of fat on\nhis body, and sixty loads of salt. Have I not told enough lies? There I\nsaw a plough ploughing without horse or cow, and a child of one year\nthrew four millstones from Ratisbon to Treves, and from Treves to\nStrasburg, and a hawk swam over the Rhine, which he had a perfect right\nto do. There I heard some fishes begin to make such a disturbance with\neach other, that it resounded as far as heaven, and sweet honey flowed\nlike water from a deep valley at the top of a high mountain, and these\nwere strange things. There were two crows which were mowing a meadow,\nand I saw two gnats building a bridge, and two doves tore a wolf to\npieces; two children brought forth two kids, and two frogs threshed\ncorn together. There I saw two mice consecrating a bishop, and two cats\nscratching out a bear\u2019s tongue. Then a snail came running up and killed\ntwo furious lions. There stood a barber and shaved a woman\u2019s beard off;\nand two sucking-children bade their mother hold her tongue. There I saw\ntwo greyhounds which brought a mill out of the water; and a sorry old\nhorse was beside it, and said it was right. And four horses were\nstanding in the yard threshing corn with all their might, and two goats\nwere heating the stove, and a red cow shot the bread into the oven.\nThen a cock crowed, Cock-a-doodle-doo! The story is all\ntold,\u2014Cock-a-doodle-doo!\n\n\n\n159 The Ditmarsch Tale of Wonders\n\nI will tell you something. I saw two roasted fowls flying; they flew\nquickly and had their breasts turned to heaven and their backs to hell,\nand an anvil and a mill-stone swam across the Rhine prettily, slowly,\nand gently, and a frog sat on the ice at Whitsuntide and ate a\nploughshare. Three fellows who wanted to catch a hare, went on crutches\nand stilts; one of them was deaf, the second blind, the third dumb, and\nthe fourth could not stir a step. Do you want to know how it was done?\nFirst, the blind man saw the hare running across the field, the dumb\none called to the lame one, and the lame one seized it by the neck.\n\nThere were certain men who wished to sail on dry land, and they set\ntheir sails in the wind, and sailed away over great fields. Then they\nsailed over a high mountain, and there they were miserably drowned. A\ncrab was chasing a hare which was running away at full speed, and high\nup on the roof lay a cow which had climbed up there. In that country\nthe flies are as big as the goats are here. Open the window, that the\nlies may fly out.\n\n\n\n160 A Riddling Tale\n\nThree women were changed into flowers which grew in the field, but one\nof them was allowed to be in her own home at night. Then once when day\nwas drawing near, and she was forced to go back to her companions in\nthe field and become a flower again, she said to her husband, \u201cIf thou\nwilt come this afternoon and gather me, I shall be set free and\nhenceforth stay with thee.\u201d And he did so. Now the question is, how did\nher husband know her, for the flowers were exactly alike, and without\nany difference? Answer: as she was at her home during the night and not\nin the field, no dew fell on her as it did on the others, and by this\nher husband knew her.\n\n\n\n161 Snow-White and Rose-Red\n\nThere was once a poor widow who lived in a lonely cottage. In front of\nthe cottage was a garden wherein stood two rose-trees, one of which\nbore white and the other red roses. She had two children who were like\nthe two rose-trees, and one was called Snow-white, and the other\nRose-red. They were as good and happy, as busy and cheerful as ever two\nchildren in the world were, only Snow-white was more quiet and gentle\nthan Rose-red. Rose-red liked better to run about in the meadows and\nfields seeking flowers and catching butterflies; but Snow-white sat at\nhome with her mother, and helped her with her house-work, or read to\nher when there was nothing to do.\n\nThe two children were so fond of each another that they always held\neach other by the hand when they went out together, and when Snow-white\nsaid, \u201cWe will not leave each other,\u201d Rose-red answered, \u201cNever so long\nas we live,\u201d and their mother would add, \u201cWhat one has she must share\nwith the other.\u201d\n\nThey often ran about the forest alone and gathered red berries, and no\nbeasts did them any harm, but came close to them trustfully. The little\nhare would eat a cabbage-leaf out of their hands, the roe grazed by\ntheir side, the stag leapt merrily by them, and the birds sat still\nupon the boughs, and sang whatever they knew.\n\nNo mishap overtook them; if they had stayed too late in the forest, and\nnight came on, they laid themselves down near one another upon the\nmoss, and slept until morning came, and their mother knew this and had\nno distress on their account.\n\nOnce when they had spent the night in the wood and the dawn had roused\nthem, they saw a beautiful child in a shining white dress sitting near\ntheir bed. He got up and looked quite kindly at them, but said nothing\nand went away into the forest. And when they looked round they found\nthat they had been sleeping quite close to a precipice, and would\ncertainly have fallen into it in the darkness if they had gone only a\nfew paces further. And their mother told them that it must have been\nthe angel who watches over good children.\n\nSnow-white and Rose-red kept their mother\u2019s little cottage so neat that\nit was a pleasure to look inside it. In the summer Rose-red took care\nof the house, and every morning laid a wreath of flowers by her\nmother\u2019s bed before she awoke, in which was a rose from each tree. In\nthe winter Snow-white lit the fire and hung the kettle on the wrekin.\nThe kettle was of copper and shone like gold, so brightly was it\npolished. In the evening, when the snowflakes fell, the mother said,\n\u201cGo, Snow-white, and bolt the door,\u201d and then they sat round the\nhearth, and the mother took her spectacles and read aloud out of a\nlarge book, and the two girls listened as they sat and span. And close\nby them lay a lamb upon the floor, and behind them upon a perch sat a\nwhite dove with its head hidden beneath its wings.\n\nOne evening, as they were thus sitting comfortably together, some one\nknocked at the door as if he wished to be let in. The mother said,\n\u201cQuick, Rose-red, open the door, it must be a traveller who is seeking\nshelter.\u201d Rose-red went and pushed back the bolt, thinking that it was\na poor man, but it was not; it was a bear that stretched his broad,\nblack head within the door.\n\nRose-red screamed and sprang back, the lamb bleated, the dove\nfluttered, and Snow-white hid herself behind her mother\u2019s bed. But the\nbear began to speak and said, \u201cDo not be afraid, I will do you no harm!\nI am half-frozen, and only want to warm myself a little beside you.\u201d\n\n\u201cPoor bear,\u201d said the mother, \u201clie down by the fire, only take care\nthat you do not burn your coat.\u201d Then she cried, \u201cSnow-white, Rose-red,\ncome out, the bear will do you no harm, he means well.\u201d So they both\ncame out, and by-and-by the lamb and dove came nearer, and were not\nafraid of him. The bear said, \u201cHere, children, knock the snow out of my\ncoat a little;\u201d so they brought the broom and swept the bear\u2019s hide\nclean; and he stretched himself by the fire and growled contentedly and\ncomfortably. It was not long before they grew quite at home, and played\ntricks with their clumsy guest. They tugged his hair with their hands,\nput their feet upon his back and rolled him about, or they took a\nhazel-switch and beat him, and when he growled they laughed. But the\nbear took it all in good part, only when they were too rough he called\nout, \u201cLeave me alive, children,\n\n\u201cSnowy-white, Rosy-red,\nWill you beat your lover dead?\u201d\n\n\nWhen it was bed-time, and the others went to bed, the mother said to\nthe bear, \u201cYou can lie there by the hearth, and then you will be safe\nfrom the cold and the bad weather.\u201d As soon as day dawned the two\nchildren let him out, and he trotted across the snow into the forest.\n\nHenceforth the bear came every evening at the same time, laid himself\ndown by the hearth, and let the children amuse themselves with him as\nmuch as they liked; and they got so used to him that the doors were\nnever fastened until their black friend had arrived.\n\nWhen spring had come and all outside was green, the bear said one\nmorning to Snow-white, \u201cNow I must go away, and cannot come back for\nthe whole summer.\u201d \u201cWhere are you going, then, dear bear?\u201d asked\nSnow-white. \u201cI must go into the forest and guard my treasures from the\nwicked dwarfs. In the winter, when the earth is frozen hard, they are\nobliged to stay below and cannot work their way through; but now, when\nthe sun has thawed and warmed the earth, they break through it, and\ncome out to pry and steal; and what once gets into their hands, and in\ntheir caves, does not easily see daylight again.\u201d\n\nSnow-white was quite sorry for his going away, and as she unbolted the\ndoor for him, and the bear was hurrying out, he caught against the bolt\nand a piece of his hairy coat was torn off, and it seemed to Snow-white\nas if she had seen gold shining through it, but she was not sure about\nit. The bear ran away quickly, and was soon out of sight behind the\ntrees.\n\nA short time afterwards the mother sent her children into the forest to\nget fire-wood. There they found a big tree which lay felled on the\nground, and close by the trunk something was jumping backwards and\nforwards in the grass, but they could not make out what it was. When\nthey came nearer they saw a dwarf with an old withered face and a\nsnow-white beard a yard long. The end of the beard was caught in a\ncrevice of the tree, and the little fellow was jumping backwards and\nforwards like a dog tied to a rope, and did not know what to do.\n\nHe glared at the girls with his fiery red eyes and cried, \u201cWhy do you\nstand there? Can you not come here and help me?\u201d \u201cWhat are you about\nthere, little man?\u201d asked Rose-red. \u201cYou stupid, prying goose!\u201d\nanswered the dwarf; \u201cI was going to split the tree to get a little wood\nfor cooking. The little bit of food that one of us wants gets burnt up\ndirectly with thick logs; we do not swallow so much as you coarse,\ngreedy folk. I had just driven the wedge safely in, and everything was\ngoing as I wished; but the wretched wood was too smooth and suddenly\nsprang asunder, and the tree closed so quickly that I could not pull\nout my beautiful white beard; so now it is tight in and I cannot get\naway, and the silly, sleek, milk-faced things laugh! Ugh! how odious\nyou are!\u201d\n\nThe children tried very hard, but they could not pull the beard out, it\nwas caught too fast. \u201cI will run and fetch some one,\u201d said Rose-red.\n\u201cYou senseless goose!\u201d snarled the dwarf; \u201cwhy should you fetch some\none? You are already two too many for me; can you not think of\nsomething better?\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t be impatient,\u201d said Snow-white, \u201cI will help\nyou,\u201d and she pulled her scissors out of her pocket, and cut off the\nend of the beard.\n\nAs soon as the dwarf felt himself free he laid hold of a bag which lay\namongst the roots of the tree, and which was full of gold, and lifted\nit up, grumbling to himself, \u201cUncouth people, to cut off a piece of my\nfine beard. Bad luck to you!\u201d and then he swung the bag upon his back,\nand went off without even once looking at the children.\n\nSome time after that Snow-white and Rose-red went to catch a dish of\nfish. As they came near the brook they saw something like a large\ngrasshopper jumping towards the water, as if it were going to leap in.\nThey ran to it and found it was the dwarf. \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d said\nRose-red; \u201cyou surely don\u2019t want to go into the water?\u201d \u201cI am not such\na fool!\u201d cried the dwarf; \u201cdon\u2019t you see that the accursed fish wants\nto pull me in?\u201d The little man had been sitting there fishing, and\nunluckily the wind had twisted his beard with the fishing-line; just\nthen a big fish bit, and the feeble creature had not strength to pull\nit out; the fish kept the upper hand and pulled the dwarf towards him.\nHe held on to all the reeds and rushes, but it was of little good, he\nwas forced to follow the movements of the fish, and was in urgent\ndanger of being dragged into the water.\n\nThe girls came just in time; they held him fast and tried to free his\nbeard from the line, but all in vain, beard and line were entangled\nfast together. Nothing was left but to bring out the scissors and cut\nthe beard, whereby a small part of it was lost. When the dwarf saw that\nhe screamed out, \u201cIs that civil, you toad-stool, to disfigure one\u2019s\nface? Was it not enough to clip off the end of my beard? Now you have\ncut off the best part of it. I cannot let myself be seen by my people.\nI wish you had been made to run the soles off your shoes!\u201d Then he took\nout a sack of pearls which lay in the rushes, and without saying a word\nmore he dragged it away and disappeared behind a stone.\n\nIt happened that soon afterwards the mother sent the two children to\nthe town to buy needles and thread, and laces and ribbons. The road led\nthem across a heath upon which huge pieces of rock lay strewn here and\nthere. Now they noticed a large bird hovering in the air, flying slowly\nround and round above them; it sank lower and lower, and at last\nsettled near a rock not far off. Directly afterwards they heard a loud,\npiteous cry. They ran up and saw with horror that the eagle had seized\ntheir old acquaintance the dwarf, and was going to carry him off.\n\nThe children, full of pity, at once took tight hold of the little man,\nand pulled against the eagle so long that at last he let his booty go.\nAs soon as the dwarf had recovered from his first fright he cried with\nhis shrill voice, \u201cCould you not have done it more carefully! You\ndragged at my brown coat so that it is all torn and full of holes, you\nhelpless clumsy creatures!\u201d Then he took up a sack full of precious\nstones, and slipped away again under the rock into his hole. The girls,\nwho by this time were used to his thanklessness, went on their way and\ndid their business in the town.\n\nAs they crossed the heath again on their way home they surprised the\ndwarf, who had emptied out his bag of precious stones in a clean spot,\nand had not thought that anyone would come there so late. The evening\nsun shone upon the brilliant stones; they glittered and sparkled with\nall colors so beautifully that the children stood still and looked at\nthem. \u201cWhy do you stand gaping there?\u201d cried the dwarf, and his\nashen-gray face became copper-red with rage. He was going on with his\nbad words when a loud growling was heard, and a black bear came\ntrotting towards them out of the forest. The dwarf sprang up in a\nfright, but he could not get to his cave, for the bear was already\nclose. Then in the dread of his heart he cried, \u201cDear Mr. Bear, spare\nme, I will give you all my treasures; look, the beautiful jewels lying\nthere! Grant me my life; what do you want with such a slender little\nfellow as I? you would not feel me between your teeth. Come, take these\ntwo wicked girls, they are tender morsels for you, fat as young quails;\nfor mercy\u2019s sake eat them!\u201d The bear took no heed of his words, but\ngave the wicked creature a single blow with his paw, and he did not\nmove again.\n\nThe girls had run away, but the bear called to them, \u201cSnow-white and\nRose-red, do not be afraid; wait, I will come with you.\u201d Then they knew\nhis voice and waited, and when he came up to them suddenly his bearskin\nfell off, and he stood there, a handsome man, clothed all in gold. \u201cI\nam a King\u2019s son,\u201d he said, \u201cand I was bewitched by that wicked dwarf,\nwho had stolen my treasures; I have had to run about the forest as a\nsavage bear until I was freed by his death. Now he has got his\nwell-deserved punishment.\u201d\n\nSnow-white was married to him, and Rose-red to his brother, and they\ndivided between them the great treasure which the dwarf had gathered\ntogether in his cave. The old mother lived peacefully and happily with\nher children for many years. She took the two rose-trees with her, and\nthey stood before her window, and every year bore the most beautiful\nroses, white and red.\n\n\n\n162 The Wise Servant\n\nHow fortunate is the master, and how well all goes in his house, when\nhe has a wise servant who listens to his orders and does not obey them,\nbut prefers following his own wisdom. A clever John of this kind was\nonce sent out by his master to seek a lost cow. He stayed away a long\ntime, and the master thought, \u201cFaithful John does not spare any pains\nover his work!\u201d As, however, he did not come back at all, the master\nwas afraid lest some misfortune had befallen him, and set out himself\nto look for him. He had to search a long time, but at last he perceived\nthe boy who was running up and down a large field. \u201cNow, dear John,\u201d\nsaid the master when he had got up to him, \u201chast thou found the cow\nwhich I sent thee to seek?\u201d \u201cNo, master,\u201d he answered, \u201cI have not\nfound the cow, but then I have not looked for it.\u201d \u201cThen what hast thou\nlooked for, John?\u201d \u201cSomething better, and that luckily I have found.\u201d\n\u201cWhat is that, John?\u201d \u201cThree blackbirds,\u201d answered the boy. \u201cAnd where\nare they?\u201d asked the master. \u201cI see one of them, I hear the other, and\nI am running after the third,\u201d answered the wise boy.\n\nTake example by this, do not trouble yourselves about your masters or\ntheir orders, but rather do what comes into your head and pleases you,\nand then you will act just as wisely as prudent John.\n\n\n\n163 The Glass Coffin\n\nLet no one ever say that a poor tailor cannot do great things and win\nhigh honors; all that is needed is that he should go to the right\nsmithy, and what is of most consequence, that he should have good luck.\nA civil, adroit tailor\u2019s apprentice once went out travelling, and came\ninto a great forest, and, as he did not know the way, he lost himself.\nNight fell, and nothing was left for him to do, but to seek a bed in\nthis painful solitude. He might certainly have found a good bed on the\nsoft moss, but the fear of wild beasts let him have no rest there, and\nat last he was forced to make up his mind to spend the night in a tree.\nHe sought out a high oak, climbed up to the top of it, and thanked God\nthat he had his goose with him, for otherwise the wind which blew over\nthe top of the tree would have carried him away.\n\nAfter he had spent some hours in the darkness, not without fear and\ntrembling, he saw at a very short distance the glimmer of a light, and\nas he thought that a human habitation might be there, where he would be\nbetter off than on the branches of a tree, he got carefully down and\nwent towards the light. It guided him to a small hut that was woven\ntogether of reeds and rushes. He knocked boldly, the door opened, and\nby the light which came forth he saw a little hoary old man who wore a\ncoat made of bits of colored stuff sewn together. \u201cWho are you, and\nwhat do you want?\u201d asked the man in a grumbling voice. \u201cI am a poor\ntailor,\u201d he answered, \u201cwhom night has surprised here in the wilderness,\nand I earnestly beg you to take me into your hut until morning.\u201d \u201cGo\nyour way,\u201d replied the old man in a surly voice, \u201cI will have nothing\nto do with runagates; seek for yourself a shelter elsewhere.\u201d After\nthese words he was about to slip into his hut again, but the tailor\nheld him so tightly by the corner of his coat, and pleaded so\npiteously, that the old man, who was not so ill-natured as he wished to\nappear, was at last softened, and took him into the hut with him where\nhe gave him something to eat, and then pointed out to him a very good\nbed in a corner.\n\nThe weary tailor needed no rocking; but slept sweetly till morning, but\neven then would not have thought of getting up, if he had not been\naroused by a great noise. A violent sound of screaming and roaring\nforced its way through the thin walls of the hut. The tailor, full of\nunwonted courage, jumped up, put his clothes on in haste, and hurried\nout. Then close by the hut, he saw a great black bull and a beautiful\nstag, which were just preparing for a violent struggle. They rushed at\neach other with such extreme rage that the ground shook with their\ntrampling, and the air resounded with their cries. For a long time it\nwas uncertain which of the two would gain the victory; at length the\nstag thrust his horns into his adversary\u2019s body, whereupon the bull\nfell to the earth with a terrific roar, and was thoroughly despatched\nby a few strokes from the stag.\n\nThe tailor, who had watched the fight with astonishment, was still\nstanding there motionless, when the stag in full career bounded up to\nhim, and before he could escape, caught him up on his great horns. He\nhad not much time to collect his thoughts, for it went in a swift race\nover stock and stone, mountain and valley, wood and meadow. He held\nwith both hands to the tops of the horns, and resigned himself to his\nfate. It seemed, however, to him just as if he were flying away. At\nlength the stag stopped in front of a wall of rock, and gently let the\ntailor down. The tailor, more dead than alive, required a longer time\nthan that to come to himself. When he had in some degree recovered, the\nstag, which had remained standing by him, pushed its horns with such\nforce against a door which was in the rock, that it sprang open. Flames\nof fire shot forth, after which followed a great smoke, which hid the\nstag from his sight. The tailor did not know what to do, or whither to\nturn, in order to get out of this desert and back to human beings\nagain. Whilst he was standing thus undecided, a voice sounded out of\nthe rock, which cried to him, \u201cEnter without fear, no evil shall befall\nyou thee.\u201d He hesitated, but driven by a mysterious force, he obeyed\nthe voice and went through the iron-door into a large spacious hall,\nwhose ceiling, walls and floor were made of shining polished square\nstones, on each of which were cut letters which were unknown to him. He\nlooked at everything full of admiration, and was on the point of going\nout again, when he once more heard the voice which said to him, \u201cStep\non the stone which lies in the middle of the hall, and great good\nfortune awaits thee.\u201d\n\nHis courage had already grown so great that he obeyed the order. The\nstone began to give way under his feet, and sank slowly down into the\ndepths. When it was once more firm, and the tailor looked round, he\nfound himself in a hall which in size resembled the former. Here,\nhowever, there was more to look at and to admire. Hollow places were\ncut in the walls, in which stood vases of transparent glass which were\nfilled with colored spirit or with a bluish vapour. On the floor of the\nhall two great glass chests stood opposite to each other, which at once\nexcited his curiosity. When he went to one of them he saw inside it a\nhandsome structure like a castle surrounded by farm-buildings, stables\nand barns, and a quantity of other good things. Everything was small,\nbut exceedingly carefully and delicately made, and seemed to be cut out\nby a dexterous hand with the greatest exactitude.\n\nHe might not have turned away his eyes from the consideration of this\nrarity for some time, if the voice had not once more made itself heard.\nIt ordered him to turn round and look at the glass chest which was\nstanding opposite. How his admiration increased when he saw therein a\nmaiden of the greatest beauty! She lay as if asleep, and was wrapped in\nher long fair hair as in a precious mantle. Her eyes were closely shut,\nbut the brightness of her complexion and a ribbon which her breathing\nmoved to and fro, left no doubt that she was alive. The tailor was\nlooking at the beauty with beating heart, when she suddenly opened her\neyes, and started up at the sight of him in joyful terror. \u201cJust\nHeaven!\u201d cried she, \u201cmy deliverance is at hand! Quick, quick, help me\nout of my prison; if thou pushest back the bolt of this glass coffin,\nthen I shall be free.\u201d The tailor obeyed without delay, and she\nimmediately raised up the glass lid, came out and hastened into the\ncorner of the hall, where she covered herself with a large cloak. Then\nshe seated herself on a stone, ordered the young man to come to her,\nand after she had imprinted a friendly kiss on his lips, she said, \u201cMy\nlong-desired deliverer, kind Heaven has guided thee to me, and put an\nend to my sorrows. On the self-same day when they end, shall thy\nhappiness begin. Thou art the husband chosen for me by Heaven, and\nshalt pass thy life in unbroken joy, loved by me, and rich to\noverflowing in every earthly possession. Seat thyself, and listen to\nthe story of my life:\n\n\u201cI am the daughter of a rich count. My parents died when I was still in\nmy tender youth, and recommended me in their last will to my elder\nbrother, by whom I was brought up. We loved each other so tenderly, and\nwere so alike in our way of thinking and our inclinations, that we both\nembraced the resolution never to marry, but to stay together to the end\nof our lives. In our house there was no lack of company; neighbors and\nfriends visited us often, and we showed the greatest hospitality to\nevery one. So it came to pass one evening that a stranger came riding\nto our castle, and, under pretext of not being able to get on to the\nnext place, begged for shelter for the night. We granted his request\nwith ready courtesy, and he entertained us in the most agreeable manner\nduring supper by conversation intermingled with stories. My brother\nliked the stranger so much that he begged him to spend a couple of days\nwith us, to which, after some hesitation, he consented. We did not rise\nfrom table until late in the night, the stranger was shown to room, and\nI hastened, as I was tired, to lay my limbs in my soft bed. Hardly had\nI slept for a short time, when the sound of faint and delightful music\nawoke me. As I could not conceive from whence it came, I wanted to\nsummon my waiting-maid who slept in the next room, but to my\nastonishment I found that speech was taken away from me by an unknown\nforce. I felt as if a mountain were weighing down my breast, and was\nunable to make the very slightest sound. In the meantime, by the light\nof my night-lamp, I saw the stranger enter my room through two doors\nwhich were fast bolted. He came to me and said, that by magic arts\nwhich were at his command, he had caused the lovely music to sound in\norder to awaken me, and that he now forced his way through all\nfastenings with the intention of offering me his hand and heart. My\nrepugnance to his magic arts was, however, so great, that I vouchsafed\nhim no answer. He remained for a time standing without moving,\napparently with the idea of waiting for a favorable decision, but as I\ncontinued to keep silence, he angrily declared he would revenge himself\nand find means to punish my pride, and left the room. I passed the\nnight in the greatest disquietude, and only fell asleep towards\nmorning. When I awoke, I hurried to my brother, but did not find him in\nhis room, and the attendants told me that he had ridden forth with the\nstranger to the chase by daybreak.\n\n\u201cI at once suspected nothing good. I dressed myself quickly, ordered my\npalfrey to be saddled, and accompanied only by one servant, rode full\ngallop to the forest. The servant fell with his horse, and could not\nfollow me, for the horse had broken its foot. I pursued my way without\nhalting, and in a few minutes I saw the stranger coming towards me with\na beautiful stag which he led by a cord. I asked him where he had left\nmy brother, and how he had come by this stag, out of whose great eyes I\nsaw tears flowing. Instead of answering me, he began to laugh loudly. I\nfell into a great rage at this, pulled out a pistol and discharged it\nat the monster; but the ball rebounded from his breast and went into my\nhorse\u2019s head. I fell to the ground, and the stranger muttered some\nwords which deprived me of consciousness.\n\n\u201cWhen I came to my senses again I found myself in this underground cave\nin a glass coffin. The magician appeared once again, and said he had\nchanged my brother into a stag, my castle with all that belonged to it,\ndiminished in size by his arts, he had shut up in the other glass\nchest, and my people, who were all turned into smoke, he had confined\nin glass bottles. He told me that if I would now comply with his wish,\nit was an easy thing for him to put everything back in its former\nstate, as he had nothing to do but open the vessels, and everything\nwould return once more to its natural form. I answered him as little as\nI had done the first time. He vanished and left me in my prison, in\nwhich a deep sleep came on me. Amongst the visions which passed before\nmy eyes, that was the most comforting in which a young man came and set\nme free, and when I opened my eyes to-day I saw thee, and beheld my\ndream fulfilled. Help me to accomplish the other things which happened\nin those visions. The first is that we lift the glass chest in which my\ncastle is enclosed, on to that broad stone.\u201d\n\nAs soon as the stone was laden, it began to rise up on high with the\nmaiden and the young man, and mounted through the opening of the\nceiling into the upper hall, from whence they then could easily reach\nthe open air. Here the maiden opened the lid, and it was marvellous to\nbehold how the castle, the houses, and the farm buildings which were\nenclosed, stretched themselves out and grew to their natural size with\nthe greatest rapidity. After this, the maiden and the tailor returned\nto the cave beneath the earth, and had the vessels which were filled\nwith smoke carried up by the stone. The maiden had scarcely opened the\nbottles when the blue smoke rushed out and changed itself into living\nmen, in whom she recognized her servants and her people. Her joy was\nstill more increased when her brother, who had killed the magician in\nthe form of the bull, came out of the forest towards them in his human\nform, and on the self-same day the maiden, in accordance with her\npromise, gave her hand at the altar to the lucky tailor.\n\n\n\n164 Lazy Harry\n\nHarry was lazy, and although he had nothing else to do but drive his\ngoat daily to pasture, he nevertheless groaned when he went home after\nhis day\u2019s work was done. \u201cIt is indeed a heavy burden,\u201d said he, \u201cand a\nwearisome employment to drive a goat into the field this way year after\nyear, till late into the autumn! If one could but lie down and sleep,\nbut no, one must have one\u2019s eyes open lest it hurts the young trees, or\nsqueezes itself through the hedge into a garden, or runs away\naltogether. How can one have any rest, or peace of one\u2019s life?\u201d He\nseated himself, collected his thoughts, and considered how he could set\nhis shoulders free from this burden. For a long time all thinking was\nto no purpose, but suddenly it was as if scales fell from his eyes. \u201cI\nknow what I will do,\u201d he cried, \u201cI will marry fat Trina who has also a\ngoat, and can take mine out with hers, and then I shall have no more\nneed to trouble myself.\u201d\n\nSo Harry got up, set his weary legs in motion, and went right across\nthe street, for it was no farther, to where the parents of fat Trina\nlived, and asked for their industrious and virtuous daughter in\nmarriage. The parents did not reflect long. \u201cBirds of a feather, flock\ntogether,\u201d they thought, and consented.\n\nSo fat Trina became Harry\u2019s wife, and led out both the goats. Harry had\na good time of it, and had no work that he required to rest from but\nhis own idleness. He only went out with her now and then, and said, \u201cI\nmerely do it that I may afterwards enjoy rest more, otherwise one loses\nall feeling for it.\u201d\n\nBut fat Trina was no less idle. \u201cDear Harry,\u201d said she one day, \u201cwhy\nshould we make our lives so toilsome when there is no need for it, and\nthus ruin the best days of our youth? Would it not be better for us to\ngive the two goats which disturb us every morning in our sweetest sleep\nwith their bleating, to our neighbor, and he will give us a beehive for\nthem. We will put the beehive in a sunny place behind the house, and\ntrouble ourselves no more about it. Bees do not require to be taken\ncare of, or driven into the field; they fly out and find the way home\nagain for themselves, and collect honey without giving the very least\ntrouble.\u201d \u201cThou hast spoken like a sensible woman,\u201d replied Harry. \u201cWe\nwill carry out thy proposal without delay, and besides all that, honey\ntastes better and nourishes one better than goat\u2019s milk, and it can be\nkept longer too.\u201d\n\nThe neighbor willingly gave a beehive for the two goats. The bees flew\nin and out from early morning till late evening without ever tiring,\nand filled the hive with the most beautiful honey, so that in autumn\nHarry was able to take a whole pitcherful out of it.\n\nThey placed the jug on a board which was fixed to the wall of their\nbed-room, and as they were afraid that it might be stolen from them, or\nthat the mice might find it, Trina brought in a stout hazel-stick and\nput it beside her bed, so that without unnecessary getting up she might\nreach it with her hand, and drive away the uninvited guests. Lazy Harry\ndid not like to leave his bed before noon. \u201cHe who rises early,\u201d said\nhe, \u201cwastes his substance.\u201d\n\nOne morning when he was still lying amongst the feathers in broad\ndaylight, resting after his long sleep, he said to his wife, \u201cWomen are\nfond of sweet things, and thou art always tasting the honey in private;\nit will be better for us to exchange it for a goose with a young\ngosling, before thou eatest up the whole of it.\u201d \u201cBut,\u201d answered Trina,\n\u201cnot before we have a child to take care of them! Am I to worry myself\nwith the little geese, and spend all my strength on them to no\npurpose.\u201d \u201cDost thou think,\u201d said Harry, \u201cthat the youngster will look\nafter geese? Now-a-days children no longer obey, they do according to\ntheir own fancy, because they consider themselves cleverer than their\nparents, just like that lad who was sent to seek the cow and chased\nthree blackbirds.\u201d \u201cOh,\u201d replied Trina, \u201cthis one shall fare badly if\nhe does not do what I say! I will take a stick and belabour his skin\nfor him with more blows than I can count. Look, Harry,\u201d cried she in\nher zeal, and seized the stick which she had to drive the mice away\nwith, \u201cLook, this is the way I will fall on him!\u201d She reached her arm\nout to strike, but unhappily hit the honey-pitcher above the bed. The\npitcher struck against the wall and fell down in fragments, and the\nfine honey streamed down on the ground. \u201cThere lie the goose and the\nyoung gosling,\u201d said Harry, \u201cand want no looking after. But it is lucky\nthat the pitcher did not fall on my head. We have all reason to be\nsatisfied with our lot.\u201d And then as he saw that there was still some\nhoney in one of the fragments he stretched out his hand for it, and\nsaid quite gaily, \u201cThe remains, my wife, we will still eat with a\nrelish, and we will rest a little after the fright we have had. What\nmatters if we do get up a little later the day is always long enough.\u201d\n\u201cYes,\u201d answered Trina, \u201cwe shall always get to the end of it at the\nproper time. Dost thou know that the snail was once asked to a wedding\nand set out to go, but arrived at the christening. In front of the\nhouse it fell over the fence, and said, \u2018Speed does no good.\u2019\u201d\n\n\n\n165 The Griffin\n\nThere was once upon a time a King, but where he reigned and what he was\ncalled, I do not know. He had no son, but an only daughter who had\nalways been ill, and no doctor had been able to cure her. Then it was\nforetold to the King that his daughter should eat herself well with an\napple. So he ordered it to be proclaimed throughout the whole of his\nkingdom, that whosoever brought his daughter an apple with which she\ncould eat herself well, should have her to wife, and be King. This\nbecame known to a peasant who had three sons, and he said to the\neldest, \u201cGo out into the garden and take a basketful of those beautiful\napples with the red cheeks and carry them to the court; perhaps the\nKing\u2019s daughter will be able to eat herself well with them, and then\nthou wilt marry her and be King.\u201d The lad did so, and set out.\n\nWhen he had gone a short way he met a little iron man who asked him\nwhat he had there in the basket, to which replied Uele, for so was he\nnamed, \u201cFrogs\u2019 legs.\u201d On this the little man said, \u201cWell, so shall it\nbe, and remain,\u201d and went away. At length Uele arrived at the palace,\nand made it known that he had brought apples which would cure the\nKing\u2019s daughter if she ate them. This delighted the King hugely, and he\ncaused Uele to be brought before him; but, alas! when he opened the\nbasket, instead of having apples in it he had frogs\u2019 legs which were\nstill kicking about. On this the King grew angry, and had him driven\nout of the house. When he got home he told his father how it had fared\nwith him. Then the father sent the next son, who was called Seame, but\nall went with him just as it had gone with Uele. He also met the little\niron man, who asked what he had there in the basket. Seame said, \u201cHogs\u2019\nbristles,\u201d and the iron man said, \u201cwell, so shall it be, and remain.\u201d\nWhen Seame got to the King\u2019s palace and said he brought apples with\nwhich the King\u2019s daughter might eat herself well, they did not want to\nlet him go in, and said that one fellow had already been there, and had\ntreated them as if they were fools. Seame, however, maintained that he\ncertainly had the apples, and that they ought to let him go in. At\nlength they believed him, and led him to the King. But when he\nuncovered the basket, he had but hogs\u2019 bristles. This enraged the King\nmost terribly, so he caused Seame to be whipped out of the house. When\nhe got home he related all that had befallen him, then the youngest\nboy, whose name was Hans, but who was always called Stupid Hans, came\nand asked his father if he might go with some apples. \u201cOh!\u201d said the\nfather, \u201cthou wouldst be just the right fellow for such a thing! If the\nclever ones can\u2019t manage it, what canst thou do?\u201d The boy, however, did\nnot believe him, and said, \u201cIndeed, father, I wish to go.\u201d \u201cJust get\naway, thou stupid fellow, thou must wait till thou art wiser,\u201d said the\nfather to that, and turned his back. Hans, however, pulled at the back\nof his smock-frock and said, \u201cIndeed, father, I wish to go.\u201d \u201cWell,\nthen, so far as I am concerned thou mayst go, but thou wilt soon come\nhome again!\u201d replied the old man in a spiteful voice. The boy, however,\nwas tremendously delighted and jumped for joy. \u201cWell, act like a fool!\nthou growest more stupid every day!\u201d said the father again. Hans,\nhowever, did not care about that, and did not let it spoil his\npleasure, but as it was then night, he thought he might as well wait\nuntil the morrow, for he could not get to court that day. All night\nlong he could not sleep in his bed, and if he did doze for a moment, he\ndreamt of beautiful maidens, of palaces, of gold, and of silver, and\nall kinds of things of that sort. Early in the morning, he went forth\non his way, and directly afterwards the little shabby-looking man in\nhis iron clothes, came to him and asked what he was carrying in the\nbasket. Hans gave him the answer that he was carrying apples with which\nthe King\u2019s daughter was to eat herself well. \u201cThen,\u201d said the little\nman, \u201cso shall they be, and remain.\u201d But at the court they would none\nof them let Hans go in, for they said two had already been there who\nhad told them that they were bringing apples, and one of them had\nfrogs\u2019 legs, and the other hogs\u2019 bristles. Hans, however, resolutely\nmaintained that he most certainly had no frogs\u2019 legs, but some of the\nmost beautiful apples in the whole kingdom. As he spoke so pleasantly,\nthe door-keeper thought he could not be telling a lie, and asked him to\ngo in, and he was right, for when Hans uncovered his basket in the\nKing\u2019s presence, golden-yellow apples came tumbling out. The King was\ndelighted, and caused some of them to be taken to his daughter, and\nthen waited in anxious expectation until news should be brought to him\nof the effect they had. But before much time had passed by, news was\nbrought to him: but who do you think it was who came? it was his\ndaughter herself! As soon as she had eaten of those apples, she was\ncured, and sprang out of her bed. The joy the King felt cannot be\ndescribed! but now he did not want to give his daughter in marriage to\nHans, and said he must first make him a boat which would go quicker on\ndry land than on water. Hans agreed to the conditions, and went home,\nand related how it had fared with him. Then the father sent Uele into\nthe forest to make a boat of that kind. He worked diligently, and\nwhistled all the time. At mid-day, when the sun was at the highest,\ncame the little iron man and asked what he was making? Uele gave him\nfor answer, \u201cWooden bowls for the kitchen.\u201d The iron man said, \u201cSo it\nshall be, and remain.\u201d By evening Uele thought he had now made the\nboat, but when he wanted to get into it, he had nothing but wooden\nbowls. The next day Seame went into the forest, but everything went\nwith him just as it had done with Uele. On the third day Stupid Hans\nwent. He worked away most industriously, so that the whole forest\nresounded with the heavy strokes, and all the while he sang and\nwhistled right merrily. At mid-day, when it was the hottest, the little\nman came again, and asked what he was making? \u201cA boat which will go\nquicker on dry land than on the water,\u201d replied Hans, \u201cand when I have\nfinished it, I am to have the King\u2019s daughter for my wife.\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d\nsaid the little man, \u201csuch an one shall it be, and remain.\u201d In the\nevening, when the sun had turned into gold, Hans finished his boat, and\nall that was wanted for it. He got into it and rowed to the palace. The\nboat went as swiftly as the wind. The King saw it from afar, but would\nnot give his daughter to Hans yet, and said he must first take a\nhundred hares out to pasture from early morning until late evening, and\nif one of them got away, he should not have his daughter. Hans was\ncontented with this, and the next day went with his flock to the\npasture, and took great care that none of them ran away.\n\nBefore many hours had passed came a servant from the palace, and told\nHans that he must give her a hare instantly, for some visitors had come\nunexpectedly. Hans, however, was very well aware what that meant, and\nsaid he would not give her one; the King might set some hare soup\nbefore his guest next day. The maid, however, would not believe in his\nrefusal, and at last she began to get angry with him. Then Hans said\nthat if the King\u2019s daughter came herself, he would give her a hare. The\nmaid told this in the palace, and the daughter did go herself. In the\nmeantime, however, the little man came again to Hans, and asked him\nwhat he was doing there? He said he had to watch over a hundred hares\nand see that none of them ran away, and then he might marry the King\u2019s\ndaughter and be King. \u201cGood,\u201d said the little man, \u201cthere is a whistle\nfor thee, and if one of them runs away, just whistle with it, and then\nit will come back again.\u201d When the King\u2019s daughter came, Hans gave her\na hare into her apron; but when she had gone about a hundred steps with\nit, he whistled, and the hare jumped out of the apron, and before she\ncould turn round was back to the flock again. When the evening came the\nhare-herd whistled once more, and looked to see if all were there, and\nthen drove them to the palace. The King wondered how Hans had been able\nto take a hundred hares to graze without losing any of them; he would,\nhowever, not give him his daughter yet, and said he must now bring him\na feather from the Griffin\u2019s tail. Hans set out at once, and walked\nstraight forwards. In the evening he came to a castle, and there he\nasked for a night\u2019s lodging, for at that time there were no inns. The\nlord of the castle promised him that with much pleasure, and asked\nwhere he was going? Hans answered, \u201cTo the Griffin.\u201d \u201cOh! to the\nGriffin! They tell me he knows everything, and I have lost the key of\nan iron money-chest; so you might be so good as to ask him where it\nis.\u201d \u201cYes, indeed,\u201d said Hans, \u201cI will do that.\u201d Early the next morning\nhe went onwards, and on his way arrived at another castle in which he\nagain stayed the night. When the people who lived there learnt that he\nwas going to the Griffin, they said they had in the house a daughter\nwho was ill, and that they had already tried every means to cure her,\nbut none of them had done her any good, and he might be so kind as to\nask the Griffin what would make their daughter healthy again? Hans said\nhe would willingly do that, and went onwards. Then he came to a lake,\nand instead of a ferry-boat, a tall, tall man was there who had to\ncarry everybody across. The man asked Hans whither he was journeying?\n\u201cTo the Griffin,\u201d said Hans. \u201cThen when you get to him,\u201d said the man,\n\u201cjust ask him why I am forced to carry everybody over the lake.\u201d \u201cYes,\nindeed, most certainly I\u2019ll do that,\u201d said Hans. Then the man took him\nup on his shoulders, and carried him across. At length Hans arrived at\nthe Griffin\u2019s house, but the wife only was at home, and not the Griffin\nhimself. Then the woman asked him what he wanted? Thereupon he told her\neverything;\u2014that he had to get a feather out of the Griffin\u2019s tail, and\nthat there was a castle where they had lost the key of their\nmoney-chest, and he was to ask the Griffin where it was?\u2014that in\nanother castle the daughter was ill, and he was to learn what would\ncure her?\u2014and then not far from thence there was a lake and a man\nbeside it, who was forced to carry people across it, and he was very\nanxious to learn why the man was obliged to do it. Then said the woman,\n\u201cBut look here, my good friend, no Christian can speak to the Griffin;\nhe devours them all; but if you like, you can lie down under his bed,\nand in the night, when he is quite fast asleep, you can reach out and\npull a feather out of his tail, and as for those things which you are\nto learn, I will ask about them myself.\u201d Hans was quite satisfied with\nthis, and got under the bed. In the evening, the Griffin came home, and\nas soon as he entered the room, said, \u201cWife, I smell a Christian.\u201d\n\u201cYes,\u201d said the woman, \u201cone was here to-day, but he went away again;\u201d\nand on that the Griffin said no more.\n\nIn the middle of the night when the Griffin was snoring loudly, Hans\nreached out and plucked a feather from his tail. The Griffin woke up\ninstantly, and said, \u201cWife, I smell a Christian, and it seems to me\nthat somebody was pulling at my tail.\u201d His wife said, \u201cThou hast\ncertainly been dreaming, and I told thee before that a Christian was\nhere to-day, but that he went away again. He told me all kinds of\nthings that in one castle they had lost the key of their money-chest,\nand could find it nowhere.\u201d \u201cOh! the fools!\u201d said the Griffin; \u201cthe key\nlies in the wood-house under a log of wood behind the door.\u201d \u201cAnd then\nhe said that in another castle the daughter was ill, and they knew no\nremedy that would cure her.\u201d \u201cOh! the fools!\u201d said the Griffin; \u201cunder\nthe cellar-steps a toad has made its nest of her hair, and if she got\nher hair back she would be well.\u201d \u201cAnd then he also said that there was\na place where there was a lake and a man beside it who was forced to\ncarry everybody across.\u201d \u201cOh, the fool!\u201d said the Griffin; \u201cif he only\nput one man down in the middle, he would never have to carry another\nacross.\u201d Early the next morning the Griffin got up and went out. Then\nHans came forth from under the bed, and he had a beautiful feather, and\nhad heard what the Griffin had said about the key, and the daughter,\nand the ferry-man. The Griffin\u2019s wife repeated it all once more to him\nthat he might not forget it, and then he went home again. First he came\nto the man by the lake, who asked him what the Griffin had said, but\nHans replied that he must first carry him across, and then he would\ntell him. So the man carried him across, and when he was over Hans told\nhim that all he had to do was to set one person down in the middle of\nthe lake, and then he would never have to carry over any more. The man\nwas hugely delighted, and told Hans that out of gratitude he would take\nhim once more across, and back again. But Hans said no, he would save\nhim the trouble, he was quite satisfied already, and pursued his way.\nThen he came to the castle where the daughter was ill; he took her on\nhis shoulders, for she could not walk, and carried her down the\ncellar-steps and pulled out the toad\u2019s nest from beneath the lowest\nstep and gave it into her hand, and she sprang off his shoulder and up\nthe steps before him, and was quite cured. Then were the father and\nmother beyond measure rejoiced, and they gave Hans gifts of gold and of\nsilver, and whatsoever else he wished for, that they gave him. And when\nhe got to the other castle he went at once into the wood-house, and\nfound the key under the log of wood behind the door, and took it to the\nlord of the castle. He also was not a little pleased, and gave Hans as\na reward much of the gold that was in the chest, and all kinds of\nthings besides, such as cows, and sheep, and goats. When Hans arrived\nbefore the King, with all these things\u2014with the money, and the gold,\nand the silver and the cows, sheep and goats, the King asked him how he\nhad come by them. Then Hans told him that the Griffin gave every one\nwhatsoever he wanted. So the King thought he himself could make such\nthings useful, and set out on his way to the Griffin; but when he got\nto the lake, it happened that he was the very first who arrived there\nafter Hans, and the man put him down in the middle of it and went away,\nand the King was drowned. Hans, however, married the daughter, and\nbecame King.\n\n\n\n166 Strong Hans\n\nThere were once a man and a woman who had an only child, and lived\nquite alone in a solitary valley. It came to pass that the mother once\nwent into the wood to gather branches of fir, and took with her little\nHans, who was just two years old. As it was spring-time, and the child\ntook pleasure in the many-coloured flowers, she went still further\nonwards with him into the forest. Suddenly two robbers sprang out of\nthe thicket, seized the mother and child, and carried them far away\ninto the black forest, where no one ever came from one year\u2019s end to\nanother. The poor woman urgently begged the robbers to set her and her\nchild free, but their hearts were made of stone, they would not listen\nto her prayers and entreaties, and drove her on farther by force. After\nthey had worked their way through bushes and briars for about two\nmiles, they came to a rock where there was a door, at which the robbers\nknocked and it opened at once. They had to go through a long dark\npassage, and at last came into a great cavern, which was lighted by a\nfire which burnt on the hearth. On the wall hung swords, sabres, and\nother deadly weapons which gleamed in the light, and in the midst stood\na black table at which four other robbers were sitting gambling, and\nthe captain sat at the head of it. As soon as he saw the woman he came\nand spoke to her, and told her to be at ease and have no fear, they\nwould do nothing to hurt her, but she must look after the\nhouse-keeping, and if she kept everything in order, she should not fare\nill with them. Thereupon they gave her something to eat, and showed her\na bed where she might sleep with her child.\n\nThe woman stayed many years with the robbers, and Hans grew tall and\nstrong. His mother told him stories, and taught him to read an old book\nof tales about knights which she found in the cave. When Hans was nine\nyears old, he made himself a strong club out of a branch of fir, hid it\nbehind the bed, and then went to his mother and said, \u201cDear mother,\npray tell me who is my father; I must and will know.\u201d His mother was\nsilent and would not tell him, that he might not become home-sick;\nmoreover she knew that the godless robbers would not let him go away,\nbut it almost broke her heart that Hans should not go to his father. In\nthe night, when the robbers came home from their robbing expedition,\nHans brought out his club, stood before the captain, and said, \u201cI now\nwish to know who is my father, and if thou dost not at once tell me I\nwill strike thee down.\u201d Then the captain laughed, and gave Hans such a\nbox on the ear that he rolled under the table. Hans got up again, held\nhis tongue, and thought, \u201cI will wait another year and then try again,\nperhaps I shall do better then.\u201d When the year was over, he brought out\nhis club again, rubbed the dust off it, looked at it well, and said,\n\u201cIt is a stout strong club.\u201d At night the robbers came home, drank one\njug of wine after another, and their heads began to be heavy. Then Hans\nbrought out his club, placed himself before the captain, and asked him\nwho was his father? But the captain again gave him such a vigorous box\non the ear that Hans rolled under the table, but it was not long before\nhe was up again, and beat the captain and the robbers so with his club,\nthat they could no longer move either their arms or their legs. His\nmother stood in a corner full of admiration of his bravery and\nstrength. When Hans had done his work, he went to his mother, and said,\n\u201cNow I have shown myself to be in earnest, but now I must also know who\nis my father.\u201d \u201cDear Hans,\u201d answered the mother, \u201ccome, we will go and\nseek him until we find him.\u201d She took from the captain the key to the\nentrance-door, and Hans fetched a great meal-sack and packed into it\ngold and silver, and whatsoever else he could find that was beautiful,\nuntil it was full, and then he took it on his back. They left the cave,\nbut how Hans did open his eyes when he came out of the darkness into\ndaylight, and saw the green forest, and the flowers, and the birds, and\nthe morning sun in the sky. He stood there and wondered at everything\njust as if he had not been very wise. His mother looked for the way\nhome, and when they had walked for a couple of hours, they got safely\ninto their lonely valley and to their little house. The father was\nsitting in the doorway. He wept for joy when he recognized his wife and\nheard that Hans was his son, for he had long regarded them both as\ndead. But Hans, although he was not twelve years old, was a head taller\nthan his father. They went into the little room together, but Hans had\nscarcely put his sack on the bench by the stove, than the whole house\nbegan to crack the bench broke down and then the floor, and the heavy\nsack fell through into the cellar. \u201cGod save us!\u201d cried the father,\n\u201cwhat\u2019s that? Now thou hast broken our little house to pieces!\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t\ngrow any grey hairs about that, dear father,\u201d answered Hans; \u201cthere, in\nthat sack, is more than is wanting for a new house.\u201d The father and\nHans at once began to build a new house; to buy cattle and land, and to\nkeep a farm. Hans ploughed the fields, and when he followed the plough\nand pushed it into the ground, the bullocks had scarcely any need to\ndraw. The next spring, Hans said, \u201cKeep all the money and get a\nwalking-stick that weighs a hundred-weight made for me that I may go\na-travelling.\u201d When the wished-for stick was ready, he left his\nfather\u2019s house, went forth, and came to a deep, dark forest. There he\nheard something crunching and cracking, looked round, and saw a\nfir-tree which was wound round like a rope from the bottom to the top,\nand when he looked upwards he saw a great fellow who had laid hold of\nthe tree and was twisting it like a willow-wand. \u201cHollo!\u201d cried Hans,\n\u201cwhat art thou doing up there?\u201d the fellow replied, \u201cI got some faggots\ntogether yesterday and am twisting a rope for them.\u201d \u201cThat is what I\nlike,\u201d thought Hans, \u201che has some strength,\u201d and he called to him,\n\u201cLeave that alone, and come with me.\u201d The fellow came down, and he was\ntaller by a whole head than Hans, and Hans was not little. \u201cThy name is\nnow Fir-twister,\u201d said Hans to him. Thereupon they went further and\nheard something knocking and hammering with such force that the ground\nshook at every stroke. Shortly afterwards they came to a mighty rock,\nbefore which a giant was standing and striking great pieces of it away\nwith his fist. When Hans asked what he was about, he answered, \u201cAt\nnight, when I want to sleep, bears, wolves, and other vermin of that\nkind come, which sniff and snuffle about me and won\u2019t let me rest; so I\nwant to build myself a house and lay myself inside it, so that I may\nhave some peace.\u201d \u201cOh, indeed,\u201d thought Hans, \u201cI can make use of this\none also;\u201d and said to him, \u201cLeave thy house-building alone, and go\nwith me; thou shalt be called Rock-splitter.\u201d The man consented, and\nthey all three roamed through the forest, and wherever they went the\nwild beasts were terrified, and ran away from them. In the evening they\ncame to an old deserted castle, went up into it, and laid themselves\ndown in the hall to sleep. The next morning Hans went into the garden.\nIt had run quite wild, and was full of thorns and bushes. And as he was\nthus walking round about, a wild boar rushed at him; he, however, gave\nit such a blow with his club that it fell directly. He took it on his\nshoulders and carried it in, and they put it on a spit, roasted it, and\nenjoyed themselves. Then they arranged that each day, in turn, two\nshould go out hunting, and one should stay at home, and cook nine\npounds of meat for each of them. Fir-twister stayed at home the first,\nand Hans and Rock-splitter went out hunting. When Fir-twister was busy\ncooking, a little shrivelled-up old mannikin came to him in the castle,\nand asked for some meat. \u201cBe off, sly hypocrite,\u201d he answered, \u201cthou\nneedest no meat.\u201d But how astonished Fir-twister was when the little\ninsignificant dwarf sprang up at him, and belaboured him so with his\nfists that he could not defend himself, but fell on the ground and\ngasped for breath! The dwarf did not go away until he had thoroughly\nvented his anger on him. When the two others came home from hunting,\nFir-twister said nothing to them of the old mannikin and of the blows\nwhich he himself had received, and thought, \u201cWhen they stay at home,\nthey may just try their chance with the little scrubbing-brush;\u201d and\nthe mere thought of that gave him pleasure already.\n\nThe next day Rock-splitter stayed at home, and he fared just as\nFir-twister had done, he was very ill-treated by the dwarf because he\nwas not willing to give him any meat. When the others came home in the\nevening, Fir-twister easily saw what he had suffered, but both kept\nsilence, and thought, \u201cHans also must taste some of that soup.\u201d\n\nHans, who had to stay at home the next day, did his work in the kitchen\nas it had to be done, and as he was standing skimming the pan, the\ndwarf came and without more ado demanded a bit of meat. Then Hans\nthought, \u201cHe is a poor wretch, I will give him some of my share, that\nthe others may not run short,\u201d and handed him a bit. When the dwarf had\ndevoured it, he again asked for some meat, and good-natured Hans gave\nit to him, and told him it was a handsome piece, and that he was to be\ncontent with it. But the dwarf begged again for the third time. \u201cThou\nart shameless!\u201d said Hans, and gave him none. Then the malicious dwarf\nwanted to spring on him and treat him as he had treated Fir-twister and\nRock-splitter, but he had got to the wrong man. Hans, without exerting\nhimself much, gave him a couple of blows which made him jump down the\ncastle steps. Hans was about to run after him, but fell right over him,\nfor he was so tall. When he rose up again, the dwarf had got the start\nof him. Hans hurried after him as far as the forest, and saw him slip\ninto a hole in the rock. Hans now went home, but he had marked the\nspot. When the two others came back, they were surprised that Hans was\nso well. He told them what had happened, and then they no longer\nconcealed how it had fared with them. Hans laughed and said, \u201cIt served\nyou quite right; why were you so greedy with your meat? It is a\ndisgrace that you who are so big should have let yourselves be beaten\nby the dwarf.\u201d Thereupon they took a basket and a rope, and all three\nwent to the hole in the rock into which the dwarf had slipped, and let\nHans and his club down in the basket. When Hans had reached the bottom,\nhe found a door, and when he opened it a maiden was sitting there who\nwas lovely as any picture, nay, so beautiful that no words can express\nit, and by her side sat the dwarf and grinned at Hans like a sea-cat!\nShe, however, was bound with chains, and looked so mournfully at him\nthat Hans felt great pity for her, and thought to himself, \u201cThou must\ndeliver her out of the power of the wicked dwarf,\u201d and gave him such a\nblow with his club that he fell down dead. Immediately the chains fell\nfrom the maiden, and Hans was enraptured with her beauty. She told him\nshe was a King\u2019s daughter whom a savage count had stolen away from her\nhome, and imprisoned there among the rocks, because she would have\nnothing to say to him. The count had, however, set the dwarf as a\nwatchman, and he had made her bear misery and vexation enough. And now\nHans placed the maiden in the basket and had her drawn up; the basket\ncame down again, but Hans did not trust his two companions, and\nthought, \u201cThey have already shown themselves to be false, and told me\nnothing about the dwarf; who knows what design they may have against\nme?\u201d So he put his club in the basket, and it was lucky he did; for\nwhen the basket was half-way up, they let it fall again, and if Hans\nhad really been sitting in it he would have been killed. But now he did\nnot know how he was to work his way out of the depths, and when he\nturned it over and over in his mind he found no counsel. \u201cIt is indeed\nsad,\u201d said he to himself, \u201cthat I have to waste away down here,\u201d and as\nhe was thus walking backwards and forwards, he once more came to the\nlittle chamber where the maiden had been sitting, and saw that the\ndwarf had a ring on his finger which shone and sparkled. Then he drew\nit off and put it on, and when he turned it round on his finger, he\nsuddenly heard something rustle over his head. He looked up and saw\nspirits of the air hovering above, who told him he was their master,\nand asked what his desire might be? Hans was at first struck dumb, but\nafterwards he said that they were to carry him above again. They obeyed\ninstantly, and it was just as if he had flown up himself. When,\nhowever, he was above again, he found no one in sight. Fir-twister and\nRock-splitter had hurried away, and had taken the beautiful maiden with\nthem. But Hans turned the ring, and the spirits of the air came and\ntold him that the two were on the sea. Hans ran and ran without\nstopping, until he came to the sea-shore, and there far, far out on the\nwater, he perceived a little boat in which his faithless comrades were\nsitting; and in fierce anger he leapt, without thinking what he was\ndoing, club in hand into the water, and began to swim, but the club,\nwhich weighed a hundredweight, dragged him deep down until he was all\nbut drowned. Then in the very nick of time he turned his ring, and\nimmediately the spirits of the air came and bore him as swift as\nlightning into the boat. He swung his club and gave his wicked comrades\nthe reward they merited and threw them into the water, and then he\nsailed with the beautiful maiden, who had been in the greatest alarm,\nand whom he delivered for the second time, home to her father and\nmother, and married her, and all rejoiced exceedingly.\n\n\n\n167 The Peasant in Heaven\n\nOnce on a time a poor pious peasant died, and arrived before the gate\nof heaven. At the same time a very rich, rich lord came there who also\nwanted to get into heaven. Then Saint Peter came with the key, and\nopened the door, and let the great man in, but apparently did not see\nthe peasant, and shut the door again. And now the peasant outside,\nheard how the great man was received in heaven with all kinds of\nrejoicing, and how they were making music, and singing within. At\nlength all became quiet again, and Saint Peter came and opened the gate\nof heaven, and let the peasant in. The peasant, however, expected that\nthey would make music and sing when he went in also, but all remained\nquite quiet; he was received with great affection, it is true, and the\nangels came to meet him, but no one sang. Then the peasant asked Saint\nPeter how it was that they did not sing for him as they had done when\nthe rich man went in, and said that it seemed to him that there in\nheaven things were done with just as much partiality as on earth. Then\nsaid Saint Peter, \u201cBy no means, thou art just as dear to us as any one\nelse, and wilt enjoy every heavenly delight that the rich man enjoys,\nbut poor fellows like thee come to heaven every day, but a rich man\nlike this does not come more than once in a hundred years!\u201d\n\n\n\n168 Lean Lisa\n\nLean Lisa was of a very different way of thinking from lazy Harry and\nfat Trina, who never let anything disturb their peace. She scoured\neverything with ashes, from morning till evening, and burdened her\nhusband, Long Laurence, with so much work that he had heavier weights\nto carry than an ass with three sacks. It was, however, all to no\npurpose, they had nothing and came to nothing. One night as she lay in\nbed, and could hardly move one limb for weariness, she still did not\nallow her thoughts to go to sleep. She thrust her elbows into her\nhusband\u2019s side, and said, \u201cListen, Lenz, to what I have been thinking:\nif I were to find one florin and one was given to me, I would borrow\nanother to put to them, and thou too shouldst give me another, and then\nas soon as I had got the four florins together, I would buy a young\ncow.\u201d This pleased the husband right well. \u201cIt is true,\u201d said he, \u201cthat\nI do not know where I am to get the florin which thou wantest as a gift\nfrom me; but, if thou canst get the money together, and canst buy a cow\nwith it, thou wilt do well to carry out thy project. I shall be glad,\u201d\nhe added, \u201cif the cow has a calf, and then I shall often get a drink of\nmilk to refresh me.\u201d \u201cThe milk is not for thee,\u201d said the woman, \u201cwe\nmust let the calf suck that it may become big and fat, and we may be\nable to sell it well.\u201d \u201cCertainly,\u201d replied the man, \u201cbut still we will\ntake a little milk; that will do no harm.\u201d \u201cWho has taught thee to\nmanage cows?\u201d said the woman; \u201cWhether it does harm or not, I will not\nallow it, and even if thou wert to stand on thy head for it, thou\nshouldst not have a drop of the milk! Dost thou think, because there is\nno satisfying thee, Long Laurence, that thou art to eat up what I earn\nwith so much difficulty?\u201d \u201cWife,\u201d said the man, \u201cbe quiet, or I will\ngive thee a blow on thy mouth!\u201d \u201cWhat!\u201d cried she, \u201cthou threatenest\nme, thou glutton, thou rascal, thou lazy Harry!\u201d She was just laying\nhold of his hair, but long Laurence got up, seized both Lean Lisa\u2019s\nwithered arms in one hand, and with the other he pressed down her head\ninto the pillow, let her scold, and held her until she fell asleep for\nvery weariness. Whether she continued to wrangle when she awoke next\nmorning, or whether she went out to look for the florin which she\nwanted to find, that I know not.\n\n\n\n169 The Hut in the Forest\n\nA poor wood-cutter lived with his wife and three daughters in a little\nhut on the edge of a lonely forest. One morning as he was about to go\nto his work, he said to his wife, \u201cLet my dinner be brought into the\nforest to me by my eldest daughter, or I shall never get my work done,\nand in order that she may not miss her way,\u201d he added, \u201cI will take a\nbag of millet with me and strew the seeds on the path.\u201d When,\ntherefore, the sun was just above the center of the forest, the girl\nset out on her way with a bowl of soup, but the field-sparrows, and\nwood-sparrows, larks and finches, blackbirds and siskins had picked up\nthe millet long before, and the girl could not find the track. Then\ntrusting to chance, she went on and on, until the sun sank and night\nbegan to fall. The trees rustled in the darkness, the owls hooted, and\nshe began to be afraid. Then in the distance she perceived a light\nwhich glimmered between the trees. \u201cThere ought to be some people\nliving there, who can take me in for the night,\u201d thought she, and went\nup to the light. It was not long before she came to a house the windows\nof which were all lighted up. She knocked, and a rough voice from\ninside cried, \u201cCome in.\u201d The girl stepped into the dark entrance, and\nknocked at the door of the room. \u201cJust come in,\u201d cried the voice, and\nwhen she opened the door, an old gray-haired man was sitting at the\ntable, supporting his face with both hands, and his white beard fell\ndown over the table almost as far as the ground. By the stove lay three\nanimals, a hen, a cock, and a brindled cow. The girl told her story to\nthe old man, and begged for shelter for the night. The man said,\n\n\u201cPretty little hen,\nPretty little cock,\nAnd pretty brindled cow,\nWhat say ye to that?\u201d\n\n\n\u201cDuks,\u201d answered the animals, and that must have meant, \u201cWe are\nwilling,\u201d for the old man said, \u201cHere you shall have shelter and food,\ngo to the fire, and cook us our supper.\u201d The girl found in the kitchen\nabundance of everything, and cooked a good supper, but had no thought\nof the animals. She carried the full dishes to the table, seated\nherself by the gray-haired man, ate and satisfied her hunger. When she\nhad had enough, she said, \u201cBut now I am tired, where is there a bed in\nwhich I can lie down, and sleep?\u201d The animals replied,\n\n\u201cThou hast eaten with him,\nThou hast drunk with him,\nThou hast had no thought for us,\nSo find out for thyself where thou canst pass the night.\u201d\n\n\nThen said the old man, \u201cJust go upstairs, and thou wilt find a room\nwith two beds, shake them up, and put white linen on them, and then I,\ntoo, will come and lie down to sleep.\u201d The girl went up, and when she\nhad shaken the beds and put clean sheets on, she lay down in one of\nthem without waiting any longer for the old man. After some time,\nhowever, the gray-haired man came, took his candle, looked at the girl\nand shook his head. When he saw that she had fallen into a sound sleep,\nhe opened a trap-door, and let her down into the cellar.\n\nLate at night the wood-cutter came home, and reproached his wife for\nleaving him to hunger all day. \u201cIt is not my fault,\u201d she replied, \u201cthe\ngirl went out with your dinner, and must have lost herself, but she is\nsure to come back to-morrow.\u201d The wood-cutter, however, arose before\ndawn to go into the forest, and requested that the second daughter\nshould take him his dinner that day. \u201cI will take a bag with lentils,\u201d\nsaid he; \u201cthe seeds are larger than millet, the girl will see them\nbetter, and can\u2019t lose her way.\u201d At dinner-time, therefore, the girl\ntook out the food, but the lentils had disappeared. The birds of the\nforest had picked them up as they had done the day before, and had left\nnone. The girl wandered about in the forest until night, and then she\ntoo reached the house of the old man, was told to go in, and begged for\nfood and a bed. The man with the white beard again asked the animals,\n\n\u201cPretty little hen,\nPretty little cock,\nAnd pretty brindled cow,\nWhat say ye to that?\u201d\n\n\nThe animals again replied \u201cDuks,\u201d and everything happened just as it\nhad happened the day before. The girl cooked a good meal, ate and drank\nwith the old man, and did not concern herself about the animals, and\nwhen she inquired about her bed they answered,\n\n\u201cThou hast eaten with him,\nThou hast drunk with him,\nThou hast had no thought for us,\nTo find out for thyself where thou canst pass the night.\u201d\n\n\nWhen she was asleep the old man came, looked at her, shook his head,\nand let her down into the cellar.\n\nOn the third morning the wood-cutter said to his wife, \u201cSend our\nyoungest child out with my dinner to-day, she has always been good and\nobedient, and will stay in the right path, and not run about after\nevery wild humble-bee, as her sisters did.\u201d The mother did not want to\ndo it, and said, \u201cAm I to lose my dearest child, as well?\u201d\n\n\u201cHave no fear,\u201d he replied, \u201cthe girl will not go astray; she is too\nprudent and sensible; besides I will take some peas with me, and strew\nthem about. They are still larger than lentils, and will show her the\nway.\u201d But when the girl went out with her basket on her arm, the\nwood-pigeons had already got all the peas in their crops, and she did\nnot know which way she was to turn. She was full of sorrow and never\nceased to think how hungry her father would be, and how her good mother\nwould grieve, if she did not go home. At length when it grew dark, she\nsaw the light and came to the house in the forest. She begged quite\nprettily to be allowed to spend the night there, and the man with the\nwhite beard once more asked his animals,\n\n\u201cPretty little hen,\nPretty little cock,\nAnd beautiful brindled cow,\nWhat say ye to that?\u201d\n\n\n\u201cDuks,\u201d said they. Then the girl went to the stove where the animals\nwere lying, and petted the cock and hen, and stroked their smooth\nfeathers with her hand, and caressed the brindled cow between her\nhorns, and when, in obedience to the old man\u2019s orders, she had made\nready some good soup, and the bowl was placed upon the table, she said,\n\u201cAm I to eat as much as I want, and the good animals to have nothing?\nOutside is food in plenty, I will look after them first.\u201d So she went\nand brought some barley and stewed it for the cock and hen, and a whole\narmful of sweet-smelling hay for the cow. \u201cI hope you will like it,\ndear animals,\u201d said she, \u201cand you shall have a refreshing draught in\ncase you are thirsty.\u201d Then she fetched in a bucketful of water, and\nthe cock and hen jumped on to the edge of it and dipped their beaks in,\nand then held up their heads as the birds do when they drink, and the\nbrindled cow also took a hearty draught. When the animals were fed, the\ngirl seated herself at the table by the old man, and ate what he had\nleft. It was not long before the cock and the hen began to thrust their\nheads beneath their wings, and the eyes of the cow likewise began to\nblink. Then said the girl, \u201cOught we not to go to bed?\u201d\n\n\u201cPretty little hen,\nPretty little cock,\nAnd pretty brindled cow,\nWhat say ye to that?\u201d\n\n\nThe animals answered \u201cDuks,\u201d\n\n\u201cThou hast eaten with us,\nThou hast drunk with us,\nThou hast had kind thought for all of us,\nWe wish thee good-night.\u201d\n\n\nThen the maiden went upstairs, shook the feather-beds, and laid clean\nsheets on them, and when she had done it the old man came and lay down\non one of the beds, and his white beard reached down to his feet. The\ngirl lay down on the other, said her prayers, and fell asleep.\n\nShe slept quietly till midnight, and then there was such a noise in the\nhouse that she awoke. There was a sound of cracking and splitting in\nevery corner, and the doors sprang open, and beat against the walls.\nThe beams groaned as if they were being torn out of their joints, it\nseemed as if the staircase were falling down, and at length there was a\ncrash as if the entire roof had fallen in. As, however, all grew quiet\nonce more, and the girl was not hurt, she stayed quietly lying where\nshe was, and fell asleep again. But when she woke up in the morning\nwith the brilliancy of the sunshine, what did her eyes behold? She was\nlying in a vast hall, and everything around her shone with royal\nsplendor; on the walls, golden flowers grew up on a ground of green\nsilk, the bed was of ivory, and the canopy of red velvet, and on a\nchair close by, was a pair of shoes embroidered with pearls. The girl\nbelieved that she was in a dream, but three richly clad attendants came\nin, and asked what orders she would like to give? \u201cIf you will go,\u201d she\nreplied, \u201cI will get up at once and make ready some soup for the old\nman, and then I will feed the pretty little hen, and the cock, and the\nbeautiful brindled cow.\u201d She thought the old man was up already, and\nlooked round at his bed; he, however, was not lying in it, but a\nstranger. And while she was looking at him, and becoming aware that he\nwas young and handsome, he awoke, sat up in bed, and said, \u201cI am a\nKing\u2019s son, and was bewitched by a wicked witch, and made to live in\nthis forest, as an old gray-haired man; no one was allowed to be with\nme but my three attendants in the form of a cock, a hen, and a brindled\ncow. The spell was not to be broken until a girl came to us whose heart\nwas so good that she showed herself full of love, not only towards\nmankind, but towards animals\u2014and that thou hast done, and by thee at\nmidnight we were set free, and the old hut in the forest was changed\nback again into my royal palace.\u201d And when they had arisen, the King\u2019s\nson ordered the three attendants to set out and fetch the father and\nmother of the girl to the marriage feast. \u201cBut where are my two\nsisters?\u201d inquired the maiden. \u201cI have locked them in the cellar, and\nto-morrow they shall be led into the forest, and shall live as servants\nto a charcoal-burner, until they have grown kinder, and do not leave\npoor animals to suffer hunger.\u201d\n\n\n\n170 Sharing Joy and Sorrow\n\nThere was once a tailor, who was a quarrelsome fellow, and his wife,\nwho was good, industrious, and pious, never could please him. Whatever\nshe did, he was not satisfied, but grumbled and scolded, and knocked\nher about and beat her. As the authorities at last heard of it, they\nhad him summoned, and put in prison in order to make him better. He was\nkept for a while on bread and water, and then set free again. He was\nforced, however, to promise not to beat his wife any more, but to live\nwith her in peace, and share joy and sorrow with her, as married people\nought to do. All went on well for a time, but then he fell into his old\nways, and was surly and quarrelsome. And because he dared not beat her,\nhe would seize her by the hair and tear it out. The woman escaped from\nhim, and sprang out into the yard, but he ran after her with his\nyard-measure and scissors, and chased her about, and threw the\nyard-measure and scissors at her, and whatever else came his way. When\nhe hit her he laughed, and when he missed her, he stormed and swore.\nThis went on so long that the neighbors came to the wife\u2019s assistance.\nThe tailor was again summoned before the magistrates, and reminded of\nhis promise. \u201cDear gentlemen,\u201d said he, \u201cI have kept my word, I have\nnot beaten her, but have shared joy and sorrow with her.\u201d \u201cHow can that\nbe,\u201d said the judge, \u201cwhen she continually brings such heavy complaints\nagainst you?\u201d \u201cI have not beaten her, but just because she looked so\nstrange I wanted to comb her hair with my hand; she, however, got away\nfrom me, and left me quite spitefully. Then I hurried after her, and in\norder to bring her back to her duty, I threw at her as a well-meant\nadmonition whatever came readily to hand. I have shared joy and sorrow\nwith her also, for whenever I hit her I was full of joy, and she of\nsorrow, and if I missed her, then she was joyful, and I sorry.\u201d The\njudges were not satisfied with this answer, but gave him the reward he\ndeserved.\n\n\n\n171 The Willow-Wren\n\nIn former days every sound still had its meaning and application. When\nthe smith\u2019s hammer resounded, it cried, \u201cStrike away! strike away.\u201d\nWhen the carpenter\u2019s plane grated, it said, \u201cHere goes! here goes.\u201d If\nthe mill wheel began to clack, it said, \u201cHelp, Lord God! help, Lord\nGod!\u201d And if the miller was a cheat and happened to leave the mill, it\nspoke high German, and first asked slowly, \u201cWho is there? Who is\nthere?\u201d and then answered quickly, \u201cThe miller! the miller!\u201d and at\nlast quite in a hurry, \u201cHe steals bravely! he steals bravely! three\npecks in a bushel.\u201d\n\nAt this time the birds also had their own language which every one\nunderstood; now it only sounds like chirping, screeching, and\nwhistling, and to some like music without words. It came into the\nbird\u2019s mind, however, that they would no longer be without a ruler, and\nwould choose one of themselves to be their King. One alone amongst\nthem, the green plover, was opposed to this. He had lived free, and\nwould die free, and anxiously flying hither and thither, he cried,\n\u201cWhere shall I go? where shall I go?\u201d He retired into a solitary and\nunfrequented marsh, and showed himself no more among his fellows.\n\nThe birds now wished to discuss the matter, and on a fine May morning\nthey all gathered together from the woods and fields: eagles and\nchaffinches, owls and crows, larks and sparrows, how can I name them\nall? Even the cuckoo came, and the hoopoe, his clerk, who is so called\nbecause he is always heard a few days before him, and a very small bird\nwhich as yet had no name, mingled with the band. The hen, which by some\naccident had heard nothing of the whole matter, was astonished at the\ngreat assemblage. \u201cWhat, what, what is going to be done?\u201d she cackled;\nbut the cock calmed his beloved hen, and said, \u201cOnly rich people,\u201d and\ntold her what they had on hand. It was decided, however, that the one\nwho could fly the highest should be King. A tree-frog which was sitting\namong the bushes, when he heard that, cried a warning, \u201cNo, no, no!\nno!\u201d because he thought that many tears would be shed because of this;\nbut the crow said, \u201cCaw, caw,\u201d and that all would pass off peaceably.\nIt was now determined that on this fine morning they should at once\nbegin to ascend, so that hereafter no one should be able to say, \u201cI\ncould easily have flown much higher, but the evening came on, and I\ncould do no more.\u201d On a given signal, therefore, the whole troop rose\nup in the air. The dust ascended from the land, and there was\ntremendous fluttering and whirring and beating of wings, and it looked\nas if a black cloud was rising up. The little birds were, however, soon\nleft behind. They could go no farther, and fell back to the ground. The\nlarger birds held out longer, but none could equal the eagle, who\nmounted so high that he could have picked the eyes out of the sun. And\nwhen he saw that the others could not get up to him, he thought, \u201cWhy\nshouldst thou fly still higher, thou art the King?\u201d and began to let\nhimself down again. The birds beneath him at once cried to him. \u201cThou\nmust be our King, no one has flown so high as thou.\u201d \u201cExcept me,\u201d\nscreamed the little fellow without a name, who had crept into the\nbreast-feathers of the eagle. And as he was not at all tired, he rose\nup and mounted so high that he reached heaven itself. When, however, he\nhad gone as far as this, he folded his wings together, and called down\nwith clear and penetrating voice, \u201cI am King! I am King.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou, our King?\u201d cried the birds angrily. \u201cThou hast compassed it by\ntrick and cunning!\u201d So they made another condition. He should be King\nwho could go down lowest in the ground. How the goose did flap about\nwith its broad breast when it was once more on the land! How quickly\nthe cock scratched a hole! The duck came off the worst of all, for she\nleapt into a ditch, but sprained her legs, and waddled away to a\nneighboring pond, crying, \u201cCheating, cheating!\u201d The little bird without\na name, however, sought out a mouse-hole, slipped down into it, and\ncried out of it with his small voice, \u201cI am King! I am King!\u201d\n\n\u201cThou our King!\u201d cried the birds still more angrily. \u201cDost thou think\nthy cunning shall prevail?\u201d They determined to keep him a prisoner in\nthe hole and starve him out. The owl was placed as sentinel in front of\nit, and was not to let the rascal out if she had any value for her\nlife. When evening was come all the birds were feeling very tired after\nexerting their wings so much, so they went to bed with their wives and\nchildren. The owl alone remained standing by the mouse-hole, gazing\nsteadfastly into it with her great eyes. In the meantime she, too, had\ngrown tired and thought to herself, \u201cYou might certainly shut one eye,\nyou will still watch with the other, and the little miscreant shall not\ncome out of his hole.\u201d So she shut one eye, and with the other looked\nstraight at the mouse-hole. The little fellow put his head out and\npeeped, and wanted to slip away, but the owl came forward immediately,\nand he drew his head back again. Then the owl opened the one eye again,\nand shut the other, intending to shut them in turn all through the\nnight.\n\nBut when she next shut the one eye, she forgot to open the other, and\nas soon as both her eyes were shut she fell asleep. The little fellow\nsoon observed that, and slipped away.\n\nFrom that day forth, the owl has never dared to show herself by\ndaylight, for if she does the other birds chase her and pluck her\nfeathers out. She only flies out by night, but hates and pursues mice\nbecause they make such ugly holes. The little bird, too, is very\nunwilling to let himself be seen, because he is afraid it will cost him\nhis life if he is caught. He steals about in the hedges, and when he is\nquite safe, he sometimes cries, \u201cI am King,\u201d and for this reason, the\nother birds call him in mockery, \u2018King of the hedges\u2019 (Zaunk\u00f6nig). No\none, however, was so happy as the lark at not having to obey the little\nKing. As soon as the sun appears, she ascends high in the air and\ncries, \u201cAh, how beautiful that is! beautiful that is! beautiful,\nbeautiful! ah, how beautiful that is!\u201d\n\n\n\n172 The Sole\n\nThe fishes had for a long time been discontented because no order\nprevailed in their kingdom. None of them turned aside for the others,\nbut all swam to the right or the left as they fancied, or darted\nbetween those who wanted to stay together, or got into their way; and a\nstrong one gave a weak one a blow with its tail, which drove it away,\nor else swallowed it up without more ado. \u201cHow delightful it would be,\u201d\nsaid they, \u201cif we had a king who enforced law and justice among us!\u201d\nand they met together to choose for their ruler, the one who could\ncleave through the water most quickly, and give help to the weak ones.\n\nThey placed themselves in rank and file by the shore, and the pike gave\nthe signal with his tail, on which they all started. Like an arrow, the\npike darted away, and with him the herring, the gudgeon, the perch, the\ncarp, and all the rest of them. Even the sole swam with them, and hoped\nto reach the winning-place. All at once, the cry was heard, \u201cThe\nherring is first!\u201d \u201cWho is first?\u201d screamed angrily the flat envious\nsole, who had been left far behind, \u201cwho is first?\u201d \u201cThe herring! The\nherring,\u201d was the answer. \u201cThe naked herring?\u201d cried the jealous\ncreature, \u201cthe naked herring?\u201d Since that time the sole\u2019s mouth has\nbeen at one side for a punishment.\n\n\n\n173 The Bittern and the Hoopoe\n\n\u201cWhere do you like best to feed your flocks?\u201d said a man to an old\ncow-herd. \u201cHere, sir, where the grass is neither too rich nor too poor,\nor else it is no use.\u201d \u201cWhy not?\u201d asked the man. \u201cDo you hear that\nmelancholy cry from the meadow there?\u201d answered the shepherd, \u201cthat is\nthe bittern; he was once a shepherd, and so was the hoopoe also,\u2014I will\ntell you the story. The bittern pastured his flocks on rich green\nmeadows where flowers grew in abundance, so his cows became wild and\nunmanageable. The hoopoe drove his cattle on to high barren hills,\nwhere the wind plays with the sand, and his cows became thin, and got\nno strength. When it was evening, and the shepherds wanted to drive\ntheir cows homewards, the bittern could not get his together again;\nthey were too high-spirited, and ran away from him. He called, \u201cCome,\ncows, come,\u201d but it was of no use; they took no notice of his calling.\nThe hoopoe, however, could not even get his cows up on their legs, so\nfaint and weak had they become. \u201cUp, up, up,\u201d screamed he, but it was\nin vain, they remained lying on the sand. That is the way when one has\nno moderation. And to this day, though they have no flocks now to\nwatch, the bittern cries, \u201cCome, cows, come,\u201d and the hoopoe, \u201cUp, up,\nup.\u201d\n\n\n\n174 The Owl\n\nTwo or three hundred years ago, when people were far from being so\ncrafty and cunning as they are now-a-day, an extraordinary event took\nplace in a little town. By some mischance one of the great owls, called\nhorned owls, had come from the neighboring woods into the barn of one\nof the townsfolk in the night-time, and when day broke did not dare to\nventure forth again from her retreat, for fear of the other birds,\nwhich raised a terrible outcry whenever she appeared. In the morning\nwhen the man-servant went into the barn to fetch some straw, he was so\nmightily alarmed at the sight of the owl sitting there in a corner,\nthat he ran away and announced to his master that a monster, the like\nof which he had never set eyes on in his life, and which could devour a\nman without the slightest difficulty, was sitting in the barn, rolling\nits eyes about in its head. \u201cI know you already,\u201d said the master, \u201cyou\nhave courage enough to chase a blackbird about the fields, but when you\nsee a dead hen lying, you have to get a stick before you go near it. I\nmust go and see for myself what kind of a monster it is,\u201d added the\nmaster, and went quite boldly into the granary and looked round him.\nWhen, however, he saw the strange grim creature with his own eyes, he\nwas no less terrified than the servant had been. With two bounds he\nsprang out, ran to his neighbours, and begged them imploringly to lend\nhim assistance against an unknown and dangerous beast, or else the\nwhole town might be in danger if it were to break loose out of the\nbarn, where it was shut up. A great noise and clamour arose in all the\nstreets, the townsmen came armed with spears, hay-forks, scythes, and\naxes, as if they were going out against an enemy; finally, the senators\nappeared with the burgomaster at their head. When they had drawn up in\nthe market-place, they marched to the barn, and surrounded it on all\nsides. Thereupon one of the most courageous of them stepped forth and\nentered with his spear lowered, but came running out immediately\nafterwards with a shriek and as pale as death, and could not utter a\nsingle word. Yet two others ventured in, but they fared no better. At\nlast one stepped forth; a great strong man who was famous for his\nwarlike deeds, and said, \u201cYou will not drive away the monster by merely\nlooking at him; we must be in earnest here, but I see that you have all\ntuned into women, and not one of you dares to encounter the animal.\u201d He\nordered them to give him some armour, had a sword and spear brought,\nand armed himself. All praised his courage, though many feared for his\nlife. The two barn-doors were opened, and they saw the owl, which in\nthe meantime had perched herself on the middle of a great cross-beam.\nHe had a ladder brought, and when he raised it, and made ready to climb\nup, they all cried out to him that he was to bear himself bravely, and\ncommended him to St. George, who slew the dragon. When he had just got\nto the top, and the owl perceived that he had designs on her, and was\nalso bewildered by the crowd and the shouting, and knew not how to\nescape, she rolled her eyes, ruffled her feathers, flapped her wings,\nsnapped her beak, and cried, \u201cTuwhit, tuwhoo,\u201d in a harsh voice.\n\u201cStrike home! strike home!\u201d screamed the crowd outside to the valiant\nhero. \u201cAny one who was standing where I am standing,\u201d answered he,\n\u201cwould not cry, strike home!\u201d He certainly did plant his foot one rung\nhigher on the ladder, but then he began to tremble, and half-fainting,\nwent back again.\n\nAnd now there was no one left who dared to put himself in such danger.\n\u201cThe monster,\u201d said they, \u201chas poisoned and mortally wounded the very\nstrongest man among us, by snapping at him and just breathing on him!\nAre we, too, to risk our lives?\u201d They took counsel as to what they\nought to do to prevent the whole town being destroyed. For a long time\neverything seemed to be of no use, but at length the burgomaster found\nan expedient. \u201cMy opinion,\u201d said he, \u201cis that we ought, out of the\ncommon purse, to pay for this barn, and whatsoever corn, straw, or hay\nit contains, and thus indemnify the owner, and then burn down the whole\nbuilding, and the terrible beast with it. Thus no one will have to\nendanger his life. This is no time for thinking of expense, and\nniggardliness would be ill applied.\u201d All agreed with him. So they set\nfire to the barn at all four corners, and with it the owl was miserably\nburnt. Let any one who will not believe it, go thither and inquire for\nhimself.\n\n\n\n175 The Moon\n\nIn days gone by there was a land where the nights were always dark, and\nthe sky spread over it like a black cloth, for there the moon never\nrose, and no star shone in the obscurity. At the creation of the world,\nthe light at night had been sufficient. Three young fellows once went\nout of this country on a travelling expedition, and arrived in another\nkingdom, where, in the evening when the sun had disappeared behind the\nmountains, a shining globe was placed on an oak-tree, which shed a soft\nlight far and wide. By means of this, everything could very well be\nseen and distinguished, even though it was not so brilliant as the sun.\nThe travellers stopped and asked a countryman who was driving past with\nhis cart, what kind of a light that was. \u201cThat is the moon,\u201d answered\nhe; \u201cour mayor bought it for three thalers, and fastened it to the\noak-tree. He has to pour oil into it daily, and to keep it clean, so\nthat it may always burn clearly. He receives a thaler a week from us\nfor doing it.\u201d\n\nWhen the countryman had driven away, one of them said, \u201cWe could make\nsome use of this lamp, we have an oak-tree at home, which is just as\nbig as this, and we could hang it on that. What a pleasure it would be\nnot to have to feel about at night in the darkness!\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll tell you\nwhat we\u2019ll do,\u201d said the second; \u201cwe will fetch a cart and horses and\ncarry away the moon. The people here may buy themselves another.\u201d \u201cI\u2019m\na good climber,\u201d said the third, \u201cI will bring it down.\u201d The fourth\nbrought a cart and horses, and the third climbed the tree, bored a hole\nin the moon, passed a rope through it, and let it down. When the\nshining ball lay in the cart, they covered it over with a cloth, that\nno one might observe the theft. They conveyed it safely into their own\ncountry, and placed it on a high oak. Old and young rejoiced, when the\nnew lamp let its light shine over the whole land, and bed-rooms and\nsitting-rooms were filled with it. The dwarfs came forth from their\ncaves in the rocks, and the tiny elves in their little red coats danced\nin rings on the meadows.\n\nThe four took care that the moon was provided with oil, cleaned the\nwick, and received their weekly thaler, but they became old men, and\nwhen one of them grew ill, and saw that he was about to die, he\nappointed that one quarter of the moon, should, as his property, be\nlaid in the grave with him. When he died, the mayor climbed up the\ntree, and cut off a quarter with the hedge-shears, and this was placed\nin his coffin. The light of the moon decreased, but still not visibly.\nWhen the second died, the second quarter was buried with him, and the\nlight diminished. It grew weaker still after the death of the third,\nwho likewise took his part of it away with him; and when the fourth was\nborne to his grave, the old state of darkness recommenced, and whenever\nthe people went out at night without their lanterns they knocked their\nheads together.\n\nWhen, however, the pieces of the moon had united themselves together\nagain in the world below, where darkness had always prevailed, it came\nto pass that the dead became restless and awoke from their sleep. They\nwere astonished when they were able to see again; the moonlight was\nquite sufficient for them, for their eyes had become so weak that they\ncould not have borne the brilliance of the sun. They rose up and were\nmerry, and fell into their former ways of living. Some of them went to\nthe play and to dance, others hastened to the public-houses, where they\nasked for wine, got drunk, brawled, quarreled, and at last took up\ncudgels, and belabored each other. The noise became greater and\ngreater, and at last reached even to heaven.\n\nSaint Peter who guards the gate of heaven thought the lower world had\nbroken out in revolt and gathered together the heavenly troops, which\nare to drive back the Evil One when he and his associates storm the\nabode of the blessed. As these, however, did not come, he got on his\nhorse and rode through the gate of heaven, down into the world below.\nThere he reduced the dead to subjection, bade them lie down in their\ngraves again, took the moon away with him, and hung it up in heaven.\n\n\n\n176 The Duration of Life\n\nWhen God had created the world and was about to fix the length of each\ncreature\u2019s life, the ass came and asked, \u201cLord, how long shall I live?\u201d\n\u201cThirty years,\u201d replied God; \u201cdoes that content thee?\u201d \u201cAh, Lord,\u201d\nanswered the ass, \u201cthat is a long time. Think of my painful existence!\nTo carry heavy burdens from morning to night, to drag sacks of corn to\nthe mill, that others may eat bread, to be cheered and refreshed with\nnothing but blows and kicks. Relieve me of a portion of this long\ntime.\u201d Then God had pity on him and relieved him of eighteen years. The\nass went away comforted, and the dog appeared. \u201cHow long wouldst thou\nlike to live?\u201d said God to him. \u201cThirty years are too many for the ass,\nbut thou wilt be satisfied with that.\u201d \u201cLord,\u201d answered the dog, \u201cis\nthat thy will? Consider how I shall have to run, my feet will never\nhold out so long, and when I have once lost my voice for barking, and\nmy teeth for biting, what will be left for me to do but run from one\ncorner to another and growl?\u201d God saw that he was right, and released\nhim from twelve years of life. Then came the monkey. \u201cThou wilt\ncertainly live thirty years willingly?\u201d said the Lord to him. \u201cThou\nhast no need to work as the ass and the dog have to do, and wilt always\nenjoy thyself.\u201d \u201cAh! Lord,\u201d he answered, \u201cit may seem as if that were\nthe case, but it is quite different. When it rains porridge I have no\nspoon. I am always to play merry pranks, and make faces which force\npeople to laugh, and if they give me an apple, and I bite into it, why\nit is sour! How often sadness hides itself behind mirth! I shall never\nbe able to hold out for thirty years.\u201d God was gracious and took off\nten.\n\nAt last man appeared, joyous, healthy and vigorous, and begged God to\nappoint his time for him. \u201cThirty years shalt thou live,\u201d said the\nLord. \u201cIs that enough for thee?\u201d \u201cWhat a short time,\u201d cried man, \u201cwhen\nI have built my house and my fire burns on my own hearth; when I have\nplanted trees which blossom and bear fruit, and am just intending to\nenjoy my life, I am to die! O Lord, lengthen my time.\u201d \u201cI will add to\nit the ass\u2019s eighteen years,\u201d said God. \u201cThat is not enough,\u201d replied\nthe man. \u201cThou shalt also have the dog\u2019s twelve years.\u201d \u201cStill too\nlittle!\u201d \u201cWell, then,\u201d said God, \u201cI will give thee the monkey\u2019s ten\nyears also, but more thou shalt not have.\u201d The man went away, but was\nnot satisfied.\n\nSo man lives seventy years. The first thirty are his human years, which\nare soon gone; then is he healthy, merry, works with pleasure, and is\nglad of his life. Then follow the ass\u2019s eighteen years, when one burden\nafter another is laid on him, he has to carry the corn which feeds\nothers, and blows and kicks are the reward of his faithful services.\nThen come the dog\u2019s twelve years, when he lies in the corner, and\ngrowls and has no longer any teeth to bite with, and when this time is\nover the monkey\u2019s ten years form the end. Then man is weak-headed and\nfoolish, does silly things, and becomes the jest of the children.\n\n\n\n177 Death\u2019s Messengers\n\nIn ancient times a giant was once travelling on a great highway, when\nsuddenly an unknown man sprang up before him, and said, \u201cHalt, not one\nstep farther!\u201d \u201cWhat!\u201d cried the giant, \u201ca creature whom I can crush\nbetween my fingers, wants to block my way? Who art thou that thou\ndarest to speak so boldly?\u201d \u201cI am Death,\u201d answered the other. \u201cNo one\nresists me, and thou also must obey my commands.\u201d But the giant\nrefused, and began to struggle with Death. It was a long, violent\nbattle, at last the giant got the upper hand, and struck Death down\nwith his fist, so that he dropped by a stone. The giant went his way,\nand Death lay there conquered, and so weak that he could not get up\nagain. \u201cWhat will be done now,\u201d said he, \u201cif I stay lying here in a\ncorner? No one will die in the world, and it will get so full of people\nthat they won\u2019t have room to stand beside each other.\u201d In the meantime\na young man came along the road, who was strong and healthy, singing a\nsong, and glancing around on every side. When he saw the half-fainting\none, he went compassionately to him, raised him up, poured a\nstrengthening draught out of his flask for him, and waited till he came\nround. \u201cDost thou know,\u201d said the stranger, whilst he was getting up,\n\u201cwho I am, and who it is whom thou hast helped on his legs again?\u201d\n\u201cNo,\u201d answered the youth, \u201cI do not know thee.\u201d \u201cI am Death,\u201d said he.\n\u201cI spare no one, and can make no exception with thee, but that thou\nmayst see that I am grateful, I promise thee that I will not fall on\nthee unexpectedly, but will send my messengers to thee before I come\nand take thee away.\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d said the youth, \u201cit is something gained\nthat I shall know when thou comest, and at any rate be safe from thee\nfor so long.\u201d Then he went on his way, and was light-hearted, and\nenjoyed himself, and lived without thought. But youth and health did\nnot last long, soon came sicknesses and sorrows, which tormented him by\nday, and took away his rest by night. \u201cDie, I shall not,\u201d said he to\nhimself, \u201cfor Death will send his messengers before that, but I do wish\nthese wretched days of sickness were over.\u201d As soon as he felt himself\nwell again he began once more to live merrily. Then one day some one\ntapped him on the shoulder. He looked round, and Death stood behind\nhim, and said, \u201cFollow me, the hour of thy departure from this world\nhas come.\u201d \u201cWhat,\u201d replied the man, \u201cwilt thou break thy word? Didst\nthou not promise me that thou wouldst send thy messengers to me before\ncoming thyself? I have seen none!\u201d \u201cSilence!\u201d answered Death. \u201cHave I\nnot sent one messenger to thee after another? Did not fever come and\nsmite thee, and shake thee, and cast thee down? Has dizziness not\nbewildered thy head? Has not gout twitched thee in all thy limbs? Did\nnot thine ears sing? Did not tooth-ache bite into thy cheeks? Was it\nnot dark before thine eyes? And besides all that, has not my own\nbrother Sleep reminded thee every night of me? Didst thou not lie by\nnight as if thou wert already dead? The man could make no answer; he\nyielded to his fate, and went away with Death.\n\n\n\n178 Master Pfriem (Master Cobbler\u2019s Awl)\n\nMaster Pfriem was a short, thin, but lively man, who never rested a\nmoment. His face, of which his turned-up nose was the only prominent\nfeature, was marked with small-pox and pale as death, his hair was gray\nand shaggy, his eyes small, but they glanced perpetually about on all\nsides. He saw everything, criticised everything, knew everything best,\nand was always in the right. When he went into the streets, he moved\nhis arms about as if he were rowing; and once he struck the pail of a\ngirl, who was carrying water, so high in the air that he himself was\nwetted all over by it. \u201cStupid thing,\u201d cried he to her, while he was\nshaking himself, \u201ccouldst thou not see that I was coming behind thee?\u201d\nBy trade he was a shoemaker, and when he worked he pulled his thread\nout with such force that he drove his fist into every one who did not\nkeep far enough off. No apprentice stayed more than a month with him,\nfor he had always some fault to find with the very best work. At one\ntime it was that the stitches were not even, at another that one shoe\nwas too long, or one heel higher than the other, or the leather not cut\nlarge enough. \u201cWait,\u201d said he to his apprentice, \u201cI will soon show thee\nhow we make skins soft,\u201d and he brought a strap and gave him a couple\nof strokes across the back. He called them all sluggards. He himself\ndid not turn much work out of his hands, for he never sat still for a\nquarter of an hour. If his wife got up very early in the morning and\nlighted the fire, he jumped out of bed, and ran bare-footed into the\nkitchen, crying, \u201cWilt thou burn my house down for me? That is a fire\none could roast an ox by! Does wood cost nothing?\u201d If the servants were\nstanding by their wash-tubs and laughing, and telling each other all\nthey knew, he scolded them, and said, \u201cThere stand the geese cackling,\nand forgetting their work, to gossip! And why fresh soap? Disgraceful\nextravagance and shameful idleness into the bargain! They want to save\ntheir hands, and not rub the things properly!\u201d And out he would run and\nknock a pail full of soap and water over, so that the whole kitchen was\nflooded. Someone was building a new house, so he hurried to the window\nto look on. \u201cThere, they are using that red sand-stone again that never\ndries!\u201d cried he. \u201cNo one will ever be healthy in that house! and just\nlook how badly the fellows are laying the stones! Besides, the mortar\nis good for nothing! It ought to have gravel in it, not sand. I shall\nlive to see that house tumble down on the people who are in it.\u201d He sat\ndown, put a couple of stitches in, and then jumped up again, unfastened\nhis leather-apron, and cried, \u201cI will just go out, and appeal to those\nmen\u2019s consciences.\u201d He stumbled on the carpenters. \u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d cried\nhe, \u201cyou are not working by the line! Do you expect the beams to be\nstraight?\u2014one wrong will put all wrong.\u201d He snatched an axe out of a\ncarpenter\u2019s hand and wanted to show him how he ought to cut; but as a\ncart loaded with clay came by, he threw the axe away, and hastened to\nthe peasant who was walking by the side of it: \u201cYou are not in your\nright mind,\u201d said he, \u201cwho yokes young horses to a heavily-laden cart?\nThe poor beasts will die on the spot.\u201d The peasant did not give him an\nanswer, and Pfriem in a rage ran back into his workshop. When he was\nsetting himself to work again, the apprentice reached him a shoe.\n\u201cWell, what\u2019s that again?\u201d screamed he, \u201cHaven\u2019t I told you you ought\nnot to cut shoes so broad? Who would buy a shoe like this, which is\nhardly anything else but a sole? I insist on my orders being followed\nexactly.\u201d \u201cMaster,\u201d answered the apprentice, \u201cyou may easily be quite\nright about the shoe being a bad one, but it is the one which you\nyourself cut out, and yourself set to work at. When you jumped up a\nwhile since, you knocked it off the table, and I have only just picked\nit up. An angel from heaven, however, would never make you believe\nthat.\u201d\n\nOne night Master Pfriem dreamed he was dead, and on his way to heaven.\nWhen he got there, he knocked loudly at the door. \u201cI wonder,\u201d said he\nto himself, \u201cthat they have no knocker on the door,\u2014one knocks one\u2019s\nknuckles sore.\u201d The apostle Peter opened the door, and wanted to see\nwho demanded admission so noisily. \u201cAh, it\u2019s you, Master Pfriem;\u201d said\nhe, \u201cwell, I\u2019ll let you in, but I warn you that you must give up that\nhabit of yours, and find fault with nothing you see in heaven, or you\nmay fare ill.\u201d \u201cYou might have spared your warning,\u201d answered Pfriem.\n\u201cI know already what is seemly, and here, God be thanked, everything is\nperfect, and there is nothing to blame as there is on earth.\u201d So he\nwent in, and walked up and down the wide expanses of heaven. He looked\naround him, to the left and to the right, but sometimes shook his head,\nor muttered something to himself. Then he saw two angels who were\ncarrying away a beam. It was the beam which some one had had in his own\neye whilst he was looking for the splinter in the eye of another. They\ndid not, however, carry the beam lengthways, but obliquely. \u201cDid any\none ever see such a piece of stupidity?\u201d thought Master Pfriem; but he\nsaid nothing, and seemed satisfied with it. \u201cIt comes to the same thing\nafter all, whichever way they carry the beam, straight or crooked, if\nthey only get along with it, and truly I do not see them knock against\nanything.\u201d Soon after this he saw two angels who were drawing water out\nof a well into a bucket, but at the same time he observed that the\nbucket was full of holes, and that the water was running out of it on\nevery side. They were watering the earth with rain. \u201cHang it,\u201d he\nexclaimed; but happily recollected himself, and thought, \u201cPerhaps it is\nonly a pastime. If it is an amusement, then it seems they can do\nuseless things of this kind even here in heaven, where people, as I\nhave already noticed, do nothing but idle about.\u201d He went farther and\nsaw a cart which had stuck fast in a deep hole. \u201cIt\u2019s no wonder,\u201d said\nhe to the man who stood by it; \u201cwho would load so unreasonably? what\nhave you there?\u201d \u201cGood wishes,\u201d replied the man, \u201cI could not go along\nthe right way with it, but still I have pushed it safely up here, and\nthey won\u2019t leave me sticking here.\u201d In fact an angel did come and\nharnessed two horses to it. \u201cThat\u2019s quite right,\u201d thought Pfriem, \u201cbut\ntwo horses won\u2019t get that cart out, it must at least have four to it.\u201d\nAnother angel came and brought two more horses; she did not, however,\nharness them in front of it, but behind. That was too much for Master\nPfriem, \u201cClumsy creature,\u201d he burst out with, \u201cwhat are you doing\nthere? Has any one ever since the world began seen a cart drawn in that\nway? But you, in your conceited arrogance, think that you know\neverything best.\u201d He was going to say more, but one of the inhabitants\nof heaven seized him by the throat and pushed him forth with\nirresistible strength. Beneath the gateway Master Pfriem turned his\nhead round to take one more look at the cart, and saw that it was being\nraised into the air by four winged horses.\n\nAt this moment Master Pfriem awoke. \u201cThings are certainly arranged in\nheaven otherwise than they are on earth,\u201d said he to himself, \u201cand that\nexcuses much; but who can see horses harnessed both behind and before\nwith patience; to be sure they had wings, but who could know that? It\nis, besides, great folly to fix a pair of wings to a horse that has\nfour legs to run with already! But I must get up, or else they will\nmake nothing but mistakes for me in my house. It is a lucky thing for\nme though, that I am not really dead.\u201d\n\n\n\n179 The Goose-Girl at the Well\n\nThere was once upon a time a very old woman, who lived with her flock\nof geese in a waste place among the mountains, and there had a little\nhouse. The waste was surrounded by a large forest, and every morning\nthe old woman took her crutch and hobbled into it. There, however, the\ndame was quite active, more so than any one would have thought,\nconsidering her age, and collected grass for her geese, picked all the\nwild fruit she could reach, and carried everything home on her back.\nAny one would have thought that the heavy load would have weighed her\nto the ground, but she always brought it safely home. If any one met\nher, she greeted him quite courteously. \u201cGood day, dear countryman, it\nis a fine day. Ah! you wonder that I should drag grass about, but every\none must take his burthen on his back.\u201d Nevertheless, people did not\nlike to meet her if they could help it, and took by preference a\nround-about way, and when a father with his boys passed her, he\nwhispered to them, \u201cBeware of the old woman. She has claws beneath her\ngloves; she is a witch.\u201d One morning, a handsome young man was going\nthrough the forest. The sun shone bright, the birds sang, a cool breeze\ncrept through the leaves, and he was full of joy and gladness. He had\nas yet met no one, when he suddenly perceived the old witch kneeling on\nthe ground cutting grass with a sickle. She had already thrust a whole\nload into her cloth, and near it stood two baskets, which were filled\nwith wild apples and pears. \u201cBut, good little mother,\u201d said he, \u201chow\ncanst thou carry all that away?\u201d \u201cI must carry it, dear sir,\u201d answered\nshe, \u201crich folk\u2019s children have no need to do such things, but with the\npeasant folk the saying goes, don\u2019t look behind you, you will only see\nhow crooked your back is!\u201d\n\n\u201cWill you help me?\u201d she said, as he remained standing by her. \u201cYou have\nstill a straight back and young legs, it would be a trifle to you.\nBesides, my house is not so very far from here, it stands there on the\nheath behind the hill. How soon you would bound up thither.\u201d The young\nman took compassion on the old woman. \u201cMy father is certainly no\npeasant,\u201d replied he, \u201cbut a rich count; nevertheless, that you may see\nthat it is not only peasants who can carry things, I will take your\nbundle.\u201d \u201cIf you will try it,\u201d said she, \u201cI shall be very glad. You\nwill certainly have to walk for an hour, but what will that signify to\nyou; only you must carry the apples and pears as well?\u201d It now seemed\nto the young man just a little serious, when he heard of an hour\u2019s\nwalk, but the old woman would not let him off, packed the bundle on his\nback, and hung the two baskets on his arm. \u201cSee, it is quite light,\u201d\nsaid she. \u201cNo, it is not light,\u201d answered the count, and pulled a\nrueful face. \u201cVerily, the bundle weighs as heavily as if it were full\nof cobble stones, and the apples and pears are as heavy as lead! I can\nscarcely breathe.\u201d He had a mind to put everything down again, but the\nold woman would not allow it. \u201cJust look,\u201d said she mockingly, \u201cthe\nyoung gentleman will not carry what I, an old woman, have so often\ndragged along. You are ready with fine words, but when it comes to be\nearnest, you want to take to your heels. Why are you standing loitering\nthere?\u201d she continued. \u201cStep out. No one will take the bundle off\nagain.\u201d As long as he walked on level ground, it was still bearable,\nbut when they came to the hill and had to climb, and the stones rolled\ndown under his feet as if they were alive, it was beyond his strength.\nThe drops of perspiration stood on his forehead, and ran, hot and cold,\ndown his back. \u201cDame,\u201d said he, \u201cI can go no farther. I want to rest a\nlittle.\u201d \u201cNot here,\u201d answered the old woman, \u201cwhen we have arrived at\nour journey\u2019s end, you can rest; but now you must go forward. Who knows\nwhat good it may do you?\u201d \u201cOld woman, thou art becoming shameless!\u201d\nsaid the count, and tried to throw off the bundle, but he laboured in\nvain; it stuck as fast to his back as if it grew there. He turned and\ntwisted, but he could not get rid of it. The old woman laughed at this,\nand sprang about quite delighted on her crutch. \u201cDon\u2019t get angry, dear\nsir,\u201d said she, \u201cyou are growing as red in the face as a turkey-cock!\nCarry your bundle patiently. I will give you a good present when we get\nhome.\u201d\n\nWhat could he do? He was obliged to submit to his fate, and crawl along\npatiently behind the old woman. She seemed to grow more and more\nnimble, and his burden still heavier. All at once she made a spring,\njumped on to the bundle and seated herself on the top of it; and\nhowever withered she might be, she was yet heavier than the stoutest\ncountry lass. The youth\u2019s knees trembled, but when he did not go on,\nthe old woman hit him about the legs with a switch and with\nstinging-nettles. Groaning continually, he climbed the mountain, and at\nlength reached the old woman\u2019s house, when he was just about to drop.\nWhen the geese perceived the old woman, they flapped their wings,\nstretched out their necks, ran to meet her, cackling all the while.\nBehind the flock walked, stick in hand, an old wench, strong and big,\nbut ugly as night. \u201cGood mother,\u201d said she to the old woman, \u201chas\nanything happened to you, you have stayed away so long?\u201d \u201cBy no means,\nmy dear daughter,\u201d answered she, \u201cI have met with nothing bad, but, on\nthe contrary, with this kind gentleman, who has carried my burthen for\nme; only think, he even took me on his back when I was tired. The way,\ntoo, has not seemed long to us; we have been merry, and have been\ncracking jokes with each other all the time.\u201d At last the old woman\nslid down, took the bundle off the young man\u2019s back, and the baskets\nfrom his arm, looked at him quite kindly, and said, \u201cNow seat yourself\non the bench before the door, and rest. You have fairly earned your\nwages, and they shall not be wanting.\u201d Then she said to the goose-girl,\n\u201cGo into the house, my dear daughter, it is not becoming for thee to be\nalone with a young gentleman; one must not pour oil on to the fire, he\nmight fall in love with thee.\u201d The count knew not whether to laugh or\nto cry. \u201cSuch a sweetheart as that,\u201d thought he, \u201ccould not touch my\nheart, even if she were thirty years younger.\u201d In the meantime the old\nwoman stroked and fondled her geese as if they were children, and then\nwent into the house with her daughter. The youth lay down on the bench,\nunder a wild apple-tree. The air was warm and mild; on all sides\nstretched a green meadow, which was set with cowslips, wild thyme, and\na thousand other flowers; through the midst of it rippled a clear brook\non which the sun sparkled, and the white geese went walking backwards\nand forwards, or paddled in the water. \u201cIt is quite delightful here,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cbut I am so tired that I cannot keep my eyes open; I will\nsleep a little. If only a gust of wind does not come and blow my legs\noff my body, for they are as rotten as tinder.\u201d\n\nWhen he had slept a little while, the old woman came and shook him till\nhe awoke. \u201cSit up,\u201d said she, \u201cthou canst not stay here; I have\ncertainly treated thee hardly, still it has not cost thee thy life. Of\nmoney and land thou hast no need, here is something else for thee.\u201d\nThereupon she thrust a little book into his hand, which was cut out of\na single emerald. \u201cTake great care of it,\u201d said she, \u201cit will bring\nthee good fortune.\u201d The count sprang up, and as he felt that he was\nquite fresh, and had recovered his vigor, he thanked the old woman for\nher present, and set off without even once looking back at the\nbeautiful daughter. When he was already some way off, he still heard in\nthe distance the noisy cry of the geese.\n\nFor three days the count had to wander in the wilderness before he\ncould find his way out. He then reached a large town, and as no one\nknew him, he was led into the royal palace, where the King and Queen\nwere sitting on their throne. The count fell on one knee, drew the\nemerald book out of his pocket, and laid it at the Queen\u2019s feet. She\nbade him rise and hand her the little book. Hardly, however, had she\nopened it, and looked therein, than she fell as if dead to the ground.\nThe count was seized by the King\u2019s servants, and was being led to\nprison, when the Queen opened her eyes, and ordered them to release\nhim, and every one was to go out, as she wished to speak with him in\nprivate.\n\nWhen the Queen was alone, she began to weep bitterly, and said, \u201cOf\nwhat use to me are the splendours and honours with which I am\nsurrounded; every morning I awake in pain and sorrow. I had three\ndaughters, the youngest of whom was so beautiful that the whole world\nlooked on her as a wonder. She was as white as snow, as rosy as\napple-blossom, and her hair as radiant as sun-beams. When she cried,\nnot tears fell from her eyes, but pearls and jewels only. When she was\nfifteen years old, the King summoned all three sisters to come before\nhis throne. You should have seen how all the people gazed when the\nyoungest entered, it was just as if the sun were rising! Then the King\nspoke, \u201cMy daughters, I know not when my last day may arrive; I will\nto-day decide what each shall receive at my death. You all love me, but\nthe one of you who loves me best, shall fare the best.\u201d Each of them\nsaid she loved him best. \u201cCan you not express to me,\u201d said the King,\n\u201chow much you do love me, and thus I shall see what you mean?\u201d The\neldest spoke. \u201cI love my father as dearly as the sweetest sugar.\u201d The\nsecond, \u201cI love my father as dearly as my prettiest dress.\u201d But the\nyoungest was silent. Then the father said, \u201cAnd thou, my dearest child,\nhow much dost thou love me?\u201d \u201cI do not know, and can compare my love\nwith nothing.\u201d But her father insisted that she should name something.\nSo she said at last, \u201cThe best food does not please me without salt,\ntherefore I love my father like salt.\u201d When the King heard that, he\nfell into a passion, and said, \u201cIf thou lovest me like salt, thy love\nshall also be repaid thee with salt.\u201d Then he divided the kingdom\nbetween the two elder, but caused a sack of salt to be bound on the\nback of the youngest, and two servants had to lead her forth into the\nwild forest. We all begged and prayed for her, said the Queen, \u201cbut the\nKing\u2019s anger was not to be appeased. How she cried when she had to\nleave us! The whole road was strewn with the pearls which flowed from\nher eyes. The King soon afterwards repented of his great severity, and\nhad the whole forest searched for the poor child, but no one could find\nher. When I think that the wild beasts have devoured her, I know not\nhow to contain myself for sorrow; many a time I console myself with the\nhope that she is still alive, and may have hidden herself in a cave, or\nhas found shelter with compassionate people. But picture to yourself,\nwhen I opened your little emerald book, a pearl lay therein, of exactly\nthe same kind as those which used to fall from my daughter\u2019s eyes; and\nthen you can also imagine how the sight of it stirred my heart. You\nmust tell me how you came by that pearl.\u201d The count told her that he\nhad received it from the old woman in the forest, who had appeared very\nstrange to him, and must be a witch, but he had neither seen nor hear\nanything of the Queen\u2019s child. The King and the Queen resolved to seek\nout the old woman. They thought that there where the pearl had been,\nthey would obtain news of their daughter.\n\nThe old woman was sitting in that lonely place at her spinning-wheel,\nspinning. It was already dusk, and a log which was burning on the\nhearth gave a scanty light. All at once there was a noise outside, the\ngeese were coming home from the pasture, and uttering their hoarse\ncries. Soon afterwards the daughter also entered. But the old woman\nscarcely thanked her, and only shook her head a little. The daughter\nsat down beside her, took her spinning-wheel, and twisted the threads\nas nimbly as a young girl. Thus they both sat for two hours, and\nexchanged never a word. At last something rustled at the window, and\ntwo fiery eyes peered in. It was an old night-owl, which cried, \u201cUhu!\u201d\nthree times. The old woman looked up just a little, then she said,\n\u201cNow, my little daughter, it is time for thee to go out and do thy\nwork.\u201d She rose and went out, and where did she go? Over the meadows\never onward into the valley. At last she came to a well, with three old\noak-trees standing beside it; meanwhile the moon had risen large and\nround over the mountain, and it was so light that one could have found\na needle. She removed a skin which covered her face, then bent down to\nthe well, and began to wash herself. When she had finished, she dipped\nthe skin also in the water, and then laid it on the meadow, so that it\nshould bleach in the moonlight, and dry again. But how the maiden was\nchanged! Such a change as that was never seen before! When the gray\nmask fell off, her golden hair broke forth like sunbeams, and spread\nabout like a mantle over her whole form. Her eyes shone out as brightly\nas the stars in heaven, and her cheeks bloomed a soft red like\napple-blossom.\n\nBut the fair maiden was sad. She sat down and wept bitterly. One tear\nafter another forced itself out of her eyes, and rolled through her\nlong hair to the ground. There she sat, and would have remained sitting\na long time, if there had not been a rustling and cracking in the\nboughs of the neighbouring tree. She sprang up like a roe which has\nbeen overtaken by the shot of the hunter. Just then the moon was\nobscured by a dark cloud, and in an instant the maiden had put on the\nold skin and vanished, like a light blown out by the wind.\n\nShe ran back home, trembling like an aspen-leaf. The old woman was\nstanding on the threshold, and the girl was about to relate what had\nbefallen her, but the old woman laughed kindly, and said, \u201cI already\nknow all.\u201d She led her into the room and lighted a new log. She did\nnot, however, sit down to her spinning again, but fetched a broom and\nbegan to sweep and scour, \u201cAll must be clean and sweet,\u201d she said to\nthe girl. \u201cBut, mother,\u201d said the maiden, \u201cwhy do you begin work at so\nlate an hour? What do you expect?\u201d \u201cDost thou know then what time it\nis?\u201d asked the old woman. \u201cNot yet midnight,\u201d answered the maiden, \u201cbut\nalready past eleven o\u2019clock.\u201d \u201cDost thou not remember,\u201d continued the\nold woman, \u201cthat it is three years to-day since thou camest to me? Thy\ntime is up, we can no longer remain together.\u201d The girl was terrified,\nand said, \u201cAlas! dear mother, will you cast me off? Where shall I go? I\nhave no friends, and no home to which I can go. I have always done as\nyou bade me, and you have always been satisfied with me; do not send me\naway.\u201d The old woman would not tell the maiden what lay before her. \u201cMy\nstay here is over,\u201d she said to her, \u201cbut when I depart, house and\nparlour must be clean: therefore do not hinder me in my work. Have no\ncare for thyself, thou shalt find a roof to shelter thee, and the wages\nwhich I will give thee shall also content thee.\u201d \u201cBut tell me what is\nabout to happen,\u201d the maiden continued to entreat. \u201cI tell thee again,\ndo not hinder me in my work. Do not say a word more, go to thy chamber,\ntake the skin off thy face, and put on the silken gown which thou hadst\non when thou camest to me, and then wait in thy chamber until I call\nthee.\u201d\n\nBut I must once more tell of the King and Queen, who had journeyed\nforth with the count in order to seek out the old woman in the\nwilderness. The count had strayed away from them in the wood by night,\nand had to walk onwards alone. Next day it seemed to him that he was on\nthe right track. He still went forward, until darkness came on, then he\nclimbed a tree, intending to pass the night there, for he feared that\nhe might lose his way. When the moon illumined the surrounding country\nhe perceived a figure coming down the mountain. She had no stick in her\nhand, but yet he could see that it was the goose-girl, whom he had seen\nbefore in the house of the old woman. \u201cOho,\u201d cried he, \u201cthere she\ncomes, and if I once get hold of one of the witches, the other shall\nnot escape me!\u201d But how astonished he was, when she went to the well,\ntook off the skin and washed herself, when her golden hair fell down\nall about her, and she was more beautiful than any one whom he had ever\nseen in the whole world. He hardly dared to breathe, but stretched his\nhead as far forward through the leaves as he dared, and stared at her.\nEither he bent over too far, or whatever the cause might be, the bough\nsuddenly cracked, and that very moment the maiden slipped into the\nskin, sprang away like a roe, and as the moon was suddenly covered,\ndisappeared from his eyes. Hardly had she disappeared, before the count\ndescended from the tree, and hastened after her with nimble steps. He\nhad not been gone long before he saw, in the twilight, two figures\ncoming over the meadow. It was the King and Queen, who had perceived\nfrom a distance the light shining in the old woman\u2019s little house, and\nwere going to it. The count told them what wonderful things he had seen\nby the well, and they did not doubt that it had been their lost\ndaughter. They walked onwards full of joy, and soon came to the little\nhouse. The geese were sitting all round it, and had thrust their heads\nunder their wings and were sleeping, and not one of them moved. The\nKing and Queen looked in at the window, the old woman was sitting there\nquite quietly spinning, nodding her head and never looking round. The\nroom was perfectly clean, as if the little mist men, who carry no dust\non their feet, lived there. Their daughter, however, they did not see.\nThey gazed at all this for a long time, at last they took heart, and\nknocked softly at the window. The old woman appeared to have been\nexpecting them; she rose, and called out quite kindly, \u201cCome in,\u2014I know\nyou already.\u201d When they had entered the room, the old woman said, \u201cYou\nmight have spared yourself the long walk, if you had not three years\nago unjustly driven away your child, who is so good and lovable. No\nharm has come to her; for three years she has had to tend the geese;\nwith them she has learnt no evil, but has preserved her purity of\nheart. You, however, have been sufficiently punished by the misery in\nwhich you have lived.\u201d Then she went to the chamber and called, \u201cCome\nout, my little daughter.\u201d Thereupon the door opened, and the princess\nstepped out in her silken garments, with her golden hair and her\nshining eyes, and it was as if an angel from heaven had entered.\n\nShe went up to her father and mother, fell on their necks and kissed\nthem; there was no help for it, they all had to weep for joy. The young\ncount stood near them, and when she perceived him she became as red in\nthe face as a moss-rose, she herself did not know why. The King said,\n\u201cMy dear child, I have given away my kingdom, what shall I give thee?\u201d\n\u201cShe needs nothing,\u201d said the old woman. \u201cI give her the tears that she\nhas wept on your account; they are precious pearls, finer than those\nthat are found in the sea, and worth more than your whole kingdom, and\nI give her my little house as payment for her services.\u201d When the old\nwoman had said that, she disappeared from their sight. The walls\nrattled a little, and when the King and Queen looked round, the little\nhouse had changed into a splendid palace, a royal table had been\nspread, and the servants were running hither and thither.\n\nThe story goes still further, but my grandmother, who related it to me,\nhad partly lost her memory, and had forgotten the rest. I shall always\nbelieve that the beautiful princess married the count, and that they\nremained together in the palace, and lived there in all happiness so\nlong as God willed it. Whether the snow-white geese, which were kept\nnear the little hut, were verily young maidens (no one need take\noffence,) whom the old woman had taken under her protection, and\nwhether they now received their human form again, and stayed as\nhandmaids to the young Queen, I do not exactly know, but I suspect it.\nThis much is certain, that the old woman was no witch, as people\nthought, but a wise woman, who meant well. Very likely it was she who,\nat the princess\u2019s birth, gave her the gift of weeping pearls instead of\ntears. That does not happen now-a-days, or else the poor would soon\nbecome rich.\n\n\n\n180 Eve\u2019s Various Children\n\nWhen Adam and Eve were driven out of Paradise, they were compelled to\nbuild a house for themselves on unfruitful ground, and eat their bread\nin the sweat of their brow. Adam dug up the land, and Eve span. Every\nyear Eve brought a child into the world; but the children were unlike\neach other, some pretty, and some ugly. After a considerable time had\ngone by, God sent an angel to them, to announce that he was coming to\ninspect their household. Eve, delighted that the Lord should be so\ngracious, cleaned her house diligently, decked it with flowers, and\nstrewed reeds on the floor. Then she brought in her children, but only\nthe beautiful ones. She washed and bathed them, combed their hair, put\nclean raiment on them, and cautioned them to conduct themselves\ndecorously and modestly in the presence of the Lord. They were to bow\ndown before him civilly, hold out their hands, and to answer his\nquestions modestly and sensibly. The ugly children were, however, not\nto let themselves be seen. One hid himself beneath the hay, another\nunder the roof, a third in the straw, the fourth in the stove, the\nfifth in the cellar, the sixth under a tub, the seventh beneath the\nwine-cask, the eighth under an old fur cloak, the ninth and tenth\nbeneath the cloth out of which she always made their clothes, and the\neleventh and twelfth under the leather out of which she cut their\nshoes. She had scarcely got ready, before there was a knock at the\nhouse-door. Adam looked through a chink, and saw that it was the Lord.\nAdam opened the door respectfully, and the Heavenly Father entered.\nThere, in a row, stood the pretty children, and bowed before him, held\nout their hands, and knelt down. The Lord, however, began to bless\nthem, laid his hands on the first, and said, \u201cThou shalt be a powerful\nking;\u201d and to the second, \u201cThou a prince,\u201d to the third, \u201cThou a\ncount,\u201d to the fourth, \u201cThou a knight,\u201d to the fifth, \u201cThou a\nnobleman,\u201d to the sixth, \u201cThou a burgher,\u201d to the seventh, \u201cThou a\nmerchant,\u201d to the eighth, \u201cThou a learned man.\u201d He bestowed upon them\nalso all his richest blessings. When Eve saw that the Lord was so mild\nand gracious, she thought, \u201cI will bring hither my ill-favoured\nchildren also, it may be that he will bestow his blessing on them\nlikewise.\u201d So she ran and brought them out of the hay, the straw, the\nstove, and wherever else she had concealed them. Then came the whole\ncoarse, dirty, shabby, sooty band. The Lord smiled, looked at them all,\nand said, \u201cI will bless these also.\u201d He laid his hands on the first,\nand said to him, \u201cThou shalt be a peasant,\u201d to the second, \u201cThou a\nfisherman,\u201d to the third, \u201cThou a smith,\u201d to the fourth, \u201cThou a\ntanner,\u201d to the fifth, \u201cThou a weaver,\u201d to the sixth, \u201cThou a\nshoemaker,\u201d to the seventh, \u201cThou a tailor,\u201d to the eighth, \u201cThou a\npotter,\u201d to the ninth, \u201cThou a waggoner,\u201d to the tenth, \u201cThou a\nsailor,\u201d to the eleventh, \u201cThou an errand-boy,\u201d to the twelfth, \u201cThou a\nscullion all the days of thy life.\u201d\n\nWhen Eve had heard all this she said, \u201cLord, how unequally thou\ndividest thy gifts! After all they are all of them my children, whom I\nhave brought into the world, thy favours should be given to all alike.\u201d\nBut God answered, \u201cEve, thou dost not understand. It is right and\nnecessary that the entire world should be supplied from thy children;\nif they were all princes and lords, who would grow corn, thresh it,\ngrind and bake it? Who would be blacksmiths, weavers, carpenters,\nmasons, labourers, tailors and seamstresses? Each shall have his own\nplace, so that one shall support the other, and all shall be fed like\nthe limbs of one body.\u201d Then Eve answered, \u201cAh, Lord, forgive me, I was\ntoo quick in speaking to thee. Have thy divine will with my children.\u201d\n\n\n\n181 The Nix of the Mill-Pond\n\nThere was once upon a time a miller who lived with his wife in great\ncontentment. They had money and land, and their prosperity increased\nyear by year more and more. But ill-luck comes like a thief in the\nnight, as their wealth had increased so did it again decrease, year by\nyear, and at last the miller could hardly call the mill in which he\nlived, his own. He was in great distress, and when he lay down after\nhis day\u2019s work, found no rest, but tossed about in his bed, full of\ncare. One morning he rose before daybreak and went out into the open\nair, thinking that perhaps there his heart might become lighter. As he\nwas stepping over the mill-dam the first sunbeam was just breaking\nforth, and he heard a rippling sound in the pond. He turned round and\nperceived a beautiful woman, rising slowly out of the water. Her long\nhair, which she was holding off her shoulders with her soft hands, fell\ndown on both sides, and covered her white body. He soon saw that she\nwas the Nix of the Mill-pond, and in his fright did not know whether he\nshould run away or stay where he was. But the nix made her sweet voice\nheard, called him by his name, and asked him why he was so sad? The\nmiller was at first struck dumb, but when he heard her speak so kindly,\nhe took heart, and told her how he had formerly lived in wealth and\nhappiness, but that now he was so poor that he did not know what to do.\n\u201cBe easy,\u201d answered the nix, \u201cI will make thee richer and happier than\nthou hast ever been before, only thou must promise to give me the young\nthing which has just been born in thy house.\u201d \u201cWhat else can that be,\u201d\nthought the miller, \u201cbut a young puppy or kitten?\u201d and he promised her\nwhat she desired. The nix descended into the water again, and he\nhurried back to his mill, consoled and in good spirits. He had not yet\nreached it, when the maid-servant came out of the house, and cried to\nhim to rejoice, for his wife had given birth to a little boy. The\nmiller stood as if struck by lightning; he saw very well that the\ncunning nix had been aware of it, and had cheated him. Hanging his\nhead, he went up to his wife\u2019s bedside and when she said, \u201cWhy dost\nthou not rejoice over the fine boy?\u201d he told her what had befallen him,\nand what kind of a promise he had given to the nix. \u201cOf what use to me\nare riches and prosperity?\u201d he added, \u201cif I am to lose my child; but\nwhat can I do?\u201d Even the relations, who had come thither to wish them\njoy, did not know what to say. In the meantime prosperity again\nreturned to the miller\u2019s house. All that he undertook succeeded, it was\nas if presses and coffers filled themselves of their own accord, and as\nif money multiplied nightly in the cupboards. It was not long before\nhis wealth was greater than it had ever been before. But he could not\nrejoice over it untroubled, for the bargain which he had made with the\nnix tormented his soul. Whenever he passed the mill-pond, he feared she\nmight ascend and remind him of his debt. He never let the boy himself\ngo near the water. \u201cBeware,\u201d he said to him, \u201cif thou dost but touch\nthe water, a hand will rise, seize thee, and draw thee down.\u201d But as\nyear after year went by and the nix did not show herself again, the\nmiller began to feel at ease. The boy grew up to be a youth and was\napprenticed to a huntsman. When he had learnt everything, and had\nbecome an excellent huntsman, the lord of the village took him into his\nservice. In the village lived a beautiful and true-hearted maiden, who\npleased the huntsman, and when his master perceived that, he gave him a\nlittle house, the two were married, lived peacefully and happily, and\nloved each other with all their hearts.\n\nOne day the huntsman was chasing a roe; and when the animal turned\naside from the forest into the open country, he pursued it and at last\nshot it. He did not notice that he was now in the neighbourhood of the\ndangerous mill-pond, and went, after he had disembowelled the stag, to\nthe water, in order to wash his blood-stained hands. Scarcely, however,\nhad he dipped them in than the nix ascended, smilingly wound her\ndripping arms around him, and drew him quickly down under the waves,\nwhich closed over him. When it was evening, and the huntsman did not\nreturn home, his wife became alarmed. She went out to seek him, and as\nhe had often told her that he had to be on his guard against the snares\nof the nix, and dared not venture into the neighbourhood of the\nmill-pond, she already suspected what had happened. She hastened to the\nwater, and when she found his hunting-pouch lying on the shore, she\ncould no longer have any doubt of the misfortune. Lamenting her sorrow,\nand wringing her hands, she called on her beloved by name, but in vain.\nShe hurried across to the other side of the pond, and called him anew;\nshe reviled the nix with harsh words, but no answer followed. The\nsurface of the water remained calm, only the crescent moon stared\nsteadily back at her. The poor woman did not leave the pond. With hasty\nsteps, she paced round and round it, without resting a moment,\nsometimes in silence, sometimes uttering a loud cry, sometimes softly\nsobbing. At last her strength came to an end, she sank down to the\nground and fell into a heavy sleep. Presently a dream took possession\nof her. She was anxiously climbing upwards between great masses of\nrock; thorns and briars caught her feet, the rain beat in her face, and\nthe wind tossed her long hair about. When she had reached the summit,\nquite a different sight presented itself to her; the sky was blue, the\nair soft, the ground sloped gently downwards, and on a green meadow,\ngay with flowers of every colour, stood a pretty cottage. She went up\nto it and opened the door; there sat an old woman with white hair, who\nbeckoned to her kindly. At that very moment, the poor woman awoke, day\nhad already dawned, and she at once resolved to act in accordance with\nher dream. She laboriously climbed the mountain; everything was exactly\nas she had seen it in the night. The old woman received her kindly, and\npointed out a chair on which she might sit. \u201cThou must have met with a\nmisfortune,\u201d she said, \u201csince thou hast sought out my lonely cottage.\u201d\nWith tears, the woman related what had befallen her. \u201cBe comforted,\u201d\nsaid the old woman, \u201cI will help thee. Here is a golden comb for thee.\nTarry till the full moon has risen, then go to the mill-pond, seat\nthyself on the shore, and comb thy long black hair with this comb. When\nthou hast done, lay it down on the bank, and thou wilt see what will\nhappen.\u201d The woman returned home, but the time till the full moon came,\npassed slowly. At last the shining disc appeared in the heavens, then\nshe went out to the mill-pond, sat down and combed her long black hair\nwith the golden comb, and when she had finished, she laid it down at\nthe water\u2019s edge. It was not long before there was a movement in the\ndepths, a wave rose, rolled to the shore, and bore the comb away with\nit. In not more than the time necessary for the comb to sink to the\nbottom, the surface of the water parted, and the head of the huntsman\narose. He did not speak, but looked at his wife with sorrowful glances.\nAt the same instant, a second wave came rushing up, and covered the\nman\u2019s head. All had vanished, the mill-pond lay peaceful as before, and\nnothing but the face of the full moon shone on it. Full of sorrow, the\nwoman went back, but again the dream showed her the cottage of the old\nwoman. Next morning she again set out and complained of her woes to the\nwise woman. The old woman gave her a golden flute, and said, \u201cTarry\ntill the full moon comes again, then take this flute; play a beautiful\nair on it, and when thou hast finished, lay it on the sand; then thou\nwilt see what will happen.\u201d The wife did as the old woman told her. No\nsooner was the flute lying on the sand than there was a stirring in the\ndepths, and a wave rushed up and bore the flute away with it.\nImmediately afterwards the water parted, and not only the head of the\nman, but half of his body also arose. He stretched out his arms\nlongingly towards her, but a second wave came up, covered him, and drew\nhim down again. \u201cAlas, what does it profit me?\u201d said the unhappy woman,\n\u201cthat I should see my beloved, only to lose him again!\u201d Despair filled\nher heart anew, but the dream led her a third time to the house of the\nold woman. She set out, and the wise woman gave her a golden\nspinning-wheel, consoled her and said, \u201cAll is not yet fulfilled, tarry\nuntil the time of the full moon, then take the spinning-wheel, seat\nthyself on the shore, and spin the spool full, and when thou hast done\nthat, place the spinning-wheel near the water, and thou wilt see what\nwill happen.\u201d The woman obeyed all she said exactly; as soon as the\nfull moon showed itself, she carried the golden spinning-wheel to the\nshore, and span industriously until the flax came to an end, and the\nspool was quite filled with the threads. No sooner was the wheel\nstanding on the shore than there was a more violent movement than\nbefore in the depths of the pond, and a mighty wave rushed up, and bore\nthe wheel away with it. Immediately the head and the whole body of the\nman rose into the air, in a water-spout. He quickly sprang to the\nshore, caught his wife by the hand and fled. But they had scarcely gone\na very little distance, when the whole pond rose with a frightful roar,\nand streamed out over the open country. The fugitives already saw death\nbefore their eyes, when the woman in her terror implored the help of\nthe old woman, and in an instant they were transformed, she into a\ntoad, he into a frog. The flood which had overtaken them could not\ndestroy them, but it tore them apart and carried them far away. When\nthe water had dispersed and they both touched dry land again, they\nregained their human form, but neither knew where the other was; they\nfound themselves among strange people, who did not know their native\nland. High mountains and deep valleys lay between them. In order to\nkeep themselves alive, they were both obliged to tend sheep. For many\nlong years they drove their flocks through field and forest and were\nfull of sorrow and longing. When spring had once more broken forth on\nthe earth, they both went out one day with their flocks, and as chance\nwould have it, they drew near each other. They met in a valley, but did\nnot recognize each other; yet they rejoiced that they were no longer so\nlonely. Henceforth they each day drove their flocks to the same place;\nthey did not speak much, but they felt comforted. One evening when the\nfull moon was shining in the sky, and the sheep were already at rest,\nthe shepherd pulled the flute out of his pocket, and played on it a\nbeautiful but sorrowful air. When he had finished he saw that the\nshepherdess was weeping bitterly. \u201cWhy art thou weeping?\u201d he asked.\n\u201cAlas,\u201d answered she, \u201cthus shone the full moon when I played this air\non the flute for the last time, and the head of my beloved rose out of\nthe water.\u201d He looked at her, and it seemed as if a veil fell from his\neyes, and he recognized his dear wife, and when she looked at him, and\nthe moon shone in his face she knew him also. They embraced and kissed\neach other, and no one need ask if they were happy.\n\n\n\n182 The Little Folks\u2019 Presents\n\nA tailor and a goldsmith were travelling together, and one evening when\nthe sun had sunk behind the mountains, they heard the sound of distant\nmusic, which became more and more distinct. It sounded strange, but so\npleasant that they forgot all their weariness and stepped quickly\nonwards. The moon had already arisen when they reached a hill on which\nthey saw a crowd of little men and women, who had taken each other\u2019s\nhands, and were whirling round in the dance with the greatest pleasure\nand delight.\n\nThey sang to it most charmingly, and that was the music which the\ntravellers had heard. In the midst of them sat an old man who was\nrather taller than the rest. He wore a parti-coloured coat, and his\niron-grey beard hung down over his breast. The two remained standing\nfull of astonishment, and watched the dance. The old man made a sign\nthat they should enter, and the little folks willingly opened their\ncircle. The goldsmith, who had a hump, and like all hunchbacks was\nbrave enough, stepped in; the tailor felt a little afraid at first, and\nheld back, but when he saw how merrily all was going, he plucked up his\ncourage, and followed. The circle closed again directly, and the little\nfolks went on singing and dancing with the wildest leaps. The old man,\nhowever, took a large knife which hung to his girdle, whetted it, and\nwhen it was sufficiently sharpened, he looked round at the strangers.\nThey were terrified, but they had not much time for reflection, for the\nold man seized the goldsmith and with the greatest speed, shaved the\nhair of his head clean off, and then the same thing happened to the\ntailor. But their fear left them when, after he had finished his work,\nthe old man clapped them both on the shoulder in a friendly manner, as\nmuch as to say, they had behaved well to let all that be done to them\nwillingly, and without any struggle. He pointed with his finger to a\nheap of coals which lay at one side, and signified to the travellers by\nhis gestures that they were to fill their pockets with them. Both of\nthem obeyed, although they did not know of what use the coals would be\nto them, and then they went on their way to seek a shelter for the\nnight. When they had got into the valley, the clock of the neighbouring\nmonastery struck twelve, and the song ceased. In a moment all had\nvanished, and the hill lay in solitude in the moonlight.\n\nThe two travellers found an inn, and covered themselves up on their\nstraw-beds with their coats, but in their weariness forgot to take the\ncoals out of them before doing so. A heavy weight on their limbs\nawakened them earlier than usual. They felt in the pockets, and could\nnot believe their eyes when they saw that they were not filled with\ncoals, but with pure gold; happily, too, the hair of their heads and\nbeards was there again as thick as ever.\n\nThey had now become rich folks, but the goldsmith, who, in accordance\nwith his greedy disposition, had filled his pockets better, was as rich\nagain as the tailor. A greedy man, even if he has much, still wishes to\nhave more, so the goldsmith proposed to the tailor that they should\nwait another day, and go out again in the evening in order to bring\nback still greater treasures from the old man on the hill. The tailor\nrefused, and said, \u201cI have enough and am content; now I shall be a\nmaster, and marry my dear object (for so he called his sweetheart), and\nI am a happy man.\u201d But he stayed another day to please him. In the\nevening the goldsmith hung a couple of bags over his shoulders that he\nmight be able to stow away a great deal, and took the road to the hill.\nHe found, as on the night before, the little folks at their singing and\ndancing, and the old man again shaved him clean, and signed to him to\ntake some coal away with him. He was not slow about sticking as much\ninto his bags as would go, went back quite delighted, and covered\nhimself over with his coat. \u201cEven if the gold does weigh heavily,\u201d said\nhe, \u201cI will gladly bear that,\u201d and at last he fell asleep with the\nsweet anticipation of waking in the morning an enormously rich man.\n\nWhen he opened his eyes, he got up in haste to examine his pockets, but\nhow amazed he was when he drew nothing out of them but black coals, and\nthat howsoever often he put his hands in them. \u201cThe gold I got the\nnight before is still there for me,\u201d thought he, and went and brought\nit out, but how shocked he was when he saw that it likewise had again\nturned into coal. He smote his forehead with his dusty black hand, and\nthen he felt that his whole head was bald and smooth, as was also the\nplace where his beard should have been. But his misfortunes were not\nyet over; he now remarked for the first time that in addition to the\nhump on his back, a second, just as large, had grown in front on his\nbreast. Then he recognized the punishment of his greediness, and began\nto weep aloud. The good tailor, who was wakened by this, comforted the\nunhappy fellow as well as he could, and said, \u201cThou hast been my\ncomrade in my travelling time; thou shalt stay with me and share in my\nwealth.\u201d He kept his word, but the poor goldsmith was obliged to carry\nthe two humps as long as he lived, and to cover his bald head with a\ncap.\n\n\n\n183 The Giant and the Tailor\n\nA certain tailor who was great at boasting but ill at doing, took it\ninto his head to go abroad for a while, and look about the world. As\nsoon as he could manage it, he left his workshop, and wandered on his\nway, over hill and dale, sometimes hither, sometimes thither, but ever\non and on. Once when he was out he perceived in the blue distance a\nsteep hill, and behind it a tower reaching to the clouds, which rose up\nout of a wild dark forest. \u201cThunder and lightning,\u201d cried the tailor,\n\u201cwhat is that?\u201d and as he was strongly goaded by curiosity, he went\nboldly towards it. But what made the tailor open his eyes and mouth\nwhen he came near it, was to see that the tower had legs, and leapt in\none bound over the steep hill, and was now standing as an all powerful\ngiant before him. \u201cWhat dost thou want here, thou tiny fly\u2019s leg?\u201d\ncried the giant, with a voice as if it were thundering on every side.\nThe tailor whimpered, \u201cI want just to look about and see if I can earn\na bit of bread for myself, in this forest.\u201d \u201cIf that is what thou art\nafter,\u201d said the giant, \u201cthou mayst have a place with me.\u201d \u201cIf it must\nbe, why not? What wages shall I receive?\u201d \u201cThou shalt hear what wages\nthou shalt have. Every year three hundred and sixty-five days, and when\nit is leap-year, one more into the bargain. Does that suit thee?\u201d \u201cAll\nright,\u201d replied the tailor, and thought, in his own mind, \u201ca man must\ncut his coat according to his cloth; I will try to get away as fast as\nI can.\u201d On this the giant said to him, \u201cGo, little ragamuffin, and\nfetch me a jug of water.\u201d \u201cHad I not better bring the well itself at\nonce, and the spring too?\u201d asked the boaster, and went with the pitcher\nto the water. \u201cWhat! the well and the spring too,\u201d growled the giant in\nhis beard, for he was rather clownish and stupid, and began to be\nafraid. \u201cThat knave is not a fool, he has a wizard in his body. Be on\nthy guard, old Hans, this is no serving-man for thee.\u201d When the tailor\nhad brought the water, the giant bade him go into the forest, and cut a\ncouple of blocks of wood and bring them back. \u201cWhy not the whole\nforest, at once, with one stroke. The whole forest, young and old, with\nall that is there, both rough and smooth?\u201d asked the little tailor, and\nwent to cut the wood. \u201cWhat! the whole forest, young and old, with all\nthat is there, both rough and smooth, and the well and its spring too,\u201d\ngrowled the credulous giant in his beard, and was still more terrified.\n\u201cThe knave can do much more than bake apples, and has a wizard in his\nbody. Be on thy guard, old Hans, this is no serving-man for thee!\u201d When\nthe tailor had brought the wood, the giant commanded him to shoot two\nor three wild boars for supper. \u201cWhy not rather a thousand at one shot,\nand bring them all here?\u201d inquired the ostentatious tailor. \u201cWhat!\u201d\ncried the timid giant in great terror; \u201cLet well alone to-night, and\nlie down to rest.\u201d\n\nThe giant was so terribly alarmed that he could not close an eye all\nnight long for thinking what would be the best way to get rid of this\naccursed sorcerer of a servant. Time brings counsel. Next morning the\ngiant and the tailor went to a marsh, round which stood a number of\nwillow-trees. Then said the giant, \u201cHark thee, tailor, seat thyself on\none of the willow-branches, I long of all things to see if thou art big\nenough to bend it down.\u201d All at once the tailor was sitting on it,\nholding his breath, and making himself so heavy that the bough bent\ndown. When, however, he was compelled to draw breath, it hurried him\n(for unfortunately he had not put his goose in his pocket) so high into\nthe air that he never was seen again, and this to the great delight of\nthe giant. If the tailor has not fallen down again, he must be hovering\nabout in the air.\n\n\n\n184 The Nail\n\nA merchant had done good business at the fair; he had sold his wares,\nand lined his money-bags with gold and silver. Then he wanted to travel\nhomewards, and be in his own house before nightfall. So he packed his\ntrunk with the money on his horse, and rode away.\n\nAt noon he rested in a town, and when he wanted to go farther the\nstable-boy brought out his horse and said, \u201cA nail is wanting, sir, in\nthe shoe of its left hind foot.\u201d \u201cLet it be wanting,\u201d answered the\nmerchant; \u201cthe shoe will certainly stay on for the six miles I have\nstill to go. I am in a hurry.\u201d\n\nIn the afternoon, when he once more alighted and had his horse fed, the\nstable-boy went into the room to him and said, \u201cSir, a shoe is missing\nfrom your horse\u2019s left hind foot. Shall I take him to the blacksmith?\u201d\n\u201cLet it still be wanting,\u201d answered the man; \u201cthe horse can very well\nhold out for the couple of miles which remain. I am in haste.\u201d\n\nHe rode forth, but before long the horse began to limp. It had not\nlimped long before it began to stumble, and it had not stumbled long\nbefore it fell down and broke its leg. The merchant was forced to leave\nthe horse where it was, and unbuckle the trunk, take it on his back,\nand go home on foot. And there he did not arrive until quite late at\nnight. \u201cAnd that unlucky nail,\u201d said he to himself, \u201chas caused all\nthis disaster.\u201d\n\nHasten slowly.\n\n\n\n185 The Poor Boy in the Grave\n\nThere was once a poor shepherd-boy whose father and mother were dead,\nand he was placed by the authorities in the house of a rich man, who\nwas to feed him and bring him up. The man and his wife, had however,\nbad hearts, and were greedy and anxious about their riches, and vexed\nwhenever any one put a morsel of their bread in his mouth. The poor\nyoung fellow might do what he liked, he got little to eat, but only so\nmany blows the more.\n\nOne day he had to watch a hen and her chickens, but she ran through a\nquick-set hedge with them, and a hawk darted down instantly, and\ncarried her off through the air. The boy called, \u201cThief! thief!\nrascal!\u201d with all the strength of his body. But what good did that do?\nThe hawk did not bring its prey back again. The man heard the noise,\nand ran to the spot, and as soon as he saw that his hen was gone, he\nfell in a rage, and gave the boy such a beating that he could not stir\nfor two days. Then he had to take care of the chickens without the hen,\nbut now his difficulty was greater, for one ran here and the other\nthere. He thought he was doing a very wise thing when he tied them all\ntogether with a string, because then the hawk would not be able to\nsteal any of them away from him. But he was very much mistaken. After\ntwo days, worn out with running about and hunger, he fell asleep; the\nbird of prey came, and seized one of the chickens, and as the others\nwere tied fast to it, it carried them all off together, perched itself\non a tree, and devoured them. The farmer was just coming home, and when\nhe saw the misfortune, he got angry and beat the boy so unmercifully\nthat he was forced to lie in bed for several days.\n\nWhen he was on his legs again, the farmer said to him, \u201cThou art too\nstupid for me, I cannot make a herdsman of thee, thou must go as\nerrand-boy.\u201d Then he sent him to the judge, to whom he was to carry a\nbasketful of grapes, and he gave him a letter as well. On the way\nhunger and thirst tormented the unhappy boy so violently that he ate\ntwo of the bunches of grapes. He took the basket to the judge, but when\nthe judge had read the letter, and counted the bunches he said, \u201cTwo\nclusters are wanting.\u201d The boy confessed quite honestly that, driven by\nhunger and thirst, he had devoured the two which were wanting. The\njudge wrote a letter to the farmer, and asked for the same number of\ngrapes again. These also the boy had to take to him with a letter. As\nhe again was so extremely hungry and thirsty, he could not help it, and\nagain ate two bunches. But first he took the letter out of the basket,\nput it under a stone and seated himself thereon in order that the\nletter might not see and betray him. The judge, however, again made him\ngive an explanation about the missing bunches. \u201cAh,\u201d said the boy, \u201chow\nhave you learnt that? The letter could not know about it, for I put it\nunder a stone before I did it.\u201d The judge could not help laughing at\nthe boy\u2019s simplicity, and sent the man a letter wherein he cautioned\nhim to keep the poor boy better, and not let him want for meat and\ndrink, and also that he was to teach him what was right and what was\nwrong.\n\n\u201cI will soon show thee the difference,\u201d said the hard man, \u201cif thou\nwilt eat, thou must work, and if thou dost anything wrong, thou shalt\nbe quite sufficiently taught by blows.\u201d\n\nThe next day he set him a hard task. He was to chop two bundles of\nstraw for food for the horses, and then the man threatened: \u201cIn five\nhours,\u201d said he, \u201cI shall be back again, and if the straw is not cut to\nchaff by that time, I will beat thee until thou canst not move a limb.\u201d\nThe farmer went with his wife, the man-servant and the girl, to the\nyearly fair, and left nothing behind for the boy but a small bit of\nbread. The boy seated himself on the bench, and began to work with all\nhis might. As he got warm over it he put his little coat off and threw\nit on the straw. In his terror lest he should not get done in time he\nkept constantly cutting, and in his haste, without noticing it, he\nchopped his little coat as well as the straw. He became aware of the\nmisfortune too late; there was no repairing it. \u201cAh,\u201d cried he, \u201cnow\nall is over with me! The wicked man did not threaten me for nothing; if\nhe comes back and sees what I have done, he will kill me. Rather than\nthat I will take my own life.\u201d\n\nThe boy had once heard the farmer\u2019s wife say, \u201cI have a pot with poison\nin it under my bed.\u201d She, however, had only said that to keep away\ngreedy people, for there was honey in it. The boy crept under the bed,\nbrought out the pot, and ate all that was in it. \u201cI do not know,\u201d said\nhe, \u201cfolks say death is bitter, but it tastes very sweet to me. It is\nno wonder that the farmer\u2019s wife has so often longed for death.\u201d He\nseated himself in a little chair, and was prepared to die. But instead\nof becoming weaker he felt himself strengthened by the nourishing food.\n\u201cIt cannot have been poison,\u201d thought he, \u201cbut the farmer once said\nthere was a small bottle of poison for flies in the box in which he\nkeeps his clothes; that, no doubt, will be the true poison, and bring\ndeath to me.\u201d It was, however, no poison for flies, but Hungarian wine.\nThe boy got out the bottle, and emptied it. \u201cThis death tastes sweet\ntoo,\u201d said he, but shortly after when the wine began to mount into his\nbrain and stupefy him, he thought his end was drawing near. \u201cI feel\nthat I must die,\u201d said he, \u201cI will go away to the churchyard, and seek\na grave.\u201d He staggered out, reached the churchyard, and laid himself in\na newly dug grave. He lost his senses more and more. In the\nneighbourhood was an inn where a wedding was being kept; when he heard\nthe music, he fancied he was already in Paradise, until at length he\nlost all consciousness. The poor boy never awoke again; the heat of the\nstrong wine and the cold night-dew deprived him of life, and he\nremained in the grave in which he had laid himself.\n\nWhen the farmer heard the news of the boy\u2019s death he was terrified, and\nafraid of being brought to justice indeed, his distress took such a\npowerful hold of him that he fell fainting to the ground. His wife, who\nwas standing on the hearth with a pan of hot fat, ran to him to help\nhim. But the flames darted against the pan, the whole house caught\nfire, in a few hours it lay in ashes, and the rest of the years they\nhad to live they passed in poverty and misery, tormented by the pangs\nof conscience.\n\n\n\n186 The True Sweethearts\n\nThere was once on a time a girl who was young and beautiful, but she\nhad lost her mother when she was quite a child, and her step-mother did\nall she could to make the girl\u2019s life wretched. Whenever this woman\ngave her anything to do, she worked at it indefatigably, and did\neverything that lay in her power. Still she could not touch the heart\nof the wicked woman by that; she was never satisfied; it was never\nenough. The harder the girl worked, the more work was put upon her, and\nall that the woman thought of was how to weigh her down with still\nheavier burdens, and make her life still more miserable.\n\nOne day she said to her, \u201cHere are twelve pounds of feathers which thou\nmust pick, and if they are not done this evening, thou mayst expect a\ngood beating. Dost thou imagine thou art to idle away the whole day?\u201d\nThe poor girl sat down to the work, but tears ran down her cheeks as\nshe did so, for she saw plainly enough that it was quite impossible to\nfinish the work in one day. Whenever she had a little heap of feathers\nlying before her, and she sighed or smote her hands together in her\nanguish, they flew away, and she had to pick them out again, and begin\nher work anew. Then she put her elbows on the table, laid her face in\nher two hands, and cried, \u201cIs there no one, then, on God\u2019s earth to\nhave pity on me?\u201d Then she heard a low voice which said, \u201cBe comforted,\nmy child, I have come to help thee.\u201d The maiden looked up, and an old\nwoman was by her side. She took the girl kindly by the hand, and said,\n\u201cOnly tell me what is troubling thee.\u201d As she spoke so kindly, the girl\ntold her of her miserable life, and how one burden after another was\nlaid upon her, and she never could get to the end of the work which was\ngiven to her. \u201cIf I have not done these feathers by this evening, my\nstep-mother will beat me; she has threatened she will, and I know she\nkeeps her word.\u201d Her tears began to flow again, but the good old woman\nsaid, \u201cDo not be afraid, my child; rest a while, and in the meantime I\nwill look to thy work.\u201d The girl lay down on her bed, and soon fell\nasleep. The old woman seated herself at the table with the feathers,\nand how they did fly off the quills, which she scarcely touched with\nher withered hands! The twelve pounds were soon finished, and when the\ngirl awoke, great snow-white heaps were lying, piled up, and everything\nin the room was neatly cleared away, but the old woman had vanished.\nThe maiden thanked God, and sat still till evening came, when the\nstep-mother came in and marvelled to see the work completed. \u201cJust\nlook, you awkward creature,\u201d said she, \u201cwhat can be done when people\nare industrious; and why couldst thou not set about something else?\nThere thou sittest with thy hands crossed.\u201d When she went out she said,\n\u201cThe creature is worth more than her salt. I must give her some work\nthat is still harder.\u201d\n\nNext morning she called the girl, and said, \u201cThere is a spoon for thee;\nwith that thou must empty out for me the great pond which is beside the\ngarden, and if it is not done by night, thou knowest what will happen.\u201d\nThe girl took the spoon, and saw that it was full of holes; but even if\nit had not been, she never could have emptied the pond with it. She set\nto work at once, knelt down by the water, into which her tears were\nfalling, and began to empty it. But the good old woman appeared again,\nand when she learnt the cause of her grief, she said, \u201cBe of good\ncheer, my child. Go into the thicket and lie down and sleep; I will\nsoon do thy work.\u201d As soon as the old woman was alone, she barely\ntouched the pond, and a vapour rose up on high from the water, and\nmingled itself with the clouds. Gradually the pond was emptied, and\nwhen the maiden awoke before sunset and came thither, she saw nothing\nbut the fishes which were struggling in the mud. She went to her\nstep-mother, and showed her that the work was done. \u201cIt ought to have\nbeen done long before this,\u201d said she, and grew white with anger, but\nshe meditated something new.\n\nOn the third morning she said to the girl, \u201cThou must build me a castle\non the plain there, and it must be ready by the evening.\u201d The maiden\nwas dismayed, and said, \u201cHow can I complete such a great work?\u201d \u201cI will\nendure no opposition,\u201d screamed the step-mother. \u201cIf thou canst empty a\npond with a spoon that is full of holes, thou canst build a castle too.\nI will take possession of it this very day, and if anything is wanting,\neven if it be the most trifling thing in the kitchen or cellar, thou\nknowest what lies before thee!\u201d She drove the girl out, and when she\nentered the valley, the rocks were there, piled up one above the other,\nand all her strength would not have enabled her even to move the very\nsmallest of them. She sat down and wept, and still she hoped the old\nwoman would help her. The old woman was not long in coming; she\ncomforted her and said, \u201cLie down there in the shade and sleep, and I\nwill soon build the castle for thee. If it would be a pleasure to thee,\nthou canst live in it thyself.\u201d When the maiden had gone away, the old\nwoman touched the gray rocks. They began to rise, and immediately moved\ntogether as if giants had built the walls; and on these the building\narose, and it seemed as if countless hands were working invisibly, and\nplacing one stone upon another. There was a dull heavy noise from the\nground; pillars arose of their own accord on high, and placed\nthemselves in order near each other. The tiles laid themselves in order\non the roof, and when noon-day came, the great weather-cock was already\nturning itself on the summit of the tower, like a golden figure of the\nVirgin with fluttering garments. The inside of the castle was being\nfinished while evening was drawing near. How the old woman managed it,\nI know not; but the walls of the rooms were hung with silk and velvet,\nembroidered chairs were there, and richly ornamented arm-chairs by\nmarble tables; crystal chandeliers hung down from the ceilings, and\nmirrored themselves in the smooth pavement; green parrots were there in\ngilt cages, and so were strange birds which sang most beautifully, and\nthere was on all sides as much magnificence as if a king were going to\nlive there. The sun was just setting when the girl awoke, and the\nbrightness of a thousand lights flashed in her face. She hurried to the\ncastle, and entered by the open door. The steps were spread with red\ncloth, and the golden balustrade beset with flowering trees. When she\nsaw the splendour of the apartment, she stood as if turned to stone.\nWho knows how long she might have stood there if she had not remembered\nthe step-mother? \u201cAlas!\u201d she said to herself, \u201cif she could but be\nsatisfied at last, and would give up making my life a misery to me.\u201d\nThe girl went and told her that the castle was ready. \u201cI will move into\nit at once,\u201d said she, and rose from her seat. When they entered the\ncastle, she was forced to hold her hand before her eyes, the brilliancy\nof everything was so dazzling. \u201cThou seest,\u201d said she to the girl, \u201chow\neasy it has been for thee to do this; I ought to have given thee\nsomething harder.\u201d She went through all the rooms, and examined every\ncorner to see if anything was wanting or defective; but she could\ndiscover nothing. \u201cNow we will go down below,\u201d said she, looking at the\ngirl with malicious eyes. \u201cThe kitchen and the cellar still have to be\nexamined, and if thou hast forgotten anything thou shalt not escape thy\npunishment.\u201d But the fire was burning on the hearth, and the meat was\ncooking in the pans, the tongs and shovel were leaning against the\nwall, and the shining brazen utensils all arranged in sight. Nothing\nwas wanting, not even a coal-box and water-pail. \u201cWhich is the way to\nthe cellar?\u201d she cried. \u201cIf that is not abundantly filled, it shall go\nill with thee.\u201d She herself raised up the trap-door and descended; but\nshe had hardly made two steps before the heavy trap-door which was only\nlaid back, fell down. The girl heard a scream, lifted up the door very\nquickly to go to her aid, but she had fallen down, and the girl found\nher lying lifeless at the bottom.\n\nAnd now the magnificent castle belonged to the girl alone. She at first\ndid not know how to reconcile herself to her good fortune. Beautiful\ndresses were hanging in the wardrobes, the chests were filled with gold\nor silver, or with pearls and jewels, and she never felt a desire that\nshe was not able to gratify. And soon the fame of the beauty and riches\nof the maiden went over all the world. Wooers presented themselves\ndaily, but none pleased her. At length the son of the King came and he\nknew how to touch her heart, and she betrothed herself to him. In the\ngarden of the castle was a lime-tree, under which they were one day\nsitting together, when he said to her, \u201cI will go home and obtain my\nfather\u2019s consent to our marriage. I entreat thee to wait for me here\nunder this lime-tree, I shall be back with thee in a few hours.\u201d The\nmaiden kissed him on his left cheek, and said, \u201cKeep true to me, and\nnever let any one else kiss thee on this cheek. I will wait here under\nthe lime-tree until thou returnest.\u201d\n\nThe maid stayed beneath the lime-tree until sunset, but he did not\nreturn. She sat three days from morning till evening, waiting for him,\nbut in vain. As he still was not there by the fourth day, she said,\n\u201cSome accident has assuredly befallen him. I will go out and seek him,\nand will not come back until I have found him.\u201d She packed up three of\nher most beautiful dresses, one embroidered with bright stars, the\nsecond with silver moons, the third with golden suns, tied up a handful\nof jewels in her handkerchief, and set out. She inquired everywhere for\nher betrothed, but no one had seen him; no one knew anything about him.\nFar and wide did she wander through the world, but she found him not.\nAt last she hired herself to a farmer as a cow-herd, and buried her\ndresses and jewels beneath a stone.\n\nAnd now she lived as a herdswoman, guarded her herd, and was very sad\nand full of longing for her beloved one; she had a little calf which\nshe taught to know her, and fed it out of her own hand, and when she\nsaid,\n\n\u201cLittle calf, little calf, kneel by my side,\nAnd do not forget thy shepherd-maid,\nAs the prince forgot his betrothed bride,\nWho waited for him \u2019neath the lime-tree\u2019s shade.\u201d\n\n\nthe little calf knelt down, and she stroked it.\n\nAnd when she had lived for a couple of years alone and full of grief, a\nreport was spread over all the land that the King\u2019s daughter was about\nto celebrate her marriage. The road to the town passed through the\nvillage where the maiden was living, and it came to pass that once when\nthe maiden was driving out her herd, her bridegroom travelled by. He\nwas sitting proudly on his horse, and never looked round, but when she\nsaw him she recognized her beloved, and it was just as if a sharp knife\nhad pierced her heart. \u201cAlas!\u201d said she, \u201cI believed him true to me,\nbut he has forgotten me.\u201d\n\nNext day he again came along the road. When he was near her she said to\nthe little calf,\n\n\u201cLittle calf, little calf, kneel by my side,\nAnd do not forget thy shepherd-maid,\nAs the prince forgot his betrothed bride,\nWho waited for him \u2019neath the lime-tree\u2019s shade.\u201d\n\n\nWhen he was aware of the voice, he looked down and reined in his horse.\nHe looked into the herd\u2019s face, and then put his hands before his eyes\nas if he were trying to remember something, but he soon rode onwards\nand was out of sight. \u201cAlas!\u201d said she, \u201che no longer knows me,\u201d and\nher grief was ever greater.\n\nSoon after this a great festival three days long was to be held at the\nKing\u2019s court, and the whole country was invited to it.\n\n\u201cNow will I try my last chance,\u201d thought the maiden, and when evening\ncame she went to the stone under which she had buried her treasures.\nShe took out the dress with the golden suns, put it on, and adorned\nherself with the jewels. She let down her hair, which she had concealed\nunder a handkerchief, and it fell down in long curls about her, and\nthus she went into the town, and in the darkness was observed by no\none. When she entered the brightly-lighted hall, every one started back\nin amazement, but no one knew who she was. The King\u2019s son went to meet\nher, but he did not recognize her. He led her out to dance, and was so\nenchanted with her beauty, that he thought no more of the other bride.\nWhen the feast was over, she vanished in the crowd, and hastened before\ndaybreak to the village, where she once more put on her herd\u2019s dress.\n\nNext evening she took out the dress with the silver moons, and put a\nhalf-moon made of precious stones in her hair. When she appeared at the\nfestival, all eyes were turned upon her, but the King\u2019s son hastened to\nmeet her, and filled with love for her, danced with her alone, and no\nlonger so much as glanced at anyone else. Before she went away she was\nforced to promise him to come again to the festival on the last\nevening.\n\nWhen she appeared for the third time, she wore the star-dress which\nsparkled at every step she took, and her hair-ribbon and girdle were\nstarred with jewels. The prince had already been waiting for her for a\nlong time, and forced his way up to her. \u201cDo but tell who thou art,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cI feel just as if I had already known thee a long time.\u201d\n\u201cDost thou not know what I did when thou leftest me?\u201d Then she stepped\nup to him, and kissed him on his left cheek, and in a moment it was as\nif scales fell from his eyes, and he recognized the true bride. \u201cCome,\u201d\nsaid he to her, \u201chere I stay no longer,\u201d gave her his hand, and led her\ndown to the carriage. The horses hurried away to the magic castle as if\nthe wind had been harnessed to the carriage. The illuminated windows\nalready shone in the distance. When they drove past the lime-tree,\ncountless glow-worms were swarming about it. It shook its branches, and\nsent forth their fragrance. On the steps flowers were blooming, and the\nroom echoed with the song of strange birds, but in the hall the entire\ncourt was assembled, and the priest was waiting to marry the bridegroom\nto the true bride.\n\n\n\n187 The Hare and the Hedgehog\n\nThis story, my dear young folks, seems to be false, but it really is\ntrue, for my grandfather, from whom I have it, used always, when\nrelating it, to say complacently, \u201cIt must be true, my son, or else no\none could tell it to you.\u201d The story is as follows. One Sunday morning\nabout harvest time, just as the buckwheat was in bloom, the sun was\nshining brightly in heaven, the east wind was blowing warmly over the\nstubble-fields, the larks were singing in the air, the bees buzzing\namong the buckwheat, the people were all going in their Sunday clothes\nto church, and all creatures were happy, and the hedgehog was happy\ntoo.\n\nThe hedgehog, however, was standing by his door with his arms akimbo,\nenjoying the morning breezes, and slowly trilling a little song to\nhimself, which was neither better nor worse than the songs which\nhedgehogs are in the habit of singing on a blessed Sunday morning.\nWhilst he was thus singing half aloud to himself, it suddenly occurred\nto him that, while his wife was washing and drying the children, he\nmight very well take a walk into the field, and see how his turnips\nwere going on. The turnips were, in fact, close beside his house, and\nhe and his family were accustomed to eat them, for which reason he\nlooked upon them as his own. No sooner said than done. The hedgehog\nshut the house-door behind him, and took the path to the field. He had\nnot gone very far from home, and was just turning round the sloe-bush\nwhich stands there outside the field, to go up into the turnip-field,\nwhen he observed the hare who had gone out on business of the same\nkind, namely, to visit his cabbages. When the hedgehog caught sight of\nthe hare, he bade him a friendly good morning. But the hare, who was in\nhis own way a distinguished gentleman, and frightfully haughty, did not\nreturn the hedgehog\u2019s greeting, but said to him, assuming at the same\ntime a very contemptuous manner, \u201cHow do you happen to be running about\nhere in the field so early in the morning?\u201d \u201cI am taking a walk,\u201d said\nthe hedgehog. \u201cA walk!\u201d said the hare, with a smile. \u201cIt seems to me\nthat you might use your legs for a better purpose.\u201d This answer made\nthe hedgehog furiously angry, for he can bear anything but an attack on\nhis legs, just because they are crooked by nature. So now the hedgehog\nsaid to the hare, \u201cYou seem to imagine that you can do more with your\nlegs than I with mine.\u201d \u201cThat is just what I do think,\u201d said the hare.\n\u201cThat can be put to the test,\u201d said the hedgehog. \u201cI wager that if we\nrun a race, I will outstrip you.\u201d \u201cThat is ridiculous! You with your\nshort legs!\u201d said the hare, \u201cbut for my part I am willing, if you have\nsuch a monstrous fancy for it. What shall we wager?\u201d \u201cA golden\nlouis-d\u2019or and a bottle of brandy,\u201d said the hedgehog. \u201cDone,\u201d said the\nhare. \u201cShake hands on it, and then we may as well come off at once.\u201d\n\u201cNay,\u201d said the hedgehog, \u201cthere is no such great hurry! I am still\nfasting, I will go home first, and have a little breakfast. In\nhalf-an-hour I will be back again at this place.\u201d\n\nHereupon the hedgehog departed, for the hare was quite satisfied with\nthis. On his way the hedgehog thought to himself, \u201cThe hare relies on\nhis long legs, but I will contrive to get the better of him. He may be\na great man, but he is a very silly fellow, and he shall pay for what\nhe has said.\u201d So when the hedgehog reached home, he said to his wife,\n\u201cWife, dress thyself quickly, thou must go out to the field with me.\u201d\n\u201cWhat is going on, then?\u201d said his wife. \u201cI have made a wager with the\nhare, for a gold louis-d\u2019or and a bottle of brandy. I am to run a race\nwith him, and thou must be present.\u201d \u201cGood heavens, husband,\u201d the wife\nnow cried, \u201cart thou not right in thy mind, hast thou completely lost\nthy wits? What can make thee want to run a race with the hare?\u201d \u201cHold\nthy tongue, woman,\u201d said the hedgehog, \u201cthat is my affair. Don\u2019t begin\nto discuss things which are matters for men. Be off, dress thyself, and\ncome with me.\u201d What could the hedgehog\u2019s wife do? She was forced to\nobey him, whether she liked it or not.\n\nSo when they had set out on their way together, the hedgehog said to\nhis wife, \u201cNow pay attention to what I am going to say. Look you, I\nwill make the long field our race-course. The hare shall run in one\nfurrow, and I in another, and we will begin to run from the top. Now\nall that thou hast to do is to place thyself here below in the furrow,\nand when the hare arrives at the end of the furrow, on the other side\nof thee, thou must cry out to him, \u2018I am here already!\u2019\u201d\n\nThen they reached the field, and the hedgehog showed his wife her\nplace, and then walked up the field. When he reached the top, the hare\nwas already there. \u201cShall we start?\u201d said the hare. \u201cCertainly,\u201d said\nthe hedgehog. \u201cThen both at once.\u201d So saying, each placed himself in\nhis own furrow. The hare counted, \u201cOnce, twice, thrice, and away!\u201d and\nwent off like a whirlwind down the field. The hedgehog, however, only\nran about three paces, and then he stooped down in the furrow, and\nstayed quietly where he was. When the hare therefore arrived in full\ncareer at the lower end of the field, the hedgehog\u2019s wife met him with\nthe cry, \u201cI am here already!\u201d The hare was shocked and wondered not a\nlittle, he thought no other than that it was the hedgehog himself who\nwas calling to him, for the hedgehog\u2019s wife looked just like her\nhusband. The hare, however, thought to himself, \u201cThat has not been done\nfairly,\u201d and cried, \u201cIt must be run again, let us have it again.\u201d And\nonce more he went off like the wind in a storm, so that he seemed to\nfly. But the hedgehog\u2019s wife stayed quietly in her place. So when the\nhare reached the top of the field, the hedgehog himself cried out to\nhim, \u201cI am here already.\u201d The hare, however, quite beside himself with\nanger, cried, \u201cIt must be run again, we must have it again.\u201d \u201cAll\nright,\u201d answered the hedgehog, \u201cfor my part we\u2019ll run as often as you\nchoose.\u201d So the hare ran seventy-three times more, and the hedgehog\nalways held out against him, and every time the hare reached either the\ntop or the bottom, either the hedgehog or his wife said, \u201cI am here\nalready.\u201d\n\nAt the seventy-fourth time, however, the hare could no longer reach the\nend. In the middle of the field he fell to the ground, blood streamed\nout of his mouth, and he lay dead on the spot. But the hedgehog took\nthe louis-d\u2019or which he had won and the bottle of brandy, called his\nwife out of the furrow, and both went home together in great delight,\nand if they are not dead, they are living there still.\n\nThis is how it happened that the hedgehog made the hare run races with\nhim on the Buxtehuder heath till he died, and since that time no hare\nhas ever had any fancy for running races with a Buxtehuder hedgehog.\n\nThe moral of this story, however, is, firstly, that no one, however\ngreat he may be, should permit himself to jest at any one beneath him,\neven if he be only a hedgehog. And, secondly, it teaches, that when a\nman marries, he should take a wife in his own position, who looks just\nas he himself looks. So whosoever is a hedgehog let him see to it that\nhis wife is a hedgehog also, and so forth.\n\n\n\n188 The Spindle, The Shuttle, and the Needle\n\nThere was once a girl whose father and mother died while she was still\na little child. All alone, in a small house at the end of the village,\ndwelt her godmother, who supported herself by spinning, weaving, and\nsewing. The old woman took the forlorn child to live with her, kept her\nto her work, and educated her in all that is good. When the girl was\nfifteen years old, the old woman became ill, called the child to her\nbedside, and said, \u201cDear daughter, I feel my end drawing near. I leave\nthee the little house, which will protect thee from wind and weather,\nand my spindle, shuttle, and needle, with which thou canst earn thy\nbread.\u201d Then she laid her hands on the girl\u2019s head, blessed her, and\nsaid, \u201cOnly preserve the love of God in thy heart, and all will go well\nwith thee.\u201d Thereupon she closed her eyes, and when she was laid in the\nearth, the maiden followed the coffin, weeping bitterly, and paid her\nthe last mark of respect. And now the maiden lived quite alone in the\nlittle house, and was industrious, and span, wove, and sewed, and the\nblessing of the good old woman was on all that she did. It seemed as if\nthe flax in the room increased of its own accord, and whenever she wove\na piece of cloth or carpet, or had made a shirt, she at once found a\nbuyer who paid her amply for it, so that she was in want of nothing,\nand even had something to share with others.\n\nAbout this time, the son of the King was travelling about the country\nlooking for a bride. He was not to choose a poor one, and did not want\nto have a rich one. So he said, \u201cShe shall be my wife who is the\npoorest, and at the same time the richest.\u201d When he came to the village\nwhere the maiden dwelt, he inquired, as he did wherever he went, who\nwas the richest and also the poorest girl in the place? They first\nnamed the richest; the poorest, they said, was the girl who lived in\nthe small house quite at the end of the village. The rich girl was\nsitting in all her splendour before the door of her house, and when the\nprince approached her, she got up, went to meet him, and made him a low\ncurtsey. He looked at her, said nothing, and rode on. When he came to\nthe house of the poor girl, she was not standing at the door, but\nsitting in her little room. He stopped his horse, and saw through the\nwindow, on which the bright sun was shining, the girl sitting at her\nspinning-wheel, busily spinning. She looked up, and when she saw that\nthe prince was looking in, she blushed all over her face, let her eyes\nfall, and went on spinning. I do not know whether, just at that moment,\nthe thread was quite even; but she went on spinning until the King\u2019s\nson had ridden away again. Then she went to the window, opened it, and\nsaid, \u201cIt is so warm in this room!\u201d but she still looked after him as\nlong as she could distinguish the white feathers in his hat. Then she\nsat down to work again in her own room and went on with her spinning,\nand a saying which the old woman had often repeated when she was\nsitting at her work, came into her mind, and she sang these words to\nherself,\u2014\n\n\u201cSpindle, my spindle, haste, haste thee away,\nAnd here to my house bring the wooer, I pray.\u201d\n\n\nAnd what do you think happened? The spindle sprang out of her hand in\nan instant, and out of the door, and when, in her astonishment, she got\nup and looked after it, she saw that it was dancing out merrily into\nthe open country, and drawing a shining golden thread after it. Before\nlong, it had entirely vanished from her sight. As she had now no\nspindle, the girl took the weaver\u2019s shuttle in her hand, sat down to\nher loom, and began to weave.\n\nThe spindle, however, danced continually onwards, and just as the\nthread came to an end, reached the prince. \u201cWhat do I see?\u201d he cried;\n\u201cthe spindle certainly wants to show me the way!\u201d turned his horse\nabout, and rode back with the golden thread. The girl was, however,\nsitting at her work singing,\n\n\u201cShuttle, my shuttle, weave well this day,\nAnd guide the wooer to me, I pray.\u201d\n\n\nImmediately the shuttle sprang out of her hand and out by the door.\nBefore the threshold, however, it began to weave a carpet which was\nmore beautiful than the eyes of man had ever yet beheld. Lilies and\nroses blossomed on both sides of it, and on a golden ground in the\ncentre green branches ascended, under which bounded hares and rabbits,\nstags and deer stretched their heads in between them, brightly-coloured\nbirds were sitting in the branches above; they lacked nothing but the\ngift of song. The shuttle leapt hither and thither, and everything\nseemed to grow of its own accord.\n\nAs the shuttle had run away, the girl sat down to sew. She held the\nneedle in her hand and sang,\n\n\u201cNeedle, my needle, sharp-pointed and fine,\nPrepare for a wooer this house of mine.\u201d\n\n\nThen the needle leapt out of her fingers, and flew everywhere about the\nroom as quick as lightning. It was just as if invisible spirits were\nworking; they covered tables and benches with green cloth in an\ninstant, and the chairs with velvet, and hung the windows with silken\ncurtains. Hardly had the needle put in the last stitch than the maiden\nsaw through the window the white feathers of the prince, whom the\nspindle had brought thither by the golden thread. He alighted, stepped\nover the carpet into the house, and when he entered the room, there\nstood the maiden in her poor garments, but she shone out from within\nthem like a rose surrounded by leaves. \u201cThou art the poorest and also\nthe richest,\u201d said he to her. \u201cCome with me, thou shalt be my bride.\u201d\nShe did not speak, but she gave him her hand. Then he gave her a kiss,\nled her forth, lifted her on to his horse, and took her to the royal\ncastle, where the wedding was solemnized with great rejoicings. The\nspindle, shuttle, and needle were preserved in the treasure-chamber,\nand held in great honour.\n\n\n\n189 The Peasant and the Devil\n\nThere was once on a time a far-sighted, crafty peasant whose tricks\nwere much talked about. The best story is, however, how he once got\nhold of the Devil, and made a fool of him. The peasant had one day been\nworking in his field, and as twilight had set in, was making ready for\nthe journey home, when he saw a heap of burning coals in the middle of\nhis field, and when, full of astonishment, he went up to it, a little\nblack devil was sitting on the live coals. \u201cThou dost indeed sit upon a\ntreasure!\u201d said the peasant. \u201cYes, in truth,\u201d replied the Devil, \u201con a\ntreasure which contains more gold and silver than thou hast ever seen\nin thy life!\u201d \u201cThe treasure lies in my field and belongs to me,\u201d said\nthe peasant. \u201cIt is thine,\u201d answered the Devil, \u201cif thou wilt for two\nyears give me the half of everything thy field produces. Money I have\nenough of, but I have a desire for the fruits of the earth.\u201d The\npeasant agreed to the bargain. \u201cIn order, however, that no dispute may\narise about the division,\u201d said he, \u201ceverything that is above ground\nshall belong to thee, and what is under the earth to me.\u201d The Devil was\nquite satisfied with that, but the cunning peasant had sown turnips.\n\nNow when the time for harvest came, the Devil appeared and wanted to\ntake away his crop; but he found nothing but the yellow withered\nleaves, while the peasant, full of delight, was digging up his turnips.\n\u201cThou hast had the best of it for once,\u201d said the Devil, \u201cbut the next\ntime that won\u2019t do. What grows above ground shall be thine, and what is\nunder it, mine.\u201d \u201cI am willing,\u201d replied the peasant; but when the time\ncame to sow, he did not again sow turnips, but wheat. The grain became\nripe, and the peasant went into the field and cut the full stalks down\nto the ground. When the Devil came, he found nothing but the stubble,\nand went away in a fury down into a cleft in the rocks. \u201cThat is the\nway to cheat the Devil,\u201d said the peasant, and went and fetched away\nthe treasure.\n\n\n\n190 The Crumbs on the Table\n\nA countryman one day said to his little puppies, \u201cCome into the parlour\nand enjoy yourselves, and pick up the bread-crumbs on the table; your\nmistress has gone out to pay some visits.\u201d Then the little dogs said,\n\u201cNo, no, we will not go. If the mistress gets to know it, she will beat\nus.\u201d The countryman said, \u201cShe will know nothing about it. Do come;\nafter all, she never gives you anything good.\u201d Then the little dogs\nagain said, \u201cNay, nay, we must let it alone; we must not go.\u201d But the\ncountryman let them have no peace until at last they went, and got on\nthe table, and ate up the bread-crumbs with all their might. But at\nthat very moment the mistress came, and seized the stick in great\nhaste, and beat them and treated them very hardly. And when they were\noutside the house, the little dogs said to the countryman, \u201cDost, dost,\ndost, dost, dost thou see?\u201d Then the countryman laughed and said,\n\u201cDidn\u2019t, didn\u2019t, didn\u2019t, you expect it?\u201d So they just had to run away.\n\n\n\n191 The Sea-Hare\n\nThere was once upon a time a princess, who, high under the battlements\nin her castle, had an apartment with twelve windows, which looked out\nin every possible direction, and when she climbed up to it and looked\naround her, she could inspect her whole kingdom. When she looked out of\nthe first, her sight was more keen than that of any other human being;\nfrom the second she could see still better, from the third more\ndistinctly still, and so it went on, until the twelfth, from which she\nsaw everything above the earth and under the earth, and nothing at all\ncould be kept secret from her. Moreover, as she was haughty, and would\nbe subject to no one, but wished to keep the dominion for herself\nalone, she caused it to be proclaimed that no one should ever be her\nhusband who could not conceal himself from her so effectually, that it\nshould be quite impossible for her to find him. He who tried this,\nhowever, and was discovered by her, was to have his head struck off,\nand stuck on a post. Ninety-seven posts with the heads of dead men were\nalready standing before the castle, and no one had come forward for a\nlong time. The princess was delighted, and thought to herself, \u201cNow I\nshall be free as long as I live.\u201d Then three brothers appeared before\nher, and announced to her that they were desirous of trying their luck.\nThe eldest believed he would be quite safe if he crept into a lime-pit,\nbut she saw him from the first window, made him come out, and had his\nhead cut off. The second crept into the cellar of the palace, but she\nperceived him also from the first window, and his fate was sealed. His\nhead was placed on the nine and ninetieth post. Then the youngest came\nto her and entreated her to give him a day for consideration, and also\nto be so gracious as to overlook it if she should happen to discover\nhim twice, but if he failed the third time, he would look on his life\nas over. As he was so handsome, and begged so earnestly, she said,\n\u201cYes, I will grant thee that, but thou wilt not succeed.\u201d\n\nNext day he meditated for a long time how he should hide himself, but\nall in vain. Then he seized his gun and went out hunting. He saw a\nraven, took a good aim at him, and was just going to fire, when the\nbird cried, \u201cDon\u2019t shoot; I will make it worth thy while not.\u201d He put\nhis gun down, went on, and came to a lake where he surprised a large\nfish which had come up from the depths below to the surface of the\nwater. When he had aimed at it, the fish cried, \u201cDon\u2019t shoot, and I\nwill make it worth thy while.\u201d He allowed it to dive down again, went\nonwards, and met a fox which was lame. He fired and missed it, and the\nfox cried, \u201cYou had much better come here and draw the thorn out of my\nfoot for me.\u201d He did this; but then he wanted to kill the fox and skin\nit, the fox said, \u201cStop, and I will make it worth thy while.\u201d The youth\nlet him go, and then as it was evening, returned home.\n\nNext day he was to hide himself; but howsoever much he puzzled his\nbrains over it, he did not know where. He went into the forest to the\nraven and said, \u201cI let thee live on, so now tell me where I am to hide\nmyself, so that the King\u2019s daughter shall not see me.\u201d The raven hung\nhis head and thought it over for a longtime. At length he croaked, \u201cI\nhave it.\u201d He fetched an egg out of his nest, cut it into two parts, and\nshut the youth inside it; then made it whole again, and seated himself\non it. When the King\u2019s daughter went to the first window she could not\ndiscover him, nor could she from the others, and she began to be\nuneasy, but from the eleventh she saw him. She ordered the raven to be\nshot, and the egg to be brought and broken, and the youth was forced to\ncome out. She said, \u201cFor once thou art excused, but if thou dost not do\nbetter than this, thou art lost!\u201d\n\nNext day he went to the lake, called the fish to him and said, \u201cI\nsuffered thee to live, now tell me where to hide myself so that the\nKing\u2019s daughter may not see me.\u201d The fish thought for a while, and at\nlast cried, \u201cI have it! I will shut thee up in my stomach.\u201d He\nswallowed him, and went down to the bottom of the lake. The King\u2019s\ndaughter looked through her windows, and even from the eleventh did not\nsee him, and was alarmed; but at length from the twelfth she saw him.\nShe ordered the fish to be caught and killed, and then the youth\nappeared. Every one can imagine what a state of mind he was in. She\nsaid, \u201cTwice thou art forgiven, but be sure that thy head will be set\non the hundredth post.\u201d\n\nOn the last day, he went with a heavy heart into the country, and met\nthe fox. \u201cThou knowest how to find all kinds of hiding-places,\u201d said\nhe; \u201cI let thee live, now advise me where I shall hide myself so that\nthe King\u2019s daughter shall not discover me.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s a hard task,\u201d\nanswered the fox, looking very thoughtful. At length he cried, \u201cI have\nit!\u201d and went with him to a spring, dipped himself in it, and came out\nas a stall-keeper in the market, and dealer in animals. The youth had\nto dip himself in the water also, and was changed into a small\nsea-hare. The merchant went into the town, and showed the pretty little\nanimal, and many persons gathered together to see it. At length the\nKing\u2019s daughter came likewise, and as she liked it very much, she\nbought it, and gave the merchant a good deal of money for it. Before he\ngave it over to her, he said to it, \u201cWhen the King\u2019s daughter goes to\nthe window, creep quickly under the braids of her hair.\u201d And now the\ntime arrived when she was to search for him. She went to one window\nafter another in turn, from the first to the eleventh, and did not see\nhim. When she did not see him from the twelfth either, she was full of\nanxiety and anger, and shut it down with such violence that the glass\nin every window shivered into a thousand pieces, and the whole castle\nshook.\n\nShe went back and felt the sea-hare beneath the braids of her hair.\nThen she seized it, and threw it on the ground exclaiming, \u201cAway with\nthee, get out of my sight!\u201d It ran to the merchant, and both of them\nhurried to the spring, wherein they plunged, and received back their\ntrue forms. The youth thanked the fox, and said, \u201cThe raven and the\nfish are idiots compared with thee; thou knowest the right tune to\nplay, there is no denying that!\u201d\n\nThe youth went straight to the palace. The princess was already\nexpecting him, and accommodated herself to her destiny. The wedding was\nsolemnized, and now he was king, and lord of all the kingdom. He never\ntold her where he had concealed himself for the third time, and who had\nhelped him, so she believed that he had done everything by his own\nskill, and she had a great respect for him, for she thought to herself,\n\u201cHe is able to do more than I.\u201d\n\n\n\n192 The Master-Thief\n\nOne day an old man and his wife were sitting in front of a miserable\nhouse resting a while from their work. Suddenly a splendid carriage\nwith four black horses came driving up, and a richly-dressed man\ndescended from it. The peasant stood up, went to the great man, and\nasked what he wanted, and in what way he could be useful to him? The\nstranger stretched out his hand to the old man, and said, \u201cI want\nnothing but to enjoy for once a country dish; cook me some potatoes, in\nthe way you always have them, and then I will sit down at your table\nand eat them with pleasure.\u201d The peasant smiled and said, \u201cYou are a\ncount or a prince, or perhaps even a duke; noble gentlemen often have\nsuch fancies, but you shall have your wish.\u201d The wife went into the\nkitchen, and began to wash and rub the potatoes, and to make them into\nballs, as they are eaten by the country-folks. Whilst she was busy with\nthis work, the peasant said to the stranger, \u201cCome into my garden with\nme for a while, I have still something to do there.\u201d He had dug some\nholes in the garden, and now wanted to plant some trees in them. \u201cHave\nyou no children,\u201d asked the stranger, \u201cwho could help you with your\nwork?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d answered the peasant, \u201cI had a son, it is true, but it is\nlong since he went out into the world. He was a ne\u2019er-do-well; sharp,\nand knowing, but he would learn nothing and was full of bad tricks, at\nlast he ran away from me, and since then I have heard nothing of him.\u201d\n\nThe old man took a young tree, put it in a hole, drove in a post beside\nit, and when he had shovelled in some earth and had trampled it firmly\ndown, he tied the stem of the tree above, below, and in the middle,\nfast to the post by a rope of straw. \u201cBut tell me,\u201d said the stranger,\n\u201cwhy you don\u2019t tie that crooked knotted tree, which is lying in the\ncorner there, bent down almost to the ground, to a post also that it\nmay grow straight, as well as these?\u201d The old man smiled and said,\n\u201cSir, you speak according to your knowledge, it is easy to see that you\nare not familiar with gardening. That tree there is old, and\nmis-shapen, no one can make it straight now. Trees must be trained\nwhile they are young.\u201d \u201cThat is how it was with your son,\u201d said the\nstranger, \u201cif you had trained him while he was still young, he would\nnot have run away; now he too must have grown hard and mis-shapen.\u201d\n\u201cTruly it is a long time since he went away,\u201d replied the old man, \u201che\nmust have changed.\u201d \u201cWould you know him again if he were to come to\nyou?\u201d asked the stranger. \u201cHardly by his face,\u201d replied the peasant,\n\u201cbut he has a mark about him, a birth-mark on his shoulder, that looks\nlike a bean.\u201d When he had said that the stranger pulled off his coat,\nbared his shoulder, and showed the peasant the bean. \u201cGood God!\u201d cried\nthe old man, \u201cThou art really my son!\u201d and love for his child stirred\nin his heart. \u201cBut,\u201d he added, \u201chow canst thou be my son, thou hast\nbecome a great lord and livest in wealth and luxury? How hast thou\ncontrived to do that?\u201d \u201cAh, father,\u201d answered the son, \u201cthe young tree\nwas bound to no post and has grown crooked, now it is too old, it will\nnever be straight again. How have I got all that? I have become a\nthief, but do not be alarmed, I am a master-thief. For me there are\nneither locks nor bolts, whatsoever I desire is mine. Do not imagine\nthat I steal like a common thief, I only take some of the superfluity\nof the rich. Poor people are safe, I would rather give to them than\ntake anything from them. It is the same with anything which I can have\nwithout trouble, cunning and dexterity I never touch it.\u201d \u201cAlas, my\nson,\u201d said the father, \u201cit still does not please me, a thief is still a\nthief, I tell thee it will end badly.\u201d He took him to his mother, and\nwhen she heard that was her son, she wept for joy, but when he told her\nthat he had become a master-thief, two streams flowed down over her\nface. At length she said, \u201cEven if he has become a thief, he is still\nmy son, and my eyes have beheld him once more.\u201d They sat down to table,\nand once again he ate with his parents the wretched food which he had\nnot eaten for so long. The father said, \u201cIf our Lord, the count up\nthere in the castle, learns who thou art, and what trade thou\nfollowest, he will not take thee in his arms and cradle thee in them as\nhe did when he held thee at the font, but will cause thee to swing from\na halter.\u201d \u201cBe easy, father, he will do me no harm, for I understand my\ntrade. I will go to him myself this very day.\u201d When evening drew near,\nthe master-thief seated himself in his carriage, and drove to the\ncastle. The count received him civilly, for he took him for a\ndistinguished man. When, however, the stranger made himself known, the\ncount turned pale and was quite silent for some time. At length he\nsaid, \u201cThou art my godson, and on that account mercy shall take the\nplace of justice, and I will deal leniently with thee. Since thou\npridest thyself on being a master-thief, I will put thy art to the\nproof, but if thou dost not stand the test, thou must marry the\nrope-maker\u2019s daughter, and the croaking of the raven must be thy music\non the occasion.\u201d \u201cLord count,\u201d answered the master-thief, \u201cThink of\nthree things, as difficult as you like, and if I do not perform your\ntasks, do with me what you will.\u201d The count reflected for some minutes,\nand then said, \u201cWell, then, in the first place, thou shalt steal the\nhorse I keep for my own riding, out of the stable; in the next, thou\nshalt steal the sheet from beneath the bodies of my wife and myself\nwhen we are asleep, without our observing it, and the wedding-ring of\nmy wife as well; thirdly and lastly, thou shalt steal away out of the\nchurch, the parson and clerk. Mark what I am saying, for thy life\ndepends on it.\u201d\n\nThe master-thief went to the nearest town; there he bought the clothes\nof an old peasant woman, and put them on. Then he stained his face\nbrown, and painted wrinkles on it as well, so that no one could have\nrecognized him. Then he filled a small cask with old Hungary wine in\nwhich was mixed a powerful sleeping-drink. He put the cask in a basket,\nwhich he took on his back, and walked with slow and tottering steps to\nthe count\u2019s castle. It was already dark when he arrived. He sat down on\na stone in the court-yard and began to cough, like an asthmatic old\nwoman, and to rub his hands as if he were cold. In front of the door of\nthe stable some soldiers were lying round a fire; one of them observed\nthe woman, and called out to her, \u201cCome nearer, old mother, and warm\nthyself beside us. After all, thou hast no bed for the night, and must\ntake one where thou canst find it.\u201d The old woman tottered up to them,\nbegged them to lift the basket from her back, and sat down beside them\nat the fire. \u201cWhat hast thou got in thy little cask, old lady?\u201d asked\none. \u201cA good mouthful of wine,\u201d she answered. \u201cI live by trade, for\nmoney and fair words I am quite ready to let you have a glass.\u201d \u201cLet us\nhave it here, then,\u201d said the soldier, and when he had tasted one glass\nhe said, \u201cWhen wine is good, I like another glass,\u201d and had another\npoured out for himself, and the rest followed his example. \u201cHallo,\ncomrades,\u201d cried one of them to those who were in the stable, \u201chere is\nan old goody who has wine that is as old as herself; take a draught, it\nwill warm your stomachs far better than our fire.\u201d The old woman\ncarried her cask into the stable. One of the soldiers had seated\nhimself on the saddled riding-horse, another held its bridle in his\nhand, a third had laid hold of its tail. She poured out as much as they\nwanted until the spring ran dry. It was not long before the bridle fell\nfrom the hand of the one, and he fell down and began to snore, the\nother left hold of the tail, lay down and snored still louder. The one\nwho was sitting in the saddle, did remain sitting, but bent his head\nalmost down to the horse\u2019s neck, and slept and blew with his mouth like\nthe bellows of a forge. The soldiers outside had already been asleep\nfor a long time, and were lying on the ground motionless, as if dead.\nWhen the master-thief saw that he had succeeded, he gave the first a\nrope in his hand instead of the bridle, and the other who had been\nholding the tail, a wisp of straw, but what was he to do with the one\nwho was sitting on the horse\u2019s back? He did not want to throw him down,\nfor he might have awakened and have uttered a cry. He had a good idea,\nhe unbuckled the girths of the saddle, tied a couple of ropes which\nwere hanging to a ring on the wall fast to the saddle, and drew the\nsleeping rider up into the air on it, then he twisted the rope round\nthe posts, and made it fast. He soon unloosed the horse from the chain,\nbut if he had ridden over the stony pavement of the yard they would\nhave heard the noise in the castle. So he wrapped the horse\u2019s hoofs in\nold rags, led him carefully out, leapt upon him, and galloped off.\n\nWhen day broke, the master galloped to the castle on the stolen horse.\nThe count had just got up, and was looking out of the window. \u201cGood\nmorning, Sir Count,\u201d he cried to him, \u201chere is the horse, which I have\ngot safely out of the stable! Just look, how beautifully your soldiers\nare lying there sleeping; and if you will but go into the stable, you\nwill see how comfortable your watchers have made it for themselves.\u201d\nThe count could not help laughing, then he said, \u201cFor once thou hast\nsucceeded, but things won\u2019t go so well the second time, and I warn thee\nthat if thou comest before me as a thief, I will handle thee as I would\na thief.\u201d When the countess went to bed that night, she closed her hand\nwith the wedding-ring tightly together, and the count said, \u201cAll the\ndoors are locked and bolted, I will keep awake and wait for the thief,\nbut if he gets in by the window, I will shoot him.\u201d The master-thief,\nhowever, went in the dark to the gallows, cut a poor sinner who was\nhanging there down from the halter, and carried him on his back to the\ncastle. Then he set a ladder up to the bedroom, put the dead body on\nhis shoulders, and began to climb up. When he had got so high that the\nhead of the dead man showed at the window, the count, who was watching\nin his bed, fired a pistol at him, and immediately the master let the\npoor sinner fall down, and hid himself in one corner. The night was\nsufficiently lighted by the moon, for the master to see distinctly how\nthe count got out of the window on to the ladder, came down, carried\nthe dead body into the garden, and began to dig a hole in which to lay\nit. \u201cNow,\u201d thought the thief, \u201cthe favourable moment has come,\u201d stole\nnimbly out of his corner, and climbed up the ladder straight into the\ncountess\u2019s bedroom. \u201cDear wife,\u201d he began in the count\u2019s voice, \u201cthe\nthief is dead, but, after all, he is my godson, and has been more of a\nscape-grace than a villain. I will not put him to open shame; besides,\nI am sorry for the parents. I will bury him myself before daybreak, in\nthe garden that the thing may not be known, so give me the sheet, I\nwill wrap up the body in it, and bury him as a dog burries things by\nscratching.\u201d The countess gave him the sheet. \u201cI tell you what,\u201d\ncontinued the thief, \u201cI have a fit of magnanimity on me, give me the\nring too,\u2014the unhappy man risked his life for it, so he may take it\nwith him into his grave.\u201d She would not gainsay the count, and although\nshe did it unwillingly she drew the ring from her finger, and gave it\nto him. The thief made off with both these things, and reached home\nsafely before the count in the garden had finished his work of burying.\n\nWhat a long face the count did pull when the master came next morning,\nand brought him the sheet and the ring. \u201cArt thou a wizard?\u201d said he,\n\u201cWho has fetched thee out of the grave in which I myself laid thee, and\nbrought thee to life again?\u201d \u201cYou did not bury me,\u201d said the thief,\n\u201cbut the poor sinner on the gallows,\u201d and he told him exactly how\neverything had happened, and the count was forced to own to him that he\nwas a clever, crafty thief. \u201cBut thou hast not reached the end yet,\u201d he\nadded, \u201cthou hast still to perform the third task, and if thou dost not\nsucceed in that, all is of no use.\u201d The master smiled and returned no\nanswer. When night had fallen he went with a long sack on his back, a\nbundle under his arms, and a lantern in his hand to the village-church.\nIn the sack he had some crabs, and in the bundle short wax-candles. He\nsat down in the churchyard, took out a crab, and stuck a wax-candle on\nhis back. Then he lighted the little light, put the crab on the ground,\nand let it creep about. He took a second out of the sack, and treated\nit in the same way, and so on until the last was out of the sack.\nHereupon he put on a long black garment that looked like a monk\u2019s cowl,\nand stuck a gray beard on his chin. When at last he was quite\nunrecognizable, he took the sack in which the crabs had been, went into\nthe church, and ascended the pulpit. The clock in the tower was just\nstriking twelve; when the last stroke had sounded, he cried with a loud\nand piercing voice, \u201cHearken, sinful men, the end of all things has\ncome! The last day is at hand! Hearken! Hearken! Whosoever wishes to go\nto heaven with me must creep into the sack. I am Peter, who opens and\nshuts the gate of heaven. Behold how the dead outside there in the\nchurchyard, are wandering about collecting their bones. Come, come, and\ncreep into the sack; the world is about to be destroyed!\u201d The cry\nechoed through the whole village. The parson and clerk who lived\nnearest to the church, heard it first, and when they saw the lights\nwhich were moving about the churchyard, they observed that something\nunusual was going on, and went into the church. They listened to the\nsermon for a while, and then the clerk nudged the parson and said, \u201cIt\nwould not be amiss if we were to use the opportunity together, and\nbefore the dawning of the last day, find an easy way of getting to\nheaven.\u201d \u201cTo tell the truth,\u201d answered the parson, \u201cthat is what I\nmyself have been thinking, so if you are inclined, we will set out on\nour way.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d answered the clerk, \u201cbut you, the pastor, have the\nprecedence, I will follow.\u201d So the parson went first, and ascended the\npulpit where the master opened his sack. The parson crept in first, and\nthen the clerk. The master immediately tied up the sack tightly, seized\nit by the middle, and dragged it down the pulpit-steps, and whenever\nthe heads of the two fools bumped against the steps, he cried, \u201cWe are\ngoing over the mountains.\u201d Then he drew them through the village in the\nsame way, and when they were passing through puddles, he cried, \u201cNow we\nare going through wet clouds.\u201d And when at last he was dragging them up\nthe steps of the castle, he cried, \u201cNow we are on the steps of heaven,\nand will soon be in the outer court.\u201d When he had got to the top, he\npushed the sack into the pigeon-house, and when the pigeons fluttered\nabout, he said, \u201cHark how glad the angels are, and how they are\nflapping their wings!\u201d Then he bolted the door upon them, and went\naway.\n\nNext morning he went to the count, and told him that he had performed\nthe third task also, and had carried the parson and clerk out of the\nchurch. \u201cWhere hast thou left them?\u201d asked the lord. \u201cThey are lying\nupstairs in a sack in the pigeon-house, and imagine that they are in\nheaven.\u201d The count went up himself, and convinced himself that the\nmaster had told the truth. When he had delivered the parson and clerk\nfrom their captivity, he said, \u201cThou art an arch-thief, and hast won\nthy wager. For once thou escapest with a whole skin, but see that thou\nleavest my land, for if ever thou settest foot on it again, thou may\u2019st\ncount on thy elevation to the gallows.\u201d The arch-thief took leave of\nhis parents, once more went forth into the wide world, and no one has\never heard of him since.\n\n\n\n193 The Drummer\n\nA young drummer went out quite alone one evening into the country, and\ncame to a lake on the shore of which he perceived three pieces of white\nlinen lying. \u201cWhat fine linen,\u201d said he, and put one piece in his\npocket. He returned home, thought no more of what he had found, and\nwent to bed. Just as he was going to sleep, it seemed to him as if some\none was saying his name. He listened, and was aware of a soft voice\nwhich cried to him, \u201cDrummer, drummer, wake up!\u201d As it was a dark night\nhe could see no one, but it appeared to him that a figure was hovering\nabout his bed. \u201cWhat do you want?\u201d he asked. \u201cGive me back my dress,\u201d\nanswered the voice, \u201cthat you took away from me last evening by the\nlake.\u201d \u201cYou shall have it back again,\u201d said the drummer, \u201cif you will\ntell me who you are.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d replied the voice, \u201cI am the daughter of a\nmighty King; but I have fallen into the power of a witch, and am shut\nup on the glass-mountain. I have to bathe in the lake every day with my\ntwo sisters, but I cannot fly back again without my dress. My sisters\nhave gone away, but I have been forced to stay behind. I entreat you to\ngive me my dress back.\u201d \u201cBe easy, poor child,\u201d said the drummer. \u201cI\nwill willingly give it back to you.\u201d He took it out of his pocket, and\nreached it to her in the dark. She snatched it in haste, and wanted to\ngo away with it. \u201cStop a moment, perhaps I can help you.\u201d \u201cYou can only\nhelp me by ascending the glass-mountain, and freeing me from the power\nof the witch. But you cannot come to the glass-mountain, and indeed if\nyou were quite close to it you could not ascend it.\u201d \u201cWhen I want to do\na thing I always can do it,\u201d said the drummer; \u201cI am sorry for you, and\nhave no fear of anything. But I do not know the way which leads to the\nglass-mountain.\u201d \u201cThe road goes through the great forest, in which the\nman-eaters live,\u201d she answered, \u201cand more than that, I dare not tell\nyou.\u201d And then he heard her wings quiver, as she flew away.\n\nBy daybreak the drummer arose, buckled on his drum, and went without\nfear straight into the forest. After he had walked for a while without\nseeing any giants, he thought to himself, \u201cI must waken up the\nsluggards,\u201d and he hung his drum before him, and beat such a reveille\nthat the birds flew out of the trees with loud cries. It was not long\nbefore a giant who had been lying sleeping among the grass, rose up,\nand was as tall as a fir-tree. \u201cWretch!\u201d cried he; \u201cwhat art thou\ndrumming here for, and wakening me out of my best sleep?\u201d \u201cI am\ndrumming,\u201d he replied, \u201cbecause I want to show the way to many\nthousands who are following me.\u201d \u201cWhat do they want in my forest?\u201d\ndemanded the giant. \u201cThey want to put an end to thee, and cleanse the\nforest of such a monster as thou art!\u201d \u201cOho!\u201d said the giant, \u201cI will\ntrample you all to death like so many ants.\u201d \u201cDost thou think thou\ncanst do anything against us?\u201d said the drummer; \u201cif thou stoopest to\ntake hold of one, he will jump away and hide himself; but when thou art\nlying down and sleeping, they will come forth from every thicket, and\ncreep up to thee. Every one of them has a hammer of steel in his belt,\nand with that they will beat in thy skull.\u201d The giant grew angry and\nthought, \u201cIf I meddle with the crafty folk, it might turn out badly for\nme. I can strangle wolves and bears, but I cannot protect myself from\nthese earth-worms.\u201d \u201cListen, little fellow,\u201d said he; \u201cgo back again,\nand I will promise you that for the future I will leave you and your\ncomrades in peace, and if there is anything else you wish for, tell me,\nfor I am quite willing to do something to please you.\u201d \u201cThou hast long\nlegs,\u201d said the drummer, \u201cand canst run quicker than I; carry me to the\nglass-mountain, and I will give my followers a signal to go back, and\nthey shall leave thee in peace this time.\u201d \u201cCome here, worm,\u201d said the\ngiant; \u201cseat thyself on my shoulder, I will carry thee where thou\nwishest to be.\u201d The giant lifted him up, and the drummer began to beat\nhis drum up aloft to his heart\u2019s delight. The giant thought, \u201cThat is\nthe signal for the other people to turn back.\u201d\n\nAfter a while, a second giant was standing in the road, who took the\ndrummer from the first, and stuck him in his button-hole. The drummer\nlaid hold of the button, which was as large as a dish, held on by it,\nand looked merrily around. Then they came to a third giant, who took\nhim out of the button-hole, and set him on the rim of his hat. Then the\ndrummer walked backwards and forwards up above, and looked over the\ntrees, and when he perceived a mountain in the blue distance, he\nthought, \u201cThat must be the glass-mountain,\u201d and so it was. The giant\nonly made two steps more, and they reached the foot of the mountain,\nwhere the giant put him down. The drummer demanded to be put on the\nsummit of the glass-mountain, but the giant shook his head, growled\nsomething in his beard, and went back into the forest.\n\nAnd now the poor drummer was standing before the mountain, which was as\nhigh as if three mountains were piled on each other, and at the same\ntime as smooth as a looking-glass, and did not know how to get up it.\nHe began to climb, but that was useless, for he always slipped back\nagain. \u201cIf one was a bird now,\u201d thought he; but what was the good of\nwishing, no wings grew for him.\n\nWhilst he was standing thus, not knowing what to do, he saw, not far\nfrom him, two men who were struggling fiercely together. He went up to\nthem and saw that they were disputing about a saddle which was lying on\nthe ground before them, and which both of them wanted to have. \u201cWhat\nfools you are,\u201d said he, \u201cto quarrel about a saddle, when you have not\na horse for it!\u201d \u201cThe saddle is worth fighting about,\u201d answered one of\nthe men; \u201cwhosoever sits on it, and wishes himself in any place, even\nif it should be the very end of the earth, gets there the instant he\nhas uttered the wish. The saddle belongs to us in common. It is my turn\nto ride on it, but that other man will not let me do it.\u201d \u201cI will soon\ndecide the quarrel,\u201d said the drummer, and he went to a short distance\nand stuck a white rod in the ground. Then he came back and said, \u201cNow\nrun to the goal, and whoever gets there first, shall ride first.\u201d Both\nput themselves into a trot; but hardly had they gone a couple of steps\nbefore the drummer swung himself on the saddle, wished himself on the\nglass-mountain, and before any one could turn round, he was there. On\nthe top of the mountain was a plain; there stood an old stone house,\nand in front of the house lay a great fish-pond, but behind it was a\ndark forest. He saw neither men nor animals, everything was quiet; only\nthe wind rustled amongst the trees, and the clouds moved by quite close\nabove his head. He went to the door and knocked. When he had knocked\nfor the third time, an old woman with a brown face and red eyes opened\nthe door. She had spectacles on her long nose, and looked sharply at\nhim; then she asked what he wanted. \u201cEntrance, food, and a bed for the\nnight,\u201d replied the drummer. \u201cThat thou shalt have,\u201d said the old\nwoman, \u201cif thou wilt perform three services in return.\u201d \u201cWhy not?\u201d he\nanswered, \u201cI am not afraid of any kind of work, however hard it may\nbe.\u201d The old woman let him go in, and gave him some food and a good bed\nat night. The next morning when he had had his sleep out, she took a\nthimble from her wrinkled finger, reached it to the drummer, and said,\n\u201cGo to work now, and empty out the pond with this thimble; but thou\nmust have it done before night, and must have sought out all the fishes\nwhich are in the water and laid them side by side, according to their\nkind and size.\u201d \u201cThat is strange work,\u201d said the drummer, but he went\nto the pond, and began to empty it. He baled the whole morning; but\nwhat can any one do to a great lake with a thimble, even if he were to\nbale for a thousand years?\n\nWhen it was noon, he thought, \u201cIt is all useless, and whether I work or\nnot it will come to the same thing.\u201d So he gave it up and sat down.\nThen came a maiden out of the house who set a little basket with food\nbefore him, and said, \u201cWhat ails thee, that thou sittest so sadly\nhere?\u201d He looked at her, and saw that she was wondrously beautiful.\n\u201cAh,\u201d said he, \u201cI cannot finish the first piece of work, how will it be\nwith the others? I came forth to seek a king\u2019s daughter who is said to\ndwell here, but I have not found her, and I will go farther.\u201d \u201cStay\nhere,\u201d said the maiden, \u201cI will help thee out of thy difficulty. Thou\nart tired, lay thy head in my lap, and sleep. When thou awakest again,\nthy work will be done.\u201d The drummer did not need to be told that twice.\nAs soon as his eyes were shut, she turned a wishing-ring and said,\n\u201cRise, water. Fishes, come out.\u201d Instantly the water rose on high like\na white mist, and moved away with the other clouds, and the fishes\nsprang on the shore and laid themselves side by side each according to\nhis size and kind. When the drummer awoke, he saw with amazement that\nall was done. But the maiden said, \u201cOne of the fish is not lying with\nthose of its own kind, but quite alone; when the old woman comes\nto-night and sees that all she demanded has been done, she will ask\nthee, \u2018What is this fish lying alone for?\u2019 Then throw the fish in her\nface, and say, \u2018This one shall be for thee, old witch.\u2019\u201d In the evening\nthe witch came, and when she had put this question, he threw the fish\nin her face. She behaved as if she did not remark it, and said nothing,\nbut looked at him with malicious eyes. Next morning she said,\n\u201cYesterday it was too easy for thee, I must give thee harder work.\nTo-day thou must hew down the whole of the forest, split the wood into\nlogs, and pile them up, and everything must be finished by the\nevening.\u201d She gave him an axe, a mallet, and two wedges. But the axe\nwas made of lead, and the mallet and wedges were of tin. When he began\nto cut, the edge of the axe turned back, and the mallet and wedges were\nbeaten out of shape. He did not know how to manage, but at mid-day the\nmaiden came once more with his dinner and comforted him. \u201cLay thy head\non my lap,\u201d said she, \u201cand sleep; when thou awakest, thy work will be\ndone.\u201d She turned her wishing-ring, and in an instant the whole forest\nfell down with a crash, the wood split, and arranged itself in heaps,\nand it seemed just as if unseen giants were finishing the work. When he\nawoke, the maiden said, \u201cDost thou see that the wood is piled up and\narranged, one bough alone remains; but when the old woman comes this\nevening and asks thee about that bough, give her a blow with it, and\nsay, \u2018That is for thee, thou witch.\u2019\u201d\n\nThe old woman came, \u201cThere thou seest how easy the work was!\u201d said she;\n\u201cbut for whom hast thou left that bough which is lying there still?\u201d\n\n\u201cFor thee, thou witch,\u201d he replied, and gave her a blow with it. But\nshe pretended not to feel it, laughed scornfully, and said, \u201cEarly\nto-morrow morning thou shalt arrange all the wood in one heap, set fire\nto it, and burn it.\u201d He rose at break of day, and began to pick up the\nwood, but how can a single man get a whole forest together? The work\nmade no progress. The maiden, however, did not desert him in his need.\nShe brought him his food at noon, and when he had eaten, he laid his\nhead on her lap, and went to sleep. When he awoke, the entire pile of\nwood was burning in one enormous flame, which stretched its tongues out\ninto the sky. \u201cListen to me,\u201d said the maiden, \u201cwhen the witch comes,\nshe will give thee all kinds of orders; do whatever she asks thee\nwithout fear, and then she will not be able to get the better of thee,\nbut if thou art afraid, the fire will lay hold of thee, and consume\nthee. At last when thou hast done everything, seize her with both thy\nhands, and throw her into the midst of the fire.\u201d The maiden departed,\nand the old woman came sneaking up to him. \u201cOh, I am cold,\u201d said she,\n\u201cbut that is a fire that burns; it warms my old bones for me, and does\nme good! But there is a log lying there which won\u2019t burn, bring it out\nfor me. When thou hast done that, thou art free, and mayst go where\nthou likest, come; go in with a good will.\u201d\n\nThe drummer did not reflect long; he sprang into the midst of the\nflames, but they did not hurt him, and could not even singe a hair of\nhis head. He carried the log out, and laid it down. Hardly, however,\nhad the wood touched the earth than it was transformed, and the\nbeautiful maiden who had helped him in his need stood before him, and\nby the silken and shining golden garments which she wore, he knew right\nwell that she was the King\u2019s daughter. But the old woman laughed\nvenomously, and said, \u201cThou thinkest thou hast her safe, but thou hast\nnot got her yet!\u201d Just as she was about to fall on the maiden and take\nher away, the youth seized the old woman with both his hands, raised\nher up on high, and threw her into the jaws of the fire, which closed\nover her as if it were delighted that an old witch was to be burnt.\n\nThen the King\u2019s daughter looked at the drummer, and when she saw that\nhe was a handsome youth and remembered how he had risked his life to\ndeliver her, she gave him her hand, and said, \u201cThou hast ventured\neverything for my sake, but I also will do everything for thine.\nPromise to be true to me, and thou shalt be my husband. We shall not\nwant for riches, we shall have enough with what the witch has gathered\ntogether here.\u201d She led him into the house, where there were chests and\ncoffers crammed with the old woman\u2019s treasures. The maiden left the\ngold and silver where it was, and took only the precious stones. She\nwould not stay any longer on the glass-mountain, so the drummer said to\nher, \u201cSeat thyself by me on my saddle, and then we will fly down like\nbirds.\u201d \u201cI do not like the old saddle,\u201d said she, \u201cI need only turn my\nwishing-ring and we shall be at home.\u201d \u201cVery well, then,\u201d answered the\ndrummer, \u201cthen wish us in front of the town-gate.\u201d In the twinkling of\nan eye they were there, but the drummer said, \u201cI will just go to my\nparents and tell them the news, wait for me outside here, I shall soon\nbe back.\u201d \u201cAh,\u201d said the King\u2019s daughter, \u201cI beg thee to be careful. On\nthy arrival do not kiss thy parents on the right cheek, or else thou\nwilt forget everything, and I shall stay behind here outside, alone and\ndeserted.\u201d \u201cHow can I forget thee?\u201d said he, and promised her to come\nback very soon, and gave his hand upon it. When he went into his\nfather\u2019s house, he had changed so much that no one knew who he was, for\nthe three days which he had passed on the glass-mountain had been three\nyears. Then he made himself known, and his parents fell on his neck\nwith joy, and his heart was so moved that he forgot what the maiden had\nsaid, and kissed them on both cheeks. But when he had given them the\nkiss on the right cheek, every thought of the King\u2019s daughter vanished\nfrom him. He emptied out his pockets, and laid handfuls of the largest\njewels on the table. The parents had not the least idea what to do with\nthe riches. Then the father built a magnificent castle all surrounded\nby gardens, woods, and meadows as if a prince were going to live in it,\nand when it was ready, the mother said, \u201cI have found a maiden for\nthee, and the wedding shall be in three days. The son was content to do\nas his parents desired.\u201d\n\nThe poor King\u2019s daughter had stood for a long time without the town\nwaiting for the return of the young man. When evening came, she said,\n\u201cHe must certainly have kissed his parents on the right cheek, and has\nforgotten me.\u201d Her heart was full of sorrow, she wished herself into a\nsolitary little hut in a forest, and would not return to her father\u2019s\ncourt. Every evening she went into the town and passed the young man\u2019s\nhouse; he often saw her, but he no longer knew her. At length she heard\nthe people saying, \u201cThe wedding will take place to-morrow.\u201d Then she\nsaid, \u201cI will try if I can win his heart back.\u201d\n\nOn the first day of the wedding ceremonies, she turned her\nwishing-ring, and said, \u201cA dress as bright as the sun.\u201d Instantly the\ndress lay before her, and it was as bright as if it had been woven of\nreal sunbeams. When all the guests were assembled, she entered the\nhall. Every one was amazed at the beautiful dress, and the bride most\nof all, and as pretty dresses were the things she had most delight in,\nshe went to the stranger and asked if she would sell it to her. \u201cNot\nfor money,\u201d she answered, \u201cbut if I may pass the first night outside\nthe door of the room where your betrothed sleeps, I will give it up to\nyou.\u201d The bride could not overcome her desire and consented, but she\nmixed a sleeping-draught with the wine her betrothed took at night,\nwhich made him fall into a deep sleep, When all had become quiet, the\nKing\u2019s daughter crouched down by the door of the bedroom, opened it\njust a little, and cried,\n\n\u201cDrummer, drummer, I pray thee hear!\nHast thou forgotten thou heldest me dear?\nThat on the glass-mountain we sat hour by hour?\nThat I rescued thy life from the witch\u2019s power?\nDidst thou not plight thy troth to me?\nDrummer, drummer, hearken to me!\u201d\n\n\nBut it was all in vain, the drummer did not awake, and when morning\ndawned, the King\u2019s daughter was forced to go back again as she came. On\nthe second evening she turned her wishing-ring and said, \u201cA dress as\nsilvery as the moon.\u201d When she appeared at the feast in the dress which\nwas as soft as moonbeams, it again excited the desire of the bride, and\nthe King\u2019s daughter gave it to her for permission to pass the second\nnight also, outside the door of the bedroom. Then in the stillness of\nthe night, she cried,\n\n\u201cDrummer, drummer, I pray thee hear!\nHast thou forgotten thy heldest me dear?\nThat on the glass-mountain we sat hour by hour?\nThat I rescued thy life from the witch\u2019s power?\nDidst thou not plight thy troth to me?\nDrummer, drummer, hearken to me!\u201d\n\n\nBut the drummer, who was stupefied with the sleeping-draught, could not\nbe aroused. Sadly next morning she went back to her hut in the forest.\nBut the people in the house had heard the lamentation of the\nstranger-maiden, and told the bridegroom about it. They told him also\nthat it was impossible that he could hear anything of it, because the\nmaiden he was going to marry had poured a sleeping-draught into his\nwine.\n\nOn the third evening, the King\u2019s daughter turned her wishing-ring, and\nsaid, \u201cA dress glittering like the stars.\u201d When she showed herself\ntherein at the feast, the bride was quite beside herself with the\nsplendour of the dress, which far surpassed the others, and she said,\n\u201cI must, and will have it.\u201d The maiden gave it as she had given the\nothers for permission to spend the night outside the bridegroom\u2019s door.\nThe bridegroom, however, did not drink the wine which was handed to him\nbefore he went to bed, but poured it behind the bed, and when\neverything was quiet, he heard a sweet voice which called to him,\n\n\u201cDrummer, drummer, I pray thee hear!\nHast thou forgotten thou held me dear?\nThat on the glass-mountain we sat hour by hour?\nThat I rescued thy life from the witch\u2019s power?\nDidst thou not plight thy troth to me?\nDrummer, drummer, hearken to me!\u201d\n\n\nSuddenly, his memory returned to him. \u201cAh,\u201d cried he, \u201chow can I have\nacted so unfaithfully; but the kiss which in the joy of my heart I gave\nmy parents, on the right cheek, that is to blame for it all, that is\nwhat stupefied me!\u201d He sprang up, took the King\u2019s daughter by the hand,\nand led her to his parents\u2019 bed. \u201cThis is my true bride,\u201d said he; \u201cif\nI marry the other, I shall do a great wrong.\u201d The parents, when they\nheard how everything had happened, gave their consent. Then the lights\nin the hall were lighted again, drums and trumpets were brought,\nfriends and relations were invited to come, and the real wedding was\nsolemnized with great rejoicing. The first bride received the beautiful\ndresses as a compensation, and declared herself satisfied.\n\n\n\n194 The Ear of Corn\n\nIn former times, when God himself still walked the earth, the\nfruitfulness of the soil was much greater than it is now; then the ears\nof corn did not bear fifty or sixty, but four or five hundred-fold.\nThen the corn grew from the bottom to the very top o f the stalk, and\naccording to the length of the stalk was the length of the ear. Men\nhowever are so made, that when they are too well off they no longer\nvalue the blessings which come from God, but grow indifferent and\ncareless. One day a woman was passing by a corn-field when her little\nchild, who was running beside her, fell into a puddle, and dirtied her\nfrock. On this the mother tore up a handful of the beautiful ears of\ncorn, and cleaned the frock with them.\n\nWhen the Lord, who just then came by, saw that, he was angry, and said,\n\u201cHenceforth shall the stalks of corn bear no more ears; men are no\nlonger worthy of heavenly gifts.\u201d The by-standers who heard this, were\nterrified, and fell on their knees and prayed that he would still leave\nsomething on the stalks, even if the people were undeserving of it, for\nthe sake of the innocent birds which would otherwise have to starve.\nThe Lord, who foresaw their suffering, had pity on them, and granted\nthe request. So the ears were left as they now grow.\n\n\n\n195 The Grave-Mound\n\nA rich farmer was one day standing in his yard inspecting his fields\nand gardens. The corn was growing up vigorously and the fruit-trees\nwere heavily laden with fruit. The grain of the year before still lay\nin such immense heaps on the floors that the rafters could hardly bear\nit. Then he went into the stable, where were well-fed oxen, fat cows,\nand horses bright as looking-glass. At length he went back into his\nsitting-room, and cast a glance at the iron chest in which his money\nlay.\n\nWhilst he was thus standing surveying his riches, all at once there was\na loud knock close by him. The knock was not at the door of his room,\nbut at the door of his heart. It opened, and he heard a voice which\nsaid to him, \u201cHast thou done good to thy family with it? Hast thou\nconsidered the necessities of the poor? Hast thou shared thy bread with\nthe hungry? Hast thou been contented with what thou hast, or didst thou\nalways desire to have more?\u201d The heart was not slow in answering, \u201cI\nhave been hard and pitiless, and have never shown any kindness to my\nown family. If a beggar came, I turned away my eyes from him. I have\nnot troubled myself about God, but have thought only of increasing my\nwealth. If everything which the sky covers had been mine own, I should\nstill not have had enough.\u201d\n\nWhen he was aware of this answer he was greatly alarmed, his knees\nbegan to tremble, and he was forced to sit down.\n\nThen there was another knock, but the knock was at the door of his\nroom. It was his neighbour, a poor man who had a number of children\nwhom he could no longer satisfy with food. \u201cI know,\u201d thought the poor\nman, \u201cthat my neighbour is rich, but he is as hard as he is rich. I\ndon\u2019t believe he will help me, but my children are crying for bread, so\nI will venture it.\u201d He said to the rich man, \u201cYou do not readily give\naway anything that is yours, but I stand here like one who feels the\nwater rising above his head. My children are starving, lend me four\nmeasures* of corn.\u201d The rich man looked at him long, and then the first\nsunbeam of mercy began to melt away a drop of the ice of greediness. \u201cI\nwill not lend thee four measures,\u201d he answered, \u201cbut I will make thee a\npresent of eight, but thou must fulfil one condition.\u201d \u201cWhat am I to\ndo?\u201d said the poor man. \u201cWhen I am dead, thou shalt watch for three\nnights by my grave.\u201d The peasant was disturbed in his mind at this\nrequest, but in the need in which he was, he would have consented to\nanything; he accepted, therefore, and carried the corn home with him.\n\nIt seemed as if the rich man had foreseen what was about to happen, for\nwhen three days were gone by, he suddenly dropped down dead. No one\nknew exactly how it came to pass, but no one grieved for him. When he\nwas buried, the poor man remembered his promise; he would willingly\nhave been released from it, but he thought, \u201cAfter all, he acted kindly\nby me. I have fed my hungry children with his corn, and even if that\nwere not the case, where I have once given my promise I must keep it.\u201d\nAt nightfall he went into the churchyard, and seated himself on the\ngrave-mound. Everything was quiet, only the moon appeared above the\ngrave, and frequently an owl flew past and uttered her melancholy cry.\nWhen the sun rose, the poor man betook himself in safety to his home,\nand in the same manner the second night passed quietly by. On the\nevening of the third day he felt a strange uneasiness, it seemed to him\nthat something was about to happen. When he went out he saw, by the\nchurchyard-wall, a man whom he had never seen before. He was no longer\nyoung, had scars on his face, and his eyes looked sharply and eagerly\naround. He was entirely covered with an old cloak, and nothing was\nvisible but his great riding-boots. \u201cWhat are you looking for here?\u201d\nthe peasant asked. \u201cAre you not afraid of the lonely churchyard?\u201d\n\n\u201cI am looking for nothing,\u201d he answered, \u201cand I am afraid of nothing! I\nam like the youngster who went forth to learn how to shiver, and had\nhis labour for his pains, but got the King\u2019s daughter to wife and great\nwealth with her, only I have remained poor. I am nothing but a paid-off\nsoldier, and I mean to pass the night here, because I have no other\nshelter.\u201d \u201cIf you are without fear,\u201d said the peasant, \u201cstay with me,\nand help me to watch that grave there.\u201d\n\n\u201cTo keep watch is a soldier\u2019s business,\u201d he replied, \u201cwhatever we fall\nin with here, whether it be good or bad, we will share it between us.\u201d\nThe peasant agreed to this, and they seated themselves on the grave\ntogether.\n\nAll was quiet until midnight, when suddenly a shrill whistling was\nheard in the air, and the two watchers perceived the Evil One standing\nbodily before them. \u201cBe off, you ragamuffins!\u201d cried he to them, \u201cthe\nman who lies in that grave belongs to me; I want to take him, and if\nyou don\u2019t go away I will wring your necks!\u201d \u201cSir with the red feather,\u201d\nsaid the soldier, \u201cyou are not my captain, I have no need to obey you,\nand I have not yet learned how to fear. Go away, we shall stay sitting\nhere.\u201d\n\nThe Devil thought to himself, \u201cMoney is the best thing with which to\nget hold of these two vagabonds.\u201d So he began to play a softer tune,\nand asked quite kindly, if they would not accept a bag of money, and go\nhome with it? \u201cThat is worth listening to,\u201d answered the soldier, \u201cbut\none bag of gold won\u2019t serve us, if you will give as much as will go\ninto one of my boots, we will quit the field for you and go away.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have not so much as that about me,\u201d said the Devil, \u201cbut I will\nfetch it. In the neighbouring town lives a money-changer who is a good\nfriend of mine, and will readily advance it to me.\u201d When the Devil had\nvanished the soldier took his left boot off, and said, \u201cWe will soon\npull the charcoal-burner\u2019s nose for him, just give me your knife,\ncomrade.\u201d He cut the sole off the boot, and put it in the high grass\nnear the grave on the edge of a hole that was half over-grown. \u201cThat\nwill do,\u201d said he; \u201cnow the chimney-sweep may come.\u201d\n\nThey both sat down and waited, and it was not long before the Devil\nreturned with a small bag of gold in his hand. \u201cJust pour it in,\u201d said\nthe soldier, raising up the boot a little, \u201cbut that won\u2019t be enough.\u201d\n\nThe Black One shook out all that was in the bag; the gold fell through,\nand the boot remained empty. \u201cStupid Devil,\u201d cried the soldier, \u201cit\nwon\u2019t do! Didn\u2019t I say so at once? Go back again, and bring more.\u201d The\nDevil shook his head, went, and in an hour\u2019s time came with a much\nlarger bag under his arm. \u201cNow pour it in,\u201d cried the soldier, \u201cbut I\ndoubt the boot won\u2019t be full.\u201d The gold clinked as it fell, but the\nboot remained empty. The Devil looked in himself with his burning eyes,\nand convinced himself of the truth. \u201cYou have shamefully big calves to\nyour legs!\u201d cried he, and made a wry face. \u201cDid you think,\u201d replied the\nsoldier, \u201cthat I had a cloven foot like you? Since when have you been\nso stingy? See that you get more gold together, or our bargain will\ncome to nothing!\u201d The Wicked One went off again. This time he stayed\naway longer, and when at length he appeared he was panting under the\nweight of a sack which lay on his shoulders. He emptied it into the\nboot, which was just as far from being filled as before. He became\nfurious, and was just going to tear the boot out of the soldier\u2019s\nhands, but at that moment the first ray of the rising sun broke forth\nfrom the sky, and the Evil Spirit fled away with loud shrieks. The poor\nsoul was saved.\n\nThe peasant wished to divide the gold, but the soldier said, \u201cGive what\nfalls to my lot to the poor, I will come with thee to thy cottage, and\ntogether we will live in rest and peace on what remains, as long as God\nis pleased to permit.\u201d\n\n\n\n196 Old Rinkrank\n\nThere was once on a time a King who had a daughter, and he caused a\nglass mountain to be made, and said that whosoever could cross to the\nother side of it without falling should have his daughter to wife. Then\nthere was one who loved the King\u2019s daughter, and he asked the King if\nhe might have her. \u201cYes,\u201d said the King; \u201cif you can cross the mountain\nwithout falling, you shall have her.\u201d And the princess said she would\ngo over it with him, and would hold him if he were about to fall. So\nthey set out together to go over it, and when they were half way up the\nprincess slipped and fell, and the glass-mountain opened and shut her\nup inside it, and her betrothed could not see where she had gone, for\nthe mountain closed immediately. Then he wept and lamented much, and\nthe King was miserable too, and had the mountain broken open where she\nhad been lost, and though the would be able to get her out again, but\nthey could not find the place into which she had fallen. Meanwhile the\nKing\u2019s daughter had fallen quite deep down into the earth into a great\ncave. An old fellow with a very long gray beard came to meet her, and\ntold her that if she would be his servant and do everything he bade\nher, she might live, if not he would kill her. So she did all he bade\nher. In the mornings he took his ladder out of his pocket, and set it\nup against the mountain and climbed to the top by its help, and then he\ndrew up the ladder after him. The princess had to cook his dinner, make\nhis bed, and do all his work, and when he came home again he always\nbrought with him a heap of gold and silver. When she had lived with him\nfor many years, and had grown quite old, he called her Mother Mansrot,\nand she had to call him Old Rinkrank. Then once when he was out, and\nshe had made his bed and washed his dishes, she shut the doors and\nwindows all fast, and there was one little window through which the\nlight shone in, and this she left open. When Old Rinkrank came home, he\nknocked at his door, and cried, \u201cMother Mansrot, open the door for me.\u201d\n\u201cNo,\u201d said she, \u201cOld Rinkrank, I will not open the door for thee.\u201d Then\nhe said,\n\n\u201cHere stand I, poor Rinkrank,\nOn my seventeen long shanks,\nOn my weary, worn-out foot,\nWash my dishes, Mother Mansrot.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cI have washed thy dishes already,\u201d said she. Then again he said,\n\n\u201cHere stand I, poor Rinkrank,\nOn my seventeen long shanks,\nOn my weary, worn-out foot,\nMake me my bed, Mother Mansrot.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cI have made thy bed already,\u201d said she. Then again he said,\n\n\u201cHere stand I, poor Rinkrank,\nOn my seventeen long shanks,\nOn my weary, worn-out foot,\nOpen the door, Mother Mansrot.\u201d\n\n\nThen he ran all round his house, and saw that the little window was\nopen, and thought, \u201cI will look in and see what she can be about, and\nwhy she will not open the door for me.\u201d He tried to peep in, but could\nnot get his head through because of his long beard. So he first put his\nbeard through the open window, but just as he had got it through,\nMother Mansrot came by and pulled the window down with a cord which she\nhad tied to it, and his beard was shut fast in it. Then he began to cry\nmost piteously, for it hurt him very much, and to entreat her to\nrelease him again. But she said not until he gave her the ladder with\nwhich he ascended the mountain. Then, whether he would or not, he had\nto tell her where the ladder was. And she fastened a very long ribbon\nto the window, and then she set up the ladder, and ascended the\nmountain, and when she was at the top of it she opened the window. She\nwent to her father, and told him all that had happened to her. The King\nrejoiced greatly, and her betrothed was still there, and they went and\ndug up the mountain, and found Old Rinkrank inside it with all his gold\nand silver. Then the King had Old Rinkrank put to death, and took all\nhis gold and silver. The princess married her betrothed, and lived\nright happily in great magnificence and joy.\n\n\n\n197 The Crystal Ball\n\nThere was once an enchantress, who had three sons who loved each other\nas brothers, but the old woman did not trust them, and thought they\nwanted to steal her power from her. So she changed the eldest into an\neagle, which was forced to dwell in the rocky mountains, and was often\nseen sweeping in great circles in the sky. The second, she changed into\na whale, which lived in the deep sea, and all that was seen of it was\nthat it sometimes spouted up a great jet of water in the air. Each of\nthem only bore his human form for only two hours daily. The third son,\nwho was afraid she might change him into a raging wild beast a bear\nperhaps, or a wolf, went secretly away. He had heard that a King\u2019s\ndaughter who was bewitched, was imprisoned in the Castle of the Golden\nSun, and was waiting for deliverance. Those, however, who tried to free\nher risked their lives; three-and-twenty youths had already died a\nmiserable death, and now only one other might make the attempt, after\nwhich no more must come. And as his heart was without fear, he caught\nat the idea of seeking out the Castle of the Golden Sun. He had already\ntravelled about for a long time without being able to find it, when he\ncame by chance into a great forest, and did not know the way out of it.\nAll at once he saw in the distance two giants, who made a sign to him\nwith their hands, and when he came to them they said, \u201cWe are\nquarrelling about a cap, and which of us it is to belong to, and as we\nare equally strong, neither of us can get the better of the other. The\nsmall men are cleverer than we are, so we will leave the decision to\nthee.\u201d \u201cHow can you dispute about an old cap?\u201d said the youth. \u201cThou\ndost not know what properties it has! It is a wishing-cap; whosoever\nputs it on, can wish himself away wherever he likes, and in an instant\nhe will be there.\u201d \u201cGive me the cap,\u201d said the youth, \u201cI will go a\nshort distance off, and when I call you, you must run a race, and the\ncap shall belong to the one who gets first to me.\u201d He put it on and\nwent away, and thought of the King\u2019s daughter, forgot the giants, and\nwalked continually onward. At length he sighed from the very bottom of\nhis heart, and cried, \u201cAh, if I were but at the Castle of the Golden\nSun,\u201d and hardly had the words passed his lips than he was standing on\na high mountain before the gate of the castle.\n\nHe entered and went through all the rooms, until in the last he found\nthe King\u2019s daughter. But how shocked he was when he saw her. She had an\nashen-gray face full of wrinkles, blear eyes, and red hair. \u201cAre you\nthe King\u2019s daughter, whose beauty the whole world praises?\u201d cried he.\n\u201cAh,\u201d she answered, \u201cthis is not my form; human eyes can only see me in\nthis state of ugliness, but that thou mayst know what I am like, look\nin the mirror it does not let itself be misled it will show thee my\nimage as it is in truth.\u201d She gave him the mirror in his hand, and he\nsaw therein the likeness of the most beautiful maiden on earth, and\nsaw, too, how the tears were rolling down her cheeks with grief. Then\nsaid he, \u201cHow canst thou be set free? I fear no danger.\u201d She said, \u201cHe\nwho gets the crystal ball, and holds it before the enchanter, will\ndestroy his power with it, and I shall resume my true shape. Ah,\u201d she\nadded, \u201cso many have already gone to meet death for this, and thou art\nso young; I grieve that thou shouldst encounter such great danger.\u201d\n\u201cNothing can keep me from doing it,\u201d said he, \u201cbut tell me what I must\ndo.\u201d \u201cThou shalt know everything,\u201d said the King\u2019s daughter; \u201cwhen thou\ndescendest the mountain on which the castle stands, a wild bull will\nstand below by a spring, and thou must fight with it, and if thou hast\nthe luck to kill it, a fiery bird will spring out of it, which bears in\nits body a burning egg, and in the egg the crystal ball lies like a\nyolk. The bird will not, however, let the egg fall until forced to do\nso, and if it falls on the ground, it will flame up and burn everything\nthat is near, and melt even ice itself, and with it the crystal ball,\nand then all thy trouble will have been in vain.\u201d\n\nThe youth went down to the spring, where the bull snorted and bellowed\nat him. After a long struggle he plunged his sword in the animal\u2019s\nbody, and it fell down. Instantly a fiery bird arose from it, and was\nabout to fly away, but the young man\u2019s brother, the eagle, who was\npassing between the clouds, swooped down, hunted it away to the sea,\nand struck it with his beak until, in its extremity, it let the egg\nfall. The egg did not, however, fall into the sea, but on a fisherman\u2019s\nhut which stood on the shore and the hut began at once to smoke and was\nabout to break out in flames. Then arose in the sea waves as high as a\nhouse, they streamed over the hut, and subdued the fire. The other\nbrother, the whale, had come swimming to them, and had driven the water\nup on high. When the fire was extinguished, the youth sought for the\negg and happily found it; it was not yet melted, but the shell was\nbroken by being so suddenly cooled with the water, and he could take\nout the crystal ball unhurt.\n\nWhen the youth went to the enchanter and held it before him, the latter\nsaid, \u201cMy power is destroyed, and from this time forth thou art the\nKing of the Castle of the Golden Sun. With this canst thou likewise\ngive back to thy brothers their human form.\u201d Then the youth hastened to\nthe King\u2019s daughter, and when he entered the room, she was standing\nthere in the full splendour of her beauty, and joyfully they exchanged\nrings with each other.\n\n\n\n198 Maid Maleen\n\nThere was once a King who had a son who asked in marriage the daughter\nof a mighty King; she was called Maid Maleen, and was very beautiful.\nAs her father wished to give her to another, the prince was rejected;\nbut as they both loved each other with all their hearts, they would not\ngive each other up, and Maid Maleen said to her father, \u201cI can and will\ntake no other for my husband.\u201d Then the King flew into a passion, and\nordered a dark tower to be built, into which no ray of sunlight or\nmoonlight should enter. When it was finished, he said, \u201cTherein shalt\nthou be imprisoned for seven years, and then I will come and see if thy\nperverse spirit is broken.\u201d Meat and drink for the seven years were\ncarried into the tower, and then she and her waiting-woman were led\ninto it and walled up, and thus cut off from the sky and from the\nearth. There they sat in the darkness, and knew not when day or night\nbegan. The King\u2019s son often went round and round the tower, and called\ntheir names, but no sound from without pierced through the thick walls.\nWhat else could they do but lament and complain? Meanwhile the time\npassed, and by the diminution of the food and drink they knew that the\nseven years were coming to an end. They thought the moment of their\ndeliverance was come; but no stroke of the hammer was heard, no stone\nfell out of the wall, and it seemed to Maid Maleen that her father had\nforgotten her. As they only had food for a short time longer, and saw a\nmiserable death awaiting them, Maid Maleen said, \u201cWe must try our last\nchance, and see if we can break through the wall.\u201d She took the\nbread-knife, and picked and bored at the mortar of a stone, and when\nshe was tired, the waiting-maid took her turn. With great labour they\nsucceeded in getting out one stone, and then a second, and a third, and\nwhen three days were over the first ray of light fell on their\ndarkness, and at last the opening was so large that they could look\nout. The sky was blue, and a fresh breeze played on their faces; but\nhow melancholy everything looked all around! Her father\u2019s castle lay in\nruins, the town and the villages were, so far as could be seen,\ndestroyed by fire, the fields far and wide laid to waste, and no human\nbeing was visible. When the opening in the wall was large enough for\nthem to slip through, the waiting-maid sprang down first, and then Maid\nMaleen followed. But where were they to go? The enemy had ravaged the\nwhole kingdom, driven away the King, and slain all the inhabitants.\nThey wandered forth to seek another country, but nowhere did they find\na shelter, or a human being to give them a mouthful of bread, and their\nneed was so great that they were forced to appease their hunger with\nnettles. When, after long journeying, they came into another country,\nthey tried to get work everywhere; but wherever they knocked they were\nturned away, and no one would have pity on them. At last they arrived\nin a large city and went to the royal palace. There also they were\nordered to go away, but at last the cook said that they might stay in\nthe kitchen and be scullions.\n\nThe son of the King in whose kingdom they were, was, however, the very\nman who had been betrothed to Maid Maleen. His father had chosen\nanother bride for him, whose face was as ugly as her heart was wicked.\nThe wedding was fixed, and the maiden had already arrived; but because\nof her great ugliness, however, she shut herself in her room, and\nallowed no one to see her, and Maid Maleen had to take her her meals\nfrom the kitchen. When the day came for the bride and the bridegroom to\ngo to church, she was ashamed of her ugliness, and afraid that if she\nshowed herself in the streets, she would be mocked and laughed at by\nthe people. Then said she to Maid Maleen, \u201cA great piece of luck has\nbefallen thee. I have sprained my foot, and cannot well walk through\nthe streets; thou shalt put on my wedding-clothes and take my place; a\ngreater honour than that thou canst not have!\u201d Maid Maleen, however,\nrefused it, and said, \u201cI wish for no honour which is not suitable for\nme.\u201d It was in vain, too, that the bride offered her gold. At last she\nsaid angrily, \u201cIf thou dost not obey me, it shall cost thee thy life. I\nhave but to speak the word, and thy head will lie at thy feet.\u201d Then\nshe was forced to obey, and put on the bride\u2019s magnificent clothes and\nall her jewels. When she entered the royal hall, every one was amazed\nat her great beauty, and the King said to his son, \u201cThis is the bride\nwhom I have chosen for thee, and whom thou must lead to church.\u201d The\nbridegroom was astonished, and thought, \u201cShe is like my Maid Maleen,\nand I should believe that it was she herself, but she has long been\nshut up in the tower, or dead.\u201d He took her by the hand and led her to\nchurch. On the way was a nettle-plant, and she said,\n\n\u201cOh, nettle-plant,\nLittle nettle-plant,\nWhat dost thou here alone?\nI have known the time\nWhen I ate thee unboiled,\nWhen I ate thee unroasted.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cWhat art thou saying?\u201d asked the King\u2019s son. \u201cNothing,\u201d she replied,\n\u201cI was only thinking of Maid Maleen.\u201d He was surprised that she knew\nabout her, but kept silence. When they came to the foot-plank into the\nchurchyard, she said,\n\n\u201cFoot-bridge, do not break,\nI am not the true bride.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cWhat art thou saying there?\u201d asked the King\u2019s son. \u201cNothing,\u201d she\nreplied, \u201cI was only thinking of Maid Maleen.\u201d \u201cDost thou know Maid\nMaleen?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d she answered, \u201chow should I know her; I have only heard\nof her.\u201d When they came to the church-door, she said once more,\n\n\u201cChurch-door, break not,\nI am not the true bride.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cWhat art thou saying there?\u201d asked he. \u201cAh,\u201d she answered, \u201cI was only\nthinking of Maid Maleen.\u201d Then he took out a precious chain, put it\nround her neck, and fastened the clasp. Thereupon they entered the\nchurch, and the priest joined their hands together before the altar,\nand married them. He led her home, but she did not speak a single word\nthe whole way. When they got back to the royal palace, she hurried into\nthe bride\u2019s chamber, put off the magnificent clothes and the jewels,\ndressed herself in her gray gown, and kept nothing but the jewel on her\nneck, which she had received from the bridegroom.\n\nWhen the night came, and the bride was to be led into the prince\u2019s\napartment, she let her veil fall over her face, that he might not\nobserve the deception. As soon as every one had gone away, he said to\nher, \u201cWhat didst thou say to the nettle-plant which was growing by the\nwayside?\u201d\n\n\u201cTo which nettle-plant?\u201d asked she; \u201cI don\u2019t talk to nettle-plants.\u201d\n\u201cIf thou didst not do it, then thou art not the true bride,\u201d said he.\nSo she bethought herself, and said,\n\n\u201cI must go out unto my maid,\nWho keeps my thoughts for me.\u201d\n\n\nShe went out and sought Maid Maleen. \u201cGirl, what hast thou been saying\nto the nettle?\u201d \u201cI said nothing but,\n\n\u201cOh, nettle-plant,\nLittle nettle-plant,\nWhat dost thou here alone?\nI have known the time\nWhen I ate thee unboiled,\nWhen I ate thee unroasted.\u201d\n\n\nThe bride ran back into the chamber, and said, \u201cI know now what I said\nto the nettle,\u201d and she repeated the words which she had just heard.\n\u201cBut what didst thou say to the foot-bridge when we went over it?\u201d\nasked the King\u2019s son. \u201cTo the foot-bridge?\u201d she answered. \u201cI don\u2019t talk\nto foot-bridges.\u201d \u201cThen thou art not the true bride.\u201d\n\nShe again said,\n\n\u201cI must go out unto my maid,\nWho keeps my thoughts for me,\u201d\n\n\nAnd ran out and found Maid Maleen, \u201cGirl, what didst thou say to the\nfoot-bridge?\u201d\n\n\u201cI said nothing but,\n\n\u201cFoot-bridge, do not break,\nI am not the true bride.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cThat costs thee thy life!\u201d cried the bride, but she hurried into the\nroom, and said, \u201cI know now what I said to the foot-bridge,\u201d and she\nrepeated the words. \u201cBut what didst thou say to the church-door?\u201d \u201cTo\nthe church-door?\u201d she replied; \u201cI don\u2019t talk to church-doors.\u201d \u201cThen\nthou art not the true bride.\u201d\n\nShe went out and found Maid Maleen, and said, \u201cGirl, what didst thou\nsay to the church-door?\u201d\n\n\u201cI said nothing but,\n\n\u201cChurch-door, break not,\nI am not the true bride.\u201d\n\n\n\u201cThat will break thy neck for thee!\u201d cried the bride, and flew into a\nterrible passion, but she hastened back into the room, and said, \u201cI\nknow now what I said to the church-door,\u201d and she repeated the words.\n\u201cBut where hast thou the jewel which I gave thee at the church-door?\u201d\n\u201cWhat jewel?\u201d she answered; \u201cthou didst not give me any jewel.\u201d \u201cI\nmyself put it round thy neck, and I myself fastened it; if thou dost\nnot know that, thou art not the true bride.\u201d He drew the veil from her\nface, and when he saw her immeasurable ugliness, he sprang back\nterrified, and said, \u201cHow comest thou here? Who art thou?\u201d \u201cI am thy\nbetrothed bride, but because I feared lest the people should mock me\nwhen they saw me out of doors, I commanded the scullery-maid to dress\nherself in my clothes, and to go to church instead of me.\u201d \u201cWhere is\nthe girl?\u201d said he; \u201cI want to see her, go and bring her here.\u201d She\nwent out and told the servants that the scullery-maid was an impostor,\nand that they must take her out into the court-yard and strike off her\nhead. The servants laid hold of Maid Maleen and wanted to drag her out,\nbut she screamed so loudly for help, that the King\u2019s son heard her\nvoice, hurried out of his chamber and ordered them to set the maiden\nfree instantly. Lights were brought, and then he saw on her neck the\ngold chain which he had given her at the church-door. \u201cThou art the\ntrue bride,\u201d said he, \u201cwho went with me to the church; come with me now\nto my room.\u201d When they were both alone, he said, \u201cOn the way to church\nthou didst name Maid Maleen, who was my betrothed bride; if I could\nbelieve it possible, I should think she was standing before me thou art\nlike her in every respect.\u201d She answered, \u201cI am Maid Maleen, who for\nthy sake was imprisoned seven years in the darkness, who suffered\nhunger and thirst, and has lived so long in want and poverty. To-day,\nhowever, the sun is shining on me once more. I was married to thee in\nthe church, and I am thy lawful wife.\u201d Then they kissed each other, and\nwere happy all the days of their lives. The false bride was rewarded\nfor what she had done by having her head cut off.\n\nThe tower in which Maid Maleen had been imprisoned remained standing\nfor a long time, and when the children passed by it they sang,\n\n\u201cKling, klang, gloria.\nWho sits within this tower?\nA King\u2019s daughter, she sits within,\nA sight of her I cannot win,\nThe wall it will not break,\nThe stone cannot be pierced.\nLittle Hans, with your coat so gay,\nFollow me, follow me, fast as you may.\u201d\n\n\n\n199 The Boots of Buffalo-Leather\n\nA soldier who is afraid of nothing, troubles himself about nothing. One\nof this kind had received his discharge, and as he had learnt no trade\nand could earn nothing, he travelled about and begged alms of kind\npeople. He had an old waterproof on his back, and a pair of\nriding-boots of buffalo-leather which were still left to him. One day\nhe was walking he knew not where, straight out into the open country,\nand at length came to a forest. He did not know where he was, but saw\nsitting on the trunk of a tree, which had been cut down, a man who was\nwell dressed and wore a green shooting-coat. The soldier shook hands\nwith him, sat down on the grass by his side, and stretched out his\nlegs. \u201cI see thou hast good boots on, which are well blacked,\u201d said he\nto the huntsman; \u201cbut if thou hadst to travel about as I have, they\nwould not last long. Look at mine, they are of buffalo-leather, and\nhave been worn for a long time, but in them I can go through thick and\nthin.\u201d After a while the soldier got up and said, \u201cI can stay no\nlonger, hunger drives me onwards; but, Brother Bright-boots, where does\nthis road lead to?\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t know that myself,\u201d answered the huntsman,\n\u201cI have lost my way in the forest.\u201d \u201cThen thou art in the same plight\nas I,\u201d said the soldier; \u201cbirds of a feather flock together, let us\nremain together, and seek our way.\u201d The huntsman smiled a little, and\nthey walked on further and further, until night fell. \u201cWe do not get\nout of the forest,\u201d said the soldier, \u201cbut there in the distance I see\na light shining, which will help us to something to eat.\u201d They found a\nstone house, knocked at the door, and an old woman opened it. \u201cWe are\nlooking for quarters for the night,\u201d said the soldier, \u201cand some lining\nfor our stomachs, for mine is as empty as an old knapsack.\u201d \u201cYou cannot\nstay here,\u201d answered the old woman; \u201cthis is a robber\u2019s house, and you\nwould do wisely to get away before they come home, or you will be\nlost.\u201d \u201cIt won\u2019t be so bad as that,\u201d answered the soldier, \u201cI have not\nhad a mouthful for two days, and whether I am murdered here or die of\nhunger in the forest is all the same to me. I shall go in.\u201d The\nhuntsman would not follow, but the soldier drew him in with him by the\nsleeve. \u201cCome, my dear brother, we shall not come to an end so quickly\nas that!\u201d The old woman had pity on them and said, \u201cCreep in here\nbehind the stove, and if they leave anything, I will give it to you on\nthe sly when they are asleep.\u201d Scarcely were they in the corner before\ntwelve robbers came bursting in, seated themselves at the table which\nwas already laid, and vehemently demanded some food. The old woman\nbrought in some great dishes of roast meat, and the robbers enjoyed\nthat thoroughly. When the smell of the food ascended the nostrils of\nthe soldier, he said to the huntsman, \u201cI cannot hold out any longer, I\nshall seat myself at the table, and eat with them.\u201d \u201cThou wilt bring us\nto destruction,\u201d said the huntsman, and held him back by the arm. But\nthe soldier began to cough loudly. When the robbers heard that, they\nthrew away their knives and forks, leapt up, and discovered the two who\nwere behind the stove. \u201cAha, gentlemen, are you in the corner?\u201d cried\nthey, \u201cWhat are you doing here? Have you been sent as spies? Wait a\nwhile, and you shall learn how to fly on a dry bough.\u201d \u201cBut do be\ncivil,\u201d said the soldier, \u201cI am hungry, give me something to eat, and\nthen you can do what you like with me.\u201d The robbers were astonished,\nand the captain said, \u201cI see that thou hast no fear; well, thou shalt\nhave some food, but after that thou must die.\u201d \u201cWe shall see,\u201d said the\nsoldier, and seated himself at the table, and began to cut away\nvaliantly at the roast meat. \u201cBrother Brightboots, come and eat,\u201d cried\nhe to the huntsman; \u201cthou must be as hungry as I am, and cannot have\nbetter roast meat at home,\u201d but the huntsman would not eat. The robbers\nlooked at the soldier in astonishment, and said, \u201cThe rascal uses no\nceremony.\u201d After a while he said, \u201cI have had enough food, now get me\nsomething good to drink.\u201d The captain was in the mood to humour him in\nthis also, and called to the old woman, \u201cBring a bottle out of the\ncellar, and mind it be of the best.\u201d The soldier drew the cork out with\na loud noise, and then went with the bottle to the huntsman and said,\n\u201cPay attention, brother, and thou shalt see something that will\nsurprise thee; I am now going to drink the health of the whole clan.\u201d\nThen he brandished the bottle over the heads of the robbers, and cried,\n\u201cLong life to you all, but with your mouths open and your right hands\nlifted up,\u201d and then he drank a hearty draught. Scarcely were the words\nsaid than they all sat motionless as if made of stone, and their mouths\nwere open and their right hands stretched up in the air. The huntsman\nsaid to the soldier, \u201cI see that thou art acquainted with tricks of\nanother kind, but now come and let us go home.\u201d \u201cOho, my dear brother,\nbut that would be marching away far too soon; we have conquered the\nenemy, and must first take the booty. Those men there are sitting fast,\nand are opening their mouths with astonishment, but they will not be\nallowed to move until I permit them. Come, eat and drink.\u201d The old\nwoman had to bring another bottle of the best wine, and the soldier\nwould not stir until he had eaten enough to last for three days. At\nlast when day came, he said, \u201cNow it is time to strike our tents, and\nthat our march may be a short one, the old woman shall show us the\nnearest way to the town.\u201d When they had arrived there, he went to his\nold comrades, and said, \u201cOut in the forest I have found a nest full of\ngallows\u2019 birds, come with me and we will take it.\u201d The soldier led\nthem, and said to the huntsman, \u201cThou must go back again with me to see\nhow they shake when we seize them by the feet.\u201d He placed the men round\nabout the robbers, and then he took the bottle, drank a mouthful,\nbrandished it above them, and cried, \u201cLive again.\u201d Instantly they all\nregained the power of movement, but were thrown down and bound hand and\nfoot with cords. Then the soldier ordered them to be thrown into a cart\nas if they had been so many sacks, and said, \u201cNow drive them straight\nto prison.\u201d The huntsman, however, took one of the men aside and gave\nhim another commission besides. \u201cBrother Bright-boots,\u201d said the\nsoldier, \u201cwe have safely routed the enemy and been well fed, now we\nwill quietly walk behind them as if we were stragglers!\u201d When they\napproached the town, the soldier saw a crowd of people pouring through\nthe gate of the town who were raising loud cries of joy, and waving\ngreen boughs in the air. Then he saw that the entire body-guard was\ncoming up. \u201cWhat can this mean?\u201d said he to the huntsman. \u201cDost thou\nnot know?\u201d he replied, \u201cthat the King has for a long time been absent\nfrom his kingdom, and that to-day he is returning, and every one is\ngoing to meet him.\u201d \u201cBut where is the King?\u201d said the soldier, \u201cI do\nnot see him.\u201d \u201cHere he is,\u201d answered the huntsman, \u201cI am the King, and\nhave announced my arrival.\u201d Then he opened his hunting-coat, and his\nroyal garments were visible. The soldier was alarmed, and fell on his\nknees and begged him to forgive him for having in his ignorance treated\nhim as an equal, and spoken to him by such a name. But the King shook\nhands with him, and said, \u201cThou art a brave soldier, and hast saved my\nlife. Thou shalt never again be in want, I will take care of thee. And\nif ever thou wouldst like to eat a piece of roast meat, as good as that\nin the robber\u2019s house, come to the royal kitchen. But if thou wouldst\ndrink a health, thou must first ask my permission.\u201d\n\n\n\n200 The Golden Key\n\nIn the winter time, when deep snow lay on the ground, a poor boy was\nforced to go out on a sledge to fetch wood. When he had gathered it\ntogether, and packed it, he wished, as he was so frozen with cold, not\nto go home at once, but to light a fire and warm himself a little. So\nhe scraped away the snow, and as he was thus clearing the ground, he\nfound a tiny, gold key. Hereupon he thought that where the key was, the\nlock must be also, and dug in the ground and found an iron chest. \u201cIf\nthe key does but fit it!\u201d thought he; \u201cno doubt there are precious\nthings in that little box.\u201d He searched, but no keyhole was there. At\nlast he discovered one, but so small that it was hardly visible. He\ntried it, and the key fitted it exactly. Then he turned it once round,\nand now we must wait until he has quite unlocked it and opened the lid,\nand then we shall learn what wonderful things were lying in that box.\n\n\n\nChildren\u2019s Legends\n\n\n\nLegend 1 St. Joseph in the Forest\n\nThere was once on a time a mother who had three daughters, the eldest\nof whom was rude and wicked, the second much better, although she had\nher faults, but the youngest was a pious, good child. The mother was,\nhowever, so strange, that it was just the eldest daughter whom she most\nloved, and she could not bear the youngest. On this account, she often\nsent the poor girl out into the great forest in order to get rid of\nher, for she thought she would lose herself and never come back again.\nBut the guardian-angel which every good child has, did not forsake her,\nbut always brought her into the right path again. Once, however, the\nguardian-angel behaved as if he were not there, and the child could not\nfind her way out of the forest again. She walked on constantly until\nevening came, and then she saw a tiny light burning in the distance,\nran up to it at once, and came to a little hut. She knocked, the door\nopened, and she came to a second door, where she knocked again. An old\nman, who had a snow-white beard and looked venerable, opened it for\nher; and he was no other than St. Joseph. He said quite kindly, \u201cCome,\ndear child, seat thyself on my little chair by the fire, and warm\nthyself; I will fetch thee clear water if thou art thirsty; but here in\nthe forest, I have nothing for thee to eat but a couple of little\nroots, which thou must first scrape and boil.\u201d\n\nSt. Joseph gave her the roots. The girl scraped them clean, then she\nbrought a piece of pancake and the bread that her mother had given her\nto take with her; mixed all together in a pan, and cooked herself a\nthick soup. When it was ready, St. Joseph said, \u201cI am so hungry; give\nme some of thy food.\u201d The child was quite willing, and gave him more\nthan she kept for herself, but God\u2019s blessing was with her, so that she\nwas satisfied. When they had eaten, St. Joseph said, \u201cNow we will go to\nbed; I have, however, only one bed, lay thyself in it. I will lie on\nthe ground on the straw.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d answered she, \u201cstay in your own bed,\nthe straw is soft enough for me.\u201d St. Joseph, however, took the child\nin his arms, and carried her into the little bed, and there she said\nher prayers, and fell asleep. Next morning when she awoke, she wanted\nto say good morning to St. Joseph, but she did not see him. Then she\ngot up and looked for him, but could not find him anywhere; at last she\nperceived, behind the door, a bag with money so heavy that she could\njust carry it, and on it was written that it was for the child who had\nslept there that night. On this she took the bag, bounded away with it,\nand got safely to her mother, and as she gave her mother all the money,\nshe could not help being satisfied with her.\n\nThe next day, the second child also took a fancy to go into the forest.\nHer mother gave her a much larger piece of pancake and bread. It\nhappened with her just as with the first child. In the evening she came\nto St. Joseph\u2019s little hut, who gave her roots for a thick soup. When\nit was ready, he likewise said to her, \u201cI am so hungry, give me some of\nthy food.\u201d Then the child said, \u201cYou may have your share.\u201d Afterwards,\nwhen St. Joseph offered her his bed and wanted to lie on the straw, she\nreplied, \u201cNo, lie down in the bed, there is plenty of room for both of\nus.\u201d St. Joseph took her in his arms and put her in the bed, and laid\nhimself on the straw.\n\nIn the morning when the child awoke and looked for St. Joseph, he had\nvanished, but behind the door she found a little sack of money that was\nabout as long as a hand, and on it was written that it was for the\nchild who had slept there last night. So she took the little bag and\nran home with it, and took it to her mother, but she secretly kept two\npieces for herself.\n\nThe eldest daughter had by this time grown curious, and the next\nmorning also insisted on going out into the forest. Her mother gave her\npancakes with her\u2014as many as she wanted, and bread and cheese as well.\nIn the evening she found St. Joseph in his little hut, just as the two\nothers had found him. When the soup was ready and St. Joseph said, \u201cI\nam so hungry, give me some of thy food,\u201d the girl answered, \u201cWait until\nI am satisfied; then if there is anything left thou shalt have it.\u201d She\nate, however, nearly the whole of it, and St. Joseph had to scrape the\ndish. Afterwards, the good old man offered her his bed, and wanted to\nlie on the straw. She took it without making any opposition, laid\nherself down in the little bed, and left the hard straw to the\nwhite-haired man. Next morning when she awoke, St. Joseph was not to be\nfound, but she did not trouble herself about that. She looked behind\nthe door for a money-bag. She fancied something was lying on the\nground, but as she could not very well distinguish what it was, she\nstooped down, and examined it closely, but it remained hanging to her\nnose, and when she got up again, she saw, to her horror, that it was a\nsecond nose, which was hanging fast to her own. Then she began to\nscream and howl, but that did no good; she was forced to see it always\non her nose, for it stretched out so far. Then she ran out and screamed\nwithout stopping till she met St. Joseph, at whose feet she fell and\nbegged until, out of pity, he took the nose off her again, and even\ngave her two farthings. When she got home, her mother was standing\nbefore the door, and asked, \u201cWhat hast thou had given to thee?\u201d Then\nshe lied and said, \u201cA great bag of money, but I have lost it on the\nway.\u201d \u201cLost it!\u201d cried the mother, \u201coh, but we will soon find it\nagain,\u201d and took her by the hand, and wanted to seek it with her. At\nfirst she began to cry, and did not wish to go, but at last she went.\nOn the way, however, so many lizards and snakes broke loose on both of\nthem, that they did not know how to save themselves. At last they stung\nthe wicked child to death, and they stung the mother in the foot,\nbecause she had not brought her up better.\n\n\n\nLegend 2 The Twelve Apostles\n\nThree hundred years before the birth of the Lord Christ, there lived a\nmother who had twelve sons, but was so poor and needy that she no\nlonger knew how she was to keep them alive at all. She prayed to God\ndaily that he would grant that all her sons might be on the earth with\nthe Redeemer who was promised. When her necessity became still greater\nshe sent one of them after the other out into the world to seek bread\nfor her. The eldest was called Peter, and he went out and had already\nwalked a long way, a whole day\u2019s journey, when he came into a great\nforest. He sought for a way out, but could find none, and went farther\nand farther astray, and at the same time felt such great hunger that he\ncould scarcely stand. At length he became so weak that he was forced to\nlie down, and he believed death to be at hand. Suddenly there stood\nbeside him a small boy who shone with brightness, and was as beautiful\nand kind as an angel. The child smote his little hands together, until\nPeter was forced to look up and saw him. Then the child said, \u201cWhy art\nthou sitting there in such trouble?\u201d \u201cAlas!\u201d answered Peter, \u201cI am\ngoing about the world seeking bread, that I may yet see the dear\nSaviour who is promised, that is my greatest desire.\u201d The child said,\n\u201cCome with me, and thy wish shall be fulfilled.\u201d He took poor Peter by\nthe hand, and led him between some cliffs to a great cavern. When they\nentered it, everything was shining with gold, silver, and crystal, and\nin the midst of it twelve cradles were standing side by side. Then said\nthe little angel, \u201cLie down in the first, and sleep a while, I will\nrock thee.\u201d Peter did so, and the angel sang to him and rocked him\nuntil he was al seep. And when he was asleep, the second brother came\nalso, guided thither by his guardian angel, and he was rocked to sleep\nlike the first, and thus came the others, one after the other, until\nall twelve lay there sleeping in the golden cradles. They slept,\nhowever, three hundred years, until the night when the Saviour of the\nworld was born. Then they awoke, and were with him on earth, and were\ncalled the twelve apostles.\n\n\n\nLegend 3 The Rose\n\nThere was once a poor woman who had two children. The youngest had to\ngo every day into the forest to fetch wood. Once when she had gone a\nlong way to seek it, a little child, who was quite strong, came and\nhelped her industriously to pick up the wood and carry it home, and\nthen before a moment had passed the strange child disappeared. The\nchild told her mother this, but at first she would not believe it. At\nlength she brought a rose home, and told her mother that the beautiful\nchild had given her this rose, and had told her that when it was in\nfull bloom, he would return. The mother put the rose in water. One\nmorning her child could not get out of bed, the mother went to the bed\nand found her dead, but she lay looking very happy. On the same\nmorning, the rose was in full bloom.\n\n\n\nLegend 4 Poverty and Humility Lead to Heaven\n\nThere was once a King\u2019s son who went out into the world, and he was\nfull of thought and sad. He looked at the sky, which was so beautifully\npure and blue, then he sighed, and said, \u201cHow well must all be with one\nup there in heaven!\u201d Then he saw a poor gray-haired man who was coming\nalong the road towards him, and he spoke to him, and asked, \u201cHow can I\nget to heaven?\u201d The man answered, \u201cBy poverty and humility. Put on my\nragged clothes, wander about the world for seven years, and get to know\nwhat misery is, take no money, but if thou art hungry ask compassionate\nhearts for a bit of bread; in this way thou wilt reach heaven.\u201d\n\nThen the King\u2019s son took off his magnificent coat, and wore in its\nplace the beggar\u2019s garment, went out into the wide world, and suffered\ngreat misery. He took nothing but a little food, said nothing, but\nprayed to the Lord to take him into his heaven. When the seven years\nwere over, he returned to his father\u2019s palace, but no one recognized\nhim. He said to the servants, \u201cGo and tell my parents that I have come\nback again.\u201d But the servants did not believe it, and laughed and left\nhim standing there. Then said he, \u201cGo and tell it to my brothers that\nthey may come down, for I should so like to see them again.\u201d The\nservants would not do that either, but at last one of them went, and\ntold it to the King\u2019s children, but these did not believe it, and did\nnot trouble themselves about it. Then he wrote a letter to his mother,\nand described to her all his misery, but he did not say that he was her\nson. So, out of pity, the Queen had a place under the stairs assigned\nto him, and food taken to him daily by two servants. But one of them\nwas ill-natured and said, \u201cWhy should the beggar have the good food?\u201d\nand kept it for himself, or gave it to the dogs, and took the weak,\nwasted-away beggar nothing but water; the other, however, was honest,\nand took the beggar what was sent to him. It was little, but he could\nlive on it for a while, and all the time he was quite patient, but he\ngrew continually weaker. As, however, his illness increased, he desired\nto receive the last sacrament. When the host was being elevated down\nbelow, all the bells in the town and neighbourhood began to ring. After\nmass the priest went to the poor man under the stairs, and there he lay\ndead. In one hand he had a rose, in the other a lily, and beside him\nwas a paper in which was written his history.\n\nWhen he was buried, a rose grew on one side of his grave, and a lily on\nthe other.\n\n\n\nLegend 5 God\u2019s Food\n\nThere were once upon a time two sisters, one of whom had no children\nand was rich, and the other had five and was a widow, and so poor that\nshe no longer had food enough to satisfy herself and her children. In\nher need, therefore, she went to her sister, and said, \u201cMy children and\nI are suffering the greatest hunger; thou art rich, give me a mouthful\nof bread.\u201d The very rich sister was as hard as a stone, and said, \u201cI\nmyself have nothing in the house,\u201d and drove away the poor creature\nwith harsh words. After some time the husband of the rich sister came\nhome, and was just going to cut himself a piece of bread, but when he\nmade the first cut into the loaf, out flowed red blood. When the woman\nsaw that she was terrified and told him what had occurred. He hurried\naway to help the widow and her children, but when he entered her room,\nhe found her praying. She had her two youngest children in her arms,\nand the three eldest were lying dead. He offered her food, but she\nanswered, \u201cFor earthly food have we no longer any desire. God has\nalready satisfied the hunger of three of us, and he will hearken to our\nsupplications likewise.\u201d Scarcely had she uttered these words than the\ntwo little ones drew their last breath, whereupon her heart broke, and\nshe sank down dead.\n\n\n\nLegend 6 The Three Green Twigs\n\nThere was once on a time a hermit who lived in a forest at the foot of\na mountain, and passed his time in prayer and good works, and every\nevening he carried, to the glory of God, two pails of water up the\nmountain. Many a beast drank of it, and many a plant was refreshed by\nit, for on the heights above, a strong wind blew continually, which\ndried the air and the ground, and the wild birds which dread mankind\nwheel about there, and with their sharp eyes search for a drink. And\nbecause the hermit was so pious, an angel of God, visible to his eyes,\nwent up with him, counted his steps, and when the work was completed,\nbrought him his food, even as the prophet of old was by God\u2019s command\nfed by the raven. When the hermit in his piety had already reached a\ngreat age, it happened that he once saw from afar a poor sinner being\ntaken to the gallows. He said carelessly to himself, \u201cThere, that one\nis getting his deserts!\u201d In the evening, when he was carrying the water\nup the mountain, the angel who usually accompanied him did not appear,\nand also brought him no food. Then he was terrified, and searched his\nheart, and tried to think how he could have sinned, as God was so\nangry, but he did not discover it. Then he neither ate nor drank, threw\nhimself down on the ground, and prayed day and night. And as he was one\nday thus bitterly weeping in the forest, he heard a little bird singing\nbeautifully and delightfully, and then he was still more troubled and\nsaid, \u201cHow joyously thou singest, the Lord is not angry with thee. Ah,\nif thou couldst but tell me how I can have offended him, that I might\ndo penance, and then my heart also would be glad again.\u201d Then the bird\nbegan to speak and said, \u201cThou hast done injustice, in that thou hast\ncondemned a poor sinner who was being led to the gallows, and for that\nthe Lord is angry with thee. He alone sits in judgement. However, if\nthou wilt do penance and repent thy sins, he will forgive thee.\u201d Then\nthe angel stood beside him with a dry branch in his hand and said,\n\u201cThou shalt carry this dry branch until three green twigs sprout out of\nit, but at night when thou wilt sleep, thou shalt lay it under thy\nhead. Thou shalt beg thy bread from door to door, and not tarry more\nthan one night in the same house. That is the penance which the Lord\nlays on thee.\u201d\n\nThen the hermit took the piece of wood, and went back into the world,\nwhich he had not seen for so long. He ate and drank nothing but what\nwas given him at the doors; many petitions were, however, not listened\nto, and many doors remained shut to him, so that he often did not get a\ncrumb of bread.\n\nOnce when he had gone from door to door from morning till night, and no\none had given him anything, and no one would shelter him for the night,\nhe went forth into a forest, and at last found a cave which someone had\nmade, and an old woman was sitting in it. Then said he, \u201cGood woman,\nkeep me with you in your house for this night;\u201d but she said, \u201cNo, I\ndare not, even if I wished, I have three sons who are wicked and wild,\nif they come home from their robbing expedition, and find you, they\nwould kill us both.\u201d The hermit said, \u201cLet me stay, they will do no\ninjury either to you or to me.\u201d and the woman was compassionate, and\nlet herself be persuaded. Then the man lay down beneath the stairs, and\nput the bit of wood under his head. When the old woman saw him do that,\nshe asked the reason of it, on which he told her that he carried the\nbit of wood about with him for a penance, and used it at night for a\npillow, and that he had offended the Lord, because, when he had seen a\npoor sinner on the way to the gallows, he had said he was getting his\ndeserts. Then the woman began to weep and cried, \u201cIf the Lord thus\npunishes one single word, how will it fare with my sons when they\nappear before him in judgment?\u201d\n\nAt midnight the robbers came home and blustered and stormed. They made\na fire, and when it had lighted up the cave and they saw a man lying\nunder the stairs, they fell in a rage and cried to their mother, \u201cWho\nis the man? Have we not forbidden any one whatsoever to be taken in?\u201d\nThen said the mother, \u201cLet him alone, it is a poor sinner who is\nexpiating his crime.\u201d The robbers asked, \u201cWhat has he done?\u201d \u201cOld man,\u201d\ncried they, \u201ctell us thy sins.\u201d The old man raised himself and told\nthem how he, by one single word, had so sinned that God was angry with\nhim, and how he was now expiating this crime. The robbers were so\npowerfully touched in their hearts by this story, that they were\nshocked with their life up to this time, reflected, and began with\nhearty repentance to do penance for it. The hermit, after he had\nconverted the three sinners, lay down to sleep again under the stairs.\nIn the morning, however, they found him dead, and out of the dry wood\non which his head lay, three green twigs had grown up on high. Thus the\nLord had once more received him into his favour.\n\n\n\nLegend 7 Our Lady\u2019s Little Glass\n\nOnce upon a time a waggoner\u2019s cart which was heavily laden with wine\nhad stuck so fast that in spite of all that he could do, he could not\nget it to move again. Then it chanced that Our Lady just happened to\ncome by that way, and when she perceived the poor man\u2019s distress, she\nsaid to him, \u201cI am tired and thirsty, give me a glass of wine, and I\nwill set thy cart free for thee.\u201d \u201cWillingly,\u201d answered the waggoner,\n\u201cbut I have no glass in which I can give thee the wine.\u201d Then Our Lady\nplucked a little white flower with red stripes, called field bindweed,\nwhich looks very like a glass, and gave it to the waggoner. He filled\nit with wine, and then Our Lady drank it, and in the self-same instant\nthe cart was set free, and the waggoner could drive onwards. The little\nflower is still always called Our Lady\u2019s Little Glass.\n\n\n\nLegend 8 The Aged Mother\n\nIn a large town there was an old woman who sat in the evening alone in\nher room thinking how she had lost first her husband, then both her\nchildren, then one by one all her relations, and at length, that very\nday, her last friend, and now she was quite alone and desolate. She was\nvery sad at heart, and heaviest of all her losses to her was that of\nher sons; and in her pain she blamed God for it. She was still sitting\nlost in thought, when all at once she heard the bells ringing for early\nprayer. She was surprised that she had thus in her sorrow watched\nthrough the whole night, and lighted her lantern and went to church. It\nwas already lighted up when she arrived, but not as it usually was with\nwax candles, but with a dim light. It was also crowded already with\npeople, and all the seats were filled; and when the old woman got to\nher usual place it also was not empty, but the whole bench was entirely\nfull. And when she looked at the people, they were none other than her\ndead relations who were sitting there in their old-fashioned garments,\nbut with pale faces. They neither spoke nor sang; but a soft humming\nand whispering was heard all over the church. Then an aunt of hers\nstood up, stepped forward, and said to the poor old woman, \u201cLook there\nbeside the altar, and thou wilt see thy sons.\u201d The old woman looked\nthere, and saw her two children, one hanging on the gallows, the other\nbound to the wheel. Then said the aunt, \u201cBehold, so would it have been\nwith them if they had lived, and if the good God had not taken them to\nhimself when they were innocent children.\u201d The old woman went trembling\nhome, and on her knees thanked God for having dealt with her more\nkindly than she had been able to understand, and on the third day she\nlay down and died.\n\n\n\nLegend 9 The Heavenly Wedding\n\nA poor peasant-boy one day heard the priest say in church that\nwhosoever desired to enter into the kingdom of heaven must always go\nstraight onward. So he set out, and walked continually straight onwards\nover hill and valley without ever turning aside. At length his way led\nhim into a great town, and into the midst of a church, where just at\nthat time God\u2019s service was being performed. Now when he beheld all the\nmagnificence of this, he thought he had reached heaven, sat down, and\nrejoiced with his whole heart. When the service was over, and the clerk\nbade him go out, he replied, \u201cNo, I will not go out again, I am glad to\nbe in heaven at last.\u201d So the clerk went to the priest, and told him\nthat there was a child in the church who would not go out again,\nbecause he believed he was in heaven. The priest said, \u201cIf he believes\nthat, we will leave him inside.\u201d So he went to him, and asked if he had\nany inclination to work. \u201cYes,\u201d the little fellow replied, \u201cI am\naccustomed to work, but I will not go out of heaven again.\u201d So he\nstayed in the church, and when he saw how the people came and knelt and\nprayed to Our Lady with the blessed child Jesus which was carved in\nwood, he thought \u201cthat is the good God,\u201d and said, \u201cDear God, how thin\nyou are! The people must certainly let you starve; but every day I will\ngive you half my dinner.\u201d From this time forth, he every day took half\nhis dinner to the image, and the image began to enjoy the food. When a\nfew weeks had gone by, people remarked that the image was growing\nlarger and stout and strong, and wondered much. The priest also could\nnot understand it, but stayed in the church, and followed the little\nboy about, and then he saw how he shared his food with the Virgin Mary,\nand how she accepted it.\n\nAfter some time the boy became ill, and for eight days could not leave\nhis bed; but as soon as he could get up again, the first thing he did\nwas to take his food to Our Lady. The priest followed him, and heard\nhim say, \u201cDear God, do not take it amiss that I have not brought you\nanything for such a long time, for I have been ill and could not get\nup.\u201d Then the image answered him and said, \u201cI have seen thy good-will,\nand that is enough for me. Next Sunday thou shalt go with me to the\nwedding.\u201d The boy rejoiced at this, and repeated it to the priest, who\nbegged him to go and ask the image if he, too, might be permitted to\ngo. \u201cNo,\u201d answered the image, \u201cthou alone.\u201d The priest wished to\nprepare him first, and give him the holy communion and the child was\nwilling, and next Sunday, when the host came to him, he fell down and\ndied, and was at the eternal wedding.\n\n\n\nLegend 10 The Hazel-Branch\n\nOne afternoon the Christ-child had laid himself in his cradle-bed and\nhad fallen asleep. Then his mother came to him, looked at him full of\ngladness, and said, \u201cHast thou laid thyself down to sleep, my child?\nSleep sweetly, and in the meantime I will go into the wood, and fetch\nthee a handful of strawberries, for I know that thou wilt be pleased\nwith them when thou awakest.\u201d In the wood outside, she found a spot\nwith the most beautiful strawberries; but as she was stooping down to\ngather one, an adder sprang up out of the grass. She was alarmed, left\nthe strawberries where they were, and hastened away. The adder darted\nafter her; but Our Lady, as you can readily understand, knew what it\nwas best to do. She hid herself behind a hazel-bush, and stood there\nuntil the adder had crept away again. Then she gathered the\nstrawberries, and as she set out on her way home she said, \u201cAs the\nhazel-bush has been my protection this time, it shall in future protect\nothers also.\u201d Therefore, from the most remote times, a green\nhazel-branch has been the safest protection against adders, snakes, and\neverything else which creeps on the earth.","title":"Household Tales by Brothers Grimm","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":284848}