Chapter Chapter 91 · The Water of Life

. The Water of Life

There was once a King who had an illness, and no one believed that he

would come out of it with his life. He had three sons who were much

distressed about it, and went down into the palace-garden and wept.

There they met an old man who inquired as to the cause of their grief.

They told him that their father was so ill that he would most certainly

die, for nothing seemed to cure him. Then the old man said, “I know of

one more remedy, and that is the water of life; if he drinks of it he

will become well again; but it is hard to find.” The eldest said, “I

will manage to find it,” and went to the sick King, and begged to be

allowed to go forth in search of the water of life, for that alone

could save him. “No,” said the King, “the danger of it is too great. I

would rather die.” But he begged so long that the King consented. The

prince thought in his heart, “If I bring the water, then I shall be

best beloved of my father, and shall inherit the kingdom.” So he set

out, and when he had ridden forth a little distance, a dwarf stood

there in the road who called to him and said, “Whither away so fast?”

“Silly shrimp,” said the prince, very haughtily, “it is nothing to do

with you,” and rode on. But the little dwarf had grown angry, and had

wished an evil wish. Soon after this the prince entered a ravine, and

the further he rode the closer the mountains drew together, and at last

the road became so narrow that he could not advance a step further; it

was impossible either to turn his horse or to dismount from the saddle,

and he was shut in there as if in prison. The sick King waited long for

him, but he came not. Then the second son said, “Father, let me go

forth to seek the water,” and thought to himself, “If my brother is

dead, then the kingdom will fall to me.” At first the King would not

allow him to go either, but at last he yielded, so the prince set out

on the same road that his brother had taken, and he too met the dwarf,

who stopped him to ask, whither he was going in such haste? “Little

shrimp,” said the prince, “that is nothing to thee,” and rode on

without giving him another look. But the dwarf bewitched him, and he,

like the other, rode into a ravine, and could neither go forwards nor

backwards. So fare haughty people.

As the second son also remained away, the youngest begged to be allowed

to go forth to fetch the water, and at last the King was obliged to let

him go. When he met the dwarf and the latter asked him whither he was

going in such haste, he stopped, gave him an explanation, and said, “I

am seeking the water of life, for my father is sick unto death.” “Dost

thou know, then, where that is to be found?” “No,” said the prince. “As

thou hast borne thyself as is seemly, and not haughtily like thy false

brothers, I will give thee the information and tell thee how thou mayst

obtain the water of life. It springs from a fountain in the courtyard

of an enchanted castle, but thou wilt not be able to make thy way to

it, if I do not give thee an iron wand and two small loaves of bread.

Strike thrice with the wand on the iron door of the castle and it will

spring open: inside lie two lions with gaping jaws, but if thou

throwest a loaf to each of them, they will be quieted. Then hasten to

fetch some of the water of life before the clock strikes twelve, else

the door will shut again, and thou wilt be imprisoned.” The prince

thanked him, took the wand and the bread, and set out on his way. When

he arrived, everything was as the dwarf had said. The door sprang open

at the third stroke of the wand, and when he had appeased the lions

with the bread, he entered the castle, and came to a large and splendid

hall, wherein sat some enchanted princes whose rings he drew off their

fingers. A sword and a loaf of bread were lying there, which he carried

away. After this, he entered a chamber, in which was a beautiful maiden

who rejoiced when she saw him, kissed him, and told him that he had

delivered her, and should have the whole of her kingdom, and that if he

would return in a year their wedding should be celebrated; likewise she

told him where the spring of the water of life was, and that he was to

hasten and draw some of it before the clock struck twelve. Then he went

onwards, and at last entered a room where there was a beautiful

newly-made bed, and as he was very weary, he felt inclined to rest a

little. So he lay down and fell asleep. When he awoke, it was striking

a quarter to twelve. He sprang up in a fright, ran to the spring, drew

some water in a cup which stood near, and hastened away. But just as he

was passing through the iron door, the clock struck twelve, and the

door fell to with such violence that it carried away a piece of his

heel. He, however, rejoicing at having obtained the water of life, went

homewards, and again passed the dwarf. When the latter saw the sword

and the loaf, he said, “With these thou hast won great wealth; with the

sword thou canst slay whole armies, and the bread will never come to an

end.” But the prince would not go home to his father without his

brothers, and said, “Dear dwarf, canst thou not tell me where my two

brothers are? They went out before I did in search of the water of

life, and have not returned.” “They are imprisoned between two

mountains,” said the dwarf. “I have condemned them to stay there,

because they were so haughty.” Then the prince begged until the dwarf

released them; but he warned him, however, and said, “Beware of them,

for they have bad hearts.” When his brothers came, he rejoiced, and

told them how things had gone with him, that he had found the water of

life and had brought a cupful away with him, and had rescued a

beautiful princess, who was willing to wait a year for him, and then

their wedding was to be celebrated and he would obtain a great kingdom.

After that they rode on together, and chanced upon a land where war and

famine reigned, and the King already thought he must perish, for the

scarcity was so great. Then the prince went to him and gave him the

loaf, wherewith he fed and satisfied the whole of his kingdom, and then

the prince gave him the sword also wherewith he slew the hosts of his

enemies, and could now live in rest and peace. The prince then took

back his loaf and his sword, and the three brothers rode on. But after

this they entered two more countries where war and famine reigned and

each time the prince gave his loaf and his sword to the Kings, and had

now delivered three kingdoms, and after that they went on board a ship

and sailed over the sea. During the passage, the two eldest conversed

apart and said, “The youngest has found the water of life and not we,

for that our father will give him the kingdom the kingdom which belongs

to us, and he will rob us of all our fortune.” They then began to seek

revenge, and plotted with each other to destroy him. They waited until

they found him fast asleep, then they poured the water of life out of

the cup, and took it for themselves, but into the cup they poured salt

sea-water. Now therefore, when they arrived home, the youngest took his

cup to the sick King in order that he might drink out of it, and be

cured. But scarcely had he drunk a very little of the salt sea-water

than he became still worse than before. And as he was lamenting over

this, the two eldest brothers came, and accused the youngest of having

intended to poison him, and said that they had brought him the true

water of life, and handed it to him. He had scarcely tasted it, when he

felt his sickness departing, and became strong and healthy as in the

days of his youth. After that they both went to the youngest, mocked

him, and said, “You certainly found the water of life, but you have had

the pain, and we the gain; you should have been sharper, and should

have kept your eyes open. We took it from you whilst you were asleep at

sea, and when a year is over, one of us will go and fetch the beautiful

princess. But beware that you do not disclose aught of this to our

father; indeed he does not trust you, and if you say a single word, you

shall lose your life into the bargain, but if you keep silent, you

shall have it as a gift.”

The old King was angry with his youngest son, and thought he had

plotted against his life. So he summoned the court together and had

sentence pronounced upon his son, that he should be secretly shot. And

once when the prince was riding forth to the chase, suspecting no evil,

the King’s huntsman had to go with him, and when they were quite alone

in the forest, the huntsman looked so sorrowful that the prince said to

him, “Dear huntsman, what ails you?” The huntsman said, “I cannot tell

you, and yet I ought.” Then the prince said, “Say openly what it is, I

will pardon you.” “Alas!” said the huntsman, “I am to shoot you dead,

the King has ordered me to do it.” Then the prince was shocked, and

said, “Dear huntsman, let me live; there, I give you my royal garments;

give me your common ones in their stead.” The huntsman said, “I will

willingly do that, indeed I should not have been able to shoot you.”

Then they exchanged clothes, and the huntsman returned home; the

prince, however, went further into the forest. After a time three

waggons of gold and precious stones came to the King for his youngest

son, which were sent by the three Kings who had slain their enemies

with the prince’s sword, and maintained their people with his bread,

and who wished to show their gratitude for it. The old King then

thought, “Can my son have been innocent?” and said to his people,

“Would that he were still alive, how it grieves me that I have suffered

him to be killed!” “He still lives,” said the huntsman, “I could not

find it in my heart to carry out your command,” and told the King how

it had happened. Then a stone fell from the King’s heart, and he had it

proclaimed in every country that his son might return and be taken into

favour again.

The princess, however, had a road made up to her palace which was quite

bright and golden, and told her people that whosoever came riding

straight along it to her, would be the right wooer and was to be

admitted, and whoever rode by the side of it, was not the right one,

and was not to be admitted. As the time was now close at hand, the

eldest thought he would hasten to go to the King’s daughter, and give

himself out as her deliverer, and thus win her for his bride, and the

kingdom to boot. Therefore he rode forth, and when he arrived in front

of the palace, and saw the splendid golden road, he thought, it would

be a sin and a shame if he were to ride over that, and turned aside,

and rode on the right side of it. But when he came to the door, the

servants told him that he was not the right man, and was to go away

again. Soon after this the second prince set out, and when he came to

the golden road, and his horse had put one foot on it, he thought, it

would be a sin and a shame to tread a piece of it off, and he turned

aside and rode on the left side of it, and when he reached the door,

the attendants told him he was not the right one, and he was to go away

again. When at last the year had entirely expired, the third son

likewise wished to ride out of the forest to his beloved, and with her

forget his sorrows. So he set out and thought of her so incessantly,

and wished to be with her so much, that he never noticed the golden

road at all. So his horse rode onwards up the middle of it, and when he

came to the door, it was opened and the princess received him with joy,

and said he was her deliverer, and lord of the kingdom, and their

wedding was celebrated with great rejoicing. When it was over she told

him that his father invited him to come to him, and had forgiven him.

So he rode thither, and told him everything; how his brothers had

betrayed him, and how he had nevertheless kept silence. The old King

wished to punish them, but they had put to sea, and never came back as

long as they lived.