Kabanata Kabanata 86 · The Gnome

. The Gnome

There was once upon a time a rich King who had three daughters, who

daily went to walk in the palace garden, and the King was a great lover

of all kinds of fine trees, but there was one for which he had such an

affection, that if anyone gathered an apple from it he wished him a

hundred fathoms underground. And when harvest time came, the apples on

this tree were all as red as blood. The three daughters went every day

beneath the tree, and looked to see if the wind had not blown down an

apple, but they never by any chance found one, and the tree was so

loaded with them that it was almost breaking, and the branches hung

down to the ground. Then the King’s youngest child had a great desire

for an apple, and said to her sisters, “Our father loves us far too

much to wish us underground, it is my belief that he would only do that

to people who were strangers.” And while she was speaking, the child

plucked off quite a large apple, and ran to her sisters, saying, “Just

taste, my dear little sisters, for never in my life have I tasted

anything so delightful.” Then the two other sisters also ate some of

the apple, whereupon all three sank deep down into the earth, where

they could hear no cock crow.

When mid-day came, the King wished to call them to come to dinner, but

they were nowhere to be found. He sought them everywhere in the palace

and garden, but could not find them. Then he was much troubled, and

made known to the whole land that whosoever brought his daughters back

again should have one of them to wife. Hereupon so many young men went

about the country in search, that there was no counting them, for every

one loved the three children because they were so kind to all, and so

fair of face. Three young huntsmen also went out, and when they had

travelled about for eight days, they arrived at a great castle, in

which were beautiful apartments, and in one room a table was laid on

which were delicate dishes which were still so warm that they were

smoking, but in the whole of the castle no human being was either to be

seen or heard. They waited there for half a day, and the food still

remained warm and smoking, and at length they were so hungry that they

sat down and ate, and agreed with each other that they would stay and

live in that castle, and that one of them, who should be chosen by

casting lots, should remain in the house, and the two others seek the

King’s daughters. They cast lots, and the lot fell on the eldest; so

next day the two younger went out to seek, and the eldest had to stay

home. At mid-day came a small, small mannikin and begged for a piece of

bread, then the huntsman took the bread which he had found there, and

cut a round off the loaf and was about to give it to him, but whilst he

was giving it to the mannikin, the latter let it fall, and asked the

huntsman to be so good as to give him that piece again. The huntsman

was about to do so and stooped, on which the mannikin took a stick,

seized him by the hair, and gave him a good beating. Next day, the

second stayed at home, and he fared no better. When the two others

returned in the evening, the eldest said, “Well, how have you got on?”

“Oh, very badly,” said he, and then they lamented their misfortune

together, but they said nothing about it to the youngest, for they did

not like him at all, and always called him Stupid Hans, because he did

not exactly belong to the forest. On the third day, the youngest stayed

at home, and again the little mannikin came and begged for a piece of

bread. When the youth gave it to him, the elf let it fall as before,

and asked him to be so good as to give him that piece again. Then said

Hans to the little mannikin, “What! canst thou not pick up that piece

thyself? If thou wilt not take as much trouble as that for thy daily

bread, thou dost not deserve to have it.” Then the mannikin grew very

angry and said he was to do it, but the huntsman would not, and took my

dear mannikin, and gave him a thorough beating. Then the mannikin

screamed terribly, and cried, “Stop, stop, and let me go, and I will

tell thee where the King’s daughters are.” When Hans heard that, he

left off beating him and the mannikin told him that he was an earth

mannikin, and that there were more than a thousand like him, and that

if he would go with him he would show him where the King’s daughters

were. Then he showed him a deep well, but there was no water in it. And

the elf said that he knew well that the companions Hans had with him

did not intend to deal honourably with him, therefore if he wished to

deliver the King’s children, he must do it alone. The two other

brothers would also be very glad to recover the King’s daughters, but

they did not want to have any trouble or danger. Hans was therefore to

take a large basket, and he must seat himself in it with his hanger and

a bell, and be let down. Below were three rooms, and in each of them

was a princess, with a many-headed dragon, whose heads she was to comb

and trim, but he must cut them off. And having said all this, the elf

vanished. When it was evening the two brothers came and asked how he

had got on, and he said, “pretty well so far,” and that he had seen no

one except at mid-day when a little mannikin had come and begged for a

piece of bread, that he had given some to him, but that the mannikin

had let it fall and had asked him to pick it up again; but as he did

not choose to do that, the elf had begun to lose his temper, and that

he had done what he ought not, and had given the elf a beating, on

which he had told him where the King’s daughters were. Then the two

were so angry at this that they grew green and yellow. Next morning

they went to the well together, and drew lots who should first seat

himself in the basket, and again the lot fell on the eldest, and he was

to seat himself in it, and take the bell with him. Then he said, “If I

ring, you must draw me up again immediately.” When he had gone down for

a short distance, he rang, and they at once drew him up again. Then the

second seated himself in the basket, but he did just the same as the

first, and then it was the turn of the youngest, but he let himself be

lowered quite to the bottom. When he had got out of the basket, he took

his hanger, and went and stood outside the first door and listened, and

heard the dragon snoring quite loudly. He opened the door slowly, and

one of the princesses was sitting there, and had nine dragon’s heads

lying upon her lap, and was combing them. Then he took his hanger and

hewed at them, and the nine fell off. The princess sprang up, threw her

arms round his neck, embraced and kissed him repeatedly, and took her

stomacher, which was made of pure gold, and hung it round his neck.

Then he went to the second princess, who had a dragon with five heads

to comb, and delivered her also, and to the youngest, who had a dragon

with four heads, he went likewise. And they all rejoiced, and embraced

him and kissed him without stopping. Then he rang very loud, so that

those above heard him, and he placed the princesses one after the other

in the basket, and had them all drawn up, but when it came to his own

turn he remembered the words of the elf, who had told him that his

comrades did not mean well by him. So he took a great stone which was

lying there, and placed it in the basket, and when it was about half

way up, his false brothers above cut the rope, so that the basket with

the stone fell to the ground, and they thought that he was dead, and

ran away with the three princesses, making them promise to tell their

father that it was they who had delivered them, and then they went to

the King, and each demanded a princess in marriage.

In the meantime the youngest huntsman was wandering about the three

chambers in great trouble, fully expecting to have to end his days

there, when he saw, hanging on the wall, a flute; then said he, “Why

dost thou hang there, no one can be merry here?” He looked at the

dragons, heads likewise and said, “You too cannot help me now.” He

walked backwards and forwards for such a long time that he made the

surface of the ground quite smooth. But at last other thoughts came to

his mind, and he took the flute from the wall, and played a few notes

on it, and suddenly a number of elves appeared, and with every note

that he sounded one more came. Then he played until the room was

entirely filled. They all asked what he desired, so he said he wished

to get above ground back to daylight, on which they seized him by every

hair that grew on his head, and thus they flew with him onto the earth

again. When he was above ground, he at once went to the King’s palace,

just as the wedding of one princess was about to be celebrated, and he

went to the room where the King and his three daughters were. When the

princesses saw him they fainted. Hereupon the King was angry, and

ordered him to be put in prison at once, because he thought he must

have done some injury to the children. When the princesses came to

themselves, however, they entreated the King to set him free again. The

King asked why, and they said that they were not allowed to tell that,

but their father said that they were to tell it to the stove. And he

went out, listened at the door, and heard everything. Then he caused

the two brothers to be hanged on the gallows, and to the third he gave

his youngest daughter, and on that occasion I wore a pair of glass

shoes, and I struck them against a stone, and they said, “Klink,” and

were broken.