Kabanata Kabanata 10 · THE MAGIC RING

. THE MAGIC RING

Once upon a time there lived an old couple who had one son called

Martin. Now when the old man’s time had come, he stretched himself out

on his bed and died. Though all his life long he had toiled and moiled,

he only left his widow and son two hundred florins. The old woman

determined to put by the money for a rainy day; but alas! the rainy day

was close at hand, for their meal was all consumed, and who is prepared

to face starvation with two hundred florins at their disposal? So the

old woman counted out a hundred of her florins, and giving them to

Martin, told him to go into the town and lay in a store of meal for a

year.

So Martin started off for the town. When he reached the meat-market he

found the whole place in turmoil, and a great noise of angry voices and

barking of dogs. Mixing in the crowd, he noticed a stag-hound which the

butchers had caught and tied to a post, and which was being flogged in

a merciless manner. Overcome with pity, Martin spoke to the butchers,

saying:

‘Friends, why are you beating the poor dog so cruelly?’

‘We have every right to beat him,’ they replied; ‘he has just devoured a

newly-killed pig.’

‘Leave off beating him,’ said Martin, ‘and sell him to me instead.’

‘If you choose to buy him,’ answered the butchers derisively; ‘but for

such a treasure we won’t take a penny less than a hundred florins.’

‘A hundred!’ exclaimed Martin. ‘Well, so be it, if you will not take

less;’ and, taking the money out of his pocket, he handed it over in

exchange for the dog, whose name was Schurka.

When Martin got home, his mother met him with the question:

‘Well, what have you bought?’

‘Schurka, the dog,’ replied Martin, pointing to his new possession.

Whereupon his mother became very angry, and abused him roundly. He ought

to be ashamed of himself, when there was scarcely a handful of meal in

the house, to have spent the money on a useless brute like that. On the

following day she sent him back to the town, saying, ‘Here, take our

last hundred florins, and buy provisions with them. I have just emptied

the last grains of meal out of the chest, and baked a bannock; but it

won’t last over to-morrow.’

Just as Martin was entering the town he met a rough-looking peasant who

was dragging a cat after him by a string which was fastened round the

poor beast’s neck.

‘Stop,’ cried Martin; ‘where are you dragging that poor cat?’

‘I mean to drown him,’ was the answer.

‘What harm has the poor beast done?’ said Martin.

‘It has just killed a goose,’ replied the peasant.

‘Don’t drown him, sell him to me instead,’ begged Martin.

‘Not for a hundred florins,’ was the answer.

‘Surely for a hundred florins you’ll sell it?’ said Martin. ‘See! here

is the money;’ and, so saying, he handed him the hundred florins, which

the peasant pocketed, and Martin took possession of the cat, which was

called Waska.

When he reached his home his mother greeted him with the question:

‘Well, what have you brought back?’

‘I have brought this cat, Waska,’ answered Martin.

‘And what besides?’

‘I had no money over to buy anything else with,’ replied Martin.

‘You useless ne’er-do-weel!’ exclaimed his mother in a great passion.

‘Leave the house at once, and go and beg your bread among strangers;’

and as Martin did not dare to contradict her, he called Schurka and

Waska and started off with them to the nearest village in search of

work. On the way he met a rich peasant, who asked him where he was

going.

‘I want to get work as a day labourer,’ he answered.

‘Come along with me, then. But I must tell you I engage my labourers

without wages. If you serve me faithfully for a year, I promise you it

shall be for your advantage.’

So Martin consented, and for a year he worked diligently, and served

his master faithfully, not sparing himself in any way. When the day of

reckoning had come the peasant led him into a barn, and pointing to two

full sacks, said: ‘Take whichever of these you choose.’

Martin examined the contents of the sacks, and seeing that one was full

of silver and the other of sand, he said to himself:

‘There must be some trick about this; I had better take the sand.’ And

throwing the sack over his shoulders he started out into the world,

in search of fresh work. On and on he walked, and at last he reached

a great gloomy wood. In the middle of the wood he came upon a meadow,

where a fire was burning, and in the midst of the fire, surrounded by

flames, was a lovely damsel, more beautiful than anything that Martin

had ever seen, and when she saw him she called to him:

‘Martin, if you would win happiness, save my life. Extinguish the flames

with the sand that you earned in payment of your faithful service.’

‘Truly,’ thought Martin to himself, ‘it would be more sensible to save a

fellow-being’s life with this sand than to drag it about on one’s back,

seeing what a weight it is.’ And forthwith he lowered the sack from his

shoulders and emptied its contents on the flames, and instantly the

fire was extinguished; but at the same moment lo! and behold the lovely

damsel turned into a Serpent, and, darting upon him, coiled itself round

his neck, and whispered lovingly in his ear:

‘Do not be afraid of me, Martin; I love you, and will go with you

through the world. But first you must follow me boldly into my Father’s

Kingdom, underneath the earth; and when we get there, remember this--he

will offer you gold and silver, and dazzling gems, but do not touch

them. Ask him, instead, for the ring which he wears on his little

finger, for in that ring lies a magic power; you have only to throw it

from one hand to the other, and at once twelve young men will appear,

who will do your bidding, no matter how difficult, in a single night.’

So they started on their way, and after much wandering they reached

a spot where a great rock rose straight up in the middle of the road.

Instantly the Serpent uncoiled itself from his neck, and, as it touched

the damp earth, it resumed the shape of the lovely damsel. Pointing to

the rock, she showed him an opening just big enough for a man to wriggle

through. Passing into it, they entered a long underground passage, which

led out on to a wide field, above which spread a blue sky. In the middle

of the field stood a magnificent castle, built out of porphyry, with a

roof of gold and with glittering battlements. And his beautiful guide

told him that this was the palace in which her father lived and reigned

over his kingdom in the Under-world.

Together they entered the palace, and were received by the King with

great kindness. Turning to his daughter, he said:

‘My child, I had almost given up the hope of ever seeing you again.

Where have you been all these years?’

‘My father,’ she replied, ‘I owe my life to this youth, who saved me

from a terrible death.’

Upon which the King turned to Martin with a gracious smile, saying: ‘I

will reward your courage by granting you whatever your heart desires.

Take as much gold, silver, and precious stones as you choose.’

‘I thank you, mighty King, for your gracious offer,’ answered Martin,’

‘but I do not covet either gold, silver, or precious stones; yet if you

will grant me a favour, give me, I beg, the ring from off the little

finger of your royal hand. Every time my eye falls on it I shall think

of your gracious Majesty, and when I marry I shall present it to my

bride.’

So the King took the ring from his finger and gave it to Martin, saying:

‘Take it, good youth; but with it I make one condition--you are never

to confide to anyone that this is a magic ring. If you do, you will

straightway bring misfortune on yourself.’

Martin took the ring, and, having thanked the King, he set out on the

same road by which he had come down into the Under-world. When he had

regained the upper air he started for his old home, and having found his

mother still living in the old house where he had left her, they settled

down together very happily. So uneventful was their life that it

almost seemed as if it would go on in this way always, without let or

hindrance. But one day it suddenly came into his mind that he would like

to get married, and, moreover, that he would choose a very grand wife--a

King’s daughter, in short. But as he did not trust himself as a wooer,

he determined to send his old mother on the mission.

‘You must go to the King,’ he said to her, ‘and demand the hand of his

lovely daughter in marriage for me.’

‘What are you thinking of, my son?’ answered the old woman, aghast at

the idea. ‘Why cannot you marry someone in your own rank? That would be

far more fitting than to send a poor old woman like me a-wooing to the

King’s Court for the hand of a Princess. Why, it is as much as our heads

are worth. Neither my life nor yours would be worth anything if I went

on such a fool’s errand.’

‘Never fear, little mother,’ answered Martin. ‘Trust me; all will be

well. But see that you do not come back without an answer of some kind.’

And so, obedient to her son’s behest, the old woman hobbled off to the

palace, and, without being hindered, reached the courtyard, and began to

mount the flight of steps leading to the royal presence chamber. At

the head of the landing rows of courtiers were collected in magnificent

attire, who stared at the queer old figure, and called to her, and

explained to her, with every kind of sign, that it was strictly

forbidden to mount those steps. But their stern words and forbidding

gestures made no impression whatever on the old woman, and she

resolutely continued to climb the stairs, bent on carrying out her son’s

orders. Upon this some of the courtiers seized her by the arms, and held

her back by sheer force, at which she set up such a yell that the King

himself heard it, and stepped out on to the balcony to see what was the

matter. When he beheld the old woman flinging her arms wildly about, and

heard her scream that she would not leave the place till she had laid

her case before the King, he ordered that she should be brought into

his presence. And forthwith she was conducted into the golden presence

chamber, where, leaning back amongst cushions of royal purple, the King

sat, surrounded by his counsellors and courtiers. Courtesying low, the

old woman stood silent before him. ‘Well, my good old dame, what can I

do for you?’ asked the King.

‘I have come,’ replied Martin’s mother--‘and your Majesty must not be

angry with me--I have come a-wooing.’

‘Is the woman out of her mind?’ said the King, with an angry frown.

But Martin’s mother answered boldly: ‘If the King will only listen

patiently to me, and give me a straightforward answer, he will see that

I am not out of my mind. You, O King, have a lovely daughter to give

in marriage. I have a son--a wooer--as clever a youth and as good a

son-in-law as you will find in your whole kingdom. There is nothing that

he cannot do. Now tell me, O King, plump and plain, will you give your

daughter to my son as wife?’ The King listened to the end of the old

woman’s strange request, but every moment his face grew blacker, and his

features sterner; till all at once he thought to himself, ‘Is it worth

while that I, the King, should be angry with this poor old fool?’ And

all the courtiers and counsellors were amazed when they saw the hard

lines round his mouth and the frown on his brow grow smooth, and heard

the mild but mocking tones in which he answered the old woman, saying:

‘If your son is as wonderfully clever as you say, and if there is

nothing in the world that he cannot do, let him build a magnificent

castle, just opposite my palace windows, in four and twenty hours. The

palace must be joined together by a bridge of pure crystal. On each

side of the bridge there must be growing trees, having golden and silver

apples, and with birds of Paradise among the branches. At the right of

the bridge there must be a church, with five golden cupolas; in this

church your son shall be wedded to my daughter, and we will keep the

wedding festivities in the new castle. But if he fails to execute this

my royal command, then, as a just but mild monarch, I shall give orders

that you and he are taken, and first dipped in tar and then in feathers,

and you shall be executed in the market-place for the entertainment of

my courtiers.’

And a smile played round the King’s lips as he finished speaking, and

his courtiers and counsellors shook with laughter when they thought of

the old woman’s folly, and praised the King’s wise device, and said to

each other, ‘What a joke it will be when we see the pair of them tarred

and feathered! The son is just as able to grow a beard on the palm of

his hand as to execute such a task in twenty-four hours.’

Now the poor old woman was mortally afraid and, in a trembling voice she

asked:

‘Is that really your royal will, O King? Must I take this order to my

poor son?’

‘Yes, old dame; such is my command. If your son carries out my order,

he shall be rewarded with my daughter; but if he fails, away to the

tar-barrel and the stake with you both!’

On her way home the poor old woman shed bitter tears, and when she saw

Martin she told him what the King had said, and sobbed out:

‘Didn’t I tell you, my son, that you should marry someone of your own

rank? It would have been better for us this day if you had. As I told

you, my going to Court has been as much as our lives are worth, and

now we will both be tarred and feathered, and burnt in the public

market-place. It is terrible!’ and she moaned and cried.

‘Never fear, little mother,’ answered Martin; ‘trust me, and you will

see all will be well. You may go to sleep with a quiet mind.’

And, stepping to the front of the hut, Martin threw his ring from the

palm of one hand into the other, upon which twelve youths instantly

appeared, and demanded what he wanted them to do. Then he told them the

King’s commands, and they answered that by next morning all should be

accomplished exactly as the King had ordered.

Next morning when the King awoke, and looked out of his window, to his

amazement he beheld a magnificent castle, just opposite his own palace,

and joined to it a bridge of pure crystal.

At each side of the bridge trees were growing, from whose branches hung

golden and silver apples, among which birds of Paradise perched. At the

right, gleaming in the sun, were the five golden cupolas of a splendid

church, whose bells rang out, as if they would summon people from all

corners of the earth to come and behold the wonder. Now, though the King

would much rather have seen his future son-in-law tarred, feathered, and

burnt at the stake, he remembered his royal oath, and had to make the

best of a bad business. So he took heart of grace, and made Martin a

Duke, and gave his daughter a rich dowry, and prepared the grandest

wedding-feast that had ever been seen, so that to this day the old

people in the country still talk of it.

After the wedding Martin and his royal bride went to dwell in the

magnificent new palace, and here Martin lived in the greatest comfort

and luxury, such luxury as he had never imagined. But though he was as

happy as the day was long, and as merry as a grig, the King’s daughter

fretted all day, thinking of the indignity that had been done her in

making her marry Martin, the poor widow’s son, instead of a rich young

Prince from a foreign country. So unhappy was she that she spent all her

time wondering how she should get rid of her undesirable husband.

And first she determined to learn the secret of his power, and, with

flattering, caressing words, she tried to coax him to tell her how he

was so clever that there was nothing in the world that he could not do.

At first he would tell her nothing; but once, when he was in a yielding

mood, she approached him with a winning smile on her lovely face, and,

speaking flattering words to him, she gave him a potion to drink, with

a sweet, strong taste. And when he had drunk it Martin’s lips were

unsealed, and he told her that all his power lay in the magic ring that

he wore on his finger, and he described to her how to use it, and, still

speaking, he fell into a deep sleep. And when she saw that the potion

had worked, and that he was sound asleep, the Princess took the magic

ring from his finger, and, going into the courtyard, she threw it from

the palm of one hand into the other.

On the instant the twelve youths appeared, and asked her what she

commanded them to do. Then she told them that by the next morning they

were to do away with the castle, and the bridge, and the church, and

put in their stead the humble hut in which Martin used to live with his

mother, and that while he slept her husband was to be carried to his old

lowly room; and that they were to bear her away to the utmost ends of

the earth, where an old King lived who would make her welcome in his

palace, and surround her with the state that befitted a royal Princess.

‘You shall be obeyed,’ answered the twelve youths at the same moment.

And lo and behold! the following morning, when the King awoke and looked

out of his window he beheld to his amazement that the palace, bridge,

church, and trees had all vanished, and there was nothing in their place

but a bare, miserable-looking hut.

Immediately the King sent for his son-in-law, and commanded him to

explain what had happened. But Martin looked at his royal father-in-law,

and answered never a word. Then the King was very angry, and, calling

a council together, he charged Martin with having been guilty of

witchcraft, and of having deceived the King, and having made away with

the Princess; and he was condemned to imprisonment in a high stone

tower, with neither meat nor drink, till he should die of starvation.

Then, in the hour of his dire necessity, his old friends Schurka (the

dog) and Waska (the cat) remembered how Martin had once saved them from

a cruel death; and they took counsel together as to how they should help

him. And Schurka growled, and was of opinion that he would like to tear

everyone in pieces; but Waska purred meditatively, and scratched the

back of her ear with a velvet paw, and remained lost in thought. At the

end of a few minutes she had made up her mind, and, turning to Schurka,

said: ‘Let us go together into the town, and the moment we meet a baker

you must make a rush between his legs and upset the tray from off his

head; I will lay hold of the rolls, and will carry them off to our

master.’ No sooner said than done. Together the two faithful creatures

trotted off into the town, and very soon they met a baker bearing a tray

on his head, and looking round on all sides, while he cried:

‘Fresh rolls, sweet cake,

Fancy bread of every kind.

Come and buy, come and take,

Sure you’ll find it to your mind,’

At that moment Schurka made a rush between his legs--the baker stumbled,

the tray was upset, the rolls fell to the ground, and, while the man

angrily pursued Schurka, Waska managed to drag the rolls out of sight

behind a bush. And when a moment later Schurka joined her, they set off

at full tilt to the stone tower where Martin was a prisoner, taking the

rolls with them. Waska, being very agile, climbed up by the outside to

the grated window, and called in an anxious voice:

‘Are you alive, master?’

‘Scarcely alive--almost starved to death,’ answered Martin in a weak

voice. ‘I little thought it would come to this, that I should die of

hunger.’

‘Never fear, dear master. Schurka and I will look after you,’ said

Waska. And in another moment she had climbed down and brought him back a

roll, and then another, and another, till she had brought him the whole

tray-load. Upon which she said: ‘Dear master, Schurka and I are going

off to a distant kingdom at the utmost ends of the earth to fetch you

back your magic ring. You must be careful that the rolls last till our

return.’

And Waska took leave of her beloved master, and set off with Schurka

on their journey. On and on they travelled, looking always to right

and left for traces of the Princess, following up every track, making

inquiries of every cat and dog they met, listening to the talk of every

wayfarer they passed; and at last they heard that the kingdom at the

utmost ends of the earth where the twelve youths had borne the Princess

was not very far off. And at last one day they reached that distant

kingdom, and, going at once to the palace, they began to make friends

with all the dogs and cats in the place, and to question them about

the Princess and the magic ring; but no one could tell them much about

either. Now one day it chanced that Waska had gone down to the palace

cellar to hunt for mice and rats, and seeing an especially fat, well-fed

mouse, she pounced upon it, buried her claws in its soft fur, and was

just going to gobble it up, when she was stopped by the pleading tones

of the little creature, saying, ‘If you will only spare my life I may be

of great service to you. I will do everything in my power for you; for I

am the King of the Mice, and if I perish the whole race will die out.’

‘So be it,’ said Waska. ‘I will spare your life; but in return you must

do something for me. In this castle there lives a Princess, the wicked

wife of my dear master. She has stolen away his magic ring. You must get

it away from her at whatever cost; do you hear? Till you have done this

I won’t take my claws out of your fur.’

‘Good!’ replied the mouse; ‘I will do what you ask.’ And, so saying,

he summoned all the mice in his kingdom together. A countless number

of mice, small and big, brown and grey, assembled, and formed a circle

round their king, who was a prisoner under Waska’s claws. Turning to

them he said: ‘Dear and faithful subjects, who ever among you will steal

the magic ring from the strange Princess will release me from a cruel

death; and I shall honour him above all the other mice in the kingdom.’

Instantly a tiny mouse stepped forward and said: ‘I often creep about

the Princess’s bedroom at night, and I have noticed that she has a ring

which she treasures as the apple of her eye. All day she wears it on her

finger, and at night she keeps it in her mouth. I will undertake, sire,

to steal away the ring for you.’

And the tiny mouse tripped away into the bedroom of the Princess, and

waited for nightfall; then, when the Princess had fallen asleep, it

crept up on to her bed, and gnawed a hole in the pillow, through which

it dragged one by one little down feathers, and threw them under the

Princess’s nose. And the fluff flew into the Princess’s nose, and into

her mouth, and starting up she sneezed and coughed, and the ring fell

out of her mouth on to the coverlet. In a flash the tiny mouse had

seized it, and brought it to Waska as a ransom for the King of the Mice.

Thereupon Waska and Schurka started off, and travelled night and day

till they reached the stone tower where Martin was imprisoned; and the

cat climbed up the window, and called out to him:

‘Martin, dear master, are you still alive?’

‘Ah! Waska, my faithful little cat, is that you?’ replied a weak voice.

‘I am dying of hunger. For three days I have not tasted food.’

‘Be of good heart, dear master,’ replied Waska; ‘from this day forth you

will know nothing but happiness and prosperity. If this were a moment to

trouble you with riddles, I would make you guess what Schurka and I have

brought you back. Only think, we have got you your ring!’

At these words Martin’s joy knew no bounds, and he stroked her fondly,

and she rubbed up against him and purred happily, while below Schurka

bounded in the air, and barked joyfully. Then Martin took the ring, and

threw it from one hand into the other, and instantly the twelve youths

appeared and asked what they were to do.

‘Fetch me first something to eat and drink, as quickly as possible; and

after that bring musicians hither, and let us have music all day long.’

Now when the people in the town and palace heard music coming from the

tower they were filled with amazement, and came to the King with the

news that witchcraft must be going on in Martin’s Tower, for, instead

of dying of starvation, he was seemingly making merry to the sound of

music, and to the clatter of plates, and glass, and knives and forks;

and the music was so enchantingly sweet that all the passers-by stood

still to listen to it. On this the King sent at once a messenger to

the Starvation Tower, and he was so astonished with what he saw that he

remained rooted to the spot. Then the King sent his chief counsellors,

and they too were transfixed with wonder. At last the King came himself,

and he likewise was spellbound by the beauty of the music.

Then Martin summoned the twelve youths, spoke to them, saying, ‘Build up

my castle again, and join it to the King’s Palace with a crystal bridge;

do not forget the trees with the golden and silver apples, and with the

birds of Paradise in the branches; and put back the church with the five

cupolas, and let the bells ring out, summoning the people from the four

corners of the kingdom. And one thing more: bring back my faithless

wife, and lead her into the women’s chamber.’

And it was all done as he commanded, and, leaving the Starvation Tower,

he took the King, his father-in-law, by the arm, and led him into the

new palace, where the Princess sat in fear and trembling, awaiting her

death. And Martin spoke to the King, saying, ‘King and royal father, I

have suffered much at the hands of your daughter. What punishment shall

be dealt to her?’

Then the mild King answered: ‘Beloved Prince and son-in-law, if you love

me, let your anger be turned to grace--forgive my daughter, and restore

her to your heart and favour.’

And Martin’s heart was softened and he forgave his wife, and they lived

happily together ever after. And his old mother came and lived with him,

and he never parted with Schurka and Waska; and I need hardly tell you

that he never again let the ring out of his possession.

THE FLOWER QUEEN’S DAUGHTER(23)

(23) From the Bukowinaer. Von Wliolocki.

A young Prince was riding one day through a meadow that stretched for

miles in front of him, when he came to a deep open ditch. He was turning

aside to avoid it, when he heard the sound of someone crying in the

ditch. He dismounted from his horse, and stepped along in the direction

the sound came from. To his astonishment he found an old woman, who

begged him to help her out of the ditch. The Prince bent down and lifted

her out of her living grave, asking her at the same time how she had

managed to get there.

‘My son,’ answered the old woman, ‘I am a very poor woman, and soon

after midnight I set out for the neighbouring town in order to sell my

eggs in the market on the following morning; but I lost my way in the

dark, and fell into this deep ditch, where I might have remained for

ever but for your kindness.’

Then the Prince said to her, ‘You can hardly walk; I will put you on my

horse and lead you home. Where do you live?’

‘Over there, at the edge of the forest in the little hut you see in the

distance,’ replied the old woman.

The Prince lifted her on to his horse, and soon they reached the hut,

where the old woman got down, and turning to the Prince said, ‘Just wait

a moment, and I will give you something.’ And she disappeared into her

hut, but returned very soon and said, ‘You are a mighty Prince, but

at the same time you have a kind heart, which deserves to be rewarded.

Would you like to have the most beautiful woman in the world for your

wife?’

‘Most certainly I would,’ replied the Prince.

So the old woman continued, ‘The most beautiful woman in the whole world

is the daughter of the Queen of the Flowers, who has been captured by a

dragon. If you wish to marry her, you must first set her free, and this

I will help you to do. I will give you this little bell: if you ring it

once, the King of the Eagles will appear; if you ring it twice, the King

of the Foxes will come to you; and if you ring it three times, you will

see the King of the Fishes by your side. These will help you if you are

in any difficulty. Now farewell, and heaven prosper your undertaking.’

She handed him the little bell, and there disappeared hut and all, as

though the earth had swallowed her up.

Then it dawned on the Prince that he had been speaking to a good fairy,

and putting the little bell carefully in his pocket, he rode home and

told his father that he meant to set the daughter of the Flower Queen

free, and intended setting out on the following day into the wide world

in search of the maid.

So the next morning the Prince mounted his fine horse and left his home.

He had roamed round the world for a whole year, and his horse had died

of exhaustion, while he himself had suffered much from want and misery,

but still he had come on no trace of her he was in search of. At last

one day he came to a hut, in front of which sat a very old man. The

Prince asked him, ‘Do you not know where the Dragon lives who keeps the

daughter of the Flower Queen prisoner?’

‘No, I do not,’ answered the old man. ‘But if you go straight along

this road for a year, you will reach a hut where my father lives, and

possibly he may be able to tell you.’

The Prince thanked him for his information, and continued his journey

for a whole year along the same road, and at the end of it came to

the little hut, where he found a very old man. He asked him the same

question, and the old man answered, ‘No, I do not know where the Dragon

lives. But go straight along this road for another year, and you will

come to a hut in which my father lives. I know he can tell you.’

And so the Prince wandered on for another year, always on the same road,

and at last reached the hut where he found the third old man. He put

the same question to him as he had put to his son and grandson; but this

time the old man answered, ‘The Dragon lives up there on the mountain,

and he has just begun his year of sleep. For one whole year he is always

awake, and the next he sleeps. But if you wish to see the Flower Queen’s

daughter go up the second mountain: the Dragon’s old mother lives there,

and she has a ball every night, to which the Flower Queen’s daughter

goes regularly.’

So the Prince went up the second mountain, where he found a castle all

made of gold with diamond windows. He opened the big gate leading into

the courtyard, and was just going to walk in, when seven dragons rushed

on him and asked him what he wanted?

The Prince replied, ‘I have heard so much of the beauty and kindness of

the Dragon’s Mother, and would like to enter her service.’

This flattering speech pleased the dragons, and the eldest of them said,

‘Well, you may come with me, and I will take you to the Mother Dragon.’

They entered the castle and walked through twelve splendid halls, all

made of gold and diamonds. In the twelfth room they found the Mother

Dragon seated on a diamond throne. She was the ugliest woman under the

sun, and, added to it all, she had three heads. Her appearance was a

great shock to the Prince, and so was her voice, which was like the

croaking of many ravens. She asked him, ‘Why have you come here?’

The Prince answered at once, ‘I have heard so much of your beauty and

kindness, that I would very much like to enter your service.’

‘Very well,’ said the Mother Dragon; ‘but if you wish to enter my

service, you must first lead my mare out to the meadow and look after

her for three days; but if you don’t bring her home safely every

evening, we will eat you up.’

The Prince undertook the task and led the mare out to the meadow.

But no sooner had they reached the grass than she vanished. The Prince

sought for her in vain, and at last in despair sat down on a big stone

and contemplated his sad fate. As he sat thus lost in thought, he

noticed an eagle flying over his head. Then he suddenly bethought him of

his little bell, and taking it out of his pocket he rang it once. In a

moment he heard a rustling sound in the air beside him, and the King of

the Eagles sank at his feet.

‘I know what you want of me,’ the bird said. ‘You are looking for the

Mother Dragon’s mare who is galloping about among the clouds. I will

summon all the eagles of the air together, and order them to catch the

mare and bring her to you.’ And with these words the King of the Eagles

flew away. Towards evening the Prince heard a mighty rushing sound in

the air, and when he looked up he saw thousands of eagles driving the

mare before them. They sank at his feet on to the ground and gave the

mare over to him. Then the Prince rode home to the old Mother Dragon,

who was full of wonder when she saw him, and said, ‘You have succeeded

to-day in looking after my mare, and as a reward you shall come to my

ball to-night.’ She gave him at the same time a cloak made of copper,

and led him to a big room where several young he-dragons and she-dragons

were dancing together. Here, too, was the Flower Queen’s beautiful

daughter. Her dress was woven out of the most lovely flowers in the

world, and her complexion was like lilies and roses. As the Prince was

dancing with her he managed to whisper in her ear, ‘I have come to set

you free!’

Then the beautiful girl said to him, ‘If you succeed in bringing the

mare back safely the third day, ask the Mother Dragon to give you a foal

of the mare as a reward.’

The ball came to an end at midnight, and early next morning the Prince

again led the Mother Dragon’s mare out into the meadow. But again she

vanished before his eyes. Then he took out his little bell and rang it

twice.

In a moment the King of the Foxes stood before him and said: ‘I know

already what you want, and will summon all the foxes of the world

together to find the mare who has hidden herself in a hill.’

With these words the King of the Foxes disappeared, and in the evening

many thousand foxes brought the mare to the Prince.

Then he rode home to the Mother-Dragon, from whom he received this time

a cloak made of silver, and again she led him to the ball-room.

The Flower Queen’s daughter was delighted to see him safe and sound,

and when they were dancing together she whispered in his ear: ‘If you

succeed again to-morrow, wait for me with the foal in the meadow. After

the ball we will fly away together.’

On the third day the Prince led the mare to the meadow again; but once

more she vanished before his eyes. Then the Prince took out his little

bell and rang it three times.

In a moment the King of the Fishes appeared, and said to him: ‘I know

quite well what you want me to do, and I will summon all the fishes

of the sea together, and tell them to bring you back the mare, who is

hiding herself in a river.’

Towards evening the mare was returned to him, and when he led her home

to the Mother Dragon she said to him:

‘You are a brave youth, and I will make you my body-servant. But what

shall I give you as a reward to begin with?’

The Prince begged for a foal of the mare, which the Mother Dragon at

once gave him, and over and above, a cloak made of gold, for she had

fallen in love with him because he had praised her beauty.

So in the evening he appeared at the ball in his golden cloak; but

before the entertainment was over he slipped away, and went straight to

the stables, where he mounted his foal and rode out into the meadow to

wait for the Flower Queen’s daughter. Towards midnight the beautiful

girl appeared, and placing her in front of him on his horse, the

Prince and she flew like the wind till they reached the Flower Queen’s

dwelling. But the dragons had noticed their flight, and woke their

brother out of his year’s sleep. He flew into a terrible rage when

he heard what had happened, and determined to lay siege to the Flower

Queen’s palace; but the Queen caused a forest of flowers as high as the

sky to grow up round her dwelling, through which no one could force a

way.

When the Flower Queen heard that her daughter wanted to marry the

Prince, she said to him: ‘I will give my consent to your marriage

gladly, but my daughter can only stay with you in summer. In winter,

when everything is dead and the ground covered with snow, she must come

and live with me in my palace underground.’ The Prince consented to

this, and led his beautiful bride home, where the wedding was held with

great pomp and magnificence. The young couple lived happily together

till winter came, when the Flower Queen’s daughter departed and went

home to her mother. In summer she returned to her husband, and their

life of joy and happiness began again, and lasted till the approach of

winter, when the Flower Queen’s daughter went back again to her mother.

This coming and going continued all her life long, and in spite of it

they always lived happily together.

THE FLYING SHIP(24)

(24) From the Russian.

Once upon a time there lived an old couple who had three sons; the two

elder were clever, but the third was a regular dunce. The clever sons

were very fond of their mother, gave her good clothes, and always spoke

pleasantly to her; but the youngest was always getting in her way,

and she had no patience with him. Now, one day it was announced in the

village that the King had issued a decree, offering his daughter, the

Princess, in marriage to whoever should build a ship that could fly.

Immediately the two elder brothers determined to try their luck, and

asked their parents’ blessing. So the old mother smartened up their

clothes, and gave them a store of provisions for their journey, not

forgetting to add a bottle of brandy. When they had gone the poor

Simpleton began to tease his mother to smarten him up and let him start

off.

‘What would become of a dolt like you?’ she answered. ‘Why, you would be

eaten up by wolves.’

But the foolish youth kept repeating, ‘I will go, I will go, I will go!’

Seeing that she could do nothing with him, the mother gave him a crust

of bread and a bottle of water, and took no further heed of him.

So the Simpleton set off on his way. When he had gone a short distance

he met a little old manikin. They greeted one another, and the manikin

asked him where he was going.

‘I am off to the King’s Court,’ he answered. ‘He has promised to give

his daughter to whoever can make a flying ship.’

‘And can you make such a ship?’

‘Not I.’

‘Then why in the world are you going?’

‘Can’t tell,’ replied the Simpleton.

‘Well, if that is the case,’ said the manikin, ‘sit down beside me; we

can rest for a little and have something to eat. Give me what you have

got in your satchel.’

Now, the poor Simpleton was ashamed to show what was in it. However, he

thought it best not to make a fuss, so he opened the satchel, and could

scarcely believe his own eyes, for, instead of the hard crust, he saw

two beautiful fresh rolls and some cold meat. He shared them with the

manikin, who licked his lips and said:

‘Now, go into that wood, and stop in front of the first tree, bow three

times, and then strike the tree with your axe, fall on your knees on

the ground, with your face on the earth, and remain there till you are

raised up. You will then find a ship at your side, step into it and fly

to the King’s Palace. If you meet anyone on the way, take him with you.’

The Simpleton thanked the manikin very kindly, bade him farewell, and

went into the road. When he got to the first tree he stopped in front of

it, did everything just as he had been told, and, kneeling on the ground

with his face to the earth, fell asleep. After a little time he was

aroused; he awoke and, rubbing his eyes, saw a ready-made ship at his

side, and at once got into it.

And the ship rose and rose, and in another minute was flying through the

air, when the Simpleton, who was on the look out, cast his eyes down to

the earth and saw a man beneath him on the road, who was kneeling with

his ear upon the damp ground.

‘Hallo!’ he called out, ‘what are you doing down there?’

‘I am listening to what is going on in the world,’ replied the man.

‘Come with me in my ship,’ said the Simpleton.

So the man was only too glad, and got in beside him; and the ship flew,

and flew, and flew through the air, till again from his outlook the

Simpleton saw a man on the road below, who was hopping on one leg, while

his other leg was tied up behind his ear. So he hailed him, calling out:

‘Hallo! what are you doing, hopping on one leg?’

‘I can’t help it,’ replied the man. ‘I walk so fast that unless I tied

up one leg I should be at the end of the earth in a bound.’

‘Come with us on my ship,’ he answered; and the man made no objections,

but joined them; and the ship flew on, and on, and on, till suddenly the

Simpleton, looking down on the road below, beheld a man aiming with a

gun into the distance.

‘Hallo!’ he shouted to him, ‘what are you aiming at? As far as eye can

see, there is no bird in sight.’

‘What would be the good of my taking a near shot?’ replied the man; ‘I

can hit beast or bird at a hundred miles’ distance. That is the kind of

shot I enjoy.’

‘Come into the ship with us,’ answered the Simpleton; and the man was

only too glad to join them, and he got in; and the ship flew on, farther

and farther, till again the Simpleton from his outlook saw a man on the

road below, carrying on his back a basket full of bread. And he waved to

him, calling out:

‘Hallo! where are you going?’

‘To fetch bread for my breakfast.’

‘Bread? Why, you have got a whole basket-load of it on your back.’

‘That’s nothing,’ answered the man; ‘I should finish that in one

mouthful.’

‘Come along with us in my ship, then.’

And so the glutton joined the party, and the ship mounted again into the

air, and flew up and onward, till the Simpleton from his outlook saw

a man walking by the shore of a great lake, and evidently looking for

something.

‘Hallo!’ he cried to him,’ what are you seeking?

‘I want water to drink, I’m so thirsty,’ replied the man.

‘Well, there’s a whole lake in front of you; why don’t you drink some of

that?’

‘Do you call that enough?’ answered the other. ‘Why, I should drink it

up in one gulp.’

‘Well, come with us in the ship.’

And so the mighty drinker was added to the company; and the ship flew

farther, and even farther, till again the Simpleton looked out, and this

time he saw a man dragging a bundle of wood, walking through the forest

beneath them.

‘Hallo!’ he shouted to him, ‘why are you carrying wood through a

forest?’

‘This is not common wood,’ answered the other.

‘What sort of wood is it, then?’ said the Simpleton.

‘If you throw it upon the ground,’ said the man, ‘it will be changed

into an army of soldiers.’

‘Come into the ship with us, then.’

And so he too joined them; and away the ship flew on, and on, and on,

and once more the Simpleton looked out, and this time he saw a man

carrying straw upon his back.

‘Hallo! Where are you carrying that straw to?’

‘To the village,’ said the man.

‘Do you mean to say there is no straw in the village?’

‘Ah! but this is quite a peculiar straw. If you strew it about even in

the hottest summer the air at once becomes cold, and snow falls, and the

people freeze.’

Then the Simpleton asked him also to join them.

At last the ship, with its strange crew, arrived at the King’s Court.

The King was having his dinner, but he at once despatched one of his

courtiers to find out what the huge, strange new bird could be that had

come flying through the air. The courtier peeped into the ship, and,

seeing what it was, instantly went back to the King and told him that it

was a flying ship, and that it was manned by a few peasants.

Then the King remembered his royal oath; but he made up his mind that

he would never consent to let the Princess marry a poor peasant. So he

thought and thought, and then said to himself:

‘I will give him some impossible tasks to perform; that will be the best

way of getting rid of him.’ And he there and then decided to despatch

one of his courtiers to the Simpleton, with the command that he was

to fetch the King the healing water from the world’s end before he had

finished his dinner.

But while the King was still instructing the courtier exactly what

he was to say, the first man of the ship’s company, the one with the

miraculous power of hearing, had overheard the King’s words, and hastily

reported them to the poor Simpleton.

‘Alas, alas!’ he cried; ‘what am I to do now? It would take me quite a

year, possibly my whole life, to find the water.’

‘Never fear,’ said his fleet-footed comrade, ‘I will fetch what the King

wants.’

Just then the courtier arrived, bearing the King’s command.

‘Tell his Majesty,’ said the Simpleton, ‘that his orders shall be

obeyed; ‘and forthwith the swift runner unbound the foot that was strung

up behind his ear and started off, and in less than no time had reached

the world’s end and drawn the healing water from the well.

‘Dear me,’ he thought to himself, ‘that’s rather tiring! I’ll just rest

for a few minutes; it will be some little time yet before the King has

got to dessert.’ So he threw himself down on the grass, and, as the sun

was very dazzling, he closed his eyes, and in a few seconds had fallen

sound asleep.

In the meantime all the ship’s crew were anxiously awaiting him; the

King’s dinner would soon be finished, and their comrade had not yet

returned. So the man with the marvellous quick hearing lay down and,

putting his ear to the ground, listened.

‘That’s a nice sort of fellow!’ he suddenly exclaimed. ‘He’s lying on

the ground, snoring hard!’

At this the marksman seized his gun, took aim, and fired in the

direction of the world’s end, in order to awaken the sluggard. And a

moment later the swift runner reappeared, and, stepping on board the

ship, handed the healing water to the Simpleton. So while the King was

still sitting at table finishing his dinner news was brought to him that

his orders had been obeyed to the letter.

What was to be done now? The King determined to think of a still more

impossible task. So he told another courtier to go to the Simpleton with

the command that he and his comrades were instantly to eat up twelve

oxen and twelve tons of bread. Once more the sharp-eared comrade

overheard the King’s words while he was still talking to the courtier,

and reported them to the Simpleton.

‘Alas, alas!’ he sighed; ‘what in the world shall I do? Why, it would

take us a year, possibly our whole lives, to eat up twelve oxen and

twelve tons of bread.’

‘Never fear,’ said the glutton. ‘It will scarcely be enough for me, I’m

so hungry.’

So when the courtier arrived with the royal message he was told to take

back word to the King that his orders should be obeyed. Then twelve

roasted oxen and twelve tons of bread were brought alongside of the

ship, and at one sitting the glutton had devoured it all.

‘I call that a small meal,’ he said. ‘I wish they’d brought me some

more.’

Next, the King ordered that forty casks of wine, containing forty

gallons each, were to be drunk up on the spot by the Simpleton and his

party. When these words were overheard by the sharp-eared comrade and

repeated to the Simpleton, he was in despair.

‘Alas, alas!’ he exclaimed; ‘what is to be done? It would take us a

year, possibly our whole lives, to drink so much.’

‘Never fear,’ said his thirsty comrade. ‘I’ll drink it all up at a

gulp, see if I don’t.’ And sure enough, when the forty casks of wine

containing forty gallons each were brought alongside of the ship, they

disappeared down the thirsty comrade’s throat in no time; and when they

were empty he remarked:

‘Why, I’m still thirsty. I should have been glad of two more casks.’

Then the King took counsel with himself and sent an order to the

Simpleton that he was to have a bath, in a bath-room at the royal

palace, and after that the betrothal should take place. Now the

bath-room was built of iron, and the King gave orders that it was to

be heated to such a pitch that it would suffocate the Simpleton. And so

when the poor silly youth entered the room, he discovered that the iron

walls were red hot. But, fortunately, his comrade with the straw on his

back had entered behind him, and when the door was shut upon them he

scattered the straw about, and suddenly the red-hot walls cooled down,

and it became so very cold that the Simpleton could scarcely bear to

take a bath, and all the water in the room froze. So the Simpleton

climbed up upon the stove, and, wrapping himself up in the bath

blankets, lay there the whole night. And in the morning when they opened

the door there he lay sound and safe, singing cheerfully to himself.

Now when this strange tale was told to the King he became quite sad,

not knowing what he should do to get rid of so undesirable a son-in-law,

when suddenly a brilliant idea occurred to him.

‘Tell the rascal to raise me an army, now at this instant!’ he exclaimed

to one of his courtiers. ‘Inform him at once of this, my royal will.’

And to himself he added, ‘I think I shall do for him this time.’

As on former occasions, the quick-eared comrade had overheard the King’s

command and repeated it to the Simpleton.

‘Alas, alas!’ he groaned; ‘now I am quite done for.’

‘Not at all,’ replied one of his comrades (the one who had dragged the

bundle of wood through the forest). ‘Have you quite forgotten me?’

In the meantime the courtier, who had run all the way from the palace,

reached the ship panting and breathless, and delivered the King’s

message.

‘Good!’ remarked the Simpleton. ‘I will raise an army for the King,’ and

he drew himself up. ‘But if, after that, the King refuses to accept me

as his son-in-law, I will wage war against him, and carry the Princess

off by force.’

During the night the Simpleton and his comrade went, together into a big

field, not forgetting to take the bundle of wood with them, which the

man spread out in all directions--and in a moment a mighty army stood

upon the spot, regiment on regiment of foot and horse soldiers; the

bugles sounded and the drums beat, the chargers neighed, and their

riders put their lances in rest, and the soldiers presented arms.

In the morning when the King awoke he was startled by these warlike

sounds, the bugles and the drums, and the clatter of the horses, and the

shouts of the soldiers. And, stepping to the window, he saw the lances

gleam in the sunlight and the armour and weapons glitter. And the proud

monarch said to himself, ‘I am powerless in comparison with this man.’

So he sent him royal robes and costly jewels, and commanded him to come

to the palace to be married to the Princess. And his son-in-law put

on the royal robes, and he looked so grand and stately that it was

impossible to recognise the poor Simpleton, so changed was he; and the

Princess fell in love with him as soon as ever she saw him.

Never before had so grand a wedding been seen, and there was so much

food and wine that even the glutton and the thirsty comrade had enough

to eat and drink.

THE SNOW-DAUGHTER AND THE FIRE-SON(25)

(25) From the Bukowinaer Tales and Legends. Von Wliolocki.

There was once upon a time a man and his wife, and they had no children,

which was a great grief to them. One winter’s day, when the sun was

shining brightly, the couple were standing outside their cottage, and

the woman was looking at all the little icicles which hung from the

roof. She sighed, and turning to her husband said, ‘I wish I had as many

children as there are icicles hanging there.’ ‘Nothing would please me

more either,’ replied her husband. Then a tiny icicle detached itself

from the roof, and dropped into the woman’s mouth, who swallowed it with

a smile, and said, ‘Perhaps I shall give birth to a snow child now!’ Her

husband laughed at his wife’s strange idea, and they went back into the

house.

But after a short time the woman gave birth to a little girl, who was

as white as snow and as cold as ice. If they brought the child anywhere

near the fire, it screamed loudly till they put it back into some cool

place. The little maid throve wonderfully, and in a few months she could

run about and speak. But she was not altogether easy to bring up, and

gave her parents much trouble and anxiety, for all summer she insisted

on spending in the cellar, and in the winter she would sleep outside in

the snow, and the colder it was the happier she seemed to be. Her father

and mother called her simply ‘Our Snow-daughter,’ and this name stuck to

her all her life.

One day her parents sat by the fire, talking over the extraordinary

behaviour of their daughter, who was disporting herself in the snowstorm

that raged outside. The woman sighed deeply and said, ‘I wish I had

given birth to a Fire-son!’ As she said these words, a spark from the

big wood fire flew into the woman’s lap, and she said with a laugh, ‘Now

perhaps I shall give birth to a Fire-son!’ The man laughed at his wife’s

words, and thought it was a good joke. But he ceased to think it a

joke when his wife shortly afterwards gave birth to a boy, who screamed

lustily till he was put quite close to the fire, and who nearly yelled

himself into a fit if the Snow-daughter came anywhere near him. The

Snow-daughter herself avoided him as much as she could, and always crept

into a corner as far away from him as possible. The parents called the

boy simply ‘Our Fire-son,’ a name which stuck to him all his life. They

had a great deal of trouble and worry with him too; but he throve and

grew very quickly, and before he was a year old he could run about and

talk. He was as red as fire, and as hot to touch, and he always sat on

the hearth quite close to the fire, and complained of the cold; if his

sister were in the room he almost crept into the flames, while the girl

on her part always complained of the great heat if her brother were

anywhere near. In summer the boy always lay out in the sun, while the

girl hid herself in the cellar: so it happened that the brother and

sister came very little into contact with each other--in fact, they

carefully avoided it.

Just as the girl grew up into a beautiful woman, her father and mother

both died one after the other. Then the Fire-son, who had grown up in

the meantime into a fine, strong young man, said to his sister, ‘I am

going out into the world, for what is the use of remaining on here?’

‘I shall go with you,’ she answered, ‘for, except you, I have no one in

the world, and I have a feeling that if we set out together we shall be

lucky.’

The Fire-son said, ‘I love you with all my heart, but at the same time

I always freeze if you are near me, and you nearly die of heat if I

approach you! How shall we travel about together without being odious

the one to the other?’

‘Don’t worry about that,’ replied the girl, ‘for I’ve thought it all

over, and have settled on a plan which will make us each able to bear

with the other! See, I have had a fur cloak made for each of us, and if

we put them on I shall not feel the heat so much nor you the cold.’ So

they put on the fur cloaks, and set out cheerfully on their way, and for

the first time in their lives quite happy in each other’s company.

For a long time the Fire-son and the Snow-daughter wandered through the

world, and when at the beginning of winter they came to a big wood they

determined to stay there till spring. The Fire-son built himself a hut

where he always kept up a huge fire, while his sister with very few

clothes on stayed outside night and day. Now it happened one day that

the King of the land held a hunt in this wood, and saw the Snow-daughter

wandering about in the open air. He wondered very much who the beautiful

girl clad in such garments could be, and he stopped and spoke to her.

He soon learnt that she could not stand heat, and that her brother could

not endure cold. The King was so charmed by the Snow-daughter, that he

asked her to be his wife. The girl consented, and the wedding was held

with much state. The King had a huge house of ice made for his wife

underground, so that even in summer it did not melt. But for his

brother-in-law he had a house built with huge ovens all round it, that

were kept heated all day and night. The Fire-son was delighted, but

the perpetual heat in which he lived made his body so hot, that it was

dangerous to go too close to him.

One day the King gave a great feast, and asked his brother-in-law

among the other guests. The Fire-son did not appear till everyone had

assembled, and when he did, everyone fled outside to the open air, so

intense was the heat he gave forth. Then the King was very angry and

said, ‘If I had known what a lot of trouble you would have been, I would

never have taken you into my house.’ Then the Fire-son replied with a

laugh, ‘Don’t be angry, dear brother! I love heat and my sister loves

cold--come here and let me embrace you, and then I’ll go home at once.’

And before the King had time to reply, the Fire-son seized him in a

tight embrace. The King screamed aloud in agony, and when his wife, the

Snow-daughter, who had taken refuge from her brother in the next room,

hurried to him, the King lay dead on the ground burnt to a cinder. When

the Snow-daughter saw this she turned on her brother and flew at him.

Then a fight began, the like of which had never been seen on earth. When

the people, attracted by the noise, hurried to the spot, they saw the

Snow-daughter melting into water and the Fire-son burn to a cinder. And

so ended the unhappy brother and sister.

THE STORY OF KING FROST (26)

(26) From the Russian.

There was once upon a time a peasant-woman who had a daughter and a

step-daughter. The daughter had her own way in everything, and whatever

she did was right in her mother’s eyes; but the poor step-daughter had

a hard time. Let her do what she would, she was always blamed, and got

small thanks for all the trouble she took; nothing was right, everything

wrong; and yet, if the truth were known, the girl was worth her weight

in gold--she was so unselfish and good-hearted. But her step-mother did

not like her, and the poor girl’s days were spent in weeping; for it

was impossible to live peacefully with the woman. The wicked shrew was

determined to get rid of the girl by fair means or foul, and kept saying

to her father: ‘Send her away, old man; send her away--anywhere so that

my eyes sha’n’t be plagued any longer by the sight of her, or my ears

tormented by the sound of her voice. Send her out into the fields, and

let the cutting frost do for her.’

In vain did the poor old father weep and implore her pity; she was firm,

and he dared not gainsay her. So he placed his daughter in a sledge,

not even daring to give her a horse-cloth to keep herself warm with, and

drove her out on to the bare, open fields, where he kissed her and left

her, driving home as fast as he could, that he might not witness her

miserable death.

Deserted by her father, the poor girl sat down under a fir-tree at the

edge of the forest and began to weep silently. Suddenly she heard a

faint sound: it was King Frost springing from tree to tree, and cracking

his fingers as he went. At length he reached the fir-tree beneath which

she was sitting, and with a crisp crackling sound he alighted beside

her, and looked at her lovely face.

‘Well, maiden,’ he snapped out, ‘do you know who I am? I am King Frost,

king of the red-noses.’

‘All hail to you, great King!’ answered the girl, in a gentle, trembling

voice. ‘Have you come to take me?’

‘Are you warm, maiden?’ he replied.

‘Quite warm, King Frost,’ she answered, though she shivered as she

spoke.

Then King Frost stooped down, and bent over the girl, and the crackling

sound grew louder, and the air seemed to be full of knives and darts;

and again he asked:

‘Maiden, are you warm? Are you warm, you beautiful girl?’

And though her breath was almost frozen on her lips, she whispered

gently, ‘Quite warm, King Frost.’

Then King Frost gnashed his teeth, and cracked his fingers, and his eyes

sparkled, and the crackling, crisp sound was louder than ever, and for

the last time he asked her:

‘Maiden, are you still warm? Are you still warm, little love?’

And the poor girl was so stiff and numb that she could just gasp, ‘Still

warm, O King!’

Now her gentle, courteous words and her uncomplaining ways touched

King Frost, and he had pity on her, and he wrapped her up in furs, and

covered her with blankets, and he fetched a great box, in which were

beautiful jewels and a rich robe embroidered in gold and silver. And she

put it on, and looked more lovely than ever, and King Frost stepped with

her into his sledge, with six white horses.

In the meantime the wicked step-mother was waiting at home for news of

the girl’s death, and preparing pancakes for the funeral feast. And she

said to her husband: ‘Old man, you had better go out into the fields and

find your daughter’s body and bury her.’ Just as the old man was leaving

the house the little dog under the table began to bark, saying:

‘YOUR daughter shall live to be your delight;

HER daughter shall die this very night.’

‘Hold your tongue, you foolish beast!’ scolded the woman. ‘There’s a

pancake for you, but you must say:

“HER daughter shall have much silver and gold;

HIS daughter is frozen quite stiff and cold.”’

But the doggie ate up the pancake and barked, saying:

‘His daughter shall wear a crown on her head;

Her daughter shall die unwooed, unwed.’

Then the old woman tried to coax the doggie with more pancakes and

to terrify it with blows, but he barked on, always repeating the same

words. And suddenly the door creaked and flew open, and a great heavy

chest was pushed in, and behind it came the step-daughter, radiant and

beautiful, in a dress all glittering with silver and gold. For a moment

the step-mother’s eyes were dazzled. Then she called to her husband:

‘Old man, yoke the horses at once into the sledge, and take my daughter

to the same field and leave her on the same spot exactly; ‘and so the

old man took the girl and left her beneath the same tree where he had

parted from his daughter. In a few minutes King Frost came past, and,

looking at the girl, he said:

‘Are you warm, maiden?’

‘What a blind old fool you must be to ask such a question!’ she answered

angrily. ‘Can’t you see that my hands and feet are nearly frozen?’

Then King Frost sprang to and fro in front of her, questioning her, and

getting only rude, rough words in reply, till at last he got very angry,

and cracked his fingers, and gnashed his teeth, and froze her to death.

But in the hut her mother was waiting for her return, and as she grew

impatient she said to her husband: ‘Get out the horses, old man, to go

and fetch her home; but see that you are careful not to upset the sledge

and lose the chest.’

But the doggie beneath the table began to bark, saying:

‘Your daughter is frozen quite stiff and cold,

And shall never have a chest full of gold.’

‘Don’t tell such wicked lies!’ scolded the woman. ‘There’s a cake for

you; now say:

“HER daughter shall marry a mighty King.”

At that moment the door flew open, and she rushed out to meet her

daughter, and as she took her frozen body in her arms she too was

chilled to death.

THE DEATH OF THE SUN-HERO (27)

(27) From the Bukowinaer Tales and Legends. Von Wliolocki.

Many, many thousand years ago there lived a mighty King whom heaven had

blessed with a clever and beautiful son. When he was only ten years old

the boy was cleverer than all the King’s counsellors put together, and

when he was twenty he was the greatest hero in the whole kingdom. His

father could not make enough of his son, and always had him clothed in

golden garments which shone and sparkled like the sun; and his mother

gave him a white horse, which never slept, and which flew like the

wind. All the people in the land loved him dearly, and called him the

Sun-Hero, for they did not think his like existed under the sun. Now

it happened one night that both his parents had the same extraordinary

dream. They dreamt that a girl all dressed in red had come to them and

said: ‘If you wish that your son should really become the Sun-Hero in

deed and not only in name, let him go out into the world and search for

the Tree of the Sun, and when he has found it, let him pluck a golden

apple from it and bring it home.’

When the King and Queen had each related their dreams to the other,

they were much amazed that they should both have dreamt exactly the same

about their son, and the King said to his wife, ‘This is clearly a sign

from heaven that we should send our son out into the world in order that

he may come home the great Sun-Hero, as the Red Girl said, not only in

name but in deed.’

The Queen consented with many tears, and the King at once bade his son

set forth in search of the Tree of the Sun, from which he was to pluck

a golden apple. The Prince was delighted at the prospect, and set out on

his travels that very day.

For a long time he wandered all through the world, and it was not till

the ninety-ninth day after he started that he found an old man who

was able to tell him where the Tree of the Sun grew. He followed his

directions, and rode on his way, and after another ninety-nine days

he arrived at a golden castle, which stood in the middle of a vast

wilderness. He knocked at the door, which was opened noiselessly and by

invisible hands. Finding no one about, the Prince rode on, and came to

a great meadow, where the Sun-Tree grew. When he reached the tree he put

out his hand to pick a golden apple; but all of a sudden the tree grew

higher, so that he could not reach its fruit. Then he heard some one

behind him laughing. Turning round, he saw the girl in red walking

towards him, who addressed him in these words:

‘Do you really imagine, brave son of the earth, that you can pluck an

apple so easily from the Tree of the Sun? Before you can do that, you

have a difficult task before you. You must guard the tree for nine days

and nine nights from the ravages of two wild black wolves, who will try

to harm it. Do you think you can undertake this?’

‘Yes,’ answered the Sun-Hero, ‘I will guard the Tree of the Sun nine

days and nine nights.’

Then the girl continued: ‘Remember, though, if you do not succeed the

Sun will kill you. Now begin your watch.’

With these words the Red Girl went back into the golden castle. She had

hardly left him when the two black wolves appeared: but the Sun-Hero

beat them off with his sword, and they retired, only, however, to

reappear in a very short time. The Sun-Hero chased them away once more,

but he had hardly sat down to rest when the two black wolves were on

the scene again. This went on for seven days and nights, when the white

horse, who had never done such a thing before, turned to the Sun-Hero

and said in a human voice: ‘Listen to what I am going to say. A Fairy

gave me to your mother in order that I might be of service to you; so

let me tell you, that if you go to sleep and let the wolves harm the

tree, the Sun will surely kill you. The Fairy, foreseeing this, put

everyone in the world under a spell, which prevents their obeying the

Sun’s command to take your life. But all the same, she has forgotten

one person, who will certainly kill you if you fall asleep and let the

wolves damage the tree. So watch and keep the wolves away.’

Then the Sun-Hero strove with all his might and kept the black wolves

at bay, and conquered his desire to sleep; but on the eighth night his

strength failed him, and he fell fast asleep. When he awoke a woman in

black stood beside him, who said: ‘You have fulfilled your task very

badly, for you have let the two black wolves damage the Tree of the Sun.

I am the mother of the Sun, and I command you to ride away from here at

once, and I pronounce sentence of death upon you, for you proudly let

yourself be called the Sun-Hero without having done anything to deserve

the name.’

The youth mounted his horse sadly, and rode home. The people all

thronged round him on his return, anxious to hear his adventures, but

he told them nothing, and only to his mother did he confide what had

befallen him. But the old Queen laughed, and said to her son: ‘Don’t

worry, my child; you see, the Fairy has protected you so far, and the

Sun has found no one to kill you. So cheer up and be happy.’

After a time the Prince forgot all about his adventure, and married a

beautiful Princess, with whom he lived very happily for some time. But

one day when he was out hunting he felt very thirsty, and coming to a

stream he stooped down to drink from it, and this caused his death, for

a crab came swimming up, and with its claws tore out his tongue. He was

carried home in a dying condition, and as he lay on his death-bed

the black woman appeared and said: ‘So the Sun has, after all, found

someone, who was not under the Fairy’s spell, who has caused your death.

And a similar fate will overtake everyone under the Sun who wrongfully

assumes a title to which he has no right.’

THE WITCH (28)

(28) From the Russian.

Once upon a time there was a peasant whose wife died, leaving him with

two children--twins--a boy and a girl. For some years the poor man

lived on alone with the children, caring for them as best he could; but

everything in the house seemed to go wrong without a woman to look after

it, and at last he made up his mind to marry again, feeling that a

wife would bring peace and order to his household and take care of his

motherless children. So he married, and in the following years several

children were born to him; but peace and order did not come to the

household. For the step-mother was very cruel to the twins, and beat

them, and half-starved them, and constantly drove them out of the house;

for her one idea was to get them out of the way. All day she thought

of nothing but how she should get rid of them; and at last an evil idea

came into her head, and she determined to send them out into the great

gloomy wood where a wicked witch lived. And so one morning she spoke to

them, saying:

‘You have been such good children that I am going to send you to visit

my granny, who lives in a dear little hut in the wood. You will have to

wait upon her and serve her, but you will be well rewarded, for she will

give you the best of everything.’

So the children left the house together; and the little sister, who was

very wise for her years, said to the brother:

‘We will first go and see our own dear grandmother, and tell her where

our step-mother is sending us.’

And when the grandmother heard where they were going, she cried and

said:

‘You poor motherless children! How I pity you; and yet I can do nothing

to help you! Your step-mother is not sending you to her granny, but to

a wicked witch who lives in that great gloomy wood. Now listen to me,

children. You must be civil and kind to everyone, and never say a cross

word to anyone, and never touch a crumb belonging to anyone else. Who

knows if, after all, help may not be sent to you?’

And she gave her grandchildren a bottle of milk and a piece of ham and

a loaf of bread, and they set out for the great gloomy wood. When they

reached it they saw in front of them, in the thickest of the trees, a

queer little hut, and when they looked into it, there lay the witch,

with her head on the threshold of the door, with one foot in one corner

and the other in the other corner, and her knees cocked up, almost

touching the ceiling.

‘Who’s there?’ she snarled, in an awful voice, when she saw the

children.

And they answered civilly, though they were so terrified that they hid

behind one another, and said:

‘Good-morning, granny; our step-mother has sent us to wait upon you, and

serve you.’

‘See that you do it well, then,’ growled the witch. ‘If I am pleased

with you, I’ll reward you; but if I am not, I’ll put you in a pan and

fry you in the oven--that’s what I’ll do with you, my pretty dears! You

have been gently reared, but you’ll find my work hard enough. See if you

don’t.’

And, so saying, she set the girl down to spin yarn, and she gave the boy

a sieve in which to carry water from the well, and she herself went

out into the wood. Now, as the girl was sitting at her distaff, weeping

bitterly because she could not spin, she heard the sound of hundreds

of little feet, and from every hole and corner in the hut mice came

pattering along the floor, squeaking and saying:

‘Little girl, why are your eyes so red?

If you want help, then give us some bread.’

And the girl gave them the bread that her grandmother had given her.

Then the mice told her that the witch had a cat, and the cat was very

fond of ham; if she would give the cat her ham, it would show her the

way out of the wood, and in the meantime they would spin the yarn for

her. So the girl set out to look for the cat, and, as she was hunting

about, she met her brother, in great trouble because he could not carry

water from the well in a sieve, as it came pouring out as fast as he

put it in. And as she was trying to comfort him they heard a rustling of

wings, and a flight of wrens alighted on the ground beside them. And the

wrens said:

‘Give us some crumbs, then you need not grieve.

For you’ll find that water will stay in the sieve.’

Then the twins crumbled their bread on the ground, and the wrens pecked

it, and chirruped and chirped. And when they had eaten the last crumb

they told the boy to fill up the holes of the sieve with clay, and then

to draw water from the well. So he did what they said, and carried the

sieve full of water into the hut without spilling a drop. When they

entered the hut the cat was curled up on the floor. So they stroked her,

and fed her with ham, and said to her:

‘Pussy, grey pussy, tell us how we are to get away from the witch?’

Then the cat thanked them for the ham, and gave them a

pocket-handkerchief and a comb, and told them that when the witch

pursued them, as she certainly would, all they had to do was to throw

the handkerchief on the ground and run as fast as they could. As soon as

the handkerchief touched the ground a deep, broad river would spring up,

which would hinder the witch’s progress. If she managed to get across

it, they must throw the comb behind them and run for their lives, for

where the comb fell a dense forest would start up, which would delay the

witch so long that they would be able to get safely away.

The cat had scarcely finished speaking when the witch returned to see if

the children had fulfilled their tasks.

‘Well, you have done well enough for to-day,’ she grumbled; ‘but

to-morrow you’ll have something more difficult to do, and if you don’t

do it well, you pampered brats, straight into the oven you go.’

Half-dead with fright, and trembling in every limb, the poor children

lay down to sleep on a heap of straw in the corner of the hut; but they

dared not close their eyes, and scarcely ventured to breathe. In the

morning the witch gave the girl two pieces of linen to weave before

night, and the boy a pile of wood to cut into chips. Then the witch left

them to their tasks, and went out into the wood. As soon as she had

gone out of sight the children took the comb and the handkerchief, and,

taking one another by the hand, they started and ran, and ran, and ran.

And first they met the watch-dog, who was going to leap on them and tear

them to pieces; but they threw the remains of their bread to him, and

he ate them and wagged his tail. Then they were hindered by the

birch-trees, whose branches almost put their eyes out. But the little

sister tied the twigs together with a piece of ribbon, and they got past

safely, and, after running through the wood, came out on to the open

fields.

In the meantime in the hut the cat was busy weaving the linen and

tangling the threads as it wove. And the witch returned to see how the

children were getting on; and she crept up to the window, and whispered:

‘Are you weaving, my little dear?’

‘Yes, granny, I am weaving,’ answered the cat.

When the witch saw that the children had escaped her, she was furious,

and, hitting the cat with a porringer, she said: ‘Why did you let the

children leave the hut? Why did you not scratch their eyes out?’

But the cat curled up its tail and put its back up, and answered: ‘I

have served you all these years and you never even threw me a bone, but

the dear children gave me their own piece of ham.’

Then the witch was furious with the watch-dog and with the birch-trees,

because they had let the children pass. But the dog answered:

‘I have served you all these years and you never gave me so much as a

hard crust, but the dear children gave me their own loaf of bread.’

And the birch rustled its leaves, and said: ‘I have served you longer

than I can say, and you never tied a bit of twine even round my

branches; and the dear children bound them up with their brightest

ribbons.’

So the witch saw there was no help to be got from her old servants, and

that the best thing she could do was to mount on her broom and set off

in pursuit of the children. And as the children ran they heard the sound

of the broom sweeping the ground close behind them, so instantly they

threw the handkerchief down over their shoulder, and in a moment a deep,

broad river flowed behind them.

When the witch came up to it, it took her a long time before she found a

place which she could ford over on her broom-stick; but at last she got

across, and continued the chase faster than before. And as the children

ran they heard a sound, and the little sister put her ear to the ground,

and heard the broom sweeping the earth close behind them; so, quick as

thought, she threw the comb down on the ground, and in an instant,

as the cat had said, a dense forest sprung up, in which the roots and

branches were so closely intertwined, that it was impossible to force a

way through it. So when the witch came up to it on her broom she found

that there was nothing for it but to turn round and go back to her hut.

But the twins ran straight on till they reached their own home. Then

they told their father all that they had suffered, and he was so angry

with their step-mother that he drove her out of the house, and never let

her return; but he and the children lived happily together; and he took

care of them himself, and never let a stranger come near them.

THE HAZEL-NUT CHILD (29)

(29) From the Bukowniaer. Van Wliolocki.

There was once upon a time a couple who had no children, and they prayed

Heaven every day to send them a child, though it were no bigger than

a hazel-nut. At last Heaven heard their prayer and sent them a child

exactly the size of a hazel-nut, and it never grew an inch. The parents

were very devoted to the little creature, and nursed and tended it

carefully. Their tiny son too was as clever as he could be, and so sharp

and sensible that all the neighbours marvelled over the wise things he

said and did.

When the Hazel-nut child was fifteen years old, and was sitting one day

in an egg-shell on the table beside his mother, she turned to him and

said, ‘You are now fifteen years old, and nothing can be done with you.

What do you intend to be?’

‘A messenger,’ answered the Hazel-nut child.

Then his mother burst out laughing and said, ‘What an idea! You a

messenger! Why, your little feet would take an hour to go the distance

an ordinary person could do in a minute!’

But the Hazel-nut child replied, ‘Nevertheless I mean to be a messenger!

Just send me a message and you’ll see that I shall be back in next to no

time.’

So his mother said, ‘Very well, go to your aunt in the neighbouring

village, and fetch me a comb.’ The Hazel-nut child jumped quickly out

of the egg-shell and ran out into the street. Here he found a man on

horseback who was just setting out for the neighbouring village. He

crept up the horse’s leg, sat down under the saddle, and then began to

pinch the horse and to prick it with a pin. The horse plunged and reared

and then set off at a hard gallop, which it continued in spite of its

rider’s efforts to stop it. When they reached the village, the Hazel-nut

child left off pricking the horse, and the poor tired creature pursued

its way at a snail’s pace. The Hazel-nut child took advantage of this,

and crept down the horse’s leg; then he ran to his aunt and asked her

for a comb. On the way home he met another rider, and did the return

journey in exactly the same way. When he handed his mother the comb that

his aunt had given him, she was much amazed and asked him, ‘But how did

you manage to get back so quickly?’

‘Ah! mother,’ he replied, ‘you see I was quite right when I said I knew

a messenger was the profession for me.’

His father too possessed a horse which he often used to take out into

the fields to graze. One day he took the Hazel-nut child with him. At

midday the father turned to his small son and said, ‘Stay here and look

after the horse. I must go home and give your mother a message, but I

shall be back soon.’

When his father had gone, a robber passed by and saw the horse grazing

without any one watching it, for of course he could not see the

Hazel-nut child hidden in the grass. So he mounted the horse and rode

away. But the Hazel-nut child, who was the most active little creature,

climbed up the horse’s tail and began to bite it on the back, enraging

the creature to such an extent that it paid no attention to the

direction the robber tried to make it go in, but galloped straight home.

The father was much astonished when he saw a stranger riding his horse,

but the Hazel-nut child climbed down quickly and told him all that had

happened, and his father had the robber arrested at once and put into

prison.

One autumn when the Hazel-nut child was twenty years old he said to his

parents: ‘Farewell, my dear father and mother. I am going to set out

into the world, and as soon as I have become rich I will return home to

you.’

The parents laughed at the little man’s words, but did not believe him

for a moment. In the evening the Hazel-nut child crept on to the roof,

where some storks had built their nest. The storks were fast asleep,

and he climbed on to the back of the father-stork and bound a silk cord

round the joint of one of its wings, then he crept among its soft downy

feathers and fell asleep.

The next morning the storks flew towards the south, for winter was

approaching. The Hazel-nut child flew through the air on the stork’s

back, and when he wanted to rest he bound his silk cord on to the joint

of the bird’s other wing, so that it could not fly any farther. In this

way he reached the country of the black people, where the storks took

up their abode close to the capital. When the people saw the Hazel-nut

child they were much astonished, and took him with the stork to the King

of the country. The King was delighted with the little creature and kept

him always beside him, and he soon grew so fond of the little man that

he gave him a diamond four times as big as himself. The Hazel-nut child

fastened the diamond firmly under the stork’s neck with a ribbon, and

when he saw that the other storks were getting ready for their northern

flight, he untied the silk cord from his stork’s wings, and away they

went, getting nearer home every minute. At length the Hazel-nut child

came to his native village; then he undid the ribbon from the stork’s

neck and the diamond fell to the ground; he covered it first with sand

and stones, and then ran to get his parents, so that they might carry

the treasure home, for he himself was not able to lift the great

diamond.

So the Hazel-nut child and his parents lived in happiness and prosperity

after this till they died.