Bab Bab 88 · The Raven

. The Raven

There was once upon a time a Queen who had a little daughter who was

still so young that she had to be carried. One day the child was

naughty, and the mother might say what she liked, but the child would

not be quiet. Then she became impatient, and as the ravens were flying

about the palace, she opened the window and said, “I wish you were a

raven and would fly away, and then I should have some rest.” Scarcely

had she spoken the words, before the child was changed into a raven,

and flew from her arms out of the window. It flew into a dark forest,

and stayed in it a long time, and the parents heard nothing of their

child. Then one day a man was on his way through this forest and heard

the raven crying, and followed the voice, and when he came nearer, the

bird said, “I am a king’s daughter by birth, and am bewitched, but thou

canst set me free.” “What am I to do,” asked he. She said, “Go further

into the forest, and thou wilt find a house, wherein sits an aged

woman, who will offer thee meat and drink, but you must accept nothing,

for if you eatest and drinkest anything, thou wilt fall into a sleep,

and then thou wilt not be able to deliver me. In the garden behind the

house there is a great heap of tan, and on this thou shalt stand and

wait for me. For three days I will come every afternoon at two o’clock

in a carriage. On the first day four white horses will be harnessed to

it, then four chestnut horses, and lastly four black ones; but if thou

art not awake, but sleeping, I shall not be set free.” The man promised

to do everything that she desired, but the raven said, alas, “I know

already that thou wilt not deliver me; thou wilt accept something from

the woman.” Then the man once more promised that he would certainly not

touch anything either to eat or to drink. But when he entered the house

the old woman came to him and said, “Poor man, how faint you are; come

and refresh yourself; eat and drink.” “No,” said the man, “I will not

eat or drink.” She, however, let him have no peace, and said, “If you

will not eat, take one drink out of the glass; one is nothing.” Then he

let himself be persuaded, and drank. Shortly before two o’clock in the

afternoon he went into the garden to the tan heap to wait for the

raven. As he was standing there, his weariness all at once became so

great that he could not struggle against it, and lay down for a short

time, but he was determined not to go to sleep. Hardly, however, had he

lain down, than his eyes closed of their own accord, and he fell asleep

and slept so soundly that nothing in the world could have aroused him.

At two o’clock the raven came driving up with four white horses, but

she was already in deep grief and said, “I know he is asleep.” And when

she came into the garden, he was indeed lying there asleep on the heap

of tan. She alighted from the carriage, went to him, shook him, and

called him, but he did not awake. Next day about noon, the old woman

came again and brought him food and drink, but he would not take any of

it. But she let him have no rest and persuaded him until at length he

again took one drink out of the glass. Towards two o’clock he went into

the garden to the tan heap to wait for the raven, but all at once felt

such a great weariness that his limbs would no longer support him. He

could not help himself, and was forced to lie down, and fell into a

heavy sleep. When the raven drove up with four brown horses, she was

already full of grief, and said, “I know he is asleep.” She went to

him, but there he lay sleeping, and there was no wakening him. Next day

the old woman asked what was the meaning of this? He was neither eating

nor drinking anything; did he want to die? He replied, “I am not

allowed to eat or drink, and will not do so.” But she set a dish with

food, and a glass with wine before him, and when he smelt it he could

not resist, and swallowed a deep draught. When the time came, he went

out into the garden to the heap of tan, and waited for the King’s

daughter; but he became still more weary than on the day before, and

lay down and slept as soundly as if he had been a stone. At two o’clock

the raven came with four black horses, and the coachman and everything

else was black. She was already in the deepest grief, and said, “I know

that he is asleep and cannot deliver me.” When she came to him, there

he was lying fast asleep. She shook him and called him, but she could

not waken him. Then she laid a loaf beside him, and after that a piece

of meat, and thirdly a bottle of wine, and he might consume as much of

all of them as he liked, but they would never grow less. After this she

took a gold ring from her finger, and put it on his, and her name was

graven on it. Lastly, she laid a letter beside him wherein was written

what she had given him, and that none of the things would ever grow

less; and in it was also written, “I see right well that here you will

never be able to deliver me, but if thou art still willing to deliver

me, come to the golden castle of Stromberg; it lies in thy power, of

that I am certain.” And when she had given him all these things, she

seated herself in her carriage, and drove to the golden castle of

Stromberg.

When the man awoke and saw that he had slept, he was sad at heart, and

said, “She has certainly driven by, and I have not set her free.” Then

he perceived the things which were lying beside him, and read the

letter wherein was written how everything had happened. So he arose and

went away, intending to go to the golden castle of Stromberg, but he

did not know where it was. After he had walked about the world for a

long time, he entered into a dark forest, and walked for fourteen days,

and still could not find his way out. Then it was once more evening,

and he was so tired that he lay down in a thicket and fell asleep. Next

day he went onwards, and in the evening, as he was again about to lie

down beneath some bushes, he heard such a howling and crying that he

could not go to sleep. And at the time when people light the candles,

he saw one glimmering, and arose and went towards it. Then he came to a

house which seemed very small, for in front of it a great giant was

standing. He thought to himself, “If I go in, and the giant sees me, it

will very likely cost me my life.”

At length he ventured it and went in. When the giant saw him, he said,

“It is well that thou comest, for it is long since I have eaten; I will

at once eat thee for my supper.” “I’d rather you would leave that

alone,” said the man, “I do not like to be eaten; but if thou hast any

desire to eat, I have quite enough here to satisfy thee.” “If that be

true,” said the giant, “thou mayst be easy, I was only going to devour

thee because I had nothing else.” Then they went, and sat down to the

table, and the man took out the bread, wine, and meat which would never

come to an end. “This pleases me well,” said the giant, and ate to his

heart’s content. Then the man said to him, “Canst thou tell me where

the golden castle of Stromberg is?” The giant said, “I will look at my

map; all the towns, and villages, and houses are to be found on it.” He

brought out the map which he had in the room and looked for the castle,

but it was not to be found on it. “It’s no matter!” said he, “I have

some still larger maps in my cupboard upstairs, and we will look in

them.” But there, too, it was in vain. The man now wanted to go

onwards, but the giant begged him to wait a few days longer until his

brother, who had gone out to bring some provisions, came home. When the

brother came home they inquired about the golden castle of Stromberg.

He replied, “When I have eaten and have had enough, I will look in the

map.” Then he went with them up to his chamber, and they searched in

his map, but could not find it. Then he brought out still older maps,

and they never rested until they found the golden castle of Stromberg,

but it was many thousand miles away. “How am I to get there?” asked the

man. The giant said, “I have two hours’ time, during which I will carry

you into the neighbourhood, but after that I must be at home to suckle

the child that we have.” So the giant carried the man to about a

hundred leagues from the castle, and said, “Thou canst very well walk

the rest of the way alone.” And he turned back, but the man went

onwards day and night, until at length he came to the golden castle of

Stromberg. It stood on a glass-mountain, and the bewitched maiden drove

in her carriage round the castle, and then went inside it. He rejoiced

when he saw her and wanted to climb up to her, but when he began to do

so he always slipped down the glass again. And when he saw that he

could not reach her, he was filled with trouble, and said to himself,

“I will stay down here below, and wait for her.” So he built himself a

hut and stayed in it for a whole year, and every day saw the King’s

daughter driving about above, but never could go to her. Then one day

he saw from his hut three robbers who were beating each other, and

cried to them, “God be with ye!” They stopped when they heard the cry,

but as they saw no one, they once more began to beat each other, and

that too most dangerously. So he again cried, “God be with ye!” Again

they stopped, looked round about, but as they saw no one they went on

beating each other. Then he cried for the third time, “God be with ye,”

and thought, “I must see what these three are about,” and went thither

and asked why they were beating each other so furiously. One of them

said that he found a stick, and that when he struck a door with it,

that door would spring open. The next said that he had found a mantle,

and that whenever he put it on, he was invisible, but the third said he

had found a horse on which a man could ride everywhere, even up the

glass-mountain. And now they did not know whether they ought to have

these things in common, or whether they ought to divide them. Then the

man said, “I will give you something in exchange for these three

things. Money indeed have I not, but I have other things of more value;

but first I must try yours to see if you have told the truth.” Then

they put him on the horse, threw the mantle round him, and gave him the

stick in his hand, and when he had all these things they were no longer

able to see him. So he gave them some vigorous blows and cried, “Now,

vagabonds, you have got what you deserve, are you satisfied?” And he

rode up the glass-mountain, but when he came in front of the castle at

the top, it was shut. Then he struck the door with his stick, and it

sprang open immediately. He went in and ascended the stairs until he

came to the hall where the maiden was sitting with a golden cup full of

wine before her. She, however, could not see him because he had the

mantle on. And when he came up to her, he drew from his finger the ring

which she had given him, and threw it into the cup so that it rang.

Then she cried, “That is my ring, so the man who is to set me free must

be here.” They searched the whole castle and did not find him, but he

had gone out, and had seated himself on the horse and thrown off the

mantle. When they came to the door, they saw him and cried aloud in

their delight.* Then he alighted and took the King’s daughter in his

arms, but she kissed him and said, “Now hast thou set me free, and

to-morrow we will celebrate our wedding.”

94 The Peasant’s Wise Daughter

There was once a poor peasant who had no land, but only a small house,

and one daughter. Then said the daughter, “We ought to ask our lord the

King for a bit of newly-cleared land.” When the King heard of their

poverty, he presented them with a piece of land, which she and her

father dug up, and intended to sow with a little corn and grain of that

kind. When they had dug nearly the whole of the field, they found in

the earth a mortar made of pure gold. “Listen,” said the father to the

girl, “as our lord the King has been so gracious and presented us with

the field, we ought to give him this mortar in return for it.” The

daughter, however, would not consent to this, and said, “Father, if we

have the mortar without having the pestle as well, we shall have to get

the pestle, so you had much better say nothing about it.” He would,

however, not obey her, but took the mortar and carried it to the King,

said that he had found it in the cleared land, and asked if he would

accept it as a present. The King took the mortar, and asked if he had

found nothing besides that? “No,” answered the countryman. Then the

King said that he must now bring him the pestle. The peasant said they

had not found that, but he might just as well have spoken to the wind;

he was put in prison, and was to stay there until he produced the

pestle. The servants had daily to carry him bread and water, which is

what people get in prison, and they heard how the man cried out

continually, “Ah! if I had but listened to my daughter! Alas, alas, if

I had but listened to my daughter!” and would neither eat nor drink. So

he commanded the servants to bring the prisoner before him, and then

the King asked the peasant why he was always crying, “Ah! if I had but

listened to my daughter!” and what it was that his daughter had said.

“She told me that I ought not to take the mortar to you, for I should

have to produce the pestle as well.” “If you have a daughter who is as

wise as that, let her come here.” She was therefore obliged to appear

before the King, who asked her if she really was so wise, and said he

would set her a riddle, and if she could guess that, he would marry

her. She at once said yes, she would guess it. Then said the King,

“Come to me not clothed, not naked, not riding, not walking, not in the

road, and not out of the road, and if thou canst do that I will marry

thee.” So she went away, put off everything she had on, and then she

was not clothed, and took a great fishing net, and seated herself in it

and wrapped it entirely round and round her, so that she was not naked,

and she hired an ass, and tied the fisherman’s net to its tail, so that

it was forced to drag her along, and that was neither riding nor

walking. The ass had also to drag her in the ruts, so that she only

touched the ground with her great toe, and that was neither being in

the road nor out of the road. And when she arrived in that fashion, the

King said she had guessed the riddle and fulfilled all the conditions.

Then he ordered her father to be released from the prison, took her to

wife, and gave into her care all the royal possessions.

Now when some years had passed, the King was once drawing up his troops

on parade, when it happened that some peasants who had been selling

wood stopped with their waggons before the palace; some of them had

oxen yoked to them, and some horses. There was one peasant who had

three horses, one of which was delivered of a young foal, and it ran

away and lay down between two oxen which were in front of the waggon.

When the peasants came together, they began to dispute, to beat each

other and make a disturbance, and the peasant with the oxen wanted to

keep the foal, and said one of the oxen had given birth to it, and the

other said his horse had had it, and that it was his. The quarrel came

before the King, and he give the verdict that the foal should stay

where it had been found, and so the peasant with the oxen, to whom it

did not belong, got it. Then the other went away, and wept and lamented

over his foal. Now he had heard how gracious his lady the Queen was

because she herself had sprung from poor peasant folks, so he went to

her and begged her to see if she could not help him to get his foal

back again. Said she, “Yes, I will tell you what to do, if thou wilt

promise me not to betray me. Early to-morrow morning, when the King

parades the guard, place thyself there in the middle of the road by

which he must pass, take a great fishing-net and pretend to be fishing;

go on fishing, too, and empty out the net as if thou hadst got it full”

and then she told him also what he was to say if he was questioned by

the King. The next day, therefore, the peasant stood there, and fished

on dry ground. When the King passed by, and saw that, he sent his

messenger to ask what the stupid man was about? He answered, “I am

fishing.” The messenger asked how he could fish when there was no water

there? The peasant said, “It is as easy for me to fish on dry land as

it is for an ox to have a foal.” The messenger went back and took the

answer to the King, who ordered the peasant to be brought to him and

told him that this was not his own idea, and he wanted to know whose it

was? The peasant must confess this at once. The peasant, however, would

not do so, and said always, God forbid he should! the idea was his own.

They laid him, however, on a heap of straw, and beat him and tormented

him so long that at last he admitted that he had got the idea from the

Queen.

When the King reached home again, he said to his wife, “Why hast thou

behaved so falsely to me? I will not have thee any longer for a wife;

thy time is up, go back to the place from whence thou camest to thy

peasant’s hut.” One favour, however, he granted her; she might take

with her the one thing that was dearest and best in her eyes; and thus

was she dismissed. She said, “Yes, my dear husband, if you command

this, I will do it,” and she embraced him and kissed him, and said she

would take leave of him. Then she ordered a powerful sleeping draught

to be brought, to drink farewell to him; the King took a long draught,

but she took only a little. He soon fell into a deep sleep, and when

she perceived that, she called a servant and took a fair white linen

cloth and wrapped the King in it, and the servant was forced to carry

him into a carriage that stood before the door, and she drove with him

to her own little house. She laid him in her own little bed, and he

slept one day and one night without awakening, and when he awoke he

looked round and said, “Good God! where am I?” He called his

attendants, but none of them were there. At length his wife came to his

bedside and said, “My dear lord and King, you told me I might bring

away with me from the palace that which was dearest and most precious

in my eyes I have nothing more precious and dear than yourself, so I

have brought you with me.” Tears rose to the King’s eyes and he said,

“Dear wife, thou shalt be mine and I will be thine,” and he took her

back with him to the royal palace and was married again to her, and at

the present time they are very likely still living.