Chương Chương 111 · The Three Apprentices

. The Three Apprentices

There were once three apprentices, who had agreed to keep always

together while travelling, and always to work in the same town. At one

time, however, their masters had no more work to give them, so that at

last they were in rags, and had nothing to live on. Then one of them

said, “What shall we do? We cannot stay here any longer, we will travel

once more, and if we do not find any work in the town we go to, we will

arrange with the innkeeper there, that we are to write and tell him

where we are staying, so that we can always have news of each other,

and then we will separate.” And that seemed best to the others also.

They went forth, and met on the way a richly-dressed man who asked who

they were. “We are apprentices looking for work; Up to this time we

have kept together, but if we cannot find anything to do we are going

to separate.” “There is no need for that,” said the man, “if you will

do what I tell you, you shall not want for gold or for work; nay, you

shall become great lords, and drive in your carriages!” One of them

said, “If our souls and salvation be not endangered, we will certainly

do it.” “They will not,” replied the man, “I have no claim on you.” One

of the others had, however, looked at his feet, and when he saw a

horse’s foot and a man’s foot, he did not want to have anything to do

with him. The Devil, however, said, “Be easy, I have no designs on you,

but on another soul, which is half my own already, and whose measure

shall but run full.” As they were now secure, they consented, and the

Devil told them what he wanted. The first was to answer, “All three of

us,” to every question; the second was to say, “For money,” and the

third, “And quite right too!” They were always to say this, one after

the other, but they were not to say one word more, and if they

disobeyed this order, all their money would disappear at once, but so

long as they observed it, their pockets would always be full. As a

beginning, he at once gave them as much as they could carry, and told

them to go to such and such an inn when they got to the town. They went

to it, and the innkeeper came to meet them, and asked if they wished

for anything to eat? The first replied, “All three of us.” “Yes,” said

the host, “that is what I mean.” The second said, “For money.” “Of

course,” said the host. The third said, “And quite right too!”

“Certainly it is right,” said the host.

Good meat and drink were now brought to them, and they were well waited

on. After the dinner came the payment, and the innkeeper gave the bill

to the one who said, “All three of us,” the second said, “For money,”

and the third, “and quite right too!” “Indeed it is right,” said the

host, “all three pay, and without money I can give nothing.” They,

however, paid still more than he had asked. The lodgers, who were

looking on, said, “These people must be mad.” “Yes, indeed they are,”

said the host, “they are not very wise.” So they stayed some time in

the inn, and said nothing else but, “All three of us,” “For money,” and

“And quite right too!” But they saw and knew all that was going on. It

so happened that a great merchant came with a large sum of money, and

said, “Sir host, take care of my money for me, here are three crazy

apprentices who might steal it from me.” The host did as he was asked.

As he was carrying the trunk into his room, he felt that it was heavy

with gold. Thereupon he gave the three apprentices a lodging below, but

the merchant came up-stairs into a separate apartment. When it was

midnight, and the host thought that all were asleep, he came with his

wife, and they had an axe and struck the rich merchant dead; and after

they had murdered him they went to bed again. When it was day there was

a great outcry; the merchant lay dead in bed bathed in blood. All the

guests ran at once but the host said, “The three crazy apprentices have

done this;” the lodgers confirmed it, and said, “It can have been no

one else.” The innkeeper, however, had them called, and said to them,

“Have you killed the merchant?” “All three of us,” said the first, “For

money,” said the second; and the third added, “And quite right too!”

“There now, you hear,” said the host, “they confess it themselves.”

They were taken to prison, therefore, and were to be tried. When they

saw that things were going so seriously, they were after all afraid,

but at night the Devil came and said, “Bear it just one day longer, and

do not play away your luck, not one hair of your head shall be hurt.”

The next morning they were led to the bar, and the judge said, “Are you

the murderers?” “All three of us.” “Why did you kill the merchant?”

“For money.” “You wicked wretches, you have no horror of your sins?”

“And quite right too!” “They have confessed, and are still stubborn,”

said the judge, “lead them to death instantly.” So they were taken out,

and the host had to go with them into the circle. When they were taken

hold of by the executioner’s men, and were just going to be led up to

the scaffold where the headsman was standing with naked sword, a coach

drawn by four blood-red chestnut horses came up suddenly, driving so

fast that fire flashed from the stones, and someone made signs from the

window with a white handkerchief. Then said the headsman, “It is a

pardon coming,” and “Pardon! pardon!” was called from the carriage

also. Then the Devil stepped out as a very noble gentleman, beautifully

dressed, and said, “You three are innocent; you may now speak, make

known what you have seen and heard.” Then said the eldest, “We did not

kill the merchant, the murderer is standing there in the circle,” and

he pointed to the innkeeper. “In proof of this, go into his cellar,

where many others whom he has killed are still hanging.” Then the judge

sent the executioner’s men thither, and they found it was as the

apprentices said, and when they had informed the judge of this, he

caused the innkeeper to be led up, and his head was cut off. Then said

the Devil to the three, “Now I have got the soul which I wanted to

have, and you are free, and have money for the rest of your lives.”

121 The King’s Son Who Feared Nothing

There was once a King’s son, who was no longer content to stay at home

in his father’s house, and as he had no fear of anything, he thought,

“I will go forth into the wide world, there the time will not seem long

to me, and I shall see wonders enough.” So he took leave of his

parents, and went forth, and on and on from morning till night, and

whichever way his path led it was the same to him. It came to pass that

he got to the house of a giant, and as he was so tired he sat down by

the door and rested. And as he let his eyes roam here and there, he saw

the giant’s playthings lying in the yard. These were a couple of

enormous balls, and nine-pins as tall as a man. After a while he had a

fancy to set the nine-pins up and then rolled the balls at them, and

screamed and cried out when the nine-pins fell, and had a merry time of

it. The giant heard the noise, stretched his head out of the window,

and saw a man who was not taller than other men, and yet played with

his nine-pins. “Little worm,” cried he, “why art thou playing with my

balls? Who gave thee strength to do it?” The King’s son looked up, saw

the giant, and said, “Oh, thou blockhead, thou thinkest indeed that

thou only hast strong arms, I can do everything I want to do.” The

giant came down and watched the bowling with great admiration, and

said, “Child of man, if thou art one of that kind, go and bring me an

apple of the tree of life.” “What dost thou want with it?” said the

King’s son. “I do not want the apple for myself,” answered the giant,

“but I have a betrothed bride who wishes for it. I have travelled far

about the world and cannot find the tree.” “I will soon find it,” said

the King’s son, “and I do not know what is to prevent me from getting

the apple down.” The giant said, “Thou really believest it to be so

easy! The garden in which the tree stands is surrounded by an iron

railing, and in front of the railing lie wild beasts, each close to the

other, and they keep watch and let no man go in.” “They will be sure to

let me in,” said the King’s son. “Yes, but even if thou dost get into

the garden, and seest the apple hanging to the tree, it is still not

thine; a ring hangs in front of it, through which any one who wants to

reach the apple and break it off, must put his hand, and no one has yet

had the luck to do it.” “That luck will be mine,” said the King’s son.

Then he took leave of the giant, and went forth over mountain and

valley, and through plains and forests, until at length he came to the

wondrous garden.

The beasts lay round about it, but they had put their heads down and

were asleep. Moreover, they did not awake when he went up to them, so

he stepped over them, climbed the fence, and got safely into the

garden. There, in the very middle of it, stood the tree of life, and

the red apples were shining upon the branches. He climbed up the trunk

to the top, and as he was about to reach out for an apple, he saw a

ring hanging before it; but he thrust his hand through that without any

difficulty, and gathered the apple. The ring closed tightly on his arm,

and all at once he felt a prodigious strength flowing through his

veins. When he had come down again from the tree with the apple, he

would not climb over the fence, but grasped the great gate, and had no

need to shake it more than once before it sprang open with a loud

crash. Then he went out, and the lion which had been lying down before,

was awake and sprang after him, not in rage and fierceness, but

following him humbly as its master.

The King’s son took the giant the apple he had promised him, and said,

“Seest thou, I have brought it without difficulty.” The giant was glad

that his desire had been so soon satisfied, hastened to his bride, and

gave her the apple for which she had wished. She was a beautiful and

wise maiden, and as she did not see the ring on his arm, she said, “I

shall never believe that thou hast brought the apple, until I see the

ring on thine arm.” The giant said, “I have nothing to do but go home

and fetch it,” and thought it would be easy to take away by force from

the weak man, what he would not give of his own free will. He therefore

demanded the ring from him, but the King’s son refused it. “Where the

apple is, the ring must be also,” said the giant; “if thou wilt not

give it of thine own accord, thou must fight with me for it.”

They wrestled with each other for a long time, but the giant could not

get the better of the King’s son, who was strengthened by the magical

power of the ring. Then the giant thought of a stratagem, and said, “I

have got warm with fighting, and so hast thou. We will bathe in the

river, and cool ourselves before we begin again.” The King’s son, who

knew nothing of falsehood, went with him to the water, and pulled off

with his clothes the ring also from his arm, and sprang into the river.

The giant instantly snatched the ring, and ran away with it, but the

lion, which had observed the theft, pursued the giant, tore the ring

out of his hand, and brought it back to its master. Then the giant

placed himself behind an oak-tree, and while the King’s son was busy

putting on his clothes again, surprised him, and put both his eyes out.

And now the unhappy King’s son stood there, and was blind and knew not

how to help himself. Then the giant came back to him, took him by the

hand as if he were someone who wanted to guide him, and led him to the

top of a high rock. There he left him standing, and thought, “Just two

steps more, and he will fall down and kill himself, and I can take the

ring from him.” But the faithful lion had not deserted its master; it

held him fast by the clothes, and drew him gradually back again. When

the giant came and wanted to rob the dead man, he saw that his cunning

had been in vain. “Is there no way, then, of destroying a weak child of

man like that?” said he angrily to himself, and seized the King’s son

and led him back again to the precipice by another way, but the lion

which saw his evil design, helped its master out of danger here also.

When they had got close to the edge, the giant let the blind man’s hand

drop, and was going to leave him behind alone, but the lion pushed the

giant so that he was thrown down and fell, dashed to pieces, on the

ground.

The faithful animal again drew its master back from the precipice, and

guided him to a tree by which flowed a clear brook. The King’s son sat

down there, but the lion lay down, and sprinkled the water in his face

with its paws. Scarcely had a couple of drops wetted the sockets of his

eyes, than he was once more able to see something, and remarked a

little bird flying quite close by, which wounded itself against the

trunk of a tree. On this it went down to the water and bathed itself

therein, and then it soared upwards and swept between the trees without

touching them, as if it had recovered its sight again. Then the King’s

son recognized a sign from God and stooped down to the water, and

washed and bathed his face in it. And when he arose he had his eyes

once more, brighter and clearer than they had ever been.

The King’s son thanked God for his great mercy, and travelled with his

lion onwards through the world. And it came to pass that he arrived

before a castle which was enchanted. In the gateway stood a maiden of

beautiful form and fine face, but she was quite black. She spoke to him

and said, “Ah, if thou couldst but deliver me from the evil spell which

is thrown over me.” “What shall I do?” said the King’s son. The maiden

answered, “Thou must pass three nights in the great hall of this

enchanted castle, but thou must let no fear enter thy heart. When they

are doing their worst to torment thee, if thou bearest it without

letting a sound escape thee, I shall be free. Thy life they dare not

take.” Then said the King’s son, “I have no fear; with God’s help I

will try it.” So he went gaily into the castle, and when it grew dark

he seated himself in the large hall and waited. Everything was quiet,

however, till midnight, when all at once a great tumult began, and out

of every hole and corner came little devils. They behaved as if they

did not see him, seated themselves in the middle of the room, lighted a

fire, and began to gamble. When one of them lost, he said, “It is not

right; some one is here who does not belong to us; it is his fault that

I am losing.” “Wait, you fellow behind the stove, I am coming,” said

another. The screaming became still louder, so that no one could have

heard it without terror. The King’s son stayed sitting quite quietly,

and was not afraid; but at last the devils jumped up from the ground,

and fell on him, and there were so many of them that he could not

defend himself from them. They dragged him about on the floor, pinched

him, pricked him, beat him, and tormented him, but no sound escaped

from him. Towards morning they disappeared, and he was so exhausted

that he could scarcely move his limbs, but when day dawned the black

maiden came to him. She bore in her hand a little bottle wherein was

the water of life wherewith she washed him, and he at once felt all

pain depart and new strength flow through his veins. She said, “Thou

hast held out successfully for one night, but two more lie before

thee.” Then she went away again, and as she was going, he observed that

her feet had become white. The next night the devils came and began

their gambols anew. They fell on the King’s son, and beat him much more

severely than the night before, until his body was covered with wounds.

But as he bore all quietly, they were forced to leave him, and when

dawn appeared, the maiden came and healed him with the water of life.

And when she went away, he saw with joy that she had already become

white to the tips of her fingers. And now he had only one night more to

go through, but it was the worst. The hob-goblins came again: “Art thou

there still?” cried they, “thou shalt be tormented till thy breath

stops.” They pricked him and beat him, and threw him here and there,

and pulled him by the arms and legs as if they wanted to tear him to

pieces, but he bore everything, and never uttered a cry. At last the

devils vanished, but he lay fainting there, and did not stir, nor could

he raise his eyes to look at the maiden who came in, and sprinkled and

bathed him with the water of life. But suddenly he was freed from all

pain, and felt fresh and healthy as if he had awakened from sleep, and

when he opened his eyes he saw the maiden standing by him, snow-white,

and fair as day. “Rise,” said she, “and swing thy sword three times

over the stairs, and then all will be delivered.” And when he had done

that, the whole castle was released from enchantment, and the maiden

was a rich King’s daughter. The servants came and said that the table

was already set in the great hall, and dinner served up. Then they sat

down and ate and drank together, and in the evening the wedding was

solemnized with great rejoicings.