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diff --git a/37193.txt b/37193.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3952a2e --- /dev/null +++ b/37193.txt @@ -0,0 +1,5489 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Swedish Fairy Book, by Various + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Swedish Fairy Book + +Author: Various + +Editor: Clara Stroebe + +Illustrator: George W. Hood + +Translator: Frederick H. Martens + +Release Date: August 24, 2011 [EBook #37193] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SWEDISH FAIRY BOOK *** + + + + +Produced by David Edwards, Matthew Wheaton and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This +file was produced from images generously made available +by The Internet Archive) + + + + + + + + + +THE SWEDISH FAIRY BOOK + + + [Illustration: "NO SOONER HAD HE SPOKEN THE WORDS THAN HE WAS + LYING IN THE MOST MAGNIFICENT ROOM HE HAD EVER SEEN."] + + + + + THE SWEDISH FAIRY BOOK + + EDITED BY + CLARA STROEBE + + TRANSLATED BY + FREDERICK H. MARTENS + + WITH EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR BY + GEORGE W. HOOD + + NEW YORK + FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY + PUBLISHERS + + + _Copyright, 1921, by_ + + FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY + + _All Rights Reserved_ + + _Printed in the United States of America_ + + + + +PREFACE + + +The following volume of Swedish fairy-tales represents a careful +choice, after the best original sources, of those examples of their +kind which not only appeared most colorful and entertaining, but also +most racially Swedish in their flavor. For the fairy-tales of each of +the three Scandinavian countries, Sweden, Denmark and Norway, have a +distinct local color of their own. The wealth of material available +has made it possible to give due representation to most types of +fairy-tales, from the stories of older origin, the tales of giant, +troll, and werewolf, to such delightful tales as "Lasse, My Thrall", +and "The Princess and the Glass Mountain," colored with the rich and +ornate stylistic garb of medieval chivalric poesy. There has been no +attempt to "rewrite" these charming folk-and fairy-tales in the +translation. They have been faithfully narrated in the simple, naive +manner which their traditional rendering demands. And this is one +reason, perhaps, why they should appeal to young American readers--for +young America by instinct takes kindly to that which is straightforward +and sincere, in the realm of fairy-tale as in life itself. + + FREDERICK H. MARTENS + + + + +CONTENTS + + + CHAPTER + + I KNOeS + II LASSE, MY THRALL! + III FINN, THE GIANT, AND THE MINSTER OF LUND + IV THE SKALUNDA GIANT + V YULETIDE SPECTERS + VI SILVERWHITE AND LILLWACKER + VII STOMPE PILT + VIII THE GIRL AND THE SNAKE + IX FAITHFUL AND UNFAITHFUL + X STARKAD AND BALE + XI THE WEREWOLF + XII FIRST BORN, FIRST WED + XIII THE LAME DOG + XIV THE MOUNT OF THE GOLDEN QUEEN + XV OLD HOPGIANT + XVI THE PRINCESS AND THE GLASS MOUNTAIN + XVII QUEEN CRANE + XVIII TALES OF THE TROLLS + XIX CHARCOAL NILS AND THE TROLL-WOMAN + XX THE THREE DOGS + XXI THE POOR DEVIL + XXII HOW SMALAND AND SCHONEN CAME TO BE + XXIII THE EVIL ONE AND KITTA GRAU + XXIV THE LADY OF PINTORP + XXV THE SPECTER IN FJELKINGE + XXVI THE ROOSTER, THE HAND-MILL AND THE SWARM OF HORNETS + XXVII TORRE JEPPE + XXVIII THE MAN WHO DIED ON HOLY INNOCENTS' DAY + + + + +LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS + + + "No sooner had he spoken the words than he was lying in the most + magnificent room he had ever seen" + + "Then Silverwhite drew his sword with a great sweep, and rushed + upon the sea-troll" + + "The pike rose to the surface with the golden keys in his mouth" + + "So heartfelt was her happiness that she forgot everything else + in the world" + + "A shrine adorned with gold and precious stones appeared" + + "The lion turned into a handsome young prince" + + "The rich man had to go along hanging to him like a hawser" + + "He saw a girl sitting in the mountain hall, weaving a web of + gold" + + + + +THE SWEDISH FAIRY BOOK + + + + +Swedish Fairy Book + + + + +I + +KNOeS + + +Once upon a time there was a poor widow, who found an egg under a pile +of brush as she was gathering kindlings in the forest. She took it and +placed it under a goose, and when the goose had hatched it, a little +boy slipped out of the shell. The widow had him baptized Knoes, and +such a lad was a rarity; for when no more than five years old he was +grown, and taller than the tallest man. And he ate in proportion, for +he would swallow a whole batch of bread at a single sitting, and at +last the poor widow had to go to the commissioners for the relief of +the poor in order to get food for him. But the town authorities said +she must apprentice the boy at a trade, for he was big enough and +strong enough to earn his own keep. + +So Knoes was apprenticed to a smith for three years. For his pay he +asked a suit of clothes and a sword each year: a sword of five +hundredweights the first year, one of ten hundredweights the second +year, and one of fifteen hundredweights the third year. But after he +had been in the smithy only a few days, the smith was glad to give him +all three suits and all three swords at once; for he smashed all his +iron and steel to bits. + +Knoes received his suits and swords, went to a knight's estate, and +hired himself out as a serving-man. Once he was told to go to the +forest to gather firewood with the rest of the men, but sat at the +table eating long after the others had driven off and when he had at +last satisfied his hunger and was ready to start, he saw the two young +oxen he was to drive waiting for him. But he let them stand and went +into the forest, seized the two largest trees growing there, tore them +out by the roots, took one tree under each arm, and carried them back +to the estate. And he got there long before the rest, for they had to +chop down the trees, saw them up and load them on the carts. + +On the following day Knoes had to thresh. First he hunted up the +largest stone he could find, and rolled it around on the grain, so +that all the corn was loosened from the ears. Then he had to separate +the grain from the chaff. So he made a hole in each side of the roof +of the barn, and stood outside the barn and blew, and the chaff and +straw flew out into the yard, and the corn remained lying in a heap on +the floor. His master happened to come along, laid a ladder against +the barn, climbed up and looked down into one of the holes. But Knoes +was still blowing, and the wind caught his master, and he fell down +and was nearly killed on the stone pavement of the court. + +"He's a dangerous fellow," thought his master. It would be a good +thing to be rid of him, otherwise he might do away with all of them; +and besides, he ate so that it was all one could do to keep him fed. +So he called Knoes in, and paid him his wages for the full year, on +condition that he leave. Knoes agreed, but said he must first be +decently provisioned for his journey. + +So he was allowed to go into the store-house himself, and there he +hoisted a flitch of bacon on each shoulder, slid a batch of bread +under each arm, and took leave. But his master loosed the vicious bull +on him. Knoes, however, grasped him by the horns, and flung him over +his shoulder, and thus he went off. Then he came to a thicket where he +slaughtered the bull, roasted him and ate him together with a batch of +bread. And when he had done this he had about taken the edge off his +hunger. + +Then he came to the king's court, where great sorrow reigned because, +once upon a time, when the king was sailing out at sea, a sea troll +had called up a terrible tempest, so that the ship was about to sink. +In order to escape with his life, the king had to promise the sea +troll to give him whatever first came his way when he reached shore. +The king thought his hunting dog would be the first to come running +to meet him, as usual; but instead his three young daughters came +rowing out to meet him in a boat. This filled the king with grief, and +he vowed that whoever delivered his daughters should have one of them +for a bride, whichever one he might choose. But the only man who +seemed to want to earn the reward was a tailor, named Red Peter. + +Knoes was given a place at the king's court, and his duty was to help +the cook. But he asked to be let off on the day the troll was to come +and carry away the oldest princess, and they were glad to let him go; +for when he had to rinse the dishes he broke the king's vessels of +gold and silver; and when he was told to bring firewood, he brought in +a whole wagon-load at once, so that the doors flew from their hinges. + +The princess stood on the sea-shore and wept and wrung her hands; for +she could see what she had to expect. Nor did she have much confidence +in Red Peter, who sat on a willow-stump, with a rusty old sabre in his +hand. Then Knoes came and tried to comfort the princess as well as he +knew how, and asked her whether she would comb his hair. Yes, he might +lay his head in her lap, and she combed his hair. Suddenly there was a +dreadful roaring out at sea. It was the troll who was coming along, +and he had five heads. Red Peter was so frightened that he rolled off +his willow-stump. "Knoes, is that you?" cried the troll. "Yes," said +Knoes. "Haul me up on the shore!" said the troll. "Pay out the cable!" +said Knoes. Then he hauled the troll ashore; but he had his sword of +five hundredweights at his side, and with it he chopped off all five +of the troll's heads, and the princess was free. But when Knoes had +gone off, Red Peter put his sabre to the breast of the princess, and +told her he would kill her unless she said he was her deliverer. + +Then came the turn of the second princess. Once more Red Peter sat on +the willow-stump with his rusty sabre, and Knoes asking to be let off +for the day, went to the sea-shore and begged the princess to comb his +hair, which she did. Then along came the troll, and this time he had +ten heads. "Knoes, is that you?" asked the troll. "Yes," said Knoes. +"Haul me ashore!" said the troll. "Pay out the cable!" said Knoes. And +this time Knoes had his sword of ten hundredweights at his side, and he +cut off all ten of the troll's heads. And so the second princess was +freed. But Red Peter held his sabre at the princess' breast, and +forced her to say that he had delivered her. + +Now it was the turn of the youngest princess. When it was time for the +troll to come, Red Peter was sitting on his willow-stump, and Knoes +came and begged the princess to comb his hair, and she did so. This +time the troll had fifteen heads. + +"Knoes, is that you?" asked the troll. "Yes," said Knoes. "Haul me +ashore!" said the troll. "Pay out the cable," said Knoes. Knoes had his +sword of fifteen hundredweights at his side, and with it he cut off +all the troll's heads. But the fifteen hundredweights were +half-an-ounce short, and the heads grew on again, and the troll took +the princess, and carried her off with him. + +One day as Knoes was going along, he met a man carrying a church on his +back. "You are a strong man, you are!" said Knoes. "No, I am not +strong," said he, "but Knoes at the king's court, he is strong; for he +can take steel and iron, and weld them together with his hands as +though they were clay." "Well, I'm the man of whom you are speaking," +said Knoes, "come, let us travel together." And so they wandered on. + +Then they met a man who carried a mountain of stone on his back. "You +are strong, you are!" said Knoes. "No, I'm not strong," said the man +with the mountain of stone, "but Knoes at the king's court, he is +strong; for he can weld together steel and iron with his hands as +though they were clay." + +"Well, I am that Knoes, come let us travel together," said Knoes. So all +three of them traveled along together. Knoes took them for a sea-trip; +but I think they had to leave the church and the hill of stone ashore. +While they were sailing they grew thirsty, and lay alongside an +island, and there on the island stood a castle, to which they decided +to go and ask for a drink. Now this was the very castle in which the +troll lived. + +First the man with the church went, and when he entered the castle, +there sat the troll with the princess on his lap, and she was very +sad. He asked for something to drink. "Help yourself, the goblet is on +the table!" said the troll. But he got nothing to drink, for though he +could move the goblet from its place, he could not raise it. + +Then the man with the hill of stone went into the castle and asked for +a drink. "Help yourself, the goblet is on the table!" said the troll. +And he got nothing to drink either, for though he could move the +goblet from its place, he could not raise it. + +Then Knoes himself went into the castle, and the princess was full of +joy and leaped down from the troll's lap when she saw it was he. Knoes +asked for a drink. "Help yourself," said the troll, "the goblet is on +the table!" And Knoes took the goblet and emptied it at a single +draught. Then he hit the troll across the head with the goblet, so +that he rolled from the chair and died. + +Knoes took the princess back to the royal palace, and O, how happy +every one was! The other princesses recognized Knoes again, for they +had woven silk ribbons into his hair when they had combed it; but he +could only marry one of the princesses, whichever one he preferred, so +he chose the youngest. And when the king died, Knoes inherited the +kingdom. + +As for Red Peter, he had to go into the nail-barrel. + +And now you know all that I know. + + +NOTE + + The leading personage of our first story, Knoes (_Tecknigar og + Toner ur skanska allmogenslif_, Lund, 1889, p. 14. From + Gudmundstorp, Froste Harad) is one of those heroes of gigantic + build, beloved of the North, who even when he eats, + accomplishes deeds such as the old Norsemen told of their god + Thor: the motive of the goblet with which the hero slays the + giant, has been used in the _Hymiskvida_. (Comp. with v. d. + Leyen, _Maerchen in den Goettsagen der Edda_, p. 40.) + + + + +II + +LASSE, MY THRALL! + + +Once upon a time there was a prince or a duke or whatever you choose +to call him, but at any rate a noble tremendously high-born, who did +not want to stay at home. And so he traveled about the world, and +wherever he went he was well received, and hobnobbed with the very +finest people; for he had an unheard of amount of money. He at once +found friends and acquaintances, no matter where he came; for whoever +has a full trough can always find pigs to thrust their snouts into it. +But since he handled his money as he did, it grew less and less, and +at last he was left high and dry, without a red cent. And there was an +end to all his many friends; for they did just as the pigs do. When he +had been well fleeced, they began to snivel and grunt, and soon +scattered, each about his own business. And there he stood, after +having been led about by the nose, abandoned by all. All had been glad +to help him get rid of his money; but none were willing to help him +regain it, so there was nothing left for him to do but to wander back +home again like a journeyman apprentice, and beg his way as he went. + +Late one evening he found himself in a big forest, without any idea as +to where he might spend the night. And as he was looking around, his +glance happened to fall on an old hut, peeping out from among the +bushes. Of course an old hut was no lodging for such a fine gentleman; +but when we cannot have what we want, we must take what we can get, +and since there was no help for it, he went into the hut. There was +not even a cat in it, not even a stool to sit on. But against one wall +there was a great chest. What might there be in the chest? Suppose +there were a few moldy crusts of bread in it? They would taste good to +him, for he had not been given a single thing all day long, and he was +so hungry that his inwards stuck to his ribs. He opened the chest. But +within the chest was another chest, and in that chest still another +chest, and so it went, one always smaller than the other, until they +were nothing but little boxes. And the more there were of them the +more trouble he took to open them; for whatever was hidden away so +carefully must be something exceptionally beautiful, thought he. + +At last he came to a tiny box, and in the tiny box was a slip of +paper--and that was all he had for his pains! At first he was much +depressed. But all at once, he saw that something was written on the +piece of paper, and on closer examination he was even able to spell +out the words, though they had a strange appearance. And he read: + +"Lasse, my thrall!" + +No sooner had he spoken these words than something answered, close to +his ear: + +"What does my master command?" + +He looked around, but saw no one. That's strange, thought he, and once +more read aloud: + +"Lasse, my thrall!" + +And just as before came the answer: + +"What does my master command?" + +"If there be some one about who hears what I say, he might be kind +enough to get me a little something to eat," said he; and at that very +moment a table, covered with all the good things to eat that one could +imagine, was standing in the hut. He at once began to eat and drink +and did well by himself. I have never had a better meal in my life, +thought he. And when his hunger was completely satisfied, he grew +sleepy and took up his scrap of paper again. + +"Lasse, my thrall!" + +"What does my master command?" + +"Now that you have brought me food and drink, you must also bring me a +bed in which to sleep. But it must be a very fine bed," said he; for +as you may well imagine, his ideas were more top-lofty now that he had +eaten well. His command was at once obeyed; and a bed so fine and +handsome stood in the hut, that a king might have been glad to have +found such sleeping accommodations. Now this was all very well and +good; but the good can always be bettered, and when he had lain down, +he decided that, after all, the hut was far too wretched for such a +fine bed. He took up the scrap of paper: + +"Lasse, my thrall!" + +"What does my master command?" + +"If you can produce such a meal, and such a bed here in the wild wood, +you must surely be able to give me a better room; for you know I am +one of those who are used to sleeping in a castle, with golden mirrors +and rugs of gold brocade and luxuries and conveniences of every kind," +said he. And no sooner had he spoken the words, than he was lying in +the most magnificent room he had ever seen. + +Now matters were arranged to suit him, and he was quite content as he +turned his face to the wall and closed his eyes. + +But the room he had slept in was not the end of his magnificence. When +he woke the following morning and looked around, he saw that he had +been sleeping in a great castle. There was one room after another, and +wherever he went walls and ceilings were covered with ornaments and +decorations of every kind, all glittering so splendidly when the rays +of the sun fell on them that he had to put his hand to his eyes; for +wherever he looked everything sparkled with gold and silver. Then he +glanced out of the window and first began to realize how really +beautiful everything was. Gone were the fir-trees and juniper bushes, +and in their place showed the loveliest garden one might wish to see, +filled with beautiful trees and roses of every variety, in bush and +tree form. But there was not a human being in sight, not even a cat. +Yet he found it quite natural that everything should be so fine, and +that he should once more have become a great lord. + +He took up the scrap of paper: + +"Lasse, my thrall!" + +"What does my master command?" + +"Now that you have provided me with food and a castle in which to +dwell, I am going to stay here, because it suits me," said he, "but I +cannot live here all alone in this fashion. I must have serving-men +and serving-maids, at my command." And so it was. Servants and lackeys +and maids and serving-women of every description arrived, and some of +them bowed and others courtseyed, and now the duke really began to +feel content. + +Now it happened that another great castle lay on the opposite side of +the forest, in which dwelt a king who owned the forest, and many broad +acres of field and meadow round about. And when the king came and +happened to look out of his window, he saw the new castle, on whose +roof the golden weathercocks were swinging to and fro, from time to +time, shining in his eyes. + +"This is very strange," thought he, and sent for his courtiers. They +came without delay, bowing and scraping. + +"Do you see the castle yonder?" said the king. + +Their eyes grew as large as saucers and they looked. + +Yes, indeed, they saw the castle. + +"Who has dared to build such a castle on my ground?" + +The courtiers bowed and scraped, but did not know. So the king sent +for his soldiers. They came tramping in and presented arms. + +"Send out all my soldiers and horsemen," said the king, "tear down the +castle instantly, hang whoever built it, and see to this at once." + +The soldiers assembled in the greatest haste and set forth. The +drummers beat their drums and the trumpeters blew their trumpets, and +the other musicians practiced their art, each in his own way; so that +the duke heard them long before they came in sight. But this was not +the first time he had heard music of this sort, and he knew what it +meant, so once more he took up the scrap of paper: + +"Lasse, my thrall!" + +"What does my master command?" + +"There are soldiers coming," said he, "and now you must provide me +with soldiers and horsemen until I have twice as many as the folk on +the other side of the forest. And sabers and pistols and muskets and +cannon, and all that goes with them--but you must be quick about it!" + +Quick it was, and when the duke looked out there was a countless host +of soldiers drawn up around the castle. + +When the king's people arrived, they stopped and did not dare advance. +But the duke was by no means shy. He went at once to the king's +captain and asked him what he wanted. + +The captain repeated his instructions. + +"They will not gain you anything," said the duke. "You can see how +many soldiers I have, and if the king chooses to listen to me, we can +agree to become friends, I will aid him against all his enemies, and +what we undertake will succeed." The captain was pleased with this +proposal, so the duke invited him to the castle, together with all his +officers, and his soldiers were given a swallow or two of something +wet and plenty to eat along with it. But while the duke and the +officers were eating and drinking, there was more or less talk, and +the duke learned that the king had a daughter, as yet unmarried and so +lovely that her like had never been seen. And the more they brought +the king's officers to eat, the stronger they inclined to the opinion +that the king's daughter would make a good wife for the duke. And as +they talked about it, the duke himself began to think it over. The +worst of it was, said the officers, that she was very haughty, and +never even deigned to look at a man. But the duke only laughed. "If it +be no worse than that," he said, "it is a trouble that may be cured." + +When at last the soldiers had stowed away as much as they could hold, +they shouted hurrah until they woke the echoes in the hills, and +marched away. One may imagine what a fine parade march it was, for +some of them had grown a little loose-jointed in the knees. The duke +charged them to carry his greetings to the king, and say that he would +soon pay him a visit. + +When the duke was alone once more, he began to think of the princess +again, and whether she were really as beautiful as the soldiers had +said. He decided he would like to find out for himself. Since so many +strange things had happened that day, it was quite possible, thought +he. + +"Lasse, my thrall!" + +"What does my master command?" + +"Only that you bring the king's daughter here, as soon as she has +fallen asleep," said he. "But mind that she does not wake up, either +on her way here, or on her way back." And before long there lay the +princess on the bed. She was sleeping soundly, and looked charming as +she lay there asleep. One had to admit that she was as sweet as sugar. +The duke walked all around her; but she appeared just as beautiful +from one side as from the other, and the more the duke looked at her, +the better she pleased him. + +"Lasse, my thrall!" + +"What does my master command?" + +"Now you must take the princess home again," said he, "because now I +know what she looks like and to-morrow I shall sue for her hand." + +The following morning the king stepped to the window. "Now I shall not +have to see that castle across the way," he thought to himself. But +the evil one must have had a hand in the matter--there stood the +castle just as before, and the sun was shining brightly on its roof, +and the weather-vanes were sending beams into his eyes. + +The king once more fell into a rage, and shouted for all his people, +who hurried to him with more than usual rapidity. The courtiers bowed +and scraped and the soldiers marched in parade step and presented +arms. + +"Do you see that castle there?" roared the king. + +They stretched their necks, their eyes grew large as saucers and they +looked. + +Yes, indeed, they saw it. + +"Did I not order you to tear down that castle and hang its builder?" +he said. + +This they could not deny; but now the captain himself stepped forward +and told what had occurred, and what an alarming number of soldiers +the duke had, and how magnificent his castle was. + +Then he also repeated what the duke had said, and that he had sent his +greetings to the king. + +All this made the king somewhat dizzy, and he had to set his crown on +the table and scratch his head. It was beyond his comprehension--for +all that he was a king; since he could have sworn that it had all come +to pass in the course of a single night, and if the duke were not the +devil himself, he was at least a magician. + +And as he sat there and thought, the princess came in. + +"God greet you, father," she said, "I had a most strange and lovely +dream last night." + +"And what did you dream, my girl?" said the king. + +"O, I dreamt that I was in the new castle over yonder, and there was a +duke, handsome and so splendid beyond anything I could have imagined, +and now I want a husband." + +"What, you want a husband, and you have never even deigned to look at +a man; that is very strange!" said the king. + +"Be that as it may," said the princess, "but that is how I feel now; +and I want a husband, and the duke is the husband I want," she +concluded. + +The king simply could not get over the astonishment the duke had +caused him. + +Suddenly he heard an extraordinary beating of drums, and sounding of +trumpets and other instruments of every kind. And a message came that +the duke had arrived with a great retinue, all so magnificently +attired that every seam of their dresses was sparkling with gold and +silver. The king, in his crown and finest robe of state, stood looking +down the stairway, and the princess was all the more in favor of +carrying out her idea as quickly as possible. + +The duke greeted the king pleasantly, and the king returned his +greeting in the same way, and discussing their affairs together they +became good friends. There was a great banquet, and the duke sat +beside the princess at the table. What they said to each other I do +not know, but the duke knew so well how to talk that, no matter what +he said, the princess could not say no, and so he went to the king and +begged for her hand. The king could not exactly refuse it, for the +duke was the kind of a man whom it was better to have for a friend +than for an enemy; but he could not give his answer out of hand, +either. First he wished to see the duke's castle, and know how matters +stood with regard to this, that and the other--which was natural. + +So it was agreed that they should pay the duke a visit and bring the +princess with them, in order that she might examine his possessions, +and with that they parted. + +When the duke reached home, Lasse had a lively time of it, for he was +given any number of commissions. But he rushed about, carrying them +out, and everything was arranged so satisfactorily that when the king +arrived with his daughter, a thousand pens could not have described +it. They went through all the rooms and looked around, and everything +was as it should be, and even better thought the king, who was very +happy. Then the wedding was celebrated and when it was over, and the +duke returned home with his young wife, he, too, gave a splendid +banquet, and that is how it went. + +After some time had passed, the duke one evening heard the words: + +"Is my master content now?" It was Lasse, though the duke could not +see him. + +"I am well content," answered the duke, "for you have brought me all +that I have." + +"But what did I get for it?" said Lasse. + +"Nothing," replied the duke, "but, heaven above, what was I to give +you, who are not flesh and blood, and whom I cannot even see," said +he. "Yet if there be anything I can do for you, why let me know what +it is, and I will do it." + +"I would very much like to have the little scrap of paper that you +keep in the box," said Lasse. + +"If that is all you want, and if such a trifle is of any service to +you, your wish shall be granted, for I believe I know the words by +heart now," said the duke. + +Lasse thanked him, and said all the duke need do, would be to lay the +paper on the chair beside his bed, when he went to sleep, and that he +would fetch it during the night. + +This the duke did, and then he went to bed and fell asleep. + +But toward morning the duke woke up, freezing so that his teeth +chattered, and when he had fully opened his eyes, he saw that he had +been stripped of everything, and had scarcely a shirt to his name. And +instead of lying in the handsome bed in the handsome bed-room in the +magnificent castle, he lay on the big chest in the old hut. He at once +called out: + +"Lasse, my thrall!" But there was no answer. + +Then he cried again: + +"Lasse, my thrall!" Again there was no answer. So he called out as +loudly as he could: + +"Lasse, my thrall!" But this third call was also in vain. + +Now he began to realize what had happened, and that Lasse, when he +obtained the scrap of paper, no longer had to serve him, and that he +himself had made this possible. But now things were as they were, and +there stood the duke in the old hut, with scarcely a shirt to his +name. The princess herself was not much better off, though she had +kept her clothes; for they had been given her by her father, and Lasse +had no power over them. + +Now the duke had to explain everything to the princess, and beg her to +leave him, since it would be best if he tried to get along as well as +he could himself, said he. But this the princess would not do. She had +a better memory for what the pastor had said when he married them, she +told him, and that she was never, never to leave him. + +At length the king awoke in his castle, and when he looked out of the +window, he saw not a single stone of the other castle in which his +son-in-law and his daughter lived. He grew uneasy and sent for his +courtiers. + +They came in, bowing and scraping. + +"Do you see the castle there, on the other side of the forest?" he +asked. They stretched their necks and opened their eyes. But they +could see nothing. + +"What has become of it?" said the king. But this question they were +unable to answer. + +In a short time the king and his entire court set out, passed through +the forest, and when they came to the place where the castle, with its +great gardens, should have been standing, they saw nothing but +juniper-bushes and scrub-pines. And then they happened to see the +little hut amid the brush. He went in and--O the poor king!--what did +he see? + +There stood his son-in-law, with scarcely a shirt to his name, and his +daughter, and she had none too much to wear, and was crying and +sniveling at a fearful rate. "For heaven's sake, what is the trouble +here?" said the king. But he received no answer; for the duke would +rather have died than have told him the whole story. + +The king urged and pressed him, first amiably, then in anger; but the +duke remained obstinate and would have nothing to say. Then the king +fell into a rage, which is not very surprising, for now he realized +that this fine duke was not what he purported to be, and he therefore +ordered him to be hung, and hung on the spot. It is true that the +princess pleaded earnestly for him, but tears and prayers were useless +now, for he was a rascal and should die a rascal's death--thus spake +the king. + +And so it was. The king's people set up a gallows and put a rope +around the duke's neck. But as they were leading him to the gallows, +the princess got hold of the hangman and gave him a gratuity, for +which they were to arrange matters in such wise that the duke need not +die. And toward evening they were to cut him down, and he and the +princess would disappear. So the bargain was made. In the meantime +they strung him up and then the king, together with his court and all +the people, went away. + +Now the duke was at the end of his rope. Yet he had time enough to +reflect about his mistake in not contenting himself with an inch +instead of reaching out at once for an ell; and that he had so +foolishly given back the scrap of paper to Lasse annoyed him most of +all. If I only had it again, I would show every one that adversity has +made me wise, he thought to himself. But when the horse is stolen we +close the stable door. And that is the way of the world. + +And then he dangled his legs, since for the time being there was +nothing else for him to do. + +It had been a long, hard day for him, and he was not sorry when he saw +the sun sinking behind the forest. But just as the sun was setting he +suddenly heard a most tremendous Yo ho! and when he looked down there +were seven carts of worn-out shoes coming along the road, and a-top +the last cart was a little old man in gray, with a night-cap on his +head. He had the face of some horrible specter, and was not much +better to look at in other respects. + +He drove straight up to the gallows, and stopped when he was directly +beneath them, looked up at the duke and laughed--the horrible old +creature! + +"And is this the measure of your stupidity?" he said, "but then what +is a fellow of your sort to do with his stupidity, if he does not put +it to some use?"--and then he laughed again. "Yes, there you hang, and +here I am carting off all the shoes I wore out going about on your +silly errands. I wonder, sometimes, whether you can actually read what +is written on that scrap of paper, and whether you recognize it," said +he, laughing again, indulging in all sorts of horse-play, and waving +the scrap of paper under the duke's nose. + +But all who are hanging on the gallows are not dead, and this time +Lasse was the greater fool of the two. + +The duke snatched--and tore the scrap of paper from his hand! + +"Lasse, my thrall!" + +"What does my master command?" + +"Cut me down from the gallows at once, and restore the castle and +everything else just as it was before, then when it is dark, bring the +princess back to it." + +Everything was attended to with alarming rapidity, and soon all was +exactly as it had been before Lasse had decamped. + +When the king awoke the following morning, he looked out of the window +as usual, and there the castle was standing as before, with its +weathercocks gleaming handsomely in the sunlight. He sent for his +courtiers, and they came in bowing and scraping. + +"Do you see the castle over yonder?" asked the king. + +They stretched their necks, and gazed and stared. Yes, indeed, they +could see the castle. + +Then the king sent for the princess; but she was not there. Thereupon +the king set off to see whether his son-in-law was hanging in the +appointed spot; but no, there was not a sign of either son-in-law or +gallows. + +Then he had to take off his crown and scratch his head. Yet that did +not change matters, and he could not for the life of him understand +why things should be as they were. Finally he set out with his entire +court, and when they reached the spot where the castle should have +been standing, there it stood. + +The gardens and the roses were just as they had been, and the duke's +servitors were to be seen in swarms beneath the trees. His son-in-law +in person, together with his daughter, dressed in the finest clothes, +came down the stairs to meet him. + +The devil has a hand in it, thought the king; and so strange did all +seem to him that he did not trust the evidence of his own eyes. + +"God greet you and welcome, father!" said the duke. The king could +only stare at him. "Are you, are you my son-in-law?" he asked. + +"Why, of course," said the duke, "who else am I supposed to be?" + +"Did I not have you strung up yesterday as a thief and a vagabond?" +inquired the king. + +"I really believe father has gone out of his mind on the way over to +us," said the duke and laughed. + +"Does father think that I would allow myself to be hanged so easily? +Or is there any one present who dare suppose such a thing?" he said, +and looked them straight in the eye, so that they knew he was looking +at them. They bent their backs and bowed and scraped. + +"And who can imagine any such thing? How could it be possible? Or +should there be any one present who dare say that the king wishes me +ill, let him speak out," said the duke, and gazed at them with even +greater keenness than before. All bent their backs and bowed and +scraped. + +How should any of them come to any such conclusion? No, none of them +were foolish to such a degree, they said. + +Now the king was really at a loss to know what to think. When he +looked at the duke he felt sure that he could never have wished to +harm him, and yet--he was not quite sure. + +"Was I not here yesterday, and was not the whole castle gone, and had +not an old hut taken its place, and did I not enter the hut and see +you standing there with scarcely a shirt to your name?" he asked. + +"How father talks," said the duke. "I am afraid, very much afraid, +that trolls have blinded you, and led you astray in the forest. What +do you think?" he said and turned to the courtiers. + +They at once bowed and cringed fifty times in succession, and took the +duke's side, as stands to reason. + +The king rubbed his eyes and looked around. + +"It must be as you say," he told the duke, "and I believe that I have +recovered my reason, and have found my eyes again. And it would have +been a sin and shame had I had you hung," said he. Then he grew joyful +and no one gave the matter further thought. + +But adversity teaches one to be wise, so people say, and the duke now +began to attend to most things himself, and to see to it that Lasse +did not have to wear out so many pairs of shoes. The king at once +bestowed half the kingdom upon him, which gave him plenty to do, and +people said that one would have to look far in order to find a better +ruler. + +Then Lasse came to the duke one day, and though he did not look much +better than before, he was more civil and did not venture to grin and +carry on. + +"You no longer need my help," said he, "for though formerly I used to +wear out all my shoes, I now cannot even wear out a single pair, and I +almost believe my legs are moss-grown. Will you not discharge me?" + +The duke thought he could. "I have taken great pains to spare you, and +I really believe that I can get along without you," he replied. "But +the castle here and all the other things I could not well dispense +with, since I never again could find an architect like yourself, and +you may take for granted that I have no wish to ornament the +gallows-tree a second time. Therefore I will not, of my own free will, +give you back the scrap of paper," said he. + +"While it is in your possession I have nothing to fear," answered +Lasse. + +"But should the paper fall into other hands, then I should have to +begin to run and work all over again and that, just that, is what I +would like to prevent. When a fellow has been working a thousand +years, as I have, he is bound to grow weary at last." + +So they came to the conclusion that the duke should put the scrap of +paper in its little box and bury it seven ells underground, beneath a +stone that had grown there and would remain there as well. Then they +thanked each other for pleasant comradeship and separated. The duke +did as he had agreed to do, and no one saw him hide the box. He lived +happily with his princess, and was blessed with sons and daughters. +When the king died, he inherited the whole kingdom and, as you may +imagine, he was none the worse off thereby, and no doubt he is still +living and ruling there, unless he has died. + +As to the little box containing the scrap of paper, many are still +digging and searching for it. + + +NOTE + + Extremely popular in Sweden, and delightfully told is "Lasse, + my thrall." (Djurklau, _Sagor och Aefventyr pa Svenska + Landsmal_. Stockholm, 1883. Set down in the dialect of Nerike). + It is the old story of Aladdin and the wonderful lamp, but + recounted in quite an original form. + + + + +III + +FINN, THE GIANT, AND THE MINSTER OF LUND + + +There stands in the university town of Schonen, the town of Lund, the +seat of the first archbishopric in all Scandinavia, a stately Romanic +minster, with a large, handsome crypt beneath the choir. The opinion +is universal that the minster will never be altogether finished, but +that something will always be lacking about the structure. The reason +is said to be as follows: + +When St. Lawrence came to Lund to preach the Gospel, he wanted to +build a church; but did not know how he was to obtain the means to do +so. + +While he was cudgelling his brains about it, a giant came to him and +offered to build the church on condition that St. Lawrence tell him +his name before the church was completed. But should St. Lawrence be +unable to do so, the giant was to receive either the sun, the moon or +St. Lawrence's eyes. The saint agreed to his proposal. + +The building of the church made rapid progress, and ere long it was +nearly finished. St. Lawrence thought ruefully about his prospects, +for he did not know the giant's name; yet at the same time he did not +relish losing his eyes. And it happened that while he was walking +without the town, much concerned about the outcome of the affair, he +grew weary, and sat down on a hill to rest. As he sat there he heard a +child crying within the hill, and a woman's voice began to sing: + + "Sleep, sleep, my baby dear, + To-morrow your father, Finn, will be here; + Then sun and moon you shall have from the skies + To play with, or else St. Lawrence's eyes." + +When St. Lawrence heard that he was happy; for now he knew the giant's +name. He ran back quickly to town, and went to the church. There sat +the giant on the roof, just about to set the last stone in place, when +at that very moment the saint called out: + + "Finn, Finn, + Take care how you put the stone in!" + +Then the giant flung the stone from him, full of rage, said that the +church should never be finished, and with that he disappeared. Since +then something has always been missing from the church. + +Others say that the giant and his wife rushed down into the crypt in +their rage, and each seizing a column were about to tear down the +church, when they were turned into stone, and may be seen to this day +standing beside the columns they had grasped. + + +NOTE + + "Finn, the Giant, and the Minster of Lund" (retold by Dr. v. + Sydow-Lund, after variants in his collection), is the + world-famous tale of the giant master-builder, which appears + here as a legend, and is connected with various celebrated + churches, as for instance the Minster of Drontheim. Its close + is an inversion of the motive of guessing a name, which we have + already encountered in the Danish fairy-tale "Trillevip." + + + + +IV + +THE SKALUNDA GIANT + + +In the Skalunda mountain, near the church, there once lived a giant in +the early days, who no longer felt comfortable after the church had +been built there. At length he decided that he could no longer stand +the ringing of the church bells; so he emigrated and settled down on +an island far out in the North Sea. Once upon a time a ship was +wrecked on this island, and among those saved were several people from +Skalunda. + +"Whence do you hail?" asked the giant, who by now had grown old and +blind, and sat warming himself before a log fire. + +"We are from Skalunda, if you wish to know," said one of the men +saved. + +"Give me your hand, so that I may feel whether there is still warm +blood to be found in the Swedish land," said the giant. + +The man, who feared to shake hands with the giant, drew a red-hot bar +of iron from the fire and handed it to him. He seized it firmly, and +pressed it so hard that the molten iron ran down between his fingers. + +"Yes, there is still warm blood to be found in Sweden," said he. "And +tell me," he continued, "is Skalunda mountain still standing?" + +"No, the hens have scratched it away," the man answered. + +"How could it last?" said the giant. "My wife and daughter piled it up +in the course of a single Sunday morning. But surely the Hallenberg +and the Hunneberg are still standing, for those I built myself." + +When the man had confirmed this, the giant wanted to know whether +Karin was still living in Stommen. And when they told him that she +was, he gave them a girdle, and with it the message that Karin was to +wear it in remembrance of him. + +The men took the girdle and gave it to Karin upon their return home; +but before Karin put it on, she clasped it around the oak-tree that +grew in the court. No sooner had she done so than the oak tore itself +out of the ground, and flew to the North, borne away by the +storm-wind. In the place where it had stood was a deep pit, and the +roots of the tree were so enormous that one of the best springs in +Stommen flows from one of the root-holes to this very day. + + +NOTE + + "The Skalunda Giant" (Hofberg, _Svenska Folksagner_, Stockholm, + 1882, p. 98) has a near relative in the Norwegian mountain + giant of Mesingeberg, of whom Asbjoernsen tells. + + + + +V + +YULETIDE SPECTERS + + +Once upon a time there lived two peasants on a homestead called +Vaderas, just as there are two peasants living on it now. In those +days the roads were good, and the women were in the habit of riding +when they wanted to go to church. + +One Christmas the two women agreed that they would ride to Christmas +night mass, and whichever one of them woke up at the right time was to +call the other, for in those days there was no such thing as a watch. +It was about midnight when one of the women thought she heard a voice +from the window, calling: "I am going to set out now." She got up +hurriedly and dressed herself, so that she might be able to ride with +the other woman; but since there was no time to eat, she took a piece +of bread from the table along with her. In those times it was +customary to bake the bread in the shape of a cross. It was a piece of +this kind that the woman took and put in her pocket, in order to eat +it underway. She rode as fast as she could, to catch up with her +friend, but could not overtake her. The way led over a little stream +which flows into Vidostern Lake, and across the stream was a bridge, +known as the Earth Bridge, and on the bridge stood two witch trolls, +busy washing. As the woman came riding across the bridge, one of the +witch trolls called out to the other, "Hurry, and tear her head from +her shoulders!" + +"That I cannot do" returned the other, "because she has a bit of bread +in the form of a cross in her pocket." + +The woman, who had been unable to catch up with her neighbor, reached +the church at Hanger alone. + +The church was full of lights, as was always the case when the +Christmas mass was said. As quickly as ever she could the woman tied +up her horse, and hurriedly entered the church. It seemed to her that +the church was crowded with people; but all of them were headless, and +at the altar stood the priest, in full canonicals but without a head. +In her haste she did not at once see how things were; but sat down in +her accustomed place. As she sat down it seemed to her that some one +said: "If I had not stood godfather to you when you were christened, I +would do away with you as you sit there, and now hurry and make +yourself scarce, or it will be the worse for you!" Then she realized +that things were not as they should be, and ran out hastily. + +When she came into the church-yard, it seemed to her as though she +were surrounded by a great crowd of people. In those days people wore +broad mantles of unbleached wool, woven at home, and white in color. +She was wearing one of these mantles and the specters seized it. But +she flung it away from her and managed to escape from the church-yard, +and run to the poor-house and wake the people there. It is said it was +then one o'clock at night. + +So she sat and waited for the early mass at four o'clock in the +morning. And when day finally dawned, they found a little piece of her +mantle on every grave in the church-yard. + +A similar experience befell a man and his wife who lived in a hut +known as Ingas, below Mosled. + +They were no more than an hour ahead of time; but when they reached +the church at Hanger, they thought the service had already begun, and +wanted to enter at once; but the church was barred and bolted, and the +phantom service of the dead was nearing its end. And when the actual +mass began, there was found lying at every place some of the earth +from the graves of those who shortly before had been worshiping. The +man and his wife thereupon fell grievously ill, because they had +disturbed the dead. + + +NOTE + + "Yuletide Spectres." The tale of the weird service of the dead + on Christmas night is common throughout Scandinavia. (From an + mss. communicated by Dr. v. Sydow-Lund). + + + + +VI + +SILVERWHITE AND LILLWACKER + + +Once upon a time there was a king, who had a queen whom he loved with +a great love. But after a time the queen died, and all he had left was +an only daughter. And now that the king was a widower, his whole heart +went out to the little princess, whom he cherished as the apple of his +eye. And the king's young daughter grew up into the most lovely maiden +ever known. + +When the princess had seen the snows of fifteen winters, it happened +that a great war broke out, and that her father had to march against +the foe. + +But there was no one to whom the king could entrust his daughter while +he was away at war; so he had a great tower built out in the forest, +provided it with a plenteous store of supplies, and in it shut up his +daughter and a maid. And he had it proclaimed that every man, no +matter who he might be, was forbidden to approach the tower in which +he had placed his daughter and the maid, under pain of death. + +Now the king thought he had taken every precaution to protect his +daughter, and went off to war. In the meantime the princess and her +maid sat in the tower. But in the city there were a number of brave +young sons of kings, as well as other young men, who would have liked +to have talked to the beautiful maiden. And when they found that this +was forbidden them, they conceived a great hatred for the king. At +length they took counsel with an old woman who was wiser than most +folk, and told her to arrange matters in such wise that the king's +daughter and her maid might come into disrepute, without their having +anything to do with it. The old hag promised to help them, enchanted +some apples, laid them in a basket, and went to the lonely tower in +which the maidens lived. + +When the king's daughter and her maid saw the old woman, who was +sitting beneath the window, they felt a great longing to try the +beautiful apples. + +So they called out and asked how much she wanted for her precious +apples; but the old woman said they were not for sale. Yet as the +girls kept on pleading with her, the old woman said she would make +each of them a present of an apple; they only need let down a little +basket from the tower. The princess and her maid, in all innocence, +did as the troll-woman told them, and each received an apple. But the +enchanted fruit had a strange effect, for in due course of time heaven +sent them each a child. The king's daughter called her son +Silverwhite, and the son of her maid received the name of Lillwacker. + +The two boys grew up larger and stronger than other children, and were +very handsome as well. They looked as much alike as one cherry-pit +does to another, and one could easily see that they were related. + +Seven years had passed, and the king was expected home from the war. +Then both girls were terrified, and they took counsel together as to +how they might hide their children. When at length they could find no +other way out of the difficulty, they very sorrowfully bade their +children farewell, and let them down from the tower at night, to seek +their fortune in the wide, wide world. At parting the king's daughter +gave Silverwhite a costly knife; but the maid had nothing to give her +son. + +The two foster-brethren now wandered out into the world. After they +had gone a while, they came to a dark forest. And in this forest they +met a man, strange-looking and very tall. He wore two swords at his +side, and was accompanied by six great dogs. He gave them a friendly +greeting: + +"Good-day, little fellows, whence do you come and whither do you go?" +The boys told him they came from a high tower, and were going out into +the world to seek their fortune. The man replied: + +"If such be the case, I know more about your origin than any one else. +And that you may have something by which to remember your father, I +will give each of you a sword and three dogs. But you must promise me +one thing, that you will never part from your dogs; but take them with +you wherever you go." The boys thanked the man for his kind gifts, and +promised to do as he had told them. Then they bade him farewell and +went their way. + +When they had traveled for some time they reached a cross-road. Then +Silverwhite said: + +"It seems to me that it would be the best for us to try our luck +singly, so let us part." Lillwacker answered: "Your advice is good; +but how am I to know whether or not you are doing well out in the +world?" + +"I will give you a token by which you may tell," said Silverwhite, "so +long as the water runs clear in this spring you will know that I am +alive; but if it turns red and roiled, it will mean that I am dead." +Silverwhite then drew runes in the water of the spring, said farewell +to his brother, and each of them went on alone. Lillwacker soon came +to a king's court, and took service there; but every morning he would +go to the spring to see how his brother fared. + +Silverwhite continued to wander over hill and dale, until he reached a +great city. But the whole city was in mourning, the houses were hung +in black, and all the inhabitants went about full of grief and care, +as though some great misfortune had occurred. + +Silverwhite went though the city and inquired as to the cause of all +the unhappiness he saw. They answered: "You must have come from far +away, since you do not know that the king and queen were in danger of +being drowned at sea, and he had to promise to give up their three +daughters in order to escape. To-morrow morning the sea-troll is +coming to carry off the oldest princess." This news pleased +Silverwhite; for he saw a fine opportunity to wealth and fame, should +fortune favor him. + +The next morning Silverwhite hung his sword at his side, called his +dogs to him, and wandered down to the sea-shore alone. And as he sat +on the strand he saw the king's daughter led out of the city, and with +her went a courtier, who had promised to rescue her. But the princess +was very sad and cried bitterly. Then Silverwhite stepped up to her +with a polite greeting. When the king's daughter and her escort saw +the fearless youth, they were much frightened, because they thought he +was the sea-troll. The courtier was so alarmed that he ran away and +took refuge in a tree. When Silverwhite saw how frightened the +princess was, he said: "Lovely maiden, do not fear me, for I will do +you no harm." The king's daughter answered: + +"Are you the troll who is coming to carry me away?" "No," said +Silverwhite, "I have come to rescue you." Then the princess was glad +to think that such a brave hero was going to defend her, and they +had a long, friendly talk. At the same time Silverwhite begged the +king's daughter to comb his hair. She complied with his request, and +Silverwhite laid his head in her lap; but when he did so the princess +drew a golden ring from her finger and, unbeknown to him, wound it +into his locks. + +[Illustration: "THEN SILVERWHITE DREW HIS SWORD WITH A GREAT SWEEP +AND RUSHED UPON THE SEA-TROLL."] + +Suddenly the sea-troll rose from the deeps, setting the waves whirling +and foaming far and near. When the troll saw Silverwhite, he grew +angry and said: "Why do you sit there beside my princess?" The youth +replied: "It seems to me that she is my princess, not yours." The +sea-troll answered: "Time enough to see which of us is right; but +first our dogs shall fight." Silverwhite was nothing loath, and set +his dogs at the dogs of the troll, and there was a fierce struggle. +But at last the youth's dogs got the upper hand and bit the dogs of +the sea-troll to death. Then Silverwhite drew his sword with a great +sweep, rushed upon the sea-troll, and gave him such a tremendous blow +that the monster's head rolled on the sand. The troll gave a fearsome +cry, and flung himself back into the sea, so that the water spurted to +the very skies. Thereupon the youth drew out his silver-mounted knife, +cut out the troll's eyes and put them in his pocket. Then he saluted +the lovely princess and went away. + +Now when the battle was over and the youth had disappeared, the +courtier crawled down from his tree, and threatened to kill the +princess if she did not say before all the people that he, and none +other, had rescued her. The king's daughter did not dare refuse, since +she feared for her life. So she returned to her father's castle with +the courtier, where they were received with great distinction. + +And joy reigned throughout the land when the news spread that the +oldest princess had been rescued from the troll. + +On the following day everything repeated itself. Silverwhite went down +to the strand and met the second princess, just as she was to be +delivered to the troll. + +And when the king's daughter and her escort saw him, they were very +much frightened, thinking he was the sea-troll. And the courtier +climbed a tree, just as he had before; but the princess granted the +youth's petition, combed his hair as her sister had done, and also +wound her gold ring into his long curls. + +After a time there was a great tumult out at sea, and a sea-troll rose +from the waves. He had three heads and three dogs. But Silverwhite's +dogs overcame those of the troll, and the youth killed the troll +himself with his sword. Thereupon he took out his silver-mounted +knife, cut out the troll's eyes, and went his way. But the courtier +lost no time. He climbed down from his tree and forced the princess +to promise to say that he, and none other, had rescued her. Then they +returned to the castle, where the courtier was acclaimed as the +greatest of heroes. + +On the third day Silverwhite hung his sword at his side, called his +three dogs to him, and again wandered down to the sea-shore. As he was +sitting by the strand, he saw the youngest princess led out of the +city, and with her the daring courtier who claimed to have rescued her +sisters. But the princess was very sad and cried bitterly. Then +Silverwhite stepped up and greeted the lovely maiden politely. Now +when the king's daughter and her escort saw the handsome youth, they +were very much frightened, for they believed him to be the sea-troll, +and the courtier ran away and hid in a high tree that grew near the +strand. When Silverwhite noticed the maiden's terror, he said: + +"Lovely maiden, do not fear me, for I will do you no harm." The king's +daughter answered: "Are you the troll who is coming to carry me away?" +"No," said Silverwhite, "I have come to rescue you." Then the princess +was very glad to have such a brave hero fight for her, and they had a +long, friendly talk with each other. At the same time Silverwhite +begged the lovely maiden to do him a favor and comb his hair. This the +king's daughter was most willing to do, and Silverwhite laid his head +in her lap. But when the princess saw the gold rings her sisters had +wound in his locks, she was much surprised, and added her own to the +others. + +Suddenly the sea-troll came shooting up out of the deep with a +terrific noise, so that waves and foam spurted to the very skies. This +time the monster had six heads and nine dogs. When the troll saw +Silverwhite sitting with the king's daughter, he fell into a rage and +cried: "What are you doing with my princess?" The youth answered: "It +seems to me that she is my princess rather than yours." Thereupon the +troll said: "Time enough to see which of us is right; but first our +dogs shall fight each other." Silverwhite did not delay, but set his +dogs at the sea-dogs, and they had a battle royal. But in the end the +youth's dogs got the upper hand and bit all nine of the sea-dogs to +death. Finally Silverwhite drew out his bare sword, flung himself upon +the sea-troll, and stretched all six of his heads on the sand with a +single blow. The monster uttered a terrible cry, and rushed back into +the sea so that the water spurted to the heavens. Then the youth drew +his silver-mounted knife, cut out all twelve of the troll's eyes, +saluted the king's young daughter, and hastily went away. + +Now that the battle was over, and the youth had disappeared, the +courtier climbed down from his tree, drew his sword and threatened to +kill the princess unless she promised to say that he had rescued her +from the troll, as he had her sisters. + +The king's daughter did not dare refuse, since she feared for her +life. So they went back to the castle together, and when the king saw +that they had returned in safety, without so much as a scratch, he and +the whole court were full of joy, and they were accorded great honors. +And at court the courtier was quite another fellow from the one who +had hid away in the tree. The king had a splendid banquet prepared, +with amusements and games, and the sound of string music and dancing, +and bestowed the hand of his youngest daughter on the courtier in +reward for his bravey. + +In the midst of the wedding festivities, when the king and his whole +court were seated at table, the door opened, and in came Silverwhite +with his dogs. + +The youth stepped boldly into the hall of state and greeted the king. +And when the three princesses saw who it was, they were full of joy, +leaped up from their places, and ran over to him, much to the king's +surprise, who asked what it all meant. Then the youngest princess told +him all that had happened, from beginning to end, and that Silverwhite +had rescued them, while the courtier sat in a tree. To prove it beyond +any chance of doubt, each of the king's daughters showed her father +the ring she had wound in Silverwhite's locks. But the king still did +not know quite what to think of it all, until Silverwhite said: "My +lord king! In order that you need not doubt what your daughters have +told you, I will show you the eyes of the sea-trolls whom I slew." +Then the king and all the rest saw that the princesses had told the +truth. The traitorous courtier received his just punishment; but +Silverwhite was paid every honor, and was given the youngest daughter +and half of the kingdom with her. + +After the wedding Silverwhite established himself with his young bride +in a large castle belonging to the king, and there they lived quietly +and happily. + +One night, when all were sleeping, it chanced that he heard a knocking +at the window, and a voice which said: "Come, Silverwhite, I have to +talk to you!" The king, who did not want to wake his young wife, rose +hastily, girded on his sword, called his dogs and went out. When he +reached the open air, there stood a huge and savage-looking troll. The +troll said: "Silverwhite, you have slain my three brothers, and I have +come to bid you go down to the sea-shore with me, that we may fight +with one another." This proposal suited the youth, and he followed the +troll without protest. When they reached the sea-shore, there lay +three great dogs belonging to the troll. Silverwhite at once set his +dogs at the troll-dogs, and after a hard struggle the latter had to +give in. The young king drew his sword, bravely attacked the troll and +dealt him many a mighty blow. It was a tremendous battle. But when +the troll noticed he was getting the worst of it, he grew frightened, +quickly ran to a high tree, and clambered into it. Silverwhite and the +dogs ran after him, the dogs barking as loudly as they could. Then the +troll begged for his life and said: "Dear Silverwhite, I will take +wergild for my brothers, only bid your dogs be still, so that we may +talk." The king bade his dogs be still, but in vain, they only barked +the more loudly. Then the troll tore three hairs from his head, handed +them to Silverwhite and said: "Lay a hair on each of the dogs, and +then they will be as quiet as can be." The king did so and at once the +dogs fell silent, and lay motionless as though they had grown fast to +the ground. Now Silverwhite realized that he had been deceived; but it +was too late. The troll was already descending from the tree, and he +drew his sword and again began to fight. But they had exchanged no +more than a few blows, before Silverwhite received a mortal wound, and +lay on the earth in a pool of blood. + +But now we must tell about Lillwacker. The next morning he went to the +spring by the cross-road and found it red with blood. Then he knew +that Silverwhite was dead. He called his dogs, hung his sword at his +side, and went on until he came to a great city. And the city was in +festal array, the streets were crowded with people, and the houses +were hung with scarlet cloths and splendid rugs. Lillwacker asked why +everybody was so happy, and they said: "You must hail from distant +parts, since you do not know that a famous hero has come here by the +name of Silverwhite, who has rescued our three princesses, and is now +the king's son-in-law." Lillwacker then inquired how it had all come +about, and then went his way, reaching the royal castle in which +Silverwhite dwelt with his beautiful queen in the evening. + +When Lillwacker entered the castle gate, all greeted him as though he +had been the king. For he resembled his foster-brother so closely that +none could tell one from the other. When the youth came to the queen's +room, she also took him for Silverwhite. She went up to him and said: +"My lord king, where have you been so long? I have been awaiting you +with great anxiety." Lillwacker said little, and was very taciturn. +Then he lay down on a couch in a corner of the queen's room. + +The young woman did not know what to think of his actions; for her +husband did not act queerly at other times. But she thought: "One +should not try to discover the secrets of others," and said nothing. + +In the night, when all were sleeping, there was a knocking at the +window, and a voice cried: "Come, Lillwacker, I have to talk to you!" +The youth rose hastily, took his good sword, called his dogs and +went. When he reached the open air, there stood the same troll who had +slain Silverwhite. He said: "Come with me, Lillwacker, and then you +shall see your foster-brother!" To this Lillwacker at once agreed, and +the troll led the way. When they came to the sea-shore, there lay the +three great dogs whom the troll had brought with him. Somewhat further +away, where they had fought, lay Silverwhite in a pool of blood, and +beside him his dogs were stretched out on the ground as though they +had taken root in it. Then Lillwacker saw how everything had happened, +and thought that he would gladly venture his life, if he might in some +way call his brother back from the dead. He at once set his dogs at +the troll-dogs, and they had a hard struggle, in which Lillwacker's +dogs won the victory. Then the youth drew his sword, and attacked the +troll with mighty blows. But when the troll saw that he was getting +the worst of it, he took refuge in a lofty tree. Lillwacker and his +dogs ran after him and the dogs barked loudly. + +Then the troll humbly begged for his life, and said: "Dear Lillwacker, +I will give you wergild for your brother, only bid your dogs be still, +so that we may talk." At the same time the troll handed him three +hairs from his head and added: "Lay one of these hairs on each of your +dogs, and then they will soon be quiet." But Lillwacker saw through +his cunning scheme, took the three hairs and laid them on the +troll-dogs, which at once fell on the ground and lay like dead. + +When the troll saw that his attempt had failed, he was much alarmed +and said: "Dearest Lillwacker, I will give you wergild for your +brother, if you will only leave me alone." But the youth answered: + +"What is there you can give me that will compensate for my brother's +life?" The troll replied: "Here are two flasks. In one is a liquid +which, if you anoint a dead man with it, it will restore him to life; +but as to the liquid in the other flask, if you moisten anything with +it, and some one touches the place you have moistened, he will be +unable to move from the spot. I think it would be hard to find +anything more precious than the liquid in these flasks." Lillwacker +said: "Your proposal suits me, and I will accept it. But there is +something else you must promise to do: that you will release my +brother's dogs." The troll agreed, climbed down from the tree, +breathed on the dogs and thus freed them. Then Lillwacker took the two +flasks and went away from the sea-shore with the troll. After they had +gone a while they came to a great flat stone, lying near the highway. +Lillwacker hastened on in advance and moistened it with liquid from +the second flask. Then, as he was going by, Lillwacker suddenly set +all six of his dogs at the troll, who stepped back and touched the +stone. There he stuck, and could move neither forward nor backward. +After a time the sun rose and shone on the stone. And when the troll +saw the sun he burst--and was as dead as a doornail! + +Lillwacker now ran back to his brother and sprinkled him with the +liquid in the other flask, so that he came to life again, and they +were both very happy, as may well be imagined. The two foster-brothers +then returned to the castle, recounting the story of their experiences +and adventures on the way. Lillwacker told how he had been taken for +his brother. He even mentioned that he had lain down on a couch in a +corner of the queen's room, and that she had never suspected that he +was not her rightful husband. But when Silverwhite heard that, he +thought that Lillwacker had offended against the queen's dignity, and +he grew angry and fell into such a rage that he drew his sword, and +thrust it into his brother's breast. Lillwacker fell to earth dead, +and Silverwhite went home to the castle alone. But Lillwacker's dogs +would not leave their master, and lay around him, whining and licking +his wound. + +In the evening, when the young king and his wife retired, the queen +asked him why he had been so taciturn and serious the evening before. +Then the queen said: "I am very curious to know what has befallen you +during the last few days, but what I would like to know most of all, +is why you lay down on a couch in a corner of my room the other +night?" Now it was clear to Silverwhite that the brother he had slain +was innocent of all offense, and he felt bitter regret at having +repaid his faithfulness so badly. So King Silverwhite at once rose and +went to the place where his brother was lying. He poured the water of +life from his flask and anointed his brother's wound, and in a moment +Lillwacker was alive again, and the two brother's went joyfully back +to the castle. + +When they got there, Silverwhite told his queen how Lillwacker had +rescued him from death, and all the rest of their adventures, and all +were happy at the royal court, and they paid the youth the greatest +honors and compliments. After he had stayed there a time he sued for +the hand of the second princess and obtained it. Thereupon the wedding +was celebrated with great pomp, and Silverwhite divided his half of +the kingdom with his foster-brother. The two brothers continued to +live together in peace and unity, and if they have not died, they are +living still. + + +NOTE + + From a venerable Indo-Germanic source comes the widely + circulated story of "Silverwhite and Lillwacker," the faithful + brothers (Hylten-Cavallius and Stephens, _Svenska Folkasagor + och Aefventyr_, Stockholm, 1848, p. 58. From Vermland). + + + + +VII + +STOMPE PILT + + +Not far from Baalsberg, near Filkestad in the Willandsharad, there is +a hill in which a giant named Stompe Pilt once used to live. + +It happened one day that a goat-herd was driving his flock up the hill +in which Stompe Pilt dwelt. + +"Who is there?" cried the giant, and rushed out of his hill with a +hunk of flint-rock in his fist. + +"I am, if that's what you want to know!" shouted the shepherd-lad and +continued driving his goats up the hill. + +"If you come here, I will squash you as I squash this stone!" cried +the giant and he crushed it into fine sand between his fingers. + +"And I will squash you till the water runs out, just as I squash this +stone!" answered the shepherd-lad, drawing a fresh cheese from his +pocket, and pressing it hard, so that the water ran from his fingers. + +"Are you not frightened?" asked the giant. + +"Of you? Certainly not!" was the youth's reply. + +"Then we will fight with one another!" proposed the giant. + +"As you choose," replied the shepherd, "but first we must abuse each +other so that we can get into a proper rage, because as we abuse each +other we will grow angry, and when we are angry we will fight!" + +"But I shall begin by abusing you," said the giant. + +"As you choose," said the youth, "but then it will be my turn." + +"May a troll with a crooked nose take you!" yelled the giant. + +"May a flying devil carry you off!" answered the shepherd and he shot +a sharp arrow against the giant's body with his bow. + +"What was that?" asked the giant, and tried to pull the arrow out of +his body. + +"That was a word of abuse," said the shepherd. + +"How does it come to have feathers?" asked the giant. + +"The better to fly with," answered the shepherd. + +"Why does it stick so tight?" the giant continued. + +"Because it has taken root in your body," was the shepherd's answer. + +"Have you any other abusive words of the same sort?" asked the giant. +"Here is another one," replied the youth, and shot another arrow into +the giant. + +"Ouch, ouch!" cried Stompe Pilt, "are you still not angry enough for +us to come to blows?" + +"No, I have not abused you enough as yet," said the shepherd and aimed +another arrow. + +"Lead your goats wherever you choose! If I cannot stand your abusive +words, I surely will not be able to bear up against your blows," cried +Stompe Pilt, and jumped back into his hill. + +And that is how the shepherd gained the victory, because he was brave +and did not let the stupid giant frighten him. + + +NOTE + + An entertaining parody of the serious tale of David and Goliath + is the story of the little shepherd boy's fight with the giant + Stompe Pilt. (Hofberg, p. 10). + + + + +VIII + +THE GIRL AND THE SNAKE + + +Once upon a time there was a girl who was to go to the wood and drive +the cattle home; but she did not find the herd, and losing her way +instead, came to a great hill. It had gates and doors and she went in. +There stood a table covered with all sorts of good things to eat. And +there stood a bed as well, and in the bed lay a great snake. The snake +said to the girl: "Sit down, if you choose! Eat, if you choose! Come +and lie down in the bed, if you choose! But if you do not choose, then +do not do so." So the girl did nothing at all. At last the snake said: +"Some people are coming now who want you to dance with them. But do +not go along with them." Straightway people arrived who wanted to +dance with the girl; but she would hear nothing of it. Then they began +to eat and drink; but the girl left the hill and went home. The +following day she again went to the wood to look for the cattle, did +not find them, lost her way again, and came to the same hill. This +time she also entered, and found everything as it had been the first +time, the well-spread table and the bed with the snake in it. And the +snake said to her, as before: "Sit down, if you choose! Eat, if you +choose! Come, and lie down in the bed if you choose! But if you do not +choose, then do not do so! Now a great many more people are coming who +will want to dance with you, but do not go with them." The snake had +scarcely concluded before a great many people arrived, who began to +dance, eat and drink; but the girl did not keep them company, instead +she left the hill and went home. + +On the third day when she once more went to the wood, everything +happened exactly as on the first and second day. The snake invited her +to eat and drink, and this time she did so, with a hearty appetite. +Then the snake told her to lie down beside him and the girl obeyed. +Then the snake said: "Put your arm about me!" She did so. "And now +kiss me," said the snake, "but if you are afraid, put your apron +between us." The girl did so, and in a moment the snake was turned +into a marvellously handsome youth, who was really a prince, bewitched +in the form of a snake by magic spells, and now delivered by the +girl's courage. Then both of them went away and there was nothing +further heard of them. + + +NOTE + + "The Girl and the Snake" (From Soedermanland. From the mss. + collection of the metallurgist Gustav Erikson, communicated to + Dr. v. Sydow-Lund) shows distinctive Scandinavian features; + though it falls short of the richness and depth of the + celebrated Danish fairy-tale "King Dragon," whose germ idea is + the same. + + + + +IX + +FAITHFUL AND UNFAITHFUL + + +Once upon a time there was a couple of humble cottagers who had no +children until, at last, the man's wife was blessed with a boy, which +made both of them very happy. They named him Faithful and when he was +christened a _huldra_ came to the hut, seated herself beside the +child's cradle, and foretold that he would meet with good fortune. +"What is more," she said, "when he is fifteen years of age, I will +make him a present of a horse with many rare qualities, a horse that +has the gift of speech!" And with that the _huldra_ turned and went +away. + +The boy grew up and became strong and powerful. And when he had passed +his fifteenth year, a strange old man came up to their hut one day, +knocked, and said that the horse he was leading had been sent by his +queen, and that henceforward it was to belong to Faithful, as she had +promised. Then the ancient man departed; but the beautiful horse was +admired by all, and Faithful learned to love it more with every +passing day. + +At length he grew weary of home. "I must away and try my fortune in +the world," said he, and his parents did not like to object; for there +was not much to wish for at home. So he led his dear horse from the +stable, swung himself into the saddle, and rode hurriedly into the +wood. He rode on and on, and had already covered a good bit of ground, +when he saw two lions engaged in a struggle with a tiger, and they +were well-nigh overcome. "Make haste to take your bow," said the +horse, "shoot the tiger and deliver the two lions!" "Yes, that's what +I will do," said the youth, fitted an arrow to the bow-string, and in +a moment the tiger lay prone on the ground. The two lions drew nearer, +nuzzled their preserver in a friendly and grateful manner, and then +hastened back to their cave. + +Faithful now rode along for a long time among the great trees until he +suddenly spied two terrified white doves fleeing from a hawk who was +on the point of catching them. "Make haste to take your bow," said the +horse, "shoot the hawk and save the two doves!" "Yes, that's what I'll +do," said the youth. He fitted an arrow to the bow-string, and in a +moment the hawk lay prone on the ground. But the two doves flew +nearer, fluttered about their deliverer in a tame and grateful manner, +and then hurried back to their nest. + +The youth pressed on through the wood and by now was far, far from +home. But his horse did not tire easily, and ran on with him until +they came to a great lake. There he saw a gull rise up from the water, +holding a pike in its claws. "Make haste to take your bow," said the +horse, "shoot the gull and save the pike!" "Yes, that's what I'll do," +answered the youth, fitted an arrow to his bow-string, and in a moment +the gull was threshing the ground with its wings, mortally wounded. +But the pike who had been saved swam nearer, gave his deliverer a +friendly, grateful glance, and then dove down to join his fellows +beneath the waves. + +Faithful rode on again, and before evening came to a great castle. He +at once had himself announced to the king, and begged that the latter +would take him into his service. "What kind of a place do you want?" +asked the king, who was inclined to look with favor on the bold +horseman. + +"I should like to be a groom," was Faithful's answer, "but first of +all I must have stable-room and fodder for my horse." "That you shall +have," said the king, and the youth was taken on as a groom, and +served so long and so well, that every one in the castle liked him, +and the king in particular praised him highly. + +But among the other servitors was one named Unfaithful who was jealous +of Faithful, and did what he could to harm him; for he thought to +himself: + +"Then I would be rid of him, and need not see him continue to rise in +my lord's favor." Now it happened that the king was very sad, for he +had lost his queen, whom a troll had stolen from the castle. It is +true that the queen had not taken pleasure in the king's society, and +that she did not love him. Still the king longed for her greatly, and +often spoke of it to Unfaithful his servant. So one day Unfaithful +said: "My lord need distress himself no longer, for Faithful has been +boasting to me that he could rescue your beautiful queen from the +hands of the troll." "If he has done so," replied the king, "then he +must keep his word." + +He straightway ordered Faithful to be brought before him, and +threatened him with death if he did not at once hurry into the hill +and bring back the wife of whom he had been robbed. If he were +successful great honor should be his reward. In vain Faithful denied +what Unfaithful had said of him, the king stuck to his demand, and the +youth withdrew, convinced that he had not long to live. Then he went +to the stable to bid farewell to his beautiful horse, and stood beside +him and wept. "What grieves you so?" asked the horse. Then the youth +told him of all that had happened, and said that this was probably the +last time he would be able to visit him. "If it be no more than that," +said the horse, "there is a way to help you. Up in the garret of the +castle there is an old fiddle, take it with you and play it when you +come to the place where the queen is kept. And fashion for yourself +armor of steel wire, and set knives into it everywhere, and then, when +you see the troll open his jaws, descend into his maw, and thus slay +him. But you must have no fear, and must trust me to show you the +way." These words filled the youth with fresh courage, he went to the +king and received permission to leave, secretly fashioned his steel +armor, took the old fiddle from the garret of the castle, led his dear +horse out of the stable, and without delay set forth for the troll's +hill. + +Before long he saw it, and rode directly to the troll's abode. When he +came near, he saw the troll, who had crept out of his castle, lying +stretched out at the entrance to his cave, fast asleep, and snoring so +powerfully that the whole hill shook. But his mouth was wide open, and +his maw was so tremendous that it was easy for the youth to crawl into +it. He did so, for he was not afraid, and made his way into the +troll's inwards where he was so active that the troll was soon killed. +Then Faithful crept out again, laid aside his armor, and entered the +troll's castle. Within the great golden hall sat the captive queen, +fettered with seven strong chains of gold. Faithful could not break +the strong chains; but he took up his fiddle and played such tender +music on it, that the golden chains were moved, and one after +another, fell from the queen, until she was able to rise and was free +once more. She looked at the courageous youth with joy and gratitude, +and felt very kindly toward him, because he was so handsome and +courteous. And the queen was perfectly willing to return with him to +the king's castle. + +The return of the queen gave rise to great joy, and Faithful received +the promised reward from the king. But now the queen treated her +husband with even less consideration than before. She would not +exchange a word with him, she did not laugh, and locked herself up in +her room with her gloomy thoughts. This greatly vexed the king, and +one day he asked the queen why she was so sad: "Well," said she, "I +cannot be happy unless I have the beautiful golden hall which I had in +the hill at the troll's; for a hall like that is to be found nowhere +else." + +"It will be no easy matter to obtain it for you," said the king, "and +I cannot promise you that anyone will be able to do it." But when he +complained of his difficulty to his servant Unfaithful, the latter +answered: "The chances of success are not so bad, for Faithful said he +could easily bring the troll's golden hall to the castle." Faithful +was at once sent for, and the king commanded him, as he loved his +life, to make good his word and bring the golden hall from the troll's +hill. It was in vain that Faithful denied Unfaithful's assertions: go +he must, and bring back the golden hall. + +Inconsolable, he went to his beautiful horse, wept and wanted to say +farewell to him forever. "What troubles you?" asked the horse. And the +youth replied: "Unfaithful has again been telling lies about me, and +if I do not bring the troll's golden hall to the queen, my life will +be forfeited." "Is it nothing more serious than that?" said the horse. +"See that you obtain a great ship, take your fiddle with you and play +the golden hall out of the hill, then hitch the troll's horses before +it, and you will be able to bring the glistening hall here without +trouble." + +Then Faithful felt somewhat better, did as the horse had told him, and +was successful in reaching the great hill. And as he stood there +playing the fiddle, the golden hall heard him, and was drawn to the +sounding music, and it moved slowly, slowly, until it stood outside +the hill. It was built of virgin gold, like a house by itself, and +under it were many wheels. Then the youth took the troll's horses, put +them to the golden hall, and thus brought it aboard his ship. Soon he +had crossed the lake, and brought it along safely so that it reached +the castle without damage, to the great joy of the queen. Yet despite +the fact, she was as weary of everything as she had been before, never +spoke to her husband, the king, and no one ever saw her laugh. + +Now the king grew even more vexed than he had been, and again asked +her why she seemed so sad. "Ah, how can I be happy unless I have the +two colts that used to belong to me, when I stayed at the troll's! +Such handsome steeds are to be seen nowhere else!" "It will be +anything but easy to obtain for you what you want," declared the king, +"for they were untamed, and long ago must have run far away into the +wild-wood." Then he left her, sadly, and did not know what to do. But +Unfaithful said: "Let my lord give himself no concern, for Faithful +has declared he could easily secure both of the troll's colts." +Faithful was at once sent for, and the king threatened him with death, +if he did not show his powers in the matter of the colts. But should +he succeed in catching them, then he would be rewarded. + +Now Faithful knew quite well that he could not hope to catch the +troll's wild colts, and he once more turned to the stable in order to +bid farewell to the _huldra's_ gift. "Why do you weep over such a +trifle?" said the horse. "Hurry to the wood, play your fiddle, and all +will be well!" Faithful did as he was told, and after a while the two +lions whom he had rescued came leaping toward him, listened to his +playing and asked him whether he was in distress. "Yes, indeed," said +Faithful, and told them what he had to do. They at once ran back into +the wood, one to one side and the other to the other, and returned +quickly, driving the two colts before them. Then Faithful played his +fiddle and the colts followed him, so that he soon reached the king's +castle in safety, and could deliver the steeds to the queen. + +The king now expected that his wife would be gay and happy. But she +did not change, never addressed a word to him, and only seemed a +little less sad when she happened to speak to the daring youth. + +Then the king asked her to tell him what she lacked, and why she was +so discontented. She answered: "I have secured the colts of the troll, +and I often sit in the glittering hall of gold; but I can open none of +the handsome chests that are filled to the brim with my valuables, +because I have no keys. And if I do not get the keys again, how can I +be happy?" "And where may the keys be?" asked the king. "In the lake +by the troll's hill," said the queen, "for that is where I threw them +when Faithful brought me here." "This is a ticklish affair, this +business of those keys you want!" said the king. "And I can scarcely +promise that you will ever see them again." In spite of this, however, +he was willing to make an attempt, and talked it over with his +servant Unfaithful. "Why, that is easily done," said the latter, "for +Faithful boasted to me that he could get the queen's keys without any +difficulty if he wished." "Then I shall compel him to keep his word," +said the king. And he at once ordered Faithful, on pain of death, to +get the queen's keys out of the lake by the troll's hill without +delay. + +[Illustration: "THE PIKE ROSE TO THE SURFACE WITH THE GOLDEN KEYS IN +HIS MOUTH."] + +This time the youth was not so depressed, for he thought to himself: +"My wise horse will be able to help me." And so he was, for he advised +him to go along playing his fiddle, and to wait for what might happen. +After the youth had played for a while, the pike he had saved thrust +his head out of the water, recognized him, and asked whether he could +be of any service to him. "Yes, indeed!" said the youth, and told him +what it was he wanted. The pike at once dived, quickly rose to the +surface of the water with the golden keys in his mouth, and gave them +to his deliverer. The latter hastened back with them, and now the +queen could open the great chests in the golden hall to her heart's +content. + +Notwithstanding, the king's wife was as sorrowful as ever, and when +the king complained about it to Unfaithful, the latter said: "No doubt +it is because she loves Faithful. I would therefore advise that my +lord have him beheaded. Then there will be a change." This advice +suited the king well, and he determined to carry it out shortly. But +one day Faithful's horse said to him: "The king is going to have your +head chopped off. So hurry to the wood, play your fiddle, and beg the +two doves to bring you a bottle of the water of life. Then go to the +queen and ask her to set your head on your body and to sprinkle you +with the water when you have been beheaded." Faithful did so. He went +to the wood that very day with his fiddle, and before long the two +doves were fluttering around him, and shortly after brought back the +bottle filled with the water of life. He took it back home with him +and gave it to the queen, so that she might sprinkle him with it after +he had been beheaded. She did so, and at once Faithful rose again, as +full of life as ever; but far better looking. The king was astonished +at what he had seen, and told the queen to cut off his own head and +then sprinkle him with the water. She at once seized the sword, and in +a moment the king's head rolled to the ground. But she sprinkled none +of the water of life upon it, and the king's body was quickly carried +out and buried. Then the queen and Faithful celebrated their wedding +with great pomp; but Unfaithful was banished from the land and went +away in disgrace. The wise horse dwelt contentedly in a wonderful +chamber, and the king and queen kept the magic fiddle, the golden +hall, and the troll's other valuables, and lived in peace and +happiness day after day. + + +NOTE + + "Faithful and Unfaithful" (From the Hylten-Cavallius mss. + collection), is a distant offshoot, and one complicated with + other motives, of a cycle in which even the Tristan legend is + represented, the fairy-tale of the golden-haired maiden and the + water of life and death. (Reinhold Koehler, _Kleinere + Schriften_, II, p. 328). + + + + +X + +STARKAD AND BALE + + +Starkad, the hero of the legends, the bravest warrior in the army of +the North, had fallen into disgrace with the king because of a certain +princess, so he wandered up into Norland, and settled down at Rude in +Tuna, where he was known as the Thrall of the Alders or the Red +Fellow. + +In Balbo, nine miles from Rude, dwelt another hero, Bale, a good +friend and companion-at-arms of Starkad. + +One morning Starkad climbed the Klefberg in Tuna, and called over to +Bale: "Bale in Balbo, are you awake?" + +"Red Fellow!" answered Bale, nine miles away, "the sun and I wake +together! But how goes it with you?" + +"None too well. I eat salmon morning, noon and night. Come over with a +bit of meat!" + +"I'll come!" Bale called back, and in a few hours time he was down in +Tuna with an elk under each arm. + +The following morning Bale in Balbo stood on a hill in Borgsjo and +called: "Red Fellow! Are you awake?" + +"The sun and I wake together!" answered Starkad. "And how goes it with +you?" + +"Alas, I have nothing to eat but meat! Elk in the morning, elk at noon +and elk at night. Come over and bring a fish-tail along with you!" + +"I'm coming!" called out Starkad, and in a short time he had joined +his friend with a barrel of salmon under each arm. + +In this fashion the two friends provided themselves with all the game +to be found in the woods and in the water, and spread terror and +destruction throughout the countryside. But one evening, when they +were just returning to the sea from an excursion, a black cloud came +up, and a tempest broke. They hurried along as fast as they could; but +got no further than Vattjom, where a flash of lightning struck Starkad +and flung him to the ground. His friend and companion-at-arms buried +him beneath a stone cairn, about which he set five rocks: two at his +feet, two at his shoulders, and one at his head; and that grave, +measuring twenty ells in length, may still be seen near the river. + + +NOTE + + In "Starkad and Bale" (Hofberg, p. 181. From Medelpad, after + ancient traditional sources) humorous feats of gigantic + strength are ascribed to the most famous hero of Northern + legend, Starkad, who was brought up by Odin himself. + + + + +XI + +THE WEREWOLF + + +Once upon a time there was a king, who reigned over a great kingdom. +He had a queen, but only a single daughter, a girl. In consequence the +little girl was the apple of her parents' eyes; they loved her above +everything else in the world, and their dearest thought was the +pleasure they would take in her when she was older. But the unexpected +often happens; for before the king's daughter began to grow up, the +queen her mother fell ill and died. It is not hard to imagine the +grief that reigned, not alone in the royal castle, but throughout the +land; for the queen had been beloved of all. The king grieved so that +he would not marry again, and his one joy was the little princess. + +A long time passed, and with each succeeding day the king's daughter +grew taller and more beautiful, and her father granted her every wish. +Now there were a number of women who had nothing to do but wait on the +princess and carry out her commands. Among them was a woman who had +formerly married and had two daughters. She had an engaging +appearance, a smooth tongue and a winning way of talking, and she was +as soft and pliable as silk; but at heart she was full of machinations +and falseness. Now when the queen died, she at once began to plan how +she might marry the king, so that her daughters might be kept like +royal princesses. With this end in view, she drew the young princess +to her, paid her the most fulsome compliments on everything she said +and did, and was forever bringing the conversation around to how happy +she would be were the king to take another wife. There was much said +on this head, early and late, and before very long the princess came +to believe that the woman knew all there was to know about everything. +So she asked her what sort of a woman the king ought to choose for a +wife. The woman answered as sweet as honey: "It is not my affair to +give advice in this matter; yet he should choose for queen some one +who is kind to the little princess. For one thing I know, and that is, +were I fortunate enough to be chosen, my one thought would be to do +all I could for the little princess, and if she wished to wash her +hands, one of my daughters would have to hold the wash-bowl and the +other hand her the towel." This and much more she told the king's +daughter, and the princess believed it, as children will. + +From that day forward the princess gave her father no peace, and +begged him again and again to marry the good court lady. Yet he did +not want to marry her. But the king's daughter gave him no rest; but +urged him again and again, as the false court lady had persuaded her +to do. Finally, one day, when she again brought up the matter, the +king cried: "I can see you will end by having your own way about this, +even though it be entirely against my will. But I will do so only on +one condition." "What is the condition?" asked the princess. "If I +marry again," said the king, "it is only because of your ceaseless +pleading. Therefore you must promise that, if in the future you are +not satisfied with your step-mother or your step-sisters, not a single +lament or complaint on your part reaches my ears." This she promised +the king, and it was agreed that he should marry the court lady and +make her queen of the whole country. + +As time passed on, the king's daughter had grown to be the most +beautiful maiden to be found far and wide; the queen's daughters, on +the other hand, were homely, evil of disposition, and no one knew any +good of them. Hence it was not surprising that many youths came from +East and West to sue for the princess's hand; but that none of them +took any interest in the queen's daughters. This made the step-mother +very angry; but she concealed her rage, and was as sweet and friendly +as ever. Among the wooers was a king's son from another country. He +was young and brave, and since he loved the princess dearly, she +accepted his proposal and they plighted their troth. The queen +observed this with an angry eye, for it would have pleased her had the +prince chosen one of her own daughters. She therefor made up her mind +that the young pair should never be happy together, and from that time +on thought only of how she might part them from each other. + +An opportunity soon offered itself. News came that the enemy had +entered the land, and the king was compelled to go to war. Now the +princess began to find out the kind of step-mother she had. For no +sooner had the king departed than the queen showed her true nature, +and was just as harsh and unkind as she formerly had pretended to be +friendly and obliging. Not a day went by without her scolding and +threatening the princess; and the queen's daughters were every bit as +malicious as their mother. But the king's son, the lover of the +princess, found himself in even worse position. He had gone hunting +one day, had lost his way, and could not find his people. Then the +queen used her black arts and turned him into a werewolf, to wander +through the forest for the remainder of his life in that shape. When +evening came and there was no sign of the prince, his people returned +home, and one can imagine what sorrow they caused when the princess +learned how the hunt had ended. She grieved, wept day and night, and +was not to be consoled. But the queen laughed at her grief, and her +heart was filled with joy to think that all had turned out exactly as +she wished. + +Now it chanced one day, as the king's daughter was sitting alone in +her room, that she thought she would go herself into the forest where +the prince had disappeared. She went to her step-mother and begged +permission to go out into the forest, in order to forget her +surpassing grief. The queen did not want to grant her request, for she +always preferred saying no to yes. But the princess begged her so +winningly that at last she was unable to say no, and she ordered one +of her daughters to go along with her and watch her. That caused a +great deal of discussion, for neither of the step-daughters wanted to +go with her; each made all sorts of excuses, and asked what pleasures +were there in going with the king's daughter, who did nothing but cry. +But the queen had the last word in the end, and ordered that one of +her daughters must accompany the princess, even though it be against +her will. So the girls wandered out of the castle into the forest. The +king's daughter walked among the trees, and listened to the song of +the birds, and thought of her lover, for whom she longed, and who was +now no longer there. And the queen's daughter followed her, vexed, in +her malice, with the king's daughter and her sorrow. + +After they had walked a while, they came to a little hut, lying deep +in the dark forest. By then the king's daughter was very thirsty, and +wanted to go into the little hut with her step-sister, in order to get +a drink of water. But the queen's daughter was much annoyed and said: +"Is it not enough for me to be running around here in the wilderness +with you? Now you even want me, who am a princess, to enter that +wretched little hut. No, I will not step a foot over the threshold! If +you want to go in, why go in alone!" The king's daughter lost no time; +but did as her step-sister advised, and stepped into the little hut. +When she entered she saw an old woman sitting there on a bench, so +enfeebled by age that her head shook. The princess spoke to her in her +usual friendly way: "Good evening, motherkin. May I ask you for a +drink of water?" "You are heartily welcome to it," said the old woman. +"Who may you be, that step beneath my lowly roof and greet me in so +winning a way?" The king's daughter told her who she was, and that she +had gone out to relieve her heart, in order to forget her great grief. +"And what may your great grief be?" asked the old woman. "No doubt it +is my fate to grieve," said the princess, "and I can never be happy +again. I have lost my only love, and God alone knows whether I shall +ever see him again." And she also told her why it was, and the tears +ran down her cheeks in streams, so that any one would have felt sorry +for her. When she had ended the old woman said: "You did well in +confiding your sorrow to me. I have lived long and may be able to give +you a bit of good advice. When you leave here you will see a lily +growing from the ground. This lily is not like other lilies, however, +but has many strange virtues. Run quickly over to it, and pick it. If +you can do that then you need not worry, for then one will appear who +will tell you what to do." Then they parted and the king's daughter +thanked her and went her way; while the old woman sat on the bench and +wagged her head. But the queen's daughter had been standing without +the hut the entire time, vexing herself, and grumbling because the +king's daughter had taken so long. + +So when the latter stepped out, she had to listen to all sorts of +abuse from her step-sister, as was to be expected. Yet she paid no +attention to her, and thought only of how she might find the flower of +which the old woman had spoken. They went through the forest, and +suddenly she saw a beautiful white lily growing in their very path. +She was much pleased and ran up at once to pick it; but that very +moment it disappeared and reappeared somewhat further away. + +The king's daughter was now filled with eagerness, no longer listened +to her step-sister's calls, and kept right on running; yet each time +when she stooped to pick the lily, it suddenly disappeared and +reappeared somewhat further away. Thus it went for some time, and the +princess was drawn further and further into the deep forest. But the +lily continued to stand, and disappear and move further away, and each +time the flower seemed larger and more beautiful than before. At +length the princess came to a high hill, and as she looked toward its +summit, there stood the lily high on the naked rock, glittering as +white and radiant as the brightest star. The king's daughter now began +to climb the hill, and in her eagerness she paid no attention to +stones nor steepness. And when at last she reached the summit of the +hill, lo and behold! the lily no longer evaded her grasp; but remained +where it was, and the princess stooped and picked it and hid it in her +bosom, and so heartfelt was her happiness that she forgot her +step-sisters and everything else in the world. + +For a long time she did not tire of looking at the beautiful flower. +Then she suddenly began to wonder what her step-mother would say when +she came home after having remained out so long. And she looked +around, in order to find the way back to the castle. But as she looked +around, behold, the sun had set and no more than a little strip of +daylight rested on the summit of the hill. Below her lay the forest, +so dark and shadowed that she had no faith in her ability to find the +homeward path. And now she grew very sad, for she could think of +nothing better to do than to spend the night on the hill-top. She +seated herself on the rock, put her hand to her cheek, cried, and +thought of her unkind step-mother and step-sisters, and of all the +harsh words she would have to endure when she returned. And she +thought of her father, the king, who was away at war, and of the love +of her heart, whom she would never see again; and she grieved so +bitterly that she did not even know she wept. Night came and darkness, +and the stars rose, and still the princess sat in the same spot and +wept. And while she sat there, lost in her thoughts, she heard a voice +say: "Good evening, lovely maiden! Why do you sit here so sad and +lonely?" She stood up hastily, and felt much embarrassed, which was +not surprising. When she looked around there was nothing to be seen +but a tiny old man, who nodded to her and seemed to be very humble. +She answered: "Yes, it is no doubt my fate to grieve, and never be +happy again. I have lost my dearest love, and now I have lost my way +in the forest, and am afraid of being devoured by wild beasts." "As to +that," said the old man, "you need have no fear. If you will do +exactly as I say, I will help you." This made the princess happy; +for she felt that all the rest of the world had abandoned her. Then +the old man drew out flint and steel and said: "Lovely maiden, you +must first build a fire." She did as he told her, gathered moss, brush +and dry sticks, struck sparks and lit such a fire on the hill-top that +the flame blazed up to the skies. That done the old man said: "Go on a +bit and you will find a kettle of tar, and bring the kettle to me." +This the king's daughter did. The old man continued: "Now put the +kettle on the fire." And the princess did that as well. When the tar +began to boil, the old man said: "Now throw your white lily into the +kettle." The princess thought this a harsh command, and earnestly +begged to be allowed to keep the lily. But the old man said: "Did you +not promise to obey my every command? Do as I tell you or you will +regret it." The king's daughter turned away her eyes, and threw the +lily into the boiling tar; but it was altogether against her will, so +fond had she grown of the beautiful flower. + +[Illustration: "SO HEARTFELT WAS HER HAPPINESS THAT SHE FORGOT +EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD."] + +The moment she did so a hollow roar, like that of some wild beast, +sounded from the forest. It came nearer, and turned into such a +terrible howling that all the surrounding hills reechoed it. Finally +there was a cracking and breaking among the trees, the bushes were +thrust aside, and the princess saw a great grey wolf come running out +of the forest and straight up the hill. She was much frightened and +would gladly have run away, had she been able. But the old man said: +"Make haste, run to the edge of the hill and the moment the wolf comes +along, upset the kettle on him!" The princess was terrified, and +hardly knew what she was about; yet she did as the old man said, took +the kettle, ran to the edge of the hill, and poured its contents over +the wolf just as he was about to run up. And then a strange thing +happened: no sooner had she done so, than the wolf was transformed, +cast off his thick grey pelt, and in place of the horrible wild beast, +there stood a handsome young man, looking up to the hill. And when the +king's daughter collected herself and looked at him, she saw that it +was really and truly her lover, who had been turned into a werewolf. + +It is easy to imagine how the princess felt. She opened her arms, and +could neither ask questions nor reply to them, so moved and delighted +was she. But the prince ran hastily up the hill, embraced her +tenderly, and thanked her for delivering him. Nor did he forget the +little old man, but thanked him with many civil expressions for his +powerful aid. Then they sat down together on the hill-top, and had a +pleasant talk. The prince told how he had been turned into a wolf, and +of all he had suffered while running about in the forest; and the +princess told of her grief, and the many tears she had shed while he +had been gone. So they sat the whole night through, and never noticed +it until the stars grew pale and it was light enough to see. When the +sun rose, they saw that a broad path led from the hill-top straight to +the royal castle; for they had a view of the whole surrounding country +from the hill-top. Then the old man said: "Lovely maiden, turn around! +Do you see anything out yonder?" "Yes," said the princess, "I see a +horseman on a foaming horse, riding as fast as he can." Then the old +man said: "He is a messenger sent on ahead by the king your father. +And your father with all his army is following him." That pleased the +princess above all things, and she wanted to descend the hill at once +to meet her father. But the old man detained her and said: "Wait a +while, it is too early yet. Let us wait and see how everything turns +out." + +Time passed and the sun was shining brightly, and its rays fell +straight on the royal castle down below. Then the old man said: +"Lovely maiden, turn around! Do you see anything down below?" "Yes," +replied the princess, "I see a number of people coming out of my +father's castle, and some are going along the road, and others into +the forest." The old man said: "Those are your step-mother's servants. +She has sent some to meet the king and welcome him; but she has sent +others to the forest to look for you." At these words the princess +grew uneasy, and wished to go down to the queen's servants. But the +old man withheld her and said: "Wait a while, and let us first see how +everything turns out." + +More time passed, and the king's daughter was still looking down the +road from which the king would appear, when the old man said: "Lovely +maiden, turn around! Do you see anything down below?" "Yes," answered +the princess, "there is a great commotion in my father's castle, and +they are hanging it with black." The old man said: "That is your +step-mother and her people. They will assure your father that you are +dead." Then the king's daughter felt bitter anguish, and she implored +from the depths of her heart: "Let me go, let me go, so that I may +spare my father this anguish!" But the old man detained her and said: +"No, wait, it is still too early. Let us first see how everything +turns out." + +Again time passed, the sun lay high above the fields, and the warm air +blew over meadow and forest. The royal maid and youth still sat on the +hill-top with the old man, where we had left them. Then they saw a +little cloud rise against the horizon, far away in the distance, and +the little cloud grew larger and larger, and came nearer and nearer +along the road, and as it moved one could see it was agleam with +weapons, and nodding helmets, and waving flags, one could hear the +rattle of swords, and the neighing of horses, and finally recognize +the banner of the king. It is not hard to imagine how pleased the +king's daughter was, and how she insisted on going down and greeting +her father. But the old man held her back and said: "Lovely maiden, +turn around! Do you see anything happening at the castle?" "Yes," +answered the princess, "I can see my step-mother and step-sisters +coming out, dressed in mourning, holding white kerchiefs to their +faces, and weeping bitterly." The old man answered: "Now they are +pretending to weep because of your death. Wait just a little while +longer. We have not yet seen how everything will turn out." + +After a time the old man said again: "Lovely maiden, turn around! Do +you see anything down below?" "Yes," said the princess, "I see people +bringing a black coffin--now my father is having it opened. Look, the +queen and her daughters are down on their knees, and my father is +threatening them with his sword!" Then the old man said: "Your father +wished to see your body, and so your evil step-mother had to confess +the truth." When the princess heard that she said earnestly: "Let me +go, let me go, so that I may comfort my father in his great sorrow!" +But the old man held her back and said: "Take my advice and stay here +a little while longer. We have not yet seen how everything will turn +out." + +Again time went by, and the king's daughter and the prince and the old +man were still sitting on the hill-top. Then the old man said: "Lovely +maiden, turn around! Do you see anything down below?" "Yes," answered +the princess, "I see my father and my step-sisters and my step-mother +with all their following moving this way." The old man said: "Now they +have started out to look for you. Go down and bring up the wolf's pelt +in the gorge." The king's daughter did as he told her. The old man +continued: "Now stand at the edge of the hill." And the princess did +that, too. Now one could see the queen and her daughters coming along +the way, and stopping just below the hill. Then the old man said: "Now +throw down the wolf's pelt!" The princess obeyed him, and threw down +the wolf's pelt according to his command. It fell directly on the evil +queen and her daughters. And then a most wonderful thing happened: no +sooner had the pelt touched the three evil women than they immediately +changed shape, and turning into three horrible werewolves, they ran +away as fast as they could into the forest, howling dreadfully. + +No more had this happened than the king himself arrived at the foot +of the hill with his whole retinue. When he looked up and recognized +the princess, he could not at first believe his eyes; but stood +motionless, thinking her a vision. Then the old man cried: "Lovely +maiden, now hasten, run down and make your father happy!" There was no +need to tell the princess twice. She took her lover by the hand and +they ran down the hill. When they came to the king, the princess ran +on ahead, fell on her father's neck, and wept with joy. And the young +prince wept as well, and the king himself wept; and their meeting was +a pleasant sight for every one. There was great joy and many embraces, +and the princess told of her evil step-mother and step-sisters and of +her lover, and all that she had suffered, and of the old man who had +helped them in such a wonderful way. But when the king turned around +to thank the old man he had completely vanished, and from that day on +no one could say who he had been or what had become of him. + +The king and his whole retinue now returned to the castle, where the +king had a splendid banquet prepared, to which he invited all the able +and distinguished people throughout the kingdom, and bestowed his +daughter on the young prince. And the wedding was celebrated with +gladness and music and amusements of every kind for many days. I was +there, too, and when I rode through the forest I met a wolf with two +young wolves, and they showed me their teeth and seemed very angry. +And I was told they were none other than the evil step-mother and her +two daughters. + + +NOTE + + In "The Werewolf," the basic idea is the deliverance from + animal form through a maiden's self-sacrificing love + (Hylten-Cavallius and Stephens, p. 312. From Upland), and the + Teutonic belief in human beings who could change themselves + into wolves is clearly marked. + + + + +XII + +FIRST BORN, FIRST WED + + +Once upon a time there was a king who had a three-year old son, and +was obliged to go to war against another king. Then, when his ships +sailed home again after he had gained a splendid victory, a storm +broke out and his whole fleet was near sinking. But the king vowed he +would sacrifice to the sea-queen the first male creature that came to +meet him when he reached land and entered his capital. Thereby the +whole fleet reached the harbor in safety. But the five-year old +prince, who had not seen his father for the past two years, and who +was delighted with the thunder of the cannon as the ships came in, +secretly slipped away from his attendants, and ran to the landing; and +when the king came ashore he was the first to cast himself into his +arms, weeping with joy. The king was frightened when he thought of the +sea-queen; but he thought that, after all, the prince was only a +child, and at any rate he could sacrifice the next person to step up +to him after the prince. But from that time on no one could make a +successful sea-trip, and the people began to murmur because the king +had not kept the promise he had made the sea-queen. But the king and +queen never allowed the prince out without a great escort, and he was +never permitted to enter a ship, for all his desire to do so. After a +few years they gradually forgot the sea-queen, and when the prince was +ten years old, a little brother came to join him. Not long after the +older of the princes was out walking with his tutor and several other +gentlemen. And when they reached the end of the royal gardens by the +sea-shore--it was a summer's day, unusually clear--they were suddenly +enveloped by a thick cloud, which disappeared as swiftly as it had +come. And when it vanished, the prince was no longer there; nor did he +return, to the great sorrow of the king, the queen and the whole +country. In the meantime the young prince who was now the sole heir to +the crown and kingdom grew up; and when he was sixteen, they began to +think of finding a wife for him. For the old king and queen wished to +see him marry the daughter of some powerful monarch to whom they were +allied, before they died. With this in view, letters were written and +embassies sent out to the most distant countries. + +While these negotiations were being conducted, it began to be said +that the sea-shore was haunted; various people had heard cries, and +several who had walked by the sea-shore late in the evening had fallen +ill. At length no one ventured to go there after eleven at night, +because a voice kept crying from out at sea: "First born, first wed!" +And when some one did venture nearer he did so at the risk of his +life. At last these complaints came to the king's ear; he called +together his council, and it was decided to question a wise woman, who +had already foretold many mysterious happenings, which had all taken +place exactly as she had said they would. When the wise woman was +brought before the king she said it was the prince who had been taken +into the sea who was calling, and that they would have to find him a +bride, young, beautiful, and belonging to one of the noblest families +of the land, and she must be no less than fifteen and no more than +seventeen years old. That seemed a serious difficulty; for no one +wished to give their daughter to a sea-king. + +Yet, when there was no end to the cries and the commotion, the wise +woman said, that first it might be well to build a little house by the +sea, perhaps then the turmoil might die away. At any rate, she said, +no phantoms would haunt the place while the building was in progress. +Hence no more than four workmen need be employed, and they might first +prepare a site, then lay the stone foundation, and finally erect the +small house, comprising no more than two pleasant, handsome rooms, one +behind the other, and a good floor. The house was carefully erected, +and the royal architect himself had to superintend the work, so that +everything might be done as well as possible. And while the building +was going on, there were no mysterious noises, and every one could +travel peacefully along the sea-shore. For that reason the four +workmen did not hurry with their work; yet not one of them could stay +away for a day, because when they did the tumult along the shore would +begin again, and one could hear the cries: "First born, first wed!" +When the little house was finally completed, the best carpenters came +and worked in it, then painters and other craftsmen, and at last it +was furnished, because when the work stopped for no more than a single +day the cries were heard again by night. The rooms were fitted out as +sumptuously as possible, and a great mirror was hung in the +drawing-room. According to the instructions of the wise woman, it was +hung in such wise that from the bed in the bed-room, even though one's +face were turned to the wall, one could still see who stepped over the +threshold into the drawing-room; for the door between each room was +always to stand open. + +When all was finished, and the little house had been arranged with +regal splendor, the cries of "First born, first wed!" again began to +sound from the shore. And it was found necessary, though all were +unwilling, to follow the wise woman's counsel, and choose three of +the loveliest maidens between the ages of fifteen and seventeen, +belonging to the first families of the land. They were to be taken to +the castle, said the wise woman, and to be treated like ladies of the +blood royal, and one after another they were to be sent to the little +house by the sea-shore; for should one of them find favor in the eyes +of the sea-prince, then the commotion and turmoil would surely cease. +In the meantime the negotiations for the marriage of the younger +prince were continued, and the bride selected for him was soon +expected to arrive. So the girls were also chosen for the sea-prince. +The three chosen, as well as their parents, were quite inconsolable +over their fate; even the fact that they were to be treated like +princesses did not console them; yet had they not yielded it would +have been all the worse for them and for the whole land. The first +girl destined to sleep in the sea-palace was the oldest, and when she +sought out the wise woman, and asked her advice, the latter said she +should lie down in the handsome bed; but should turn her face to the +wall, and under no circumstances turn around curiously, and try and +see what was going on. She had only the right to behold what she saw +reflected in the mirror in the drawing-room as she lay with her face +to the wall. At ten o'clock that night the royal sea-bride was led +with great pomp to the little house. + +Her relatives and the court said farewell to her with many tears, left +her before eleven, locked the door on the outside, and took the keys +with them to the castle. The wise woman was also there, consoled the +people, and assured them that if the maiden only forbore to speak, and +did not turn around, she would come out in the morning fresh and +blooming. The poor girl prayed and wept until she grew sleepy; but +toward twelve o'clock the outer door suddenly opened, and then the +door of the drawing-room. She was startled and filled with fear when, +her face turned toward the wall, she saw in the great mirror, how a +tall, well-built youth entered, from whose garments the water ran in +streams to the floor. He shook himself as though freezing, and said +"Uh hu!" Then he went to the window, and there laid down an unusually +large and handsome apple, and hung a bottle in the casement. Next he +stepped to the bed, bent over the sleeping girl and looked at her, +strode up and down a few times, shaking the water from his clothes and +saying "Uh hu!" Then he went back to the bed, undressed hurriedly, lay +down and fell asleep. The poor girl, had not been sleeping; but had +only closed her eyes when the prince bent over her. Now she was glad +to think he was fast asleep, and forgot the wise woman's warning not +to turn around. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she wanted +to find out if this were a real human being. She turned around +softly, lest she wake him; but just as she sat up quietly in bed, in +order to take a good look at her neighbor, he swiftly seized her right +hand, hewed it off, and flung it under the bed. Then he at once lay +down and fell asleep again. As soon as it was day, he rose, dressed +without casting even a glance at the bed, took the bottle and the +apple from the window, went hastily out and locked the door after him. +One can imagine how the poor girl suffered in the meantime, and when +her friends and relatives came to fetch her they found her weeping and +robbed of her hand. She was brought to the castle and the wise woman +sent for, and overwhelmed with bitter reproaches. But she said that if +the maiden had not turned around, and had overcome her curiosity, she +would not have lost her hand. They were to treat her as though she +were really and truly a princess; but that it would be as much as her +life were worth to allow her to return to the neighborhood of the +little house. + +The two girls were all the more discouraged by this mishap, and +thought themselves condemned to death, though the wise woman consoled +them as well as she knew how. The second promised her faithfully not +to turn around; yet it happened with her as it had with the first. The +prince came in at twelve o'clock dripping, shook himself so that the +water flew about, said "Uh hu!" went to the window, laid down the +beautiful apple, hung up the bottle, came into the bed-room, bent over +the bed, strode up and down a few times, said "Uh hu!" hastily +undressed, and at once fell asleep. Her curiosity gained the upper +hand, and when she made sure that he was sleeping soundly, she +carefully turned around in order to look at him. But he seized her +right hand, hewed it off and cast it under the bed, and then laid down +again and slept on. At dawn he rose, dressed without casting a glance +at the bed, took the apple and the bottle, went out and locked the +door after him. When her friends and relatives came to fetch the girl +in the morning, they found her weeping and without a right hand. She +was taken to the castle, where she found herself just as little +welcome as her predecessor, and the wise woman insisted that the girl +must have turned around, though at first she denied it absolutely. + +Then the youngest, sweetest and loveliest of the three maidens had to +go to the sea-castle amid the mourning of the entire court. The wise +woman accompanied her, and implored her not to turn around; since +there was no other means of protection against the spell. + +The maiden promised to heed her warning, and said that she would pray +God to help her if she were plagued with curiosity. All happened as +before: the prince came on the stroke of twelve, dripping wet, said +"Uh hu!" shook himself, laid the apple on the window, hung up the +bottle, went into the bed-room, bent over the bed, strode up and down +for a few times, said "Uh hu!" undressed, and at once fell asleep. The +poor girl was half-dead with fear and terror, and prayed and struggled +against her curiosity till at length she fell asleep, and did not +awake until the prince rose and dressed. He stepped up to the bed, +bent over it for a moment, went out, turned at the door and took the +bottle and the apple, and then locked the door after him. In the +morning the entire court, the girl's parents and the wise woman came +to fetch her. She came to meet them weeping with joy, and was +conducted to the castle in triumph and with joy indescribable. The +king and queen embraced her, and she was paid the same honors destined +for the princess who was to arrive in the course of the next few days +to marry the heir to the throne. Now the maiden had to sleep every +night in the little house by the strand, and every evening the prince +came in with his apple and his bottle, and every morning went away at +dawn. But it seemed to her that each succeeding evening and morning he +looked at her a little longer; though she, always silent, timid, and +turned toward the wall, did not dare see more than her mirror showed +her of his coming and going. But the two other girls, who had lost +their hands, and who now no longer lived in the castle, were jealous +of the honor shown the youngest, and threatened to have her done away +with if she did not restore their hands. The maiden went weeping to +the wise woman; and the latter said that when the prince had lain down +as usual she should say--keeping her face turned toward the wall: + + "The maidens twain will see me slain, + Or else have back their hands again!" + +But she was to offer no further information nor say another word. With +a beating heart the poor girl waited until the prince came, and when +he had bent over the bed longer than usual, sighed, then hastily +undressed and lain down, the maiden said, quivering and trembling: + + "The maidens twain will see me slain, + Or else have back their hands again!" + +The prince at once replied: "Take the hands--they are lying under the +bed--and the bottle hanging in the window, and pour some of the +contents of the bottle on their arms and hands, join them together, +bind them up, take away the bandages in three days' time and the hands +will have been healed!" The maiden made no reply and fell asleep. In +the morning the prince rose as usual, stepped over to the bed several +times and looked at her from its foot; but she did not dare look up, +and closed her eyes. He sighed, took his apple; but left the bottle, +and went. When the maiden rose she did as he had told her, and in +three days' time removed the bandages, and the girls' hands were well +and whole. + +Now the foreign princess arrived and the wedding was to be celebrated +as soon as possible. Yet she was not fitted out with any more +magnificence than the bride of the sea-prince, and both were equally +honored by the king and court. This annoyed the two other girls, and +they again threatened to have the youngest done away with if she did +not let them taste the apple which the prince always brought with him. +Again the maiden sought the advice of the wise woman, in whom she had +confidence. And that night, when the prince had lain down, she said: + + "The maidens twain will see me slain, + Or else your apple they would gain!" + +Then the prince said: "Take the apple lying in the window, and when +you go out, lay it on the ground and follow wherever it may roll. And +when it stops, pick as many apples as you wish, and return the same +way you came." The maiden made no reply, and fell asleep. On the +following morning it seemed harder than ever for the prince to resolve +to go away. He appeared excited and restless, sighed often, bent over +the maiden several times, went into the living room, then turned +around and looked at her once more. Finally, when the sun rose, he +hurried out and locked the door after him. When the maiden rose, she +could not help weeping, for she had really begun to love the prince. + +Then she took the apple, and when she was outside the door, laid it on +the ground, and it rolled and rolled, and she followed it, a long, +long way, to a region unknown to her. There she came to a high garden +wall, over which hung the branches of trees, loaded with beautiful +fruit. Finally she reached a great portal, adorned with gold and +splendid ornaments, which opened of its own accord as the apple rolled +up to it. And the apple rolled through the portal and the maiden +followed it into the garden, which was the most beautiful she ever had +seen. The apple rolled over to a low-growing tree weighed with the +most magnificent apples, and there it stopped. The maiden picked all +that her silken apron would hold, and turned to see from which +direction she had come, and where the portal stood through which she +would have to pass on her way back. But the garden was so lovely that +she felt like enjoying its charms a while longer, and without +thinking of the prince's words, she touched the apple with her foot, +and it began to roll again. Suddenly the portal closed with a great +crash. Then the maiden was much frightened, and regretted having done +what had been forbidden her; yet now she could not get out, and was +compelled to follow the apple once more. It rolled far into the +beautiful garden and stopped at a little fire-place, where stood two +kettles of water, one small, the other large. There was a great fire +burning under the large kettle; but only a weak fire beneath the +smaller one. Now when the apple stopped there the maiden did not know +what to do. Then it occurred to her to scrape away the fire beneath +the large kettle and thrust it under the little one; and soon the +kettle over the small fire began to boil and the kettle over the large +one simmered down. But she could not stay there. And since she had +already disobeyed the order given her, she expected to die, nothing +less, and was quite resigned to do so, because she had lost all hope +of winning the prince. + +So she gave the apple another push, and it rolled into a meadow in the +middle of the garden, and there lay two little children, asleep, with +the hot sun beating straight down upon them. The maiden felt sorry for +the children, and she took her apron and laid it over them to protect +them from the sun, and only kept the apples she could put in her +little basket. But she could not stay here either, so again she +touched the apple, and it rolled on and before she knew it the girl +found herself by the sea-shore. There, under a shady tree lay the +prince asleep; while beside him sat the sea-queen. Both rose when the +maiden drew near, and the prince looked at her with alarm and +tenderness in his flashing eyes. Then he leaped into the sea, and the +white foam closed over him. But the sea-queen was enraged and seized +the girl, who thought that her last moment had struck, and begged for +a merciful death. The sea-queen looked at her, and asked her who had +given her permission to pass beyond the apple-tree. The maiden +confessed her disobedience, and said that she had done so without +meaning any harm, whereupon the sea-queen said she would see how she +had conducted herself and punish her accordingly. Thereupon the +sea-queen gave the apple a push, and it rolled back through the portal +to the apple-tree. The sea-queen saw that the apple-tree was +uninjured, again pushed the apple and it rolled on to the little +fire-place. But when the sea-queen saw the small kettle boiling +furiously, while the large one was growing cold, she became very +angry, seized the girl's arm savagely and rising to her full height, +asked: "What have you dared do here? How dared you take the fire from +under my kettle and put it under your own?" The maiden did not know +that she had done anything wrong, and said that she did not know why. +Then the sea-queen replied: "The large kettle signified the love +between the prince and myself; the small one the love between the +prince and you. Since you have taken the fire from under my kettle and +laid it under your own, the prince is now violently in love with you, +while his love for me is well-nigh extinguished. Look," she cried, +angrily, "now my kettle has stopped boiling altogether, and yours is +boiling over! But I will see what other harm you have done and punish +you accordingly." And the sea-queen again pushed the apple with her +foot, and it rolled to the sleeping children, who had been covered +with the apron. Then the sea-queen said: "Did you do that?" "Yes," +replied the maiden, weeping, "but I meant no harm. I covered the +little ones with my apron so that the sun might not burn down on them +so fiercely, and I left with them the apples I could not put in my +basket." The sea-queen said: "This deed and your truthfulness are your +salvation. I see that you have a kind heart. These children belong to +me and to the prince; but since he now loves you more than he does me, +I will resign him to you. Go back to the castle and there say what I +tell you: that your wedding with my prince is to be celebrated at the +same time as that of his younger brother. And all your jewels, your +ornaments, your wedding-dress and your bridal chair, are to be exactly +like those of the other princess. From the moment on that the priest +blesses the prince and yourself I have no further power over him. But +since I have seen to it that he has all the qualities which adorn a +ruler, I demand that he be made the heir to his father's kingdom; for +he is the oldest son. The younger prince may rule over the kingdom +which his bride brings him. All this you must tell them, for only +under these conditions will I release the prince. And when you are +arrayed in your bridal finery, come to me here, without anyone's +knowledge, so that I may see how they have adorned you. Here is the +apple which will show you the way without any one being able to tell +where you go." With that the sea-queen parted from her, and gave the +apple a push. It rolled out of the garden and to the castle, where the +maiden, with mingled joy and terror, delivered the sea-queen's message +to the king, and told him what she demanded for the prince. The king +gladly promised all that was desired, and great preparations were at +once made for the double wedding. Two bridal chairs were set up side +by side, two wedding gowns, and two sets of jewels exactly similar +were made ready. When the maiden had been dressed in her bridal +finery she pretended to have forgotten something, which she had to +fetch from a lower floor, went downstairs with her apple, and laid it +on the ground. It at once rolled to the spot by the sea-shore where +she had found the sea-queen and the prince, and where the sea-queen +was now awaiting her. "It is well that you have come," said the +sea-queen, "for the slightest disobedience would have meant misfortune +for you! But how do you look? Are you dressed just as the princess is? +And has the princess no better clothes or jewels?" The maiden answered +timidly, that they were dressed exactly alike. Then the sea-queen tore +her gown from her body, unclasped the jewels from her hair and +flinging them on the ground cried: "Is that the way the bride of my +prince should look! Since I have given him to you I will give you my +bridal outfit as well." And with that she raised up a sod beneath the +great tree, and a shrine adorned with gold and precious stones +appeared, from which she drew out her bridal outfit, which fitted the +maiden as though made for her. And it was so costly and so covered +with gems that the maiden was almost blinded by its radiance. The +crown, too, glowed with light, and was set with the most wonderful +emeralds, and all was magnificent beyond what any princess had ever +worn. "Now," said the sea-queen, when she had finished adorning the +maiden, "now go back to the castle, and show them how I was dressed +when I wedded the prince. All this I give as a free gift to you and +your descendants; but you must always conduct yourself so that the +prince will be content with you, and you must make his happiness your +first thought all your life long." + +[Illustration: "A SHRINE ADORNED WITH GOLD AND PRECIOUS STONES +APPEARED."] + +This the maiden promised, with honest tears, and the sea-queen bade +her go. When she was again in the castle, all were astonished at the +beauty and costliness of her dress and jewels, in comparison to which +those of the other princess were as nothing. The treasures of the +whole kingdom would not have sufficed to pay for such a bridal outfit. +And none any longer dared envy the lovely maiden, for never had a +princess brought a richer bridal dower into the country. Now all went +in solemn procession to the church, and the priests stood before the +bridal chairs with their books open, and waited for the prince who, +according to the sea-queen's word, would not come until the blessing +was to be spoken. They waited impatiently, and the king finally told +one of the greatest nobles to seat himself in the bridal chair in the +prince's place, which he did. But the very moment the priest began to +pray, the two wings of the church portal quickly flew open, and a +tall, strong, handsome man with flashing eyes, royally clad, came in, +stepped up to the bridal chair, thrust his proxy out so hastily that +he nearly fell, and cried: "This is my place! Now, priest, speak the +blessing!" While the blessing was spoken the prince became quiet +again, and then greeted his parents and the whole court with joy, and +before all embraced his wife, who now for the first time ventured to +take a good look at him. Thenceforward the prince was like any other +human being, and in the end he inherited his father's kingdom, and +became a great and world-renowned ruler, beloved by his subjects, and +adored by his wife. They lived long and happily, and their descendants +are still the rulers of the land over which he reigned. + + +NOTE + + "First Born, First Wed" is a purely Swedish, and decidedly + characteristic treatment of a similar motive of redemption. + (From the mss. collection of Hylten-Cavallius and Stephens, + communicated by Dr. v. Sydow-Lund). + + + + +XIII + +THE LAME DOG + + +Once upon a time there lived a king, like many others. He had three +daughters, who were young and beautiful to such a degree that it would +have been difficult to have found handsomer maidens. Yet there was a +great difference among them; for the two older sisters were haughty in +their thoughts and manners; while the youngest was sweet and friendly, +and everyone liked her. Besides, she was fair as the day and delicate +as the snow, and far more beautiful than either of her sisters. + +One day the king's daughters were sitting together in their room, and +their talk happened to turn on their husbands-to-be. The oldest said: +"If I ever marry, my husband must have golden hair and a golden +beard!" And the second exclaimed: "And mine must have silver hair and +a silver beard!" But the youngest princess held her tongue and said +nothing. Then her sisters asked her whether she did not want to wish +for a husband. "No," she answered, "but if fate should give me a +husband, I will be content to take him as he is, and were he no more +than a lame dog." Then the two other princesses laughed and joked +about it, and told her the day might easily come when she would change +her mind. + +But many speak truth and do not know it! Thus it chanced with the +king's daughters; since before the year had come to an end, each had +the suitor for whom she had wished. A man with golden hair and golden +beard sued for the oldest princess and won her consent to his suit. +And a man with silver hair and a silver beard sued for the second and +she became his bride; but the youngest princess had no other suitor +than a lame dog. Then she recalled her talk with her sisters in their +room, and thought to herself: "May God aid me in the marriage into +which I must enter!" Yet she would not break the word she had once +passed; but followed her sisters' example and accepted the dog. The +wedding lasted a number of days and was celebrated with great pomp and +splendor. But while the guests danced and amused themselves, the +youngest princess sat apart and wept, and when the others were +laughing, her tears flowed till it made one sad to see them. + +After the wedding the newly married pairs were each to drive off to +their castle. And the two older princesses each drove off in a +splendidly decorated coach, with a large retinue, and all sorts of +honors. But the youngest had to go afoot, since her husband, the dog, +had neither coach nor driver. When they had wandered long and far, +they came to a great forest, so great that it seemed endless; but the +dog limped along in advance, and the king's daughter followed after, +weeping. And as they went along she suddenly saw a magnificent castle +lying before them, and round about it were beautiful meadows and green +woods, all of them most enjoyable to see. The princess stopped and +asked to whom the great mansion might belong. "That," said the dog, +"is our home. We will live here, and you shall rule it as you see +fit." Then the maiden laughed amid her tears, and could not overcome +her surprise at all she saw. The dog added: "I have but a single +request to make to you, and that you must not refuse to grant." "What +is your request?" asked the princess. "You must promise me," said the +dog, "that you will never look at me while I am asleep: otherwise you +are free to do whatever you wish." The princess gladly promised to +grant his request, and so they went to the great castle. And if the +castle was magnificent from without, it was still more magnificent +within. It was so full of gold and silver that the precious metals +gleamed from every corner; and there was such abundance of supplies of +every kind, and of so many other things, that everything in the world +one might have wished to have was already there. The princess spent +the live-long day running from one room to another, and each was +handsomer than the one she had just entered. But when evening came and +she went to bed, the dog crept into his own, and then she noticed that +he was not a dog; but a human being. Yet she said not a word, because +she remembered her promise, and did not wish to cross her husband's +will. + +Thus some time passed. The princess dwelt in the beautiful castle, and +had everything her heart might desire. But every day the dog ran off, +and did not reappear until it was evening and the sun had set. Then he +returned home, and was always so kind and friendly that it would have +been a fine thing had other men done half as well. The princess now +began to feel a great affection for him, and quite forgot he was only +a lame dog; for the proverb says: "Love is blind." Yet time passed +slowly because she was so much alone, and she often thought of +visiting her sisters and seeing how they were. She spoke of it to her +husband, and begged his permission to make the journey. No sooner had +the dog heard her wish than he at once granted it, and even +accompanied her some distance, in order to show her the way out of the +wood. + +When the king's daughters were once reunited, they were naturally very +happy, and there were a great many questions asked about matters old +and new. And marriage was also discussed. The oldest princess said: +"It was silly of me to wish for a husband with golden hair and golden +beard; for mine is worse than the veriest troll, and I have not known +a happy day since we married." And the second went on: "Yes, and I am +no better off; for although I have a husband with silver hair and a +silver beard, he dislikes me so heartily that he begrudges me a single +hour of happiness." Then her sisters turned to the youngest princess +and asked how she fared. "Well," was her answer, "I really cannot +complain; for though I only got a lame dog, he is such a dear good +fellow and so kind to me that it would be hard to find a better +husband." The other princesses were much surprised to hear this, and +did not stop prying and questioning, and their sister answered all +their questions faithfully. When they heard how splendidly she lived +in the great castle, they grew jealous because she was so much better +off than they were. And they insisted on knowing whether there was not +some one little thing of which she could complain. "No," said the +king's daughter, "I can only praise my husband for his kindness and +amiability, and there is but one thing lacking to make me perfectly +happy." "What is it?" "What is it?" cried both sisters with a single +voice. "Every night, when he comes home," said the princess, "he turns +into a human being, and I am sorry that I can never see what he really +looks like." Then both sisters again with one voice, began to scold +the dog loudly; because he had a secret which he kept from his wife. +And since her sisters now continually spoke about it, her own +curiosity awoke once more, she forgot her husband's command, and asked +how she might manage to see him without his knowing it. "O," said the +oldest princess, "nothing easier! Here is a little lamp, which you +must hide carefully. Then you need only get up at night when he is +asleep, and light the lamp in order to see him in his true shape." +This advice seemed good to the king's daughter; she took the lamp, hid +it in her breast, and promised to do all that her sisters had +counseled. + +When the time came for them to part, the youngest princess went back +to her beautiful castle. The day passed like every other day. When +evening came at last and the dog had gone to bed, the princess was so +driven by curiosity that she could hardly wait until he had fallen +asleep. Then she rose, softly, lit her lamp, and drew near the bed to +look at him while he slept. But no one can describe her astonishment +when throwing the light on the bed, she saw no lame dog lying there; +but the handsomest youth her eyes had ever beheld. She could not stop +looking at him; but sat up all night bending over his pillow, and the +more she looked at him the handsomer he seemed to grow, until she +forgot everything else in the world. At last the morning came. And as +the first star began to pale in the dawn, the youth began to grow +restless and awaken. The princess much frightened, blew out her lamp +and lay down in her bed. The youth thought she was sleeping and did +not wish to wake her, so he rose quietly, assumed his other shape, +went away and did not appear again all day long. + +And when evening came and it grew late, everything happened as before. +The dog came home from the forest and was very tired. But no sooner +had he fallen asleep than the princess rose carefully, lit her lamp +and came over to look at him. And when she cast the light on his bed +it seemed to her as though the youth had grown even handsomer than the +day before, and the longer she looked the more handsome he became; +until she had to laugh and weep from sheer love and longing. She could +not take her eyes from him, and sat all night long bent over his +pillow, forgetful of her promise and all else, only to be able to look +at him. With the first ray of dawn the youth began to stir and awake. +Then the princess was again frightened, quickly blew out her lamp and +lay down in her bed. The youth thought she was sleeping, and not +wishing to waken her, rose softly, assumed his other shape, went away +and was gone for the entire day. + +At length it grew late again, evening came and the dog returned home +from the forest as usual. But again the princess could not control her +curiosity; no sooner was her husband sleeping than she rose quietly, +lit her lamp, and drew near carefully in order to look at him while he +slept. And when the light fell on the youth, he appeared to be +handsomer than ever before, and the longer she looked the more +handsome he grew, until her heart burned in her breast, and she forgot +all else in the world looking at him. She could not take her eyes from +him, and sat up all night bending over his pillow. And when morning +came and the sun rose, the youth began to move and awaken. Then the +princess was much frightened, because she had paid no heed to the +passing of time, and she tried to put out her lamp quickly. But her +hand trembled, and a warm drop of oil fell on the youth and he awoke. +When he saw what she had done, he leaped up, terrified, instantly +turned into a lame dog, and limped out into the forest. But the +princess felt so remorseful that she nearly lost her senses, and she +ran after him, wringing her hands and weeping bitterly, and begging +him to return. But he did not come back. + +The king's daughter now wandered over hill and dale, along many a road +new to her, in order to find her husband, and her tears flowed the +while till it would have moved a stone. But the dog was gone and +stayed gone, though she looked for him North and South. When she saw +that she could not find him, she thought she would return to her +handsome castle. But there she was just as unfortunate. The castle +was nowhere to be seen, and wherever she went she was surrounded by a +forest black as coal. Then she came to the conclusion that the whole +world had abandoned her, sat down on a stone, wept bitterly, and +thought how much rather she would die than live without her husband. +At that a little toad hopped out from under the stone, and said: +"Lovely maiden, why do you sit here and weep?" And the princess +answered: "It is my hard fate to weep and never be happy again. First +of all I have lost the love of my heart, and now I can no longer find +my way back to the castle. So I must perish of hunger here, or else be +devoured by wild beasts." "O," said the toad, "if that is all that +troubles you, I can help you! If you will promise to be my dearest +friend, I will show you the way." But that the princess did not want +to do. She replied: "Ask of me what you will, save that alone. I have +never loved any one more than my lame dog, and so long as I live will +never love any one else better." With that she rose, wept bitterly, +and continued her way. But the toad looked after her in a friendly +manner, laughed to himself, and once more crept under his stone. + +After the king's daughter had wandered on for a long, long way, and +still saw nothing but forest and wilderness, she grew very tired. She +once more sat down on a stone, rested her chin on her hand, and +prayed for death, since it was no longer possible for her to live with +her husband. Suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes, and she saw +a big gray wolf coming directly toward her. She was much frightened, +since her one thought was that the wolf intended to devour her. But +the wolf stopped, wagged his tail, and said: "Proud maiden, why do you +sit here and weep so bitterly?" The princess answered: "It is my hard +fate to weep and never be happy again. First of all I have lost my +heart's dearest, and now I cannot find my way back to the castle and +must perish of hunger, or be devoured by wild beasts." "O," said the +wolf, "if that is all that troubles you, I can help you! Let me be +your best friend and I will show you the way." But that did not suit +the princess, and she replied: "Ask of me what you will, save that +alone. I have never loved any one more than my lame dog, and so long +as I live I will never love any one else better." With that she rose, +weeping bitterly, and continued on her way. But the wolf looked after +her in a friendly manner, laughed to himself and ran off hastily. + +After the princess had once more wandered for a long time in the +wilderness, she was again so wearied and exhausted that she could not +go on. She sat down on a stone, wrung her hands, and wished for death, +since she could no longer live with her husband. At that moment she +heard a hollow roaring that made the earth tremble, and a monstrous +big lion appeared and came directly toward her. Now she was much +frightened; for what else could she think but that the lion would tear +her to pieces? But the beast was so weighed down with heavy iron +chains that he could scarcely drag himself along, and the chains +clashed at either side when he moved. When the lion finally reached +the princess he stopped, wagged his tail, and asked: "Beautiful +maiden, why do you sit here and weep so bitterly?" The princess +answered: "It is my hard fate to weep and never be happy again. First +of all I have lost my heart's dearest, and now I cannot find my way to +the castle, and must perish of hunger, or be devoured by wild beasts." +"O," said the lion, "if that is all that troubles you, I can help you! +If you will loose my chains and make me your best friend, I will show +you the way." But the princess was so terrified that she could not +answer the lion, far less venture to draw near him. Then she heard a +clear voice sounding from the forest: it was a little nightingale, who +sat among the branches and sang: + + "Maiden, maiden, loose his chains!" + +Then she felt sorry for the lion, grew braver, went up to him, +unloosed his chains and said: "Your chains I can loose for you; but I +can never be your best friend. For I have never loved any one more +than my lame dog and will never love any one else better." And then a +wondrous thing took place: at the very moment the last chain fell from +him, the lion turned into a handsome young prince, and when the +princess looked at him more closely, it was none other than her +heart's dearest, who before had been a dog. She sank to the ground, +clasped his knees, and begged him not to leave her again. But the +prince raised her with deep affection, took her in his arms and said: +"No, now we shall never more be parted, for I am released from my +enchantment, and have proved your faith toward me in every way." + +[Illustration: "THE LION TURNED INTO A HANDSOME YOUNG PRINCE."] + +Then there was joy indescribable. And the prince took his young wife +home to the beautiful castle, and there he became king and she was his +queen. And if they have not died they are living there to this very +day. + + +NOTE + + The story of "The Lame Dog," the bride of the dog, has long + been popular in Scandinavia (Hylten-Cavallius and Stephens, p. + 381. From South Smaland). Saxo, to whom it was familiar, calls + its heroes Otherus and Syritha, and even in the _Edda_ there is + an echo of it in the tale of Freya and Odr. In Denmark the same + story is told under the title of "The Dearest Friend." + + + + +XIV + +THE MOUNT OF THE GOLDEN QUEEN + + +Once upon a time a lad who tended the cattle in the wood was eating +his noon-tide meal in a clearing in the forest. As he was sitting +there he saw a rat run into a juniper-bush. His curiosity led him to +look for it; but as he bent over, down he went, head over heels, and +fell asleep. And he dreamed that he was going to find the princess on +the Mount of the Golden Queen; but that he did not know the way. + +The following day he once more pastured his cattle in the wood, when +he came to the same clearing, and again ate his dinner there. And +again he saw the rat and went to look for it, and again when he bent +down he went head over heels, and fell fast asleep. And again he +dreamed of the princess on the Mount of the Golden Queen, and that in +order to get her he would need seventy pounds of iron and a pair of +iron shoes. He awoke and it was all a dream; but by now he had made up +his mind to find the Mount of the Golden Queen, and he went home with +his herd. On the third day, when he led out his cattle, he could not +reach the clearing of his happy dream too soon. Again the rat showed +itself and when he went to look for it, he fell asleep as he had done +each preceding day. And again he dreamed of the princess on the Mount +of the Golden Queen, and that she came to him, and laid a letter and a +band of gold in his pocket. Then he awoke and to his indescribable +surprise, he found in his pocket both of the things of which he had +dreamed, the letter and the band. Now he had no time to attend to the +cattle any longer, but drove them straight home. Then he went into the +stable, led out a horse, sold it, and bought seventy pounds of iron +and a pair of iron shoes with the money. He made the thole-pins out of +the iron, put on his iron shoes, and set forth. For a time he traveled +by land; but at last he came to the lake which he had to cross. He saw +naught but water before and behind him, and rowing so long and +steadily that he wore out one thole-pin after another, he at length +reached land, and a green meadow, where no trees grew. He walked all +around the meadow, and at last found a mound of earth from which smoke +was rising. When he looked more closely, out came a woman who was nine +yards long. He asked her to tell him the way to the Mount of the +Golden Queen. But she replied: "That I do not know. Go ask my sister, +who is nine yards taller than I am, and who lives in an earth-mound +which you can find without any trouble." So he left her and came to a +mound of earth that looked just like the first, and from which smoke +was also rising. A woman at once came out who was tremendously tall, +and of her he asked the way to the Mount of the Golden Queen. "That I +do not know," said she. "Go ask my brother, who is nine yards taller +than I am, and who lives in a hill a little further away." So he came +to the hill, from which smoke was also rising, and knocked. A man at +once came out who was a veritable giant, for he was twenty-seven yards +in length, and of him he asked the way to the Mount of the Golden +Queen. Then the giant took a whistle and whistled in every direction, +to call together all the animals to be found on the earth. And all the +animals came from the woods, foremost among them a bear. The giant +asked him about the Mount of the Golden Queen, but he knew nothing of +it. Again the giant blew his whistle in every direction to call +together all the fishes to be found in the waters. They came at once, +and he asked them about the Mount of the Golden Queen; but they knew +nothing of it. Once more the giant blew his whistle in every +direction, and called together all the birds of the air. They came, +and he asked the eagle about the Mount of the Golden Queen, and +whether he knew where it might be. The eagle said: "Yes!" "Well then, +take this lad there," said the giant "but do not treat him unkindly!" +This the eagle promised, allowed the youth to seat himself on his +back, and then off they were through the air, over fields and forests, +hill and dale, and before long they were above the ocean, and could +see nothing but sky and water. Then the eagle dipped the youth in the +ocean up to his ankles and asked: "Are you afraid?" "No," said the +youth. Then the eagle flew on a while, and again dipped the youth into +the water, up to his knees and said: "Are you afraid?" "Yes," answered +the youth, "but the giant said you were not to treat me unkindly." +"Are you really afraid?" asked the eagle once more. "Yes," answered +the youth. Then the eagle said: "The fear you now feel is the very +same fear I felt when the princess thrust the letter and the golden +band into your pocket." And with that they had reached a large, high +mountain in one side of which was a great iron door. They knocked, and +a serving-maid appeared to open the door and admit them. The youth +remained and was well received; but the eagle said farewell and flew +back to his native land. The youth asked for a drink, and he was at +once handed a beaker containing a refreshing draught. When he had +emptied it and returned the beaker, he let the golden band drop into +it. And when the maid brought back the beaker to her mistress--who +was the princess of the Mount of the Golden Queen--the latter looked +into the beaker, and behold, there lay a golden band which she +recognized as her own. So she asked: "Is there some one here?" and +when the maid answered in the affirmative, the princess said: "Bid him +come in!" And as soon as the youth entered she asked him if he chanced +to have a letter. The youth drew out the letter he had received in so +strange a manner, and gave it to the princess. And when she had read +it she cried, full of joy: "Now I am delivered!" And at that very +moment the mountain turned into a most handsome castle, with all sorts +of precious things, servants, and every sort of convenience, each for +its own purpose. (Whether the princess and the youth married the story +does not say; yet we must take for granted that a wedding is the +proper end for the fairy-tale). + + +NOTE + + A distinctly visionary story is the fairy-tale of "The Mount of + the Golden Queen." (From Soedermanland, from the collection of + the metallurgic Gustav Erikson, communicated by Dr. v. + Sydow-Lund) whose hero sets out on a laborious, world-wide + quest that finally brings him to the destined goal. + + + + +XV + +OLD HOPGIANT + + +Once upon a time there were two neighbors: one of them rich and the +other poor. They owned a great meadow in common, which they were +supposed to mow together and then divide the hay. + +But the rich neighbor wanted the meadow for himself alone, and told +the poor one that he would drive him out of house and home if he did +not come to an agreement with him that whichever one of them mowed the +largest stretch of the meadowland in a single day, should receive the +entire meadow. + +Now the rich neighbor got together as many mowers as ever he could; +but the poor one could not hire a single man. At last he despaired +altogether and wept, because he did not know how he could manage to +get so much as a bit of hay for the cow. + +Then it was that a large man stepped up to him and said: "Do not +grieve so. I can tell you what you ought to do. When the mowing +begins, just call out 'Old Hopgiant!' three times in succession, and +you'll not be at a loss, as you shall see for yourself." And with that +he disappeared. + +Then the poor man's heart grew less heavy, and he gave over worrying. +So one fine day his rich neighbor came along with no fewer than twenty +farmhands, and they mowed down one swath after another. But the poor +neighbor did not even take the trouble to begin when he saw how the +others took hold, and that he himself would not be able to do anything +alone. + +Then the big man occurred to him, and he called out: "Old Hopgiant!" +But no one came, and the mowers all laughed at him and mocked him, +thinking he had gone out of his mind. Then he called again: "Old +Hopgiant!" And, just as before, there was no hopgiant to be seen. And +the mowers could scarcely swing their scythes; for they were laughing +fit to split. + +And then he cried for the third time: "Old Hopgiant!" And there +appeared a fellow of truly horrible size, with a scythe as large as a +ship's mast. + +And now the merriment of the rich peasant's mowers came to an end. For +when the giant began to mow and fling about his scythe, they were +frightened at the strength he put into his work. And before they knew +it he had mown half the meadow. + +Then the rich neighbor fell into a rage, rushed up and gave the giant +a good kick. But that did not help him, for his foot stuck to the +giant, while the latter no more felt the kick than if it had been a +flea-bite, and kept right on working. + +[Illustration: "THE RICH MAN HAD TO GO ALONG HANGING TO HIM LIKE A +HAWSER."] + +Then the rich neighbor thought of a scheme to get free, and gave the +giant a kick with his other foot; but this foot also stuck fast, and +there he hung like a tick. Old Hopgiant mowed the whole meadow, and +then flew up into the air, and the rich man had to go along hanging to +him like a hawser. And thus the poor neighbor was left sole master of +the place. + + +NOTE + + A genuine folk-tale figure is "Old Hopgiant." (Bondeson, + _Svenska Folksagor_, Stockholm, 1882, p. 41. From Dalsland) in + which a wonderful giant being comes to a poor peasant's + assistance, and rescues him from his oppressor. + + + + +XVI + +THE PRINCESS AND THE GLASS MOUNTAIN + + +Once upon a time there was a king who took such a joy in the chase, +that he knew no greater pleasure than hunting wild beasts. Early and +late he camped in the forest with hawk and hound, and good fortune +always followed his hunting. But it chanced one day that he could +rouse no game, although he had tried in every direction since morning. +And then, when evening was coming on, and he was about to ride home, +he saw a dwarf or wild man running through the forest before him. The +king at once spurred on his horse, rode after the dwarf, seized him +and he was surprised at his strange appearance; for he was small and +ugly, like a troll, and his hair was as stiff as bean-straw. But no +matter what the king said to him, he would return no answer, nor say a +single word one way or another. This angered the king, who was already +out of sorts because of his ill-success at the hunt, and he ordered +his people to seize the wild man and guard him carefully lest he +escape. Then the king rode home. + +Now his people said to him: "You should keep the wild man a captive +here at your court, in order that the whole country may talk of what a +mighty huntsman you are. Only you should guard him so that he does not +escape; because he is of a sly and treacherous disposition." When the +king had listened to them he said nothing for a long time. Then he +replied: "I will do as you say, and if the wild man escape, it shall +be no fault of mine. But I vow that whoever lets him go shall die +without mercy, and though he were my own son!" + +The following morning, as soon as the king awoke, he remembered his +vow. + +He at once sent for wood and beams, and had a small house or cage +built quite close to the castle. The small house was built of great +timbers, and protected by strong locks and bolts, so that none could +break in; and a peephole was left in the middle of the wall through +which food might be thrust. + +When everything was completed the king had the wild man led up, placed +in the small house, and he himself took and kept the key. There the +dwarf had to sit a prisoner, day and night, and the people came afoot +and a-horseback to gaze at him. Yet no one ever heard him complain, or +so much as utter a single word. + +Thus matters went for some time. Then a war broke out in the land, and +the king had to take the field. At parting he said to the queen: "You +must rule the kingdom now in my stead, and I leave land and people in +your care. But there is one thing you must promise me you will do: +that you will guard the wild man securely so that he does not escape +while I am away." The queen promised to do her best in all respects, +and the king gave her the key to the cage. Thereupon he had his long +galleys, his "sea-wolves," push out from the shore, hoisted sail, and +took his course far, far away to the other country. + +The king and queen had only one child, a prince who was still small; +yet great in promise. Now when the king had gone, it chanced one day +that the little fellow was wandering about the royal courtyard, and +came to the wild man's cage. And he began to play with an apple of +gold he had. And while he was playing with it, it happened that +suddenly the apple fell through the window in the wall of the cage. +The wild man at once appeared and threw back the apple. This seemed a +merry game to the little fellow: he threw the apple in again, and the +wild man threw it out again, and thus they played for a long time. Yet +for all the game had been so pleasant, it turned to sorrow in the end: +for the wild man kept the apple of gold, and would not give it back +again. And when all was of no avail, neither threats nor prayers, the +little fellow at last began to weep. Then the wild man said: "Your +father did ill to capture me, and you will never get your apple of +gold again, unless you let me out." The little fellow answered: "And +how can I let you out? Just you give me back my apple again, my apple +of gold!" Then the wild man said: "You must do what I now tell you. Go +up to your mother, the queen, and beg her to comb your hair. Then see +to it that you take the key from her girdle, and come down and unlock +the door. After that you can return the key in the same way, without +any one knowing anything about it." + +After the wild man had talked to the boy in this way, he finally did +as he said, went up to his mother, begged her to comb his hair, and +took the key from her girdle. Then he ran down to the cage and opened +the door. And when they parted, the dwarf said: "Here is your apple of +gold, that I promised to give back to you, and I thank you for setting +me free. And another time when you have need of me, I will help you in +turn." And with that he ran off on his own way. But the prince went +back to his mother, and returned the key in the same way he had taken +it. + +When they learned at the king's court that the wild man had broken +out, there was great commotion, and the queen sent people over hill +and dale to look for him. But he was gone and he stayed gone. Thus +matters went for a while and the queen grew more and more unhappy; for +she expected her husband to return every day. And when he did reach +shore his first question was whether the wild man had been well +guarded. Then the queen had to confess how matters stood, and told him +how everything had happened. But the king was enraged beyond measure, +and said he would punish the malefactor, no matter who he might be. +And he ordered a great investigation at his court, and every human +being in it had to testify. But no one knew anything. At last the +little prince also had to come forward. And as he stood before the +king he said: "I know that I have deserved my father's anger; yet I +cannot hide the truth; for I let out the wild man." Then the queen +turned white, and the others as well, for there was not one who was +not fond of the prince. At last the king spoke: "Never shall it be +said of me that I was false to my vow, even for the sake of my own +flesh and blood! No, you must die the death you have deserved." And +with that he gave the order to take the prince to the forest and kill +him. And they were to bring back the boy's heart as a sign that his +command had been obeyed. + +Now sorrow unheard of reigned among the people, and all pleaded for +the little prince. But the king's word could not be recalled. His +serving-men did not dare disobey, took the boy in their midst, and set +forth. And when they had gone a long way into the forest, they saw a +swine-herd tending his pigs. Then one said to another: "It does not +seem right to me to lay hand on the king's son; let us buy a pig +instead and take its heart, then all will believe it is the heart of +the prince." The other serving-men thought that he spoke wisely, so +they bought a pig from the swine-herd, led it into the wood, butchered +it and took its heart. Then they told the prince to go his way and +never return. They themselves went back to the king's castle, and it +is easy to imagine what grief they caused when they told of the +prince's death. + +The king's son did what the serving-men had told him. He kept on +wandering as far as he could, and never had any other food than the +nuts and wild berries that grow in the forest. And when he had +wandered far and long, he came to a mountain upon whose very top stood +a fir-tree. Said he to himself: "After all, I might as well climb the +fir-tree and see whether I can find a path anywhere." No sooner said +than done: he climbed the tree. And as he sat in the very top of its +crown, and looked about on every side, he saw a large and splendid +royal castle rising in the distance, and gleaming in the sun. Then he +grew very happy and at once set forth in that direction. On the way he +met a farm-hand who was ploughing, and begged him to change clothes +with him, which he did. Thus fitted out he at last reached the king's +castle, went in, asked for a place, and was taken on as a herdsman, to +tend the king's cattle. Now he went to the forest early and late, and +in the course of time forgot his grief, grew up, and became so tall +and brave that his equal could not be found. + +And now our story turns to the king who was reigning at the splendid +castle. He had been married, and he had an only daughter. She was +lovelier by far than other maidens, and had so kind and cheerful a +disposition that whoever could some day take her to his home might +well consider himself fortunate. Now when the princess had completed +her fifteenth year, a quite unheard of swarm of suitors made their +appearance, as may well be imagined; and for all that she said no to +all of them, they only increased in number. At last the princess said: +"None other shall win me save he who can ride up the high Glass +Mountain in full armor!" The king thought this a good suggestion. He +approved of his daughter's wish, and had proclaimed throughout the +kingdom that none other should have the princess save he who could +ride up the Glass Mountain. + +And when the day set by the king had arrived, the princess was led up +the Glass Mountain. There she sat on its highest peak, with a golden +crown on her head, and a golden apple in her hand, and she looked so +immeasurably lovely that there was no one who would not have liked to +risk his life for her. Just below the foot of the hill all the suitors +assembled with splendid horses and glittering armor, that shone like +fire in the sun, and from round about the people flocked together in +great crowds to watch their tilting. And when everything was ready, +the signal was given by horns and trumpets, and then the suitors, one +after another, raced up the mountain with all their might. But the +mountain was high, as slippery as ice, and besides it was steep beyond +all measure. Not one of the suitors rode up more than a little way, +before he tumbled down again, head over heels, and it might well +happen that arms and legs were broken in the process. This made so +great a noise, together with the neighing of the horses, the shouting +of the people, and the clash of arms, that the tumult and the shouting +could be heard far away. + +And while all this was going on, the king's son was rambling about +with his oxen, deep in the wood. But when he heard the tumult and the +clashing of arms, he sat down on a stone, leaned his cheek on his +hand, and became lost in thought. For it had occurred to him how +gladly he would have fared forth with the rest. Suddenly he heard +footsteps and when he looked up, the wild man was standing before him. +"Thank you for the last time!" said he, "and why do you sit here so +lonely and full of sorrow?" "Well," said the prince, "I have no choice +but to be sad and joyless. Because of you I am a fugitive from the +land of my father, and now I have not even a horse and armor to ride +up the Glass Mountain and fight for the princess." "Ah," said the wild +man, "if that be all you want, then I can help you! You helped me once +before and now I will help you in turn." Then he took the prince by +the hand, led him deep down into the earth into his cave, and behold, +there hung a suit of armor forged out of the hardest steel, and so +bright that a blue gleam played all around it. Right beside it stood a +splendid steed, saddled and bridled, pawing the earth with his steel +hoofs, and champing his bit till the white foam dropped to the ground. +The wild man said: "Now get quickly into your armor, ride out and try +your luck! In the meantime I will tend your oxen." The prince did not +wait to be told a second time; but put on helmet and armor, buckled on +his spurs, hung his sword at his side, and felt as light in his steel +armor as a bird in the air. Then he leaped into the saddle so that +every clasp and buckle rang, laid his reins on the neck of his steed, +and rode hastily toward the mountain. + +The princess's suitors were about to give up the contest, for none of +them had won the prize, though each had done his best. And while they +stood there thinking it over, and saying that perhaps fortune would +favor them another time, they suddenly saw a youth ride out of the +wood straight toward the mountain. He was clad in steel from head to +foot, with helmet on head, sword in belt and shield on arm, and he +sat his horse with such knightly grace that it was a pleasure to look +at him. At once all eyes were turned to the strange knight, and all +asked who he might be; for none had ever seen him before. Yet they had +had but little time to talk and question, for no sooner had he cleared +the wood, than he rose in his stirrups, gave his horse the spurs, and +shot forward like an arrow straight up the Glass Mountain. Yet he did +not ride up all the way; but when he had reached the middle of the +steep ascent, he suddenly flung around his steed and rode down again, +so that the sparks flew from his horse's hoofs. Then he disappeared in +the wood like a bird in flight. One may imagine the excitement which +now seized upon all the people, and there was not one who did not +admire the strange knight. All agreed they had never seen a braver +knight. + +Time passed, and the princess's suitors decided to try their luck a +second time. The king's daughter was once more led up the Glass +Mountain, with great pomp and richly gowned, and was seated on its +topmost peak, with the golden crown on her head, and a golden apple in +her hand. At the foot of the hill gathered all the suitors with +handsome horses and splendid armor, and round about stood all the +people to watch the contest. When all was ready the signal was given +by horns and trumpets, and at the same moment the suitors, one after +another, darted up the mountain with all their might. But all took +place as at the first time. The mountain was high, and as slippery as +ice, and besides, it was steep beyond all measure; not one rode up +more than a little way before tumbling down again head over heels. +Meanwhile there was much noise, and the horses neighed, and the people +shouted, and the armor clashed, so that the tumult and the shouting +sounded far into the deep wood. + +And while all this was going on, the young prince was tending his +oxen, which was his duty. But when he heard the tumult and the +clashing of arms, he sat down on a stone, leaned his cheek on his +hand, and wept; for he thought of the king's beautiful daughter, and +it occurred to him how much he would like to take part and ride with +the rest. That very moment he heard footsteps and when he looked up, +the wild man was standing before him. "Good-day!" said the wild man, +"and why do you sit here so lonely and full of sorrow?" Thereupon the +prince replied: "I have no choice but to be sad and joyless. Because +of you I am a fugitive from the land of my father, and now I have not +even a horse and armor to ride up the mountain and fight for the +princess!" "Ah," said the wild man, "if that be all you want, then I +can help you! You helped me once before, and now I will help you in +turn." Then he took the prince by the hand, led him deep down in the +earth into his cave, and there on the wall hung a suit of armor +altogether forged of the clearest silver, and so bright that it shone +afar. Right beside it stood a snow-white steed, saddled and bridled, +pawing the earth with his silver hoofs, and champing his bit till the +foam dropped to the ground. The wild man said: "Now get quickly into +your armor, ride out and try your luck! In the meantime I will tend +your oxen." The prince did not wait to be told a second time; but put +on his helmet and armor in all haste, securely buckled on his spurs, +hung his sword at his side, and felt as light in his silver armor as a +bird in the air. Then he leaped into the saddle so that every clasp +and buckle rang, laid his reins on the neck of his steed, and rode +hastily toward the Glass Mountain. + +The princess's suitors were about to give over the contest, for none +of them had won the prize, though each had played a man's part. And +while they stood there thinking it over, and saying that perhaps +fortune would favor them the next time, they suddenly saw a youth ride +out of the wood, straight toward the mountain. He was clad in silver +from head to foot, with helmet on head, shield on arm, and sword at +side, and he sat his horse with such knightly grace that a +braver-looking youth had probably never been seen. At once all eyes +were turned toward him, and the people noticed that he was the same +knight who had appeared before. But the prince did not leave them much +time for wonderment; for no sooner had he reached the plain, than he +rose in his stirrups, spurred on his horse, and rode like fire +straight up the steep mountain. Yet he did not ride quite up to the +top; but when he had come to its crest, he greeted the princess with +great courtesy, flung about his steed, and rode down the mountain +again till the sparks flew about his horse's hoofs. Then he +disappeared into the wood as the storm flies. As one may imagine, the +people's excitement was even greater than the first time, and there +was not one who did not admire the strange knight. And all were agreed +that a more splendid steed or a handsomer youth were nowhere to be +found. + +Time passed, and the king set a day when his daughter's suitors were +to make a third trial. The princess was now once more led to the Glass +Mountain, and seated herself on its highest peak, with the golden +crown and the golden apple, as she had before. At the foot of the +mountain gathered the whole swarm of suitors, with splendid horses and +polished armor, handsome beyond anything seen thus far, and round +about the people flocked together to watch the contest. When all was +ready the suitors, one after another, darted up the mountain with all +their might. The mountain was as smooth as ice, and besides, it was +steep beyond all measure; so that not one rode up more than a little +way, before tumbling down again, head over heels. This made a great +noise, the horses neighed, the people shouted, and the armor clashed, +till the tumult and the shouting echoed far into the wood. + +While this was all taking place the king's son was busy tending his +oxen as usual. And when he once more heard the noise and the clash of +arms, he sat down on a stone, leaned his cheek on his hand, and wept +bitterly. Then he thought of the lovely princess, and would gladly +have ventured his life to win her. That very moment the wild man was +standing before him: "Good-day!" said the wild man, "And why do you +sit here so lonely and full of sorrow?" "I have no choice but to be +sad and joyless," said the prince. "Because of you I am a fugitive +from the land of my father, and now I have not even a sword and armor +to ride up the mountain and fight for the princess!" "Ah," said the +wild man, "if that be all that troubles you I can help you! You helped +me once before, and now I will help you in turn." With that he took +the prince by the hand, led him into his cave deep down under the +earth, and showed him a suit of armor all forged of the purest gold, +and gleaming so brightly that its golden glow shone far and wide. +Beside it stood a magnificent steed, saddled and bridled, pawing the +earth with its golden hoofs, and champing its bit until the foam fell +to the ground. The wild man said: "Now get quickly into your armor, +ride out and try your luck! In the meantime I will tend your oxen." +And to tell the truth, the prince was not lazy; but put on his helmet +and armor, buckled on his golden spurs, hung his sword at his side, +and felt as light in his golden armor as a bird in the air. Then he +leaped into the saddle, so that every clasp and buckle rang, laid his +reins on the neck of his steed, and rode hastily toward the mountain. + +The princess's suitors were about to give up the contest; for none of +them had won the prize, though each had done his best. And while they +stood there thinking over what was to be done, they suddenly saw a +youth come riding out of the wood, straight toward the mountain. He +was clad in gold from head to foot, with the golden helmet on his +head, the golden shield on his arm, and the golden sword at his side, +and so knightly was his bearing that a bolder warrior could not have +been met with in all the wide world. At once all eyes were turned +toward him, and one could see that he was the same youth who had +already appeared at different times. But the prince gave them but +little time to question and wonder; for no sooner had he reached the +plain than he gave his horse the spurs, and shot up the steep +mountain like a flash of lightning. When he had reached its highest +peak, he greeted the beautiful princess with great courtesy, kneeled +before her, and received the golden apple from her hand. Then he flung +about his steed, and rode down the Glass Mountain again, so that the +sparks flew about the golden hoofs of his horse, and a long ribbon of +golden light gleamed behind him. At last he disappeared in the wood +like a star. What a commotion now reigned about the mountain! The +people broke forth into cheers that could be heard far away, horns +sounded, trumpets called, horses neighed, arms clashed, and the king +had proclaimed far and near that the unknown golden knight had won the +prize. + +Now all that was wanting was some information about the golden knight; +for no one knew him; and all the people expected that he would at once +make his appearance at the castle. But he did not come. This caused +great surprise, and the princess grew pale and ill. But the king was +put out, and the suitors murmured and found fault day by day. And at +length, when they were all at their wits' end, the king had a great +meeting announced at his castle, which every man, high and low, was to +attend; so that the princess might choose among them herself. There +was no one who was not glad to go for the princess's sake, and also +because it was a royal command, and a countless number of people +gathered together. And when they had all assembled, the princess came +out of the castle with great pomp, and followed by her maids, passed +through the entire multitude. But no matter how much she looked about +her on every side, she did not find the one for whom she was looking. +When she reached the last row she saw a man who stood quite hidden by +the crowd. He had a flat cap and a wide gray mantle such as shepherds +wear; but its hood was drawn up so that his face could not be seen. At +once the princess ran up to him, drew down his hood, fell upon his +neck and cried: "Here he is! Here he is!" Then all the people laughed; +for they saw that it was the king's herdsman, and the king himself +called out: "May God console me for the son-in-law who is to be my +portion!" The man, however, was not at all abashed, but replied: "O, +you need not worry about that at all! I am just as much a king's son +as you are a king!" + +With that he flung aside his wide mantle. And there were none left to +laugh; for instead of the grey herdsman, there stood a handsome +prince, clad in gold from head to foot, and holding the princess's +golden apple in his hand. And all could see that it was the same +youth who had ridden up the Glass Mountain. + +Then they prepared a feast whose like had never before been seen, and +the prince received the king's daughter, and with her half of the +kingdom. Thenceforward they lived happily in their kingdom, and if +they have not died they are living there still. But nothing more was +ever heard of the wild man. And that is the end. + + +NOTE + + Very popular throughout the North is "The Princess on the Glass + Mountain." (Hylten-Cavallius and Stephens, p. 390, somewhat + abridged) who may be looked upon as a relative of the Brunhilde + of heroic legend, who may be brought down from her inaccessible + height only by the bravest of the brave. The "wild man" who + appears in the part of a magician to aid the hero, is a + familiar figure in Northern legend. King Harald Harfagr, + according to the "Book of Flateyar," released a "wild man" of + this kind from captivity at his father's court, when a boy of + five. + + + + +XVII + +QUEEN CRANE + + +Once upon a time there was a poor, poor boy. He went to the king and +begged to be taken into service as a shepherd, and all called him +"Sheep-Peter." While he was herding his sheep, he used to amuse +himself with his crossbow. One day he saw a crane sitting in an +oak-tree, and wanted to shoot her. The crane, however, hopped down +further and further, and at last settled in the lowest branches. Then +she said: "If you promise not to shoot me, I will help you whenever +you are in trouble. You need only to call out: 'God aid me, and Queen +Crane stay by me, and I will succeed!'" With that the bird flew away. + +At length war broke out and the king had to take the field. Then +Sheep-Peter came to the king and asked whether he might not be allowed +to go along to war. They gave him an old nag to ride, and he rode into +a swamp along the highway, and there the horse died. So he sat down +and clicked with his tongue; but the horse would not move. And the +people who rode by had their sport with him; while the youth pretended +to feel sad. + +When the people had all passed by, the youth went to the oak in which +the Queen Crane dwelt. Here he was given a black steed, a suit of +brazen armor, and a silver sword. Thus he rode to battle and got there +as quickly as he could wish. Then he said: "God aid me, and Queen +Crane stay by me, and I will succeed!" With that he killed all the +enemy and rode away again. But the king thought that an angel had come +to help him, and wanted to hold him back. The youth, however, rode +quickly back to the oak, took off his armor, went down to the swamp, +and once more began to click to his horse. When the people rode by +they laughed and said: "You were not along to-day, so you missed +seeing how an angel came and killed all the enemy." And the youth +pretended to feel sad, so sad. + +The following day the king once more had to take the field. And +Sheep-Peter came to him and said he wanted to go along. So they gave +him an old nag to ride, and he rode into a swamp beside the highway. +Then he sat down and clicked with his tongue; but the horse would not +move. When the people rode by they had their sport with him; but the +youth pretended to feel sad, so sad. When the people had gone by, he +went to the oak in which the Queen Crane dwelt, and was given a white +steed, a suit of silver armor, and a golden sword. Thus equipped he +rode to battle. When he arrived he said: "God aid me, and Queen Crane +... and I will succeed!" But he had forgotten to say "stay by me," and +so he was shot in the leg. But the king took out his handkerchief, and +tied up his leg. Then the youth said once more: "God aid me, and Queen +Crane stay by me, and I will succeed!" And he slew all of the enemy. +Then the king thought he was an angel from heaven, and wanted to hold +him. But the youth rode quickly to the oak, took off his armor, and +then went down to his nag in the swamp and tried to get it to move, +while the soldiers were passing. They laughed and said: "You were not +along to-day, and did not see how an angel came from heaven and killed +all of the enemy." The youth pretended to be very sad. + +On the third day all happened as before. The king took the field. The +youth was given a wretched nag and rode it into a swamp beside the +highway. Then he began to click with his tongue but the nag would not +go on, and the people who rode past laughed at him. He pretended to +feel very sad; but when the people had passed, he went to the oak in +which Queen Crane dwelt, and she gave him a red steed, a golden sword, +and a golden suit of armor. Thus equipped he rode to war, and all +happened as before. He said: "God aid me, and Queen Crane stay by me, +and I will succeed!" and slew all the enemy. The king thought he was +an angel from heaven and wanted to hold him back by all means; but the +youth rode quickly to the oak, took off his armor, and rode down to +the swamp where he had his three nags. He hid the king's handkerchief, +and when the people passed by he was clicking with his tongue as +usual. + +Now the king had three princesses, and they were to be carried off by +three meer-women. So the king had it proclaimed that whoever could +rescue them should receive one of them for a wife. When the day came +on which the oldest princess was to be carried away, Sheep-Peter +received a steed, a suit of armor and a sword from Queen Crane. With +them he rode to the castle, fetched the princess, took her before him +on his steed, and then lay down on the sea-shore to sleep. He had a +dog with him as well. And while he slept the princess wove her +hair-ribbon into his hair. Suddenly the meer-woman appeared, and she +awakened him and bade him mount his steed. Many people had been +standing there; but when the meer-woman appeared they all took fright, +and climbed into tall trees. But the youth said: "God aid me, and +Queen Crane stay by me, and I will succeed!" And then he slew the +meer-woman. Thereupon he rode quickly back to Queen Crane, took off +his armor, and herded his sheep again. But among the on-lookers had +been a nobleman, who threatened the princess, and forced her to say +that he had rescued her. And from Sheep-Peter no one heard a word. + +On the following day the second princess was to be carried off. So +Sheep-Peter went to Queen Crane, who gave him a steed, a suit of armor +and a sword, and with them he rode to the castle, and fetched the +second princess. When they reached the sea-shore the meer-woman had +not yet appeared. So the youth lay down to sleep and said to the +princess: "Wake me when the meer-woman comes, and if you cannot wake +me, then tell my horse." With that he fell asleep, and meanwhile the +princess wove a string of pearls into his hair. When the meer-woman +came, the princess tried to wake him; but he would not wake up at all, +and so she told the horse to waken him. And the horse did wake him. +The great lords, however, who were standing about, climbed into the +trees out of pure fright when the meer-woman appeared. The youth took +the princess on his steed, cried: "God aid me, and Queen Crane stay by +me, and I will succeed!" and with that he slew the meer-woman. Then he +rode quickly back to Queen Crane, took off his armor, and led his +flock out to pasture. But among the on-lookers had been a count, who +threatened the princess, and said he would thrust her through with his +sword if she did not swear he had rescued her. The princess did so out +of fear; but from Sheep-Peter no one heard a word. + +On the third day the same thing happened. Sheep-Peter was given a suit +of armor, a sword and a steed by Queen Crane, and fetched the youngest +princess. When he lay down on the sea-shore to sleep, he said to her: +"When the meer-woman comes, wake me, and if you cannot wake me, then +tell the horse to wake me, and if the horse cannot wake me, then ask +the dog to wake me." When the meer-woman came, neither the princess +nor the horse was able to wake him, and they had to call the dog to +help them. At last he woke up, took the princess on his horse, cried: +"God aid me, and Queen Crane stay by me, and I will succeed!" and slew +the meer-woman. Then he rode back again to Queen Crane, took off his +armor and let his flock out to pasture. + +Not long after, the deliverers of the princesses were to come to the +castle and be married. But first the king asked his daughters which of +the three each wanted to have. So the oldest said: "The gentleman from +court," and the second said: "the count," but the third said +"Sheep-Peter." Then the king was very angry with his youngest +daughter; for he did not believe for a moment that Sheep-Peter had +delivered her. But she insisted and said she would take no one else. +The king then presented an apple of pure gold to the count and the +court gentleman; but Sheep-Peter got nothing. + +Now all three of them were to hold a three-days' shooting-match, in +order to see which was the best shot; for the king hoped that +Sheep-Peter would make a proper laughing-stock of himself, and drop +far behind the others without any effort on their part. But +Sheep-Peter was so good a marksman that he hit everything at which he +aimed. And the very first day he shot a great deal, while the others +shot but little. Then they bought the game he had shot from him, and +gave him a golden apple for it. The same thing happened the second +day, and thus he got the other gold apple. But when Peter came home on +the evening of the first and second day, he had only a crow dangling +from his blunderbuss. And when he met the king, he threw the crow to +the ground and cried: "There is my whole bag!" + +On the third day all went as before. Sheep-Peter hit everything at +which he aimed; but the others scored no hits. Then Sheep-Peter +promised them all he had bagged, if they would let him write what he +chose on their necks. They agreed to the bargain, and he wrote on the +neck of each: "A thief and a rascal." Then all three went home, and +again Peter had no more than a crow to show. + +At night all three of them slept together in one room. When they woke +in the morning, the king came in to them, said good-morning, and asked +how they were. But he was much surprised to see that Sheep-Peter was +keeping them company. Then the youth said: "I was in the war, and slew +all of the enemy!" "Ah!" said the king, "you did not do that, it was +an angel from heaven; for you were sitting in the swamp." Then +Sheep-Peter drew out the king's handkerchief, and then the king +recognized him. Then the herdsman said: "I also delivered the +princesses!" But the king would not believe that, and laughed at him. +And then the youngest princess came along and told how it all had +happened. + +And the youth took out the ribands of the other princesses, and the +king had to believe that this, too, was true. Then, Peter continued: +"I also shot all the game!" And again the king would not believe him +and said: "Nonsense, why you never brought home anything of an evening +but a wretched crow!" Then Peter produced the golden apples: "I was +given this one for the first day, and the other for the second." "And +what did you get for the third?" asked the king. Then the shepherd +showed him what he had written on the necks of the other suitors. And +when the king saw that, he had to believe him. And so he really got +the youngest princess, and with her half of the kingdom, and after +the king's death, all of it. But the two sham heroes got nothing at +all, and had only their trouble for their pains. + + +NOTE + + "Queen Crane" is also a very popular Northern fairy-tale. (From + the collection of Hylten-Cavallius and Stephens, communicated + by Dr. v. Sydow-Lund). It is another of those tales with a + presumably witless hero, but with a motive generally unknown: a + bird bestows weapons and armor on the poor boy; while + ordinarily this is done by a troll, a horse, or the spirit of + one departed. + + + + +XVIII + +TALES OF THE TROLLS + + +I + +A peasant from Jursagard in the parish of Hanger had gone to the +forest the day before Christmas, and started out for home late in the +evening. He had just about reached the Klintaberg when he heard some +one call out: "Tell the malt-swine to come home, for her child has +fallen into the fire!" When the peasant reached home, there stood his +wife, who had been brewing the Yuletide ale, and she was complaining +that though she brewed and brewed, it did not have the right flavor. +Then he told her what had been shouted at him from the hill, and that +very moment a troll-witch, whom they had not noticed before, darted +down from the stove and made off in a great hurry. And when they +looked closer, they found that she had left behind a great kettle full +of the best malt, which she had gathered during the brewing. And that +was the reason the poor woman had not been able to give her brew the +right flavor. The kettle was large, made of ornamented metal, and was +long preserved in Hanger. It was at length sold at auction in 1838, +and melted down. + + +II + +In former days, when a child came into the world, his mother was known +as a "heathen," until she could take him to church to be christened. +And it was not safe for her to leave the house unless she carried +steel about her in some shape or form. Now once there was one of these +"heathen" women in Norra Ryd, in the parish of Hanger, who prepared +lunch for the mowers, and went out and called them in to eat. Then one +of the mowers said to her: "I cannot come, for my sheaf is not yet +bound." "I will bind it for you," said the woman. The mowers went in +and ate, but saw no more of her. They went back into the field, and +were about to take up their work again, but still neither saw nor +heard her. They began to search, and hunted for a number of days; but +all in vain. Time passed, till it was late in the fall. One day the +weather was clear and sunny. To this very day there is a cotter's hut, +called Kusabo, that stands on a hill named Kusas, and the cotter who +lived there went to look for a horse. And there on the hillside he saw +the woman sitting who had disappeared, and she was sewing. It was not +far from Kusabo to Norra Ryd, so he recognized her at once. He said +"O, you poor thing, and here you sit!" "Yes," said she, "but you must +never mention it to Lars"--that was her husband--"for I shall never +return from this place. Even now I am only allowed to sit outside for +a little while." + + +III + +Once upon a time a girl was hunting for berries on Kusabo mountain, +and was taken into the hill. But she wept, night and day, which +disgruntled the trolls, and they let her out again. But just as they +were letting her out, one of the trolls hit her such a blow on the +back that she was hump-backed for the rest of her life. She herself +used to tell how she had been kept in the hill. + + +NOTE + + Primitive faith and superstition are reflected in these three + "Tales of the Trolls" (communicated from mss. belonging to Dr. + v. Sydow-Lund). The first is also current in Norway; the others + tell of women who have been _bergtagen_, "taken into the + mountain." It is not so long since that every humped back, + every weak mind, in short, every ill that had no visible + explanation, was ascribed to the troll folk. + + + + +XIX + +CHARCOAL NILS AND THE TROLL-WOMAN + + +In the old days there lived on a headland that juts out into the +northwestern corner of Lake Rasval, in the neighborhood of the Linde +mining-district, a charcoal-burner named Nils, generally known as +Charcoal Nils. He let a farm-hand attend to his little plot of land, +and he himself made his home in the forest, where he chopped wood in +the summer and burned it to charcoal in the winter. Yet no matter how +hard he struggled, his work was unblessed with reward, and no one ever +spoke of him save as poor Charcoal Nils. + +One day, when he was on the opposite shore of the lake, near the +gloomy Harsberg, a strange woman came up to him, and asked whether he +needed some one to help him with his charcoal burning. + +"Yes, indeed," said he, "help would be welcome." So she began to +gather blocks of wood and tree-trunks, more than Charcoal Nils could +have dragged together with his horse, and by noon there was enough +wood for a new kiln. When evening came, she asked the charcoal-burner +whether he were satisfied with the day's work she had done, and if +she were to come back the next day. + +That suited the charcoal-burner perfectly, and she came back the next +day and all the following ones. And when the kiln had been burned out +she helped Nils clear it, and never before had he had such a quantity +of charcoal, nor charcoal of so fine a quality. + +So she became his wife and lived with him in the wood for three years. +They had three children, yet this worried Nils but little, seeing that +she looked after them, and they gave him no trouble. + +But when the fourth year came, she grew more exacting, and insisted on +going back to his home with him, and living with him there. Nils +wished to hear nothing about this; yet since she was so useful to him +in his charcoal-burning, he did not betray his feelings, and said he +would think it over. + +It happened one Sunday that he went to church--where he had not been +for many years, and what he heard there brought up thoughts he had not +known since the innocent days of his childhood. He began to wonder +whether there were not some hocus-pocus about the charcoal-burning, +and whether it were not due to the forest woman, who aided him so +willingly. + +Preoccupied with this and other thoughts, he forgot while returning to +his kiln, that he had promised the strange woman at the very +beginning, when she had first helped him, that, whenever he had been +home and was returning to the kiln, he would rap three times with his +ax against an old pine-tree not far from it. On this occasion, as we +have said, he forgot the sign, and as a result he saw something that +nearly robbed him of his wits. + +As he drew near the kiln, he saw it all aflame, and around it stood +the three children and their mother, and they were clearing out the +kiln. They were pulling down and putting out so that flames, smoke and +ashes whirled sky-high, but instead of the spruce-branches that were +generally used to put out the fire, _they had bushy tails which they +dipped in the snow_! + +When Charcoal Nils had looked on for a while, he slunk back to the old +pine-tree, and made its trunk echo to the sound of his three +ax-strokes till one could hear them on the Harsberg. Then he went to +the kiln, as though he had seen nothing, and all went on as before. +The kiln was glowing with a handsome, even glow, and the tall woman +was about and working as usual. + +As soon as she saw Charcoal Nils, she came back with her pressing +demand that he take her home to his little house, and that they live +there. + +"Yes, that shall come about," said Nils to console her, and turned +back home to fetch a horse. But instead he went out on the headline +of Kallernaes, on the eastern shore of Lake Rasval, where a wise man +lived, and asked the latter what he should do. + +The old man advised him to go home and hitch his horse to his +charcoal-wagon, but to hitch the horse in such wise that there would +be not a single loop either in the harness or traces. Then he was to +mount the horse and ride back to the kiln without stopping, have the +troll-woman and her children get into the wagon, and at once drive out +on the ice with them. + +The charcoal-burner did as the old man told him, saddled his horse, +paying strict attention that there were no loops in saddle or bridle, +rode across the ice through the wood to his kiln, and told the +troll-woman and her children to get in. Then he quickly turned back +through the wood, out on the ice, and there let his horse run as fast +as he could. When he reached the middle of the lake, he saw a pack of +wolves running along in the direction of Aboda-land, at the northern +end of the lake, and heading for the ice. Then he tore the +saddle-harness from the traces, so that the wagon with the troll-folk +was left standing on the bare ice, and rode as fast as his horse could +carry him for the opposite shore. When the trolls saw the wolves they +began to scream. + +"Turn back, turn back!" cried the mother. "And if you will not for my +sake, then at least do so for the sake of Vipa (Peewee), your youngest +daughter!" But Charcoal Nils rode for the shore without looking back. +Then he heard the troll-woman calling on others for aid. + + "Brother in the Harsberg, + Sister in Stripa, + Cousin in Ringfels; + Take the loop and pull!" + +"There is no loop to pull!" came the answer from deep within the +Harsberg. "Then catch him at Harkallarn." "He is not riding in that +direction." The reply came from Ringfels. + +And indeed Charcoal Nils did not ride in that direction; but over +stick and stone straight to his own home. Yet when he reached his own +courtyard, the horse fell, and a shot from the trolls tore away a +corner of the stable. Nils shortly after fell sick, and had to lie +a-bed for a number of weeks. When he was well again he sold his forest +land, and worked the little farm by the cottage until his death. So +that was one occasion when the troll-folk came off second best. + + +NOTE + + In "Charcoal Nils and the Troll-Woman" (Hofberg, p. 148. From + Vestmanland) we have the story of a strange union. Malicious as + the troll-folk are, when a marriage takes place between a + troll-woman and a human being, the woman is beyond reproach, + good and kind, the only reproach that can be made her is that + she is not a Christian. + + + + +XX + +THE THREE DOGS + + +Once upon a time there was a king who went forth into the world and +fetched back a beautiful queen. And after they had been married a +while God gave them a little daughter. Then there was great rejoicing +in the city and throughout the country, for the people wished their +king all that was good, since he was kind and just. While the child +lay in its cradle, a strange-looking old woman entered the room, and +no one knew who she was nor whence she came. The old woman spoke a +verse over the child, and said that she must not be allowed out under +the open sky until she were full fifteen years of age, since otherwise +the mountain troll would fetch her. When the king heard this he took +her words to heart, and posted guards to watch over the little +princess so that she would not get out under the open sky. + +Some time afterward God gave the royal pair another little daughter, +and again the whole kingdom rejoiced. But the wise old woman once more +put in an appearance, and warned the king not to let the princess out +under the open sky until she were full fifteen years of age. And +then, after a time, God gave the royal pair a third daughter. This +time, too, the old woman appeared, and repeated what she had already +twice said. Then the king was much grieved; for he loved his children +above everything in the world. Therefore he gave strict orders that +the three princesses were always to be kept beneath the roof of the +castle, and that none were to dare transgress against this command. + +Now a long time passed, and the king's daughters grew up and became +the most beautiful maidens of whom one has ever heard tell. Then war +broke out and the king, their father, had to leave them. One day, +while he was away at war, the three princesses were sitting in the +window and looking out, watching the sun shine on the little flowers +in the garden. And they felt a great desire to play with the lovely +flowers, and begged their guards to let them go into the garden for a +little while. But this their guards would not allow, for they feared +the king's anger. Yet the king's daughters pleaded so very sweetly +that they could not deny their pleas and they let them have their way. +But the princesses did not have long to walk about, for no sooner were +they beneath the open sky, than a cloud came suddenly down, and bore +them off, and all attempts to regain possession of them were +fruitless; though search was made in every direction. + +Then the whole kingdom mourned and grieved, and one may imagine that +the king was anything but happy when he returned home and learned all +that had happened. Yet what is done cannot be undone, and in the end +they had to resign themselves to it. And since the king knew of no +other way to help himself, he had proclaimed throughout the kingdom +that whoever would deliver his three daughters out of the power of the +mountain troll should have one of them for his bride, and with her +half of the kingdom. When this became known in foreign lands, many +youths set forth with horses and followers to seek the princesses. At +the king's court were two princes who also went forth to see whether +fortune would be kind to them. They armed themselves in the best +possible way with coats of mail and costly weapons, and bragged and +boasted that they would not return without having done what they set +out to do. + +And now we will let the king's sons ride out over the world on their +quest, while we turn to other people. Far, far out in the wild wood +there lived a poor widow, who had an only son who drove his mother's +pigs to pasture every day. And as he crossed the fields, he whittled +himself a flute, and amused himself playing it. And he played so +sweetly that he warmed the cockles of the hearts of all those who +heard him. + +Now it chanced that the young swine-herd once sat in the wood blowing +his flute, while his three pigs were digging under the pine-roots. And +an old, old man came along, with a beard so long and so broad that it +hung far below his girdle. The old man had a large, powerful dog with +him. When the youth saw the great dog, he thought to himself: "If a +fellow had a dog like that to keep him company here in the wilderness, +he might consider himself lucky." And when the old man noticed this, +he began: "That is why I have come, for I want to exchange my dog for +one of your pigs." The youth was at once willing, and closed the +bargain. He received the great dog, and gave up the gray pig in place +of it. Then the old man went his way. But as he left he said: "You +have reason to be satisfied with our exchange, for that dog is not +like other dogs. His name is 'Take Hold!' and whatever you tell him to +take hold of he will seize, even though it were the grimmest of +trolls." Thereupon they parted, and the youth thought that fortune had +indeed favored him. + +In the evening he called his dog and drove his pigs home. But when his +old mother heard that he had given away the gray pig for a dog, she +was angry beyond measure, and gave her son a good drubbing. The youth +told her to calm herself; but all in vain, the longer it lasted the +more furious she became. Then, since he did not know what else to do, +he called out to his dog: "Take hold!" At once the dog ran up, seized +the old mother and held her so tightly that she could not move. But +otherwise he did her no harm. And now she had to promise her son to +make the best of the matter, and then they were friends once more. + +The following day the youth went to the wood again, with his dog and +the two pigs. After a time he sat down and played his flute as usual, +and the dog danced to his playing with such skill, that it was nothing +short of a miracle. And as he was sitting there, the old man with the +gray beard came out of the wood again, and with him another dog, no +smaller than the first. When the youth saw the handsome beast he +thought to himself: "If a fellow had that dog to keep him company here +where it is so lonely, he need have no fear." When the old man noticed +this, he began: "That is why I have come, for I want to exchange my +dog for one of your pigs." The youth did not lose any time, but agreed +to close the bargain. He received the great dog, and gave up one of +his pigs in place of it. Then the old man went his way. Yet before he +left he added: "You have reason to be well satisfied with your +purchase, for this dog is not like the other dogs. His name is 'Tear!' +and if you give him something to tear, he will tear it to pieces, +even though it were the grimmest of trolls." Then they parted. But +the youth was happy in the idea that he had made a capital exchange; +although he knew that his old mother would not be content with it. And +when evening came, and the youth went home, his old mother was no less +angry than she had been before. But this time she did not venture to +beat her son, because she was afraid of the great dogs. Yet, as is +usual, when women have scolded long enough, they stop of their own +accord--and that is what happened in this case. The youth and his +mother made peace with each other; though the mother thought to +herself that the damage done could not well be repaired. + +On the third day the youth went into the wood again with his pig and +two dogs. He felt very happy, seated himself on a tree-stump and +played his flute as usual. And the dogs danced to his playing with +such skill that it was a pleasure to watch them. As the youth was +sitting there in peace and quiet, the old gray-beard once more came +out of the wood. This time he had a third dog with him, who was as +large as both the others together. When the youth saw the handsome +animal he could not help but think: "If a fellow had this dog to keep +him company in the wilderness, he would have no cause for complaint." +The old man at once began: "That is why I have come, in order to sell +my dog, for I can see you would like to have him." The youth was at +once willing and agreed to close the bargain. So he received the great +dog and gave up his last pig in place of it. Then the old man went his +way. Yet before he went he said: "You will be satisfied with your +exchange, for this dog is not like other dogs. His name is 'Hark!' and +his hearing is so keen that he hears everything that happens, though +it be happening many miles away. He even hears the grass and the trees +grow." Then they parted in the friendliest spirit. But the youth was +happy in the thought that now he need fear nothing in the world. And +then, when evening came on, and the swine-herd went home, his mother +was very sad to think that her son had sold all they possessed. But +the youth told her to be of good courage, since he would see to it +that they did not suffer want. And when he spoke to her in such a +cheerful manner, she grew content again, and decided that he had +spoken in wise and manly fashion. Then when day dawned the youth went +hunting with his dogs, and came back at evening with as much game as +he could possibly carry. And he continued to go hunting in this way +for a time until his old mother's store-room was well provided with +meat and all sorts of good things. Then he bade his mother a fond +farewell, called his dogs, and said he was going to wander out into +the world and try his fortune. + +And he fared forth over mountains and tangled ways, and came into the +heart of a sombre forest. There he met the gray-beard of whom I have +already told you. And when he met him the youth was much pleased, and +said: "Good-day, grandfather, and thanks for the last time!" And the +old man replied: "Good-day to you, and whither away?" The youth +answered: "I am wandering out into the world to see what fortune has +in store for me." Then the old man said: "Keep right on going till you +come to the royal castle, and there your fortune will take a turn." +And with that they parted. The youth followed the old man's advice and +for a time wandered on straight ahead. When he came to a tavern he +played his flute and let his dogs dance, and was never at a lack for +bed and board, and whatever else he might want. + +After he had wandered long and far, he at length came to a great city, +whose streets were filled with people. The youth wondered what it all +meant, and at last reached the spot where, to the sound of bell, the +king's proclamation was being cried--that whoever should deliver the +three princesses out of the power of the troll, would receive one of +them, and half the kingdom as well. Now he understood what the old man +had meant. He called his dogs, and went to the king's castle. But +there all had been grief and mourning since the day the king's +daughters had disappeared. And of them all the king and queen were the +most sorrowful. Then the youth went to the keeper of the door, and +asked him whether he might play and show his dogs before the king. The +courtiers were willing, for they hoped it might make him feel more +cheerful. So he was admitted and allowed to show his tricks. And when +the king had heard him play, and had seen the skillful dancing of his +dogs, he grew quite merry, and none had seen him as happy during all +the seven long years that had passed since he had lost his daughters. + +When the dance was over, the king asked the youth what he asked as a +reward for having given him such a pleasure. The youth answered: "My +lord king, I did not come to you to win gold and gear. But I have +another request to make: that you allow me to set out and search for +your three daughters, carried away by a mountain troll." When the king +heard this his thoughts once more grew gloomy, and he replied: "You +need not even think of delivering my daughters. It is no child's play, +and your betters have already attempted it in vain. Yet should it +really come to pass that you deliver one of the princesses, you may be +sure that I will not break my word." So he took leave of the king and +set forth. And he decided to take no rest until he had found what he +sought. + +Now he passed through many broad kingdoms without meeting with any +special adventures. And wherever he went his dogs followed him. +"Hark!" ran along and listened for anything worth hearing to be heard +around them; "Take Hold!" carried his master's knapsack and "Tear!" +who was the strongest, carried his master when the latter was weary. +One day "Hark!" came running up hastily, and told his master that he +had gone to a high mountain, and had heard the king's daughter, who +sat within it and span, and that the troll was not at home. This +greatly pleased the youth, and he hurried toward the mountain together +with his three dogs. When they got there "Hark!" said: "There is no +time to lose. The troll is only ten miles away, and I can already hear +the golden horse-shoes of his steed ringing on the stones." The youth +now ordered his dogs to break down the door into the mountain, and +they did. And as he stepped into the mountain he saw a lovely maiden, +sitting in the mountain-hall, winding a golden thread on a golden +spindle. The youth went up and greeted the lovely girl. Then the +king's daughter was much surprised and said: "Who are you that dare to +venture into the giant's hall? During all the seven long years I have +been sitting here in the mountain I have never yet seen a human +being." And she added: "For heaven's sake hasten away before the +troll returns home, or else your life will be forfeit!" But the youth +was unafraid, and said that he would await the giant's return without +fear. + +While they were talking together, the giant came riding along on his +colt shod with gold. When he saw the gate standing open he grew +furiously angry and shouted till the whole mountain shook: "Who has +broken my mountain door?" The youth boldly answered: "I did, and now I +shall break you as well! 'Take Hold!' seize him! 'Tear!' and 'Hark!' +tear him into a thousand pieces." No sooner had he spoken than the +dogs rushed up, fell upon the giant and tore him into countless +pieces. Then the princess was happy beyond measure and said: "God be +praised, now I am freed!" And she fell upon the youth's neck and gave +him a kiss. But he did not wish to stay there any longer, saddled the +giant's colt, loaded it with all the gold and gear he found in the +mountain, and hastily went away with the king's beautiful daughter. + +They passed on together a long distance. Then, one day, "Hark!" who +always ran ahead scouting, came quickly back to his master, and told +him he had been near a high mountain, and had heard the king's second +daughter sitting within it winding golden yarn, and that the troll +himself was not at home. This was very welcome news for the youth, and +he hurried toward the mountain with his faithful dogs. Now when they +drew near "Hark!" said: "There is no time to lose. The giant is only +eight miles away, and I can already hear the golden horse-shoes of his +steed ringing on the stones." The youth at once ordered his dogs to +break down the door into the mountain, no matter which way. And when +he stepped into the interior of the mountain he saw a lovely maiden +sitting in the mountain hall, winding golden yarn on a golden windle. +The youth went up and greeted the lovely girl. The king's daughter was +much surprised and said: "Who are you that dare to venture into the +giant's hall? During all the seven years I have been sitting here in +the mountain I have never yet seen a human being." And she added: "For +heaven's sake, hasten away, for if the troll comes your life will be +forfeit!" But the youth told her why he had come, and said that he +would await the troll's return quite undisturbed. + +While they were still talking together, the giant came riding on his +steed shod with gold, and drew up outside the mountain. When he +noticed that the great door was open, he grew furiously angry, and +shouted till the mountain trembled to its very roots. He said: "Who +has broken my mountain door?" The youth boldly answered: "I have, and +now I shall break you as well! 'Take Hold,' seize him! 'Tear!' and +'Hark!' tear him into a thousand pieces!" The dogs at once rushed +up, threw themselves upon the giant, and tore him into as many pieces +as leaves fall in the autumn. Then the king's daughter was happy +beyond measure and cried: "God be praised, now I am freed!" and she +fell upon the youth's neck and gave him a kiss. But he led the +princess to her sister, and one can imagine-how glad they were to see +each other again. Then the youth packed up all the treasures he found +in the mountain hall, loaded them on the giant's steed, and went his +way with the king's two daughters. And they wandered along for a long +time. Then, one day, "Hark!" who always ran ahead scouting, came +hastily to his master and told him that he had been near a high +mountain, and had heard the king's third daughter sitting within and +weaving a web of gold, and that the troll was not at home. This +was very welcome news for the youth, and he hastened toward the +mountain, followed by his three dogs. When he drew near "Hark!" said: +"There is no time to lose, for the giant is only five miles away. I +can already hear the golden horse-shoes of his steed ringing on the +stones." Then the youth at once ordered his dogs to break down the +door into the mountain, by hook or by crook. And when he stepped into +the mountain, he saw a girl sitting in the mountain hall, weaving a +web of gold. But this maiden was lovely beyond all measure, with a +loveliness exceeding all the youth had ever thought to find on earth. +He now went up and greeted the lovely maiden. Then the king's daughter +was much surprised and said: "Who are you that dare to venture into +the giant's hall? During all the seven long years I have been sitting +here in the mountain I have never yet seen a human being." And she +added: "For heaven's sake, hasten away before the troll comes, or else +your life will be forfeit!" But the youth was full of confidence, and +said he would gladly venture his life for the king's lovely daughter. + +[Illustration: "HE SAW A GIRL SITTING IN THE MOUNTAIN HALL, WEAVING A +WEB OF GOLD."] + +While they were still talking the giant came riding along on his colt +shod with gold, and drew up at the foot of the mountain. When he went +in he saw that uninvited guests had arrived, and was much frightened; +for well he knew of the fate that had befallen his brothers. He +therefore thought it advisable to fall back upon cunning and +treachery, for he had not dared to venture on open battle. For that +reason he made many fine speeches, and was very friendly and smooth +with the youth. Then he told the king's daughter to prepare a meal in +order to show his guest all hospitality. + +And since the troll knew so well how to talk, the youth allowed +himself to be beguiled by his smooth words, and forgot to be on his +guard. He sat down to the table with the giant; but the king's +daughter wept secretly, and the dogs were very restless; though no +one paid them any attention. + +When the giant and his guest had finished their meal, the youth said: +"Now that I have satisfied my hunger, give me something to quench my +thirst!" The giant replied: "On the mountain-top is a spring in which +bubbles the clearest wine; but I have no one to fetch it." The youth +answered: "If that be all that is lacking, one of my dogs can go up." +Then the giant laughed in his false heart, for nothing suited him +better than to have the youth send away his dogs. The youth ordered +"Take Hold!" to go to the spring, and the giant handed him a great +tankard. The dog went; yet it was easy to see that he did not go +willingly; and the time passed and passed and he did not return. + +After a while the giant said: "I wonder why your dog stays away so +long? Perhaps you would let another of your dogs go and help him; for +the way is long and the tankard is heavy." The youth did not suspect +any trickery and agreed. He told "Tear!" to go and see why "Take +Hold!" had not yet come. The dog wagged his tail, and did not want to +leave his master. But the youth did not notice it and drove him off +himself. Then the giant laughed heartily, and the king's daughter +wept, yet the youth paid no attention; but was merry and at his ease, +played with his sword, and dreamed of no danger. + +Thus a long time passed; but nothing was heard of the wine nor of the +dogs. Then the giant said: "I can see that your dogs do not do as you +bid them, otherwise we should not have to sit here and thirst. I think +it would be well if you let 'Hark!' go up and see why they do not come +back." The youth agreed, and told his third dog to hurry to the +spring. But "Hark!" did not want to, and instead crept whining to his +master's feet. Then the youth grew angry and drove him off by force. +And when he reached the top of the mountain he shared the fate of the +others, a high wall rose round about him, and he was made a prisoner +by the giant's magic power. + +Now that all three dogs were gone, the giant rose, and suddenly looked +altogether different. He took down a long sword from the wall, and +said: "Now I will do what my brothers did not do, and you must die at +once, for you are in my power!" Then the youth was frightened, and he +regretted he had allowed his dogs to leave him. He said: "I do not ask +for my life, since in any event the time will come when I must die. +But I would like to repeat the Lord's prayer, and play a psalm on my +flute, for such is the custom in my country." The giant granted his +prayer, but said that he would not wait long. So the youth kneeled and +began to blow his flute till it sounded over hill and dale. And that +very moment the magic wall was broken and the dogs were freed. They +came rushing on like the storm-wind, and fell upon the mountain troll. +The youth at once rose and said: "'Take Hold!', seize him! 'Tear!' and +'Hark!' tear him into a thousand pieces!" Then the dogs flung +themselves on the giant and tore him into countless pieces. Then the +youth took all the treasures that lay in the mountain, hitched the +giant's horses to a gilded wagon, and drove off as fast as he could. + +Now when the king's daughters met again there was great joy, as may +well be imagined, and all thanked the youth for delivering them out of +the power of the mountain trolls. But the youth fell deeply in love +with the youngest princess, and they promised to be true to each +other. So the king's daughters passed on their way with music and +merriment of every kind, and the youth served them with all the honor +and courtesy due maidens of gentle birth. And while they were underway +the princesses toyed with the youth's hair, and each tied her golden +ring in his locks for remembrance. + +One day while they were still underway, they met two wanderers, who +were traveling the same road. The clothes of the two strangers were +torn and their feet were sore, and their whole appearance showed that +they had a long journey behind them. The youth stopped his wagon, and +asked them who they were and whence they came. The strangers answered +that they were two princes, and had gone forth to search for the three +maidens in the mountain. But fortune had not favored them; and now +they had to return home more like journeymen than kings' sons. When +the youth heard this he felt sorry for the two wanderers, and asked +whether they would like to ride with him in his handsome wagon. The +princes thanked him profusely for his offer. They drove on together, +and came to the kingdom over which the father of the princesses +reigned. + +Now when the princes learned that the youth had delivered the king's +three daughters, a great jealousy took possession of them, and they +thought of how badly they had fared in their own venture. And they +took counsel together as to how they might get the better of the +youth, and win power and glory for themselves. But they hid their evil +plot till a favorable opportunity offered for carrying it out. Then +they suddenly threw themselves on their comrade, seized him by the +throat and strangled him. And then they threatened to kill the +princesses if they did not swear to keep silence. And since the king's +daughters were in the power of the princes, they did not dare say no. +But they felt very sorry for the youth who had given up his life for +them, and the youngest princess mourned with all her heart, and all +her happiness was at an end. + +After this great wrong the princes drove to the royal castle, and one +may well imagine how happy the king was to get back his three +daughters. In the meantime the poor youth lay like dead off in a gorge +in the forest. Yet he was not quite dead, and his faithful dogs lay +about him, kept him warm, and licked his wounds. And they did not stop +until their master came back to life again. When he was once more well +and strong he set out, and after many difficulties came to the royal +castle in which the princesses dwelt. + +When he came in the whole court was full of joy and merriment, and +from the king's hall came the sound of dancing and string music. That +surprised him greatly, and he asked what it all meant. The serving-man +answered: "You must come from far away, since you do not know that the +king has regained his daughters who were in the power of the mountain +troll. This is the oldest princess's wedding-day." + +The youth then asked after the youngest princess, and when she was to +marry. But the serving-man said that she did not want a husband, and +wept the live-long day, though no one knew why. Then the youth felt +happy once more; for now he knew that she loved him, and had kept +faith with him. + +The youth now went to the keeper of the door, and bade him tell the +king that a guest had arrived who would add to the merriment of the +wedding festivities by showing his dogs. This was to the king's +liking, and he ordered that the stranger receive the best possible +treatment. And when the youth stepped into the hall, the whole wedding +company were astounded by his skill and his manly bearing, and all +agreed that so handsome a youth was rarely seen. But no sooner had the +king's three daughters recognized him, than they jumped up from the +table, and flung themselves on his neck. And then the princes thought +it best to make themselves scarce. But the king's daughters told how +the youth had freed them, and the rest of their adventures; and to +make quite certain they looked for their rings among his locks. + +Now when the king heard of the trickery and treachery the two strange +princes had used, he grew very angry and had them driven ignominously +forth from the castle. But he received the brave youth with great +honor, as he had deserved, and he was married to the king's youngest +daughter that selfsame day. After the king's death the youth was +chosen king of all the land, and a gallant king he was. And there he +lives with his beautiful queen, and is reigning there happily to this +very day. And that is all I have to do with it. + + +NOTE + + "The Three Dogs" (Hylten-Cavallius and Stephens, p. 195. From + West Gotland). Fairy tales have a high opinion of the power of + music, for the magic of the flute-playing breaks the evil spell + of the troll, just as in the story of "Faithful and + Unfaithful," the sound of the fiddle makes the troll's golden + hall come out of the mountain. + + + + +XXI + +THE POOR DEVIL + + +Once upon a time there was a peasant, who led his cow to pasture in +the spring, and prayed God to have her in His care. + +The evil one was sitting in a bush, heard him, and said to himself: +"When things turn out well, they thank God for it; but if anything +goes wrong, then I am always to blame!" + +A few days later the cow strayed into a swamp. And when the peasant +came and saw her he said: "Look at that! The devil has had his finger +in the pie again!" + +"Just what I might have expected," thought the devil in his bush. Then +the peasant went off to fetch people to help drag the cow out. But in +the meantime the devil slipped from his bush and helped out the cow, +for he thought: + +"Now he will have something to thank me for, too." + +But when the peasant came back and saw the cow on dry land, he said: +"Thank God, she's out again!" + + +NOTE + + The little story of "The Poor Devil." (Bondeson, p. 212. From + Smaland) which shows him attempting to rival God, is at once + humorous and philosophical. + + + + +XXII + +HOW SMALAND AND SCHONEN CAME TO BE + + +The Smalanders declare: + +At the time when our Lord created the earth, he made a level and +fruitful stretch of land, and that was Schonen. But the devil had been +busy in the meantime, and had created Smaland, a barren region +consisting mainly of hills and swamps. When our Lord saw it, it looked +very hopeless to him, and he strewed the bits of earth that remained +in his apron out over it, and created the Smalanders. They turned out +to be a fine race of men, handsome and strong and able to take care of +themselves in any situation. It is said to this very day, that if you +take a Smalander and set him down on a rock in the sea, he will still +manage to save himself. But in the meantime the devil had been down in +Schonen, and had created the people who live there, and that is why +they are so slow, boastful and servile. But the people of Schonen say: + +Once as our Lord and St. Peter were walking together, they heard a +terrible commotion in a forest. "Go see what is happening there," +said our Lord. St. Peter went. And there was the devil and a +Smalander, who were pummeling each other with might and main. St. +Peter tried to separate them; but they paid no attention to him. So he +took his sword and chopped off both their heads. And he told our Lord +what he had seen and done: "No, that was not well done," the latter +replied, "go and put back their heads where they were, and touch the +wounds with your sword, and both will come to life again." St. Peter +did so, but he exchanged heads. Since that time the Smalanders all +have a bit of the devil about them, and those who know the devil, will +tell you that he is more or less like the Smalanders. + + +NOTE + + The unfruitful district of Smaland and the lazy and servile + people of Schonen (as retold and communicated by Dr. v. + Sydow-Lund), are supposed to be creative efforts of the devil, + at least so the Danes and Swedes were wont to say, and Selma + Lagerloef has repeated it after them with variants. But the + people of Schonen lost no time in inventing a close + relationship between the Smalanders and the devil. + + + + +XXIII + +THE EVIL ONE AND KITTA GRAU + + +One day the devil met Kitta Grau: + +"Where have you been, old man?" asked Kitta Grau, for she recognized +him. + +"Well," said the evil one, "I have been out on the farmstead where the +newly wedded couple live. This is the third time I have tried to sow +dissension between them; but they think so much of each other that it +is a sheer impossibility." + +"You talk like a real stupid. That is something I could bring about +the very first time I went there," said Kitta Grau. + +"If you can do that, you shall have a splendid pair of shoes," was the +evil one's reply. + +"Mind you keep your word!" said Kitta, and turned toward the +farmstead. + +There the woman was home alone; for her husband had gone to the +forest. Kitta said to the young wife: + +"You really have a splendid husband." + +"And that is the truth," the woman replied, "for he grants my every +wish before it is spoken." + +"But take my word for it," said Kitta, "there is still a bit of +deceit in him. He has a pair of long hairs under his chin--if you +could get at them with a razor, and cut them off while he is asleep, +then he would be altogether without malice." + +"Well," said the woman, "if that will help, I will be sure to keep an +eye open after dinner and attend to it, for then he always takes a +little noon-day nap." + +Then Kitta Grau went out into the forest to the husband and bade him +good-day. + +"You really have a very good wife," said Kitta. + +"She could not be bettered," replied the husband. + +"Well you might be mistaken for all that," said Kitta. "When you come +home, be on your guard, for when you go to take your noon-day nap, she +has in mind to cut your throat. So be sure not to go to sleep." + +The husband did not think much of the matter; but still he thanked +Kitta Grau for her trouble. + +Then he went home and ate his dinner, laid down and pretended to fall +asleep at once. + +Thereupon his wife went to his shaving-kit, took out his razor, went +softly up to him and took hold of his chin with her hand. + +Up flew the man. + +"Do you want to murder me?" he cried, and gave his wife such a thump +that she measured her full length on the floor. + +And from that day forward there was no peace in the house. Now Kitta +Grau was to receive her reward from the evil one. But he was so afraid +of her that he did not venture to give her the shoes until he stood on +one side of a stream, while she stood on the other, and then he passed +them over to her on a long pole. + +"You are ever so much worse than I am," he told Kitta Grau. + +The black man had made a bargain with a merchant. He had promised him +that all goods which he might buy he should sell again within three +weeks' time at a handsome profit. But, if he had prospered, after +seven years had passed he was to be the devil's own. And he did +prosper; for no matter what manner of old trash the merchant bought, +and if it were no more than an old worn-out fur coat, he was always +able to sell it again, and always at a profit. + +Kitta Grau came into his shop and showed him the handsome shoes the +evil one had given her. + +So the merchant said: + +"May heaven keep me from him! He will surely fetch me when the time +comes; for I have made a pact with him; and I have been unable to buy +anything without selling it again in three weeks' time." + +Then Kitta Grau said: "Buy me, for I am sure no one will buy me from +you!" And that is what the merchant did. He bought Kitta, had her +disrobe and cover herself with tar, and roll in a pile of feathers. +Then he put her in a glass cage as though she were a bird. + +Now the first week went by, and the second week went by, and the third +week went by, and no one appeared who wanted to buy the curious bird. +And then, in due time, came the evil one, and wanted to fetch his +merchant. + +"Have patience," said the merchant, "I still have something I have +bought, but have not been able to sell again in three weeks' time." + +"That is something I'd like to see," said the black man. Then the +merchant showed him Kitta Grau, sitting in her glass cage. But no +sooner had the evil one seen the handsome bird than he cried: + +"Oh, I see! It is you Kitta Grau! No one who knows you would buy you!" + +And with that he hurried on his way. + +Thus Kitta Grau could help do evil, and help do good. + + +NOTE + + The story of "The Evil One and Kitta Grau." (Bondeson, p. 206. + From Halland) shows that it is child's play for an evil woman + to accomplish what the devil himself cannot do. Yet some one + has made an addition which redounds to Kitta's credit, and + which makes her one of the heroines of fairy-tale who know how + to take advantage of the evil one. + + + + +XXIV + +THE LADY OF PINTORP + + +Where to-day a castellate building towers between spreading parks and +gardens on the noble estate of Eriksberg, there lay in ancient times a +holding known as Pintorp; with which legend has associated the +gruesome tale of the lady of Pintorp. + +In Pintorp--so the legend says--there dwelt a nobleman who, dying in +his youth, left all his goods and gear to his widow. Yet instead of +being a kind mistress to her many dependents, she exploited them in +every way, and ill-treated them shamefully. Beneath her castle she had +deep subterranean dungeons, in which languished many innocent people. +She set vicious dogs at children and beggars, and if any one did not +come to work at the right time, he was sure to go home in the evening +with weals on his back. + +Once, early in the morning, when the men came to work, the Lady of +Pintorp was standing on the castle steps, and saw a poor farm-hand +belonging to the estate come too late. Foaming with rage, she +overwhelmed him with abuse and reproaches, and ordered him to chop +down the largest oak on the whole estate, and bring it, crown +foremost, to the castle court before evening. And if he did not carry +out her command to the very letter--so she said--she would drive him +from his hut without mercy, and all that he had should fall to the +estate. + +With heavy thoughts of the severe judgment passed upon him, the +farm-hand went to the wood; and there he met an old man who asked him +why he was so unhappy. + +"Because it is all up with me, if our Lord in His mercy do not help +me," sighed the unfortunate man, and told of the task his mistress had +imposed on him. + +"Do not worry," said the unknown, "Chop down this oak, seat yourself +on the trunk, and Erik Gyllenstjerna and Svante Baner will take it to +the castle." + +The farm hand did as the old man told him, began to hew to the line, +and sure enough, at the third stroke the tree fell with a tremendous +crash. Then he seated himself on the trunk, facing the crown, and at +once the tree began to move, as though drawn by horses. Soon it rushed +along so swiftly that posts and garden-palings flew out of the way +like splinters, and soon they had reached the castle. At the moment +the tree-top struck the castle-gate, one of the invisible bearers +stumbled, and a voice was heard saying: "What, are you falling on your +knees, Svante?" + +The Lady of Pintorp, who was standing on the steps, knew well who was +helping the man; yet instead of feeling regret, she began to curse and +scold, and finally threatened to imprison the farm-hand. + +Then the earth quaked so that the walls of the castle shook, and a +black coach, drawn by two black horses, stopped before the castle. A +fine gentleman, clad in black, descended from the coach, bowed to the +lady and bade her make ready and follow him. Trembling--for she knew +well who the stranger must be--she begged for a three years' respite; +but the black gentleman would not grant her request. Then she asked +for three months, and that he refused as well. Finally she begged for +three weeks, and then for three days; but only three minutes were +allowed her to put her house in order. + +When she saw there was no help for it, she begged that at least her +chaplain, her chamber-maid, and her valet be allowed to accompany her. +This request was granted, and they entered the carriage. The horses at +once started off, and the carriage drove away so swiftly, that the +people at the castle saw no more than a black streak. + +When the woman and her companions had thus driven a while, they came +to a splendid castle, and the gentleman in black led them up the +steps. Above, in the great hall, the woman laid off her costly +garments and put on a coarse coat and wooden shoes. Then he combed her +hair three times, till she could no longer bear it, and danced with +her three times until she was exhausted. + +After the first dance the Lady begged to be allowed to give her golden +ring to her valet, and it burned his finger like fire. After the +second dance she gave her chamber-maid her bunch of keys, and that +seared the girl's hand like red-hot iron. But after the third dance, a +trap-door opened in the floor, and the Lady disappeared in a cloud of +smoke and flame. + +The chaplain, who was standing nearest her, looked down curiously into +the opening into which his mistress had sunk; and a spark shot up from +the depths, and flew into his eye, so that he was blind in one eye for +the rest of his life. + +When it was all over, the black gentleman allowed the servitors to +drive home again; but expressly forbade them to look around. They +hastily entered the coach, the road was broad and even, and the horses +ran rapidly. But when they had gone a while, the chamber-maid could no +longer control her curiosity, and looked around. That very minute +horses, coach and the road itself were gone, the travellers found +themselves in a wild forest, and it cost them three years to get out +again, and make their way back to Pintorp. + + +NOTE + + In "The Lady of Pintorp" (Hofberg, p. 157) the devil appears in + all his grewsome Satanic majesty. It has been claimed that the + evil woman was a historical figure, the wife of the royal + counselor Erik Gyllenstjerna. + + + + +XXV + +THE SPECTRE IN FJELKINGE + + +During the first half of the eighteenth century, several large estates +in Schonen were the property of the family of Barnekow, or rather, of +its most distinguished representative at that time, Margaret Barnekow, +daughter of the famous captain and governor-general Count Rutger of +Aschenberg, and the wife of Colonel Kjell Kristofer Barnekow. A widow +at twenty-nine, she herself took over the management of her large +properties, and gave therein evidence of invincible courage, an +inexhaustible capacity for work, and a tireless solicitude for all her +many dependents and servitors. + +While traveling about her estates, Madame Margaret one evening came to +the tavern in Fjelkinge, and was quartered for the night in a room +that had the name of being haunted. Some years before a traveler had +lain in the same room and presumably had been murdered: at any rate +the man himself and all his belongings had disappeared without leaving +a trace, and the mystery had never been explained. Since that time the +room had been haunted, and those who knew about it preferred to +travel a post-station further in the dark, rather than pass the night +in the room in question. But Margaret Barnekow did not do so. She had +already shown greater courage in greater contingencies, and chose this +particular room to sleep in without any fear. + +She let the lamp burn and fell asleep, after she had said her evening +prayer. On the stroke of twelve she awoke, just as some planks were +raised in the floor; and up rose a bleeding phantom whose head, split +wide open, hung down on his shoulder. + +"Noble lady," whispered the specter, "prepare a grave in consecrated +earth for a murdered man, and deliver his murderer to the judgment +which is his due!" + +God-fearing and unafraid, Madame Margaret beckoned the phantom nearer, +and he told her he had already addressed the same prayer to various +other people; but that none had had the courage to grant it. Then +Madame Margaret drew a gold ring from her finger, laid it on the +gaping wound, and tied up the head of the murdered man with her +kerchief. With a glance of unspeakable gratitude he told her the +murderer's name, and disappeared beneath the floor without a sound. + +The following morning Madame Margaret sent for the sheriff of the +district to come to the tavern with some of his people, informed him +of what had happened to her during the night, and ordered those +present to tear up the floor. And there they found, buried in the +earth, the remains of a body and, in a wound in its head, the +Countess's ring, and tied about its head, her kerchief. One of the +bystanders grew pale at the sight, and fell senseless to the ground. +When he came to his senses, he confessed that he had murdered the +traveler and robbed him of his belongings. He was condemned to death +for his crime, and the body of the murdered man was buried in the +village church-yard. + +The ring, of peculiar shape, and its setting bearing a large gray +stone, is still preserved in the Barnekow family, and magic virtues in +cases of sickness, fire and other misfortunes are ascribed to it. And +when one of the Barnekows dies, it is said that a red spot, like a +drop of blood, appears on the stone. + + +NOTE + + "The Spectre in Fjelkinge" (Hofberg, p. 21) is founded on the + ancient belief that innocent blood which has been shed calls + for atonement, and the one who has been unjustly murdered + cannot rest until the deed has been brought to light. + + + + +XXVI + +THE ROOSTER, THE HAND-MILL AND THE SWARM OF HORNETS + + +Once upon a time there was a peasant who wanted to go to sell a pig. +After he had gone a while, he met a man who asked him where he was +going with his pig. "I want to sell it," answered the peasant, "but I +do not know what to do to get rid of it." "Go to the devil," said the +man, "he will be the first to rid you of it." So the peasant kept on +along the broad highway. + +When he came to the devil's place, there stood a man out by the +wood-pile making wood. The peasant went to him and asked whether he +could tell him if they wanted to buy a pig in the devil's place. "I'll +go in and ask," said the man, "if you will make wood in my stead while +I am gone." "Yes, I will do that gladly," said the peasant, took the +ax, stood at the wood-pile and began to make wood. And he worked and +worked until evening came; but the man did not return to tell him +whether they would or would not buy a pig in the devil's place. + +At length another man came that way, and the peasant asked him whether +he would make wood in his stead, for it was impossible to lay down the +ax unless another took it up and went on working. So the man took the +ax and stood there making wood, and the peasant went into the devil's +place himself, and asked whether any one wanted to buy a pig. + +A crowd as large as that at a fair at once gathered, and all wanted to +buy the pig. Then the peasant thought: "Whoever pays the most, gets +it." And one would overbid another, offering far more than a whole +herd of pigs were worth. But at last a gentleman came along who +whispered something to the peasant, and told him to come along with +him; and he could have all the money he wanted. + +So when they had reached the gentleman's house, and the peasant had +given him the pig, he received in payment a rooster who would lay +silver coins as often as he was told to do so. Then the peasant went +his way, well content with his bargain. But on the way home he stayed +overnight at a tavern kept by an old woman. And he was so exceedingly +happy about his splendid rooster, that he had to boast about him to +the old woman, and show her how he went about laying silver coins. And +at night, when the peasant was fast asleep, the old woman came and +took away his rooster, and put another in its place. No sooner did +the peasant awake in the morning than he wanted to set his rooster to +work. "Lay quickly, rooster of mine! Lay big silver coins, my +rooster!" But the rooster could lay no silver coins at all, and only +answered "Kikeriki! Kikeriki! Kikeriki!" Then the peasant fell into a +rage, wandered back to the devil's place, complained about the +rooster, and told how absolutely worthless he was. He was kindly +received, and the same gentleman gave him a hand-mill. When he called +out "Mill grind!" to it, it would grind as much meal as he wanted it +to, and would not stop until he said: "Mill, stop grinding!" And the +mill would grind out every kind of meal for which he asked. + +When the peasant set out for home, he reached the same tavern at which +he had already put up in the evening, so he turned in and decided to +stay over night. He was so pleased with the mill that it was +impossible for him to hold his tongue; so he told the old woman what a +valuable mill he had, and showed her how it worked. But during the +night, while he was asleep, the old woman came and stole his mill and +put another in its place. + +When the peasant awoke in the morning, he was in a great hurry to test +his mill; but he could not make it obey. "Mill grind!" he cried. But +the mill stood still. Then he said: "Dear mill, grind wheat meal!" +but it had no effect. "Then grind rye meal!" he shouted; but that did +not help, either. "Well, then, grind peas!" But the mill did not seem +to hear; but stood as still as though it had never turned a single +time in all its life. Then the peasant took the road back to the +devil's place again, and at once hunted up the gentleman who had +purchased his pig, and told him the mill would grind no more meal. + +"Do not grieve about that," said the gentleman, and gave him a large, +large hornets' nest, full of hornets, who flew out in swarms and stung +any one whom they were told to sting, until one said "stop!" to them. +Now when the peasant again came to the old woman, he told her he had a +swarm of hornets who obeyed his commands. "Heavens above!" cried the +woman, "that's something worth while seeing!" "You may see it without +any trouble," replied the peasant, and at once called: "Out, out, my +hornets and sting the old woman!" And at once the entire swarm fell +upon the old woman, who began to scream pitifully. She begged the +peasant to please call back his hornets, and said she was only too +willing to give back the rooster and the mill she had taken. + +The peasant did not object to this; but ordered his hornets to leave +the old woman alone, and fly back into their house. Then he went home +with his rooster, his mill and his hornets, became a rich man and +lived happily until he died. And he was in the habit of saying: "They +have a big fair in the devil's place, and you find real decent people +there, and above all, a liberal gentleman, with whom it is a pleasure +to do business." + + +NOTE + + In "The Rooster, the Hand-Mill and the Swarm of Hornets" (Mss. + record by Stephens, from Wermland, communicated by Dr. v. + Sydow-Lund) a poor peasant received three splendid gifts in the + devil's place. The rooster who lays gold coins is a widely + known magic bird, and the magic mill is also met with in the + North. + + + + +XXVII + +TORRE JEPPE + + +In a church-nave a specter sat night by night, and the specter's name +was Torre Jeppe. He was a dried-up corpse that could not decay. One +night three tailors were working at a farmstead in the neighborhood. +They were laughing and joking, and among other things they asked the +girl in the house, who was known to be brave, what they would have to +give her to go to church and fetch back Torre Jeppe. She could trust +herself to do it, was her answer; but they must give her a dress of +home-spun wool for her trouble. That she should surely have, said the +tailors, for they did not believe the girl would dare such a venture. +Yet she took the tailors at their word and really went. + +When she reached the church, she took Torre Jeppe on her back, carried +him home and sat him down on the bench beside the tailors. They +timidly moved away; but Torre Jeppe moved after them, and looked at +them with his big eyes until they nearly lost their reason. In their +terror they begged the girl in the name of God to deliver them from +the specter. They would gladly give her another dress if she would +only carry the dead man away again. They had no need to tell her +twice, for she took Torre Jeppe on her back, and dragged him away +again. + +But when she tried to set him down in the place where she had found +him, he did not want to let her go; but clasped his arms firmly about +her neck. In vain she said to him several times: "Torre Jeppe, let me +go!" At last he said: "I will not let you go until you promise me that +you will go this very night to the brook and ask three times: 'Anna +Perstochter, do you forgive Torre Jeppe?'" The girl promised to do as +he said, and he at once released her. The brook was a good mile off; +but she went there and asked three times in a loud voice, as she had +promised: "Anna Perstochter, do you forgive Torre Jeppe?" And when she +had called the third time a woman's voice replied from out of the +water: "If God has forgiven him, then I, too, forgive him!" + +When the girl came back to the church Torre Jeppe asked eagerly: "What +did she say?" "Well, if God has forgiven you, then she, too, will +forgive you!" Then Torre Jeppe thanked her and said: "Come back again +before sunrise, and you shall receive your reward for the service you +have done me." The girl went back at sunrise, and in the place where +the phantom had been sitting she found a bushel of silver coin. In +addition she received the two dresses promised her by the tailors. But +Torre Jeppe was never seen again. + + +NOTE + + "Torre Jeppe" (retold and communicated by Dr. v. Sydow-Lund, + after mss. version of Hylten-Cavallius and Stephens) is a + ghost-story founded on the old belief that a wrong done + torments the doer even after death, that he tried to atone for + it, and that then only can he enter on his eternal rest. + + + + +XXVIII + +THE MAN WHO DIED ON HOLY INNOCENTS' DAY + + +Once upon a time there was a man named Kalle Kula. He was a wild +fellow, and had committed many a grievous crime during his life. When +he came to die, and his wife took up the Bible to pray for him as he +was lying there, he said, "No, this is Holy Innocents' Day, and it is +not worth while reading from the Bible for me. You had better go into +the kitchen instead, and bake waffles. I shall die this very day, and +then you must lay a bundle of waffles in my coffin." The woman went +into the kitchen and baked the waffles; but when she came back to him +again he was dead. So Kalle Kula was laid in the coffin with a bundle +of waffles beside him. + +Then he came to the gates of Paradise with his little bundle of +waffles under his arm and knocked. But St. Peter said to him: "You +have no business here, with all the crimes you have committed." "Yes, +that may well be so, but I died on Holy Innocents' Day," said Kalle +Kula, "so at least I may look in and see the innocent children?" St. +Peter could not refuse him, and opened the door a little way. Kalle +Kula took advantage of the moment and cried: "Come, you little holy +innocents, you shall have waffles!" And as they had not been given any +waffles in Paradise, they all came rushing up, so that the door flew +wide open, and then Kalle Kula crept in. + +But St. Peter went to our Lord, told him what had happened, and asked +what was to be done. "The best thing is to let your lawyer attend to +it," said our Lord, "because lawyers usually know all about evicting +people." St. Peter searched everywhere, but could not find a lawyer. +Then he went back to our Lord and reported to him that it was +impossible to find a single lawyer in all Paradise, and Kalle Kula was +allowed to remain where he was. + +If you tie a thief and a miller and a lawyer together and roll the +whole bundle down a hill--no matter how you roll it--you can always be +sure that whoever is on top is a thief. + + +NOTE + + This story, part fairy-tale, part legend, "The Man Who Died on + Holy Innocents' Day" (communicated by Dr. v. Sydow-Lund) has a + Danish variant. Its innocently malicious humor is worthy of + Gottfried Keller. + + +THE END + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Swedish Fairy Book, by Various + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SWEDISH FAIRY BOOK *** + +***** This file should be named 37193.txt or 37193.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/7/1/9/37193/ + +Produced by David Edwards, Matthew Wheaton and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This +file was produced from images generously made available +by The Internet Archive) + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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