English Fairy Tales

by Joseph Jacobs

  Well, the girl started off, and asked every one she met to tell her where was the Well of the World's End. But nobody knew, and she didn't know what to do, when a queer little old woman, all bent double, told her where it was, and how she could get to it. So she did what the old woman told her, and at last arrived at the Well of the World's End. But when she dipped the sieve in the cold, cold water, it all ran out again. She tried and she tried again, but every time it was the same; and at last she sate down and cried as if her heart would break.

  Suddenly she heard a croaking voice, and she looked up and saw a great frog with goggle eyes looking at her and speaking to her.

  "What's the matter, dearie?" it said.

  "Oh, dear, oh dear," she said, "my stepmother has sent me all this long way to fill this sieve with water from the Well of the World's End, and I can't fill it no how at all."

  "Well," said the frog, "if you promise me to do whatever I bid you for a whole night long, I'll tell you how to fill it."

  So the girl agreed, and then the frog said:

  "Stop it with moss and daub it with clay,

  And then it will carry the water away;"

  and then it gave a hop, skip and jump, and went flop into the Well of the World's End.

  So the girl looked about for some moss, and lined the bottom of the sieve with it, and over that she put some clay, and then she dipped it once again into the Well of the World's End; and this time, the water didn't run out, and she turned to go away.

  Just then the frog popped up its head out of the Well of the World's End, and said: "Remember your promise."

  "All right," said the girl; for thought she, "what harm can a frog do me?"

  So she went back to her stepmother, and brought the sieve full of water from the Well of the World's End. The stepmother was fine and angry, but she said nothing at all.

  That very evening they heard something tap tapping at the door low down, and a voice cried out:

  "Open the door, my hinny, my heart,

  Open the door, my own darling;

  Mind you the words that you and I spoke,

  Down in the meadow, at the World's End Well."

  "Whatever can that be?" cried out the stepmother, and the girl had to tell her all about it, and what she had promised the frog.

  "Girls must keep their promises," said the stepmother. "Go and open the door this instant." For she was glad the girl would have to obey a nasty frog.

  So the girl went and opened the door, and there was the frog from the Well of the World's End. And it hopped, and it skipped, and it jumped, till it reached the girl, and then it said:

  "Lift me to your knee, my hinny, my heart;

  Lift me to your knee, my own darling;

  Remember the words you and I spoke,

  Down in the meadow by the World's End Well."

  But the girl didn't like to, till her stepmother said "Lift it up this instant, you hussy! Girls must keep their promises!"

  So at last she lifted the frog up on to her lap, and it lay there for a time, till at last it said:

  "Give me some supper, my hinny, my heart,

  Give me some supper, my darling;

  Remember the words you and I spake,

  In the meadow, by the Well of the World's End."

  Well, she didn't mind doing that, so she got it a bowl of milk and bread, and fed it well. And when the frog, had finished, it said:

  "Go with me to bed, my hinny, my heart,

  Go with me to bed, my own darling;

  Mind you the words you spake to me,

  Down by the cold well, so weary."

  But that the girl wouldn't do, till her stepmother said: "Do what you promised, girl; girls must keep their promises. Do what you're bid, or out you go, you and your froggie."

  So the girl took the frog with her to bed, and kept it as far away from her as she could. Well, just as the day was beginning to break what should the frog say but:

  "Chop off my head, my hinny, my heart,

  Chop off my head, my own darling;

  Remember the promise you made to me,

  Down by the cold well so weary."

  At first the girl wouldn't, for she thought of what the frog had done for her at the Well of the World's End. But when the frog said the words over again, she went and took an axe and chopped off its head, and lo! and behold, there stood before her a handsome young prince, who told her that he had been enchanted by a wicked magician, and he could never be unspelled till some girl would do his bidding for a whole night, and chop off his head at the end of it.

  The stepmother was that surprised when she found the young prince instead of the nasty frog, and she wasn't best pleased, you may be sure, when the prince told her that he was going to marry her stepdaughter because she had unspelled him. So they were married and went away to live in the castle of the king, his father, and all the stepmother had to console her was, that it was all through her that her stepdaughter was married to a prince.

  Master of All Masters

  *

  A girl once went to the fair to hire herself for servant. At last a funny-looking old gentleman engaged her, and took her home to his house. When she got there, he told her that he had something to teach her, for that in his house he had his own names for things.

  He said to her: "What will you call me?"

  "Master or mister, or whatever you please sir," says she.

  He said: "You must call me 'master of all masters.' And what would you call this?" pointing to his bed.

  "Bed or couch, or whatever you please, sir."

  "No, that's my 'barnacle.' And what do you call these?" said he pointing to his pantaloons.

  "Breeches or trousers, or whatever you please, sir."

  "You must call them 'squibs and crackers.' And what would you call her?" pointing to the cat.

  "Cat or kit, or whatever you please, sir."

  "You must call her 'white-faced simminy.' And this now," showing the fire, "what would you call this?"

  "Fire or flame, or whatever you please, sir."

  "You must call it 'hot cockalorum,' and what this?" he went on, pointing to the water.

  "Water or wet, or whatever you please, sir."

  "No, 'pondalorum' is its name. And what do you call all this?" asked he, as he pointed to the house.

  "House or cottage, or whatever you please, sir."

  "You must call it 'high topper mountain.'"

  That very night the servant woke her master up in a fright and said: "Master of all masters, get out of your barnacle and put on your squibs and crackers. For white-faced simminy has got a spark of hot cockalorum on its tail, and unless you get some pondalorum high topper mountain will be all on hot cockalorum." .... That's all.

  The Three Heads of the Well

  *

  Long before Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, there reigned in the eastern part of England a king who kept his Court at Colchester. In the midst of all his glory, his queen died, leaving behind her an only daughter, about fifteen years of age, who for her beauty and kindness was the wonder of all that knew her. But the king hearing of a lady who had likewise an only daughter, had a mind to marry her for the sake of her riches, though she was old, ugly, hook- nosed, and hump-backed. Her daughter was a yellow dowdy, full of envy and ill-nature; and, in short, was much of the same mould as her mother. But in a few weeks the king, attended by the nobility and gentry, brought his deformed bride to the palace, where the marriage rites were performed. They had not been long in the Court before they set the king against his own beautiful daughter by false reports. The young princess having lost her father's love, grew weary of the Court, and one day, meeting with her father in the garden, she begged him, with tears in her eyes, to let her go and seek her fortune; to which the king consented, and ordered her mother-in-law to give her what she pleased. She went to the queen, who gave her a canvas bag of brown bread and hard cheese, with a bottle of beer; though this was but a pitiful dowry for a king's daug
hter. She took it, with thanks, and proceeded on her journey, passing through groves, woods, and valleys, till at length she saw an old man sitting on a stone at the mouth of a cave, who said: "Good morrow, fair maiden, whither away so fast?"

  "Aged father," says she, "I am going to seek my fortune."

  "What have you got in your bag and bottle?"

  "In my bag I have got bread and cheese, and in my bottle good small beer. Would you like to have some?"

  "Yes," said he, "with all my heart."

  With that the lady pulled out her provisions, and bade him eat and welcome. He did so, and gave her many thanks, and said: "There is a thick thorny hedge before you, which you cannot get through, but take this wand in your hand, strike it three times, and say, 'Pray, hedge, let me come through,' and it will open immediately; then, a little further, you will find a well; sit down on the brink of it, and there will come up three golden heads, which will speak; and whatever they require, that do." Promising she would, she took her leave of him. Coming to the hedge and using the old man's wand, it divided, and let her through; then, coming to the well, she had no sooner sat down than a golden head came up singing:

  "Wash me, and comb me,

  And lay me down softly.

  And lay me on a bank to dry,

  That I may look pretty,

  When somebody passes by."

  "Yes," said she, and taking it in her lap combed it with a silver comb, and then placed it upon a primrose bank. Then up came a second and a third head, saying the same as the former. So she did the same for them, and then, pulling out her provisions, sat down to eat her dinner.

  Then said the heads one to another: "What shall we weird for this damsel who has used us so kindly?"

  The first said: "I weird her to be so beautiful that she shall charm the most powerful prince in the world."

  The second said: "I weird her such a sweet voice as shall far exceed the nightingale."

  The third said: "My gift shall be none of the least, as she is a king's daughter, I'll weird her so fortunate that she shall become queen to the greatest prince that reigns."

  She then let them down into the well again, and so went on her journey. She had not travelled long before she saw a king hunting in the park with his nobles. She would have avoided him, but the king, having caught a sight of her, approached, and what with her beauty and sweet voice, fell desperately in love with her, and soon induced her to marry him.

  This king finding that she was the King of Colchester's daughter, ordered some chariots to be got ready, that he might pay the king, his father-in-law, a visit. The chariot in which the king and queen rode was adorned with rich gems of gold. The king, her father, was at first astonished that his daughter had been so fortunate, till the young king let him know of all that had happened. Great was the joy at Court amongst all, with the exception of the queen and her club-footed daughter, who were ready to burst with envy. The rejoicings, with feasting and dancing, continued many days. Then at length they returned home with the dowry her father gave her.

  The hump-backed princess, perceiving that her sister had been so lucky in seeking her fortune, wanted to do the same; so she told her mother, and all preparations were made, and she was furnished with rich dresses, and with sugar, almonds, and sweetmeats, in great quantities, and a large bottle of Malaga sack. With these she went the same road as her sister; and coming near the cave, the old man said: "Young woman, whither so fast?"

  "What's that to you?" said she.

  "Then," said he, "what have you in your bag and bottle?"

  She answered: "Good things, which you shall not be troubled with."

  "Won't you give me some?" said he.

  "No, not a bit, nor a drop, unless it would choke you."

  The old man frowned, saying: "Evil fortune attend ye!"

  Going on, she came to the hedge, through which she espied a gap, and thought to pass through it; but the hedge closed, and the, thorns ran into her flesh, so that it was with great difficulty that she got through. Being now all over blood, she searched for water to wash herself, and, looking round, she saw the well. She sat down on the brink of it, and one of the heads came up, saying: "Wash me, comb me, and lay me down softly," as before, but she banged it with her bottle, saying, "Take that for your washing." So the second and third heads came up, and met with no better treatment than the first. Whereupon the heads consulted among themselves what evils to plague her with for such usage.

  The first said: "Let her be struck with leprosy in her face."

  The second: "Let her voice be as harsh as a corn-crake's."

  The third said: "Let her have for husband but a poor country cobbler."

  Well, she goes on till she came to a town, and it being market-day, the people looked at her, and, seeing such a mangy face, and hearing such a squeaky voice, all fled but a poor country cobbler. Now he not long before had mended the shoes of an old hermit, who, having no money gave him a box of ointment for the cure of the leprosy, and a bottle of spirits for a harsh voice. So the cobbler having a mind to do an act of charity, was induced to go up to her and ask her who she was.

  "I am," said she, "the King of Colchester's daughter-in-law."

  "Well," said the cobbler, "if I restore you to your natural complexion, and make a sound cure both in face and voice, will you in reward take me for a husband?"

  "Yes, friend," replied she, "with all my heart!"

  With this the cobbler applied the remedies, and they made her well in a few weeks; after which they were married, and so set forward for the Court at Colchester. When the queen found that her daughter had married nothing but a poor cobbler, she hanged herself in wrath. The death of the queen so pleased the king, who was glad to get rid of her so soon, that he gave the cobbler a hundred pounds to quit the Court with his lady, and take to a remote part of the kingdom, where he lived many years mending shoes, his wife spinning the thread for him.

  Notes and References

  *

  In the following notes I give first the source whence I obtained the various tales. Then come parallels in some fulness for the United Kingdom, but only a single example for foreign countries, with a bibliographical reference where further variants can be found. Finally, a few remarks are sometimes added where the tale seems to need it. In two cases (Nos. xvi. and xxi.) I have been more full.

  I. TOM TIT TOT.

  Source.—Unearthed by Mr. E. Clodd from the "Suffolk Notes and Queries" of the Ipswich Journal, and reprinted by him in a paper on "The Philosophy of Rumpelstiltskin" in Folk-Lore Journal, vii. 138-43. I have reduced the Suffolk dialect.

  Parallels.—In Yorkshire this occurs as "Habetrot and Scantlie Mab," in Henderson's Folk-Lore of Northern Counties, 221-6; in Devonshire as "Duffy and the Devil" in Hunt's Romances and Drolls of the West of England, 239-47; in Scotland two variants are given by Chambers, Popular Rhymes of Scotland, under the title "Whuppity Stourie." The "name-guessing wager" is also found in "Peerifool", printed by Mr. Andrew Lang in Longman's Magazine, July 1889, also Folk-Lore, September, 1890. It is clearly the same as Grimm's "Rumpelstiltskin" (No. 14); for other Continental parallels see Mr. Clodd's article, and Cosquin, Contes pop. de Lorraine, i. 269 seq.

  Remarks.—One of the best folk-tales that have ever been collected, far superior to any of the continental variants of this tale with which I am acquainted. Mr. Clodd sees in the class of name- guessing stories, a "survival" of the superstition that to know a man's name gives you power over him, for which reason savages object to tell their names. It may be necessary, I find, to explain to the little ones that Tom Tit can only be referred to as "that," because his name is not known till the end.

  II. THE THREE SILLIES.

  Source.—From Folk-Lore Journal, ii. 40-3; to which it was communicated by Miss C. Burne.

  Parallels.—Prof. Stephens gave a variant from his own memory in Folk-Lore Record, iii. 155, as told in Essex at the beginning of the century. Mr. Toulmin Smith gave another version in The Constitutional
, July 1, 1853, which was translated by his daughter, and contributed to Mélusine, t. ii. An Oxfordshire version was given in Notes and Queries, April 17, 1852. It occurs also in Ireland, Kennedy, Fireside Stories, p. 9. It is Grimm's Kluge Else, No. 34, and is spread through the world. Mr. Clouston devotes the seventh chapter of his Book of Noodles to the Quest of the Three Noodles.

  III. THE ROSE TREE.

  Source.—From the first edition of Henderson's Folk-Lore of Northern Counties, p. 314, to which it was communicated by the Rev. S. Baring-Gould.

  Parallels.—This is better known under the title, "Orange and Lemon," and with the refrain:

  "My mother killed me, My father picked my bones, My little sister buried me, Under the marble stones."

  I heard this in Australia. Mr. Jones Gives part of it in Folk Tales of the Magyars, 418-20, and another version occurs in 4 Notes and Queries, vi. 496. Mr. I. Gollancz informs me he remembers a version entitled "Pepper, Salt, and Mustard," with the refrain just given. Abroad it is Grimm's "Juniper Tree" (No. 47), where see further parallels. The German rhyme is sung by Margaret in the mad scene of Goethe's "Faust."

  IV. OLD WOMAN AND PIG.

  Source.—Halliwell's Nursery Rhymes and Tales, 114.

  Parallels.—Cf. Miss Burne, Shropshire Folk-Lore, 529; also No. xxxiv. infra ("Cat and Mouse"). It occurs also in Scotch, with the title "The Wife and her Bush of Berries," Chambers's Pop. Rhymes, p. 57. Newell, Games and Songs of American Children, gives a game named "Club-fist" (No. 75), founded on this, and in his notes refers to German, Danish, and Spanish variants. (Cf. Cosquin, ii. 36 seq.)

  Remarks.—One of the class of Accumulative stories, which are well represented in England. (Cf. infra, Nos. xvi., xx., xxxiv.)