The next day, the Princess quizzed the gardener about his boy. ‘He’s working in the garden. What a weird fellow he can be. He went to the feast and only arrived back last night. Then he showed my children three golden apples he had won.’ The King had the gardener’s boy fetched before him, and he came with his hat jammed on his head. But the Princess went straight up to him and pulled it off, and then his golden hair fell down to his shoulders and they were all amazed by his beauty. ‘Are you the knight who came to the feast every day wearing different colours and who caught the three golden apples?’ asked the King. ‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘and here are the apples.’ He took them from his pocket and gave them to the King. ‘If you need more proof, sir, you can see the wound your men gave me when they chased me. But I am also the knight who helped you to defeat your enemies.’ ‘If you can perform such marvels, then you are not a gardener’s boy. Tell me now, who is your father?’ ‘My father is a rich and powerful King, and I have as much gold as I need.’ ‘I now see,’ said the King, ‘that I have a lot to thank you for. Is there anything I can do to reward you?’ ‘Yes,’ he answered, ‘there certainly is, sir. Give me your daughter’s hand in marriage.’ When she heard this, the Princess laughed and said, ‘Well, he doesn’t waste much time, does he! But I knew from his golden hair that he wasn’t a gardener’s boy!’ And she went up to him and kissed him.
His mother and father came to the wedding and were overjoyed, because they had already given up hope of ever seeing him again. And as they were all sitting at the wedding feast, the music suddenly stopped, the doors burst open, and a magnificent King entered in great style. He went up to the young man, embraced him and said, ‘I am Iron Hans. I was under a spell that turned me into a wild man – but you have set me free. All my treasure shall be yours.’
The Lady and the Lion
A merchant was about to go on a long journey, and when he was saying goodbye to his three daughters, he asked each of them what they would like as a present. The eldest asked for pearls, the second asked for diamonds, but the youngest said, ‘Father, I would like a rose.’ Her father said, ‘Even though it’s the middle of winter, if I can find one, you shall have it.’
When it was time for him to come home again, he’d found pearls and diamonds for the two eldest, but he had searched everywhere in vain for a rose. He’d gone into many gardens asking for one, but people had just laughed and asked him if he thought roses grew in snow. This upset him, because his youngest child was his favourite. He was travelling through a forest. In the middle was a splendid castle and around the castle was a garden. Half of it was in bright summer time and the other half in gloomy winter. On one side grew the prettiest flowers, but on the other everything was dead and buried in snow. ‘This is amazing!’ he said to his servant, and ordered him to pick a rose from the beautiful rose bush there. But then, as they were riding away, a ferocious lion leapt out, shaking his mane and roaring so loudly that every flower in the garden shook. ‘Anyone who tries to steal my roses will be eaten by me,’ he roared. Then the man said, ‘I’d no idea it was your garden. Please forgive me. What can I do to save my life?’ The lion said, ‘Nothing can save it. Only if you give me what you first meet when you go home. If you agree to do that, then I’ll let you live. And you can take the rose for your daughter as well.’ But the man hesitated and said, ‘But it might be my youngest daughter. She loves me best and always runs to meet me when I get home.’ His servant, though, was scared stiff and said, ‘It might not be her. It could just as easily be a dog, or a cat.’ So the man gave in, took the rose, and promised that the lion should have whatever he first met when he got home.
When he arrived home and went into his house, his youngest daughter ran up to him and kissed and hugged him. And she was delighted to see that he’d brought her a rose. But her father started to cry, and said, ‘My darling child, this rose has cost too much. In exchange for it, I’ve promised to give you to a savage lion. When he has you, I’m sure he’ll tear you to pieces and eat you.’ He told her everything that had happened and begged her not to go. But she comforted him and said, ‘Dear father, you must keep your promise. I will go there and make the lion gentle, so that I can come safely home to you.’
Next morning, she was shown the road and set off bravely for the forest. The lion, in fact, was an enchanted Prince. By day he and his people were lions, but at night they became humans again. When she arrived, she was treated kindly and taken to the castle. When night fell, the lion turned into a handsome Prince and their wedding was held with much celebration. They lived happily together but he came to her only when it was dusk and left her when morning drew near. After a while, his deep voice spoke to her from the darkness, ‘Your eldest sister is getting married tomorrow and your father is holding a feast. If you would like to go, my lions will escort you there.’ She said, ‘Yes, I’d love to see my father again,’ and set off in the morning with the lions. There was great joy and happiness when she appeared, because everyone thought she’d been torn to shreds and killed by the wild lion. But she told them her husband was a Prince, and how happy she was. She stayed with them till the feast was over, and then returned to the forest.
When her second sister was getting married, she was invited again, and said to the Prince, ‘I don’t want to go alone this time. Come with me.’ But he said it was too dangerous for him, and that he must never be exposed to light. He explained that if, when he was there, even a ray of candlelight fell on him, he would turn into a dove and have to fly about the world for seven long years. But she pleaded, ‘Oh, do come with me. I will take special care of you and protect you from all light.’ So they set off together with their little child.
She chose a room for him there, with walls so thick that no ray of light could get through. The Prince was to lock himself in there when all the candles were lit for the wedding feast. But there was a tiny crack in the door that nobody noticed. The wedding was celebrated splendidly, but when the procession came back from church with all its bright, flickering candles, it passed close by his room. A ray as fine as a single hair fell on the Prince; and as soon as it touched him he was transformed. When she came to find him, there was only a white dove in the room. The dove told her, ‘Now for seven years I must fly around the globe. But for every seventh step you take, I will shed one white feather. That will show you the way, and if you follow it you can set me free.’ The dove flew out of the door. She followed him. And at every seventh step, a little white feather fell down faithfully and showed her the way.
So she walked and walked through the big wild world – never even resting – and the seven years were almost over. One day, no feather fell, and when she looked up, the dove had disappeared. She thought to herself, ‘No one human can help me with this.’ So she climbed up to the sun and said to him, ‘You shine into every crack, over every mountain – have you seen a white dove flying?’ ‘No,’ replied the sun. ‘I have not. But I’ll give you this casket. Open it when you are most in need.’ She thanked the sun and walked on until it was evening. The moon rose and she asked her, ‘You shine all night, over all the fields and the forests – have you seen a white dove flying?’ ‘No,’ said the moon. ‘I have not. But I’ll give you this egg. Break it when you are in great need.’ She thanked the moon and walked on until the night wind began to blow on her. She said to it, ‘You blow on every tree and under every leaf – have you seen a white dove flying?’ ‘No,’ said the night wind. ‘I have not. But I’ll ask the other three winds if they’ve seen it.’ The east and the west winds came and had seen nothing, but the south wind breathed, ‘I saw the white dove. It has flown to the Red Sea and has become a lion again, because the seven years are now up. The lion is fighting with a dragon, but the dragon is really an enchanted Princess.’ Then the night wind said to her, ‘Follow my advice. Go to the Red Sea. On the right bank you’ll see some tall reeds. Count them, break off number eleven, and hit the dragon with it. Then the lion will be able to overpower it and both of them will
become human again. When this happens, set off at once with your beloved Prince and travel home over land and sea.’
So the poor girl wandered on, and found everything just as the night wind had said. She counted the reeds by the sea, snapped off the eleventh, and struck the dragon with it. Then the lion overpowered it and they both became human immediately. But when the Princess, who had been the dragon, was freed from the spell, she seized the Prince by the arm and carried him off. The pilgrim, who had followed and walked so far, sat down and wept. But in the end, she found her courage and said, ‘I will still travel as far as the wind blows and as long as the cock crows until I find my love again.’ And she set off along long, hard roads until at last she arrived at the castle where the two of them were living together. She discovered soon there was going to be a feast to celebrate their wedding, but she said, ‘Heaven will help me.’ Then she opened the casket that the sun had given her. Inside was a dress as dazzling as the sun itself. So she put it on, and went up to the castle. Everyone stared at her in astonishment, even the bride. In fact, the bride liked the dress so much that she wanted it for a wedding dress and asked if it was for sale. ‘Not for money or land,’ the girl answered, ‘but for flesh and blood.’ When the bride asked what she meant, the girl said, ‘Let me sleep a night in the same room as the bridegroom.’ The bride wouldn’t agree, but she wanted the dress so badly that at last she said yes. But she told her page to give the Prince a sleeping draught.
When it was night, and the Prince was already sleeping, the girl was led into his bedchamber. She sat on the bed and said, ‘I have followed after you for seven long years. I have asked the sun and the moon and the four winds for news of you. I have helped you against the dragon. Do you really forget me?’ But the Prince was fast asleep and only thought he heard the wind murmuring and rustling in the trees. When morning came, she was taken out of his room and had to hand over the golden dress. And because it had all been no use, she wandered sadly into the fields, sat down, and cried. While she was sitting there, she remembered the egg which the moon had given to her. So she cracked it open and out came a clucking hen with twelve little chickens made of gold. They ran about chirping and cheeping, then crept under their mother’s wings. They were the most adorable sight anyone could see. She stood up and drove them through the field until the bride looked out of her window. The tiny chickens delighted her so much that she hurried down and asked if they were for sale. ‘Not for money or land, but for flesh and blood. Let me sleep another night in the bridegroom’s chamber.’ The bride said yes, but she intended to drug her like before. But when the Prince was going to bed, he asked the page what the murmuring and rustling in the night had been. Then the page told him everything: that he’d been forced to give him a sleeping potion, because a strange girl had slept secretly in his room; and that he was supposed to give him another one tonight. The Prince said, ‘Pour the sleeping draught away.’ At night, the girl was led in again, and when she started to tell him all the sad things that had happened and how faithful to him she had been, he immediately recognised the voice of his beloved wife. He jumped up and cried, ‘Now I am really released! I have been in a dream, because the strange Princess has bewitched me to make me forget you. But heaven has sent you to me in time, my dear love.’ Then they both crept away from the castle, secretly in the dark, because they were afraid of the strange Princess. Together they journeyed all the way home. There they found their child, who had grown tall and beautiful, and they all lived happily until the end of their days and nights.
The Magic Table, the Gold-Donkey and the Cudgel in the Sack
In a time before you were born, there was a tailor who had three sons and one goat. The goat provided milk for the four of them, so every day it had to be taken out to graze, and fed well. The sons took turns in doing this. One day, the eldest son took the goat to the churchyard. There was lots of succulent greenery there and he let her feed and jump around. At dusk, when it was time to go home, he asked her, ‘Goat, have you had enough to eat?’ And the goat replied:
‘I’ve had enough,
I’m full of the stuff. Beh! Beh!’
‘Let’s go home then,’ said the boy, and he took hold of her halter, led her back to her shed and tied her up safely. ‘Well,’ said his father, ‘did you feed the goat properly?’ ‘Oh yes,’ said his son, ‘she’s had enough – she’s full of the stuff.’ But his father wanted to check for himself, so he went down to the shed, patted the precious goat, and inquired, ‘Goat, are you sure you’ve had enough to eat?’ The goat replied:
‘There was no grass to eat
Where he took me to feed.
Hard stones on the ground
Were all that I found. Beh! Beh!’
‘What’s this I hear!’ thundered the tailor. He ran back up and said to his eldest son, ‘You liar! Why did you tell me you’d given the goat enough to eat when you’ve let her starve?’ In his fury, he grabbed his yardstick from the wall and thrashed his son out of the house.
Next day, it was the second son’s turn. He picked a good place by the garden hedge with lots of fresh, moist greenery, and the goat munched it right down to the ground. At home time, the boy asked, ‘Goat, have you had enought to eat?’ and the goat answered:
‘I’ve had enough,
I’m full of the stuff. Beh! Beh!’
‘Let’s get home then,’ said the boy, and he led her back and tied her securely in the shed. ‘Well,’ said his father, ‘did you feed the goat well?’ ‘Certainly,’ said his son. ‘She’s had enough – she’s full of the stuff.’ But the tailor went down to the shed to make sure, and said, ‘Goat, have you had enough to eat?’ The goat answered:
‘There was no grass to eat
Where he took me to feed.
Hard stones on the ground
Were all that I found. Beh! Beh!’
‘The heartless big lump!’ yelled the tailor. ‘Letting such a fine animal starve!’ And he ran up and seized his stick and beat his poor son out of the house.
Now it was the youngest son’s turn, and he was determined to do things properly. He chose a spot with abundant leafy bushes and let the goat nibble away to her heart’s content. In the evening, he asked, ‘Goat, are you quite, quite sure you’ve had enough?’ The goat replied:
‘I’ve had enough,
I’m full of the stuff. Beh! Beh!’
‘Let’s go home then,’ said the boy, and he led her to her shed and tied her up. ‘Well,’ asked his father, ‘have you fed the goat properly?’ ‘Absolutely,’ said his son, ‘she’s had enough – she’s full of the stuff.’ But the tailor didn’t trust him, and went down to ask, ‘Goat, are you sure you’ve had enough to eat?’ And the wicked goat said:
‘There was no grass to eat
Where he took me to feed.
Hard stones on the ground
Were all that I found. Beh! Beh!’
‘You pack of liars!’ roared the tailor. ‘All three of you are deceitful and undutiful. Well, you’ll not make a fool out of me any more!’ And quite crimson in the face with rage, he rushed up and thwacked the poor boy’s back with the stick so hard that he ran out of the house.
Now the old tailor was all alone with his goat. Next morning, he went down to the shed, stroked the goat and said, ‘Come along, my little pet, I’ll take you out to graze myself.’ He led her away to a place where there were green hedges and long grasses and all the things goats love to eat. ‘Now you can eat your fill for once,’ he said, and let her chomp away till evening. Then he asked, ‘Dear goat, have you had enough to eat?’ And the goat replied:
‘I’ve had enough,
I’m full of the stuff. Beh! Beh!’
‘Come along home then,’ said the tailor; and he led her to her shed and tied her up. As he was leaving, he turned round and said, ‘Now for once I know you’ve really had plenty to eat.’ But he had no more luck with the goat than his sons had had, and the bad goat bleated out:
‘There was no grass
to eat
Where you took me to feed.
Hard stones on the ground
Were all that I found. Beh! Beh!’
When the tailor heard this, he was horrified and realised how unjustly he’d treated his three sons. ‘You ungrateful beast!’ he screamed at the goat. ‘Just you wait! I’ll make a mark on you that’ll stop you showing your treacherous face among respectable people!’ He rushed upstairs, grabbed his razor, lathered the goat’s head, and shaved it as smooth as a billiard ball. And because the stick would have been too good for it, he fetched his whip and flogged her so badly that she went leaping away for her life.
So the tailor was now all alone in his empty house. He became terribly sad and longed to have his sons back again, but nobody knew where they were. The eldest boy had become a joiner’s apprentice. He was hard-working and conscientious, and when his apprenticeship was over and it was time for him to move on, his master gave him a little table. It was made of wood and looked perfectly ordinary, but there was something special about it. If you put it before you and said ‘Table, be laid!’ this splendid little table would immediately cover itself with a clean tablecloth; and there would be a plate with a knife and fork, as many dishes of good hot food as there was room for, and a big, robust, glowing glass of ruby wine to warm the chilliest heart. The young man thought to himself, ‘Now you’re sorted for your whole life,’ and he journeyed happily round the world. He didn’t have to bother whether any inn he came to was good or bad or whether or not he could find a decent meal. Sometimes, if he was in the mood, he didn’t even stay at an inn, but camped out in the fields and woods. He’d take the table from his back, set it before him and say ‘Table, be laid!’ and it gave him all the food and drink he wanted. Eventually, the boy decided to return home to his father. He thought, ‘He won’t be angry with me after all this time, and now that I have a magic table, he’s sure to welcome me!’ So he set off home, and one evening he came to an inn that was full of guests. They made him welcome and asked him to join them at their meal, otherwise there’d be no food left for him. ‘No,’ said the young joiner, ‘I won’t take your last few mouthfuls. You shall be my guests instead.’ They thought he was joking with them and they laughed. But he set down his table in the middle of the room and said, ‘Table, be laid!’ At once, it was covered with much better food than the landlord of the inn could even dream of, and the delicious smell of it made their noses twitch. ‘Help yourselves, my friends,’ said the joiner, and they all moved up their chairs, grasped their knives and forks, and tucked in happily. The amazing thing was that as soon as one dish was empty, another full one took its place immediately.
Faery Tales Page 13
