The Red Fairy Book

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THE RED FAIRY BOOK

Edited by ANDREW LANG


TO
MASTER BILLY TREMAYNE MILES
A PROFOUND STUDENT
YET
AN AMIABLE CRITIC



PREFACE

IN a second gleaning of the fields of Fairy Land we cannot
expect to find a second Perrault. But there are good stories
enough left, and it is hoped that some in the Red Fairy Book
may have the attraction of being less familiar than many of
the old friends. The tales have been translated, or, in the
case of those from Madame d'Aulnoy's long stories, adapted,
by Mrs. Hunt from the Norse, by Miss Minnie Wright from
Madame d'Aulnoy, by Mrs. Lang and Miss Bruce from other
French sources, by Miss May Sellar, Miss Farquharson, and
Miss Blackley from the German, while the story of `Sigurd'
is condensed by the Editor from Mr. William Morris's prose
version of the `Volsunga Saga.' The Editor has to thank
his friend, M. Charles Marelles, for permission to reproduce
his versions of the `Pied Piper,' of `Drakestail,' and of
`Little Golden Hood' from the French, and M. Henri Carnoy for the
same privilege in regard to `The Six Sillies' from La Tradition.

Lady Frances Balfour has kindly copied an old version of
`Jack and the Beanstalk,' and Messrs. Smith and Elder have
permitted the publication of two of Mr. Ralston's versions
from the Russian.

A. L.



CONTENTS

The Twelve Dancing Princesses
The Princess Mayblossom
Soria Moria Castle
The Death of Koschei the Deathless
The Black Thief and Knight of the Glen
The Master Thief
Brother and Sister
Princess Rosette
The Enchanted Pig
The Norka
The Wonderful Birch
Jack and the Beanstalk
The Little Good Mouse
Graciosa and Percinet
The Three Princesses of Whiteland
The Voice of Death
The Six Sillies
Kari Woodengown
Drakestail
The Ratcatcher
The True History of Little Goldenhood
The Golden Branch
The Three Dwarfs
Dapplegrim
The Enchanted Canary
The Twelve Brothers
Rapunzel
The Nettle Spinner
Farmer Weatherbeard
Mother Holle
Minnikin
Bushy Bride
Snowdrop
The Golden Goose
The Seven Foals
The Marvellous Musician
The Story of Sigurd






THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES

I

ONCE upon a time there lived in the village of Montignies-sur-
Roc a little cow-boy, without either father or mother. His
real name was Michael, but he was always called the Star Gazer,
because when he drove his cows over the commons to seek for
pasture, he went along with his head in the air, gaping at nothing.

As he had a white skin, blue eyes, and hair that curled all over
his head, the village girls used to cry after him, `Well, Star Gazer,
what are you doing?' and Michael would answer, `Oh, nothing,'
and go on his way without even turning to look at them.

The fact was he thought them very ugly, with their sun-burnt
necks, their great red hands, their coarse petticoats and their
wooden shoes. He had heard that somewhere in the world there
were girls whose necks were white and whose hands were small,
who were always dressed in the finest silks and laces, and were
called princesses, and while his companions round the fire saw
nothing in the flames but common everyday fancies, he dreamed
that he had the happiness to marry a princess.


II


One morning about the middle of August, just at mid-day when
the sun was hottest, Michael ate his dinner of a piece of dry bread,
and went to sleep under an oak. And while he slept he dreamt
that there appeared before him a beautiful lady, dressed in a robe
of cloth of gold, who said to him: `Go to the castle of Beloeil, and
there you shall marry a princess.'

That evening the little cow-boy, who had been thinking a great
deal about the advice of the lady in the golden dress, told his dream
to the farm people. But, as was natural, they only laughed at the
Star Gazer.

The next day at the same hour he went to sleep again under
the same tree. The lady appeared to him a second time, and said:
`Go to the castle of Beloeil, and you shall marry a princess.'

In the evening Michael told his friends that he had dreamed
the same dream again, but they only laughed at him more than
before. `Never mind,' he thought to himself; `if the lady appears
to me a third time, I will do as she tells me.'

The following day, to the great astonishment of all the village,
about two o'clock in the afternoon a voice was heard singing:

`Raleo, raleo,
How the cattle go!'

It was the little cow-boy driving his herd back to the byre.

The farmer began to scold him furiously, but he answered
quietly, `I am going away,' made his clothes into a bundle, said
good-bye to all his friends, and boldly set out to seek his fortunes.

There was great excitement through all the village, and on the
top of the hill the people stood holding their sides with laughing,
as they watched the Star Gazer trudging bravely along the valley
with his bundle at the end of his stick.

It was enough to make anyone laugh, certainly.


III


It was well known for full twenty miles round that there lived
in the castle of Beloeil twelve princesses of wonderful beauty, and
as proud as they were beautiful, and who were besides so very
sensitive and of such truly royal blood, that they would have felt
at once the presence of a pea in their beds, even if the mattresses
had been laid over it.

It was whispered about that they led exactly the lives that
princesses ought to lead, sleeping far into the morning, and never
getting up till mid-day. They had twelve beds all in the same
room, but what was very extraordinary was the fact that though
they were locked in by triple bolts, every morning their satin shoes
were found worn into holes.

When they were asked what they had been doing all night,
they always answered that they had been asleep; and, indeed,
no noise was ever heard in the room, yet the shoes could not wear
themselves out alone!

At last the Duke of Beloeil ordered the trumpet to be sounded,
and a proclamation to be made that whoever could discover how
his daughters wore out their shoes should choose one of them for
his wife.

On hearing the proclamation a number of princes arrived at
the castle to try their luck. They watched all night behind the
open door of the princesses, but when the morning came they had
all disappeared, and no one could tell what had become of them.


IV


When he reached the castle, Michael went straight to the
gardener and offered his services. Now it happened that the
garden boy had just been sent away, and though the Star Gazer
did not look very sturdy, the gardener agreed to take him, as he
thought that his pretty face and golden curls would please the
princesses.

The first thing he was told was that when the princesses got
up he was to present each one with a bouquet, and Michael thought
that if he had nothing more unpleasant to do than that he should
get on very well.

Accordingly he placed himself behind the door of the princesses'
room, with the twelve bouquets in a basket. He gave one to each
of the sisters, and they took them without even deigning to look at
the lad, except Lina the youngest, who fixed her large black eyes
as soft as velvet on him, and exclaimed, `Oh, how pretty he is--our
new flower boy!' The rest all burst out laughing, and the eldest
pointed out that a princess ought never to lower herself by looking
at a garden boy.

Now Michael knew quite well what had happened to all the
princes, but notwithstanding, the beautiful eyes of the Princess
Lina inspired him with a violent longing to try his fate.
Unhappily he did not dare to come forward, being afraid that he
should only be jeered at, or even turned away from the castle on
account of his impudence.


V


Nevertheless, the Star Gazer had another dream. The lady in
the golden dress appeared to him once more, holding in one hand
two young laurel trees, a cherry laurel and a rose laurel, and in
the other hand a little golden rake, a little golden bucket, and a
silken towel. She thus addressed him:

`Plant these two laurels in two large pots, rake them over with
the rake, water them with the bucket, and wipe them with the towel.
When they have grown as tall as a girl of fifteen, say to each of
them, ``My beautiful laurel, with the golden rake I have raked you,
with the golden bucket I have watered you, with the silken towel I
have wiped you.'' Then after that ask anything you choose, and the
laurels will give it to you.'

Michael thanked the lady in the golden dress, and when he
woke he found the two laurel bushes beside him. So he carefully
obeyed the orders he had been given by the lady.

The trees grew very fast, and when they were as tall as a girl
of fifteen he said to the cherry laurel, `My lovely cherry laurel,
with the golden rake I have raked thee, with the golden bucket I
have watered thee, with the silken towel I have wiped thee.
Teach me how to become invisible.' Then there instantly
appeared on the laurel a pretty white flower, which Michael
gathered and stuck into his button-hole.


VI


That evening, when the princesses went upstairs to bed, he
followed them barefoot, so that he might make no noise, and hid
himself under one of the twelve beds, so as not to take up much room.

The princesses began at once to open their wardrobes and boxes.
They took out of them the most magnificent dresses, which they
put on before their mirrors, and when they had finished, turned
themselves all round to admire their appearances.

Michael could see nothing from his hiding-place, but he could
hear everything, and he listened to the princesses laughing and
jumping with pleasure. At last the eldest said, `Be quick, my
sisters, our partners will be impatient.' At the end of an hour,
when the Star Gazer heard no more noise, he peeped out and saw
the twelve sisters in splendid garments, with their satin shoes on
their feet, and in their hands the bouquets he had brought them.

`Are you ready?' asked the eldest.

`Yes,' replied the other eleven in chorus, and they took their
places one by one behind her.

Then the eldest Princess clapped her hands three times and a
trap door opened. All the princesses disappeared down a secret
staircase, and Michael hastily followed them.

As he was following on the steps of the Princess Lina, he
carelessly trod on her dress.

`There is somebody behind me,' cried the Princess; `they are
holding my dress.'

`You foolish thing,' said her eldest sister, `you are always afraid
of something. It is only a nail which caught you.'


VII


They went down, down, down, till at last they came to a passage
with a door at one end, which was only fastened with a latch. The
eldest Princess opened it, and they found themselves immediately
in a lovely little wood, where the leaves were spangled with drops
of silver which shone in the brilliant light of the moon.

They next crossed another wood where the leaves were sprinkled
with gold, and after that another still, where the leaves glittered
with diamonds.

At last the Star Gazer perceived a large lake, and on the shores
of the lake twelve little boats with awnings, in which were seated
twelve princes, who, grasping their oars, awaited the princesses.

Each princess entered one of the boats, and Michael slipped into
that which held the youngest. The boats glided along rapidly, but
Lina's, from being heavier, was always behind the rest. `We never
went so slowly before,' said the Princess; `what can be the reason?'

`I don't know,' answered the Prince. `I assure you I am rowing
as hard as I can.'

On the other side of the lake the garden boy saw a beautiful
castle splendidly illuminated, whence came the lively music of
fiddles, kettle-drums, and trumpets.

In a moment they touched land, and the company jumped out
of the boats; and the princes, after having securely fastened their
barques, gave their arms to the princesses and conducted them to
the castle.


VIII


Michael followed, and entered the ball-room in their train.
Everywhere were mirrors, lights, flowers, and damask hangings.

The Star Gazer was quite bewildered at the magnificence of the
sight.

He placed himself out of the way in a corner, admiring the grace
and beauty of the princesses. Their loveliness was of every kind.
Some were fair and some were dark; some had chestnut hair, or
curls darker still, and some had golden locks. Never were so many
beautiful princesses seen together at one time, but the one whom
the cow-boy thought the most beautiful and the most fascinating
was the little Princess with the velvet eyes.

With what eagerness she danced! leaning on her partner's
shoulder she swept by like a whirlwind. Her cheeks flushed, her
eyes sparkled, and it was plain that she loved dancing better than
anything else.

The poor boy envied those handsome young men with whom
she danced so gracefully, but he did not know how little reason he
had to be jealous of them.

The young men were really the princes who, to the number of
fifty at least, had tried to steal the princesses' secret. The princesses
had made them drink something of a philtre, which froze the
heart and left nothing but the love of dancing.


IX


They danced on till the shoes of the princesses were worn into
holes. When the cock crowed the third time the fiddles stopped,
and a delicious supper was served by negro boys, consisting of
sugared orange flowers, crystallised rose leaves, powdered violets,
cracknels, wafers, and other dishes, which are, as everyone knows,
the favourite food of princesses.

After supper, the dancers all went back to their boats, and this
time the Star Gazer entered that of the eldest Princess. They crossed
again the wood with the diamond-spangled leaves, the wood with
gold-sprinkled leaves, and the wood whose leaves glittered with
drops of silver, and as a proof of what he had seen, the boy broke
a small branch from a tree in the last wood. Lina turned as she
heard the noise made by the breaking of the branch.

`What was that noise?' she said.

`It was nothing,' replied her eldest sister; `it was only the
screech of the barn-owl that roosts in one of the turrets of the
castle.'

While she was speaking Michael managed to slip in front, and
running up the staircase, he reached the princesses' room first. He
flung open the window, and sliding down the vine which climbed
up the wall, found himself in the garden just as the sun was
beginning to rise, and it was time for him to set to his work.


X


That day, when he made up the bouquets, Michael hid the branch
with the silver drops in the nosegay intended for the youngest
Princess.

When Lina discovered it she was much surprised. However,
she said nothing to her sisters, but as she met the boy by accident
while she was walking under the shade of the elms, she suddenly
stopped as if to speak to him; then, altering her mind, went on her
way.

The same evening the twelve sisters went again to the ball, and
the Star Gazer again followed them and crossed the lake in Lina's
boat. This time it was the Prince who complained that the boat
seemed very heavy.

`It is the heat,' replied the Princess. `I, too, have been feeling
very warm.'

During the ball she looked everywhere for the gardener's boy,
but she never saw him.

As they came back, Michael gathered a branch from the wood
with the gold-spangled leaves, and now it was the eldest Princess
who heard the noise that it made in breaking.

`It is nothing,' said Lina; `only the cry of the owl which roosts
in the turrets of the castle.'


XI


As soon as she got up she found the branch in her bouquet.
When the sisters went down she stayed a little behind and said to
the cow-boy: `Where does this branch come from?'

`Your Royal Highness knows well enough,' answered Michael.

`So you have followed us?'

`Yes, Princess.'

`How did you manage it? we never saw you.'

`I hid myself,' replied the Star Gazer quietly.

The Princess was silent a moment, and then said:

`You know our secret!--keep it. Here is the reward of your
discretion.' And she flung the boy a purse of gold.

`I do not sell my silence,' answered Michael, and he went away
without picking up the purse.

For three nights Lina neither saw nor heard anything
extraordinary; on the fourth she heard a rustling among the diamond-
spangled leaves of the wood. That day there was a branch of the
trees in her bouquet.

She took the Star Gazer aside, and said to him in a harsh voice:

`You know what price my father has promised to pay for our secret?'

`I know, Princess,' answered Michael.

`Don't you mean to tell him?'

`That is not my intention.'

`Are you afraid?'

`No, Princess.'

`What makes you so discreet, then?'

But Michael was silent.


XII


Lina's sisters had seen her talking to the little garden boy, and
jeered at her for it.

`What prevents your marrying him?' asked the eldest, `you
would become a gardener too; it is a charming profession. You
could live in a cottage at the end of the park, and help your husband
to draw up water from the well, and when we get up you could
bring us our bouquets.'

The Princess Lina was very angry, and when the Star Gazer
presented her bouquet, she received it in a disdainful manner.

Michael behaved most respectfully. He never raised his eyes to her,
but nearly all day she felt him at her side without ever seeing him.

One day she made up her mind to tell everything to her eldest sister.

`What!' said she, `this rogue knows our secret, and you never
told me! I must lose no time in getting rid of him.'

`But how?'

`Why, by having him taken to the tower with the dungeons, of course.'

For this was the way that in old times beautiful princesses got
rid of people who knew too much.

But the astonishing part of it was that the youngest sister did
not seem at all to relish this method of stopping the mouth of the
gardener's boy, who, after all, had said nothing to their father.


XIII


It was agreed that the question should be submitted to the other
ten sisters. All were on the side of the eldest. Then the youngest
sister declared that if they laid a finger on the little garden boy, she
would herself go and tell their father the secret of the holes in their shoes.

At last it was decided that Michael should be put to the test;
that they would take him to the ball, and at the end of supper would
give him the philtre which was to enchant him like the rest.

They sent for the Star Gazer, and asked him how he had contrived
to learn their secret; but still he remained silent.

Then, in commanding tones, the eldest sister gave him the order
they had agreed upon.

He only answered:

`I will obey.'

He had really been present, invisible, at the council of princesses,
and had heard all; but he had made up his mind to drink of the
philtre, and sacrifice himself to the happiness of her he loved.

Not wishing, however, to cut a poor figure at the ball by the side
of the other dancers, he went at once to the laurels, and said:

`My lovely rose laurel, with the golden rake I have raked thee,
with the golden bucket I have watered thee, with a silken towel I
have dried thee. Dress me like a prince.'

A beautiful pink flower appeared. Michael gathered it, and
found himself in a moment clothed in velvet, which was as black as
the eyes of the little Princess, with a cap to match, a diamond
aigrette, and a blossom of the rose laurel in his button-hole.

Thus dressed, he presented himself that evening before the Duke
of Beloeil, and obtained leave to try and discover his daughters'
secret. He looked so distinguished that hardly anyone would have
known who he was.


XIV


The twelve princesses went upstairs to bed. Michael followed
them, and waited behind the open door till they gave the signal for
departure.

This time he did not cross in Lina's boat. He gave his arm to
the eldest sister, danced with each in turn, and was so graceful that
everyone was delighted with him. At last the time came for him
to dance with the little Princess. She found him the best partner
in the world, but he did not dare to speak a single word to her.

When he was taking her back to her place she said to him in a
mocking voice:

`Here you are at the summit of your wishes: you are being
treated like a prince.'

`Don't be afraid,' replied the Star Gazer gently. `You shall
never be a gardener's wife.'

The little Princess stared at him with a frightened face, and he
left her without waiting for an answer.

When the satin slippers were worn through the fiddles stopped,
and the negro boys set the table. Michael was placed next to the
eldest sister, and opposite to the youngest.

They gave him the most exquisite dishes to eat, and the most
delicate wines to drink; and in order to turn his head more
completely, compliments and flattery were heaped on him from every
side.

But he took care not to be intoxicated, either by the wine or the
compliments.


XV


At last the eldest sister made a sign, and one of the black pages
brought in a large golden cup.

`The enchanted castle has no more secrets for you,' she said to
the Star Gazer. `Let us drink to your triumph.'

He cast a lingering glance at the little Princess, and without
hesitation lifted the cup.

`Don't drink!' suddenly cried out the little Princess; `I would
rather marry a gardener.'

And she burst into tears.

Michael flung the contents of the cup behind him, sprang over
the table, and fell at Lina's feet. The rest of the princes fell
likewise at the knees of the princesses, each of whom chose a husband
and raised him to her side. The charm was broken.

The twelve couples embarked in the boats, which crossed back
many times in order to carry over the other princes. Then they all
went through the three woods, and when they had passed the door
of the underground passage a great noise was heard, as if the
enchanted castle was crumbling to the earth.

They went straight to the room of the Duke of Beloeil, who had
just awoke. Michael held in his hand the golden cup, and he
revealed the secret of the holes in the shoes.

`Choose, then,' said the Duke, `whichever you prefer.'

`My choice is already made,' replied the garden boy, and he
offered his hand to the youngest Princess, who blushed and
lowered her eyes.


XVI


The Princess Lina did not become a gardener's wife; on the
contrary, it was the Star Gazer who became a Prince: but before
the marriage ceremony the Princess insisted that her lover should
tell her how he came to discover the secret.

So he showed her the two laurels which had helped him, and
she, like a prudent girl, thinking they gave him too much advantage
over his wife, cut them off at the root and threw them in the fire.
And this is why the country girls go about singing:

Nous n'irons plus au bois,
Les lauriers sont coupes,'

and dancing in summer by the light of the moon.



THE PRINCESS MAYBLOSSOM

ONCE upon a time there lived a King and Queen whose children
had all died, first one and then another, until at last only one
little daughter remained, and the Queen was at her wits' end to
know where to find a really good nurse who would take care of her,
and bring her up. A herald was sent who blew a trumpet at every
street corner, and commanded all the best nurses to appear before
the Queen, that she might choose one for the little Princess. So on
the appointed day the whole palace was crowded with nurses, who
came from the four corners of the world to offer themselves, until the
Queen declared that if she was ever to see the half of them, they
must be brought out to her, one by one, as she sat in a shady wood
near the palace.

This was accordingly done, and the nurses, after they had made
their curtsey to the King and Queen, ranged themselves in a line
before her that she might choose. Most of them were fair and fat
and charming, but there was one who was dark-skinned and ugly,
and spoke a strange language which nobody could understand. The
Queen wondered how she dared offer herself, and she was told to
go away, as she certainly would not do. Upon which she muttered
something and passed on, but hid herself in a hollow tree, from
which she could see all that happened. The Queen, without giving
her another thought, chose a pretty rosy-faced nurse, but no sooner
was her choice made than a snake, which was hidden in the grass,
bit that very nurse on her foot, so that she fell down as if dead.
The Queen was very much vexed by this accident, but she soon
selected another, who was just stepping forward when an eagle flew
by and dropped a large tortoise upon her head, which was cracked
in pieces like an egg-shell. At this the Queen was much horrified;
nevertheless, she chose a third time, but with no better fortune, for
the nurse, moving quickly, ran into the branch of a tree and blinded
herself with a thorn. Then the Queen in dismay cried that there
must be some malignant influence at work, and that she would
choose no more that day; and she had just risen to return to the
palace when she heard peals of malicious laughter behind her, and
turning round saw the ugly stranger whom she had dismissed, who
was making very merry over the disasters and mocking everyone,
but especially the Queen. This annoyed Her Majesty very much,
and she was about to order that she should be arrested, when the
witch--for she was a witch--with two blows from a wand summoned
a chariot of fire drawn by winged dragons, and was whirled off
through the air uttering threats and cries. When the King saw this
he cried:

`Alas! now we are ruined indeed, for that was no other than
the Fairy Carabosse, who has had a grudge against me ever since
I was a boy and put sulphur into her porridge one day for fun.'

Then the Queen began to cry.

`If I had only known who it was,' she said, `I would have done
my best to make friends with her; now I suppose all is lost.'

The King was sorry to have frightened her so much, and
proposed that they should go and hold a council as to what was best to
be done to avert the misfortunes which Carabosse certainly meant
to bring upon the little Princess.

So all the counsellors were summoned to the palace, and when
they had shut every door and window, and stuffed up every keyhole
that they might not be overheard, they talked the affair over, and
decided that every fairy for a thousand leagues round should be
invited to the christening of the Princess, and that the time of the
ceremony should be kept a profound secret, in case the Fairy
Carabosse should take it into her head to attend it.

The Queen and her ladies set to work to prepare presents for
the fairies who were invited: for each one a blue velvet cloak, a
petticoat of apricot satin, a pair of high-heeled shoes, some sharp
needles, and a pair of golden scissors. Of all the fairies the Queen
knew, only five were able to come on the day appointed, but they
began immediately to bestow gifts upon the Princess. One promised
that she should be perfectly beautiful, the second that she should
understand anything--no matter what--the first time it was
explained to her, the third that she should sing like a nightingale, the
fourth that she should succeed in everything she undertook, and
the fifth was opening her mouth to speak when a tremendous
rumbling was heard in the chimney, and Carabosse, all covered
with soot, came rolling down, crying:

`I say that she shall be the unluckiest of the unlucky until she
is twenty years old.'

Then the Queen and all the fairies began to beg and beseech
her to think better of it, and not be so unkind to the poor little
Princess, who had never done her any harm. But the ugly old
Fairy only grunted and made no answer. So the last Fairy, who
had not yet given her gift, tried to mend matters by promising the
Princess a long and happy life after the fatal time was over. At
this Carabosse laughed maliciously, and climbed away up the
chimney, leaving them all in great consternation, and especially the
Queen. However, she entertained the fairies splendidly, and gave
them beautiful ribbons, of which they are very fond, in addition to
the other presents.

When they were going away the oldest Fairy said that they
were of opinion that it would be best to shut the Princess up in some
place, with her waiting-women, so that she might not see anyone
else until she was twenty years old. So the King had a tower built
on purpose. It had no windows, so it was lighted with wax candles,
and the only way into it was by an underground passage, which
had iron doors only twenty feet apart, and guards were posted
everywhere.

The Princess had been named Mayblossom, because she was as
fresh and blooming as Spring itself, and she grew up tall and
beautiful, and everything she did and said was charming. Every time the
King and Queen came to see her they were more delighted with her
than before, but though she was weary of the tower, and often
begged them to take her away from it, they always refused. The
Princess's nurse, who had never left her, sometimes told her about
the world outside the tower, and though the Princess had never
seen anything for herself, yet she always understood exactly, thanks
to the second Fairy's gift. Often the King said to the Queen:

`We were cleverer than Carabosse after all. Our Mayblossom
will be happy in spite of her predictions.'

And the Queen laughed until she was tired at the idea of having
outwitted the old Fairy. They had caused the Princess's portrait to
be painted and sent to all the neighbouring Courts, for in four days she
would have completed her twentieth year, and it was time to decide
whom she should marry. All the town was rejoicing at the thought
of the Princess's approaching freedom, and when the news came
that King Merlin was sending his ambassador to ask her in marriage
for his son, they were still more delighted. The nurse, who kept
the Princess informed of everything that went forward in the town,
did not fail to repeat the news that so nearly concerned her, and
gave such a description of the splendour in which the ambassador
Fanfaronade would enter the town, that the Princess was wild to
see the procession for herself.

`What an unhappy creature I am,' she cried, `to be shut up in
this dismal tower as if I had committed some crime! I have never
seen the sun, or the stars, or a horse, or a monkey, or a lion, except
in pictures, and though the King and Queen tell me I am to be set
free when I am twenty, I believe they only say it to keep me amused,
when they never mean to let me out at all.'

And then she began to cry, and her nurse, and the nurse's
daughter, and the cradle-rocker, and the nursery-maid, who all loved
her dearly, cried too for company, so that nothing could be heard
but sobs and sighs. It was a scene of woe. When the Princess saw
that they all pitied her she made up her mind to have her own way.
So she declared that she would starve herself to death if they did
not find some means of letting her see Fanfaronade's grand entry
into the town.

`If you really love me,' she said, `you will manage it, somehow
or other, and the King and Queen need never know anything
about it.'

Then the nurse and all the others cried harder than ever, and
said everything they could think of to turn the Princess from her
idea. But the more they said the more determined she was, and at
last they consented to make a tiny hole in the tower on the side
that looked towards the city gates.

After scratching and scraping all day and all night, they presently
made a hole through which they could, with great difficulty, push a
very slender needle, and out of this the Princess looked at the daylight
for the first time. She was so dazzled and delighted by what
she saw, that there she stayed, never taking her eyes away from the
peep-hole for a single minute, until presently the ambassador's
procession appeared in sight.

At the head of it rode Fanfaronade himself upon a white horse,
which pranced and caracoled to the sound of the trumpets. Nothing
could have been more splendid than the ambassador's attire. His
coat was nearly hidden under an embroidery of pearls and diamonds,
his boots were solid gold, and from his helmet floated scarlet plumes.
At the sight of him the Princess lost her wits entirely, and determined
that Fanfaronade and nobody else would she marry.

`It is quite impossible,' she said, `that his master should be half
as handsome and delightful. I am not ambitious, and having spent
all my life in this tedious tower, anything--even a house in the
country--will seem a delightful change. I am sure that bread and
water shared with Fanfaronade will please me far better than roast
chicken and sweetmeats with anybody else.'

And so she went on talk, talk, talking, until her waiting-women
wondered where she got it all from. But when they tried to stop
her, and represented that her high rank made it perfectly impossible
that she should do any such thing, she would not listen, and
ordered them to be silent.

As soon as the ambassador arrived at the palace, the Queen
started to fetch her daughter.

All the streets were spread with carpets, and the windows were
full of ladies who were waiting to see the Princess, and carried
baskets of flowers and sweetmeats to shower upon her as she
passed.

They had hardly begun to get the Princess ready when a dwarf
arrived, mounted upon an elephant. He came from the five fairies,
and brought for the Princess a crown, a sceptre, and a robe of golden
brocade, with a petticoat marvellously embroidered with butterflies'
wings. They also sent a casket of jewels, so splendid that no one
had ever seen anything like it before, and the Queen was perfectly
dazzled when she opened it. But the Princess scarcely gave a glance
to any of these treasures, for she thought of nothing but Fanfaronade.
The Dwarf was rewarded with a gold piece, and decorated with so
many ribbons that it was hardly possible to see him at all. The
Princess sent to each of the fairies a new spinning-wheel with a
distaff of cedar wood, and the Queen said she must look through
her treasures and find something very charming to send them
also.

When the Princess was arrayed in all the gorgeous things the
Dwarf had brought, she was more beautiful than ever, and as she
walked along the streets the people cried: `How pretty she is!
How pretty she is!'

The procession consisted of the Queen, the Princess, five dozen
other princesses her cousins, and ten dozen who came from the
neighbouring kingdoms; and as they proceeded at a stately pace the
sky began to grow dark, then suddenly the thunder growled, and
rain and hail fell in torrents. The Queen put her royal mantle
over her head, and all the princesses did the same with their trains.
Mayblossom was just about to follow their example when a terrific
croaking, as of an immense army of crows, rooks, ravens, screech-
owls, and all birds of ill-omen was heard, and at the same instant a
huge owl skimmed up to the Princess, and threw over her a scarf
woven of spiders' webs and embroidered with bats' wings. And
then peals of mocking laughter rang through the air, and they
guessed that this was another of the Fairy Carabosse's unpleasant
jokes.

The Queen was terrified at such an evil omen, and tried to pull
the black scarf from the Princess's shoulders, but it really seemed
as if it must be nailed on, it clung so closely.

`Ah!' cried the Queen, `can nothing appease this enemy of
ours? What good was it that I sent her more than fifty pounds of
sweetmeats, and as much again of the best sugar, not to mention
two Westphalia hams? She is as angry as ever.'

While she lamented in this way, and everybody was as wet as
if they had been dragged through a river, the Princess still thought
of nothing but the ambassador, and just at this moment he appeared
before her, with the King, and there was a great blowing of
trumpets, and all the people shouted louder than ever. Fanfaronade
was not generally at a loss for something to say, but when he saw
the Princess, she was so much more beautiful and majestic than he
had expected that he could only stammer out a few words, and
entirely forgot the harangue which he had been learning for
months, and knew well enough to have repeated it in his sleep. To
gain time to remember at least part of it, he made several low bows
to the Princess, who on her side dropped half-a-dozen curtseys without
stopping to think, and then said, to relieve his evident embarrassment:

`Sir Ambassador, I am sure that everything you intend to say
is charming, since it is you who mean to say it; but let us make
haste into the palace, as it is pouring cats and dogs, and the wicked
Fairy Carabosse will be amused to see us all stand dripping here.
When we are once under shelter we can laugh at her.'

Upon this the Ambassador found his tongue, and replied
gallantly that the Fairy had evidently foreseen the flames that
would be kindled by the bright eyes of the Princess, and had sent
this deluge to extinguish them. Then he offered his hand to conduct
the Princess, and she said softly:

`As you could not possibly guess how much I like you, Sir
Fanfaronade, I am obliged to tell you plainly that, since I saw you
enter the town on your beautiful prancing horse, I have been sorry
that you came to speak for another instead of for yourself. So, if
you think about it as I do, I will marry you instead of your master.
Of course I know you are not a prince, but I shall be just as fond of
you as if you were, and we can go and live in some cosy little
corner of the world, and be as happy as the days are long.'

The Ambassador thought he must be dreaming, and could hardly
believe what the lovely Princess said. He dared not answer, but
only squeezed the Princess's hand until he really hurt her little
finger, but she did not cry out. When they reached the palace the
King kissed his daughter on both cheeks, and said:

`My little lambkin, are you willing to marry the great King
Merlin's son, for this Ambassador has come on his behalf to fetch
you?'

`If you please, sire,' said the Princess, dropping a curtsey.

`I consent also,' said the Queen; `so let the banquet be prepared.'

This was done with all speed, and everybody feasted except
Mayblossom and Fanfaronade, who looked at one another and forgot
everything else.

After the banquet came a ball, and after that again a ballet, and
at last they were all so tired that everyone fell asleep just where
he sat. Only the lovers were as wide-awake as mice, and the
Princess, seeing that there was nothing to fear, said to Fanfaronade:

`Let us be quick and run away, for we shall never have a better
chance than this.'

Then she took the King's dagger, which was in a diamond
sheath, and the Queen's neck-handkerchief, and gave her hand to
Fanfaronade, who carried a lantern, and they ran out together into
the muddy street and down to the sea-shore. Here they got into
a little boat in which the poor old boatman was sleeping, and when
he woke up and saw the lovely Princess, with all her diamonds and
her spiders'--web scarf, he did not know what to think, and obeyed
her instantly when she commanded him to set out. They could see
neither moon nor stars, but in the Queen's neck-handkerchief there
was a carbuncle which glowed like fifty torches. Fanfaronade
asked the Princess where she would like to go, but she only
answered that she did not care where she went as long as he was
with her.

`But, Princess,' said he, `I dare not take you back to King
Merlin's court. He would think hanging too good for me.'

`Oh, in that case,' she answered, `we had better go to Squirrel
Island; it is lonely enough, and too far off for anyone to follow us
there.'

So she ordered the old boatman to steer for Squirrel Island.

Meanwhile the day was breaking, and the King and Queen and
all the courtiers began to wake up and rub their eyes, and think
it was time to finish the preparations for the wedding. And the
Queen asked for her neck-handkerchief, that she might look smart.
Then there was a scurrying hither and thither, and a hunting everywhere:
they looked into every place, from the wardrobes to the
stoves, and the Queen herself ran about from the garret to the
cellar, but the handkerchief was nowhere to be found.

By this time the King had missed his dagger, and the
search began all over again. They opened boxes and chests of
which the keys had been lost for a hundred years, and found
numbers of curious things, but not the dagger, and the King tore
his beard, and the Queen tore her hair, for the handkerchief and
the dagger were the most valuable things in the kingdom.

When the King saw that the search was hopeless he said:

`Never mind, let us make haste and get the wedding over before
anything else is lost.' And then he asked where the Princess was.
Upon this her nurse came forward and said:

`Sire, I have been seeking her these two hours, but she is
nowhere to be found.' This was more than the Queen could bear.
She gave a shriek of alarm and fainted away, and they had to pour
two barrels of eau-de-cologne over her before she recovered. When
she came to herself everybody was looking for the Princess in the
greatest terror and confusion, but as she did not appear, the King
said to his page:

`Go and find the Ambassador Fanfaronade, who is doubtless
asleep in some corner, and tell him the sad news.'

So the page hunted hither and thither, but Fanfaronade was
no more to be found than the Princess, the dagger, or the neck-
handkerchief!

Then the King summoned his counsellors and his guards, and,
accompanied by the Queen, went into his great hall. As he had not
had time to prepare his speech beforehand, the King ordered that
silence should be kept for three hours, and at the end of that time
he spoke as follows:

`Listen, great and ! My dear daughter Mayblossom is
lost: whether she has been stolen away or has simply disappeared
I cannot tell. The Queen's neck-handkerchief and my sword,
which are worth their weight in gold, are also missing, and, what
is worst of all, the Ambassador Fanfaronade is nowhere to be
found. I greatly fear that the King, his master, when he receives
no tidings from him, will come to seek him among us, and will
accuse us of having made mince-meat of him. Perhaps I could
bear even that if I had any money, but I assure you that the
expenses of the wedding have completely ruined me. Advise me,
then, my dear subjects, what had I better do to recover my daughter,
Fanfaronade, and the other things.'

This was the most eloquent speech the King had been known
to make, and when everybody had done admiring it the Prime
Minister made answer:

`Sire, we are all very sorry to see you so sorry. We would
give everything we value in the world to take away the cause of
your sorrow, but this seems to be another of the tricks of the Fairy
Carabosse. The Princess's twenty unlucky years were not quite
over, and really, if the truth must be told, I noticed that Fanfaronade
and the Princess appeared to admire one another greatly. Perhaps
this may give some clue to the mystery of their disappearance.'

Here the Queen interrupted him, saying, `Take care what you
say, sir. Believe me, the Princess Mayblossom was far too well
brought up to think of falling in love with an Ambassador.'

At this the nurse came forward, and, falling on her knees,
confessed how they had made the little needle-hole in the tower, and
how the Princess had declared when she saw the Ambassador that
she would marry him and nobody else. Then the Queen was very
angry, and gave the nurse, and the cradle-rocker, and the nursery-
maid such a scolding that they shook in their shoes. But the
Admiral Cocked-Hat interrupted her, crying:

`Let us be off after this good-for-nothing Fanfaronade, for with
out a doubt he has run away with our Princess.'

Then there was a great clapping of hands, and everybody
shouted, `By all means let us be after him.'

So while some embarked upon the sea, the others ran from
kingdom to kingdom beating drums and blowing trumpets, and
wherever a crowd collected they cried:

`Whoever wants a beautiful doll, sweetmeats of all kinds, a
little pair of scissors, a golden robe, and a satin cap has only to
say where Fanfaronade has hidden the Princess Mayblossom.'

But the answer everywhere was, `You must go farther, we have
not seen them.'

However, those who went by sea were more fortunate, for after
sailing about for some time they noticed a light before them which
burned at night like a great fire. At first they dared not go near
it, not knowing what it might be, but by-and-by it remained
stationary over Squirrel Island, for, as you have guessed already,
the light was the glowing of the carbuncle. The Princess and
Fanfaronade on landing upon the island had given the boatman
a hundred gold pieces, and made him promise solemnly to tell no
one where he had taken them; but the first thing that happened
was that, as he rowed away, he got into the midst of the fleet, and
before he could escape the Admiral had seen him and sent a boat
after him.

When he was searched they found the gold pieces in his pocket,
and as they were quite new coins, struck in honour of the Princess's
wedding, the Admiral felt certain that the boatman must have
been paid by the Princess to aid her in her flight. But he would
not answer any questions, and pretended to be deaf and dumb

Then the Admiral said: `Oh! deaf and dumb is he? Lash
him to the mast and give him a taste of the cat-o'-nine-tails. I
don't know anything better than that for curing the deaf and
dumb!'

And when the old boatman saw that he was in earnest, he told
all he knew about the cavalier and the lady whom he had landed
upon Squirrel Island, and the Admiral knew it must be the
Princess and Fanfaronade; so he gave the order for the fleet to
surround the island.

Meanwhile the Princess Mayblossom, who was by this time
terribly sleepy, had found a grassy bank in the shade, and throwing
herself down had already fallen into a profound slumber, when
Fanfaronade, who happened to be hungry and not sleepy, came
and woke her up, saying, very crossly:

`Pray, madam, how long do you mean to stay here? I see
nothing to eat, and though you may be very charming, the sight
of you does not prevent me from famishing.'

`What! Fanfaronade,' said the Princess, sitting up and rubbing
her eyes, `is it possible that when I am here with you you can
want anything else? You ought to be thinking all the time how
happy you are.'

`Happy!' cried he; `say rather unhappy. I wish with all my
heart that you were back in your dark tower again.'

`Darling, don't be cross,' said the Princess. `I will go and see
if I can find some wild fruit for you.'

`I wish you might find a wolf to eat you up,' growled Fanfaronade.

The Princess, in great dismay, ran hither and thither all about
the wood, tearing her dress, and hurting her pretty white hands
with the thorns and brambles, but she could find nothing good to
eat, and at last she had to go back sorrowfully to Fanfaronade.
When he saw that she came empty-handed he got up and left her,
grumbling to himself.

The next day they searched again, but with no better success.

`Alas!' said the Princess, `if only I could find something for
you to eat, I should not mind being hungry myself.'

`No, I should not mind that either,' answered Fanfaronade.

`Is it possible,' said she, `that you would not care if I died of
hunger? Oh, Fanfaronade, you said you loved me!'

`That was when we were in quite another place and I was not
hungry,' said he. `It makes a great difference in one's ideas to be
dying of hunger and thirst on a desert island.'

At this the Princess was dreadfully vexed, and she sat down
under a white rose bush and began to cry bitterly.

`Happy roses,' she thought to herself, `they have only to blossom
in the sunshine and be admired, and there is nobody to be unkind
to them.' And the tears ran down her cheeks and splashed on to
the rose-tree roots. Presently she was surprised to see the whole
bush rustling and shaking, and a soft little voice from the prettiest
rosebud said:

`Poor Princess! look in the trunk of that tree, and you will
find a honeycomb, but don't be foolish enough to share it with
Fanfaronade.'

Mayblossom ran to the tree, and sure enough there was the
honey. Without losing a moment she ran with it to Fanfaronade,
crying gaily:

`See, here is a honeycomb that I have found. I might have
eaten it up all by myself, but I had rather share it with you.'

But without looking at her or thanking her he snatched the honey
comb out of her hands and ate it all up--every bit, without offering
her a morsel. Indeed, when she humbly asked for some he said
mockingly that it was too sweet for her, and would spoil her teeth.

Mayblossom, more downcast than ever, went sadly away and
sat down under an oak tree, and her tears and sighs were so
piteous that the oak fanned her with his rustling leaves, and said:

`Take courage, pretty Princess, all is not lost yet. Take this
pitcher of milk and drink it up, and whatever you do, don't leave a
drop for Fanfaronade.'

The Princess, quite astonished, looked round, and saw a big
pitcher full of milk, but before she could raise it to her lips the
thought of how thirsty Fanfaronade must be, after eating at least
fifteen pounds of honey, made her run back to him and say:

`Here is a pitcher of milk; drink some, for you must be thirsty
I am sure; but pray save a little for me, as I am dying of hunger
and thirst.'

But he seized the pitcher and drank all it contained at a single
draught, and then broke it to atoms on the nearest stone, saying
with a malicious smile: `As you have not eaten anything you cannot
be thirsty.'

`Ah!' cried the Princess, `I am well punished for disappointing
the King and Queen, and running away with this Ambassador
about whom I knew nothing.'

And so saying she wandered away into the thickest part of the
wood, and sat down under a thorn tree, where a nightingale was
singing. Presently she heard him say: `Search under the bush
Princess; you will find some sugar, almonds, and some tarts there
But don't be silly enough to offer Fanfaronade any.' And this
time the Princess, who was fainting with hunger, took the nightingale's
advice, and ate what she found all by herself. But Fanfaronade,
seeing that she had found something good, and was not
going to share it with him, ran after her in such a fury that she
hastily drew out the Queen's carbuncle, which had the property of
rendering people invisible if they were in danger, and when she
was safely hidden from him she reproached him gently for his
unkindness.

Meanwhile Admiral Cocked-Hat had despatched Jack-the-
Chatterer-of-the-Straw-Boots, Courier in Ordinary to the Prime
Minister, to tell the King that the Princess and the Ambassador
had landed on Squirrel Island, but that not knowing the country
he had not pursued them, for fear of being captured by concealed
enemies. Their Majesties were overjoyed at the news, and the
King sent for a great book, each leaf of which was eight ells long.
It was the work of a very clever Fairy, and contained a description
of the whole earth. He very soon found that Squirrel Island was
uninhabited.

`Go,' said he, to Jack-the-Chatterer, `tell the Admiral from me
to land at once. I am surprised at his not having done so sooner.'
As soon as this message reached the fleet, every preparation was
made for war, and the noise was so great that it reached the ears of
the Princess, who at once flew to protect her lover. As he was not
very brave he accepted her aid gladly.

`You stand behind me,' said she, `and I will hold the carbuncle
which will make us invisible, and with the King's dagger I can
protect you from the enemy.' So when the soldiers landed they
could see nothing, but the Princess touched them one after another
with the dagger, and they fell insensible upon the sand, so that at
last the Admiral, seeing that there was some enchantment, hastily
gave orders for a retreat to be sounded, and got his men back into
their boats in great confusion.

Fanfaronade,being once more left with the Princess,
began to think that if he could get rid of her, and possess
himself of the carbuncle and the dagger, he would be
able to make his escape. So as they walked back over
the cliffs he gave the Princess a great push, hoping she
would fall into the sea; but she stepped aside so quickly that
he only succeeded in overbalancing himself, and over
he went, and sank to the bottom of the sea like a lump of
lead, and was never heard of any more. While the Princess
was still looking after him in horror, her attention was attracted
by a rushing noise over her head, and looking up she saw two chariots
approaching rapidly from opposite directions. One was bright and
glittering, and drawn by swans and peacocks, while the Fairy who sat
in it was beautiful as a sunbeam; but the other was drawn by bats and
ravens, and contained a frightful little Dwarf, who was dressed in a
snake's skin, and wore a great toad upon her head for a hood. The
chariots met with a frightful crash in mid-air, and the Princess
looked on in breathless anxiety while a furious battle took place
between the lovely Fairy with her golden lance, and the hideous little
Dwarf and her rusty pike. But very soon it was evident that the
Beauty had the best of it, and the Dwarf turned her bats' heads and
flickered away in great confusion, while the Fairy came down to
where the Princess stood, and said, smiling, `You see Princess, I have
completely routed that malicious old Carabosse. Will you believe it!
she actually wanted to claim authority over you for ever, because
you came out of the tower four days before the twenty years were
ended. However, I think I have settled her pretensions, and I
hope you will be very happy and enjoy the freedom I have won for
you.'

The Princess thanked her heartily, and then the Fairy despatched
one of her peacocks to her palace to bring a gorgeous robe for
Mayblossom, who certainly needed it, for her own was torn to shreds
by the thorns and briars. Another peacock was sent to the Admiral
to tell him that he could now land in perfect safety, which he at
once did, bringing all his men with him, even to Jack-the-Chatterer,
who, happening to pass the spit upon which the Admiral's dinner
was roasting, snatched it up and brought it with him.

Admiral Cocked-Hat was immensely surprised when he came
upon the golden chariot, and still more so to see two lovely ladies
walking under the trees a little farther away. When he reached
them, of course he recognised the Princess, and he went down on
his knees and kissed her hand quite joyfully. Then she presented
him to the Fairy, and told him how Carabosse had been finally
routed, and he thanked and congratulated the Fairy, who was most
gracious to him. While they were talking she cried suddenly:

`I declare I smell a savoury dinner.'

`Why yes, Madam, here it is,' said Jack-the-Chatterer, holding
up the spit, where all the pheasants and partridges were frizzling.
`Will your Highness please to taste any of them?'

`By all means,' said the Fairy, `especially as the Princess will
certainly be glad of a good meal.'

So the Admiral sent back to his ship for everything that was
needful, and they feasted merrily under the trees. By the time
they had finished the peacock had come back with a robe for the
Princess, in which the Fairy arrayed her. It was of green and gold
brocade, embroidered with pearls and rubies, and her long golden
hair was tied back with strings of diamonds and emeralds, and
crowned with flowers. The Fairy made her mount beside her in
the golden chariot, and took her on board the Admiral's ship, where
she bade her farewell, sending many messages of friendship to the
Queen, and bidding the Princess tell her that she was the fifth
Fairy who had attended the christening. Then salutes were fired,
the fleet weighed anchor, and very soon they reached the port.
Here the King and Queen were waiting, and they received the
Princess with such joy and kindness that she could not get a word
in edgewise, to say how sorry she was for having run away with
such a very poor spirited Ambassador. But, after all, it must have
been all Carabosse's fault. Just at this lucky moment who should
arrive but King Merlin's son, who had become uneasy at not
receiving any news from his Ambassador, and so had started himself
with a magnificent escort of a thousand horsemen, and thirty
body-guards in gold and scarlet uniforms, to see what could have
happened. As he was a hundred times handsomer and braver
than the Ambassador, the Princess found she could like him very
much. So the wedding was held at once, with so much splendour
and rejoicing that all the previous misfortunes were quite forgotten.[1]


[1] La Princesse Printaniere. Par Mme. d'Aulnoy.



SORIA MORIA CASTLE

THERE was once upon a time a couple of folks who had a son
called Halvor. Ever since he had been a little boy he had been
unwilling to do any work, and had just sat raking about among the
ashes. His parents sent him away to learn several things, but
Halvor stayed nowhere, for when he had been gone two or three
days he always ran away from his master, hurried off home, and
sat down in the chimney corner to grub among the ashes again.

One day, however, a sea captain came and asked Halvor if he
hadn't a fancy to come with him and go to sea, and behold foreign
lands. And Halvor had a fancy for that, so he was not long in
getting ready.

How long they sailed I have no idea, but after a long, long time
there was a terrible storm, and when it was over and all had become
calm again, they knew not where they were, for they had been
driven away to a strange coast of which none of them had any
knowledge.

As there was no wind at all they lay there becalmed, and Halvor
asked the skipper to give him leave to go on shore to look about
him, for he would much rather do that than lie there and sleep.

`Dost thou think that thou art fit to go where people can see
thee?' said the skipper; `thou hast no clothes but those rags thou
art going about in!'

Halvor still begged for leave, and at last got it, but he was to
come back at once if the wind began to rise.

So he went on shore, and it was a delightful country;
whithersoever he went there were wide plains with fields and meadows,
but as for people, there were none to be seen. The wind began to
rise, but Halvor thought that he had not seen enough yet, and that
he would like to walk about a little longer, to try if he could not
meet somebody. So after a while he came to a great highway, which
was so smooth that an egg might have been rolled along it without
breaking. Halvor followed this, and when evening drew near he
saw a big castle far away in the distance, and there were lights in
it. So as he had now been walking the whole day and had not
brought anything to eat away with him, he was frightfully hungry.
Nevertheless, the nearer he came to the castle the more afraid
he was.

A fire was burning in the castle, and Halvor went into the kitchen,
which was more magnificent than any kitchen he had ever yet beheld.
There were vessels of gold and silver, but not one human
being was to be seen. When Halvor had stood there for some time,
and no one had come out, he went in and opened a door, and inside
a Princess was sitting at her wheel spinning.

`Nay!' she cried, `can Christian folk dare to come hither? But
the best thing that you can do is to go away again, for if not the
Troll will devour you. A Troll with three heads lives here.'

`I should have been just as well pleased if he had had four heads
more, for I should have enjoyed seeing the fellow,' said the youth;
`and I won't go away, for I have done no harm, but you must give
me something to eat, for I am frightfully hungry.'

When Halvor had eaten his fill, the Princess told him to try if
he could wield the sword which was hanging on the wall, but he
could not wield it, nor could he even lift it up.

`Well, then, you must take a drink out of that bottle which is
hanging by its side, for that's what the Troll does whenever he goes
out and wants to use the sword,' said the Princess.

Halvor took a draught, and in a moment he was able to swing
the sword about with perfect ease. And now he thought it was
high time for the Troll to make his appearance, and at that very
moment he came, panting for breath.

Halvor got behind the door.

`Hutetu!' said the Troll as he put his head in at the door. `It
smells just as if there were Christian man's blood here!'

`Yes, you shall learn that there is!' said Halvor, and cut off all
his heads.

The Princess was so rejoiced to be free that she danced and sang,
but then she remembered her sisters, and said: `If my sisters were
but free too!'

`Where are they?' asked Halvor.

So she told him where they were. One of them had been taken
away by a Troll to his castle, which was six miles off, and the other
had been carried off to a castle which was nine miles farther off still

`But now,' said she, `you must first help me to get this dead
body away from here.'

Halvor was so strong that he cleared everything away, and made
all clean and tidy very quickly. So then they ate and drank, and
were happy, and next morning he set off in the grey light of dawn.
He gave himself no rest, but walked or ran the livelong day.
When he came in sight of the castle he was again just a little afraid.
It was much more splendid than the other, but here too there was
not a human being to be seen. So Halvor went into the kitchen,
and did not linger there either, but went straight in.

`Nay! do Christian folk dare to come here?' cried the second
Princess. `I know not how long it is since I myself came, but during
all that time I have never seen a Christian man. It will be better for
you to depart at once, for a Troll lives here who has six heads.'

`No, I shall not go,' said Halvor; `even if he had six more I
would not.'

`He will swallow you up alive,' said the Princess.

But she spoke to no purpose, for Halvor would not go; he was
not afraid of the Troll, but he wanted some meat and drink, for he
was hungry after his journey. So she gave him as much as he
would have, and then she once more tried to make him go away.

`No,' said Halvor, `I will not go, for I have not done anything
wrong, and I have no reason to be afraid.'

`He won't ask any questions about that,' said the Princess, `for
he will take you without leave or right; but as you will not go, try
if you can wield that sword which the Troll uses in battle.'

He could not brandish the sword; so the Princess said that he
was to take a draught from the flask which hung by its side, and
when he had done that he could wield the sword.

Soon afterwards the Troll came, and he was so large and stout
that he was forced to go sideways to get through the door. When
the Troll got his first head in he cried: `Hutetu! It smells of a
Christian man's blood here!'

With that Halvor cut off the first head, and so on with all the
rest. The Princess was now exceedingly delighted, but then she
remembered her sisters, and wished that they too were free. Halvor
thought that might be managed, and wanted to set off immediately;
but first he had to help the Princess to remove the Troll's body, so
it was not until morning that he set forth on his way.

It was a long way to the castle, and he both walked and ran to
get there in time. Late in the evening he caught sight of it, and it
was very much more magnificent than either of the others. And
this time he was not in the least afraid, but went into the kitchen,
and then straight on inside the castle. There a Princess was sitting,
who was so beautiful that there was never anyone to equal her. She
too said what the others had said, that no Christian folk had ever
been there since she had come, and entreated him to go away again,
or else the Troll would swallow him up alive. The Troll had nine
heads, she told him.

`Yes, and if he had nine added to the nine, and then nine more
still, I would not go away,' said Halvor, and went and stood by the
stove.

The Princess begged him very prettily to go lest the Troll
should devour him; but Halvor said, `Let him come when he
will.'

So she gave him the Troll's sword, and bade him take a drink
from the flask to enable him to wield it.

At that same moment the Troll came, breathing hard, and he
was ever so much bigger and stouter than either of the others, and
he too was forced to go sideways to get in through the door.

`Hutetu! what a smell of Christian blood there is here!' said he.

Then Halvor cut off the first head, and after that the others, but
the last was the toughest of them all, and it was the hardest work
that Halvor had ever done to get it off, but he still believed that
he would have strength enough to do it.

And now all the Princesses came to the castle, and were together
again, and they were happier than they had ever been in their lives;
and they were delighted with Halvor, and he with them, and he
was to choose the one he liked best; but of the three sisters the
youngest loved him best.

But Halvor went about and was so strange and so mournful
and quiet that the Princesses asked what it was that he longed for,
and if he did not like to be with them. He said that he did like to
be with them, for they had enough to live on, and he was very
comfortable there; but he longed to go home, for his father and mother
were alive, and he had a great desire to see them again.

They thought that this might easily be done.

`You shall go and return in perfect safety if you will follow our
advice,' said the Princesses.

So he said that he would do nothing that they did not wish.

Then they dressed him so splendidly that he was like a King's
son; and they put a ring on his finger, and it was one which would
enable him to go there and back again by wishing, but they told
him that he must not throw it away, or name their names; for if he
did, all his magnificence would be at an end, and then he would never
see them more.

`If I were but at home again, or if home were but here!' said
Halvor, and no sooner had he wished this than it was granted.
Halvor was standing outside his father and mother's cottage before
he knew what he was about. The darkness of night was coming
on, and when the father and mother saw such a splendid and stately
stranger walk in, they were so startled that they both began to bow
and curtsey.

Halvor then inquired if he could stay there and have lodging for
the night. No, that he certainly could not. `We can give you no
such accommodation,' they said, `for we have none of the things that
are needful when a great lord like you is to be entertained. It will
be better for you to go up to the farm. It is not far off, you can see
the chimney-pots from here, and there they have plenty of everything.'

Halvor would not hear of that, he was absolutely determined to
stay where he was; but the old folks stuck to what they had said,
and told him that he was to go to the farm, where he could get both
meat and drink, whereas they themselves had not even a chair to
offer him.

`No,' said Halvor, `I will not go up there till early to-morrow
morning; let me stay here to-night. I can sit down on the
hearth.'

They could say nothing against that, so Halvor sat down on the
hearth, and began to rake about among the ashes just as he had
done before, when he lay there idling away his time.

They chattered much about many things, and told Halvor of
this and of that, and at last he asked them if they had never had
any child.

`Yes,' they said; they had had a boy who was called Halvor,
but they did not know where he had gone, and they could not even
say whether he were dead or alive.

`Could I be he?' said Halvor.

`I should know him well enough,' said the old woman rising.
`Our Halvor was so idle and slothful that he never did anything at
all, and he was so ragged that one hole ran into another all over
his clothes. Such a fellow as he was could never turn into such a
man as you are, sir.'

In a short time the old woman had to go to the fireplace to stir
the fire, and when the blaze lit up Halvor, as it used to do when he
was at home raking up the ashes, she knew him again.

`Good Heavens! is that you, Halvor?' said she, and such great
gladness fell on the old parents that there were no bounds to it. And
now he had to relate everything that had befallen him, and the old
woman was so delighted with him that she would take him up to
the farm at once to show him to the girls who had formerly looked
down on him so. She went there first, and Halvor followed her.
When she got there she told them how Halvor had come home
again, and now they should just see how magnificent he was. `He
looks like a prince,' she said.

`We shall see that he is just the same ragamuffin that he was
before,' said the girls, tossing their heads.

At that same moment Halvor entered, and the girls were so
astonished that they left their kirtles lying in the chimney corner,
and ran away in nothing but their petticoats. When they came
in again they were so shamefaced that they hardly dared to look
at Halvor, towards whom they had always been so proud and
haughty before.

`Ay, ay! you have always thought that you were so pretty and
dainty that no one was equal to you,' said Halvor, `but you should
just see the eldest Princess whom I set free. You look like herds-
women compared with her, and the second Princess is also much
prettier than you; but the youngest, who is my sweetheart, is more
beautiful than either sun or moon. I wish to Heaven they were
here, and then you would see them.'

Scarcely had he said this before they were standing by his side,
but then he was very sorrowful, for the words which they had said
to him came to his mind.

Up at the farm a great feast was made ready for the Princesses,
and much respect paid to them, but they would not stay there.

`We want to go down to your parents,' they said to Halvor, `so
we will go out and look about us.'

He followed them out, and they came to a large pond outside
the farm-house. Very near the water there was a pretty green
bank, and there the Princesses said they would sit down and while
away an hour, for they thought that it would be pleasant to sit and
look out over the water, they said.

There they sat down, and when they had sat for a short time
the youngest Princess said, `I may as well comb your hair a little,
Halvor.'

So Halvor laid his head down on her lap, and she combed it, and
it was not long before he fell asleep. Then she took her ring from
him and put another in its place, and then she said to her sisters:
`Hold me as I am holding you. I would that we were at Soria
Moria Castle.'

When Halvor awoke he knew that he had lost the Princesses,
and began to weep and lament, and was so unhappy that he could
not be comforted. In spite of all his father's and mother's entreaties,
he would not stay, but bade them farewell, saying that he would
never see them more, for if he did not find the Princess again he
did not think it worth while to live.

He again had three hundred dollars, which he put into his pocket
and went on his way. When he had walked some distance he met
a man with a tolerably good horse. Halvor longed to buy it, and
began to bargain with the man.

`Well, I have not exactly been thinking of selling him,' said the
man, `but if we could agree, perhaps----'

Halvor inquired how much he wanted to have for the horse.

`I did not give much for him, and he is not worth much; he is
a capital horse to ride, but good for nothing at drawing; but he will
always be able to carry your bag of provisions and you too, if you
walk and ride by turns.' At last they agreed about the price, and
Halvor laid his bag on the horse, and sometimes he walked and
sometimes he rode. In the evening he came to a green field, where
stood a great tree, under which he seated himself. Then he let the
horse loose and lay down to sleep, but before he did that he took
his bag off the horse. At daybreak he set off again, for he did not
feel as if he could take any rest. So he walked and rode the whole
day, through a great wood where there were many green places
which gleamed very prettily among the trees. He did not know
where he was or whither he was going, but he never lingered longer
in any place than was enough to let his horse get a little food
when they came to one of these green spots, while he himself took
out his bag of provisions.

So he walked and he rode, and it seemed to him that the wood
would never come to an end. But on the evening of the second
day he saw a light shining through the trees.

`If only there were some people up there I might warm myself
and get something to eat,' thought Halvor.

When he got to the place where the light had come from, he
saw a wretched little cottage, and through a small pane of glass he
saw a couple of old folks inside. They were very old, and as grey-
headed as a pigeon, and the old woman had such a long nose that
she sat in the chimney corner and used it to stir the fire.

`Good evening I good evening!' said the old hag; `but what
errand have you that can bring you here? No Christian folk have
been here for more than a hundred years.'

So Halvor told her that he wanted to get to Soria Moria Castle,
and inquired if she knew the way thither.

`No,' said the old woman, `that I do not, but the Moon will be
here presently, and I will ask her, and she will know. She can
easily see it, for she shines on all things.'

So when the Moon stood clear and bright above the tree-tops
the old woman went out. `Moon! Moon!' she screamed. `Canst
thou tell me the way to Soria Moria Castle?'

`No,' said the Moon, `that I can't, for when I shone there, there
was a cloud before me.'

`Wait a little longer,' said the old woman to Halvor, `for the
West Wind will presently be here, and he will know it, for he
breathes gently or blows into every corner.'

`What! have you a horse too?' she said when she came in
again. `Oh! let the poor creature loose in our bit of fenced-in
pasture, and don't let it stand there starving at our very door. But
won't you exchange him with me? We have a pair of old boots
here with which you can go fifteen quarters of a mile at each step.
You shall have them for the horse, and then you will be able to get
sooner to Soria Moria Castle.'

Halvor consented to this at once, and the old woman was so
delighted with the horse that she was ready to dance. `For now I,
too, shall be able to ride to church,' she said. Halvor could take no
rest, and wanted to set off immediately; but the old woman said
that there was no need to hasten. `Lie down on the bench and
sleep a little, for we have no bed to offer you,' said she, `and I will
watch for the coming of the West Wind.'

Ere long came the West Wind, roaring so loud that the walls
creaked.

The old woman went out and cried:

`West Wind! West Wind! Canst thou tell me the way to
Soria Moria Castle? Here is one who would go thither.'

`Yes, I know it well,' said the West Wind. `I am just on my
way there to dry the clothes for the wedding which is to take place.
If he is fleet of foot he can go with me.'

Out ran Halvor.

`You will have to make haste if you mean to go with me,' said
the West Wind; and away it went over hill and dale, and moor and
morass, and Halvor had enough to do to keep up with it.

`Well, now I have no time to stay with you any longer,' said
the West Wind, `for I must first go and tear down a bit of spruce
fir before I go to the bleaching-ground to dry the clothes; but just
go along the side of the hill, and you will come to some girls who
are standing there washing clothes, and then you will not have to
walk far before you are at Soria Moria Castle.'

Shortly afterwards Halvor came to the girls who were standing
washing, and they asked him if he had seen anything of the
West Wind, who was to come there to dry the clothes for the
wedding.

`Yes,' said Halvor, `he has only gone to break down a bit of
spruce fir. It won't be long before he is here.' And then he asked
them the way to Soria Moria Castle. They put him in the right
way, and when he came in front of the castle it was so full of
horses and people that it swarmed with them. But Halvor was so
ragged and torn with following the West Wind through bushes
and bogs that he kept on one side, and would not go among the
crowd until the last day, when the feast was to be held at noon.

So when, as was the usage and custom, all were to drink to the
bride and the young girls who were present, the cup-bearer filled
the cup for each in turn, both bride and bridegroom, and knights
and servants, and at last, after a very long time, he came to Halvor.
He drank their health, and then slipped the ring which the Princess
had put on his finger when they were sitting by the waterside into
the glass, and ordered the cup-bearer to carry the glass to the bride
from him and greet her.

Then the Princess at once rose up from the table, and said,
`Who is most worthy to have one of us--he who has delivered us
from the Trolls or he who is sitting here as bridegroom?'

There could be but one opinion as to that, everyone thought,
and when Halvor heard what they said he was not long in flinging
off his beggar's rags and arraying himself as a bridegroom.

`Yes, he is the right one,' cried the youngest Princess when she
caught sight of him; so she flung the other out of the window and
held her wedding with Halvor.[2]

[2] From P. C. Asbjornsen.



THE DEATH OF KOSHCHEI
THE DEATHLESS

IN a certain kingdom there lived a Prince Ivan. He had three
sisters. The first was the Princess Marya, the second the Princess
Olga, the third the Princess Anna. When their father and
mother lay at the point of death, they had thus enjoined their
son: `Give your sisters in marriage to the very first suitors who
come to woo them. Don't go keeping them by you!'

They died, and the Prince buried them, and then, to solace his
grief, he went with his sisters into the garden green to stroll.
Suddenly the sky was covered by a black cloud; a terrible storm
arose.

`Let us go home, sisters!' he cried.

Hardly had they got into the palace, when the thunder pealed,
the ceiling split open, and into the room where they were came
flying a falcon bright. The Falcon smote upon the ground, became
a brave youth, and said:

`Hail, Prince Ivan! Before I came as a guest, but now I have
come as a wooer! I wish to propose for your sister, the Princess
Marya.'

`If you find favour in the eyes of my sister, I will not interfere
with her wishes. Let her marry you, in God's name!'

The Princess Marya gave her consent; the Falcon married her
and bore her away into his own realm.

Days follow days, hours chase hours; a whole year goes by. One
day Prince Ivan and his two sisters went out to stroll in the garden
green. Again there arose a storm-cloud, with whirlwind and lightning.

`Let us go home, sisters!' cries the Prince. Scarcely had they
entered the palace when the thunder crashed, the roof burst into a
blaze, the ceiling split in twain, and in flew an eagle. The Eagle
smote upon the ground and became a brave youth.

`Hail, Prince Ivan! I Before I came as a guest, but now I have
come as a wooer!'

And he asked for the hand of the Princess Olga. Prince Ivan
replied:

`If you find favour in the eyes of the Princess Olga, then let
her marry you. I will not interfere with her liberty of choice.'

The Princess Olga gave her consent and married the Eagle.
The Eagle took her and carried her off to his own kingdom.

Another year went by. Prince Ivan said to his youngest
sister:

`Let us go out and stroll in the garden green!'

They strolled about for a time. Again there arose a storm-cloud,
with whirlwind and lightning.

`Let us return home, sister!' said he.

They returned home, but they hadn't had time to sit down
when the thunder crashed, the ceiling split open, and in flew a
raven. The Raven smote upon the floor and became a brave
youth. The former youths had been handsome, but this one was
handsomer still.

`Well, Prince Ivan! Before I came as a guest, but now I have
come as a wooer! Give me the Princess Anna to wife.'

`I won't interfere with my sister's freedom. If you gain her
affections, let her marry you.'

So the Princess Anna married the Raven, and he bore her away
into his own realm. Prince Ivan was left alone. A whole year he
lived without his sisters; then he grew weary, and said:

`I will set out in search of my sisters.'

He got ready for the journey, he rode and rode, and one day
he saw a whole army lying dead on the plain. He cried aloud,
`If there be a living man there, let him make answer! Who has
slain this mighty host?'

There replied unto him a living man:

`All this mighty host has been slain by the fair Princess Marya
Morevna.'

Prince Ivan rode further on, and came to a white tent, and forth
came to meet him the fair Princess Marya Morevna.

`Hail, Prince!' says she; `whither does God send you? and is
it of your free will or against your will?'

Prince Ivan replied, `Not against their will do brave youths
ride!'

`Well, if your business be not pressing, tarry awhile in my
tent.'

Thereat was Prince Ivan glad. He spent two nights in the
tent, and he found favour in the eyes of Marya Morevna, and she
married him. The fair Princess, Marya Morevna, carried him off
into her own realm.

They spent some time together, and then the Princess took it
into her head to go a warring. So she handed over all the house-
keeping affairs to Prince Ivan, and gave him these instructions:

`Go about everywhere, keep watch over everything; only do
not venture to look into that closet there.'

He couldn't help doing so. The moment Marya Morevna had
gone he rushed to the closet, pulled open the door, and looked in--
there hung Koshchei the Deathless, fettered by twelve chains. Then
Koshchei entreated Prince Ivan, saying:

`Have pity upon me and give me to drink! Ten years long
have I been here in torment, neither eating nor drinking; my
throat is utterly dried up.'

The Prince gave him a bucketful of water; he drank it up and
asked for more, saying:

`A single bucket of water will not quench my thirst; give me
more!'

The Prince gave him a second bucketful. Koshchei drank it
up and asked for a third, and when he had swallowed the third
bucketful, he regained his former strength, gave his chains a shake,
and broke all twelve at once.

`Thanks, Prince Ivan!' cried Koshchei the Deathless, `now you
will sooner see your own ears than Marya Morevna!' and out of the
window he flew in the shape of a terrible whirlwind. And he came
up with the fair Princess Marya Morevna as she was going her
way, laid hold of her and carried her off home with him. But
Prince Ivan wept full sore, and he arrayed himself and set out a-
wandering, saying to himself, `Whatever happens, I will go and
look for Marya Morevna!'

One day passed, another day passed; at the dawn of the third
day he saw a wondrous palace, and by the side of the palace stood
an oak, and on the oak sat a falcon bright. Down flew the Falcon
from the oak, smote upon the ground, turned into a brave youth,
and cried aloud:

`Ha, dear brother-in-law! how deals the Lord with you?'

Out came running the Princess Marya, joyfully greeted her
brother Ivan, and began inquiring after his health, and telling him
all about herself. The Prince spent three days with them; then he
said:

`I cannot abide with you; I must go in search of my wife, the
fair Princess Marya Morevna.'

`Hard will it be for you to find her,' answered the Falcon. `At
all events leave with us your silver spoon. We will look at it and
remember you.' So Prince Ivan left his silver spoon at the
Falcon's, and went on his way again.

On he went one day, on he went another day, and by the dawn
of the third day he saw a palace still grander than the former one
and hard by the palace stood an oak, and on the oak sat an eagle.
Down flew the Eagle from the oak, smote upon the ground, turned
into a brave youth, and cried aloud:

`Rise up, Princess Olga! Hither comes our brother dear!'

The Princess Olga immediately ran to meet him, and began
kissing him and embracing him, asking after his health, and telling
him all about herself. With them Prince Ivan stopped three days;
then he said:

`I cannot stay here any longer. I am going to look for my
wife, the fair Princess Marya Morevna.'

`Hard will it be for you to find her,' replied the Eagle. `Leave
with us a silver fork. We will look at it and remember you.'

He left a silver fork behind, and went his way. He travelled
one day, he travelled two days; at daybreak on the third day he
saw a palace grander than the first two, and near the palace stood
an oak, and on the oak sat a raven. Down flew the Raven from
the oak, smote upon the ground, turned into a brave youth, and
cried aloud:

`Princess Anna, come forth quickly I our brother is coming.'

Out ran the Princess Anna, greeted him joyfully, and began
kissing and embracing him, asking after his health and telling him
all about herself. Prince Ivan stayed with them three days; then
he said:

`Farewell! I am going to look for my wife, the fair Princess
Marya Morevna.'

`Hard will it be for you to find her,' replied the Raven.
`Anyhow, leave your silver snuff-box with us. We will look at it and
remember you.'

The Prince handed over his silver snuff-box, took his leave, and
went his way. One day he went, another day he went, and on the
third day he came to where Marya Morevna was. She caught
sight of her love, flung her arms around his neck, burst into tears,
and exclaimed:

`Oh, Prince Ivan! why did you disobey me and go looking into


 


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