Andrew Lang_Fairy Book 06 (13 page)

And throughout all the kingdom nothing else was spoken about, and
all the people said: 'Who can the hero be who has fought for us
in so many battles? He cannot be a man, he must be a god.'

And the king said: 'If only I could see him once more, and if it
turned out that after all he was a man and not a god, I would
reward him with half my kingdom.'

Now when the prince reached his home—the gardener's hut where he
lived with his wife—he was weary, and he lay down on his bed and
slept. And his wife noticed the handkerchief bound round his
wounded leg, and she wondered what it could be. Then she looked
at it more closely and saw in the corner that it was embroidered
with her father's name and the royal crown. So she ran straight
to the palace and told her father. And he and his two sons-in-law
followed her back to her house, and there the gardener lay asleep
on his bed. And the scarf that he always wore bound round his
head had slipped off, and his golden hair gleamed on the pillow.
And they all recognised that this was the hero who had fought and
won so many battles for them.

Then there was great rejoicing throughout the land, and the king
rewarded his son-in-law with half of his kingdom, and he and his
wife reigned happily over it.

A nun, a countryman, and a blacksmith were once wandering through
the world together. One day they lost their way in a thick, dark
forest, and were thankful when they saw, in the distance, the
walls of a house, where they hoped they might obtain refuge for
the night. When they got close to the house they found that it
was an old deserted castle, fast falling into ruins, but with
some of the rooms in it still habitable. As they were homeless
they determined to take up their abode in the castle, and they
arranged that one of them should always stay at home and keep
house, while the other two went out into the world to seek their
fortunes.

The lot of remaining at home fell first to the nun, and when the
countryman and the blacksmith had gone out into the wood, she set
to work, tidied up the house, and prepared all the food for the
day. As her companions did not come home for their mid-day meal,
she ate up her own portion and put the rest in the oven to keep
warm. Just as she was sitting down to sew, the door opened and a
little gray man came in, and, standing before her, said: 'Oh! how
cold I am!'

The nun was very sorry for him, and said at once: 'Sit down by
the fire and warm yourself.'

The little man did as he was told, and soon called out: 'Oh! how
hungry I am!'

The nun answered: 'There is food in the oven, help yourself.'

The little man did not need to be told twice, for he set to work
and ate up everything with the greatest possible despatch. When
the nun saw this she was very angry, and scolded the dwarf
because he had left nothing for her companions.

The little man resented her words, and flew into such a passion
that he seized the nun, beat her, and threw her first against one
wall and then against the other. When he had nearly killed her he
left her lying on the floor, and hastily walked out of the house.

In the evening the countryman and the blacksmith returned home,
and when they found, on demanding their dinner, that there was
nothing left for them, they reproached the nun bitterly, and
refused to believe her when she tried to tell them what had
happened.

The next day the countryman asked to be left in charge of the
house, and promised that, if he remained at home, no one should
go hungry to bed. So the other two went out into the forest, and
the countryman having prepared the food for the day, ate up his
own portion, and put the rest in the oven. Just as he had
finished clearing away, the door opened and the little gray man
walked in, and this time he had two heads. He shook and trembled
as before, and exclaimed: 'Oh! how cold I am.'

The countryman, who was frightened out of his wits, begged him to
draw near the fire and warm himself.

Soon after the dwarf looked greedily round, and said: 'Oh! how
hungry I am!'

'There is food in the oven, so you can eat,' replied the
countryman.

Then the little man fell to with both his heads, and soon
finished the last morsel.

When the countryman scolded him for this proceeding he treated
him exactly as he had done the nun, and left the poor fellow more
dead than alive.

Now when the blacksmith came home with the nun in the evening,
and found nothing for supper, he flew into a passion; and swore
that he would stay at home the following day, and that no one
should go supperless to bed.

When day dawned the countryman and the nun set out into the wood,
and the blacksmith prepared all the food for the day as the
others had done. Again the gray dwarf entered the house without
knocking, and this time he had three heads. When he complained of
cold, the blacksmith told him to sit near the fire; and when he
said he was hungry, the blacksmith put some food on a plate and
gave it to him. The dwarf made short work of what was provided
for him, and then, looking greedily round with his six eyes, he
demanded more. When the blacksmith refused to give him another
morsel, he flew into a terrible rage, and proceeded to treat him
in the same way as he had treated his companions.

But the blacksmith was a match for him, for he seized a huge
hammer and struck off two of the dwarf's heads with it. The
little man yelled with pain and rage, and hastily fled from the
house. The blacksmith ran after him, and pursued him for a long
way; but at last they came to an iron door, and through it the
little creature vanished. The door shut behind him, and the
blacksmith had to give up the pursuit and return home. He found
that the nun and the countryman had come back in the meantime,
and they were much delighted when he placed some food before
them, and showed them the two heads he had struck off with his
hammer. The three companions determined there and then to free
themselves from the power of the gray dwarf, and the very next
day they set to work to find him.

They had to walk a long way, and to search for many hours, before
they found the iron door through which the dwarf had disappeared;
and when they had found it they had the greatest difficulty in
opening it. When at last they succeeded in forcing the lock, they
entered a large hall, in which sat a young and lovely girl,
working at a table. The moment she saw the nun, the blacksmith,
and the countryman, she fell at their feet, thanking them with
tears in her eyes for having set her free. She told them that she
was a king's daughter, who had been shut up in the castle by a
mighty magician. The day before, just about noon, she had
suddenly felt the magic power over her disappear, and ever since
that moment she had eagerly awaited the arrival of her
deliverers. She went on to say that there was yet another
princess shut up in the castle, who had also fallen under the
might of the magician.

They wandered through many halls and rooms till at last they
found the second princess, who was quite as grateful as the
first, and thanked the three companions most warmly for having
set her free.

Then the princesses told their rescuers that a great treasure lay
hidden in the cellars of the castle, but that it was carefully
guarded by a fierce and terrible dog.

Nothing daunted, they all went down below at once, and found the
fierce animal mounting guard over the treasure as the princesses
had said. But one blow from the blacksmith's hammer soon made an
end of the monster, and they found themselves in a vaulted
chamber full of gold and silver and precious stones. Beside the
treasure stood a young and handsome man, who advanced to meet,
them, and thanked the nun, the blacksmith, and the countryman,
for having freed him from the magic spell he was under. He told
them that he was a king's son, who had been banished to this
castle by a wicked magician, and that he had been changed into
the three- headed dwarf. When he had lost two of his heads the
magic power over the two princesses had been removed, and when
the blacksmith had killed the horrible dog, then he too had been
set free.

To show his gratitude he begged the three companions to divide
the treasure between them, which they did; but there was so much
of it that it took a very long time.

The princesses, too, were so grateful to their rescuers, that one
married the blacksmith, and the other the countryman.

Then the prince claimed the nun as his bride, and they all lived
happily together till they died.

(From the German. Kletke.)

Once upon a time there was a cobbler called Lazarus, who was very
fond of honey. One day, as he ate some while he sat at work, the
flies collected in such numbers that with one blow he killed
forty. Then he went and ordered a sword to be made for him, on
which he had written these words: 'With one blow I have slain
forty.' When the sword was ready he took it and went out into the
world, and when he was two days' journey from home he came to a
spring, by which he laid himself down and slept.

Now in that country there dwelt Draken, one of whom came to the
spring to draw water; there he found Lazarus sleeping, and read
what was written on his sword. Then he went back to his people
and told them what he had seen, and they all advised him to make
fellowship with this powerful stranger. So the Draken returned to
the spring, awoke Lazarus, and said that if it was agreeable to
him they should make fellowship together.

Lazarus answered that he was willing, and after a priest had
blessed the fellowship, they returned together to the other
Draken, and Lazarus dwelt among them. After some days they told
him that it was their custom to take it in turns to bring wood
and water, and as he was now of their company, he must take his
turn. They went first for water and wood, but at last it came to
be Lazarus's turn to go for water. The Draken had a great
leathern bag, holding two hundred measures of water. This Lazarus
could only, with great difficulty, drag empty to the spring, and
because he could not carry it back full, he did not fill it at
all, but, instead, he dug up the ground all round the spring.

As Lazarus remained so long away, the Draken sent one of their
number to see what had become of him, and when this one came to
the spring, Lazarus said to him: 'We will no more plague
ourselves by carrying water every day. I will bring the entire
spring home at once, and so we shall be freed from this burden.'

But the Draken called out: 'On no account, Herr Lazarus, else we
shall all die of thirst; rather will we carry the water ourselves
in turns, and you alone shall be exempt.'

Next it comes to be Lazarus's turn to bring the wood. Now the
Draken, when they fetched the wood, always took an entire tree on
their shoulder, and so carried it home. Because Lazarus could not
imitate them in this, he went to the forest, tied all the trees
together with a thick rope, and remained in the forest till
evening. Again the Draken sent one of them after him to see what
had become of him, and when this one asked what he was about,
Lazarus answered: 'I will bring the entire forest home at once,
so that after that we may have rest.'

But the Draken called out: 'By no means, Herr Lazarus, else we
shall all die of cold; rather will we go ourselves to bring wood,
and let you be free.' And then the Draken tore up one tree, threw
it over his shoulder, and so carried it home.

When they had lived together some time, the Draken became weary
of Lazarus, and agreed among themselves to kill him; each Draken,
in the night while Lazarus slept, should strike him a blow with a
hatchet. But Lazarus heard of this scheme, and when the evening
came, he took a log of wood, covered it with his cloak, laid it
in the place where he usually slept, and then hid himself. In the
night the Draken came, and each one hit the log a blow with his
hatchet, till it flew in pieces.

Then they believed their object was gained, and they lay down
again.

Thereupon Lazarus took the log, threw it away, and laid himself
down in its stead. Towards dawn, he began to groan, and when the
Draken heard that, they asked what ailed him, to which he made
answer: 'The gnats have stung me horribly.' This terrified the
Draken, for they believed that Lazarus took their blows for
gnat-stings, and they determined at any price to get rid of him.
Next morning, therefore, they asked him if he had not wife or
child, and said that if he would like to go and visit them they
would give him a bag of gold to take away with him. He agreed
willingly to this, but asked further that one of the Draken
should go with him to carry the bag of gold. They consented, and
one was sent with him.

When they had come to within a short; distance of Lazarus's
house, he said to the Draken: 'Stop here, in the meantime, for I
must go on in front and tie up my children, lest they eat you.'

So he went and tied his children with strong ropes, and said to
them: 'As soon as the Draken comes in sight, call out as loud as
you can, "Drakenflesh! Drakenflesh!"'

So, when the Draken appeared, the children cried out:
'Drakenflesh! Drakenflesh!' and this so terrified the Draken that
he let the bag fall and fled.

On the road he met a fox, which asked him why he seemed so
frightened. He answered that he was afraid of the children of
Herr Lazarus, who had been within a hair-breadth of eating him
up. But the fox laughed, and said: 'What! you were afraid of
the children of Herr Lazarus? He had two fowls, one of which I
ate yesterday, the other I will go and fetch now—if you do not
believe me, come and see for yourself; but you must first tie
yourself on to my tail.'

The Draken then tied himself on to the fox's tail, and went back
thus with it to Lazarus's house, in order to see what it would
arrange. There stood Lazarus with his gun raised ready to fire,
who, when he saw the fox coming along with the Draken, called out
to the fox: 'Did I not tell you to bring me all the Draken, and
you bring me only one?'