The Riddle

THE RIDDLE

A King's son once had a great desire to travel through the world, so he

started off, taking no one with him but one trusty servant. One day he

came to a great forest, and as evening drew on he could find no shelter,

and could not think where to spend the night. All of a sudden he saw a

girl going towards a little house, and as he drew nearer he remarked

that she was both young and pretty. He spoke to her, and said, 'Dear

child, could I and my servant spend the night in this house?'

'Oh yes,' said the girl in a sad tone, 'you can if you like, but I

should not advise you to do so. Better not go in.'

'Why not?' asked the King's son.

The girl sighed and answered, 'My stepmother deals in black arts, and

she is not very friendly to strangers.'

The Prince guessed easily that he had fallen on a witch's house, but as

by this time it was quite dark and he could go no further, and as

moreover he was not at all afraid, he stepped in.

An old woman sat in an arm-chair near the fire, and as the strangers

entered she turned her red eyes on them. 'Good evening,' she muttered,

and pretending to be quite friendly. 'Won't you sit down?'

She blew up the fire on which she was cooking something in a little pot,

and her daughter secretly warned the travellers to be very careful not

to eat or drink anything, as the old woman's brews were apt to be

dangerous.

They went to bed, and slept soundly till morning. When they were ready

to start and the King's son had already mounted his horse the old woman

said: 'Wait a minute, I must give you a stirrup cup.' Whilst she went to

fetch it the King's son rode off, and the servant who had waited to

tighten his saddle-girths was alone when the witch returned.

'Take that to your master,' she said; but as she spoke the glass cracked

and the poison spurted over the horse, and it was so powerful that the

poor creature sank down dead. The servant ran after his master and told

him what had happened, and then, not wishing to lose the saddle as well

as the horse, he went back to fetch it. When he got to the spot he saw

that a raven had perched on the carcase and was pecking at it. 'Who

knows whether we shall get anything better to eat to-day!' said the

servant, and he shot the raven and carried it off.

[Illustration]

Then they rode on all day through the forest without coming to the end.

At night-fall they reached an inn, which they entered, and the servant

gave the landlord the raven to dress for their supper. Now, as it

happened, this inn was a regular resort of a band of murderers, and the

old witch too was in the habit of frequenting it.

As soon as it was dark twelve murderers arrived, with the full intention

of killing and robbing the strangers. Before they set to work, however,

they sat down to table, and the landlord and the old witch joined them,

and they all ate some broth in which the flesh of the raven had been

stewed down. They had hardly taken a couple of spoonfuls when they all

fell down dead, for the poison had passed from the horse to the raven

and so into the broth. So there was no one left belonging to the house

but the landlord's daughter, who was a good, well-meaning girl, and had

taken no part in all the evil doings.

She opened all the doors, and showed the strangers the treasures the

robbers had gathered together; but the Prince bade her keep them all for

herself, as he wanted none of them, and so he rode further with his

servant.

After travelling about for some length of time they reached a town where

lived a lovely but most arrogant Princess. She had given out that anyone

who asked her a riddle which she found herself unable to guess should be

her husband, but should she guess it he must forfeit his head. She

claimed three days in which to think over the riddles, but she was so

very clever that she invariably guessed them in a much shorter time.

Nine suitors had already lost their lives when the King's son arrived,

and, dazzled by her beauty, determined to risk his life in hopes of

winning her.

So he came before her and propounded his riddle. 'What is this?' he

asked. 'One slew none and yet killed twelve.'

She could not think what it was! She thought, and thought, and looked

through all her books of riddles and puzzles, but she found nothing to

help her, and could not guess; in fact, she was at her wits' end. As she

could think of no way to guess the riddle, she ordered her maid to steal

at night into the Prince's bedroom and to listen, for she thought that

he might perhaps talk aloud in his dreams and so betray the secret. But

the clever servant had taken his master's place, and when the maid came

he tore off the cloak she had wrapped herself in and hunted her off with

a whip.

On the second night the Princess sent her lady-in-waiting, hoping that

she might succeed better, but the servant took away her mantle and

chased her away also.

On the third night the King's son thought he really might feel safe, so

he went to bed. But in the middle of the night the Princess came

herself, all huddled up in a misty grey mantle, and sat down near him.

When she thought he was fast asleep, she spoke to him, hoping he would

answer in the midst of his dreams, as many people do; but he was wide

awake all the time, and heard and understood everything very well.

Then she asked: 'One slew none--what is that?' and he answered: 'A raven

which fed on the carcase of a poisoned horse.'

She went on: 'And yet killed twelve--what is that?' 'Those are twelve

murderers who ate the raven and died of it.'

As soon as she knew the riddle she tried to slip away, but he held her

mantle so tightly that she was obliged to leave it behind.

Next morning the Princess announced that she had guessed the riddle, and

sent for the twelve judges, before whom she declared it. But the young

man begged to be heard, too, and said: 'She came by night to question

me, otherwise she never could have guessed it.'

The judges said: 'Bring us some proof.' So the servant brought out the

three cloaks, and when the judges saw the grey one, which the Princess

was in the habit of wearing, they said: 'Let it be embroidered with gold

and silver; it shall be your wedding mantle.'

Grimm.