The Golden Goose

THE GOLDEN GOOSE

There was once a man who had three sons. The youngest of them was

called Dullhead, and was sneered and jeered at and snubbed on every

possible opportunity.

One day it happened that the eldest son wished to go into the forest to

cut wood, and before he started his mother gave him a fine rich cake

and a bottle of wine, so that he might be sure not to suffer from

hunger or thirst.

When he reached the forest he met a little old grey man who wished him

‘Good-morning,’ and said: ‘Do give me a piece of that cake you have got

in your pocket, and let me have a draught of your wine—I am so hungry

and thirsty.’

But this clever son replied: ‘If I give you my cake and wine I shall

have none left for myself; you just go your own way;’ and he left the

little man standing there and went further on into the forest. There he

began to cut down a tree, but before long he made a false stroke with

his axe, and cut his own arm so badly that he was obliged to go home

and have it bound up.

Then the second son went to the forest, and his mother gave him a good

cake and a bottle of wine as she had to his elder brother. He too met

the little old grey man, who begged him for a morsel of cake and a

draught of wine.

But the second son spoke most sensibly too, and said: ‘Whatever I give

to you I deprive myself of. Just go your own way, will you?’ Not long

after his punishment overtook him, for no sooner had he struck a couple

of blows on a tree with his axe, than he cut his leg so badly that he

had to be carried home.

So then Dullhead said: ‘Father, let me go out and cut wood.’

But his father answered: ‘Both your brothers have injured themselves.

You had better leave it alone; you know nothing about it.’

But Dullhead begged so hard to be allowed to go that at last his father

said: ‘Very well, then—go. Perhaps when you have hurt yourself, you may

learn to know better.’ His mother only gave him a very plain cake made

with water and baked in the cinders, and a bottle of sour beer.

When he got to the forest, he too met the little grey old man, who

greeted him and said: ‘Give me a piece of your cake and a draught from

your bottle; I am so hungry and thirsty.’

And Dullhead replied: ‘I’ve only got a cinder-cake and some sour beer,

but if you care to have that, let us sit down and eat.’

So they sat down, and when Dullhead brought out his cake he found it

had turned into a fine rich cake, and the sour beer into excellent

wine. Then they ate and drank, and when they had finished the little

man said: ‘Now I will bring you luck, because you have a kind heart and

are willing to share what you have with others. There stands an old

tree; cut it down, and amongst its roots you’ll find something.’ With

that the little man took leave.

Then Dullhead fell to at once to hew down the tree, and when it fell he

found amongst its roots a goose, whose feathers were all of pure gold.

He lifted it out, carried it off, and took it with him to an inn where

he meant to spend the night.

Now the landlord of the inn had three daughters, and when they saw the

goose they were filled with curiosity as to what this wonderful bird

could be, and each longed to have one of its golden feathers.

The eldest thought to herself: ‘No doubt I shall soon find a good

opportunity to pluck out one of its feathers,’ and the first time

Dullhead happened to leave the room she caught hold of the goose by its

wing. But, lo and behold! her fingers seemed to stick fast to the

goose, and she could not take her hand away.

Soon after the second daughter came in, and thought to pluck a golden

feather for herself too; but hardly had she touched her sister than she

stuck fast as well. At last the third sister came with the same

intentions, but the other two cried out: ‘Keep off! for Heaven’s sake,

keep off!’

The younger sister could not imagine why she was to keep off, and

thought to herself: ‘If they are both there, why should not I be there

too?’

So she sprang to them; but no sooner had she touched one of them than

she stuck fast to her. So they all three had to spend the night with

the goose.

Next morning Dullhead tucked the goose under his arm and went off,

without in the least troubling himself about the three girls who were

hanging on to it. They just had to run after him right or left as best

they could. In the middle of a field they met the parson, and when he

saw this procession he cried: ‘For shame, you bold girls! What do you

mean by running after a young fellow through the fields like that? Do

you call that proper behaviour?’ And with that he caught the youngest

girl by the hand to try and draw her away. But directly he touched her

he hung on himself, and had to run along with the rest of them.

Not long after the clerk came that way, and was much surprised to see

the parson following the footsteps of three girls. ‘Why, where is your

reverence going so fast?’ cried he; ‘don’t forget there is to be a

christening to-day;’ and he ran after him, caught him by the sleeve,

and hung on to it himself: As the five of them trotted along in this

fashion one after the other, two peasants were coming from their work

with their hoes. On seeing them the parson called out and begged them

to come and rescue him and the clerk. But no sooner did they touch the

clerk than they stuck on too, and so there were seven of them running

after Dullhead and his goose.

After a time they all came to a town where a King reigned whose

daughter was so serious and solemn that no one could ever manage to

make her laugh. So the King had decreed that whoever should succeed in

making her laugh should marry her.

When Dullhead heard this he marched before the Princess with his goose

and its appendages, and as soon as she saw these seven people

continually running after each other she burst out laughing, and could

not stop herself. Then Dullhead claimed her as his bride, but the King,

who did not much fancy him as a son-in-law, made all sorts of

objections, and told him he must first find a man who could drink up a

whole cellarful of wine.

Dullhead bethought him of the little grey man, who could, he felt sure,

help him; so he went off to the forest, and on the very spot where he

had cut down the tree he saw a man sitting with a most dismal

expression of face.

Dullhead asked him what he was taking so much to heart, and the man

answered: ‘I don’t know how I am ever to quench this terrible thirst I

am suffering from. Cold water doesn’t suit me at all. To be sure I’ve

emptied a whole barrel of wine, but what is one drop on a hot stone?’

‘I think I can help you,’ said Dullhead. ‘Come with me, and you shall

drink to your heart’s content.’ So he took him to the King’s cellar,

and the man sat down before the huge casks and drank and drank till he

drank up the whole contents of the cellar before the day closed.

Then Dullhead asked once more for his bride, but the King felt vexed at

the idea of a stupid fellow whom people called ‘Dullhead’ carrying off

his daughter, and he began to make fresh conditions. He required

Dullhead to find a man who could eat a mountain of bread. Dullhead did

not wait to consider long but went straight off to the forest, and

there on the same spot sat a man who was drawing in a strap as tight as

he could round his body, and making a most woeful face the while. Said

he: ‘I’ve eaten up a whole oven full of loaves, but what’s the good of

that to anyone who is as hungry as I am? I declare my stomach feels

quite empty, and I must draw my belt tight if I’m not to die of

starvation.’

Dullhead was delighted, and said: ‘Get up and come with me, and you

shall have plenty to eat,’ and he brought him to the King’s Court.

Now the King had given orders to have all the flour in his kingdom

brought together, and to have a huge mountain baked of it. But the man

from the wood just took up his stand before the mountain and began to

eat, and in one day it had all vanished.

For the third time Dullhead asked for his bride, but again the King

tried to make some evasion, and demanded a ship ‘which could sail on

land or water! When you come sailing in such a ship,’ said he, ‘you

shall have my daughter without further delay.’

Again Dullhead started off to the forest, and there he found the little

old grey man with whom he had shared his cake, and who said: ‘I have

eaten and I have drunk for you, and now I will give you the ship. I

have done all this for you because you were kind and merciful to me.’

Then he gave Dullhead a ship which could sail on land or water, and

when the King saw it he felt he could no longer refuse him his

daughter.

So they celebrated the wedding with great rejoicings; and after the

King’s death Dullhead succeeded to the kingdom, and lived happily with

his wife for many years after.[30]

[30] Grimm.