The Golden Crab

the Golden Crab.

‘What! You can speak, can you, you ridiculous crab?’ she said, for she

was not quite pleased at the Crab’s remarks. Then she took him up and

placed him on a dish.

When her husband came home and they sat down to dinner, they presently

heard the Crab’s little voice saying, ‘Give me some too.’ They were

all very much surprised, but they gave him something to eat. When the

old man came to take away the plate which had contained the Crab’s

dinner, he found it full of gold, and as the same thing happened every

day he soon became very fond of the Crab.

One day the Crab said to the fisherman’s wife, ‘Go to the King and

tell him I wish to marry his younger daughter.’

[Footnote 5: ‘Prinz Krebs,’ from Griechische Mährchen. Schmidt.]

The old woman went accordingly, and laid the matter before the King,

who laughed a little at the notion of his daughter marrying a crab,

but did not decline the proposal altogether, because he was a prudent

monarch, and knew that the Crab was likely to be a prince in disguise.

He said, therefore, to the fisherman’s wife, ‘Go, old woman, and tell

the Crab I will give him my daughter if by to-morrow morning he can

build a wall in front of my castle much higher than my tower, upon

which all the flowers of the world must grow and bloom.’

The fisherman’s wife went home and gave this message.

[Illustration: Let down Let Down thy Petticoat That Lets thy Feet be

Seen]

Then the Crab gave her a golden rod, and said, ‘Go and strike with

this rod three times upon the ground on the place which the King

showed you, and to-morrow morning the wall will be there.’

The old woman did so and went away again.

The next morning, when the King awoke, what do you think he saw? The

wall stood there before his eyes, exactly as he had bespoken it!

Then the old woman went back to the King and said to him, ‘Your

Majesty’s orders have been fulfilled.’

‘That is all very well,’ said the King, ‘but I cannot give away my

daughter until there stands in front of my palace a garden in which

there are three fountains, of which the first must play gold, the

second diamonds, and the third brilliants.’

[Illustration: The fisherman brings the crab on the golden cushion]

So the old woman had to strike again three times upon the ground with

the rod, and the next morning the garden was there. The King now gave

his consent, and the wedding was fixed for the very next day.

Then the Crab said to the old fisherman, ‘Now take this rod; go and

knock with it on a certain mountain; then a black man[6] will come out

and ask you what you wish for. Answer him thus: “Your master, the

King, has sent me to tell you that you must send him his golden

garment that is like the sun.” Make him give you, besides, the queenly

robes of gold and precious stones which are like the flowery meadows,

and bring them both to me. And bring me also the golden cushion.’

[Footnote 6: Ein Mohr.]

The old man went and did his errand. When he had brought the precious

robes, the Crab put on the golden garment and then crept upon the

golden cushion, and in this way the fisherman carried him to the

castle, where the Crab presented the other garment to his bride. Now

the ceremony took place, and when the married pair were alone together

the Crab made himself known to his young wife, and told her how he was

the son of the greatest king in the world, and how he was enchanted,

so that he became a crab by day and was a man only at night; and he

could also change himself into an eagle as often as he wished. No

sooner had he said this than he shook himself, and immediately became

a handsome youth, but the next morning he was forced to creep back

again into his crab-shell. And the same thing happened every day. But

the Princess’s affection for the Crab, and the polite attention with

which she behaved to him, surprised the royal family very much. They

suspected some secret, but though they spied and spied, they could not

discover it. Thus a year passed away, and the Princess had a son, whom

she called Benjamin. But her mother still thought the whole matter

very strange. At last she said to the King that he ought to ask his

daughter whether she would not like to have another husband instead of

the Crab? But when the daughter was questioned she only answered:

‘I am married to the Crab, and him only will I have.’

Then the King said to her, ‘I will appoint a tournament in your

honour, and I will invite all the princes in the world to it, and if

any one of them pleases you, you shall marry him.’

In the evening the Princess told this to the Crab, who said to her,

‘Take this rod, go to the garden gate and knock with it, then a black

man will come out and say to you, “Why have you called me, and what do

you require of me?” Answer him thus: “Your master the King has sent me

hither to tell you to send him his golden armour and his steed and the

silver apple.” And bring them to me.’

The Princess did so, and brought him what he desired.

The following evening the Prince dressed himself for the tournament.

Before he went he said to his wife, ‘Now mind you do not say when you

see me that I am the Crab. For if you do this evil will come of it.

Place yourself at the window with your sisters; I will ride by and

throw you the silver apple. Take it in your hand, but if they ask you

who I am, say that you do not know.’ So saying, he kissed her,

repeated his warning once more, and went away.

The Princess went with her sisters to the window and looked on at the

tournament. Presently her husband rode by and threw the apple up to

her. She caught it in her hand and went with it to her room, and

by-and-by her husband came back to her. But her father was much

surprised that she did not seem to care about any of the Princes; he

therefore appointed a second tournament.

The Crab then gave his wife the same directions as before, only this

time the apple which she received from the black man was of gold. But

before the Prince went to the tournament he said to his wife, ‘Now I

know you will betray me to-day.’

But she swore to him that she would not tell who he was. He then

repeated his warning and went away.

In the evening, while the Princess, with her mother and sisters, was

standing at the window, the Prince suddenly galloped past on his steed

and threw her the golden apple.

Then her mother flew into a passion, gave her a box on the ear, and

cried out, ‘Does not even that prince please you, you fool?’

The Princess in her fright exclaimed, ‘That is the Crab himself!’

Her mother was still more angry because she had not been told sooner,

ran into her daughter’s room where the crab-shell was still lying,

took it up and threw it into the fire. Then the poor Princess cried

bitterly, but it was of no use; her husband did not come back.

Now we must leave the Princess and turn to the other persons in the

story. One day an old man went to a stream to dip in a crust of bread

which he was going to eat, when a dog came out of the water, snatched

the bread from his hand, and ran away. The old man ran after him, but

the dog reached a door, pushed it open, and ran in, the old man

following him. He did not overtake the dog, but found himself above a

staircase, which he descended. Then he saw before him a stately

palace, and, entering, he found in a large hall a table set for twelve

persons. He hid himself in the hall behind a great picture, that he

might see what would happen. At noon he heard a great noise, so that

he trembled with fear. When he took courage to look out from behind

the picture, he saw twelve eagles flying in. At this sight his fear

became still greater. The eagles flew to the basin of a fountain that

was there and bathed themselves, when suddenly they were changed into

twelve handsome youths. Now they seated themselves at the table, and

one of them took up a goblet filled with wine, and said, ‘A health to

my father!’ And another said, ‘A health to my mother!’ and so the

healths went round. Then one of them said:

 ‘A health to my dearest lady,

    Long may she live and well!

  But a curse on the cruel mother

    That burnt my golden shell!’

[Illustration: The Prince Throws the Apple To the Princess]

And so saying he wept bitterly. Then the youths rose from the table,

went back to the great stone fountain, turned themselves into eagles

again, and flew away.

Then the old man went away too, returned to the light of day, and went

home. Soon after he heard that the Princess was ill, and that the only

thing that did her good was having stories told to her. He therefore

went to the royal castle, obtained an audience of the Princess, and

told her about the strange things he had seen in the underground

palace. No sooner had he finished than the Princess asked him whether

he could find the way to that palace.

‘Yes,’ he answered, ‘certainly.’

And now she desired him to guide her thither at once. The old man did

so, and when they came to the palace he hid her behind the great

picture and advised her to keep quite still, and he placed himself

behind the picture also. Presently the eagles came flying in, and

changed themselves into young men, and in a moment the Princess

recognised her husband amongst them all, and tried to come out of her

hiding-place; but the old man held her back. The youths seated

themselves at the table; and now the Prince said again, while he took

up the cup of wine:

 ‘A health to my dearest lady,

    Long may she live and well!

  But a curse on the cruel mother

    That burnt my golden shell!’

Then the Princess could restrain herself no longer, but ran forward

and threw her arms round her husband. And immediately he knew her

again, and said:

‘Do you remember how I told you that day that you would betray me? Now

you see that I spoke the truth. But all that bad time is past. Now

listen to me: I must still remain enchanted for three months. Will you

stay here with me till that time is over?’

So the Princess stayed with him, and said to the old man, ‘Go back to

the castle and tell my parents that I am staying here.’

Her parents were very much vexed when the old man came back and told

them this, but as soon as the three months of the Prince’s enchantment

were over, he ceased to be an eagle and became once more a man, and

they returned home together. And then they lived happily, and we who

hear the story are happier still.

THE IRON STOVE[7]

Once upon a time when wishes came true there was a king’s son who was

enchanted by an old witch, so that he was obliged to sit in a large

iron stove in a wood. There he lived for many years, and no one could

free him. At last a king’s daughter came into the wood; she had lost

her way, and could not find her father’s kingdom again. She had been

wandering round and round for nine days, and she came at last to the

iron case. A voice came from within and asked her, ‘Where do you come

from, and where do you want to go?’ She answered, ‘I have lost my way

to my father’s kingdom, and I shall never get home again.’ Then the

voice from the iron stove said, ‘I will help you to find your home

again, and that in a very short time, if you will promise to do what I

ask you. I am a greater prince than you are a princess, and I will

marry you.’ Then she grew frightened, and thought, ‘What can a young

lassie do with an iron stove?’ But as she wanted very much to go home

to her father, she promised to do what he wished. He said, ‘You must

come again, and bring a knife with you to scrape a hole in the iron.’

[Footnote 7: Grimm.]

Then he gave her someone for a guide, who walked near her and said

nothing, but he brought her in two hours to her house. There was great

joy in the castle when the Princess came back, and the old King fell

on her neck and kissed her. But she was very much troubled, and said,

‘Dear father, listen to what has befallen me! I should never have come

home again out of the great wild wood if I had not come to an iron

stove, to whom I have had to promise that I will go back to free him

and marry him!’ The old King was so frightened that he nearly fainted,

for she was his only daughter. So they consulted together, and

determined that the miller’s daughter, who was very beautiful, should

take her place. They took her there, gave her a knife, and said she

must scrape at the iron stove. She scraped for twenty-four hours, but

did not make the least impression. When the day broke, a voice called

from the iron stove, ‘It seems to me that it is day outside.’ Then she

answered, ‘It seems so to me; I think I hear my father’s mill

rattling.’

[Illustration: You Are Mine & I Am Thine—The Iron Stove]

‘So you are a miller’s daughter! Then go away at once, and tell the

King’s daughter to come.’

Then she went away, and told the old King that the thing inside the

iron stove would not have her, but wanted the Princess. The old King

was frightened, and his daughter wept. But they had a swineherd’s

daughter who was even more beautiful than the miller’s daughter, and

they gave her a piece of gold to go to the iron stove instead of the

Princess. Then she was taken out, and had to scrape for

four-and-twenty hours, but she could make no impression. As soon as

the day broke the voice from the stove called out, ‘It seems to be

daylight outside.’ Then she answered, ‘It seems so to me too; I think

I hear my father blowing his horn.’ ‘So you are a swineherd’s

daughter! Go away at once, and let the King’s daughter come. And say

to her that what I foretell shall come to pass, and if she does not

come everything in the kingdom shall fall into ruin, and not one stone

shall be left upon another.’ When the Princess heard this she began to

cry, but it was no good; she had to keep her word. She took leave of

her father, put a knife in her belt, and went to the iron stove in the

wood. As soon as she reached it she began to scrape, and the iron gave

way and before two hours had passed she had made a little hole. Then

she peeped in and saw such a beautiful youth all shining with gold and

precious stones that she fell in love with him on the spot. So she

scraped away harder than ever, and made the hole so large that he

could get out. Then he said, ‘You are mine, and I am thine; you are my

bride and have set me free!’ He wanted to take her with him to his

kingdom, but she begged him just to let her go once more to her

father; and the Prince let her go, but told her not to say more than

three words to her father, then to come back again. So she went home,

but alas! she said more than three words; and immediately the iron

stove vanished and went away over a mountain of glass and sharp

swords. But the Prince was free, and was no longer shut up in it. Then

she said good-bye to her father, and took a little money with her, and

went again into the great wood to look for the iron stove; but she

could not find it. She sought it for nine days, and then her hunger

became so great that she did not know how she could live any longer.

And when it was evening she climbed a little tree and wished that the

night would not come, because she was afraid of the wild beasts. When

midnight came she saw afar off a little light, and thought, ‘Ah! if

only I could reach that!’ Then she got down from the tree and went

towards the light. She came to a little old house with a great deal of

grass growing round, and stood in front of a little heap of wood. She

thought, ‘Alas! what am I coming to?’ and peeped through the window;

but she saw nothing inside except big and little toads, and a table

beautifully spread with roast meats and wine, and all the dishes and

drinking-cups were of silver. Then she took heart and knocked. Then a

fat toad called out:

 ‘Little green toad with leg like crook,

  Open wide the door, and look

  Who it was the latch that shook.’

And a little toad came forward and let her in. When she entered they

all bid her welcome, and made her sit down. They asked her how she

came there and what she wanted. Then she told everything that had

happened to her, and how, because she had exceeded her permission only

to speak three words, the stove had disappeared with the Prince; and

how she had searched a very long time, and must wander over mountain

and valley till she found him.

Then the old toad said:

 ‘Little green toad whose leg doth twist,

  Go to the corner of which you wist,

  And bring to me the large old kist.’

And the little toad went and brought out a great chest. Then they gave

her food and drink, and led her to a beautifully made bed of silk and

samite, on which she lay down and slept soundly. When the day dawned

she arose, and the old toad gave her three things out of the huge

chest to take with her. She would have need of them, for she had to

cross a high glass mountain, three cutting swords, and a great lake.

When she had passed these she would find her lover again. So she was

given three large needles, a plough-wheel, and three nuts, which she

was to take great care of. She set out with these things, and when she

came to the glass mountain which was so slippery she stuck the three

needles behind her feet and then in front, and so got over it, and

when she was on the other side put them carefully away.

Then she reached the three cutting swords, and got on her plough-wheel

and rolled over them. At last she came to a great lake, and, when she

had crossed that, arrived at a beautiful castle. She went in and gave

herself out as a servant, a poor maid who would gladly be engaged. But

she knew that the Prince whom she had freed from the iron stove in the

great wood was in the castle. So she was taken on as a kitchenmaid for

very small wages. Now the Prince was about to marry another princess,

for he thought she was dead long ago.

[Illustration: ‘Then she reached the three cutting swords, and got on

her plough-wheel and rolled over them’]

In the evening, when she had washed up and was ready, she felt in her

pocket and found the three nuts which the old toad had given her. She

cracked one and was going to eat the kernel, when behold! there was a

beautiful royal dress inside it! When the bride heard of this, she

came and begged for the dress, and wanted to buy it, saying that it

was not a dress for a serving-maid. Then she said she would not sell

it unless she was granted one favour—namely, to sleep by the Prince’s

door. The bride granted her this, because the dress was so beautiful

and she had so few like it. When it was evening she said to her

bridegroom, ‘That stupid maid wants to sleep by your door.’

‘If you are contented, I am,’ he said. But she gave him a glass of

wine in which she had poured a sleeping-draught. Then they both went

to his room, but he slept so soundly that she could not wake him. The

maid wept all night long, and said, ‘I freed you in the wild wood out

of the iron stove; I have sought you, and have crossed a glassy

mountain, three sharp swords, and a great lake before I found you, and

will you not hear me now?’ The servants outside heard how she cried

the whole night, and they told their master in the morning.

When she had washed up the next evening she bit the second nut, and

there was a still more beautiful dress inside. When the bride saw it

she wanted to buy it also. But the maid did not want money, and asked

that she should sleep again by the Prince’s door. The bride, however,

gave him a sleeping-draught, and he slept so soundly that he heard

nothing. But the kitchenmaid wept the whole night long, and said, ‘I

have freed you in a wood and from an iron stove; I sought you and have

crossed a glassy mountain, three sharp swords, and a great lake to

find you, and now you will not hear me!’ The servants outside heard

how she cried the whole night, and in the morning they told their

master. And when she had washed up on the third night she bit the

third nut, and there was a still more beautiful dress inside that was

made of pure gold. When the bride saw it she wanted to have it, but

the maid would only give it her on condition that she should sleep for

the third time by the Prince’s door. But the Prince took care not to

drink the sleeping-draught. When she began to weep and to say,

‘Dearest sweetheart, I freed you in the horrible wild wood, and from

an iron stove,’ he jumped up and said, ‘You are right. You are mine,

and I am thine.’ Though it was still night, he got into a carriage

with her, and they took the false bride’s clothes away, so that she

could not follow them. When they came to the great lake they rowed

across, and when they reached the three sharp swords they sat on the

plough-wheel, and on the glassy mountain they stuck the three needles

in. So they arrived at last at the little old house, but when they

stepped inside it turned into a large castle. The toads were all

freed, and were beautiful King’s children, running about for joy.

There they were married, and they remained in the castle, which was

much larger than that of the Princess’s father’s. But because the old

man did not like being left alone, they went and fetched him. So they

had two kingdoms and lived in great wealth.

 A mouse has run,

 My story’s done.