The Six Swans

THE SIX SWANS

A King was once hunting in a great wood, and he hunted the game so

eagerly that none of his courtiers could follow him. When evening came

on he stood still and looked round him, and he saw that he had quite

lost himself. He sought a way out, but could find none. Then he saw an

old woman with a shaking head coming towards him; but she was a witch.

‘Good woman,’ he said to her, ‘can you not show me the way out of the

wood?’

‘Oh, certainly, Sir King,’ she replied, ‘I can quite well do that, but

on one condition, which if you do not fulfil you will never get out of

the wood, and will die of hunger.’

‘What is the condition?’ asked the King.

‘I have a daughter,’ said the old woman, ‘who is so beautiful that she

has not her equal in the world, and is well fitted to be your wife; if

you will make her lady-queen I will show you the way out of the wood.’

The King in his anguish of mind consented, and the old woman led him

to her little house where her daughter was sitting by the fire. She

received the King as if she were expecting him, and he saw that she

was certainly very beautiful; but she did not please him, and he could

not look at her without a secret feeling of horror. As soon as he had

lifted the maiden on to his horse the old woman showed him the way,

and the King reached his palace, where the wedding was celebrated.

The King had already been married once, and had by his first wife

seven children, six boys and one girl, whom he loved more than

anything in the world. And now, because he was afraid that their

step-mother might not treat them well and might do them harm, he put

them in a lonely castle that stood in the middle of a wood. It lay so

hidden, and the way to it was so hard to find, that he himself could

not have found it out had not a wise-woman given him a reel of thread

which possessed a marvellous property: when he threw it before him it

unwound itself and showed him the way. But the King went so often to

his dear children that the Queen was offended at his absence. She grew

curious, and wanted to know what he had to do quite alone in the wood.

She gave his servants a great deal of money, and they betrayed the

secret to her, and also told her of the reel which alone could point

out the way. She had no rest now till she had found out where the King

guarded the reel, and then she made some little white shirts, and, as

she had learnt from her witch-mother, sewed an enchantment in each of

them.

And when the King had ridden off she took the little shirts and went

into the wood, and the reel showed her the way. The children, who saw

someone coming in the distance, thought it was their dear father

coming to them, and sprang to meet him very joyfully. Then she threw

over each one a little shirt, which when it had touched their bodies

changed them into swans, and they flew away over the forest. The Queen

went home quite satisfied, and thought she had got rid of her

step-children; but the girl had not run to meet her with her brothers,

and she knew nothing of her.

The next day the King came to visit his children, but he found no one

but the girl.

‘Where are your brothers?’ asked the King.

‘Alas! dear father,’ she answered, ‘they have gone away and left me

all alone.’ And she told him that looking out of her little window she

had seen her brothers flying over the wood in the shape of swans, and

she showed him the feathers which they had let fall in the yard, and

which she had collected. The King mourned, but he did not think that

the Queen had done the wicked deed, and as he was afraid the maiden

would also be taken from him, he wanted to take her with him. But she

was afraid of the step-mother, and begged the King to let her stay

just one night more in the castle in the wood. The poor maiden

thought, ‘My home is no longer here; I will go and seek my brothers.’

And when night came she fled away into the forest. She ran all through

the night and the next day, till she could go no farther for

weariness. Then she saw a little hut, went in, and found a room with

six little beds. She was afraid to lie down on one, so she crept under

one of them, lay on the hard floor, and was going to spend the night

there. But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans

flying in at the window. They stood on the floor and blew at one

another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off

like a shirt. Then the maiden recognised her brothers, and overjoyed

she crept out from under the bed. Her brothers were not less delighted

than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last

long.

‘You cannot stay here,’ they said to her. ‘This is a den of robbers;

if they were to come here and find you they would kill you.’

‘Could you not protect me?’ asked the little sister.

‘No,’ they answered, ‘for we can only lay aside our swan skins for a

quarter of an hour every evening. For this time we regain our human

forms, but then we are changed into swans again.’

Then the little sister cried and said, ‘Can you not be freed?’

‘Oh, no,’ they said, ‘the conditions are too hard. You must not speak

or laugh for six years, and must make in that time six shirts for us

out of star-flowers. If a single word comes out of your mouth, all

your labour is vain.’ And when the brothers had said this the quarter

of an hour came to an end, and they flew away out of the window as

swans.

But the maiden had determined to free her brothers even if it should

cost her her life. She left the hut, went into the forest, climbed a

tree, and spent the night there. The next morning she went out,

collected star-flowers, and began to sew. She could speak to no one,

and she had no wish to laugh, so she sat there, looking only at her

work.

When she had lived there some time, it happened that the King of the

country was hunting in the forest, and his hunters came to the tree on

which the maiden sat. They called to her and said ‘Who are you?’

But she gave no answer.

‘Come down to us,’ they said, ‘we will do you no harm.’

But she shook her head silently. As they pressed her further with

questions, she threw them the golden chain from her neck. But they did

not leave off, and she threw them her girdle, and when this was no

use, her garters, and then her dress. The hunts-men would not leave

her alone, but climbed the tree, lifted the maiden down, and led her

to the King. The King asked, ‘Who are you? What are you doing up that

tree?’

But she answered nothing.

[Illustration: ‘And then her dress’]

He asked her in all the languages he knew, but she remained as dumb

as a fish. Because she was so beautiful, however, the King’s heart was

touched, and he was seized with a great love for her. He wrapped her

up in his cloak, placed her before him on his horse, and brought her

to his castle. There he had her dressed in rich clothes, and her

beauty shone out as bright as day, but not a word could be drawn from

her. He set her at table by his side, and her modest ways and

behaviour pleased him so much that he said, ‘I will marry this maiden

and none other in the world,’ and after some days he married her. But

the King had a wicked mother who was displeased with the marriage, and

said wicked things of the young Queen. ‘Who knows who this girl is?’

she said; ‘she cannot speak, and is not worthy of a king.’

After a year, when the Queen had her first child, the old mother took

it away from her. Then she went to the King and said that the Queen

had killed it. The King would not believe it, and would not allow any

harm to be done her. But she sat quietly sewing at the shirts and

troubling herself about nothing. The next time she had a child the

wicked mother did the same thing, but the King could not make up his

mind to believe her. He said, ‘She is too sweet and good to do such a

thing as that. If she were not dumb and could defend herself, her

innocence would be proved.’ But when the third child was taken away,

and the Queen was again accused, and could not utter a word in her own

defence, the King was obliged to give her over to the law, which

decreed that she must be burnt to death. When the day came on which

the sentence was to be executed, it was the last day of the six years

in which she must not speak or laugh, and now she had freed her dear

brothers from the power of the enchantment. The six shirts were done;

there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last.

When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as

she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked

around her and saw six swans flying through the air. Then she knew

that her release was at hand and her heart danced for joy. The swans

fluttered round her, and hovered low so that she could throw the

shirts over them. When they had touched them the swan-skins fell off,

and her brothers stood before her living, well and beautiful. Only the

youngest had a swan’s wing instead of his left arm. They embraced and

kissed each other, and the Queen went to the King, who was standing by

in great astonishment, and began to speak to him, saying, ‘Dearest

husband, now I can speak and tell you openly that I am innocent and

have been falsely accused.’

She told him of the old woman’s deceit, and how she had taken the

three children away and hidden them. Then they were fetched, to the

great joy of the King, and the wicked mother came to no good end.

But the King and the Queen with their six brothers lived many years in

happiness and peace.

[Illustration: The Six Brothers Changed Into Swans by Their Stepmother.]

THE DRAGON OF THE NORTH[2]

Very long ago, as old people have told me, there lived a terrible

monster, who came out of the North, and laid waste whole tracts of

country, devouring both men and beasts; and this monster was so

destructive that it was feared that unless help came no living

creature would be left on the face of the earth. It had a body like an

ox, and legs like a frog, two short fore-legs, and two long ones

behind, and besides that it had a tail like a serpent, ten fathoms in

length. When it moved it jumped like a frog, and with every spring it

covered half a mile of ground. Fortunately its habit was to remain for

several years in the same place, and not to move on till the whole

neighbourhood was eaten up. Nothing could hunt it, because its whole

body was covered with scales, which were harder than stone or metal;

its two great eyes shone by night, and even by day, like the brightest

lamps, and anyone who had the ill luck to look into those eyes became

as it were bewitched, and was obliged to rush of his own accord into

the monster’s jaws. In this way the Dragon was able to feed upon both

men and beasts without the least trouble to itself, as it needed not

to move from the spot where it was lying. All the neighbouring kings

had offered rich rewards to anyone who should be able to destroy the

monster, either by force or enchantment, and many had tried their

luck, but all had miserably failed. Once a great forest in which the

Dragon lay had been set on fire; the forest was burnt down, but the

fire did not do the monster the least harm. However, there was a

tradition amongst the wise men of the country that the Dragon might be

overcome by one who possessed King Solomon’s signet-ring, upon which a

secret writing was engraved. This inscription would enable anyone who

was wise enough to interpret it to find out how the Dragon could be

destroyed. Only no one knew where the ring was hidden, nor was there

any sorcerer or learned man to be found who would be able to explain

the inscription.

[Footnote 2: ‘Der Norlands Drache,’ from Esthnische Mährchen.

Kreutzwald.]

At last a young man, with a good heart and plenty of courage, set out

to search for the ring. He took his way towards the sun-rising,

because he knew that all the wisdom of old time comes from the East.

After some years he met with a famous Eastern magician, and asked for

his advice in the matter. The magician answered:

‘Mortal men have but little wisdom, and can give you no help, but the

birds of the air would be better guides to you if you could learn

their language. I can help you to understand it if you will stay with

me a few days.’

The youth thankfully accepted the magician’s offer, and said, ‘I

cannot now offer you any reward for your kindness, but should my

undertaking succeed your trouble shall be richly repaid.’

Then the magician brewed a powerful potion out of nine sorts of herbs

which he had gathered himself all alone by moonlight, and he gave the

youth nine spoonfuls of it daily for three days, which made him able

to understand the language of birds.

At parting the magician said to him, ‘If you ever find Solomon’s ring

and get possession of it, then come back to me, that I may explain the

inscription on the ring to you, for there is no one else in the world

who can do this.’

From that time the youth never felt lonely as he walked along; he

always had company, because he understood the language of birds; and

in this way he learned many things which mere human knowledge could

never have taught him. But time went on, and he heard nothing about

the ring. It happened one evening, when he was hot and tired with

walking, and had sat down under a tree in a forest to eat his supper,

that he saw two gaily-plumaged birds, that were strange to him,

sitting at the top of the tree talking to one another about him. The

first bird said:

‘I know that wandering fool under the tree there, who has come so far

without finding what he seeks. He is trying to find King Solomon’s

lost ring.’

The other bird answered, ‘He will have to seek help from the

Witch-maiden,[3] who will doubtless be able to put him on the right

track. If she has not got the ring herself, she knows well enough who

has it.’

[Footnote 3: Höllenmädchen.]

‘But where is he to find the Witch-maiden?’ said the first bird. ‘She

has no settled dwelling, but is here to-day and gone to-morrow. He

might as well try to catch the wind.’

The other replied, ‘I do not know, certainly, where she is at present,

but in three nights from now she will come to the spring to wash her

face, as she does every month when the moon is full, in order that she

may never grow old nor wrinkled, but may always keep the bloom of

youth.’

‘Well,’ said the first bird, ‘the spring is not far from here. Shall

we go and see how it is she does it?’

‘Willingly, if you like,’ said the other.

The youth immediately resolved to follow the birds to the spring, only

two things made him uneasy: first, lest he might be asleep when the

birds went, and secondly, lest he might lose sight of them, since he

had not wings to carry him along so swiftly. He was too tired to keep

awake all night, yet his anxiety prevented him from sleeping soundly,

and when with the earliest dawn he looked up to the tree-top, he was

glad to see his feathered companions still asleep with their heads

under their wings. He ate his breakfast, and waited until the birds

should start, but they did not leave the place all day. They hopped

about from one tree to another looking for food, all day long until

the evening, when they went back to their old perch to sleep. The next

day the same thing happened, but on the third morning one bird said to

the other, ‘To-day we must go to the spring to see the Witch-maiden

wash her face.’ They remained on the tree till noon; then they flew

away and went towards the south. The young man’s heart beat with

anxiety lest he should lose sight of his guides, but he managed to

keep the birds in view until they again perched upon a tree. The young

man ran after them until he was quite exhausted and out of breath, and

after three short rests the birds at length reached a small open space

in the forest, on the edge of which they placed themselves on the top

of a high tree. When the youth had overtaken them, he saw that there

was a clear spring in the middle of the space. He sat down at the foot

of the tree upon which the birds were perched, and listened

attentively to what they were saying to each other.

‘The sun is not down yet,’ said the first bird; ‘we must wait yet

awhile till the moon rises and the maiden comes to the spring. Do you

think she will see that young man sitting under the tree?’

‘Nothing is likely to escape her eyes, certainly not a young man,’ said

the other bird. ‘Will the youth have the sense not to let himself be

caught in her toils?’

‘We will wait,’ said the first bird, ‘and see how they get on

together.’

The evening light had quite faded, and the full moon was already

shining down upon the forest, when the young man heard a slight

rustling sound. After a few moments there came out of the forest a

maiden, gliding over the grass so lightly that her feet seemed

scarcely to touch the ground, and stood beside the spring. The youth

could not turn away his eyes from the maiden, for he had never in his

life seen a woman so beautiful. Without seeming to notice anything,

she went to the spring, looked up to the full moon, then knelt down

and bathed her face nine times, then looked up to the moon again and

walked nine times round the well, and as she walked she sang this

song:

 ‘Full-faced moon with light unshaded,

  Let my beauty ne’er be faded.

  Never let my cheek grow pale!

  While the moon is waning nightly,

  May the maiden bloom more brightly,

  May her freshness never fail!’

Then she dried her face with her long hair, and was about to go away,

when her eye suddenly fell upon the spot where the young man was

sitting, and she turned towards the tree. The youth rose and stood

waiting. Then the maiden said, ‘You ought to have a heavy punishment

because you have presumed to watch my secret doings in the moonlight.

But I will forgive you this time, because you are a stranger and knew

no better. But you must tell me truly who you are and how you came to

this place, where no mortal has ever set foot before.’

The youth answered humbly: ‘Forgive me, beautiful maiden, if I have

unintentionally offended you. I chanced to come here after long

wandering, and found a good place to sleep under this tree. At your

coming I did not know what to do, but stayed where I was, because I

thought my silent watching could not offend you.’

The maiden answered kindly, ‘Come and spend this night with us. You

will sleep better on a pillow than on damp moss.’

[Illustration: The Witch-Maiden Sees the Young Man Under a Tree]

The youth hesitated for a little, but presently he heard the birds

saying from the top of the tree, ‘Go where she calls you, but take

care to give no blood, or you will sell your soul.’ So the youth went

with her, and soon they reached a beautiful garden, where stood a

splendid house, which glittered in the moonlight as if it was all

built out of gold and silver. When the youth entered he found many

splendid chambers, each one finer than the last. Hundreds of tapers

burnt upon golden candlesticks, and shed a light like the brightest

day. At length they reached a chamber where a table was spread with

the most costly dishes. At the table were placed two chairs, one of

silver, the other of gold. The maiden seated herself upon the golden

chair, and offered the silver one to her companion. They were served

by maidens dressed in white, whose feet made no sound as they moved

about, and not a word was spoken during the meal. Afterwards the youth

and the Witch-maiden conversed pleasantly together, until a woman,

dressed in red, came in to remind them that it was bedtime. The youth

was now shown into another room, containing a silken bed with down

cushions, where he slept delightfully, yet he seemed to hear a voice

near his bed which repeated to him, ‘Remember to give no blood!’

The next morning the maiden asked him whether he would not like to

stay with her always in this beautiful place, and as he did not answer

immediately, she continued: ‘You see how I always remain young and

beautiful, and I am under no one’s orders, but can do just what I

like, so that I have never thought of marrying before. But from the

moment I saw you I took a fancy to you, so if you agree, we might be

married and might live together like princes, because I have great

riches.’

The youth could not but be tempted with the beautiful maiden’s offer,

but he remembered how the birds had called her the witch, and their

warning always sounded in his ears. Therefore he answered cautiously,

‘Do not be angry, dear maiden, if I do not decide immediately on this

important matter. Give me a few days to consider before we come to an

understanding.’

‘Why not?’ answered the maiden. ‘Take some weeks to consider if you

like, and take counsel with your own heart.’ And to make the time pass

pleasantly, she took the youth over every part of her beautiful

dwelling, and showed him all her splendid treasures. But these

treasures were all produced by enchantment, for the maiden could make

anything she wished appear by the help of King Solomon’s signet ring;

only none of these things remained fixed; they passed away like the

wind without leaving a trace behind. But the youth did not know this;

he thought they were all real.

One day the maiden took him into a secret chamber, where a little gold

box was standing on a silver table. Pointing to the box, she said,

‘Here is my greatest treasure, whose like is not to be found in the

whole world. It is a precious gold ring. When you marry me, I will

give you this ring as a marriage gift, and it will make you the

happiest of mortal men. But in order that our love may last for ever,

you must give me for the ring three drops of blood from the little

finger of your left hand.’

When the youth heard these words a cold shudder ran over him, for he

remembered that his soul was at stake. He was cunning enough, however,

to conceal his feelings and to make no direct answer, but he only

asked the maiden, as if carelessly, what was remarkable about the

ring?

She answered, ‘No mortal is able entirely to understand the power of

this ring, because no one thoroughly understands the secret signs

engraved upon it. But even with my half-knowledge I can work great

wonders. If I put the ring upon the little finger of my left hand,

then I can fly like a bird through the air wherever I wish to go. If I

put it on the third finger of my left hand I am invisible, and I can

see everything that passes around me, though no one can see me. If I

put the ring upon the middle finger of my left hand, then neither fire

nor water nor any sharp weapon can hurt me. If I put it on the

forefinger of my left hand, then I can with its help produce whatever

I wish. I can in a single moment build houses or anything I desire.

Finally, as long as I wear the ring on the thumb of my left hand, that

hand is so strong that it can break down rocks and walls. Besides

these, the ring has other secret signs which, as I said, no one can

understand. No doubt it contains secrets of great importance. The ring

formerly belonged to King Solomon, the wisest of kings, during whose

reign the wisest men lived. But it is not known whether this ring was

ever made by mortal hands: it is supposed that an angel gave it to the

wise King.’

When the youth heard all this he determined to try and get possession

of the ring, though he did not quite believe in all its wonderful

gifts. He wished the maiden would let him have it in his hand, but he

did not quite like to ask her to do so, and after a while she put it

back into the box. A few days after they were again speaking of the

magic ring, and the youth said, ‘I do not think it possible that the

ring can have all the power you say it has.’

Then the maiden opened the box and took the ring out, and it

glittered as she held it like the clearest sunbeam. She put it on the

middle finger of her left hand, and told the youth to take a knife and

try as hard as he could to cut her with it, for he would not be able

to hurt her. He was unwilling at first, but the maiden insisted. Then

he tried, at first only in play, and then seriously, to strike her

with the knife, but an invisible wall of iron seemed to be between

them, and the maiden stood before him laughing and unhurt. Then she

put the ring on her third finger, and in an instant she had vanished

from his eyes. Presently she was beside him again laughing, and

holding the ring between her fingers.

‘Do let me try,’ said the youth, ‘whether I can do these wonderful

things.’

The maiden, suspecting no treachery, gave him the magic ring.

The youth pretended to have forgotten what to do, and asked what

finger he must put the ring on so that no sharp weapon could hurt him?

‘Oh, the middle finger of your left hand,’ the maiden answered,

laughing.

She took the knife and tried to strike the youth, and he even tried to

cut himself with it, but found it impossible. Then he asked the maiden

to show him how to split stones and rocks with the help of the ring.

So she led him into a courtyard where stood a great boulder-stone.

‘Now,’ she said, ‘put the ring upon the thumb of your left hand, and

you will see how strong that hand has become. The youth did so, and

found to his astonishment that with a single blow of his fist the

stone flew into a thousand pieces. Then the youth bethought him that

he who does not use his luck when he has it is a fool, and that this

was a chance which once lost might never return. So while they stood

laughing at the shattered stone he placed the ring, as if in play,

upon the third finger of his left hand.

‘Now,’ said the maiden, ‘you are invisible to me until you take the

ring off again.’

But the youth had no mind to do that; on the contrary, he went farther

off, then put the ring on the little finger of his left hand, and

soared into the air like a bird.

When the maiden saw him flying away she thought at first that he was

still in play, and cried, ‘Come back, friend, for now you see I have

told you the truth.’ But the young man never came back.

Then the maiden saw she was deceived, and bitterly repented that she

had ever trusted him with the ring.

The young man never halted in his flight until he reached the dwelling

of the wise magician who had taught him the speech of birds. The

magician was delighted to find that his search had been successful,

and at once set to work to interpret the secret signs engraved upon

the ring, but it took him seven weeks to make them out clearly. Then

he gave the youth the following instructions how to overcome the

Dragon of the North: ‘You must have an iron horse cast, which must

have little wheels under each foot. You must also be armed with a

spear two fathoms long, which you will be able to wield by means of

the magic ring upon your left thumb. The spear must be as thick in the

middle as a large tree, and both its ends must be sharp. In the middle

of the spear you must have two strong chains ten fathoms in length. As

soon as the Dragon has made himself fast to the spear, which you must

thrust through his jaws, you must spring quickly from the iron horse

and fasten the ends of the chains firmly to the ground with iron

stakes, so that he cannot get away from them. After two or three days

the monster’s strength will be so far exhausted that you will be able

to come near him. Then you can put Solomon’s ring upon your left thumb

and give him the finishing stroke, but keep the ring on your third

finger until you have come close to him, so that the monster cannot

see you, else he might strike you dead with his long tail. But when

all is done, take care you do not lose the ring, and that no one takes

it from you by cunning.’

[Illustration: The youth secures the dragon]

The young man thanked the magician for his directions, and promised,

should they succeed, to reward him. But the magician answered, ‘I have

profited so much by the wisdom the ring has taught me that I desire no

other reward.’ Then they parted, and the youth quickly flew home

through the air. After remaining in his own home for some weeks, he

heard people say that the terrible Dragon of the North was not far

off, and might shortly be expected in the country. The King announced

publicly that he would give his daughter in marriage, as well as a

large part of his kingdom, to whosoever should free the country from

the monster. The youth then went to the King and told him that he had

good hopes of subduing the Dragon, if the King would grant him all he

desired for the purpose. The King willingly agreed, and the iron

horse, the great spear, and the chains were all prepared as the youth

requested. When all was ready, it was found that the iron horse was so

heavy that a hundred men could not move it from the spot, so the youth

found there was nothing for it but to move it with his own strength

by means of the magic ring. The Dragon was now so near that in a

couple of springs he would be over the frontier. The youth now began

to consider how he should act, for if he had to push the iron horse

from behind he could not ride upon it as the sorcerer had said he

must. But a raven unexpectedly gave him this advice: ‘Ride upon the

horse, and push the spear against the ground, as if you were pushing

off a boat from the land.’ The youth did so, and found that in this

way he could easily move forwards. The Dragon had his monstrous jaws

wide open, all ready for his expected prey. A few paces nearer, and

man and horse would have been swallowed up by them! The youth trembled

with horror, and his blood ran cold, yet he did not lose his courage;

but, holding the iron spear upright in his hand, he brought it down

with all his might right through the monster’s lower jaw. Then quick

as lightning he sprang from his horse before the Dragon had time to

shut his mouth. A fearful clap like thunder, which could be heard for

miles around, now warned him that the Dragon’s jaws had closed upon

the spear. When the youth turned round he saw the point of the spear

sticking up high above the Dragon’s upper jaw, and knew that the other

end must be fastened firmly to the ground; but the Dragon had got his

teeth fixed in the iron horse, which was now useless. The youth now

hastened to fasten down the chains to the ground by means of the

enormous iron pegs which he had provided. The death struggle of the

monster lasted three days and three nights; in his writhing he beat

his tail so violently against the ground, that at ten miles’ distance

the earth trembled as if with an earthquake. When he at length lost

power to move his tail, the youth with the help of the ring took up a

stone which twenty ordinary men could not have moved, and beat the

Dragon so hard about the head with it that very soon the monster lay

lifeless before him.

You can fancy how great was the rejoicing when the news was spread

abroad that the terrible monster was dead. His conqueror was received

into the city with as much pomp as if he had been the mightiest of

kings. The old King did not need to urge his daughter to marry the

slayer of the Dragon; he found her already willing to bestow her hand

upon this hero, who had done all alone what whole armies had tried in

vain to do. In a few days a magnificent wedding was celebrated, at

which the rejoicings lasted four whole weeks, for all the neighbouring

kings had met together to thank the man who had freed the world from

their common enemy. But everyone forgot amid the general joy that they

ought to have buried the Dragon’s monstrous body, for it began now to

have such a bad smell that no one could live in the neighbourhood, and

before long the whole air was poisoned, and a pestilence broke out

which destroyed many hundreds of people. In this distress, the King’s

son-in-law resolved to seek help once more from the Eastern magician,

to whom he at once travelled through the air like a bird by the help

of the ring. But there is a proverb which says that ill-gotten gains

never prosper, and the Prince found that the stolen ring brought him

ill-luck after all. The Witch-maiden had never rested night nor day

until she had found out where the ring was. As soon as she had

discovered by means of magical arts that the Prince in the form of a

bird was on his way to the Eastern magician, she changed herself into

an eagle and watched in the air until the bird she was waiting for

came in sight, for she knew him at once by the ring which was hung

round his neck by a ribbon. Then the eagle pounced upon the bird, and

the moment she seized him in her talons she tore the ring from his

neck before the man in bird’s shape had time to prevent her. Then the

eagle flew down to the earth with her prey, and the two stood face to

face once more in human form.

‘Now, villain, you are in my power!’ cried the Witch-maiden. ‘I

favoured you with my love, and you repaid me with treachery and theft.

You stole my most precious jewel from me, and do you expect to live

happily as the King’s son-in-law? Now the tables are turned; you are

in my power, and I will be revenged on you for your crimes.’

‘Forgive me! forgive me!’ cried the Prince; ‘I know too well how

deeply I have wronged you, and most heartily do I repent it.’

The maiden answered, ‘Your prayers and your repentance come too late,

and if I were to spare you everyone would think me a fool. You have

doubly wronged me; first you scorned my love, and then you stole my

ring, and you must bear the punishment.’

With these words she put the ring upon her left thumb, lifted the

young man with one hand, and walked away with him under her arm. This

time she did not take him to a splendid palace, but to a deep cave in

a rock, where there were chains hanging from the wall. The maiden now

chained the young man’s hands and feet so that he could not escape;

then she said in an angry voice, ‘Here you shall remain chained up

until you die. I will bring you every day enough food to prevent you

dying of hunger, but you need never hope for freedom any more.’ With

these words she left him.

The old King and his daughter waited anxiously for many weeks for the

Prince’s return, but no news of him arrived. The King’s daughter often

dreamed that her husband was going through some great suffering; she

therefore begged her father to summon all the enchanters and

magicians, that they might try to find out where the Prince was and

how he could be set free. But the magicians, with all their arts,

could find out nothing, except that he was still living and undergoing

great suffering; but none could tell where he was to be found. At last

a celebrated magician from Finland was brought before the King, who

had found out that the King’s son-in-law was imprisoned in the East,

not by men, but by some more powerful being. The King now sent

messengers to the East to look for his son-in-law, and they by good

luck met with the old magician who had interpreted the signs on King

Solomon’s ring, and thus was possessed of more wisdom than anyone else

in the world. The magician soon found out what he wished to know, and

pointed out the place where the Prince was imprisoned, but said: ‘He

is kept there by enchantment, and cannot be set free without my help.

I will therefore go with you myself.’

So they all set out, guided by birds, and after some days came to the

cave where the unfortunate Prince had been chained up for nearly seven

years. He recognised the magician immediately, but the old man did not

know him, he had grown so thin. However, he undid the chains by the

help of magic, and took care of the Prince until he recovered and

became strong enough to travel. When he reached home he found that the

old King had died that morning, so that he was now raised to the

throne. And now after his long suffering came prosperity, which lasted

to the end of his life; but he never got back the magic ring, nor has

it ever again been seen by mortal eyes.

Now, if you had been the Prince, would you not rather have stayed

with the pretty witch-maiden?

[Illustration: ‘Here You Shall Remain Chained Up Until You Die’]

STORY OF THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES[4]

Many years ago there lived an Emperor who was so fond of new clothes

that he spent all his money on them in order to be beautifully

dressed. He did not care about his soldiers, he did not care about the

theatre; he only liked to go out walking to show off his new clothes.

He had a coat for every hour of the day; and just as they say of a

king, ‘He is in the council-chamber,’ they always said here, ‘The

Emperor is in the wardrobe.’

In the great city in which he lived there was always something going

on; every day many strangers came there. One day two impostors arrived

who gave themselves out as weavers, and said that they knew how to

manufacture the most beautiful cloth imaginable. Not only were the

texture and pattern uncommonly beautiful, but the clothes which were

made of the stuff possessed this wonderful property that they were

invisible to anyone who was not fit for his office, or who was

unpardonably stupid.

‘Those must indeed be splendid clothes,’ thought the Emperor. ‘If I

had them on I could find out which men in my kingdom are unfit for the

offices they hold; I could distinguish the wise from the stupid! Yes,

this cloth must be woven for me at once.’ And he gave both the

impostors much money, so that they might begin their work.

They placed two weaving-looms, and began to do as if they were

working, but they had not the least thing on the looms. They also

demanded the finest silk and the best gold, which they put in their

pockets, and worked at the empty looms till late into the night.

[Footnote 4: Andersen.]

‘I should like very much to know how far they have got on with the

cloth,’ thought the Emperor. But he remembered when he thought about

it that whoever was stupid or not fit for his office would not be able

to see it. Now he certainly believed that he had nothing to fear for

himself, but he wanted first to send somebody else in order to see how

he stood with regard to his office. Everybody in the whole town knew

what a wonderful power the cloth had, and they were all curious to see

how bad or how stupid their neighbour was.

‘I will send my old and honoured minister to the weavers,’ thought the

Emperor. ‘He can judge best what the cloth is like, for he has

intellect, and no one understands his office better than he.’

Now the good old minister went into the hall where the two impostors

sat working at the empty weaving-looms. ‘Dear me!’ thought the old

minister, opening his eyes wide, ‘I can see nothing!’ But he did not

say so.

Both the impostors begged him to be so kind as to step closer, and

asked him if it were not a beautiful texture and lovely colours. They

pointed to the empty loom, and the poor old minister went forward

rubbing his eyes; but he could see nothing, for there was nothing

there.

‘Dear, dear!’ thought he, ‘can I be stupid? I have never thought that,

and nobody must know it! Can I be not fit for my office? No, I must

certainly not say that I cannot see the cloth!’

‘Have you nothing to say about it?’ asked one of the men who was

weaving.

‘Oh, it is lovely, most lovely!’ answered the old minister, looking

through his spectacles. ‘What a texture! What colours! Yes, I will

tell the Emperor that it pleases me very much.’

‘Now we are delighted at that,’ said both the weavers, and thereupon

they named the colours and explained the make of the texture.

The old minister paid great attention, so that he could tell the same

to the Emperor when he came back to him, which he did.

The impostors now wanted more money, more silk, and more gold to use

in their weaving. They put it all in their own pockets, and there came

no threads on the loom, but they went on as they had done before,

working at the empty loom. The Emperor soon sent another worthy

statesman to see how the weaving was getting on, and whether the cloth

would soon be finished. It was the same with him as the first one; he

looked and looked, but because there was nothing on the empty loom he

could see nothing.

‘Is it not a beautiful piece of cloth?’ asked the two impostors, and

they pointed to and described the splendid material which was not

there.

‘Stupid I am not!’ thought the man, ‘so it must be my good office for

which I am not fitted. It is strange, certainly, but no one must be

allowed to notice it.’ And so he praised the cloth which he did not

see, and expressed to them his delight at the beautiful colours and

the splendid texture. ‘Yes, it is quite beautiful,’ he said to the

Emperor.

Everybody in the town was talking of the magnificent cloth.

Now the Emperor wanted to see it himself while it was still on the

loom. With a great crowd of select followers, amongst whom were both

the worthy statesmen who had already been there before, he went to the

cunning impostors, who were now weaving with all their might, but

without fibre or thread.

‘Is it not splendid!’ said both the old statesmen who had already been

there. ‘See, your Majesty, what a texture! What colours!’ And then

they pointed to the empty loom, for they believed that the others

could see the cloth quite well.

‘What!’ thought the Emperor, ‘I can see nothing! This is indeed

horrible! Am I stupid? Am I not fit to be Emperor? That were the most

dreadful thing that could happen to me.’ ‘Oh, it is very beautiful,’ he

said. ‘It has my gracious approval.’ And then he nodded pleasantly,

and examined the empty loom, for he would not say that he could see

nothing.

His whole Court round him looked and looked, and saw no more than the

others; but they said like the Emperor, ‘Oh! it is beautiful!’ And

they advised him to wear these new and magnificent clothes for the

first time at the great procession which was soon to take place.

‘Splendid! Lovely! Most beautiful!’ went from mouth to mouth; everyone

seemed delighted over them, and the Emperor gave to the impostors the

title of Court weavers to the Emperor.

Throughout the whole of the night before the morning on which the

procession was to take place, the impostors were up and were working

by the light of over sixteen candles. The people could see that they

were very busy making the Emperor’s new clothes ready. They pretended

they were taking the cloth from the loom, cut with huge scissors in

the air, sewed with needles without thread, and then said at last,

‘Now the clothes are finished!’

The Emperor came himself with his most distinguished knights, and each

impostor held up his arm just as if he were holding something, and

said, ‘See! here are the breeches! Here is the coat! Here the cloak!’

and so on.

‘Spun clothes are so comfortable that one would imagine one had

nothing on at all; but that is the beauty of it!’

‘Yes,’ said all the knights, but they could see nothing, for there was

nothing there.

[Illustration: The Emperor comes to see his new clothes]

‘Will it please your Majesty graciously to take off your clothes,’

said the impostors, ‘then we will put on the new clothes, here before

the mirror.’

The Emperor took off all his clothes, and the impostors placed

themselves before him as if they were putting on each part of his new

clothes which was ready, and the Emperor turned and bent himself in

front of the mirror.

‘How beautifully they fit! How well they sit!’ said everybody. ‘What

material! What colours! It is a gorgeous suit!’

‘They are waiting outside with the canopy which your Majesty is wont

to have borne over you in the procession,’ announced the Master of the

Ceremonies.

‘Look, I am ready,’ said the Emperor. ‘Doesn’t it sit well!’ And he

turned himself again to the mirror to see if his finery was on all

right.

The chamberlains who were used to carry the train put their hands near

the floor as if they were lifting up the train; then they did as if

they were holding something in the air. They would not have it noticed

that they could see nothing.

So the Emperor went along in the procession under the splendid canopy,

and all the people in the streets and at the windows said, ‘How

matchless are the Emperor’s new clothes! That train fastened to his

dress, how beautifully it hangs!’

No one wished it to be noticed that he could see nothing, for then he

would have been unfit for his office, or else very stupid. None of the

Emperor’s clothes had met with such approval as these had.

‘But he has nothing on!’ said a little child at last.

‘Just listen to the innocent child!’ said the father, and each one

whispered to his neighbour what the child had said.

‘But he has nothing on!’ the whole of the people called out at last.

This struck the Emperor, for it seemed to him as if they were right;

but he thought to himself, ‘I must go on with the procession now.’ And

the chamberlains walked along still more uprightly, holding up the

train which was not there at all.

THE GOLDEN CRAB[5]

Once upon a time there was a fisherman who had a wife and three

children. Every morning he used to go out fishing, and whatever fish

he caught he sold to the King. One day, among the other fishes, he

caught a golden crab. When he came home he put all the fishes together

into a great dish, but he kept the Crab separate because it shone so

beautifully, and placed it upon a high shelf in the cupboard. Now

while the old woman, his wife, was cleaning the fish, and had tucked

up her gown so that her feet were visible, she suddenly heard a voice,

which said:

 ‘Let down, let down thy petticoat

  That lets thy feet be seen.’

She turned round in surprise, and then she saw the little creature,