Molly Whuppie

MOLLY WHUPPIE

Once upon a time there was a man and a wife had too many children, and

  they could not get meat for them, so they took the three youngest and left


  them in a wood. They travelled and travelled and could see never a house.


  It began to be dark, and they were hungry. At last they saw a light and


  made for it; it turned out to be a house. They knocked at the door, and a


  woman came to it, who said: “What do you want?” They said: “Please let us


  in and give us something to eat.” The woman said: “I can't do that, as my


  man is a giant, and he would kill you if he comes home.” They begged hard.


  “Let us stop for a little while,” said they, “and we will go away before


  he comes.” So she took them in, and set them down before the fire, and


  gave them milk and bread; but just as they had begun to eat a great knock


  came to the door, and a dreadful voice said:

“Fee, fie, fo, fum,

I smell the blood of some earthly one.

Who have you there wife?” “Eh,” said the wife, “it's three poor lassies

  cold and hungry, and they will go away. Ye won't touch 'em, man.” He said


  nothing, but ate up a big supper, and ordered them to stay all night. Now


  he had three lassies of his own, and they were to sleep in the same bed


  with the three strangers.

The youngest of the three strange lassies was called Molly Whuppie, and

  she was very clever. She noticed that before they went to bed the giant


  put straw ropes round her neck and her sisters', and round his own


  lassies' necks he put gold chains. So Molly took care and did not fall


  asleep, but waited till she was sure every one was sleeping sound. Then


  she slipped out of the bed, and took the straw ropes off her own and her


  sisters' necks, and took the gold chains off the giant's lassies. She then


  put the straw ropes on the giant's lassies and the gold on herself and her


  sisters, and lay down.

And in the middle of the night up rose the giant, armed with a great club,

  and felt for the necks with the straw. It was dark. He took his own


  lassies out of bed on to the floor, and battered them until they were


  dead, and then lay down again, thinking he had managed fine. Molly thought


  it time she and her sisters were out of that, so she wakened them and told


  them to be quiet, and they slipped out of the house. They all got out


  safe, and they ran and ran, and never stopped until morning, when they saw


  a grand house before them. It turned out to be a king's house: so Molly


  went in, and told her story to the king. He said: “Well, Molly, you are a


  clever girl, and you have managed well; but, if you would manage better,


  and go back, and steal the giant's sword that hangs on the back of his


  bed, I would give your eldest sister my eldest son to marry.” Molly said


  she would try.

So she went back, and managed to slip into the giant's house, and crept in

  below the bed. The giant came home, and ate up a great supper, and went to


  bed. Molly waited until he was snoring, and she crept out, and reached


  over the giant and got down the sword; but just as she got it out over the


  bed it gave a rattle, and up jumped the giant, and Molly ran out at the


  door and the sword with her; and she ran, and he ran, till they came to


  the “Bridge of one hair”; and she got over, but he couldn't, and he says,


  “Woe worth ye, Molly Whuppie! never ye come again.” And she says “Twice


  yet, carle,” quoth she, “I'll come to Spain.” So Molly took the sword to


  the king, and her sister was married to his son.

Well, the king he says: “Ye've managed well, Molly; but if ye would manage

  better, and steal the purse that lies below the giant's pillow, I would


  marry your second sister to my second son.” And Molly said she would try.


  So she set out for the giant's house, and slipped in, and hid again below


  the bed, and waited till the giant had eaten his supper, and was snoring


  sound asleep. She slipped out, and slipped her hand below the pillow, and


  got out the purse; but just as she was going out the giant wakened, and


  ran after her; and she ran, and he ran, till they came to the “Bridge of


  one hair,” and she got over, but he couldn't, and he said, “Woe worth ye,


  Molly Whuppie! never you come again.” “Once yet, carle,” quoth she, “I'll


  come to Spain.” So Molly took the purse to the king, and her second sister


  was married to the king's second son.

After that the king says to Molly: “Molly, you are a clever girl, but if

  you would do better yet, and steal the giant's ring that he wears on his


  finger, I will give you my youngest son for yourself.” Molly said she


  would try. So back she goes to the giant's house, and hides herself below


  the bed. The giant wasn't long ere he came home, and, after he had eaten a


  great big supper, he went to his bed, and shortly was snoring loud. Molly


  crept out and reached over the bed, and got hold of the giant's hand, and


  she pulled and she pulled until she got off the ring; but just as she got


  it off the giant got up, and gripped her by the hand, and he says: “Now I


  have catcht you, Molly Whuppie, and, if I had done as much ill to you as


  ye have done to me, what would ye do to me?”

Molly says: “I would put you into a sack, and I'd put the cat inside with

  you, and the dog aside you, and a needle and thread and a shears, and I'd


  hang you up upon the wall, and I'd go to the wood, and choose the thickest


  stick I could get, and I would come home, and take you down, and bang you


  till you were dead.”

“Well, Molly,” says the giant, “I'll just do that to you.”

So he gets a sack, and puts Molly into it, and the cat and the dog beside

  her, and a needle and thread and shears, and hangs her up upon the wall,


  and goes to the wood to choose a stick.

Molly she sings out: “Oh, if ye saw what I see.”

“Oh,” says the giant's wife, “what do ye see, Molly?”

But Molly never said a word but, “Oh, if ye saw what I see!”

The giant's wife begged that Molly would take her up into the sack till

  she would see what Molly saw. So Molly took the shears and cut a hole in


  the sack, and took out the needle and thread with her, and jumped down and


  helped, the giant's wife up into the sack, and sewed up the hole.

The giant's wife saw nothing, and began to ask to get down again; but

  Molly never minded, but hid herself at the back of the door. Home came the


  giant, and a great big tree in his hand, and he took down the sack, and


  began to batter it. His wife cried, “It's me, man;” but the dog barked and


  the cat mewed, and he did not know his wife's voice. But Molly came out


  from the back of the door, and the giant saw her, and he after her; and he


  ran and she ran, till they came to the “Bridge of one hair,” and she got


  over but he couldn't; and he said, “Woe worth you, Molly Whuppie! never


  you come again.” “Never more, carle,” quoth she, “will I come again to


  Spain.”

So Molly took the ring to the king, and she was married to his youngest

  son, and she never saw the giant again.