The Red Ettin
by Joseph Jacobs
The Giant and the Brothers
Once, a mother had two sons. She made a cake.
Her older son went for water. The can had a hole. He brought little water. His cake was small.
Mother said, "Take half with good words." The older son took all. Mother said sad words.
He gave his brother a magic knife. "If clean, okay. If rusty, trouble," he said. He left.
He walked long. He met a man with sheep. "Who owns these?" he asked. The man said, "A Red Giant has a princess and owns them."
The older son saw scary animals. He ran away. He found a castle. He went inside. An old woman was there.
"The Red Giant lives here," she said. "He has three heads. He is bad."
The giant came home. "I smell a man!" he said. He found the older son.
"Answer three questions," the giant said. "What has no end?" He didn't know. "What is small but dangerous?" He didn't know. "When does the dead carry the living?" He didn't know.
The giant made him into stone.
The next morning, the little brother looked at the knife. It was rusty! "My brother is in trouble," he said. "I must help."
He went for water. The can had a hole. He fixed the hole with clay. He brought lots of water.
His mother made a big cake. "Take half with good words," she said. The little brother took half. Mother said good words. His cake was big and nice.
He walked long. He met an old woman. "Can I have cake?" she asked. "Yes," he said. He shared his cake.
The old woman was a fairy! "You are kind," she said. "I will help." She gave him a magic stick. "The giant will ask three questions," she said. "A bowl has no end. A bridge is small but dangerous. A ship carries the living." She told him what to do. Then she left.
He met the man with sheep. The man said, "The Red Giant will be beaten. You are the hero!"
The little brother saw scary animals. He was brave. He used his magic stick. The animals ran away.
He went to the giant's castle. The old woman said, "Be careful! The giant is bad!" The little brother was not scared.
The giant came home. "I smell a man!" he said. He found the little brother.
"Answer three questions," the giant said. "What has no end?" "A bowl," said the little brother. "What is small but dangerous?" "A bridge," he said. "When does the dead carry the living?" "A ship carries people," he said.
The giant was angry. The little brother took an axe. He stopped the giant. The giant fell down.
He found the princess. He let her go. He used the magic stick on the stone. His brother became a person again!
They all went to the king's house. The little brother married the princess. His brother married another lady. They were happy.
Being good, brave, and smart helps you win. Being selfish and mean is bad. And they all lived happily ever after.
Original Story
THE RED ETTIN There was once a widow that lived on a small bit of ground, which she rented from a farmer. And she had two sons; and by-and-by it was time for the wife to send them away to seek their fortune. So she told her eldest son one day to take a can and bring her water from the well, that she might bake a cake for him; and however much or however little water he might bring, the cake would be great or small accordingly, and that cake was to be all that she could give him when he went on his travels. The lad went away with the can to the well, and filled it with water, and then came away home again; but the can being broken, the most part of the water had run out before he got back. So his cake was very small; yet small as it was, his mother asked him if he was willing to take the half of it with her blessing, telling him that, if he chose rather to take the whole, he would only get it with her curse. The young man, thinking he might have to travel a far way, and not knowing when or how he might get other provisions, said he would like to have the whole cake, come of his mother's malison what like; so she gave him the whole cake, and her malison along with it. Then he took his brother aside, and gave him a knife to keep till he should come back, desiring him to look at it every morning, and as long as it continued to be clear, then he might be sure that the owner of it was well; but if it grew dim and rusty, then for certain some ill had befallen him. So the young man went to seek his fortune. And he went all that day, and all the next day; and on the third day, in the afternoon, he came up to where a shepherd was sitting with a flock of sheep. And he went up to the shepherd and asked him who the sheep belonged to; and he answered: “The Red Ettin of Ireland Once lived in Ballygan, And stole King Malcolm's daughter The king of fair Scotland. He beats her, he binds her, He lays her on a band; And every day he strikes her With a bright silver wand. Like Julian the Roman, He's one that fears no man. It's said there's one predestinate To be his mortal foe; But that man is yet unborn, And long may it be so.” This shepherd also told him to beware of the beasts he should next meet, for they were of a very different kind from any he had yet seen. So the young man went on, and by-and-by he saw a multitude of very dreadful beasts, with two heads, and on every head four horns. And he was sore frightened, and ran away from them as fast as he could; and glad was he when he came to a castle that stood on a hillock, with the door standing wide open to the wall. And he went into the castle for shelter, and there he saw an old wife sitting beside the kitchen fire. He asked the wife if he might stay for the night, as he was tired with a long journey; and the wife said he might, but it was not a good place for him to be in, as it belonged to the Red Ettin, who was a very terrible beast, with three heads, that spared no living man it could get hold of. The young man would have gone away, but he was afraid of the beasts on the outside of the castle; so he beseeched the old woman to hide him as best she could, and not tell the Ettin he was there. He thought, if he could put over the night, he might get away in the morning, without meeting with the beasts, and so escape. But he had not been long in his hiding-hole, before the awful Ettin came in; and no sooner was he in, than he was heard crying: “Snouk but and snouk ben, I find the smell of an earthly man, Be he living, or be he dead, His heart this night shall kitchen my bread.” The monster soon found the poor young man, and pulled him from his hole. And when he had got him out, he told him that if he could answer him three questions his life should be spared. So the first head asked: “A thing without an end, what's that?” But the young man knew not. Then the second head said: “The smaller, the more dangerous, what's that?” But the young man knew it not. And then the third head asked: “The dead carrying the living; riddle me that?” But the young man had to give it up. The lad not being able to answer one of these questions, the Red Ettin took a mallet and knocked him on the head, and turned him into a pillar of stone. On the morning after this happened, the younger brother took out the knife to look at it, and he was grieved to find it all brown with rust. He told his mother that the time was now come for him to go away upon his travels also; so she requested him to take the can to the well for water, that she might make a cake for him. And he went, and as he was bringing home the water, a raven over his head cried to him to look, and he would see that the water was running out. And he was a young man of sense, and seeing the water running out, he took some clay and patched up the holes, so that he brought home enough water to bake a large cake. When his mother put it to him to take the half cake with her blessing, he took it in preference to having the whole with her malison; and yet the half was bigger than what the other lad had got. So he went away on his journey; and after he had travelled a far way, he met with an old woman that asked him if he would give her a bit of his johnny-cake. And he said: “I will gladly do that,” and so he gave her a piece of the johnny-cake; and for that she gave him a magical wand, that she might yet be of service to him, if he took care to use it rightly. Then the old woman, who was a fairy, told him a great deal that would happen to him, and what he ought to do in all circumstances; and after that she vanished in an instant out of his sight. He went on a great way farther, and then he came up to the old man herding the sheep; and when he asked whose sheep these were, the answer was: “The Red Ettin of Ireland Once lived in Ballygan, And stole King Malcolm's daughter, The king of Fair Scotland. “He beats her, he binds her, He lays her on a band; And every day he strikes her With a bright silver wand. Like Julian the Roman, He's one that fears no man. “But now I fear his end is near, And destiny at hand; And you're to be, I plainly see, The heir of all his land.” When he came to the place where the monstrous beasts were standing, he did not stop nor run away, but went boldly through amongst them. One came up roaring with open mouth to devour him, when he struck it with his wand, and laid it in an instant dead at his feet. He soon came to the Ettin's castle, where he knocked, and was admitted. The old woman who sat by the fire warned him of the terrible Ettin, and what had been the fate of his brother; but he was not to be daunted. The monster soon came in, saying: “Snouk but and snouk ben, I find the smell of an earthly man; Be he living, or be he dead, His heart shall be kitchen to my bread.” He quickly espied the young man, and bade him come forth on the floor. And then he put the three questions to him; but the young man had been told everything by the good fairy, so he was able to answer all the questions. So when the first head asked, “What's the thing without an end?” he said: “A bowl.” And when the second head said: “The smaller the more dangerous; what's that?” he said at once, “A bridge.” And last, the third head said: “When does the dead carry the living, riddle me that?” Then the young man answered up at once and said: “When a ship sails on the sea with men inside her.” When the Ettin found this, he knew that his power was gone. The young man then took up an axe and hewed off the monster's three heads. He next asked the old woman to show him where the king's daughter lay; and the old woman took him upstairs, and opened a great many doors, and out of every door came a beautiful lady who had been imprisoned there by the Ettin; and one of the ladies was the king's daughter. She also took him down into a low room, and there stood a stone pillar, that he had only to touch with his wand, when his brother started into life. And the whole of the prisoners were overjoyed at their deliverance, for which they thanked the young man. Next day they all set out for the king's court, and a gallant company they made. And the king married his daughter to the young man that had delivered her, and gave a noble's daughter to his brother; and so they all lived happily all the rest of their days.
Moral of the Story
Good fortune often favors the wise, humble, and courageous, while arrogance and foolishness lead to ruin.
Characters
Younger Brother ★ protagonist
Not explicitly described, but implied to be capable and resourceful.
Attire: Simple peasant clothing, suitable for travel, likely homespun tunic and breeches.
Resourceful, kind, brave, sensible.
Red Ettin ⚔ antagonist
A terrible beast with three heads.
Attire: No clothing mentioned, likely depicted as a large, red-skinned monster.
Cruel, powerful, riddle-obsessed.
Eldest Brother ◆ supporting
Not explicitly described, but implied to be less resourceful than his brother.
Attire: Simple peasant clothing, suitable for travel, likely homespun tunic and breeches.
Selfish, less sensible, unfortunate.
The Mother ○ minor
A widow, likely showing signs of age and hard work.
Attire: Simple, practical widow's attire, likely a dark dress or skirt and bodice.
Practical, stern, traditional.
The Fairy Woman ◆ supporting
An old woman, but with magical abilities.
Attire: Simple, unassuming clothing that belies her magical nature, perhaps a dark cloak.
Wise, benevolent, magical.
King Malcolm's Daughter ◆ supporting
Beautiful, as she is a king's daughter.
Attire: Implied to be in distress, but likely still wearing remnants of fine clothing or simple garments provided by her captor.
Victimized, grateful.
The Old Woman (in the castle) ◆ supporting
An old wife, likely frail.
Attire: Simple, practical clothing of a servant or captive, likely a dark dress or apron.
Fearful, cautious, helpful (within her limitations).
Locations
Widow's Cottage
A small dwelling on a rented bit of ground, where the widow lives with her two sons.
Mood: Humble, domestic, a place of departure
Both sons receive their cakes and blessings/curses before embarking on their journeys.
Shepherd's Pasture
An open area where a shepherd sits with a flock of sheep, likely grassy and expansive.
Mood: Pastoral, informative, a place of warning
Both brothers encounter the shepherd who provides crucial information about the Red Ettin.
Red Ettin's Castle
A castle standing on a hillock, with its door standing wide open. Inside, there's a kitchen fire and an old woman. It also contains many rooms where ladies are imprisoned and a low room with a stone pillar.
Mood: Eerie, dangerous, foreboding, later triumphant
The first brother is turned to stone, the second brother defeats the Ettin, frees the prisoners, and revives his brother.
Story DNA
Moral
Good fortune often favors the wise, humble, and courageous, while arrogance and foolishness lead to ruin.
Plot Summary
A widow's eldest son, choosing greed and his mother's curse, embarks on a journey, encounters the monstrous Red Ettin, fails its riddles, and is turned to stone. His younger brother, guided by a rusted knife, chooses humility and his mother's blessing. He receives a magic wand and crucial advice from a fairy, allowing him to bravely confront the Ettin, answer its riddles, and slay the monster. The younger brother then frees his transformed brother and the king's daughter, leading to a joyous return and a double wedding.
Themes
Emotional Arc
suffering to triumph
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Joseph Jacobs collected and retold this tale, which is part of the broader European tradition of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' type hero tales, often featuring giants or ogres and riddles.
Plot Beats (15)
- A widow prepares a cake for her eldest son's journey; he brings little water, gets a small cake, and chooses the whole cake with her curse.
- The elder son gives his brother a knife to monitor his well-being and departs.
- The elder son encounters a shepherd who warns him about the Red Ettin and its captive, King Malcolm's daughter.
- The elder son is terrified by two-headed beasts and seeks refuge in a castle, where an old woman warns him of the three-headed Red Ettin.
- The Red Ettin arrives, smells the man, finds him, and poses three riddles; the elder son fails and is turned to stone.
- The younger brother finds the knife rusted, indicating his brother's fate, and prepares for his own journey, carefully patching his water can.
- The younger brother chooses half a large cake with his mother's blessing, which is still larger than his brother's whole cake.
- The younger brother shares his cake with an old woman who reveals herself as a fairy, gives him a magic wand, and tells him the answers to the Ettin's riddles and what to do.
- The younger brother meets the shepherd, who now speaks of the Ettin's impending doom and the younger brother's destiny.
- The younger brother bravely confronts and kills the two-headed beasts with his magic wand.
- The younger brother enters the Ettin's castle, undaunted by the old woman's warnings.
- The Red Ettin arrives, smells the man, and poses the three riddles; the younger brother answers them correctly, thanks to the fairy's advice.
- The younger brother slays the Red Ettin with an axe.
- The younger brother frees the king's daughter and other imprisoned ladies, and restores his brother from stone with the magic wand.
- All the freed captives return to the king's court; the younger brother marries the king's daughter, and his brother marries a noble's daughter, living happily ever after.
