Akingwasoncehuntinginagreatwood,andhehuntedthegamesoeagerlythatnoneofhiscourtierscouldfollowhim。Wheneveningcameonhestoodstillandlookedroundhim,andhesawthathehadquitelosthimself。Hesoughtawayout,butcouldfindnone。Thenhesawanoldwomanwithashakingheadcomingtowardshim;butshewasawitch。
’Goodwoman,’hesaidtoher,’canyounotshowmethewayoutofthewood?’
’Oh,certainly,SirKing,’shereplied,’Icanquitewelldothat,butononecondition,whichifyoudonotfulfilyouwillnevergetoutofthewood,andwilldieofhunger。’
’Whatisthecondition?’askedtheKing。
’Ihaveadaughter,’saidtheoldwoman,’whoissobeautifulthatshehasnotherequalintheworld,andiswellfittedtobeyourwife;ifyouwillmakeherlady-queenIwillshowyouthewayoutofthewood。’
TheKinginhisanguishofmindconsented,andtheoldwomanledhimtoherlittlehousewhereherdaughterwassittingbythefire。ShereceivedtheKingasifshewereexpectinghim,andhesawthatshewascertainlyverybeautiful;butshedidnotpleasehim,andhecouldnotlookatherwithoutasecretfeelingofhorror。Assoonashehadliftedthemaidenontohishorsetheoldwomanshowedhimtheway,andtheKingreachedhispalace,wheretheweddingwascelebrated。
TheKinghadalreadybeenmarriedonce,andhadbyhisfirstwifesevenchildren,sixboysandonegirl,whomhelovedmorethananythingintheworld。Andnow,becausehewasafraidthattheirstepmothermightnottreatthemwellandmightdothemharm,heputtheminalonelycastlethatstoodinthemiddleofawood。
Itlaysohidden,andthewaytoitwassohardtofind,thathehimselfcouldnothavefounditouthadnotawise-womangivenhimareelofthreadwhichpossessedamarvellousproperty:whenhethrewitbeforehimitunwounditselfandshowedhimtheway。
ButtheKingwentsooftentohisdearchildrenthattheQueenwasoffendedathisabsence。Shegrewcurious,andwantedtoknowwhathehadtodoquitealoneinthewood。Shegavehisservantsagreatdealofmoney,andtheybetrayedthesecrettoher,andalsotoldherofthereelwhichalonecouldpointouttheway。ShehadnorestnowtillshehadfoundoutwheretheKingguardedthereel,andthenshemadesomelittlewhiteshirts,and,asshehadlearntfromherwitch-mother,sewedanenchantmentineachofthem。
AndwhentheKinghadriddenoffshetookthelittleshirtsandwentintothewood,andthereelshowedhertheway。Thechildren,whosawsomeonecominginthedistance,thoughtitwastheirdearfathercomingtothem,andsprangtomeethimveryjoyfully。Thenshethrewovereachonealittleshirt,whichwhenithadtouchedtheirbodieschangedthemintoswans,andtheyflewawayovertheforest。TheQueenwenthomequitesatisfied,andthoughtshehadgotridofherstep-children;butthegirlhadnotruntomeetherwithherbrothers,andsheknewnothingofher。
ThenextdaytheKingcametovisithischildren,buthefoundnoonebutthegirl。
’Whereareyourbrothers?’askedtheKing。
’Alas!dearfather,’sheanswered,’theyhavegoneawayandleftmeallalone。’Andshetoldhimthatlookingoutofherlittlewindowshehadseenherbrothersflyingoverthewoodintheshapeofswans,andsheshowedhimthefeatherswhichtheyhadletfallintheyard,andwhichshehadcollected。TheKingmourned,buthedidnotthinkthattheQueenhaddonethewickeddeed,andashewasafraidthemaidenwouldalsobetakenfromhim,hewantedtotakeherwithhim。Butshewasafraidofthestepmother,andbeggedtheKingtoletherstayjustonenightmoreinthecastleinthewood。Thepoormaidenthought,’Myhomeisnolongerhere;Iwillgoandseekmybrothers。’Andwhennightcameshefledawayintotheforest。Sheranallthroughthenightandthenextday,tillshecouldgonofartherforweariness。Thenshesawalittlehut,wentin,andfoundaroomwithsixlittlebeds。Shewasafraidtoliedownonone,soshecreptunderoneofthem,layonthehardfloor,andwasgoingtospendthenightthere。Butwhenthesunhadsetsheheardanoise,andsawsixswansflyinginatthewindow。Theystoodonthefloorandblewatoneanother,andblewalltheirfeathersoff,andtheirswan-skincameofflikeashirt。Thenthemaidenrecognisedherbrothers,andoverjoyedshecreptoutfromunderthebed。Herbrotherswerenotlessdelightedthanshetoseetheirlittlesisteragain,buttheirjoydidnotlastlong。
’Youcannotstayhere,’theysaidtoher。’Thisisadenofrobbers;iftheyweretocomehereandfindyoutheywouldkillyou。’
’Couldyounotprotectme?’askedthelittlesister。
’No,’theyanswered,’forwecanonlylayasideourswanskinsforaquarterofanhoureveryevening。Forthistimeweregainourhumanforms,butthenwearechangedintoswansagain。’
Thenthelittlesistercriedandsaid,’Canyounotbefreed?’
’Oh,no,’theysaid,’theconditionsaretoohard。Youmustnotspeakorlaughforsixyears,andmustmakeinthattimesixshirtsforusoutofstar-flowers。Ifasinglewordcomesoutofyourmouth,allyourlabourisvain。’Andwhenthebrothershadsaidthisthequarterofanhourcametoanend,andtheyflewawayoutofthewindowasswans。
Butthemaidenhaddeterminedtofreeherbrothersevenifitshouldcostherherlife。Sheleftthehut,wentintotheforest,climbedatree,andspentthenightthere。Thenextmorningshewentout,collectedstar-flowers,andbegantosew。
Shecouldspeaktonoone,andshehadnowishtolaugh,soshesatthere,lookingonlyatherwork。
Whenshehadlivedtheresometime,ithappenedthattheKingofthecountrywashuntingintheforest,andhishunterscametothetreeonwhichthemaidensat。Theycalledtoherandsaid’Whoareyou?’
Butshegavenoanswer。
’Comedowntous,’theysaid,’wewilldoyounoharm。’
Butsheshookherheadsilently。Astheypressedherfurtherwithquestions,shethrewthemthegoldenchainfromherneck。
Buttheydidnotleaveoff,andshethrewthemhergirdle,andwhenthiswasnouse,hergarters,andthenherdress。Thehuntsmenwouldnotleaveheralone,butclimbedthetree,liftedthemaidendown,andledhertotheKing。TheKingasked,’Whoareyou?Whatareyoudoingupthattree?’
Butsheanswerednothing。
Heaskedherinallthelanguagesheknew,butsheremainedasdumbasafish。Becauseshewassobeautiful,however,theKing’sheartwastouched,andhewasseizedwithagreatloveforher。Hewrappedherupinhiscloak,placedherbeforehimonhishorse。andbroughthertohiscastle。Therehehadherdressedinrichclothes,andherbeautyshoneoutasbrightasday,butnotawordcouldbedrawnfromher。Hesetherattablebyhisside,andhermodestwaysandbehaviourpleasedhimsomuchthathesaid,’Iwillmarrythismaidenandnoneotherintheworld,’andaftersomedayshemarriedher。ButtheKinghadawickedmotherwhowasdispleasedwiththemarriage,andsaidwickedthingsoftheyoungQueen。’Whoknowswhothisgirlis?’
shesaid;’shecannotspeak,andisnotworthyofaking。’
Afterayear,whentheQueenhadherfirstchild,theoldmothertookitawayfromher。ThenshewenttotheKingandsaidthattheQueenhadkilledit。TheKingwouldnotbelieveit,andwouldnotallowanyharmtobedoneher。Butshesatquietlysewingattheshirtsandtroublingherselfaboutnothing。Thenexttimeshehadachildthewickedmotherdidthesamething,buttheKingcouldnotmakeuphismindtobelieveher。Hesaid,’Sheistoosweetandgoodtodosuchathingasthat。Ifshewerenotdumbandcoulddefendherself,herinnocencewouldbeproved。’Butwhenthethirdchildwastakenaway,andtheQueenwasagainaccused,andcouldnotutterawordinherowndefence,theKingwasobligedtogiveherovertothelaw,whichdecreedthatshemustbeburnttodeath。Whenthedaycameonwhichthesentencewastobeexecuted,itwasthelastdayofthesixyearsinwhichshemustnotspeakorlaugh,andnowshehadfreedherdearbrothersfromthepoweroftheenchantment。Thesixshirtsweredone;therewasonlytheleftsleevewantingtothelast。
Whenshewasledtothestake,shelaidtheshirtsonherarm,andasshestoodonthepileandthefirewasabouttobelighted,shelookedaroundherandsawsixswansflyingthroughtheair。Thensheknewthatherreleasewasathandandherheartdancedforjoy。Theswansflutteredroundher,andhoveredlowsothatshecouldthrowtheshirtsoverthem。Whentheyhadtouchedthemtheswan-skinsfelloff,andherbrothersstoodbeforeherliving,wellandbeautiful。Onlytheyoungesthadaswan’swinginsteadofhisleftarm。Theyembracedandkissedeachother,andtheQueenwenttotheKing,whowasstandingbyingreatastonishment,andbegantospeaktohim,saying,’Dearesthusband,nowIcanspeakandtellyouopenlythatIaminnocentandhavebeenfalselyaccused。’
Shetoldhimoftheoldwoman’sdeceit,andhowshehadtakenthethreechildrenawayandhiddenthem。Thentheywerefetched,tothegreatjoyoftheKing,andthewickedmothercametonogoodend。
ButtheKingandtheQueenwiththeirsixbrotherslivedmanyyearsinhappinessandpeace。
[2]’DerNorlandsDrache,’fromEsthnischeMahrchen。Kreutzwald,Verylongago,asoldpeoplehavetoldme,therelivedaterriblemonster,whocameoutoftheNorth,andlaidwastewholetractsofcountry,devouringbothmenandbeasts;andthismonsterwassodestructivethatitwasfearedthatunlesshelpcamenolivingcreaturewouldbeleftonthefaceoftheearth。Ithadabodylikeanox,andlegslikeafrog,twoshortfore-legs,andtwolongonesbehind,andbesidesthatithadataillikeaserpent,tenfathomsinlength。Whenitmoveditjumpedlikeafrog,andwitheveryspringitcoveredhalfamileofground。Fortunatelyitshabit,wastoremainforseveralyearsinthesameplace,andnottomoveontillthewholeneighbourhoodwaseatenup。
Nothingcouldhuntit,becauseitswholebodywascoveredwithscales,whichwereharderthanstoneormetal;itstwogreateyesshonebynight,andevenbyday,likethebrightestlamps,andanyonewhohadtheilllucktolookintothoseeyesbecameasitwerebewitched,andwasobligedtorushofhisownaccordintothemonster’sjaws。InthiswaytheDragonwasabletofeeduponbothmenandbeastswithouttheleasttroubletoitself,asitneedednottomovefromthespotwhereitwaslying。Alltheneighbouringkingshadofferedrichrewardstoanyonewhoshouldbeabletodestroythemonster,eitherbyforceorenchantment,andmanyhadtriedtheirluck,butallhadmiserablyfailed。
OnceagreatforestinwhichtheDragonlayhadbeensetonfire;
theforestwasburntdown,butthefiredidnotdothemonstertheleastharm。However,therewasatraditionamongstthewisemenofthecountrythattheDragonmightbeovercomebyonewhopossessedKingSolomon’ssignet-ring,uponwhichasecretwritingwasengraved。ThisinscriptionwouldenableanyonewhowaswiseenoughtointerpretittofindouthowtheDragoncouldbedestroyed。Onlynooneknewwheretheringwashidden,norwasthereanysorcererorlearnedmantobefoundwhowouldbeabletoexplaintheinscription。