Full text of "Czech folk tales"

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CZECH FOLK TALES 



CZECH FOLK TALES 



SELECTED AND TRANSLATED BY 
DR. JOSEF BAUDIS, M.R.I.A. 

LECTURER IN COMPARATIVE PHILOLOGY 
AT THE PRAGUE UNIVERSITY 



WITH 8 ILLUSTRATIONS" 







LONDON: GEORGE ALLEN & UNWIN LTD. 
RUSKIN HOUSE 4.0 MUSEUM STREET, W.C. i 



Pint printed in X9IT 



t3^R^ 



OCT J 



1968 



^^^OMMB^ 



IS 7 
3315 



(All tights reserved) 



PREFACE 

The present collection has been selected from 
the following sources : — 

Josef Kubln, Povfdky kladsk^, i., ii. (in 
*' Ndrodopisny vSstnik 2eskoslovansky "). 

V. Vondrdk, Nekolik pohddek z Dubu u 
Vodnan (S. Bohemia), in " Cesky Lid," xiii. 

V. Tille, Povidky sebran^ na Valassku 
(S. Moravia). " Ndrodopisny sbornik ^esko- 
slovansk;^," Svazek vii. Prague, 1901. 

Elpl, Rada pohddek a povesti nasbfran^ch 
V Lisni u Brna (Moravia). 

B. M. Kulda, Moravsk^ ndrodni pohddky a 
pov^sti, i. (Prague, 1874). From Moravia. 

The first two stories ("Twelve Months," 
" Vftazko ") have been retold by the novelist 
Bozena Nemcov4 (from the Slovak). 

My translation could not be, of course, 
a literal one, because many phrases in the 

Tii 



viii PREFACE 

original might seem strange to the English 
reader's ear. 

Finally, I wish to express my thanks to 
Miss Eleanor Hull and Mr. Robin Flower 
for revising my English. ^ 

JOSEF BAUDlS. 
London, October 191 7. 



CONTENTS 



PAG* 

vii 



PREFACE ..... 

INTRODUCTION ..... xiii 

THE TWELVE MONTHS. From B. NSmcova . a 

viTAZKO, From B. N^mcova . . .16 

BOOTS, CLOAK, ^ND RING. From B. M. Kulda 39 

SILLY JURA. From B. M. Kulda . . -55 

SLEEPY JOHN. From B. M. Kulda . . . 6i 

THREE DOVES. From B. M. Kulda . . .71 

THE BEAR, THE EAGLE, AND THE FISH. From Elpl 98 

KOJATA. From V. Tille .... 103 

SHEPHERD HYNEK. From Kubiu . . Ill 

THE THREE ROSES. From Kubi'n . 123 

THE ENCHANTED PRINCESSES. From KublU . 1 39 



THE TWIN BROTHERS. From " Ccsky Lid," xiii 

p. 84 



142 



xii CONTENTS 

PAGE 

THE WATERNICK. From Kubin . . . 151 

THE MAN WHO MET MISERY. FrOm Kubin . 157 

NINE AT A BLOW. From " Cesk^ Lid," xiii. p. 130 . 161 
A CLEVER LASS. From Kubin . . . 165 

THE SOLDIER AND THE DEVIL. From " Ccsk^ Lid," 

xiii. p. 167 . . . . . 170 

OLD NICK AND KITTY. From Kubin . .179 

THE KNIGHT BAMBUS. From Kubi'n . .182 

FRANCIS AND MARTIN. From " Ccsk^ Lid," xiii. 
p. 213 ...... 186 

WITCHES AT THE CROSS. From Kubin . 190 

THE WITCH AND THE HORSESHOES. From Kubin . 191 

THE HAUNTED MILL. From Kubin . , . 195 



The first two illastrations are copies of pictures by Joseph 
Manes ; the others have been drawn by Mr. E. Stanek, who &i 
sonie cases has adapted drawings by Mikulas Ales. 



INTRODUCTION 

The present collection is intended to exemplify 
the spirit of the Czech race. It may perhaps 
be objected that folk-tale themes are part of 
a common stot:k belonging to all European 
races, and even to many primitive peoples: but 
though this is perfectly true, it is also no less 
certain that the spirit of the nation manifests 
itself in the manner of their telling. The 
selection has been made from all sorts of 
folk tales, artistic and primitive alike ; and 
yet, two things at-e common to all of them : 
the moral tendency and a sense of humour. 
By this I do not mean morality in the 
vulgar sense of retribution for evil, or of 
filial devotion, or the sentimental insistence 
upon " every one living happily ever after- 
wards," and above all upon Jack marrying 
his Molly. I mean that higher sort of morality 
which was the mainspring of Protestantism. 
It is often supposed that Protestantism is 

xiU 



xiv INTRODUCTION 

very unfavourable to the development and 
preservation of folk tales ; but those of 
Bohemia are certainly an exception to this 
rule. The Czech nation was the first to 
adopt the Protestant faith, and even to-day is 
still Protestant at heart, though the Habsburgs 
forced it back into the Catholic fold. 

The Czechs, then, have preserved their love 
for folk tales, adapting them to the higher 
morality and to the national sentiment, and 
discarding many of their supernatural features, 
or where the supernatural was allowed to 
remain for a moment, reverting very soon to 
the strict limits of probability. It is the very 
same method which, for example, Mr. Wells 
employs in some of his novels. That the 
Slav nations have a certain tendency to lay 
stress upon the ethical side in their folk tales 
has already been pointed out by the Czech 
poet Erben, whose tales have been translated 
into English in Wratislaw's Collection. 

As for their humour, the Czechs have a 
natural tendency to satire. The best works 
in Old Czech literature are satires, and in 
modern times one of the most brilliant of 
Czech politicians, Karel Havli^ek, was also 
the greatest Czech satirist. This spirit may 



INTRODUCTION xv 

also be seen in the present collection ; but 
in every case the story-teller, instead of 
assuming the attitude of the morality preacher 
or of indulging in theatrical invective against 
the wickedness of the times, rests content 
with a good-humoured gibe at the folly of 
the world, at the frailty of his fellow-men, 
and, it may be, at his own. 

These two traits are inherent in the nature 
of the Czech people; and those who know 
their love of such tales and of the literature 
which has grown out of them, can realize 
their search for a haven of refuge from the 
cruel present and their fond dream-pictures 
of a land where all was good, where at last 
everything was bound to end well, where 
truth and justice at last had conquered. 
Alas ! to the victims of Habsburg rule and 
Austrian bayonets the bare possibility seemed 
utterly excluded. And yet why should they 
not dream of such a land? Amo quia 
absurdum ! But at the very moment their 
humorous ego could not suppress a sneer. 
Yes, even in that wonderland which their 
fancy painted are foolish kings, ever prone 
to break their word : even there people are 
bad and stupid ! But our tale says that the 



xvi INTRODUCTION 

bad were vanquished and the foolish put to 
shame : let, then, the tale be told ! And even 
as he tells it, his heart nurses the inward 
hope that the foreign tyrants who oppress 
him may one day be vanquished and 
annihilated. 

That such were the wishes of the Czech 
people, the Great War has shown. They 
have proved by their deeds their love of 
freedom ; and to-day Czechs are fighting 
bravely in every Allied army and in their 
own natibnal units formed in Russia, May 
their Austrian oppressors be brought to the 
ground, and may Bohemia regain the freedom 
for which she has longed for three centuries! 



THE TWELVE MONTHS 

Once upon a time there lived a mother 
who had two daughters. One was her own 
child, the other her stepdaughter. She was 
very fond of her own daughter, but she 
would not so much as look at her step- 
daughter. The only reason was that Marusa, 
the stepdaughter, was prettier than her own 
daughter, Holena. The gentle-hearted Marusa 
did not know how beautiful she was, and 
so she could never make out why her mother 
was so cross with her whenever she looked 
at her. She had to do all the housework, 
tidying up the cottage, cooking, washing, and 
sewing, and then she had to take the hay to 
the cow and look after her. She did all 
this work alone, while Holena spent the 
time adorning herself and lazing about. But 
Marusa liked work, for she was a patient 
girl, and when her mother scolded and rated 
her, she bore it like a lamb. It was no 



2 CZECH FOLK TALES 

good, howe^'er, for they grew crueller and 
crueller every day, only because Marusa was 
growing prettier and Holena uglier every day. 

At last the mother thought : " Why should 
I keep a pretty stepdaughter in my house? 
When the lads come courting here, they will 
fall in love with Marusa and they won't 
look at Holena." 

From that moment the stepmother and her 
daughter were constantly scheming how to 
get rid of poor Maru§a. They starved her 
and they beat her. But she bore it all, and 
in spite of all she kept on growing prettier 
every day. They invented torments that the 
cruellest of men would never have thought of. 

One day — it was in the middle of January — 
Holena felt a longing for the scent of violets. 

" Go, Marusa, and get me some violets 
from the forest ; I want to wear them at my 
waist and to smell them," she said to her 
sister. 

'* Great heavens ! sister. What a strange 
notion ! Who ever heard of violets growing 
under the snow."*" said poor Marusa. 

•'You wretched tatterdemalion! how dare 
you argue when I tell you to do something.** 
Off you go at once, and if you don't bring 



THE TWELVE MONTHS 3 

me violets from the forest I'll kill you !'' said 
Holena threateningly. 

The stepmother caught hold of MaruSa, 
turned her out of the door, and slammed it 
to after her. She went into the forest 
weeping bitterly. The snow lay deep, and 
there wasn't a human footprint to be seen. 
Marusa wandered about for a long time, 
tortured by hunger and trembling with cold. 
She begged God to take her from the world. 

At last she saw a light in the distance. 
She went towards the glow, and came at 
last to the top of a mountain. A big fire 
was burning there, and round the fire were 
twelve stones with twelve men sitting on 
them. Three of them had snow-white beards, 
three were not so old, and three were still 
younger. The three youngest were the hand- 
somest of them all. They were not speaking, 
but all sitting silent. These twelve men 
were the twelve months. Great January sat 
highest of all ; his hair and beard were as 
white as snow, and in his hand he held 
a club. 

Maru§a was frightened. She stood still for 
a time in terror, but, growing bolder, she 
went up to them and said : " Please, kind 



4 CZECH FOLK TALES 

sirs, let me warm my hands at your fire. I 
am trembling with the cold." 

Great January nodded, and asked her : 
" Why have you come here, my dear little 
girl ? What are you looking for ? " 

" I am looking for violets," answered 
MaruSa. 

" This is no time to be looking for violets, 
for everything is covered with snow," answered 
Great January. 

•' Yes, I know ; but my sister Holena and 
my stepmother said that I must bring them 
some violets from the forest. If I don't 
bring them, they'll kill me. Tell me, fathers, 
please tell me where I can find them." 

Great January stood up and went to one 
of the younger months — it was March — and, 
giving him the club, he said : " Brother, take 
the high seat." 

March took the high seat upon the stone 
and waved the club over the fire. The fire 
blazed up, the snow began to melt, the trees 
began to bud, and the ground under the 
young beech-trees was at once covered with 
grass and the crimson daisy buds began to 
peep through the grass. It was springtime. 
Under the bushes the violets were blooming 



THE TWELVE MONTHS 5 

among their little leaves, and before Marusa 
had time to think, so many of them had 
sprung up that they looked like a blue cloth 
spread out on the ground. 

" Pick them quickly, Marusa ! " commanded 
March. 

Marusa picked them joyfully till she had 
a big bunch. Then she thanked the months 
with all her heart and scampered merrily 
home. 

Holena and the stepmother wondered when 
they saw Marusa bringing the violets. They 
opened the door to her, and the scent of 
violets filled all the cottage. 

" Where did you get them ? " asked Holena 
sulkily. 

" They are growing under the bushes in a 
forest on the high mountains." 

Holena put them in her waistband. She 
let her mother smell them, but she did not 
say to her sister : ** Smell them." 

Another day she was lolling near the stove, 
and now she longed for some strawberries. 
So she called to her sister and said: "Go, 
Marusa, and get me some strawberries from 
the forest." 

"Alas! dear sister, where could I find any 



«■- 



6 CZECH FOLK TALES 

strawberries .'* Who ever heard of strawberries 
growing under the snow ? " said Maru§a. 

" You wretched little tatterdemalion, how 
dare you argue when I tell you to do a 
thing? Go at once and get me the straw- 
berries, or I'll kill you!" 

The stepmother caught hold of Marusa 
and pushed her out of the door and shut 
it after her. Marusa went to the forest 
weeping bitterly. The snow was lying deep, 
and there wasn't a human footprint to be 
seen anywhere. She wandered about for a 
long time, tortured by hunger and trembling 
with cold. At last she saw the light she 
had seen the other day. Overjoyed, she 
went towards it. She came to the great fire 
with the twelve months sitting round it. 

" Please, kind sirs, let me warm my hands 
at the fire. I am trembling with cold." 

Great January nodded, and asked her : 
" Why have you come again, and what are 
you looking for here ? " 

" I am looking for strawberries." 

" But it is winter now, and strawberries 
don't grow on the snow," said January. 

*'Yes, I know," said Maru§a sadly; "but 
my sister Holena and my stepmother bade 



THE TWELVE MONTHS 7 

me bring them some strawberries, and if I 
don't bring them, they will kill me. Tell 
me, fathers, tell me, please, where I can 
find them." 

Great January arose. He went over to 
the month sitting opposite to him — it was 
June — and handed the club to him, saying : 
" Brother, take the high seat." 

June took the high seat upon the stone 
and swung the club over the fire. The fire 
shot up, and its heat melted the snow in a 
moment. The ground was all green, the 
trees were covered with leaves, the birds 
began to sing, and the forest was filled with 
all kinds of flowers. It was summer. The 
ground under the bushes was covered with 
white starlets, the starry blossoms were turning 
into strawberries every minute. They ripened 
at once, and before Marusa had time to think, 
there were so many of them that it looked 
as though blood had been sprinkled on the 
ground. 

** Pick them at once, Marusa ! " commanded 
June. 

Marusa picked them joyfully till she had 
filled her apron full. Then she thanked the 
months with all her heart and scampered 



8 CZECH FOLK TALES 

merrily home. Holena and the stepmother 
wondered when they saw Marusa bringing 
the strawberries. Her apron was full of them. 
They ran to open the door for her, and the 
scent of the strawberries filled the whole 
cottage. 

"Where did you pick them?" asked 
Holena sulkily. 

" There are plenty of them growing under 
the young beech-trees in the forest oh the 
high mountains." 

Holena took the strawberries, and went on 
eating them till she could eat no more. So 
did the stepmother too, but they didn't say 
to Marusa : " Here is one for you." 

When Holena had enjoyed the strawberries, 
she grew greedy for other dainties, and so on 
the third day she longed for some red apples. 

** Marusa, go into the forest and get me 
some red apples," she said to her sister. 

" Alas ! sister dear, how am I to get 
apples for you in winter ."* " protested Marusa. 

" You wretched little tatterdemalion, how 
dare you argue when I tell you to do a 
thing? Go to the forest at once, and if you 
don't bring me the apples I will kill you ! " 
threatened Holena. 



THE TWELVE MONTHS 9 

The stepmother caught hold of Marusa 
and pushed her out of the door and shut 
it after her. Marusa went to the forest 
weeping bitterly. The snow was lying deep ; 
there wasn't a human footprint to be seen 
anywhere. But she didn't wander about this 
time. She ran straight to the top of the 
mountain where the big fire was burning. 
The twelve months were sitting round the 
fire ; yes, there they certainly were, and 
Great January was sitting on the high 
seat. 

** Please, kind sirs, let me warm my hands 
at the fire. I am trembling with cold." 

Great January nodded, and asked her : 
" Why have you come here, and what are 
you looking for ? " 

" I am looking for red apples." 

"It is winter now, and red apples don't 
grow in winter," answered January. 

"Yes, I know," said Marusa sadly; "but 
my sister and my stepmother, too, bade me 
bring them some red apples from the forest. 
If I don't bring them, they will kill me. 
Tell me, father, tell me, please, where I 
could find them." 

Great January rose up. He went over to 



lo CZECH FOLK TALES 

one of the older months — it was September. 
He handed the club to him and said : 
" Brother, take the high seat" 

Month September took the high seat upon 
the stone and swung the club over the fire. 
The fire began to burn with a red flame, 
the snow began to melt. But the trees were 
not covered with leaves ; the leaves were 
wavering down one after the other, and the 
cold wind was driving them to and fro over 
the yellowing ground. This time MaruSa 
did not see so many flowers. Only red 
pinks were blooming on the hillside, and 
meadow saffrons were flowering in the valley. 
High fern and thick ivy were growing under 
the young beech-trees. But Marusa was only 
looking for red apples, and at last she saw 
an apple-tree with red apples hanging high 
among its branches. 

"Shake the tree at once, Marusa!" com- 
manded the month. 

Right gladly Marusa shook the tree, and 
one apple fell down. She shook it a second 
time, and another apple fell down. 

" Now, Marusa, run home quickly ! " shouted 
the month. 

Marusa obeyed at once. She picked up 



THE TWELVE MONTHS ii 

the apples, thanked the months with all her 
heart, and ran merrily home. 

Holena and the stepmother wondered when 
they saw Marusa bringing the apples. They 
ran to open the door for her, and she 
gave them two apples. 

'• Where did you get them ? " asked Holena. 

" There are plenty of them in the forest 
on the high mountain." 

"And why didn't you bring more? Or 
did you eat them on the way home .-* " said 
Holena harshly. 

" Alas ! sister dear, I didn't eat a single 
one. But when I had shaken the tree once, 
one apple fell down, and when I shook it a 
second time, another apple fell down, and they 
wouldn't let me shake it again. They shouted 
to me to go straight home," protested Marusa. 

Holena began to curse her : " May you 
be struck to death by lightning ! " and she 
was going to beat her. 

Marusa began to cry bitterly, and she 
prayed to God to take her to Himself, or 
she would be killed by her wicked sister 
and her stepmother. She ran away into the 
kitchen. 

Greedy Holena stopped cursing and began 



12 CZECH FOLK TALES 

to eat the apple. It tasted so delicious that 
she told her mother she had never tasted 
anything so nice in all her life. The step- 
mother liked it too. When they had finished, 
they wanted some more. 

"Mother, give me my fur coat. I'll go to 
the forest myself. That ragged little wretch 
would eat them all up again on her way 
home. I'll find the place all right, and I'll 
shake them all down, however they shout 
at me." 

Her mother tried to dissuade her, but it 
was no good. She took her fur coat, wrapped 
a cloth round her head, and off she went 
to the forest. Her mother stood on the 
threshold, watching to see how Holena would 
manage to walk in the wintry weather. 

The snow lay deep, and there wasn't a 
human footprint to be seen anywhere. Holena 
wandered about for a long time, but the 
desire of the sweet apple kept driving her 
on. At last she saw a light in the distance. 
She went towards it, and climbed to the 
top of the mountain where the big fire was 
burning, and round the fire on twelve stones 
the twelve months were sitting. She was 
terrified at first, but she soon recovered. She 



THE TWELVE MONTHS 13 

Stepped up to the fire and stretched out her 
hands to warm them, but she didn't say as 
much as " By your leave " to the twelve 
months ; no, she didn't say a single word 
to them. 

"Why have you come here, and what are 
you looking for ? " asked Great January 
crossly. 

•'Why do you want to know, you old 
fool ? It's no business of yours," replied 
Holena angrily, and she turned away from 
the fire and went into the forest. 

Great January frowned and swung the 
club over his head. The sky grew dark in 
a moment, the fire burned low, the snow 
began to fall as thick as if the feathers had 
been shaken out of a down quilt, and an 
icy wind began to blow through the forest. 
Holena couldn't see one step in front of 
her ; she lost her way altogether, and several 
times she fell into snowdrifts. Then her 
limbs grew weak and began slowly to 
stiffen. The snow kept on falling and the 
icy wind blew more icily than ever. Holena 
began to curse Marusa and the Lord God. 
Her limbs began to freeze, despite her fur 
coat. 



14 CZECH FOLK TALES 

Her mother was waiting for Holena ; she 
kept on looking out for her, first at the 
window, then outside the door, but all in 
vain. 

*' Does she like the apples so much that 
she can't leave them, or what is the 
matter? I must see for myself where she 
is," decided the stepmother at last. So she 
put on her fur coat, she wTapped a shawl 
round her head, and went out to look for 
Holena. The snow was lying deep ; there 
wasn't a human footprint to be seen; the 
snow fell fast, and the icy wind was blowing 
through the forest. 

Marusa had cooked the dinner, she had 
seen to the cow, and yet Holena and her 
mother did not come back. " Where are 
they staying so long ? " thought Marusa, as 
she sat down to work at the distaff. The 
spindle was full already and it was quite 
dark in the room, and yet Holena and the 
stepmother had not come back. 

"Alas, Lord! what has come to them?" 
cried MaruSa, peering anxiously through the 
window. The sky was bright and the earth 
was all glittering, but there wasn't a human 
soul to be seen. . . . Sadly she shut the 



THE TWELVE MONTHS 15 

window ; she crossed herself, and prayed 
for her sister and her mother. ... In the 
morning she waited with breakfast, she waited 
with dinner ; but however much she waited, it 
was no good. Neither her mother nor her 
sister ever came back. Both of them were 
frozen to death in the forest. 

So good Marusa inherited the cottage, a 
piece of ploughland and the cow. She married 
a kind husband, and they both Hved happily 
ever after. 



VITAZKO 

Once there was a mother, and, being a mother, 
she had a son. She suckled him for twice 
seven years. After that she took him into 
a forest and told him to pull up a fir-tree, 
roots and all. But the lad could not pull 
up the fir-tree. 

"You are not strong enough yet," said 
the mother. So she suckled him for another 
seven years. When she had suckled him 
for thrice seven years, she took him to the 
forest again and told him to pull up a beech- 
tree, roots and all. He seized hold of the 
beech and pulled it up. 

*' Now you are strong enough. So you are 
Victor ( Vitazko). Now you can provide for me." 

** Yes, I will. Only tell me what I can do 
for you." 

" You must get me a good house first, and 
then you can take me there," said the mother, 
and she went home. 

i6 



VITAZKO 17 

Vitazko took the beech-tree which he had 
pulled up, and, carrying it in his hand like 
a club, he started in search of a house for 
his mother. Following the wind, he walked 
by old roads and paths until he came to a 
castle. This castle was inhabited by griffins. 

When Vitazko reached the castle, the 
griffins would not let him in. But he did 
not wait long for their permission : he smashed 
the gate and went into the castle and killed 
the griffins ; their bodies he flung over the 
wall, and then he went for a walk through 
the castle. He was pleased with everything 
he saw. The rooms were nice, nine in 
number, but the tenth was closed. When he 
had gone through the nine he went into the 
tenth, and there he saw a griffin chained to 
the wall by three iron bands. 

" What are you doing here ? " asked 
Vitazko. 

"I am sitting here, as you see. My 
brothers have chained me here. Untie my 
bonds and I will give you a splendid reward." 

"You must be a wicked old rascal if your 
own brothers tied you there. I won't un- 
fasten your bonds either," said Vitazko. 

So he slammed the door, and went off to 
3 



i8 CZECH FOLK TALES 



^ 



fetch his mother to the castle. When he 
had brought her there, he showed her every- 
thing, but he did not open the tenth room, 
and he forbade her to enter that room, for 
otherwise there would be trouble. As soon 
as Vitazko left the house, the mother could 
not rest, and she kept on walking near the 
door of that tenth room, till at last she went 
in, and, of course, she found the griffin there. 
" What are you doing here, and who are 

" I am a griffin. My own brothers chained 
me here. They would have unfastened my 
bonds again, but your son has killed them 
all. Untie my bonds and I will reward you, 
and, if you like, I will marry you," said the 
griffin. 

"And what would Vitazko say?" answered 
the mother. 

" What could he say .-* We will put him 
out of the world, and you will be your own 
mistress." 

The mother hesitated long enough, but at 
last she consented, and then she asked the 
griffin how she could untie his bonds. 

" Go into the cellar and fetch me a cup 
of wine from the last cask." 



VltAZKO 19 

The mother went into the cellar and brought 
him a glass of wine from the last cask. As 
soon as he had drained the first cup, crash ! 
the first chain fell down. The mother brought 
him another cup and — well ! the second chain 
snapped. So he begged her to bring him 
a third cup, and when she brought him the 
third cup the third chain broke too and the 
griffin was free again. 

" But what am I to tell my son when he 
comes back ? " said the mother anxiously. 

" Oh ! you must feign illness, and when he 
asks you what will save you, say that nothing 
can save you but a suckling of the earth sow. 
When he goes to get it, the sow will tear him 
in pieces." 

Well (but not particularly well !), when 
Vitazko returned from the chase, bringing a 
buck for his mother, she groaned and com- 
plained: "Alas! my dear son, your toil has 
been in vain. It is no use your bringing me 
this good food ; I cannot eat it, for I am 
deadly sick." 

*' Alas ! mother, you must not die. Only 
tell me what would cure you, and I will bring 
it for you, even though it were from hell," cried 
the good Vitazko, for he loved his mother well. 



20 CZECH FOLK TALES 

" I can only be cured if I get the suckling 
of the earth sow." 

Vitazko did not wait ; he took his beech - 
tree and set off in quest of the earth sow. 
He wandered through the country, poor 
soul ! for he did not know where to go, till 
at last he came to a tower, and there he 
found Holy Sunday. 

"Where are you going?" asked Holy 
Sunday. 

" I am going to the earth sow to get one 
of her sucklings. My mother is ill, but this 
will cure her." 

"My dear boy, it will be a hard task for 
you to get that piglet. However, I will help 
you. Only you must follow my advice 
exactly." 

Vitazko promised that he would follow 
it exactly. So first she gave him a long, 
sharp spit, and then she said : 

** Go to the stable and take my horse. 
He will bring you to the place where the 
earth sow lies buried in the earth. When you 
have come there you must prick one of her 
pigs. The pig will squeak, and the sow, 
hearing it, will start up and run round the 
earth in a moment. But she won't see you 



VltAZKO 21 

or anybody else, and so she will tell the pigs 
that if they squeak again she will tear them 
to pieces. Then she will lie down to sleep, 
and then you must spit the pig and run 
quickly away. The pig will be afraid to 
squeak, the sow won't stir, and my horse 
will carry you away." 

Vitazko promised to carry out her direc- 
tions exactly. He took the spit, mounted 
the magic horse, and it brought him swiftly 
to the place — far, very far it was — where the 
earth sow lay buried in the earth. Vitazko 
pricked one of the pigs, and it squeaked 
terribly. The sow started wildly up and ran 
round the earth in one moment. But the 
magic horse did not move, so the sow did 
not see him or anybody else, and she said 
angrily to the pigs : 

"If one of you squeaks, I will tear you 
all to pieces at once." 

Having said this, she buried herself again. 

At once Vitazko spitted the pig. It kept 
quiet and didn't squeak at all, and the magic 
horse began to fly, and it wasn't long till 
they were home again. 

"Well, Vitazko, how did it go?" asked 
Holy Sunday. 



22 CZECH FOLK TALES 

*'Well, it went just as you said, and here 
is the pig." 

"Very well. Take it to your mother." 

Vftazko gave her back the spit ; he led 
the magic horse back to its stall, thanked 
Holy Sunday, and, hanging the pig from the 
beech-tree, made haste to go home to his 
mother. 

The mother and the griffin were feasting ; 
they did not expect Vftazko, and here he 
was. They ran away and discussed what 
they should do with him. 

" When he has given you the pig, you 
must still pretend to be ill," said the griffin ; 
"and when he asks you what will save you, 
tell him that only the Water of Life and 
the Water of Death can cure you. If he 
goes in quest of that, he is bound to perish." 

Vltazko came running to the castle full of 
joy. He gave the pig to his mother, but 
she still went on groaning and complaining 
that she was going to die, and that the pig 
would not cure her. 

"Alas! mother, don't die, but tell me what 
will cure you, so that I may bring it for 
you at once," said Vftazko anxiously. 

"Ah! my dear son, I can only be cured 



VltAZKO 23 

by the Water of Life and the Water of 
Death, and where would you get that ? " 
sighed the mother. 

Vitazko did not waste time thinking about 
it. He grasped his beech, and off he went 
to Holy Sunday. 

" Where are you going, Vitazko ? " asked 
Holy Sunday. 

" I am coming to you to ask where I 
could find the Water of Life and the Water 
of Death, for my mother is still ill, and only 
those will cure her." 

"It will be a hard task for you to get them, 
but I will help you as well as I can. Here 
are two jugs ; mount my magic horse, and 
he will bring you to two banks. Beneath 
those two banks spring forth the Water of 
Life and the Water of Death. The right 
bank opens at noon, and from beneath it 
gushes the Water of Life. The left bank 
opens at midnight, and beneath it is the 
Water of Death. As soon as the bank opens, 
run up to it and fill your jug with water, 
and so you must do in the other case too. 
When you have the water, come back. 
Follow my instructions carefully." 

Saying this, she gave him two jugs. He 



34 CZECH FOLK TALES 

took them and mounted the magic horse, and 
in a moment they were gone like the wind. 
The two banks were in a far distant land, 
and thither the magic horse brought Vitazko. 
At noon he raised the right bank and the 
Water of Life gushed forth, then, crash! the 
bank fell down again, and it was a wonder 
that it did not take Viiazko's heels off. 
Quickly Vitazko mounted the magic horse 
and made haste for the left bank. There 
they waited till midnight. When the bank 
lifted, beneath it was the Water of Death. 
He hurried to it and filled the jug, and, 
crash ! down fell the bank again ; and it was 
a marvel it didn't take Vitazko's hand off. 
Quickly he mounted the magic horse, the 
horse flew off, and soon they were home 
again. 

*' Well, Vitazko, how have you fared ? " 
asked Holy Sunday. 

•' Oh ! everything went all right. Holy 
Sunday ; and here is the water," said Vitazko, 
giving her the water. 

Holy Sunday kept the water, and gave 
him two jugs full of spring water and told 
him to take them to his mother. Vitazko 
thanked her and went home. 



VITAZKO 25 

The mother and the grififin were carousing 
as before, for they did not expect that he 
would ever return — and there he was just 
outside. They were terribly frightened, and 
considered how they could get rid of him. 

** You must pretend to be sick still, and 
tell him you won't recover unless you get 
the Pelican bird, and he will perish on the 
quest," said the grififin. 

Vitazko brought the water joyfully, but the 
mother was still groaning and complaining ; 
even that was no good, she was sure she 
was going to die. 

*' Ah ! don't die, sweet mother. Tell me 
what will cure you, and I shall be glad to 
get it all for you," said the good lad. 

" There is no help for me unless I can 
see the Pelican bird. Where could you get 
it for me ? " groaned the mother. 

Vitazko took his beech again, and it was 
no trouble to him to go to Holy Sunday 
once more. 

*• Where are you going ? " asked Holy 
Sunday. 

" Well, I am coming to you to ask Tor 
advice. Mother is still sick ; the water did 
not cure her either, and she says she must 



26 CZECH FOLK TALES 

see the Pelican bird. And where is the 
Pelican bird?" 

" My dear child, it would be very hard 
for you to get the Pelican bird. But I will 
help you all I can. The Pelican bird is a 
gigantic bird. His neck is very long, and, 
whenever he shakes his wings, he raises such 
a wind that the trees begin to shake. Here 
is a gun ; mount my magic horse, and he 
will bring you to the place where the Pelican 
bird lives. But be careful. Point the gun 
against the wind from whatever quarter it 
blows, and when the hammer falls, ram the 
gun with the ramrod and come quickly back. 
You must not look into the gun." 

Vitazko took the gun and mounted the 
magic horse, and the horse spread his wings, 
and they were flying through the air a long 
way until they came to a vast desert, where 
dwelt the Pelican bird. There the magic 
horse stopped. Now Vitazko perceived that 
the wind was blowing strongly on his left 
cheek, so he pointed the gun in that direc- 
tion, and, clap ! the hammer fell. Vitazko 
rammed the gun quickly with the ramrod and 
flung it over his shoulder, and the horse started 
flying, and very soon they were home again. 



VltAZKO 27 

" Well, how did things go ? " 

" I don't know whether they went well or 
ill, but I did what you commanded," answered 
Vitazko, handing down the gun to Holy 
Sunday. 

'• All right. You did quite right. Here 
he is ! " she said. And then she took out 
the Pelican bird. Then she gave Vitazko 
another gun to shoot an eagle with. He 
went out into the forest, and returned before 
long with an eagle. She gave him this 
eagle for his mother, in place of the Pelican 
bird. 

The griffin and the mother were making 
merry again, hoping that Vitazko would never 
come back, but he was already near. They 
were terrified, and began to consider what new 
task they were to set him. 

** You must pretend to be sick still, and tell 
him nothing can do you any good but the 
golden apples from the garden of the Griffin. 
If he goes there the Griffin will tear him in 
pieces, for he is enraged because Vitazko has 
killed his brothers.' 

Joyfully Vitazko gave the bird to his 
mother, but she still kept on groaning ; 
nothing was any good, only the golden 



a8 CZECH FOLK TALES 

apples from the garden of the Griffin could 
save her. 

"You shall have them," said Vftazko, and 
without resting, he started again and came to 
Holy Sunday. 

"Where are you going, Vltazko?" 

"Well," he replied, "not even that did 
her any good. Mother is still sick, for only 
the golden apples from the garden of the 
Griffin will cure her." 

" Well, you'll have to fight, my boy," said 
Holy Sunday ; " but, even though you were 
stronger than you are, it would be a bad 
look-out for you. Still, I will help you all I 
can. Here is a ring for you ; put it on your 
finger, and, when you are in need, think of 
me, turn the ring round on your finger, and 
you will have the strength of a hundred men. 
Now mount the magic horse ; he will take 
you there." 

Vltazko thanked her heartily, mounted the 
magic horse, and was carried by him a far 
journey, till they came to a garden hedged 
about by a high rampart. Had it not been 
for the magic horse Vftazko could never have 
got into the garden, but the horse flew like 
a bird over the rampart. Vftazko leapt down 



VltAZKO 29 

from the horse, and instantly began to look 
for a tree with golden apples. A beautiful 
girl met him and asked him what he was 
looking for. Vftazko said that he was look- 
ing for golden apples to cure his sick mother, 
and begged her to tell him where to look 
for them. 

'* The apple-tree is under my charge, and 
I must not give the apples to anybody, or 
the Griffin would tear me to pieces. I am 
a king's daughter, and the Griffin carried me 
off and brought me to this garden and put 
me in charge of the apples. Go back, good 
youth, go back, for the Griffin is very strong, 
and, if he sees you, he will kill you like a 
fly," said the girl. 

But Vftazko was not to be turned back, 
and he hastened on into the garden. So the 
princess pulled off a priceless ring and handed 
it to Vitazko, saying : " Take this ring, and 
when you think of me and turn this ring 
round on your finger, you will have the 
strength of a hundred men, otherwise 
you could not gain the victory over the 
Griffin." 

Vftazko took the ring and put it on his 
finger. He thanked her and went off to the 



30 CZECH FOLK TALES 

centre of the garden. In the middle of the 
garden stood an apple-tree full of golden 
apples, and underneath it a horrible Griffin 
was lying. 

"What do you want here, murderer of my 
brothers?" shouted the Griffin. 

" I have come to get some apples from 
this tree," answered Vitazko undauntedly. 

" You shall not have any of the apples 
unless you wrestle with me," exclaimed the 
Griffin angrily. 

" I will if you like. Come on ! " said 
Vftazko, and he turned the ring on his right 
hand and thought of Holy Sunday. He set 
his legs wide apart and they began to wrestle. 
In the first round the Griffin moved Vftazko 
a little, but Vftazko drove him into the ground 
above his ankles. Just at this moment they 
heard a swirl of wings above them, and a 
black raven shouted to them : 

"Which am I to help, the Griffin or 
Vitazko ? " 

" Help me," said the Griffin. 

"And what will you give me?" 

" I will give you gold and silver as much 
as you like." 

"Help me," cried Vftazko, " and I will 



VltAZKO 31 

give you all those horses grazing on yonder 
meadow." 

*' I will help you, then," said the raven. 
" But how am I to help you ? " 

*' Cool me when I grow hot," said Vitazko. 
He felt hot indeed, for the Griffin was breath- 
ing out fire against him. So they went on 
wrestling. The Griffin seized Vitazko and 
drove him into the ground up to his ankles. 
Vitazko turned the ring, and again he thought 
of Holy Sunday. He put his arms round 
the Griffin's waist and drove him down into 
the ground above his knees. The black 
raven dipped his wings in a spring, and then 
he alighted on Vitazko's head and sprinkled 
cool drops over Vitazko's hot cheeks, and thus 
he cooled him. Then Vitazko turned the 
other ring and thought of the beautiful maiden, 
and they began wrestling again. So the 
Griffin drove Vitazko into the ground up to 
his ankles, but Vitazko took hold of him and 
drove him into the ground up to his shoulders, 
and quickly he seized his sword, the gift of 
Holy Sunday, and cut the Griffin's head off. 

The princess came to him at once and 
plucked the golden apples for him. She 
thanked him too for delivering her, and said 



33 CZECH FOLK TALES 

that she liked him well and she would marry 
him. 

" I like you well too," confessed Vitazko, 
" and, if I could, I would go with you at once. 
But if you really love me, and if you will 
consent to wait a year for me, I will come 
to you then." 

The princess pledged herself by shaking 
hands with him, and she said she would wait 
a year for him. And so they said good-bye 
to each other. Vitazko mounted his horse^ 
cleared the rampart at a leap, killed the horses 
on the meadow for the black raven, and 
hastened home. 

" Well, how have you fared ? " asked Holy 
Sunday. 

" Very well, but if it hadn't been for a ring 
which was given me by a princess I should 
have fared very badly," answered Vitazko, 
and he told her everything. She told him to 
go home with the golden apples and to take 
the magic horse with him too. Vitazko 
obeyed. 

The griffin and the mother were carousing 
again. They were greatly startled when 
Vitazko came riding home ; they had never 
expected that he would return alive even from 



VITAZKO 33 

the garden of the Griffin. The mother asked 
what she should do ; but the griffin had no 
more shifts ; he made off to the tenth room 
at once and hid himself there. When Vitazko 
had given the apples to his mother, she 
pretended that the mere sight of them had 
cured her, and, rising from the bed, she put 
the finest of food before Vitazko and then 
began to caress him as she used to do some- 
times when he was a tiny baby. Vitazko was 
delighted to see his mother in good health 
again. The mother took a strong cotton 
cord and said jestingly : " Lie down, dear 
son ; I will wind this cord round you as I 
used to wind it round your father, to see if 
you are as strong as he was, and if you can 
break it." 

Vitazko smiled and laid himself down, 
and allowed his mother to wind the cord 
round him. When she had finished, he 
stretched his limbs and snapt the cord in 
pieces. 

"You are strong," she said. "But wait! 
I will wind this thin silk cord round you to 
see if you can break it also." 

So she did. Vitazko tried to stretch his 
limbs, but the more he stretched, the deeper 

4 



34 CZECH FOLK TALES 

the cord cut into him. So he was helpless, 
and had to lie like a baby in its swaddling- 
clothes. Now the griffin hastened to cut his 
head off; he hewed the body in pieces and 
hung the heart from the ceiling. The mother 
packed the body in a cloth, and put the bundle 
on the back of the magic horse, which was 
waiting in the courtyard, saying : 

•• You carried him alive, so you can carry 
him dead too, wherever you like." 

The horse did not wait, but flew off, and 
soon they reached home. 

Holy Sunday had been expecting him, for 
she knew what would probably happen to 
him. Without delay she rubbed the body 
with the Water of Death, then she put it 
together and poured the Water of Life over 
it. Vftazko yawned, and rose to his feet alive 
and well. ** Well, I have had a long sleep," 
he said to himself. 

" You would have been sleeping till dooms- 
day if I hadn't awakened you. Well, how 
do you feel now ? " 

" Oh ! I am all right ! Only, it's funny: it's 
as though I had not got any heart." 

'* That is true ; you haven't got a heart," 
answered Holy Sunday. 



VltAZKO 35 

•' Where can it be, then ? " 

" Where else should it be, but in the castle, 
hanging from the crossbeam ? " said Holy 
Sunday, and she told him all that had 
happened to him. 

But Vftazko could not be angry, neither 
could he weep, for he had no heart. So he 
had to go and get it. Holy Sunday gave 
him a fiddle and sent him to the castle. 
He was to play on the fiddle, and, as a 
reward, was to ask for the heart, and, when 
he got it, he must return at once to Holy 
Sunday — those were her orders. 

Vftazko went to the castle, and when he 
saw that his mother was looking out of the 
window, he began playing beautifully. The 
mother was delighted with the music below, 
so she called the old fiddler (for Holy Sunday 
had put that shape upon him) into the castle 
and asked him to play. He played, and the 
mother danced with the griffin ; they danced 
hard, and did not stop until they were tired. 
Then the mother gave the fiddler meat and 
drink, and she offered him gold, but he would 
not take it. 

** What could I do with all that money ? 
I am too old for it," he answered. 



36 CZECH FOLK TALES 

"Well, what am I to give you, then? It 
is for you to ask," said the mother. 

*' What are you to give me?" said he, 
looking round the room. " Oh ! give me that 
heart, hanging there from the crossbeam ! " 

"If you like that, we can give it to you," 
said the grififin, and the mother took it down 
and gave it to Vitazko. He thanked them 
for it, and hastened from the castle to Holy 
Sunday. 

"It is lucky that we have got it again," 
said Holy Sunday ; and she took the heart 
in her hands, washed it first in the Water 
of Death and afterwards in the Water of 
Life, and then she put it in the bill of the 
Pelican bird. The bird stretched out his 
long neck and replaced the heart in Vitazko's 
breast. At once Vitazko felt it joyfully leap- 
ing. And for this service Holy Sunday gave 
the Pelican bird his freedom again. 

And now she said to Vitazko : " You must 
go once more to the castle and deal out 
justice. Take the form of a pigeon and, 
when you think of me, you will regain your 
own shape." 

No sooner had she said this than Vitazko 
was changed into a pigeon, and away he 



VltAZKO 37 

flew to the castle. The mother and the 
griffin were caressing each other when 
suddenly a pigeon alighted on the window- 
sill. As soon as the mother saw the pigeon 
she sent the griffin to shoot him, but before 
the griffin could get hold of his crossbow the 
pigeon flew down into the hall, took human 
form, seized the sword and cut the griffin's 
head off at a stroke. 

" And what am I to do with thee, thou 
good-for-nothing mother ? " he said, turning 
to his mother, who in terror fell at his feet 
begging for mercy. " Do not be afraid — I 
will not do you any harm. Let God judge 
between us." He took her hand and led her 
to the castle yard, unsheathed his sword, and 
said : " Behold, mother ! I will throw this 
sword into the air. If I am guilty, it will 
strike me ; if you are guilty, it is you it will 
strike. Let God decide." 

The sword whirled through the air, it 
darted past Vitazko's head, and smote straight 
into his mother's heart. ^ 

Vitazko lamented over her and buried her. 
Then he returned to Holy Sunday and 
thanked her well for all her kindness. He 
girded on the sword, took his beech-tree 



38 CZECH FOLK TALES 

in his hand, and went to his beautiful 
princess. He found her with her royal 
father, who had tried to make her marry 
various kings and princes, but she would 
marry none of them. She would wait a year, 
she said. The year was not yet over when 
one day Vitazko arrived in the royal palace 
to ask for the maiden's hand. 

" This is my betrothed," exclaimed the 
princess joyfully, as soon as she saw him, 
and she went straight up to him. 

A splendid feast was made ready, the 
father gave his kingdom into their hands, 
and that is the end of this story. 



BOOTS, CLOAK, AND RING 

Once there was a blacksmith, and he had only 
one son, John by name. They sent him to 
school, but fortune changed and his parents 
fell into poverty, so they were forced to take 
their son home again. John had already 
passed through the higher standard, but he 
could not support his parents. So one day 
he said : 

** Father and mother ! What can I do at 
home.^ There is no business here, so I can't 
be a clerk, and I am too old now to learn 
a trade. So I will go out into the world 
and find myself a job, and, whenever I can, 
I will send you some money. And when I 
get a good job, you must sell your cottage 
and come and live with me." 

His father and mother wept, because he 
wanted to leave them, but they knew that he 
was right, for there was no chance for him if 
he stayed at home. So they let him go. 

39 



40 CZECH FOLK TALES 

They gave him their blessing before he went 
out into the world. John wept till his heart 
nearly broke at parting with his aged parents. 

He walked on till noon. At noon he sat 
down beneath a lime-tree beside a well, and 
had his meal and a drink. Then, strengthened 
and refreshed, he walked on till nightfall. 
The country was quite unknown to him, so 
he had to spend the night in the forest. The 
next day he went on again till he came into 
a wild mountain country. There he stopped 
and thought over what he should do next. 
He stood awhile, and then he went on again. 
He reached a pleasant valley, and there he 
found three brothers. They were quarrelling 
and on the point of coming to blows. John 
asked them what the matter was. The eldest 
answered : 

"Our father has died, and he bequeathed 
to us these boots, this cloak, and this hat. 
And each of us would like to own the boots." 

"Why?" asked John. 

*' Because they have the property that 
whoever puts them on can cover ten miles 
in the moment he wishes it. The cloak has 
the property that its owner can Hy as far 
and as high as he likes. And the property 



BOOTS, CLOAK, AND RING 41 

of the hat is that it makes its wearer 
invisible." 

John said : " You are brothers, and you 
ought not to quarrel. You must love one 
another. So that you won't quarrel any more, 
I will decide the matter for you. Give me 
those things." 

They gave him the boots, the cloak, and 
the hat. He put the hat on, and they 
couldn't see him any more ; he wrapped 
himself in the cloak, took the boots, and 
flew away. 

He flew some distance before he alighted 
upon a log and put the boots on. As he 
sat on the log, it turned over, and he saw 
a big hole under it. He went down the 
hole and came to some stairs, and went 
down them to the bottom without any diffi- 
culty. There he found a big room without 
any human being in it. The table was laid 
for one person. He thought : ** I am hungry. 
Shall I eat this meal ? " Finally he decided 
to risk it ; he took off his hat and began 
to eat. 

When he had finished, an old crone entered 
the room, and asked : " Did you like your 
meal ? " 



42 CZECH FOLK TALES 

" Oh, it was very nice indeed," answered 
John; "and, by the way, could you give me 
lodging for the night ? " 

*' I will, if you can stand it ; for at mid- 
night twenty-four ghosts will come, and they 
will try to make you play cards with them 
and dance with them. But you must sit 
still and not so much as look at them." 

So the first night came. John was sitting 
eating his meal. When he had finished, he 
remained at table. After eleven o'clock two 
dozen ghosts entered the room and asked him 
to play cards with them. He refused, so 
they began preparations for playing skitdes, 
and again asked him to join them, but 
he would not. Then a delightful music 
began to play, and they asked him to dance 
with them. No, he wouldn't ; he did not 
so much as look at them. They kept on 
dragging him about, tearing and biting him, 
till he began to think it was all over with 
him. But just then it struck twelve, and 
the ghosts vanished. 

In the morning the old crone came back 
and waked him, for he was still asleep on 
the ground. She asked him : " How did you 
sleep?" 



BOOTS, CLOAK", AND RING 43 

"Very well," said John. 

" Did you, now ? " answered the old woman. 
• * Well, next night will be still worse, if you 
can stand it. Two score of ghosts will come, 
and they'll urge you to play cards and skittles 
with them and to dance with them. But you 
must sit quiet ; don't so much as look at 
them." 

He stayed there that day, and had a 
good time. Then the second night came. 
After eleven o'clock twoscore ghosts rushed 
in. They urged him to play cards and, 
skittles with them and to dance with them. 
But John wouldn't. He sat still, without so 
much as looking at them. So they began 
to torture him again, and dragged him about 
even worse than before. But when it struck 
twelve they left him on the ground and 
disappeared. 

In the morning the old crone came. She 
washed him with some lotion till he recovered. 
She asked him : "How did you sleep ? " 

** Splendidly," said he. 

" Did you, now ? " said she. " It was a 
bad lodging for you, but the third night 
will be even worse, if you can stand it. 
Three score of ghosts will come, and will 



44 CZECH FOLK TALES 

urge you to play cards and skittles and to 
dance with them. But you must sit still and 
not so much as look at them." 

All that day he had a good time again. 
The third night came, and after eleven o'clock 
three score of ghosts rushed in. They gathered 
round him, and urged, prayed, and besought 
him to play and dance with him. When 
he refused, they seized him and began knock- 
ing him against the ground, tearing and biting 
him, so that he lost his senses and did not 
see them go away. 

In the morning the old crone came and 
anointed him with a precious salve till he 
recovered. The old woman said : " You 
wouldn't have had such a bad time if you 
had not stolen the boots, the cloak, and the 
hat. The ghosts would simply have pressed 
you ; they would have had no power over 
you. As you followed my advice and did 
not play with them, you have delivered an 
enchanted town and a beautiful princess. She 
will come to you at once. Now you are 
rich, return the stolen goods." 

Then there came a girl in a white robe. 
It was the beautiful princess, and she thanked 
him for delivering her and the whole town. 



BOOTS, CLOAK, AND RING 45 

He went to the window, and outside he 
saw streets full of people and soldiers and 
a great bustle going on. The princess 
said : 

" My father is a king, and you will marry 
me and succeed him. But my father dwells 
far from here, and we will go to him. Do 
you take this ring here." 

So they went off. When the wedding was 
to take place, John wanted his parents to be 
present, so he asked the princess : " May I 
go to see my parents ? I would like them 
to be at our wedding." 

The princess answered : " They live a great 
way from us, but you will be able to get to 
them. The ring I gave you has the property 
that, when you turn it on your finger and wish 
to go a hundred miles, you will cover that 
distance in a moment. On your way you will 
come to a king who has a beautiful daughter. 
But you must not think of her nor of me, 
for then you will lose the ring, and you will 
not be able to go any farther." 

John started. He turned the ring, and in 
a moment he was a hundred miles off, and 
found himself with a king who had several 
sons. They entertained him splendidly. Then 



46 CZECH FOLK TALES 

he came to another king who had an only 
daughter, and she was very vulgar. The 
king insisted that John should marry her. 
John thought : *' What are you thinking of, 
my man ? My bright one is so beautiful 
that there is not her equal in the wide world, 
while your daughter is only a vulgar crea- 
ture." At the moment he thought of his 
bride the ring slipped from his finger and 
disappeared. 

John left them then. He was very sad, 
and considered what he should do. " My 
bride is far away now," he thought. ** I 
cannot find my way either to her or to my 
parents." 

As he was walking along in this sad mood, 
he thought of his cloak, and it came into 
his mind that, if he could reach the Sun's 
abode the same day, he could ask where his 
bride's castle was. As soon as he thought 
of this he was at the Sun's house. The 
Sun was not in ; only his housekeeper was at 
home. He asked her for a lodging, and said 
that he would like to ask the Sun whether 
he knew the castle where his bride dwelt. 
She gave him the lodging. When the Sun 
returned home in the evening, John asked 



BOOTS, CLOAK, AND RING 47 

him whether he had any knowledge of the 
castle in which his wife dwelt. The Sun 
answered : " I don't know. I never shone 
there. But go and ask the Moon." 

The next day, as soon as he woke, he 
flew off on his cloak to the Moon's castle. 
When he got there, the Moon was not in, 
and John asked the housekeeper for a night's 
lodging. He said he would like to ask the 
Moon's advice. 

The housekeeper said: "You must wait 
till the Moon comes home, but you will be 
very cold, for my mistress is an extremely 
cold person." 

" I will crouch in a corner and wait till 
the mistress comes ; in any case, my cloak 
is warm enough." 

When the morning drew near, the Moon 
returned home, and John asked her whether 
she knew where his bride's castle was. 

The Moon said : " I never shone there. 
But go to the Wind. He is a fellow who 
penetrates everywhere, and so he is likely 
to know where that castle is." 

So John went to the Wind's house. The 
Wind was not in, but Melusine, his wife, 
was alone at home. John asked her to let 



48 CZECH FOLK TALES 

him stay there for the night. She tried to 
dissuade him. 

" It is impossible, good sir. My lord is used 
to blow terribly. It will be exceedingly cold." 

He answered ; " I will cover myself up 
and crouch somewhere. I can endure cold, 
and, anyhow, my cloak is warm enough." 
So he stayed there for the night. 

After midnight the Wind came home and 
asked : " Who is here with you, wife ? I 
smell a man." 

"Who should be here.-*" she said. "Your 
nose is still full of the human smell." 

But the Wind persisted : " There is some- 
body here ! Tell me ! " 

So she confessed. " Don't be angry, dear 
husband ! There is a man staying here for 
the night, and he wants to ask you whether 
you will be kind enough to take him to his 
bride's castle." 

The Wind answered : "It is very far from 
here, and I must ask the Lord how strongly 
I am to blow, if we are to get there. I 
was there yesterday ; they are going to cele- 
brate a wedding there, and they have been 
drying some shirts ready for it, and I have 
been helping them." 



BOOTS, CLOAK, AND RING 49 

The Wind went to ask the Lord ; and when 
he came back, he said to John : " I can blow 
strongly enough, but I don't know whether 
you will be able to keep step with me." 

John answered : " I have got good boots, 
and I am sure I can." 

So he wrapped himself in his cloak, covered 
his head with his hat, and put his boots on, 
and he went ahead so quickly that the 
Wind could hardly keep step with him. 
As they drew near to the castle, the 
Wind said : " Here it is," and disappeared 
in a whirl. 

The other bridegroom had already arrived, 
and was at the wedding feast. John passed 
through the castle, and came to the table at 
which they were dining. Nobody could see 
him. He remained standing near the bride, 
and whenever she lifted the food to her mouth, 
he ate it before it could reach her mouth, so 
that the spoon reached her mouth empty. 

After the banquet she said : " My plates 
were well filled, and yet it is as though I 
had been eating nothing at all. Who is it 
that has eaten my food ? My glass was full 
too. I have not drunk, and yet it is empty. 
Who has drunk my wine?" 

5 



50 CZECH FOLK TALES 

Then she went to the kitchen, and John 
followed close at her heels. When she was 
alone he revealed himself. He took his hat 
off, and she knew him. She was greatly 
rejoiced at this, and ran to the room and said : 

"Gentlemen, I would like to ask you a 
question. I had a golden key and I lost it. 
So I had a silver key made for me, and, 
now that it is made, I have found the 
golden key. Would you be so kind as to 
advise me which of them I ought to keep.-* " 

The bridegroom stepped forward and said : 
** Keep the golden key." 

Off she went. She dressed John in 
beautiful garments, and then presented him 
to the guests, saying : " This is my golden 
key. He delivered me from torment, and 
I was to marry him. He went to see his 
parents, but he could not reach them. Now 
he has come back to me just as I was going 
to marry another man, the silver key of my 
story, though I had given up all hope of 
his return. Yet he has come back, and I 
shall keep him, the golden key, for the 
silver key has himself decided so." 

The wedding was celebrated the next day, 
and John took charge of the old king's 



BOOTS, CLOAK, AND RING 51 

kingdom. Then they both went to visit 
his old parents, and brought them back with 
them to the palace. On their way back 
they called on the three brothers, and John 
gave them back the boots, the cloak, and 
the hat. And if they haven't died since, 
they are still alive enjoying their kingdom. 



SILLY JURA 

Once there were two brothers. They were 
lazy fellows, and thieves into the bargain. 
They were expected to give a feast. They 
said to one another : " We haven't got any- 
thing. Wherever shall we find food for the 
feast?" 

So the first said : '* I'll go to our neigh- 
bour's. He has some fine apples, and I'll 
pluck some of them." 

The second said : '* I'll go to the shepherd's. 
He has some fine rams. I'll steal a ram 
from him." 

These two brothers hated the third, and 
so they abused him : "Silly Jura! You won't 
get anything yourself, but you'll be ready 
enough to eat what we get." 

So Jura said : " I'll go to the burgomaster's 
and get some nuts." 

In the evening they went their ways. 
When he had finished plucking the nuts, 

55 



56 CZECH FOLK TALES 

Jura went into the charnel-house at the back 
of the church and began to crack the nuts 
there. The watchmen heard the cracking 
in the charnel-house, and they thought the 
place was haunted. As there was no priest 
in the village (he lived in the next village), 
they went to the burgomaster and asked him 
to go with them to the charnel-house, saying 
that the place was haunted. 

The burgomaster said : ** I am so ill that 
I can't stand on my feet ; no doctor can 
help me." 

But the watchmen insisted, and so the 
burgomaster told his servant to take him on 
his back and carry him to the place. The 
servant carried him along, and the watchmen 
called at the churchwarden's to ask for some 
holy water. 

When they came near to the charnel-house, 
Jura thought it was his brother bringing the 
ram, so he called out : ** Are you bringing 
him?" 

The servant was frightened, and let the 
burgomaster fall and ran away. The burgo- 
master was terrified too. He jumped up and 
ran after the servant. He cleared a wooden 
fence with one leap in his flight, and it 



SILLY JURA 57 

wasn't long till he reached home. His family 
wondered to see him cured so quickly without 
the help of a doctor. 

Next day the burgomaster proclaimed that 
he would give a pound to the man who had 
stolen his nuts the day before, if he would 
only come to see him. So Jura went to 
him, and the burgomaster said : "I ought to 
punish you for stealing, but since you have 
cured my* illness which nobody was able to 
cure, I'll give you the pound I promised, 
but you mustn't steal any more." So Jura 
promised not to steal any more, and went 
home. 

The brothers grew very fond of him now 
that he had money, They borrowed the 
money from him and bought themselves new 
clothes, and said : " We'll go to see the world 
and to get wives for ourselves. As for you, 
Silly Jura, you must stay at home ; you'd never 
get a good wife for yourself." 

So off they went. But Jura went too. 
He went to the forest and he was utterly 
dazzled. He had often heard that there was 
an enchanted castle in that forest. When he 
came to the place where the ruins of the 
castle were, night overtook him, and so he 



58 CZECH FOLK TALES 

could see nothing except what looked like a 
light in a cellar. So he went into the cellar 
to make his night's lodging there. There 
was nobody in the cellar but a cat. The 
cat greeted him: "Welcome, dear Jura! 
How did you come here ? " 

Jura was frightened when he heard the 
cat speak, and was going to run away. But 
the cat told him not to go ; there was no 
need to be frightened. He must come back, 
and no harm would be done to him. If he 
wanted to eat, he could go into the store- 
room and take what he wanted. She would 
^ke him for her servant. 

So he stayed there a year and had a good 
time. He never saw a cook, but he always 
found meals ready prepared in the storeroom. 
He had nothing to do but get firewood, and 
at the end of the year he was told to make 
a great pile of it. Then the cat said : " You 
must light the pile to-day, and throw me into 
the fire. You must not help me out, however 
I entreat you, but you must let me be con- 
sumed." 

Jura answered : " I can't do that. I have 
had a good time with you. Why should I 
repay you in such an evil way ? " 



SILLY JURA 59 

The cat said : " If you don't do as I have 
said, you will be very unhappy. If you do 
it, you will be happy." 

So Jura kindled the pile, and, when it was 
well alight, he picked up the cat and threw 
her into the fire. She wanted to escape 
from the fire, but he wouldn't let her go. 
At last he was so weary that he was forced 
to lie down, and soon he fell asleep. When 
he awoke, he opened his eyes, and behold ! 
there was no ruin ; he heard delightful music 
and saw a beautiful palace with crowds of 
servants. He was wondering at all this, when 
a splendidly dressed lady came up to him and 
asked him if he did not know her. 

Jura said : " How should I know your 
ladyship? I never saw you before in my 
life." 

The lady said : "I am that cat. Witches 
had put me under enchantment in the shape 
of a cat. Now we will go after your brothers 
who hated you so much and see how they 
are getting on." 

She ordered her people to dress him in 
fine clothes, a fine carriage was prepared, and 
they drove off. As they were approaching 
the village, the lady said to her bridegroom : 



6o CZECH FOLK TALES 

•• Put your old clothes on." Then she called 
an old, ragged beggarwoman and sent him 
with her. She herself remained outside of 
the village. 

When the brothers saw Jura coming with 
the ragged beggarwoman, they shouted : "He 
is bringing home an old ragged bride, and 
he's in rags too." The other brothers were 
married too, and they were pretty badly off, 
so they turned him out and wouldn't have 
him at home. 

So Jura went out of the village ; he changed 
his clothes and drove back with the lady to 
his brothers' cottage. When the carriage 
stopped before the cottage, the brothers said : 
" What a fine carriage ! Who is that noble 
lord and the beautiful lady who have come 
to our cottage ? " They did not recognize 
their brother. 

So she said : ** Look here. You were 
always hard on your brother, always sneering 
at him, and now you are badly off enough, 
while he is getting on splendidly. If you 
mend your ways, you will get on too." 

Afterwards she gave them some money 
and went away with Jura. 



SLEEPY JOHN 

Once there was a lad named John, and he 
used to go to sleep always and everywhere. 
One day he came to an inn where some 
farmers were feeding their horses. So he 
crept into the cart, lay down on the straw, and 
went to sleep. When the farmers had driven 
some distance, they noticed John asleep in 
the cart. They thought : '" What are we to 
do with him ? We have a beer cask here. 
We'll put him in it and leave him in the 
forest." So they shut him in the cask, and 
off they drove. 

John went on sleeping in the cask for a 
long time. Suddenly he woke up and found 
himself in the cask, but he did not know 
how he had got into it, neither did he know 
where he was. There was something running 
to and fro near the cask, so he looked through 
the bunghole and saw a great number of 
wolves gathered under the rocks. They had 



62 CZECH FOLK TALES 

flocked round, attracted by the human smell. 
One of the wolves pushed his tail through 
the hole, and Sleepy John began to think 
that the hour of his death was approaching. 
But he wound the wolfs tail round his hand. 
The wolf was terrified, and, dragging the 
cask after him, he ran after the rest of the 
wolves, who set off in all directions. Their 
terror grew greater and greater as the cask 
bumped after them. At last the cask struck 
against a rock and was smashed. John let 
go the wolf, who took himself off as fast as 
he could. 

Now John found himself in a wild mountain 
region. He began walking about among the 
mountains and he met a hermit. The hermit 
said to him : " You may stay here with me. 
I shall die in three days. Bury me then, 
and I will pay you well, for it." 

So John stayed with him, and, when the 
third day came, the hermit, who was about 
to die, gave him a stick, saying : "In what- 
ever direction you point this stick, you will 
find yourself there." Then he gave him 
a knapsack, saying : " Anything you want 
you will find in this knapsack." Then he 
gave him a cap, saying : "As soon as you 



SLEEPY JOHN 63 

put this cap on, nobody will be able to 
see you." 

Then the hermit died, and John buried him. 

John gathered his things together, pointed 
the stick, and said : *' Let me be instantly 
in the town where the king lives." He found 
himself there on the instant, and he was told 
that the queen would every night wear out a 
dozen pairs of shoes, yet nobody was able to 
follow her track. The lords were all flocking 
to offer to follow the queen's traces, and John 
went too. He went into the palace and had 
himself announced to the king. When he 
came before the king, he said that he would 
like to trace the queen. The king asked 
him : " Who are you ? " 

He answered "Sleepy John." 

The king said : " And how are you going 
to trace her, when you are sleeping all the 
time? If you fail to trace her you will lose 
your head." 

John answered that he would try to trace 
her all the same. 

When the evening was come the queen 
went to bed in one room and John went to 
bed in the next room, through which the 
queen had to pass. He did not go to sleep, 



64 CZECH FOLK TALES 

but when the queen was going by he pre- 
tended to be in a deep slumber. So the 
queen Ht a candle and scorched the soles of 
his feet to make sure that he was asleep. 
But John didn't stir, and so she was certain 
that he was asleep. Then she took her 
twelve pairs of new shoes and off she went. 

John got up, put his cap on, and pointed 
with his stick and said : "Let me be where 
the queen is." 

Now, when the queen came to a certain 
rock, the earth opened before her and two 
dragons came to meet her. They took her 
on their backs and carried her as far as 
the ieg.d forest. Then John said : '• Let me 
be where the queen is," and instantly he 
was in the lead forest. So he broke off a 
twig for a proof and put it in his knapsack. 
But when he broke off the twig it gave out 
a shrill sound as if a bell were ringing. The 
queen was frightened, but she rode on again. 
John pointed with his stick and said : " Let 
me be where the queen is," and instantly he 
was in the tin forest. He broke off a twig 
again and put it in his knapsack, and it 
rang again. The queen turned pale, but she 
rode on again. John pointed with his stick 



SLEEPY JOHN 65 

again and said : " Let me be where the queen 
is," and instantly he was in the silver forest. 
He broke off a twig again and put it into his 
knapsack. As he broke it, it gave out a ring- 
ing sound and the queen fainted. The 
dragons hastened on again till they came 
to a green meadow. 

A crowd of devils came to meet them here, 
and they revived the queen. Then they had 
a feast. Sleepy John was there too. The 
cook was not at home that day, so John sat 
down in his place, and, as he had his cap on, 
nobody could see him. They put aside a part 
of the food for the cook, but John ate it all. 
They were all surprised to see all the food 
they put aside disappearing. They couldn't 
make out what was happening, but they didn't 
care very much. And when the banquet was 
at an end the devils began to dance with the 
queen, and they kept on dancing until the 
queen had worn out all her shoes. When her 
shoes were worn out, those two dragons took 
her on their backs again and brought her to 
the place where the earth had opened before 
her. John said : " Let me be where the queen 
is." By this time she was walking on the 
earth again, and he followed her. When they 

6 



66 CZECH FOLK TALES 

came near the palace he went ahead of the 
queen and went to bed ; and, as the queen was 
going in, she saw him sleeping, and so she 
went to her own room and lay down and slept. 

In the morning the lords gathered together 
and the king asked whether any of them had 
tracked the queen. But none of them could 
say "Yes." 

So he summoned Sleepy John before him. 
John said : 

" Gracious Lord King, I did indeed track 
her, and I know that she used up those twelve 
pairs of shoes upon the green meadows in 
Hell." 

The queen stood forth at once, and John 
took from his knapsack the leaden twig and 
said : " The queen was carried by two dragons 
towards Hell, and she came to the leaden 
forest ; there I broke off this twig and the 
queen was frightened." 

The king said : " That's no good. You 
might have made the twig yourself." 

So John produced the tin twig from his 
knapsack and said : " After that the queen 
drove through the tin forest, and there I 
broke off this twig. That time the queen 
grew pale." 



SLEEPY JOHN 67 

The kingr said : *' You miorht have made 
even this twig." 

So John produced the silver twig and said : 
•* Afterwards the queen drove through the 
silver forest, and when I broke off this twig 
she fainted, and so she was until the devils 
brought her to life again." 

The queen, seeing that all was known, cried 
out : " Let the earth swallow me ! " and she 
was swallowed by the earth. 

Sleepy John got the half of the kingdom, 
and, when the king died, the other half too. 



THREE DOVES 

A CERTAIN merchant died. His son was 
nineteen years old at the time. He said to 
his mother: "Mother dear, I'm going to try 
my luck in the world." 

His mother answered: "Go, dear son, but 
don't stay long there, for I am old, and 
should like some help in my old age." She 
fitted him out for the journey, and said good- 
bye to him. 

Out into the world went the son, and he 
travelled on till he came into a forest. He 
had been going through it for three days, and 
no end appeared. On the third day he kept 
on and came at last to a cottage. He went 
into the cottage and he saw a horrible being 
seated on a stool. The fellow asked him 
where he was going. 

•' I don't know where I am going. I'm 
seeking my fortune in some service." 

** Well, if you like, you can enter my service." 



72 CZECH FOLK TALES 

The lad was very hungry, so he took service 
with the other. 

His master said to him : " You must serve 
me for a year at least." 

So he served him for a year. He was 
treated very well, and he was a faithful ser- 
vant to his master. The master was a sorcerer, 
but he didn't do any harm to the lad. He 
had a big pond, and three doves used to come 
there to bathe. Each of them had three 
golden feathers. These three doves were 
three enchanted princesses. 

When the year's service was ended, the 
sorcerer said: "What wages shall I give 
you f 

The lad said he left it to him. 

"You're a good lad," said the sorcerer. 
" Come with me to my cellar and take as 
much money as you like, gold or silver, just 
as you wish." 

So the lad took as much as he could carry, 
and the sorcerer gave him one of the three 
doves too, saying : 

" When you get home, if you haven't got a 
house of your own, have one built, and then 
pluck those three feathers out of the dove, and 
hide them away so carefully that no human 



THREE DOVES 73 

eye can see them. The dove will turn into 
a lovely princess and you may marry her." 

So he took the dove and returned home. 
He had a house built and made a secret place 
in one of the walls for the three feathers. 
When he plucked out the feathers the dove 
became a beautiful princess, but she did not 
know where the feathers were. But his mother 
knew quite well, for he had told her all and 
showed her where the feathers were hidden. 

When they had been living together for 
three years he went a-hunting one day with 
another lord, and his mother stayed at home 
with her daughter-in-law. The mother said 
to her : " Dear daughter-in-law, I can't tell 
you how beautiful I think you. If one were 
to search the whole world through, one couldn't 
find so beautiful a woman." 

The daughter-in-law answered : *' Dear lady, 
the beauty 1 have now is nothing to what I 
should have had I but one of my golden 
feathers." 

The mother went straight off, fetched one 
of the feathers, and gave it to her. 

She thrust it into her skin, and she was 
immediately far more beautiful than before. 
The mother kept looking at her, and said : 



74 C2ECH FOLK TALES 

"If you had the others as well, you would be 
even more beautiful." Then she fetched the 
other two feathers and gave them to her. 

She thrust them into her skin, and behold ! 
she was a dove again. She flew off through 
the window, thanking her mother-in-law : 
" Thank you, dearest mother, for giving me 
these three feathers. I will wait a little for 
my husband, to say good-bye to him." 

So she perched on the roof to wait till her 
husband should return from the forest. 

Now, the husband's nose fell to bleeding 
violently. He grew frightened, and began to 
wonder what great misfortune had befallen 
him at home. He mounted his horse and 
hastened home. As he was approaching the 
door the dove called out : " Good-bye, dear 
husband. I thank you for your true love, but 
you will never see me more." 

Then the dove flew away, and the husband 
began to weep and to wail. Of course, he was 
very angry with his mother, and he decided 
to go away again and follow wherever his eyes 
might lead him. So he started off, and he 
went back to the sorcerer in whose service 
he had been before. As soon as he entered 
the sorcerer said : 



THREE DOVES 75 

"Aha! you have not followed my advice. 
I won't help you this time ; the three doves 
are gone from here. But go to my brother, 
for all the birds and animals are under his 
power, and perhaps some of them might know 
where the doves are. I will give you a ball, 
and when you roll it three times, you will 
get there this evening. You must ask him 
whether he knows anything about the doves, 
>ftd you must tell him, too, that I sent you 
to him." 

The lad thanked him heartily and went on 
his way. He rolled the ball thrice and reached 
the other brother's by evening. He told him 
that his brother had asked to be remem- 
bered kindly to him, and then he asked 
whether he knew where the doves that used 
to bathe in his brother's pond were. 

The brother answered : ** My good lad, I 
know nothing at all about them. You must 
wait till morning. All the birds and 
animals are under my power, and if they 
know anything about it, it will be all right." 

In the morning they went to the forest. 
The brother blew a whistle, and instantly 
swarms of birds gathered round, asking what 
was their master's will. 



76 CZECH FOLK TALES 

He said : " Tell me, does any one of you 
know about those three golden doves which 
used to bathe in my brother's pond ? " 

None of them knew, so he blew his whistle 
again and all manner of animals gathered 
round him : bears, lions, squirrels, wolves, 
every kind of wild animal, and they asked 
what was their master's will. 

He said : " I would know whether any 
one of you knows anything about three golden 
doves which used to bathe in my brother's 
pond." 

None of them knew. So he said : 

*' My dear lad, I cannot help you any more 
in this matter, but I have another brother, 
and, if he cannot tell you anything about 
them, then you will never hear of them any 
more. He dwells twice seventy miles from 
here, and all the devils of Hell are subjected 
to him. I will give you another ball like the 
one you had yesterday, and, when you have 
rolled it thrice, you will get there before 
evening." 

He rolled the ball thrice and got there 
the same evening. The sorcerer was sitting 
in his garden on the grass. His hair was all 
dishevelled like a mop, his paunch was bare 



THREE DOVES 77 

like a pail, his nose reached to his middle, and 
was as bare as a stick — in fact, his appear- 
ance was terrible. 

The lad was terrified, but the sorcerer said : 
" Don't be frightened, my boy ; though I look 
so hideous, yet I have a good heart. What 
do you want ? " 

** I have come from your brother to ask 
whether you can tell me about the three 
doves which used to bathe in your brother's 
pond." 

•' My dear lad, I know nothing about them, 
but as soon as you get up in the morning 
I will call my apprentices, to find if any one 
of them knows anything about the doves." 

In the morning they got up and went into 
the forest. The sorcerer blew a whistle, and 
at once hosts of devils appeared, such a multi- 
tude that they darkened the whole forest. 

The lad was frightened, but the sorcerer 
said : ** Don't be afraid ; not a hair of your 
head shall be harmed." 

The devils asked what was their master's 
will. 

He said : " Does any one of you know 
anything about the three doves which used 
to bathe in my brother's pond ? " 



78 CZECH FOLK TALES 

None of them knew anything. The sorcerer 
looked about him and asked : *' Where is the 
lame one ? " 

The lame one had been left behind, but 
he was hurrying up for fear he should be 
too late. He came and asked what was his 
master's will. The sorcerer answered : "I 
want to find out whether you know anything 
about those three doves that used to bathe 
in my brother's pond." 

" Of course I know about them, for I have 
been driving them before me. They are 
bathing in the Red Sea now." 

The sorcerer said : " You must take up 
this man and carry him as far as their gold- 
roofed palace," and he took the lad aside 
and whispered in his ear : 

'• When the devil asks you how quick he 
is to take you, if he says : ' As quickly as the 
wind blows ? ' say * No ' ; and if he says, * As 
quickly as the step goes ? ' say ' No ' again. 
But if he says, ' As quickly as the air goes ? ' 
say ' Even so.' If your cap falls, do not 
look after it, and don't tell the devil about 
it, or he will let you fall and won't carry you 
to the palace. When you are seven miles 
from the palace you will see it, and the devil 



THREE DOVES 79 

will ask you if you see it ; but shut your eyes 
tight and say that you can't see it. When 
you are three miles from it, you will see it 
quite plainly, and he will ask you again 
whether you see it. But you must shut your 
eyes tight and say that you can't see it. Then 
you will be above the palace roof, and he 
will ask you again whether you see it. You 
must say again that you can't see it, or he 
will let you drop on the roof and you won't 
be able to get down." 

The devil took the man and flew with him 
as the air goes. When they were seven miles 
from the palace, the devil asked : " Do you 
see the palace now.-* It is quite plain to 
see now." 

The lad shut his eyes tight and said that 
he couldn't see it. So they flew on, and when 
they were three miles from the castle the devil 
asked him did he see it now. He shut his 
eyes tight and said that he couldn't see it. 
When they were right over the roof, the devil 
asked : *' Surely you must see it now ; we are 
just over the roof." 

But he shut his eyes tight and said : " I 
don't see it." 

The devil said angrily : " You must be 



8o CZECH FOLK TALES 

blind if you can't see it ; we are just above 
the roof." And he seized him in anger, and 
set him on the golden table in that royal 
castle. 

The three princesses were sitting at the 
table, knitting with golden thread. His own 
wife was the middle one, and she knew him 
at once. She sprang up right gladly and 
welcomed him with joy. She nearly fainted, 
she was so pleased that he had been able 
to come so many miles in such a short time. 

" Welcome, dear husband, welcome ! Wel- 
come, our deliverer! You will save us from 
the enchantment under which we are in this 
castle." 

The time passed very slowly there. So 
one day his wife brought him the keys and 
showed him through all the rooms and 
closets, letting him see everything except 
one room, which she would not open for him. 

The three princesses had to take the shape 
of doves for two hours in the morning and 
three hours before the evening, and they had 
to go to the Red Sea to bathe there. One 
day when they had gone out to bathe he 
thought : ** Why don't you want to open that 
room for me ? " So he went and searched 



THREE DOVES 8i 

among the other keys for the key, and opened 
the room for himself. 

In the room he saw a three-headed dragon, 
and each of its heads was stuck upon a hook 
so that it hung down from it. Under the 
dragon were placed three glasses of water. 
The lad was terrified and started to run away. 
But the dragon kept on calling out : ** Don't 
be frightened, don't run away, but come back 
again and give me that glass of water. Your 
life shall be spared this once." 

So he gave him the glass of water ; the 
dragon drained it up, and instantly one of the 
heads fell from the hook. He begged again : 
" Now give me that other glass of water, 
and your life shall be spared a second 
time." 

He gave it him ; the dragon drank it up, 
and immediately the second head fell from 
the hook. Then the draoron said : " Now 
do as you like. But you must give me the 
third glass of water, whether you like it or 
not ! " 

In terror he gave him the third glass; the 
third head drank it up and fell from its hook. 
Now the dragon was quite free, and instantly 
he made for the Red Sea, and began to chase 

7 



82 CZECH FOLK TALES 

after the three doves until he caught one of 
them. It was the lad's wife. 

The other two princesses came back again 
and began to weep and to wail. 

"Thou luckless fellow! we were happy in 
the hope that thou wouldst deliver us, and 
now we are worse off than ever — now our 
torments will last till doomsday ! " 

He, too, burst into tears, for he was sad at' 
heart that the dragon had carried off his wife, 
whom he had won at the risk of his life. 

The princesses' three brothers were under 
enchantment too. One of them was in the 
castle, changed into the shape of a horse. 
One day the horse said to the sorrowing 
husband : '* The dragon is away from home 
now. Let us go and steal the princess." 

So they went to the dragon's castle, carried 
off the princess, and ran for home. The 
other brother of the three princesses was in 
the dragon's castle under enchantment in the 
shape of a horse. 

When the dragon came home, he said to 
the horse : " Where is my princess ? " 

^The horse answered : " They came and 
carried her away." 

The dragon mounted the horse at once 



THREE DOVES 83 

and said : ^* Now we'll ride as fast as we 
can. We must overtake them." 

The horse answered : " We cannot pos- 
sibly overtake them." 

But the dragon said : " Only let us start ; 
we shall overtake them." 

They started, and they overtook them near 
the castle. The dragon snapped the princess 
away at once, saying to the lad : " I promised 
to spare your life in return for that glass of 
water ; now I have spared it, but don't dare 
to come to my castle ever again." 

And with that the dragon rode home, 
carrying the princess with him. 

Some time after that the horse said to the 
sorrowing husband : " The dragon is away 
from home again. Let us go and steal the 
princess." 

So they went and stole her again. 

The dragon came home and asked the 
horse : '* Where is my princess ? " 

The horse answered : ** Hibad ! They have 
stolen her again, but we cannot overtake 
them this time." 

The dragon said : " We must overtake 
them." 

He mounted the horse, and they went 



84 CZECH FOLK TALES 

flying after them till at last they overtook 
them. The dragon snapped away the prin- 
cess, saying to the lad : *' There's your life 
spared for the second glass. But if you come 
again, I'll tear you to pieces." 

The lad was sorrowful, and wept and be- 
wailed his fate because he had lost his wife 
for ever. But the horse said : 

" I will give you one mgre counsel. I 
know a place where there are some young 
ravens. We will go there, and you must take 
the young ravens from their nest on the tree. 
The old ones will fly at you and peck you — 
they won't want to let you have their young 
chicks ; but tell them that you won't give 
them back their chicks unless they bring you 
the healing water and the water of life. 

' • When they bring the water, take one 
of the young ravens and pull its head off"; 
then dip it in the healing water and put the 
head to the body again. That's how you 
will be certain that they have brought you 
the real water of life. If the wound grows 
together again, you may be sure it is the 
real water of life. As soon as the wound 
has grown together, take the water of life 
and pour some of it into the raven's bill, and 



THREE DOVES 85 

when the bird revives, you will know quite 
certainly that it is the water of life." 

The lad did all this. The old ravens 
brought him the water in leather bottles. He 
took one of the chicks, pulled its head off, 
dipped it into the healing water, and the 
wound grew together again. Then he poured 
some of the water of life into its bill, and 
it came alive again. Then he put the young 
ravens back into the nest again, took the water, 
and went home. 

When he got there, the horse said to him : 
" The dragon is away from home to-day. Let 
us go and see if we can get the princess." 

So off they went and carried away the 
princess. They ran off as fast as they could. 

The dragon came home and asked the 
horse : " Where is my princess ? " 

The horse replied : " She's gone from us. 
They've carried her off again, and this time 
we shall never catch up with them." 

The dragon said in a rage : " What should 
prevent us from getting her back.-^ Let's go 
at once." 

So they flew after them, and they reached 
the castle just as the fugitives were going 
in through the gate. 



86 CZECH FOLK TALES 

The dragon snapped the princess away, 
saying to the lad : " You rascal ! I told you 
I would tear you to pieces if you came a third 
time for her." 

So he caught hold of him, and took a 
foot in each claw, and tore him in two. 
Then he went off with the princess and the 
horse. 

The lad's horse took the healing water, 
dipped the two halves into it, put the one 
against the other, and they grew together. 
Then he took the water of life and poured 
it into the lad's mouth, and he was alive again. 
Then they went into the castle. 

The lad was weeping bitterly and crying 
out that all was over, that now he would be 
separated from his wife for ever. But the 
horse gave him comfort, saying : 

"Well, I really don't know what advice I 
ought to give you now. We have been three 
times, and he caught up with us every time. 
And the last time you were torn in pieces. 
I don't know how things will turn out. But 
I have another brother across the Red Sea, 
and he is stronger than I or the dragon. 
If we could only get him, we should be 
sure to kill the dragon. But it's a hard 



THREE DOVES 87 

thing to do, for he is in service with the 
Devil's grandmother. We will try it together, 
if only we can manage to cross the Red Sea. 
And, if you follow the advice I give you, 
you will get the horse. 

"You must serve the Devil's grandmother 
for three days, and, when you have served 
the three days, you must ask for that lean 
horse as wages. You will have to herd twelve 
horses for three days. Nobody has ever 
managed to do it yet. When the first day's 
service is done, on the next day the Devil's 
grandmother always cuts off the servant's head 
and hangs it on a hook. Now, listen . care- 
fully. While you are herding the horses, 
anything the hag gives you to eat at home, 
eat your fill of it. But, if she gives you any- 
thing to eat in the field, do not eat it, but 
throw it away. If you were to eat it, sleep 
would come down on you, your horses would 
stray, and the Devil's grandmother would cut 
off your head and hang it upon a hook." 

So off they went together till they came 
to the Red Sea. As they were drawing near 
to the sea, they saw a huge fly entangled in 
a cobweb and struggling to free itself. So 
the lad went up to it and said : " Poor fly ! 



88 CZECH FOLK TALES 

You can't get out of that cobweb ; wait a 
bit, and I will help you." 

The cobweb was as big as a sheet, but he 
tore it in two and the fly crept out. 

The fly said: "Thank you for helping me 
out of the cobweb. Tear one of my feet 
from under my belly, and, whenever you are 
in need, think of me, and I will help you." 

The lad thought: "Poor fly! how could 
you help me.'*" Nevertheless, he tore off 
one of her feet and kept it. 

Then he went on his way, and he saw a 
wolf with his tail trapped under a heavy log, 
and he was unable to help himself, for wolves 
have stiff" backs, and no wolf has ever been 
able to turn. The lad rolled the log away 
and released the wolf. 

The wolf said: "Thank you for helping 
me. Take one of my claws, and, whenever 
you are in sore need, think of me, and I 
will help you." So the lad took one of his 
claws and kept it. 

When he got quite close to the sea, he 
saw a crab as big as a barrel. The crab 
was lying on the sand with his belly upwards, 
and he couldn't manage to turn himself 
over again. So the lad went and turned 



THREE DOVES 89 

the crab over again. The crab asked him 
where he was going. He said he was going 
to the Devil's grandmother across the Red 
Sea. 

The crab said : "My dear lad, I'll make 
a bridge for you across the sea, so that you 
will be able to get across. But, besides that, 
you must pluck off one of my claws from 
under my belly, and when you are in sore 
need, think of me, and I will help you." 

So he plucked off one of the claws and 
kept it. The crab sidled into the sea, and 
immediately all the crabs of the sea came 
together, and they closed in on one another 
so that they made a bridge across the sea. 
The lad crossed the bridge and came to 
the Devil's grandmother. She was standing 
waiting for him in the doorway of her house, 
and welcomed him. He'd just come at the 
right time ; she wanted him to herd her 
horses. She gave him plenty of good food 
to eat, and sent him out to the fields. She 
put twelve horses in his charge, and said to 
him : 

" Look to it that you herd them well, for 
if you lose one of them you will lose your 
head. Just look here at these twenty-four 



90 CZECH FOLK TALES 

posts, with a hook on each one of them. 
There are heads on twenty-three of them. 
The last hook is waiting for your head. If 
you herd my horses badly, that hook is 
waiting for your head." 

Then she fitted him out for herding the 
horses. She gave him a piece of bread, so 
that he might have enough to eat and not 
starve. He meant to follow the horse's 
advice, and threw the bread away. But a 
fierce hunger came upon him, and he had to 
go and look for the bread and eat it up. 

The moment he had eaten it he fell asleep 
and all the horses were lost. When he 
awoke there wasn't a single horse there. 
Sorrowfully he said : " The Devil's grand- 
mother was right ; my head will hang from 
that hook." In his grief he thought of the fly, 
and it came flying up and called out : " Why 
are you weeping and wailing ? " 

He said that he had been hungry, and 
had been forced to eat the bread, so that 
he fell asleep and all the horses were- lost. 

The fly tried to comfort him, saying : 

" Don't be troubled, dear lad ; I will help 

II 
you. 

So she called together all the flies, and 



THREE DOVES 91 

they flew everywhere looking for the horses, 
and when they found them, they buzzed 
round then) and plagued them till they 
drove them up to the herdsman. He drove 
them joyfully home. 

The Devil's grandmother welcomed them, 
and when she saw that all the horses were 
there, she said : " You've herded them well 
enough, for you have brought them all 
back." Then she seized a hatchet and 
began to beat the horses with it, and most 
of all the lean one, till the flesh hung in 
strips from its body. The lad was sorry 
for the horse, for the hag was beating it 
hardest and it was the leanest of them all. 
But the Devil's grandmother took a salve 
and anointed the horses' wounds, and they 
were healed by morning. 

The next day she fitted him out again for 
herding the horses, and gave him some more 
of the bread, telling him to eat it all. But 
when he came to the pasture he crumbled 
the bread and trampled the crumbs into the 
ground, so that it should be uneatable. But 
it was no good. He was forced to dig it up 
and eat it, earth and all, so great was the 
hunger that the Devil's grandmother had 



92 CZECH FOLK TALES 

sent against him. In a moment he fell 
asleep and all the horses were lost. 

When he woke he saw that there were no 
horses there. He wept and wailed. But he 
thought of the wolf, and the wolf came run- 
ning up and asked him : " Why are you 
weeping and wailing ? Don't be troubled ; I 
will help you." 

He went and summoned all the wolves. 
A great flock of wolves ran up, and they 
scattered everywhere, looking for the horses. 
When they found them, they drove them 
to the herdsman, each horse with a wolf at 
its side leading it by the ear. The herds- 
man was overjoyed, and took the horses and 
drove them home. 

The Devil's grandmother was waiting for 
him in front of the house. She said : 
" Indeed you have herded them well ; this 
is the second day that you have brought 
them all home." But she beat the horses 
with the hatchet far worse than the day 
before ; then she anointed their wounds with 
the salve, so that they should be healed by 
morning. 

On the third day she sent him out again 
to herd the horses, and gave him some more 



THREE DOVES 93 

of the bread, telling him to eat it and not 
to throw it away. But when he came to 
the pasture he threw the bread down on the 
sand and trampled it in, so that it should 
be uneatable. But he had to search it out 
again, so great was the hunger the Devil's 
grandmother sent against him. The moment 
he had finished it he fell asleep and the 
horses were lost. When he woke he burst 
into tears. This time it was all up with him ; 
the fly and the wolf had helped him before, 
but the crab had already made a bridge for 
him, so there was nobody to help him. The 
horses didn't know where to hide themselves 
to save themselves from being beaten by the 
Devil's grandmother, so they leapt into the 
sea, where nobody could find them. 

The herdsman was in agony, and he kept 
on wailing that now his head must hang 
upon that hook. At last he thought of the 
crab. The crab turned round in the sea, and 
instantly all the crabs collected and began 
searching the sea for the horses, and they 
pinched them until they drove them out of 
the sea. But the lean one, since he couldn't 
think of a better hiding-place, crouched 
under the crab's belly. The other crabs set 



94 CZECH FOLK TALES 

to work to look for him, and at last they 
found him. The big crab had to turn over, 
and then they drove the lean horse out. 
The herdsman took the horses and drove 
them home joyfully, because his three days 
of service were now over. 

The Devil's grandmother was waiting for 
him, and she beat the horses with the 
hatchet so fiercely that their flesh hung in 
strips from their bodies. Then she anointed 
them with the salve, and the wounds healed 
by morning. In the morning she asked the 
herdsman what wages he wanted. He 
answered : "I want nothing but that lean 
old horse." 

She said : " It would be a sorry thing to 
give you such a wretched horse in return for 
such good service ; I will give you the best 
horse." 

He answered : "I won't take any horse 
but the lean one." 

She asked him why he wanted the leanest 
one. He replied : " Because I am sorry for 
him, for he always gets the worst beating. 
I will have that one, and no other." 

So she said : " Well, I will give him to 
you, if you must have him, but I will give 



THREE DOVES 95 

you this fat one too. You can ride on his 
back home and lead the lean one with you." 

He mounted the fat horse and rode off. 
But when they were drawing near to the 
gate, the lean horse said : " Get down from 
that horse and mount me, or you will be 
the worse for it." 

So he jumped down from the fat horse and 
mounted the lean one. 

The fat horse growled : "It's the Devil 
gave you that advice." 

And the lean horse said : ** If you had 
gone under the gate on that horse's back, 
he would have dashed you against the vault 
of the gate, so that your head would have 
been knocked off, and you would have been 
killed." 

So they came safely home. When the 
princesses saw him come back they were 
delighted. 

The other horse said : " Now, brother, let 
us go. The dragon is away from home, and 
the princess will be ours." So they went 
and carried off the princess. 

When the dragon came home, he asked 
his horse : ** Where is my princess ? " 

The horse replied : " She has gone, and 



96 CZECH FOLK TALES 

this time we shan't get her back. The horse 
from the Red Sea has come, and he will 
get the better of us all." 

The dragon took no heed of that, but flew 
after them and caught them up just by the 
gate. He was going to snap the princess 
away, but this time he could not do it. For 
the horse from over the Red Sea kicked his 
nose with his hoof, so that the dragon fell 
down from his horse, and the other two 
horses fell upon him, and between them they 
killed the dragon. 

They came to the castle with the princess, 
and they were congratulating one another on 
their victory over their enemy. Then the 
horse which had been giving good advice 
to his rider all the time said : " Now, dear 
brother-in-law, take my sword there hanging 
from the ceiling and cut my head off." 

He was sad and said : "How could I do 
that, after all the acts of kindness you have 
done for me ? " 

The horse said : " My good friend, I cannot 
tell you why you must behead me, but you 
would do me a great wrong if you did not 
do it." 

So he hesitated no longer, but cut his head 



THREE DOVES 97 

off. The blood spurted up twelve feet high, 
and instantly the horse became a beautiful 
youth. Seeing that, the lad was quick to 
behead the other horses, and they all turned 
into handsome princes like the first one. 

They all thanked him for delivering them, 
and they made him king of that castle, and 
there he lived with his wife and her two sisters 
in all happiness and harmony till they died. 
The three brothers took possession of the 
dragon's castle. 



THE BEAR. THE EAGLE, AND 
THE FISH 

Once there was a count and he had three 

daughters. All of them were young and as 

pretty as peacocks, but the youngest was the 

loveliest of them all. The count had little 

money to spend, for he had lost it all by 

gambling. And so — since he had to spend 

the time in some way or other — he used to go 

hunting. One day when he was out hunting 

he lost his way in a forest, and he could not 

find his way out of it. Suddenly a big bear 

rushed out at him, shouting at the top of his 

voice. He said he would show him the way 

out of the forest and, besides, he would give 

him as much gold and silver as he wanted 

on one condition, and that condition was that 

the count should give him one of his daughters 

in marriage. The count was terrified. But 

after thinking it over for a time, he consented 

at last. The bear showed him the way out 

98 



THE BEAR, THE EAGLE, AND THE FISH 99 

of the forest and gave him everything he had 
promised, and so the count was pleased. 

He spent his time eating and drinking and 
gambling, till all the money melted away. 
He never so much as gave a thought to the 
bear, until one day, when the eldest daughter 
was marriageable, a carriage came rolling up. 
The carriage was drawn by a pair of raven- 
black horses, and in it sat a prince with cheeks 
of white and red, whose robes blazed with 
gold. He came and took the eldest daughter 
and drove off. The countess wept, but the 
count did not mind a bit, but being short of 
money, he began hunting again. 

One day he lost his way again, and this 
time an eagle flew down to him and promised 
to show him the way out of the forest, and 
to give him heaps of money into the bargain, 
if he would only give him his second daughter 
in return. The bargain was made and the 
eagle fetched away the second daughter, and 
only the youngest was left at home. Yet even 
her the count sold, and it was a fish that 
got her. 

So the count and the countess were left 
alone. They were very sad, but after a time 
a boy was born to them, and they watched 



loo CZECH FOLK TALES 

over him like the apple of their eye. When 
the boy was grown up, he saw that the 
countess looked sad sometimes, and he gave 
her no rest till she had told him everything. 
When he had heard the story, he put his 
best clothes on, took his sword, mounted his 
horse, and said good-bye to his parents, telling 
them that he was going to search for his lost 
sisters. 

So he rode on till he came to the eldest 
sister. Her he found playing with three little 
bear cubs, for these were her babies. He met 
his brother-in-law, who gave him three hairs 
and told him to rub those hairs with his 
fingers if he found himself in any difficulty. 
Then he went to the second sister, and found 
her with two eaglets and the old eagle, his 
brother-in-law, as well. The eagle gave him 
three feathers, saying they would be of help 
to him in time of need. He thanked the eagle 
for that and went on his way, and at last he 
came to his youngest sister. It was not so 
easy to get to her, for she dwelt under the 
water, and he had to drop into her house 
through the chimney. He would have missed 
the chimney if it hadn't been for the smoke 
from it : it was bluish smoke, hardly visible. 



THE BEAR, THE EAGLE, AND THE FISH loi 

His sister welcomed him heartily and showed 
him her baby, a pretty little fish, and her 
husband, a giant fish. The lad got three fish- 
scales from the husband to use in time of 
trouble. 

He learned that the bear and the eagle 
were the brothers of the fish. They were 
sons of a powerful king, but they had been 
enchanted by an envious magician and turned 
into these shapes. The sorcerer could take 
different forms. But the brother must not let 
that dismay him. He must get hold of a 
golden egg which was hidden in the sorcerer 
and throw it on the ground. If he began to 
grow faint and did not know what to do, he 
must call one of his brothers-in-law, and he 
would advise him what to do. 

And so it was. The young count attacked 
the magician, who turned into a bull. But the 
young count was not afraid : he rubbed the 
bear's hair ; the bear came running up and tore 
the bull in pieces. But out of the bull flew a 
wild duck and tried to escape. Then the 
count thought of the eagle feathers, and imme- 
diately the eagle flew up, and he tore the duck 
to pieces. But a golden egg fell from the 
duck and it rolled into the pond. But that 



I02 CZECH FOLK TALES 

too wds of no avail, for the count rubbed the 
fish scales, and after a while the fish threw the 
egg upon the bank. The count caught it and 
flung it to the ground so that it was smashed 
into many pieces. 

At once all around was changed. The pond 
turned into a meadow upon which a beautiful 
castle was shining. The castle was full of 
servants and the three princes, with their wives 
and children, were just walking out of it. All 
were overjoyed to be so happily delivered, 
and, when they had enough of rejoicing, they 
started off to find their parents. 

Their first journey was to the old count and 
countess, so that they might enjoy the sight of 
their children and grandchildren. Afterwards 
they hastened to the old king. He ordered 
many cannon to be fired, and prepared a 
splendid banquet. And he gave the kingdom 
to his eldest son. The second son went to the 
land of the count, and it was divided between 
him and his brother-in-law. And the youngest 
went to the disenchanted castle. All of them 
reigned prosperously and wisely in their 
several realms and, if they haven't died since, 
they are reigning still. 



KOJATA 

Once there was a king who had an only son. 
One day the king went to inspect his estates. 
He came to the first farm and found it all 
right. Before he had finished going the 
round of his estates, thirteen big farms in 
all, he forgot that his wife was about to 
have a child. On his way home he came 
to a forest, and such a thirst came upon him 
that he bade hi^ driver stop and look for 
some water. The driver looked everywhere 
for water, but he couldn't find any. So the 
king himself went to look for it, and he 
found a well. 

Now, just as he was going to drink, he 
kneeled down and he saw something in the 
well which had claws like a crab and red 
eyes. It seized him by the beard with one 
of its claws — he had a pretty long beard — 
and it refused to let him go unless he pro- 
mised to give it the thing that he had at 



104 CZECH FOLK TALES 

home unknown to himself. So he said to 
himself: "I know everything at home." 
But he forgot about his wife's condition. 
By this time his wife had been delivered of 
a prince, and so the king, without knowing 
it, had promised his son to the thing in the 
well. And on that it let him go. 

When he got home he saw the new-born 
prince, and of course he was very sad. He 
remained so for twelve years. The prince 
asked him why he was so sad. And the 
king answered : " Because you are sold." 
The prince told him not to worry about it ; 
he would be able to help himself. 

The prince called for his horse and started 
out. He had been riding five days' journey 
from his home, when he came to a lake. 
There he tethered his horse. He saw 

c 

thirteen ducks swimming on the lake, and 
there were thirteen shifts lying on the bank. 
So he carried off one of the shifts and hid 
himself. When they saw this, twelve of the 
ducks flew away, but the thirteenth was 
running hither and thither, looking for her 
shift. So when he saw her running hither 
and thither looking for her shift, he came 
out of his hiding-place. Now the father of 



KOJATA 105 

those ducks was the being which had seized 
the king by the beard. He was a sorcerer, 
and his name was Kojata. 

This girl was his youngest daughter. And 
she said to the prince : 

" Now I will give you a good counsel. 
You will save me and I will save you. My 
father will set you a difficult task. I will 
perform it for you, but you must not let 
him know that I am helping you. Leave 
your horse here and hurry on to my father's. 
He will give you a lodging, and he will 
give you three days to consider over the 
task. You will be in your room alone, and 
in the evening I will come humming to your 
window, for I shall come to you in a bee's 
shape, because I can't come in any other 
way. And you must follow my advice. My 
father has thirteen daughters, and we all 
resemble one another exactly and we all 
wear the same sort of clothes. You will 
have to find out which is the youngest, but 
you will have no other means of recogniz- 
ing me than by noticing a tiny fly under my 
left eye, so be very careful about it." 

So it was. The sorcerer called him in 
and the thirteen daughters were standing 



io6 CZECH FOLK TALES 

in a row. The sorcerer asked him whether 
he could make out which was the youngest ; 
if he could do so, his life would be spared. 
So he went the round of them three times, 
but it was as much as he could do to re- 
cognize her. But he pointed her out. She 
was the third from the end. So the sorcerer 
asked him who had been giving him advice. 
But the prince answered that it was none 
of his business. 

The next day the sorcerer gave him 
another task : to build a palace of pure gold 
and silver without using hammer or trowel. 
The prince was very worried about it. But 
in the evening the youngest daughter came 
flying to him again, and she gave him a 
wand. At a single stroke of the wand the 
palace rose up ready-built, and it was more 
perfect than the old one. In the morning 
he was strolling about the palace looking 
round him. When King Kojata saw him, 
he came up to him and stopped : " Who 
has given you this counsel ? " he asked. 
The prince answered that it was the person 
who had given him advice the time before. 

So the sorcerer set him the third task, 
and this time the daughter was not able to 



KOJATA 107 

advise him. She came to him in the even- 
ing and said : " I have no other advice than 
for both of us to flee at once, otherwise 
you will be lost and I too." 

Now, in the evening she turned herself 
into a horse, and he mounted her and rode 
as far as the lake. There he found his own 
horse, and they both mounted it and rode 
off at full speed. Soon she heard a great 
noise behind her, so she turned herself into 
a church and the prince became a monk. 
The sorcerer's apprentices were riding in 
pursuit of them. When they got as far as 
the church they turned and went back to 
Kojata. When they came to him they said 
that they had not overtaken anybody ; they 
had only seen a church and a monk in it. 
And he said : " Those were they ! " 

Next day he sent them again to pursue 
the runaways. Though they were riding 
faster than the day before, again they heard 
a trampling behind them. So she turned her- 
self into a great river and him into an old 
broken bridge. Their pursuers came as far 
as the river and the bridge, and then they 
turned back and reported to their king, 
Kojata, that they had seen nothing but a 



io8 CZECH FOLK TALES 

river and a bridge. He said at once : 
" Well, those were they ! " 

On the third day the runaways started 
again and made for the border as fast as 
they could, and soon they were in their own 
land. When they reached the third church, 
the sorcerer had no more power over them. 
He began to tear his hair and knock his 
head against the ground and to curse his 
daughter for tricking him. 

So the young king came home, bringing 
a lovely young princess with him. His 
father was very pleased at that ! 



SHEPHERD HYNEK 

To cut a long story short, there was a prince 
and he had three sons. The first two followed 
in their father's footsteps, but the third did 
not. He said he would like to be a forester. 
The father was angry and turned him out of 
the house. What was he to do with the 
fellow, when he was so obstinate and would 
be a forester."* 

*• Well, be whatever you like," said the 
prince, and he gave him a shepherd's dress 
and Hynek went out into the world. 

He had been walking through a forest for 
three days. He was hungry and cold, and 
everything seemed to be against him. He 
was tired too, and at last he fell asleep under 
a tree. As he was sleeping, a black man 
came to him. He would not leave him to 
sleep, but waked him up. Hynek was 
frightened. But he told him there was no 
need to be afraid. He was a good man, 



112 CZECH FOLK TALES 

though his skin was black. So Hynek stayed 
with him for seven years and learnt the seven 
languages, zither playing, and all that sort 
of thing. 

Now the seven years were over. In that 
land there was a king who had an only 
daughter. And there was a fierce dragon 
which was ravaging the whole of that king- 
dom, and everybody was forced to give him 
one sheep and one human being to appease 
him. So the lot fell upon the princess too. 
The black man told Hynek that something 
ought to be done to deliver the people and 
to save the princess from being devoured by 
that dragon. 

" Go to the next homestead," he said, " and 
ask to be taken on as a shepherd, and in the 
morning you will have to drive the sheep into 
this forest." 

So they took leave of one another. Hynek 
was engaged as shepherd, and in the morning- 
he drove the sheep into the forest, where the 
black man was waiting for him. When he 
came with the sheep, the black man gave him 
a wand and a ring, and said : 

" When you turn this ring, you will be 
brought to a castle where a giant dwells. 



SHEPHERD HYNEK 113 

and you will have to tackle the giant. This 
wand will help you to do it. Then you must 
take his robe, his horse, and his sword. Then 
you will be brought to the town, and it will 
be about the time that the princess will be 
brought out." 

So Hynek took his leave and found every- 
thing just as he had said. As he came near 
to the castle, the giant was looking out and 
said : 

"You earthworm, what are you looking 
for?" 

" Oh ! I should like to have a try for that 
big head of yours." 

The giant fell into a rage. He was holding 
a great club in his hand, and he flung it at 
Hynek, but Hynek dodged aside and the club 
sank deep into the ground, it had been flung 
with such force. So Hynek went right up 
to him, and, crack ! he struck him with the 
wand. So the giant tumbled over. Hynek 
took his sword and struck his head off. Then 
he took an iron key out of the giant's pocket. 
He opened the lock, took the robe and the 
horse, and dressed himself as became a 
knight. Then he turned the ring, and in a 
moment he found himself on the road along 

9 



114 CZECH FOLK TALES 

which they were bringing the princess to be 
devoured by the dragon. When he saw the 
procession, he asked : 

" What's going on here, and why are the 
people in such grief?" 

" Because the princess is to be devoured 
by a dragon to-day." 

Hynek said : ** For the sake of her beauty, 
show me his den where he dwells." 

So he rode up to the rock and called out 
loudly : " Now, dragon, come on ; your meal 
is ready here, waiting for you." 

But the dragon answered : " I don't want 
it to-day ; come to-morrow, at eleven." 

So Hynek returned. He rode towards 
them and said that the dragon would not 
leave his den to-day. So they all went 
back to the town with the knight, and the 
king would not let him go away on any 
account. But Hynek began to make excuses. 
He had to deliver a letter for the field mar- 
shal and he could not remain there. Then he 
turned the ring on his finger, and instantly 
he was in the castle again. He left the 
clothes and the horse there, putting the clothes 
tidily together. Then he put on his shepherd's 
dress, turned the ring, and at once he was 



SHEPHERD HYNEK 115 

near the forest, where the black man had been 
tending his sheep meanwhile. He greeted 
him kindly : 

" You have done everything well. Always 
act like that." 

So he drove the sheep home and played 
the zither again. Everybody ran up to the 
door to listen to the magic playing of the 
shepherd. But he said nothing to anybody. 

The next day he drove the sheep to the 
forest still earlier. The black man was there 
waiting for him, and said : " Follow my advice 
and you will be happy." 

He said that he would do so. The black 
man was to mind the sheep again. He gave 
Hynek the wand and the ring, and Hynek 
came to another castle. 

The giant was looking out as he came up ; 
he was standing in the doorway. He asked 
the lad grimly what he was looking for. 

" Oh ! it's nothing. I only want to try for 
that big head of yours." 

The giant was holding a hammer and he 
hurled it at him. No eye could see where 
it fell. Hynek leapt towards him, and, crack ! 
he struck him with the wand, and the giant fell 
over and Hynek cut his head off too. He 



ii6 CZECH FOLK TALES 

took a silver key out of the giant's pocket 
and went straight to the castle. There he 
chose a robe, girded on a sword, took a horse, 
and turned the ring again. Once more he 
was on the road where the princess was being 
brought to be devoured. He asked them in 
a different language why they were wailing so. 

" Well, our princess is to be devoured by 
the dragon to-day. He would not leave his 
den yesterday." 

" Show me his den : I will sacrifice myself 
for the sake of her beauty." 

They showed him the rock, and he rode 
straight up to it and called out : " Now, dragon, 
come on; your meal is ready here." 

" I don't want it to-day, wait till eleven 
to-morrow." 

The king was still less willing to let him 
go this time, but he found some excuse, turned 
his horse, and went back with everything to 
the castle. 

Then he returned to the forest and the 
black man. The black man said: "Drive 
your sheep home now, but come earlier to- 
morrow, for a heavy task awaits you." 

Hynek could not rest that night : he was 
so afraid that he would be too late. As soon 



SHEPHERD HYNEK 117 

as dawn came he let out the flock and drove it 
to the forest. When he got there, the black 
man said to him : " There's only to-day now. 
It will be the last time. But it will be a heavy 
task for you to tackle the third giant and 
the dragon." Then he gave him the wand 
and the ring, and said that the key to-day 
would be of gold. He must choose the robe 
and take a black horse, and he must take 
with him the sword with which he had killed 
the giant and the dragon. 

He turned the ring and was brought to 
the third castle. Here was a giant again, 
much huger than the other two. He ran 
at Hynek, but, crack ! Hynek struck him 
with the wand. Then he took his sword 
and killed him. Then he opened the castle 
with a golden key ; he went to the stable, 
then he put on a green robe and brought 
out a black horse. There was a sword 
hanging there, and he girded it on. Then 
he turned the ring, and in a moment he was 
on the road along which they were bringing 
the princess to be devoured by the dragon. 

He asked them in yet another language 
why they were so sorrowful. He was ready 
to sacrifice himself for the sake of her beauty. 



ii8 CZECH FOLK TALES 

So they showed him the den in which the 
dragon dwelt, and he called out: "Well, come 
on, dragon ; your meal is ready and waiting 
for you here." 

Now the rock began to shake ; all the stones 
came rolling down, and the dragon flew out 
of the rock, his seven heads burning with 
flame, and he made straight for Hynek. 
Hynek began cutting at the seven heads until 
he was weary that he could not do any more. 
Then the horse began to crush the dragon, 
until after a while Hynek, being rested, took 
his sword, and at once he cut all the seven 
heads off. 

He was so scorched by the fire that he 
could not run away, and he fainted on the spot. 
The people had seen what was happening, so 
they rode up and carried him away, lest he 
should perish of the dragon's poison. They 
brought him and laid him in the princess's 
lap. She gave him her ring and a golden 
neckchain, and so he recovered his senses 
and found himself lying in the princess's lap. 
He was afraid that he had stayed too long, 
for he was supposed to be with the marshal 
by this time. They were all trying to hold 
him back from going, but he found an excuse 



SHEPHERD HYNEK 119 

and promised he would come back within 
three days. So at last they just had to let 
him go. 

He returned to the castle, where he put 
everything back in its place again, except the 
sword, which he took with him and gave to 
the black man. The black man said to him : 
" You have succeeded now, and it will be well 
with both of us." 

So Hynek drove his sheep home rejoicing. 
He was playing the zither, and all the people 
gathered outside to listen to his rare and sweet 
music. He asked what had happened to the 
princess : had the dragon devoured her ? 

" Oh no ! A knight delivered her, and the 
king is going to give her in marriage to 
him." 

"Alas! silly shepherd that I am, why did 
I not tackle him myself with my shepherd's 
staff! " 

But they all laughed at him : " You mind 
your sheep, that's what befits you." 

In the royal castle the wedding-feast was 
ready. The sixth day had come and they 
were still waiting for him. But the bride- 
groom did not come and the princess was sad. 
On the sixth day he asked the marshal if he 



120 CZECH FOLK TALES 

could go to the castle to play his zither to the 
princess ; he would like to cheer her, since she 
was so sad. 

** You may go, and, if you succeed, you 
shall make some extra money." 

So Hynek went and played, and the music 
was so sweet that the lords could listen to 
nothing but his beautiful playing. He played 
for three hours, and then he must go home. 
They asked him what reward he would like. 

** Nothing but to drink a cup of wine with 
the princess." 

He had ready the ring which the princess 
had given him when he was in her lap. His 
request was granted, and the rest of the 
musicians who were there were angry with him 
for claiming so insignificant a reward. When 
they had filled the cup for him, he drank the 
wine and dropped the ring into the cup. 

Now, the cupbearer who was filling the cup 
looked into it and saw the glittering ring. So 
he hastened to the princess with it. She 
recognized it as her own, so she ordered them 
to bring that shepherd before her. 

'* Well," he said, " surely they won't beat 
me!" 

They brought him before the princess, and 



SHEPHERD HYNEK 121 

she made him tell her how he had got that 
ring and how he had been clothed. 

So he said : " All those three days I was 
with you." 

Hynek did not go back to the marshal, 
though he complained of the loss of his shep- 
herd. He was clad in royal robes now, and 
they had a splendid wedding in the castle. 
But the princess did not know what his parent- 
age was, although she could see that he was 
not a low-born man. 

So after a year he said he would like to 
visit his parents, and he told her to prepare 
for the journey. She was to send a letter to 
Prince So-and-So that the young queen was 
going to visit him. He would go on ahead. 

So he put his shepherd's dress on once more 
and purposely tore it in several places, and, 
when his princess arrived and everybody was 
welcoming her, he went straight into the great 
hall. Now, when the old Prince saw that it 
was his son all tattered and torn, he bade them 
put him under lock and key. But he had 
no difficulty in escaping, and while they were 
feasting, he came into the hall again and sat 
down next to the princess. The father was 
furious that his son should behave so shame- 



122 CZECH FOLK TALES 

fully. But the princess reassured him. It was 
all right, she said. She did not mind at all ; 
he might sit where he pleased. 

After dinner she called for a bath. They 
prepared it for her. But Hynek was quicker, 
and slipped into the bathroom before her. 
She shut the door and he put on his royal 
robes, and then they went before his father. 
The Prince was frightened, since he had 
thought so ill of his son, and he fell on his 
knees. But Hynek lifted him up and himself 
kneeled before him and asked his forgiveness. 

Then came in the black man. He gave 
Hynek the sword and bade him cut his head 
off. Hynek would not repay his kindness in 
this way. 

'• Then we shall both be unhappy." 

So when he saw what he was to do, he cut 
the head off and, when he had done that, an 
English prince appeared in his stead. He was 
only eighteen years old. All his followers 
woke up too. Hynek accompanied him to 
England, and then took leave of him. 

How are they all now ? 

I don't know. 



THE THREE ROSES 

Once upon a time there was a mother who 
had three daughters. There was to be a 
market in the next town, and she said she 
would go to it. She asked the daughters 
what she should bring them back. Two of 
them named a great number of things ; she 
must buy all of them, they said. You know 
the sort of women, and the sort of things they 
would want. Well, when they had asked for 
more than enough, the mother asked the third 
daughter : 

" And you, don't you want anything ? " 

"No, I don't want anything; but, if you like, 
you can bring me three roses, please." 

If she wanted no more than that, her mother 
was ready to bring them. 

When the mother knew all she wanted, she 
went off to market. She bought all she could, 
piled it all on her back, and started for home. 
But she was overtaken by nightfall, and the 

»«3 



124 CZECH FOLK TALES 

poor mother completely lost her way and could 
go no farther. She wandered through the 
forest till she was quite worn out, and at last 
she came to a palace, though she had never 
before heard of any palace there. There was 
a large garden full of roses, so beautiful that 
no painter alive could paint them, and all the 
roses were smiling at her. So she remem- 
bered her youngest daughter, who had wished 
for just such roses. She had forgotten it 
entirely till then. Surely that was because she 
was so old ! Now she thought : " There are 
plenty of roses here, so I will take these three." 

So she went into the garden and took the 
roses. At once a basilisk came and demanded 
her daughter in exchange for the roses. The 
mother was terrified and wanted to throw the 
flowers away. But the basilisk said that 
wouldn't be any use, and he threatened to tear 
her to pieces. So she had to promise him her 
daughter. There was no help for it, and so 
she went home. 

She took the three roses to her daughter 
and said : " Here are the roses, but I had to 
pay dearly for them. You must go to yonder 
castle in payment for them, and I don't even 
know whether you will ever come back." 



THE THREE ROSES 125 

But Mary seemed as though she didn't mind 
at all, and she said she would go. So the 
mother took her to the castle. There was 
everything she wanted there. Soon the basi- 
lisk appeared and told Mary that she must 
nurse him in her lap for three hours every 
day. There was no way out, do it she must, 
and so the basilisk came and she nursed him 
for three hours. Then he went out, but he 
came next day and the day after that. On the 
third day he brought a sword and told poor 
Mary to cut his head off. 

She protested that she wasn't used to doing 
things like that, and do it she could not. 
But the basilisk said in a rage that, if that 
was so, he would tear her to pieces. As 
there was no choice, she went up to him 
and cut his head off. And as the basilisk's 
head rolled on the ground, there came forth 
from his body a long serpent, hissing horribly. 
He asked her to cut his head off again. 
Mary did not hesitate this time, but cut his 
head off at once. 

The serpent (by the way, he held the 
golden keys of that palace in his mouth) was 
immediately changed into a beautiful youth, 
and he said in a pleasant voice : " This 



126 CZECH FOLK TALES 

castle belongs to me, and, as you have 
delivered me, there is no help for it : I must 
marry you." 

So there was a great wedding, the castle 
was full of their attendants, and they all had 
to play and dance. But the floor was of 
paper, so I fell through it, and here I am 
now. 



THE ENCHANTED PRINCESSES 

In the days of King Bambita, his two noble 
daughters oppressed the people, laying heavy 
taxes on them without the king's knowledge. 
The people cursed them, and the curses did 
their work. The princesses vanished. The 
king sent some of his servants to look for 
the princesses. But the servants came back 
enipty-handed. None of them had been able 
to find the princesses. 

Now, a captain and a lieutenant heard of 
the king's trouble. So the lieutenant went to 
the king, and " I see," says he, " that you 
are in trouble. I will go and look for the 
princesses." 

"How much do you want for it ? " asked 
the king. 

" Twenty pounds." 

The king agreed, and gave him the money. 
" If you find them," said he, " half of my 
kingdom is yours. " 

10 »^ 



I30 CZECH FOLK TALES 

The lieutenant and the captain had plenty 
of money now, so they went to an inn and 
passed the time drinking. On the third day 
the captain said : ** To-day I will go to the 
king. If he gave you twenty pounds, he is 
certain to give me more." 

So he went to the king and said : "I see 
that your majesty is in trouble. I should like 
to go and look for the princesses." 

" How much do you want for it ? " said 
the king. 

" Thirty pounds." 

Well, the king gave him the money with- 
out any more ado, adding that, if he found 
the princesses, he would get half of his 
kingdom. 

They fell to drinking again and had a 
splendid time. 

There was a drummer near them, and he 
heard them saying that they were to look 
for the princesses. So he went to the king 
and said : "I hear that your majesty is 
prostrated by sore trouble. I, too, would 
like to look for the princesses." 

"How much do you want for it ? " 

*' Forty pounds, at least." 

The king gave him the money without 



THE ENCHANTED PRINCESvSES 131 

more ado. The two officers and the drummer 
.left that inn for another, and so they went 
on spending their money recklessly in one 
drinking-house after another. The drummer 
went with the other two, but he was more 
careful than they were. He was not such 
a spendthrift as the two officers. 

They asked him where he meant to go. 

" Wherever you go, I will go too," he 
replied. 

" Then why don't you join us and lead a 
gay life ? " 

"That I can't do until I know where to 
find the princesses." 

They invited him to join them, but he 
refused to do it. 

At last they bought some bread and other 
food, and they all set out together on their 
journey. They came to a dark forest, and 
for a fortnight they searched it through and 
through, but they could find nothing. They 
couldn't find their way out of the forest either, 
so they agreed that one of them should climb 
to the top of the highest tree to see which 
way they ought to go. The drummer, being 
the youngest, climbed up a pine-tree. He 
called out : 



132 CZECH FOLK TALES 

" I can see a cottage. Look, I will throw 
my hat towards it, and do you follow the 
hat." 

Well, they went on until they reached the 
cottage. 

" Go into the room," says the drummer. 

" After you," said both the officers at once. 

So the drummer stepped inside, and an 
old crone welcomed him. 

" Welcome, Drummer Anthony," said she. 
" How did you get here ? " 

" I have come to deliver the princesses, 
and only for that." 

** Well, you will find them, but those other 
two fellows will get them from you by a 
trick." 

She gave him a rope three hundred 
fathoms long and told him to bind it round 
his body. She also gave him some wine and 
a sponge. Then she said : "Not far from 
here there is a well. When you come to it, 
you must say that you will let yourself down 
into the well, if the other fellows will drink 
the fountain dry." 

When they got to the well, the captain and 
the lieutenant began to drink the fountain, 
but it was just as full as before. 



THE ENCHANTED PRINCESSES 133 

** If we kept on drinking this fountain till 
doomsday," they said, " we could not drink 
it dry." 

So the drummer took the sponge, and at 
once the water began to disappear, and soon 
the well was dry. They began to quarrel 
as to who should go down the well. The one 
on the right side said the other ought to 
go, but at last they agreed that the drummer, 
who was the lightest, should go. 

So he went down, and, when he reached 
the bottom of the well, he found a stone there. 
He drew it aside, and then he saw the light 
of the other world. He lowered himself on 
the rope into the other world. There he saw 
a beautiful palace. He went towards it. 
When he reached it, he saw that the table 
was laid for two persons. He ate his meal 
and then went into the second room. There 
he laid himself down to sleep, and when he 
awoke in the morning, he found the Princess 
Anne in the third room. 

*' Welcome," she said ; " what has brought 
you here ? " 

He told her that he had come to deliver 
her. 

She said : "I don't know whether you will 



134 CZECH FOLK TALES 

succeed in that. Here is a sword ; see if you 
can brandish it." 

The drummer took hold of the sword, but 
he could not even lift it, it was so heavy. 

Then the princess gave him a ring. " Take 
this," she said, "and whenever you think of 
me, you will become strong. I have to hold 
the dragon in my lap for a whole hour. As 
soon as he comes, he will smell a man. 
But you must cut him in two, for then I 
shall be delivered. Just at nine o'clock he 
comes." 

Just at nine o'clock the palace began to 
tremble and the dragon came in. But the 
drummer encountered him and struck him 
in two with the sword. 

After that the princess took him into another 
room. " Now you have delivered me," she 
said. "But my sister is in worse trouble 
still. She has to hold a dragon in her lap for 
two hours, and that dragon is even stronger 
than this one." 

Then they went into the fourth room, 
where was the Princess Antonia. She, too, 
greeted him, and told him that he would be 
able to deliver her if he could brandish the 
sword beside her. He tried, but he could 



THE ENCHANTED PRINCESSES 135 

not even move it. Then she gave him a 
ring and told him that, whenever he thought 
of her, he would have the strength of two 
hundred men. She said, too, that if he 
succeeded in setting her free she would marry 
him. 

Soon eleven o'clock came. The hall began 
to tremble and the dragon appeared. But, as 
he was coming in, Anthony was ready for him 
near the door, and he managed to cut the 
dragon in two. 

Now, when the two princesses had been set 
free, they gathered all the precious stones they 
could to take with them, and went to the 
opening that led into the world. But the 
drummer had quite forgotten the old crone's 
warning about the other two fellows, and he 
sent the princesses up before him. Each of 
the officers took a princess for himself, and 
the drummer was left behind at the bottom 
of the well. When his turn came, he was 
careful enough to tie a stone to the rope. 
His companions on the top pulled it up a 
little way and then suddenly let it drop, throw- 
ing down other stones into the well to kill 
the drummer. But he had remembered the 
crone's warning that his friends would try to 



136 CZECH FOLK TALES 

trick him. So he jumped aside and remained 
there in the other world. 

He went back to the palace and entered 
the seventh room. On the table were three 
boxes. He opened the first and found a 
whistle inside it. He blew the whistle, and in 
came some generals and asked what was his 
majesty's will. He said he had only whistled 
to find out if they were attending to their 
duty. Then he looked into the second box, 
and there he saw a bugle. He blew the 
bugle, and in came some officers, who said just 
what the generals had said. In the third box 
he found a drum. He beat the drum, and 
immediately he was surrounded by infantry 
and cavalry, a great multitude of soldiers. He 
asked whether any of them had ever been in 
Europe. Two men were found among them 
who had been shipwrecked. 

*' Where is the ship .'* " said the drummer. 

" Here on the seacoast," they replied. 

At that, Anthony decked himself out in a 
royal robe and started on his travels for 
Europe. 

Meanwhile the two princesses had reached 
home. One was engaged to be married 
to the lieutenant, the other to the captain. 



THE ENCHANTED PRINCESSES 137 

But when the time for the wedding came, 
both the princesses, still thinking of Anthony, 
asked for a delay of one year, and their royal 
father granted their request. 

Anthony arrived safely in that land. He 
met a traveller and said to him, '* Look here, 
why should you not change clothes with 
me?" 

He was glad to do so, and Anthony went 
on to the town in which the princesses lived 
and sought out a goldsmith. He asked the 
goldsmith for work. 

" I haven't work enough for myself," said 
the goldsmith. 

" Well," said the drummer, " I have had an 
order for two rings, although I was only walk- 
ing the street." 

" You are a lucky fellow," said the gold- 
smith, and his wife, when she heard of it, 
spoke in the drummer's favour, so he was 
taken on as assistant. 

*• Now," said he, "give me what I want and 
I will make the rings. But nobody must 
enter my room : I will take my meals in at 
the door." 

On the third day one ring was finished, and 
this one was meant for the Princess Anne. 



138 CZECH FOLK TALES 



"You must take this ring to the Princess 
Anne, master," said he. 

" So I will," said the goldsmith ; " but what 
is your price for it ? " 

'• A thousand pounds," said he. 

*' If that's so, I won't go. They would put 
me in jail." 

" Be easy," said Anthony, " nothing will 
happen to you." 

So the goldsmith went to the palace, and 
sent in a message that his assistant had made 
a ring for the Princess Anne. She sent a 
message that she had not ordered a ring, but 
she would look at it. As soon as she saw 
it, she asked : "How much do you want 
for this?" He replied that he was almost 
afraid to say that it was worth a thousand 
pounds. 

" Oh ! it is worth much more than that," 
she said, and she paid the sum at once. 

The goldsmith returned home and told his 
wife what he had got for the ring. She 
wondered what sort of person their new 
assistant was. The master brought the money 
to him, but the assistant would not accept it. 

" You can keep the money for yourself," he 
said, "and I have just finished the ring for 



THE ENCHANTED PRINCESSES 139 

the Princess Antonia. You will have to go 
to the palace again with this." 

This time the master-goldsmith was ready- 
enough to go. "How much am I to ask for 
this ring ? " he said. 

"Ask two thousand pounds." 

So he was brought to the princess, and he 
told her that his apprentice had made a ring 
for her. She answered that she had not 
ordered a ring. •' However, show it to me." 

As soon as she glanced at it, she said : 
" How much do you want for this .•* " 

*• Two thousand pounds.'* 

" Oh ! it s worth much more than that," 
she said. 

So she paid down the money and told the 
master-goldsmith to fetch his assistant to her. 
As soon as the master came home, he told 
his wife everything. She was still more 
astonished. 

*'0 Lord ! " she said, " I cannot understand 
it at all." 

The master told Anthony that the princess 
bade him come and see her. 

*' She can come to me," was his reply. 

When the princess heard that, she lost no 
time, but took some royal garments for him, 



140 CZECH FOLK TALES 

and drove to Anthony's house in the royal 
coach. She went straight to him and said, 
" I am come to bring you home with me, 
Anthony." 

She bade him put on the royal robe she had 
brought with her for him, and they drove 
together to the palace, and their marriage was 
celebrated not long after. 

The two officers thought the king would 
banish them or inflict some punishment upon 
them, but he pardoned them and gave them 
sufficient money to live at the court. Anthony 
himself did not care for royalty. He and his 
wife arranged that they would return to the 
place where he had first found the princesses. 
So they departed for that land, but a storm 
drove them on shore near to the place where 
he had met the old crone. She gave him 
welcome. 

" So you are back again," she said. 

They explained to her that what they 
wished was to go back to that palace beneath 
the fountain. 

"Well," she said, "I will show you the 
way to the other world, and I will let you 
down the well." 

They came to the opening, and Anthony 



THE ENCHANTED PRINCESSES 141 

was about to enter the well, but the old hag 
begged him to wait with her and let the 
princess go on before. 

So the princess was let down to the bottom 
of the well, and then the crone said : " I won't 
let you follow her unless you first cut off my 
head." 

** This is a strange way to repay the good 
you have done me," said Anthony. 

•' Well, unless you promise this you will 
never see your princess again." 

So he had to promise, and with that she 
waved her wand and a road appeared, which 
led them straight to the princess. Then 
Anthony struck off the crone's head, and they 
found themselves amid crowds of farmers who 
were ploughing and soldiers standing at atten- 
tion, and one and all welcoming their new 
lords. For this land was an enchanted land, 
and the old crone was a witch. 



THE TWIN BROTHERS 

Once there was a princess, and she was under 
a curse and enchantment, so that she had to 
spend her life in the shape of a fish. One 
day a woman happened to be working in the 
meadow by the river, and she saw a flock of 
birds flying above the river and talking to the 
fish. The woman wondered what it was that 
was there, so she went to the waterside and 
looked in. All she saw was a fish swimming 
about. So she said : " I should like to eat 
you, fish. I feel sure you would do me 
good." 

Now, when she said that, the fish answered : 
"You could save me. You will have twin 
sons, although you have never had any chil- 
dren before." 

The woman said that, if she could help her 
in that, there was nothing the fish could ask 
that she would not do to deliver her. 

The fish answered : " Catch me and take me 



THE TWIN BROTHERS. 143 

to your field. There you must bury me and 
plant a rose-tree over me. When the roses 
first come into bloom you will bear twin sons. 
After three years, dig in the place where you 
buried me and you will find two swords, and 
these you must keep. Your mare will have 
two foals and your bitch will have two pups, 
and each of your twins will have a sword, a 
horse, and a dog. Those swords will have 
the virtue that they will help your sons to 
victory over everybody. I shall be delivered 
as soon as my body has rotted." 

When the twin sons grew up they were 
very clever, and so they said : "We must try 
our luck in the world. We are bold enough. 
One of us will go to the East and one to the 
West. Each of us must look at his sword 
every morning to see if the other needs his 
help. For the sword will begin to rust as 
soon as one of us is in peril." 

So they cast lots which way they should go, 
and each of them took his sword, his horse, 
and his dog, and away they went. 

The first rode through deep forests, and he 
met a fierce dragon and a lion ; so he attacked 
the dragon, which had nine heads. The lion 
stayed quiet while the knight attacked the 



144 CZECH FOLK TALES 

dragon, and at last he succeeded in cutting 
one of the dragon's heads off. He felt tired 
then, and the lion took his place ; then the 
knight cut two more heads off the dragon. 
And so it went on till he had all the heads 
cut off. Then he cut out the tongues from 
all the nine heads and kept them, and so went 
forward on his adventurous journey. 

Now, it chanced that there were some wood- 
cutters in these forests, and one of them 
collected all the dragon's heads, having come 
across them by chance. That dragon used to 
come to the town and devour one person 
every visit. This time the lot had fallen upon 
the princess, and so she was to be devoured 
by the dragon. So the town was all hung 
with black cloth. The woodcutter knew all 
about this, so he went with the heads to the 
town to sue for the princess, for it had been 
proclaimed that whoever killed the dragon 
should be her husband. When the princess 
saw that such a low-born man was to be her 
husband she was taken aback, and tried by 
all the means in her power to delay the 
wedding. 

The knight happened to come to the town 
just then, and he saw a good inn, so he rode 



THE TWIN BROTHERS 145 

up to it. The innkeeper came at once to 
ask what he could do for him. Now, there 
were other guests there, and it was a busy 
place. The guests were all talking of the one 
matter : when the princess was going to marry 
the man who had killed the dragon. The 
wedding ought to have been long ago, but the 
bride and her parents kept putting it off. The 
knight listened to all this talk, and then he 
asked : 

•* Are you sure that it was that woodcutter 
who killed the dragon ? " 

They answered that it certainly was, for the 
heads were preserved in the palace. 

The knight said nothing, but when he 
thought the proper time had come he rode to 
the palace. The princess saw him from the 
window, and she wondered who it might be. 
He was ushered in, and he went straight to the 
princess and told her everything. He asked 
her whether he might attend the wedding. 

She answered : "I am not at all pleased 
with my marriage. I would much rather 
marry you, sir." 

He asked her why. 

•' If he killed the dragon he must be a great 
man." 

IX 



146 CZECH FOLK iTALES 

" He is such a low-born man," said she, " that 
it is not likely that he killed the dragon." 
" I should like to see him," said he. 
So they brought the woodcutter before him, 
and the knight asked to see the heads. So 
they brought the heads. He looked at the 
heads and said : 

" There are no tongues in these heads. 
Where are the tongues?" 

Then he turned to the woodcutter : " Did 
you really kill the cruel dragon ? " he said. 
The woodcutter persisted in his story. 
" And how did you cut the heads off .-^ " 
••With my hatchet." 

•• Why, you couldn't do it with your hatchet. 
You are a liar." 

The woodcutter was taken aback and did 
not know what to say. He was frightened 
already, but he said : "It happened that the 
dragon didn't have any tongues." 

The knight produced the tongues and said : 
•• Here are the tongues, and it was I who 
killed the cruel dragon." 

The princess took hold of him and embraced 
and kissed him, and she was ready to marry 
him on the spot. As for the woodcutter, be 
was kicked out in disgrace, and they put him 



THE TWIN BROTHERS 147 

into jail for some time too. So the princess 
married the knight and they Hved happily 
together. 

One day, looking out of the window, he saw 
in the distance, among the mountains, a black 
castle. He asked his wife what castle it was 
and to whom it belonged. 

" That is an enchanted castle, and nobody 
who goes into it ever returns." 

But he could not rest, and he was eager 
to explore the castle. So one morning he 
ordered his horse to be saddled, and, accom- 
panied by his dog, he rode to the castle. 
When they reached it they found the gate 
open. As he went in he saw men and animals 
all turned to stone. In the hall an old hag 
was sitting by the fire. When she saw him 
she pretended to tremble. 

*' Dear lord," said she, " bind your dog. He 
might bite me." 

He said : " Do not be afraid. He will do 
you no harm." 

He bent down to pat the dog, and at that 
moment the hag took her wand and struck 
him with it. He was turned to stone, and his 
horse and dog too. 

The princess waited for her lord, but he did not 



148 CZECH FOLK TALES 

return. She mourned for him, and the citizens, 
who loved their lord, were grieved at his loss. 

Now, the other brother looked at his sword, 
and the sword began to rust ; so he was sure 
that his brother was in trouble. He felt that 
he must help him, so he rode off in that direc- 
tion and came to the town. The town was 
hung with black flags. As he rode through 
the streets the citizens saw him, and they 
thought he was their lord, for he had a horse 
and a dog just like their lord's horse and dog. 
When the princess saw him, she embraced him 
and said : " Where have you been so long, my 
dear husband ? " 

He said that he had lost his way in the 
forest and that he had fallen among robbers, 
and, since he had no choice, he had to pretend 
to be a robber too, and to promise to stay with 
them and to show them good hiding-places. 
The robbers, so he said, admitted him to be 
of their company, and he had not been able to 
escape before this. 

Everybody was delighted, and the lord's 
brother was careful enough not to say that 
he was only the brother. But, whenever they 
went to bed, he put his sword between himself 
and the lady. The princess was troubled at 



THE TWIN BROTHERS 149 

this, and she tried to find different explana- 
tions for the conduct of her supposed husband. 
One morning, as he was looking out of the 
window, he saw that same castle, and he asked 
what castle it was. 

She answered : " I have told you already 
that it is an enchanted castle, and that nobody 
who goes there ever returns." 

So he thought : "It is surely there that my 
brother is." 

He ordered his horse to be saddled and, 
without saying a word to anybody, he rode off 
to the castle. As soon as he entered the castle 
he saw his brother and his dog turned to stone. 
He saw, too, all the petrified knights and their 
horses, and the hag sitting and keeping up 
the fire. 

He said : " You old hag, unless you bring 
my brother to life again I'll hew you in pieces 
with this sword of mine." 

The hag knew that the sword had magical 
virtues, and so she said : 

" Pray, sir, do not be angry with me. Take 
that box there and rub the ointment beneath 
his nose and he will come to life again." 

** Curse you, you evil old hag ; do it your- 
self, and instantly." 



150 CZECH FOLK TALES 

And he went and caught hold of her wand 
and struck her with it, and at once she was 
turned into stone. He had not meant to do 
that, for he did not know that the wand had 
such power. He took the box and rubbed 
the ointment beneath his brother's nose, and 
the brother came to Hfe again. Then he 
anointed all the others who had been turned 
to stone, and they all came to life again. As 
for the hag, he left her there just as she was. 

Then the brothers rode off to the princess. 
When she saw them, she did not know which 
of them was her husband, they were so like 
one another. 

So she said : " What am I to do now .'* 
Which of you is my lord ? " 

They came before her and bade her choose 
the right one. But still she hesitated. So 
her husband went up to her and took her by 
the hand and said : " I am the right one and 
that is my brother." 

He told her everything, and she was glad 
that her real husband had come again. So 
they lived happily together, and, as for the 
other brother, he went to seek his fortune 
elsewhere. 



THE WATERNICK 

Once upon a time there were two children, 
a boy and a girl. They only had a mother, 
who was a widow. One day their mother sent 
them to get some wood for the fire. Off they 
went. The girl was just learning to knit, so 
she put a ball of wool in her pocket. They 
went on as far as they knew the way. Then 
suddenly they began to wonder whether they 
could find their way home. 

The girl said: "I will bind the end of the 
thread to a tree, and so we shall be able to find 
our way back." 

So they went on till the thread had all run 
out. Then they turned back, but they found 
that wild creatures had broken the thread. 
What were they to do ? They wandered on 
till night fell, and then they saw that they 
would have to spend the night in the forest. 
They came to a pond, and they found that 
they could not go any farther. So they 



152 CZECH FOLK TALES 

walked round the pond till the Waternick got 
hold of them. He took them with him, and 
there they were. 

When he got home with them, his wife was 
waiting for him. Round the stove there were 
some shelves for vessels that they used for 
catching poor souls in. The Waternick and 
his wife were delighted with the children; they 
decided that they would employ them as ser- 
vants, so Mrs. Waternick took charge of them. 
The children spent some years in this way and 
learned about everything under the water. 

One day the Waternick went away to catch 
some human souls, and he gave orders to Mrs. 
Waternick not to leave the children alone. 
But the old hag fell asleep, and the children 
walked some distance from the hut, till they 
thought she would scold them, and so they 
returned home. But they meant to go farther 
the next day, if only the old hag went to sleep 
again. As soon as they were sure that she 
was asleep they ran out of the hut and went 
as far as they could. 

The old hag woke up and cried out : " Where 
are you, children ? " 

She jumped to her feet and ran after them. 
They were within a few steps of getting safe 



THE WATERNICK 153 

away, when, alas ! she overtook them. She 
took them back and forced them to work, and 
they had to stay at home besides. 

When the Waternick came home, she told 
him all about it, and the Waternick said • 
'• Never mind, I'll set them to work, and they 
won't have time to think about making their 
way home." 

So in the morning he took them to the 
forest and gave them a wooden hatchet and a 
wooden saw and bade them, fell the trees. 

" When they are all cut down, you shall go 
back again." 

So the Waternick left them, and the children 
began the work at once. They took the saw 
and tried to cut down a tree. But the saw 
soon broke and they were done for. So they 
took the hatchet, and the hatchet split in two 
after one stroke. They began to cry. 

" Things look bad for us," they said. 

Since they saw that they could not help 
themselves, they stayed where they were, and 
presently they fell asleep. I don't know how 
long they had been sleeping. But it was 
already time to go back. 

The Waternick came and asked : ** Have 
you finished ? " 



154 CZECH FOLK TALES 

They said that the hatchet and saw were 
only made of wood, and that both were 
broken. He took them home. 

Next day the Waternick went about his 
work, while Mrs. Waternick was busy outside 
the hut. The children looked at the cups 
on the shelves. The cups were tilted up. 
So the girl lifted one of them. And she 
heard the words : " God speed you ! " She 
lifted another, and the same greeting came 
again. So she kept on lifting the cups till 
she had lifted all of them. Human souls had 
been imprisoned under those cups. Now the 
hag came into the room and she saw that all 
the cups had been lifted. She began to curse, 
and she said that the children would certainly 
get a good thrashing when the old man came 
home. 

The children often felt lonely ; they thought 
of their mother and wondered if she were still 
alive, and what they could do to get away. 
So they decided that the next day, when the 
hag was sleeping, they would try how far they 
could get. 

"If only we could get as far as home, it 
would be all right then." 

In the morning the girl had to comb Mrs. 



THE WATERNICK 155 

Waternick's hair and dress her in her smart 
dress. When she had finished, Mrs. Water- 
nick had a sleep. Now the children took to 
their heels; they were as quick as ravens, trying 
to get away before Mrs. Waternick should 
wake. Being swift of foot, they reached the 
shore. They leapt out and ran straight on 
again. Of course they heard the hag screech- 
ing behind them, but they were on dry land, 
so they thought : " We needn't care for any- 
thinof now." 

The hag soon stopped her pursuit. The 
children were tired, so they lay down under a 
tree in the forest and fell asleep. As they 
were sleeping, somebody woke them up. It 
was the forester. They told him that they 
were afraid of falling into the Waternick's 
hands again. But the forester told them not 
to be afraid, and asked how they came there. 
The children told him everything just as it 
had happened. 

Now, the forester remembered that he had 
heard of a widow who had lost her children. 
So he thought that these must be the children. 
He said nothing, but he told his wife to get 
them some food, and asked the children to sit 
down and eat. The children thought the food 



156 CZECH FOLK TALES 

was very nice, so he asked them what they 
were accustomed to eat. They said they were 
accustomed to eat flowers. So they ate plenty. 
The forester decided to do all he could to 
get the children home. At last it was dis- 
covered where their mother lived, and so the 
children came back to her, and they lived with 
her until they died. 



THE MAN WHO MET MISERY 

Once upon a time there lived a rich man, so 
rich that you might almost say he oozed gold. 
He had a son, and from his boyhood the lad 
was a real spendthrift, for he knew nothing 
about hard times. Yet he had often been told 
that there was Misery in the world. So when 
he was grown up, he thought: "Well, I'm sick 
of staying at home, so I'll go out into the 
world to see if I can meet Misery." 

He told this to his father, and his father 
said at once : "Yes, you can go. If you stay 
at home, you'll soon turn into a lazy old 
woman. You'll get experience in the world, 
and that can't do you any harm." 

So our Francis — that was his name, though 
really it doesn't matter very much what his 
name was — took everything he wanted and 
started off on his travels. So long as he had 
enough money, he was all right, he couldn't 

meet with Misery. But when his money was 

157 



158 CZECH FOLK TALES 

all spent — that's when everybody feels the 
pinch — he began to hang his head and his 
travels lost a good deal of their charm. But 
he told people his name and his father's name, 
and for a time they helped him. But at last 
he came into a country that was quite strange 
to him. There was a vast desert, through 
which he walked for a long time, and he began 
to feel hungry and thirsty, but there was no 
water — no, not so much as w ould nj^pj sten his 
tongue. .rmtmm»- 

Now, as he went on his way, he saw a flight 
of stairs going down into a hole, and, without 
hesitating, down he went. 

He came into a cellar, and there he saw a 
man lying on a table. It was an awfully big 
man, of the kind that used to be called ogres, 
and he was snoring like a circular saw. 

Francis looked about him, and he saw all 
sorts of human bones lying about. He 
thought : " That's a nice mess. I expect the 
fellow's a man-eater, and he'll swallow me 
down like a currant. I'm done for now." 

He would have liked to go away, but he 
was afraid to move. But he had a dagger, 
so he drew it from its sheath without making 
any noise, and tried to steal up to the ogre 



THE MAN WHO MET MISERY 159 

quietly. The ogre's head was lying on the 
table, so he pierced both his eyes with the 
dagger. The ogre sprang up, cursing horribly. 
He groped about him and found that he was 
totally blind. 

Francis cleared the stairs in two jumps and 
off he ran, trying to get as far from the ogre 
as he could. But the ogre knew the place 
well and kept close on his heels. 

" To think that a shrimp like that could 
make me suffer so ! " he thought ; and yet he 
found that, run as he would, he couldn't 
catch the lad. So he cried out : " Wait a 
bit, you worm ! Since you're such a champion 
and have managed to tackle me, I'll give you 
something to remember me by." 

As he said this, he flung a ring at the lad, 
and the jewel in it shone like flame. The 
lad heard the ring tinkle as he ran by, so 
he picked it up and put it on his finger. 
But as soon as the ring was on his finger, the 
giant called out : " Where are you, ring ? " 
And the ring answered : " Here I am," and 
the ogre ran after the sound. Francis jumped 
on one side, but the ogre called out again, 
•• Where are you ? " and the ring answered : 
" Here ! " 



i6o CZECH FOLK TALES 

So it went on for some time, until Francis 
was so tired that his only thought was : 
"Well, if he kills me, he kills me." He 
tried to pull the ring off, but it clung tight, 
really cutting into the flesh, and the ogre 
was still following close on his heels. At 
last — there was no other choice, for the ring 
kept on calling out " Here I am " — Francis 
stretched out that finger, and the ogre broke 
it off with one grip. Off ran Francis, glad 
enough to get off with his life. 

When he reached home, they asked him : 
" Did you meet Misery ? " 

" Indeed I did. I know what it is now. 
It gave me a nice run for it. It's an awful 
thing, and there's no joking with it."— 



NINE AT A BLOW 

Once upon a time there was a tailor, and, 
whenever he hadn't a job, he used to spend 
his time mending stockings. One day after 
dinner the table was covered with flies. 
The tailor struck at them with a stocking 
and killed nine of them at a blow. 

As he hadn't any job in hand, he started 
out to see the world, and his belt had written 
on it " Nine at a blow." On his way he 
met a boy, who asked him to buy a finch 
from him. He bought it, put it in his knap- 
sack, and went on his way. Then he came 
to a farm where the farmer's wife was making 
cheese. He asked her for something to eat, 
so she gave him some sour milk and a piece 
of Yorkshire cheese. The tailor drank the 
milk and put the cheese in his knapsack and 
went on his way. At last he reached a 
town. It was a hot day, so he lay down 
and fell asleep. Now, a giant happened to 

12 i<5i 



i62 CZECH FOLK TALES 

pass that way, and he saw written in golden 
letters : " Nine at a blow." 

So he waked the tailor and asked him : 
'* Have you really killed nine at a blow ? " 

The tailor answered that he had, and the 
giant said : '* Let's have a trial which of us 
is the stronger. I'll cast a stone, and it will 
be an hour before it comes down." 

The tailor said: "I'll cast a stone that 
won't come down at all." 

So the giant cast a stone, and it was a full 
hour before it came dowi; again. Instead of 
casting a stone, the tailor let the finch go, 
and, of course, it didn't come back again. 

So the giant said : " Let's have another 
try. I'll crush a stone to powder." 

The tailor said : "I'll squeeze water from a 
stone." 

So the giant took a pebble and crushed it 
to powder. The tailor took the cheese and 
squeezed it till the water oozed out of it. 

The giant gave in, and acknowledged that 
the tailor was the stronger of the two. So 
they went on together till they came to a 
cherry-tree growing near a meadow, and the 
cherries were ripe. They wanted to pick 
some of the cherries for themselves. So the 



NINE AT A BLOW 163 

tailor climbed the tree, but the giant simply 
bent down the top of the tree and began to 
pluck the cherries. When he had finished he 
let go, and the tailor was flung onto a heap 
of dry grass piled up in the meadow. So 
the tailor said : " If it hadn't been for my 
skill in flying, I should have broken my 
neck," and he promised to teach the giant 
how to fly. 

So they went on their way again, and they 
came to a town. The town was all in 
mourning. They asked the reason, and they 
were told that a dragon had taken up his 
headquarters in the church and was killing 
the people. The king would give a thousand 
pounds to whoevei could kill the dragon. 
So they told the king that they would kill 
the dragon. 

They ordered a big hammer and a big 
pair of tongs to be made for them. When 
they were made, the giant took the tongs 
and he gave the hammer to the tailor to 
carry. But the tailor said : " Wouldn't it 
shame you if people should see us, each 
carrying such a trifle? Take both the things 
yourself." 

When they came near the church door, 



i64 CZECH FOLK TALES 

the giant gave the hammer to the tailor, who 
stuck fast to it. Then the dragon came 
dashing out, and flung the tailor behind him, 
but the giant split him in twain. But the 
tailor protested : 

" A nice mess you've made of it. I meant 
to take the dragon alive. We should have 
got more money for him so." Then he 
said : ** Now I will teach you how to fly." 

So they climbed up the church steeple, 
and the tailor said : " When I say ' One, 
two, three,' you must jump." And the giant 
jumped and broke his neck. 

The tailor told the king that the dragon 
had killed the giant, so he pocketed the 
thousand pounds for himself. 



A CLEVER LASS 

Once upon a time there was a shepherd. 
He used to pasture his sheep upon a hill, 
and one day he saw something glittering 
on the opposite hill. So he went there to 
see what it was. It was a golden mortar. 
He took it up and said to his daughter : "I 
will give this mortar to our king." 

But she said : " Don't do that. If you 
give him the mortar, you won't have the 
pestle, and he is sure to ask for it, and then 
you will get into trouble." 

But the shepherd thought that she was 
only a silly girl. He took the mortar, and, 
when he came before the king, he said : 
" Begging your pardon, Mr. King, I want 
to give you this mortar." 

The king answered him roughly : "If you 
give me the mortar, I must have the pestle 
as well. Unless the pestle is here within 
three days, your life will be forfeit." 

i65 



i66 CZECH FOLK TALES 

The shepherd began to lament : " My 
daughter was right when she said that when 
you had got the mortar you would want the 
pestle too. I wouldn't listen to her, so it 
serves me right." 

" Have you such a clever daughter as 
that?" asked the king. 

" Indeed I have," said the shepherd. 

" Then tell your daughter that I will marry 
her, if she comes neither walking nor riding, 
clothed nor unclothed, neither by day nor 
by night, neither at noon nor in the morning. 
And I won't ask for the pestle either." 

The shepherd went home and said: "You 
can get me out of this, if you go to 
Mr. King neither clothed nor unclothed," 
and the rest of it. 

But the daughter wasn't a bit frightened. 
She came with the fall of dusk (and that 
was neither at noon nor in the morning) ; 
she dressed herself in fishing-nets ; she took 
a goat, and she partly rode on the goat and 
partly she walked. 

And when the king saw that she had only 
a fishing-net on, that she came with the 
approach of dusk, and that she was partly 
walking, partly riding on the goat, he was 



A CLEVER LASS 167 

bound to marry her. But he said to her : 
" You will be my wife so long as you don't 
give advice to anybody ; but if you do, you 
must part with me." 

Well, she didn't give advice to anybody 
until one day there was a market in the town, 
and a farmer's mare had a foal at the market. 
The foal ran away to another farmer, who 
was there with a gelding, and the farmer said : 
'* This foal belongs to me." 

They went to law about it, and at last the 
matter came before the king. And the king, 
considering that every animal ought to run 
to its mother, decided that a gelding had 
had a foal. 

The farmer who owned the mare went down 
the stairs, saying over and over again : " The 
gelding has foaled ! the gelding has foaled ! " 

The queen heard him, and she said : "Man, 
you are talking nonsense." 

So he told her that he had been at the 
market, that his mare had foaled, but the 
foal ran to another farmer who was there 
with a gelding. "And now," he said, "it 
has been decided that the gelding has foaled." 
So he thought there could be no mistake ; at 
any rate, he couldn't help it. 



i68 CZECH FOLK TALES 

When the queen heard this story she said : 
" To-morrow, my lord the king will go out 
for a stroll. Take a fishing-net, and begin 
fishing on the road in front of him. The 
king will ask you : * Why are you fishing on 
a dry road ? ' And you must answer : ' Why 
not ? it's as hopeful as expecting a gelding to 
foal.' But you must not say who gave you 
this advice." 

So it was. As the king was walking along 
he saw the farmer fishing on the dry road. 
He asked him why he was fishing there. 

" Why not ? " said he, " it's as hopeful as 
expecting a gelding to foal." 

The king at once began to rate the farmer. 
" That's not out of your own head," he said, 
and he kept at the farmer until he let the 
secret out. 

So the king came home, summoned the 
queen, and said to her : " You have been 
with me for a long time, and you have given 
advice in spite of all, so you must go to- 
morrow. But I will allow you to take with 
you the thing you like best." 

It was no good arguing. So the king invited 
all his courtiers and prepared a splendid ban- 
quet. When the banquet was finished, the 



A CLEVER LASS 169 

queen said to the king : " Before we part, 
you must drink this glass of wine to my 
health," and she had put some opium into 
the wine on the sly. 

The king drank it at a draught and fell 
asleep at once. A carriage was got ready, 
and the queen put the king in it and drove 
to her father's old hut. There she laid the 
king on the straw, and, when he woke up, 
he asked where he was. 

" You are with me. Didn't you tell me 
that I could take the thing I liked best 
with me ? " 

The king saw how clever she was, and 
he said : *' Now you can give advice to 
anybody you like." 

And so they drove home again, and he 
was king and she queen again. 



THE SOLDIER AND THE DEVIL 

A DISCHARGED soldicr was going home. He 
had only threepence in his pocket. As he 
was going through a forest he met a beggar. 
The beggar asked him for a penny. The 
soldier gave him one, and went on his way. 
Then he met another beggar. This beggar was 
very ill, and he asked the soldier for a penny. 
So the soldier gave him the other penny. 
Then he met a third beggar. This beggar 
was half-dead. The soldier took pity on him 
and gave him the third penny. Soon after 
he had left the forest our Lord appeared to 
him, and in return for those three pennies 
He granted him three boons. For the first 
boon the soldier chose a pipe that should be 
full of tobacco whenever he wished, so that 
he might always have a smoke handy. The 
second boon he asked was that, if he wanted 
to put any one in his knapsack, they should 

be in it as soon as he said : " Leap into that 

170 



THE SOLDIER AND THE DEVIL 171 

knapsack." The third boon was that his purse 
should be full of gold coins whenever he 
knocked on it. 

Our Lord said : " So be it ! " 

Soon afterwards he came to a mill and 
asked for a night's lodging. They said that 
they only had one room for themselves ; the 
other one was haunted by a devil every 
midnight. But the soldier wasn't afraid. He 
said that they could leave him there alone ; 
he didn't mind a bit. 

He sat down at the table and played cards. 
When midnight came there was a terrible 
noise, and the devil appeared, sure enough. 
When he saw the soldier playing cards he 
grinned ; he was sure he had him. So he 
sat down opposite him and began to play 
too. It was nearly one o'clock at last, time 
for him to go, so he caught hold of the soldier 
and tried to tear him in pieces. But he 
had no success. For the soldier said : " Leap 
into my knapsack," and the devil was in it. 
Then the soldier threw the sack with the devil 
in it under the bed, and went to sleep in 
the bed. 

In the morning, as soon as he had got up, 
the millers went to see if the soldier was still 



172 CZECH FOLK TALES 

alive. They were greatly surprised to find 
him all right. They said they would give 
him anything he wanted, but he wouldn't 
take anything. Off he went, and called at a 
blacksmith's. He told the blacksmith to give 
the devil in the sack a good hammering, and 
then he let the devil go. 

After that he came into a town. He heard 
that there was a count's daughter there who 
was an accomplished cardplayer. She won 
everybody's money from them. He went to 
her palace and asked her if she would play 
with him. She was ready. So they played 
and played, but she couldn't win all his 
money from him, for his purse was always 
fuller than before. It was late by now and 
the lady was sick of the game, so he went 
to bed. He put the three precious gifts on 
the table, but when he got up in the morn- 
ing they were gone ; the lady had stolen 
them from him. He grieved over his bad 
luck, but it was no use, and he had to leave 
the palace. 

As he went on his way, he saw a fine 
apple-tree by the side of the road with 
delicious apples on it. So he took an apple 
and ate half of it. Then he went on his 



THE SOLDIER AND THE DEVIL 173 

way, but he was surprised to see that every- 
body who looked at him ran away from him. 
So he went to a well and saw that he had 
horns on his head ; that came from his eating 
the apple. Back he went, and he found a 
pear-tree ; he ate half of a pear and the horns 
fell off. 

He thought that he would give the other 
half of the apple to the lady, and perhaps 
she would get horns too. So he went and 
gave her the half apple. She enjoyed it very 
well, but soon horns grew on her head. The 
count called together all the doctors and 
asked them to operate on the horns. But 
the more they cut at the horns the longer 
they grew. So the king proclaimed that she 
would marry the man who should rid her of 
the horns, but if he failed, his life should be 
forfeit. So the soldier came back and told 
the lady that he would rid her of the horns 
if she would give him his three treasures 
back. She agreed at once. So he gave her 
the other half of the pear ; she ate it, and 
the horns fell off. 

The soldier was quite happy now. One 
day he met Death, and he said to 
him ; " Leap into my knapsack." And 



174 CZECH FOLK TALES 

Death was immediately imprisoned in the 
knapsack. 

The soldier was carrying Death about for 
some time, until at last the Lord appeared 
to him and told him he must not do that : 
he must let Death go, for people could not 
die, and there would soon be too many of 
them in the world. So he let Death go. He 
wanted to go to Heaven himself. But he 
went to Hell, and as he drew near Hell the 
devils closed the gate, they were so frightened 
of him. When he reached the gate of 
Heaven, he knocked. St. Peter opened the 
gate, but he wouldn't let him in. The soldier 
asked him to let him have just one peep, so 
that at least he might know what Heaven 
looked like. 

Now, he remembered that he still had 
his soldier's cloak in his knapsack, so he 
took it out of the knapsack and threw it into 
Heaven. Then he jumped after it and sat 
down on it, and then he said he was sitting 
on his own property. He sat there for a 
full hundred years, though it only seemed a 
short time to him. But he couldn't come to 
an agreement with St. Peter on the case, 
so our Lord told him that he must first die, 



THE SOLDIER AND THE DEVIL 175 

for no living people were admitted into 

Heaven. So the soldier had to leave the 

premises. He returned to this world, and 

afterwards he went to Heaven again, and 
there he is still, as right as rain. 



13 



OLD NICK AND KITTY 

Once upon a time there was an old maid- 
servant on a farm. She was a score or 
two years old, but she wanted to get married, 
though nobody would even touch her. She 
never missed a dance : she was sure to turn 
up at every one of them, though nobody ever 
asked her to dance. So at last she said : 
" I'd dance with Old Nick if only he'd come." 
The clock struck eleven and a youth clothed 
in green entered the room. He went straight 
up to our Kitty and began to dance with her. 
All the girls couldn't keep from laughing, 
but they daren't laugh openly. So they 
held their aprons over their faces. Kitty was 
very angry, but she kept on dancing like the 
wind. She thought : " Let the fools laugh ; 
they'd be glad enough to dance with the 
lad themselves." 

It was hard upon twelve now, and Old 
Nick — for Old Nick it was — had to start 

179 



i8o CZECH FOLK TALES 

for home. But Kitty wouldn't let him go. 
What was he to do with her ? He was 
absolutely at a loss what to do, for she was 
clinging on to him behind. 

He went to the pond, thinking he'd be 
able to throw her in. He tried to do it, but 
she clasped him round the neck and he 
'couldn't manage it. So off he went to Hell 
with her. But the people of Hell made 
an outcry against her and wouldn't let her 
stay at any price. 

"Hang it all!" says Old Nick, "I can't 
go all round the world with her." 

At last he met a shepherd : "I say, shep- 
herd," says he, "would you like this maiden 
here?" 

"A nice maiden that is, the ugly old 
spinster ! Keep her for yourself. You can 
pickle her." 

Now, when the devil saw that he was going 
to fail again, he promised the shepherd a 
heap of money, only to rid himself of the 
hideous old crone. But the shepherd refused. 

" I'll make it so much," says Old Nick. 

" Well, if you will, I agree." 

Now, the shepherd was a good-looking 
fellow, and Kitty was easily persuaded to stay 



OLD NICK AND KITTY i8i 

with him. He had lots of money now, and 
he had the same idea as the devil, to throw 
her into the pond. What else could he do 
with such a hideous old hag? He had a great 
fur coat, and he put it on so high over his 
head that she couldn't catch hold of his neck, 
and, plump ! off she went into the pond. 
But, you know, a bad one's a bad one, and 
you can't get rid of them so easily. So it 
was with Kitty. She wasn't drowned. 

A short time after this. Old Nick had an 
appointment with a man. I don't exactly 
know how the case stood, but anyhow the 
devil was to get him. The man asked the 
shepherd to save him ; he was quite ready 
to pay him well for it. 

"All right," says the shepherd, "I can 
do that much for you. Old Nick and I are 
the best of friends." 

Now, a crowd of people had collected and 
they were all wondering how it was going to 
end. In comes Old Nick. The shepherd 
runs to meet him and : " Old Kitty's here 
asking for you," says he. 

The devil left things as they were, and 
before you could say "Jack Robinson" he 
was off. So it all turned out all right. 



THE KNIGHT BAMBUS 

There was a poor gamekeeper once, who had 

suffered from hard times all his life, so as 

he grew older, he wanted to get rich. He 

was only an under- forester. One day the 

forester said : " Near those old ruins, you 

know the ones I mean, a fox or a roe, or some 

creature of that sort, often crosses my path, 

and I can never manage to hit it, though I have 

shot at it a hundred times. If you happen to 

be going in that direction, look out for it." 

When the gamekeeper heard this, the first 

thing he did was to go to the ruins. Just as 

he got there, a huge fox appeared with a 

rustling noise. The gamekeeper felt uneasy, 

but the fox disappeared at once, so he sat 

down, put five big charges in his gun, and 

waited. It wasn't long till the fox appeared 

again, and this time he was carrying a young 

fawn in his mouth. The gamekeeper shot 

at him — boom ! The fox cried out, and ran 

183 



THE KNIGHT BAMBUS 183 

off into the bushes. But the gamekeeper saw 
that the fawn had run away and hidden itself 
in a cave. He thought : " The fox cried out, 
so he has some of my shots in his fur coat. 
I'll get him some other time." 

So he went into the ruins through the gate. 
Within, there was a courtyard all deserted, 
and with its wall fallen down. So the game- 
keeper passed through the courtyard and came 
into a spacious cellar. There he saw three 
lamps burning, and looking round, he was 
filled with amazement. But all this was as 
nothing, for in the corner were three glittering 
heaps of golden coins and one heap of big 
gold pieces. The gamekeeper reflected: "If 
I had all that, I should give up gamekeeping 
and have a splendid time." 

No sooner had he said this than a grey 
old man appeared and asked : " What are you 
looking for, gamekeeper?" 

'• Well, I shot at a fox and he ran in some- 
where here, and so I'm wandering about 
looking for him." 

"You won't get the fox you're looking for, 
for I am he." 

" And why are you here in a fox's shape? 
What's the reason of that ? " 



i84 CZECH FOLK TALES 

** I am the Knight Bambus, and all these 
forests belong to this castle. I was a robber- 
knight, and so as a punishment I have to 
keep watch here now." 

" And how long is it to last ? " 

" When three poor people come here, and 
each of them takes away two sackfuls of gold, 
I shall be delivered. I am bound to give all 
this gold away for nothing. Already I have 
outlived three generations of my kinsmen 
here." 

Then he bade him fetch two leather sacks 
from the other room and collect the gold into 
them, filling them up to the brim. He must 
keep it all for himself and must not tell any 
one what he had seen. The gamekeeper 
promised that he wouldn't even tell his wife, 
Hdticka, how he had got the money. So he 
filled the two sacks up to the brim, and the 
old man helped him to hoist them on to his 
shoulders and saw him out of the door. All the 
time he kept warning him to keep his mouth 
shut : " For what a woman knows all the world 
knows ; that's gospel truth, sure enough." 

So the gamekeeper left the castle, carrying 
those two sacks, and the man shook hands 
with him before he left. At the border of the 



THE KNIGHT BAMBUS 185 

forest, near a beech-tree, his wife, Hdta, was 
standing looking for him. She ran up to him. 

" Great Heavens, Florian ! where have you 
been all this long time ? I have been looking 
everywhere for you for three days." 

Now Florian was delighted that his wife 
had come to meet him, so he blurted out : 
" Hciticka, wife, Count Bambus has given me 
these two sacks of gold pieces. Have a look 
here — see what heaps of the stuff there are ! " 
and he let one of the sacks fall on the ground. 
But behold ! instead of gold there were only 
rustling leaves in it. Then he remembered 
that he was not to say anything about it. He 
frowned, and his wife burst into tears ; and 
they had to spend the rest of their life, until 
they died, in poverty just as before. 



FRANCIS AND MARTIN 

Once there was a father who had only one 
son, Francis by name. They had a farmhand 
called Martin. One day Martin and Francis 
were ploughing behind the barn. Francis's 
mother brought their meal for them, and 
Francis said : " Well, mother, the old man 
must have a lot more money than he lets 
on to have. We are not in debt, and yet 
he's always complaining that he hasn't any 
money." 

" Well, my son, you see, he's built that large 
building." 

Next day Francis and Martin were ploughing 

together again. They decided that they must 

get on the old man's track to see whether he 

had any money, and where he hid it. Francis 

promised Martin that, if he could find it out, 

he would build a cottage for him at the back of 

the barn. So they agreed that Martin should 

stay away from church to try to find out if 

186 



FRANCIS AND MARTIN 187 

the farmer had any money hidden away at 
home. 

When Sunday came, Francis went to church, 
but Martin kept on saying he wouldn't go, 
until the farmer forced him to go. So he 
dressed for church and went out through the 
farm gate. But he came back on the other 
side, climbed over the fence, and hid himself 
in the barn. Soon after this the farmer came 
into the barn, carrying a basket full of coins. 
He dug a hole in the threshing-floor, put the 
money in it, and said: "Black Barabbas ! 
preserve this money for me ! Thou black 
bird ! I put it in thy power ! " Then he went 
and fetched a second basket and put it in the 
hole. But while he was gone to fetch the 
money, Martin slipped out of his hiding-place, 
took some of the money, and put it in his 
boots. Now, the farmer came back again with a 
third basket, and said once more : " Thou black 
bird ! keep this money for me, and let nobody 
else have it, unless he gets it by ploughing this 
threshing-floor with three black goats ! " 

As he was saying these words, a blackbird 
was soaring above his head and crying out : 
" Master, what about the money in the boots ? " 

But the farmer did not understand what it 



i88 CZECH FOLK TALES 

meant, and so he went to look at his own 
boots, which were in the room. But he found 
no money there, so he was angry and said : 
" What, you devil ! it's rubbish you are talking. 
I've looked in my boots and there's nothing 
there." Then he buried the money, stamped 
down the threshing-floor hard again, and 
went out. 

Martin went to the stable, and there he 
found Francis waiting for him to tell him what 
the parson's sermon had been about that day, 
so that he would know what to say if the 
farmer asked him about it. 

Soon afterwards the old man was taken ill 
and died. The two lads were pleased at this, 
for they hoped that they wouldn't be long 
about getting the money. Martin got three 
black goats, he put them in the plough, and 
sent Francis to plough there. The wind began 
to blow violently, and the whole barn looked 
as though it were on fire. He was frightened 
and stopped ploughing, and immediately the 
whole barn was just as it had been before. So 
he went out of the barn and asked Martin to 
plough for him. Martin started, and, although 
the wind blew violently enough, he kept on 
ploughing until he got the money. 



FRANCIS AND MARTIN 189— 

When Francis had the money, he began to 
build just as he wanted until he had spent 
it all. Then he gave Martin the sack. 

Martin said sorrowfully : •' This is the 
world's gratitude." 



WITCHES AT THE CROSS 

Though the witches used to be pretty lively 
in other places, they were fond of climbing up 
and down the cross that stands by the road to 
Maid Cerm^ (near Slany). Joe Hilma heard 
tell of this, so he took his horse and off he 
rode to see. He took with him a piece of 
chalk which had been blessed, and made a 
circle with it. Then he went into the circle 
and waited till midnight. Then, sure enough, 
he saw the witches, a great swarm of them, 
climbing up and down the cross. They didn't 
see him while this was going on, but when he 
rode out of the circle, off went the witches 
after him. He galloped home at full speed. 
When he rode into the yard they were close 
on his heels. They couldn't go any farther, 
for they had no power to do it. I don't know 
how it happened, but one of them flung a 
burning broom after him. The broom hit the 
door, and the door was burned. Joe had quite 

enough of seeing the witches. 

190 



THE WITCH AND THE HORSESHOES 

Once there was a farmer's wife — I can't tell 
you which one — who was a witch. Now these 
folks used to have a feast every Eve of St. 
Philip and St. James. As soon as they began 
to burn the brooms she couldn't rest: go she 
must. So she stripped her clothes off, and, 
standing under the chimney, she anointed 
herself with some ointment. When she had 
finished, she said : " Fly, but don't touch any- 
thing." And away she flew in the twinkling 
of an eye. Yes, that was just how it was. 

But the farmhand was watching all this from 
the stables, and he watched carefully where 
she put the ointment. So he went in too, 
stripped his clothes off, and anointed himself. 
He said : ** Fly, but don't touch anything." 
And off he flew till he came to the place where 
the witches were having their feast. Now, 
when he came there, the farmer's wife knew 

him, and, to hide herself from him, she turned 

191 



192 CZECH FOLK TALES 

herself into a white horse. But he did not 
lose sight of the horse. He mounted it and 
went to the smith with it, and told him to shoe 
it. Next day the woman had four horseshoes 
on, two on her hands and two on her feet. 
And she had to stay like that always ! 



14 



THE HAUNTED MILL 

There was a haunted mill, and, dear me, what 
was it like! A rope-dancer came there with 
some monkeys. In the evening the Water- 
nick came with a basketful of fishes. He 
made a fire and fried the fishes. Meanwhile 
the monkeys had been sitting behind the stove, 
but when the Nick put the fishes in the pan 
and was tasting whether they were done, the 
monkeys came from behind the stove, and one 
of them put its paw into the pan. The man 
smacked him over the paw and said : " Get 
away, pussy ! You didn't catch them, so don't 
eat them." And the monkey ran away. 

After awhile comes another monkey and 
puts his paw in the pan. He smacked him 
too and said the same. But the rope-dancer 
had a bear, too, which was lying under the 
table all the time ; and, when he heard 
the Waternick speak, he came from under 
the table, ran straight to the pan, and put his 

195 



GR Baudis, Josef 

137 Czech folk tales 

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