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POPULAR   TALES    FROM   THE 
NORSE 


Zbc  Xonbon  Xtbrarp 

Beowulf.  Translated  and  edited,  with  notes,  by  Wentworth 
HuYSHE.  With  many  illustrations  in  the  text,  and 
therefore  printed  throughout  on  art-paper. 

Browne  (Sir  Thomas)  :  Works.  Edited,  with  copious  notes, 
glossarial  index,  etc.,  by  William  Swan  Sonnenschein 
and  an  Introduction  by  William  Osler,  F.R.S.,  Regius 
Professor  of  Medicine  in  the  University  of  Oxford. 

Chapman  (George)  :  Dramatic  Works.  Edited  by  Professor 
T.  M.  Parro'Tt.    a  vols.  (Tragedies,  and  Comedies). 

Coulanges  (Fustel  de) :  The  Ancient  City.  With  an  Introduc- 
tion by  J.  M.  Mitchell,  B.A.  (Oxon.). 

Dasent  (Sir  G.  W.) :  Popular  Tales  from  the  Norse.  With  an 
Introduction  on  the  Origin  and  Diffusion  of  Popular  Tales.  ■ 

Herbert  of  Cherbury  (Lord) :  Autobiography  of.  Edited,  with 
Introduction,  Notes,  Appendices,  and  a  continuation  of 
the  life,  by  Sidney  Lee. 

Hogg  (J.  T.) :  Life  of  Shelley.  With  an  Introduction  by  Edward 
Dowden. 

Hutchinson  (Col.) :  Memoirs  of  the  Lite.  By  his  widow,  Lucy 
Hutchinson.    Edited,  with  Notes,  etc,  by  C.  H.  Firth. 

Joweit  (B.) :  The  Interpretation  of  Scripture  and  other  Essays. 
With  an  Essay  on  Jowett  by  Leslie  Stephen. 

Lamb  (Charles) :  Specimens  of  English  Dramatic  Poets  who 
lived  about  the  time  of  Shakespeare  ;  with  notes.  To 
which  are  added  the  Extracts  from   The  Garrick  Plays. 

Lewes  (G.  H.):  Life  of  Goethe. 

Mumby  (F.  A.) :  Letters  of  Literary  Men  :  Sir  Thomas  More  to 
Robert  Burns.    Arranged  and  Edited  by  F.  A.  Mumby. 

Letters   of   Literary   Men :     The    Nineteenth    Century. 

Arranged  and  Edited  by  F.  A.  Mumby. 

Newcastle  (Duke  of) :  Memoirs  of  William  Cavendish,  Duke  of 
Newcastle,  and  Margaret  his  Wife.  Edited  with  Notes,  etc., 
by  C.  H.  Firth. 

Trench  (Archbishop) :  Notes  on  the  Miracles  of  Our  Lord.  With 
an  Introduction  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Smythe  Palmer,  D.D., 

Trench  (Archbishop)  :  Notes  on  the  Parables  of  Our  Lord.  With 
an  Introduction  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Smythe  Palmer,  D.D.' 


SIR  GRORGK  WF.BBK  DASENT 


POPULAR    TALES 
FROM    THE    NORSE 


By 
SIR  GEORGE  WEBBE  DASENT 


WITH    AN     INTRODUCTORY    ESSAY    ON    THE    ORIGIN    AND 
DIFFUSION    OF    POPULAR    TALES 


LONDON 
GEORGE    ROUTLEDGE    &    SONS,  LIMITED 
New  York:    E.  P.  DUTTON  &  CO, 


Notice  to  the  Second  Edition 

The  first  edition  of  these  Tales  being  exhausted,  and  a  demand 
having  arisen  for  a  second,  the  Translator  has  thought  it 
right  to  add  thirteen  tales,  which  complete  the  translation  of 
Asbjomsen  and  Moe's  collection,  and  to  strengthen  the  Intro- 
duction by  working  in  some  new  matter,  and  by  working  out 
some  points  which  were  only  slightly  sketched  in  the  first 
edition. 

The  favour  with  which  the  book  was  welcomed  makes  it 
almost  a  duty  to  say  a  word  here  on  the  many  kind  and  able 
notices  which  have  been  written  upon  it.  Duties  are  not 
always  pleasant,  but  the  fulfilment  of  this  at  least  gives  no 
pain  ;  because,  without  one  exception,  every  criticism  which 
the  Translator  has  seen  has  shown  him  that  his  prayer  for 
*  gentle  *  readers  has  been  fully  heard.  It  will  be  forgiven 
him,  he  hopes,  when  he  says  that  he  has  not  seen  good  ground 
to  change  or  even  to  modify  any  of  the  opinions  as  to  the  origin 
and  diffusion  of  popular  tales  put  forth  in  the  first  edition. 
Much  indeed  has  been  said  by  others  for  those  views ;  what 
has  been  urged  against  them,  with  all  kindness  and  good 
humour,  in  one  or  two  cases,  has  not  availed  at  all  to  weigh 
down  mature  convictions  deliberately  expressed  after  the 
studies  of  years,  backed  as  they  are  by  the  researches  and 

V  b 


vi  Notice  to  the  Second  Edition 

support  of  those  who  have  given  their  Hves  to  this  branch  of 
knowledge. 

And  now,  before  the  Translator  takes  leave  of  his  readers 
for  the  second  time,  he  will  follow  the  lead  of  the  good  god- 
mother in  one  of  these  Tales,  and  forbid  all  good  children  to 
read  the  two  which  stand  last  in  the  book.  There  is  this  differ- 
ence between  him  and  the  godmother.  She  found  her  foster- 
daughter  out  as  soon  as  she  came  back.  He  will  never  know 
it,  if  any  bad  child  has  broken  his  behest.  Still  he  hopes  that 
all  good  children  who  read  this  book  will  bear  in  mind  that 
there  is  just  as  much  sin  in  breaking  a  commandment  even 
though  it  be  not  found  out,  and  so  he  bids  them  good-bye,  and 
feels  sure  that  no  good  child  will  dare  to  look  into  those  two 
rooms.  If,  after  this  warning,  they  peep  in,  they  may  perhaps 
see  something  which  will  shock  them. 

*  Why  then  print  them  at  all  ?  '  some  grown  reader  asks. 
Because  this  volume  is  meant  for  you  as  well  as  for  children, 
and  if  you  have  gone  ever  so  little  into  the  world  with  open 
eyes,  you  must  have  seen,  yes,  every  day,  things  much  more 
shocking.  Because  there  is  nothing  immoral  in  their  spirit. 
Because  they  are  intrinsically  valuable,  as  illustrating  manners 
and  traditions,  and  so  could  not  well  be  left  out.  Because 
they  complete  the  number  of  the  Norse  originals,  and  leave 
none  untranslated.  And  last,  though  not  least,  because  the 
Translator  hates  family  versions  of  anything,  *  Family  Bibles  ', 
'  Family  Shakespeares  '.  Those  who,  with  so  large  a  choice 
of  beauty  before  them,  would  pick  out  and  gloat  over  this  or 
that  coarseness  or  freedom  of  expression,  are  like  those  who, 
in  reading  the  Bible,  should  always  turn  to  Leviticus,  or  those 


Notice  to  the  First  Edition  vii 

whose  Shakespeare  would  open  of  itself  at  Pericles  Prince  of 
Tyre.     Such  readers  the  Translator  does  not  wish  to  have. 


Notice  to  the  First  Edition 

These  translations  from  the  Norske  Folkeeventyr,  collected 
with  such  freshness  and  faithfulness  by  MM.  Asbjomsen  and 
Moe,  have  been  made  at  various  times  and  at  long  intervals 
during  the  last  fifteen  years  ;  a  fact  which  is  mentioned  only 
to  account  for  any  variations  in  style  or  tone — of  which,  how- 
ever, the  Translator  is  unconscious — ^that  a  critical  eye  may 
detect  in  this  volume.  One  of  them,  The  Master  Thief,  has 
already  appeared  in  Blackwood's  Magazine  for  November 
1851  ;  from  the  columns  of  which  periodical  it  is  now  reprinted, 
by  the  kind  permission  of  the  Proprietors. 

The  Translator  is  sorry  that  he  has  not  been  able  to  comply 
with  the  suggestion  of  some  friends  upon  whose  good-will  he 
sets  all  store,  who  wished  him  to  change  and  soften  some 
features  in  these  tales,  which  they  thought  likely  to  shock 
English  feeling.  He  has,  however,  felt  it  to  be  out  of  his 
power  to  meet  their  wishes,  for  the  merit  of  an  undertaking 
of  this  kind  rests  entirely  on  its  faithfulness  and  truth  ;  and 
the  man  who,  in  such  a  work,  wilfully  changes  or  softens,  is 
as  guilty  as  he  '  who  puts  bitter  for  sweet,  and  sweet  for 
bitter '. 

Of  this  guilt,  at  least,  the  Translator  feels  himself  free  ;  and, 
perhaps,  if  any,  who  may  be  inclined  to  be  offended  at  first, 
will  take  the  trouble  to  read  the  Introduction  which  precedes 


viii  Notice  to  the  First  Edition 

and  explains  the  Tales,  they  may  find,  not  only  that  the  soften- 
ing process  would  have  spoilt  these  popular  traditions  for  all 
except  the  most  childish  readers,  but  that  the  things  which 
shocked  them  at  the  first  blush,  are,  after  all.  not  so  very 
shocking. 

For  the  rest,  it  ill  becomes  him  to  speak  of  the  way  in  which 
his  work  has  been  done  :  but  if  the  reader  will  only  bear  in 
mind  that  this,  too,  is  an  enchanted  garden,  in  which  whoever 
dares  to  pluck  a  flower,  does  it  at  the  peril  of  his  head  ;  and 
if  he  will  then  read  the  book  in  a  merciful  and  tender  spirit, 
he  will  prove  himself  what  the  Translator  most  longs  to  find, 
*  a  gentle  reader  ',  and  both  will  part  on  the  best  terms. 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION 

PAGE 

Origin  i 

Diffusion  lo 

Norse  Mythology  25 

Norse  Popular  Tales  44 

Conclusion  78 

TALES 

I     True  and  Untrue  89 

II     Why  the  Sea  is  Salt  94 

III  The  Old  Dame  and  Her  Hen  98 

IV  East  o'  the  Sun,  and  West  o'  the  Moon  103 
V    Boots  Who  ate  a  Match  with  the  Troll  113 

VI     Hacon  Grizzlebeard  115 
VII    Boots  Who  made  the  Princess  say,  '  That's  a 

Story*  122 

VIII     The  Twelve  Wild  Ducks  124 

IX    The  Giant  Who  had  no  Heart  in  His  Body  130 

X    The  Fox  as  Herdsman  136 

XI    The  Mastermaid  137 
ix 


c  Contents 

PAGE 

XII  The  Cat  on  the  Dovrefell  151 

XIII  Princess  on  the  Glass  Hill  152 

XIV  The  Cock  and  Hen  161 
XV  How  One  went  out  to  Woo  161 

XVI  The  Master-Smith  162 

XVII  The  Two  Step-Sisters  168 

XVIII  Buttercup  176 

XIX  Taming  the  Shrew  179 

XX  Shortshanks  180 

XXI  GUDBRAND    ON    THE    HiLL-SIDE  194 

XXII  The  Blue  Belt  198 

XXIII  Why  the  Bear  is  Stumpy-tailed  210 

XXIV  Not  a  Pin  to  choose  between  Them  210 
XXV  One's  Own  Children  are  always  Prettiesi      215 

XXVI  The  Three  Princesses  of  Whiteland  216 

XXVII  The  Lassie  and  Her  Godmother  221 

XXVIII  The  Three  Aunts  225 

XXIX  The  Cock,  the  Cuckoo,  and  the  Black-Cock      229 

XXX  Rich  Peter  the  Pedlar  229 

XXXI  Gertrude's  Bird  240 

XXXII  Boots  and  the  Troll  240 

XXXIII  Goosey  Grizzel  245 

XXXIV  The  Lad  Who  went  to  the  North  Wind  250 
XXXV  The  Master  Thief  253 

XXXVI  The  Best  Wish  267 

XXXVII  The  Three  Billy-goats  Gruff  275 


Contents  xi 

PAGE 

XXXVIII  Well  Done  and  III  Paid  276 

XXXIX  The  Husband  Who  was  to  mind  the  House  279 

XL  Dapplegrim  281 

XLI  Farmer  Weathersky  290 

XLII  Lord  Peter  298 

XLIII  The  Seven  Foals  302 

XLIV  The  Widow's  Son  309 

XLV  Bushy  Bride  317 

XLVI  Boots  and  His  Brothers  322 

XL VII  Big  Peter  and  Little  Peter  327 

XLVIII  Tatterhood  333 

XLIX  The  Cock  and  Hen  THAT  WENT  TO  the  DovREFELL  339 

L  Katie  Woodencloak  341 

LI  Thumbikin  352 

LII  Doll  i'  the  Grass  354 

LIII  The  Lad  and  the  Deil  356 

LIV  The  Cock  and  Hen  a-nutting  357 

LV  The  Big  Bird  Dan  360 

LVI  SoRiA  MoRiA  Castle  369 

LVII  Bruin  and  Reynard  379 

LVIII  Tom  Totherhouse  380 

|L             LIX  Little  Annie  the  Goose  Girl  382 


APPENDIX 


Introduction  to  Appendix  38; 

I,  Why  the  Jack  Spaniard's  Waist  is  Small  385 


xii  Content? 

PAGE 

2.  Ananzi  and  the  Lion  389 

3.  Ananzi  and  Quanqua  391 

4.  The  Ear  of  Corn  and  the  Twelve  Men  392 

5.  The  King  and  the  Ant's  Tree  394 

6.  The  Little  Child  and  the  Pumpkin  Tree  394 

7.  The  Brother  and  His  Sisters  395 

8.  The  Girl  and  the  Fish  397 

9.  The  Lion,  the  Goat,  and  the  Baboon  398 

10.  Ananzi  and  Baboon  398 

11.  The  Man  and  the  Doukana  Tree  399 

12.  Nancy  Fairy  400 

13.  The  Dancing  Gang  401 


INTRODUCTION 

ORIGIN 

The  most  careless  reader  can  hardly  fail  to  see  that  many  of 
the  Tales  in  this  volume  have  the  same  groundwork  as  those 
with  which  he  has  been  familiar  from*  his  earliest  youth. 
They  are  Nursery  Tales,  in  fact,  of  the  days  when  there  were 
tales  in  nurseries — old  wives'  fables,  which  have  faded 
away  before  the  light  of  gas  and  the  power  of  steam.  It  is 
long,  indeed,  since  English  nurses  told  these  tales  to  English 
children  by  force  of  memory  and  word  of  mouth.  In  a  written 
shape,  we  have  long  had  some  of  them,  at  least,  in  English 
versions  of  the  Contes  de  ma  Mdre  V  Oye  of  Perrault,  and  the 
Conies  de  Fies  of  Madame  D'Aulnoy  ;  those  tight-laced,  high- 
heeled  tales  of  the  '  teacup  times  '  of  Louis  XIV  and  his 
successors,  in  which  the  popular  tale  appears  to  as  much  dis- 
advantage as  an  artless  country  girl  in  the  stifling  atmosphere 
of  a  London  theatre.  From  these  foreign  sources,  after  the 
voice  of  the  English  reciter  was  hushed — and  it  was  hushed 
in  England  more  than  a  century  ago — our  great-grandmothers 
learnt  to  tell  of  Cinderella  and  Beauty  and  the  Beast,  of 
Little  Red  Riding-hood  and  Blue  Beard,  mingled  together  in 
the  Cabinet  des  Fees  with  Sinbad  the  Sailor  and  Aladdin's 
wondrous  lamp  ;  for  that  was  an  uncritical  age,  and  its  spirit 
breathed  hot  and  cold,  east  and  west,  from  all  quarters  of  the 
globe  at  once,  confusing  the  traditions  and  tales  of  all  times 
and  countries  into  one  incongruous  mass  of  fable,  as  much 
tangled  and  knotted  as  that  famous  pound  of  flax  which  the 
lassie  in  one  of  these  Tales  is  expected  to  spin  into  an  even 
woof  within  four-and-twenty  hours.  No  poverty  of  inven- 
tion or  want  of  power  on  the  part  of  translators  could  en- 
tirely destroy  the  innate  beauty  of  those  popular  traditions  ; 
but  here,  in  England  at  least,  they  had  almost  dwindled  out. 


2  Introduction 

or  at  any  rate  had  been  lost  sight  of  as  home-growths.  We 
had  learnt  to  buy  our  own  children  back,  disguised  in  foreign 
garb  ;  and  as  for  their  being  anything  more  than  the  mere 
pastime  of  an  idle  hour — as  to  their  having  any  history  or 
science  of  their  own — such  an  absurdity  was  never  once 
thought  of.  It  had,  indeed,  been  remarked,  even  in  the 
eighteenth  century — that  dreary  time  of  indifference  and 
doubt — that  some  of  the  popular  traditions  of  the  nations 
north  of  the  Alps  contained  striking  resemblances  and  par- 
allels to  stories  in  the  classical  mythology.  But  those  were 
the  days  when  Greek  and  Latin  lorded  it  over  the  other 
languages  of  the  earth  ;  and  when  any  such  resemblance  or 
analogy  was  observed,  it  was  commonly  supposed  that  that 
base-bom  slave,  the  vulgar  tongue,  had  dared  to  make  a 
clumsy  copy  of  something  peculiarly  belonging  to  the  twin 
tyrants  who  ruled  all  the  dialects  of  the  world  with  a  pedant's 
rod. 

At  last,  just  at  the  close  of  that  great  war  which  Western 
Europe  waged  against  the  genius  and  fortune  of  the  first 
Napoleon  ;  just  as  the  eagle — Prometheus  and  the  eagle  in 
one  shape — was  fast  fettered  by  sheer  force  and  strength  to 
his  rock  in  the  Atlantic,  there  arose  a  man  in  Central  Germany, 
on  the  old  Thuringian  soil,  to  whom  it  was  given  to  assert 
the  dignity  of  vernacular  literature,  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of 
classical  tyranny,  and  to  claim  for  all  the  dialects  of  Teutonic 
speech  a  right  of  ancient  inheritance  and  perfect  freedom 
before  unsuspected  and  unknown.  It  is  almost  needless  to 
mention  this  honoured  name.  For  the  furtherance  of  the 
good  work  which  he  began  nearly  fifty  years  ago,  he  still  lives 
and  still  labours.  There  is  no  spot  on  which  an  accent  of 
Teutonic  speech  is  uttered  where  the  name  of  Jacob  Grimm 
is  not  a  '  household  word  '.  His  General  Grammar  of  all 
the  Teutonic  Dialects  from  Iceland  to  England  has  proved 
the  equality  of  these  tongues  with  their  ancient  classical 
oppressors.  His  Antiquities  of  Teutonic  Law  have  shown 
that  the  codes  of  the  Lombards,  Franks,  and  Goths  were  not 
mere  savage,  brutal  customaries,  based,  as  had  been  supposed, 
on  the  absence  of  all  law  and  right.  His  numerous  treatises 
on  early  German  authors  have  shown  that  the  German  poets 
of  the  Middle  Age,  Godfrey  of  Strasburg,  Wolfram  von  Eschen- 
bach,   Hartman  von  der  Aue,   Walter  von  der  Vogelweide, 


Jacob  Grimm  3 

and  the  rest,  can  hold  their  own  against  any  contemporary 
writers  in  other  lands.  And  lastly,  what  rather  concerns  us 
here,  his  Teutonic  Mythology,  his  Reynard  the  Fox,  and  the 
collection  of  German  Popular  Tales,  which  he  and  his  brother 
William  published,  have  thrown  a  flood  of  light  on  the  early 
history  of  all  the  branches  of  our  race,  and  have  raised  what 
had  come  to  be  looked  on  as  mere  nursery  fictions  and  old 
wives'  fables — to  a  study  fit  for  the  energies  of  grown  men, 
and  to  all  the  dignity  of  a  science. 

In  these  pages,  where  we  have  to  run  over  a  vast  tract  of 
space,  the  reader  who  wishes  to  learn  and  not  to  cavil — and 
for  such  alone  this  introduction  is  intended — must  be  content 
with  results  rather  than  processes  and  steps.  To  use  a  homely 
likeness,  he  must  be  satisfied  with  the  soup  that  is  set  before 
him,  and  not  desire  to  see  the  bones  of  the  ox  out  of  which  it 
has  been  boiled.  When  we  say,  therefore,  that  in  these  latter 
days  the  philology  and  mythology  of  the  East  and  West  have 
met  and  kissed  each  other  ;  that  they  now  go  hand  and  hand  ; 
that  they  lend  one  another  mutual  support ;  that  one  cannot 
be  understood  without  the  other, — we  look  to  be  believed. 
We  do  not  expect  to  be  put  to  the  proof,  how  the  labours  of 
Grimm  and  his  disciples  on  this  side  were  first  rendered  possible 
by  the  linguistic  discoveries  of  Anquetil  du  Perron  and  others 
in  India  and  France,  at  the  end  of  the  last  century  ;  then 
materially  assisted  and  furthered  by  the  researches  of  Sir 
William  Jones,  Colebrooke,  and  others,  in  India  and  England 
during  the  early  part  of  this  century,  and  finally  have  become 
identical  with  those  of  Wilson,  Bopp,  Lassen,  and  Max  Miiller, 
at  the  present  day.  The  affinity  which  exists  in  a  mythological 
and  philological  point  of  view  between  the  Aryan  or  Indo-Euro- 
pean languages  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Sanscrit  on  the  other,  is 
now  the  first  article  of  a  literary  creed,  and  the  man  who 
denies  it  puts  himself  as  much  beyond  the  pale  of  argument 
as  he  who,  in  a  rehgious  discussion,  should  meet  a  grave  divine 
of  the  Church  of  England  with  the  strict  contradictory  of  her 
first  article,  and  loudly  declare  his  conviction,  that  there  was  no 
God.  In  a  general  way,  then,  we  may  be  permitted  to  dog- 
matize, and  to  lay  it  down  as  a  law  which  is  always  in  force, 
that  the  first  authentic  history  of  a  nation  is  the  history  of  its 
tongue.  We  can  form  no  notion  of  the  literature  of  a  country 
apart  from  its  language,  and  the  consideration  of  its  language 


4  Introduction 

necessarily  involves  the  consideration  of  its  history.  Here 
is  England,  for  instance,  with  a  language,  and  there- 
fore a  literature,  composed  of  Celtic,  Roman,  Saxon,  Norse, 
and  Romance  elements.  Is  not  this  simple  fact  suggestive 
of,  nay,  does  it  not  challenge  us  to,  an  inquiry  into  the  origin 
and  history  of  the  races  who  have  passed  over  our  island,  and 
left  their  mark  not  only  on  the  soil,  but  on  our  speech  ?  Again, 
to  take  a  wider  view,  and  to  rise  from  archaeology  to  science, 
what  problem  has  interested  the  world  in  a  greater  degree 
than  the  origin  of  man,  and  what  toil  has  not  been  spent  in 
tracing  all  races  back  to  their  common  stock  ?  The  science 
of  comparative  philology — the  inquiry,  not  into  one  isolated 
language — for  nowadays  it  may  fairly  be  said  of  a  man  who 
knows  only  one  language  that  he  knows  none — but  into  all 
the  languages  of  one  family,  and  thus  to  reduce  them  to  one 
common  centre,  from  which  they  spread  like  the  rays  of  the 
sun — if  it  has  not  solved,  is  in  afairway  of  solving,  this  problem. 
When  we  have  done  for  the  various  members  of  each  family 
what  has  been  done  of  late  years  for  the  Indo-European 
tongues,  its  solution  will  be  complete.  In  such  an  inquiry  the 
history  of  a  race  is,  in  fact,  the  history  of  its  language,  and  can 
be  nothing  else  ;  for  we  have  to  deal  with  times  antecedent 
to  all  history,  properly  so  called,  and  the  stream  which  in 
later  ages  may  be  divided  into  many  branches,  now  flows  in 
a  single  channel. 

From  the  East,  then,  came  our  ancestors,  in  days  of  im- 
memorial antiquity,  in  that  gray  dawn  of  time  of  which  all 
early  songs  and  lays  can  tell,  but  of  which  it  is  as  impossible 
as  it  is  useless  to  attempt  to  fix  the  date.  Impossible,  because 
no  means  exist  for  ascertaining  it ;  useless,  because  it  is  in 
reality  a  matter  of  utter  indifference,  when,  as  this  tell-tale 
crust  of  earth  informs  us,  we  have  an  infinity  of  ages  and 
periods  to  fall  back  on^,  whether  this  great  movement,  this 
mighty  lust  to  change  their  seats,  seized  on  the  Aryan  race 
one  hundred  or  one  thousand  years  sooner  or  later.  But 
from  the  East  we  came,  and  from  that  central  plain  of  Asia, 
now    commonly   called    Iran.     Iran,    the    habitation    of  the 

1  How  strange  is  the  terror  of  Natural  Science,  which  seems  to  possess,  with  a  relig- 
ious possession,  so  many  good  and  pious  people  !  How  rigidly  do  they  bind  themselves 
hand  and  foot  with  the  mere  letter  of  the  law,  forgetting  Him  who  came  to  teach  us, 
that  '  the  letter  killeth,  but  the  Spirit  giveth  life  !  '  What  are  we  to  say  of  those  who, 
when  the  old  crust  which  clogs  and  hampers  human  knowledge  is  cracking  and  breaking 


b 


The  Aryan  Race  5 

tillers  and  earers  ^  of  the  earth,  as  opposed  to  Turan,  the  abode 
of  restless  horse-riding  nomads  ;  of  Turks,  in  short,  for  in  their 
name  the  root  survives,  and  still  distinguishes  the  great 
Turanian  or  Mongolian  family,  from  the  Aryan,  Iranian,  or 
Indo-European  race.  It  is  scarce  worth  while  to  inquire — 
even  if  inquiry  could  lead  to  any  result — what  cause  set 
them  in  motion  from  their  ancient  seats.  Whether  impelled 
by  famine  or  internal  strife,  starved  out  like  other  nationalities 
in  recent  times,  or  led  on  by  adventurous  chiefs,  whose  spirit 
chafed  at  the  narrowness  of  home,  certain  it  is  that  they  left 
that  home  and  began  a  wandering  westwards,  which  only 
ceased  when  it  reached  the  Atlantic  and  the  Northern  Ocean. 
Nor  was  the  fate  of  those  they  left  behind  less  strange.  At 
some  period  almost  as  remote  as,  but  after,  that  at  which  the 


all  around  them,  when  the  shell  is  too  narrow  an  abode  for  the  life  within  it,  which  is 
preparing  to  cast  it  off,  still  cling  to  the  crust  and  shell,  looking,  like  the  disciples  by 
the  sepulchre,  at  the  linen  clothes  lying,  and  know  not  that  He  has  risen  in  glory  ?  These 
are  they  who  obstinately  refuse  to  believe  in  the  '  Testimony  of  the  Rocks  ',  who  deny 
Geology  the  thousands,  nay  millions,  of  years  which  she  requires  to  make  her  deposits 
in  Nature's  great  saving-bank.  These  are  they  for  whom  the  Nile,  as  he  brings  down 
year  by  year  his  tribute  to  the  sea  from  Central  Africa,  lays  down  in  vain  layer  after 
layer  of  alluvial  deposit,  which  can  be  measured  to  an  inch  for  tens  of  thousands  of  years. 
These  are  they  to  whom  the  comparatively  yoimger  growth  of  trees,  the  dragon  tree 
of  Orotava,  and  the  cedars  of  California,  plead  in  vain  when  they  show,  year  after  year, 
ring  on  ring  of  wood  for  thousands  of  years.  '  No  ;  the  world  is  only  five  or  six  thou- 
sands of  years  old,  or  thereabouts.  The  Old  Testament  ' — the  dates  in  which  have 
been  confessedly  tampered  with,  and  in  some  cases  forged  and  fabricated  by  Hebrew 
scribes — 'says  so.  We  believe  in  it — we  will  believe  in  nothing  else,  not  even  in  our 
senses.  We  will  believe  literally  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  in  working  days  and 
nights  of  twenty-four  hours,  even  before  the  sun  and  moon  were  made,  on  the  fourth 
day,  "  to  divide  the  day  from  the  night  ",  and  to  be  "  for  signs  and  for  seasons,  and 
for  days  emd  years  ".  We  will  not  hear  of  ages  or  periods,  but  "  days  ",  because  the 
"  letter  "  says  so  '.  This  is  what  our  Western  Brahmins  say  ;  but  if  they  remembered 
that  He  who  set  sun  and  moon  also  planted  the  eye  and  ear,  that  he  gave  sense,  and 
speech,  and  mind  ;  if  they  considered  that  faith  is  a  lively  thing,  elastic  and  expansive  ; 
that  it  embraces  a  thousand  or  a  million  years  as  easily  as  a  moment  of  time  ;  that  bonds 
cannot  fetter  it,  nor  distance  darken  and  dismay  it ;  that  it  is  given  toman  to  grow  with 
his  growth  and  strengthen  with  his  strength  ;  that  it  rises  at  doubts  and  difl&culties, 
and  surmounts  them  ;  they  would  cease  to  condemn  all  the  world  to  wear  their  own 
strait-waistcoat,  cut  and  sewn  by  rabbis  and  doctors  some  thousand  years  ago  ;  a  gar- 
ment which  the  human  intellect  has  altogether  outgrown,  which  it  is  ridiculous  to  wear, 
which  careless  and  impious  men  laugh  at  when  it  is  seen  in  the  streets  ;  and  might  begm 
to  see  that  spirit  is  spirit,  and  flesh  is  flesh  ;  that  while  one  lives  for  ever,  the  other  is 
corruptible  and  passes  away ;  that  there  are  developments  in  faith  as  in  every  thing 
else  ;  that  as  man's  intellect  and  human  knowledge  have  grown  and  expanded,  so  his 
faith  must  grow  and  expand  too  ;  that  it  really  matters  nothing  at  all,  as  an  act  of  faith, 
whether  the  world  is  six  thousand  or  six  million  years  old ;  that  it  must  have  had  a 
beginning ;  that  there  must  be  one  great  first  cause,  God.  Surely  there  is  no  better 
way  to  bring  His  goodness  into  question,  to  throw  doubt  on  His  revelation,  and  to  make 
it  the  laughing  stock  of  the  irreligious,  than  thus  to  clip  the  wings  of  faith,  to  throw 
her  into  a  dungeon,  to  keep  her  from  the  light  of  day,  to  make  her  read  through  Hebrew 
spectacles,  and  to  force  her  to  be  a  laggard  and  dullard,  instead  of  a  bright  and  volatile 
spirit,  forward  and  foremost  in  the  race  of  life. 

1  '  But  if  the  first  heir  of  my  invention  prove  deformed,  I  shall  be  sorry  it'had  so  noble 
a  godfather,  and  never  after  ear  so  barren  a  land,  for  fear  it  yield  me  still  so  bad  a  har- 
vest ' — Shakespeare,  Dedication  to  Venus  and  Adonis. 


6  Introduction 

wanderers  for  Europe  started,  the  remaining  portion  of  the 
stock,  or  a  considerable  offshoot  from  it,  turned  their  faces  east, 
and  passing  the  Indian  Caucasus,  poured  through  the  defiles 
of  Affghanistan,  crossed  the  plain  of  the  Five  Rivers,  and 
descended  on  the  fruitful  plains  of  India.  The  different 
destiny  of  these  stocks  has  been  wonderful  indeed.  Of  those 
who  went  west,  we  have  only  to  enumerate  the  names  under 
which  they  appear  in  history — Celts,  Greeks,  Romans,  Teutons, 
Slavonians — to  see  and  to  know  at  once  that  the  stream  of  this 
migration  has  borne  on  its  waves  all  that  has  become  most 
precious  to  man.  To  use  the  words  of  Max  Miiller :  *  They 
have  been  the  prominent  actors  in  the  great  drama  of  history, 
and  have  carried  to  their  fullest  growth  all  the  elements  of 
active  life  with  which  our  nature  is  endowed.  They  have 
perfected  society  and  morals,  and  we  learn  from  their  literat- 
ure and  works  of  art  the  elements  of  science,  the  laws  of  art, 
and  the  principles  of  philosophy.  In  continual  struggle  with 
each  other  and  with  Semitic  and  Mongolian  races,  these  Aryan 
nations  have  become  the  rulers  of  history,  and  it  seems  to  be 
their  mission  to  link  all  parts  of  the  world  together  by  the 
chains  of  civilization,  commerce,  and  religion.'  We  may  add, 
that  though  by  nature  tough  and  enduring,  they  have  not 
been  obstinate  and  self-willed  ;  they  have  been  distinguished 
from  all  other  nations,  and  particularly  from  their  elder 
brothers  whom  they  left  behind,  by  their  common  sense,  by 
their  power  of  adapting  themselves  to  all  circumstances, 
and  by  making  the  best  of  their  position  ;  above  all,  they 
have  been  teachable,  ready  to  receive  impressions  from  with- 
out, and,  when  received,  to  develop  them.  To  show  the 
truth  of  this,  we  need  only  observe,  that  they  adopted  Christ- 
ianity from  another  race,  the  most  obstinate  and  stiff-necked 
the  world  has  ever  seen,  who,  trained  under  the  Old  Dispen- 
sation to  preserve  the  worship  of  the  one  true  God,  were  too 
proud  to  accept  the  further  revelation  of  God  under  the  New, 
and,  rejecting  their  birth-right,  suffered  their  inheritance  to 
pass  into  other  hands. 

Such,  then,  has  been  the  lot  of  the  Western  branch,  of  the 
younger  brother,  who,  like  the  younger  brother  whom  we  shall 
meet  so  often  in  these  Popular  Tales,  went  out  into  the  world, 
with  nothing  but  his  good  heart  and  God's  blessing  to  guide  him  ; 
and  now  has  come  to  all  honour  and  fortune,  and  to  be  a  king, 


The  Eastern  Aryans  7 

ruling  over  the  world.  He  went  out  and  did.  Let  us  see  now 
what  became  of  the  elder  brother,  who  stayed  at  home  some 
time  after  his  brother  went  out,  and  then  only  made  a  short 
journey.  Having  driven  out  the  few  aboriginal  inhabitants 
of  India  with  little  effort,  and  following  the  course  of  the 
great  rivers,  the  Eastern  Aryans  gradually  estabhshed  them- 
selves all  over  the  peninsula  ;  and  then,  in  calm  possession 
of  a  world  of  their  own,  undisturbed  by  conquest  from  with- 
out, and  accepting  with  apathy  any  change  of  dynasty  among 
their  rulers,  ignorant  of  the  past  and  careless  of  the  future, 
they  sat  down  once  for  all  and  thought — thought  not  of  what 
they  had  to  do  here,  that  stem  lesson  of  every-day  life  which 
neither  men  nor  nations  can  escape  if  they  are  to  live  with 
their  fellows,  but  how  they  could  abstract  themselves  entirely 
from  their  present  existence,  and  immerse  themselves  wholly 
in  dreamy  speculations  on  the  future.  Whatever  they  may 
have  been  during  their  short  migration  and  subsequent  settle- 
ment, it  is  certain  that  they  appear  in  the  Vedas — perhaps 
the  earliest  collection  which  the  world  possesses — as  a  nation 
of  philosophers.  Well  may  Professor  Miiller  compare  the 
Indian  mind  to  a  plant  reared  in  a  hot-house,  gorgeous  in 
colour,  rich  in  perfume,  precocious  and  abundant  in  fruit ; 
it  may  be  all  this,  '  but  will  never  be  like  the  oak,  growing 
in  wind  and  weather,  striking  its  roots  into  real  earth,  and 
stretching  its  branches  into  real  air,  beneath  the  stars  and  sun 
of  Heaven  '  ;  and  well  does  he  also  remark,  that  a  people  of 
this  peculiar  stamp  was  never  destined  to  act  a  prominent 
part  in  the  history  of  the  world  ;  nay,  the  exhausting  atmos- 
phere of  transcendental  ideas  could  not  but  exercise  a  detri- 
mental influence  on  the  active  and  moral  character  of  the 
Hindoos  \ 

1  As  a  specimen  of  their  thoughtful  turn  of  mind,  even  in  the  Vedas,  at  a  time  before 
the  monstrous  avatars  of  the  Hindoo  Pantheon  were  imagined,  and  when  their  system 
of  philosophy,  properly  so  called,  had  no  existence,  the  following  metrical  translation 
of  the  129th  hymn  of  the  loth  booli  of  the  Rig-Veda  may  be  quoted,  which  Professor 
Miiller  assures  us  is  of  a  very  early  date  : 

Nor  aught  nor  naught  existed  ;  yon  bright  sky 

Was  not,  nor  Heaven's  broad  woof  outstretched  above. 

What  covered  all  ?  what  sheltered  ?  what  concealed  ? 

Was  it  the  water's  fathomless  abyss  ? 

There  was  not  death — yet  was  there  nought  immortaU 

There  was  no  confine  betwixt  day  and  night ; 

The  only  One  breathed  breathless  by  itself, 

Other  than  It  there  nothing  since  has  been. 

Darkness  there  was,  and  all  at  ^st  was  veiled 


8  Introduction 

In  this  passive,  abstract,  unprogressive  state,  they  have 
remained  ever  since.  Stiffened  into  castes,  and  tongue-tied 
and  hand-tied  by  absurd  rites  and  ceremonies,  they  wisre 
heard  of  in  dim  legends  by  Herodotus  ;  they  were  seen  by 
Alexander  when  that  bold  spirit  pushed  his  phalanx  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  known  world  ;  they  trafficked  with  imperial  Rome, 
and  the  later  empire  ;  they  were  again  almost  lost  sight  of, 
and  became  fabulous  in  the  Middle  Age  ;  they  were  redis- 
covered by  the  Portuguese ;  they  have  been  alternately 
peaceful  subjects  and  desperate  rebels  to  us  English  ;  but 
they  have  been  still  the  same  immovable  and  unprogressive 
philosophers,  though  akin  to  Europe  all  the  while ;  and 
though  the  Highlander,  who  drives  his  bayonet  through  the 
heart  of  a  high-caste  Sepoy  mutineer,  Uttle  knows  that  his 
pale  features  and  sandy  hair,  and  that  dusk  face  with  its 
raven  locks,  both  come  from  a  common  ancestor  away  in 
Central  Asia,   many,    many  centuries  ago. 

But  here  arises  the  question,  what  interest  can  we,  the 
descendants  of  the  practical  brother,  heirs  to  so  much  historical 
renown,  possibly  take  in  the  records  of  a  race  so  historically 
characterless,  and  so  sunk  in  reveries  and  mysticism  ?  The 
answer  is  easy.  Those  records  are  written  in  a  language  closely 
allied  to  the  primaeval  common  tongue  of  those  two  branches 
before  they  parted,  and  descending  from  a  period  anterior 
to  their  separation.  It  may,  or  it  may  not,  be  the  very  tongue 
itself,  but  it  certainly  is  not  further  removed  than  a  few  steps. 
The  speech  of  the  emigrants  to  the  west  rapidly  changed 

In  gloom  profound — an  ocean  without  light — 

The  germ  that  still  lay  covered  in  the  husk 

Burst  forth,  one  nature,  from  the  fervent  heat. 

Then  first  came  love  upon  it,  the  new  spring 

Of  mind — yea,  poets  in  their  hearts  discerned, 

Pondering,  this  bond  between  created  things 

And  uncreated.     Comes  this  spark  from  earth, 

Piercing  and  all  pervading,  or  from  Heaven  ? 

Then  seeds  were  sown,  and  mighty  powers  arose — 

Nature  below,  and  power  and  will  above — 

Who  knows  the  secret  ?  who  proclaimed  it  here. 

Whence,  whence  this  manifold  creation  sprang  ? 

The  Gods  themselves  came  later  into  being — 

Who  knows  from  whence  this  great  creation  sprang  ? 

He  from  whom  all  this  great  creation  came, 

Whether  His  will  created  or  was  mute, 

The  Most  High  Seer  that  is  in  highest  heaven, 

He  knows  it — or  perchance  even  he  knows  not. 
If  we  reflect  that  this  hymn  was  composed  centuries  before  the  time  of  Hesiod,  we 
shall  be  better  able  to  appreciate  the  speculative  character  of  the  Indian  mind  in  its 
earliest  stage. 


The  Western  Aryans  9 

with  the  changing  circumstances  and  various  fortune  of 
each  of  its  waves,  and  in  their  intercourse  with  the  aboriginal 
population  they  often  adopted  foreign  elements  into  their 
language.  One  of  these  waves,  it  is  probable,  passing  by 
way  of  Persia  and  Asia  Minor,  crossed  the  Hellespont,  and 
following  the  coast,  threw  off  a  mighty  rill,  known  in  after 
times  as  Greeks  ;  while  the  main  stream,  striking  through 
Macedonia,  either  crossed  the  Adriatic,  or,  still  hugging  the 
coast,  came  down  on  Italy,  to  be  known  as  Latins.  Another, 
passing  between  the  Caspian  and  the  Black  Sea,  filled  the 
steppes  round  the  Crimea,  and,  passing  on  over  the  Balkan 
and  the  Carpathians  towards  the  west,  became  that  great 
Teutonic  nationality  which,  under  various  names,  but  all 
closely  akin,  filled,  when  we  first  hear  of  them  in  historical 
times,  the  space  between  the  Black  Sea  and  the  Baltic,  and  was 
then  slowly  but  surely  driving  before  them  the  great  wave 
of  the  Celts  which  had  preceded  them  in  their  wandering,  and 
which  had  probably  followed  the  same  Une  of  march  as  the 
ancestors  of  the  Greeks  and  Latins.  A  movement  which 
lasted  until  all  that  was  left  of  Celtic  nationality  was  either 
absorbed  by  the  intruders,  or  forced  aside  and  driven  to  take 
refuge  in  mountain  fastnesses  and  outlying  islands.  Besides 
all  these,  there  was  still  another  wave,  which  is  supposed  to 
have  passed  between  the  Sea  of  Aral  and  the  Caspian,  and, 
keeping  still  further  to  the  north  and  east,  to  have  passed 
between  its  kindred  Teutons  and  the  Mongolian  tribes,  and 
so  to  have  lain  in  the  background  until  we  find  them  appear- 
ing as  Slavonians  on  the  scene  of  history.  Into  so  many  great 
stocks  did  the  Western  Aryans  pass,  each  possessing  strongly- 
marked  nationalities  and  languages,  and  these  seemingly  so 
distinct  that  each  often  asserted  that  the  other  spoke  a  barbarous 
tongue.  But,  for  all  that,  each  of  those  tongues  bears  about 
with  it  still,  and  in  earlier  times  no  doubt  bore  still  more  plainly 
about  with  it,  infallible  evidence  of  common  origin,  so  that 
each  dialect  can  be  traced  up  to  that  primaeval  form  of  speech 
still  in  the  main  preserved  in  the  Sanscrit  by  the  Southern  Aryan 
branch,  who,  careless  of  practical  life,  and  immersed  in  specula- 
tion, have  clung  to  their  ancient  traditions  and  tongue  with 
wonderful  tenacity.  It  is  this  which  has  given  such  value  to 
Sanscrit,  a  tongue  of  which  it  may  be  said,  that  if  it  had  perished 
the  sun  would  never  have  risen  on  the  science  of  comparative 


10  Introduction 

philology.  Before  the  discoveries  in  Sanscrit  of  Sir  William 
Jones,  Wilkins,  Wilson,  and  others,  the  world  had  striven 
to  find  the  common  ancestor  of  European  languages,  some- 
times in  the  classical,  and  sometimes  in  the  Semitic  tongues. 
In  the  one  case  the  result  was  a  tyranny  of  Greek  and  Latin 
over  the  non-classical  tongues,  and  in  the  other  the  most 
uncritical  and  unphilosophical  waste  of  learning.  No  doubt 
some  striking  analogies  exist  between  the  Indo-European 
family  and  the  Semitic  stock,  just  as  there  are  remarkable 
analogies  between  the  Mongolian  and  Indo-European  families  ; 
but  the  ravings  of  Valiancy,  in  his  effort  to  connect  the  Erse 
with  Phoenician,  are  an  awful  warning  of  what  unscientific 
inquiry,  based  upon  casual  analogy,  may  bring  itself  to  be- 
lieve, and  even  to  fancy  it  has  proved. 

These  general  observations,  then,  and  this  rapid  bird's 
eye  view,  may  suffice  to  show  the  common  affinity  which 
exists  between  the  Eastern  and  Western  Aryans  ;  between 
the  Hindoo  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  nations  of  Western 
Europe  on  the  other.  That  is  the  fact  to  keep  steadily  before 
our  eyes.  We  all  came,  Greek,  Latin,  Celt,  Teuton,  Slavonian, 
from  the  East,  as  kith  and  kin,  leaving  kith  and  kin  behind 
us  ;  and  after  thousands  of  years  the  language  and  traditions 
of  those  who  went  East,  and  those  who  went  West,  bear  such 
an  affinity  to  each  other,  as  to  have  established,  beyond  dis- 
cussion or  dispute,  the  fact  of  their  descent  from  a  common 
stock. 


DIFFUSION 

This  general  affinity  established,  we  proceed  to  narrow 
our  subject  to  its  proper  limits,  and  to  confine  it  to  the  con- 
sideration, first,  of  Popular  Tales  in  general,  and  secondly,  of 
those  Norse  Tales  in  particular,  which  form  the  aulk  of  this 
volume. 

In  the  first  place,  then,  the  fact  which  we  remarked  on 
setting  out,  that  the  groundwork  or  plot  of  many  of  these 
tales  is  common  to  all  the  nations  of  Europe,  is  more  import- 
ant, and  of  greater  scientific  interest,  than  might  at  first  appear. 
They  form,  in  fact,  another  link  in  the  chain  of  evidence  of 
a  common  origin  between  the  East  and  West,  and  even  the 


Diffusion  1 1 

obstinate  adherents  of  the  old  classical  theory,  according  to 
which  all  resemblances  were  set  down  to  she;.r  copying  from 
Greek  or  Latin  patterns,  are  now  forced  t^  confess,  not  only 
that  there  was  no  such  wholesale  copying  at  all,  but  that, 
in  many  cases,  the  despised  vernacular  tongues  have  pre- 
served the  common  traditions  far  more  faithfully  than  the 
writers  of  Greece  and  Rome.  The  sooner,  in  short,  that 
this  theory  of  copying,  which  some,  even  besides  the  classicists, 
have  maintained,  is  abandoned,  the  better,  not  only  for  the 
truth,  but  for  the  literary  reputation  of  those  who  put  it  forth. 
No  one  can,  of  course,  imagine  that  during  that  long  succession 
of  ages  when  this  mighty  wedge  of  Aryan  migration  was 
driving  its  way  through  that  prehistoric  race,  that  nameless 
nationality,  the  traces  of  which  we  everywhere  find  under- 
lying the  intruders  in  their  monuments  and  implements  of 
bone  and  stone — a  race, akin,  in  all  probability,  to  the  Mon- 
golian family,  and  whose  miserable  remnants  we  see  pushed 
aside,  and  huddled  up  in  the  holes  and  corners  of  Europe, 
as  Lapps,  and  Finns,  and  Basques — No  one,  we  say,  can  sup- 
pose for  a  moment,  that  in  that  long  process  of  contact  and 
absorption,  some  traditions  of  either  race  should  not  have 
been  caught  up  and  adopted  by  the  other.  We  know  it  to 
be  a  fact  with  regard  to  their  language,  from  the  evidence  of 
philology,  which  cannot  lie  ;  and  the  witness  borne  by  such 
a  word  as  the  Gothic  Atta  for  father,  where  a  Mongolian  has 
been  adopted  in  preference  to  an  Aryan  word,  is  irresistible 
on  this  point ;  but  that,  apart  from  such  natural  assimilation, 
all  the  thousand  shades  of  resemblance  and  affinity  which 
gleam  and  flicker  through  the  whole  body  of  popular  tradition 
in  the  Aryan  race,  as  the  Aurora  plays  and  flashes  in  count- 
less rays  athwart  the  Northern  heaven,  should  be  the  result 
of  mere  servile  copying  of  one  tribe's  traditions  by  another, 
is  a  supposition  as  absurd  as  that  of  those  good  country-folk, 
who,  when  they  see  an  Aurora,  fancy  it  must  be  a  great  fire, 
the  work  of  some  incendiary,  and  send  off  the  parish  engine 
to  put  it  out.  No  !  when  we  find  in  such  a  story  as  the 
Master-thief  traits,  which  are  to  be  found  in  the  Sanscrit 
Hitopadesa^,  and  which  reminds  us  at  once  of  the  story  of 

1  '  A  Brahmin,  who  had  vowed  a  sacrifice,  went  to  the  market  to  buy  a  goat.  Three 
thieves  saw  him,  and  wanted  to  get  hold  of  the  goat.  They  stationed  themselves  at 
intervals  ou  the  high  road.     When  the  Brahmin,  who  carried  the  goat  on  his  back,  ap- 


12  Introduction 

Rhampsinitus  in  Herodotus  ;  which  are  also  to  be  found  in 
German,  Italian,  and  Flemish  popular  tales,  but  told  in  all 
with  such  variations  of  character  and  detail,  and  such  adap- 
tations to  time  and  place,  as  evidently  show  the  original 
working  of  the  national  consciousness  upon  a  stock  of  tradi- 
tion common  to  all  the  race,  but  belonging  to  no  tribe  of  that 
race  in  particular  ;  and  when  we  find  this  occurring  not  in 
one  tale  but  in  twenty,  we  are  forced  to  abandon  the  theory 
of  such  universal  copying,  for  fear  lest  we  should  fall  into  a 
greater  difficulty  than  that  for  which  we  were  striving  to 
account. 

To  set  this  question  in  a  plainer  light,  let  us  take  a  well- 
known  instance  ;  let  us  take  the  story  of  William  Tell  and 
his  daring  shot,  which  is  said  to  have  been  made  in  the  year 
1307,  It  is  just  possible  that  the  feat  might  be  historical, 
and,  no  doubt,  thousands  believe  it  for  the  sake  of  the  Swiss 
patriot,  as  firmly  as  they  believe  in  anything  ;  but,  unfor- 
tunately, this  story  of  the  bold  archer  who  saves  his  life  by 
shooting  an  apple  from  the  head  of  his  child  at  the  command 
of  a  tyrant,  is  common  to  the  whole  Aryan  race.  It  appears 
in  Saxo  Grammaticus,  who  flourished  in  the  twelfth  century, 
where  it  is  told  of  Palnatoki,  King  Harold  Gormson's  thane 
and  assassin.  In  the  thirteenth  century  the  Wilkina  Saga 
relates  it  of  Egill,  Volundr's — our  Wayland  Smith's — younger 
brother.  So  also  in  the  Norse  Saga  of  Saint  Olof,  king  and 
martyr  ;  the  king,  who  died  in  1030,  eager  for  the  conversion 
of  one  of  his  heathen  chiefs  Eindridi,  competes  with  him  in 
various  athletic  exercises,  first  in  swimming  and  then  in 
archery.  After  several  famous  shots  on  either  side,  the  king 
challenges  Eindridi  to  shoot  a  tablet  off  his  son's  head  with- 
out hurting  the  child.  Eindridi  is  ready,  but  declares  he 
will  revenge  himself  if  the  child  is  hurt.     The  king  has  the 

proached  the  first  thief,  the  thief  said,  "  Brahmin,  why  do  you  carry  a  dog  on  your  back  ?  " 
The  Brahmin  replied  :  "  It  is  not  a  dog,  it  is  a  goat. "  A  httle  while  after,  he  was  accosted 
by  the  second  thief,  who  said,  "  Brahmin,  why  do  you  carry  a  dog  on  your  back  ?  " 
The  Brahmin  felt  perplexed,  put  the  goat  down,  examined  it,  and  walked  on.  Soon 
after  he  was  stopped  by  the  third  thief,  who  said,  "  Brahmin,  why  do  you  carry  a  dog 
on  your  back  ?  "  Then  the  Brahmin  was  frightened,  threw  down  the  goat,  and  walked 
home  to  perform  his  ablutions  for  having  touched  an  unclean  animal.  The  thieves 
took  the  goat  and  ate  it.'  See  the  notice  of  the  Norse  Tales  in  The  Saturday  Review, 
January  15.  In  Max  Miiller's  translation  of  the  Hitopadesa,  the  story  has  a  different 
ending.  See  also  Le  ■Piacevoli  NoUi,  di  M.  Giovan  Francesco  Straparola  da  Cara- 
vaggio  (Venice,  1567),  Notte  Prima,  F'avola  III  :  '  Pre  Scarpacifico  da  tre  malandrini 
una  sol  volta  gabbato,  tre  fiate  gabba  loro,  finalmente  vittorioso  con  la  sua  Nina  lieta- 
mente  rimane  '.  In  which  tale  the  beginning  is  a  parallel  to  the  first  part  of  '  The  Master 
Thief ',  while  the  end  answers  exactly  to  the  Norse  tale  added  in  this  editioQ,  and  called 
'  Big  Peter  and  Little  Peter  '. 


Tell's  Mastershot  13 

first  shot,  and  his  arrow  strikes  close  to  the  tablet.  Then 
Eindridi  is  to  shoot,  but  at  the  prayers  of  his  mother  and 
sister,  refuses  the  shot,  and  has  to  yield  and  be  converted  ^ 
So.  also.  King  Harold  Sigurdarson,  who  died  1066,  backed 
himself  against  a  famous  marksman,  Hemingr,  and  ordered 
him  to  shoot  a  hazel  nut  off  the  head  of  his  brother  Bjorn, 
and  Hemingr  performed  the  feat^  In  the  middle  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  the  Malleus  Maleficarum  refers  it  to 
Puncher,  a  magician  of  the  Upper  Rhine.  Here  in  England, 
we  have  it  in  the  old  English  ballad  of  Adam  Bell,  Clym  of 
the  Clough,  and  William  of  Cloudesly,  where  William  performs 
the  feat  ^.  It  is  not  told  at  all  of  Tell  in  Switzerland  before 
the  year  1499,  and  the  earlier  Swiss  chronicles  omit  it  alto- 
gether. It  is  common  to  the  Turks  and  Mongolians  ;  and  a 
legend  of  the  wild  Samoyeds,  who  never  heard  of  Tell  or 
saw  a  book  in  their  lives,  relates  it,  chapter  and  verse,  of 
one  of  their  famous  marksmen.  What  shall  we  say  then, 
but  that  the  story  of  this  bold  master-shot  was  primaeval 
amongst  many  tribes  and  races,  and  that  it  only  crystallized 
itself  round  the  great  name  of  Tell  by  that  process  of  attrac- 
tion which  invariably  leads  a  grateful  people  to  throw  such 
mythic  wreaths,  such  garlands  of  bold  deeds  of  precious 
memory,  round  the  brow  of  its  darling  champion*. 

1  Fornm.  Sog.,  2,  272. 

2  Miiller's  Saga  Bibl.,  3,  359. 

3  See  the  ballad  in  Percy's  Reliques. 

*  The  following  are  translations  from  Saxo,  the  Wilkina  Saga,  and  the  Malleus  Male- 
ficarum. The  question  is  completely  S3t  at  rest  by  Grimm,  D.  M.  p.  353  fol.  and  p. 
1214. 

'  Nor  is  the  following  story  to  be  wrapped  in  silence.  A  certain  Palnatoki,  for  some 
time  among  King  Harold's  bodyguard,  had  made  his  bravery  odious  to  very  many  of 
his  fellow- soldiers  by  the  zeal  with  which  he  surpassed  them  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty. 
This  man  once,  when  talking  tipsily  over  his  cups,  had  boasted  that  he  was  so  skilled  an 
archer,  that  he  could  hit  the  smallest  apple  placed  a  long  way  off  on  a  wand  at  the  first 
shot ;  which  talk,  caught  up  at  first  by  the  ears  of  backbiters,  soon  came  to  the  hearing 
of  the  king.  Now,  mark  how  the  wickedness  of  the  king  turned  the  confidence  of  the 
sire  to  the  peril  of  the  son,  by  commandmg  that  this  dearest  pledge  of  his  life  should  be 
placed  instead  of  the  wand,  with  a  threat  that,  unless  the  author  of  this  promise  could 
strike  off  the  apple  at  the  first  flight  of  the  arrow,  he  should  pay  the  penalty  of  his  empty 
boasting  by  the  loss  of  his  head.  The  king's  conunand  forced  the  soldier  to  perform  more 
than  he  had  promised,  and  what  he  had  said,  reported  by  the  tongues  of  slanderers,  bound 
him  to  accomplish  what  he  had  not  said  '  .  .  .  '  Nor  did  his  sterling  courage,  though 
caught  in  the  snare  of  slander,  suffer  him  to  lay  aside  his  firmness  of  heart ;  nay,  he  ac- 
cepted the  trial  the  more  readily  because  it  was  hard.  So  Palnatoki  warned  the  boy 
urgently  when  he  took  his  stand  to  await  the  coming  of  the  hurtling  arrow  with  calm  ears 
and  unbent  head,  lest  by  a  slight  turn  of  his  body  he  should  defeat  the  practised  skill  of 
the  bowman  ;  and,  taking  further  counsel  to  prevent  his  fear,  he  turned  away  his  face 
lest  he  should  be  scared  at  the  sight  of  the  weapon.  Then  taking  three  arrows  from  the 
quiver,  he  struck  the  mark  given  him  with  the  first  he  fitted  to  the  string.  But,  if  chance 
had  brought  the  head  of  the  boy  before  the  shaft,  no  doubt  the  penalty  of  the  son  would 
have  recoiled  to  the  peril  of  the  father,  and  the  swerving  of  the  shaft  ihaX  struck  the  boy 
yrould  have  linked  them  both  in  common  ruin.     I  am  in  doubt,  th«i,  whether  to  admir^ 


14  Introduction 

Nor  let  any  pious  Welshman  be  shocked  if  we  venture  to 
assert  that  Gellert,  that  famous  hound  upon  whose  last  resting- 
place  the  traveller  comes  as  he  passes  down  the  lovely  vale  of 
Gwynant,  is  a  mythical  dog,  and  never  snuffed  the  fresh 
breeze  in  the  forest  of  Snowdon,  nor  saved  his  master's  child 
from  ravening^  wolf.  This,  too,  is  a  primaeval  story,  told 
with  many  variations.  Sometimes  the  foe  is  a  wolf,  sometimes 
a  bear,  sometimes  a  snake.  Sometimes  the  faithful  guardian 
of  the  child  is  an  otter,  a  weasel,  or  a  dog.  It,  too,  came  from 
the  East.  It  is  found  in  the  Pantcha-T antra,  in  the  Hitopadesa, 
in  Bidpai's  Fables,  in  the  Arabic  original  of  The  Seven  Wise 
Masters,  that  famous  collection  of  stories  which  illustrate 
a  stepdame's  calumny  and  hate,  and  in  many  mediaeval 
versions  of  those  originals  ^.     Thence  it  passed  into  the  Latin 

most  the  courage  of  the  father  or  the  temper  of  the  son,  of  whom  the  one  by  skill  in  his 
art  avoided  being  the  slayer  of  his  child,  while  the  other  by  patience  of  mind  and  quietness 
of  body  saved  himself  alive,  and  spared  the  natural  affection  of  his  father.  Nay,  the 
youthful  frame  strengthened  the  aged  heart,  and  showed  as  much  courage  in  awaiting  the 
arrow  as  the  father,  skill  in  lavmching  it.  But  Palnatoki,  when  asked  by  the  king 
why  he  had  taken  more  arrows  from  the  quiver,  when  it  had  been  settled  that  he  should 
only  try  the  fortune  of  the  bow  once,  made  answer  "  That  I  might  avenge  on  thee  the 
swerving  of  the  first  by  the  points  of  the  rest,  lest  perchance  my  innocence  might  have 
been  pimished,  while  your  violence  escaped  scot-free  " '. — Saxo  Gram.,  Book  X,  (p.  i66, 
ed.  Frankf). 

'About  that  time  the  yoimg  Egill,  Wayland's  brother,  came  to  the  court  of  King 
Nidung,  because  Wayland  (Smith)  had  sent  him  word.  Egill  was  the  feiirest  of  men 
and  one  thing  he  had  before  all  other  men — he  shot  better  with  the  bow  than  any  other 
man.  The  king  took  to  him  well,  and  Egill  was  there  a  long  time.  Now,  the  king 
wished  to  try  whether  Egill  shot  so  well  as  was  said  or  not,  so  he  let  Egill 's  son,  a  boy 
of  three  years  old,  be  taken,  and  niade  them  put  an  apple  on  his  head,  and  bade  Egill 
shoot  so  that  the  shaft  struck  neither  above  the  head  nor  to  the  left  nor  to  the  right ; 
the  apple  only  was  he  to  spUt.  But  it  was  not  forbidden  him  to  shoot  the  boy,  for  the 
king  thought  it  certain  that  he  would  do  that  on  no  account  if  he  could  at  all  help  it. 
And  he  was  to  shoot  one  arrow  only,  no  more.  So  Egill  takes  three,  and  strokes  their 
feathers  smooth,  and  fits  one  to  his  string,  and  shoots  and  hits  the  apple  in  the  middle, 
so  that  the  arrow  took  along  with  it  half  the  apple,  and  then  fell  to  the  ground.  This 
master-shot  has  long  been  talked  about,  and  the  king  made  much  of  him,  and  he  was  the 
most  famous  of  men.  Now,  King  Nidung  asked  Egill  why  he  took  out  three  arrows,  when 
it  was  settled  that  one  only  was  to  be  shot  with.  Then  Egill  answered  "  Lord  ",  said  he, 
"  I  will  not  lie  to  you  ;  had  I  stricken  the  lad  with  that  one  arrow,  then  I  had  meant  these 
two  for  you. "  But  the  king  took  that  well  from  him,  and  all  thought  it  was  boldly  spoken '. 
— Wilkina  Saga,  ch.  27  (ed.  Pering). 

'  It  is  relateid  of  him  (Puncher)  that  a  certain  lord,  who  wished  to  obtain  a  sure  trial 
of  his  skill,  set  up  his  little  son  as  a  butt,  and  for  a  mark  a  shilling  on  the  boy's  cap,  com- 
manding him  to  carry  off  the  shilling  without  the  cap  with  his  arrow.  But  when  the 
wizard  said  he  could  do  it,  though  he  would  rather  abstain,  lest  the  Devil  should  decoy 
him  to  destruction  ;  still,  being  led  on  by  the  words  of  the  chief,  he  thrust  one  arrow 
through  his  collar,  and,  fitting  the  other  to  his  crossbow,  struck  off  the  coin  from  the 
boy's  cap  without  doing  him  any  harm  ;  seeingwhich.when  the  lord  asked  the  wizard  why 
he  had  placed  the  arrow  in  his  collar  ?  he  answered  "  If  by  the  Devil's  deceit  I  had  slain 
the  boy,  when  I  needs  must  die,  I  would  have  transfixed  you  suddenly  with  the  other 
arrow,  that  even  so  I  might  have  avenged  my  death."  ' — Malleus  Male}.,  p.  ii,  ch.  16. 

1  See  Pantcha-Tantra,  v.  ii  of  Wilson's  Analysis,  quoted  by  Loiseleur  Deslongchamps, 
Essai  sur  les  Fables  Indiennes  (Paris,  Techener,  1838,  p.  54),  where  the  animal  that  pro- 
tects the  child  is  a  mangouste  (Viverra  Mungo).  See  also  Hitopadesa,  (Max  Miiller's 
Translation,  Leipzig,  Brockhaus,  p.  178)  where  the  guardian  is  an  otter.  In  both  tl»9 
foe  is  a  snake. 


Gellert's  Grave  15 

Gesta  Romanorum,  where,  as  well  as  in  the  Old  English  version 
published  by  Sir  Frederick  Madden,  it  may  be  read  as  a 
service  rendered  by  a  faithful  hound  against  a  snake.  This, 
too,  like  Tell's  master-shot,  is  as  the  lightning  which  shineth 
over  the  whole  heaven  at  once,  and  can  be  claimed  by  no  one 
tribe  of  the  Aryan  race,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  rest.  *  The 
Dog  of  Montargis  *  is  in  Hke  manner  mythic,  though  perhaps 
not  so  widely  spread.  It  first  occurs  in  France,  as  told  of 
Sybilla,  a  fabulous  wife  of  Charlemagne  ;  but  it  is  at  any 
rate  as  old  as  the  time  of  Plutarch,  who  relates  it  as  an  anec- 
dote of  brute  sagacity  in  the  days  of  Pyrrhus. 

There  can  be  no  doubt,  with  regard  to  the  question  of  the 
origin  of  these  tales,  that  they  were  common  in  germ  at 
least  to  the  Aryan  tribes  before  their  migration.  We  find 
those  germs  developed  in  the  popular  traditions  of  the  Eastern 
Aryans,  and  we  find  them  developed  in  a  hundred  forms  and 
shapes  in  every  one  of  the  nations  into  which  the  Western 
Aryans  have  shaped  themselves  in  the  course  of  ages.  We  are 
led,  therefore,  irresistibly  to  the  conclusion,  that  these  tra- 
ditions are  as  much  a  portion  of  the  common  inheritance 
of  our  ancestors,  as  their  language  unquestionably  is  ;  and 
that  they  form,  along  with  that  language,  a  double  chain 
of  evidence,  which  proves  their  Eastern  origin.  If  we  are 
to  seek  for  a  simile,  or  an  analogy,  as  to  the  relative  positions 
of  these  tales  and  traditions,  and  to  the  mutual  resemblances 
which  exist  between  them  as  the  several  branches  of  our 
race  have  developed  them  from  the  common  stock,  we  may 
find  it  in  one  which  will  come  home  to  every  reader  as  he  looks 
round  the  domestic  hearth,  if  he  should  be  so  happy  as  to 
have  one.  They  are  like  as  sisters  of  one  house  are  like.  They 
have  what  would  be  called  a  strong  family  Ukeness  ;  but 
besides  this  likeness,  which  they  owe  to  father  or  mother, 
as  the  case  may  be,  they  have  each  their  peculiarities  of  form, 
and  eye,  and  face,  and  still  more,  their  differences  of  intellect 
and  mind.  This  may  be  dark,  that  fair  ;  this  may  have 
gray  eyes,  that  black  ;  this  may  be  open  and  graceful,  that 
reserved  and  close  ;  this  you  may  love,  that  you  can  take 
no  interest  in.  One  may  be  bashful,  another  winning,  a  third 
worth  knowing  and  yet  hard  to  know.  They  are  so  Uke  and 
so  unlike.  At  first  it  may  be,  as  an  old  EngUsh  writer  beau- 
tifully expresses  it,  *  their  father  hath  writ  them  as  his   own 


i6  Introduction 

little  story  ',  but  as  they  grow  up  they  throw  off  the  copy, 
educate  themselves  for  good  or  ill,  and  finally  assume  new 
forms  of  feeling  and  feature  under  an  original  development 
of  their  own. 

Or  shall  we  take  another  hkeness,  and  say  they  are  national 
dreams  ;  that  they  are  like  the  sleeping  thoughts  of  many 
men  upon  one  and  the  same  thing.  Suppose  a  hundred 
men  to  have  been  eye-witnesses  of  some  event  on  the  same 
day,  and  then  to  have  slept  and  dreamt  of  it ;  we  should 
have  as  many  distinct  representations  of  that  event,  all 
turning  upon  it  and  bound  up  with  it  in  some  way,  but  each 
preserving  the  personality  of  the  sleeper,  and  working  up 
the  common  stuff  in  a  higher  or  lower  degree,  just  as  the 
fancy  and  the  intellect  of  the  sleeper  was  at  a  higher  or  lower 
level  of  perfection.  There  is,  indeed,  greater  truth  in  this 
likeness  than  may  at  first  sight  appear.  In  the  popular 
tale,  properly  so  called,  the  national  mind  dreams  all  its 
history  over  again  ;  in  its  half  conscious  state  it  takes  this 
trait  and  that  trait,  this  feature  and  that  feature,  of  times  and 
ages  long  past.  It  snatches  up  bits  of  its  old  beliefs,  and 
fears,  and  griefs,  and  glory,  and  pieces  them  together  with 
something  that  happened  yesterday,  and  then  holds  up 
the  distorted  reflection  in  all  its  inconsequence,  just  as  it 
has  passed  before  that  magic  glass,  as  though  it  were  genuine 
history,  and  matter  for  pure  behef.  And  here  it  may  be  as 
well  to  say,  that  besides  that  old  classical  foe  of  vernacular 
tradition,  there  is  another  hardly  less  dangerous,  which  returns 
to  the  charge  of  copying,  but  changes  what  lawyers  caU  the 
venue  of  the  trial  from  classical  to  Eastern  lands.  According 
to  this  theory,  which  came  up  when  its  classical  predecessor 
was  no  longer  tenable,  the  traditions  and  tales  of  Western 
Europe  came  from  the  East,  but  they  were  still  all  copies. 
They  were  supposed  to  have  proceeded  entirely  from  two 
sources  ;  one  the  Directorium  HumancB  Vitce  of  John  of 
Capua,  translated  between  1262-78  from  a  Hebrew  version, 
which  again  come  from  an  Arabic  version  of  the  8th  century, 
which  came  from  a  Pehlvi  version  made  by  one  Barzouyeh, 
at  the  command  of  Chosrou  Noushirvan,  King  of  Persia,  in 
the  6th  century,  which  again  came  from  the  Pantcha  Tantra, 
a  Sanscrit  original  of  unknown  antiquity.  This  is  that  famous 
book  of  Calila  and  Dimna,  as  the  Persian  version  is  called, 


Calila  and  Dimna  1 7 

attributed  to  Bidpai,  and  which  was  thus  run  to  earth  in  India. 
The  second  source  of  Western  tradition  was  held  to  be  that 
still  more  famous  collection  of  stories  commonly  known  by 
the  name  of  the  '  Story  of  the  Seven  Sages,'  but  which,  under 
many  names — Kaiser  Octavianus,  Diocletianus,  Dolopathos, 
Erastus,  etc. — plays  a  most  important  part  in  mediaeval 
romance.  This,  too,  by  a  similar  process,  has  been  traced 
to  India,  appearing  first  in  Europe  at  the  beginning  of  the 
thirteenth  century  in  the  Latin  Historia  Septem  Sapientum 
Romcs,  by  Dame  Jehans,  monk  in  the  Abbey  of  Haute  Selve. 
Here,  too,  we  have  a  Hebrew,  an  Arabic,  and  a  Persian  ver- 
sion ;  which  last  came  avowedly  from  a  Sanscrit  original, 
though  that  original  has  not  yet  been  discovered.  From 
these  two  sources  of  fable  and  tradition,  according  to  the  new 
copying  theory,  our  Western  fables  and  tales  had  come  by  direct 
translation  from  the  East.  Now  it  will  be  at  once  evident 
that  this  theory  hangs  on  what  may  be  called  a  single  thread. 
Let  us  say,  then,  that  all  that  can  be  found  in  Calila  and 
Dimna,  or  the  later  Persian  version,  made  a.d.  1494,  of  Hos- 
sein  Vaez,  called  the  Anvari  Sohaili,  '  the  Canopic  Lights  ' 
— from  which,  when  published  in  Paris  by  David  Sahid 
of  Ispahan,  in  the  year  1644,  La  Fontaine  drew  the  substance 
of  many  of  his  best  fables. — Let  us  say,  too,  that  all  can  be 
found  in  the  Life  of  the  Seven  Sages,  or  the  Book  of  Sendabad 
as  it  was  called  in  Persia,  after  an  apocryphal  Indian  sage — 
came  by  translation — that  is  to  say,  through  the  cells 
of  Brahmins,  Magians,  and  monks,  and  the  labours  of  the 
learned — into  the  popular  literature  of  the  West.  Let  us 
give  up  all  that,  and  then  see  where  we  stand.  What  are 
we  to  say  of  the  many  tales  and  fables  which  are  to  be  found 
in  neither  of  those  famous  collections,  and  not  tales  alone, 
but  traits  and  features  of  old  tradition,  broken  bits  of  fable, 
roots  and  germs  of  mighty  growths  of  song  and  story,  nay, 
even  the  very  words,  which  exist  in  Western  popular  liter- 
ature, and  which  modern  philology  has  found  obstinately 
sticking  in  Sanscrit,  and  of  which  fresh  proofs  and  instances 
are  discovered  every  day  ?  What  are  we  to  say  of  such  a 
remarkable  resemblance  as  this  ? 

The  noble  King  Putraka  fled  into  the  Vindhya  mountains  in  order  to 
live  apart  from  his  unkind  kinsfolk  ;  and  as  he  wandered  about  there  he 
met  two  men  who  wrestled  and  fought  with  one  another.     '  Who  are  you  ? 

C 


1 8  Introduction    \ 

he  asked.  '  We  are  the  sons  of  Mayasara,  and  here  lie  our  riches  ;  this 
bowl,  this  staff,  and  these  shoes  ;  these  are  what  we  are  fighting  for,  and 
whichever  is  stronger  is  to  have  them  for  his  own.' 

So  when  Putraka  had  heard  that,  he  asked  them  with  a  laugh  :  *  Why, 
what's  the  good  of  owning  these  things  ?  ' 

Then  they  answered  '  Whoever  puts  on  these  shoes  gets  the  power  to 
fly  ;  whatever  is  pointed  at  with  this  staff  rises  up  at  once  ;  and  whatever 
food  one  wishes  for  in  this  bowl,  it  comes  at  once.' 

So  when  Putraka  had  heard  that  he  said  '  Why  fight  about  it  ?  Let 
this  be  the  prize  ;  whoever  beats  the  other  in  a  race,  let  him  have  them  all '. 

*  So  be  it ',  said  the  two  fools,  and  set  off  running,  but  Putraka  put  on 
the  shoes  at  once,  and  flew  away  with  the  staff  and  bowl  up  into  the  clouds'. 

Well,  this  is  a  story  neither  in  the  Pantcha  Tantra  nor  the 
Hitopadesa,  the  Sanscrit  originals  of  Calila  and  Dimna.  It 
is  not  in  the  Directortum  HumancB  Vitcs,  and  has  not  passed 
west  by  that  way.  Nor  is  it  in  the  Book  of  SendahadT~i.nd 
thence  come  west  in  the  History  of  the  Seven  Sages.  Both 
these  paths  are  stopped.  It  comes  from  the  Katha  Sarit 
Sagara,  the  *  Sea  of  Streams  of  Story  '  of  Somadeva  Bhatta 
of  Cashmere,  who,  in  the  middle  of  the  twelfth  century  of 
our  era,  worked  up  the  tales  found  in  an  earher  collection, 
called  the  Vrihat  Katha,  '  the  lengthened  story  ',  in  order  to 
amuse  his  mistress,  the  Queen  of  Cashmere.  Somadeva's 
collection  has  only  been  recently  known  and  translated.  But 
west  the  story  certainly  came  long  before,  and  in  the  extreme 
north-west  we  still  find  it  in  these  Norse  Tales  in  *  The  Three 
Princesses  of  Whiteland  ',  No.  xxvi. 

•  Well ! '  said  the  man,  '  as  this  is  so,  I'll  give  you  a  bit  of  advice.  Here- 
abouts, on  a  moor,  stand  three  brothers,  and  there  they  have  stood  these 
hundred  years,  fighting  about  a  hat,  a  cloak,  and  a  pair  of  boots.  If  any 
one  has  these  three  things,  he  can  make  himself  invisible,  and  wish  himself 
anywhere  he  pleases.  You  can  tell  them  you  wish  to  try  the  things,  and 
after  that,  you'll  pass  judgment  between  them,  whose  they    shall  be*. 

Yes  !  the  king  thanked  the  man,  and  went  and  did  as  he  told  him. 

'  What's  all  this  ?  '  he  said  to  the  brothers.  '  Why  do  you  stand  here 
fighting  for  ever  and  a  day  ?  Just  let  me  try  these  things,  and  I'll  give 
judgment  whose  they  shall  be '. 

They  were  very  wilUng  to  do  this  ;  but  as  soon  as  he  had  got  the  hat, 
cloak,  and  boots,  he  said  :  '  When  we  meet  next  time  I'll  tell  you  my 
judgment  * ;  and  with  these  words  he  wished  himself  away. 

Nor  in  the  Norse  tales  alone.  Other  collections  shew 
how  thoroughly  at  home  this  story  was  in  the  East.  In  the 
Relations  of  Ssidi  Kur,  a  Tartar  tale,  a  Chan's  son  first  gets 
possession  of  a  cloak  which  two  children  stand  and  fight  for, 


I 


The  Nihelungen  Hoard  19 

which  has  the  gift  of  making  the  wearer  invisible,  and  after- 
wards of  a  pair  of  boots,  with  which  one  can  wish  one's  self 
to  whatever  place  one  chooses.  Again,  in  a  Wallachian  tale, 
we  read  of  three  devils  who  fight  for  their  inheritance — a 
club  which  turns  everything  to  stone,  a  hat  which  makes  the 
wearer  invisible,  and  a  cloak  by  help  of  which  one  can  wish 
one's  self  whithersoever  one  pleases.  Again,  in  a  Mongolian 
tale,  the  Chan's  son  comes  upon  a  group  of  children  who 
fight  for  a  hood  which  makes  the  wearer  invisible  ;  he  is  to 
be  judge  between  them,  makes  them  run  a  race  for  it,  but 
meanwhile  puts  it  on  and  vanishes  from  their  sight.  A  httle 
further  on  he  meets  another  group,  who  are  quarrelling  for 
a  pair  of  boots,  the  wearer  of  which  can  wish  himself  whither- 
soever he  pleases,  and  gains  possession  of  them  in  the  same 
way  . 

Nor  in  one  Norse  tale  alone,  but  in  many,  we  find  traces 
of  these  three  wonderful  things,  or  of  things  like  them.  They 
are  very  hke  the  cloth,  the  ram,  and  the  stick,  which  the 
lad  got  from  the  North  Wind  instead  of  his  meal.  Very 
like,  too,  the  cloth,  the  scissors,  and  the  tap,  which  will  be 
found  in  No.  xxxvi,  '  The  Best  Wish  '.  If  we  drop  the  number 
three,  we  find  the  Boots  again  in  '  Soria  Moria  Castle  ',  No. 
LVi.  Leaving  the  Norse  Tales,  we  see  at  once  that  they 
are  the  seven-leagued  boots  of  Jack  the  Giant  Killer.  In 
the  Nihelungen  Lied,  when  Siegfried  finds  Schilbung  and 
Niblung,  the  wierd  heirs  of  the  famous  *  Hoard  ',  striving 
for  the  possession  of  that  heap  of  red  gold  and  gleaming 
stones  ;  when  they  beg  him  to  share  it  for  them,  promising 
him,  as  his  meed,  Balmung,  best  of  swords  ;  when  he  shares 
it,  when  they  are  discontent,  and  when  in  the  struggle  which 
ensues  he  gets  possession  of  the  '  Tarnhut ',  the  '  cloak  of  dark- 
ness ',  which  gave  its  wearer  the  strength  of  twelve  men,  and 
enabled  him  to  go  where  he  would  be  unseen,  and  which 
was  the  great  prize  among  the  treasures  of  the  dwarfs  ^ ;  who 
is  there  that  does  not  see  the  broken  fragments  of  that  old 
Eastern  story  of  the  heirs  struggling  for  their  inheritance, 
and  calling  in  the  aid  of  some  one  of  better  wit  or  strength, 


1  Moe,  Introd.,  xxxii-iii. 

2  The  account  in  the  Nihelungen  respecting  the  Tarnhut  is  confused,  and  the  text  prob- 
ably corrupt ;  but  so  much  is  plain,  that  Siegfried  got  it  from  Elberich  in  the  struggle 
which  ensued  with  Schilbung  and  Niblung,  after  he  had  shared  the  Hoard. 


20  Introduction 

who  ends  by  making  the  very  prize  for  which  they  fight  his 
own  ? 

And  now  to  return  for  a  moment  to  Calila  and  Dimna  and 
The  Seven  Sages.  Since  we  have  seen  that  there  are  other 
stories,  and  many  of  them,  for  this  is  by  no  means  the  only 
resemblance  to  be  found  in  Somadeva's  book  \  which  are  com- 
mon to  the  Eastern  and  Western  Aryans,  but  which  did  not 
travel  to  Europe  by  translation  ;  let  us  go  on  to  say  that 
it  is  by  no  means  certain,  even  when  some  \Vestern  story 
or  fable  is  found  in  these  Sanscrit  originals  and  their  transla- 
tions, that  that  was  the  only  way  by  which  they  came  to 
Europe.  A  single  question  will  prove  this.  How  did  the 
fables  and  apologues  which  are  found  in  vEsop,  and  which 
are  also  found  in  the  Pantcha  Tantra  and  the  Hitopadesa  come 
West  ?  That  they  came  from  the  East  is  certain  ;  but  by 
what  way,  certainly  not  by  translations  or  copying,  for  they 
had  travelled  west  long  before  translations  were  thought 
of.  How  was  it  that  Themistius,  a  Greek  orator  of  the  fourth 
century  ^  had  heard  of  that  fable  of  the  lion,  fox,  and  bull, 
which  is  in  substance  the  same  as  that  of  the  lion,  the  bull, 
and  the  two  jackals  in  the  Pantcha  Tantra  and  the  Hitopadesa  ? 
How,  but  along  the  path  of  that  primaeval  Aryan  migration, 
and  by  that  deep-ground  tone  of  tradition  by  which  man 
speaks  to  man,  nation  to  nation,  and  age  to  age  ;  along 
which  comparative  philology  has,  in  these  last  days,  tra- 
velled back  thither,  listened  to  the  accents  spoken,  and  so 
found  in  the  East  the  cradle  of  a  common  language  and 
common  belief. 

And  now,  having,  as  we  hope,  finally  established  this 
Indian  affinity,  and  disposed  of  mere  Indian  copying,  let 
us  lift  our  eyes  and  see  if  something  more  is  not  to  be  dis- 
cerned on  the  wide  horizon  now  open  on  our  view.  The 
most  interesting  problem  for  man  to  solve  is  the  origin  of 

1  Thus  we  find  it  in  the  originals  or  the  parallels  of  Grendel  in  Beowulf,  of  Rumpelstilt- 
skin,of  the  recovery  of  the  Bride  by  the  ring  dropped  into  the  cup,  as  related  in  '  Soria 
Moria  Castle,' and  other  tales  ;  of  the  'wishing  ram  ',  which  in  the  Indian  story  becomes 
a  '  wishing  cow  ',  and  thus  reminds  us  of  the  bull  in  one  of  these  Norse  Tales,  out  of  whose 
ear  came  a  '  wishing  cloth  ' ;  of  the  lucky  child,  who  finds  a  purse  of  gold  under  his  pillow 
every  morning  ;  and  of  the  red  lappet  sown  on  the  sleeping  lover,  as  on  Siegfried  in  the 
Niebelungen.  The  devices  of  Upakosa,  the  faithful  wife,  remind  us  at  once  of  '  the  Master- 
maid  ',  and  the  whole  of  the  stories  of  Saktideva  and  the  Golden  City,  and  of  Viduschaka, 
King  Adityasena's  daughter,  are  the  same  in  groundwork  and  in  many  of  their  incidents 
as  '  East  o'  the  Sun,  and  West  o'  the  Moon  ',  '  the  Three  Princesses  of  Whiteland  *,  and 
'  Soria  Moria  Castle  '. 

2  J.  Grimm,  Reinhart  Fuchs,  cclxiii,  Intr. 


Origin  of  the  Human  Race  21 

his  race.  Of  late  years  comparative  philology,  having  accom- 
plished her  task  in  proving  the  affinity  of  language  between 
Europe  and  the  East,  and  so  taken  a  mighty  step  towards 
fixing  the  first  seat  of  the  greatest — greatest  in  wit  and  wis- 
dom, if  not  in  actual  numbers — portion  of  the  human  race, 
has  pursued  her  inquiries  into  the  languages  of  the  Turanian, 
the  Semitic,  and  the  Chamitic  or  African  races,  with  more 
or  less  successful  results.  In  a  few  more  years,  when  the 
African  languages  are  better  known,  and  the  roots  of  Egyptian 
and  Chinese  words  are  more  accurately  detected.  Science 
will  be  better  able  to  speak  as  to  the  common  affinity  of 
all  the  tribes  that  throng  the  earth.  In  the  meantime,  let 
the  testimony  of  tradition  and  popular  tales  be  heard,  which 
in  this  case  have  outstripped  comparative  philology,  and  lead 
instead  of  following  her.  It  is  beyond  the  scope  of  this  essay, 
which  aims  at  being  popular  and  readable  rather  than  learned 
and  lengthy,  to  go  over  a  prolonged  scientific  investigation 
step  by  step.  We  repeat  it.  The  reader  must  have  faith 
in  the  writer,  and  beUeve  the  words  now  written  are  the 
results  of  an  inquiry,  and  not  ask  for  the  inquiry  itself.  In  all 
mythologies  and  traditions,  then,  there  are  what  may  be 
called  natural  resemblances,  parallelisms  suggested  to  the 
senses  of  each  race  by  natural  objects  and  every-day  events, 
and  these  might  spring  up  spontaneously  all  over  the  earth 
as  home  growths,  neither  derived  by  imitation  from  other 
tribes,  nor  from  seeds  of  common  tradition  shed  from  a  com- 
mon stock.  Such  resemblances  have  been  well  compared 
by  William  Grimm  \  to  those  words  which  are  found  in  all 
languages  derived  from  the  imitation  of  natural  sounds, 
or,  we  may  add,  from  the  first  lisping  accents  of  infancy. 
But  the  case  is  very  different  when  this  or  that  object  which 
strikes  the  senses  is  accounted  for  in  a  way  so  extraordinary 
and  peculiar,  as  to  stamp  the  tradition  with  a  character  of 
its  own.  Then  arises  a  hke  impression  on  the  mind,  if  we 
find  the  same  tradition  in  two  tribes  at  the  opposite  ends  of 
the  earth,  as  is  produced  by  meeting  twin  brothers,  one  in 
Africa  and  the  other  in  Asia  ;  we  say  at  once  *  I  know  you 
are  so  and  so's  brother,  you  are  so  Hke  him '.  Take  an  in- 
stance :    In  these  Norse  Tales,  No.  xxiii,  we  are  told  how  it 

1  Kinder  uttd  Hausmdrchen,  3d  vol.,  3d  edition  ( Gottingtn,  1856),  a  volume  worthy 
of  the  utmost  attention. 


22  Introduction 

was  the  bear  came  to  have  a  stumpy  tail,  and  in  an  African 
tale^  we  find  how  it  was  the  hyaena  became  tailless  and  earless. 
Now,  the  tailless  condition  both  of  the  bear  and  the  hyaena 
could  scarcely  fail  to  attract  attention  in  a  race  of  hunters, 
and  we  might  expect  that  popular  tradition  would  attempt 
to  account  for  both,  but  how  are  we  to  explain  the  fact, 
that  both  Norseman  and  African  account  for  it  in  the  same 
way — that  both  owe  their  loss  to  the  superior  cunning  of 
another  animal.  In  Europe  the  fox  bears  away  the  palm  for 
wit  from  all  other  animals,  so  he  it  is  that  persuades  the  bear 
in  the  Norse  Tales  to  sit  with  his  tail  in  a  hole  in  the  ice  till  it 
is  fast  frozen  in,  and  snaps  short  off  when  he  tries  to  tug  it 
out.  In  Bomou,  in  the  heart  of  Africa,  it  is  the  weasel  who 
is  the  wisest  of  beasts,  and  who,  having  got  some  meat 
in  common  with  the  hyaena,  put  it  into  a  hole,  and  said  : 

*  Behold  two  men  came  out  of  the  forest,  took  the  meat,  and  put  it 
into  a  hole  :  stop,  I  will  go  into  the  hole,  and  then  thou  mayst  stretch  out 
thy  tail  to  me,  and  I  will  tie  the  meat  to  thy  tail  for  thee  to  draw  it  out '. 
So  the  weasel  went  into  the  hole,  the  hysna  stretched  its  tail  out  to  it, 
but  the  weasel  took  the  hyaena's  tail,  fastened  a  stick,  and  tied  the  hya3na's 
tail  to  the  stick,  and  then  said  to  the  hyaena  '  I  have  tied  the  meat  to  thy 
tail ;  draw,  and  pull  it  out '.  The  hyaena  was  a  fool,  it  did  not  know  the 
weasel  surpassed  it  in  subtlety  ;  it  thought  the  meat  was  tied  ;  but  when 
it  tried  to  draw  out  its  tail,  it  was  fast.  When  the  weasel  said  again  to  it 
•  Pull ',  it  pulled,  but  could  not  draw  it  out  ;  so  it  became  vexed,  and  on 
pulling  with  force,  its  tail  broke.  The  tail  being  torn  out,  the  weasel 
was  no  more  seen  by  the  hyaena  :  the  weasel  was  hidden  in  the  hole  with 
its  meat,  and  the  hyaena  saw  it  not  \ 

Here  we  have  a  fact  in  natural  history  accounted  for,  but 
accounted  for  in  such  a  peculiar  way  as  shows  that  the  races 
among  which  they  are  current  must  have  derived  them  from 
some  common  tradition.  The  mode  by  which  the  tail  is  lost 
is  different  indeed  ;  but  the  manner  in  which  the  common 
ground-work  is  suited  in  one  case  to  the  cold  of  the  North, 
and  the  way  in  which  fish  are  commonly  caught  at  holes  in 
the  ice  as  they  rise  to  breathe  ;  and  in  the  other  to  Africa  and 
her  pitfalls  for  wild  beasts,  is  only  another  proof  of  the  oldness 
of  the  tradition,  and  that  it  is  not  merely  a  copy. 

Take  another  instance.  Every  one  knows  the  story  in 
the  Arabian  Nights,  where  the  man  who  knows  the  speech 

1  Kolle,  Kanuri  Proverbs  and  Fables  (London  Church  Missionary  House,  1854),  a  book 
of  great  philological  interest,  and  one  which  reflects  great  credit  on  the  religious  society 
by  which  it  was  published. 

2  Kanuri  Proverbs,  p.  167. 


African  Tales  23 

of  beasts  laughs  at  something  said  by  an  ox  to  an  ass.  His 
wife  wants  to  know  why  he  laughs,  and  persists,  though  he 
tells  her  it  will  cost  him  his  life  if  he  tells  her.  As  he  doubts 
what  to  do,  he  hears  the  cock  say  to  the  house-dog  '  Our 
master  is  not  wise  ;  I  have  fifty  hens  who  obey  me  ;  if  he 
followed  my  advice,  he'd  just  take  a  good  stick,  shut  up  his 
wife  in  a  room  with  him,  and  give  her  a  good  cudgelling.' 
The  same  story  is  told  in  Straparola  1  with  so  many  variations 
as  to  show  it  is  no  copy  ;  it  is  also  told  in  a  Servian  popular 
tale,  with  variations  of  its  own  ;  and  now  here  we  find  it  in 
Bornou,  as  told  by  Kolle. 

There  was  a  servant  of  God  who  had  one  wife  and  one  horse  ;  but  his 
wife  was  one-eyed,  and  they  lived  in  their  house.  Now  this  servant  of 
God  understood  the  language  of  the  beasts  of  the  forest  when  they  spoke, 
and  of  the  birds  of  the  air  when  they  talked  as  they  flew  by.  This  servant 
of  God  also  understood  the  cry  of  the  hyaena  when  it  arose  at  night  in  the 
forest,  and  came  to  the  houses  and  cried  near  them ;  so,  likewise,  when 
his  horse  was  hungry  and  neighed,  he  understood  why  it  neighed,  rose  up, 
brought  the  horse  grass,  and  then  returned  and  sat  down.  It  happened 
one  day  that  birds  had  their  talk  as  they  were  flying  by  above  and  the 
servant  of  God  understood  what  they  talked.  This  caused  him  to  laugh, 
whereupon  his  wife  said  to  him  '  What  dost  thou  hear  that  thou  laughest  ? ' 
He  replied  to  his  wife  '  I  shall  not  tell  thee  what  I  hear,  and  why  I  laugh'. 
The  woman  said  to  her  husband  '  I  know  why  thou  laughest ;  thou  laughest 
at  me  because  I  am  one-eyed '.  The  man  then  said  to  his  wife  *  I  saw  that 
thou  wast  one-eyed  before  I  loved  thee,  and  before  we  married  and  sat 
down  in  ovir  house '.  When  the  woman  heard  her  husband's  word  she 
was  quiet. 

But  once  at  night,  as  they  were  lying  on  then:  bed,  and  it  was  past  mid- 
night, it  happened  that  a  rat  played  with  his  wife  on  the  top  of  the  house 
and  that  both  fell  to  the  ground.  Then  the  wife  of  the  rat  said  to  her  hus- 
band '  Thy  sport  is  bad  ;  thou  saidst  to  me  that  thou  wouldst  play,  but 
when  we  came  together  we  fell  to  the  ground,  so  that  I  broke  my  back'. 

When  the  servant  of  God  heard  the  talk  of  the  rat's  wife,  as  he  was  lying 
on  his  bed,  he  laughed.  Now,  as  soon  as  he  laughed  his  wife  arose,  seized 
him,  and  said  to  him  as  she  held  him  fast  :  '  Now  this  time  I  will  not  let 
thee  go  out  of  this  house  except  thou  tell  me  what  thou  hearest  and  why 
thou  laughest '.  The  man  begged  the  woman,  saying  *  Let  me  go '  i  but 
the  woman  would  not  listen  to  her  husband's  entreaty. 

The  husband  then  tells  his  wife  that  he  knows  the  language 
of  beasts  and  birds,  and  she  is  content ;  but  when  he  wakes 
in  the  morning  he  finds  he  has  lost  his  wonderful  gift ;  and 
the  moral  of  the  tale  is  added  most  ungallantly :    '  If  a  man 

1  Notte  Duodecima.  Favola  terza.  '  Federigo  da  Pozzuolo  che  intendeva  il  linguaggio 
de  gli  animali,  astretto  dalla  moglie  dirle  ua  «egi6t«,  quella  stranamente  batte,' 


24  Introduction 

shews  and  tells  his  thoughts  to  a  woman,  God  will  punish 
him  for  it '.  Though,  perhaps,  it  is  better,  for  the  sake  of  the 
gentler  sex,  that  the  tale  should  be  pointed  with  this  unfair 
moral,  than  that  the  African  story  should  proceed  like  all 
the  other  variations,  and  save  the  husband's  gift  at  the  cost 
of  the  wife's  skin. 

Take  other  African  instances.  How  is  it  that  the  wander- 
ing Bechuanas  got  their  story  of  *  The  Two  Brothers  ',  the 
ground-work  of  which  is  the  same  as  '  The  Machandelboom  ' 
and  the  '  Milk-white  Doo ',  and  where  the  incidents  and 
even  the  words  are  almost  the  same  ?  How  is  it  that  in  some 
of  its  traits  that  Bechuana  story  embodies  those  of  that 
earUest  of  all  popular  tales,  recently  published  from  an  Egyp- 
tian Papyrus,  coeval  with  the  abode  of  the  Israehtes  in  Egypt  ? 
and  how  is  it  that  that  same  Egyptian  tale  has  other  traits 
which  reminds  us  of  the  Dun  Bull  in  '  Katie  Woodencloak  ', 
as  well  as  incidents  which  are  the  germ  of  stories  long  since 
reduced  to  writing  in  Norse  Sagas  of  the  twelfth  and  thir- 
teenth centuries  ?  ^  How  is  it  that  we  still  find  among  the 
Negroes  in  the  West  Indies  ^  a  rich  store  of  popular  tales,  and 
the  Beast  Epic  in  full  bloom,  brought  with  them  from  Africa 
to  the  islands  of  the  West ;  and  among  those  tales  and  tra- 
ditions, how  is  it  that  we  find  a  '  Wishing  Tree  ',  the  counter- 
part of  that  in  a  German  popular  tale,  and  *  a  little  dirty 
scrub  of  a  child  ',  whom  his  sisters  despise,  but  who  is  own 
brother  to  Boots  in  the  Norse  Tales,  and  like  him  outwits  the 
Troll,  spoils  his  substance,  and  saves  his  sisters  ?  How  is 
it  that  we  find  the  good  woman  who  washes  the  loathsome 
head  rewarded,  while  the  bad  man  who  refuses  to  do  that  dirty 
work  is  punished  for  his  pride  ;  the  very  groundwork,  nay 
the  very  words,  that  we  meet  in  Bushy-bride,  another  Norse 
Tale  ?  How  is  it  that  we  find  a  Mongolian  tale,  which  came 
confessedly  from  India,  made  up  of  two  of  our  Norse  tales, 
*  Rich  Peter  the  Pedlar '  and  '  The  Giant  that  had  no 
heart  in  his  body '  ^  ?  How  should  all  these  things  be, 
and  how  could  they  possibly  be,  except  on  that  theory  which 
day  by  day  becomes  more  and  more  a  matter  of  fact ;    this, 

1  The  story  of  the  Two  Brothers  Anesou  and  Satou,  from  the  D'Orbiney  Papyrus, 
by  De  Ronge,  Paris,  1852. 

2  See  the  Ananzi  Stories  in  the  Appendix,  which  have  been  taken  down  from  the 
mouth  of  a  West  Indian  nurse. 

3  The  Deeds  of  Bogda  Cesser  Chan,  by  I.  J.  Schmidt  (Petersburg  and  Leipzig,  1839). 


The  ^sir  and  the  Frost  Giants  25 

that  the  whole  human  race  sprung  from  one  stock,  planted 
in  the  East,  which  has  stretched  out  its  boughs  and  branches 
laden  with  the  fruit  of  language,  and  bright  with  the  bloom 
of  song  and  story,  by  successive  offshoots  to  the  utmost 
parts  of  the  earth. 


NORSE     MYTHOLOGY 

And  now,  in  the  second  place,  for  that  particular  branch 
of  the  Aryan  race,  in  which  this  peculiar  development  of  the 
common  tradition  has  arisen,  which  we  are  to  consider  as 
*  Norse  Popular  Tales  '. 

Whatever  disputes  may  have  existed  as  to  the  mythology 
of  other  branches  of  the  Teutonic  subdivision  of  the  Aryan 
race — whatever  discussions  may  have  arisen  as  to  the  position 
of  this  or  that  divinity  among  the  Franks,  the  Anglo-Saxons, 
or  the  Goths — about  the  Norsemen  there  can  be  no  dispute 
or  doubt.  From  a  variety  of  circumstances,  but  two  before 
all  the  rest — the  one  their  settlement  in  Iceland,  which  pre- 
servad  their  language  and  its  literary  treasures  incorrupt ;  the 
other  their  late  conversion  to  Christianity — their  cosmogony 
and  mythology  stands  before  us  in  full  flower,  and  we  have 
not,  as  elsewhere,  to  pick  up  and  piece  together  the  wretched 
fragments  of  a  faith,  the  articles  of  which  its  own  priests  had 
forgotten  to  commit  to  writing,  and  which  those  of  another 
creed  had  dashed  to  pieces  and  destroyed,  wherever  their 
zealous  hands  could  reach.  In  the  two  Eddas,  therefore,  in 
the  early  Sages,  in  Saxo's  stilted  Latin,  which  barely  conceals 
[the  popular  songs  and  legends  from  which  the  historian  drew 
his  materials,  we  are  enabled  to  form  a  perfect  conception  of 
the  creed  of  the  heathen  Norsemen.  We  are  enabled  to  trace, 
as  has  been  traced  by  the  same  hand  in  another  place  ^  the 
natural  and  rational  development  of  that  creed  from  a  simple 
worship  of  nature  and  her  powers,  first  to  monotheism,  and 
then  to  a  polytheistic  system.  The  tertiary  system  of  Poly- 
theism is  the  soil  out  of  which  the  mythology  of  the  Eddas 
sprang,  though  through  it  each  of  the  older  formations  crops 
out  in  huge  masses  which  admit  of  no  mistake  as  to  its  origin. 
In  the  Eddas  the  natural  powers  have  been  partly  subdued, 

1  Oxford  Essays  for  1858 :    *  The  Norsemen  in  Iceland  . 


26  Introduction 

partly  thrust  on  one  side,  for  a  time,  by  Odin  and  the  ^sir, 
by  the  Great  Father  and  his  children,  by  One  Supreme  and 
twelve  subordinate  gods,  who  rule  for  an  appointed  time, 
and  over  whom  hangs  an  impending  fate,  which  imparts  a 
charm  of  melancholy  to  this  creed,  which  has  clung  to  the 
race  who  once  beUeved  in  it  long  after  the  creed  itself  has 
vanished  before  the  light  of  Christianity.  According  to  this 
creed,  the  ^sir  and  Odin  had  their  abode  in  Asgard,  a  lofty 
hill  in  the  centre  of  the  habitable  earth,  in  the  midst  of  Mid- 
gard,  that  middle  earth  which  we  hear  of  in  early  EngHsh  poetry, 
the  abode  of  gods  and  men.  Round  that  earth,  which  was 
fenced  in  against  the  attacks  of  ancient  and  inveterate  foes 
by  a  natural  fortification  of  hills,  flowed  the  great  sea  in  a 
ring,  and  beyond  that  sea  was  Utgard,  the  outlying  world,  the 
abode  of  Frost  Giants,  and  Monsters,  those  old-natural  powers 
who  had  been  dispossessed  by  Odin  and  the  ^sir  when  the 
new  order  of  the  universe  arose,  and  between  whom  and  the 
new  gods  a  feud  as  inveterate  as  that  cherished  by  the  Titans" 
against  Jupiter  was  necessarily  kept  alive.  It  is  true  indeed 
that  this  feud  was  broken  by  intervals  of  truce  during  which 
the  TEsir  and  the  Giants  visit  each  other,  and  appear  on  more 
or  less  friendly  terms,  but  the  true  relation  between  them  was 
war  ;  pretty  much  as  the  Norseman  was  at  war  with  all  the 
rest  of  the  world.  Nor  was  this  struggle  between  two  rival 
races  or  powers  confined  to  the  gods  in  Asgard  alone.  Just 
as  their  ancient  foes  were  the  Giants  of  Frost  and  Snow,  so 
between  the  race  of  men  and  the  race  of  Trolls  was  there  a 
perpetual  feud.  As  the  gods  were  men  magnified  and  exag- 
gerated, so  were  the  Trolls  diminished  Frost  Giants  ;  far 
superior  to  man  in  strength  and  stature,  but  inferior  to  man  in 
wit  and  invention.  Like  the  Frost  Giants,  they  inhabit  the 
rough  and  rugged  places  of  the  earth,  and,  historically  speak- 
ing, in  all  probability  represent  the  old  aboriginal  races  who 
retired  into  the  mountainous  fastnesses  of  the  land,  and  whose 
strength  was  exaggerated,  because  the  intercourse  between 
the  races  was  small.  In  almost  every  respect  they  stand  in 
the  same  relations  to  men  as  the  Frost  Giants  stand  to  the 
Gods. 

There  is  nothing,  perhaps,  more  characteristic  of  a  true, 
as  compared  with  a  false  rehgion,  than  the  restlessness  of  the 
one  when  brought  face  to  face  with  the  quiet  dignity  and 


r 


True  and  False  Religions  27 

majesty  of  the  other.  Under  the  Christian  dispensation, 
our  blessed  Lord,  his  awful  sacrifice  once  performed,  '  ascended 
up  on  high  ',  having  *  led  captivity  captive  ',  and  expects  the 
hour  that  shall  make  his  foes  '  his  footstool '  ;  but  false  gods, 
Jupiter,  Vishnu,  Odin,  Thor,  must  constantly  keep  themselves, 
as  it  were,  before  the  eyes  of  men,  lest  they  should  lose  respect. 
Such  gods  being  invariably  what  the  philosophers  call  subjective, 
that  is  to  say,  having  no  existence  except  in  the  minds  of  those 
who  believe  in  them  ;  having  been  created  by  man  in  his 
own  image,  with  his  own  desires  and  passions,  stand  in  constant 
need  of  being  recreated.  They  change  as  the  habits  and 
temper  of  the  race  which  adores  them  alter  ;  they  are  ever 
bound  to  do  something  fresh,  lest  man  should  forget  them,  and 
new  divinities  usurp  their  place.  Hence  came  endless  avatars 
in  Hindoo  mythology,  reproducing  all  the  dreamy  monstro- 
sities of  that  passive  Indian  mind.  Hence  came  Jove's  ad- 
ventures, tinged  with  all  the  lust  and  guile  which  the  wicked- 
ness of  the  natural  man  planted  on  a  hot-bed  of  iniquity  is 
capable  of  conceiving.  Hence  bloody  Moloch,  and  the  foul 
abominations  of  Chemosh  and  Milcom.  Hence,  too,  Odin's 
countless  adventures,  his  journeys  into  all  parts  of  the  world, 
his  constant  trials  of  wit  and  strength,  with  his  ancient  foes 
the  Frost  Giants,  his  hair-breadth  escapes.  Hence  Thor's 
labours  and  toils,  his  passages  beyond  the  sea,  girt  with  his 
strength-belt,  wearing  his  iron  gloves,  and  grasping  his  ham- 
mer which  split  the  skulls  of  so  many  of  the  Giant's  kith  and 
kin.  In  the  Norse  gods,  then,  we  see  the  Norsem.an  himself, 
sublimed  and  elevated  beyond  man's  nature,  but  bearing  about 
with  him  all  his  bravery  and  endurance,  all  his  dash  and  spirit 
of  adventure,  all  his  fortitude  and  resolution  to  struggle  against 
a  certainty  of  doom  which,  sooner  or  later,  must  overtake 
him  on  that  dread  day,  the  '  twilight  of  the  gods  ',  when  the 
wolf  was  to  break  loose,  when  the  great  snake  that  lay  coiled 
round  the  world  should  lash  himself  into  wrath,  and  the  whole 
race  of  the  ^Esirs  and  their  antagonists  were  to  perish  in  inter- 
necine strife. 

Such  were  the  gods  on  whom  the  Norseman  believed — 
exaggerations  of  himself,  of  all  his  good  and  all  his  bad  quali- 
ties. Their  might  and  their  adventures,  their  domestic 
quarrels  and  certain  doom,  were  sung  in  venerable  lays,  now 
collected  in  what  we  call  the  Elder,  or  Poetic  Edda  ;   simple 


28 


Introduction 


majestic  songs,  whose  mellow  accents  go  straight  to  the  heart 
through  the  ear,  and  whose  simple  severity  never  suffers  us 
to  mistake  their  meaning.  But,  besides  these  gods,  there 
were  heroes  of  the  race  whose  fame  and  glory  were  in  every 
man's  memory,  and  whose  mighty  deeds  were  in  every  min- 
strel's mouth.  Helgi,  Sigmund,  Sinfjotli,  Sigurd,  Signy, 
Brynhildr,  Gudrun  ;  champions  and  shield-maidens,  hench- 
men and  corse-chosers,  now  dead  and  gone,  who  sat  round 
Odin's  board  in  Valhalla.  Women  whose  beauty,  woes,  and 
sufferings  were  beyond  those  of  all  women  ;  men  whose  prowess 
had  never  found  an  equal.  Between  these,  love  and  hate  ; 
all  that  can  foster  passion  or  beget  revenge.  Ill  assorted 
marriages  ;  the  right  man  to  the  wrong  woman,  and  the 
wrong  man  to  the  right  woman  ;  envyings,  jealousies,  hatred, 
murders,  all  the  works  of  the  natural  man,  combine  together 
to  form  that  marvellous  story  which  begins  with  a  curse — 
the  curse  of  ill-gotten  gold — and  ends  with  a  curse,  a  widow's 
curse,  which  drags  down  all  on  whom  it  falls,  and  even  her 
own  flesh  and  blood,  to  certain  doom.  Such  was  the  theme 
of  the  wondrous  Yolsung^Tale^  the  far  older,  simpler  and  grander 
original  of  that  Nibelungen  Need  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
a  tale  which  begins  with  the  slaughter  of  Fafnir  by  Sigurd, 
and  ends  with  Hermanaric,  '  that  fierce  faith-breaker  ',  as 
the  Anglo-Saxon  minstrel  calls  him,  when  he  is  describing,  in 
rapid  touches,  the  mythic  glories  of  the  Teutonic  race. 

This  was  the  story  of  the  Volsungs.  They  traced  them- 
selves back,  like  all  heroes,  to  Odin,  the  great  father  of  gods  and 
men.  From  him  sprung  Sigi,  from  him  Rerir,  from  him 
Volsung,  ripped  from  his  mother's  womb  after  a  six  years' 
bearing,  to  become  the  Eponymus  of  that  famous  race.  In  the 
centre  of  his  hall  grew  an  oak,  the  tall  trunk  of  which  passed 
through  the  roof,  and  its  boughs  spread  far  and  wide  in  upper 
air.  Into  that  hall,  on  a  high  feast  day,  when  Signy,  Volsung's 
daughter,  was  to  be  given  away  to  Siggeir,  King  of  Gothland, 
strode  an  old  one-eyed  guest.  His  feet  were  bare,  his  hose 
were  of  knitted  linen,  he  wore  a  great  striped  cloak,  and  a 
broad  flapping  hat.  In  his  hand  he  bore  a  sword,  which, 
at  one  stroke,  he  drove  up  to  the  hilt  in  the  oak  trunk.  *  There  ', 
said  he,  '  let  him  of  all  this  company  bear  this  sword  who  is 
man  enough  to  pull  it  out.  I  give  it  him,  and  none  shall  say 
he  ever  bore  a  better  blade.'     With  these  words  he  passed  out 


The  Volsung  Tale  29 

of  the  hall,  and  was  seen  no  more.  Many  tried,  for  that  sword 
was  plainly  a  thing  of  price,  but  none  could  stir  it,  till  Sig- 
mund,  the  best  and  bravest  of  Volsung's  sons,  tried  his  hand, 
and,  lo  !  the  weapon  yielded  itself  at  once.  This  was  that 
famous  blade  Gram,  of  which  we  shall  hear  again.  Sigmund 
bore  it  in  battle  against  his  brother-in-law,  who  quarrelled 
with  him  about  this  very  sword,  when  Volsung  fell,  and  Sig- 
mund and  his  ten  brothers  were  taken  and  bound.  All 
perished  but  Sigmund,  who  was  saved  by  his  sister  Signy,  and 
hidden  in  a  wood  till  he  could  revenge  his  father  and  brethren. 
Here  with  Sinfjotli,  who  was  at  once  his  son  and  nephew,  he 
ran  as  a  werewolf  through  the  forest,  and  wrought  many  wild 
deeds.  When  Sinfjotli  was  of  age  to  help  him,  they  proceed 
to  vengeance,  and  burn  the  treacherous  brother-in-law  alive, 
with  all  his  followers.  Sigmund  then  regains  his  father's 
kingdom,  and  in  extreme  old  age  dies  in  battle  against  the 
sons  of  King  Hunding.  Just  as  he  was  about  to  turn  the 
fight,  a  warrior  of  more  than  mortal  might,  a  one-eyed  man  in 
a  blue  cloak,  with  a  flapping  hat,  rose  up  against  him  spear 
in  hand.  At  that  outstretched  spear  Sigmund  smites  with  his 
trusty  sword.  It  snaps  in  twain.  Then  he  knows  that  his 
luck  is  gone  ;  he  sees  in  his  foe  Odin  the  giver  of  the  sword, 
sinks  down  on  the  gory  battle-field,  and  dies  in  the  arms  of 
Hjordis,  his  young  wife,  refusing  all  leechcraft,  and  bowing  his 
head  to  Odin's  will.  By  the  fortune  of  war,  Hjordis,  bearing  a 
babe  under  her  girdle,  came  into  the  hands  of  King  Hialprek 
of  Denmark,  there  she  bore  a  son  to  Sigmund,  Sigurd,  the 
darUng  of  Teutonic  song  and  story.  Regin,  the  king's  smith, 
was  his  foster-father,  and  as  the  boy  grew  up  the  fairest  and 
stoutest  of  all  the  Volsungs,  Regin,  who  was  of  the  dwarf 
race,  urged  him  day  by  day  to  do  a  doughty  deed,  and 
slay  Fafnir  the  Dragon.  For  Fafnir,  Regin,  and  Otter  had 
been  brothers,  sons  of  Rddmar.  In  one  of  their  many  wan- 
derings, Odin,  Loki,  and  Haenir  came  to  a  river  and  a  force. 
There,  on  the  bank  under  the  force,  they  saw  an  otter  with  a 
salmon  in  its  mouth,  which  it  ate  greedily  with  its  eyes  shut. 
Loki  took  a  stone,  threw  it,  and  killed  the  beast,  and  boasted 
how  he  had  got  both  fish  and  flesh  at  one  throw.  Then  the 
-^sir  passed  on  and  came  at  night  to  Reidmar's  house,  asked  a 
lodging,  got  it,  and  showed  their  spoil.  *  Seize  and  bind  them 
lads  ',  cried  Reidmar  ;  *  for  they  have  slain  your  brother  Otter  *. 


30  Introduction 

So  they  were  seized  and  bound  by  Regin  and  Fafnir,  and 
offered  an  atonement  to  buy  off  the  feud,  and  Reidmar  was  to 
name  the  sum.  Then  Otter  was  flayed,  and  the  ^sir  were  to 
fill  the  skin  with  red  gold,  and  cover  it  without,  that  not  a  hair 
could  be  seen.  To  fetch  the  gold  Odin  sent  Loki  down  to  the 
abodes  of  the  Black  Elves  ;  there  in  a  stream  he  caught  Andvari 
the  Dwarf,  and  made  him  give  up  all  the  gold  which  he  had 
hoarded  up  in  the  stony  rock.  In  vain  the  Dwarf  begged  and 
prayed  that  he  might  keep  one  ring,  for  it  was  the  source  of 
all  his  wealth,  and  ring  after  ring  dropped  from  it.  '  No  ; 
not  a  penny  should  he  have  '  said  Loki.  Then  the  dwarf  laid 
a  curse  on  the  ring,  and  said  it  should  be  every  man's  bane 
who  owned  it.  '  So  much  the  better  '  said  Loki ;  and  when  he 
got  back,  Odin  saw  the  ring  how  fair  it  was,  and  kept  it  to 
himself,  but  gave  the  gold  to  Reidmar.  So  Reidmar  filled  the 
skin  with  gold  as  full  as  he  could,  and  set  it  up  on  end,  and 
Odin  poured  gold  over  it,  and  covered  it  up.  But  when 
Reidmar  looked  at  it  he  saw  still  one  grey  hair,  and  bade  them 
cover  that  too,  else  the  atonement  was  at  an  end.  Then  Odin 
drew  forth  the  ring  and  laid  it  over  the  grey  hair.  So  the 
^sir  was  set  free,  but  before  they  went,  Loki  repeated  the 
curse  which  Andvari  had  laid  upon  the  ring  and  gold.  It  soon 
began  to  work.  First,  Regin  asked  for  some  of  the  gold,  but 
not  a  penny  would  Reidmar  give.  So  the  two  brothers  laid 
their  heads  together  and  slew  their  sire.  Then  Regin  begged 
Fafnir  to  share  the  gold  with  him.  But  '  no  ',  Fafnir  was 
stronger,  and  said  he  should  keep  it  all  himself,  and  Regin  had 
best  be  off,  unless  he  wished  to  fare  the  same  way  as  Reidmar. 
So  Regin  had  to  fly,  but  Fafnir  took  a  dragon's  shape ; 
'  and  there  ',  said  Regin,  *  he  lies  on  the  ''  Glistening  Heath  ", 
coiled  round  his  store  of  gold  and  precious  things,  and  that's 
why  I  wish  you  to  kill  him.'  Sigurd,  told  Regin  who  was  the 
best  of  smiths,  to  forge  him  a  sword.  Two  are  made,  but  both 
snap  asunder  at  the  first  stroke.  *  Untrue  are  they  like  you 
and  all  your  race  '  cries  Sigurd.  Then  he  went  to  his  mother 
and  begged  the  broken  bits  of  Gram,  and  out  of  them  Regin 
forged  a  new  blade,  that  clove  the  anvil  in  the  smithy,  and  cut 
a  lock  of  wool  borne  down  upon  it  by  a  running  stream.  *  Now, 
slay  me  Fafnir  ',  said  Regin  ;  but  Sigurd  must  first  find  out 
King  Hunding's  sons,  and  avenge  his  father  Sigmund's  death. 
King  Hialprek  lends  him  force  ;   by  Odin's  guidance  he  finds 


The  Volsung  Tale  ^  31 

them  out,  routs  their  army,  and  slays  all  those  brothers. 
On  his  return,  his  foster-father  still  eggs  him  on  to  slay  the 
Dragon,  and  thus  to  shew  that  there  was  still  a  Volsung  left. 
So,  armed  with  Gram,  and  mounted  on  Gran,  his  good  steed, 
whom  Odin  had  taught  him  how  to  choose,  Sigurd  rode  to  the 
'  Glistening  Heath  ',  dug  a  pit  in  the  Dragon's  path,  and  slew 
him  as  he  passed  over  him  down  to  drink  at  the  river.  Then 
Regin  came  up,  and  the  old  feeling  of  vengeance  for  a  brother's 
blood  grew  strong,  and  as  an  atonement,  Sigurd  was  to  roast 
Fafnir's  heart,  and  carry  it  to  Regin,  who  swilled  his  full  of 
the  Dragon's  blood,  and  lay  down  to  sleep.  But  as  Sigurd 
roasted  the  heart,  and  wondered  if  it  would  soon  be  done,  he 
tried  it  with  his  finger  to  see  if  it  were  soft.  The  hot  roast 
burned  his  finger,  and  he  put  it  into  his  mouth,  and  tasted  the 
life-blood  of  the  Dragon.  Then  in  a  moment  he  understood 
the  song  of  birds,  and  heard  how  the  swallows  over  his  head  said 
one  to  the  other,  '  There  thou  sittest,  Sigurd,  roasting  Fafnir's 
heart.  Eat  it  thyself  and  become  the  wisest  of  men.'  Then 
another  said  '  There  lies  Regin,  and  means  to  cheat  him  who 
trusts  him.'  Then  a  third  said  *  Let  Sigurd  cut  off  his  head 
then,  and  so  own  all  the  gold  himself.'  Then  Sigurd  went  to 
Regin  and  slew  him,  and  ate  the  heart,  and  rode  on  Gran  to 
Fafnir's  lair,  and  took  the  spoil  and  loaded  his  good  steed  with  it, 
and  rode  away. 

And  now  Sigurd  was  the  most  famous  of  men.  All  the  songs 
and  stories  of  the  North  made  him  the  darling  of  that  age. 
They  dwell  on  his  soft  hair,  which  fell  in  great  locks  of  golden 
brown,  on  his  bushy  beard  of  auburn  hue,  his  straight  features, 
his  ruddy  cheeks,  his  broad  brow,  his  bright  and  piercing  eye, 
of  which  few  dared  to  meet  the  gaze,  his  taper  limbs  and  well 
knit  joints,  his  broad  shoulders,  and  towering  height.  '  So 
tall  he  was,  that  as  he  strode  through  the  full-grown  rye,  girt 
with  Gram,  the  tip  of  the  scabbard  just  touched  the  ears  of 
corn.'  Ready  of  tongue  too,  and  full  of  forethought.  His 
great  pleasure  was  to  help  other  men,  and  to  do  daring  deeds  ; 
to  spoil  his  foes,  and  give  largely  to  his  friends.  The  bravest 
man  alive,  and  one  that  never  knew  fear.  On  and  on  he  rode, 
till  on  a  lone  fell  he  saw  a  flickering  flame,  and  when  he  reached 
it,  there  it  flamed  and  blazed  all  round  a  house.  No  horse 
but  Gran  could  ride  that  flame  ;  no  man  alive  but  Sigurd  sit 
him  while  he  leaped  through  it.     Inside  the  house  lay  a  fair 


32  Introduction 

maiden,  armed  from  head  to  foot,  in  a  deep  sleep.  Brynhildr, 
Atli's  sister,  was  her  name,  a  Valkyrie,  a  corse-chooser  ;  but 
out  of  wilfulness  she  had  given  the  victory  to  the  wrong  side, 
and  Odin  in  his  wrath  had  thrust  the  horn  of  sleep  into  her 
cloak,  and  laid  her  under  a  curse  to  slumber  there  till  a  man 
bold  enough  to  ride  through  that  flame  came  to  set  her  free, 
and  win  her  for  his  bride.  So  then  she  woke  up,  and  taught 
him  all  runes  and  wisdom,  and  they  swore  to  love  each  other 
with  a  mighty  oath,  and  then  Sigurd  left  her  and  rode  on. 

So  on  he  rode  to  King  Giuki's  hall,  Giuki  the  Niflung,  King 
of  Frankland,  whose  wife  was  Grimhildr,  whose  sons  were 
Gunnar  and  Hogni,  whose  stepson  was  Guttorm,  and  whose 
daughter  was  the  fair  Gudrun.  Here  at  first  he  was  full 
of  Brynhildr,  and  all  for  going  back  to  fetch  his  lovely  bride 
from  the  lone  fell.  But  Grimhildr  was  given  to  dark  arts  ; 
she  longed  for  the  brave  Volsung  for  her  own  daughter,  she 
brewed  him  the  philtre  of  forgetfulness,  he  drained  it  off, 
forgot  Brynhildr,  swore  a  brother's  friendship  with  Gunnar 
and  Hogni,  and  wedded  the  fair  Gudrun.  But  now  Giuki 
wanted  a  wife  for  Gunnar,  and  so  off  set  the  brothers  and 
their  bosom  friend  to  woo,  but  whom  should  they  choose  but 
Brynhildr,  Atli's  sister,  who  sat  there  still  upon  the  fell, 
waiting  for  the  man  who  was  bold  enough  to  ride  through 
the  flickering  flame.  She  knew  but  one  could  do  it,  and 
waited  for  that  one  to  come  back.  So  she  had  given  out 
whoever  could  ride  that  flame  should  have  her  to  wife.  So 
when  Gunnar  and  Hogni  reached  it,  Gunnar  rode  at  it,  but 
his  horse,  good  though  it  was,  swerved  from  the  fierce  flame. 
Then  by  Grimhild's  magic  arts,  Sigurd  and  Gunnar  changed 
shapes  and  arms,  and  Sigurd  leapt  up  on  Gran's  back,  and 
the  good  steed  bore  him  bravely  through  the  flame.  So 
Brynhildr  the  proud  maiden  was  won  and  forced  to  yield. 
That  evening  was  their  wedding  ;  but  when  they  lay  down 
to  rest,  Sigurd  unsheathed  his  keen  sword  Gram,  and  laid 
it  naked  between  them.  Next  morning  when  he  arose, 
he  took  the  ring  which  Andvari  had  laid  under  the  curse, 
and  which  was  among  Fafnir's  treasures,  and  gave  it  to 
Brynhildr  as  a  *  morning  gift ',  and  she  gave  him  another 
ring  as  a  pledge.  Then  Sigurd  rode  back  to  his  companions 
and  took  his  own  shape  agrdn,  and  then  Gunnar  went  and 
claimed  Brynhildr,  and  carried  her  home  as  his  bride.     But 


The  Volsung   Tale  33 

no  sooner  was  Gunnar  wedded,  than  Sigurd's  eyes  were 
opened,  and  the  power  of  the  philtre  passed  away,  he  re- 
membered all  that  had  passed,  and  the  oath  he  had  sworn 
to  Brynhildr.  All  this  came  back  upon  him  when  it  was  too 
late,  but  he  was  wise  and  said  nothing  about  it. 

Well,  so  things  went  on,  till  one  day  Brynhildr  and  Gudrun 
went  down  to  the  river  to  wash  their  hair.  Then  Brynhildr 
waded  out  into  the  stream  as  far  as  she  could,  and  said  she 
wouldn't  have  on  her  head  the  water  that  streamed  from 
Gudrun's  ;  for  hers  was  the  braver  husband.  So  Gudrun 
waded  out  after  her,  and  said  the  water  ought  to  come  on  her 
hair  first,  because  her  husband  bore  away  the  palm  from 
Gunnar,  and  every  other  man  alive,  for  he  slew  Fafnir  and 
Regin  and  took  their  inheritance.  '  Aye  ',  said  Brynhildr, 
'  but  it  was  a  worthier  deed  when  Gunnar  rode  through  the 
flame,  but  Sigurd  dared  not  try  !'  Then  Gudrun  laughed, 
and  said  '  Thinkst  thou  that  Gunnar  really  rode  the  flame  ? 
I  trow  he  went  to  bed  with  thee  that  night,  who  gave  me  this 
gold  ring.  And  as  for  that  ring  yonder  which  you  have  on 
your  finger,  and  which  you  got  as  your  "  morning-gift  "  ;  its 
name  is  Andvari's-spoil,  and  that  I  don't  think  Gunnar  sought 
on  the  '  Glistening  Heath  '.  Then  Brynhildr  held  her  peace 
and  went  home,  and  her  love  for  Sigurd  came  back,  but  it 
was  turned  to  hate,  for  she  felt  herself  betrayed.  Then  she 
egged  on  Gunnar  to  revenge  her  wrong.  At  last  the  brothers 
yielded  to  her  entreaties,  but  they  were  sworn  brothers  to 
Sigurd,  and  to  break  that  oath  by  deed  was  a  thing  unheard 
of.  Still  they  broke  it  in  spirit ;  by  charms  and  prayers 
they  set  on  Guttorm  their  half-brother,  and  so  at  dead  of 
night,  while  Gudrun  held  the  bravest  man  alive  fast  locked 
her  white  arms,  the  murderer  stole  to  the  bedside  and 
rove  a  sword  through  the  hero.  Then  Sigurd  turned  and 
ithed,  and  as  Guttorm  fled  he  hurled  Gram  after  him,  and 
le  keen  blade  took  him  asunder  at  the  waist,  and  his  head 
ill  out  of  the  room  and  his  heels  in,  and  that  was  the  end 
)f  Guttorm.  But  with  revenge  Brynhildr's  love  returned, 
id  when  Sigurd  was  laid  upon  the  pile  her  heart  broke  ; 
le  burst  forth  into  a  prophetic  song  of  the  woes  that  were 
till  to  come,  made  them  lay  her  by  his  side  with  Gram  between 
lem,  and  so  went  to  Valhalla  with  her  old  lover.  Thus 
idvari's  curse  was  fulfilled. 

D 


34  Introduction 

Gudnin,  the  weary  widow,  wandered  away.  After  a  while, 
she  accepts  atonement  from  her  brothers  for  her  husband's 
loss,  and  marries  Atli,  the  Hun  King,  Brynhildr's  brother. 
He  cherished  a  grudge  against  Giuki's  sons  for  the  guile  they 
had  practised  against  their  brother-in-law,  which  had  broken 
his  sister's  heart,  and  besides  he  claimed,  in  right  of  Gudrun, 
all  the  gold  which  Sigurd  won  from  the  Dragon,  but  which 
the  Niflung  Princes  had  seized  when  he  was  slain.  It  was 
in  vain  to  attack  them  in  fair  fight,  so  he  sent  them  a  friendly 
message,  and  invited  them  to  a  banquet ;  they  go,  and  are 
overpowered.  Hogni's  heart  is  cut  out  of  him  ahve,  but  he 
still  smiles  ;  Gunnar  is  cast  into  a  pit  full  of  snakes,  but 
even  then  charms  them  to  sleep  with  his  harp,  all  but  one, 
that  flies  at  his  heart  and  stings  him  to  death.  With  them 
perished  the  secret  of  the  Dragon's  hoard,  which  they  had 
thrown  into  the  Rhine  as  they  crossed  it  on  the  way  to  Hun- 
land.  Now  comes  horror  on  horror.  Revenge  for  her  brothers 
now  belongs  to  Gudrun  ;  she  slays  with  her  own  hand  her 
two  sons  by  AtU,  makes  him  eat  their  flesh,  and  drink  their 
blood  out  of  their  skulls,  and,  while  the  king  slept  sound,  slew 
him  in  his  bed  by  the  help  of  her  brother  Hogni's  son.  Then 
she  set  the  hall  a-blaze,  and  burnt  all  that  were  in  it.  After 
that  she  went  to  the  sea-shore,  and  threw  herself  in  to  drown. 
But  the  deep  will  not  have  her,  the  billows  bear  her  over 
to  King  Jonakr's  land.  He  marries  her,  and  has  three  sons 
by  her,  Saurli,  Hamdir,  and  Erp,  black -haired  as  ravens, 
like  all  the  Niflungs.  Svanhild,  her  daughter  by  Sigurd, 
who  had  her  father's  bright  and  terrible  eyes,  she  has  still  with 
her,  now  grown  up  to  be  the  fairest  of  women.  So  when 
Hermanaric  the  mighty,  the  great  Gothic  king,  heard  of  Svan- 
hild's  beauty,  he  sent  his  son  Randver  to  woo  her  for  him, 
but  Bikki  the  False  said  to  the  youth :  '  Better  far  were  this 
maiden  for  thee  than  for  thy  old  father  '  ;  and  the  maiden 
and  the  prince  thought  it  good  advice.  Then  Bikki  went 
and  told  the  king,  and  Hermanaric  bade  them  take  and  hang 
Randver  at  once.  So  on  his  way  to  the  gallows,  the  prince 
took  his  hawk  and  plucked  off  all  its  feathers,  and  sent  it 
to  his  father.  But  when  his  sire  saw  it,  he  knew  at  once  that, 
as  the  hawk  was  featherless  and  unable  to  fly,  so  was  his  realm 
defenceless  under  an  old  and  sonless  king.  Too  late  he  sent 
to  stop  the  hanging  ;   his  son  was  already  dead.     So  one  day 


I 


The  Volsung  Tale  35 

as  he  rode  back  from  hunting,  he  saw  fair  Svanhild  washing 
her  golden  locks,  and  it  came  into  his  heart  how  there  she  sat, 
the  cause  of  all  his  woe  ;  and  he  and  his  men  rode  at  her  and 
over  her,  and  their  steeds  trampled  her  to  death.  But  when 
Gudrun  heard  this,  she  set  on  her  three  Niflung  sons  to  avenge 
their  sister.  Byrnies  and  helms  she  gave  them  so  true  that 
no  sword  would  bite  on  them.  They  were  to  steal  on  Herman- 
aric  as  he  slept ;  SaurU  was  to  cut  off  his  hands,  Hamdir  his 
feet,  and  Erp  his  head.  So  as  the  three  went  along,  the  two 
asked  Erp  what  help  he  would  give  them  when  they  got  to 
Hermanaric.  '  Such  as  hand  lends  to  foot '  he  said.  *  No 
help  at  all '  they  cried  ;  and  passing  from  words  to  blows, 
and  because  their  mother  loved  Erp  best,  they  slew  him. 
A  little  further  on  Saurli  stumbled  and  fell  forward,  but  saved 
himself  with  one  hand,  and  said  '  Here  hand  helps  foot  ; 
better  were  it  that  Erp  lived.'  So  they  came  on  Hermanaric 
as  he  slept,  and  Saurli  hewed  off  his  hands,  and  Hamdir  his 
feet,  but  he  awoke  and  called  for  his  men.  Then  said  Ham- 
dir :  *  Were  Erp  alive,  the  head  would  be  off,  and  he  couldn't 
call  out.'  Then  Hermanaric's  men  arose  and  took  the  twain, 
and  when  they  found  that  no  steel  would  touch  them,  an  old 
one-eyed  man  gave  them  advice  to  stone  them  to  death. 
Thus  fell  SaurU  and  Hamdir,  and  soon  after  Gudrun  died 
too,  and  with  her  ends  the  Volsung  and  the  Niflung  tale. 
And  here  it  is  worth  while  to  say,  since  some  minds  are 
so  narrowly  moulded  as  to  be  incapable  of  containing  more 
than  one  idea,  that  because  it  has  seemed  a  duty  to  describe 
in  its  true  light  the  old  faith  of  our  forefathers,  it  by  no  means 
follows  that  the  same  eyes  are  blind  to  the  glorious  beauty 
of  Greek  Mythology.  Thai  had  the  rare  advantage  of  running 
its  course  free  and  unfettered  until  it  fell  rather  by  natural 
decay  than  before  the  weapon  of  a  new  belief.  The  Greeks 
were  Atheists  before  they  became  Christian.  Their  faith 
had  passed  through  every  stage.  We  can  contemplate  it  as 
it  springs  out  of  the  dim  mis-shapen  symbol,  during  that 
phase  when  men's  eyes  are  fixed  more  on  meaning  and  reality 
than  on  beauty  and  form,  we  can  mark  how  it  gradually 
looks  more  to  symmetry  and  shape,  how  it  is  transfigured 
in  the  Arts,  until,  under  that  pure  air  and  bright  sky,  the 
glowing  radiant  figures  of  Apollo  and  Aphrodite,  of  Zeus 
and   Athene — of  perfect  man-worship   and   woman-worship, 


36  Introduction 

stand  out  clear  and  round  in  the  foreground  against  the 
misty  distance  of  ancient  times.  Out  of  that  misty  dis- 
tance the  Norseman's  faith  never  emerged.  What  that 
early  phase  of  faith  might  have  become,  had  it  been  once 
wedded  to  the  Muses,  and  learnt  to  cultivate  the  Arts,  it 
is  impossible  to  say.  As  it  is,  its  career  was  cut  short  in 
mid-course.  It  carried  about  with  it  that  melancholy  pre- 
sentiment of  dissolution  which  has  come  to  be  so  characteristic 
of  modern  life,  but  of  which  scarce  a  trace  exists  in  ancient 
times,  and  this  feeling  would  always  have  made  it  different 
from  that  cheerful  carelessness  which  so  attracts  us  in  the 
Greeks  ;  but  even  that  downcast  brooding  heart  was  capable 
of  conceiving  great  and  heroic  thoughts,  which  it  might  have 
clothed  in  noble  shapes  and  forms,  had  not  the  axe  of  Provi- 
dence cut  down  the  stately  sapUng  in  the  North  before  it 
grew  to  be  a  tree,  while  it  spared  the  pines  of  Delphi  and 
Dodona's  sacred  oaks,  until  they  had  attained  a  green  old 
age.  And  so  this  faith  remained  rude  and  rough  ;  but  even 
rudeness  has  a  simphcity  of  its  own,  and  it  is  better  to  be 
rough  and  true-hearted  than  polished  and  false.  In  all  the 
feelings  of  natural  affection,  that  faith  need  fear  no  com- 
parison with  any  other  upon  earth.  In  these  respects  it  is 
firm  and  steadfast  as  a  rock,  and  pure  and  bright  as  a  Hving 
spring.  The  highest  God  is  a  father,  who  protects  his  chil- 
dren ;  who  gives  them  glory  and  victory  while  they  live,  and 
when  they  die,  takes  them  to  himself  ;  to  those  fatherly  abodes 
Death  was  a  happy  return,  a  glorious  going  home.  By  the 
side  of  this  great  father  stands  a  venerable  goddess,  dazzling 
with  beauty,  the  great  mother  of  gods  and  men.  Hand  in 
hand  this  divine  pair  traverse  the  land  ;  he  teaching  the  men 
the  use  of  arms  and  all  the  arts  of  war, — for  war  was  then 
as  now  a  noble  calling,  and  to  handle  arms  an  honourable, 
nay  necessary,  profession.  To  the  women  she  teaches  domestic 
duties  and  the  arts  of  peace  ;  from  her  they  learn  to  weave, 
and  sew,  and  spin  ;  from  her,  too,  the  husbandman  learns  to 
till  his  fields.  From  him  springs  poetry  and  song  ;  from  her 
legend  and  tradition.  Nor  should  it  ever  be  forgotten  that 
the  footsteps  of  Providence  are  always  onward,  even  when 
they  seem  taken  in  the  dark,  and  that  their  rude  faith  was 
the  first  in  which  that  veneration  for  woman  arose,  which 
the  Western  nations  may  well  claim  as  the  brightest  jewel 


The  Norseman's  Faith  37 

in  their  crown  of  civilization  ;  that  while  she  was  a  slave 
in  the  East,  a  toy  to  the  Greeks,  and  a  housewife  to  the 
Romans,  she  was  a  helpmeet  to  the  Teuton,  and  that  those 
stern  warriors  recognized  something  divine  in  her  nature, 
and  bowed  before  her  clearer  insight  into  heavenly  mysteries. 
The  worship  of  the  Virgin  Mary  was  gradually  developed 
out  of  this  conception  of  woman's  character,  and  would 
have  been  a  thing  absurd  and  impossible,  had  Christianity 
clung  for  ever  to  Eastern  soil.  And  now  to  proceed,  after 
thus  turning  aside  to  compare  the  mythology  of  the  Greek 
with  the  faith  of  the  Norseman.  The  mistake  is  to  favour 
one  or  the  other  exclusively  instead  of  respecting  and  admir- 
ing both  ;  but  it  is  a  mistake  which  those  only  can  fall  into, 
whose  souls  are  narrow  and  confined,  who  would  say  this 
thing  and  this  person  you  shall  love,  and  none  other  ;  this 
form  and  feature  you  shall  worship  and  adore,  and  this  alone  ; 
when  in  fact  the  whole  promised  land  of  thought  and  life 
lies  before  us  at  our  feet,  our  nature  encourages  us  to  go  in 
and  possess  it,  and  every  step  we  make  in  this  new  world 
of  knowledge  brings  us  to  fresh  prospects  of  beauty,  and 
to  new  pastures  of  delight. 

Such  were  the  gods,  and  such  the  heroes  of  the  Norseman  ; 
who,  hke  his  own  gods,  went  smiling  to  death  under  the  weight 
of  an  inevitable  destiny.  But  that  fate  never  fell  on  their 
gods.  Before  this  subjective  mythological  dream  of  the  Norse- 
men could  be  fulfilled,  the  religious  mist  in  which  they  walked 
was  scattered  by  the  sunbeams  of  Christianity.  A  new  state 
and  condition  of  society  arose,  and  the  creed  which  had  satis- 
fied a  race  of  heathen  warriors,  who  externally  were  at  war 
with  all  the  world,  became  in  time  an  object  of  horror  and 
aversion  to  the  converted  Christian.  This  is  not  the  place 
to  describe  the  long  struggle  between  the  new  and  the  old 
faith  in  the  North  ;  how  kings  and  queens  became  the  foster- 
fathers  and  nursing-mothers  of  the  Church  ;  how  the  great 
chiefs,  each  a  little  king  in  himself,  scorned  and  derided  the 
whole  scheme  as  altogether  weak  and  effeminate  ;  how  the 
bulk  of  the  people  were  sullen  and  suspicious,  and  often  broke 
out  into  heathen  mutiny  ;  how  kings  rose  and  kings  fell, 
just  as  they  took  one  or  the  other  side  ;  and  how,  finally,  after 
a  contest  which  had  lasted  altogether  more  than  three  cen- 
turies,   Denmark,    Norway,    Iceland,    and    Sweden — we   run 


38  Introduction 

them  over  in  the  order  of  conversion — became  faithful  to 
Christianity,  as  preached  by  the  missionaries  of  the  Church 
of  Rome.  One  fact,  however,  we  must  insist  on,  which  might 
be  inferred,  indeed,  both  from  the  nature  of  the  struggle  itself, 
and  the  character  of  Rome  ;  and  that  is,  that  throughout 
there  was  something  in  the  process  of  conversion  of  the  nature 
of  a  compromise — of  what  we  may  call  the  great  principle 
of  '  give  and  take  '.  In  all  Christian  churches,  indeed,  and 
in  none  so  much  as  the  Church  of  Rome,  nothing  is  so  austere, 
so  elevating,  and  so  grand,  as  the  uncompromising  tone  in 
which  the  great  dogmas  of  the  Faith  are  enunciated  and  pro- 
claimed. Nothing  is  more  magnificent,  in  short,  than  the 
theory  of  Christianity  ;  but  nothing  is  more  mean  and  miser- 
able than  the  time-serving  way  in  which  those  dogmas  are 
dragged  down  to  the  dull  level  of  daily  life,  and  that  sublime 
theory  reduced  to  ordinary  practice.  At  Rome,  it  was  true 
that  the  Pope  could  congratulate  the  faithful  that  whole 
nations  in  the  barbarous  and  frozen  North  had  been  added 
to  the  true  fold,  and  that  Odin's  grim  champions  now  univer- 
sally believed  in  the  gospel  of  peace  and  love.  It  is  so  easy 
to  dispose  of  a  doubtful  struggle  in  a  single  sentence,  and 
so  tempting  to  beUeve  it  when  once  written.  But  in  the 
North,  the  state  of  things,  and  the  manner  of  proceeding, 
were  entirely  different.  There  the  dogma  was  proclaimed, 
indeed  ;  but  the  manner  of  preaching  it  was  not  in  that  mild 
spirit  with  which  the  Saviour  rebuked  the  disciple  when  he 
said  *  Put  up  again  thy  sword  into  his  place  :  for  all  they  that 
take  the  sword  shall  perish  with  the  sword.*  There  the 
sword  was  used  to  bring  converts  to  the  font,  and  the  baptism 
was  often  one  rather  of  blood  than  of  water.  There  the  new 
converts  perpetually  relapsed,  chased  away  the  missionaries 
and  the  kings  who  sheltered  them,  and  only  yielded  at  last  to 
the  overwhelming  weight  of  Christian  opinion  in  the  Western 
world.  St  Olof,  king  and  martyr,  martyred  in  pitched  battle 
by  his  mutinous  allodial  freemen,  because  he  tried  to  drive 
rather  than  to  lead  them  to  the  cross  ;  and  another  Olof, 
greater  than  he,  Olof  Tryggvason,  who  fell  in  battle  against 
the  heathen  Swedes,  were  men  of  blood  rather  than  peace  ; 
but  to  them  the  introduction  of  the  new  faith  into  Norway 
is  mainly  owing.  So  also  Charlemagne,  at  an  earlier  period, 
had  dealt  with  the  Sajcons  at  the  Main  Bridge,   when  his 


k 


Christianity  in  the  North  39 

ultimatum  was  '  Christianity  or  death  *.  So  also  the  first 
missionary  to  Iceland — who  met,  indeed,  with  a  sorry  recep- 
tion— was  followed  about  by  a  stout  champion  named  Thang- 
brand,  who,  whenever  there  was  what  we  should  now  call 
a  missionary  meeting,  challenged  any  impugner  of  the  new 
doctrines  to  mortal  combat  on  the  spot.  No  wonder  that, 
after  having  killed  several  opponents  in  the  little  tour  which 
h.^  made  with  his  missionary  friend  through  the  island,  it 
became  too  hot  to  hold  him,  and  he,  and  the  missionary,  and 
the  new  creed,  were  forced  to  take  ship  and  sail  back  to  Nor- 
way. 

*  Precept  upon  precept,  line  upon  line,  here  a  little  and 
there  a  little  ',  was  the  motto  of  Rome  in  her  dealings  with 
the  heathen  Norsemen,  and  if  she  suited  herself  at  first  rather 
to  their  habits  and  temper  than  to  those  of  more  enlightened 
nations,  she  had  an  excuse  in  St  Paul's  maxim  of  making 
herself  *  all  things  to  all  men.*  Thus,  when  a  second  attempt 
to  Christianize  Iceland  proved  more  successful — for  in  the 
meantime.  King  Olof  Tryggvason,  a  zealous  Christian,  had 
seized  as  hostages  all  the  Icelanders  of  family  and  fame  who 
happened  to  be  in  Norway,  and  thus  worked  on  the  feelings 
of  the  chiefs  of  those  famihes  at  home,  who  in  their  turn 
bribed  the  lawman  who  presided  over  the  Great  Assembly  to 
pronounce  in  favour  of  the  new  Faith — even  then  the  adher- 
ents of  the  old  religion  were  allowed  to  perform  its  rites  in 
secret,  and  two  old  heathen  practices  only  were  expressly 
prohibited,  the  exposure  of  infants  and  the  eating  of  horseflesh, 
for  horses  were  sacred  animals,  and  the  heathen  ate  their 
flesh  after  they  had  been  solemnly  sacrificed  to  the  gods. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  far  easier  to  change  a  form  of  religion 
than  to  extirpate  a  faith.  The  first  indeed  is  no  easy  matter, 
as  those  students  of  history  well  know  who  are  acquainted 
with  the  tenacity  with  which  a  large  proportion  of  the  English 
nation  clung  to  the  Church  of  Rome,  long  after  the  State 
had  declared  for  the  Reformation.  But  to  change  the  faith 
of  a  whole  nation  in  block  and  bulk  on  the  instant,  was  a 
thing  contrary  to  the  ordinary  working  of  Providence  and 
unknown  even  in  the  days  of  miracles,  though  the  days  of 
miracles  had  long  ceased  when  Rome  advanced  against  the 
North.  There  it  was  more  politic  to  raise  a  cross  in  the 
grove  where  the  Sacred  Tree  had  once  stood,  and  to  point  to 


40  Introduction 

the  sacred  emblem  which  had  supplanted  the  old  object  of 
national  adoration,  when  the  populace  came  at  certain  seasons 
with  songs  and  dances  to  perform  their  heathen  rites.  Near 
the  cross  soon  rose  a  church  ;  and  both  were  girt  by  a  cemetery, 
the  soil  of  which  was  doubly  sacred  as  a  heathen  fane  and  a 
Christian  sanctuary,  and  where  alone  the  bodies  of  the  faithful 
could  repose  in  peace.  But  the  songs  and  dances,  and  pro- 
cessions in  the  church-yard  round  the  cross,  continued  long 
after  Christianity  had  become  dominant.  So  also  the  wor- 
ship of  wells  and  springs  was  christianized  when  it  was  found 
impossible  to  prevent  it.  Great  churches  arose  over  or 
near  them,  as  at  Walsingham,  where  an  abbey,  the  holiest 
place  in  England,  after  the  shrine  of  St  Thomas  at  Canterbury, 
threw  its  majestic  shade  over  the  heathen  wishing- well, 
and  the  worshippers  of  Odin  and  the  Nornir  were  gradually 
converted  into  votaries  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  Such  practices 
form  a  subject  of  constant  remonstrance  and  reproof  in  the 
treatises  and  penitential  epistles  of  medieval  divines,  and 
in  some  few  places  and  churches,  even  in  England,  such  rites 
are  still  yearly  celebrated  ^ 

So,  too,  again  with  the  ancient  gods.  They  were  cast  down 
from  honour,  but  not  from  power.  They  lost  their  genial 
kindly  influence  as  the  protectors  of  men  and  the  origin 
of  all  things  good  ;  but  their  existence  was  tolerated  ;  they 
became  powerful  for  ill,  and  degenerated  into  malignant 
demons.  Thus  the  worshippers  of  Odin  had  supposed  that 
at  certain  times  and  rare  intervals  the  good  powers  shewed 
themselves  in  bodily  shape  to  mortal  eye,  passing  through 
the  land  in  divine  progress,  bringing  blessings  in  their  train, 
and  receiving  in  return  the  offerings  and  homage  of  their 
grateful  votaries.  But  these  were  naturally  only  excep- 
tional instances  ;  on  ordinary  occasions  the  pious  heathen 
recognized  his  gods  sweeping  through  the  air  in  cloud  and 
storm,  riding  on  the  wings  of  the  wind,  and  speaking  in  awful 
accents,  as  the  tempest  howled  and  roared,  and  the  sea  shook 
his  white  mane  and  crest.  Nor  did  he  fail  to  see  them  in 
the  dust  and  din  of  battle,  when  Odin  appeared  with  his 
terrible  helm,  succouring  his  own,  striking  fear  into  their  foes, 
and  turning  the  day  in  many  a  doubtful  fight ;    or  in  the 

1  See  Anecd.  and  Trad.,  Camd.  Soc.  1830,  pp.  92  fol.  See  also  the  passages  from  Anglo- 
Saxon  laws  against  '  well-waking  ',  which  Grimin  has  collected  :   D.  M.,  p.  5.S0. 


The  Heathen  Gods  41 

hurry  and  uproar  of  the  chase,  where  the  mighty  huntsman 
on  his  swift  steed,  seen  in  ghmpses  among  the  trees,  took 
up  the  hunt  where  weary  mortals  laid  it  down,  outstripped 
them  all,  and  brought  the  noble  quarry  to  the  ground.     Look- 
ing up  to  the  stars  and  heaven,  they  saw  the  footsteps  of  the 
gods  marked  out  in  the  bright  path  of  the  Milky  Way  ;   and 
in  the  Bear  they  hailed  the  war-chariot  of  the  warrior's  god. 
The  great  goddesses,  too,  Frigga  and  Freyja  were  thoroughly 
old-fashioned    domestic    divinities.     They    help    women    in 
their  greatest  need,   they  spin  themselves,   they  teach  the 
maids  to  spin,  and  punish  them  if  the  wool  remains  upon  their 
spindle.     They  are  kind,   and  good,  and  bright,  for  Holda, 
Bertha,  are  the  epithets  given  to  them.     And    so,  too,  this 
mythology  which,  in  its  aspect  to  the  stranger  and  the  external 
world,   was  so  ruthless  and  terrible,   when  looked  at  from 
within  and  at  home,  was  genial,  and  kindly,  and  hearty,  and 
affords  another  proof  that  men,  in  all  ages  and  climes,  are 
not  so  bad  as  they  seem  ;   that  after  all,  peace  and  not  war 
is  the  proper  state  for  man,  and  that  a  nation  may  make 
war  on  others  and  exist ;  but  that  unless  it  has  peace  within, 
and  industry  at  home,  it  must  perish  from  the  face  of  the 
earth.     But   when    Christianity   came   the    whole   character 
of  this  goodly  array  of  divinities  was  soured  and  spoilt.     In- 
stead of  the  stately  procession  of  the  God,  which  the  intensely 
sensuous  eye  of  man  in  that  early  time  connected  with  all  the 
phenomena  of  nature,  the  people  were  led  to  believe  in  a 
ghastly   grisly  band    of   ghosts,   who  followed    an    infernal 
warrior  or  huntsman  in  hideous  tumult  through  the  midnight 
air.      No  doubt,   as   Grimm  rightly  remarks  1,   the  heathen 
had  fondly  fancied  that  the  spirits  of  those  who  had  gone  to 
Odin  followed  him  in  his  triumphant  progress  either  visibly 

I  or  invisibly  ;  that  they  rode  with  him  in  the  whirlwind,  just 
as  they  followed  him  to  battle,  and  feasted  with  him  in  Val- 
halla ;  but  now  the  Christian  behef,  when  it  had  degraded 
the  mighty  god  into  a  demon  huntsman,  who  pursued  his 
nightly  round  in  chase  of  human  souls,  saw  in  the  train  of 
the  infernal  master  of  the  hunt  only  the  spectres  of  suicides, 
drunkards,  and  ruffians  ;  and,  with  all  the  uncharitableness 
of  a  dogmatic  faith,  the  spirits  of  children  who  died  unbaptized, 
whose  hard  fate  had  thrown  them  into  such  evil  company. 


4^  Introduction 

This  was  the  way  in  which  that  wide-spread  superstition 
arose,  which  sees  in  the  phantoms  of  the  clouds  the  shapes 
of  the  Wild  Huntsman  and  his  accursed  crew,  and  hears, 
in  spring  and  autumn  nights,  when  sea-fowl  take  the  wing  to 
fly  either  south  or  north,  the  strange  accents  and  uncouth 
yells  with  which  the  chase  is  pressed  on  in  upper  air.  Thus, 
in  Sweden  it  is  still  Odin  who  passes  by  ;  in  Denmark  it 
is  King  Waldemar's  Hunt ;  in  Norway  it  is  A  askereida,  that 
is  Asgard's  Car  ;  in  Germany,  it  is  Wode,  Woden,  or  Hackel- 
berend,  or  Dieterich  of  Bern  ;  in  France  it  is  Hellequin,  or 
King  Hugo,  or  Charles  the  Fifth,  or,  dropping  a  name  alto- 
gether, it  is  Le  Grand  Veneur  who  ranges  at  night  through  the 
Forest  of  Fontainebleau.  Nor  was  England  without  her 
Wild  Huntsman  and  his  ghastly  following.  Gervase  of  Til- 
bury, in  the  twelfth  century,  could  tell  it  of  King  Arthur, 
round  whose  mighty  name  the  superstition  settled  itself, 
for  he  had  heard  from  the  foresters  how,  *  on  alternate  days, 
about  the  full  of  the  moon,  one  day  at  noon,  the  next  at  mid- 
night when  the  moon  shone  bright,  a  mighty  train  of  hunters 
on  horses  was  seen,  with  baying  hounds  and  blast  of  horns  ; 
and  when  those  hunters  were  asked  of  whose  company  and 
household  they  were,  they  replied  "  of  Arthur's  ".'  We 
hear  of  him  again  in  The  Complaynt  of  Scotland,  that  curious 
composition  attributed  by  some  to  Sir  David  Lyndsay  of 
the  Mount  in  Fife,  and  of  Gilmerton  in  East  Lothian,  pp. 
97,  98,  where  he  says  : 

Arthur  knycht,  he  raid  on  nycht. 
With  gyldin  spur  and  candil  lycht. 

Nor  should  we  forget,  when  considering  this  legend,  that 
story  of  Heme  the  Hunter,  who 

Sometime  a  keeper  here  in  Windsor  Forest, 

Doth  all  the  winter  time,  at  still  midnight. 

Walk  round  about  an  oak,  with  great  ragg'd  horns  ; 

And  there  he  blasts  the  trees,  and  takes  the  cattle, 

And  makes  nulch-kine  yield  blood,  and  shakes  a  chain 

In  a  most  hideous  and  dreadful  manner.  ^ 

And  even  yet,  in  various  parts  of  England,  the  story  of  some 
great  man,  generally  a  member  of  one  of  the  county  families, 
who  drives  about  the  country  at  night,  is  common.  Thus, 
in   Warwickshire,    it  is  the    '  One-handed    Boughton ',    who 

1  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor^  act.  iv,  sc.  4. 


The  Wild  Huntsman  43 

drives  about  in  his  coach  and  six,  and  makes  the  benighted 
traveller  hold  gates  open  for  him  ;  or  it  is  '  Lady  Skip  with  *, 
who  passes  through  the  country  at  night  in  the  same  manner. 
This  subject  might  be  pursued  to  much  greater  length,  for 
popular  tradition  is  full  of  such  stories  ;  but  enough  has 
been  said  to  show  how  the  awful  presence  of  a  glorious  God 
can  be  converted  into  a  gloomy  superstition  ;  and,  at  the 
same  time,  how  the  majesty  of  the  old  belief  strives  to  rescue 
itself  by  clinging,  in  the  popular  consciousness,  to  some 
king  or  hero,  as  Arthur  or  Waldemar,  or,  failing  that,  to 
some  squire's  family,  as  Hackelberend,  or  the  *  one-handed 
Boughton  ',  or  even  to  the  Keeper  Heme. 

Odin  and  the  ^Esir  then  were  dispossessed  and  degraded 
by  our  Saviour  and  his  Apostles,  just  as  they  had  of  old  thrown 
out  the  Frost  Giants,  and  the  two  are  mingled  together,  in 
medieval  Norse  tradition,  as  Trolls  and  Giants,  hostile  alike 
to  Christianity  and  man.  Christianity  had  taken  possession 
indeed,  but  it  was  beyond  her  power  to  kill.  To  this  half -result 
the  swift  corruption  of  the  Church  of  Rome  lent  no  small  aid. 
Her  doctrines,  as  taught  by  Augustine  and  Boniface,  by 
Anschar  and  Sigfrid,  were  comparatively  mild  and  pure ; 
but  she  had  scarce  swallowed  the  heathendom  of  the  North, 
much  in  the  same  way  as  the  Wolf  was  to  swallow  Odin  at 
the  '  Twilight  of  the  Gods  ',  than  she  fell  into  a  deadly  lethargy 
of  faith,  which  put  it  out  of  her  power  to  digest  her  meal. 
Gregory  the  Seventh,  elected  pope  in  1073,  tore  the  clergy 
from  the  ties  of  domestic  life  with  a  grasp  that  wounded  every 
fibre  of  natural  affection,  and  made  it  bleed  to  the  very  root. 
With  the  celibacy  of  the  clergy  he  established  the  hierarchy 
of  the  church,  but  her  labours  as  a  missionary  church  were 
over.  Henceforth  she  worked  not  by  missionaries  and  apostles, 
but  by  crusades  and  bulls.  Now  she  raised  mighty  armaments 
to  recover  the  barren  soil  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  or  to  annihilate 
heretic  Albigenses.  Now  she  established  great  orders,  Tem- 
plars and  Hospitallers,  whose  pride  and  luxury,  and  pomp, 
brought  swift  destruction  on  one  at  least  of  those  fraternities. 
Now  she  became  feudal, — she  owned  land  instead  of  hearts, 
and  forgot  that  the  true  patrimony  of  St  Peter  was  the  souls 
of  men.  No  wonder  that,  with  the  barbarism  of  the  times, 
she  soon  fulfilled  the  Apostle's  words,  '  She  that  liveth  in 
luxury  is  dead  while  she  liveth ',  and  became  filled  with  idle 


44  Introduction 

superstitions  and  vain  beliefs.  No  wonder,  then,  that  instead 
of  completing  her  conquest  over  the  heathen,  and  carrying 
out  their  conversion,  she  became  half  heathen  herself  ;  that 
she  adopted  the  tales  and  traditions  of  the  old  mythology, 
which  she  had  never  been  able  to  extirpate,  and  related  them 
of  our  Lord  and  his  Apostles.  No  wonder,  then,  that  having 
abandoned  her  mission  of  being  the  first  power  of  intelligence 
on  earth,  she  fell  hke  Lucifer  when  the  mist  of  medieval  feu- 
daUsm  rolled  away,  and  the  light  of  learning  and  education 
returned — fell  before  the  indignation  of  enUghtened  men, 
working  upon  popular  opinon.  Since  which  day,  though 
she  has  changed  her  plans,  and  remodelled  her  superstitions 
to  suit  the  times,  she  has  never  regained  the  supremacy  which, 
if  she  had  been  wise  in  a  true  sense,  she  seemed  destined  to 
hold  for  ever. 


NORSE  POPULAR  TALES 

The  preceding  observations  will  have  given  a  sufficient 
account  of  the  mythology  of  the  Norsemen,  and  of  the  way 
in  which  it  fell.  They  came  from  the  East,  and  brought  that 
common  stock  of  tradition  with  them.  Settled  in  the  Scan- 
dinavian peninsula,  they  developed  themselves  through 
Heathenism,  Romanism,  and  Lutheranism,  in  a  locality  little 
exposed  to  foreign  influence,  so  that  even  now  the  Daleman 
in  Norway  or  Sweden  may  be  reckoned  among  the  most 
primitive  examples  left  of  peasant  life.  We  should  expect, 
then,  that  these  Popular  Tales,  which,  for  the  sake  of  those 
ignorant  in  such  matters,  it  may  be  remarked,  had  never  been 
collected  or  reduced  to  writing  till  within  the  last  few  years, 
would  present  a  faithful  picture  of  the  national  consciousness, 
or,  perhaps,  to  speak  more  correctly,  of  that  half  consciousness 
out  of  which  the  heart  of  any  people  speaks  in  its  abundance. 
Besides  those  world-old  afiinities  and  primaeval  parallelisms, 
besides  those  dreamy  recollections  of  its  old  home  in  the  East, 
which  we  have  already  pointed  out,  we  should  expect  to  find  its 
later  history,  after  the  great  migration,  still  more  distinctly 
reflected  ;  to  discover  heathen  gods  masked  in  the  garb  of 
Christian  saints  ;  and  thus  to  see  a  proof  of  our  assertion 
above,  that  a  nation  more  easily  changes  the  form  than  the 


The  Gods  on  Earth  45 

essence  of  its  faith,  and  clings  with  a  toughness  which  endures 
for  centuries  to  what  it  has  once  learned  to  believe. 

In  all  mythologies,  the  trait  of  all  others  which  most  com- 
monly occurs,  is  that  of  the  descent  of  the  Gods  to  earth, 
where,  in  human  form,  they  mix  among  mortals,  and  occupy 
themselves  with  their  affairs,  either  out  of  a  spirit  of  adventure, 
or  to  try  the  hearts  of  men.  Such  a  conception  is  shocking 
to  the  Christian  notion  of  the  omnipotence  and  omnipresence 
of  God,  but  we  question  if  there  be  not  times  when  the  most 
pious  and  perfect  Christian  may  not  find  comfort  and  relief  from 
a  fallacy  which  was  a  matter  of  faith  in  less  enlightened  creeds, 
and  over  which  the  apostle,  writing  to  the  Hebrews,  throws 
the  sanction  of  his  authority,  so  far  as  angels  are  concerned  ^ 
Nor  could  he  have  forgotten  those  words  of  the  men  of  Lystra, 
'  The  Gods  are  come  down  to  us  in  the  likeness  of  men  '  ;  and 
how  they  called  'Barnabas  Jupiter*,  and  himself  Mercury, 
'  because  he  was  the  chief  speaker.'  Classical  mythology 
is  full  of  such  stories.  These  wanderings  of  the  Gods  are 
mentioned  in  the  Odyssey,  and  the  sanctity  of  the  rites  of 
hospitality,  and  the  dread  of  turning  a  stranger  from  the  door, 
took  its  origin  from  a  fear  lest  the  wayfaring  man  should  be  a 
Divinity  in  disguise.  According  to  the  Greek  story,  Orion 
owed  his  birth  to  the  fact  that  the  childless  Hyrieus,  his  re- 
puted father,  had  once  received  unawares  Zeus,  Poseidon,  and 
Hermes,  or,  to  call  them  by  their  Latin  names,  Jupiter,  Nep- 
tune, and  Mercury.  In  the  beautiful  story  of  Philemon  and 
Baucis,  Jupiter  and  Mercury  reward  the  aged  couple  who  had 
so  hospitably  received  them  by  warning  them  of  the  approach- 
ing deluge.  The  fables  of  Phaedrus  and  -^sop  represent 
Mercury  and  Demeter  as  wandering  and  enjoying  the  hospit- 
ality of  men.  In  India  it  is  Brahm  and  Vishnu  who  generally 
wander.  In  the  Edda,  Odin,  Loki,  and  Hoenir  thus  roam 
about,  or  Thor,  Thialfi,  and  Loki.  Sometimes  Odin  appears 
alone  as  a  horseman,  who  turns  in  at  night  to  the  smith's 
house,  and  gets  him  to  shoe  his  horse,  a  legend  which  reminds 
us  at  once  of  the  Master-smith^.  Sometimes  it  is  Thor  with 
his  great  hammer  who  wanders  thus  alone. 

1  Heb.,  xiii,  i  :  '  Let  brotherly  love  continue.  Be  not  forgetful  to  entertain  strangers  : 
for  thereby  som^i  have  entertained  angels  unawares.' 

2  One  of  Odin's  names,  when  on  these  adventures,  was  Gangradr,  or  Gangleri.  Both 
mean  '  the  Ganger,  or  way-farer  '.  We  have  the  latter  epithet  in  the  '  Gangrel  carle  ', 
and  '  Gangrel  loon  ',  of  the  early  Scotch  ballads. 


46 


Introduction 


Now,  let  us  turn  from  heathen  to  Christian  times,  and  look 
at  some  of  these  old  legends  of  wandering  gods  in  a  new  dress. 
Throughout  the  Middle  Age,  it  is  our  blessed  Lord  and  St 
Peter  that  thus  wander,  and  here  we  see  that  half-digested 
heathendom  to  which  we  have  alluded.  Those  who  may  be 
shocked  at  such  tales  in  this  collection  as  '  the  Master-Smith  ' 
and  '  Gertrude's  Bird  ',  must  just  remember  that  these  are 
almost  purely  heathen  traditions,  in  which  the  names  alone 
are  Christian  ;  and  if  it  be  any  consolation  to  any  to  know 
the  fact,  we  may  as  well  state  at  once  that  this  adaptation  of 
new  names  to  old  beliefs  is  not  peculiar  to  the  Norsemen, 
but  is  found  in  all  the  popular  tales  of  Europe.  Germany 
was  full  of  them,  and  there  St  Peter  often  appears  in  a  snappish 
ludicrous  guise,  which  reminds  the  reader  versed  in  Norse 
mythology  of  the  tricks  and  pranks  of  the  shifty  Loki.  In 
the  Norse  tales  he  thoroughly  preserves  his  saintly  character. 

Nor  was  it  only  gods  that  walked  among  men.  In  the 
Norse  mythology,  Frigga,  Odin's  wife,  who  knew  beforehand 
all  that  was  to  happen,  and  Freyja,  the  goddess  of  love  and 
plenty,  were  prominent  figures,  and  often  trode  the  earth  ; 
the  three  Noms  or  Fates,  who  sway  the  wierds  of  men,  and 
spin  their  destinies  at  Mimirs'  well  of  knowledge,  were  awful 
venerable  powers,  to  whom  the  heathen  world  looked  up  with 
love  and  adoration  and  awe.  To  that  love  and  adoration 
and  awe,  throughout  the  middle  age,  one  woman,  trans- 
figured into  a  divine  shape,  succeeded  by  a  sort  of  natural  right, 
and  round  the  Virgin  Mary's  blessed  head  a  halo  of  lovely 
tales  of  divine  help,  beams  with  soft  radiance  as  a  crown  be- 
queathed to  her  by  the  ancient  goddesses.  She  appears  as 
divine  mother,  spinner,  and  helpful  virgin  (vierge  secourable). 
Flowers  and  plants  bear  her  name.  In  England  one  of  our 
commonest  and  prettiest  insects  is  still  called  after  her,  but 
which  belonged  to  Freyja,  the  heathen  '  Lady  ',  long  before 
the  western  nations  had  learned  to  adore  the  name  of  the 
mother  of  Jesus  \ 

1  So  also  Orion's  Belt  was  called  by  the  Norsemen,  Frigga's  spindle  or  rock,  Friggjar 
rockr.  In  modem  Swedish.  Friggerock,  where  the  old  goddess  holds  her  own  ;  but  in 
Danish,  Maricerock,  Our  Lady's  rock  or  spindle.  Thus,  too,  Karlavagn,  the '  car  of 
men  ',  or  heroes,  who  rode  with  Odin,  which  we  call '  Charles'  Wain  ',  thus  keeping  some- 
thing, at  least,  of  the  old  name,  though  none  of  its  meaning,  became  in  Scotland  '  Peter's- 
pleugh  ',  from  the  Christian  saint,  just  as  Orion's  sword  became  '  Peter's-staflf '.  But  what 
do  '  Lady  Landers  '  and  '  Lady  Ellison  '  mean,  as  applied  to  the  '  Lady-Bird  '  in  Scot- 
land? ' 


The  Wish  47 

The  reader  of  these  Tales  will  meet,  in  that  of  *  the  Lassie 
and  her  Godmother  ',  No.  xxvii,  with  the  Virgin  Mary  in  a 
truly  mythic  character,  as  the  majestic  guardian  of  sun,  moon 
and  stars,  combined  with  that  of  a  helpful,  kindly  woman, 
who,  while  she  knows  how  to  punish  a  fault,  knows  also  how 
to  reconcile  and  forgive. 

The  Norseman's  god  was  a  god  of  battles,  and  victory  his 
greatest  gift  to  men  ;  but  this  was  not  the  only  aspect  under 
which  the  Great  Father  was  revered.  Not  victory  in  the 
fight  alone,  but  every  other  good  gift  came  down  from  him 
and  the  ^sir.  Odin's  supreme  will  was  that  treasure-house 
of  bounty  towards  which,  in  one  shape  or  the  other,  all  mortal 
desires  turned,  and  out  of  its  abundance  showers  of  mercy  and 
streams  of  divine  favour  constantly  poured  down  to  refresh  the 
weary  race  of  men.  All  these  blessings  and  mercies,  nay,  their 
very  source  itself,  the  ancient  language  bound  up  in  a  single 
word,  which,  however  expressive  it  may  still  be,  has  lost  much 
of  the  fulness  of  its  meaning  in  its  descent  to  these  later  times. 
This  word  was  *  Wish  ',  which  originally  meant  the  perfect 
ideal,  the  actual  fruition  of  all  joy  and  desire,  and  not,  as  now, 
the  empty  longing  for  the  object  of  our  desires.  From  this 
original  abstract  meaning,  it  was  but  a  step  to  pass  to  the 
concrete,  to  personify  the  idea,  to  make  it  an  immortal  essence, 
an  attribute  of  the  divinity,  another  name  for  the  greatest  of 
all  Gods  himself.  And  so  we  find  a  host  of  passages  in  early 
writers  ^,  in  every  one  of  which  *  God  *  or  *  Odin  '  might  be 
substituted  for  *  Wish  '  with  perfect  propriety.  Here  we  read 
how  *  The  Wish '  has  hands,  feet,  power,  sight,  toil,  and  art. 
How  he  works  and  labours,  shapes  and  masters,  inclines  his 
ear,  thinks,  swears,  curses,  and  rejoices,  adopts  children,  and 
takes  men  into  his  house  ;  behaves,  in  short,  as  a  being  of 
boundless  power  and  infinite  free-will.  Still  more,  he  rejoices 
in  his  own  works  as  in  a  child,  and  thus  appears  in  a  thoroughly 
patriarchal  point  of  view,  as  the  Lord  of  creation,  glorying  in 
his  handiwork,  as  the  father  of  a  family  in  early  times  was 
glad  at  heart  when  he  reckoned  his  children  as  arrows  in  his 
quiver,  and  beheld  his  house  full  of  a  long  line  of  retainers 
and  dependents.  For  this  attribute  of  the  Great  Father,  for 
Odin  as  the  God  of  Wish,  the  Edda  uses  the  word  '  Oski '  which 
literally  expresses  the  masculine  personification  of    *  Wish  *, 

1  D.  M.,  p.  126  fol.,  where  they  are  cited  at  length. 


48  Introduction 

and  it  passed  on  and  added  the  works  wish,  as  a  prefix  to  a 
number  of  others,  to  signify  that  they  stood  in  a  pecuUar 
relation  to  the  great  giver  of  all  good.  Thus  we  have  oska- 
steinn,  wishing-stone,  i.e.  a  stone  which  plays  the  part  of  a 
divining  rod,  and  reveals  secrets  and  hidden  treasure  ;  qska-hyrr, 
a  fair  wind,  a  wind  as  fair  as  man's  heart  could  wish  it ;  osk- 
ham  and  ojka-bari^,  a  child  after  one's  own  heart,  an  adopted 
child,  as  when  the  younger  Edda  tells  us  that  all  those  who  die 
in  battle  are  Odin's  choice-bairns,  his  adopted  children,  those 
on  whom  he  has  set  his  heart,  an  expression  which,  in  their 
turn,  was  taken  by  the  Icelandic  Christian  writers  to  express 
the  relation  existing  between  God  and  the  baptized  ;  and, 
though  last,  not  least,  oska-mcsr,  wish-maidens,  another 
name  for  the  Valkyries — Odin's  corse-choosers — who  picked 
out  the  dead  for  him  on  the  field  of  battle,  and  waited  on  the 
heroes  in  Valhalla.  Again,  the  Edda  is  filled  with  *  choice 
things ',  possessing  some  mysterious  power  of  their  own, 
some  '  virtue  ',  as  our  older  EngHsh  would  express  it,  which 
belong  to  this  or  that  god,  and  are  occasionally  lent  or  lost. 
Thus,  Odin  himself  had  a  spear  which  gave  victory  to  those  on 
whose  side  it  was  hurled  ;  Thor,  a  hammer  which  destroyed 
the  Giants,  hallowed  vows,  and  returned  of  itself  to  his  hand. 
He  had  a  strength-belt,  too,  which,  when  he  girded  it  on, 
his  god-strength  waxed  one-half  ;  Freyr  had  a  sword  which 
wielded  itself  ;  Freyja  a  necklace  which,  hke  the  cestus  of 
Venus,  inspired  all  hearts  with  love  ;  Freyr,  again,  had  a 
ship  called  Skithblathnir. 

She  is  so  great,  that  all  the  Msvc,  with  their  weapons  and  war  gear,  may 
find  room  on  board  her  ;  and  as  soon  as  the  sail  is  set,  she  has  a  fair  wind 
whither  she  shall  go  ;  and  when  there  is  no  need  of  faring  on  the  sea  in 
her,  she  is  made  of  so  many  things,  and  with  so  much  craft,  that  Freyr 
may  fold  her  together  like  a  cloth,  and  keep  her  in  his  bag  ^. 

Of  this  kind,  too,  was  the  ring  '  Dropper  '  which  Odin  had, 
and  from  which  twelve  other  rings  dropped  every  night  ;  the 
apples  which  Idun,  one  of  the  goddesses,  had,  and  of  which, 
so  soon  as  the  ^sir  ate,  they  became  young  again  ;  the  helm 
which  (Egir,  the  sea  giant  had,  which  struck  terror  into  all 
antagonists  like  the  ^Egis  of  Athene  ;  and  that  wonderful  mill 
which  the  mythical  Frodi  owned,  of  which  we  shall  shortly 
speak. 

1  Snorro's  Edda,  Stockholm,  1842,  translated  by  the  writer. 


Wishing  Things  49 

Now,  let  us  see  what  traces  of  this  great  god  '  Wish  '  and 
his  choice-bairns  and  wishing-things  we  can  find  in  these 
Tales,  faint  echoes  of  a  mighty  heathen  voice,  which  once 
proclaimed  the  goodness  of  the  great  Father  in  the  blessings 
which  he  bestowed  on  his  chosen  sons.  We  shall  not  have  long 
to  seek.  In  tale,  No.  xx,  when  Shortshanks  meets  those  three 
old  crookbacked  hags  who  have  only  one  eye,  which  he  snaps 
up,  and  gets  first  a  sword  '  that  puts  a  whole  army  to  flight,  be 
it  ever  so  great',  we  have  the  'one-eyed  Odin*,  degen- 
erated into  an  old  hag,  or  rather — by  no  uncommon  process — 
we  have  an  old  witch  fused  by  popular  tradition  into  a  mixture 
of  Odin  and  the  three  Nornir.  Again,  when  he  gets  that 
wondrous  ship  *  which  can  sail  over  fresh  water  and  salt  water, 
and  over  high  hills  and  deep  dales,'  and  which  is  so  small  that 
he  can  put  it  into  his  pocket,  and  yet,  when  he  came  to  use 
it,  could  hold  five  hundred  men,  we  have  plainly  the  Skith- 
blathnir  of  the  Edda  to  the  very  life.  So  also  in  the  Best  Wish, 
No.  XXXVI  the  whole  groundwork  of  this  story  rests  on  this 
old  belief  ;  and  when  we  meet  that  pair  of  old  scissors 
which  cuts  all  manner  of  fine  clothes  out  of  the  air,  that  table- 
cloth which  covers  itself  with  the  best  dishes  you  could  think 
of,  as  soon  as  it  was  spread  out,  and  that  tap  which,  as  soon 
as  it  was  turned,  poured  out  the  best  of  mead  and  wine,  we 
have  plainly  another  form  of  Frodi's  wishing-quem — another 
recollection  of  those  things  of  choice  about  which  the  old 
mythology  has  so  much  to  tell.  Of  the  same  kind  are  the 
tablecloth,  the  ram,  and  the  stick  in  '  the  Lad  who  went  to  the 
North  Wind  ',  No.  xxxiv,  and  the  rings  in  *  the  Three  Prin- 
cesses of  Whiteland  ',  No.  xxvi,  and  in  '  Soria  Moria  Castle ',  No. 
Lvi.  In  the  first  of  those  stories,  too,  we  find  those  '  three 
brothers  '  who  have  stood  on  a  moor  '  these  hundred  years 
fighting  about  a  hat,  a  cloak,  and  a  pair  of  boots  ',  which  had 
the  virtue  of  making  him  who  wore  them  invisible  ;  choice 
things  which  will  again  remind  the  reader  of  the  Nihelungen 
Lied,  of  the  way  in  which  Siegfried  became  possessed  of  the 
famous  hoard  of  gold,  and  how  he  got  that  '  cap  of  darkness  * 
which  was  so  useful  to  him  in  his  remaining  exploits.  So  again 
in  '  the  Blue  Belt ' ,  No.  xxii,  what  is  that  belt  which,  v/hen 
the  boy  girded  it  on,  *  he  felt  as  strong  as  if  he  could  lift  the 
whole  hill  ',  but  Thor's  *  choice-belt'  ;  and  what  is  the  daring 
boy  himself,  who  overcomes  the  Troll,  but  Thor  himself,  as 

E 


50  Introduction 

engaged  in  one  of  his  adventures  with  the  Giants  ?  So,  too, 
in  '  Little  Annie  the  Goose-girl ',  No.  lix,  the  stone  which 
tells  the  Prince  all  the  secrets  of  his  brides  is  plainly  the  old 
Oskastein,  or  '  wishing-stone ' .  These  instances  will  sujB&ce 
to  show  the  prolonged  faith  in  '  Wish  ',  and  his  choice  things  ; 
a  belief  which,  though  so  deeply  rooted  in  the  North,  we  have 
already  traced  to  its  home  in  the  East,  whence  it  stretches 
itself  from  pole  to  pole,  and  reappears  in  every  race.  We 
recognize  it  in  the  wishing-cap  of  Fortunatus,  which  is  a 
Celtic  legend  ;  in  the  cornucopia  of  the  Romans  ;  in  the 
goat  Amalthea  among  the  Greeks  ;  in  the  wishing-cow  and 
wishing-tree  of  the  Hindoos  ;  in  the  pumpkim-tree  of  the 
West  Indian  Ananzi  stories  ;  in  the  cow  of  the  Servian  legends, 
who  spins  yarn  out  of  her  ear  ;  in  the  Sampo  of  the  Finns  ; 
and  in  all  those  stories  of  cups,  and  glasses,  and  horns,  and 
rings,  and  swords,  seized  by  some  bold  spirit  in  the  midst  of  a 
fairy  revel,  or  earned  by  some  kind  deed  rendered  by  mortal 
hand  to  one  of  the  '  good  folk  *  in  her  hour  of  need,  and  with 
which  the  *  luck  '  ^  of  that  mortal's  house  was  ever  afterwards 
bound  up  ;  stories  with  which  the  local  traditions — of  all  lands 
are  full,  but  which  all  pay  unconscious  homage  to  the  worship 
of  that  great  God,  to  whom  so  many  heathen  hearts  so  often 
turned  as  the  divine  realizer  of  their  prayers,  and  the  giver  of 
all  good  things,  until  they  come  last  to  make  an  idol  out  of 
their  hopes  and  prayers,  and  to  immortalize  the  very  '  Wish  ' 
itself. 

Again,  of  all  beliefs,  that  in  which  man  has,  at  all  times 
of  his  history,  been  most  prone  to  set  faith,  is  that  of  a  golden 
age  of  peace  and  plenty,  which  had  passed  away,  but  which 
might  be  expected  to  return.  Such  a  period  was  looked  for 
when  Augustus  closed  the  temple  of  Janus,  and  peace,  though 
perhaps  not  plenty,  reigned  over  what  the  proud  Roman 
called  the  habitable  world.  Such  a  period  the  early  Christian 
expected  when  the  Saviour  was  born,  in  the  reign  of  that  very 
Augustus  ;  and  such  a  period  some,  whose  thoughts  are  more 
set  on  earth  than  heaven,  have  hoped  for  ever  since,  with  a 
hope  which,  though  deferred  for  eighteen  centuries,  has  not 
made  their  hearts  sick.  Such  a  period  of  peace  and  plenty, 
such  a  golden  time,  the  Norseman  could  tell  of  in  his  mythic 
Frodi's  reign,  when  gold  or  Prodi's  meal,  as  it  was  called,  was 

1  See  the  well-known  story  of  '  The  Luck  of  Eden  Hall '. 


I 


Frodi's  Quern  51 

so  plentiful  that  golden  armlets  lay  untouched  from  year's 
end  to  year's  end  on  the  king's  highway,  and  the  fields  bore 
crops  unsown.  Here,  in  England,  the  Anglo-Saxon  Bede  ^  knew 
how  to  tell  the  same  story  of  Edwin,  the  Northumbrian  King, 
and  when  Alfred  came  to  be  mythic,  the  same  legend  was 
passed  on  from  Edwin  to  the  West  Saxon  monarch.  The  re- 
membrance of  '  the  bountiful  Frodi '  echoed  in  the  songs  of 
German  poets  long  after  the  story  which  made  him  so  bountiful 
had  been  forgotten  ;  but  the  Norse  Skalds  could  tell  not  only 
the  story  of  Frodi's  wealth  and  bounty,  but  also  of  his  down- 
fall and  ruin.  In  Frodi's  house  were  two  maidens  of  that  old 
giant  race,  Fenja  and  Menja.  These  daughters  of  the  giant 
he  had  bought  as  slaves,  and  he  made  them  grind  his  quern 
or  hand-mill,  Grotti,  out  of  which  he  used  to  grind  peace  and 
gold.  Even  in  that  golden  age  one  sees  there  were  slaves, 
and  Frodi,  however  bountiful  to  his  thanes  and  people,  was 
a  hard  task-master  to  his  giant  hand-maidens.  He  kept 
them  to  the  mill,  nor  gave  them  longer  rest  than  the  cuckoo's 
note  lasted,  or  they  could  sing  a  song.  But  that  quern  was 
such  that  it  ground  anything  that  the  grinder  chose,  though 
until  then  it  had  ground  nothing  but  gold  and  peace.  So  the 
maidens  ground  and  ground,  and  one  sang  their  piteous  tale 
in  a  strain  worthy  of  .^schylus  as  the  other  worked — they 
prayed  for  rest  and  pity,  but  Frodi  was  deaf.  Then  they 
turned  in  giant  mood,  and  ground  no  longer  peace  and  plenty, 
but  fire  and  war.  Then  the  quern  went  fast  and  furious,  and 
that  very  night  came  Mysing  the  Sea-rover,  and  slew  Frodi 
and  all  his  men,  and  carried  off  the  quern  ;  and  so  Frodi's  peace 
ended.  The  maidens  the  sea-rover  took  with  him,  and  when 
he  got  on  the  high  seas  he  bade  them  grind  salt.  So  they 
ground  ;  and  at  midnight  they  asked  if  he  had  not  salt  enough, 
but  he  bade  them  still  grind  on.  So  they  ground  till  the  ship 
was  full  and  sank,  Mysing,  maids,  and  mill,  and  all,  and  that's 
why  the  sea  is  salt  2.  Perhaps  of  all  the  tales  in  this  volume, 
none  could  be  selected  as  better  proving  the  toughness  of  a 
traditional  belief  than  No.  11,  which  tells  '  Why  the  Sea  is  Salt  *. 
The  notion  of  the  Arch-enemy  of  God  and  man,  of  a  fallen 
angel,  to  whom  power  was  permitted  at  certain  times  for  an 
all-wise  purpose  by  the  Great  Ruler  of  the  universe,  was  as 

1  Hist.,  ii,  16. 

2  Soor.  Ed.  Skaldsk.,  ch.  43. 


52  Introduction 

foreign  to  the  heathendom  of  our  ancestors  as  his  name 
was  outlandish  and  strange  to  their  tongue.  This  notion 
Christianity  brought  with  it  from  the  East ;  and  though  it  is  a 
plant  which  has  struck  deep  roots,  grown  distorted  and 
awry,  and  borne  a  bitter  crop  of  superstition,  it  required  all 
the  authority  of  the  Church  to  prepare  the  soil  at  first  for  its 
reception.  To  the  notion  of  good  necessarily  follows  that  of 
evil.  The  Eastern  mind,  with  its  Ormuzd  and  Ahriman,  is 
full  of  such  dualism,  and  from  that  hcur,  when  a  more  than 
mortal  eye  saw  Satan  falling  like  lightning  from  heaven  \  the 
kingdom  of  darkness,  the  abode  of  Satan  and  his  bad  spirits, 
was  established  in  direct  opposition  to  the  kingdom  of  the 
Saviour  and  his  angels.  The  North  had  its  own  notion  on  this 
point.  Its  mythology  was  not  without  its  own  dark  powers  ; 
but  though  they  too  were  ejected  and  dispossessed,  they, 
according  to  that  mythology,  had  rights  of  their  own.  To 
them  belonged  all  the  universe  that  had  not  been  seized  and 
reclaimed  by  the  younger  race  of  Odin  and  ^Esir  ;  and  though 
this  upstart  dynasty,  as  the  Frost  Giants  in  Promethean 
phrase  would  have  called  it,  well  knew  that  Hel,  one  of  this 
giant  progeny,  was  fated  to  do  them  all  mischief,  and  to  outlive 
them,  they  took  her  and  made  her  queen  of  Niflheim,  and 
mistress  over  nine  worlds.  There,  in  a  bitterly  cold  place, 
she  received  the  souls  of  all  who  died  of  sickness  or  old  age  ; 
care  was  her  bed,  hunger  her  dish,  starvation  her  knife.  Her 
walls  were  high  and  strong,  and  her  bolts  and  bars  huge  ; 
'  Half  blue  was  her  skin,  and  half  the  colour  of  human  flesh. 
A  goddess  easy  to  know,  and  in  all  things  very  stern  and 
grim  2.'  But  though  severe,  she  was  not  an  evil  spirit.  She 
only  received  those  who  died  as  no  Norseman  wished  to  die. 
For  those  who  fell  on  the  gory  battle-field,  or  sank  beneath  the 
waves,  Valhalla  was  prepared,  and  endless  mirth  and  bliss 
with  Odin.  Those  went  to  Hel,  who  were  rather  unfortunate 
than  wicked,  who  died  before  they  could  be  killed.  But 
when  Christianity  came  in  and  ejected  Odin  and  his  crew 
of  false  divinities,  declaring  them  to  be  lying  gods  and  demons, 
then  Hel  fell  with  the  rest ;  but  fulfilling  her  fate,  outlived 
them.  From  a  person  she  became  a  place,  and  all  the  Northern 
nations,  from  the  Goth  to  the  Norseman,  agreed  in  beUeving 

1  St  Luke,  X,  1 8. 

?  Snor.  Edia,  ch.  34,  Engl.  Transl. 


The  Norseman's  Hell  53 

Hell  to  be  the  abode  of  the  devil  and  his  wicked  spirits,  the 
place  prepared  from  the  beginning  for  the  everlasting  torments 
of  the  damned.  One  curious  fact  connected  with  this  ex- 
planation of  Hell's  origin  will  not  escape  the  reader's  atten- 
tion. The  Christian  notion  of  Hell  is  that  of  a  place  of  heat,  for 
in  the  East,  whence  Christianity  came,  heat  is  often  an  intoler- 
able torment,  and  cold,  on  the  other  hand,  everytliing  that  is 
pleasant  and  delightful.  But  to  the  dweller  in  the  North,  heat 
brings  with  it  sensations  of  joy  and  comfort,  and  life  without 
fire  has  a  drea.ry  outlook  ;  so  their  Hel  ruled  in  a  cold  region 
over  those  who  were  cowards  by  implication,  while  the  mead- 
cup  went  round,  and  huge  logs  blazed  and  crackled  in  Valhalla, 
for  the  brave  and  beautiful  who  had  dared  to  die  on  the  field 
of  battle.  But  under  Christianity  the  extremes  of  heat  and 
cold  have  met,  and  Hel,  the  cold  uncomfortable  goddess, 
is  now  our  Hell,  where  flames  and  fire  abound,  and  where  the 
devils  abide  in  everlasting  flame. 

Still,  popular  tradition  is  tough,  and  even  after  centuries 
of  Christian  teaching,  the  Norse  peasant,  in  his  popular  tales, 
can  still  tell  of  Hell  as  a  place  where  fire-wood  is  wanted 
at  Christmas,  and  over  which  a  certain  ak  of  comfort  breathes, 
though,  as  in  the  goddess  Hel's  halls,  meat  is  scarce.  The 
following  passage  from  '  Why  the  Sea  is  Salt ',  No.  11,  will 
sufficiently  prove  this  : 

'  Well,  here  is  the  flitch  ',  said  the  rich  brother,  '  and  now  go  straight  to 
Hell.' 

'  What  I  have  given  my  word  to  do,  I  must  stick  to  '  said  the  other  ;  so 
he  took  the  flitch  and  set  off.  He  walked  the  whole  day,  and  at  dusk  he 
came  to  a  place  where  he  saw  a  very  bright  light. 

'  Maybe  this  is  the  place  '  said  the  man  to  himself.  So  he  turned  aside, 
and  the  first  thing  he  saw  was  an  old,  old  man,  with  a  long  white  beard, 
who  stood  in  an  outhouse,  hewing  wood  for  the  Christmas  fire. 

'  Good  even '  said  the  man  with  the  flitch. 

'  The  same  to  you  ;  whither  are  you  going  so  late  '  said  the  man. 

'  Oh  !  I'm  going  to  Hell,  if  I  only  knew  the  right  way  '  answered  the 
poor  man. 

'  Well,  you're  not  far  wrong,  for  this  is  Hell '  said  the  old  man  ;  *  When 
you  get  inside  they  will  be  all  for  buying  your  flitch,  for  meat  is  scarce  in 
Hell ;  but  mind  you  don't  sell  it  unless  you  get  the  hand-quern  which  stands 
behind  the  door  for  it.  When  you  come  out,  I'll  teach  you  how  to  handle 
the  quern,  for  it's  good  to  grind  almost  anything.' 

This,  too,  is  the  proper  place  to  explain  the  conclusion 
of  that  intensely  heathen  tale,  '  the  Master-Smith  ',  No.  xvi. 


54  Introduction 

We  have  already  seen  how  the  Saviour  and  St  Peter  supply, 
in  its  beginning,  the  place  of  Odin  and  some  other  heathen 
god.  But  when  the  Smith  sets  out  with  the  feeling  that 
he  has  done  a  silly  thing  in  quarrelling  with  the  Devil, 
having  already  lost  his  hope  of  heaven,  this  tale  assumes 
a  still  more  heathen  shape.  According  to  the  old  notion, 
those  who  were  not  Odin's  guests  went  either  to  Thor's  house, 
who  had  all  the  thralls,  or  to  Freyja,  who  even  claimed  a 
third  part  of  the  slain  on  every  battle-field  with  Odin,  or 
to  Hel,  the  cold  comfortless  goddess  already  mentioned,  who 
was  still  no  tormentor,  though  she  ruled  over  nine  worlds, 
and  though  her  walls  were  high,  and  her  bolts  and  bars  huge  ; 
traits  which  come  out  in  *  the  Master-Smith  ',  No.  xvi,  when 
the  Devil,  who  here  assumes  Hel's  place,  orders  the  watch 
to  go  back  and  lock  up  all  the  nine  locks  on  the  gates  of  Hell 
— a  lock  for  each  of  the  goddesses  nine  worlds — and  to  put  a 
padlock  on  besides.  In  the  twilight  between  heathendom 
and  Christianity,  in  that  half  Christian  half  heathen  con- 
sciousness, which  this  tale  reveals,  heaven  is  the  preferable 
abode,  as  Valhalla  was  of  yore,  but  rather  than  be  without 
a  house  to  one's  head  after  death.  Hell  was  not  to  be  des- 
pised ;  though,  having  behaved  ill  to  the  ruler  of  one,  and 
actually  quarrelled  with  the  master  of  the  other,  the  Smith 
was  naturally  anxious  on  the  matter.  This  notion  of  different 
abodes  in  another  world,  not  necessarily  places  of  torment, 
comes  out  too  in  '  Not  a  Pin  to  choose  between  them  ',  No. 
XXIV,  where  Peter,  the  second  husband  of  the  silly  Goody, 
goes  about  begging  from  house  to  house  in  Paradise. 

For  the  rest,  whenever  the  Devil  appears  in  these  tales,  it 
is  not  at  all  as  the  Arch-enemy,  as  the  subtle  spirit  of  the 
Christian's  faith,  but  rather  as  one  of  the  old  Giants,  super- 
natural and  hostile  indeed  to  man,  but  simple  and  easily 
deceived  by  a  cunning  reprobate,  whose  superior  intelligence 
he  learns  to  dread,  for  whom  he  feels  himself  no  match,  and 
whom,  finally,  he  will  receive  in  Hell  at  no  price.  We  shall 
have  to  notice  some  other  characteristics  of  this  race  of  giants 
a  little  further  on,  but  certainly  no  greater  proof  can  be  given 
of  the  small  hold  which  the  Christian  Devil  has  taken  of  the 
Norse  mind,  than  the  heathen  aspect  under  which  he  con- 
stantly appears,  and  the  ludicrous  way  in  which  he  is  always 
outwitted. 


The  Heathen  Goddesses  55 

We  have  seen  how  our  Lord  and  the  saints  succeeded  to 
Odin  and  his  children  in  the  stories  which  told  of  their  wander- 
ings on  earth,  to  warn  the  wicked,  or  to  help  the  good  ;  we 
have  seen  how  the  kindliness  and  helpfulness  of  the  ancient 
goddesses  fell  like  a  royal  mantle  round  the  form  of  the  Virgin 
Mary.  We  have  seen,  too,  on  the  other  hand,  how  the  pro* 
cession  of  the  Almighty  God  degenerated  into  the  infernal 
midnight  hunt.  We  have  now  to  see  what  became  of  the  rest 
of  the  power  of  the  goddesses,  of  all  that  might  which  was 
not  absorbed  into  the  glory  of  the  blessed  Virgin.  We  shall 
not  have  far  to  seek.  No  reader  of  early  medieval  chronicles 
and  sermons,  can  fail  to  have  been  struck  with  many  passages 
which  ascribe  majesty  and  power  to  beings  of  woman's  sex. 
Now  it  is  a  heathen  goddess  as  Diana  ;  now  some  half-historical 
character  as  Bertha  ;  now  a  mythical  being  as  Holda  ;  now 
Herodias ;  now  Satta ;  now  Domina  Ahundia,  or  Dame 
Habonde  ^.  A  very  short  investigation  will  serve  to  identify 
the  two  ancient  goddesses  Frigga  and  Freyja  with  all  these 
leaders  of  a  midnight  host.     Just  as  Odin  was  banished  from 

1  Here  are  a  few  of  these  passages  which  might  be  much  extended :  Burchard  of 
Worms,  p.  194,  a.  '  credidisti  ut  aliqua  femina  sit  quse  hoc  facere  possit  quod  qujedam 
a  diabolo  deceptae  se  affirmant  necessario  et  ex  praBcepto  facere  debere ;  id  est  cum 
diEmoniun  turba  in  similitudinem  mulienmi  transformata,  quam  vulgaris  stultitia  Holdam 
vocat,  certis  noctibus  equitare  debere  super  quasdam  bestias,  et  in  eorum  se  consortio 
annumeratam  esse.' 

'  Illud  etiam  non  omittendum,  quod  quaedam  sceleratae  mulieres  retro  post  Sathanam 
conversae,  damonum  illusionibus  et  phantasmatibus  seductae  credunt  se  et  profitentur 
nocturnis  horis  cum  Diana  paganorum  dea,  vel  cum  Herodiade  et  innumera  multitudine 
mulierum  equitare  super  quasdam  bestias,  et  multa  terrarum  spatia  intempestas  noctis 
silantio  pertransire,  ejusque  jussionAbus  velut  Domina  obedire  et  certis  noctibus  ad  ejus 
servitium  evocari.' — Burchard  of  Worms,  lo,  i. 

'  Quale  est,  quod  noctilucam  quandam,  vel  Herodiadem,  vel  praesidem  noctis  Dominam 
concilia  et  conventus  de  nocte  assenmt  convocare,  varia  celebrari  convivia,  etc' — Job, 
Sarisberiensis  Polycrat.,  2,  17  (died  1182). 

'  Herodiam  illam  baptistae  Christi  interfectricem,  quasi  reginam,  immo  deam  propon- 
ant,  asserentes  tertiam  totius  mundi  partem  illi  traditam.' — Rather.  Cambrens.  (died 
974)- 

'  Sic  et  dasmon  qui  praetextu  mulieris  cum  aliis  de  nocte,  dom.os  et  cellaria  dicitur  fre- 
quentare,  et  vocant  eam  Satiam  a  satietate,  et  Dominam  Abundiam  pro  abundantia, 
quam  eam  praestare  dicunt  domibus  quas  frequentaverit ;  hujusmodi  etiam  daemones 
quas  dominas  vocant,  vetulae  penes  quas  error  iste  remansit  et  a  quibus  solis  creditur  et 
somniatur.' — Guilielmus  Alvernus,  i,  1036  (died  1248). 
So  also  the  Roman  de  la  Rose  (Meon  line  18,622.) : 

Qui  les  cine  sens  ainsinc  de^oit 
Par  les  fantosmes,  qu'il  revolt, 
Don  maintes  gens  par  lor  folie 
Cuident  estre  par  nuit  estries, 
Errans  aveques  Dawc  Habonde : 
Et  dient,  que  par  tout  le  monde 
Li  tiers  enfant  de  nacion 
Sunt  de  ceste  condicion. 
And  again,  line  18,686  : 

Dautre  part,  que  It  tiers  du  monde 
AiUe  ainsinc  eavec  Dame  Habonde. 


56  Introduction 

day  to  darkness,  so  the  two  great  heathen  goddesses,  fused 
into  one  '  uncanny  *  shape,  were  supposed  to  ride  the  air  at 
night.  Medieval  chroniclers,  writing  in  bastard  Latin,  and 
following  the  example  of  classical  authors,  when  they  had  to 
find  a  name  for  this  demon-goddess,  chose,  of  course,  Diana 
the  heathen  huntress  ;  the  moon-goddess  ;  and  the  ruler 
of  the  night.  In  the  same  way,  when  they  threw  Odin's 
name  into  a  Latin  shape,  he,  the  god  of  wit  and  will,  as  well 
as  power  and  victory,  became  Mercury.  As  for  Herodias — 
not  the  mother,  but  the  daughter  who  danced — she  must 
have  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  mind  of  the  early  Middle 
Age,  for  she  was  supposed  to  have  been  cursed  after  the  be- 
heading of  John  the  Baptist,  and  to  have  gone  on  dancing 
for  ever.  When  heathendom  fell,  she  became  confounded 
with  the  ancient  Goddesses,  and  thus  we  find  her,  sometimes 
among  the  crew  of  the  Wild  Huntsman  ;  sometimes,  as  we 
see  in  the  passages  below,  in  company  with,  or  in  the  place 
of  Diana,  Holda,  Satia,  and  Abundia,  at  the  head  of  a  bevy 
of  women,  who  met  at  certain  places  to  celebrate  unholy  rites 
and  mysteries.  As  for  Holda,  Satia,  and  Ahundia,  '  the  kind  ', 
'  the  satisfying  ',  and  *  the  abundant ',  they  are  plainly  names 
of  good  rather  than  evil  powers  ;  they  are  ancient  epithets 
drawn  from  the  bounty  of  the  '  Good  Lady  ',  and  attest  the 
feeling  of  respect  which  still  clung  to  them  in  the  popular 
mind.  As  was  the  case  whenever  Christianity  was  brought 
in,  the  country  folk,  always  averse  to  change,  as  compared 
with  the  more  lively  and  intelligent  dwellers  in  towns,  still 
remained  more  or  less  heathen  1,  and  to  this  day  they  preserve 
unconsciously  many  superstitions  which  can  be  traced  up  in 
lineal  descent  to  their  old  belief.  In  many  ways  does  the 
old  divinity  peep  out  under  the  new  superstition — the  long 
train,  the  midnight  feast,  '  the  good  lady '  who  presides, 
the  bounty  and  abundance  which  her  votaries  fancied  would 
follow  in  her  footsteps,  all  belong  to  the  ancient  Goddess . 
Most  curious  of  all  is  the  way  in  which  all  these  traditions  from 
different  countries  insist  on  the  third  part  of  the  earth,  the 
third  child  born,  the  third  soul  as  belonging  to  the  '  good 
lady  ',  who  leads  the  revel ;  for  this  right  of  a  third,  or  even 
of  a  half,  was  one  which  Freyja  possessed.      '  But    Freyja 

1  See  the  derivation  of  pagan  from  paganus,  one  who  lived  ia  the  country,  as  opposed 
to  urbanus,  a  townsman. 


Witchcraft  57 

is  most  famous  of  the  Asynjor.  She  has  that  bower  in 
heaven  hight  Folkvangr,  and  whithersoever  she  rideth  to 
the  battle,  there  hath  she  one  half  of  the  slain,  but  Odin  the  other 
half.'  Again  '  when  she  fares  abroad,  she  drives  two  cats 
and  sits  in  a  car,  and  she  lends  an  easy  ear  to  the  prayers  of 
men  ^.' 

We  have  got  then  the  ancient  goddesses  identified  as  evil 
influences,  and  as  the  leader  of  a  midnight  band  of  women, 
who  practised  secret  and  unholy  rites.  This  leads  us  at 
once  to  witchcraft.  In  all  ages  and  in  all  races  this  belief 
in  sorcery  has  existed.  Men  and  women  practised  it  aUke, 
but  in  all  times  female  sorcerers  have  predominated  2.  This 
was  natural  enough.  In  those  days  women  were  priestesses  ; 
they  collected  drugs  and  simples  ;  women  alone  knew  the 
virtues  of  plants.  Those  soft  hands  spun  linen,  made  lint, 
and  bound  wounds.  Women  in  the  earliest  times  with  which 
we  are  acquainted  with  our  forefathers,  alone  knew  how  to 
read  and  write,  they  only  could  carve  the  mystic  runes,  they 
only  could  chant  the  charms  so  potent  to  allay  the  wounded 
warrior's  smart  and  pain.  The  men  were  busy  out  of  doors 
with  ploughing,  hunting,  barter,  and  war.  In  such  an  age 
the  sex  which  possessed  by  natural  right  book-learning, 
physic,  soothsaying,  and  incantation,  even  when  they  used 
these  mysteries  for  good  purposes,  were  but  a  step  from  sin. 
The  same  soft  white  hand  that  bound  the  wound  and  scraped 
the  hnt ;  the  same  gentle  voice  that  sung  the  mystic  rune, 
that  helped  the  child-bearing  woman,  or  drew  the  arrow-head 
from  the  dying  champion's  breast ;  the  same  bright  eye 
that  gazed  up  to  heaven  in  ecstacy  through  the  sacred 
grove  and  read  the  will  of  the  Gods  when  the  mystic  tablets 
and  rune-carved  lots  were  cast — all  these,  if  the  will  were 
bad,  if  the  soothsayer  passed  into  the  false  prophetess,  the 
leech  into  a  poisoner,  and  the  priestess  into  a  witch,  were 
as  potent  and  terrible  for  ill  as  they  had  once  been  powerful 
for  good.  In  all  the  Indo-European  tribes,  therefore,  women, 
and  especially  old  women,  have  practised  witchcraft  from  the 
earliest  times,  and  Christianity  found  them  wherever  it 
advanced.     But  Christianity,    as   it   placed   mankind    upon 


1  Snorro's  Edda,  Dasent's  Translation,  pp.  29  (Stockholm  1842). 
Keisersberg  Omeiss,  46  b.,  quoted  by  Grimm,  D.  M.  pp.  991,  saj^  ; 
Wen  man  ein  man  verbrent,  so  brent  man  wol  zenen  frauen. 


58  Introduction 

a  higher  platform  of  civiHzation,  increased  the  evil  which 
it  found,  and  when  it  expelled  the  ancient  goddesses,  and 
confounded  them  as  demons  with  Diana  and  Herodias,  it 
added  them  and  their  votaries  to  the  old  class  of  malevo- 
lent sorcerers.  There  was  but  one  step,  but  a  simple 
act  of  the  will,  between  the  Norn  and  the  hag,  even  before 
Christianity  came  in.  As  soon  as  it  came,  down  went 
Goddess,  Valkyrie,  Norn,  priestess,  and  soothsayer,  into 
that  unholy  deep  where  the  heathen  hags  and  witches  had 
their  being  ;  and,  as  Christianity  gathered  strength,  developed 
its  dogmas,  and  worked  out  its  faith  ;  fancy,  tradition,  leech- 
craft,  poverty,  and  idleness,  produced  that  unhappy  class, 
the  medieval  witch,  the  persecution  of  which  is  one  of  the 
darkest  pages  in  religious  history. 

It  is  curious  indeed  to  trace  the  belief  in  witches  through 
the  Middle  Age,  and  to  mark  how  it  increases  in  intensity 
and  absurdity.  At  first,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  passages 
quoted,  the  superstition  seemed  comparatively  harmless, 
and  though  the  witches  themselves  may  have  believed  in  their 
unholy  power,  there  were  not  wanting  divines  who  took  a 
common-sense  view  of  the  matter,  and  put  the  absurdity  of 
their  pretensions  to  a  practical  proof.  Such  was  that  good 
parish  priest  who  asked,  when  an  old  woman  of  his  flock 
insisted  that  she  had  been  in  his  house  with  the  company 
of  '  the  Good  Lady  ',  and  had  seen  him  naked  and  covered 
him  up,  *  How,  then,  did  you  get  in  when  all  the  doors  were 
locked  ?  '  '  We  can  get  in  ',  she  said,  '  even  if  the  doors  are 
locked.*  Then  the  priest  took  her  into  the  chancel  of  the 
church,  locked  the  door,  and  gave  her  a  sound  thrashing 
with  the  pastoral  staff,  calling  out  '  Out  with  you,  lady  witch.' 
But  as  she  could  not,  he  sent  her  home,  saying  '  See  now  how 
foolish  you  are  to  believe  in  such  empty  dreams  '^.  But  as 
the  Church  increased  in  strength,  as  heresies  arose,  and  con- 
sequent persecution,  then  the  secret  meetings  of  these  sectar- 
ians, as  we  should  now  call  them,  were  identified  by  the  hier- 
archy with  the  rites  of  sorcery  and  magic,  and  with  the  reUcs 
of  the  worship  of  the  old  gods.  By  the  time,  too,  that  the 
hierarchy  was  established,  that  belief  in  the  fallen  angel, 
the  Arch-Fiend,  the  Devil,  originally  so  foreign  to  the  nations 

1  See  the  passage  from  Vincent,  Bellov.  Spec.  Mor.,  iii,  2,  27,  quoted  in  Grimm,  D,  M. 
pp.  1,012-3. 


Processes  against  Witches  59 

of  the  West,  had  become  thoroughly  ingrafted  on  the  popular 
mind,  and  a  new  element  of  wickedness  and  superstition  was 
introduced  at  those  unholy  festivals.  About  the  middle  of 
the  thirteenth  century,  we  find  the  mania  for  persecuting  here- 
tics invading  the  tribes  of  Teutonic  race  from  France  and 
Italy,  backed  by  all  the  power  of  the  Pope.  Like  jealousy, 
persecution  too  often  makes  the  meat  it  feeds  on,  and  many 
silly,  if  not  harmless,  superstitions  were  rapidly  put  under 
the  ban  of  the  Church.  Now  the  '  Good  Lady  '  and  her  train 
begin  to  recede,  they  only  fill  up  the  background  while  the 
Prince  of  Darkness  steps,  dark  and  terrible,  in  front,  and 
soon  draws  after  him  the  following  of  the  ancient  goddess. 
Now  we  hear  stories  of  demoniac  possession  ;  now  the  witches 
adore  a  demon  of  the  other  sex.  With  the  male  element, 
and  its  harsher,  sterner  nature,  the  sinfulness  of  these  unholy 
assemblies  is  infinitely  increased  ;  folly  becomes  guilt,  and 
guilt  crime  ^ 

From  the  middle  of  the  fourteenth  to  the  middle  of  the 
seventeenth  century  the  history  of  Europe  teems  with  pro- 
cesses against  witches  and  sorcerers.  Before  the  Reformation 
it  reached  its  height,  in  the  Catholic  world,  with  the  famous 
bull  of  Innocent  the  Eighth  in  1484,  the  infamous 
Malleus  Maleftcarum,  the  first  of  the  long  hst  of  witchfinding 
books,  and  the  zeal  with  which  the  State  lent  all  the  terrors 
of  the  law  to  assist  the  ecclesiastical  inquisitors.  Before 
the  tribunals  of  those  inquisitors,  in  the  fifteenth  century, 
innumerable  victims  were  arraigned  on  the  double  charge  of 
heresy  and  sorcery — for  the  crimes  ran  in  couples,  both  being 
children    and    sworn    servants    of   the    Devil.     Would    that 

1  The  following  passage  from  The  Fortalice  of  Faith  of  Alphonso  Spina,  written  about 
the  year  1458,  will  sufi&ce  to  show  how  disgustingly  the  Devil,  in  the  form  of  a  goat,  had 
supplanted  the  '  Good  Lady  ' :  Quia  nimium  abundant  tales  perversae  mulieres  ine  Del- 
phinatu  et  Guasconia,  ubi  se  asserunt  concurrere  de  nocte  in  quadam  planitie  deserta  ubi 
est  caper  quidam  in  rupe,  qui  vulgariter  dicitur  el  boch  de  BiUrne  et  quod  ibi  conveniunt 
cum  candelis  accensis  et  adorant  ilium  cuprum  osculantes  eum  in  ano  suo.  Ideo  captae 
pliu-es  earum,  ab  inquisitoribus  fidei  et  convictae  combiuimtur.' 

About  the  same  time,  too,  began  to  spread  the  notion  of  formal  written  agreements 
between  the  Fiend  and  men  who  were  to  be  his  after  a  certain  time,  during  which  he  was 
to  help  them  to  all  earthly  goods.  This,  too,  came  with  Christianity  from  the  East. 
The  first  instance  was  Theophilus,  vicedominus  of  the  Bishop  of  Adana,  whose  fall  and 
conversion  form  the  original  of  all  the  Faust  Legends.  See  Grimm,  D.  M.  969,  and  '  Theo- 
philus in  Icelandic,  Low  German,  and  other  tongues,  by  G.  W.  Dasent,  Stockholm,  1845.' 
There  a  complete  accoimt  of  the  literature  of  the  legend  may  be  found.  In  almost  all 
these  early  cases  the  Fiend  is  outwitted  by  the  help  of  the  Virgin  or  some  other  saint,  and 
in  this  way  the  reader  is  reminded  of  the  Norse  Devil,  the  successor  of  the  Giants,  who 
always  makes  bad  bargains.  When  the  story  was  applied  to  Faust  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, the  terrible  Middle  Age  Devil  was  paramo imt,  and  knew  how  to  exact  his  due. 


6o  Introduction 

the  historian  could  say  that  with  the  era  of  the  Reformation 
these  abominations  ceased.  The  Roman  Hierarchy,  with 
her  bulls  and  inquisitors,  had  sown  a  bitter  crop,  which  both 
she  and  the  Protestant  Churches  were  destined  to  reap  ; 
but  in  no  part  of  the  world  were  the  labourers  more  eager  and 
willing,  when  the  fields  were  '  black  '  to  harvest,  than  in  those 
very  reformed  communities  which  had  just  shaken  off  the 
yoke  of  Rome,  and  which  had  sprung  in  many  cases  from  the 
very  heretics  whom  she  had  persecuted  and  burnt,  accusing  them 
at  the  same  time,  of  the  most  malignant  sorceries^.  Their 
excuse  is,  that  no  one  is  before  his  age.  The  intense  person- 
ality given  to  the  Devil  in  the  Middle  Age  had  possessed  the 
whole  mind  of  Europe.  We  must  take  them  as  we  find  them, 
with  their  bright  fancy,  their  earnest  faith,  their  stern  fana- 
ticism, their  revolting  superstition,  just  as  when  we  look 
upon  a  picture  we  know  that  those  brilliant  hues  and  tones, 
that  spirit  which  informs  the  whole,  could  never  be,  were  it 
not  for  the  vulgar  earths  and  oil  out  of  which  the  glorious 
work  of  art  is  mixed  and  made.  Strangely  monotonous  are 
all  the  witch  trials  of  which  Europe  has  so  many  to  show.  At 
first  the  accused  denies,  then  under  torture  she  confesses,  then 
relapses  and  denies  ;  tortured  again  she  confesses  again,  amplifies 
her  story,  and  accuses  others.  When  given  to  the  stake,  she 
not  seldom  asserts  all  her  confessions  to  be  false,  which  is 
ascribed  to  the  power  which  the  fiend  still  has  over  her.  Then 
she  is  burnt  and  her  ashes  given  to  the  winds.  Those  who 
wish  to  read  one  unexampled,  perhaps  for  barbarity  and  super- 
stition, and  more  curious  than  the  rest  from  the  prominence 
given  in  it  to  a  man,  may  find  it  in  the  trial  of  Dr.  Fian, 
the  Scotch  wizard,  "  which  doctor  was  register  to  the  Devil, 
that  sundry  times  preached  at  North  Baricke  (North  Berwick, 
in  East  Lothian)  Kirke,  to  a  number  of  notorious  witches  ^' 

1  How  strangely  full  of  common  sense  sounds  the  following  article  from  the  Capitularies 
of  Charlemagne,  De  part.  Sax.,  5  :  Si  quis  a  diabolo  deceptus  crediderit  secundum  morem 
Paganorum,  virum  aliquem  aut  foeminam  strigam  esse  et  homines  comedere,  et  propter 
hoc  ipsum  incenderit,  vel  camem  ejus  ad  comedendum  dederit,  capitis  sententia 
punietur.'  And  this  of  Rotharius,  Lex.  Roth.,  379 :  '  Nullus  praesumat  aldiam 
alienam  aut  ancillam  quasi  strigam  occidere,  quod  Christianis  mentibus  nullatenus  est 
credendum  nee  possible  est,  ut  hominem  mulier  vivum  intrinsecus  possit  comedere.' 
Here  the  law  warns  the  common  people  from  believing  in  witches,  and  from  taking  its 
functions  into  their  own  hands,  and  reasons  with  them  against  the  absurdity  of  such 
delusions.  So,  too,  that  reasonable  parish  priest  who  thrashed  the  witch,  though  earlier 
in  time,  was  far  in  advance  of  Gregoryandhis  inquisitors,  and  even  of  our  wise  King  James. 

2  The  following  is  the  title  of  this  strange  tract,  Newes  from  Scotland,  declaring  the 
datnyuible  life  of  Doctor  Fian,  a  notable  Sorcerer,  who  was  burned  at  F.denbrough,  in  Januarie 


The  Trial  of  Dr.  Fian  6t 

But  we  advise  no  one  to  venture  on  a  perusal  of  this  tract 
who  is  not  prepared  to  meet  with  the  most  unutterable 
accusations  and  crimes,  the  most  cruel  tortures,  and  the 
most  absurd  confessions,  followed  as  usual  by  the  stoutest 
denial  of  all  that  had  been  confessed  ;  when  torture  had  done 
her  worst  on  poor  human  nature,  and  the  soul  re-asserted  at 
the  last  her  supremacy  over  the  body  ^.     One  characteristic 

last  159X,  which  Doctor  was  register  to  the  devil,  that  sundrie  times  preached  at  North  Baricke 
Kirke  to  a  number  of  notorious  Witches.  With  the  true  examinations  of  the  said  Doctor 
and  witches,  as  they  uttered  them  in  the  presence  of  the  Scottish  king.  Discovering  how 
they  pretended  to  bewitch  and  drowne  his  Majestie  in  the  sea,  camming  from  Den- 
marke,  with  such  other  wonderfull  matters  as  the  like,  hath  not  bin  heard  at  anie  time.  Pub- 
lished according  to  the  Scottish  copie.  Printed  for  William  Wright.  It  was  reprinted 
in  1816  for  the  Roxburghe  Club  by  Mr  H.  Freeling,  and  is  very  scarce  even  in  the  re- 
print, which,  all  things  considered,  is  perhaps  just  as  well. 

1  The  following  specimens  of  the  tortures  and  confessions  may  suffice ;  but  most  of 
the  crimes  and  confessions  are  unutterable.  One  Geillis  Duncane  was  tortured  by  her 
master,  David  Seaton,  dwelling  within  the  town  of  Tranent,  who,  '  with  the  help  of 
others,  did  torment  her  with  the  torture  of  the  Pilliwinkes  (thumbscrews),  upon  her 
fingers,  and  binding  and  wrinching  her  head  with  a  cord  or  roape,  which  is  a  most  cruel 
torment  also.'  So  also  Agnes  Sampson,  '  the  eldest  witch  of  them  all,  dwelling  in  Had- 
dington, being  brought  to  Haleriud  House  before  the  kinge's  majestie  and  sundry  other 
of  the  nobilitie  of  Scotland,  had  her  head  thrawne  with  a  rope  according  to  the  custom  of 
that  countrie,  beeing  a  payne  most  greevous.'  After  the  Devil's  mark  is  found  on  her 
she  confesses  that  she  went  to  sea  with  two  hundred  others  in  sieves  to  the  kirk  of  North 
Berwick  in  East  Lothian,  and  after  they  had  landed  they  '  took  handes  on  the  lande  and 
daunced,  this  reill  or  short  daimce,  saying  all  with  one  voice 


Commer  goe  ye  before,  Commer  goe  ye, 
Gif  ye  will  not  goe  before,  Commer  let  r 


'  At  which  time  she  confessed  that  this  Geillis  Duncane  did  goe  before  them  playing  this 
reill  or  daunce  upon  a  small  trumpe  called  a  Jew's  trvmip,  imtil  they  entered  into  the 
kirk  of  North  Barrick.'  '  As  touching  the  aforesaid  Doctor  Ran  ',  he '  was  taken  and  im- 
prisoned, and  used  with  the  accustomed  paine  provided  for  these  offences,  inflicted  upon 
the  rest,  as  is  aforesaid.  First  by  thrawing  of  his  head  with  a  rope,  whereat  he  would 
confesse  nothing  !  Secondly,  he  was  persuaded  by  faire  means  to  confesse  his  follies,  but 
that  would  prevaile  as.Uttle.  Lastly,  he  was  put  to  the  most  severe  and  cruell  paine  in  the 
world,  called  the  Bootes,  who,  after  he  had  received  three  strokes,  being  inquired  if  he 
would  confesse  his  damnable  actes  and  wicked  life,  his  toong  would  not  serve  him  to 
speake.'  This  inability,  produced  no  doubt  by  pain,  the  other  witches  explain  by  saying 
that  the  Devil's  mark  had  not  been  foimd,  which,  being  foimd,  '  the  charm  '  was  '  stin- 
ted ',  and  the  Doctor,  in  dread  probably  of  a  fourth  stroke,  confessed  unutterably  shameful 
things.  Having  escaped  from  prison,  of  course  by  the  aid  of  the  Devil,  he  was  pursued, 
and  brought  back  and  re-examined  before  the  king.  '  But  this  Doctor,  notwithstand- 
ing that  his  own  confession  appeareth  remaining  in  recorde,  under  his  owne  handewriting, 
and  the  same  thereimto  fixed  in  the  presence  of  the  King's  majestic  and  sundrie  of  his 
coimcell,  yet  did  he  utterly  deny  the  same,  whereupon  the  King's  majestie,  preceiving  his 
stubborne  wilfulnesss  ...  he  was  commanded  to  have  a  most  strange  torment,  which 
was  done  in  this  manner  following  :  His  nailes  upon  all  his  fingers  were  riven  and  pulled 
off  with  an  instrument  called  in  Scottish  a  Turkas,  which  in  England  wee  call  a  payre  of 
pincers,  and  under  everie  nayle  there  was  thrust  in  two  needels  over  even  up  to  the  heads. 
At  all  which  torments,  notwithstanding  the  Doctor  never  shronke  anie  whit ;  neither 
would  he  then  confesse  it  the  sooner  for  all  the  tortures  inflicted  upon  him. 

'  Then  was  he  with  all  convenient  speed,  by  commandement  convaied  againe  to  the 
tormant  of  the  Bootes,  wherein  hee  continued  a  long  time,  and  did  abide  so  many  blowes 
in  them,  that  his  legges  were  crusht  and  beaten  together  as  small  as  might  bee,  and  the 
bones  and  flesh  so  brused  that  the  bloud  and  marrow  spouted  forth  in  great  abundance, 
wherby  they  were  made  unserviceable  for  ever.  And  notwithstanding  all  these  grievous 
paines  and  cruel  torments,  he  would  not  confesse  aniething,  so  deepely  had  the  Devil 
watered  into  his  heart,  that  hee  utterly  denied  all  that  which  he  had  before  avouched, 


62  Introduction 

of  all  these  witch  trials,  is  the  fact,  that  in  spite  of  their  un- 
holy connection  and  intrigues  with  the  Evil  One,  no  witch 
ever  attained  to  wealth  and  station  by  the  aid  of  the  Prince 
of  Darkness.  The  pleasure  to  do  ill,  is  all  the  pleasure 
they  feel.  This  fact  alone  might  have  opened  the  eyes  of 
their  persecutors,  for  if  the  Devil  had  the  worldly  power  which 
they  represented  him  to  have,  he  might  at  least  have  raised 
some  of  his  votaries  to  temporal  rank,  and  to  the  pomps  and 
the  vanities  of  this  world.  An  old  German  proverb  expresses 
this  notorious  fact,  by  saying,  that  '  every  seven  years,  a 
witch  is  three  halfpence  richer  '  ;  and  so  with  all  the  unholy 
means  of  Hell  at  their  command,  they  dragged  out  their  hves, 
along  with  their  black  cats,  in  poverty  and  wretchedness.  To 
this  fate  at  last,  came  the  worshippers  of  the  great  goddess 
Freyja,  whom  our  forefathers  adored  as  the  goddess  of  love 
and  plenty  ;  and  whose  car  was  drawn  by  those  animals  which 
popular  superstition  has  ever  since  assigned  to  the  *  old 
witch  '  of  our  English  villages. 

The  North  was  not  free,  any  more  than  the  rest  of  the 
Protestant  world,  from  this  direful  superstition,  which  ran 
over  Europe  like  a  pestilence  in  the  sixteenth  century. 
In  Sweden  especially,  the  witches  and  their  midnight  ridings 
to  Blokulla,  the  black  hill,  gave  occasion  to  processes  as  absurd 
and  abominable  as  the  trial  of  Dr.  Fian  and  the  witch-findings 
of  Hopkins.  In  Denmark,  the  sorceresses  were  supposed  to 
meet  at  Tromsoe  high  up  in  Finmark,  or  even  on  Heckla 
in  Iceland.  The  Norse  witches  met  at  a  BlokoUe  of  their 
own,  or  on  the  Dovrefell,  or  at  other  places  in  Norway  or 
Finmark.  As  might  be  expected,  we  find  many  traces  of 
witchcraft  in  these  Tales,  but  it  may  be  doubted  whether 
these  may  not  be  referred  rather  to  the  old  heathen  belief 
in  such  arts  still  lingering  in  the  popular  mind  than  to  the 
processes  of  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries,  which  were 
far  more  a  craze  and  mania  of  the  educated  classes  acting 
under  a  mistaken  rehgious  fanaticism  against  popular  superstit- 

and  would  sale  nothing  thereunto  but  this,  that  what  he  had  done  and  sayde  before,  was 
onely  done  £uid  saide  for  fear  of  paynes  which  he  had  endured.*  Thereupon  as  '  a  due 
execution  of  justice  '  '  and  for  example  sake  ',  he  was  tried,  sentenced,  put  into  a  cart, 
strangled  and  immediately  put  into  a  great  fire,  being  readie  provided  for  that  purpose, 
and  there  burned  in  the  Castle  Hill  of  Edenbrough  on  a  saterdaie,  in  the  ende  of  Janu- 
aire  last  past,  1591.'  The  tract  ends  significantly  :  'The  rest  of  the  witches  which  are 
not  yet  executed  remayne  in  prison  till  further  triall  and  knowledge  of  his  majestie's 
pleasure.' 


Transformations  into  Beasts  6$ 

ions  than  a  movement  arising  from  the  mass  of  the  community. 
Still,  in  the  Mastermaid,  No.  xi,  the  witch  of  a  sister-in-law, 
who  had  rolled  the  apple  over  to  the  Prince,  and  so  charmed 
him,  was  torn  to  pieces  between  twenty-four  horses.  The 
old  queen  in  '  The  Lassie  and  her  Godmother  ',  No.  xxvii, 
tries  to  persuade  her  son  to  have  the  young  queen  burnt  alive 
for  a  wicked  witch,  who  was  dumb,  and  had  eaten  her  own 
babes.  In  '  East  o*  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon  ',  No.  iv,  it 
is  a  wicked  stepmother  who  has  bewitched  the  prince.  In 
'  Bushy  Bride  ',  No.  xlv,  the  ugly  bride  charms  the  king  to 
sleep,  and  is  at  last  thrown,  with  her  wicked  mother,  into  a 
pit  full  of  snakes.  In  the  '  Twelve  Wild  Ducks  ',  No.  viii, 
the  wicked  stepmother  persuades  the  king  that  Snow-white 
and  Rosy-red  is  a  witch,  and  almost  persuades  him  to  burn 
her  alive.  In  '  Tatterhood  ',  No.  xlviii,  a  whole  troop  of 
witches  come  to  keep  their  revels  on  Christmas  eve  in  the 
Queen's  Palace,  and  snap  off  the  young  Princess's  head.  It 
is  hard,  indeed,  in  tales  where  Trolls  play  so  great  a  part,  to 
keep  witch  and  Troll  separate  ;  but  the  above  instances  will 
show  that  the  belief  in  the  one,  as  distinct  from  the  other, 
exists  in  the  popular  superstitions  of  the  North. 

The  frequent  transformation  of  men  into  beasts,  in  these  tales, 
is  another  striking  feature.  This  power,  the  gods  of  the 
Norseman  possessed  in  common  with  those  of  aU  other  mytho- 
logies. Europa  and  her  Bull,  Leda  and  her  Swan,  will  occur 
at  once  to  the  reader's  mind  ;  and  to  come  to  closer  resem- 
blances, just  as  Athene  appears  in  the  Odyssey  as  an  eagle  or 
a  swallow  perched  on  the  roof  of  the  hall  ^,  so  Odin  flies  off  as 
a  falcon,  and  Loki  takes  the  form  of  a  horse  or  bird.  This  was 
only  part  of  that  omnipotence  which  all  gods  enjoy.  But  the 
belief  that  men,  under  certain  conditions,  could  also  take  the 
shape  of  animals,  is  primaeval,  and  the  traditions  of  every 
race  can  tell  of  such  transformations.  Herodotus  had  heard 
how  the  Neurians,  a  Slavonic  race,  passed  for  wizards  amongst 
the  Scythians  and  the  Greeks  settled  round  the  Black  Sea, 
because  each  of  them,  once  in  the  year,  became  a  wolf  for 
a  few  days,  and  then  returned  to  his  natural  shape.  Pliny, 
Pomponius  Mela,  and  St.  Augustin,  in  his  great  treatise,  De 
Civitate  Dei,  tell  the  same  story,  and  Virgil,  in  his  Eclogues, 

1  Od.,  iii,  372  ;   and  X3ui,  239. 


64 


Introduction 


has  sung  the  same  beUef^.  The  Latins  called  such  a  man, 
a  turnskin — versipellis,  an  expression  which  exactly  agrees 
with  the  Icelandic  expression  for  the  same  thing,  and  which 
is  probably  the  true  original  of  our  turncoat.  In  Petronius 
the  superstition  appears  in  its  full  shape,  and  is  worth  repeat- 
ing. At  the  banquet  of  Trimalchion,  Niceros  gives  the  follow- 
ing account  of  the  turnskins  of  Nero's  time  : 

It  happened  that  my  master  was  gone  to  Capua  to  dispose  of  some 
second-hand  goods.  I  took  the  opportunity  and  persuaded  our  guest  to 
walk  with  me  to  the  fifth  milestone.  He  was  a  valiant  soldier,  and  a  sort 
of  grim  water-drinking  Pluto.  About  cock-crow,  when  the  moon  was 
shining  as  bright  as  mid-day,  we  came  among  the  monuments.  My  friend 
began  addressing  himself  to  the  stars,  but  I  was  rather  in  a  mood  to  sing  or 
to  count  them  ;  and  when  I  turned  to  look  at  him,  lo  !  he  had  already 
stripped  himself  and  laid  down  his  clothes  near  him.  My  heart  was  in  my 
nostrils,  and  I  stood  like  a  dead  man  ;  but  he  '  circumminxit  vestimenta ', 
and  on  a  sudden  became  a  wolf.  Do  not  think  I  jest ;  I  would  not  lie  for 
any  man's  estate.  But  to  return  to  what  I  was  sa3dng.  When  he  became 
a  wolf,  he  began  howling,  and  fled  into  the  woods.  At  first  I  hardly  knew 
where  I  was,  and  afterwards,  when  I  went  to  take  up  his  clothes,  they  were 
turned  into  stone.  Who  then  died  with  fear  but  I  ?  Yet  I  drew  my 
sword,  and  went  cutting  the  air  right  and  left,  till  I  reached  the  villa  of  my 
sweetheart.  I  entered  the  covurt-yard.  1  almost  breathed  my  last,  the 
sweat  ran  down  my  neck,  my  eyes  were  dim,  and  I  thought  I  should  never 
recover  myself.  My  Melissa  wondered  why  I  was  out  so  late,  and  said  to 
me  :  '  Had  you  come  sooner  you  might  at  least  have  helped  us,  for  a  wolf 
has  entered  the  farm,  and  worried  all  our  cattle  ;  but  he  had  not  the  best 
of  the  joke,  for  all  he  escaped,  for  our  slave  ran  a  lance  through  his  neck.' 
When  I  heard  this,  I  could  not  doubt  how  it  was,  and,  as  it  was  clear  day- 
light, ran  home  as  fast  as  a  robbed  innkeeper.  When  I  came  to  the  spot 
where  the  clothes  had  been  turned  into  stone,  I  could  find  nothing  except 
blood.  But  when  I  got  home,  I  found  my  friend  the  soldier  in  bed,  bleeding 
at  the  neck  like  an  ox,  and  a  doctor  dressing  his  wound.  I  then  knew  he 
was  a  turn-skin,  nor  would  I  ever  have  broke  bread  with  him  again  ;  No, 
not  if  you  had  killed  me  ^. 

A  man  who  had  such  a  gift  or  greed  was  also  called  lycan- 
thropus,  a  man-wolf  or  wolf-man,  which  term  the  Anglo- 
Saxons  translated  literally  in  Canute's  Laws  verevulf,  and 
the  early  English  werewolf.     In  old  French  he  was  loupgarou, 

1  Eel,  viii,  97  : 

His  ego  ssepe  lupum  fieri  et  se  condere  silvis 
MaBiin vidi. 

2  See  Grimm's  D.  M.,  1,047  fol.  ;  and  for  this  translation  from  Petronius,  a  very  inter- 
esting letter  prefixed  to  Madden 's  Ed.  of  the  old  English  Romance  of  William  and  the 
Werewolf,  1832,  one  of  the  Roxburgh  Club  Publications.  This  letter,  which  was  bv  the 
hand  of  Mr  Herbert  of  Petworth,  contains  all  that  was  known  on  this  subject  before 
Grimm  ;  but  when  Grimm  came  he  was,  compared  with  all  who  had  treated  the  subject, 
as  a  sober  man  amongst  dnmkards. 


Werewolves  65 

which  means  the  same  thing  ;  except  that  garou  means  man 
wolf  in  itself  without  the  antecedent  loup,  so  that,  as  Madden 
observes,  the  whole  word  is  one  of  those  reduplications  of 
which  we  have  an  example  in  lukewarm.  In  Brittany  he  was 
hleizgarou  and  denvleiz,  formed  respectively  from  hleiz,  wolf, 
and  den,  man  ;  garou  is  merely  a  distorted  form  of  wer  or 
vere,  man  and  loup.  In  later  French  the  word  became  waroul, 
whence  the  Scotch  wroul,  wurl,  and  worlin  ^. 

It  was  not  likely  that  a  belief  so  widely  spread  should  not 
have  extended  itself  to  the  North  ;  and  the  grave  assertions 
of  Olaus  Magnus  in  the  sixteenth  century,  in  his  Treatise 
De  Gentihus  Septentrionalibus,  show  how  common  the  beUef 
in  were-wolves  was  in  Sweden  so  late  as  the  time  of  Gustavus 
Vasa.  In  mythical  times  the  Volsunga  Saga  ^  expressly  states 
of  Sigmund  and  Sinfjotli  that  they  became  were-wolves — 
which,  we  may  remark,  were  Odin's  sacred  beasts — just  in 
the  same  way  as  Brynhildr  and  the  Valkyries,  or  corse-choosers, 
who  followed  the  god  of  battles  to  the  field,  and  chose  the 
dead  for  Valhalla  when  the  fight  was  done,  became  swan- 
maidens,  and  took  the  shape  of  swans.  In  either  case,  the 
wolf's  skin  or  the  swan's  feathery  covering  was  assumed  and 
laid  aside  at  pleasure,  though  the  Volundr  Quidr,  in  the  Edda, 
and  the  stories  of  *  The  Fair  Melusina',  and  other  medieval 
swan-maidens,  show  that  any  one  who  seized  that  shape  while 
thus  laid  aside,  had  power  over  its  wearer.  In  later  times, 
when  this  old  heroic  belief  degenerated  into  the  notion  of 
sorcery,  it  was  supposed  that  a  girdle  of  wolfskin  thrown  over 
the  body,  or  even  a  slap  on  the  face  with  a  wolfskin  glove, 
would  transform  the  person  upon  whom  the  sorcerer  practised 
into  the  shape  of  a  ravening  wolf,  which  fled  at  once  to  the 
woods,  where  he  remained  in  that  shape  for  a  period  which 
varied  in  popular  belief  for  nine  days,  three,  seven,  or  nine 
years.  While  in  this  state  he  was  especially  ravenous  after 
young  children,  whom  he  carried  off  as  the  were-wolf  carried 
off  William  in  the  old  romance,  though  all  were-wolves  did  not 
treat  their  prey  with  the  same  tenderness  as  that  were-wolf 
treated  William. 

But  the  favourite  beast  for  Norse  transformations  in  historic 

1  Bisclavaret  in  the  Lais  of  Marie  de  France,  r,  178,  seems  to  be  a  corruption  of  Bleiz- 
garou,  as  the  Norman  garwal  is  of  garwolf.    See  also  Jamieson  Diet.,  under  warwolf. 

2  Fornald  Sog.,  i,  130,  131. 

F 


66  Introduction 

times,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  evidence  afforded  by  the  Sagas, 
was  the  bear,  the  king  of  all  their  beasts,  whose  strength 
and  sagacity  made  him  an  object  of  great  respect  ^. 

This  old  belief,  then,  might  be  expected  to  be  found  in 
these  Norse  Tales,  and  accordingly  we  find  men  transformed  in 
them  into  various  beasts.  Of  old  these  transformations,  as 
we  have  already  stated,  were  active,  if  we  may  use  the  expres- 
sion, as  well  as  passive.  A  man  who  possessed  the  gift,  fre- 
quently assumed  the  shape  of  a  beast  at  his  own  will  and  pleas- 
ure, like  the  soldier  in  Petronius.  Even  now  in  Norway,  it 
is  matter  of  popular  belief  that  Finns  and  Lapps,  who  from 
time  immemorial  have  passed  for  the  most  skilful  witches  and 
wizards  in  the  world,  can  at  will  assume  the  shape  of  bears  ; 
and  it  is  a  common  thing  to  say  of  one  of  those  beasts,  when 
he  gets  unusually  savage  and  daring,  '  that  can  be  no  Christian 
bear  '.  On  such  a  bear,  in  the  parish  of  Ofoden,  after  he  had 
worried  to  death  more  than  sixty  horses  and  six  men,  it  is 
said  that  a  girdle  of  bearskin,  the  infallible  mark  of  a  man 
thus  transformed,  was  found  when  he  was  at  last  tracked 
and  slain.  The  tale  called  '  Farmer  Weathersky  ',  No.  xli 
in  this  collection,  shows  that  the  belief  of  these  spontaneous 
transformations  still  exists  in  popular  tradition,  where  it  is 
easy  to  see  that  Farmer  Weathersky  is  only  one  of  the  ancient 
gods  degraded  into  a  demon's  shape.  His  sudden  departure 
through  the  air,  horse,  sledge,  and  lad,  and  all,  and  his  answer  : 
'  I'm  at  home,  alike  north,  and  south,  and  east,  and  west '  ;  his 
name  itself,  and  his  distant  abode,  surrounded  with  the  corpses 
of  the  slain,  sufficiently  betray  the  divinity  in  disguise.  His 
transformation,  too,  into  a  hawk  answers  exactly  to  that  of 
Odin  when  he  flew  away  from  the  Frost  Giant  in  the  shape  of 
that  bird.  But  in  these  tales  such  transformations  are  for 
the  most  part  passive  ;  they  occur  not  at  the  will  of  the  person 
transformed,  but  through  sorcery  practised  on  them  by  some 
one  else.  Thus  the  White  Bear  in  the  beautiful  story  of 
*  East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon  ',  No.  iv,  is  a  Prince 
transformed  by  his  stepmother,  just  as  it  is  the  stepmother 
who  plays  the  same  part  in  the  romance  of  William  and  the 
Were-wolf.  So  the  horse  in  '  the  Widow's  Son  ',  No.  xliv,  is 
a  Prince  over  whom  a  king  has  cast  that  shape  ^.     So  also  in 

1  See  Landnama  in  many  places.     Egil's  Sag.,  Hrolf  Krak.  Sag. 

2  Tro'dham,  at  haste  ham  paa.    Comp.  the  old  Norse  hamr,  hamfor,  hammadr,  hamrammr. 
which  occur  repeatedly  in  the  same  sense. 


The  Beast  Epic  drj 

*  Lord  Peter  ',  No.  xlii,  which  is  the  full  story  of  what  we 
have  only  hitherto  known  in  part  as  *  Puss  in  Boots  ',  the  cat 
is  a  princess  bewitched  by  the  Troll  who  had  robbed  her  of  her 
lands  ;  so  also  in  *  The  Seven  Foals  ',  No.  xliii,  and  *  The 
Twelve  Wild  Ducks  ',  No.  viii,  the  Foals  and  the  Ducks  are 
Princes  over  whom  that  fate  has  come  by  the  power  of  a  witch 
or  a  Troll,  to  whom  an  unwary  promise  had  been  given. 
Thoroughly  mythic  is  the  trait  in  '  The  Twelve  Wild  Ducks  ', 
where  the  youngest  brother  reappears  with  a  wild  duck's 
wing  instead  of  his  left  arm,  because  his  sister  had  no  time 
to  finish  that  portion  of  the  shirt,  upon  the  completion  of  which 
his  retransformation  depended. 

But  we  should  ill  understand  the  spirit  of  the  Norsemen, 
if  we  supposed  that  these  transformations  into  beasts  were  all 
that  the  national  heart  has  to  tell  of  beasts  and  their  doings, 
or  that,  when  they  appear,  they  do  so  merely  as  men-beasts, 
without  any  power  or  virtue  of  their  own.  From  the  earUest 
times,  side  by  side  with  those  productions  of  the  human  mind 
which  speak  of  the  dealings  of  men  with  men,  there  has  grown 
up  a  stock  of  traditions  about  animals  and  their  relations  with 
one  another,  which  forms  a  true  Beast  Epic,  and  is  full  of  the 
liveliest  traits  of  nature  .  Here,  too,  it  was  reserved  for  Grimm 
to  restore  these  traditions  to  their  true  place  in  the  history  of 
the  human  mind,  and  show  that  the  poetry  which  treats  of 
them  is  neither  satirical  nor  didactic,  though  it  may  contain 
touches  of  both  these  artificial  kinds  of  composition,  but, 
on  the  contrary,  purely  and  intensely  natural.  It  is  Epic, 
in  short,  springing  out  of  that  deep  love  of  nature  and  close 
observation  of  the  habits  of  animals  which  is  only  possible 
in  an  early  and  simple  stage  of  society.  It  used  to  be  the 
fashion,  when  these  Beast  traditions  were  noticed,  to  point 
to  iEsop  as  their  original,  but  Grimm  has  sufficiently  proved  ^ 
that  what  we  see  in  ^sop  is  only  the  remains  of  a  great  world- 
old  cycle  of  such  traditions  which  had  already,  in  ^sop's 
day,  been  subjected  by  the  Greek  mind  to  that  critical  process 
which  a  late  state  of  society  brings  to  bear  on  popular  tradi- 
tions ;  that  they  were  then  already  worn  and  washed  out  and 
morahzed.  He  had  also  shewn  how  the  same  process  went 
on  till  in  Phaedrus  nothing  but  the  dry  bones  of  the  traditions, 
with  a  drier  moral,  are  served  up  to  the  reader  ;   and  he  has 

1  Reinhart  Fuchs,  Introduction. 


68  Introduction 

done  justice  on  La  Fontaine,  who  wrote  with  all  the  wanton 
licentiousness  of  his  day,  and  frittered  away  the  whole  nature 
of  his  fables  by  the  frivolity  of  his  allusions  to  the  artificial 
society  of  his  time.  Nor  has  he  spared  Leasing,  who,  though 
he  saw  through  the  poverty  of  Phsedrus  as  compared  with  iEsop, 
and  was  alive  to  the  weakness  of  La  Fontaine,  still  wandered 
about  in  the  classical  mist  which  hung  heavy  over  the  learning 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  saw  in  the  Greek  form  the  per- 
fection of  all  fable,  when  in  ^sop  it  really  appears  in  a  state 
of  degeneracy  and  decay.  Here  too,  as  in  so  many  other 
things,  we  have  a  proof  that  the  world  is  older  than  we  think 
it.  The  Beast-Fables  in  the  Pantcha  Tantra  and  the  Hiio- 
padesa,  the  Indian  parallels  to  ^sop,  reveal,  in  the  connection 
in  which  they  occur,  and  in  the  moral  use  to  which  they  are 
put,  a  state  of  society  long  past  that  simple  early  time  in 
which  such  fictions  arise.  They  must  have  sprung  up  in  the 
East  in  the  very  dawn  of  time  ;  and  thence  travelling  in  all 
directions,  we  find  them  after  many  centuries  in  various  shapes, 
which  admit  of  no  mistake  as  to  their  first  origin,  at  the  very 
ends  of  the  earth,  in  countries  as  opposite  as  the  Poles  to 
each  other  ;  in  New  Zealand  and  Norway,  in  Central  Africa 
and  Servia,  in  the  West  Indies  and  in  Mongolia  ;  all  separated 
by  immense  tracts  of  land  or  sea  from  their  common  centre. 

To  the  earnest  inquirer,  to  one  who  believes  that  many  dark 
things  may  yet  be  solved,  it  is  very  satisfactory  to  see  that 
even  Grimm,  in  his  Reynard  the  Fox,  is  at  a  loss  to  understand 
why  the  North,  properly  so  called,  had  none  of  the  traditions 
which  the  Middle  Age  moulded  into  that  famous  Beast-Epic. 
But  since  then  the  North,  as  the  Great  Master  himself  confesses 
in  his  later  works,  has  amply  avenged  herself  for  the  slight 
thus  cast  upon  her  by  mistake.  In  the  year  1 834,  when  Grimm 
thus  expressed  his  surprise  on  this  point,  the  North  had  no 
such  traditions  to  show  in  books  indeed,  but  she  kept  them 
stored  up  in  her  heart  in  an  abundance  with  which  no  other 
land  perhaps  can  vie.  This  book  at  least  shows  how  natural 
it  seems  to  the  Norse  mind  now,  and  how  much  more  natural 
of  course  it  seemed  in  earlier  times,  when  sense  went  for  as 
much  and  reflection  for  so  little,  that  beasts  should  talk  ; 
and  how  truly  and  faithfully  it  has  listened  and  looked  for  the 
accents  and  character  of  each.  The  Bear  is  still  the  King  of 
Beasts,  in  which  character  he  appears  in  '  True  and  Untrue  ', 


The  Wolf— The  Horse  69 

No.  I,  but  here,  as  in  Germany,  he  is  no  match  for  the  Fox  in 
wit.  Thus  Reynard  plays  him  a  trick  which  condemns  him 
for  ever  to  a  stumpy  tail  in  No.  xxiii.  He  cheats  him  out 
of  his  share  of  a  firkin  of  butter  in  No.  lvii.  He  is  preferred 
as  Herdsman,  in  No.  x,  before  either  Bear  or  Wolf,  by  the  old 
wife  who  wants  some  one  to  tend  her  flock.  Yet  all  the  while 
he  professes  immense  respect  for  the  Bear,  and  calls  him 
'  Lord  ',  even  when  in  the  very  act  of  outwitting  him.  In  the 
tale  called  '  Well  Done  and  111  Paid  ',  No.  xxxviii,  the  crafty 
fox  puts  a  finish  to  his  misbehaviour  to  his  '  Lord  Bruin  ',  by 
handing  him  over,  bound  hand  and  foot,  to  the  peasant,  and 
by  causing  his  death  outright.  Here,  too,  we  have  an  example, 
which  we  shall  see  repeated  in  the  case  of  the  giants,  that 
strength  and  stature  are  not  always  wise,  and  that  wit  and 
wisdom  never  fail  to  carry  the  day  against  mere  brute  force. 
Another  tale,  however,  restores  the  bear  to  his  true  place  as 
the  king  of  beasts,  endowed  not  only  with  strength,  but  with 
something  divine  and  terrible  about  him  which  the  Trolls 
cannot  withstand.  This  is  *  The  Cat  on  the  Dovrefell ', 
No.  XII.  In  connection  with  which,  it  should  be  remem- 
bered that  the  same  tradition  existed  in  the  thirteenth  century 
in  Germany  ^,  that  the  bear  is  called  familiarly  grandfather 
in  the  North,  and  that  the  Lapps  reckon  him  rather  as  akin 
to  men  than  beasts  ;  that  they  say  he  has  the  strength  of  ten 
and  the  wit  of  twelve  men.  If  they  slay  him,  they  formally 
beg  his  pardon,  as  do  also  the  Ostjaks,  a  tribe  akin  to  the  Lapps, 
and  bring  him  to  their  huts  with  great  formalities  and  mystic 
songs.  To  the  Wolf,  whose  nickname  is  '  Graylegs  '  2,  these 
tales  are  more  complimentary.  He  is  not  the  spiteful,  stupid, 
greedy  Isengrim  of  Germany  and  France.  Not  that  Isengrim, 
of  whom  old  English  fables  of  the  thirteenth  century  tell  us 
that  he  became  a  monk,  but  when  the  brethren  wished  to 
teach  him  his  letters  that  he  might  learn  the  paternoster,  all 
they  could  get  out  of  him  was  lamb,  lamb  ;  nor  could  they  ever 
get  him  to  look  to  the  cross,  for  his  eyes,  with  his  thoughts, 
'  were  ever  to  the  woodward  '.^  He  appears,  on  the  con- 
trary, in  '  The  Giant  who  had  no  Heart  in  his  body  ',  No.  ix, 
as  a  kindly  grateful  beast,  who  repays  tenfold  out  of  the  hidden 

1  Grimm,  Irisch.  Elfenm.,  114-9,  and  D.  A/.,  447. 

2  Comp.  Vict.  Hugo,  NStre-Dame  de  Paris,  where  he  tells  us  that  the  gipsies  called  the 
wolf  piedgris.     See  also  Grimm,  D.  M.,  633  and  Reinhart,  Iv,  ccvii,  and  446, 

3  Douce,  lUust.  to  Shakspeare,  ii,  33,  344,  quoted  in  Reinhart  Fuchs,  ccxxl. 


70  Introduction 

store  of  his  supernatural  sagacity  the  gift  of  the  old  jade,  which 
Boots  had  made  over  to  him. 

The  horse  was  a  sacred  animal  among  the  Teutonic  tribes 
from  the  first  moment  of  their  appearance  in  history,  and 
Tacitus  ^  has  related,  how  in  the  shade  of  those  woods  and 
groves  which  served  them  for  temples,  white  horses  were  fed 
at  the  public  cost,  whose  backs  no  mortal  man  crossed,  whose 
neighings  and  snortings  were  carefully  watched  as  auguries 
and  omens,  and  who  were  thought  to  be  conscious  of  divine 
mysteries.  In  Persia,  too,  the  classical  reader  will  remember 
how  the  neighing  of  a  horse  decided  the  choice  for  the  crown. 
Here,  in  England,  at  any  rate,  we  have  only  to  think  of  Hen- 
^gist  and  Horsa,  the  twin-heroes  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  migration, 
as  the  legend  ran — heroes  whose  name  meant  *  horse  ' — and  of 
the  vale  of  the  White  Horse  in  Berks,  where  the  sacred  form 
still  gleams  along  the  down,  to  be  reminded  of  the  sacredness 
of  the  horse  to  our  forefathers.  The  Eddas  are  filled  with  the 
names  of  famous  horses,  and  the  Sagas  contain  many  stories 
of  good  steeds,  in  whom  their  owners  trusted  and  believed  as 
sacred  to  this  or  that  particular  god.  Such  a  horse  is  Dap- 
plegrim  in  No.  xl  of  these  tales,  who  saves  his  master  out  of 
all  his  perils,  and  brings  him  to  all  fortune,  and  is  another  ex- 
ample of  that  mysterious  connection  with  the  higher  powers 
which  animals  in  all  ages  have  been  supposed  to  possess. 

Such  a  friend,  too,  to  the  helpless  lassie  is  the  Dun  Bull  in 
Katie  Woodencloak,  No.  l,  out  of  whose  ear  comes  the  '  Wish- 
ing Cloth  ',  which  serves  up  the  choicest  dishes.  The  story  is 
probably  imperfect,  as  we  should  expect  to  see  him  again  in 
human  shape  after  his  head  was  cut  off,  and  his  skin  flayed  ; 
but,  after  being  the  chief  character  up  to  that  point,  he  re- 
mains from  that  time  forth  in  the  background,  and  we  only  see 
him  darkly  in  the  man  who  comes  out  of  the  face  of  the  rock 
and  supplies  the  lassie's  wants  when  she  knocks  on  it.  Dun, 
or  blue,  or  mouse-colour,  is  the  favourite  colour  for  fairy  kine. 
Thus  the  cow  which  Guy  of  Warwick  killed  was  dun.  The 
Huldror  in  Norway  have  large  flocks  of  blue  kine.  In  Scotland 
runs  the  story  of  the  Mouse-coloured  Elfin  Bull.  In  Iceland 
the  colour  of  such  kine  is  apalgrdr,  dapple  grey.  This  animal 
has  been  an  object  of  adoration  and  respect  from  the  earliest 
times,  and  we  need  only  remind  our  readers  of  the  sanctity  of 
1  Germania,  g,  lo. 


The  Dog— The  Goat  71 

cows  and  bulls  among  the  Indians  and  Egyptians,  of  '  the  Gol- 
den Calf  '  in  the  Bible  ;  of  lo  and  her  wanderings  from  land 
to  land  ;  and,  though  last,  not  least,  of  Audhumla,  the  Mythic 
Cow  in  the  Edda,  who  had  so  large  a  part  in  the  creation  of 
the  first  Giant  in  human  form^ 

The  dog,  to  which,  with  all  his  sagacity  and  faithfulness 
something  unclean  and  impure  clings,  as  Grimm  well  observes, 
plays  no  very  prominent  part  in  these  Tales  ^.  We  find  him, 
however,  in  '  Not  a  Pin  to  choose  between  them  ',  No.  xxiv, 
where  his  sagacity  fails  to  detect  his  mistress  ;  and,  as  '  the 
foe  of  his  own  house  ',  the  half-bred  foxy  hound,  who  chases 
away  the  cunning  Fox  in  '  Well  Done  and  111  Paid  ',  No. 
XXXVIII.  Still  he,  too,  in  popular  superstition,  is  gifted  with  a 
sense  of  the  supernatural ;  he  howls  when  death  impends, 
and  in  '  Buttercup  ',  No.  xviii,  it  is  Goldtooth,  their  dog,  who 
warns  Buttercup  and  his  mother  of  the  approach  of  the  old 
hag.  In  '  Bushy  Bride  *,  No.  xlv,  he  appears  only  as  the  las- 
sie's lap-dog,  is  thrown  away  as  one  of  her  sacrifioes,  and  at 
last  goes  to  the  wedding  in  her  coach  ;  yet  in  that  tale  he  has 
something  weird  about  him,  and  he  is  sent  out  by  his  mistress 
three  times  to  see  if  the  dawn  is  coming. 

In  one  Tale,  No.  xxxvii,  the  Goat  appears  in  full  force,  and 
dashes  out  the  brains  of  the  Troll,  who  lived  under  the  bridge 

1  Snorro's  Eida,  ch.  vi,  English  translation. 

2  Thus  from  the  earliest  times  '  dog  ',  '  hound  ',  has  been  a  term  of  reproach.  Great 
instances  of  fidelity,  such  as  '  Gellert  '  or  the  '  Dog  of  Montargis  ',  both  of  which  are  Eas- 
tern and  primeval,  have  scarcely  redeemed  the  cringing  currish  nature  of  the  race  in  general 
from  disgrace.  M.  Francisque  Michel,  in  his  Histoire  des  Races  Maudites  de  la  France 
et  de  VEspagne,  thinks  it  probable  that  Cagot,  the  nickname  by  which  the  heretical  Goths 
who  fled  into  Aquitaine  in  the  time  of  Charles  Martel,  and  received  protection  from  that 
king  and  his  successors,  were  called  by  the  Franks,  was  derived  from  the  term  Cams 
Gothicus  or  Canes  Gothi.  In  modem  French  the  word  means  hypocrite,  and  this  would 
come  from  the  notion  of  the  outward  conformity  to  the  Catholic  formularies  imposed  on 
the  Arian  Goths  by  their  orthodox  protectors.  Etymologically,  the  derivation  is  good 
enough,  according  to  Diez,  Rotnanisches  Worterbuch  ;  Provengal  ca,  dog  ;  Got,  Gothic. 
Before  quitting  Cagot,  we  may  observe  that  the  derivation  of  bigot,  our  bigot,  another 
word  of  the  same  kind,  is  not  so  clear.  Michel  says  it  comes  from  Vizigothus,  Bizigoihus. 
Diez  says  this  is  too  far-fetched,  especially  as  '  Bigot  *,  '  Bigod  ',  was  a  term  applied  to 
the  Normans,  and  not  to  the  population  of  the  South  of  France.  There  is,  besides  an- 
other derivation  given  by  Ducange  from  a  Latin  chronicle  of  the  twelfth  century.  In 
speaking  of  the  homage  done  by  Rollo,  the  first  Duke  of  Normandy,  to  the  King  of  France, 
he  says  : 

Hie  non  dignatus  pedem  Caroli  osculari  nisi  ad  os  suum  levaret,  cumque  sui  comites 
ilium  admonerent  ut  pedem  Regis  in  acceptione  tanti  mimeris,  Neustriae  provinciae, 
oscularetur,  Anglica  linqua  respondit  ^  ne  se  bi  got  ',  quod  interpretatur  '  ne  per  deum'. 
Rex  vero  et  sui  ilium  deridentes,  et  sermonem  ejxis  corrupte  referentes,  ilium  vocaverunt 
Bigottum  ;    unde  Normanni  adhuc  Bigothi  vocantiu:. 

Wace,  too,  says,  in  the  Roman  de  Rou,  that  the  French  had  abused  the  Normans  in  many 
ways,  calling  them  Bigos.  It  is  also  termed,  in  a  French  record  of  the  year  1425,  ' «« 
mot  tres  injurieux  '.  Diez  says  it  was  not  used  in  its  present  sense  before  the  sixteenth 
century 


7^  Introduction 

over  the  burn.  In  another,  *  Tatterhood ',  No.  xLviii,  he 
helps  the  lassie  in  her  onslaught  on  the  witches.  He,  too, 
was  sacred  to  Thor  in  the  old  mythology,  and  drew  his  thun- 
dering car.  Here  something  of  the  divine  nature  of  his  former 
lord,  who  was  the  great  foe  of  all  Trolls,  seems  to  have  been 
passed  on  in  popular  tradition  to  the  animal  who  had  seen  so 
many  adventures  with  the  great  God  who  swayed  the  thunder. 
This  feud  between  the  Goat  and  the  Trolls  comes  out  curiousl}'' 
in  '  The  Old  Dame  and  her  Hen  ',  No.  iii,  where  a  goat  falls 
down  the  trapdoor  to  the  Troll's  house,  *  Who  sent  for  you,  I 
should  like  to  know,  you  long-bearded  beast '  said  the  Man 
o'  the  Hill,  who  was  in  an  awful  rage  ;  and  with  that  he 
whipped  up  the  Goat,  wrung  his  head  off,  and  threw  him  down 
into  the  cellar.  Still  he  belonged  to  one  of  the  heathen  gods, 
and  so  in  later  Middle-Age  superstition  he  is  assigned  to  the 
Devil,  who  even  takes  his  shape  when  he  presides  at  the 
Witches'  Sabbath. 

Nor  in  this  list  must  the  Uttle  birds  be  forgotten  which 
taught  the  man's  daughter,  in  the  tale  of  *  The  Two  Step- 
sisters ',  No.  XVII,  how  to  act  in  her  trials.  So,  too,  in  Katie 
Woodencloak,  No.  l,  the  little  bird  tells  the  Prince,  *  who 
understood  the  song  of  birds  very  well,'  that  blood  is  gushing 
out  of  the  golden  shoe.  The  belief  that  some  persons  had  the 
gift  of  understanding  what  the  birds  said,  is  primaeval.  We 
pay  homage  to  it  in  our  proverbial  expression,  '  a  little  bird  told 
me  '.  Popular  traditions  and  rhymes  protect  their  nests,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  wren,  the  robin,  and  the  swallow.  Occa- 
sionally this  gift  seems  to  have  been  acquired  by  eating  or 
tasting  the  flesh  of  a  snake  or  dragon,  as  Sigurd,  in  the  Volsung 
tale,  first  became  aware  of  Regin's  designs  against  his  life, 
when  he  accidentally  tasted  the  heart-blood  of  Fafnir,  whom  he 
had  slain  in  dragon  shape,  and  then  all  at  once  the  swallow's 
song,  perched  above  him,  became  as  intelligible  as  human 
speech. 

We  now  come  to  a  class  of  beings  which  plays  a  large  part, 
and  always  for  ill,  in  these  Tales.  These  are  the  Giants  or 
Trolls.  In  modern  Norse  tradition  there  is  little  difference 
between  the  names,  but  originally  Troll  was  a  more  general 
expression  for  a  supernatural  being  than  Giant  ^,  which  was 

1  The  most  common  word  for  a  giant  in  the  Eddas  was  JStunn  (A.S.  eoten),  which, 
strange  to  say,  survives  in  the  Scotch  Etin.     In  one  or  two  places  the  word  ogre  has  been 


Giants  and  Trolls  73 

rather  confined  to  a  race  more  dull  than  wicked.  In  the  Giants 
we  have  the  wantonness  of  boundless  bodily  strength  and 
size,  which,  trusting  entirely  to  these  qualities,  falls  at  last 
by  its  own  weight.  At  first,  it  is  true  that  proverbial  wisdom 
all  the  stores  of  traditional  lore,  all  that  could  be  learnt  by  what 
may  be  called  rule  of  thumb,  was  ascribed  to  them.  One 
sympathises  too  with  them,  and  almost  pities  them  as  the  re- 
presentatives of  a  simple  primitive  race,  whose  day  is  past 
and  gone,  but  who  still  possessed  something  of  the  innocence 
and  virtue  of  ancient  times,  together  with  a  stock  of  old  exper- 
ience, which,  however  useful  it  might  be  as  an  example  to 
others,  was  quite  useless  to  help  themselves.  They  are  the  old 
Tories  of  mythology,  as  opposed  to  the  ^sir,  the  advanced 
liberals.  They  can  look  back  and  say  what  has  been,  but  to 
look  forward  to  say  what  will  be  and  shall  be,  and  to  mould 
the  future,  is  beyond  their  ken.  True  as  gold  to  the  traditional 
and  received,  and  worthless  as  dross  for  the  new  and  progres- 
sive. Such  a  nature,  when  unprovoked,  is  easy  and  simple  ; 
but  rouse  it,  and  its  exuberant  strength  rises  in  a  paroxysm 
of  rage,  though  its  clumsy  awkward  blows,  guided  by  mere 
cunning,  fail  to  strike  the  slight  and  lissom  foe  who  waits  for 
and  eludes  the  stroke,  until  his  reason  gives  him  the  mastery- 
over  sheer  brute  force  which  has  wearied  itself  out  by  its  own 
exertions  ^. 

This  race,  and  that  of  the  upstart  -^sir,  though  almost  always 
at  feud,  still  had  their  intervals  of  common  intercourse,  and 
even  social  enjoyment.  Marriages  take  place  between  them, 
visits  are  paid,  feasts  are  given,  ale  is  broached,  and  mirth  is 
fast  and  furious.  Thor  was  the  worst  foe  the  giants  ever  had, 
and  yet  he  met  them  sometimes  on  good  terms.  They  were 
destined  to  meet  once  for  all  on  that  awful  day,  *'  the  twilight 
of  the  gods  ',  but  till  then,  they  entertained  for  each  other  some 
sense  of  mutual  respect. 

The  Trolls,  on  the  other  hand,  with  whom  mankind  had 
more  to  do,  were  supposed  to  be  less  easy  tempered,  and  more 
systematically  malignant,  than  the  Giants,  and  with  the  term 
were  bound  up  notions  of  sorcery  and  unholy  power.     But 

used,  which  is  properly  a  Romance  word,  and  comes  from  the  French  ogre,  Ital.  orco,  Lat 
orcus.     Here,  too,  we  have  an  old  Roman  god  of  the  nether  world  degraded. 

1  These  paroxysms  were  called  in  Old  Norse  Jotunmodr,  the  Etin  mood,  as  opposed  to 
Asmodr,  the  mood  of  the  Aisir,  that  diviner  wrath  which,  though  burning  hot,  was  still 
under  the  control  of  reason. 


74  Introduction 

mythology  is  a  woof  of  many  colours,  in  which  the  hues  are 
shot  and  blended,  so  that  the  various  races  of  supernatural 
beings  are  shaded  off,  and  fade  away  almost  imperceptibly 
into  each  other  ;  and  thus,  even  in  heathen  times,  it  must 
have  been  hard  to  say  exactly  where  the  Giant  ended  and  the 
Troll  began.  But  when  Christianity  came  in,  and  heathendom 
fell ;  when  the  godlike  race  of  the  ^Esir  became  evil  demons 
instead  of  good  genial  powers,  then  all  the  objects  of  the  old 
popular  belief,  whether  ^sir,  Giants,  or  Trolls,  were  mingled 
together  in  one  superstition,  as  '  no  canny  '.  They  were  all 
Trolls,  all  maUgnant ;  and  thus  it  is  that,  in  these  tales,  the 
traditions  about  Odin  and  his  underlings,  about  the  Frost 
Giants,  and  about  sorcerers  and  wizards,  are  confused  and 
garbled  ;  and  all  supernatural  agency  that  plots  man's  ill 
is  the  work  of  Trolls,  whether  the  agent  be  the  arch  enemy 
himself,  or  giant,  or  witch,  or  wizard. 

In  tales  such  as  *  The  Old  Dame  and  her  Hen  ',  No.  in, 
*  The  Giant  who  had  no  Heart  in  his  Body  ',No.  ix,*  Short- 
shanks  ',  No.  XX,  '  Boots  and  the  Troll ',  No.  xxxii,  *  Boots 
who  ate  a  match  with  the  Troll ',  No.  v,  the  easy  temper  of  the 
old  Frost  Giants  predominates,  and  we  almost  pity  them  as  we 
read.  In  another,  '  The  Big  Bird  Dan  ',  No.  lv,  we  have  a 
Troll  Prince,  who  appears  as  a  generous  benefactor  to  the  young 
Prince,  and  lends  him  a  sword  by  help  of  which  he  slays  the 
King  of  the  Trolls,  just  as  we  sometimes  find  in  the  Edda 
friendly  meetings  between  the  -^sir  and  this  or  the  Frost  Giant. 
In  '  Tatterhood  ',  No.  xlviii,  the  Trolls  are  very  near  akin  to 
the  witches  of  the  Middle  Age.  In  other  tales,  as  '  The  Master- 
maid  ',  No.  XI,  '  The  Blue  Belt ',  No.  xxii,  '  Farmer  Weather- 
sky  ',  No.  XLi,  a  sort  of  settled  malignity  against  man  appears 
as  the  direct  working  and  result  of  a  bad  and  evil  spirit.  In 
'  Buttercup  ',  No.  xviii,  and  *  The  Cat  on  the  Dovrefell ', 
we  have  the  Troll  proper, — the  supernatural  dwellers  of  the 
woods  and  hills,  who  go  to  church,  and  eat  men,  and  porridge, 
and  sausages  indifferently,  not  from  mahgnity,  but  because 
they  know  no  better,  because  it  is  their  nature,  and  because 
they  have  always  done  so.  In  one  point  they  all  agree — in 
their  place  of  abode.  The  wild  pine  forest  that  clothes  the 
spurs  of  the  fells,  but  more  than  all,  the  interior  recesses  of  the 
rocky  fell  itself,  is  where  the  Trolls  live.  Thither  they  carry 
off  the  children  of  men,  and  to  them  belongs  all  the  untold 


The  Trolls  are  Finns  and  Lapps  75 

riches  of  the  mineral  world.  There,  in  caves  and  clefts  in  the 
steep  face  of  the  rock,  sits  the  Troll,  as  the  representative  of 
the  old  giants,  among  heaps  of  gold  and  silver  and  precious 
things.  They  stride  off  into  the  dark  forest  by  day,  whither 
no  rays  of  the  sun  can  pierce  ;  they  return  home  at  nightfall, 
feast  themselves  full,  and  snore  out  the  night.  One  thing 
was  fatal  to  them — the  sight  of  the  sun.  If  they  looked  him 
full  in  the  face,  his  glory  was  too  great  for  them,  and  they 
burst,  as  in  '  Lord  Peter  ',  No.  xlii,  and  in  '  The  Old  Dame  and 
her  Hen  ',  No.  iii.  This,  too,  is  a  deeply  mythic  trait.  The 
old  religion  of  the  North  was  a  bright  and  lively  faith  ;  it  lived 
in  the  light  of  joy  and  gladness  ;  its  gods  were  the  '  blithe 
powers  '  ;  opposed  to  them  were  the  dark  powers  of  mist  and 
gloom,  who  could  not  bear  the  glorious  face  of  the  Sun,  of 
Baldr's  beaming  visage,  or  the  bright  flash  of  Thor's  levin  bolt. 
In  one  aspect,  the  whole  race  of  Giants  and  Trolls  stands  out 
in  strong  historical  light.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that,  in 
their  continued  existence  amongst  the  woods,  and  rocks,  and 
hills,  we  have  a  memory  of  the  gradual  suppression  and  ex- 
tinction of  some  hostile  race,  who  gradually  retired  into  the 
natural  fastnesses  of  the  land,  and  speedily  became  mythic. 
Nor,  if  we  bear  in  mind  their  natural  position,  and  remember 
how  constantly  the  infamy  of  sorcery  has  clung  to  the  Finns 
and  Lapps,  shall  we  have  far  to  go  to  seek  this  ancient  race, 
even  at  the  present  day.  Between  this  outcast  nomad  race, 
which  wandered  from  forest  to  forest,  and  from  fell  to  fell, 
without  a  fixed  place  of  abode,  and  the  old  natural  powers 
and  Frost  Giants,  the  minds  of  the  race  which  adored  Odin 
and  the  ^sir  soon  engendered  a  monstrous  man-eating  cross- 
breed of  supernatural  beings,  who  fled  from  contact  with  the 
intruders  as  soon  as  the  first  great  struggle  was  over,  abhorred 
the  light  of  day,  and  looked  upon  agriculture  and  tillage  as  a 
dangerous  innovation  which  destroyed  their  hunting  fields, 
and  was  destined  finally  to  root  them  out  from  off  the  face  of 
the  earth.  This  fact  appears  in  countless  stories  all  over  the 
globe,  for  man  is  true  to  himself  in  all  climes,  and  the  savage 
in  Africa  or  across  the  Rocky  Mountains,  dreads  tillage  and 
detests  the  plough  as  much  as  any  Lapp  or  Samoyed.  *  See 
what  pretty  playthings,  mother  !  '  cries  the  Giants'  daughter 
as  she  unties  her  apron,  and  shows  her  a  plough,  and  horses, 
and  peasants.    '  Back  with  them  this  instant ',  cries  the  mother 


1(> 


Introduction 


in  wrath,  *  and  put  them  down  as  carefully  as  you  can,  for  these 
playthings  can  do  our  race  great  harm,  and  when  these  come 
we  must  budge.'  '  What  sort  of  an  earthworm  is  this  ?  '  said 
one  Giant  to  another,  when  they  met  a  man  as  they  walked. 
'  These  are  the  earthworms  that  will  one  day  eat  us  up,  brother  ' 
answered  the  other  ;  and  soon  both  Giants  left  that  part  of 
Germany.  Nor  does  this  trait  appear  less  strongly  in  these 
Norse  Tales.  The  Giants  or  Trolls  can  neither  brew  nor  wash 
properly,  as  we  see  in  Shortshanks,  No.  xx,  where  the  Ogre 
has  to  get  Shortshanks  to  brew  his  ale  for  him  ;  and  in  '  East 
o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon  ',  No.  iv,  where  none  of  the 
Trolls  are  able  to  wash  out  the  spot  of  tallow.  So  also  in  the 
'  Two  Step-sisters  ',  No.  xvii,  the  old  witch  is  forced  to  get 
human  maids  to  do  her  household-work  ;  and,  lastly,  the  best 
example  of  all,  in  '  Lord  Peter  ',  No.  xlii,  where  agriculture 
is  plainly  a  secret  of  mankind,  which  the  Giants  were  eager  to 
learn,  but  which  was  a  branch  of  knowledge  beyond  their 
power  to  attain. 

'  Stop  a  bit ',  said  the  Cat,  '  and  I'll  tell  you  how  the  farmer  sets  to  work 
to  get  in  his  winter  rye.' 

And  so  she  told  him  such  a  long  story  about  the  winter  rye. 

'  First  of  all,  you  see,  he  ploughs  the  field,  and  then  he  dungs  it,  and  then 
he  ploughs  it  again,  and  then  he  harrows  it,'  and  so  she  went  on  till  the  sun 
rose. 

Before  we  leave  these  gigantic  natural  powers,  let  us  linger 
a  moment  to  point  out  how  heartily  the  Winds  are  sketched  in 
these  Tales  as  four  brothers  ;  of  whom,  of  course,  the  North 
wind  is  the  oldest,  and  strongest,  and  roughest.  But  though 
rough  in  form  and  tongue,  he  is  a  genial,  kind-hearted  fellow 
after  all.  He  carries  the  lassie  to  the  castle,  '  East  o'  the  Sun 
and  West  o'  the  Moon  ',  whither  none  of  his  brothers  had 
strength  to  blow.  All  he  asks  is  that  she  won't  be  afraid,  and 
then  he  takes  a  good  rest,  and  puffs  himself  up  with  as  much 
breath  as  ever  he  can  hold,  begins  to  blow  a  storm,  and  off 
they  go.  So,  too,  in  '  The  Lad  who  went  to  the  North  Wind  ', 
No.  xxxiv,  though  he  can't  restore  the  meal  he  carried  off,  he 
gives  the  lad  three  things  which  make  his  fortune,  and  amply 
repay  him.  He,  too,  like  the  Grecian  Boreas,  is  divine,  and 
lineally  descended  from  Hraesvelgr,  that  great  giant  in  the 
Edda,  who  sits  ''  at  the  end  of  the  world  in  eagle's  shape,  and 


The  Naked  Sword  77 


when  he  flaps  his  wings,  all  the  winds  come  that  blow  upon 
men." 

Enough  surely  has  now  been  said  to  shew  that  the  old  religion 
and  mythology  of  the  Norseman  still  lives  disguised  in  these 
popular  tales.  Besides  this  internal  evidence,  we  find  here  and 
there,  in  the  written  literature  of  earlier  days,  hints  that  the 
same  stories  were  even  then  current,  and  current  then  as  now, 
among  the  lower  classes.  Thus,  in  King  Sveryi's  Saga  we  read  : 
*  And  so  it  was  just  like  what  is  said  to  have  happened  in  old 
stories  of  what  the  king's  children  suffered  from  their  step- 
mother's ill-will.'  And  again,  in  Olof  Tryggvason's  Saga  by  the 
monk  Odd  :  *  And  better  is  it  to  hear  such  things  with  mirth 
than  stepmother's  stories  which  shepherds  tell,  where  no  one 
can  tell  whether  anything  is  true,  and  where  the  king  is  always 
made  the  least  in  their  narrative.'  But,  in  truth,  no  such  posi- 
tive evidence  is  needed.  Any  one  who  has  read  the  Volsung 
tale  as  we  have  given  it,  will  be  at  no  loss  to  see  where  the  '  little 
birds  '  who  speak  to  the  Prince  and  the  lassie,  in  these  tales, 
come  from  ;  nor  when  they  read  in  the  '  Big  Bird  Dan  ', 
No.  Lv,  about  '  the  naked  sword  '  which  the  Princess  lays  by 
her  side  every  night,  will  they  fail  to  recognize  Sigurd's  sword 
Gram,  which  he  laid  between  himself  and  Brynhildr  when  he 
rode  through  the  flame  and  won  her  for  Gunnar.  These  my- 
thical deep-rooted  groves,  throwing  out  fresh  shoots  from  age 
to  age  in  the  popular  literature  of  the  race,  are  far  more 
convincing  proofs  of  the  early  existence  of  these  traditions 
than  any  mere  external  evidence^. 

1  It  may  be  worth  while  here  to  shew  how  old  and  widespread  this  custom  or  notion 
of  the  '  naked  sword  '  was.  In  the  North,  besides  being  told  of  Sigurd  and  Brynhildr,  we 
hear  it  of  Hrolf  and  Ingigerd,  who  took  rest  at  night  in  a  hut  of  leaves  in  the  wood,  and 
lay  together,  '  but  laid  a  naked  sword  between  them  '.  So  also  Saxo  Grammaticus  says 
of  King  Gorm,  '  Casterum  ne  inconcessum  virginis  amorem  libidinoso  complexu  praeripere 
videretur,  vicina  latera  non  solum  alterius  complexibus  exuit,  sed  etiam  districto  tnucrone 
secrevit.  Lib.  9,  p.  179.  So  also  Tristan  and  Isolt  in  Gottfried  of  Strasburg's  poem, 
line  17,407-17. 

Hierii  ber  vant  Tristan  einen  sin, 

Si  giengen  an  ir  bette  wider, 

Und  leiten  sich  da  wider  nider, 

Von  einander  wol  pin  dan, 

Reht  als  man  und  man, 

Niht  als  man  und  wip  ; 

Da  lac  lip  und  lip, 

In  fremder  gelegenheit, 

Ouch  hat  Tristan  geleit 

Sin  swert  bar  enzwischen  sL 
And  the  old  French  Tristan  in  the  same  way  : 

Et  qant  il  vit  la  nue  espee 

Qui  entre  eus  deus  les  deseurout. 
So  the  old  English  Tristrem,  line  2,002-3  > 


78 


Introduction 


CONCLUSION 


We  have  now  only  to  consider  the  men  and  women  of  these 
Tales,  and  then  our  task  is  done.  It  will  be  sooner  done,  be- 
cause they  may  be  left  to  speak  for  themselves,  and  must 
stand  or  fall  by  their  own  words  and  actions.  The  tales 
of  all  races  have  a  character  and  manner  of  their  own.  Among 
the  Hindoos  the  straight  stem  of  the  story  is  overhung  with 
a  network  of  imagery  which  reminds  one  of  the  parasitic 
growth  of  a  tropical  forest.  Among  the  Arabs  the  tale  is 
more  elegant,  pointed  with  a  moral,  and  adorned  with  tropes 
and  episodes.  Among  the  Italians  it  is  bright,  light,  dazzling, 
and  swift.  Among  the  French  we  have  passed  from  the 
woods,  and  fields,  and  hills,  to  my  lady's  boudoir — rose-pink 
is  the  prevailing  colour,  and  the  air  is  loaded  with  patchouli 
and  mille  fteurs.  We  miss  the  song  of  birds,  the  modest  odour 
of  wild-flowers,  and  the  balmy  fragrance  of  the  pine  forest. 
The  Swedes  are  more  stiff,  and  their  style  is  more  hke  that 
of  a  chronicle  than  a  tale.  The  Germans  are  simple,  hearty, 
and  rather  comic  than  humorous  ;  and  M.  Moe^  has  well 
said,  that  as  we  read  them  it  is  as  if  we  sat  and  listened  to  some 
elderly  woman  of  the  middle  class,  who  recites  them  with 
a  clear,  full,  deep  voice.  In  Scotland  the  few  that  have  been 
collected  by  Mr  Robert  Chambers  ^  are  as  good  in  tone  and 

His  swerd  he  drough  titly 
And  laid  it  hem  bitvene. 
And  the  old  German  ballad  in  Des  Knaben  Wunderhorn,  2,  276  : 

Der  Herzog  zog  aus  sein  goldiges  schwert, 

Er  leit  es  zwischen  beide  hert 

Das  schwert  soil  weder  hauen  noch  schneiden, 

Das  Annelein  soil  ein  megedli  bleiben. 
So  Fonzo  and  Fenizia  in  the  Pentatnerone,  i,  9  : 

Ma  segnenno  havere  fatto  vnto  a  Diana,   de  non  toccare  la  mogliere  la  notte,  mese 
la  spata  arranata  comme  staccione  'miezo  ad  isso  ed  a  Fenizia. 

And  in  Grimm's  story  of  '  The  Two  Brothers  '  where  the  second  brother  lays  '  a  double- 
edged  sword  '  at  night  between  himself  and  his  brother's  wife,  who  has  mistaken  him 
for  his  twin  brother.  In  fact  the  custom  as  William  Wackemagel  has  shewn  in  Haupt's 
Zeitschrift  fur  DnUsches  AUerthum  was  one  recognized  by  the  law  ;  and  so  late  as  1477, 
when  Lewis,  County  Palatine  of  Vekienz  represented  Maximilian  of  Austria  as  his  proxy 
at  the  betrothal  of  Mary  of  Burgundy,  he  got  into  the  bed  of  state,  booted  and  spurred, 
and  laid  a  naked  sword  between  him  and  the  bride.  Comp.  Birkens  Ehrenspiegel,  p. 
885.  See  also  as  a  proof  that  the  custom  was  known  in  England  as  late  as  the  seven- 
teenth century.  The  Jovial  Crew,  a  comedy  first  acted  in  1641,  and  quoted  by  Sir  W. 
Scott  in  his  Tristrem,  p.  345,  where  it  is  said  (Act  v,  sc.  2)  :  'He  told  him  that  he  would 
be  his  proxy,  and  marry  her  for  him,  and  he  with  her  the  first  night  with  a  naked  cudgel 
betwixt  them.'  And  see  for  the  whole  subject,  J.  Grimm's  Deutsche  Rechts-AUerthumer, 
Gottingen,  1828,  p.  168-70. 

1  M.  Moe,  Inirod.  Norsk.  Event  (Christiania,  1851,  2d  Ed.),  to  which  the  writer  is  largely 
indebted. 

2  Popular  Rhymes  of  Scotland  (Ed.  1847). 


I 

r 


The  Literature  of  Popular  Tales  79 

keeping  as  anything  of  the  kind  in  the  whole  range  of  such 
popular  collections.^     The  wonderful  likeness  which  is  shown 

1  The  following  list,  which  only  selects  the  more  prominent  collections,  will  suffice 
to  show  that  Popular  Tales  have  a  literature  of  their  own  : — Sanscrit.  The  Pantcha 
Tantra,  '  The  Five  Books  ',  a  collection  of  fables  of  which  only  extracts  have  as  yet  been 
published,  but  of  which  Professor  Wilson  has  given  an  analysis  in  the  Transactions  of 
the  Asiatic  Society,  vol.  i,  sect.  2.  The  Hitopadesa,  or  '  Wholesome  Instruction  ',  a 
selection  of  tales  and  fables  from  the  Pantcha  Tantra,  first  edited  by  Carey  at  Serampore 
in  1804  ;  again  by  Hamilton  in  London  in  1810  ;  again  in  Germany  by  A.  W.  von  Schlegel 
in  1829,  an  edition  which  was  followed  in  1831  by  a  critical  commentary  by  Lassen  ; 
and  again  in  1830  at  Calcutta  with  a  Bengali  and  English  translation.  The  work  had 
been  translated  into  English  by  Wilkihs  so  early  as  1787,  when  it  was  published  in  Lon- 
don, and  again  by  Sir  William  Jones,  whose  rendering,  which  is  not  so  good  as  that  by 
Wilkins,  appeared  after  his  death  in  the  collected  edition  of  his  works.  Into  German 
it  has  been  translated  in  a  masterly  way  by  Max  Miiller,  Leipzig,  Brockhaus,  1844. 
Versions  of  these  Sanscrit  collections,  the  date  of  the  latter  of  which  is  ascribed  to  the 
end  of  the  second  century  of  the  Christian  era,  varying  in  many  respects,  but  all  possessing 
sufficient  resemblance  to  identify  them  with  their  Sanscrit  originals,  are  found  in  almost 
every  Indian  dialect,  and  in  Zend,  Arabic,  Persian,  Hebrew,  Greek  and  Turkish.  We 
are  happy  to  be  able  to  state  here  that  the  eminent  Sanscrit  scholar,  Professor  Benfey  of 
Gottingen,  is  now  publishing  a  German  translation  of  the  Pantcha  Tantra,  which  will  be 
accompanied  by  translations  of  numerous  compositions  of  the  same  kind,  drawn  from 
unpublished  Sanscrit  works,  and  from  the  legends  current  amongst  the  Mongolian  tribes. 
The  work  will  be  preceded  by  an  introduction  embracing  the  whole  question  of  the  origin 
and  diffusion  of  fables  and  popular  tales.  The  following  will  be  the  title  of  Prof.  Benfey's 
work  :  '  Pantcha  Tantra.  Erster  Theil,  Funf  Biicher  Indischer  Fabeln,  Mdrchen,  und  Erzd- 
lungen.  Aus  dem  Sanskrit  iibersetzt,  mit  Anmerkungen  imd  Einleitung  iiber  das  Indische 
Grundwerk  und  dessen  Ausfliisse,  so  wie  liber  die  Quellen  und  Verbreitung  des  Inhalts 
derselben.  Zweiter  Theil,  bersetzungen  und  Anmerkimgen.'  Most  interesting  of  all 
for  our  purpose  is  the  collection  of  Sanscrit  Tales,  collected  in  the  twelfth  century  of  our 
era,  by  Somadeva  Bhatta  of  Cashmere.  This  has  been  published  in  Sanscrit,  and  trans- 
lated into  German  by  Hermann  Brockhaus,  and  the  nature  of  its  contents  has  already 
been  sufficiently  indicated.  We  may  add,  however,  that  Somadeva's  collection  exhibits 
the  Hindoo  mind  in  the  twelfth  century  in  a  condition,  as  regards  popular  tales,  v/hich 
the  mind  of  Europe  has  not  yet  reached.  How  old  these  stories  and  fables  must  have  been 
in  the  East,  we  see  both  from  the  Pantcha  Tantra  and  the  Hitopadesa,  which  are  strictly 
didactic  works,  and  only  employ  tales  and  fables  to  illustrate  and  inculcate  a  moral  lesson. 
We  in  the  West  have  got  beyond  fables  and  apologues,  but  we  are  only  now  collecting  our 
popular  tales.  In  Somadeva's  time  the  simple  tale  no  longer  sufficed  ;  it  had  to  be 
fitted  into  and  arranged  with  others,  with  an  art  and  dexterity  which  is  really  marvellous  ; 
and  so  cleverly  is  this  done,  that  it  requires  a  mind  of  no  little  cultivation,  and  a  head  of 
more  than  ordinary  clearness,  to  carry  without  confusion  all  the  wheels  within  wheels, 
and  fables  within  fables,  which  spring  out  of  the  original  story  as  it  proceeds.  In  other 
respects  the  popular  tale  loses  in  simplicity  what  it  gains  in  intricacy  by  this  artificial 
arrangement ;  and  it  is  evident  that  in  the  twelfth  century  the  Hindoo  tales  had  been  long 
since  collected  out  of  the  mouths  of  the  people,  and  reduced  to  writing  ;  in  a  word,  that 
the  popular  element  had  disappeared,  and  that  they  had  passed  into  the  written  litera- 
ture of  the  race.  We  may  take  this  opportimity,  too,  to  mention  that  a  most  curious 
collection  of  tales  and  fables,  translated  from  Sanscrit,  has  recently  been  discovered  in 
Chinese.  They  are  on  the  eve  of  pubUcation  by  M.  Stanislas  Julien,  the  first 
of  Chinese  scholars  ;  and  from  the  information  on  the  matter  which  Professor  Max 
Miiller  has  kindly  furnished  to  the  translator,  it  appears  that  they  passed  with  Buddhism 
from  India  into  China.  The  work  from  which  M.  Julien  has  taken  these  fables,  which 
are  all  the  more  precious  because  the  Sanscrit  originals  have  in  all  probability  perished, — 
is  called  Yu-lin,  or  '  The  Forest  of  Comparisons  '.  It  was  the  work  of  Youen-thai,  a  gi-eat 
Chinese  scholar,  who  was  President  of  the  Ministry  of  Justice  at  Pekin  in  the  year  1565 
of  our  era.  He  collected  in  twenty-four  volumes,  after  the  labour  of  twenty  years,  dur- 
ing which  he  read  upwards  of  f ovu:  himdred  works,  all  the  fables  and  comparisons  he  could 
find  in  ancient  books.  Of  those  works,  two  himdred  were  translations  from  the  San- 
scrit made  by  Buddhist  monks,  and  it  is  from  eleven  of  these  that  M.  Julien  has  translated 
his  Chinese  Fables.  We  need  hardly  say  that  this  work  is  most  anxiously  expected  by 
all  who  take  an  interest  in  such  matters.  Let  it  be  allowed  to  add  here,  that  it  was  through 
no  want  of  respect  towards  the  memory  of  M.  de  Sacy  that  the  translator  has  given  so 
much  prominence  to  the  views  and  labours  of  the  Brothers  Grimm  in  this  Introduction. 


8o  '  Introduction 

between  such  tales  as  the  '  Red  Bull  of  Norway  *  in  Mr  Cham- 
bers' collection,  and  Katie  Woodencloak  in  these  Norse  Tales, 


To  M.  de  Sacy  belongs  all  the  merit  of  exploring  what  may  be  called  the  old  written  world 
of  fable.  He,  and  Warton,  and  Dunlop,  and  Price,  too,  did  the  day's  work  of  Giants,  in 
tracing  out  and  classif>dng  those  tales  and  fables  which  had  passed  into  the  literature  of 
the  Aryan  race.  But,  besides  this  old  region,  there  is  another  new  hemisphere  of  fiction 
which  lies  in  the  mouths  and  in  the  minds  of  the  people.  This  new  world  of  fable  the 
Grimms  discovered,  and  to  them  belongs  the  glory  of  having  brought  all  its  fruits  and 
flowers  to  the  light  of  day.  This  is  why  their  names  must  ever  be  foremost  in  a  work  on 
Popular  Tales,  shining,  as  their  names  must  ever  shine,  a  bright  double  star  in  that  new 
hemisphere.  In  more  modem  times,  the  earliest  collection  of  popular  tales  is  to  be  found 
in  the  Piacevoli  Notteoi  John  Francis  Straparola of  Caravaggio,  near  Milan,  the  first  edi- 
tion of  which  appeared  at  Venice  in  1550.  The  book,  which  is  shamefully  indecent,  evfin 
for  that  age,  and  which  at  last,  in  1606,  was  placed  in  the  Index  Expurgaiorius,  contains 
stories  from  all  sources,  and  amongst  them  nineteen  genuine  popular  tales,  which  are 
not  disfigured  by  the  filth  with  which  the  rest  of  the  volume  is  full.  Straparola's  work 
has  been  twice  translated  into  German,  once  at  Vieima,  1791,  and  again  by  Schmidt  in  a 
more  complete  form,  Mdrchen-Saal,  Berlin,  1817.  But  a  much  more  interesting  Italian 
collection  appeared  at  Naples  in  the  next  century.  This  was  the  Pentamercne  of  Giam- 
battista  Basile,  who  wrote  in  the  Neapolitan  dialect,  and  whose  book  appeared  in  1637. 
This  collection  contains  forty-eight  tales,  and  is  in  tone,  and  keeping,  and  diction,  one 
of  the  best  that  has  ever  appeared  in  any  language.  It  has  been  repeatedly  reprinted 
at  Naples.  It  has  been  translated  into  German,  and  a  portion  of  it,  a  year  or  two  back, 
by  Mr.  Taylor,  into  English.  In  France  the  first  collection  of  this  kind  was  made  by 
Charles  Perrault,  who,  in  1697,  published  eight  tales,  imder  a  title  taken  from  an  old  Fab- 
liau, Contes  de  ma  mire  L'Oye,  whence  comes  our  '  Mother  Goose  '.  To  these  eight,  three 
more  tales  were  added  in  later  editions.  Perrault  was  shortly  followed  by  Madame 
D'Aulnoy  (bom  in  1650,  died  1705),  whose  manner  of  treating  her  tales  is  far  less  true  to 
nature  than  Perrault's,  and  who  inserts  at  will,  verses,  alterations,  additions,  and  moral 
reflections.  Her  style  is  sentimental  and  over-refined ;  the  courtly  airs  of  the  age  of 
Louis  XIV  predominate,  and  nature  suffers  by  the  change  from  the  cottage  to  the  palace. 
Madame  d'Aulnoy  was  followed  by  a  host  of  imitators  ;  the  Countess  Miirat,  who  died 
in  1716  ;  Countess  d'Aimeuil,  who  died  in  1700  ;  M.  de  Preschac,  born  1676,  who  com- 
posed tales  of  utter  worthlessness,  which  may  be  read  as  examples  of  what  popular  tales 
are  not,  in  the  collection  called  Le  Cabinet  des  Fies,  which  was  published  in  Paris  in  1785. 
Not  much  better  are  the  attempts  of  Count  Hamilton,  who  died  in  1720  ;  of  M.  de  Mon- 
crif,  who  died  in  1770  ;  of  Mademoiselle  de  la  Force,  died  1724  ;  of  Mademoiselle  I'Heritier 
died  1737  ;  of  Coiuit  Caylus,  who  wrote  his  Feeries  Nouvelles  in  the  first  half  of  the  18th 
century,  for  the  popular  element  fails  almost  entirely  in  their  works.  Such  as  they  are, 
they  may  also  be  read  in  the  Cabinet  des  Fees,  a  collection  which  ran  to  no  fewer  than 
forty-one  volumes,  and  with  which  no  lover  of  popular  tradition  need  trouble  himself 
much.  To  the  playwright  and  the  story-teller  it  has  been  a  great  repository,  which  has 
supplied  the  lack  of  original  invention.  In  Germany  we  need  trouble  ourselves  with  none 
of  the  collections  before  the  time  of  the  Grimms,  except  to  say  that  they  are  nearly  worth- 
less. In  1812-14  the  two  brothers,  Jacob  and  William,  brought  out  the  first  edition  of 
their  Kinder-und  Haus-Mdrchen,  which  was  followed  by  a  second  and  more  complete 
one  in  1822  :  3  vols.,  Berlin,  Reimer.  The  two  first  volumes  have  been  repeatedly  re- 
published, but  few  readers  in  England  are  aware  of  the  existence  of  the  third,  a  third 
edition  of  which  appeared  in  1856  at  Gottingen,  which  contains  the  Uterature  of  these 
traditions,  and  is  a  monument  of  the  care  and  pains  with  which  the  brothers,  or  rather 
William,  for  it  is  his  work,  even  so  far  back  as  1820,  had  traced  out  parallel  traditions  in 
other  tribes  and  lands.  This  work  formed  an  era  in  popular  literatvure,  and  has  been 
adopted  as  a  model  by  all  true  collectors  ever  since.  It  proceeded  on  the  principle  of 
faithfully  collecting  these  traditions  from  the  mouths  of  the  people,  without  adding  one 
jot  or  tittle,  or  in  any  way  interfering  with  them,  except  to  select  this  or  that  variation  as 
most  apt  or  beautiful.  To  the  adoption  of  this  principle  we  owe  the  excellent  Swedish 
collection  of  George  Stephens  and  Hylten  Cavallius,  Svenska  Folk-Sagor  og  Mfventyr,  2 
vols.  Stockhohn  1844,  and  following  years  ;  and  also  this  beautiful  Norse  one,  to  which 
Jacob  Grimm  awards  the  palm  over  all  collections,  except  perhaps  the  Scottish,  of  M  M. 
Asbjomsen  and  Moe.  To  it  also  we  owe  many  most  excellent  collections  in  Germany,  over 
nearly  the  whole  of  which  an  active  band  of  the  Grimm's  pupils  have  gone  gathering  up 
as  gleaners  the  ears  which  their  great  masters  had  let  fall  or  let  He.  In  Denmark  the  col- 
lection of  M.  Winther,  Danske  Folkeeventyr,  Copenhagen,  1823,  is  a  praiseworthy  attempt 
in  the  same  direction  :  nor  does  it  at  all  detract  from  the  merit  of  H.  C.  Andersen  as  an 


The  Literature  of  Popular  Tales  8i 

is  to  be  accounted  for  by  no  theory  of  the  importation  of  this 
or  that  particular  tale  in  later  times  from  Norway,  but  by  the 
fact  that  the  Lowland  Scots,  among  whom  these  tales  were 
told,  were  lineal  descendants  of  Norsemen,  who  had  either 
seized  the  country  in  the  Viking  times,  or  had  been  driven 
into  it  across  the  Border  after  the  Norman  Conquest. 

These  Norse  Tales  we  may  characterize  as  bold,  out-spoken, 
and  humorous,  in  the  true  sense  of  humour.  In  the  midst 
of  every  difficulty  and  danger  arises  that  old  Norse  feeling 
of  making  the  best  of  everythng,  and  keeping  a  good  face 
to  the  foe.  The  language  and  tone  are  perhaps  rather  lower 
than  in  some  other  collections,  but  it  must  be  remembered 
that  these  are  the  tales  of  '  hempen  homespuns  ',  of  Norse  yeo- 
men, of  Norske  Bonder,  who  call  a  spade  a  spade,  and  who  burn 
tallow,  not  wax  ;  and  yet  in  no  collection  of  tales  is  the  general 
tone  so  chaste,  are  the  great  principles  of  morality  better 
worked  out,  and  right  and  wrong  kept  so  steadily  in  sight. 
The  general  view  of  human  nature  is  good  and  kindly.  The 
happiness  of  married  life  was  never  more  prettily  told  than 
in  *  Gudbrand  on  the  Hillside  ',  No.  xxi,  where  the  tenderness 
of  the  wife  for  her  husband  weighs  down  all  other  considera- 
tions ;  and  we  all  agree  with  M.  Moe  that  it  would  be  well 
if  there  were  many  wives  like  Gudbrand'Si  The  balance 
too,  is  very  evenly  kept  between  the  sexes  ;  for  if  any  wife 
should  point  with  indignation  at  such  a  tale  as  '  Not  a  Pin  to 
choose  between  them  *,  No.  xxiv,  where  wives  suffer  ;  she 
will  be  amply  avenged  when  she  reads  '  The  Husband  who  was 
to  mind  the  House  ',  No.  xxxix,  where  the  husband  has 
decidedly  the  worst  of  the  bargain,  and  is  punished  as  he 
deserves. 

Of  particular  characters,  one  occurs  repeatedly.  This  is 
that  which  we  have  ventured,  for  want  of  a  better  word, 
to  call  '  Boots  ',  from  that  widely-spread  tradition  in  English 
families,  that  the  youngest  brother  is  bound  to  do  all  the  hard 
work  his  brothers  set  him,  and  which  has  also  dignified 
him  with  the  term  here  used.  In  Norse  he  is  called  '  Aske/is  \ 
or  *  Espen  Askefjis  '.     By  M.  Moe  he  is  called  '  Askepot  ^\  a 

original  writer, to  observehow  often  his  creative  mindhas  fastened  on  one  of  these  national 
stories,  and  worked  out  of  that  piece  of  native  rock  a  finished  work  of  art.  Though  last 
not  least,  are  to  be  reckoned  the  Scottish  stories  collected  by  Mr.  Robert  Chambers,  of  the 
merit  of  which  we  have  already  expressed  our  opinion  in  the  text. 

I  After  all,  there  is,  it  seems,  a  Scottish  word  which  answers  to  Askepot  to  a  hair. 
See  Jamieson's  Dictionary,  where  the  reader  wrll  find  Ashiepattle  as  used  in  Shetland  for 

G 


82  Introduction 

word  which  the  Danes  got  from  Germany,  and  which  the 
readers  of  Grimm's  Tales  will  see  at  once  is  own  brother 
to  Aschenputtel.  The  meaning  of  the  word  is  '  one  who  pokes 
about  the  ashes  and  blows  up  the  fire  '  ;  one  who  does  dirty- 
work  in  short ;  and  in  Norway,  according  to  M.  Moe,  the  term 
is  almost  universally  applied  to  the  youngest  son  of  the  family. 
He  is  Cinderella's  brother  in  fact ;  and  just  as  she  had  all 
the  dirty  work  put  upon  her  by  her  sisters,  he  meets  with 
the  same  fate  from  his  brothers.  He  is  generally  the  youngest 
of  three,  whose  names  are  often  Peter  and  Paul,  as  in  No. 
XLii,  and  who  despise,  cry  down,  and  mock  him.  But  he 
has  in  him  that  deep  strength  of  character  and  natural  power 
upon  which  the  good  powers  always  smile.  He  is  the  man 
whom  Heaven  helps,  because  he  can  help  himself  ;  and  so, 
after  his  brothers  try  and  fail,  he  alone  can  watch  in  the  barn, 
and  tame  the  steed,  and  ride  up  the  glass  hill,  and  gain  the 
Princess  and  half  the  kingdom.  The  Norse  '  Boots  '  shares 
these  qualities  in  common  with  the  *  Pinkel '  of  the  Swedes, 
and  the  Dummling  of  the  Germans,  as  well  as  with  our  '  Jack 
the  Giant  Killer  ',  but  he  starts  lower  than  these — he  starts 
from  the  dust-bin  and  the  coal-hole.  There  he  sits  idle  whilst 
all  work  ;  there  he  lies  with  that  deep  irony  of  conscious  power, 
which  knows  its  time  must  one  day  come,  and  meantime  can 
afford  to  wait.  When  that  time  comes,  he  girds  himself  to 
the  feat,  amidst  the  scoffs  and  scorn  of  his  flesh  and  blood  ; 
but  even  then,  after  he  has  done  some  great  deed,  he  conceals 
it,  returns  to  his  ashes,  and  again  sits  idly  by  the  kitchen-fire, 
dirty,  lazy,  and  despised,  until  the  time  for  final  recognition 
comes,  and  then  his  dirt  and  rags  fall  off — he  stands  out  in  all 
the  majesty  of  his  royal  robes,  and  is  acknowledged  once  for 
all,  a  king.  In  this  way  does  the  consciousness  of  a  nation, 
and  the  mirror  of  its  thought,  reflect  the  image  and  personifica- 
tion of  a  great  moral  truth,  that  modesty,  endurance,  and 
ability  will  sooner  or  later  reap  their  reward,  however  much 
they  may  be  degraded,  scoffed  at,  and  despised  by  the  proud, 
the  worthless,  and  the  overbearing  ^ 

'  a  neglected  child  ' ;  and  not  in  Shetland  alone,  but  in  Ayrshire,  Ashypei,  an  adjective* 
or  rather  a  substantive  degraded  to  do  the  dirty  work  of  an  adjective,  '  one  employed  in 
the  lowest  kitchen  work  '.  See  too  the  quotation,  '  when  I  reached  Mrs.  Damask's  house 
she  was  gone  to  bed,  and  nobody  to  let  me  in,  dripping  wet  as  I  was,  but  an  ashypet  lassy, 
that  helps  her  for  a  servant,' — Steamboat,  p.  259.  So  again  Assiepet,  substantive  '  a  dirty 
little  creature,  one  that  is  constantly  soiled  with  ass  or  ashes  '. 

1  The  Sagas  contain  many  instances  of  Norsemen  who  sat  thus  idly  over  the  fire,  an(J 
were  thence  called  Kolbitr,  coalbiters,  but  who  afterwards  becrme  mighty  men. 


Characters  in  Norse  Tales  83 

Asa  general  rule,  the  women  are  less  strongly  marked 
than  the  men  ;  for  these  tales,  as  is  well  said,  are  uttered 
'  with  a  manly  mouth  ^  ' ;  and  none  of  the  female  charac- 
ters, except  perhaps  '  The  Mastermaid  ',  and  '  Tatterhood  ', 
can  compare  in  strength  with  *  The  Master-Smith  ',  '  The 
Master-Thief  ,'  '  Shortshank's  '  or  '  Boots  '.  Still  the  true 
womanly  type  comes  out  in  full  play  in  such  tales  as  '  The 
Two  Step-Sisters  ',  No.  xvii  ;  '  East  o'  the  Sun  and  West 
o'  the  Moon  ',  No.  iv  ;  '  Bushy  Bride  ',  No.  xlv,  and  *  The 
Twelve  Wild  Ducks ',  No.  viii.  In  all  these  the  lassie 
is  bright,  and  good,  and  helpful ;  she  forgets  herself  in  her 
eagerness  to  help  others.  When  she  goes  down  the  well  after  the 
unequal  match  against  her  step-sister  in  spinning  bristles 
against  flax  ;  she  steps  tenderly  over  the  hedge,  milks  the  cow, 
shears  the  sheep,  relieves  the  boughs  of  the  apple-tree — all  out 
of  the  natural  goodness  of  her  heart.  When  she  is  sent  to 
fetch  water  from  the  well,  she  washes  and  brushes,  and  even 
kisses,  the  loathsome  head  ;  she  believes  what  her  enemies 
say,  even  to  her  own  wrong  and  injury  ;  she  sacrifices  all 
that  she  holds  most  dear,  and  at  last  even  herself,  because  she 
is  made  to  believe  that  it  is  her  brother's  wish.  And  so  on 
her,  too,  the  good  powers  smile.  She  can  understand  and 
profit  by  what  the  little  birds  say  ;  she  knows  how  to  choose 
the  right  casket.  And  at  last,  after  many  trials,  all  at  once 
the  scene  changes,  and  she  receives  a  glorious  reward,  while 
the  wicked  stepmother  and  her  ugly  daughter  meet  with  a 
just  fate.  Nor  is  another  female  character  less  tenderly  drawn 
in  Hacon  Grizzlebeard,  No.  vi,  where  we  see  the  proud,  haughty 
princess  subdued  and  tamed  by  natural  affection  into  a  faith- 
ful, loving  wife.  We  sympathise  with  her  more  than  with 
the  *  Patient  Grizzel  '  of  the  poets,  who  is  in  reahty  too  good, 
for  her  story  has  no  relief  ;  while  in  Hacon  Grizzlebeard  we 
begin  by  being  angry  at  the  princess'  pride  ;  we  are  glad  at 
the  retribution  which  overtakes  her,  but  we  are  gradually 
melted  at  her  sufferings  and  hardships  when  she  gives  up  all 
for  the  Beggar  and  follows  him  ;  we  burst  into  tears  with  her 
when  she  exclaims  '  Oh  !  the  Beggar,  and  the  babe,  and  the 
cabin  !  ' — and  we  rejoice  with  her  when  the  Prince  says  '  Here 
is  the  Beggar,  and  there  is  the  babe,  and  so  let  the  cabin 
burn  away.' 

i  Moe.  Introd.  Norsk.  Evetit. 


84  Introduction 

Nor  is  it  unprofitable  here  to  remark  how  the  professions 
fare  when  they  appear  in  these  tales.  The  Church  cannot 
be  said  to  be  treated  with  respect,  for  '  Father  Lawrence  '  is 
ludicrously  deceived  and  scurvily  treated  by  the  Master-Thief, 
No.  XXXV  ;  nor  does  the  priest  come  off  any  better  in  Goosey 
Grizzel,  No.  xxxiii,  where  he  is  thrown  by  the  Farmer  into 
the  wet  moss.  Indeed,  it  seems  as  if  the  popular  mind  were 
determined  to  revenge  itself  when  left  to  itself,  for  the  super- 
stition of  Rome  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  severity  of  strict 
Lutheranism  on  the  other.  It  has  little  to  say  of  either  of  them, 
but  when  it  does  speak,  its  accents  are  not  those  of  reverence 
and  love.  The  Law,  too,  as  represented  by  those  awful 
personages  the  Constable,  the  Attorney,  and  the  Sheriff  in 
the  Mastermaid,  No.  xi,  is  held  up  to  ridicule,  and  treated 
with  anything  but  tenderness.  But  there  is  one  profession 
for  which  a  good  word  is  said,  a  single  word,  but  enough  to 
show  the  feeling  of  the  people.  In  the  '  Twelve  Wild  Ducks  ' 
No.  VIII,  the  king  is  '  as  soft  and  kind  '  to  Snow-white  and 
Rosy-red  *  as  a  doctor  ' — a  doctor,  alas  !  not  of  laws,  but  of 
medicine  ;  and  thus  this  profession,  so  often  despised,  but  in 
reaUty  the  noblest,  has  homage  paid  to  it  in  that  single  sen- 
tence, which  neither  the  Church  with  all  its  dignity,  nor  the 
Law  with  all  its  cunning,  have  been  able  to  extort  from  the 
popular  mind.  Yet  even  this  profession  has  a  hard  word 
uttered  against  it  in  *  Katie  Woodencloak  ',  No.  l,  where  the 
doctor  takes  a  great  fee  from  the  wicked  queen  to  say  she 
will  never  be  well  unless  she  has  some  of  the  Dun  Bull's  flesh 
to  eat. 

And  now  it  is  time  to  bring  this  introduction  to  an  end, 
lest  it  should  play  the  Wolf's  part  to  Odin,  and  swallow  up 
the  Tales  themselves.  Enough  has  been  said,  at  least,  to  prove 
that  even  nursery  tales  may  have  a  science  of  their  own, 
and  to  show  how  the  old  Nornir  and  divine  spinners  can 
revenge  themselves  if  their  old  wives'  tales  are  insulted  and 
attacked.  The  inquiry  itself  might  be  almost  indefinitely 
prolonged,  for  this  is  a  journey  where  each  turn  of  the  road 
brings  out  a  new  point  of  view,  and  the  longer  we  linger  on 
our  path,  the  longer  we  find  something  fresh  to  see.  Popular 
mythology  is  a  virgin  mine,  and  its  ore,  so  far  from  being  ex- 
hausted or  worked  out,  has  here,  in  England  at  least,  been 
scarcely  touched.     It  may,  indeed,  be  dreaded  lest  the  time 


Popular  Tales  in  England  85 

for  collecting  such  English  traditions  is  not  past  and  gone ; 
whether  the  steam-engine  and  printing-press  have  not  played 
their  great  work  of  enhghtenment  too  well ;  and  whether  the 
popular  tales,  of  which,  no  doubt,  the  land  was  once  full,  have 
not  faded  away  before  those  great  inventions,  as  the  race  of 
Giants  waned  before  the  might  of  Odin  and  the  ^sir.  Still 
the  example  of  this  very  Norway,  which  at  one  time  was 
thought,  even  by  her  own  sons,  to  have  few  tales  of  her  own, 
and  now  has  been  found  to  have  them  so  fresh  and  full,  may 
serve  as  a  warning  not  to  abandon  a  search,  which,  indeed, 
can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  been  ever  begun  ;  and  to  suggest 
a  doubt  whether  the  ill  success  which  may  have  attended 
this  or  that  particular  attempt,  may  not  have  been  from  the 
fault  rather  of  the  seekers  after  traditions,  than  from  the 
want  of  the  traditions  themselves.  In  point  of  fact,  it  is  a 
matter  of  the  utmost  difficulty  to  gather  such  tales  in  any 
country,  as  those  who  have  collected  them  most  successfully 
will  be  the  first  to  confess.  It  is  hard  to  make  old  and  feeble 
women,  who  generally  are  the  depositaries  of  these  national 
treasures,  believe  that  the  inquirer  can  have  any  real  interest 
in  the  matter.  They  fear  that  the  question  is  only  put  to 
turn  them  into  ridicule  ;  for  the  popular  mind  is  a  sensitive 
plant ;  it  becomes  coy,  and  closes  its  leaves  at  the  first  rude 
touch  ;  and  when  once  shut,  it  is  hard  to  make  these  aged 
lips  reveal  the  secrets  of  the  memory.  There  they  remain, 
however,  forming  part  of  an  under-current  of  tradition,  of 
which  the  educated  classes,  through  whose  minds  flows  the 
bright  upper-current  of  faith,  are  apt  to  forget  the  very  exist- 
ence. Things  out  of  sight,  and  therefore  out  of  mind.  Now 
and  then  a  wave  of  chance  tosses  them  to  the  surface  from 
those  hidden  depths,  and  all  Her  Majesty's  inspectors  of 
schools  are  shocked  at  the  wild  shapes  which  still  haunt  the 
minds  of  the  great  mass  of  the  community.  It  cannot  be 
said  that  the  English  are  not  a  superstitious  people.  Here 
we  have  gone  on  for  more  than  a  hundred  years  proclaiming 
our  opinion  that  the  belief  in  witches,  and  wizards,  and  ghosts, 
and  fetches,  was  extinct  throughout  the  land.  Ministers 
of  aU  denominations  have  preached  them  down,  and  philoso- 
phers convinced  all  the  world  of  the  absurdity  of  such  vain 
superstitions  ;  and  yet  it  has  been  reserved  for  another  learned 
profession,  the  Law,  to  produce  in  one  trial  at  the  Staffordshire 


86  Introduction 

assizes,  a  year  or  two  ago,  such  a  host  of  witnesses,  who  firmly 
beUeved  in  v/itchcraft,  and  swore  to  their  beUef  in  spectre 
dogs  and  wizards,  as  to  show  that,  in  the  Midland  counties 
at  least,  such  traditions  are  anything  but  extinct.  If  so  much 
of  the  bad  has  been  spared  by  steam,  by  natural  philosophy, 
and  by  the  Church,  let  us  hope  that  some  of  the  good  may 
still  linger  along  with  it,  and  that  an  English  Grimm  may  yet 
arise  who  may  carry  out  what  Mr.  Chambers  has  so  well  begun 
in  Scotland,  and  discover  in  the  mouth  of  an  Anglo-Saxon 
Gammer  Grethel,  some,  at  least,  of  those  popular  tales  which 
England  once  had  in  common  with  all  the  Aryan  race. 

For  these  Norse  Tales  one  may  say  that  nothing  can  equal 
the  tenderness  and  skill  with  which  MM.  Asbjornsen  and  Moe 
have  collected  them.  Some  of  that  tenderness  and  beauty  may, 
it  is  hoped,  be  found  in  this  English  translation  ;  but  to  those 
who  have  never  been  in  the  country  where  they  are  current, 
and  who  are  not  famihar  with  that  hearty  simple  people, 
no  words  can  tell  the  freshness  and  truth  of  the  originals. 
It  is  not  that  the  idioms  of  the  two  languages  are  different, 
for  they  are  more  nearly  allied,  both  in  vocabulary  and  con- 
struction, than  any  other  two  tongues,  but  it  is  the  face  of 
nature  herself,  and  the  character  of  the  race  that  looks  up  to 
her,  that  fail  to  the  mind's  eye.  The  West  Coast  of  Scotland 
is  something  hke  that  nature  in  a  general  way,  except  that  it 
is  infinitely  smaller  and  less  grand  ;  but  that  constant,  bright 
blue  sky,  those  deeply-indented,  sinuous,  gleaming  friths, 
those  headstrong  rivers  and  headlong  falls,  those  steep  hill- 
sides, those  long  ridges  of  fells,  those  peaks  and  needles  rising 
sharp  above  them,  those  hanging  glaciers  and  wreaths  of 
everlasting  snow,  those  towering  endless  pine  forests,  reUeved 
by  slender  stems  of  silver  birch,  those  green  spots  in  the  midst 
of  the  forest,  those  winding  dales  and  upland  lakes,  those 
various  shapes  of  birds  and  beasts,  the  mighty  crashing  elk, 
the  fleet  reindeer,  the  fearless  bear,  the  nimble  lynx,  the  shy 
wolf,  those  eagles  and  swans,  and  seabirds,  those  many  tones 
and  notes  of  Nature's  voice  making  distant  music  through  the 
twilight  summer  night,  those  brilliant,  flashing,  northern 
lights  when  days  grow  short,  those  dazzling,  blinding  storms 
of  autumn  snow,  that  cheerful  winter  frost  and  cold,  that 
joy  of  sledging  over  the  smooth  ice,  when  the  sharp-shod  horse 
cafeers  at  full  speed  with  the  light  sledge,  or  rushes  down  the 


Norse  Nature  87 

steep  pitches  over  the  crackhng  snow  through  the  green  spruce 
wood — all  these  form  a  Nature  of  their  own.  These  particu- 
lar features  belong  in  their  fulness  and  combination  to  no 
other  land.  When  in  the  midst  of  all  this  natural  scenery, 
we  find  an  honest  manly  race,  not  the  race  of  the  towns  and 
cities,  but  of  the  dales  and  fells,  free  and  unsubdued,  holding 
its  own  in  a  country  where  there  are  neither  lords  nor  ladies, 
but  simple  men  and  women.  Brave  men  and  fair  women, 
who  cling  to  the  traditions  of  their  forefathers,  and  whose 
memory  reflects  as  from  the  faithful  mirror  of  their  native 
steel  the  whole  history  and  progress  of  their  race — when  all 
these  natural  features,  and  such  a  manly  race  meet ;  then 
we  have  the  stuff  out  of  which  these  tales  are  made,  the  living 
rock  out  of  which  these  sharp-cut  national  forms  are  hewn. 
Then,  too,  our  task  of  introducing  them  is  over,  we  may  lay 
aside  our  pen,  and  leave  the  reader  and  the  tales  to  themselves. 


TALES  FROM  THE  NORSE 

TRUE  AND  UNTRUE 

Once  on  a  time  there  were  two  brothers  ;  one  was  called 
True,  and  the  other  Untrue.  True  was  always  upright  and 
good  towards  all,  but  Untrue  was  bad  and  full  of  lies,  so  that 
no  6^e  could  believe  what  he  said.  Their  mother  was  a  widow, 
and  hadn't  much  to  live  on  ;  so  when  her  sons  had  grown  up, 
she  was  forced  to  send  them  away,  that  they  might  earn  their 
bread  in  the  world.  Each  got  a  little  scrip  with  some  food 
in  it,  and  then  they  went  their  way. 

Now,  when  they  had  walked  till  evening,  they  sat  down 
on  a  windfall  in  the  wood,  and  took  out  their  scrips,  for  they 
were  hungry  after  walking  the  whole  day,  and  thought  a 
morsel  of  food  would  be  sweet  enough. 

*  If  you're  of  my  mind  ',  said  Untrue,  *  I  think  we  had 
better  eat  out  of  your  scrip,  so  long  as  there  is  anything  in 
it,  and  after  that  we  can  take  to  mine.' 

Yes  !  True  was  well  pleased  with  this,  so  they  fell  to  eating, 
but  Untrue  got  all  the  best  bits,  and  stuffed  himself  with 
them,  while  True  got  only  the  burnt  crusts  and  scraps. 

Next  morning  they  broke  their  fast  off  True's  food,  and 
they  dined  off  it  too,  and  then  there  was  nothing  left  in  his 
scrip.  So  when  they  had  walked  till  late  at  night,  and  were 
ready  to  eat  again.  True  wanted  to  eat  out  of  his  brother's 
scrip,  but  Untrue  said  '  No  \  the  food  was  his,  and  he  had 
only  enough  for  himself. 

*  Nay  !  but  you  know  you  ate  out  of  my  scrip  so  long  as 
there  was  anything  in  it ',  said  True. 

'  All  very  fine,  I  daresay  ',  answered  Untrue  ;  *  but  if  you 
are  such  a  fool  as  to  let  others  eat  up  your  food  before  your 
face,  you  must  make  the  best  of  it ;  for  now  all  you  have  to 
do  is  to  sit  here  and  starve/ 


90  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  Very  well  !  '  said  True,  '  you're  Untrue  by  name  and 
untrue  by  nature  ;  so  you  have  been,  and  so  you  will  be  all 
your  life  long.' 

Now  when  Untrue  heard  this,  he  flew  into  a  rage,  and 
rushed  at  his  brother,  and  plucked  out  both  his  eyes.  *  Now, 
try  if  you  can  see  whether  folk  are  untrue  or  not,  you  bUnd 
buzzard  !  '  and  so  saying,  he  ran  away  and  left  him. 

Poor  True  !  there  he  went  walking  along  and  feeling  his 
way  through  the  thick  wood.  Blind  and  alone,  he  scarce 
knew  which  way  to  turn,  when  all  at  once  he  caught  hold  of 
the  trunk  of  a  great  bushy  lime-tree,  so  he  thought  he  would 
cUmb  up  into  it,  and  sit  there  till  the  night  was  over  for  fear 
of  the  wild  beasts. 

*  When  the  birds  begin  to  sing  ',  he  said  to  himself,  *  then 
I  shall  know  it  is  day,  and  I  can  try  to  grope  my  way  farther 
on.'  So  he  climbed  up  into  the  hme-tree.  After  he  had  sat 
there  a  little  time,  he  heard  how  some  one  came  and  began  to 
make  a  stir  and  clatter  under  the  tree,  and  soon  after  others 
came  ;  and  when  they  began  to  greet  one  another,  he  found 
out  it  was  Bruin  the  bear,  and  Greylegs  the  wolf,  and  Slyboots 
the  fox,  and  Longears  the  hare  who  had  come  to  keep  St. 
John's  eve  under  the  tree.  So  they  began  to  eat  and  drink, 
and  be  merry  ;  and  when  they  had  done  eating,  they  fell  to 
gossipping  together.     At  last  the  Fox  said : 

'  Shan't  we,  each  of  us,  tell  a  httle  story  while  we  sit  here  ?  * 
Well  !  the  others  had  nothing  against  that.     It  would  be 

good  fun,  they  said,  and  the  Bear  began  ;   for  you  may  fancy 

he  was  king  of  the  company. 

*  The  king  of  England  *,  said  Bruin,  '  has  such  bad  eyesight, 
he  can  scarce  see  a  yard  before  him  ;  but  if  he  only  came  to 
this  lime-tree  in  the  morning,  while  the  dew  is  still  on  the 
leaves,  and  took  and  rubbed  his  eyes  with  the  dew,  he  would 
get  back  his  sight  as  good  as  ever.' 

'  Very  true  !  '  said  Greylegs.  '  The  king  of  England  has 
a  deaf  and  dumb  daughter  too ;  but  if  he  only  knew  what  I 
know,  he  would  soon  cure  her.  Last  year  she  went  to  the 
communion.  She  let  a  crumb  of  the  bread  fall  out  of  her 
mouth,  and  a  great  toad  came  and  swallowed  it  down  ;  but 
if  they  only  dug  up  the  chancel  floor,  they  would  find  the 
toad  sitting  right  under  the  altar  rails,  with  the  bread  still 
sticking  in  his  throat.     If  they  were  to  cut  the  toad  open  and 


True  and  Untrue  91 

take  and  give  the  bread  to  the  princess,  she  would  be  like 
other  folk  again  as  to  her  speech  and  hearing.' 

'  That's  all  very  well ',  said  the  Fox  ;  '  but  if  the  king  of 
England  knew  what  I  know,  he  would  not  be  so  badly  off  for 
water  in  his  palace  ;  for  under  the  great  stone,  in  his  palace- 
yard,  is  a  spring  of  the  clearest  water  one  could  wish  for,  if 
he  only  knew  to  dig  for  it  there.' 

'  Ah  !  '  said  the  Hare  in  a  small  voice  ;  *  the  king  of  England 
has  the  finest  orchard  in  the  whole  land,  but  it  does  not  bear 
so  much  as  a  crab,  for  there  lies  a  heavy  gold  chain  in  three 
turns  round  the  orchard.  If  he  got  that  dug  up,  there  would 
not  be  a  garden  like  it  for  bearing  in  all  his  kingdom.' 

'  Very  true,  I  dare  say  ',  said  the  Fox  ;  *  but  now  it's  getting 
very  late,  and  we  may  as  well  go  home.' 

So  they  all  went  away  together. 

After  they  were  gone.  True  fell  asleep  as  he  sat  up  in  the 
tree  ;  but  when  the  birds  began  to  sing  at  dawn,  he  woke 
up,  and  took  the  dew  from  the  leaves,  and  rubbed  his  eyes 
with  it,  and  so  got  his  sight  back  as  good  as  it  was  before 
Untrue  plucked  his  eyes  out. 

Then  he  went  straight  to  the  king  of  England's  palace, 
and  begged  for  work,  and  got  it  on  the  spot.  So  one  day  the 
king  came  out  into  the  palace-yard,  and  when  he  had  walked 
about  a  bit,  he  wanted  to  drink  out  of  his  pump  ;  for  you 
must  know  the  day  was  hot,  and  the  king  very  thirsty  ;  but 
when  they  poured  him  out  a  glass,  it  was  so  muddy,  and 
nasty,  and  foul,  that  the  king  got  quite  vexed. 

'  I  don't  think  there's  ever  a  man  in  my  whole  kingdom 
who  has  such  bad  water  in  his  yard  as  I,  and  yet  I  bring  it  in 
pipes  from  far,  over  hill  and  dale  ',  cried  out  the  king. 

'  Like  enough,  your  Majesty  ',  said  True  ; ,  '  but  if  you 
would  let  me  have  some  men  to  help  me  to  dig  up  this  great 
stone  which  Hes  here  in  the  middle  of  your  yard,  you  would 
soon  see  good  water,  and  plenty  of  it.' 

Well !  the  king  was  willing  enough  ;  and  they  had  scarcely 
got  the  stone  well  out,  and  dug  under  it  a  while,  before  a  jet 
of  water  sprang  out  high  up  into  the  air,  as  clear  and  full  as 
if  it  came  out  of  a  conduit,  and  clearer  water  was  not  to  be 
found  in  all  England. 

A  little  while  after  the  king  was  out  in  his  palace-yard 
again,  and  there  came  a  great  hawk  flying  after  his  chicken. 


92  Tales  from  the  Norse 

and  all  the  king's  men  began  to  clap  their  hands  and  bawl 
out,  *  There  he  flies  !  '  '  There  he  flies  !  '  The  king  caught 
up  his  gun  and  tried  to  shoot  the  hawk,  but  he  couldn't  see 
so  far,  so  he  fell  into  great  grief. 

'  Would  to  Heaven  ',  he  said,  '  there  was  any  one  who  could 
tell  me  a  cure  for  my  eyes  ;  for  I  think  I  shall  soon  go  quite 
blind  !  ' 

'  I  can  tell  you  one  soon  enough  ',  said  True  ;  and  then  he 
told  the  king  what  he  had  done  to  cure  his  own  eyes,  and 
the  king  set  off  that  very  afternoon  to  the  lime-tree,  as  you 
may  fancy,  and  his  eyes  were  quite  cured  as  soon  as  he  rubbed 
them  with  the  dew  which  was  on  the  leaves  in  the  morning. 
From  that  time  forth  there  was  no  one  whom  the  king  held 
so  dear  as  True,  and  he  had  to  be  with  him  wherever  he  went, 
both  at  home  and  abroad. 

So  one  day,  as  they  were  walking  together  in  the  orchard, 
the  king  said,  *  I  can't  tell  how  it  is  that  I  can't !  there  isn't  a, 
man  in  England  who  spends  so  much  on  his  orchard  as  I, 
and  yet  I  can't  get  one  of  the  trees  to  bear  so  much  as  a 
crab.' 

'  Well  !  well !  '  said  True  ;  *  if  I  may  have  what  lies  three 
times  twisted  round  your  orchard,  and  men  to  dig  it  up,  your 
orchard  will  bear  well  enough.' 

Yes  !  the  king  was  quite  willing,  so  True  got  men  and  began 
to  dig,  and  at  last  he  dug  up  the  whole  gold  chain.  Now 
True  was  a  rich  man,  far  richer  indeed  than  the  king  himself, 
but  still  the  king  was  well  pleased,  for  his  orchard  bore  so 
that  the  boughs  of  the  trees  hung  down  to  the  ground,  and 
such  sweet  apples  and  pears  nobody  had  ever  tasted. 

Another  day  too  the  king  and  True  were  walking  about, 
and  talking  together,  when  the  princess  passed  them,  and 
the  king  was  quite  downcaist  when  he  saw  her. 

'  Isn't  it  a  pity,  now,  that  so  lovely  a  princess  as  mine  should 
want  speech  and  hearing  ',  he  said  to  True. 

*  Ay,  but  there  is  a  cure  for  that  *,  said  True. 

When  the  king  heard  that,  he  was  so  glad  that  he  promised 
him  the  princess  to  wife,  and  half  his  kingdom  into  the  bargain, 
if  he  could  get  her  right  again.  So  True  took  a  few  men, 
and  went  into  the  church,  and  dug  up  the  toad  which  sat 
under  the  altar-rails.  Then  he  cut  open  the  toad,  and  took 
out  the  bread  and  gave  it  to  the  king's  daughter  ;   and  from 


True  and  Untrue  93 

that  hour  she  got  back  her  speech,  and  could  talk  like  other 
people. 

Now  True  was  to  have  the  princess,  and  they  got  ready 
for  the  bridal  feast,  and  such  a  feast  had  never  been  seen 
before  ;  it  was  the  talk  of  the  whole  land.  Just  as  they  were 
in  the  midst  of  dancing  the  bridal-dance  in  came  a  beggar  lad, 
and  begged  for  a  morsel  of  food,  and  he  was  so  ragged  and 
wretched  that  every  one  crossed  themselves  when  they  looked 
at  him  ;  but  True  knew  him  at  once,  and  saw  that  it  was 
Untrue,  his  brother. 

*  Do  you  know  me  again  ?  '  said  True. 

*  Oh  !  where  should  such  a  one  as  I  ever  have  seen  so  great 
a  lord  ',  said  Untrue. 

'  Still  you  have  seen  me  before  ',  said  True.  '  It  was  I 
whose  eyes  you  plucked  out  a  year  ago  this  very  day.  Untrue 
by  name,  and  untrue  by  nature  ;  so  I  said  before,  and  so  I 
say  now  ;  but  you  are  still  my  brother,  and  so  you  shall  have 
some  food.  After  that,  you  may  go  to  the  lime-tree  where  I 
sat  last  year  ;  if  you  hear  anything  that  can  do  you  good, 
you  will  be  lucky.' 

So  Untrue  did  not  wait  to  be  told  twice.  '  If  True  has 
got  so  much  good  by  sitting  in  the  lime-tree,  that  in  one  year 
he  has  come  to  be  king  over  half  England,  what  good  may 
not  I  get ',  he  thought.  So  he  set  off  and  climbed  up  into 
the  lime-tree.  He  had  not  sat  there  long,  before  all  the 
beasts  came  as  before,  and  ate  and  drank,  and  kept  St.  John's 
eve  under  the  tree.  When  they  had  left  off  eating,  the  Fox 
wished  that  they  should  begin  to  tell  stories,  and  Untrue  got 
ready  to  Hsten  with  all  his  might,  till  his  ears  were  almost 
fit  to  fall  off.  But  Bruin  the  bear  was  surly,  and  growled 
and  said  : 

'  Some  one  has  been  chattering  about  what  we  said  last 
year,  and  so  now  we  will  hold  our  tongues  about  what  we 
know  '  ;  and  with  that  the  beasts  bade  one  another  '  Good- 
night ',  and  parted,  and  Untrue  was  just  as  wise  as  he  was 
before,  and  the  reason  was,  that  his  name  was  Untrue,  and 
his  nature  untrue  too. 


94  Tales  from  the  Norse 

WHY  THE  SEA  IS  SALT 

Once  on  a  time,  but  it  was  a  long,  long  time  ago,  there  were 
two  brothers,  one  rich  and  one  poor.  Now,  one  Christmas 
eve,  the  poor  one  hadn't  so  much  as  a  crumb  in  the  house, 
either  of  meat  or  bread,  so  he  went  to  his  brother  to  ask  him 
for  something  to  keep  Christmas  with,  in  God's  name.  It 
was  not  the  first  time  his  brother  had  been  forced  to  help 
him,  and  you  may  fancy  he  wasn't  very  glad  to  see  his  face, 
but  he  said  : 

*  If  you  will  do  what  I  ask  you  to  do,  I'll  give  you  a  whole 
flitch  of  bacon.' 

So  the  poor  brother  said  he  would  do  anything,  and  was 
full  of  thanks. 

*  Well,  here  is  the  flitch  ',  said  the  rich  brother,  *  and  now 
go  straight  to  Hell.' 

*  What  I  have  given  my  word  to  do,  I  must  stick  to  ',  said 
the  other  ;  so  he  took  the  flitch  and  set  off.  He  walked  the 
whole  day,  and  at  dusk  he  came  to  a  place  where  he  saw  a 
very  bright  light. 

*  Maybe  this  is  the  place  ',  said  the  man  to  himself.  So 
he  turned  aside,  and  the  first  thing  he  saw  was  an  old,  old 
man,  with  a  longwhite  beard,  who  stood  in  an  outhouse,  hewing 
wood  for  the  Christmas  fire. 

'  Good  even  ',  said  the  man  with  the  flitch. 

*  The  same  to  you  ;  whither  are  you  going  so  late  ?  *  said 
the  man. 

*  Oh  !  I'm  going  to  Hell,  if  I  only  knew  the  right  way  *, 
answered  the  poor  man. 

*  Well,  you're  not  far  wrong,  for  this  is  Hell ',  said  the  old 
man  ;  '  when  you  get  inside  they  will  be  all  for  buying  your 
flitch,  for  meat  is  scarce  in  Hell  ;  but  mind,  you  don't  sell  it 
unless  you  get  the  hand-quern  which  stands  behind  the  door 
for  it.  When  you  come  out,  I'll  teach  you  how  to  handle  the 
quern,  for  it's  good  to  grind  almost  anything.' 

So  the  man  with  the  flitch  thanked  the  other  for  his  good 
advice,  and  gave  a  great  knock  at  the  Devil's  door. 

When  he  got  in,  everything  went  just  as  the  old  man  had 
said.  All  the  devils,  great  and  small,  came  swarming  up  to 
him  like  ants  round  an  anthill,  and  each  tried  to  outbid  the 
other  for  the  flitch. 


Why  the  Sea  is  Salt  95 

*  Well !  '  said  the  man,  '  by  rights  my  old  dame  and  I 
ought  to  have  this  flitch  for  our  Christmas  dinner  ;  but  since 
you  have  all  set  your  hearts  on  it,  I  suppose  I  must  give  it  up 
to  you  ;  but  if  I  sell  it  at  all,  I'll  have  for  it  that  quern  behind 
the  door  yonder.' 

At  first  the  Devil  wouldn't  hear  of  such  a  bargain,  and 
chaffered  and  haggled  with  the  man  ;  but  he  stuck  to  what 
he  said,  and  at  last  the  Devil  had  to  part  with  his  quern. 
When  the  man  got  out  into  the  yard,  he  asked  the  old  wood- 
cutter how  he  was  to  handle  the  quern  ;  and  after  he  had 
learned  how  to  use  it,  he  thanked  the  old  man  and  went  off 
home  as  fast  as  he  could,  but  still  the  clock  had  struck  twelve 
on  Christmas  eve  before  he  reached  his  own  door. 

'  Wherever  in  the  world  have  you  been  ?  '  said  his  old  dame, 
'  here  have  I  sat  hour  after  hour  waiting  and  watching,  without 
so  much  as  two  sticks  to  lay  together  under  the  Christmas 
brose.' 

*  Oh  !  '  said  the  man,  *  I  couldn't  get  back  before,  for  I  had 
to  go  a  long  way  first  for  one  thing,  and  then  for  another  ; 
but  now  you  shall  see  what  you  shall  see.' 

So  he  put  the  quern  on  the  table,  and  bade  it  first  of  all 
grind  Ughts,  then  a  table-cloth,  then  meat,  then  ale,  and  so 
on  till  they  had  got  everything  that  was  nice  for  Christmas 
fare.  He  had  only  to  speak  the  word,  and  the  quern  ground 
out  what  he  wanted.  The  old  dame  stood  by  blessing  her 
stars,  and  kept  on  asking  where  he  had  got  this  wonderful 
quern,  but  he  wouldn't  tell  her. 

'  It's  all  one  where  I  got  it  from  ;  you  see  the  quern  is  a 
good  one,  and  the  mill-stream  never  freezes,  that's  enough.' 

So  he  ground  meat  and  drink  and  dainties  enough  to  last 
out  till  Twelfth  Day,  and  on  the  third  day  he  asked  all  his 
friends  and  kin  to  his  house,  and  gave  a  great  feast.  Now, 
when  his  rich  brother  saw  all  that  was  on  the  table,  and  all 
that  was  behind  in  the  larder,  he  grew  quite  spiteful  and 
wild,  for  he  couldn't  bear  that  his  brother  should  have  any- 
^^H   thing. 

I^H|  *  'Twas  only  on  Christmas  eve  ',  he  said  to  the  rest,  *  he 
^^K  was  in  such  straits,  that  he  came  and  asked  for  a  morsel  of 
^^K  food  in  God's  name,  and  now  he  gives  a  feast  as  if  he  were 
^^m  count  or  king  '  ;   and  he  turned  to  his  brother  and  said  : 


g6  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  From  behind  the  door  ',  answered  the  owner  of  the  quern, 
for  he  didn't  care  to  let  the  cat  out  of  the  bag.  But  later 
on  the  evening,  when  he  had  got  a  drop  too  much,  he  could 
keep  his  secret  no  longer,  and  brought  out  the  quern  and 
said  : 

*  There,  you  see  what  has  gotten  me  all  this  wealth  *  ;  and 
so  he  made  the  quern  grind  all  kind  of  things.  When  his 
brother  saw  it,  he  set  his  heart  on  having  the  quern,  and, 
after  a  deal  of  coaxing,  he  got  it ;  but  he  had  to  pay  three 
hundred  dollars  for  it,  and  his  brother  bargained  to  keep  it 
till  hay-harvest,  for  he  thought,  if  I  keep  it  till  then,  I  can 
make  it  grind  meat  and  drink  that  will  last  for  years.  So 
you  may  fancy  the  quern  didn't  grow  rusty  for  want  of  work, 
and  when  hay-harvest  came,  the  rich  brother  got  it,  but  the 
other  took  care  not  to  teach  him  how  to  handle  it. 

It  was  evening  when  the  rich  brother  got  the  quern  home, 
and  next  morning  he  told  his  wife  to  go  out  into  the  hay-field 
and  toss,  while  the  mowers  cut  the  grass,  and  he  would  stay 
at  home  and  get  the  dinner  ready.  So,  when  dinner-time 
drew  near,  he  put  the  quern  on  the  kitchen  table  and  said  : 

'  Grind  herrings  and  broth,  and  grind  them  good  and  fast.' 

So  the  quern  began  to  grind  herrings  and  broth  ;  first  of 
all,  all  the  dishes  full,  then  all  the  tubs  full,  and  so  on  till  the 
kitchen  floor  was  quite  covered.  Then  the  man  twisted  and 
twirled  at  the  quern  to  get  it  to  stop,  but  for  all  his  twisting 
and  fingering  the  quern  went  on  grinding,  and  in  a  little 
while  the  broth  rose  so  high  that  the  man  was  like  to  drown. 
So  he  threw  open  the  kitchen  door  and  ran  into  the  parlour, 
but  it  wasn't  long  before  the  quern  had  ground  the  parlour 
full  too,  and  it  was  only  at  the  risk  of  his  life  that  the  man 
could  get  hold  of  the  latch  of  the  house  door  through  the 
stream  of  broth.  When  he  got  the  door  open,  he  ran  out  and 
set  off  down  the  road,  with  the  stream  of  herrings  and  broth 
at  his  heels,  roaring  like  a  waterfall  over  the  whole  farm. 

Now,  his  old  dame,  who  was  in  the  field  tossing  hay,  thought 
it  a  long  time  to  dinner,  and  at  last  she  said  : 

*  Well  !  though  the  master  doesn't  call  us  home,  we  may 
as  well  go.  Maybe  he  finds  it  hard  work  to  boil  the  broth, 
and  will  be  glad  of  my  help.* 

The  men  were  willing  enough,  so  they  sauntered  homewards  ; 
but  just  as  they  had  got  a  little  way  up  the  liill,  what  should 


Why  the  Sea  is  Salt  97 

they  meet  but  herrings,  and  broth,  and  bread,  all  running  and 
'dashing,  and  splashing  together  in  a  stream,  and  the  master 
himself  running  before  them  for  his  life,  and  as  he  passed  them 
he  bawled  out : 

*  Would  to  heaven  each  of  you  had  a  hundred  throats  ! 
but  take  care  you're  not  drowned  in  the  broth.' 

Away  he  went,  as  though  the  Evil  One  were  at  his  heels, 
to  his  brother's  house,  and  begged  him  for  God's  sake  to  take 
back  the  quern  that  instant ;  for,  said  he  : 

'  If  it  grinds  only  one  hour  more,  the  whole  parish  will  be 
swallowed  up  by  herrings  and  broth.' 

But  his  brother  wouldn't  hear  of  taking  it  back  till  the 
other  paid  him  down  three  hundred  dollars  more. 

So  the  poor  brother  got  both  the  money  and  the  quern, 
and  it  wasn't  long  before  he  set  up  a  farm-house  far  finer 
than  the  one  in  which  his  brother  lived,  and  with  the  quern 
he  ground  so  much  gold  that  he  covered  it  with  plates  of  gold  ; 
and  as  the  farm  lay  by  the  sea-side,  the  golden  house  gleamed 
and  glistened  far  away  over  the  sea.  All  who  sailed  by  put 
ashore  to  see  the  rich  man  in  the  golden  house,  and  to  see  the 
wonderful  quern,  the  fame  of  which  spread  far  and  wide,  till 
there  was  nobody  who  hadn't  heard  tell  of  it. 

So  one  day  there  came  a  skipper  who  wanted  to  see  the 
quern  ;   and  the  first  thing  he  asked  was  if  it  could  grind  salt. 

*  Grind  salt !  '  said  the  owner ;  *  I  should  just  think  it 
could.     It  can  grind  anything.' 

When  the  skipper  heard  that,  he  said  he  must  have  the 
quern,  cost  what  it  would  ;  for  if  he  only  had  it,  he  thought 
he  should  be  rid  of  his  long  voyages  across  stormy  seas  for  a 
lading  of  salt.  Well,  at  first  the  man  wouldn't  hear  of  parting 
with  the  quern  ;  but  the  skipper  begged  and  prayed  so  hard, 
that  at  last  he  let  him  have  it,  but  he  had  to  pay  many,  many 
thousand  dollars  for  it.  Now,  when  the  skipper  had  got  the 
quern  on  his  back,  he  soon  made  off  with  it,  for  he  was  afraid 
lest  the  man  should  change  his  mind  ;  so  he  had  no  time 
to  ask  how  to  handle  the  quern,  but  got  on  board  his  ship  as 
fast  as  he  could,  and  set  sail.  When  he  had  sailed  a  good 
way  off,  he  brought  the  quern  on  deck  and  said  : 

*  Grind  salt,  and  grind  both  good  and  fast.* 

Well,  the  quern  began  to  grind  salt  so  that  it  poured  out 
like  water ;    and  when  the  skipper  had  got  the  ship  full,  he 

H 


98 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


wished  to  stop  the  quern,  but  whichever  way  he  turned  it, 
and  however  much  he  tried,  it  was  no  good  ;  the  quern  kept 
grinding  on,  and  the  heap  of  salt  grew  higher  and  higher,  and 
at  last  down  sank  the  ship. 

There  lies  the  quern  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  grinds 
away  at  this  very  day,  and  that's  why  the  sea  is  salt. 


THE  OLD  DAME  AND  HER  HEN 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  an  old  widow  who  lived  far  away 
from  the  rest  of  the  world,  up  under  a  hillside,  with  her  three 
daughters.  She  was  so  poor  that  she  had  no  stock  but  one 
single  hen,  which  she  prized  as  the  apple  of  her  eye  ;  in  short, 
it  was  always  cackUng  at  her  heels,  and  she  was  always  run- 
ning to  look  after  it.  Well  !  one  day,  all  at  once,  the  hen 
was  missing.  The  old  wife  went  out,  and  round  and  round 
the  cottage,  looking  and  calling  for  her  hen,  but  it  was  gone, 
and  there  was  no  getting  it  back. 

So  the  woman  said  to  her  eldest  daughter,  *  You  must 
just  go  out  and  see  if  you  can  find  our  hen,  for  have  it  back 
we  must,  even  if  we  have  to  fetch  it  out  of  the  hill.' 

Well  !  the  daughter  was  ready  enough  to  go,  so  she  set  off 
and  walked  up  and  down,  and  looked  and  called,  but  no  hen 
could  she  find.  But  all  at  once,  just  as  she  was  about  to 
give  up  the  hunt,  she  heard  some  one  calling  out  in  a  cleft  in 
the  rock : 

Your  hen  trips  inside  the  hill ! 
Your  hen  trips  inside  the  hill ! 

So  she  went  into  the  cleft  to  see  what  it  was,  but  she  had 
scarce  set  her  foot  inside  the  cleft,  before  she  fell  through  a 
trap-door,  deep,  deep  down,  into  a  vault  under  ground.  When 
she  got  to  the  bottom  she  went  through  many  rooms,  each 
finer  than  the  other  ;  but  in  the  innermost  room  of  all,  a 
great  ugly  man  of  the  hill-folk  came  up  to  her  and  asked, 
*  Will  you  be  my  sweetheart  ?  ' 

*  No  !  I  will  not ',  she  said.  She  wouldn't  have  him  at 
any  price  !  not  she  ;  all  she  wanted  was  to  get  above  ground 
again  as  fast  as  ever  she  could,  and  to  look  after  her  hen 
which  was  lost.     Then  the  Man  o'  the  Hill  got  so  angry  that 


I 


The  Old  Dame  and  Her  Hen  99 

he  took  her  up  and  wrung  her  head  off,  and  threw  both  head 
and  trunk  down  into  the  cellar. 

While  this  was  going  on,  her  mother  sat  at  home  waiting 
and  waiting,  but  no  daughter  came.  So  after  she  had  waited 
a  bit  longer,  and  neither  heard  nor  saw  anything  of  her  daughter, 
she  said  to  her  midmost  daughter,  that  she  must  go  out  and 
see  after  her  sister,  and  she  added  : 

*  You  can  just  give  our  hen  a  call  at  the  same  time.* 
Well !    the  second  sister  had  to  set  off,  and  the  very  same 

thing  befel  her  ;  she  went  about  looking  and  calling,  and  all 
at  once  she  too  heard  a  voice  away  in  the  cleft  of  the  rock 
saying : 

Your  hen  trips  inside  the  hill ! 
Your  hen  trips  inside  the  hill ! 

She  thought  this  strange,  and  went  to  see  what  it  could 
be  ;  and  so  she  too  fell  through  the  trap-door,  deep,  deep 
down,  into  the  vault.  There  she  went  from  room  to  room, 
and  in  the  innermost  one  the  Man  o'  the  Hill  came  to  her 
and  asked  if  she  would  be  his  sweetheart  ?  No  !  that  she 
wouldn't ;  all  she  wanted  was  to  get  above  ground  again,  and 
hunt  for  her  hen  which  was  lost.  So  the  Man  o'  the  Hill 
got  angry,  and  took  her  up  and  wrung  her  head  off,  and  threw 
both  head  and  trunk  down  into  the  cellar. 

Now,  when  the  old  dame  had  sat  and  waited  seven  lengths 
and  seven  breadths  for  her  second  daughter,  and  could  neither 
see  nor  hear  anything  of  her,  she  said  to  the  youngest : 

*  Now,  you  really  must  set  off  and  see  after  your  sisters. 
Twas  silly  to  lose  the  hen,  but  'twill  be  sillier  still  if  we  lose 
both  your  sisters  ;  and  you  can  give  the  hen  a  call  at  the 
same  time  ' — for  the  old  dame's  heart  was  still  set  on  her  hen. 

Yes  !  the  youngest  was  ready  enough  to  go  ;  so  she  walked 
up  and  down,  hunting  for  her  sisters  and  calling  the  hen, 
but  she  could  neither  see  nor  hear  anything  of  them.  So  at 
last  she  too  came  up  to  the  cleft  in  the  rock,  and  heard  how 
something  said  : 

Your  hen  trips  inside  the  hill ! 
Your  hen  trips  inside  the  hill ! 

She  thought  this  strange,  so  she  too  went  to  see  what  it 
was,  and  fell  through  the  trap-door  too,  deep,  deep  down, 
into  a  vault.     When  she  reached  the  bottom  she  went  from 


100  Tales  from  the  Norse 

one  room  to  another,  each  grander  than  the  other  ;  but  she 
wasn't  at  all  afraid,  and  took  good  time  to  look  about  her. 
So,  as  she  was  peeping  into  this  and  that,  she  cast  her  eye  on 
the  trap-door  into  the  cellar,  and  looked  down  it,  and  what 
should  she  see  there  but  her  sisters,  who  lay  dead.  She  had 
scarce  time  to  slam  to  the  trap-door  before  the  Man  o'  the  Hill 
came  to  her  and  asked  : 

'  Will  you  be  my  sweetheart  ?  ' 

*  With  all  my  heart ',  answered  the  girl,  for  she  saw  very 
well  how  it  had  gone  with  her  sisters.  So,  when  the  Man  o' 
the  Hill  heard  that,  he  got  her  the  finest  clothes  in  the  world  ; 
she  had  only  to  ask  for  them,  or  for  anything  else  she  had  a 
mind  to,  and  she  got  what  she  wanted,  so  glad  was  the  Man 
o'  the  Hill  that  any  one  would  be  his  sweetheart. 

But  when  she  had  been  there  a  little  while,  she  was  one  day 
even  more  doleful  and  downcast  than  was  her  wont.  So  the 
Man  o'  the  Hill  asked  her  what  was  the  matter,  and  why  she 
was  in  such  dumps. 

*  Ah  !  '  said  the  girl,  '  it's  because  I  can't  get  home  to  my 
mother.  She's  hard  pinched,  I  know,  for  meat  and  drink, 
and  has  no  one  with  her.' 

*  Well  !  '  said  the  Man  o'  the  Hill,  *  I  can't  let  you  go  to  see 
her  ;  but  just  stuff  some  meat  and  drink  into  a  sack,  and  I'll 
carry  it  to  her.' 

Yes  !  she  would  do  so,  she  said,  with  many  thanks  ;  but 
at  the  bottom  of  the  sack  she  stuffed  a  lot  of  gold  and  silver, 
and  afterwards  she  laid  a  little  food  on  the  top  of  the  gold 
and  silver.  Then  she  told  the  ogre  the  sack  was  ready,  but 
he  must  be  sure  not  to  look  into  it.  So  he  gave  his  word  he 
wouldn't,  and  set  off.  Now,  as  the  Man  o'  the  Hill  walked 
off,  she  peeped  out  after  him  through  a  chink  in  the  trap-door  ; 
but  when  he  had  gone  a  bit  on  the  way,  he  said  : 

*  This  sack  is  so  heavy,  I'll  just  see  what  there  is  inside  it.' 
And  so  he  was  about  to  untie  the  mouth  of  the  sack,  but 

the  girl  called  out  to  him  : 

I  see  what  you're  at ! 
I  see  what  you're  at ! 

*  The  deuce  you  do  !  '  said  the  Man  o'  the  Hill ;  *  then  you 
must  have  plaguy  sharp  eyes  in  your  head,  that's  all  !  * 

So  he  threw  the  sack  over  his  shoulder,  and  dared  not  try 


The  Old  Dame  and  Her  Hen  loi 

to  look  into  it  again.  When  he  reached  the  widow's  cottage, 
he  threw  the  sack  in  through  the  cottage  door,  and 
said  : 

*  Here  you  have  meat  and  drink  from  your  daughter  ;  she 
doesn't  want  for  anything.' 

So,  when  the  girl  had  been  in  the  hill  a  good  bit  longer,  one 
day  a  billy-goat  fell  down  the  trap-door. 

*  Who  sent  for  you,  I  should  like  to  know  ?  you  long 
bearded  beast !  '  said  the  Man  o'  the  Hill,  who  was  in  an  awful 
rage,  and  with  that  he  whipped  up  the  goat,  and  wrung  his 
head  off,  and  threw  him  down  into  the  cellar. 

*  Oh  !  '  said  the  girl,  *  why  did  you  do  that  ?  I  might  have 
had  the  goat  to  play  with  down  here.' 

'  Well  !  '  said  the  Man  o'  the  Hill,  '  you  needn't  be  so  down 
in  the  mouth  about  it,  I  should  think,  for  I  can  soon  put  Hfe 
into  the  billy-goat  again.' 

So  saying,  he  took  a  flask  which  hung  up  against  the  wall, 
put  the  billy-goat's  head  on  his  body  again,  and  smeared  it 
with  some  ointment  out  of  the  flask,  and  he  was  as  well  and 
as  lively  as  ever  again. 

'  Ho  !  ho  !  '  said  the  girl  to  herself  ;  *  that  flask  is  worth 
something — that  it  is.' 

So  when  she  had  been  some  time  longer  in  the  hill,  she 
watched  for  a  day  when  the  Man  o'  the  Hill  was  away,  took 
her  eldest  sister,  and  putting  her  head  on  her  shoulders,  smeared 
her  with  some  of  the  ointment  out  of  the  flask,  just  as  she 
had  seen  the  Man  o'  the  Hill  do  with  the  billy-goat,  and  in  a 
trice  her  sister  came  to  life  again.  Then  the  girl  stuffed  her 
into  a  sack,  laid  a  Uttle  food  over  her,  and  as  soon  as  the  Man 
o'  the  Hill  came  home,  she  said  to  him  : 

*  Dear  friend  !  Now  do  go  home  to  my  mother  with  a 
morsel  of  food  again  ;  poor  thing  !  she's  both  hungry  and 
thirsty,  I'll  be  bound  ;  and  besides  that,  she's  all  alone  in  the 
world.     But  you  must  mind  and  not  look  into  the  sack.' 

Well  !  he  said  he  would  carry  the  sack  ;  and  he  said,  too, 
that  he  would  not  look  into  it ;  but  when  he  had  gone  a  little 
way,  he  thought  the  sack  got  awfully  heavy  ;  and  when  he 
had  gone  a  bit  farther  he  said  to  himself : 

'  Come  what  will,  I  must  see  what's  inside  this  sack,  for 
however  sharp  her  eyes  may  be,  she  can't  see  me  all  this  way 
off' 


102  Tales  from  the  Norse 

But  just  as  he  was  about  to  untie  the  sack,  the  girl  who  sat 
inside  the  sack  called  out : 

I  see  what  you're  at ! 
I  see  what  you're  at  ! 

'  The  deuce  you  do  !  '  said  the  ogre  ;  *  then  you  must  have 
plaguy  sharp  eyes  '  ;  for  he  thought  all  the  while  it  was  the 
girl  inside  the  hill  who  was  speaking.  So  he  didn't  care  so 
much  as  to  peep  into  the  sack  again,  but  carried  it  straight 
to  her  mother  as  fast  as  he  could,  and  when  he  got  to  the 
cottage  door  he  threw  it  in  through  the  door,  and  bawled  out : 

'  Here  you  have  meat  and  drink  from  your  daughter  ;  she 
wants  for  nothing.' 

Now,  when  the  girl  had  been  in  the  hill  a  while  longer,  she 
did  the  very  same  thing  with  her  other  sister.  She  put  her 
head  on  her  shoulders,  smeared  her  with  ointment  out  of  the 
flask,  brought  her  to  life,  and  stuffed  her  into  the  sack  ;  but 
this  time  she  crammed  in  also  as  much  gold  and  silver  as  the 
sack  would  hold,  and  over  all  laid  a  very  little  food. 

'  Dear  friend  ',  she  said  to  the  Man  o'  the  Hill,  '  you  really 
must  run  home  to  my  mother  with  a  Uttle  food  again  ;  and 
mind  you  don't  look  into  the  sack.* 

Yes  !  the  Man  o'  the  Hill  was  ready  enough  to  do  as  she 
wished,  and  he  gave  his  word  too  that  he  wouldn't  look  into 
the  sack  ;  but  when  he  had  gone  a  bit  of  the  way  he  began 
to  think  the  sack  got  awfully  heavy,  and  when  he  had  gone  a 
bit  further,  he  could  scarce  stagger  along  under  it,  so  he  set 
it  down,  and  was  just  about  to  untie  the  string  and  look  into 
it,  when  the  girl  inside  the  sack  bawled  out: 

I  see  what  you're  at  1 
I  see  what  you're  at  1 

*  The  deuce  you  do  ',  said  the  Man  o'  the  Hill,  *  then  you 
must  have  plaguy  sharp  eyes  of  your  own.' 

Well,  he  dared  not  try  to  look  into  the  sack,  but  made  all 
the  haste  he  could,  and  carried  the  sack  straight  to  the  girl's 
mother.  When  he  got  to  the  cottage  door  he  threw  the  sack 
in  through  the  door,  and  roared  out : 

'  Here  you  have  food  from  your  daughter ;  she  wants  for 
nothing/ 

So  when  the  girl  had  been  there  a  good  while  longer,  the 


East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon    103 

Man  o'  the  Hill  made  up  his  mind  to  go  out  for  the  day  ;  then 
the  girl  shammed  to  be  sick  and  sorry,  and  pouled  and  fretted. 

'  It's  no  use  your  coming  home  before  twelve  o'clock  at 
night ',  she  said,  *  for  I  shan't  be  able  to  have  supper  ready 
before — I'm  so  sick  and  poorly.' 

But  when  the  Man  o'  the  Hill  was  well  out  of  the  house, 
she  stuffed  some  of  her  clothes  with  straw,  and  stuck  up  this 
lass  of  straw  in  the  corner  by  the  chimney,  with  a  besom  in 
her  hand,  so  that  it  looked  just  as  if  she  herself  were  standing 
there.  After  that  she  stole  off  home,  and  got  a  sharp-shooter 
to  stay  in  the  cottage  with  her  mother. 

So  when  the  clock  struck  twelve,  or  just  about  it,  home 
came  the  Man  o'  the  Hill,  and  the  first  thing  he  said  to  the 
straw-girl  was,  *  Give  me  something  to  eat.* 

But  she  answered  him  never  a  word. 

'  Give  me  something  to  eat,  I  say  !  '  called  out'  the  Man  o* 
the  Hill,   '  for  I  am  almost  starved.' 

No  !    she  hadn't  a  word  to  throw  at  him. 

*  Give  me  something  to  eat !  '  roared  out  the  ogre  the  third 
time.  '  I  think  you'd  better  open  your  ears  and  hear  what 
I  say,  or  else  I'll  wake  you  up,  that  I  will !  ' 

No  !  the  girl  stood  just  as  still  as  ever  ;  so  he  flew  into  a 
rage,  and  gave  her  such  a  slap  in  the  face,  that  the  straw  flew 
all  about  the  room  ;  but  when  he  saw  that,  he  knew  he  had 
been  tricked,  and  began  to  hunt  everywhere  ;  and  at  last, 
when  he  came  to  the  cellar,  and  found  both  the  girl's  sisters 
missing,  he  soon  saw  how  the  cat  jumped,  and  ran  off  to  the 
cottage,  saying,   *  I'll  soon  pay  her  off  !  ' 

But  when  he  reached  the  cottage,  the  sharp-shooter  fired 
off  his  piece,  and  then  the  Man  o'  the  Hill  dared  not  go  into 
the  house,  for  he  thought  it  was  thunder.  So  he  set  off  home 
again  as  fast  as  he  could  lay  legs  to  the  ground  ;  but  what 
do  you  think,  just  as  he  got  to  the  trap-door,  the  sun  rose  and 
the  Man  o'  the  Hill  burst. 

Oh  !  if  one  only  knew  where  the  trap-door  was,  I'll  be 
bound  there's  a  whole  heap  of  gold  and  silver  down  there  still  ! 

EAST  O'   THE  SUN  AND  WEST  O'  THE  MOON 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  poor  husbandman  who  had  so 
many  children  that  he  hadn't  much  of  either  food  or  clothing 


104  Tales  from  the  Norse 

to  give  them.  Pretty  children  they  all  were,  but  the  prettiest 
was  the  youngest  daughter,  who  was  so  lovely  there  was  no 
end  to  her  loveliness. 

So  one  day,  'twas  on  a  Thursday  evening  late  at  the  fall  of 
the  year,  the  weather  was  so  wild  and  rough  outside,  and  it 
was  so  cruelly  dark,  and  rain  fell  and  wind  blew,  till  the  walls 
of  the  cottage  shook  again.  There  they  all  sat  round  the 
fire  busy  with  this  thing  and  that.  But  just  then,  all  at  once 
something  gave  three  taps  on  the  window-pane.  Then  the 
father  went  out  to  see  what  was  the  matter  ;  and,  when  he 
got  out  of  doors,  what  should  he  see  but  a  great  big  White 
Bear. 

*  Good  evening  to  you  !  '  said  the  White  Bear. 

*  The  same  to  you  ',  said  the  man. 

Will  you  give  me  your  youngest  daughter  ?  If  you  will, 
I'll  make  you  as  rich  as  you  are  now  poor ',  said  the 
Bear. 

Well,  the  man  would  not  be  at  all  sorry  to  be  so  rich  ;  but 
still  he  thought  he  must  have  a  bit  of  a  talk  with  his  daughter 
first ;  so  he  went  in  and  told  them  how  there  was  a  great 
White  Bear  waiting  outside,  who  had  given  his  word  to  make 
them  so  rich  if  he  could  only  have  the  youngest   daughter. 

The  lassie  said  '  No  !  '  outright.  Nothing  could  get  her 
to  say  anything  else  ;  so  the  man  went  out  and  settled  it  with 
the  White  Bear,  that  he  should  come  again  the  next  Thursday 
evening  and  get  an  answer.  Meantime  he  talked  his  daughter 
over,  and  kept  on  telling  her  of  all  the  riches  they  would  get, 
and  how  well  off  she  would  be  herself  ;  and  so  at  last  she 
thought  better  of  it,  and  washed  and  mended  her  rags,  made 
herself  as  smart  as  she  could,  and  was  ready  to  start.  I  can't 
say  her  packing  gave  her  much  trouble. 

Next  Thursday  evening  came  the  White  Bear  to  fetch  her, 
and  she  got  upon  his  back  with  her  bundle,  and  off  they  went. 
So,  when  they  had  gone  a  bit  of  the  way,  the  White  Bear  said  : 

*  Are  you  afraid  ?  ' 

*  No  !    she  wasn't.' 

*  Well !  mind  and  hold  tight  by  my  shaggy  coat,  and  then 
there's  nothing  to  fear  ',  said  the  Bear. 

So  she  rode  a  long,  long  way,  till  they  came  to  a  great  steep 
hill.  There,  on  the  face  of  it,  the  White  Bear  gave  a  knock, 
and  a  door  opened,  and  they  came  into  a  castle,  where  there 


East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon   105 

were  many  rooms  all  lit  up  ;  rooms  gleaming  with  silver  and 
gold  ;  and  there  too  was  a  table  ready  laid,  and  it  was  all  as 
grand  as  grand  could  be.  Then  the  White  Bear  gave  her  a 
silver  bell ;  and  when  she  wanted  anything,  she  was  only  to 
ring  it,  and  she  would  get  it  at  once. 

Well,  after  she  had  eaten  and  drunk,  and  evening  wore  on, 
she  got  sleepy  after  her  journey,  and  thought  she  would  like 
to  go  to  bed,  so  she  rang  the  bell ;  and  she  had  scarce  taken 
hold  of  it  before  she  came  into  a  chamber,  where  there  was  a 
bed  made,  as  fair  and  white  as  any  one  would  wish  to  sleep 
in,  with  silken  pillows  and  curtains,  and  gold  fringe.  All  that 
was  in  the  room  was  gold  or  silver  ;  but  when  she  had  gone 
to  bed,  and  put  out  the  light,  a  man  came  and  laid  himself 
alongside  her.  That  was  the  White  Bear,  who  threw  off  his 
beast  shape  at  night ;  but  she  never  saw  him,  for  he  always 
came  after  she  had  put  out  the  light,  and  before  the  day  dawned 
he  was  up  and  off  again.  So  things  went  on  happily  for  a 
while,  but  at  last  she  began  to  get  silent  and  sorrowful ;  for 
there  she  went  about  all  day  alone,  and  she  longed  to  go  home 
to  see  her  father  and  mother  and  brothers  and  sisters.  So 
one  day,  when  the  White  Bear  cisked  what  it  was  that  she 
lacked,  she  said  it  was  so  dull  and  lonely  there,  and  how  she 
longed  to  go  home  to  see  her  father  and  mother,  and  brothers 
and  sisters,  and  that  was  why  she  was  so  sad  and  sorrowful, 
because  she  couldn't  get  to  them. 

*  Well,  well !  '  said  the  Bear,  *  perhaps  there's  a  cure  for 
all  this  ;  but  you  must  promise  me  one  thing,  not  to  talk 
alone  with  your  mother,  but  only  when  the  rest  are  by  to 
hear  ;  for  she'll  take  you  by  the  hand  and  try  to  lead  you  into 
a  room  alone  to  talk  ;  but  you  must  mind  and  not  do  that, 
else  you'll  bring  bad  luck  on  both  of  us.' 

So  one  Sunday  the  White  Bear  came  and  said  now  they 
could  set  off  to  see  her  father  and  mother.  Well,  off  they 
started,  she  sitting  on  his  back  ;  and  they  went  far  and  long. 
At  last  they  came  to  a  grand  house,  and  there  her  brothers 
and  sisters  were  running  about  out  of  doors  at  play,  and 
everything  was  so  pretty,  'twas  a  joy  to  see. 

*  This  is  where  your  father  and  mother  live  now  ',  said  the 
White  Bear  ;  '  but  don't  forget  what  I  told  you,  else  you'll 
make  us  both  unlucky.' 

'  No  !    bless  her,  she'd  not  forget '  ;    and  when  she  had 


Io6  Tales  from  the  Norse 

reached  the  house,  the  White  Bear  turned  right  about  and 
left  her. 

Then  when  she  went  in  to  see  her  father  and  mother,  there 
was  such  joy,  there  was  no  end  to  it.  None  of  them  thought 
they  could  thank  her  enough  for  all  she  had  done  for  them. 
Now,  they  had  everything  they  wished,  as  good  as  good  could 
be,  and  they  all  wanted  to  know  how  she  got  on  where  she 
lived. 

Well,  she  said,  it  was  very  good  to  live  where  she  did  ;  she 
had  all  she  wished.  What  she  said  beside  I  don't  know  ;  but 
I  don't  think  any  of  them  had  the  right  end  of  the  stick,  or 
that  they  got  much  out  of  her.  But  so  in  the  afternoon, 
after  they  had  done  dinner,  all  happened  as  the  White  Bear 
had  said.  Her  mother  wanted  to  talk  with  her  alone  in  her 
bed-room  ;  but  she  minded  what  the  White  Bear  had  said, 
and  wouldn't  go  upstairs. 

*  Oh  !  what  we  have  to  talk  about,  will  keep  *,  she  said,  and 
put  her  mother  off.  But  some  how  or  other,  her  mother  got 
round  her  at  last,  and  she  had  to  tell  her  the  whole  story.  So 
she  said,  how  every  night,  when  she  had  gone  to  bed,  a  man 
came  and  lay  down  beside  her  as  soon  as  she  had  put  out  the 
light,  and  how  she  never  saw  him,  because  he  was  always  up 
and  away  before  the  morning  dawned  ;  and  how  she  went 
about  woeful  and  sorrowing,  for  she  thought  she  should  so 
hke  to  see  him,  and  how  all  day  long  she  walked  about  there 
alone,  and  how  dull,  and  dreary,  and  lonesome  it  was. 

'  My  !  '  said  her  mother  ;  '  it  may  well  be  a  Troll  you  slept 
with  !  But  now  I'll  teach  you  a  lesson  how  to  set  eyes  on 
him.  I'll  give  you  a  bit  of  candle,  which  you  can  carry  home 
in  your  bosom  ;  just  light  that  while  he  is  asleep,  but  take 
care  not  to  drop  the  tallow  on  him.' 

Yes  !  she  took  the  candle,  and  hid  it  in  her  bosom,  and  as 
night  drew  on,  the  White  Bear  came  and  fetched  her  away. 

But  when  they  had  gone  a  bit  of  the  way,  the  White  Bear 
asked  if  all  hadn't  happened  as  he  had  said  ? 

*  Well,  she  couldn't  say  it  hadn't.' 

'  Now,  mind  ',  said  he,  *  if  you  have  listened  to  your  mother's 
advice,  you  have  brought  bad  luck  on  us  both,  and  then,  all 
that  has  passed  between  us  will  be  as  nothing.' 

'  No  ',  she  said,  *  she  hadn't  listened  to  her  mother's  advice.* 
So  when  she  reached  home,  and  had  gone  to  bed,  it  was 


East  o*  the  Sun  and  West  o*  the  Moon    107 

the  old  story  over  again.  There  came  a  man  and  lay  down 
beside  her  ;  but  at  dead  of  night,  when  she  heard  he  slept, 
she  got  up  and  struck  a  light,  lit  the  candle,  and  let  the  light 
shine  on  him,  and  so  she  saw  that  he  was  the  loveUest  Prince 
one  ever  set  eyes  on,  and  she  fell  so  deep  in  love  with  him  on 
the  spot,  that  she  thought  she  couldn't  live  if  she  didn't  give 
liim  a  kiss  there  and  then.  And  so  she  did,  but  as  she  kissed 
him,  she  dropped  three  hot  drops  of  tallow  on  his  shirt,  and 
he  woke  up. 

'  What  have  you  done  ?  *  he  cried  ;  *  now  you  have  made 
us  both  unlucky,  for  had  you  held  out  only  this  one  year,  I 
had  been  freed.  For  I  have  a  stepmother  who  has  bewitched 
me,  so  that  I  am  a  White  Bear  by  day,  and  a  Man  by  night. 
But  now  all  ties  are  snapt  between  us  ;  now  I  must  set  off 
from  you  to  her.  She  hves  in  a  Castle  which  stands  East  o' 
THE  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon,  and  there,  too,  is  a  Princess, 
with  a  nose  three  ells  long,  and  she's  the  wife  I  must  have 
now.' 

She  wept  and  took  it  ill,  but  there  was  no  help  for  it ;  go 
he  must. 

Then  she  asked  if  she  mightn't  go  with  him  ? 

No,  she  mightn't. 

'  Tell  me  the  way,  then  ',  she  said,  *  and  I'll  search  you 
out ;    that  surely  I  may  get  leave  to  do.' 

*  Yes,  she  might  do  that ',  he  said  ;  *  but  there  was  no  way 
to  that  place.  It  lay  East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the 
Moon,  and  thither  she'd  never  find  her  way.' 

So  next  morning,  when  she  woke  up,  both  Prince  and  castle 
were  gone,  and  then  she  lay  on  a  little  green  patch,  in  the 
midst  of  the  gloomy  thick  wood,  and  by  her  side  lay  the  same 
bundle  of  rags  she  had  brought  with  her  from  her  old 
home. 

So  when  she  had  rubbed  the  sleep  out  of  her  eyes,  and  wept 
till  she  was  tired,  she  set  out  on  her  way,  and  walked  many, 
many  days,  till  she  came  to  a  lofty  crag.  Under  it  sat  an  old 
hag,  and  played  with  a  gold  apple  which  she  tossed  about. 
Her  the  lassie  asked  if  she  knew  the  way  to  the  Prince,  who 
lived  with  his  step-mother  in  the  Castle,  that  lay  East  o'  the 
Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon,  and  who  was  to  marry  the  Prin- 
cess with  a  nose  three  ells  long. 

*  How  did  you  come  to  know  about  him  ?  '  asked  the  old 


io8  Tales  from  the  Norse 

hag  ;    '  but  maybe  you  are  the  lassie  who  ought  to  have  had 
him  ?' 

Yes,  she  was. 

*  So,  so  ;  it's  you,  is  it  ?  "  said  the  old  hag.  '  Well,  all  I 
know  about  him  is,  that  he  lives  in  the  castle  that  lies  East 
o'  THE  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon,  and  thither  you'll  come, 
late  or  never  ;  but  still  you  may  have  the  loan  of  my  horse, 
and  on  him  you  can  ride  to  my  next  neighbour.  Maybe  she'll 
be  able  to  tell  you  ;  and  when  you  get  there,  just  give  the 
horse  a  switch  under  the  left  ear,  and  beg  him  to  be  off  home  ; 
and,  stay,  this  gold  apple  you  may  take  with  you.' 

So  she  got  upon  the  horse,  and  rode  a  long  long  time,  till 
she  came  to  another  crag,  under  which  sat  another  old  hag, 
with  a  gold  carding-comb.  Her  the  lassie  asked  if  she  knew 
the  way  to  the  castle  that  lay  East  o'  the  Sun  and  West 
o'  the  Moon,  and  she  answered,  like  the  first  old  hag,  that 
she  knew  nothing  about  it,  except  it  was  east  o'  the  sun  and 
west  o'  the  moon. 

'  And  thither  you'll  come,  late  or  never,  but  you  shall  have 
the  loan  of  my  horse  to  my  next  neighbour  ;  maybe  she'll 
tell  you  all  about  it ;  and  when  you  get  there,  just  switch 
the  horse  under  the  left  ear,  and  beg  him  to  be  off  home.* 

And  this  old  hag  gave  her  the  golden  carding-comb  ;  it 
might  be  she'd  find  some  use  for  it,  she  said.  So  the  lassie 
got  up  on  the  horse,  and  rode  a  far  far  way,  and  a  weary 
time  ;  and  so  at  last  she  came  to  another  great  crag,  under 
which  sat  another  old  hag,  spinning  with  a  golden  spinning- 
wheel.  Her,  too,  she  asked  if  she  knew  the  way  to  the  Prince, 
and  where  the  castle  was  that  lay  East  o'  the  Sun  and  West 
o'  the  Moon.     So  it  was  the  same  thing  over  again. 

*  Maybe  it's  you  who  ought  to  have  had  the  Prince  ?  '  said 
the  old  hag. 

Yes,  it  was. 

But  she,  too,  didn't  know  the  way  a  bit  better  than  the  other 
two.  *  East  o'  the  sun  and  west  o'  the  moon  it  was  ',  she 
knew — that  was  all. 

*  And  thither  you'll  come,  late  or  never  ;  but  I'll  lend  you 
my  horse,  and  then  I  think  you'd  best  ride  to  the  East  Wind 
and  ask  him  ;  maybe  he  knows  those  parts,  and  can  blow  you 
thither.  But  when  you  get  to  him,  you  need  only  give  the 
horse  a  switch  under  the  left  ear,  and  he'll  trot  home  of  him- 
self.' 


East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon   109 

And  so,  too,  she  gave  her  the  gold  spinning-wheel.  '  Maybe 
you'll  find  a  use  for  it ',  said  the  old  hag. 

Then  on  she  rode  many  many  days,  a  weary  time,  before 
she  got  to  the  East  Wind's  house,  but  at  last  she  did  reach 
it,  and  then  she  asked  the  East  Wind  if  he  could  tell  her  the 
way  to  the  Prince  who  dwelt  east  o'  the  sun  and  west  o'  the 
moon.  Yes,  the  East  Wind  had  often  heard  tell  of  it,  the 
Prince  and  the  castle,  but  he  couldn't  tell  the  way,  for  he  had 
never  blown  so  far. 

'  But,  if  you  will,  I'll  go  with  you  to  my  brother  the  West 
Wind,  maybe  he  knows,  for  he's  much  stronger.  So,  if  you 
will  just  get  on  my  back,  I'll  carry  you  thither.' 

Yes,  she  got  on  his  back,  and  I  should  just  think  they  went 
briskly  along. 

So  when  they  got  there,  they  went  into  the  West  Wind's 
house,  and  the  East  Wind  said  the  lassie  he  had  brought  was 
the  one  who  ought  to  have  had  the  Prince  who  lived  in  the 
castle  East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon  ;  and  so  she 
had  set  out  to  seek  him,  and  how  he  had  come  with  her,  and 
would  be  glad  to  know  if  the  West  Wind  knew  how  to  get  to 
the  castle. 

*  Nay  ',  said  the  West  Wind,  *  so  far  I've  never  blown  ; 
but  if  you  will,  I'll  go  with  you  to  our  brother  the  South  Wind, 
for  he's  much  stronger  than  either  of  us,  and  he  has  flapped 
his  wings  far  and  wide.  Maybe  he'll  tell  you.  You  can  get 
on  my  back,  and  I'll  carry  you  to  him.' 

Yes  !  she  got  on  his  back,  and  so  they  travelled  to  the 
South  Wind,  and  weren't  so  very  long  on  the  way,  I  should 
think. 

When  they  got  there,  the  West  Wind  asked  him  if  he  could 
tell  her  the  way  to  the  castle  that  lay  East  o'  the  Sun  and 
West  o'  the  Moon,  for  it  was  she  who  ought  to  have  had  the 
prince  who  lived  there. 

*  You  don't  say  so  !  That  's  she,  is  it  ?  '  said  the  South 
Wind. 

'  Well,  I  have  blustered  about  in  most  places  in  my  time, 
but  so  far  have  I  never  blown  ;  but  if  you  will,  I'll  take  you 
to  my  brother  the  North  Wind  ;  he  is  the  oldest  and  strongest 
of  the  whole  lot  of  us,  and  if  he  don't  know  where  it  is,  you'll 
never  find  any  one  in  the  world  to  tell  you.  You  can  get  on 
my  back,  and  I'll  carry  you  thither.' 


no  Tales  from  the  Norse 

Yes  !  she  got  on  his  back,  and  away  he  went  from  his  house 
at  a  fine  rate.     And  this  time,  too,  she  wasn't  long  on  her  way. 

So  when  they  got  to  the  North  Wind's  house,  he  was  so 
wild  and  cross,  cold  puffs  came  from  him  a  long  way  o£f. 

'  Blast  you  both,  what  do  you  want  ?  '  he  roared  out 
to  them  ever  so  far  off,  so  that  it  struck  them  with  an  icy 
shiver. 

*  Well ',  said  the  South  Wind,  '  you  needn't  be  so  foul- 
mouthed,  for  here  I  am,  your  brother,  the  South  Wind,  and 
here  is  the  lassie  who  ought  to  have  had  the  Prince  who  dwells 
in  the  castle  that  lies  East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon, 
and  now  she  wants  to  ask  you  if  you  ever  were  there,  and  can 
tell  her  the  way,  for  she  would  be  so  glad  to  find  him  again.' 

*  Yes,  I  KNOW  well  enough  where  it  is  ',  said  the  North 
Wind  ;  "  once  in  my  hfe  I  blew  an  aspen-leaf  thither,  but  I 
was  so  tired  I  couldn't  blow  a  puff  for  ever  so  many  days  after. 
But  if  you  really  wish  to  go  thither,  and  aren't  afraid  to  come 
along  with  me,  I'll  take  you  on  my  back  and  see  if  I  can  blow 
you  thither.* 

Yes  !  with  all  her  heart ;  she  must  and  would  get  thither 
if  it  were  possible  in  any  way  ;  and  as  for  fear,  however  madly 
he  went,  she  wouldn't  be  at  all  afraid. 

'  Very  well,  then  ',  said  the  North  Wind,  *  but  you  must 
sleep  here  to-night,  for  we  must  have  the  whole  day  before 
us,  if  we're  to  get  thither  at  all.' 

Early  next  morning  the  North  Wind  woke  her,  and  puffed 
himself  up,  and  blew  himself  out,  and  made  himself  so  stout 
and  big,  'twas  gruesome  to  look  at  him  ;  and  so  off  they  went 
high  up  through  the  air,  as  if  they  would  never  stop  till  they 
got  to  the  world's  end. 

Down  here  below  there  was  such  a  storm  ;  it  threw  down 
long  tracts  of  wood  and  many  houses,  and  when  it  swept  over 
the  great  sea,  ships  foundered  by  hundreds. 

So  they  tore  on  and  on — no  one  can  believe  how  far  they 
went — and  all  the  while  they  still  went  over  the  sea,  and  the 
North  Wind  got  more  and  more  weary,  and  so  out  of  breath 
he  could  scarce  bring  out  a  puff,  and  his  wings  drooped  and 
drooped,  till  at  last  he  sunk  so  low  that  the  crests  of  the  waves 
dashed  over  his  heels. 

'  Are  you  afraid  ?  '  said  the  North  Wind. 

*  No  !  '  she  wasn't. 


I 


East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon   in 

But  they  weren't  very  far  from  land  ;  and  the  North  Wind 
had  still  so  much  strength  left  in  him  that  he  managed  to 
throw  her  up  on  the  shore  under  the  windows  of  the  castle 
which  lay  East  o'  the  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon  ;  but 
then  he  was  so  weak  and  worn  out,  he  had  to  stay  there  and 
rest  many  days  before  he  could  get  home  again. 

Next  morning  the  lassie  sat  down  under  the  castle  window, 
and  began  to  play  with  the  gold  apple  ;  and  the  first  person 
she  saw  was  the  Long-nose  who  was  to  have  the  Prince. 

*  What  do  you  want  for  your  gold  apple,  you  lassie  ?  *  said 
the  Long-nose,  and  threw  up  the  window. 

*  It's  not  for  sale,  for  gold  or  money  ',  said  the  lassie. 

'  If  it's  not  for  sale  for  gold  or  money,  what  is  it  that  you 
will  sell  it  for  ?  You  may  name  your  own  price  ',  said  the 
Princess. 

'  Well !  if  I  may  get  to  the  Prince,  who  lives  here,  and  be 
with  him  to-night,  you  shall  have  it ',  said  the  lassie  whom 
the  North  Wind  had  brought. 

Yes  !  she  might ;  that  could  be  done.  So  the  Princess 
got  the  gold  apple  ;  but  when  the  lassie  came  up  to  the  Prince's 
bed-room  at  night  he  was  fast  asleep  ;  she  called  him  and 
shook  him,  and  between  whiles  she  wept  sore  ;  but  all  she 
could  do  she  couldn't  wake  him  up.  Next  morning  as  soon 
as  day  broke,  came  the  Princess  with  the  long  nose,  and  drove 
her  out  again. 

So  in  the  daytime  she  sat  down  under  the  castle  windows 
and  began  to  card  with  her  carding-comb,  and  the  same  thing 
happened.  The  Princess  asked  what  she  wanted  for  it ;  and  she 
said  it  wasn't  for  sale  for  gold  or  money,  but  if  she  might  get 
leave  to  go  up  to  the  Prince  and  be  with  him  that  night,  the 
Princess  should  have  it.  But  when  she  went  up  she  found  him 
fast  asleep  again,  and  all  she  called,  and  all  she  shook,  and 
wept,  and  prayed,  she  couldn't  get  life  into  him  ;  and  as  soon 
as  the  first  gray  peep  of  day  came,  then  came  the  Princess 
with  the  long  nose,  and  chased  her  out  again. 

So,  in  the  day  time,  the  lassie  sat  down  outside  under  the 
castle  window,  and  began  to  spin  with  her  golden  spinning- 
wheel,  and  that,  too,  the  Princess  with  the  long  nose  wanted 
to  have.  So  she  threw  up  the  window  and  asked  what  she 
wanted  for  it.  The  lassie  said,  as  she  had  said  twice  before, 
it  wasn't  for  sale  for  gold  or  money  ;   but  if  she  might  go  up 


112  Tales  from  the  Norse 

to  the  Prince  who  was  there,  and  be  with  him  alone  that  night, 
she  might  have  it. 

Yes  !  she  might  do  that  and  welcome.  But  now  you  must 
know  there  were  some  Christian  folk  who  had  been  carried  off 
thither,  and  as  they  sat  in  their  room,  which  was  next  the 
Prince,  they  had  heard  how  a  woman  had  been  in  there,  and 
wept  and  prayed,  and  called  to  him  two  nights  running,  and 
they  told  that  to  the  Prince. 

That  evening,  when  the  Princess  came  with  her  sleepy 
drink,  the  Prince  made  as  if  he  drank,  but  threw  it  over  his 
shoulder,  for  he  could  guess  it  was  a  sleepy  drink.  So,  when 
the  lassie  came  in,  she  found  the  Prince  wide  awake  ;  and 
then  she  told  him  the  whole  story  how  she  had  come  thither. 

'  Ah  ',  said  the  Prince,  '  you've  just  come  in  the  very  nick 
of  time,  for  to-morrow  is  to  be  our  wedding-day  ;  but  now  I 
won't  have  the  Long-nose,  and  you  are  the  only  woman  in 
the  world  who  can  set  me  free.  I'll  say  I  want  to  see  what 
my  wife  is  fit  for,  and  beg  her  to  wash  the  shirt  which  has  the 
three  spots  of  tallow  on  it ;  she'll  say  yes,  for  she  doesn't 
know  'tis  you  who  put  them  there  ;  but  that's  a  work  only 
for  Christian  folk,  and  not  for  such  a  pack  of  Trolls,  and  so 
I'll  say  that  I  won't  have  any  other  for  my  bride  than  the 
woman  who  can  wash  them  out,  and  ask  you  to  do  it.' 

So  there  was  great  joy  and  love  between  them  all  that  night. 
But  next  day,  when  the  wedding  was  to  be,  the  Prince 
said  : 

'  First  of  all,  I'd  Uke  to  see  what  my  bride  is  fit  for.' 

*  Yes  !  *  said  the  step-mother,  with  all  her  heart. 

*  Well ',  said  the  Prince,  '  I've  got  a  fine  shirt  which  I'd  like 
for  my  wedding  shirt,  but  some  how  or  other  it  has  got  three 
spots  of  tallow  on  it,  which  I  must  have  washed  out ;  and  I 
have  sworn  never  to  take  any  other  bride  than  the  woman 
who's  able  to  do  that.     If  she  can't,  she's  not  worth  having.' 

Well,  that  was  no  great  thing  they  said,  so  they  agreed, 
and  she  with  the  long-nose  began  to  wash  away  as  hard  as  she 
could,  but  the  more  she  rubbed  and  scrubbed,  the  bigger  the 
spots  grew. 

*  Ah  !  '  said  the  old  hag,  her  mother,  *  you  can't  wash  ; 
let  me  try.' 

But  she  hadn't  long  taken  the  shirt  in  hand,  before  it  got 
far  worse  than  ever,  and  with  all  her  rubbing,  and  wringing, 


Boots  who  ate  a  Match  with  the  Troll     113 

and  scrubbing,  the  spots  grew  bigger  and  blacker,  and  the 
darker  and  ugUer  was  the  shirt. 

Then  all  the  other  Trolls  began  to  wash,  but  the  longer  it 
lasted,  the  blacker  and  uglier  the  shirt  grew,  till  at  last  it  was 
as  black  all  over  as  if  it  had  been  up  the  chimney. 

'  Ah  !  '  said  the  Prince,  '  you're  none  of  you  worth  a  straw  : 
you  can't  wash.  Why  there,  outside,  sits  a  beggar  lassie,  I'll 
be  bound  she  knows  how  to  wash  better  than  the  whole  lot 
of  you.     Come  in  Lassie  !  '  he  shouted. 

Well,  in  she  came. 

*  Can  you  wash  this  shirt  clean,  lassie,  you  ?  *  said  he. 

*  I  don't  know  ',  she  said,   *  but  I  think  I  can.' 

And  almost  before  she  had  taken  it  and  dipped  it  in  the 
water,  it  was  as  white  as  driven  snow,  and  whiter  still. 

*  Yes  ;    you  are  the  lassie  for  me  ',  said  the  Prince. 

At  that  the  old  hag  flew  into  such  a  rage,  she  burst  on  the 
spot,  and  the  Princess  with  the  long  nose  after  her,  and  the 
whole  pack  of  Trolls  after  her — at  least  I've  never  heard  a 
word  about  them  since. 

As  for  the  Prince  and  Princess,  they  set  free  all  the  poor 
Christian  folk  who  had  been  carried  off  and  shut  up  there  ; 
and  they  took  with  them  all  the  silver  and  gold,  and  flitted 
away  as  far  as  they  could  from  the  Castle  that  lay  East  o' 
THE  Sun  and  West  o'  the  Moon. 


BOOTS  WHO  ATE  A  MATCH  WITH  THE  TROLL 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  farmer  who  had  three  sons  ;  his 
means  were  small,  and  he  was  old  and  weak,  and  his  sons 
would  take  to  nothing.  A  fine  large  wood  belonged  to  the 
farm,  and  one  day  the  father  told  his  sons  to  go  and  hew  wood, 
and  try  to  pay  off  some  of  his  debts. 

Well,  after  a  long  talk  he  got  them  to  set  off,  and  the  eldest 
was  to  go  first.  But  when  he  had  got  well  into  the  wood,  and 
began  to  hew  at  a  mossy  old  fir,  what  should  he  see  coming 
up  to  him  but  a  great  sturdy  Troll. 

'  If  you  hew  in  this  wood  of  mine  ',  said  the  Troll,  *  I'll  kill 
you  !  * 

When  the  lad  heard  that,  he  threw  the  axe  down,  and  ran 
off  home  as  fast  as  he  could  lay  legs  to  the  ground  ;  so  he  came 

I 


114  Tales  from  the  Norse 

in  quite  out  of  breath,  and  told  them  what  had  happened, 
but  his  father  called  him  '  hare-heart ' — no  Troll  would  ever 
have  scared  him  from  hewing  when  he  was  young,  he  said. 

Next  day  the  second  son's  turn  came,  and  he  fared  just  the 
same.  He  had  scarce  hewn  three  strokes  at  the  fir,  before  the 
Troll  came  to  him  too,  and  said  : 

*  If  you  hew  in  this  wood  of  mine,  I'll  kill  you.' 

The  lad  dared  not  so  much  as  look  at  him,  but  threw  down 
the  axe,  took  to  his  heels,  and  came  scampering  home  just  Uke 
his  brother.  So  when  he  got  home,  his  father  was  angry  again, 
and  said  no  Troll  had  ever  scared  him  when  he  was  young. 

The  third  day  Boots  wanted  to  set  off. 

*  You,  indeed  !  '  said  the  two  elder  brothers  ;  *  you'll  do  it 
bravely,  no  doubt !  you,  who  have  scarce  ever  set  your  foot 
out  of  the  door.' 

Boots  said  nothing  to  this,  but  only  begged  them  to  give 
him  a  good  store  of  food.  His  mother  had  no  cheese,  so  she 
set  the  pot  on  the  fire  to  make  him  a  little,  and  he  put  it  into  a 
scrip  and  set  off.  So  when  he  had  hewn  a  bit,  the  Troll  came 
to  him  too,  and  said  : 

'  If  you  hew  in  this  wood  of  mine,  I'll  kill  you.' 
But  the  lad  was  not  slow  ;   he  pulled  his  cheese  out  of 
the  scrip  in  a  trice,  and  squeezed  it  till  the  whey  spurted 
out. 

*  Hold  your  tongue  !  '  he  cried  to  the  Troll,  '  or  I'll  squeeze 
you  as  I  squeeze  the  water  out  of  this  white  stone.' 

'  Nay,  dear  friend  !  '  said  the  Troll,  *  only  spare  me,  and 
I'll  help  you  to  hew.* 

Well,  on  those  terms  the  lad  was  willing  to  spare  him,  aiid 
the  Troll  hewed  so  bravely,  that  they  felled  and  cut  up  many, 
many  fathoms  in  the  day. 

But  when  even  drew  near,  the  Troll  said  : 

*  Now  you'd  better  come  home  with  me,  for  my  house  is 
nearer  than  yours.' 

So  the  lad  was  willing  enough  ;  and  when  they  reached  the 
Troll's  house,  the  Troll  was  to  make  up  the  fire,  while  the  lad 
went  to  fetch  water  for  their  porridge,  and  there  stood  two  iron 
pails  so  big  and  heavy,  that  he  couldn't  so  much  as  lift  them 
from-  the  ground. 

'  Pooh  !  '  said  the  lad,  *  it  isn't  worth  while  to  touch  these 
finger-basins.     I'll  just  go  and  fetch  the  spring  itself.' 


Hacon  Grizzlebeard  115 

*  Nay,  nay,  dear  friend  !  '  said  the  Troll ;  *  I  can't  afford  to 
lose  my  spring ;  just  you  make  up  the  fire,  and  I'll  go  and 
fetch  the  water.' 

So  when  he  came  back  with  the  water,  they  set  to  and  boiled 
up  a  great  pot  of  porridge. 

'  It's  all  the  same  to  me  ',  said  the  lad  ;  *  but  if  you're  of 
my  mind,  we'll  eat  a  match  ! 

'  With  all  my  heart  *,  said  the  Troll,  for  he  thought  he  could 
surely  hold  his  own  in  eating.  So  they  sat  down  ;  but  the  lad 
took  his  scrip  unawares  to  the  Troll,  and  hung  it  before  him, 
and  so  he  spooned  more  into  the  scrip  than  he  ate  himself ; 
and  when  the  scrip  was  full,  he  took  up  his  knife  and  made  a 
sHt  in  the  scrip.  The  Troll  looked  on  all  the  while,  but  said 
never  a  word.  So  when  they  had  eaten  a  good  bit  longer,  the 
Troll  laid  down  his  spoon,  saying,  *  Nay  !  but  I  can't  eat  a 
morsel  more.' 

'  But  you  shall  eat ',  said  the  youth  ;  *  I'm  only  half  done  ; 
why  don't  you  do  as  I  did,  and  cut  a  hole  in  your  paunch  ? 
You'll  be  able  to  eat  then  as  much  as  you  please.' 

'  But  doesn't  it  hurt  one  cruelly  ?  '  asked  the  Troll. 

*  Oh  ',  said  the  youth,  *  nothing  to  speak  of.' 

So  the  Troll  did  as  the  lad  said,  and  then  you  must  know 
very  well  that  he  lost  his  Hfe  ;  but  the  lad  took  all  the  silver 
and  gold  that  he  found  in  the  hill-side,  and  went  home  with 
it,  and  you  may  fancy  it  went  a  great  way  to  pay  off  the  debt. 


HACON  GRIZZLEBEARD 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  princess  who  was  so  proud  and 
pert  that  no  suitor  was  good  enough  for  her.  She  made  game 
of  them  all,  and  sent  them  about  their  business,  one  after  the 
other  ;  but  though  she  was  so  proud,  still  new  suitors  kept  on 
coming  to  the  palace,  for  she  was  a  beauty,  the  wicked  hussey  ! 

So  one  day  there  came  a  prince  to  woo  her,  and  his  name 
was  Hacon  Grizzlebeard  ;  but  the  first  night  he  was  there, 
the  Princess  bade  the  king's  fool  cut  off  the  ears  of  one  of  the 
prince's  horses,  and  slit  the  jaws  of  the  other  up  to  the  ears. 
When  the  prince  went  out  to  drive  next  day,  the  Princess  stood 
in  the  porch  and  looked  at  him. 

'  Well !  '  she  cried,  '  I  never  saw  the  like  of  this  in  all  my 


Ii6  Tales  from  the  Norse 

life  ;  the  keen  north  wind  that  blows  here  has  taken  the  ears 
off  one  of  your  horses,  and  the  other  has  stood  by  and  gaped 
at  what  was  going  on  till  his  jaws  have  split  right  up  to  his 
ears.' 

And  with  that  she  burst  out  into  a  roar  of  laughter,  ran  in, 
slammed  to  the  door,  and  let  him  drive  off. 

So  he  drove  home  ;  but  as  he  went,  he  thought  to  himself 
that  he  would  pay  her  off  one  day.  After  a  bit,  he  put  on  a 
great  beard  of  moss,  threw  a  great  fur  cloak  over  his  clothes, 
and  dressed  himself  up  just  like  any  beggar.  He  went  to  a 
goldsmith  and  bought  a  golden  spinning  wheel,  and  sat  down 
with  it  under  the  Princess'  window,  and  began  to  file  away  at 
his  spinning  wheel,  and  to  turn  it  this  way  and  that,  for  it 
wasn't  quite  in  order,  and,  besides,  it  wanted  a  stand. 

So  when  the  Princess  rose  up  in  the  morning,  she  came  to 
the  window  and  threw  it  up,  and  called  out  to  the  beggar  if 
he  would  sell  his  golden  spinning-wheel  ? 

''No  ;  it  isn't  for  sale  ',  said  Hacon  Grizzlebeard  ;  '  but  if 
I  may  have  leave  to  sleep  outside  your  bedroom  door  to-night, 
I'll  give  it  you.' 

Well,  the  Princess  thought  it  a  good  bargain  ;  there  could  be 
no  danger  in  letting  him  sleep  outside  her  door. 

So  she  got  the  wheel,  and  at  night  Hacon  Grizzlebeard  lay 
down  outside  her  bedroom.  But  as  the  night  wore  on  he 
began  to  freeze. 

'  Hutetutetutetu  !  it  is  so  cold  ;  do  let  me  in  *,  he  cried. 

*  You've  lost  your  wits  outright,  I  think  ',  said  the  Princess. 

*  Oh,  hutetutetutetu  !  it  is  so  bitter  cold,  pray  do  let  me  in  ', 
said  Hacon  Grizzlebeard  again. 

*  Hush  !  hush  !  hold  your  tongue  !  '  said  the  Princess  ;  '  if 
my  father  were  to  know  that  there  was  a  man  in  the  house, 
I  should  be  in  a  fine  scrape.' 

*  Oh,  hutetutetutetu  !  I'm  almost  frozen  to  death  ;  only  let 
me  come  inside  and  He  on  the  floor  ',  said  Hacon  Grizzlebeard. 

Yes  !  there  was  no  help  for  it.  She  had  to  let  him  in,  and 
when  he  was,  he  lay  on  the  ground  and  slept  like  a  top. 

Some  time  after,  Hacon  came  again  with  the  stand  to  the 
spinning-wheel,  and  sat  down  under  the  Princess'  window,  and 
began  to  file  at  it,  for  it  was  not  quite  fit  for  use.  When  she 
heard  him  filing,  she  threw  up  the  window  and  began  to  talk 
to  him,  and  to  ask  what  he  had  there, 


Hacon  Grizzlebeard  117 

'  Oh  !  only  the  stand  to  that  spinning-wheel  which  your 
royal  highness  bought ;  for  I  thought,  as  you  had  the  wheel, 
you  might  like  to  have  the  stand  too.' 

'  What  do  you  want  for  it  ?  '  asked  the  Princess  ;  but  it  was 
not  for  sale  any  more  than  the  wheel,  but  she  might  have  them 
if  she  would  give  him  leave  to  sleep  on  the  floor  of  her  bedroom 
next  night. 

Well !  she  gave  him  leave,  only  he  was  to  be  sure  to  lie  still, 
and  not  to  shiver  and  call  out  *  hutetu  ',  or  any  such  stuff. 
Hacon  Grizzlebeard  promised  fair  enough,  but  as  the  night  wore 
on  he  began  to  shiver  and  shake,  and  to  ask  whether  he  might 
not  come  nearer,  and  he  on  the  floor  alongside  the  Princess' 
bed. 

There  was  no  help  for  it ;  she  had  to  give  him  leave,  lest  the 
king  should  hear  the  noise  he  made.  So  Hacon  Grizzlebeard 
lay  alongside  the  Princess'  bed,  and  slept  like  a  top. 

It  was  a  long  while  before  Hacon  Grizzlebeard  came  again  ; 
but  when  he  came  he  had  with  him  a  golden  wool-winder,  and 
he  sat  down  and  began  to  file  away  at  it  under  the  Princess' 
window.  Then  came  the  old  story  over  again.  When  the 
Princess  heard  what  was  going  on,  she  came  to  the  window, 
and  asked  him  how  he  did,  and  whether  he  would  sell  the 
golden  wool-winder  ? 

*  It  is  not  to  be  had  for  money  ;  but  if  you'll  give  me  leave 
to  sleep  to-night  in  your  bedroom,  with  my  head  on  your  bed- 
stead, you  shall  have  it  for  nothing  ',  said  Hacon  Grizzlebeard. 

Well !  she  would  give  him  leave,  if  he  only  gave  his  word 
to  be  quiet,  and  make  no  noise.  So  he  said  he  would  do  his 
best  to  be  still ;  but  as  the  night  wore  on,  he  began  to  shiver 
and  shake  so,  that  his  teeth  chattered  again. 

*  Hutetutetutetu  !  it  is  so  bitter  cold  !  Oh,  do  let  me  get 
[into  bed  and  warm  myself  a  little  ',  said  Hacon  Grizzlebeard. 

*  Get  into  bed  !  *  said  the  Princess  ;  *  why,  you  must  have 
'lost  your  wits.' 

*  Hutetutetutetu  !  *  said  Hacon  ;  *  do  let  me  get  into  bed. 
Hutetutetutetu . ' 

'  Hush  !  hush  !  be  still  for  God's  sake  *,  said  the  Princess  ; 
'  if  father  knows  there  is  a  man  in  here,  I  shall  be  in  a  sad 
plight.     I'm  sure  he'll  kill  me  on  the  spot.' 

*  Hutetutetutetu  !  let  me  get  into  bed  ',  said  Hacon  Grizzle- 
beard, who  kept  on  shivering  so  that  the  whole  room  shcok. 


llS  lales  from  the  Norse 

Well !  there  was  no  help  for  it ;  she  had  to  let  him  get  into  bed, 
where  he  slept  both  sound  and  soft ;  but  a  little  while  after 
the  Princess  had  a  child,  at  which  the  king  grew  so  wild  with 
rage,  that  he  was  near  making  an  end  of  both  mother  and 
babe. 

Just  after  this  happened,  came  Hacon  Grizzlebeard  tramp- 
ing that  way  once  more,  as  if  by  chance,  and  took  his  seat 
down  in  the  kitchen,  Uke  any  other  beggar. 

So  when  the  Princess  came  out  and  saw  him,  she  cried, 
'  Ah,  God  have  mercy  on  me,  for  the  ill-luck  you  have  brought 
on  me  ;  father  is  ready  to  burst  with  rage  ;  do  let  me  follow 
you  to  your  home.' 

*  Oh  !  I'll  be  bound  you're  too  well  bred  to  follow  me  *,  said 
Hacon,  *  for  I  have  nothing  but  a  log  hut  to  Hve  in  ;  and  how 
I  shall  ever  get  food  for  you  I  can't  tell,  for  it's  just  as  much  as 
I  can  do  to  get  food  for  myself.' 

*  Oh  yes  !  it's  all  the  same  to  me  how  you  get  it,  or  whether 
you  get  it  at  all ',  she  said  ;  *  only  let  me  be  with  you,  for  if  I 
stay  here  any  longer,  my  father  vdll  be  sure  to  take  my  Hfe.' 

So  she  got  leave  to  be  with  the  beggar,  as  she  called  him,  and 
they  walked  a  long,  long  way,  though  she  was  but  a  poor  hand 
at  tramping.  When  she  passed  out  of  her  father's  land  into 
another,  she  asked  whose  it  was  ? 

*  Oh  !  this  is  Hacon  Grizzlebeard's,  if  you  must  know  *, 
said  he. 

*  Indeed  !  *  said  the  Princess  ;  *  I  might  have  married  him 
if  I  chose,  and  then  I  should  not  have  had  to  walk  about  Hke  a 
beggar's  wife.' 

So,  whenever  they  came  to  grand  castles,  and  woods,  and 
parks,  and  she  asked  whose  they  were  ?  the  beggar's  answer  was 
still  the  same  :  *  Oh  !  they  are  Hacon  Grizzlebeard's.'  And 
the  Princess  was  in  a  sad  way  that  she  had  not  chosen  the  man 
who  had  such  broad  lands.  Last  of  all,  they  came  to  a  palace, 
where  he  said  he  was  known,  and  where  he  thought  he  could 
get  her  work,  so  that  they  might  have  something  to  Hve  on  ; 
so  he  built  up  a  cabin  by  the  woodside  for  them  to  dwell  in  ; 
and  every  day  he  went  to  the  king's  palace,  as  he  said,  to  hew 
wood  and  draw  water  for  the  cook,  and  when  he  came  back 
he  brought  a  few  scraps  of  meat ;  but  they  did  not  go  very  far. 

One  day,  when  he  came  home  from  the  palace,  he  said  : 

*  To-morrow  I  will  stay  at  home  and  look  after  the  baby, 


i 


I 


Hacon  Grizzlebeard  1 19 

but  you  must  get  ready  to  go  to  the  palace,  do  you  hear  !  for 
the  Prince  said  you  were  to  come  and  try  your  hand  at  bak- 
ing.' 

*  I  bake  !  '  said  the  Princess  ;  *  I  can't  bake,  for  I  never  did 
such  a  thing  in  my  hfe.' 

*  Well,  you  must  go  ',  said  Hacon,  *  since  the  Prince  has  said 
it.  If  you  can't  bake,  you  can  learn  ;  you  have  only  got  to 
look  how  the  rest  bake  ;  and  mind,  when  you  leave,  you  must 
steal  me  some  bread.' 

*  I  can't  steal ',  said  the  Princess. 

*  You  can  learn  that  too  ',  said  Hacon  ;  *  you  know  we  live 
on  short  commons.  But  take  care  that  the  Prince  doesn't  see 
you,  for  he  has  eyes  at  the  back  of  his  head.' 

So  when  she  was  well  on  her  way,  Hacon  ran  by  a  short  cut 
and  reached  the  palace  long  before  her,  and  threw  off  his  rags 
and  beard,  and  put  on  his  princely  robes. 

The  Princess  took  her  turn  in  the  bakehouse,  and  did  as 
Hacon  bade  her,  for  she  stole  bread  till  her  pockets  were 
crammed  full.  So  when  she  was  about  to  go  home  at  even,  the 
Prince  said  : 

'  We  don't  know  much  of  this  old  wife  of  Hacon  Grizzle- 
beard's,  I  think  we'd  best  see  if  she  has  taken  anything  away 
with  her.' 

So  he  thrust  his  hand  into  all  her  pockets,  and  felt  her  all 
over,  and  when  he  found  the  bread,  he  was  in  a  great  rage,  and 
led  them  all  a  sad  life.  She  began  to  weep  and  bewail,  and 
said  : 

'  The  beggar  made  me  do  it,  and  I  couldn't  help  it.' 

'Well',  said  the  Prince  at  last,  'it  ought  to  have  gone  hard 
with  you  ;  but  all  the  same,  for  the  sake  of  the  beggar  you 
shall  be  forgiven  this  once.' 

When  she  was  well  on  her  way,  he  threw  ofi  his  robes,  put 
on  his  skin  cloak,  and  his  false  beard,  and  reached  the  cabin 
before  her.  When  she  came  home,  he  was  busy  nursing  the 
baby. 

'  Well,  you  have  made  me  do  what  it  went  against  my  heart 
to  do.  This  is  the  first  time  I  ever  stole,  and  this  shedl  be  the 
last ' ;  and  with  that  she  told  him  how  it  had  gone  with  her, 
and  what  the  Prince  had  said. 

A  few  days  after  Hacon  Grizzlebeard  came  home  at  even  and 
said  : 


I20  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  To-morrow  I  must  stay  at  home  and  mind  the  babe,  for 
they  are  going  to  kill  a  pig  at  the  palace,  and  you  must  help 
to  make  the  sausages.' 

'  I  make  sausages  !  '  said  the  Princess  ;  *  I  can't  do  any  such 
thing.  I  have  eaten  sausages  often  enough  ;  but  as  to  mak- 
ing them,  I  never  made  one  in  my  life.' 

Well,  there  was  no  help  for  it ;  the  Prince  had  said  it,  and 
go  she  must.  As  for  not  knowing  how,  she  was  only  to  do  what 
the  others  did,  and  at  the  same  time  Hacon  bade  her  steal  some 
sausages  for  him. 

*  Nay,  but  I  can't  steal  them',  she  said  ;  *  you  know  how  it 
went  last  time.' 

*  Well,  you  can  learn  to  steal  ;  who  knows  but  you  may  have 
better  luck  next  time  ',  said  Hacon  Grizzlebeard. 

When  she  was  well  on  her  way,  Hacon  ran  by  a  short  cut, 
reached  the  palace  long  before  her,  threw  off  his  skin  cloak  and 
false  beard,  and  stood  in  the  kitchen  with  his  royal  robes  before 
she  came  in.  So  the  Princess  stood  by  when  the  pig  was  killed, 
and  made  sausages  with  the  rest,  and  did  as  Hacon  bade  her, 
and  stuffed  her  pockets  full  of  sausages.  But  when  she  was 
about  to  go  home  at  even,  the  Prince  said : 

*  This  beggar's  wife  was  long-fingered  last  time  ;  we  may  as 
well  just  see  if  she  hasn't  carried  anything  off.* 

So  he  began  to  thrust  his  hands  into  her  pockets,  and  when 
he  found  the  sausages  he  was  in  a  great  rage  again,  and  made 
a  great  to  do,  threatening  to  send  for  the  constable  and  put 
her  into  the  cage. 

'  Oh,  God  bless  your  royal  highness  ;  do  let  me  off  !  The 
beggar  made  me  do  it ',  she  said,  and  wept  bitterly. 

'  Well ',  said  Hacon,  '  you  ought  to  smart  for  it ;  but  for 
the  beggar's  sake  you  shall  be  forgiven.' 

When  she  was  gone,  he  changed  his  clothes  again,  ran  by 
the  short  cut,  and  when  she  reached  the  cabin,  there  he  was 
before  her.  Then  she  told  him  the  whole  story,  and  swore, 
through  thick  and  thin,  it  should  be  the  last  time  he  got  her 
to  do  such  a  thing. 

Now,  it  fell  out  a  little  time  after,  when  the  man  came  back 
from  the  palace,  he  said  : 

*  Our  Prince  is  going  to  be  married,  but  the  bride  is  sick,  so 
the  tailor  can't  measure  her  for  her  wedding  gown.  And  the 
Prince's  will  is,  that  you  should  go  up  to  the  palace  and  be 


Hacon  Grizzlebeard  121 

measured  instead  of  the  bride  ;  for  he  says  you  are  just  the 
same  height  and  shape.  But  after  you  have  been  measured, 
mind  you  don't  go  away  ;  you  can  stand  about,  you  know, 
and  when  the  tailor  cuts  out  the  gown,  you  can  snap  up  the 
largest  pieces,  and  bring  them  home  for  a  waistcoat  for  me.' 

'  Nay,  but  I  can't  steal ',  she  said  ;  *  besides,  you  know  how 
it  went  last  time.* 

*  You  can  learn  then  ',  said  Hacon,  *  and  you  may  have 
better  luck,  perhaps.' 

She  thought  it  bad,  but  still  she  went  and  did  as  she  was 
told.  She  stood  by  while  the  tailor  was  cutting  out  the  gown, 
and  she  swept  down  all  the  biggest  scraps,  and  stuffed  them 
into  her  pockets  ;  and  when  she  was  going  away,  the  Prince 
said  : 

'  We  may  as  well  see  if  this  old  girl  has  not  been  long-fingered 
this  time  too.' 

So  he  began  to  feel  and  search  her  pockets,  and  when  he 
found  the  pieces  he  was  in  a  rage,  and  began  to  stamp  and 
scold  at  a  great  rate,  while  she  wept  and  said  : 

'  Ah,  pray  forgive  me  ;  the  beggar  bade  me  do  it,  and  I 
couldn't  help  it.' 

*  Well,  you  ought  to  smart  for  it ',  said  Hacon ;  '  but  for  the 
beggar's  sake  it  shall  be  forgiven  you.* 

So  it  went  now  just  as  it  had  gone  before,  and  when  she  got 
back  to  the  cabin,  the  beggar  was  there  before  her. 

*  Oh,  Heaven  help  me  ',  she  said  ;  *  you  will  be  the  death  of 
me  at  last,  by  making  me  nothing  but  what  is  wicked.  The 
Prince  was  in  such  a  towering  rage  that  he  threatened  me  both 
with  the  constable  and  cage.' 

Sometime  after,  Hacon  came  home  to  the  cabin  at  even  and 
said  : 

'  Now,  the  Prince's  will  is,  that  you  should  go  up  to  the 
palace  and  stand  for  the  bride,  old  lass  !  for  the  bride  is  still 
sick,  and  keeps  her  bed  ;  but  he  won't  put  off  the  wedding  ; 
and  he  says,  you  are  so  like  her,  that  no  one  could  tell  one  from 
the  other  ;  so  to-morrow  you  must  get  ready  to  go  to  the 
palace.' 

*  I  think  you've  lost  your  wits,  both  the  Prince  and  you  ', 
said  she.  *  Do  you  think  I  look  fit  to  stand  in  the  bride's 
place  ?  look  at  me  !  Can  any  beggar's  trull  look  worse  than 
I  ?' 


122  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  Well,  the  Prince  said  you  were  to  go,  and  so  go  you  must ', 
said  Hacon  Grizzlebeard. 

There  was  no  help  for  it,  go  she  must ;  and  when  she  reached 
the  palace,  they  dressed  her  out  so  finely  that  no  princess  ever 
looked  so  smart. 

The  bridal  train  went  to  church,  where  she  stood  for  the  bride, 
and  when  they  came  back,  there  was  dancing  and  merriment  in 
the  palace.  But  just  as  she  was  in  the  midst  of  dancing  with 
the  Prince,  she  saw  a  gleam  of  hght  through  the  window,  and 
lo  !      the  cabin  by  the  wood-side  was  all  one  bright  flame. 

'  Oh  !  the  beggar,  and  the  babe,  and  the  cabin ',  she  screamed 
out,  and  was  just  going  to  swoon  away. 

*  Here  is  the  beggar,  and  there  is  the  babe,  and  so  let  the  cabin 
burn  away  ',  said  Hacon  Grizzlebeard. 

Then  she  knew  him  again,  and  after  that  the  mirth  and  merri- 
ment began  in  right  earnest ;  but  since  that  I  have  never 
heard  tell  anything  more  about  them. 


BOOTS,  WHO  MADE  THE  PRINCESS  SAY,  '  THAT'S  A 
STORY  ' 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  king  who  had  a  daughter,  and  she 
was  such  a  dreadful  story-teller  that  the  like  of  her  was  not  to 
be  found  far  or  near.  So  the  king  gave  out,  that  if  any  one  could 
tell  such  a  string  of  lies,  as  would  get  her  to  say,  *  That's  a 
story  ',  he  should  have  her  to  wife,  and  half  the  kingdom  be- 
sides. Well,  many  came,  as  you  may  fancy,  to  try  their  luck, 
for  every  one  would  have  been  very  glad  to  have  the  Princess, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  kingdom  ;  but  they  all  cut  a  sorry  figure, 
for  the  Princess  was  so  given  to  story-telling,  that  all  their  Ues 
went  in  at  one  ear  and  out  of  the  other.  Among  the  rest  came 
three  brothers  to  try  their  luck,  and  the  two  elder  went  first, 
but  they  fared  no  better  than  those  who  had  gone  before  them. 
Last  of  all  the  third.  Boots,  set  off  and  found  the  Princess  in  the 
farm-yard. 

'  Good-morning  ',  he  said,  *  and  thank  you  for  nothing.' 

*  Good-morning  ',  said  she,  '  and  the  same  to  you.' 

Then  she  went  on  : 

'  You  haven't  such  a  fine  farm-yard  as  ours,  I'll  be  bound ; 
for  when  two  shepherds  stand,  one  at  each  end  of  it,  and  blow 
their  ram's  horns,  the  one  can't  hear  the  other.* 


*  That's  a  Story  ?  '  1 23 

'  Haven't  we  though  !  '  answered  Boots  ;  *  ours  is  far  big- 
ger ;  for  when  a  cow  begins  to  go  with  calf  at  one  end  of  it, 
she  doesn't  get  to  the  other  end  before  the  time  to  drop  her  calf 
is  come.' 

'  I  dare  say  !  '  said  the  Princess.  *  Well,  but  you  haven't 
such  a  big  ox,  after  all,  as  ours  yonder ;  for  when  two  men  sit 
one  on  each  horn,  they  can't  touch  each  other  with  a  twenty- 
foot  rule.' 

'  Stuff !  '  said  Boots  ;  *  is  that  all  ?  why,  we  have  an  ox  who 
is  so  big,  that  when  two  men  sit,  one  on  each  horn,  and  each 
blows  his  great  mountain-trumpet,  they  can't  hear  one  an- 
other. 

*  I  dare  say  !  '  said  the  Princess  ;  '  but  you  haven't  so  much 
milk  as  we,  I'll  be  bound  ;  for  we  milk  our  kine  into  great  pails, 
and  carry  them  in-doors,  and  empty  them  into  great  tubs,  and 
so  we  make  great,  great  cheeses.' 

'  Oh  !  you  do,  do  you  ?  '  said  Boots.  *  Well,  we  milk  ours 
into  great  tubs,  and  then  we  put  them  in  carts  and  drive  them 
in-doors,  and  then  we  turn  them  out  into  great  brewing  vats, 
and  so  we  make  cheeses  as  big  as  a  great  house.  We  had,  too 
a  dun  mare  to  tread  the  cheese  well  together  when  it  was  mak- 
ing ;  but  once  she  tumbled  down  into  the  cheese,  and  we  lost 
her  ;  and  after  we  had  eaten  at  this  cheese  seven  years,  we  came 
upon  a  great  dun  mare,  ahve  and  kicking.  Well,  once  after  that 
I  was  going  to  drive  this  mare  to  the  mill,  and  her  back-bone 
snapped  in  two;  but  I  wasn't  put  out,  not  I,  for  I  took  a  spruce 
sapling,  and  put  it  into  her  for  a  back-bone,  and  she  had  no  other 
back-bone  all  the  while  we  had  her.  But  the  sapling  grew  up 
into  such  a  tall  tree,  that  I  climbed  right  up  to  heaven  by  it, 
and  when  I  got  there,  I  saw  the  Virgin  Mary  sitting  and  spinning 
the  foam  of  the  sea  into  pig's-bristle  ropes  ;  but  just  then  the 
spruce-fir  broke  short  off,  and  I  couldn't  get  down  again  ; 
so  the  Virgin  Mary  let  me  down  by  one  of  the  ropes,  and  down  I 
slipped  straight  into  a  fox's  hole,  and  who  should  sit  there  but 
my  mother  and  your  father  cobbling  shoes  ;  and  just  as  I 
stepped  in,  my  mother  gave  your  father  such  a  box  on  the  ear, 
that  it  made  his  whiskers  curl.' 

'  That's  a  story  ! '  said  the  Princess  ;  *  my  father  never  did 
any  such  thing  in  all  his  born  days  !  ' 

So  Boots  got  the  Princess  to  wife,  and  half  the  kingdom 
besides. 


124  Tales  from  the  Norse 

THE  TWELVE  WILD  DUCKS 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  Queen  who  was  out  driving,  when 
there  had  been  a  new  fall  of  snow  in  the  winter  ;  but  when 
she  had  gone  a  httle  way,  she  began  to  bleed  at  the  nose, 
and  had  to  get  out  of  her  sledge.  And  so,  as  she  stood  there, 
leaning  against  the  fence,  and  saw  the  red  blood  on  the  white 
snow,  she  fell  a-thinking  how  she  had  twelve  sons  and  no 
daughter,  and  she  said  to  herself ; 

*  If  I  only  had  a  daughter  as  white  as  snow  and  as  red  as 
blood,  I  shouldn't  care  what  became  of  all  my  sons.' 

But  the  words  were  scarce  out  of  her  mouth  before  an  old 
witch  of  the  Trolls  came  up  to  her. 

*  A  daughter  you  shall  have  ',  she  said,  *  and  she  shall  be 
as  white  as  snow,  and  as  red  as  blood  ;  and  your  sons  shall 
be  mine,  but  you  may  keep  them  till  the  babe  is  christened.' 

So  when  the  time  came  the  Queen  had  a  daughter,  and  she 
was  as  white  as  snow,  and  as  red  as  blood,  just  as  the  Troll 
had  promised,  and  so  they  called  her  *  Snow-white  and  Rosy- 
red.'  Well,  there  was  great  joy  at  the  King's  court,  and  the 
Queen  was  as  glad  as  glad  could  be  ;  but  when  what  she 
had  promised  to  the  old  witch  came  into  her  mind,  she  sent 
for  a  silversmith,  and  bade  him  make  twelve  silver  spoons, 
one  for  each  prince,  and  after  that  she  bade  him  make  one 
more,  and  that  she  gave  to  Snow-white  and  Rosy-red.  But 
as  soon  as  ever  the  Princess  was  christened,  the  Princes  were 
turned  into  twelve  wild  ducks,  and  flew  away.  They  never 
saw  them  again — away  they  went,  and  away  they  stayed. 

So  the  Princess  grew  up,  and  she  was  both  tall  and  fair, 
but  she  was  often  so  strange  and  sorrowful,  and  no  one  could 
understand  what  it  was  that  failed  her.  But  one  evening 
the  Queen  was  also  sorrowful,  for  she  had  many  strange 
thoughts  when  she  thought  of  her  sons.  She  said  to  Snow- 
white  and  Rosy-red, 

*  Why  are  you  so  sorrowful,  my  daughter  ?  Is  there  any- 
thing you  want  ?  if  so,  only  say  the  word,  and  you  shall 
have  it.' 

'  Oh,  it  seems  so  dull  and  lonely  here  ',  said  Snow-white 
and  Rosy-red  ;  *  every  one  else  has  brothers  and  sisters,  but 
I  am  all  alone  ;  I  have  none  ;  and  that's  why  I'm  so  sorrowful.' 

*  But  you  had  brothers,  my  daughter',  said  the  Queen; 


The  Twelve  Wild  Ducks  125 

*  T  had  twelve  sons  who  were  your  brothers,  but  I  gave  them 
all  away  to  get  you  '  ;    and  so  she  told  her  the  whole  story. 

So  when  the  Princess  heard  that,  she  had  no  rest ;  for,  in 
spite  of  all  the  Queen  could  say  or  do,  and  all  she  wept  and 
prayed,  the  lassie  would  set  off  to  seek  her  brothers,  for  she 
thought  it  was  all  her  fault ;  and  at  last  she  got  leave  to  go 
away  from  the  palace.  On  and  on  she  walked  into  the  wide 
world,  so  far,  you  would  never  have  thought  a  young  lady 
could  have  strength  to  walk  so  far. 

So,  once,  when  she  was  walking  through  a  great,  great 
wood,  one  day  she  felt  tired,  and  sat  down  on  a  mossy  tuft 
and  fell  asleep.  Then  she  dreamt  that  she  went  deeper 
and  deeper  into  the  wood,  till  she  came  to  a  little  wooden 
hut,  and  there  she  found  her  brothers  ;  just  then  she  woke, 
and  straight  before  her  she  saw  a  worn  path  in  the  green  moss, 
and  this  path  went  deeper  into  the  wood  ;  so  she  followed  it, 
and  after  a  long  time  she  came  to  just  such  a  little  wooden 
house  as  that  she  had  seen  in  her  dream. 

Now,  when  she  went  into  the  room  there  was  no  one  at 
home,  but  there  stood  twelve  beds,  and  twelve  chairs,  and 
twelve  spoons — a  dozen  of  everything,  in  short.  So  when 
she  saw  that  she  was  so  glad,  she  hadn't  been  so  glad  for 
many  a  long  year,  for  she  could  guess  at  once  that  her  brothers 
lived  here,  and  that  they  owned  the  beds,  and  chairs,  and 
spoons.  So  she  began  to  make  up  the  fire,  and  sweep  the 
room,  and  make  the  beds,  and  cook  the  dinner,  and  to  make 
the  house  as  tidy  as  she  could  ;  and  when  she  had  done  all 
the  cooking  and  work,  she  ate  her  own  dinner,  and  crept  under 
her  youngest  brother's  bed,  and  lay  down  there,  but  she  forgot 
her  spoon  upon  the  table. 

So  she  had  scarcely  laid  herself  down  before  she  heard 
something  flapping  and  whirring  in  the  air,  and  so  all  the 
twelve  wild  ducks  came  sweeping  in  ;  but  as  soon  as  ever 
they  crossed  the  threshold  they  became  Princes. 

*  Oh,  how  nice  and  warm  it  is  in  here  ',  they  said.  *  Heaven 
bless  him  who  made  up  the  fire,  and  cooked  such  a  good 
dinner  for  us.' 

And  so  each  took  up  his  silver  spoon  and  was  going  to  eat. 
But  when  each  had  taken  his  own,  there  was  one  still  left 
lying  on  the  table,  and  it  was  so  like  the  rest  that  they  couldn't 
tell  it  from  then\. 


126  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  This  is  our  sister's  spoon  ',  they  said  ;  *  and  if  her  spoon 
be  here,  she  can't  be  very  far  off  herself.' 

*  If  this  be  our  sister's  spoon,  and  she  be  here  ',  said  the 
eldest,  '  she  shall  be  killed,  for  she  is  to  blame  for  all  the  ill 
we  suffer.' 

And  this  she  lay  under  the  bed  and  listened  to. 

'  No  ',  said  the  youngest,  '  'twere  a  shame  to  kill  her  for 
that.  She  has  nothing  to  do  with  our  suffering  ill ;  for  if  any 
one's  to  blame,  it's  our  own  mother.' 

So  they  set  to  work  hunting  for  her  both  high  and  low,  and 
at  last  they  looked  under  all  the  beds,  and  so  when  they  came 
to  the  youngest  Prince's  bed,  they  found  her,  and  dragged 
her  out.  Then  the  eldest  Prince  wished  again  to  have  her 
killed,  but  she  begged  and  prayed  so  prettily  for  herself. 

*  Oh  !  gracious  goodness  !  don't  kill  me,  for  I've  gone 
about  seeking  you  these  three  years,  and  if  I  could  only  set 
you  free,  I'd  willingly  lose  my  life.* 

*  Well !  '  said  they,  *  if  you  will  set  us  free,  you  may  keep 
your  life  ;    for  you  can  if  you  choose.' 

*  Yes  ;  only  tell  me  *,  said  the  Princess,  '  how  it  can  be 
done,  and  I'll  do  it,  whatever  it  be.* 

'  You  must  pick  thistle-down  ',  said  the  Princes,  *  and  you 
must  card  it,  and  spin  it,  and  weave  it ;  and  after  you  have 
done  that,  you  must  cut  out  and  make  twelve  coats,  and 
twelve  shirts,  and  twelve  neckerchiefs,  one  for  each  of  us, 
and  while  you  do  that,  you  must  neither  talk,  nor  laugh,  nor 
weep.     If  you  can  do  that,  we  are  free.' 

*  But  where  shall  I  ever  get  thistle-down  enough  for  so 
many  neckerchiefs,  and  shirts,  and  coats  ?  '  asked  Snow-white 
and  Rosy-red. 

*  We'll  soon  show  you  ',  said  the  Princes  ;  and  so  they  took 
her  with  them  to  a  great  wide  moor,  where  there  stood  such 
a  crop  of  thistles,  all  nodding  and  nodding  in  the  breeze, 
and  the  down  all  floating  and  glistening  like  gossamers  through 
the  air  in  the  sunbeams.  The  Princess  had  never  seen  such 
a  quantity  of  thistledown  in  her  Hfe,  and  she  began  to  pluck 
and  gather  it  as  fast  and  as  well  as  she  could  ;  and  when  she 
got  home  at  night  she  set  to  work  carding  and  spinning  yarn 
from  the  down.  So  she  went  on  a  long  long  time,  picking, 
and  carding,  and  spinning,  and  all  the  while  keeping  the 
Princes'  house,  cooking,  and  making  their  beds.     At  evening 


The  Twelve  Wild  Ducks  127 

home  they  came,  flapping  and  whirring  like  wild  ducks,  and 
all  night  they  were  Princes,  but  in  the  morning  off  they  flew 
again,  and  were  wild  ducks  the  whole  day. 

But  now  it  happened  once,  when  she  was  out  on  the  moor 
to  pick  thistle-down — and  if  I  don't  mistake,  it  was  the  very 
last  time  she  was  to  go  thither — it  happened  that  the  young 
King  who  ruled  that  land  was  out  hunting,  and  came  riding 
across  the  moor,  and  saw  her.  So  he  stopped  there  and  won- 
dered who  the  lovely  lady  could  be  that  walked  along  the 
moor  picking  thistle-down,  and  he  asked  her  her  name,  and 
when  he  could  get  no  answer,  he  was  still  more  astonished  ; 
and  at  last  he  liked  her  so  much,  that  nothing  would  do  but 
he  must  take  her  home  to  his  castle  and  marry  her.  So  he 
ordered  his  servants  to  take  her  and  put  her  up  on  his  horse. 
Snow-white  and  Rosy-red,  she  wrung  her  hands,  and  made 
signs  to  them,  and  pointed  to  the  bags  in  which  her  work  was, 
and  when  the  King  saw  she  wished  to  have  them  with  her, 
he  told  his  men  to  take  up  the  bags  behind  them.  When  they 
had  done  that  the  Princess  came  to  herself,  httle  by  Uttle, 
for  the  King  was  both  a  wise  man  and  a  handsome  man  too, 
and  he  was  as  soft  and  kind  to  her  as  a  doctor.  But  when 
they  got  home  to  the  palace,  and  the  old  Queen,  who  was  his 
stepmother,  set  eyes  on  Snow-white  and  Rosy-red,  she  got  so 
cross  and  jealous  of  her  because  she  was  so  lovely,  that  she 
said  to  the  king : 

'  Can't  you  see  now,  that  this  thing  whom  you  have  picked 
up,  and  whom  you  are  going  to  marry,  is  a  witch.  Why  ? 
she  can't  either  talk,  or  laugh,  or  weep  !  * 

But  the  King  didn't  care  a  pin  for  what  she  said,  but  held 
on  with  the  wedding,  and  married  Snow-white  and  Rosy-red 
and  they  lived  in  great  joy  and  glory  ;  but  she  didn't  forget 
to  go  on  sewing  at  her  shirts. 

So  when  the  year  was  almost  out,  Snow-white  and  Rosy- 
red  brought  a  Prince  into  the  world  ;  and  then  the  old  Queen 
was  more  spiteful  and  jealous  than  ever,  and  at  dead  of  night, 
she  stole  in  to  Snow-white  and  Rosy-red,  while  she  slept, 
and  took  away  her  babe,  and  threw  it  into  a  pitful  of  snakes. 
After  that  she  cut  Snow-white  and  Rosy-red  in  her  finger, 
and  smeared  the  blood  over  her  mouth,  and  went  straight 
to  the  King. 

*  Now  come  and  see  ',  she  said,  *  what  sort  of  a  thing  you 


128  Tales  from  the  Norse 

have  taken  for  your  Queen  ;   here  she  has  eaten  up  her  own 
babe.' 

Then  the  King  was  so  downcast,  he  almost  burst  into  tears, 
and  said  : 

*  Yes,  it  must  be  true,  since  I  see  it  with  my  own  eyes  ; 
but  she'll  not  do  it  again,  I'm  sure,  and  so  this  time  I'll  spare 
her  hfe.* 

So  before  the  next  year  was  out  she  had  another  son,  and 
the  same  thing  happened.  The  King's  stepmother  got  more 
and  more  jealous  and  spiteful.  She  stole  into  the  young 
Queen  at  night  while  she  slept,  took  away  the  babe,  and  threw 
it  into  a  pit  full  of  snakes,  cut  the  young  Queen's  finger,  and 
smeared  the  blood  over  her  mouth,  and  then  went  and  told 
the  King  she  had  eaten  up  her  own  child.  Then  the  King 
was  so  sorrowful,  you  can't  think  how  sorry  he  was,  and  he 
said : 

*  Yes,  it  must  be  true,  since  I  see  it  with  my  own  eyes  ;  but 
she'll  not  do  it  again,  I'm  sure,  and  so  this  time  too  I'll  spare 
her  life.' 

Well,  before  the  next  year  was  out.  Snow-white  and  Rosy- 
red  brought  a  daughter  into  the  world,  and  her,  too,  the  old 
Queen  took  and  threw  into  the  pit  full  of  snakes,  while  the 
young  Queen  slept.  Then  she  cut  her  finger,  smeared  the 
blood  over  her  mouth,  and  went  again  to  the  King  and 
said  : 

*  Now  you  may  come  and  see  if  it  isn't  as  I  say  ;  she's  a 
wicked,  wicked  witch,  for  here  she  has  gone  and  eaten  up 
her  third  babe,  too.' 

Then  the  King  was  so  sad,  there  was  no  end  to  it,  for  now 
he  couldn't  spare  her  any  longer,  but  had  to  order  her  to 
be  burnt  alive  on  a  pile  of  wood.  But  just  when  the  pile  was 
all  a-blaze,  and  they  were  going  to  put  her  on  it,  she  made 
signs  to  them  to  take  twelve  boards  and  lay  them  round  the 
pile,  and  on  these  she  laid  the  neckerchiefs,  and  the  shirts, 
and  the  coats  for  her  brothers,  but  the  youngest  brother's  shirt 
wanted  its  left  arm,  for  she  hadn't  had  time  to  finish  it.  And 
as  soon  as  ever  she  had  done  that,  they  heard  such  a  flapping 
and  whirring  in  the  air,  and  down  came  twelve  wild  ducks 
flying  over  the  forest,  and  each  of  them  snapped  up  his  clothes 
in  his  bill  and  flew  off  with  them. 

*  See  now  !  '  said  the  old  Queen  to  the  King,   '  wasn't  I 


The  Twelve  Wild  Ducks  129 

right  when  I  told  you  she  was  a  witch,  but  make  haste  and 
burn  her  before  the  pile  burns  low.' 

'  Oh  !  '  said  the  King,  '  we've  wood  enough  and  to  spare, 
and  so  I'll  wait  a  bit,  for  I  have  a  mind  to  see  what  the  end 
of  all  this  will  be.' 

As  he  spoke,  up  came  the  twelve  princes  riding  along,  as 
handsome  well-grown  lads  as  you'd  wish  to  see  ;  but  the 
youngest  prince  had  a  wild  duck's  wing  instead  of  his  left  arm. 

*  What's  all  this  about  ?  '  asked  the  Princes. 

'  My  Queen  is  to  be  burnt,'  said  the  King,  '  because  she's 
a  witch,  and  because  she  has  eaten  up  her  own  babes.' 

*  She  hasn't  eaten  them  at  all ',  said  the  Princes.  '  Speak 
now,  sister ;  you  have  set  us  free  and  saved  us,  now  save 
yourself.' 

Then  Snow-white  and  Rosy-red  spoke,  and  told  the  whole 
story  ;  how  every  time  she  was  brought  to  bed,  the  old  Queen, 
the  King's  stepmother,  had  stolen  into  her  at  night,  had  taken 
her  babes  away,  and  cut  her  Httle  finger,  and  smeared  the 
blood  over  her  mouth  ;  and  then  the  Princes  took  the  King, 
and  shewed  him  the  snake-pit  where  three  babes  lay  playing 
with  adders  and  toads,  and  lovelier  children  you  never  saw. 

So  the  King  had  them  taken  out  at  once,  and  went  to  his 
stepmother,  and  asked  her  what  punishment  she  thought 
that  woman  deserved  who  could  find  it  in  her  heart  to  betray 
a  guiltless  Queen  and  three  such  blessed  httle  babes. 

'  She  deserves  to  be  fast  bound  between  twelve  unbroken 
steeds,  so  that  each  may  take  his  share  of  her  ',  said  the  old 
Queen. 

'  You  have  spoken  your  own  doom  *,  said  the  King,  *  and 
you  shall  suffer  it  at  once.* 

So  the  wicked  old  Queen  was  fast  bound  between  twelve 
unbroken  steeds,  and  each  got  his  share  of  her.  But  the 
King  took  Snow-white  and  Rosy-red,  and  their  three  children, 
and  the  twelve  Princes  ;  and  so  they  all  went  home  to  their 
father  and  mother,  and  told  all  that  had  befallen  them,  and 
there  was  joy  and  gladness  over  the  whole  kingdom,  because 
the  Princess  was  saved  and  set  free,  and  because  she  had  set 
free  her  twelve  brothers. 


130  Tales  from  the  Norse 

THE   GIANT   WHO    HAD   NO    HEART   IN   HIS   BODY 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  king  who  had  seven  sons,  and  he 
loved  them  so  much  that  he  could  never  bear  to  be  without 
them  all  at  once,  but  one  must  always  be  with  him.  Now, 
when  they  were  grov/n  up,  six  were  to  set  off  to  woo,  but  as 
for  the  youngest,  his  father  kept  him  at  home,  and  the  others 
were  to  bring  back  a  princess  for  him  to  the  palace.  So 
the  king  gave  the  six  the  finest  clothes  you  ever  set  eyes  on, 
so  fine  that  the  light  gleamed  from  them  a  long  way  off,  and 
each  had  his  horse,  which  cost  many,  many  hundred  dollars, 
and  so  they  set  off.  Now,  when  they  had  been  to  many  palaces, 
and  seen  many  princesses,  at  last  they  came  to  a  king  who 
had  six  daughters  ;  such  lovely  king's  daughters  they  had 
never  seen,  and  so  they  fell  to  wooing  them,  each  one,  and 
when  they  had  got  them  for  sweethearts,  they  set  off  home 
again,  but  they  quite  forgot  that  they  were  to  bring  back 
with  them  a  sweetheart  for  Boots,  their  brother,  who  stayed 
at  home,  for  they  were  over  head  and  ears  in  love  with  their 
own  sweethearts. 

But  when  they  had  gone  a  good  bit  on  their  way,  they 
passed  close  by  a  steep  hill-side,  like  a  wall,  where  the  giant's 
house  was,  and  there  the  giant  came  out,  and  set  his  eyes  upon 
them,  and  turned  them  all  into  stone,  princes  and  princesses 
and  all.  Now  the  king  waited  and  waited  for  his  six  sons, 
but  the  more  he  waited,  the  longer  they  stayed  away  ;  so 
he  fell  into  great  trouble,  and  said  he  should  never  know  what 
it  was  to  be  glad  again. 

'  And  if  I  had  not  you  left ',  he  said  to  Boots,  *  I  would  live 
no  longer,  so  full  of  sorrow  am  I  for  the  loss  of  your  brothers.' 

'  Well,  but  now  I've  been  thinking  to  ask  your  leave  to 
set  out  and  find  them  again  ;  that's  what  I'm  thinking  of  ', 
said  Boots. 

*  Nay,  nay  !  '  said  his  father  ;  '  that  leave  you  shall  never 
get,  for  then  you  would  stay  away  too.' 

But  Boots  had  set  his  heart  upon  it ;  go  he  would  ;  and 
he  begged  and  prayed  so  long  that  the  king  was  forced  to  let 
him  go.  Now,  you  must  know  the  king  had  no  other  horse 
to  give  Boots  but  an  old  broken-down  jade,  for  his  six  other 
sons  and  their  train  had  carried  off  all  his  horses ;  but  Boots 
did  not  care  a  pin  for  that,  he  sprang  up  on  his  sorry  old  steed. 


The  Giant  who  had  no  Heart  in  his  Body    131 

*  Farewell,  father  ',  said  he  ;  *  I'll  come  back,  never  fear, 
and  Uke  enough  I  shall  bring  my  six  brothers  back  with  me  '  ; 
and  with  that  he  rode  off. 

So,  when  he  had  ridden  a  while,  he  came  to  a  Raven,  which 
lay  in  the  road  and  flapped  its  wings,  and  was  not  able  to 
get  out  of  the  way,  it  was  so  starved. 

'  Oh,  dear  friend ',  said  the  Raven,  *  give  me  a  little  food, 
and  I'll  help  you  again  at  your  utmost  need.' 

'  I  haven't  much  food  ',  said  the  Prince,  *  and  I  don't  see 
how  you'll  ever  be  able  to  help  me  much  ;  but  still  I  can  spare 
you  a  little.     I  see  you  want  it.' 

So  he  gave  the  raven  some  of  the  food  he  had  brought  with 
him. 

Now,  when  he  had  gone  a  bit  further,  he  came  to  a  brook, 
and  in  the  brook  lay  a  great  Salmon,  which  had  got  upon  a 
dry  place  and  dashed  itself  about,  and  could  not  get  into 
the  water  again. 

'  Oh,  dear  friend  ',  said  the  Salmon  to  the  Prince  ;  *  shove 
me  out  into  the  water  again,  and  I'll  help  you  again  at  your 
utmost  need.' 

*  Well  !  '  said  the  Prince,  *  the  help  you'll  give  me  will  not 
be  great,  I  daresay,  but  it's  a  pity  you  should  He  there  and 
choke  '  ;  and  with  that  he  shot  the  fish  out  into  the  stream 
again. 

After  that  he  went  a  long,  long  way,  and  there  met  him 
a  Wolf,  which  was  so  famished  that  it  lay  and  crawled  along 
the  road  on  its  belly. 

'  Dear  friend,  do  let  me  have  your  horse  ',  said  the  Wolf  ; 
'  I'm  so  hungry  the  wind  whistles  through  my  ribs  ;  I've 
had  nothing  to  eat  these  two  years.' 

'  No  ',  said  Boots,  '  this  will  never  do  ;  *  first  I  came  to  a 
raven,  and  I  was  forced  to  give  him  my  food  ;  next  I  came 
to  a  salmon,  and  him  I  had  to  help  into  the  water  again  ; 
and  now  you  will  have  my  horse.  It  can't  be  done,  that  it 
can't,  for  then  I  should  have  nothing  to  ride  on.* 

'  Nay,  dear  friend,  but  you  can  help  me  ',  said  Graylegs 
the  wolf  ;  '  you  can  ride  upon  my  back,  and  I'll  help  you 
again  in  your  utmost  need.' 

*  Well  !  the  help  I  shall  get  from  you  will  not  be  great,  I'll 
be  bound  ',  said  the  Prince  ;  *  but  you  may  take  my  horse, 
since  you  are  in  such  need.' 


132  Tales  from  the  Norse 


So  when  the  wolf  had  eaten  the  horse,  Boots  took  the  bit 
and  put  it  into  the  wolf's  jaw,  and  laid  the  saddle  on  his  back  ; 
and  now  the  wolf  was  so  strong,  after  what  he  had  got  inside, 
that  he  set  off  with  the  Prince  like  nothing.  So  fast  he  had 
never  ridden  before. 

*  When  we  have  gone  a  bit  farther  ',  said  Graylegs  ;  *  I'll 
show  you  the  Giant's  house.' 

So  after  a  while  they  came  to  it. 

*  See,  here  is  the  Giant's  house  ',  said  the  Wolf  ;  '  and  see, 
here  are  your  six  brothers,  whom  the  Giant  has  turned  into 
stone  ;  and  see  here  are  their  six  brides,  and  away  yonder  is 
the  door,  and  in  at  that  door  you  must  go.' 

'  Nay,  but  I  daren't  go  in  ',  said  the  Prince  ;  *  he'll  take 
my  life.' 

'  No  !  no  !  '  said  the  Wolf  ;  '  when  you  get  in  you'll  find 
a  Princess,  and  she'll  tell  you  what  to  do  to  make  an  end 
of  the  Giant.     Only  mind  and  do  as  she  bids  you.' 

Well  !  Boots  went  in,  but,  truth  to  say,  he  was  very  much 
afraid.  When  he  came  in  the  Giant  was  away,  but  in  one 
of  the  rooms  sat  the  Princess,  just  as  the  wolf  had  said,  and 
so  lovely  a  princess  Boots  had  never  yet  set  eyes  on. 

*  Oh  !  heaven  help  you  !  whence  have  you  come  ?  *  said 
the  Princess,  as  she  saw  him  ;  *  it  will  surely  be  your  death. 
No  one  can  make  an  end  of  the  Giant  who  Uves  here,  for  he 
has  no  heart  in  his  body.' 

'  Well !  well  !  '  said  Boots  ;  '  but  now  that  I  am  here,  I 
may  as  well  try  what  I  can  do  with  him  ;  and  I  will  see  if 
I  can't  free  my  brothers,  who  are  standing  turned  to  stone 
out  of  doors  ;    and  you,  too,  I  will  try  to  save,  that  I  will.' 

*  Well,  if  you  must,  you  must ',  said  the  Princess  ;  '  and 
so  let  us  see  if  we  can't  hit  on  a  plan.  Just  creep  under  the 
bed  yonder,  and  mind  and  listen  to  what  he  and  I  talk  about. 
But,  pray,  do  lie  as  still  as  a  mouse.' 

So  he  crept  under  the  bed,  and  he  had  scarce  got  well  under- 
neath it,  before  the  Giant  came. 

*  Ha  !  *  roared  the  Giant,  *  what  a  smell  of  Christian  blood 
there  is  in  the  house  !  * 

*  Yes,  I  know  there  is  ',  said  the  Princess,  '  for  there  came  a 
magpie  flying  with  a  man's  bone,  and  let  it  fall  down  the 
chimney.  I  made  all  the  haste  I  could  to  get  it  out,  but  all 
one  can  do,  the  smell  doesn't  go  off  so  soon.' 


I 


The  Giant  who  had  no  Heart  in  his  Body    133 

So  the  Giant  said  no  more  about  it,  and  when  night  came, 
they  went  to  bed.  After  they  had  lain  a  while,  the  Princess 
said  : 

*  There  is  one  thing  I'd  be  so  glad  to  ask  you  about,  if  I 
only  dared.* 

'  What  thing  is  that  ?  '  asked  the  Giant. 
'  Only  where  it  is  you  keep  your  heart,  since  you  don't  carry 
it  about  you  ',  said  the  Princess. 

*  Ah  !  that's  a  thing  you've  no  business  to  ask  about ; 
but  if  you  must  know,  it  lies  under  the  door-sill ',  said  the 
Giant. 

'  Ho  !  ho  !  '  said  Boots  to  himself  under  the  bed,  '  then  we'll 
soon  see  if  we  can't  find  it.' 

Next  morning  the  Giant  got  up  cruelly  early,  and  strode 
off  to  the  wood  ;  but  he  was  hardly  out  of  the  house  before 
Boots  and  the  Princess  set  to  work  to  look  under  the  door- 
sill  for  his  heart ;  but  the  more  they  dug,  and  the  more  they 
hunted,  the  more  they  couldn't  find  it. 

'  He  has  baulked  us  this  time  ',  said  the  Princess,  *  but  we'll 
try  him  once  more.' 

So  she  picked  all  the  prettiest  flowers  she  could  find,  and 
strewed  them  over  the  door-sill,  which  they  had  laid  in  its 
right  place  again  ;  and  when  the  time  came  for  the  Giant  to 
come  home  again.  Boots  crept  under  the  bed.  Just  as  he 
was  well  under,  back  came  the  Giant. 

Snuff — snuff,  went  the  Giant's  nose.  '  My  eyes  and  Hmbs, 
what  a  smell  of  Christian  blood  there  is  in  here  ',  said  he. 

'  I  know  there  is  ',  said  the  Princess,  *  for  there  came  a 
magpie  flying  with  a  man's  bone  in  his  bill,  and  let  it  fall 
down  the  chimney.  I  made  as  much  haste  as  I  could  to  get 
it  out,  but  I  daresay  it's  that  you  smell.' 

So  the  Giant  held  his  peace,  and  said  no  more  about  it.  A 
little  while  after,  he  asked  who  it  was  that  had  strewed  flowers 
about  the  door-sill. 

'  Oh,  I,  of  course  ',  said  the  Princess. 

*  And,  pray,  what's  the  meaning  of  all  this  ?  '  said  the  Giant. 

*  Ah  !  '  said  the  Princess,  '  I'm  so  fond  of  you  that  I  couldn't 
help  strewing  them,  when  I  knew  that  your  heart  lay  under 
there.' 

*  You  don't  say  so  ',  said  the  Giant ;  '  but  after  all  it  doesn't 
lie  there  at  all.* 


134  Tales  from  the  Norse 

So  when  they  went  to  bed  again  in  the  evening,  the  Princess 
asked  the  Giant  again  where  his  heart  was,  for  she  said  she 
would  so  Uke  to  know. 

'  Well ',  said  the  Giant,  *  if  you  must  know,  it  lies  away 
yonder  in  the  cupboard  against  the  wall.' 

'  So,  so  !  '  thought  Boots  and  the  Princess  ;  '  then  we'll 
soon  try  to  find  it.' 

Next  morning  the  Giant  was  away  early,  and  strode  off 
to  the  wood,  and  so  soon  as  he  was  gone  Boots  and  the  Princess 
were  in  the  cupboard  hunting  for  his  heart,  but  the  more  they 
sought  for  it,  the  less  they  found  it. 

*  Well  ',  said  the  Princess,  *  we'll  just  try  him  once  more.' 
So  she  decked  out  the  cupboard  with  flowers  and  garlands, 

and  when  the  time  came  for  the  Giant  to  come  home,  Boots 
crept  under  the  bed  again. 

Then  back  came  the  Giant. 

Snuff — snuff  !  *  My  eyes  and  limbs,  what  a  smell  of  Chris- 
tian blood  there  is  in  here  !  ' 

*  I  know  there  is  ',  said  the  Princess  ;  *  for  a  little  while 
since  there  came  a  magpie  flying  with  a  man's  bone  in  his  bill, 
and  let  it  fall  down  the  chimney.  I  made  all  the  haste  I 
could  to  get  it  out  of  the  house  again  ;  but  after  all  my  pains, 
I  daresay  it's  that  you  smell.' 

When  the  Giant  heard  that,  he  said  no  more  about  it ; 
but  a  little  while  after,  he  saw  how  the  cupboard  was  all  decked 
about  with  flowers  and  garlands  ;  so  he  asked  who  it  was  that 
had  done  that  ?     Who  could  it  be  but  the  Princess. 

'  And,  pray,  what's  the  meaning  of  all  this  tom-foolery  ?' 
asked  the  Giant. 

'  Oh,  I'm  so  fond  of  you,  I  couldn't  help  doing  it  when  I 
knew  that  your  heart  lay  there  ',  said  the  Princess. 

'  How  can  you  be  so  silly  as  to  believe  any  such  thing  ?  ' 
said  the  Giant. 

'  Oh  yes  ;  how  can  I  help  believing  it,  when  you  say  it ', 
said  the  Princess. 

*  You're  a  goose  ',  said  the  Giant ;  *  where  my  heart  is, 
you  will  never  come.' 

*  Well ',  said  the  Princess  ;  '  but  for  all  that,  'twould  be 
such  a  pleasure  to  know  where  it  really  lies.' 

Then  the  poor  Giant  could  hold  out  no  longer,  but  was  forced 
to  say : 


I 


The  Giant  who  had  no  Heart  in  his  Body    135 

'  Far,  far  away  in  a  lake  lies  an  island  ;  on  that  island 
stands  a  church  ;  in  that  church  is  a  well ;  in  that  well  swims 
a  duck  ;  in  that  duck  there  is  an  egg,  and  in  that  egg  there 
lies  my  heart, — you  darling  !  ' 

In  the  morning  early,  while  it  was  still  grey  dawn,  the  Giant 
strode  off  to  the  wood. 

'  Yes  !  now  I  must  set  off  too  ',  said  Boots  ;  '  if  I  only 
knew  how  to  find  the  way.'  He  took  a  long,  long  farewell  of 
the  Princess,  and  when  he  got  out  of  the  Giant's  door,  there 
stood  the  Wolf  waiting  for  him.  So  Boots  told  him  all  that 
had  happened  inside  the  house,  and  said  now  he  wished  to 
ride  to  the  well  in  the  church,  if  he  only  knew  the  way.  So 
the  Wolf  bade  him  jump  on  his  back,  he'd  soon  find  the  way  ; 
and  away  they  went,  till  the  wind  whistled  after  them,  over 
hedge  and  field,  over  hill  and  dale.  After  they  had  travelled 
many,  many  days,  they  came  at  last  to  the  lake.  Then  the 
Prince  did  not  know  how  to  get  over  it,  but  the  Wolf  bade  him 
only  not  be  afraid,  but  stick  on,  and  so  he  jumped  into  the 
lake  with  the  Prince  on  his  back,  and  swam  over  to  the  island. 
So  they  came  to  the  church  ;  but  the  church  keys  hung  high, 
high  up  on  the  top  of  the  tower,  and  at  first  the  Prince  did 
not  know  how  to  get  them  down. 

'  You  must  call  on  the  raven  ',  said  the  Wolf. 

So  the  Prince  called  on  the  raven,  and  in  a  trice  the  raven 
came,  and  flew  up  and  fetched  the  keys,  and  so  the  Prince 
got  into  the  church.  But  when  he  came  to  the  well,  there 
lay  the  duck,  and  swam  about  backwards  and  forwards,  just 
as  the  Giant  had  said.  So  the  Prince  stood  and  coaxed  it 
and  coaxed  it,  till  it  came  to  him,  and  he  grasped  it  in  his 
hand  ;  but  just  as  he  lifted  it  up  from  the  water  the  duck 
dropped  the  egg  into  the  well,  and  then  Boots  was  beside 
himself  to  know  how  to  get  it  out  again. 

*  Well,  now  you  must  call  on  the  salmon  to  be  sure  ',  said 
the  Wolf  ;  and  the  king's  son  called  on  the  salmon,  and  the 
salmon  came  and  fetched  up  the  egg  from  the  bottom  of  the 
well. 

Then  the  Wolf  told  him  to  squeeze  the  egg,  and  as  soon  as 
ever  he  squeezed  it  the  Giant  screamed  out. 

*  Squeeze  it  again  ',  said  the  Wolf  ;  and  when  the  Prince 
did  so,  the  Giant  screamed  still  more  piteously,  and  begged 
and  prayed  so  prettily  to  be  spared,  saying  he  would  do  all 


136 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


that  the  Prince  wished  if  he  would  only  not  squeeze  his  heart 
in  two. 

'  Tell  him,  if  he  will  restore  to  life  again  your  six  brothers 
and  their  brides,  whom  he  has  turned  to  stone,  you  will  spare 
his  hfe  ',  said  the  Wolf.  Yes,  the  Giant  was  ready  to  do 
that,  and  he  turned  the  six  brothers  into  king's  sons  again, 
and  their  brides  into  king's  daughters. 

'  Now,  squeeze  the  egg  in  two  ',  said  the  Wolf.  So  Boots 
squeezed  the  egg  to  pieces,  and  the  Giant  burst  at  once. 

Now,  when  he  had  made  an  end  of  the  Giant,  Boots  rode 
back  again  on  the  wolf  to  the  Giant's  house,  and  there  stood 
all  his  six  brothers  ahve  and  merry,  with  their  brides.  Then 
Boots  went  into  the  hill-side  after  his  bride,  and  so  they  all  set 
off  home  again  to  their  father's  house.  And  you  may  fancy 
how  glad  the  old  king  was  when  he  saw  all  his  seven  sons 
come  back,  each  with  his  bride — '  But  the  loveliest  bride  of 
all  is  the  bride  of  Boots,  after  all ',  said  the  king,  '  and  he 
shall  sit  uppermost  at  the  table,  with  her  by  his  side.' 

So  he  sent  out,  and  called  a  great  wedding-feast,  and  the 
mirth  was  both  loud  and  long,  and  if  they  have  not  done 
feasting,  why,  they  are  still  at  it. 


THE  FOX  AS  HERDSMAN 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  woman  who  went  out  to  hire  a 
herdsman,  and  she  met  a  bear. 

*  Whither  away.  Goody  ?  '  said  Bruin. 

'  Oh,   I'm  going  out  to  hire  a  herdsman  *,  answered  the 
woman. 

*  Why  not  have  me  for  a  herdsman  ?  '  said  Bruin. 

*  Well,  why  not  ?  '  said  the  woman.     *  If  you  only  knew  how 
to  call  the  flock  ;    just  let  me  hear  ?  ' 

'  OW,  OW  !  '  growled  the  bear. 

'  No,  no  !  I  won't  have  you  *,  said  the  woman,  as  soon  as  she 
heard  him  say  that,  and  off  she  went  on  her  way. 
So,  when  she  had  gone  a  bit  further,  she  met  a  wolf. 

*  Whither  away.  Goody  ?  '  asked  the  Wolf. 

*  Oh  !  '  said  she,  '  I'm  going  out  to  hire  a  herdsman.' 

'  Why  not  have  me  for  a  herdsman  ?  '  said  the  Wolf. 


The  Mastermaid  137 

*  Well,  why  not  ?  if  you  can  only  call  the  flock  ;  let  me  hear  ? ' 
said  she. 

'  Uh,  uh  !  '  said  the  Wolf. 

*  No,  no  !  '  said  the  woman  ;  *  you'll  never  do  for  me.* 
Well,  after  she  had  gone  a  while  longer,  she  met  a  fox. 

*  Whither  away,  Goody  ?  '  asked  the  Fox. 

*  Oh,  I'm  just  going  out  to  hire  a  herdsman  ',  said  the  woman. 

*  Why  not  have  me  for  your  herdsman  ?  '  asked  the  Fox. 

*  Well,  why  not  ?  '  said  she  ;  *  if  you  only  knew  how  to  call 
the  flock  ;    let  me  hear  ?  ' 

'  DiL-DAL-HOLOM  ',  suug  out  the  Fox,  in  such  a  fine  clear 
voice. 

'  Yes  ;  I'll  have  you  for  my  herdsman ',  said  the  woman ;  and 
so  she  set  the  Fox  to  herd  her  flock. 

The  first  day  the  Fox  was  herdsman  he  ate  up  all  the  woman's 
goats  ;  the  next  day  he  made  an  end  of  all  her  sheep  ;  and  the 
third  day  he  ate  up  all  her  kine.  So,  when  he  came  home  at 
even,  the  woman  asked  what  he  had  done  with  all  her  flocks  ? 

*  Oh  !  '  said  the  Fox,  '  their  skulls  are  in  the  stream,  and  their 
bodies  in  the  holt.' 

Now,  the  Goody  stood  and  churned  when  the  fox  said  this, 
but  she  thought  she  might  as  well  step  out  and  see  after  her 
flock  ;  and  while  she  was  away  the  Fox  crept  into  the  churn 
and  ate  up  the  cream.  So  when  the  Goody  came  back  and 
saw  that,  she  fell  into  such  a  rage,  that  she  snatched  up  the 
little  morsel  of  the  cream  that  was  left,  and  threw  it  at  the 
fox  as  he  ran  off,  so  that  he  got  a  dab  of  it  on  the  end  of  his 
tail,  and  that's  the  reason  why  the  fox  has  a  white  tip  to  his 
brush. 


THE  MASTERMAID 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  king  who  had  several  sons — 
I  don't  know  how  many  there  were — but  the  youngest  had  no 
rest  at  home,  for  nothing  else  would  please  him  but  to  go  out 
into  the  world  and  try  his  luck,  and  after  a  long  time  the  king 
was  forced  to  give  him  leave  to  go.  Now,  after  he  had  travelled 
some  days,  he  came  one  night  to  a  Giant's  house,  and  there  he 
got  a  place  in  the  Giant's  service.  In  the  morning  the  Giant 
went  off  to  herd  his  goats,  and  as  he  left  the  yard,  he  told  the 


138  Tales  from  the  Norse 

Prince  to  clean  out  the  stable  ;  *  and  after  you  have  done  that, 
you  needn't  do  anything  else  to-day  ;  for  you  must  know  it  is 
an  easy  master  you  have  come  to.  But  what  is  set  you  to  do 
you  must  do  well,  and  you  mustn't  think  of  going  into  any  of 
the  rooms  which  are  beyond  that  in  which  you  slept,  for  if 
you  do,  I'll  take  your  Hfe.'* 

*  Sure  enough,  it  is  an  easy  master  I  have  got ',  said  the 
Prince  to  himself,  as  he  walked  up  and  do\vn  the  room,  and 
carolled  and  sang,  for  he  thought  there  was  plenty  of  time  to 
clean  out  the  stable. 

*  But  still  it  would  be  good  fun  just  to  peep  into  his  other 
rooms,  for  there  must  be  something  in  them  which  he  is  afraid 
lest  I  should  see,  since  he  won't  give  me  leave  to  go  in.' 

So  he  went  into  the  first  room,  and  there  was  a  pot  boiling 
on  a  hook  by  the  wall,  but  the  Prince  saw  no  fire  underneath 
it.  I  wonder  what  is  inside  it,  he  thought ;  and  then  he  dipped 
a  lock  of  his  hair  into  it,  and  the  hair  seemed  as  if  it  were  all 
turned  to  copper. 

'  What  a  dainty  broth,'  he  said  ;  *  if  one  tasted  it,  he'd 
look  grand  inside  his  gullet '  ;  and  with  that  he  went  into  the 
next  room.  There,  too,  was  a  pot  hanging  by  a  hook,  which 
bubbled  and  boiled  ;   but  there  was  no  fire  under  that  either. 

*  I  may  as  well  try  this  too  ',  said  the  Prince,  as  he  put  an- 
other lock  into  the  pot,  and  it  came  out  all  silvered. 

*  They  haven't  such  rich  broth  in  my  father's  house  ',  said 
the  Prince  ;  *  but  it  all  depends  on  how  it  tastes  ',  and  with 
that  he  went  on  into  the  third  room.  There,  too,  hung  a  pot, 
and  boiled  just  as  he  had  seen  in  the  two  other  rooms,  and  the 
Prince  had  a  mind  to  try  this  too,  so  he  dipped  a  lock  of  hair 
into  it,  and  it  came  out  gilded,  so  that  the  light  gleamed  from 
it. 

*  "  Worse  and  worse  ",  said  the  old  wife  ;  but  I  say  better 
and  better  ',  said  the  Prince  ;  '  but  if  he  boils  gold  here,  I 
wonder  what  he  boils  in  yonder.' 

He  thought  he  might  as  well  see  ;  so  he  went  through  the 
door  into  the  fourth  room.  Well,  there  was  no  pot  in  there, 
but  there  was  a  Princess,  seated  on  a  bench,  so  lovely,  that  the 
Prince  had  never  seen  anything  Hke  her  in  his  born  days. 

'  Oh  !  in  Heaven's  name  ',  she  said,  *  what  do  you  want 
here  ?  * 

*  I  got  a  place  here  yesterday  ',  said  the  Prince. 


The  Mastermaid  139 

'  A  place,  indeed  !     Heaven  help  you  out  of  it.* 

'  Well,  after  all,  I  think  I've  got  an  easy  master  ;  he  hasn't 

set  me  much  to  do  to-day,  for  after  I  have  cleaned  out  the 

stable,  my  day's  work  is  over.' 

*  Yes,  but  how  will  you  do  it ',  she  said  ;  *  for  if  you  set  to 
work  to  clean  it  like  other  folk,  ten  pitchforks  full  will  come 
in  for  every  one  you  toss  out.  But  I  will  teach  you  how  to 
set  to  work  ;  you  must  turn  the  fork  upside  down,  and  toss 
with  the  handle,  and  then  all  the  dung  will  fly  out  of  itself.' 

'  Yes,  he  would  be  sure  to  do  that ',  said  the  Prince  ;  and  so 
he  sat  there  the  whole  day,  for  he  and  the  Princess  were  soon 
great  friends,  and  had  made  up  their  minds  to  have  one 
another,  and  so  the  first  day  of  his  service  with  the  Giant 
was  not  long,  you  may  fancy.  But  when  the  evening  drew 
on,  she  said  'twould  be  as  well  if  he  got  the  stable  cleaned 
out  before  the  Giant  came  home  ;  and  when  he  went  to  the 
stable,  he  thought  he  would  just  see  if  what  she  had  said  were 
true,  and  so  he  began  to  work  like  the  grooms  in  his  father's 
stable  ;  but  he  soon  had  enough  of  that,  for  he  hadn't  worked 
a  minute  before  the  stable  was  so  full  of  dung  that  he  hadn't 
room  to  stand.  Then  he  did  as  the  Princess  bade  him,  and 
turned  up  the  fork  and  worked  with  the  handle,  and  lo  !  in 
a  trice  the  stable  was  as  clean  as  if  it  had  been  scoured.  And 
when  he  had  done  his  work,  he  went  back  into  the  room  where 
the  Giant  had  given  him  leave  to  be,  and  began  to  walk  up 
and  down,  and  to  carol  and  sing.  So  after  a  bit,  home  came 
the  Giant  with  his  goats. 

*  Have  you  cleaned  the  stable  ?  '  asked  the  Giant. 

*  Yes,  now  it's  all  right  and  tight,  master ',  answered  the 
Prince. 

'  I'll  soon  see  if  it  is',  growled  the  Giant,  and  strode  off  to  the 
stable,  where  he  found  it  just  as  the  Prince  had  said. 

*  You've  been  talking  to  my  Mastermaid,  I  can  see  ',  said 
the  Giant ;  '  for  you've  not  sucked  this  knowledge  out  of 
your  own  breast.' 

'  Mastermaid  !  '  said  the  Prince,  who  looked  as  stupid  as  an 
owl,  *  what  sort  of  thing  is  that,  master  ?  I'd  be  very  glad  to 
see  it.* 

*  Well,  well  !  '  said  the  Giant ;  *  you'll  see  her  soon  enough  ' . 
Next  day  the  Giant  set  off  with  his  goats  again,  and  before 

he  went  he  told  the  Prince  to  fetch  home  his  horse,  which  was 


k 


140  Tales  from  the  Norse 

out  at  grass  on  the  hill-side,  and  when  he  had  done  that  he 
might  rest  all  the  day. 

*  For  you  must  know,  it  is  an  easy  master  you  have  come  to  ', 
said  the  Giant ;  '  but  if  you  go  into  any  of  the  rooms  I  spoke 
of  yesterday,  I'll  wring  your  head  off.' 

So  off  he  went  with  his  flock  of  goats. 

'  An  easy  master  you  are  indeed  ',  said  the  Prince  ;  *  but 
for  all  that,  I'll  just  go  in  and  have  a  chat  with  your  Master- 
maid  ;  may  be  she'll  be  as  soon  mine  as  yours.'  So  he  went 
in  to  her,  and  she  asked  him  what  he  had  to  do  that  day. 

'  Oh  !  nothing  to  be  afraid  of  ',  said  he  ;  *  I've  only  to  go  up 
to  the  hill-side  to  fetch  his  horse.' 

*  Very  well,  and  how  will  you  set  about  it  ? 

*  Well,  for  that  matter,  there's  no  great  art  in  riding  ahorse 
home.  I  fancy  I've  ridden  fresher  horses  before  now  ',  said 
the  Prince. 

*  Ah,  but  this  isn't  so  easy  a  task  as  you  think  ;  but  I'U 
teach  you  how  to  do  it.  When  you  get  near  it,  fire  and  flame 
will  come  out  of  its  nostrils,  as  out  of  a  tar  barrel  ;  but  look 
out,  and  take  the  bit  which  hangs  behind  the  door  yonder, 
and  throw  it  right  into  his  jaws,  and  he  will  grow  so  tame  that 
you  may  do  what  you  like  with  him.* 

Yes  !  the  Prince  would  mind  and  do  that ;  and  so  he  sat 
in  there  the  whole  day,  talking  and  chattering  with  the  Master- 
maid  about  one  thing  and  another,  but  they  always  came  back 
to  how  happy  they  would  be  if  they  could  only  have  one 
another,  and  get  well  away  from  the  Giant ;  and,  to  tell  the 
truth,  the  Prince  would  have  clean  forgotten  both  the  horse 
and  the  hill-side,  if  the  Mastermaid  hadn't  put  him  in  mind  of 
them  when  evening  drew  on,  telling  him  he  had  better  set  out 
to  fetch  the  horse  before  the  Giant  came  home.  So  he  set 
off,  and  took  the  bit  which  hung  in  the  corner,  ran  up  the  hill, 
and  it  wasn't  long  before  he  met  the  horse,  with  fire  and 
flame  streaming  out  of  its  nostrils.  But  he  watched  his  time, 
and,  as  the  horse  came  open-jawed  up  to  him,  he  threw  the 
bit  into  its  mouth,  and  it  stood  as  quiet  as  a  lamb.  After 
that,  it  was  no  great  matter  to  ride  it  home  and  put  it  up,  you 
may  fancy  ;  and  then  the  Prince  went  into  his  room  again, 
and  began  to  carol  and  sing. 

So  the  Giant  came  home  again  at  even  with  his  goats  ;  and 
the  first  words  he  said  were  : 


i 


The  Mastermaid  141 

'  Have  you  brought  my  horse  down  from  the  hill  ?  " 

*  Yes,  master,  that  I  have  ',  said  the  Prince  ;  '  and  a  better 
horse  I  never  bestrode  ;  but  for  all  that  I  rode  him  straight 
home,  and  put  him  up  safe  and  sound.' 

'  I'll  soon  see  to  that ',  said  the  Giant,  and  ran  out  to  the 
stable,  and  there  stood  the  horse  just  as  the  Prince  had  said. 

'  You've  talked  to  my  Mastermaid,  I'll  be  bound,  for  you 
haven't  sucked  this  out  of  your  own  breast ',  said  the  Giant 
again. 

'  Yesterday  master  talked  of  this  Mastermaid,  and  to-day 
it's  the  same  story  ',  said  the  Prince,  who  pretended  to  be  silly 
and  stupid.  '  Bless  you,  master  !  why  don't  you  show  me  the 
thing  at  once  ?     I  should  so  like  to  see  it  only  once  in  my  life.* 

'  Oh,  if  that's  all ',  said  the  Giant,  '  you'll  see  her  soon 
enough.' 

The  third  day,  at  dawn,  the  Giant  went  off  to  the  wood 
again  with  his  goats  ;  but  before  he  went  he  said  to  the  Prince  : 

'  To-day  you  must  go  to  Hell  and  fetch  my  fire-tax.  When 
you  have  done  that  you  can  rest  yourself  all  day,  for  you  must 
know  it  is  an  easy  master  you  have  come  to  '  ;  and  with  that 
off  he  went. 

'  Easy  master,  indeed  !  *  said  the  Prince.  '  You  may  be 
easy,  but  you  set  me  hard  tasks  all  the  same.  But  I  may 
as  well  see  if  I  can  find  your  Mastermaid,  as  you  call  her.  I 
daresay  she'll  tell  me  what  to  do  '  ;  and  so  in  he  went  to  her 
again. 

So  when  the  Mastermaid  asked  what  the  Giant  had  set  him 
to  do  that  day,  he  told  her  how  he  was  to  go  to  Hell  and  fetch 
the  fire-tax. 

'  And  how  will  you  set  about  it  ?  '  asked  the  Mastermaid. 

'  Oh,  that  you  must  tell  me  ',  said  the  Prince.  *  I  have 
never  been  to  Hell  in  my  life  ;  and  even  if  I  knew  the  way,  I 
don't  know  how  much  I  am  to  ask  for.' 

*  Well,  I'll  soon  tell  you  ',  said  the  Mastermaid  ;  *  you  must 
go  to  the  steep  rock  away  yonder,  under  the  hill-side,  and  take 
the  club  that  lies  there,  and  knock  on  the  face  of  the  rock. 
Then  there  will  come  out  one  all  glistening  with  fire  ;  to  him 
you  must  tell  your  errand  ;  and  when  he  asks  you  how  much 
you  will  have,  mind  you  say,  "  As  much  as  I  can  carry."  * 

Yes  ;  he  would  be  sure  to  say  that  ;  so  he  sat  in  there  with 
the  Mastermaid  all  that  day  too ;   and  though  evening  drew 


142  Tales  from  the  Norse 


on,  he  would  have  sat  there  till  now,  had  not  the  Mastermaid 
put  him  in  mind  that  it  was  high  time  to  be  off  to  Hell  to 
fetch  the  Giant's  fire-tax  before  he  came  home.  So  he  went 
on  his  way,  and  did  just  as  the  Mastermaid  had  told  him  ;  and 
when  he  reached  the  rock,  he  took  up  the  club  and  gave  a 
great  thump.  Then  the  rock  opened,  and  out  came  one  whose 
face  ghstened,  and  out  of  whose  eyes  and  nostrils  flew  sparks 
of  fire. 

*  What  is  your  will  ?  '  said  he. 

*  Oh  !  I'm  only  come  from  the  Giant  to  fetch  his  fire-tax  ', 
said  the  Prince. 

*  How  much  will  you  have  then  ?  '  said  the  other. 

*  I  never  wish  for  more  than  I  am  able  to  carry  ',  said  the 
Prince. 

*  Lucky  for  you  that  you  did  not  ask  for  a  whole  horse-load  ', 
said  he  who  came  out  of  the  rock  ;  *  but  come  now  into  the 
rock  with  me,  and  you  shall  have  it.' 

So  the  Prince  went  in  with  him,  and  you  may  fancy  what 
heaps  and  heaps  of  gold  and  silver  he  saw  lying  in  there,  just 
like  stones  in  a  gravel  pit ;  and  he  got  a  load  just  as  big  as 
he  was  able  to  carry,  and  set  off  home  with  it.  Now,  when  the 
Giant  came  home  with  his  goats  at  even,  the  Prince  went  into 
his  room,  and  began  to  carol  and  sing  as  he  had  done  the 
evenings  before. 

*  Have  you  been  to  Hell  after  my  fire-tax  ?  *  roared  the 
Giant. 

'  Oh  yes  ;  that  I  have,  master  ',  answered  the  Prince. 

*  Where  have  you  put  it  ?  '  said  the  Giant. 

*  There  stands  the  sack  on  the  bench  yonder ',  said  the  Prince. 

*  I'll  soon  see  to  that ',  said  the  Giant,  who  strode  off  to 
the  bench,  and  there  he  saw  the  sack  so  full  that  the  gold  and 
silver  dropped  out  on  the  floor  as  soon  as  ever  he  untied  the 
string. 

'  You've  been  talking  to  my  Mastermaid,  that  I  can  see  *, 
said  the  Giant ;  *  but  if  you  have,  I'U  wring  your  head  off.* 

'  Mastermaid  !  '  said  the  Prince  ;  '  yesterday  master  talked 
of  this  Mastermaid,  and  to-day  he  talks  of  her  again,  and  the 
day  before  yesterday  it  was  the  same  story.  I  only  wish  I 
could  see  what  sort  of  thing  she  is  !  that  I  do.' 

*  Well,  well,  wait  till  to-morrow  ',  said  the  Giant,  '  and  then 
I'U  take  you  in  to  her  myself.' 


The  Mastermaid  143 

'  Thank  you  kindly,  master  ',  said  the  Prince  ;  '  but  it's 
only  a  joke  of  master's,  I'll  be  bound.' 

So  next  day  the  Giant  took  him  in  to  the  Mastermaid,  and 
said  to  her : 

'  Now,  you  must  cut  his  throat,  and  boil  him  in  the  great 
big  pot  you  wot  of ;  and  when  the  broth  is  ready,  just  give  me 
a  call.' 

After  that,  he  laid  him  down  on  the  bench  to  sleep,  and 
began  to  snore  so,  that  it  sounded  like  thunder  on  the  hills. 

So  the  Mastermaid  took  a  knife  and  cut  the  Prince  in  his 
little  finger,  and  let  three  drops  of  blood  fall  on  a  three-legged 
stool ;  and  after  that  she  took  all  the  old  rags,  and  soles  of  shoes, 
and  all  the  rubbish  she  could  lay  hands  on,  and  put  them  into 
the  pot ;  and  then  she  filled  a  chest  full  of  ground  gold,  and 
took  a  lump  of  salt,  and  a  flask  of  water  that  hung  behind  the 
door,  and  she  took,  besides,  a  golden  apple,  and  two  golden 
chickens,  and  off  she  set  with  the  Prince  from  the  Giant's 
house  as  fast  as  they  could  ;  and  when  they  had  gone  a  little 
way,  they  came  to  the  sea,  and  after  that  they  sailed  over  the 
sea  ;  but  where  they  got  the  ship  from,  I  have  never  heard  tell. 

So  when  the  Giant  had  slumbered  a  good  bit,  he  began  to 
stretch  himself  as  he  lay  on  the  bench  and  called  out,  *  Will 
it  be  soon  done  ?  * 

'  Only  just  begun  ',  answered  the  first  drop  of  blood  on  the 
stool. 

So  the  Giant  lay  down  to  sleep  again,  and  slumbered  a  long, 
long  time.  At  last  he  began  to  toss  about  a  httle,  and  cried 
out: 

'  Do  you  hear  what  I  say  ;  will  it  be  soon  done  ?  '  but  he 
did  not  look  up  this  time,  any  more  than  the  first,  for  he  was 
still  half  asleep. 

'  Half  done  ',  said  the  second  drop  of  blood. 

Then  the  Giant  thought  again  it  was  the  Mastermaid,  so 
he  turned  over  on  his  other  side,  and  fell  asleep  again  ;  and 
when  he  had  gone  on  sleeping  for  many  hours,  he  began  to 
stir  and  stretch  his  old  bones,  and  to  call  out, — 

'  Isn't  it  done  yet  ?  ' 

'  Done  to  a  turn  *,  said  the  third  drop  of  blood. 

Then  the  Giant  rose  up  and  began  to  rub  his  eyes,  but  he 
couldn't  see  who  it  was  that  was  talking  to  him,  so  he  searched 
and  called  for  the  Mastermaid,  but  no  one  answered. 


144  Tales  from  the  Norse 

'  Ah.  well !  I  dare  say  she's  just  run  out  of  doors  for  a  bit  *, 
he  thought,  and  took  up  a  spoon  and  went  up  to  the  pot  to 
taste  the  broth  ;  but  he  found  nothing  but  shoe-soles,  and 
rags,  and  such  stuff ;  and  it  was  all  boiled  up  together,  so  that 
he  couldn't  tell  which  was  thick  and  which  was  thin.  As 
soon  as  he  saw  this,  he  could  tell  how  things  had  gone,  and  he 
got  so  angry  he  scarce  knew  which  leg  to  stand  upon.  Away 
he  went  after  the  Prince  and  the  Mastermaid,  till  the  wind 
whistled  behind  him  ;  but  before  long,  he  came  to  the  water 
and   couldn't  cross  it. 

*  Never  mind  ',  he  said  ;  *  I  know  a  cure  for  this.  I've  only 
got  to  call  on  my  stream-sucker.' 

So  he  called  on  his  stream-sucker,  and  he  came  and  stooped 
down,  and  took  one,  two,  three  gulps  ;  and  then  the  water 
fell  so  much  in  the  sea,  that  the  Giant  could  see  the  Master- 
maid  and  the  Prince  saiUng  in  their  ship. 

'  Now,  you  must  cast  out  the  lump  of  salt ',  said  the  Master- 
maid. 

So  the  Prince  threw  it  overboard,  and  it  grew  up  into  a 
mountain  so  high,  right  across  the  sea,  that  the  Giant  couldn't 
pass  it,  and  the  stream-sucker  couldn't  help  him  by  swilling 
any  more  water. 

'  Never  mind  !  '  cried  the  Giant ;  *  there's  a  cure  for  this 
too.'  So  he  called  on  his  hill-borer  to  come  and  bore  through 
the  mountain,  that  the  stream-sucker  might  creep  through 
and  take  another  swill ;  but  just  as  they  had  made  a  hole 
through  the  hill,  and  the  stream-sucker  was  about  to  drink, 
the  Mastermaid  told  the  Prince  to  throw  overboard  a  drop 
or  two  out  of  the  flask,  and  then  the  sea  was  just  as  full  as 
ever,  and  before  the  stream-sucker  could  take  another  gulp, 
they  reached  the  land  and  were  saved  from  the  Giant. 

So  they  made  up  their  minds  to  go  home  to  the  Prince's 
father,  but  the  Prince  would  not  hear  of  the  Mastermaid's 
walking,  for  he  thought  it  seemly  neither  for  her  nor  for  him. 

'  Just  wait  here  ten  minutes  ',  he  said,  *  while  I  go  home 
after  the  seven  horses  which  stand  in  my  father's  stall.  It's 
no  great  way  off,  and  I  shan't  be  long  about  it ;  but  I  will  not 
hear  of  my  sweetheart  walking  to  my  father's  palace.* 

*  Ah  !  '  said  the  Mastermaid,  *  pray  don't  leave  me,  for  if 
you  once  get  home  to  the  palace,  you'll  forget  me  outright  ; 
I  know  you  will.' 


The  Mastermaid  145 

'  Oh  !  '  said  he,  *  how  can  I  forget  you  ;  you  with  whom  I 
have  gone  through  so  much,  and  whom  I  love  so  dearly  ?  ' 

There  was  no  help  for  it,  he  must  and  would  go  home  to 
fetch  the  coach  and  seven  horses,  and  she  was  to  wait  for 
him  by  the  seaside.  So  at  last  the  Mastermaid  was  forced 
to  let  him  have  his  way  ;  she  only  said  : 

*  Now,  when  you  get  home,  don't  stop  so  much  as  to  say  good 
day  to  any  one,  but  go  straight  to  the  stable  and  put  to  the 
horses,  and  drive  back  as  quick  as  you  can  ;  for  they  will 
all  come  about  you  ;  but  do  as  though  you  did  not  see  them  ; 
and  above  all  things,  mind  you  do  not  taste  a  morsel  of  food, 
for  if  you  do,  we  shall  both  come  to  grief.' 

All  this  the  Prince  promised  ;  but  he  thought  all  the  time 
there  was  little  fear  of  his  forgetting  her. 

Now,  just  as  he  came  home  to  the  palace,  one  of  his  brothers 
was  thinking  of  holding  his  bridal  feast,  and  the  bride,  and  all 
her  kith  and  kin,  were  just  come  to  the  palace.  So  they  all 
thronged  round  him,  and  asked  about  this  thing  and  that, 
and  wanted  him  to  go  in  with  them  ;  but  he  made  as  though 
he  did  not  see  them,  and  went  straight  to  the  stall  and  got  out 
the  horses,  and  began  to  put  them  to.  And  when  they  saw 
they  could  not  get  him  to  go  in,  they  came  out  to  him  with  meat 
and  drink,  and  the  best  of  everything  they  had  got  ready  for 
the  feast ;  but  the  Prince  would  not  taste  so  much  as  a  crumb, 
and  put  to  as  fast  as  he  could.  At  last  the  bride's  sister  rolled 
an  apple  across  the  yard  to  him,  saying : 

'  Well,  if  you  won't  eat  anything  else,  you  may  as  well 
take  a  bite  of  this,  for  you  must  be  both  hungry  and  thirsty 
after  so  long  a  journey.' 

So  he  took  up  the  apple  and  bit  a  piece  out  of  it ;  but  he 
had  scarce  done  so,  before  he  forgot  the  Mastermaid,  and  how 

I  he  was  to  drive  back  for  her. 
'  Well,  I  think  I  must  be  mad  ',  he  said  ;    *  what  am  I  to 
do  with  this  coach  and  horses  ?  ' 
So  he  put  the  horses  up  again,  and  went  along  with  the  others 
into  the  palace,  and  it  was  soon  settled  that  he  should  have 
the  bride's  sister,  who  had  rolled  the  apple  over  to  him. 
There  sat  the  Mastermaid  by  the  seashore,  and  waited  and 
waited  for  the  Prince,  but  no  Prince  came  ;  so  at  last  she  went 
up  from  the  shore,  and  after  she  had  gone  a  bit  she  came  to 
a  Uttle  hut  which  lay  by  itself  in  a  copse  close  by  the  king's 
I 


146 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


palace.  She  went  in  and  asked  if  she  might  lodge  there.  It 
was  an  old  dame  that  owned  the  hut,  and  a  cross-grained 
scolding  hag  she  was  as  ever  you  saw.  At  first  she  would 
not  hear  of  the  Mastermaid's  lodging  in  her  house,  but  at  last, 
for  fair  words  and  high  rent,  the  Mastermaid  got  leave  to  be 
there.  Now  the  hut  was  as  dark  and  dirty  as  a  pigsty,  so 
the  Mastermaid  said  she  would  smarten  it  up  a  little,  that  their 
house  might  look  inside  like  other  people's.  The  old  hag  did 
not  Hke  this  either,  and  showed  her  teeth,  and  was  cross  ; 
but  the  Mastermaid  did  not  mind  her.  She  took  her  chest 
of  gold,  and  threw  a  handful  or  so  into  the  fire,  and  lo  !  the  gold 
melted,  and  bubbled  and  boiled  over  out  of  the  grate,  and 
spread  itself  over  the  whole  hut,  till  it  was  gilded  both  outside 
and  in.  But  as  soon  as  the  gold  began  to  bubble  and  boil, 
the  old  hag  got  so  afraid  that  she  tried  to  run  out  as  if  the  Evil 
One  were  at  her  heels  ;  and  as  she  ran  out  at  the  door,  she  for- 
got to  stoop,  and  gave  her  head  such  a  knock  against  the  lintel, 
that  she  broke  her  neck,  and  that  was  the  end  of  her. 

Next  morning  the  Constable  passed  that  way,  and  you  may 
fancy  he  could  scarce  believe  his  eyes  when  he  saw  the  golden 
hut  shining  and  glistening  away  in  the  copse  ;  but  he  was 
still  more  astonished  when  he  went  in  and  saw  the  lovely 
maiden  who  sat  there.  To  make  a  long  story  short,  he  fell 
over  head  and  ears  in  love  with  her,  and  begged  and  prayed 
her  to  become  his  wife. 

'  Well,  but  have  you  much  money  ?  *  asked  the  Mastermaid. 

Yes,  for  that  matter,  he  said,  he  was  not  so  badly  off,  and 
off  he  went  home  to  fetch  the  money,  and  when  he  came  back 
at  even  he  brought  a  half-bushel  sack,  and  set  it  down  on  the 
bench.  So  the  Mastermaid  said  she  would  have  him,  since  he 
was  so  rich  ;  but  they  were  scarce  in  bed  before  she  said  she 
must  get  up  again  : 

'  For  I  have  forgotten  to  make  up  the  fire.' 

'  Pray,  don't  stir  out  of  bed  ',  said  the  Constable  ;  *  I'll  see 
to  it.' 

So  he  jumped  out  of  bed,  and  stood  on  the  hearth  in  a 
trice. 

'  As  soon  as  you  have  got  hold  of  the  shovel,  just  tell  me  *, 
said  the  Mastermaid. 

'  Well,  I  am  holding  it  now  *,  said  the  Constable. 

Then  the  Mastermaid  said: 


The  Mastermaid  147 

*  God  grant  that  you  may  hold  the  shovel,  and  the  shovel 
you,  and  may  you  heap  hot  burning  coals  over  yourself  till 
morning  breaks.' 

So  there  stood  the  Constable  all  night  long,  shovelling  hot 
burning  coals  over  himself  ;  and  though  he  begged,  and  prayed, 
and  wept,  the  coals  were  not  a  bit  colder  for  that ;  but  as 
soon  as  day  broke,  and  he  had  power  to  cast  away  the  shovel, 
he  did  not  stay  long,  as  you  may  fancy,  but  set  off  as  if  the 
Evil  One  or  the  bailiff  were  at  his  heels  ;  and  all  who  met  him 
stared  their  eyes  out  at  him,  for  he  cut  capers  as  though  he 
were  mad,  and  he  could  not  have  looked  in  worse  plight  if  he 
had  been  flayed  and  tanned,  and  every  one  wondered  what 
had  befallen  him,  but  he  told  no  one  where  he  had  been,  for 
shame's  sake. 

Next  day  the  Attorney  passed  by  the  place  where  the  Master- 
maid  Hved,  and  he  too  saw  how  it  shone  and  glistened  in  the 
copse  ;  so  he  turned  aside  to  find  out  who  owned  the  hut ; 
and  when  he  came  in  and  saw  the  lovely  maiden,  he  fell  more 
in  love  with  her  than  the  Constable,  and  began  to  woo  her  in 
hot  haste. 

Well,  the  Mastermaid  asked  him,  as  she  had  asked  the 
Constable,  if  he  had  a  good  lot  of  money  ?  and  the  Attorney 
said  he  wasn't  so  badly  off ;  and  as  a  proof  he  went  home  to 
fetch  his  money.  So  at  even  he  came  back  with  a  great  fat 
sack  of  money — I  think  it  was  a  whole  bushel  sack — and  set  it 
down  on  the  bench  ;  and  the  long  and  the  short  of  the  matter 
was,  that  he  was  to  have  her,  and  they  went  to  bed.  But  all 
at  once  the  Mastermaid  had  forgotten  to  shut  the  door  of  the 
porch,  and  she  must  get  up  and  make  it  fast  for  the  night. 

'  What,  you  do  that !  '  said  the  Attorney,  '  while  I  lie  here  ; 
that  can  never  be  ;  He  still,  while  I  go  and  do  it.* 

So  up  he  jumped,  like  a  pea  on  a  drum-head,  and  ran  out 
into  the  porch. 

*  Tell  me  ',  said  the  Mastermaid,  *  when  you  have  hold  of 
the  door-latch.' 

'  I've  got  hold  of  it  now  ',  said  the  Attorney. 

'  God  grant,  then  ',  said  the  Mastermaid,  *  that  you  may 
hold  the  door,  and  the  door  you,  and  that  you  may  go  from 
wall  to  wall  till  day  dawns.* 

So  you  may  fancy  what  a  dance  the  Attorney  had  all  night 
long  ;    such  a  waJtz  he  never  had  before,  and  I  don't  think 


148  Tales  from  the  Norse 

he  would  much  care  if  he  never  had  such  a  waltz  again.  Now 
he  pulled  the  door  forward,  and  then  the  door  pulled  him  back, 
and  so  he  went  on,  now  dashed  into  one  corner  of  the  porch, 
and  now  into  the  other,  till  he  was  almost  battered  to  death. 
At  first  he  began  to  curse  and  swear,  and  then  to  beg  and  pray, 
but  the  door  cared  for  nothing  but  holding  its  own  till  break 
of  day.  As  soon  as  it  let  go  its  hold,  off  set  the  Attorney,  leaving 
behind  him  his  money  to  pay  for  his  night's  lodging,  and 
forgetting  his  courtship  altogether,  for  to  tell  the  truth,  he  was 
afraid  lest  the  house-door  should  come  dancing  after  him.  All 
who  met  him  stared  and  gaped  at  him,  for  he  too  cut  capers 
like  a  madman,  and  he  could  not  have  looked  in  worse  plight 
if  he  had  spent  the  whole  night  in  butting  against  a  flock  of 
rams. 

The  third  day  the  Sheriff  passed  that  way,  and  he  too  saw 
the  golden  hut,  and  turned  aside  to  find  out  who  lived  there  ; 
and  he  had  scarce  set  eyes  on  the  Mastermaid,  before  he  began 
to  woo  her.  So  she  answered  him  as  she  had  answered  the 
other  two.  If  he  had  lots  of  money  she  would  have  him,  if 
not,  he  might  go  about  his  business.  Well,  the  Sheriff  said  he 
wasn't  so  badly  off,  and  he  would  go  home  and  fetch  the 
money,  and  when  he  came  again  at  even,  he  had  a  bigger  sack 
even  than  the  Attorney — it  must  have  been  at  least  a  bushel 
and  a  half,  and  put  it  down  on  the  bench.  So  it  was  soon 
settled  that  he  was  to  have  the  Mastermaid,  but  they  had 
scarce  gone  to  bed  before  the  Mastermaid  said  she  had  forgotten 
to  bring  home  the  calf  from  the  meadow,  so  she  must  get  up 
and  drive  him  into  the  stall.  Then  the  Sheriff  swore  by  all 
the  powers  that  should  never  be,  and,  stout  and  fat  as  he  was, 
up  he  jumped  as  nimbly  as  a  kitten. 

'  Well,  only  tell  me  when  you've  got  hold  of  the  calf's  tail ', 
said  the  Mastermaid. 

'  Now  I  have  hold  of  it ',  said  the  Sheriff. 
'  God  grant ',  said  the  Mastermaid,   '  that  you  may  hold 
the  calf's  tail,  and  the  calf's  tail  you,  and  that  you  may  make 
a  tour  of  the  world  together  till  day  dawns  '. 

Well  you  may  just  fancy  how  the  Sheriff  had  to  stretch 
his  legs  ;  away  they  went,  the  calf  and  he,  over  high  and 
low,  across  hill  and  dale,  and  the  more  the  Sheriff  cursed  and 
swore,  the  faster  the  calf  ran  and  jumped.  At  dawn  of  day 
the   poor   Sheriff  was  well  nigh  broken-wdnded,  and  so  glad 


The  Mastermaid  149 

was  he  to  let  go  the  calf's  tail,  that  he  forgot  his  sack  of  money 
and  everything  else.  As  he  was  a  great  man,  he  went^a  Uttle 
slower  than  the  Attorney  and  the  Constable,  but  the  slower  he 
went  the  more  time  people  had  to  gape  and  stare  at  him  ;  and 
I  must  say  they  made  good  use  of  their  time,  for  he  was  terribly 
tattered  and  torn,  after  his  dance  with  the  calf. 

Next  day  was  fixed  for  the  wedding  at  the  palace,  and  the 
eldest  brother  was  to  drive  to  church  with  his  bride,  and  the 
younger,  who  had  lived  with  the  Giant,  with  the  bride's  sister. 
But  when  they  had  got  into  the  coach,  and  were  just  going 
to  drive  off,  one  of  the  trace-pins  snapped  off  ;  and  though 
they  made  at  least  three  in  its  place,  they  all  broke,  from 
whatever  sort  of  wood  they  were  made.  So  time  went  on  and 
on,  and  they  couldn't  get  to  church,  and  every  one  grew  very 
downcast.  But  all  at  once  the  Constable  said,  for  he  too  was 
bidden  to  the  wedding,  that  yonder  away  in  the  copse  lived  a 
maiden. 

'  And  if  you  can  only  get  her  to  lend  you  the  handle  of  her 
shovel  with  which  she  makes  up  her  fire,  I  know  very  well 
it  will  hold.' 

Well !  they  sent  a  messenger  on  the  spot,  with  such  a  pretty 
message  to  the  maiden,  to  know  if  they  couldn't  get  the  loan 
of  her  shovel  which  the  Constable  had  spoken  of ;  and  the 
maiden  said  '  yes  ',  they  might  have  it ;  so  they  got  a  trace-pin 
which  wasn't  likely  to  snap. 

But  all  at  once,  just  as  they  were  driving  off,  the  bottom  of 
the  coach  tumbled  to  bits.  So  they  set  to  work  to  make  a 
new  bottom  as  they  best  might ;  but  it  mattered  not  how  many 
nails  they  put  into  it,  nor  of  what  wood  they  made  it,  for  as 
soon  as  ever  they  got  the  bottom  well  into  the  coach  and  were 
driving  ofi,  snap  it  went  in  two  again,  and  they  were  even 
worse  off  than  when  they  lost  the  trace-pin.  Just  then  the 
Attorney  said — for  if  the  Constable  was  there,  you  may 
fancy  the  Attorney  was  there  too  :  '  Away  yonder,  in  the  copse, 
lives  a  maiden,  and  if  you  could  only  get  her  to  lend  you  one- 
half  of  her  porch-door,  I  know  it  can  hold  together.' 

Well !  they  sent  another  message  to  the  copse,  and  asked  so 
prettily  if  they  couldn't  have  the  loan  of  the  gilded  porch- 
door  which  the  Attorney  had  talked  of ;  and  they  got  it  on 
the  spot.  So  they  were  just  setting  out ;  but  now  the  horses 
were  not  strong  enough  to  draw  the  coach,  though  there  were 


150  Tales  from  the  Norse 

six  of  them  ;  then  they  put  on  eight,  and  ten,  and  twelve, 
but  the  more  they  put  on,  and  the  more  the  coachman  whipped, 
the  more  the  coach  wouldn't  stir  an  inch.  By  this  time  it 
was  far  on  in  the  day,  and  every  one  about  the  palace  was  in 
doleful  dumps  ;  for  to  church  they  must  go,  and  yet  it  looked 
as  if  they  should  never  get  there.  So  at  last  the  Sheriff  said, 
that  yonder  in  the  gilded  hut,  in  the  copse,  lived  a  maiden,  and 
if  they  could  only  get  the  loan  of  her  calf : 

'  I  know  it  can  drag  the  coach,  though  it  were  as  heavy  as 
a  mountain.' 

Well  they  all  thought  it  would  look  silly  to  be  drawn  to 
church  by  a  calf,  but  there  was  no  help  for  it,  so  they  had  to 
send  a  third  time,  and  ask  so  prettily  in  the  King's  name,  if 
he  couldn't  get  the  loan  of  the  calf  the  Sheriff  had  spoken  of, 
and  the  Mastermaid  let  them  have  it  on  the  spot,  for  she  was 
not  going  to  say  '  no  '  this  time  either.  So  they  put  the  calf 
on  before  the  horses,  and  waited  to  see  if  it  would  do  any  good, 
and  away  went  the  coach  over  high  and  low,  and  stock  and 
stone,  so  that  they  could  scarce  draw  their  breath  ;  sometimes 
they  were  on  the  ground,  and  sometimes  up  in  the  air,  and 
when  they  reached  the  church,  the  calf  began  to  run  round 
and  round  it  like  a  spinning  jenny,  so  that  they  had  hard 
work  to  get  out  of  the  coach,  and  into  the  church.  When 
they  went  back,  it  was  the  same  story,  only  they  went  faster, 
and  they  reached  the  palace  almost  before  they  knew  they 
had  set  out. 

Now  when  they  sat  down  to  dinner,  the  Prince  who  had 
served  with  the  Giant  said  he  thought  they  ought  to  ask  the 
maiden  who  had  lent  them  her  shovel-handle  and  porch-door, 
and  calf,  to  come  up  to  the  palace. 

'  For  ',  said  he,  *  if  we  hadn't  got  these  three  thinjrs,  we 
should  have  been  sticking  here  still.' 

Yes  ;  the  King  thought  that  only  fair  and  right,  so  he  sent 
five  of  his  best  men  down  to  the  gilded  hut  to  greet  the  maiden 
from  the  King,  and  to  ask  her  if  she  wouldn't  be  so  good  as  to 
come  up  and  dine  at  the  palace. 

'  Greet  the  King  from  me  ',  said  the  Mastermaid,  '  and  tell 
him,  if  he's  too  good  to  come  to  me,  so  am  I  too  good  to  go  to 
him.' 

So  the  King  had  to  go  himself,  and  then  the  Mastermaid 
went  up  with  him  without  more  ado  ;  and  as  the  King  thought 


The  Cat  on  the  Dovrefell  151 

she  was  more  than  she  seemed  to  be,  he  sat  her  down  in  the 
highest  seat  by  the  side  of  the  youngest  bridegroom. 

Now,  when  they  had  sat  a  Uttle  while  at  table,  the  Master- 
maid  took  out  her  golden  apple,  and  the  golden  cock  and  hen, 
which  she  had  carried  off  from  the  Giant,  and  put  them  down 
on  the  table  before  her,  and  the  cock  and  hen  began  at  once 
to  peck  at  one  another,  and  to  fight  for  the  golden  apple. 

'  Oh  !  only  look  ',  said  the  Prince  ;  *  see  how  those  two  strive 
for  the  apple.' 

'  Yes  !  *  said  the  Mastermaid  ;  *  so  we  two  strove  to  get  away 
that  time  when  we  were  together  in  the  hillside.' 

Then  the  spell  was  broken,  and  the  Prince  knew  her  again, 
and  you  may  fancy  how  glad  he  was.  But  as  for  the  witch 
who  had  rolled  the  apple  over  to  him,  he  had  her  torn  to  pieces 
between  twenty-four  horses,  so  that  there  was  not  a  bit  of  her 
left,  and  after  that  they  held  on  with  the  wedding  in  real  earn- 
est ;  and  though  they  were  still  stiff  and  footsore,  the  Con- 
stable, the  Attorney,  and  the  Sheriff,  kept  it  up  with  the  best 
of  them. 


THE  CAT  ON  THE  DOVREFELL 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  man  up  in  Finnmark  who  had 
caught  a  great  white  bear,  which  he  was  going  to  take  to  the 
king  of  Denmark.  Now,  it  so  fell  out,  that  he  came  to  the 
Dovrefell  just  about  Christmas  Eve,  and  there  he  turned  into 
a  cottage  where  a  man  lived,  whose  name  was  Halvor,  and 
asked  the  man  if  he  could  get  house-room  there,  for  his  bear 
and  himself. 

'  Heaven  never  help  me,  if  what  I  say  isn't  true  !  '  said  the 
man  ;  '  but  we  can't  give  any  one  house-room  just  now,  for 
every  Christmas  Eve  such  a  pack  of  Trolls  come  down  upon 
us,  that  we  are  forced  to  flit,  and  haven't  so  much  as  a  house 
over  our  own  heads,  to  say  nothing  of  lending  one  to  any  one 
else.' 

'  Oh  ?  '  said  the  man,  *  if  that's  all,  you  can  very  well  lend 
me  your  house  ;  my  bear  can  lie  under  the  stove  yonder,  and  I 
can  sleep  in  the  side-room.' 

Well,  he  begged  so  hard,  that  at  last  he  got  leave  to  stay 


t52  Tales  from  the  Norse 

there  ;  so  the  people  of  the  house  flitted  out,  and  before  they 
went,  everything  was  got  ready  for  the  Trolls  ;  the  tables 
were  laid,  and  there  was  rice  porridge,  and  fish  boiled  in  lye, 
and  sausages,  and  all  else  that  was  good,  just  as  for  any  other 
grand  feast. 

So,  when  everything  was  ready,  down  came  the  Trolls. 
Some  were  great,  and  some  were  small ;  some  had  long  tails, 
and  some  had  no  tails  at  all  ;  some,  too,  had  long,  long  noses  ; 
and  they  ate  and  drank,  and  tasted  everything.  Just  then 
one  of  the  little  Trolls  caught  sight  of  the  white  bear,  who  lay 
under  the  stove  ;  so  he  took  a  piece  of  sausage  and  stuck  it  on 
a  fork,  and  went  and  poked  it  up  against  the  bear's  nose, 
screaming  out : 

*  Pussy,  will  you  have  some  sausage  ?  * 

Then  the  white  bear  rose  up  and  growled,  and  hunted 
the  whole  pack  of  them  out  of  doors,  both  great  and  small. 

Next  year  Halvor  was  out  in  the  wood,  on  the  afternoon  of 
Christmas  Eve,  cutting  wood  before  the  holidays,  for  he  thought 
the  Trolls  would  come  again  ;  and  just  as  he  was  hard  at  work, 
he  heard  a  voice  in  the  wood  calling  out : 

'  Halvor  !     Halvor  !  ' 

'  Well  *,  said  Halvor,   '  here  I  am.' 

*  Have  you  got  your  big  cat  with  you  still  ?  * 

*  Yes,  that  I  have  ',  said  Halvor  ;  *  she's  lying  at  home  under 
the  stove,  and  what's  more,  she  has  now  got  seven  kittens,  far 
bigger  and  fiercer  than  she  is  herself.' 

'  Oh,  then,  we'll  never  come  to  see  you  again  ',  bawled  out 
the  Troll  away  in  the  wood,  and  he  kept  his  word  ;  for  since 
that  time  the  Trolls  have  never  eaten  their  Christmas  brose 
with  Halvor  on  the  Dovrefell. 


PRINCESS  ON  THE  GLASS  HILL 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  man  who  had  a  meadow,  which 
lay  high  up  on  the  hill-side,  and  in  the  meadow  was  a  barn, 
which  he  had  built  to  keep  his  hay  in.  Now,  I  must  tell  you, 
there  hadn't  been  much  in  the  barn  for  the  last  year  or  two, 
for  every  St  John's  night,  when  the  grass  stood  greenest  and 
deepest,  the  meadow  was  eaten  down  to  the  very  ground 
the  next  morning,  just  as  if  a  whole  drove  of  sheep  had  been 


Princess  on  the  Glass  Hill  153 

there  feeding  on  it  over  night.  This  happened  once,  and  it 
happened  twice  ;  so  at  last  the  man  grew  weary  of  losing  his 
crop  of  hay,  and  said  to  his  sons — for  he  had  three  of  them, 
and  the  youngest  was  nicknamed  Boots,  of  course — that  now 
one  of  them  must  just  go  and  sleep  in  the  barn  in  the  outlying 
field  when  St  John's  night  came,  for  it  was  too  good  a  joke 
that  his  grass  should  be  eaten,  root  and  blade,  this  year,  as 
it  had  been  the  last  two  years.  So  whichever  of  them  went 
must  keep  a  sharp  look-out ;  that  was  what  their  father 
said. 

Well,  the  eldest  son  was  ready  to  go  and  watch  the  meadow  ; 
trust  him  for  looking  after  the  grass  !  It  shouldn't  be  his 
fault  if  man  or  beast,  or  the  fiend  himself,  got  a  blade  of  grass. 
So,  when  evening  came,  he  set  off  to  the  barn,  and  lay  down 
to  sleep  ;  but  a  little  on  in  the  night  came  such  a  clatter,  and 
such  an  earthquake,  that  walls  and  roof  shook,  and  groaned, 
and  creaked  ;  then  up  jumped  the  lad,  and  took  to  his  heels 
as  fast  as  ever  he  could  ;  nor  dared  he  once  look  round  till 
he  reached  home  ;  and  as  for  the  hay,  why  it  was  eaten  up 
this  year  just  as  it  had  been  twice  before. 

The  next  St  John's  night,  the  man  said  again,  it  would 
never  do  to  lose  all  the  grass  in  the  outlying  field  year  after 
year  in  this  way,  so  one  of  his  sons  must  just  trudge  off  to 
watch  it,  and  watch  it  well  too.  Well,  the  next  oldest  son 
was  ready  to  try  his  luck,  so  he  set  off,  and  lay  down  to  sleep 
in  the  barn  as  his  brother  had  done  before  him  ;  but  as  the 
night  wore  on,  there  came  on  a  rumbling  and  quaking  of  the 
earth,  worse  even  than  on  the  last  St  John's  night,  and  when 
the  lad  heard  it,  he  got  frightened,  and  took  to  his  heels  as 
though  he  were  running  a  race. 

Next  year  the  turn  came  to  Boots  ;  but  when  he  made 
ready  to  go,  the  other  two  began  to  laugh  and  to  make  game 
of  him,  saying  : 

*  You're  just  the  man  to  watch  the  hay,  that  you  are  ;  you, 
who  have  done  nothing  all  your  life  but  sit  in  the  ashes  and 
toast  yourself  by  the  fire.' 

But  Boots  did  not  care  a  pin  for  their  chattering,  and 
stumped  away  as  evening  drew  on,  up  the  hill-side  to  the  out- 
lying field.  There  he  went  inside  the  barn  and  lay  down  ; 
but  in  about  an  hoar's  time  the  bam  began  to  groan  and 
creak,  so  that  it  was  dreadful  to  hear. 


154  Tales  from  the  Norse 

'  Well ',  said  Boots  to  himself,  *  if  it  isn't  worse  than  this, 
I  can  stand  it  well  enough.' 

A  little  while  after  came  another  creak  and  an  earthquake, 
BO  that  the  Utter  in  the  barn  flew  about  the  lad's  ears. 

'  Oh  !  '  said  Boots  to  himself,  '  if  it  isn't  worse  than  this, 
I  daresay  I  can  stand  it  out.' 

But  just  then  came  a  third  rumbling,  and  a  third  earth- 
quake, so  that  the  lad  thought  walls  and  roof  were  coming 
down  on  his  head  ;  but  it  passed  off,  and  all  was  still  as  death 
about  him. 

*  It'll  come  again,  I'll  be  bound  ',  thought  Boots  ;  but  no, 
it  didn't  come  again  ;  still  it  was,  and  still  it  stayed  ;  but 
after  he  had  lain  a  Uttle  while,  he  heard  a  noise  as  if  a  horse 
were  standing  just  outside  the  barn-door,  and  cropping  the 
grass.  He  stole  to  the  door,  and  peeped  through  a  chink,  and 
there  stood  a  horse  feeding  away.  So  big,  and  fat,  and  grand 
a  horse,  Boots  had  never  set  eyes  on  ;  by  his  side  on  the 
grass  lay  a  saddle  and  bridle,  and  a  full  set  of  armour  for  a 
knight,  all  of  brass,  so  bright  that  the  light  gleamed  from 
it. 

*  Ho,  ho  !  '  thought  the  lad  ;  '  it's  you,  is  it,  that  eats  up 
our  hay  ?  I'll  soon  put  a  spoke  in  your  wheel,  just  see  if  I 
don't.* 

So  he  lost  no  time,  but  took  the  steel  out  of  his  tinder-box, 
and  threw  it  over  the  horse  ;  then  it  had  no  power  to  stir 
from  the  spot,  and  became  so  tame  that  the  lad  could  do  what 
he  Hked  with  it.  So  he  got  on  its  back,  and  rode  off  with 
it  to  a  place  which  no  one  knew  of,  and  there  he  put  up  the 
horse.  When  he  got  home,  his  brothers  laughed  and  asked 
how  he  had  fared  ? 

'  You  didn't  lie  long  in  the  bam,  even  if  you  had  the  heart 
to  go  so  far  as  the  field.' 

*  Well ',  said  Boots,  '  all  I  can  say  is,  I  lay  in  the  barn 
till  the  sun  rose,  and  neither  saw  nor  heard  anything  ;  I 
can't  think  what  there  was  in  the  barn  to  make  you  both  so 
afraid.' 

'  A  pretty  story  ',  said  his  brothers  ;  *  but  we'll  soon  see 
how  you  have  watched  the  meadow  '  ;  so  they  set  off  ;  but 
when  they  reached  it,  there  stood  the  grass  as  deep  and  thick 
as  it  had  been  over  night. 

Well,  the  next  St  John's  eve  it  was  the  same  story  ovei 


i 


Princess  on  the  Glass  Hill  155 

again  ;  neither  of  the  elder  brothers  dared  to  go  out  to  the 
outlying  field  to  watch  the  crop  ;  but  Boots,  he  had  the  heart 
to  go,  and  everything  happened  just  as  it  had  happened  the 
year  before.  First  a  clatter  and  an  earthquake,  then  a  greater 
clatter  and  another  earthquake,  and  so  on  a  third  time  ; 
only  this  year  the  earthquakes  were  far  worse  than  the  year 
before.  Then  all  at  once  everything  was  as  still  as  death, 
and  the  lad  heard  how  something  was  cropping  the  grass  out- 
side the  barn-door,  so  he  stole  to  the  door,  and  peeped  through 
a  chink  ;  and  what  do  you  think  he  saw  ?  why,  another  horse 
standing  right  up  against  the  wall,  and  chewing  and  champing 
with  might  and  main.  It  was  far  finer  and  fatter  than  that 
which  came  the  year  before,  and  it  had  a  saddle  on  its  back, 
and  a  bridle  on  its  neck,  and  a  full  suit  of  mail  for  a  knight 
lay  by  its  side,  all  of  silver,  and  as  grand  as  you  would  wish 
to  see. 

'Ho  ho  !  '  said  Boots  to  himself ;  *  it's  you  that  gobbles 
up  our  hay,  is  it  ?  I'll  soon  put  a  spoke  in  your  wheel  *  ; 
and  with  that  he  took  the  steel  out  of  his  tinder-box,  and 
threw  it  over  the  horse's  crest,  which  stood  as  still  as  a  lamb. 
Well,  the  lad  rode  this  horse,  too,  to  the  hiding-place  where 
he  kept  the  other  one,  and  after  that  he  went  home. 

*  I  suppose  you'll  tell  us  ',  said  one  of  his  brothers,  *  there's 
a  fine  crop  this  year  too,  up  in  the  hayfield.* 

'  Well,  so  there  is  ',  said  Boots  ;  and  off  ran  the  others  to 
see,  and  there  stood  the  grass  thick  and  deep,  as  it  was  the 
year  before ;  but  they  didn't  give  Boots  softer  words  for  all 
that. 

Now,  when  the  third  St  John's  eve  came,  the  two  elder 
still  hadn't  the  heart  to  lie  out  in  the  bam  and  watch  the 
grass,  for  they  had  got  so  scared  at  heart  the  night  they  lay 
there  before,  that  they  couldn't  get  over  the  fright ;  but 
Boots,  he  dared  to  go  ;  and,  to  make  a  long  story  short,  the 
very  same  thing  happened  this  time  as  had  happened  twice 
before.  Three  earthquakes  came,  one  after  the  other,  each 
worse  than  the  one  which  went  before,  and  when  the  last 
came,  the  lad  danced  about  with  the  shock  from  one  bam 
waU  to  the  other  ;  and  after  that,  all  at  once,  it  was  still  as 
death.  Now  when  he  had  lain  a  little  while,  he  heard  some- 
thing tugging  away  at  the  grass  outside  the  barn,  so  he  stole 
again  to  the  door-chink,  and  peeped  out,  and  there  stood  a 


156  Tales  from  the  Norse 

horse  close  outside — far,  far  bigger  and  fatter  than  the  two 
he  had  taken  before. 

'  Ho,  ho  !  '  said  the  lad  to  himself,  '  it's  you,  is  it,  that 
comes  here  eating  up  our  hay  ?  I'll  soon  stop  that — I'll  soon 
put  a  spoke  in  your  wheel.'  So  he  caught  up  his  steel  and 
threw  it  over  the  horse's  neck,  and  in  a  trice  it  stood  as  if  it 
were  nailed  to  the  ground,  and  Boots  could  do  as  he  pleased 
with  it.  Then  he  rode  off  with  it  to  the  hiding-place  where  he 
kept  the  other  two,  and  then  went  home.  When  he  got  home, 
his  two  brothers  made  game  of  him  as  they  had  done  before, 
saying,  they  could  see  he  had  watched  the  grass  well,  for  he 
looked  for  all  the  world  as  if  he  were  walking  in  his  sleep,  and 
many  other  spiteful  things  they  said,  but  Boots  gave  no  heed 
to  them,  only  asking  them  to  go  and  see  for  themselves  ;  and 
when  they  went,  there  stood  the  grass  as  fine  and  deep  this 
time  as  it  had  been  twice  before. 

Now,  you  must  know  that  the  king  of  the  country  where 
Boots  lived  had  a  daughter,  whom  he  would  only  give  to  the 
man  who  could  ride  up  over  the  hill  of  glass,  for  there  was  a 
high,  high  hill,  all  of  glass,  as  smooth  and  slippery  as  ice, 
close  by  the  king's  palace.  Upon  the  tip  top  of  the  hill  the 
king's  daughter  was  to  sit,  with  three  golden  apples  in  her 
lap,  and  the  man  who  could  ride  up  and  carry  off  the  three 
golden  apples,  was  to  have  half  the  kingdom,  and  the  Princess 
to  wife.  This  the  king  had  stuck  up  on  all  the  church-doors 
in  his  realm,  and  had  given  it  out  in  many  other  kingdoms 
besides.  Now,  this  Princess  was  so  lovely,  that  all  who  set 
eyes  on  her,  fell  over  head  and  ears  in  love  with  her  whether 
they  would  or  no.  So  I  needn't  tell  you  how  all  the  princes 
and  knights  who  heard  of  her  were  eager  to  win  her  to  wife, 
and  half  the  kingdom  beside  ;  and  how  they  came  riding 
from  all  parts  of  the  world  on  high  prancing  horses,  and  clad 
in  the  grandest  clothes,  for  there  wasn't  one  of  them  who 
hadn't  made  up  his  mind  that  he,  and  he  alone,  was  to  win 
the  Princess. 

So  when  the  day  of  trial  came,  which  the  king  had  fixed, 
there  was  such  a  crowd  of  princes  and  knights  under  the  glass 
hill,  that  it  made  one's  head  whirl  to  look  at  them  ;  and  ever}'- 
one  in  the  country  who  could  even  crawl  along  was  off  to  the 
hill,  for  they  all  were  eager  to  see  the  man  who  was  to  win 
the  Princess.     So  the  two  elder  brothers  set  off  with  the  rest : 


Princess  on  the  Glass  Hill  157 

but  as  for  Boots,  they  said  outright  he  shouldn't  go  with 
them,  for  if  they  were  seen  with  such  a  dirty  changehng,  all 
begrimed  with  smut  from  cleaning  their  shoes  and  sifting 
cinders  in  the  dust-hole,  they  said  folk  would  make  game  of 
them. 

'  Very  well ',  said  Boots,  '  it's  all  one  to  me.  I  can  go 
alone,  and  stand  or  fall  by  myself.' 

Now  when  the  two  brothers  came  to  the  hill  of  glass,  the 
knights  and  princes  were  all  hard  at  it,  riding  their  horses  till 
they  were  all  in  a  foam  ;  but  it  was  no  good,  by  my  troth  ; 
for  as  soon  as  ever  the  horses  set  foot  on  the  hill,  down  they 
slipped,  and  there  wasn't  one  who  could  get  a  yard  or  two 
up  ;  and  no  wonder,  for  the  hill  was  as  smooth  as  a  sheet  of 
glass,  and  as  steep  as  a  house-wall.  But  all  were  eager  to  have 
the  Princess  and  half  the  kingdom.  So  they  rode  and  slipped, 
and  slipped  and  rode,  and  still  it  was  the  same  story  over 
again.  At  last  all  their  horses  were  so  weary  that  they  could 
scarce  lift  a  leg,  and  in  such  a  sweat  that  the  lather  dripped 
from  them,  and  so  the  knights  had  to  give  up  trying  any  more. 
So  the  king  was  just  thinking  that  he  would  proclaim  a  new 
trial  for  the  next  day,  to  see  if  they  would  have  better  luck, 
when  all  at  once  a  knight  came  riding  up  on  so  brave  a  steed, 
that  no  one  had  ever  seen  the  Hke  of  it  in  his  born  days,  and 
the  knight  had  mail  of  brass,  and  the  horse  a  brass  bit  in  his 
mouth,  so  bright  that  the  sunbeams  shone  from  it.  Then 
all  the  others  called  out  to  him  he  might  just  as  well  spare 
himself  the  trouble  of  riding  at  the  hill,  for  it  would  lead  to  no 
good  ;  but  he  gave  no  heed  to  them,  and  put  his  horse  at  the 
hill,  and  went  up  it  like  nothing  for  a  good  way,  about  a  third 
of  the  height ;  and  when  he  had  got  so  far,  he  turned  his  horse 
round  and  rode  down  again.  So  lovely  a  knight  the  Princess 
thought  she  had  never  yet  seen  ;  and  while  he  was  riding, 
she  sat  and  thought  to  herself : 

'  Would  to  heaven  he  might  only  come  up  and  down  the 
other  side.' 

And  when  she  saw  him  turning  back,  she  threw  down  one 
of  the  golden  apples  after  him,  and  it  rolled  down  into  his  shoe. 
But  when  he  got  to  the  bottom  of  the  hill  he  rode  off  so  fasl 
that  no  one  could  tell  what  had  become  of  him.  That  evening 
all  the  knights  and  princes  were  to  go  before  the  king,  that 
Ue  who  had  ridden  so  far  up  the  hill  might  show  the  apple 


158  Tales  from  the  Norse 

which  the  princess  had  thrown,  but  there  was  no  one  who 
had  anything  to  show.  One  after  the  other  they  all  came, 
but  not  a  man  of  them  could  show  the  apple. 

At  even  the  brothers  of  Boots  came  home  too,  and  had 
such  a  long  story  to  tell  about  the  riding  up  the  hill. 

'  First  of  all ',  they  said,  '  there  was  not  one  of  the  whole 
lot  who  could  get  so  much  as  a  stride  up  ;  but  at  last  came 
one  who  had  a  suit  of  brass  mail,  and  a  brass  bridle  and  saddle, 
all  so  bright  that  the  sun  shone  from  them  a  mile  off.  He 
was  a  chap  to  ride,  just !  He  rode  a  third  of  the  way  up  the 
hill  of  glass,  and  he  could  easily  have  ridden  the  whole  way 
up,  if  he  chose  ;  but  he  turned  round  and  rode  down,  thinking, 
maybe,  that  was  enough  for  once.' 

'  Oh  !  I  should  so  Hke  to  have  seen  him,  that  I  should  *, 
said  Boots,  who  sat  by  the  fireside,  and  stuck  his  feet  into 
the  cinders,  as  was  his  wont. 

*  Oh  !  '  said  his  brothers,  *  you  would,  would  you  ?  You 
look  fit  to  keep  company  with  such  high  lords,  nasty  beast 
that  you  are,  sitting  there  amongst  the  ashes.' 

Next  day  the  brothers  were  all  for  setting  off  again,  and 
Boots  begged  them  this  time,  too,  to  let  him  go  with  them 
and  see  the  riding  ;  but  no,  they  wouldn't  have  him  at  any 
price,  he  was  too  ugly  and  nasty,  they  said. 

'  Well,  well !  '  said  Boots  ;  *  if  I  go  at  all,  I  must  go  by  my- 
self.    I'm  not  afraid.' 

So  when  the  brothers  got  to  the  hill  of  glass,  all  the  princes 
and  knights  began  to  ride  again,  and  you  may  fancy  they 
had  taken  care  to  shoe  their  horses  sharp  ;  but  it  was  no  good — 
they  rode  and  slipped,  and  slipped  and  rode,  just  as  they  had 
done  the  day  before,  and  there  was  not  one  who  could  get  so 
far  as  a  yard  up  the  hill.  And  when  they  had  worn  out  their 
horses,  so  that  they  could  not  stir  a  leg,  they  were  all  forced 
to  give  it  up  as  a  bad  job.  So  the  king  thought  he  might  as 
well  proclaim  that  the  riding  should  take  place  the  day  after 
for  the  last  time,  just  to  give  them  one  chance  more  ;  but  all 
at  once  it  came  across  his  mind  that  he  might  as  well  wait  a 
little  longer,  to  see  if  the  knight  in  brass  mail  would  come  this 
day  too.  Well !  they  saw  nothing  of  him  ;  but  all  at  once 
came  one  riding  on  a  steed,  far,  far,  braver  and  finer  than 
that  on  which  the  knight  in  brass  had  ridden,  and  he  had  silver 
mail,  and  a  silver  saddle  and  bridle,  all  so  bright  that  the  sun- 


rrincess  on  the  Glass  Hill  159 

beams  gleamed  and  glanced  from  them  far  away.  Then  the 
others  shouted  out  to  him  again,  saying,  he  might  as  well 
hold  hard,  and  not  try  to  ride  up  the  hill,  for  all  his  trouble 
would  be  thrown  away  ;  but  the  knight  paid  no  heed  to  them, 
and  rode  straight  at  the  hill,  and  right  up  it,  till  he  had  gone 
two-thirds  of  the  way,  and  then  he  wheeled  his  horse  round 
and  rode  down  again.  To  tell  the  truth,  the  Princess  liked 
him  still  better  than  the  knight  in  brass,  and  she  sat  and 
wished  he  might  only  be  able  to  come  right  up  to  the  top,  and 
down  the  other  side  ;  but  when  she  saw  him  turning  back, 
she  threw  the  second  apple  after  him,  and  it  rolled  down 
and  fell  into  his  shoe.  But,  as  soon  as  ever  he  had  come  down 
from  the  hill  of  glass,  he  rode  off  so  fast  that  no  one  could  see 
what  became  of  him. 

At  even,  when  all  were  to  go  in  before  the  king  and  the 
Princess,  that  he  who  had  the  golden  apple  might  show  it, 
in  they  went,  one  after  the  other,  but  there  was  no  one  who 
had  any  apple  to  show,  and  the  two  brothers,  as  they  had 
done  on  the  former  day,  went  home  and  told  how  things  had 
gone,  and  how  all  had  ridden  at  the  hill,  and  none  got  up. 

*  But,  last  of  all ',  they  said,  '  came  one  in  a  silver  suit, 
and  his  horse  had  a  silver  saddle  and  a  silver  bridle.  He  was 
just  a  chap  to  ride  ;  and  he  got  two- thirds  up  the  hill,  and 
then  turned  back.  He  was  a  fine  fellow,  and  no  mistake  ; 
and  the  Princess  threw  the  second  gold  apple  to  him.' 

'  Oh  !  '  said  Boots,  '  I  should  so  like  to  have  seen  him  too, 
that  I  should.' 

*  A  pretty  story  ',  they  said.  *  Perhaps  you  think  his  coat 
of  mail  was  as  bright  as  the  ashes  you  are  always  poking  about, 
and  sifting,  you  nasty  dirty  beast.' 

The  third  day  everything  happened  as  it  had  happened  the 
two  days  before.  Boots  begged  to  go  and  see  the  sight,  but 
the  two  wouldn't  hear  of  his  going  with  them.  When  they 
got  to  the  hill  there  was  no  one  who  could  get  so  much  as  a 
yard  up  it ;  and  now  all  waited  for  the  knight  in  silver  mail, 
but  they  neither  saw  nor  heard  of  him.  At  last  came  one 
riding  on  a  steed,  so  brave  that  no  one  had  ever  seen  his 
match  ;  and  the  knight  had  a  suit  of  golden  mail,  and  a  golden 
saddle  and  bridle,  so  wondrous  bright  that  the  sunbeams 
gleamed  from  them  a  mile  off.  The  other  knights  and  princes 
could  not  find  time  to  call  out  to  him  not  to  try  his  luck,  for 


l6o  Tales  from  the  Norse 

they  were  amazed  to  see  how  grand  he  was.  So  he  rode 
right  at  the  hill,  and  tore  up  it  like  nothing,  so  that  the  Princess 
hadn't  even  time  to  wish  that  he  might  get  up  the  whole  way. 
As  soon  as  ever  he  reached  the  top,  he  took  the  third  golden 
apple  from  the  Princess'  lap,  and  then  turned  his  horse  and 
rode  down  again.  As  soon  as  he  got  down,  he  rode  off  at  full 
speed,  and  was  out  of  sight  in  no  time. 

Now,  when  the  brothers  got  home  at  even,  you  may  fancy 
what  long  stories  they  told,  how  the  riding  had  gone  off  that 
day  ;  and  amongst  other  things,  they  had  a  deal  to  say  about 
the  knight  in  golden  mail. 

'  He  just  was  a  chap  to  ride  !  *  they  said  ;  *  so  grand  a 
knight  isn't  to  be  found  in  the  wide  world.' 

'  Oh  !  '  said  Boots,  *  I  should  so  like  to  have  seen  him, 
that  I  should.' 

'  Ah  1  '  said  his  brothers,  '  his  mail  shone  a  deal  brighter 
than  the  glowing  coals  which  you  are  always  poking  and 
digging  at ;  nasty  dirty  beast  that  you  are.' 

Next  day  all  the  knights  and  princes  were  to  pass  before 
the  king  and  the  Princess — it  was  too  late  to  do  so  the  night 
before,  I  suppose — that  he  who  had  the  gold  apple  might 
bring  it  forth  ;  but  one  came  after  another,  first  the  princes, 
and  then  the  knights,  and  still  no  one  could  show  the  gold 
apple. 

*  Well ',  said  the  king,  '  some  one  must  have  it,  for  it  was 
something  that  we  all  saw  -with  our  own  eyes,  how  a  man 
came  and  rode  up  and  bore  it  off.' 

So  he  commanded  that  every  one  who  was  in  the  kingdom 
should  come  up  to  the  palace  and  see  if  they  could  show  the 
apple.  Well,  they  all  came  one  after  another,  but  no  one 
had  the  golden  apple,  and  after  a  long  time  the  two  brothers 
of  Boots  came.  They  were  the  last  of  all,  so  the  king  asked 
them  if  there  was  no  one  else  in  the  kingdom  who  hadn't  come. 

'  Oh,  yes  *,  said  they  ;  '  we  have  a  brother,  but  he  never 
carried  off  the  golden  apple.  He  hasn't  stirred  out  of  the 
dus thole  on  any  of  the  three  days.' 

'  Never  mind  that ',  said  the  king  ;  *  he  may  as  well  come 
up  to  the  palace  like  the  rest.' 

So  Boots  had  to  go  up  to  the  palace. 

'  How.  now  ',  said  the  king ;  '  have  you  got  the  golden 
apple  ?     Speak  out !  * 


How  One  went  out  to  Woo  i6i 

'  Yes,  I  have  ',  said  Boots  ;  *  here  is  the  first,  and  here  is 
the  second,  and  here  is  the  third  too  *  ;  and  with  that  he  pulled 
all  three  golden  apples  out  of  his  pocket,  and  at  the  same 
time  threw  off  his  sooty  rags,  and  stood  before  them  in  his 
gleaming  golden  mail. 

'  Yes  !  *  said  the  king  ;  *  you  shall  have  my  daughter,  and 
half  my  kingdom,  for  you  well  deserve  both  her  and  it.' 

So  they  got  ready  for  the  wedding,  and  Boots  got  the 
Princess  to  wife,  and  there  was  great  merry-making  at  the 
bridal-feast,  you  may  fancy,  for  they  could  all  be  merry  though 
they  couldn't  ride  up  the  hill  of  glass  ;  and  all  I  can  say  is, 
if  they  haven't  left  off  their  merry-making  yet,  why,  they're 
still  at  it. 


THE  COCK  AND  HEN 

[In  this  tale  the  notes  of  the  Cock  and  Hen  must  be  imitated.] 

Hen — You  promise  me  shoes  year  after  year,  year  aftex 
year,  and  yet  I  get  no  shoes  ! 

Cock — You  shall  have  them,  never  fear  !     Henny  penny  ! 

Hen— I  lay  egg  after  egg,  egg  after  egg,  and  yet  I  go  about 
barefoot ! 

Cock — Well,  take  your  eggs,  and  be  off  to  the  tryst,  and 
buy  yourself  shoes,  and  don't  go  any  longer  barefoot ' 


HOW  ONE  WENT  OUT  TO  WOO 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  lad  who  went  out  to  woo  him 
a  wife.  Amongst  other  places,  he  came  to  a  farm-house, 
where  the  household  were  little  better  than  beggars  ;  but 
when  the  wooer  came  in,  they  wanted  to  make  out  that  they 
were  well  to  do,  as  you  may  guess.  Now  the  husband  had 
got  a  new  arm  to  his  coat. 

*  Pray,  take  a  seat ',  he  said  to  the  wooer  ;  *  but  there's  a 
shocking  dust  in  the  house.' 

So  he  went  about  rubbing  and  wiping  all  the  benches  and 
tables  with  his  new  arm,  but  he  kept  the  other  all  the  while 
behind  his  back. 

The  wife  she  had  got  one  new  shoe,  and  she  went  stamping 


1 62  Tales  from  the  Norse 

and  sliding  with  it  up  against  the  stools  and  chairs,  saying, 
'  How  untidy  it  is  here  !     Everything  is  out  of  its  place  !  ' 

Then  they  called  out  to  their  daughter  to  come  down  and 
put  things  to  rights  ;  but  the  daughter,  she  had  got  a  new 
cap  ;  so  she  put  her  head  in  at  the  door,  and  kept  nodding 
and  nodding,  first  to  this  side,  and  then  to  that. 

*  Well !  for  my  part ',  she  said,  *  I  can't  be  everywhere  at 
once.' 

Aye  !  aye  !  that  was  a  well-to-do  household  the  wooer  had 
come  to. 


THE  MASTER-SMITH 

Once  on  a  time,  in  the  days  when  our  Lord  and  St  Peter 
used  to  wander  on  earth,  they  came  to  a  smith's  house.  He 
had  made  a  bargain  with  the  Devil,  that  the  fiend  should 
have  him  after  seven  years,  but  during  that  time  he  was  to 
be  the  master  of  all  masters  in  his  trade,  and  to  this  bargain 
both  he  and  the  Devil  had  signed  their  names.  So  he  had 
stuck  up  in  great  letters  over  the  door  of  his  forge : 

'  Here  dwells  the  Master  over  all  Masters.' 

Now  when  our  Lord  passed  by  and  saw  that,  he  went  in. 

*  Who  are  you  ?  '  he  said  to  the  Smith. 

'  Read  what's  written  over  the  door  ',  said  the  Smith  ;  *  but 
maybe  you  can't  read  writing.  If  so,  you  must  wait  till 
some  one  comes  to  help  you.* 

Before  our  Lord  had  time  to  answer  him,  a  man  came  with 
his  horse,  which  he  begged  the  Smith  to  shoe. 

'  Might  I  have  leave  to  shoe  it  ?  *  asked  our  Lord. 

'  You  may  try,  if  you  like  ',  said  the  Smith  ;  *  you  can't 
do  it  so  badly  that  I  shall  not  be  able  to  make  it  right  again.' 

So  our  Lord  went  out  and  took  one  leg  off  the  horse,  and 
laid  it  in  the  furnace,  and  made  the  shoe  red-hot ;  after  that, 
he  turned  up  the  ends  of  the  shoe,  and  filed  down  the  heads 
of  the  nails,  and  clenched  the  points  ;  and  then  he  put  back 
the  leg  safe  and  sound  on  the  horse  again.  And  when  he 
was  done  with  that  leg,  he  took  the  other  fore-leg  and  did 
the  same  with  it ;  and  when  he  was  done  with  that,  he  took 
the  hind-legs — first,  the  off,  and  then  the  near  leg,  and  laid 
them  in  the  furnace,  making  the  shoes   red-hot,  turning  up 


The  Master  Smith  163 

the  ends,  filing  the  heads  of  the  nails,  and  clenching  the  points  ; 
and  after  all  was  done,  putting  the  legs  on  the  horse  again. 
All  the  while,  the  Smith  stood  by  and  looked  on. 
'  You're  not  so  bad  a  smith  after  all  *,  said  he. 

*  Oh,  you  think  so,  do  you  ?  '  said  our  Lord. 

A  httle  while  after  came  the  Smith's  mother  to  the  forge, 
and  called  him  to  come  home  and  eat  his  dinner  ;  she  was 
an  old,  old  woman  with  an  ugly  crook  on  her  back,  and  wrin- 
kles in  her  face,  and  it  was  as  much  as  she  could  do  to  crawl 
along. 

*  Mark  now,  what  you  see  ',  said  our  Lord. 

Then  he  took  the  woman  and  laid  her  in  the  furnace,  and 
smithied  a  lovely  young  maiden  out  of  her. 

*  Well ',  said  the  Smith,  '  I  say  now,  as  I  said  before,  you 
are  not  such  a  bad  smith  after  all.  There  it  stands  over  my 
door.  Here  dwells  the  Master  over  all  Masters  ;  but  for  all 
that,  I  say  right  out,  one  learns  as  long  as  one  lives  '  ;  and 
with  that  he  walked  off  to  his  house  and  ate  his  dinner. 

So  after  dinner,  just  after  he  had  got  back  to  his  forge,  a 
man  came  riding  up  to  have  his  horse  shod. 

*  It  shall  be  done  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye ',  said  the 
Smith,  *  for  I  have  just  learnt  a  new  way  to  shoe  ;  and  a 
very  good  way  it  is  when  the  days  are  short.* 

So  he  began  to  cut  and  hack  till  he  had  got  all  the  horse's 
legs  off,  for  he  said,  I  don't  know  why  one  should  go  pottering 
backwards  and  forwards — first,  with  one  leg,  and  then  with 
another. 

Then  he  laid  the  legs  in  the  furnace,  just  as  he  had  seen  our 
Lord  lay  them,  and  threw  on  a  great  heap  of  coal,  and  made 
his  mates  work  the  bellows  bravely  ;  but  it  went  as  one  might 
suppose  it  would  go.  The  legs  were  burnt  to  ashes,  and  the 
Smith  had  to  pay  for  the  horse. 

Well,  he  didn't  care  much  about  that,  but  just  then  an  old 
beggar-woman  came  along  the  road,  and  he  thought  to  himself, 
'  better  luck  next  time  ' ;  so  he  took  the  old  dame  and  laid 
her  in  the  furnace,  and  though  she  begged  and  prayed  hard 
for  her  life,  it  was  no  good. 

*  You're  so  old,  you  don't  know  what  is  good  for  you  ',  said 
the  Smith  ;  *  now  you  shall  be  a  lovely  young  maiden  in  half 
no  time,  and  for  all  that,  I'll  not  charge  you  a  penny  for  the 
job/ 


164  Tales  from  the  Norse 

But  it  went  no  better  with  the  poor  old  woman  than  with 
the  horse's  legs. 

'  That  was  ill  done,  and  I  say  it ',  said  our  Lord. 

*  Oh  !  for  that  matter  ',  said  the  Smith,  '  there's  not  many 
who'll  ask  after  her,  I'll  be  bound  ;  but  it's  a  shame  of  the 
Devil,  if  this  is  the  way  he  holds  to  what  is  written  up  over 
the  door.' 

*  If  you  might  have  three  wishes  from  me  ',  said  our  Lord, 
'  what  would  you  wish  for  ?  ' 

'  Only  try  me  ',  said  the  Smith,  '  and  you'll  soon  know.' 

So  our  Lord  gave  him  three  wishes. 

'  Well ',  said  the  Smith,  '  first  and  foremost,  I  wish  that 
any  one  whom  I  ask  to  climb  up  into  the  pear-tree  that  stands 
outside  by  the  wall  of  my  forge,  may  stay  sitting  there  till  I 
ask  him  to  come  down  again.  The  second  wish  I  wish  is, 
that  any  one  whom  I  ask  to  sit  down  in  my  easy  chair  which 
stands  inside  the  workshop  yonder,  may  stay  sitting  there 
till  I  ask  him  to  get  up.  Last  of  all,  I  wish  that  any  one 
whom  I.  ask  to  creep  into  the  steel  purse  which  I  have  in  my 
pocket,  may  stay  in  it  till  I  give  him  leave  to  creep  out 
again.* 

*  You  have  wished  as  a  wicked  man  ',  said  St  Peter  ;  '  first 
and  foremost,  you  should  have  wished  for  God's  grace  and 
goodwill.' 

*  I  durstn't  look  so  high  as  that ',  said  the  Smith  ;  and 
after  that  our  Lord  and  St  Peter  bade  him  *  good-bye  ',  and 
went  on  their  way. 

Well,  the  years  went  on  and  on,  and  when  the  time  was 
up,  the  Devil  came  to  fetch  the  Smith,  as  it  was  written  in 
their  bargain. 

*  Are  you  ready  ?  '  he  said,  as  he  stuck  his  nose  in  at  the 
door  of  the  forge. 

*  Oh  ',  said  the  Smith,  *  I  must  just  hammer  the  head  of 
this  tenpenny  nail  first ;  meantime,  you  can  just  climb  up 
into  the  pear-tree,  and  pluck  yourself  a  pear  to  gnaw  at ; 
you  must  be  both  hungry  and  thirsty  after  your  journey.* 

So  the  Devil  thanked  him  for  his  kind  offer,  and  climbed 
up  into  the  pear-tree. 

'  Very  good  ',  said  the  Smith  ;  '  but  now,  on  thinking  the 
matter  over,  I  find  I  shall  never  be  able  to  have  done  hammer- 
ing the  head  of  this  nail  till  four  years  are  out  at  least,  this 


The  Master-Smith  165 

iron  is  so  plaguy  hard  ;  down  you  can't  come  in  all  that  time, 
but  may  sit  up  there  and  rest  your  bones.' 

When  the  Devil  heard  this,  he  begged  and  prayed  till  his 
voice  was  as  thin  as  a  silver  penny  that  he  might  have  leave 
to  come  down  ;  but  there  was  no  help  for  it.  There  he  was, 
and  there  he  must  stay.  At  last  he  had  to  give  his  word  of 
honour  not  to  come  again  till  the  four  years  were  out,  which 
the  Smith  had  spoken  of,  and  then  the  Smith  said,  *  Very 
well,  now  you  may  come  down.' 

So  when  the  time  was  up,  the  Devil  came  again  to  fetch  the 
Smith. 

'  You're  ready  now,  of  course  ',  said  he  ;  *  you've  had 
time  enough  to  hammer  the  head  of  that  nail,  I  should  think.' 

'  Yes,  the  head  is  right  enough  now  ',  said  the  Smith  ;  '  but 
still  you  have  come  a  little  tiny  bit  too  soon,  for  I  haven't 
quite  done  sharpening  the  point ;  such  plaguy  hard  iron  I 
never  hammered  in  all  my  bom  days.  So  while  I  work  at  the 
point,  you  may  just  as  well  sit  down  in  my  easy  chair  and 
rest  yourself  ;  I'U  be  bound  you're  weary  after  coming  so  far.' 

'  Thank  you  kindly  ',  said  the  Devil,  and  down  he  plumped 
into  the  easy  chair  ;  but  just  as  he  had  made  himself  comfort- 
able, the  Smith  said,  on  second  thoughts,  he  found  he  couldn't 
get  the  point  sharp  till  four  years  were  out.  First  of  all,  the 
Devil  begged  so  prettily  to  be  let  out  of  the  chair,  and  after- 
wards, waxing  wroth,  he  began  to  threaten  and  scold  ;  but 
the  Smith  kept  on,  all  the  while  excusing  himself,  and  saying 
it  was  all  the  iron's  fault,  it  was  so  plaguy  hard,  and  telling 
the  Devil  he  was  not  so  badly  off  to  have  to  sit  quietly  in  an 
easy  chair,  and  that  he  would  let  him  out  to  the  minute  when 
the  four  years  were  over.  Well,  at  last  there  was  no  help 
for  it,  and  the  Devil  had  to  give  his  word  of  honour  not  to 
fetch  the  Smith  till  the  four  years  were  out ;  and  then  the 
Smith  said  : 

'  Well  now,  you  may  get  up  and  be  off  about  your  business  ', 
and  away  went  the  Devil  as  fast  as  he  could  lay  legs  to  the 
ground. 

When  the  four  years  were  over,  the  Devil  came  again  to 
fetch  the  Smith,  and  he  called  out,  as  he  stuck  his  nose  in  at 
the  door  of  the  forge : 

'  Now,  I  know  you  must  be  ready.' 

'  Ready,  aye,  ready  ',  answered  the  Smith  ;    *  we  can  go 


1 66  Tales  from  the  Norse 

now  as  soon  as  you  please ;  but  hark  ye,  there  is  one  thing 
I  have  stood  here  and  thought,  and  thought,  I  would  ask  you 
to  tell  me.  Is  it  true  what  people  say,  that  the  Devil  can 
make  himself  as  small  as  he  pleases  ?  ' 

*  God  knows,  it  is  the  very  truth  *,  said  the  Devil. 

*  Oh  !  *  said  the  Smith  ;  '  it  is  true,  is  it  ?  then  I  wish  you 
would  just  be  so  good  as  to  creep  into  this  steel  purse  of  mine, 
and  see  whether  it  is  sound  at  the  bottom,  for  to  tell  you  the 
truth,  I'm  afraid  my  travelling  money  will  drop  out.' 

*  With  all  my  heart ',  said  the  Devil,  who  made  himself 
small  in  a  trice,  and  crept  into  the  purse  ;  but  he  was  scarce 
in  when  the  Smith  snapped  to  the  clasp. 

'  Yes  ',  called  out  the  Devil  inside  the  purse  ;  '  it's  right 
and  tight  everywhere.' 

*  Very  good  ',  said  the  Smith  ;  'I'm  glad  to  hear  you  say 
so,  but  "  more  haste  the  worse  speed  ",  says  the  old  saw,  and 
"  forewarned  is  forearmed  ",  says  another  ;  so  I'll  just  weld 
these  links  a  little  together,  just  for  safety's  sake  '  ;  and 
with  that  he  laid  the  purse  in  the  furnace,  and  made  it  red-hot. 

'  AU  !  AU  !  '  screamed  the  Devil,  '  are  you  mad  ?  don't 
you  know  I'm  inside  the  purse  ?  ' 

*  Yes,  I  do  !  '  said  the  Smith  ;  *  but  I  can't  help  you,  for 
another  old  saw  says,  "  one  must  strike  while  the  iron  is  hot  "  '  ; 
and  as  he  said  this,  he  took  up  his  sledge-hammer,  laid  the 
purse  on  the  anvil,  and  let  fly  at  it  as  hard  as  he  could. 

*  AU  !  AU  !  AU  !  '  bellowed  the  Devil,  inside  the  purse. 
*  Dear  friend,  do  let  me  out,  and  I'll  never  come  near  you 
again.' 

'  Very  well !  *  said  the  Smith  ;  *  now,  I  think,  the  links 
are  pretty  well  welded,  and  you  may  come  out '  ;  so  he  un- 
clasped the  purse,  and  away  went  the  Devil  in  such  a  hurry 
that  he  didn't  once  look  behind  him. 

Now,  some  time  after,  it  came  across  the  Smith's  mind 
that  he  had  done  a  silly  thing  in  making  the  Devil  his  enemy, 
for,  he  said  to  himself : 

'  If,  as  is  like  enough,  they  won't  have  me  in  the  kingdom 
of  Heaven,  I  shall  be  in  danger  of  being  houseless,  since  I've 
faUen  out  with  him  who  rules  over  Hell.' 

So  he  made  up  his  mind  it  would  be  best  to  try  to  get  either 
into  Hell  or  Heaven,  and  to  try  at  once,  rather  than  to  put  it 
off  any  longer,   so  that  he  might  know  how  things  really 


The  Master-Smith  167 

stood.  Then  he  threw  his  sledge-hammer  over  his  shoulder 
and  set  off  ;  and  when  he  had  gone  a  good  bit  of  the  way, 
he  came  to  a  place  where  two  roads  met,  and  where  the  path 
to  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  parts  from  the  path  that  leads  to 
Hell,  and  here  he  overtook  a  tailor,  who  was  pelting  along 
with  his  goose  in  his  hand. 

*  Good  day  ',  said  the  Smith  ;    *  whither  are  you  off  to  ?  ' 

'  To  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  ',  said  the  Tailor,  '  if  I  can  only 
get  into  it ' — '  but  whither  are  you  going  yourself  ?  ' 

*  Oh,  our  ways  don't  run  together  ',  said  the  Smith  ;  *  for 
I  have  made  up  my  mind  to  try  first  in  Hell,  as  the  Devil  and 
I  know  something  of  one  another,  from  old  times.' 

So  they  bade  one  another  '  Good-bye  ',  and  each  went  his 
way ;  but  the  Smith  was  a  stout,  strong  man,  and  got  over 
the  ground  far  faster  than  the  tailor,  and  so  it  wasn't  long 
before  he  stood  at  the  gates  of  Hell.  Then  he  called  the 
watch,  and  bade  him  go  and  tell  the  Devil  there  was  some 
one  outside  who  wished  to  speak  a  word  with  him. 

'  Go  out  *,  said  the  Devil  to  the  watch,  '  and  ask  him  who 
he  is  ?  '  So  that  when  the  watch  came  and  told  him  that, 
the  Smith  answered : 

*  Go  and  greet  the  Devil  in  my  name,  and  say  it  is  the  Smith 
who  owns  the  purse  he  wots  of  ;  and  beg  him  prettily  to  let 
me  in  at  once,  for  I  worked  at  my  forge  till  noon,  and  I  have 
had  a  long  walk  since.' 

But  when  the  Devil  heard  who  it  was,  he  charged  the  watch 
to  go  back  and  lock  up  all  the  nine  locks  on  the  gates  of  Hell. 

'  And,  besides  ',  he  said,  *  you  may  as  well  put  on  a  padlock, 
for  if  he  only  once  gets  in,  he'll  turn  Hell  topsy-turvy  !  ' 

*  Well !  '  said  the  Smith  to  himself,  when  he  saw  them 
busy  bolting  up  the  gates,  *  there's  no  lodging  to  be  got  here, 
that's  plain  ;  so  I  may  as  well  try  my  luck  in  the  kingdom  of 
Heaven  '  ;  and  with  that  he  turned  round  and  went  back 
till  he  reached  the  cross-roads,  and  then  he  went  along  the 
path  the  tailor  had  taken.  And  now,  as  he  was  cross  at  having 
gone  backwards  and  forwards  so  far  for  no  good,  he  strode 
along  with  all  his  might,  and  reached  the  gate  of  Heaven 
just  as  St  Peter  was  opening  it  a  very  httle,  just  enough  to 
let  the  half-starved  tailor  shp  in.  The  Smith  was  still  six  or 
seven  strides  off  the  gate,  so  he  thought  to  himself,  'Now 
there's  no  time  to  be  lost '  ;  and,  grasping  his  sledge-hammer, 


1 68  Tales  from  the  Norse 

he  hurled  it  into  the  opening  of  the  door  just  as  the  tailor 
slunk  in  ;  and  if  the  Smith  didn't  get  in  then,  when  the  door 
was  ajar,  why  I  don't  know  what  has  become  of  him. 


THE  TWO  STEP-SISTERS 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  couple,  and  each  of  them  had  a 
daughter  by  a  former  marriage.  The  woman's  daughter  was  dull 
and  lazy,  and  could  never  turn  her  hand  to  anything,  and  the 
man's  daughter  was  brisk  and  ready  ;  but  somehow  or  other 
she  could  never  do  anything  to  her  stepmother's  hking,  and 
both  the  woman  and  her  daughter  would  have  been  glad  to  be 
rid  of  her. 

So  it  fell  one  day  the  two  girls  were  to  go  out  and  spin  by 
the  side  of  the  well,  and  the  woman's  daughter  had  flax  to 
spin,  but  the  man's  daughter  got  nothing  to  spin  but  bristles. 

'  I  don't  know  how  it  is  ',  said  the  woman's  daughter,  '  you're 
always  so  quick  and  sharp,  but  still  I'm  not  afraid  to  spin 
a    match  with  you.' 

Well,  they  agreed  that  she  whose  thread  first  snapped, 
should  go  down  the  well.  So  they  span  away  ;  but  just  as 
they  were  hard  at  it,  the  man's  daughter's  thread  broke,  and 
she  had  to  go  down  the  weU.  But  when  she  got  to  the  bottom 
she  saw  far  and  wide  around  her  a  fair  green  mead,  and  she 
hadn't  hurt  herself  at  all. 

So  she  walked  on  a  bit,  till  she  came  to  a  hedge  which  she 
had  to  cross. 

'  Ah  !  don't  tread  hard  on  me,  pray  don't,  and  I'll  help  you 
another  time,  that  I  will ',  said  the  Hedge. 

Then  the  lassie  made  herself  as  light  as  she  could,  and  trode 
so  carefully  she  scarce  touched  a  twig. 

So  she  went  on  a  bit  further,  till  she  came  to  a  brindled 
cow,  which  walked  there  with  a  milking-pail  on  her  horns. 
'Twas  a  large  pretty  cow,  and  her  udder  was  so  full  and  round. 

'  Ah  !  be  so  good  as  to  milk  me,  pray  ',  said  the  Cow  ;  '  I'm 
so  full  of  milk.  Drink  as  much  as  you  please,  and  throw  the 
rest  over  my  hoofs,  and  see  if  I  don't  help  you  some  day.' 

So  the  man's  daughter  did  as  the  cow  begged.  As  soon  as 
she  touched  the  teats,  the  milk  spouted  out  into  the  pail. 
Then  she  drank  till  her  thirst  was  slaked  ;    and  the  rest  she 


The  Two  Step-Sisters  169 

threw  over  the  cow's  hoofs,  and  the  milking-pail  she  hung  on 
her  horns  again. 

So  when  she  had  gone  a  bit  further,  a  big  wether  met  her, 
which  had  such  thick  long  wool,  it  hung  down  and  draggled 
after  him  on  the  ground,  and  on  one  of  his  horns  hung  a  great 
pair   of  shears. 

*  Ah,  please  clip  off  my  wool ',  said  the  Sheep,  *  for  here  I 
go  about  with  all  this  wool,  and  catch  up  everything  I  meet,  and 
besides,  it's  so  warm,  I'm  almost  choked.  Take  as  much 
of  the  fleece  as  you  please,  and  twist  the  rest  round  my  neck, 
and  see  if  I  don't  help  you  some  day.' 

Yes  !  she  was  willing  enough,  and  the  sheep  lay  down  of 
himself  on  her  lap,  and  kept  quite  still,  and  she  clipped  him 
so  neatly,  there  wasn't  a  scratch  on  his  skin.  Then  she  took 
as  much  of  the  wool  as  she  chose,  and  the  rest  she  twisted  round 
the  neck  of  the  sheep. 

A  little  further  on,  she  came  to  an  apple  tree,  which  was 
loaded  with  apples;  all  its  branches  were  bowed  to  the  ground, 
and  leaning  against  the  stem  was  a  slender  pole. 

*  Ah  !  do  be  so  good  as  to  pluck  my  apples  off  me  ',  said 
the  Tree,  *  so  that  my  branches  may  straighten  themselves 
again,  for  it's  bad  work  to  stand  so  crooked  ;  but  when  you 
beat  them  down,  don't  strike  me  too  hard.  Then  eat  as 
many  as  you  please,  lay  the  rest  round  my  root,  and  see  if  I 
don't  help  you  some  day  or  other.' 

Yes,  she  plucked  all  she  could  reach  with  her  hands,  and 
then  she  took  the  pole  and  knocked  down  the  rest,  and  after- 
wards she  ate  her  fill,  and  the  rest  she  laid  neatly  round  the 
root. 

So  she  walked  on  a  long,  long  way,  and  then  she  came  to 
a  great  farm-house,  where  an  old  hag  of  the  Trolls  lived  with 
her  daughter.  There  she  turned  in  to  ask  if  she  could  get  a 
place. 

'  Oh  !  '  said  the  old  hag  ;  *  it's  no  use  your  trying.  We've 
had  ever  so  many  maids,  but  none  of  them  was  worth  her 
salt.' 

But  she  begged  so  prettily  that  they  would  just  take  her  on 
trial,  that  at  last  they  let  her  stay.  So  the  old  hag  gave  her 
a  sieve,  and  bade  her  go  and  fetch  water  in  it.  She  thought 
it  strange  to  fetch  water  in  a  sieve,  but  still  she  went,  and 
when  she  came  to  the  well,  the  little  birds  began  to  sing  : 


170  Tales  from  the  Norse 


Daub  in  clay. 
Stuff  in  straw  I 
Daub  in  clay. 
Stuff  in  straw. 

Yes,  she  did  so,  and  found  she  could  carry  water  in  a  sieve 
well  enough  ;  but  when  she  got  home  with  the  water,  and  the 
old  witch  saw  the  sieve,  she  cried  out : 

'This  you  haven't  sucked  out  of^your  own  breast.' 

So  the  old  witch  said,  now  she  might  go  into  the  byre  to 
pitch  out  dung  and  milk  kine  ;  but  when  she  got  there,  she 
found  a  pitchfork  so  long  and  heavy,  she  couldn't  stir  it,  much 
less  work  with  it.  She  didn't  know  at  all  what  to  do,  or  what 
to  make  of  it ;  but  the  Uttle  birds  sang  again  that  she  should 
take  the  broom-stick  and  toss  out  a  Uttle  with  that,  and  all 
the  rest  of  the  dung  would  fly  after  it.  So  she  did  that,  and 
as  soon  as  ever  she  began  with  the  broom-stick,  the  byre  was 
as  clean  as  if  it  had  been  swept  and  washed. 

Now  she  had  to  milk  the  kine,  but  they  were  so  restless  that 
they  kicked  and  frisked  ;  there  was  no  getting  near  them  to 
milk  them. 

But  the  little  birds  sang  outside : 

A  little  drop,  a  tiny  sup. 

For  the  little  birds  to  drink  it  up. 

Yes,  she  did  that ;  she  just  milked  a  tiny  drop,  'twas  as 
much  as  she  could,  for  the  Uttle  birds  outside  ;  and  then  all 
the  cows  stood  still  and  let  her  milk  them.  They  neither 
kicked  nor  frisked  ;  they  didn't  even  Uft  a  leg. 

So  when  the  old  witch  saw  her  coming  in  with  the  milk,  she 
cried  out : 

*  This  you  haven't  sucked  out  of  your  own  breast. 
But  now  just  take  this  black  wool  and  wash  it  white.' 

This  the  lassie  was  at  her  wits'  end  to  know  how  to  do, 
for  she  had  never  seen  or  heard  of  any  one  who  could  wash 
black  wool  white.  Still  she  said  nothing,  but  took  the  wool 
and  went  down  with  it  to  the  weU.  There  the  Uttle  birds  sang 
again  and  told  her  to  take  the  wool  and  dip  it  into  the  great 
butt  that  stood  there ;  and  she  did  so,  and  out  it  came  as  white 
as  snow. 

'  Well !  I  never  !  '  said  the  old  witch,  when  she  came  in  with 
the  wool,  '  it's  no  good  keeping  you.    You  can  do  everything, 


The  Two  Step-Sisters  171 

and  at  last  you'll  be  the  plague  of  my  life.     We'd  best  part, 
so  take  your  wages  and  be  off.' 

Then  the  old  hag  drew  out  three  caskets,  one  red,  one  green, 
and  one  blue,  and  of  these  the  lassie  was  to  choose  one  as 
wages  for  her  service.  Now  she  didn't  know  at  all  which 
to  choose,  but  the  little  birds  sang : 

Don't  take  the  red,  don't  take  the  green. 
But  take  the  blue,  where  may  be  seen 
Three  little  crosses  all  in  a  row ; 
We  saw  the  marks,  and  so  we  know. 

So  she  took  the  blue  casket,  as  the  birds  sang. 

*  Bad  luck  to  you,  then  ',  said  the  old  witch  ;  '  see  if  I  don't 
make  you  pay  for  this  !  ' 

So  when  the  man's  daughter  was  just  setting  off,  the  old 
witch  shot  a  red-hot  bar  of  iron  after  her,  but  she  sprang  be- 
hind the  door  and  hid  herself,  so  that  it  missed  her,  for  her 
friends,  the  little  birds,  had  told  her  beforehand  how  to  behave. 
Then  she  walked  on  and  on  as  fast  as  ever  she  could  ;  but 
when  she  got  to  the  apple  tree,  she  heard  an  awful  clatter  be- 
hind her  on  the  road,  and  that  was  the  old  witch  and  her 
daughter  coming  after  her. 

So  the  lassie  was  so  frightened  and  scared,  she  didn't  know 
what  to  do. 

*  Come  hither  to  me,  lassie,  do  you  hear  ',  said  the  Apple 
tree,  '  I'll  help  you  ;  get  under  my  branches  and  hide,  for 
if  they  catch  you,  they'll  tear  you  to  death,  and  take  the 
casket  from  you.' 

Yes  !  she  did  so,  and  she  had  hardly  hidden  herself  before  up 
came  the  old  witch  and  her  daughter. 

'  Have  you  seen  any  lassie  pass  this  way,  you  apple  tree  ', 
said  the  old  hag. 

'  Yes,  yes  ',  said  the  Apple  tree  ;  *  one  ran  by  here  an  hour 
ago  ;  but  now  she's  got  so  far  ahead,  you'll  never  catch  her  up.' 

So  the  old  witch  turned  back  and  went  home  again. 

Then  the  lassie  walked  on  a  bit,  but  when  she  came  just 
about  where  the  sheep  was,  she  heard  an  awful  clatter  be- 
ginning on  the  road  behind  her,  and  she  didn't  know  what  to  do, 
she  was  so  scared  and  frightened  ;  for  she  knew  well  enough 
it  was  the  old  witch,  who  had  thought  better  of  it. 

*  Come  hither  to  me,  lassie  ',  said  the  Wether,   *  and  I'll 


172  Tales  from  the  Norse 

help  you.  Hide  yourself  under  my  fleece,  and  then  they'll 
not  see  you  ;  else  they'll  take  away  the  casket,  and  tear  you 
to  death.' 

Just  then  up  came  the  old  witch,  tearing  along. 

*  Have  you  seen  any  lassie  pass  here,  you  sheep  ?  '  she  cried 
to  the  wether. 

*  Oh  yes  ',  said  the  Wether,  '  I  saw  one  an  hour  ago,  but 
she  ran  so  fast,  you'll  never  catch  her.' 

So  the  old  witch  turned  round  and  went  home. 

But  when  the  lassie  had  come  to  where  she  met  the  cow, 
she  heard  another  awful  clatter  behind  her. 

'  Come  hither  to  me,  lassie  ',  said  the  Cow,  *  and  I'll  help 
you  to  hide  yourself  under  my  udder,  else  the  old  hag  will 
come  and  take  away  your  casket,  and  tear  you  to  death.' 

True  enough,  it  wasn't  long  before  she  came  up. 

*  Have  you  seen  any  lassie  pass  here,  you  cow  ?  '  said  the 
old  hag. 

*  Yes,  I  saw  one  an  hour  ago  ',  said  the  Cow,  '  but  she's  far 
away  now,  for  she  ran  so  fast  I  don't  think  you'll  ever  catch 
her  up  !  * 

So  the  old  hag  turned  round,  and  went  back  home  again. 

When  the  lassie  had  walked  a  long,  long  way  farther  on,  and 
was  not  far  from  the  hedge,  she  heard  again  that  awful  clatter 
on  the  road  behind  her,  and  she  got  scared  and  frightened, 
for  she  knew  well  enough  it  was  the  old  hag  and  her  daughter, 
who  had  changed  their  minds. 

'  Come  hither  to  me,  lassie ',  said  the  Hedge,  *  and  I'll  help 
you.  Creep  under  my  twigs,  so  that  they  can't  see  you  ; 
else  they'll  take  the  casket  from  you,  and  tear  you  to  death.' 

Yes  !  she  made  all  the  haste  she  could  to  get  under  the  twigs 
of  the  hedge. 

*  Have  you  seen  any  lassie  pass  this  way,  you  hedge  ?  '  said 
the  old  hag  to  the  hedge. 

'  No,  I  haven't  seen  any  lassie  ',  answered  the  Hedge,  and 
was  as  smooth-tongued  as  if  he  had  got  melted  butter  in  his 
mouth  ;  but  all  the  while  he  spread  himself  out,  and  made 
himself  so  big  and  tall,  one  had  to  think  twice  before  crossing 
him.  And  so  the  old  witch  had  no  help  for  it  but  to  turn 
round  and  go  home  again. 

So  when  the  man's  daughter  got  home,  her  step-mother 
and  her  step-sister  were  more  spiteful  against  her  than  ever  ; 


The  Two  Step-Sisters  173 

for  now  she  was  much  neater,  and  so  smart,  it  was  a  joy  to 
look  at  her.  Still  she  couldn't  get  leave  to  live  with  them, 
but  they  drove  her  out  into  a  pigsty.  That  was  to  be  her 
house.  So  she  scrubbed  it  out  so  neat  and  clean,  and  then 
she  opened  her  casket,  just  to  see  what  she  had  got  for  her 
wages.  But  as  soon  as  ever  she  unlocked  it,  she  saw  inside  so 
much  gold  and  silver,  and  lovely  things,  which  came  streaming 
out  till  all  the  walls  were  hung  with  them,  and  at  last  the 
pigsty  was  far  grander  than  the  grandest  king's  palace.  And 
when  the  step-mother  and  her  daughter  came  to  see  this, 
they  almost  jumped  out  of  their  skin,  and  began  to  ask  what 
kind  of  a  place  she  had  down  there  ? 

'  Oh  ',  said  the  lassie,  '  can't  you  see,  when  I  have  got  such 
good  wages.  'Twas  such  a  family,  and  such  a  mistress  to  serve, 
you  couldn't  find  their  like  anywhere." 

Yes  !  the  woman's  daughter  made  up  her  mind  to  go  out 
to  serve  too,  that  she  might  get  just  such  another  gold  casket. 
So  they  sat  down  to  spin  again,  and  now  the  woman's  daughter 
was  to  spin  bristles,  and  the  man's  daughter  flax,  and  she  whose 
thread  first  snapped,  was  to  go  down  the  well.  It  wasn't 
long,  as  you  may  fancy,  before  the  woman's  daughter's  thread 
snapped,  and  so  they  threw  her  down  the  well. 

So  the  same  thing  happened.  She  fell  to  the  bottom,  but 
met  with  no  harm,  and  found  herself  on  a  lovely  green  meadow. 
When  she  had  walked  a  bit  she  came  to  the  hedge. 

*  Don't  tread  hard  on  me,  pray,  lassie,  and  I'll  help  you 
again  ',  said  the  Hedge. 

'  Oh  !  '  said  she,  *  what  should  I  care  for  a  bundle  of  twigs  ?  * 
and  tramped  and  stamped  over  the  hedge  till  it  cracked  and 
groaned  again. 

A  little  farther  on  she  came  to  the  cow,  which  walked  about 
ready  to  burst  for  want  of  milking. 

*  Be  so  good  as  to  milk  me,  lassie  ',  said  the  Cow,  '  and  I'll 
help  you  again.  Drink  as  much  as  you  please,  but  throw  the 
rest  over  my  hoofs.* 

Yes  !  she  did  that ;  she  milked  the  cow,  and  drank  till  she 
could  drink  no  more  ;  but  when  she  left  off,  there  was  none 
left  to  throw  over  the  cow's  hoofs,  and  as  for  the  pail, 
she  tossed  it  down  the  hill  and  walked  on. 

When  she  had  gone  a  bit  further,  she  came  to  the  sheep 
which  walked  along  with  his  wool  dragging  after  him. 


174  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  Oh,  be  so  good  as  to  clip  me,  lassie  ',  said  the  Sheep,  '  and 
I'll  serve  you  again.  Take  as  much  of  the  wool  as  you  will, 
but  twist  the  rest  round  my  neck.' 

Well !  she  did  that ;  but  she  went  so  carelessly  to  work, 
that  she  cut  great  pieces  out  of  the  poor  sheep,  and  as  for  the 
wool,  she  carried  it  all  away  with  her. 

A  little  while  after  she  came  to  the  apple  tree,  which  stood 
there  quite  crooked  with  fruit  again. 

*  Be  so  good  as  to  pluck  the  apples  off  me,  that  my  limbs 
may  grow  straight,  for  it's  weary  work  to  stand  all  awry  ', 
said  the  Apple  tree.  *  But  please  take  care  not  to  beat  me 
too  hard.  Eat  as  many  as  you  will,  but  lay  the  rest  neatly 
round  my  root,  and  I'll  help  you  again.' 

Well,  she  plucked  those  nearest  to  her,  and  thrashed  down 
those  she  couldn't  reach  with  the  pole,  but  she  didn't  care  how 
she  did  it,  and  broke  off  and  tore  down  great  boughs,  and  ate 
till  she  was  as  full  as  full  could  be,  and  then  she  threw  down 
the  rest  under  the  tree. 

So  when  she  had  gone  a  good  bit  further,  she  came  to  the 
farm  where  the  old  witch  hved.  There  she  asked  for  a  place, 
but  the  old  hag  said  she  wouldn't  have  any  more  maids,  for 
they  were  either  worth  nothing,  or  were  too  clever,  and  cheated 
her  out  of  her  goods.  But  the  woman's  daughter  was  not  to 
be  put  off,  she  would  have  a  place,  so  the  old  witch  said  she'd 
give  her  a  trial,  if  she  was  fit  for  anything. 

The  first  thing  she  had  to  do  was  to  fetch  water  in  a  sieve. 
Well,  off  she  went  to  the  weU,  and  drew  water  in  a  sieve,  but 
as  fast  as  she  got  it  in  it  ran  out  again.  So  the  little  birds 
sung: 

Daub  in  clay. 

Put  in  straw  !  , 

Daub  in  clay. 

Put  in  straw  I 

But  she  didn't  care  to  listen  to  the  birds*  song,  and  pelted 
them  with  clay,  till  they  flew  off  far  away.  And  so  she 
had  to  go  home  with  the  empty  sieve,  and  got  well  scolded  by 
the  old  witch. 

Then  she  was  to  go  into  the  byre  to  clean  it,  and  milk  the 
kine.  But  she  was  too  good  for  such  dirty  work,  she  thought. 
Still,  she  went  out  into  the  byre,  but  when  she  got  there,  she 
couldn't  get  on  at  all  with  the  pitchfork,  it  was  so  big.     The 


The  Two  Step-Sisters  175 

birds  said  the  same  to  her  as  they  had  said  to  her  step-sister, 
and  told  her  to  take  the  broomstick,  and  toss  out  a  Uttle  dung, 
and  then  all  the  rest  would  fly  after  it ;  but  all  she  did  with 
the  broomstick  was  to  throw  it  at  the  birds.  When  she 
came  to  milk,  the  kine  were  so  unruly,  they  kicked  and  pushed, 
and  every  time  she  got  a  little  milk  in  the  pail,  over  they 
kicked  it.     Then  the  birds  sang  again  : 

A  little  drop  and  a  tiny  sup 
For  the  little  birds  to  drink  it  up. 

But  she  beat  and  banged  the  cows  about,  and  threw  and 
pelted  at  the  birds  everything  she  could  lay  hold  of,  and  made 
such  a  to  do,  'twas  awful  to  see.  So  she  didn't  make  much 
either  of  her  pitching,  or  milking,  and  when  she  came  indoors 
she  got  blows  as  well  as  hard  words  from  the  old  witch,  who 
sent  her  off  to  wash  the  black  wool  white  ;  but  that,  too,  she 
did  no  better. 

Then  the  old  witch  thought  this  really  too  bad,  so  she  set 
out  the  three  caskets,  one  red,  one  green,  and  one  blue,  and 
said  she'd  no  longer  any  need  of  her  services,  for  she  wasn't 
worth  keeping,  but  for  wages  she  should  have  leave  to  choose 
whichever  casket  she  pleased. 

Then  sung  the  little  birds : 

Don't  take  the  red,  don't  take  the  green, 
But  choose  the  blue,  where  may  be  seen 
Three  little  crosses  all  in  a  row  ; 
We  saw  the  marks,  and  so  we  know. 

She  didn't  care  a  pin  for  what  the  birds  sang,  but  took  the 
red,  which  caught  her  eye  most.  And  so  she  set  out  on  her 
road  home,  and  she  went  along  quietly  and  easily  enough  ; 
there  was  no  one  who  came  after  her. 

So  when  she  got  home,  her  mother  was  ready  to  jump  with 
joy,  and  the  two  went  at  once  into  the  ingle,  and  put  the 
casket  up  there,  for  they  made  up  their  minds  there  could 
be  nothing  in  it  but  pure  silver  and  gold,  and  they  thought 
to  have  all  the  walls  and  roof  gilded  Uke  the  pigsty.  But  lo  ! 
when  they  opened  the  casket  there  came  tumbling  out  nothing 
but  toads,  and  frogs,  and  snakes  ;  and  worse  than  that,  when- 
ever the  woman's  daughter  opened  her  mouth,  out  popped  a 


k 


ij6  Tales  from  the  Norse 

toad  or  a  snake,  and  all  the  vermin  one  ever  thought  of,  so 
that  at  last  there  was  no  living  in  the  house  with  her. 

That  was  all  the  wages  she  got  for  going  out  to  service  with 
the  old  witch. 

BUTTERCUP 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  an  old  wife  who  sat  and  baked. 
Now,  you  must  know  that  this  old  wife  had  a  little  son,  who 
was  so  plump  and  fat,  and  so  fond  of  good  things,  that  they 
called  him  Buttercup  ;  she  had  a  dog,  too,  whose  name  was 
Goldtooth,  and  as  she  was  baking,  all  at  once  Goldtooth  began 
to  bark. 

'  Run  out.  Buttercup,  there's  a  dear  !  '  said  the  old  wife, 
*  and  see  what  Goldtooth  is  barking  at.' 

So  the  boy  ran  out,  and  came  back  crying  out : 

*  Oh,  Heaven  help  us  !  here  comes  a  great  big  witch,  with 
her  head  under  her  arm,  and  a  bag  at  her  back.' 

'  Jump  under  the  kneading-trough  and  hide  yourself  ',  said 
his  mother. 

So  in  came  the  old  hag  ! 
'  Good  day  ',  said  she  ! 

*  God  bless  you  !  '  said  Buttercup's  mother. 

*  Isn't  your  Buttercup  at  home  to-day  ?  '  asked  the  hag. 
'  No,  that  he  isn't.     He's  out  in  the  wood  with  his  father, 

shooting  ptarmigan.* 

*  Plague  take  it  *,  said  the  hag,  '  for  I  had  such  a  nice  little 
silver  knife  I  wanted  to  give  him.* 

*  Pip,  pip  !  here  I  am  ',  said  Buttercup  under  the  kneading- 
trough,  and  out  he  came. 

'  I'm  so  old,  and  stiff  in  the  back  *,  said  the  hag,  '  you  must 
creep  into  the  bag  and  fetch  it  out  for  yourself.' 

But  when  Buttercup  was  well  into  the  bag,  the  hag  threw 
it  over  her  back  and  strode  off,  and  when  they  had  gone  a 
good  bit  of  the  way,  the  old  hag  got  tired,  and  asked  ; 

*  How  far  is  it  off  to  Snoring  ?  * 

'  Half  a  mile  ',  answered  Buttercup. 

So  the  hag  put  do\vn  the  sack  on  the  road,  and  went  aside 
by  herself  into  the  wood,  and  lay  down  to  sleep.  Meantime 
Buttercup  set  to  work  and  cut  a  hole  in  the  sack  with  his  knife; 
then  he  crept  out  and  put  a  great  root  of  a  fir-tree  into  the 
sack,  and  ran  home  to  his  mother. 


Buttercup  177 

When  the  hag  got  home  and  saw  what  there  was  in  the  sack, 
you  may  fancy  she  was  in  a  fine  rage. 

Next  day  the  old  wife  sat  and  baked  again,  and  her  dog 
began  to  bark  just  as  he  did  the  day  before. 

*  Run  out,  Buttercup,  my  boy  ',  said  she,  *  and  see  what 
Gold  tooth  is  barking  at.' 

*  Well,  I  never  !  '  cried  Buttercup,  as  soon  as  he  got  out ; 
*  if  there  isn't  that  ugly  old  beast  coming  again  v^dth  her  head 
under  her  arm,  and  a  great  sack  at  her  back.' 

*  Under  the  kneading-trough  with  you  and  hide  ',  said  his 
mother. 

'Good  day!'  said  the  hag,Y is^your  Buttercup  at  home 
to-day  ?  ' 

*  I'm  sorry  to  say  he  isn't ',  said  his  mother  ;  *  he's  out  in 
the  wood  with  his  father,  shooting  ptarmigan.* 

'  What  a  bore  ',  said  the  hag  ;  '  here  I  have  a  beautiful  little 
silver  spoon  I  want  to  give  him.' 

'  Pip,  pip  !  here  I  am  ',  said  Buttercup,  and  crept  out. 

'I'm  so  stiff  in  the  back  ',  said  the  old  witch,  '  you  must 
creep  into  the  sack  and  fetch  it  out  for  yourself.* 

So  when  Buttercup  was  well  into  the  sack,  the  hag  swung 
it  over  her  shoulders  and  set  off  home  as  fast  as  her  legs  could 
carry  her.  But  when  they  had  gone  a  good  bit,  she  grew 
weary,  and  asked  : 

'  How  far  is  it  off  to  Snoring  ?  ' 

'  A  mile  and  a  half  ',  answered  Buttercup. 

So  the  hag  set  down  the  sack,  and  went  aside  into  the  wood 
to  sleep  a  bit,  but  while  she  slept.  Buttercup  made  a  hole  in 
the  sack  and  got  out,  and  put  a  great  stone  into  it.  Now, 
when  the  old  witch  got  home,  she  made  a  great  fire  on  the 
hearth,  and  put  a  big  pot  on  it,  and  got  everything  ready  to 
boil  Buttercup  ;  but  when  she  took  the  sack,  and  thought 
she  was  going  to  turn  out  Buttercup  into  the  pot,  down 
plumped  the  stone  and  made  a  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  pot, 
so  that  the  water  ran  out  and  quenched  the  fire.  Then  the 
old  hag  was  in  a  dreadful  rage,  and  said,  '  If  he  makes  himself 
ever  so  heavy  next  time,  he  shan't  take  me  in  again.* 

The  third  day  everything  went  just  as  it  had  gone  twice 
before  ;  Goldtooth  began  to  bark,  and  Buttercup's  mother 
said  to  him  : 

'  Do  run  out  and  see  what  our  dog  is  barldng  at.' 


178  Tales  from  the  Norse 

So  out  he  went,  but  he  soon  came  back  crying  out : 

*  Heaven  save  us  !  Here  comes  the  old  hag  again  with  her 
head  under  her  arm,  and  a  sack  at  her  back.' 

'  Jump  under  the  kneading-trough  and  hide ',  said  his 
mother. 

'  Good  day  !  '  said  the  hag,  as  she  came  in  at  the  door  ;  *  is 
your  Buttercup  at  home  to-day  ?  * 

'  You're  very  kind  to  ask  after  him  *,  said  his  mother  ; 
*  but  he's  out  in  the  wood  with  his  father,  shooting  ptarmigan.' 

*  What  a  bore  now  ',  said  the  old  hag ;  '  here  have  I  got 
such  a  beautiful  little  silver  fork  for  him.' 

*  Pip,  pip  !  here  I  am  ',  said  Buttercup,  as  he  came  out  from 
under  the  kneading-trough. 

'  I'm  so  stijBf  in  the  back  ',  said  the  hag,  '  you  must  creep 
into  the  sack  and  fetch  it  out  for  yourself.' 

But  when  Buttercup  was  well  inside  the  sack,  the  old  hag 
swung  it  across  her  shoulders,  and  set  off  as  fast  as  she  could. 
This  time  she  did  not  turn  aside  to  sleep  by  the  way,  but 
went  straight  home  with  Buttercup  in  the  sack,  and  when 
she  reached  her  house  it  was  Sunday. 

So  the  old  hag  said  to  her  daughter : 

*  Now  you  must  take  Buttercup  and  kill  him,  and  boil  him 
nicely  till  I  come  back,  for  I'm  off  to  church  to  bid  my  guests 
to  dinner.' 

So,  when  all  in  the  house  were  gone  to  church  the  daughter 
was  to  take  Buttercup  and  kill  him,  but  then  she  didn't  know 
how  to  set  about  it  at  all. 

*  Stop  a  bit ',  said  Buttercup  ;  *  I'll  soon  show  you  how  to 
do  it ;  just  lay  your  head  on  the  chopping-block,  and  you'll 
soon  see.' 

So  the  poor  silly  thing  laid  her  head  down,  and  Buttercup 
took  an  axe  and  chopped  her  head  off,  just  as  if  she  had  been 
a  chicken.  Then  he  laid  her  head  in  the  bed,  and  popped  her 
body  into  the  pot,  and  boiled  it  so  nicely  ;  and  when  he  had 
done  that,  he  climbed  up  on  the  roof,  and  dragged  up  with  him 
the  fir-tree  root  and  the  stone,  and  put  the  one  over  the  door, 
and  the  other  at  the  top  of  the  chimney. 

So  when  the  household  came  back  from  church,  and  saw 
the  head  on  the  bed,  they  thought  it  was  the  daughter  who  lay 
there  asleep  ;  and  then  they  thought  they  would  just  taste 
the  broth. 


Taming  the  Shrew  179 

said  the  old  hag. 


Good,  by  my  troth  I 
Buttercup  broth. 


Good,  by  my  troth  I 
Daughter  broth, 

said  Buttercup  down  the  chimney,  but  no  one  heeded  him. 
So  the  old  hag's  husband,  who  was  every  bit  as  bad  as  she, 
took  the  spoon  to  have  a  taste. 

Good,  by  my  troth  I 
Buttercup  broth, 
said  he. 

Good,  by  my  troth  ! 
Daughter  broth, 

said  Buttercup  down  the  chimney  pipe. 

Then  they  all  began  to  wonder  who  it  could  be  that  chat- 
tered so,  and  ran  out  to  see.  But  when  they  came  out  at  the 
door.  Buttercup  threw  down  on  them  the  fir-tree  root  and  the 
stone,  and  broke  all  their  heads  to  bits.  After  that  he  took 
all  the  gold  and  silver  that  lay  in  the  house,  and  went  home 
to  his  mother,  and  became  a  rich  man. 


TAMING  THE  SHREW 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  king,  and  he  had  a  daughter  who 
was  such  a  scold,  and  whose  tongue  went  so  fast,  there  was 
no  stopping  it.  So  he  gave  out  that  the  man  who  could  stop 
her  tongue  should  have  the  Princess  to  wife,  and  half  his  king- 
dom into  the  bargain.  Now,  three  brothers,  who  heard  this, 
made  up  their  minds  to  go  and  try  their  luck  ;  and  first  of  all 
the  two  elder  went,  for  they  thought  they  were  the  cleverest ; 
but  they  couldn't  cope  with  her  at  all,  and  got  well  thrashed 
besides. 

Then  Boots,  the  youngest,  set  off,  and  when  he  had  gone  a 
little  way  he  found  an  ozier  band  lying  on  the  road,  and  he 
picked  it  up.  When  he  had  gone  a  little  farther  he  found  a 
piece  of  a  broken  plate,  and  he  picked  that  up  too.  A  little 
farther  on  he  found  a  dead  magpie,  and  a  httle  farther  on  still, 
a  crooked  ram's  horn  ;  so  he  went  on  a  bit  and  found  the 
fellow  to  the  horn  ;  and  at  last,  just  as  he  was  crossing  the 
fields  by  the  king's  palace,  where  they  were  pitching  out  dung, 


i8o  Tales  from  the  Norse 

he  found  a  worn-out  shoe-sole.     All  these  things  he  took  with 
him  into  the  palace,  and  went  before  the  Princess. 

*  Good  day  ',  said  he. 

*  Good  day  ',  said  she,  and  made  a  wry  face. 

'  Can  I  get  my  magpie  cooked  here  ?  *  he  asked. 
'  I'm  afraid  it  will  burst ',  answered  the  Princess. 
'Oh  !  never  fear  !  for  I'll  just  tie  this  ozier  band  round  it*, 
said  the  lad,  as  he  pulled  it  out. 

*  The  fat  will  run  out  of  it ',  said  the  Princess. 

*  Then  I'll  hold  this  under  it ',  said  the  lad,  and  showed  her 
the  piece  of  broken  plate. 

'  You  are  so  crooked  in  your  words  ',  said  the  Princess, 
*  there's  no  knowing  where  to  have  you.' 

*  No,  I'm  not  crooked  *,  said  the  lad  ;  *  but  this  is  ',  as  he 
held  up  one  of  the  horns. 

*  Well !  '  said  the  Princess,  *  I  never  saw  the  match  of  this 
in  all  my  days.' 

'  Why,  here  you  see  the  match  to  it ',  said  the  lad,  as  he 
pulled  out  the  other  ram's  horn. 

'  I  think  ',  said  the  Princess,  *  you  must  have  come  here 
to  wear  out  my  tongue  with  your  nonsense.' 

'  No,  I  have  not ',  said  the  lad  ;  '  but  this  is  worn  out ',  as 
he  pulled  out  the  shoe-sole. 

To  this  the  Princess  hadn't  a  word  to  say,  for  she  had  fairly 
lost  her  voice  with  rage. 

*  Now  you  are  mine  ',  said  the  lad  ;  and  so  he  got  the  Prin- 
cess to  wife,  and  half  the  kingdom. 


SHORTSHANKS 

Once  on  a  time,  there  was  a  poor  couple  who  lived  in  a  tum- 
ble-down hut,  in  which  there  was  nothing  but  black  want,  so 
that  they  hadn't  a  morsel  to  eat,  nor  a  stick  to  burn.  But 
though  they  had  next  to  nothing  of  other  things,  they  had 
God's  blessing  in  the  way  of  children,  and  every  year  they 
had  another  babe.  Now,  when  this  story  begins,  they  were 
just  looking  out  for  a  new  child  ;  and,  to  tell  the  truth,  the 
husband  was  rather  cross,  and  he  was  always  going  about 
grumbling  and  growling,  and  saying,  '  For  his  part,  he  thought 
one  might  have  too  many  of  these  God's  gifts.'     So  when  the 


SKortshanks  i8i 

time  came  that  the  babe  was  to  be  born,  he  went  off  into  the 
wood  to  fetch  fuel,  saying,  *  he  didn't  care  to  stop  and  see 
the  young  squaller  ;  he'd  be  sure  to  hear  him  soon  enough, 
screaming  for  food.' 

Now,  when  her  husband  was  well  out  of  the  house,  his  wife 
gave  birth  to  a  beautiful  boy,  who  began  to  look  about  the 
room  as  soon  cis  ever  he  came  into  the  world. 

'  Oh  !  dear  mother  ',  he  said,  '  give  me  some  of  my  brother's 
cast-off  clothes,  and  a  few  days'  food,  and  I'll  go  out  into  the 
world  and  try  my  luck  ;  you  have  children  enough  as  it  is, 
that  I  can  see.' 

*  God  help  you,  my  son  !  '  answered  his  mother ;  *  that 
can  never  be,  you  are  far  too  young  yet.' 

But  the  tiny  one  stuck  to  what  he  said,  and  begged  and 
prayed  till  his  mother  was  forced  to  let  him  have  a  few  old 
rags,  and  a  little  food  tied  up  in  a  bundle,  and  off  he  went 
right  merrily  and  manfully  into  the  wide  world.  But  he  was 
scarce  out  of  the  house  before  his  mother  had  another  boy, 
and  he  too  looked  about  him,  and  said : 

*  Oh,  dear  mother  !  give  me  some  of  my  brother's  old  clothes 
and  a  few  days'  food,  and  I'll  go  out  into  the  world  to  find  my 
twin-brother  ;  you  have  children  enough  already  on  your 
hands,  that  I  can  see.' 

*  God  help  you,  my  poor  little  fellow  !  *  said  his  mother  ; 
*  you  are  far  too  little,  this  will  never  do.' 

But  it  was  no  good  ;  the  tiny  one  begged  and  prayed  so 
hard,  till  he  got  some  old  tattered  rags  and  a  bundle  of  food  ; 
and  so  he  wandered  out  into  the  world  like  a  man,  to  find  his 
twin-brother.  Now,  when  the  younger  had  walked  a  while, 
he  saw  his  brother  a  good  bit  on  before  him,  so  he  called  out 
to  him  to  stop. 

'  Holloa  !  can't  you  stop  ?  why,  you  lay  legs  to  the  ground 
as  if  you  were  running  a  race.  But  you  might  just  as  well 
have  stayed  to  see  your  youngest  brother  before  you  set  off 
into  the  world  in  such  a  hurry.' 

So  the  elder  stopped  and  looked  round  ;  and  when  the 
younger  had  come  up  to  him  and  told  him  the  whole  story, 
and  how  he  was  his  brother,  he  went  on  to  say  : 

'  But  let's  sit  down  here  and  see  what  our  mother  has  given 
us  for  food.'  So  they  sat  down  together,  and  w^ere  soon  great 
friends. 


1 82  Tales  from  the  Norse 

Now  when  they  had  gone  a  bit  farther  on  their  way,  they 
came  to  a  brook  which  ran  through  a  green  meadow,  and 
the  youngest  said  now  the  time  was  come  to  give  one  another 
names,  '  Since  we  set  off  in  such  a  hurry  that  we  hadn't  time 
to  do  it  at  home,  we  may  as  well  do  it  here.' 

*  Well !  '  said  the  elder,  *  and  what  shall  your  name  be  ?  * 

'  Oh  !  *  said  the  younger,  '  my  name  shall  be  Shortshanks  ; 
and  yours,  what  shall  it  be  ?  ' 

*  I  will  be  called  King  Sturdy  *,  answered  the  eldest. 

So  they  christened  each  other  in  the  brook,  and  went  on  ; 
but  when  they  had  walked  a  while  they  came  to  a  cross  road, 
and  agreed  they  should  part  there,  and  each  take  his  own 
road.  So  they  parted,  but  they  hadn't  gone  half  a  mile  before 
their  roads  met  again.  So  they  parted  the  second  time,  and 
took  each  a  road  ;  but  in  a  little  while  the  same  thing  hap- 
pened, and  they  met  again,  they  scarce  knew  how  ;  and  the 
same  thing  happened  a  third  time  also.  Then  they  agreed 
that  they  should  each  choose  a  quarter  of  the  heavens,  and 
one  was  to  go  east  and  the  other  west ;  but  before  they  parted, 
the  elder  said  : 

*  If  you  ever  fall  into  misfortune  or  need,  call  three  times 
on  me,  and  I  will  come  and  help  you  ;  but  mind  you  don't 
call  on  me  till  you  are  at  the  Icist  pinch.' 

'  Well  !  '  said  Shortshanks,  *  if  that's  to  be  the  rule,  I  don't 
think  we  shall  meet  again  very  soon.' 

After  that  they  bade  each  other  good-bye,  and  Shortshanks 
went  east,  and  King  Sturdy  west. 

Now,  you  must  know,  when  Shortshanks  had  gone  a  good 
bit  alone,  he  met  an  old,  old  crook-backed  hag,  who  had  only 
one  eye,  and  Shortshanks  snapped  it  up, 

'  Oh  !  oh  !  '  screamed  the  hag,  '  what  has  become  of  my 
eye  ?  ' 

*  What  will  you  give  me  *,  asked  Shortshanks,  '  if  you  get 
your  eye  back  ?  * 

'  I'll  give  you  a  sword,  and  such  a  sword  !  It  will  put  a 
whole  army  to  flight,  be  it  ever  so  great ',  answered  the  old 
woman. 

'  Out  with  it,  then  ! '  said  Shortshanks. 

So  the  old  hag  gave  him  the  sword,  and  got  her  eye  back 
again.  After  that,  Shortshanks  wandered  on  a  while,  and 
another  old,  old  crook-backed   hag  met   him  who  had  only 


Shortshanks  1 83 

one  eye,  which  Shortshanks    stole  before  she  was  aware  of 
him. 

'  Oh,  oh  !  whatever  has  become  of  my  eye  ',  screamed  the 
hag. 

*  What  will  you  give  me  to  get  your  eye  back  ?  '  asked 
Shortshanks. 

*  I'll  give  you  a  ship  ',  said  the  woman,  *  which  can  sail 
over  fresh  water  and  salt  water,  and  over  high  hills  and  deep 
dales.' 

*  Well !    out  with  it ',  said  Shortshanks. 

So  the  old  woman  gave  him  a  little  tiny  ship,  no  bigger  than 
he  could  put  in  his  pocket,  and  she  got  her  eye  back  again, 
and  they  each  went  their  way.  But  when  he  had  wandered  on 
a  long,  long  way,  he  met  a  third  time  an  old,  old  crook-backed 
hag,  with  only  one  eye.  This  eye,  too,  Shortshanks  stole  ; 
and  when  the  hag  screamed  and  made  a  great  to-do,  bawling 
out  what  had  become  of  her  eye,  Shortshanks  said  : 

*  What  will  you  give  me  to  get  back  your  eye  ?  ' 
Then  she  answered  : 

*  I'll  give  you  the  art  how  to  brew  a  hundred  lasts  of  malt 
at  one  strike.' 

Well !  for  teaching  that  art  the  old  hag  got  back  her  eye, 
and  they  each  went  their  way. 

But  when  Shortshanks  had  walked  a  Httle  way,  he  thought 
it  might  be  worth  while  to  try  his  ship  ;  so  he  took  it  out  of 
his  pocket,  and  put  first  one  foot  into  it,  and  then  the  other  ; 
and  as  soon  as  ever  he  set  one  foot  into  it,  it  began  to  grow 
bigger  and  bigger,  and  by  the  time  he  set  the  other  foot  into 
it,  it  was  as  big  as  other  ships  that  sail  on  the  sea.  Then 
Shortshanks  said : 

'  Ofi  and  away,  over  fresh  water  and  salt  water,  over  high 
hills  and  deep  dales,  and  don't  stop  till  you  come  to  the  king's 
palace.' 

And  lo  !  away  went  the  ship  as  swiftly  as  a  bird  through 
the  air,  till  it  came  down  a  little  below  the  king's  palace,  and 
there  it  stopped.  From  the  palace  windows  people  had  stood 
and  seen  Shortshanks  come  saihng  along,  and  they  were  all 
so  amazed  that  they  ran  down  to  see  who  it  could  be  that 
came  sailing  in  a  ship  through  the  air.  But  while  they  were 
running  down,  Shortshanks  had  stepped  out  of  his  ship  and 
put  it  into  his  pocket  again  ;  for  as  soon  as  he  stepped  out  of 


184 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


it,  it  became  as  small  as  it  was  when  he  got  it  from  the  old 
woman.  So  those  who  had  run  down  from  the  palace  saw 
no  one  but  a  ragged  Httle  boy  standing  down  there  by  the 
strand.  Then  the  king  asked  whence  he  came,  but  the  boy 
said  he  didn't  know,  nor  could  he  tell  them  how  he  had  got 
there.  There  he  was,  and  that  was  all  they  could  get  out  of 
him  ;  but  he  begged  and  prayed  so  prettily  to  get  a  place  in 
the  king's  palace  ;  saying,  if  there  was  nothing  else  for  him 
to  do,  he  could  carry  in  wood  and  water  for  the  kitchen-maid, 
that  their  hearts  were  touched,  and  he  got  leave  to  stay 
there. 

Now  when  Shortshanks  came  up  to  the  palace,  he  saw  how 
it  was  all  hung  with  black,  both  outside  and  in,  wall  and  roof  ; 
so  he  asked  the  kitchen-maid  what  all  that  mourning  meant  ? 

*  Don't  you  know  ?  '  said  the  kitchen-maid  ;  '  I'll  soon 
tell  you :  the  king's  daughter  was  promised  away  a  long  time 
ago  to  three  ogres,  and  next  Thursday  evening  one  of  them  is 
coming  to  fetch  her.  Ritter  Red,  it  is  true,  has  given  out 
that  he  is  man  enough  to  set  her  free,  but  God  knows  if  he 
can  do  it ;  and  now  you  know  why  we  are  all  in  grief  and 
sorrow.* 

So  when  Thursday  evening  came,  Ritter  Red  led  the  Prin- 
cess down  to  the  strand,  for  there  it  was  she  was  to  meet 
the  Ogre,  and  he  was  to  stay  by  her  there  and  watch  ;  but 
he  wasn't  likely  to  do  the  Ogre  much  harm,  I  reckon,  for  as 
soon  as  ever  the  Princess  had  sat  down  on  the  strand,  Ritter 
Red  climbed  up  into  a  great  tree  that  stood  there,  and  hid 
himself  as  well  as  he  could  among  the  boughs.  The  Princess 
begged  and  prayed  him  not  to  leave  her,  but  Ritter  Red 
turned  a  deaf  ear  to  her,  and  all  he  said  was : 
'Tis  better  for  one  to  lose  life  than  for  two.* 

That  was  what  Ritter  Red  said. 

Meantime  Shortshanks  went  to  the  kitchen-maid,  and 
asked  her  so  prettily  if  he  mightn't  go  down  to  the  strand 
for  a  bit  ? 

*  And  what  should  take  you  down  to  the  strand  ?  '  asked 
the  kitchen-maid.     '  You  know  you've  no  business  there.' 

*  Oh,  dear  friend  ',  said  Shortshanks,  *  do  let  me  go  ?  1 
should  so  like  to  run  down  there  and  play  a  while  with  the 
other  children  ;    that  I  should,' 

*  Well,  well !  '  said  the  kitchen-maid,  '  off  with  you  ;    but 


i 


Shortshanks  185 

don't  let  me  catch  you  staying  there  a  bit  over  the  time  when 
the  brose  for  supper  must  be  set  on  the  fire,  and  the  roast 
put  on  the  spit ;  and  let  me  see  ;  when  you  come  back,  mind 
you  bring  a  good  armful  of  wood  with  you.' 

Yes  !  Shortshanks  would  mind  all  that ;  so  off  he  ran  down 
to  the  strand. 

But  just  as  he  reached  the  spot  where  the  Princess  sat, 
what  should  come  but  the  Ogre  tearing  along  in  his  ship,  so 
that  the  wind  roared  and  howled  after  him.  He  was  so  tall 
and  stout  it  was  awful  to  look  on  him,  and  he  had  five  heads 
of  his  own. 

*  Fire  and  flame  !  '  screamed  the  Ogre. 

*  Fire  and  flame  yourself  !  '  said  Shortshanks. 

*  Can  you  fight  ?  '  roared  the  Ogre. 

*  If  I  can't,  I  can  learn  ',  said  Shortshanks. 

So  the  Ogre  struck  at  him  with  a  great  thick  iron  club  which 
he  had  in  his  fist,  and  the  earth  and  stones  flew  up  five  yards 
into  the  air  after  the  stroke. 

'  My  !  '  said  Shortshanks,  '  that  was  something  like  a  blow, 
but  now  you  shall  see  a  stroke  of  mine.' 

Then  he  grasped  the  sword  he  had  got  from  the  old  crook- 
backed  hag,  and  cut  at  the  Ogre  ;  and  away  went  all  his  five 
heads  flying  over  the  sand.  So  when  the  Princess  saw  she 
was  saved,  she  was  so  glad  that  she  scarce  knew  what  to  do, 
and  she  jumped  and  danced  for  joy.  'Come,  lie  down,  and 
sleep  a  little  in  my  lap  ',  she  said  to  Shortshanks,  and  as  he 
slept  she  threw  over  him  a  tinsel  robe. 

Now  you  must  know,  it  wasn't  long  before  Ritter  Red 
crept  down  from  the  tree,  as  soon  as  he  saw  there  was  nothing 
to  fear  in  the  way,  and  he  went  up  to  the  Princess  and  threat- 
ened her  until  she  promised  to  say  it  was  h'^  who  had  saved 
her  life  ;  for  if  she  wouldn't  say  so,  he  said  he  would  kill  her 
on  the  spot.  After  that  he  cut  out  the  Ogre's  lungs  and  tongue, 
and  wrapped  them  up  in'  his  handkerchief,  and  so  led  the 
Princess  back  to  the  palace,  and  whatever  honours  he  had 
not  before  he  got  then,  for  the  king  did  not  know  how  to  find 
honour  enough  for  him,  and  made  him  sit  eyery  day  on  his 
right  hand  at  dinner. 

As  for  Shortshanks,  he  went  first  of  all  on  board  the  Ogre's 
ship,  and  took  a  whole  heap  of  gold  and  silver  rings,  as  large 
as  hoops,  and  trotted  off  with  them  as  hard  as  he  could  to 


1 86  Tales  from  the  Norse 

the  palace.     When  the  kitchen-maid  set  her  eyes  on  all  that 
gold  and  silver,  she  was  quite  scared,  and  asked  him  : 

*  But  dear,  good,  Shortshanks,  wherever  did  you  get  all 
this  from  ?  '  for  she  was  rather  afraid  he  hadn't  come  rightly 
by  it. 

*  Oh  !  '  answered  Shortshanks,  *  I  went  home  for  a  bit,  and 
there  I  found  these  hoops,  which  had  fallen  off  some  old  pails 
of  ours,  so  I  laid  hands  on  them  for  you,  if  you  must  know.' 

Well !  when  the  kitchen-maid  heard  they  were  for  her, 
she  said  nothing  more  about  the  matter,  but  thanked  Short- 
shanks, and  they  were  good  friends  again. 

The  next  Thursday  evening  it  was  the  same  story  over 
again  ;  all  were  in  grief  and  trouble,  but  Ritter  Red  said,  as 
he  had  saved  the  Princess  from  one  Ogre,  it  was  hard  if  he 
couldn't  save  her  from  another  ;  and  down  he  led  her  to  the 
strand  as  brave  as  a  Hon.  But  he  didn't  do  this  Ogre  much 
harm  either,  for  when  the  time  came  that  they  looked  for 
the  Ogre,  he  said,  as  he  had  said  before  : 

'  'Tis  better  one  should  lose  life  than  two  ',  and  crept  up 
into  his  tree  again.  But  Shortshanks  begged  the  kitchen- 
maid  to  let  him  go  down  to  the  strand  for  a  little. 

'  Oh  !  '  asked  the  kitchen-maid,  *  and  what  business  have 
you  down  there  ?  ' 

*  Dear  friend  ',  said  Shortshanks,  '  do  pray  let  me  go.  I 
long  so  to  run  down  and  play  a  while  with  the  other  chil- 
dren.' 

Well  !  the  kitchen-maid  gave  him  leave  to  go,  but  he  must 
promise  to  be  back  by  the  time  the  roast  was  turned,  and  he 
was  to  mind  and  bring  a  big  bundle  of  wood  with  him.  So 
Shortshanks  had  scarce  got  down  to  the  strand,  when  the 
Orge  came  tearing  along  in  his  ship,  so  that  the  wind  howled 
and  roared  around  him  ;  he  was  twice  as  big  as  the  other  Ogre, 
and  he  had  ten  heads  on  his  shoulders. 

*  Fire  and  flame  !  '  screamed  the  Ogre. 

*  Fire  and  flame  yourself  !  '  answered  Shortshanks. 

*  Can  you  fight  ?  '  roared  the  Ogre. 

*  If  I  can't,  I  can  learn  ',  said  Shortshanks. 

Then  the  Ogre  struck  at  him  with  his  iron  club  ;  it  was 
even  bigger  than  that  which  the  first  Ogre  had,  and  the  earth 
and  stones  flew  up  ten  yards  into  the  air. 

*  My  I  '  said  Shortshanks,  *  that  was  something  Hke  a  blow  . 


Shortshanks  1 87 

now  you  shall  see  a  stroke  of  mine.'  Then  he  grasped  his 
sword,  and  cut  off  all  the  Ogre's  ten  heads  at  one  blow,  and 
sent  them  dancing  away  over  the  sand. 

Then  the  Princess  said  again  to  him,  '  Lie  down  and  sleep 
a  little  while  on  my  lap  '  ;  and  while  Shortshanks  lay  there, 
she  threw  over  him  a  silver  robe.  But  as  soon  as  Ritter  Red 
marked  that  there  was  no  more  danger  in  the  way,  he  crept 
down  from  the  tree,  and  threatened  the  Princess,  till  she  was 
forced  to  give  her  word,  to  say  it  was  he  who  had  set  her  free  ; 
after  that,  he  cut  the  lungs  and  tongue  out  of  the  Ogre,  and 
wrapped  them  in  his  handkerchief,  and  led  the  Princess  back 
to  the  palace.  Then  you  may  fancy  what  mirth  and  joy 
there  was,  and  the  king  was  at  his  wits'  end  to  know  how 
to  show  Ritter  Red  honour  and  favour  enough. 

This  time,  too,  Shortshanks  took  a  whole  armful  of  gold 
and  silver  rings  from  the  Ogre's  ship,  and  when  he  came  back 
to  the  palace  the  kitchen-maid  clapped  her  hands  in  wonder, 
asking  wherever  he  got  all  that  gold  and  silver  from.  But 
Shortshanks  answered  that  he  had  been  home  a  while,  and 
that  the  hoops  had  fallen  off  some  old  pails,  so  he  had  laid 
his  hands  on  them  for  his  friend  the  kitchen-maid. 

So  when  the  third  Thursday  evening  came,  everything 
happened  as  it  had  happened  twice  before  ;  the  whole  palace 
was  hung  with  black,  and  all  went  about  mourning  and  weep- 
ing. But  Ritter  Red  said  he  couldn't  see  what  need  they 
had  to  be  so  afraid  ;  he  had  freed  the  Princess  from  two 
Ogres,  and  he  could  very  well  free  her  from  a  third  ;  so  he 
led  her  down  to  the  strand,  but  when  the  time  drew  near  for 
the  Ogre  to  come  up,  he  crept  into  his  tree  again,  and  hid 
himself.  The  Princess  begged  and  prayed,  but  it  was  no 
good,  for  Ritter  Red  said  again  : 

*  'Tis  better  that  one  should  lose  life  than  two.* 

That  evening,  too,  Shortshanks  begged  for  leave  to  go  down 
to  the  strand. 

*  Oh  !  *  said  the  kitchen-maid,  '  what  should  take  you  down 
there  ?  * 

But  he  begged  and  prayed  so,  that  at  last  he  got  leave  to 
go,  only  he  had  to  promise  to  be  back  in  the  kitchen  again 
when  the  roast  was  to  be  turned.  So  off  he  went,  but  he  had 
scarce  reached  the  strand  when  the  Ogre  came  with  the  wind 
howling  and  roaring  after  him.     He  was  much,  much  bigger 


1 88  Tales  from  the  Norse 

than  either  of  the  other  two,  and  he  had  fifteen  heads  on  his 
shoulders. 

*  Fire  and  flame  !  '  roared  out  the  O^e. 

*  Fire  and  flame  yourself ! '  said  Shortshanks. 

*  Can  you  fight  ?  '  screamed  the  Ogre. 

*  If  I  can't,  I  can  learn  ',  said  Shortshanks. 

*  I'll  soon  teach  you  *,  screamed  the  Ogre,  and  struck  at 
him  with  his  iron  club,  so  that  the  earth  and  stones  flew  up 
fifteen  yards  into  the  air. 

*  My  !  '  said  Shortshanks,  '  that  was  something  Hke  a  blow  ; 
but  now  you  shall  see  a  stroke  of  mine.' 

As  he  said  that,  he  grasped  his  sword,  and  cut  off  all  the 
Ogre's  fifteen  heads  at  one  blow,  and  sent  them  all  dancing 
over  the  sand. 

So  the  Princess  was  freed  from  all  the  Ogres,  and  she  both 
blessed  and  thanked  Shortshanks  for  saving  her  hfe. 

'  Sleep  now  a  while  on  my  lap  ',  she  said  ;  and  he  laid  his 
head  on  her  lap,  and  while  he  slept,  she  threw  over  him  a 
golden  robe. 

'  But  how  shall  we  let  it  be  known  that  it  is  you  that  have 
saved  me  ?  '  she  asked,  when  he  awoke. 

*  Oh,  I'll  soon  tell  you  ',  answered  Shortshanks.  '  When 
Ritter  Red  has  led  you  home  again,  and  given  himself  out  as 
the  man  who  has  saved  you,  you  know  he  is  to  have  you  to 
wife,  and  half  the  kingdom.  Now,  when  they  ask  you,  on 
your  wedding-day,  whom  you  will  have  to  be  your  cup-bearer, 
you  must  say,  "  I  will  have  the  ragged  boy  who  does  odd 
jobs  in  the  kitchen,  and  carries  in  wood  and  water  for  the 
kitchen-maid."  So  when  I  am  filling  your  cups,  I  will  spill 
a  drop  on  his  plate,  but  none  on  yours  ;  then  he  will  be  wroth, 
and  give  me  a  blow,  and  the  same  thing  will  happen  three 
times.  But  the  third  time  you  must  mind  and  say,  "  Shame 
on  you  !  to  strike  my  heart's  darUng  ;  he  it  is  who  set  me 
free,  and  him  will  I  have  !  "  ' 

After  that  Shortshanks  ran  back  to  the  palace,  as  he  had 
done  before  ;  but  he  went  first  on  board  the  Ogre's  ship,  and 
took  a  whole  heap  of  gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones,  and 
out  of  them  he  gave  the  kitchen-maid  another  great  armful 
of  gold  and  silver  rings. 

Well !  as  for  Ritter  Red,  as  soon  as  ever  he  saw  that  all 
risk  was  over,  he  crept  down  from  his  tree,  and  threatened 


Shortshanks  189 

the  Princess  till  she  was  forced  to  promise  she  would  say  it 
was  he  who  had  saved  her.  After  that  he  led  her  back  to 
the  palace,  and  all  the  honour  shown  him  before  was  nothing 
to  what  he  got  now,  for  the  king  thought  of  nothing  else  than 
how  he  might  best  honour  the  man  who  had  saved  his  daughter 
from  the  three  Ogres.  As  for  his  marrying  her,  and  having 
half  the  kingdom,  that  was  a  settled  thing,  the  king  said. 
But  when  the  wedding-day  came,  the  Princess  begged  she 
might  have  the  ragged  boy  who  carried  in  wood  and  water 
for  the  cook  to  be  her  cup-bearer  at  the  bridal-feast. 

'  I  can't  think  why  you  should  want  to  bring  that  filthy 
beggar  boy  in  here  ',  said  Ritter  Red  ;  but  the  Princess  had 
a  will  of  her  own,  and  said  she  would  have  him,  and  no  one 
else,  to  pour  out  her  wine  ;  so  she  had  her  way  at  last.  Now 
everything  went  as  it  had  been  agreed  between  Shortshanks 
and  the  Princess  ;  he  spilled  a  drop  on  Ritter  Red's  plate, 
but  none  on  hers,  and  each  time  Ritter  Red  got  wroth  and 
struck  him.  At  the  first  blow  Shortshank's  rags  fell  off  which 
he  had  worn  in  the  kitchen  ;  at  the  second  the  tinsel  robe  fell 
off  ;  and  at  the  third  the  silver  robe  ;  and  then  he  stood  in 
his  golden  robe,  all  gleaming  and  gUttering  in  the  light.  Then 
the  Princess  said  : 

'  Shame  on  you  !  to  strike  my  heart's  darling  !  he  has 
saved  me,  and  him  will  I  have  !  * 

Ritter  Red  cursed  and  swore  it  was  he  who  had  set  her 
free  ;    but  the  king  put  in  his  word,  and  said : 

*  The  man  who  saved  my  daughter  must  have  some  token 
to  show  for  it.' 

Yes  !  Ritter  Red  had  something  to  show,  and  he  ran  off 
at  once  after  his  handkerchief  with  the  lungs  and  tongues  in 
it,  and  Shortshanks  fetched  all  the  gold  and  silver,  and  precious 
things,  he  had  taken  out  of  the  Ogres'  ships.  So  each  laid 
his  tokens  before  the  king,  and  the  king  said  : 

*  The  man  who  has  such  precious  stores  of  gold,  and  silver, 
and  diamonds,  must  have  slain  the  Ogre,  and  spoiled  his 
goods,  for  such  things  are  not  to  be  had  elsewhere.' 

So  Ritter  Red  was  thrown  into  a  pit  full  of  snakes,  and 
Shortshanks  was  to  have  the  Princess  and  half  the  kingdom. 

One  day  Shortshanks  and  the  king  were  out  walking,  and 
Shortshanks  asked  the  king  if  he  hadn't  any  more  children  ? 

*  Yes  ',  said  the  king,  *  I  had  another  daughter  ;   but  the 


Ipo  Tales  from  the  Norse 

Ogre  has  taken  her  away,  because  there  was  no  one  who  could 
save  her.  Now  you  are  going  to  have  one  daughter,  but  if 
you  can  set  the  other  free  whom  the  Ogre  has  carried  off,  you 
shall  have  her  too  with  all  my  heart,  and  the  other  half  of  my 
kingdom.' 

'  Well ',  said  Shortshanks,  *  I  may  as  well  try  ;  but  I  must 
have  an  iron  cable,  five  hundred  fathoms  long,  and  five  hun- 
dred men,  and  food  for  them  to  last  fifteen  weeks,  for  I  have 
a  long  voyage  before  me.' 

Yes  !  the  king  said  he  should  have  them,  but  he  was  afraid 
there  wasn't  a  ship  in  his  kingdom  big  enough  to  carry  such 
a  freight. 

*  Oh  !  if  that's  all ',  said  Shortshanks,  *  I  have  a  ship  of 
my  own.' 

With  that  he  whipped  out  of  his  pocket  the  ship  he  had  got 
from  the  old  hag. 

The  king  laughed,  and  thought  it  was  all  a  joke  ;  but  Short- 
shanks begged  him  only  to  give  him  what  he  asked,  and  he 
should  soon  see  if  it  was  a  joke.  So  they  got  together  what 
he  wanted,  and  Shortshanks  bade  him  put  the  cable  on  board 
the  ship  first  of  all ;  but  there  was  no  one  man  who  could  Hft 
it,  and  there  wasn't  room  for  more  than  one  at  a  time  round 
the  tiny  ship.  Then  Shortshanks  took  hold  of  the  cable  by 
one  end,  and  laid  a  Hnk  or  two  into  the  ship  ;  and  as  he  threw 
in  the  Unks,  the  ship  grew  bigger  and  bigger,  till  at  last  it  got 
so  big,  that  there  was  room  enough  and  to  spare  in  it  for  the 
cable,  and  the  five  hundred  men,  and  their  food,  and  Short- 
shanks, and  all.     Then  he  said  to  the  ship  : 

*  Off  and  away,  over  fresh  water  and  salt  water,  over  high 
hill  and  deep  dale,  and  don't  stop  till  you  come  to  where  the 
king's  daughter  is.'  And  away  went  the  ship  over  land  and 
sea,  till  the  wind  whistled  after  it. 

So  when  they  had  sailed  far,  far  away,  the  ship  stood  stock 
still  in  the  middle  of  the  sea. 

*  Ah  !  *  said  Shortshanks,  '  now  we  have  got  so  far  ;  but 
how  we  are  to  get  back  is  another  story.' 

Then  he  took  the  cable  and  tied  one  end  of  it  round  his 
waist,  and  said  : 

'  Now,  I  must  go  to  the  bottom,  but  when  I  give  the  cable 
a  good  tug,  and  want  to  come  up  again,  mind  you  all  hoist 
away  with  a  will,  or  your  lives  will  be  lost  as  well  as  mine  '  . 


Shortshanks  191 


and  with  these  words  overboard  he  leapt,  and  dived  down, 
so  that  the  yellow  waves  rose  round  him  in  an  eddy. 

Well,  he  sank  and  sank,  and  at  last  he  came  to  the  bottom, 
and  there  he  saw  a  great  rock  rising  up  with  a  door  in  it,  so  he 
opened  the  door  and  went  in.  When  he  got  inside,  he  saw 
another  Princess,  who  sat  and  sewed,  but  when  she  saw  Short- 
shanks,  she  clasped  her  hands  together  and  cried  out : 

*  Now,  God  be  thanked  !  you  are  the  first  Christian  man 
I've  set  eyes  on  since  I  came  here.' 

'  Very  good  ',  said  Shortshanks  ;  *  but  do  you  know  I've 
come  to  fetch  you  ?  ' 

*  Oh  ! '  she  cried,  *  you'll  never  fetch  me  ;  you'll  never 
have  that  luck,  for  if  the  Ogre  sees  you,  he'll  kill  you  on  the 
spot.' 

*  I'm  glad  you  spoke  of  the  Ogre ',  said  Shortshanks ;  *  'twould 
be  fine  fun  to  see  him  ;    whereabouts  is  he  ?  * 

Then  the  Princess  told  him  the  Ogre  was  out  looking  for 
some  one  who  could  brew  a  hundred  lasts  of  malt  at  one  strike, 
for  he  was  going  to  give  a  great  feast,  and  less  drink  wouldn't 
do. 

*  Well !     I  can  do  that ',  said  Shortshanks. 

*  Ah  !  '  said  the  Princess,  '  if  only  the  Ogre  wasn't  so  hasty, 
I  might  tell  him  about  you  ;  but  he's  so  cross  ;  I'm  afraid 
he'll  tear  you  to  pieces  as  soon  as  he  comes  in,  without  waiting 
to  hear  my  story.  Let  me  see  what  is  to  be  done.  Oh  !  I 
have  it ;  just  hide  yourself  in  the  side-room  yonder,  and  let 
us  take  our  chance.' 

Well !  Shortshanks  did  as  she  told  him,  and  he  had  scarce 
crept  into  the  side-room  before  the  Ogre  came  in. 

'  HUF  !  '  said  the  Ogre  ;  *  what  a  horrid  smell  of  Christian 
man's  blood  '  !  ' 

'  Yes  !  '  said  the  Princess,  '  I  know  there  is,  for  a  bird  flew 
over  the  house  with  a  Christian  man's  bone  in  his  bill,  and  let 
it  fall  down  the  chimney.  I  made  all  the  haste  I  could  to 
get  it  out  again,  but  I  dare  say  it's  that  you  smell.' 

*  Ah  !  '  said  the  Ogre,   *  like  enough.'  - 

Then  the  Princess  asked  the  Ogre  if  he  had  laid  hold  of 

any  one  who  could  brew  a  hundred  lasts  of  malt  at  one  strike  ? 

'  No  ',  said  the  Ogre,  '  I  can't  hear  of  any  one  who  can  do  it.' 

'Well ',  she  said,  '  a  while  ago,  there  was  a  chap  in  here  who 

said  he  could  do  it.' 


192  Tales  from  the  Norse 

'  Just  like  you,  with  your  wisdom  !  *  said  the  Ogre  ;  *  why 
did  you  let  him  go  away  then,  when  you  knew  he  was  the  very 
man  I  wanted  ?  ' 

'Well  then,  I  didn't  let  him  go  ',  said  the  Princess  ;  *  but 
father's  temper  is  a  Uttle  hot,  so  I  hid  him  away  in  the  side- 
room  yonder  ;  but  if  father  hasn't  hit  upon  any  one,  here 
he  is.' 

*  Well ',  said  the  Ogre,   '  let  him  come  in  then.' 

So  Shortshanks  came  in,  and  the  Ogre  asked  him  if  it  were 
true  that  he  could  brew  a  hundred  lasts  of  malt  at  a  strike  ? 

*  Yes  it  is  ',  said  Shortshanks. 

*  'Twas  good  luck  then  to  lay  hands  on  you  ',  said  the  Ogre, 
'  and  now  fall  to  work  this  minute  ;  but  heaven  help  you  if 
you  don't  brew  the  ale  strong  enough.' 

'  Oh  ',  said  Shortshanks,  '  never  fear,  it  shall  be  stinging 
stuff  '  ;  and  with  that  he  began  to  brew  without  more  fuss, 
but  all  at  once  he  cried  out : 

'  I  must  have  more  of  you  Ogres  to  help  in  the  brewing, 
for  these  I  have  got  a'nt  half  strong  enough.' 

Well,  he  got  more — so  many,  that  there  was  a  whole  swarm 
of  them,  and  then  the  brewing  went  on  bravely.  Now  when 
the  sweet-wort  was  ready,  they  were  all  eager  to  taste  it,  you 
may  guess  ;  first  of  all  the  Ogre,  and  then  all  his  kith  and 
kin.  But  Shortshanks  had  brewed  the  wort  so  strong  that 
they  all  fell  down  dead,  one  after  another,  like  so  many  flies, 
as  soon  as  they  had  tasted  it.  At  last  there  wasn't  one  of 
them  left  alive  but  one  vile  old  hag,  who  lay  bed-ridden  in 
the  chimney-comer. 

'  Oh  you  poor  old  wretch  ',  said  Shortshanks,  '  you  may 
just  as  well  taste  the  wort  along  with  the  rest.* 

So  he  went  and  scooped  up  a  httle  from  the  bottom  of  the 
copper  in  a  scoop,  and  gave  her  a  drink,  and  so  he  was  rid  of 
the  whole  pack  of  them. 

As  he  stood  there  and  looked  about  him,  he  cast  his  eye  on 
a  great  chest,  so  he  took  it  and  filled  it  with  gold  and  silver ; 
then  he  tied  the  cable  round  himself  and  the  Princess  and  the 
chest,  and  gave  it  a  good  tug,  and  his  men  pulled  them  all 
up,  safe  and  sound.  As  soon  as  ever  Shortshanks  was  well 
up,  he  said  to  the  ship, 

'  Off  and  away,  over  fresh  water  and  salt  water,  high  hill 
and  deep  dale,  and  don't  stop  till  you  come  to  the    king's 


Shortshanks  193 

palace  *  ;  and  straightway  the  ship  held  on  her  course,  so  that 
the  yellow  billows  foamed  round  her.  When  the  people  in 
the  palace  saw  the  ship  sailing  up,  they  were  not  slow  in  meet- 
ing them  with  songs  and  music,  welcoming  Shortshanks  with 
great  joy  ;  but  the  gladdest  of  all  was  the  king,  who  had  now 
got  his  other  daughter  back  again. 

But  now  Shortshanks  was  rather  down-hearted,  for  you 
must  know  that  both  the  princesses  wanted  to  have  him,  and 
he  would  have  no  other  than  the  one  he  had  first  saved,  and 
she  was  the  youngest.  So  he  walked  up  and  down,  and 
thought  and  thought  what  he  should  do  to  get  her,  and  yet  do 
something  to  please  her  sister.  Well,  one  day  as  he  was  turn- 
ing the  thing  over  in  his  mind,  it  struck  him  if  he  only  had 
his  brother  King  Sturdy,  who  was  so  like  him  that  no  one  could 
tell  the  one  from  the  other,  he  would  give  up  to  him  the  other 
princess  and  half  the  kingdom,  for  he  thought  one-half  was 
quite  enough. 

Well,  as  soon  as  ever  this  came  into  his  mind,  he  went  out- 
side the  palace  and  called  on  King  Sturdy,  but  no  one  came. 
So  he  called  a  second  time  a  little  louder,  but  still  no  one 
came.  Then  he  called  out  the  third  time  '  King  Sturdy  ' 
with  all  his  might,  and  there  stood  his  brother  before  him. 

*  Didn't  I  say  !  '  he  said  to  Shortshanks,  '  didn't  I  say  you 
were  not  to  call  me  except  in  your  utmost  need  ?  and  here 
there  is  not  so  much  as  a  gnat  to  do  you  any  harm  ',  and 
with  that  he  gave  him  such  a  box  on  the  ear  that  Shortshanks 
tumbled  head  over  heels  on  the  grass. 

*  Now  shame  on  you  to  hit  so  hard  !  '  said  Shortshanks. 
'  First  of  all  I  won  a  princess  and  half  the  kingdom,  and  then  I 
won  another  princess  and  the  other  half  of  the  kingdom  ;  and 
now  I'm  thinking  to  give  you  one  of  the  princesses  and  half 
the  kingdom.  Is  there  any  rhyme  or  reason  in  giving  me 
such  a  box  on  the  ear  ?  ' 

When  King  Sturdy  heard  that,  he  begged  his  brother  to 
forgive  him,  and  they  were  soon  as  good  friends  as  ever  again. 

'  Now  ',  said  Shortshanks.  '  you  know,  we  are  so  much 
alike,  that  no  one  can  tell  the  one  from  the  other  ;  so  just 
change  clothes  with  me  and  go  into  the  palace  ;  then  the  prin- 
cesses will  think  it  is  I  that  am  coming  in,  and  the  one  that 
kisses  you  first  you  shall  have  for  your  wife,  and  I  will  have 
the  other  for  mine.' 

o 


194  Tales  from  the  Norse 

And  he  said  this  because  he  knew  well  enough  that  the  elder 
king's  daughter  was  the  stronger,  and  so  he  could  very  well 
guess  how  things  would  go.  As  for  King  Sturdy,  he  was 
wilUng  enough,  so  he  changed  clothes  with  his  brother  and 
went  into  the  palace.  But  when  he  came  into  the  Princesses* 
bower  they  thought  it  was  Shortshanks,  and  both  ran  up  to 
him  to  kiss  him  ;  but  the  elder,  who  was  stronger  and  bigger, 
pushed  her  sister  on  one  side,  and  threw  her  arms  round  King 
Sturdy's  neck,  and  gave  him  a  kiss  ;  and  so  he  got  her  for  his 
wife,  and  Shortshanks  got  the  younger  Princess.  Then  they 
made  ready  for  the  wedding,  and  you  may  fancy  what  a 
grand  one  it  was,  when  I  tell  you,  that  the  fame  of  it  was 
noised  abroad  over  seven  kingdoms. 


GUDBRAND  ON  THE  HILL-SIDE 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  man  whose  name  was  Gudbrand  ; 
he  had  a  farm  which  lay  far,  far  away  upon  a  hill-side,  and 
so  they  called  him  Gudbrand  on  the  Hill-side. 

Now,  you  must  know  this  man  and  his  goodwife  lived  so 
happily  together,  and  understood  one  another  so  well,  that 
all  the  husband  did  the  wife  thought  so  well  done  there  was 
nothing  Hke  it  in  the  world,  and  she  was  always  glad  whatever 
he  turned  his  hand  to.  The  farm  was  their  own  land,  and 
they  had  a  hundred  dollars  lying  at  the  bottom  of  their  chest, 
and  two  cows  tethered  up  in  a  stall  in  their  farm-yard. 

So  one  day  his  wife  said  to  Gudbrand  : 

*  Do  you  know,  dear,  I  think  we  ought  to  take  one  of  our 
cows  into  town,  and  sell  it ;  that's  what  I  think  ;  for  then  we 
shall  have  some  money  in  hand,  and  such  well-to-do  people 
as  we  ought  to  have  ready  money  like  the  rest  of  the  world. 
As  for  the  hundred  dollars  at  the  bottom  of  the  chest  yonder, 
we  can't  make  a  hole  in  them,  and  I'm  sure  I  don't  know 
what  we  want  with  more  than  one  cow.  Besides,  we  shall 
gain  a  little  in  another  way,  for  then  I  shall  get  off  with  only 
looking  after  one  cow,  instead  of  having,  as  now,  to  feed  and 
litter  and  water  two.* 

Well,  Gudbrand  thought  his  wife  talked  right  good  sense, 
SO  he  set  off  at  once  with  the  cow  on  his  way  to  town  to  sell 


I 


Gudbrand  on  the  Hill-side  195 

her  ;  but  when  he  got  to  the  town,  there  was  no  one  who  would 
buy  his  cow. 

'  Well  !  well !  never  mind  ',  said  Gudbrand,  '  at  the  worst, 
I  can  only  go  back  home  again  with  my  cow.  I've  both  stable 
and  tether  for  her,  I  should  think,  and  the  road  is  no  farther 
out  than  in  ' ;  and  with  that  he  began  to  toddle  home  with  his 
cow. 

But  when  he  had  gone  a  bit  of  the  way,  a  man  met  him 
who  had  a  horse  to  sell,  so  Gudbrand  thought  'twas  better 
to  have  a  horse  than  a  cow,  so  he  swopped  with  the  man.  A 
little  farther  on  he  met  a  man  walking  along  and  driving  a 
fat  pig  before  him,  and  he  thought  it  better  to  have  a  fat  pig 
than  a  horse,  so  he  swopped  with  the  man.  After  that  he 
went  a  little  farther,  and  a  man  met  him  with  a  goat ;  so  he 
thought  it  better  to  have  a  goat  than  a  pig,  and  he  swopped 
with  the  man  that  owned  the  goat.  Then  he  went  on  a  good 
bit  till  he  met  a  man  who  had  a  sheep,  and  he  swopped  with 
him  too,  for  he  thought  it  always  better  to  have  a  sheep  than 
a  goat.  After  a  while  he  met  a  man  with  a  goose,  and  he 
swopped  away  the  sheep  for  the  goose  ;  and  when  he  had 
walked  a  long,  long  time,  he  met  a  man  with  a  cock,  and  he 
swopped  with  him,  for  he  thought  in  this  wise,  *  'Tis  surely 
better  to  have  a  cock  than  a  goose.'  Then  he  went  on  till 
the  day  was  far  spent,  and  he  began  to  get  very  hungry,  so 
he  sold  the  cock  for  a  shilling,  and  bought  food  with  the 
money,  for,  thought  Gudbrand  on  the  Hill-side,  *  'Tis  always 
better  to  save  one's  life  than  to  have  a  cock.' 

After  that  he  went  on  home  till  he  reached  his  nearest 
neighbour's  house,  where  he  turned  in. 

'Well ',  said  the  owner  of  the  house,  'how  did  things  go 
with  you  in  town  ?  * 

*  Rather  so  so ',  said  Gudbrand,  *  I  can't  praise  my  luck, 
nor  do  I  blame  it  either  ',  and  with  that  he  told  the  whole  story 
from  first  to  last. 

*  Ah  !  '  said  his  friend,  *  you'll  get  nicely  called  over  the 
coals,  that  one  can  see,  when  you  get  home  to  your  wife. 
Heaven  help  you,  I  wouldn't  stand  in  your  shoes  for  something.' 

'  Well  ! '  said  Gudbrand  on  the  Hill-side,  *  I  think  things 
might  have  gone  much  worse  with  me  ;  but  now,  whether  I 
have  done  wrong  or  not,  I  have  so  kind  a  goodwife,  she  never 
has  a  word  to  say  against  anything  that  I  do.' 


196 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


'  Oh  !  '  answered  his  neighbour,  *  I  hear  what  you  say, 
but  I  don't  beheve  it  for  all  that.' 

'  Shall  we  lay  a  bet  upon  it  ?  '  asked  Gudbrand  on  the  Hill- 
side. *  I  have  a  hundred  dollars  at  the  bottom  of  my  chest 
at  home  ;    will  you  lay  as  many  against  them  ?  ' 

Yes  !  the  friend  was  ready  to  bet ;  so  Gudbrand  stayed  there 
till  evening,  when  it  began  to  get  dark,  and  then  they  went 
together  to  his  house,  and  the  neighbour  was  to  stand  outside 
the  door  and  listen,  while  the  man  went  in  to  see   his  wife. 

'  Good  evening  !  '  said  Gudbrand  on  the  Hill-side. 

*  Good  evening  !  '  said  the  goodwife.  '  Oh  !  is  that  you  ? 
now  God  be  praised.' 

Yes  !  it  was  he.  So  the  wife  asked  how  things  had  gone 
with  him  in  town  ? 

*  Oh  !  only  so  so  ',  answered  Gudbrand  ;  '  not  much  to 
brag  of.  When  I  got  to  the  town  there  was  no  one  who  would 
buy  the  cow,  so  you  must  know  I  swopped  it  away  for  a  horse.' 

'  For  a  horse  ',  said  his  wife  ;  '  well  that  is  good  of  you  ; 
thanks  with  all  my  heart.  We  are  so  well  to  do  that  we  may 
drive  to  church,  just  as  well  as  other  people  ;  and  if  we  choose 
to  keep  a  horse  we  have  a  right  to  get  one,  I  should  think. 
So  run  out,  child,  and  put  up  the  horse.' 

'  Ah ! '  said  Gudbrand,  '  but  you  see  I've  not  got  the  horse 
after  all ;  for  when  I  got  a  bit  farther  on  the  road,  I  swopped 
it  away  for  a  pig.' 

'  Think  of  .that,  now  !  '  said  the  wife  ;  '  you  did  just  as  I 
should  have  done  myself ;  a  thousand  thanks  !  Now  I 
can  have  a  bit  of  bacon  in  the  house  to  set  before  people 
when  they  come  to  see  me,  that  I  can.  What  do  we  want 
with  a  horse  ?  People  would  only  say  we  had  got  so  proud 
that  we  couldn't  walk  to  church.  Go  out,  child,  and  put 
up  the  pig  in  the  sty.' 

*  But  I've  not  got  the  pig  either  ',  said  Gudbrand  ;  *  for 
when  I  got  a  little  farther  on,  I  swopped  it  away  for  a  milch 
goat.' 

*  Bless  us ! '  cried  his  wife,  '  how  well  you  manage  every- 
thing !  Now  I  think  it  over,  what  should  I  do  with  a  pig  ? 
People  would  only  point  at  us  and  say,  "  Yonder  they  eat 
up  all  they  have  got."  No  !  now  I  have  got  a  goat,  and  I  shall 
have  milk  and  cheese,  and  keep  the  goat  too.  Run  out, 
child,  and  put  up  the  goat.* 


Gudbrand  on  the  Hill-side  197 

*  Nay,  but  I  haven't  got  the  goat  either  ',  said  Gudbrand, 
*  for  a  httle  farther  on  I  swopped  it  away,  and  got  a  fine  sheep 
instead.' 

'  You  don't  say  so  ! '  cried  his  wife  ;  '  why,  you  do  everything 
to  please  me,  just  as  if  I  had  been  with  you  ;  what  do  we  want 
with  a  goat  ?  If  I  had  it  I  should  lose  half  my  time  in  climbing 
up  the  hills  to  get  it  down.  No  !  if  I  have  a  sheep,  I  shall 
have  both  wool  and  clothing,  and  fresh  meat  in  the  house. 
Run  out,  child,  and  put  up  the  sheep.' 

'  But  I  haven't  got  the  sheep  any  more  than  the  rest  *, 
said  Gudbrand  ;  *  for  when  I  had  gone  a  bit  farther,  I  swopped 
it  away  for  a  goose.' 

'  Thank  you  !  thank  you  !  with  all  my  heart ',  cried  his 
wife  ;  *  what  should  I  do  with  a  sheep  ?  I  have  no  spinning- 
wheel,  nor  carding-comb,  nor  should  I  care  to  worry  myself 
with  cutting,  and  shaping,  and  sewing  clothes.  We  can  buy 
clothes  now,  as  we  have  always  done ;  and  now  I  shall  have 
roast  goose,  which  I  have  longed  for  so  often  ;  and,  besides, 
down  to  stuff  my  little  pillow  with.  Run  out,  child,  and 
put  up  the  goose.' 

'  Ah  !  '  said  Gudbrand,  *  but  I  haven't  the  goose  either  ;  for 
when  I  had  gone  a  bit  farther  I  swopped  it  away  for  a  cock.' 

'  Dear  me  !  '  cried  his  wife,  '  how  you  think  of  everything  ! 
just  as  I  should  have  done  myself.  A  cock  !  think  of  that ! 
why  it's  as  good  as  an  eight-day  clock,  for  every  morning  the 
cock  crows  at  four  o'clock,  and  we  shall  be  able  to  stir  our 
stumps  in  good  time.  What  should  we  do  with  a  goose  ?  I 
don't  know  how  to  cook  it ;  and  as  for  my  pillow,  I  can  stuff 
it  with  cotton-grass.     Run  out,  child,  and  put  up  the  cock.' 

*  But,  after  all,  I  haven't  got  the  cock  ',  said  Gudbrand  ; 
'  for  when  I  had  gone  a  bit  farther,  I  got  as  hungry  as  a  hunter, 
so  I  was  forced  to  sell  the  cock  for  a  shilling,  for  fear  I  should 
starve.' 

*  Now,  God  be  praised  that  you  did  so  !  '  cried  his  wife  ; 
'whatever  you  do,  you  do  it  always  just  after  my  own  heart. 
What  should  we  do  with  the  cock  ?  We  are  our  own  masters, 
I  should  think,  and  can  lie  a-bed  in  the  morning  as  long  as 
we  like.  Heaven  be  thanked  that  I  have  got  you  safe  back 
again  ;  you  who  do  everything  so  well  that  I  want  neither 
cock  nor  goose  ;    neither  pigs  nor  kine.' 

Then  Gudbrand  opened  the  door  and  said : 


198 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


'  Well,  what  do  you  say  now  ?  Have  I  won  the  hundred 
dollars  ?  '  and  his  neighbour  was  forced  to  allow  that  he  had. 

THE  BLUE  BELT 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  an  old  beggar-woman,  who  had 
gone  out  to  beg.  She  had  a  little  lad  with  her,  and  when  she 
had  got  her  bag  full,  she  struck  across  the  hills  towards  her 
own  home.  So  when  they  had  gone  a  bit  up  the  hill-side, 
they  came  upon  a  little  blue  belt,  which  lay  where  two  paths 
met,  and  the  lad  asked  his  mother's  leave  to  pick  it  up. 

'  No  ',  said  she,  '  maybe  there's  witchcraft  in  it '  ;  and 
so  with  threats  she  forced  him  to  follow  her.  But  when  they 
had  gone  a  bit  further,  the  lad  said  he  must  turn  aside  a  mo- 
ment out  of  the  road,  and  meanwhile  his  mother  sat  down  on 
a  tree-stump.  But  the  lad  was  a  long  time  gone,  for  as  soon 
as  he  got  so  far  into  the  wood,  that  the  old  dame  could  not 
see  him,  he  ran  off  to  where  the  belt  lay,  took  it  up,  tied  it 
round  his  waist,  and  lo  !  he  felt  as  strong  as  if  he  could  lift 
the  whole  hill.  When  he  got  back,  the  old  dame  was  in  a 
great  rage,  and  wanted  to  know  what  he  had  been  doing  all 
that  while.  '  You  don't  care  how  much  time  you  waste, 
and  yet  you  know  the  night  is  drawing  on,  and  we  must  cross 
the  hill  before  it  is  dark  !  '  So  on  they  tramped  ;  but  when 
they  had  got  about  half-way,  the  old  dame  grew  weary,  and 
said  she  must  rest  under  a  bush. 

'  Dear  mother ',  said  the  lad,  *  mayn't  I  just  go  up  to  the 
top  of  this  high  crag  while  you  rest,  and  try  if  I  can't  see 
some  sign  of  folk  hereabouts  ?  ' 

Yes  !  he  might  do  that ;  so  when  he  had  got  to  the  top, 
he  saw  a  light  shining  from  the  north.  So  he  ran  down  and 
told  his  mother. 

'  We  must  get  on,  mother ;  we  are  near  a  house,  for  I  see 
a  bright  light  shining  quite  close  to  us  in  the  north.'  Then 
she  rose  and  shouldered  her  bag,  and  set  off  to  see ;  but  they 
hadn't  gone  far,  before  there  stood  a  steep  spur  of  the  hill,  right 
across  their  path. 

'  Just  as  I  thought !  '  said  the  old  dame  ;  '  now  we  can't 
go  a  step  farther  ;    a  pretty  bed  we  shall  have  here !  ' 

But  the  lad  took  the  bag  under  one  arm,  and  his  mother 
under  the  other,  and  ran  straight  up  the  steep  crag  with  them. 


The  Blue  Belt  199 

*  Now,  don't  you  see  !  don't  you  see  that  we  are  close  to 
a  house  !    don't  you  see  the  bright  hght  ?  ' 

But  the  old  dame  said  those  were  no  Christian  folk,  but 
Trolls,  for  she  was  at  home  in  all  that  forest  far  and  near, 
and  knew  there  was  not  a  living  soul  in  it,  until  you  were  well 
over  the  ridge,  and  had  come  down  on  the  other  side.  But 
they  went  on,  and  in  a  httle  while  they  came  to  a  great  house 
which  was  all  painted  red. 

'  What's  the  good  ?  '  said  the  old  dame,  *  we  daren't  go  in, 
for  here  the  Trolls  Uve.' 

'  Don't  say  so  ;  we  must  go  in.  There  must  be  men  where 
the  lights  shine  so',  said  the  lad.  So  in  he  went,  and  his 
mother  after  him,  but  he  had  scarce  opened  the  door  before 
she  swooned  away,  for  there  she  saw  a  great  stout  man,  at 
least  twenty  feet  high,  sitting  on  the  bench. 

'  Good  evening,  grandfather  !  '  said  the  lad. 

*  Well,  here  I've  sat  three  hundred  years  ',  said  the  man 
who  sat  on  the  bench,  '  and  no  one  has  ever  come  and  called 
me  grandfather  before.  *  Then  the  lad  sat  down  by  the  man's 
side,  and  began  to  talk  to  him  as  if  they  had  been  old  friends. 

'  But  what's  come  over  your  mother  ?  '  said  the  man,  after 
they  had  chattered  a  while.  '  I  think  she  swooned  away  ; 
you  had  better  look  after  her.' 

So  the  lad  went  and  took  hold  of  the  old  dame  ;  and  dragged 
her  up  the  hall  along  the  floor.  That  brought  her  to  herself, 
and  she  kicked,  and  scratched,  and  flung  herself  about,  and 
at  last  sat  down  upon  a  heap  of  firewood  in  the  comer ;  but 
she  was  so  frightened  that  she  scarce  dared  to  look  one  in 
the  face. 

After  a  while,  the  lad  asked  if  they  could  spend  the  night 
there. 

'  Yes,  to  be  sure  *,  said  the  man. 

So  they  went  on  talking  again,  but  the  lad  soon  got  hungry, 
and  wanted  to  know  if  they  could  get  food  as  well  as  lodg- 
ing. 

'  Of  course  ',  said  the  man,  '  that  might  be  got  too.*  And 
after  he  had  sat  a  while  longer,  he  rose  up  and  threw  six  loads 
of  dry  pitch-pine  on  the  fire.  This  made  the  old  hag  still 
more  afraid. 

'  Oh  !  now  he's  going  to  roast  us  alive  ',  she  said,  in  the 
corner  where  she  sat. 


200  Tales  from  the  Norse 

And  when  the  wood  had  burned  down  to  glowing  embers, 
up  got  the  man  and  strode  out  of  his  house. 

'  Heaven  bless  and  help  us  !  what  a  stout  heart  you  have 
got ',  said  the  old  dame  ;  '  don't  you  see  we  have  got  amongst 
Trolls  ?  ' 

'  Stuff  and  nonsense  !  '  said  the  lad  ;  '  no  harm  if  we  have.' 

In  a  little  while  back  came  the  man  with  an  ox  so  fat  and 
big,  the  lad  had  never  seen  its  like,  and  he  gave  it  one  blow 
with  his  fist  under  the  ear,  and  down  it  fell  dead  on  the  floor. 
When  that  was  done,  he  took  it  up  by  all  the  four  legs,  and 
laid  it  on  the  glowing  embers,  and  turned  it  and  twisted  it 
about  till  it  was  burnt  brown  outside.  After  that,  he  went 
to  a  cupboard  and  took  out  a  great  silver  dish,  and  laid  the 
ox  on  it ;  and  the  dish  was  so  big  that  none  of  the  ox  hung  over 
on  any  side.  This  he  put  on  the  table,  and  then  he  went 
down  into  the  cellar,  and  fetched  a  cask  of  wine,  knocked  out 
the  head,  and  put  the  cask  on  the  table,  together  with  two 
knives,  which  were  each  six  feet  long.  When  this  was  done, 
he  bade  them  go  and  sit  down  to  supper  and  eat.  So  they 
went,  the  lad  first  and  the  old  dame  after,  but  she  began  to 
whimper  and  wail,  and  to  wonder  how  she  should  ever  use 
such  knives.  But  her  son  seized  one,  and  began  to  cut  slices 
out  of  the  thigh  of  the  ox,  which  he  placed  before  his  mother. 
And  when  they  had  eaten  a  bit,  he  took  up  the  cask  with 
both  hands,  and  lifted  it  down  to  the  floor ;  then  he  told  his 
mother  to  come  and  drink,  but  it  was  still  so  high  she  couldn't 
reach  up  to  it ;  so  he  caught  her  up,  and  held  her  up  to  the 
edge  of  the  cask  while  she  drank  ;  as  for  himself,  he  clambered 
up  and  hung  down  Uke  a  cat  inside  the  cask  while  he  drank. 
So  when  he  had  quenched  his  thirst,  he  took  up  the  cask  and 
put  it  back  on  the  table,  and  thanked  the  man  for  the  good  meal, 
and  told  his  mother  to  come  and  thank  him  too,  and  a-f eared 
though  she  was,  she  dared  do  nothing  else  but  thank  the  man. 
Then  the  lad  sat  down  again  alongside  the  man  and  began  to 
gossip,  and  after  they  had  sat  a  while,  the  man  said  : 

*  Well !  I  must  just  go  and  get  a  bit  of  supper  too ' ;  and  so 
he  went  to  the  table  and  ate  up  the  whole  ox — hoofs,  and 
horns,  and  all — and  drained  the  cask  to  the  last  drop,  and 
then  went  back  and  sat  on  the  bench. 

*  As  for  beds  ',  he  said,  *  I  don't  know  what's  to  be  done, 
I've  only  got  one  bed  and  a  cradle ;    but  we  could  get  on 


I 


The  Blue  Belt  201 

pretty  well  if  you  would  sleep  in  the  cradle,  and  then  your 
mother  might  lie  in  the  bed  yonder.' 

'  Thank  you  kindly,  that'll  do  nicely  ',  said  the  lad  ;  and 
with  that  he  pulled  off  his  clothes  and  lay  down  in  the  cradle  ; 
but,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  it  was  quite  as  big  as  a  four-poster. 
As  for  the  old  dame,  she  had  to  follow  the  man  who  showed 
her  to  bed,  though  she  was  out  of  her  wits  for  fear. 

*  Well !  '  thought  the  lad  to  himself,  *  'twill  never  do  to 
go  to  sleep  yet.  I'd  best  he  awake  and  listen  how  things 
go  as  the  night  wears  on.* 

So  after  a  while  the  man  began  to  talk  to  the  old  dame, 
and  at  last  he  said  : 

'We  two  might  live  here  so  happily  together,  could  we 
only  be  rid  of  this  son  of  yours.' 

'  But  do  you  know  how  to  settle  him  ?  Is  that  what  you're 
thinking  of  ?  '  said  she. 

'  Nothing  easier ',  said  he  ;  at  any  rate  he  would  try.  He 
would  just  say  he  wished  the  old  dame  would  stay  and  keep 
house  for  him  a  day  or  two,  and  then  he  would  take  the  lad 
out  with  him  up  the  hill  to  quarry  comer-stones,  and  roll 
down  a  great  rock  on  him.     All  this  the  lad  lay  and  listened  to. 

Next  day  the  Troll — for  it  was  a  Troll  as  clear  as  day — 
asked  if  the  old  dame  would  stay  and  keep  house  for  him  a 
few  days  ;  and  as  the  day  went  on  he  took  a  great  iron  crow- 
bar, and  asked  the  lad  if  he  had  a  mind  to  go  with  him  up  the 
hill  and  quarry  a  few  comer-stones.  With  all  his  heart, 
he  said,  and  went  with  him  ;  and  so,  after  they  had  split 
a  few  stones,  the  Troll  wanted  him  to  go  down  below  and 
look  after  cracks  in  the  rock ;  and  while  he  was  doing  this, 
the  Troll  worked  away,  and  wearied  himself  with  his  crowbar 
till  he  moved  a  whole  crag  out  of  its  bed,  which  came  rolhng 
right  down  on  the  place  where  the  lad  was ;  but  he  held  it  up 
till  he   could  get  on  one  side,  and  then  let  it  roll  on. 

'  Oh  !  '  said  the  lad  to  the  Troll,  *  now  I  see  what  you  mean 
to  do  with  me.  You  want  to  crush  me  to  death  ;  so  just 
go  down  yourself  and  look  after  the  cracks  and  rafts  in  the 
rock,  and  I'll  stand  up  above.* 

The  Troll  did  not  dare  to  do  otherwise  than  the  lad  bade 
him,  and  the  end  of  it  was  that  the  lad  rolled  down  a  great 
rock,  which  fell  upon  the  Troll,  and  broke  one  of  his  thighs. 

'Well !   you  are  in  a  sad  plight ',  said  the  lad,  £ls  he  strode 


^02  Tales  from  the  Norse 

down,  lifted  up  the  rock,  and  set  the  man  free.  After  that 
he  had  to  put  him  on  his  back  and  carry  him  home  ;  so  he 
ran  with  him  as  fast  as  a  horse,  and  shook  him  so  that  the 
Troll  screamed  and  screeched  as  if  a  knife  were  run  into  him. 
And  when  he  got  home,  they  had  to  put  the  Troll  to  bed, 
and  there  he  lay  in  a  sad  pickle. 

When  the  night  wore  on  the  Troll  began  to  talk  to  the  old 
dame  again,  and  to  wonder  how  ever  they  could  be  rid  of  the 
lad. 

*  Well ',  said  the  old  dame,  '  if  you  can't  hit  on  a  plan  to 
get  rid  of  him,  I'm  sure  I  can't.' 

'  Let  me  see  ',  said  the  Troll ;  *  I've  got  twelve  lions  in  a 
garden  ;  if  they  could  only  get  hold  of  the  lad  they'd  soon 
tear  him  to  pieces.' 

So  the  old  dame  said  it  would  be  easy  enough  to  get  him 
there.  She  would  sham  sick,  and  say  she  felt  so  poorly, 
nothing  would  do  her  any  good  but  lion's  milk.  All  that 
the  lad  lay  and  listened  to  ;  and  when  he  got  up  in  the  morning 
his  mother  said  she  was  worse  than  she  looked,  and  she  thought 
she  should  never  be  right  again  unless  she  could  get  some  Uon's 
milk. 

*  Then  I'm  afraid  you'll  be  poorly  a  long  time,  mother  ', 
said  the  lad,  '  for  I'm  sure  I  don't  know  where  any  is  to  be 
got.' 

'  Oh  !  if  that  be  all ',  said  the  Troll,  *  there's  no  lack  of  lion's 
milk,  if  we  only  had  the  man  to  fetch  it '  ;  and  then  he  went 
on  to  say  how  his  brother  had  a  garden  with  twelve  lions  in 
it,  and  how  the  lad  might  have  the  key  if  he  had  a  mind  to  milk 
the  lions.  So  the  lad  took  the  key  and  a  milking  pail,  and 
strode  off ;  and  when  he  unlocked  the  gate  and  got  into  the 
garden,  there  stood  all  the  twelve  lions  on  their  hind-paws, 
rampant  and  roaring  at  him.  But  the  lad  laid  hold  of  the 
biggest,  and  led  him  about  by  the  fore-paws,  and  dashed  him 
against  stocks  and  stones,  till  there  wasn't  a  bit  of  him  left 
but  the  two  paws.  So  when  the  rest  saw  that,  they  were  so 
afraid  that  they  crept  up  and  lay  at  his  feet  like  so  many  curs. 
After  that  they  followed  him  about  wherever  he  went,  and 
when  he  got  home,  they  lay  down  outside  the  house,  with 
their  fore-paws  on  the  door  sill. 

*  Now,  mother,  you'll  soon  be  well  ',  said  the  lad,  when  he 
went  in,  'for  here  is  the  lion's  milk.' 


The  Blue  Belt  203 

He  had  just  milked  a  drop  in  the  pail. 

But  the  Troll,  as  he  lay  in  bed,  swore  it  was  all  a  lie.  He 
was  sure  the  lad  was  not  the  man  to  milk  lions. 

When  the  lad  heard  that,  he  forced  the  Troll  to  get  out 
of  bed,  threw  open  the  door,  and  all  the  lions  rose  up  and 
seized  the  Troll,  and  at  last  the  lad  had  to  make  them  leave 
their  hold. 

That  night  the  Troll  began  to  talk  to  the  old  dame  again. 
*  I'm  sure  I  can't  tell  how  to  put  this  lad  out  of  the  way — he 
is  so  awfully  strong  ;  can't  you  think  of  some  way  }  ' 

*  No  ',  said  the  old  dame,  *  if  you  can't  tell,  I'm  sure  Tcan't.* 

'Well  !  '  said  the  Troll,  *  I  have  two  brothers  in  a  castle  ; 
they  are  twelve  times  as  strong  as  I  am,  and  that's  why  I 
was  turned  out  and  had  to  put  up  with  this  farm.  They  hold 
that  castle,  and  round  it  there  is  an  orchard  with  apples  in 
it,  and  whoever  eats  those  apples  sleeps  for  three  days  and 
three  nights.  If  we  could  only  get  the  lad  to  go  for  the  fruit, 
he  wouldn't  be  able  to  keep  from  tasting  the  apples,  and  as 
soon  as  ever  he  fell  asleep  my  brothers  would  tear  him  in 
pieces.' 

The  old  dame  said  she  would  sham  sick,  and  say  she  could 
never  be  herself  again  unless  she  tasted  those  apples  ;  for 
she  had  set  her  heart  on  them. 

All  this  the  lad  lay  and  listened  to. 

When  the  morning  came  the  old  dame  was  so  poorly  that 
she  couldn't  utter  a  word  but  groans  and  sighs.  She  was 
sure  she  should  never  be  well  again,  unless  she  had  some  of 
those  apples  that  grew  in  the  orchard  near  the  castle  where 
the  man's  brothers  lived  ;  only  she  had  no  one  to  send  for  them. 

Oh  !  the  lad  was  ready  to  go  that  instant ;  but  the  eleven 
lions  went  with  him.  So  when  he  came  to  the  orchard,  he 
climbed  up  into  the  apple  tree  and  ate  as  many  apples  as  he 
could,  and  he  had  scarce  got  down  before  he  fell  into  a  deep 
sleep  ;  but  the  lions  all  lay  round  him  in  a  ring.  The  third 
day  came  the  Troll's  brothers,  but    they  did  not  come    in 

»  man's  shape.  They  came  snorting  like  man-eating  steeds, 
and  wondered  who  it  was  that  dared  to  be  there,  and  said 
they  would  tear  him  to  pieces,  so  small  that  there  should  not 
be  a  bit  of  him  left.     But  up  rose  the  lions  and  tore  the  Trolls 

tinto  small  pieces,  so  that  the  place  looked  as  if  a  dung  heap 
had  been  tossed  about  it ;  and  when  they  had  finished  the 
I 


204  Tales  from  the  Norse 

Trolls  they  lay  down  again.  The  lad  did  not  wake  till  late 
in  the  afternoon,  and  when  he  got  on  his  knees  and  rubbed 
the  sleep  out  of  his  eyes,  he  began  to  wonder  what  had  been 
going  on,  when  he  saw  the  marks  of  hoofs.  But  when  he 
went  towards  the  castle,  a  maiden  looked  out  of  a  window 
who  had  seen  all  that  had  happened,  and  she  said  : 

'  You  may  thank  your  stars  you  weren't  in  that  tussle, 
else  you  must  have  lost  your  life.' 

'  What !  I  lose  my  life  !  No  fear  of  that,  I  think  ',  said 
the  lad. 

So  she  begged  him  to  come  in,  that  she  might  talk  with 
him,  for  she  hadn't  seen  a  Christian  soul  ever  since  she  came 
there.  But  when  she  opened  the  door  the  lions  wanted  to 
go  in  too,  but  she  got  so  frightened  that  she  began  to  scream, 
and  so  the  lad  let  them  lie  outside.  Then  the  two  talked 
and  talked,  and  the  lad  asked  how  it  came  that  she,  who  was 
so  lovely,  could  put  up  with  those  ugly  Trolls.  She  never 
wished  it,  she  said  ;  'twas  quite  against  her  will.  They  had 
seized  her  by  force,  and  she  was  the  King  of  Arabia's  daughter. 
So  they  talked  on,  and  at  last  she  asked  him  what  he  would 
do  ;  whether  she  should  go  back  home,  or  whether  he  would 
have  her  to  wife.  Of  course  he  would  have  her,  and  she 
shouldn't  go  home. 

After  that  they  went  round  the  castle,  and  at  last  they 
came  to  a  great  hall,  where  the  Trolls'  two  great  swords 
hung  high  up  on  the  wall. 

*  I  wonder  if  you  are  man  enough  to  wield  one  of  these  ', 
said  the  Princess. 

'  Who  ? — I  ?  '  said  the  lad.  *  'Twould  be  a  pretty  thing  if 
I  couldn't  wield  one  of  these.* 

With  that  he  put  two  or  three  chairs  one  a-top  of  the  other, 
jumped  up,  and  touched  the  biggest  sword  with  his  finger  tips, 
tossed  it  up  in  the  air,  and  caught  it  again  by  the  hilt ;  leapt 
down,  and  at  the  same  time  dealt  such  a  blow  with  it  on  the 
floor  that  the  whole  hall  shook.  After  he  had  thus  got  down, 
he  thrust  the  sword  under  his  arm  and  carried  it  about  with 
him. 

So,  when  they  had  lived  a  little  while  in  the  castle,  the 
Princess  thought  she  ought  to  go  home  to  her  parents,  and 
let  them  know  what  had  become  of  her  ;  so  they  loaded  a 
ship,  and  she  set  sail  from  the  castle. 


The  Blue  Belt  205 


After  she  had  gone,  and  the  lad  had  wandered  about  a 
little,  he  called  to  mind  that  he  had  been  sent  on  an  errand 
thither,  and  had  come  to  fetch  something  for  his  mother's 
health  ;  and  though  he  said  to  himself,  *  After  all,  the  old 
dame  was  not  so  bad  but  she's  all  right  by  this  time  ' — still 
he  thought  he  ought  to  go  and  just  see  how  she  was.  So  he 
went  and  found  both  the  man  and  his  mother  quite  fresh 
and  hearty. 

'What  wretches  you  are  to  live  in  this  beggarly  hut', 
said  the  lad.  *  Come  with  me  up  to  my  castle,  and  you  shall 
see  what  a  fine  fellow  I  am.' 

Well  !  they  were  both  ready  to  go,  and  on  the  way  his 
mother  talked  to  him,  and  asked,  '  How  it  was  he  had  got 
so  strong  ?  ' 

*  If  you  must  know,  it  came  of  that  blue  belt  which  lay 
on  the  hill-side  that  time  when  you  and  I  were  out  begging  ', 
said  the  lad. 

'  Have  you  got  it  still  ?  '  asked  she. 

*  Yes  ' — he  had.     It  was  tied  round  his  waist. 
'  Might  she  see  it  ?  ' 

*  Yes,  she  might '  ;  and  with  that  he  pulled  open  his  waist- 
coat and  shirt  to  show  it  her. 

Then  she  seized  it  with  both  hands,  tore  it  off,  and  twisted 
it  round  her  fist. 

*  Now  ',  she  cried,  '  what  shall  I  do  with  such  a  wretch  as 
you  ?     I'll  just  give  you  one  blow,  and  dash  your  brains  out !  ' 

*  Far  too  good  a  death  for  such  a  scamp  ',  said  the  Troll. 
'  No  !  let's  first  bum  out  his  eyes,  and  then  turn  him  adrift 
in  a  little  boat.* 

So  they  burned  out  his  eyes  and  turned  him  adrift,  in 
spite  of  his  prayers  and  tears  ;  but,  as  the  boat  drifted,  the 
lions  swam  after,  and  at  last  they  laid  hold  of  it  and  dragged 
it  ashore  on  an  island,  and  placed  the  lad  under  a  fir  tree. 
They  caught  game  for  him,  and  they  plucked  the  birds  and 
made  him  a  bed  of  down  ;  but  he  was  forced  to  eat  his  meat 
raw,  and  he  was  blind.  At  last,  one  day  the  biggest  Hon  was 
chasing  a  hare  which  was  blind,  for  it  ran  straight  over  stock 
and  stone,  and  the  end  was,  it  ran  right  up  against  a  fir-stump 
and  tumbled  head  over  heels  across  the  field  right  into  a  spring  ; 
but  lo  !  when  it  came  out  of  the  spring  it  saw  its  way  quite 
plain,  and  so  saved  its  life. 


2o6  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  So,  so  !  *  thought  the  lion,  and  went  and  dragged  the  lad 
to  the  spring,  and  dipped  him  over  head  and  ears  in  it.  So, 
when  he  had  got  his  sight  again,  he  went  down  to  the  shore 
and  made  signs  to  the  lions  that  they  should  all  lie  close 
together  like  a  raft ;  then  he  stood  upon  their  backs  while 
they  swam  with  him  to  the  mainland.  When  he  had  reached 
the  shore  he  went  up  into  a  birchen  copse,  and  made  the  lions 
lie  quiet.  Then  he  stole  up  to  the  castle,  like  a  thief,  to 
see  if  he  couldn't  lay  hands  on  his  belt ;  and  when  he  got 
to  the  door,  he  peeped  through  the  keyhole,  and  there  he 
saw  his  belt  hanging  up  over  a  door  in  the  kitchen.  So  he 
crept  softly  in  across  the  floor,  for  there  was  no  one  there  ; 
but  as  soon  as  he  had  got  hold  of  the  belt,  he  began  to  kick 
and  stamp  about  as  though  he  were  mad.  Just  then  his 
mother  came  rushing  out : 

'  Dear  heart,  my  darling  little  boy  !  do  give  me  the  belt 
again  ',  she  said. 

'  Thank  you  kindly ',  said  he.  *  Now  you  shall  have  the 
doom  you  passed  on  me  ',  and  he  fulfilled  it  on  the  spot.  When 
the  old  Troll  heard  that,  he  came  in  and  begged  and  prayed 
so  prettily  that  he  might  not  be  smitten  to  death. 

*  Well,  you  may  live',  said  the  lad,  'but  you  shall  undergo 
the  same  punishment  you  gave  me  *  ;  and  so  he  burned  out 
the  Troll's  eyes,  and  turned  him  adrift  on  the  sea  in  a  little 
boat,  but  he  had  no  lions  to  follow  him. 

Now  the  lad  was  all  alone,  and  he  went  about  longing  and 
longing  for  the  Princess  ;  at  last  he  could  bear  it  no  longer  ; 
he  must  set  out  to  seek  her,  his  heart  was  so  bent  on  having 
her.  So  he  loaded  four  ships  and  set  sail  for  Arabia.  For 
some  time  they  had  fair  wind  and  fine  weather,  but  after  that 
they  lay  wind-bound  under  a  rocky  island.  So  the  sailors 
went  ashore  and  strolled  about  to  spend  the  time,  and  there 
they  found  a  huge  e%g,  almost  as  big  as  a  little  house.  So 
they  began  to  knock  it  about  with  large  stones,  but,  after 
all,  they  couldn't  crack  the  shell.  Then  the  lad  came  up 
with  his  sword  to  see  what  all  the  noise  was  about,  and  when 
he  saw  the  Ggg,  he  thought  it  a  trifle  to  crack  it ;  so  he  gave 
it  one  blow  and  the  egg  split,  and  out  came  a  chicken  as  big 
as  an  elephant. 

*  Now  we  have  done  wrong  ',  said  the  lad  ;  '  this  can  cost 
us  all  our  lives  '  :    and  then  he  asked  his  sailors  if  they  were 


The  Blue  Belt  207 

men  enough  to  sail  to  Arabia  in  four-and-twenty  hours  if 
they  got  a  fine  breeze.  Yes  !  they  were  good  to  do  that,  they 
said,  so  they  set  sail  with  a  fine  breeze,  and  got  to  Arabia 
in  three-and-twenty  hours.  As  soon  as  they  landed,  the  lad 
ordered  all  the  sailors  to  go  and  bury  themselves  up  to  the 
eyes  in  a  sandhill,  so  that  they  could  barely  see  the  ships.  1  he 
lad  and  the  captains  climbed  a  high  crag  and  sate  down  under 
a  fir. 

In  a  little  while  came  a  great  bird  flying  with  an  island  in  its 
claws,  and  let  it  fall  down  on  the  fleet,  and  sunk  every  ship. 
After  it  had  done  that,  it  flew  up  to  the  sandhill  and  flapped 
its  wings,  so  that  the  wind  nearly  took  off  the  heads  of  the 
sailors,  and  it  flew  past  the  fir  with  such  force  that  it  turned 
the  lad  right  about,  but  he  was  ready  with  his  sword,  and 
gave  the  bird  one  blow  and  brought  it  down  dead. 

After  that  he  went  to  the  town,  where  every  one  was  glad 
because  the  king  had  got  his  daughter  back  ;  but  now  the 
king  had  hidden  her  away  somewhere  himself,  and  promised 
her  hand  as  a  reward  to  any  one  who  could  find  her,  and  this 
though  she  was  betrothed  before.  Now  as  the  lad  went  along 
he  met  a  man  who  had  white  bear-skins  for  sale,  so  he  bought 
one  of  the  hides  and  put  it  on  ;  and  one  of  the  captains  was 
to  take  an  iron  chain  and  lead  him  about,  and  so  he  went  into 
the  town  and  began  to  play  pranks.  At  last  the  news  came 
to  the  king's  ears,  that  there  never  had  been  such  fun  in  the 
town  before,  for  here  was  a  white  bear  that  danced  and  cut 
capers  just  as  it  was  bid.  So  a  messenger  came  to  say  the 
bear  must  come  to  the  castle  at  once,  for  the  king  wanted 
to  see  its  tricks.  So  when  it  got  to  the  castle  every  one 
was  afraid,  for  such  a  beast  they  had  never  seen  before  ;  but 
the  captain  said  there  was  no  danger  unless  they  laughed 
at  it.  They  mustn't  do  that,  else  it  would  tear  them  to 
pieces.  When  the  king  heard  that,  he  warned  all  the  court 
not  to  laugh.  But  while  the  fun  was  going  on,  in  came  one 
of  the  king's  maids,  and  began  to  laugh  and  make  game  of 
the  bear,  and  the  bear  flew  at  her  and  tore  her,  so  that  there 
was  scarce  a  rag  of  her  left.  Then  all  the  court  began  to 
bewail,  and  the  captain  most  of  all. 

*  Stuff  and  nonsense  ',  said  the  king ;  *  she's  only  a  maid, 
besides  it's  more  my  affair  than  yours.* 

When  the  show  was  over,  it  was  late  at  night.     *  It's  no 


2o8  Tales  from  the  Norse 

good  your  going  away,  when  it's  so  late  ',  said  the  king.     '  The 
bear  had  best  sleep  here.' 

'  Perhaps  it  might  sleep  in  the  ingle  by  the  kitchen  fire  ', 
said  the  captain. 

*  Nay  ',  said  the  king,  *  it  shall  sleep  up  here,  and  it  shall 
have  pillows  and  cushions  to  sleep  on.'  So  a  whole  heap  of 
pillows  and  cushions  was  brought,  and  the  captain  had  a  bed 
in  a  side-room. 

But  at  midnight  the  king  came  with  a  lamp  in  his  hand  and 
a  big  bunch  of  keys,  and  carried  off  the  white  bear.  He 
passed  along  gallery  after  gallery,  through  doors  and  rooms, 
up-stairs  and  down-stairs,  till  at  last  he  came  to  a  pier  which 
ran  out  into  the  sea.  Then  the  king  began  to  pull  and  haul 
at  posts  and  pins,  this  one  up  and  that  one  down,  till  at  last 
a  little  house  floated  up  to  the  water's  edge.  There  he  kept 
his  daughter,  for  she  was  so  dear  to  him  that  he  had  hid  her, 
so  that  no  one  could  find  her  out.  He  left  the  white  bear 
outside  while  he  went  in  and  told  her  how  it  had  danced  and 
played  its  pranks.  She  said  she  was  afraid,  and  dared  not 
look  at  it ;  but  he  talked  her  over,  saying  there  was  no  danger, 
if  she  only  wouldn't  laugh.  So  they  brought  the  bear  in, 
and  locked  the  door,  and  it  danced  and  played  its  tricks  ; 
but  just  when  the  fun  was  at  its  height,  the  Princess's  maid 
began  to  laugh.  Then  the  lad  flew  at  her  and  tore  her  to  bits, 
and  the  Princess  began  to  cry  and  sob. 

*  Stuff  and  nonsense  ',  cried  the  king  ;  '  all  this  fuss  about 
a  maid  !  I'll  get  you  just  as  good  a  one  again.  But  now  I 
think  the  bear  had  best  stay  here  till  morning,  for  I  don't 
care  to  have  to  go  and  lead  it  along  all  those  galleries  and 
stairs  at  this  time  of  night.' 

'Well  !  '  said  the  Princess,  'if  it  sleeps  here,  I'm  sure  I 
won't.' 

But  just  then  the  bear  curled  himself  up  and  lay  down  by 
the  stove  ;  and  it  was  settled  at  last  that  the  Princess  should 
sleep  there  too,  with  a  light  burning.  But  as  soon  as  the  king 
was  well  gone,  the  white  bear  came  and  begged  her  to  undo 
his  collar.  The  Princess  was  so  scared  she  almost  swooned 
away  ;  but  she  felt  about  till  she  found  the  collar,  and  she 
had  scarce  undone  it  before  the  bear  pulled  his  head  off. 
Then  she  knew  him  again,  and  was  so  glad  there  was  no  end 
to  her  joy,  and  she  wanted  to  tell  her  father  at  once  that 


The  Blue  Belt  209 

her  deliverer  was  come.  But  the  lad  would  not  hear  of  it  ; 
he  would  earn  her  once  more,  he  said.  So  in  the  morning 
when  they  heard  the  king  rattling  at  the  posts  outside,  the 
lad  drew  on  the  hide,  and  lay  down  by  the  stove. 

*  Well,  has  it  lain  still  ?  '  the  king  asked. 

*  I  should  think  so  ',  said  the  Princess  ;  *  it  hasn't  so  much 
as  turned  or  stretched  itself  once.' 

When  they  got  up  to  the  castle  again,  the  captain  took  the 
bear  and  led  it  away,  and  then  the  lad  threw  off  the  hide,  and 
went  to  a  tailor  and  ordered  clothes  fit  for  a  prince  ;  and  when 
they  were  fitted  on  he  went  to  the  king,  and  said  he  wanted 
to  find  the  Princess. 

*  You're  not  the  first  who  has  wished  the  same  thing  ', 
said  the  king,  '  but  they  have  all  lost  their  lives  ;  for  if  any 
one  who  tries  can't  find  her  in  four-and-twenty  hours  his  life 
is  forfeited.' 

Yes  ;  the  lad  knew  all  that.  Still  he  wished  to  try,  and 
if  he  couldn't  find  her,  'twas  his  look-out.  Now  in  the  castle 
there  was  a  band  that  played  sweet  tunes,  and  there  were  fair 
maids  to  dance  with,  and  so  the  lad  danced  away.  When 
twelve  hours  were  gone,  the  king  said  : 

'  I  pity  you  with  all  my  heart.  You're  so  poor  a  hand  at 
seeking  ;    you  will  surely  lose  your  life.' 

'  Stuff !  '  said  the  lad  ;  '  while  there's  hfe  there's  hope  ! 
So  long  as  there's  breath  in  the  body  there's  no  fear  ;  we  have 
lots  of  time  '  ;  and  so  he  went  on  dancing  till  there  was  only 
one  hour  left. 

Then  he  said  he  would  begin  to  search. 

'  It's  no  use  now  ',  said  the  king  ;    '  time's  up.' 

'  Light  your  lamp  ;  out  with  your  big  bunch  of  keys  *, 
said  the  lad,  '  and  follow  me  whither  I  wish  to  go.  There  is 
still  a  whole  hour  left.' 

So  the  lad  went  the  same  way  which  the  king  had  led  him 
the  night  before,  and  he  bade  the  king  unlock  door  after  door 
till  they  came  down  to  the  pier  which  ran  out  into  the  sea. 

'  It's  all  no  use,  I  tell  you ',  said  the  king ;  'time's  up,  and 
this  wUl  only  lead  you  right  out  into  the  sea.' 

'  Still  five  minutes  more  ',  said  the  lad,  as  he  pulUed  and 
pushed  at  the  posts  and  pins,  and  the  house  floated  up. 

*  Now  the  time  is  up  ',  bawled  the  king  ;  '  come  hither, 
headsman,  and  take  off  his  head,' 

P 


210  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  Nay,  nay  !  '  said  the  lad ;  '  stop  a  bit,  there  are  still  three 
minutes  !     Out  with  the  key,  and  let  me  get  into  this  house.' 

But  there  stood  the  king  and  fumbled  with  his  keys,  to 
draw  out  the  time.     At  last  he  said  he  hadn't  any  key. 

'Well,  if  you  haven't,  I  have  ',  said  the  lad,  as  he  gave  the 
door  such  a  kick  that  it  flew  to  splinters  inwards  on  the  floor. 

At  the  door  the  Princess  met  him,  and  told  her  father  this 
was  her  deliverer,  on  whom  her  heart  was  set.  So  she  had 
him  ;  and  this  was  how  the  beggar  boy  came  to  marry  the 
king's  daughter  of  Arabia. 


WHY  THE  BEAR  IS  STUMPY-TAILED 

One  day  the  Bear  met  the  Fox,  who  came  slinking  along  with 
a  string  of  fish  he  had  stolen. 

*  Whence  did  you  get  those  from  ?  '  asked  the  Bear. 

*  Oh  !  my  Lord  Bruin,  I've  been  out  fishing  and  caught 
them  ',    said  the  Fox. 

So  the  Bear  had  a  mind  to  learn  to  fish  too,  and  bade  the 
Fox  tell  him  how  he  was  to  set  about  it. 

'  Oh  !  it's  an  easy  craft  for  you  *,  answered  the  Fox,  *  and 
soon  learnt.  You've  only  got  to  go  upon  the  ice,  and  cut  a 
hole  and  stick  your  tail  down  into  it ;  and  so  you  must  go  on 
holding  it  there  as  long  as  you  can.  You're  not  to  mind  if 
your  tail  smarts  a  Httle  ;  that's  when  the  fish  bite.  The 
longer  you  hold  it  there  the  more  fish  you'll  get ;  and  then 
all  at  once  out  with  it,  with  a  cross  pull  sideways,  and  with 
a  strong  pull  too.' 

Yes  ;  the  Bear  did  as  the  Fox  had  said,  and  held  his  tail  a 
long,  long  time  down  in  the  hole,  till  it  was  fast  frozen  in. 
Then  he  pulled  it  out  with  a  cross  pull,  and  it  snapped  short 
off.  That's  why  Bruin  goes  about  with  a  stumpy  tail  this 
very  day. 

NOT    A    PIN    TO    CHOOSE    BETWEEN    THEM 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  man,  and  he  had  a  wife.  Now 
this  couple  wanted  to  sow  their  fields,  but  they  had  neither 
seed-corn  nor  money  to  buy  it  with.  But  they  had  a  cow, 
and  the  man  was  to  drive  it  into  town  and  sell  it,  to  get  money 


Not  a  Pin  to  Choose  Between  Them      21 1 

to  buy  com  for  seed.  But  when  it  came  to  the  pinch,  the  wife 
dared  not  let  her  husband  start  for  fear  he  should  spend  the 
money  in  drink,  so  she  set  off  herself  with  the  cow,  and  took 
besides  a  hen  with  her. 

Close  by  the  town  she  met  a  butcher,  who  asked : 

*  Will  you  sell  that  cow,  Goody  ?  ' 

*  Yes,  that  I  will ',  she  answered. 

'  Well,  what  do  you  want  for  her  ?  * 

'  Oh  !  I  must  have  five  shillings  for  the  cow,  but  you  shall 
have  the  hen  for  ten  pounds.' 

*  Very  good  !  '  said  the  man  ;  *  I  don't  want  the  hen,  and 
you'll  soon  get  it  off  your  hands  in  the  town,  but  I'll  give  you 
five  shillings  for  the  cow.' 

Well,  she  sold  her  cow  for  five  shillings,  but  there  was  no 
one  in  the  town  who  would  give  ten  pounds  for  a  lean  tough 
old  hen,  so  she  went  back  to  the  butcher,  and  said  : 

*  Do  all  I  can,  I  can't  get  rid  of  this  hen,  master  !  you  must 
take  it  too,  as  you  took  the  cow.' 

'  Well ',  said  the  butcher,  *  come  along  and  we'll  see  about 
it.'  Then  he  treated  her  both  with  meat  and  drink,  and  gave 
her  so  much  brandy  that  she  lost  her  head,  and  didn't  know 
what  she  was  about,  and  fell  fast  asleep.  But  while  she  slept, 
the  butcher  took  and  dipped  her  into  a  tar-barrel,  and  then 
laid  her  down  on  a  heap  of  feathers  ;  and  when  she  woke  up, 
she  was  feathered  all  over,  and  began  to  wonder  what  had 
befallen  her. 

'  Is  it  me,  or  is  it  not  me  ?  No,  it  can  never  be  me  ;  it  must 
be  some  great  strange  bird.  But  what  shall  I  do  to  find  out 
whether  it  is  me  or  not.  Oh  !  I  know  how  I  shall  be  able  to 
tell  whether  it  is  me  ;  if  the  calves  come  and  lick  me,  and  our 
dog  Tray  doesn't  bark  at  me  when  I  get  home,  then  it  must 
be  me,  and  no  one  else.* 

Now,  Tray,  her  dog,  had  scarce  set  his  eyes  on  the  strange 
monster  which  came  through  the  gate,  than  he  set  up  such  a 
barking,  one  would  have  thought  all  the  rogues  and  robbers 
in  the  world  were  in  the  yard. 

'  Ah,  deary  me  ',  said  she,  *  I  thought  so  ;  it  can't  be  me 
surely.'  So  she  went  to  the  straw-yard,  and  the  calves  wouldn't 
lick  her,  when  they  snuffed  in  the  strong  smell  of  tar. 

*  No,  no  !  '  she  said,  '  it  can't  be  me ;  it  must  be  some 
strange  outlandish  bird.' 


212  Tales  from  the  Norse 

So  she  crept  up  on  the  roof  of  the  safe  and  began  to  flap 
her  arms,  as  if  they  had  been  wings,  and  was  just  going  to 
fly  off. 

When  her  husband  saw  all  this,  out  he  came  with  his  rifle, 
and  began  to  take  aim  at  her. 

*  Oh  !  '  cried  his  wife,  '  don't  shoot,  don't  shoot  !  it  is  only 
me.' 

*  If  it's  you  ',  said  her  husband,  '  don't  stand  up  there  like 
a  goat  on  a  house-top,  but  come  down  and  let  me  hear  what 
you  have  to  say  for  yourself.' 

So  she  crawled  down  again,  but  she  hadn't  a  shilling  to 
shew,  for  the  crown  she  had  got  from  the  butcher  she  had 
thrown  away  in  her  drunkenness.  When  her  husband  heard 
her  story,  he  said,  '  You're  only  twice  as  silly  as  you  were 
before  ',  and  he  got  so  angry  that  he  made  up  his  mind  to  go 
away  from  her  altogether,  and  never  to  come  back  till  he 
had  found  three  other  Goodies  as  silly  as  his  own. 

So  he  toddled  off,  and  when  he  had  walked  a  Httle  way  he 
saw  a  Goody,  who  was  running  in  and  out  of  a  newly-built 
wooden  cottage  with  an  empty  sieve,  and  every  time  she  ran 
in,  she  threw  her  apron  over  the  sieve  just  as  if  she  had  some- 
thing in  it,  and  when  she  got  in  she  turned  it  upside  down 
on  the  floor. 

'  Why,  Goody  !  '  he  asked,  '  what  are  you  doing  ?  ' 

*  Oh ',  she  answered,  'I'm  only  carrying  in  a  little  sun  ;  but 
I  don't  know  how  it  is,  when  I'm  outside,  I  have  the  sun  in  my 
sieve,  but  when  I  get  inside,  somehow  or  other  I've  thrown 
it  away.  But  in  my  old  cottage  I  had  plenty  of  sun, 
though  I  never  carried  in  the  least  bit.  I  only  wish  I  knew 
some  one  who  would  bring  the  sun  inside  ;  I'd  give  him  three 
hundred  dollars  and  welcome.' 

*  Have  you  got  an  axe  ?  '  asked  the  man.  '  If  you  have, 
I'll  soon  bring  the  sun  inside.' 

So  he  got  an  axe  and  cut  windows  in  the  cottage,  for  the 
carpenters  had  forgotten  them  ;  then  the  sun  shone  in,  and 
he  got  his  three  hundred  dollars. 

'  That  was  one  of  them  ',  said  the  man  to  himself,  as  he 
went  on  his  way. 

After  a  while  he  passed  by  a  house,  out  of  which  came  an 
awful  screaming  and  bellowing  ;  so  he  turned  in  and  saw  a 
Goody,  who  was  hard  at  work  banging  her  husband  across  the 


Not  a  Pin  to  Choose  Between  Them      213 

head  with  a  beetle,  and  over  his  head  she  had  drawn  a  shirt 
without  any  sUt  for  the  neck. 

*  Why,  Goody  !  '  he  asked,  '  will  you  beat  your  husband  to 
death  ? ' 

*  No  ',  she  said,  *  I  only  must  have  a  hole  in  this  shirt  for 
his  neck  to  come  through.' 

All  the  while  the  husband  kept  on  screaming  and  calling 
out: 

'  Heaven  help  and  comfort  all  who  try  on  new  shirts.  If 
anyone  would  teach  my  Goody  another  way  of  making  a  slit 
for  the  neck  in  my  new  shirts,  I'd  give  him  three  hundred 
dollars  down  and  welcome.' 

'  I'll  do  it  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  ',  said  the  man,  *  if  you'll 
only  give  me  a  pair  of  scissors.' 

So  he  got  a  pair  of  scissors,  and  snipped  a  hole  in  the  neck, 
and  went  off  with  his  three  hundred  dollars. 

*  That  was  another  of  them  ',  he  said  to  himself,  as  he 
walked  along. 

Last  of  all,  he  came  to  a  farm,  where  he  made  up  his  mind 
to  rest  a  bit.     So  when  he  went  in,  the  mistress  asked  him  : 
'  Whence  do  you  come,  master  ?  ' 

*  Oh  !  *  said  he, '  I  come  from  Paradise  Place  ',  for  that  was 
the  name  of  his  farm. 

*  From  Paradise  Place  !  *  she  cried,  '  you  don't  say  so  ! 
Why,  then,  you  must  know  my  second  husband  Peter,  who  is 
dead  and  gone,  God  rest  his  soul.' 

For  you  must  know  this  Goody  had  been  married  three 
times,  and  as  her  first  and  last  husbands  had  been  bad,  she 
had  made  up  her  mind  that  the  second  only  was  gone  to  heaven. 

*  Oh  yes  ',  said  the  man  ;    '  I  know  him  very  well.' 

*  Well ',  asked  the  Goody,  '  how  do  things  go  with  him,  poor 
dear  soul  ?  ' 

'  Only  middling  ',  was  the  answer  ;  '  he  goes  about  begging 
from  house  to  house,  and  has  neither  food  nor  a  rag  to  his 
back.  As  for  money,  he  hasn't  a  sixpence  to  bless  himself 
with.' 

*  Mercy  on  me  ',  cried  out  the  Goody  ;  *  he  never  ought  to 
go  about  such  a  figure  when  he  left  so  much  behind  him. 
Why,  there's  a  whole  cupboard  full  of  old  clothes  up-stairs 
which  belonged  to  him,  besides  a  great  chest  full  of  money 
yonder.     Now,  if  you  will  take  them  with  you,  you  shall  have 


214  Tales  from  the  Norse 

a  horse  and  cart  to  carry  them.  As  for  the  horse,  he  can  keep 
it,  and  sit  on  the  cart,  and  drive  about  from  house  to  house,  and 
then  he  needn't  trudge  on  foot.' 

So  the  man  got  a  whole  cart-load  of  clothes,  and  a  chest 
full  of  shining  dollars,  and  as  much  meat  and  drink  as  he 
would  ;  and  when  he  had  got  all  he  wanted,  he  jumped  into 
the  cart  and  drove  off. 

'  That  was  the  third  ',  he  said  to  himself,  as  he  went  along. 

Now  this  Goody's  third  husband  wcis  a  httle  way  off  in  a 
field  ploughing,  and  when  he  saw  a  strange  man  driving  off  from 
the  farm  with  his  horse  and  cart,  he  went  home  and  asked  his 
wife  who  that  was  that  had  just  started  with  the  black  horse. 

*  Oh,  do  you  mean  him  ?  '  said  the  Goody  ;  '  why,  that 
was  a  man  from  Paradise,  who  said  that  Peter,  my  dear 
second  husband,  who  is  dead  and  gone,  is  in  a  sad  plight,  and 
that  he  goes  from  house  to  house  begging,  and  has  neither 
clothes  nor  money  ;  so  I  just  sent  him  all  those  old  clothes  he 
left  behind  him,  and  the  old  money  box  with  the  dollars  in  it.' 

The  man  saw  how  the  land  lay  in  a  trice,  so  he  saddled  his 
horse  and  rode  off  from  the  farm  at  full  gallop.  It  wasn't 
long  before  he  was  close  behind  the  man  who  sat  and  drove  the 
cart ;  but  when  the  latter  saw  this  he  drove  the  cart  into  a 
thicket  by  the  side  of  the  road,  pulled  out  a  handful  of  hair  from 
the  horse's  tail,  jumped  up  on  a  little  rise  in  the  wood,  where 
he  tied  the  hair  fsist  to  a  birch,  and  then  lay  down  under  it, 
and  began  to  peer  and  stare  up  at  the  sky. 

'  Well,  well,  if  I  ever  !  '  he  said,  as  Peter  the  third  came  riding 
up.     *  No  !  I  never  saw  the  like  of  this  in  all  my  born  days  !  * 

Then  Peter  stood  and  looked  at  him  for  some  time,  won- 
dering what  had  come  over  him  ;  but  at  last  he  asked  : 

'  What  do  you  lie  there  staring  at  ?  ' 

*  No ',  kept  on  the  man,  *  I  never  did  see  anything  like  it ! 
— ^here  is  a  man  going  straight  up  to  heaven  on  a  black  horse, 
and  here  you  see  his  horse's  tail  still  hanging  in  this  birch  ;  and 
yonder  up  in  the  sky  you  see  the  black  horse.' 

Peter  looked  first  at  the  man,  and  then  at  the  sky,  and 
said  : 

'  I  see  nothing  but  the  horse  hair  in  the  birch  ;  that's  all  I 
see  !  * 

'  Of  course  you  can't  where  you  stand  ',  said  the  man  ; 
'  but  just  come  and  lie  down  here,  and  stare  straight  up. 


Not  a   Pin  to  Choose  Between  Them      215 

and  mind  you  don't  take  your  eyes  off  the  sky  ;  and  then  you 
shall  see  what  you  shall  see.' 

But  while  Peter  the  third  lay  and  stared  up  at  the  sky  till 
his  eyes  filled  with  tears,  the  man  from  Paradise  Place  took 
his  horse  and  jumped  on  its  back  and  rode  off  both  with  it  and 
the  cart  and  horse. 

When  the  hoofs  thundered  along  the  road,  Peter  the  third 
jumped  up  ;  but  he  was  so  taken  aback  when  he  found  the  man 
had  gone  off  with  his  horse  that  he  hadn't  the  sense  to  run  after 
him  till  it  was  too  late. 

He  was  rather  down  in  the  mouth  when  he  got  home  to  his 
Goody  ;  but  when  she  asked  him  what  he  had  done  with  the 
horse,  he  said  : 

'  I  gave  it  to  the  man  too  for  Peter  the  second,  for  I  thought 
it  wasn't  right  he  should  sit  in  a  cart,  and  scramble  about 
from  house  to  house  ;  so  now  he  can  sell  the  cart  and  buy 
himself  a  coach  to  drive  about  in.* 

*  Thank  you  heartily  !  *  said  his  wife  ;  *  I  never  thought  you 
could  be  so  kind.* 

Well,  when  the  man  reached  home,  who  had  got  the  six 
hundred  dollars  and  the  cart-load  of  clothes  and  money,  he 
saw  that  all  his  fields  were  ploughed  and  sown,  and  the  first 
thing  he  asked  his  wife  was,  where  she  had  got  the  seed-corn 
from. 

'  Oh  ',  she  said,  '  I  have  always  heard  that  what  a  man 
sows  he  shall  reap,  so  I  sowed  the  salt  which  our  friends  the 
north-country  men  laid  up  here  with  us,  and  if  we  only  have 
rain  I  fancy  it  will  come  up  nicely.' 

'  Silly  you  are  ',  said  her  husband,  *  and  silly  you  will  be  so 
long  as  you  live  ;  but  that  is  all  one  now,  for  the  rest  are  not 
a  bit  wiser  than  you.  There  is  not  a  pin  to  choose  between 
you.* 


ONE'S   OWN   CHILDREN    ARE    ALWAYS   PRETTIEST 

A  SPORTSMAN  went  out  once  into  a  wood  to  shoot,  and  he  met 

a  Snipe. 

'  Dear  friend  ',  said  the  Snipe,  *  don't  shoot  my  children  !  * 
'  How  shall  I  know  your  children  ?  '  asked  the  Sportsman  ; 

*  what  are  they  like  ?  * 


2i6  Tales  from  the  Norse 

'  Oh  !  '  said  the  Saipe,  '  mine  are  the  prettiest  children  in  all 
the  wood.' 

'  Very  well ',  said  the  Sportsman,  '  I'll  not  shoot  them  ; 
don't  be  afraid.' 

But  for  all  that,  when  he  came  back,  there  he  had  a  whole 
string  of  young  snipes  in  his  hand  which  he  had  shot. 

*  Oh,  oh  !  '  said  the  Snipe,  *  why  did  you  shoot  my  children 
after  all  ? ' 

*  What !  these  your  children  !  '  said  the  Sportsman  ;  *  why, 
I  shot  the  ugliest  I  could  find,  that  I  did  !  ' 

*  Woe  is  me  !  '  said  the  Snipe  ;  *  don't  you  know  that  each 
one  thinks  his  own  children  the  prettiest  in  the  world  ?  ' 


THE   THREE    PRINCESSES    OF   WHITELAND 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  fisherman  who  lived  close  by  a 
palace,  and  fished  for  the  king's  table.  One  day  when  he 
was  out  fishing  he  just  caught  nothing.  Do  what  he  would 
— however  he  tried  with  bait  and  angle — there  was  never 
a  sprat  on  his  hook.  But  when  the  day  was  far  spent  a  head 
bobbed  up  out  of  the  water,  and  said  : 

'  If  I  may  have  what  your  wife  bears  under  her  girdle, 
you  shall  catch  fish  enough.' 

So  the  man  answered  boldly,  '  Yes  '  ;  for  he  did  not  know 
that  his  wife  was  going  to  have  a  child.  After  that,  as  was 
like  enough,  he  caught  plenty  of  fish  of  all  kinds.  But  when 
he  got  home  at  night  and  told  his  story,  how  he  had  got  all 
that  fish,  his  wife  fell  a-weeping  and  moaning,  and  was  beside 
herself  for  the  promise  which  her  husband  had  made,  for  she 
said,  '  I  bear  a  babe  under  my  girdle.' 

Well,  the  story  soon  spread,  and  came  up  to  the  castle  ; 
and  when  the  king  heard  the  woman's  grief  and  its  cause,  he 
sent  down  to  say  he  would  take  care  of  the  child,  and  see  if 
he  couldn't  save  it. 

So  the  months  went  on  and  on,  and  when  her  time  came 
the  fisher's  wife  had  a  boy  ;  so  the  king  took  it  at  once,  and 
brought  it  up  as  his  own  son,  until  the  lad  grew  up.  Then 
he  begged  leave  one  day  to  go  out  fishing  with  his  father  ; 
he  had  such  a  mind  to  go,  he  said.  At  first  the  king  wouldn't 
hear  of  it,  but  at  last  the  lad  had  his  way,  and  went.     So  he 


The  Three  Princesses  of  Whiteland        217 

and  his  father  were  out  the  whole  day,  and  all  went  right  and 
well  till  they  landed  at  night.  Then  the  lad  remembered 
he  had  left  his  handkerchief,  and  went  to  look  for  it ;  but 
as  soon  as  ever  he  got  into  the  boat,  it  began  to  move  off  with 
him  at  such  speed  that  the  water  roared  under  the  bow,  and 
all  the  lad  could  do  in  rowing  against  it  with  the  oars  was  no 
use  ;  so  he  went  and  went  the  whole  night,  and  at  last  he 
came  to  a  white  strand,  far  far  away. 

There  he  went  ashore,  and  when  he  had  walked  about  a 
bit,  an  old,  old  man  met  him,  with  a  long  white  beard. 

*  What's  the  name  of  this  land  ?  '  asked  the  lad. 

*  Whiteland  ',  said  the  man,  who  went  on  to  ask  the  lad 
whence  he  came,  and  what  he  was  going  to  do.  So  the  lad 
told  him  all. 

'  Aye,  aye  !  '  said  the  man  ;  *  now  when  you  have  walked 
a  little  farther  along  the  strand  here,  you'll  come  to  three 
Princesses,  whom  you  will  see  standing  in  the  earth  up  to 
their  necks,  with  only  their  heads  out.  Then  the  first — she 
is  the  eldest — will  call  out  and  beg  you  so  prettily  to  come  and 
help  her  ;  and  the  second  will  do  the  same  ;  to  neither  of  these 
shall  you  go  ;  make  haste  past  them,  as  if  you  neither  saw  nor 
heard  anything.  But  the  third  you  shall  go  to,  and  do  what 
she  asks.  If  you  do  this,  you'll  have  good  luck — that's 
all.' 

When  the  lad  came  to  the  first  Princess,  she  called  out  to 
him,  and  begged  him  so  prettily  to  come  to  her,  but  he  passed 
on  as  though  he  saw  her  not.  In  the  same  way  he  passed  by  the 
second  ;  but  to  the  third  he  went  straight  up. 

'  If  you'll  do  what  I  bid  you ',  she  said,  *  you  may  have 
which  of  us  you  please.' 

'  Yes  '  ;  he  was  willing  enough  ;  so  she  told  him  how  three 
Trolls  had  set  them  down  in  the  earth  there  ;  but  before 
they  had  lived  in  the  castle  up  among  the  trees. 

*  Now  ',  she  said,  *  you  must  go  into  that  castle,  and  let 
the  Trolls  whip  you  each  one  night  for  each  of  us.  If  you  can 
bear  that,  you'll  set  us  free.* 

Well,  the  lad  said  he  was  ready  to  try. 

*  When  you  go  in  ',  the  Princess  went  on  to  say,  '  you'll 
see  two  lions  standing  at  the  gate  ;  but  if  you'll  only  go 
right  in  the  middle  between  them  they'll  do  you  no  harm. 
Then  go  straight  on  into  a  little  dark  room,  and  make  your 


2i8  Tales  from  the  Norse 

bed.  Then  the  Troll  will  come  to  whip  you  ;  but  if  you  take 
the  flask  which  hangs  on  the  wall,  and  rub  yourself  with  the 
ointment  that's  in  it,  wherever  his  lash  falls,  you'll  be  as  sound 
as  ever.  Then  grasp  the  sword  that  hangs  by  the  side  of  the 
flcLsk  and  strike  the  Troll  dead.* 

Yes,  he  did  as  the  Princess  told  him  ;  he  passed  in  the  midst 
between  the  lions,  as  if  he  hadn't  seen  them,  and  went  straight 
into  the  little  room,  and  there  he  lay  down  to  sleep.  The 
first  night  there  came  a  Troll  with  three  heads  and  three  rods, 
and  whipped  the  lad  soundly  ;  but  he  stood  it  till  the  Troll 
was  done  ;  then  he  took  the  flask  and  rubbed  himself,  and 
grasped  the  sword  and  slew  the  Troll. 

So,  when  he  went  out  next  morning,  the  Princesses  stood  out 
of  the  earth  up  to  their  waists. 

The  next  night  'twas  the  same  story  over  again,  only  this 
time  the  Troll  had  six  heads  and  six  rods,  and  he  whipped  him 
far  worse  than  the  first ;  but  when  he  went  out  next  morning, 
the  Princesses  stood  out  of  the  earth  as  far  as  the  knee. 

The  third  night  there  came  a  Troll  that  had  nine  heads  and 
nine  rods,  and  he  whipped  and  flogged  the  lad  so  long  that  he 
fainted  away  ;  then  the  Troll  took  him  up  and  dashed  him 
against  the  wall ;  but  the  shock  brought  down  the  flask,  which 
fell  on  the  lad,  burst,  and  spilled  the  ointment  all  over  him, 
and  so  he  became  cis  strong  and  sound  as  ever  again.  Then 
he  wasn't  slow  ;  he  grasped  the  sword  and  slew  the  Troll ; 
and  next  morning  when  he  went  out  of  the  castle  the  Princesses 
stood  before  him  with  all  their  bodies  out  of  the  earth.  So  he 
took  the  youngest  for  his  Queen,  and  lived  well  and  happily 
with  her  for  some  time. 

At  last  he  began  to  long  to  go  home  for  a  little  to  see  his 
parents.  His  Queen  did  not  hke  this  ;  but  at  last  his  heart 
was  so  set  on  it,  and  he  longed  and  longed  so  much,  there  was 
no  holding  him  back,  so  she  said : 

'  One  thing  you  must  promise  me.  This — Only  to  do  what 
your  father  begs  you  to  do,  and  not  what  your  mother  wishes  '  ; 
and  that  he  promised. 

Then  she  gave  him  a  ring,  which  was  of  that  kind  that  any 
one  who  wore  it  might  wish  two  wishes.  So  he  wished  himself 
home,  and  when  he  got  home  his  parents  could  not  wonder 
enough  what  a  grand  man  their  son  had  become. 

Now,  when  he  had  been  at  home  some  days,  his  mother 


The  Three  Princesses  of  Whiteland        219 

wished  him.  to  go  up  to  the  palace  and  show  the  king  what 
a  fine  fellow  he  had  come  to  be.     But  his  father  said  : 

*  No  !  don't  let  him  do  that ;  if  he  does,  we  shan't  have  any 
more  joy  of  him  this  time.' 

But  it  was  no  good,  the  mother  begged  and  prayed  so  long, 
that  at  last  he  went.  So  when  he  got  up  to  the  palace,  he 
was  far  braver,  both  in  clothes  and  array,  than  the  other  king, 
who  didn't  quite  like  this,  and  at  last  he  said  : 

'  All  very  fine  ;  but  here  you  can  see  my  queen,  what 
like  she  is,  but  I  can't  see  yours,  that  I  can't.  Do  you  know,  I 
scarce  think  she's  so  good-looking  as  mine.' 

*  Would  to  Heaven  ',  said  the  young  king,  *  she  were  stand- 
ing here,  then  you'd  see  what  she  was  like.'  And  that  instant 
there  she  stood  before  them. 

But  she  was  very  woeful,  and  said  to  him  : 

*  Why  did  you  not  mind  what  I  told  you  ;  and  why  did  you 
not  listen  to  what  your  father  said  ?  Now,  I  must  away 
home,  and  as  for  you,  you  have  had  both  your  wishes.' 

With  that  she  knitted  a  ring  among  his  hair  with  her  name 
on  it,  and  wished  herself  home,  and  was  off. 

Then  thfe  young  king  was  cut  to  the  heart,  and  went,  day 
out  day  in,  thinking  and  thinking  how  he  should  get  back  to 
his  queen.  *  I'll  just  try  ',  he  thought,  *  if  I  can't  learn  where 
Whiteland  lies  '  ;  and  so  he  went  out  into  the  world  to  ask. 
So  when  he  had  gone  a  good  way,  he  came  to  a  high  hill,  and 
there  he  met  one  who  was  lord  over  all  the  beasts  of  the  wood, 
for  they  all  came  home  to  him  when  he  blew  his  horn  ;  so 
the  king  asked  if  he  knew  where  Whiteland  was  ? 

*  No,  I  don't ',  said  he,  '  but  I'll  ask  my  beasts.'  Then  he 
blew  his  horn  and  called  them,  and  asked  if  any  of  them  knew 
where  Whiteland  lay  ?  but  there  was  no  beast  that  knew. 

So  the  man  gave  him  a  pair  of  snow-shoes. 

*  When  you  get  on  these  ',  he  said,  *  you'll  come  to  my 
brother,  who  lives  hundreds  of  miles  off  ;  he  is  lord  over  all 
the  birds  of  the  air.  Ask  him.  When  you  reach  his  house, 
just  turn  the  shoes,  so  that  the  toes  point  this  way,  and  they'll 
come  home  of  themselves.'  So  when  the  king  reached  the 
house,  he  turned  the  shoes  as  the  lord  of  the  beasts  had  said, 
and  away  they  went  home  of  themselves. 

So  he  asked  again  after  W^hiteland,  and  the  man  called 
all  the  birds  with  a  blast  of  his  horn,  and  asked  if  any  of  them 


220  Tales  from  the  Norse 

knew  where  Whiteland  lay  ;  but  none  of  the  birds  knew.  Now, 
long,  long  after  the  rest  of  the  birds,  came  an  old  eagle,  which 
had  been  away  ten  round  years,  but  he  couldn't  tell  any  more 
than  the  rest. 

*  Well !  well !  '  said  the  man,  '  I'll  lend  you  a  pair  of  snow- 
shoes,  and  when  you  get  them  on,  they'll  carry  you  to  my 
brother,  who  lives  hundreds  of  miles  off  ;  he's  lord  of  all  the 
fish  in  the  sea  ;  you'd  better  ask  him.  But  don't  forget  to 
turn  the  toes  of  the  shoes  this  way.' 

The  king  was  full  of  thanks,  got  on  the  shoes,  and  when  he 
came  to  the  man  who  was  lord  over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  he 
turned  the  toes  round,  and  so  off  they  went  home  like  the 
other  pair.     After  that,  he  asked  again  after  Whiteland. 

So  the  man  called  the  fish  with  a  blast,  but  no  fish  could 
tell  where  it  lay.  At  last  came  an  old  pike,  which  they  had 
great  work  to  call  home,  he  was  such  a  way  off.  So  when 
they  asked  him  he  said  : 

'  Know  it !  I  should  think  I  did.  I've  been  cook  there 
ten  years,  and  to-morrow  I'm  going  there  again  ;  for  now,  the 
queen  of  Whiteland,  whose  king  is  away,  is  going  to  wed 
another  husband.' 

'  Well  !  '  said  the  man,  '  as  this  is  so,  I'll  give  you  a  bit  of 
advice.  Hereabouts,  on  a  moor,  stand  three  brothers,  and 
here  they  have  stood  these  hundred  years,  fighting  about  a 
hat,  a  cloak,  and  a  pair  of  boots.  If  any  one  has  these  three 
things  he  can  make  himself  invisible,  and  wish  himself  any- 
where he  pleases.  You  can  tell  them  you  wish  to  try  the  things, 
and  after  that,  you'll  pass  judgment  between  them,  whose  they 
shall  be.' 

Yes  !  the  king  thanked  the  man,  and  went  and  did  as  he 
told  him. 

'  What's  all  this  ?  '  he  said  to  the  brothers.  '  Why  do  you 
stand  here  fighting  for  ever  and  a  day  ?  Just  let  me  try 
these  things,  and  I'll  give  judgment  whose  they  shall  be.' 

They  were  very  willing  to  do  this  ;  but  as  soon  as  he  had 
got  the  hat,  cloak,  and  boots,  he  said  : 

'  When  we  meet  next  time,  I'll  tell  you  my  judgment ', 
and  with  these  words  he  wished  himself  away. 

So  as  he  went  £ilong  up  in  the  air,  he  came  up  with  the 
North  Wind. 

*  Whither  away  ? '  roared  the  North  Wind. 


The  Lassie  and  her  Godmother  221 

*  To  Whiteland  ',  said  the  king  ;  and  then  he  told  him  all 
that  had  befallen  him. 

*  Ah  ',  said  the  North  Wind,  *  you  go  faster  than  I — you 
do  ;  for  you  can  go  straight,  while  I  have  to  puff  and  blow 
round  every  turn  and  comer.  But  when  you  get  there,  just 
place  yourself  on  the  stairs  by  the  side  of  the  door,  and  then 
I'll  come  storming  in,  as  though  I  were  going  to  blow  down  the 
whole  castle.  And  then  when  the  prince,  who  is  to  have  your 
queen,  comes  out  to  see  what's  the  matter,  just  you  take  him 
by  the  collar  and  pitch  him  out  of  doors  ;  then  I'll  look  after 
him,  and  see  if  I  can't  carry  him  off.' 

Well — the  king  did  as  the  North  Wind  said.  He  took  his 
stand  on  the  stairs,  and  when  the  North  Wind  came,  storming 
and  roaring,  and  took  hold  of  the  castle  wall,  so  that  it  shook 
again,  the  prince  came  out  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  But 
as  soon  as  ever  he  came,  the  king  caught  him  by  the  collar 
and  pitched  him  out  of  doors,  and  then  the  North  Wind 
caught  him  up  and  carried  him  off.  So  when  there  was  an 
end  of  him,  the  king  went  into  the  castle,  and  at  first  his  queen 
didn't  know  him,  he  was  so  wan  and  thin,  through  wandering 
so  far  and  being  so  woeful ;  but  when  he  shewed  her  the  ring, 
she  was  as  glad  as  glad  could  be  ;  and  so  the  rightful  wedding 
was  held,  and  the  fame  of  it  spread  far  and  wide. 


THE  LASSIE  AND  HER  GODMOTHER 

Once  on  a  time  a  poor  couple  lived  far,  far  away  in  a  great 
wood.  The  wife  was  brought  to  bed,  and  had  a  pretty  girl, 
but  they  were  so  poor  they  did  not  know  how  to  get  the  babe 
christened,  for  they  had  no  money  to  pay  the  parson's  fees. 
So  one  day  the  father  went  out  to  see  if  he  could  find  any 
one  who  was  willing  to  stand  for  the  child  and  pay  the  fees  ; 
but  though  he  walked  about  the  whole  day  from  one  house 
to  another,  and  though  all  said  they  were  willing  enough  to 
stand,  no  one  thought  himself  bound  to  pay  the  fees.  Now, 
when  he  was  going  home  again,  a  lovely  lady  met  him,  dressed 
so  fine,  and  who  looked  so  thoroughly  good  and  kind  ;  she 
offered  to  get  the  babe  christened,  but  after  that,  she  said, 
she  must  keep  it  for  her  own.     The  husb^-nd  answered,  }ie 


222  Tales  from  the  Norse 

must  first  ask  his  wife  what  she  wished  to  do  ;   but  when  he 
got  home  and  told  his  story,  the  wife  said,  right  out,  '  No  !  ' 

Next  day  the  man  went  out  again,  but  no  one  would  stand 
if  they  had  to  pay  the  fees  ;  and  though  he  begged  and  prayed, 
he  could  get  no  help.  And  again  as  he  went  home,  towards 
evening  the  same  lovely  lady  met  him,  who  looked  so  sweet 
and  good,  and  she  made  him  the  same  offer.  So  he  told 
his  wife  again  how  he  had  fared,  and  this  time  she  said,  if  he 
couldn't  get  any  one  to  stand  for  his  babe  next  day,  they 
must  just  let  the  lady  have  her  way,  since  she  seemed  so  kind 
and  good. 

The  third  day,  the  man  went  about,  but  he  couldn't  get 
any  one  to  stand  ;  and  so  when,  towards  evening,  he  met 
the  kind  lady  again,  he  gave  his  word  she  should  have  the 
babe  if  she  would  only  get  it  christened  at  the  font.  So  next 
morning  she  came  to  the  place  where  the  man  lived,  followed 
by  two  men  to  stand  godfathers,  took  the  babe  and  carried 
it  to  church,  and  there  it  was  christened.  After  that  she 
took  it  to  her  own  house,  and  there  the  little  girl  lived  with 
her  several  years,  and  her  foster-mother  was  always  kind  and 
friendly  to  her. 

Now,  when  the  lassie  had  grown  to  be  big  enough  to  know 
right  and  wrong,  her  foster-mother  got  ready  to  go  on  a  journey. 

'  You  have  my  leave  ',  she  said,  '  to  go  all  over  the  house, 
except  those  rooms  which  I  shew  you  '  ;  and  when  she  had 
said  that,  away  she  went. 

But  the  lassie  could  not  forbear  just  to  open  one  of  the 
doors  a  little  bit,  when — Pop  !  out  fiew  a  Star. 

When  her  foster-mother  came  back,  she  was  very  vexed  to 
find  that  the  star  had  flown  out,  and  she  got  very  angry 
with  her  foster-daughter,  and  threatened  to  send  her  away  ; 
but  the  child  cried  and  begged  so  hard  that  she  got  leave  to 
stay. 

Now,  after  a  while,  the  foster-mother  had  to  go  on  another 
journey  ;  and,  before  she  went,  she  forbade  the  lassie  to  go 
into  those  two  rooms  into  which  she  had  never  been.  She 
promised  to  beware  ;  but  when  she  was  left  alone,  she  began 
to  think  and  to  wonder  what  there  could  be  in  the  second 
room,  and  at  last  she  could  not  help  setting  the  door  a  little 
ajar,  just  to  peep  in,  when — Pop  !  out  flew  the  Moon. 

When  her  foster-mother  came  home  and  found  the  Moon 


The  Lassie  and  her  Godmother  223 

let  out,  she  was  very  downcast,  and  said  to  the  lassie  she  must 
go  away,  she  could  not  stay  with  her  any  longer.  But  the 
lassie  wept  50  bitterly,  and  prayed  so  heartily  for  forgiveness, 
that  this  time,  too,  she  got  leave  to  stay. 

Some  time  after,  the  foster-mother  had  to  go  away  again, 
and  she  charged  the  lassie,  who  by  this  time  was  half  grown 
up,  most  earnestly  that  she  mustn't  try  to  go  into,  or  to  peep 
into,  the  third  room.  But  when  her  foster-mother  had  been 
gone  some  time,  and  the  lassie  was  weary  of  walking  about 
alone,  all  at  once  she  thought,  *  Dear  me,  what  fun  it  would 
be  just  to  peep  a  little  into  that  third  room.*  Then  she 
thought  she  mustn't  do  it  for  her  foster-mother's  sake  ;  but 
when  the  bad  thought  came  the  second  time  she  could  hold 
out  no  longer  ;  come  what  might,  she  must  and  would  look 
into  the  room  ;  so  she  just  opened  the  door  a  tiny  bit,  when — 
POP  !  out  flew  the  Sun. 

But  when  her  foster-mother  came  back  and  saw  that  the 
sun  had  flown  away,  she  was  cut  to  the  heart,  and  said,  '  Now, 
there  was  no  help  for  it,  the  lassie  must  and  should  go  away  ; 
she  couldn't  hear  of  her  staying  any  longer.'  Now  the  lassie 
cried  her  eyes  out,  and  begged  and  prayed  so  prettily ;  but 
it  was  all  no  good. 

*  Nay  !  but  I  must  punish  you  !  '  said  her  foster-mother  ; 
'  but  you  may  have  your  choice,  either  to  be  the  loveliest 
woman  in  the  world,  and  not  to  be  able  to  speak,  or  to  keep 
your  speech,  and  be  the  ugliest  of  all  women  ;  but  away 
from  me  you  must  go.' 

And  the  lassie  said,  *  I  would  sooner  be  lovely.'  So  she 
became  all  at  once  wondrous  fair  ;  but  from  that  day  forth 
she  was  dumb. 

So,  when  she  went  away  from  her  foster-mother,  she  walked 
and  wandered  through  a  great,  great  wood  ;  but  the  farther 
she  went,  the  farther  off  the  end  seemed  -to  be.  So,  when 
the  evening  came  on,  she  clomb  up  into  a  tall  tree,  which 
grew  over  a  spring,  and  there  she  made  herself  up  to  sleep  that 
night.  Close  by  lay  a  castle,  and  from  that  castle  came  early 
every  morning  a  maid  to  draw  water  to  make  the  Prince's 
tea,  from  the  spring  over  which  the  lassie  was  sitting.  So  the 
maid  looked  down  into  the  spring,  saw  the  lovely  face  in  the 
water,  and  thought  it  was  her  own  ;  then  she  flung  away  the 
pitcher,  and  ran  home  ;   and,  when  she  got  there,  she  tossed 


224  Tales  from  the  Norse 

up  her  head  and  said,  'If  I'm  so  pretty,  I'm  far  too  good  to 
go  and  fetch  water.' 

So  another  maid  had  to  go  for  the  water,  but  the  same 
thing  happened  to  her  ;  she  went  back  and  said  she  was  far 
too  pretty  and  too  good  to  fetch  water  from  the  spring  for  the 
Prince.  Then  the  Prince  went  himself,  for  he  had  a  mind 
to  see  what  all  this  could  mean.  So,  when  he  reached  the 
spring,  he  too  saw  the  image  in  the  water  ;  but  he  looked 
up  at  once,  and  became  aware  of  the  lovely  lassie  who  sate 
there  up  in  the  tree.  Then  he  coaxed  her  down  and  took 
her  home  ;  and  at  last  made  up  his  mind  to  have  her  for  his 
queen,  because  she  was  so  lovely  ;  but  his  mother,  who  was 
still  alive,  was  against  it. 

*  She  can't  speak  ',  she  said,  '  and  maybe  she's  a  wicked 
witch.* 

But  the  Prince  could  not  be  content  till  he  got  her.  So 
after  they  had  lived  together  a  while,  the  lassie  was  to  have 
a  child,  and  when  the  child  came  to  be  bom,  the  Prince  set  a 
strong  watch  round  her  ;  but  at  the  birth  one  and  all  fell 
into  a  deep  sleep,  and  her  foster-mother  came,  cut  the  babe 
on  its  little  finger,  and  smeared  the  queen's  mouth  with  the 
blood  ;    and  said  : 

'  Now  you  shall  be  as  grieved  as  I  was  when  you  let  out 
the  star  '  ;  and  with  these  words  she  carried  off  the  babe. 

But  when  those  who  were  on  the  watch  woke,  they  thought 
the  queen  had  eaten  her  own  child,  and  the  old  queen  was 
all  for  burning  her  aUve,  but  the  Prince  was  so  fond  of  her 
that  at  last  he  begged  her  off,  but  he  had  hard  work  to  set 
her  free. 

So  the  next  time  the  young  queen  was  to  have  a  child, 
twice  as  strong  a  watch  was  set  as  the  first  time,  but  the 
same  thing  happened  over  again,  only  this  time  her  foster- 
mother  said  : 

'  Now  you  shall  be  as  grieved  as  I  was  when  you  let  the 
moon  out.' 

And  the  queen  begged  and  prayed,  and  wept ;  for  when 
her  foster-mother  was  there,  she  could  speak — but  it  was  all 
no  good. 

And  now  the  old  queen  said  she  must  be  burnt,  but  the 
Prince  found  means  to  beg  her  off.  But  when  the  third  child 
w^  to  be  bofn,  a  watch  was  set  three  times  as  strong  as  th^ 


The  Three  Aunts  225 

first,  but  just  the  same  thing  happened.  Her  foster-mother 
came  while  the  watch  slept,  took  the  babe,  and  cut  its  little 
finger,  and  smeared  the  queen's  mouth  with  the  blood,  telling 
her  now  she  should  be  as  grieved  as  she  had  been  when  the 
lassie  let  out  the  sun. 

And  now  the  Prince  could  not  save  her  any  longer.  She 
must  and  should  be  burnt.  But  just  as  they  were  leading 
her  to  the  stake,  all  at  once  they  saw  her  foster-mother,  who 
came  with  all  three  children — two  she  led  by  the  hand,  and 
the  third  she  had  on  her  arm  ;  and  so  she  went  up  to  the 
young  queen  and  said  . 

'  Here  are  your  children  ;  now  you  shall  have  them  again. 
I  am  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  so  grieved  as  you  have  been,  so 
grieved  was  I  when  you  let  out  sun,  and  moon,  and  star.  Now 
you  have  been  punished  for  what  you  did,  and  henceforth 
you  shall  have  your  speech.' 

How  glad  the  Queen  and  Prince  now  were,  all  may  easily 
think,  but  no  one  can  tell.  After  that  they  were  always 
happy  ;  and  from  that  day  even  the  Prince's  mother  was  very 
fond  of  the  young  queen. 


THE  THREE  AUNTS 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  poor  man  who  lived  in  a  hut  far 
away  in  the  wood,  and  got  his  living  by  shooting.  He  had 
an  only  daughter  who  was  very  pretty,  and  as  she  had  lost 
her  mother  when  she  was  a  child,  and  was  now  half  grown 
up,  she  said  she  would  go  out  into  the  world  and  earn  her 
bread. 

'  Well,  lassie  !  *  said  the  father,  '  true  enough  you  have  learnt 
nothing  here  but  how  to  pluck  birds  and  roast  them,  but  still 
you  may  as  well  try  to  earn  your  bread.* 

So  the  girl  went  off  to  seek  a  place,  and  when  she  had  gone 
a  little  while,  she  came  to  a  palace.  There  she  stayed  and 
got  a  place,  and  the  queen  liked  her  so  well,  that  all  the  other 
maids  got  envious  of  her.  So  they  made  up  their  minds  to 
tell  the  queen  how  the  lassie  said  she  was  good  to  spin  a  pound 
of  flax  in  four  and  twenty  hours,  for  you  must  know  the 
queen  was  a  great  housewife,  and  thought  much  of  good  work. 

9 


226  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  Have  you  said  this  ?  then  you  shall  do  it ',  said  the  queen  ; 

*  but  you  may  have  a  little  longer  time  if  you  choose.' 

Now,  the  poor  lassie  dared  not  say  she  had  never  spun  in 
all  hei  life,  but  she  only  begged  for  a  room  to  herself.  That 
she  got,  and  the  wheel  and  the  flax  were  brought  up  to  her. 
There  she  sat  sad  and  weeping,  and  knew  not  how  to  help  her- 
self. She  pulled  the  wheel  this  way  and  that,  and  twisted 
and  turned  it  about,  but  she  made  a  poor  hand  of  it,  for  she 
had  never  even  seen  a  spinning-wheel  in  her  life. 

But  all  at  once,  as  she  sat  there,  in  came  an  old  woman  to 
her. 

*  What  ails  you,  child  ?  '  she  said. 

*  Ah  !  '  said  the  lassie,  with  a  deep  sigh,  *  it's  no  good  to 
tell  you,  for  you'll  never  be  able  to  help  me.' 

*  Who  knows  ?  *  said  the  old  wife.  '  May  be  I  know  how 
to  help  you  after  all.' 

Well,  thought  the  lassie  to  herself,  I  may  as  well  tell  her, 
and  so  she  told  her  how  her  fellow-servants  had  given  out 
that  she  was  good  to  spin  a  pound  of  flax  in  four  and  twenty 
hours. 

'  And  here  am  I,  wretch  that  I  am,  shut  up  to  spin  all  that 
heap  in  a  day  and  a  night,  when  I  have  never  even  seen  a 
spinning-wheel  in  all  my  bom  days.' 

*  Well,  never  mind,  child  ',  said  the  old  woman.  *  If  you'll 
call  me  Aunt  on  the  happiest  day  of  your  life,  I'll  spin  this 
flax  for  you,  and  so  you  may  just  go  away  and  he  down  to 
sleep.' 

Yes,  the  lassie  was  willing  enough,  and  off  she  went  and 
lay  down  to  sleep. 

Next  morning  when  she  awoke,  there  lay  aU  the  flax  spun 
on  the  table,  and  that  so  clean  and  fine,  no  one  had  ever  seen 
such  even  and  pretty  yam.  The  queen  was  very  glad  to 
get  such  nice  yam,  and  she  set  greater  store  by  the  lassie 
than  ever.  But  the  rest  were  still  more  envious,  and  agreed 
to  tell  the  queen  how  the  lassie  had  said  she  was  good  to  weave 
the  yam  she  had  spun  in  four  and  twenty  hours.  So  the 
queen  said  again,  as  she  had  said  it  she  must  do  it ;  but  if  she 
couldn't  quite  finish  it  in  four  and  twenty  hours,  she  wouldn't 
be  too  hard  upon  her,  she  might  have  a  little  more  time. 
This  time,  too,  the  lassie  dared  not  say  No,  but  begged  for 
a  room  to  herself,  and  then  she  would  try.     There  she  sat 


The  Three  Aunts  227 

again,  sobbing  and  crying,  and  not  knowing  which  way  to 
turn,  when  another  old  woman  came  in  and  asked : 

*  What  ails  you,  child  ?  ' 

At  first  the  lassie  wouldn't  say,  but  at  last  she  told  her  the 
whole  story  of  her  grief. 

'  Well,  well !  '  said  the  old  wife,  '  never  mind.  If  you'll 
call  me  Aunt  on  the  happiest  day  of  your  life,  I'll  weave  this 
yam  for  you,  and  so  you  may  just  be  off,  and  He  down  to 
sleep.' 

Yes,  the  lassie  was  willing  enough  ;  so  she  went  away  and 
lay  down  to  sleep.  When  she  awoke,  there  lay  the  piece  of 
linen  on  the  table,  woven  so  neat  and  close,  no  woof  could  be 
better.  So  the  lassie  took  the  piece  and  ran  down  to  the 
queen,  who  was  very  glad  to  get  such  beautiful  linen,  and 
set  greater  store  than  ever  by  the  lassie.  But  as  for  the  others, 
they  grew  still  more  bitter  against  her,  and  thought  of  nothing 
but  how  to  find  out  something  to  tell  about  her. 

At  last  they  told  the  queen  the  lassie  had  said  she  was 
good  to  make  up  the  piece  of  linen  into  shirts  in  four  and 
twenty  hours.  Well,  all  happened  as  before  ;  the  lassie  dared 
not  say  she  couldn't  sew  ;  so  she  was  shut  up  again  in  a  room 
by  herself,  and  there  she  sat  in  tears  and  grief.  But  then 
another  old  wife  came,  who  said  she  would  sew  the  shirts  for 
her  if  she  would  call  her  Aunt  on  the  happiest  day  of  her  life. 
The  lassie  was  only  too  glad  to  do  this,  and  then  she  did  as 
the  old  wife  told  her,  and  went  and  lay  down  to  sleep. 

Next  morning  when  she  woke  she  found  the  piece  of  linen 
made  up  into  shirts,  which  lay  on  the  table — and  such  beautiful 
work  no  one  had  ever  set  eyes  on  ;  and  more  than  that,  the 
shirts  were  all  marked  and  ready  for  wear.  So,  when  the 
queen  saw  the  work,  she  was  so  glad  at  the  way  in  which  it 
was  sewn,  that  she  clapped  her  hands,  and  said  : 

'  Such  sewing  I  never  had,  nor  even  saw  in  all  my  bom 
days  *  ;  and  after  that  she  was  as  fond  of  the  lassie  as  of  her 
own  children  ;  and  she  said  to  her : 

'  Now,  if  you  like  to  have  the  Prince  for  your  husband, 
you  shall  have  him  ;  for  you  will  never  need  to  hire  work- 
women.    You  can  sew,  and  spin,  and  weave  all  yourself.' 

So  as  the  lassie  was  pretty,  and  the  Prince  was  glad  to  have 
her,  the  wedding  soon  came  on.  But  just  as  the  Prince 
was  going  to  sit  down  with  the  bride  to  the  bridal  feast,  in 


228  Tales  from  the  JNorse 

came  an  ugly  old  hag  with  a  long  nose — I'm  sure  it  was  three 
5lls  long. 
So  up  got  the  bride  and  made  a  curtsey,  and  said  : 

*  Good-day,  Auntie.' 

'  That  Auntie  to  my  bride  ?  '  said  the  Prince. 
'  Yes,  she  was  !  ' 

*  Well,  then,  she'd  better  sit  down  with  us  to  the  feast ', 
said  the  Prince  ;  but,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  both  he  and  the 
rest  thought  she  was  a  loathsome  woman  to  have  next  you. 

But  just  then  in  came  another  ugly  old  hag.  She  had  a 
back  so  humped  and  broad,  she  had  hard  work  to  get  through 
the  door.  Up  jumped  the  bride  in  a  trice,  and  greeted  her 
with  '  Good-day,  Auntie  !  ' 

And  the  Prince  asked  again  if  that  were  his  bride's  aunt. 
They  both  said  Yes  ;  so  the  Prince  said,  if  that  were  so,  she 
too  had  better  sit  down  with  them  to  the  feast. 

But  they  had  scarce  taken  their  seats  before  another  ugly 
old  hag  came  in,  with  eyes  as  large  as  saucers,  and  so  red  and 
bleared,  'twas  gruesome  to  look  at  her.  But  up  jumped  the 
bride  again,  with  her  '  Good-day,  Auntie  ',  and  her,  too,  the 
Prince  asked  to  sit  down  ;  but  I  can't  say  he  was  very  glad,, 
for  he  thought  to  himself: 

*  Heaven  shield  me  from  such  Aunties  as  my  bride  has  !  * 
So  when  he  had  sat  awhile,  he  could  not  keep  his  thoughts  to 
himself  any  longer,  but  asked  : 

'  But  how,  in  all  the  world,  can  my  bride,  who  is  such  a 
lovely  lassie,  have  such  loathsome,  mis-shapen  Aunts  ?  * 

'  I'll  soon  tell  you  how  it  is  ',  said  the  first.  '  I  was  just 
as  good-looking  when  I  was  her  age  ;  but  the  reason  why  I've 
got  this  long  nose  is,  because  I  was  always  kept  sitting,  and 
poking,  and  nodding  over  my  spinning,  and  so  my  nose  got 
stretched  and  stretched,  until  it  got  as  long  as  you  now  see 
it.' 

'  And  I  ',  said  the  second,  '  ever  since  I  was  young,  I  have 
sat  and  scuttled  backwards  and  forwards  over  ihy  loom, 
and  that's  how  my  back  has  got  so  broad  and  humped  as 
you  now  see  it.' 

'  And  I ',  said  the  third,  '  ever  since  I  was  httle,  I  have  sat, 
and  stared,  and  sewn,  and  sewn  and  stared,  night  and  day  ; 
and  that's  why  my  eyes  have  got  so  ugly  and  red,  and  now 
there's  no  help  for  them.' 


Rich  Peter  the  Pedlar  229 

*  So  !  so  !  '  said  the  Prince,  *  'twas  lucky  I  came  to  know  this  ; 
for  if  folk  can  get  so  ugly  and  loathsome  by  all  this,  then  my 
bride  shall  neither  spin,  nor  weave,  nor  sew  all  her  life  long.' 


THE  COCK.  THE  CUCKOO,  AND  THE  BLACK-COCK 

[This  is  another  of  those  tales  in  which  the  birds'  notes  must  be  imitated.] 

Once  on  a  time  the  Cock,  the  Cuckoo,  and  the  Black-cock 
bought  a  cow  between  them.  But  when  they  came  to  share 
it,  and  couldn't  agree  which  should  buy  the  others  out,  they 
settled  that  he  who  woke  first  in  the  morning  should  have 
the  cow. 

So  the  Cock  woke  first. 

Now  the  cow's  mine  ! 
Now  the  cow's  mine  I 
Hurrah  !  hurrah  ! 

he  crew,  and  as  he  crew,  up  awoke  the  Cuckoo. 

Half  cow  ! 
Half  cow  ! 

sang  the  Cuckoo,  and  woke  up  the  Black-cock. 

A  like  share,  a  like  share  ; 
Dear  friends,  that's  only  fair  I 
Saw  see  !     See  saw  ! 

That's  what  the  Black-cock  said. 

And  now,  can  you  tell  me  which  of  them  ought  to  have 
the  cow  ? 

RICH  PETER  THE  PEDLAR 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  man  whom  they  called  Rich 
Peter  the  Pedlar,  because  he  used  to  travel  about  with  a 
pack,  and  got  so  much  money,  that  he  became  quite  rich. 
This  Rich  Peter  had  a  daughter,  whom  he  held  so  dear  that 
all  who  came  to  woo  her,  were  sent  about  their  business,  for 
no  one  was  good  enough  for  her,  he  thought.  Well,  this 
went  on  and  on,  and  at  last  no  one  came  to  woo  her,  and  as 
years  rolled  on,  Peter  began  to  be  afraid  that  she  would  die 
an  old  maid. 

*  I  wonder  now  ',  he  said  to  his  wife,  '  why  suitors  no  longer 
come  to  woo  our  lass,  who  is  so  rich.     'Twould  be  odd  if 


230  Tales  from  the  Norse 

no  body  cared  to  have  her,  for  money  she  has,  and  more  she 
shall  have.  I  think  I'd  better  just  go  off  to  the  Stargazers, 
and  ask  them  whom  she  shall  have,  for  not  a  soul  comes  to 
us  now.* 

'  But  how  *,  asked  the  wife,  '  can  the  Stargazers  answer 
that  ?  ' 

*  Can't  they  ?  '  said  Peter  ;  *  why  !  they  read  all  things  in 
the  stars.' 

So  he  took  with  him  a  great  bag  of  money,  and  set  off  to 
the  Stargazers,  and  asked  them  to  be  so  good  as  to  look  at 
the  stars,  and  tell  him  the  husband  his  daughter  was  to  have. 

Well !  the  Stargazers  looked  and  looked,  but  they  said 
they  could  see  nothing  about  it.  But  Peter  begged  them 
to  look  better,  and  to  tell  him  the  truth  ;  he  would  pay  them 
well  for  it.  So  the  Stargazers  looked  better,  and  at  last 
they  said  that  his  daughter's  husband  was  to  be  the  miller's 
son,  who  was  only  just  born,  down  at  the  mill  below  Rich 
Peter's  house.  Then  Peter  gave  the  Stargazers  a  hundred 
dollars,  and  went  home  with  the  answer  he  had  got. 

Now,  he  thought  it  too  good  a  joke  that  his  daughter  should 
wed  one  so  newly  bom,  and  of  such  poor  estate.  He  said 
this  to  his  wife,  and  added  : 

'  I  wonder  now  if  they  would  sell  me  the  boy  ;  then  I'd 
soon  put  him  out  of  the  way  ?  * 

'  I  daresay  they  would  *,  said  his  wife  ;  '  you  know  they're 
very  poor.* 

So  Peter  went  down  to  the  mill,  and  asked  the  miller's 
wife  whether  she  would  sell  him  her  son  ;  she  should  get  a 
heap  of  money  for  him  ? 

*  No  !  *  that  she  wouldn't. 

*  Well !  *  said  Peter,  '  I'm  sure  I  can't  see  why  you  shouldn't  ; 
you've  hard  work  enough  as  it  is  to  keep  hunger  out  of  the 
house,  and  the  boy  won't  make  it  easier,  I  think.' 

But  the  mother  was  so  proud  of  the  boy,  she  couldn't  part 
with  him.  So  when  the  miller  came  home,  Peter  said  the 
same  thing  to  him,  and  gave  his  word  to  pay  six  hundred 
dollars  for  the  boy,  so  that  they  might  buy  themselves  a 
farm  of  their  own,  and  not  have  to  grind  other  folks'  com, 
and  to  starve  when  they  ran  short  of  water.  The  miller 
thought  it  was  a  good  bargain,  and  he  talked  over  his  wife  ; 
and  the  end  was.  tliat  Rich  Peter  got  the  boy.     The  mother 


Rich  Peter  the  Pedlar  231 

cried  and  sobbed,  but  Peter  comforted  her  by  saying,  the 
boy  should  be  well  cared  for  ;  only  they  had  to  promise  never 
to  ask  after  him,  for  he  said  he  meant  to  send  him  far  away 
to  other  lands,  so  that  he  might  learn  foreign  tongues. 

So  when  Peter  the  Pedlar  got  home  with  the  boy,  he  sent 
for  a  carpenter,  and  had  a  httle  chest  made,  which  was  so 
tidy  and  neat,  'twas  a  joy  to  see.  This  he  made  water-tight 
with  pitch,  put  the  miller's  boy  into  it,  locked  it  up,  and  threw 
it  into  the  river,  where  the  stream  carried  it  away. 

*  Now,  I'm  rid  of  him  ',  thought  Peter  the  Pedlar. 

But  when  the  chest  had  floated  ever  so  far  down  the  stream, 
it  came  into  the  mill-head  of  another  mill,  and  ran  down  and 
hampered  the  shaft  of  the  wheel,  and  stopped  it.  Out  came 
the  miller  to  see  what  stopped  the  mill,  found  the  chest  and 
took  it  up.  So  when  he  came  home  to  dinner  to  his  wife,  he 
said: 

*  I  wonder  now  whatever  there  can  be  inside  this  chest  which 
came  floating  down  the  mill-head,  and  stopped  our  mill 
to-day  ?  * 

'That  we'll  soon  know*,  said  his  wife;  'see,  there's  the 
key  in  the  lock,  just  turn  it.' 

So  they  turned  the  key  and  opened  the  chest,  and  lo  !  there 
lay  the  prettiest  child  you  ever  set  eyes  on.  So  they  were 
both  glad,  and  were  ready  to  keep  the  child,  for  they  had  no 
children  of  their  own,  and  were  so  old,  they  could  now  hope 
for  none. 

Now,  after  a  little  while,  Peter  the  Pedlar  began  to  wonder 
how  it  was  no  one  came  to  woo  his  daughter,  who  was  so  rich 
in  land,  and  had  so  much  ready  money.  At  last,  when  no 
one  came,  off  he  went  again  to  the  Stargazers,  and  offered 
them  a  heap  of  money  if  they  could  tell  him  whom  his  daughter 
was  to  have  for  a  husband. 

*  Why  !  we  have  told  you  already,  that  she  is  to  have  the 
miller's  son  down  yonder  ',  said  the  Stargazers. 

*  All  very  true,  I  daresay  ',  said  Peter  the  Pedlar ;  *  but 
it  so  happens  he's  dead  ;  but  if  you  can  tell  me  whom  she's 
to  have,  I'll  give  you    two   hundred    dollars,  and  welcome.' 

So  the  Stargazers  looked  at  the  stars  again,  but  they  got 
quite  cross,  and  said : 

*  We  told  you  before,  and  we  tell  you  now,  she  is  to  have 
the  miller's  son,  whom  you  threw  into  the  river,  and  wished 


232  Tales  from  the  Norse 

to  make  an  end  of  ;  for  he  is  alive,  safe  and  sound,  in  such 
and  such  a  mill,  far  down  the  stream.* 

So  Peter  the  Pedlar  gave  them  two  hundred  dollars  for 
this  news,  and  thought  how  he  could  best  be  rid  of  the  miller's 
son.  The  first  thing  Peter  did  when  he  got  home,  was  to 
set  off  for  the  mill.  By  that  time  the  boy  was  so  big  that 
he  had  been  confirmed,  and  went  about  the  mill  and  helped 
the  miller.     Such  a  pretty  boy  you  never  saw. 

'  Can't  you  spare  me  that  lad  yonder  ?  '  said  Peter  the  Pedlar 
to  the  miller. 

*  No  !  that  I  can't ',  he  answered  ;  '  I've  brought  him  up 
as  my  own  son,  and  he  has  turned  out  so  well,  that  now  he's 
a  great  help  and  aid  to  me  in  the  mill,  for  I'm  getting  old  and 
past  work.' 

'  It's  just  the  same  with  me  ',  said  Peter  the  Pedlar  ; 
'  that's  why  I'd  Uke  to  have  some  one  to  learn  my  trade.  Now, 
if  you'll  give  him  up  to  me,  I'll  give  you  six  hundred  dollars, 
and  then  you  can  buy  yourself  a  farm,  and  Uve  in  peace  and 
quiet  the  rest  of  your  days.' 

Yes  !  when  the  miller  heard  that,  he  let  Peter  the  Pedlar 
have  the  lad. 

Then  the  two  travelled  about  far  and  wide,  with  their  packs 
and  wares,  till  they  came  to  an  inn,  which  lay  by  the  edge  of  a 
great  wood.  From  this  Peter  the  Pedlar  sent  the  lad  home  with 
a  letter  to  his  wife,  for  the  way  was  not  so  long  if  you  took 
the  short  cut  across  the  wood,  and  told  him  to  tell  her  she 
was  to  be  sure  and  do  what  was  written  in  the  letter  as  quickly 
as  she  could.  But  it  was  written  in  the  letter,  that  she  was 
to  have  a  great  pile  made  there  and  then,  fire  it,  and  cast 
the  miller's  son  into  it.  If  she  didn't  do  that,  he'd  burn  her 
alive  himself  when  he  came  back.  So  the  lad  set  off  with  the 
letter  across  the  wood,  and  when  evening  came  on  he  reached 
a  house  far,  far  away  in  the  wood,  into  which  he  went ;  but 
inside  he  found  no  one.  In  one  of  the  rooms  was  a  bed  ready 
made,  so  he  threw  himself  across  it  and  fell  asleep.  The  letter 
he  had  stuck  into  his  hat-band,  and  the  hat  he  pulled  over  his 
face.  So  when  the  robbers  came  back — for  in  that  house 
twelve  robbers  had  their  abode — and  saw  the  lad  lying  on 
the  bed,  they  began  to  wonder  who  he  could  be,  and  one  of 
them  took  the  letter  and  broke  it  open,  and  read  it. 

'  Ho  !    ho  !  '  said  he  ;    '  this  comes  from  Peter  the  Pedlax, 


Rich  Peter  the  Pedlar  233 

does  it  ?  Now  we'll  play  him  a  trick.  It  would  be  a  pity 
if  the  old  niggard  made  an  end  of  such  a  pretty  lad.* 

So  the  robbers  wrote  another  letter  to  Peter  the  Pedlar's 
wife,  and  fastened  it  under  his  hat-band  while  he  slept ;  and 
in  that  they  wrote,  that  as  soon  as  ever  she  got  it  she  was  to 
make  a  wedding  for  her  daughter  and  the  miller's  boy,  and 
give  them  horses  and  cattle,  and  household  stuff,  and  set 
them  up  for  themselves  in  the  farm  which  he  had  under  the 
hill ;  and  if  he  didn't  find  all  this  done  by  the  time  he  came 
back,  she'd  smart  for  it — that  was  all. 

Next  day  the  robbers  let  the  lad  go,  and  when  he  came 
home  and  delivered  the  letter,  he  said  he  was  to  greet  her 
kindly  from  Peter  the  Pedlar,  and  to  say  that  she  was  to  carry 
out  what  was  written  in  the  letter  as  soon  as  ever  she  could. 

'  You  must  have  behaved  very  well  then  ',  said  Peter,  the 
Pedlar's  wife  to  the  miller's  boy,  '  if  he  can  write  so  about  you 
now,  for  when  you  set  off,  he  was  so  mad  against  you,  he  didn't 
know  how  to  put  you  out  of  the  way.'  So  she  married  them 
on  the  spot,  and  set  them  up  for  themselves,  with  horses, 
and  cattle,  and  household  stuff,  in  the  farm  up  under  the  hill. 

No  long  time  after  Peter  the  Pedlar  came  home,  and  the  first 
thing  he  asked  was,  if  she  had  done  what  he  had  written  in 
his  letter. 

*  Aye  !  aye  !  '  she  said  ;  '  I  thought  it  rather  odd,  but  I 
dared  not  do  anything  else  * ;  and  so  Peter  asked  where  his 
daughter  was. 

'  Why,  you  know  well  enough  where  she  is  ',  said  his  wife. 
*  Where  should  she  be  but  up  at  the  farm  under  the  hill,  as 
you  wrote  in  the  letter.' 

So  when  Peter  the  Pedlar  came  to  hear  the  whole  story, 
and  came  to  see  the  letter,  he  got  so  angry  he  was  ready  to 
burst  with  rage,  and  off  he  ran  up  to  the  farm  to  the  young 
couple. 

'  It's  all  very  well,  my  son,  to  say  you  have  got  my  daughter ', 
he  said  to  the  miller's  lad  ;  '  but  if  you  wish  to  keep  her,  you 
must  go  to  the  Dragon  of  Deepferry,  and  get  me  three  feathers 
out  of  his  tail ;  for  he  who  has  them  may  get  anything  he 
chooses.' 

'  But  where  shall  I  find  him  ?  '  said  liis  son-in-law. 

'  I'm  sure  I  can't  tell ',  said  Peter  the  Pedlar  ;  '  that's 
your  look-out,  not  mine.' 


234  Tales  from  the  Norse 

So  the  lad  set  off  with  a  stout  heart,  and  after  he  had  walked 
some  way,  he  came  to  a  king's  palace. 

'  Here  I'll  just  step  in  and  ask  ',  he  said  to  himself  ;  '  for 
such  great  folk  Imow  more  about  the  world  than  others,  and 
perhaps  I  may  here  learn  the  way  to  the  Dragon.' 

Then  the  King  asked  him  whence  he  came,  and  whither 
he  was  going  ? 

*  Oh  !  '  said  the  lad,  '  I'm  going  to  the  Dragon  of  Deepferry 
to  pluck  three  feathers  out  of  his  tail,  if  I  only  knew  where  to 
find  him.' 

'  You  must  take  luck  with  you,  then  ',  said  the  King,  *  for 
I  never  heard  of  any  one  who  came  back  from  that  search. 
But  if  you  find  him,  just  ask  him  from  me  why  I  can't  get 
clear  water  in  my  well ;  for  I've  dug  it  out  time  after  time, 
and  still  I  can't  get  a  drop  of  clear  water.' 

*  Yes,  I'll  be  sure  to  ask  him  ',  said  the  lad.  So  he  lived 
on  the  fat  of  the  land  at  the  palace,  and  got  money  and  food 
when  he  left  it. 

At  even  he  came  to  another  king's  palace  ;  and  when  he 
went  into  the  kitchen,  the  King  came  out  of  the  parlour, 
and  asked  whence  he  came,  and  on  what  errand  he  was 
bound  ? 

*  Oh  !  '  said  the  lad,  *  I'm  going  to  the  Dragon  of  Deepferry 
to  pluck  three  feathers  out  of  his  tail.' 

*  Then  you  must  take  luck  with  you  ',  said  the  King,  *  for 
I  never  yet  heard  that  any  one  came  back  who  went  to  look 
for  him.  But  if  you  find  him,  be  so  good  as  to  ask  him  from 
me  where  my  daughter  is,  who  has  been  lost  so  many  years. 
I  have  hunted  for  her,  and  had  her  name  given  out  in  every 
church  in  the  country,  but  no  one  can  tell  me  anything  about 
her.' 

*  Yes,  I'll  mind  and  do  that ',  said  the  lad  ;  and  in  that 
palace  too  he  lived  on  the  best,  and  when  he  went  away  he 
got  both  money  and  food. 

So  when  evening  drew  on  again  he  came  at  last  to  another 
king's  palace.  Here  who  should  come  out  into  the  kitchen 
but  the  Queen,  and  she  asked  him  whence  he  came,  and  on 
what  errand  he  was  bound  ? 

'I'm  going  to  the  Dragon  of  Deepferry  to  pluck  three  feathers 
out  of  his  tail ',  said  the  lad. 

*  Then  you'd  better  take  a  good  piece  of  luck  with  you  *, 


Rich  Peter  the  Pedlar  235 

said  the  Queen,  *  for  I  never  heard  of  any  one  that  came  back 
from  him.  But  if  you  find  him,  just  be  good  enough  to  ask 
him  from  me  where  I  shall  find  my  gold  keys  which  I  have  lost.' 

*  Yes  !     I'll  be  sure  to  ask  him  ',  said  the  lad. 

Well !  when  he  left  the  palace  he  came  to  a  great  broad  river ; 
and  while  he  stood  there  and  wondered  whether  he  should 
cross  it,  or  go  down  along  the  bank,  an  old  hunchbacked  man 
came  up,  and  asked  whither  he  was  going  ? 

*  Oh,  I'm  going  to  the  Dragon  of  Deepferry,  if  I  could  only 
find  any  one  to  tell  where  I  can  find  him.' 

'  I  can  tell  you  that ',  said  the  man  ;  '  for  here  I  go  back- 
wards and  forwards,  and  carry  those  over  who  are  going  to 
see  him.  He  lives  just  across,  and  when  you  climb  the  hill 
you'll  see  his  castle  ;  but  mind,  if  you  come  to  talk  with  him, 
to  ask  him  from  me  how  long  I'm  to  stop  here  and  carry  folk 
over.' 

*  I'll  be  sure  to  ask  him ',  said  the  lad. 

So  the  man  took  him  on  his  back  and  carried  him  over  the 
river  ;  and  when  he  climbed  the  hill,  he  saw  the  castle,  and 
went  in. 

He  found  there  a  Princess  who  lived  with  the  Dragon  all 
alone  ;    and  she  said  : 

'  But,  dear  friend,  how  can  Christian  folk  dare  to  come 
hither  ?  None  have  been  here  since  I  came,  and  you'd  best 
be  off  as  fast  as  you  can  ;  for  as  soon  as  the  Dragon  comes 
home,  he'll  smell  you  out,  and  gobble  you  up  in  a  trice,  and 
that'll  make  me  so  unhappy.' 

'  Nay  !  nay  !  *  said  the  lad  ;  '  I  can't  go  before  I've  got 
three  feathers  out  of  his  tail.' 

'  You'll  never  get  them  ',  said  the  Princess  ;  *  you'd  best 
be  off.' 

But  the  lad  wouldn't  go  ;  he  would  wait  for  the  Dragon, 
and  get  the  feathers,  and  an  answer  to  all  his  questions. 

*  Well,  since  you're  so  steadfast  I'll  see  what  I  can  do  to 
help  you',  said  the  Princess;  'just  try  to  lift  that  sword 
that  hangs  on  the  wall  yonder.' 

No  ;  the  lad  could  not  even  stir  it. 

*  I  thought  so  ',  said  the  Princess  ;  *  but  just  take  a  drink 
out  of  this  flask.' 

So  when  the  lad  had  sat  a  while,  he  was  to  try  again  ;  and 
then  he  could  just  stir  it. 


236  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  Well !  you  must  take  another  drink  ',  said  the  Princess, 
'  and  then  you  may  as  well  tell  me  your  errand  hither.' 

So  he  took  another  drink,  and  then  he  told  her  how  one  king 
had  begged  him-  to  ask  the  Dragon,  how  it  was  he  couldn't 
get  clean  water  in  his  well  ? — how  another  had  bidden  him 
ask,  what  had  become  of  his  daughter,  who  had  been  lost 
many  years  since  ? — and  how  a  queen  had  begged  him  to  ask 
the  Dragon  what  had  become  of  her  gold  keys  ? — and,  last  of 
all,  how  the  ferryman  had  begged  him  to  ask  the  Dragon, 
how  long  he  was  to  stop  there  and  carry  folk  over?  ?  "When  he 
had  done  his  story,  and  took  hold  of  the  sword,  he  could  lift 
it ;  and  when  he  had  taken  another  drink,  he  could  brandish 
it. 

*  Now  ',  said  the  Princess,  '  if  you  don't  want  the  Dragon 
to  make  an  end  of  you,  you'd  best  creep  under  the  bed,  for 
night  is  drawing  on,  and  he'll  soon  be  home,  and  then  you  must 
lie  as  still  as  you  can,  lest  he  should  find  you  out.  And  when 
we  have  gone  to  bed,  I'll  ask  him,  but  you  must  keep  your 
ears  open,  and  snap  up  all  that  he  says  ;  and  under  the  bed 
you  must  lie  till  all  is  still,  and  the  Dragon  falls  asleep  ;  then 
creep  out  softly  and  seize  the  sword,  and  as  soon  as  he  rises, 
look  out  to  hew  off  his  head  at  one  stroke,  and  at  the  same 
time  pluck  out  the  three  feathers,  for  else  he'll  tear  them  out 
himself,  that  no  one  may  get  any  good  by  them.' 

So  the  lad  crept  under  the  bed,  and  the  Dragon  came 
home. 

*  What  a  smell  of  Christian  flesh  ',  said  the  Dragon. 

'  Oh,  yes  ',  said  the  Princess,  '  a  raven  came  flying  with  a 
man's  bone  in  his  bill,  and  perched  on  the  roof.  No  doubt 
it's  that  you  smell.' 

*  So  it  is,  I  daresay  ',  said  the  Dragon. 

So  the  Princess  served  supper  ;  and  after  they  had  eaten, 
they  went  to  bed.  But  after  they  had  lain  a  while,  the  Prin- 
cess began  to  toss  about,  and  all  at  once  she  started  up  and 
said  ; 

'  Ah  !  ah  !  ' 

*  What's  the  matter  ?  *  said  the  Dragon. 

'  Oh  ',  said  the  Princess,  '  I  can't  rest  at  all,  and  I've  had 
such  a  strange  dream.' 

'  What  di  i  you  dream  about  ?  Let's  hear  ?  '  said  the 
Dragon. 


Rich  Peter  the  Pedlar  237 

*  I  thought  a  king  came  here,  and  asked  you  what  he  must 
do  to  get  clear  water  in  his  well.' 

*  Oh  ',  said  the  Dragon,  '  he  might  just  as  well  have  found 
that  out  for  himself.  If  he  dug  the  well  out,  and  took  out  the 
old  rotten  stump  which  lies  at  the  bottom,  he'd  get  clean  water, 
fast  enough.     But  be  still  now,  and  don't  dream  any  more.' 

When  the  Princess  had  lain  a  while,  she  began  to  toss  about, 
and-  at  last  she  started  up  with  her 

'Ah!    ah!' 

'  What's  the  matter  now  ?  *  said  the  Dragon. 

'  Oh  !  I  can't  get  any  rest  at  all,  and  I've  had  such  a  strange 
dream  *,  said  the  Princess. 

'  Why,  you  seem  full  of  dreams  to-night ',  said  the  Dragon  : 
*  what  was  your  dream  now  ?  ' 

'  I  thought  a  king  came  here,  and  asked  you  what  had 
become  of  his  daughter  who  had  been  lost  many  years  since  ', 
said  the  Princess. 

'  Why,  you  are  she  ',  said  the  Dragon  ;  *  but  he'll  never  set 
eyes  on  you  again.  But  now,  do  pray  be  still,  and  let  me  get 
some  rest,  and  don't  let's  have  any  more  dreams>  else  I'll 
break  your  ribs,' 

Well,  the  Princess  hadn't  lain  much  longer  before  she  began 
to  toss  about  again.     At  last  she  started  up  with  her 

'Ah!    ah!' 

'  What !  Are  you  at  it  again  ?  '  said  the  Dragon.  '  What's 
the  matter  now  ?  '  for  he  was  wild  and  sleep-surly,  so  that 
he  was  ready  to  fly  to  pieces. 

*  Oh,  don't  be  angry  ',  said  the  Princess  ;  '  but  I've  had 
such  a  strange  dream.' 

*  The  deuce  take  your  dreams  *,  roared  the  Dragon  ;  *  what 
did  you  dream  this  time  ?  ' 

'  I  thought  a  queen  came  here,  who  asked  you  to  tell  her 
where  she  would  find  her  gold  keys,  which  she  has  lost.' 

*  Oh  ',  said  the  Dragon,  '  she'll  find  them  soon  enough  if 
she  looks  among  the  bushes  where  she  lay  that  time  she  wots 
of.  But  do  now  let  me  have  no  more  dreams,  but  sleep  in 
peace.' 

So  they  slept  a  while  ;    but  then  the  Princess  was  just  as 
restless  as  ever,  and  at  last  she  screamed  out : 
'  Ah!    ah  !  ' 

*  You'll  never  behave  till  I  break  your  neck  ',  said   the 


238  Tales  from  the  Norse 

Dragon,  who  was  now  so  wroth  that  sparks  of  fire  flew  out  of 
his  eyes.     *  What's  the  matter  now  ?  ' 

*  Oh,  don't  be  so  angry ',  said  the  Princess  ;  *  I  can't  bear 
that ;    but  I've  had  such  a  strange  dream.' 

*  Bless  me  ! '  said  the  Dragon,  '  if  I  ever  heard  the  Uke  of 
these  dreams — there's  no  end  to  them.  And  pray,  what  did 
you  dream  now  ?  ' 

*  I  thought  the  ferryman  down  at  the  ferry  came  and  asked 
how  long  he  was  to  stop  there  and  carry  folk  over  ',  said  the 
Princess. 

*  The  dull  fool !  *  said  the  Dragon  ;  '  he'd  soon  be  free,  if 
he  chose.  When  any  one  comes  who  wants  to  go  across,  he 
has  only  to  take  and  throw  him  into  the  river,  and  say,  "  Now, 
carry  folk  over  yourself  till  some  one  sets  you  free."  But  now, 
pray  let's  have  an  end  of  these  dreams,  else  I'll  lead  you  a 
pretty  dance.' 

So  the  Princess  let  him  sleep  on.  But  as  soon  as  all  was 
still,  and  the  miller's  lad  heard  that  the  Dragon  snored,  he 
crept  out.  Before  it  was  light  the  Dragon  rose  ;  but  he  had 
scarce  set  both  his  feet  on  the  floor  before  the  lad  cut  off  his 
head,  and  plucked  three  feathers  out  of  his  tail.  Then  came 
great  joy,  and  both  the  lad  and  the  Princess  took  as  much 
gold,  and  silver,  and  money,  and  precious  things  as  they 
could  carry  ;  and  when  they  came  down  to  the  ford,  they 
so  puzzled  the  ferryman  with  all  they  had  to  tell,  that  he 
quite  forgot  to  ask  what  the  Dragon  had  said  about  him  till  they 
had  got  across. 

'  Halloa,  you  sir  *,  he  said,  as  they  were  going  off,  *  did  you 
ask  the  Dragon  what  I  begged  you  to  ask  ?  ' 

'  Yes  I  did  ',  said  the  lad,  *  and  he  said,  *'  When  any  one 
comes  and  wants  to  go  over,  you  must  throw  him  into  the 
midst  of  the  river,  and  say,  '  Now,  carry  folk  over  yourself 
till  some  one  comes  to  set  you  free,'  "  and  then  you'll  be 
free.' 

'  Ah,  bad  luck  to  you  ',  said  the  ferryman  ;  '  had  you 
told  me  that  before,  you  might  have  set  me  free  yourself.' 

So,  when  they  got  to  the  first  palace,  the  Queen  asked  if 
he  had  spoken  to  the  Dragon  about  her  gold  keys  ? 

'  Yes  ',  said  the  lad,  and  whispered  in  the  Queen's  ear, 
*  he  said  you  must  look  among  the  bushes  where  you  lay 
the  day  you  wot  of.' 


Rich  Peter  the  Pedlar  239 

*  Hush  !  hush  !  Don't  say  a  word  ',  said  the  Queen,  and 
gave  the  lad  a  hundred  dollars. 

When  they  came  to  the  second  palace,  the  King  asked  if 
he  had  spoken  to  the  Dragon  of  what  he  begged  him  ? 

*  Yes  ',  said  the  lad,  '  I  did  ;  and  see,  here  is  your  daughter.' 
At  that  the  King  was  so  glad,  he  would  gladly  have  given 

the  Princess  to  the  miller's  lad  to  wife,  and  half  the  kingdom 
beside  ;  but  as  he  was  married  already,  he  gave  him  two 
hundred  dollars,  and  coaches  and  horses,  and  as  much 
gold  and  silver  as  he  could  carry  away. 

When  he  came  to  the  third  King's  palace,  out  came  the 
King  and  asked  if  he  had  asked  the  Dragon  of  what  he  begged 
him  ? 

*  Yes  ',  said  the  lad,  *  and  he  said  you  must  dig  out  the 
well,  and  take  out  the  rotten  old  stump  which  lies  at  the 
bottom,  and  then  you'll  get  plenty  of  clear  water.' 

Then  the  King  gave  him  three  hundred  dollars,  and  he  set 
out  home  ;  but  he  was  so  loaded  with  gold  and  silver,  and  so 
grandly  clothed,  that  it  gleamed  and  glistened  from  him,  and 
he  was  now  far  richer  than  Peter  the  Pedlar. 

When  Peter  got  the  feathers  he  hadn't  a  word  more  to 
say  against  the  wedding  ;  but  when  he  saw  all  that  wealth, 
he  asked  if  there  was  much  still  left  at  the  Dragon's  castle. 

*  Yes,  I  should  think  so  ',  said  the  lad  ;  *  there  was  much 
more  than  I  could  carry  with  me — so  much,  that  you  might 
load  many  horses  with  it ;  and  if  you  choose  to  go,  you  may 
be  sure  there'll  be  enough  for  j^ou.' 

So  his  son-in-law  told  him  the  way  so  clearly,  that  he  hadn't 
to  ask  it  of  any  one. 

'  But  the  horses  ',  said  the  lad  *  you'd  best  leave  this  side  the 
river  ;  for  the  old  ferryman,  he'll  carry  you  over  safe  enough.' 

So  Peter  set  off,  and  took  with  him  great  store  of  food 
and  many  horses  ;  but  these  he  left  behind  him  on  the  river's 
brink,  as  the  lad  had  said.  And  the  old  ferryman  took  him 
upon  his  back  ;  but  when  they  had  come  a  bit  out  into  the 
stream,  he  cast  him  into  the  midst  of  the  river,  and  said  : 

'  Now  you  may  go  backwards  and  forwards  here,  and  carry 
folk  over  till  you  are  set  free.' 

And  unless  some  one  has  set  him  free,  there  goes  Rich  Peter 
the  Pedlar  backwards  and  forwards,  and  carries  folk  across 
this  very  day. 


240  Tales  from  the  Norse 

GERTRUDE'S  BIRD 

In  those  days  when  our  Lord  and  St  Peter  wandered  upon 
earth,  they  came  once  to  an  old  wife's  house,  who  sat  baking. 
Her  name  was  Gertrude,  and  she  had  a  red  mutch  on  her 
head.  They  had  walked  a  long  way,  and  were  both  hungry, 
and  our  Lord  begged  hard  for  a  bannock  to  stay  their  hunger. 
Yes,  they  should  have  it.  So  she  took  a  Httle  tiny  piece 
of  dough  and  rolled  it  out,  but  as  she  rolled  it,  it  grew  and  grew 
till  it  covered  the  whole  griddle. 

Nay,  that  was  too  big ;  they  couldn't  have  that.  So 
she  took  a  tinier  bit  still ;  but  when  that  was  rolled  out, 
it  covered  the  whole  griddle  just  the  same,  and  that  bannock 
was  too  big,  she  said  ;    they  couldn't  have  that  either. 

The  third  time  she  took  a  still  tinier  bit — so  tiny  you  could 
scarce  see  it ;  but  it  was  the  same  story  over  again — the  ban- 
nock was  too  big. 

'  Well ',  said  Gertrude,  '  I  can't  give  you  anything  ;  you 
must  just  go  without,  for  all  these  bannocks  are  too  big.* 

Then  our  Lord  waxed  wroth,  and  said  : 

*  Since  you  loved  me  so  httle  as  to  grudge  me  a  morsel 
of  food,  you  shall  have  this  punishment :  you  shall  become 
a  bird,  and  seek  your  food  between  bark  and  bole,  and  never  get 
a  drop  to  drink  save  when  it  rains.' 

He  had  scarce  said  the  last  word  before  she  was  turned 
into  a  great  black  woodpecker,  or  Gertrude's  bird,  and  flew 
from  her  kneading-trough  right  up  the  chimney  ;  and  till 
this  very  day  you  may  see  her  flying  about,  with  her  red  mutch 
on  her  head,  and  her  body  all  black,  because  of  the  soot 
in  the  chimney  ;  and  so  she  hacks  and  taps  away  at  the  trees 
for  her  food,  and  whistles  when  rain  is  coming,  for  she  is  ever 
athirst,  and  then  she  looks  for  a  drop  to  cool  her  tongue. 


BOOTS  AND  THE  TROLL 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  poor  man  who  had  three  sons. 
When  he  died,  the  two  elder  set  off  into  the  world  to  try  their 
luck,  but  the  youngest  they  wouldn't  have  with  them  at  any 
price. 


Boots  and  the  Troll  241 

*  As  for  you  ',  they  said,  *  you're  fit  for  nothing  but  to  sit 
and  poke  about  in  the  ashes.' 

So  the  two  went  off  and  got  places  at  a  palace — the  one 
under  the  coachman,  and  the  other  under  the  gardener.  But 
Boots,  he  set  off  too,  and  took  with  him  a  great  kneading 
trough,  which  was  the  only  thing  his  parents  left  behind 
them,  but  which  the  other  two  would  not  bother  themselves 
with.  It  was  heavy  to  carry,  but  he  did  not  like  to  leave  it 
behind,  and  so,  after  he  had  trudged  a  bit,  he  too  came  to 
the  palace,  and  asked  for  a  place.  So  they  told  him  they  did 
not  want  him,  but  he  begged  so  prettily  that  at  last  he  got 
leave  to  be  in  the  kitchen,  and  carry  in  wood  and  water  for 
the  kitchen  maid.  He  was  quick  and  ready,  and  in  a  little 
while  every  one  liked  him  ;  but  the  two  others  were  dull, 
and  so  they  got  more  kicks  than  halfpence,  and  grew  quite 
envious  of  Boots,  when  they  saw  how  much  better  he  got  on. 

Just  opposite  the  palace,  across  a  lake,  lived  a  Troll,  who 
had  seven  silver  ducks  which  swam  on  the  lake,  so  that  they 
could  be  seen  from  the  palace.  These  the  king  had  often 
longed  for  ;  and  so  the  two  elder  brothers  told  the  coach- 
man : 

'  If  our  brother  only  chose,  he  has  said  he  could  easily  get 
the  king  those  seven  silver  ducks.' 

You  may  fancy  it  wasn't  long  before  the  coachman  told 
this  to  the  king  ;  and  the  king  called  Boots  before  him,  and 
said: 

*  Your  brothers  say  you  can  get  me  the  silver  ducks  ;  so 
now  go  and  fetch  them.' 

*  I'm  sure  I  never  thought  or  said  anything  of  the  kind,' 
said  the  lad. 

*  You  did  say  so,  and  you  shall  fetch  them  ',  said  the  king, 
who  would  hold  his  own. 

*  Well !  well !  '  said  the  lad  ;  *  needs  must,  I  suppose ;  but 
give  me  a  bushel  of  rye,  and  a  bushel  of  wheat,  and  I'll  try 
what  I  can  do.' 

So  he  got  the  rye  and  the  wheat,  and  put  them  into  the 
kneading-trough  he  had  brought  with  him  from  home,  got 
in,  and  rowed  across  the  lake.  When  he  reached  the  other 
side  he  began  to  walk  along  the  shore,  and  to  sprinkle  and 
strew  the  grain,  and  at  last  he  coaxed  the  ducks  into  his  knead- 
ing-trough, and  rowed  back  as  fast  as  ever  he  could. 


242  Tales  from  the  Norse 

When  he  got  half  over,  the  Troll  came  out  of  his  house, 
and  set  eyes  on  him. 

*  Halloa  !  '  roared  out  the  Troll ;  '  is  it  you  that  has  gone 
off  with  my  seven  silver  ducks.' 

'  Aye  !    AYE  !  '  said  the  lad. 

*  Shall  you  be  back  soon  ?  '  asked  the  Troll. 

*  Very  likely  ',  said  the  lad. 

So  when  he  got  back  to  the  king,  with  the  seven  silver 
ducks,  he  was  more  liked  than  ever,  and  even  the  king  was 
pleased  to  say,  *  Well  done  !  '  But  at  this  his  brothers  grew 
more  and  more  spiteful  and  envious  ;  and  so  they  went  and 
told  the  coachman  that  their  brother  had  said,  if  he  chose, 
he  was  man  enough  to  get  the  king  the  Troll's  bed-quilt,  which 
had  a  gold  patch  and  a  silver  patch,  and  a  silver  patch  and  a 
gold  patch  ;  and  this  time,  too,  the  coachman  was  not  slow 
in  telling  all  this  to  the  king.  So  the  king  said  to  the  lad, 
how  his  brothers  had  said  he  was  good  to  steal  the  Troll's  bed- 
quilt,  with  gold  and  silver  patches  ;  so  now  he  must  go  and 
do  it,  or  lose  his  life. 

Boots  answered,  he  had  never  thought  or  said  any  such 
thing  ;  but  when  he  found  there  was  no  help  for  it,  he  begged 
for  three  days  to  think  over  the  matter. 

So  when  the  three  days  were  gone,  he  rowed  over  in  his 
kneading-trough,  and  went  spying  about.  At  last  he  saw 
those  in  the  Troll's  cave  come  out  and  hang  the  quilt  out  to 
air,  and  as  soon  as  ever  they  had  gone  back  into  the  face  of 
the  rock,  Boots  pulled  the  quilt  down,  and  rowed  away  with 
it  as  fast  as  he  could. 

And  when  he  was  half  across,  out  came  the  Troll  and  set  eyes 
on  him,  and  roared  out : 

*  Halloa  !     Is  it  you  who  took  my  seven  silver  ducks  ?  * 

*  Aye  !    aye  ! '  said  the  lad. 

*  And  now,  have  you  taken  my  bed-quilt,  with  silver  patches 
and  gold  patches,  and  gold  patches  and  silver  patches  ?  * 

*  Aye  !    aye  !  *  said  the  lad. 

*  Shall  you  come  back  again  ?  * 

*  Very  hkely  ',  said  the  lad. 

But  when  he  got  back  with  the  gold  and  silver  patch- 
work quilt,  every  one  was  fonder  of  him  than  ever,  and  he 
was  made  the  king's  body-servant. 


I 


Boots  and  the  Troll  243 

At  this,  the  other  two  were  still  more  vexed,  and,  to  be 
revenged,  they  went  and  told  the  coachman  : 

'  Now,  our  brother  has  said,  he  is  man  enough  to  get  the 
king  the  gold  harp  which  the  Troll  has,  and  that  harp  is  of 
such  a  kind,  that  all  who  listen  when  it  is  played  grow  glad, 
however  sad  they  may  be.' 

Yes  !  the  coachman  went  and  told  the  king,  and  he  said 
to  the  lad  : 

'  If  you  have  said  this,  you  shall  do  it.  If  you  do  it,  you 
shall  have  the  Princess  and  half  the  kingdom.  If  you  don't, 
you  shall  lose  your  life.' 

'  I'm  sure  I  never  thought  or  said  anything  of  the  kind  ', 
said  the  lad  ;  '  but  if  there's  no  help  for  it,  I  may  as  well  try  ; 
but  I  must  have  six  days  to  think  about  it.' 

Yes  !  he  might  have  six  days,  but  when  they  were  over, 
he  must  set  out. 

Then  he  took  a  tenpenny  nail,  a  birch-pin,  and  a  waxen 
taper-end  in  his  pocket,  and  rowed  across,  and  walked  up 
and  down  before  the  Troll's  cave,  looking  stealthily  about 
him.     So  when  the  Troll  came  out,  he  saw  him  at  once. 

'  HO,  HO  !  '  roared  the  Troll ;  *  is  it  you  who  took  my  seven 
silver  ducks  ?  * 

*  Aye  !  aye  ! '  said  the  lad. 

'  And  it  is  you  who  took  my  bed-quilt,  with  the  gold  and 
silver  patches  ?  '  asked  the  Troll. 

'  Aye  !    aye  ! '  said  the  lad. 

So  theTroU  caught  hold  of  him  at  once,  and  took  him  off 
into  the  cave  in  the  face  of  the  rock. 

*  Now,  daughter  dear  ',  said  the  Troll,  *  I've  caught  the 
fellow  who  stole  the  silver  ducks  and  my  bed-quilt,  with  gold 
and  silver  patches  ;  put  him  into  the  fattening  coop,  and 
when  he's  fat,  we'll  kill  him,  and  make  a  feast  for  our  friends.' 

She  was  willing  enough,  and  put  him  at  once  into  the  fatten- 
ing coop,  and  there  he  stayed  eight  days,  fed  on  the  best, 
both  in  meat  and  drink,  and  as  much  as  he  could  cram.  So,  when 
the  eight  days  were  over,  the  Troll  said  to  his  daughter  to 
go  down  and  cut  him  in  his  little  finger,  that  they  might  see 
if  he  were  fat.     Down  she  came  to  the  coop. 

*  Out  with  your  little  finger  !  '  she  said. 

But  Boots  stuck  out  his  tenpenny  nail,  and  she  cut  at  it. 
'  Nay  !    nay  !    he's  as  hard  as  iron  still ',  said  the  Troll's 


244  Tales  from  the  Norse 

danghter,  when  she  got  back  to  her  father ;    *  we  can't  take 
him  yet.' 

After  another  eight  days  the  same  thing  happened,  and  this 
time  Boots  stuck  out  his  birchen  pin. 

*  Well,  he's  a  little  better  ',  she  said,  when  she  got  back  to 
the  Troll ;    *  but  still  he'll  be  as  hard  as  wood  to  chew.* 

But  when  another  eight  days  were  gone,  the  Troll  told  his 
daughter  to  go  down  and  see  if  he  wasn't  fat  now. 

'  Out  with  your  little  finger  ',  said  the  Troll's  daughter, 
when  she  reached  the  coop,  and  this  time  Boots  stuck  out  the 
taper  end. 

*  Now  he'll  do  nicely  *,  she  said. 

'  Will  he  ?  '  said  the  Troll.  '  Well,  then,  I'll  just  set  off  and 
ask  the  guests  ;  meantime  you  must  kill  him,  and  roast  half 
and  boil  half.' 

So  when  the  Troll  had  been  gone  a  little  while,  the  daughter 
began  to  sharpen  a  great  long  knife. 

'  Is  that  what  you're  going  to  kill  me  with  ?  '  asked  the 
lad. 

*  Yes  it  is,'  said  she. 

*  But  it  isn't  sharp  ',  said  the  lad.  *  Just  let  me  sharpen  it 
for  you,  and  then  you'U  find  it  easier  work  to  kill  me.' 

So  she  let  him  have  the  knife,  and  he  began  to  rub  and 
sharpen  it  on  the  whetstone. 

*  Just  let  me  try  it  on  one  of  your  hair  plaits  ;  I  think  it's 
about  right  now.* 

So  he  got  leave  to  do  that ;  but  at  the  same  time  that  he 
grasped  the  plait  of  hair,  he  pulled  back  her  head,  and  at  one 
gash,  cut  off  the  Troll's  daughter's  head  ;  and  half  of  her  he 
roasted  and  half  of  her  he  boiled,  and  served  it  all  up. 

After  that  he  dressed  himself  in  her  clothes,  and  sat  away 
in  the  comer. 

So  when  the  TroU  came  home  with  his  guests,  he  called 
out  to  his  daughter — for  he  thought  all  the  time  it  was  his 
daughter — to  come  and  take  a  snack. 

*  No,  thank  you  *,  said  the  lad,  *  I  don't  care  for  food,  I'm 
so  sad  and  downcast.' 

*  Oh  !  *  said  the  Troll,  *  if  that's  all,  you  know  the  cure  ; 
take  the  harp,  and  play  a  tune  on  it.' 

'  Yes  !  *  said  the  lad  ;  *  but  where  has  it  got  to  ;  I  can*t 
find  it,' 


Goosey  Grizzel  245 

*  Why,  you  know  well  enough  ",  said  the  Troll ;  *  you  used 
it  last ;    where  should  it  be  but  over  the  door  yonder  ?  ' 

The  lad  did  not  wait  to  be  told  twice  ;  he  took  down  the 
harp,  and  went  in  and  out  playing  tunes  ;  but,  all  at  once  he 
shoved  off  the  kneading-trough,  jumped  into  it,  and  rowed 
ofif,  so  that  the  foam  flew  around  the  trough. 

After  a  while  the  Troll  thought  his  daughter  was  a  long 
while  gone,  and  went  out  to  see  what  ailed  her  ;  and  then 
he  saw  the  lad  in  the  trough,  far,  far  out  on  the  lake. 

'  Halloa  !  Is  it  you  ',  he  roared,  *  that  took  my  seven 
silver  ducks  ?  ' 

*  Aye,  aye  !  *  said  the  lad. 

*  Is  it  you  that  took  my  bed-quilt,  with  the  gold  and  silver 
patches.* 

'  Yes  !  '  said  the  lad. 

*  And  now  you  have  taken  off  my  gold  harp  ?  *  screamed 
the  TroU. 

*  Yes  !  '  said  the  lad  ;    *  I've  got  it,  sure  enough.* 

*  And  haven't  I  eaten  you  up  after  all,  then  ?  * 

*  No,  no  !  'twas  your  own  daughter  you  ate  ',  answered 
the  lad. 

But  when  the  Troll  heard  that,  he  was  so  sorry,  he  burst ; 
and  then  Boots  rowed  back,  and  took  a  whole  heap  of  gold 
and  silver  with  him,  as  much  as  the  trough  could  carry.  And 
so,  when  he  came  to  the  palace  with  the  gold  harp,  he  got  the 
Princess  and  half  the  kingdom,  as  the  king  had  promised  him ; 
and,  as  for  his  brothers,  he  treated  them  well,  for  he  thought 
they  had  only  wished  his  good  when  they  said  what  they  had 
said. 


GOOSEY  GRIZZEL 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  widower,  who  had  a  housekeeper 
named  Grizzel,  who  set  her  mutch  at  him  and  teazed  him  early 
and  late  to  marry  her.  At  last  the  man  got  so  weary  of  her, 
he  was  at  his  wits'  end  to  know  how  to  get  rid  of  her. 

So  it  fell  on  a  day,  between  hay  time  and  harvest,  the  two 
went  out  to  pull  hemp.  Grizzel' s  head  was  full  of  her  good 
looks  and  her  handiness,  and  she  worked  away  at  the  hemp 
till  she  grew  giddy  from  the  strong  smell  of  the  ripe  seed,  and 


246 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


at  last  down  she  fell  flat,  fast  asleep  among  the  hemp.  While 
she  slept,  her  master  got  a  pair  of  scissors  and  cut  her  skirts 
short  all  round,  and  then  he  rubbed  her  all  over,  face  and  all, 
first  with  tallow  and  then  with  soot,  till  she  looked  worse  than 
the  Deil  himself.  So,  when  Grizzel  woke  and  saw  how  ugly 
she  was,  she  didn't  know  herself. 

'  Can  this  be  me  now  ?  '  said  Grizzel.  '  Nay,  nay  !  it  can 
never  be  me.  So  ugly  have  I  never  been  ;  it's  surely  the 
Deil  himself  ?  ' 

Well  !  that  she  might  really  know  the  truth,  she  went  o£E 
and  knocked  at  her  master's  door,  and  asked: 

*  Is  your  Girzie  at  home  the  day,  father  ?  ' 

'  Aye,  aye,  our  Girzie  is  at  home  safe  enough  ',  said  the 
man,  who  wanted  to  be  rid  of  her. 

'  Well,  well  ! '  she  said  to  herself,  *  then  I  can't  be  his  Grizzel,' 
and  stole  away ;   and  right  glad  the  man  was,  I  can  tell  you. 

So,  when  she  had  walked  a  bit  she  came  to  a  great  wood, 
where  she  met  two  thieves.  *  The  very  men  for  my  money, 
thought  Grizzel,  '  since  I  am  the  Deil,  thieves  are  just  fit 
fellows   for  me.' 

But  the  thieves  were  not  of  the  same  mind,  not  they.  As 
soon  as  they  set  eyes  on  her,  they  took  to  their  heels  as  fast 
as  they  could,  for  they  thought  the  Evil  One  was  come  to 
catch  them.  But  it  was  no  good,  for  Grizzel  was  long-legged 
and  swift-footed,  and  she  came  up  with  them  before  they 
knew  where  they  were. 

*  If  you're  going  out  to  steal,  I'll  go  with  you  and  help.* 
said  Grizzel,  '  for  I  know  the  whole  country  round.'  So, 
when  the  thieves  heard  that,  they  thought  they  had  found  a 
good  mate,  and  were  no  longer  afraid. 

Then  they  said  they  were  off  to  steal  a  sheep,  only  they 
didn't  know  where  to  lay  hold  of  one. 

*  Oh  !  '  said  Grizzel,  *  that's  a  small  matter,  for  I  was  maid 
with  a  farmer  ever  so  long  out  in  the  wood  yonder,  and  I  could 
find  the  sheepfold,  though  the  night  were  dark  as  pitch.' 

The  thieves  thought  that  grand  ;  and  when  they  came  to 
the  place,  Grizzel  was  to  go  into  the  fold  and  turn  out  the 
sheep,  and  they  were  to  lay  hold  on  it.  Now,  the  sheepfold 
lay  close  to  the  wall  of  the  room  where  the  farmer  slept,  so 
Grizzel  crept  quite  softly  and  carefully  into  the  fold  ;  but,  as 
soon  as  she  got  in,  she  began  to  scream  out  to  the  thieves, 


Goosey  Grizzel  247 

*  Will  you  have  a  wether  or  a  ewe  ?  here  are  lots  to  choose 
from.' 

'  Hush,  hush  !  '  said  the  thieves,  '  only  take  one  that  is  fine 
and  fat.* 

*  Yes,  yes  !  but  will  you  have  a  wether  or  a  ewe  ?  will  you 
have  a  wether  or  a  ewe  ?  for  here  are  lots  to  choose  from/ 
screeched  Grizzel. 

*  Hush,  hush  !  *  said  the  thieves  again,  *  only  take  one  that's 
fine  and  fat ;  it's  all  the  same  to  us  whether  it's  a  wether  or  a 
ewe.' 

'  Yes  !  '  screeched  Grizzel,  who  stuck  to  her  own  ;  '  but 
will  you  have  a  wether  or  a  ewe — a  wether  or  a  ewe  ?  here  are 
lots  to  choose  from.' 

'  Hold  your  jaw  !  *  said  the  thieves,  *  and  take  a  fine  fat 
one,  wether  or  ewe,  it's  all  one  to  us.' 

But  just  then  out  came  the  farmer  in  his  shirt,  who  had 
been  waked  by  all  this  clatter,  and  wanted  to  see  what  was 
going  on.  So  the  thieves  took  to  their  heels,  and  Grizzel  after 
them,  upsetting  the  farmer  in  her  flight. 

*  Stop,  boys  !  stop,  boys  !  '  she  screamed  ;  but  the  farmer, 
who  had  only  seen  the  black  monster,  grew  so  afraid  that  he 
could  scarce  stand,  for  he  thought  it  was  the  Deil  himself 
that  had  been  in  his  sheepfold.  The  only  help  he  knew  was, 
to  go  indoors  and  wake  up  the  whole  house  ;  and  they  all 
sat  down  to  read  and  pray,  for  he  had  heard  that  was  the 
way  to  send  the  Deil  about  his  business. 

Now  the  next  night  the  thieves  said  they  must  go  and  steal 
a  fat  goose,  and  Grizzel  was  to  shew  them  the  way.  So  when 
they  came  to  the  goosepen,  Grizzel  was  to  go  in  and  turn  one 
out,  for  she  knew  the  ways  of  the  place,  and  the  thieves  were 
to  stand  outside  and  catch  it.  But  as  soon  as  ever  she  got 
in  she  began  to  scream : 

*  Will  you  have  goose  or  gander  ?  you  may  pick  and  choose 
here.' 

*  Hush  hush  !  choose  only  a  fine  fat  one  ',  said  the  thieves 

'  Yes,  yes  !  but  will  you  have  goose  or  gander — goose  or 
gander  ?  you  may  pick  and  choose  ',  screamed  Grizzel. 

'  Hush,  hush !  only  choose  one  that's  fine  and  fat,  and  it's 
all  one  to  us  whether  it's  goose  or  gander;  but  do  hold  your 
jaw  ',  said  they. 

But  while  Grizzel  and  the  thieves  were  settling  this,  one  of 


248  Tales  from  the  JNorse 

the  geese  began  to  cackle,  and  then  another  cackled,  and 
then  the  whole  flock  cackled  and  hissed,  and  out  came  the 
farmer  to  see  what  all  the  noise  could  mean,  and  away  went 
the  thieves,  and  Grizzel  after  them,  at  full  speed,  and  the 
farmer  thought  again  it  was  the  black  Deil  flying  away  ;  for 
long-legged  she  was,  and  she  had  no  skirts  to  hamper  her. 

*  Stop  a  bit,  boys  !  '  she  kept  on  screaming,  '  you  might 
as  well  have  said  whether  you  would  have  goose  or  gander  ?  * 

But  they  had  no  time  to  stop,  they  thought ;  and,  as  for 
the  farmer,  he  began  to  read  and  pray  with  all  his  house,  small 
and  great,  for  they  thought  it  was  the  Deil,  and  no  mistake. 

Now,  the  third  day,  when  night  came,  the  thieves  and 
Grizzel  were  so  hungry  they  did  not  know  what  to  do  ;  so  they 
made  up  their  minds  to  go  to  the  larder  of  a  rich  farmer, 
who  lived  by  the  wood's  side,  and  steal  some  food.  Well, 
off  they  went,  but  the  thieves  did  not  dare  to  venture  them- 
selves, so  Grizzel  was  to  go  up  the  steps  which  led  to  the 
larder,  and  hand  the  food  out,  and  the  others  were  to  stand 
below  and  take  it  from  her.  So  when  Grizzel  got  inside,  she 
saw  the  larder  was  full  of  all  sorts  of  things,  fresh  meat  and 
salt,  and  sausages  and  oat-cake.  The  thieves  begged  her  to 
be  still,  and  just  throw  out  something  to  eat,  and  to  bear  in 
mind  how  badly  they  had  fared  for  two  nights.  But  Grizzel 
stuck  to  her  own,  that  she  did. 

'  Will  you  have  fresh  meat,  or  salt,  or  sausages,  or  oat-cake  ? 
Just  look,  what  a  lovely  oat-cake',  she  bawled  out  enough 
to  split  your  head.  *  You  may  have  what  you  please,  for  here's 
plenty  to  choose  from.* 

But  the  farmer  woke  with  all  this  noise,  and  ran  out  to 
see  what  it  all  meant.  As  for  the  thieves,  off  they  ran  as  fast 
as  they  could  ;  but  while  the  farmer  was  looking  after  them, 
down  came  Grizzel  so  black  and  ugly. 

'  Stop  a  bit !  stop  a  bit,  boys  !  '  she  bellowed  ;  '  you  may 
have  what  you  please,  for  there's  plenty  to  choose  from.' 

And  when  the  farmer  saw  that  ugly  monster,  he,  too,  thought 
the  Deil  was  loose,  for  he  had  heard  what  had  happened  to 
his  neighbours  the  evenings  before  ;  so  he  began  both  to  read 
and  pray,  and  every  one  in  the  whole  parish  began  to  read 
and  pray,  for  they  knew  that  you  could  read  the  Deil  away. 

The  next  evening  was  Saturday  evening,  and  the  thieves 
wanted  to  steal  a  fat  ram  for  their  Sunday  dinner  ;   and  well 


Goosey  Grizzel  249 

they  might,  for  they  had  fasted  many  days.  But  they 
wouldn't  have  Grizzel  with  them  at  any  price.  She  brought 
bad  luck  with  her  jaw,  they  said  ;  so  while  Grizzel  was  walking 
about  waiting  for  them  on  Sunday  morning,  she  got  so  awfully 
hungry — for  she  had  fasted  for  three  days — that  she  went 
into  a  turnip-field  and  pulled  up  some  turnips  to  eat.  But 
when  the  farmer  who  owned  the  turnips  rose,  he  felt  uneasy  in 
his  mind,  and  thought  he  would  just  go  and  take  a  look  at  his 
turnips  on  the  Sunday  morning.  So  he  pulled  on  his  trousers 
and  went  across  the  moss  which  lay  under  the  hill,  where  the 
turnip-field  lay.  But  when  he  got  to  the  bottom  of  the  field, 
he  saw  something  black  walking  about  in  the  field  and  pulling 
up  his  turnips,  and  he  soon  made  up  his  mind  that  it  was  the 
Deil.  So  away  he  ran  home  as  fast  as  he  could,  and  said 
the  Deil  was  among  the  turnips.  This  frightened  the  whole 
house  out  of  their  wits,  and  they  agreed  they'd  best  send  for 
the  priest,  and  get  him  to  bind  the  Deil. 

'  That  won't  do  ',  said  the  goodwife,  *  this  is  Sunday  morning, 
you'll  never  get  the  priest  to  come  ;  for  either  he'll  be  in  bed  ; 
or  if  he's  up,  he'll  be  learning  his  sermon  by  heart.' 

'  Oh  !  '  said  the  goodman,  '  never  fear  ;  I'll  promise  him  a 
fat  loin  of  veal,  and  then  he'll  come  fast  enough.' 

So  off  he  went  to  the  priest's  house ;  but  when  he  got  there, 
sure  enough,  the  priest  was  still  in  bed.  The  maid  begged 
the  farmer  to  walk  into  the  parlour  while  she  ran  up  to  the 
priest,  and  said  : 

'  Farmer  So-and-So  was  downstairs,  and  wished  to  have 
a  word  with  him.* 

Well !  when  the  priest  heard  that  such  a  worthy  man  was 
downstairs,  he  got  up  at  once,  and  came  down  just  as  he  was, 
in  his  slippers  and  nightcap. 

So  the  goodman  told  his  errand  ;  how  the  Deil  was  loose 
in  his  turnip-field  ;  and  if  the  priest  would  only  come  and 
bind  him,  he  would  send  him  a  fat  loin  of  veal.  Yes  !  the 
priest  was  willing  enough,  and  called  out  to  his  groom  to 
saddle  his  horse,  while  he  dressed  himself. 

'  Nay,  nay,  father  !  *  said  the  man  ;  '  the  Deil  won't  wait 
for  us  long,  and  no  one  knows  where  we  shall  find  him  again 
if  we  miss  him  now.     Your  reverence  must  come  at  once,  just 

kas  you  are.' 
So  the  priest  followed  him  just  as  he  was,  with  the  clothes  he 
I 


250  Tales  from  the  Norse 

stood  in,  and  went  off  in  his  nightcap  and  sUppers.  But 
when  they  got  to  the  moss,  it  was  so  moist  the  priest  couldn't 
cross  it  in  his  sHppers.  So  the  goodman  took  him  on  his  back 
to  carry  him  over.  On  they  went,  the  goodman  picking  his 
way  from  one  clump  to  the  other,  till  they  got  to  the  middle  ; 
then  Grizzel  caught  sight  of  them,  and  thought  it  was  the 
thieves  bringing  the  ram. 

'  Is  he  fat  ?  '  she  screamed  ;  '  is  he  fat  ?  '  and  made  such  a 
noise  that  the  wood  rang  again. 

The  Deil  knows  if  he's  fat  or  lean  ;  I'm  sure  I  don't', 
said  the  goodman,  when  he  heard  that ;  '  but,  if  you  want 
to  know,  you  had  better  come  yourself  and  see.' 

And  then  he  got  so  afraid,  he  threw  the  priest  head  over 
heels  into  the  soft  wet  moss,  and  took  to  his  legs  ;  and  if  the 
priest  hasn't  got  out,  why  I  dare  say  he's  lying  there  still. 


THE   LAD   WHO   WENT   TO   THE   NORTH   WIND 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  an  old  widow  who  had  one  son  ; 
and  as  she  was  poorly  and  weak,  her  son  had  to  go  up  into  the 
safe  to  fetch  meal  for  cooking  ;  but  when  he  got  outside  the 
safe,  and  was  just  going  down  the  steps,  there  came  the  North 
Wind,  puffing  and  blowing,  caught  up  the  meal,  and  so  away 
with  it  through  the  air.  Then  the  lad  went  back  into  the  safe 
for  more  ;  but  when  he  came  out  again  on  the  steps,  if  the 
North  Wind  didn't  come  again  and  carry  off  the  meal  with  a 
puff  ;  and,  more  than  that,  he  did  so  the  third  time.  At 
this  the  lad  got  very  angry  ;  and  as  he  thought  it  hard  that 
the  North  Wind  should  behave  so,  he  thought  he'd  just  look 
him  up,  and  ask  him  to  give  up  his  meal. 

So  off  he  went,  but  the  way  was  long,  and  he  walked  and 
walked  ;   but  at  last  he  came  to  the  North  Wind's  house. 

*  Good  day  !  '  said  the  lad,  '  and  thank  you  for  coming  to 
see  us  yesterday.' 

'  Good  Day  !  '  answered  the  North  Wind,  for  his  voice  was 
loud  and  gruff,  '  and  thanks  for  coming  to  see  me.  What 
DO  YOU  want  ?  ' 

*  Oh  !  '  answered  the  lad,  *  I  only  wished  to  ask  you  to  be 
so  good  as  to  let  me  have  back  that  meal  you  took  from  me 
on  the  safe  steps,  for  we  haven't  much  to  live  on  ;   and  if 


[ 


The  Lad  who  went  to  the  North  Wind     251 

you're  to  go  on  snapping  up  the  morsel  we  have,  there'll  be 
nothing  for  it  but  to  starve.* 

*  I  haven't  got  your  meal ',  said  the  North  Wind  ;  *  but  if 
you  are  in  such  need,  I'  11  give  you  a  cloth  which  will  get  you 
everything  you  want,  if  you  only  say,  "  Cloth,  spread  your- 
self, and  serve  up  all  kind  of  good  dishes  !  "  ' 

With  this  the  lad  was  well  content.  But,  as  the  way  was 
so  long  he  couldn't  get  home  in  one  day,  so  he  turned  into  an 
inn  on  the  way ;  and  when  they  were  going  to  sit  down  to 
supper  he  laid  the  cloth  on  a  table  which  stood  in  the  corner, 
and  said  : 

*  Cloth,  spread  yourself,  and  serve  up  all  kinds  of  good 
dishes.' 

He  had  scarce  said  so  before  the  cloth  did  as  it  was  bid  ; 
and  all  who  stood  by  thought  it  a  fine  thing,  but  most  of  all 
the  landlady.  So,  when  all  were  fast  asleep  at  dead  of  night, 
she  took  the  lad's  cloth,  and  put  another  in  its  stead,  just  like 
the  one  he  had  got  from  the  North  Wind,  but  which  couldn't 
so  much  as  serve  up  a  bit  of  dry  bread. 

So,  when  the  lad  woke,  he  took  his  cloth  and  went  off  with 
it,  and  that  day  he  got  home  to  his  mother. 

'  Now ' ,  said  he,  '  I've  been  to  the  North  Wind's  house, 
and  a  good  fellow  he  is,  for  he  gave  me  this  cloth,  and  when 
I  only  say  to  it,  "  Cloth,  spread  yourself,  and  serve  up  all 
kind  of  good  dishes  ",  I  get  any  sort  of  food  I  please.' 

'  All  very  true,  I  daresay,'  said  his  mother  ;  *  but  seeing 
is  believing,  and  I  shan't  believe  it  till  I  see  it.' 

So  the  lad  made  haste,  drew  out  a  table,  laid  the  cloth  on  it, 
and  said  : 

'  Cloth,  spread  yourself,  and  serve  up  all  kind  of  good 
dishes.' 

But  never  a  bit  of  dry  bread  did  the  cloth  serve  up. 

*  Well ',  said  the  lad,  '  there's  no  help  for  it  but  to  go  to  the 
North  Wind  again '  ;   and  away  he  went. 

So  he  came  to  where  the  North  Wind  lived  late  in  the 
afternoon. 

'  Good  evening  ! '   said  the  lad. 

'  Good  evening !  '  said  the  North  Wind. 

'  I  want  my  rights  for  that  meal  of  ours  which  you  took  *, 
said  the  lad ;  '  for,  as  for  that  cloth  I  got,  it  isn't  worth  a 
penny.' 


252  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  I've  got  no  meal ',  said  the  North  Wind  ;  '  but  yonder  you 
have  a  ram  which  coins  nothing  but  golden  ducats  as  soon 
as  you  say  to  it : 

'  "  Ram,  ram  !  make  money  !  " 

So  the  lad  thought  this  a  fine  thing ;  but  as  it  was  too  far 
to  get  home  that  day,  he  turned  in  for  the  night  to  the  same 
inn  where  he  had  slept  before. 

Before  he  called  for  anything,  he  tried  the  truth  of  what 
the  North  Wind  had  said  of  the  ram,  and  found  it  all  right ; 
but,  when  the  landlord  saw  that,  he  thought  it  was  a  famous 
ram,  and,  when  the  lad  had  fallen  asleep,  he  took  another 
which  couldn't  coin  gold  ducats,  and  changed  the  two. 

Next  morning  off  went  the  lad  ;  and  when  he  got  home  to 
his  mother,  he  said  : 

*  After  all,  the  North  Wind  is  a  jolly  fellow  ;  for  now  he  has 
given  me  a  ram  which  can  coin  golden  ducats  if  I  only  say 
"  Ram,  ram  !  make  money."  * 

'  All  very  true,  I  daresay  ',  said  his  mother  ;  '  but  I  shan't 
believe  any  such  stuff  until  I  see  the  ducats  made.' 

*  Ram,  ram  !  make  money  !  *  said  the  lad  ;  but  if  the  Ram 
made  anything,  it  wasn't  money. 

So  the  lad  went  back  again  to  the  North  Wind,  and  blew 
him  up,  and  said  the  ram  was  worth  nothing,  and  he  must  have 
his  rights  for  the  meal. 

*  Well !  '  said  the  North  Wind  ;  *  I've  nothing  else  to  give 
you  but  that  old  stick  in  the  corner  yonder  ;  but  it's  a  stick 
of  that  kind  that  if  you  say : 

*  "  Stick,  stick  !  lay  on  !  "  it  lays  on  till  you  say : 

*  "  Stick,  stick  !  now  stop  !  '  " 

So,  as  the  way  was  long,  the  lad  turned  in  this  night  too  to 
the  landlord  ;  but  as  he  could  pretty  weU  guess  how  things 
stood  as  to  the  cloth  and  the  ram,  he  lay  down  at  once  on 
the  bench  and  began  to  snore,  as  if  he  were  asleep. 

Now  the  landlord,  who  easily  saw  that  the  stick  must  be 
worth  something,  hunted  up  one  which  was  like  it,  and  when 
he  heard  the  lad  snore,  was  going  to  change  the  two  ;  but, 
just  as  the  landlord  was  about  to  take  it,  the  lad  bawled  out  : 

*  Stick,  stick  !  lay  on  !  ' 

So  the  stick  began  to  beat  the  landlord,  till  he  jumped  over 
chairs,  and  tables,  and  benches,  and  yelled  and  roared  : 

*  Oh  my  !  oh  my  !  bid  the  stick  be  still,  else  it  will  beat  me 


The  Master  Thief  253 

to  death,  and  you  shall  have  back  both  your  cloth  and  your 
ram.' 

When  the  lad  thought  the  landlord  had  got  enough,  he 
said  : 

'  Stick,  stick  !  now  stop  !  * 

Then  he  took  the  cloth  and  put  it  into  his  pocket,  and  went 
home  with  his  stick  in  his  hand,  leading  the  ram  by  a  cord 
round  its  horns  ;  and  so  he  got  his  rights  for  the  meal  he  had 
lost. 


THE  MASTER  THIEF 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  poor  cottager  who  had  three 
sons.  He  had  nothing  to  leave  them  when  he  died,  and  no 
money  with  which  to  put  them  to  any  trade,  so  that  he  did 
not  know  what  to  make  of  them.  At  last  he  said  he  would 
give  them  leave  to  take  to  anything  each  liked  best,  and  to 
go  whithersoever  they  pleased,  and  he  would  go  with  them 
a  bit  of  the  way  ;  and  so  he  did.  He  went  with  them  till 
they  came  to  a  place  where  three  roads  met,  and  there  each 
of  them  chose  a  road,  and  their  father  bade  them  good-bye, 
and  went  back  home.  I  have  never  heard  tell  what  became 
of  the  two  elder  ;  but  as  for  the  youngest,  he  went  both  far 
and  long,  as  you  shall  hear. 

So  it  fell  out  one  night  as  he  was  going  through  a  great  wood 
that  such  bad  weather  overtook  him.  It  blew,  and  sleeted, 
and  drove  so  that  he  could  scarce  keep  his  eyes  open  ;  and  in 
a  trice,  before  he  knew  how  it  was,  he  got  bewildered,  and 
could  not  find  either  road  or  path.  But  as  he  went  on  and 
on,  at  last  he  saw  a  glimmering  of  light  far  far  off  in  the  wood. 
So  he  thought  he  would  try  and  get  to  the  light ;  and  after  a 
time  he  did  reach  it.  There  it  was  in  a  large  house,  and  the 
fire  was  blazing  so  brightly  inside,  that  he  could  tell  the  folk 
had  not  yet  gone  to  bed  ;  so  he  went  in  and  saw  an  old  dame 
bustling  about  and  minding  the  house, 

*  Good  evening  ! '  said  the  youth. 

'  Good  evening  !  *  said  the  old  dame. 

*  Hutetu  I  it's  such  foul  weather  out  of  doors  to-night ', 
said  he. 

'  So  it  is  *,  said  she. 


254  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  Can  I  get  leave  to  have  a  bed  and  shelter  here  to-night  ?  ' 
asked  the  youth. 

'  You'll  get  no  good  by  sleeping  here  ',  said  the  old  dame  ; 

*  for  if  the  folk  come  home  and  find  you  here,  they'll  kill  both 
me  and  you.' 

'  What  sort  of  folk,  then,  are  they  who  live  here  ?  *  asked 
the  youth. 

'  Oh,  robbers  !  And  a  bad  lot  of  them  too  ',  said  the  old 
dame.  *  They  stole  me  away  when  I  was  little,  and  have 
kept  me  as  their  housekeeper  ever  since.' 

'  Well,  for  all  that,  I  think  I'll  just  go  to  bed  ',  said  the  youth. 
'  Come  what  may,  I'll  not  stir  out  at  night  in  such  weather.' 

*  Very  well ',  said  the  old  dame  ;  *  but  if  you  stay,  it  will  be 
the  worse  for  you.' 

With  that  the  youth  got  into  a  bed  which  stood  there,  but  he 
dared  not  go  to  sleep,  and  very  soon  after  in  came  the  robbers  ; 
so  the  old  dame  told  them  how  a  stranger  fellow  had  come 
in  whom  she  had  not  been  able  to  get  out  of  the  house  again. 

'  Did  you  see  if  he  had  any  money  ?  '    said  the  robbers. 

*  Such  a  one  as  he  money  !  *  said  the  old  dame,  '  the  tramper  ! 
Why,  if  he  had  clothes  to  his  back,  it  was  as  much  as  he 
had.' 

Then  the  robbers  began  to  talk  among  themselves  what 
they  should  do  with  him  ;  if  they  should  kill  him  outright,  or 
what  else  they  should  do.  Meantime  the  youth  got  up  and 
began  to  talk  to  them,  and  to  ask  if  they  didn't  want  a  servant, 
for  it  might  be  that  he  would  be  glad  to  enter  their  service. 

'  Oh  ',  said  they,  *  if  you  have  a  mind  to  follow  the  trade 
that  we  follow,  you  can  very  well  get  a  place  here.' 

*  It's  all  one  to  me  what  trade  I  follow  ',  said  the  youth  ; 

*  for  when  I  left  home,  father  gave  me  leave  to  take  to  any 
trade  I  chose.' 

*  Well,  have  you  a  mind  to  steal  ?  '   asked  the  robbers. 

*  I  don't  care  ',  said  the  youth,  for  he  thought  it  would  not 
take  long  to  learn  that  trade. 

Now  there  lived  a  man  a  little  way  off  who  had  three  oxen. 
One  of  these  he  was  to  take  to  the  town  to  sell,  and  the  robbers 
had  heard  what  he  was  going  to  do,  so  they  said  to  the  youth, 
if  he  were  good  to  steal  the  ox  from  the  man  by  the  way 
without  his  knowing  it,  and  without  doing  him  any  harm, 
they  would  give  him  leave  to  be  their  serving-man. 

Well  !    the  youth  set  off,  and  took  with  him  a  pretty  shoe. 


The  Master  Thief  255 

with  a  silver  buckle  on  it,  which  lay  about  the  house  ;  and  he 
put  the  shoe  in  the  road  along  which  the  man  was  going  with 
his  ox  ;  and  when  he  had  done  that,  he  went  into  the  wood 
and  hid  himself  under  a  bush.  So  when  the  man  came  by  he 
saw  the  shoe  at  once. 

'  That's  a  nice  shoe  ',  said  he.  *  If  I  only  had  the  fellow 
to  it,  I'd  take  it  home  with  me,  and  perhaps  I'd  put  my  old 
dame  in  a  good  humour  for  once.*  For  you  must  know  he 
had  an  old  wife,  so  cross  and  snappish,  it  was  not  long  between 
each  time  that  she  boxed  his  ears.  But  then  he  bethought 
him  that  he  could  do  nothing  with  the  odd  shoe  unless  he 
had  the  fellow  to  it ;  so  he  went  on  his  way  and  let  the  shoe 
lie  on  the  road. 

Then  the  youth  took  up  the  shoe,  and  made  all  the  haste 
he  could  to  get  before  the  man  by  a  short  cut  through  the 
wood,  and  laid  it  down  before  him  in  the  road  again.  When 
the  man  came  along  with  his  ox,  he  got  quite  angry  with 
himself  for  being  so  dull  as  to  leave  the  fellow  to  the  shoe 
lying  in  the  road  instead  of  taking  it  with  him  ;  so  he  tied 
the  ox  to  the  fence,  and  said  to  himself,  '  I  may  just  as  well 
run  back  and  pick  up  the  other,  and  then  I'll  have  a  pair  of 
good  shoes  for  my  old  dame,  and  so,  perhaps,  I'll  get  a  kind 
word  from  her  for  once.' 

So  he  set  off,  and  hunted  and  hunted  up  and  down  for  the 
shoe,  but  no  shoe  did  he  find  ;  and  at  length  he  had  to  go 
back  with  the  one  he  had.  But,  meanwhile  the  youth  had 
taken  the  ox  and  gone  off  with  it  ;  and  when  the  man  came 
and  saw  his  ox  gone,  he  began  to  cry  and  bewail,  for  he  was 
afraid  his  old  dame  would  kill  him  outright  when  she  came 
to  know  that  the  ox  was  lost.  But  just  then  it  came  across 
his  mind  that  he  would  go  home  and  take  the  second  ox,  and 
drive  it  to  the  town,  and  not  let  his  old  dame  know  anything 
about  the  matter.  So  he  did  this,  and  went  home  and  took 
the  ox  without  his  dame's  knowing  it,  and  set  off  with  it  to 
the  town.  But  the  robbers  knew  all  about  it,  and  they  said 
to  the  youth,  if  he  could  get  this  ox  too,  without  the  man's 
knowing  it,  and  without  his  doing  him  any  harm,  he  should 
be  as  good  as  any  one  of  them.  If  that  were  all,  the  youth 
said,  he  did  not  think  it  a  very  hard  thing. 

This  time  he  took  with  him  a  rope,  and  hung  himself  up 
under  the  arm-pits  to  a  tree  right  in  the  man's  way.     So  the 


256 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


man  came  along  with  his  ox,  and  when  he  saw  such  a  sight 
hanging  there  he  began  to  feel  a  little  queer. 

'  Well ',  said  he,  '  whatever  heavy  thoughts  you  had  who 
have  hanged  yourself  up  there,  it  can't  be  helped  ;  you  may 
hang  for  what  I  care  !  I  can't  breathe  life  into  you  again  '  ; 
and  with  that  he  went  on  his  way  with  his  ox.  Down  slipped 
the  youth  from  the  tree,  and  ran  by  a  footpath,  and  got  before 
the  man,  and  hung  himself  up  right  in  his  way  again. 

'  Bless  me  !  '  said  the  man,  '  were  you  really  so  heavy  at 
heart  that  you  hanged  yourself  up  there — or  is  it  only  a  piece 
of  witchcraft  that  I  see  before  me  ?  Aye,  aye  !  you  may 
hang  for  all  I  care,  whether  you  are  a  ghost  or  whatever  you 
are.'     So  he  passed  on  with  his  ox. 

Now  the  youth  did  just  as  he  had  done  twice  before  ;  he 
jumped  down  from  the  tree,  ran  through  the  wood  by  a  foot- 
path, and  hung  himself  up  right  in  the  man's  way  again. 
But  when  the  man  saw  this  sight  for  the  third  time,  he  said 
to  himself  : 

*  Well  !  this  is  an  ugly  business  !  Is  it  likely  now  that 
they  should  have  been  so  heavy  at  heart  as  to  hang  them- 
selves, all  these  three  ?  No  !  I  cannot  think  it  is  anything 
else  than  a  piece  of  witchcraft  that  I  see.  But  now  I'll  soon 
know  for  certain  ;  if  the  other  two  are  still  hanging  there, 
it  must  be  really  so  ;  but  if  they  are  not,  then  it  can  be  nothing 
but  witchcraft  that  I  see.' 

So  he  tied  up  his  ox,  and  ran  back  to  see  if  the  others  were 
still  really  hanging  there.  But  while  he  went  and  peered 
up  into  all  the  trees,  the  youth  jumped  down  and  took  his 
ox  and  ran  off  with  it.  When  the  man  came  back  and  found 
his  ox  gone,  he  was  in  a  sad  plight,  and,  as  any  one  might 
know  without  being  told,  he  began  to  cry  and  bemoan  ;  but 
at  last  he  came  to  take  it  easier,  and  so  he  thought : 

*  There's  no  other  help  for  it  than  to  go  home  and  take 
the  third  ox  without  my  dame's  knowing  it,  and  to  try  and 
drive  a  good  bargain  with  it,  so  that  I  may  get  a  good  sum  of 
money  for  it.* 

So  he  went  home  and  set  off  wdth  the  ox,  and  his  old  dame 
knew  never  a  word  about  the  matter.  But  the  robbers,  they 
knew  all  about  it,  and  they  said  to  the  youth,  that  if  he  could 
steal  this  ox  as  he  had  stolen  the  other  two,  then  he  should 
be  master  over  the  whole  band.     Well,  the  youth  set  off. 


The  Master  Thief 


257 


and  ran  into  the  wood  ;  and  as  the  man  came  by  with  his  ox 
he  set  up  a  dreadful  bellowing,  just  like  a  great  ox  in  the 
wood.  When  the  man  heard  that,  you  can't  think  how 
glad  he  was,  for  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  knew  the  voice 
of  his  big  bullock,  and  he  thought  that  now  he  should  find 
both  of  them  again  ;  so  he  tied  up  the  third  ox,  and  ran  off 
from  the  road  to  look  for  them  in  the  wood  ;  but  meantime 
the  youth  went  off  with  the  third  ox.  Now,  when  the  man 
came  back  and  found  he  had  lost  this  ox  too,  he  was  so  wild 
that  there  was  no  end  to  his  grief.  He  cried  and  roared  and 
beat  his  breast,  and,  to  tell  the  truth,  it  was  many  days  before 
he  dared  go  home  ;  for  he  was  afraid  lest  his  old  dame  should 
kill  him  outright  on  the  spot. 

As  for  the  robbers,  they  were  not  very  well  pleased  either, 
when  they  had  to  own  that  the  youth  was  master  over  the 
whole  band.  So  one  day  they  thought  they  would  try  their 
hands  at  something  which  he  was  not  man  enough  to  do  ; 
and  they  set  off  all  together,  every  man  Jack  of  them,  and  left 
him  alone  at  home.  Now,  the  first  thing  that  he  did  when 
they  were  all  well  clear  of  the  house,  was  to  drive  the  oxen 
out  to  the  road,  so  that  they  might  run  back  to  the  man  from 
whom  he  had  stolen  them  ;  and  right  glad  he  was  to  see 
them,  as  you  may  fancy.  Next  he  took  all  the  horses  which 
the  robbers  had,  and  loaded  them  with  the  best  things  he 
could  lay  his  hands  on — gold  and  silver,  and  clothes  and 
other  fine  things  ;  and  then  he  bade  the  old  dame  to  greet 
the  robbers  when  they  came  back,  and  to  thank  them  for  him, 
and  to  say  that  now  he  was  setting  off  on  his  travels,  and 
they  would  have  hard  work  to  find  him  again  ;  and  with  that, 
off  he  started. 

After  a  good  bit  he  came  to  the  road  along  which  he  was 
going  when  he  fell  among  the  robbers,  and  when  he  got  near 
home,  and  could  see  his  father's  cottage,  he  put  on  a  uniform 
which  he  had  found  among  the  clothes  he  had  taken  from  the 
robbers,  and  which  was  made  just  like  a  general's.  So  he 
drove  up  to  the  door  as  if  he  were  any  other  great  man.  After 
that  he  went  in  and  asked  if  he  could  have  a  lodging  ?  No  ; 
that  he  couldn't  at  any  price. 

'  How  ever  should  I  be  able  ',  said  the  man,  *  to  make  room 
in  my  house  for  such  a  fine  gentleman — I  who  scarce  have  a 
rag  to  lie  upon,  and  miserable  rags  too  ?  * 

s 


258  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  You  always  were  a  stingy  old  hunks  ',  said  the  youth, 
'  and  so  you  are  still,  when  you  won't  take  your  own  son 
in.' 

*  What,  you  my  son  !  '  said  the  man. 

*  Don't  you  know  me  again  ?  '  said  the  youth.  Well,  after 
a  little  while  he  did  know  him  again. 

'  But  what  have  you  been  turning  your  hand  to,  that  you 
have  made  yourself  so  great  a  man  in  such  haste  ?  *  asked 
the  man. 

*  Oh  !  I'll  soon  tell  you  ',  said  the  youth.  *  You  said  I 
might  take  to  any  trade  I  chose,  and  so  I  bound  myself  appren- 
tice to  a  pack  of  thieves  and  robbers,  and  now  I've  served 
my  time  out,  and  am  become  a  Master  Thief.* 

Now  there  lived  a  Squire  close  by  to  his  father's  cottage, 
and  he  had  such  a  great  house,  and  such  heaps  of  money,  he 
could  not  tell  how  much  he  had.  He  had  a  daughter  too,  and 
a  smart  and  pretty  girl  she  was.  So  the  Master  Thief  set 
his  heart  upon  having  her  to  wife,  and  he  told  his  father  to 
go  to  the  Squire  and  ask  for  his  daughter  for  him. 

*  If  he  asks  by  what  trade  I  get  my  living,  you  can  say  I'm 
a  Master  Thief.' 

'  I  think  you've  lost  your  wits  ',  said  the  man,  *  for  you 
can't  be  in  your  right  mind  when  you  think  of  such  stuff.' 

No  !  he  had  not  lost  his  wits,  his  father  must  and  should 
go  to  the  Squire,  and  ask  for  his  daughter. 

*  Nay,  but  I  tell  you,  I  daren't  go  to  the  Squire  and  be 
your  spokesman  ;  he  who  is  so  rich,  and  has  so  much  money  ', 
said  the  man. 

Yes,  there  was  no  help  for  it,  said  the  Master  Thief  ;  he 
should  go  whether  he  would  or  no  ;  and  if  he  did  not  go  by 
fair  means,  he  would  soon  make  him  go  by  foul.  But  the 
man  was  still  loath  to  go  ;  so  he  stepped  after  him,  and  rubbed 
him  down  with  a  good  birch  cudgel,  and  kept  on  till  the  man 
came  crying  and  sobbing  inside  the  Squire's  door. 

'  How  now,  my  man  !    what  ails  you  ?  '    said  the  Squire. 

So  he  told  him  the  whole  story  ;  how  he  had  three  sons 
w4io  set  off  one  day,  and  how  he  had  given  them  leave  to  go 
whithersoever  they  would,  and  to  follow  whatever  calling  they 
chose.  *  And  here  now  is  the  youngest  come  home,  and  has 
thrashed  me  till  he  has  made  me  come  to  you  and  Ask  for 
your  daughter  for  him  to  wife  j  and  he  bids  me  say,  besides, 


The  Master  Thief 


259 


that  he's  a  Master  Thief.'  And  so  he  fell  to  crying  and  sobbing 
again. 

'  Never  mind,  my  man  ',  said  the  Squire,  laughing  ;  *  just 
go  back  and  tell  him  from  me,  he  must  prove  his  skill  first. 
If  he  can  steal  the  roast  from  the  spit  in  the  kitchen  on  Sunday, 
while  all  the  household  are  looking  after  it,  he  shall  have  my 
daughter.     Just  go  and  tell  him  that.* 

So  he  went  back  and  told  the  youth,  who  thought  it  would 
be  an  easy  job.  So  he  set  about  and  caught  three  hares  alive, 
and  put  them  into  a  bag,  and  dressed  himself  in  some  old 
rags,  until  he  looked  so  poor  and  filthy  that  it  made  one's 
heart  bleed  to  see  ;  and  then  he  stole  into  the  passage  at 
the  back-door  of  the  Squire's  house  on  the  Sunday  forenoon, 
with  his  bag,  just  like  any  other  beggar-boy.  But  the  Squire 
himself  and  all  his  household  were  in  the  kitchen  watching 
the  roast.  Just  as  they  were  doing  this,  the  youth  let  one 
hare  go,  and  it  set  off  and  ran  round  and  round  the  yard  in 
front  of  the  house. 

*  Oh,  just  look  at  that  hare  !  '  said  the  folk  in  the  kitchen, 
and  were  all  for  running  out  to  catch  it. 

Yes,  the  Squire  saw  it  running  too.  *  Oh,  let  it  run  ',  said 
he  ;  *  there's  no  use  in  thinking  to  catch  a  hare  on  the  spring.* 

A  little  while  after,  the  youth  let  the  second  hare  go,  and 
they  saw  it  in  the  kitchen,  and  thought  it  was  the  same  they 
had  seen  before,  and  still  wanted  to  run  out  and  catch  it  ; 
but  the  Squire  said  again  it  was  no  use.  It  was  not  long 
before  the  youth  let  the  third  hare  go,  and  it  set  o£f  and  ran 
round  and  round  the  yard  as  the  others  before  it.  Now, 
they  saw  it  from  the  kitchen,  and  still  thought  it  was  the  same 
hare  that  kept  on  running  about,  and  were  all  eager  to  be  out 
after  it. 

*  Well,  it  is  a  fine  hare  ',  said  the  Squire  ;  '  come  let's  see 
if  we  can't  lay  our  hands  on  it.' 

So  out  he  ran,  and  the  rest  with  him — away  they  all  went, 
the  hare  before,  and  they  after  ;  so  that  it  was  rare  fun  to 
see.  But  meantime  the  youth  took  the  roast  and  ran  ofE 
with  it  ;  and  where  the  Squire  got  a  roast  for  his  dinner  that 
day  I  don't  know  ;  but  one  thing  I  know,  and  that  is,  that 
he  had  no  roast  hare,  though  he  ran  after  it  till  he  was  both 
warm  and  weary. 

Now  it  chanced  that  the  Priest  came  to  dinner  that  day, 


26o  Tales  from  the  Norse 

and  when  the  Squire  told  him  what  a  trick  the  Master  Thief 
had  played  him,  he  made  such  game  of  him  that  there  was  no 
end  of  it. 

*  For  my  part ',  said  the  Priest,  '  I  can't  think  how  it  could 
ever  happen  to  me  to  be  made  such  a  fool  of  by  a  fellow  like 
that.' 

*  Very  well — only  keep  a  sharp  look-out ',  said  the  Squire  ; 
•  maybe  he'll  come  to  see  you  before  you  know  a  word  of 
it.'  But  the  Priest  stuck  to  his  text — that  he  did,  and  made 
game  of  the  Squire  because  he  had  been  so  taken  in. 

Later  in  the  afternoon  came  the  Master  Thief,  and  wanted 
to  have  the  Squire's  daughter,  as  he  had  given  his  word.  But 
the  Squire  began  to  talk  him  over,  and  said,  '  Oh,  you  must 
first  prove  your  skill  a  little  more  ;  for  what  you  did  to-day 
was  no  great  thing,  after  all.  Couldn't  you  now  play  off  a 
good  trick  on  the  Priest,  who  is  sitting  in  there,  and  making 
game  of  me  for  letting  such  a  fellow  as  you  twist  me  round 
his  thumb.' 

*  Well,  as  for  that,  it  wouldn't  be  hard  ',  said  the  Master 
Thief.  So  he  dressed  himself  up  like  a  bird,  threw  a  great 
white  sheet  over  his  body,  took  the  wings  of  a  goose  and  tied 
them  to  his  back,  and  so  climbed  up  into  a  great  maple  which 
stood  in  the  Priest's  garden.  And  when  the  Priest  came  home 
in  the  evening,  the  youth  began  to  bawl  out : 

'  Father  Laurence  !  Father  Laurence  !  ' — for  that  was  the 
Priest's  name. 

'  Who  is  that  calling  me  ?  '   said  the  Priest. 

*  I  am  an  angel ',  said  the  Master  Thief,  '  sent  from  God 
to  let  you  know  that  you  shall  be  taken  up  alive  into  heaven 
for  your  piety's  sake.  Next  Monday  night  you  must  hold 
yourself  ready  for  the  journey,  for  I  shall  come  then  to  fetch 
you  in  a  sack  ;  and  all  your  gold  and  your  silver,  and  all  that 
you  have  of  this  world's  goods,  you  must  lay  together  in  a 
heap  in  your  dining-room.' 

Well,  Father  Laurence  fell  on  his  knees  before  the  angel, 
and  thanked  him  ;  and  the  very  next  day  he  preached  a 
farewell  sermon,  and  gave  it  out  how  there  had  come  down 
an  angel  unto  the  big  maple  in  his  garden,  who  had  told  him 
that  he  was  to  be  taken  up  alive  into  heaven  for  his  piety's 
sake  ;  and  he  preached  and  made  such  a  touching  discourse, 
that  all  who  were  at  church  wept,  both  young  and  old. 


The  Master  Thief  261 

So  the  next  Monday  night  came  the  Master  Thief  like  an 
angel  again,  and  the  Priest  fell  on  his  knees  and  thanked 
him  before  he  was  put  into  the  sack  ;  but  when  he  had  got 
him  well  in,  the  Master  Thief  drew  and  dragged  him  over 
stocks  and  stones. 

'  OW  !  OW  ! '  groaned  the  Priest  inside  the  sack,  *  wherever 
are  we  going  ?  ' 

*  This  is  the  narrow  way  which  leadeth  unto  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  ',  said  the  Master  Thief,  who  went  on  dragging 
him  along  till  he  had  nearly  broken  every  bone  in  his  body. 
At  last  he  tumbled  him  into  a  goose-house  that  belonged 
to  the  Squire,  and  the  geese  began  pecking  and  pinching  him 
with  their  bills,  so  that  he  was  more  dead  than  alive. 

'  Now  you  are  in  the  flames  of  purgatory,  to  be  cleansed 
and  purified  for  life  everlasting  *,  said  the  Master  Thief  ; 
and  with  that  he  went  his  way,  and  took  all  the  gold  which 
the  Priest  had  laid  together  in  his  dining-room.  The  next 
morning,  when  the  goose-girl  came  to  let  the  geese  out,  she 
heard  how  the  Priest  lay  in  the  sack,  and  bemoaned  himself 
in  the  goose-house. 

'  In  heaven's  name,  who's  there,  and  what  ails  you  ?  '  she 
cried. 

'  Oh  !  '  said  the  Priest,  *  if  you  are  an  angel  from  heaven,  do 
let  me  out,  and  let  me  return  again  to  earth,  for  it  is  worse 
here  than  in  hell.  The  little  fiends  keep  on  pinching  me  with 
tongs.* 

'  Heaven  help  us,  I  am  no  angel  at  all ',  said  the  girl,  as  she 
helped  the  Priest  out  of  the  sack ;  / 1  only  look  after  the  Squire's 
geese,  and  like  enough  they  are  the  little  fiends  which  have 
pinched  your  reverence.' 

*  Oh  !  '  groaned  the  Priest,  '  this  is  all  that  Master  Thief's 
doing.  Ah  !  my  gold  and  my  silver,  and  my  fine  clothes.* 
And  he  beat  his  breast,  and  hobbled  home  at  such  a  rate  that 
the  girl  thought  he  had  lost  his  wits  all  at  once. 

Now  when  the  Squire  came  to  hear  how  it  had  gone  with  the 
Priest,  and  how  he  had  been  along  the  narrow  way,  and  into 
purgatory,  he  laughed  till  he  well-nigh  split  his  sides.  But 
when  the  Master  Thief  came  and  asked  for  his  daughter  as  he 
had  promised,  the  Squire  put  him  off  again,  and  said  : 

'  You  must  do  one  masterpiece  better  still,  that  I  may  see 
plainly  what  you  are  fit  for.     Now,  I  have  twelve  horses  in 


262  Tales  from  the  Norse 

my  stable,  and  on  them  I  will  put  twelve  grooms,  one  on  each. 
If  you  are  so  good  a  thief  as  to  steal  the  horses  from  under 
them,  I'll  see  what  I  can  do  for  you.' 

'  Very  well,  I  daresay  I  can  do  it ',  said  the  Master  Thief ; 
*  but  shall  I  really  have  your  daughter  if  I  can  ?  ' 

*  Yes,  if  you  can,  I'll  do  my  best  for  you  ',  said  the  Squire. 
So  the  Master  Thief  set  off  to  a  shop,  and  bought  brandy 

enough  to  fill  two  pocket-flasks,  and  into  one  of  them  he  put 
a  sleepy  drink,  but  into  the  other  only  brandy.  After  that  he 
hired  eleven  men  to  lie  in  wait  at  night,  behind  the  Squire's 
stableyard  ;  and  last  of  all,  for  fair  words  and  a  good  bit  of 
money,  he  borrowed  a  ragged  gown  and  cloak  from  an  old 
woman  ;  and  so,  with  a  staff  in  his  hand,  and  a  bundle  at  his 
back,  he  limped  off,  as  evening  drew  on,  towards  the  Squire's 
stable.  Just  as  he  got  there  they  were  watering  the  horses 
for  the  night,  and  had  their  hands  full  of  work. 

*  What  the  devil  do  you  want  ?  '  said  one  of  the  grooms  to 
the  old  woman. 

*  Oh,  oh  !  hutetu  !  it  is  so  bitter  cold  ',  said  she,  and  shivered 
and  shook,  and  made  wry  faces.  '  Hutetu  1  it  is  so  cold,  a 
poor  wretch  may  easily  freeze  to  death  '  ;  and  with  that  she 
fell  to  shivering  and  shaking  again. 

*  Oh  1  for  the  love  of  heaven,  can  I  get  leave  to  stay  here  a 
while,  and  sit  inside  the  stable  door  ?  ' 

'  To  the  devil  with  your  leave  ',  said  one.  *  Pack  yourself 
off  this  minute,  for  if  the  Squire  sets  his  eye  on  you,  he'll  lead 
us  a  pretty  dance.' 

*  Oh  1  the  poor  old  bag-of -bones  ',  said  another,  whose  heart 
took  pity  on  her,  '  the  old  hag  may  sit  inside  and  welcome  ; 
such  a  one  as  she  can  do  no  harm.' 

And  the  rest  said,  some  she  should  stay,  and  some  she 
shouldn't ;  but  while  they  were  quarrelling  and  minding  the 
horses,  she  crept  further  and  further  into  the  stable,  till  at 
last  she  sat  herself  down  behind  the  door  ;  and  when  she  had 
got  so  far,  no  one  gave  any  more  heed  to  her. 

As  the  night  wore  on,  the  men  found  it  rather  cold  work  to 
sit  so  still  and  quiet  on  horseback. 

'  Hutetu  1  it  is  so  devilish  cold  ',  said  one,  and  beat  his  arms 
crosswise. 

*  That  it  is  ',  said  another  ;  '  I  freeze  so,  that  my  teeth 
chatter.' 


The  Master  Thief  263 

*  If  one  only  had  a  quid  to  chew  ',  said  a  third. 

Well  !  there  was  one  who  had  an  ounce  or  two  ;  so  they 
shared  it  between  them,  though  it  wasn't  much,  after  all, 
that  each  got ;  and  so  they  chewed  and  spat,  and  spat  and 
chewed.  This  helped  them  somewhat ;  but  in  a  little  while 
they  were  just  as  bad  as  ever. 

*  Hutetu  !  '  said  one,  and  shivered  and  shook. 

'  Hutetu  !  '  said  the  old  woman,  and  shivered  so,  that  every 
tooth  in  her  head  chattered.  Then  she  pulled  out  the  flask 
with  brandy  in  it,  and  her  hand  shook  so  that  the  spirit  splashed 
about  in  the  flask,  and  then  she  took  such  a  gulp,  that  it  went 

*  bop  '  in  her  throat. 

*  What's  that  you've  got  in  your  flask,  old  girl  ?  '  said  one  of 
the  grooms. 

*  Oh  !  it's  only  a  drop  of  brandy,  old  man  ',  said  she. 

*  Brandy  !  Well,  I  never  !  Do  let  me  have  a  drop  ',  screamed 
the  whole  twelve,  one  after  another. 

*  Oh  !  but  it  is  such  a  little  drop  ',  mumbled  the  old  woman, 

*  it  will  not  even  wet  your  mouths  round,.'  But  they  must 
and  would  have  it ;  there  was  no  help  for  it ;  and  so  she  pulled 
out  the  flask  with  the  sleepy  drink  in  it,  and  put  it  to  the  first 
man's  lips  ;  then  she  shook  no  more,  but  guided  the  flask  so 
that  each  of  them  got  what  he  wanted,  and  the  twelfth  had 
not  done  drinking  before  the  first  sat  and  snored.  Then  the 
Master  Thief  threw  off  his  beggar's  rags,  and  took  one  groom 
after  the  other  so  softly  off  their  horses,  and  set  them  astride 
on  the  beams  between  the  stalls  ;  and  so  he  called  his  eleven 
men,  and  rode  off  with  the  Squire's  twelve  horses. 

But  when  the  Squire  got  up  in  the  morning,  and  went  to 
look  after  his  grooms,  they  had  just  begun  to  come  to  ;  and 
some  of  them  fell  to  spurring  the  beams  with  their  spurs,  till 
the  splinters  flew  again,  and  some  fell  off,  and  some  still  hung 
on  and  sat  there  looking  like  fools. 

*  Ho  I  ho  1  '  said  the  Squire  ;  '  I  see  very  well  who  has  been 
here  ;  but  as  for  you,  a  pretty  set  of  blockheads  you  must  be 
to  sit  here  and  let  the  Master  Thief  steal  the  horses  from  be- 
tween your  legs.' 

So  they  all  got  a  good  leathering  because  they  had  not  kept 
a  sharper  look-out. 

Further  on  in  the  day  came  the  Master  Thief  again,  and  told 
how  he  had  managed  the  matter,  and  asked  for  the  Squire's 


264 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


daughter,  as  he  had  promised  ;  but  the  Squke  gave  him  one 
hundred  dollars  down,  and  said  he  must  do  something  better 
still. 

*  Do  you  think  now  ',  said  he,  *  you  can  steal  the  horse 
from  under  me  while  I  am  out  riding  on  his  back  ?  ' 

*  O,  yes  !  I  daresay  I  could  ',  said  the  Master  Thief,  *  if 
I  were  really  sure  of  getting  your  daughter.' 

Well,  well,  the  Squire  would  see  what  he  could  do  ;  and  he 
told  the  Master  Thief  a  day  when  he  would  be  taking  a  ride 
on  a  great  common  where  they  drilled  the  troops.  So  the 
Master  Thief  soon  got  hold  of  an  old  worn-out  jade  of  a  mare, 
and  set  to  work,  and  made  traces  and  collar  of  withies  and 
broom- twigs,  and  bought  an  old  beggarly  cart  and  a  great 
cask.  After  that  he  told  an  old  beggar  woman,  he  would  give 
her  ten  dollars  if  she  would  get  inside  the  cask,  and  keep  her 
mouth  agape  over  the  taphole,  into  which  he  was  going  to 
stick  his  finger.  No  harm  should  happen  to  her  ;  she  should 
only  be  driven  about  a  little  ;  and  if  he  took  his  finger  out 
more  than  once,  she  was  to  have  ten  dollars  more.  Then  he 
threw  a  few  rags  and  tatters  over  himself,  and  stuffed  himself 
out,  and  put  on  a  wig  and  a  great  beard  of  goat's  hair,  so  that 
no  one  could  know  him  again,  and  set  off  for  the  common, 
where  the  Squire  had  already  been  riding  about  a  good  bit. 
When  he  reached  the  place,  he  went  along  so  softly  and  slowly 
that  he  scarce  made  an  inch  of  way.  *  Gee  up  1  Gee  up  1  ' 
and  so  he  went  on  a  little  ;  then  he  stood  stock  still,  and  so 
on  a  little  again  ;  and  altogether  the  pace  was  so  poor  it  never 
once  came  into  the  Squire's  head  that  this  could  be  the  Master 
Thief. 

At  last  the  Squire  rode  right  up  to  him,  and  asked  if  he  had 
seen  any  one  lurking  about  in  the  wood  thereabouts. 

*  No  ',  said  the  man,  '  I  haven't  seen  a  soul.' 

*  Harkye,  now  ',  said  the  Squire,  '  if  you  have  a  mind  to 
ride  into  the  wood,  and  hunt  about  and  see  if  you  can  fall 
upon  any  one  lurking  about  there,  you  shall  have  the  loan 
of  my  horse,  and  a  shilling  into  the  bargain,  to  drink  my 
health,  for  your  pains.' 

'  I  don't  see  how  I  can  go  ',  said  the  man,  *  for  I  am  going 
to  a  wedding  with  this  cask  of  mead,  which  I  have  been  to 
town  to  fetch,  and  here  the  tap  has  fallen  out  by  the  way,  and 
so  I  must  go  along,  holding  my  finger  in  the  taphole.' 


TKe  Master  Thief  265 

*  Ride  off  ',  said  the  Squire  ;  'I'll  look  after  your  horse  and 
cask.' 

Well,  on  these  terms  the  man  was  willing  to  go  ;  but  he 
begged  the  Squire  to  be  quick  in  putting  his  finger  into  the 
taphole  when  he  took  his  own  out,  and  to  mind  and  keep  it 
there  till  he  came  back.  At  last  the  Squire  grew  weary  of 
standing  there  with  his  finger  in  the  taphole,  so  he  took  it 
out. 

'  Now  I  shall  have  ten  dollars  more  !  *  screamed  the  old 
woman  inside  the  cask  ;  and  then  the  Squire  saw  at  once  how 
the  land  lay,  and  took  himself  off  home  ;  but  he  had  not  gone 
far  before  they  met  him  with  a  fresh  horse,  for  the  Master  Thief 
had  already  been  to  his  house,  and  told  them  to  send  one. 

The  day  after,  he  came  to  the  Squire  and  would  have  his 
daughter,  as  he  had  given  his  word  ;  but  the  Squire  put  him 
off  again  with  fine  words,  and  gave  him  two  hundred  dollars, 
and  said  he  must  do  one  more  masterpiece.  If  he  could  do 
that,  he  should  have  her.  Well,  well,  the  Master  Thief  thought 
he  could  do  it,  if  he  only  knew  what  it  was  to  be. 

*  Do  you  think,  now  ',  said  the  Squire,  *  you  can  steal  the 
sheet  off  our  bed,  and  the  shift  off  my  wife's  back.  Do  you 
think  you  could  do  that  ?  ' 

'  It  shall  be  done  ',  said  the  Master  Thief.  *  I  only  wish  I 
was  as  sure  of  getting  your  daughter.' 

So  when  night  began  to  fall,  the  Master  Thief  went  out  and 
cut  down  a  thief  who  hung  on  the  gallows,  and  threw  him  across 
his  shoulders,  and  carried  him  off.  Then  he  got  a  long  ladder 
and  set  it  up  against  the  Squire's  bedroom  window,  and  so 
climbed  up,  and  kept  bobbing  the  dead  man  up  and  down, 
just  for  all  the  world  like  one  that  was  peeping  in  at  the  window. 

'  That's  the  Master  Thief,  old  lass  !  '  said  the  Squire,  and 
gave  his  wife  a  nudge  on  the  side.  *  Now  see  if  I  don't  shoot 
him,  that's  all.' 

So  saying  he  took  up  a  rifle  which  he  had  laid  at  his  bedside. 

*  No  !  no  !  pray  don't  shoot  him  after  telling  him  he  might 
come  and  try  ',  said  his  wife. 

'  Don't  talk  to  me,  for  shoot  him  I  will ',  said  he  ;  and  so 
he  lay  there  and  aimed  and  aimed  ;  but  as  soon  as  the  head 
came  up  before  the  window,  and  he  saw  a  little  of  it,  so  soon 
was  it  down  again.  At  last  he  thought  he  had  a  good  aim  ; 
'  bang  '  went  the  gun,  down  fell  the  dead  body  to  the  ground 


266  Tales  from  the  Norse 

with  a  heavy  thump,  and  down  went  the  Master  Thief  too  as 
fast  as  he  could. 

*  Well ',  said  the  Squire,  *  it  is  quite  true  that  I  am  the  chief 
magistrate  in  these  parts  ;  but  people  are  fond  of  talking,  and 
it  would  be  a  bore  if  they  came  to  see  this  dead  man's  body. 
I  think  the  best  thing  to  be  done  is  that  I  should  go  down 
and  bury  him.' 

*  You  must  do  as  you  think  best,  dear  ',  said  his  wife.  So 
the  Squire  got  out  of  bed  and  went  downstairs,  and  he  had 
scarce  put  his  foot  out  of  the  door  before  the  Master  Thief  stole 
in,  and  went  straight  upstairs  to  his  wife. 

*  Why,  dear,  back  akeady  I  *  said  she,  for  she  thought  it 
was  her  husband. 

*  O  yes,  I  only  just  put  him  into  a  hole,  and  threw  a  little 
earth  over  him.  It  is  enough  that  he  is  out  of  sight,  for  it  is 
such  a  bad  night  out  of  doors  ;  by-and-by  I'll  do  it  better. 
But  just  let  me  have  the  sheet  to  wipe  myself  with — he  was 
so  bloody — and  I  have  made  myself  in  such  a  mess  with  him.' 

So  he  got  the  sheet. 
After  a  while  he  said  : 

*  Do  you  know  I  am  afraid  you  must  let  me  have  your  night- 
shift  too,  for  the  sheet  won't  do  by  itself  ;    that  I  can  see.' 

So  she  gave  him  the  shift  also.  But  just  then  it  came  across 
his  mind  that  he  had  forgotten  to  lock  the  house-door,  so  he 
must  step  down  and  look  to  that  before  he  came  back  to  bed, 
and  away  he  went  with  both  shift  and  sheet. 

A  Httle  while  after  came  the  true  Squire. 

*  Why  !  what  a  time  you've  taken  to  lock  the  door,  dear  ! ' 
said  his  wife  ;  *  and  what  have  you  done  with  the  sheet  and 
shift  ?  ' 

'  What  do  you  say  ?  '  said  the  Squire. 

'  Why,  I  am  asking  what  you  have  done  with  the  sheet  and 
shift  that  you  had  to  wipe  off  the  blood  ',  said  she. 

'  What,  in  the  Deil's  name  !  '  said  the  Squire,  *  has  he  taken 
me  in  this  time  too  ?  ' 

Next  day  came  the  Master  Thief  and  asked  for  the  Squire's 
daughter,  as  he  had  given  his  word  ;  and  then  the  Squire 
dared  not  do  anything  else  than  give  her  to  him,  and  a  good 
lump  of  money  into  the  bargain  ;  for,  to  tell  the  truth,  he  was 
afraid  ]est  the  Master  Thief  should  steal  the  eyes  out  of  his  head, 
and  that  the  people  would  begin  to  say  spiteful  things  of  him 


The  Best  Wish  267 

if  he  broke  his  word.  So  the  Master  Thief  lived  well  and 
happily  from  that  time  forward.  I  don't  know  whether  he 
stole  any  more  ;  but  if  he  did,  I  am  quite  sure  it  was  only  for 
the  sake  of  a  bit  of  fun. 


THE  BEST  WISH 

Once  on  a  time  there  were  three  brothers  ;  I  don't  quite  know 
how  it  happened,  but  each  of  them  had  got  the  right  to  wish 
one  thing,  whatever  he  chose.  So  the  two  elder  were  not 
long  a-thinking  ;  they  wished  that  every  time  they  put  their 
hands  in  their  pockets  they  might  pull  out  a  piece  of  money  ; 
for,  said  they  : 

*  The  man  who  has  as  much  money  as  he  wishes  for  is  always 
sure  to  get  on  in  the  world.' 

But  the  youngest  wished  something  better  still.  He  wished 
that  every  woman  he  saw  might  fall  in  love  with  him  as  soon 
as  she  saw  him  ;  and  you  shall  soon  hear  how  far  better  this 
was  than  gold  and  goods. 

So,  when  they  had  all  wished  their  wishes,  the  two  elder  were 
for  setting  out  to  see  the  world  ;  and  Boots,  their  youngest 
brother,  asked  if  he  mightn't  go  along  with  them  ;  but  they 
wouldn't  hear  of  such  a  thing. 

*  Wherever  we  go  ',  they  said,  *  we  shall  be  treated  as  counts 
and  kings  ;  but  you,  you  starveling  wretch,  who  haven't 
a  penny,  and  never  will  have  one,  who  do  you  think  will  care  a 
bit  about  you  ?  ' 

*  Well,  but  in  spite  of  that,  I'd  like  to  go  with  you  ',  said 
Boots  ;  '  perhaps  a  dainty  bit  may  fall  to  my  share  too  off  the 
plates  of  such  high  and  mighty  lords.' 

At  last,  after  begging  and  praying,  he  got  leave  to  go  with 
them,  if  he  would  be  their  servant,  else  they  wouldn't  hear  of 
it. 

So,  when  they  had  gone  a  day  or  so,  they  came  to  an  inn, 
where  the  two  who  had  the  money  alighted,  and  called  for  fish 
and  flesh,  and  fowl,  and  brandy  and  mead,  and  everything 
that  was  good  5  but  Boots,  poor  fellow,  had  to  look  after  their 
luggage  and  all  that  belonged  to  the  two  great  people.  Now, 
as  he  went  to  and  fro  outside,  and  loitered  about  in  the  inn- 
yard,  the  inkeeper's  wife  looked  out  of  window  and  saw  the 


268  Tales  from  the  Norse 

servant  of  the  gentlemen  upstairs  ;  and,  all  at  once,  she  thought 
she  had  never  set  eyes  on  such  a  handsome  chap.  So  she 
stared  and  stared,  and  the  longer  she  looked  the  handsomer 
he  seemed. 

'  Why  what,  by  the  Deil's  skin  and  bones,  is  it  that  you  are 
standing  there  gaping  at  out  of  the  window  ?  '  said  her  hus- 
band. '  I  think  'twould  be  better  if  you  just  looked  how  the 
sucking  pig  is  getting  on,  instead  of  hanging  out  of  window  in 
that  way.  Don't  you  know  what  grand  folk  we  have  in  the 
house  to-day  ?  ' 

'  Oh  !  '  said  his  old  dame,  '  I  don't  care  a  farthing  about  such 
a  pack  of  rubbish  ;  if  they  don't  like  it  they  may  lump  it,  and 
be  off  ;  but  just  do  come  and  look  at  this  lad  out  in  the  yard  ; 
so  handsome  a  fellow  I  never  saw  in  all  my  born  days  ;  and, 
if  you'll  do  as  I  wish,  we'll  ask  him  to  step  in  and  treat  him  a 
little,  for,  poor  lad,  he  seems  to  have  a  hard  fight  of  it.' 

'  Have  you  lost  the  Uttle  brains  you  had.  Goody  ?  '  said  the 
husband,  whose  eyes  glistened  with  rage  ;  '  into  the  kitchen 
with  you,  and  mind  the  fire  ;  but  don't  stand  there  glowering 
after  strange  men.' 

So  the  wife  had  nothing  left  for  it  but  to  go  into  the  kitchen, 
and  look  after  the  cooking  ;  as  for  the  lad  outside,  she  couldn't 
get  leave  to  ask  him  in,  or  to  treat  him  either  ;  but  just  as  she 
was  about  spitting  the  pig  in  the  kitchen,  she  made  an  excuse 
for  running  out  into  the  yard,  and  then  and  there  she  gave 
Boots  a  pair  of  scissors,  of  such  a  kind  that  they  cut  of  them- 
selves out  of  the  air  the  loveliest  clothes  any  one  ever  saw,  silk 
and  satin,  and  all  that  was  fine. 

*  This  you  shall  have  because  you  are  so  handsome,'  said 
the  innkeeper's  wife. 

So  when  the  two  elder  brothers  had  crammed  themselves 
with  roast  and  boiled,  they  wished  to  be  off  again,  and  Boots 
had  to  stand  behind  their  carriage,  and  be  their  servant ;  and 
so  they  travelled  a  good  way,  till  they  came  to  another  inn. 

There  the  two  brothers  again  alighted  and  went  indoors, 
but  Boots,  who  had  no  money,  they  wouldn't  have  inside 
with  them  ;  no,  he  must  wait  outside  and  watch  the  luggage. 

*  And  mind  ',  they  said,  '  if  any  one  asks  whose  servant  you 
are,  say  we  are  two  foreign  Princes.* 

But  the  same  thing  happened  now  as  happened  before  ; 
while  Boots  stood  hanging  about  out  in  the  yard,  the  inn- 


The  Best  Wish  269 

keeper's  wife  came  to  the  window  and  saw  him,  and  she  too 
fell  in  love  with  him,  just  like  the  first  innkeeper's  wife  ;  and 
there  she  stood  and  stared,  for  she  thought  she  could  never 
have  her  fill  of  looking  at  him.  Then  her  husband  came 
running  through  the  room  with  something  the  two  Princes 
had  ordered. 

*  Don't  stand  there  staring  like  a  cow  at  a  barn-door,  but 
take  this  into  the  kitchen,  and  look  after  your  fish-kettle, 
Goody  ',  said  the  man  ;  '  don't  you  see  what  grand  people 
we  have  in  the  house  to-day  ?  ' 

*  I  don't  care  a  farthing  for  such  a  pack  of  rubbish  ',  said 
the  wife  ;  '  if  they  don't  like  what  they  get  they  may  lump  it, 
and  eat  what  they  brought  with  them.  But  just  do  come  here, 
and  see  what  you  shall  see  !  Such  a  handsome  fellow  as  walks 
here,  out  in  the  yard,  I  never  saw  in  all  my  born  days.  Shan't 
we  ask  him  in  and  treat  him  a  little  ;  he  looks  as  if  he  needed 
it,  poor  chap  ?  '  and  then  she  went  on : 

*  Such  a  love  !  such  a  love  !  * 

*  You  never  had  much  wit,  and  the  little  you  had  is  clean 
gone,  I  can  see  ',  said  the  man,  who  was  much  more  angry 
than  the  first  innkeeper,  and  chased  his  wife  back,  neck  and 
crop,  into  the  kitchen. 

'  Into  the  kitchen  with  you,  and  don't  stand  glowering  after 
lads  ',  he  said. 

So  she  had  to  go  in  and  mind  her  fish-kettle,  and  she  dared 
not  treat  Boots,  for  she  was  afraid  of  her  old  man  ;  but  as  she 
stood  there  making  up  the  fire,  she  made  an  excuse  for  running 
out  into  the  yard,  and  then  and  there  she  gave  Boots  a  table- 
cloth, which  was  such  that  it  covered  itself  with  the  best  dishes 
you  could  think  of,  as  soon  as  it  was  spread  out. 

'  This  you  shall  have  *,  she  said,  *  because  you're  so  hand- 
some.' 

So  when  the  two  brothers  had  eaten  and  drank  of  all  that 
was  in  the  house,  and  had  paid  the  bill  in  hard  cash,  they  set 
off  again,  and  Boots  stood  up  behind  their  carriage.  But 
when  they  had  gone  so  far  that  they  grew  hungry  again,  they 
turned  into  a  third  inn,  and  called  for  the  best  and  dearest 
they  could  think  of. 

*  For  *,  said  they,  *  we  are  two  kings  on  our  travels,  and  as  for 
our  money,  it  grows  like  grass.' 

Well,  when  the  innkeeper  heard  that,  there  was  such  a  roast- 


270  Tales  from  the  Norse 

ing,  and  baking,  and  boiling ;  why !  you  might  smell  the  dinner  at 
the  next  neighbour's  house,  though  it  wasn't  so  very  near  ; 
and  the  innkeeper  was  at  his  wits'  end  to  find  all  he  wished  to 
put  before  the  two  kings.  But  Boots,  he  had  to  stand  outside 
here  too,  and  look  after  the  things  in  the  carriage. 

So  it  was  the  same  story  over  again.  The  innkeeper's  wife 
came  to  the  window  and  peeped  out,  and  there  she  saw  the 
servant  standing  by  the  carriage.  Such  a  handsome  chap  she 
had  never  set  eyes  on  before  ;  so  she  looked  and  looked,  and 
the  more  she  stared  the  handsomer  he  seemed  to  the  inn- 
keeper's wife.  Then  out  came  the  innkeeper,  scampering 
through  the  room,  with  some  dainty  which  the  travelling  kings 
had  ordered,  and  he  wasn't  very  soft-tongued  when  he  saw  his 
old  dame  standing  and  glowering  out  of  the  window. 

*  Don't  you  know  better  than  to  stand  gaping  and  staring 
there,  when  we  have  such  great  folk  in  the  house  ',  he  said  ; 
*  back  into  the  kitchen  with  you  this  minute,  to  your  custards.' 

*  Well  !  well  I  *  she  said,  '  as  for  them,  I  don't  care  a  pin. 
If  they  can't  wait  till  the  custards  are  baked,  they  may  go 
without — that's  all.  But  do,  pray,  come  here,  and  you'll 
see  such  a  lovely  lad  standing  out  here  in  the  yard.  Why 
I  never  saw  such  a  pretty  fellow  in  my  life.  Shan't  we  ask 
him  in  now,  and  treat  him  a  little,  for  he  looks  as  if  it  would 
do  him  good.     Oh  !    what  a  darling  1     What  a  darling  !  ' 

'  A  wanton  gadabout  you've  been  all  your  days,  and  so 
you  are  still ',  said  her  husband,  who  was  in  such  a  rage  he 
scarce  knew  which  leg  to  stand  on  ;  *  but  if  you  don't  be  off 
to  your  custards  this  minute,  I'll  soon  find  out  how  to  make 
you  stir  your  stumps  ;    see  if  I  don't.' 

So  the  wife  had  o£f  to  her  custards  as  fast  as  she  could,  for 
she  knew  that  her  husband  would  stand  no  nonsense  ;  but 
as  she  stood  there  over  the  fire  she  stole  out  into  the  yard, 
and  gave  Boots  a  tap. 

*  If  you  only  turn  this  tap  *,  she  said  ;  *  you'll  get  the  finest 
drink  of  whatever  kind  you  choose,  both  mead,  and  wine, 
and  brandy  ;  and  this  you  shall  have  because  you  are  so 
handsome.' 

So  when  the  two  brothers  had  eaten  and  drunk  all  they 
could,  they  started  from  the  inn,  and  Boots  stood  up  behind 
again  as  their  servant,  and  thus  they  drove  far  and  wide,  till 
they  came  to  a  king's  palace.     There  the  two  elder  gave  them- 


The  Best  Wish  271 

selves  out  for  two  emperor's  sons,  and  as  they  had  plenty  of 
money,  and  were  so  fine  that  their  clothes  shone  again  ever 
so  far  off,  they  were  well  treated.  They  had  rooms  in  the 
palace,  and  the  king  couldn't  tell  how  to  make  enough  of 
them.  But  Boots,  who  went  about  in  the  same  rags  he  stood 
in  when  he  left  home,  and  who  had  never  a  penny  in  his 
pocket,  he  was  taken  up  by  the  king's  guard,  and  put  across 
to  an  island,  whither  they  used  to  row  over  all  the  beggars 
and  rogues  that  came  to  the  palace.  This  the  king  had  ordered, 
because  he  wouldn't  have  the  mirth  at  the  palace  spoilt  by 
those  dirty  blackguards  ;  and  thither,  too,  only  just  as  much 
food  as  would  keep  body  and  soul  together  was  sent  over 
every  day.  Now  Boots'  brothers  saw  very  well  that  the  guard 
was  rowing  him  over  to  the  island,  but  they  were  glad  to  be 
rid  of  him,  and  didn't  pay  the  least  heed  to  him. 

But  when  Boots  got  over  there,  he  just  pulled  out  his 
scissors  and  began  to  snip  and  cut  in  the  air  ;  so  the  scissors 
cut  out  the  finest  clothes  any  one  would  wish  to  see  ;  silk  and 
satin  both,  and  all  the  beggars  on  the  island  were  soon  dressed 
far  finer  than  the  king  and  all  his  guests  in  the  palace.  After 
that,  Boots  pulled  out  his  table-cloth,  and  spread  it  out,  and 
so  they  got  food  too,  the  poor  beggars.  Such  a  feast  had 
never  been  seen  at  the  king's  palace,  as  was  served  that  day 
at  the  Beggars'  Isle. 

*  Thirsty,  too,  I'll  be  bound  you  all  are  ',  said  Boots,  and 
out  with  his  tap,  gave  it  a  turn,  and  so  the  beggars  got  all  a 
drop  to  drink  ;  and  such  ale  and  mead  the  king  himself  had 
never  tasted  in  all  his  life. 

So,  next  morning,  when  those  who  were  to  bring  the  beggars 
their  food  on  the  island,  came  rowing  over  with  the  scrapings 
of  the  porridge-pots  and  cheese-parings — that  was  what  the 
poor  wretches  had — the  beggars  wouldn't  so  much  as  taste 
them,  and  the  king's  men  fell  to  wondering  what  it  could 
mean  ;  but  they  wondered  much  more  when  they  got  a  good 
look  at  the  beggars,  for  they  were  so  fine  the  guard  thought 
they  must  be  Emperors  or  Popes  at  least,  and  that  they 
must  have  rowed  to  a  wrong  island  ;  but  when  they  looked 
better  about  them,  they  saw  they  were  come  to  the  old  place. 

Then  they  soon  found  out  it  must  be  he  whom  they  had 
rowed  out  the  day  before  who  had  brought  the  beggars  on 
the  island  all  this  state  and  bravery  ;  and  as  soon  as  they  got 


272  Tales  from  the  Norse 

back  to  the  palace,  they  were  not  slow  to  tell  how  the  man, 
whom  they  had  rowed  over  the  day  before,  had  dressed  out 
all  the  beggars  so  fine  and  grand  that  precious  things  fell 
from  their  clothes. 

'  And  as  for  the  porridge  and  cheese  we  took,  they  wouldn't 
even  taste  them,  so  proud  have  they  got ',  they  said. 

One  of  them,  too,  had  smelt  out  that  the  lad  had  a  pair 
of  scissors  which  he  cut  out  the  clothes  with. 

*  When  he  only  snips  with-those  scissors  up  in  the  air  he 
snips  and  cuts  out  nothing  but  silk  and  satin  ',  said  he. 

So,  when  the  Princess  heard  that,  she  had  neither  peace 
nor  rest  till  she  saw  the  lad  and  his  scissors  that  cut  out  silk 
and  satin  from  the  air  ;  such  a  pair  was  worth  having,  she 
thought,  for  with  its  help  she  would  soon  get  all  the  finery 
she  wished  for.  Well,  she  begged  the  king  so  long  and  hard, 
he  was  forced  to  send  a  messenger  for  the  lad  who  owned  the 
scissors  ;  and  when  he  came  to  the  palace,  the  Princess  asked 
him  if  it  were  true  that  he  had  such  and  such  a  pair  of  scissors, 
and  if  he  would  sell  it  to  her.  Yes,  it  was  all  true  he  had  such 
a  pair,  said  Boots,  but  sell  it  he  wouldn't ;  and  with  that  he 
took  the  scissors  out  of  his  pocket,  and  snipped  and  snipped 
with  them  in  the  air  till  strips  of  silk  and  satin  flew  all  about 
him. 

'  Nay,  but  you  must  sell  me  these  scissors  ',  said  the  Prin- 
cess. *  You  may  ask  what  you  please  for  them,  but  have 
them  I  must.' 

No  !  Such  a  pair  of  scissors  he  wouldn't  sell  at  any  price, 
for  he  could  never  get  such  a  pair  again  ;  and  while  they 
stood  and  haggled  for  the  scissors,  the  Princess  had  time  to 
look  better  at  Boots,  and  she  too  thought  with  the  innkeepers* 
wives  that  she  had  never  seen  such  a  handsome  fellow  before. 
So  she  began  to  bargain  for  the  scissors  over  again,  and  begged 
and  prayed  Boots  to  let  her  have  them  ;  he  might  ask  many, 
many  hundred  dollars  for  them,  'twas  all  the  same  to  her, 
so  she  got  them. 

'  No  !  sell  them  I  won't ',  said  Boots  ;  '  but  all  the  same, 
if  I  can  get  leave  to  sleep  one  night  on  the  floor  of  the  Prin- 
cess' bedroom,  close  by  the  door,  I'll  give  her  the  scissors. 
I'll  do  her  no  harm,  but  if  she's  afraid,  she  may  have  two  men 
to  watch  inside  the  room.' 

Yes  I    the  Princess  was  glad  enough  to  give  him  leave,  for 


Tlie  Best  Wish  273 

she  was  ready  to  grant  him  anything  if  she  only  got  the  scis- 
sors. So  Boots  lay  on  the  floor  inside  the  Princess'  bedroom 
that  night,  and  two  men  stood  watch  there  too  ;  but  the  Prin- 
cess didn't  get  much  rest  after  all ;  for  when  she  ought  to 
have  been  asleep,  she  must  open  her  eyes  to  look  at  Boots, 
and  so  it  went  on  the  whole  night.  If  she  shut  her  eyes  for 
a  minute,  she  peeped  out  at  him  again  the  next,  such  a  hand- 
some fellow  he  seemed  to  her  to  be. 

Next  morning  Boots  was  rowed  over  to  the  Beggars'  isle 
again ;  but  when  they  came  with  the  porridge  scrapings  and 
cheese  parings  from  the  palace,  there  was  no  one  who  would 
taste  them  that  day  either,  and  so  those  who  brought  the 
food  were  more  astonished  than  ever.  But  one  of  those  who 
brought  the  food  contrived  to  smell  out  that  the  lad  who 
had  owned  the  scissors  owned  also  a  table-cloth,  which  he 
only  needed  to  spread  out,  and  it  was  covered  with  all  the 
good  things  he  could  wish  for.  So  when  he  got  back  to  the 
palace,  he  wasn't  long  before  he  said  : 

'  Such  hot  joints  and  such  custards  I  never  saw  the  like  of 
in  the  king's  palace.' 

And  when  the  Princess  heard  that,  she  told  it  to  the  king, 
and  begged  and  prayed  so  long,  that  he  was  forced  to  send 
a  messenger  out  to  the  island  to  fetch  the  lad  who  owned 
the  table-cloth  ;  and  so  Boots  came  back  to  the  palace.  The 
Princess  must  and  would  have  the  cloth  of  him,  and  offered 
him  gold  and  green  woods  for  it,  but  Boots  wouldn't  sell  it 
at  any  price. 

*  But  if  I  may  have  leave  to  lie  on  the  bench  by  the  Prin- 
cess' bed-side  to-night,  she  shall  have  the  cloth  ;  but  if  she's 
afraid,  she  is  welcome  to  set  four  men  to  watch  inside  the 
room.* 

Yes  !  the  Princess  agreed  to  this,  so  Boots  lay  down  on 
the  bench  by  the  bed-side,  and  the  four  men  watched  ;  but 
if  the  Princess  hadn't  much  sleep  the  night  before,  she  had 
much  less  this,  for  she  could  scarce  get  a  wink  of  sleep  ;  there 
she  lay  wide  awake  looking  at  the  lovely  lad  the  whole  night 
through,  and  after  all,  the  night  seemed  too  short. 

Next  morning  Boots  was  rowed  off  again  to  the  Beggars' 
island,  though  sorely  against  the  Princess'  will,  so  happy  was 
she  to  be  near  him  ;  but  it  was  past  praying  for  ;  to  the  island 
he  must  go,  and  there  was  an  end  of  it.     But  when  those  who 

T 


274  Tales  from  the  Norse 

brought  the  food  to  the  beggars  came  with  the  porridge  scrap- 
ings and  cheese  parings,  there  wasn't  one  of  them  who  would 
even  look  at  what  the  king  sent,  and  those  who  brought  it 
didn't  wonder  either  ;  though  they  all  thought  it  strange 
that  none  of  them  were  thirsty.  But  just  then,  one  of  the 
king's  guard  smelled  out  that  the  lad  who  had  owned  the  scis- 
sors and  the  table-cloth  had  a  tap  besides,  which,  if  one  only 
turned  it  a  little,  gave  out  the  rarest  drink,  both  ale,  and  mead, 
and  wine.  So  when  he  came  back  to  the  palace,  he  couldn't 
keep  his  mouth  shut  this  time  any  more  than  before  ;  he 
went  about  telling  high  and  low  about  the  tap,  and  how  easy 
it  was  to  draw  all  sorts  of  drink  out  of  it. 

*  And  as  for  that  mead  and  ale,  I've  never  tasted  the  like 
of  them  in  the  king's  palace  ;  honey  and  syrup  are  nothing 
to  them  for  sweetness.' 

So  when  the  Princess  heard  that,  she  was  all  for  getting  the 
tap,  and  was  nothing  loath  to  strike  a  bargain  with  the  owner 
either.  So  she  went  again  to  the  king,  and  begged  him  to 
send  a  messenger  to  the  Beggars'  Isle  after  the  lad  who  had 
owned  the  scissors  and  cloth,  for  now  he  had  another  thing 
worth  having,  she  said  ;  and  when  the  king  heard  it  was  a 
tap,  that  was  good  to  give  the  best  ale  and  wine  any  one  could 
drink,  when  one  gave  it  a  turn,  he  wasn't  long  in  sending  the 
messenger,  I  should  think. 

So  when  Boots  came  up  to  the  palace,  the  Princess  asked 
whether  it  were  true  he  had  a  tap  which  could  do  such  and 
such  things  ?  '  Yes  !  he  had  such  a  tap  in  his  waistcoat 
pocket ',  said  Boots  ;  but  when  the  Princess  wished  with  all 
her  might  to  buy  it.  Boots  said,  as  he  had  said  twice  before, 
he  wouldn't  sell  it,  even  if  the  Princess  bade  half  the  king- 
dom for  it. 

'  But  all  the  same  ',  said  Boots  ;  *  if  I  may  have  leave  to 
sleep  on  the  Princess'  bed  to-night,  outside  the  quilt,  she  shall 
have  my  tap.  I'll  not  do  her  any  harm  ;  but,  if  she's  afraid, 
she  may  set  eight  men  to  watch  in  her  room.* 

'  Oh,  no  !  '  said  the  Princess,  '  there  was  no  need  of  that, 
she  knew  him  now  so  well '  ;  and  so  Boots  lay  outside  the 
Princess'  bed  that  night.  But  if  she  hadn't  slept  much  the 
two  nights  before,  she  had  less  sleep  that  night;  for  she  couldn't 
shut  her  eyes  the  livelong  night,  but  lay  and  looked  at  Boots, 
who  lay  alongside  her  outside  the  c^uilt. 


The  Three  Billy-Goats  Gruff  275 

So,  when  she  got  up  in  the  morning,  and  they  were  going 
to  row  Boots  back  to  the  island,  she  begged  them  to  hold  hard 
a  little  bit ;  and  in  she  ran  to  the  king,  and  begged  him  so 
prettily  to  let  her  have  Boots  for  a  husband,  she  was  so  fond 
of  him,  and,  unless  she  had  him,  she  did  not  care  to  live. 

*  Well,  well !  '  said  the  king,  *  you  shall  have  him  if  you 
must ;   for  he  who  has  such  things  is  just  as  rich  as  you  are.* 

So  Boots  got  the  Princess  and  half  the  kingdom — the  other 
half  he  was  to  have  when  the  king  died  ;  and  so  everything 
went  smooth  and  well ;  but  as  for  his  brothers,  who  had 
always  been  so  bad  to  him,  he  packed  them  off  to  the  Beggars' 
island. 

*  There  *,  said  Boots,  *  perhaps  they  may  find  out  which  is 
best  off,  the  man  who  has  his  pockets  full  of  money,  or  the 
man  whom  all  women  fall  in  love  with.' 

Nor,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  do  I  think  it  would  help  them 
much  to  wander  about  upon  the  Beggars'  island  pulling  pieces 
of  money  out  of  their  pockets  ;  and  so,  if  Boots  hasn't  taken 
them  off  the  island,  there  they  are  still  walking  about  to  this 
very  day,  eating  cheese-parings  and  the  scrapings  of  the 
porridge-pots. 

THE  THREE  BILLY-GOATS  GRUFF 

Once  on  a  time  there  were  three  Billy-goats,  who  were  to 
go  up  to  the  hill-side  to  make  themselves  fat,  and  the  name 
of  all  three  was  '  Gruff '. 

On  the  way  up  was  a  bridge  over  a  burn  they  had  to  cross  ; 
and  under  the  bridge  lived  a  great  ugly  Troll,  with  eyes  as 
big  as  saucers,  and  a  nose  as  long  as  a  poker. 

So  first  of  all  came  the  youngest  billy-goat  Gruff  to  cross 
the  bridge. 

*  Trip,  trap  ;    trip,  trap  !  '  went  the  bridge. 

*  Who's  that  tripping  over  my  bridge  ?  '  roared  the  Troll. 
'Oh  I    it  is  only  I,  the  tiniest  billy-goat  Gruff  ;    and  I'm 

going  up  to  the  hill-side  to  make  myself  fat  *,  said  the  billy- 
goat,  with  such  a  small  voice. 

*  Now,  I'm  coming  to  gobble  you  up  ',  said  the  Troll. 

*  Oh,  no  !  pray  don't  take  me.  I'm  too  little,  that  I  am  ', 
said  the  billy-goat ;  '  wait  a  bit  till  the  second  billy-goat  Gruff 
comes,  he's  much  bigger/ 


276 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


*  Well !    be  off  with  you  '.  said  the  Troll. 

A  little  while  after  came  the  second  billy-goat  Gruff  to 
cross  the  bridge. 

'  Trip,  trap  !    trip,  trap  !    trip,  trap  !  '  went  the  bridge. 

*  WHO'S  THAT  tripping  over  my  bridge  ?  '  roared  the 
Troll. 

*  Oh  !  it's  the  second  billy-goat  Gruff,  and  I'm  going  up 
to  the  hill-side  to  make  myself  fat ',  said  the  billy-goat,  who 
hadn't  such  a  small  voice. 

'  Now,  I'm  coming  to  gobble  you  up  ',  said  the  Troll. 
'  Oh,  no  !   don't  take  me,  wait  a  little  till  the  big  billy-goat 
Gruff  comes,  he's  much  bigger.' 

*  Very  well !    be  off  with  you  *,  said  the  Troll. 
But  just  then  up  came  the  big  billy-goat  Gruff. 
'TRIP,   TRAP!    TRIP,   TRAP  1    TRIP,   TRAP!'    went 

the  bridge,  for  the  billy-goat  was  so  heavy  that  the  bridge 
creaked  and  groaned  under  him. 

'  WHO'S  THAT  tramping  over  my  bridge  ?  *  roared  the 
Troll. 

'IT'S  I!  THE  BIG  BILLY-GOAT  GRUFF',  said  the 
billy-goat,  who  had  an  ugly  hoarse  voice  of  his  own. 

*  Now,  I'm  coming  to  gobble  you  up  ',  roared  the  Troll. 

Well,  come  along  !     I've  got  two  spears, 
And  I'll  poke  your  eyeballs  out  at  your  ears  ; 
I've  got  besides  two  curling-stones, 
And  I'll  crush  you  to  bits,  body  and  bones. 

That  was  what  the  big  billy-goat  said  ;  and  so  he  flew  at 
the  Troll  and  poked  his  eyes  out  with  his  horns,  and  crushed 
him  to  bits,  body  and  bones,  and  tossed  him  out  into  the  burn, 
and  after  that  he  went  up  to  the  hill-side.  There  the  billy- 
goats  got  so  fat  they  were  scarce  able  to  walk  home  again  ; 
and  if  the  fat  hasn't  fallen  off  them,  why  they're  still  fat ;  and 
so : 

Snip,  snap,  snout, 
This  tale's  told  out. 

WELL  DONE  AND  ILL  PAID 
Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  man,  who  had  to  drive  his  sledge 
to  the  wood  for  fuel.     So  a  Bear  met  him. 

'  Out  with  your  horse  ',  said  the  Bear,  'or  I'll  strike  all 
your  sheep  dead  by  summer.' 


Well  Done  and  111  Paid  277 

'  Oh  !  heaven  help  me  then  ',  said  the  man  ;  '  there's  not 
a  stick  of  firewood  in  the  house  ;  you  must  let  me  drive  home 
a  load  of  fuel,  else  we  shall  be  frozen  to  death.  I'll  bring  the 
horse  to  you  to-morrow  morning.' 

Yes  1  on  those  terms  he  might  drive  the  wood  home,  that 
was  a  bargain  ;  but  Bruin  said,  '  if  he  didn't  come  back,  he 
should  lose  all  his  sheep  by  summer  *. 

So  the  man  got  the  wood  on  the  sledge  and  rattled  home- 
wards, but  he  wasn't  over  pleased  at  the  bargain  you  may 
fancy.     So  just  then  a  Fox  met  him. 

'  Why,  what's  the  matter  ?  '  said  the  Fox  ;  '  why  are  you 
so  down  in  the  mouth  ?  ' 

*  Oh,  if  you  want  to  know  ',  said  the  man  ;  *  I  met  a  Bear 
up  yonder  in  the  wood,  and  I  had  to  give  my  word  to  him  to 
bring  Dobbin  back  to-morrow,  at  this  very  hour  ;  for  if  he 
didn't  get  him,  he  said  he  would  tear  all  my  sheep  to  death  by 
summer.' 

*  Stu£f,  nothing  worse  than  that ',  said  the  Fox  ;  *  if  you'll 
give  me  your  fattest  wether,  I'll  soon  set  you  free  ;  see  if  I 
don't.' 

Yes  I  the  man  gave  his  word,  and  swore  he  would  keep  it 
too. 

'  Well,  when  you  come  with  Dobbin  to-morrow  for  the 
bear  ',  said  the  Fox,  '  I'll  make  a  clatter  up  in  that  heap  of 
stones  yonder,  and  so  when  the  bear  asks  what  that  noise 
is,  you  must  say  'tis  Peter  the  Marksman,  who  is  the  best 
shot  in  the  world  ;   and  after  that  you  must  help  yourself.' 

Next  day  off  set  the  man,  and  when  he  met  the  Bear,  some- 
thing began  to  make  a  clatter  up  in  the  heap  of    stones. 

*  Hist !    what's  that  ?  '  said  the  Bear. 

'  Oh  1  that's  Peter  the  Marksman,  to  be  sure  ',  said  the 
man  ;  *  he's  the  best  shot  in  the  world.  I  know  him  by  his 
voice.' 

*  Have  you  seen  any  bears  about  here,  Eric  ?  '  shouted  out 
a  voice  in  the  wood. 

'  Say,  no  1  '  said  the  Bear. 

*  No,  I  haven't  seen  any  *,  said  Eric. 

'  What's  that  then,  that  stands  alongside  your  sledge  ?  * 
bawled  out  the  voice  in  the  wood. 

*  Say  it's  an  old  fir-stump  ',  said  the  Bear. 

'  Oh,  it's  only  an  old  fir-stump  ',  said  the  man. 


278  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  Such  fir-stumps  we  take  in  our  country  and  roll  them 
on  our  sledges  ',  bawled  out  the  voice  ;  '  if  you  can't  do  it 
yourself,  I'll  come  and  help  you.' 

*  Say  you  can  help  yourself,  and  roll  me  up  on  the  sledge  ', 
said  the  Bear. 

'  No,  thank  ye,  I  can  help  myself  well  enough  ',  said  the 
man,  and  rolled  the  Bear  on  to  the  sledge. 

*  Such  fir-stumps  we  always  bind  fast  on  our  sledges  in 
our  part  of  the  world  ',  bawled  out  the  voice  ;  '  shall  I  come 
and  help  you  ?  ' 

*  Say  you  can  help  yourself,  and  bind  me  fast,  do  ',  said  the 
Bear. 

*  No,  thanks,  I  can  help  myself  well  enough  ',  said  the  man, 
who  set  to  binding  Bruin  fast  with  all  the  ropes  he  had,  so 
that  at  last  the  bear  couldn't  stir  a  paw. 

'  Such  fir-stumps  we  always  drive  our  axes  into,  in  our  part 
of  the  world  ',  bawled  out  the  voice  ;  *  for  then  we  guide 
them  better  going  down  the  steep  pitches.' 

'  Pretend  to  drive  your  axe  into  me,  do  now  *,  said  the  bear. 

Then  the  man  took  up  his  axe,  and  at  one  blow  split  the 
bear's  skull,  so  that  Bruin  lay  dead  in  a  trice,  and  so  the  man 
and  the  Fox  were  great  friends,  and  on  the  best  terms.  But 
when  they  came  near  the  farm,  the  Fox  said  : 

*  I've  no  mind  to  go  right  home  with  you,  for  I  can't  say 
I  like  your  tykes  ;  so  I'll  just  wait  here,  and  you  can  bring 
the  wether  to  me,  but  mind  and  pick  out  one  nice  and  fat.' 

Yes  !  the  man  would  be  sure  to  do  that,  and  thanked  the 
Fox  much  for  his  help.  So  when  he  had  put  up  Dobbin,  he 
went  across  to  the  sheep-stall. 

*  Whither  away,  now  ?  '  asked  his  old  dame. 

*  Oh  1 '  said  the  man,  'I'm  only  going  to  the  sheep-stall  to  fetch 
a  fat  wether  for  that  cunning  Fox,  who  set  our  Dobbin  free. 
I  gave  him  my  word  I  would.' 

*  Wether,  indeed  ',  said  the  old  dame  ;  *  never  a  one  shall 
that  thief  of  a  Fox  get.  Haven't  we  got  Dobbin  safe,  and 
the  bear  into  the  bargain  ;  and  as  for  the  Fox,  I'll  be  bound 
he's  stolen  more  of  our  geese  than  the  wether  is  worth  ;  and 
even  if  he  hasn't  stolen  them,  he  will.  No,  no  ;  take  a  brace 
of  your  swiftest  hounds  in  a  sack,  and  slip  them  loose  after 
him  ;  and  then,  perhaps,  we  shall  be  rid  of  this  robbing  Rey- 
nard/ 


i 


The  Husband  who  was  to  mind  the  House    279 

Well,  the  man  thought  that  good  advice  ;  so  he  took  two 
fleet  red  hounds,  put  them  into  a  sack,  and  set  off  with  them. 

*  Have  you  brought  the  wether  ?  '  said  the  Fox. 

*  Yes,  come  and  take  it ',  said  the  man,  as  he  untied  the 
sack  and  let  slip  the  hounds. 

'  HUF  ',  said  the  Fox,  and  gave  a  great  spring  ;  *  true  it 
is  what  the  old  saw  says,  "  Well  done  is  often  ill  paid  "  ;  and 
now,  too,  I  see  the  truth  of  another  saying,  **  The  worst  foes 
are  those  of  one's  own  house."  '  That  was  what  the  Fox 
said  as  he  ran  off,  and  saw  the  red  foxy  hounds  at  his  heels. 


THE    HUSBAND   WHO   WAS  TO   MIND   THE   HOUSE 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  man,  so  surly  and  cross,  he  never 
thought  his  wife  did  anything  right  in  the  house.  So,  one 
evening,  in  hay-making  time,  he  came  home,  scolding  and 
swearing,  and  showing  his  teeth  and  making  a  dust. 

*  Dear  love,  don't  be  so  angry  ;  there's  a  good  man  ',  said 
his  goody  ;  '  to-morrow  let's  change  our  work.  I'll  go  out 
with  the  mowers  and  mow,  and  you  shall  mind  the  house  at 
home.' 

Yes  !  the  husband  thought  that  would  do  very  well.  He 
was  quite  willing,  he  said. 

So,  early  next  morning,  his  goody  took  a  scythe  over  her 
neck,  and  went  out  into  the  hay-J&eld  with  the  mowers,  and 
began  to  mow  ;  but  the  man  was  to  mind  the  house,  and 
do  the  work  at  home. 

First  of  all,  he  wanted  to  churn  the  butter  ;  but  when 
he  had  churned  a  while,  he  got  thirsty,  and  went  down  to 
the  cellar  to  tap  a  barrel  of  ale.  So,  just  when  he  had  knocked 
in  the  bung,  and  was  putting  the  tap  into  the  cask,  he  heard 
overhead  the  pig  come  into  the  kitchen.  Then  off  he  ran  up 
the  cellar  steps,  with  the  tap  in  his  hand,  as  fast  as  he  could, 
to  look  after  the  pig,  lest  it  should  upset  the  churn  ;  but  when 
he  got  up,  and  saw  the  pig  had  already  knocked  the  churn 
over,  and  stood  there,  routing  and  grunting  amongst  the  cream 
which  was  running  all  over  the  floor,  he  got  so  wild  with  rage 
that  he  quite  forgot  the  ale-barrel,  and  ran  at  the  pig  as  hard 
as  he  could.  He  caught  it,  too,  just  as  it  ran  out  of  doors, 
and  gave  it  such  a  kick,  that  piggy  lay  for  dead  on  the  spot. 


28o  Tales  from  the  Norse 

Then  all  at  once  he  remembered  he  had  the  tap  in  his  hand  ; 
but  when  he  got  down  to  the  cellar,  every  drop  of  ale  had 
run  out  of  the  cask. 

Then  he  went  into  the  dairy  and  found  enough  cream  left 
to  fill  the  churn  again,  and  so  he  began  to  churn,  for  butter  they 
must  have  at  dinner.  When  he  had  churned  a  bit,  he  remem- 
bered that  their  milking  cow  was  still  shut  up  in  the  byre, 
and  hadn't  had  a  bit  to  eat  or  a  drop  to  drink  all  the  morning, 
though  the  sun  was  high.  Then  all  at  once  he  thought  'twas 
too  far  to  take  her  down  to  the  meadow,  so  he'd  just  get  her 
up  on  the  house  top — for  the  house,  you  must  know,  was 
thatched  with  sods,  and  a  fine  crop  of  grass  was  growing  there. 
Now  their  house  lay  close  up  against  a  steep  down,  and  he 
thought  if  he  laid  a  plank  across  to  the  thatch  at  the  back 
he'd  easily  get  the  cow  up. 

But  still  he  couldn't  leave  the  churn,  for  there  was  his 
little  babe  crawling  about  on  the  floor,  and  *  if  I  leave  it ', 
he  thought,  '  the  child  is  safe  to  upset  it '.  So  he  took  the 
churn  on  his  back,  and  went  out  with  it ;  but  then  he  thought 
he'd  better  first  water  the  cow  before  he  turned  her  out  on 
the  thatch  ;  so  he  took  up  a  bucket  to  draw  water  out  of  the 
well ;  but,  as  he  stooped  down  at  the  well's  brink,  all  the 
cream  ran  out  of  the  churn  over  his  shoulders,  and  so  down 
into  the  well. 

Now  it  was  near  dinner-time,  and  he  hadn't  even  got  the 
butter  yet ;  so  he  thought  he'd  best  boil  the  porridge,  and 
filled  the  pot  with  water,  and  hung  it  over  the  fire.  When  he 
had  done  that,  he  thought  the  cow  might  perhaps  fall  off 
the  thatch  and  break  her  legs  or  her  neck.  So  he  got  up  on 
the  house  to  tie  her  up.  One  end  of  the  rope  he  made  fast 
to  the  cow's  neck  and  the  other  he  slipped  down  the  chimney  and 
tied  round  his  own  thigh  ;  and  he  had  to  make  haste,  for 
the  water  now  began  to  boil  in  the  pot,  and  he  had  still  to 
grind  the  oatmeal. 

So  he  began  to  grind  away  ;  but  while  he  was  hard  at  it, 
down  fell  the  cow  ofi  the  house-top  after  all,  and  as  she  fell, 
she  dragged  the  man  up  the  chimney  by  the  rope.  There  he 
stuck  fast ;  and  as  for  the  cow,  she  hung  half-way  down  the 
wall,  swinging  between  heaven  and  earth,  for  she  could  neither 
get  down  nor  up. 

And  now  the  goody  had  waited  seven  lengths  and  seven 


Dapplegrim  281 

breadths  for  her  husband  to  come  and  call  them  home  to 
dinner  ;  but  never  a  call  they  had.  At  last  she  thought 
she'd  waited  long  enough,  and  went  home.  But  when  she 
got  there  and  saw  the  cow  hanging  in  such  an  ugly  place,  she 
ran  up  and  cut  the  rope  in  two  with  her  scythe.  But  as 
she  did  this,  down  came  her  husband  out  of  the  chimney  ; 
and  so  when  his  old  dame  came  inside  the  kitchen,  there  she 
found  him  standing  on  his  head  in  the  porridge  pot. 


DAPPLEGRIM 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  rich  couple  who  had  twelve  sons  ; 
but  the  youngest  when  he  was  grown  up,  said  he  wouldn't 
stay  any  longer  at  home,  but  be  off  into  the  world  to  try  his 
luck.  His  father  and  mother  said  he  did  very  well  at  home, 
and  had  better  stay  where  he  was.  But  no,  he  couldn't 
rest ;  away  he  must  and  would  go.  So  at  last  they  gave  him 
leave.  And  when  he  had  walked  a  good  bit,  he  came  to  a 
king's  palace,  where  he  asked  for  a  place,  and  got  it. 

Now  the  daughter  of  the  king  of  that  land  had  been  carried 
off  into  the  hill  by  a  Troll,  and  the  king  had  no  other  children  ; 
so  he  and  all  his  land  were  in  great  grief  and  sorrow,  and  the 
king  gave  his  word  that  any  one  who  could  set  her  free  should 
have  the  Princess  and  half  the  kingdom.  But  there  was  no 
one  who  could  do  it,  though  many  tried. 

So  when  the  lad  had  been  there  a  year  or  so,  he  longed  to 
go  home  again  and  see  his  father  and  mother,  and  back  he  went, 
but  when  he  got  home  his  father  and  mother  were  dead, 
and  his  brothers  had  shared  all  that  the  old  people  owned 
between  them,  and  so  there  was  nothing  left  for  the  lad. 

*  Shan't  I  have  anything  at  all,  then,  out  of  father's  and 
mother's  goods  ?  '  said  the  lad. 

*  Who  could  tell  you  were  still  alive,  when  you  went  gadding 
and  wandering  about  so  long  ?  '  said  his  brothers.  *  But 
all  the  same  ;  there  are  twelve  mares  up  on  the  hill  which 
we  haven't  yet  shared  among  us  ;  if  you  choose  to  take  them 
for  your  share,  you're  quite  welcome.' 

Yes  !  the  lad  was  quite  content ;  so  he  thanked  his  brothers, 
and  went  at  once  up  on  the  hill,  where  the  twelve  mares  were 
out  at  grass.     And  when  he  got  up  there  and  found  them. 


282  Tales  from  the  Norse 

each  of  them  had  a  foal  at  her  side,  and  one  of  them  had 
besides,  along  with  her,  a  big  dapple-gray  foal,  which  was 
so  sleek  that  the  sun  shone  from  its  coat. 

*  A  fine  fellow  you  are,  my  little  foal ',  said  the  lad. 

'  Yes  ',  said  the  foal ;  '  but  if  you'll  only  kill  all  the  other 
foals,  so  that  I  may  run  and  suck  all  the  mares  one  year  more, 
you'll  see  how  big  and  sleek  I'll  be  then.' 

Yes  1  the  lad  was  ready  to  do  that ;  so  he  killed  all  those 
twelve  foals,  and  went  home  again. 

So  when  he  came  back  the  next  year  to  look  after  his  foal 
and  mares,  the  foal  was  so  fat  and  sleek,  that  the  sun  shone 
from  its  coat,  and  it  had  grown  so  big,  the  lad  had  hard  work 
to  mount  it.  As  for  the  mares,  they  had  each  of  them  another 
foal. 

*  Well,  it's  quite  plain  I  lost  nothing  by  letting  you  suck  all 
my  twelve  mares  ',  said  the  lad  to  the  yearling,  *  but  now 
you're  big  enough  to  come  along  with  me.' 

*  No  ',  said  the  colt,  '  I  must  bide  here  a  year  longer  ;  and 
now  kill  all  the  twelve  foals,  that  I  may  suck  all  the  mares  this 
year  too,  and  you'll  see  how  big  and  sleek  I'll  be  by  summer.' 

Yes  !  the  lad  did  that ;  and  next  year  when  he  went  up 
on  the  hill  to  look  after  his  colt  and  the  mares,  each  mare  had 
her  foal,  but  the  dapple  colt  was  so  tall  the  lad  couldn't  reach 
up  to  his  crest  when  he  wanted  to  feel  how  fat  he  was  ;  and 
so  sleek  he  was  too,  that  his  coat  glistened  in  the  sunshine. 

*  Big  and  beautiful  you  were  last  year,  my  colt ',  said  the 
lad,  '  but  this  year  you're  far  grander.  There's  no  such  horse 
in  the  king's  stable.     But  now  you  must  come  along  with  me.* 

'  No  ',  said  Dapple  again,  *  I  must  stay  here  one  year  more. 
Kill  the  twelve  foals  as  before,  that  I  may  suck  the  mares  the 
whole  year,  and  then  just  come  and  look  at  me  when  the 
summer  comes.' 

Yes  !  the  lad  did  that ;  he  killed  the  foals,  and  went  away 
home. 

But  when  he  went  up  next  year  to  look  after  Dapple  and 
the  mares,  he  was  quite  astonished.  So  tall,  and  stout,  and 
sturdy,  he  never  thought  a  horse  could  be  ;  for  Dapple  had 
to  lie  down  on  all  fours  before  the  lad  could  bestride  him, 
and  it  was  hard  work  to  get  up  even  then,  although  he  lay 
fiat ;  and  his  coat  was  so  smooth  and  sleek,  the  sunbeams 
shone  from  it  as  from  a  looking-glass. 


Dapplegrim  283 

This  time  Dapple  was  willing  enough  to  follow  the  lad, 
so  he  jumped  up  on  his  back,  and  when  he  came  riding  home 
to  his  brothers,  they  all  clapped  their  hands  and  crossed  them- 
selves, for  such  a  horse  they  had  never  heard  of  nor  seen  before. 
*  If  you  will  only  get  me  the  best  shoes  you  can  for  my  horse, 
and  the  grandest  saddle  and  bridle  that  are  to  be  found  ',  said 
the  lad,  '  you  may  have  my  twelve  mares  that  graze  up  on 
the  hill  yonder,  and  their  twelve  foals  into  the  bargain.'  For 
you  must  know  that  this  year  too  every  mare  had  her  foal. 

Yes,  his  brothers  were  ready  to  do  that,  and  so  the  lad  got 
such  strong  shoes  under  -his  horse,  that  the  stones  flew  high 
aloft  as  he  rode  away  across  the  hills  ;  and  he  had  a  golden 
saddle  and  a  golden  bridle,  which  gleamed  and  glistened  a 
long  way  off. 

*  Now  we're  off  to  the  king's  palace  ',  said  Dapplegrim — that 
was  his  name  ;  '  but  mind  you  ask  the  king  for  a  good  stable 
and  good  fodder  for  me.' 

Yes  !  the  lad  said  he  would  mind  ;  he'd  be  sure  not  to  for- 
get ;  and  when  he  rode  off  from  his  brothers'  house,  you  may 
be  sure  it  wasn't  long,  with  such  a  horse  under  him,  before 
he  got  to  the  king's  palace. 

When  he  came  there  the  king  was  standing  on  the  steps, 
and  stared  and  stared  at  the  man  who  came  riding  along. 

'  Nay,  nay  !  '  said  he,  *  such  a  man  and  such  a  horse  I  never 
yet  saw  in  all  my  life.' 

But  when  the  lad  asked  if  he  could  get  a  place  in  the  king's 
household,  the  king  was  so  glad  he  was  ready  to  jump  and 
dance  as  he  stood  on  the  steps. 

Well,  they  said,  perhaps  he  might  get  a  place  there. 

*  Aye  ',  said  the  lad,*  but  I  must  have  good  stable-room  for  my 
horse,  and  fodder  that  one  can  trust.' 

Yes  !  he  should  have  meadow-hay  and  oats,  as  much  as 
Dapple  could  cram,  and  all  the  other  knights  had  to  lead 
their  horses  out  of  the  stable  that  Dapplegrim  might 
stand  alone,  and  have  it  all  to  himself. 

But  it  wasn't  long  before  all  the  others  in  the  king's  house- 
hold began  to  be  jealous  of  the  lad,  and  there  was  no  end  to 
the  bad  things  they  would  have  done  to  him,  if  they  had  only 
dared.  At  last  they  thought  of  telling  the  king  he  had  said 
he  was  man  enough  to  set  the  king's  daughter  free — whom 
the  Troll  had  long  since  carried  away  into  the  hill — if    he 


284  Tales  from  the  Norse 

only  chose.  The  king  called  the  lad  before  him,  and  said 
he  had  heard  the  lad  said  he  was  good  to  do  so  and  so  ;  so 
now  he  must  go  and  do  it.  If  he  did  it,  he  knew  how  the 
king  had  promised  his  daughter  and  half  the  kingdom,  and 
that  promise  would  be  faithfully  kept ;  if  he  didn't,  he  should 
be  killed. 

The  lad  kept  on  saying  he  never  said  any  such  thing  ;  but 
it  was  no  good — the  king  wouldn't  even  listen  to  him  ;  and 
so  the  end  of  it  was  he  was  forced  to  say  he'd  go  and  try. 

So  he  went  into  the  stable,  down  in  the  mouth  and  heavy- 
hearted,  and  then  Dapplegrim  asked  him  at  once  why  he  was 
in  such  dumps. 

Then  the  lad  told  him  all,  and  how  he  couldn't  tell  which 
way  to  turn  : 

'  For  as  for  setting  the  Princess  free,  that's  downright 
stuff.' 

'  Oh  !  but  it  might  be  done,  perhaps  ',  said  Dapplegrim. 
'  I'll  help  you  through  ;  but  you  must  first  have  me  well 
shod.  You  must  go  and  ask  for  ten  pound  of  iron  and  twelve 
pound  of  steel  for  the  shoes,  and  one  smith  to  hammer  and 
another  to  hold.' 

Yes,  the  lad  did  that  ,  and  got  for  answer  '  Yes  !  '  He  got 
both  the  iron  and  the  steel,  and  the  smiths,  and  so  Dapple- 
grim was  shod  both  strong  and  well,  and  off  went  the  lad 
from  the  court-yard  in  a  cloud  of  dust. 

But  when  he  came  to  the  hill  into  which  the  Princess  had 
been  carried,  the  pinch  was  how  to  get  up  the  steep  wall  of 
rock  where  the  Troll's  cave  was,  in  which  the  Princess  had 
been  hid.  For  you  must  know  the  hill  stood  straight  up  and 
down  right  on  end,  as  upright  as  a  house-wall,  and  as  smooth 
as  a  sheet  of  glass. 

The  first  time  the  lad  went  at  it  he  got  a  little  way  up  ;  but 
then  Dapple's  fore-legs  slipped,  and  down  they  went  again, 
with  a  sound  like  thunder  on  the  hill. 

The  second  time  he  rode  at  it  he  got  some  way  further 
up  ;  but  then  one  fore-leg  slipped,  and  down  they  went  with 
a  crash  like  a  landslip. 

But  the  third  time  Dapple  said  : 

'  Now  we  must  show  our  mettle  '  ;  and  went  at  it  again  till 
the  stones  flew  heaven-high  about  them,  and  so  they  got  up. 

Then  the  lad  rode  right  into  the  cave  at  full  speed,  and 


Dapplegrim  285 

caught  up  the  Princess,  and  threw  her  over  his  saddle-bow 
and  out  and  down  again  before  the  Troll  had  time  even  to 
get  on  his  legs  ;    and  so  the  Princess  was  freed. 

When  the  lad  came  back  to  the  palace,  the  king  was  both  happy 
and  glad  to  get  his  daughter  back  ;  that  you  may  well  believe  ; 
but  somehow  or  other,  though  I  don't  know  how,  the  others 
about  the  court  had  so  brought  it  about  that  the  king  was 
angry  with  the  lad  after  all. 

*  Thanks  you  shall  have  for  freeing  my  Princess  ',  said  he 
to  the  lad,  when  he  brought  the  Princess  into  the  hall,  and 
made  his  bow. 

*  She  ought  to  be  mine  as  well  as  yours  ;  for  you're  a  word- 
fast  man,  I  hope  ',  said  the  lad. 

*  Aye,  aye  1  '  said  the  king,  '  have  her  you  shall,  since  I 
said  it ;  but  first  of  all,  you  must  make  the  sun  shine  into 
my  palace  hall.' 

Now,  you  must  know  there  was  a  high  steep  ridge  of  rock 
close  outside  the  windows,  which  threw  such  a  shade  over 
the  hall  that  never  a  sunbeam  shone  into  it. 

'  That  wasn't  in  our  bargain  ',  answered  the  lad  ;  '  but 
I  see  this  is  past  praying  against ;  I  must  e'en  go  and  try  my 
luck,  for  the  Princess  I  must  and  will  have.' 

So  down  he  went  to  Dapple,  and  told  him  what  the  king 
wanted,  and  Dapplegrim  thought  it  might  easily  be  done, 
but  first  of  all  he  must  be  new  shod  ;  and  for  that  ten  pound 
of  iron,  and  twelve  pound  of  steel  besides,  were  needed,  and 
two  smiths,  one  to  hammer  and  the  other  to  hold,  and 
then  they'd  soon  get  the  sun  to  shine  into  the  palace 
hall. 

So  when  the  lad  asked  for  all  these  things,  he  got  them  at  once 
— the  king  couldn't  say  nay  for  very  shame  ;  and  so  Dapple- 
grim got  new  shoes,  and  such  shoes  !  Then  the  lad  jumped 
upon  his  back,  and  off  they  went  again ;  and  for  every 
leap  that  Dapplegrim  gave,  down  sank  the  ridge  fifteen  ells 
into  the  earth,  and  so  they  went  on  till  there  was  nothing  left 
of  the  ridge  for  the  king  to  see. 

When  the  lad  got  back  to  the  king's  palace,  he  asked  the 
king  if  the  Princess  were  not  his  now  ;  for  now  no  one  could 
say  that  the  sun  didn't  shine  into  the  hall.  But  then  the 
others  set  the  king's  back  up  again,  and  he  answered  the  lad 
sjiould  have  her  of  course,  he  had  never  thought  of  anything 


286  Tales  from  the  Norse 

else  ;  but  first  of  all  he  must  get  as  grand  a  horse  for  the  bride 
to  ride  on  to  church  as  the  bridegroom  had  himself. 

The  lad  said  the  king  hadn't  spoken  a  word  about  this 
before,  and  that  he  thought  he  had  now  fairly  earned  the 
Princess  ;  but  the  king  held  to  his  own  ;  and  more,  if  the 
lad  couldn't  do  that  he  should  lose  his  life  ;  that  was  what 
the  king  said.  So  the  lad  went  down  to  the  stable  in  doleful 
dumps,  as  you  may  well  fancy,  and  there  he  told  Dapplegrim 
all  about  it ;  how  the  king  had  laid  that  task  on  him,  to 
find  the  bride  as  good  a  horse  as  the  bridegroom  had  himself, 
else  he  would  lose  his  life. 

*  But  that's  not  so  easy  ',  he  said,  *  for  your  matcn  isn't  to 
be  found  in  the  wide  world.* 

*  Oh  yes,  I  have  a  match  ',  said  Dapplegrim  ;  *  but  'tisn't 
so  easy  to  find  him,  for  he  abides  in  Hell.  Still  we'll  try. 
And  now  you  must  go  up  to  the  king  and  ask  for  new  shoes 
for  me,  ten  pound  of  iron,  and  twelve  pound  of  steel ;  and 
two  smiths,  one  to  hammer  and  one  to  hold  ;  and  mind  you 
see  that  the  points  and  ends  of  these  shoes  are  sharp  ;  and 
twelve  sacks  of  rye,  and  twelve  sacks  of  barley,  and  twelve 
slaughtered  oxen,  we  must  have  with  us  ;  and  mind,  we 
must  have  the  twelve  ox-hides,  with  twelve  hundred  spikes 
driven  into  each ;  and,  let  me  see,  a  big  tar-barrel — that's 
all  we  want.* 

So  the  lad  went  up  to  the  king  and  asked  for  all  that  Dapple- 
grim had  said,  and  the  king  again  thought  he  couldn't  say  nay, 
for  shame's  sake,  and  so  the  lad  got  all  he  wanted. 

Well,  he  jumped  up  on  Dapplegrim's  back,  and  rode  away 
from  the  palace,  and  when  he  had  ridden  far  far  over  hill 
and  heath.  Dapple  asked  : 

*  Do  you  hear  anything  ?  * 

*  Yes,  I  hear  an  awful  hissing  and  rustling  up  in  the  air  *, 
said  the  lad  ;    '  I  think  I'm  getting  afraid.' 

*  That's  all  the  wild  birds  that  fly  through  the  wood.  They 
are  sent  to  stop  us  ;  but  just  cut  a  hole  in  the  corn-sacks, 
and  then  they'll  have  so  much  to  do  with  the  corn,  they'll 
forget  us  quite.' 

Yes  !  the  lad  did  that ;  he  cut  holes  in  the  corn-sacks, 
so  that  the  rye  and  barley  ran  out  on  all  sides.  Then  all 
the  wild  birds  that  were  in  the  wood  came  flying  round  them 
so  thick  that  the  sunbeams  grew  dark  ;   but  as  soon  as  they 


Dapplegrim  287 

saw  the  corn,  they  couldn't  keep  to  their  purpose,  but  flew 
down  and  began  to  pick  and  scratch  at  the  rye  and  barley, 
and  after  that  they  began  to  fight  among  themselves.  As 
for  Dapplegrim  and  the  lad,  they  forgot  all  about  them,  and 
did  them  no  harm. 

So  the  lad  rode  on  and  on — far  far  over  mountain  and  dale, 
over  sand-hills  and  moor.  Then  Dapplegrim  began  to  prick 
up  his  ears  again,  and  at  last  he  asked  the  lad  if  he  heard  any- 
thing ? 

*  Yes  !  now  I  hear  such  an  ugly  roaring  and  howHng  in 
the  wood  all  round,  it  makes  me  quite  afraid.' 

*  Ah  !  '  said  Dapplegrim,  '  that's  all  the  wild  beasts  that 
range  through  the  wood,  and  they're  sent  out  to  stop  us. 
But  just  cast  out  the  twelve  carcasses  of  the  oxen,  that  will 
give  them  enough  to  do,  and  so  they'll  forget  us  out- 
right.' 

Yes  !  the  lad  cast  out  the  carcasses,  and  then  all  the  wild 
beasts  in  the  wood,  both  bears,  and  wolves,  and  lions — all  fell 
beasts  of  all  kinds — came  after  them.  But  when  they  saw 
the  carcasses,  they  began  to  fight  for  them  among  themselves 
till  blood  flowed  in  streams  ;  but  Dapplegrim  and  the  lad  they 
quite  forgot. 

So  the  lad  rode  far  away,  and  they  changed  the  landscape 
many  many  times,  for  Dapplegrim  didn't  let  the  grass  grow 
under  him,  as  you  may  fancy.  At  last  Dapple  gave  a  great 
neigh. 

*  Do  you  hear  anything  ?  '  he  said. 

*  Yes,  I  hear  something  like  a  colt  neighing  loud,  a  long 
long  way  off  ',  answered  the  lad. 

*  That's  a  full-grown  colt  then  ',  said  Dapplegrim,  *  if  we 
hear  him  neigh  so  loud  such  a  long  way  off.* 

After  that  they  travelled  a  good  bit,  changing  the  landscape 
once  or  twice,  maybe.     Then  Dapplegrim  gave  another  neigh. 

*  Now  listen,  and  tell  me  if  you  hear  anything  ',  he  said. 

*  Yes,  now  I  hear  a  neigh  like  a  full-grown  horse  ',  answered 
the  lad. 

'  Aye  !  aye  !  '  said  Dapplegrim,  '  you'll  hear  him  once  again 
soon,  and  then  you'll  hear  he's  got  a  voice  of  his  own.' 

So  they  travelled  on  and  on,  and  changed  the  landscape 
once  or  twice,  perhaps,  and  then  Dapplegrim  neighed  the 
third  time  ;   but  before  he  could  ask  the  lad  if  he  heard  any- 


288  Tales  from  the  Norse 

thing,  something  gave  such  a  neigh  across  the  heathy  hill-side, 
the  lad  thought  hill  and  rock  would  surely  be  rent  asunder. 

'  Now,  he's  here  I  '  said  Dapplegrim  ;  '  make  haste,  now, 
and  throw  the  ox  hides,  with  the  spikes  in  them,  over  me, 
and  throw  down  the  tar-barrel  on  the  plain  ;  then  climb  up  into 
that  great  spruce-fir  yonder.  When  it  comes  fire  will  flash  out  of 
both  nostrils,  and  then  the  tar-barrel  will  catch  fire.  Now, 
mind  what  I  say.  If  the  flame  rises,  I  win  ;  if  it  falls,  I  lose  ; 
but  if  you  see  me  winning  take  and  cast  the  bridle — ^you 
must  take  it  ofE  me — over  its  head,  and  then  it  will  be  tame 
enough.' 

So  just  as  the  lad  had  done  throwing  the  ox  hides,  with 
the  spikes,  over  Dapplegrim,  and  had  cast  down  the  tar-barrel 
on  the  plain,  and  had  got  well  up  into  the  spruce-fir,  up 
galloped  a  horse,  with  fire  flashing  out  of  his  nostrils,  and 
the  flame  caught  the  tar-barrel  at  once.  Then  Dapplegrim 
and  the  strange  horse  began  to  fight  till  the  stones  flew  heaven 
high.  They  fought  and  bit,  and  kicked,  both  with  fore-feet 
and  hind-feet,  and  sometimes  the  lad  could  see  them,  and 
sometimes  he  couldn't ;  but  at  last  the  flame  began  to  rise  ; 
for  wherever  the  strange  horse  kicked  or  bit,  he  met  the  spiked 
hides,  and  at  last  he  had  to  yield.  When  the  lad  saw  that,  he 
wasn't  long  in  getting  down  from  the  tree,  and  in  throwing 
the  bridle  over  its  head,  and  then  it  was  so  tame  you  could 
hold  it  with  a  pack-thread. 

And  what  do  you  think  ?  that  horse  was  dappled  too,  and 
so  like  Dapplegrim,  you  couldn't  tell  which  was  which.  Then 
the  lad  bestrode  the  new  Dapple  he  had  broken,  and  rode 
home  to  the  palace,  and  old  Dapplegrim  ran  loose  by  his 
side.  So  when  he  got  home,  there  stood  the  king  out  in  the 
yard. 

*  Can  you  tell  me  now  ',  said  the  lad,  *  which  is  the  horse  I 
have  caught  and  broken,  and  which  is  the  one  I  had  before. 
If  you  can't,  I  think  your  daughter  is  fairly  mine.' 

Then  the  king  went  and  looked  at  both  Dapples,  high  and 
low,  before  and  behind,  but  there  wasn't  a  hair  on  one  which 
wasn't  on  the  other  as  well.  *  No  ',  said  the  king,  *  that  I 
can't ;  and  since  you've  got  my  daughter  such  a  grand  horse 
for  her  wedding,  you  shall  have  her  with  all  my  heart.  But 
still,  we'll  have  one  trial  more,  just  to  see  whether  you're 
fated  to  have  her.     First,  she  shall  hide  herself  twice,  and 


Dapplegrim  289 

then  you  shall  hide  yourself  twice.  If  you  can  find  out  her 
hiding-place,  and  she  can't  find  out  yours,  why  then  you're 
fated  to  have  her,  and  so  you  shall  have  her.' 

'  That's  not  in  the  bargain  either  ',  said  the  lad  ;  '  but  we 
must  just  try,  since  it  must  be  so  '  ;  and  so  the  Princess  went 
off  to  hide  herself  first. 

So  she  turned  herself  into  a  duck,  and  lay  swimming  on  a 
pond  that  was  close  to  the  palace.  But  the  lad  only  ran  down 
to  the  stable,  and  asked  Dapplegrim  what  she  had  done  with 
herself. 

*  Oh,  you  only  need  to  take  your  gun ',  said  Dapplegrim, 
'  and  go  down  to  the  brink  of  the  pond,  and  aim  at  the  duck 
which  lies  swimming  about  there,  and  she'll  soon  show  her- 
self.' 

So  the  lad  snatched  up  his  gun  and  ran  off  to  the  pond. 
'  I'll  just  take  a  pop  at  this  duck ',  he  said,  and  began  to  aim 
at  it. 

*  Nay,  nay,  dear  friend,  don't  shoot.  It's  I  ',  said  the 
Princess. 

So  he  had  found  her  once. 

The  second  time  the  Princess  turned  herself  into  a  loaf  of 
bread,  and  laid  herself  on  the  table  among  four  other  loaves  ; 
and  so  like  was  she  to  the  others,  no  one  could  say  which  was 
which. 

But  the  lad  went  again  down  to  the  stable  to  Dapplegrim, 
and  said  how  the  Princess  had  hidden  herself  again,  and  he 
couldn't  tell  at  all  what  had  become  of  her. 

*  Oh,  just  take  and  sharpen  a  good  bread-knife  ',  said  Dapple- 
grim, '  and  do  as  if  you  were  going  to  cut  in  two  the  third 
loaf  on  the  left  hand  of  those  four  loaves  which  are  lying  on 
the  dresser  in  the  king's  kitchen,  and  you'll  find  her  soon 
enough.' 

Yes  I  the  lad  was  down  in  the  kitchen  in  no  time,  and  began 
to  sharpen  the  biggest  bread-knife  he  could  lay  hands  on  ; 
then  he  caught  hold  of  the  third  loaf  on  the  left  hand,  and 
put  the  knife  to  it,  as  though  he  was  going  to  cut  it  in  two. 

'  I'll  just  have  a  slice  off  this  loaf  ',  he  said. 

*  Nay,  dear  friend  ',  said  the  Princess,  '  don't  cut.     It's  I.' 
So  he  had  found  her  twice. 

Then  he  was  to  go  and  hide  ;  but  he  and  Dapplegrim  had 
settled  it  all  so  well  beforehand,  it  wasn't  easy  to  find  him. 

u 


290  Tales  from  the  Norse 

First  he  turned  himself  into  a  tick,  and  hid  himself  in  Dapple- 
grim's  left  nostril ;  and  the  Princess  went  about  hunting  him 
everywhere,  high  and  low  ;  at  last  she  wanted  to  go  into 
Dapplegrim's  stall,  but  he  began  to  bite  and  kick,  so  that  she 
daren't  go  near  him,  and  so  she  couldn't  find  the  lad. 

'  Well ',  she  said,  '  since  I  can't  find  you,  you  must  show 
where  you  are  yourself  '  ;  and  in  a  trice  the  lad  stood  there 
on  the  stable  floor. 

The  second  time  Dapplegrim  told  him  again  what  to  do  ; 
and  then  he  turned  himself  into  a  clod  of  earth,  and  stuck 
himself  between  Dapple's  hoof  and  shoe  on  the  near  forefoot. 
So  the  Princess  hunted  up  and  down,  out  and  in,  everywhere  ; 
at  last  she  came  into  the  stable,  and  wanted  to  go  into  Dapple- 
grim's loose-box.  This  time  he  let  her  come  up  to  him,  and 
she  pried  high  and  low,  but  under  his  hoofs  she  couldn't 
come,  for  he  stood  firm  as  a  rock  on  his  feet,  and  so  she  couldn't 
find  the  lad. 

'  Well ;  you  must  just  show  yourself,  for  I'm  sure  I  can't 
find  you  ',  said  the  Princess,  and  as  she  spoke  the  lad  stood 
by  her  side  on  the  stable  floor. 

*  Now  you  are  mine  indeed  ',  said  the  lad  ;  *  for  now  you 
can  see  I'm  fated  to  have  you.'  This  he  said  both  to  the  fathei 
and  daughter. 

'  Yes  ;  it  is  so  fated  ',  said  the  king  ;   *  so  it  must  be.' 

Then  they  got  ready  the  wedding  in  right  down  earnest,  and 
lost  no  time  about  it ;  and  the  lad  got  on  Dapplegrim,  and 
the  Princess  on  Dapplegrim's  match,  and  then  you  may  fancy 
they  were  not  long  on  their  way  to  the  church. 


FARMER  WEATHERSKY 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  man  and  his  wife,  who  had  an 
only  son,  and  his  name  was  Jack.  The  old  dame  thought  it 
high  time  for  her  son  to  go  out  into  the  world  to  learn  a  trade, 
and  bade  her  husband  be  off  with  him. 

*  But  all  you  do  ',  she  said,  '  mind  you  bind  him  to  some  one 
who  can  teach  him  to  be  master  above  all  masters  '  ;  and  with 
that  she  put  some  food  and  a  roll  of  tobacco  into  a  bag,  and 
packed  them  off. 

Well !  they  went  to  many  masters  ;    but  one  and  all  said 


Farmer  Weathersky  291 

they  could  make  the  lad  as  good  as  themselves,  but  better 
they  couldn't  make  him.  So  when  the  man  came  home  again 
to  his  wife  with  that  answer,  she  said  : 

'  I  don't  care  what  you  make  of  him  ;  but  this  I  say  and 
stick  to,  you  must  bind  him  to  some  one  where  he  can  learn 
to  be  master  above  all  masters  '  ;  and  with  that  she  packed 
up  more  food  and  another  roll  of  tobacco,  and  father  and  son 
had  to  be  off  again. 

Now  when  they  had  walked  a  while  they  got  upon  the 
ice,  and  there  they  met  a  man  who  came  whisking  along  in  a 
sledge,   and  drove  a  black  horse. 

'  Whither   away  ?  '    said   the   man. 

*  Well !  '  said  the  father,  *  I'm  going  to  bind  my  son  to  some 
one  who  is  good  to  teach  him  a  trade  ;  but  my  old  dame 
comes  of  such  fine  folk,  she  will  have  him  taught  to  be  master 
above  all  masters.' 

*  Well  met  then  ',  said  the  driver  ;  'I'm  just  the  man  for 
your  money,  for  I'm  looking  out  for  such  an  apprentice.  Up 
with  you  behind  !  '  he  added  to  the  lad,  and  whisk  !  off  they 
went,  both  of  them,  and  sledge  and  horse,  right  up  into  the  air. 

'  Nay,  nay  !  '  cried  the  lad's  father,  '  you  haven't  told  me 
your  name,  nor  where  you  live.' 

*  Oh  ! '  said  the  master,  '  I'm  at  home  alike  north  and  south, 
and  east  and  west,  and  my  name's  Farmer  Weathersky.  In 
a  year  and  a  day  you  may  come  here  again,  and  then  I'll  tell 
you  if  I  like  him.'  So  away  they  went  through  the  air,  and 
were  soon  out  of  sight. 

So  when  the  man  got  home,  his  old  dame  asked  what  had 
become  of  her  son. 

'  Well ',  said  the  man,  '  Heaven  knows,  I'm  sure  I  don't. 
They  went  up  aloft '  ;  and  so  he  told  her  what  had  happened. 
But  when  the  old  dame  heard  that  her  husband  couldn't  tell 
at  all  when  her  son's  apprenticeship  would  be  out,  nor  whither 
he  had  gone,  she  packed  him  off  again,  and  gave  him  another 
bag  of  food  and  another  roll  of  tobacco. 

So,  when  he  had  walked  a  bit,  he  came  to  a  great  wood, 
which  stretched  on  and  on  all  day  as  he  walked  through  it. 
When  it  got  dark  he  saw  a  great  light,  and  he  went  towards 
it.  After  a  long,  long  time  he  came  to  a  little  hut  under  a 
rock,  and  outside  stood  an  old  hag  drawing  water  out  of  a 
well  with  her  nose,  so  long  was  it. 


292  Tales  from  tKe  Norse 

'  Good  evening,   mother  ! '   said  the  man. 

*  The  same  to  you  ',  said  the  old  hag.  '  It's  hundreds  of 
years  since  any  one  called  me  mother.' 

'  Can  I  have  lodging  here  to-night  ?  '  asked  the  man. 

*  No  1  that  you  can't ',  said  she. 

But  then  the  man  pulled  out  his  roll  of  tobacco,  lighted  his 
pipe,  and  gave  the  old  dame  a  whiff,  and  a  pinch  of  snuff. 
Then  she  was  so  happy  she  began  to  dance  for  joy,  and  the  end 
was,  she  gave  the  man  leave  to  stop  the  night. 

So  next  morning  he  began  to  ask  after  Farmer  Weathersky . 
'  No  !  she  never  heard  tell  of  him,  but  she  ruled  over  all  the 
four-footed  beasts  ;  perhaps  some  of  them  might  know  him.' 
So  she  played  them  all  home  with  a  pipe  she  had,  and  asked  them 
all,  but  there  wasn't  one  of  them  who  knew  anything  about 
Farmer  Weathersky. 

'  Well  !  '  said  the  old  hag,  '  there  are  three  sisters  of  us  ; 
maybe  one  of  the  other  two  know  where  he  lives.  I'll  lend 
you  my  horse  and  sledge,  and  then  you'll  be  at  her  house  by 
night ;  but  it's  at  least  three  hundred  miles  off,  the  nearest  way.' 

Then  ihe  man  started  off,  and  at  night  reached  the  house, 
and  when  he  came  there,  there  stood  another  old  hag 
before  the  door,  drawing  water  out  of  the  well  with  her  nose. 

'  Good  evening,  mother  1  '  said  the  man. 

'  The  same  to  you  ',  said  she  ;  *  it's  hundreds  of  years  since 
any  one  called  me  mother.' 

'  Can  I  lodge  here  to-night  ?  '  asked  the  man. 

*  No  r  said  the  old  hag. 

But  he  took  out  his  roll  of  tobacco,  lighted  his  pipe,  and  gave 
the  old  dame  a  whiff,  and  a  good  pinch  of  snuff  besides,  on  the 
back  of  her  hand.  Then  she  was  so  happy  that  she  began  to 
jump  and  dance  for  joy,  and  so  the  man  got  leave  to  stay  the 
night.  When  that  was  over,  he  began  to  ask  after  Farmer 
Weathersky.  '  No  !  she  had  never  heard  tell  of  him  ;  but 
she  ruled  all  the  fish  in  the  sea  ;  perhaps  some  of  them  might 
know  something  about  him.'  So  she  played  them  all  home 
with  a  pipe  she  had,  and  asked  them,  but  there  wasn't  one  of 
them  who  knew  anything  about  Farmer  Weathersky. 

'  Well,  well  !  '  said  the  old  hag,  '  there's  one  sister  of  us  left ; 
maybe  she  knows  something  about  him.  She  lives  six  hundred 
miles  off,  but  I'll  lend  you  my  horse  and  sledge,  and  then 
you'll  get  there  by  nightfall.' 


Farmer  Weathersky  293 

Then  the  man  started  off,  and  reached  the  house  by  night- 
fall, and  there  he  found  another  old  hag  who  stood  before  the 
grate,  and  stirred  the  fire  with  her  nose,  so  long  and  tough  it  was. 

'  Good  evening,  mother  !  '  said  the  man. 

*  The  same  to  you  ',  said  the  old  hag  ;  *  it's  hundreds  of 
years  since  any  one  called  me  mother.' 

'  Can  I  lodge  here  to-night  ?  '  asked  the  man. 

*  No  ',  said  the  old  hag. 

Then  the  man  pulled  out  his  roll  of  tobacco  again,  and 
lighted  his  pipe,  and  gave  the  old  hag  such  a  pinch  of  snuff  it 
covered  the  whole  back  of  her  hand.  Then  she  got  so  happy  she 
began  to  dance  for  joy,  and  so  the  man  got  leave  to  stay. 

But  when  the  night  was  over,  he  began  to  ask  after  Farmer 
Weathersky.  She  never  heard  tell  of  him  she  said  ;  but  she 
ruled  over  all  the  birds  of  the  air,  and  so  she  played  them  all 
home  with  a  pipe  she  had,  and  when  she  had  mustered  them 
all,  the  Eagle  was  missing.  But  a  little  while  after  he  came 
flying  home,  and  when  she  asked  him,  he  said  he  had  just 
come  straight  from  Farmer  Weathersky.  Then  the  old  hag 
said  he  must  guide  the  man  thither  ;  but  the  eagle  said  he 
must  have  something  to  eat  first,  and  besides  he  must  rest 
till  the  next  day  ;  he  was  so  tired  with  flying  that  long  way,  he 
could  scarce  rise  from  the  earth. 

So  when  he  had  eaten  his  fill  and  taken  a  good  rest,  the 
old  hag  pulled  a  feather  out  of  the  Eagle's  tail,  and  put  the  man 
there  in  its  stead  ;  so  the  Eagle  flew  off  with  the  man,  and 
flew,  and  flew,  but  they  didn't  reach  Farmer  Weathersky's 
house  before  midnight. 

So  when  they  got  there,  the  Eagle  said  : 
'  There  are  heaps  of  dead  bodies  lying  about  outside  but 
you  mustn't  mind  them.  Inside  the  house  every  man  Jack 
of  them  are  so  sound  asleep,  't  will  be  hard  work  to  wake 
them  ;  but  you  must  go  straight  to  the  table  drawer,  and 
take  out  of  it  three  crumbs  of  bread,  and  when  you  hear  some 
one  snoring  loud,  pull  three  feathers  out  of  his  head  ;  he  won't 
wake  for  all  that.' 

So  the  man  did  as  he  was  told,  and  after  he  had  taken  the 
crumbs  of  bread,  he  pulled  out  the  first  feather. 

'  OOF  !  '  growled  Farmer  Weathersky,  for  it  was  he  who 
snored. 

So  the  man  pulled  out  another  feather. 


294  Tales  from  the  Norse 

'  OOF  !  '  he  growled  again. 

But  when  he  pulled  out  the  third.  Farmer  Weathersky 
roared  so,  the  man  thought  roof  and  wall  would  have  flown 
asunder,  but  for  all  that  the  snorer  slept  on. 

After  that  the  Eagle  told  him  what  he  was  to  do.  He 
went  to  the  yard,  and  there  at  the  stable-door  he  stumbled 
against  a  big  gray  stone,  and  that  he  hfted  up  ;  underneath 
it  lay  three  chips  of  wood,  and  those  he  picked  up  too  ;  then 
he  knocked  at  the  stable-door,  and  it  opened  of  itself.  Then 
he  threw  down  the  three  crumbs  of  bread,  and  a  hare  came  and 
ate  them  up  ;  that  hare  he  caught  and  kept.  After  that  the 
Eagle  bade  him  pull  three  feathers  out  of  his  tail,  and  put  the 
hare,  the  stone,  the  chips,  and  himself  there  instead,  and  then 
he  would  fly  away  home  with  them  all. 

So  when  the  Eagle  had  flown  a  long  way,  he  lighted  on  a 
rock  to  rest. 

*  Do  you  see  anything  ?  '  it  asked. 

'  Yes  ',  said  the  man,  '  I  see  a  flock  of  crows  coming  flying 
after  us.' 

'  We'd  better  be  off  again,  then  ',  said  the  Eagle,  who  flew 
away. 

After  a  while  it  asked  again  : 

*  Do  you  see  anything  now  ?  ' 

*  Yes  ',  said  the  man  ;   *  now  the  crows  are  close  behind  us.' 

*  Drop  now  the  three  feathers  you  pulled  out  of  his  head, 
said  the  Eagle. 

Well,  the  man  dropped  the  feathers,  and  as  soon  as  ever  he 
dropped  them  they  became  a  flock  of  ravens  which  drove  the 
crows  home  again.  Then  the  Eagle  flew  on  far  away  with  the 
man,  and  at  last  it  lighted  on  another  stone  to  rest. 

*  Do  you  see  anything  ?  '  it  said. 

*  I'm  not  sure  ',  said  the  man  ;  '  I  fancy  I  see  something 
coming  far  far  away '. 

'  We'd  better  get  on  then',  said  the  Eagle  ;  and  after  a 
while  it  said  again  : 

*  Do  you  see  anything  ?  * 

*  Yes  ',  said  the  man,  *  now  he's  close  at  our  heels.' 

*  Now,  you  must  let  fall  the  chips  of  wood  which  you  took 
from  under  the  gray  stone  at  the  stable  door  ',  said  the  Eagle. 

Yes  !  the  man  let  them  fall,  and  they  grew  at  once  up  into 
tall  thick  wood,  so  that  Farmer  Weathersky  had  to  go  back 


Farmer  Weathersky  295 

home  to  fetch  an  axe  to  hew  his  way  through.  While  he 
did  this,  the  Eagle  flew  ever  so  far,  but  when  it  got  tired, 
it  lighted  on  a  fir  to  rest. 

*  Do  you  see  anything  ?  '  it  said. 

'  Well !  I'm  not  sure  ',  said  the  man  ;  *  but  I  fancy  I  catch 
a  glimpse  of  something  far  away.' 

'  We'd  best  be  off  then  ',  said  the  Eagle  ;  and  off  it  flew 
as  fast  as  it  could.     After  a  while  it  said  : 

*  Do  you  see  anything  now  ?  ' 

*  Yes  !  now  he's  close  behind  us  ',  said  the  man. 

*  Now,  you  must  drop  the  big  stone  you  lifted  up  at  the 
stable   door ',    said   the   Eagle. 

The  man  did  so,  and  as  it  fell  it  became  a  great  high  moun- 
tain, which  Farmer  Weathersky  had  to  break  his  way  through. 
When  he  had  got  half  through  the  mountain,  he  tripped  and 
broke  one  of  his  legs,  and  so  he  had  to  limp  home  again  and 
patch  it  up. 

But  while  he  was  doing  this,  the  Eagle  flew  away  to  the 
man's  house  with  him  and  the  hare,  and  as  soon  as  they  got 
home,  the  man  went  into  the  churchyard  and  sprinkled 
Christian  mould  over  the  hare,  and  lo  !  it  turned  into  '  Jack  ', 
his  son. 

Well,  you  may  fancy  the  old  dame  was  glad  to  get  her  son 
again,  but  still  she  wasn't  easy  in  her  mind  about  his  trade, 
and  she  wouldn't  rest  till  he  gave  her  a  proof  that  he  wets 
*  master  above  all  masters  '. 

So  when  the  fair  came  round,  the  lad  changed  himself  into 
a  bay  horse,  and  told  his  father  to  lead  him  to  the  fair. 

*  Now,  when  any  one  comes  ',  he  said,  *  to  buy  me,  you  may 
ask  a  hundred  dollars  for  me  ;  but  mind  you  don't  forget  to 
take  the  headstall  off  me  ;  if  you  do,  Farmer  Weathersky  will 
keep  me  for  ever,  for  he  it  is  who  will  come  to  deal  with  you.' 

So  it  turned  out.  Up  came  a  horse-dealer,  who  had  a  great 
wish  to  deal  for  the  horse,  and  he  gave  a  hundred  dollars 
down  for  him  ;  but  when  the  bargain  was  struck,  and  Jack's 
father  had  pocketed  the  money,  the  horse-dealer  wanted  to 
have  the  headstall.  *  Nay,  nay  !  '  said  the  man,  *  there's 
nothing  about  that  in  the  bargain  ;  and  besides,  you  can't 
have  the  headstall,  for  I've  other  horses  at  home  to  bring  to 
town  to-morrow.' 

So  each  went  his  way  ;  but  they  hadn't  gone  far  before  Jack 


296 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


took  his  own  shape  and  ran  away,  and  when  his  father  got 
home,  there  sat  Jack  in  the  ingle. 

Next  day  he  turned  himself  into  a  brown  horse,  and  told 
his  father  to  drive  him  to  the  fair. 

'  And  when  any  one  comes  to  buy  me,  you  may  ask  two 
hundred  dollars  for  me — he'll  give  that  and  treat  you  besides  ; 
but  whatever  you  do,  and  however  much  you  drink,  don't 
forget  to  take  the  headstall  off  me,  else  you'll  never  set  eyes 
on  me  again.' 

So  all  happened  as  he  had  said  ;  the  man  got  two  hundred 
dollars  for  the  horse  and  a  glass  of  drink  besides,  and  when  the 
buyer  and  seller  parted,  it  was  as  much  as  he  could  do  to 
remember  to  take  off  the  headstall.  But  the  buyer  and  the 
horse  hadn't  got  far  on  the  road  before  Jack  took  his  own 
shape,  and  when  the  man  got  home,  there  sat  Jack  in  the 
ingle. 

The  third  day,  it  was  the  same  story  over  again  :  the  lad 
turned  himself  into  a  black  horse,  and  told  his  father  some 
one  would  come  and  bid  three  hundred  dollars  for  him,  and  fill 
his  skin  with  meat  and  drink  besides  ;  but  however  much  he 
ate  or  drank,  he  was  to  mind  and  not  forget  to  take  the  head- 
stall off,  else  he'd  have  to  stay  with  Farmer  Weathersky  all 
his  life  long. 

*  No,  no  ;  I'll  not  forget,  never  fear  ',  said  the  man. 

So  when  he  came  to  the  fair,  he  got  three  hundred  dollars 
for  the  horse,  and  as  it  wasn't  to  be  a  dry  bargain.  Farmer 
Weathersky  made  him  drink  so  much  that  he  quite  forgot  to 
take  the  headstall  off,  and  away  went  Farmer  Weathersky 
with  the  horse.  Now  when  he  had  gone  a  little  way,  Farmer 
Weathersky  thought  he  would  just  stop  and  have  another 
glass  of  brandy  ;  so  he  put  a  barrel  of  red-hot  nails  under  his 
horse's  nose,  and  a  sieve  of  oats  under  his  tail,  hung  the  halter, 
upon  a  hook,  and  went  into  the  inn.  So  the  horse  stood  there 
and  stamped  and  pawed,  and  snorted  and  reared.  Just  then 
out  came  a  lassie,  who  thought  it  a  shame  to  treat  a  horse  so. 

'  Oh,  poor  beastie  ',  she  said,  *  what  a  cruel  master  you  must 
have  to  treat  you  so  ',  and  as  she  said  this  she  pulled  the  halter 
off  the  hook,  so  that  the  horse  might  turn  round  and  taste 
the  oats. 

'I'm  after  you  ',  roared  Farmer  Weathersky,  who  came 
rushing  out  of  the  door. 


Farmer  Weathersky  297 

But  the  horse  had  already  shaken  off  the  headstall,  and 
jumped  into  a  duck-pond,  where  he  turned  himself  into  a  tiny- 
fish.  In  went  Farmer  Weathersky  after  him,  and  turned 
himself  into  a  great  pike.  Then  Jack  turned  himself  into  a 
dove,  and  Farmer  Weathersky  made  himself  into  a  hawk,  and 
chased  and  struck  at  the  dove.  But  just  then  a  Princess  stood 
at  the  window  of  the  palace  and  saw  this  struggle. 

*  Ah  !  poor  dove  ',  she  cried,  '  if  you  only  knew  what  I  know, 
you'd  fly  to  me  through  this  window.' 

So  the  dove  came  flying  in  through  the  window,  and  turned 
itself  into  Jack  again,  who  told  his  own  tale. 

'  Turn  yourself  into  a  gold  ring,  and  put  yourself  on  my 
finger  ',  said  the  Princess. 

'  Nay,  nay  I  '  said  Jack,  *  that'll  never  do,  for  then  Farmer 
Weathersky  will  make  the  king  sick,  and  then  there'll  be  no 
one  who  can  make  him  well  again  till  Farmer  Weathersky 
comes  and  cures  him,  and  then,  for  his  fee,  he'll  ask  for  that 
gold  ring.' 

*  Then  I'll  say  I  had  it  from  my  mother,  and  can't  part  with 
it ',  said  the  Princess. 

Well,  Jack  turned  himself  into  a  gold  ring,  and  put  himself 
on  the  Princess'  finger,  and  so  Farmer  Weathersky  couldn't 
get  at  him.  But  then  followed  what  the  lad  had  foretold  ; 
the  king  fell  sick,  and  there  wasn't  a  doctor  in  the  kingdom 
who  could  cure  him  till  Farmer  Weathersky  came,  and  he 
asked  for  the  ring  off  the  Princess'  finger  for  his  fee.  So  the 
king  sent  a  messenger  to  the  Princess  for  the  ring  ;  but  the 
Princess  said  she  wouldn't  part  with  it,  her  mother  had  left 
it  her.  When  the  king  heard  that,  he  flew  into  a  rage,  and 
said  he  would  have  the  ring,  whoever  left  it  to  her. 

'  Well ',  said  the  Princess,  '  it's  no  good  being  cross  about  it. 
I  can't  get  it  off,  and  if  you  must  have  the  ring,  you  must 
take  my  finger  too.' 

*  If  you'll  let  me  try,  I'll  soon  get  the  ring  off  ',  said  Farmer 
Weathersky. 

*  No,  thanks,  I'll  try  myself  ',  said  the  Princess,  and  flew  off 
to  the  grate  and  put  ashes  on  her  finger.  Then  the  ring  slipped 
off  and  was  lost  among  the  ashes.  So  Farmer  Weathersky 
turned  himself  into  a  cock,  who  scratched  and  pecked  after  the 
ring  in  the  grate,  till  he  was  up  to  the  ears  in  ashes.  But 
while  he  was  doing  this,  Jack  turned  himself  into  a  fox.  and 


298 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


bit  ofi  the  cock's  head  ;  and  so  if  the  Evil  One  was  in  Farmer 
Weathersky,  it  is  all  over  with  him  now. 


LORD  PETER 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  poor  couple,  and  they  had  nothing 
in  the  world  but  three  sons.  What  the  names  the  two  elder 
had  I  can't  say,  but  the  youngest  he  was  called  Peter.  So 
when  their  father  and  mother  died,  the  sons  were  to  share  what 
was  left,  but  there  was  nothing  but  a  porridge-pot,  a  griddle, 
and  a  cat. 

The  eldest,  who  was  to  have  first  choice,  he  took  the  pot ; 
'  for  ',  said  he,  *  whenever  I  lend  the  pot  to  any  one  to  boil 
porridge,  I  can  always  get  leave  to  scrape  it '. 

The  second  took  the  griddle  ;  *  for  ',  said  he,  '  whenever  I 
lend  it  to  any  one,  I'll  always  get  a  morsel  of  dough  to  make 
a  bannock  '. 

But  the  youngest,  he  had  no  choice  left  him  ;  if  he  was  to 
choose  anything  it  must  be  the  cat. 

'  Well !  '  said  he,  '  if  I  lend  the  cat  to  any  one  I  shan't  get 
much  by  that ;  for  if  pussy  gets  a  drop  of  milk,  she'll  want  it 
all  herself.  Still,  I'd  best  take  her  along  with  me  ;  I  shouldn't 
like  her  to  go  about  here  and  starve.' 

So  the  brothers  went  out  into  the  world  to  try  their  luck, 
and  each  took  his  own  way  ;  but  when  the  youngest  had  gone 
a  while,  the  cat  said  : 

'  Now  you  shall  have  a  good  turn,  because  you  wouldn't  let 
me  stay  behind  in  the  old  cottage  and  starve.  Now,  I'm  off 
to  the  wood  to  lay  hold  of  a  fine  fat  head  of  game,  and  then 
you  must  go  up  to  the  king's  palace  that  you  see  yonder,  and 
say  you  are  come  with  a  little  present  for  the  king  ;  and  when 
he  asks  who  sends  it,  you  must  say,  "  Why,  who  should  it  be 
from  but  Lord  Peter."  ' 

Well  1  Peter  hadn't  waited  long  before  back  came  the 
cat  with  a  reindeer  from  the  wood  ;  she  had  jumped  up  on 
the  reindeer's  head,  between  his  horns,  and  said,  *  If  you  don't 
go  straight  to  the  king's  palace  I'll  claw  your  eyes  out.' 

So  the  reindeer  had  to  go  whether  he  liked  it  or  no. 

And  when  Peter  got  to  the  palace  he  went  into  the  kitchen 


Lord  Peter  299 

v/ith  the  deer,  and  said  :   '  Here  I'm  come  with  a  little  present 
for  the  king,  if  he  won't  despise  it.' 

Then  the  King  went  out  into  the  kitchen,  and  when  he  saw 
the  fine  plump  reindeer,  he  was  very  glad. 

*  But,  my  dear  friend  ',  he  said,  *  who  in  the  world  is  it  that 
sends  me  such  a  fine  gift  ?  ' 

*  Oh  !  '  said  Peter,  '  who  should  send  it  but  Lord  Peter.' 

*  Lord  Peter  !  Lord  Peter  !  '  said  the  King.  *  Pray  tell  me 
where  he  lives  '  ;  for  he  thought  it  a  shame  not  to  know  so 
great  a  man.  But  that  was  just  what  the  lad  wouldn't  tell 
him  ;  he  daren't  do  it,  he  said,  because  his  master  had  forbidden 
him. 

So  the  King  gave  him  a  good  bit  of  money  to  drink  his 
health,  and  bade  him  be  sure  and  say  all  kind  of  pretty  things, 
and  many  thanks  for  the  present  to  his  master  when  he  got 
home. 

Next  day  the  Cat  went  again  into  the  wood,  and  jumped 
up  on  a  red  deer's  head,  and  sat  between  his  horns,  and  forced 
him  to  go  to  the  palace.  Then  Peter  went  again  into  the 
kitchen,  and  said  he  was  come  with  a  little  present  for  the  King, 
if  he  would  be  pleased  to  take  it.  And  the  King  was  still 
more  glad  to  get  the  red  deer  than  he  had  been  to  get  the  rein- 
deer, and  asked  again  who  it  was  that  sent  so  fine  a  present. 

*  Why,  it's  Lord  Peter,  of  course  ',  said  the  lad  ;  but  when 
the  King  wanted  to  know  where  Lord  Peter  lived,  he  got  the 
same  answer  as  the  day  before  ;  and  this  day,  too,  he  gave 
Peter  a  good  lump  of  money  to  drink  his  health  with. 

The  third  day  the  Cat  came  with  an  elk.  And  so  when  Peter 
got  into  the  palace  kitchen,  and  said  he  had  a  little  present 
for  the  King,  if  he'd  be  pleased  to  take  it,  the  King  came  out  at 
once  into  the  kitchen  ;  and  when  he  saw  the  grand  big  elk, 
he  was  so  glad  he  scarce  knew  which  leg  to  stand  on  ;  and 
this  day,  too,  he  gave  Peter  many  many  more  dollars — at  least 
a  hundred.  He  wished  now,  once  for  all,  to  know  where  this 
Lord  Peter  lived,  and  asked  and  asked  about  this  thing  and 
that,  but  the  lad  said  he  daren't  say,  for  his  master's  sake, 
who  had  strictly  forbidden  him  to  tell. 

'  Well,  then  ',  said  the  King,  '  beg  Lord  Peter  to  come  and 
see  me.' 

Yes,  the  lad  would  take  that  message  ;  but  when  Peter 
got  out  into  the  yard  again,  and  met  the  Cat,  he  said, 


300  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  A  pretty  scrape  you've  got  me  into  now,  for  here's  the 
King,  who  wants  me  to  come  and  see  him,  and  you  know  I've 
nothing  to  go  in  but  these  rags  I  stand  and  walk  in.' 

'  Oh,  don't  be  afraid  about  that ',  said  the  Cat ;  'in  three 
days  you  shall  have  coach  and  horses,  and  fine  clothes,  so 
fine  that  the  gold  falls  from  them,  and  then  you  may  go  and  see 
the  king  very  well.  But  mind,  whatever  you  see  in  the  king's 
palace,  you  must  say  you  have  far  finer  and  grander  things 
of  your  own.     Don't  forget  that.' 

No,  no,  Peter  would  bear  that  in  mind,  never  fear. 

So  when  three  days  were  over,  the  Cat  came  with  a  coach 
and  horses,  and  clothes,  and  all  that  Peter  wanted,  and  alto- 
gether it  was  as  grand  as  anything  you  ever  set  eyes  on  ;  so 
off  he  set,  and  the  Cat  ran  alongside  the  coach.  The  King 
met  him  well  and  graciously  ;  but  whatever  the  King  offered 
him,  and  whatever  he  showed  him,  Peter  said,  'twas  all  very 
well,  but  he  had  far  finer  and  better  things  in  his  own  house. 
The  King  seemed  not  quite  to  believe  this,  but  Peter  stuck  to 
what  he  said,  and  at  last  the  King  got  so  angry,  he  couldn't 
bear  it  any  longer. 

*  Now  I'll  go  home  with  you  ',  he  said,  *  and  see  if  it  be  true 
what  you've  been  telling  me,  that  you  have  far  finer  and 
better  things  of  your  own.  But  if  you've  been  telling  a  pack 
of  lies.  Heaven  help  you,  that's  all  I  say.' 

'  Now,  you've  got  me  into  a  fine  scrape  ',  said  Peter  to  the 
Cat,  '  for  here's  the  King  coming  home  with  me  ;  but  my  home, 
that's  not  so  easy  to  find,  I  think.' 

*  Oh  !  never  mind  ',  said  the  Cat ;  *  only  do  you  drive  after 
me  as  I  run  before.' 

So  off  they  set ;  first  Peter,  who  drove  after  his  Cat,  and 
then  the  King  and  all  his  court. 

But  when  they  had  driven  a  good  bit,  they  came  to  a  great 
flock  of  fine  sheep,  that  had  wool  so  long  it  almost  touched 
the  ground. 

*  If  you'll  only  say  ',  said  the  Cat  to  the  Shepherd,  '  this 
flock  of  sheep  belongs  to  Lord  Peter,  when  the  King  asks  you, 
I'll  give  you  this  silver  spoon  ',  which  she  had  taken  with  her 
from  the  King's  palace. 

Yes  !  he  was  willing  enough  to  do  that.  So  when  the  king 
came  up,  he  said  to  the  lad  who  watched  the  sheep  : 

'  Well,  I  never  saw  so  large  and  fine  a  flock  of  sheep  in  my 
life  !     Whose  is  it  ?  my  little  lad.' 


Lord  Peter  301 

*  Why  ',  said  the  lad,  *  whose  should  it  be  but  Lord 
Peter's.' 

A  little  while  after  they  came  to  a  great,  great  herd  of  fine 
brindled  kine,  who  were  all  so  sleek  the  sun  shone  from  them. 

'  If  you'll  only  say  ',  said  the  Cat  to  the  neat-herd,  '  this  herd 
is  Lord  Peter's,  when  the  King  asks  you,  I'll  give  you  this  silver 
ladle  '  ;  and  the  ladle  too  she  had  taken  from  the  King's  palace. 

'  Yes  !  with  all  my  heart ',  said  the  neat-herd. 

So  when  the  King  came  up,  he  was  quite  amazed  at  the  fine 
fat  herd,  for  such  a  herd  he  had  never  seen  before,  and  so  he 
asked  the  neat-herd  who  owned  those  brindled  kine. 

'  Why  !  who  should  own  them  but  Lord  Peter  ',  said  the 
neat-herd. 

So  they  went  on  a  little  further,  and  came  to  a  great,  great 
drove  of  horses,  the  finest  you  ever  saw,  six  of  each  colour,  bay, 
and  black,  and  brown,  and  chesnut. 

'  If  you'll  only  say  this  drove  of  horses  is  Lord  Peter's  when 
the  King  asks  you  ',  said  the  Cat,  '  I'll  give  you  this  silver 
stoop  '  ;  and  the  stoop  too  she  had  taken  from  the  palace. 

Yes  !  the  lad  was  willing  enough  ;  and  so  when  the  King  came 
up,  he  was  quite  amazed  at  the  grand  drove  of  horses,  for  the 
matches  of  such  horses  he  had  never  yet  set  eyes  on,  he  said. 

So  he  asked  the  lad  who  watched  them,  whose  all  these 
blacks,  and  bays,  and  browns,  and  chesnuts  were  ? 

'  Whose  should  they  be  ',  said  the  lad, '  but  Lord  Peter's.* 

So  when  they  had  gone  a  good  bit  farther,  they  came  to  a 
castle  ;  first  there  was  a  gate  of  tin,  and  next  there  was  a  gate 
of  silver,  and  next  a  gate  of  gold.  The  castle  itself  was  of  silver, 
and  so  dazzling  white,  that  it  quite  hurt  one's  eyes  to  look  at 
in  the  sunbeams  which  fell  on  it  just  as  they  reached  it. 

So  they  went  into  it,  and  the  Cat  told  Peter  to  say  this  was 
his  house.  As  for  the  castle  inside,  it  was  far  finer  than  it 
looked  outside,  for  everything  was  pure  gold — chairs,  and 
tables,  and  benches,  and  all.  And  when  the  King  had  gone 
all  over  it,  and  seen  everything  high  and  low,  he  got  quite 
shameful  and  downcast. 

'  Yes  ',  he  said  at  last ;  *  Lord  Peter  has  everything  far  finer 
than  I  have,  there's  no  gainsaying  that  *,  and  so  he  wanted 
to  be  off  home  again. 

But  Peter  begged  him  to  stay  to  supper,  and  the  King 
stayed,  but  he  was  sour  and  surly  the  whole  time. 


302  Tales  from  the  Norse 

So  as  they  sat  at  supper,  back  came  the  Troll  who  owned 
the  castle,  and  gave  such  a  great  knock  at  the  door. 

*  Who's  this  eating  my  meat  and  drinking  my  mead 
LIKE  swine  in  here  ',  roared  out  the  Troll. 

As  soon  as  the  Cat  heard  that,  she  ran  down  to  the  gate. 
'  Stop  a  bit ',  she  said,  '  and  I'll  tell  you  how  the  farmer  sets 
to  work  to  get  in  his  winter  rye.' 

And  so  she  told  him  such  a  long  story  about  the  winter  rye. 

*  First  of  all,  you  see,  he  ploughs  his  field,  and  then  he  dungs 
it,  and  then  he  ploughs  it  again,  and  then  he  harrows  it '; 
and  so  she  went  on  till  the  sun  rose. 

*  Oh,  do  look  behind  you,  and  there  you'll  see  such  a  lovely 
lady  ',  said  the  Cat  to  the  Troll. 

So  the  Troll  turned  round,  and,  of  course,  as  soon  as  he  saw 
the  sun  he  burst. 

'  Now  all  this  is  yours  ',  said  the  Cat  to  Lord  Peter.  *  Now, 
you  must  cut  off  my  head  ;  that's  all  I  ask  for  what  I  have  done 
for  you.' 

*  Nay,  nay  ',  said  Lord  Peter,  *  I'll  never  do  any  such  thing, 
that's  flat.' 

'  If  you  don't ',  said  the  Cat,  '  see  if  I  don't  claw  your  eyes 
out.' 

Well !  so  Lord  Peter  had  to  do  it,  though  it  was  sore  against 
his  will.  He  cut  off  the  Cat's  head,  but  there  and  then  she  be- 
came the  loveliest  Princess  you  ever  set  eyes  on,  and  Lord 
Peter  fell  in  love  with  her  at  once. 

*  Yes  !  all  this  greatness  was  mine  first ',  said  the  Princess, 
*  but  a  Troll  bewitched  me  to  be  a  Cat  in  your  father's  and 
mother's  cottage.  Now  you  may  do  as  you  please,  whether 
you  take  me  as  your  queen  or  not,  for  you  are  now  king  over 
all  this  realm.' 

Well,  well ;  there  was  little  doubt  Lord  Peter  would  be  will- 
ing enough  to  have  her  as  his  queen,  and  so  there  was  a  wedding 
that  lasted  eight  whole  days,  and  a  feast  besides  ;  and  after  it 
was  over,  I  stayed  no  longer  with  Lord  Peter  and  his  lovely 
queen,  and  so  I  can't  say  anything  more  about  them. 

THE  SEVEN  FOALS 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  poor  couple  who  lived  in  a  wretched 
hut,  far  far  away  in  the  wood.     How  they  lived  I  can't  tell, 


The  Seven  Foals  303 

but  I'm  sure  it  was  from  hand  to  mouth,  and  hard  work  even 
then  ;  but  they  had  three  sons,  and  the  youngest  of  them  was 
Boots,  of  course,  for  he  did  Uttle  else  than  He  there  and  poke 
about  in  the  ashes. 

So  one  day  the  eldest  lad  said  he  would  go  out  to  earn  his 
bread,  and  he  soon  got  leave,  and  wandered  out  into  the  world. 
There  he  walked  and  walked  the  whole  day,  and  when  evening 
drew  in,  he  came  to  a  king's  palace,  and  there  stood  the  King 
out  on  the  steps,  and  asked  whither  he  was  bound. 

*  Oh,  I'm  going  about,  looking  after  a  place  ',  said  the  lad. 
'  Will  you  serve  me  ?  '  asked  the  King,   *  and  watch  my 

seven  foals.  If  you  can  watch  them  one  whole  day,  and  tell 
me  at  night  what  they  eat  and  what  they  drink,  you  shall  have 
the  Princess  to  wife,  and  half  my  kingdom  ;  but  if  you  can't, 
I'll  cut  three  red  stripes  out  of  your  back.     Do  you  hear  ?  * 

Yes  !  that  was  an  easy  task,  the  lad  thought ;  he'd  do  that 
fast  enough,  never  fear. 

So  next  morning,  as  soon  as  the  first  peep  of  dawn  came, 
the  king's  coachman  let  out  the  seven  foals.  Away  they 
went,  and  the  lad  after  them.  You  may  fancy  how  they  tore 
over  hill  and  dale,  through  bush  and  bog.  When  the  lad  had 
run  so  a  long  time,  he  began  to  get  weary,  and  when  he  had 
held  on  a  while  longer,  he  had  more  than  enough  of  his  watch- 
ing, and  just  there,  he  came  to  a  cleft  in  a  rock,  where  an  old 
hag  sat  and  spun  with  a  distaff.  As  soon  as  she  saw  the  lad 
who  was  running  after  the  foals  till  the  sweat  ran  down  his 
brow,  this  old  hag  bawled  out : 

*  Come  hither,  come  hither,  my  pretty  son,  and  let  me  comb 
your  hair.' 

Yes  !  the  lad  was  willing  enough  ;  so  he  sat  down  in  the  cleft 
of  the  rock  with  the  old  hag,  and  laid  his  head  on  her  lap,  and 
she  combed  his  hair  all  day  whilst  he  lay  there,  and  stretched 
his  lazy  bones. 

So,  when  evening  drew  on,  the  lad  wanted  to  go  away. 

'  1  may  just  as  well  toddle  straight  home  now  ',  said  he, 
'  for  it's  no  use  my  going  back  to  the  palace.' 

*  Stop  a  bit  till  it's  dark ',  said  the  old  hag,  '  and  then  the 
king's  foals  will  pass  by  here  again,  and  then  you  can  run  home 
with  them,  and  then  no  one  will  know  that  you  have  lain  here 
all  day  long,  instead  of  watching  the  foals.' 

So,  when  they  came,  she  gave  the  lad  a  flask  of  water  and  a 


304  Tales  from  The  Norse 

clod  of  turf.  Those  he  was  to  show  to  the  King,  and  say  that 
was  what  his  seven  foals  ate  and  drank. 

'  Have  you  watched  true  and  well  the  whole  day,  now  ?  ' 
asked  the  King,  when  the  lad  came  before  him  in  the  evening. 

'  Yes,  I  should  think  so  ',  said  the  lad. 

*  Then  you  can  tell  me  what  my  seven  foals  eat  and  drink  *, 
said  the  King. 

'  Yes  !  '  and  so  the  lad  pulled  out  the  flask  of  water  and  the 
clod  of  turf,  which  the  old  hag  had  given  him. 

*  Here  you  see  their  meat,  and  here  you  see  their  drink  ', 
said  the  lad. 

But  then  the  King  saw  plain  enough  how  he  had  watched, 
and  he  got  so  wroth,  he  ordered  his  men  to  chase  him  away 
home  on  the  spot ;  but  first  they  were  to  cut  three  red  stripes 
out  of  his  back,  and  rub  salt  into  them.  So  when  the  lad  got 
home  again,  you  may  fancy  what  a  temper  he  was  in.  He'd 
gone  out  once  to  get  a  place,  he  said,  but  he'd  never  do  so 
again. 

Next  day  the  second  son  said  he  would  go  out  into  the  world  to 
try  his  luck.  His  father  and  mother  said  '  No  ',  and  bade  him 
look  at  his  brother's  back  ;  but  the  lad  wouldn't  give  in  ;  he 
held  to  his  own,  and  at  last  he  got  leave  to  go,  and  set  off. 
So  when  he  had  walked  the  whole  day,  he,  too,  came  to  the 
king's  palace.  There  stood  the  King  out  on  the  steps,  and 
asked  whither  he  was  bound  ?  and  when  the  lad  said  he  was 
looking  about  for  a  place,  the  King  said  he  might  have  a  place 
there,  and  watch  his  seven  foals.  But  the  king  laid  down 
the  same  punishment,  and  the  same  reward,  as  he  had  settled 
for  his  brother.  Well,  the  lad  was  willing  enough  ;  he  took 
the  place  at  once  with  the  King,  for  he  thought  he'd  soon  watch 
the  foals,  and  tell  the  King  what  they  ate  and  drank. 

So,  in  the  gray  of  the  morning,  the  coachman  let  out  the 
seven  foals,  and  off  they  went  again  over  hill  and  dale,  and  the 
lad  after  them.  But  the  same  thing  happened  to  him  as  had 
befallen  his  brother.  When  he  had  run  after  the  foals  a  long 
long  time,  till  he  was  both  warm  and  weary,  he  passed  by  the 
cleft  in  a  rock,  where  an  old  hag  sat  and  spun  with  a  distaff, 
and  she  bawled  out  to  the  lad  : 

'  Come  hither,  come  hither,  my  pretty  son,  and  let  me  comb 
your  hair.' 

That  the  lad  thought  a  good  offer,  so  he  let  the  foals  run  on 


The  Seven  Foals  305 

their  way,  and  sat  down  in  the  cleft  with  the  old  hag.  There 
he  sat,  and  there  he  lay,  taking  his  ease,  and  stretching  his 
lazy  bones  the  whole  day. 

When  the  foals  came  back  at  nightfall,  he  too  got  a  flask 
of  water  and  clod  of  turf  from  the  old  hag  to  show  to  the  King. 
But  when  the  King  asked  the  lad  : 

'  Can  you  tell  me  now,  what  my  seven  foals  eat  and  drink  ?  ' 
and  the  lad  pulled  out  the  flask  and  the  clod,  and  said  : 

*  Here  you  see  their  meat,  and  here  you  see  their  drink.* 
Then  the  King  got  wroth  again,  and  ordered  them  to  cut 

three  red  stripes  out  of  the  lad's  back,  and  rub  salt  in,  and  chase 
him  home  that  very  minute.  And  so  when  the  lad  got  home, 
he  also  told  how  he  had  fared,  and  said,  he  had  gone  out  once 
to  get  a  place,  but  he'd  never  do  so  any  more. 

The  third  day  Boots  wanted  to  set  out ;  he  had  a  great  mind 
to  try  and  watch  the  seven  foals,  he  said.  The  others  laughed 
at  him,  and  made  game  of  him,  saying  : 

'  When  we  fared  so  ill,  you'll  do  it  better — a  fine  joke  ; 
you  look  like  it — you,  who  have  never  done  anything  but 
he  there  and  poke  about  in  the  ashes.' 

'  Yes  !  '  said  Boots,  *  I  don't  see  why  I  shouldn't  go,  for 
I've  got  it  into  my  head,  and  can't  get  it  out  again.' 

And  so,  in  spite  of  all  the  jeers  of  the  others  and  the  prayers 
of  the  old  people,  there  was  no  help  for  it,  and  Boots  set  out. 

So  after  he  had  walked  the  whole  day,  he  too  came  at  dusk 
to  the  king's  palace.  There  stood  the  King  out  on  the  steps, 
and  asked  whither  he  was  bound. 

*  Oh  ',  said  Boots,  '  I'm  going  about  seeing  if  I  can  hear  of 
a  place.' 

'  Whence  do  you  come  then  ?  '  said  the  King,  for  he  wanted 
to  know  a  little  more  about  them  before  he  took  any  one  into 
his  service. 

So  Boots  said  whence  he  came,  and  how  he  was  brother  to 
those  two  who  had  watched  the  king's  seven  foals,  and  ended 
by  asking  if  he  might  try  to  watch  them  next  day. 

'  Oh,  stuff  !  '  said  the  King,  for  he  got  quite  cross  if  he  even 
thought  of  them  ;  '  if  you're  brother  to  those  two,  you're 
not  worth  much,  I'll  be  bound.  I've  had  enough  of  such 
scamps.' 

'  Well ',  said  Boots  ;  but  since  I've  come  so  far,  I  may  just 
as  well  get  leave  to  try,  I  too.' 

K 


3o6  Tales  from  the  Norse 

'  Oh,  very  well  ;  with  all  my  heart ',  said  the  King,  *  if 
you  will  have  your  back  flayed,  you're  quite  welcome.' 

'  I'd  much  rather  have  the  Princess  ',  said  Boots. 

So  next  morning,  at  gray  of  dawn,  the  coachman  let  out  the 
seven  foals  again,  and  away  they  went  over  hill  and  dale, 
through  bush  and  bog,  and  Boots  behind  them.  And  so,  when 
he  too  had  run  a  long  while,  he  came  to  the  cleft  in  the  rock, 
where  the  old  hag  sat,  spinning  at  her  distaff.  So  she  bawled 
out  to  Boots  : 

*  Come  hither,  come  hither,  my  pretty  son,  and  let  me  comb 
your  hair.' 

'  Don't  you  wish  you  may  catch  me  ',  said  Boots.  '  Don't 
you  wish  you  may  catch  me  ',  as  he  ran  along,  leaping  and 
jumping,  and  holding  on  by  one  of  the  foal's  tails.  And 
when  he  had  got  well  past  the  cleft  in  the  rock,  the  youngest 
foal  said  : 

'  Jump  up  on  my  back,  my  lad,  for  we've  a  long  way  before 
us  still.' 

So  Boots  jumped  up  on  his  back. 

So  they  went  on,  and  on,  a  long,  long  way. 

*  Do  you  see  anything  now  ',  said  the  Foal. 
'  No  ',  said  Boots. 

So  they  went  on  a  good  bit  farther. 
'  Do  you  see  anything  now  ?  '  asked  the  Foal. 
'  Oh  no  ',  said  the  lad. 

So  when  they  had  gone  a  great,  great  way  farther — I'm  sure 
I  can't  tell  how  far — the  Foal  asked  again  : 

*  Do  you  see  anything  now  ?  ' 

'  Yes  ',  said  Boots  ;  '  now  I  see  something  that  looks  white 
— ^just  like  a  tall,  big  birch  trunk.' 

*  Yes  ',  said  the  Foal  ;   '  we're  going  into  that  trunk.' 

So  when  they  got  to  the  trunk,  the  eldest  foal  took  and 
pushed  it  on  one  side,  and  then  they  saw  a  door  where  it  had 
stood,  and  inside  the  door  was  a  little  room,  and  in  the  room 
there  was  scarce  anything  but  a  httle  fireplace  and  one  or  two 
benches  ;  but  behind  the  door  hung  a  great  rusty  sword  and 
a  Uttle  pitcher. 

'  Can  you  brandish  the  sword  ?  '  said  the  Foals  ;   *  try.' 
So  Boots  tried,  but  he  couldn't  ;  then  they  made  him  take 
a  pull  at  the  pitcher  ;   first  once,  then  twice,  and  then  thrice, 
and  then  he  could  wield  it  like  anything. 


The  Seven  Foals  307 

'  Yes  ',  said  the  Foals,  '  now  you  may  take  the  sword  with 
you,  and  with  it  you  must  cut  off  all  our  seven  heads  on  your 
wedding-day,  and  then  we'll  be  princes  again  as  we  were  before. 
For  we  are  brothers  of  that  Princess  whom  you  are  to  have 
when  you  can  tell  the  King  what  we  eat  and  drink  ;  but  an 
ugly  Troll  has  thrown  this  shape  over  us.  Now  mind,  when  you 
have  hewn  o£f  our  heads,  to  take  care  to  lay  each  head  at  the 
tail  of  the  trunk  which  it  belonged  to  before,  and  then  the  spell 
will  have  no  more  power  over  us.' 

Yes  !     Boots  promised  all  that,  and  then  on  they  went. 

And  when  they  had  travelled  a  long  long  way,  the  Foal 
asked  : 

*  Do  you  see  anything  ?  ' 

*  No  ',  said  Boots. 

So  they  travelled  a  good  bit  still. 
'  And  now  ?  '  asked  the  Foal. 

*  No,  I  see  nothing  ',  said  Boots. 

So  they  travelled  many  many  miles  again,  over  hill  and  dale. 
'  Now  then  ',  said  the  Foal,  '  do  you  see  anything  now  ?  * 
'  Yes  ',  said  Boots,    *  now  I  see  something  like  a  blue  stripe, 

far  far  away.' 

'  Yes  ',  said  the  Foal,  '  that's  a  river  we've  got  to  cross.' 
Over  the  river  was  a  long,  grand  bridge  ;   and  when  they 

had  got  over  to  the  other  side,  they  travelled  on  a  long,  long 

way.     At  last  the  Foal  asked  again  : 

*  If  Boots  didn't  see  anything  ?  * 

*  Yes,  this  time  he  saw  something  that  looked  black  far  far 
away,  j  ust  as  though  it  were  a  church  steeple. ' 

*  Yes  ',  said  the  Foal,  '  that's  where  we're  going  to  turn  in.' 
So  when  the  foals  got  into  the  churchyard,  they  became  men 

again,  and  looked  like  Princes,  with  such  fine  clothes  that  it 
glistened  from  them  ;  and  so  they  went  into  the  church,  and 
took  the  bread  and  wine  from  the  priest  who  stood  at  the  altar. 
And  Boots  he  went  in  too  ;  but  when  the  priest  had  laid  his 
hands  on  the  Princes,  and  given  them  the  blessing,  they  went 
out  of  the  church  again,  and  Boots  went  out  too  ;  but  he  took 
with  him  a  flask  of  wine  and  a  wafer.  And  soon  as  ever  the 
seven  Princes  came  out  into  the  churchyard,  they  were  turned 
into  foals  again,  and  so  Boots  got  up  on  the  back  of  the  young- 
est, and  so  they  all  went  back  the  same  way  that  they  had  come  ; 
only^  they  went  much,  much  faster.     First  they  crossed  the 


3o8  Tales  from  the  Norse 

bridge,  next  they  passed  the  trunk,  and  then  they  passed  the 
old  hag,  who  sat  at  the  cleft  and  span,  and  they  went  by  her 
so  fast,  that  Boots  couldn't  hear  what  the  old  hag  screeched 
after  him  ;  but  he  heard  so  much  as  to  know  she  was  in  an 
awful  rage. 

It  was  almost  dark  when  they  got  back  to  the  palace,  and 
the  King  himself  stood  out  on  the  steps  and  waited  for  them. 

'  Have  you  watched  well  and  true  the  whole  day  ?  '  said  he 
to  Boots. 

*  I've  done  my  best ',  answered  Boots. 

*  Then  you  can  tell  me  what  my  seven  foals  eat  and  drink  ', 
said  the  King. 

Then  Boots  pulled  out  the  flask  of  wine  and  the  wafer,  and 
showed  them  to  the  King. 

*  Here  you  see  their  meat,  and  here  you  see  their  drink  ', 
said  he. 

'  Yes  ',  said  the  King,  *  you  have  watched  true  and  well, 
and  you  shall  have  the  Princess  and  half  the  kingdom.' 

So  they  made  ready  the  wedding-feast,  and  the  King  said 
it  should  be  such  a  grand  one,  it  should  be  the  talk  far  and  near. 

But  when  they  sat  down  to  the  bridal-feast,  the  bridegroom 
got  up  and  went  down  to  the  stable,  for  he  said  he  had  forgotten 
something,  and  must  go  to  fetch  it.  And  when  he  got  down 
there,  he  did  as  the  Foals  had  said,  and  hewed  their  heads  off, 
all  seven,  the  eldest  first,  and  the  others  after  him  ;  and  at 
the  same  time  he  took  care  to  lay  each  head  at  the  tail  of  the 
foal  to  which  it  belonged  ;  and  as  he  did  this,  lo  !  they  all 
became  Princes  again. 

So  when  he  went  into  the  bridal  hall  with  the  seven  princes, 
the  King  was  so  glad  he  both  kissed  Boots  and  patted  him  on 
the  back,  and  his  bride  was  still  more  glad  of  him  than  she  had 
been  before. 

'  Half  the  kingdom  you  have  got  already  ',  said  the  King, 
'  and  the  other  half  you  shall  have  after  my  death  ;  for  my  sons 
can  easily  get  themselves  lands  and  wealth,  now  they  are 
princes  again.* 

And  so,  like  enough,  there  was  mirth  and  fun  at  that  wedding. 
I  was  there  too  ;  but  there  was  no  one  to  care  for  poor  me  ; 
and  so  I  got  nothing  but  a  bit  of  bread  and  butter,  and  I  laid  it 
down  on  the  stove,  and  the  bread  was  burnt  and  the  butter 
Tz  n  and  so  I  didn't  get  even  the  smallest  crumb.  Wasn't  that 
a  great  shame  ? 


The  Widow's  Son  309 


THE  WIDOW'S  SON 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  poor,  poor  widow,  who  had  an 
only  son.  She  dragged  on  with  the  boy  till  he  had  been  con- 
firmed, and  then  she  said  she  couldn't  feed  him  any  longer, 
he  must  just  go  out  and  earn  his  own  bread.  So  the  lad  wan- 
dered out  into  the  world,  and  when  he  had  walked  a  day  or  so, 
a  strange  man  met  him. 

*  Whither  away  ?  '  asked  the  man. 

*  Oh,  I'm  going  out  into  the  world  to  try  and  get  a  place  *, 
said  the  lad. 

'  Will  you  come  and  serve  me  ?  '  said  the  man. 

*  Oh  yes  ;  just  as  soon  you  as  any  one  else  *,  said  the  lad. 

*  Well,  you'll  have  a  good  place  with  me  ',  said  the  man  ; 
*  for  you'll  only  have  to  keep  me  company,  and  do  nothing  at 
all  else  beside.' 

So  the  lad  stopped  with  him,  and  lived  on  the  fat  of  the  land, 
both  in  meat  and  drink,  and  had  little  or  nothing  to  do  ;  but 
he  never  saw  a  living  soul  in  that  man's  house. 

So  one  day  the  man  said  : 

'  Now,  I'm  going  off  for  eight  days,  and  that  time  you'll 
have  to  spend  here  all  alone  ;  but  you  must  not  go  into  any 
one  of  these  four  rooms  here.  If  you  do,  I'll  take  your  life 
when  I  come  back.' 

'  No  ',  said  the  lad,  he'd  be  sure  not  to  do  that.  But  when 
the  man  had  been  gone  three  or  four  days,  the  lad  couldn't  bear 
it  any  longer,  but  went  into  the  first  room,  and  when  he  got 
inside  he  looked  round,  but  he  saw  nothing  but  a  shelf  over  the 
door  where  a  bramble-bush  rod  lay. 

Well,  indeed  !  thought  the  lad  ;  a  pretty  thing  to  forbid 
my  seeing  this. 

So  when  the  eight  days  were  out,  the  man  came  home,  and 
the  first  thing  he  said  was  : 

'  You  haven't  been  into  any  of  these  rooms,  of  course.' 

*  No,  no  ;  that  I  haven't ',  said  the  lad. 

*  I'll  soon  see  that ',  said  the  man,  and  went  at  once  into  the 
room  where  the  lad  had  been. 

*  Nay,  but  you  have  been  in  here  *,  said  he  ;  *  and  now  you 
shall  lose  your  life.' 

Then  the  lad  begged  and  prayed  so  hard  that  he  got  off  with 


310  Tales  from  the  Norse 

his  life,  but  the  man  gave  him  a  good  thrashing.  And  when 
it  was  over,  they  were  as  good  friends  as  ever. 

Some  time  after  the  man  set  off  again,  and  said  he  should  be 
away  fourteen  days  ;  but  before  he  went  he  forbade  the  lad 
to  go  into  any  gf  the  rooms  he  had  not  been  in  before  ;  as  for 
that  he  had  been  in,  he  might  go  into  that,  and  welcome. 
Well,  it  was  the  same  story  over  again,  except  that  the  lad 
stood  out  eight  days  before  he  went  in.  In  this  room,  too, 
he  saw  nothing  but  a  shelf  over  the  door,  and  a  big  stone,  and 
a  pitcher  of  water  on  it.  Well,  after  all,  there's  not  much  to 
be  afraid  of  my  seeing  here,  thought  the  lad. 

But  when  the  man  came  back,  he  asked  if  he  had  been  into 
any  of  the  rooms.  No,  the  lad  hadn't  done  anything  of  the 
kind. 

*  Well,  well  ;  I'll  soon  see  that,'  said  the  man  ;  and  when 
he  saw  that  the  lad  had  been  in  them  after  all,  he  said  : 

*  Ah  !  now  I'll  spare  you  no  longer  ;  now  you  must  lose  your 
life.' 

But  the  lad  begged  and  prayed  for  himself  again,  and  so 
this  time  too  he  got  off  with  stripes  ;  though  he  got  as 
many  as  his  skin  could  carry.  But  when  he  got  sound  and  well 
again,  he  led  just  as  easy  a  life  as  ever,  and  he  and  the  man 
were  just  as  good  friends. 

So  a  while  after  the  man  was  to  take  another  journey,  and 
now  he  said  he  should  be  away  three  weeks,  and  he  forbade 
the  lad  anew  to  go  into  the  third  room,  for  if  he  went  in  there 
he  might  just  make  up  his  mind  at  once  to  lose  his  life.  Then 
after  fourteen  days  the  lad  couldn't  bear  it,  but  crept  into  the 
room,  but  he  saw  nothing  at  all  in  there  but  a  trap  door  on 
the  floor  ;  and  when  he  lifted  it  up  and  looked  down,  there 
stood  a  great  copper  cauldron  which  bubbled  and  boiled  away 
down  there  ;  but  he  saw  no  fire  under  it. 

'Well,  I  should  just  like  to  know  if  it's  hot  "  thought  the 
lad,  and  stuck  his  finger  down  into  the  broth,  and  when  he 
pulled  it  out  again,  lo  !  it  was  gilded  all  over.  So  the  lad 
scraped  and  scrubbed  it,  but  the  gilding  wouldn't  go  off,  so 
he  bound  a  piece  of  rag  round  it  ;  and  when  the  man  came 
back,  and  asked  what  was  the  matter  mth  his  finger,  the  lad 
said  he'd  given  it  such  a  bad  cut.  But  the  man  tore  ofi  the 
rag,  and  then  he  soon  saw  what  was  the  matter  with  the 
finger.     First  he  wanted  to  kill  the  lad  outright,  but  when  he 


The  Widow's  Son  311 

wept,  and  begged,  he  only  gave  him  such  a  thrashing  that  he 
had  to  keep  his  bed  three  days.  After  that  the  man  took  down 
a  pot  from  the  wall,  and  rubbed  him  over  with  some  stuff  out 
of  it,  and  so  the  lad  was  sound  and  fresh  as  ever. 

So  after  a  while  the  man  started  off  again,  and  this  time  he 
was  to  be  away  a  month.  But  before  he  went,  he  said  to  the 
lad,  if  he  went  into  the  fourth  room  he  might  give  up  all  hope 
of  saving  his  life. 

Well,  the  lad  stood  out  for  two  or  three  weeks,  but  then  he 
couldn't  hold  out  any  longer  ;  he  must  and  would  go  into  that 
room,  and  so  in  he  stole.  There  stood  a  great  black  horse 
tied  up  in  a  stall  by  himself,  with  a  manger  of  red-hot  coals  at 
his  head,  and  a  truss  of  hay  at  his  tail.  Then  the  lad  thought 
this  all  wrong,  so  he  changed  them  about,  and  put  the  hay  at 
his  head.     Then  said  the  Horse  : 

'  Since  you  are  so  good  at  heart  as  to  let  me  have  some  food, 
I'll  set  you  free,  that  I  will.  For  if  the  Troll  comes  back  and 
finds  you  here,  he'll  kill  you  outright.  But  now  you  must 
go  up  to  the  room  which  lies  just  over  this,  and  take  a  coat  of 
mail  out  of  those  that  hang  there  ;  and  mind,  whatever  you 
do,  don't  take  any  of  the  bright  ones,  but  the  most  rusty  of  all 
you  see,  that's  the  one  to  take  ;  and  sword  and  saddle  you  must 
choose  for  yourself  just  in  the  same  way.' 

So  the  lad  did  all  that  ;  but  it  was  a  heavy  load  for  him  to 
carry  them  all  down  at  once. 

When  he  came  back,  the  Horse  told  him  to  pull  off  his  clothes 
and  get  into  the  cauldron  which  stood  and  boiled  in  the  other 
room,  and  bathe  himself  there.  'If  I  do  ',  thought  the  lad, 
*  I  shall  look  an  awful  fright '  ;  but  for  all  that,  he  did  as  he  was 
told.  So  when  he  had  taken  his  bath,  he  became  so  handsome 
and  sleek,  and  as  red  and  white  as  milk  and  blood,  and  much 
stronger  than  he  had  been  before. 

*  Do  you  feel  any  change  ?  '   asked  the  Horse. 

*  Yes  ',  said  the  lad. 

*  Try  to  Hft  me,  then  ',  said  the  Horse. 

Oh  yes  !  he  could  do  that,  and  as  for  the  sword,  le  brand- 
ished it  like  a  feather. 

'  Now  saddle  me  ',  said  the  Horse,  '  and  put  on  the  coat  of 
mail,  and  then  take  the  bramble-bush  rod,  and  the  stone,  and 
the  pitcher  of  water,  and  the  pot  of  ointment,  and  then  we'll 
be  off  as  fast  as  we  can.' 


312  Tales  from  the  Norse 

So  when  the  lad  had  got  on  the  horse,  ofE  they  went  at  such 
a  rate,  he  couldn't  at  all  tell  how  they  went.  But  when  he 
had  ridden  awhile,  the  Horse  said, 

*  I  think  I  hear  a  noise  ;  look  round  !  can  you  see  anything  ?  ' 

*  Yes  ;  there  are  ever  so  many  coming  after  us,  at  least  a 
score  ',  said  the  lad. 

'  Aye,  aye,  that's  the  Troll  coming  ',  said  the  Horse  ;  *  now 
le's  after  us  with  his  pack.' 

So  they  rode  on  a  while,  until  those  who  followed  were  close 
behind  them. 

'  Now  throw  your  bramble-bush  rod  behind  you,  over  your 
shoulder  ',  said  the  Horse  ;  '  but  mind  you  throw  it  a  good  way 
ofi  my  back.' 

So  the  lad  did  that,  and  all  at  once  a  close,  thick  bramble- 
wood  grew  up  behind  them.  So  the  lad  rode  on  a  long,  long 
time,  while  the  Troll  and  his  crew  had  to  go  home  to  fetch 
something  to  hew  their  way  through  the  wood.  But  at 
last,  the  Horse  said  again. 

'  Look  behind  you  !  can  you  see  anything  now  ?  * 

'  Yes,  ever  so  many  ',  said  the  lad,  '  as  many  as  would  fill 
a  large  church.' 

*  Aye,  aye,  that's  the  Troll  and  his  crew  ',  said  the  Horse  ; 
'  now  he's  got  more  to  back  him  ;  but  now  throw  down  the 
stone,  and  mind  you  throw  it  far  behind  me,' 

And  as  soon  as  the  lad  did  what  the  Horse  said,  up  rose  a 
great  black  hill  of  rock  behind  him.  So  the  Troll  had  to  be 
off  home  to  fetch  something  to  mine  his  way  through  the  rock  ; 
and  while  the  Troll  did  that,  the  lad  rode  a  good  bit  further 
on.  But  still  the  Horse  begged  him  tp  look  behind  him,  and 
then  he  saw  a  troop  like  a  whole  army  behind  him,  and  they 
glistened  in  the  sunbeams. 

'  Aye,  aye  ',  said  the  Horse,  '  that's  the  Troll,  and  now  he's 
got  his  whole  band  with  him,  so  throw  the  pitcher  of  water 
behind  you,  but  mind  you  don't  spill  any  of  it  upon  me.' 

So  the  lad  did  that  ;  but  in  spite  of  all  the  pains  he  took, 
he  still  spilt  one  drop  on  the  horse's  flank.  So  it  became  a 
great  deep  lake  ;  and  because  of  that  one  drop,  the  horse 
found  himself  far  out  in  it,  but  still  he  swam  safe  to  land.  But 
when  the  Trolls  came  to  the  lake,  they  lay  down  to  drink  it 
dry  ;  and  so  they  swilled  and  swilled  till  they  burst. 

'  Now  we're  rid  of  them  ',  said  the  Horse. 


The  Widow's  Son  313 

So  when  they  had  gone  a  long,  long  while,  they  came  to  a 
green  patch  in  a  wood. 

*  Now,  strip  off  all  your  arms  ',  said  the  Horse,  *  and  only 
put  on  your  ragged  clothes,  and  take  the  saddle  off  me,  and 
let  me  loose,  and  hang  all  my  clothing  and  your  arms  up  inside 
that  great  hollow  lime-tree  yonder.  Then  make  yourself  a 
wig  of  fir-moss,  and  go  up  to  the  king's  palace,  which  lies  close 
here,  and  ask  for  a  place.  Whenever  you  need  me,  only  come 
here  and  shake  the  bridle,  and  I'll  come  to  you.' 

Yes  !  the  lad  did  all  his  Horse  told  him,  and  as  soon  as  ever 
he  put  on  the  wig  of  moss  he  became  so  ugly,  and  pale,  and 
miserable  to  look  at,  no  one  would  have  known  him  again. 
Then  he  went  up  to  the  king's  palace  and  begged  first  for  leave 
to  be  in  the  kitchen,  and  bring  in  wood  and  water  for  the  cook, 
but  then  the  kitchen-maid  asked  him  : 

'  Why  do  you  wear  that  ugly  wig  ?  Off  with  it.  I  won't 
have  such  a  fright  in  here.' 

'  No,  I  can't  do  that ',  said  the  lad  ;  '  for  I'm  not  quite  right 
in  my  head.' 

*  Do  you  think  then  I'll  have  you  in  here  about  the  food  ', 
cried  the  cook.  *  Away  with  you  to  the  coachman  ;  you're 
best  fit  to  go  and  clean  the  stable.' 

But  when  the  coachman  begged  him  to  take  his  wig  off, 
he  got  the  same  answer,  and  he  wouldn't  have  him  either. 

*  You'd  best  go  down  to  the  gardener  ',  said  he  ;  *  you're 
best  fit  to  go  about  and  dig  in  the  garden.' 

So  he  got  leave  to  be  with  the  gardener,  but  none  of  the 
other  servants  would  sleep  with  him,  and  so  he  had  to  sleep 
by  himself  under  the  steps  of  the  summerhouse.  It  stood 
upon  beams,  and  had  a  high  staircase.  Under  that  he  got 
some  turf  for  his  bed,  and  there  he  lay  as  well  as  he  could. 

So,  when  he  had  been  some  time  at  the  palace,  it  happened 
one  morning,  just  as  the  sun  rose,  that  the  lad  had  taken  off 
his  wig,  and  stood  and  washed  himself,  and  then  he  was  so 
handsome,  it  was  a  joy  to  look  at  him. 

So  the  Princess  saw  from  her  window  the  lovely  gar- 
dener's boy,  and  thought  she  had  never  seen  any  one  so  hand- 
some. Then  she  asked  the  gardener  why  he  lay  out  there 
under  the  steps. 

'  Oh  ',  said  the  gardener,  '  none  of  his  fellow-servants  will 
sleep  with  him  ;    that's  why.' 


314  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  Let  him  come  up  to-night,  and  lie  at  the  door  inside  my 
bedroom,  and  then  they'll  not  refuse  to  sleep  with  him  any 
more  ',  said  the  Princess. 

So  the  gardener  told  that  to  the  lad. 

'  Do  you  think  I'll  do  any  such  thing  ?  '  said  the  lad.  '  Why 
they'd  say  next  there  was  something  between  me  and  the 
Princess.' 

'  Yes  ',  said  the  gardener,  *  you've  good  reason  to  fear  any 
such  thing,  you  who  are  so  handsome.' 

'  Well,  well ',  said  the  lad,  '  since  it's  her  will,  I  suppose  I 
must  go.' 

So,  when  he  was  to  go  up  the  steps  in  the  evening,  he  tramped 
and  stamped  so  on  the  way,  that  they  had  to  beg  him  to  tread 
softly  lest  the  King  should  come  to  know  it.  So  he  came 
into  the  Princess'  bedroom,  lay  down,  and  began  to  snore  at 
once.     Then  the  Princess  said  to  her  maid  : 

*  Go  gently,  and  just  pull  his  wig  off '  ;  and  she  went  up 
to  him. 

But  just  as  she  was  going  to  whisk  it  off,  he  caught  hold 
of  it  with  both  hands,  and  said  she  should  never  have  it.  After 
that  he  lay  down  again,  and  began  to  snore.  Then  the  Prin- 
cess gave  her  maid  a  wink,  and  this  time  she  whisked  off 
the  wig  ;  and  there  lay  the  lad  so  lovely,  and  white  and  red, 
just  as  the  Princess  had  seen  him  in  the  morning  sun. 

After  that  the  lad  slept  every  night  in  the  Princess'  bedroom. 

But  it  wasn't  long  before  the  King  came  to  hear  how  the 
gardener's  lad  slept  every  night  in  the  Princess'  bedroom  ; 
and  he  got  so  wroth  he  almost  took  the  lad's  life.  He  didn't 
do  that,  however,  but  threw  him  into  the  prison  tower  ;  and 
as  for  his  daughter,  he  shut  her  up  in  her  own  room,  whence 
she  never  got  leave  to  stir  day  or  night.  All  that  she  begged, 
and  all  that  she  prayed,  for  the  lad  and  herself,  was  no  good. 
The  King  was  only  more  wroth  than  ever. 

Some  time  after  came  a  war  and  uproar  in  the  land,  and 
the  king  had  to  take  up  arms  against  another  king  who  wished 
to  take  the  kingdom  from  him.  So  when  the  lad  heard  that, 
he  begged  the  gaoler  to  go  to  the  king  and  ask  for  a  coat  of 
mail  and  a  sword,  and  for  leave  to  go  to  the  war.  All  the 
rest  laughed  when  the  gaoler  told  his  errand,  and  begged  the 
king  to  let  him  have  an  old  worn-out  suit,  that  they  might  have 
the  fun  of  seeing  such  a  wretch  in  battle.     So  he  got  that,  and  an 


The  Widow's  Son  315 

old  broken-down  hack  besides,  which  went  upon  three  legs, 
and  dragged  the  fourth  after  it. 

Then  they  went  out  to  meet  the  foe  ;  but  they  hadn't  got 
far  from  the  palace  before  the  lad  got  stuck  fast  in  a  bog  with 
his  hack.  There  he  sat  and  dug  his  spurs  in,  and  cried,  '  Gee 
up,  gee  up  !  '  to  his  hack.  And  all  the  rest  had  their  fun  out  of 
this,  and  laughed,  and  made  game  of  the  lad  as  they  rode  past 
him.  But  they  were  scarcely  gone,  before  he  ran  to  the  lime- 
tree,  threw  on  his  coat  of  mail,  and  shook  the  bridle,  and 
there  came  the  horse  in  a  trice,  and  said  ; 

*  Do  now  your  best,  and  I'll  do  mine.' 

But  when  the  lad  came  up  the  battle  had  begun,  and  the 
king  was  in  a  sad  pinch  ;  but  no  sooner  had  the  lad  rushed 
into  the  thick  of  it  than  the  foe  was  beaten  back,  and  put  to 
flight.  The  king  and  his  men  wondered  and  wondered  who 
it  could  be  who  had  come  to  help  them,  but  none  of  them  got 
so  near  him  as  to  be  able  to  talk  to  him,  and  as  soon  as  the  fight 
was  over  he  was  gone.  When  they  went  back,  there  sat  the 
lad  still  in  the  bog,  and  dug  his  spurs  into  his  three-legged 
hack,  and  they  all  laughed  again. 

*  No  I   only  just  look  ',  they  said  ;    *  there  the  fool  sits  still.' 
The  next  day  when  they  went  out  to  battle,  they  saw  the 

lad  sitting  there  still,  so  they  laughed  again,  and  made  game 
of  him  ;  but  as  soon  as  ever  they  had  ridden  by,  the  lad  ran 
again  to  the  lime-tree,  and  all  happened  as  on  the  first  day. 
Every  one  wondered  what  strange  champion  it  could  be  that  had 
helped  them,  but  no  one  got  so  near  him  as  to  say  a  word  to 
him  ;  and  no  one  guessed  it  could  be  the  lad  ;  that's  easy  to 
understand. 

So  when  they  went  home  at  night,  and  saw  the  lad  still 
sitting  there  on  his  hack,  they  burst  out  laughing  at  him 
again,  and  one  of  them  shot  an  arrow  at  him  and  hit  him 
in  the  leg.  So  he  began  to  shriek  and  to  bewail ;  'twas  enough 
to  break  one's  heart ;  and  so  the  king  threw  his  pocket- 
handkerchief  to  him  to  bind  his  wound. 

When  they  went  out  to  battle  the  third  day,  the  lad  still 
sat  there. 

*  Gee  up  !    gee  up  !  '  he  said  to  his  hack. 

*  Nay,  nay  ',  said  the  king's  men  ;  *  if  he  won't  stick  there 
till  he's  starved  to  death.' 

And  then  they  rode  on,  and  laughed  at  him  till  they  were 


3l6  Tales   from  the  Norse 

fit  to  fall  from  their  horses.  When  they  were  gone,  he  ran 
again  to  the  lime,  and  came  up  to  the  battle  just  in  the  very 
nick  of  time.  This  day  he  slew  the  enemy's  king,  and  then 
the  war  was  over  at  once. 

When  the  battle  was  over,  the  king  caught  sight  of  his  hand- 
kerchief, which  the  strange  warrior  had  bound  round  his  leg, 
and  so  it  wasn't  hard  to  find  him  out.  So  they  took  him  with 
great  joy  between  them  to  the  palace,  and  the  Princess,  who  saw 
him  from  her  window,  got  so  glad,  no  one  can  believe  it. 

*  Here  comes  my  own  true  love  ',  she  said. 

Then  he  took  the  pot  of  ointment  and  rubbed  himself  on 
the  leg,  and  after  that  he  rubbed  all  the  wounded,  and  so  they 
all  got  well  again  in  a  moment. 

So  he  got  the  Princess  to  wife  ;  but  when  he  went  down 
into  the  stable  where  his  horse  was  on  the  day  the  wedding 
was  to  be,  there  it  stood  so  dull  and  heavy,  and  hung  its  ears 
down,  and  wouldn't  eat  its  corn.  So  when  the  young  king — 
for  he  was  now  a  king,  and  had  got  half  the  kingdom — spoke 
to  him,  and  asked  what  ailed  him,  the  Horse  said  : 

*  Now  I  have  helped  you  on,  and  now  I  won't  live  any  longer. 
So  just  take  the  sword,  and  cut  my  head  off.' 

*  No,  I'll  do  nothing  of  the  kind  ',  said  the  young  king  ; 
*  but  you  shall  have  all  you  want,  and  rest  all  your  life.' 

*  Well  ',  said  the  Horse,  '  If  you  don't  do  as  I  tell  you,  see 
if  I  don't  take  your  life  somehow.' 

So  the  king  had  to  do  what  he  asked  ;  but  when  he  swung  the 
sword  and  was  to  cut  his  head  off,  he  was  so  sorry  he  turned 
away  his  face,  for  he  would  not  see  the  stroke  fall.  But 
as  soon  as  ever  he  had  cut  off  the  head,  there  stood  the  loveliest 
Prince  on  the  spot  where  the  horse  had  stood. 

'  Why,  where  in  all  the  world  did  you  come  from  ?  '  asked 
the  king. 

*  It  was  I  who  was  a  horse  ',  said  the  Prince  ;  '  for  I 
was  king  of  that  land  whose  king  you  slew  yesterday.  He 
it  was  who  threw  this  Troll's  shape  over  me,  and  sold  me  to  the 
Troll.  But  now  he  is  slain  I  get  my  own  again,  and  you  and  I 
will  be  neighbour  kings,  but  war  we  will  never  make  on  one 
another.' 

And  they  didn't  either  ;  for  they  were  friends  as  long  as 
they  lived,  and  each  paid  the  other  very  many  visits. 


Bushy  Bride  317 


BUSHY  BRIDE 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  widower,  who  had  a  son  and  a 
daughter  by  his  first  marriage.  Both  were  good  children,  and 
loved  each  other  dearly.  Some  time  after  the  man  married 
a  widow,  who  had  a  daughter  by  her  first  husband,  and  she 
was  both  ugly  and  bad,  like  her  mother.  So  from 
the  day  the  new  wife  came  into  the  house  there  was  no  peace 
for  her  stepchildren  in  any  corner  ;  and  at  last  the  lad  thought 
he'd  best  go  out  into  the  world,  and  try  to  earn  his  own  bread. 
And  when  he  had  wandered  a  while  he  came  to  a  king's  palace, 
and  got  a  place  under  the  coachman,  and  quick  and  willing 
he  was,  and  the  horses  he  looked  after  were  so  sleek  and  clean 
that  their  coats  shone  again. 

But  the  sister  who  stayed  at  home  was  treated  worse  than 
badly  ;  both  her  stepmother  and  stepsister  were  always  at  her, 
and  wherever  she  went,  and  whatever  she  did,  they  scolded 
and  snarled  so,  the  poor  lassie  hadn't  an  hour's  peace.  All 
the  hard  work  she  was  forced  to  do,  and  early  and  late 
she  got  nothing  but  bad  words,  and  little  food  besides. 

So  one  day  they  had  sent  her  to  the  burn  to  fetch  water  : 
and  what  do  you  think  ?  up  popped  an  ugly,  ugly  head  out 
of  the  pool,  and  said  : 

*  Wash  me,  you  lassie.' 

*  Yes,  with  all  my  heart  I'll  wash  you  ',  said  the  lassie. 
So  she  began  to  wash  and  scrub  the  ugly  head  ;   but  truth 

to  say,  she  thought  it  nasty  work. 

Well,  as  soon  as  she  had  done  washing  it,  up  popped  another 
head  out  of  the  pool,  and  this  was  uglier  still. 

'  Brush  me,  you  lassie  ',  said  the  head. 

*  Yes,  with  all  my  heart  I'll  brush  you. 

And  with  that  she  took  in  hand  the  matted  locks,  and  you 
may  fancy  she  hadn't  very  pleasant  work  with  them. 

But  when  she  had  got  over  that,  if  a  third  head  didn't 
pop  up  out  of  the  pool,  and  this  was  far  more  ugly  and  loath- 
some than  both  the  others  put  together. 

*  Kiss  me,  you  lassie  !  ' 

'  Yes,  I'll  kiss  you  ',  said  the  lassie,  and  she  did  it  too,  though 
she  thought  it  the  worst  work  she  had  ever  had  to  do  in  her 
life. 

Then  the  heads  began  to  chatter  together,  and  each  asked 


3i8  Tales  from  the  Norse 

what  they  should   do   for  the  lassie  who  was  so   kind  and 
gentle. 

*  That  she  be  the  prettiest  lassie  in  the  world,  and  as  fair 
as  the  bright  day  ',  said  the  first  head. 

'  That  gold  shall  drop  from  her  hair,  every  time  she  brushes 
it ',  said  the  second  head. 

'  That  gold  shall  fall  from  her  mouth  every  time  she  speaks  ', 
said  the  third  head. 

So  when  the  lassie  came  home  looking  so  lovely,  and  beaming 
as  the  bright  day  itself,  her  stepmother  and  her  stepsister  got 
more  and  more  cross,  and  they  got  worse  still  when  she  began 
to  talk,  and  they  saw  how  golden  guineas  fell  from  her  mouth. 
As  for  the  stepmother,  she  got  so  mad  with  rage,  she  chased 
the  lassie  into  the  pigsty.  That  was  the  right  place  for  all  her 
gold  stuff,  but  as  for  coming  into  the  house,  she  wouldn't 
hear  of  it. 

Well,  it  wasn't  long  before  the  stepmother  wished  her 
own  daughter  to  go  to  the  burn  to  fetch  water.  So  when 
she  came  to  the  water's  edge  with  her  buckets,  up  popped 
the  first  head. 

'  Wash  me,  you  lassie  ',  it  said. 

*  The  Deil  wash  you  ',  said  the  stepdaughter. 
So  the  second  head  popped  up. 

*  Brush  me,  you  lassie  ',  it  said. 

'  The  Deil  brush  you  ',  said  the  stepdaughter. 

So  down  it  went  to  the  bottom,  and  the  third  head  popped 
up. 

'  Kiss  me,  you  lassie',  said  the  head. 

'  The  Deil  kiss  you,  you  pig's-snout ',  said  the  girl. 

Then  the  heads  chattered  together  again,  and  asked  what 
they  should  do  to  the  girl  who  was  so  spiteful  and  cross- 
grained  ;  and  they  all  agreed  she  should  have  a  nose  four 
ells  long,  and  a  snout  three  ells  long,  and  a  pine  bush  right 
in  the  midst  of  her  forehead,  and  every  time  she  spoke,  ashes 
were  to  fall  out  of  her  mouth. 

So  when  she  got  home  with  her  buckets,  she  bawled  out 
to  her  mother  : 

*  Open  the  door.' 

*  Open  it  yourself,   my  darling  child  ',   said  the  mother. 

*  I  can't  reach  it  because  of  my  nose  ',  said  the  daughter. 
$0,  when  the  mother  came  out  and  saw  her,  you  may  fancy 


Bushjr  Bride  319 

what  a  way  she  was  in,  and  how  she  screamed  and  groaned  ; 
but,  for  all  that,  there  were  the  nose  and  the  snout  and  the 
pine  bush,  and  they  got  no  smaller  for  all  her  grief. 

Now  the  brother,  who  had  got  the  place  in  the  King's 
stable,  had  taken  a  little  sketch  of  his  sister,  which  he  carried 
away  with  him,  and  every  morning  and  every  evening  he 
knelt  down  before  the  picture  and  prayed  to  Our  Lord  for  his 
sister,  whom  he  loved  so  dearly.  The  other  grooms  had 
heard  him  praying,  so  they  peeped  through  the  key-hole 
of  his  room,  and  there  they  saw  him  on  his  knees  before  the 
picture.  So  they  went  about  saying  how  the  lad  every  morning 
and  every  evening  knelt  down  and  prayed  to  an  idol  which 
he  had,  and  at  last  they  went  to  the  king  himself  and  begged 
him  only  to  peep  through  the  key-hole,  and  then  His  Majesty 
would  see  the  lad,  and  what  things  he  did.  At  first  the  King 
wouldn't  believe  it,  but  at  last  they  talked  him  over,  and 
he  crept  on  tiptoe  to  the  door  and  peeped  in.  Yes,  there 
was  the  lad  on  his  knees  before  the  picture,  which  hung  on 
the  wall,  praying  with  clasped  hands. 

*  Open  the  door  !  '  called  out  the  King  ;  but  the  lad  didn't 
hear  him. 

So  the  King  called  out  in  a  louder  voice,  but  the  lad  was 
so  deep  in  his  prayers  he  couldn't  hear  him  this  time  either. 

'  Open  the  door,  I  say  !  '  roared  out  the  King ;  '  It's  I, 
the  King,  who  want  to  come  in.' 

Well,  up  jumped  the  lad  and  ran  to  the  door,  and  unlocked 
it,  but  in  his  hurry  he  forgot  to  hide  the  picture. 

But  when  the  King  came  in  and  saw  the  picture,  he  stood 
there  as  if  he  were  fettered,  and  couldn't  stir  from  the  spot, 
so  lovely  he  thought  the  picture. 

'  So  lovely  a  woman  there  isn't  in  all  the  wide  world  ', 
said  the  King. 

But  the  lad  told  him  she  was  his  sister  whom  he  had  drawn, 
and  if  she  wasn't  prettier  than  that,  at  least  she  wasn't  uglier. 

'  Well,  if  she's  so  lovely  ',  said  the  King,  *  I'll  have  her  for 
my  queen  '  ;  and  then  he  ordered  the  lad  to  set  off  home  that 
minute,  and  not  be  long  on  the  road  either.  So  the  lad 
promised  to  make  as  much  haste  as  he  could,  and  started  off 
from  the  King's  palace. 

When  the  brother  came  home  to  fetch  his  sister,  the  step- 
mother and  stepsister  said  they  must  go  too.     So  they  all  set 


320  Tales  from  the  Norse 

out,  and  the  good  lassie  had  a  casket  in  which  she  kept  her 
gold,  and  a  little  dog,  whose  name  was  *  Little  Flo  '  ;  those 
two  things  were  all  her  mother  left  her.  And  when  they  had 
gone  a  while,  they  came  to  a  lake  which  they  had  to  cross  ; 
so  the  brother  sat  down  at  the  helm,  and  the  stepmother  and 
the  two  girls  sat  in  the  bow  foreward,  and  so  they  sailed  a 
long,  long  way. 

At  last  they  caught  sight  of  land. 

'  There  ',  said  the  brother,  '  where  you  see  the  white  strand 
yonder,  there's  where  we're  to  land  '  ;  and  as  he  said  this  he 
pointed  across  the  water. 

'  What  is   it   my  brother  says  ?  '    asked  the  good  lassie. 

*  He  says  you  must  throw  your  casket  overboard  ',  said 
the  stepmother. 

*  Well,  when  my  brother  says  it,  I  must  do  it ',  said  the 
lassie,  and  overboard  went  the  casket. 

When  they  had  sailed  a  bit  farther,  the  brother  pointed 
again  across  the  lake. 

*  There  you  see  the  castle  we're  going  to.* 

*  What  is  it  my  brother  says  ?  *  asked  the  lassie. 

*  He  says  now  you  must  throw  your  little  dog  overboard  *, 
said  the  stepmother. 

Then  the  lassie  wept  and  was  sore  grieved,  for  Little  Flo 
was  the  dearest  thing  she  had  in  the  world,  but  at  last  she 
threw  him  overboard. 

'  When  my  brother  says  it,  I  must  do  it,  but  heaven  knows 
how  it  hurts  me  to  throw  you  over.  Little  Flo  ',  she  said. 

So  they  sailed  on  a  good  bit  still. 

*  There  you  see  the  King  coming  down  to  meet  us  ',  said 
the  brother,  and  pointed  towards  the  strand. 

*  What  is  it  my  brother  says  ',  asked  the  lassie. 

*  Now  he  says  you  must  make  haste  and  throw  yourself 
overboard  ',  said  the  stepmother. 

Well,  the  lassie  wept  and  moaned  ;  but  when  her  brother 
told  her  to  do  that,  she  thought  she  ought  to  do  it,  and  so  she 
leapt  down  into  the  lake. 

But  when  they  came  to  the  palace,  and  the  King  saw  the 
loathly  bride,  with  a  nose  four  ells  long,  and  a  snout  three  ells 
long,  and  a  pine-bush  in  the  midst  of  her  forehead,  he  was 
quite  scared  out  of  his  wits  ;  but  the  wedding  was  all  ready, 
Ijoth  in  brewing  and  baking,  and  there  sat  all  the  wedding  guests, 


Bushy  Bride  321 

waiting  for  the  bride  ;  and  so  the  King  couldn't  help  himself, 
but  was  forced  to  take  her  for  better  for  worse.  But  angry- 
he  was,  that  any  one  can  forgive  him,  and  so  he  had  the  brother 
thrown  into  a  pit  full  of  snakes. 

Well,  the  first  Thursday  evening  after  the  wedding,  about 
midnight,  in  came  a  lovely  lady  into  the  palace-kitchen, 
and  begged  the  kitchen-maid,  who  slept  there,  so  prettily,  to 
lend  her  a  brush.  That  she  got,  and  then  she  brushed  her 
hair,  and  as  she  brushed,  down  dropped  gold,  A  little  dog 
was  at  her  heel,  and  to  him  she  said  : 

*  Run  out,  Little  Flo,  and  see  if  it  will  soon  be  day.* 
This  she  said  three  times,  and  the  third  time  she  sent  the 

dog  it  was  just  about  the  time  the  dawn  begins  to  peep. 
Then  she  had  to  go,  but  as  she  went  she  sung  : 

Out  on  you,  ugly  Bushy  Bride, 
Lying  so  warm  by  the  King's  left  side  ; 
While  I  on  sand  and  gravel  sleep, 
And  over  my  brother  adders  creep,  ' 

And  all  without  a  tear. 

*  Now  I  come  twice  more,  and  then  never  again.' 

So  next  morning  the  kitchen-maid  told  what  she  had  seen 
and  heard,  and  the  King  said  he'd  watch  himself  next  Thursday 
night  in  the  kitchen,  and  see  if  it  were  true,  and  as  soon  as  it 
got  dark,  out  he  went  into  the  kitchen  to  the  kitchen-maid. 
But  all  he  could  do,  and  however  much  he  rubbed  his  eyes 
and  tried  to  keep  himself  awake,  it  was  no  good  ;  for  the  Bushy 
Bride  chaunted  and  sang  till  his  eyes  closed,  and  so  when 
the  lovely  lady  came,  there  he  slept  and  snored.  This  time,  too, 
as  before,  she  borrowed  a  brush,  and  brushed  her  hair  till 
the  gold  dropped,  and  sent  her  dog  out  three  times,  and  as 
soon  as  it  was  gray  dawn,  away  she  went  singing  the  same 
words,  and  adding  : 

'  Now  I  come  once  more,  and  then  never  again.' 
The  third  Thursday  evening  the  King  said  he  would  watch 
again  ;  and  he  set  two  men  to  hold  him,  one  under  each  arm, 
who  were  to  shake  and  jog  him  every  time  he  wanted  to  fall 
asleep  ;  and  two  men  he  set  to  watch  his  Bushy  Bride.  But 
when  the  night  wore  on,  the  Bushy  Bride  began  to  chaunt 
and  sing,  so  that  his  eyes  began  to  wink,  and  his  head  hung 
down  on  his  shoulders.  Then  in  came  the  lovely  lady,  and 
got  the  brush  and  brushed  her  hair,  till  the  gold  dropped 

y 


322  Tales  from  the  Norse 

irom  it ;  after  that  she  sent  Little  Flo  out  again  to  see  if  it 
would  soon  be  day,  and  this  she  did  three  times.  The  third 
time  it  began  to  get  gray  in  the  east ;    then  she  sang  : 

Out  on  you,  ugly  Bushy  Bride, 
Lying  so  warm  by  the  King's  left  side  ; 
While  I  on  sand  and  gravel  sleep, 
And  over  my  brother  adders  creep, 
And  all  without  a  tear. 

*  Now  I  come  back  never  more  ',  she  said,  and  went  towards 
the  door.  But  the  two  men  who  held  the  King  under  the  arms, 
clenched  his  hands  together,  and  put  a  knife  into  his  grasp ; 
and  so,  somehow  or  other,  they  got  him  to  cut  her  in  her  little 
finger,  and  drew  blood.  Then  the  true  bride  was  freed,  and 
the  King  woke  up,  and  she  told  him  now  the  whole  story, 
and  how  her  stepmother  and  sister  had  deceived  her.  So 
the  King  sent  at  once  and  took  her  brother  out  of  the  pit 
of  snakes,  and  the  adders  hadn't  done  him  the  least  harm, 
but  the  stepmother  and  her  daughter  were  thrown  into  it  in 
his  stead. 

And  now  no  one  can  tell  how  glad  the  King  was  to  be  rid 
of  that  ugly  Bushy  Bride,  and  to  get  a  Queen  who  was  as 
lovely  and  bright  as  the  day  itself.  So  the  true  wedding  was 
held,  and  every  one  talked  of  it  over  seven  kingdoms  ;  and 
then  the  King  and  Queen  drove  to  church  in  their  coach,  and 
Little  Flo  went  inside  with  them  too,  and  when  the  blessing 
was  given  they  drove  back  again,  and  after  that  I  saw  nothing 
more  of  them. 

BOOTS  AND  HIS  BROTHERS 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  man  who  had  three  sons,  Peter, 
Paul,  and  John.  John  was  Boots,  of  course,  because  he  was  the 
youngest.  I  can't  say  the  man  had  anything  more  than 
these  three  sons,  for  he  hadn't  one  penny  to  rub  against 
another  ;  and  so  he  told  his  sons  over  and  over  again  they 
must  go  out  into  the  world  and  try  to  earn  their  bread,  for 
there  at  home  there  was  nothing  to  be  looked  for  but  starving 
to  death. 

Now,  a  bit  off  the  man's  cottage  was  the  king's  palace,  and 
you  must  know,  just  against  the  king's  windows  a  great  oak 
had  sprung  up,  which  was  so  stout  and  big  that  it  took  away 
all  the  light  from  the  king's  palace.     The  King  had  said  he 


<! 


Boots  and  His  Brothers  323 

would  give  many,  many  dollars  to  the  man  who  could  fell  the 
oak,  but  no  one  was  man  enough  for  that,  for  as  soon  as  ever 
one  chip  of  the  oak's  trunk  flew  off,  two  grew  in  its  stead.  A 
well,  too,  the  King  had  dug,  which  was  to  hold  water  for  the 
whole  year  ;  for  all  his  neighbours  had  wells,  but  he  hadn't 
any,  and  that  he  thought  a  shame.  So  the  King  said  he  would 
give  any  one  who  could  dig  him  such  a  well  as  would  hold 
water  for  a  whole  year  round,  both  money  and  goods  ;  but 
no  one  could  do  it,  for  the  King's  palace  lay  high,  high  up  on 
a  hill,  and  they  hadn't  dug  a  few  inches  before  they  came  upon 
the  living  rock. 

But  as  the  King  had  set  his  heart  on  having  these  two  things 
done,  he  had  it  given  out  far  and  wide,  in  all  the  churches 
of  his  kingdom,  that  he  who  could  fell  the  big  oak  in  the  king's 
court-yard,  and  get  him  a  well  that  would  hold  water  the 
whole  year  round,  should  have  the  Princess  and  half  the  king- 
dom. Well  !  you  may  easily  know  there  was  many  a  man  who 
came  to  try  his  luck  ;  but  for  all  their  hacking  and  hewing,  and 
all  their  digging  and  delving,  it  was  no  good.  The  oak  got 
bigger  and  stouter  at  every  stroke,  and  the  rock  didn't  get 
softer  either.  So  one  day  those  three  brothers  thought  they'd 
set  off  and  try  too,  and  their  father  hadn't  a  word  against 
it ;  for  even  if  they  didn't  get  the  Princess  and  half  the  king- 
dom, it  might  happen  they  might  get  a  place  somewhere  with 
a  good  master  ;  and  that  was  all  he  wanted.  So  when  the 
brothers  said  they  thought  of  going  to  the  palace,  their  father 
said  '  yes  '  at  once.  So  Peter,  Paul,  and  Jack  went  ofi  from 
their  home. 

Well !  they  hadn't  gone  far  before  they  came  to  a  fir  wood, 
and  up  along  one  side  of  it  rose  a  steep  hill-side,  and  as  they 
went,  they  heard  something  hewing  and  hacking  away  up 
on  the  hill  among  the  trees. 

'  I  wonder  now  what  it  is  that  is  hewing  away  up  yonder  ?  ' 
said  Jack. 

*  You're  always  so  clever  with  your  wonderings ',  said 
Peter  and  Paul  both  at  once.  '  What  wonder  is  it,  pray, 
that  a  woodcutter  should  stand  and  hack  up  on  a  hill-side  ?  ' 

'  Still,  I'd  like  to  see  what  it  is,  after  all ',  said  Jack  ;  and 
up  he  went. 

'  Oh,  if  you're  such  a  child,  'twill  do  you  good  to  go  and  take 
a  lesson  ',  bawled  out  his  brothers  after  him. 


324  Tales  from  the  Norse 

But  Jack  didn't  care  for  what  they  said  ;  he  climbed  the 
steep  hill-side  towards  where  the  noise  came,  and  when  he 
reached  the  place,  what  do  you  think  he  saw  ?  why,  an  axe 
that  stood  there  hacking  and  hewing,  all  of  itself,  at  the  trunk 
of  a  fir. 

*  Good  day  !  '  said  Jack.  *  So  you  stand  here  all  alone  and 
hew,  do  you  ?  ' 

'  Yes  ;  here  I've  stood  and  hewed  and  hacked  a  long  long 
time,  waiting  for  you  ',  said  the  Axe. 

*  Well,  here  I  am  at  last ',  said  Jack,  as  he  took  the  axe, 
pulled  it  off  its  haft,  and  stuffed  both  head  and  haft  into  his 
wallet. 

So  when  he  got  down  again  to  his  brothers,  they  began  to 
jeer  and  laugh  at  him. 

*  And  now,  what  funny  thing  was  it  you  saw  up  yonder 
on  the  hill-side  ?  '  they  said. 

'  Oh,  it  was  only  an  axe  we  heard  ',  said  Jack. 

So  when  they  had  gone  a  bit  farther,  they  came  under  a 
steep  spur  of  rock,  and  up  there  they  heard  something  digging 
and  shovelling. 

'  I  wonder  now,  '  said  Jack,  '  what  it  is  digging  and  shovelling 
up  yonder  at  the  top  of  the  rock.' 

*  Ah,  you're  always  so  clever  with  your  wonderings  ',  said 
Peter  and  Paul  again,  '  as  if  you'd  never  heard  a  woodpecker 
hacking  and  pecking  at  a  hollow  tree.' 

'Well,  well ',  said  Jack,  '  I  think  it  would  be  a  piece  of  fun 
just  to  see  what  it  really  is.' 

And  so  off  he  set  to  climb  the  rock,  while  the  others  laughed 
and  made  game  of  him.  But  he  didn't  care  a  bit  for  that ; 
up  he  clomb,  and  when  he  got  near  the  top,  what  do  you  think 
he  saw  ?  Why,  a  spade  that  stood  there  digging  and  delv- 
ing. 

*  Good  day  ! '  said  Jack.  *  So  you  stand  here  all  alone,  and 
dig  and  delve  !  ' 

*  Yes,  that's  what  I  do  ',  said  the  Spade,  '  and  that's  what 
I've  done  this  many  a  long  day,  waiting  for  you.* 

'  Well,  here  I  am  ',  said  Jack  again,  as  he  took  the  spade 
and  knocked  it  off  its  handle,  and  put  it  into  his  wallet,  and 
then  down  again  to  his  brothers. 

'  Well,  what  was  it,  so  rare  and  strange  ',  said  Peter  and 
Paul,  '  that  you  saw  up  there  at  the  top  of  the  rock  ?  ' 


Boots  and  His  Brothers  325 

*  Oh  ',  said  Jack,  *  nothing  more  than  a  spade  ;  that  was 
what   we   heard.' 

So  they  went  on  again  a  good  bit,  till  they  came  to  a  brook. 
They  were  thirsty,  all  three,  after  their  long  walk,  and  so  they 
lay  down  beside  the  brook  to  have  a  drink. 

*  I  wonder  now ',  said  Jack,  '  where  all  this  water  comes 
from.' 

'  I  wonder  if  you're  right  in  your  head  ',  said  Peter  and  Paul, 
in  one  breath.  *  If  you're  not  mad  already,  you'll  go  mad 
very  soon,  with  your  wonderings.  Where  the  brook  comes 
from,  indeed  !  Have  you  never  heard  how  water  rises  from 
a  spring  in  the  earth  ?  ' 

'  Yes  !  but  still  I've  a  great  fancy  to  see  where  this  brook 
comes  from  ',  said  Jack. 

So  up  alongside  the  brook  he  went,  in  spite  of  all  that  his 
brothers  bawled  after  him.  Nothing  could  stop  him.  On 
he  went.  So,  as  he  went  up  and  up,  the  brook  got  smaller 
and  smaller,  and  at  last,  a  little  way  farther  on,  what  do  you 
think  he  saw  ?  Why,  a  great  walnut,  and  out  of  that  the 
water  trickled. 

'  Good-day  !  "  said  Jack  again.  *  So  you  lie  here,  and 
trickle  and  run  down  all  alone  ?  ' 

*  Yes,  I  do,'  said  the  Walnut ;  '  and  here  have  I  trickled 
and  run  this  many  a  long  day,  waiting  for  you.' 

*  Well,  here  I  am  ',  said  Jack,  as  he  took  up  a  lump  of  moss 
and  plugged  up  the  hole,  that  the  water  mightn't  run  out. 
Then  he  put  the  walnut  into  his  wallet,  and  ran  down  to  his 
brothers. 

'  Well  now  ',  said  Peter  and  Paul,  '  have  you  found  out 
where  the  water  comes  from  ?  A  rare  sight  it  must  have 
been  !  * 

'  Oh,  after  all,  it  was  only  a  hole  it  ran  out  of  ',  said  Jack  ; 
and  so  the  others  laughed  and  made  game  of  him  again,  but 
Jack  didn't  mind  that  a  bit. 

*  After  all,  I  had  the  fun  of  seeing  it ',  said  he. 

So  when  they  had  gone  a  bit  farther,  they  came  to  the 
king's  palace  ;  but  as  every  one  in  the  kingdom  had 
heard  how  they  might  win  the  Princess  and  half  the  realm, 
if  they  could  only  fell  the  big  oak  and  dig  the  king's  well, 
so  many  had  come  to  try  their  luck  that  the  oak  was  now 
twice  as  stout  and  big  as  it  had  been  at  first,  for  two  chips 


326  Tales  from  the  Norse 

grew  for  every  one  they  hewed  out  with  their  axes,  as  I 
daresay  you  all  bear  in  mind.  So  the  King  had  now  laid  it 
down  as  a  punishment,  that  if  any  one  tried  and  couldn't  fell 
the  oak,  he  should  be  put  on  a  barren  island,  and  both  his 
ears  were  to  be  clipped  off.  But  the  two  brothers  didn't  let 
themselves  be  scared  by  that ;  they  were  quite  sure  they 
could  fell  the  oak,  and  Peter,  as  he  was  eldest,  was  to  try  his 
hand  first ;  but  it  went  with  him  as  with  all  the  rest  who 
had  hewn  at  the  oak  ;  for  every  chip  he  cut  out,  two  grew 
in  its  place.  So  the  king's  men  seized  him,  and  clipped 
off  both  his  ears,  and  put  him  out  on  the  island. 

Now  Paul,  he  was  to  try  his  luck,  but  he  fared  just  the  same  ; 
when  he  had  hewn  two  or  three  strokes,  they  began  to  see  the 
oak  grow,  and  so  the  king's  men  seized  him  too,  and  clipped 
his  ears,  and  put  him  out  on  the  island  ;  and  his  ears  they 
clipped  closer,  because  they  said  he  ought  to  have  taken  a 
lesson  from  his  brother. 

So  now  Jack  was  to  try. 

'  If  you  will  look  like  a  marked  sheep,  we're  quite  ready  to 
clip  your  ears  at  once,  and  then  you'll  save  yourself  some 
bother  ',  said  the  King,  for  he  was  angry  with  him  for  his 
brothers'  sake. 

'  Well,  I'd  like  just  to  try  first ',  said  Jack,  and  so  he  got 
leave.  Then  he  took  his  axe  out  of  his  wallet  and  fitted  it  to  its 
haft. 

*  Hew  away  !  '  said  he  to  his  axe  ;  and  away  it  hewed, 
making  the  chips  fly  again,  so  that  it  wasn't  long  before  down 
came  the  oak. 

When  that  was  done,  Jack  pulled  out  his  spade,  and  fitted 
it  to  its  handle. 

'  Dig  away  !  '  said  he  to  the  spade  ;  and  so  the  spade  began 
to  dig  and  delve  till  the  earth  and  rock  flew  out  in  spUnters, 
and  so  he  had  the  well  soon  dug  out,  you  may  think. 

And  when  he  had  got  it  as  big  and  deep  as  he  chose.  Jack 
took  out  his  walnut  and  laid  it  in  one  corner  of  the  well,  and 
pulled  the  plug  of  moss  out. 

*  Trickle  and  run  ',  said  Jack  ;  and  so  the  nut  triclded  and 
ran,  till  the  water  gushed  out  of  the  hole  in  a  stream,  and  in  a 
short  time  the  well  was  brimful!. 

Then  Jack  had  felled  the  oak  which  shaded  the  king's 
palace,  and  dug  a  well  in  the  palace-yard,  and  so  he  got  the 


Big  Peter  and  Little  Peter  327 

Princess  and  half  the  kingdom,  as  the  King  had  said  ;  but 
it  was  lucky  for  Peter  and  Paul  that  they  had  lost  their  ears, 
else  they  had  heard  each  hour  and  day,  how  every  one  said, 
'  Well,  after  all,  Jack  wasn't  so  much  out  of  his  mind  when  he 
took  to  wondering.' 


BIG  PETER  AND  LITTLE  PETER 

Once  on  a  time  there  were  two  brothers,  both  named  Peter, 
and  so  the  elder  was  called  Big  Peter,  and  the  younger  Little 
Peter.  When  his  father  was  dead.  Big  Peter  took  him  a  wife 
with  lots  of  money,  but  Little  Peter  was  at  home  with  his 
mother,  and  lived  on  her  means  till  he  grew  up.  So  when  he 
was  of  age  he  came  into  his  heritage,  and  then  Big  Peter  said 
he  mustn't  stay  any  longer  in  the  old  house,  and  eat  up  his 
mother's  substance  ;  'twere  better  he  should  go  out  into  the 
world  and  do  something  for  himself. 

Yes  ;  Little  Peter  thought  that  no  bad  plan  ;  so  he  bought 
himself  a  fine  horse  and  a  load  of  butter  and  cheese,  and  set 
off  to  the  town  ;  and  with  the  money  he  got  for  his  goods  he 
bought  brandy,  and  wine,  and  beer,  and  as  soon  as  ever  he  got 
home  again  it  was  one  round  of  holiday-keeping  and  merry- 
making ;  he  treated  all  his  old  friends  and  neighbours,  and 
they  treated  him  again  ;  and  so  he  Uved  in  fun  and  frohc  so 
long  as  his  money  lasted.  But  when  his  last  shilling  was  spent, 
and  Little  Peter  hadn't  a  penny  in  his  purse,  he  went  back 
home  again  to  his  old  mother,  and  brought  nothing  with  him 
but  a  calf.  When  the  spring  came  he  turned  out  the  calf  and 
let  it  graze  on  Big  Peter's  meadow.  Then  Big  Peter  got 
cross  and  killed  the  calf  at  one  blow  ;  but  Little  Peter,  he 
flayed  the  calf,  and  hung  the  skin  up  in  the  bath-room  till  it 
was  thoroughly  dry  ;  then  he  rolled  it  up,  stuffed  it  into  a 
sack,  and  went  about  the  country  trying  to  sell  it ;  but  wherever 
he  came  ,they  only  laughed  at  him,  and  said  they  had  no  need 
of  smoked  calfskin.  So  when  he  had  walked  on  a  long  way,  he 
came  to  a  farm,  and  there  he  turned  in  and  asked  for  a  night's 
lodging. 

'  Nay,  nay  ',  said  the  Goody,  *  I  can't  give  you  lodging,  for 
my  husband  is  up  at  the  shiehng  on  the  hill,  and  I'm  alone  in 
the  house.     You  must  just  try  to  get  shelter  at  our  next 


338  Tales  from  the  Norse 

neighbour's  ;  but  still  if  they  won't  take  you  in,  you  may 
come  back,  for  you  must  have  a  house  over  your  head,  come 
what  may.' 

So  as  little  Peter  passed  by  the  parlour  window,  he  saw 
that  there  was  a  priest  in  there,  with  whom  the  Goody  was 
making  merry,  and  she  was  serving  him  up  ale  and  brandy, 
and  a  great  bowl  of  custard.  But  just  as  the  priest  had  sat 
down  to  eat  and  drink,  back  came  the  husband,  and  as  soon  as 
ever  the  Goody  heard  him  in  the  passage,  she  was  not  slow  ; 
she  took  the  bowl  of  custard,  and  put  it  under  the 
kitchen  grate,  and  the  ale  and  brandy  into  the  cellar, 
and  as  for  the  priest,  she  locked  him  up  in  a  great 
chest  which  stood  there.  All  this  Little  Peter  stood 
outside  and  saw,  and  as  soon  as  the  husband  was  well  inside 
Little  Peter  went  up  to  the  door  and  asked  if  he  might  have 
a  night's  lodging. 

'  Yes,  to  be  sure  *,  said  the  man,  '  we'll  take  you  in  '  ;  and 
so  he  begged  Little  Peter  to  sit  down  at  the  table  and  eat. 
Yes,  Little  Peter  sat  down,  and  took  his  calfskin  with  him,  and 
laid  it  down  at  his  feet. 

So,  when  they  had  sat  a  while,  Little  Peter  began  to  mutter 
to  his  skin  : 

*  What  are  you  saying  now  ?  can't  you  hold  your  tongue*, 
said  Little  Peter. 

'  Who  is  it  you're  talking  with  ?  '  asked  the  man. 
'  Oh  !  '   answered   Little   Peter,    '  it's   only   a  spae-maiden 
whom  I've  got  in  my  calfskin.' 

'  And  pray  what  does  she  spae  ?  '  asked  the  man  again. 

*  Why,  she  says  that  no  one  can  say  there  isn't  a  bowl  of 
custard  standing  under  the  grate  ',  said  Little  Peter. 

'  She  may  spae  as  much  as  she  pleases  ',  answered  the  man, 
'  but  we  haven't  had  custards  in  this  house  for  a  year  and  a 
day.' 

But  Peter  begged  him  only  to  look,  and  he  did  so  ;  and 
he  found  the  custard-bowl.  So  they  began  to  make  merry 
with  it,  but  just  as  they  sat  and  took  their  ease,  Peter  muttered 
something  again  to  the  calfskin. 

*  Hush  !  '  he  said,   *  can't  you  hold  your  jaw  ?  * 

*  And  pray  what  does  the  spae-maiden  say  now  ?  '  asked  the 
man. 

'  Oh  !  she  says  no  one  can  say  there  isn't  brandy  and  ale 


I 


Big  Peter  and  Little  Peter  329 

standing  just  under  the  trap-door  which  goes  down  into  the 
cellar ',  answered  Peter. 

*  Well  !  if  she  never  spaed  wrong  in  her  life,  she  spaes  wrong 
now  ',  said  the  man.  *  Brandy  and  ale  !  why,  I  can't  call 
to  mind  the  day  when  we  had  such  things  in  the  house  !  ' 

*  Just  look  ',  said  Peter  ;  and  the  man  did  so,  and  there, 
sure  enough,  he  found  the  drink,  and  you  may  fancy  how  merry 
and  jolly  he  was. 

'  What  did  you  give  for  that  spae-maiden  ?  *  said  the  man, 
*  for  I  must  have  her,  whatever  you  ask  for  her.' 

'  She  was  left  me  by  my  father  ',  said  Peter,  *  and  so  she 
didn't  cost  me  much.  To  tell  you  the  truth,  I've  no  great 
mind  to  part  with  her,  but,  all  the  same,  you  may  have  her, 
if  you'll  let  me  have,  instead  of  her,  that  old  chest  that  stands 
in   the   parlour   yonder.' 

*  The  chest's  locked  and  the  key  lost ',  screamed  the  old 
dame. 

'  Then  I'll  take  it  without  the  key,  that  I  will ',  said  Peter. 

And  so  he  and  the  man  soon  struck  the  bargain.  Peter 
got  a  rope  instead  of  the  key,  and  the  man  helped  him  to  get 
the  chest  up  on  his  back,  and  then  off  he  stumped  with  it. 
So  when  he  had  walked  a  bit  he  came  on  to  a  bridge,  and 
under  the  bridge  ran  a  river  in  such  a  headlong  stream  ;  it 
leapt,  and  foamed,  and  made  such  a  roar,  that  the  bridge 
shook  again. 

*  Ah  !  '  said  Peter,  *  that  brandy — that  brandy  !  Now 
I  can  feel  I've  had  a  drop  too  much.  What's  the  good  of  my 
dragging  this  chest  about  ?  If  I  hadn't  been  drunk  and  mad, 
I  shouldn't  have  gone  and  swopped  away  my  spae-maiden 
for  it.  But  now  this  chest  shall  go  out  into  the  river  this 
very  minute.* 

And  with  that  he  began  to  untie  the  rope. 

*  Au  !  Au  !  do  for  God's  sake  set  me  free.  The  priest's 
life  is  at  stake  ;  he  it  is  whom  you  have  got  in  the  chest ', 
screamed  out  some  one  inside. 

'  This  must  be  the  Deil  himself  ',  said  Peter,  '  who  wants 
to  make  me  believe  he  has  turned  priest ;  but  whether  he 
makes  himself  priest  or  clerk,  out  he  goes  into  the  river.' 

*  Oh  no  !  oh  no  !  '  roared  out  the  priest.  '  The  parish  priest 
is  at  stake.  He  was  on  a  visit  to  the  Goody  for  her  soul's 
health,  but  her  husband  is  rough  and  wild,  and  so  she  had  to 


33<^  Tales  from  the  Norse 

hide  me  in  the  chest.  Here  I  have  a  gold  watch  and  a  silver 
watch  in  my  fob  ;  you  shall  have  them  both,  and  eight  hundred 
dollars  beside,  if  you  will  only  let  me  out.* 

'  Nay,  nay  ',  said  Peter  ;  '  is  it  really  your  reverence  after 
all '  ;  and  with  that  he  took  up  a  stone,  and  knocked  the  Ud 
of  the  chest  to  pieces.  Then  the  priest  got  out,  and  off  he 
set  home  to  his  parsonage  both  fast  and  light,  for  he  no  longer 
had  his  watches  and  money  to  weigh  him  down. 

As  for  Little  Peter,  he  went  home  again,  and  said  to  Big  Peter, 
*  There  was  a  good  sale  to-day  for  calfskins  at  the  market.' 

'  Why,  what  did  you  get  for  your  tattered  one,  now  ?  * 
asked  Big  Peter. 

*  Quite  as  much  as  it  was  worth.  I  got  eight  hundred  dollars 
for  it,  but  bigger  and  stouter  calves-skins  fetched  twice  as 
much  ',  said  Little  Peter,  and  showed  his  dollars. 

'  'Twas  well  you  told  me  this  ',  answered  Big  Peter,  who 
went  and  slaughtered  all  his  kine  and  calves,  and  set  off  on 
the  road  to  town  with  their  skins  and  hides.  So  when  he  got 
to  the  market,  and  the  tanners  asked  what  he  wanted  for  his 
hides,  Big  Peter  said  he  must  have  eight  hundred  dollars  for 
the  small  ones,  and  so  on,  more  and  more  for  the  big  ones. 
But  all  the  folk  only  laughed  and  made  game  of  him,  and 
said  he  oughtn't  to  come  there  ;  he'd  better  turn  into  the  mad- 
house for  a  better  bargain,  and  so  he  soon  found  out  how 
things  had  gone,  and  that  Little  Peter  had  played  him  a 
trick.  But  when  he  got  home  again,  he  was  not  very  soft- 
spoken,  and  he  swore  and  cursed  ;  so  help  him,  if  he  wouldn't 
strike  Little  Peter  dead  that  very  night.  All  this  Little  Peter 
stood  and  listened  to  ;  and  so,  when  he  had  gone  to  bed  with  his 
mother,  and  the  night  had  worn  on  a  little,  he  begged  her  to 
change  sides  with  him,  for  he  was  well-nigh  frozen,  he  said, 
and  might  be  'twas  warmer  next  the  wall.  Yes,  she  did  that, 
and  in  a  little  while  came  Big  Peter  with  an  axe  in  his  hand, 
and  crept  up  to  the  bedside,  and  at  one  blow  chopped  off  his 
mother's  head. 

Next  morning,  in  went  Little  Peter  into  Big  Peter's  sitting- 
room. 

'  Heaven  better  and  help  you  ',  he  said  ;  '  you  who  have 
chopped  our  mother's  head  off.  The  Sheriff  will  not  be  over- 
pleased  to  hear  that  you  pay  mother's  dower  in  this  way.' 

Then  Big  Peter  got  so  afraid,  he  begged  Little  Peter,  for 


Big  Peter  and  Little  Peter  33 1 

God's  sake,  to  say  nothing  about  what  he  knew.  If  he  would 
only  do  that,  he  should  have  eight  hundred  dollars. 

Well,  Little  Peter  swept  up  the  money  ;  set  his  mother's 
head  on  her  body  again  ;  put  her  on  a  hand-sledge,  and  so  drew 
her  to  market.  There  he  set  her  up  with  an  apple-basket  on 
each  arm,  and  an  apple  in  each  hand.  By  and  by  came  a 
skipper  walking  along  ;  he  thought  she  was  an  apple-woman, 
and  asked  if  she  had  apples  to  sell,  and  how  many  he  might 
have  for  a  penny.  But  the  old  woman  made  no  answer. 
So  the  skipper  asked  again.  No  !  she  hadn't  a  word  to  say 
for  herself. 

'  How  many  may  I  have  for  a  penny  *,  he  bawled  the  third 
time,  but  the  old  dame  sat  bolt  upright,  as  though  she  neither 
saw  him,  nor  heard  what  he  said.  Then  the  skipper  flew  into 
such  a  rage  that  he  gave  her  one  under  the  ear,  and  so  away 
rolled  her  head  across  the  market-place.  At  that  moment, 
up  came  Little  Peter  with  a  bound  ;  he  fell  a-weeping  and 
bewailing,  and  threatened  to  make  the  skipper  smart  for  it,  for 
having  dealt  his  old  mother  her  death  blow. 

*  Dear  friend,  only  hold  your  tongue  about  what  you  know  *, 
said  the  skipper,  '  and  you  shall  have  eight  hundred  dollars.' 

And  so  they  made  it  up. 

When  Little  Peter  got  home  again,  he  said  to  Big  Peter  : 

*  Old  women  fetch  a  fine  price  at  market  to-day.  I  got 
eight  hundred  dollars  for  mother  ;  just  look  ',  and  so  he  showed 
him  the  money. 

*  'Twas  well  I  came  to  know  this  ',  said  Big  Peter. 

Now,  you  must  know  he  had  an  old  stepmother,  so  he  took 
and  killed  her  out  of  hand,  and  strode  off  to  sell  her.  But 
when  they  heard  how  he  went  about  trying  to  sell  dead  bodies, 
the  neighbours  were  all  for  handing  him  over  to  the  Sheriff, 
and  it  was  as  much  as  he  could  do  to  get  out  of  the  scrape. 

When  Big  Peter  got  home  again,  he  was  so  wroth  and  mad 
against  Little  Peter,  he  threatened  to  strike  him  dead  there 
and  then  ;   he  needn't  hope  for  mercy,  die  he  must. 

*  Well  !  well  !  '  said  Little  Peter,  '  that's  the  way  we  must 
all  trudge,  and  betwixt  to-day  and  to-morrow,  there's  only 
a  night  to  come.  But  if  I  must  set  off  now,  I've  only  one 
thing  to  ask  ;  stuff  me  into  that  sack  that  hangs  yonder,  and 
take  and  toss  me  into  the  river.' 

Well  1  Big  Peter  had  nothing  to  say  against  that,  he  stuffed 


335?  Tales  from  the  Norse 

him  into  the  sack  and  set  off.  But  he  hadn't  gone  far  on  his 
way,  before  it  came  into  his  mind  that  he  had  forgotten  some- 
thing which  he  must  go  back  to  fetch  ;  meanwhile,  he  set  the 
sack  down  by  the  road  side.  Just  then  came  a  man  driving  a 
fine  fat  flock  of  sheep. 

To  Kingdom-come,  to  Paradise. 
To  Kingdom-come,  to  Paradise. 

roared  out  Little  Peter,  who  lay  inside  the  sack,  and  that  he 
kept  bawling  and  bellowing  out. 

'  Mayn't  I  get  leave  to  go  with  you  ',  asked  the  man  who 
drove  the  sheep. 

'  Of  course  you  may  ',  said  Little  Peter.  '  If  you'll  only 
untie  the  sack,  and  creep  into  it  in  my  stead,  you'll  soon  get 
there.  As  for  me,  I  don't  mind  biding  here  till  next  time,  that 
I  don't.  But  you  must  keep  on  calling  out  the  words  I  bawled 
out,  else  you'll  not  go  to  the  right  place.* 

Then  the  man  untied  the  sack,  and  got  into  it  in  Little 
Peter's  place  :  Peter  tied  the  sack  up  again  and  the  man 
began  to  bawl  out  : 

To  Kingdom-come,  to  Paradise. 
To  Kingdom-come,  to  Paradise. 

and  to  that  text  he  stuck. 

When  Peter  had  got  him  well  into  the  sack,  he  wasn'-t 
slow  ;  off  he  went  with  the  flock  of  sheep,  and  soon  put  a 
good  bit  of  the  road  behind  him.  Meantime,  back  came  Big 
Peter,  took  the  sack  on  his  shoulders,  and  bore  it  across  the 
country  to  the  river,  and  all  the  while  he  went,  the  drover  sat 
inside  bawling  out  : 

To  Kingdom-come,  to  Paradise. 
To  Kingdom-come,  to  Paradise. 

*  Aye,  aye  ',  said  Big  Peter  ;  '  try  now  to  find  the  way  for  your- 
self '  ;  and  with  that,  he  tossed  him  out  into  the  stream. 

So  when  Big  Peter  had  done  that,  and  was  going  back  home, 
whom  should  he  overtake  but  his  brother,  who  went  along 
driving  the  flock  of  sheep  before  him.  Big  Peter  could  scarce 
believe  his  eyes,  and  asked  how  Little  Peter  had  got  out  of 
the  river,  and  whence  the  fine  flock  of  sheep  came. 

'  Ah  !  '  said  Little  Peter,  *  that  just  was  a  good  brotherly  turn 
you  did  me,  when  you  threw  me  into  the  river.  I  sank  right 
down  to  the  bottom  like  a  stone,  and  there  I  just  did  see  flocks 


Tatterhood  333 

of  sheep  ;  you'd  scarce  believe  now,  that  they  go  about  down 

there  by  thousands,  one  flock  bigger  than  the  other.     And  just 

look   here  !  here  are  fleeces  for  you  !  ' 

'  Well ',  said  Big  Peter,  '  I'm  very  glad  you  told  me.' 

So  off  he  ran  home  to  his  old  dame  ;    made  her  come  with 

him  to  the  river  ;   crept  into  a  sack,  and  bade  her  make  haste 

to  tie  it  up,  and  toss  him  over  the  bridge. 

*  I'm  going  after  a  flock  of  sheep  ',  he  said,  '  but  if  I  stay 
too  long,  and  you  think  I  can't  get  along  with  the  flock  by 
myself,  just  jump  over  and  help  me  ;   do  you  hear  ?  ' 

*  Well  !  don't  stay  too  long  ',  said  his  wife,  *  for  my  heart  is 
set  on  seeing  those  sheep.' 

There  she  stood  and  waited  a  while,  but  then  she  thought, 
perhaps  her  husband  couldn't  keep  the  flock  well  together, 
and  so  down  she  jumped  after  him. 

And  so  Little  Peter  was  rid  of  them  all,  and  the  farm  and 
fields  came  to  him  as  heir,  and  horses  and  cattle  too  ;  and, 
besides,  he  had  money  in  his  pocket  to  buy  milch  kine  to 
tether  in  his  byre. 


TATTERHOOD 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  king  and  a  queen  who  had  no 
children,  and  that  gave  the  queen  much  grief  ;  she  scarce  had 
one  happy  hour.  She  was  always  bewailing  and  bemoaning 
herself,  and  saying  how  dull  and  lonesome  it  was  in  the  palace. 

*  If  we  had  children  there'd  be  life  enough  ',  she  said. 

Wherever  she  went  in  all  her  realm  she  found  God's  blessing 
in  children,  even  in  the  vilest  hut ;  and  wherever  she  came 
she  heard  the  Goodies  scolding  the  bairns,  and  saying  how 
they  had  done  that  and  that  wrong.  All  this  the  queen  heard, 
and  thought  it  would  be  so  nice  to  do  as  other  women  did.  At 
last  the  king  and  queen  took  into  their  palace  a  stranger  lassie 
to  rear  up,  that  they  might  have  her  always  with  them,  to  love 
her  if  she  did  well,  and  scold  her  if  she  did  wrong,  like  their  own 
child. 

So  one  day  the  little  lassie  whom  they  had  taken  as  their 
own,  ran  down  into  the  palace  yard,  and  was  playing  with  a 
gold  apple.  Just  then  an  old  beggar  wife  came  by,  who  had 
a  little  girl  with  her,  and  it  wasn't  long  before  the  little  lassie 


334  Tales  from  the  Norse 

and  the  beggar's  bairn  were  great  friends,  and  began  to  play 
together,  and  to  toss  the  gold  apple  about  between  them. 
When  the  Queen  saw  this,  as  she  sat  at  a  window  in  the  palace, 
she  tapped  on  the  pane  for  her  foster-daughter  to  come  up. 
She  went  at  once,  but  the  beggar-girl  went  up  too  ;  and  as  they 
went  into  the  Queen's  bower,  each  held  the  other  by  the  hand. 
Then  the  Queen  began  to  scold  the  little  lady,  and  to  say  : 

'  You  ought  to  be  above  running  about  and  playing  with  a 
tattered  beggar's  brat.' 

And  so  she  wanted  to  drive  the  lassie  downstairs. 

'  If  the  Queen  only  knew  my  mother's  power,  she'd  not 
drive  me  out ',  said  the  little  lassie  ;  and  when  the  Queen 
asked  what  she  meant  more  plainly,  she  told  her  how  her  mother 
could  get  her  children  if  she  chose.  The  Queen  wouldn't 
believe  it,  but  the  lassie  held  her  own,  and  said  every  word 
of  it  was  true,  and  bade  the  Queen  only  to  try  and  make  her 
mother  do  it.  So  the  Queen  sent  the  lassie  down  to  fetch  up  her 
mother. 

'  Do  you  know  what  your  daughter  says  ?  '  asked  the  Queen 
of  the  old  woman,  as  soon  as  ever  she  came  into  the  room. 

No  ;    the  beggar  wife  knew  nothing  about  it. 

*  Well,  she  says  you  can  get  me  children  if  you  will ',  answered 
the  Queen. 

*  Queens  shouldn't  listen  to  beggar  lassies'  silly  stories  ', 
said  the  old  wife,  and  strode  out  of  the  room. 

Then  the  Queen  got  angry,  and  wanted  again  to  drive  out 
the  little  lassie ;  but  she  declared  it  was  true  every  word  that  she 
had  said. 

*  Let  the  Queen  only  give  my  mother  a  drop  to  drink,  '  said 
the  lassie  ;  *  when  she  gets  merry  she'll  soon  find  out  a  way 
to  help  you.' 

The  Queen  was  ready  to  try  this  ;  so  the  beggar  wife  was 
fetched  up  again  once  more,  and  treated  both  with  wine  and 
mead  as  much  as  she  chose  ;  and  so  it  was  not  long  before  her 
tongue  began  to  wag.  Then  the  Queen  came  out  again  with 
the  same  question  she  had  asked  before. 

*  One  way  to  help  you  perhaps  I  know  ',  said  the  beggar 
wife.  '  Your  Majesty  must  make  them  bring  in  two  pails  of 
water  some  evening  before  you  go  to  bed.  In  each  of  them 
you  must  wash  yourself,  and  afterwards  throw  away  the  water 
under  the  bed.     When  you  look  under  the  bed  next  morning. 


Tatterhood  335 

two  flowers  will  have  sprung  up,  one  fair  and  one  ugly.  The 
fair  one  you  must  eat,  the  ugly  one  you  must  let  stand  ;  but 
mind  you  don't  forget  the  last.' 

That  was  what  the  beggar  wife  said. 

Yes  ;  the  Queen  did  what  the  beggar  wife  advised  her  to 
do  ;  she  had  the  water  brought  up  in  two  pails,  washed  her- 
self in  them,  and  emptied  them  under  the  bed  ;  and  lo  !  when 
she  looked  under  the  bed  next  morning,  there  stood  two 
flowers  ;  one  was  ugly  and  foul,  and  had  black  leaves  ;  but 
the  other  was  so  bright,  and  fair,  and  lovely,  she  had  never 
seen  its  like  ;  so  she  ate  it  up  at  once.  But  the  pretty  flower 
tasted  so  sweet,  that  she  couldn't  help  herself.  She  ate  the 
other  up  too,  for,  she  thought,  '  it  can't  hurt  or  help  one  much 
either  way,  I'll  be  bound  '. 

Well,  sure  enough,  after  a  while  the  Queen  was  brought  to 
bed.  First  of  all,  she  had  a  girl  who  had  a  wooden  spoon  in 
her  hand,  and  rode  upon  a  goat  ;  loathly  and  ugly  she  was, 
and  the  very  moment  she  came  into  the  world,  she  bawled  out 
'  Mamma  *. 

'  If  I'm  your  mamma  ',  said  the  Queen,  *  God  give  me  grace 
to  mend  my  ways.' 

'  Oh,  don't  be  sorry  *,  said  the  girl,  who  rode  on  the  goat, 
*  for  one  will  soon  come  after  me  who  is  better  looking.' 

So,  after  a  while,  the  Queen  had  another  girl,  who  was  so 
fair  and  sweet,  no  one  had  ever  set  eyes  on  such  a  lovely  child, 
and  with  her  you  may  fancy  the  Queen  was  very  well  pleased. 
The  elder  twin  they  called  *  Tatterhood  ',  because  she  was 
always  so  ugly  and  ragged,  and  because  she  had  a  hood  which 
hung  about  her  ears  in  tatters.  The  Queen  could  scarce  bear 
to  look  at  her,  and  the  nurses  tried  to  shut  her  up  in  a  room  by 
herself,  but  it  was  all  no  good  ;  where  the  younger  twin  was, 
there  she  must  also  be,  and  no  one  could  ever  keep  them 
apart. 

Well,  one  Christmas  eve,  when  they  were  half  grown  up, 
there  rose  such  a  frightful  noise  and  clatter  in  the  gallery  outside 
the  Queen's  bower.  So  Tatterhood  asked  what  it  was  that 
dashed  and  crashed  so  out  in  the  passage. 

'  Oh  !  '  said  the  Queen,  '  it  isn't  worth  asking  about.' 

But  Tatterhood  wouldn't  give  over  till  she  found  out  all 
about  it  ;  and  so  the  Queen  told  her  it  was  a  pack  of  Trolls 
and   witches  who  had   come  there  to  keep  Christixias.     So 


33^  Tales  from  the  Norse 

Tatterhood  said  she'd  just  go  out  and  drive  them  away  ;  and 
in  spite  of  all  they  could  say,  and  however  much  they  begged 
and  prayed  her  to  let  the  Trolls  alone,  she  must  and  would 
go  out  to  drive  the  witches  off ;  but  she  begged  the  Queen 
to  mind  and  keep  all  the  doors  close  shut,  so  that  not  one  of 
them  came  so  much  as  the  least  bit  ajar.  Having  said  this, 
off  she  went  with  her  wooden  spoon,  and  began  to  hunt  and 
sweep  away  the  hags  ;  and  all  this  while  there  was  such  a 
pother  out  in  the  gallery,  the  like  of  it  was  never  heard.  The 
whole  Palace  creaked  and  groaned  as  if  every  joint  and  beam 
were  going  to  be  torn  out  of  its  place.  Now,  how  it  was,  I'm 
sure  I  can't  tell  ;  but  somehow  or  other  one  door  did  get  the 
least  bit  a-jar,  then  her  twin  sister  just  peeped  out  to  see  how 
things  were  going  with  Tatterhood,  and  put  her  head  a  tiny 
bit  through  the  opening.  But,  POP  !  up  came  an  old  witch, 
and  whipped  off  her  head,  and  stuck  a  calf's  head  on  her 
shoulders  instead  ;  and  so  the  Princess  ran  back  into  the 
room  on  all-fours,  and  began  to  '  moo  '  Hke  a  calf.  When  Tat- 
terhood came  back  and  saw  her  sister,  she  scolded  them  all 
round,  and  was  very  angry  because  they  hadn't  kept  better 
watch,  and  asked  them  what  they  thought  of  their  heedlessness 
now,  when  her  sister  was  turned  into  a  calf. 

'  But  still  I'll  see  if  I  can't  set  her  free  ',  she  said. 

Then  she  asked  the  King  for  a  ship  in  full  trim,  and  well 
fitted  with  stores  ;  but  captain  and  sailors  she  wouldn't  have. 
No  ;  she  would  sail  away  with  her  sister  all  alone  ;  and  as 
there  was  no  holding  her  back,  at  last  they  let  her  have  her 
own  way. 

Then  Tatterhood  sailed  off,  and  steered  her  ship  right  under 
the  land  where  the  witches  dwelt,  and  when  she  came  to  the 
landing-place,  she  told  her  sister  to  stay  quite  still  on  board 
the  ship  ;  but  she  herself  rode  on  her  goat  up  to  the  witches' 
castle.  When  she  got  there,  one  of  the  windows  in  the  gallery 
was  open,  and  there  she  saw  her  sister's  head  hung  up  on  the 
window  frame  ;  so  she  leapt  her  goat  through  the  udndow 
into  the  gallery,  snapped  up  the  head,  and  set  off  with  it. 
After  her  came  the  witches  to  try  to  get  the  head  again,  and 
they  flocked  about  her  as  thick  as  a  swarm  of  bees  or  a  nest  of 
aiits  ;  but  the  goat  snorted,  and  puffed,  and  butted  with  his 
horns,  and  Tatterhood  beat  and  banged  them  about  with 
K6r  wooden  spoon  ;    and  so  the  pack  of  witches  had  to  give 


I 


Tatterhood 


337 


it  up.  So  Tatterhood  got  back  to  her  ship,  took  the  calf's 
head  off  her  sister,  and  put  her  own  on  again,  and  then  she 
became  a  girl  as  she  had  been  before.  After  that  she  sailed 
a  long,  long  way,  to  a  strange  king's  realm. 

Now  the  king  of  that  land  was  a  widower,  and  had  an 
only  son.  So  when  he  saw  the  strange  sail,  he  sent  messengers 
down  to  the  strand  to  find  out  whence  it  came,  and  who 
owned  it ;  but  when  the  king's  men  came  down  there,  they 
saw  never  a  living  soul  on  board  but  Tatterhood,  and  there  she 
was,  riding  round  and  round  the  deck  on  her  goat  at  full  speed, 
till  her  elf  locks  streamed  again  in  the  wind.  The  folk  from 
the  palace  were  all  amazed  at  this  sight,  and  asked,  were  there 
not  more  on  board  ?  Yes,  there  were  ;  she  had  a  sister  with 
her,  said  Tatterhood.  Her,  too,  they  wanted  to  see,  but 
Tatterhood   said  *  No  '  : 

*  No  one  shall  see  her,  unless  the  king  comes  himself  ',  she 
said  ;  and  so  she  began  to  gallop  about  on  her  goat  till  the 
deck  thundered  again. 

So  when  the  servants  got  back  to  the  palace,  and  told  what 
they  had  seen  and  heard  down  at  the  ship,  the  king  was  for 
setting  out  at  once,  that  he  might  see  the  lassie  that  rode  on 
the  goat.  When  he  got  down,  Tatterhood  led  out  her  sister, 
and  she  was  so  fair  and  gentle,  the  king  fell  over  head  and 
ears  in  love  with  her  as  he  stood.  He  brought  them  both  back 
with  him  to  the  Palace,  and  wanted  to  have  the  sister  for  his 
queen  ;  but  Tatterhood  said  '  No  '  ;  the  king  couldn't  have 
her  in  any  way,  unless  the  king's  son  chose  to  have  Tatterhood. 
That  you  may  fancy  the  prince  was  very  loath  to  do,  such  an 
ugly  hussy  as  Tatterhood  was  ;  but  at  last  the  king  and  all  the 
others  in  the  palace  talked  him  over,  and  he  yielded,  giving 
his  word  to  take  her  for  his  queen  ;  but  it  went  sore  against  the 
grain,  and  he  was  a  doleful  man. 

Now  they  set  about  the  wedding,  both  with  brewing  and 
baldng ;  and  when  all  was  ready,  they  were  to  go  to  church  ;  but 
the  prince  thought  it  the  weariest  churching  he  had  ever  had 
in  all  his  life.  First,  the  king  drove  off  with  his  bride,  and  she 
was  so  lovely  and  so  grand,  all  the  people  stopped  to  look  after 
her  all  along  the  road,  and  they  stared  at  her  till  she  was  out 
of  sight.  After  them  came  the  prince  on  horseback  by  the 
side  of  Tatterhood,  who  trotted  along  on  her  goat  with  her 
wooden  spoon  in  her  fist,  and  to  look  at  him,  it  was  more  like 


33 8  Tales  from  the  Norse 

going  to  a  burial  than  a  wedding,  and  that  his  own  ;  so  sorrow- 
ful he  seemed,  and  with  never  a  word  to  say. 

*  Why  don't  you  talk  ?  '  asked  Tatterhood,  when  they  had 
ridden  a  bit. 

'  Why,  what  should  I  talk  about  ?  '  answered  the  prince. 

*  Well,  you  might  at  least  ask  me  why  I  ride  upon  this  ugly 
goat ',  said  Tatterhood. 

*  Why  do  you  ride  on  that  ugly  goat  ?  '  asked  the  prince. 

*  Is  it  an  ugly  goat  ?  why,  it's  the  grandest  horse  bride  ever 
rode  on  ',  answered  Tatterhood  ;  and  in  a  trice  the  goat 
became  a  horse,  and  that  the  finest  the  prince  had  ever  set 
eyes  on. 

Then  they  rode  on  again  a  bit,  but  the  prince  was  just  as 
woeful  as  before,  and  couldn't  get  a  word  out.  So  Tatterhood 
asked  him  again  why  he  didn't  talk,  and  when  the  Prince 
answered  he  didn't  know  what  to  talk  about,  she  said  : 

*  You  can  at  least  ask  me  why  I  ride  with  this  ugly  spoon  in 
my  fist.' 

*  Why  do  you  ride  with  that  ugly  spoon  ?  '  asked  the  prince. 

*  Is  it  an  ugly  spoon  ?  why,  it's  the  loveliest  sUver  wand 
bride  ever  bore  ',  said  Tatterhood  ;  and  in  a  trice  it  became  a 
silver  wand,  so  dazzhng  bright,  the  sunbeams  glistened  from 
it. 

So  they  rode  on  another  bit,  but  the  Prince  was  just  as 
sorrowful,  and  said  never  a  word.  In  a  little  while,  Tatterhood 
asked  him  again  why  he  didn't  talk,  and  bade  him  ask  why  she 
wore  that  ugly  grey  hood  on  her  head. 

'  Why  do  you  wear  that  ugly  grey  hood  on  your  head  ?  ' 
asked  the  Prince. 

*  Is  it  an  ugly  hood  ?  why,  it's  the  brightest  golden  crown 
bride  ever  wore  ',  answered  Tatterhood,  and  it  became  a 
crown  on  the  spot. 

Now,  they  rode  on  a  long  while  again,  and  the  Prince  was 
so  woeful,  that  he  sat  without  sound  or  speech  just  as  before. 
So  his  bride  asked  him  again  why  he  didn't  talk,  and  bade  him 
ask  now,  why  her  face  was  so  ugly  and  ashen-grey  ? 

*  Ah  !  '  asked  the  Prince,  *  why  is  your  face  so  ugly  and 
ashen-grey  ?  * 

'  I  ugly  ',  said  the  bride  ;  '  you  think  my  sister  pretty,  but 
I  am  ten  times  prettier  '  ;  and  lo  !  when  the  Prince  looked 
at  her,  she  was  so  lovely,  he  thought  there  never  was  so  lovely 


The  Cock  and  Hen  that  went  to  Dovrefell    339 

a  woman  in  all  the  world.  After  that,  I  shouldn't  wonder  if 
the  Prince  found  his  tongue,  and  no  longer  rode  along  hanging 
down  his  head. 

So  they  drank  the  bridal  cup  both  deep  and  long,  and, 
after  that,  both  Prince  and  King  set  out  with  their  brides  to 
the  Princess's  father's  palace,  and  there  they  had  another 
bridal  feast,  and  drank  anew,  both  deep  and  long.  There 
was  no  end  to  the  fun  ;  and,  if  you  make  haste  and  run  to  the 
King's  palace,  I  dare  say  you'll  find  there's  still  a  drop  of  the 
bridal  ale  left  for  you. 


THE  COCK  AND  HEN  THAT  WENT  TO  THE   DOVRE- 
FELL 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  Hen  that  had  flown  up,  and  perched 
on  an  oak-tree  for  the  night.  When  the  night  came,  she 
dreamed  that  unless  she  got  to  the  Dovrefell,  the  world  would 
come  to  an  end.  So  that  very  minute  she  jumped  down,  and 
set  out  on  her  way.  When  she  had  walked  a  bit  she  met  a 
Cock. 

*  Good  day,  Cocky-Locky  ',  said  the  Hen. 

'  Good  day,  Henny- Penny  ',  said  the  Cock,  *  whither  away 
so  early.' 

*  Oh,  I'm  going  to  the  Dovrefell,  that  the  world  mayn't 
come  to  an  end  ',  said  the  Hen. 

*  Who  told  you  that,  Henny-Penny  ',  said  the  Cock. 

*  I  sat  in  the  oak  and  dreamt  it  last  night ',  said  the   Hen. 
'I'll  go  with  you  ',  said  the  Cock. 

Well !  they  walked  on  a  good  bit,  and  then  they  met  a  Duck. 

*  Good  day,  Ducky-Lucky  ',  said  the  Cock. 

*  Good  day,  Cocky-Locky  ',  said  the  Duck,  '  whither  away 
so  early  ?  ' 

*  Oh,  I'm  going  to  the  Dovrefell,  that  the    world  mayn't 
come  to  an  end  ',  said  the  Cock. 

'  Who  told  you  that,  Cocky-Locky  ?  * 

'  Henny-Penny  *,  said  the  Cock. 

'  Who  told  you  that,  Henny-Penny  ?  '  said  the  Duck. 

*  I  sat  in  the  oak  and  dreamt  it  last  night ',  said  the  Hen. 
'  I'll  go  with  you  ',  said  the  Duck. 

So  they  went  off  together,  and  after  a  bit  they  met  a  Goose. 


340  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  Good  day,  Goosey-Poosey  *,  said  the  Duck. 

*  Good  day,  Ducky-Lucky  ',  said  the  Goose,  *  whither  away 
so  early  ?  ' 

*  I'm  going  to  the  Dovrefell,  that  the  world  mayn't  come  to 
an  end  ',  said  the  Duck. 

Who  told  you  that,  Ducky-Lucky  ?  '  asked  the  Goose. 

*  Cocky-Locky.' 

'  Who  told  you  that,  Cocky-Locky  ?  * 

*  Henny-Penny.' 

*  How  you  do  know  that,  Henny-Penny  ?  '  said  the  Goose. 

*  I  sat  in  the  oak  and  dreamt  it  last  night,  Goosey-Poosey  *, 
said  the  Hen. 

*  I'll  go  with  you  ',  said  the  Goose. 

Now  when  they  had  all  walked  along  for  a  bit,  a  Fox  met 
them. 

*  Good  day,  Foxsy-Cocky  ',  said  the  Goose, 
'  Good  day,  Goosey-Poosey.' 

*  Whither  away,  Foxy-Cocksy  ?  ' 

*  Whither  away  yourself,  Goosey-Poosey  ?  * 

*  I'm  going  to  the  Dovrefell  that  the  world  mayn't  come  to 
an  end  ',  said  the  Goose. 

*  Who  told  you  that,  Goosey-Poosey  ?  '  asked  the  Fox 

*  Ducky-Lucky.' 

*  Who  told  you  that,  Ducky-Lucky  ?  ' 

*  Cocky-Locky.* 

*  Who  told  you  that,  Cocky-Locky  ?  * 

*  Henny-Penny.' 

*  How  do  you  know  that,  Henny-Penny  ? 

'  I  sat  in  the  oak  and  dreamt  last  night,  that  if  we  don't 
get  to  the  Dovrefell,  the  world  will  come  to  an  end  ',  said  the 
Hen. 

*  Stuff  and  nonsense  ',  said  the  Fox  ;  '  the  world  won't 
come  to  an  end  if  you  don't  get  thither.  No  !  come  home  with 
me  to  my  earth.  That's  far  better,  for  it's  warm  and  jolly 
there.* 

Well,  they  went  home  with  the  Fox  to  his  earth,  and  when 
they  got  in,  the  Fox  laid  on  lots  of  fuel,  so  that  they  all  got 
very  sleepy. 

The  Duck  and  the  Goose,  they  settled  themselves  down  in 
a  corner,  but  the  Cock  and  Hen  flew  up  on  a  post.  So  when  the 
Goose  and  Duck  were  well  asleep,  the  Fox  took  the  Goose  and 


Katie  Woodencloak  341 

laid  him  on  the  embers,  and  roasted  him.  The  Hen  smelt  the 
strong  roastmeat,  and  sprang  up  to  a  higher  peg,  and  said^  half 
asleep : 

Faugh,  what  a  nasty  smell  I 
What  a  nasty  smell ! 

'  Oh,  stuff  *,  said  the  Fox  ;  *  it's  only  the  smoke  driven  down 
the  chimney  ;   go  to  sleep  again,  and  hold  your  tongue.* 

So  the  Hen  went  off  to  sleep  again. 

Now  the  Fox  had  hardly  got  the  Goose  well  down  his  throat, 
before  he  did  the  very  same  with  the  Duck.  He  took  and 
laid  him  on  the  embers,  and  roasted  him  for  a  dainty  bit. 

Then  the  hen  woke  up  again,  and  sprung  up  to  a  higher  peg 
still. 

Faugh,  what  a  nasty  smell ! 
What  a  nasty  smell ! 

She  said  again,  and  then  she  got  her  eyes  open,  and  came  to 
see  how  the  Fox  had  eaten  both  the  twain,  goose  and  duck  ;  so 
she  flew  up  to  the  highest  peg  of  all,  and  perched  there,  and 
peeped  up  through  the  chimney. 

'  Nay,  nay  ;  just  see  what  a  lovely  lot  of  geese  flying  yonder  ', 
she  said  to  the  Fox. 

Out  ran  Reynard  to  fetch  a  fat  roast.  But  while  he  was 
gone,  the  Hen  woke  up  the  Cock,  and  told  him  how  it  had  gone 
with  Goosey-Poosey  and  Ducky-Lucky  ;  and  so  Cocky-Locky 
and  Henny-Penny  flew  out  through  the  chimney,  and  if  they 
hadn't  got  to  the  Dovrefell,  it  surely  would  have  been  all  over 
with  the  world- 


KATIE  WOODENCLOAK 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  King  who  had  become  a  widower. 
By  his  Queen  he  had  one  daughter,  who  was  so  clever  and 
lovely,  there  wasn't  a  cleverer  or  lovelier  Princess  in  all  the 
world.  So  the  King  went  on  a  long  time  sorrowing  for  the 
Queen,  whom  he  had  loved  so  much,  but  at  last  he  got  weary 
of  living  alone,  and  married  another  Queen,  who  was  a  widow, 
and  had,  too,  an  only  daughter ;  but  this  daughter  was  just 
as  bad  and  ugly  as  the  other  was  kind,  and  clever,  and  lovely, 


342  Tales  from  the  Norse 

The  stepmother  and  her  daughter  were  jealous  of  the  Princess, 
because  she  was  so  lovely  ;  but  so  long  as  the  King  was  at 
home,  they  daredn't  do  her  any  harm,  he  was  so  fond  of  her. 

Well,  after  a  time,  he  fell  into  war  with  another  King,  and 
went  out  to  battle  with  his  host,  and  then  the  stepmother 
thought  she  might  do  as  she  pleased  ;  and  so  she  both  starved 
and  beat  the  Princess,  and  was  after  her  in  every  hole  and 
corner  of  the  house.  At  last  she  thought  everything  too 
good  for  her,  and  turned  her  out  to  herd  cattle.  So  there 
she  went  about  with  the  cattle,  and  herded  them  in  the  woods 
and  on  the  fells.  As  for  food,  she  got  little  or  none,  and  she 
grew  thin  and  wan,  and  was  always  sobbing  and  sorrowful. 
Now  in  the  herd  there  was  a  great  dun  bull,  which  always  kept 
himself  so  neat  and  sleek,  and  often  and  often  he  came  up  to 
the  Princess,  and  let  her  pat  him.  So  one  day  when  she  sat 
there,  sad,  and  sobbing,  and  sorrowful,  he  came  up  to  her  and 
asked  her  outright  why  she  was  always  in  such  grief.  She 
answered  nothing,  but  went  on  weeping. 

'  Ah  !  '  said  the  Bull,  '  I  know  all  about  it  quite  well,  though 
you  won't  tell  me  ;  you  weep  because  the  Queen  is  bad  to  you, 
and  because  she  is  ready  to  starve  you  to  death.  But  food 
you've  no  need  to  fret  about,  for  in  my  left  ear  lies  a  cloth, 
and  when  you  take  and  spread  it  out,  you  may  have  as  many 
dishes  as  you  please.' 

So  she  did  that,  took  the  cloth  and  spread  it  out  on  the  grass, 
and  lo  !  it  served  up  the  nicest  dishes  one  could  wish  to  have ; 
there  was  wine  too,  and  mead,  and  sweet  cake.  Well,  she 
soon  got  up  her  flesh  again,  and  grew  so  plump,  and  rosy, 
and  white,  that  the  Queen  and  her  scrawny  chip  of  a  daughter 
turned  blue  and  yellow  for  spite.  The  Queen  couldn't  at  all 
make  out  how  her  stepdaughter  got  to  look  so  well  on  such 
bad  fare,  so  she  told  one  of  her  maids  to  go  after  her  in  the 
wood,  and  watch  and  see  how  it  all  was,  for  she  thought  some 
of  the  servants  in  the  house  must  give  her  food.  So  the  maid 
went  after  her,  and  watched  in  the  wood,  and  then  she  saw 
how  the  stepdaughter  took  the  cloth  out  of  the  Bull's  ear,  and 
spread  it  out,  and  how  it  served  up  the  nicest  dishes,  which 
the  stepdaughter  ate  and  made  good  cheer  over.  All  this  the 
maid  told  the  Queen  when  she  went  home. 

And  now  the  King  came  home  from  war,  and  had  won  the 
fight  against  the  other  king  with  whom  he  went  out  to  battle. 


Katie  Woodencloak  343 

So  there  was  great  joy  throughout  the  palace,  and  no  one 
was  gladder  than  the  King's  daughter.  But  the  Queen  shammed 
sick,  and  took  to  her  bed,  and  paid  the  doctor  a  great  fee  to 
get  him  to  say  she  could  never  be  well  again  unless  she  had 
some  of  the  Dun  Bull's  flesh  to  eat.  Both  the  king's  daughter 
and  the  folk  in  the  palace  asked  the  doctor  if  nothing  else 
would  help  her,  and  prayed  hard  for  the  Bull,  for  every  one 
was  fond  of  him,  and  they  all  said  there  wasn't  xhat  Bull's 
match  in  all  the  land.  But,  no  ;  he  must  and  should  be 
slaughtered,  nothing  else  would  do.  When  the  king's 
daughter  heard  that,  she  got  very  sorrowful,  and  went  down 
into  the  byre  to  the  Bull.  There,  too,  he  stood  and  hung 
down  his  head,  and  looked  so  downcast  that  she  began  to  weep 
over  him. 

'  What  are  you  weeping  for  ?  '  asked  the  Bull. 

So  she  told  him  how  the  King  had  come  home  again,  and 
how  the  Queen  had  shammed  sick  and  got  the  doctor  to  say 
she  could  never  be  well  and  sound  again  unless  she  got  some  of 
the  Dun  Bull's  flesh  to  eat,  and  so  now  he  was  to  be  slaughtered. 

*  If  they  get  me  killed  first ',  said  the  Bull,  *  they'll  soon 
take  your  life  too.  Now,  if  you're  of  my  mind,  we'll  just  start 
off,  and  go  away  to-night.' 

Well,  the  Princess  thought  it  bad,  you  may  be  sure,  to  go 
and  leave  her  father,  but  she  thought  it  still  worse  to  be  in  the 
house  with  the  Queen  ;  and  so  she  gave  her  word  to  the  Bull 
to  come  to  him. 

At  night,  when  all  had  gone  to  bed,  the  Princess  stole  down 
to  the  byre  to  the  Bull,  and  so  he  took  her  on  his  back,  and  set 
off  from  the  homestead  as  fast  as  ever  he  could.  And  when  the 
folk  got  up  at  cockcrow  next  morning  to  slaughter  the  Bull, 
why,  he  was  gone  ;  and  when  the  King  got  up  and  asked  for 
his  daughter,  she  was  gone  too.  He  sent  out  messengers  on 
all  sides  to  hunt  for  them,  and  gave  them  out  in  all  the  parish 
churches  ;  but  there  was  no  one  who  had  caught  a  glimpse  of 
them.  Meanwhile,  the  Bull  went  through  many  lands  with 
the  King's  daughter  on  his  back,  and  so  one  day  they  came  to 
a  great  copper-wood,  where  both  the  trees,  and  branches,  and 
leaves,  and  flowers,  and  everything,  were  nothing  but  copper. 

But  before  they  went  into  the  wood,  the  Bull  said  to  the 
King's  daughter  : 

*  Now,  when  we  get  into  this  wood,  mind  you  take  care  not 


344  Tales  from  the  Norse 

to  touch  even  a  leaf  of  it,  else  it's  all  over  both  with  me  and 
you,  for  here  dwells  a  Troll  with  three  heads  who  owns  this 
wood.' 

No,  bless  her,  she'd  be  sure  to  take  care  not  to  touch  any- 
thing. Well,  she  v/as  very  careful,  and  leant  this  way  and  that 
to  miss  the  boughs,  and  put  them  gently  aside  with  her  hands  ; 
but  it  was  such  a  thick  wood,  'twas  scarce  possible  to  get 
through  ;  and  so,  with  all  her  pains,  somehow  or  other  she 
tore  off  a  leaf,  which  she  held  in  her  hand. 

'  AU  /  AU  I  what  have  you  done  now  ?  '  said  the  Bull ; 
*  there's  nothing  for  it  now  but  to  fight  for  life  or  death  ; 
but  mind  you  keep  the  leaf  safe.* 

Soon  after  they  got  to  the  end  of  the  wood,  and  a  Troll  with 
three  heads  came  running  up  : 

*  Who  is  this  that  touches  my  wood  ?  '  said  the  Troll. 

*  It's  just  as  much  mine  as  yours  ',  said  the  Bull. 

*  Ah  !  '  roared  the  Troll,  '  we'll  try  a  fall  about  that.* 

*  As  you  choose  ',  said  the  Bull. 

So  they  rushed  at  one  another,  and  fought ;  and  the  Bull  he 
butted,  and  gored,  and  kicked  with  all  his  might  and  main  ; 
but  the  Troll  gave  him  as  good  as  he  brought,  and  it  lasted  the 
whole  day  before  the  Bull  got  the  mastery  ;  and  then  he  was 
so  full  of  wounds,  and  so  worn  out,  he  could  scarce  lift  a  leg. 
Then  they  were  forced  to  stay  there  a  day  to  rest,  and  then  the 
Bull  bade  the  King's  daughter  to  take  the  horn  of  ointment 
which  hung  at  the  Troll's  belt,  and  rub  him  with  it.  Then  he 
came  to  himself  again,  and  the  day  after  they  trudged  on  again. 
So  they  travelled  many,  many  days,  until,  after  a  long  long  time, 
they  came  to  a  silver  wood,  where  both  the  trees,  and  branches, 
and  leaves,  and  flowers,  and  everything,  were  silvern. 

Before  the  Bull  went  into  the  wood,  he  said  to  the  King's 
daughter  : 

*  Now,  when  we  get  into  this  wood,  for  heaven's  sake  mind 
you  take  good  care  ;  you  mustn't  touch  anything,  and  not 
pluck  off  so  much  as  one  leaf,  else  it  is  all  over  both  with  me  and 
you  ;  for  here  is  a  Troll  with  six  heads  who  owns  it,  and  him  I 
don't  think  I  should  be  able  to  master.* 

'  No  ',  said  the  King's  daughter  ;  *  I'll  take  good  care  and 
not  touch  anything  you  don't  wish  me  to  touch.' 

But  when  they  got  into  the  wood,  it  was  so  close  and  thick, 
they  could  scarce  get  along.     She  was  as  careful  as  careful 


Katie  Woodencloak  345 

could  be,  and  leant  to  this  side  and  that  to  miss  the  boughs, 
and  put  them  on  one  side  with  her  hands,  but  every  minute 
the  branches  struck  her  across  the  eyes,  and  in  spite  of  all  her 
pains,  it  so  happened  she  tore  off  a  leaf. 

*  AU  I  AU  !  what  have  you  done  now  ?  *  said  the  Bull. 
*  There's  nothing  for  it  now  but  to  fight  for  life  and  death,  for 
this  Troll  has  six  heads,  and  is  twice  as  strong  as  the  other, 
but  mind  you  keep  the  leaf  safe,  and  don't  lose  it.* 

Just  as  he  said  that,  up  came  the  Troll : 

'  Who  is  this  ',  he  said,  '  that  touches  my  wood  ?  * 

*  It's  as  much  mine  as  yours  ',  said  the  Bull. 

*  That  we'll  try  a  fall  about ',  roared  the  Troll. 

'  As  you  choose  ',  said  the  Bull,  and  rushed  at  the  Troll, 
and  gored  out  his  eyes,  and  drove  his  horns  right  through  his 
body,  so  that  the  entrails  gushed  out ;  but  the  Troll  was  al- 
most a  match  for  him,  and  it  lasted  three  whole  days  before 
the  Bull  got  the  life  gored  out  of  him.  But  then  he,  too,  was 
so  weak  and  wretched,  it  was  as  much  as  he  could  do  to  stir  a 
limb,  and  so  full  of  wounds,  that  the  blood  streamed  from  him. 
So  he  said  to  the  King's  daughter  she  must  take  the  horn 
of  ointment  that  hung  at  the  Troll's  belt,  and  rub  him  with  it. 
Then  she  did  that,  and  he  came  to  himself  ;  but  they  were 
forced  to  stay  there  a  week  to  rest  before  the  Bull  had  strength 
enough  to  go  on. 

At  last  they  set  off  again,  but  the  Bull  was  still  poorly,  and 
they  went  rather  slowly  at  first.  So,  to  spare  time,  the  King's 
daughter  said,  as  she  was  young  and  light  of  foot,  she  could 
very  well  walk,  but  she  couldn't  get  leave  to  do  that.  No  ; 
she  must  seat  herself  up  on  his  back  again.  So  on  they  tra- 
velled through  many  lands  a  long  time,  and  the  King's  daughter 
did  not  know  in  the  least  whither  they  went ;  but  after  a 
long,  long  time  they  came  to  a  gold  wood.  It  was  so  grand, 
the  gold  dropped  from  every  twig,  and  all  the  trees,  and 
boughs,  and  flowers,  and  leaves,  were  of  pure  gold.  Here, 
too,  the  same  thing  happened  as  had  happened  in  the  silver 
wood  and  copper  wood.  The  Bull  told  the  King's  daughter 
she  mustn't  touch  it  for  anything,  for  there  was  a  Troll  with 
nine  heads  who  owned  it,  and  he  was  much  bigger  and  stouter 
than  both  the  others  put  together,  and  he  didn't  think  he 
could  get  the  better  of  him.  No  ;  she'd  be  sure  to  take  heed 
not  to  touch  it ;  that  he  might  know  very  well.     But  when  they 


346 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


got  into  the  wood,  it  was  far  thicker  and  closer  than  the  silver 
wood,  and  the  deeper  they  went  into  it,  the  worse  it  got.  The 
wood  went  on,  getting  thicker  and  thicker,  and  closer  and  closer ; 
and  at  last  she  thought  there  was  no  way  at  all  to  get  through 
it.  She  was  in  such  an  awful  fright  of  plucking  ofif  anything, 
that  she  sat,  and  twisted,  and  turned  herself  this  way  and  that, 
and  hither  and  thither,  to  keep  clear  of  the  boughs,  and  she  put 
them  on  one  side  with  her  hands  ;  but  every  moment  the 
branches  struck  her  across  the  eyes,  so  that  she  couldn't  see 
what  she  was  clutching  at ;  and  lo  !  before  she  knew  how  it 
came  about,  she  had  a  gold  apple  in  her  hand.  Then  she  was 
so  bitterly  sorry,  she  burst  into  tears,  and  wanted  to  throw 
it  away  ;  but  the  Bull  said,  she  must  keep  it  safe  and  watch 
it  well,  and  comforted  her  as  well  as  he  could  ;  but  he  thought 
it  would   be   a   hard  tussle,  and  he  doubted   how  it  would 

go. 

Just  then  up  came  the  Troll  with  the  nine  heads,  and  he 
was  so  ugly,  the  King's  daughter  scarcely  dared  to  look  at 
him. 

*  Who  is  this  that  touches  my  Wood  ?  '  he  roared. 

*  It's  just  as  much  mine  as  yours  ',  said  the  Bull. 

*  That  we'll  try  a  fall  about ',  roared  the  Troll  again. 

'  Just  as  you  choose  ',  said  the  Bull ;  and  so  they  rushed 
at  one  another,  and  fought,  and  it  was  such  a  dreadful  sight, 
the  King's  daughter  was  ready  to  swoon  away.  The  Bull 
gored  out  the  Troll's  eyes,  and  drove  his  horns  through  and 
through  his  body,  till  the  entrails  came  tumbling  out ;  but  the 
Troll  fought  bravely  ;  and  when  the  Bull  got  one  head  gored 
to  death,  the  rest  breathed  life  into  it  again,  and  so  it 
lasted  a  whole  week  before  the  Bull  was  able  to  get  the 
life  out  of  them  all.  But  then  he  was  utterly  worn  out 
and  wretched.  He  couldn't  stir  a  foot,  and  his  body  was  all 
one  wound.  He  couldn't  so  much  as  ask  the  King's  daughter 
to  take  the  horn  of  ointment  which  hung  at  the  Troll's  belt,  and 
rub  it  over  him.  But  she  did  it  all  the  same,  and  then  he  came 
to  himself  by  little  and  little  ;  but  they  had  to  lie  there  and  rest 
three  weeks  before  he  was  fit  to  go  on  again. 

Then  they  set  off  at  a  snail's  pace,  for  the  Bull  said  they  had 
still  a  little  further  to  go,  and  so  they  crossed  over  many  high 
hills  and  thick  woods.  So  after  awhile  they  got  upon  the 
fells. 


Katie  Woodencloak  347 

*  Do  you  see  anything  ?  '  asked  the  Bull. 

*  No,  I  see  nothing  but  the  sky,  and  the  wild  fell ',  said  the 
King's  daughter. 

So  when  they  clomb  higher  up,  the  fell  got  smoother,  and  they 
could  see  further  off. 

*  Do  you  see  anything  now  ?  '  asked  the  Bull. 

*  Yes,  I  see  a  little  castle  far,  far  away  ',  said  the  Princess. 

*  That's  not  so  little  though  ',  said  the  Bull. 

After  a  long,  long  time,  they  came  to  a  great  cairn,  where 
there  was  a  spur  of  the  fell  that  stood  sheer  across  the  way. 
'  Do  you  see  anything  now  ?  '  asked  the  Bull. 

*  Yes,  now  I  see  the  castle  close  by  ',  said  the  King's  daughter, 
'  and  now  it  is  much,  much  bigger.' 

'  Thither  you're  to  go  ',  said  the  Bull.  '  Right  underneath 
the  castle  is  a  pig-sty,  where  you  are  to  dwell.  When  you 
come  thither  you'll  find  a  wooden  cloak,  all  made  of  strips  of 
lath ;  that  you  must  put  on,  and  go  up  to  the  castle  and  say 
your  name  is  "  Katie  Woodencloak  ",  and  ask  for  a  place. 
But  before  you  go,  you  must  take  your  penknife  and  cut  my 
head  o£E,andthen  you  must  flay  me,  and  roll  up  the  hide,  and  lay 
it  under  the  wall  of  rock  yonder,  and  under  the  hide  you  must 
lay  the  copper  leaf,  and  the  silver  leaf,  and  the  golden  apple. 
Yonder,  up  against  the  rock,  stands  a  stick  ;  and  when  you 
want  anything,  you've  only  got  to  knock  on  the  wall  of  rock 
with  that  stick.' 

At  first  she  wouldn't  do  anything  of  the  kind  ;  but  when 
the  Bull  said  it  was  the  only  thanks  he  would  have  for  what 
he  had  done  for  her,  she  couldn't  help  herself.  So,  however 
much  it  grieved  her  heart,  she  hacked  and  cut  away  with  her 
knife  at  the  big  beast  till  she  got  both  his  head  and  his  hide 
off,  and  then  she  laid  the  hide  up  under  the  wall  of  rock,  and 
put  the  copper  leaf,  and  the  silvern  leaf,  and  the  golden  apple 
inside  it. 

So  when  she  had  done  that,  she  went  over  to  the  pig-sty, 
but  all  the  while  she  went  she  sobbed  and  wept.  There  she 
put  on  the  wooden  cloak,  and  so  went  up  to  the  palace. 
When  she  came  into  the  kitchen  she  begged  for  a  place,  and  told 
them  her  name  was  Katie  Woodencloak.  Yes,  the  cook  said 
she  might  have  a  place — she  might  have  leave  to  be  there  in 
the  scullery,  and  wash  up,  for  the  lassie  who  did  that  work 
before  had  just  gone  away. 


34^  Tales  from  the  Norse 

'  But  as  soon  as  you  get  weary  of  being  here,  you'll  go  youf 
way  too,  I'll  be  bound.' 

No  ;    she  was  sure  she  wouldn't  do  that. 

So  there  she  was,  behaving  so  well,  and  washing  up  so  handily. 
The  Sunday  after  there  were  to  be  strange  guests  at  the  palace, 
so  Katie  asked  if  she  might  have  leave  to  carry  up  water  for 
the  Prince's  bath  ;  but  all  the  rest  laughed  at  her,  and  said  : 

*  What  should  you  do  there  ?  Do  you  think  the  Prince 
will  care  to  look  at  you,  you  who  are  such  a  fright !  * 

But  she  wouldn't  give  it  up,  and  kept  on  begging  and  pray- 
ing ;  and  at  last  she  got  leave.  So  when  she  went  up  the  stairs, 
her  wooden  cloak  made  such  a  clatter,  the  Prince  came  out 
and  asked  : 

'  Pray  who  are  you  ?  * 

*  Oh  !  I  was  just  going  to  bring  up  water  for  your  Royal 
Highness's  bath  ',  said  Katie. 

'  Do  you  think  now  ',  said  the  Prince,  '  I'd  have  anything 
to  do  with  the  water  you  bring  ?  *  and  with  that  he  threw  the 
water  over  her. 

So  she  had  to  put  up  with  that,  but  then  she  asked  leave  to 
go  to  church  ;  well,  she  got  that  leave  too,  for  the  church  lay 
close  by.  But,  first  of  all,  she  went  to  the  rock,  and  knocked 
on  its  face  with  the  stick  which  stood  there,  just  as  the  Bull 
had  said.     And  straightway  out  came  a  man,  who  said  : 

*  What's  your  will  ?  ' 

So  the  Princess  said  she  had  got  leave  to  go  to  church  and 
hear  the  priest  preach,  but  she  had  no  clothes  to  go  in.  So 
he  brought  out  a  kirtle,  which  was  as  bright  as  the  copper  wood, 
and  she  got  a  horse  and  saddle  beside.  Now,  when  she  got  to 
the  church  she  was  so  lovely  and  grand,  all  wondered  who  she 
could  be,  and  scarce  one  of  them  listened  to  what  the  priest 
said,  for  they  looked  too  much  at  her.  As  for  the  Prince,  he  fell 
so  deep  in  love  with  her,  he  didn't  take  his  eyes  off  her  for  a 
single  moment. 

So,  as  she  went  out  of  church,  the  Prince  ran  after  her,  and 
held  the  church  door  open  for  her  ;  and  so  he  got  hold  of  one 
of  her  gloves,  which  was  caught  in  the  door.  When  she  went 
away  and  mounted  her  horse,  the  Prince  went  up  to  her  again, 
and  asked  whence  she  came. 

*  Oh  !  I'm  from  Bath  ',  said  Katie ;  and  while  the  Prince 
took  out  the  glove  to  give  it  to  her,  she  said  : 


Katie  Woodencloak  349 

Bright  before  and  dark  behind, 
Clouds  come  rolling  on  the  wind ; 
That  this  Prince  may  never  see 
Where  my  good  steed  goes  with  me. 

The  Prince  had  never  seen  the  Uke  of  that  glove,  and  went 
about  far  and  wide  asking  after  the  land  whence  the  proud  lady, 
who  rode  off  without  her  glove,  said  she  came ;  but  there  was 
no  one  who  could  tell  where  *  Bath  '  lay. 

Next  Sunday  some  one  had  to  go  up  to  the  Prince  with  a 
towel. 

'  Oh  !  may  I  have  leave  to  go  up  with  it  ?  '  said  Katie. 

*  What's  the  good  of  your  going  ?  '  said  the  others  ;  *  you 
saw  how  it  fared  with  you  last  time.* 

But  Katie  wouldn't  give  in  ;  she  kept  on  begging  and  pray- 
ing, till  she  got  leave  ;  and  then  she  ran  up  the  stairs,  so  that 
her  wooden  cloak  made  a  great  clatter.  Out  came  the  Prince, 
and  when  he  saw  it  was  Katie,  he  tore  the  towel  out  of  her 
hand,  and  threw  it  into  her  face. 

*  Pack  yourself  off,  you  ugly  Troll ',  he  cried  ;  *  do  you  think 
I'd  have  a  towel  which  you  have  touched  with  your  smutty 
fingers  ?  ' 

After  that  the  Prince  set  off  to  church,  and  Katie  begged 
for  leave  to  go  too.  They  all  asked  what  business  she  had  at 
church — she  who  had  nothing  to  put  on  but  that  wooden  cloak, 
which  was  so  black  and  ugly.  But  Katie  said  the  priest  was 
such  a  brave  man  to  preach,  what  he  said  did  her  so  much  good  ; 
and  so  she  at  last  got  leave.  Now  she  went  again  to  the  rock 
and  knocked,  and  so  out  came  the  man,  and  gave  her  a  kirtle 
far  finer  than  the  first  one  ;  it  was  all  covered  with  silver,  and 
it  shone  like  the  silver  wood  ;  and  she  got  besides  a  noble 
steed,  with  a  saddle-cloth  broidered  with  silver,  and  a  silver 
bit. 

So  when  the  King's  daughter  got  to  the  church,  the  folk 
were  still  standing  about  in  the  churchyard.  And  all  wondered 
and  wondered  who  she  could  be,  and  the  Prince  was  soon  on 
the  spot,  and  came  and  wished  to  hold  her  horse  for  her  while 
she  got  off.  But  she  jumped  down,  and  said  there  was  no  need, 
for  her  horse  was  so  well  broke,  it  stood  still  when  she  bid  it, 
and  came  when  she  called  it.  So  they  all  went  into  church, 
but  there  was  scarce  a  soul  that  listened  to  what  the  priest 


3 so  Tales  from  the  Norse 

said,  for  they  looked  at  her  a  deal  too  much  ;  and  the  Prince 
fell  still  deeper  in  love  than  the  first  time. 

When  the  sermon  was  over,  and  she  went  out  of  church 
and  was  going  to  mount  her  horse,  up  came  the  Prince  again, 
and  asked  her  whence  she  came. 

*  Oh  !  I'm  from  Towelland  ',  said  the  King's  daughter ; 
and  as  she  said  that,  she  dropped  her  riding-whip,  and  when  the 
Prince  stooped  to  pick  it  up,  she  said : 

Bright  before  and  dark  behind. 
Clouds  come  rolling  on  the  wind  ; 
That  this  Prince  may  never  see 
Where  my  good  steed  goes  with  me. 

So  away  she  was  again  ;  and  the  Prince  couldn't  tell  what 
had  become  of  her.  He  went  about  far  and  wide  asking  after 
the  land  whence  she  said  she  came,  but  there  was  no  one  who 
could  tell  him  where  it  lay  ;  and  so  the  Prince  had  to  make 
the  best  he  could  of  it. 

Next  Sunday  some  one  had  to  go  up  to  the  Prince  with  a 
comb.  Katie  begged  for  leave  to  go  up  with  it,  but  the  others 
put  her  in  mind  how  she  had  fared  the  last  time,  and  scolded 
her  for  wishing  to  go  before  the  Prince — such  a  black  and  ugly 
fright  as  she  was  in  her  wooden  cloak.  But  she  wouldn't  leave 
off  asking  till  they  let  her  go  up  to  the  Prince  with  his  comb. 
So,  when  she  came  clattering  up  the  stairs  again,  out  came  the 
Prince,  and  took  the  comb,  and  threw  it  at  her,  and  bade  her 
be  off  as  fast  as  she  could.  After  that  the  Prince  went  to 
church,  and  Katie  begged  for  leave  to  go  too.  They  asked 
again  what  business  she  had  there,  she  who  was  so  foul  and 
black,  and  who  had  no  clothes  to  show  herself  in.  Might  be 
the  Prince  or  some  one  else  would  see  her,  and  then  both  she 
and  all  the  others  would  smart  for  it ;  but  Katie  said  they 
had  something  else  to  do  than  to  look  at  her  ;  and  she  wouldn't 
leave  off  begging  and  praying  till  they  gave  her  leave  to  go. 

So  the  same  thing  happened  now  as  had  happened  twice 
before.  She  went  to  the  rock  and  knocked  with  the  stick, 
and  then  the  man  came  out  and  gave  her  a  kirtle  which  was 
far  grander  than  either  of  the  others.  It  was  almost  all  pure 
gold,  and  studded  with  diamonds  ;  and  she  got  besides  a  noble 
steed,  with  a  gold  broidered  saddle-cloth  and  a  golden  bit. 

J^ow  whej:;  the  Kind's  daughter  got  to  the  church,  there 


Katie  Woodencloak  351 

stood  the  priest  and  all  the  people  in  the  churchyard  waiting 
for  her.  Up  came  the  Prince  running,  and  wanted  to  hold 
her  horse,  but  she  jumped  off,  and  said  : 

*  No ;  thanks — there's  no  need,  for  my  horse  is  so  well 
broke,  it  stands  still  when  I  bid  him.' 

So  they  all  hastened  into  church,  and  the  priest  got  into  the 
pulpit,  but  no  one  listened  to  a  word  he  said  ;  for  they  all 
looked  too  much  at  her,  and  wondered  whence  she  came  ; 
and  the  Prince,  he  was  far  deeper  in  love  than  either  of  the 
former  times.  He  had  no  eyes,  or  ears,  or  sense  for  anything, 
but  just  to  sit  and  stare  at  her. 

So  when  the  sermon  was  over,  and  the  King's  daughter  was 
to  go  out  of  the  church,  the  Prince  had  got  a  firkin  of  pitch 
poured  out  in  the  porch,  that  he  might  come  and  help  her 
over  it ;  but  she  didn't  care  a  bit — she  just  put  her  foot  right 
down  into  the  midst  of  the  pitch,  and  jumped  across  it ;  but 
then  one  of  her  golden  shoes  stuck  fast  in  it,  and  as  she  got  on 
her  horse,  up  came  the  Prince  running  out  of  the  church, 
and  asked  whence  she  came. 

'I'm  from  Combland  ',  said  Katie.  But  when  the  Prince 
wanted  to  reach  her  the  gold  shoe,  she  said  : 

Bright  before  and  dark  behind, 
Clouds  come  rolling  on  the  wind ; 
That  this  Prince  may  never  see 
Where  my  good  steed  goes  with  me. 

So  the  Prince  couldn't  tell  still  what  had  become  of  her,  and 
he  went  about  a  weary  time  all  over  the  world  asking  for 
*  Combland  '  ;  but  when  no  one  could  tell  him  where  it  lay, 
he  ordered  it  to  be  given  out  everywhere  that  he  would  wed 
the  woman  whose  foot  could  fit  the  gold  shoe. 

So  many  came  of  all  sorts  from  all  sides,  fair  and  ugly  alike  ; 
but  there  was  no  one  who  had  so  small  a  foot  as  to  be  able  to 
get  on  the  gold  shoe.  And  after  a  long,  long  time,  who  should 
come  but  Katie's  wicked  stepmother,  and  her  daughter,  too, 
and  her  the  gold  shoe  fitted  ;  but  ugly  she  was,  and  so  loathly 
she  looked,  the  Prince  only  kept  his  word  sore  against  his  will. 
Still  they  got  ready  the  wedding-feast,  and  she  was  dressed 
up  and  decked  out  as  a  bride  ;  but  as  they  rode  to  church,  9 
little  bird  sat  upon  a  tree  and  sang  : 


352  Tales  from  the  Norse 

A  bit  off  her  heel. 

And  a  bit  off  her  toe  ; 

Katie  Woodencloak's  tiny  shoe 

Is  full  of  blood — that's  all  I  know. 

And,  sure  enough,  when  they  looked  to  it  tne  bird  told  the 
truth,  for  blood  gushed  out  of  the  shoe. 

Then  all  the  maids  and  women  who  were  about  the  palace 
had  to  go  up  to  try  on  the  shoe,  but  there  was  none  of  them 
whom  it  would  fit  at  all. 

*  But  Where's  Katie  Woodencloak  ?  '  asked  the  Prince, 
when  all  the  rest  had  tried  the  shoe,  for  he  understood  the  song 
of  birds  very  well,  and  bore  in  mind  what  the  little  bird  had 
said. 

*  Oh  !  she  think  of  that !  '  said  the  rest ;  *  it's  no  good  her 
coming  forward.     Why,  she's  legs  like  a  horse.' 

'  Very  true,  I  daresay  ',  said  the  Prince  ;  '  but  since  all  the 
others  have  tried,  Katie  may  as  well  try  too.' 

'  Katie  ',  he  bawled  out  through  the  door  ;  and  Katie  came 
trampling  upstairs,  and  her  wooden  cloak  clattered  as  if  a  whole 
regiment  of  dragoons  were  charging  up. 

'  Now,  you  must  try  the  shoe  on,  and  be  a  Princess,  you  too  ", 
said  the  other  maids,  and  laughed  and  made  game  of  her. 

So  Katie  took  up  the  shoe,  and  put  her  foot  into  it  like  no- 
thing, and  threw  off  her  wooden  cloak  ;  and  so  there  she  stood 
in  her  gold  kirtle,  and  it  shone  so  that  the  sunbeams  glistened 
from  her  ;  and,  lo  !  on  her  other  foot  she  had  the  fellow  to  the 
gold  shoe. 

So  when  the  Prince  knew  her  again,  he  grew  so  glad,  he  ran 
up  to  her  and  threw  his  arms  round  her,  and  gave  her  a  kiss  ; 
and  when  he  heard  she  was  a  King's  daughter,  he  got  gladder 
still,  and  then  came  the  wedding  feast ;    and  so 

Snip,  snip,  snover. 
This  story's  over 


THUMBIKIN 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  woman  who  had  an  only  son, 
and  he  was  no  taller  than  your  thumb  ;  and  so  they  called 
him  Thumbikin. 

Now,  when  he  had  come  to  be  old  enough  to  know  righl 


Thumb  ikin  353 

and  wrong,  his  mother  told  him  to  go  out  and  woo  him  a  bride, 
for  now  she  said  it  was  high  time  he  thought  about  getting 
a  wife.  When  Thumbikin  heard  that,  he  was  very  glad  ;  so 
they  got  their  driving  gear  in  order  and  set  off,  and  his  mother 
put  him  into  her  bosom.  Now  they  were  going  to  a  palace 
where  there  was  an  awfully  big  Princess,  but  when  they 
had  gone  a  bit  of  the  way,  Thumbikin  was  lost  and  gone. 
His  mother  hunted  for  him  everywhere,  and  bawled  to  him, 
and  wept  because  he  was  lost,  and  she  couldn't  find  him  again. 

'  Pip,  Pip  ',  said  Thumbikin,  '  here  I  am  '  ;  and  he  had 
hidden  himself  in  the  horse's  mane. 

So  he  came  out,  and  had  to  give  his  word  to  his  mother  that 
he  wouldn't  do  so  any  more.  But  when  they  had  driven  a  bit 
further  on,  Thumbikin  was  lost  again.  His  mother  hunted 
for  him,  and  called  him,  and  wept ;  but  gone  he  was,  and  gone 
he  stayed. 

'  Pip,  Pip  ',  said  Thumbikin  at  last ;  and  then  she  heard 
how  he  laughed  and  tittered,  but  she  couldn't  find  him  at  all 
for  the  life  of  her. 

*  Pip,  Pip,  why,  here  I  am  now  !  '  said  Thumbikin,  and  came 
out  of  the  horse's  ear. 

So  he  had  to  give  his  word  that  he  wouldn't  hide  himself 
again  ;  but  they  had  scarce  driven  a  bit  further  before  he  was 
gone  again.  He  couldn't  help  it.  As  for  his  mother,  she 
hunted,  and  wept,  and  called  him  by  name  ;  but  gone  he.^was, 
and  gone  he  stayed  ;  and  the  more  she  hunted,  the  less  she 
could  find  him  in  any  way. 

*  Pip,  Pip,  here  I  am  then  ',  said  Thumbikin. 

But  she  couldn't  make  out  at  all  where  he  was,  his  voice 
sounded  so  dull,  and  muffled. 

So  she  hunted,  and  he  kept  on  saying,  '  Pip,  here  I  am  ', 
and  laughed  and  chuckled,  but  she  couldn't  find  him  ;  but 
all  at  once  the  horse  snorted,  and  it  snorted  Thumbikin  out. 
for  he  had  crept  up  one  of  his  nostrils. 

Then  his  mother  took  him  and  put  him  into  a  bag  ;  she  knew 
no  other  way,  for  she  saw  well  enough  he  couldn't  help  hiding 
himself. 

So,  when  they  came  to  the  palace,  the  match  was  socn 
made,  for  the  Princess  thought  him  a  pretty  little  chap,  and 
it  wasn't  long  before  the  wedding  came  on  too. 

Now,  when  they  were  going  to  sit  down  to  the  wedding-feast, 


354  Tales  from  the  Norse 

Thumbikin  sat  at  the  table  by  the  Princess's  side  ;  but  he 
had  worse  than  no  seat,  for  when  he  was  to  eat  he  couldn't 
reach  up  to  the  table  ;  and  so  if  the  Princess  hadn't  helped 
him  up  on  to  it,  he  wouldn't  have  got  a  bit  to  eat. 

Now  it  went  good  and  well  so  long  as  he  had  to  eat  off  a 
plate,  but  then  there  came  a  great  bowl  of  porridge — that  he 
couldn't  reach  up  to  ;  but  Thumbikin  soon  found  out  a 
way  to  help  himself  ;  he  climbed  up  and  sat  on  the  lip  of  the 
bowl.  But  then  there  was  a  pat  of  melting  butter  right  in 
the  middle  of  the  bowl,  and  that  he  couldn't  reach  to  dip  his  por- 
ridge into  it,  and  so  he  went  on  and  took  his  seat  at  the  edge 
of  the  melting  butter  ;  but  just  then  who  should  come  but  the 
Princess,  with  a  great  spoonful  of  porridge  to  dip  it  into  the 
butter ;  and,  alas  !  she  went  too  near  to  Thumbikin,  and 
tipped  him  over  ;  and  so  he  fell  over  head  and  ears,  and  was 
drowned  in  the  melted  butter. 


DOLL  I'  THE  GRASS 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  King  who  had  twelve  sons.  When 
they  were  grown  big  he  told  them  they  must  go  out  into  the 
world  and  win  themselves  wives,  but  these  wives  must  each 
be  able  to  spin,  and  weave,  and  sew  a  shirt  in  one  day,  else 
he  wouldn't  have  them  for  daughters-in-law. 

To  each  he  gave  a  horse  and  a  new  suit  of  mail,  and  they 
went  out  into  the  world  to  look  after  their  brides  ;  but  when 
they  had  gone  a  bit  of  the  way,  they  said  they  wouldn't  have 
Boots,  their  youngest  brother,  with  them — he  wasn't  fit  for 
anything* 

Well,  Boots  had  to  stay  behind,  and  he  didn't  know  what  to 
do  or  whither  to  turn  ;  and  so  he  grew  so  downcast,  he  got  off 
his  horse,  and  sat  down  in  the  tall  grass  to  weep.  But  when 
he  had  sat  a  little  while,  one  of  the  tufts  in  the  grass  began  to 
stir  and  move,  and  out  of  it  came  a  little  white  thing,  and  when 
it  came  nearer.  Boots  saw  it  was  a  charming  little  lassie,  only 
such  a  tiny  bit  of  a  thing.  So  the  lassie  went  up  to  him,  and 
asked  if  he  would  come  down  below  and  see  '  Doll  i'  the  Grass  '. 

Yes,  he'd  be  very  happy,  and  so  he  went. 

Now,  when  he  got  down,  there  sat  Doll  i'  the  Grass  on  a 


Doll  i'  the  Grass  355 

zhair ;  she  was  so  lovely  and  so  smart,  and  she  asked  Boots 
whither  he  was  going,  and  what  was  his  business. 

So  he  told  her  how  there  were  twelve  brothers  of  them,  and 
how  the  King  had  given  them  horses  and  mail,  and  said  they 
must  each  go  out  into  the  world  and  find  them  a  wife  who 
could  spin,  and  weave,  and  sew  a  shirt  in  a  day. 

'  But  if  you'll  only  say  at  once  you'll  be  my  wife,  I'll  not  go 
a  step  further  ',  said  Boots  to  Doll  i'  the  Grass. 

Well,  she  was  willing  enough,  and  so  she  made  haste  and 
span,  and  wove,  and  sewed  the  shirt,  but  it  was  so  tiny,  tiny 
little.     It  wasn't  longer  than  so long. 

So  Boots  set  off  home  with  it,  but  when  he  brought  it  out 
he  was  almost  ashamed,  it  was  so  small.  Still  the  King  said 
he  should  have  her,  and  so  Boots  set  off,  glad  and  happy  to 
fetch  his  little  sweetheart.  So  when  he  got  to  Doll  i'  the  Grass, 
he  wished  to  take  her  up  before  him  on  his  horse  ;  but  she 
wouldn't  have  that,  for  she  said  she  would  sit  and  drive  along 
in  a  silver  spoon,  and  that  she  had  two  small  white  horses  to 
draw  her.  So  off  they  set,  he  on  his  horse  and  she  on  her 
silver  spoon,  and  the  two  horses  that  drew  her  were  two  tiny 
white  mice  ;  but  Boots  always  kept  the  other  side  of  the  road, 
he  was  so  afraid  lest  he  should  ride  over  her,  she  was  so  little. 
So,  when  they  had  gone  a  bit  of  the  way,  they  came  to  a  great 
piece  of  water.  Here  Boots'  horse  got  frightened,  and  shied 
across  the  road  and  upset  the  spoon,  and  Doll  i'  the  Grass 
tumbled  into  the  water.  Then  Boots  got  so  sorrowful  because 
he  didn't  know  how  to  get  her  out  again  ;  but  in  a  little  while 
up  came  a  merman  with  her,  and  now  she  was  as  well  and 
full  grown  as  other  men  and  women,  and  far  lovelier  than  she 
had  been  before.  So  he  took  her  up  before  him  on  his  horse, 
and  rode  home. 

When  Boots  got  home  all  his  brothers  had  come  back  each 
with  his  sweetheart,  but  these  were  all  so  ugly,  and  foul,  and 
wicked,  that  they  had  done  nothing  but  fight  with  one  another 
on  the  way  home,  and  on  their  heads  they  had  a  kind  of  hat 
that  was  daubed  over  with  tar  and  soot,  and  so  the  rain  had  run 
down  off  the  hats  on  to  their  faces,  till  they  got  far  uglier  and 
nastier  than  they  had  been  before.  When  his  brothers  saw 
Boots  and  his  sweetheart,  they  were  all  as  jealous  as  jealous 
could  be  of  her  ;  but  the  King  was  so  overjoyed  with  them  both, 
that  he  drove  all  the  others  away,  and  so  Boots  held  his  wed- 


356 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


ding-feast  with  Doll  i'  the  Grass,  and  after  that  they  lived 
well  and  happily  together  a  long  long  time^  and  if  they're  not 
dead,  why  they're  alive  still. 


THE  LAD  AND  THE  DEIL 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  lad  who  was  walking  along  a  road 
cracking  nuts,  so  he  found  one  that  was  worm-eaten,  and  just 
at  that  very  moment  he  met  the  Deil. 

'  Is  it  true,  now  ',  said  the  lad,  '  what  they  say,  that  the  Deil 
can  mike  himself  as  small  as  he  chooses,  and  thrust  himself 
in  thr  jugh  a  pinhole  ?  ' 

*  Y>is  it  is  ',  said  the  Deil. 

*  Oh  !  it  is,  is  it  ?  then  let  me  see  you  do  it,  and  just  creep 
into  this  nut ',  said  the  lad. 

So  the  Deil  did  it. 

Now,  when  he  had  crept  well  in  through  the  worm's  hole, 
the  lad  stopped  it  up  with  a  pin. 

'  Now,  I've  got  you  safe  ',  he  said,  and  put  the  nut  into  his 
pocket. 

So  when  he  had  walked  on  a  bit,  he  came  to  a  smithy,  and 
he  turned  in  and  asked  the  smith  if  he'd  be  good  enough  to 
crack  that  nut  for  him. 

*  Aye,  that'll  be  an  easy  job  ',  said  the  smith,  and  took  his 
smallest  hammer,  laid  the  nut  on  the  anvil,  and  gave  it  a  blow, 
but  it  wouldn't  break. 

So  he  took  another  hammer  a  little  bigger,  but  that  wasn't 
heavy  enough  either. 

Then  he  took  one  bigger  still,  but  it  was  still  the  same  story  ; 
and  so  the  smith  got  wroth,  and  grasped  his  great  sledge- 
hammer. 

'  Now,  I'll  crack  you  to  bits  ',  he  said,  and  let  drive  at  the 
nut  with  all  his  might  and  main.  And  so  the  nut  flew  to  pieces 
with  a  bang  that  blew  off  half  the  roof  of  the  smithy,  and  the 
whole  house  creaked  and  groaned  as  though  it  were  ready  to 
fall. 

*  Why  !  if  I  don't  think  the  Deil  must  have  been  in  that  nut  *, 
said  the  smith. 

*  So  he  was  ;  you're  quite  right ',  said  the  lad,  as  he  went 
away  laughing. 


The  Cock  and  Hen  a-Nutting  357 

THE  COCK  AND  HEN  A-NUTTING 

Once  on  a  time  the  cock  and  the  hen  went  out  into  the  hazel- 
wood  to  pick  nuts  ;  and  so  the  hen  got  a  nutshell  in  her  throat, 
and  lay  on  her  back,  flapping  her  wings. 

Off  went  the  cock  to  fetch  water  for  her  ;  so  he  came  to  the 
Spring  and  said  : 

*  Dear  good  friend  Spring  give  me  a  drop  of  water,  that  I 
may  give  it  to  Dame  Partlet,  my  mate,  who  lies  at  death's 
door  in  the  hazel-wood.' 

But  the  Spring  answered  : 

'  You'll  get  no  water  from  me  until  I  get  leaves  from  you.* 

So  the  Cock  ran  to  the  Linden,  and  said  : 

*  Dear  good  friend  Linden,  give  me  some  of  your  leaves, 
the  leaves  I'll  give  to  the  Spring,  and  the  Spring'U  give  me 
water  to  give  to  Dame  Partlet  my  mate,  who  lies  at  death's 
door  in  the  hazel-wood.' 

*  You'll  get  no  leaves  from  me',  said  the  Linden,  '  until  I 
get  a  red  ribbon  with  a  golden  edge  from  you.' 

So  the  Cock  ran  to  the  Virgin  Mary. 

*  Dear  good  Virgin  Mary,  give  me  a  red  ribbon  with  a  golden 
edge,  and  I'll  give  the  red  ribbon  to  the  Linden,  the  L'nden'll 
give  me  leaves,  the  leaves  I'll  give  to  the  Spring,  the  Spring'U 
give  me  water,  and  the  water  I'll  give  to  Dame  Paitlet  my 
mate,  who  lies  at  death's  door,  in  the  hazel-wood.' 

*  You'll  get  no  red  ribbon  from  me  ',  answered  the  Virgin 
Mary,  '  until  I  get  shoes  from  you.' 

So  the  Cock  ran  to  the  Shoemaker  and  said  : 

*  Dear  good  friend  Shoemaker,  give  me  shoes,  and  I'll  give 
the  shoes  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  the  Virgin  Mary'll  give  me  a  red 
ribbon,  the  red  ribbon  I'll  give  to  the  Linden,  the  Linden'U 
give  me  leaves,  the  leaves  I'll  give  to  the  Spring,  the  Spring'U 
give  me  water,  the  water  I'll  give  to  Dame  Partlet  my  mate, 
who  lies  at  death's  door  in  the  hazel-wood.' 

'  You'll  get  no  shoes  from  me  ',  said  the  Shoemaker,  *  until 
I  get  bristles  from  you.' 

So  the  Cock  ran  to  the  Sow  and  said  : 

'  Dear  good  friend  Sow,  give  me  bristles,  the  bristles  I'U 
give  to  the  Shoemaker,  the  Shoemaker'U  give  me  shoes,  the 
shoes  I'll  give  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  the  Virgin  Mary'll  give  me 


3S8 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


a  red  ribbon,  the  red  ribbon  I'll  give  to  the  Linden,  the  Linden'U 
give  me  leaves,  the  leaves  I'll  give  to  the  Spring,  the  Spring'll 
give  me  water,  the  water  I'll  give  to  Dame  Partlet  my  mate, 
who  lies  at  death's  door  in  the  hazel-wood.* 

'  You'll  get  no  bristles  from  me  ',  said  the  Sow,  *  until  I  get 
corn  from  you.* 

So  the  Cock  ran  to  the  Thresher  and  said  : 
'  Dear  good  friend  Thresher,  give  me  com,  the  corn  I'll  give 
to  the  Sow,  the  Sow'll  give  me  bristles,  the  bristles  I'll  give 
to  the  Shoemaker,  the  Shoemaker'll  give  me  shoes,  the  shoes 
I'll  give  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  the  Virgin  Mary' 11  give  me  a  red 
ribbon,  the  red  ribbon  I'll  give  to  the  Linden,  the  Linden'U 
give  me  leaves,  the  leaves  I'll  give  to  the  Spring,  the  Spring'll 
give  me  water,  the  water  I'll  give  to  Dame  Partlet  my  mate, 
who  lies  at  death's  door  in  the  hazel-wood.' 

'  You'll  get  no  corn  from  me  *,  said  the  Thresher,  *  until  I 
get  a  bannock  from  you.' 

So  the  Cock  ran  to  the  Baker's  wife  and  said  : 
'  Dear  good  friend  Mrs.  Baker,  give  me  a  bannock,  the  ban- 
nock I'll  give  to  the  Thresher,  the  Thresher'll  give  me  com, 
the  corn  I'll  give  to  the  Sow,  the  Sow'll  give  me  bristles,  the 
bristles  I'll  give  to  the  Shoemaker,  the  Shoemaker'll  give  me 
shoes,  the  shoes  I'll  give  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  the  Virgin  Mary'U 
give  me  a  red  ribbon,  the  red  ribbon  I'll  give  to  the  Linden, 
the  Linden'U  give  me  leaves,  the  leaves  I'll  give  to  the  Spring, 
the  Spring'll  give  me  water,  the  water  I'll  give  to  Dame  Partlet 
my  mate,  who  lies  at  death's  door  in  the  hazel-wood.' 

'  You'll  get  no  bannock  from  me  ',  said  the  Baker's  wife, 
until  I  get  wood  from  you.' 

So  the  Cock  ran  to  the  Woodcutter  and  said  : 
'  Dear  good  friend  Woodcutter,  give  me  wood,  the  wood  I'll 
give  to  the  Baker's  wife,  the  Baker's  wife'U  give  me  a  bannock, 
the  bannock  I'll  give  to  the  Thresher,  the  Thresher'll  give  me 
corn,  the  com  I'll  give  to  the  Sow,  the  Sow'll  give  me  bristles, 
the  bristles  I'll  give  to  the  Shoemaker,  the  Shoemaker'll  give 
me  shoes,  the  shoes  I'll  give  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  the  Virgin 
Mary'U  give  me  a  red  ribbon,  the  red  ribbon  I'll  give  to  the 
Linden,  the  Linden'U  give  me  leaves,  the  leaves  I'll  give  to 
the  Spring,  the  Spring'll  give  me  water,  the  water  I'll  give  to 
Dame  Partlet  my  mate,  who  lies  at  death's  door  in  the  hazel- 
wood.* 


Tlie  Cock  and  Hen  a-Nutting  359 

'  You'll  get  no  wood  from  me  ',  answered  the  Woodcutter, 
*  until  I  get  an  axe  from  you.' 

So  the  Cock  ran  to  the  Smith  and  said  : 

'  Dear  good  friend  Smith,  give  me  an  axe,  the  axe  I'll  give 
to  the  Woodcutter,  the  Woodcutter' 11  give  me  wood,  the  wood 
I'll  give  to  the  Baker's  wife,  the  Baker's  wife'U  give  me  a  ban- 
nock, the  bannock  I'll  give  to  the  Thresher,  the  Thresher'll 
give  me  corn,  the  com  I'll  give  to  the  Sow,  the  Sow'U  give 
me  bristles,  the  bristles  I'll  give  to  the  Shoemaker,  the  Shoe- 
maker'U  give  me  shoes,  the  shoes  I'll  give  to  the  Virgin  Mary, 
the  Virgin  Mary'll  give  me  a  red  ribbon,  the  red  ribbon  I'll  give 
to  the  Linden,  the  Linden'U  give  me  leaves,  the  leaves  I'll 
give  to  the  Spring,  the  Spring'll  give  me  water,  the  water  I'll 
give  to  Dame  Partlet  my  mate,  who  lies  at  death's  door  in  the 
hazel-wood.' 

'  You'll  get  no  axe  from  me  ',  answered  the  Smith,  '  until 
I  get  charcoal  of  you.' 

So  the  Cock  ran  to  the  Charcoal-burner  and  said  : 

'  Dear  good  friend  Charcoal-burner,  give  me  charcoal,  the 
charcoal  I'll  give  to  the  Smith,  the  Smith' 11  give  me  an  axe, 
the  axe  I'll  give  to  the  Woodcutter,  the  Woodcutter' 11  give  me 
wood,  the  wood  I'll  give  to  the  Baker's  wife,  the  Baker's  wife'U 
give  me  a  bannock,  the  bannock  I'll  give  to  the  Thresher, 
the  Thresher'll  give  me  corn,  the  corn  I'll  give  to  the  Sow, 
the  Sow'll  give  me  bristles,  the  bristles  I'll  give  to  the  Shoe- 
maker, the  Shoemaker'U  give  me  shoes,  the  shoes  I'll  give  to  the 
Virgin  Mary,  the  Virgin  Mary'll  give  me  a  red  ribbon,  the  red 
ribbon  I'll  give  to  the  Linden,  the  Linden'U  give  me  leaves, 
the  leaves  I'll  give  to  the  Spring,  the  Spring'll  give  me  water, 
the  water  I'll  give  to  Dame  Partlet  my  mate,  who  lies  at 
death's  door  in  the  hazel-wood. 

So  the  Charcoal-burner  took  pity  on  the  Cock,  and  gave 
him  a  bit  of  charcoal,  and  then  the  Smith  got  his  coal,  and  the 
Woodcutter  his  axe,  and  the  Baker's  wife  her  wood,  and  the 
Thresher  his  bannock,  and  the  Sow  her  com,  and  the  Shoe- 
maker his  bristles,  and  the  Virgin  Mary  her  shoes,  and  the  Lin- 
den its  red  ribbon  with  a  golden  edge,  and  the  Spring  its  leaves, 
and  the  Cock  his  drop  of  water,  and  he  gave  it  to  Dame  Part- 
let,  his  mate,  who  lay  there  at  death's  door  in  the  hazel-wood, 
and  so  she  got  all  right  again. 


360  Tales  from  the  Norse 

THE  BIG  BIRD  DAN 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  king  who  had  twelve  daughters, 
and  he  was  so  fond  of  them  they  must  always  be  at  his  side  ; 
but  every  day  at  noon,  while  the  king  slept,  the  Princesses 
went  out  to  take  a  walk.  So  once,  while  the  king  was  taking 
his  noontide  nap,  and  the  Princesses  had  gone  to  take  their 
walk,  all  at  once  they  were  missing,  and  worse,  they  never 
came  home  again.  Then  there  was  great  grief  and  sorrow 
all  over  the  land,  but  the  most  sorry  of  all  was  the  king.  He 
sent  messengers  out  throughout  his  own  and  other  realms, 
and  gave  out  their  names  in  all  the  churches,  and  had  the 
bells  tolled  for  them  in  all  the  steeples  ;  but  gone  the  Princesses 
were,  and  gone  they  stayed,  and  none  could  tell  what  was 
become  of  them.  So  it  was  as  clear  as  day  that  they  must 
have  been  carried  off  by  some  witchcraft. 

Well,  it  wasn't  long  before  these  tidings  spread  far  and  wide, 
over  land  and  town,  aye,  over  many  lands  ;  and  so  the  news 
came  to  a  king  ever  so  many  lands  off,  who  had  twelve  sons. 
So  when  these  Princes  heard  of  the  twelve  king's  daughters, 
they  asked  leave  of  their  father  to  go  out  and  seek  them.  They 
had  hard  work  to  get  his  leave,  for  he  was  afraid  lest  he  should 
never  see  them  again,  but  they  all  fell  down  on  their  knees 
before  the  king,  and  begged  so  long,  at  last  he  was  forced  to 
let  them  go  after  all. 

He  fitted  out  a  ship  for  them,  and  gave  them  Ritter  Red, 
who  was  quite  at  home  at  sea,  for  a  captain.  So  they  sailed 
about  a  long,  long  time,  landed  on  every  shore  they  came  to, 
and  hunted  and  asked  after  the  Princesses,  but  they  could 
neither  hear  nor  see  anything  of  them.  And  now,  a  few  days 
only  were  wanting  to  make  up  seven  years  since  thej''  set  sail, 
when  one  day  a  strong  storm  rose,  and  such  foul  weather, 
they  thought  they  should  never  come  to  land  again,  and  all 
had  to  work  so  hard,  they  couldn't  get  a  wink  of  sleep  so  long 
as  the  storm  lasted.  But  when  the  third  day  was  nearly 
over,  the  wind  fell,  and  all  at  once  it  got  as  still  as  still  could 
be.  Now,  they  were  all  so  weary  with  work  and  the  rough 
weather,  they  fell  fast  asleep  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  ;  all 
but  the  youngest  Prince,  he  could  get  no  rest,  and  couldn't 
go  o£f  to  sleep  at  all. 

So  as  he  was  pacing  up  and  down  the  deck,  the  ship  came 


The  Big  Bird  Dan  361 

to  a  little  island,  and  on  the  island  ran  a  little  dog,  and  bayed 
and  barked  at  the  ship  as  if  it  wanted  to  come  on  board.  -.So 
the  Prince  went  to  that  side  of  the  deck,  and  tried  to  coax 
the  dog,  and  whistled  and  whistled  to  him,  but  the  more  he 
whistled  and  coaxed,  the  more  the  dog  barked  and  snarled. 
Well,  he  thought  it  a  shame  the  dog  should  run  about  there 
and  starve,  for  he  made  up  his  mind  that  it  must  have  come 
thither  from  a  ship  that  had  been  cast  away  in  the  storm  ;  but 
still  he  thought  he  should  never  be  able  to  help  it  after  all, 
for  he  couldn't  put  out  the  boat  by  himself,  and  as  for  the 
others,  they  all  slept  so  sound,  he  wouldn't  wake  them  for 
the  sake  of  a  dog.  But  then  the  weather  was  so  calm  and  still ; 
and  at  last  he  said  to  himself  :  *  Come  what  may,  you  must 
go  on  shore  and  save  that  dog ',  and  so  he  began  to  try  to 
launch  the  boat,  and  he  found  it  far  easier  work  than  he 
thought.  So  he  rowed  ashore,  and  went  up  to  the  dog  ;  but 
every  time  he  tried  to  catch  it,  it  jumped  on  one  side,  and 
so  it  went  on  till  he  found  himself  inside  a  great  grand  castle, 
before  he  knew  where  he  was.  Then  the  dog,  all  at  once, 
was  changed  into  a  lovely  Princess  ;  and  there,  on  the  bench, 
sat  a  man  so  big  and  ugly,  the  Prince  almost  lost  his  wits  for 
fear. 

*  YOU'VE  NO  NEED  TO  BE  AFRAID  ',  said  the  man- 
but  the  Prince,  to  tell  you  the  truth,  got  far  more  afraid  when 
he  heard  his  gruff  voice — *  for  I  know  well  enough  what  you 
want.  There  are  twelve  Princes  of  you,  and  you  are  looking 
for  the  twelve  Princesses  that  are  lost.  I  know,  too,  very  well 
whereabouts  they  are  ;  they're  with  my  lord  and  master, 
and  there  they  sit,  each  of  them  on  her  chair,  and  comb  his 
hair  ;  for  he  has  twelve  heads.  And  now  you  have  sailed 
seven  years,  but  you'll  have  to  sail  seven  years  more  before 
you  find  them.  As  for  you,  you  might  stay  here  and  wel- 
come, and  have  my  daughter  ;  but  you  must  first  sla^  him, 
for  he's  a  hard  master  to  all  of  us,  and  we're  all  weary  of  him, 
and  when  he's  dead  I  shall  be  King  in  his  stead  ;  but  first 
try  if  you  can  brandish  this  sword'. 

Then  the  King's  son  took  hold  of  a  rusty  old  sword  which 
hung  on  the  wall,  but  he  could  scarce  stir  it. 

*  Now  you  must  take  a  pull  at  this  flask  ',  said  the  Troll ; 
and  when  he  had  done  that  he  could  stir  it,  and  when  he  had 
taken  another  he  could  lift  it,  and  when  he  had  taken  a  third 


362 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


he  could  brandish  the  sword  as  easily  as  if  it  had  been  his 
own. 

*  Now,  when  you  get  on  board  ',  said  the  Troll  Prince,  '  you 
must  hide  the  sword  well  in  your  berth,  that  Ritter  Red  mayn't 
set  eyes  on  it ;  he's  not  man  enough  to  wield  it,  but  he'll  get 
spiteful  against  you,  and  try  to  take  your  life.  And  when 
seven  years  are  almost  out  all  but  three  days  ',  he  went  on 
to  say,  *  everything  will  happen  just  as  now  ;  foul  weather 
will  come  on  you,  with  a  great  storm,  and  when  it  is  over  you'll 
all  be  sleepy.  Then  you  must  take  the  sword  and  row  ashore, 
and  so  you'll  come  to  a  castle  where  all  sorts  of  guards  will 
stand — wolves,  and  bears,  and  lions  ;  but  you  needn't  be 
afraid  of  them,  for  they'll  all  come  and  crouch  at  your  feet. 
But  when  you  come  inside  the  castle,  you'll  soon  see  the  Troll ; 
he  sits  in  a  splendid  chamber  in  grand  attire  and  array  ;  twelve 
heads  he  has  of  his  own,  and  the  Princesses  sit  round  them, 
each  on  her  chair,  and  comb  his  heads,  and  that's  a  work  you 
may  guess  they  don't  much  like.  Then  you  must  make  haste, 
and  hew  off  one  head  after  the  other  as  quick  as  you  can  ;  for 
if  he  wakes  and  sets  his  eyes  on  you,  he'll  swallow  you  alive  *. 
rSo  the  King's  son  went  on  board  with  the  sword,  and  he 
bore  in  mind  what  he  had  come  to  know.  The  others  still 
lay  fast  asleep  and  snored,  and  he  hid  the  sword  in  his  berth, 
so  that  neither  Ritter  Red  nor  any  of  the  rest  got  sight  of  it. 
And  now  it  began  to  blow  again,  so  he  woke  up  the  others 
and  said  he  thought  they  oughtn't  to  sleep  any  longer  now 
when  there  was  such  a  good  wind.  And  there  was  none  of 
them  that  marked  he  had  been  away.  Well,  after  the  seven 
years  were  all  gone  but  three  days,  all  happened  as  the  Troll 
had  said.  A  great  storm  and  foul  weather  came  on  that  lasted 
three  days,  and  when  it  had  blown  itself  out,  all  the  rest  grew 
sleepy  and  went  to  rest;  but  the  youngest  King's  son  rowed  ashore, 
and  the  guards  fell  at  his  feet,  and  so  he  came  to  the  castle. 
So  when  he  got  inside  the  chamber,  there  sat  the  King  fast 
asleep  as  the  Troll  Prince  had  said,  and  the  twelve  Princesses 
sat  each  on  her  chair  and  combed  one  of  his  heads.  The 
king's  son  beckoned  to  the  Princesses  to  get  out  of  the  way  ; 
they  pointed  to  the  Troll,  and  beckoned  to  him  again  to  go 
his  way  as  quick  as  ever  he  could,  but  he  kept  on  making 
signs  to  them  to  get  out  of  the  way,  and  then  they  understood 
that  he  wanted  to  set  them  free,  and  stole  away  softly  one  after 


The  Big  Bird  Dan  363 

the  other,  and  as  fast  as  they  went,  he  hewed  off  the  Troll 
King's  heads,  till  at  last  the  blood  gushed  out  like  a  great  brook. 
When  the  Troll  was  slain  he  rowed  on  board  and  hid  his  sword. 
He  thought  now  he  had  done  enough,  and  as  he  couldn't  get 
rid  of  the  body  by  himself,  he  thought  it  only  fair  they  should 
help  him  a  little.  So  he  woke  them  all  up,  and  said  it  was  a 
shame  they  should  be  snoring  there,  when  he  had  found  the 
Princesses,  and  set  them  free  from  the  Troll.  The  others 
only  laughed  at  him,  and  said  he  had  been  just  as  sound  asleep 
as  they,  and  only  dreamt  that  he  was  man  enough  to  do  what 
he  said  ;  for  if  any  one  was  to  set  the  Princesses  free,  it  was 
far  more  likely  it  would  be  one  of  them.  But  the  youngest 
King's  son  told  them  all  about  it,  and  when  they  followed 
him  to  the  land  and  saw  first  of  all  the  brook  of  blood,  and 
then  the  castle,  and  the  Troll,  and  the  twelve  heads,  and  the 
Princesses,  they  saw  plain  enough  that  he  had  spoken  the 
truth,  and  now  the  whole  helped  him  to  throw  the  body  and 
the  heads  into  the  sea.  So  all  were  glad  and  happy,  but  none 
more  so  than  the  Princesses,  who  got  rid  of  having  to  sit  there 
and  comb  the  Troll's  hair  all  day.  Of  all  the  silver  and  gold 
and  precious  things  that  were  there,  they  took  as  much  as 
the  ship  could  hold,  and  so  they  went  on  board  altogether 
Princes  and  Princesses  alike. 

But  when  they  had  gone  a  bit  out  on  the  sea,  the  Princesses 
said  they  had  forgotten  in  their  joy  their  gold  crowns  ;  they 
lay  behind  in  a  press,  and  they  would  be  so  glad  to  have  them. 
So  when  none  of  the  others  was  willing  to  fetch  them,  the 
youngest  King's  son  said  : 

*  I  have  already  dared  so  much,  I  can  very  well  go  back 
for  the  gold  crowns  too,  if  you  will  only  strike  sail  and  wait 
till  I  come  again.' 

Yes,  that  they  would  do.  But  when  he  had  gone  back  so 
far  that  they  couldn't  see  him  any  longer,  Ritter  Red,  who 
would  have  been  glad  enough  to  have  been  their  chief,  and 
to  have  the  youngest  Princess,  said,  '  it  was  no  use  their  lying 
there  still  waiting  for  him,  for  they  might  know  very  well 
he  would  never  come  back  ;  they  all  knew,  too,  how  the  king 
had  given  him  all  power  and  authority  to  sail  or  not  as  he 
chose  ;  and  now  they  must  all  say  'twas  he  that  had  saved 
the  Princesses,  and  if  any  one  said  anything  else,  he  should 
lose  his  life'. 


3^4 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


The  Princes  didn't  dare  to  do  anything  else  than  what 
Ritter  Red  willed,  and  so  they  sailed  away. 

Meanwhile  the  youngest  King's  son  rowed  to  land,  went 
up  to  the  castle,  found  the  press  with  gold  crowns  in  it,  and 
at  last  lugged  it  down  to  the  boat,  and  shoved  off  ;  but 
when  he  came  where  he  ought  to  have  seen  the  ship,  lo  !  it 
was  gone.  Well,  as  he  couldn't  catch  a  glimpse  of  it  any- 
where, he  could  very  soon  tell  how  matters  stood.  To  row 
after  them  was  no  good,  and  so  he  was  forced  to  turn  about 
and  row  back  to  land.  He  was  rather  afraid  to  stay  alone 
in  the  castle  all  night,  but  there  was  no  other  house  to  be  got, 
so  he  plucked  up  a  heart,  locked  up  all  the  doors  and  gates  fast, 
and  lay  down  in  a  room  where  there  was  a  bed  ready  made. 
But  fearful  and  woeful  he  was,  and  still  more  afraid  he  got 
when  he  had  lain  a  while  and  something  began  to  creak  and 
groan  and  quake  in  wall  and  roof,  as  if  the  whole  castle  were 
being  torn  asunder.  Then  all  at  once  down  something  plunged 
close  by  the  side  of  his  bed,  as  if  it  were  a  whole  cartload  of 
hay.  Then  all  was  still  again  ;  but  after  a  while  he  heard 
a  voice,  which  bade  him  not  to  be  afraid,  and  said  : 

Here  am  I  the  Big  Bird  Dan 
Come  to  help  you  all  I  can. 

'but  the  first  thing  you  must  do  when  you  wake  in  the  morning, 
will  be  to  go  to  the  barn  and  fetch  four  barrels  of  rye  for  me. 
I  must  fill  my  crop  with  them  for  breakfast,  else  I  can't  do 
anything  '. 

When  he  woke  up,  sure  enough  there  he  saw  an  awfully 
big  bird,  which  had  a  feather  at  the  nape  of  his  neck,  as  thick 
and  long  as  a  half-grown  spruce  fir.  So  the  King's  son  went 
down  to  the  barn  to  fetch  four  barrels  of  rye  for  the  Big  Bird 
Dan,  and  when  he  had  crammed  them  into  his  crop  he  told 
the  King's  son  to  hang  the  press  with  the  gold  crowns  on  one 
side  of  his  neck,  and  as  much  gold  and  silver  as  would  weigh 
it  down  on  the  other  side,  and  after  that  to  get  on  his  back  and 
hold  fast  by  the  feather  in  the  nape  of  his  neck.  So  away 
they  went  till  the  wind  whistled  after  them,  and  so  it  wasn't 
long  before  they  outstripped  the  ship.  The  King's  son 
wanted  to  go  on  board  for  his  sword,  for  he  was  afraid  lest 
any  one  should  get  sight  of  it,  for  the  Troll  had  told  him 
that  mustn't  be  :   but  Bird  Dan  said  that  mustn't  be  either. 


' 


The  Big  Bird  Dan  365 

*  Ritter  Red  will  never  see  it,  never  fear  ;  but  if  you  go  on 
board,  he'll  try  to  take  your  life,  for  he  has  set  his  heart  on 
having  the  youngest  Princess  ;  but  make  your  mind  quite 
easy  about  her,  for  she  lays  a  naked  sword  by  her  side  in  bed 
every  night.' 

So  after  a  long,  long  time,  they  came  to  the  island  where 
the  Troll  Prince  was  ;  and  there  the  King's  son  was  welcomed 
so  heartily  there  was  no  end  to  it.  The  Troll  Prince  didn't 
know  how  to  be  good  enough  to  him  for  having  slain  his  Lord 
and  Master,  and  so  made  him  King  of  the  Trolls,  and  if  the 
King's  son  had  been  willing  he  might  easily  have  got  the  Troll 
King's  daughter,  and  half  the  kingdom.  But  he  had  so  set 
his  heart  on  the  youngest  of  the  twelve  Princesses,  he 
could  take  no  rest,  but  was  all  for  going  after  their  ship  time 
after  time.  So  the  Troll  King  begged  him  to  be  quiet  a  little 
longer,  and  said  they  had  still  nearly  seven  years  to  sail  before 
they  got  home.  As  for  the  Princess  the  Troll  said  the  same 
thing  as  the  Big  Bird  Dan. 

'  You  needn't  fret  yourself  about  her,  for  she  lays  a  naked 
sword  by  her  side  every  night  in  bed.  And  now  if  you  don't 
believe  what  I  say  ',  said  the  Troll,  *  you  can  go  on  board 
when  they  sail  by  here,  and  see  for  yourself,  and  fetch  the 
sword  too,  for  I  may  just  as  well  have  it  again.' 

So  when  they  sailed  by  another  great  storm  arose,  and  when 
the  king's  son  went  on  board  they  all  slept,  and  each  Princess 
lay  beside  her  Prince  ;  but  the  youngest  lay  alone  with  a  naked 
sword  beside  her  in  the  bed,  and  on  the  floor  by  the  bedside 
lay  Ritter  Red.  Then  the  king's  son  took  the  sword  and 
rowed  ashore  again,  and  none  of  them  had  seen  that  he  had 
been  on  board.  But  still  the  King's  son  couldn't  rest,  and 
he  often  and  often  wanted  to  be  off,  and  so  at  last  when  it 
got  near  the  end  of  the  seven  years,  and  only  three  weeks  were 
left,  the  Troll  King  said  : 

*  Now  you  may  get  ready  to  go  since  you  won't  stay  with 
us  ;  and  you  shall  have  the  loan  of  my  iron  boat,  which  sails 
of  itself,  if  you  only  say  : 

■  Boat,  boat,  go  on  I 

*  In  that  boat  there  is  an  iron  club,  and  that  club  you  must 
lift  a  little  when  you  see  the  ship  straight  a-head  of  you,  and 
then  they'll  get  such  a  rattling  fair  breeze,  they'll  forget  to 


366  Tales  from  the  Norse 

look  at  you  ;  but  when  you  get  alongside  them,  you  must  lift 
the  club  a  little  again,  and  then  they'll  get  such  a  foul  wind 
and  storm,  they'll  have  something  else  to  do  than  to  stare 
at  you  ;  and  when  you  have  run  past  them,  you  must  lift 
the  club  a  third  time,  but  you  must  always  be  sure  and  lay 
it  down  carefully  again,  else  there'll  be  such  a  storm  both 
you  and  they  will  be  wrecked  and  lost.  Now,  when  you  have 
got  to  land,  you've  no  need  to  bother  yourself  at  all  about 
the  boat ;    just  turn  it  about,  and  shove  it  off,  and  say  : 

Boat,  boat,  go  back  home  I 

When  he  set  out  they  gave  him  so  much  gold  and  silver,  and 
so  many  other  costly  things,  and  clothes  and  linen  which  the 
Troll  Princess  had  sewn  and  woven  for  him  all  that  long  time, 
that  he  was  far  richer  than  any  of  his  brothers. 

Well,  he  had  no  sooner  seated  himself  in  the  boat,  and  said  : 

Boat,  boat,  go  on  I 

than  away  went  the  boat,  and  when  he  saw  the  ship  right  ahead 
he  lifted  up  the  club,  and  then  they  got  such  a  fair  breeze,  they 
forgot  to  look  at  him.  When  he  was  alongside  the  ship,  he  lifted 
the  club  again,  and  then  such  a  storm  arose  and  such  foul  weather, 
that  the  white  foam  flew  about  the  ship,  and  the  billows  rolled 
over  the  deck,  and  they  had  something  else  to  do  than  to 
stare  at  him  ;  and  when  he  had  run  past  them  he  lifted  the 
club  the  third  time,  and  then  the  storm  and  the  wind  rose  so, 
they  had  still  less  time  to  look  after  him,  and  to  make  him 
out.  So  he  came  to  land  long,  long  before  the  ship  ;  and 
when  he  had  got  all  his  goods  out  of  the  boat,  he  shoved  it 
o£E  again,  and  turned  it  about  and  said  : 

Boat,  boat,  go  back  home  I 

And  off  went  the  boat. 

Then  he  dressed  himself  up  as  a  sailor — whether  the  Troll 
king  had  told  him  that,  or  it  was  his  own  device,  I'm  sure  I 
can't  say — and  went  up  to  a  wretched  hut  where  an  old  wife 
lived,  whom  he  got  to  believe  that  he  was  a  poor  sailor  who 
had  been  on  board  a  great  ship  that  was  wrecked,  and  that 
he  was  the  only  soul  that  had  got  ashore.  After  that  he 
begged  for  house-room  for  himself  and  the  goods  he  had  saved. 


The  Big  Bird  Dan  367 

*  Heaven  mend  me  !  '  said  the  old  wife,  *  how  can  I  lend  any 
one  house-room  ?  look  at  me  and  mine,  why,  I've  no  bed 
to  sleep  on  myself,  still  less  one  for  any  one  else  to  lie  on.* 

Well,  well,  it  was  all  the  same,  said  the  sailor ;  if  he  only 
got  a  roof  over  his  head,  it  didn't  matter  where  he  lay.  So 
she  couldn't  turn  him  out  of  the  house,  when  he  was  so  thank- 
ful for  what  there  was.  That  afternoon  he  fetched  up  his 
things,  and  the  old  wife,  Avho  was  very  eager  to  hear  a  bit  of 
news  to  run  about  and  tell,  began  at  once  to  ask  who  he  was, 
whence  he  came,  whither  he  was  bound,  what  it  was  he  had 
with  him,  what  his  business  was,  and  if  he  hadn't  heard 
anything  of  the  twelve  Princesses  who  had  been  away 
the  Lord  knew  how  many  years.  All  this  she  asked  and 
much  more,  which  it  would  be  waste  of  time  to  tell.  But 
he  said  he  was  so  poorly  and  had  such  a  bad  headache  after 
the  awful  weather  he  had  been  out  in,  that  he  couldn't  answer 
any  of  her  questions  ;  she  must  just  leave  him  alone  and  let 
him  rest  a  few  days  till  he  came  to  himself  after  the  hard  work 
he'd  had  in  the  gale,  and  then  she'd  know  all  she  wanted. 

The  very  next  day  the  old  wife  began  to  stir  him  up  and 
ask  again,  but  the  sailor's  head  was  still  so  bad  he  hadn't 
got  his  wits  together,  but  somehow  he  let  drop  a  word  or 
two  to  show  that  he  did  know  something  about  the  Princesses. 
Off  ran  the  old  wife  with  what  she  had  heard  to  all  the  gossips 
and  chatterboxes  round  about,  and  soon  the  one  came  running 
after  the  other  to  ask  about  the  Princesses,  '  if  he  had  seen 
them  ',  '  if  they  would  soon  be  there  ',  '  if  they  were  on  the 
way  ',  and  much  more  of  the  same  sort.  He  still  went  on 
groaning  over  his  headache  after  the  storm,  so  that  he  couldn't 
tell  them  all  about  it,  but  so  much  he  told  them,  unless  they 
had  been  lost  in  the  great  storm  they'd  make  the  land  in 
about  a  fortnight  or  before  perhaps  ;  but  he  couldn't  say  for 
sure  whether  they  were  alive  or  no,  for  though  he  had  seen 
them,  it  might  very  well  be  that  they  had  been  cast  away 
in  the  storm  since.  So  what  did  one  of  these  old  gossips 
do  but  run  up  to  the  Palace  with  this  story,  and  say  that  there 
was  a  sailor  down  in  such  and  such  an  old  wife's  hut,  who 
had  seen  the  Princesses,  and  that  they  were  coming  home  in 
a  fortnight  or  in  a  week's  time.  Wlien  the  King  heard  that 
he  sent  a  messenger  down  to  the  sailor  to  come  up  to  him  and 
tell  the  news  himself. 


368  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  I  don't  see  how  it's  to  be  ',  said  the  sailor,  '  for  I  haven't 
any  clothes  fit  to  stand  in  before  the  King.' 

But  the  King  said  he  must  come  ;  for  the  King  must  and 
would  talk  with  him,  whether  he  were  richly  or  poorly  clad, 
for  there  was  no  one  else  who  could  bring  him  any  tidings 
of  the  Princesses.  So  he  went  up  at  last  to  the  Palace  and 
went  in  before  the  King,  who  asked  him  if  it  were  true  that 
he  had  seen  anything  of  the  Princesses. 

*  Aye,  aye  ',  said  the  sailor,  '  I've  seen  them  sure  enough, 
but  I  don't  know  whether  they're  still  alive,  for  when  I  last 
caught  sight  of  them,  the  weather  was  so  foul  we  in  our  ship 
were  cast  away  ;  but  if  they're  still  alive  they'll  come  safe 
home  in  a  fortnight  or  perhaps  before.* 

WTien  the  King  heard  that  he  was  almost  beside  himself 
for  joy  ;    and  when  the  time  came  that  the  sailor  had  said 
they  would  come,  the  King  drove  down  to  the  strand  to  meet 
them  in  a  great  state;   and  there  was  joy  and  gladness  over 
the  whole  land,  when  the  ship  came  sailing  in  with  the  Princes 
and  Princesses  and  Ritter  Red.     But  no  one  was  gladder  than 
the  old  King,  who  had  got  his  daughters  back  again.     The 
eleven  eldest  Princesses  too,  were  glad  and  merry,  but  the 
youngest  who  was  to  have  Ritter  Red,  who  said  that  he  had 
set  them  all  free  and  slain  the  Troll,  she  wept  and  was  always  j 
sorrowful.     The  King  took  this  ill,  and  asked  why  she  wasn't] 
cheerful   and   merry  like  the   others  ;     she  hadn't  anything] 
to  be  sorry  for^now  when  she  had  got  out  of  the  Troll's  clutches, 
and  was  to  have  such  a  husband  as  Ritter  Red.     But  she, 
daredn't  say  anything,   for  Ritter  Red  had  said  he  would! 
take  the  life  of  any  one  who  told  the  truth  how  things  had^ 
gone. 

But  now  one  day,  when  they  were  hard  at  work  sewingj 
and  stitching  the  bridal  array,  in  came  a  man  in  a  great] 
sailor's  cloak  with  a  pedlar's  pack  on  his  back,  and  asked 
if  the  Princesses  wouldn't  buy  something  fine  of  him  for  the] 
wedding  ;  he  had  so  many  wares  and  costly  things,  both  gold; 
and  silver.  Yes,  they  might  do  so  perhaps,  so  they  looked 
at  his  wares  and  they  looked  at  him,  for  they  thought  theyj 
had  seen  both  him  and  many  of  his  costly  things  before. 

*  He  who  has  so  many  fine  things  ',  said  the  youngest  Prin-j 
cess,  *  must  surely  have  something  still  more  precious,  and ' 
which  suits  us  better  even  than  these.* 


Soria  Moria  Castle  369 

*  Maybe  I  have  *,  said  the  Pedlar. 

But  now  all  the  others  cried  *  Hush  ',  and  bade  her  bear  in 
mind  what  Ritter  Red  had  said  he  would  do. 

Well,  some  time  after  the  Princesses  sat  and  looked  out  of 
the  window,  and  then  the  King's  son  came  again  with  the 
great  sea-cloak  thrown  about  him,  and  the  press  with  the  gold 
crowns  at  his  back  ;  and  when  he  got  into  the  palace  hall 
he  unlocked  the  press  before  the  Princesses,  and  when  each 
of  them  knew  her  own  gold  crown  again,  the  youngest  said : 

*  I  think  it  only  right  that  he  who  set  us  free  should  get 
the  meed  that  is  his  due  ;  and  he  is  not  Ritter  Red,  but  this 
man  who  has  brought  us  our  gold  crowns.  He  it  is  that  set 
us  free.' 

Then  the  King's  son  cast  off  the  sailor's  cloak,  and  stood 
there  far  finer  and  grander  than  all  the  rest ;  and  so  the  old 
King  made  them  put  Ritter  Red  to  death.  And  now  there 
was  real  right  down  joy  in  the  palace  ;  each  took  his  own 
bride,  and  there  just  was  a  wedding  !  Why,  it  was  heard  of 
and  talked  about  over  twelve  kings'  realms. 


SORIA  MORIA  CASTLE 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  poor  couple  who  had  a  son  whose 
name  was  Halvor.  Ever  since  he  was  a  little  boy  he  would 
turn  his  hand  to  nothing,  but  just  sat  there  and  groped  about 
in  the  ashes.  His  father  and  mother  often  put  him  out  to 
learn  this  trade  or  that,  but  Halvor  could  stay  nowhere  ; 
for,  when  he  had  been  there  a  day  or  two,  he  ran  away  from 
his  master,  and  never  stopped  till  he  was  sitting  again  in  the 
ingle,  poking  about  in  the  cinders. 

Well,  one  day  a  skipper  came,  and  asked  Halvor  if  he 
hadn't  a  mind  to  be  with  him,  and  go  to  sea,  and  see  strange 
lands.  Yes,  Halvor  would  hke  that  very  much  ;  so  he  wasn't 
long  in  getting  himself  ready. 

How  long  they  sailed  I'm  sure  I  can't  tell ;  but  the  end 
of  it  was,  they  fell  into  a  great  storm,  and  when  it  was  blown 
over,  and  it  got  still  again,  they  couldn't  tell  where  they  were  ; 
for  they  had  been  driven  away  to  a  strange  coast,  which  none 
of  them  knew  anything  about. 

Well,  as  there  was  just  no  wind  at  all,  they  stayed  lying 

P  9 


370  Tales  from  the  Norse 

wind-bound  there,  and  Halvor  asked  the  skipper's  leave  to 
go  on  shore  and  look  about  him  ;  he  would  sooner  go,  he  said, 
than  lie  there  and  sleep. 

*  Do  you  think  now  you're  fit  to  show  yourself  before  folk  ', 
said  the  skipper,  '  why,  you've  no  clothes  but  those  rags 
you  stand  in  ?  ' 

But  Halvor  stuck  to  his  own,  and  so  at  last  he  got  leave, 
but  he  was  to  be  sure  and  come  back  as  soon  as  ever  it  began 
to  blow.  So  off  he  went  and  found  a  lovely  land  ;  wherever 
he  came  there  were  fine  large  flat  corn-fields  and  rich  meads, 
but  he  couldn't  catch  a  glimpse  of  a  Uving  soul.  Well,  it 
began  to  blow,  but  Halvor  thought  he  hadn't  seen  enough 
yet,  and  he  wanted  to  walk  a  little  farther  just  to  see  if  he 
couldn't  meet  any  folk.  So  after  a  while  he  came  to  a  broad 
high  road,  so  smooth  and  even,  you  might  easily  roll  an  egg 
along  it.  Halvor  followed  this,  and  when  evening  drew  on 
he  saw  a  great  castle  ever  so  far  off,  from  which  the  sunbeams 
shone.  So  as  he  had  now  walked  the  whole  day  and  hadn't 
taken  a  bit  to  eat  with  him,  he  was  as  hungry  as  a  hunter,  but 
still  the  nearer  he  came  to  the  castle,  the  more  afraid  he  got. 

In  the  castle  kitchen  a  great  fire  was  blazing,  and  Halvor 
went  into  it,  but  such  a  kitchen  he  had  never  seen  in  all  his 
born  days.  It  was  so  grand  and  fine  ;  there  were  vessels  of 
silver  and  vessels  of  gold,  but  still  never  a  living  soul.  So 
when  Halvor  had  stood  there  a  while  and  no  one  came  out,  he 
went  and  opened  a  door,  and  there  inside  sat  a  Princess  who 
span  upon  a  spinning-wheel. 

*  Nay,  nay,  now  !  '  she  called  out,  '  dare  Christian  folk 
come  hither  ?  But  now  you'd  best  be  off  about  your  business, 
if  you  don't  want  the  Troll  to  gobble  you  up  ;  for  here  lives  a 
Troll  with  three  heads.' 

*  All  one  to  me  ',  said  the  lad,  *  I'd  be  just  as  glad  to  hear 
he  had  four  heads  beside  ;  I'd  like  to  see  what  kind  of  fellow 
he  is.  As  for  going,  I  won't  go  at  all.  I've  done  no  harm  ; 
but  meat  you  must  get  me,  for  I'm  almost  starved  to  death.' 

When  Halvor  had  eaten  his  fill,  the  Princess  told  him  to 
try  if  he  could  brandish  the  sword  that  hung  against  the  wall  ; 
no,  he  couldn't  brandish  it,  he  couldn't  even  lift  it  up. 

'  Oh  !  *  said  the  Princess,  *  now  you  must  go  and  take  a 
pull  of  that  flask  that  hangs  by  its  side  ;  that's  what  the 
Troll  does  every  time  he  goes  out  to  use  the  sword,* 


Soria  Moria  Castle  371 

So  Halvor  took  a  pull,  and  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  he 
could  brandish  the  sword  like  nothing  ;  and  now  he  thought 
it  high  time  the  Troll  came  ;  and  lo  !  just  then  up  came  the 
Troll  puffing  and  blowing.     Halvor  jumped  behind  the  door. 

*  HuTETU  ',  said  the  Troll,  as  he  put  his  head  in  at  the 
door,  *  what  a  smell  of  Christian  man's  blood  !  ' 

*  Aye  ',  said  Halvor,  '  you'll  soon  know  that  to  your  cost ', 
and  with  that  he  hewed  off  all  his  heads. 

Now  the  Princess  was  so  glad  that  she  was  free,  she  both 
danced  and  sang,  but  then  all  at  once  she  called  her  sisters  to 
mind,  and  so  she  said  : 

*  Would  my  sisters  were  free  too  !  * 
'  Where  are  they  ?  '  asked  Halvor. 

Well,  she  told  him  all  about  it ;  one  was  taken  away  by  a 
Troll  to  his  Castle  which  lay  fifty  miles  off,  and  the  other  by 
another  Troll  to  his  Castle  which  was  fifty  miles  further 
still. 

'  But  now  *,  she  said,  '  you  must  first  help  me  to  get  this 
ugly  carcass  out  of  the  house.' 

Yes,  Halvor  was  so  strong  he  swept  everything  away,  and 
made  it  all  clean  and  tidy  in  no  time.  So  they  had  a  good 
and  happy  time  of  it,  and  next  morning  he  set  off  at  peep  of 
grey  dawn  ;  he  could  take  no  rest  by  the  way,  but  ran  and 
walked  the  whole  day.  When  he  first  saw  the  Castle  he  got  a 
little  afraid  ;  it  was  far  grander  than  the  first,  but  here  too 
there  wasn't  a  living  soul  to  be  seen.  So  Halvor  went  into  the 
kitchen,  and  didn't  stop  there  either,  but  went  strait  further 
on  into  the  house. 

*  Nay,  nay  ',  called  out  the  Princess,  '  dare  Christian  folk 
come  hither  ?  I  don't  know  I'm  sure  how  long  it  is  since  I 
came  here,  but  in  all  that  time  I  haven't  seen  a  Christian  man. 
'Twere  best  you  saw  how  to  get  away  as  fast  as  you  came  ; 
for  here  lives  a  Troll,  who  has  six  heads.' 

*  I  shan't  go  ',  said  Halvor,  '  if  he  has  six  heads  besides.' 
'  He'll  take  you  up  and  swallow  you  down  alive  ',  said  the 

Princess. 

But  it  was  no  good,  Halvor  wouldn't  go  ;  he  wasn't  at  all 
afraid  of  the  Troll,  but  meat  and  drink  he  must  have,  for  he 
was  half  starved  after  his  long  journey.  Well,  he  got  as  much 
of  that  as  he  wished,  but  then  the  Princess  wanted  hina  to  be 
pfE  again. 


372  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  No  ',  said  Halvor,  '  I  won't  go,  I've  done  no  harm,  and  I've 
nothing  to  be  afraid  about.' 

*  He  won't  stay  to  ask  that ',  said  the  Princess,  *  for  he'll 
take  you  without  law  or  leave  ;  but  as  you  won't  go,  just 
try  if  you  can  brandish  that  sword  yonder,  which  the  Troll 
wields  in  war.' 

He  couldn't  brandish  it,  and  then  the  Princess  said  he  must 
take  a  pull  at  the  flask  which  hung  by  its  side,  and  when  he 
had  done  that  he  could  brandish  it. 

Just  then  back  came  the  Troll,  and  he  was  both  stout  and 
big,  so  that  he  had  to  go  sideways  to  get  through  the  door. 
When  the  Troll  got  his  first  head  in  he  called  out : 

*  HuTETU,  what  a  smell  of  Christian  man's  blood  !  ' 

But  that  very  moment  Halvor  hewed  off  his  first  head, 
and  so  on,  all  the  rest  as  they  popped  in.  The  Princess  was 
overjoyed,  but  just  then  she  came  to  think  of  her  sisters,  and 
wished  out  loud  they  were  free.  Halvor  thought  that  might 
easily  be  done,  and  wanted  to  be  off  at  once  ;  but  first  he  had 
to  help  the  Princess  to  get  the  Troll's  carcass  out  of  the  way, 
and  so  he  could  only  set  out  next  morning. 

It  was  a  long  way  to  the  Castle,  and  he  had  to  walk  fast 
and  run  hard  to  reach  it  in  time  ;  but  about  night-fall  he 
saw  the  Castle,  which  was  far  finer  and  grander  than  either  of  the 
others.  This  time  he  wasn't  the  least  afraid,  but  walked 
straight  through  the  kitchen,  and  into  the  Castle.  There  sat 
a  Princess  who  was  so  pretty,  there  was  no  end  to  her  love- 
liness. She  too  like  the  others  told  him  there  hadn't  been 
Christian  folk  there  ever  since  she  came  thither,  and  bade 
him  go  away  again,  else  the  Troll  would  swallow  him  alive, 
and  do  you  know,  she  said,  he  has  nine  heads. 

'  Aye,  aye  ',  said  Halvor,  *  if  he  had  nine  other  heads,  and 
nine  other  heads  still,  I  won't  go  away  ',  and  so  he  stood  fast 
before  the  stove.  The  Princess  kept  on  begging  him  so 
prettily  to  go  away,  lest  the  Troll  should  gobble  him  up,  but 
Halvor  said  : 

'  Let  him  come  as  soon  as  he  likes.' 

So  she  gave  him  the  Troll's  sword,  and  bade  him  take  a 
pull  at  the  flask,  that  he  might  be  able  to  brandish  and  wield 
it. 

Just  then  back  came  the  Troll  puffing  and  blowing  and 
Rearing  along.     He  was  far  stouter  and  bigger  than  the  other 


Soria  Moria  Castle  373 

two,  and  he  too  had  to  go  on  one  side  to  get  through  Ihe  door. 
So  when  he  got  his  first  head  in,  he  said  as  the  others  had 
said  : 

'  HuTETU,  what  a  smell  of  Christian  man's  blood  !  ' 

That  very  moment  Halvor  hewed  off  the  first  head  and  then 
all  the  rest ;  but  the  last  was  the  toughest  of  them  all,  and 
it  was  the  hardest  bit  of  work  Halvor  had  to  do,  to  get  it  hewn 
off,  although  he  knew  very  well  he  had  strength  enough  to 
do  it. 

So  all  the  Princesses  came  together  to  that  Castle,  which 
was  called  Soria  Moria  Castle,  and  they  were  glad  and  happy 
as  they  had  never  been  in  all  their  lives  before,  and  they  all 
were  fond  of  Halvor  and  Halvor  of  them,  and  he  might  choose 
the  one  he  liked  best  for  his  bride  ;  but  the  youngest  was 
fondest  of  him  of  all  the  three. 

But  there  after  a  while,  Halvor  went  about,  and  was  so 
strange  and  dull  and  silent.  Then  the  Princesses  asked  him 
what  he  lacked,  and  if  he  didn't  like  to  live  with  them  any 
longer  ?  Yes,  he  did,  for  they  had  enough  and  to  spare,  and 
he  was  well  off  in  every  way,  but  still  somehow  or  other  he  did 
so  long  to  go  home,  for  his  father  and  mother  were  alive,  and 
them  he  had  such  a  great  wish  to  see. 

Well,  they  thought  that  might  be  done  easily  enough. 

'  You  shall  go  thither  and  come  back  hither,  safe  and 
unscathed,  if  you  will  only  follow  our  advice  ',  said  the  Prin- 
cesses. 

Yes,  he'd  be  sure  to  mind  all  they  said.  So  they  dressed 
him  up  till  he  was  as  grand  as  a  king's  son,  and  then  they 
set  a  ring  on  his  finger,  and  that  was  such  a  ring,  he  could 
wish  himself  thither  and  hither  with  it ;  but  they  told  him 
to  be  sure  not  to  take  it  off,  and  not  to  name  their  names, 
for  there  would  be  an  end  of  all  his  bravery,  and  then  he'd 
never  see  them  more. 

'  If  I  only  stood  at  home  I'd  be  glad  ',  said  Halvor  ;  and 
it  was  done  as  he  had  wished.  Then  stood  Halvor  at  his 
father's  cottage  door  before  he  knew  a  word  about  it.  Now 
it  was  about  dusk  at  even,  and  so,  when  they  saw  such  a  grand 
stately  lord  walk  in,  the  old  couple  got  so  afraid  they  began 
to  bow  and  scrape.  Then  Halvor  asked  if  he  couldn't  stay 
there,  and  have  a  lodging  there  that  night.  No  ;  that  he 
couldn't. 


374  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  We  can't  do  it  at  all ',  they  said,  *  for  we  haven't  this  thing 
or  that  thing  which  such  a  lord  is  used  to  have  ;  'twere  best 
your  lordship  went  up  to  the  farm,  no  long  way  off,  for  you 
can  see  the  chimneys,  and  there  they  have  lots  of  everything ' 

Halvor  wouldn't  hear  of  it — he  wanted  to  stop  ;  but  the 
old  couple  stuck  to  their  own,  that  he  had  better'  go  to  the 
farmer's  ;  there  he  would  get  both  meat  and  drink  ;  as  for 
them,  they  hadn't  even  a  chair  to  offer  him  to  sit  down  on. 

*  No  ',  said  Halvor,  *  I  won't  go  up  there  till  to-morrow 
early,  but  let  me  just  stay  here  to-night ;  worst  come  to  the 
worst,  I  can  sit  in  the  chimney-corner.* 

Well,  they  couldn't  say  anything  against  that ;  so  Halvor 
sat  down  by  the  ingle,  and  began  to  poke  about  in  the  ashes, 
just  as  he  used  to  do  when  he  lay  at  home  in  old  days,  and 
stretched  his  lazy  bones. 

Well,  they  chattered  and  talked  about  many  things  ;  and 
they  told  Halvor  about  this  thing  and  that ;  and  so  he  asked 
them  if  they  had  never  had  any  children. 

'  Yes,  yes,  they  had  once  a  lad  whose  name  was  Halvor, 
but  they  didn't  know  whither  he  had  wandered  ;  they  couldn't 
even  tell  whether  he  were  dead  or  alive.' 

'  Couldn't  it  be  me,  now  ?  '  said  Halvor. 

*  Let  me  see  ;  I  could  tell  him  well  enough  *,  said  the  old 
wife,  and  rose  up.  '  Our  Halvor  was  so  lazy  and  dull,  he 
never  did  a  thing  ;  and  besides,  he  was  so  ragged,  that  one 
tatter  took  hold  of  the  next  tatter  on  him.  No  ;  there  never 
was  the  making  of  such  a  fine  fellow  in  him  as  you  are,  master.' 

A  Httle  while  after  the  old  wife  went  to  the  hearth  to  poke 
up  the  fire,  and  when  the  blaze  fell  on  Halvor's  face,  just  as 
when  he  was  at  home  of  old  poking  about  in  the  ashes,  she 
knew  him  at  once. 

'  Ah  !  but  is  it  you  after  all,  Halvor  ?  '  she  cried  ;  and 
then  there  was  such  joy  for  the  old  couple,  there  was  no  end 
to  it ;  and  he  was  forced  to  tell  how  he  had  fared,  and  the  old 
dame  was  so  fond  and  proud  of  him,  nothing  would  do  but  he 
must  go  up  at  once  to  the  farmer's,  and  show  himself  to  the 
lassies,  who  had  always  looked  down  on  him.  And  off  she 
went  first,  and  Halvor  followed  after.  So,  when  she  got  up 
there,  she  told  them  all  how  her  Halvor  had  come  home  again, 
and  now  they  should  only  just  see  how  grand  he  was,  for,  said 
she,  '  he  looks  like  nothing  but  a  king's  son  *. 


Soria  Moria  Castle  375 

All  very  fine  ',  said  the  lassies,  and  tossed  up  their  heads. 
*  We'll  be  bound  he's  just  the  same  beggarly  ragged  boy  he 
always  was.' 

Just  then  in  walked  Halvor,  and  then  the  lassies  were  all 
so  taken  aback,  they  forgot  their  sarks  in  the  ingle,  where 
they  were  sitting  darning  their  clothes,  and  ran  out  in  their 
smocks.  Well,  when  they  were  got  back  again,  they  were 
so  shamefaced  they  scarce  dared  look  at  Halvor,  towards 
whom  they  had  always  been  proud  and  haughty. 

*  Aye,  aye  ',  said  Halvor,  '  you  always  thought  yourselves 
so  pretty  and  neat,  no  one  could  come  near  you  ;  but  now 
you  should  just  see  the  eldest  Princess  I  have  set  free  ;  against 
her  you  look  just  like  milkmaids,  and  the  midmost  is  prettier 
still ;  but  the  youngest,  who  is  my  sweetheart,  she's  fairer 
than  both  sun  and  moon.  Would  to  Heaven  she  were  only 
here  ',  said  Halvor,   *  then  you'd    see  what  you  would  see.* 

He  had  scarce  uttered  these  words  before  there  they  stood, 
but  then  he  felt  so  sorry,  for  now  what  they  had  said  came 
into  his  mind.  Up  at  the  farm  there  was  a  great  feast  got 
ready  for  the  Princesses,  and  much  was  made  of  them,  but 
they  wouldn't  stop  there. 

*  No  ;  we  want  to  go  down  to  your  father  and  mother  ', 
they  said  to  Halvor  ;  *  and  so  we'll  go  out  now  and  look  about 
us.' 

So  he  went  down  with  them,  and  they  came  to  a  great  lake 
just  outside  the  farm.  Close  by  the  water  was  such  a  lovely 
green  bank  ;  here  the  Princesses  said  they  would  sit  and  rest 
a  while  ;  they  thought  it  so  sweet  to  sit  down  and  look  over 
the  water. 

So  they  sat  down  there,  and  when  they  had  sat  a  while,  the 
youngest  Princess  said  : 

'  I  may  as  well  comb  your  hair  a  little,  Halvor.* 

Yes,  Halvor  laid  his  head  on  her  lap,  and  so  she  combed  his 
bonny  locks,  and  it  wasn't  long  before  Halvor  fell  fast  asleep. 
Then  she  took  the  ring  from  his  finger,  and  put  another  in 
its  stead  ;  and  so  she  said  : 

'  Now  hold  me  all  together  !  and  now  would  we  were  all  in 
Soria  Moria  Castle.' 

So  when  Halvor  woke  up,  he  could  very  well  tell  that  he 
had  lost  the  Princesses,  and  began  to  weep  and  wail ;  and  he 
was  so  downcast,  they  couldn't  comfort  him  at  all.     In  spite 


37^ 


Tales  from  the  Norse 


of  all  his  father  and  mother  said,  he  wouldn't  stop  there,  but 
took  farewell  of  them,  and  said  he  was  safe  not  to  see  them 
again  ;  for  if  he  couldn't  find  the  Princesses  again,  he  thought 
it  not  worth  while  to  live. 

Well,  he  had  still  three  hundred  dollars  left,  so  he  put  them 
into  his  pocket,  and  set  out  on  his  way.  So,  when  he  had 
walked  a  while,  he  met  a  man  with  a  tidy  horse,  and  he  wanted 
to  buy  it,  and  began  to  chaffer  with  the  man. 

'  Aye  ',  said  the  man,  '  to  tell  the  truth,  I  never  thought 
of  selling  him  ;  but  if  we  could  strike  a  bargain,  perhaps ' 

'  What  do  you  want  for  him  ',  asked  Halvor. 

*  I  didn't  give  much  for  him,  nor  is  he  worth  much  ;  he's  a 
brave  horse  to  ride,  but  he  can't  draw  at  all ;  still  he's  strong 
enough  to  carry  your  knapsack  and  you  too,  turn  and  turn 
about ',  said  the  man. 

At  last  they  agreed  on  the  price,  and  Halvor  laid  the  knap- 
sack on  him,  and  so  he  walked  a  bit,  and  rode  a  bit,  turn  and 
turn  about.  At  night  he  came  to  a  green  plain  where  stood 
a  great  tree,  at  the  roots  of  which  he  sat  down.  There  he  let 
the  horse  loose,  but  he  didn't  lie  down  to  sleep,  but  opened 
his  knapsack  and  took  a  meal.  At  peep  of  day  off  he  set 
again,  for  he  could  take  no  rest.  So  he  rode  and  walked  and 
walked  and  rode  the  whole  day  through  the  wide  wood,  where 
there  were  so  many  green  spots  and  glades  that  shone  so 
bright  and  lovely  between  the  trees.  He  didn't  know  at  all 
where  he  was  or  whither  he  was  going,  but  he  gave  himself 
no  more  time  to  rest  than  when  his  horse  cropped  a  bit  of 
grass,  and  he  took  a  snack  out  of  his  knapsack  when  they 
came  to  one  of  those  green  glades.  So  he  went  on  walking  and 
riding  by  turns,  and  as  for  the  wood  there  seemed  to  be  no 
end  to  it. 

But  at  dusk  the  next  day  he  saw  a  light  gleaming  away 
through  the  trees. 

*  Would  there  were  folk  hereaway  ',  thought  Halvor,  '  that 
I  might  warm  myself  a  bit  and  get  a  morsel  to  keep  body  and 
soul  together.' 

When  he  got  up  to  it,  he  saw  the  light  came  from  a  wretched 
little  hut,  and  through  the  window  he  saw  an  old  old  couple 
inside.  They  were  as  grey-headed  as  a  pair  of  doves,  and  the 
old  \vife  had  such  a  nose  !  why,  it  was  so  long  she  used  it  for  a 
poker  to  stir  the  fire  as  she  sat  in  the  ingle. 


Soria  Moria  Castle  377 

'  Good  evening  *,  said  Halvor. 

*  Good  evening ',  said  the  old  wife. 

'But  what  errand  can  you  have  in  coming  hither  ?  *  she 
went  on,  '  for  no  Christian  folk  have  been  here  these  hundred 
years  and  more.' 

Well,  Halvor  told  her  all  about  himself,  and  how  he  wanted 
to  get  to  Soria  Moria  Castle,  and  asked  if  she  knew  the  way 
thither. 

'  No  ',  said  the  old  wife,  *  that  I  don't,  but  see  now,  here 
comes  the  Moon,  I'll  ask  her,  she'll  know  all  about  it,  for  doesn't 
she  shine  on  everything  ?  * 

So  when  the  Moon  stood  clear  and  bright  over  the  tree-tops, 
the  old  wife  went  out. 

*  Thou  Moon,  thou  Moon  ',  she  screamed,  *  canst  thou 
tell  me  the  way  to  Soria  Moria  Castle  ?  ' 

'  No  ',  said  the  Moon,  '  that  I  can't,  for  the  last  time  I  shone 
there  a  cloud  stood  before  me.' 

*  Wait  a  bit  still ',  said  the  old  wife  to  Halvor,  *  by  and  bye 
comes  the  West  Wind  ;  he's  sure  to  know  it,  for  he  puffs  and 
blows  round  every  corner.' 

*  Nay,  nay  ',  said  the  old  wife  when  she  went  out  again, 
*  you  don't  mean  to  say  you've  got  a  horse  too  ;  just  turn 
the  poor  beastie  loose  in  our  "  toun  ",  and  don't  let  him  stand 
there  and  starve  to  death  at  the  door.' 

Then  she  ran  on  : 

*  But  won't  you  swop  him  away  to  me  ? — we've  got  an  old 
pair  of  boots  here,  with  which  you  can  take  twenty  miles  at 
each  stride  ;  those  you  shall  have  for  your  horse,  and  so  you'll 
get  all  the  sooner  to  Soria  Moria  Castle.' 

That  Halvor  was  willing  to  do  at  once  ;  and  the  old  wife 
was  so  glad  at  having  the  horse,  she  was  ready  to  dance  and 
skip  for  joy. 

*  For  now  ',  she  said,  '  I  shall  be  able  to  ride  to  church.  I 
too,  think  of  that.' 

As  for  Halvor,  he  had  no  rest,  and  wanted  to  be  off  at  once, 
but  the  old  wife  said  there  was  no  hurry. 

'  Lie  down  on  the  bench  with  you  and  sleep  a  bit,  for  we've 
no  bed  to  offer  you,  and  I'll  watch  and  wake  you  when  the 
West  Wind  comes.* 

So  after  a  while  up  came  the  West  Wind,  roaring  and  howling 
along  till  the  walls  creaked  and  groaned  again. 


37^  Tales  from  the  Norse 

Out  ran  the  old  wife. 

'  Thou  West  Wind,  thou  West  Wind  !  Canst  thou  tell 
me  the  way  to  Soeia  Moria  Castle  ?  Here's  one  who  wants 
to  get  thither.' 

*  Yes,  I  know  it  very  well ',  said  the  West  Wind,  *  and  now 
I'm  just  off  thither  to  dry  clothes  for  the  wedding  that's  to 
be  ;   if  he's  swift  of  foot  he  can  go  along  with  me.' 

Out  ran  Halvor. 

*  You'll  have  to  stretch  your  legs  if  you  mean  to  keep  up  *, 
said  the  West  Wind. 

So  off  he  set  over  field  and  hedge,  and  hill  and  fell,  and 
Halvor  had  hard  work  to  keep  up. 

'  Well ',  said  the  West  Wind,  '  now  I've  no  time  to  stay  with 
you  any  longer,  for  I've  got  to  go  away  yonder  and  tear  down 
a  strip  of  spruce  wood  first  before  I  go  to  the  bleaching-ground 
to  dry  the  clothes  ;  but  if  you  go  alongside  the  hill  you'll  come 
to  a  lot  of  lassies  standing  washing  clothes,  and  then  you've 
not  far  to  go  to  Soria  Moria  Castle.' 

In  a  little  while  Halvor  came  upon  the  lassies  who  stood 
washing,  and  they  asked  if  he  had  seen  anything  of  the  West 
Wind  who  was  to  come  and  dry  the  clothes  for  the  wedding. 

'  Aye,  aye,  that  I  have  ',  said  Halvor,  *  he's  only  gone  to 
tear  down  a  strip  of  spruce  wood.  It'll  not  be  long  before  he's 
here  *,  and  then  he  asked  them  the  way  to  Soria  Moria 
Castle. 

So  they  put  him  into  the  right  way,  and  when  he  got  to  the 
Castle  it  was  full  of  folk  and  horses  ;  so  full  it  made  one  giddy 
to  look  at  them.  But  Halvor  was  so  ragged  and  torn  from 
having  followed  the  West  Wind  through  bush  and  brier  and 
bog,  that  he  kept  on  one  side,  and  wouldn't  show  himself  till 
the  last  day  when  the  bridal  feast  was  to  be. 

So  when  all,  as  was  then  right  and  fitting,  were  to  drink  the 
bride  and  bridegroom's  health  and  wish  them  luck,  and  when 
the  cupbearer  was  to  drink  to  them  all  again,  both  knights 
and  squires,  last  of  all  he  came  in  turn  to  Halvor.  He  drank 
their  health,  but  let  the  ring  which  the  Princess  had  put  upon 
his  finger  as  he  lay  by  the  lake  fall  into  the  glass,  and  bade  the 
cupbearer  go  and  greet  the  bride  and  hand  her  the  glass. 

Then  up  rose  the  Princess  from  the  board  at  once. 

'  Who  is  most  worthy  to  have  one  of  us  ',  she  said,  '  he  that 
has  set  us  fr^e,  or  he  that  here  sits  by  me  as  bridegroom  ? ' 


Bruin  and  Reynard  379 

Well  they  all  said  there  could  be  but  one  voice  and  will  as 
to  that,  and  when  Halvor  heard  that  he  wasn't  long  in  throwing 
off  his  beggar's  rags,  and  arraying  himself  as  bridegroom. 

'  Aye,  aye,  here  is  the  right  one  after  all ',  said  the  youngest 
Princess  as  soon  as  she  saw  him,  and  so  she  tossed  the  other 
one  out  of  the  window,  and  held  her  wedding  with  Halvor. 


BRUIN  AND  REYNARD 

The  Bear  and  the  Fox  had  once  bought  a  firkin  ot  butter 
together ;  they  were  to  have  it  at  Yule  and  hid  it  till  then 
under  a  thick  spruce  bush. 

After  that  they  went  a  little  way  off  and  lay  down  on  a 
sunny  bank  to  sleep.  So  when  they  had  lain  a  while  the  Fox 
got  up,  shook  himself,  and  bawled  out  '  yes  '. 

Then  he  ran  off  straight  to  the  firkin  and  ate  a  good  third 
part  of  it.  But  when  he  came  back,  and  the  Bear  asked  him 
where  he  had  been,  since  he  was  so  fat  about  the  paunch,  he 
said  : 

'  Don't  you  believe  then  that  I  was  bidden  to  barsel,  to  a 
christening  feast.' 

*  So,  so  ',  said  the  Bear,  *  and  pray  what  was  the  bairn's 
name.* 

*  Just-begun  ',  said  the  Fox. 

So  they  lay  down  to  sleep  again.  In  a  little  while  up  jumped 
the  Fox  again,  bawled  out  *  yes ',  and  ran  off  to  the  firkin. 

This  time  too  he  ate  a  good  lump.  When  he  came  back, 
and  the  Bear  asked  him  again  where  he  had  been,  he  said  : 

'  Oh,  wasn't  I  bidden  to  barsel  again,  don't  you  think.' 

'  And  pray  what  was  the  bairn's  name  this  time  ',  asked  the 
Bear. 

'  Half-eaten  ',  said  the  Fox. 

The  Bear  thought  that  a  very  queer  name,  but  he  hadn't 
wondered  long  over  it  before  he  began  to  yawn  and  gape  and 
fell  asleep.  Well,  he  hadn't  lain  long  before  the  Fox  jumped 
up  as  he  had  done  twice  before,  bawled  out  '  yes  '  and  ran  off 
to  the  firkin,  which  this  time  he  cleared  right  out.  When 
he  got  back  he  had  been  bidden  to  barsel  again,  and  when  the 
Bear  wanted  to  know  the  bairn's  name,  he  answered  ; 

'  Licked-to-the-bottom/ 


380  Tales  from  the  Norse 

After  that  they  lay  down  again,  and  slept  a  long  time  ;  but 
then  they  were  to  go  to  the  firkin  to  look  at  the  butter,  and 
when  they  found  it  eaten  up,  the  Bear  threw  the  blame  on  the 
Fox,  and  the  Fox  on  the  Bear  ;  and  each  said  the  one  had 
been  at  the  firkin  while  the  other  slept. 

*  Well,  well ',  said  Reynard,  '  we'll  soon  find  this  out, 
which  of  us  has  eaten  the  butter.  We'll  just  lay  down  in  the 
sunshine,  and  he  whose  cheeks  and  chaps  are  greasiest  when 
we  wake,  he  is  the  thief.* 

Yes,  that  trial  Bruin  was  ready  to  stand  ;  and  as  he  knew 
in  his  heart  he  had  never  so  much  as  tasted  the  butter,  he  lay 
down  without  a  care  to  sleep  in  the  sun. 

Then  Reynard  stole  off  to  the  firkin  for  a  morsel  of  butter, 
which  stuck  there  in  a  crack,  and  then  he  crept  back  to  the 
Bear,  and  greased  his  chaps  and  cheeks  with  it ;  and  then  he, 
too,  lay  down  to  sleep  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

So  when  they  both  woke,  the  sun  had  melted  the  butter, 
and  the  Bear's  whiskers  were  all  greasy  ;  and  so  it  was  Bruin 
after  all,  and  no  one  else,  who  had  eaten  the  butter. 


rOM  TOTHERHOUSE 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  Goody  who  had  a  deaf  husband. 
A  good,  easy  man  he  was,  but  that  was  just  why  she  thought 
more  of  the  lad  next  door,  whom  they  called  *  Tom  Tother- 
house  *.  Now  the  lad  that  served  the  deaf  man  saw  very  well 
that  the  two  had  something  between  them,  and  one  day  he 
said  to  the  Goody  : 

'  Dare  you  wager  ten  dollars,  mother,  that  I  don't  make 
you  lay  bare  your  own  shame  ?  ' 

'  Yes  I  dare  ',  said  she  ;   and  so  they  wagered  ten  dollars. 

So  one  daj",  while  the  lad  and  the  deaf  man  stood  thrashing 
in  the  barn,  the  lad  saw  that  Tom  Totherhouse  came  to  see 
the  Goody.  He  said  nothing,  but  a  good  while  before  dinner- 
time he  turned  toward  the  barn-door,  and  bawled  out '  Halloa ! ' 

'  What !  are  we  to  go  home  already  ?  '  said  the  man,  who 
hadn't  given  any  heed  to  what  the  lad  did. 

*  Yes,  we  must,  since  mother  calls  ',  said  the  lad. 

So  when  they  got  into  the  passage,  the  lad  began  to  hem  and 
cough,  that  the  Goody  might  get  Tom  Totherhouse  out  of  the 


I 


Tom  Totherhouse  381 

way.     But  when  they  came  into  the  room,  there  stood  a  whole 
bowl  of  custards  on  the  table. 

*  Nay,  nay,  mother ',  cried  out  the  man,  *  shall  we  have 
custards  to-day  ?  ' 

'  Yes,  that  you  shall,  dear  ',  said  the  Goody  ;  but  she  was 
as  sour  as  verjuice,  and  as  cross  as  two  sticks. 

So  when  they  had  eaten  and  drank  all  the  good  cheer  up,  off 
they  went  again  to  their  work,  and  the  Goody  said  to  Tom  : 

'  Deil  take  that  lad's  sharp  nose,  this  was  all  his  fault ;  but 
now  you  must  be  off  as  fast  as  you  can,  and  I'll  come  down  to  you 
in  the  mead  with  a  snack  between  meals.' 

This  the  lad  stood  outside  in  the  passage  and  listened  to. 

*  Do  you  know,  father  ',  he  said,  '  I  think  we'd  best  go  down 
into  the  hollow  and  put  our  fence  to  rights,  which  is  blown 
down,  before  the  neighbours'  swine  get  in  and  root  up  our 
meadow.' 

'  Aye,  aye,  let's  go  and  do  it ',  said  the  man  ;  for  he  did 
all  he  was  told,  good,  easy  man. 

So  when  the  afternoon  was  half  spent,  down  came  the  Goody 
sneaking  along  into  the  mead,  with  something  under  her 
apron. 

'  Nay,  nay,  mother ',  said  the  man,  *  it  can't  be  you  any 
longer  ;    are  we  to  have  a  snack  between  meals  too  ?  ' 

*  Yes,  yes,  that  you  shall ',  she  said  ;  but  she  was  sourer 
and  wilder  than  ever. 

So  they  made  merry,  and  crammed  themselves  with  ban- 
nocks and  butter,  and  had  a  drop  of  brandy  into  the  bargain. 

'  I'll  go  off  to  Tom  Totherhouse  with  a  snack — shan't  I, 
mother  ?  '  said  the  lad.  *  He's  had  nothing  between  meals, 
I'll  be  bound.' 

*  Ah  !  do  ;  there's  a  good  fellow  ',  said  the  Goody,  who  all 
at  once  got  as  mild  as  milk. 

As  he  went  along  the  lad  broke  a  bannock  to  bits,  and 
dropped  the  crumbs  here  and  there  as  he  walked.  But  when 
he  got  to  Tom  Totherhouse  he  said  : 

'  Now,  just  you  take  care,  for  our  old  cock  has  found  out 
that  you  come  too  often  to  see  our  Goody.  He  won't  stand 
it  any  longer,  and  has  sworn  to  drive  his  axe  into  you  as  soon 
as  ever  he  can  set  eyes  on  you.' 

As  for  Tom,  he  was  so  frightened  he  scarce  knew  which  way  to 
turn,  and  the  lad  went  back  again  to  his  master. 


382  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  There's  something  wrong  ',  he  said,  '  with  Tom's  plough, 
and  he  begs  you  to  be  so  good  as  to  take  your  axe,  and  go  and 
see  if  you  can't  set  it  right.' 

Yes,  the  man  set  off  with  his  axe,  but  Tom  Totherhouse 
had  scarce  caught  sight  of  him  before  he  took  to  his  heels 
as  fast  as  he  could.  The  man  turned  and  twisted  the  plough 
round  and  round,  and  looked  at  it  on  every  side,  and  when 
he  couldn't  see  anything  wrong  with  it  he  went  off  home 
again  ;  but  on  the  way  he  picked  up  the  bits  of  broken  ban- 
nock which  the  lad  had  let  fall.  His  old  dame  stood  in  the 
meadow  and  looked  at  him  as  he  did  this  for  a  while,  and 
wondered  and  wondered  what  it  could  be  her  husband  was 
gathering  up. 

*  Oh,  I  know  *,  said  the  lad,  *  master's  picking  up  stones, 
I'll  be  bound  ;  for  he  has  marked  how  often  this  Tom  Tother- 
house runs  over  here  ;  and  the  old  fellow  won't  stand  it  any 
longer  ;    and  now  he  has  sworn  to  stone  mother  to  death.* 

Off  went  the  Goody  as  fast  as  her  legs  could  carry  her. 

*  What  in  the  world  is  it  that  mother  is  running  after  now  ?  ' 
asked  the  man,  when  he  reached  the  spot  where  she  had  stood. 

*  Oh  ',  said  the  lad,  '  maybe  the  house  at  home  is  on  fire  !  ' 
So  there  ran  the  husband  behind  and  the  Goody  before  ; 

and  as  she  ran  she  screeched  out : 

*  Ah  !  ah  !  don't  stone  me  to  death  ;  don't  stone  me  to 
death  !  and  I'll  give  you  my  word  never  to  let  Tom  Tother- 
house come  near  me  again.* 

*  Now  the  ten  dollars  are  mine  ',  bawled  out  the  lad  ;  and  so 
they  were. 


LITTLE  ANNIE  THE  GOOSE-GIRL 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  King  who  had  so  many  geese  he 
was  forced  to  have  a  lassie  to  tend  them  and  watch  them  ; 
her  name  was  Annie,  and  so  they  called  her  '  Annie  the  Goose- 
girl'.  Now  you  must  know  there  was  a  King's  son  from 
England  who  went  out  to  woo  ;  and  as  he  came  along  Ann 
sat  herself  down  in  his  way. 

*  Sitting  all  alone  there,  you  little  Annie  ?  '  said  the  King's 
son. 

'  Yes  ',  said  little  Annie,  *  here  I  sit  and  put  stitch  to  stitch 


Little  Annie  the  Goose-Girl  383 

and  patch  on  patch.  I'm  waiting  to-day  for  the  King's  son 
from  England.' 

'  Him  you  mustn't  look  to  have  ',  said  the  Prince. 

'  Nay,  but  if  I'm  to  have  him  ',  said  little  Annie,  *  have  him 
I  shall,  after  all.' 

And  now  limners  were  sent  out  into  all  lands  and  realms  to 
take  the  likenesses  of  the  fairest  Princesses,  and  the  Prince 
was  to  chose  between  them.  So  he  thought  so  much  of  one 
of  them,  that  he  set  out  to  seek  her,  and  wanted  to  wed  her, 
and  he  was  glad  and  happy  when  he  got  her  for  his  sweet- 
heart. 

But  now  I  must  tell  you  this  Prince  had  a  stone  with  him 
which  he  laid  by  his  bedside,  and  that  stone  knew  everything, 
and  when  the  Princess  came  little  Annie  told  her,  if  so  be 
she'd  had  a  sweetheart  before,  or  didn't  feel  herself  quite  free 
from  anything  which  she  didn't  wish  the  Prince  to  know, 
she'd  better  not  step  on  that  stone  which  lay  by  the  bedside. 

*  If  you  do,  it  will  tell  him  all  about  you  ',  said  little  Annie. 

So  when  the  Princess  heard  that  she  was  dreadfully  down- 
cast, and  she  fell  upon  the  thought  to  ask  Annie  if  she  would  get 
into  bed  that  night  in  her  stead  and  lie  down  by  the  Prince's 
side,  and  then  when  he  was  sound  asleep,  Annie  should  get 
out  and  the  Princess  should  get  in,  and  so  when  he  woke  up 
in  the  morning  he  would  find  the  right  bride  by  his  side. 

So  they  did  that,  and  when  Annie  the  goose-girl  came  and 
stepped  upon  the  stone  the  Prince  asked  : 

*  Who  is  this  that  steps  into  my  bed  ?  ' 

*  A  maid  pure  and  bright ',  said  the  stone,  and  so  they  lay 
down  to  sleep  ;  but  when  the  night  wore  on  the  Princess 
came  and  lay  down  in  Annie's  stead. 

But  next  morning,  when  they  were  to  get  up,  the  Prince 
asked  the  stone  again  : 

*  Who  is  this  that  steps  out  of  my  bed  ?  ' 

*  One  that  has  had  three  bairns  ',  said  the  stone. 

When  the  Prince  heard  that  he  wouldn't  have  her,  you 
may  know  very  well ;  and  so  he  packed  her  off  home  again, 
and  took  another  sweetheart. 

But  as  he  went  to  see  her,  little  Annie  went  and  sat  down 
in  his  way  again. 

*  Sitting  all  alone  there,  little  Annie,  the  goose-girl ',  said 
the  Prince, 


384  Tales  from  the  Norse 

*  Yes,  here  I  sit,  and  put  stitch  to  stitch,  and  patch  on  patch  ; 
for  I'm  waiting  to-day  for  the  king's  son  from  England  ',  said 
Annie. 

'  Oh  !  you  mustn't  look  to  have  him  ',  said  the  king's  son. 

'  Nay,  but  if  I'm  to  have  him,  have  him  I  shall,  after  all  * ; 
that  was  what  Annie  thought. 

Well,  it  was  the  same  story  over  again  with  the  Prince  ; 
only  this  time,  when  his  bride  got  up  in  the  morning,  the 
stone  said  she'd  had  six  bairns. 

So  the  Prince  wouldn't  have  her  either,  but  sent  her  about 
her  business  ;  but  still  he  thought  he'd  try  once  more  if  he 
couldn't  find  one  who  was  pure  and  spotless  ;  and  he  sought 
far  and  wide  in  many  lands,  till  at  last  he  found  one  he  thought 
he  might  trust.  But  when  he  went  to  see  her,  little  Annie 
the  goose- girl  had  put  herself  in  his  way  again. 

*  Sitting  all  alone  there,  you  little  Annie,  the  goose-girl ', 
said  the  Prince. 

*  Yes,  here  I  sit,  and  put  stitch  to  stitch,  and  patch  on 
patch  ;  for  I'm  waiting  to-day  for  the  king's  son  from  Eng- 
land ',  said  Annie. 

*  Him  you  mustn't  look  to  have  ',  said  the  Prince. 

*  Nay,  but  if  I'm  to  have  him,  have  him  I  shall,  after  all ', 
said  little  Annie. 

So  when  the  Princess  came,  little  Annie  the  goose-girl  told 
her  the  same  as  she  had  told  the  other  two,  if  she'd  had  any 
sweetheart  before,  or  if  there  was  anything  else  she  didn't 
wish  the  Prince  to  know,  she  mustn't  tread  on  the  stone  that 
the  Prince  had  put  at  his  bedside  ;    for,  said  she  : 

*  It  tells  him  everything.' 

The  Princess  got  very  red  and  downcast  when  she  heard 
that,  for  she  was  just  as  naughty  as  the  others,  and  asked 
Annie  if  she  would  go  in  her  stead  and  lie  down  with  the  Prince 
that  night ;  and  when  he  was  sound  asleep,  she  would  come 
and  take  her  place,  and  then  he  would  have  the  right  bride 
by  his  side  when  it  was  light  next  morning. 

Yes  !  they  did  that.  And  when  little  Annie  the  goose- 
girl  came  and  stepped  upon  the  stone,  the  Prince  asked  : 

*  Who  is  this  that  steps  into  my  bed.* 

'  A  maid  pure  and  bright ',  said  the  stone  ;  and  so  they  lay 
down  to  rest. 

Farther  on  in  the  night  the  Prince  put  a  ring  on  Annie's 


Little  Annie  the  Goose-Girl  385 

finger,  and  it  fitted  so  light  she  couldn't  get  it  off  again ; 
for  the  Prince  saw  well  enough  there  was  something  wrong, 
and  so  he  wished  to  have  a  mark  bv  which  he  might  know  the 
right  woman  again. 

Well,  when  the  Prince  had  gone  off  to  sleep,  the  Princess 
came  and  drove  Annie  away  to  the  pigsty,  and  lay  down 
in  her  place.  Next  morning,  when  they  were  to  get  up,  the 
Prince  asked  : 

'  Who  is  this  that  steps  out  of  my  bed  ?  * 

*  One  that's  had  nine  bairns  ',  said  the  stone. 

When  the  Prince  heard  that  he  drove  her  away  at  once, 
for  he  was  in  an  awful  rage  ;  and  then  he  asked  the  stone 
how  it  all  was  with  these  Princesses  who  had  stepped  on  it, 
for  he  couldn't  understand  it  at  all,  he  said. 

So  the  stone  told  him  how  they  had  cheated  him,  and  sent 
little  Annie  the  goose-girl  to  him  in  their  stead. 

But  as  the  Prince  wished  to  have  no  mistake  about  it,  he 
went  down  to  her  where  she  sat  tending  her  geese,  for  he 
wanted  to  see  if  she  had  the  ring  too,  and  he  thought,  '  if  she 
has  it,  'twere  best  to  take  her  at  once  for  my  queen  *. 

So  when  he  got  down  he  saw  in  a  moment  that  she  had 
tied  a  bit  of  rag  round  one  of  her  fingers,  and  so  he  asked  her 
why  it  was  tied  up. 

•  Oh  !  I've  cut  myself  so  badly  ',  said  little  Annie  the  goose- 
girl. 

So  he  must  and  would  see  the  finger,  but  Annie  wouldn't 
take  the  rag  off.  Then  he  caught  hold  of  the  finger  ;  but 
Annie,  she  tried  to  pull  it  from  him,  and  so  between  them 
the  rag  came  off,  and  then  he  knew  his  ring. 

So  he  took  her  up  to  the  palace,  and  gave  her  much  fine 
clothes  and  attire,  and.  after  that  they  held  their  wedding 
feast  ;  and  so  little  Annie  the  goose -girl  came  to  have  the 
king  of  England's  son  for  her  husband  after  all,  just  because 
it  was  written  that  she  should  have  him. 


c  c 


INTRODUCTION  TO  APPENDIX 

ANANZI  STORIES 

The  Negroes  in  the  West  Indies  still  retain  the  tales  and 
traditions  which  their  fathers  and  grandfathers  brought  with 
them  from  Africa.  Some  thirty  years  back  these  '  Ananzi 
Stories  ',  as  they  are  called,  were  invariably  told  at  the  Negro 
wakes,  which  lasted  for  nine  successive  nights.  The  reciters 
were  always  men.  In  those  days  when  the  slaves  were  still 
half  heathen,  and  when  the  awful  Obeah  was  universally  be- 
lieved in,  such  of  the  Negroes  as  attended  church  or  chapel 
kept  their  children  away  from  these  funeral  gatherings.  The 
wakes  are  now,  it  is  believed,  almost  entirely  discontinued,  and 
with  them  have  gone  the  stories.  The  Negroes  are  very  shy 
of  telling  them,  and  both  the  clergyman  of  the  Church  of 
England,  and  the  Dissenting  Minister  set  their  faces  against 
them,  and  call  them  foolishness.  The  translator,  whose 
early  childhood  was  passed  in  those  islands,  remembers  to 
have  heard  such  stories  from  his  nurse,  who  was  an  African 
bom  ;  but  beyond  a  stray  fragment  here  and  there,  the  rich 
store  which  she  possessed  has  altogether  escaped  his  memory. 
The  following  stories  have  been  taken  down  from  the  mouth 
of  a  West  Indian  nurse  in  his  sister's  house,  who,  bom  and 
bred  in  it,  is  rather  regarded  as  a  member  of  the  family  than 
as  a  servant.  They  are  printed  just  as  she  told  them,  and 
both  their  genuineness  and  their  affinity  with  the  stories  of 
other  races  will  be  self-evident.  Thus  we  have  the  *  Wishing 
Tree  '  of  the  Hindoos,  the  Kalpa  Vriksha  of  Somadeva,  and 
of  the  German  Fairy  Tales  in  the  '  Pumpkin  Tree  ',  which 
throws  down  as  many  pumpkins  as  the  poor  widow  wishes. 
In  one  story  we  have  '  Boots  '  to  the  life,  while  the  man  whom 
he  outwits  is  own  brother  to  the  Norse  Trolls.  In  another 
we  find  a  *  speaking  beast  *,  which  reminds  us  at  once  of  the 
Egyptian  story  of  Anessou  and  Satou,  as  well  as  of  the  'Machan- 
delboom ',   and   *  the  Milk-white  Doo '.     We  find  here  the 

387 


388  Introduction  to  Appendix 

woman  who  washes  the  dirty  head  rewarded,  and  the  man 
who  refuses  to  wash  it  punished,  in  the  very  words  used  in 

*  The  Bushy  Bride  '.  We  find,  too,  in  '  Nancy  Fairy  ',  the 
same  story,  both  in  groundwork  and  incident,  as  we  have  in 

*  the  Lassie  and  her  Godmother  '  ;  and  most  surprising  of  all, 
in  the  story  of  *  Ananzi  and  Quanqua  ',  we  find  the  very 
trait  about  a  trick  played  with  the  tail  of  an  ox,  which  is 
met  with  in  a  variation  to  *  Boots  who  ate  a  match  with  the 
Troll '.  Here  is  the  variation  :  *  WTiilst  he  was  with  the 
Troll,  the  lad  was  to  go  out  to  watch  the  swine,  so  he  drove 
them  home  to  his  father's  house,  but  first  he  cut  their  tails  off, 
and  stuck  them  into  the  ground.  Then  he  went  home  to  the 
Troll,  and  begged  him  to  come  and  see  how  his  swine  were  going 
down  to  Hell.  But  when  the  Troll  saw  the  swine's  tails  stick- 
ing out  of  the  ground  he  wanted  to  pull  them  back  again,  so 
he  caught  hold  of  them  and  gave  a  great  tug,  and  then  down 
he  fell  with  his  heels  up  in  the  air,  and  the  tails  in  his  fist.' 

They  are  called  '  Ananzi  Stories  ',  because  so  many  of  them 
turn  on  the  feats  of  Ananzi,  whose  character  is  a  mixture 
of  *  the  Master- thief  ',  and  of  '  Boots  '  ;  but  the  most  curious 
thing  about  him,  is  that  he  illustrates  the  Beast  Epic  in  a 
remarkable  way.  In  •  all  the  West  Indian  Islands,  '  Ananzi ' 
is  the  name  of  spiders^  in  general,  and  of  a  very  beautiful  spider 
with  yellow  stripes  in  particular.  The  Negroes  think  that 
this  spider  is  the  '  Ananzi '  of  their  stories,  but  that  his  superior 
cunning  enables  him  to  take  any  shape  he  pleases.  In  fact, 
he  is  the  example  which  the  African  tribes  from  which  these 
stories  came,  have  chosen  to  take  as  pointing  out  the  superiority 
of  wit  over  brute  strength.  In  this  way  they  have  matched  the 
cleverness  and  dexterity  of  the  Spider,  against  the  bone  and 
muscle  of  the  Lion,  invariably  to  the  disadvantage  of  the 
latter. 

After  this  introduction,  we  let  the  Tales  speak  for  themselves, 
only  premising  that  the  *  Jack-Spaniard  '  in  the  first  story  is 
avery  pretty  fly  of  the  wasp  kind,  and,  like  his  European  brother, 
very  small  in  the  waist ;  that  the  *  Cushcush  ',  is  a  little  red 
yam  which  imparts  a  strong  red  dye  to  everything  with  which 
it  is  boiled  ;  and  that  the  *  Doukana  '  is  a  forest  tree  which 
bears  a  fruit,  though  of  what  kind  it  is  hard  to  say. 

1  Compare  Crowther's  Yoruba  Glossary,  where  Alansasa  is  given  as  the  Voruban  for 
spider.  The  change  of  n  into  I  is  not  uncommon,  even  supposing  the  West  Indian  word 
to  be  uncorrupt. 


APPENDIX 

WHY  THE  JACK-SPANIARD'S  WAIST  IS  SMALL 

Ananzi  and  Mosquito  were  talking  together  one  day,  and  boasting 
of  their  fathers'  crops.  Ananzi  said  his  father  had  never  had  such 
a  crop  in  his  Hfe  before  ;  and  Mosquito  said,  he  was  sure  his  father's 
was  bigger,  for  one  yam  they  dug  was  as  big  as  his  leg.  This  tickled 
Jack-Spaniard  so  much,  that  he  laughed  till  he  broke  his  waist 
in  two.     That's  why  the  Jack-Spaniard's  waist  is  so  small. 

ANANZI  AND  THE  LION 

Once  on  a  time  Ananzi  planned  a  scheme.  He  went  to  town  and 
bought  ever  so  many  firkins  of  fat,  and  ever  so  many  sacks,  and 
ever  so  many  balls  of  string,  and  a  very  big  frying  pan,  then  he 
went  to  the  bay  and  blew  a  shell,  and  called  the  Head-fish  in  the 
sea,  '  Green  Eel  ',  to  him.  Then  he  said  to  the  fish,  '  The  King 
sends  me  to  tell  you  that  you  must  bring  all  the  fish  on  shore,  for 
he  wants  to  give  them  new  life.' 

So  '  Green  Eel '  said  he  would,  and  went  to  call  them.  Mean- 
while Ananzi  lighted  a  fire,  and  took  out  some  of  the  fat,  and  got 
his  frying  pan  ready,  and  as  fast  as  the  fish  came  out  of  the  water 
he  caught  them  and  put  them  into  the  frying  pan,  and  so  he  did 
with  all  of  them  until  he  got  to  the  Head-fish,  who  was  so  slippery 
that  he  couldn't  hold  him,  and  he  got  back  again  into  the  water. 

When  Ananzi  had  fried  all  the  fish,  he  put  them  into  the  sacks, 
and  took  the  sacks  on  his  back  and  set  off  to  the  mountains.  He 
had  not  gone  very  far  when  he  met  Lion,  and  Lion  said  to  him  : 

'  Well,  brother  Ananzi,  where  have  you  been  ?  I  have  not  seen 
you  a  long  time.' 

Ananzi  said,  '  I  have  been  travelling  about.' 

'  But  what  have  you  got  there  ?  '  said  the  Lion. 

'  Oh  !  I  have  got  my  mother's  bones — she  has  been  dead  these 
forty-eleven  years,  and  they  say  I  must  not  keep  her  here,  so  I 
am  taking  her  up  into  the  middle  of  the  mountains  to  bury  her.' 

Then  they  parted.  After  he  had  gone  a  little  way,  the  Lion 
said,  '  I  know  that  Ananzi  is  a  great  rogue  ;    I  daresay  he  has  got 


390  Appendix 


something  there  that  he  doesn't  want  me  to  see,  and  I  will  just 
follow  him  '  ;    but  he  took  care  not  to  let  Ananzi  see  him. 

Now,  when  Ananzi  got  into  the  wood  he  set  his  sacks  down, 
and  took  one  fish  out  and  began  to  eat ;  then  a  fly  came,  and  Ananzi 
said,  '  I  cannot  eat  any  more,  for  there  is  some  one  near  '  ;  so  he 
tied  the  sack  up,  and  went  on  further  into  the  mountains,  where 
he  set  his  sacks  down,  and  took  out  two  fish,  which  he  ate  ;  and 
no  fly  came,  he  said,  *  There's  no  one  near  '  ;  so  he  took  out  more 
fish.  But  when  he  had  eaten  about  half-a-dozen,  the  Lion  came 
up,  and  said  : 

'  Well,  brother  Ananzi.  a  pretty  tale  you  have  told  me.' 

'  Oh  !  brother  Lion,  I  am  so  glad  you  have  come  ;  never  mind 
what  tale  I  have  told  you,  but  come  and  sit  down — it  was  only 
my  fun.' 

So  Lion  sat  down  and  began  to  eat ;  but  before  Ananzi  had 
eaten  two  fish,  Lion  had  emptied  one  of  the  sacks.  Then  said 
Ananzi  to  himself  : 

'  Greedy  fellow,  eating  up  all  my  fish.' 

'  What  do  you  say,  sir  ?  " 

'  I  only  said  you  do  not  eat  half  fast  enough  ',  for  he  was  afraid 
the  Lion  would  eat  him  up. 

Then  they  went  on  eating,  but  Ananzi  wanted  to  revenge  him- 
self, and  he  said  to  the  Lion,  '  Which  of  us  do  you  think  is  the 
strongest  ?  ' 

The  Lion  said,  '  Why,  I  am,  of  course.' 

Then  Ananzi  said,  '  We  will  tie  one  another  to  the  tree  and  we 
shall  see  which  is  the  stronger.' 

Now  they  agreed  that  the  Lion  should  tie  Ananzi  first,  and  he 
tied  him  with  some  very  fine  string,  and  did  not  tie  him  tight. 
Ananzi  twisted  himself  about  two  or  three  times,  and  the  string 
broke. 

Then  it  was  Ananzi's  turn  to  tie  the  Lion,  and  he  took  some 
very  strong  cord.  The  Lion  said,  '  You  must  not  tie  me  tight, 
for  I  did  not  tie  you  tight.'  And  Ananzi  said,  '  Oh  !  no,  to  be  sure 
I  will  not.'  But  he  tied  him  as  tight  as  ever  he  could,  and  then 
told  him  to  try  and  get  loose. 

The  Lion  tried  and  tried  in  vain — he  could  not  get  loose.  Then 
Ananzi  thought,  now  is  my  chance  ;  so  he  got  a  big  stick  and  beat 
him,  and  then  went  away  and  left  him,  for  he  was  afraid  to  loose 
him  lest  he  should  kill  him. 

Now  there  was  a  woman  called  Miss  Nancy,  who  was  going  out 
one  morning  to  get  some  '  callalou  '  (spinach)  in  the  wood,  and  as 
she  was  going,  she  heard  some  one  say,  '  Good  morning,  Miss  Nancy  ! ' 
She  could  not  tell  who  spoke  to  her,  but  she  looked  where  the  voice 
came  from,  and  saw  the  Lion  tied  to  the  tree. 


Appendix  391 


'  Good  morning,  Mr  Lion,  what  are  you  doing  there  ?  ' 

He  said,  '  It  is  all  that  fellow  Ananzi  who  has  tied  me  to  the 
tree,  but  will  you  loose  me  ?  ' 

But  she  said,  '  No,  for  I  am  afraid,  if  I  do,  you  will  kill  me.' 
But  he  gave  her  his  word  he  would  not ;  still  she  could  not  trust 
him  ;    but  he  begged  her  again  and  again,  and  said  : 

'  Well,  if  I  do  try  to  eat  you,  I  hope  all  the  trees  will  cry  out 
shame  upon  me.' 

So  at  last  she  consented  ;  but  she  had  no  sooner  loosed  him, 
than  he  came  up  to  her  to  eat  her,  for  he  had  been  so  many  days 
without  food  that  he  was  quite  ravenous,  but  the  trees  immedi- 
ately cried  out  '  shame  ',  and  so  he  could  not  eat  her.  Then  she 
went  away  as  fast  as  she  could,  and  the  Lion  found  his  way  home. 

When  Lion  got  home  he  told  his  wife  and  children  all  that  hap- 
pened to  him,  and  how  Miss  Nancy  had  saved  his  life,  so  they 
said  they  would  have  a  great  dinner,  and  ask  Miss  Nancy.  Now 
when  Ananzi  heard  of  it,  he  wanted  to  go  to  the  dinner,  so  he  went 
to  Miss  Nancy,  and  said  she  must  take  him  with  her  as  her  child, 
but  she  said  '  No  ',  Then  he  said,  I  can  turn  myself  into  quite  a 
little  child,  and  then  you  can  take  me,  and  at  last  she  said  '  Yes  '  ; 
and  he  told  her,  when  she  was  asked  what  pap  her  baby  ate,  she 
must  be  sure  to  tell  them  it  did  not  eat  pap,  but  the  same  food  as 
every  one  else  ;  and  so  they  went,  and  had  a  very  good  dinner, 
and  set  off  home  again — but  somehow  one  of  the  lion's  sons  fancied 
that  all  was  not  right,  and  he  told  his  father  he  was  sure  it  was 
Ananzi,  and  the  Lion  set  out  after  him. 

Now  as  they  were  going  along,  before  the  Lion  got  up  to  them, 
Ananzi  begged  Miss  Nancy  to  put  him  dovm.  that  he  might  run, 
which  she  did,  and  he  got  away  and  ran  along  the  wood,  and  the 
Lion  ran  after  him.  When  he  found  the  Lion  was  overtaking  him, 
he  turned  himself  into  an  old  man  with  a  bundle  of  wood  on  his 
head — and  when  the  Lion  got  up  to  him,  he  said,  '  Good-morning, 
Mr  Lion  ',  and  the  Lion  said  '  Good-morning,  old  gentleman.' 

Then  the  old  man  said,  '  What  are  you  after  now  ?  '  and  the  Lion 
asked  if  he  had  seen  Ananzi  pass  that  way,  but  the  old  man  said 
'  No,  that  fellow  Ananzi  is  always  meddling  with  some  one  ;  what 
mischief  has  he  been  up  to  now  ?  ' 

Then  the  Lion  told  him,  but  the  old  man  said  it  was  no  use  to 
follow  him  any  more,  for  he  would  never  catch  him,  and  so  the 
Lion  wished  him  good  day,  and  turned  and  went  home  again. 

ANANZI  AND  QUANQUA 
QuANQUA  was  a  very  clever  fellow,  and  he  had  a  large  house  full 
of  all  sorts  of  meat.     But  you  must  know  he  had  a  way  of  saying 
Quan  ?  qua  ?  (how  ?  what  ?)  when  any  one  asked  him  anything 


392  Appendix 


and  so  they  called  him  '  Quanqua  '.  One  day  when  he  was  out, 
he  met  Atoukama,  Ananzi's  wife,  who  was  going  along  driving 
an  ox,  but  the  ox  would  not  walk,  so  Atoukama  asked  Quanqua  to 
help  her  ;  and  they  got  on  pretty  well,  till  they  came  to  a  river, 
when  the  ox  would  not  cross  through  the  water.  Then  Atoukama 
called  to  Quanqua  to  drive  the  ox  across,  but  all  she  could  get 
out  of  him  was,  '  Quan  ?  Qua  ?  Quan  ?  qua  ?  '  At  last  she  said, 
'  Oh  !  you  stupid  fellow,  you're  no  good  ;  stop  here  and  mind  the 
ox  while  I  go  and  get  help  to  drive  him  across.'  So  off  she  went  to 
fetch  Ananzi.  As  soon  as  Atoukama  was  gone  away,  Quanqua 
killed  the  ox,  and  hid  it  all  away,  where  Ananzi  should  not  see 
it ;  but  first  he  cut  off  the  tail,  then  he  dug  a  hole  near  the  river 
side,  and  stuck  the  tail  partly  in,  leaving  out  the  tip.  When  he 
saw  Ananzi  coming,  he  caught  hold  of  the  tail,  pretending  to  tug 
at  it  as  if  he  were  pulling  the  ox  out  of  the  hole.  Ananzi  seeing 
this,  ran  up  as  fast  £ls  he  could,  and  tugging  at  the  tail  with  all  his 
might,  fell  over  into  the  river,  but  he  still  had  hold  of  the  tail,  and 
contrived  to  get  across  the  water,  when  he  called  out  to  Quanqua, 
'  You  idle  fellow,  you  couldn't  take  care  of  the  ox,  so  you  shan't 
have  a  bit  of  the  tail  ',  and  then  on  he  went.  When  he  was  gone 
quite  out  of  sight,  Quanqua  took  the  ox  home,  and  made  a  very 
good  dinner. 

Next  day  he  went  to  Ananzi's  house,  and  said,  Ananzi  must 
give  him  some  of  the  tail,  for  he  had  got  plenty  of  yams,  but  he 
had  no  meat.  Then  they  agreed  to  cook  their  pot  together. 
Quanqua  was  to  put  in  white  yams,  and  Ananzi  the  tail,  and  red 
yams.  When  they  came  to  put  the  yams  in,  Quanqua  put  in  a 
great  many  white  yams,  but  Ananzi  only  put  in  one  little  red  cush- 
cush  yam.  Quanqua  asked  him  if  that  little  yam  would  be  enough, 
he  said,  '  Oh  !  plenty  ',  for  I  don't  eat  much. 

When  the  pot  boiled,  they  uncovered  it,  and  sat  down  to  eat 
their  shares,  but  they  couldn't  find  any  white  yams  at  all ;  the  little 
red  one  had  turned  them  all  red.  So  Ananzi  claimed  them  all,  and 
Quanqua  was  glad  to  take  what  Ananzi  would  give  him. 

Now,  when  they  had  done  eating,  they  said  they  would  try  which 
could  bear  heat  best,  so  they  heated  two  irons,  and  Ananzi  was  to  try 
first  on  Quanqua,  but  he  made  so  many  attempts,  that  the  iron 
got  cold  before  he  got  near  him  ;  then  it  was  Quanqua's  turn,  and 
he  pulled  the  iron  out  of  the  fire,  and  poked  it  right  down  Ananzi's 
throat. 

THE  EAR  OF  CORN  AND  THE  TWELVE  MEN 

[This  tale  is  imperfect  at  the  beginning.] 

Ananzi  said  to  the  King,  that  if  he  would  give  him  an  ear  of  com, 
he  would  bring  him  twelve  strong  men.     The  King  gave  him  the 


Appendix  393 

ear  of  corn,  and  he  went  away.  At  last  he  got  to  a  house,  where 
he  asked  for  a  night's  lodging  which  was  given  him  ;  the  next 
morning  he  got  up  very  early,  and  threw  the  ear  of  corn  out  of  the 
door  to  the  fowls,  and  went  back  to  bed.  When  he  got  up  in  the 
morning,  he  looked  for  his  ear  of  corn,  and  could  not  find  it  any- 
where, so  he  told  them  he  was  sure  the  fowls  had  eaten  it,  and  he 
would  not  be  satisfied  unless  they  gave  him  the  best  cock  they  had. 
So  they  were  obliged  to  give  him  the  cock,  and  he  went  away  with 
it,  all  day,  until  night,  when  he  came  to  another  house,  and  asked 
again  for  a  night's  lodging,  which  he  got ;  but  when  they  wanted 
to  put  the  cock  into  the  fowl-house,  he  said  no,  the  cock  must  sleep 
in  the  pen  with  the  sheep,  so  they  put  the  cock  with  the  sheep. 
At  midnight  he  got  up,  killed  the  cock,  threw  it  back  into  the  pen, 
and  went  back  to  bed.  Next  morning  when  it  was  time  for  him 
to  go  away,  his  cock  was  dead,  and  he  would  not  take  anything 
for  it  but  one  of  the  best  sheep,  so  they  gave  it  to  him,  and  ho 
went  off  with  it  all  that  day,  until  night-fall,  when  he  got  to  a 
village,  where  he  again  asked  for  a  night's  lodging,  which  was 
given  to  him,  and  when  they  wanted  to  put  his  sheep  with  the 
other  sheep,  he  said,  no,  the  sheep  must  sleep  with  the  cattle ;  so 
they  put  the  sheep  with  the  cattle.  In  the  middle  of  the  night 
he  got  up  and  killed  the  sheep,  and  went  back  to  bed.  Next 
morning  he  went  for  his  sheep,  which  was  dead,  so  he  told  them 
they  must  give  him  the  best  heifer  for  his  sheep,  and  if  they  would 
not  do  so,  he  would  go  back  and  tell  the  King,  who  would  come 
and  make  war  on  them. 

So  to  get  rid  of  him,  they  were  glad  to  give  him  the  heifer,  and 
let  him  go  ;  and  away  he  went,  and  walked  nearly  all  day  with 
the  heifer.  Towards  evening  he  met  a  funeral,  and  asked  whose 
it  was  ?  one  of  the  men  said,  it  was  his  sister,  so  he  asked  the  men 
if  they  would  let  him  have  her  ;  they  said  no,  but  after  a  while,  he 
begged  so  hard,  saying  he  would  give  them  the  heifer,  that  they 
consented,  and  he  took  the  dead  body  and  walked  away,  carrying 
it  until  it  was  dark,  when  he  came  to  a  large  town,  where  he 
went  to  a  house  and  begged  hard  for  a  night's  lodging  for  himself 
and  his  sister,  who  was  so  tired  he  was  obliged  to  carry  her,  and 
they  would  be  thankful  if  they  would  let  them  rest  there  that 
night.  So  they  let  them  in,  and  he  asked  them  to  let  them  sit  in 
the  dark,  as  his  sister  could  not  bear  the  light.  So  they  took  them 
into  a  room,  and  left  them  in  the  dark  ;  and  when  they  were  alone, 
he  seated  himself  on  a  bench  near  the  table,  and  put  his  sister  close 
by  his  side,  with  his  arm  round  her  to  keep  her  up.  Presently 
they  brought  them  in  some  supper  ;  one  plate  he  set  before  his 
sister,  and  put  her  hand  in  it,  and  the  other  plate  for  himself,  but 
he  ate  out  of  both  plates.     When  it  was  time  to  go  to  bed,  he  asked 


394  Appendix 

if  they  would  allow  his  sister  to  sleep  in  a  room  where  there  were 
twelve  strong  men  sleeping,  for  she  had  fits,  and  if  she  had  one  in 
the  night,  they  would  be  able  to  hold  her,  and  would  not  disturb 
the  rest  of  the  house.  So  they  agreed  to  this,  and  he  carried  her 
in  his  arms,  because,  he  said  she  was  so  tired,  she  was  asleep,  and  laid 
her  in  a  bed  ;  he  charged  the  men  not  to  disturb  her,  and  went  himself 
to  sleep  in  the  next  room.  In  the  middle  of  the  night  he  heard  the 
men  calling  out,  for  they  smelt  a  horrid  smell,  and  tried  to  wake 
the  woman — first  one  man  gave  her  a  blow,  and  then  another,  until 
all  the  men  had  struck  her,  but  Ananzi  took  no  notice  of  the  noise. 
In  the  morning  when  he  went  in  for  his  sister  and  found  her  dead, 
he  declared  they  had  killed  her,  and  that  he  must  have  the  twelve 
men  ;  to  this  the  townsmen  said  no,  not  supposing  that  all  the 
men  had  killed  her,  but  the  men  confessed  that  they  had  each  given 
her  a  blow — so  he  would  not  be  satisfied  with  less  than  the  twelve, 
and  he  carried  them  off  to  the  King,  and  delivered  them  up. 

THE  KING  AND  THE  ANT'S  TREE 

There  was  a  King  who  had  a  very  beautiful  daughter,  and  he 
said,  whoever  would  cut  down  an  Ant's  tree,  which  he  had  in  his 
kingdom,  without  brushing  off  the  ants,  should  marry  his  daughter. 
Now  a  great  many  came  and  tried,  but  no  one  could  do  it,  for  the 
ants  fell  out  upon  them  and  stung  them,  and  they  were  forced  to 
brush  them  ofif.  There  was  always  some  one  watching  to  see  if  they 
brushed  the  ants  off. 

Then  Ananzi  went,  and  the  King's  son  was  set  to  watch  him. 

When  they  showed  him  the  tree,  he  said,  '  Why,  that's  nothing, 
I  know  I  can  do  that.'  So  they  gave  him  the  axe,  and  he  began 
to  hew,  but  each  blow  he  gave  the  tree,  he  shook  himself  and  brushed 
himself,  saying  all  the  while,  '  Did  you  see  me  do  that  ?  I  suppose 
you  think  I'm  brushing  myself,  but  I  am  not.'  And  so  he  went 
on  until  he  had  cut  down  the  tree.  But  the  boy  thought  he  was 
only  pretending  to  brush  himself  all  the  time,  and  the  King  was 
obliged  to  give  him  his  daughter. 

THE  LITTLE  CHILD  AND  THE  PUMPKIN  TREE 

There  was  once  a  poor  widow  who  had  six  children.  One  day 
when  she  was  going  out  to  look  for  something  to  eat,  for  she  was 
very  poor,  she  met  an  old  man  sitting  by  the  river  side. 

He  said  to  her  '  Good  morning.' 

And  she  answered,  '  Good  morning,  father.' 

He  said  to  her,  '  Will  you  wash  my  head  ?  ' 

She  said  she  would,  so  she  washed  it,  and  when  she  was  going 


Appendix  395 

away,  he  gave  her  a  '  stampee  '  ^,  and  told  her  to  go  a  certain  dis- 
tance, and  she  would  see  a  large  tree  full  of  pumpkins  ;  she  was 
then  to  dig  a  hole  at  the  root  of  the  tree  and  bury  the  money,  and 
when  she  had  done  so,  she  was  to  call  for  as  many  pumpkins  as  she 
liked,  and  she  should  have  them. 

So  the  woman  went,  and  did  as  she  was  told,  and  she  called  for 
six  pumpkins,  one  for  each  child,  and  six  came  down,  and  she 
carried  them  home  ;  and  now  they  always  had  pumpkins  enough 
to  eat,  for  whenever  they  wanted  any,  the  woman  had  only  to  go 
to  the  tree  and  call,  and  they  had  as  many  as  they  liked.  One 
morning  when  she  got  up,  she  found  a  little  baby  before  the  door, 
so  she  took  it  up  and  carried  it  in,  and  took  care  of  it.  Every  day  she 
went  out,  but  in  the  morning  she  boiled  enough  pumpkins  to  serve 
the  children  all  day.  One  day  when  she  came  back  she  found  the 
food  was  all  gone,  so  she  scolded  her  children,  and  beat  them  for 
eating  it  all  up.  They  told  her  they  had  not  taken  any — 
that  it  was  the  baby — but  she  would  not  believe  them,  and 
said,  '  How  could  a  little  baby  get  up  and  help  itself  '  ;  but 
the  children  still  persisted  it  was  the  baby.  So  one  day  when  she 
was  going  out,  she  put  some  pumpkin  in  a  calabash,  and  set  a  trap 
over  it.  When  she  was  gone  the  baby  got  up  as  usual  to  eat  the 
food,  and  got  its  head  fastened  in  the  trap,  so  that  it  could  not  get 
out,  and  began  knocking  its  head  about  and  crying  out,  '  Oh  !  do 
loose  me,  for  that  woman  will  kill  me  when  she  comes  back.'  When 
the  woman  came  in,  she  found  the  baby  fastened  in  the  trap, 
so  she  beat  it  well,  and  turned  it  out  of  doors,  and  begged  her  chil- 
dren's pardon  for  having  wronged  them. 

Then  after  she  turned  the  baby  out,  he  changed  into  a  great 
big  man,  and  went  to  the  river,  where  he  saw  the  old  man  sitting 
by  the  river  side,  who  asked  him  to  wash  his  head,  as  he  had  asked 
the  poor  woman,  but  the  man  said  : 

'  No,  he  would  not  wash  his  dirty  head  ',  and  so  he  wished  the 
old  man  '  good  bye  '. 

Then  the  old  man  asked  him  if  he  would  like  to  have  a  pumpkin, 
to  which  he  said  '  yes  ',  and  the  old  man  told  him  to  go  on  till 
he  saw  a  large  tree  with  plenty  of  pumpkins  on  it,  and  then  he  must 
ask  for  one.  So  he  went  on  till  he  got  to  the  tree,  and  the  pumpkins 
looked  so  nice  he  could  not  be  satisfied  with  one,  so  he  called  out, 
'  Ten  pumpkins  come  down  ',  and  the  ten  pumpkins  fell  and  crushed 
him. 

THE  BROTHER  AND  HIS  SISTERS 

There  were  once  upon  a  time  three  sisters  and  a  brother.  The 
sisters  were  all  proud,  and  one  was  very  beautiful,  and  she  did  not 

1  A  small  coin. 


39^  Appendix 


like  her  little  brother,  '  because  ',  she  said,  '  he  was  dirty  '.  Now, 
this  beautiful  sister  was  to  be  married,  and  the  brother  begged  their 
mother  not  to  let  her  marry,  as  he  was  sure  the  man  would  kill  her, 
for  he  knew  his  house  was  full  of  bones.  So  the  mother  told  her 
daughter,  but  she  would  not  believe  it,  and  said,  '  she  wouldn't 
listen  to  anything  that  such  a  dirty  little  scrub  said  ',  and  so  she 
was  married. 

Now,  it  was  agreed  that  one  sister  was  to  remain  with  their 
mother  and  the  other  was  to  go  with  the  bride,  and  so  they  set 
out  on  their  way.  When  they  got  to  the  beach,  the  husband 
picked  up  a  beautiful  tortoise-shell  comb,  which  he  gave  to  his 
bride.  Then  they  got  into  his  boat  and  rowed  away  over  the  sea, 
and  when  they  reached  their  home,  they  were  so  surprised  to  see 
their  little  brother,  for  the  comb  had  turned  into  their  brother. 
They  were  not  at  all  glad  to  see  him,  and  the  husband  thought 
to  himself  he  would  kill  him  without  telling  his  wife.  When 
night  came  the  boy  told  the  husband  that  at  home  his  mother 
always  put  him  to  sleep  in  the  blacksmith's  shop,  and  so  the 
husband  said  he  should  sleep  in  the  smithy. 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  the  man  got  up,  intending  to  kill  them 
all,  and  went  to  his  shop  to  get  his  irons  ready,  but  the  boy  jumped 
up  as  soon  as  he  went  in,  and  he  said,  '  Boy,  what  is  the  matter 
with  you  ?  '  So  the  boy  said,  when  he  was  at  home  his  mother 
always  gave  him  two  bags  of  gold  to  put  his  head  on.  Then  the 
man  said,  he  should  have  them,  and  went  and  fetched  him  two 
bags  of  gold,  and  told  him  to  go  to  sleep. 

But  the  boy  said,  '  Now  mind,  when  you  hear  me  snore  I'm  not 
asleep,  but  when  I  am  not  snoring,  then  I'm  asleep.'  Then  the 
boy  went  to  sleep  and  began  to  snore,  and  as  long  as  the  man  heard 
the  snoring,  he  blew  his  bellows  ;  but  as  soon  as  the  snoring  stopped, 
the  man  took  his  irons  out  of  the  fire,  and  the  boy  jumped  up. 

Then  the  man  said,  '  Why,  what's  the  matter  ?  why,  can't  you 
sleep  ?  ' 

The  boy  said  '  No  ;  for  at  home  my  mother  always  gave  me 
four  bags  of  money  to  lie  upon. 

Well,  the  man  said  he  should  have  them,  and  brought  him  four 
bags  of  money.  Then  the  boy  told  him  again  the  same  thing  about 
his  snoring  and  the  man  bade  him  go  to  sleep,  and  he  began  to 
snore,  and  the  man  to  blow  his  bellows  until  the  snoring  stopped. 
Then  the  man  took  out  his  irons  again,  and  the  boy  jumped  up, 
and  the  man  dropped  the  irons,  saying,  '  Why,  what's  the  matter 
now  that  you  can't  sleep  ?  ' 

The  boy  said,  '  At  home  my  mother  always  gave  me  two  bushels 
of  corn.' 

So  the  man  said  he  should  have  the  corn,  and  went  and  brought 


Appendix  397 

it,  and  told  him  to  go  to  sleep.  Then  the  boy  snored,  and  the  man 
blew  his  bellows  till  the  snoring  stopped,  when  he  again  took  out 
his  irons,  and  the  boy  jumped  up,  and  the  man  said, '  Why,  what's 
it  now  ?  ' 

The  boy  said,  '  At  home  my  mother  always  goes  to  the  river  with 
a  sieve  to  bring  me  some  water.' 

So  the  man  said  '  Very  well,  I  will  go,  but  I  have  a  cock  here,  and 
before  I  go,  I  must  speak  to  it.' 

Then  the  man  told  the  cock  if  he  saw  any  one  moving  in  the  house, 
he  must  crow ;  that  the  cock  promised  to  do,  and  the  man  set  ofif. 

Now  when  the  boy  thought  the  man  was  gone  far  away,  he  got 
up,  and  gave  the  cock  some  of  the  corn  ;  then  he  woke  up  his  sisters 
and  showed  them  all  the  bones  the  man  had  in  the  house,  and  they 
were  very  frightened.  Then  he  took  the  two  bags  of  gold  on  his 
shoulders,  and  told  his  sisters  to  follow  him.  He  took  them  to  the 
bay,  and  put  them  into  the  boat  with  the  bags  of  gold,  and  left 
them  whilst  he  went  back  for  the  four  bags  of  money.  When  he 
was  leaving  the  house  he  emptied  the  bags  of  com  to  the  cock, 
who  was  so  busy  eating,  he  forget  to  crow,  until  they  had  got  quite 
away. 

When  the  man  returned  home  and  could  not  find  them  in  the 
house,  he  went  to  the  river,  where  he  found  his  boat  gone,  and  so 
he  had  no  way  of  going  after  them.  When  they  landed  at  their 
own  place,  the  boy  turned  the  boat  over  and  stove  it  in,  so  that 
it  was  of  no  use  any  more  ;  and  he  took  his  sisters  home,  and  told 
their  mother  all  that  had  happened,  and  his  sisters  loved  him,  and 
they  lived  very  happily  together  ever  afterwards,  and  do  so  still  if 
they  are  not  dead. 


THE  GIRL  AND  THE  FISH 

There  was  once  a  girl  who  used  to  go  to  the  river  to  fetch  water,  but 
when  she  went  she  was  never  in  a  hurry  to  come  back,  but  staid  so  long, 
that  they  made  up  their  minds  to  watch  her.  So  one  day  they 
followed  her  to  the  river,  and  found  when  she  got  there,  she  said 
something  (the  reciter  forgets  the  words),  and  a  fish  came  up  and 
talked  to  her  ;  and  she  did  not  like  to  leave  it,  for  it  was  her  sweet- 
heart. So  next  day  they  went  to  the  river  to  see  if  the  fish  would  come 
up,  for  they  remembered  what  the  girl  said  and  used  the  same  words. 
Then  up  came  the  fish  immediately,  and  they  caught  it,  and  took 
it  home,  and  cooked  it  for  dinner — and  a  part  they  set  by,  and  gave 
to  the  girl  when  she  came  in.  Whilst  she  was  eating,  a  voice  said, 
'  Do  you  know  what  you  are  eating  ?  I  am  he  you  have  so  often 
talked  with.  If  you  look  in  the  pig's  tub,  you  will  see  my  heart.' 
Then  the  voice  told  her  to  take  the  heart,  and  wrap  it  up  in  a 


39^  Appendix 

handkerchief,  and  carry  it  to  the  river.  ^Vhen  she  got  to  the  river 
she  would  see  three  stones  in  the  water,  she  was  to  stand  on  the 
middle  stone,  and  dip  the  handkerchief  three  times  into  the 
water.  All  this  she  did,  and  then  she  sank  suddenly,  and  was 
carried  down  to  a  beautiful  place,  where  she  found  her  lover  changed 
from  a  fish  into  his  proper  form,  and  there  she  lived  happily  with 
him  for  ever.  And  this  is  the  reason  why  there  are  mermaids 
in  the  water. 


THE  LION.  THE  GOAT.  AND  THE  BABOON 

A  Lion  had  a  Goat  for  his  wife.  One  day  Goat  went  out  to  market, 
and  while  she  was  gone.  Lion  went  out  in  the  wood,  where  he  met 
with  Baboon,  who  made  friends  with  Lion,  for  fear  he  would  eat 
him,  and  asked  him  to  go  home  with  him  ;  but  the  Lion  thought  it 
would  be  a  good  chance,  so  he  asked  the  Baboon  to  go  home  with 
him  and  see  his  little  ones.  When  they  got  home,  the  Baboon 
said  to  the  Lion. 

'  Why,  you  have  got  plenty  of  little  goats  here.' 

The  Lion  said,  '  Yes,  they  are  my  children.' 

So  the  Baboon  said,  '  If  they  are.  they  are  little  goats,  and  they 
are  very  good  meat.' 

So  the  Lion  said,  '  Don't  make  a  noise  ;  their  mother  will  come 
presently,  and  we  will  see.' 

So  these  little  goats  took  no  notice,  but  went  out  to  meet  their 
mother,  and  told  her  what  had  passed. 

Their  mother  said  to  them,  '  Go  back,  take  no  notice,  and  I 
shall  come  home  presently,  and  shall  do  for  him.' 

So  she  went  and  bought  some  molasses,  and  took  it  home  with 
her.     The  Lion  said,  '  Are  you  come  ;   what  news  ?  ' 

'  Oh  !  '  she  said,  '  good  news,  taste  here.'  He  tasted,  and  said, 
'  It's  very  good,  it's  honey.' 

And  she  said,  '  It's  baboon's  blood  ;  they  have  been  killing  one 
to-day,  the  blood  is  running  in  the  street,  and  every  one  is  carrying 
it  away.' 

The  Lion  said.  '  Hush,  there's  one  in  the  house,  and  we  shall 
have  him.' 

At  this  the  Baboon  rushed  off,  and  when  they  looked  for  him,  he 
was  gone,  and  never  came  near  them  again,  which  saved  the  little 
goats'  lives. 

ANANZI  AND  BABOON 

Ananzi  and  Baboon  were  disputing  one  day  which  was  fattest. 
Ananzi  said  he  was  sure  he  was  fat.  but  Baboon  declared  he  was 


Appendix  399 

fatter.  Then  Ananzi  proposed  that  they  should  prove  it ;  so  they 
made  a  fire,  and  agreed  that  they  should  hang  up  before  it,  and  see 
which  would  drop  most  fat. 

Then  Baboon  hung  up  Ananzi  first,  but  no  fat  dropped. 

Then  Ananzi  hung  up  Baboon,  and  very  soon  the  fat  began  to 
drop,  which  smelt  so  good  that  Ananzi  cut  a  slice  out  of  Baboon, 
and  said, 

'  Oh  !  brother  Baboon,  you're  fat  for  true.' 

But  Baboon  didn't  speak. 

So  Ananzi  said,  '  Well,  speak  or  not  speak,  I'll  eat  you  every 
bit  to-day  ',  which  he  really  did.  But  when  he  had  eaten  up  all 
Baboon,  the  bits  joined  themselves  together  in  his  stomach,  and 
began  to  pull  him  about  so  much  that  he  had  no  rest,  and  was 
obliged  to  go  to  a  doctor. 

The  doctor  told  him  not  to  eat  anything  for  some  days,  then  he 
was  to  get  a  ripe  banana,  and  hold  it  to  his  mouth  ;  when  the 
Baboon,  who  would  be  hungry,  smelt  the  banana,  he  would  be  sure 
to  run  up  to  eat  it,  and  so  he  would  run  out  of  his  mouth. 

So  Ananzi  starved  himself,  and  got  the  banana,  and  did  as  the 
doctor  told  him  ;  but  when  he  put  the  banana  to  his  mouth,  he 
was  so  hungry  he  couldn't  help  eating  it.  So  he  didn't  get  rid  of 
the  Baboon,  which  went  on  pulling  him  about  till  he  was  obliged 
to  go  back  to  the  doctor,  who  told  him  he  would  soon  cure  him ;  and  he 
took  the  banana,  and  held  it  to  Ananzi's  mouth,  and  very  soon 
the  Baboon  jumped  up  to  catch  it,  and  ran  out  of  his  mouth  ;  and 
Ananzi  was  very  glad  to  get  rid  of  him.  And  Baboons  to  this  very 
day  like  bananas. 


THE  MAN  AND  THE  DOUKANA  TREE 

There  was  once  a  man  and  his  wife,  who  were  very  poor,  and  they 
had  a  great  many  children.  The  man  was  very  lazy,  and  would 
do  nothing  to  help  his  family.  The  poor  mother  did  all  she  could. 
In  the  wood  close  by  grew  a  Doukana  Tree,  which  was  full  of  fruit. 
Every  day  the  man  went  and  ate  some  of  the  fruit,  but  never  took 
any  home,  so  he  ate  and  he  ate,  until  there  were  only  two  Doukanas 
left  on  the  Tree.  One  he  ate,  and  left  the  other.  Next  day,  when 
he  went  for  that  one,  he  was  obliged  to  climb  up  the  tree  to  reach 
it ;  but  when  he  got  up,  the  Doukana  fell  down  ;  when  he  got 
down  the  Doukana  jumped  up  ;  and  so  it  went  on  until  he  was 
quite  tired. 

Then  he  asked  all  the  animals  that  passed  by  to  help  him,  but 
they  all  made  some  excuse.  They  all  had  something  to  do.  The  horse 
had  his  work  to  do,  or  he  would  have  no  grass  to  eat.  The  donkey 
brayed.     Last  came  a  dog,  and  the  man  begged  him  hard  to  help 


po  Appendix 

him  ;  so  the  dog  said  he  would.  Then  the  man  climbed  up  the 
tree,  and  the  Doukana  jumped  to  the  ground  again,  when  the 
dog  picked  it  up  and  ran  off  with  it  The  man  was  very  vexed, 
and  ran  after  the  dog,  but  it  ran  all  the  faster,  so  that  the  man  could 
not  overtake  him.  The  dog,  seeing  the  man  after  him,  ran  to  the 
sea  shore,  and  scratching  a  hole  in  the  ground,  buried  himself  all 
but  his  nose,  which  he  left  sticking  out. 

Soon  after  the  man  came  up,  and  seeing  the  nose,  cried  out  that 
he  had  '  never  seen  ground  have  nose  '  ;  and  catching  hold  of  it 
he  tugged  till  he  pulled  out  the  dog,  when  he  squeezed  him  with 
all  his  might  to  make  him  give  up  the  Doukana.  And  that's  why- 
dogs  are  so  small  in  their  bodies  to  this  very  day. 


NANCY  FAIRY 

There  was  once  an  old  woman  called  '  Nancy  Fairy  '.  She  was  a 
witch,  and  used  to  steal  all  the  little  babies  as  soon  as  they  were 
bom,  and  eat  them.  One  day  she  stole  a  little  baby,  who  was  so 
beautiful  that  she  had  not  the  heart  to  eat  her  ;  but  she  took  her 
home  and  brought  her  up.  She  called  her  '  daughter  ',  named  her 
*  Nancy  Fairy  ',  after  herself,  and  the  girl  called  the  old  woman 
'  Granny  '. 

So  the  girl  grew  up,  and  the  more  she  grew  the  more  beautiful 
she  got. 

The  old  woman  never  let  her  daughter  know  of  her  doings  ;  but 
one  day  when  she  had  brought  a  baby  home,  and  had  locked  her- 
self in  a  room,  her  daughter  peeped  through  a  chink  to  see  what 
she  was  about,  and  the  old  woman  saw  her  shadow,  and  thought 
her  daughter  had  seen  what  she  was  doing,  and  the  daughter  thought 
her  granny  had  seen  her,  and  was  very  much  afraid. 

So  the  old  woman  asked  her,  '  Nancy  Fairy,  did  you  see  what  I 
was  doing  ?  * 

'  No,  Granny.' 

She  asked  the  girl  several  times,  '  Nancy  Fairy,  did  you  see 
what  I  was  doing  ?  '  and  the  girl  always  said,  '  No,  Granny.' 

So  the  old  woman  took  her  up  to  a  hut  in  a  wood,  and  left  her 
there  as  a  punishment ;    and  she  took  her  food  every  day. 

One  day  it  happened  that  the  king's  servant,  going  that  way, 
saw  the  beautiful  girl  come  out  of  the  hut.  Next  day  he  went 
again  and  saw  the  same  beautiful  girl  again.  So  he  went  home  and 
told  the  prince  that  he  could  show  him  in  the  wood  a  girl  more 
beautiful  than  he  had  ever  seen.  The  prince  went  and  saw  the 
girl,  and  then  sent  a  band  of  soldiers  to  fetch  her  home,  and  took 
her  for  his  bride. 

A  year  after  she  had  a  baby.     Soldiers  were  set  to  keep  guard 


Appendix  401 


at  the  gate,  and  the  room  was  full  of  nurses  ;  but  in  the  middle  of 
the  night  the  old  woman  came  in  a  whirlwind  and  put  them  all 
to  sleep.  She  stole  the  child,  and  on  going  away  gave  the  mother 
a  slap  on  the  mouth  which  made  her  dumb. 

Next  morning  there  was  a  great  stir,  and  they  said  the  mother 
had  eaten  the  child.  There  was  a  trial,  but  the  mother  was  let  off 
that  time. 

Next  year  she  had  another  baby,  and  the  same  thing  happened 
again.  The  old  woman  came  in  the  middle  of  the  night  in  a  whirl- 
wind, and  put  them  all  to  sleep.  She  stole  the  child,  and  struck 
the  mother  on  the  mouth,  which  made  it  bleed. 

In  the  morning  there  was  a  stir  ;  and  the  servant  maid,  who 
was  jealous,  said  the  mother  had  eaten  the  child.  All  believed  it, 
as  her  mouth  was  covered  with  blood  ;  and,  besides,  what  would 
be  expected  of  a  girl  brought  out  of  the  wood  ?  So  she  was  tried 
again,  and  condemned  to  be  hanged. 

Invitations  were  sent  out  to  all  the  grand  folk  to  come  and 
see  her  hanged  ;  so  many  fine  carriages  came  driving  up.  At  last, 
just  before  the  time,  there  came  a  very  grand  carriage,  all  of  gold, 
which  glistened  in  the  sun.  In  it  were  the  old  woman  and  two 
children,  dressed  in  fine  clothes,  with  the  king's  star  on  them. 
When  the  queen  saw  this  grand  carriage  she  got  her  speech  and 
sung, 

'  Do  spare  me  till  I  see  that  grand  carriage.' 

The  old  woman  came  into  the  courtyard,  and  asked  the  people 
if  they  saw  any  likeness  to  any  one  in  the  children.  They  said, 
'  they  were  like  the  prince  ',  and  asked  her  how  she  came  by 
them,  and  told  her  she  had  stolen  them.  She  said  she  had  not 
stolen  them  ;  she  had  taken  them,  for  they  '^were  her  own  ;  the 
prince  had  taken  away  her  daughter  without  her  leave,  and 
so  she  had  taken  his  children  ;  but  she  was  willing  to  give  them  back, 
if  they  would  allow  that  she  was  right. 

So  they  consented,  and  the  old  woman  made  the  prince  and 
his  queen  a  present  of  the  grand  carriage,  and  so  they  lived  happily. 
The  old  woman  was  allowed  to  come  and  see  the  children  whenever 
she  liked.  But  the  servant  girl,  who  said  the  queen  had  eaten  her 
babies,  was  hanged. 


THE  DANCING  GANG' 

A  WATER  carrier  once  went  to  the  river  to  fetch  water.  She  dipped 
in  her  calabash,  and  brought  out  a  cray-fish.  The  cray-fish  began 
beating  his  claws  on  the  calabash,  and  played  such  a  beautiful 
tune,  that  the  girl  began  dancing,  and  could  not  stop. 

The  driver  of  the  gang  wondered  why  she  did  not  come,  and  sent 

DD 


402  Appendix 


another  to  see  after  her.  When  she  came,  she  too  began  to  dance. 
So  the  driver  sent  another,  who  also  began  to  dance  when  she  heard 
the  music  and  the  cray-fish  singing  : 

Vaitsi,  Vaitsi,  O  sulli  Van. 
Stay  for  us,  stay  for  us,  how  long  will  you  stay  for  us  ? 

Then  the  driver  sent  another  and  another,  till  he  had  sent  the 
whole  gang. 

At  last  he  went  himself,  and  when  he  found  the  whole  gang 
dancing,  he  too  began  to  dance  ;  and  they  all  danced  tUl  night, 
when  the  cray-fish  went  back  into  the  water  ;  and  if  they  haven't 
done  dancing,  they  are  dancing  stni. 


THE    END 


ijuM^y^^-a^ 


^l 


)ASENT,    SIR  G.¥. 

I 

j        Popular  tales  from 

I      the  Norse. 


PT 
863j 
.S5Ai 


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