the village in which his two brothers had remained. There was a great
stir and noise, and, when he asked what was going on, he was told that
two men were going to be hanged. As he came nearer to the place he saw
that they were his brothers, who had been playing all kinds of wicked
pranks, and had squandered all their wealth. He inquired whether they
could not be set free. "If you will pay for them," answered the people;
"but why should you waste your money on wicked men, and buy them free." He
did not think twice about it, but paid for them, and when they were set
free they all went on their way together.
They came to the wood where the Fox had first met them, as it was cool
and pleasant within it, the two brothers said, "Let us rest a little by
the well, and eat and drink." He agreed, and whilst they were talking he
forgot himself, and sat down upon the edge of the well without thinking
of any evil. But the two brothers threw him backwards into the well, took
the maiden, the Horse, and the Bird, and went home to their father. "Here
we bring you not only the Golden Bird," said they; "we have won the
Golden Horse also, and the maiden from the Golden Castle." Then was
there great joy; but the Horse would not eat, the Bird would not sing,
and the maiden sat and wept.
But the youngest brother was not dead. By good fortune the well was
dry, and he fell upon soft moss without being hurt, but he could not
get out again. Even in this strait the faithful Fox did not leave him:
it came and leapt down to him, and upbraided him for having forgotten
its advice. "But yet I cannot give it up so," he said; "I will help you
up again into daylight." He bade him grasp his tail and keep tight hold
of it; and then he pulled him up.
"You are not out of all danger yet," said the Fox. "Your brothers were
not sure of your death, and have surrounded the wood with watchers,
who are to kill you if you let yourself be seen." But a poor man was
sitting upon the road, with whom the youth changed clothes, and in this
way he got to the King's palace.
No one knew him, but the Bird began to sing, the Horse began to eat,
and the beautiful maiden left off weeping. The King, astonished, asked,
"What does this mean?" Then the maiden said, "I do not know, but I have
been so sorrowful and now I am so happy! I feel as if my true bridegroom
had come." She told him all that had happened, although the other brothers
had threatened her with death if she were to betray anything.
The King commanded that all people who were in his castle should be
brought before him; and amongst them came the youth in his ragged
clothes; but the maiden knew him at once and fell upon his neck. The
wicked brothers were seized and put to death, but he was married to the
beautiful maiden and declared heir to the King.
But how did it fare with the poor Fox? Long afterwards the King's son
was once again walking in the wood, when the Fox met him and said, "You
have everything now that you can wish for, but there is never an end to
my misery, and yet it is in your power to free me," and again he asked
him with tears to shoot him dead and chop off his head and feet. So he
did it, and scarcely was it done when the Fox was changed into a man,
and was no other than the brother of the beautiful princess, who at
last was freed from the magic charm which had been laid upon him. And
now nothing more was wanting to their happiness as long as they lived.
58 The Dog and the Sparrow
A sheep-dog had not a good master, but, on the contrary, one who let
him suffer hunger. As he could stay no longer with him, he went quite
sadly away. On the road he met a sparrow who said, "Brother dog, why
art thou so sad?" The dog replied, "I am hungry, and have nothing to
eat." Then said the sparrow, "Dear brother, come into the town with me,
and I will satisfy thy hunger." So they went into the town together,
and when they came in front of a butcher's shop the sparrow said to
the dog, "Stay there, and I will pick a bit of meat down for thee,"
and he alighted on the stall, looked about him to see that no one
was observing him, and pecked and pulled and tore so long at a piece
which lay on the edge, that it slipped down. Then the dog seized it,
ran into a corner, and devoured it. The sparrow said, "Now come with
me to another shop, and then I will get thee one more piece that thou
mayst be satisfied." When the dog had devoured the second piece as well,
the sparrow asked, "Brother dog, hast thou now had enough?" "Yes, I have
had meat enough," he answered, "but I have had no bread yet." Said the
sparrow, "Thou shalt have that also, come with me." Then he took him to
a baker's shop, and pecked at a couple of little buns till they rolled
down, and as the dog wanted still more, he led him to another stall,
and again got bread for him. When that was consumed, the sparrow said,
"Brother dog, hast thou now had enough?" "Yes," he replied, "now we
will walk awhile outside the town." Then they both went out on to
the highway. It was, however, warm weather, and when they had walked a
little way the dog said, "I am tired, and would like to sleep." "Well, do
sleep," answered the sparrow, "and in the meantime I will seat myself on
a branch." So the dog lay down on the road, and fell fast asleep. Whilst
he lay sleeping there, a waggoner came driving by, who had a cart with
three horses, laden with two barrels of wine. The sparrow, however,
saw that he was not going to turn aside, but was staying in the wheel
track in which the dog was lying, so it cried, "Waggoner, don't do it,
or I will make thee poor." The waggoner, however, growled to himself,
"Thou wilt not make me poor," and cracked his whip and drove the cart
over the dog, and the wheels killed him. Then the sparrow cried, "Thou
hast run over my brother dog and killed him, it shall cost thee thy cart
and horses." "Cart and horses indeed!" said the waggoner. "What harm
canst thou do me?" and drove onwards. Then the sparrow crept under the
cover of the cart, and pecked so long at the same bung-hole that he got
the bung out, and then all the wine ran out without the driver noticing
it. But once when he was looking behind him he saw that the cart was
dripping, and looked at the barrels and saw that one of them was empty.
"Unfortunate fellow that I am," cried he. "Not unfortunate enough yet,"
said the sparrow, and flew on to the head of one of the horses and pecked
his eyes out. When the driver saw that, he drew out his axe and wanted to
hit the sparrow, but the sparrow flew into the air, and he hit his horse
on the head, and it fell down dead. "Oh, what an unfortunate man I am,"
cried he. "Not unfortunate enough yet," said the sparrow, and when the
driver drove on with the two hoses, the sparrow again crept under the
cover, and pecked the bung out of the second cask, so all the wine was
spilt. When the driver became aware of it, he again cried, "Oh, what an
unfortunate man I am," but the sparrow replied, "Not unfortunate enough
yet," and seated himself on the head of the second horse, and pecked
his eyes out. The driver ran up to it and raised his axe to strike,
but the sparrow flew into the air and the blow struck the horse, which
fell. "Oh, what an unfortunate man I am." "Not unfortunate enough yet,"
said the sparrow, and lighted on the third horse's head, and pecked out
his eyes. The driver, in his rage, struck at the sparrow without looking
round, and did not hit him but killed his third horse likewise. "Oh,
what an unfortunate man I am," cried he. "Not unfortunate enough yet,"
answered the sparrow. "Now will I make thee unfortunate in thy home,"
and flew away.
The driver had to leave the waggon standing, and full of anger and
vexation went home. "Ah," said he to his wife, "what misfortunes I have
had! My wine has run out, and the horses are all three dead!" "Alas,
husband," she answered, "what a malicious bird has come into the
house! It has gathered together every bird there is in the world, and
they have fallen on our corn up there, and are devouring it." Then he
went upstairs, and thousands and thousands of birds were sitting in the
loft and had eaten up all the corn, and the sparrow was sitting in the
midst of them. Then the driver cried, "Oh, what an unfortunate man I am?"
"Not unfortunate enough yet!" answered the sparrow; "waggoner, it shall
cost thee thy life as well," and flew out.
Then the waggoner had lost all his property, and he went downstairs
into the room, sat down behind the stove and was quite furious and
bitter. But the sparrow sat outside in front of the window, and cried,
"Waggoner, it shall cost thee thy life." Then the waggoner snatched the
axe and threw it at the sparrow, but it only broke the window, and did
not hit the bird. The sparrow now hopped in, placed itself on the stove
and cried, "Waggoner, it shall cost thee thy life." The latter, quite mad
and blind with rage, smote the stove in twain, and as the sparrow flew
from one place to another so it fared with all his household furniture,
looking-glass, benches, table, and at last the walls of his house,
and yet he could not hit the bird. At length, however, he caught it
with his hand. Then his wife said, "Shall I kill it?" "No," cried he,
"that would be too merciful. It shall die much more cruelly," and he
took it and swallowed it whole. The sparrow, however, began to flutter
about in his body, and fluttered up again into the man's mouth; then it
stretched out its head, and cried, "Waggoner, it shall still cost thee
thy life." The driver gave the axe to his wife, and said, "Wife, kill
the bird in my mouth for me." The woman struck, but missed her blow,
and hit the waggoner right on his head, so that he fell dead. But the
sparrow flew up and away.
59 Frederick and Catherine
There was once on a time a man who was called Frederick and a woman called
Catherine, who had married each other and lived together as young married
folks. One day Frederick said, "I will now go and plough, Catherine;
when I come back, there must be some roast meat on the table for hunger,
and a fresh draught for thirst." "Just go, Frederick," answered Kate,
"just go, I will have all ready for you." Therefore when dinner-time
drew near she got a sausage out of the chimney, put it in the frying-pan,
put some butter to it, and set it on the fire. The sausage began to fry
and to hiss, Catherine stood beside it and held the handle of the pan,
and had her own thoughts as she was doing it. Then it occurred to her,
"While the sausage is getting done thou couldst go into the cellar and
draw beer." So she set the frying-pan safely on the fire, took a can,
and went down into the cellar to draw beer. The beer ran into the can
and Kate watched it, and then she thought, "Oh, dear! The dog upstairs
is not fastened up, it might get the sausage out of the pan. Well thought
of." And in a trice she was up the cellar-steps again, but the Spitz had
the sausage in its mouth already, and trailed it away on the ground. But
Catherine, who was not idle, set out after it, and chased it a long way
into the field; the dog, however, was swifter than Catherine and did
not let the sausage journey easily, but skipped over the furrows with
it. "What's gone is gone!" said Kate, and turned round, and as she had
run till she was weary, she walked quietly and comfortably, and cooled
herself. During this time the beer was still running out of the cask,
for Kate had not turned the tap. And when the can was full and there
was no other place for it, it ran into the cellar and did not stop
until the whole cask was empty. As soon as Kate was on the steps she
saw the mischance. "Good gracious!" she cried. "What shall I do now
to stop Frederick knowing it!" She thought for a while, and at last she
remembered that up in the garret was still standing a sack of the finest
wheat flour from the last fair, and she would fetch that down and strew
it over the beer. "Yes," said she, "he who saves a thing when he ought,
has it afterwards when he needs it," and she climbed up to the garret
and carried the sack below, and threw it straight down on the can of
beer, which she knocked over, and Frederick's draught swam also in
the cellar. "It is all right," said Kate, "where the one is the other
ought to be also," and she strewed the meal over the whole cellar. When
it was done she was heartily delighted with her work, and said, "How
clean and wholesome it does look here!" At mid-day home came Frederick:
"Now, wife, what have you ready for me?" "Ah, Freddy," she answered,
"I was frying a sausage for you, but whilst I was drawing the beer to
drink with it, the dog took it away out of the pan, and whilst I was
running after the dog, all the beer ran out, and whilst I was drying up
the beer with the flour, I knocked over the can as well, but be easy,
the cellar is quite dry again." Said Frederick, "Kate, Kate, you should
not have done that! to let the sausage be carried off and the beer run
out of the cask, and throw out all our flour into the bargain!" "Indeed,
Frederick, I did not know that, you should have told me." The man thought,
"If my wife is like this, I must look after things more." Now he had
got together a good number of thalers which he changed into gold,
and said to Catherine, "Look, these are counters for playing games;
I will put them in a pot and bury them in the stable under the cow's
manger, but mind you keep away from them, or it will be the worse for
you." Said she, "Oh, no, Frederick, I certainly will not go." And when
Frederick was gone some pedlars came into the village who had cheap
earthen-bowls and pots, and asked the young woman if there was nothing
she wanted to bargain with them for? "Oh, dear people," said Catherine,
"I have no money and can buy nothing, but if you have any use for yellow
counters I will buy of you." "Yellow counters, why not? But just let
us see them." "Then go into the stable and dig under the cow's manger,
and you will find the yellow counters. I am not allowed to go there." The
rogues went thither, dug and found pure gold. Then they laid hold of it,
ran away, and left their pots and bowls behind in the house. Catherine
though she must use her new things, and as she had no lack in the
kitchen already without these, she knocked the bottom out of every pot,
and set them all as ornaments on the paling which went round about
the house. When Frederick came and saw the new decorations, he said,
"Catherine, what have you been about?" "I have bought them, Frederick,
for the counters which were under the cow's manger. I did not go there
myself, the pedlars had to dig them out for themselves." "Ah, wife," said
Frederick, "what have you done? Those were not counters, but pure gold,
and all our wealth; you should not have done that." "Indeed, Frederick,"
said she, "I did not know that, you should have forewarned me."
Catherine stood for a while and bethought to herself; then she said,
"Listen, Frederick, we will soon get the gold back again, we will run
after the thieves." "Come, then," said Frederick, "we will try it;
but take with you some butter and cheese that we may have something to
eat on the way." "Yes, Frederick, I will take them." They set out, and
as Frederick was the better walker, Catherine followed him. "It is to
my advantage," thought she, "when we turn back I shall be a little way
in advance." Then she came to a hill where there were deep ruts on both
sides of the road. "There one can see," said Catherine, "how they have
torn and skinned and galled the poor earth, it will never be whole again
as long as it lives," and in her heart's compassion she took her butter
and smeared the ruts right and left, that they might not be so hurt by
the wheels, and as she was thus bending down in her charity, one of the
cheeses rolled out of her pocket down the hill. Said Catherine, "I have
made my way once up here, I will not go down again; another may run and
fetch it back." So she took another cheese and rolled it down. But the
cheeses did not come back, so she let a third run down, thinking. "Perhaps
they are waiting for company, and do not like to walk alone." As all
three stayed away she said, "I do not know what that can mean, but it
may perhaps be that the third has not found the way, and has gone wrong,
I will just send the fourth to call it." But the fourth did no better than
the third. Then Catherine was angry, and threw down the fifth and sixth
as well, and these were her last. She remained standing for some time
watching for their coming, but when they still did not come, she said,
"Oh, you are good folks to send in search of death, you stay a fine long
time away! Do you think I will wait any longer for you? I shall go my way,
you may run after me; you have younger legs than I." Catherine went on
and found Frederick, who was standing waiting for her because he wanted
something to eat. "Now just let us have what you have brought with you,"
said he. She gave him the dry bread. "Where have you the butter and
the cheeses?" asked the man. "Ah, Freddy," said Catherine, "I smeared
the cart-ruts with the butter and the cheeses will come soon; one ran
away from me, so I sent the others after to call it." Said Frederick,
"You should not have done that, Catherine, to smear the butter on the
road, and let the cheeses run down the hill!" "Really, Frederick, you
should have told me." Then they ate the dry bread together, and Frederick
said, "Catherine, did you make the house safe when you came away?" "No,
Frederick, you should have told me to do it before." "Then go home again,
and make the house safe before we go any farther, and bring with you
something else to eat. I will wait here for you." Catherine went back and
thought, "Frederick wants something more to eat, he does not like butter
and cheese, so I will take with me a handkerchief full of dried pears and
a pitcher of vinegar for him to drink." Then she bolted the upper half
of the door fast, but unhinged the lower door, and took it on her back,
believing that when she had placed the door in security the house must
be well taken care of. Catherine took her time on the way, and thought,
"Frederick will rest himself so much the longer." When she had once
reached him she said, "Here is the house-door for you, Frederick, and
now you can take care of the house yourself." "Oh, heavens," said he,
"what a wise wife I have! She takes the under-door off the hinges that
everything may run in, and bolts the upper one. It is now too late to
go back home again, but since you have brought the door here, you shall
just carry it farther." "I will carry the door, Frederick, but the dried
pears and the vinegar-jug will be too heavy for me, I will hang them on
the door, it may carry them."
And now they went into the forest, and sought the rogues, but did not find
them. At length as it grew dark they climbed into a tree and resolved to
spend the night there. Scarcely, however, had they sat down at the top of
it than the rascals came thither who carry away with them what does not
want to go, and find things before they are lost. They sat down under the
very tree in which Frederick and Catherine were sitting, lighted a fire,
and were about to share their booty. Frederick got down on the other
side and collected some stones together. Then he climbed up again with
them, and wished to throw them at the thieves and kill them. The stones,
however, did not hit them, and the knaves cried, "It will soon be morning,
the wind is shaking down the fir-apples." Catherine still had the door on
her back, and as it pressed so heavily on her, she thought it was the
fault of the dried pears, and said, "Frederick, I must throw the pears
down." "No, Catherine, not now," he replied, "they might betray us." "Oh,
but, Frederick, I must! They weigh me down far too much." "Do it, then,
and be hanged!" Then the dried pears rolled down between the branches,
and the rascals below said, "The leaves are falling."
A short time afterwards, as the door was still heavy, Catherine said,
"Ah, Frederick, I must pour out the vinegar." "No, Catherine, you must
not, it might betray us." "Ah, but, Frederick, I must, it weighs me
down far too much." "Then do it and be hanged!" So she emptied out the
vinegar, and it besprinkled the robbers. They said amongst themselves,
"The dew is already falling." At length Catherine thought, "Can it really
be the door which weighs me down so?" and said, "Frederick, I must throw
the door down." "No, not now, Catherine, it might discover us." "Oh, but,
Frederick, I must. It weighs me down far too much." "Oh, no, Catherine,
do hold it fast." "Ah, Frederick, I am letting it fall!" "Let it go,
then, in the devil's name." Then it fell down with a violent clatter,
and the rascals below cried, "The devil is coming down the tree!" and
they ran away and left everything behind them. Early next morning, when
the two came down they found all their gold again, and carried it home.
When they were once more at home, Frederick said, "And now, Catherine,
you, too, must be industrious and work." "Yes, Frederick, I will soon do
that, I will go into the field and cut corn." When Catherine got into the
field, she said to herself, "Shall I eat before I cut, or shall I sleep
before I cut? Oh, I will eat first." Then Catherine ate and eating made
her sleepy, and she began to cut, and half in a dream cut all her clothes
to pieces, her apron, her gown, and her shift. When Catherine awoke again
after a long sleep she was standing there half-naked, and said to herself,
"Is it I, or is it not I? Alas, it is not I." In the meantime night came,
and Catherine ran into the village, knocked at her husband's window,
and cried, "Frederick."
"What is the matter?" "I should very much like to know if Catherine is
in?" "Yes, yes," replied Frederick, "she must be in and asleep."
Said she, "'Tis well, then I am certainly at home already," and ran away.
Outside Catherine found some vagabonds who were going to steal. Then she
went to them and said, "I will help you to steal." The rascals thought
that she knew the situation of the place, and were willing. Catherine
went in front of the houses, and cried, "Good folks, have you anything? We
want to steal." The thieves thought to themselves, "That's a fine way of
doing things," and wished themselves once more rid of Catherine. Then
they said to her, "Outside the village the pastor has some turnips in
the field. Go there and pull up some turnips for us." Catherine went to
the ground, and began to pull them up, but was so idle that she did not
gather them together. Then a man came by, saw her, and stood still and
thought that it was the devil who was thus rooting amongst the turnips.
He ran away into the village to the pastor, and said, "Mr. Pastor,
the devil is in your turnip-ground, rooting up turnips." "Ah, heavens,"
answered the pastor, "I have a lame foot, I cannot go out and drive him
away." Said the man, "Then I will carry you on my back," and he carried
him out on his back. And when they came to the ground, Catherine arose
and stood up her full height. "Ah, the devil!" cried the pastor, and
both hurried away, and in his great fright the pastor could run better
with his lame foot than the man who had carried him on his back could
do with his sound one.
60 The Two Brothers
There were once upon a time two brothers, one rich and the other
poor. The rich one was a goldsmith and evil-hearted. The poor one
supported himself by making brooms, and was good and honourable. The
poor one had two children, who were twin brothers and as like each other
as two drops of water. The two boys went backwards and forwards to the
rich house, and often got some of the scraps to eat. It happened once
when the poor man was going into the forest to fetch brush-wood, that
he saw a bird which was quite golden and more beautiful than any he had
ever chanced to meet with. He picked up a small stone, threw it at him,
and was lucky enough to hit him, but one golden feather only fell down,
and the bird flew away. The man took the feather and carried it to his
brother, who looked at it and said, "It is pure gold!" and gave him a
great deal of money for it. Next day the man climbed into a birch-tree,
and was about to cut off a couple of branches when the same bird flew
out, and when the man searched he found a nest, and an egg lay inside
it, which was of gold. He took the egg home with him, and carried it
to his brother, who again said, "It is pure gold," and gave him what
it was worth. At last the goldsmith said, "I should indeed like to have