the bird itself." The poor man went into the forest for the third time,
and again saw the golden bird sitting on the tree, so he took a stone and
brought it down and carried it to his brother, who gave him a great heap
of gold for it. "Now I can get on," thought he, and went contentedly home.

The goldsmith was crafty and cunning, and knew very well what kind of
a bird it was. He called his wife and said, "Roast me the gold bird,
and take care that none of it is lost. I have a fancy to eat it all
myself." The bird, however, was no common one, but of so wondrous a kind
that whosoever ate its heart and liver found every morning a piece of
gold beneath his pillow. The woman made the bird ready, put it on the
spit, and let it roast. Now it happened that while it was at the fire,
and the woman was forced to go out of the kitchen on account of some
other work, the two children of the poor broom-maker ran in, stood by
the spit and turned it round once or twice. And as at that very moment
two little bits of the bird fell down into the dripping-tin, one of the
boys said, "We will eat these two little bits; I am so hungry, and no
one will ever miss them." Then the two ate the pieces, but the woman
came into the kitchen and saw that they were eating something and said,
"What have ye been eating?" "Two little morsels which fell out of the
bird," answered they. "That must have been the heart and the liver,"
said the woman, quite frightened, and in order that her husband might
not miss them and be angry, she quickly killed a young cock, took out
his heart and liver, and put them beside the golden bird. When it was
ready, she carried it to the goldsmith, who consumed it all alone, and
left none of it. Next morning, however, when he felt beneath his pillow,
and expected to bring out the piece of gold, no more gold pieces were
there than there had always been.

The two children did not know what a piece of good-fortune had fallen
to their lot. Next morning when they arose, something fell rattling to
the ground, and when they picked it up there were two gold pieces! They
took them to their father, who was astonished and said, "How can that
have happened?" When next morning they again found two, and so on daily,
he went to his brother and told him the strange story. The goldsmith at
once knew how it had come to pass, and that the children had eaten the
heart and liver of the golden bird, and in order to revenge himself,
and because he was envious and hard-hearted, he said to the father,
"Thy children are in league with the Evil One, do not take the gold, and
do not suffer them to stay any longer in thy house, for he has them in
his power, and may ruin thee likewise." The father feared the Evil One,
and painful as it was to him, he nevertheless led the twins forth into
the forest, and with a sad heart left them there.

And now the two children ran about the forest, and sought the way home
again, but could not find it, and only lost themselves more and more. At
length they met with a huntsman, who asked, "To whom do you children
belong?" "We are the poor broom-maker's boys," they replied, and they
told him that their father would not keep them any longer in the house
because a piece of gold lay every morning under their pillows. "Come,"
said the huntsman, "that is nothing so very bad, if at the same time
you keep honest, and are not idle." As the good man liked the children,
and had none of his own, he took them home with him and said, "I will be
your father, and bring you up till you are big." They learnt huntsmanship
from him, and the piece of gold which each of them found when he awoke,
was kept for them by him in case they should need it in the future.

When they were grown up, their foster-father one day took them into the
forest with him, and said, "To-day shall you make your trial shot, so that
I may release you from your apprenticeship, and make you huntsmen." They
went with him to lie in wait and stayed there a long time, but no game
appeared. The huntsman, however, looked above him and saw a covey of
wild geese flying in the form of a triangle, and said to one of them,
"Shoot me down one from each corner." He did it, and thus accomplished
his trial shot. Soon after another covey came flying by in the form of
the figure two, and the huntsman bade the other also bring down one
from each corner, and his trial shot was likewise successful. "Now,"
said the foster-father, "I pronounce you out of your apprenticeship;
you are skilled huntsmen." Thereupon the two brothers went forth
together into the forest, and took counsel with each other and planned
something. And in the evening when they had sat down to supper, they said
to their foster-father, "We will not touch food, or take one mouthful,
until you have granted us a request." Said he, "What, then, is your
request?" They replied, "We have now finished learning, and we must
prove ourselves in the world, so allow us to go away and travel." Then
spake the old man joyfully, "You talk like brave huntsmen, that which
you desire has been my wish; go forth, all will go well with you."
Thereupon they ate and drank joyously together.

When the appointed day came, their foster-father presented each of them
with a good gun and a dog, and let each of them take as many of his
saved-up gold pieces as he chose. Then he accompanied them a part of
the way, and when taking leave, he gave them a bright knife, and said,
"If ever you separate, stick this knife into a tree at the place where
you part, and when one of you goes back, he will will be able to see how
his absent brother is faring, for the side of the knife which is turned
in the direction by which he went, will rust if he dies, but will remain
bright as long as he is alive." The two brothers went still farther
onwards, and came to a forest which was so large that it was impossible
for them to get out of it in one day. So they passed the night in it,
and ate what they had put in their hunting-pouches, but they walked all
the second day likewise, and still did not get out. As they had nothing
to eat, one of them said, "We must shoot something for ourselves or we
shall suffer from hunger," and loaded his gun, and looked about him. And
when an old hare came running up towards them, he laid his gun on his
shoulder, but the hare cried,


"Dear huntsman, do but let me live,
Two little ones to thee I'll give,"

and sprang instantly into the thicket, and brought two young ones. But the
little creatures played so merrily, and were so pretty, that the huntsmen
could not find it in their hearts to kill them. They therefore kept
them with them, and the little hares followed on foot. Soon after this,
a fox crept past; they were just going to shoot it, but the fox cried,


"Dear hunstman, do but let me live,
Two little ones I'll also give."

He, too, brought two little foxes, and the huntsmen did not like to kill
them either, but gave them to the hares for company, and they followed
behind. It was not long before a wolf strode out of the thicket; the
huntsmen made ready to shoot him, but the wolf cried,


"Dear huntsman, do but let me live,
Two little ones I'll likewise give."

The huntsmen put the two wolves beside the other animals, and they
followed behind them. Then a bear came who wanted to trot about a little
longer, and cried:


"Dear huntsman, do but let me live,
Two little ones I, too, will give."

The two young bears were added to the others, and there were already eight
of them. At length who came? A lion came, and tossed his mane. But the
huntsmen did not let themselves be frightened and aimed at him likewise,
but the lion also said,


"Dear huntsman, do but let me live,
Two little ones I, too, will give."

And he brought his little ones to them, and now the huntsmen had two
lions, two bears, two wolves, two foxes, and two hares, who followed them
and served them. In thu meantime their hunger was not appeased by this,
and they said to the foxes, "Hark ye, cunning fellows, provide us with
something to eat. You are crafty and deep." They replied, "Not far from
here lies a village, from which we have already brought many a fowl;
we will show you the way there." So they went into the village, bought
themselves something to eat, had some food given to their beasts, and
then travelled onwards. The foxes, however, knew their way very well
about the district and where the poultry-yards were, and were able to
guide the huntsmen.

Now they travelled about for a while, but could find no situations where
they could remain together, so they said, "There is nothing else for it,
we must part." They divided the animals, so that each of them had a
lion, a bear, a wolf, a fox, and a hare, then they took leave of each
other, promised to love each other like brothers till their death, and
stuck the knife which their foster-father had given them, into a tree,
after which one went east, and the other went west.

The younger, however, arrived with his beasts in a town which was
all hung with black crape. He went into an inn, and asked the host
if he could accommodate his animals. The innkeeper gave him a stable,
where there was a hole in the wall, and the hare crept out and fetched
himself the head of a cabbage, and the fox fetched himself a hen, and
when he had devoured that got the cock as well, but the wolf, the bear,
and the lion could not get out because they were too big. Then the
innkeeper let them be taken to a place where a cow was just then lying
on the grass, that they might eat till they were satisfied. And when the
huntsman had taken care of his animals, he asked the innkeeper why the
town was thus hung with black crape? Said the host, "Because our King's
only daughter is to die to-morrow." The huntsman inquired if she was
"sick unto death?" "No," answered the host, "she is vigorous and healthy,
nevertheless she must die!" "How is that?" asked the huntsman. "There
is a high hill without the town, whereon dwells a dragon who every year
must have a pure virgin, or he lays the whole country waste, and now all
the maidens have already been given to him, and there is no longer anyone
left but the King's daughter, yet there is no mercy for her; she must be
given up to him, and that is to be done to-morrow." Said the huntsman,
"Why is the dragon not killed?" "Ah," replied the host, "so many knights
have tried it, but it has cost all of them their lives. The King has
promised that he who conquers the dragon shall have his daughter to wife,
and shall likewise govern the kingdom after his own death."

The huntsman said nothing more to this, but next morning took his animals,
and with them ascended the dragon's hill. A little church stood at the
top of it, and on the altar three full cups were standing, with the
inscription, "Whosoever empties the cups will become the strongest man
on earth, and will be able to wield the sword which is buried before
the threshold of the door." The huntsman did not drink, but went out
and sought for the sword in the ground, but was unable to move it from
its place. Then he went in and emptied the cups, and now he was strong
enough to take up the sword, and his hand could quite easily wield it.
When the hour came when the maiden was to be delivered over to the dragon,
the King, the marshal, and courtiers accompanied her. From afar she saw
the huntsman on the dragon's hill, and thought it was the dragon standing
there waiting for her, and did not want to go up to him, but at last,
because otherwise the whole town would have been destroyed, she was
forced to go the miserable journey. The King and courtiers returned
home full of grief; the King's marshal, however, was to stand still,
and see all from a distance.

When the King's daughter got to the top of the hill, it was not the
dragon which stood there, but the young huntsman, who comforted her, and
said he would save her, led her into the church, and locked her in. It
was not long before the seven-headed dragon came thither with loud
roaring. When he perceived the huntsman, he was astonished and said,
"What business hast thou here on the hill?" The huntsman answered, "I
want to fight with thee." Said the dragon, "Many knights have left their
lives here, I shall soon have made an end of thee too," and he breathed
fire out of seven jaws. The fire was to have lighted the dry grass, and
the huntsman was to have been suffocated in the heat and smoke, but the
animals came running up and trampled out the fire. Then the dragon rushed
upon the huntsman, but he swung his sword until it sang through the air,
and struck off three of his heads. Then the dragon grew right furious,
and rose up in the air, and spat out flames of fire over the huntsman,
and was about to plunge down on him, but the huntsman once more drew out
his sword, and again cut off three of his heads. The monster became faint
and sank down, nevertheless it was just able to rush upon the huntsman,
but he with his last strength smote its tail off, and as he could fight
no longer, called up his animals who tore it in pieces. When the struggle
was ended, the huntsman unlocked the church, and found the King's daughter
lying on the floor, as she had lost her senses with anguish and terror
during the contest. He carried her out, and when she came to herself
once more, and opened her eyes, he showed her the dragon all cut to
pieces, and told her that she was now delivered. She rejoiced and said,
"Now thou wilt be my dearest husband, for my father has promised me
to him who kills the dragon." Thereupon she took off her necklace of
coral, and divided it amongst the animals in order to reward them, and
the lion received the golden clasp. Her pocket-handkerchief, however,
on which was her name, she gave to the huntsman, who went and cut the
tongues out of the dragon's seven heads, wrapped them in the handkerchief,
and preserved them carefully.

That done, as he was so faint and weary with the fire and the battle,
he said to the maiden, "We are both faint and weary, we will sleep
awhile." Then she said, "yes," and they lay down on the ground, and the
huntsman said to the lion, "Thou shalt keep watch, that no one surprises
us in our sleep," and both fell asleep. The lion lay down beside them to
watch, but he also was so weary with the fight, that he called to the bear
and said, "Lie down near me, I must sleep a little: if anything comes,
waken me." Then the bear lay down beside him, but he also was tired,
and called the wolf and said, "Lie down by me, I must sleep a little,
but if anything comes, waken me." Then the wolf lay down by him, but
he was tired likewise, and called the fox and said, "Lie down by me,
I must sleep a little; if anything comes, waken me." Then the fox lay
down beside him, but he too was weary, and called the hare and said,
"Lie down near me, I must sleep a little, and if anything should come,
waken me." Then the hare sat down by him, but the poor hare was tired
too, and had no one whom he could call there to keep watch, and fell
asleep. And now the King's daughter, the huntsman, the lion, the bear,
the wolf, the fox, and the hare, were all sleeping a sound sleep. The
marshal, however, who was to look on from a distance, took courage when
he did not see the dragon flying away with the maiden, and finding that
all the hill had become quiet, ascended it. There lay the dragon hacked
and hewn to pieces on the ground, and not far from it were the King's
daughter and a huntsman with his animals, and all of them were sunk in
a sound sleep. And as he was wicked and godless he took his sword, cut
off the huntsman's head, and seized the maiden in his arms, and carried
her down the hill. Then she awoke and was terrified, but the marshal
said, "Thou art in my hands, thou shalt say that it was I who killed the
dragon." "I cannot do that," she replied, "for it was a huntsman with his
animals who did it." Then he drew his sword, and threatened to kill her
if she did not obey him, and so compelled her that she promised it. Then
he took her to the King, who did not know how to contain himself for joy
when he once more looked on his dear child in life, whom he had believed
to have been torn to pieces by the monster. The marshal said to him,
"I have killed the dragon, and delivered the maiden and the whole kingdom
as well, therefore I demand her as my wife, as was promised." The King
said to the maiden, "Is what he says true?" "Ah, yes," she answered,
"it must indeed be true, but I will not consent to have the wedding
celebrated until after a year and a day," for she thought in that time
she should hear something of her dear huntsman.

The animals, however, were still lying sleeping beside their dead master
on the dragon's hill, and there came a great humble-bee and lighted on
the hare's nose, but the hare wiped it off with his paw, and went on
sleeping. The humble-bee came a second time, but the hare again rubbed
it off and slept on. Then it came for the third time, and stung his
nose so that he awoke. As soon as the hare was awake, he roused the fox,
and the fox, the wolf, and the wolf the bear, and the bear the lion. And
when the lion awoke and saw that the maiden was gone, and his master was
dead, he began to roar frightfully and cried, "Who has done that? Bear,
why didst thou not waken me?" The bear asked the wolf, "Why didst thou
not waken me?" and the wolf the fox, "Why didst thou not waken me?" and
the fox the hare, "Why didst thou not waken me?" The poor hare alone
did not know what answer to make, and the blame rested with him. Then
they were just going to fall upon him, but he entreated them and said,
"Kill me not, I will bring our master to life again. I know a mountain
on which a root grows which, when placed in the mouth of any one, cures
him of all illness and every wound. But the mountain lies two hundred
hours journey from here." The lion said, "In four-and-twenty hours must
thou have run thither and have come back, and have brought the root with
thee." Then the hare sprang away, and in four-and-twenty hours he was
back, and brought the root with him. The lion put the huntsman's head
on again, and the hare placed the root in his mouth, and immediately
everything united together again, and his heart beat, and life came
back. Then the huntsman awoke, and was alarmed when he did not see the
maiden, and thought, "She must have gone away whilst I was sleeping,
in order to get rid of me." The lion in his great haste had put his
master's head on the wrong way round, but the huntsman did not observe
it because of his melancholy thoughts about the King's daughter. But
at noon, when he was going to eat something, he saw that his head was
turned backwards and could not understand it, and asked the animals what
had happened to him in his sleep. Then the lion told him that they, too,
had all fallen asleep from weariness, and on awaking, had found him dead
with his head cut off, that the hare had brought the life-giving root,
and that he, in his haste, had laid hold of the head the wrong way,
but that he would repair his mistake. Then he tore the huntsman's head
off again, turned it round, and the hare healed it with the root.

The huntsman, however, was sad at heart, and travelled about the
world, and made his animals dance before people. It came to pass that
precisely at the end of one year he came back to the same town where he
had delivered the King's daughter from the dragon, and this time the town
was gaily hung with red cloth. Then he said to the host, "What does this
mean? Last year the town was all hung with black crape, what means the
red cloth to-day?" The host answered, "Last year our King's daughter was
to have been delivered over to the dragon, but the marshal fought with
it and killed it, and so to-morrow their wedding is to be solemnized,
and that is why the town was then hung with black crape for mourning,
and is to-day covered with red cloth for joy?"

Next day when the wedding was to take place, the huntsman said at
mid-day to the inn-keeper, "Do you believe, sir host, that I while with
you here to-day shall eat bread from the King's own table?" "Nay," said
the host, "I would bet a hundred pieces of gold that that will not come
true." The huntsman accepted the wager, and set against it a purse with
just the same number of gold pieces. Then he called the hare and said,
"Go, my dear runner, and fetch me some of the bread which the King is
eating." Now the little hare was the lowest of the animals, and could
not transfer this order to any the others, but had to get on his legs
himself. "Alas!" thought he, "if I bound through the streets thus alone,
the butchers' dogs will all be after me." It happened as he expected, and
the dogs came after him and wanted to make holes in his good skin. But he
sprang away, have you have never seen one running? and sheltered himself
in a sentry-box without the soldier being aware of it. Then the dogs
came and wanted to have him out, but the soldier did not understand a
jest, and struck them with the butt-end of his gun, till they ran away
yelling and howling. As soon as the hare saw that the way was clear,
he ran into the palace and straight to the King's daughter, sat down
under her chair, and scratched at her foot. Then she said, "Wilt thou
get away?" and thought it was her dog. The hare scratched her foot for
the second time, and she again said, "Wilt thou get away?" and thought it
was her dog. But the hare did not let itself be turned from its purpose,
and scratched her for the third time. Then she peeped down, and knew
the hare by its collar. She took him on her lap, carried him into
her chamber, and said, "Dear Hare, what dost thou want?" He answered,
"My master, who killed the dragon, is here, and has sent me to ask for
a loaf of bread like that which the King eats." Then she was full of
joy and had the baker summoned, and ordered him to bring a loaf such
as was eaten by the King. The little hare said, "But the baker must
likewise carry it thither for me, that the butchers' dogs may do no
harm to me." The baker carried if for him as far as the door of the inn,
and then the hare got on his hind legs, took the loaf in his front paws,
and carried it to his master. Then said the huntsman, "Behold, sir host,
the hundred pieces of gold are mine." The host was astonished, but the
huntsman went on to say, "Yes, sir host, I have the bread, but now I
will likewise have some of the King's roast meat."

The host said, "I should indeed like to see that," but he would make
no more wagers. The huntsman called the fox and said, "My little fox,
go and fetch me some roast meat, such as the King eats." The red fox
knew the bye-ways better, and went by holes and corners without any
dog seeing him, seated himself under the chair of the King's daughter,
and scratched her foot. Then she looked down and recognized the fox
by its collar, took him into her chamber with her and said, "Dear fox,
what dost thou want?" He answered, "My master, who killed the dragon,
is here, and has sent me. I am to ask for some roast meat such as
the King is eating." Then she made the cook come, who was obliged
to prepare a roast joint, the same as was eaten by the King, and to
carry it for the fox as far as the door. Then the fox took the dish,
waved away with his tail the flies which had settled on the meat, and
then carried it to his master. "Behold, sir host," said the huntsman,
"bread and meat are here but now I will also have proper vegetables with
it, such as are eaten by the King." Then he called the wolf, and said,
"Dear Wolf, go thither and fetch me vegetables such as the King eats."
Then the wolf went straight to the palace, as he feared no one, and when
he got to the King's daughter's chamber, he twitched at the back of her
dress, so that she was forced to look round. She recognized him by his
collar, and took him into her chamber with her, and said, "Dear Wolf,
what dost thou want?" He answered, "My master, who killed the dragon,
is here, I am to ask for some vegetables, such as the King eats." Then
she made the cook come, and he had to make ready a dish of vegetables,
such as the King ate, and had to carry it for the wolf as far as the
door, and then the wolf took the dish from him, and carried it to his
master. "Behold, sir host," said the huntsman, "now I have bread and
meat and vegetables, but I will also have some pastry to eat like that
which the King eats." He called the bear, and said, "Dear Bear, thou
art fond of licking anything sweet; go and bring me some confectionery,
such as the King eats." Then the bear trotted to the palace, and every