The Crimson Fairy Book
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The Crimson Fairy Book
Edited by
Andrew Lang
Preface
Each Fairy Book demands a preface from the Editor, and these
introductions are inevitably both monotonous and unavailing. A
sense of literary honesty compels the Editor to keep repeating that
he is the Editor, and not the author of the Fairy Tales, just as a
distinguished man of science is only the Editor, not the Author of
Nature. Like nature, popular tales are too vast to be the creation of
a single modern mind. The Editor's business is to hunt for
collections of these stories told by peasant or savage grandmothers
in many climes, from New Caledonia to Zululand; from the frozen
snows of the Polar regions to Greece, or Spain, or Italy, or far
Lochaber. When the tales are found they are adapted to the needs
of British children by various hands, the Editor doing little beyond
guarding the interests of propriety, and toning down to mild
reproofs the tortures inflicted on wicked stepmothers, and other
naughty characters.
These explanations have frequently been offered already; but, as far
as ladies and children are concerned, to no purpose. They still ask
the Editor how he can invent so many stories--more than
Shakespeare, Dumas, and Charles Dickens could have invented in a
century. And the Editor still avers, in Prefaces, that he did not
invent one of the stories; that nobody knows, as a rule, who
invented them, or where, or when. It is only plain that, perhaps a
hundred thousand years ago, some savage grandmother told a tale
to a savage granddaughter; that the granddaughter told it in her
turn; that various tellers made changes to suit their taste, adding or
omitting features and incidents; that, as the world grew civilised,
other alterations were made, and that, at last, Homer composed the
'Odyssey,' and somebody else composed the Story of Jason and the
Fleece of Gold, and the enchantress Medea, out of a set of
wandering popular tales, which are still told among Samoyeds and
Samoans, Hindoos and Japanese.
All this has been known to the wise and learned for centuries, and
especially since the brothers Grimm wrote in the early years of the
Nineteenth Century. But children remain unaware of the facts, and
so do their dear mothers; whence the Editor infers that they do not
read his prefaces, and are not members of the FolkLore Society, or
students of Herr Kohler and M. Cosquin, and M. Henri Guidoz and
Professor Child, and Mr. Max Muller. Though these explanations
are not attended to by the Editor's customers, he makes them once
more, for the relief of his conscience. Many tales in this book are
translated, or adapted, from those told by mothers and nurses in
Hungary; others are familiar to Russian nurseries; the Servians are
responsible for some; a rather peculiarly fanciful set of stories are
adapted from the Roumanians; others are from the Baltic shores;
others from sunny Sicily; a few are from Finland, and Iceland, and
Japan, and Tunis, and Portugal. No doubt many children will like to
look out these places on the map, and study their mountains, rivers,
soil, products, and fiscal policies, in the geography books. The
peoples who tell the stories differ in colour; language, religion, and
almost everything else; but they all love a nursery tale. The stories
have mainly been adapted or translated by Mrs. Lang, a few by
Miss Lang and Miss Blackley.
Contents
Lovely Ilonka
Lucky Luck
The Hairy Man
To your Good Health!
The Story of the Seven Simons
The Language of Beasts
The Boy who could keep a Secret
The Prince and the Dragon
Little Wildrose
Tiidu the Piper
Paperarello
The Gifts of the Magician
The Strong Prince
The Treasure Seeker
The Cottager and his Cat
The Prince who would seek Immortality
The Stone-cutter
The Gold-bearded Man
Tritill, Litill, and the Birds
The Three Robes
The Six Hungry Beasts
How the Beggar Boy turned into Count Piro
The Rogue and the Herdsman
Eisenkopf
The Death of Abu Nowas and of his Wife
Motikatika
Niels and the Giants
Shepherd Paul
How the wicked Tanuki was punished
The Crab and the Monkey
The Horse Gullfaxi and the Sword Gunnfoder
The Story of the Sham Prince, or the Ambitious Tailor
The Colony of Cats
How to find out a True Friend
Clever Maria
The Magic Kettle
Lovely Ilonka
There was once a king's son who told his father that he wished to
marry.
'No, no!' said the king; 'you must not be in such a hurry. Wait till
you have done some great deed. My father did not let me marry till
I had won the golden sword you see me wear.'
The prince was much disappointed, but he never dreamed of
disobeying his father, and he began to think with all his might what
he could do. It was no use staying at home, so one day he
wandered out into the world to try his luck, and as he walked along
he came to a little hut in which he found an old woman crouching
over the fire.
'Good evening, mother. I see you have lived long in this world; do
you know anything about the three bulrushes?'
'Yes, indeed, I've lived long and been much about in the world, but
I have never seen or heard anything of what you ask. Still, if you
will wait till to-morrow I may be able to tell you something.'
Well, he waited till the morning, and quite early the old woman
appeared and took out a little pipe and blew in it, and in a moment
all the crows in the world were flying about her. Not one was
missing. Then she asked if they knew anything about the three
bulrushes, but not one of them did.
The prince went on his way, and a little further on he found another
hut in which lived an old man. On being questioned the old man
said he knew nothing, but begged the prince to stay overnight, and
the next morning the old man called all the ravens together, but
they too had nothing to tell.
The prince bade him farewell and set out. He wandered so far that
he crossed seven kingdoms, and at last, one evening, he came to a
little house in which was an old woman.
'Good evening, dear mother,' said he politely.
'Good evening to you, my dear son,' answered the old woman. 'It
is lucky for you that you spoke to me or you would have met with a
horrible death. But may I ask where are you going?'
'I am seeking the three bulrushes. Do you know anything about
them?'
'I don't know anything myself, but wait till to-morrow. Perhaps I
can tell you then.' So the next morning she blew on her pipe, and lo!
and behold every magpie in the world flew up. That is to say, all
the magpies except one who had broken a leg and a wing. The old
woman sent after it at once, and when she questioned the magpies
the crippled one was the only one who knew where the three
bulrushes were.
Then the prince started off with the lame magpie. They went on
and on till they reached a great stone wall, many, many feet high.
'Now, prince,' said the magpie, 'the three bulrushes are behind that
wall.'
The prince wasted no time. He set his horse at the wall and leaped
over it. Then he looked about for the three bulrushes, pulled them
up and set off with them on his way home. As he rode along one of
the bulrushes happened to knock against something. It split open
and, only think! out sprang a lovely girl, who said: 'My heart's love,
you are mine and I am yours; do give me a glass of water.'
But how could the prince give it her when there was no water at
hand? So the lovely maiden flew away. He split the second bulrush
as an experiment and just the same thing happened.
How careful he was of the third bulrush! He waited till he came to a
well, and there he split it open, and out sprang a maiden seven times
lovelier than either of the others, and she too said: 'My heart's love,
I am yours and you are mine; do give me a glass of water.'
This time the water was ready and the girl did not fly away, but she
and the prince promised to love each other always. Then they set
out for home.
They soon reached the prince's country, and as he wished to bring
his promised bride back in a fine coach he went on to the town to
fetch one. In the field where the well was, the king's swineherds
and cowherds were feeding their droves, and the prince left Ilonka
(for that was her name) in their care.
Unluckily the chief swineherd had an ugly old daughter, and whilst
the prince was away he dressed her up in fine clothes, and threw
Ilonka into the well.
The prince returned before long, bringing with him his father and
mother and a great train of courtiers to escort Ilonka home. But
how they all stared when they saw the swineherd's ugly daughter!
However, there was nothing for it but to take her home; and, two
days later, the prince married her, and his father gave up the crown
to him.
But he had no peace! He knew very well he had been cheated,
though he could not think how. Once he desired to have some
water brought him from the well into which Ilonka had been
thrown. The coachman went for it and, in the bucket he pulled up,
a pretty little duck was swimming. He looked wonderingly at it,
and all of a sudden it disappeared and he found a dirty looking girl
standing near him. The girl returned with him and managed to get a
place as housemaid in the palace.
Of course she was very busy all day long, but whenever she had a
little spare time she sat down to spin. Her distaff turned of itself
and her spindle span by itself and the flax wound itself off; and
however much she might use there was always plenty left.
When the queen--or, rather, the swineherd's daughter--heard of
this, she very much wished to have the distaff, but the girl flatly
refused to give it to her. However, at last she consented on
condition that she might sleep one night in the king's room. The
queen was very angry, and scolded her well; but as she longed to
have the distaff she consented, though she gave the king a sleeping
draught at supper.
Then the girl went to the king's room looking seven times lovelier
than ever. She bent over the sleeper and said: 'My heart's love, I
am yours and you are mine. Speak to me but once; I am your
Ilonka.' But the king was so sound asleep he neither heard nor
spoke, and Ilonka left the room, sadly thinking he was ashamed to
own her.
Soon after the queen again sent to say that she wanted to buy the
spindle. The girl agreed to let her have it on the same conditions as
before; but this time, also, the queen took care to give the king a
sleeping draught. And once more Ilonka went to the king's room
and spoke to him; whisper as sweetly as she might she could get no
answer.
Now some of the king's servants had taken note of the matter, and
warned their master not to eat and drink anything that the queen
offered him, as for two nights running she had given him a sleeping
draught. The queen had no idea that her doings had been
discovered; and when, a few days later, she wanted the flax, and
had to pay the same price for it, she felt no fears at all.
At supper that night the queen offered the king all sorts of nice
things to eat and drink, but he declared he was not hungry, and
went early to bed.
The queen repented bitterly her promise to the girl, but it was too
late to recall it; for Ilonka had already entered the king's room,
where he lay anxiously waiting for something, he knew not what.
All of a sudden he saw a lovely maiden who bent over him and said:
'My dearest love, I am yours and you are mine. Speak to me, for I
am your Ilonka.'
At these words the king's heart bounded within him. He sprang up
and embraced and kissed her, and she told him all her adventures
since the moment he had left her. And when he heard all that
Ilonka had suffered, and how he had been deceived, he vowed he
would be revenged; so he gave orders that the swineherd, his wife
and daughter should all be hanged; and so they were.
The next day the king was married, with great rejoicings, to the fair
Ilonka; and if they are not yet dead--why, they are still living.
[From Ungarische Mahrehen.]
Lucky Luck
Once upon a time there was a king who had an only son. When the
lad was about eighteen years old his father had to go to fight in a
war against a neighbouring country, and the king led his troops in
person. He bade his son act as Regent in his absence, but ordered
him on no account to marry till his return.
Time went by. The prince ruled the country and never even thought
of marrying. But when he reached his twenty-fifth birthday he
began to think that it might be rather nice to have a wife, and he
thought so much that at last he got quite eager about it. He
remembered, however, what his father had said, and waited some
time longer, till at last it was ten years since the king went out to
war. Then the prince called his courtiers about him and set off with
a great retinue to seek a bride. He hardly knew which way to go, so
he wandered about for twenty days, when, suddenly, he found
himself in his father's camp.
The king was delighted to see his son, and had a great many
questions to ask and answer; but when he heard that instead of
quietly waiting for him at home the prince was starting off to seek a
wife he was very angry, and said: 'You may go where you please
but I will not leave any of my people with you.'
Only one faithful servant stayed with the prince and refused to part
from him. They journeyed over hill and dale till they came to a
place called Goldtown. The King of Goldtown had a lovely
daughter, and the prince, who soon heard about her beauty, could
not rest till he saw her.
He was very kindly received, for he was extremely good-looking
and had charming manners, so he lost no time in asking for her hand
and her parents gave her to him with joy. The wedding took place
at once, and the feasting and rejoicings went on for a whole month.
At the end of the month they set off for home, but as the journey
was a long one they spent the first evening at an inn. Everyone in
the house slept, and only the faithful servant kept watch. About
midnight he heard three crows, who had flown to the roof, talking
together.
'That's a handsome couple which arrived here tonight. It seems
quite a pity they should lose their lives so soon.'
'Truly,' said the second crow; 'for to-morrow, when midday
strikes, the bridge over the Gold Stream will break just as they are
driving over it. But, listen! whoever overhears and tells what we
have said will be turned to stone up to his knees.'
The crows had hardly done speaking when away they flew. And
close upon them followed three pigeons.
'Even if the prince and princess get safe over the bridge they will
perish,' said they; 'for the king is going to send a carriage to meet
them which looks as new as paint. But when they are seated in it a
raging wind will rise and whirl the carriage away into the clouds.
Then it will fall suddenly to earth, and they will be killed. But
anyone who hears and betrays what we have said will be turned to
stone up to his waist.'
With that the pigeons flew off and three eagles took their places,
and this is what they said:
'If the young couple does manage to escape the dangers of the
bridge and the carriage, the king means to send them each a
splendid gold embroidered robe. When they put these on they will
be burnt up at once. But whoever hears and repeats this will turn to
stone from head to foot.'
Early next morning the travellers got up and breakfasted. They
began to tell each other their dreams. At last the servant said:
'Gracious prince, I dreamt that if your Royal Highness would grant
all I asked we should get home safe and sound; but if you did not
we should certainly be lost. My dreams never deceive me, so I
entreat you to follow my advice during the rest of the journey.'
'Don't make such a fuss about a dream,' said the prince; 'dreams are
but clouds. Still, to prevent your being anxious I will promise to do
as you wish.'
With that they set out on their journey.
At midday they reached the Gold Stream. When they got to the
bridge the servant said: 'Let us leave the carriage here, my prince,
and walk a little way. The town is not far off and we can easily get
another carriage there, for the wheels of this one are bad and will
not hold out much longer.'
The prince looked well at the carriage. He did not think it looked so
unsafe as his servant said; but he had given his word and he held to
it.
They got down and loaded the horses with the luggage. The prince
and his bride walked over the bridge, but the servant said he would
ride the horses through the stream so as to water and bathe them.
They reached the other side without harm, and bought a new
carriage in the town, which was quite near, and set off once more
on their travels; but they had not gone far when they met a
messenger from the king who said to the prince: 'His Majesty has
sent your Royal Highness this beautiful carriage so that you may
make a fitting entry into your own country and amongst your own
people.'
The prince was so delighted that he could not speak. But the
servant said: 'My lord, let me examine this carriage first and then
you can get in if I find it is all right; otherwise we had better stay in
our own.'
The prince made no objections, and after looking the carriage well
over the servant said: 'It is as bad as it is smart'; and with that he
knocked it all to pieces, and they went on in the one that they had
bought.
At last they reached the frontier; there another messenger was
waiting for them, who said that the king had sent two splendid
robes for the prince and his bride, and begged that they would wear
them for their state entry. But the servant implored the prince to
have nothing to do with them, and never gave him any peace till he
had obtained leave to destroy the robes.
The old king was furious when he found that all his arts had failed;
that his son still lived and that he would have to give up the crown
to him now he was married, for that was the law of the land. He
longed to know how the prince had escaped, and said: 'My dear
son, I do indeed rejoice to have you safely back, but I cannot
imagine why the beautiful carriage and the splendid robes I sent did
not please you; why you had them destroyed.'
'Indeed, sire,' said the prince, 'I was myself much annoyed at their
destruction; but my servant had begged to direct everything on the
journey and I had promised him that he should do so. He declared
that we could not possibly get home safely unless I did as he told
me.'
The old king fell into a tremendous rage. He called his Council
together and condemned the servant to death.
The gallows was put up in the square in front of the palace. The
servant was led out and his sentence read to him.
The rope was being placed round his neck, when he begged to be
allowed a few last words. 'On our journey home,' he said, 'we spent
the first night at an inn. I did not sleep but kept watch all night.'
And then he went on to tell what the crows had said, and as he
spoke he turned to stone up to his knees. The prince called to him
to say no more as he had proved his innocence. But the servant paid
no heed to him, and by the time his story was done he had turned to
stone from head to foot.
Oh! how grieved the prince was to lose his faithful servant! And
what pained him most was the thought that he was lost through his
very faithfulness, and he determined to travel all over the world and
never rest till he found some means of restoring him to life.
Now there lived at Court an old woman who had been the prince's
nurse. To her he confided all his plans, and left his wife, the
princess, in her care. 'You have a long way before you, my son,'
said the old woman; 'you must never return till you have met with
Lucky Luck. If he cannot help you no one on earth can.'
So the prince set off to try to find Lucky Luck. He walked and
walked till he got beyond his own country, and he wandered
through a wood for three days but did not meet a living being in it.
At the end of the third day he came to a river near which stood a
large mill. Here he spent the night. When he was leaving next
morning the miller asked him: 'My gracious lord, where are you
going all alone?'
And the prince told him.
'Then I beg your Highness to ask Lucky Luck this question: Why is
it that though I have an excellent mill, with all its machinery
complete, and get plenty of grain to grind, I am so poor that I
hardly know how to live from one day to another?'
The prince promised to inquire, and went on his way. He wandered
about for three days more, and at the end of the third day saw a
little town. It was quite late when he reached it, but he could
discover no light anywhere, and walked almost right through it
without finding a house where he could turn in. But far away at the
end of the town he saw a light in a window. He went straight to it
and in the house were three girls playing a game together. The
prince asked for a night's lodging and they took him in, gave him
some supper and got a room ready for him, where he slept.
Next morning when he was leaving they asked where he was going
and he told them his story. 'Gracious prince,' said the maidens, 'do
ask Lucky Luck how it happens that here we are over thirty years
old and no lover has come to woo us, though we are good, pretty,
and very industrious.'
The prince promised to inquire, and went on his way.
Then he came to a great forest and wandered about in it from
morning to night and from night to morning before he got near the
other end. Here he found a pretty stream which was different from
other streams as, instead of flowing, it stood still and began to talk:
'Sir prince, tell me what brings you into these wilds? I must have
been flowing here a hundred years and more and no one has ever
yet come by.'
'I will tell you,' answered the prince, 'if you will divide yourself so
that I may walk through.'
The stream parted at once, and the prince walked through without
wetting his feet; and directly he got to the other side he told his
story as he had promised.
'Oh, do ask Lucky Luck,' cried the brook, 'why, though I am such a
clear, bright, rapid stream I never have a fish or any other living
creature in my waters.'
The prince said he would do so, and continued his journey.
When he got quite clear of the forest he walked on through a lovely
valley till he reached a little house thatched with rushes, and he
went in to rest for he was very tired.
Everything in the house was beautifully clean and tidy, and a
cheerful honest-looking old woman was sitting by the fire.
'Good-morning, mother,' said the prince.
'May Luck be with you, my son. What brings you into these parts?'
'I am looking for Lucky Luck,' replied the prince.
'Then you have come to the right place, my son, for I am his
mother. He is not at home just now, he is out digging in the
vineyard. Do you go too. Here are two spades. When you find him
begin to dig, but don't speak a word to him. It is now eleven
o'clock. When he sits down to eat his dinner sit beside him and eat
with him. After dinner he will question you, and then tell him all
your troubles freely. He will answer whatever you may ask.'
With that she showed him the way, and the prince went and did just
as she had told him. After dinner they lay down to rest.
All of a sudden Lucky Luck began to speak and said: 'Tell me, what
sort of man are you, for since you came here you have not spoken a
word?'
'I am not dumb,' replied the young man, 'but I am that unhappy
prince whose faithful servant has been turned to stone, and I want
to know how to help him.'
'And you do well, for he deserves everything. Go back, and when
you get home your wife will just have had a little boy. Take three
drops of blood from the child's little finger, rub them on your
servant's wrists with a blade of grass and he will return to life.'
'I have another thing to ask,' said the prince, when he had thanked
him. 'In the forest near here is a fine stream but not a fish or other
living creature in it. Why is this?'
'Because no one has ever been drowned in the stream. But take
care, in crossing, to get as near the other side as you can before you
say so, or you may be the first victim yourself.'
'Another question, please, before I go. On my way here I lodged
one night in the house of three maidens. All were well-mannered,
hard-working, and pretty, and yet none has had a wooer. Why was
this?'
'Because they always throw out their sweepings in the face of the
sun.'
'And why is it that a miller, who has a large mill with all the best
machinery and gets plenty of corn to grind is so poor that he can
hardly live from day to day?'
'Because the miller keeps everything for himself, and does not give
to those who need it.'
The prince wrote down the answers to his questions, took a friendly
leave of Lucky Luck, and set off for home.
When he reached the stream it asked if he brought it any good
news. 'When I get across I will tell you,' said he. So the stream
parted; he walked through and on to the highest part of the bank.
He stopped and shouted out:
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