Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

Book LLXIII: The Robber Bridegroom

There was once upon a time a miller, who had a beautifuldaughter, and as she was grown up, he wished that she wasprovided for, and well married. He thought, if any good suitorcomes and asks for her, I will give her to him. Not longafterwards, a suitor came, who appeared to be very rich, and asthe miller had no fault to find with him, he promised hisdaughter to him. The maiden, however, did not like him quiteso much as a girl should like the man to whom she is engaged, andhad no confidence in him. Whenever she saw, or thought of him,she felt a secret horror. Once he said to her, you are mybetrothed, and yet you have never once paid me a visit. Themaiden replied, I know not where your house is. Then said thebridegroom, my house is out there in the dark forest. Shetried to excuse herselfand said she could not find the way there. The bridegroom said,next sunday you must come out there to me, I have alreadyinvited the guests, and I will strew ashes in order that you mayfind your way through the forest. When sunday came, and themaiden had to set out on her way, she became very uneasy, sheherself knew not exactly why, and to mark her way she filled bothher pockets full of peas and lentils. Ashes were strewn at theentrance of the forest, and these she followed, but at every stepshe threw a couple of peas on the ground. She walked almost thewhole day until she reached the middle of the forest, where itwas the darkest, and there stood a solitary house, which she didnot like, for it looked so dark and dismal. She went inside it,but no one was within, and the most absolute stillness reigned.Suddenly a voice cried, turn back, turn back, young maiden dear, 'tis a murderer's house you enter here.The maiden looked up, and saw that the voice came from a bird,which was hanging in a cage on the wall. Again it cried, turn back, turn back, young maiden dear, 'tis a murderer's house you enter here.Then the young maiden went on farther from one room to another,and walked through the whole house, but it was entirely emptyand not one human being was to be found. At last she came to thethe cellar, and there sat an extremely aged woman, whose headshook constantly. Can you not tell me, said the maiden, if mybetrothed lives here.Alas, poor child, replied the old woman, whither have you come.You are in a murderer's den. You think you are a bride soon to bemarried, but you will keep your wedding with death. Look, Ihave been forced to put a great kettle on there, with water in it,and when they have you in their power, they will cut you topieces without mercy, will cook you, and eat you, for they areeaters of human flesh. If I do not have compassion on you, andsave you, you are lost.Thereupon the old woman led her behind a great hogsheadwhere she could not be seen. Be still as a mouse, said she, donot make a sound, or move, or all will be over with you. Atnight, when the robbers are asleep, we will escape, I have longwaited for an opportunity. Hardly was this done, than the godlesscrew came home. They dragged with them another young girl. Theywere drunk, and paid no heed to her screams and lamentations.They gave her wine to drink, three glasses full, one glass ofwhite wine, one glass of red, and a glass of yellow, and withthis her heart burst in twain. Thereupon they tore off herdelicate raiment, laid her on a table, cut her beautiful bodyin pieces and strewed salt thereon. The poor bride behind thecask trembled and shook, for she saw right well what fate therobbers had destined for her. One of them noticed a gold ring onthe finger of the murdered girl, and as it would not come off atonce, he took an axe and cut the finger off, but it sprang up inthe air, away over the cask and fell straight into the bride'sbosom. The robber took a candle and wanted to look for it, butcould not find it. Then another of them said, have youlooked behind the great hogshead. But the old woman cried,come and get something to eat, and leave off looking till themorning, the finger won't run away from you.Then the robbers said, the old woman is right, and gave up theirsearch, and sat down to eat, and the old woman poured asleeping-draught in their wine, so that they soon lay downin the cellar, and slept and snored. When the bride heardthat, she came out from behind the hogshead, and had to stepover the sleepers, for they lay in rows on the ground, and greatwas her terror lest she should waken one of them. But Godhelped her, and she got safely over. The old woman went up withher, opened the doors, and they hurried out of the murderer's denwith all the speed in their power. The wind had blown away thestrewn ashes, but the peas and lentils had sprouted and grown up,and showed them the way in the moonlight. They walked the wholenight, until in the morning they arrived at the mill, and then themaiden told her father everything exactly as it had happened.When the day came for the wedding to be celebrated, the bridegroomappeared, and the miller had invited all his relations andfriends. As they sat at table, each was bidden to relatesomething. The bride sat still, and said nothing. Then said thebridegroom to the bride, come, my darling, do you know nothing.Relate something to us like the rest. She replied, then I willrelate a dream. I was walking alone through a wood, and at lastI came to a house, in which no living soul was, but on the wallthere was a bird in a cage which cried, turn back, turn back, young maiden dear, 'tis a murderer's house you enter here.And this it cried once more. My darling, I only dreamt this.Then I went through all the rooms, and they were all empty, andthere was something so horrible about them. At last I went downinto the cellar, and there sat a very very old woman, whose headshook. I asked her, does my bridegroom live in this house. Sheanswered, alas poor child, you have got into a murderer's den,your bridegroom does live here, but he will hew you in pieces,and kill you, and then he will cook you, and eat you. My darlingI only dreamt this. But the old woman hid me behind a greathogshead, and scarcely was I hidden, when the robbers came home,dragging a maiden with them, to whom they gave three kinds ofwine to drink, white, red, and yellow, with which her heart brokein twain. My darling, I only dreamt this. Thereupon they pulledoff her pretty clothes, and hewed her fair body in pieces on atable, and sprinkled them with salt. My darling, I only dreamtthis. And one of the robbers saw that there was still a ring onher little finger, and as it was hard to draw off, he took an axeand cut it off, but the finger sprang up in the air, and sprangbehind the great hogshead, and fell in my bosom. And there is thefinger with the ring. And with these words she drew it forth, andshowed it to those present.The robber, who had during this story become as pale as ashes,leapt up and wanted to escape, but the guests held him fast, anddelivered him over to justice. Then he and his whole troop wereexecuted for their infamous deeds.