Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

Book LLL: The Elf

There was once upon a time a rich king who had three daughters, whodaily went to walk in the palace garden, and the king was a greatlover of all kinds of fine trees, but there was one for which he hadsuch an affection, that if anyone gathered an apple from it he wishedhim a hundred fathoms underground. And when harvest time came, theapples on this tree were all as red as blood. The three daughterswent every day beneath the tree, and looked to see if the wind hadnot blown down an apple, but they never by any chance found one, andthe tree was so loaded with them that it was almost breaking, and thebranches hung down to the ground.Then the king's youngest child had a great desire for an apple, andsaid to her sisters, our father loves us far too much to wish usunderground, it is my belief that he would only do that to people whowere strangers. And while she was speaking, the child plucked offquite a large apple, and ran to her sisters, saying, just taste, mydear little sisters, for never in my life have I tasted anything sodelightful. Then the two other sisters also ate some of the apple,whereupon all three sank deep down into the earth, where they couldhear no cock crow.When mid-day came, the king wished to call them to come to dinner,but they were nowhere to be found. He sought them everywhere in thepalace and garden, but could not find them. Then he was muchtroubled, and made known to the whole land that whosoever brought hisdaughters back again should have one of them to wife. Hereupon somany young men went about the country in search, that there was nocounting them, for everyone loved the three children because theywere so kind to all, and so fair of face.Three young huntsmen also went out, and when they had traveled aboutfor eight days, they arrived at a great castle, in which werebeautiful apartments, and in one room a table was laid on which weredelicate dishes which were still so warm that they were smoking, butin the whole of the castle no human being was either to be seen orheard. They waited there for half a day, and the food still remainedwarm and smoking, and at length they were so hungry that they satdown and ate, and agreed with each other that they would stay andlive in that castle, and that one of them, who should be chosen bycasting lots, should remain in the house, and the two others seek theking's daughters.They cast lots, and the lot fell on the eldest, so next day the twoyounger went out to seek, and the eldest had to stay home. Atmid-day came a small, small mannikin and begged for a piece of bread,then the huntsman took the bread which he had found there, and cut around off the loaf and was about to give it to him, but while he wasgiving it to the mannikin, the latter let it fall, and asked thehuntsman to be so good as to give him that piece again. The huntsmanwas about to do so and stooped, on which the mannikin took a stick,seized him by the hair, and gave him a good beating.Next day, the second stayed at home, and he fared no better. When thetwo others returned in the evening, the eldest said, well, how haveyou got on? Oh, very badly, said he, and then they lamented theirmisfortune together, but they said nothing about it to the youngest,for they did not like him at all, and always called him stupid Hans,because he did not know the ways of the world.On the third day, the youngest stayed at home, and again the littlemannikin came and begged for a piece of bread. When the youth gaveit to him, the elf let it fall as before, and asked him to be so goodas to give him that piece again. Then said Hans to the littlemannikin, what, can you not pick up that piece yourself? If you willnot take as much trouble as that for your daily bread, you do notdeserve to have it. Then the mannikin grew very angry and said hewas to do it, but the huntsman would not, and took my dear mannikin,and gave him a thorough beating. Then the mannikin screamedterribly, and cried, stop, stop, and let me go, and I will tell youwhere the king's daughters are. When Hans heard that, he left off beating him and the mannikin toldhim that he was a gnome, and that there were more than a thousandlike him, and that if he would go with him he would show him wherethe king's daughters were. Then he showed him a deep well, but therewas no water in it. And the elf said that he knew well that thecompanions Hans had with him did not intend to deal honorably withhim, therefore if he wished to deliver the king's children, he mustdo it alone.The two other brothers would also be very glad to recover the king'sdaughters, but they did not want to have any trouble or danger. Hanswas therefore to take a large basket, and he must seat himself in itwith his hunting knife and a bell, and be let down. Below are threerooms, and in each of them was a princess, who was lousing a dragonwith many heads, which he must cut off. And having said all this,the elf vanished.When it was evening the two brothers came and asked how he had goton, and he said, pretty well so far, and that he had seen no oneexcept at mid-day when a little mannikin had come and begged for apiece of bread, that he had given some to him, but that the mannikinhad let it fall and had asked him to pick it up again, but as he didnot choose to do that, the elf had begun to scold, and that he hadlost his temper, and had given the elf a beating, at which he hadtold him where the king's daughters were. Then the two were so angryat this that they grew green and yellow.Next morning they went to the well together, and drew lots who shouldfirst seat himself in the basket, and again the lot fell on theeldest, and he was to seat himself in it, and take the bell with him.Then he said, if I ring, you must draw me up again immediately. Whenhe had gone down for a short distance, he rang, and they at once drewhim up again. Then the second seated himself in the basket, but hedid just the same as the first, and then it was the turn of theyoungest, but he let himself be lowered quite to the bottom.When he had got out of the basket, he took his knife, and went andstood outside the first door and listened, and heard the dragonsnoring quite loudly. He opened the door slowly, and one of theprincesses was sitting there, and had nine dragon's heads lying uponher lap, and was lousing them. Then he took his knife and hewed atthem, and the nine fell off. The princess sprang up, threw her armsround his neck, embraced and kissed him repeatedly, and took herstomacher, which was made of pure gold, and hung it round his neck.Then he went to the second princess, who had a dragon with five headsto louse, and delivered her also, and to the youngest, who had adragon with four heads, he went likewise. And they all rejoiced, andembraced him and kissed him without stopping. Then he rang veryloud, so that those above heard him, and he placed the princesses oneafter the other in the basket, and had them all drawn up, but when itcame to his own turn he remembered the words of the elf, who had toldhim that his comrades did not mean well by him. So he took a greatstone which was lying there, and placed it in the basket, and when itwas about half way up, his false brothers above cut the rope, so thatthe basket with the stone fell to the ground, and they thought thathe was dead, and ran away with the three princesses, making thempromise to tell their father that it was they who had delivered them.Then they went to the king, and each demanded a princess in marriage.In the meantime the youngest huntsman was wandering about the threechambers in great trouble, fully expecting to have to end his daysthere, when he saw, hanging on the wall, a flute, then said he, whydo you hang there. No one can be merry here.He looked at the dragons, heads likewise and said, you too cannothelp me now. He walked to and fro for such a long time that he madethe surface of the ground quite smooth. But at last other thoughtscame to his mind, and he took the flute from the wall, and played afew notes on it, and suddenly a number of elves appeared, and withevery note that he sounded one more came. Then he played until theroom was entirely filled.They all asked what he desired, so he said he wished to get aboveground back to daylight, on which they seized him by every hair thatgrew on his head, and thus they flew with him onto the earth again.When he was above ground, he at once went to the king's palace, justas the wedding of one princess was about to be celebrated, and hewent to the room where the king and his three daughters were. Whenthe princesses saw him they fainted.Hereupon the king was angry, and ordered him to be put in prison atonce, because he thought he must have done some injury to thechildren. When the princesses came to themselves, however, theyentreated the king to set him free again.The king asked why, and they said that they were not allowed to tellthat, but their father said that they were to tell it to the stove.And he went out, listened at the door, and heard everything. Then hecaused the two brothers to be hanged on the gallows, and to the thirdhe gave his youngest daughter, and on that occasion I wore a pair ofglass shoes, and I struck them against a stone, and they said, klink,and were broken.