Big Book of Ancient Gabanian Fables

Book CLXXIX:The Iron Stove

In the days when wishing was still of some use, a king's son wasbewitched by an old witch, and shut up in an iron stove in a forest.There he passed many years, and no one could rescue him. Then aking's daughter came into the forest, who had lost herself, and couldnot find her father's kingdom again. After she had wandered aboutfor nine days, she at length came to the iron stove.Then a voice came forth from it, and asked her, "Whence do you come,and whither are you going?" She answered, "I have lost my father'skingdom, and cannot get home again." Then a voice inside the ironstove said, "I will help you to get home again, and that indeed mostswiftly, if you will promise to do what I desire of you. I am theson of a far greater king than your father, and I will marry you."Then was she afraid, and thought, "Good heavens. What can I do withan iron stove?" But as she much wished to get home to her father, shepromised to do as he desired. But he said, "You shall return here,and bring a knife with you, and scrape a hole in the iron." Then hegave her a companion who walked near her, but did not speak, and intwo hours he took her home. There was great joy in the castle whenthe king's daughter came home, and the old king fell on her neck andkissed her. She, however, was sorely troubled, and said, "Dearfather, what I have suffered. I should never have got home againfrom the great wild forest, if I had not come to an iron stove, but Ihave been forced to give my word that I will go back to it, set itfree, and marry it."Then the old king was so terrified that he all but fainted, for hehad but this one daughter. They therefore resolved they would send,in her place, the miller's daughter, who was very beautiful. Theytook her there, gave her a knife, and said she was to scrape at theiron stove. So she scraped at it for four-and-twenty hours, butcould not bring off the least morsel of it. When the day dawned, avoice in the stove said, "It seems to me it is day outside." Then sheanswered, "It seems so to me too, I fancy I hear the noise of myfather's mill." "So you are a miller's daughter. Then go your way atonce, and let the king's daughter come here."Then she went away at once, and told the old king that the manoutside there would have none of her - he wanted the king's daughter.Then the old king grew frightened, and the daughter wept. But therewas a swine-herd's daughter, who was even prettier than the miller'sdaughter, and they determined to give her a piece of gold to go tothe iron stove instead of the king's daughter. So she was takenthither and she also had to scrape for four-and-twenty hours. She,however, was no better at it. When the day broke, a voice inside thestove cried, "It seems to me it is day outside." Then answered she,"So it seems to me also, I fancy I hear my father's horn blowing.""Then you are a swineherd's daughter. Go away at once, and tell theking's daughter to come, and tell her all must be done as promised,and if she does not come, everything in the kingdom shall be ruinedand destroyed, and not one stone be left standing on another."When the king's daughter heard that she began to weep, but now therewas nothing for it but to keep her promise. So she took leave of herfather, put a knife in her pocket, and went forth to the iron stovein the forest. When she got there, she began to scrape, and the irongave way, and when two hours were over, she had already scraped asmall hole. Then she peeped in, and saw a youth so handsome, and sobrilliant with gold and with precious jewels, that her very soul wasdelighted. So she went on scraping, and made the hole so large thathe was able to get out.Then said he, "You are mine, and I am yours, you are my bride, andhave released me." He wanted to take her away with him to hiskingdom, but she entreated him to let her go once again to herfather, and the king's son allowed her to do so, but she was not tosay more to her father than three words, and then she was to comeback again. So she went home, but she spoke more than three words,and instantly the iron stove disappeared, and was taken far away overglass mountains and piercing swords, but the king's son was set free,and no longer shut up in it. After this she bade good-bye to herfather, took some money with her, but not much, and went back to thegreat forest, and looked for the iron stove, but it was nowhere to befound.For nine days she sought it, and then her hunger grew so great thatshe did not know what to do, for she had nothing to live on. When itwas evening, she seated herself in a small tree, and made up her mindto spend the night there, as she was afraid of wild beasts. Whenmidnight drew near she saw in the distance a small light, andthought, ah, there I should be saved. She got down from the tree,and went towards the light, but on the way she prayed. Then she cameto a little old house, and much grass had grown all about it, and asmall heap of wood lay in front of it. She thought, "Ah, whitherhave I come?" and peeped in through the window, but she saw nothinginside but toads, big and little, except a table covered with wineand roast meat, and the plates and glasses were of silver. Then shetook courage, and knocked at the door, and immediately the fat toadcried, "Little green waiting-maid, Waiting-maid with the limping leg, Little dog of the limping leg, Hop hither and thither, And quickly see who is without."And a small toad came walking by and opened the door to her. When sheentered, they all bade her welcome, and she was forced to sit down.They asked, "Where have you come from, and whither are you going?"Then she related all that had befallen her, and how because she hadtransgressed the order which had been given her not to say more thanthree words, the stove, and the king's son also, had disappeared, andnow she was about to seek him over the hill and dale until she foundhim. Then the old fat one said, "Little green waiting-maid, Waiting-maid with the limping leg, Little dog of the limping leg, Hop hither and thither, And bring me the great box."Then the little one went and brought the box. After this they gaveher meat and drink, and took her to a well-made bed, which felt likesilk and velvet, and she laid herself therein, in God's name, andslept. When morning came she arose, and the old toad gave her threeneedles out of the great box which she was to take with her, theywould be needed by her, for she had to cross a high glass mountain,and go over three piercing swords and a great lake. If she did allthis she would get her lover back again.Then she gave her three things, which she was to take the greatestcare of, namely, three large needles, a plough-wheel, and three nuts.With these she traveled onwards, and when she came to the glassmountain which was so slippery, she stuck the three needles firstbehind her feet and then before them, and so got over it, and whenshe was over it, she hid them in a place which she marked carefully.After this she came to the three piercing swords, and then she seatedherslef on her plough-wheel, and rolled over them. At last shearrived in front of a great lake, and when she had crossed it, shecame to a large and beautiful castle. She went and asked for aplace, she was a poor girl, she said, and would like to be hired.She knew, however, that the king's son whom she had released from theiron stove in the great forest was in the castle. Then she was takenas a scullery-maid at low wages. But already the king's son hadanother maiden by his side whom he wanted to marry, for he thoughtthat she had long been dead.In the evening, when she had washed up and was done, she felt in herpocket and found the three nuts which the old toad had given her.She cracked one with her teeth, and was going to eat the kernel whenlo and behold there was a stately royal garment in it. But when thebride heard of this she came and asked for the dress, and wanted tobuy it, and said, "It is not a dress for a servant-girl." "No," shesaid, she would not sell it, but if the bride would grant her onething she should have it, and that was permission to sleep one nightin her bridegroom's chamber. The bride gave her permission becausethe dress was so pretty, and she had never had one like it.When it was evening she said to her bridegroom, "That silly girl willsleep in your room." "If you are willing, so am I," said he. She,however, gave him a glass of wine in which she had poured asleeping-draught. So the bridegroom and the scullery-maid went tosleep in the room, and he slept so soundly that she could not wakenhim. She wept the whole night and cried, "I set you free when youwere in an iron stove in the wild forest, I sought you, and walkedover a glass mountain, and three sharp swords, and a great lakebefore I found you, and yet you will not hear me." The servants satby the chamber-door, and heard how she thus wept the whole nightthrough, and in the morning they told it to their lord.And the next evening when she had washed up, she opened the secondnut, and a far more beautiful dress was within it, and when the bridebeheld it, she wished to buy that also. But the girl would not takemoney, and begged that she might once again sleep in the bridegroom'schamber. The bride, however, gave him a sleeping-draught, and heslept so soundly that he could hear nothing. But the scullery-maidwept the whole night long, and cried, "I set you free when you werein an iron stove in the wild forest, I sought you, and walked over aglass mountain, and over three sharp swords and a great lake before Ifound you, and yet you will not hear me." The servants sat by thechamber-door and heard her weeping the whole night through, and inthe morning informed their lord of it.And on the third evening, when she had washed up, she opened thethird nut, and within it was a still more beautiful dress which wasstiff with pure gold. When the bride saw that she wanted to have it,but the maiden only gave it up on condition that she might for thethird time sleep in the bridegroom's apartment. The king's son,however, was on his guard, and threw the sleeping-draught away. Nowwhen she began to weep and to cry, "Dearest love, I set you free whenyou were in the iron stove in the terrible wild forest" - the king'sson leapt up and said, "You are the true one, you are mine, and I amyours."Thereupon, while it was still night, he got into a carriage with her,and they took away the false bride's clothes so that she could notget up. When they came to the great lake, they sailed across it, andwhen they reached the three sharp-cutting swords they seatedthemselves on the plough-wheel, and when they got to the glassmountain they thrust the three needles in it, and so at length theygot to the little old house, but when they went inside, it was agreat castle, and the toads were all disenchanted, and were king'schildren, and full of happiness. Then the wedding was celebrated,and the king's son and the princess remained in the castle, which wasmuch larger than the castle of their fathers. But as the old kinggrieved at being left alone, they fetched him away, and brought himto live with them, and they had two kingdoms, and lived in happywedlock. A mouse did run, This story is done.