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Once upon
a time...
An old queen, whose husband had been dead for many years, had
a beautiful daughter. When she grew up she was betrothed to a prince
who lived a great way off. Now, when the time drew near for her to
be married and to depart into a foreign kingdom, her old mother gave
her much costly baggage, and many ornaments, gold and silver,
trinkets and knickknacks, and, in fact, everything that belonged to
a royal trousseau, for she loved her daughter very dearly. She gave
her a waiting- maid also, who was to ride with her and hand her over
to the bridegroom, and she provided each of them with a horse for
the journey. Now the Princess's horse was called Falada, and could
speak.
When the hour for departure drew near the old mother went to her
bedroom, and taking a small knife she cut her fingers till they
bled; then she held a white rag under them, and letting three drops
of blood fall into it, she gave it to her daughter, and said: "Dear
child, take great care of this rag: it may be of use to you on the
journey."
So they took a sad farewell of each other, and the Princess stuck
the rag in front of her dress, mounted her horse, and set forth on
the journey to her bridegroom's kingdom. After they had ridden for
about an hour the Princess began to feel very thirsty, and said to
her waiting- maid: "Pray get down and fetch me some water in my
golden cup out of yonder stream: I would like a drink." "If you're
thirsty," said the maid, "dismount yourself, and lie down by the
water and drink; I don't mean to be your servant any longer." The
Princess was so thirsty that she got down, bent over the stream, and
drank, for she wasn't allowed to drink out of the golden goblet. As
she drank she murmured: "Oh! heaven, what am I to do?" and the three
drops of blood replied:
"If your mother only knew, Her heart would surely break in two."
But the Princess was meek, and said nothing about her maid's rude
behavior, and quietly mounted her horse again. They rode on their
way for several miles, but the day was hot, and the sun's rays smote
fiercely on them, so that the Princess was soon overcome by thirst
again. And as they passed a brook she called once more to her
waiting-maid: "Pray get down and give me a drink from my golden
cup," for she had long ago forgotten her maid's rude words. But the
waiting-maid replied, more haughtily even than before: "If you want
a drink, you can dismount and get it; I don't mean to be your
servant." Then the Princess was compelled by her thirst to get down,
and bending over the flowing water she cried and said: "Oh! heaven,
what am I to do?" and the three drops of blood replied:
"If your mother only knew, Her heart would surely break in two."
And as she drank thus, and leaned right over the water, the rag
containing the three drops of blood fell from her bosom and floated
down the stream, and she in her anxiety never even noticed her loss.
But the waiting-maid had observed it with delight, as she knew it
gave her power over the bride, for in losing the drops of blood the
Princess had become weak and powerless. When she wished to get on
her horse Falada again, the waiting- maid called out: "I mean to
ride Falada: you must mount my beast"; and this too she had to
submit to. Then the waiting-maid commanded her harshly to take off
her royal robes, and to put on her common ones, and finally she made
her swear by heaven not to say a word about the matter when they
reached the palace; and if she hadn't taken this oath she would have
been killed on the spot. But Falada observed everything, and laid it
all to heart.
The waiting-maid now mounted Falada, and the real bride the worse
horse, and so they continued their journey till at length they
arrived at the palace yard. There was great rejoicing over the
arrival, and the Prince sprang forward to meet them, and taking the
waiting-maid for his bride, he lifted her down from her horse and
led her upstairs to the royal chamber. In the meantime the real
Princess was left standing below in the courtyard. The old King, who
was looking out of his window, beheld her in this plight, and it
struck him how sweet and gentle, even beautiful, she looked. He went
at once to the royal chamber, and asked the bride who it was she had
brought with her and had left thus standing in the court below.
"Oh!" replied the bride, "I brought her with me to keep me company
on the journey; give the girl something to do, that she may not be
idle." But the old King had no work for her, and couldn't think of
anything; so he said, "I've a small boy who looks after the geese,
she'd better help him." The youth's name was Curdken, and the real
bride was made to assist him in herding geese.
Soon after this the false bride said to the Prince: "Dearest
husband, I pray you grant me a favor." He answered: "That I will."
"Then let the slaughterer cut off the head of the horse I rode here
upon, because it behaved very badly on the journey." But the truth
was she was afraid lest the horse should speak and tell how she had
treated the Princess. She carried her point, and the faithful Falada
was doomed to die. When the news came to the ears of the real
Princess she went to the slaughterer, and secretly promised him a
piece of gold if he would do something for her. There was in the
town a large dark gate, through which she had to pass night and
morning with the geese; would he "kindly hang up Falada's head
there, that she might see it once again?" The slaughterer said he
would do as she desired, chopped off the head, and nailed it firmly
over the gateway.
Early next morning, as she and Curdken were driving their flock
through the gate, she said as she passed under: "Oh! Falada, 'tis
you hang there";
and the head replied:
" 'Tis you; pass under, Princess fair: If your mother only knew, Her
heart would surely break in two."
Then she left the tower and drove the geese into a field. And when
they had reached the common where the geese fed she sat down and
unloosed her hair, which was of pure gold. Curdken loved to see it
glitter in the sun, and wanted much to pull some hair out. Then she
spoke:
"Wind, wind, gently sway
Blow Curdken's hat away
Let him chase o'er field and wold
Till my locks of ruddy gold
Now astray and hanging down
Be combed and plaited in a crown."
Then a gust of wind blew Curdken's hat away, and he had to chase it
over hill and dale. When he returned from the pursuit she had
finished her combing and curling, and his chance of getting any hair
was gone. Curdken was very angry, and wouldn't speak to her. So they
herded the geese till evening and then went home.
The next morning, as they passed under the gate, the girl said:
"Oh! Falada, 'tis you hang there";
and the head replied:
" 'Tis you; pass under, Princess fair: If your mother only knew, Her
heart would surely break in two."
Then she went on her way till she came to the common, where she sat
down and began to comb out her hair; then Curdken ran up to her and
wanted to grasp some of the hair from her head, but she called out
hastily:
"Wind, wind, gently sway, Blow Curdken's hat away; Let him chase
o'er field and wold Till my locks of ruddy gold, Now astray and
hanging down, Be combed and plaited in a crown."
Then a puff of wind came and blew Curdken's hat far away, so that he
had to run after it; and when he returned she had long finished
putting up her golden locks, and he couldn't get any hair; so they
watched the geese till it was dark.
But that evening when they got home Curdken went to the old King,
and said: "I refuse to herd geese any longer with that girl." "For
what reason?" asked the old King. "Because she does nothing but
annoy me all day long," replied Curdken; and he proceeded to relate
all her iniquities, and said: "Every morning as we drive the flock
through the dark gate she says to a horse's head that hangs on the
wall:
"`Oh! Falada, 'tis you hang there';
and the head replies:
"`'Tis you; pass under, Princess fair: If your mother only knew, Her
heart would surely break in two.'"
And Curdken went on to tell what passed on the common where the
geese fed, and how he had always to chase his hat.
The old King bade him go and drive forth his flock as usual next
day; and when morning came he himself took up his position behind
the dark gate, and heard how the goose-girl greeted Falada. Then he
followed her through the field, and hid himself behind a bush on the
common. He soon saw with his own eyes how the goose-boy and the
goose-girl looked after the geese, and how after a time the maiden
sat down and loosed her hair, that glittered like gold, and
repeated:
"Wind, wind, gently sway, Blow Curdken's hat away; Let him chase
o'er field and wold Till my locks of ruddy gold Now astray and
hanging down, Be combed and plaited in a crown."
Then a gust of wind came and blew Curdken's hat away, so that he had
to fly over hill and dale after it, and the girl in the meantime
quietly combed and plaited her hair: all this the old King observed,
and returned to the palace without anyone having noticed him. In the
evening when the goose-girl came home he called her aside, and asked
her why she behaved as she did. "I may not tell you why; how dare I
confide my woes to anyone? for I swore not to by heaven, otherwise I
should have lost my life." The old King begged her to tell him all,
and left her no peace, but he could get nothing out of her. At last
he said: "Well, if you won't tell me, confide your trouble to the
iron stove there," and he went away. Then she crept to the stove,
and began to sob and cry and to pour out her poor little heart, and
said: "Here I sit, deserted by all the world, I who am a king's
daughter, and a false waiting- maid has forced me to take off my own
clothes, and has taken my place with my bridegroom, while I have to
fulfil the lowly office of goose-girl.
"If my mother only knew Her heart would surely break in two."
But the old King stood outside at the stove chimney, and listened to
her words. Then he entered the room again, and bidding her leave the
stove, he ordered royal apparel to be put on her, in which she
looked amazingly lovely. Then he summoned his son, and revealed to
him that he had got the false bride, who was nothing but a
waiting-maid, while the real one, in the guise of the ex-
goose-girl, was standing at his side. The young King rejoiced from
his heart when he saw her beauty and learned how good she was, and a
great banquet was prepared, to which everyone was bidden. The
bridegroom sat at the head of the table, the Princess on one side of
him and the waiting-maid on the other; but she was so dazzled that
she did not recognize the Princess in her glittering garments. Now
when they had eaten and drunk, and were merry, the old King asked
the waiting-maid to solve a knotty point for him. "What," said he,
"should be done to a certain person who has deceived everyone?" and
he proceeded to relate the whole story, ending up with, "Now what
sentence should be passed?" Then the false bride answered: "She
deserves to be put stark naked into a barrel lined with sharp nails,
which should be dragged by two white horses up and down the street
till she is dead."
"You are the person," said the King, "and you have passed sentence
on yourself; and even so it shall be done to you." And when the
sentence had been carried out the young King was married to his real
bride, and both reigned over the kingdom in peace and happiness.
The Goose-Girl
from the Blue Fairy Book
Story Edited
by Andrew Lang |
