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Once upon
a time...
A long time ago there lived a young prince whose favourite
playfellow was the son of the gardener who lived in the grounds of
the palace. The king would have preferred his choosing a friend from
the pages who were brought up at court; but the prince would have
nothing to say to them, and as he was a spoilt child, and allowed
his way in all things, and the gardener's boy was quiet and
well-behaved, he was suffered to be in the palace, morning, noon,
and night.
The game the children loved the best was a match at archery, for the
king had given them two bows exactly alike, and they would spend
whole days in trying to see which could shoot the highest. This is
always very dangerous, and it was a great wonder they did not put
their eyes out; but somehow or other they managed to escape.
One morning, when the prince had done his lessons, he ran out to
call his friend, and they both hurried off to the lawn which was
their usual playground. They took their bows out of the little hut
where their toys were kept, and began to see which could shoot the
highest. At last they happened to let fly their arrows both
together, and when they fell to earth again the tail feather of a
golden hen was found sticking in one. Now the question began to
arise whose was the lucky arrow, for they were both alike, and look
as closely as you would you could see no difference between them.
The prince declared that the arrow was his, and the gardener's boy
was quite sure it was his and on this occasion he was perfectly
right; but, as they could not decide the matter, they went straight
to the king.
When the king had heard the story, he decided that the feather
belonged to his son; but the other boy would not listen to this and
claimed the feather for himself. At length the king's patience gave
way, and he said angrily:
'Very well; if you are so sure that the feather is yours, yours it
shall be; only you will have to seek till you find a golden hen with
a feather missing from her tail. And if you fail to find her your
head will be the forfeit.'
The boy had need of all his courage to listen silently to the king's
words. He had no idea where the golden hen might be, or even, if he
discovered that, how he was to get to her. But there was nothing for
it but to do the king's bidding, and he felt that the sooner he left
the palace the better. So he went home and put some food into a bag,
and then set forth, hoping that some accident might show him which
path to take.
After walking for several hours he met a fox, who seemed inclined to
be friendly, and the boy was so glad to have anyone to talk to that
he sat down and entered into conversation.
'Where are you going?' asked the fox.
'I have got to find a golden hen who has lost a feather out of her
tail,' answered the boy; 'but I don't know where she lives or how I
shall catch her!'
'Oh, I can show you the way!' said the fox, who was really very
good-natured. 'Far towards the east, in that direction, lives a
beautiful maiden who is called "The Sister of the Sun." She has
three golden hens in her house. Perhaps the feather belongs to one
of them.'
The boy was delighted at this news, and they walked on all day
together, the fox in front, and the boy behind. When evening came
they lay down to sleep, and put the knapsack under their heads for a
pillow.
Suddenly, about midnight, the fox gave a low whine, and drew nearer
to his bedfellow. 'Cousin,' he whispered very low, 'there is someone
coming who will take the knapsack away from me. Look over there!'
And the boy, peeping through the bushes, saw a man.
'Oh, I don't think he will rob us!' said the boy; and when the man
drew near, he told them his story, which so much interested the
stranger that he asked leave to travel with them, as he might be of
some use. So when the sun rose they set out again, the fox in front
as before, the man and boy following.
After some hours they reached the castle of the Sister of the Sun,
who kept the golden hens among her treasures. They halted before the
gate and took counsel as to which of them should go in and see the
lady herself.
'I think it would be best for me to enter and steal the hens,' said
the fox; but this did not please the boy at all.
'No, it is my business, so it is right that I should go,' answered
he.
'You will find it a very difficult matter to get hold of the hens,'
replied the fox.
'Oh, nothing is likely to happen to me,' returned the boy.
'Well, go then,' said the fox, 'but be careful not to make any
mistake. Steal only the hen which has the feather missing from her
tail, and leave the others alone.'
The man listened, but did not interfere, and the boy entered the
court of the palace.
He soon spied the three hens strutting proudly about, though they
were really anxiously wondering if there were not some grains lying
on the ground that they might be glad to eat. And as the last one
passed by him, he saw she had one feather missing from her tail.
At this sight the youth darted forward and seized the hen by the
neck so that she could not struggle. Then, tucking her comfortably
under his arm, he made straight for the gate. Unluckily, just as he
was about to go through it he looked back and caught a glimpse of
wonderful splendours from an open door of the palace. 'After all,
there is no hurry,' he said to himself; 'I may as well see something
now I am here,' and turned back, forgetting all about the hen, which
escaped from under his arm, and ran to join her sisters.
He was so much fascinated by the sight of all the beautiful things
which peeped through the door that he scarcely noticed that he had
lost the prize he had won; and he did not remember there was such a
thing as a hen in the world when he beheld the Sister of the Sun
sleeping on a bed before him.
For some time he stood staring; then he came to himself with a
start, and feeling that he had no business there, softly stole away,
and was fortunate enough to recapture the hen, which he took with
him to the gate. On the threshold he stopped again. 'Why should I
not look at the Sister of the Sun?' he thought to himself; 'she is
asleep, and will never know.' And he turned back for the second time
and entered the chamber, while the hen wriggled herself free as
before. When he had gazed his fill he went out into the courtyard
and picked up his hen who was seeking for corn.
As he drew near the gate he paused. 'Why did I not give her a kiss?'
he said to himself; 'I shall never kiss any woman so beautiful.' And
he wrung his hands with regret, so that the hen fell to the ground
and ran away.
'But I can do it still!' he cried with delight, and he rushed back
to the chamber and kissed the sleeping maiden on the forehead. But,
alas! when he came out again he found that the hen had grown so shy
that she would not let him come near her. And, worse than that, her
sisters began to cluck so loud that the Sister of the Sun was
awakened by the noise. She jumped up in haste from her bed, and
going to the door she said to the boy:
'You shall never, never, have my hen till you bring me back my
sister who was carried off by a giant to his castle, which is a long
way off.'
Slowly and sadly the youth left the palace and told his story to his
friends, who were waiting outside the gate, how he had actually held
the hen three times in his arms and had lost her.
'I knew that we should not get off so easily,' said the fox, shaking
his head; 'but there is no more time to waste. Let us set off at
once in search of the sister. Luckily, I know the way.'
They walked on for many days, till at length the fox, who, as usual,
was going first, stopped suddenly.
'The giant's castle is not far now,' he said, 'but when we reach it
you two must remain outside while I go and fetch the princess.
Directly I bring her out you must both catch hold of her tight, and
get away as fast as you can; while I return to the castle and talk
to the giants for there are many of them so that they may not notice
the escape of the princess.'
A few minutes later they arrived at the castle, and the fox, who had
often been there before, slipped in without difficulty. There were
several giants, both young and old, in the hall, and they were all
dancing round the princess. As soon as they saw the fox they cried
out: 'Come and dance too, old fox; it is a long time since we have
seen you.'
So the fox stood up, and did his steps with the best of them; but
after a while he stopped and said:
'I know a charming new dance that I should like to show you; but it
can only be done by two people. If the princess will honour me for a
few minutes, you will soon see how it is done.'
'Ah, that is delightful; we want something new,' answered they, and
placed the princess between the outstretched arms of the fox. In one
instant he had knocked over the great stand of lights that lighted
the hall, and in the darkness had borne the princess to the gate.
His comrades seized hold of her, as they had been bidden, and the
fox was back again in the hall before anyone had missed him. He
found the giants busy trying to kindle a fire and get some light;
but after a bit someone cried out:
'Where is the princess?'
'Here, in my arms,' replied the fox. 'Don't be afraid; she is quite
safe.' And he waited until he thought that his comrades had gained a
good start, and put at least five or six mountains between
themselves and the giants. Then he sprang through the door, calling,
as he went: 'The maiden is here; take her if you can!'
At these words the giants understood that their prize had escaped,
and they ran after the fox as fast as their great legs could carry
them, thinking that they should soon come up with the fox, who they
supposed had the princess on his back. The fox, on his side, was far
too clever to choose the same path that his friends had taken, but
would in and out of the forest, till at last even he was tired out,
and fell fast asleep under a tree. Indeed, he was so exhausted with
his day's work that he never heard the approach of the giants, and
their hands were already stretched out to seize his tail when his
eyes opened, and with a tremendous bound he was once more beyond
their reach. All the rest of the night the fox ran and ran; but when
bright red spread over the east, he stopped and waited till the
giants were close upon him. Then he turned, and said quietly: 'Look,
there is the Sister of the Sun!'
The giants raised their eyes all at once, and were instantly turned
into pillars of stone. The fox then made each pillar a low bow, and
set off to join his friends.
He knew a great many short cuts across the hills, so it was not long
before he came up with them, and all four travelled night and day
till they reached the castle of the Sister of the Sun. What joy and
feasting there was throughout the palace at the sight of the
princess whom they had mourned as dead! and they could not make
enough of the boy who had gone through such dangers in order to
rescue her. The golden hen was given to him at once, and, more than
that, the Sister of the Sun told him that, in a little time, when he
was a few years older, she would herself pay a visit to his home and
become his wife. The boy could hardly believe his ears when he heard
what was in store for him, for his was the most beautiful princess
in all the world; and however thick the darkness might be, it fled
away at once from the light of a star on her forehead.
So the boy set forth on his journey home, with his friends for
company; his heart full of gladness when he thought of the promise
of the princess. But, one by one, his comrades dropped off at the
places where they had first met him, and he was quite alone when he
reached his native town and the gates of the palace. With the golden
hen under his arm he presented himself before the king, and told his
adventures, and how he was going to have for a wife a princess so
wonderful and unlike all other princesses, that the star on her
forehead could turn night into day. The king listened silently, and
when the boy had done, he said quietly: 'If I find that your story
is not true I will have you thrown into a cask of pitch.'
'It is true--every word of it,' answered the boy; and went on to
tell that the day and even the hour were fixed when his bride was to
come and seek him.
But as the time drew near, and nothing was heard of the princess,
the youth became anxious and uneasy, especially when it came to his
ears that the great cask was being filled with pitch, and that
sticks were laid underneath to make a fire to boil it with. All day
long the boy stood at the window, looking over the sea by which the
princess must travel; but there were no signs of her, not even the
tiniest white sail. And, as he stood, soldiers came and laid hands
on him, and led him up to the cask, where a big fire was blazing,
and the horrid black pitch boiling and bubbling over the sides. He
looked and shuddered, but there was no escape; so he shut his eyes
to avoid seeing.
The word was given for him to mount the steps which led to the top
of the cask, when, suddenly, some men were seen running with all
their might, crying as they went that a large ship with its sails
spread was making straight for the city. No one knew what the ship
was, or whence it came; but the king declared that he would not have
the boy burned before its arrival, there would always be time enough
for that.
At length the vessel was safe in port, and a whisper went through
the watching crowd that on board was the Sister of the Sun, who had
come to marry the young peasant as she had promised. In a few
moments more she had landed, and desired to be shown the way to the
cottage which her bridegroom had so often described to her; and
whither he had been led back by the king's order at the first sign
of the ship.
'Don't you know me?' asked the Sister of the Sun, bending over him
where he lay, almost driven out of his senses with terror.
'No, no; I don't know you,' answered the youth, without raising his
eyes.
'Kiss me,' said the Sister of the Sun; and the youth obeyed her, but
still without looking up.
'Don't you know me now?' asked she.
'No, I don't know you I don't know you,' he replied, with the manner
of a man whom fear had driven mad.
At this the Sister of the Sun grew rather frightened, and beginning
at the beginning, she told him the story of his meeting with her,
and how she had come a long way in order to marry him. And just as
she had finished in walked the king, to see if what the boy had said
was really true. But hardly had he opened the door of the cottage
when he was almost blinded by the light that filled it; and he
remembered what he had been told about the star on the forehead of
the princess. He staggered back as if he had been struck, then a
curious feeling took hold of him, which he had never felt before,
and falling on his knees before the Sister of the Sun, he implored
her to give up all thought of the peasant boy, and to share his
throne. But she laughed, and said she had a finer throne of her own,
if she wanted to sit on it, and that she was free to please herself,
and would have no husband but the boy whom she would never have seen
except for the king himself.
'I shall marry him to-morrow,' ended she; and ordered the
preparations to be set on foot at once.
When the next day came, however, the bridegroom's father informed
the princess that, by the law of the land, the marriage must take
place in the presence of the king; but he hoped his majesty would
not long delay his arrival. An hour or two passed, and everyone was
waiting and watching, when at last the sound of trumpets was heard
and a grand procession was seen marching up the street. A chair
covered with velvet had been made ready for the king, and he took
his seat upon it, and, looking round upon the assembled company, he
said:
'I have no wish to forbid this marriage; but, before I can allow it
to be celebrated, the bridegroom must prove himself worthy of such a
bride by fulfilling three tasks. And the first is that in a single
day he must cut down every tree in an entire forest.
The youth stood aghast as the king's words. He had never cut down a
tree in his life, and had not the least idea how to begin. And as
for a whole forest--! But the princess saw what was passing in his
mind, and whispered to him:
'Don't be afraid. In my ship you will find an axe, which you must
carry off to the forest. When you have cut down one tree with it
just say: "So let the forest fall," and in an instant all the trees
will be on the ground. But pick up three chips of the tree you
felled, and put them in your pocket.'
And the young man did exactly as he was bid, and soon returned with
the three chips safe in his coat.
The following morning the princess declared that she had been
thinking about the matter, and that, as she was not a subject of the
king, she saw no reason why she should be bound by his laws; and she
meant to be married that very day. But the bridegroom's father told
her that it was all very well for her to talk like that, but it was
quite different for his son, who would pay with his head for any
disobedience to the king's commands. However, in consideration of
what the youth had done the day before, he hoped his majesty's heart
might be softened, especially as he had sent a message that they
might expect him at once. With this the bridal pair had to be
content, and be as patient as they could till the king's arrival.
He did not keep them long, but they saw by his face that nothing
good awaited them.
'The marriage cannot take place,' he said shortly, 'till the youth
has joined to their roots all the trees he cut down yesterday.'
This sounded much more difficult than what he had done before, and
he turned in despair to the Sister of the Sun.
'It is all right,' she whispered encouragingly. 'Take this water and
sprinkle it on one of the fallen trees, and say to it: "So let all
the trees of the forest stand upright," and in a moment they will be
erect again.'
And the young man did what he was told, and left the forest looking
exactly as it had done before.
Now, surely, thought the princess, there was no longer any need to
put off the wedding; and she gave orders that all should be ready
for the following day. But again the old man interfered, and
declared that without the king's permission no marriage could take
place. For the third time his majesty was sent for, and for the
third time he proclaimed that he could not give his consent until
the bridegroom should have slain a serpent which dwelt in a broad
river that flowed at the back of the castle. Everyone knew stories
of this terrible serpent, though no one had actually seen it; but
from time to time a child strayed from home and never came back, and
then mothers would forbid the other children to go near the river,
which had juicy fruits and lovely flowers growing along its banks.
So no wonder the youth trembled and turned pale when he heard what
lay before him.
'You will succeed in this also,' whispered the Sister of the Sun,
pressing his hand, 'for in my ship is a magic sword which will cut
through everything. Go down to the river and unfasten a boat which
lies moored there, and throw the chips into the water. When the
serpent rears up its body you will cut off its three heads with one
blow of your sword. Then take the tip of each tongue and go with it
to-morrow morning into the king's kitchen. If the king himself
should enter, just say to him: "Here are three gifts I offer you in
return for the services you demanded of me!" and throw the tips of
the serpent's tongues at him, and hasten to the ship as fast as your
legs will carry you. But be sure you take great care never to look
behind you.'
The young man did exactly what the princess had told him. The three
chips which he flung into the river became a boat, and, as he
steered across the stream, the serpent put up its head and hissed
loudly. The youth had his sword ready, and in another second the
three heads were bobbing on the water. Guiding his boat till he was
beside them, he stooped down and snipped off the ends of the
tongues, and then rowed back to the other bank. Next morning he
carried them into the royal kitchen, and when the king entered, as
was his custom, to see what he was going to have for dinner, the
bridegroom flung them in his face, saying: 'Here is a gift for you
in return for the services you asked of me.' And, opening the
kitchen door, he fled to the ship. Unluckily he missed the way, and
in his excitement ran backwards and forwards, without knowing
whither he was going. At last, in despair, he looked round, and saw
to his amazement that both the city and palace had vanished
completely. Then he turned his eyes in the other direction, and,
far, far away, he caught sight of the ship with her sails spread,
and a fair wind behind her.
This dreadful spectacle seemed to take away his senses, and all day
long he wandered about, without knowing where he was going, till, in
the evening, he noticed some smoke from a little hut of turf near
by. He went straight up to it and cried: 'O mother, let me come in
for pity's sake!' The old woman who lived in the hut beckoned to him
to enter, and hardly was he inside when he cried again: 'O mother,
can you tell me anything of the Sister of the Sun?'
But the woman only shook her head. 'No, I know nothing of her,' said
she.
The young man turned to leave the hut, but the old woman stopped
him, and, giving him a letter, begged him to carry it to her next
eldest sister, saying: 'If you should get tired on the way, take out
the letter and rustle the paper.'
This advice surprised the young man a good deal, as he did not see
how it could help him; but he did not answer, and went down the road
without knowing where he was going. At length he grew so tired he
could walk no more; then he remembered what the old woman had said.
After he had rustled the leaves only once all fatigue disappeared,
and he strode over the grass till he came to another little turf
hut.
'Let me in, I pray you, dear mother,' cried he. And the door opened
in front of him. 'Your sister has sent you this letter,' he said,
and added quickly: 'O mother! can you tell me anything of the Sister
of the Sun?'
'No, I know nothing of her,' answered she. But as he turned
hopelessly away, she stopped him.
'If you happen to pass my eldest sister's house, will you give her
this letter?' said she. 'And if you should get tired on the road,
just take it out of your pocket and rustle the paper.'
So the young man put the letter in his pocket, and walked all day
over the hills till he reached a little turf hut, exactly like the
other two.
'Let me in, I pray you, dear mother,' cried he. And as he entered he
added: 'Here is a letter from your sister and--can you tell me
anything of the Sister of the Sun?'
'Yes, I can,' answered the old woman. 'She lives in the castle on
the Banka. Her father lost a battle only a few days ago because you
had stolen his sword from him, and the Sister of the Sun herself is
almost dead of grief. But, when you see her, stick a pin into the
palm of her hand, and suck the drops of blood that flow. Then she
will grow calmer, and will know you again. Only, beware; for before
you reach the castle on the Banka fearful things will happen.'
He thanked the old woman with tears of gladness for the good news
she had given him, and continued his journey. But he had not gone
very far when, at a turn of the road, he met with two brothers, who
were quarrelling over a piece of cloth.
'My good men, what are you fighting about?' said he. 'That cloth
does not look worth much!'
'Oh, it is ragged enough,' answered they, 'but it was left us by our
father, and if any man wraps it round him no one can see him; and we
each want it for our own.'
'Let me put it round me for a moment,' said the youth, 'and then I
will tell you whose it ought to be!'
The brothers were pleased with this idea, and gave him the stuff;
but the moment he had thrown it over his shoulder he disappeared as
completely as if he had never been there at all.
Meanwhile the young man walked briskly along, till he came up with
two other men, who were disputing over a table-cloth.
'What is the matter?' asked he, stopping in front of them.
'If this cloth is spread on a table,' answered they, 'the table is
instantly covered with the most delicious food; and we each want to
have it.'
'Let me try the table-cloth,' said the youth, 'and I will tell you
whose it ought to be.'
The two men were quite pleased with this idea, and handed him the
cloth. He then hastily threw the first piece of stuff round his
shoulders and vanished from sight, leaving the two men grieving over
their own folly.
The young man had not walked far before he saw two more men standing
by the road-side, both grasping the same stout staff, and sometimes
one seemed on the point of getting it, and sometimes the other.
'What are you quarrelling about? You could cut a dozen sticks from
the wood each just as good as that!' said the young man. And as he
spoke the fighters both stopped and looked at him.
'Ah! you may think so,' said one, 'but a blow from one end of this
stick will kill a man, while a touch from the other end will bring
him back to life. You won't easily find another stick like that!'
'No; that is true,' answered the young man. 'Let me just look at it,
and I will tell you whose it ought to be.'
The men were pleased with the idea, and handed him the staff.
'It is very curious, certainly,' said he; 'but which end is it that
restores people to life? After all, anyone can be killed by a blow
from a stick if it is only hard enough!' But when he was shown the
end he threw the stuff over his shoulders and vanished.
At last he saw another set of men, who were struggling for the
possession of a pair of shoes.
'Why can't you leave that pair of old shoes alone?' said he. 'Why,
you could not walk a yard in them!'
'Yes, they are old enough,' answered they; 'but whoever puts them on
and wishes himself at a particular place, gets there without going.'
'That sounds very clever,' said the youth. 'Let me try them, and
then I shall be able to tell you whose they ought to be.'
The idea pleased the men, and they handed him the shoes; but the
moment they were on his feet he cried:
'I wish to be in the castle on the Banka!' And before he knew it, he
was there, and found the Sister of the Sun dying of grief. He knelt
down by her side, and pulling a pin he stuck it into the palm of her
hand, so that a drop of blood gushed out. This he sucked, as he had
been told to do by the old woman, and immediately the princess came
to herself, and flung her arms round his neck. Then she told him all
her story, and what had happened since the ship had sailed away
without him. 'But the worst misfortune of all,' she added, 'was a
battle which my father lost because you had vanished with his magic
sword; and out of his whole army hardly one man was left.'
'Show me the battle-field,' said he. And she took him to a wild
heath, where the dead were lying as they fell, waiting for burial.
One by one he touched them with the end of his staff, till at length
they all stood before him. Throughout the kingdom there was nothing
but joy; and this time the wedding was really celebrated. And the
bridal pair lived happily in the castle on the Banka till they died.
The Sister of the Sun
from the Brown Fairy Book
Story Edited
by Andrew Lang |
