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Once upon
a time...
There was once a farmer who lived in great comfort. He had
both lands and money, but, though he was so well off, one thing was
wanting to complete his happiness; he had no children. Many and many
a time, when he met other farmers at the nearest market town, they
would teaze him, asking how it came about that he was childless. At
length he grew so angry that he exclaimed: 'I must and will have a
child of some sort or kind, even should it only be a hedgehog!'
Not long after this his wife gave birth to a child, but though the
lower half of the little creature was a fine boy, from the waist
upwards it was a hedgehog, so that when his mother first saw him she
was quite frightened, and said to her husband, 'There now, you have
cursed the child yourself.' The farmer said, 'What's the use of
making a fuss? I suppose the creature must be christened, but I
don't see how we are to ask anyone to be sponsor to him, and what
are we to call him?'
'There is nothing we can possibly call him but Jack my Hedgehog,'
replied the wife.
So they took him to be christened, and the parson said: 'You'll
never be able to put that child in a decent bed on account of his
prickles.' Which was true, but they shook down some straw for him
behind the stove, and there he lay for eight years. His father grew
very tired of him and often wished him dead, but he did not die, but
lay on there year after year.
Now one day there was a big fair at the market town to which the
farmer meant to go, so he asked his wife what he should bring her
from it. 'Some meat and a couple of big loaves for the house,' said
she. Then he asked the maid what she wanted, and she said a pair of
slippers and some stockings. Lastly he said, 'Well, Jack my
Hedgehog, and what shall I bring you?'
'Daddy,' said he, 'do bring me a bagpipe.' When the farmer came home
he gave his wife and the maid the things they had asked for, and
then he went behind the stove and gave Jack my Hedgehog the
bagpipes.
When Jack had got his bagpipes he said, 'Daddy, do go to the smithy
and have the house cock shod for me; then I'll ride off and trouble
you no more.' His father, who was delighted at the prospect of
getting rid of him, had the cock shod, and when it was ready Jack my
Hedgehog mounted on its back and rode off to the forest, followed by
all the pigs and asses which he had promised to look after.
Having reached the forest he made the cock fly up to the top of a
very tall tree with him, and there he sat looking after his pigs and
donkeys, and he sat on and on for several years till he had quite a
big herd; but all this time his father knew nothing about him.
As he sat up in his tree he played away on his pipes and drew the
loveliest music from them. As he was playing one day a King, who had
lost his way, happened to pass close by, and hearing the music he
was much surprised, and sent one of his servants to find out where
it came from. The man peered about, but he could see nothing but a
little creature which looked like a cock with a hedgehog sitting on
it, perched up in a tree. The King desired the servant to ask the
strange creature why it sat there, and if it knew the shortest way
to his kingdom.
On this Jack my Hedgehog stepped down from his tree and said he
would undertake to show the King his way home if the King on his
part would give him his written promise to let him have whatever
first met him on his return.
The King thought to himself, 'That's easy enough to promise. The
creature won't understand a word about it, so I can just write what
I choose.'
So he took pen and ink and wrote something, and when he had done
Jack my Hedgehog pointed out the way and the King got safely home.
Now when the King's daughter saw her father returning in the
distance she was so delighted that she ran to meet him and threw
herself into his arms. Then the King remembered Jack my Hedgehog,
and he told his daughter how he had been obliged to give a written
promise to bestow whatever he first met when he got home on an
extraordinary creature which had shown him the way. The creature,
said he, rode on a cock as though it had been a horse, and it made
lovely music, but as it certainly could not read he had just written
that he would _not_ give it anything at all. At this the Princess
was quite pleased, and said how cleverly her father had managed, for
that of course nothing would induce her to have gone off with Jack
my Hedgehog.
Meantime Jack minded his asses and pigs, sat aloft in his tree,
played his bagpipes, and was always merry and cheery. After a time
it so happened that another King, having lost his way, passed by
with his servants and escort, wondering how he could find his way
home, for the forest was very vast. He too heard the music, and told
one of his men to find out whence it came. The man came under the
tree, and looking up to the top there he saw Jack my Hedgehog
astride on the cock.
The servant asked Jack what he was doing up there. 'I'm minding my
pigs and donkeys; but what do you want?' was the reply. Then the
servant told him they had lost their way, and wanted some one to
show it them. Down came Jack my Hedgehog with his cock, and told the
old King he would show him the right way if he would solemnly
promise to give him the first thing he met in front of his royal
castle.
The King said 'Yes,' and gave Jack a written promise to that effect.
Then Jack rode on in front pointing out the way, and the King
reached his own country in safety.
Now he had an only daughter who was extremely beautiful, and who,
delighted at her father's return, ran to meet him, threw her arms
round his neck and kissed him heartily. Then she asked where he had
been wandering so long, and he told her how he had lost his way and
might never have reached home at all but for a strange creature,
half-man, half-hedgehog, which rode a cock and sat up in a tree
making lovely music, and which had shown him the right way. He also
told her how he had been obliged to pledge his word to give the
creature the first thing which met him outside his castle gate, and
he felt very sad at the thought that she had been the first thing to
meet him.
But the Princess comforted him, and said she should be quite willing
to go with Jack my Hedgehog whenever he came to fetch her, because
of the great love she bore to her dear old father.
Jack my Hedgehog continued to herd his pigs, and they increased in
number till there were so many that the forest seemed full of them.
So he made up his mind to live there no longer, and sent a message
to his father telling him to have all the stables and outhouses in
the village cleared, as he was going to bring such an enormous herd
that all who would might kill what they chose. His father was much
vexed at this news, for he thought Jack had died long ago. Jack my
Hedgehog mounted his cock, and driving his pigs before him into the
village, he let every one kill as many as they chose, and such a
hacking and hewing of pork went on as you might have heard for miles
off.
Then said Jack, 'Daddy, let the blacksmith shoe my cock once more;
then I'll ride off, and I promise you I'll never come back again as
long as I live.' So the father had the cock shod, and rejoiced at
the idea of getting rid of his son.
Then Jack my Hedgehog set off for the first kingdom, and there the
King had given strict orders that if anyone should be seen riding a
cock and carrying a bagpipe he was to be chased away and shot at,
and on no account to be allowed to enter the palace. So when Jack my
Hedgehog rode up the guards charged him with their bayonets, but he
put spurs to his cock, flew up over the gate right to the King's
windows, let himself down on the sill, and called out that if he was
not given what had been promised him, both the King and his daughter
should pay for it with their lives. Then the King coaxed and
entreated his daughter to go with Jack and so save both their lives.
The Princess dressed herself all in white, and her father gave her a
coach with six horses and servants in gorgeous liveries and
quantities of money. She stepped into the coach, and Jack my
Hedgehog with his cock and pipes took his place beside her. They
both took leave, and the King fully expected never to set eyes on
them again. But matters turned out very differently from what he had
expected, for when they had got a certain distance from the town
Jack tore all the Princess's smart clothes off her, and pricked her
all over with his bristles, saying: 'That's what you get for
treachery. Now go back, I'll have no more to say to you.' And with
that he hunted her home, and she felt she had been disgraced and put
to shame till her life's end.
Then Jack my Hedgehog rode on with his cock and bagpipes to the
country of the second King to whom he had shown the way. Now this
King had given orders that, in the event of Jack's coming the guards
were to present arms, the people to cheer, and he was to be
conducted in triumph to the royal palace.
When the King's daughter saw Jack my Hedgehog, she was a good deal
startled, for he certainly was very peculiar looking; but after all
she considered that she had given her word and it couldn't be
helped. So she made Jack welcome and they were betrothed to each
other, and at dinner he sat next her at the royal table, and they
ate and drank together.
When they retired to rest the Princess feared lest Jack should kiss
her because of his prickles, but he told her not to be alarmed as no
harm should befall her. Then he begged the old King to place a watch
of four men just outside his bedroom door, and to desire them to
make a big fire. When he was about to lie down in bed he would creep
out of his hedgehog skin, and leave it lying at the bedside; then
the men must rush in, throw the skin into the fire, and stand by
till it was entirely burnt up.
And so it was, for when it struck eleven, Jack my Hedgehog went to
his room, took off his skin and left it at the foot of the bed. The
men rushed in, quickly seized the skin and threw it on the fire, and
directly it was all burnt Jack was released from his enchantment and
lay in his bed a man from head to foot, but quite black as though he
had been severely scorched.
The King sent off for his physician in ordinary, who washed Jack all
over with various essences and salves, so that he became white and
was a remarkably handsome young man. When the King's daughter saw
him she was greatly pleased, and next day the marriage ceremony was
performed, and the old King bestowed his kingdom on Jack my
Hedgehog.
After some years Jack and his wife went to visit his father, but the
farmer did not recognize him, and declared he had no son; he had had
one, but that one was born with bristles like a hedgehog, and had
gone off into the wide world. Then Jack told his story, and his old
father rejoiced and returned to live with him in his kingdom.
Jack my Hedgehog
from the Green Fairy Book
Story Edited
by Andrew Lang |
