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Once upon
a time...
There was once a poor man who could no longer afford to keep
his only son at home. So the son said to him, 'Dear father, you are
so poor that I am only a burden to you; I would rather go out into
the world and see if I can earn my own living.' The father gave him
his blessing and took leave of him with much sorrow. About this time
the King of a very powerful kingdom was carrying on a war; the youth
therefore took service under him and went on the campaign. When they
came before the enemy, a battle took place, there was some hot
fighting, and it rained bullets so thickly that his comrades fell
around him on all sides. And when their leader fell too the rest
wished to take to flight; but the youth stepped forward and
encouraged them and called out, 'We must not let our country be
ruined!' Then others followed him, and he pressed on and defeated
the enemy. When the King heard that he had to thank him alone for
the victory, he raised him higher than anyone else in rank, gave him
great treasures and made him the first in the kingdom.
The King had a daughter who was very beautiful, but she was also
very capricious. She had made a vow to marry no one who would not
promise her that if she died first, he would allow himself to be
buried alive with her. 'If he loves me truly,' she used to say,
'what use would life be to him then?' At the same time she was
willing to do the same, and if he died first to be buried with him.
This curious vow had up to this time frightened away all suitors,
but the young man was so captivated by her beauty, that he hesitated
at nothing and asked her hand of her father. 'Do you know,' asked
the King, 'what you have to promise?' 'I shall have to go into her
grave with her,' he answered, 'if I outlive her, but my love is so
great that I do not think of the risk.' So the King consented, and
the wedding was celebrated with great splendour.
Now, they lived for a long time very happily with one another, but
then it came to pass that the young Queen fell seriously ill, and no
doctor could save her. And when she lay dead, the young King
remembered what he had promised, and it made him shudder to think of
lying in her grave alive, but there was no escape. The King had set
guards before all the gates, and it was not possible to avoid his
fate.
When the day arrived on which the corpse was to be laid in the royal
vault, he was led thither, then the entrance was bolted and closed
up.
Near the coffin stood a table on which were placed four candles,
four loaves of bread, and four bottles of wine. As soon as this
provision came to an end he would have to die. So he sat there full
of grief and misery, eating every day only a tiny bit of bread, and
drinking only a mouthful of ovine, and he watched death creeping
nearer and nearer to him. One day as he was sitting staring moodily
in front of him, he saw a snake creep out of the corner towards the
corpse. Thinking it was going to touch it, he drew his sword and
saying, 'As long as I am alive you shall not harm her,' he cut it in
three pieces. After a little time a second snake crept out of the
corner, but when it saw the first one lying dead and in pieces it
went back and came again soon, holding three green leaves in its
mouth. Then it took the three bits of the snake and laid them in
order, and put one of the leaves on each wound. Immediately the
pieces joined together, the snake moved itself and became alive and
then both hurried away. The leaves remained lying on the ground, and
it suddenly occurred to the unfortunate man who had seen everything,
that the wonderful power of the leaves might also be exercised upon
a human being.
So he picked up the leaves and laid one of them on the mouth and the
other two on the eyes of the dead woman. And scarcely had he done
this, before the blood began to circulate in her veins, then it
mounted and brought colour back to her white face. Then she drew her
breath, opened her eyes, and said, 'Ah! where am I?' 'You are with
me, dear lady,' he answered, and told her all that had happened, and
how he had brought her to life again. He then gave her some wine and
bread, and when all her strength had returned she got up, and they
went to the door and knocked and called so loudly that the guards
heard them, and told the King. The King came himself to open the
door, and there he found both happy and well, and he rejoiced with
them that now all trouble was over. But the young King gave the
three snake-leaves to a servant, saying to him, 'Keep them carefully
for me, and always carry them with you; who knows but that they may
help us in a time of need!'
It seemed, however, as if a change had come over the young Queen
after she had been restored to life, and as if all her love for her
husband had faded from her heart. Some time afterwards, when he
wanted to take a journey over the sea to his old father, and they
were on board the ship, she forgot the great love and faithfulness
he had shown her and how he had saved her from death, and fell in
love with the captain. And one day when the young King was lying
asleep, she called the captain to her, and seized the head of the
sleeping King and made him take his feet, and together they threw
him into the sea. When they had done this wicked deed, she said to
him, 'Now let us go home and say that he died on the journey. I will
praise you so much to my father that he will marry me to you and
make you the heir to the throne.' But the faithful servant, who had
seen everything, let down a little boat into the sea, unobserved by
them, and rowed after his master while the traitors sailed on. He
took the drowned man out of the water, and with the help of the
three snake-leaves which he carried with him, placing them on his
mouth and eyes, he brought him to life again.
They both rowed as hard as they could night and day, and their
little boat went so quickly that they reached the old King before
the other two did. He was much astonished to see them come back
alone, and asked what had happened to them. When he heard the
wickedness of his daughter, he said, 'I cannot believe that she has
acted so wrongly, but the truth will soon come to light.' He made
them both go into a secret chamber, and let no one see them.
Soon after this the large ship came in, and the wicked lady appeared
before her father with a very sad face. He said to her, 'Why have
you come back alone? Where is your husband?'
'Ah, dear father,' she replied, 'I have come home in great grief; my
husband fell ill on the voyage quite suddenly, and died, and if the
good captain had not given me help, I should have died too. He was
at his death-bed and can tell you everything.'
The King said, 'I will bring the dead to life again,' and he opened
the door of the room and called them both out. The lady was as if
thunderstruck when she caught sight of her husband; she fell on her
knees and begged for mercy. But the King said, 'You shall have no
mercy. He was ready to die with you, and restored you to life again;
but you killed him when he was sleeping, and shall receive your
deserts.'
So she and her accomplice were put in a ship which was bored through
with holes, and were drawn out into the sea, where they soon
perished in the waves.
The Three Snake-Leaves
from the Green Fairy Book
Story Edited
by Andrew Lang |
