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Once upon
a time...
There was once a man who had twelve sons: the eleven eldest
were both big and strong, but the twelfth, whose name was Esben, was
only a little fellow. The eleven eldest went out with their father
to field and forest, but Esben preferred to stay at home with his
mother, and so he was never reckoned at all by the rest, but was a
sort of outcast among them.
When the eleven had grown up to be men they decided to go out into
the world to try their fortune, and they plagued their father to
give them what they required for the journey. The father was not
much in favour of this, for he was now old and weak, and could not
well spare them from helping him with his work, but in the long run
he had to give in. Each one of the eleven got a fine white horse and
money for the journey, and so they said farewell to their father and
their home, and rode away.
As for Esben, no one had ever thought about him; his brothers had
not even said farewell to him.
After the eleven were gone Esben went to his father and said,
'Father, give me also a horse and money; I should also like to see
round about me in the world.'
'You are a little fool,' said his father. 'If I could have let you
go, and kept your eleven brothers at home, it would have been better
for me in my old age.'
'Well, you will soon be rid of me at any rate,' said Esben.
As he could get no other horse, he went into the forest, broke off a
branch, stripped the bark off it, so that it became still whiter
than his brothers' horses, and, mounted on this. rode off after his
eleven brothers.
The brothers rode on the whole day, and towards evening they came to
a great forest, which they entered. Far within the wood they came to
a little house, and knocked at the door. There came an old, ugly,
bearded hag, and opened it, and they asked her whether all of them
could get quarters for the night.
'Yes,' said the old, bearded hag, 'you shall all have quarters for
the night, and, in addition, each of you shall have one of my
daughters.'
The eleven brothers thought that they had come to very hospitable
people. They were well attended to, and when they went to bed, each
of them got one of the hag's daughters.
Esben had been coming along behind them, and had followed the same
way, and had also found the same house in the forest. He slipped
into this, without either the witch or her daughters noticing him,
and hid himself under one of the beds. A little before midnight he
crept quietly out and wakened his brothers. He told these to change
night-caps with the witch's daughters. The brothers saw no reason
for this, but, to get rid of Esben's persistence, they made the
exchange, and slept soundly again.
When midnight came Esben heard the old witch come creeping along.
She had a broad-bladed axe in her hand, and went over all the eleven
beds. It was so dark that she could not see a hand's breadth before
her, but she felt her way, and hacked the heads off all the sleepers
who had the men's night-caps on--and these were her own daughters.
As soon as she had gone her way Esben wakened his brothers, and they
hastily took their horses and rode off from the witch's house, glad
that they had escaped so well. They quite forgot to thank Esben for
what he had done for them.
When they had ridden onwards for some time they reached a king's
palace, and inquired there whether they could be taken into service.
Quite easily, they were told, if they would be stablemen, otherwise
the king had no use for them. They were quite ready for this, and
got the task of looking after all the king's horses.
Long after them came Esben riding on his stick, and he also wanted
to get a place in the palace, but no one had any use for him, and he
was told that he could just go back the way he had come. However, he
stayed there and occupied himself as best he could. He got his food,
but nothing more, and by night he lay just where he could.
At this time there was in the palace a knight who was called Sir
Red. He was very well liked by the king, but hated by everyone else,
for he was wicked both in will and deed. This Sir Red became angry
with the eleven brothers, because they would not always stand at
attention for him, so he determined to avenge himself on them.
One day, therefore, he went to the king, and said that the eleven
brothers who had come to the palace a little while ago, and served
as stablemen, could do a great deal more than they pretended. One
day he had heard them say that if they liked they could get for the
king a wonderful dove which had a feather of gold and a feather of
silver time about. But they would not procure it unless they were
threatened with death.
The king then had the eleven brothers called before him, and said to
them, 'You have said that you can get me a dove which has feathers
of gold and silver time about.'
All the eleven assured him that they had never said anything of the
kind, and they did not believe that such a dove existed in the whole
world.
'Take your own mind of it,' said the king; 'but if you don't get
that dove within three days you shall lose your heads, the whole lot
of you.'
With that the king let them go, and there was great grief among
them; some wept and others lamented.
At that moment Esben came along, and, seeing their sorrowful looks,
said to them, 'Hello, what's the matter with you?'
'What good would it do to tell you, you little fool? You can't help
us.'
'Oh, you don't know that,' answered Esben. 'I have helped you
before.'
In the end they told him how unreasonable the king was, and how he
had ordered them to get for him a dove with feathers of gold and
silver time about.
'Give me a bag of peas' said Esben, 'and I shall see what I can do
for you.'
Esben got his bag of peas; then he took his white stick, and said,
Fly quick, my little stick, Carry me across the stream.
Straightway the stick carried him across the river and straight into
the old witch's courtyard. Esben had noticed that she had such a
dove; so when he arrived in the courtyard he shook the peas out of
the bag, and the dove came fluttering down to pick them up. Esben
caught it at once, put it into the bag, and hurried off before the
witch caught sight of him; but the next moment she came running, and
shouted after him, ' I Hey is that you, Esben.?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'Is it you that has taken my dove?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'Was it you that made me kill my eleven daughters?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'Are you coming back again?'
'That may be,' said Esben.
'Then you'll catch it,' shouted the witch.
The stick carried Esben with the dove back to the king's palace, and
his brothers were greatly delighted. The king thanked them many
times for the dove, and gave them in return both silver and gold. At
this Sir Red became still more embittered, and again thought of how
to avenge himself on the brothers.
One day he went to the king and told him that the dove was by no
means the best thing that the brothers could get for him; for one
day he had heard them talking quietly among themselves, and they had
said that they could procure a boar whose bristles were of gold and
silver time about.
The king again summoned the brothers before him, and asked whether
it was true that they had said that they could get for him a boar
whose bristles were of gold and silver time about.
'No,' said the brothers; they had never said nor thought such a
thing, and they did not believe that there was such a boar in the
whole world.
'You must get me that boar within three days,' said the king, 'or it
will cost you your heads.'
With that they had to go. This was still worse than before, they
thought. Where could they get such a marvellous boar? They all went
about hanging their heads; but when only one day remained of the
three Esben came along. When he saw his brothers' sorrowful looks he
cried, 'Hallo, what's the matter now?'
'Oh, what's the use of telling you?' said his brothers. 'You can't
help us, at any rate.'
'Ah, you don't know that,' said Esben; 'I've helped you before.'
In the end they told him how Sir Red had stirred up the king against
them, so that he had ordered them to get for him a boar with
bristles of gold and silver time about.
'That's all right,' said Esben; 'give me a sack of malt, and it is
not quite impossible that I may be able to help you.'
Esben got his sack of malt; then he took his little white stick, set
himself upon it, and said,
Fly quick, my little stick, Carry me across the stream.
Off went the stick with him, and very soon he was again in the
witch's courtyard. There he emptied out the malt, and next moment
came the boar, which had every second bristle of gold and of silver.
Esben at once put it into his sack and hurried off before the witch
should catch sight of him; but the next moment she came running, and
shouted after him, 'Hey! is that you, Esben?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'Is it you that has taken my pretty boar?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'It was also you that took my dove?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'And it was you that made me kill my eleven daughters?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'Are you coming back again?'
'That may be,' said Esben.
'Then you'll catch it,' said the witch.
Esben was soon back at the palace with the boar, and his brothers
scarcely knew which leg to stand on, so rejoiced were they that they
were safe again. Not one of them, however, ever thought of thanking
Esben for what he had done for them.
The king was still more rejoiced over the boar than he had been over
the dove, and did not know what to give the brothers for it. At this
Sir Red was again possessed with anger and envy, and again he went
about and planned how to get the brothers into trouble.
One day he went again to the king and said, 'These eleven brothers
have now procured the dove and the boar, but they can do much more
than that; I know they have said that if they liked they could get
for the king a lamp that can shine over seven kingdoms.'
'If they have said that,' said the king, 'they shall also be made to
bring it to me. That would be a glorious lamp for me.'
Again the king sent a message to the brothers to come up to the
palace. They went accordingly, although very unwillingly, for they
suspected that Sir Red had fallen on some new plan to bring them
into trouble.
As soon as they came before the king he said to them,
'You brothers have said that you could, if you liked, get for me a
lamp that can shine over seven kingdoms. That lamp must be mine
within three days, or it will cost you your lives.'
The brothers assured him that they had never said so, and they were
sure that no such lamp existed, but their words were of no avail.
'The lamp!' said the king, 'or it will cost you your heads.'
The brothers were now in greater despair than ever. They did not
know what to do, for such a lamp no one had ever heard of. But just
as things looked their worst along came Esben.
'Something wrong again?' said he. 'What's the matter with you now?'
'Oh, it's no use telling you,' said they. 'You can't help us, at any
rate.'
'Oh, you might at least tell me,' said Esben; 'I have helped you
before.'
In the end they told him that the king had ordered them to bring him
a lamp which could shine over seven kingdoms, but such a lamp no one
had ever heard tell of.
'Give me a bushel of salt,' said Esben, 'and we shall see how
matters go.'
He got his bushel of salt, and then mounted his little white stick,
and said,
Fly quick, my little stick, Carry me across the stream.
With that both he and his bushel of salt were over beside the
witch's courtyard. But now matters were less easy, for he could not
get inside the yard, as it was evening and the gate was locked.
Finally he hit upon a plan; he got up on the roof and crept down the
chimney.
He searched all round for the lamp, but could find it nowhere, for
the witch always had it safely guarded, as it was one of her most
precious treasures. When he became tired of searching for it he
crept into the baking- oven, intending to lie down there and sleep
till morning; but just at that moment he heard the witch calling
from her bed to one of her daughters, and telling her to make some
porridge for her. She had grown hungry, and had taken such a fancy
to some porridge. The daughter got out of bed, kindled the fire, and
put on a pot with water in it.
'You mustn't put any salt in the porridge, though,' cried the witch.
'No, neither will I,' said the daughter; but while she was away
getting the meal Esben slipped out of the oven and emptied the whole
bushel of salt into the pot. The daughter came back then and put in
the meal, and after it had boiled a little she took it in to her
mother. The witch took a spoonful and tasted it.
'Uh!' said she; 'didn't I tell you not to put any salt in it, and
it's just as salt as the sea.'
So the daughter had to go and make new porridge, and her mother
warned her strictly not to put any salt in it. But now there was no
water in the house, so she asked her mother to give her the lamp, so
that she could go to the well for more.
'There you have it, then,' said the witch; 'but take good care of
it.'
The daughter took the lamp which shone over seven kingdoms, and went
out to the well for water, while Esben slipped out after her. When
she was going to draw the water from the well she set the lamp down
on a stone beside her. Esben watched his chance, seized the lamp,
and gave her a push from behind, so that she plumped head first into
the well. Then he made off with the lamp. But the witch got out of
her bed and ran after him, crying:
'Hey! is that you again, Esben?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'Was it you that took my dove?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'Was it also you that took my boar?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'And it was you that made me kill my eleven daughters?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'And now you have taken my lamp, and drowned my twelfth daughter in
the well?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'Are you coming back again?'
'That may be,' said Esben.
'Then you'll catch it,' said the witch.
It was only a minute before the stick had again landed Esben at the
king's palace, and the brothers were then freed from their distress.
The king gave them many fine presents, but Esben did not get even so
much as thanks from them.
Never had Sir Red been so eaten up with envy as he was now, and he
racked his brain day and night to find something quite impossible to
demand from the brothers.
One day he went to the king and told him that the lamp the brothers
had procured was good enough, but they could still get for him
something that was far better. The king asked what that was.
'It is,' said Sir Red, 'the most beautiful coverlet that any mortal
ever heard tell of. It also has the property that, when anyone
touches it, it sounds so that it can be heard over eight kingdoms.'
'That must be a splendid coverlet,' said the king, and he at once
sent for the brothers.
'You have said that you know of a coverlet, the most beautiful in
the whole world, and which sounds over eight kingdoms when anyone
touches it. You shall procure it for me, or else lose your lives,'
said he.
The brothers answered him that they had never said a word about such
a coverlet, did not believe it existed, and that it was quite
impossible for them to procure it. But the king would not hear a
word; he drove them away, telling them that if they did not get it
very soon it would cost them their heads.
Things looked very black again for the brothers, for they were sure
there was no escape for them. The youngest of them, indeed, asked
where Esben was, but the others said that that little fool could
scarcely keep himself in clothes, and it was not to be expected that
he could help them. Not one of them thought it worth while to look
for Esben, but he soon came along of himself.
'Well, what's the matter now?' said he.
'Oh, what's the use of telling you?' said the brothers. 'You can't
help us, at any rate.'
'Ah! who knows that?' said Esben. 'I have helped you before.'
In the end the brothers told him about the coverlet which, when one
touched it, sounded so that it could be heard over eight kingdoms.
Esben thought that this was the worst errand that he had had yet,
but he could not do worse than fail, and so he would make the
attempt.
He again took his little white stick, set himself on it, and said,
Fly quick, my little stick, Carry me across the stream.
Next moment he was across the river and beside the witch's house. It
was evening, and the door was locked, but he knew the way down the
chimney. When he had got into the house, however, the worst yet
remained to do, for the coverlet was on the bed in which the witch
lay and slept. He slipped into the room without either she or her
daughter wakening; but as soon as he touched the coverlet to take it
it sounded so that it could be heard over eight kingdoms. The witch
awoke, sprang out of bed, and caught hold of Esben. He struggled
with her, but could not free himself, and the witch called to her
daughter, 'Come and help me; we shall put him into the little dark
room to be fattened. Ho, ho! now I have him!'
Esben was now put into a little dark hole, where he neither saw sun
nor moon, and there he was fed on sweet milk and nut-kernels. The
daughter had enough to do cracking nuts for him, and at the end of
fourteen days she had only one tooth left in her mouth; she had
broken all the rest with the nuts. In this time however, she had
taken a liking to Esben, and would willingly have set him free, but
could not.
When some time had passed the witch told her daughter to go and cut
a finger off Esben, so that she could see whether he was nearly fat
enough yet. The daughter went and told Esben, and asked him what she
should do. Esben told her to take an iron nail and wrap a piece of
skin round it: she could then give her mother this to bite at.
The daughter did so, but when the witch bit it she cried, 'Uh! no,
no! This is nothing but skin and bone; he must be fattened much
longer yet.'
So Esben was fed for a while longer on sweet milk and nut-kernels,
until one day the witch thought that now he must surely be fat
enough, and told her daughter again to go and cut a finger off him.
By this time Esben was tired of staying in the dark hole, so he told
her to go and cut a teat off a cow, and give it to the witch to bite
at. This the daughter did, and the witch cried, 'Ah! now he is
fat--so fat that one can scarcely feel the bone in him. Now he shall
be killed.'
Now this was just the very time that the witch had to go to Troms
Church, where all the witches gather once every year, so she had no
time to deal with Esben herself. She therefore told her daughter to
heat up the big oven while she was away, take Esben out of his
prison, and roast him in there before she came back. The daughter
promised all this, and the witch went off on her journey.
The daughter then made the oven as hot as could be, and took Esben
out of his prison in order to roast him. She brought the oven spade,
and told Esben to seat himself on it, so that she could shoot him
into the oven. Esben accordingly took his seat on it, but when she
had got him to the mouth of the oven he spread his legs out wide, so
that she could not get him pushed in.
'You mustn't sit like that,' said she.
'How then?' said Esben.
'You must cross your legs,' said the daughter; but Esben could not
understand what she meant by this.
'Get out of the way,' said she, 'and I will show you how to place
yourself.'
She seated herself on the oven spade, but no sooner had she done so
than Esben laid hold of it, shot her into the oven, and fastened the
door of it. Then he ran and seized the coverlet, but as soon as he
did so it sounded so that it could be heard over eight kingdoms, and
the witch, who was at Troms Church, came flying home, and shouted,
'Hey! is that you again, Esben ?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'It was you that made me kill my eleven daughters?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'And took my dove?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'And my beautiful boar?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'And drowned my twelfth daughter in the well, and took my lamp?'
'Ye--e--s!'
'And now you have roasted my thirteenth and last daughter in the
oven, and taken my coverlet?'
'YeÄeÄs!'
'Are you coming back again?'
'No, never again,' said Esben.
At this the witch became so furious that she sprang into numberless
pieces of flint, and from this come all the flint stones that one
finds about the country.
Esben had found again his little stick, which the witch had taken
from him, so he said,
Fly quick, my little stick, Carry me across the stream.
Next moment he was back at the king's palace. Here things were in a
bad way, for the king had thrown all the eleven brothers into
prison, and they were to be executed very shortly because they had
not brought him the coverlet. Esben now went up to the king and gave
him the coverlet, with which the king was greatly delighted. When he
touched it it could be heard over eight kingdoms, and all the other
kings sat and were angry because they had not one like it.
Esben also told how everything had happened, and how Sir Red had
done the brothers all the ill he could devise because he was envious
of them. The brothers were at once set at liberty, while Sir Red,
for his wickedness, was hanged on the highest tree that could be
found, and so he got the reward he deserved.
Much was made of Esben and his brothers, and these now thanked him
for all that he had done for them. The twelve of them received as
much gold and silver as they could carry, and betook themselves home
to their old father. When he saw again his twelve sons, whom he had
never expected to see more, he was so glad that he wept for joy. The
brothers told him how much Esben had done, and how he had saved
their lives, and from that time forward he was no longer the butt of
the rest at home.
Esben and the Witch
from the Pink Fairy Book
Story Edited
by Andrew Lang |
