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Once upon
a time...
Long ago there lived two brothers, both of them very
handsome, and both so very poor that they seldom had anything to eat
but the fish which they caught. One day they had been out in their
boat since sunrise without a single bite, and were just thinking of
putting up their lines and going home to bed when they felt a little
feeble tug, and, drawing in hastily, they found a tiny fish at the
end of the hook.
'What a wretched little creature!' cried one brother. 'However, it
is better than nothing, and I will bake him with bread crumbs and
have him for supper.'
'Oh, do not kill me yet!' begged the fish; 'I will bring you good
luck--indeed I will!'
'You silly thing!' said the young man; 'I've caught you, and I shall
eat you.'
But his brother was sorry for the fish, and put in a word for him.
'Let the poor little fellow live. He would hardly make one bite,
and, after all, how do we know we are not throwing away our luck!
Put him back into the sea. It will be much better.'
'If you will let me live,' said the fish, 'you will find on the
sands to-morrow morning two beautiful horses splendidly saddled and
bridled, and on them you can go through the world as knights seeking
adventures.'
'Oh dear, what nonsense!' exclaimed the elder; 'and, besides, what
proof have we that you are speaking the truth?'
But again the younger brother interposed: 'Oh, do let him live! You
know if he is lying to us we can always catch him again. It is quite
worth while trying.'
At last the young man gave in, and threw the fish back into the sea;
and both brothers went supperless to bed, and wondered what fortune
the next day would bring.
At the first streaks of dawn they were both up, and in a very few
minutes were running down to the shore. And there, just as the fish
had said, stood two magnificent horses, saddled and bridled, and on
their backs lay suits of armour and under-dresses, two swords, and
two purses of gold.
'There!' said the younger brother. 'Are you not thankful you did not
eat that fish? He has brought us good luck, and there is no knowing
how great we may become! Now, we will each seek our own adventures.
If you will take one road I will go the other.'
'Very well,' replied the elder; 'but how shall we let each other
know if we are both living?'
'Do you see this fig-tree?' said the younger. 'Well, whenever we
want news of each other we have only to come here and make a slit
with our swords in the back. If milk flows, it is a sign that we are
well and prosperous; but if, instead of milk, there is blood, then
we are either dead or in great danger.'
Then the two brothers put on their armour, buckled their swords, and
pocketed their purees; and, after taking a tender farewell of each
other, they mounted their horses and went their various ways.
The elder brother rode straight on till he reached the borders of a
strange kingdom. He crossed the frontier, and soon found himself on
the banks of a river; and before him, in the middle of the stream, a
beautiful girl sat chained to a rock and weeping bitterly. For in
this river dwelt a serpent with seven heads, who threatened to lay
waste the whole land by breathing fire and flame from his nostrils
unless the king sent him every morning a man for his breakfast. This
had gone on so long that now there were no men left, and he had been
obliged to send his own daughter instead, and the poor girl was
waiting till the monster got hungry and felt inclined to eat her.
When the young man saw the maiden weeping bitterly he said to her,
'What is the matter, my poor girl?'
'Oh!' she answered, 'I am chained here till a horrible serpent with
seven heads comes to eat me. Oh, sir, do not linger here, or he will
eat you too.'
'I shall stay,' replied the young man, 'for I mean to set you free.'
'That is impossible. You do not know what a fearful monster the
serpent is; you can do nothing against him.'
'That is my affair, beautiful captive,' answered he; 'only tell me,
which way will the serpent come?'
'Well, if you are resolved to free me, listen to my advice. Stand a
little on one side, and then, when the serpent rises to the surface,
I will say to him, "O serpent, to-day you can eat two people. But
you had better begin first with the young man, for I am chained and
cannot run away." When he hears this most likely he will attack
you.'
So the young man stood carefully on one side, and by-and-bye he
heard a great rushing in the water; and a horrible monster came up
to the surface and looked out for the rock where the king's daughter
was chained, for it was getting late and he was hungry.
But she cried out, 'O serpent, to-day you can eat two people. And
you had better begin with the young man, for I am chained and cannot
run away.'
Then the serpent made a rush at the youth with wide open jaws to
swallow him at one gulp, but the young man leaped aside and drew his
sword, and fought till he had cut off all the seven heads. And when
the great serpent lay dead at his feet he loosed the bonds of the
king's daughter, and she flung herself into his arms and said, 'You
have saved me from that monster, and now you shall be my husband,
for my father has made a proclamation that whoever could slay the
serpent should have his daughter to wife.'
But he answered, 'I cannot become your husband yet, for I have still
far to travel. But wait for me seven years and seven months. Then,
if I do not return, you are free to marry whom you will. And in case
you should have forgotten, I will take these seven tongues with me
so that when I bring them forth you may know that I am really he who
slew the serpent.'
So saying he cut out the seven tongues, and the princess gave him a
thick cloth to wrap them in; and he mounted his horse and rode away.
Not long after he had gone there arrived at the river a slave who
had been sent by the king to learn the fate of his beloved daughter.
And when the slave saw the princess standing free and safe before
him, with the body of the monster lying at her feet, a wicked plan
came into his head, and he said, 'Unless you promise to tell your
father it was I who slew the serpent, I will kill you and bury you
in this place, and no one will ever know what befell.'
What could the poor girl do? This time there was no knight to come
to her aid. So she promised to do as the slave wished, and he took
up the seven heads and brought the princess to her father.
Oh, how enchanted the king was to see her again, and the whole town
shared his joy!
And the slave was called upon to tell how he had slain the monster,
and when he had ended the king declared that he should have the
princess to wife.
But she flung herself at her father's feet, and prayed him to delay.
'You have passed your royal word, and cannot go back from it Yet
grant me this grace, and let seven years and seven months go by
before you wed me. When they are over, then I will marry the slave.'
And the king listened to her, and seven years and seven months she
looked for her bridegroom, and wept for him night and day.
All this time the young man was riding through the world, and when
the seven years and seven months were over he came back to the town
where the princess lived--only a few days before the wedding. And he
stood before the king, and said to him: 'Give me your daughter, O
king, for I slew the seven-headed serpent. And as a sign that my
words are true, look on these seven tongues, which I cut from his
seven heads, and on this embroidered cloth, which was given me by
your daughter.'
Then the princess lifted up her voice and said, 'Yes, dear father,
he has spoken the truth, and it is he who is my real bridegroom. Yet
pardon the slave, for he was sorely tempted.'
But the king answered, 'Such treachery can no man pardon. Quick,
away with him, and off with his head!'
So the false slave was put to death, that none might follow in his
footsteps, and the wedding feast was held, and the hearts of all
rejoiced that the true bridegroom had come at last.
These two lived happy and contentedly for a long while, when one
evening, as the young man was looking from the window, he saw on a
mountain that lay out beyond the town a great bright light.
'What can it be?' he said to his wife.
'Ah! do not look at it,' she answered, 'for it comes from the house
of a wicked witch whom no man can manage to kill.' But the princess
had better have kept silence, for her words made her husband's heart
burn within him, and he longed to try his strength against the
witch's cunning. And all day long the feeling grew stronger, till
the next morning he mounted his horse, and in spite of his wife's
tears, he rode off to the mountain.
The distance was greater than he thought, and it was dark before he
reached the foot of the mountain; indeed, he could not have found
the road at all had it not been for the bright light, which shone
like the moon on his path. At length he came to the door of a fine
castle, which had a blaze streaming from every window. He mounted a
flight of steps and entered a hall where a hideous old woman was
sitting on a golden chair.
She scowled at the young man and said, 'With a single one of the
hairs of my head I can turn you into stone.'
'Oh, what nonsense!' cried he. 'Be quiet, old woman. What could you
do with one hair?' But the witch pulled out a hair and laid it on
his shoulder, and his limbs grew cold and heavy, and he could not
stir.
Now at this very moment the younger brother was thinking of him, and
wondering how he had got on during all the years since they had
parted. 'I will go to the fig-tree,' he said to himself, 'to see
whether he is alive or dead.' So he rode through the forest till he
came where the fig-tree stood, and cut a slit in the bark, and
waited. In a moment a little gurgling noise was heard, and out came
a stream of blood, running fast. 'Ah, woe is me!' he cried bitterly.
'My brother is dead or dying! Shall I ever reach him in time to save
his life?' Then, leaping on his horse, he shouted, 'Now, my steed,
fly like the wind!' and they rode right through the world, till one
day they came to the town where the young man and his wife lived.
Here the princess had been sitting every day since the morning that
her husband had left her, weeping bitter tears, and listening for
his footsteps. And when she saw his brother ride under the balcony
she mistook him for her own husband, for they were so alike that no
man might tell the difference, and her heart bounded, and, leaning
down, she called to him, 'At last! at last! how long have I waited
for thee!' When the younger brother heard these words he said to
himself, 'So it was here that my brother lived, and this beautiful
woman is my sister-in-law,' but he kept silence, and let her believe
he was indeed her husband. Full of joy, the princess led him to the
old king, who welcomed him as his own son, and ordered a feast to be
made for him. And the princess was beside herself with gladness, but
when she would have put her arms round him and kissed him he held up
his hand to stop her, saying, 'Touch me not,' at which she marvelled
greatly.
In this manner several days went by. And one evening, as the young
man leaned from the balcony, he saw a bright light shining on the
mountain.
'What can that be?' he said to the princess.
'Oh, come away,' she cried; 'has not that light already proved your
bane? Do you wish to fight a second time with that old witch?'
He marked her words, though she knew it not, and they taught him
where his brother was, and what had befallen him. So before sunrise
he stole out early, saddled his horse, and rode off to the mountain.
But the way was further than he thought, and on the road he met a
little old man who asked him whither he was going.
Then the young man told him his story, and added. 'Somehow or other
I must free my brother, who has fallen into the power of an old
witch.'
'I will tell you what you must do,' said the old man. 'The witch's
power lies in her hair; so when you see her spring on her and seize
her by the hair, and then she cannot harm you. Be very careful never
to let her hair go, bid her lead you to your brother, and force her
to bring him back to life. For she has an ointment that will heal
all wounds, and even wake the dead. And when your brother stands
safe and well before you, then cut off her head, for she is a wicked
woman.'
The young man was grateful for these words, and promised to obey
them. Then he rode on, and soon reached the castle. He walked boldly
up the steps and entered the hall, where the hideous old witch came
to meet him. She grinned horribly at him, and cried out, 'With one
hair of my head I can change you into stone.'
'Can you, indeed?' said the young man, seizing her by the hair. 'You
old wretch! tell me what you have done with my brother, or I will
cut your head off this very instant.' Now the witch's strength was
all gone from her, and she had to obey.
'I will take you to your brother,' she said, hoping to get the
better of him by cunning, 'but leave me alone. You hold me so tight
that I cannot walk.'
'You must manage somehow,' he answered, and held her tighter than
ever. She led him into a large hall filled with stone statues, which
once had been men, and, pointing out one, she said, 'There is your
brother.'
The young man looked at them all and shook his head. 'My brother is
not here. Take me to him, or it will be the worse for you.' But she
tried to put him off with other statues, though it was no good, and
it was not until they had reached the last hall of all that he saw
his brother lying on the ground.
'That is my brother,' said he. 'Now give me the ointment that will
restore him to life.'
Very unwillingly the old witch opened a cupboard close by filled
with bottles and jars, and took down one and held it out to the
young man. But he was on the watch for trickery, and examined it
carefully, and saw that it had no power to heal. This happened many
times, till at length she found it was no use, and gave him the one
he wanted. And when he had it safe he made her stoop down and smear
it over his brother's face, taking care all the while never to loose
her hair, and when the dead man opened his eyes the youth drew his
sword and cut off her head with a single blow. Then the elder
brother got up and stretched himself, and said, 'Oh, how long I have
slept! And where am I?'
'The old witch had enchanted you, but now she is dead and you are
free. We will wake up the other knights that she laid under her
spells, and then we will go.'
This they did, and, after sharing amongst them the jewels and gold
they found in the castle, each man went his way. The two brothers
remained together, the elder tightly grasping the ointment which had
brought him back to life.
They had much to tell each other as they rode along, and at last the
younger man exclaimed, 'O fool, to leave such a beautiful wife to go
and fight a witch! She took me for her husband, and I did not say
her nay.'
When the elder brother heard this a great rage filled his heart,
and, without saying one word, he drew his sword and slew his
brother, and his body rolled in the dust. Then he rode on till he
reached his home, where his wife was still sitting, weeping
bitterly. When she saw him she sprang up with a cry, and threw
herself into his arms. 'Oh, how long have I waited for thee! Never,
never must you leave me any more!'
When the old king heard the news he welcomed him as a son, and made
ready a feast, and all the court sat down. And in the evening, when
the young man was alone with his wife, she said to him, 'Why would
you not let me touch you when you came back, but always thrust me
away when I tried to put my arms round you or kiss you?'
Then the young man understood how true his brother had been to him,
and he sat down and wept and wrung his hands because of the wicked
murder that he had done. Suddenly he sprang to his feet, for he
remembered the ointment which lay hidden in his garments, and he
rushed to the place where his brother still lay. He fell on his
knees beside the body, and, taking out the salve, he rubbed it over
the neck where the wound was gaping wide, and the skin healed and
the sinews grew strong, and the dead man sat up and looked round
him. And the two brothers embraced each other, and the elder asked
forgiveness for his wicked blow; and they went back to the palace
together, and were never parted any more.
The Two Brothers
from the Pink Fairy Book
Story Edited
by Andrew Lang |
