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Once upon
a time...
There was once a girl so poor that she had nothing to live
on, and wandered about the world asking for charity. One day she
arrived at a thatched cottage, and inquired if they could give her
any work. The farmer said he wanted a cowherd, as his own had left
him, and if the girl liked the place she might take it. So she
became a cowherd.
One morning she was driving her cows through the meadows when she
heard near by a loud groan that almost sounded human. She hastened
to the spot from which the noise came, and found it proceeded from a
lion who lay stretched upon the ground.
You can guess how frightened she was! But the lion seemed in such
pain that she was sorry for him, and drew nearer and nearer till she
saw he had a large thorn in one foot. She pulled out the thorn and
bound up the place, and the lion was grateful, and licked her hand
by way of thanks with his big rough tongue.
When the girl had finished she went back to find the cows, but they
had gone, and though she hunted everywhere she never found them; and
she had to return home and confess to her master, who scolded her
bitterly, and afterwards beat her. Then he said, 'Now you will have
to look after the asses.'
So every day she had to take the asses to the woods to feed, until
one morning, exactly a year after she had found the lion, she heard
a groan which sounded quite human. She went straight to the place
from which the noise came, and, to her great surprise, beheld the
same lion stretched on the ground with a deep wound across his face.
This time she was not afraid at all, and ran towards him, washing
the wound and laying soothing herbs upon it; and when she had bound
it up the lion thanked her in the same manner as before.
After that she returned to her flock, but they were nowhere to be
seen. She searched here and she searched there, but they had
vanished completely!
Then she had to go home and confess to her master, who first scolded
her and afterwards beat her. 'Now go,' he ended, 'and look after the
pigs!'
So the next day she took out the pigs, and found them such good
feeding grounds that they grew fatter every day.
Another year passed by, and one morning when the maiden was out with
her pigs she heard a groan which sounded quite human. She ran to see
what it was, and found her old friend the lion, wounded through and
through, fast dying under a tree.
She fell on her knees before him and washed his wounds one by one,
and laid healing herbs upon them. And the lion licked her hands and
thanked her, and asked if she would not stay and sit by him. But the
girl said she had her pigs to watch, and she must go and see after
them.
So she ran to the place where she had left them, but they had
vanished as if the earth had swallowed them up. She whistled and
called, but only the birds answered her.
Then she sank down on the ground and wept bitterly, not daring to
return home until some hours had passed away.
And when she had had her cry out she got up and searched all up and
down the wood. But it was no use; there was not a sign of the pigs.
At last she thought that perhaps if she climbed a tree she might see
further. But no sooner was she seated on the highest branch than
something happened which put the pigs quite out of her head. This
was a handsome young man who was coming down the path; and when he
had almost reached the tree he pulled aside a rock and disappeared
behind it.
The maiden rubbed her eyes and wondered if she had been dreaming.
Next she thought, 'I will not stir from here till I see him come
out, and discover who he is.' Accordingly she waited, and at dawn
the next morning the rock moved to one side and a lion came out.
When he had gone quite out of sight the girl climbed down from the
tree and went to the rock, which she pushed aside, and entered the
opening before her. The path led to a beautiful house. She went in,
swept and dusted the furniture, and put everything tidy. Then she
ate a very good dinner, which was on a shelf in the corner, and once
more clambered up to the top of her tree.
As the sun set she saw the same young man walking gaily down the
path, and, as before, he pushed aside the rock and disappeared
behind it.
Next morning out came the lion. He looked sharply about him on all
sides, but saw no one, and then vanished into the forest.
The maiden then came down from the tree and did exactly as she had
done the day before. Thus three days went by, and every day she went
and tidied up the palace. At length, when the girl found she was no
nearer to discovering the secret, she resolved to ask him, and in
the evening when she caught sight of him coming through the wood she
came down from the tree and begged him to tell her his name.
The young man looked very pleased to see her, and said he thought it
must be she who had secretly kept his house for so many days. And he
added that he was a prince enchanted by a powerful giant, but was
only allowed to take his own shape at night, for all day he was
forced to appear as the lion whom she had so often helped; and, more
than this, it was the giant who had stolen the oxen and the asses
and the pigs in revenge for her kindness.
And the girl asked him, 'What can I do to disenchant you?'
But he said he was afraid it was very difficult, because the only
way was to get a lock of hair from the head of a king's daughter, to
spin it, and to make from it a cloak for the giant, who lived up on
the top of a high mountain.
'Very well,' answered the girl, 'I will go to the city, and knock at
the door of the king's palace, and ask the princess to take me as a
servant.'
So they parted, and when she arrived at the city she walked about
the streets crying, 'Who will hire me for a servant? Who will hire
me for a servant?' But, though many people liked her looks, for she
was clean and neat, the maiden would listen to none, and still
continued crying, 'Who will hire me for a servant? Who will hire me
for a servant?'
At last there came the waiting-maid of the princess.
'What can you do?' she said; and the girl was forced to confess that
she could do very little.
'Then you will have to do scullion's work, and wash up dishes,' said
she; and they went straight back to the palace.
Then the maiden dressed her hair afresh, and made herself look very
neat and smart, and everyone admired and praised her, till
by-and-bye it came to the ears of the princess. And she sent for the
girl, and when she saw her, and how beautifully she had dressed her
hair, the princess told her she was to come and comb out hers.
Now the hair of the princess was very thick and long, and shone like
the sun. And the girl combed it and combed it till it was brighter
than ever. And the princess was pleased, and bade her come every day
and comb her hair, till at length the girl took courage, and begged
leave to cut off one of the long, thick locks.
The princess, who was very proud of her hair, did not like the idea
of parting with any of it, so she said no. But the girl could not
give up hope, and each day she entreated to be allowed to cut off
just one tress. At length the princess lost patience, and exclaimed,
'You may have it, then, on condition that you shall find the
handsomest prince in the world to be my bridegroom!'
And the girl answered that she would, and cut off the lock, and wove
it into a coat that glittered like silk, and brought it to the young
man, who told her to carry it straight to the giant. But that she
must be careful to cry out a long way off what she had with her, or
else he would spring upon her and run her through with his sword.
So the maiden departed and climbed up the mountain, but before she
reached the top the giant heard her footsteps, and rushed out
breathing fire and flame, having a sword in one hand and a club in
the other. But she cried loudly that she had brought him the coat,
and then he grew quiet, and invited her to come into his house.
He tried on the coat, but it was too short, and he threw it off, and
declared it was no use. And the girl picked it up sadly, and
returned quite in despair to the king's palace.
The next morning, when she was combing the princess's hair, she
begged leave to cut off another lock. At first the princess said no,
but the girl begged so hard that at length she gave in on condition
that she should find her a prince as bridegroom.
The maiden told her that she had already found him, and spun the
lock into shining stuff, and fastened it on to the end of the coat.
And when it was finished she carried it to the giant.
This time it fitted him, and he was quite pleased, and asked her
what he could give her in return. And she said that the only reward
he could give her was to take the spell off the lion and bring him
back to his own shape.
For a long time the giant would not hear of it, but in the end he
gave in, and told her exactly how it must all be done. She was to
kill the lion herself and cut him up very small; then she must burn
him, and cast his ashes into the water, and out of the water the
prince would come free from enchantment for ever.
But the maiden went away weeping, lest the giant should have
deceived her, and that after she had killed the lion she would find
she had also slain the prince.
Weeping she came down the mountain, and weeping she joined the
prince, who was awaiting her at the bottom; and when he had heard
her story he comforted her, and bade her be of good courage, and to
do the bidding of the giant.
And the maiden believed what the prince told her; and in the morning
when he put on his lion's form she took a knife and slew him, and
cut him up very small, and burnt him, and cast his ashes into the
water, and out of the water came the prince, beautiful as the day,
and as glad to look upon as the sun himself.
Then the young man thanked the maiden for all she had done for him,
and said she should be his wife and none other. But the maiden only
wept sore, and answered that that she could never be, for she had
given her promise to the princess when she cut off her hair that the
prince should wed her and her only.
But the prince replied, 'If it is the princess, we must go quickly.
Come with me.'
So they went together to the king's palace. And when the king and
queen and princess saw the young man a great joy filled their
hearts, for they knew him for the eldest son, who had long ago been
enchanted by a giant and lost to them.
And he asked his parents' consent that he might marry the girl who
had saved him, and a great feast was made, and the maiden became a
princess, and in due time a queen, and she richly deserved all the
honours showered upon her.
The Wounded Lion
from the Pink Fairy Book
Story Edited
by Andrew Lang |
