Fairy Tales From all Nations Part 13

"Have you listened to your mother's counsel?" said the bear; "if you have, you have ruined yourself and me, and our friendship is at an end."

"No," she had not done so, replied she.

Now when they had got home, and the maiden had gone to bed, the same happened as usual, some one came and lay down by her. During the night, however, when she heard that he was asleep, she rose and kindled a light, and then she saw lying in her bed the handsomest prince that can be imagined, and she immediately loved him so well, that she could not refrain from kissing him that very moment. But as she did this, she accidentally let three drops of oil fall from her lamp, upon his shirt, and thereupon he awoke.

"What have you done?" cried he, as he opened his eyes; "now you have made yourself and me unhappy for ever. If you had but held out for a year, I should have been delivered; for I have a step-mother who has enchanted me, so that by day I am a bear, but at night I become a man again. But all is over for us both, for I must now leave you, and return to her. She dwells in a castle which lies _eastward of the Sun_, and _westward of the Moon_, and there I shall be obliged to marry a princess who has a nose three ells long."

The maiden then began to weep and bemoan herself; but it was too late, the prince was obliged to go. She asked him if she might not accompany him.

"No," said he, "that must not be."

"Can you not then tell me the road that I may find you?" inquired she; "for I suppose I may be allowed that."

"Yes, that you are right welcome to do," said he; "but there is no road that leads to it; for the castle lies eastward of the Sun, and westward of the Moon, and you will never get there."

In the morning when she awoke, the prince and the castle had both vanished, and she found herself lying on the bare earth, in a thick dark forest, and she was dressed in her old clothes, and near her lay the same bundle that she had brought with her from her former home.

When she had rubbed her eyes till she was quite awake, and had cried till she could cry no longer, she began her journey, and wandered for many a long day, till at last she came to a great mountain. At the foot of the mountain sat an old woman, playing with a golden apple; the maiden asked her if she could tell her the way to where the prince lived with his step-mother, in a castle which was situated eastward of the Sun, and westward of the Moon, and who was to marry a princess who had a nose three ells long.

"How come you to know him?" asked the woman. "Can you be the maiden whom he wished to marry?"

"Yes," she replied, "she was that maiden."

"So! then you are the chosen one!" resumed the woman; "ah! my child,"

continued she, "I would willingly help you, but I myself know nothing more of the castle than that it lies eastward of the Sun, and westward of the Moon, and that you are almost certain never to get there; I will, however, lend you my horse, and you may ride on him to my next neighbour; perhaps she may be able to tell you the way thither, but when you have reached her, just give the horse a pat under the left ear, and bid him go home again; and now take this golden apple, for perhaps you may find a use for it."

The maiden mounted the horse, and rode for a long, long, time; and at last arrived at another mountain, where sat an old woman with a golden reel. The maiden asked her if she could tell her the way to the castle, which lay eastward of the Sun, and westward of the Moon. This old woman, however, said just like the other, that she knew nothing more about the castle than that it lay eastward of the Sun, and westward of the Moon, "and you are almost sure never to find it,"

added she, "but I will lend you my horse to ride upon to my next neighbour, and perhaps she may tell you the way; when you get there, however, just give the horse a pat under his left ear, and tell him to go home; now take this reel, for perhaps you may find some use for it."

The maiden seated herself on the horse, and rode for many days and weeks; at last she again arrived at a mountain where an old woman sat spinning with a golden distaff. The maiden now again inquired about the prince, and the castle which was situated eastward of the Sun, and westward of the Moon.

"Are you she whom the prince wished to marry?" asked the woman.

"Yes," replied the maiden.

But this old woman knew no more about the castle than the two others.

"Eastward of the Sun, and westward of the Moon, lies the castle, and you are almost certain never to get there. But I will lend you my horse, and you may ride upon him to the East Wind; perhaps he may be able to tell you the way, but when you get to him, give the horse a pat under the left ear, and bid him go home, and now take this golden distaff, you will probably have occasion for it."

She rode now a very long time, and at last arrived where the East Wind dwelt, and asked him if he could not tell her how to get to the prince who lived in the castle which lay eastward of the Sun, and westward of the Moon.

"Truly, I have often heard tell of the prince, and of the castle too,"

said the East Wind, "but I cannot tell you the way, for I have never blown so far; but I will carry you to my brother, the West Wind; perhaps he may know, for he is much stronger than I am. You have only to seat yourself on my back, and I will bear you thither."

The maiden seated herself on his back, and off they went. When they reached the West Wind, the East Wind told him that he had brought a maiden who was to marry the prince who dwelt in the castle that lay eastward of the Sun, and westward of the Moon, and asked if he could tell the way thither.

"No," answered the West Wind. "I have never blown so far. But," said he, addressing the maiden, "you may seat yourself on my back, and I will carry you to the South Wind; he may be able to tell you, for he is much stronger than I, and blows and bl.u.s.ters every where."

So the maiden seated herself on his back, and when they had reached the South Wind, the West Wind asked him if he did not know the way to the castle which lay eastward of the Sun, and westward of the Moon, for the maiden whom he had brought with him, said he, was to marry the prince who dwelt there.

"I have blown pretty far, and pretty strong in my time," said the South Wind, "but I never went so far as that. If, however, you desire it," said he to the maiden, "I will carry you to my brother, the North Wind, who is the eldest and strongest of us all, and if he cannot tell you the way, you may rest a.s.sured you will never find it."

The maiden seated herself on his back, and off they went at such a rate that the plain heaved again.

In a very short time they reached the North Wind; but he was so wild and turbulent that long before they got up to him, he blew, I know not how much snow and ice, in their faces.

"What do you want?" cried he, in a voice that made their skin creep.

"Oh, you must not be so rough with us," said the South Wind; "for here am I, your own brother, and this is the maiden who is to marry the prince who dwells in the castle which lies eastward of the Sun, and westward of the Moon, and she is very desirous to ask you if you cannot give her some information about it."

"Yes, I know full well where it lies," said the North Wind; "I wafted an aspen leaf thither, once; but I was so fatigued that I could not blow for many a long day afterwards. If, however, you are resolved to go," said he to the maiden, "and are not afraid, I will take you on my back and try whether I can waft you so far."

"Yes," said the maiden, "there I must and will go, by all possible means, and I will not be frightened either, let it be as bad as it may."

"In that case you must pa.s.s the night here," said the North Wind; "for we must have the whole day before us, if we are to go there."

Early the next morning the North Wind awakened her, got himself into breath, and grew so large and strong, that it was terrible to behold; and off they dashed through the air, as if the world were coming to an end. Then arose such an awful storm, that whole villages and forests were overturned, and as they pa.s.sed over the ocean, the ships sank by hundreds. On they went still over the water, so far as no one would believe, but the North Wind became weaker and weaker, and so weak did he become, that he could scarcely blow any more, and he sank lower and lower, and at last got so low, that the waves flowed over his heels.

"Are you frightened?" inquired he of the maiden.

"No, not in the least," said she.

Now they were only a very little way from land, and the North Wind had scarcely any strength remaining, to enable him to reach the sh.o.r.e under the windows of the castle that lay eastward of the Sun, and westward of the Moon. When he did get there, however, he was so weary and faint, that he was obliged to rest many days before he could return home.

In the morning the maiden seated herself under the windows of the castle, and played with her golden apple, and the first person who saw her, was the long-nosed princess whom the prince was to marry.

"What do you ask for your golden apple?" inquired the princess, as she opened her window.

"It is not to be had for gold nor for gain;" said the maiden.

"If you will not part with it for gold nor for gain, what will you take for it?" demanded the princess: "I will give whatever you ask."

"Well, then, if you will let me pa.s.s a night by the prince's side, you shall have it," said the maiden.

"Oh! that you are quite welcome to do," said the princess, and took the golden apple.

But when at night the maiden came into the prince's chamber, he was fast asleep; she called to him and shook him, and cried and moaned, but she could not awaken him, and as soon as the morning dawned, the princess with the long nose came and drove her out of the room.

That day the maiden again placed herself under the castle windows, and unwound the yarn from the golden reel, and the long-nosed princess spoke to her as on the day before. She asked her what she would take for the reel, but the maiden said it was not to be had for gold nor gain, but that if she might pa.s.s another night beside the prince, the princess should have it. She agreed, and took the golden reel. But when the maiden entered the chamber the prince was fast asleep; and, let her call and shake him, and weep and wail as she might, she could not rouse him; and when the morning dawned, the princess with the long nose again came and drove her away.

This day the maiden seated herself as before with her golden distaff and span. When the princess saw the distaff, she wanted that also, and opened the window, and asked what she would sell it for. The maiden replied as before, neither for gold nor gain; but if the princess would let her pa.s.s another night with the prince, she should have it.

Yes, she was very welcome, said the princess, and took the distaff.

Now it happened that some persons who slept close to the prince's apartment, had heard the lamentations and melancholy cries of the maiden during the two nights, and that morning they told the prince of it. So in the evening when the princess brought the drink which the prince was accustomed to take before he went to bed, he pretended to drink it, but in reality he poured it on the ground behind him, for he suspected strongly that the princess had mixed a sleeping potion with it. Now when the maiden went into his room that night, he was wide awake, and was overjoyed at seeing her, and he made her tell him all that had happened to her, and how she had contrived to get to the castle. When she had related all he said:--

"You are come just at the right moment; for to-morrow is to be my wedding with the princess; but I want nothing of her and her long nose, for you are the only one I will wed. I shall therefore say, that I want to know what my bride is fit for, and I shall require her to wash the three spots of oil out of my shirt. This she will willingly undertake to do, but I know that she will not succeed; for the spots were made by your hand, and can only be washed out again by Christian hands, and not by the hands of such a pack of sorcerers as she belongs to. I shall, however, say, that I will have no other bride than she who can succeed, and when they have all tried and failed, I shall call you, and desire you to try." So the night pa.s.sed happily away, and on the bridal day the prince said:--

"I should like vastly to see what my bride is fit for."

"That is no more than fair," said the step-mother.