Fairy Tales From all Nations Part 19

He alluded only to three lucky days; but the buriers of the treasure thought he meant them; and as they feared he might go and give information of them to the magistrate, they took him aside, told him the whole affair, and, to bribe him into silence, gave him the fourth part of the treasure.

Well pleased, Lucilio took his portion, carried it home to his mother, and said, "Dear mother, Heaven's blessing has been with me; for, as I did as you desired, so I have found the good days. Take this money, and buy with it all we require."

The mother was not a little pleased at the fortunate occurrence, and urged her son to go on exerting himself that he might find more such good days.

THE FEAST OF THE DWARFS.

[Icelandish.]

Not very far from Drontheim, in Norway, dwelt a powerful man, blessed with all the gifts of fortune. A considerable portion of the land around belonged to him; numerous herds grazed in his pastures, and a numerous establishment of domestics contributed to the grandeur of his dwelling. He had an only daughter called Aslog, whose beauty was celebrated far and near. The most ill.u.s.trious of her countrymen sought to obtain her hand, but without success; and those who arrived gay and full of hope, rode away in silence and with heavy hearts. Her father, who thought that his daughter's rejection of so many suitors proceeded from her anxiety to make a prudent choice, did not interfere, and rejoiced to think that she was so discreet. At length, however, when he perceived that the n.o.blest and the most wealthy of the land were rejected equally with all others, he grew angry, and thus addressed her:--

"Hitherto I have left you at full liberty to make your own selection; but, as I observe that you reject all indiscriminately, and that the most eligible suitors are yet in your opinion not good enough for you, I shall no longer permit such conduct. Is my race, then, to be extinguished, and are my possessions to fall into the hands of strangers? I am resolved to bend your stubborn will. I give you time for consideration until the great winter nights' festival; if you shall not then have made your election, be prepared to accept him whom I determine upon for you."

Aslog loved a handsome, brave, and n.o.ble youth, whose name was Orm.

She loved him with her whole soul, and would have preferred death to giving her hand to any one but him. But Orm was poor, and his poverty compelled him to take service in her father's house. Aslog's love for him was therefore kept secret, for her haughty father would never have consented to an alliance with a man in so subordinate a position. When Aslog beheld his stern aspect and heard his angry words, she became deathly pale, for she knew his disposition, and was well aware that he would put his threat in execution. Without offering a word in reply, she withdrew to her chamber, there to consider how to escape the storm that menaced her.

The great festival drew near, and her anxiety increased daily.

At length the lovers resolved to fly. "I know a hiding place," said Orm, "where we can remain undiscovered till we find an opportunity of quitting the country."

During the night, whilst all were asleep, Orm conducted the trembling Aslog across the snow and fields of ice to the mountains. The moon and stars, which always seem brightest in the cold winter's night, lighted them on their way. They had brought with them some clothes and furs, but that was all they could carry.

They climbed the mountains the whole night long, till they arrived at a solitary spot completely encircled by rock. Here Orm led the weary Aslog into a cave, the dark and narrow entrance to which was scarcely perceptible; it soon widened, however, into a s.p.a.cious chamber that penetrated far into the mountain. Orm kindled a fire, and they sat beside it, leaning against the rock, shut out from the rest of the world.

Orm was the first who had discovered this cavern, which is now shown as a curiosity; and, as at that time no one knew of its existence, they were secure from the pursuit of Aslog's father. Here they pa.s.sed the winter. Orm went out to chase the wild animals of the lonely region, and Aslog remained in the cave, attended to the fire, and prepared their necessary food. She frequently climbed to the summit of the rock, but, far as her eye could reach, it beheld only the sparkling snow-fields.

Spring arrived, the woods became green, the fields arrayed themselves in bright colours, and Aslog dared now only seldom, and with great precaution, to emerge from her cavern.

One evening Orm returned home bringing news that he had recognised, at a distance, her father's people, and that they had no doubt also descried him, as they could see as clearly as himself. "They will surround this place," continued he, "and not rest till they have found us; we must therefore instantly be off."

They immediately descended the mountain on the other side, and reached the sea-sh.o.r.e, where they fortunately found a boat. Orm pushed off, and the boat was driven into the open sea. They had, it is true, escaped their pursuers, but they were now exposed to perils of another kind. Whither should they turn? They dared not land, for Aslog's father was lord of the whole coast, and they would so fall into his hands. Nothing remained, therefore, for them, but to commit the boat to the winds and waves, which pursued its way all night, so that at day-break the coast had disappeared, and they saw only sky and water; they had not brought any provisions with them, and hunger and thirst began to torture them. Thus they drove on for three days, and Aslog, weak and exhausted, foresaw their certain destruction.

At length, on the evening of the third day, they beheld an island of considerable size, surrounded by a mult.i.tude of lesser islets. Orm immediately steered towards it, but, as they approached it, a gale arose and the waves swelled higher and higher; he turned the boat in hopes to be able to land on some other side, but equally without success. Whenever the bark approached the island, it was driven back as if by some invisible force.

Orm, gazing on the unhappy Aslog, who seemed dying from exhaustion, crossed himself, and uttered an exclamation, which had scarcely pa.s.sed his lips, when the storm ceased, the waves sank, and the little bark landed without further obstruction. He then sprang on sh.o.r.e, and a few mussels which he collected, so revived and strengthened the exhausted Aslog, that in a short time she also was able to quit the boat.

The island was entirely covered with dwarf mushrooms, and appeared to be uninhabited; but when they had penetrated nearly to the centre of it they perceived a house, half of which only was above the ground, and the other half under it. In the hope that they might find human help they joyfully approached it; they listened for some sound, but the deepest silence prevailed all around. At length Orm opened the door and entered with his companion; great was their astonishment, however, when they perceived everything prepared as if for inhabitants, but no living being visible. The fire burnt on the hearth in the middle of the room, and a kettle with fish hung over it, waiting, probably, for some one to make a meal of its contents; beds were ready prepared for the reception of sleepers. Orm and Aslog stood for a time doubtful, and looked fearfully about; at length, impelled by hunger, they took the food and eat it. When they had satisfied their hunger, and, by the last rays of the sun, could not discover any one far and wide, they yielded to fatigue and lay down on the beds, a luxury which they had so long been deprived of.

They had fully expected to be awakened in the night by the return of the owners of the house, but they were deceived in their expectation; throughout the following day, also, no one appeared, and it seemed as if some invisible power had prepared the house for their reception.

Thus did they pa.s.s the whole summer most happily; it is true they were alone, but the absence of mankind was not felt by them. The eggs of wild-fowl and the fish which they caught afforded them sufficient provision.

When autumn approached, Aslog bore a son, and in the midst of their rejoicing at his arrival they were surprised by a wonderful apparition.--The door opened suddenly, and an old woman entered; she wore a beautiful blue garment, and in her form and manner was something dignified, and at the same time unusual and strange.

"Let not my sudden appearance alarm you," said she. "I am the owner of this house, and I thank you for having kept it so clean and well, and that I now find everything in such good order. I would willingly have come sooner, but I could not until the little heathen there--pointing to the infant--had established himself here. Now I have free access; but do not, I pray you, fetch a priest here from the main-land to baptise him, for then I shall be obliged to go away again. If you fulfil my wish, not only may you remain here, but every good you can desire I will bestow on you; whatever you undertake shall succeed; good fortune shall attend you wherever you go. But if you break this condition, you may a.s.sure yourselves that misfortune on misfortune shall visit you, and I will even avenge myself on the child. If you stand in need of anything, or are in danger, you have only to p.r.o.nounce my name thrice: I will appear and aid you. I am of the race of the ancient giants, and my name is Guru. Beware, however, of p.r.o.nouncing, in my presence, the name that no giant likes to hear, and never make the sign of the cross, nor cut it in any of the boards in the house. You may live here the year round; only on Yule evening be so kind as to leave the house to me as soon as the sun goes down. Then we celebrate our great festival, the only occasion on which we are permitted to be merry. If, however, you do not like to quit the house, remain as quietly as possible under ground, and, as you value your lives, do not look into the room before midnight; after that hour you may again take possession of all."

When the old woman had thus spoken, she disappeared, and Aslog and Orm, thus rendered easy as to their position, lived on without disturbance contented and happy. Orm never cast his net without a good draught--never shot an arrow that did not hit--in short, whatever he undertook, however trifling it might be, prospered visibly.

When Christmas came they made the house as clean as possible, set everything in order, kindled a fire on the hearth, and on the approach of twilight descended to the under part of the house, where they remained quiet and silent. At length it grew dark, and they fancied they heard a rustling and snorting in the air, like that which the swans make in the winter season. In the wall over the hearth was an aperture that could be opened and shut to admit light, or to let out smoke. Orm raised the lid, which was covered with a skin, and put out his head, when a wonderful spectacle presented itself. The little surrounding islets were illuminated by countless little blue lights, which moved incessantly, danced up and down, then slid along the sh.o.r.e, collected together, and approached nearer and nearer to the island in which Orm and Aslog dwelt. When they reached it they arranged themselves in a circle round a great stone, which stood not very far from the sh.o.r.e, and which was well known to Orm. But how great was his astonishment, when he saw that the stone had a.s.sumed a perfectly human form, although of gigantic stature. He could now clearly distinguish that the lights were carried by dwarfs, whose pale earth-coloured faces, with large noses and red eyes, in the form of birds' beaks and owls' eyes, surmounted mis-shapen bodies. They waddled and shuffled here and there, and seemed to be sad and gay at the same time. Suddenly the circle opened, the little people drew back on either side, and Guru, who now appeared as large as the stone, approached with giant steps. She threw her arms around the stony figure, which at that moment received life and movement. At the first indication of this, the little people set up, accompanied by extraordinary grimaces and gestures, such a song, or rather howl, that the whole island resounded and shook with the noise. Orm, quite terrified, drew in his head, and he and Aslog now remained in the dark so quiet, that they scarcely dared to breathe.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE FEAST OF THE DWARFS. P. 322.]

The procession arrived at the house, as was clearly perceived by the nearer approach of the howl. They now all entered. Light and active, the dwarfs skipped over the benches; heavy and dull sounded the steps of the giants among them. Orm and his wife heard them lay out the table and celebrate their feast with the clattering of plates and cries of joy. When the feast was over and midnight was approaching, they began to dance to that magic melody which wraps the soul in sweet bewilderment, and which has been heard by some persons in the valleys and amid the rocks, who have thus learnt the air from subterranean musicians.

No sooner did Aslog hear the melody than she was seized with an indescribable longing to witness the dance. Orm was unable to restrain her. "Let me look," said she, "or my heart will break." She took her infant and placed herself at the furthest extremity of the chamber, where she could see everything without being herself seen. Long did she watch, without turning away her eyes, the dance, and the agile and wonderful steps and leaps of the little beings, who seemed to float in the air and scarcely to touch the ground, whilst the enchanting music of the elfs filled her soul.

In the mean time the infant on her arm grew sleepy and breathed heavily, and, without remembering the promise she had made to the old woman, she made the sign of the cross (as is the custom) over the child's mouth, and said, "Christ bless thee, my child!" She had scarcely uttered the words when a fearful piercing cry arose. The sprites rushed headlong out of the house, their lights were extinguished, and in a few minutes they had all left the house. Orm and Aslog, terrified almost to death, hid themselves in the remotest corner of the house. They ventured not to move until day-break, and, not until the sun shone through the hole over the hearth, did they find courage to come out of their hiding-place.

The table was still covered as the sprites had left it, with all their precious and wonderfully wrought silver vessels. In the middle of the room stood, on the ground, a high copper vessel half filled with sweet metheglin, and by its side a drinking-horn of pure gold. In the corner lay a stringed instrument, resembling a dulcimer, on which, as it is believed, the female giants play. They gazed with admiration on all, but did not venture to touch anything. Greatly were they startled, however, when, on turning round, they beheld, seated at the table, a monstrous form, which Orm immediately recognised as the giant whom Guru had embraced. It was now a cold hard stone. Whilst they stood looking at it, Guru herself, in her giant form, entered the room. She wept so bitterly that her tears fell on the ground, and it was long before her sobs would allow her utterance; at length she said:--

"Great sorrow have you brought upon me; I must now weep for the remainder of my days. As, however, I know that you did it not from any evil intention, I forgive you, although it would be easy for me to crumble this house over your heads like an egg-sh.e.l.l.

"Ah!" exclaimed she, "there sits my husband, whom I loved better than myself, turned for ever into stone, never again to open his eyes. For three hundred years I lived with my father in the island of k.u.man, happy in youthful innocence, the fairest amongst the virgins of the giant race. Mighty heroes were rivals for my hand; the sea that surrounds that island is full of fragments of rock which they hurled at each other in fight. Andfind won the victory, and I was betrothed to him. But before our marriage came the abhorred Odin into the country, conquered my father, and drove us out of the island. My father and sister fled to the mountains, and my eyes have never since beheld them. Andfind and I escaped to this island, where we lived for a long time in peace, and began to hope that we should never be disturbed. But Destiny, which no one can escape, had decreed otherwise; Oluff came from Britain. They called him the Holy, and Andfind at once discovered that his journey would be fatal to the giant race. When he heard Oluf's s.h.i.+p das.h.i.+ng through the waves, he went to the sh.o.r.e and blew against it with all his strength. The waves rose into mountains. But Oluf was mightier than he; his vessel flew unharmed through the waves, like an arrow from the bow. He steered straight to our island. When the s.h.i.+p was near enough for Andfind to reach it, he grasped the prow with his right hand, and was in the act of sending it to the bottom, as he had often done with other s.h.i.+ps.

But Oluf, the dreadful Oluf, stepped forwards, and crossing his hands, cried out with a loud voice:--'Stand there, a stone, until the last day!' and in that moment my unhappy husband became a ma.s.s of stone.

The s.h.i.+p sailed on unhindered towards the mountain, which it severed, and separated from it the little islands that lie around it.

"From that day all my happiness was annihilated, and I have pa.s.sed my life in loneliness and sorrow. Only on Yule evening can a petrified giant recover life for seven hours, if one of the race embraces him, and is willing to renounce a hundred years of life for this purpose.

It is seldom that a giant does this. I loved my husband too tenderly not to recall him to life as often as I could, at whatever cost to myself. I never counted how often I had done it, in order that I might not know when the time would come when I should share his fate, and in the act of embracing him become one with him. But ah! even this consolation is denied me. I can never again awaken him with an embrace, since he has heard the name which I may not utter, and never will he again see the light until the dawn of the last day.

"I am about to quit this place. You will never again behold me. All that is in the house I bestow on you. I reserve only my dulcimer. Let no one presume to set foot on the little surrounding islands. There dwells the little subterranean race, whom I will protect as long as I live."

With these words she vanished. The following spring, Orm carried the golden horn and the silver vessels to Drontheim, where no one knew him. The value of these costly utensils was so great, that he was enabled to purchase all that a rich man requires. He loaded his vessel with his purchases, and returned to the island, where he lived for many years in uninterrupted happiness. Aslog's father soon became reconciled to his wealthy son-in-law.

The stone figure remained seated in the house. No one was able to remove it thence. The stone was so hard that axe and hammer were s.h.i.+vered against it, without making the slightest impression on it.

There the giant remained till a holy man came to the island, and with one word restored it to its former place, where it still is to be seen.

The copper vessel which the subterranean people left behind them, is preserved as a memorial in the island, which is still called the Island of the Hut.

THE THREE DOGS.

[Frieslandish.]

A shepherd who had two children, a son and a daughter, had, at his death, nothing to leave them but three sheep, and the little cottage they inhabited. On his death-bed he blessed them, and with his last breath admonished them to divide the legacy, and share it affectionately. When the children had buried their beloved father, the brother asked the sister which part of the inheritance she would prefer,--the sheep or the cottage? and as she chose the cottage, he said, "Then I will take the sheep, and wander out in the wide world; many a one has there found his fortune, and I am a Sunday child." With these words he embraced his sister, and with his inheritance left his native place.

Far and wide did he wander, and much did he suffer--fortune never once recognising him as her son. Once, full of sorrow, uncertain whither to bend his steps, he sat down by a cross road, when all at once there stood before him a man accompanied by three large dogs, the one greater than the other, strongly built, and jet black.

"Well, my brave youth," said the man, "you have there three fine sheep, and if you choose we will exchange property; let me have your sheep, and you shall have my dogs."

In spite of his mournful disposition, the youth could not help laughing at the proposal. "What am I to do with your dogs?" demanded he; "my sheep feed themselves, but your dogs will want to be fed."

"My dogs are of a peculiar kind," answered the stranger; "they will provide for you, instead of your providing for them, and besides they will bring you great fortune. The smallest of them is called Bring-food; the second, Tear-to-pieces; and the great and strong one is named Break-steel-and-iron."