SLEEPING BEAUTY Original Version
THERE were formerly a king and a queen, who were so sorry that they had no children;1
so sorry that it cannot be expressed. They went to all the waters in the world; vows,
pilgrimages, all ways were tried, and all to no purpose.
At last, however, the Queen had a daughter. There was a very fine christening;2 and the
Princess had for her godmothers3 all the fairies they could find in the whole kingdom
(they found seven),4 that every one of them might give her a gift,5 as was the custom of
fairies in those days. By this means the Princess had all the perfections6 imaginable.
After the ceremonies of the christening were over, all the company returned to the King's
palace, where was prepared a great feast for the fairies. There was placed before every
one of them a magnificent cover with a case of massive gold, wherein were a spoon,
knife, and fork, all of pure gold set with diamonds and rubies.7 But as they were all sitting
down at table they saw come into the hall a very old fairy, whom they had not invited,
because it was above fifty years since she had been out of a certain tower, and she was
believed to be either dead or enchanted.
The King ordered her a cover, but could not furnish her with a case of gold as the others,
because they had only seven made for the seven fairies. The old Fairy fancied she was
slighted, and muttered some threats between her teeth. One of the young fairies who sat
by her overheard how she grumbled; and, judging that she might give the little Princess
some unlucky gift, went, as soon as they rose from table, and hid herself behind the
hangings, that she might speak last, and repair, as much as she could, the evil which the
old Fairy might intend.
In the meanwhile all the fairies began to give their gifts to the Princess. The youngest
gave her for gift that she should be the most beautiful person in the world;8 the next, that
she should have the wit of an angel;9 the third, that she should have a wonderful grace10
in everything she did; the fourth, that she should dance perfectly well;11 the fifth, that she
should sing like a nightingale;12 and the sixth, that she should play all kinds of music13 to
the utmost perfection.
The old Fairy's turn coming next, with a head shaking more with spite than age, she said
that the Princess should have her hand pierced with a spindle14 and die of the wound.15
This terrible gift made the whole company tremble, and everybody fell a-crying.
At this very instant the young Fairy came out from behind the hangings, and spake these
words aloud:
"Assure yourselves, O King and Queen, that your daughter shall not die of this disaster. It
is true, I have no power to undo entirely what my elder has done. The Princess shall
indeed pierce her hand with a spindle; but, instead of dying, she shall only fall into a
profound sleep,16 which shall last a hundred years,17 at the expiration of which a king's
son18 shall come and awake her."
The King, to avoid the misfortune foretold by the old Fairy, caused immediately
proclamation to be made, whereby everybody was forbidden, on pain of death, to spin
with a distaff and spindle, or to have so much as any spindle in their houses. About
fifteen or sixteen years19 after, the King and Queen being gone to one of their houses of
pleasure, the young Princess happened one day to divert herself in running up and down
the palace; when going up from one apartment to another, she came into a little room on
the top of the tower, where a good old woman,20 alone, was spinning with her spindle.
This good woman had never heard of the King's proclamation against spindles.21
"What are you doing there, goody?" said the Princess.
"I am spinning, my pretty child," said the old woman, who did not know who she was.
"Ha!" said the Princess, "this is very pretty; how do you do it? Give it to me, that I may
see if I can do so."
She had no sooner taken it into her hand than, whether being very hasty at it, somewhat
unhandy, or that the decree of the Fairy had so ordained it, it ran into her hand, and she
fell down in a swoon.22
The good old woman, not knowing very well what to do in this affair, cried out for help.
People came in from every quarter in great numbers; they threw water upon the
Princess's face, unlaced her,23 struck her on the palms of her hands, and rubbed her
temples with Hungary-water;24 but nothing would bring her to herself.
And now the King, who came up at the noise, bethought himself of the prediction of the
fairies, and, judging very well that this must necessarily come to pass, since the fairies
had said it, caused the Princess to be carried into the finest apartment in his palace, and
to be laid upon a bed all embroidered with gold and silver.
One would have taken her for a little angel, she was so very beautiful; for her swooning
away had not diminished one bit of her complexion; her cheeks were carnation,25 and her
lips were coral;26 indeed, her eyes were shut, but she was heard to breathe softly, which
satisfied those about her that she was not dead. The King commanded that they should
not disturb her, but let her sleep quietly till her hour of awaking was come.
The good Fairy who had saved her life by condemning her to sleep a hundred years was
in the kingdom of Matakin,27 twelve thousand leagues28 off, when this accident befell the
Princess; but she was instantly informed of it by a little dwarf,29 who had boots of seven
leagues,30 that is, boots with which he could tread over seven leagues of ground in one
stride. The Fairy came away immediately, and she arrived, about an hour after, in a fiery
chariot drawn by dragons.31
The King handed her out of the chariot, and she approved everything he had done, but as
she had very great foresight, she thought when the Princess should awake she might not
know what to do with herself, being all alone in this old palace; and this was what she
did: she touched with her wand32 everything in the palace (except the King and Queen) -governesses, maids of honor, ladies of the bedchamber, gentlemen, officers, stewards,
cooks, undercooks, scullions, guards, with their beefeaters, pages, footmen; she likewise
touched all the horses which were in the stables, pads as well as others, the great dogs in
the outward court and pretty little Mopsey too, the Princess's little spaniel, which lay by
her on the bed.
Immediately upon her touching them they all fell asleep, that they might not awake
before their mistress and that they might be ready to wait upon her when she wanted
them. The very spits33 at the fire, as full as they could hold of partridges and pheasants,
did fall asleep also. All this was done in a moment. Fairies are not long in doing their
business.
And now the King and the Queen, having kissed their dear child without waking her,
went out of the palace and put forth a proclamation that nobody should dare to come
near it.
This, however, was not necessary, for in a quarter of an hour's time there grew up all
round about the park such a vast number of trees,34 great and small, bushes and
brambles, twining one within another, that neither man nor beast could pass through; so
that nothing could be seen but the very top of the towers of the palace; and that, too, not
unless it was a good way off. Nobody doubted but the Fairy gave herein a very
extraordinary sample of her art, that the Princess, while she continued sleeping, might
have nothing to fear from any curious people.
When a hundred years were gone and passed the son of the King then reigning, and who
was of another family35 from that of the sleeping Princess, being gone a-hunting on that
side of the country, asked:
What those towers were which he saw in the middle of a great thick wood?
Everyone answered according as they had heard. Some said that it was a ruinous old
castle, haunted by spirits.
Others, That all the sorcerers and witches of the country kept there their sabbath or
night's meeting.
The common opinion was: That an ogre36 lived there, and that he carried thither all the
little children he could catch, that he might eat them up at his leisure, without anybody
being able to follow him, as having himself only the power to pass through the wood.
The Prince was at a stand, not knowing what to believe, when a very good countryman
spake to him thus:
"May it please your royal highness, it is now about fifty years since I heard from my
father, who heard my grandfather say, that there was then in this castle a princess, the
most beautiful was ever seen; that she must sleep there a hundred years, and should be
waked by a king's son, for whom she was reserved."
The young Prince was all on fire at these words, believing, without weighing the matter,
that he could put an end to this rare adventure; and, pushed on by love and honor,
resolved that moment to look into it.
Scarce had he advanced toward the wood when all the great trees, the bushes, and
brambles gave way of themselves to let him pass37 through; he walked up to the castle
which he saw at the end of a large avenue which he went into; and what a little surprised
him was that he saw none of his people could follow him, because the trees closed again
as soon as he had passed through them. However, he did not cease from continuing his
way; a young and amorous prince is always valiant.
He came into a spacious outward court, where everything he saw might have frozen the
most fearless person with horror. There reigned all over a most frightful silence; the
image of death everywhere showed itself, and there was nothing to be seen but stretchedout bodies of men and animals, all seeming to be dead. He, however, very well knew, by
the ruby faces and pimpled noses of the beefeaters, that they were only asleep; and their
goblets, wherein still remained some drops of wine, showed plainly that they fell asleep
in their cups.
He then crossed a court paved with marble, went up the stairs and came into the guard
chamber, where guards were standing in their ranks, with their muskets upon their
shoulders, and snoring as loud as they could. After that he went through several rooms
full of gentlemen and ladies, all asleep, some standing, others sitting.38 At last he came
into a chamber all gilded with gold, where he saw upon a bed, the curtains of which were
all open, the finest sight was ever beheld -- a princess, who appeared to be about fifteen
or sixteen years of age, and whose bright and, in a manner, resplendent beauty, had
somewhat in it divine. He approached with trembling and admiration, and fell down
before her upon his knees.
And now, as the enchantment was at an end, the Princess awaked,39 and looking on him
with eyes more tender than the first view might seem to admit of:
"Is it you, my Prince?" said she to him. "You have waited a long while."
The Prince, charmed with these words, and much more with the manner in which they
were spoken, knew not how to show his joy and gratitude; he assured her that he loved
her better than he did himself; their discourse was not well connected, they did weep
more than talk -- little eloquence, a great deal of love. He was more at a loss than she,
and we need not wonder at it; she had time to think on what to say to him; for it is very
probable (though history mentions nothing of it) that the good Fairy, during so long a
sleep, had given her very agreeable dreams. In short, they talked four hours40 together,
and yet they said not half what they had to say.
In the meanwhile all the palace awaked; everyone thought upon their particular
business, and as all of them were not in love they were ready to die for hunger. The chief
lady of honor, being as sharp set as other folks, grew very impatient, and told the
Princess aloud that supper was served up. The Prince helped the Princess to rise; she was
entirely dressed, and very magnificently, but his royal highness took care not to tell her
that she was dressed like his great-grandmother, and had a point band peeping over a
high collar; she looked not a bit less charming and beautiful for all that.
They went into the great hall of looking-glasses, where they supped, and were served by
the Princess's officers, the violins and hautboys played old tunes, but very excellent,
though it was now above a hundred years since they had played; and after supper,
without losing any time, the lord almoner married them41 in the chapel of the castle, and
the chief lady of honor drew the curtains. They had but very little sleep42 -- the Princess
had no occasion; and the Prince left her next morning to return to the city, where his
father must needs have been in pain for him. The Prince told him:
That he lost his way in the forest as he was hunting, and that he had lain in the cottage of
a charcoal-burner,43 who gave him cheese and brown bread.
The King, his father, who was a good man, believed him; but his mother could not be
persuaded it was true; and seeing that he went almost every day a-hunting, and that he
always had some excuse ready for so doing, though he had lain out three or four nights
together, she began to suspect that he was married, for he lived with the Princess above
two whole years, and had by her two children, the eldest of which, who was a daughter,
was named Morning,44 and the youngest, who was a son, they called Day,45 because he
was a great deal handsomer and more beautiful than his sister.
The Queen spoke several times to her son, to inform herself after what manner he did
pass his time, and that in this he ought in duty to satisfy her. But he never dared to trust
her with his secret; he feared her, though he loved her, for she was of the race of the
Ogres,46 and the King would never have married her had it not been for her vast riches; it
was even whispered about the Court that she had Ogreish inclinations, and that,
whenever she saw little children passing by, she had all the difficulty in the world to
avoid falling upon them. And so the Prince would never tell her one word.
But when the King was dead, which happened about two years afterward, and he saw
himself lord and master, he openly declared his marriage; and he went in great ceremony
to conduct his Queen to the palace. They made a magnificent entry into the capital city,
she riding between her two children.
Soon after the King went to make war with the Emperor Contalabutte, his neighbor. He
left the government of the kingdom to the Queen his mother, and earnestly
recommended to her care his wife and children. He was obliged to continue his
expedition all the summer, and as soon as he departed the Queen-mother sent her
daughter-in-law to a country house among the woods, that she might with the more ease
gratify her horrible longing.
Some few days afterward she went thither herself, and said to her clerk of the kitchen:
"I have a mind to eat little Morning for my dinner to- morrow."
"Ah! madam," cried the clerk of the kitchen.
"I will have it so," replied the Queen (and this she spoke in the tone of an Ogress who had
a strong desire to eat fresh meat), "and will eat her with a sauce Robert."47
The poor man, knowing very well that he must not play tricks with Ogresses, took his
great knife and went up into little Morning's chamber. She was then four years old, and
came up to him jumping and laughing, to take him about the neck, and ask him for some
sugar-candy. Upon which he began to weep, the great knife fell out of his hand, and he
went into the back yard, and killed a little lamb,48 and dressed it with such good sauce
that his mistress assured him that she had never eaten anything so good in her life. He
had at the same time taken up little Morning, and carried her to his wife, to conceal her
in the lodging he had at the bottom of the courtyard.
About eight days afterward the wicked Queen said to the clerk of the kitchen, "I will sup
on little Day."
He answered not a word, being resolved to cheat her as he had done before. He went to
find out little Day, and saw him with a little foil in his hand, with which he was fencing
with a great monkey, the child being then only three years of age. He took him up in his
arms and carried him to his wife, that she might conceal him in her chamber along with
his sister, and in the room of little Day cooked up a young kid,49 very tender, which the
Ogress found to be wonderfully good.
This was hitherto all mighty well; but one evening this wicked Queen said to her clerk of
the kitchen:
"I will eat the Queen with the same sauce I had with her children."
It was now that the poor clerk of the kitchen despaired of being able to deceive her. The
young Queen was turned of twenty, not reckoning the hundred years she had been
asleep; and how to find in the yard a beast so firm was what puzzled him. He took then a
resolution, that he might save his own life, to cut the Queen's throat; and going up into
her chamber, with intent to do it at once, he put himself into as great fury as he could
possibly, and came into the young Queen's room with his dagger in his hand. He would
not, however, surprise her, but told her, with a great deal of respect, the orders he had
received from the Queen-mother.
"Do it; do it" (said she, stretching out her neck). "Execute your orders, and then I shall go
and see my children, my poor children, whom I so much and so tenderly loved."
For she thought them dead ever since they had been taken away without her knowledge.
"No, no, madam" (cried the poor clerk of the kitchen, all in tears); "you shall not die, and
yet you shall see your children again; but then you must go home with me to my
lodgings, where I have concealed them, and I shall deceive the Queen once more, by
giving her in your stead a young hind."
Upon this he forthwith conducted her to his chamber, where, leaving her to embrace her
children, and cry along with them, he went and dressed a young hind,50 which the Queen
had for her supper, and devoured it with the same appetite as if it had been the young
Queen. Exceedingly was she delighted with her cruelty, and she had invented a story to
tell the King, at his return, how the mad wolves had eaten up the Queen his wife and her
two children.
One evening, as she was, according to her custom, rambling round about the courts and
yards of the palace to see if she could smell any fresh meat, she heard, in a ground room,
little Day crying, for his mamma was going to whip him, because he had been naughty;
and she heard, at the same time, little Morning begging pardon for her brother.
The Ogress presently knew the voice of the Queen and her children, and being quite mad
that she had been thus deceived, she commanded next morning, by break of day (with a
most horrible voice, which made everybody tremble), that they should bring into the
middle of the great court a large tub, which she caused to be filled with toads, vipers,
snakes, and all sorts of serpents,51 in order to have thrown into it the Queen and her
children, the clerk of the kitchen, his wife and maid; all whom she had given orders
should be brought thither with their hands tied behind them.
They were brought out accordingly, and the executioners were just going to throw them
into the tub, when the King (who was not so soon expected) entered the court on
horseback (for he came post) and asked, with the utmost astonishment, what was the
meaning of that horrible spectacle.
No one dared to tell him, when the Ogress, all enraged to see what had happened, threw
herself head foremost into the tub, and was instantly devoured by the ugly creatures she
had ordered to be thrown into it for others. The King could not but be very sorry, for she
was his mother; but he soon comforted himself52 with his beautiful wife and his pretty
children.
by Charles Perrault
The King of Erin and the Queen of the Lonesome
Island
(An Irish Tale)
THERE was a king in Erin long ago, and this I king went out hunting one day, but saw
nothing till near sunset, when what should come across him but a black pig.
"Since I've seen nothing all day but this black pig, I'II be at her now," said the king; so he
put spurs to his horse and raced after the pig.
When the pig was on a hill he was in the valley behind her; when he was on a hill, the pig
was in the valley before him. At last they came to the sea-side, and the pig rushed out
into the deep water straight from the shore. The king spurred on his horse and followed
the black pig through the sea till his horse failed under him and was drowned.
Then the king swam on himself till he was growing weak, and said: "It was for the death
of me that the black pig came in my way."
But he swam on some distance yet, till at last he saw land. The pig went up on an island;
the king too went on shore, and said to himself: "Oh! it is for no good that I came here;
there is neither house nor shelter to be seen." But he cheered up after a while, walked
around, and said: "I'm a useless man if I can't find shelter in some place."
After going on a short space he saw a great castle in a valley before him. When he came
to the front of the castle he saw that it had a low door with a broad threshold all covered
with sharp-edged razors, and a low lintel of long-pointed needles. The path to the castle
was covered with gravel of gold. The king came up, and went in with a jump over the
razors and under the needles. When inside he saw a great fire on a broad hearth, and
said to himself, " I'll sit down here, dry my clothes, and warm my body at this fire."
As he sat and warmed himself, a table came out before him with every sort of food and
drink, without his seeing any one bring it.
"Upon my honor and power," said the king of Erin, "there is nothing bad in this ! I'll eat
and drink my fill."
Then he fell to, and ate and drank his fill. When he had grown tired, he looked behind
him, and if he did he saw a fine room, and in it a bed covered with gold. " Well," said he, "
I'll go back and sleep in that bed a while, I 'm so tired."
He stretched himself on the bed and fell asleep. In the night he woke up, and felt the
presence of a woman in the room. He reached out his hand towards her and spoke, but
got no answer; she was silent.
When morning came, and he made his way out of the castle, she spread a beautiful
garden with her Druidic spells over the island, - so great that though he travelled through
it all day he could not escape from it. At sunset he was back at the door of the castle; and
in he went over the razors and under the needles, sat at the fire, and the table came out
before him as on the previous evening. He ate, drank, and slept on the bed; and when he
woke in the night, there was the woman in the room but she was silent and unseen as
before.
When he went out on the second morning the king of Erin saw a garden three times
more beautiful than the one of the day before. He travelled all day, but could not escape,
- could not get out of the garden. At sunset he was back at the door of the castle; in he
went over the razors and under the needles, ate, drank, and slept, as before.
In the middle of the night he woke tip, and felt the presence of the woman in the room.
"Well," said he, "it is a wonderful thing for me to pass three nights in a room with a
woman, and not see her nor know who she is!"
"You won't have that to say again, king of Erin," answered a voice. And that moment the
room was filled with a bright light, and the king looked upon the finest woman he had
ever seen.
Well, king of Erin, you are on Lonesome Island. I am the black pig that enticed you over
the land and through the sea to this place, and I am queen of Lonesome Island. My two
sisters and I are under a Druidic spell, and we cannot escape from this spell till your son
and mine shall free us. Now, king of Erin, I will give you a boat to-morrow morning, and
do you sail away to your own kingdom."
In the morning she went with him to the sea-shore to the boat. The king gave the prow of
the boat to the sea, and its stern to the land; then he raised the sails, and went his way.
The music he had was the roaring of the wind with the whistling of eels, and he broke
neither oar nor mast till he landed under his own castle in Erin.
Three quarters of a year after, the queen of Lonesome Island gave birth to a son. She
reared him with care from day to day and year to year till he was a splendid youth. She
taught him the learning of wise men one half of the day, and warlike exercises with
Druidic spells the other half.
One time the young man, the prince of Lonesome Island, came in from hunting, and
found his mother sobbing and crying.
"Oh! what has happened to you, mother? " he asked.
"My son, great grief has come on me. A friend of mine is going to be killed to-morrow."
"Who is he?
"The king of Erin. The king of Spain has come against him with a great army. He wishes
to sweep him and his men from the face of the earth, and take the kingdom himself."
"Well, what can we do? If I were there, I'd help the king of Erin."
Since you say that, my son, I'll send you this very evening. With the power of my Druidic
spells, you'll be in Erin in the morning."
The prince of Lonesome Island went away that night, and next morning at the rising of
the sun he drew up his boat under the king's castle in Erin. He went ashore, and saw the
whole land black with the forces of the king of Spain, who was getting ready to attack the
king of Erin and sweep him and his men from the face of the earth.
The prince went straight to the king of Spain, and said, " I ask one day's truce."
"You shall have it, my champion," answered the king of Spain.
The prince then went to the castle of the king of Erin, and stayed there that day as a
guest. Next morning early he dressed himself in his champion's array, and, taking his
nine-edged sword, he went down alone to the king of Spain, and, standing before him,
bade him guard himself.
They closed in conflict, the king of Spain with all his forces on one side, and the prince of
Lonesome Island on the other, They fought an awful battle that day from sunrise till
sunset. They made soft places hard, and hard places soft; they made high places low, and
low places high; they brought water out of the centre of hard gray rocks, and made dry
rushes soft in the most distant parts of Erin till sunset; and when the sun went down, the
king of Spain and his last man were dead on the field.
Neither the king of Erin nor his forces took part in the battle. They had no need, and they
had no chance.
Now the king of Erin had two sons, who were such cowards that they hid themselves
from fright during the battle; but their mother told the king of Erin that her elder son
was the man who had destroyed the king of Spain and all his men.
There was great rejoicing and a feast at the castle of the king of Erin. At the end of the
feast the queen said: " I wish to give the last cup to this stranger who is here as a guest; "
and taking him to an adjoining chamber which had a window right over the sea, she
seated him in the open window and gave him a cup of drowsiness to drink. When he had
emptied the cup and closed his eyes, she pushed him out into the darkness.
The prince of Lonesome Island swam on the water for four days and nights, till he came
to a rock in the ocean, and there he lived for three months, eating the seaweeds of the
rock, till one foggy day a vessel came near and the captain cried out: " We shall be
wrecked on this rock! " Then he said, "There is some one on the rock; go and see who it
is."
They landed, and found the prince, his clothes all gone, his body black from the seaweed,
which was growing all over it.
"Who are you? " asked the captain.
"Give me first to eat and drink, and then I'll talk," said he.
They brought him food and drink; and when he had eaten and drunk, the prince said to
the captain: "What part of the world have you come from?
"I have just sailed from Lonesome Island," said the captain. "I was obliged to sail away,
for fire was coming from every side to burn my ship."
"Would you like to go back?"
"I should indeed."
"Well, turn around; you'll have no trouble if I am with you."
The captain returned. The queen of Lone-some Island was standing on the shore as the
ship came in.
"Oh, my child!" cried she, " why have you been away so long?"
The queen of Erin threw me into the sea after I had kept the head of the king of Erin on
him, and saved her life too.
"Well, my son, that will come up against the queen of Erin on another day."
Now, the prince lived on Lonesome Island three years longer, till one time he came home
from hunting, and found his mother wringing her hands and shedding bitter tears.
"Oh! what has happened?" asked he.
"I am weeping because the king of Spain has gone to take vengeance on the king of Erin
for the death of his father, whom you killed."
"Well, mother, I'll go to help the king of Erin, if you give me leave."
"Since you have said it, you shall go this very night."
He went to the shore. Putting the prow of his bark to the sea and her stern to land, he
raised high the sails, and heard no sound as he went but the pleasant wind and the
whistling of eels, till he pulled up his boat next morning under the castle of the king of
Erin and went on shore.
The whole country was black with the troops of the king of Spain, who was just ready to
attack, when the prince stood before him, and asked a truce till next morning.
"That you shall have, my champion," answered the king. So there was peace for that day.
Next morning at sunrise, the prince faced the king of Spain and his army, and there
followed a struggle more terrible than that with his father; but at sunset neither the king
of Spain nor one of his men was left alive.
The two sons of the king of Erin were frightened almost to death, and hid during the
battle, so that no one saw them or knew where they were. But when the king of Spain and
his army were destroyed, the queen said to the king: " My elder son has saved us." Then
she went to bed, and taking the blood of a chicken in her mouth, spat it out, saying: "This
is my heart's blood; and nothing can cure me now but three bottles of water from Tubber
Tintye, the flaming well."
When the prince was told of the sickness of the queen of Erin, he came to her and said: "
I'll go for the water if your two sons will go with me."
"They shall go," said the queen; and away went the three young men towards the East, in
search of the flaming well.
In the morning they came to a house on the roadside; and going in, they saw a woman
who had washed herself in a golden basin which stood before her. She was then wetting
her head with the water in the basin, and combing her hair with a golden comb. She
threw back her hair, and looking at the prince, said: " You are welcome, sister's son.
What is on you? Is it the misfortune of the world that has brought you here?"
"It is not; I am going to Tubber Tintye for three bottles of water."
"That is what you'll never do; no man can cross the fiery river or go through the
enchantments around Tubber Tintye. Stay here with me, and I'll give you all I have."
"No, I cannot stay, I must go on."
"Well, you'll be in your other aunt's house tomorrow night, and she will tell you all."
Next morning, when they were getting ready to take the road, the elder son of the queen
of Erin was frightened at what he had heard, and said:
"I am sick; I cannot go farther."
"Stop here where you are till I come back," said the prince. Then he went on with the
younger brother, till at sunset they came to a house where they saw a woman wetting her
head from a golden basin, and combing her hair with a golden comb. She threw back her
hair, looked at the prince, and said: "You are welcome, sister's son! What brought you to
this place? Was it the misfortune of the world that brought you to live under Druidic
spells like me and my sisters?" This was the elder sister of the queen of the Lonesome
Island.
"No," said the prince; "I am going to Tubber Tintye for three bottles of water from the
flaming well."
"Oh, sister's son, it's a hard journey you 're on ! But stay here to-night; to-morrow
morning I'll tell you all."
In the morning the prince's aunt said: "The queen of the Island of Tubber Tintye has an
enormous castle, in which she lives. She has a countless army of giants, beasts, and
monsters to guard the castle and the flaming well. There are thousands upon thousands
of them, of every form and size. When they get drowsy, and sleep comes on them, they
sleep for seven years without waking. The queen has twelve attendant maidens, who live
in twelve chambers. She is in the thirteenth and innermost chamber herself. The queen
and the maidens sleep during the same seven years as the giants and beasts. When the
seven years are over, they all wake up, and none of them sleep again for seven other
years. If any man could enter the castle during the seven years of sleep, he could do what
he liked. But the island on which the castle stands is girt by a river of fire and surrounded
by a belt of poison-trees."
The aunt now blew on a horn, and all the birds of the air gathered around her from every
place under the heavens, and she asked each in turn where it dwelt, and each told her;
but none knew of the flaming well, till an old eagle said: " I left Tubber Tintye to-day."
"How are all the people there? " asked the aunt.
"They are all asleep since yesterday morning," answered the old eagle.
The aunt dismissed the birds; and turning to the prince, said, " Here is a bridle for you.
Go to the stables, shake the bridle, and put it on whatever horse runs out to meet you."
Now the second son of the queen of Erin said:
"I am too sick to go farther."
"Well, stay here till I come back," said the prince, who took the bridle and went out.
The prince of the Lonesome Island stood in front of his aunt's stables, shook the bridle,
and out came a dirty, lean little shaggy horse.
"Sit on my back, son of the king of Erin and the queen of Lonesome Island," said the little
shaggy horse.
This was the first the prince had heard of his father. He had often wondered who he
might be, but had never heard who he was before.
He mounted the horse, which said: " Keep a firm grip now, for I shall clear the river of
fire at a single bound, and pass the poison-trees; but if you touch any part of the trees,
even with a thread of the clothing that's on you, you'll never eat another bite; and as I
rush by the end of the castle of Tubber Tintye with the speed of the wind, you must
spring from my back through an open window that is there; and if you don't get in at the
window, you 're done for. I'll wait for you outside till you are ready to go back to Erin."
The prince did as the little horse told him. They crossed the river of fire, escaped the
touch of the poison-trees, and as the horse shot past the castle, the prince sprang
through the open window, and came down safe and sound inside.
The whole place, enormous in extent, was filled with sleeping giants and monsters of sea
and land, - great whales, long slippery eels, bears, and beasts of every form and kind. The
prince passed through them and over them till he came to a great stairway. At the head
of the stairway he went into a chamber, where he found the most beautiful woman he
had ever seen, stretched on a couch asleep. " I'II have nothing to say to you," thought he,
and went on to the next; and so he looked into twelve chambers. In each was a woman
more beautiful than the one before. But when he reached the thirteenth chamber and
opened the door, the flash of gold took the sight from his eyes. He stood a while till the
sight came back, and then entered. In the great bright chamber was a golden couch,
resting on wheels of gold. The wheels turned continually; the couch went round and
round, never stopping night or day. On the couch lay the queen of Tubber Tintye; and if
her twelve maidens were beautiful, they would not be beautiful if seen near her. At the
foot of the couch was Tubber Tintye itself, - the well of fire. There was a golden cover
upon the well, and it went around continually with the couch of the queen.
"Upon my word," said the prince, "I'll rest here a while." And he went up on the couch,
and never left it for six days and nights.
On the seventh morning he said, " It is time for me now to leave this place." So he came
down and filled the three bottles with water from the flaming well. In the golden
chamber was a table of gold, and on the table a leg of mutton with a loaf of bread; and if
all the men in Erin were to eat for a twelvemonth from the table, the mutton and the
bread would be in the same form after the eating as before.
The prince sat down, ate his fill of the loaf and the leg of mutton, and left them as he had
found them. Then he rose up, took his three bottles, put them in his wallet, and was
leaving the chamber, when he said to himself: "It would be a shame to go away without
leaving something by which the queen may know who was here while she slept." So he
wrote a letter, saying that the son of the king of Erin and the queen of the Lonesome
Island had spent six days and nights in the golden chamber of Tubber Tintye, had taken
away three bottles of water from the flaming well, and had eaten from the table of gold.
Putting this letter under the pillow of the queen, he went out, stood in the open window,
sprang on the back of the lean and shaggy little horse, and passed the trees and the river
unharmed.
When they were near his aunt's house, the horse stopped, and said: " Put your hand into
my ear, and draw out of it a Druidic rod; then cut me into four quarters, and strike each
quarter with the rod. Each one of them will become the son of a king, for four princes
were enchanted and turned into the lean little shaggy horse that carried you to Tubber
Tintye. When you have freed the four princes from this form you can free your two aunts
from the spell that is on them, and take them with you to Lonesome Island."
The prince did as the horse desired; and straightway four princes stood before him, and
thanking him for what he had done, they departed at once, each to his own kingdom.
The prince removed the spell from his aunts, and, travelling with them and the two sons
of the queen of Erin, all soon appeared at the castle of the king.
When they were near the door of their mother's chamber, the elder of the two sons of the
queen of Erin stepped up to the prince of Lonesome Island, snatched the three bottles
from the wallet that he had at his side, and running up to his mother's bed, said:
" Here, mother, are the three bottles of water which I brought you from Tubber Tintye."
"Thank you, my son; you have saved my life," said she.
The prince went on his bark and sailed away with his aunts to Lonesome Island, where
he lived with his mother seven years.
When seven years were over, the queen of Tubber Tintye awoke from her sleep in the
golden chamber; and with her the twelve maidens and all the giants, beasts, and
monsters that slept in the great castle.
When the queen opened her eyes, she saw a boy about six years old playing by himself on
the floor. He was very beautiful and bright, and he had gold on his forehead and silver on
his poll. When she saw the child, she began to cry and wring her hands, and said: " Some
man has been here while I slept."
Straightway she sent for her Seandallglic (old blind sage), told him about the child, and
asked:
"What am I to do now?"
The old blind sage thought a while, and then said: "Whoever was here must be a hero; for
the child has gold on his forehead and silver on his poll, and he never went from this
place without leaving his name behind him. Let search be made, and we shall know who
he was."
Search was made, and at last they found the letter of the prince under the pillow of the
couch. The queen was now glad, and proud of the child.
Next day she assembled all her forces, her giants and guards; and when she had them
drawn up in line, the army was seven miles long from van to rear. The queen opened
through the river of fire a safe way for the host, and led it on till she came to the castle of
the king of Erin. She held all the land near the castle, so the king had the sea on one side,
and the army of the queen of Tubber Tintye on the other, ready to destroy him and all
that he had. The queen sent a herald for the king to come down.
"What are you going to do?" asked the king when he came to her tent. "I have had trouble
enough in my life already, without having more of it now."
"Find for me," said the queen, "the man who came to my castle and entered the golden
chamber of Tubber Tintye while I slept, or I'll sweep you and all you have from the face
of the earth.
The king of Erin called down his elder son, and asked: " Did you enter the chamber of the
queen of Tubber Tintye?"
"I did."
"Go, then, and tell her so, and save us."
He went; and when he told the queen, she said:
"If you entered my chamber, then mount my gray steed."
He mounted the steed; and if he did, the steed rose in the air with a bound, hurled him
off his back, in a moment, threw him on a rock, and dashed the brains out of his head.
The king called down his second son, who said that he had been in the golden chamber.
Then he mounted the gray steed, which killed him as it had his brother.
Now the queen called the king again, and said:
"Unless you bring the man who entered my golden chamber while I slept, I 'II not leave a
sign of you or anything you have upon the face of the earth."
Straightway the king sent a message to the queen of Lonesome Island, saying: " Come to
me with your son and your two sisters !"
The queen set out next morning, and at sunset she drew up her boat under the castle of
the king of Erin. Glad were they to see her at the castle, for great dread was on all.
Next morning the king went down to the queen of Tubber Tintye, who said: "Bring me
the man who entered my castle, or I'll destroy you and all you have in Erin this day."
The king went up to the castle; immediately the prince of Lonesome Island went to the
queen.
"Are you the man who entered my castle?" asked she.
"I don't know," said the prince.
"Go up now on my gray steed! " said the queen.
He sat on the gray steed, which rose under him into the sky. The prince stood on the
back of the horse, and cut three times with his sword as he went up under the sun. When
he came to the earth again, the queen of Tubber Tintye ran over to him, put his head on
her bosom, and said:
"You are the man."
Now she called the queen of Erin to her tent, and drawing from her own pocket a belt of
silk, slender as a cord, she said: " Put this on."
The queen of Erin put it on, and then the queen of Tubber Tintye said: " Tighten, belt! "
The belt tightened till the queen of Erin screamed with pain. "Now tell me," said the
queen of Tubber Tintye, "who was the father of your elder son."
"The gardener," said the queen of Erin.
Again the queen of Tubber Tintye said:
"Tighten, belt! " The queen of Erin screamed worse than before; and she had good
reason, for she was cut nearly in two. " Now tell me who was the father of your second
son."
"The big brewer," said the queen of Erin.
Said the queen of Tubber Tintye to the king of Erin: " Get this woman dead."
The king put down a big fire then, and when it was blazing high, he threw the wife in, and
she was destroyed at once.
Now do you marry the queen of Lonesome Island, and my child will be grandchild to you
and to her," said the queen of Tubber Tintye.
This was done, and the queen of Lonesome Island became queen of Erin and lived in the
castle by the sea. And the queen of Tubber Tintye married the prince of Lonesome
Island, the champion who entered the golden chamber while she slept.
Now the king of Erin sent ten ships with messages to all the kings of the world, inviting
them to come to the wedding of the queen of Tubber Tintye and his son, and to his own
wedding with the queen of Lonesome Island.
The queen removed the Druidic spells from her giants, beasts, and monsters; then went
home, and made the prince of Lonesome Island king of Tubber Tintye and lord of the
golden chamber.
Curtin, Jeremiah. Myths and Folk-lore of Ireland. Boston: Little, Brown &
Co., 1890. (Also London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington,
1890.)
Amazon.com: Buy the book in paperback.
The Glass Coffin
(A German Tale)
LET no one ever say that a poor tailor cannot do great things and win high honors; all
that is needed is that he should go to the right smithy, and what is of most consequence,
that he should have good luck. A civil, adroit tailor's apprentice once went out travelling,
and came into a great forest, and, as he did not know the way, he lost himself. Night fell,
and nothing was left for him to do, but to seek a bed in this painful solitude. He might
certainly have found a good bed on the soft moss, but the fear of wild beasts let him have
no rest there, and at last he was forced to make up his mind to spend the night in a tree.
He sought out a high oak, climbed up to the top of it, and thanked God that he had his
goose with him, for otherwise the wind which blew over the top of the tree would have
carried him away.
After he had spent some hours in the darkness, not without fear and trembling, he saw at
a very short distance the glimmer of a light, and as he thought that a human habitation
might be there, where he would be better off than on the branches of a tree, he got
carefully down and went towards the light. It guided him to a small hut that was woven
together of reeds and rushes. He knocked boldly, the door opened, and by the light which
came forth he saw a little hoary old man who wore a coat made of bits of colored stuff
sewn together. "Who are you, and what do you want?" asked the man in a grumbling
voice. "I am a poor tailor," he answered, "whom night has surprised here in the
wilderness, and I earnestly beg you to take me into your hut until morning." "Go your
way," replied the old man in a surly voice, "I will have nothing to do with runagates; seek
for yourself a shelter elsewhere." After these words he was about to slip into his hut
again, but the tailor held him so tightly by the corner of his coat, and pleaded so
piteously, that the old man, who was not so ill-natured as he wished to appear, was at
last softened, and took him into the hut with him where he gave him something to eat,
and then pointed out to him a very good bed in a corner.
The weary tailor needed no rocking; but slept sweetly till morning, but even then would
not have thought of getting up, if he had not been aroused by a great noise. A violent
sound of screaming and roaring forced its way through the thin walls of the hut. The
tailor, full of unwonted courage, jumped up, put his clothes on in haste, and hurried out.
Then close by the hut, he saw a great black bull and a beautiful stag, which were just
preparing for a violent struggle. They rushed at each other with such extreme rage that
the ground shook with their trampling, and the air resounded with their cries. For a long
time it was uncertain which of the two would gain the victory; at length the stag thrust
his horns into his adversary's body, whereupon the bull fell to the earth with a terrific
roar, and was thoroughly despatched by a few strokes from the stag.
The tailor, who had watched the fight with astonishment, was still standing there
motionless, when the stag in full career bounded up to him, and before he could escape,
caught him up on his great horns. He had not much time to collect his thoughts, for it
went in a swift race over stock and stone, mountain and valley, wood and meadow. He
held with both hands to the tops of the horns, and resigned himself to his fate. It seemed,
however, to him just as if he were flying away. At length the stag stopped in front of a
wall of rock, and gently let the tailor down. The tailor, more dead than alive, required a
longer time than that to come to himself. When he had in some degree recovered, the
stag, which had remained standing by him, pushed its horns with such force against a
door which was in the rock, that it sprang open. Flames of fire shot forth, after which
followed a great smoke, which hid the stag from his sight. The tailor did not know what
to do, or whither to turn, in order to get out of this desert and back to human beings
again. Whilst he was standing thus undecided, a voice sounded out of the rock, which
cried to him, "Enter without fear, no evil shall befall you thee." He hesitated, but driven
by a mysterious force, he obeyed the voice and went through the iron-door into a large
spacious hall, whose ceiling, walls and floor were made of shining polished square
stones, on each of which were cut letters which were unknown to him. He looked at
everything full of admiration, and was on the point of going out again, when he once
more heard the voice which said to him, "Step on the stone which lies in the middle of
the hall, and great good fortune awaits thee."
His courage had already grown so great that he obeyed the order. The stone began to give
way under his feet, and sank slowly down into the depths. When it was once more firm,
and the tailor looked round, he found himself in a hall which in size resembled the
former. Here, however, there was more to look at and to admire. Hollow places were cut
in the walls, in which stood vases of transparent glass which were filled with colored
spirit or with a bluish vapour. On the floor of the hall two great glass chests stood
opposite to each other, which at once excited his curiosity. When he went to one of them
he saw inside it a handsome structure like a castle surrounded by farm-buildings, stables
and barns, and a quantity of other good things. Everything was small, but exceedingly
carefully and delicately made, and seemed to be cut out by a dexterous hand with the
greatest exactitude.
He might not have turned away his eyes from the consideration of this rarity for some
time, if the voice had not once more made itself heard. It ordered him to turn round and
look at the glass chest which was standing opposite. How his admiration increased when
he saw therein a maiden of the greatest beauty! She lay as if asleep, and was wrapped in
her long fair hair as in a precious mantle. Her eyes were closely shut, but the brightness
of her complexion and a ribbon which her breathing moved to and fro, left no doubt that
she was alive. The tailor was looking at the beauty with beating heart, when she suddenly
opened her eyes, and started up at the sight of him in joyful terror. "Just Heaven!" cried
she, "my deliverance is at hand! Quick, quick, help me out of my prison; if thou pushest
back the bolt of this glass coffin, then I shall be free." The tailor obeyed without delay,
and she immediately raised up the glass lid, came out and hastened into the corner of the
hall, where she covered herself with a large cloak. Then she seated herself on a stone,
ordered the young man to come to her, and after she had imprinted a friendly kiss on his
lips, she said, "My long-desired deliverer, kind Heaven has guided thee to me, and put an
end to my sorrows. On the self- same day when they end, shall thy happiness begin. Thou
art the husband chosen for me by Heaven, and shalt pass thy life in unbroken joy, loved
by me, and rich to overflowing in every earthly possession. Seat thyself, and listen to the
story of my life:
"I am the daughter of a rich count. My parents died when I was still in my tender youth,
and recommended me in their last will to my elder brother, by whom I was brought up.
We loved each other so tenderly, and were so alike in our way of thinking and our
inclinations, that we both embraced the resolution never to marry, but to stay together to
the end of our lives. In our house there was no lack of company; neighbors and friends
visited us often, and we showed the greatest hospitality to every one. So it came to pass
one evening that a stranger came riding to our castle, and, under pretext of not being
able to get on to the next place, begged for shelter for the night. We granted his request
with ready courtesy, and he entertained us in the most agreeable manner during supper
by conversation intermingled with stories. My brother liked the stranger so much that he
begged him to spend a couple of days with us, to which, after some hesitation, he
consented. We did not rise from table until late in the night, the stranger was shown to
room, and I hastened, as I was tired, to lay my limbs in my soft bed. Hardly had I slept
for a short time, when the sound of faint and delightful music awoke me. As I could not
conceive from whence it came, I wanted to summon my waiting-maid who slept in the
next room, but to my astonishment I found that speech was taken away from me by an
unknown force. I felt as if a mountain were weighing down my breast, and was unable to
make the very slightest sound. In the meantime, by the light of my night-lamp, I saw the
stranger enter my room through two doors which were fast bolted. He came to me and
said, that by magic arts which were at his command, he had caused the lovely music to
sound in order to awaken me, and that he now forced his way through all fastenings with
the intention of offering me his hand and heart. My repugnance to his magic arts was,
however, so great, that I vouchsafed him no answer. He remained for a time standing
without moving, apparently with the idea of waiting for a favorable decision, but as I
continued to keep silence, he angrily declared he would revenge himself and find means
to punish my pride, and left the room. I passed the night in the greatest disquietude, and
only fell asleep towards morning. When I awoke, I hurried to my brother, but did not
find him in his room, and the attendants told me that he had ridden forth with the
stranger to the chase by daybreak.
"I at once suspected nothing good. I dressed myself quickly, ordered my palfrey to be
saddled, and accompanied only by one servant, rode full gallop to the forest. The servant
fell with his horse, and could not follow me, for the horse had broken its foot. I pursued
my way without halting, and in a few minutes I saw the stranger coming towards me with
a beautiful stag which he led by a cord. I asked him where he had left my brother, and
how he had come by this stag, out of whose great eyes I saw tears flowing. Instead of
answering me, he began to laugh loudly. I fell into a great rage at this, pulled out a pistol
and discharged it at the monster; but the ball rebounded from his breast and went into
my horse's head. I fell to the ground, and the stranger muttered some words which
deprived me of consciousness.
"When I came to my senses again I found myself in this underground cave in a glass
coffin. The magician appeared once again, and said he had changed my brother into a
stag, my castle with all that belonged to it, diminished in size by his arts, he had shut up
in the other glass chest, and my people, who were all turned into smoke, he had confined
in glass bottles. He told me that if I would now comply with his wish, it was an easy thing
for him to put everything back in its former state, as he had nothing to do but open the
vessels, and everything would return once more to its natural form. I answered him as
little as I had done the first time. He vanished and left me in my prison, in which a deep
sleep came on me. Amongst the visions which passed before my eyes, that was the most
comforting in which a young man came and set me free, and when I opened my eyes today I saw thee, and beheld my dream fulfilled. Help me to accomplish the other things
which happened in those visions. The first is that we lift the glass chest in which my
castle is enclosed, on to that broad stone."
As soon as the stone was laden, it began to rise up on high with the maiden and the
young man, and mounted through the opening of the ceiling into the upper hall, from
whence they then could easily reach the open air. Here the maiden opened the lid, and it
was marvellous to behold how the castle, the houses, and the farm buildings which were
enclosed, stretched themselves out and grew to their natural size with the greatest
rapidity. After this, the maiden and the tailor returned to the cave beneath the earth, and
had the vessels which were filled with smoke carried up by the stone. The maiden had
scarcely opened the bottles when the blue smoke rushed out and changed itself into
living men, in whom she recognized her servants and her people. Her joy was still more
increased when her brother, who had killed the magician in the form of the bull, came
out of the forest towards them in his human form, and on the self-same day the maiden,
in accordance with her promise, gave her hand at the altar to the lucky tailor.
The Petrified Mansion
(A Tale from India)
ONCE upon a time there was a prince who set out on his travels into foreign countries,
alone, without taking with him any valuables. His sword was his only companion. He
crossed mountains, seas, and rivers, and at length came to a grand mansion. He entered
it; and great was his surprise to find petrified forms of men and animals in all the
apartments through which he passed. Even the weapons in the armoury were not
exceptions. There was in one of the halls a stone statue dressed in royal splendour,
surrounded by other statues gorgeously equipped. The lonely house greatly frightened
the prince, but just as he was on the point of quitting it he happened to notice an open
door. Passing through it he reached the presence of a very beautiful damsel reposing on a
khat (bed) of gold, and surrounded by lotuses of the same metal. She lay quite
motionless and was apparently dead. There was not the softest breath perceptible in her.
The prince was enamoured of her beauty and sat with his eyes fixed upon her. But one
day he happened to notice a stick of gold near the girl's pillow. He took it up, and was
turning it round and round for inspection, when it suddenly touched her forehead; and
instantly she started up, fully conscious. The whole house resounded with the clamour of
human tongues, the clanking of arms, the songs of birds, and the sounds of domestic
animals. It was full of life and joy. Heralds made proclamations, ministers speechified in
the court-room, and the king engaged himself in the discharge of his royal duties.
The prince was struck speechless with wonder; and the princess was equally astonished.
The servants entered the room, and finding a prince-like youth seated by their master's
daughter, hastened to the king with the intelligence. He hurried to the spot, and seeing
the prince, asked him who he was. The prince told him; and the royal family, with all the
other inmates of the palace, acclaimed him as their deliverer. They said that the touch of
a silver stick had petrified them all, and that their revival was the result of his having
touched the princess with the stick of gold. In recognition of the very great service he had
rendered them, the prince was rewarded with the princess's hand; and great were the
rejoicings on the joyous occasion.
Meanwhile in his own home his parents mourned for the prince as the years passed and
he did not return. The queen had taken to her bed, and the king had become blind with
weeping. They were disconsolate, and courted death as the only termination of their
great grief. The whole kingdom was overcast with sadness, which was, however,
ultimately removed when one day the long-lost prince appeared with his bride. Joyous
acclamations rent the air; and the royal couple, being informed of the return of their dear
son, hastened out to the gate and embraced him and the princess. At the touch of the
stick of gold the king regained his sight, and the queen her health, and they lived for
years in the enjoyment of great happiness. At length, leaving the throne to his son, the
king with the queen retired to spend a secluded and godly life in the depths of the forest.
Source:
Bradley-Birt, Francis. Bengal Fairy Tales. London: John Lane, 1920.