The Red Fairy Book - Andrew Lang (best novels for beginners TXT) 📗

`Canst

thou tell me the way to Soria Moria Castle?’

 

`No,’ said the Moon, `that I can’t, for when I shone there, there

was a cloud before me.’

 

`Wait a little longer,’ said the old woman to Halvor, `for the

West Wind will presently be here, and he will know it, for he

breathes gently or blows into every corner.’

 

`What! have you a horse too?’ she said when she came in

again. `Oh! let the poor creature loose in our bit of fenced-in

pasture, and don’t let it stand there starving at our very door. But

won’t you exchange him with me? We have a pair of old boots

here with which you can go fifteen quarters of a mile at each step.

You shall have them for the horse, and then you will be able to get

sooner to Soria Moria Castle.’

 

Halvor consented to this at once, and the old woman was so

delighted with the horse that she was ready to dance. `For now I,

too, shall be able to ride to church,’ she said. Halvor could take no

rest, and wanted to set off immediately; but the old woman said

that there was no need to hasten. `Lie down on the bench and

sleep a little, for we have no bed to offer you,’ said she, `and I will

watch for the coming of the West Wind.’

 

Ere long came the West Wind, roaring so loud that the walls

creaked.

 

The old woman went out and cried:

 

`West Wind! West Wind! Canst thou tell me the way to

Soria Moria Castle? Here is one who would go thither.’

 

`Yes, I know it well,’ said the West Wind. `I am just on my

way there to dry the clothes for the wedding which is to take place.

If he is fleet of foot he can go with me.’

 

Out ran Halvor.

 

`You will have to make haste if you mean to go with me,’ said

the West Wind; and away it went over hill and dale, and moor and

morass, and Halvor had enough to do to keep up with it.

 

`Well, now I have no time to stay with you any longer,’ said

the West Wind, `for I must first go and tear down a bit of spruce

fir before I go to the bleaching-ground to dry the clothes; but just

go along the side of the hill, and you will come to some girls who

are standing there washing clothes, and then you will not have to

walk far before you are at Soria Moria Castle.’

 

Shortly afterwards Halvor came to the girls who were standing

washing, and they asked him if he had seen anything of the

West Wind, who was to come there to dry the clothes for the

wedding.

 

`Yes,’ said Halvor, `he has only gone to break down a bit of

spruce fir. It won’t be long before he is here.’ And then he asked

them the way to Soria Moria Castle. They put him in the right

way, and when he came in front of the castle it was so full of

horses and people that it swarmed with them. But Halvor was so

ragged and torn with following the West Wind through bushes

and bogs that he kept on one side, and would not go among the

crowd until the last day, when the feast was to be held at noon.

 

So when, as was the usage and custom, all were to drink to the

bride and the young girls who were present, the cup-bearer filled

the cup for each in turn, both bride and bridegroom, and knights

and servants, and at last, after a very long time, he came to Halvor.

He drank their health, and then slipped the ring which the Princess

had put on his finger when they were sitting by the waterside into

the glass, and ordered the cup-bearer to carry the glass to the bride

from him and greet her.

 

Then the Princess at once rose up from the table, and said,

`Who is most worthy to have one of us—he who has delivered us

from the Trolls or he who is sitting here as bridegroom?’

 

There could be but one opinion as to that, everyone thought,

and when Halvor heard what they said he was not long in flinging

off his beggar’s rags and arraying himself as a bridegroom.

 

`Yes, he is the right one,’ cried the youngest Princess when she

caught sight of him; so she flung the other out of the window and

held her wedding with Halvor.[2]

 

[2] From P. C. Asbjornsen.

THE DEATH OF KOSHCHEI THE DEATHLESS

IN a certain kingdom there lived a Prince Ivan. He had three

sisters. The first was the Princess Marya, the second the Princess

Olga, the third the Princess Anna. When their father and

mother lay at the point of death, they had thus enjoined their

son: `Give your sisters in marriage to the very first suitors who

come to woo them. Don’t go keeping them by you!’

 

They died, and the Prince buried them, and then, to solace his

grief, he went with his sisters into the garden green to stroll.

Suddenly the sky was covered by a black cloud; a terrible storm

arose.

 

`Let us go home, sisters!’ he cried.

 

Hardly had they got into the palace, when the thunder pealed,

the ceiling split open, and into the room where they were came

flying a falcon bright. The Falcon smote upon the ground, became

a brave youth, and said:

 

`Hail, Prince Ivan! Before I came as a guest, but now I have

come as a wooer! I wish to propose for your sister, the Princess

Marya.’

 

`If you find favour in the eyes of my sister, I will not interfere

with her wishes. Let her marry you, in God’s name!’

 

The Princess Marya gave her consent; the Falcon married her

and bore her away into his own realm.

 

Days follow days, hours chase hours; a whole year goes by. One

day Prince Ivan and his two sisters went out to stroll in the garden

green. Again there arose a storm-cloud, with whirlwind and lightning.

 

`Let us go home, sisters!’ cries the Prince. Scarcely had they

entered the palace when the thunder crashed, the roof burst into a

blaze, the ceiling split in twain, and in flew an eagle. The Eagle

smote upon the ground and became a brave youth.

 

`Hail, Prince Ivan! I Before I came as a guest, but now I have

come as a wooer!’

 

And he asked for the hand of the Princess Olga. Prince Ivan

replied:

 

`If you find favour in the eyes of the Princess Olga, then let

her marry you. I will not interfere with her liberty of choice.’

 

The Princess Olga gave her consent and married the Eagle.

The Eagle took her and carried her off to his own kingdom.

 

Another year went by. Prince Ivan said to his youngest

sister:

 

`Let us go out and stroll in the garden green!’

 

They strolled about for a time. Again there arose a storm-cloud,

with whirlwind and lightning.

 

`Let us return home, sister!’ said he.

 

They returned home, but they hadn’t had time to sit down

when the thunder crashed, the ceiling split open, and in flew a

raven. The Raven smote upon the floor and became a brave

youth. The former youths had been handsome, but this one was

handsomer still.

 

`Well, Prince Ivan! Before I came as a guest, but now I have

come as a wooer! Give me the Princess Anna to wife.’

 

`I won’t interfere with my sister’s freedom. If you gain her

affections, let her marry you.’

 

So the Princess Anna married the Raven, and he bore her away

into his own realm. Prince Ivan was left alone. A whole year he

lived without his sisters; then he grew weary, and said:

 

`I will set out in search of my sisters.’

 

He got ready for the journey, he rode and rode, and one day

he saw a whole army lying dead on the plain. He cried aloud,

`If there be a living man there, let him make answer! Who has

slain this mighty host?’

 

There replied unto him a living man:

 

`All this mighty host has been slain by the fair Princess Marya

Morevna.’

 

Prince Ivan rode further on, and came to a white tent, and forth

came to meet him the fair Princess Marya Morevna.

 

`Hail, Prince!’ says she; `whither does God send you? and is

it of your free will or against your will?’

 

Prince Ivan replied, `Not against their will do brave youths

ride!’

 

`Well, if your business be not pressing, tarry awhile in my

tent.’

 

Thereat was Prince Ivan glad. He spent two nights in the

tent, and he found favour in the eyes of Marya Morevna, and she

married him. The fair Princess, Marya Morevna, carried him off

into her own realm.

 

They spent some time together, and then the Princess took it

into her head to go a warring. So she handed over all the house-keeping affairs to Prince Ivan, and gave him these instructions:

 

`Go about everywhere, keep watch over everything; only do

not venture to look into that closet there.’

 

He couldn’t help doing so. The moment Marya Morevna had

gone he rushed to the closet, pulled open the door, and looked in—

there hung Koshchei the Deathless, fettered by twelve chains. Then

Koshchei entreated Prince Ivan, saying:

 

`Have pity upon me and give me to drink! Ten years long

have I been here in torment, neither eating nor drinking; my

throat is utterly dried up.’

 

The Prince gave him a bucketful of water; he drank it up and

asked for more, saying:

 

`A single bucket of water will not quench my thirst; give me

more!’

 

The Prince gave him a second bucketful. Koshchei drank it

up and asked for a third, and when he had swallowed the third

bucketful, he regained his former strength, gave his chains a shake,

and broke all twelve at once.

 

`Thanks, Prince Ivan!’ cried Koshchei the Deathless, `now you

will sooner see your own ears than Marya Morevna!’ and out of the

window he flew in the shape of a terrible whirlwind. And he came

up with the fair Princess Marya Morevna as she was going her

way, laid hold of her and carried her off home with him. But

Prince Ivan wept full sore, and he arrayed himself and set out a-wandering, saying to himself, `Whatever happens, I will go and

look for Marya Morevna!’

 

One day passed, another day passed; at the dawn of the third

day he saw a wondrous palace, and by the side of the palace stood

an oak, and on the oak sat a falcon bright. Down flew the Falcon

from the oak, smote upon the ground, turned into a brave youth,

and cried aloud:

 

`Ha, dear brother-in-law! how deals the Lord with you?’

 

Out came running the Princess Marya, joyfully greeted her

brother Ivan, and began inquiring after his health, and telling him

all about herself. The Prince spent three days with them; then he

said:

 

`I cannot abide with you; I must go in search of my wife, the

fair Princess Marya Morevna.’

 

`Hard will it be for you to find her,’ answered the Falcon. `At

all events leave with us your silver spoon. We will look at it and

remember you.’ So Prince Ivan left his silver spoon at the

Falcon’s, and went on his way again.

 

On he went one day, on he went