The Little Peasant

Once upon a time there was a village where everyone was rich except one poor peasant, whom they called the Little Peasant. He didn't even have a cow, and he and his wife wanted one very much. One day he said to her, "Listen, I have an idea. Our friend the carpenter can make us a wooden calf, paint it brown so it looks real, and in time it will grow up and become a cow." His wife liked the idea, so the carpenter cut and planed the wood, painted the calf brown, and made it hang its head as if it were eating.

The next morning when the cows were driven out to pasture, the Little Peasant called the cowherd and said, "Look, I have a little calf here, but it's still small and needs to be carried." The cowherd said, "All right," and picked up the wooden calf, carried it to the pasture, and set it in the grass.

The calf stood there like it was eating, and the cowherd said, "It will soon run on its own. Look how it's already eating!" At night when he drove the herd home, he said to the calf, "If you can stand there and eat your fill, you can also walk on your own legs.

I'm not going to carry you home again." But the Little Peasant stood at his door waiting for his calf. When the cowherd drove the cows through the village without the calf, the peasant asked where it was. The cowherd answered, "It's still out there eating.

It wouldn't come with us." The Little Peasant said, "Oh, but I must have my animal back." So they went back to the meadow together, but someone had stolen the calf, and it was gone.

The cowherd said, "It must have run away." But the peasant said, "Don't tell me that!" and took the cowherd before the mayor. The mayor judged that the cowherd was careless and must give the peasant a cow to replace the lost calf.

Now the Little Peasant and his wife had the cow they had so long wished for, and they were very happy. But they had no food for it, so soon they had to kill it.

They salted the meat, and the peasant went to town to sell the hide so he could buy a new calf. On the way he passed a mill and saw a raven with a broken wing. He felt sorry for it, picked it up, and wrapped it in the cowhide.

Then a storm came with rain and wind, so he couldn't go further. He turned back to the mill and asked for shelter. The miller's wife was alone and said, "Lie down on the straw over there," and gave him a slice of bread with cheese.

The peasant ate and lay down with his bundle. The woman thought he was asleep. Soon the parson came; the miller's wife welcomed him and said, "My husband is out, so we'll have a feast." The peasant heard this and was annoyed that he only got bread and cheese.

The woman served four things: roast meat, salad, cakes, and wine.

Just as they were about to sit down to eat, there was a knock at the door. The woman cried, "Oh, heavens! It's my husband!" She quickly hid the roast meat in the stove, the wine under the pillow, the salad on the bed, the cakes under it, and the parson in the cupboard in the hallway.

Then she opened the door and said, "Thank heaven you're back! What a storm—it's like the end of the world!" The miller saw the peasant lying on the straw and asked, "What's that fellow doing there?" "Oh," said his wife, "the poor man came in the storm and begged for shelter.

I gave him some bread and cheese and let him sleep on the straw." The miller said, "That's fine. But hurry and get me something to eat." The woman said, "I have nothing but bread and cheese." "That's good enough for me," said the miller, and then he called to the peasant, "Come and eat some more with me." The peasant didn't need to be asked twice; he got up and ate.

Then the miller saw the cowhide on the ground and asked, "What do you have there?" The peasant answered, "I have a fortune-teller inside." "Can he tell me something?" asked the miller. "Why not?" said the peasant, "but he only says four things, and the fifth he keeps to himself." The miller was curious and said, "Let him tell something." So the peasant pinched the raven's head until it croaked "Krr, krr!" The miller asked, "What did he say?" The peasant answered, "First, he says there is wine under the pillow." "My goodness!" cried the miller, and he found the wine.

"Go on," he said. The peasant made the raven croak again and said, "Second, he says there is roast meat in the stove." "Upon my word!" cried the miller, and he found the roast meat.

The peasant pinched the raven again and said, "Third, he says there is salad on the bed." "That would be something!" cried the miller, and he found the salad. Then the peasant pinched the raven once more and said, "Fourth, he says there are cakes under the bed." "That would be something!" cried the miller, and he found the cakes.

Now the two of them sat down to eat together, but the miller's wife was frightened to death. She went to bed and took all the keys with her. The miller wanted to know the fifth thing, but the peasant said, "First let's eat the four things, because the fifth is something bad." So they ate, and then they bargained over what the miller would pay for the fifth prophecy.

They agreed on three hundred thalers. Then the peasant pinched the raven's head until it croaked loudly. The miller asked, "What did he say?" The peasant answered, "He says the devil is hiding outside in the cupboard in the hallway." The miller said, "The devil must go out!" and opened the house door.

Then the woman had to give up the keys, and the peasant unlocked the cupboard. The parson ran out as fast as he could, and the miller said, "It's true! I saw the black scoundrel with my own eyes." The next morning at daybreak, the peasant left with the three hundred thalers.

At home, the Little Peasant gradually became wealthier. He built a beautiful house, and the other peasants said, "The Little Peasant must have been where golden snow falls, and people carry gold home in shovels." Then they brought him before the mayor and demanded to know where his wealth came from.

He answered, "I sold my cow's hide in town for three hundred thalers." When the peasants heard this, they wanted to enjoy the same profit. They ran home, killed all their cows, and stripped off their hides to sell them in town.

But the mayor said, "My servant must go first." When she came to the merchant, he didn't give her more than two thalers per hide. When the others came, he gave even less, saying, "What can I do with all these hides?"

The peasants were furious that the Little Peasant had tricked them. They wanted revenge and accused him of deceit before the mayor. The innocent Little Peasant was sentenced to death: he was to be rolled into the water in a barrel full of holes.

They led him out, and a priest was brought to say a mass for his soul. Everyone had to stand at a distance. When the peasant looked at the priest, he recognized the man who had been with the miller's wife.

He said to him, "I freed you from the cupboard; now free me from this barrel." Just then a shepherd came by with a flock of sheep. The peasant knew that the shepherd had long wanted to be mayor. So he cried out with all his might, "No, I won't do it!

Even if the whole world insists, I won't do it!" The shepherd heard him and came over. "What are you doing? What won't you do?" he asked. The peasant said, "They want to make me mayor if I'll get into this barrel, but I won't do it." The shepherd said, "If that's all it takes to be mayor, I'll get in the barrel right now." The peasant said, "If you get in, you'll be mayor." The shepherd agreed and climbed into the barrel.

The peasant shut the lid, took the shepherd's flock, and drove it away. The priest went to the crowd and said the mass was over. Then they came and rolled the barrel toward the water.

As it started to roll, the shepherd cried, "I'm quite willing to be mayor!" They thought it was the peasant speaking and answered, "That's what we intend. But first you'll take a look around down there!" And they rolled the barrel into the water.

After that, the peasants went home. As they entered the village, the Little Peasant came quietly in, driving a flock of sheep and looking very content. The peasants were astonished and said, "Peasant, where do you come from? Did you come out of the water?" "Yes, indeed," replied the peasant.

"I sank deep, deep down until I reached the bottom. I pushed the bottom out of the barrel and crawled out. There were beautiful meadows with many lambs feeding, and I brought this flock back with me." The peasants asked, "Are there any more there?" "Oh yes," he said, "more than I could possibly bring." Then the peasants decided they would fetch sheep for themselves—a flock each.

But the mayor said, "I go first." So they all went to the water together. Just then, some small fleecy clouds in the blue sky, which are called little lambs, were reflected in the water.

The peasants cried, "We can already see the sheep down below!" The mayor pushed forward and said, "I'll go down first and look around. If things look good, I'll call you." So he jumped in—splash!

The water made a sound as if he were calling them, and the whole crowd jumped in after him. Then the entire village was dead, and the Little Peasant, as the sole heir, became a rich man.