The Devil’s Sooty Brother

A disbanded soldier had nothing to live on and didn't know what to do. So he went out into the forest. After walking a short while, he met a little man, who was actually the Devil. The little man said to him, "What's wrong with you?

You look so sad." Then the soldier said, "I'm hungry, but I have no money." The Devil said, "If you hire yourself to me and be my servant, you'll have enough for your whole life. You shall serve me for seven years, and after that you'll be free again.

But I must tell you, you must not wash, comb, or trim yourself, or cut your hair or nails, or wipe the water from your eyes." The soldier said, "All right, if there's no other way," and went off with the little man, who straight away led him down into hell.

Then he told him what he had to do. He was to poke the fire under the kettles where the hell-broth was stewing, keep the house clean, sweep all the dirt behind the doors, and see that everything was in order.

But if he ever peeked into the kettles, it would go badly for him. The soldier said, "Good, I'll be careful." Then the old Devil went out again on his travels, and the soldier began his new duties.

He made the fire and swept the dirt well behind the doors, just as he had been told. When the old Devil came back, he checked to see if everything was done, seemed satisfied, and went off a second time. The soldier then took a good look around.

The kettles were standing all around hell with a mighty fire under them, and inside they were boiling and sputtering. He would have given anything to look inside them, if the Devil hadn't forbidden him so strongly. At last he couldn't hold back any longer.

He slightly lifted the lid of the first kettle and peeked in. There he saw his former corporal shut inside. "Aha, old bird!" he said. "Do I meet you here? You once had me in your power, now I have you." He quickly let the lid fall, poked the fire, and added a fresh log.

After that, he went to the second kettle, lifted its lid a little, and peeked in. His former ensign was in that one. "Aha, old bird, so I find you here! You once had me in your power, now I have you." He closed the lid again and fetched yet another log to make it really hot.

Then he wanted to see who might be sitting in the third kettle. It was actually a general. "Aha, old bird, do I meet you here? Once you had me in your power, now I have you." And he fetched the bellows and made hell-fire blaze right under him.

So he did his work for seven years in hell. He didn't wash, comb, or trim himself, or cut his hair or nails, or wash the water out of his eyes. And the seven years seemed so short to him that he thought he had only been half a year.

Now when the time was fully up, the Devil came and said, "Well, Hans, what have you done?" "I poked the fire under the kettles, and I swept all the dirt well behind the doors." "But you peeked into the kettles as well.

It's lucky for you that you added fresh logs to them, or else your life would have been forfeited. Now that your time is up, do you want to go home again?" "Yes," said the soldier, "I would very much like to see what my father is doing at home." The Devil said, "So that you may receive the wages you have earned, go and fill your knapsack full of the sweepings and take it home with you.

You must also go unwashed and uncombed, with long hair on your head and beard, and with uncut nails and dim eyes. And when you are asked where you come from, you must say, 'From hell,' and when you are asked who you are, you are to say, 'The Devil's sooty brother, and my King as well.'" The soldier kept quiet and did as the Devil told him, but he was not at all satisfied with his wages.

Then as soon as he was up in the forest again, he took his knapsack off his back to empty it. But when he opened it, the sweepings had turned into pure gold. "I should never have expected that," he said, and was very pleased. He entered the town.

The landlord was standing in front of the inn, and when he saw the soldier coming, he was terrified, because Hans looked so horrible, worse than a scarecrow. He called to him and asked, "Where do you come from?" "From hell." "Who are you?" "The Devil's sooty brother, and my King as well." Then the host wouldn't let him enter, but when Hans showed him the gold, he came and unlatched the door himself.

Hans then ordered the best room and service, ate and drank his fill, but neither washed nor combed himself as the Devil had told him, and at last lay down to sleep. But the knapsack full of gold stayed in front of the landlord's eyes and left him no peace.

During the night he crept in and stole it. Next morning, when Hans got up and wanted to pay the landlord and travel on, behold, his knapsack was gone! But he soon calmed himself and thought, "I have been unlucky through no fault of my own." Straight away he went back to hell, complained of his misfortune to the old Devil, and begged for his help.

The Devil said, "Sit down. I will wash, comb, and trim you, cut your hair and nails, and wash your eyes for you." And when he had done that for him, he gave him the knapsack back again full of sweepings and said, "Go and tell the landlord that he must return your money, or else I will come and fetch him, and he shall poke the fire in your place." Hans went up and said to the landlord, "You have stolen my money.

If you don't return it, you shall go down to hell in my place and will look as horrible as I." Then the landlord gave him the money, and more besides, only begging him to keep it secret. And Hans was now a rich man.

He set out on his way home to his father, bought himself a shabby smock-frock to wear, and strolled about making music, for he had learned to do that while he was with the Devil in hell. There was, however, an old King in that country, before whom he had to play.

The King was so delighted with his playing that he promised him his eldest daughter in marriage. But when she heard that she was to be married to a common fellow in a smock-frock, she said, "Rather than do that, I would jump into the deepest water." Then the King gave him the youngest, who was quite willing to do it to please her father.

And thus the Devil's sooty brother got the King's daughter, and when the aged King died, he got the whole kingdom as well.