The Singing, Springing Lark

There was once a man who was about to go on a long journey. Before he left, he asked his three daughters what he should bring back for them. The oldest wanted pearls, the second wanted diamonds, but the youngest said, "Dear father, I would like a singing, springing lark." The father said, "Yes, if I can find one, you shall have it." He kissed all three and set off.

When it was time for him to return home, he had bought pearls and diamonds for the two oldest, but he had looked everywhere in vain for a singing, springing lark for the youngest. He was very sad, because she was his favorite child. Then his road led through a forest.

In the middle of the forest stood a splendid castle, and near the castle was a tree. On the very top of the tree he saw a singing, springing lark. "Aha, you come just at the right moment!" he said delightedly, and told his servant to climb up and catch the little bird.

But as the servant approached the tree, a lion leaped out from under it. The lion shook himself and roared so loudly that the leaves on the trees trembled. "Whoever tries to steal my singing, springing lark," he cried, "I will eat him up!" The man said, "I did not know the bird belonged to you.

Please forgive my mistake. I will pay you a large sum of money. Just spare my life." The lion said, "Nothing can save you unless you promise to give me what first meets you when you get home.

If you do that, I will let you live, and you may have the bird for your daughter too." The man hesitated and said, "That might be my youngest daughter. She loves me best and always runs to meet me when I return." But the servant was frightened and said, "Why should it be your daughter?

It might just as well be a cat or a dog." So the man let himself be persuaded. He took the singing, springing lark and promised to give the lion whatever first met him when he came home.

When he reached home and entered his house, the first to meet him was none other than his youngest, dearest daughter. She came running up, kissed and hugged him, and when she saw that he had brought a singing, springing lark, she was overjoyed. But the father could not be happy.

He began to cry and said, "My dearest child, I bought this little bird very dearly. In return for it, I had to promise you to a savage lion. When he gets you, he will tear you to pieces and eat you." And he told her everything that had happened and begged her not to go, no matter what.

But she comforted him and said, "Dearest father, your promise must be kept. I will go to the lion and soften his heart, so that I can return to you safely." The next morning, she had someone show her the way. She said goodbye and went bravely into the forest.

The lion, however, was an enchanted prince. By day he was a lion, and all his people were lions with him, but at night they turned back into their natural human shapes. When the girl arrived, she was kindly welcomed and led into the castle. When night came, the lion turned into a handsome man, and their wedding was celebrated with great splendor. They lived happily together, staying awake at night and sleeping during the day.

One day he came and said, "Tomorrow there is a feast in your father's house, because your oldest sister is getting married. If you would like to go, my lions will escort you." She said, "Yes, I would very much like to see my father again." So she went, accompanied by the lions.

Everyone was overjoyed when she arrived, because they had all thought she had been torn to pieces by the lion and was long dead. But she told them how handsome her husband was and how well she lived.

She stayed with them through the wedding feast and then went back to the forest.

When the second daughter was about to be married, she was invited again. She said to the lion, "This time I will not go alone. You must come with me." But the lion said that was too dangerous, because if a ray from a burning candle fell on him there, he would be turned into a dove and have to fly among the doves for seven years.

She said, "Oh, please come with me. I will take great care of you and protect you from all light." So they went together, and they also took their little child. She had a room built that was so strong and thick that no ray of light could shine through.

He was to lock himself in that room when the candles were lit for the wedding feast. But the door was made of green wood, which warped and left a tiny crack that no one noticed. The wedding was celebrated with great splendor.

When the procession came back from church with all its candles and torches, it passed by this room. A ray of light as thin as a hair fell on the prince, and as soon as it touched him, he was transformed.

When she came in and looked for him, she did not see him. Instead, a white dove was sitting there. The dove said to her, "For seven years I must fly around the world. But at every seventh step you take, I will let fall a drop of red blood and a white feather.

These will show you the way. If you follow the trail, you can set me free." Then the dove flew out the door. She followed him, and every seventh step a red drop of blood and a little white feather fell down and showed her the way.

So she walked farther and farther into the wide world, never looking back or resting. The seven years were almost over, and she rejoiced, thinking they would soon be free. But they were still so far from it!

Once as they were moving along, no little feather and no drop of red blood fell. She looked up, and the dove had disappeared. She thought, "No one can help me now." She climbed up to the sun and said, "You shine into every crack and over every peak.

Have you seen a white dove flying?" "No," said the sun, "I have not seen any, but I give you this casket. Open it when you are in great need." She thanked the sun and went on until evening, when the moon appeared.

She asked the moon, "You shine all night long, over every field and forest. Have you seen a white dove flying?" "No," said the moon, "I have not seen any, but I give you this egg.

Break it when you are in great need." She thanked the moon and went on until the night wind came and blew on her. She said to it, "You blow over every tree and under every leaf.

Have you seen a white dove flying?" "No," said the night wind, "I have not seen any, but I will ask the three other winds. Maybe they have seen it." The east wind and the west wind came, and they had seen nothing.

But the south wind said, "I have seen the white dove. It has flown to the Red Sea, where it has turned back into a lion, for the seven years are over. The lion is there fighting with a dragon.

The dragon is an enchanted princess." The night wind then said to her, "I will advise you. Go to the Red Sea. On the right bank there are tall reeds. Count them, break off the eleventh, and strike the dragon with it.

Then the lion will be able to conquer it, and both will regain their human forms. After that, look around and you will see a griffin by the Red Sea. Climb onto its back with your beloved, and the bird will carry you across the sea to your home.

Here is a nut for you. When you are in the middle of the sea, drop the nut. It will immediately grow into a tall nut tree, on which the griffin can rest. If it cannot rest, it will not be strong enough to carry you across.

And if you forget to drop the nut, the griffin will let you fall into the sea."

Then she went there and found everything as the night wind had said. She counted the reeds by the sea, cut off the eleventh, and struck the dragon with it. The lion overcame the dragon, and immediately both regained their human shapes.

But when the princess who had been the dragon was freed from the enchantment, she took the young man by the arm, sat down on the griffin, and flew off with him. The poor maiden who had wandered so far was left alone again. She sat down and cried.

But at last she took courage and said, "I will go as far as the wind blows and as long as the cock crows, until I find him." So she traveled along long, long roads, until at last she came to the castle where both of them were living together.

There she heard that a feast was soon to be held to celebrate their wedding. She said, "God still helps me," and opened the casket that the sun had given her. Inside lay a dress as brilliant as the sun itself.

She took it out and put it on, and went up into the castle. Everyone, even the bride herself, looked at her in astonishment. The dress pleased the bride so much that she thought it might do for her wedding dress and asked if it was for sale.

"Not for money or land," she answered, "but for flesh and blood." The bride asked what she meant by that. She said, "Let me sleep one night in the room where the bridegroom sleeps." The bride did not want to, but she wanted the dress very much.

At last she agreed, but the page was to give the prince a sleeping potion. When night came, the youth was already asleep. The maiden was led into the room. She sat down on the bed and said, "I have followed you for seven years.

I have been to the sun and the moon and the four winds and asked about you. I helped you against the dragon. Will you then completely forget me?" But the prince slept so soundly that it only seemed to him like the wind rustling in the fir trees.

When day broke, she was led out again and had to give up the golden dress. Since that did no good, she was sad. She went out into a meadow, sat down, and wept. While she was sitting there, she remembered the egg that the moon had given her.

She opened it, and out came a hen with twelve little chicks, all of gold. They ran around chirping and crept under the hen's wings. Nothing more beautiful had ever been seen in the world!

Then she got up and drove them through the meadow in front of her, until the bride looked out of the window. The little chicks pleased her so much that she came right down and asked if they were for sale.

"Not for money or land, but for flesh and blood: let me sleep another night in the room where the bridegroom sleeps." The bride said yes, intending to cheat her as before. But when the prince went to bed, he asked the page what the murmuring and rustling had been in the night.

Then the page told everything: that he had been forced to give him a sleeping potion because a poor girl had slept secretly in the room, and that he was to give him another that night.

The prince said, "Pour the potion out by the bedside." At night, the maiden was led in again. When she began to tell how badly everything had gone for her, he immediately recognized his beloved wife by her voice. He jumped up and cried, "Now I am truly free!

I have been as if in a dream, because the strange princess bewitched me so that I had to forget you. But God has freed me from the spell just in time." Then they both left the castle secretly that night, because they feared the princess's father, who was a sorcerer.

They climbed onto the griffin, which carried them across the Red Sea. When they were in the middle of the sea, she dropped the nut. Immediately a tall nut tree grew up. The bird rested on it, then carried them home.

There they found their child, who had grown tall and beautiful, and they lived happily ever after until they died.