The Twin Brothers

Once upon a time there was a fisherman who had plenty of money but no children. One day an old woman came to his wife and said: "What good is all your wealth when you have no children?"

"It is God's will," answered the fisherman's wife.

"No, my dear, it is not God's will, but your husband's fault. If he would only catch the little goldfish, you would surely have children. Tonight, when he comes home, tell him he must go back and catch the little fish. Then he must cut it into six pieces.

You must eat one piece, and your husband the second, and soon after you will have two children. The third piece you must give to the dog, and she will have two puppies. The fourth piece give to the mare, and she will have two foals.

The fifth piece bury on the right side of the house door, and the sixth on the left, and two cypress trees will spring up there."

When the fisherman came home that evening, his wife told him everything the old woman had advised, and he promised to bring home the little goldfish. The next morning he went very early to the water and caught the little fish. Then they did as the old woman had ordered, and in due time the fisherman's wife had two sons, so alike that no one could tell them apart. The dog had two puppies exactly alike, the mare had two foals, and on each side of the front door there sprang up two cypress trees that looked exactly the same.

When the two boys grew up, they were not content to stay at home, even though they had plenty of wealth. They wanted to go out into the world and make a name for themselves. Their father would not let them both go at once, as they were his only children. He said: "First one shall travel, and when he returns, the other may go."

So one brother took his horse and his dog and left, saying to his brother: "As long as the cypress trees are green, that means I am alive and well. But if one begins to wither, then hurry and come to me." Then he went out into the world.

One day he stopped at the house of an old woman, and as he sat before the door in the evening, he saw a castle standing on a hill in front of him. He asked the old woman who it belonged to, and she answered: "My son, that is the castle of the Fairest in the Land!"

"And I have come here to woo her!"

"Many have tried that, my son, and lost their lives. She has cut off their heads and stuck them on the post you see there."

"She will do the same to me, or else I will be the victor. Tomorrow I will go to court her."

Then he took his zither and played so beautifully that no one in all that land had ever heard the like, and the princess herself came to the window to listen.

The next morning the Fairest in the Land sent for the old woman and asked: "Who is it that lives with you and plays the zither so well?"

"It is a stranger, princess, who arrived yesterday evening," answered the old woman.

And the princess commanded that the stranger be brought to her. When he appeared before her, she asked him about his home and his family and about this and that. At last she confessed that his zither-playing gave her great pleasure and that she would take him for her husband. The stranger replied that that was why he had come.

The princess then said: "You must go to my father and tell him you want to marry me. When he gives you the three tasks, come back and tell me."

The stranger went straight to the king and told him he wished to marry his daughter.

And the king answered: "I will be very pleased, provided you can do what I ask. If not, you will lose your head. Now listen: out there on the ground lies a thick log, more than two fathoms long. If you can split it in two with one stroke of your sword, I will give you my daughter. If you fail, you will lose your head."

Then the stranger withdrew and returned to the old woman's house, very distressed, for he could only believe that the next day he would lose his head. He was so worried about how to split the log that he even forgot his zither.

In the evening the princess came to the window to listen to his playing, but all was silent. She called to him: "Why are you so sad this evening that you do not play?"

He told her his trouble. But she laughed and called: "And you worry about that? Bring your zither and play something for me, and come to me early tomorrow."

Then the stranger took his zither and played all evening for the princess's amusement.

The next morning she took a hair from her locks and gave it to him, saying: "Take this hair and wind it around your sword, and then you will be able to split the log."

Then the stranger went forth and split the log in two with one blow.

But the king said: "I will give you another task before you can marry my daughter."

"Speak," said the stranger.

"Listen," answered the king. "You must mount a horse and ride three miles at full gallop, holding a goblet full of water in each hand. If you spill no drop, I will give you my daughter. But if you fail, I will take your life."

The stranger returned to the old woman's house, and again he was so troubled that he forgot his zither. In the evening the princess came to the window, but all was silent. She called: "What is wrong that you do not play?"

He told her what the king had ordered. The princess answered: "Do not worry. Just play now, and come to me tomorrow morning."

The next morning he went to her, and she gave him her ring, saying: "Throw this ring into the water, and it will freeze immediately, so you will not spill any."

The stranger did as she said, and carried the water all the way without spilling a drop.

Then the king said: "Now I will give you a third task, and it shall be the last. I have a black man who will fight you tomorrow. If you win, you shall marry my daughter."

The stranger returned full of joy to the old woman's house, and that evening he was so merry that the princess called: "You seem very cheerful tonight. What did my father say that makes you so glad?"

He answered: "Your father told me I must fight his black man tomorrow. He is just another man like me, and I hope to conquer him."

But the princess answered: "This is the hardest task of all. I myself am the black man, for I drink a potion that changes me into a black man of unbeatable strength. Go tomorrow morning to the market, buy twelve buffalo hides, and wrap them around your horse. Fasten this cloth around you. When I am let loose upon you tomorrow, show it to me so I will hold back and not kill you. Then when you fight me, you must try to hit my horse between the eyes, for once you kill it, you have conquered me."

The next morning he went to the market and bought the twelve buffalo hides, which he wrapped around his horse. Then he began to fight the black man. The combat lasted a long time, and eleven hides were torn. Then the stranger hit the black man's horse between the eyes, so that it fell dead, and the black man was defeated.

Then the king said: "Because you have solved the three tasks, I accept you as my son-in-law."

But the stranger answered: "I have some business to finish first. In fourteen days I will return and bring the bride home."

So he left and went into another country, where he came to a great town and stopped at the house of an old woman. After supper he asked for some water. She answered: "My son, I have no water. A giant has taken the spring and only lets us draw water once a year, when we bring him a maiden. He eats her, and then he lets us draw water. Today it is the lot of the king's daughter, and tomorrow she will be led forth."

The next day the princess was led to the spring and tied there with a golden chain. Then all the people went away, and she was left alone.

When they had gone, the stranger went to the maiden and asked why she was crying. She answered that the giant would come and eat her. The stranger promised to free her if she would marry him, and the princess joyfully agreed.

When the giant appeared, the stranger set his dog on him. The dog grabbed the giant by the throat and choked him until he died, and the princess was set free.

When the king heard this, he gladly consented to the marriage, and the wedding took place with great celebrations. The young bridegroom stayed in the palace for one hundred and one weeks. Then he found it too dull and wanted to go hunting. The king tried to stop him but could not. He begged his son-in-law to take an escort, but the young man refused and took only his horse and his dog.

He had ridden a long way when he saw a hut in the distance. He rode straight to it to get some water. There he found an old woman and asked for water. She answered that first he should let her touch his dog with her little wand so it would not bite her while she fetched the water.

The hunter agreed, and as soon as she touched the dog with her wand, it turned to stone. Then she touched the hunter and his horse, and both turned to stone. As soon as that happened, the cypress trees in front of his father's house began to wither.

When the other brother saw the withered trees, he immediately set out to find his twin. He came first to the town where his brother had slain the giant, and fate led him to the same old woman where his brother had stayed. When she saw him, she mistook him for his twin brother and said: "Don't be angry with me, my son, that I did not come to wish you joy on your marriage to the king's daughter."

The stranger realized her mistake but only said: "That doesn't matter, old woman," and rode on to the king's palace. There the king and the princess both mistook him for his twin brother and called out: "Why have you stayed away so long? We thought something bad had happened."

When night came and he slept with the princess, who still believed he was her husband, he laid his sword between them. In the morning he rose early and went hunting. Fate led him the same way his brother had taken, and from a distance he saw him and realized he was turned to stone. He entered the hut and ordered the old woman to undo the spell. But she answered: "Let me first touch your dog with my wand, and then I will free your brother."

He ordered his dog to grab her and bite her up to the knee, until she cried: "Tell your dog to let go, and I will free your brother!"

But he only said: "Tell me the magic words so I can free him myself." As she refused, he ordered his dog to bite her up to the hip.

Then the old woman cried: "I have two wands. With the green one I turn things to stone, and with the red one I bring them back to life."

So the hunter took the red wand and freed his brother, his brother's horse, and his dog. Then he ordered his own dog to eat the old woman up entirely.

While the brothers walked back to the king's castle, one brother told the other how the cypress tree had suddenly withered, how he had searched for his twin, and how he had come to the castle and claimed the princess as his wife. The other brother became furious upon hearing this and struck him on the forehead until he died. Then he returned alone to his father-in-law's house.

When night came and he was in bed, the princess asked: "What was wrong with you last night, that you never spoke a word to me?"

He cried out: "That was not me, but my brother, and I killed him because he told me on the way that he had claimed you as his wife!"

"Do you know where you killed him?" asked the princess. "Can you find the body?"

"I know the exact place."

"Then tomorrow we will ride there," said the princess.

The next morning they set out together, and when they reached the place, the princess took out a small bottle she had brought and sprinkled the body with a few drops of water. Immediately the dead brother came back to life.

When he stood up, his brother said: "Forgive me, dear brother, for killing you in my anger." Then they embraced and went together to the Fairest in the Land, whom the unmarried brother married.

Then the brothers brought their parents to live with them, and they all lived together in joy and happiness.