The Black Bull of Norroway

In Norroway, long ago, there lived a lady who had three daughters. The eldest said to her mother, 'Mother, bake me a bannock and roast me a collop, for I am going away to seek my fortune.' Her mother did so, and the daughter went to an old witch washerwoman and told her her purpose.

The old wife bade her stay that day and go and look out of her back door and see what she could see. She saw nothing the first day. The second day she did the same and saw nothing.

On the third day she looked again and saw a coach-and-six coming along the road. She ran in and told the old wife what she saw. 'Well,' said the old wife, 'that is for you.' So they took her into the coach and galloped off.

The second daughter next said to her mother, 'Mother, bake me a bannock and roast me a collop, for I am going away to seek my fortune.' Her mother did so, and away she went to the old wife, as her sister had done. On the third day she looked out of the back door and saw a coach-and-four coming along the road. 'Well,' said the old wife, 'that is for you.' So they took her in, and off they set.

The third daughter said to her mother, 'Mother, bake me a bannock and roast me a collop, for I am going away to seek my fortune.' Her mother did so, and away she went to the old witch wife.

She bade her look out of her back door and see what she could see. She did so, and when she came back said she saw nothing. The second day she did the same and saw nothing.

The third day she looked again, and on coming back said to the old wife she saw nothing but a big Black Bull coming roaring along the road. 'Well,' said the old wife, 'that is for you.' On hearing this she was nearly distracted with grief and terror, but she was lifted up and set on his back, and away they went.

And they traveled and traveled until the lady grew faint with hunger. 'Eat out of my right ear,' said the Black Bull, 'and drink out of my left ear, and set aside your leftovers.' So she did as he said and was wonderfully refreshed.

They traveled long and rode hard until they came in sight of a very big and handsome castle. 'We must be there tonight,' said the bull, 'for my old brother lives there.' Presently they were at the place.

They lifted her off his back, took her in, and sent him away to a park for the night. In the morning, when they brought the bull home, they took the lady into a fine shining parlor and gave her a beautiful apple, telling her not to break it until she was in the greatest trouble anyone could ever be in, and that would bring her out of it.

Again she was lifted on the bull's back, and after she had ridden far, farther than I can tell, they came in sight of a far finer castle, far farther away than the last. The bull said to her, 'We must be there tonight, for my second brother lives there.' They were at the place directly.

They lifted her down, took her in, and sent the bull to the field for the night. In the morning they took the lady into a fine and rich room and gave her the finest pear she had ever seen, bidding her not to break it until she was in the greatest trouble anyone could ever be in, and that would get her out of it.

Again she was lifted and set on his back, and away they went. They traveled long and rode hard until they came in sight of the biggest castle, farthest away they had yet seen. 'We must be there tonight,' said the bull, 'for my youngest brother lives there.' They were there directly.

They lifted her down, took her in, and sent the bull to the field for the night. In the morning they took her into a room, the finest of all, and gave her a plum, telling her not to break it until she was in the greatest trouble anyone could be in, and that would get her out of it.

Presently they brought home the bull, set the lady on his back, and away they went.

And they traveled and rode until they came to a dark and terrible glen, where they stopped, and the lady got down. The bull said to her, 'Here you must stay until I go and fight the devil.

You must seat yourself on that stone and move neither hand nor foot until I come back, else I will never find you again. And if everything around you turns blue, I have beaten the devil; but if everything turns red, he has conquered me.' She sat down on the stone, and by and by everything around her turned blue.

Overcome with joy, she lifted one foot and crossed it over the other, so glad was she that her companion was victorious. The bull returned and sought for her but never could find her.

She sat for a long time and cried until she grew weary. At last she rose and went away, she knew not where. On she wandered until she came to a great hill of glass that she tried with all her might to climb but was not able.

Round the bottom of the hill she went, sobbing and seeking a passage over, until at last she came to a smith's house. The smith promised, if she would serve him seven years, he would make her iron shoes with which she could climb the glassy hill.

At the end of seven years she got her iron shoes, climbed the glassy hill, and chanced to come to the old washerwoman's dwelling. There she was told of a gallant young knight who had given some bloody shirts to wash, and whoever washed those shirts was to be his wife.

The old wife had washed until she was tired, and then she set her daughter to work, and both washed and washed in hopes of getting the young knight, but all they could do they could not bring out a stain.

At length they set the stranger damsel to work, and whenever she began the stains came out pure and clean. But the old wife made the knight believe that it was her daughter who had washed the shirts.

So the knight and the eldest daughter were to be married, and the stranger damsel was distracted at the thought of it, for she was deeply in love with him. So she thought of her apple, and breaking it, found it filled with gold and precious jewelry, the richest she had ever seen.

'All these,' she said to the eldest daughter, 'I will give you on condition that you put off your marriage for one day and allow me to go into his room alone at night.' So the lady consented, but meanwhile the old wife had prepared a sleeping drink and given it to the knight, who drank it and never woke until next morning.

The whole night long the damsel sobbed and sang: 'Seven long years I served for thee, The glassy hill I climbed for thee, The bloody shirt I wrung for thee; And wilt thou not waken and turn to me?'

The next day she did not know what to do for grief. Then she broke the pear and found it filled with jewelry far richer than the contents of the apple. With these jewels she bargained for permission to be a second night in the young knight's chamber, but the old wife gave him another sleeping drink, and he again slept until morning.

All night she kept sighing and singing as before: 'Seven long years I served for thee...' Still he slept, and she nearly lost hope entirely. But that day when he was out hunting, someone asked him what noise and moaning it was they had heard all last night in his bedchamber.

He said he heard no noise. But they assured him there was, and he resolved to stay awake that night to try what he could hear. That being the third night, and the damsel being between hope and despair, she broke her plum, and it held far the richest jewelry of the three.

She bargained as before, and the old wife as before took the sleeping drink to the young knight's chamber, but he told her he could not drink it that night without sweetening. And when she went away for some honey to sweeten it with, he poured out the drink and so made the old wife think he had drunk it.

They all went to bed again, and the damsel began as before singing: 'Seven long years I served for thee, The glassy hill I climbed for thee, The bloody shirt I wrung for thee; And wilt thou not waken and turn to me?' He heard, and turned to her.

And she told him all that had befallen her, and he told her all that had happened to him. And he caused the old washerwoman and her daughter to be burned. And they were married, and he and she are living happily till this day, for all I know.