The Griffin

Once upon a time there was a king, but where he ruled and what his name was, I do not know. He had no son, only an only daughter who had always been ill, and no doctor had been able to cure her. Then it was foretold to the king that his daughter would eat herself well with an apple. So he had it proclaimed throughout the whole kingdom that whoever brought his daughter an apple with which she could eat herself well should have her as his wife and become king.

This became known to a peasant who had three sons, and he said to the eldest, "Go into the garden and take a basket of those beautiful red-cheeked apples and carry them to the court. Perhaps the king's daughter will eat herself well with them, and then you will marry her and become king." The son did so and set off.

When he had gone a short way, he met a little iron man who asked what he had in his basket. The eldest son, whose name was Uele, replied, "Frogs' legs." The little man said, "Well, so it shall be and remain," and went away.

At length Uele arrived at the palace and announced that he had brought apples that would cure the king's daughter if she ate them. The king was overjoyed and had Uele brought before him. But alas, when he opened the basket, instead of apples he had frogs' legs that were still kicking about.

The king grew angry and had him driven out of the house. When he got home, he told his father what had happened.

Then the father sent the next son, whose name was Seame. But everything went with him as it had with Uele. He also met the little iron man, who asked what he had in his basket.

Seame said, "Hogs' bristles." The iron man said, "Well, so it shall be and remain." When Seame reached the king's palace and said he brought apples with which the king's daughter could eat herself well, they did not want to let him in, saying that one fellow had already been there and had made fools of them.

But Seame insisted that he really had apples, so at last they let him in. But when he uncovered the basket, he had only hogs' bristles. This enraged the king terribly, and he had Seame whipped out of the house. When he got home, he told everything that had happened.

Then the youngest son, whose name was Hans but who was always called Stupid Hans, came and asked his father if he might go with some apples. "Oh!" said the father, "you're just the right one for such a thing!

If the clever ones can't do it, what can you do?" But the boy insisted, "Indeed, father, I want to go." "Just go away, you stupid fellow, you must wait until you are wiser," said the father, turning his back.

But Hans pulled at his father's smock and said, "Indeed, father, I want to go." "Well, then, as far as I'm concerned, you may go, but you'll soon come back!" replied the old man in a spiteful voice. The boy was tremendously delighted and jumped for joy. "Well, act like a fool!

You grow stupider every day!" said the father. But Hans didn't care about that and didn't let it spoil his pleasure. Since it was night, he thought he would wait until the next day, for he couldn't reach the court that day.

All night long he couldn't sleep in his bed, and if he did doze for a moment, he dreamed of beautiful maidens, palaces, gold, and silver, and all kinds of wonderful things.

Early in the morning, he set off on his way, and soon the same shabby little man in his iron clothes came to him and asked what he was carrying in the basket. Hans answered that he was carrying apples with which the king's daughter would eat herself well.

"Then," said the little man, "so they shall be and remain." But at the court they did not want to let Hans in, saying that two had already been there who had said they were bringing apples, and one had frogs' legs and the other hogs' bristles.

But Hans insisted that he certainly had no frogs' legs, but some of the most beautiful apples in the whole kingdom. He spoke so pleasantly that the doorkeeper thought he couldn't be lying and let him in.

And he was right, for when Hans uncovered his basket in the king's presence, golden-yellow apples came tumbling out. The king was delighted and had some taken to his daughter, then waited anxiously for news of the effect. But before much time had passed, news came: who do you think it was?

It was his daughter herself! As soon as she had eaten those apples, she was cured and sprang out of bed. The king's joy cannot be described! But now he did not want to give his daughter in marriage to Hans, and said he must first make a boat that would go quicker on dry land than on water.

Hans agreed and went home, relating what had happened.

Then the father sent Uele into the forest to make a boat of that kind. Uele worked diligently and whistled all the time. At midday, when the sun was highest, the little iron man came and asked what he was making.

Uele answered, "Wooden bowls for the kitchen." The iron man said, "So it shall be and remain." By evening Uele thought he had made the boat, but when he tried to get into it, he had only wooden bowls.

The next day Seame went into the forest, but everything went with him as with Uele. On the third day, Stupid Hans went. He worked away industriously, so that the whole forest resounded with heavy strokes, and all the while he sang and whistled merrily.

At midday, when it was hottest, the little man came again and asked what he was making. "A boat that will go quicker on dry land than on water," replied Hans, "and when I finish it, I will marry the king's daughter." "Well," said the little man, "such a one it shall be and remain." In the evening, when the sun had turned to gold, Hans finished his boat and everything needed for it.

He got in and rowed to the palace. The boat went as swiftly as the wind. The king saw it from afar, but still would not give his daughter to Hans, and said he must first take a hundred hares out to pasture from early morning until late evening.

If one of them got away, he would not get the daughter. Hans was content and the next day went with his flock to the pasture, taking great care that none ran away.

Before many hours had passed, a servant from the palace came and told Hans that he must give her a hare immediately, for some visitors had arrived unexpectedly. Hans knew well what that meant and said he would not give her one; the king could serve hare soup to his guest the next day.

The maid wouldn't believe his refusal and grew angry. Then Hans said that if the king's daughter came herself, he would give her a hare. The maid told this at the palace, and the daughter did go herself. Meanwhile, the little man came again to Hans and asked what he was doing.

Hans said he had to watch over a hundred hares and see that none ran away, and then he might marry the king's daughter and become king. "Good," said the little man, "here is a whistle for you.

If one runs away, just whistle, and it will come back." When the king's daughter came, Hans gave her a hare into her apron. But when she had gone about a hundred steps with it, he whistled, and the hare jumped out of the apron and, before she could turn around, was back with the flock.

When evening came, the hare-herd whistled once more, checked that all were there, and drove them to the palace. The king wondered how Hans had managed to take a hundred hares to graze without losing any, but he still would not give him his daughter.

He said Hans must now bring him a feather from the griffin's tail.

Hans set out at once and walked straight ahead. In the evening he came to a castle, where he asked for a night's lodging, for at that time there were no inns. The lord of the castle gladly agreed and asked where he was going.

Hans answered, "To the griffin." "Oh, to the griffin! They say he knows everything. I have lost the key to my iron money chest. Could you ask him where it is?" "Yes, indeed," said Hans, "I will do that." Early the next morning he went on and arrived at another castle, where he stayed the night.

When the people there learned that he was going to the griffin, they said they had a daughter who was ill and had tried every remedy without success. Could he ask the griffin what would make her healthy again? Hans said he would gladly do that and went on.

Then he came to a lake, and instead of a ferryboat, a tall, tall man was there who had to carry everyone across. The man asked Hans where he was going. "To the griffin," said Hans.

"Then when you get to him," said the man, "ask him why I am forced to carry everyone over the lake." "Yes, indeed, I will do that," said Hans. Then the man lifted him onto his shoulders and carried him across.

At last Hans arrived at the griffin's house, but only the wife was at home, not the griffin himself. The woman asked him what he wanted. He told her everything: that he had to get a feather from the griffin's tail, and that there was a castle where they had lost the key to their money chest, and he was to ask where it was; that in another castle a daughter was ill, and he was to learn what would cure her; and that not far from there was a lake with a man who was forced to carry people across, and he wanted to know why.

Then the woman said, "Listen, my good friend, no Christian can speak to the griffin; he devours them all. But if you like, you can lie down under his bed, and in the night, when he is fast asleep, you can reach out and pull a feather from his tail.

As for those things you need to learn, I will ask about them myself." Hans was satisfied and got under the bed. In the evening, the griffin came home, and as soon as he entered the room, he said, "Wife, I smell a Christian." "Yes," said the woman, "one was here today, but he went away again." On that the griffin said no more.

In the middle of the night, when the griffin was snoring loudly, Hans reached out and plucked a feather from his tail. The griffin woke up instantly and said, "Wife, I smell a Christian, and it seems to me someone was pulling at my tail." His wife said, "You must have been dreaming.

I told you before that a Christian was here today, but he went away again. He told me all kinds of things. In one castle they lost the key to their money chest and can't find it anywhere." "Oh, the fools!" said the griffin.

"The key lies in the woodhouse under a log of wood behind the door." "And then he said that in another castle a daughter is ill, and they know no remedy." "Oh, the fools!" said the griffin. "Under the cellar steps a toad has made its nest of her hair.

If she gets her hair back, she will be well." "And then he also said there is a place with a lake and a man beside it who is forced to carry everyone across." "Oh, the fool!" said the griffin.

"If he would just put one man down in the middle, he would never have to carry another across." Early the next morning, the griffin got up and went out. Then Hans came out from under the bed, holding a beautiful feather, and had heard everything the griffin said about the key, the daughter, and the ferryman.

The griffin's wife repeated it all once more so he wouldn't forget, and then he went home again.

First he came to the man by the lake, who asked what the griffin had said. Hans replied that he must first carry him across, and then he would tell him. So the man carried him across, and when he was over, Hans told him that all he had to do was set one person down in the middle of the lake, and then he would never have to carry anyone else across. The man was overjoyed and offered to carry Hans back and forth out of gratitude, but Hans said no, he was satisfied, and went on his way.

Then he came to the castle where the daughter was ill. He took her on his shoulders, for she could not walk, carried her down the cellar steps, pulled out the toad's nest from under the lowest step, and gave it to her.

She immediately sprang off his shoulder and ran up the steps before him, completely cured. The father and mother were overjoyed and gave Hans gifts of gold, silver, and whatever else he wished for. When he reached the other castle, he went straight to the woodhouse, found the key under the log behind the door, and took it to the lord.

He too was very pleased and gave Hans much gold from the chest, along with cows, sheep, and goats.

When Hans arrived before the king with all these things—money, gold, silver, cows, sheep, and goats—the king asked how he had come by them. Hans told him that the griffin gave everyone whatever they wanted. Then the king thought he could make such things useful too, and set off for the griffin. But when he reached the lake, it happened that he was the very first to arrive after Hans, and the man set him down in the middle of it and went away. The king drowned. Hans, however, married the princess and became king.