The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales (Penguin Classics) by Franz Xaver von Schonwerth
Authors: Franz Xaver von Schonwerth
Ads: Link
child, when suddenly, out of the blue, a dwarf with a long beard appeared and attacked him, scratching his face badly.
The young man wanted to chase him down, but the dwarf had already vanished. The second young man did not fare any better. On the third night, the third suitor kept watch, sword in hand. The dwarf returned, and the fearless young man grabbed him by the beard, wedging it between two doors. “Now you’ll get what you deserve!” But the dwarf tore so hard at the beard that it came off, and he raced away.
The young man told his companions about what had happened. “I now know where the dwarf holes up!” he said, and he showed the other two a deep well. Two of them took a rope and let themselves down into the well, but they could not find the bottom. Only the third young man landed, and he discovered a long passageway that led to a lovely garden and a magnificent building. He entered and found a beautiful woman in the first room. She was the eldest daughter of the merchant. At her feet stood a huge lion. As soon as the lion discovered a stranger in the room, it leaped up, opened its jaws wide, and was about to attack. The stranger grabbed his sword and slew the lion.
In the next room was another young woman, and this time there were three young lions. The young man killed all of them with a single blow. In the final room was a golden cradle, this time with the dwarf in it. The youngest of the merchant’s three daughters was rocking it. The young man took his sword andchopped off the dwarf’s head. And that is how he rescued all three of the merchant’s daughters.
The three sisters went back with him, and they returned to the bottom of the well. The young man shouted up to his companions: “Throw the rope down so that the three girls can climb out of here!” And that’s how he was going to save the three daughters of the merchant. But the two young men above had their own ideas. “If we leave him down in the well, we can divide the merchant’s wealth between the two of us.” They tossed down the rope after pulling up the daughters but didn’t pull it back up for him. Then off they went.
The young man had been betrayed, and he returned to the underground castle. He looked at the many precious objects in it and walked through a garden that had all kinds of birds flying around, but there seemed to be no way out. Suddenly a snake with jaws wide open slithered toward him. He took his sword and chopped off its head. When the birds discovered that the snake was dead, the most magnificent of them flew over to him and said: “You have slain our worst enemy, a monster that had been taking the young from our nests. Let me carry you away from here and bring you back home. Just hop on my wings.”
The young man climbed up on the bird’s back, and after flying for some time, the bird landed on a path in the forest. “Just stay on this road and you will reach home.” And sure enough, he reached home. He inquired about the health of the merchant’s daughters. Everyone told him that two of the daughters were already married. There was no news about the third suitor, not even from the men who had accompanied him on the journey. The fellow had received a ring from the youngest of the three daughters. He went to see the merchant and told him everything, but the merchant refused to believe him. He summoned his youngest daughter to ask if the young man was her rescuer. “If he has my ring,” she said, “then he is the man who rescued us.” The young man took the ring from his finger, put it on the table, and the girl acknowledged it as her own.
And so the fellow became the husband of the youngest of the merchant’s three daughters. His two companions were punished for their crimes.
THE PORTRAIT
There once was a couple, and they worked hard to make ends meet. They lived in a tiny house with their two children. One day, the parents died, and the children were left with no money at all.
A coach drove up to
The young man wanted to chase him down, but the dwarf had already vanished. The second young man did not fare any better. On the third night, the third suitor kept watch, sword in hand. The dwarf returned, and the fearless young man grabbed him by the beard, wedging it between two doors. “Now you’ll get what you deserve!” But the dwarf tore so hard at the beard that it came off, and he raced away.
The young man told his companions about what had happened. “I now know where the dwarf holes up!” he said, and he showed the other two a deep well. Two of them took a rope and let themselves down into the well, but they could not find the bottom. Only the third young man landed, and he discovered a long passageway that led to a lovely garden and a magnificent building. He entered and found a beautiful woman in the first room. She was the eldest daughter of the merchant. At her feet stood a huge lion. As soon as the lion discovered a stranger in the room, it leaped up, opened its jaws wide, and was about to attack. The stranger grabbed his sword and slew the lion.
In the next room was another young woman, and this time there were three young lions. The young man killed all of them with a single blow. In the final room was a golden cradle, this time with the dwarf in it. The youngest of the merchant’s three daughters was rocking it. The young man took his sword andchopped off the dwarf’s head. And that is how he rescued all three of the merchant’s daughters.
The three sisters went back with him, and they returned to the bottom of the well. The young man shouted up to his companions: “Throw the rope down so that the three girls can climb out of here!” And that’s how he was going to save the three daughters of the merchant. But the two young men above had their own ideas. “If we leave him down in the well, we can divide the merchant’s wealth between the two of us.” They tossed down the rope after pulling up the daughters but didn’t pull it back up for him. Then off they went.
The young man had been betrayed, and he returned to the underground castle. He looked at the many precious objects in it and walked through a garden that had all kinds of birds flying around, but there seemed to be no way out. Suddenly a snake with jaws wide open slithered toward him. He took his sword and chopped off its head. When the birds discovered that the snake was dead, the most magnificent of them flew over to him and said: “You have slain our worst enemy, a monster that had been taking the young from our nests. Let me carry you away from here and bring you back home. Just hop on my wings.”
The young man climbed up on the bird’s back, and after flying for some time, the bird landed on a path in the forest. “Just stay on this road and you will reach home.” And sure enough, he reached home. He inquired about the health of the merchant’s daughters. Everyone told him that two of the daughters were already married. There was no news about the third suitor, not even from the men who had accompanied him on the journey. The fellow had received a ring from the youngest of the three daughters. He went to see the merchant and told him everything, but the merchant refused to believe him. He summoned his youngest daughter to ask if the young man was her rescuer. “If he has my ring,” she said, “then he is the man who rescued us.” The young man took the ring from his finger, put it on the table, and the girl acknowledged it as her own.
And so the fellow became the husband of the youngest of the merchant’s three daughters. His two companions were punished for their crimes.
THE PORTRAIT
There once was a couple, and they worked hard to make ends meet. They lived in a tiny house with their two children. One day, the parents died, and the children were left with no money at all.
A coach drove up to
Similar Books
