1812
GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES
THE GALLANT TAILOR
by Jacob Ludwig Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm
Electronically Enhanced Text (c) Copyright 1996, World Library(R)
THE GALLANT TAILOR
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ONE SUMMER MORNING a little tailor was sitting on his board near the
window, and working cheerfully with all his might, when an old woman
came down the street crying, "Good jelly to sell! Good jelly to sell!"
The cry sounded pleasant in the little tailor's ears, so he put
his head out of the window, and called out, "Here, my good woman- come
here, if you want a customer."
So the poor woman climbed the steps with her heavy basket, and was
obliged to unpack and display all her pots to the tailor. He looked at
every one of them, and lifting all the lids, applied his nose to each,
and said at last, "The jelly seems pretty good; you may weigh me out
four half ounces, or I don't mind having a quarter of a pound."
The woman, who had expected to find a good customer, gave him what
he asked for, but went off angry and grumbling.
"This jelly is the very thing for me," cried the little tailor;
"it will give me strength and cunning"; and he took down the bread
from the cupboard, cut a whole round of the loaf, and spread the jelly
on it, laid it near him, and went on stitching more gallantly than
ever. All the while the scent of the sweet jelly was spreading
throughout the room, where there were quantities of flies, who were
attracted by it and flew to partake.
"Now then, who asked you to come?" said the tailor, and drove the
unbidden guests away. But the flies, not understanding his language,
were not to be got rid of like that, and returned in larger numbers
than before. Then the tailor, not being able to stand it any longer,
took from his chimney-corner a ragged cloth, and saying, "Now, I'll
let you have it!" beat it among them unmercifully. When he ceased, and
counted the slain, he found seven lying dead before him. "This is
indeed somewhat," he said, wondering at his own gallantry; "the
whole town shall know this."
So he hastened to cut out a belt, and he stitched it, and put on
it in large capitals, "Seven at one blow!" "-The town, did I say!"
said the little tailor; "the whole world shall know it!" And his heart
quivered with joy, like a lamb's tail.
The tailor fastened the belt round him, and began to think of
going out into the world, for his workshop seemed too small for his
worship. So he looked about in all the house for something that
would be useful to take with him, but he found nothing but an old
cheese, which he put in his pocket. Outside the door he noticed that a
bird had got caught in the bushes, so he took that and put it in his
pocket with the cheese. Then he set out gallantly on his way, and as
he was light and active he felt no fatigue.
The way led over a mountain, and when he reached the topmost peak he
saw a terrible giant sitting there and looking about him at his
ease. The tailor went bravely up to him, called out to him, and
said, "Comrade, good day! There you sit looking over the wide world! I
am on the way thither to seek my fortune; have you a fancy to go
with me?"
The giant looked at the tailor contemptuously, and said, "You little
rascal! You miserable fellow!"
"That may be!" answered the little tailor, and undoing his coat he
showed the giant his belt; "you can read there whether I am a man or
not!"
The giant read: "Seven at one blow!" and thinking it meant men
that the tailor had killed, felt at once more respect for the little
fellow. But as he wanted to prove him, he took up a stone and squeezed
it so hard that water came out of it. "Now you can do that," said
the giant- "that is, if you have the strength for it."
"That's not much," said the little tailor, "I call that play," and
he put his hand in his pocket and took out the cheese and squeezed it,
so that the whey ran out of it. "Well," said he, "what do you think of
that?"
The giant did not know what to say to it, for he could not have
believed it of the little man. Then the giant took up a stone and
threw it so high that it was nearly out of sight. "Now, little fellow,
suppose you do that!"
"Well thrown," said the tailor; "but the stone fell back to earth
again- I will throw you one that will never come back." So he felt
in his pocket, took out the bird, and threw it into the air. And the
bird, when it found itself at liberty, took wing, flew off, and
returned no more. "What do you think of that, comrade?" asked the
tailor.
"There is no doubt that you can throw," said the giant; "but we will
see if you can carry."
He led the little tailor to a mighty oak tree which had been felled,
and was lying on the ground, and said, "Now, if you are strong enough,
help me to carry this tree out of the wood."
"Willingly," answered the little man; "you take the trunk on your
shoulders, I will take the branches with all their foliage, that is
much the most difficult."
So the giant took the trunk on his shoulders, and the tailor
seated himself on a branch, and the giant, who could not see what he
was doing, had the whole tree to carry, and the little man on it as
well. And the little man was very cheerful and merry, and whistled the
tune: "There were three tailors riding by," as if carrying the tree
was mere child's play. The giant, when he had struggled on under his
heavy load a part of the way, was tired out, and cried, "Look here,
I must let go the tree!"
The tailor jumped off quickly, and taking hold of the tree with both
arms, as if he were carrying it, said to the giant, "You see you can't
carry the tree though you are such a big fellow!"
They went on together a little farther, and presently they came to a
cherry tree, and the giant took hold of the topmost branches, where
the ripest fruit hung, and pulling them downwards, gave them to the
tailor to hold, bidding him eat. But the little tailor was much too
weak to hold the tree, and as the giant let go, the tree sprang
back, and the tailor was caught up into the air. And when he dropped
down again without any damage, the giant said to him, "How is this?
Haven't you strength enough to hold such a weak sprig as that?"
"It is not strength that is lacking," answered the little tailor;
"how should it be to one who has slain seven at one blow! I just
jumped over the tree because the hunters are shooting down there in
the bushes. You jump it too, if you can."
The giant made the attempt, and not being able to vault the tree, he
remained hanging in the branches, so that once more the little
tailor got the better of him. Then said the giant, "As you are such
a gallant fellow, suppose you come with me to our den, and stay the
night."
The tailor was quite willing, and he followed him. When they reached
the den there sat some other giants by the fire, and each had a
roasted sheep in his hand, and was eating it. The little tailor looked
round and thought, "There is more elbow-room here than in my
workshop."
And the giant showed him a bed, and told him he had better lie
down upon it and go to sleep. The bed was, however, too big for the
tailor, so he did not stay in it, but crept into a corner to sleep. As
soon as it was midnight the giant got up, took a great staff of iron
and beat the bed through with one stroke, and supposed he had made
an end of that grasshopper of a tailor. Very early in the morning
the giants went into the wood and forgot all about the little
tailor, and when they saw him coming after them alive and merry,
they were terribly frightened, and, thinking he was going to kill
them, they ran away in all haste.
So the little tailor marched on, always following his nose. And
after he had gone a great way he entered the court-yard belonging to a
King's palace, and there he felt so overpowered with fatigue that he
lay down and fell asleep. In the meanwhile came various people, who
looked at him very curiously, and read on his belt, "Seven at one
blow!"
"Oh!" said they, "why should this great lord come here in time of
peace? What a mighty champion he must be!"
Then they went and told the King about him, and they thought that if
war should break out what a worthy and useful man he would be, and
that he ought not to be allowed to depart at any price. The King
then summoned his council and sent one of his courtiers to the
little tailor to beg him, as soon as he should wake up, to consent
to serve in the King's army. So the messenger stood and waited at
the sleeper's side until his limbs began to stretch, and his eyes to
open, and then he carried his answer back. And the answer was: "That
was the reason for which I came. I am ready to enter the King's
service."
So he was received into it very honorably, and a separate dwelling
set apart for him.
But the rest of the soldiers were very much set against the little
tailor, and they wished him a thousand miles away. "What shall be done
about it?" they said among themselves; "if we pick a quarrel and fight
with him then seven of us will fall at each blow. That will be of no
good to us."
So they came to a resolution, and went all together to the King to
ask for their discharge. "We never intended," said they, "to serve
with a man who kills seven at a blow."
The King felt sorry to lose all his faithful servants because of one
man, and he wished that he had never seen him, and would willingly get
rid of him if he might. But he did not dare to dismiss the little
tailor for fear he should kill all the King's people, and place
himself upon the throne. He thought a long while about it, and at last
made up his mind what to do. He sent for the little tailor, and told
him that as he was so great a warrior he had a proposal to make to
him. He told him that in a wood in his dominions dwelt two giants, who
did great damage by robbery, murder, and fire, and that no man durst
go near them for fear of his life. But that if the tailor should
overcome and slay both these giants the King would give him his only
daughter in marriage, and half his kingdom as dowry, and that a
hundred horsemen should go with him to give him assistance.
"That would be something for a man like me!" thought the little
tailor, "a beautiful Princess and half a kingdom are not to be had
every day," and he said to the King, "Oh yes, I can soon overcome
the giants, and yet have no need of the hundred horsemen; he who can
kill seven at one blow has no need to be afraid of two."
So the little tailor set out, and the hundred horsemen followed him.
When he came to the border of the wood he said to his escort, "Stay
here while I go to attack the giants."
Then he sprang into the wood, and looked about him right and left.
After a while he caught sight of the two giants; they were lying
down under a tree asleep, and snoring so that all the branches
shook. The little tailor, all alive, filled both his pockets with
stones and climbed up into the tree, and made his way to an
overhanging bough, so that he could seat himself just above the
sleepers; and from there he let one stone after another fall on the
chest of one of the giants. For a long time the giant was quite
unaware of this, but at last he waked up and pushed his comrade, and
said, "What are you hitting me for?"
"You are dreaming," said the other, "I am not touching you." And
they composed themselves again to sleep, and the tailor let fall a
stone on the other giant.
"What can that be?" cried he, "what are you casting at me?" "I am
casting nothing at you," answered the first, grumbling.
They disputed about it for a while, but as they were tired, they
gave it up at last, and their eyes closed once more. Then the little
tailor began his game anew, picked out a heavier stone and threw it
down with force upon the first giant's chest.
"This is too much!" cried he, and sprang up like a madman and struck
his companion such a blow that the tree shook above them. The other
paid him back with ready coin, and they fought with such fury that
they tore up trees by their roots to use for weapons against each
other, so that at last they both of them lay dead upon the ground. And
now the little tailor got down.
"Another piece of luck!" said he, "that the tree I was sitting in
did not get torn up too, or else I should have had to jump like a
squirrel from one tree to another."
Then he drew his sword and gave each of the giants a few hacks in
the breast, and went back to the horsemen and said, "The deed is done,
I have made an end of both of them, but it went hard with me; in the
struggle they rooted up trees to defend themselves, but it was of no
use, they had to do with a man who can kill seven at one blow."
"Then are you not wounded?" asked the horsemen. "Nothing of the
sort!" answered the tailor, "I have not turned a hair."
The horsemen still would not believe it, and rode into the wood to
see, and there they found the giants wallowing in their blood, and all
about them lying the uprooted trees.
The little tailor then claimed the promised boon, but the King
repented him of his offer, and he sought again how to rid himself of
the hero. "Before you can possess my daughter and the half of my
kingdom," said he to the tailor, "you must perform another heroic act.
In the wood lives a unicorn who does great damage; you must secure
him."
"A unicorn does not strike more terror into me than two giants.
Seven at one blow!- that is my way," was the tailor's answer.
So, taking a rope and an axe with him, he went out into the wood,
and told those who were ordered to attend him to wait outside. He
had not far to seek, the unicorn soon came out and sprang at him, as
if he would make an end of him without delay. "Softly, softly," said
he "most haste, worst speed," and remained standing until the animal
came quite near, then he slipped quietly behind a tree. The unicorn
ran with all his might against the tree and stuck his horn so deep
into the trunk that he could not get it out again, and so was taken.
"Now I have you," said the tailor, coming out from behind the
tree, and, putting the rope round the unicorn's neck, he took the axe,
set free the horn, and when all his party were assembled he led
forth the animal and brought it to the King.
The King did not yet wish to give him the promised reward, and set
him a third task to do. Before the wedding could take place the tailor
was to secure a wild boar which had done a great deal of damage in the
wood. The huntsmen were to accompany him.
"All right," said the tailor, "this is child's play."
But he did not take the huntsmen into the wood, and they were all
the better pleased, for the wild boar had many a time before
received them in such a way that they had no fancy to disturb him.
When the boar caught sight of the tailor he ran at him with foaming
mouth and gleaming tusks to bear him to the ground, but the nimble
hero rushed into a chapel which chanced to be near, and jumped quickly
out of a window on the other side. The boar ran after him, and when he
got inside the door shut after him, and there he was imprisoned, for
the creature was too big and unwieldy to jump out of the window too.
Then the little tailor called the huntsmen that they might see the
prisoner with their own eyes; and then he betook himself to the
King, who now, whether he liked it or not, was obliged to fulfil his
promise, and give him his daughter and the half of his kingdom. But if
he had known that the great warrior was only a little tailor he
would have taken it still more to heart. So the wedding was celebrated
with great splendor and little joy, and the tailor was made into a
King.
One night the young Queen heard her husband talking in his sleep and
saying, "Now boy, make me that waistcoat and patch me those
breeches, or I will lay my yard measure about your shoulders!"
And so, as she perceived of what low birth her husband was, she went
to her father the next morning and told him all, and begged him to set
her free from a man who was nothing better than a tailor. The King
bade her be comforted, saying, "Tonight leave your bedroom door
open, my guard shall stand outside, and when he is asleep they shall
come in and bind him and carry him off to a ship, and he shall be sent
to the other side of the world."
So the wife felt consoled, but the King's water-bearer, who had been
listening all the while, went to the little tailor and disclosed to
him the whole plan.
"I shall put a stop to all this," said he.
At night he lay down as usual in bed, and when his wife thought that
he was asleep, she got up, opened the door and lay down again. The
little tailor, who only made believe he was asleep, began to murmur
plainly, "Now, boy, make me that waistcoat and patch me those
breeches, or I will lay my yard measure about your shoulders! I have
slain seven at one blow, killed two giants, caught a unicorn, and
taken a wild boar, and shall I be afraid of those who are standing
outside my room door?"
And when they heard the tailor say this, a great fear seized them;
they fled away as if they had been wild hares, and none of them
would venture to attack him.
And so the little tailor remained a King all his lifetime.
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THE END
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