1812
GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES
THE KING OF THE GOLDEN MOUNTAIN
by Jacob Ludwig Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm
Electronically Enhanced Text (c) Copyright 1996, World Library(R)
THE KING OF THE GOLDEN MOUNTAIN
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A CERTAIN MERCHANT had two children, a boy and a girl; they were
both young, too young to walk. And two richly-laden ships of his
sailed forth to sea with all his property on board, and just as he was
expecting to win much money by them, news came that they had gone to
the bottom, and now instead of being a rich man he was a poor one, and
had nothing left but one field outside the town.
In order to drive his misfortune a little out of his thoughts, he
went out to this field, and as he was walking backwards and forwards
in it, a little black mannikin stood suddenly by his side, and asked
why he was so sad, and what he was taking so much to heart.
Then said the merchant, "If thou couldst help me I would willingly
tell thee." "Who knows?" replied the black dwarf. "Perhaps I can
help thee." Then the merchant told him that all he possessed had
gone to the bottom of the sea, and that he had nothing left but this
field. "Do not trouble thyself," said the dwarf. "If thou wilt promise
to give me the first thing that rubs itself against thy leg when
thou art at home again, and to bring it here to this place in twelve
years' time, thou shalt have as much money as thou wilt." The merchant
thought, "What can that be but my dog?" and did not remember his
little boy, so he said yes, gave the black man a written and sealed
promise, and went home.
When he reached home, his little boy was so delighted that he held
by a bench, tottered up to him and seized him fast by the legs. The
father was shocked, for he remembered his promise, and now knew what
he had pledged himself to do; as, however, he still found no money
in his chest, he thought the dwarf had only been jesting. A month
afterwards he went up to the garret, intending to gather together some
old tin and to sell it, and saw a great heap of money lying. Then he
was happy again, made purchases, became a greater merchant than
before, and felt that this world was well governed.
In the meantime the boy grew tall, and at the same time sharp and
clever. But the nearer the twelfth year approached the more anxious
grew the merchant, so that his distress might be seen in his face. One
day his son asked what ailed him, but the father would not say. The
boy, however, persisted so long, that at last he told him that without
being aware of what he was doing, he had promised him to a black
dwarf, and had received much money for doing so. He said likewise that
he had set his hand and seal to this, and that now when twelve years
had gone by he would have to give him up.
Then said the son, "Oh, father, do not be uneasy, all will go
well. The black man has no power over me." The son had himself blessed
by the priest, and when the time came, father and son went together to
the field, and the son made a circle and placed himself inside it with
his father. Then came the black dwarf and said to the old man, "Hast
thou brought with thee that which thou hast promised me?" He was
silent, but the son asked, "What dost thou want here?" Then said the
black dwarf, "I have to speak with thy father, and not with thee." The
son replied, "Thou hast betrayed and misled my father; give back the
writing." "No," said the black dwarf, "I will not give up my rights."
They spoke together for a long time after this, but at last they
agreed that the son, as he did not belong to the enemy of mankind, nor
yet to his father, should seat himself in a small boat, which should
lie on water which was flowing away from them, and that the father
should push it off with his own foot, and then the son should remain
given up to the water. So he took leave of his father, placed
himself in a little boat, and the father had to push it off with his
own foot. The boat capsized so that the keel was uppermost, and the
father believed his son was lost, and went home and mourned for him.
The boat, however, did not sink, but floated quietly away, and the
boy sat safely inside it, and it floated thus for a long time, until
at last it stopped by an unknown shore. Then he landed and saw a
beautiful castle before him, and set out to go to it.
When he entered it, however, he found that it was bewitched. He went
through every room, but all were empty until he reached the last,
where a snake lay coiled in a ring. The snake, however, was an
enchanted maiden, who rejoiced to see him, and said, "Hast thou
come, oh, my deliverer? I have already waited twelve years for thee;
this kingdom is bewitched, and thou must set it free." "How can I do
that?" he inquired. "Tonight come twelve black men, covered with
chains, who will ask what thou art doing here; keep silence,
however; give them no answer, and let them do what they will with
thee; they will torment thee, beat thee, stab thee; let everything
pass, only do not speak; at twelve o'clock, they must go away again.
"On the second night twelve others will come; on the third,
four-and-twenty, who will cut off thy head, but at twelve o'clock
their power will be over, and then if thou hast endured all, and
hast not spoken the slightest word, I shall be released. I will come
to thee, and will have, in a bottle, some of the water of life. I will
rub thee with that, and then thou wilt come to life again, and be as
healthy as before." Then said he, "I will gladly set thee free."
Everything happened just as she had said. The black men could not
force a single word from him, and on the third night the snake
became a beautiful princess who came with the water of life and
brought him back to life again. So she threw herself into his arms and
kissed him, and there was joy and gladness in the whole castle.
After this their marriage was celebrated, and he was King of the
Golden Mountain.
They lived very happily together, and the Queen bore a fine boy.
Eight years had already gone by, when the King bethought him of his
father; his heart was moved, and he wished to visit him. The Queen,
however, would not let him go away, and said, "I know beforehand
that it will cause my unhappiness"; but he suffered her to have no
rest until she consented. At their parting she gave him a
wishing-ring, and said, "Take this ring and put it on thy finger,
and then thou wilt immediately be transported whithersoever thou
wouldst be, only thou must promise me not to use it in wishing me away
from this place and with thy father." That he promised her, put the
ring on his finger, and wished himself at home, just outside the
town where his father lived.
Instantly he found himself there, and made for the town, but when he
came to the gate, the sentries would not let him go in, because he
wore such strange and yet such rich and magnificent clothing. Then
he went to a hill where a shepherd was watching his sheep, changed
clothes with him, put on his old shepherd's-coat, and then entered the
town without hindrance. When he came to his father, he made himself
known to him, but he did not at all believe that the shepherd was
his son, and said he certainly had had a son, but that he was dead
long ago; however, as he saw he was a poor, needy shepherd, he would
give him something to eat.
Then the shepherd said to his parents, "I am verily your son. Do you
know of no mark on my body by which you could recognize me?" "Yes,"
said his mother, "our son had a raspberry mark under his right arm."
He slipped back his shirt, and they saw the raspberry under his
right arm, and no longer doubted that he was their son. Then he told
them that he was King of the Golden Mountain, and a King's daughter
was his wife, and that they had a fine son of seven years old. Then
said the father, "That is certainly not true; it is a fine kind of
King who goes about in a ragged shepherd's-coat." At these words the
son flew into a passion, and without thinking of his promise, turned
his ring round, and wished both his wife and child with him. They were
there in a second, but the Queen wept, and reproached him, and said
that he had broken his word, and had brought misfortune upon her. He
said, "I have done it thoughtlessly, and not with evil intention," and
tried to calm her, and she pretended to believe this; but she had
mischief in her mind.
Then he led her out of the town into the field, and showed her the
stream where the little boat had been pushed off, and then he said, "I
am tired; sit down, I will sleep awhile on thy lap." And he laid his
head on her lap, and fell asleep. When he was asleep, she first drew
the ring from his finger, then she drew away the foot which was
under him, leaving only the slipper behind her, and she took her child
in her arms, and wished herself back in her own kingdom.
When he awoke, there he lay quite deserted, and his wife and child
were gone, and so was the ring from his finger; the slipper only was
still there as a token. "Home to thy parents thou canst not return,"
thought he, "they would say that thou wast a wizard; thou must be off,
and walk on until thou arrivest in thine own kingdom." So he went away
and came at length to a hill by which three giants were standing,
disputing with each other because they did not know how to divide
their father's property. When they saw him passing by, they called
to him and said little men had quick wits, and that he was to divide
their inheritance for them.
The inheritance, however, consisted of a sword, which had this
property that if any one took it in his hand, and said, "All heads off
but mine," every head would lie on the ground; secondly, of a cloak
which made any one who put it on invisible; thirdly, of a pair of
boots which could transport the wearer to any place he wished in a
moment. He said, "Give me the three things that I may see if they
are still in good condition." They gave him the cloak, and when he had
put it on, he was invisible and changed into a fly. Then he resumed
his own form and said, "The cloak is a good one, now give me the
sword." They said, "No, we will not give thee that; if thou wert to
say, 'All heads off but mine,' all our heads would be off, and thou
alone wouldst be left with thine." Nevertheless they gave it to him
with the condition that he was only to try it against a tree. This
he did, and the sword cut in two the trunk of a tree as if it had been
a blade of straw. Then he wanted to have the boots likewise, but
they said, "No, we will not give them; if thou hadst them on thy
feet and wert to wish thyself at the top of the hill, we should be
left down here with nothing." "Oh, no," said he, "I will not do that."
So they gave him the boots as well.
And now when he had got all these things, he thought of nothing
but his wife and his child, and said just as it were to himself,
"Oh, if I were but on the Golden Mountain," and at the same moment
he vanished from the sight of the giants, and thus their inheritance
was divided.
When he was near his palace, he heard sounds of joy, and fiddles,
and flutes, and the people told him that his wife was celebrating
her wedding with another. He fell into a rage, and said, "False woman,
she betrayed and deserted me while I was asleep!" So he put on his
cloak, and unseen by all went into the palace. When he entered the
dining-hall a great table was spread with delicious food, and the
guests were eating and drinking, and laughing and jesting. She sat
on a royal seat in the midst of them in splendid apparel, with a crown
on her head. He placed himself behind her, and no one saw him. When
she put a piece of meat on a plate for herself, he took it away and
ate it, and when she poured out a glass of wine for herself, he took
it away and drank it. She was always helping herself to something, and
yet she never got anything, for plate and glass disappeared
immediately. Then dismayed and ashamed, she arose and went to her
chamber and wept, but he followed her there. She said, "Has the
devil power over me, or did my deliverer never come?" Then he struck
her in the face, and said, "Did thy deliverer never come? It is he who
has thee in his power, thou traitress. Have I deserved this from
thee?" Then he made himself visible, went into the hall, and cried,
"The wedding is at an end, the true King has returned."
The Kings, Princes and councillors who were assembled there,
ridiculed and mocked him, but he did not trouble to answer them, and
said, "Will you go away, or not?" On this they tried to seize him
and pressed upon him, but he drew his sword and said, "All heads off
but mine," and all the heads rolled on the ground. And he alone was
master, once more King of the Golden Mountain.
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THE END
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