1812
GRIMM'S FAIRY TALES
THE KING'S SON WHO FEARED NOTHING
by Jacob Ludwig Grimm and Wilhelm Carl Grimm
Electronically Enhanced Text (c) Copyright 1996, World Library(R)
THE KING'S SON WHO FEARED NOTHING
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ONCE THERE WAS a King's son who was no longer content to stay at
home in his father's house. Since he had no fear of anything, he
thought, "I will go forth into the wide world; there the time will not
seem long to me, and I shall see wonders enough." So he took leave
of his parents, and went forth, and on and on from morning till night,
and whichever way his path led it was the same to him.
It came to pass that he got to the house of a giant, and as he was
so tired he sat down by the door and rested. And as he let his eyes
roam here and there, he saw the giant's playthings lying in the
yard. These were a couple of enormous balls, and nine-pins as tall
as a man. After a while he had a fancy to set the nine-pins up and
then rolled the balls at them, and screamed and cried out when the
nine-pins fell, and had a merry time of it.
The giant heard the noise, stretched his head out of the window, and
saw a man who was not taller than other men, and yet played with his
nine-pins. "Little worm," cried he, "why art thou playing with my
balls? Who gave thee strength to do it?" The King's son looked up, saw
the giant, and said, "Oh, thou blockhead, thou thinkest indeed that
thou only hast strong arms. I can do everything I want to do."
The giant came down and watched the bowling with great admiration,
and said, "Child of man, if thou art one of that kind, go and bring me
an apple of the tree of life." "What dost thou want with it?" said the
King's son. "I do not want the apple for myself," answered the
giant, "but I have a betrothed bride who wishes for it. I have
traveled far about the world and cannot find the tree." "I will soon
find it," said the King's son, "and I do not know what is to prevent
me from getting the apple down."
The giant said, "Thou really believest it to be so easy! The
garden in which the tree stands is surrounded by an iron railing,
and in front of the railing lie wild beasts, each close to the
other, and they keep watch and let no man go in." "They will be sure
to let me in," said the King's son. "Yes, but even if thou dost get
into the garden, and seest the apple hanging to the tree, it is
still not thine; a ring hangs in front of it, through which any one
who wants to reach the apple and break it off, must put his hand,
and no one has yet had the luck to do it." "That luck will be mine,"
said the King's son.
Then he took leave of the giant, and went forth over mountain and
valley, and through plains and forests, until at length he came to the
wondrous garden.
The beasts lay round about it, but they had put their heads down and
were asleep. Moreover, they did not awake when he went up to them,
so he stepped over them, climbed the fence, and got safely into the
garden. There, in the very middle of it, stood the tree of life, and
the red apples were shining upon the branches. He climbed up the trunk
to the top, and as he was about to reach out for an apple, he saw a
ring hanging before it; but he thrust his hand through that without
any difficulty, and gathered the apple. The ring closed tightly on his
arm, and all at once he felt a prodigious strength flowing through his
veins.
When he had come down again from the tree with the apple, he would
not climb over the fence, but grasped the great gate, and had no
need to shake it more than once before it sprang open with a loud
crash. Then he went out, and the lion, which had been lying down
before, was awake and sprang after him, not in rage and fierceness,
but following him humbly as its master.
The King's son took the giant the apple he had promised him, and
said, "Seest thou, I have brought it without difficulty." The giant
was glad that his desire had been so soon satisfied, hastened to his
bride, and gave her the apple for which she had wished. She was a
beautiful and wise maiden, and as she did not see the ring on his arm,
she said, "I shall never believe that thou hast brought the apple,
until I see the ring on thine arm."
The giant said, "I have nothing to do but go home and fetch it," and
thought it would be easy to take away by force from the weak man
what he would not give of his own free will. He therefore demanded the
ring from him, but the King's son refused it. "Where the apple is, the
ring must be also," said the giant; "if thou wilt not give it of thine
own accord, thou must fight with me for it."
They wrestled with each other for a long time, but the giant could
not get the better of the King's son, who was strengthened by the
magical power of the ring. Then the giant thought of a stratagem,
and said, "I have got warm with fighting, and so hast thou. We will
bathe in the river, and cool ourselves before we begin again." The
King's son, who knew nothing of falsehood, went with him to the water,
and pulled off with his clothes the ring also from his arm, and sprang
into the river. The giant instantly snatched the ring, and ran away
with it, but the lion, which had observed the theft, pursued the
giant, tore the ring out of his hand, and brought it back to its
master. Then the giant placed himself behind an oak tree, and while
the King's son was busy putting on his clothes again, surprised him,
and put both his eyes out.
The unhappy King's son stood there, and was blind and knew not how
to help himself. Then the giant came back to him, took him by the hand
as if he were some one who wanted to guide him, and led him to the top
of a high rock. There he left him standing, and thought, "Just two
steps more, and he will fall down and kill himself, and I can take the
ring from him." But the faithful lion had not deserted its master;
it held him fast by the clothes, and drew him gradually back again.
When the giant came and wanted to rob the dead man, he saw that
his cunning had been in vain. "Is there no way, then, of destroying
a weak child of man like that?" said he angrily to himself, and seized
the King's son and led him back again to the precipice by another way,
but the lion, which saw his evil design, helped its master out of
danger here also. When they had got close to the edge, the giant let
the blind man's hand drop, and was going to leave him behind alone,
but the lion pushed the giant so that he was thrown down and fell,
dashed to pieces, on the ground.
The faithful animal again drew its master back from the precipice,
and guided him to a tree by which flowed a clear brook. The King's son
sat down there, but the lion lay down, and sprinkled the water in
his face with its paws. Scarcely had a couple of drops wetted the
sockets of his eyes, than he was once more able to see something,
and remarked a little bird flying quite close by, which wounded itself
against the trunk of a tree. On this it went down to the water and
bathed itself therein, and then it soared upwards and swept between
the trees without touching them, as if it had recovered its sight
again. Then the King's son recognized a sign from God and stooped down
to the water, and washed and bathed his face in it. And when he
arose he had his eyes once more, brighter and clearer than they had
ever been.
The King's son thanked God for his great mercy, and traveled with
his lion onwards through the world. And it came to pass that he
arrived before a castle which was enchanted. In the gateway stood a
maiden of beautiful form and fine face, but she was quite black. She
spoke to him and said, "Ah, if thou couldst but deliver me from the
evil spell which is thrown over me." "What shall I do?" said the
King's son. The maiden answered, "Thou must pass three nights in the
great hall of this enchanted castle, but thou must let no fear enter
thy heart. When they are doing their worst to torment thee, if thou
bearest it without letting a sound escape thee, I shall be free. Thy
life they dare not take." Then said the King's son, "I have no fear;
with God's help I will try it."
So he went gaily into the castle, and when it grew dark he seated
himself in the large hall and waited. Everything was quiet, however,
till midnight, when all at once a great tumult began, and out of every
hole and corner came little devils. They behaved as if they did not
see him, seated themselves in the middle of the room, lighted a
fire, and began to gamble. When one of them lost, he said, "It is
not right; some one is here who does not belong to us; it is his fault
that I am losing." "Wait, you fellow behind the stove, I am coming,"
said another. The screaming became still louder, so that no one
could have heard it without terror. The King's son stayed sitting
quite quietly, and was not afraid; but at last the devils jumped up
from the ground, and fell on him, and there were so many of them
that he could not defend himself from them. They dragged him about
on the floor, pinched him, pricked him, beat him, and tormented him,
but no sound escaped from him.
Towards morning they disappeared, and he was so exhausted that he
could scarcely move his limbs, but when day dawned the black maiden
came to him. She bore in her hand a little bottle wherein was the
water of life wherewith she washed him, and he at once felt all pain
depart and new strength flow through his veins. She said, "Thou hast
held out successfully for one night, but two more lie before thee."
Then she went away again, and as she was going, he observed that her
feet had become white.
The next night the devils came and began their gambling anew. They
fell on the King's son, and beat him much more severely than the night
before, until his body was covered with wounds. But as he bore all
quietly, they were forced to leave him, and when dawn appeared, the
maiden came and healed him with the water of life. And when she went
away, he saw with joy that she had already become white to the tips of
her fingers.
Now he had only one night more to go through, but it was the
worst. The hobgoblins came again: "Art thou there still?" cried
they, "thou shalt be tormented till thy breath stops." They pricked
him and beat him, and threw him here and there, and pulled him by
the arms and legs as if they wanted to tear him to pieces, but he bore
everything, and never uttered a cry. At last the devils vanished,
but he lay fainting there, and did not stir, nor could he raise his
eyes to look at the maiden who came in, and sprinkled and bathed him
with the water of life. But suddenly he was freed from all pain, and
felt fresh and healthy as if he had awakened from sleep, and when he
opened his eyes he saw the maiden standing by him, snow-white, and
fair as day. "Rise," said she, "and swing thy sword three times over
the stairs, and then all will be delivered."
And when he had done that, the whole castle was released from
enchantment, and the maiden was a rich King's daughter. The servants
came and said that the table was already set in the great hall, and
dinner served up. Then they sat down and ate and drank together, and
in the evening the wedding was solemnized with great rejoicings.
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THE END
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