There was once a wizard who used to take the form of a poor
man, and went to houses and begged, and caught pretty girls.
No one knew whither he carried them, for they were never
seen again. One day he appeared before the door of a man
who had three pretty daughters. He looked like a poor weak
beggar, and carried a basket on his back, as if he meant to collect
charitable gifts in it. He begged for a little food, and when
the eldest daughter came out and was just handing him a
piece of bread, he did but touch her, and she was forced to jump
into his basket. Thereupon he hurried off with long strides, and
carried her away into a dark forest to his house, which stood
in the midst of it. Everything in the house was magnificent.
He gave her whatsoever she could possibly desire, and said,
my darling, you will certainly be happy with me, for you have
everything your heart can wish for. This lasted a few days, and
then he said, I must journey forth, and
leave you alone for a short time. Here are the keys of the house.
You may go everywhere and look at everything except into one
room, which this little key opens, and there I forbid you to go
on pain of death. He likewise gave her an egg and said, preserve
the egg carefully for me, and carry it continually about with you,
for a great misfortune would arise from the loss of it.
She took the keys and the egg, and promised to obey him in
everything. When he was gone, she went all round the house from the
bottom to the top, and examined everything. The rooms shone with
silver and gold, and she thought she had never seen such great
splendor. At length she came to the forbidden door. She wished to
pass it by, but curiosity let her have no rest. She examined the
key, it looked just like any other. She put it in the keyhole and
turned it a little, and the door sprang open. But what did she
see when she went in. A great bloody basin stood in the middle
of the room, and therein lay human beings, dead and hewn to pieces,
and hard by was a block of wood, and a gleaming axe lay upon it.
She was so terribly alarmed that the egg which she held in her
hand fell into the basin. She got it out and wiped the blood off,
but in vain, it appeared again in a moment. She washed and
scrubbed, but she could not get it off.
It was not long before the man came back from his journey, and
the first things which he asked for were the key and the egg.
She gave them to him, but she trembled as she did so, and he saw
at once by the red spots that she had been in the bloody chamber.
Since you have gone into the room against my will, said he, you
shall go back into it against your own. Your life is ended.
He threw her down, dragged her along by her hair, cut her head off
on the block, and hewed her in pieces so that her blood ran on
the ground. Then he threw her into the basin with the rest.
Now I will fetch myself the second, said the wizard, and again he
went to the house in the shape of a poor man, and begged. Then
the second daughter brought him a piece of bread. He caught her
like the first, by simply touching her, and carried her away.
She did not fare better than her sister. She allowed herself to be
led
away by her curiosity, opened the door of the bloody chamber,
looked in, and had to atone for it with her life on the wizard's
return. Then he went and brought the third sister, but she
was clever and wily. When he had given her the keys and the egg,
and had left her, she first put the egg away with great care, and
then she examined the house, and at last went into the forbidden
room. Alas, what did she behold. Both her dear sisters lay there
in the basin, cruelly murdered, and cut into pieces. But she
began to gather their limbs together and put them in order, head,
body, arms and legs. And when nothing further was wanting the
limbs began to move and unite themselves together, and both the
maidens opened their eyes and were once more alive. Then they
rejoiced and kissed and caressed each other.
On his arrival, the man at once demanded the keys and the egg,
and as he could perceive no trace of any blood on it, he said,
you have stood the test, you shall be my bride. He now had
no longer any power over her, and was forced to do whatsoever
she desired. Oh, very well, said she, you shall first take a
basketful of gold to my father and mother, and carry it
yourself on your back. In the meantime I will prepare for the
wedding. Then she ran to her sisters, whom she had hidden
in a little chamber, and said, the moment has come when I can
save you. The wretch shall himself carry you home again, but
as soon as you are at home send help to me. She put both of
them in a basket and covered them quite over with gold, so
that nothing of them was to be seen. Then she called in the
wizard and said to him, now carry the basket away, but I
shall look through my little window and watch to see if you
stop on the way to stand or to rest.
The wizard raised the basket on his back and went away with
it, but it weighed him down so heavily that the sweat streamed
from his face. Then he sat down and wanted to rest awhile, but
immediately one of the girls in the basket cried, I am looking
through my little window, and I see that you are resting.
Will you go on at once. He thought it was his bride who was
talking to
him, and he got up on his legs again. Once more he was going to
sit down, but instantly she cried, I am looking through my
little window, and I see that you are resting. Will you go on
directly. And whenever he stood still, she cried this, and then
he was forced to go onwards, until at last, groaning and out
of breath, he took the basket with the gold and the two
maidens into their parents, house. At home, however, the
bride prepared the marriage-feast, and sent invitations to the
friends of the wizard. Then she took a skull with grinning
teeth, put some ornaments on it and a wreath of flowers,
carried it upstairs to the garret-window, and let it look out
from thence. When all was ready, she got into a barrel of
honey, and then cut the feather-bed open and rolled herself
in it, until she looked like a wondrous bird, and no one could
recognize her. Then she went out of the house, and on her
way she met some of the wedding-guests, who asked,
o, fitcher's bird, how com'st thou here.
I come from fitcher's house quite near.
And what may the young bride be doing.
From cellar to garret she's swept all clean,
and now from the window she's peeping, I ween.
At last she met the bridegroom, who was coming slowly back.
He, like the others, asked,
o, fitcher's bird, how com'st thou here.
I come from fitcher's house quite near.
And what may the young bride be doing.
From cellar to garret she's swept all clean,
and now from the window she's peeping, I ween.
The bridegroom looked up, saw the decked-out skull, thought it
was his bride, and nodded to her, greeting her kindly. But
when he and his guests had all gone into the house, the
brothers and kinsmen of the bride, who had been sent to rescue
her, arrived. They locked all the doors of the house, that no
one might escape, set fire to it, and the wizard and all his
crew had to burn.
