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Popular Tales from the Norse

S >> Sir George Webbe Dasent >> Popular Tales from the Norse




'Good day', said he.

'Good day', said she, and made a wry face.

'Can I get my magpie cooked here?' he asked.

'I'm afraid it will burst', answered the Princess.

'Oh! never fear! for I'll just tie this ozier band round it', said
the lad, as he pulled it out.

'The fat will run out of it', said the Princess.

'Then I'll hold this under it', said the lad, and showed her the
piece of broken plate.

'You are so crooked in your words', said the Princess, 'there's no
knowing where to have you.'

'No, I'm not crooked', said the lad; 'but this is', as he held up one
of the horns.

'Well!' said the Princess, 'I never saw the match of this in all my
days.'

'Why, here you see the match to it', said the lad, as he pulled out
the other ram's horn.

'I think', said the Princess, 'you must have come here to wear out my
tongue with your nonsense.'

'No, I have not', said the lad; 'but this is worn out', as he pulled
out the shoe-sole.

To this the Princess hadn't a word to say, for she had fairly lost
her voice with rage.

'Now you are mine', said the lad; and so he got the Princess to wife,
and half the kingdom.




SHORTSHANKS

Once on a time, there was a poor couple who lived in a tumble-down
hut, in which there was nothing but black want, so that they hadn't a
morsel to eat, nor a stick to burn. But though they had next to
nothing of other things, they had God's blessing in the way of
children, and every year they had another babe. Now, when this story
begins, they were just looking out for a new child; and, to tell the
truth, the husband was rather cross, and he was always going about
grumbling and growling, and saying, 'For his part, he thought one
might have too many of these God's gifts.' So when the time came that
the babe was to be born, he went off into the wood to fetch fuel,
saying, 'he didn't care to stop and see the young squaller; he'd be
sure to hear him soon enough, screaming for food.'

Now, when her husband was well out of the house, his wife gave birth
to a beautiful boy, who began to look about the room as soon as ever
he came into the world.

'Oh! dear mother', he said, 'give me some of my brother's cast-off
clothes, and a few days' food, and I'll go out into the world and try
my luck; you have children enough as it is, that I can see.'

'God help you, my son!' answered his mother; 'that can never be, you
are far too young yet.'

But the tiny one stuck to what he said, and begged and prayed till
his mother was forced to let him have a few old rags, and a little
food tied up in a bundle, and off he went right merrily and manfully
into the wide world. But he was scarce out of the house before his
mother had another boy, and he too looked about him, and said:

'Oh, dear mother! give me some of my brother's old clothes and a few
days' food, and I'll go out into the world to find my twin-brother;
you have children enough already on your hands, that I can see.'

'God help you, my poor little fellow!' said his mother; 'you are far
too little, this will never do.'

But it was no good; the tiny one begged and prayed so hard, till he
got some old tattered rags and a bundle of food; and so he wandered
out into the world like a man, to find his twin-brother. Now, when
the younger had walked a while, he saw his brother a good bit on
before him, so he called out to him to stop.

'Holloa! can't you stop? why, you lay legs to the ground as if you
were running a race. But you might just as well have stayed to see
your youngest, brother before you set off into the world in such a
hurry.'

So the elder stopped and looked round; and when the younger had come
up to him and told him the whole story, and how he was his brother,
he went on to say:

'But let's sit down here and see what our mother has given us for
food.' So they sat down together, and were soon great friends.

Now when they had gone a bit farther on their way, they came to a
brook which ran through a green meadow, and the youngest said now the
time was come to give one another names, 'Since we set off in such a
hurry that we hadn't time to do it at home, we may as well do it
here.'

'Well!' said the elder, 'and what shall your name be?'

'Oh!' said the younger, 'my name shall be Shortshanks; and yours,
what shall it be?'

'I will be called King Sturdy', answered the eldest.

So they christened each other in the brook, and went on; but when
they had walked a while they came to a cross road, and agreed they
should part there, and each take his own road. So they parted, but
they hadn't gone half a mile before their roads met again. So they
parted the second time, and took each a road; but in a little while
the same thing happened, and they met again, they scarce knew how;
and the same thing happened a third time also. Then they agreed that
they should each choose a quarter of the heavens, and one was to go
east and the other west; but before they parted, the elder said:

'If you ever fall into misfortune or need, call three times on me,
and I will come and help you; but mind you don't call on me till you
are at the last pinch.'

'Well!' said Shortshanks, 'if that's to be the rule, I don't think we
shall meet again very soon.'

After that they bade each other good-bye, and Shortshanks went east,
and King Sturdy west.

Now, you must know, when Shortshanks had gone a good bit alone, he
met an old, old crook-backed hag, who had only one eye, and
Shortshanks snapped it up.

'Oh! oh!' screamed the hag, 'what has become of my eye?'

'What will you give me', asked Shortshanks, 'if you get your eye
back?'

'I'll give you a sword, and such a sword! It will put a whole army to
flight, be it ever so great', answered the old woman.

'Out with it, then!' said Shortshanks.

So the old hag gave him the sword, and got her eye back again. After
that, Shortshanks wandered on a while, and another old, old crook-
backed hag met him who had only one eye, which Shortshanks stole
before she was aware of him.

'Oh, oh! whatever has become of my eye', screamed the hag.

'What will you give me to get your eye back?' asked Shortshanks.

'I'll give you a ship', said the woman, 'which can sail over fresh
water and salt water, and over high hills and deep dales.'

'Well! out with it', said Shortshanks.

So the old woman gave him a little tiny ship, no bigger than he could
put in his pocket, and she got her eye back again, and they each went
their way. But when he had wandered on a long, long way, he met a
third time an old, old crook-backed hag, with only one eye. This eye,
too, Shortshanks stole; and when the hag screamed and made a great
to-do, bawling out what had become of her eye, Shortshanks said:

'What will you give me to get back your eye?'

Then she answered:

'I'll give you the art how to brew a hundred lasts of malt at one
strike.'

Well! for teaching that art the old hag got back her eye, and they
each went their way.

But when Shortshanks had walked a little way, he thought it might be
worth while to try his ship; so he took it out of his pocket, and put
first one foot into it, and then the other; and as soon as ever he
set one foot into it, it began to grow bigger and bigger, and by the
time he set the other foot into it, it was as big as other ships that
sail on the sea. Then Shortshanks said:

'Off and away, over fresh water and salt water, over high hills and
deep dales, and don't stop till you come to the king's palace.'

And lo! away went the ship as swiftly as a bird through the air, till
it came down a little below the king's palace, and there it stopped.
From the palace windows people had stood and seen Shortshanks come
sailing along, and they were all so amazed that they ran down to see
who it could be that came sailing in a ship through the air. But
while they were running down, Shortshanks had stepped out of his ship
and put it into his pocket again; for as soon as he stepped out of
it, it became as small as it was when he got it from the old woman.
So those who had run down from the palace saw no one but a ragged
little boy standing down there by the strand. Then the king asked
whence he came, but the boy said he didn't know, nor could he tell
them how he had got there. There he was, and that was all they could
get out of him; but he begged and prayed so prettily to get a place
in the king's palace; saying, if there was nothing else for him to
do, he could carry in wood and water for the kitchen-maid, that their
hearts were touched, and he got leave to stay there.

Now when Shortshanks came up to the palace, he saw how it was all
hung with black, both outside and in, wall and roof; so he asked the
kitchen-maid what all that mourning meant?

'Don't you know?' said the kitchen-maid; 'I'll soon tell you: the
king's daughter was promised away a long time ago to three ogres, and
next Thursday evening one of them is coming to fetch her. Ritter Red,
it is true, has given out that he is man enough to set her free, but
God knows if he can do it; and now you know why we are all in grief
and sorrow.'

So when Thursday evening came, Ritter Red led the Princess down to
the strand, for there it was she was to meet the Ogre, and he was to
stay by her there and watch; but he wasn't likely to do the Ogre much
harm, I reckon, for as soon as ever the Princess had sat down on the
strand, Ritter Red climbed up into a great tree that stood there, and
hid himself as well as he could among the boughs. The Princess begged
and prayed him not to leave her, but Ritter Red turned a deaf ear to
her, and all he said was:

'Tis better for one to lose life than for two.'

That was what Ritter Red said.

Meantime Shortshanks went to the kitchen-maid, and asked her so
prettily if he mightn't go down to the strand for a bit?

'And what should take you down to the strand?' asked the kitchen-
maid. 'You know you've no business there.'

'Oh, dear friend', said Shortshanks, 'do let me go? I should so like
to run down there and play a while with the other children; that I
should.'

'Well, well!' said the kitchen-maid, 'off with you; but don't let me
catch you staying there a bit over the time when the brose for supper
must be set on the fire, and the roast put on the spit; and let me
see; when you come back, mind you bring a good armful of wood with
you.'

Yes! Shortshanks would mind all that; so off he ran down to the
strand.

But just as he reached the spot where the Princess sat, what should
come but the Ogre tearing along in his ship, so that the wind roared
and howled after him. He was so tall and stout it was awful to look
on him, and he had five heads of his own.

'Fire and flame!' screamed the Ogre.

'Fire and flame yourself!' said Shortshanks.

'Can you fight?' roared the Ogre.

'If I can't, I can learn', said Shortshanks.

So the Ogre struck at him with a great thick iron club which he had
in his fist, and the earth and stones flew up five yards into the air
after the stroke.

'My!' said Shortshanks, 'that was something like a blow, but now you
shall see a stroke of mine.'

Then he grasped the sword he had got from the old crook-backed hag,
and cut at the Ogre; and away went all his five heads flying over the
sand. So when the Princess saw she was saved, she was so glad that
she scarce knew what to do, and she jumped and danced for joy. 'Come,
lie down, and sleep a little in my lap', she said to Shortshanks, and
as he slept she threw over him a tinsel robe.

Now you must know, it wasn't long before Ritter Red crept down from
the tree, as soon as he saw there was nothing to fear in the way, and
he went up to the Princess and threatened her until she promised to
say it was he who had saved her life; for if she wouldn't say so, he
said he would kill her on the spot. After that he cut out the Ogre's
lungs and tongue, and wrapped them up in his handkerchief, and so led
the Princess back to the palace, and whatever honours he had not
before, he got then, for the king did not know how to find honour
enough for him, and made him sit every day on his right hand at
dinner.

As for Shortshanks, he went first of all on board the Ogre's ship,
and took a whole heap of gold and silver rings, as large as hoops,
and trotted off with them as hard as he could to the palace. When the
kitchen-maid set her eyes on all that gold and silver, she was quite
scared, and asked him:

'But dear, good, Shortshanks, wherever did you get all this from?'
for she was rather afraid he hadn't come rightly by it.

'Oh!' answered Shortshanks, 'I went home for a bit, and there I found
these hoops, which had fallen off some old pails of ours, so I laid
hands on them for you, if you must know.'

Well! when the kitchen-maid heard they were for her, she said nothing
more about the matter, but thanked Shortshanks, and they were good
friends again.

The next Thursday evening it was the same story over again; all were
in grief and trouble, but Ritter Red said, as he had saved the
Princess from one Ogre, it was hard if he couldn't save her from
another; and down he led her to the strand as brave as a lion. But he
didn't do this Ogre much harm either, for when the time came that
they looked for the Ogre, he said, as he had said before:

''Tis better one should lose life than two', and crept up into his
tree again. But Shortshanks begged the kitchen-maid to let him go
down to the strand for a little.

'Oh!' asked the kitchen-maid, 'and what business have you down
there?'

'Dear friend', said Shortshanks. 'do pray let me go. I long so to run
down and play a while with the other children.'

Well! the kitchen-maid gave him leave to go, but he must promise to
be back by the time the roast was turned, and he was to mind and
bring a big bundle of wood with him. So Shortshanks had scarce got
down to the strand, when the Ogre came tearing along in his ship, so
that the wind howled and roared around him; he was twice as big as
the other Ogre, and he had ten heads on his shoulders.

'Fire and flame!' screamed the Ogre.

Fire and flame yourself!' answered Shortshanks.

'Can you fight?' roared the Ogre.

'If I can't, I can learn', said Shortshanks.

Then the Ogre struck at him with his iron club; it was even bigger
than that which the first Ogre had, and the earth and stones flew up
ten yards into the air.

My!' said Shortshanks, 'that was something like a blow now you shall
see a stroke of mine.' Then he grasped his sword, and cut off all the
Ogre's ten heads at one blow, and sent them dancing away over the
sand.

Then the Princess said again to him, 'Lie down and sleep a little
while on my lap'; and while Shortshanks lay there, she threw over him
a silver robe. But as soon as Ritter Red marked that there was no
more danger in the way, he crept down from the tree, and threatened
the Princess, till she was forced to give her word, to say it was he
who had set her free; after that, he cut the lungs and tongue out of
the Ogre, and wrapped them in his handkerchief, and led the Princess
back to the palace. Then you may fancy what mirth and joy there was,
and the king was at his wits' end to know how to show Ritter Red
honour and favour enough.

This time, too, Shortshanks took a whole armful of gold and silver
rings from the Ogre's ship, and when he came back to the palace the
kitchen-maid clapped her hands in wonder, asking wherever he got all
that gold and silver from. But Shortshanks answered that he had been
home a while, and that the hoops had fallen off some old pails, so he
had laid his hands on them for his friend the kitchen-maid. So when
the third Thursday evening came, everything happened as it had
happened twice before; the whole palace was hung with black, and all
went about mourning and weeping. But Ritter Red said he couldn't see
what need they had to be so afraid; he had freed the Princess from
two Ogres, and he could very well free her from a third; so he led
her down to the strand, but when the time drew near for the Ogre to
come up, he crept into his tree again, and hid himself. The Princess
begged and prayed, but it was no good, for Ritter Red said again:

''Tis better that one should lose life than two.'

That evening, too, Shortshanks begged for leave to go down to the
strand.

'Oh!' said the kitchen-maid, 'what should take you down there?'

But he begged and prayed so, that at last he got leave to go, only he
had to promise to be back in the kitchen again when the roast was to
be turned. So off he went, but he had scarce reached the strand when
the Ogre came with the wind howling and roaring after him. He was
much, much bigger than either of the other two, and he had fifteen
heads on his shoulders.

'Fire and flame!' roared out the Ogre.

'Fire and flame yourself!' said Shortshanks.

'Can you fight?' screamed the Ogre.

'If I can't, I can learn', said Shortshanks.

'I'll soon teach you', screamed the Ogre, and struck at him with his
iron club, so that the earth and stones flew up fifteen yards into
the air.

'My!' said Shortshanks, 'that was something like a blow; but now you
shall see a stroke of mine.'

As he said that, he grasped his sword, and cut off all the Ogre's
fifteen heads at one blow, and sent them all dancing over the sand.

So the Princess was freed from all the Ogres, and she both blessed
and thanked Shortshanks for saving her life.

'Sleep now a while on my lap', she said; and he laid his head on her
lap, and while he slept, she threw over him a golden robe.

'But how shall we let it be known that it is you that have saved me?'
she asked, when he awoke.

'Oh, I'll soon tell you', answered Shortshanks. 'When Ritter Red has
led you home again, and given himself out as the man who has saved
you, you know he is to have you to wife, and half the kingdom. Now,
when they ask you, on your wedding-day, whom you will have to be your
cup-bearer, you must say, "I will have the ragged boy who does odd
jobs in the kitchen, and carries in wood and water for the kitchen-
maid." So when I am filling your cups, I will spill a drop on his
plate, but none on yours; then he will be wroth, and give me a blow,
and the same thing will happen three times. But the third time you
must mind and say, "Shame on you! to strike my heart's darling; he it
is who set me free, and him will I have!"'

After that Shortshanks ran back to the palace, as he had done before;
but he went first on board the Ogre's ship, and took a whole heap of
gold, silver, and precious stones, and out of them he gave the
kitchen-maid another great armful of gold and silver rings.

Well! as for Ritter Red, as soon as ever he saw that all risk was
over, he crept down from his tree, and threatened the Princess till
she was forced to promise she would say it was he who had saved her.
After that, he led her back to the palace, and all the honour shown
him before was nothing to what he got now, for the king thought of
nothing else than how he might best honour the man who had saved his
daughter from the three Ogres. As for his marrying her, and having
half the kingdom, that was a settled thing, the king said. But-when
the wedding-day came, the Princess begged she might have the ragged
boy who carried in wood and water for the cook to be her cup-bearer
at the bridal-feast.

'I can't think why you should want to bring that filthy beggar boy in
here', said Ritter Red; but the Princess had a will of her own, and
said she would have him, and no one else, to pour out her wine; so
she had her way at last. Now everything went as it had been agreed
between Shortshanks and the Princess; he spilled a drop on Ritter
Red's plate, but none on hers, and each time Ritter Red got wroth and
struck him. At the first blow Shortshank's rags fell off which he had
worn in the kitchen; at the second the tinsel robe fell off; and at
the third the silver robe; and then he stood in his golden robe, all
gleaming and glittering in the light. Then the Princess said:

'Shame on you! to strike my heart's darling! he has saved me, and him
will I have!'

Ritter Red cursed and swore it was he who had set her free; but the
king put in his word, and said:

'The man who saved my daughter must have some token to show for it.'

Yes! Ritter Red had something to show, and he ran off at once after
his handkerchief with the lungs and tongues in it, and Shortshanks
fetched all the gold and silver, and precious things, he had taken
out of the Ogres' ships. So each laid his tokens before the king, and
the king said:

'The man who has such precious stores of gold, and silver, and
diamonds, must have slain the Ogre, and spoiled his goods, for such
things are not to be had elsewhere.'

So Ritter Red was thrown into a pit full of snakes, and Shortshanks
was to have the Princess and half the kingdom.

One day Shortshanks and the king were out walking, and Shortshanks
asked the king if he hadn't any more children?

'Yes', said the king, 'I had another daughter; but the Ogre has taken
her away, because there was no one who could save her. Now you are
going to have one daughter, but if you can set the other free whom
the Ogre has carried off, you shall have her too with all my heart,
and the other half of my kingdom.'

'Well', said Shortshanks, 'I may as well try; but I must have an iron
cable, five hundred fathoms long, and five hundred men, and food for
them to last fifteen weeks, for I have a long voyage before me.'

Yes! the king said he should have them, but he was afraid there
wasn't a ship in his kingdom big enough to carry such a freight.

'Oh! if that's all', said Shortshanks, 'I have a ship of my own.'

With that he whipped out of his pocket the ship he had got from the
old hag.

The king laughed, and thought it was all a joke; but Shortshanks
begged him only to give him what he asked, and he should soon see if
it was a joke. So they got together what he wanted, and Shortshanks
bade him put the cable on board the ship first of all; but there was
no one man who could lift it, and there wasn't room for more than one
at a time round the tiny ship. Then Shortshanks took hold of the
cable by one end, and laid a link or two into the ship; and as he
threw in the links, the ship grew bigger and bigger, till at last it
got so big, that there was room enough and to spare in it for the
cable, and the five hundred men, and their food, and Shortshanks, and
all. Then he said to the ship:

'Off and away, over fresh water and salt water, over high hill and
deep dale, and don't stop till you come to where the king's daughter
is.' And away went the ship over land and sea, till the wind whistled
after it.

So when they had sailed far, far away, the ship stood stock still in
the middle of the sea.

'Ah!' said Shortshanks, 'now we have got so far; but how we are to
get back is another story.'

Then he took the cable and tied one end of it round his waist, and
said:

'Now, I must go to the bottom, but when I give the cable a good tug,
and want to come up again, mind you all hoist away with a will, or
your lives will be lost as well as mine'; and with these words
overboard he leapt, and dived down, so that the yellow waves rose
round him in an eddy.

Well, he sank and sank, and at last he came to the bottom, and there
he saw a great rock rising up with a door in it, so he opened the
door and went in. When he got inside, he saw another Princess, who
sat and sewed, but when she saw Shortshanks, she clasped her hands
together and cried out:

'Now, God be thanked! you are the first Christian man I've set eyes
on since I came here.'

'Very good', said Shortshanks; 'but do you know I've come to fetch
you?'

'Oh!' she cried, 'you'll never fetch me; you'll never have that luck,
for if the Ogre sees you, he'll kill you on the spot.'

'I'm glad you spoke of the Ogre', said Shortshanks; ''twould be fine
fun to see him; whereabouts is he?'

Then the Princess told him the Ogre was out looking for some one who
could brew a hundred lasts of malt at one strike, for he was going to
give a great feast, and less drink wouldn't do.

'Well! I can do that', said Shortshanks.

'Ah!' said the Princess, 'if only the Ogre wasn't so hasty, I might
tell him about you; but he's so cross; I'm afraid he'll tear you to
pieces as soon as he comes in, without waiting to hear my story. Let
me see what is to be done. Oh! I have it; just hide yourself in the
side-room yonder, and let us take our chance.'

Well! Shortshanks did as she told him, and he had scarce crept into
the side-room before the Ogre came in.

'HUF!' said the Ogre; 'what a horrid smell of Christian man's blood!'

'Yes!' said the Princess, 'I know there is, for a bird flew over the
house with a Christian man's bone in his bill, and let it fall down
the chimney. I made all the haste I could to get it out again, but I
dare say it's that you smell.'

'Ah!' said the Ogre, 'like enough.'

Then the Princess asked the Ogre if he had laid hold of any one who
could brew a hundred lasts of malt at one strike?

'No', said the Ogre, 'I can't hear of any one who can do it.'

'Well', she said, 'a while ago, there was a chap in here who said he
could do it.'

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