There was once a young fellow who enlisted as a soldier, conducted
himself bravely, and was always the foremost when it rained bullets.
So long as the war lasted, all went well, but when peace was made, he
received his dismissal, and the captain said he might go where he
liked. His parents were dead, and he had no longer a home, so he
went to his brothers and begged them to take him in, and keep him
until war broke out again. The brothers, however, were hard-hearted
and said, "What can we do with you? You are of no use to us, go and
make a living for yourself." The soldier had nothing left but his
gun, so he took that on his shoulder, and went forth into the world.
He came to a wide heath, on which nothing was to be seen but a circle
of trees, under these he sat sorrowfully down, and began to think
over his fate. I have no money, thought he, I have learnt no trade
but that of fighting, and now that they have made peace they don't
want me any longer, so I see before hand that I shall have to starve.
All at once he heard a rustling and when he looked round, a strange
man stood before him, who wore a green coat and looked right stately,
but had a hideous cloven foot. "I know already what you are in need
of," said the man, "gold and possessions shall you have, as much as
you can make away with, do what you will, but first I must know if
you are fearless, that I may not bestow my money in vain." "A soldier
and fear - how can those two things go together?" he answered, "You
can put me to the proof." "Very well, then," answered the man, "look
behind you." The soldier turned round, and saw a large bear, which
came growling towards him. "Oho," cried the soldier, "I will tickle
your nose for you, so that you shall soon lose your fancy for
growling," and he aimed at the bear and shot it through the muzzle,
it fell down and never stirred again. "I see quite well," said the
stranger, "that you are not wanting in courage, but there is still
another condition which you will have to fulfil." "If it does not
endanger my salvation," replied the soldier, who knew very well who
was standing by him. "If it does, I'll have nothing to do with it."
"You will look to that for yourself," answered greencoat, "you shall
for the next seven years neither wash yourself, nor comb your beard,
nor your hair, nor cut your nails, nor once say the Lord's prayer. I
will give you a coat and a cloak, which during this time you must
wear. If you die during these seven years, you are mine, if you
remain alive, you are free, and rich to boot, for all the rest of
your life." The soldier thought of the great extremity in which he
now found himself, and as he so often had gone to meet death, he
resolved to risk it now also, and agreed to the terms. The devil
took off his green coat, and gave it to the soldier, and said, "If
you have this coat on your back and put your hand into the pocket,
you will always find it full of money." Then he pulled the skin off
the bear and said, "This shall be your cloak, and your bed also, for
thereon shall you sleep, and and in no other bed shall you lie, and
because of this apparel shall you be called Bearskin." Whereupon the
devil vanished.
The soldier put the coat on, felt at once in the pocket, and found
that the thing was really true. Then he put on the bearskin and went
forth into the world, and enjoyed himself, refraining from nothing
that did him good and his money harm.
During the first year his appearance was passable, but during the
second he began to look like a monster. His hair covered nearly the
whole of his face, his beard was like a piece of coarse felt, his
fingers had claws, and his face was so covered with dirt that if
cress had been sown on it, it would have come up. Whosoever saw him,
ran away, but as he everywhere gave the poor money to pray that he
might not die during the seven years, and as he paid well for
everything he still always found shelter.
In the fourth year, he entered an inn where the landlord would not
receive him, and would not even let him have a place in the stable,
because he was afraid the horses would be scared. But as Bearskin
thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out a handful of ducats,
the host let himself be persuaded and gave him a room in an outhouse.
Bearskin, however, was obliged to promise not to let himself be seen,
lest the inn should get a bad name.
As Bearskin was sitting alone in the evening, and wishing from the
bottom of his heart that the seven years were over, he heard a loud
lamenting in a neighboring room. He had a compassionate heart, so he
opened the door, and saw an old man weeping bitterly, and wringing
his hands. Bearskin went nearer, but the man sprang to his feet and
tried to escape from him. At last when the man perceived that
Bearskin's voice was human he let himself be prevailed upon, and by
kind words bearskin succeeded so far that the old man revealed the
cause of his grief. His property had dwindled away by degrees, he and
his daughters would have to starve, and he was so poor that he could
not pay the innkeeper, and was to be put in prison. "If that is your
only trouble," said Bearskin, "I have plenty of money." He caused the
innkeeper to be brought thither, paid him and even put a purse full
of gold into the poor old man's pocket.
When the old man saw himself set free from all his troubles he did
not know how to show his gratitude. "Come with me," said he to
Bearskin, "my daughters are all miracles of beauty, choose one of
them for yourself as a wife. When she hears what you have done for
me, she will not refuse you. You do in truth look a little strange,
but she will soon put you to rights again." This pleased Bearskin
well, and he went. When the eldest saw him she was so terribly
alarmed at his face that she screamed and ran away. The second stood
still and looked at him from head to foot, but then she said, "How
can I accept a husband who no longer has a human form? The shaven
bear that once was here and passed itself off for a man pleased me
far better, for at any rate it wore a hussar's dress and white
gloves. If he were only ugly, I might get used to that." The
youngest, however, said, "Dear father, that must be a good man to
have helped you out of your trouble, so if you have promised him a
bride for doing it, your promise must be kept." It was a pity that
Bearskin's face was covered with dirt and with hair, for if not they
might have seen how delighted he was when he heard these words. He
took a ring from his finger, broke it in two, and gave her one half,
the other he kept for himself. Then he wrote his name on her half,
and hers on his, and begged her to keep her piece carefully. Then he
took his leave and said, "I must still wander about for three years,
and if I do not return then, you are free, for I shall be dead. But
pray to God to preserve my life."
The poor betrothed bride dressed herself entirely in black, and when
she thought of her future bridegroom, tears came into her eyes.
Nothing but contempt and mockery fell to her lot from her sisters.
"Take care," said the eldest, "if you give him your hand, he will
strike his claws into it." "Beware," said the second. "Bears like
sweet things, and if he takes a fancy to you, he will eat you up."
"You must always do as he likes," began the elder again, or else he
will growl." And the second continued, "But the wedding will be a
merry one, for bears dance well." The bride was silent, and did not
let them vex her. Bearskin, however, traveled about the world from
one place to another, did good where he was able, and gave generously
to the poor that they might pray for him.
At length, as the last day of the seven years dawned, he went once
more out on to the heath, and seated himself beneath the circle of
trees. It was not long before the wind whistled, and the devil stood
before him and looked angrily at him, then he threw bearskin his
coat, and asked for his own green one back. "We have not got so far
as that yet," answered Bearskin, "you must first make me clean."
Whether the devil liked it or not, he was forced to fetch water, and
wash Bearskin, comb his hair, and cut his nails. After this, he
looked like a brave soldier, and was much handsomer than he had ever
been before.
When the devil had gone away, Bearskin was quite lighthearted. He
went into the town, put on a magnificent velvet coat, seated himself
in a carriage drawn by four white horses, and drove to his bride's
house. No one recognized him. The father took him for a
distinguished general, and led him into the room where his daughters
were sitting. He was forced to place himself between the two eldest,
who helped him to wine, gave him the best pieces of meat, and thought
that in all the world they had never seen a handsomer man. The
bride, however, sat opposite to him in her black dress, and never
raised her eyes, nor spoke a word. When at length he asked the
father if he would give him one of his daughters to wife, the two
eldest jumped up, ran into their bedrooms to put on splendid dresses,
for each of them fancied she was the chosen one.
The stranger, as soon as he was alone with his bride, brought out his
half of the ring, and threw it in a glass of wine which he handed
across the table to her. She took the wine, but when she had drunk
it, and found the half ring lying at the bottom, her heart began to
beat. She got the other half, which she wore on a ribbon round her
neck, joined them, and saw that the two pieces fitted exactly
together. Then said he, "I am your betrothed bridegroom, whom you
saw as Bearskin, but through God's grace I have again received my
human form, and have once more become clean." He went up to her,
embraced her, and gave her a kiss. In the meantime the two sisters
came back in full dress, and when they saw that the handsome man had
fallen to the share of the youngest, and heard that he was Bearskin,
they ran out full of anger and rage. One of them drowned herself in
the well, the other hanged herself on a tree. In the evening, some
one knocked at the door, and when the bridegroom opened it, it was
the devil in his green coat, who said, "You see, I have now got two
souls in the place of your one."
