There was once upon a time an old queen whose husband had been dead
for many years, and she had a beautiful daughter. When the princess
grew up she was betrothed to a prince who lived at a great distance.
When the time came for her to be married, and she had to journey
forth into the distant kingdom, the aged queen packed up for her many
costly vessels of silver and gold, and trinkets also of gold and
silver, and cups and jewels, in short, everything which appertained
to a royal dowry, for she loved her child with all her heart.
She likewise sent her maid-in-waiting, who was to ride with her, and
hand her over to the bridegroom, and each had a horse for the
journey, but the horse of the king's daughter was called falada, and
could speak. So when the hour of parting had come, the aged mother
went into her bedroom, took a small knife and cut her finger with it
until it bled. Then she held a white handkerchief to it into which
she let three drops of blood fall, gave it to her daughter and said,
dear child, preserve this carefully, it will be of service to you on
your way.
So they took a sorrowful leave of each other, the princess put the
piece of cloth in her bosom, mounted her horse, and then went away to
her bridegroom. After she had ridden for a while she felt a burning
thirst, and said to her waiting-maid, dismount, and take my cup which
you have brought with you for me, and get me some water from the
stream, for I should like to drink. If you are thirsty, said the
waiting-maid, get off your horse yourself, and lie down and drink out
of the water, I don't choose to be your servant.
So in her great thirst the princess alighted, bent down over the
water in the stream and drank, and was not allowed to drink out of
the golden cup. Then she said, ah, heaven, and the three drops of
blood answered, if this your mother knew, her heart would break in
two. But the king's daughter was humble, said nothing, and mounted
her horse again.
She rode some miles further, but the day was warm, the sun scorched
her, and she was thirsty once more, and when they came to a stream of
water, she again cried to her waiting-maid, dismount, and give me
some water in my golden cup, for she had long ago forgotten the
girl's ill words. But the waiting-maid said still more haughtily, if
you wish to drink, get it yourself, I don't choose to be your maid.
Then in her great thirst the king's daughter alighted, bent over the
flowing stream, wept and said, ah, heaven, and the drops of blood
again replied, if this your mother knew, her heart would break in
two.
And as she was thus drinking and leaning right over the stream, the
handkerchief with the three drops of blood fell out of her bosom, and
floated away with the water without her observing it, so great was
her trouble. The waiting-maid, however, had seen it, and she
rejoiced to think that she had now power over the bride, for since
the princess had lost the drops of blood, she had become weak and
powerless.
So now when she wanted to mount her horse again, the one that was
called falada, the waiting-maid said, falada is more suitable for me,
and my nag will do for you, and the princess had to be content with
that. Then the waiting-maid, with many hard words, bade the princess
exchange her royal apparel for her own shabby clothes, and at length
she was compelled to swear by the clear sky above her, that she would
not say one word of this to anyone at the royal court, and if she had
not taken this oath she would have been killed on the spot. But
falada saw all this, and observed it well.
The waiting-maid now mounted falada, and the true bride the bad
horse, and thus they traveled onwards, until at length they entered
the royal palace. There were great rejoicings over her arrival, and
the prince sprang forward to meet her, lifted the waiting-maid from
her horse, and thought she was his consort.
She was conducted upstairs, but the real princess was left standing
below. Then the old king looked out of the window and saw her
standing in the courtyard, and noticed how dainty and delicate and
beautiful she was, and instantly went to the royal apartment, and
asked the bride about the girl she had with her who was standing down
below in the courtyard, and who she was. I picked her up on my way
for a companion, give the girl something to work at, that she may not
stand idle.
But the old king had no work for her, and knew of none, so he said, I
have a little boy who tends the geese, she may help him. The boy was
called conrad, and the true bride had to help him to tend the geese.
Soon afterwards the false bride said to the young king, dearest
husband, I beg you to do me a favor. He answered, I will do so most
willingly. Then send for the knacker, and have the head of the horse
on which I rode here cut off, for it vexed me on the way. In reality,
she was afraid that the horse might tell how she had behaved to the
king's daughter.
Then she succeeded in making the king promise that it should be done,
and the faithful falada was to die, this came to the ears of the real
princess, and she secretly promised to pay the knacker a piece of
gold if he would perform a small service for her. There was a great
dark-looking gateway in the town, through which morning and evening
she had to pass with the geese, would he be so goood as to nail up
falada's head on it, so that she might see him again, more than once.
The knacker's man promised to do that, and cut off the head, and
nailed it fast beneath the dark gateway.
Early in the morning, when she and conrad drove out their flock
beneath this gateway, she said in passing,
alas, falada, hanging there.
Then the head answered,
alas, young queen, how ill you fare.
If this your mother knew,
her heart would break in two.
Then they went still further out of the town, and drove their geese
into the country. And when they had come to the meadow, she sat down
and unbound her hair which was like pure gold, and conrad saw it and
delighted in its brightness, and wanted to pluck out a few hairs.
Then she said,
blow, blow, thou gentle wind, I say,
blow conrad's little hat away,
and make him chase it here and there,
until I have braided all my hair,
and bound it up again.
And there came such a violent wind that it blew conrad's hat far away
across country, and he was forced to run after it. When he came back
she had finished combing her hair and was putting it up again, and he
could not get any of it. Then conrad was angry, and would not speak
to her, and thus they watched the geese until the evening, and then
they went home. Next day when they were driving the geese out through
the dark gateway, the maiden said,
alas, falada, hanging there.
Falada answered,
alas, young queen, how ill you fare.
If this your mother knew,
her heart would break in two.
And she sat down again in the field and began to comb out her hair,
and conrad ran and tried to clutch it, so she said in haste,
blow, blow, thou gentle wind, I say,
blow conrad's little hat away,
and make him chase it here and there,
until I have braided all my hair,
and bound it up again.
Then the wind blew, and blew his little hat off his head and far
away, and conrad was forced to run after it, and when he came back,
her hair had been put up a long time, and he could get none of it,
and so they looked after their geese till evening came.
But in the evening after they had got home, conrad went to the old
king, and said, I won't tend the geese with that girl any longer.
Why not, inquired the aged king. Oh, because she vexes me the whole
day long. Then the aged king commanded him to relate what it was
that she did to him. And conrad said, in the morning when we pass
beneath the dark gateway with the block, there is a horse's head on
the wall, and she says to it,
alas, falada, hanging there.
And the head replies,
alas, young queen how ill you fare.
If this your mother knew,
her heart would break in two.
And conrad went on to relate what happened on the goose pasture, and
how when there he had to chase his hat.
The aged king commanded him to drive his block out again next day,
and as soon as morning came, he placed himself behind the dark
gateway, and heard how the maiden spoke to the head of falada, and
then he too went into the country, and hid himself in the thicket in
the meadow. There he soon saw with his own eyes the goose-girl and
the goose-boy bringing their flock, and how after a while she sat
down and unplaited her hair, which shone with radiance. And soon she
said,
blow, blow, thou gentle wind, I say,
blow conrad's little hat away,
and make him chase it here and there,
until I have braided all my hair,
and bound it up again.
Then came a blast of wind and carried off conrad's hat, so that he
had to run far away, while the maiden quietly went on combing and
plaiting her hair, all of which the king observed. Then, quite
unseen, he went away, and when the goose-girl came home in the
evening, he called her aside, and asked why she did all these things.
I may not tell that, and I dare not lament my sorrows to any human
being, for I have sworn not to do so by the heaven which is above me,
if I had not done that, I should have lost my life.
He urged her and left her no peace, but he could draw nothing from
her. Then said he, if you will not tell me anything, tell your
sorrows to the iron-stove there, and he went away. Then she crept
into the iron-stove, and began to weep and lament, and emptied her
whole heart, and said, here am I deserted by the whole world, and yet
I am a king's daughter, and a false waiting-maid has by force brought
me to such a pass that I have been compelled to put off my royal
apparel, and she has taken my place with my bridegroom, and I have to
perform menial service as a goose-girl if this my mother knew, her
heart would break in two.
The aged king, however, was standing outside by the pipe of the
stove, and was listening to what she said, and heard it. Then he came
back again, and bade her come out of the stove. And royal garments
were placed on her, and it was marvellous how beautiful she was. The
aged king summoned his son, and revealed to him that he had got the
false bride who was only a waiting-maid, but that the true one was
standing there, as the former goose-girl. The young king rejoiced
with all his heart when he saw her beauty and youth, and a great
feast was made ready to which all the people and all good friends
were invited.
At the head of the table sat the bridegroom with the king's daughter
at one side of him, and the waiting-maid on the other, but the
waiting-maid was blinded, and did not recognize the princess in her
dazzling array. When they had eaten and drunk, and were merry, the
aged king asked the waiting-maid as a riddle, what punishment a
person deserved who had behaved in such and such a way to her master,
and at the same time related the whole story, and asked what sentence
such a person merited. Then the false bride said, she deserves no
better fate than to be stripped entirely naked, and put in a barrel
which is studded inside with pointed nails, and two white horses
should be harnessed to it, which will drag her along through one
street after another, till she is dead.
It is you, said the aged king, and you have pronounced your own
sentence, and thus shall it be done unto you. And when the sentence
had been carried out, the young king married his true bride, and both
of them reigned over their kingdom in peace and happiness.
