A long time ago there lived a king who was famed for his wisdom
through all the land. Nothing was hidden from him, and it seemed
as if news of the most secret things was brought to him through
the air. But he had a strange custom, every day after dinner,
when the table was cleared, and no one else was present, a trusty
servant had to bring him one more dish. It was covered, however,
and even the servant did not know what was in it, neither did
anyone know, for the king never took off the cover to eat of it
until he was quite alone.
This had gone on for a long time, when one day the servant, who
took away the dish, was overcome with such curiosity that he
could not help carrying the dish into his room. When he had
carefully locked the door, he lifted up the cover, and saw a white
snake lying on the dish. But when he saw it he could not deny
himself the pleasure of tasting it, so he cut off a little bit
and put it into his mouth. No sooner had it touched his tongue
than he heard a strange whispering of little voices outside his
window. He went and listened, and then noticed that it was
the sparrows who were chattering together, and telling one
another of all kinds of things which they had seen in the fields
and woods. Eating the snake had given him power of understanding
the language of animals.
Now it so happened that on this very day the queen lost her most
beautiful ring, and suspicion of having stolen it fell upon this
trusty servant, who was allowed to go everywhere. The king
ordered the man to be brought before him, and threatened with
angry words that unless he could before the morrow point out
the thief, he himself should be looked upon as guilty and executed.
In vain he declared his innocence, he was dismissed with no better
answer.
In his trouble and fear he went down into the courtyard and took
thought how to help himself out of his trouble. Now
some ducks were sitting together quietly by a brook and taking
their rest, and, whilst they were making their feathers smooth
with their bills, they were having a confidential conversation
together. The servant stood by and listened. They were telling
one another of all the places where they had been waddling
about all the morning, and what good food they had found, and one
said in a pitiful tone, something lies heavy on my stomach, as I
was eating in haste I swallowed a ring which lay under the
queen's window. The servant at once seized her by the neck,
carried her to the kitchen, and said to the cook, here is a fine
duck, pray, kill her. Yes, said the cook, and weighed her in
his hand, she has spared no trouble to fatten herself, and has
been waiting to be roasted long enough. So he cut off her head,
and as she was being dressed for the spit, the queen's ring was
found inside her.
The servant could now easily prove his innocence, and the king,
to make amends for the wrong, allowed him to ask a favor, and
promised him the best place in the court that he could wish for.
The servant refused everything, and only asked for a horse and
some money for traveling, as he had a mind to see the world
and go about a little. When his request was granted he
set out on his way, and one day came to a pond, where he saw
three fishes caught in the reeds and gasping for water. Now,
though it is said that fishes are dumb, he heard them lamenting
that they must perish so miserably, and, as he had a kind heart,
he got off his horse and put the three prisoners back into the
water. They leapt with delight, put out their heads, and cried
to him, we will remember you and repay you for saving us.
He rode on, and after a while it seemed to him that he heard a
voice in the sand at his feet. He listened, and heard an ant-king
complain, why cannot folks, with their clumsy beasts, keep off
our bodies. That stupid horse, with his heavy hoofs, has been
treading down my people without mercy. So he turned on to a side
path and the ant-king cried out to him, we will remember you - one
good turn deserves another.
The path led him into a wood, and here he saw two old ravens
standing by their nest, and throwing out their young ones.
Out with you, you idle, good-for-nothing creatures, cried
they, we cannot find food for you any longer, you are big enough,
and can provide for yourselves. But the poor young ravens lay
upon the ground, flapping their wings, and crying, oh, what
helpless chicks we are. We must shift for ourselves, and yet we
cannot fly. What can we do, but lie here and starve. So the
good young fellow alighted and killed his horse with his sword,
and gave it to them for food. Then they came hopping up to it,
satisfied their hunger, and cried, we will remember you - one good
turn deserves another.
And now he had to use his own legs, and when he had walked a
long way, he came to a large city. There was a great noise and
crowd in the streets, and a man rode up on horseback, crying
aloud, the king's daughter wants a husband, but whoever seeks her
hand must perform a hard task, and if he does not succeed he
will forfeit his life. Many had already made the attempt, but
in vain, nevertheless when the youth saw the king's daughter
he was so overcome by her great beauty that he forgot all
danger, went before the king, and declared himself a suitor.
So he was led out to the sea, and a gold ring was thrown into
it, before his eyes, then the king ordered him to fetch this
ring up from the bottom of the sea, and added, if you come up
again without it you will be thrown in again and again until you
perish amid the waves. All the people grieved for the handsome
youth, then they went away, leaving him alone by the sea.
He stood on the shore and considered what he should do, when
suddenly he saw three fishes come swimming towards him, and they
were the very fishes whose lives he had saved. The one in the
middle held a mussel in its mouth, which it laid on the shore
at the youth's feet, and when he had taken it up and opened it,
there lay the gold ring in the shell. Full of joy he took it to
the king, and expected that he would grant him the promised reward.
But when the proud princess perceived that he was not her equal
in birth, she scorned him, and required him first to perform
another task. She went down into the garden and strewed with her
own hands ten sacks-full of millet-seed on the grass, then she
said, tomorrow morning before sunrise these must be picked up,
and not a single grain be wanting.
The youth sat down in the garden and considered how it might
be possible to perform this task, but he could think of nothing,
and there he sat sorrowfully awaiting the break of day, when he
should be led to death. But as soon as the first rays of the
sun shone into the garden he saw all the ten sacks standing side
by side, quite full, and not a single grain was missing. The
ant-king had come in the night with thousands and thousands of
ants, and the grateful creatures had by great industry picked
up all the millet-seed and gathered them into the sacks.
Presently the king's daughter herself came down into the garden,
and was amazed to see that the young man had done the task she
had given him. But she could not yet conquer her proud heart,
and said, although he has performed both the tasks, he shall not
be my husband until he has brought me an apple from the tree of
life. The youth did not know where the tree of life stood, but
he set out, and would have gone on for ever, as long as his legs
would carry him, though he had no hope of finding it. After he
had wandered through three kingdoms, he came one evening to a
wood, and lay down under a tree to sleep. But he heard a
rustling in the branches, and a golden apple fell into his hand.
At the same time three ravens flew down to him, perched themselves
upon his knee, and said, we are the three young ravens whom
you saved from starving, when we had grown big, and heard that
you were seeking the golden apple, we flew over the sea to the
end of the world, where the tree of life stands, and have brought
you the apple. The youth, full of joy, set out homewards, and
took the golden apple to the king's beautiful daughter, who had
no more excuses left to make. They cut the apple of life in two
and ate it together, and then her heart became full of love for
him, and they lived in undisturbed happiness to a great age.
