There was once a Merchant who had two children, a boy and a girl. They
were both small, and not old enough to run about. He had also two
richly-laden ships at sea, and just as he was expecting to make a
great deal of money by the merchandise, news came that they had both
been lost. So now instead of being a rich man he was quite poor, and
had nothing left but one field near the town.
To turn his thoughts from his misfortune, he went out into this field,
and as he was walking up and down a little black Mannikin suddenly
appeared before him, and asked why he was so sad. The Merchant said,
'I would tell you at once, if you could help me.'
'Who knows,' answered the little Mannikin. 'Perhaps I could help you.'
Then the Merchant told him that all his wealth had been lost in a
wreck, and that now he had nothing left but this field.
'Don't worry yourself,' said the Mannikin. 'If you will promise to
bring me in twelve years' time the first thing which rubs against your
legs when you go home, you shall have as much gold as you want.'
The Merchant thought, 'What could it be but my dog?' He never thought
of his boy, but said Yes, and gave the Mannikin his bond signed and
sealed, and went home.
When he reached the house his little son, delighted to hold on to the
benches and totter towards his father, seized him by the leg to steady
himself.
The Merchant was horror-stricken, for his vow came into his head, and
now he knew what he had promised to give away. But as he still found
no gold in his chests, he thought it must only have been a joke of
the Mannikin's. A month later he went up into the loft to gather
together some old tin to sell it, and there he found a great heap of
gold on the floor. So he was soon up in the world again, bought and
sold, became a richer merchant than ever, and was altogether
contented.
In the meantime the boy had grown up, and he was both clever and wise.
But the nearer the end of the twelve years came, the more sorrowful
the Merchant grew; you could even see his misery in his face. One day
his son asked him what was the matter, but his father would not tell
him. The boy, however, persisted so long that at last he told him
that, without knowing what he was doing, he had promised to give him
up at the end of twelve years to a little black Mannikin, in return
for a quantity of gold. He had given his hand and seal on it, and the
time was now near for him to go.
Then his son said, 'O father, don't be frightened, it will be all
right. The little black Mannikin has no power over me.'
When the time came, the son asked a blessing of the Priest, and he and
his father went to the field together; and the son made a circle
within which they took their places.
When the little black Mannikin appeared, he said to the father, 'Have
you brought what you promised me?'
The man was silent, but his son said, 'What do you want?'
The Mannikin said, 'My business is with your father, and not with
you.'
The son answered, 'You deceived and cheated my father. Give me back
his bond.'
'Oh no!' said the little man; 'I won't give up my rights.'
They talked to each other for a long time, and at last they decided
that, as the son no longer belonged to his father, and declined to
belong to his foe, he should get into a boat on a flowing stream, and
his father should push it off himself, thus giving him up to the
stream.
So the youth took leave of his father, got into the boat, and his
father pushed it off. Then, thinking that his son was lost to him for
ever, he went home and sorrowed for him. The little boat, however, did
not sink, it drifted quietly down the stream, and the youth sat in it
in perfect safety. It drifted for a long time, till at last it stuck
fast on an unknown shore. The youth landed, and seeing a beautiful
castle near, walked towards it. As he passed under the doorway,
however, a spell fell upon him. He went through all the rooms, but
found them empty, till he came to the very last one, where a Serpent
lay coiling and uncoiling itself. The Serpent was really an enchanted
maiden, who was delighted when she saw the youth, and said, 'Have you
come at last, my preserver? I have been waiting twelve years for you.
This whole kingdom is bewitched, and you must break the spell.'
'How am I to do that?' he asked.
She said, 'To-night, twelve black men hung with chains will appear,
and they will ask what you are doing here. But do not speak a word,
whatever they do or say to you. They will torment you, strike, and
pinch you, but don't say a word. At twelve o'clock they will have to
go away. On the second night twelve more will come, and on the third
twenty-four. These will cut off your head. But at twelve o'clock their
power goes, and if you have borne it, and not spoken a word, I shall
be saved. Then I will come to you, and bring a little flask containing
the Water of Life, with which I will sprinkle you, and you will be
brought to life again, as sound and well as ever you were.'
Then he said, 'I will gladly save you!'
Everything happened just as she had said. The black men could not
force a word out of him; and on the third night the Serpent became a
beautiful Princess, who brought the Water of Life as she had promised,
and restored the youth to life. Then she fell on his neck and kissed
him, and there were great rejoicings all over the castle.
Their marriage was celebrated, and he became King of the Golden
Mountain.
[Illustration: {The Son made a circle, and his Father and he
took their places within it, and the little black Mannikin
appeared.}]
They lived happily together, and in course of time a beautiful boy
was born to them.
When eight years had passed, the King's heart grew tender within him
as he thought of his father, and he wanted to go home to see him. But
the Queen did not want him to go. She said, 'I know it will be to my
misfortune.' However, he gave her no peace till she agreed to let him
go. On his departure she gave him a wishing-ring, and said, 'Take this
ring, and put it on your finger, and you will at once be at the place
where you wish to be. Only, you must promise never to use it to wish
me away from here to be with you at your father's.'
He made the promise, and put the ring on his finger; he then wished
himself before the town where his father lived, and at the same moment
found himself at the gate. But the sentry would not let him in because
his clothes, though of rich material, were of such strange cut. So he
went up a mountain, where a Shepherd lived, and, exchanging clothing
with him, put on his old smock, and passed into the town unnoticed.
When he reached his father he began making himself known; but his
father, never thinking that it was his son, said that it was true he
had once had a son, but he had long been dead. But, he added, seeing
that he was a poor Shepherd, he would give him a plate of food.
The supposed Shepherd said to his parents, 'I am indeed your son. Is
there no mark on my body by which you may know me?'
His mother said, 'Yes, our son has a strawberry mark under his right
arm.'
He pushed up his shirt sleeve, and there was the strawberry mark; so
they no longer doubted that he was their son. He told them that he was
the King of the Golden Mountain, his wife was a Princess, and they had
a little son seven years old.
'That can't be true,' said his father. 'You are a fine sort of King to
come home in a tattered Shepherd's smock.'
His son grew angry, and, without stopping to reflect, turned his ring
round and wished his wife and son to appear. In a moment they both
stood before him; but his wife did nothing but weep and lament, and
said that he had broken his promise, and by so doing had made her very
unhappy. He said, 'I have acted incautiously, but from no bad motive,'
and he tried to soothe her.
She appeared to be calmed, but really she nourished evil intentions
towards him in her heart.
Shortly after he took her outside the town to the field, and showed
her the stream down which he had drifted in the little boat. Then he
said, 'I am tired; I want to rest a little.'
So she sat down, and he rested his head upon her lap, and soon fell
fast asleep. As soon as he was asleep, she drew the ring from his
finger, and drew herself gently away from him, leaving only her
slipper behind. Last of all, taking her child in her arms, she wished
herself back in her own kingdom. When he woke up, he found himself
quite deserted; wife and child were gone, the ring had disappeared
from his finger, and only her slipper remained as a token.
'I can certainly never go home to my parents,' he said. 'They would
say I was a sorcerer. I must go away and walk till I reach my own
kingdom again.'
So he went away, and at last he came to a mountain, where three Giants
were quarrelling about the division of their father's property. When
they saw him passing, they called him up, and said, 'Little people
have sharp wits,' and asked him to divide their inheritance for them.
It consisted, first, of a sword, with which in one's hand, if one
said, 'All heads off, mine alone remain,' every head fell to the
ground. Secondly, of a mantle which rendered any one putting it on
invisible. Thirdly, of a pair of boots which transported the wearer to
whatever place he wished.
He said, 'Give me the three articles so that I may see if they are all
in good condition.'
So they gave him the mantle, and he at once became invisible. He took
his own shape again, and said, 'The mantle is good; now give me the
sword.'
But they said, 'No, we can't give you the sword. If you were to say,
"All heads off, mine alone remain," all our heads would fall, and
yours would be the only one left.'
At last, however, they gave it to him, on condition that he was to try
it on a tree. He did as they wished, and the sword went through the
tree trunk as if it had been a straw. Then he wanted the boots, but
they said, 'No, we won't give them away. If you were to put them on
and wish yourself on the top of the mountain, we should be left
standing here without anything.'
'No,' said he; 'I won't do that.'
So they gave him the boots too; but when he had all three he could
think of nothing but his wife and child, and said to himself, 'Oh, if
only I were on the Golden Mountain again!' and immediately he
disappeared from the sight of the Giants, and there was an end of
their inheritance.
When he approached his castle he heard sounds of music, fiddles and
flutes, and shouts of joy. People told him that his wife was
celebrating her marriage with another husband. He was filled with
rage, and said, 'The false creature! She deceived me, and deserted me
when I was asleep.'
Then he put on his mantle, and went to the castle, invisible to all.
When he went into the hall, where a great feast was spread with the
richest foods and the costliest wines, the guests were joking and
laughing while they ate and drank. The Queen sat on her throne in
their midst in gorgeous clothing, with the crown on her head. He
placed himself behind her, and no one saw him. Whenever the Queen put
a piece of meat on her plate, he took it away and ate it, and when her
glass was filled he took it away and drank it. Her plate and her glass
were constantly refilled, but she never had anything, for it
disappeared at once. At last she grew frightened, got up, and went to
her room in tears, but he followed her there too. She said to herself,
'Am I still in the power of the demon? Did my preserver never come?'
He struck her in the face, and said, 'Did your preserver never come?
He is with you now, deceiver that you are. Did I deserve such
treatment at your hands?' Then he made himself visible, and went into
the hall, and cried, 'The wedding is stopped, the real King has come.'
The Kings, Princes, and Nobles who were present laughed him to scorn.
But he only said, 'Will you go, or will you not?' They tried to seize
him, but he drew his sword and said,
'All heads off, mine alone remain.'
Then all their heads fell to the ground, and he remained sole King and
Lord of the Golden Mountain.
