The Red Fairy Book, Andrew Lang [book club recommendations txt] 📗

THE RED FAIRY BOOK

Edited by ANDREW LANG

TO MASTER BILLY TREMAYNE MILES A PROFOUND STUDENT YET AN AMIABLE CRITIC PREFACE

IN a second gleaning of the fields of Fairy Land we cannot

expect to find a second Perrault. But there are good stories

enough left, and it is hoped that some in the Red Fairy Book

may have the attraction of being less familiar than many of

the old friends. The tales have been translated, or, in the

case of those from Madame d’Aulnoy’s long stories, adapted,

by Mrs. Hunt from the Norse, by Miss Minnie Wright from

Madame d’Aulnoy, by Mrs. Lang and Miss Bruce from other

French sources, by Miss May Sellar, Miss Farquharson, and

Miss Blackley from the German, while the story of `Sigurd’

is condensed by the Editor from Mr. William Morris’s prose

version of the `Volsunga Saga.’ The Editor has to thank

his friend, M. Charles Marelles, for permission to reproduce

his versions of the `Pied Piper,’ of `Drakestail,’ and of

`Little Golden Hood’ from the French, and M. Henri Carnoy for the

same privilege in regard to `The Six Sillies’ from La Tradition.

 

Lady Frances Balfour has kindly copied an old version of

`Jack and the Beanstalk,’ and Messrs. Smith and Elder have

permitted the publication of two of Mr. Ralston’s versions

from the Russian.

 

A. L.

CONTENTS

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

 

The Princess Mayblossom

 

Soria Moria Castle

 

The Death of Koschei the Deathless

 

The Black Thief and Knight of the Glen

 

The Master Thief

 

Brother and Sister

 

Princess Rosette

 

The Enchanted Pig

 

The Norka

 

The Wonderful Birch

 

Jack and the Beanstalk

 

The Little Good Mouse

 

Graciosa and Percinet

 

The Three Princesses of Whiteland

 

The Voice of Death

 

The Six Sillies

 

Kari Woodengown

 

Drakestail

 

The Ratcatcher

 

The True History of Little Goldenhood

 

The Golden Branch

 

The Three Dwarfs

 

Dapplegrim

 

The Enchanted Canary

 

The Twelve Brothers

 

Rapunzel

 

The Nettle Spinner

 

Farmer Weatherbeard

 

Mother Holle

 

Minnikin

 

Bushy Bride

 

Snowdrop

 

The Golden Goose

 

The Seven Foals

 

The Marvellous Musician

 

The Story of Sigurd

THE TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES I

ONCE upon a time there lived in the village of Montignies-sur-Roc a little cow-boy, without either father or mother. His

real name was Michael, but he was always called the Star Gazer,

because when he drove his cows over the commons to seek for

pasture, he went along with his head in the air, gaping at nothing.

 

As he had a white skin, blue eyes, and hair that curled all over

his head, the village girls used to cry after him, `Well, Star Gazer,

what are you doing?’ and Michael would answer, `Oh, nothing,’

and go on his way without even turning to look at them.

 

The fact was he thought them very ugly, with their sun-burnt

necks, their great red hands, their coarse petticoats and their

wooden shoes. He had heard that somewhere in the world there

were girls whose necks were white and whose hands were small,

who were always dressed in the finest silks and laces, and were

called princesses, and while his companions round the fire saw

nothing in the flames but common everyday fancies, he dreamed

that he had the happiness to marry a princess.

II

One morning about the middle of August, just at mid-day when

the sun was hottest, Michael ate his dinner of a piece of dry bread,

and went to sleep under an oak. And while he slept he dreamt

that there appeared before him a beautiful lady, dressed in a robe

of cloth of gold, who said to him: `Go to the castle of Beloeil, and

there you shall marry a princess.’

 

That evening the little cow-boy, who had been thinking a great

deal about the advice of the lady in the golden dress, told his dream

to the farm people. But, as was natural, they only laughed at the

Star Gazer.

 

The next day at the same hour he went to sleep again under

the same tree. The lady appeared to him a second time, and said:

`Go to the castle of Beloeil, and you shall marry a princess.’

 

In the evening Michael told his friends that he had dreamed

the same dream again, but they only laughed at him more than

before. `Never mind,’ he thought to himself; `if the lady appears

to me a third time, I will do as she tells me.’

 

The following day, to the great astonishment of all the village,

about two o’clock in the afternoon a voice was heard singing:

 

`Raleo, raleo,

How the cattle go!’

 

It was the little cow-boy driving his herd back to the byre.

 

The farmer began to scold him furiously, but he answered

quietly, `I am going away,’ made his clothes into a bundle, said

good-bye to all his friends, and boldly set out to seek his fortunes.

 

There was great excitement through all the village, and on the

top of the hill the people stood holding their sides with laughing,

as they watched the Star Gazer trudging bravely along the valley

with his bundle at the end of his stick.

 

It was enough to make anyone laugh, certainly.

III

It was well known for full twenty miles round that there lived

in the castle of Beloeil twelve princesses of wonderful beauty, and

as proud as they were beautiful, and who were besides so very

sensitive and of such truly royal blood, that they would have felt

at once the presence of a pea in their beds, even if the mattresses

had been laid over it.

 

It was whispered about that they led exactly the lives that

princesses ought to lead, sleeping far into the morning, and never

getting up till mid-day. They had twelve beds all in the same

room, but what was very extraordinary was the fact that though

they were locked in by triple bolts, every morning their satin shoes

were found worn into holes.

 

When they were asked what they had been doing all night,

they always answered that they had been asleep; and, indeed,

no noise was ever heard in the room, yet the shoes could not wear

themselves out alone!

 

At last the Duke of Beloeil ordered the trumpet to be sounded,

and a proclamation to be made that whoever could discover how

his daughters wore out their shoes should choose one of them for

his wife.

 

On hearing the proclamation a number of princes arrived at

the castle to try their luck. They watched all night behind the

open door of the princesses, but when the morning came they had

all disappeared, and no one could tell what had become of them.

IV

When he reached the castle, Michael went straight to the

gardener and offered his services. Now it happened that the

garden boy had just been sent away, and though the Star Gazer

did not look very sturdy, the gardener agreed to take him, as he

thought that his pretty face and golden curls would please the

princesses.

 

The first thing he was told was that when the princesses got

up he was to present each one with a bouquet, and Michael thought

that if he had nothing more unpleasant to do than that he should

get on very well.

 

Accordingly he placed himself behind the door of the princesses’

room, with the twelve bouquets in a basket. He gave one to each

of the sisters, and they took them without even deigning to look at

the lad, except Lina the youngest, who fixed her large black eyes

as soft as velvet on him, and exclaimed, `Oh, how pretty he is—our

new flower boy!’ The rest all burst out laughing, and the eldest

pointed out that a princess ought never to lower herself by looking

at a garden boy.

 

Now Michael knew quite well what had happened to all the

princes, but notwithstanding, the beautiful eyes of the Princess

Lina inspired him with a violent longing to try his fate.

Unhappily he did not dare to come forward, being afraid that he

should only be jeered at, or even turned away from the castle on

account of his impudence.

V

Nevertheless, the Star Gazer had another dream. The lady in

the golden dress appeared to him once more, holding in one hand

two young laurel trees, a cherry laurel and a rose laurel, and in

the other hand a little golden rake, a little golden bucket, and a

silken towel. She thus addressed him:

 

`Plant these two laurels in two large pots, rake them over with

the rake, water them with the bucket, and wipe them with the towel.

When they have grown as tall as a girl of fifteen, say to each of

them, “My beautiful laurel, with the golden rake I have raked you,

with the golden bucket I have watered you, with the silken towel I

have wiped you.” Then after that ask anything you choose, and the

laurels will give it to you.’

 

Michael thanked the lady in the golden dress, and when he

woke he found the two laurel bushes beside him. So he carefully

obeyed the orders he had been given by the lady.

 

The trees grew very fast, and when they were as tall as a girl

of fifteen he said to the cherry laurel, `My lovely cherry laurel,

with the golden rake I have raked thee, with the golden bucket I

have watered thee, with the silken towel I have wiped thee.

Teach me how to become invisible.’ Then there instantly

appeared on the laurel a pretty white flower, which Michael

gathered and stuck into his button-hole.

VI

That evening, when the princesses went upstairs to bed, he

followed them barefoot, so that he might make no noise, and hid

himself under one of the twelve beds, so as not to take up much room.

 

The princesses began at once to open their wardrobes and boxes.

They took out of them the most magnificent dresses, which they

put on before their mirrors, and when they had finished, turned

themselves all round to admire their appearances.

 

Michael could see nothing from his hiding-place, but he could

hear everything, and he listened to the princesses laughing and

jumping with pleasure. At last the eldest said, `Be quick, my

sisters, our partners will be impatient.’ At the end of an hour,

when the Star Gazer heard no more noise, he peeped out and saw

the twelve sisters in splendid garments, with their satin shoes on

their feet, and in their hands the bouquets he had brought them.

 

`Are you ready?’ asked the eldest.

 

`Yes,’ replied the other eleven in chorus, and they took their

places one by one behind her.

 

Then the eldest Princess clapped her hands three times and a

trap door opened. All the princesses disappeared down a secret

staircase, and Michael hastily followed them.

 

As he was following on the steps of the Princess Lina, he

carelessly trod on her dress.

 

`There is somebody behind me,’ cried the Princess; `they are

holding my dress.’

 

`You foolish thing,’ said her eldest sister, `you are always afraid

of something.