The Golden Apple-tree, and the Nine Peahens

Once upon a time there lived a king who had three sons. Now, before

the king's palace grew a golden apple-tree, which in one and the same

night blossomed, bore fruit, and lost all its fruit, though no one

could tell who took the apples. One day the king, speaking to his

eldest son, said, 'I should like to know who takes the fruit from our

apple-tree!' And the son said, 'I will keep guard to-night, and will

see who gathers the apples.' So when the evening came he went and laid

himself down, under the apple-tree, upon the ground to watch. Just,

however, as the apples ripened, he fell asleep, and when he awoke in

the morning, there was not a single one left on the tree. Whereupon he

went and told his father what had happened. Then the second son

offered to keep watch by the tree, but he had no better success than

his eldest brother.

So the turn came to the king's youngest son to keep guard. He made his

preparations, brought his bed under the tree, and immediately went to

sleep. Before midnight he awoke and looked up at the tree, and saw

how the apples ripened, and how the whole palace was lit up by their

shining. At that minute nine peahens flew towards the tree, and eight

of them settled on its branches, but the ninth alighted near him and

turned instantly into a beautiful girl--so beautiful, indeed, that the

whole kingdom could not produce one who could in any way compare with

her. She stayed, conversing kindly with him, till after midnight, then

thanking him for the golden apples, she prepared to depart; but, as he

begged she would leave him one, she gave him two, one for himself and

one for the king his father. Then the girl turned again into a peahen,

and flew away with the other eight. Next morning, the king's son took

the two apples to his father, and the king was much pleased, and

praised his son. When the evening came, the king's youngest son took

his place again under the apple-tree to keep guard over it. He again

conversed as he had done the night before with the beautiful girl, and

brought to his father, the next morning, two apples as before. But,

after he had succeeded so well several nights, his two elder brothers

grew envious because he had been able to do what they could not. At

length they found an old woman, who promised to discover how the

youngest brother had succeeded in saving the two apples. So, as the

evening came, the old woman stole softly under the bed which stood

under the apple-tree, and hid herself. And after a while, came also

the king's son, and laid himself down as usual to sleep. When it was

near midnight the nine peahens flew up as before, and eight of them

settled on the branches, and the ninth stood by his bed, and turned

into a most beautiful girl.

Then the old woman slowly took hold of one of the girl's curls, and

cut it off, and the girl immediately rose up, changed again into a

peahen and flew away, and the other peahens followed her, and so they

all disappeared. Then the king's son jumped up, and cried out, 'What

is that?' and, looking under the bed, he saw the old woman, and drew

her out. Next morning he ordered her to be tied to a horse's tail, and

so torn to pieces. But the peahens never came back, so the king's son

was very sad for a long time, and wept at his loss. At length he

resolved to go and look after his peahen, and never to come back again

unless he should find her. When he told the king his father of his

intention, the king begged him not to go away, and said that he would

find him another beautiful girl, and that he might choose out of the

whole kingdom.

But all the king's persuasions were useless. His son went into the

world to search everywhere for his peahen, taking only one servant to

serve him. After many travels he came one day to a lake. Now by the

lake stood a large and beautiful palace. In the palace lived an old

woman as queen, and with the queen lived a girl, her daughter. He said

to the old woman, 'For heaven's sake, grandmother, do you know

anything about nine golden peahens?' and the old woman answered, 'Oh,

my son, I know all about them; they come every mid-day to bathe in the

lake. But what do you want with them? Let them be, think nothing

about them. Here is my daughter. Such a beautiful girl! and such a

heiress! All my wealth will remain to you if you marry her.' But he,

burning with desire to see the peahens, would not listen to what the

old woman spoke about her daughter.

Next morning, when day dawned, the prince prepared to go down to the

lake to wait for the peahens. Then the old queen bribed the servant

and gave him a little pair of bellows, and said, 'Do you see these

bellows? When you come to the lake you must blow secretly with them

behind his neck, and then he will fall asleep, and not be able to

speak to the peahens.' The mischievous servant did as the old woman

told him; when he went with his master down to the lake, he took

occasion to blow with the bellows behind his neck, and the poor prince

fell asleep just as though he were dead. Shortly after, the nine

peahens came flying, and eight of them alighted by the lake, but the

ninth flew towards him, as he sat on horseback, and caressed him, and

tried to awaken him. 'Awake, my darling! Awake, my heart! Awake, my

soul!' But for all that he knew nothing, just as if he were dead.

After they had bathed, all the peahens flew away together, and after

they were gone the prince woke up, and said to his servant, 'What has

happened? Did they not come?' The servant told him they had been

there, and that eight of them had bathed, but the ninth had sat by him

on his horse, and caressed and tried to awaken him. Then the king's

son was so angry that he almost killed himself in his rage. Next

morning he went down again to the shore to wait for the peahens, and

rode about a long time till the servant again found an opportunity of

blowing with the bellows behind his neck, so that he again fell asleep

as though dead. Hardly had he fallen asleep when the nine peahens came

flying, and eight of them alighted by the water, but the ninth settled

down by the side of his horse and caressed him, and cried out to

awaken him, 'Arise, my darling! Arise, my heart! Arise, my soul!'

But it was of no use; the prince slept on as if he were dead. Then she

said to the servant, 'Tell your master to-morrow he can see us here

again, but never more.' With these words the peahens flew away.

Immediately after the king's son woke up, and asked his servant, 'Have

they not been here?' And the man answered, 'Yes, they have been, and

say that you can see them again to-morrow, at this place, but after

that they will not return again.' When the unhappy prince heard that,

he knew not what to do with himself, and in his great trouble and

misery tore the hair from his head.

The third day he went down again to the shore, but, fearing to fall

asleep, instead of riding slowly, galloped along the shore. His

servant, however, found an opportunity of blowing with the bellows

behind his neck, and again the prince fell asleep. A moment after came

the nine peahens, and the eight alighted on the lake and the ninth by

him, on his horse, and sought to awaken him, caressing him. 'Arise, my

darling! Arise, my heart! Arise, my soul!' But it was of no use, he

slept on as if dead. Then the peahen said to the servant, 'When your

master awakens tell him he ought to strike off the head of the nail

from the lower part, and then he will find me.' Thereupon all the

peahens fled away. Immediately the king's son awoke, and said to his

servant, 'Have they been here?' And the servant answered, 'They have

been, and the one which alighted on your horse, ordered me to tell you

to strike off the head of the nail from the lower part, and then you

will find her.' When the prince heard that, he drew his sword and cut

off his servant's head.

After that he travelled alone about the world, and, after long

travelling, came to a mountain and remained all night there with a

hermit, whom he asked if he knew anything about nine golden peahens.

The hermit said, 'Eh! my son, you are lucky; God has led you in the

right path. From this place it is only half a day's walk. But you must

go straight on, then you will come to a large gate, which you must

pass through; and, after that, you must keep always to the right hand,

and so you will come to the peahens' city, and there find their

palace.' So next morning the king's son arose, and prepared to go. He

thanked the hermit, and went as he had told him. After a while he came

to the great gate, and, having passed it, turned to the right, so that

at mid-day he saw the city, and beholding how white it shone, rejoiced

very much. When he came into the city he found the palace where lived

the nine golden peahens. But at the gate he was stopped by the guard,

who demanded who he was, and whence he came. After he had answered

these questions, the guards went to announce him to the queen. When

the queen heard who he was, she came running out to the gate and took

him by the hand to lead him into the palace. She was a young and

beautiful maiden, and so there was a great rejoicing when, after a few

days, he married her and remained there with her.

One day, some time after their marriage, the queen went out to walk,

and the king's son remained in the palace. Before going out, however,

the queen gave him the keys of twelve cellars, telling him, 'You may

go down into all the cellars except the twelfth--that you must on no

account open, or it will cost you your head.' She then went away. The

king's son whilst remaining in the palace began to wonder what there

could be in the twelfth cellar, and soon commenced opening one cellar

after the other. When he came to the twelfth he would not at first

open it, but again began to wonder very much why he was forbidden to

go into it. 'What _can_ be in this cellar?' he exclaimed to himself.

At last he opened it. In the middle of the cellar lay a big barrel

with an open bung-hole, but bound fast round with three iron hoops.

Out of the barrel came a voice, saying, 'For God's sake, my brother--I

am dying with thirst--please give me a cup of water!' Then the king's

son took a cup and filled it with water, and emptied it into the

barrel. Immediately he had done so one of the hoops burst asunder.

Again came the voice from the barrel, 'For God's sake, my brother--I

am dying of thirst--please give me a cup of water!' The king's son

again filled the cup, and took it, and emptied it into the barrel, and

instantly another hoop burst asunder. The third time the voice came

out of the barrel, 'For God's sake, my brother--I am dying of

thirst--please give me a cup of water!' The king's son again took the

cup and filled it, and poured the water into the barrel--and the third

hoop burst. Then the barrel fell to pieces, and a dragon flew out of

the cellar, and caught the queen on the road and carried her away.

Then the servant, who went out with the queen, came back quickly, and

told the king's son what had happened, and the poor prince knew not

what to do with himself, so desperate was he, and full of

self-reproaches. At length, however, he resolved to set out and travel

through the world in search of her. After long journeying, one day he

came to a lake, and near it, in a little hole, he saw a little fish

jumping about. When the fish saw the king's son, she began to beg

pitifully, 'For God's sake, be my brother, and throw me into the

water. Some day I may be of use to you, so take now a little scale

from me, and when you need me, rub it gently.' Then the king's son

lifted the little fish from the hole and threw her into the water,

after he had taken one small scale, which he wrapped up carefully in a

handkerchief. Some time afterwards, as he travelled about the world,

he came upon a fox, caught in an iron trap. When the fox saw the

prince, he spoke: 'In God's name, be a brother to me, and help me to

get out of this trap. One day you will need me, so take just one hair

from my tail, and when you want me, rub it gently.' Then the king's

son took a hair from the tail of the fox, and let him free.

Again, as he crossed a mountain, he found a wolf fast in a trap; and

when the wolf saw him, it spoke: 'Be a brother to me; in God's name,

set me free, and one day I will help you. Only take a hair from me,

and when you need me, rub it gently.' So he took a hair, and let the

wolf free. After that, the king's son travelled about a very long

time, till one day he met a man, to whom he said, 'For God's sake,

brother, have you ever heard any one say where is the palace of the

dragon king?' The man gave him very particular directions which way to

take, and in what length of time he could get there. Then the king's

son thanked him and continued his journey until he came to the city

where the dragon lived. When there, he went into the palace and found

therein his wife, and both of them were exceedingly pleased to meet

each other, and began to take counsel how they could escape. They

resolved to run away, and prepared hastily for the journey. When all

was ready they mounted on horseback and galloped away. As soon as they

were gone the dragon came home, also on horseback, and, entering his

palace, found that the queen had gone away. Then he said to his horse,

'What shall we do now? Shall we eat and drink, or go at once after

them?' The horse answered, 'Let us eat and drink first, we shall

anyway catch them; do not be anxious.'

After the dragon had dined he mounted his horse, and in a few moments

came up with the runaways. Then he took the queen from the king's son

and said to him, 'Go now, in God's name! This time I forgive you

because you gave me water in the cellar; but if your life is dear to

you do not come back here any more!' The unhappy young prince went on

his way a little, but could not long resist, so he came back next day

to the dragon's palace, and found the queen sitting alone and weeping.

Then they began again to consult how they could get away. And the

prince said, 'When the dragon comes, ask him where he got that horse,

and then you will tell me so that I can look for such another one;

perhaps in this way we can escape.' He then went away, lest the dragon

should come and find him with the queen.

By-and-by the dragon came home, and the queen began to pet him, and

speak lovingly to him about many things, till at last she said, 'Ah!

what a fine horse you have! where did you get such a splendid horse?'

And he answered, 'Eh! where I got it every one cannot get one! In such

and such a mountain lives an old woman who has twelve horses in her

stable, and no one can say which is the finest, they are all so

beautiful. But in one corner of the stable stands a horse which looks

as if he were leprous, but, in truth, he is the very best horse in the

whole world. He is the brother of my horse, and whoever gets him may

ride to the sky. But whoever wishes to get a horse from that old

woman, must serve her three days and three nights. She has a mare

with a foal, and whoever during three nights guards and keeps for her

this mare and this foal, has a right to claim the best horse from the

old woman's stable. But whoever engages to keep watch over the mare

and does not, must lose his head!'

Next day, when the dragon went out, the king's son came, and the queen

told him all she had learned from the dragon. Then the king's son went

away to the mountain and found the old woman, and entered her house

greeting: 'God help you, grandmother!' And she answered, 'God help

you, too, my son! what do you wish?' 'I should like to serve you,'

said the king's son. Then the old woman said, 'Well, my son, if you

keep my mare safe for three days and three nights I will give you the

best horse, and you can choose him yourself; but if you do not keep

the mare safe you shall lose your head.'

Then she led him into the courtyard, where all around stakes were

ranged. Each of them had on it a man's head, except one stake, which

had no head on it, and shouted incessantly, 'Oh, grandmother, give me

a head!' The old woman showed all this to the prince, and said, 'Look

here! all these were heads of those who tried to keep my mare, and

they have lost their heads for their pains!'

But the prince was not a bit afraid, so he stayed to serve the old

woman. When the evening came he mounted the mare and rode her into the

field, and the foal followed. He sat still on her back, having made up

his mind not to dismount, that he might be sure of her. But before

midnight he slumbered a little, and when he awoke he found himself

sitting on a rail and holding the bridle in his hand. Then he was

greatly alarmed, and went instantly to look about to find the mare,

and whilst looking for her, he came to a piece of water. When he saw

the water he remembered the little fish, and took the scale from the

handkerchief and rubbed it a little. Then immediately the little fish

appeared and said, 'What is the matter, my half-brother?' And he

replied, 'The mare of the old woman ran away whilst under my charge,

and now I do not know where she is!' And the fish answered, 'Here she

is, turned to a fish, and the foal to a smaller one. But strike once

upon the water with the bridle and cry out, "Heigh! mare of the old

woman!"' The prince did as he was told, and immediately the mare came,

with the foal, out of the water to the shore. Then he put on her the

bridle and mounted and rode away to the old woman's house, and the

foal followed. When he got there the old woman gave him his breakfast;

she, however, took the mare into the stable and beat her with a poker,

saying, 'Why did you not go down among the fishes, you cursed mare?'

And the mare answered, 'I have been down to the fishes, but the fish

are his friends and they told him about me.' Then the old woman said,

'Then go among the foxes!'

When evening came the king's son mounted the mare and rode to the

field, and the foal followed the mare. Again he sat on the mare's back

until near midnight, when he fell asleep as before. When he awoke, he

found himself riding on the rail and holding the bridle in his hand.

So he was much frightened, and went to look after the mare. As he went

he remembered the words the old woman had said to the mare, and he

took from the handkerchief the fox's hair and rubbed it a little

between his fingers. All at once the fox stood before him, and asked,

'What is the matter, half-brother?' And he said, 'The old woman's mare

has run away, and I do not know where she can be.' Then the fox

answered, 'Here she is with us; she has turned into a fox, and the

foal into a cub; but strike once with the bridle on the earth and cry

out, "Heigh! you old woman's mare!"' So the king's son struck with the

bridle on the earth and cried, 'Heigh! old woman's mare!' and the mare

came and stood, with her foal, near him. He put on the bridle, and

mounted and rode off home, and the foal followed the mare. When he

arrived the old woman gave him his breakfast, but took the mare into

the stable and beat her with the poker, crying, 'To the foxes, cursed

one! to the foxes!' And the mare answered, 'I have been with the

foxes, but they are his friends, and told him I was there!' Then the

old woman cried, 'If that is so, you must go among the wolves!'

When it grew dark again the king's son mounted the mare and rode out

to the field, and the foal galloped by the side of the mare. Again he

sat still on the mare's back till about midnight, when he grew very

sleepy and fell into a slumber, as on the former evenings, and when he

awoke he found himself riding on the rail, holding the bridle in his

hand, just as before. Then, as before, he went in a hurry to look

after the mare. As he went he remembered the words the old woman had

said to the mare, and took the wolf's hair from the handkerchief and

rubbed it a little. Then the wolf came up to him and asked, 'What is

the matter, half-brother?' And he answered, 'The old woman's mare has

run away, and I cannot tell where she is.' The wolf said, 'Here she is

with us; she has turned herself into a wolf, and the foal into a

wolf's cub. Strike once with the bridle on the earth and cry out,

"Heigh! old woman's mare!"' And the king's son did so, and instantly

the mare came again and stood with the foal beside him. So he bridled

her, and galloped home, and the foal followed. When he arrived the old

woman gave him his breakfast, but she led the mare into the stable and

beat her with the poker, crying, 'To the wolves, I said, miserable

one!' Then the mare answered, 'I have been to the wolves; but they are

his friends, and told him all about me!' Then the old woman came out

of the stable, and the king's son said to her, 'Eh! grandmother, I

have served you honestly; now give me what you promised me.' And the

old woman answered, 'My son, what is promised must be fulfilled. So

look here: here are the twelve horses, choose which you like!' And the

prince said, 'Why should I be too particular? Give me only that

leprous horse in the corner! fine horses are not fitting for me!' But

the old woman tried to persuade him to choose another horse, saying,

'How can you be so foolish as to choose that leprous thing whilst

there are such very fine horses here?' But he remained firm by his

first choice, and said to the old woman, 'You ought to give me which I

choose, for so you promised.' So, when the old woman found she could

not make him change his mind, she gave him the scabby horse, and he

took leave of her, and went away, leading the horse by the halter.

When he came to a forest he curried and rubbed down the horse, when it

shone as bright as gold. He then mounted, and the horse flew as

quickly as a bird, and in a few seconds brought him to the dragon's

palace. The king's son went in and said to the queen, 'Get ready as

soon as possible!' She was soon ready, when they both mounted the

horse, and began their journey home. Soon after the dragon came home,

and when he saw the queen had disappeared, said to his horse, 'What

shall we do? Shall we eat and drink first, or shall we pursue them at

once?' The horse answered, 'Whether we eat and drink or not it is all

one, we shall never reach them.'

When the dragon heard that, he got quickly on his horse and galloped

after them. When they saw the dragon following them they pushed on

quicker, but their horse said, 'Do not be afraid! there is no need to

run away.' In a very few moments the dragon came very near to them,

and his horse said to their horse, 'For God's sake, my brother, wait a

moment! I shall kill myself running after you!' Their horse answered,

'Why are you so stupid as to carry that monster. Fling your heels up

and throw him off, and come along with me!' When the dragon's horse

heard that he shook his head angrily and flung his feet high in the

air, so that the dragon fell off and brake in pieces, and his horse

came up to them. Then the queen mounted him and returned with the

king's son happily to her kingdom, where they reigned together in

great prosperity until the day of their death.