Iron John

There was once on a time a King who had a great forest near his palace,
full of all kinds of wild animals. One day he sent out a huntsman to
shoot him a roe, but he did not come back. "Perhaps some accident has
befallen him," said the King, and the next day he sent out two more
huntsmen who were to search for him, but they too stayed away. Then on
the third day, he sent for all his huntsmen, and said, "Scour the whole
forest through, and do not give up until ye have found all three." But
of these also, none came home again, and of the pack of hounds which
they had taken with them, none were seen more. From that time forth, no
one would any longer venture into the forest, and it lay there in deep
stillness and solitude, and nothing was seen of it, but sometimes an
eagle or a hawk flying over it. This lasted for many years, when a
strange huntsman announced himself to the King as seeking a situation,
and offered to go into the dangerous forest. The King, however, would
not give his consent, and said, "It is not safe in there; I fear it
would fare with thee no better than with the others, and thou wouldst
never come out again." The huntsman replied, "Lord, I will venture it
at my own risk, of fear I know nothing."

The huntsman therefore betook himself with his dog to the forest. It
was not long before the dog fell in with some game on the way, and
wanted to pursue it; but hardly had the dog run two steps when it stood
before a deep pool, could go no farther, and a naked arm stretched
itself out of the water, seized it, and drew it under, When the
huntsman saw that, he went back and fetched three men to come with
buckets and bale out the water. When they could see to the bottom there
lay a wild man whose body was brown like rusty iron, and whose hair
hung over his face down to his knees. They bound him with cords, and
led him away to the castle. There was great astonishment over the wild
man; the King, however, had him put in an iron cage in his court-yard,
and forbade the door to be opened on pain of death, and the Queen
herself was to take the key into her keeping. And from this time forth
every one could again go into the forest with safety.

The King had a son of eight years, who was once playing in the
court-yard, and while he was playing, his golden ball fell into the
cage. The boy ran thither and said, "Give me my ball out." "Not till
thou hast opened the door for me," answered the man. "No," said the
boy, "I will not do that; the King has forbidden it," and ran away. The
next day he again went and asked for his ball; the wild man said, "Open
my door," but the boy would not. On the third day the King had ridden
out hunting, and the boy went once more and said, "I cannot open the
door even if I wished, for I have not the key." Then the wild man said,
"It lies under thy mother's pillow, thou canst get it there." The boy,
who wanted to have his ball back, cast all thought to the winds, and
brought the key. The door opened with difficulty, and the boy pinched
his fingers. When it was open the wild man stepped out, gave him the
golden ball, and hurried away. The boy had become afraid; he called and
cried after him, "Oh, wild man, do not go away, or I shall be beaten!"
The wild man turned back, took him up, set him on his shoulder, and
went with hasty steps into the forest. When the King came home, he
observed the empty cage, and asked the Queen how that had happened? She
knew nothing about it, and sought the key, but it was gone. She called
the boy, but no one answered. The King sent out people to seek for him
in the fields, but they did not find him. Then he could easily guess
what had happened, and much grief reigned in the royal court.

When the wild man had once more reached the dark forest, he took the
boy down from his shoulder, and said to him, "Thou wilt never see thy
father and mother again, but I will keep thee with me, for thou hast
set me free, and I have compassion on thee. If thou dost all I bid
thee, thou shalt fare well. Of treasure and gold have I enough, and
more than anyone in the world." He made a bed of moss for the boy on
which he slept, and the next morning the man took him to a well, and
said, "Behold, the gold well is as bright and clear as crystal, thou
shalt sit beside it, and take care that nothing falls into it, or it
will be polluted. I will come every evening to see if thou hast obeyed
my order." The boy placed himself by the margin of the well, and often
saw a golden fish or a golden snake show itself therein, and took care
that nothing fell in. As he was thus sitting, his finger hurt him so
violently that he involuntarily put it in the water. He drew it quickly
out again, but saw that it was quite gilded, and whatsoever pains he
took to wash the gold off again, all was to no purpose. In the evening
Iron John came back, looked at the boy, and said, "What has happened to
the well?" "Nothing, nothing," he answered, and held his finger behind
his back, that the man might not see it. But he said, "Thou hast dipped
thy finger into the water, this time it may pass, but take care thou
dost not again let anything go in." By daybreak the boy was already
sitting by the well and watching it. His finger hurt him again and he
passed it over his head, and then unhappily a hair fell down into the
well. He took it quickly out, but it was already quite gilded. Iron
John came, and already knew what had happened. "Thou hast let a hair
fall into the well," said he. "I will allow thee to watch by it once
more, but if this happens for the third time then the well is polluted,
and thou canst no longer remain with me."

On the third day, the boy sat by the well, and did not stir his finger,
however much it hurt him. But the time was long to him, and he looked
at the reflection of his face on the surface of the water. And as he
still bent down more and more while he was doing so, and trying to look
straight into the eyes, his long hair fell down from his shoulders into
the water. He raised himself up quickly, but the whole of the hair of
his head was already golden and shone like the sun. You may imagine how
terrified the poor boy was! He took his pocket-handkerchief and tied it
round his head, in order that the man might not see it. When he came he
already knew everything, and said, "Take the handkerchief off." Then
the golden hair streamed forth, and let the boy excuse himself as he
might, it was of no use. "Thou hast not stood the trial, and canst stay
here no longer. Go forth into the world, there thou wilt learn what
poverty is. But as thou hast not a bad heart, and as I mean well by
thee, there is one thing I will grant thee; if thou fallest into any
difficulty, come to the forest and cry, 'Iron John,' and then I will
come and help thee. My power is great, greater than thou thinkest, and
I have gold and silver in abundance."

Then the King's son left the forest, and walked by beaten and unbeaten
paths ever onwards until at length he reached a great city. There he
looked for work, but could find none, and he had learnt nothing by
which he could help himself. At length he went to the palace, and asked
if they would take him in. The people about court did not at all know
what use they could make of him, but they liked him, and told him to
stay. At length the cook took him into his service, and said he might
carry wood and water, and rake the cinders together. Once when it so
happened that no one else was at hand, the cook ordered him to carry
the food to the royal table, but as he did not like to let his golden
hair be seen, he kept his little cap on. Such a thing as that had never
yet come under the King's notice, and he said, "When thou comest to the
royal table thou must take thy hat off." He answered, "Ah, Lord, I
cannot; I have a bad sore place on my head." Then the King had the cook
called before him and scolded him, and asked how he could take such a
boy as that into his service; and that he was to turn him off at once.
The cook, however, had pity on him, and exchanged him for the
gardener's boy.

And now the boy had to plant and water the garden, hoe and dig, and
bear the wind and bad weather. Once in summer when he was working alone
in the garden, the day was so warm he took his little cap off that the
air might cool him. As the sun shone on his hair it glittered and
flashed so that the rays fell into the bed-room of the King's daughter,
and up she sprang to see what that could be. Then she saw the boy, and
cried to him, "Boy, bring me a wreath of flowers." He put his cap on
with all haste, and gathered wild field-flowers and bound them
together. When he was ascending the stairs with them, the gardener met
him, and said, "How canst thou take the King's daughter a garland of
such common flowers? Go quickly, and get another, and seek out the
prettiest and rarest." "Oh, no," replied the boy, "the wild ones have
more scent, and will please her better." When he got into the room, the
King's daughter said, "Take thy cap off, it is not seemly to keep it on
in my presence." He again said, "I may not, I have a sore head." She,
however, caught at his cap and pulled it off, and then his golden hair
rolled down on his shoulders, and it was splendid to behold. He wanted
to run out, but she held him by the arm, and gave him a handful of
ducats. With these he departed, but he cared nothing for the gold
pieces. He took them to the gardener, and said, "I present them to thy
children, they can play with them." The following day the King's
daughter again called to him that he was to bring her a wreath of
field-flowers, and when he went in with it, she instantly snatched at
his cap, and wanted to take it away from him, but he held it fast with
both hands. She again gave him a handful of ducats, but he would not
keep them, and gave them to the gardener for playthings for his
children. On the third day things went just the same; she could not get
his cap away from him, and he would not have her money.

Not long afterwards, the country was overrun by war. The King gathered
together his people, and did not know whether or not he could offer any
opposition to the enemy, who was superior in strength and had a mighty
army. Then said the gardener's boy, "I am grown up, and will go to the
wars also, only give me a horse." The others laughed, and said, "Seek
one for thyself when we are gone, we will leave one behind us in the
stable for thee." When they had gone forth, he went into the stable,
and got the horse out; it was lame of one foot, and limped hobblety
jig, hobblety jig; nevertheless he mounted it, and rode away to the
dark forest. When he came to the outskirts, he called "Iron John,"
three times so loudly that it echoed through the trees. Thereupon the
wild man appeared immediately, and said, "What dost thou desire?" "I
want a strong steed, for I am going to the wars." "That thou shalt
have, and still more than thou askest for." Then the wild man went back
into the forest, and it was not long before a stable-boy came out of
it, who led a horse that snorted with its nostrils, and could hardly be
restrained, and behind them followed a great troop of soldiers entirely
equipped in iron, and their swords flashed in the sun. The youth made
over his three-legged horse to the stable-boy, mounted the other, and
rode at the head of the soldiers. When he got near the battle-field a
great part of the King's men had already fallen, and little was wanting
to make the rest give way. Then the youth galloped thither with his
iron soldiers, broke like a hurricane over the enemy, and beat down all
who opposed him. They began to fly, but the youth pursued, and never
stopped, until there was not a single man left. Instead, however, of
returning to the King, he conducted his troop by bye-ways back to the
forest, and called forth Iron John. "What dost thou desire?" asked the
wild man. "Take back thy horse and thy troops, and give me my
three-legged horse again." All that he asked was done, and soon he was
riding on his three-legged horse. When the King returned to his palace,
his daughter went to meet him, and wished him joy of his victory. "I am
not the one who carried away the victory," said he, "but a stranger
knight who came to my assistance with his soldiers." The daughter
wanted to hear who the strange knight was, but the King did not know,
and said, "He followed the enemy, and I did not see him again." She
inquired of the gardener where his boy was, but he smiled, and said,
"He has just come home on his three-legged horse, and the others have
been mocking him, and crying, "Here comes our hobblety jig back again!"
They asked, too, "Under what hedge hast thou been lying sleeping all
the time?" He, however, said, "I did the best of all, and it would have
gone badly without me." And then he was still more ridiculed."

The King said to his daughter, "I will proclaim a great feast that
shall last for three days, and thou shalt throw a golden apple. Perhaps
the unknown will come to it." When the feast was announced, the youth
went out to the forest, and called Iron John. "What dost thou desire?"
asked he. "That I may catch the King's daughter's golden apple." "It is
as safe as if thou hadst it already," said Iron John. "Thou shalt
likewise have a suit of red armour for the occasion, and ride on a
spirited chestnut-horse." When the day came, the youth galloped to the
spot, took his place amongst the knights, and was recognized by no one.
The King's daughter came forward, and threw a golden apple to the
knights, but none of them caught it but he, only as soon as he had it
he galloped away.

On the second day Iron John equipped him as a white knight, and gave
him a white horse. Again he was the only one who caught the apple, and
he did not linger an instant, but galloped off with it. The King grew
angry, and said, "That is not allowed; he must appear before me and
tell his name." He gave the order that if the knight who caught the
apple, should go away again they should pursue him, and if he would not
come back willingly, they were to cut him down and stab him.

On the third day, he received from Iron John a suit of black armour and
a black horse, and again he caught the apple. But when he was riding
off with it, the King's attendants pursued him, and one of them got so
near him that he wounded the youth's leg with the point of his sword.
The youth nevertheless escaped from them, but his horse leapt so
violently that the helmet fell from the youth's head, and they could
see that he had golden hair. They rode back and announced this to the
King.

The following day the King's daughter asked the gardener about his boy.
"He is at work in the garden; the queer creature has been at the
festival too, and only came home yesterday evening; he has likewise
shown my children three golden apples which he has won."

The King had him summoned into his presence, and he came and again had
his little cap on his head. But the King's daughter went up to him and
took it off, and then his golden hair fell down over his shoulders, and
he was so handsome that all were amazed. "Art thou the knight who came
every day to the festival, always in different colours, and who caught
the three golden apples?" asked the King. "Yes," answered he, "and here
the apples are," and he took them out of his pocket, and returned them
to the King. "If you desire further proof, you may see the wound which
your people gave me when they followed me. But I am likewise the knight
who helped you to your victory over your enemies." "If thou canst
perform such deeds as that, thou art no gardener's boy; tell me, who is
thy father?" "My father is a mighty King, and gold have I in plenty as
great as I require." "I well see," said the King, "that I owe thanks to
thee; can I do anything to please thee?" "Yes," answered he, "that
indeed you can. Give me your daughter to wife." The maiden laughed, and
said, "He does not stand much on ceremony, but I have already seen by
his golden hair that he was no gardener's boy," and then she went and
kissed him. His father and mother came to the wedding, and were in
great delight, for they had given up all hope of ever seeing their dear
son again. And as they were sitting at the marriage-feast, the music
suddenly stopped, the doors opened, and a stately King came in with a
great retinue. He went up to the youth, embraced him and said, "I am
Iron John, and was by enchantment a wild man, but thou hast set me
free; all the treasures which I possess, shall be thy property."
