mud/content/library/grimm/091_the_gnome.txt

The Gnome

There was once upon a time a rich King who had three daughters, who
daily went to walk in the palace garden, and the King was a great lover
of all kinds of fine trees, but there was one for which he had such an
affection, that if anyone gathered an apple from it he wished him a
hundred fathoms underground. And when harvest time came, the apples on
this tree were all as red as blood. The three daughters went every day
beneath the tree, and looked to see if the wind had not blown down an
apple, but they never by any chance found one, and the tree was so
loaded with them that it was almost breaking, and the branches hung
down to the ground. Then the King’s youngest child had a great desire
for an apple, and said to her sisters, “Our father loves us far too
much to wish us underground, it is my belief that he would only do that
to people who were strangers.” And while she was speaking, the child
plucked off quite a large apple, and ran to her sisters, saying, “Just
taste, my dear little sisters, for never in my life have I tasted
anything so delightful.” Then the two other sisters also ate some of
the apple, whereupon all three sank deep down into the earth, where
they could hear no cock crow.

When mid-day came, the King wished to call them to come to dinner, but
they were nowhere to be found. He sought them everywhere in the palace
and garden, but could not find them. Then he was much troubled, and
made known to the whole land that whosoever brought his daughters back
again should have one of them to wife. Hereupon so many young men went
about the country in search, that there was no counting them, for every
one loved the three children because they were so kind to all, and so
fair of face. Three young huntsmen also went out, and when they had
travelled about for eight days, they arrived at a great castle, in
which were beautiful apartments, and in one room a table was laid on
which were delicate dishes which were still so warm that they were
smoking, but in the whole of the castle no human being was either to be
seen or heard. They waited there for half a day, and the food still
remained warm and smoking, and at length they were so hungry that they
sat down and ate, and agreed with each other that they would stay and
live in that castle, and that one of them, who should be chosen by
casting lots, should remain in the house, and the two others seek the
King’s daughters. They cast lots, and the lot fell on the eldest; so
next day the two younger went out to seek, and the eldest had to stay
home. At mid-day came a small, small mannikin and begged for a piece of
bread, then the huntsman took the bread which he had found there, and
cut a round off the loaf and was about to give it to him, but whilst he
was giving it to the mannikin, the latter let it fall, and asked the
huntsman to be so good as to give him that piece again. The huntsman
was about to do so and stooped, on which the mannikin took a stick,
seized him by the hair, and gave him a good beating. Next day, the
second stayed at home, and he fared no better. When the two others
returned in the evening, the eldest said, “Well, how have you got on?”

“Oh, very badly,” said he, and then they lamented their misfortune
together, but they said nothing about it to the youngest, for they did
not like him at all, and always called him Stupid Hans, because he did
not exactly belong to the forest. On the third day, the youngest stayed
at home, and again the little mannikin came and begged for a piece of
bread. When the youth gave it to him, the elf let it fall as before,
and asked him to be so good as to give him that piece again. Then said
Hans to the little mannikin, “What! canst thou not pick up that piece
thyself? If thou wilt not take as much trouble as that for thy daily
bread, thou dost not deserve to have it.” Then the mannikin grew very
angry and said he was to do it, but the huntsman would not, and took my
dear mannikin, and gave him a thorough beating. Then the mannikin
screamed terribly, and cried, “Stop, stop, and let me go, and I will
tell thee where the King’s daughters are.” When Hans heard that, he
left off beating him and the mannikin told him that he was an earth
mannikin, and that there were more than a thousand like him, and that
if he would go with him he would show him where the King’s daughters
were. Then he showed him a deep well, but there was no water in it. And
the elf said that he knew well that the companions Hans had with him
did not intend to deal honourably with him, therefore if he wished to
deliver the King’s children, he must do it alone. The two other
brothers would also be very glad to recover the King’s daughters, but
they did not want to have any trouble or danger. Hans was therefore to
take a large basket, and he must seat himself in it with his hanger and
a bell, and be let down. Below were three rooms, and in each of them
was a princess, with a many-headed dragon, whose heads she was to comb
and trim, but he must cut them off. And having said all this, the elf
vanished. When it was evening the two brothers came and asked how he
had got on, and he said, “pretty well so far,” and that he had seen no
one except at mid-day when a little mannikin had come and begged for a
piece of bread, that he had given some to him, but that the mannikin
had let it fall and had asked him to pick it up again; but as he did
not choose to do that, the elf had begun to lose his temper, and that
he had done what he ought not, and had given the elf a beating, on
which he had told him where the King’s daughters were. Then the two
were so angry at this that they grew green and yellow. Next morning
they went to the well together, and drew lots who should first seat
himself in the basket, and again the lot fell on the eldest, and he was
to seat himself in it, and take the bell with him. Then he said, “If I
ring, you must draw me up again immediately.” When he had gone down for
a short distance, he rang, and they at once drew him up again. Then the
second seated himself in the basket, but he did just the same as the
first, and then it was the turn of the youngest, but he let himself be
lowered quite to the bottom. When he had got out of the basket, he took
his hanger, and went and stood outside the first door and listened, and
heard the dragon snoring quite loudly. He opened the door slowly, and
one of the princesses was sitting there, and had nine dragon’s heads
lying upon her lap, and was combing them. Then he took his hanger and
hewed at them, and the nine fell off. The princess sprang up, threw her
arms round his neck, embraced and kissed him repeatedly, and took her
stomacher, which was made of pure gold, and hung it round his neck.
Then he went to the second princess, who had a dragon with five heads
to comb, and delivered her also, and to the youngest, who had a dragon
with four heads, he went likewise. And they all rejoiced, and embraced
him and kissed him without stopping. Then he rang very loud, so that
those above heard him, and he placed the princesses one after the other
in the basket, and had them all drawn up, but when it came to his own
turn he remembered the words of the elf, who had told him that his
comrades did not mean well by him. So he took a great stone which was
lying there, and placed it in the basket, and when it was about half
way up, his false brothers above cut the rope, so that the basket with
the stone fell to the ground, and they thought that he was dead, and
ran away with the three princesses, making them promise to tell their
father that it was they who had delivered them, and then they went to
the King, and each demanded a princess in marriage.

In the meantime the youngest huntsman was wandering about the three
chambers in great trouble, fully expecting to have to end his days
there, when he saw, hanging on the wall, a flute; then said he, “Why
dost thou hang there, no one can be merry here?” He looked at the
dragons, heads likewise and said, “You too cannot help me now.” He
walked backwards and forwards for such a long time that he made the
surface of the ground quite smooth. But at last other thoughts came to
his mind, and he took the flute from the wall, and played a few notes
on it, and suddenly a number of elves appeared, and with every note
that he sounded one more came. Then he played until the room was
entirely filled. They all asked what he desired, so he said he wished
to get above ground back to daylight, on which they seized him by every
hair that grew on his head, and thus they flew with him onto the earth
again. When he was above ground, he at once went to the King’s palace,
just as the wedding of one princess was about to be celebrated, and he
went to the room where the King and his three daughters were. When the
princesses saw him they fainted. Hereupon the King was angry, and
ordered him to be put in prison at once, because he thought he must
have done some injury to the children. When the princesses came to
themselves, however, they entreated the King to set him free again. The
King asked why, and they said that they were not allowed to tell that,
but their father said that they were to tell it to the stove. And he
went out, listened at the door, and heard everything. Then he caused
the two brothers to be hanged on the gallows, and to the third he gave
his youngest daughter, and on that occasion I wore a pair of glass
shoes, and I struck them against a stone, and they said, “Klink,” and
were broken.