The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales (Pantheon Books) - Jacob Grimm [146]
At this Dummling was glad, and said: “Get up and come with me; you shall eat yourself full.” He led him to the King’s palace, where all the flour in the whole Kingdom was collected, and from it he caused a huge mountain of bread to be baked. The man from the forest stood before it, began to eat, and by the end of one day the whole mountain had vanished. Then Dummling for the third time asked for his bride; but the King again sought a way out, and ordered a ship which could sail on land and on water. “As soon as you come sailing back in it,” said he, “you shall have my daughter for wife.”
Dummling went straight into the forest, and there sat the little grey man to whom he had given his cake. When he heard what Dummling wanted, he said: “Since you have given me to eat and to drink, I will give you the ship; and I do all this because you once were kind to me.” Then he gave him the ship which could sail on land and water, and when the king saw that, he could no longer prevent him from having his daughter. The wedding was celebrated, and after the King’s death, Dummling inherited his Kingdom and lived for a long time contentedly with his wife.
* Simpleton.
Allerleirauh*
THERE was once upon a time a King who had a wife with golden hair, and she was so beautiful that her equal was not to be found on earth. It came to pass that she lay ill, and as she felt that she must soon die, she called the King and said: “If you wish to marry again after my death, take no one who is not quite as beautiful as I am, and who has not just such golden hair as I have: this you must promise me.” And after the King had promised her this she closed her eyes and died.
For a long time the King could not be comforted, and had no thought of taking another wife. At length his councillors said: “This cannot go on. The King must marry again, that we may have a Queen.” And now messengers were sent about far and wide, to seek a bride who equalled the late Queen in beauty. In the whole world, however, none was to be found, and even if one had been found, still there would have been no one who had such golden hair. So the messengers came home as they went.
Now the King had a daughter, who was just as beautiful as her dead mother, and had the same golden hair. When she was grown up the King looked at her one day, and saw that in every respect she was like his late wife, and suddenly felt a violent love for her. Then he spoke to his councillors: “I will marry my daughter, for she is the counterpart of my late wife, otherwise I can find no bride who resembles her.” When the councillors heard that, they were shocked, and said: “God has forbidden a father to marry his daughter. No good can come from such a crime, and the kingdom will be involved in the ruin.”
The daughter was still more shocked when she became aware of her father’s resolution, but hoped to turn him from his design. Then she said to him: “Before I fulfil your wish, I must have three dresses, one as golden as the sun, one as silvery as the moon, and one as bright as the stars; besides this, I wish for a mantle of a thousand different kinds of fur and peltry joined together, and one of every kind of animal in your kingdom must give a piece of his skin for it.” For she thought: “To get that will be quite impossible, and thus I shall divert my father from his wicked intentions.” The King, however, did not give it up, and the cleverest maidens in his kingdom had to weave the three dresses, one as golden as the sun, one as silvery as the moon, and one as bright as the stars, and his huntsmen had to catch one of every kind of animal in the whole of his kingdom, and take from it a piece of its skin, and out of these was made a mantle of a thousand different kinds of fur. At length, when all was ready, the King caused the mantle to be brought, spread it out before her, and said: “The wedding shall be tomorrow.”
When, therefore, the King’s daughter saw that there was no longer any hope of turning her father’s heart, she resolved