Chapter XL - The Boy that Stole the Giant’s Treasure

1. THE SWORD, THE GOLDEN FOWLS, THE GOLDEN
LANTERN, AND THE GOLDEN HARP.

There was once a poor peasant, who had three sons. The eldest two accompanied their father to field and forest, and aided him in his labour; but the youngest lad stayed at home with his mother, and helped her in her occupations. Hence he was slighted by his brothers, who treated him wrongfully whenever they had an opportunity.

After a time the father and mother died, and the three sons were to divide the inheritance; on which occasion, as may easily be imagined, the elder brothers took for their share all that was of any value, leaving nothing for their young brother. When everything else had been appropriated, there remained only an old split kneading-trough that neither of the two would have. One of the brothers thereupon said, “The old trough is exactly the thing for our young brother, he is so fond of baking and coddling.” The lad, as he well might, thought this was but a poor inheritance; but he had no remedy, and from that time he was convinced there was no good to be got by staying at home. So, bidding his brothers farewell, he went out into the world to try his luck. On coming to the water-side he caulked his trough with oakum, and so made a little boat of it, using two sticks for oars. He then rowed away.

Having crossed the water, he came to a spacious palace, into which he entered, and demanded to speak with the king. The king said, “What is thy family and thy errand?” The lad answered, “I am a poor peasant’s son, who has nothing in the world but an old kneading-trough. I come hither in search of employment.” When the king heard this he laughed, and said, “Thou hast, indeed, but a small inheritance; but luck often takes a wonderful turn.” The boy was then received among the king’s under-servants, and was well liked by all for his courage and activity.

We must now relate that the king, to whom the palace belonged, had an only daughter. She was both beautiful and discreet, so that her beauty and understanding were the subject of discourse throughout the whole realm, and wooers, from the east and west, came to demand her; but the princess said nay to all of them, unless they could bring her, as a bridal present, four precious things that were possessed by a giant on the other side of the water. These were—a golden sword, two gold fowls, a golden lantern, and a harp of gold. Many warriors and sons of kings had gone forth to gain these treasures, but not one had returned, for the giant had seized and eaten them all. This was a cause of grief to the king; he was fearful that his daughter would never get a husband, nor himself a son-in-law, who should inherit his kingdom.

When the lad heard talk of this, he thought to himself that it would be well worth while to make an attempt to win the king’s fair daughter. So, full of these thoughts, he one day appeared before the king and told his errand; but the king was incensed, and said, “How canst thou, who art a poor peasant, think of performing that which no warrior has hitherto been able to accomplish?” Nevertheless, the boy persisted in his design, and begged for leave to try his luck. When the king saw his resolution, his anger ceased, and he gave him permission, adding, “Thy life is at stake, and I would not willingly lose thee.” They then separated.

The lad then went down to the water, found his trough, which he carefully examined on all sides, after which he again rowed over the water, and lay on the watch near the giant’s dwelling, where he stayed during the night. In the morning, before it was light, the giant went to his barn and began threshing, so that it resounded through the mountain. On hearing this the lad gathered a number of small stones into his pouch, crept on to the roof and made a little hole, through which he could look down into the barn. The giant was wont at all times to wear his golden sword by his side, which possessed the extraordinary property of ringing loudly whenever its owner was angry. While the giant was threshing with might and main, the boy cast a small stone, so that it fell on the sword, at which the weapon gave forth a loud clank. “Why dost thou clank?” asked the giant, peevishly; “I am not angry with thee.” He resumed his threshing; but at the same moment the sword clanked again. The giant went on threshing, and the sword clanked for the third time. The giant then lost his patience, unclasped his belt, and cast the sword out at the door of the barn. “Lie there,” said he, “until I have done my threshing.” The lad, however, did not wait for that, but, creeping down from the roof, he seized the sword, ran to his boat, and rowed across the water. There he concealed his booty, and rejoiced that his enterprise had ended so favourably.

The next day the boy filled his scrip with corn, laid a bundle of bast in the boat, and again betook himself to the giant’s habitation. After lying on the watch for a while he perceived where the giant’s three golden fowls were spreading out their wings by the water’s edge, so that they glittered beautifully in the bright sunshine. He was instantly at hand, and began softly enticing the birds, at the same time giving them corn from his scrip. All the time they were engaged in eating the lad kept drawing nearer and nearer to the water, till at last all the three golden fowls were assembled in his little boat. He then sprang in himself, and having tied the fowls with the bast, pushed off the boat, and rowed away with all speed, to conceal his booty on the opposite side.

On the third day the lad put some lumps of salt into his scrip, and again crossed the water. When night drew near, he remarked how the smoke rose from the giant’s dwelling; and thence concluded that the giant’s wife was busied in preparing food; so creeping up on the roof, he looked down the chimney, and saw where a huge pot was boiling on the fire. Taking then the lumps of salt from his scrip, he let them fall one by one into the pot. He then stole down from the roof, and waited to see what would happen.

In a little while the giantess lifted the pot from the fire, poured out the porridge, and placed the bowl on the table. The giant was hungry, and instantly began to eat; but no sooner had he tasted the porridge and found it was both salt and bitter, than he started up overcome with anger. The crone excused herself, and thought the porridge was good; but the giant bade her taste it herself; he, for his part, would eat no more of her mess. The crone now tasted the porridge, but having so done, grinned most fearfully; for such nauseous stuff she had never before tasted.

The giantess had now no alternative but to boil some fresh porridge for her husband. For this purpose she took the pail, reached the gold lantern down from the wall, and ran to the well to fetch water. Having set the lantern down on the edge of the well, she stooped forwards to draw up the water, when the lad rushed towards her, and seizing her by the feet, pitched her headlong into the well, and possessed himself of the golden lantern. He then ran off and crossed the water in safety. In the meanwhile the giant sat wondering why his wife stayed so long away, and at length went in search of her; but nothing of her could he see, only a dull plashing was audible from the well. The giant was now aware that his wife was in the water, and with great difficulty helped her out. “Where is my golden lantern?” was his first question, as soon as the crone began a little to recover herself. “I don’t know,” answered she, “but it seemed to me that some one seized me by the feet and cast me into the well.” The giant was highly incensed at this intelligence, and said: “Three of my most precious things have now disappeared, and I have nothing left save my gold harp; but the thief, whoever he may be, shall not get that. I will secure it under twelve locks.”

While this was passing at the giant’s, the lad was sitting on the opposite side rejoicing that all had turned out so well; but the most difficult task still remained to be performed—to steal the giant’s golden harp. He meditated for a long time how this was to be effected; but could hit on no plan, and, therefore, resolved to cross over to the giant’s, and there wait for an opportunity.

No sooner said than done. The boy rowed over and stationed himself on the watch. But the giant was now on the look-out, got sight of the boy, and, rushing quickly forth, seized him. “So, I have caught thee at last, thou thief,” said the giant, almost bursting with rage. “It is no other than thou who has stolen my sword, my three golden fowls, and my golden lantern.” The lad was now terrified, thinking that his last hour was come; and he answered meekly: “Let me have my life, dear father; I will never come again.” “No,” replied the giant, “it shall go with thee as it has gone with the others. No one passes alive out of my hands.” The giant then caused the boy to be shut up in a sty, and gave him nuts and milk, that he might grow fat, previous to slaughtering him, and eating him up.

The lad was now a prisoner, but ate and drank and made himself comfortable. After some time had passed, the giant was desirous of ascertaining whether he were yet sufficiently fattened: he went, therefore, to the sty, bored a hole in the wall, and ordered the boy to put one of his fingers through. But the lad, being aware of his object, instead of a finger, put forth a peg of peeled alder. The giant made an incision in it, so that the red sap dropped from the wood; whence he concluded that the boy must still be very lean, seeing that his flesh was so hard; and therefore caused a larger allowance to be given him of milk and nuts than before.

After another interval had elapsed the giant went again to the sty and ordered the boy to put his finger through the hole in the wall. The lad this time put forth a cabbage-stalk, and the giant made a cut in it with his knife. He now thought his captive must be sufficiently plump, as his flesh seemed so soft.

When it was morning, the giant said to his wife: “Mother, the boy seems now fat enough; take him, therefore, and bake him in the oven. I will in the meanwhile go and invite our kinsmen to the feast.” The crone promised to do as her husband had commanded; so having made the oven very hot,.she laid hold on the boy for the purpose of baking him. “Place thyself on the peel,” said the giantess. The boy did so; but when the crone raised the handle of the peel, he contrived to fall off, and thus it happened at least ten times. At length the crone became very angry, and scolded him for his awkwardness; but the boy excused himself by saying that he did not know exactly how to sit. “Wait, I will show thee,” said the giantess, placing herself on the peel, with crooked back and drawn-up knees. But scarcely had she so done when the boy, seizing hold of the handle, shoved the beldam into the oven and closed the mouth. He then took the crone’s fur cloak, stuffed it with straw, and laid it on the bed; seized the giant’s great bunch of keys, opened the twelve locks, snatched up the golden harp and hurried down to his boat.

When the giant returned home, “Where can my wife be?” thought he to himself, not seeing her anywhere in the house. “Ah, she is no doubt lying down awhile to rest; that I can well imagine.” But long as the crone had slept, she, nevertheless, would not wake up, although the guests were every moment expected. So the giant went to wake her, crying aloud: “Wake up! wake up, mother!” But no one answered. He called a second time, but still without an answer. The giant now lost his temper, and gave the fur cloak a violent shake; and now discovered that it was not his old woman, but a bundle of straw over which her clothes had been laid. At this discovery the giant began to suspect mischief, and ran off to look after his golden harp. But the bunch of keys was away, the twelve locks had been opened, and the golden harp had also vanished. And when at length he w^rent to the mouth of the oven, to look after his festal repast, lo!—there sat his own wife, baked in the oven and grinning horribly at him.

The giant was now beside himself with grief and rage, and rushed out to take vengeance on the author of all this evil. On reaching the water’s edge, he saw the boy sitting in his boat, and playing on the harp, the tones of which resounded over the water, and the golden strings glittered beautifully in the bright sunshine. The giant sprang into the water to seize the boy; but finding it too deep, he laid himself down on the shore and began to drink, for the purpose of draining off the water. As he drank with all his might, he caused such a current that the little boat was borne nearer and nearer to the shore; but just as he was in the act of seizing it, he had drunk too much and burst.

The giant now lay dead on the land; but the boy rowed back over the water with great exultation and glee. On reaching the opposite shore, he combed his golden locks, arrayed himself in costly garments, girded the giant’s golden sword by his side, took the golden harp in one hand and the golden lantern in the other, enticed the golden fowls after him, and, thus equipped, entered the hall where the king was sitting at table with his courtiers. When the king saw the youth, he was overjoyed at heart, and beheld him with friendly eyes. But the youth, approaching the king’s fair daughter, greeted her courteously, and laid the giant’s treasures at her feet. There was now great joy throughout the royal palace, that the princess had obtained the giant’s treasures, and also a br" iegroom so comely and so valorous. The king shortly after caused his daughter’s nuptials to be solemnized with great pomp and rejoicing; and when the old king died, the boy was chosen king of the country, and lived there both long and happy. Since that time I was no longer with them.