When he came to his father, he made himself known to him,
but he did not at all believe that the shepherd was his son, and said
he certainly had had a son, but that he was dead long ago; however, as
he saw he was a poor, needy shepherd, he would give him something to
eat. Then the shepherd said to his parents, “I am verily your son. Do
you know of no mark on my body by which you could recognize me?” “Yes,”
said his mother, “our son had a raspberry mark under his right arm.” He
slipped back his shirt, and they saw the raspberry under his right arm,
and no longer doubted that he was their son. Then he told them that he
was King of the Golden Mountain, and a king’s daughter was his wife,
and that they had a fine son of seven years old. Then said the father,
“That is certainly not true; it is a fine kind of a king who goes about
in a ragged shepherd’s-coat.” On this the son fell in a passion, and
without thinking of his promise, turned his ring round, and wished both
his wife and child with him. They were there in a second, but the Queen
wept, and reproached him, and said that he had broken his word, and had
brought misfortune upon her. He said, “I have done it thoughtlessly,
and not with evil intention,” and tried to calm her, and she pretended
to believe this; but she had mischief in her mind. Then he led her out of the town into the field, and showed her the
stream where the little boat had been pushed off, and then he said, “I
am tired; sit down, I will sleep awhile on thy lap.” And he laid his
head on her lap, and fell asleep. When he was asleep, she first drew
the ring from his finger, then she drew away the foot which was under
him, leaving only the slipper behind her, and she took her child in her
arms, and wished herself back in her own kingdom. When he awoke, there
he lay quite deserted, and his wife and child were gone, and so was the
ring from his finger, the slipper only was still there as a token. “Home to thy parents thou canst not return,” thought he, “they would
say that thou wast a wizard; thou must be off, and walk on until thou
arrivest in thine own kingdom.” So he went away and came at length to a
hill by which three giants were standing, disputing with each other
because they did not know how to divide their father’s property. When
they saw him passing by, they called to him and said little men had
quick wits, and that he was to divide their inheritance for them. The
inheritance, however, consisted of a sword, which had this property
that if any one took it in his hand, and said, “All heads off but
mine,” every head would lie on the ground; secondly, of a cloak which
made any one who put it on invisible; thirdly, of a pair of boots which
could transport the wearer to any place he wished in a moment. He said,
“Give me the three things that I may see if they are still in good
condition.” They gave him the cloak, and when he had put it on, he was
invisible and changed into a fly. Then he resumed his own form and
said, “The cloak is a good one, now give me the sword.” They said, “No,
we will not give thee that; if thou were to say, All heads off but
mine,’ all our heads would be off, and thou alone wouldst be left with
thine.” Nevertheless they gave it to him with the condition that he was
only to try it against a tree. This he did, and the sword cut in two
the trunk of a tree as if it had been a blade of straw. Then he wanted
to have the boots likewise, but they said, “No, we will not give them;
if thou hadst them on thy feet and wert to wish thyself at the top of
the hill, we should be left down here with nothing.” “Oh, no,” said he,
“I will not do that.” So they gave him the boots as well. And now when
he had got all these things, he thought of nothing but his wife and his
child, and said as though to himself, “Oh, if I were but on the Golden
Mountain,” and at the same moment he vanished from the sight of the
giants, and thus their inheritance was divided. When he was near his
palace, he heard sounds of joy, and fiddles, and flutes, and the people
told him that his wife was celebrating her wedding with another. Then
he fell into a rage, and said, “False woman, she betrayed and deserted
me whilst I was asleep!” So he put on his cloak, and unseen by all went
into the palace. When he entered the dining-hall a great table was
spread with delicious food, and the guests were eating and drinking,
and laughing, and jesting. She sat on a royal seat in the midst of them
in splendid apparel, with a crown on her head. He placed himself behind
her, and no one saw him. When she put a piece of meat on a plate for
herself, he took it away and ate it, and when she poured out a glass of
wine for herself, he took it away and drank it. She was always helping
herself to something, and yet she never got anything, for plate and
glass disappeared immediately. Then dismayed and ashamed, she arose and
went to her chamber and wept, but he followed her there. She said, “Has
the devil power over me, or did my deliverer never come?” Then he
struck her in the face, and said, “Did thy deliverer never come? It is
he who has thee in his power, thou traitor. Have I deserved this from
thee?” Then he made himself visible, went into the hall, and cried,
“The wedding is at an end, the true King has returned.” The kings,
princes, and councillors who were assembled there, ridiculed and mocked
him, but he did not trouble to answer them, and said, “Will you go
away, or not?” On this they tried to seize him and pressed upon him,
but he drew his sword and said, “All heads off but mine,” and all the
heads rolled on the ground, and he alone was master, and once more King
of the Golden Mountain. 93 The Raven

There was once upon a time a Queen who had a little daughter who was
still so young that she had to be carried. One day the child was
naughty, and the mother might say what she liked, but the child would
not be quiet. Then she became impatient, and as the ravens were flying
about the palace, she opened the window and said, “I wish you were a
raven and would fly away, and then I should have some rest.” Scarcely
had she spoken the words, before the child was changed into a raven,
and flew from her arms out of the window. It flew into a dark forest,
and stayed in it a long time, and the parents heard nothing of their
child. Then one day a man was on his way through this forest and heard
the raven crying, and followed the voice, and when he came nearer, the
bird said, “I am a king’s daughter by birth, and am bewitched, but thou
canst set me free.” “What am I to do,” asked he. She said, “Go further
into the forest, and thou wilt find a house, wherein sits an aged
woman, who will offer thee meat and drink, but you must accept nothing,
for if you eatest and drinkest anything, thou wilt fall into a sleep,
and then thou wilt not be able to deliver me. In the garden behind the
house there is a great heap of tan, and on this thou shalt stand and
wait for me.