When she got home, her mother was standing
before the door, and asked, “What hast thou had given to thee?” Then
she lied and said, “A great bag of money, but I have lost it on the
way.” “Lost it!” cried the mother, “oh, but we will soon find it
again,” and took her by the hand, and wanted to seek it with her. At
first she began to cry, and did not wish to go, but at last she went. On the way, however, so many lizards and snakes broke loose on both of
them, that they did not know how to save themselves. At last they stung
the wicked child to death, and they stung the mother in the foot,
because she had not brought her up better. Legend 2 The Twelve Apostles

Three hundred years before the birth of the Lord Christ, there lived a
mother who had twelve sons, but was so poor and needy that she no
longer knew how she was to keep them alive at all. She prayed to God
daily that he would grant that all her sons might be on the earth with
the Redeemer who was promised. When her necessity became still greater
she sent one of them after the other out into the world to seek bread
for her. The eldest was called Peter, and he went out and had already
walked a long way, a whole day’s journey, when he came into a great
forest. He sought for a way out, but could find none, and went farther
and farther astray, and at the same time felt such great hunger that he
could scarcely stand. At length he became so weak that he was forced to
lie down, and he believed death to be at hand. Suddenly there stood
beside him a small boy who shone with brightness, and was as beautiful
and kind as an angel. The child smote his little hands together, until
Peter was forced to look up and saw him. Then the child said, “Why art
thou sitting there in such trouble?” “Alas!” answered Peter, “I am
going about the world seeking bread, that I may yet see the dear
Saviour who is promised, that is my greatest desire.” The child said,
“Come with me, and thy wish shall be fulfilled.” He took poor Peter by
the hand, and led him between some cliffs to a great cavern. When they
entered it, everything was shining with gold, silver, and crystal, and
in the midst of it twelve cradles were standing side by side. Then said
the little angel, “Lie down in the first, and sleep a while, I will
rock thee.” Peter did so, and the angel sang to him and rocked him
until he was al seep. And when he was asleep, the second brother came
also, guided thither by his guardian angel, and he was rocked to sleep
like the first, and thus came the others, one after the other, until
all twelve lay there sleeping in the golden cradles. They slept,
however, three hundred years, until the night when the Saviour of the
world was born. Then they awoke, and were with him on earth, and were
called the twelve apostles. Legend 3 The Rose

There was once a poor woman who had two children. The youngest had to
go every day into the forest to fetch wood. Once when she had gone a
long way to seek it, a little child, who was quite strong, came and
helped her industriously to pick up the wood and carry it home, and
then before a moment had passed the strange child disappeared. The
child told her mother this, but at first she would not believe it. At
length she brought a rose home, and told her mother that the beautiful
child had given her this rose, and had told her that when it was in
full bloom, he would return. The mother put the rose in water. One
morning her child could not get out of bed, the mother went to the bed
and found her dead, but she lay looking very happy. On the same
morning, the rose was in full bloom. Legend 4 Poverty and Humility Lead to Heaven

There was once a King’s son who went out into the world, and he was
full of thought and sad. He looked at the sky, which was so beautifully
pure and blue, then he sighed, and said, “How well must all be with one
up there in heaven!” Then he saw a poor gray-haired man who was coming
along the road towards him, and he spoke to him, and asked, “How can I
get to heaven?” The man answered, “By poverty and humility. Put on my
ragged clothes, wander about the world for seven years, and get to know
what misery is, take no money, but if thou art hungry ask compassionate
hearts for a bit of bread; in this way thou wilt reach heaven.”

Then the King’s son took off his magnificent coat, and wore in its
place the beggar’s garment, went out into the wide world, and suffered
great misery. He took nothing but a little food, said nothing, but
prayed to the Lord to take him into his heaven. When the seven years
were over, he returned to his father’s palace, but no one recognized
him. He said to the servants, “Go and tell my parents that I have come
back again.” But the servants did not believe it, and laughed and left
him standing there. Then said he, “Go and tell it to my brothers that
they may come down, for I should so like to see them again.” The
servants would not do that either, but at last one of them went, and
told it to the King’s children, but these did not believe it, and did
not trouble themselves about it. Then he wrote a letter to his mother,
and described to her all his misery, but he did not say that he was her
son. So, out of pity, the Queen had a place under the stairs assigned
to him, and food taken to him daily by two servants. But one of them
was ill-natured and said, “Why should the beggar have the good food?”
and kept it for himself, or gave it to the dogs, and took the weak,
wasted-away beggar nothing but water; the other, however, was honest,
and took the beggar what was sent to him. It was little, but he could
live on it for a while, and all the time he was quite patient, but he
grew continually weaker. As, however, his illness increased, he desired
to receive the last sacrament. When the host was being elevated down
below, all the bells in the town and neighbourhood began to ring. After
mass the priest went to the poor man under the stairs, and there he lay
dead. In one hand he had a rose, in the other a lily, and beside him
was a paper in which was written his history. When he was buried, a rose grew on one side of his grave, and a lily on
the other. Legend 5 God’s Food

There were once upon a time two sisters, one of whom had no children
and was rich, and the other had five and was a widow, and so poor that
she no longer had food enough to satisfy herself and her children. In
her need, therefore, she went to her sister, and said, “My children and
I are suffering the greatest hunger; thou art rich, give me a mouthful
of bread.” The very rich sister was as hard as a stone, and said, “I
myself have nothing in the house,” and drove away the poor creature
with harsh words. After some time the husband of the rich sister came
home, and was just going to cut himself a piece of bread, but when he
made the first cut into the loaf, out flowed red blood. When the woman
saw that she was terrified and told him what had occurred.