The
unicorn ran against the tree with all its strength, and struck its horn
so fast in the trunk that it had not strength enough to draw it out
again, and thus it was caught. “Now, I have got the bird,” said the
tailor, and came out from behind the tree and put the rope round its
neck, and then with his axe he hewed the horn out of the tree, and when
all was ready he led the beast away and took it to the King. The King still would not give him the promised reward, and made a third
demand. Before the wedding the tailor was to catch him a wild boar that
made great havoc in the forest, and the huntsmen should give him their
help. “Willingly,” said the tailor, “that is child’s play!” He did not
take the huntsmen with him into the forest, and they were well pleased
that he did not, for the wild boar had several times received them in
such a manner that they had no inclination to lie in wait for him. When
the boar perceived the tailor, it ran on him with foaming mouth and
whetted tusks, and was about to throw him to the ground, but the active
hero sprang into a chapel which was near, and up to the window at once,
and in one bound out again. The boar ran in after him, but the tailor
ran round outside and shut the door behind it, and then the raging
beast, which was much too heavy and awkward to leap out of the window,
was caught. The little tailor called the huntsmen thither that they
might see the prisoner with their own eyes. The hero, however went to
the King, who was now, whether he liked it or not, obliged to keep his
promise, and gave him his daughter and the half of his kingdom. Had he
known that it was no warlike hero, but a little tailor who was standing
before him, it would have gone to his heart still more than it did. The
wedding was held with great magnificence and small joy, and out of a
tailor a king was made. After some time the young Queen heard her husband say in his dreams at
night, “Boy, make me the doublet, and patch the pantaloons, or else I
will rap the yard-measure over thine ears.” Then she discovered in what
state of life the young lord had been born, and next morning complained
of her wrongs to her father, and begged him to help her to get rid of
her husband, who was nothing else but a tailor. The King comforted her
and said, “Leave thy bed-room door open this night, and my servants
shall stand outside, and when he has fallen asleep shall go in, bind
him, and take him on board a ship which shall carry him into the wide
world.” The woman was satisfied with this; but the King’s
armour-bearer, who had heard all, was friendly with the young lord, and
informed him of the whole plot. “I’ll put a screw into that business,”
said the little tailor. At night he went to bed with his wife at the
usual time, and when she thought that he had fallen asleep, she got up,
opened the door, and then lay down again. The little tailor, who was
only pretending to be asleep, began to cry out in a clear voice, “Boy,
make me the doublet and patch me the pantaloons, or I will rap the
yard-measure over thine ears. I smote seven at one blow. I killed two
giants, I brought away one unicorn and caught a wild boar, and am I to
fear those who are standing outside the room.” When these men heard the
tailor speaking thus, they were overcome by a great dread, and ran as
if the wild huntsman were behind them, and none of them would venture
anything further against him. So the little tailor was a king and
remained one, to the end of his life. 21 Cinderella

The wife of a rich man fell sick, and as she felt that her end was
drawing near, she called her only daughter to her bedside and said,
“Dear child, be good and pious, and then the good God will always
protect thee, and I will look down on thee from heaven and be near
thee.” Thereupon she closed her eyes and departed. Every day the maiden
went out to her mother’s grave, and wept, and she remained pious and
good. When winter came the snow spread a white sheet over the grave,
and when the spring sun had drawn it off again, the man had taken
another wife. The woman had brought two daughters into the house with her, who were
beautiful and fair of face, but vile and black of heart. Now began a
bad time for the poor step-child. “Is the stupid goose to sit in the
parlour with us?” said they. “He who wants to eat bread must earn it;
out with the kitchen-wench.” They took her pretty clothes away from
her, put an old grey bedgown on her, and gave her wooden shoes. “Just
look at the proud princess, how decked out she is!” they cried, and
laughed, and led her into the kitchen. There she had to do hard work
from morning till night, get up before daybreak, carry water, light
fires, cook and wash. Besides this, the sisters did her every
imaginable injury—they mocked her and emptied her peas and lentils into
the ashes, so that she was forced to sit and pick them out again. In
the evening when she had worked till she was weary she had no bed to go
to, but had to sleep by the fireside in the ashes. And as on that
account she always looked dusty and dirty, they called her Cinderella. It happened that the father was once going to the fair, and he asked
his two step-daughters what he should bring back for them. “Beautiful
dresses,” said one, “Pearls and jewels,” said the second. “And thou,
Cinderella,” said he, “what wilt thou have?” “Father, break off for me
the first branch which knocks against your hat on your way home.” So he
bought beautiful dresses, pearls and jewels for his two step-daughters,
and on his way home, as he was riding through a green thicket, a hazel
twig brushed against him and knocked off his hat. Then he broke off the
branch and took it with him. When he reached home he gave his
step-daughters the things which they had wished for, and to Cinderella
he gave the branch from the hazel-bush. Cinderella thanked him, went to
her mother’s grave and planted the branch on it, and wept so much that
the tears fell down on it and watered it. And it grew, however, and
became a handsome tree. Thrice a day Cinderella went and sat beneath
it, and wept and prayed, and a little white bird always came on the
tree, and if Cinderella expressed a wish, the bird threw down to her
what she had wished for. It happened, however, that the King appointed a festival which was to
last three days, and to which all the beautiful young girls in the
country were invited, in order that his son might choose himself a
bride. When the two step-sisters heard that they too were to appear
among the number, they were delighted, called Cinderella and said,
“Comb our hair for us, brush our shoes and fasten our buckles, for we
are going to the festival at the King’s palace.” Cinderella obeyed, but
wept, because she too would have liked to go with them to the dance,
and begged her step-mother to allow her to do so. “Thou go,
Cinderella!” said she; “Thou art dusty and dirty and wouldst go to the
festival?