Relate something to us like the
rest.” She replied, “Then I will relate a dream. I was walking alone
through a wood, and at last I came to a house, in which no living soul
was, but on the wall there was a bird in a cage which cried,

“Turn back, turn back, young maiden dear,
’Tis a murderer’s house you enter here.”


And this it cried once more. ‘My darling, I only dreamt this. Then I
went through all the rooms, and they were all empty, and there was
something so horrible about them! At last I went down into the cellar,
and there sat a very very old woman, whose head shook; I asked her,
‘Does my bridegroom live in this house? She answered, ‘Alas poor child,
thou hast got into a murderer’s den, thy bridegroom does live here, but
he will hew thee in pieces, and kill thee, and then he will cook thee,
and eat thee.’ My darling, I only dreamt this. But the old woman hid me
behind a great hogshead, and, scarcely was I hidden, when the robbers
came home, dragging a maiden with them, to whom they gave three kinds
of wine to drink, white, red, and yellow, with which her heart broke in
twain. My darling, I only dreamt this. Thereupon they pulled off her
pretty clothes, and hewed her fair body in pieces on a table, and
sprinkled them with salt. My darling, I only dreamt this. And one of
the robbers saw that there was still a ring on her little finger, and
as it was hard to draw off, he took an axe and cut it off, but the
finger sprang up in the air, and sprang behind the great hogshead, and
fell in my bosom. And there is the finger with the ring!” And with
these words she drew it forth, and showed it to those present. The robber, who had during this story become as pale as ashes, leapt up
and wanted to escape, but the guests held him fast, and delivered him
over to justice. Then he and his whole troop were executed for their
infamous deeds. 41 Herr Korbes

There were once a cock and a hen who wanted to take a journey together. So the cock built a beautiful carriage, which had four red wheels, and
harnessed four mice to it. The hen seated herself in it with the cock,
and they drove away together. Not long afterwards they met a cat who
said, “Where are you going?” The cock replied, “We are going to the
house of Herr Korbes.” “Take me with you,” said the cat. The cock
answered, “Most willingly, get up behind, lest you fall off in front. Take great care not to dirty my little red wheels. And you little
wheels, roll on, and you little mice pipe out, as we go forth on our
way to the house of Herr Korbes.”

After this came a millstone, then an egg, then a duck, then a pin, and
at last a needle, who all seated themselves in the carriage, and drove
with them. When, however, they reached the house of Herr Korbes, Herr
Korbes was not there. The mice drew the carriage into the barn, the hen
flew with the cock upon a perch. The cat sat down by the hearth, the
duck on the well-pole. The egg rolled itself into a towel, the pin
stuck itself into the chair-cushion, the needle jumped on to the bed in
the middle of the pillow, and the millstone laid itself over the door. Then Herr Korbes came home, went to the hearth, and was about to light
the fire, when the cat threw a quantity of ashes in his face. He ran
into the kitchen in a great hurry to wash it off, and the duck splashed
some water in his face. He wanted to dry it with the towel, but the egg
rolled up against him, broke, and glued up his eyes. He wanted to rest,
and sat down in the chair, and then the pin pricked him. He fell in a
passion, and threw himself on his bed, but as soon as he laid his head
on the pillow, the needle pricked him, so that he screamed aloud, and
was just going to run out into the wide world in his rage, but when he
came to the house-door, the millstone leapt down and struck him dead. Herr Korbes must have been a very wicked man! 42 The Godfather

A poor man had so many children that he had already asked every one in
the world to be godfather, and when still another child was born, no
one else was left whom he could invite. He knew not what to do, and, in
his perplexity, he lay down and fell asleep. Then he dreamt that he was
to go outside the gate, and ask the first person who met him to be
godfather. When he awoke, he determined to obey his dream, and went
outside the gate, and asked the first person who came up to him to be
godfather. The stranger presented him with a little glass of water, and
said, “This is a wonderful water, with it thou canst heal the sick,
only thou must see where Death is standing. If he is standing by the
patient’s head, give the patient some of the water and he will be
healed, but if Death is standing by his feet, all trouble will be in
vain, for the sick man must die.” From this time forth, the man could
always say whether a patient could be saved or not, and became famous
for his skill, and earned a great deal of money. Once he was called in
to the child of the King, and when he entered, he saw death standing by
the child’s head and cured it with the water, and he did the same a
second time, but the third time Death was standing by its feet, and
then he knew the child was forced to die. Once the man thought he would visit the godfather, and tell him how he
had succeeded with the water. But when he entered the house, it was
such a strange establishment! On the first flight of stairs, the broom
and shovel were disputing, and knocking each other about violently. He
asked them, “Where does the godfather live?” The broom replied, “One
flight of stairs higher up.” When he came to the second flight, he saw
a heap of dead fingers lying. He asked, “Where does the godfather
live?” One of the fingers replied, “One flight of stairs higher.” On
the third flight lay a heap of dead heads, which again directed him to
the flight beyond. On the fourth flight, he saw fishes on the fire,
which frizzled in the pans and baked themselves. They, too, said, “One
flight of stairs higher.” And when he had ascended the fifth, he came
to the door of a room and peeped through the keyhole, and there he saw
the godfather who had a pair of long horns. When he opened the door and
went in, the godfather got into bed in a great hurry and covered
himself up. Then said the man, “Sir godfather, what a strange household
you have! When I came to your first flight of stairs, the shovel and
broom were quarreling, and beating each other violently.”

“How stupid you are!” said the godfather. “That was the boy and the
maid talking to each other.” “But on the second flight I saw dead
fingers lying.” “Oh, how silly you are! Those were some roots of
scorzonera.” “On the third flight lay a heap of dead men’s heads.”
“Foolish man, those were cabbages.” “On the fourth flight, I saw fishes
in a pan, which were hissing and baking themselves.” When he had said
that, the fishes came and served themselves up.