All the
guests ran at once but the host said, “The three crazy apprentices have
done this;” the lodgers confirmed it, and said, “It can have been no
one else.” The innkeeper, however, had them called, and said to them,
“Have you killed the merchant?” “All three of us,” said the first, “For
money,” said the second; and the third added, “And quite right too!”
“There now, you hear,” said the host, “they confess it themselves.”
They were taken to prison, therefore, and were to be tried. When they
saw that things were going so seriously, they were after all afraid,
but at night the Devil came and said, “Bear it just one day longer, and
do not play away your luck, not one hair of your head shall be hurt.”

The next morning they were led to the bar, and the judge said, “Are you
the murderers?” “All three of us.” “Why did you kill the merchant?”
“For money.” “You wicked wretches, you have no horror of your sins?”
“And quite right too!” “They have confessed, and are still stubborn,”
said the judge, “lead them to death instantly.” So they were taken out,
and the host had to go with them into the circle. When they were taken
hold of by the executioner’s men, and were just going to be led up to
the scaffold where the headsman was standing with naked sword, a coach
drawn by four blood-red chestnut horses came up suddenly, driving so
fast that fire flashed from the stones, and someone made signs from the
window with a white handkerchief. Then said the headsman, “It is a
pardon coming,” and “Pardon! pardon!” was called from the carriage
also. Then the Devil stepped out as a very noble gentleman, beautifully
dressed, and said, “You three are innocent; you may now speak, make
known what you have seen and heard.” Then said the eldest, “We did not
kill the merchant, the murderer is standing there in the circle,” and
he pointed to the innkeeper. “In proof of this, go into his cellar,
where many others whom he has killed are still hanging.” Then the judge
sent the executioner’s men thither, and they found it was as the
apprentices said, and when they had informed the judge of this, he
caused the innkeeper to be led up, and his head was cut off. Then said
the Devil to the three, “Now I have got the soul which I wanted to
have, and you are free, and have money for the rest of your lives.”



121 The King’s Son Who Feared Nothing

There was once a King’s son, who was no longer content to stay at home
in his father’s house, and as he had no fear of anything, he thought,
“I will go forth into the wide world, there the time will not seem long
to me, and I shall see wonders enough.” So he took leave of his
parents, and went forth, and on and on from morning till night, and
whichever way his path led it was the same to him. It came to pass that
he got to the house of a giant, and as he was so tired he sat down by
the door and rested. And as he let his eyes roam here and there, he saw
the giant’s playthings lying in the yard. These were a couple of
enormous balls, and nine-pins as tall as a man. After a while he had a
fancy to set the nine-pins up and then rolled the balls at them, and
screamed and cried out when the nine-pins fell, and had a merry time of
it. The giant heard the noise, stretched his head out of the window,
and saw a man who was not taller than other men, and yet played with
his nine-pins. “Little worm,” cried he, “why art thou playing with my
balls? Who gave thee strength to do it?” The King’s son looked up, saw
the giant, and said, “Oh, thou blockhead, thou thinkest indeed that
thou only hast strong arms, I can do everything I want to do.” The
giant came down and watched the bowling with great admiration, and
said, “Child of man, if thou art one of that kind, go and bring me an
apple of the tree of life.” “What dost thou want with it?” said the
King’s son. “I do not want the apple for myself,” answered the giant,
“but I have a betrothed bride who wishes for it. I have travelled far
about the world and cannot find the tree.” “I will soon find it,” said
the King’s son, “and I do not know what is to prevent me from getting
the apple down.” The giant said, “Thou really believest it to be so
easy! The garden in which the tree stands is surrounded by an iron
railing, and in front of the railing lie wild beasts, each close to the
other, and they keep watch and let no man go in.” “They will be sure to
let me in,” said the King’s son. “Yes, but even if thou dost get into
the garden, and seest the apple hanging to the tree, it is still not
thine; a ring hangs in front of it, through which any one who wants to
reach the apple and break it off, must put his hand, and no one has yet
had the luck to do it.” “That luck will be mine,” said the King’s son. Then he took leave of the giant, and went forth over mountain and
valley, and through plains and forests, until at length he came to the
wondrous garden. The beasts lay round about it, but they had put their heads down and
were asleep. Moreover, they did not awake when he went up to them, so
he stepped over them, climbed the fence, and got safely into the
garden. There, in the very middle of it, stood the tree of life, and
the red apples were shining upon the branches. He climbed up the trunk
to the top, and as he was about to reach out for an apple, he saw a
ring hanging before it; but he thrust his hand through that without any
difficulty, and gathered the apple. The ring closed tightly on his arm,
and all at once he felt a prodigious strength flowing through his
veins. When he had come down again from the tree with the apple, he
would not climb over the fence, but grasped the great gate, and had no
need to shake it more than once before it sprang open with a loud
crash. Then he went out, and the lion which had been lying down before,
was awake and sprang after him, not in rage and fierceness, but
following him humbly as its master. The King’s son took the giant the apple he had promised him, and said,
“Seest thou, I have brought it without difficulty.” The giant was glad
that his desire had been so soon satisfied, hastened to his bride, and
gave her the apple for which she had wished. She was a beautiful and
wise maiden, and as she did not see the ring on his arm, she said, “I
shall never believe that thou hast brought the apple, until I see the
ring on thine arm.” The giant said, “I have nothing to do but go home
and fetch it,” and thought it would be easy to take away by force from
the weak man, what he would not give of his own free will. He therefore
demanded the ring from him, but the King’s son refused it. “Where the
apple is, the ring must be also,” said the giant; “if thou wilt not
give it of thine own accord, thou must fight with me for it.”

They wrestled with each other for a long time, but the giant could not
get the better of the King’s son, who was strengthened by the magical
power of the ring. Then the giant thought of a stratagem, and said, “I
have got warm with fighting, and so hast thou.