merve/folk-mythology-tales · Datasets at Hugging Face

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Then he took the eggs, and coming down, put his foot on every bone,
then took it with him, till he came to the last bone, which was so near
the ground that he failed to touch it with his foot.

He now placed all the bones of Auburn Mary in order again at the side
of the spring, put the flesh on them, sprinkled it with water from the
spring. She rose up before him, and said: "Didn't I tell you not to
leave a bone of my body without stepping on it? Now I am lame for life!
You left my little finger on the tree without touching it, and I have
but nine fingers."

"Now," says she, "go home with the eggs quickly, and you will get me to
marry to-night if you can know me. I and my two sisters will be arrayed
in the same garments, and made like each other, but look at me when my
father says, 'Go to thy wife, king's son;' and you will see a hand
without a little finger."

He gave the eggs to the giant.

"Yes, yes!" says the giant, "be making ready for your marriage."

Then, indeed, there was a wedding, and it _was_ a wedding! Giants and
gentlemen, and the son of the king of the Green City was in the midst
of them. They were married, and the dancing began, that was a dance!
The giant's house was shaking from top to bottom.

But bed time came, and the giant said, "It is time for thee to go to
rest, son of the king of Tethertown; choose thy bride to take with thee
from amidst those."

She put out the hand off which the little finger was, and he caught her
by the hand.

"Thou hast aimed well this time too; but there is no knowing but we may
meet thee another way," said the giant.

But to rest they went. "Now," says she, "sleep not, or else you are a
dead man. We must fly quick, quick, or for certain my father will kill
you."

Out they went, and on the blue grey filly in the stable they mounted.
"Stop a while," says she, "and I will play a trick to the old hero."
She jumped in, and cut an apple into nine shares, and she put two
shares at the head of the bed, and two shares at the foot of the bed,
and two shares at the door of the kitchen, and two shares at the big
door, and one outside the house.

The giant awoke and called, "Are you asleep?"

"Not yet," said the apple that was at the head of the bed.

At the end of a while he called again.

"Not yet," said the apple that was at the foot of the bed.

A while after this he called again: "Are your asleep?"

"Not yet," said the apple at the kitchen door.

The giant called again.

The apple that was at the big door answered.

"You are now going far from me," says the giant.

"Not yet," says the apple that was outside the house.

"You are flying," says the giant. The giant jumped on his feet, and to
the bed he went, but it was cold--empty.

"My own daughter's tricks are trying me," said the giant. "Here's after
them," says he.

At the mouth of day, the giant's daughter said that her father's breath
was burning her back.

"Put your hand, quick," said she, "in the ear of the grey filly, and
whatever you find in it, throw it behind us."

"There is a twig of sloe tree," said he.

"Throw it behind us," said she.

No sooner did he that, than there were twenty miles of blackthorn wood,
so thick that scarce a weasel could go through it.

The giant came headlong, and there he is fleecing his head and neck in
the thorns.

"My own daughter's tricks are here as before," said the giant; "but if
I had my own big axe and wood knife here, I would not be long making a
way through this."

He went home for the big axe and the wood knife, and sure he was not
long on his journey, and he was the boy behind the big axe. He was not
long making a way through the blackthorn.

"I will leave the axe and the wood knife here till I return," says he.

"If you leave 'em, leave 'em," said a hoodie that was in a tree, "we'll

Then he took the eggs, and coming down, put his foot on every bone,

then took it with him, till he came to the last bone, which was so near

the ground that he failed to touch it with his foot.

He now placed all the bones of Auburn Mary in order again at the side

of the spring, put the flesh on them, sprinkled it with water from the

spring. She rose up before him, and said: "Didn't I tell you not to

leave a bone of my body without stepping on it? Now I am lame for life!

You left my little finger on the tree without touching it, and I have

but nine fingers."

"Now," says she, "go home with the eggs quickly, and you will get me to

marry to-night if you can know me. I and my two sisters will be arrayed

in the same garments, and made like each other, but look at me when my

father says, 'Go to thy wife, king's son;' and you will see a hand

without a little finger."

He gave the eggs to the giant.

"Yes, yes!" says the giant, "be making ready for your marriage."

Then, indeed, there was a wedding, and it _was_ a wedding! Giants and

gentlemen, and the son of the king of the Green City was in the midst

of them. They were married, and the dancing began, that was a dance!

The giant's house was shaking from top to bottom.

But bed time came, and the giant said, "It is time for thee to go to

rest, son of the king of Tethertown; choose thy bride to take with thee

from amidst those."

She put out the hand off which the little finger was, and he caught her

by the hand.

"Thou hast aimed well this time too; but there is no knowing but we may

meet thee another way," said the giant.

But to rest they went. "Now," says she, "sleep not, or else you are a

dead man. We must fly quick, quick, or for certain my father will kill

you."

Out they went, and on the blue grey filly in the stable they mounted.

"Stop a while," says she, "and I will play a trick to the old hero."

She jumped in, and cut an apple into nine shares, and she put two

shares at the head of the bed, and two shares at the foot of the bed,

and two shares at the door of the kitchen, and two shares at the big

door, and one outside the house.

The giant awoke and called, "Are you asleep?"

"Not yet," said the apple that was at the head of the bed.

At the end of a while he called again.

"Not yet," said the apple that was at the foot of the bed.

A while after this he called again: "Are your asleep?"

"Not yet," said the apple at the kitchen door.

The giant called again.

The apple that was at the big door answered.

"You are now going far from me," says the giant.

"Not yet," says the apple that was outside the house.

"You are flying," says the giant. The giant jumped on his feet, and to

the bed he went, but it was cold--empty.

"My own daughter's tricks are trying me," said the giant. "Here's after

them," says he.

At the mouth of day, the giant's daughter said that her father's breath

was burning her back.

"Put your hand, quick," said she, "in the ear of the grey filly, and

whatever you find in it, throw it behind us."

"There is a twig of sloe tree," said he.

"Throw it behind us," said she.

No sooner did he that, than there were twenty miles of blackthorn wood,

so thick that scarce a weasel could go through it.

The giant came headlong, and there he is fleecing his head and neck in

the thorns.

"My own daughter's tricks are here as before," said the giant; "but if

I had my own big axe and wood knife here, I would not be long making a

way through this."

He went home for the big axe and the wood knife, and sure he was not

long on his journey, and he was the boy behind the big axe. He was not

long making a way through the blackthorn.

"I will leave the axe and the wood knife here till I return," says he.

"If you leave 'em, leave 'em," said a hoodie that was in a tree, "we'll