Fairy Tales (Deluxe Hardbound Edition)

The Tinder-Box

Translated by Mrs. H. P. Paull

Asoldier came marching along the high road: Left, right—left, right. He had his knapsack on his back, and a sword at his side; he had been to the wars, and was now returning home.

As he walked on, he met a very frightful-looking old witch in the road. Her under-lip hung quite down on her breast, and she stopped and said, Good evening, soldier; you have a very fine sword, and a large knapsack, and you are a real soldier; so you shall have as much money as ever you like.

Thank you, old witch, said the soldier.

Do you see that large tree, said the witch, pointing to a tree which stood beside them. Well, it is quite hollow inside, and you must climb to the top, when you will see a hole, through which you can let yourself down into the tree to a great depth. I will tie a rope round your body, so that I can pull you up again when you call out to me.

But what am I to do, down there in the tree? asked the soldier.

Get money, she replied; for you must know that when you reach the ground under the tree, you will find yourself in a large hall, lighted up by three hundred lamps; you will then see three doors, which can be easily opened, for the keys are in all the locks. On entering the first of the chambers, to which these doors lead, you will see a large chest, standing in the middle of the floor, and upon it a dog seated, with a pair of eyes as large as teacups. But you need not be at all afraid of him; I will give you my blue checked apron, which you must spread upon the floor, and then boldly seize hold of the dog, and place him upon it. You can then open the chest, and take from it as many pence as you please, they are only copper pence; but if you would rather have silver money, you must go into the second chamber. Here you will find another dog, with eyes as big as mill-wheels; but do not let that trouble you. Place him upon my apron, and then take what money you please. If, however, you like gold best, enter the third chamber, where there is another chest full of it. The dog who sits on this chest is very dreadful; his eyes are as big as a tower, but do not mind him. If he also is placed upon my apron, he cannot hurt you, and you may take from the chest what gold you will.

This is not a bad story, said the soldier; but what am I to give you, you old witch? for, of course, you do not mean to tell me all this for nothing.

No, said the witch; but I do not ask for a single penny. Only promise to bring me an old tinder-box, which my grandmother left behind the last time she went down there.

Very well; I promise. Now tie the rope round my body.

Here it is, replied the witch; and here is my blue checked apron.

As soon as the rope was tied, the soldier climbed up the tree, and let himself down through the hollow to the ground beneath; and here he found, as the witch had told him, a large hall, in which many hundred lamps were all burning. Then he opened the first door. Ah! there sat the dog, with the eyes as large as teacups, staring at him.

You’re a pretty fellow, said the soldier, seizing him, and placing him on the witch’s apron, while he filled his pockets from the chest with as many pieces as they would hold. Then he closed the lid, seated the dog upon it again, and walked into another chamber, And, sure enough, there sat the dog with eyes as big as mill-wheels.

You had better not look at me in that way, said the soldier; you will make your eyes water; and then he seated him also upon the apron, and opened the chest. But when he saw what a quantity of silver money it contained, he very quickly threw away all the coppers he had taken, and filled his pockets and his knapsack with nothing but silver.

Then he went into the third room, and there the dog was really hideous; his eyes were, truly, as big as towers, and they turned round and round in his head like wheels.

Good morning, said the soldier, touching his cap, for he had never seen such a dog in his life. But after looking at him more closely, he thought he had been civil enough, so he placed him on the floor, and opened the chest. Good gracious, what a quantity of gold there was! enough to buy all the sugar-sticks of the sweet-stuff women; all the tin soldiers, whips, and rocking-horses in the world, or even the whole town itself. There was, indeed, an immense quantity. So the soldier now threw away all the silver money he had taken, and filled his pockets and his knapsack with gold instead; and not only his pockets and his knapsack, but even his cap and boots, so that he could scarcely walk.

He was really rich now; so he replaced the dog on the chest, closed the door, and called up through the tree, Now pull me out, you old witch.

Have you got the tinder-box? asked the witch.

No; I declare I quite forgot it. So he went back and fetched the Tinder-box, and then the witch drew him up out of the tree, and he stood again in the high road, with his pockets, his knapsack, his cap, and his boots full of gold.

What are you going to do with the tinder-box? asked the soldier.

That is nothing to you, replied the witch; you have the money, now give me the tinder-box.

I tell you what, said the soldier, if you don’t tell me what you are going to do with it, I will draw my sword and cut off your head.

No, said the witch.

The soldier immediately cut off her head, and there she lay on the ground. Then he tied up all his money in her apron. and slung it on his back like a bundle, put the Tinder-box in his pocket, and walked off to the nearest town. It was a very nice town, and he put up at the best inn, and ordered a dinner of all his favourite dishes, for now he was rich and had plenty of money.

The servant, who cleaned his boots, thought they certainly were a shabby pair to be worn by such a rich gentleman, for he had not yet bought any new ones. The next day, however, he procured some good clothes and proper boots, so that our soldier soon became known as a fine gentleman, and the people visited him, and told him all the wonders that were to be seen in the town, and of the king’s beautiful daughter, the princess.

Where can I see her? asked the soldier.

She is not to be seen at all, they said; she lives in a large copper castle, surrounded by walls and towers. No one but the king himself can pass in or out, for there has been a prophecy that she will marry a common soldier, and the king cannot bear to think of such a marriage.

I should like very much to see her, thought the soldier; but he could not obtain permission to do so. However, he passed a very pleasant time; went to the theatre, drove in the king’s garden, and gave a great deal of money to the poor, which was very good of him; he remembered what it had been in olden times to be without a shilling. Now he was rich, had fine clothes, and many friends, who all declared he was a fine fellow and a real gentleman, and all this gratified him exceedingly. But his money would not last forever; and as he spent and gave away a great deal daily, and received none, he found himself at last with only two shillings left. So he was obliged to leave his elegant rooms, and live in a little garret under the roof, where he had to clean his own boots, and even mend them with a large needle. None of his friends came to see him, there were too many stairs to mount up. One dark evening, he had not even a penny to buy a candle; then all at once he remembered that there was a piece of candle stuck in the tinder-box, which he had brought from the old tree, into which the witch had helped him.

He found the tinder-box, but no sooner had he struck a few sparks from the flint and steel, than the door flew open and the dog with eyes as big as teacups, whom he had seen while down in the tree, stood before him, and said, What orders, master?

Hallo, said the soldier; well this is a pleasant Tinder-box, if it brings me all I wish for.

Bring me some money, said he to the dog.

He was gone in a moment, and presently returned, carrying a large bag of coppers in his mouth. The soldier very soon discovered after this the value of the tinder-box. If he struck the flint once, the dog who sat on the chest of copper money made his appearance; if twice, the dog came from the chest of silver; and if three times, the dog with eyes like towers, who watched over the gold. The soldier had now plenty of money; he returned to his elegant rooms, and reappeared in his fine clothes, so that his friends knew him again directly, and made as much of him as before.

After a while he began to think it was very strange that no one could get a look at the princess. Every one says she is very beautiful, thought he to himself; but what is the use of that if she is to be shut up in a copper castle surrounded by so many towers. Can I by any means get to see her. Stop! where is my tinder-box? Then he struck a light, and in a moment the dog, with eyes as big as teacups, stood before him.

It is midnight, said the soldier, yet I should very much like to see the princess, if only for a moment.

The dog disappeared instantly, and before the soldier could even look round, he returned with the princess. She was lying on the dog’s back asleep, and looked so lovely, that every one who saw her would know she was a real princess. The soldier could not help kissing her, true soldier as he was. Then the dog ran back with the princess; but in the morning, while at breakfast with the king and queen, she told them what a singular dream she had had during the night, of a dog and a soldier, that she had ridden on the dog’s back, and been kissed by the soldier.

That is a very pretty story, indeed, said the queen. So the next night one of the old ladies of the court was set to watch by the princess’s bed, to discover whether it really was a dream, or what else it might be.

The soldier longed very much to see the princess once more, so he sent for the dog again in the night to fetch her, and to run with her as fast as ever he could. But the old lady put on water boots, and ran after him as quickly as he did, and found that he carried the princess into a large house. She thought it would help her to remember the place if she made a large cross on the door with a piece of chalk. Then she went home to bed, and the dog presently returned with the princess. But when he saw that a cross had been made on the door of the house, where the soldier lived, he took another piece of chalk and made crosses on all the doors in the town, so that the lady-in-waiting might not be able to find out the right door.

Early the next morning the king and queen accompanied the lady and all the officers of the household, to see where the princess had been.

Here it is, said the king, when they came to the first door with a cross on it.

No, my dear husband, it must be that one," said the queen, pointing to a second door having a cross also.

And here is one, and there is another! they all exclaimed; for there were crosses on all the doors in every direction.

So they felt it would be useless to search any farther. But the queen was a very clever woman; she could do a great deal more than merely ride in a carriage. She took her large gold scissors, cut a piece of silk into squares, and made a neat little bag. This bag she filled with buckwheat flour, and tied it round the princess’s neck; and then she cut a small hole in the bag, so that the flour might be scattered on the ground as the princess went along. During the night, the dog came again and carried the princess on his back, and ran with her to the soldier, who loved her very much, and wished that he had been a prince, so that he might have her for a wife. The dog did not observe how the flour ran out of the bag all the way from the castle wall to the soldier’s house, and even up to the window, where he had climbed with the princess. Therefore in the morning the king and queen found out where their daughter had been, and the soldier was taken up and put in prison. Oh, how dark and disagreeable it was as he sat there, and the people said to him, Tomorrow you will be hanged. It was not very pleasant news, and besides, he had left the tinder-box at the inn. In the morning he could see through the iron grating of the little window how the people were hastening out of the town to see him hanged; he heard the drums beating, and saw the soldiers marching. Every one ran out to look at them. and a shoemaker’s boy, with a leather apron and slippers on, galloped by so fast, that one of his slippers flew off and struck against the wall where the soldier sat looking through the iron grating. Hallo, you shoemaker’s boy, you need not be in such a hurry, cried the soldier to him. There will be nothing to see till I come; but if you will run to the house where I have been living, and bring me my tinder-box, you shall have four shillings, but you must put your best foot foremost.

The shoemaker’s boy liked the idea of getting the four shillings, so he ran very fast and fetched the tinder-box, and gave it to the soldier. And now we shall see what happened. Outside the town a large gibbet had been erected, round which stood the soldiers and several thousands of people. The king and the queen sat on splendid thrones opposite to the judges and the whole council. The soldier already stood on the ladder; but as they were about to place the rope around his neck, he said that an innocent request was often granted to a poor criminal before he suffered death. He wished very much to smoke a pipe, as it would be the last pipe he should ever smoke in the world. The king could not refuse this request, so the soldier took his tinder-box, and struck fire, once, twice, thrice—and there in a moment stood all the dogs—the one with eyes as big as teacups, the one with eyes as large as mill-wheels, and the third, whose eyes were like towers. Help me now, that I may not be hanged, cried the soldier.

And the dogs fell upon the judges and all the councillors; seized one by the legs, and another by the nose, and tossed them many feet high in the air, so that they fell down and were dashed to pieces.

I will not be touched, said the king. But the largest dog seized him, as well as the queen, and threw them after the others. Then the soldiers and all the people were afraid, and cried, Good soldier, you shall be our king, and you shall marry the beautiful princess.

So they placed the soldier in the king’s carriage, and the three dogs ran on in front and cried Hurrah! and the little boys whistled through their fingers, and the soldiers presented arms. The princess came out of the copper castle, and became queen, which was very pleasing to her. The wedding festivities lasted a whole week, and the dogs sat at the table, and stared with all their eyes.

Little Claus and Big Claus

Translated by Mrs. H. P. Paull

In a village there once lived two men who had the same name. They were both called Claus. One of them had four horses, but the other had only one; so to distinguish them, people called the owner of the four horses, Great Claus, and he who had only one, Little Claus. Now we shall hear what happened to them, for this is a true story.

Through the whole week, Little Claus was obliged to plough for Great Claus, and lend him his one horse; and once a week, on a Sunday, Great Claus lent him all his four horses. Then how Little Claus would smack his whip over all five horses, they were as good as his own on that one day. The sun shone brightly, and the church bells were ringing merrily as the people passed by, dressed in their best clothes, with their prayer-books under their arms. They were going to hear the clergyman preach. They looked at Little Claus ploughing with his five horses, and he was so proud that he smacked his whip, and said, Gee-up, my five horses.

You must not say that, said Big Claus; for only one of them belongs to you. But Little Claus soon forgot what he ought to say, and when any one passed he would call out, Gee-up, my five horses!

Now I must beg you not to say that again, said Big Claus; for if you do, I shall hit your horse on the head, so that he will drop dead on the spot, and there will be an end of him.

I promise you I will not say it any more, said the other; but as soon as people came by, nodding to him, and wishing him Good day, he became so pleased, and thought how grand it looked to have five horses ploughing in his field, that he cried out again, Gee-up, all my horses!

I’ll Gee-up your horses for you, said Big Claus; and seizing a hammer, he struck the one horse of Little Claus on the head, and he fell dead instantly.

Oh, now I have no horse at all, said Little Claus, weeping. But after a while he took off the dead horse’s skin, and hung the hide to dry in the wind. Then he put the dry skin into a bag, and, placing it over his shoulder, went out into the next town to sell the horse’s skin. He had a very long way to go, and had to pass through a dark, gloomy forest. Presently a storm arose, and he lost his way, and before he discovered the right path, evening came on, and it was still a long way to the town, and too far to return home before night. Near the road stood a large farmhouse. The shutters outside the windows were closed, but lights shone through the crevices at the top. I might get permission to stay here for the night, thought Little Claus; so he went up to the door and knocked. The farmer’s wife opened the door; but when she heard what he wanted, she told him to go away, as her husband would not allow her to admit strangers. Then I shall be obliged to lie out here, said Little Claus to himself, as the farmer’s wife shut the door in his face. Near to the farmhouse stood a large haystack, and between it and the house was a small shed, with a thatched roof. I can lie up there, said Little Claus, as he saw the roof; it will make a famous bed, but I hope the stork will not fly down and bite my legs; for on it stood a living stork, whose nest was in the roof. So Little Claus climbed to the roof of the shed, and while he turned himself to get comfortable, he discovered that the wooden shutters, which were closed, did not reach to the tops of the windows of the farmhouse, so that he could see into a room, in which a large table was laid out with wine, roast meat, and a splendid fish. The farmer’s wife and the sexton were sitting at the table together; and she filled his glass, and helped him plenteously to fish, which appeared to be his favourite dish. If I could only get some, too, thought Little Claus; and then, as he stretched his neck towards the window he spied a large, beautiful pie—indeed they had a glorious feast before them.

At this moment he heard some one riding down the road, towards the farmhouse. It was the farmer returning home. He was a good man, but still he had a very strange prejudice—he could not bear the sight of a sexton. If one appeared before him, he would put himself in a terrible rage. In consequence of this dislike, the sexton had gone to visit the farmer’s wife during her husband’s absence from home, and the good woman had placed before him the best she had in the house to eat. When she heard the farmer coming she was frightened, and begged the sexton to hide himself in a large empty chest that stood in the room. He did so, for he knew her husband could not endure the sight of a sexton. The woman then quickly put away the wine, and hid all the rest of the nice things in the oven; for if her husband had seen them he would have asked what they were brought out for.

Oh, dear, sighed Little Claus from the top of the shed, as he saw all the good things disappear.

Is any one up there? asked the farmer, looking up and discovering Little Claus. Why are you lying up there? Come down, and come into the house with me. So Little Claus came down and told the farmer how he had lost his way and begged for a night’s lodging.

All right, said the farmer; but we must have something to eat first.

The woman received them both very kindly, laid the cloth on a large table, and placed before them a dish of porridge. The farmer was very hungry, and ate his porridge with a good appetite, but Little Claus could not help thinking of the nice roast meat, fish and pies, which he knew were in the oven. Under the table, at his feet, lay the sack containing the horse’s skin, which he intended to sell at the next town. Now Little Claus did not relish the porridge at all, so he trod with his foot on the sack under the table, and the dry skin squeaked quite loud. Hush! said Little Claus to his sack, at the same time treading upon it again, till it squeaked louder than before.

Hallo! what have you got in your sack! asked the farmer.

Oh, it is a conjuror, said Little Claus; and he says we need not eat porridge, for he has conjured the oven full of roast meat, fish, and pie.

Wonderful! cried the farmer, starting up and opening the oven door; and there lay all the nice things hidden by the farmer’s wife, but which he supposed had been conjured there by the wizard under the table. The woman dared not say anything; so she placed the things before them, and they both ate of the fish, the meat, and the pastry.

Then Little Claus trod again upon his sack, and it squeaked as before. What does he say now? asked the farmer.

He says, replied Little Claus, that there are three bottles of wine for us, standing in the corner, by the oven.

So the woman was obliged to bring out the wine also, which she had hidden, and the farmer drank it till he became quite merry. He would have liked such a conjuror as Little Claus carried in his sack. Could he conjure up the evil one? asked the farmer. I should like to see him now, while I am so merry.

Oh, yes! replied Little Claus, my conjuror can do anything I ask him—can you not? he asked, treading at the same time on the sack till it squeaked. Do you hear? he answers ‘Yes,’ but he fears that we shall not like to look at him.

Oh, I am not afraid. What will he be like?

Well, he is very much like a sexton.

Ha! said the farmer, then he must be ugly. Do you know I cannot endure the sight of a sexton. However, that doesn’t matter, I shall know who it is; so I shall not mind. Now then, I have got up my courage, but don’t let him come too near me.

Stop, I must ask the conjuror, said Little Claus; so he trod on the bag, and stooped his ear down to listen.

What does he say?

He says that you must go and open that large chest which stands in the corner, and you will see the evil one crouching down inside; but you must hold the lid firmly, that he may not slip out.

Will you come and help me hold it? said the farmer, going towards the chest in which his wife had hidden the sexton, who now lay inside, very much frightened. The farmer opened the lid a very little way, and peeped in.

Oh, cried he, springing backwards, I saw him, and he is exactly like our sexton. How dreadful it is! So after that he was obliged to drink again, and they sat and drank till far into the night.

You must sell your conjuror to me, said the farmer; ask as much as you like, I will pay it; indeed I would give you directly a whole bushel of gold.

No, indeed, I cannot, said Little Claus; only think how much profit I could make out of this conjuror.

But I should like to have him, said the fanner, still continuing his entreaties.

Well, said Little Claus at length, you have been so good as to give me a night’s lodging, I will not refuse you; you shall have the conjuror for a bushel of money, but I will have quite full measure.

So you shall, said the farmer; but you must take away the chest as well. I would not have it in the house another hour; there is no knowing if he may not be still there.

So Little Claus gave the farmer the sack containing the dried horse’s skin, and received in exchange a bushel of money—full measure. The farmer also gave him a wheelbarrow on which to carry away the chest and the gold.

Farewell, said Little Claus, as he went off with his money and the great chest, in which the sexton lay still concealed. On one side of the forest was a broad, deep river, the water flowed so rapidly that very few were able to swim against the stream. A new bridge had lately been built across it, and in the middle of this bridge Little Claus stopped, and said, loud enough to be heard by the sexton, Now what shall I do with this stupid chest; it is as heavy as if it were full of stones: I shall be tired if I roll it any farther, so I may as well throw it in the river; if it swims after me to my house, well and good, and if not, it will not much matter.

So he seized the chest in his hand and lifted it up a little, as if he were going to throw it into the water.

No, leave it alone, cried the sexton from within the chest; let me out first.

Oh, exclaimed Little Claus, pretending to be frightened, he is in there still, is he? I must throw him into the river, that he may be drowned.

Oh, no; oh, no, cried the sexton; I will give you a whole bushel full of money if you will let me go.

Why, that is another matter, said Little Claus, opening the chest. The sexton crept out, pushed the empty chest into the water, and went to his house, then he measured out a whole bushel full of gold for Little Claus, who had already received one from the farmer, so that now he had a barrow full.

I have been well paid for my horse, said he to himself when he reached home, entered his own room, and emptied all his money into a heap on the floor. How vexed Great Claus will be when he finds out how rich I have become all through my one horse; but I shall not tell him exactly how it all happened. Then he sent a boy to Great Claus to borrow a bushel measure.

What can he want it for? thought Great Claus; so he smeared the bottom of the measure with tar, that some of whatever was put into it might stick there and remain. And so it happened; for when the measure returned, three new silver florins were sticking to it.

What does this mean? said Great Claus; so he ran off directly to Little Claus, and asked, Where did you get so much money?

Oh, for my horse’s skin, I sold it yesterday.

It was certainly well paid for then, said Great Claus; and he ran home to his house, seized a hatchet, and knocked all his four horses on the head, flayed off their skins, and took them to the town to sell. Skins, skins, who’ll buy skins? he cried, as he went through the streets. All the shoemakers and tanners came running, and asked how much he wanted for them.

A bushel of money, for each, replied Great Claus.

Are you mad? they all cried; do you think we have money to spend by the bushel?

Skins, skins, he cried again, who’ll buy skins? but to all who inquired the price, his answer was, a bushel of money.

He is making fools of us, said they all; then the shoemakers took their straps, and the tanners their leather aprons, and began to beat Great Claus.

Skins, skins! they cried, mocking him; yes, we’ll mark your skin for you, till it is black and blue.

Out of the town with him, said they. And Great Claus was obliged to run as fast as he could, he had never before been so thoroughly beaten.

Ah, said he, as he came to his house; Little Claus shall pay me for this; I will beat him to death.

Meanwhile the old grandmother of Little Claus died. She had been cross, unkind, and really spiteful to him; but he was very sorry, and took the dead woman and laid her in his warm bed to see if he could bring her to life again. There he determined that she should lie the whole night, while he seated himself in a chair in a corner of the room as he had often done before. During the night, as he sat there, the door opened, and in came Great Claus with a hatchet. He knew well where Little Claus’s bed stood; so he went right up to it, and struck the old grandmother on the head. thinking it must be Little Claus.

There, cried he, now you cannot make a fool of me again; and then he went home.

That is a very wicked man, thought Little Claus; he meant to kill me. It is a good thing for my old grandmother that she was already dead, or he would have taken her life. Then he dressed his old grandmother in her best clothes, borrowed a horse of his neighbour, and harnessed it to a cart. Then he placed the old woman on the back seat, so that she might not fall out as he drove, and rode away through the wood. By sunrise they reached a large inn, where Little Claus stopped and went to get something to eat. The landlord was a rich man, and a good man too; but as passionate as if he had been made of pepper and snuff.