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| These stories provided by children's author Rick Walton's Online Library. |
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Three Snake Leaves |
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THERE WAS ONCE A poor man who could no longer afford to keep his only son at home. The son said to him, `Dear Father, you are so poor I am only a burden to you. I would rather go out into the world and earn my living.' The father gave him his blessing and took leave of him with much sorrow. About this time the king of a very powerful kingdom was carrying on a war. The youth therefore took service under him and went on the campaign. In the hot fighting it rained bullets so thickly his comrades fell around him on all sides.
When their leader fell, too, the rest wished to flee. The youth stepped forward and encouraged them, calling out, `We must not let our country be ruined!' Then others followed him, and he pressed on and defeated the enemy. When the king heard he had to thank him alone for the victory, he raised him higher in rank than anyone else, gave him great treasures, and made him the first in the kingdom.
The king had a daughter who was very beautiful, but she was also very capricious. She had made a vow to marry no one who would not promise her that if she died first, he would allow himself to be buried alive with her. `If he loves me truly,' she used to say, `what use would lift be to him then?' At the same time she was willing to do the same, and if he died first to be buried with him. This curious vow had frightened away all suitors. But the young man was so captivated by her beauty that he hesitated at nothing and asked her hand of her father.
`Do you know,' asked the king, `what you have to promise?'
`I shall have to go into her grave with her,' he answered, "if I outlive her; but my love is so great I do not think of the risk:
So the king consented, and the wedding was celebrated with great splendor.
Now, they lived for a long time very happily with each other, but then it came to pass that the princess fell seriously ill and no doctor could save her. When she lay dead, the prince remembered what he had promised. It made him shudder to think of lying in her grave alive, but there was no escape. The king had set guards before all the gates and it was not possible to avoid his fate.
When the day arrived on which the princess was to be laid in the royal vault, he was led thither. The entrance was bolted and closed up.
Near the coffin stood a table on which were placed four candles, four loaves of bread and four bottles of wine. As soon as this provision was eaten he would starve. So he sat there full of grief and misery, eating every day only a tiny bit of bread and drinking only a mouthful of wine, and he watched death creeping nearer and nearer to him.
One day as he sat staring moodily before him, he saw a snake creep out of the corner toward the coffin. Thinking it was going to touch it, he drew his sword and saying, `As long as T am alive you shall not harm her,' he cut it in three pieces. After a little time a second snake crept out of the corner.
When it saw the first one lying in pieces it went back and came again soon, holding three green leaves in its mouth. Then it took the three bits of the snake, laid them in order, and put one of the leaves on each wound. Immediately the pieces were joined together, the snake moved and became alive, and then both hurried away. The leaves remained lying on the ground. Suddenly it occurred to the unfortunate man, who had seen everything, that the wonderful power of the leaves might also be used upon a human being.
So he picked up the leaves and laid one of them on the mouth and the other two on the eyes of the dead princess. Scarcely had he done this, before the blood began to circulate in her veins; then it mounted and brought color back to her white face. Then she drew her breath, opened her eyes, and said, 'Ah, where am I?'
'You are with me, dear lady,' he answered, and told her all that had happened and how he had brought her to life again. He then gave her some wine and bread. When her strength had returned she rose. They went to the door and knocked and called so loudly that the guards heard them and told the king. The king came himself to open the door, and there he found both happy and well and rejoiced with them. But the prince gave the three snake leaves to a servant, saying to him, `Keep them carefully for me and always carry them with you. Who knows but they may help us again in time of need!'
It seemed, however, that a change had come over the princess after she had been restored to life, and her love for her husband had faded from her heart.. Some time afterward he wanted to take a journey over the sea to his old father. On board the ship, she forgot the great love and faithfulness he had shown her and how he had saved her from death and fell in love with the captain. And one day when the prince was lying asleep, she called the captain to her and together they threw him into the sea. When they had done this wicked deed she said to the captain:
`Now let us go home and say he died on the journey. I will praise you so much to my father that he will and make you the heir to the throne.'
But the faithful servant, who had seen everything, let down a little boat into the sea unobserved by them. He rowed after his master while the traitors sailed on. He took the prince out of the water, and placing the three snake leaves on his mouth and eyes, brought his master to life again.
They both rowed as hard as they could night and day, and their little boat went so quickly that they reached the old king before the other two. He was much astonished to see them come back alone and asked what had happened to them. When he heard the wickedness of his daughter, he said, `I cannot believe she has acted so wrongly, but the truth will soon come to light.' He made them both go into a secret chamber and let no one see them.
Soon after this the large ship came in, and the wicked lady appeared before her father with a sad face. He said to her:
`Why have you come back alone? Where is your husband?'
'Ah, dear Father,' she replied, `I have come home in great grief. My husband fell ill on the voyage quite suddenly and died. If the good captain had not given me help, I should have died too. He was at his deathbed and can tell you everything.'
The king said, `I will bring the dead to life again,' and he opened the door of the room and called them both out. The lady was as if thunderstruck when she caught sight of her husband. Then she fell on her knees and begged for mercy. But the king said:
`You shall have no mercy. He was ready to die with you, and restored you to life again. You killed him when he was sleeping and shall receive your deserts.'
So she and her accomplice were put into a ship which was drawn out to sea, and they were never heard of again.
[Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm.]
(from The Green Fairy Book , by Andrew Lang)
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