Sweetheart Roland

by The Brothers Grimm

There was once on a time a woman who was a real witch and had twodaughters, one ugly and wicked, and this one she loved because she washer own daughter, and one beautiful and good, and this one she hated,because she was her step-daughter. The step-daughter once had a prettyapron, which the other fancied so much that she became envious, and toldher mother that she must and would have that apron. "Be quiet, my child,"said the old woman, "and thou shalt have it. Thy step-sister has longdeserved death, to-night when she is asleep I will come and cut her headoff. Only be careful that thou art at the far-side of the bed, and pushher well to the front." It would have been all over with the poor girl ifshe had not just then been standing in a corner, and heard everything. Allday long she dared not go out of doors, and when bed-time had come,the witch's daughter got into bed first, so as to lie at the far side,but when she was asleep, the other pushed her gently to the front, andtook for herself the place at the back, close by the wall. In the night,the old woman came creeping in, she held an axe in her right hand, andfelt with her left to see if anyone was lying at the outside, and thenshe grasped the axe with both hands, and cut her own child's head off.

　　When she had gone away, the girl got up and went to her sweetheart, whowas called Roland, and knocked at his door. When he came out, she said tohim, "Hear me, dearest Roland, we must fly in all haste; my step-motherwanted to kill me, but has struck her own child. When daylight comes,and she sees what she has done, we shall be lost." "But," said Roland,"I counsel thee first to take away her magic wand, or we cannot escapeif she pursues us." The maiden fetched the magic wand, and she took thedead girl's head and dropped three drops of blood on the ground, one infront of the bed, one in the kitchen, and one on the stairs. Then shehurried away with her lover. When the old witch got up next morning,she called her daughter, and wanted to give her the apron, but she didnot come. Then the witch cried, "Where art thou?" "Here, on the stairs,I am sweeping," answered the first drop of blood. The old woman went out,but saw no one on the stairs, and cried again, "Where art thou?" "Here inthe kitchen, I am warming myself," cried the second drop of blood. Shewent into the kitchen, but found no one. Then she cried again, "Whereart thou?" "Ah, here in the bed, I am sleeping." cried the third drop ofblood. She went into the room to the bed. What did she see there? Herown child, whose head she had cut off, bathed in her blood. The witchfell into a passion, sprang to the window, and as she could look forthquite far into the world, she perceived her step-daughter hurryingaway with her sweetheart Roland. "That shall not serve you," criedshe, "even if you have got a long way off, you shall still not escapeme." She put on her many league boots, in which went an hour's walkat every step, and it was not long before she overtook them. The girl,however, when she saw the old woman striding towards her, changed, withher magic wand, her sweetheart Roland into a lake, and herself intoa duck swimming in the middle of it. The witch placed herself on theshore, threw bread-crumbs in, and gave herself every possible troubleto entice the duck; but the duck did not let herself be enticed, andthe old woman had to go home at night as she had come. On this the girland her sweetheart Roland resumed their natural shapes again, and theywalked on the whole night until daybreak. Then the maiden changed herselfinto a beautiful flower which stood in the midst of a briar hedge, andher sweetheart Roland into a fiddler. It was not long before the witchcame striding up towards them, and said to the musician, "Dear musician,may I pluck that beautiful flower for myself?" "Oh, yes," he replied,"I will play to you while you do it." As she was hastily creeping intothe hedge and was just going to pluck the flower, for she well knewwho the flower was, he began to play, and whether she would or not, shewas forced to dance, for it was a magical dance. The quicker he played,the more violent springs was she forced to make, and the thorns tore herclothes from her body, and pricked her and wounded her till she bled,and as he did not stop, she had to dance till she lay dead on the ground.

　　When they were delivered, Roland said, "Now I will go to my fatherand arrange for the wedding." "Then in the meantime I will stay hereand wait for thee," said the girl, "and that no one may recognize me,I will change myself into a red stone land-mark." Then Roland went away,and the girl stood like a red land-mark in the field and waited for herbeloved. But when Roland got home, he fell into the snares of another,who prevailed on him so far that he forgot the maiden. The poor girlremained there a long time, but at length, as he did not return at all,she was sad, and changed herself into a flower, and thought, "Some onewill surely come this way, and trample me down."

　　It befell, however, that a shepherd kept his sheep in the field, andsaw the flower, and as it was so pretty, plucked it, took it with him,and laid it away in his chest. From that time forth, strange thingshappened in the shepherd's house. When he arose in the morning, allthe work was already done, the room was swept, the table and benchescleaned, the fire on the hearth was lighted, and the water was fetched,and at noon, when he came home, the table was laid, and a good dinnerserved. He could not conceive how this came to pass, for he never sawa human being in his house, and no one could have concealed himselfin it. He was certainly pleased with this good attendance, but stillat last he was so afraid that he went to a wise woman and asked forher advice. The wise woman said, "There is some enchantment behind it,listen very early some morning if anything is moving in the room, and ifthou seest anything, let it be what it may, throw a white cloth over it,and then the magic will be stopped."

　　The shepherd did as she bade him, and next morning just as day dawned,he saw the chest open, and the flower come out. Swiftly he sprang towardsit, and threw a white cloth over it. Instantly the transformation came toan end, and a beautiful girl stood before him, who owned to him that shehad been the flower, and that up to this time she had attended to hishousekeeping. She told him her story, and as she pleased him he askedher if she would marry him, but she answered, "No," for she wanted toremain faithful to her sweetheart Roland, although he had deserted her,but she promised not to go away, but to keep house for the shepherd forthe future.

　　And now the time drew near when Roland's wedding was to be celebrated,and then, according to an old custom in the country, it was announcedthat all the girls were to be present at it, and sing in honour of thebridal pair. When the faithful maiden heard of this, she grew so sadthat she thought her heart would break, and she would not go thither,but the other girls came and took her. When it came to her turn tosing, she stepped back, until at last she was the only one left, andthen she could not refuse. But when she began her song, and it reachedRoland's ears, he sprang up and cried, "I know the voice, that is thetrue bride, I will have no other!" Everything he had forgotten, andwhich had vanished from his mind, had suddenly come home again to hisheart. Then the faithful maiden held her wedding with her sweetheartRoland, and grief came to an end and joy began.

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