The Skilful Huntsman

by The Brothers Grimm

THERE was once a young fellow who had learnt the trade of locksmith,and told his father he would now go out into the world and seek hisfortune. "Very well," said the father, "I am quite content with that,"and gave him some money for his journey. So he travelled about and lookedfor work. After a time he resolved not to follow the trade of locksmithany more, for he no longer liked it, but he took a fancy for hunting. Thenthere met him in his rambles a huntsman dressed in green, who asked whencehe came and whither he was going? The youth said he was a locksmith'sapprentice, but that the trade no longer pleased him, and he had a likingfor huntsmanship, would he teach it to him? "Oh, yes," said the huntsman,"if thou wilt go with me." Then the young fellow went with him, boundhimself to him for some years, and learnt the art of hunting. After thishe wished to try his luck elsewhere, and the huntsman gave him nothingin the way of payment but an air-gun, which had, however, this property,that it hit its mark without fail whenever he shot with it. Then he setout and found himself in a very large forest, which he could not get tothe end of in one day. When evening came he seated himself in a high treein order to escape from the wild beasts. Towards midnight, it seemed tohim as if a tiny little light glimmered in the distance. Then he lookeddown through the branches towards it, and kept well in his mind whereit was. But in the first place he took off his hat and threw it down inthe direction of the light, so that he might go to the hat as a mark whenhe had descended. Then he got down and went to his hat, put it on againand went straight forwards. The farther he went, the larger the lightgrew, and when he got close to it he saw that it was an enormous fire, andthat three giants were sitting by it, who had an ox on the spit, and wereroasting it. Presently one of them said, "I must just taste if the meatwill soon be fit to eat," and pulled a piece off, and was about to put itin his mouth when the huntsman shot it out of his hand. "Well, really,"said the giant, "if the wind has not blown the bit out of my hand!" andhelped himself to another. But when he was just about to bite into it,the huntsman again shot it away from him. On this the giant gave the onewho was sitting next him a box on the ear, and cried angrily, "Why artthou snatching my piece away from me?" "I have not snatched it away,"said the other, "a sharpshooter must have shot it away from thee." Thegiant took another piece, but could not, however, keep it in his hand,for the huntsman shot it out. Then the giant said, "That must be a goodshot to shoot the bit out of one's very mouth, such an one would be usefulto us." And he cried aloud, "Come here, thou sharpshooter, seat thyselfat the fire beside us and eat thy fill, we will not hurt thee; but ifthou wilt not come, and we have to bring thee by force, thou art a lostman!" On this the youth went up to them and told them he was a skilledhuntsman, and that whatever he aimed at with his gun, he was certain tohit. Then they said if he would go with them he should be well treated,and they told him that outside the forest there was a great lake, behindwhich stood a tower, and in the tower was imprisoned a lovely princess,whom they wished very much to carry off. "Yes," said he, "I will soonget her for you." Then they added, "But there is still something else,there is a tiny little dog, which begins to bark directly any one goesnear, and as soon as it barks every one in the royal palace wakens up,and for this reason we cannot get there; canst thou undertake to shootit dead?" "Yes," said he, "that will be a little bit of fun for me."After this he got into a boat and rowed over the lake, and as soon as helanded, the little dog came running out, and was about to bark, but thehuntsman took his air-gun and shot it dead. When the giants saw that, theyrejoiced, and thought they already had the King's daughter safe, but thehuntsman wished first to see how matters stood, and told them that theymust stay outside until he called them. Then he went into the castle,and all was perfectly quiet within, and every one was asleep. When heopened the door of the first room, a sword was hanging on the wall whichwas made of pure silver, and there was a golden star on it, and the nameof the King, and on a table near it lay a sealed letter which he brokeopen, and inside it was written that whosoever had the sword could killeverything which opposed him. So he took the sword from the wall, hung itat his side and went onwards: then he entered the room where the King'sdaughter was lying sleeping, and she was so beautiful that he stoodstill and, holding his breath, looked at her. He thought to himself,"How can I give an innocent maiden into the power of the wild giants,who have evil in their minds?" He looked about further, and under thebed stood a pair of slippers, on the right one was her father's name witha star, and on the left her own name with a star. She wore also a greatneck-kerchief of silk embroidered with gold, and on the right side washer father's name, and on the left her own, all in golden letters. Thenthe huntsman took a pair of scissors and cut the right corner off, andput it in his knapsack, and then he also took the right slipper with theKing's name, and thrust that in. Now the maiden still lay sleeping, andshe was quite sewn into her night-dress, and he cut a morsel from thisalso, and thrust it in with the rest, but he did all without touchingher. Then he went forth and left her lying asleep undisturbed, andwhen he came to the gate again, the giants were still standing outsidewaiting for him, and expecting that he was bringing the princess. Buthe cried to them that they were to come in, for the maiden was alreadyin their power, that he could not open the gate to them, but there wasa hole through which they must creep. Then the first approached, andthe huntsman wound the giant's hair round his hand, pulled the head in,and cut it off at one stroke with his sword, and then drew the rest ofhim in. He called to the second and cut his head off likewise, and thenhe killed the third also, and he was well pleased that he had freed thebeautiful maiden from her enemies, and he cut out their tongues and putthem in his knapsack. Then thought he, "I will go home to my father andlet him see what I have already done, and afterwards I will travel aboutthe world; the luck which God is pleased to grant me will easily find me."

　　But when the King in the castle awoke, he saw the three giants lyingthere dead. So he went into the sleeping-room of his daughter, awoke her,and asked who could have killed the giants? Then said she, "Dear father,I know not, I have been asleep." But when she arose and would have puton her slippers, the right one was gone, and when she looked at herneck-kerchief it was cut, and the right corner was missing, and when shelooked at her night-dress a piece was cut out of it. The King summonedhis whole court together, soldiers and every one else who was there, andasked who had set his daughter at liberty, and killed the giants? Nowit happened that he had a captain, who was one-eyed and a hideous man,and he said that he had done it. Then the old King said that as he hadaccomplished this, he should marry his daughter. But the maiden said,"Rather than marry him, dear father, I will go away into the world as faras my legs can carry me." But the King said that if she would not marryhim she should take off her royal garments and wear peasant's clothing,and go forth, and that she should go to a potter, and begin a trade inearthen vessels. So she put off her royal apparel, and went to a potterand borrowed crockery enough for a stall, and she promised him also thatif she had sold it by the evening, she would pay for it. Then the Kingsaid she was to seat herself in a corner with it and sell it, and hearranged with some peasants to drive over it with their carts, so thateverything should be broken into a thousand pieces. When therefore theKing's daughter had placed her stall in the street, by came the carts,and broke all she had into tiny fragments. She began to weep and said,"Alas, how shall I ever pay for the pots now?" The King had, however,wished by this to force her to marry the captain; but instead of that,she again went to the potter, and asked him if he would lend to her oncemore. He said, "No," she must first pay for the things she had alreadyhad. Then she went to her father and cried and lamented, and said shewould go forth into the world. Then said he, "I will have a little hutbuilt for thee in the forest outside, and in it thou shalt stay allthy life long and cook for every one, but thou shalt take no money forit." When the hut was ready, a sign was hung on the door whereon waswritten, "To-day given, to-morrow sold." There she remained a longtime, and it was rumored about the world that a maiden was there whocooked without asking for payment, and that this was set forth on a signoutside her door. The huntsman heard it likewise, and thought to himself,"That would suit thee. Thou art poor, and hast no money." So he took hisair-gun and his knapsack, wherein all the things which he had formerlycarried away with him from the castle as tokens of his truthfulness werestill lying, and went into the forest, and found the hut with the sign,"To-day given, to-morrow sold." He had put on the sword with which hehad cut off the heads of the three giants, and thus entered the hut,and ordered something to eat to be given to him. He was charmed withthe beautiful maiden, who was indeed as lovely as any picture. Sheasked him whence he came and whither he was going, and he said, "I amroaming about the world." Then she asked him where he had got the sword,for that truly her father's name was on it. He asked her if she werethe King's daughter. "Yes," answered she. "With this sword," said he,"did I cut off the heads of three giants." And he took their tongues outof his knapsack in proof. Then he also showed her the slipper, and thecorner of the neck-kerchief, and the bit of the night-dress. Hereupon shewas overjoyed, and said that he was the one who had delivered her. Onthis they went together to the old King, and fetched him to the hut,and she led him into her room, and told him that the huntsman was theman who had really set her free from the giants. And when the aged Kingsaw all the proofs of this, he could no longer doubt, and said that hewas very glad he knew how everything had happened, and that the huntsmanshould have her to wife, on which the maiden was glad at heart. Then shedressed the huntsman as if he were a foreign lord, and the King ordereda feast to be prepared. When they went to table, the captain sat on theleft side of the King's daughter, but the huntsman was on the right, andthe captain thought he was a foreign lord who had come on a visit. Whenthey had eaten and drunk, the old King said to the captain that he wouldset before him something which he must guess. "Supposing any one saidthat he had killed the three giants and he were asked where the giants'tongues were, and he were forced to go and look, and there were none intheir heads, how could that happen?" The captain said, "Then they cannothave had any." "Not so," said the King. "Every animal has a tongue,"and then he likewise asked what any one would deserve who made such ananswer? The captain replied, "He ought to be torn in pieces." Then theKing said he had pronounced his own sentence, and the captain was putin prison and then torn in four pieces; but the King's daughter wasmarried to the huntsman. After this he brought his father and mother,and they lived with their son in happiness, and after the death of theold King he received the kingdom.

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