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Title: Grimm's Fairy Tales: The Giant with the Three Golden Hairs
Date of first publication: 1930
Author: Jacob Grimm (1785-1863)
Author: Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859)
Illustrator: Noel Pocock (1880-1955)
Date first posted: October 31 2012
Date last updated: October 31 2012
Faded Page eBook #20121045

This eBook was produced by: David Edwards, Donna M. Ritchey
& the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at http://www.pgdpcanada.net

(This file was produced from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries.)




The Giant with the Three Golden Hairs


There was once a poor man who had an only son born to him. The child was
born under a lucky star; and those who told his fortune said that in his
fourteenth year he would marry the king's daughter. It so happened that
the king of that land soon after the child's birth passed through the
village in disguise, and asked whether there was any news. "Yes," said
the people, "a child has just been born, that they say is to be a lucky
one, and when he is fourteen years old, he is fated to marry the king's
daughter." This did not please the king; so he went to the poor child's
parents and asked them whether they would sell him their son? "No," said
they; but the stranger begged very hard and offered a great deal of
money, and they had scarcely bread to eat, so at last they consented,
thinking to themselves, he is a luck's child, he can come to no harm.

The king took the child, put it into a box, and rode away; but when he
came to a deep stream, he threw it into the current, and said to
himself, "That young gentleman will never be my daughter's husband." The
box however floated down the stream; some kind spirit watched over it so
that no water reached the child, and at last about two miles from the
king's capital it stopt at the dam of a mill. The miller soon saw it,
and took a long pole, and drew it towards the shore, and finding it
heavy, thought there was gold inside; but when he opened it, he found a
pretty little boy, that smiled upon him merrily. Now the miller and his
wife had no children, and therefore rejoiced to see their prize, saying,
"Heaven has sent it to us;" so they treated it very kindly, and brought
it up with such care that every one admired and loved it.

About thirteen years passed over their heads, when the king came by
accident to the mill, and asked the miller if that was his son. "No,"
said he, "I found him when a babe in a box in the mill-dam." "How long
ago?" asked the king. "Some thirteen years," replied the miller. "He is
a fine fellow," said the king, "can you spare him to carry a letter to
the queen? it will please me very much, and I will give him two pieces
of gold for his trouble." "As your majesty pleases," answered the
miller.

Now the king had soon guessed that this was the child whom he had tried
to drown; and he wrote a letter by him to the queen, saying, "As soon as
the bearer of this arrives, let him be killed and immediately buried, so
that all may be over before I return."

The young man set out with this letter, but missed his way, and came in
the evening to a dark wood. Through the gloom he perceived a light at a
distance, towards which he directed his course, and found that it
proceeded from a little cottage. There was no one within except an old
woman, who was frightened at seeing him, and said, "Why do you come
hither, and whither are you going?" "I am going to the queen, to whom I
was to have delivered a letter; but I have lost my way, and shall be
glad if you will give me a night's rest." "You are very unlucky," said
she, "for this is a robbers' hut, and if the band returns while you are
here it may be worse for you." "I am so tired, however," replied he,
"that I must take my chance, for I can go no further;" so he laid the
letter on the table, stretched himself out upon a bench, and fell
asleep.

When the robbers came home and saw him, they asked the old woman who the
strange lad was. "I have given him shelter for charity," said she; "he
had a letter to carry to the queen, and lost his way." The robbers took
up the letter, broke it open and read the directions which it contained
to murder the bearer. Then their leader tore it, and wrote a fresh one
desiring the queen, as soon as the young man arrived, to marry him to
the king's daughter. Meantime they let him sleep on till morning broke,
and then showed him the right way to the queen's palace; where, as soon
as she had read the letter, she had all possible preparations made for
the wedding; and as the young man was very beautiful, the princess took
him willingly for her husband.

After a while the king returned; and when he saw the prediction
fulfilled, and that this child of fortune was, notwithstanding all his
cunning, married to his daughter, he inquired eagerly how this had
happened, and what were the orders which he had given. "Dear husband,"
said the queen, "here is your letter, read it for yourself." The king
took it, and seeing that an exchange had been made, asked his son-in-law
what he had done with the letter which he had given him to carry. "I
know nothing of it," answered he; "it must have been taken away in the
night while I slept." Then the king was very wroth, and said, "No man
shall have my daughter who does not descend into the wonderful cave and
bring me three golden hairs from the head of the giant king who reigns
there; do this and you shall have my consent." "I will soon manage
that," said the youth;--so he took leave of his wife and set out on his
journey.

At the first city that he came to, the guard of the gate stopt him, and
asked what trade he followed and what he knew. "I know everything," said
he. "If that be so," replied they, "you are just the man we want; be so
good as to tell us why our fountain in the market-place is dry and will
give no water; find out the cause of that, and we will give you two
asses loaded with gold." "With all my heart," said he, "when I come
back."

Then he journeyed on and came to another city, and there the guard also
asked him what trade he followed, and what he understood. "I know
everything," answered he. "Then pray do us a piece of service," said
they, "tell us why a tree which used to bear us golden apples, now does
not even produce a leaf." "Most willingly," answered he, "as I come
back."

At last his way led him to the side of a great lake of water over which
he must pass. The ferryman soon began to ask, as the others had done,
what was his trade, and what he knew. "Everything," said he. "Then,"
said the other, "pray inform me why I am bound for ever to ferry over
this water, and have never been able to get my liberty; I will reward
you handsomely." "I will tell you all about it," said the young man, "as
I come home."

When he had passed the water, he came to the wonderful cave, which
looked terribly black and gloomy. But the wizard king was not at home,
and his grandmother sat at the door in her easy chair. "What do you
seek?" said she. "Three golden hairs from the giant's head," answered
he. "You run a great risk," said she, "when he returns home; yet I will
try what I can do for you." Then she changed him into an ant, and told
him to hide himself in the folds of her cloak. "Very well," said he:
"but I want also to know why the city fountain is dry, why the tree that
bore golden apples is now leafless, and what it is that binds the
ferryman to his post." "Those are three puzzling questions," said the
old dame; "but lie quiet and listen to what the giant says when I pull
the golden hairs."

[Illustration: "The guard of the gate stopt him, and asked what trade he
followed."]

Presently night set in and the old gentleman returned home. As soon as
he entered he began to snuff up the air, and cried, "All is not right
here: I smell man's flesh." Then he searched all round in vain, and the
old dame scolded, and said, "Why should you turn every thing
topsy-turvy? I have just set all in order." Upon this he laid his head
in her lap and soon fell asleep. As soon as he began to snore, she
seized one of the golden hairs and pulled it out. "Mercy!" cried he,
starting up, "what are you about?" "I had a dream that disturbed me,"
said she, "and in my trouble I seized your hair: I dreamt that the
fountain in the market-place of the city was become dry and would give
no water; what can be the cause?" "Ah! if they could find that out, they
would be glad," said the giant: "under a stone in the fountain sits a
toad; when they kill him, it will flow again."

This said, he fell asleep, and the old lady pulled out another hair.
"What would you be at?" cried he in a rage. "Don't be angry," said she,
"I did it in my sleep; I dreamt that in a great kingdom there was a
beautiful tree that used to bear golden apples, and now has not even a
leaf upon it; what is the reason of that?" "Aha!" said the giant, "they
would like very well to know that secret: at the root of the tree a
mouse is gnawing; if they were to kill him, the tree would bear golden
apples again; if not, it will soon die. Now let me sleep in peace; if
you wake me again, you shall rue it."

Then he fell once more asleep; and when she heard him snore she pulled
out the third golden hair, and the giant jumped up and threatened her
sorely; but she soothed him, and said, "It was a strange dream:
methought I saw a ferryman who was fated to ply backwards and forwards
over a lake, and could never be set at liberty; what is the charm that
binds him?" "A silly fool!" said the giant; "if he were to give the
rudder into the hand of any passenger, he would find himself at liberty,
and the other would be obliged to take his place. Now let me sleep."

In the morning the giant arose and went out; and the old woman gave the
young man the three golden hairs, reminded him of the answers to his
three questions, and sent, him on his way.

He soon came to the ferryman, who knew him again, and asked for the
answer which he had promised him. "Ferry me over first," said he, "and
then I will tell you." When the boat arrived on the other side, he told
him to give the rudder to any of his passengers, and then he might run
away as soon as he pleased. The next place he came to was the city where
the barren tree stood: "Kill the mouse," said he, "that gnaws the root,
and you will have golden apples again." They gave him a rich present,
and he journeyed on to the city where the fountain had dried up, and the
guard demanded his answer to their question. So he told them how to cure
the mischief, and they thanked him and gave him the two asses laden with
gold.

And now at last this child of fortune reached home, and his wife
rejoiced greatly to see him, and to hear how well everything had gone
with him. He gave the three golden hairs to the king, who could no
longer raise any objection to him, and when he saw all the treasure,
cried out in a transport of joy, "Dear son, where did you find all this
gold?" "By the side of a lake," said the youth, "where there is plenty
more to be had." "Pray, tell me," said the king, "that I may go and get
some too." "As much as you please," replied the other; "you will see the
ferryman on the lake, let him carry you across, and there you will see
gold as plentiful as sand upon the shore."

Away went the greedy king; and when he came to the lake, he beckoned to
the ferryman, who took him into his boat, and as soon as he was there
gave the rudder into his hand, and sprung ashore, leaving the old king
to ferry away as a reward for his sins.

"And is his majesty plying there to this day?" You may be sure of that,
for nobody will trouble himself to take the rudder out of his hands.


[The end of _Grimm's Fairy Tales: The Giant with the Three Golden Hairs_
by the Brothers Grimm]