XI.—THE SUN-HORSE.
There was once upon a time a country, sad and gloomy
as the grave, on which God's sun never shone. But there
was a king there, and this king possessed a horse with a
sun on his forehead; and this sun-horse of his the king
caused to be led up and down the dark country, from one
end to the other, that the people might be able to exist
there; and light came from him on all sides wherever he
was led, just as in the most beautiful day.
All at once the sun-horse disappeared. A darkness worse
than that of night prevailed over the whole country, and
nothing could disperse it. Unheard-of terror spread among
the subjects; frightful misery began to afflict them, for they
could neither manufacture anything nor earn anything, and
such confusion arose among them that everything was
turned topsy-turvy. The king, therefore, in order to liberate
his realm and prevent universal destruction, made ready to
seek the sun-horse with his whole army.
Through thick darkness he made his way as best he could
to the frontier of his realm. Over dense mountains thousands
of ages old God's light began now to break from another
country, as if the sun were rising in the morning out of
thick fogs. On such a mountain the king came with his
army to a poor lonely cottage. He went in to inquire
where he was, what it was, and how to get further. At a
table sat a peasant, diligently reading in an open book.
When the king bowed to him he raised his eyes, thanked
him, and stood up. His whole person announced that he
was not a man like another man, but a seer.
`I was just reading about you,' said he to the king, `how
that you are going to seek the sun-horse. Journey no
further, for you will not obtain him; but rely on me: I will
find him for you.' `I promise you, good man, I will recompense
you royally,' replied the king, `if you bring him here
to me.' `I require no recompense; return home with your
army—you're wanted there; only leave me one servant.'
The next day the seer set out with the servant. The
way was far and long, for they passed through six countries,
and had still further to go, till in the seventh country they
stopped at the royal palace. In this seventh country ruled
three own brothers, who had to wife three own sisters, whose
mother was a witch. When they stopped in front of the
palace, the seer said to his servant: `Do you hear? you
stay here, and I will go in to ascertain whether the kings
are at home; for the horse with the sun is in their possession—the
youngest rides upon him.' Therewith he transformed
himself into a green bird, and, flying on the gable
of the eldest queen's roof, flew up and down and pecked at
it until she opened the window and let him into her chamber.
And when she let him in he perched on her white
hand, and the queen was as delighted with him as a little
child. `Ah, what a dear creature you are!' said she, as she
played with him; `if my husband were at home he would
indeed be delighted with you; but he won't come till
evening; he has gone to visit the third part of his country.'
All at once the old witch came into the room, and, seeing
the bird, screamed to her daughter, `Wring the accursed
bird's neck, for it's making you bleed!' `Well, what if it
should make me bleed? it's such a dear; it's such an
innocent dear!' answered the daughter. But the witch
said: `Dear innocent mischief! here with him! let me
wring his neck!' and dashed at it. But the bird cunningly
transformed itself into a man, and, pop! out through the
door, and they didn't know whither he had betaken himself.
Afterwards he again transformed himself into a green
bird, flew on the gable of the middle sister, and pecked at
it till she opened the window for him. And when she let
him in he flew on to her white hand, and fluttered from one
hand to the other. `Oh, what a dear creature you are!'
cried the queen, smiling; `my husband would indeed be
delighted with you if he were at home; but he won't come
till to-morrow evening; he has gone to visit two thirds of
his kingdom.'
Thereupon the witch burst into the room. `Wring the
accursed bird's neck! wring its neck, for it's making you
bleed!' cried she as soon as she espied it. `Well, what if
it should make me bleed? it's such a dear, such an innocent
dear!' replied the daughter. But the witch said:
`Dear innocent mischief! here with it! let me wring its
neck!' and was already trying to seize it. But at that
moment the green bird changed itself into a man, ran out
through the door, and disappeared, as it were, in the clap
of a hand, so that they didn't know whither he had gone.
A little while afterwards he changed himself again into a
green bird and flew on the gable of the youngest queen's
roof, and flew up and down, and pecked at it until she
opened the window to him. And when she had let him
in he flew straight on to her white hand, and made himself
so agreeable to her that she played with him with the
delight of a child. `Ah, what a dear creature you are!'
said the queen; `if my husband were at home he would
certainly be delighted with you, but he won't come till the
day after to-morrow at even; he has gone to visit all three
parts of his kingdom.'
At that moment the old witch came into the room.
`Wring, wring the accursed bird's neck!' screamed she in
the doorway, `for it is making you bleed.' `Well, what if
it should make me bleed, mother? it is so beautiful, so
innocent,' answered the daughter. The witch said, `Beautiful
innocent mischief! here with him! let me wring his
neck!' But at that moment the bird changed itself into a
man, and pop! out through the door, so that none of them
saw him more.
Now the seer knew where the kings were, and when they
would arrive. He went to his servant and ordered him to
follow him out of the town. On they went with rapid step
till they came to a bridge, over which the kings were obliged
to pass.
Under this bridge they stayed waiting till the evening.
When at even the sun was sinking behind the mountains,
the clatter of a horse was heard near the bridge. It was the
eldest king returning home. Close to the bridge his horse
stumbled over a log of wood, which the seer had thrown
across the bridge. `Ha! what scoundrel was that who
threw this log across the road?' exclaimed the king in anger.
Thereat the seer sprang out from under the bridge and
rushed upon the king for `daring to call him a scoundrel,'
and, drawing his sword, attacked him. The king, too, drew
his sword to defend himself, but after a short combat fell
dead from his horse. The seer bound the dead king on the
horse, and gave the horse a lash with the whip to make him
carry his dead master home. He then withdrew under the
bridge, and they waited there till the next evening.
When day a second time declined towards evening, the
middle king came to the bridge, and, seeing the ground
sprinkled with blood, cried out, `Somebody's been killed
here! Who has dared to perpetrate such a crime in my
kingdom?' At these words the seer sprang out from under
the bridge and rushed upon the king with drawn sword,
exclaiming, `How dare you insult me? Defend yourself as
best you can!' The king did defend himself, but after a
brief struggle yielded up his life under the sword of the seer.
The seer again fastened his corpse upon the horse, and gave
the horse a lash with the whip to make him carry his dead
master home. They then withdrew under the bridge and
waited till the third evening came.
The third evening, at the very setting of the sun, up darted
the youngest king on the sun-horse, darted up with speed, for
he was somewhat late; but when he saw the red blood in
front of the bridge, he stopped, and gazing at it exclaimed,
`It is an unheard-of villain who has dared to murder a man
in my kingdom!' Scarcely had these words issued from his
mouth when the seer placed himself before him with drawn
sword, sternly bidding him defend himself, `for he had
wounded his honour.' `I don't know how,' answered the
king, `unless it is you that are the villain.' But as his
adversary attacked him with a sword, he, too, drew his, and
defended himself manfully.
It had been mere play to the seer to overcome the first
two kings, but it was not so with this one. Long time they
fought, and broke their swords, yet victory didn't show itself
either on the one side or on the other. `We shall effect
nothing with swords,' said the seer, `but do you know what?
Let us turn ourselves into wheels and start down from the
hill; the wheel which breaks shall be the conquered.'
`Good!' said the king; `I'll be a cart-wheel, and you shall
be a lighter wheel.' `Not so,' cunningly said the seer; `you
shall be the lighter wheel, and I will be the cart-wheel;' and
the king agreed to it. Then they went up the hill, turned
themselves into wheels, and started downwards. The cartwheel
flew to pieces, and bang! right into the lighter wheel,
so that it all smashed up. Immediately the seer arose out
of the cart-wheel and joyfully exclaimed, `There you are, the
victory is mine!' `Not a bit of it, sir brother!' cried the
king, placing himself in front of the seer; `you have only
broken my fingers. But do you know what? Let us make
ourselves into flames, and the flame which burns up the
other shall be the victor. I will make myself into a red
flame, and do you make yourself into a bluish one.' `Not
so!' interrupted the seer; `you make yourself into a bluish
flame, and I will make myself into a red one.' The king
agreed to this also. They went into the road to the bridge,
and, changing themselves into flames, began to burn each
other unmercifully. Long did they burn each other, but
nothing came of it. Thereupon, by coincidence, up came
an old beggar with a long gray beard, a bald head, a large
scrip at his side, leaning upon a thick staff. `Old father!'
said the bluish flame, `bring some water and quench this
red flame; I'll give you a penny for it.' The red flame
cunningly exclaimed, `Old father! I'll give you a shilling if
you'll pour the water on this bluish flame.' The old beggar
liked the shilling better than the penny, brought water and
quenched the bluish flame. Then it was all over with the
king. The red flame turned itself into a man, took the sun-horse
by the bridle, mounted on his back, called the servant,
thanked the beggar for the service he had rendered, and
went off.
In the royal palaces there was deep grief at the murder of
the two kings; the entire palaces were draped with black
cloth, and the people crowded into them from all quarters
to gaze at the cut and slashed bodies of the two elder brothers,
whose horses had brought them home. The old witch,
exasperated at the death of her sons-in-law, devised a plan
of vengeance on their murderer, the seer. She seated herself
with speed on an iron rake, took her three daughters
under her arms, and pop! off with them into the air.
The seer and his servant had already got through a good
part of their journey, and were then crossing desert mountains,
a treeless waste. Here a terrible hunger seized the
servant, and there wasn't even a wild plum to assuage it.
All of a sudden they came to an apple-tree. Apples were
hanging on it; the branches were all but breaking under
their weight; their scent was beautiful; they were delightfully
ruddy, so that they almost offered themselves to be
eaten. `Praise be to God!' cried the delighted servant; `I
shall eat one of those apples with an excellent appetite.'
`Don't attempt to gather one of them!' cried the seer to
him; `wait, I'll gather some for you myself.' But instead
of plucking an apple, he drew his sword and thrust it
mightily into the apple-tree; red blood spouted out of it.
`There,' said he, `you would have come to harm if you had
eaten any of those apples, for the apple-tree was the eldest
queen, whose mother placed her there to put us out of this
world.'
After a time they came to a spring; water clear as crystal
bubbled up in it, all but running over the brim and thus
attracting wayfarers. `Ah!' said the servant, `if we can't
get anything better, let us at any rate have a drink of this
good water.' `Don't venture to drink of it!' shouted the
seer; `but stay, I'll get you some of it.' Yet he didn't get
him any water, but thrust his drawn sword into the midst of
it; it was immediately discoloured with blood, which began
to flow from it in mighty waves. `That is the middle queen,
whose mother placed her here to put us out of this world,'
said the seer, and the servant thanked him for his warning,
and went on, would he, nould he, in hunger and thirst,
whithersoever the seer led him.
After a time they came to a rose-bush, which was red with
delightful roses, and filled the air round about with their
scent. `Oh, what beautiful roses!' said the servant; `I
never saw such beauties in all my life. I'll go and gather a
few of them; I will at any rate comfort myself with them if
I can't assuage my hunger and thirst.' `Don't venture to
gather one of them!' cried the seer; `I will gather them for
you.' With that he cut into the bush with his sword; red
blood spurted out, as if he had cut the vein of a human
being. `That is the youngest queen,' said the seer to his
servant, `whom her mother, the witch, placed here with the
intention of taking vengeance upon us for the death of her
sons-in-law.' They then went on.
When they crossed the frontier of the dark realm, flashes
flew in all directions from the horse's forehead, and everything
came to life again, beautiful regions rejoiced and
blossomed with the flowers of spring. The king didn't
know how to thank the seer sufficiently, and offered him
the half of his kingdom as a reward, but he declined it.
`You are king,' said he; `rule over the whole realm, and I
will return to my cottage in peace.' He took leave and
departed.
