University of Virginia Library

XLIII.—THE DRAGON AND THE PRINCE.

There was an emperor who had three sons. One day the
eldest son went out hunting, and when he got outside the
town, up sprang a hare out of a bush, and he after it, and hither
and thither, till the hare fled into a water-mill, and the prince
after it. But it was not a hare, but a dragon, and it waited
for the prince and devoured him. When several days had
elapsed and the prince did not return home, people began
to wonder why it was that he was not to be found. Then
the middle son went hunting, and as he issued from the
town, a hare sprang out of a bush, and the prince after it,
and hither and thither, till the hare fled into the water-mill
and the prince after it; but it was not a hare, but a dragon,
which waited for and devoured him. When some days had
elapsed and the princes did not return, either of them, the
whole court was in sorrow. Then the third son went hunting,
to see whether he could not find his brothers. When
he issued from the town, again up sprang a hare out of a
bush, and the prince after it, and hither and thither, till the
hare fled into the water-mill. But the prince did not choose
to follow it, but went to find other game, saying to himself:
`When I return I shall find you.' After this he went for a
long time up and down the hill, but found nothing, and
then returned to the water-mill; but when he got there,
there was only an old woman in the mill. The prince invoked
God in addressing her: `God help you, old woman!'
The old woman replied: `God help you, my son!' Then
the prince asked her: `Where, old woman, is my hare?'
She replied: `My son, that was not a hare, but a dragon.
It kills and throttles many people.' Hearing this, the prince
was somewhat disturbed, and said to the old woman:
`What shall we do now? Doubtless my two brothers also
have perished here.' The old woman answered: `They

have indeed; but there's no help for it. Go home, my
son, lest you follow them.' Then he said to her: `Dear
old woman, do you know what? I know that you will be
glad to liberate yourself from that pest.' The old woman
interrupted him: `How should I not? It captured me,
too, in this way, but now I have no means of escape.'
Then he proceeded: `Listen well to what I am going to
say to you. Ask it whither it goes and where its strength
is; then kiss all that place where it tells you its strength is,
as if from love, till you ascertain it, and afterwards tell me
when I come.' Then the prince went off to the palace, and
the old woman remained in the water-mill. When the
dragon came in, the old woman began to question it:
`Where in God's name have you been? Whither do you go
so far? You will never tell me whither you go.' The
dragon replied: `Well, my dear old woman, I do go far.'
Then the old woman began to coax it: `And why do you
go so far? Tell me where your strength is. If I knew
where your strength is, I don't know what I should do for
love; I would kiss all that place.' Thereupon the dragon
smiled and said to her: `Yonder is my strength, in that
fireplace.' Then the old woman began to fondle and kiss
the fireplace, and the dragon on seeing it burst into a laugh,
and said to her: `Silly old woman, my strength isn't there;
my strength is in that tree-fungus in front of the house.'
Then the old woman began again to fondle and kiss the
tree, and the dragon again laughed, and said to her: `Away,
old woman! my strength isn't there.' Then the old woman
inquired: `Where is it?' The dragon began to give an
account in detail: `My strength is a long way off, and
you cannot go thither. Far in another empire under the
emperor's city is a lake, in that lake is a dragon, and in the
dragon a boar, and in the boar a pigeon, and in that is my
strength.' The next morning when the dragon went away
from the mill, the prince came to the old woman, and the
old woman told him all that she had heard from the dragon.
Then he left his home, and disguised himself; he put shepherd's
boots on his feet, took a shepherd's staff in his hand,
and went into the world. As he went on thus from village
to village, and from town to town, at last he came into
another empire and into the imperial city, in a lake under
which the dragon was. On going into the town, he began
to inquire who wanted a shepherd. The citizens told him
that the emperor did. Then he went straight to the
emperor. After he announced himself, the emperor admitted
him into his presence, and asked him: `Do you
wish to keep sheep?' He replied: `I do, illustrious crown!'
Then the emperor engaged him, and began to inform and
instruct him: `There is here a lake, and alongside of the
lake very beautiful pasture, and when you call the sheep
out, they go thither at once, and spread themselves round
the lake; but whatever shepherd goes off there, that shepherd
returns back no more. Therefore, my son, I tell you,
don't let the sheep have their own way and go where they
will, but keep them where you will.' The prince thanked
the emperor, got himself ready, and called out the sheep,
taking with him, moreover, two hounds that could catch a
boar in the open country, and a falcon that could capture
any bird, and carrying also a pair of bagpipes. When he
called out the sheep he let them go at once to the lake, and
when the sheep arrived at the lake, they immediately spread
round it, and the prince placed the falcon on a stump, and
the hounds and bagpipes under the stump, then tucked up
his hose and sleeves, waded into the lake, and began to
shout `Dragon! dragon! come out to single combat with
me to-day that we may measure ourselves together, unless
you're a woman.'[3] The dragon called out in reply, `I will
do so now, prince—now!' Erelong, behold the dragon! it
is large, it is terrible, it is disgusting! When the dragon
came out, it seized him by the waist, and they wrestled a
summer day till afternoon. But when the heat of afternoon
came on, the dragon said: `Let me go, prince, that I may
moisten my parched head in the lake, and toss you to the
sky.' But the prince replied: `Come, dragon, don't talk
nonsense; if I had the emperor's daughter to kiss me on
the forehead, I would toss you still higher.' Thereupon the
dragon suddenly let go of him, and went off into the lake.
On the approach of evening, he washed and got himself up
nicely, placed the falcon on his arm, the hounds behind
him, and the bagpipes under his arm, then drove the sheep
and went into the town playing on the bagpipes. When he
arrived at the town, the whole town assembled as to see a
wondrous sight because he had come, whereas previously
no shepherd had been able to come from the lake. The
next day the prince got ready again, and went with his sheep
straight to the lake. But the emperor sent two grooms
after him to go stealthily and see what he did, and they
placed themselves on a high hill whence they could have a
good view. When the shepherd arrived, he put the hounds
and bagpipes under the stump and the falcon upon it, then
tucked up his hose and sleeves, waded into the lake and
shouted: `Dragon, dragon! come out to single combat
with me, that we may measure ourselves once more together,
unless you are a woman!' The dragon replied: `I will do
so, prince; now, now!' Erelong, behold the dragon! it was
large, it was terrible, it was disgusting! And it seized him
by the waist and wrestled with him a summer's day till
afternoon. But when the afternoon heat came on, the
dragon said: `Let me go, prince, that I may moisten my
parched head in the lake, and may toss you to the sky.'
The prince replied: `Come, dragon, don't talk nonsense;
if I had the emperor's daughter to kiss me on the forehead,
I would toss you still higher.' Thereupon the dragon suddenly
left hold of him, and went off into the lake. When
night approached the prince drove the sheep as before, and
went home playing the bagpipes. When he arrived at the
town, the whole town was astir and began to wonder because
the shepherd came home every evening, which no one
had been able to do before. Those two grooms had already
arrived at the palace before the prince, and related to the
emperor in order everything that they had heard and seen.
Now when the emperor saw that the shepherd returned
home, he immediately summoned his daughter into his
presence and told her all, what it was and how it was.
`But,' said he, `to-morrow you must go with the shepherd
to the lake and kiss him on the forehead.' When she heard
this she burst into tears and began to entreat her father.
`You have no one but me, and I am your only daughter,
and you don't care about me if I perish.' Then the emperor
began to persuade and encourage her: `Don't fear,
my daughter; you see, we have had so many changes of
shepherds, and of all that went out to the lake not one has
returned; but he has been contending with the dragon for
two whole days and it has done him no hurt. I assure you,
in God's name, that he is able to overcome the dragon, only
go to-morrow with him to see whether he will free us from
this mischief which has destroyed so many people.'

When, on the morrow, the day dawned, the day dawned
and the sun came forth, up rose the shepherd, up rose the
maiden too, to begin to prepare for going to the lake. The
shepherd was cheerful, more cheerful than ever, but the
emperor's daughter was sad, and shed tears. The shepherd
comforted her: `Lady sister, I pray you, do not weep, but
do what I tell you. When it is time, run up and kiss me,
and fear not.' As he went and drove the sheep, the shepherd

was thoroughly cheery, and played a merry tune on his
begpipes; but the damsel did nothing but weep as the went
beside him, and he several times left off playing and turned
towards her: `Weep not, golden one; fear nought.' When
they arrived at the lake, the sheep immediately spread round
it, and the prince placed the falcon on the stump, and the
hounds and bagpipes under it, then tucked up his hose and
sleeves, waded into the water, and shouted: `Dragon!
dragon! Come out to single combat with me; let us
measure ourselves once more, unless you're a woman!'
The dragon replied: `I will, prince; now, now!' Erelong,
there was the dragon! it was huge, it was terrible, it was
disgusting! When it came out, they seized each other by
the middle, and wrestled a summer's day till afternoon.
But when the afternoon heat came on, the dragon said:
`Let me go, prince, that I may moisten my parched head in
the lake, and toss you to the skies.' The prince replied:
`Come, dragon, don't talk nonsense; if I had the emperor's
daughter to kiss me on the forehead, I would toss you much
higher.' When he said this, the emperor's daughter ran up
and kissed him on the face, on the eye, and on the forehead.
Then he swung the dragon, and tossed it high into the air,
and when it fell to the ground it burst into pieces. But as
it burst into pieces, out of it sprang a wild boar, and started
to run away. But the prince shouted to his shepherd dogs:
`Hold it! don't let it go!' and the dogs sprang up and
after it, caught it, and soon tore it to pieces. But out of
the boar flew a pigeon, and the prince loosed the falcon,
and the falcon caught the pigeon and brought it into the
prince's hands. The prince said to it: `Tell me now,
where are my brothers?' The pigeon replied: `I will;
only do me no harm. Immediately behind your father's
town is a water-mill, and in the water-mill are three wands
that have sprouted up. Cut these three wands up from
below, and strike with them upon their root; an iron door
will immediately open into a large vault. In that vault are
many people, old and young, rich and poor, small and
great, wives and maidens, so that you could settle a populous
empire; there, too, are your brothers.' When the
pigeon had told him all this, the prince immediately wrung
its neck.

The emperor had gone out in person, and posted himself
on the hill from which the grooms had viewed the shepherd,
and he, too, was a spectator of all that had taken
place. After the shepherd had thus obtained the dragon's
head, twilight began to approach. He washed himself
nicely, took the falcon on his shoulder, the hounds behind
him, and the bagpipes under his arm, played as he went,
drove the sheep, and proceeded to the emperor's palace,
with the damsel at his side still in terror. When they came
to the town, all the town assembled as to see a wonder.
The emperor, who had seen all his heroism from the hill,
called him into his presence, and gave him his daughter,
went immediately to church, had them married, and held a
wedding festival for a week. After this the prince told him
who and whence he was, and the emperor and the whole
town rejoiced still more. Then, as the prince was urgent
to go to his own home, the emperor gave him a large
escort, and equipped him for the journey. When they were
in the neighbourhood of the water-mill, the prince halted his
attendants, went inside, cut up the three wands, and struck
the root with them, and the iron door opened at once. In
the vault was a vast multitude of people. The prince
ordered them to come out one by one, and go whither each
would, and stood himself at the door. They came out thus
one after another, and lo! there were his brothers also,
whom he embraced and kissed. When the whole multitude
had come out, they thanked him for releasing and delivering

them, and went each to his own home. But he went to his
father's house with his brothers and bride, and there lived
and reigned to the end of his days.