25 chapters
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Selected Chapters
25 chapters
PREFACE
PREFACE
The present collection has been selected from the following sources:— Josef Kubín, Povídky kladské , i., ii. (in “ Národopisný věstník českoslovanský ”). V. Vondrák, Několik pohádek z Dubu u Vodňan (S. Bohemia), in “ Český Lid ,” xiii. V. Tille, Povídky sebrané na Valašsku (S. Moravia). “ Národopisný sborník českoslovanský ,” Svazek vii. Prague, 1901. Elpl, Řada pohádek a pověstí nasbíraných v Líšni u Brna (Moravia). B. M. Kulda, Moravské národní pohádky a pověsti , i. (Prague, 1874). From Morav
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Once upon a time there lived a mother who had two daughters. One was her own child, the other her stepdaughter. She was very fond of her own daughter, but she would not so much as look at her stepdaughter. The only reason was that Maruša, the stepdaughter, was prettier than her own daughter, Holena. The gentle-hearted Maruša did not know how beautiful she was, and so she could never make out why her mother was so cross with her whenever she looked at her. She had to do all the housework, tidying
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THE TWELVE MONTHS
THE TWELVE MONTHS
At last she saw a light in the distance. She went towards the glow, and came at last to the top of a mountain. A big fire was burning there, and round the fire were twelve stones with twelve men sitting on them. Three of them had snow-white beards, three were not so old, and three were still younger. The three youngest were the handsomest of them all. They were not speaking, but all sitting silent. These twelve men were the twelve months. Great January sat highest of all; his hair and beard were
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VÍŤAZKO
VÍŤAZKO
“You must be a wicked old rascal if your own brothers tied you there. I won’t unfasten your bonds either,” said Víťazko. So he slammed the door, and went off to fetch his mother to the castle. When he had brought her there, he showed her everything, but he did not open the tenth room, and he forbade her to enter that room, for otherwise there would be trouble. As soon as Víťazko left the house, the mother could not rest, and she kept on walking near the door of that tenth room, till at last she
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BOOTS, CLOAK, AND RING
BOOTS, CLOAK, AND RING
They gave him the boots, the cloak, and the hat. He put the hat on, and they couldn’t see him any more; he wrapped himself in the cloak, took the boots, and flew away. He flew some distance before he alighted upon a log and put the boots on. As he sat on the log, it turned over, and he saw a big hole under it. He went down the hole and came to some stairs, and went down them to the bottom without any difficulty. There he found a big room without any human being in it. The table was laid for one
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SILLY JURA
SILLY JURA
The servant was frightened, and let the burgomaster fall and ran away. The burgomaster was terrified too. He jumped up and ran after the servant. He cleared a wooden fence with one leap in his flight, and it wasn’t long till he reached home. His family wondered to see him cured so quickly without the help of a doctor. Next day the burgomaster proclaimed that he would give a pound to the man who had stolen his nuts the day before, if he would only come to see him. So Jura went to him, and the bur
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SLEEPY JOHN
SLEEPY JOHN
John answered that he would try to trace her all the same. When the evening was come the queen went to bed in one room and John went to bed in the next room, through which the queen had to pass. He did not go to sleep, but when the queen was going by he pretended to be in a deep slumber. So the queen lit a candle and scorched the soles of his feet to make sure that he was asleep. But John didn’t stir, and so she was certain that he was asleep. Then she took her twelve pairs of new shoes and off
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THREE DOVES
THREE DOVES
The lad said he left it to him. “You’re a good lad,” said the sorcerer. “Come with me to my cellar and take as much money as you like, gold or silver, just as you wish.” So the lad took as much as he could carry, and the sorcerer gave him one of the three doves too, saying: “When you get home, if you haven’t got a house of your own, have one built, and then pluck those three feathers out of the dove, and hide them away so carefully that no human eye can see them. The dove will turn into a lovely
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THE BEAR, THE EAGLE, AND THE FISH
THE BEAR, THE EAGLE, AND THE FISH
At once all around was changed. The pond turned into a meadow upon which a beautiful castle was shining. The castle was full of servants and the three princes, with their wives and children, were just walking out of it. All were overjoyed to be so happily delivered, and, when they had enough of rejoicing, they started off to find their parents. Their first journey was to the old count and countess, so that they might enjoy the sight of their children and grandchildren. Afterwards they hastened t
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KOJATA
KOJATA
The next day the sorcerer gave him another task: to build a palace of pure gold and silver without using hammer or trowel. The prince was very worried about it. But in the evening the youngest daughter came flying to him again, and she gave him a wand. At a single stroke of the wand the palace rose up ready-built, and it was more perfect than the old one. In the morning he was strolling about the palace looking round him. When King Kojata saw him, he came up to him and stopped: “Who has given yo
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SHEPHERD HYNEK
SHEPHERD HYNEK
“You earthworm, what are you looking for?” “Oh! I should like to have a try for that big head of yours.” The giant fell into a rage. He was holding a great club in his hand, and he flung it at Hynek, but Hynek dodged aside and the club sank deep into the ground, it had been flung with such force. So Hynek went right up to him, and, crack! he struck him with the wand. So the giant tumbled over. Hynek took his sword and struck his head off. Then he took an iron key out of the giant’s pocket. He op
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THE THREE ROSES
THE THREE ROSES
She protested that she wasn’t used to doing things like that, and do it she could not. But the basilisk said in a rage that, if that was so, he would tear her to pieces. As there was no choice, she went up to him and cut his head off. And as the basilisk’s head rolled on the ground, there came forth from his body a long serpent, hissing horribly. He asked her to cut his head off again. Mary did not hesitate this time, but cut his head off at once. The serpent (by the way, he held the golden keys
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THE ENCHANTED PRINCESSES
THE ENCHANTED PRINCESSES
Well, the king gave him the money without any more ado, adding that, if he found the princesses, he would get half of his kingdom. They fell to drinking again and had a splendid time. There was a drummer near them, and he heard them saying that they were to look for the princesses. So he went to the king and said: “I hear that your majesty is prostrated by sore trouble. I, too, would like to look for the princesses.” “How much do you want for it?” “Forty pounds, at least.” The king gave him the
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THE TWIN BROTHERS
THE TWIN BROTHERS
The knight happened to come to the town just then, and he saw a good inn, so he rode up to it. The innkeeper came at once to ask what he could do for him. Now, there were other guests there, and it was a busy place. The guests were all talking of the one matter: when the princess was going to marry the man who had killed the dragon. The wedding ought to have been long ago, but the bride and her parents kept putting it off. The knight listened to all this talk, and then he asked: “Are you sure th
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THE WATERNICK
THE WATERNICK
So in the morning he took them to the forest and gave them a wooden hatchet and a wooden saw and bade them, fell the trees. “When they are all cut down, you shall go back again.” So the Waternick left them, and the children began the work at once. They took the saw and tried to cut down a tree. But the saw soon broke and they were done for. So they took the hatchet, and the hatchet split in two after one stroke. They began to cry. “Things look bad for us,” they said. Since they saw that they cou
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THE MAN WHO MET MISERY
THE MAN WHO MET MISERY
“To think that a shrimp like that could make me suffer so!” he thought; and yet he found that, run as he would, he couldn’t catch the lad. So he cried out: “Wait a bit, you worm! Since you’re such a champion and have managed to tackle me, I’ll give you something to remember me by.” As he said this, he flung a ring at the lad, and the jewel in it shone like flame. The lad heard the ring tinkle as he ran by, so he picked it up and put it on his finger. But as soon as the ring was on his finger, th
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NINE AT A BLOW
NINE AT A BLOW
The giant gave in, and acknowledged that the tailor was the stronger of the two. So they went on together till they came to a cherry-tree growing near a meadow, and the cherries were ripe. They wanted to pick some of the cherries for themselves. So the tailor climbed the tree, but the giant simply bent down the top of the tree and began to pluck the cherries. When he had finished he let go, and the tailor was flung onto a heap of dry grass piled up in the meadow. So the tailor said: “If it hadn’
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A CLEVER LASS
A CLEVER LASS
But the daughter wasn’t a bit frightened. She came with the fall of dusk (and that was neither at noon nor in the morning); she dressed herself in fishing-nets; she took a goat, and she partly rode on the goat and partly she walked. And when the king saw that she had only a fishing-net on, that she came with the approach of dusk, and that she was partly walking, partly riding on the goat, he was bound to marry her. But he said to her: “You will be my wife so long as you don’t give advice to anyb
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THE SOLDIER AND THE DEVIL
THE SOLDIER AND THE DEVIL
He thought that he would give the other half of the apple to the lady, and perhaps she would get horns too. So he went and gave her the half apple. She enjoyed it very well, but soon horns grew on her head. The count called together all the doctors and asked them to operate on the horns. But the more they cut at the horns the longer they grew. So the king proclaimed that she would marry the man who should rid her of the horns, but if he failed, his life should be forfeit. So the soldier came bac
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OLD NICK AND KITTY
OLD NICK AND KITTY
“I’ll make it so much,” says Old Nick. “Well, if you will, I agree.” Now, the shepherd was a good-looking fellow, and Kitty was easily persuaded to stay with him. He had lots of money now, and he had the same idea as the devil, to throw her into the pond. What else could he do with such a hideous old hag? He had a great fur coat, and he put it on so high over his head that she couldn’t catch hold of his neck, and, plump! off she went into the pond. But, you know, a bad one’s a bad one, and you c
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THE KNIGHT BAMBUS
THE KNIGHT BAMBUS
“And how long is it to last?” “When three poor people come here, and each of them takes away two sackfuls of gold, I shall be delivered. I am bound to give all this gold away for nothing. Already I have outlived three generations of my kinsmen here.” Then he bade him fetch two leather sacks from the other room and collect the gold into them, filling them up to the brim. He must keep it all for himself and must not tell any one what he had seen. The gamekeeper promised that he wouldn’t even tell
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FRANCIS AND MARTIN
FRANCIS AND MARTIN
When Francis had the money, he began to build just as he wanted until he had spent it all. Then he gave Martin the sack. Martin said sorrowfully: “This is the world’s gratitude.” Though the witches used to be pretty lively in other places, they were fond of climbing up and down the cross that stands by the road to Malá Čermá (near Slaný). Joe Hilma heard tell of this, so he took his horse and off he rode to see. He took with him a piece of chalk which had been blessed, and made a circle with it.
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WITCHES AT THE CROSS
WITCHES AT THE CROSS
Once there was a farmer’s wife—I can’t tell you which one—who was a witch. Now these folks used to have a feast every Eve of St. Philip and St. James. As soon as they began to burn the brooms she couldn’t rest: go she must. So she stripped her clothes off, and, standing under the chimney, she anointed herself with some ointment. When she had finished, she said: “Fly, but don’t touch anything.” And away she flew in the twinkling of an eye. Yes, that was just how it was. But the farmhand was watch
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THE WITCH AND THE HORSESHOES
THE WITCH AND THE HORSESHOES
There was a haunted mill, and, dear me, what was it like! A rope-dancer came there with some monkeys. In the evening the Waternick came with a basketful of fishes. He made a fire and fried the fishes. Meanwhile the monkeys had been sitting behind the stove, but when the Nick put the fishes in the pan and was tasting whether they were done, the monkeys came from behind the stove, and one of them put its paw into the pan. The man smacked him over the paw and said: “Get away, pussy! You didn’t catc
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THE HAUNTED MILL
THE HAUNTED MILL
Printed in Great Britain by UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON The following corrections have been applied to the text:...
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