Then he was lifted up, and was instantly in east india. He could no longer find his father in the fisherman's hut, and asked the people where the poor fisherman could be, and they told him he must not say that, or he would come to the gallows. Then he went to his father and said, fisherman, how have you got here.
Then the father said, you must not say that, if the great men of the town knew of that, you would come to the gallows. He, however, would not give in, and was brought to the gallows.
When he was there, he said, o, my masters, just give me leave to go to the old fisherman's hut. Then he put on his old smock, and came back to the great men, and said, do you not now see. Am Inot the son of the poor fisherman. Did I not earn bread for my father and mother in this dress. Hereupon his father knew him again, and begged his pardon, and took him home with him, and then related all that had happened to him, and how he had got into a forest on a high mountain, and the mountain had opened and he had gone into an enchanted castle, where all was black, and three young princesses had come to him who were black except a little white on their faces. And they had told him not to fear, and that he could rescue them. Then his mother said that might very likely not be a good thing to do, and that he ought to take a blessed candle with him, and drop some boiling wax on their faces.
He went back again, and he was in great fear, and he dropped the wax on their faces as they were sleeping, and they all turned half-white. Then all the three princesses sprang up, and said, you accursed dog, our blood shall cry for vengeance on you.
Now there is no man born in the world, nor will any ever be born who can set us free. We have still three brothers who are bound by seven chains - they shall tear you to pieces. Then there was a loud shrieking all over the castle, and he sprang out of the window, and broke his leg, and the castle sank into the earth again, the mountain closed again, and no one knew where the castle had stood.
Between werrel and soist there lived a man whose name was knoist, and he had three sons. One was blind, the other lame, and the third stark-naked. Once on a time they went into a field, and there they saw a hare. The blind one shot it, the lame one caught it, the naked one put it in his pocket. Then they came to a mighty big lake, on which there were three boats, one sailed, one sank, the third had no bottom to it. They all three got into the one with no bottom to it. Then they came to a mighty big forest in which there was a mighty big tree, in the tree was a mighty big chapel - in the chapel was a sexton made of beech-wood and a box-wood parson, who dealt out holy water with cudgels.
How truly happy is that one who can from holy water run.
A girl from brakel once went to St. Anne's chapel at the foot of the hinnenberg, and as she wanted to have a husband, and thought there was no one else in the chapel, she sang, oh, holy saint anne.
Help me soon to a man.
Thou know'st him right well, by suttmer gate does he dwell, his hair it is yellow, thou know'st him right well.
The clerk, however, was standing behind the altar and heard that, so he cried in a very gruff voice, you shall not have him.
You shall not have him.
The maiden thought that the child mary who stood by her mother anne had called out that to her, and was angry, and cried, fiddle de dee, conceited thing, hold your tongue, and let your mother speak.
Whither do you go. To walpe. I to walpe, you to walpe, so, so, together we'll go.
Have you a man. What is his name. Cham. My man cham, your man cham. I to walpe, you to walpe, so, so, together we'll go.
Have you a child, how is he styled. Wild. My child wild, your child wild, my man cham, your man cham. I to walpe, you to walpe, so, so, together we'll go.
Have you a cradle. How do you call your cradle. Hippodadle. My cradle hippodadle, your cradle hippodadle, my child wild, your child wild, my man cham, your man cham. I to walpe, you to walpe, so, so, together we'll go.
Have you also a drudge. What name has your drudge.
From-work-do-not-budge. My drudge from-work-do-not-budge, your drudge from-work-do-not-budge, my cradle hippodadle, your cradle hippodadle, my child wild, your child wild, my man cham, your man cham. I to walpe, you to walpe, so, so, together we'll go.
There were once a little brother and a little sister, who loved each other with all their hearts. Their own mother, however, was dead, and they had a step-mother who was not kind to them, and secretly did everything she could to hurt them. It so happened that the two were playing with other children in a meadow before the house, and there was a pond in the meadow which came up to one side of the house. The children ran about it, and caught each other, and played at counting out.
Eneke beneke, let me live, and I to you my bird will give.
The little bird, it straw shall seek, the straw I'll give to the cow to eat.
The pretty cow shall give me milk, the milk I'll to the baker take.
The baker he shall bake a cake, the cake I'll give unto the cat.
The cat shall catch some mice for that, the mice I'll hang up in the smoke, and then you'll see the snow.
They stood in a circle while they played this, and the one to whom the word snow fell, had to run away and all the others ran after him and caught him. As they were running about so merrily the step-mother watched them from the window, and grew angry.
And as she understood arts of witchcraft she bewitched them both, and changed the little brother into a fish, and the little sister into a lamb. Then the fish swam here and there about the pond and was very sad, and the lambkin walked up and down the meadow, and was miserable, and could not eat or touch one blade of grass.
Thus passed a long time, and then strangers came as visitors to the castle. The false step-mother thought, this is a good opportunity, and called the cook and said to him, go and fetch the lamb from the meadow and kill it, we have nothing else for the visitors.