Minnikin

: The Red Fairy Book

THERE was once upon a time a couple of needy folk who lived

in a wretched hut, in which there was nothing but black want;

so they had neither food to eat nor wood to burn. But if they had

next to nothing of all else they had the blessing of God so far as

children were concerned, and every year brought them one more.

The man was not overpleased at this. He was always going about

grumbling and growling, and saying that i
seemed to him that

there might be such a thing as having too many of these good

gifts; so shortly before another baby was born he went away into

the wood for some firewood, saying that he did not want to see the

new child; he would hear him quite soon enough when he began to

squall for some food.



As soon as this baby was born it began to look about the room.

`Ah, my dear mother!' said he, `give me some of my brothers' old

clothes, and food enough for a few days, and I will go out into the

world and seek my fortune, for, so far as I can see, you have children

enough.'



`Heaven help thee, my son!' said the mother, `that will never

do; thou art still far too little.'



But the little creature was determined to do it, and begged and

prayed so long that the mother was forced to let him have some

old rags, and tie up a little food for him, and then gaily and happily

he went out into the world.



But almost before he was out of the house another boy was

born, and he too looked about him, and said, `Ah, my dear mother!

give me some of my brothers' old clothes, and food for some days,

and then I will go out into the world and find my twin brother, for

you have children enough.'



`Heaven help thee, little creature! thou art far too little for that,'

said the woman; `it would never do.'



But she spoke to no purpose, for the boy begged and prayed

until he had got some old rags and a bundle of provisions, and then

he set out manfully into the world to find his twin brother.



When the younger had walked for some time he caught sight

of his brother a short distance in front of him, and called to him

and bade him to stop.



`Wait a minute,' he said; `you are walking as if for a wager,

but you ought to have stayed to see your younger brother before

you hurried off into the world.'



So the elder stood still and looked back, and when the younger

had got up to him, and had told him that he was his brother, he said:

`But now, let us sit down and see what kind of food our mother has

given us,' and that they did.



When they had walked on a little farther they came to a brook

which ran through a green meadow, and there the younger said that

they ought to christen each other. `As we had to make such haste,

and had no time to do it at home, we may as well do it here,' said he.



`What will you be called?' asked the elder.



`I will be called Minnikin,' answered the second; `and you,

what will you be called?'



`I will be called King Pippin,' answered the elder.



They christened each other and then went onwards. When they

had walked for some time they came to a crossway, and there they

agreed to part, and each take his own road. This they did, but no

sooner had they walked a short distance than they met again. So

they parted once more, and each took his own road, but in a very

short time the same thing happened again--they met each other

before they were at all aware, and so it happened the third time also.

Then they arranged with each other that each should choose his

own quarter, and one should go east and the other west.



`But if ever you fall into any need or trouble,' said the elder,

`call me thrice, and I will come and help you; only you must not

call me until you are in the utmost need.'



`In that case we shall not see each other for some time,' said

Minnikin; so they bade farewell to each other, and Minnikin went

east and King Pippin went west.



When Minnikin had walked a long way alone, he met an old,

old crook-backed hag, who had only one eye. Minnikin stole it.



`Oh! oh!' cried the old hag, `what has become of my eye?'



`What will you give me to get your eye back?' said Minnikin.



`I will give thee a sword which is such a sword that it can

conquer a whole army, let it be ever so great,' replied the woman.



`Let me have it, then,' said Minnikin.



The old hag gave him the sword, so she got her eye back.

Then Minnikin went onwards, and when he had wandered on for

some time he again met an old, old crook-backed hag, who had only

one eye. Minnikin stole it before she was aware.



`Oh! oh! what has become of my eye?' cried the old hag.



`What will you give me to get your eye back?' said Minnikin.



`I will give thee a ship which can sail over fresh water and salt

water, over high hills and deep dales,' answered the old woman.



`Let me have it then,' said Minnikin.



So the old woman gave him a little bit of a ship which was no

bigger than he could put in his pocket, and then she got her eye

back, and she went her way and Minnikin his. When he had

walked on for a long time, he met for the third time an old, old

crook-backed hag, who had only one eye. This eye also Minnikin

stole, and when the woman screamed and lamented, and asked

what had become of her eye, Minnikin said, `What will you give

me to get your eye back?'



`I will give thee the art to brew a hundred lasts of malt in one

brewing.'



So, for teaching that art, the old hag got her eye back, and they

both went away by different roads.



But when Minnikin had walked a short distance, it seemed to

him that it might be worth while to see what his ship could do; so

he took it out of his pocket, and first he put one foot into it, and

then the other, and no sooner had he put one foot into the ship than

it became much larger, and when he set the other foot into it, it grew

as large as ships that sail on the sea.



Then Minnikin said: `Now go over fresh water and salt water,

over high hills and deep dales, and do not stop until thou comest

to the King's palace.'



And in an instant the ship went away as swiftly as any bird in

the air till it got just below the King's palace, and there it stood

still.



From the windows of the King's palace many persons had seen

Minnikin come sailing thither, and had stood to watch him; and

they were all so astounded that they ran down to see what manner

of man this could be who came sailing in a ship through the air.

But while they were running down from the King's palace, Minnikin

had got out of the ship and had put it in his pocket again; for the

moment he got out of it, it once more became as small as it had

been when he got it from the old woman, and those who came from

the King's palace could see nothing but a ragged little boy who was

standing down by the sea-shore. The King asked where he had

come from, but the boy said he did not know, nor yet could he tell

them how he had got there, but he begged very earnestly and

prettily for a place in the King's palace. If there was nothing else

for him to do, he said he would fetch wood and water for the

kitchen-maid, and that he obtained leave to do.



When Minnikin went up to the King's palace he saw that

everything there was hung with black both outside and inside, from

the bottom to the top; so he asked the kitchen-maid what that

meant.



`Oh, I will tell you that,' answered the kitchen-maid. `The

King's daughter was long ago promised away to three Trolls, and

next Thursday evening one of them is to come to fetch her. Ritter

Red has said that he will be able to set her free, but who knows

whether he will be able to do it? so you may easily imagine what

grief and distress we are in here.'



So when Thursday evening came, Ritter Red accompanied the

Princess to the sea-shore; for there she was to meet the Troll, and

Ritter Red was to stay with her and protect her. He, however, was

very unlikely to do the Troll much injury, for no sooner had the

Princess seated herself by the sea-shore than Ritter Red climbed

up into a great tree which was standing there, and hid himself as

well as he could among the branches.



The Princess wept, and begged him most earnestly not to go and

leave her; but Ritter Red did not concern himself about that. `It

is better that one should die than two,' said he.



In the meantime Minnikin begged the kitchen-maid very prettily

to give him leave to go down to the strand for a short time.



`Oh, what could you do down at the strand?' said the kitchen-

maid. `You have nothing to do there.'



`Oh yes, my dear, just let me go,' said Minnikin. `I should

so like to go and amuse myself with the other children.'



`Well, well, go then!' said the kitchen-maid, `but don't let me

find you staying there over the time when the pan has to be set on

the fire for supper, and the roast put on the spit; and mind you

bring back a good big armful of wood for the kitchen.'



Minnikin promised this, and ran down to the sea-shore.



Just as he got to the place where the King's daughter was

sitting, the Troll came rushing up with a great whistling and

whirring, and he was so big and stout that he was terrible to see, and

he had five heads.



`Fire!' screeched the Troll.



`Fire yourself!' said Minnikin.



`Can you fight?' roared the Troll.



`If not, I can learn,' said Minnikin.



So the Troll struck at him with a great thick iron bar which he

had in his fist, till the sods flew five yards up into the air.



`Fie!' said Minnikin. `That was not much of a blow. Now

you shall see one of mine.'



So he grasped the sword which he had got from the old crook-

backed woman, and slashed at the Troll so that all five heads went

flying away over the sands.



When the Princess saw that she was delivered she was so

delighted that she did not know what she was doing, and skipped

and danced.



`Come and sleep a bit with your head in my lap,' she said to

Minnikin, and as he slept she put a golden dress on him.



But when Ritter Red saw that there was no longer any danger

afoot, he lost no time in creeping down from the tree. He then

threatened the Princess, until at length she was forced to promise

to say that it was he who had rescued her, for he told her that if

she did not he would kill her. Then he took the Troll's lungs and

tongue and put them in his pocket-handkerchief, and led the

Princess back to the King's palace; and whatsoever had been

lacking to him in the way of honour before was lacking no longer,

for the King did not know how to exalt him enough, and always

set him on his own right hand at table.



As for Minnikin, first he went out on the Troll's ship and took

a great quantity of gold and silver hoops away with him, and then

he trotted back to the King's palace.



When the kitchen-maid caught sight of all this gold and silver

she was quite amazed, and said: `My dear friend Minnikin, where

have you got all that from?' for she was half afraid that he had

not come by it honestly.



`Oh,' answered Minnikin, `I have been home a while, and these

hoops had fallen off some of our buckets, so I brought them away

with me for you.'



So when the kitchen-maid heard that they were for her, she

asked no more questions about the matter. She thanked Minnikin,

and everything was right again at once.



Next Thursday evening all went just the same, and everyone

was full of grief and affliction, but Ritter Red said that he had been

able to deliver the King's daughter from one Troll, so that he could

very easily deliver her from another, and he led her down to the

sea-shore. But he did not do much harm to this Troll either, for

when the time came when the Troll might be expected, he said as

he had said before: `It is better that one should die than two,' and

then climbed up into the tree again.



Minnikin once more begged the cook's leave to go down to the

sea-shore for a short time.



`Oh, what can you do there?' said the cook.



`My dear, do let me go!' said Minnikin; `I should so like to go

down there and amuse myself a little with the other children.'



So this time also she said that he should have leave to go, but

he must first promise that he would be back by the time the joint

was turned and that he would bring a great armful of wood with

him.



No sooner had Minnikin got down to the strand than the Troll

came rushing along with a great whistling and whirring, and he

was twice as big as the first Troll, and he had ten heads.



`Fire!' shrieked the Troll.



`Fire yourself!' said Minnikin.



`Can you fight?' roared the Troll.



`If not, I can learn,' said Minnikin.



So the Troll struck at him with his iron club--which was still

bigger than that which the first Troll had had--so that the earth

flew ten yards up in the air.



`Fie!' said Minnikin. `That was not much of a blow. Now

you shall see one of my blows.'



Then he grasped his sword and struck at the Troll, so that all his

ten heads danced away over the sands.



And again the King's daughter said to him, `Sleep a while on my

lap,' and while Minnikin lay there she drew some silver raiment

over him.



As soon as Ritter Red saw that there was no longer any danger

afoot, he crept down from the tree and threatened the Princess,

until at last she was again forced to promise to say that it was he

who had rescued her; after which he took the tongue and the lungs

of the Troll and put them in his pocket-handkerchief, and then

he conducted the Princess back to the palace. There was joy

and gladness in the palace, as may be imagined, and the King

did not know how to show enough honour and respect to Ritter Red.



Minnikin, however, took home with him an armful of gold and

silver hoops from the Troll's ship. When he came back to the

King's palace the kitchen-maid clapped her hands and wondered

where he could have got all that gold and silver; but Minnikin

answered that he had been home for a short time, and that it was

only the hoops which had fallen off some pails, and that he had

brought them away for the kitchen-maid.



When the third Thursday evening came, everything happened

exactly as it had happened on the two former occasions. Everything

in the King's palace was hung with black, and everyone was

sorrowful and distressed; but Ritter Red said that he did not think

that they had much reason to be afraid--he had delivered the

King's daughter from two Trolls, so he could easily deliver her

from the third as well.



He led her down to the strand, but when the time drew near for

the Troll to come, he climbed up into the tree again and hid himself.



The Princess wept and entreated him to stay, but all to no

purpose. He stuck to his old speech, `It is better that one life should

be lost than two.'



This evening also, Minnikin begged for leave to go down to the

sea-shore.



`Oh, what can you do there?' answered the kitchen-maid.



However, he begged until at last he got leave to go, but he was

forced to promise that he would be back again in the kitchen when

the roast had to be turned.



Almost immediately after he had got down to the sea-shore the

Troll came with a great whizzing and whirring, and he was much,

much bigger than either of the two former ones, and he had fifteen

heads.



`Fire!' roared the Troll.



`Fire yourself!' said Minnikin.



`Can you fight?' screamed the Troll.



`If not, I can learn,' said Minnikin.



`I will teach you,' yelled the Troll, and struck at him with his

iron club so that the earth flew up fifteen yards high into the air.



`Fie!' said Minnikin. `That was not much of a blow. Now I

will let you see one of my blows.'



So saying he grasped his sword, and cut at the Troll in such a

way that all his fifteen heads danced away over the sands.



Then the Princess was delivered, and she thanked Minnikin

and blessed him for saving her.



`Sleep a while now on my lap,' said she, and while he lay there

she put a garment of brass upon him.



`But now, how shall we have it made known that it was you

who saved me?' said the King's daughter.



`That I will tell you,' answered Minnikin. `When Ritter Red

has taken you home again, and given out that it was he who

rescued you, he will, as you know, have you to wife, and half the

kingdom. But when they ask you on your wedding-day whom

you will have to be your cup-bearer, you must say, ``I will have the

ragged boy who is in the kitchen, and carries wood and water for

the kitchen-maid;'' and when I am filling your cups for you, I will

spill a drop upon his plate but none upon yours, and then he will

be angry and strike me, and this will take place thrice. But the

third time you must say, ``Shame on you thus to smite the beloved

of mine heart. It is he who delivered me from the Troll, and he is

the one whom I will have.'' '



Then Minnikin ran back to the King's palace as he had done

before, but first he went on board the Troll's ship and took a great

quantity of gold and silver and other precious things, and out of

these he once more gave to the kitchen-maid a whole armful of gold

and silver hoops.



No sooner did Ritter Red see that all danger was over than he

crept down from the tree, and threatened the King's daughter till

he made her promise to say that he had rescued her. Then he

conducted her back to the King's palace, and if honour enough had

not been done him before it was certainly done now, for the King

had no other thought than how to make much of the man who had

saved his daughter from the three Trolls; and it was settled then

that Ritter Red should marry her, and receive half the kingdom.



On the wedding-day, however, the Princess begged that she might

have the little boy who was in the kitchen, and carried wood and

water for the kitchen-maid, to fill the wine-cups at the wedding feast.



`Oh, what can you want with that dirty, ragged boy, in here?'

said Ritter Red, but the Princess said that she insisted on having

him as cup-bearer and would have no one else; and at last she got

leave, and then everything was done as had been agreed on between

the Princess and Minnikin. He spilt a drop on Ritter Red's plate

but none upon hers, and each time that he did it Ritter Red fell

into a rage and struck him. At the first blow all the ragged

garments which he had worn in the kitchen fell from off Minnikin,

at the second blow the brass garments fell off, and at the third

the silver raiment, and there he stood in the golden raiment, which

was so bright and splendid that light flashed from it.



Then the King's daughter said: `Shame on you thus to smite

the beloved of my heart. It is he who delivered me from the Troll,

and he is the one whom I will have.'



Ritter Red swore that he was the man who had saved her, but

the King said: `He who delivered my daughter must have some

token in proof of it.'



So Ritter Red ran off at once for his handkerchief with the lungs

and tongue, and Minnikin went and brought all the gold and silver

and precious things which he had taken out of the Trolls' ships;

and they each of them laid these tokens before the King.



`He who has such precious things in gold and silver and

diamonds,' said the King, `must be the one who killed the Troll,

for such things are not to be had anywhere else.' So Ritter Red

was thrown into the snake-pit, and Minnikin was to have the

Princess, and half the kingdom.



One day the King went out walking with Minnikin, and

Minnikin asked him if he had never had any other children.



`Yes,' said the King, `I had another daughter, but the Troll

carried her away because there was no one who could deliver her.

You are going to have one daughter of mine, but if you can set free

the other, who has been taken by the Troll, you shall willingly

have her too, and the other half of the kingdom as well.'



`I may as well make the attempt,' said Minnikin, `but I must

have an iron rope which is five hundred ells long, and then I must

have five hundred men with me, and provisions for five weeks, for

I have a long voyage before me.'



So the King said he should have these things, but the King was

afraid that he had no ship large enough to carry them all.



`But I have a ship of my own,' said Minnikin, and he took

the one which the old woman had given him out of his pocket.

The King laughed at him and thought that it was only one of his

jokes, but Minnikin begged him just to give him what he had

asked for, and then he should see something. Then all that

Minnikin had asked for was brought; and first he ordered them to

lay the cable in the ship, but there was no one who was able to

lift it, and there was only room for one or two men at a time in

the little bit of a ship. Then Minnikin himself took hold of the

cable, and laid one or two links of it into the ship, and as he threw

the links into it the ship grew bigger and bigger, and at last it was so

large that the cable, and the five hundred men, and provisions, and

Minnikin himself, had room enough.



`Now go over fresh water and salt water, over hill and dale,

and do not stop until thou comest to where the King's daughter

is,' said Minnikin to the ship, and off it went in a moment

over land and water till the wind whistled and moaned all round

about it.



When they had sailed thus a long, long way, the ship stopped

short in the middle of the sea.



`Ah, now we have got there,' said Minnikin, `but how we

are to get back again is a very different thing.'



Then he took the cable and tied one end of it round his body.

`Now I must go to the bottom,' he said, `but when I give a good

jerk to the cable and want to come up again, you must all pull

like one man, or there will be an end of all life both for you and

for me.' So saying he sprang into the water, and yellow bubbles

rose up all around him. He sank lower and lower, and at last he

came to the bottom. There he saw a large hill with a door in it,

and in he went. When he had got inside he found the other

Princess sitting sewing, but when she saw Minnikin she clapped

her hands.



`Ah, heaven be praised!' she cried, `I have not seen a

Christian man since I came here.'



`I have come for you,' said Minnikin.



`Alas! you will not be able to get me,' said the King's daughter.

`It is no use even to think of that; if the Troll catches sight of

you he will take your life.'



`You had better tell me about him,' said Minnikin. `Where is

he gone? It would be amusing to see him.'



So the King's daughter told Minnikin that the Troll was out

trying to get hold of someone who could brew a hundred lasts of

malt at one brewing, for there was to be a feast at the Troll's, at

which less than that would not be drunk.



`I can do that,' said Minnikin.



`Ah! if only the Troll were not so quick-tempered I might have

told him that,' answered the Princess, `but he is so ill-natured

that he will tear you to pieces, I fear, as soon as he comes in. But

I will try to find some way of doing it. Can you hide yourself

here in the cupboard? and then we will see what happens.'



Minnikin did this, and almost before he had crept into the cupboard

and hidden himself, came the Troll.



`Huf! What a smell of Christian man's blood!' said the Troll.



`Yes, a bird flew over the roof with a Christian man's bone in

his bill, and let it fall down our chimney,' answered the Princess.

`I made haste enough to get it away again, but it must be that

which smells so, notwithstanding.'



`Yes, it must be that,' said the Troll.



Then the Princess asked if he had got hold of anyone who could

brew a hundred lasts of malt at one brewing.



`No, there is no one who can do it,' said the Troll.



`A short time since there was a man here who said he could do

it,' said the King's daughter.



`How clever you always are!' said the Troll. `How could

you let him go away? You must have known that I was just

wanting a man of that kind.'



`Well, but I didn't let him go, after all,' said the Princess;

`but father is so quick-tempered, so I hid him in the cupboard, but

if father has not found any one then the man is still here.'



`Let him come in,' said the Troll.



When Minnikin came, the Troll asked if it were true that he

could brew a hundred lasts of malt at one brewing.



`Yes,' said Minnikin, `it is.'



`It is well then that I have lighted on thee,' said the Troll.

`Fall to work this very minute, but Heaven help thee if thou dost

not brew the ale strong.'



`Oh, it shall taste well,' said Minnikin, and at once set himself

to work to brew.



`But I must have more trolls to help to carry what is wanted,'

said Minnikin; `these that I have are good for nothing.'



So he got more and so many that there was a swarm of them,

and then the brewing went on. When the sweet-wort was ready

they were all, as a matter of course, anxious to taste it, first the

Troll himself and then the others; but Minnikin had brewed the

wort so strong that they all fell down dead like so many flies as

soon as they had drunk any of it. At last there was no one left

but one wretched old hag who was lying behind the stove.



`Oh, poor old creature!' said Minnikin, `you shall have a taste

of the wort too like the rest.' So he went away and scooped up a

little from the bottom of the brewing vat in a milk pan, and gave

it to her, and then he was quit of the whole of them.



While Minnikin was now standing there looking about him, he

cast his eye on a large chest. This he took and filled it with gold

and silver, and then he tied the cable round himself and the

Princess and the chest, and tugged at the rope with all his might,

whereupon his men drew them up safe and sound.



As soon as Minnikin had got safely on his ship again, he said:

`Now go over salt water and fresh water, over hill and dale, and do

not stop until thou comest unto the King's palace.' And in a

moment the ship went off so fast that the yellow foam rose up all

round about it.



When those who were in the King's palace saw the ship, they

lost no time in going to meet him with song and music, and thus

they marched up towards Minnikin with great rejoicings; but

the gladdest of all was the King, for now he had got his other

daughter back again.



But now Minnikin was not happy, for both the Princesses

wanted to have him, and he wanted to have none other than the

one whom he had first saved, and she was the younger. For this

cause he was continually walking backwards and forwards, thinking

how he could contrive to get her, and yet do nothing that was unkind

to her sister. One day when he was walking about and thinking

of this, it came into his mind that if he only had his brother, King

Pippin, with him, who was so like himself that no one could

distinguish the one from the other, he could let him have the elder

Princess and half the kingdom; as for himself, he thought, the

other half was quite enough. As soon as this thought occurred to

him he went outside the palace and called for King Pippin, but no

one came. So he called a second time, and a little louder, but no!

still no one came. So Minnikin called for the third time, and with

all his might, and there stood his brother by his side.



`I told you that you were not to call me unless you were in the

utmost need,' he said to Minnikin, `and there is not even so much

as a midge here who can do you any harm!' and with that he

gave Minnikin such a blow that he rolled over on the grass.



`Shame on you to strike me!' said Minnikin. `First have I won

one Princess and half the kingdom, and then the other Princess

and the other half of the kingdom; and now, when I was just thinking

that I would give you one of the Princesses and one of the

halves of the kingdom, do you think you have any reason to give

me such a blow?'



When King Pippin heard that he begged his brother's pardon,

and they were reconciled at once and became good friends.



`Now, as you know,' said Minnikin, `we are so like each other

that no one can tell one of us from the other; so just change clothes

with me and go up to the palace, and then the Princesses will think

that I am coming in, and the one who kisses you first shall be

yours, and I will have the other.' For he knew that the elder

Princess was the stronger, so he could very well guess how things

would go.



King Pippin at once agreed to this. He changed clothes with

his brother, and went into the palace. When he entered the

Princess's apartments they believed that he was Minnikin, and

both of them ran up to him at once; but the elder, who was bigger

and stronger, pushed her sister aside, and threw her arms round

King Pippin's neck and kissed him; so he got her to wife, and

Minnikin the younger sister. It will be easy to understand that

two weddings took place, and they were so magnificent that they

were heard of and talked about all over seven kingdoms.[27]



[27] From J. Moe.



More

;