Brother Lustig
Introduction
Among the Grimms' tales is a special class of 'religious legend' in which St. Peter, disguised as a beggar or a discharged soldier, walks the roads of the world, testing and teaching those he meets (this whole class is catalogued between ATU 750 and 785). 'Brother Lustig' strings two such jokes together. The first half is ATU 785, 'Who Ate the Lamb's Heart': the companion secretly eats the heart and flatly denies it, so St. Peter catches him out by dividing the gold into three heaps and leaving one 'for whoever ate the lamb's heart.' The second half is ATU 330, 'The Soldier who Outwits the Devil': with a magic knapsack from St. Peter he traps devils and roams the world, until at last Hell fears him and Heaven turns him away, whereupon he passes the knapsack through the gate and wishes himself inside it — sneaking into Heaven after all. That ending, of tricking one's way even into Heaven, rhymes with this site's 'The Tailor in Heaven.' The best thing about the story is its hero: generous yet greedy, kind yet untruthful, an exasperating and hilarious 'loveable rogue.' The Grimms kept many such earthy tales that dared to joke even about the sacred — laughing not at good and evil, but at the small failings every one of us carries.
Font Size
1 / 54
Stopped
There was once a great war, and when it was over a good many soldiers were sent home. Brother Lustig got his discharge along with the rest, and with it nothing but a small army loaf and four kreuzers in coin; and off he went.
Now Saint Peter had put himself in the road as a poor beggar, and when Brother Lustig came up he asked him for alms. "Dear beggar-man," said Brother Lustig, "what am I to give you? I have been a soldier and I have my discharge, and all I own is this bit of army bread and four kreuzers. Once that is gone I shall be begging beside you. Still, you shall have something."
So he broke the loaf into four, gave the apostle one piece and a kreuzer with it. Saint Peter thanked him and went on ahead; and then he put himself in the soldier's way again as a beggar, in another shape, and asked him as before. Brother Lustig said the same thing he had said the first time, and again handed over a quarter of the loaf and a kreuzer.
Saint Peter thanked him and went on; and a third time he stood in the road in yet another shape and spoke to Brother Lustig. Brother Lustig gave him the third quarter of the bread and the third kreuzer too. Saint Peter thanked him, and Brother Lustig walked on with one quarter of a loaf and one kreuzer to his name.
With those he turned into an inn, ate the bread, and called for a kreuzer's worth of beer. That done, he took the road again; and now Saint Peter came to meet him in the shape of a discharged soldier, and spoke to him. "Good day, comrade. Could you spare me a bit of bread and a kreuzer for a drink?"
"And where am I to get it?" said Brother Lustig. "I have my discharge, and all they gave me was one loaf of army bread and four kreuzers. Three beggars met me on the road, and each of them had a quarter of my loaf and a kreuzer. The last quarter I ate at the inn, and the last kreuzer I drank. My pockets are empty now; and if you have nothing either, we can go begging together."
"No," said Saint Peter, "there is no need to come to that. I know a little about doctoring, and I shall soon earn as much as I want by it." — "Is that so," said Brother Lustig. "I know nothing of that trade, so I shall have to go begging on my own." — "Just come along with me," said Saint Peter, "and whatever I earn, half of it is yours." — "Agreed," said Brother Lustig; and they went off together.
Presently they came to a peasant's house, and from inside came loud wailing and crying. In they went, and there lay the husband, so ill that his end was very near, and his wife was weeping aloud. "Stop that howling and crying," said Saint Peter. "I shall make the man well again." He took a salve out of his pocket, and in a moment the sick man was healed and could get up, in perfect health.
The man and his wife were overjoyed. "How can we repay you? What are we to give you?" But Saint Peter would take nothing at all, and the more the peasant folk pressed him, the more he refused. Brother Lustig, though, nudged Saint Peter and said, "Take something. Goodness knows we need it."
At last the woman fetched a lamb and told Saint Peter he really must take that; and still he would not. Then Brother Lustig gave him a dig in the ribs. "Do take it, you great fool. We are badly in want of it." So at last Saint Peter said, "Very well, I shall take the lamb — but I shall not carry it. If you must have it, you must carry it." — "That is nothing at all," said Brother Lustig. "I shall carry it easily," and up it went on his shoulder.
So they set off, and came to a wood; and by now Brother Lustig was finding the lamb heavy, and he was hungry. "Look," said he to Saint Peter, "here is a good spot. We might cook the lamb here and eat it." — "As you please," answered Saint Peter, "but I shall have nothing to do with the cooking. If you want to cook, there is a kettle for you, and meanwhile I shall walk about a little until it is ready. One thing only: do not begin to eat before I am back. I shall come at the right moment."
"Go along, then," said Brother Lustig. "I know about cookery. I shall manage." So Saint Peter went off, and Brother Lustig killed the lamb, lit a fire, put the meat in the kettle and boiled it. But the lamb was cooked through and the apostle Peter had still not come back. So Brother Lustig lifted it out, carved it up, and came upon the heart. "They say that is the best bit," said he, and tasted it; and in the end he ate the whole of it.
At last Saint Peter came back and said, "You may eat the whole lamb yourself. All I want is the heart. Give me that." Then Brother Lustig took a knife and fork and made a show of hunting anxiously through the meat, as though he could not find the heart; and at last he said flatly, "There is none here." — "But where can it be?" said the apostle. — "I have no idea," said Brother Lustig. "But look at the pair of us — hunting for a lamb's heart, and neither of us remembering that a lamb has no heart at all!"
"Well," said Saint Peter, "that is news to me. Every beast has a heart. Why should a lamb have none?" — "No, take my word for it, brother," said Brother Lustig. "A lamb has no heart. Only think it over properly and you will see that it truly has none." — "Very well, so be it," said Saint Peter. "If there is no heart, then I want none of the lamb. Eat it by yourself." — "What I cannot eat now I shall carry off in my knapsack," said Brother Lustig; and he ate half the lamb and packed the rest away.
On they went; and then Saint Peter made a great stream of water flow right across their path, so that they had to go through it. "You go first," said Saint Peter. — "No," answered Brother Lustig, "you go first," for he was thinking: if the water is too deep, I shall stay where I am. So Saint Peter strode through, and the water came only to his knee. Then Brother Lustig started across too; but the water grew deeper and rose to his throat.
"Brother, help me!" he cried. Saint Peter said, "Will you admit that you ate the lamb's heart?" — "No," said he, "I never ate it." Then the water rose higher still, up to his mouth. "Help me, brother!" cried the soldier. Saint Peter said, "Will you admit that you ate the lamb's heart?" — "No," he answered, "I never ate it." All the same, Saint Peter would not let him drown; he made the water sink and helped him over.
So they travelled on, and came to a kingdom where they heard that the King's daughter lay sick to death. "Ho there, brother!" said the soldier to Saint Peter. "Here is our chance. Cure her, and we are provided for as long as we live." But Saint Peter was nothing like quick enough for him. "Come, pick up your feet, dear brother, or we shall be too late." Yet Saint Peter walked slower and slower, for all Brother Lustig's driving and shoving; and at last they heard that the princess was dead.
"Now we are finished!" said Brother Lustig. "That is what comes of your sleepy way of walking." — "Quiet, now," answered Saint Peter. "Curing sick people is not all I can do. I can bring dead ones back to life." — "Well, if you can do that," said Brother Lustig, "all is well; but you ought to earn us half the kingdom by it, at the very least."
So they went to the royal palace, where everyone was in deep grief, and Saint Peter told the King he would give him his daughter back alive. He was taken to her, and said, "Bring me a kettle and some water." When it was brought, he sent everyone out and let no one stay but Brother Lustig. Then he separated all the dead girl's limbs, put them into the water, lit a fire under the kettle, and boiled them. And when the flesh had come away, he took out the beautiful white bones and laid them on a table and put them together again in their proper order. That done, he stepped up to the table and spoke three times: "By the holy Trinity I call you — rise up, dead maiden." And at the third calling the princess stood up, living, healthy and beautiful.
The King was overjoyed, and said to Saint Peter, "Name your reward. If it were half my kingdom, you should have it." But Saint Peter said, "I want nothing for it." — Oh, you great fool, thought Brother Lustig, and dug his comrade in the side. "Don't be so stupid! You may need nothing, but I do." Saint Peter, however, would take nothing; and as the King could see that the other man would very much like something, he told his treasurer to pour gold into Brother Lustig's knapsack until it would hold no more.
Then they went on their way; and when they came to a forest Saint Peter said, "Now we shall divide the gold." — "Yes," said he, "let us." So Saint Peter divided the gold, and made three heaps of it. What maggot has he got in his head now, thought Brother Lustig. He is making three shares and there are only two of us. But Saint Peter said, "I have divided it exactly. One share for me, one for you, and one for whoever ate the lamb's heart."
"Oh, I ate that!" said Brother Lustig, and swept the gold up in a hurry. "You may take my word for it." — "But how can that be true," said Saint Peter, "when a lamb has no heart?" — "Come, brother, what are you thinking of? Lambs have hearts like every other creature. Why should they alone have none?" — "Very well, so be it," said Saint Peter. "Keep the gold to yourself; but I shall stay with you no longer. I shall go my own way." — "As you please, dear brother," answered Brother Lustig. "Goodbye to you."
So Saint Peter took another road; and Brother Lustig thought: a good thing he has taken himself off — a strange sort of saint he is, when all is said. He had money enough now, but he had no notion how to handle it; he threw it about and gave it away, and after a while he had nothing again.
Then he came into a certain country where he heard that a King's daughter was dead. Aha, thought he, this may do very well for me. I shall bring her back to life and see that I am paid as I deserve. So he went to the King and offered to raise the dead girl.
Now the King had heard of a discharged soldier travelling about and bringing dead people back to life, and he supposed Brother Lustig was the man. But he had no faith in him, and consulted his councillors first; and they said he might as well let him try, since his daughter was dead in any case.
So Brother Lustig had water brought to him in a kettle, sent everyone out, took the limbs off, put them in the water and lit a fire beneath — exactly as he had watched Saint Peter do. The water began to boil and the flesh came away, and he took out the bones and laid them on the table. But he did not know what order they went in, and he set them down all wrong and in a muddle.
Then he stood in front of them and said, "By the holy Trinity I call you — rise up, dead maiden," and he said it three times over, and the bones never stirred. So he said it three times more, and that was no use either. "Confound the girl, get up!" he cried. "Get up, or it will be the worse for you!"
The words were hardly out when Saint Peter appeared as he had been before, a discharged soldier; he came in through the window and said, "Godless man, what are you at? How is the dead maiden to rise, when you have thrown her bones about in such confusion?" — "Dear brother, I did the best I knew," he answered.
"This once I shall get you out of your trouble. But I tell you this much: try anything of the kind again and it will go badly with you. And for this you shall neither ask nor accept the smallest thing from the King." With that Saint Peter laid the bones in their right order, said three times over, "By the holy Trinity I call you — rise up, dead maiden," and the King's daughter got up, as healthy and beautiful as ever.
Then Saint Peter went out by the window again; and Brother Lustig was glad enough that it had all gone off so well, but very much put out to think he was to have nothing for it. I should dearly like to know, thought he, what notion is lodged in that fellow's head. Whatever one hand of his hands over, the other hand takes back. There is no sense in it anywhere.
The King offered Brother Lustig whatever he cared to have, and he dared not take anything; but by hints and by cunning he brought the King round to ordering his knapsack filled with gold, and off he went with it. And when he got outside, there stood Saint Peter by the door. "Just look at the man you are. Did I not forbid you to take anything? And there is your knapsack full of gold."
"And how am I to help it," answered Brother Lustig, "if people will put it in for me?" — "Then I tell you this: set about anything of the kind again and you shall suffer for it." — "Eh, brother, never fear. I have money now; why should I trouble myself with washing bones?"
"Faith," said Saint Peter, "that gold will last a long while! And so that you may never stray into forbidden paths after this, I shall give your knapsack this property: whatever you wish to have inside it shall be there. Goodbye — you will not see me again." — "Goodbye," said Brother Lustig, and thought to himself: I am very glad you have taken yourself off, you strange fellow. I shall certainly not come after you. But of the magic power that had been given to his knapsack he thought no more at all.
Brother Lustig travelled about with his money, and threw it away and wasted it as before. When at last he had no more than four kreuzers left, he passed an inn and thought: the money may as well go — and so he called for three kreuzers' worth of wine, and bread with the fourth.
As he sat there drinking, the smell of roast goose came to his nose. Brother Lustig looked about and peered around, and saw that the landlord had two geese in the oven. Then he remembered what his comrade had said — that whatever he wished for in his knapsack would be there. Aha, thought he, I must try that on the geese.
So out he went; and when he was outside the door he said, "I wish those two roast geese out of the oven and into my knapsack." Then he unbuckled it and looked, and there they lay. "That is the way!" said he. "Now I am a made man," and he went off to a meadow and took the roast meat out.
He was in the middle of his meal when two journeymen came up and looked with hungry eyes at the second goose, which he had not yet touched. One is enough for me, thought Brother Lustig; and he called the two men over and said, "Take the goose and eat it, and drink my health."
They thanked him and carried it off to the inn, ordered half a bottle of wine and a loaf, brought out the goose that had been given them, and set to. The landlady saw them and said to her husband, "Those two are eating a goose. Just go and see whether it is one of ours out of the oven."
The landlord ran to look — and the oven was empty. "What!" he cried. "You thieving pair — you want your goose as cheap as that? Pay for it this minute, or I shall wash you down with green hazel-sap."
The two of them said, "We are no thieves. A discharged soldier gave us the goose, out there in the meadow." — "You will not throw dust in my eyes like that. The soldier was here, and he went out by the door like an honest man; I watched him go myself. You are the thieves, and you shall pay." But as they could not pay, he took a stick and drove them out of the house with it.
Brother Lustig went on his way, and came to a place where there stood a magnificent castle, and not far off a shabby little inn. At the inn he asked to be put up for the night, and the landlord turned him away. "No room at all; every bed is taken by noble guests." — "Now that surprises me," said Brother Lustig, "that they come to you and leave that splendid castle standing empty."
"Ah, well," said the host, "sleeping a night in there is no small matter. Nobody who has tried it so far has ever come out alive." — "If others have tried it," said Brother Lustig, "then I shall try it too."
"Let it alone," said the host. "It will cost you your neck." — "It will not kill me straight away," said Brother Lustig. "Only let me have the key, and some good food and wine with it." The host handed over key, food and wine; and Brother Lustig carried the lot into the castle, enjoyed his supper, and at last, growing sleepy, lay down on the floor, since there was no bed.
He soon fell asleep; but in the night a great noise disturbed him, and when he woke he saw nine ugly devils in the room. They had made a ring and were dancing round him. "Well," said Brother Lustig, "dance as long as you please, but none of you is to come too close." But the devils pressed nearer and nearer, and all but trod on his face with their hideous feet.
"Stop that, you devils' ghosts," said he; and they behaved worse than before. Then Brother Lustig grew angry. "Hola! I shall soon have quiet here," he cried, and he got hold of a chair leg and struck out into the middle of them. But nine devils to one soldier were still too many; and while he struck at the ones in front, the others got him from behind by the hair and pulled it without mercy.
"Devils' crew," he cried, "this is getting past bearing. But wait. Into my knapsack, all nine of you!" In they went that instant; and he buckled it up and threw it into a corner. After that everything was quiet at once, and Brother Lustig lay down again and slept till broad day.
Then the innkeeper came, and the nobleman the castle belonged to, to see how he had fared; and finding him merry and well, they stood astonished. "Did the spirits do you no harm at all?" — "The reason they have not," answered Brother Lustig, "is that I have all nine of them in my knapsack. You may live in your castle again in perfect peace. Not one of them will ever haunt it more."
The nobleman thanked him, made him rich presents, and begged him to stay in his service, promising to provide for him as long as he lived. "No," answered Brother Lustig. "I am used to wandering; I shall travel further." Then he went away, and turned in at a smithy, and laid the knapsack with the nine devils in it on the anvil, and asked the smith and his apprentices to strike. So they came down on it with their great hammers with all their might, and the devils set up howls that were truly pitiable. When he opened the knapsack afterwards, eight of them were dead. The ninth had been lying in a fold of the cloth and was alive still; out it slipped, and away down to hell it went.
After that Brother Lustig wandered about the world a long time, and those who know the tales can tell a great many of them about him. But at last he grew old and began to think of his end; so he went to a hermit who was known for a pious man, and said to him, "I am tired of wandering, and I want now to live in such a way that I shall get into the kingdom of Heaven."
The hermit answered, "Two roads lie before you. The broad and pleasant one goes down to hell; the narrow and rough one goes up to heaven." — I should be a fool, thought Brother Lustig, to take the narrow, rough road. So he set out along the broad and pleasant one, and came at length to a great black door, and that was the door of Hell.
Brother Lustig knocked, and the door-keeper looked out to see who was there. But at the sight of Brother Lustig he was terrified; for he was that very ninth devil who had been shut in the knapsack and had got out of it with a black eye. He shot the bolt back as fast as he could and ran to the devil's lieutenant. "Outside there is a fellow with a knapsack, wanting in. If you value your lives, keep him out — he will wish the whole of hell into that knapsack of his. Once, when I was inside it, he had me hammered black and blue."
So they shouted out to Brother Lustig to be off with him, for in there he should not come. If they will not have me here, thought he, I shall see whether there is a place for me in heaven, since I must be somewhere. So he turned round and walked on until the door of Heaven stood before him, and there he knocked.
Saint Peter was sitting close by as door-keeper. Brother Lustig knew him at once and thought: here is an old friend; I shall do better now. But Saint Peter said, "I do believe it is Heaven you are after." — "Let me in, brother. Somewhere I must go. Had Hell been willing to take me, I should never have troubled you."
"No," said Saint Peter, "in you shall not come." — "Then if you will not let me in, take your knapsack back, for I will keep nothing at all of yours." — "Hand it over, then," said Saint Peter. So Brother Lustig passed the knapsack through the bars into Heaven; Saint Peter took it and hung it on a hook by his seat. Then Brother Lustig said, "And now I wish myself inside that knapsack of mine." A second later he was in it — and so inside Heaven; and Saint Peter had no choice but to let him stay.
Vocabulary from "Brother Lustig"
12 key words from this story with definitions and original context sentences for language learners.
dischargeC1
Official release from the army.
退伍；退伍文书。
Brother Lustig got his discharge along with the rest, and with it nothing but a small army loaf and four kreuzers in coin; and off he went.
快乐老兄也跟着领了退伍文书，除此之外只得了一小块军粮面包和四个克罗采钱币，就这么上了路。
almsC1
Money or food given to poor people.
施舍。
Now Saint Peter had put himself in the road as a poor beggar, and when Brother Lustig came up he asked him for alms.
圣彼得扮成个穷叫花子挡在路上，快乐老兄走近时，他向他讨钱。
apostleC1
One of the twelve followers Jesus sent out to teach.
使徒。
So he broke the loaf into four, gave the apostle one piece and a kreuzer with it.
他把面包掰成四份，分给这位使徒一份，又给了一个克罗采。
salveC1
An ointment rubbed on the skin to heal it.
药膏。
He took a salve out of his pocket, and in a moment the sick man was healed and could get up, in perfect health.
他从兜里取出一盒药膏，转眼就把病人治愈，那人爬起身来，一点毛病也没有了。
nudged(nudge)B2
Pushed someone gently with the elbow.
用胳膊肘轻推。
Brother Lustig, though, nudged Saint Peter and said, "Take something.
快乐老兄却捅了捅圣彼得："收下点儿吧。
knapsackC1
A bag carried on the back.
背囊。
— "What I cannot eat now I shall carry off in my knapsack," said Brother Lustig; and he ate half the lamb and packed the rest away.
——"眼下吃不完的，我装进背囊带走，"快乐老兄说；他吃了半只羊羔，剩下的收进了囊里。
squandered(squander)C1
Wasted money foolishly.
挥霍。
He had money enough now, but he had no notion how to handle it; he threw it about and gave it away, and after a while he had nothing again.
他这会儿钱是够了，却不会打理，胡花乱撒、随手送人，过了一阵子又两手空空。
councillors(councillor)C1
People who give official advice to a ruler.
大臣；参议。
But he had no faith in him, and consulted his councillors first; and they said he might as well let him try, since his daughter was dead in any case.
可他心里没底，先去问计于大臣；大臣们说，反正女儿已经死了，不妨让他试一试。
journeymen(journeyman)C1
Trained workers travelling in search of work.
出师的手艺人。
He was in the middle of his meal when two journeymen came up and looked with hungry eyes at the second goose, which he had not yet touched.
他正吃到一半，来了两个手艺人，饿着眼盯住他还没动过的第二只鹅。
lodgingB2
A place to stay for a time.
住处；借宿。
At the inn he asked to be put up for the night, and the landlord turned him away.
他到客店里说要借宿一晚，店主却把他撵出来。
hideousC1
Extremely ugly.
丑陋可怖的。
But the devils pressed nearer and nearer, and all but trod on his face with their hideous feet.
可这些魔鬼越挤越近，那几只丑脚差点踩上他的脸。
hermitC1
Someone who lives alone for religious reasons.
隐士。
But at last he grew old and began to think of his end; so he went to a hermit who was known for a pious man, and said to him, "I am tired of wandering, and I want now to live in such a way that I shall get into the kingdom of Heaven."
可他终于老了，开始想到自己的归宿；于是他去见一位以虔诚闻名的隐士，对他说："我漂泊够了，如今想过一种日子，好让我进天国去。"
Reading Together & Learning More
The Moral
Brother Lustig is generous and cheerful, yet also greedy, untruthful, and hopeless with money — neither a villain nor a role model. This tale is in no hurry to preach; with a grin it sets before you a flesh-and-blood, thoroughly flawed ordinary man and lets you weigh him yourself: a person can be both loveable and far from perfect.
Educational Value
Good for discussing how honesty (the lamb's heart he lied about), greed (money he can never hold onto), and kindness (always sharing what he has) can all live in the same person; it is also a lively introduction to the Western folk-legends of 'St. Peter walking the earth.'
Tips for Parents
This is a light-hearted rogue's comedy — no need to take it too seriously. Laugh about it with your child: Brother Lustig clearly ate the lamb's heart, so why does he flatly deny it? What is St. Peter trying to teach by 'giving with one hand and taking with the other'? At the end he wishes himself into the knapsack to stay in Heaven — do you think that counts as cheating? (Note: St. Peter boiling the princess's bones to revive her is strange; treat it as an old tale's flight of fancy.)
Talk About It
- Brother Lustig clearly ate the lamb's heart, yet insists 'a lamb has no heart.' St. Peter finally makes him confess with the 'three heaps of gold' trick. What do you find clever about it?
- St. Peter does Brother Lustig many good turns, yet keeps refusing to let him take a reward. What do you think he is trying to teach him?
- Brother Lustig has many faults — greed, lying, no sense with money — yet he is also generous, always sharing with others. Is he a good person or a bad one?
- He traps the devils in his knapsack for the smiths to hammer, and uses the same bag to sneak into Heaven. Where is the line between being 'clever' and 'cheating'?
- If you had a magic knapsack that held whatever you wished for, what would you use it for?
