The Two Brothers

Long ago there lived two brothers, one rich and one poor. The rich one was a goldsmith with a cold, cruel heart. The poor one made his living by tying brooms, and he was honest and good. People in the village said: the rich brother's heart was harder than gold, and the poor brother's hands were busier than anyone's. He had twin sons, so alike that they looked like two drops of water.

One day the poor man went into the forest to gather firewood. He looked up and saw a bird made all of gold, more beautiful than any bird he had ever seen. He threw a small stone, and by luck it hit the bird. But the bird flew away, and only one golden feather fell to the ground. The man carried the feather to his brother, and the goldsmith said, "This is pure gold," and paid him well for it.

A few days later the poor man climbed a birch tree to cut some branches. The golden bird flew out from the top of the tree. The man searched and found a nest, and in the nest lay one golden egg. When the goldsmith saw the egg, his eyes grew bright. He said, "What I truly want now is the bird itself."

For the third time the poor man went into the forest, and there sat the golden bird in the same birch tree. A stone brought it down, and he carried it to his brother. The goldsmith paid him a whole heap of gold. But in his heart he knew this was no common bird: whoever ate its heart and liver would find a gold coin under his pillow every morning. So he told his wife, "Roast this bird for me, and do not lose a single scrap. I want to eat every bit of it myself."

While the bird roasted over the fire, the wife had to leave the kitchen for other work. The two boys turned the spit once or twice, and at that moment two little pieces of the bird fell into the pan below. One boy said, "Let us eat these two pieces. I am so hungry, and nobody will ever miss them." So they ate them. When the wife came back and asked what they had eaten, she was frightened: that must have been the heart and the liver! To keep her husband from getting angry, she quickly killed a young rooster and laid its heart and liver beside the golden bird.

The goldsmith ate the golden bird alone, every bit of it. The next morning he put his hand under his pillow, hoping to find a gold coin. But there was no more gold there than before. As for the two boys, they had no idea what good fortune had found them. When they got up, something clinked on the floor: two gold coins lay at their feet. And so, quietly, their luck began.

The next morning there were two gold coins again, and so it was every day after that. The father did not understand it, so he went to his brother and told him the strange story. The goldsmith understood at once: the boys had eaten the golden bird's heart and liver! He was envious and cruel, and he wanted revenge. He said to the father, "Your sons have made a pact with the devil. Do not touch that gold, and do not keep them under your roof another day. The devil holds them fast, and he may bring you down with them."

The father was afraid of the devil. Sadly, he led the twins into the forest and left them there with a heavy heart. The boys ran through the woods all day, looking for the way home. But the more they looked, the more lost they became.

At nightfall they met a huntsman. He asked, "Whose children are you?" They answered, "We are the poor broom-maker's sons. Our father will not keep us at home, because every morning a gold coin lies under our pillows." The huntsman said, "There is no great harm in that, so long as you stay honest and do not grow lazy." He had no children of his own, and he loved the boys at once. So he took them home and said, "From this day on, I shall be your father."

The brothers learned to hunt from him, and their fine shooting came from years of patient training with their foster father. Every gold coin that each boy found in the morning was saved by the foster father for later need. When the boys were grown, he took them into the forest and said, "Today you shall each make your trial shot. When you pass, you may stand on your own feet." As he spoke, a flight of wild geese came over in a triangle. He told the elder boy, "Bring down one from each corner." He did it with one shot. Soon another flight came by in the shape of the number two, and the younger boy brought down one from each corner. The old man nodded, "Good. Your training is finished."

The brothers talked it over and asked to leave: "Our learning is done, and we want to try our luck in the wide world." The old man was glad: "You talk like brave huntsmen! What you want is what I wish for too. Go out into the world, and all will go well with you." On the appointed day he gave each boy a good gun and a hunting dog, and let each one take as much of the saved gold as he liked.

At parting he took out a bright, shining knife and said, "If you ever separate on the road, drive this knife into a tree where you part. Whoever returns to it later will read his brother's fate on the blade. The side that faces the way he went will rust if he is dead, and stay bright while he lives." The brothers bowed to their foster father and set off on their own ways.

The brothers walked for days and came into a forest so vast that they could not see the end of it. Their food ran out, and their stomachs growled with hunger. The elder said, "We must shoot something to eat." He raised his gun, and just then an old hare ran by. But the hare begged, "Wait, huntsman! Spare my life, and I will give you two little ones." It dived into the bushes and brought out two baby hares. The little creatures were soft and playful, and neither brother had the heart to kill them. So they kept them by their side.

Soon a fox slipped past. They were about to shoot, but the fox begged too, "Spare my life, and I will give you two little ones!" It brought two little foxes. Then came a wolf, then a bear, and both of them begged in the same way. At last came a lion tossing his mane, grand and proud. But the brothers were not afraid, and they took aim at him as well. The lion also said, "Spare my life, and I will give you two little ones!" The brothers let them all go and kept their young. Now they had a pair of lions, a pair of bears, a pair of wolves, a pair of foxes and a pair of hares — ten animals in all, trotting quietly at their heels.

Their stomachs were still empty, so the brothers said to the foxes, "You two are full of tricks. Go and find us something to eat." The foxes answered, "Not far from here is a village, and we have stolen many a fowl there. Follow us." After the meal the brothers travelled on for days, but they could find no place where both of them could settle. At last they said, "There is no other way; we must part." They shared the animals fairly, and each took a lion, a bear, a wolf, a fox and a hare. They said goodbye with tears and swore to love each other as brothers for life. Then they drove the knife their foster father had given them into a tree at the parting place. One went east, and the other went west.

The younger brother came with his animals to a town that was hung all over with black cloth. He went into an inn and asked the landlord whether his beasts could be put up. The landlord gave him a stable with a hole in the wall. The hare crept out through the hole and brought back a head of cabbage, and the fox brought back a hen, and when that was eaten, a rooster as well. But the wolf, the bear and the lion were too big for the hole, and they had to stay inside.

When his animals were settled, the younger brother asked, "Why is the whole town hung with black?" The landlord sighed, "Because the King's only daughter is to die tomorrow." The brother asked, "Is she very ill?" The landlord shook his head, "She is well and strong, and die she must all the same. Outside the town there is a high hill, and on it lives a dragon. Every year it must have a pure maiden, or it will lay the whole country waste. All the maidens are gone now, and only the princess is left. Many knights went up to kill the dragon, and every one of them lost his life. The King has promised: whoever overcomes the dragon shall marry his daughter and rule the kingdom after him."

The younger brother only nodded and said little. But in his heart he had made up his mind: tomorrow at dawn he would go up the hill and meet that dragon. He settled his animals, fed them well, and went to bed early to gather his strength for the morning.

At dawn the younger brother took his animals up the dragon's hill. At the top stood a little church, and on the altar stood three full cups. Beside them was written: "Drain these three, and no man on earth will be stronger than you; the sword buried before the door will answer to your hand." At first he did not drink. He went out and tried to pull the sword from the ground, but it would not move. So he went back and drained the three cups. Now he had strength enough, and the sword came up as light as a feather.

When the hour came for the maiden to be handed over, the King, the marshal and the courtiers went up the hill with her. From far away she saw a man standing on the hill, and she took him for the dragon. She refused to go up. But if she refused, the whole town would be destroyed, so at last she made that wretched journey with tears. When she reached the top, it was not a dragon that stood there but a young huntsman. He comforted her and said, "Do not be afraid; I am here to save you." He led her into the church and locked the door from outside.

Before long the seven-headed dragon came roaring up the hill. When it saw a man blocking the way, it breathed fire from all seven jaws. The fire was meant to set the dry grass alight and choke him with smoke. But the animals rushed in and trampled the fire out. The dragon threw itself at the huntsman. He swung his sword, and it sang through the air, and three of the dragon's heads fell to the ground. The monster grew furious. It reared up and spat great sheets of flame. The huntsman swung again and cut off three more heads. The beast weakened and sank down, yet it made one last rush. With the last of his strength the huntsman struck off its tail, and with a mighty roar his animals fell upon the monster and tore it to pieces.

The huntsman unlocked the church door and found the princess lying on the floor, for she had fainted with fear. He carried her out, and when she opened her eyes he showed her the dragon in pieces and told her she was free. Overjoyed, she said, "The man who killed the dragon shall be my husband, as my father promised." She took off her coral necklace and shared it among the animals as a reward, and the lion received the golden clasp. But her handkerchief, which had her name on it, she gave to the huntsman. He cut out the tongues of all seven heads, folded them into the handkerchief, and put it away carefully.

The fight had left them both worn out, so they lay down on the ground to rest, and the huntsman told the lion to keep watch. But the lion grew sleepy and called the bear; the bear called the wolf; the wolf called the fox; and the fox called the hare. The hare had nobody left to call, so it curled up and slept too. The marshal's duty was to watch the hill from a distance. When he saw that all was quiet, he climbed up, and there lay the dragon in pieces, with the princess and the huntsman fast asleep. Wicked and godless, he drew his sword, cut off the huntsman's head, took the princess in his arms and carried her away. When she woke, she was terrified. But the marshal drew his sword and said, "You will say that I killed the dragon, or I will kill you!" Forced and afraid, she had to promise, though in her heart she remembered everything. The King was overjoyed to see his daughter alive and believed the marshal's lie. But the princess asked that the wedding wait for a year and a day, for in her heart she hoped her good huntsman would come back.

On the hill the animals lay weeping beside their dead master. Then a great bumble-bee settled on the hare's nose. The hare brushed it off and slept on. It came again, and the hare pushed it away. The third time the bee stung him, and the hare woke with a start. He woke the fox, the fox woke the wolf, the wolf woke the bear, and the bear woke the lion. The lion saw his master dead and roared with grief and anger: "Why did nobody wake me!" The blame fell on the poor hare, and the beasts were about to fall upon him. He begged, "Do not kill me! I can bring our master back to life. I know a mountain where a root grows that cures any illness and every wound. But the mountain is two hundred hours away." The lion said, "You must run there and back in four and twenty hours." The hare sprang away and came back in time with the root. The lion set the head back on the neck, and the hare put the root into the mouth. In a moment the wound closed, the heart beat, and the huntsman was alive again. He woke to find the princess gone and was full of sorrow, and he did not notice that in his hurry the lion had set his head on the wrong way. At noon, when he sat down to eat, he found his face turned to his back. He asked the animals what had happened, and the lion, ashamed, took the head off, turned it the right way, and the hare healed it with the root again. But the huntsman's heart was heavy, so he wandered about the world and let his animals dance for people to earn their bread.

A year passed, and on the very day the younger brother came back to the town where he had saved the princess. This time red cloth hung everywhere, bright with joy. He asked the innkeeper, "Last year the town was hung all in black. What is the red cloth for today?" The innkeeper answered, "Last year our King's daughter was to be given to the dragon. But the marshal fought the dragon and killed it, and tomorrow their wedding is to be held. Then the black cloth was for mourning; today the red cloth is for joy." The huntsman smiled a little and said nothing, but in his heart he thought: could that marshal really have killed the dragon?

The next day was the wedding day. At noon the huntsman said to the innkeeper, "Would you believe, landlord, that today, right here, I shall eat bread from the King's own table?" The innkeeper shook his head, "I will wager a hundred gold pieces that it will never happen." The huntsman took the wager and put down a purse with exactly that much gold. Then he called the hare, "Go, my good runner, and fetch me the kind of bread the King eats." The hare was the lowest of the animals, so the errand fell to him alone. He worried as he ran: if the butchers' dogs caught him, his good skin would be ruined! And sure enough, the dogs came after him. He sprang into a sentry-box by the road, and the soldier beat the dogs away with the butt of his gun. Then he ran into the palace, crept under the princess's chair and scratched her foot. She thought it was her little dog and said, "Go away!" He scratched a third time, and she looked down and knew the hare by his collar. She took him into her room and asked, "Dear hare, what do you want?" He answered, "The man who killed the dragon is my master. He is here, and he sends me for a loaf of the sort the King eats." Surprised and glad, the princess ordered the baker to make a loaf like the King's and carry it to the door of the inn. The hare stood on his hind legs, took the loaf between his front paws, and brought it to his master. The huntsman said, "You see, landlord, the hundred gold pieces are mine."

The innkeeper could not believe his eyes. The huntsman said, "I have the bread; now I shall taste the King's roast meat as well." He called the fox, which knew the back ways even better than the hare, going by holes and corners so that not a single dog saw it, and it scratched the princess's foot too. She ordered the cook to make a roast like the King's and send it to the door. Then came the wolf, who feared nobody. He walked straight into the palace, pulled at the princess's dress, and got vegetables such as the King ate. Then came the bear, who loved sweet things. When the guard stopped him, he stood up on his hind legs and cuffed them left and right until the whole guard scattered. Last came the lion, who asked for the wine the King drinks, and when the watch tried to bar his way, he roared once, and they all ran off. The huntsman spread a feast: bread, meat, vegetables, sweets and wine, just like the King's. He dined with his five animals, and his heart was glad, for he could see that the princess still loved him.

After the meal the huntsman said, "Landlord, I have eaten and drunk as the King does. Soon I shall go to the palace and marry the King's daughter." The innkeeper said, "How can that be? She already has a bridegroom, and the wedding is today!" The huntsman took out the handkerchief with the seven dragon tongues folded inside and said, "What I hold in my hand will help me do it." Just then the King's servant arrived. For the King had asked his daughter, "What did all those animals want in my palace?" She answered, "I may not tell you, but send for their master, and you will do well." So the servant came to the inn. The huntsman sent word back, "Beg the King for royal clothing, a carriage with six horses, and servants to attend me." When the King heard this, he asked his daughter, "What shall I do?" She answered, "Have him fetched as he wishes, and you will do well." The King granted all of it. The huntsman put on the royal robes, took up the handkerchief, and rode to the palace.

The King came out to meet him and seated him beside himself and his daughter. The marshal sat on the other side as the bridegroom, and he did not know the huntsman. At that moment the seven heads of the dragon were carried in for all to see. The King said, "The marshal struck off these seven heads, so today I give him my daughter to wife." The huntsman stood up, opened the seven mouths and asked, "Then where are the seven tongues?" The marshal turned pale with fright. At last he stammered, "Dragons have no tongues." The huntsman said, "Liars should have none! The tongues of a dragon are the victor's proof." He unfolded the handkerchief, and there lay all seven tongues. He put each tongue back into its own mouth, and every one fitted exactly. Then he held up the handkerchief with the princess's name and asked her whose hands had given it. He called his animals, took the collars from their necks and the golden clasp from the lion, and asked her whose they were. She answered, "They were mine; I gave them to the man and the animals who helped to kill the dragon." So the huntsman told the whole truth: "After the fight I fell asleep, worn out. The marshal came, cut off my head, carried the princess away and claimed my deed. My animals healed me with a wonderful root. I wandered with them for a whole year, and only from this innkeeper did I learn of the marshal's treachery." The King asked his daughter, "Is what this man says true?" She nodded with tears, "It is all true. He forced me to keep silent, and that is why I asked that the wedding wait for a year and a day." The King called twelve councillors to judge the marshal. He was sentenced to death, and the sentence was carried out. The King gave his daughter to the huntsman and made him ruler of the whole kingdom.

The wedding was held with great joy. The young king sent for his father and his foster father and loaded them with treasures. He did not forget the innkeeper either. He sent for him and said with a smile, "Landlord, you see, I have married the King's daughter, and your house and yard are mine now." The innkeeper said, "By right, they are." But the young king said, "This matter shall go by mercy, not by right. Keep your house and yard, and take a thousand gold pieces besides." From that day the young king and his queen lived happily, loving each other well. He often rode out hunting, and the five faithful animals always trotted behind his horse. And the people who heard this tale said: kindness comes back to the kind, and a lie can never last.