The Sword, The Golden Hens, The Golden Lantern And The Golden Harp

Once upon a time there was a poor farmer who had three sons. The two oldest followed his father in the woods and fields, as well as being of assistance to him in his work; but the youngest boy stayed at home with mother, and helped her in her chores. Through this, he was held in low esteem by his brothers, and they wronged him when and where they could.
It happened after some time that the crofter people died, and the three the sons would divide their inheritance. Then it went, as you can imagine: the older brothers took what was of any value, and left nothing for his younger brother. Now that everything else had been shifted, only one remained old cracked dough trough, which neither wanted to own. Then one said of the brothers: "the old trough may be suitable for our youngest brother; he bakes and slobbers so gladly.» The boy thought well that this was a ring inheritance; but he must be satisfied. After that day it seemed to him yet it is not good to stay at home; he therefore took leave of his brothers, and went out into the world to try their luck. When he came to lake shore, he thickened his trough with dref, and made a small one out of it boat, to which he attached two sticks as oars. Then he rowed their journeys.
When the boy had crossed the lake, he came to a large royal farm. He went in and asked to speak to the king. He asked: "What is yours?" eat and your business?” The boy answered: 'I am a poor torpareson, who owns nothing in the whole world, except an old dough trough. Now I came here to look for a job.' When the king heard this, he smiled and said: »certainly you have a small inheritance; but luck often turns around strange if.» The boy became so busy among the king's little servants, and was well liked by all for his boldness and speed.
Now it should be told that the king, who ruled over the royal court, had one only daughter. She was both friendly and sensible, so that her beauty and understanding was widely spoken of over the land, and suitors came from both the East and the vest to desire her. But the princess refused them all, med less they could bring her as a bridal gift four good grips, which owned by a giant on the other side of the lake. The animal-catchers were: a golden one sword, two golden hens, a golden lantern and a golden harp. Many struggle and sons of kings had gone away to win these precious things; but none came back, for the giant seized them all and ate them. Such the king seemed to be ill; he was saved, that his daughter would live without a husband, and he himself would never have a son who could inherit the kingdom.
When the boy heard the talk about this, he thought to himself that it would be worth an attempt to win the beautiful king's daughter. In such thoughts one day he went before the king and reported his case. But the king became angry and said: "how do you, who are a lowly journeyman, think to perform that which no fighter has so far been able to do.» The boy still stood by his meaning, and begged leave to try his luck. When now the king saw his boldness, he let go of his anger and gave him leave. He added: »it concerns your life, and I wanted the ogres to lose you.» So they talked and parted they from each other.
The boy now went to the lake shore, sought out his boat, and looked carefully at it all sides. Then he rowed back across the lake, and lay in wait next to the giant's cabin. He stayed there that night. But in the morning, before dawn was light, went to his lodge and threshed, so that it thundered in the mountains far around. When the boy sensed this, he picked up a pile of pebbles his bag, crawled up onto the roof and made a small hole so he could look down. The giant always used to carry his golden sword at his side, and the sword had such a strange quality that it rang loudly every time he became angry. When the threshing floor was at its best, the boy threw a small one stone, so that it fell on the sword, whereupon this gave a strong sound. "Why are you ringing," said the giant, displeased, "I'm not angry, am I?" He threshed again; but just as it was, the sword rang again. The giant threshed again, and the sword rang a third time. Then the journey became impatient, unhooked his belt, and threw the sword out the lodge door. »Lie down there," he said, "until I finish my threshing." But the boy begged no, but hastily crept down from the roof, seized the golden sword of the tusker, ran to his boat and rowed across the lake. Here he hid his booty, and was glad that his adventure had ended so well.
On the second day, the boy filled his bag with grain, put a bundle of linden bast into the boat, and went back to the giant's cabin. When he now lay one lurking for a while, he got to see where the giant's three golden hens were going the lake shore and spread out its feathers, so that it glistened brightly against the sun. Instantly he was back again, luring the golden hens ever so slowly, so slowly, and fed them grain from his bag. Everything the birds ate, they drank the boy moved closer to the water, and finally all three were golden hens collected in his little boat. Then he quickly ran to, pushed the boat out in the water, and bound the golden hens with linden-bast. Then he rowed hastily his cow, and hid his prey in the other country.
On the third day the boy put a bunch of salt in his leather bag, and traveled again across the lake. As night fell, he noticed how the smoke whirled over the giant's cabin; and he judged from that, that the giant woman was busy cooking. The boy now crawled up onto the roof, peered through caught in the smoke and saw where a very large pot stood over the fire and boiled. Then he took pieces of salt out of his bag, and let them gradually fall in the pot. Then he crept down from the roof, and prayed would happen.
When it had been a while, the giant lady lifted her pot from the fire, poured up the porridge and set the dish on the table. The giant was hungry and started immediately eat. As he now tasted the porridge and felt that it was salty and bitter, he got up and became very angry. The lady apologized, and thought the porridge was good; but the giant asked her to take it herself; he didn't feel like eating her dish anymore. The curd would now taste the porridge, but laughed quite badly at it; for she never had such mean food prepared added.
The giant woman now had no other choice but to cook new porridge for her husband. She therefore takes the bucket, pulls the gold lantern down from the wall and runs quickly to the well to fetch water. As she now had put the lantern away on the well-tub, and bent down to wind water, the boy was in front, grabbed the lady by the feet, kicked her out headlong into the well, and seized the fair lantern. He then fled his kos, and came happily across the lake. Meanwhile the giant sat wondering, that his wife was away so long. Finally he went out to see after; but no one was seen, only a scent splashing was heard from the well. Now the giant understood that his wife had fallen into the water, and helped her along great distress back on dry land. »Where is my golden lantern?» was tussen's first question, since the lady has somewhat gotten ahead of herself. "I do not know," replied the giant woman, "but it seemed to me that someone grabbed my feet." and threw me into the well.” Then the giant became uneasy and said: 'three of my precious things are already theirs. Now I have nothing qvar, except mine golden harp; but he shall escape that, that thief, whoever he is. I wants to read the harp within twelve locks.'
While this timed with the traveler, the boy sat on the other land and rejoiced, that everything had turned out so well. But now the most difficult thing remained, to win the giant's golden harp. The boy pondered for a long time what was to be done here; but he could find no way out. He therefore decided to go over the lake to the giant cabin, and there abbida what apartment could fit.
Said and done; the boy rowed across the lake and lay in wait. But how now it happened, the giant was well on his guard, the boy noticed, as well rushed forward and seized him. "So I have you now, you thief," said the giant was enraged, "it is none other than you who stole my sword, mine three golden hens and my golden lantern.» Then the boy was afraid; for he believed that his last hour had come. He humbly replied: 'let me keep life, dear Father! I will never come here again.' »No», retorted the giant, "it will go to you, as it went to the others. No one escapes alive out of my hands.” The trip had the boy trapped on a ladder as well gave him nuts and sweet milk, that he might be well fatted, before he would be slaughtered and eaten.
The boy was now a prisoner, eating and drinking and having a good time. It suffered so some time away, and the giant wanted to know if he was still enough fat. The journey therefore went to the path, drilled a hole in the wall, and commanded the boy holding out a finger. But this one understood his intention, and instead handed over a freshly peeled ahl stick. The giant cut therein, so that the red sap dripped from the tree; then he thought that the boy still must be very thin, after he felt so hard in the hole. In between now had his prisoner given even more sweet milk and nut kernels than he had supplied.
After some time the giant went back to the path, and said that the boy was going stick his finger out through the drill on the wall. The boy now held out one cabbage stalk, and the giant cut it with his knife. Then the tussen meant that his prisoner must be fat enough, as he had such a loose hole.
When morning came, the giant said to his wife: "Mother, the boy is fat, then take him and roast him in the oven. Meanwhile I want to go away, and invite our relatives to a guest feast.» The lady promised to do as hers people had said. She then fired the oven very hot, and seized the boy to fry him. »Sit on the cake shovel!» said the giant old man; the boy did so. But when the lady lifted the grizzly handle, he always tumbled down, and it happened like that ten times. Finally the giantess became angry, and was banned for his unskillfulness; but the boy excused himself, that he did not know how he should properly sit. »Wait, I want to teach you», said the lady, and seated herself on the grissel spade, with a bent back and knees drawn together. She had hardly gotten there before the boy did at hand, took hold of the handle, pushed the lady into the oven, and closed it oven mouth. Then he took the giant woman's skin-fur, stuffed it with it straw and laid on the bed, then seizing the giant's big bundle of keys, they opened twelve locks, took the fair golden harp, and hurried down to his boat, which stood hidden in the reeds by the lake shore.
After a while the giant came home again. "Where could mother be", thought he by himself, when his wife was not in sight; »well, she has hung up to rest for a while, I could well think that.» But how long, dear now asleep, she still didn't want to wake up, even though the gilles guests were soon to expect. The giant now went to wake her up and shouted: "Wake up, mother!" But no one answered. He called a second time, but still no answer. Then became the giant displeased, and thrashed fiercely at the skin-fur, which was lying in the bed. Only now did he notice that it was not his old lady, but a bundle of straw, over which they pulled her clothes. At this discovery tussen began ana at a loss, and ran to look for his golden harp. But the key bundle was gone, the twelve locks opened, and the golden harp its kos. And when he finally went to the oven door to see the guest food, lo! -- then sat his own sweetheart roasted in the oven, and grinned at him.
Now the giant was beside himself with resentment and anger, and rushed out to take revenge on him, who caused all this misfortune. When he came to the shore, he saw whence the boy sat in his boat and played the harp; but the harpo blows sounded over the water, and the golden strings glinted fair against the sun. The giant now ran into the lake, to seize the boy; but there was too deep, he then lay down by the land and began to drink, to empty out the water. When he drank with all his might, there was such a current that it the little boat was brought closer and closer towards the land. But just like the giant would catch it, he had drunk too much, so that he burst. This became the bane of the tussle.
The giant now lay dead by the land; but the boy rowed back over the lake with great desire and joy. When he got to the beach, combed he his fair yellow hair, pulled on precious clothes, tied the giant's golden sword at his side, took the golden harp in one hand and the golden lantern in it others, attracted the golden hens after him, and so equipped came up in the hall, from where the king sat across the table with his men. When the king got see the healthy Hungarian friend, he rejoiced in his heart, and watched him with gentle eyes. But the boy went up to the beautiful king's daughter, greeted her in a courtly whisper, and laid the travel's valuables in front of her. Now became one great joy over the whole king's court that the princess had won the giant's precious things, and in addition got a fiancé so fair and handsome. The king sounded then celebrate his daughter's wedding with great pomp and circumstance; but when the the old king died, the boy was made king over the land and lived there both long and well. Then I wasn't there anymore.