Favorite Folktales from Around the World [S.S. Col.] [Fairy Tales col.] by Yolen Jane (Ed.)

Author:Yolen, Jane (Ed.) [Yolen, Jane (Ed.)]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Fiction, Folk Tales, Short Stories
ISBN: 978-0-8041-5286-0
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Published: 2014-05-07T03:00:00+00:00

THE GOOSE GIRL

Germany

There was once upon a time an old queen whose husband had been dead for many years, and she had a beautiful daughter. When the princess grew up she was betrothed to a prince who lived at a great distance. When the time came for her to be married, and she had to journey forth into the distant kingdom, the aged queen packed up for her many costly vessels of silver and gold, and trinkets also of gold and silver; and cups and jewels, in short, everything which appertained to a royal dowry, for she loved her child with all her heart. She likewise sent her maid-in-waiting, who was to ride with her, and hand her over to the bridegroom, and each had a horse for the journey, but the horse of the king’s daughter was called Falada, and could speak. So when the hour of parting had come, the aged mother went into her bedroom, took a small knife and cut her finger with it until it bled. Then she held a white handkerchief to it into which she let three drops of blood fall, gave it to her daughter and said, “Dear child, preserve this carefully. It will be of service to you on your way.”

So they took a sorrowful leave of each other; the princess put the piece of cloth in her bosom, mounted her horse, and then went away to her bridegroom. After she had ridden for a while she felt a burning thirst, and said to her waiting maid, “Dismount, and take my cup which you have brought with you for me, and get me some water from the stream, for I should like to drink.”

“If you are thirsty,” said the waiting maid, “get off your horse yourself, and lie down and drink out of the water, I don’t choose to be your servant.”

So in her great thirst the princess alighted, bent down over the water in the stream and drank, and was not allowed to drink out of the golden cup. Then she said, “Ah, Heaven!” and the three drops of blood answered, “If this your mother knew, her heart would break in two.” But the king’s daughter was humble, said nothing, and mounted her horse again. She rode some miles further, but the day was warm, the sun scorched her, and she was thirsty once more, and when they came to a stream of water, she again cried to her waiting maid, “Dismount, and give me some water in my golden cup,” for she had long ago forgotten the girl’s ill words.

But the waiting maid said still more haughtily, “If you wish to drink, get it yourself, I don’t choose to be your maid.”

Then in her great thirst the king’s daughter alighted, bent over the flowing stream, wept and said, “Ah, Heaven!” and the drops of blood again replied, “If this your mother knew, her heart would break in two.” And as she was thus drinking and leaning right over the

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