Previous - Next

Now she was so frightened that she
did not see it; but her maid saw it, and was very glad, for she knew
the charm; and she saw that the poor bride would be in her power, now
that she had lost the hair. So when the bride had done drinking, and
would have got upon Falada again, the maid said, 'I shall ride upon
Falada, and you may have my horse instead'; so she was forced to give
up her horse, and soon afterwards to take off her royal clothes and
put on her maid's shabby ones.

At last, as they drew near the end of their journey, this treacherous
servant threatened to kill her mistress if she ever told anyone what
had happened. But Falada saw it all, and marked it well.

Then the waiting-maid got upon Falada, and the real bride rode upon
the other horse, and they went on in this way till at last they came
to the royal court. There was great joy at their coming, and the
prince flew to meet them, and lifted the maid from her horse, thinking
she was the one who was to be his wife; and she was led upstairs to
the royal chamber; but the true princess was told to stay in the court
below.

Now the old king happened just then to have nothing else to do; so he
amused himself by sitting at his kitchen window, looking at what was
going on; and he saw her in the courtyard. As she looked very pretty,
and too delicate for a waiting-maid, he went up into the royal chamber
to ask the bride who it was she had brought with her, that was thus
left standing in the court below. 'I brought her with me for the sake
of her company on the road,' said she; 'pray give the girl some work
to do, that she may not be idle.' The old king could not for some time
think of any work for her to do; but at last he said, 'I have a lad
who takes care of my geese; she may go and help him.' Now the name of
this lad, that the real bride was to help in watching the king's
geese, was Curdken.

But the false bride said to the prince, 'Dear husband, pray do me one
piece of kindness.' 'That I will,' said the prince. 'Then tell one of
your slaughterers to cut off the head of the horse I rode upon, for it
was very unruly, and plagued me sadly on the road'; but the truth was,
she was very much afraid lest Falada should some day or other speak,
and tell all she had done to the princess. She carried her point, and
the faithful Falada was killed; but when the true princess heard of
it, she wept, and begged the man to nail up Falada's head against a
large dark gate of the city, through which she had to pass every
morning and evening, that there she might still see him sometimes.
Then the slaughterer said he would do as she wished; and cut off the
head, and nailed it up under the dark gate.

Early the next morning, as she and Curdken went out through the gate,
she said sorrowfully:

'Falada, Falada, there thou hangest!'

and the head answered:

'Bride, bride, there thou gangest!
Alas! alas! if thy mother knew it,
Sadly, sadly, would she rue it.'

Then they went out of the city, and drove the geese on.

Previous - Next