Fearless Youth

Once upon a time, a certain father had two sons.  The elder of whom was smart and sensible, and could do everything. The younger, however, was stupid and could neither learn nor understand anything, and when people saw him they said ‘there’s a fellow who will give his father some trouble.’ When anything had to be done, it was always the elder brother who was forced to do it, but he was also easily scared. If his father bade him to fetch anything when it was dark or in a dismal place, he would answer ‘Oh, no, father, I’ll not go there, it makes me shudder.’ The younger brother, however, could not understand what the problem was. “My brother is always saying ‘it makes me shudder’ but it does not make me shudder.” Thought he.

Now it came to pass that the father said to the younger brother one day. “Listen, you are growing tall and strong, and you must learn something by which you can earn a living.”

“Well, father,” he replied, “I am quite willing to learn something – if it can be managed, I would like to learn how to shudder! I don’t understand that at all yet.”

When the elder brother heard this, he though to himself, “My goodness, what a block head my brother is! He will never be good for anything as long as he lives.”

The father, upon hearing this, just sighed.  Soon after, the local sexton came to the house on a visit, and the father bewailed his trouble with his younger son. “If he wants to learn to shudder,” replied the sexton, “he can learn that with me. Send him to me and I will soon polish him.”

The sexton therefore took him into his house, and he had to ring the church bell.  After a couple of days, the sexton awoke him at midnight, and bade him to arise and go up into the church tower to ring the bell. “You shall soon learn what shuddering is,” thought the sexton, and secretly went there before him. When the boy had reached the top of the tower and was getting ready to take hold of the bell rope, he saw a white figure standing on the stairs opposite the sounding hole.

“Who is there?” The boy cried, but the figure made no reply, and didn’t more. “Give an answer!” Cried the boy, “Or take yourself off, you have no business here!”

The sexton, however, remained standing motionless that the boy might think he was a ghost. The boy cried a second time “What do you want here?! – Speak if you are an honest fellow, or I will throw you down the steps.”

The sexton thought “he can’t mean to be as bad as his words,” and uttered no sound and stood as if he were made of stone. Then the boy called to him for the third time, and as that was also to no purpose, he ran against him and pushed the ghost down the stairs, so that it fell down ten steps and remained lying there in a corner. Thereupon he rang the bell, went home, and without saying a word went to bed, and fell asleep.

The sexton’s wife waited a long time for her husband, but he did not come back, she became uneasy, and wakened the boy. “Do you not know where my husband is? He climbed up the tower before you did.” She asked.

“No, I don’t know,” replied the boy, “but someone was standing by the sounding hole on the other side of the steps, and as he would neither give an answer nor go away, I took him for a scoundrel, and threw him downstairs.” Upon hearing this, the woman ran away and found her husband, who was lying moaning in the corner with a broken leg.

After she had carried her husband down, she complained to the boy’s father in a fit of rage. “Your boy has been the cause of great misfortune!  He has thrown my husband down the steps so that he broke his leg! Take the good-for-nothing fellow out of our house!”

The father was appalled, and ran to scold the boy. “What are you thinking!? What evil thoughts are in your head?”

The boy replied, “Please listen to me, I am quite innocent. He was standing there by night like he was intent on doing evil. I didn’t know who it was and I warned him three times to either speak or go away.”

After reaching the end of his rope, the father said “I have nothing but unhappiness with you, Go out of my sight, I will see you no more.”

Wanting to please his father, the boy said, “Yes, father, wait only until it is day.  Then I will go forth and learn to shudder.”

When the day dawned, the boy took fifty coins that is father had given him, and set out.  When he was on his way a man approached who heard the youth saying to himself, “if I only knew how to shudder!” When they had walked a little farther to where they could see the gallows, the man said to him “look, there is the tree where seven men have been hung.  Sit down beneath it, and wait until night comes, then you will learn how to shudder.”

The youth replied, “if it is as easy as that, you may come back in the morning and have my fifty coins!”  Then the youth went to the gallows, sat beneath it, and waited till evening came. As the boy was cold, he lit himself a fire, but the wind blew so hard, that he could not keep warm.  As the wind knocked the hanged men against one another, and they moved backwards and forwards, he thought to himself, “if I am this cold, those men up their must really be cold.” And as he felt pity for them, he raised the ladder, climbed up, unbound them, and placed them around the fire.  But as they sat they sat there, their clothes began to catch fire. Upon seeing this the boy cried, “Take care, or I will hang you up again!”.  The dead men, however, didn’t hear this and continued to catch on fire.  At this, the boy grew angry, and hung them all back up.

The next morning, the man came to him and wanted to have the fifty coins, and said “well, do you know how to shudder?”

“No, “ answered the boy, “How could I know. Those fellows up there didn’t open their mouths, and were so stupid, that they let their cloths catch on fire!”

At hearing this, the man walked away in disbelief and the boy continued on his way.  Soon the boy wandered across an inn, upon walking in the boy exclaimed “Oh, but if I could only learn to shudder!” Upon hearing this, the host laughed and said, “If that is what you desire, there is a haunted castle very near here.  The king has promised his daughter to wed the first man that can stay three nights in the castle. Likewise, in the castle lay great treasures, which are guarded by evil spirits, any man willing to spend three nights will receive these riches.  Surly this will teach you to shudder.”

The next morning, the youth went to the king and said, “if it be allowed, I will watch three nights in the haunted castle!” Since the youth pleased the king, he said “You may as for three things to take into the castle with you, but they must be without life.”

The boy thought about this for a moment and replied, “Then I ask for a fire, a turning lathe, and a cutting-board with the knife.”  The king had these things carried into the castle for him during the day. When night was drawing near, the youth went up and made himself a bright fire in one of the rooms, placed the cutting-board and knife beside it, and seated himself by the turning-lathe. “Ah, if I could but shudder.” He said, “but I shall not learn it here either.”

Towards midnight he was about to poke his fire, and as he was blowing it, something cried suddenly from one corner “Oh, I am so cold!”

“You fools!” Cried the boy, “what are you crying about. If you are cold, come and take a seat by the fire and warm yourselves.” And when he had said that, two great black cats came with one tremendous leap and sat down on each side of him, and looked savagely at him with their fiery eyes. After a short time, when they had warmed themselves, they said “Friend, shall we have a game of cards?”

“Why not?” He replied, “but just show me your paws.” Then they stretched out their claws. “Oh,” said he, “what long nails you have. Wait, I must first cut them for you.” Thereupon he seized them by the throats, put them on the cutting-board and screwed their feet fast. “I have looked at your fingers,” said he, “and I no longer want to play cards!” With this, he struck them dead and threw them out into the water.

As he had finished with these two, and was about to sit down again by his fire, out from every hole and corner came black cats and black dogs with red-hot chains. More and more of them came until he could no longer move, and they yelled horribly, got on his fire, pulled it to pieces, and tried to put it out. He watched them for a while quietly, but at last when they were going too far, he seized his cutting-knife, and cried “away with you, vermin!”, and began to cut them down. Some of them ran away, the others he killed, and threw out into the fish-pond.

When he came back he fanned the embers of his fire again and warmed himself. And as he thus sat, his eyes would keep open no longer, and he felt a desire to sleep. Then he looked round and saw a great bed in the corner. “That is the very thing for me.” said he, and got into it. When he was just going to shut his eyes, however, the bed began to move of its own accord, and went over the whole of the castle. “Wahoo,” he said, “go faster!” Then the bed rolled on as if six horses were harnessed to it, up and down, over thresholds and stairs, but suddenly hop, hop, it turned over upside down, and lay on him like a mountain. But he threw quilts and pillows up in the air, got out and said, “Now any one who likes, may drive” and lay down by his fire, and slept till it was day.

In the morning the king came, and when he saw him lying there on the ground, he thought the evil spirits had killed him and he was dead. Then said he “After all it is a pity, — for so handsome a man.” The youth heard it, got up, and said “it has not come to that yet.” Then the king was astonished, but very glad, and asked how he had fared. “Very well indeed,” answered he, “one night is past, the two others will pass likewise.”

Then he went to the innkeeper, who opened his eyes very wide, and said, “I never expected to see you alive again. Have you learnt how to shudder yet?”

“No,” replied the boy, “it is all in vain. If some one would but tell me.”

The second night he again went up into the old castle, sat down by the fire, and once more began his old song “if I could but shudder.” When midnight arrived, an uproar and noise of tumbling about was heard, at first it was low, but it grew louder and louder. Then it was quiet for a while, and at length with a loud scream, half a man came down the chimney and fell before him. “Hello.” He cried, “you are missing a half!” Then the uproar began again, there was a roaring and howling, and the other half fell down likewise. “Wait,” said he, “I will just stoke up the fire a little for you.” When he had done that and looked round again, the two pieces were joined together, and a hideous man was sitting in his place. “That is not part of our bargain,” said the youth, “the bench is mine.” The man wanted to push him away, the youth, however, would not allow that, but thrust him off with all his strength, and seated himself again in his own place. Then still more men fell down, one after the other, they brought nine dead men’s legs and two skulls, and set them up and played at nine-pins with them. The youth also wanted to play and said “listen you, can I join you?” “Yes, if you have any money.” Money enough,” replied he, “but your balls are not quite round.” Then he took the skulls and put them in the lathe and turned them till they were round. “There, now they will roll better.” He played with them and lost some of his money, but when it struck twelve, everything vanished from his sight. He lay down and quietly fell asleep.

Next morning the king came to inquire after him. “How has it fared with you this time?” Asked he.

“I have been playing at nine-pins,” he answered, “and have lost a couple of coins.”

“Have you not shuddered then?”

“What.” Said he, “I have had a wonderful time! If I did but know what it was to shudder.”

The third night he sat down again on his bench and said quite sadly “if I could but shudder.” When it grew late, six tall men came in and brought a coffin. Then he said “ha, ha, that is certainly my little cousin, who died only a few days ago.”, and he beckoned with his finger, and cried “come, little cousin, come.” They placed the coffin on the ground, but he went to it and took the lid off, and a dead man lay therein. He felt his face, but it was cold as ice. “Wait,” said he, “I will warm you a little.”, and went to the fire and warmed his hand and laid it on the dead man’s face, but he remained cold. Then he took him out, and sat down by the fire and laid him on his breast and rubbed his arms that the blood might circulate again. As this also did no good, he thought to himself “when two people lie in bed together, they warm each other”, and carried him to the bed, covered him over and lay down by him. After a short time the dead man became warm too, and began to move. Then said the youth, “See, little cousin, have I not warmed you?” The dead man, however, got up and cried “Now will I strangle you!”

“What?” Said he, “is that the way you thank me. You shall at once go into your coffin again!”, and he took him up, threw him into it, and shut the lid. Then came the six men and carried him away again.

“I cannot manage to shudder.” said he. “’I shall never learn it here as long as I live.”

Then a man entered who was taller than all others, and looked terrible. He was old, however, and had a long white beard. “You wretch,” cried he, “you shall soon learn what it is to shudder, for you shall die!”

“Not so fast!” replied the youth. “If I am to die, I shall have to have a say in it.”

“I will soon seize you,” said the fiend.

“Softly, softly, do not talk so big. I am as strong as you are, and perhaps even stronger.”

“We shall see,” said the old man. “If you are stronger, I will let you go – come, we will try.”

Then he led him by dark passages to a smith’s forge, took an axe, and with one blow struck an anvil into the ground.

“I can do better than that,” said the youth, and went to the other anvil. The old man placed himself near and wanted to look on, and his white beard hung down. Then the youth seized the axe, split the anvil with one blow, and in it caught the old man’s beard. “Now I have you,” said the youth. “Now it is your turn to die.” Then he seized an iron bar and beat the old man till he moaned and entreated him to stop, when he would give him great riches. The youth drew out the axe and let him go. The old man led him back into the castle, and in a cellar showed him three chests full of gold.

“Of these,” said he, “one part is for the poor, the other for the king, the third yours.” In the meantime it struck twelve, and the spirit disappeared, so that the youth stood in darkness. “I shall still be able to find my way out”, said he and felt about, found the way into the room, and slept there by his fire.

Next morning the king came and said “now you must have learnt what shuddering is.”

“No”, he answered “what can it be. My dead cousin was here, and a bearded man came and showed me a great deal of money down below, but no one told me what it was to shudder.”

“Then”, said the king, “you have saved the castle, and shall marry my daughter.”

“That is all very well”, said he, “but still I do not know what it is to shudder.” Then the gold was brought up and the wedding celebrated, but howsoever much the young king loved his wife, and however happy he was, he still said always “if I could but shudder – if I could but shudder.” And this at last angered her. Her waiting-maid said “I will find a cure for him, he shall soon learn what it is to shudder.” She went out to the stream which flowed through the garden, and had a whole bucketful of fish brought to her.

At night when the young king was sleeping, his wife was to draw the clothes off him and empty the bucketful of cold water with the fish in it over him, so that the little fishes would sprawl about him. Then he woke up and cried “oh, what makes me shudder so. – What makes me shudder so, dear wife. Ah. Now I know what it is to shudder.”

– THE END –